Alex G.'s Posts - Bluegill - Big Bluegill2024-03-29T14:16:31ZAlex G.http://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/AlexGhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2078054346?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://bigbluegill.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=14305c44en02l&xn_auth=noGot two minutes? Recylced Fish could use them!tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2012-03-03:2036984:BlogPost:2464212012-03-03T00:30:00.000ZAlex G.http://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/AlexG
<p>How the heck do you recycle a fish??? Catch a monster 11'' bluegill, take a picture, and let that beast go for another angler to catch it again and enjoy that experience!</p>
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<p>Recycled Fish ( <a href="http://www.recycledfish.org/">http://www.recycledfish.org/</a> ) is the national non-profit organization of "anglers living a Lifestyle of Stewardship both on and off the water, because <span class="bold">Our Lifestyle Runs Downstream</span>."</p>
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<p>But it's not about just…</p>
<p>How the heck do you recycle a fish??? Catch a monster 11'' bluegill, take a picture, and let that beast go for another angler to catch it again and enjoy that experience!</p>
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<p>Recycled Fish ( <a href="http://www.recycledfish.org/">http://www.recycledfish.org/</a> ) is the national non-profit organization of "anglers living a Lifestyle of Stewardship both on and off the water, because <span class="bold">Our Lifestyle Runs Downstream</span>."</p>
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<p>But it's not about just catch and release, it's selective harvest, lead free tackle when you can, barbless hooks, recycling trash that can be recycled, picking up trash while out fishing, and so much more!</p>
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<p>Down at the Bassmaster Classic, we launched the 1 Million Stewards program. We've created Stewardship Kits that are a shoreline cleanup bag and a booklet that engage and empower anglers to be stewards of their waters both when we are fishing and through everyday living. Soon, anyone who buys one of these kits, will be entered into drawings for some cool prizes too!</p>
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<p>And that's where your two minutes comes in, Recycled Fish is in position for a grant via the Boat U.S. foundation, and who receives this grant is decided by you! All you have to do, is follow this link and vote for Recycled Fish. <a href="http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/197823/voteable_entries/45450549">http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/197823/voteable_entries/45450549</a></p>
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<p>If you really want to help, share the link with everyone you know, facebook, twitter etc... that'd be HUGE.</p>
<p>It really takes less than a minute, but that minute could be HUGE for Recycled Fish, it would help fund the next couple of thousand kits, that's thousands of reusable trash bags in the hands of anglers while out on the water. We are talking TONS of trash removed from out aquatic resources. </p>
<p>If Recycled Fish ends up receiving this grant, I'll get ten of the Stewardship Kits into Bruce's hands to distribute to Big Bluegill members as he see's fit, maybe to someone who posts a picture of a beast bluegill being release???</p>
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<p>To all those who took the time to vote, I thank you Recycled Fish thanks you, and the fish thank you!</p>
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<p>Alex</p>
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<p></p>Dreaming of my girls and big bull gills!tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2009-03-15:2036984:BlogPost:272062009-03-15T13:15:55.000ZAlex G.http://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/AlexG
Friday the 13th is unlucky for some, but I spent mine with some fishing with a fellow NEFGA member Jarredb. and a fellow NEFGA/BigBluegill member Teeg S. The Executive Director and founder of Recycled Fish, at Verdigre Creek just North of Royal, Nebraska.<br />
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We were there fly fishing for stocked/native rainbow trout, and (to me anyway) elusive, native, naturally occurring brown trout. This was my third trip to this stream, the closest trout stream to me at around 3 hours away. A few fish were…
Friday the 13th is unlucky for some, but I spent mine with some fishing with a fellow NEFGA member Jarredb. and a fellow NEFGA/BigBluegill member Teeg S. The Executive Director and founder of Recycled Fish, at Verdigre Creek just North of Royal, Nebraska.<br />
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We were there fly fishing for stocked/native rainbow trout, and (to me anyway) elusive, native, naturally occurring brown trout. This was my third trip to this stream, the closest trout stream to me at around 3 hours away. A few fish were caught, and some lessons were learned from Teeg, who is a very accomplished fly fisherman with lots of experience in small stream trout fishing with his time spent in Washington state. I ended the day with six 'bows, all were memerable in their own way, the first of the day was an impressive (to me, and for this water) 12-13" fish that was loads of fun on my 3wt. Two were special to me because Teeg was next to me instructing me on how to fish this small pool, the two I caught were small, but built like footballs, and beautiful coloring, leading me to believe the might be non-stocked fish, and another two, again Teeg "guiding" me where he showed me what to look for in the bend, where to cast, and how to drift it down. You can count on trout being a fun fish to catch when water temps are still low, they still have fight in them!<br />
