I'm back. (Sort of.)

It's been a few years, yes? Well, after some health issues, a couple moves, and life in general being hectic. I'm back. The shop is still closed, but I'm currently in negotiations to see about reopening late this year or early next year. Since logging back in, I see that Photobucket is not the image hosting site to use and they're practically holding my (And everyone else's) pics for a ransom. I've found a new site and it will take me a while to get back in the swing of things. First question that I'm sure many are asking. Yes, I am fishing again and quite extensively. So far this year, I've been nailing Freshwater Drum, Carp, Channel Catfish, White Bass, Smallies, and panfish. I'm slowly rebuilding because due to a move, one of my boxes with all of my fly tying items vanished. RIP my beloved Montana Mongoose vise. Anywho, stay tuned for more updates!

It's been a long road.

I closed up the shop again due to my health. It was looking good for a while, then it kind of fell apart again. I appreciate all of your support through the years. It really means a lot. No, no, the shop and fly fishing is not done. I'm not dead yet! It's been a rough year and things looked bleak. Now, I'm starting to get back on my feet again. As for the shop, we'll see what this summer holds. It ain't over yet. If nothing transpires this year, I plan on making a huge comeback for 2015. Thanks again for your kind support.

Getting the groove back.

Over the past several months, I have been battling a severe health issue that required some serious treatments that left me drained, sick, and just feeling awful in general. I apologize for not updating this as I should have, but I have only went fishing a few times the whole year. The last two times I went out were the first times I have really been out and accomplished anything. So, let's get started!

I have just recently started work on a new fly based on the time-tested Woolly Bugger. I have not been out to test it on my usual carp waters because I do not feel that I am up to wading in that area quite yet. However, I did find some new carp water that is not quite as productive, but still holds a decent amount of carp. The places I have been to and waded at are easy to wade and doesn't require a lot of gusto to get out there. (Ankle-deep, shallow water) It does hold some very nice Smallmouth Bass and is perfect territory for a 5wt. Even at a smaller size, they still put a nice bend in a 7wt. That's Smallies for ya!

The fly shop has some flies left at Paul's Supply, however due to health issues, I will re-open bigger and better with more and better flies next season. I decided that it was the best course of action at the moment and will give me time to mend. (Bad fly fishing pun, I know.)

Onto the pictures!

You catch what on a fly rod??!??

Lately, I've been on a mission. I've been exploring new places to fish around here and I've been pretty successful so far. However, I overlooked a spot that's almost in my own backyard. This place contains a species of fish that many people think is almost impossible to catch repeatedly and successfully on a fly rod. I'm talking about Saugeye. Yes, people have caught them accidentally on a fly rod, but I've been specifically targeting them. They're relatively small yet, but they put up a great fight for their size. They hit streamers with such a vengeance that they make a hungry bass look like a wimp. I'm looking forward to when these guys grow up because I've hooked into a couple large ones and they gave me a fierce battle. Just remember to not lip them....

TWISTED MONO LEADERS

Auglaize Fly Shop is now offering twisted mono leaders. They are currently available in one size, which is a Med-Lt. model for 5/6wt rods. They're suitable for small bass and panfish. The product line is rapidly expanding and will include a heavy bass/pike/carp model and a standard carp/bass model.

7-27-2012

Howdy folks! I'm back again with a quick update on some fish catches. I went out on the 25th and broke out the trusty fly rod for a fun afternoon of fly fishing. Lately, I've been putting in a tremendous amount of work on some new patterns that are currently in development. I've almost got them down perfectly. The fish here are being unbelievably picky and if I can get them to strike in these conditions, I've got it made. I landed six behemoth carp, a dinky sunfish, and a nice-sized crappie on that particular day. Funny story about the sunfish. I took a phone call on my cell phone and my fly was dangling in the current. When I was finished talking, I made a backcast and noticed the sunfish zipping through the air. After his terrible ordeal, he was released unharmed. Here's a few pictures from that day.

7-4-2012 Update

Hello all! It's been a while since I updated again, but I've been busy fly fishing! I've been chasing more and bigger species on the fly rod and I'll be honest, it feels great. I'm not going to go into a long story about everything because pictures are worth 1,000 words. I have quite a few pictures.

Longnose Gar caught on a rope fly.