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Wait, this is a site about big bluegills right? Not a trout site! Well, Verdigre Creek feeds Grove Lake, the lake where a 2lb, 13oz beast of a gill was caught over 30 years ago and still stands as the Nebraska state record. No, I didn't catch this monsters great great great grandson or daughter, I didn't even catch a gill.<br />
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But it did get me to dreaming of lazy days where I can fish with my very best fishing buddies. Those favorite fishing buddies are my wife Nicole, and my three daughters, Mackenzie (almost 7), Alyssa (5) and Paige (4).<br />
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They are no means "fair weather" weather fishers. The have dealt with cooler temps, and have even encountered one of those fast, furious, and cloth soaking thunderstorms that Nebraska is famous for, isn't that right Bruce????<br />
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It won't be long before I'm trying to stuff a tackle box, 6 or more fishing rods, a cooler, snacks and jackets into the trunk of a Chevy Cavalier so we can head to one of our favorite fishing ponds. I'm jonesing for these trips like a junky looking for the next hit.<br />
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I can't wait to shout "hey! that bobber just went down! Get it girls!!!!" I can't wait to see the smile on one of the girls face as some bull gill swims donuts in the water and stips line off of their ultra lite spin casts. I can't wait to see Paige hunched over the worm container trying to figure out what 'crawler is gunna catch her the fish, 'Lyssa stalking the shore looking for frogs or other bugs. I can't wait! There isn't anything better.<br />
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What is really exciting about this year, Kenz has a goal..... It's the same goal as mine. A master angler bluegill. She has it bad, she can blame 3 people for this on the verge of obsession goal. Me, I love gills, favorite fish in the world, OldBaldGuy, who's obsession for big gills is unparelled, and Bruce, who's pictures of big gills always brings a smile to her face bigger than Texas.<br />
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Did I mention I can't wait? Warmer days are around the corner, gills will be biting and swimming circles, and the girls will be smiling as some fish puts the drag to the test.<br />
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So I raise a toast to warm days, big smiles, and everyone who takes a kid fishing!<br />
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AlexFly fishing, the next step, fly tyingtag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2008-11-11:2036984:BlogPost:102182008-11-11T14:30:00.000ZAlex G.http://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/AlexG
I began fly fishing about a month and a half ago, and with colder weather that I am not a fan of upon us here in Nebraska, I took the next step and began wanting to tie my own flies. This is natural I'm told, not only because flies are not cheap for the most part, but it also gives you a greater sense of accomplishment when you hook a fish on a fly that you tied. I've also found out that fly tying isn't exactly cheap either, I did the math and figured that to buy the materials to tie one single…
I began fly fishing about a month and a half ago, and with colder weather that I am not a fan of upon us here in Nebraska, I took the next step and began wanting to tie my own flies. This is natural I'm told, not only because flies are not cheap for the most part, but it also gives you a greater sense of accomplishment when you hook a fish on a fly that you tied. I've also found out that fly tying isn't exactly cheap either, I did the math and figured that to buy the materials to tie one single pattern, it would cost me almost 25 dollars at Bass Pro Shop (I'm blessed, I have a BPS 20 minutes from my house and a Cabelas about 10 minutes from home) but of course I'd be able to tie almost 20 flies out of that material.<br />
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After a "learning" session with a good friend, we were off to Cabelas for supplies, his spare vice sitting in my car for my use until I get my own. I got supplies to tie some of the simpler patterns on Ward Bean's site http://www.warmwaterflytyer.com/welcome.asp that I found because of this wonderful site when Steve Crowder originally posted it.<br />
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The big issue I've come across right at this time is crowding the eye of the hook, I can still get a good duncan knot going if I want, but a palmor knot is out of the question on some of em. That's what practice is for, and I've got all winter long to do it. Between hate of being bored, a drive for perfection, and an addictive personality, I hope to have a nice set of good gill getters to deliver to a certain Nebraska agriculturist by ice off.<br />