Bigmouth Buffalo

Bigmouth Buffalo caught on my new pattern, the Helloween Nymph.

Quillback

Freshwater Drum

6-18-2012 Update

I haven't posted for a little while, so here's some pictures to show what I've been up to lately.

5-30-2012

I went out yesterday with my buddy and we did some serious fly fishing. We managed to catch many different species of fish including; Freshwater Drum, Channel Catfish, Carp, Longnose Gar, Crappie, Flathead Catfish, and Smallmouth Bass. Almost all of the fish were gigantic and put a serious bend in our fly rods. It was truly an awesome day on the river and we'll be sure to go at it again soon!

5-28-2012

I had a good feeling about the river today, so I drove on down and arrived bright and early around 7 A.M. After wading out to my spot, I tied on a black Kat Killer and had myself a field day with some Freshwater Drum, Longnose Gar, and Carp. I managed to land two nice Carp and lost three HUGE fish that I had no chance of besting. I was using my 6wt Echo this time. I usually use my 8wt, but the tip busted when I was out yesterday. I'm happy that today went well because I needed to get my carpin' on and it felt great. Here's some pictures.

Here's some pictures of this guy I nabbed a few days ago.

5-18-2012 Report

I decided to go after some carp this morning on the Auglaize River and didn't have any luck. Again. They just weren't interested. They were more interested in chasing each other around than eating my fly. Plus, the water was scum filled. I got sick of cleaning my fly off after every cast. I packed up and headed off to the Maumee River. I ended up finding a nice spot where some rapids and holes come together and make up some nice runs. I tossed out a DDH Leech on my 8wt and after a few twitches, I felt a hard pull and set the hook. After a fun fight, I landed a dandy Freshwater Drum. I cast out a few more times and had something hit like a freight train. This thing was unstoppable. It didn't help that the fish took off and headed for some really fast water. I noticed that I was about ready to be spooled so I took off after him down the bank. After chasing this fish all around the river, I ended up landing a good-sized Channel Catfish. A fun day for sure!

Auglaize River 5-2-2012

My buddy and I went out yesterday evening to go after a few fish. The river was up from some rain we had a couple of days back. Since the river was up, the fish were moving and feeding. We each ended up with about 8 or 9 Freshwater Drum. My buddy caught a few Channel Catfish too. He was using a Zebco, and I was using my 8wt. I thought it was pretty cool that the fly rod was keeping right up with live bait. We actually had a double-header at one point. The flies of the day were Clouser Craws and DDH Leeches. Crayfish brown and black were the best performing colors.

At one point, I hooked into the biggest carp of my lifetime and lost it. It nearly spooled me and even with my drag maxed out, I just couldn't stop it. Even with my 8wt. I ended up bending the hook out. It didn't look too bent, so a bad hook-up may have contributed to it as well. I'll be out again sometime soon to get my revenge on those carp. They have been messing with me for quite a while and I need to land one!


Here's a few pictures from yesterday. I'll try to get more uploaded soon. 

Howdy folks! It's been a while! Auglaize Fly Shop is back in full swing and things have been going great!

When we had the nearly two week heat wave, the bass and panfish were hitting right and left. The 2wt shined with foam spiders and proved to be a blast when fish were hitting on the surface.

Lately, I've been focusing on carp and I've been stalking them on my trusty 6wt. I haven't seen any monsters yet, so I don't feel like I need the heavy artillery yet. I missed five of them and haven't had any decent hook-ups. The cold weather has the carp nipping at the fly. Usually when it's warm, the carp hit the fly like a tomahawk missile. I've went out a couple of times, but I always came back empty-handed. Today, I was rewarded for my efforts with a small channel catfish. It felt great to get some brown line lovin' finally. I've got the bug now. When the weather warms up, I'll be hitting the rivers hard. Next month, it's white bass time! 

UL fly fishing results

We had a beautiful day here in NW Ohio. There wasn't much wind, so I decided to give my new 2wt her maiden voyage. The LaCrosse Custom rod casts like a dream and it just plain ROCKS. The 2wt really surprised me because it can cast a country mile and it's light as a feather. I was amazed at the lack of casting fatigue that I'm so used to. (Slinging around a big 8wt for carp and cats.) Both bluegill fell for a size 10 yellow foam spider.