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here are some of the flies I've been playing with, I'm a big fan of "smaller" presentations, so I put these on size 8 and 10 hooks.<br />
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.nefga.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=358&pictureid=3457"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.nefga.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=358&pictureid=3456"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.nefga.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=358&pictureid=3455"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.nefga.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=358&pictureid=3454"/></p>
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Critiques always welcome.<br />
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AlexA fly fisherman is born......tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2008-10-20:2036984:BlogPost:89722008-10-20T00:26:53.000ZAlex G.http://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/AlexG
Back when I was a kid, I traveled a bit during summer vacations to mainly the upper midwest, from Wisconsin to Washington and many of the states in between. That was where I first saw anyone fly fishing. When I got back to Nebraksa I looked around and realized that there just wasn't much availble for anyone to get into fly fishing in the area, this was all before the internet, big sporting good stores, before the Mothership landed close to home (I've got a Cabela's 10 minutes from my house…
Back when I was a kid, I traveled a bit during summer vacations to mainly the upper midwest, from Wisconsin to Washington and many of the states in between. That was where I first saw anyone fly fishing. When I got back to Nebraksa I looked around and realized that there just wasn't much availble for anyone to get into fly fishing in the area, this was all before the internet, big sporting good stores, before the Mothership landed close to home (I've got a Cabela's 10 minutes from my house now!).<br />
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Over the years I grew into the impression that fly fishing was strictly a way to fish those clear moutain streams I'd encountered during my travels, even to the point were I thought fly fisherman were L.L. Bean shopping "snobs". That opinion changed last year when I joined an organization that some of you on here are familiar with, the Nebraska Fish and Game Association. On that paticular fishing forum I met a great guy by the name of OldBaldGuy, becasue of him and several others, I got interested in, and bought a float tube and met up with Roger one day to fish for catfish. I knew he was a fly fisherman, but didn't expect him to go fish for cats with a fly rod. Sure enough he did, and caught a bigger catfish than me. I was amazed to say the least.<br />
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I met up with many members of the NEFGA including OBG many times last summer and this season as well, mostly to fish out of float tubes for what ever was biting, but gills were always a primary target for most of us, big gills always being on my mind casting with my ultra lite and micro jigs while I drifted with my cat rod for big cats.<br />
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About three weeks ago, I met up with a buddy for a multi purpose trip. One was to catch bait for fishing trip the next day, Two was to catch frogs for some good eats! While fishing for bait, he asked to see my ultra lite and handed me his fly rod. And then he wouldn't give it back! He gave me a few quick pointers on how to cast and I was off.<br />
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A few days after that adventure, the same guy gave me an old 3 wt and reel. The very next day, as I was stripping line off the reel so I could switch over for left hand, my 8 month old beagle pup decided the pile of line at my feet was a toy, grabbed it and took off, snapping the top of the rod like a twig. I explained what happened to another good friend who promptly gave me a brand new 2 piece 6 wt and old reel.<br />
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Back in action, I met with OBG for some casting lessons, caught a few small gills while at it. Over the last two weeks or so, I've been able to get the fly rod out a few times and have had some fun, and some frustration. Learned some new knots, found myself wandering into the fly fishing section at Cabelas and praying for not so windy days.<br />
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I'm not giving up my standard tackle by any means. It's pretty hard to cast big live bait for flatheads, or big chunks of cut bait for channels and blues with a fly rod. But for gills, I pretty sure the fly rod will be the way to go, although there is something to be said for sitting back in a chair and drowning worms under a bobber with my wife and three girls.<br />
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Well, that's how I became a fly fisherman, thanks for reading the overly long post, thanks to the good friends who've helped me expand my methods of fishing and thanks Bruce for an outstanding site!<br />
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My biggest gill to date on the fly rod.... Note the parasites this one has<br />
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