David, aka, "McScruff"'s Blog (38)

On fishing with children  

“…supply them with a light bamboo rod, and attach at a joint one third from the top end a very fine silk or linen line. Wind it a few times round the rod, and cast two half hitches over the top end.

Then affix a float according to the depth of the water, so that the bait will sink within six inches of the bottom. About a foot above the hook fasten to the line from one to three split shot.

Let the hook be the minnow size, and make the bait a…

"THE SHINER



This tiny white fish, with scales of metallic luster, is from two to four inches long, and the best bait-fish in the fresh waters of America. It is found in most of the brooks, rivers, and lakes of the temperate zone.

A greedy biter, it requires only a bit of angle-worm covering the point of a minnow-hook and it may be taken as fast as it can be drawn out with a supple willow wand. While fishing in rivers for black bass, I have moored one end of my…

All this damsel nymph tying of late - THANKS, Jedi Dick - led me to experiment.

Combining the usual materials with whatever was on hand, I came up with a raggedy looking damsel nymph simulation. Considering how shabby it turned out, I'm officially calling it the Wannabe Damsel.

Materials

Hook - #12 Nymph Hook

Thread - Olive, 210 Denier flat waxed nylon

Tail - Olive marabou

Body - Woven chenille,…

Thrift store pill box, $1

I sanded off the lettering on the day markers so I can label each segment as I wish.

Add split shot, hooks, small lures and you have a mini tackle box.

Get enough of them like I have and you can keep lots…

I made a blog post earlier today about Life, Lessons and the Perspective of Big. I also got another more practical lesson on the fly rod while I was at it.

The selected spot for todays Angling Adventure was one of my favorites, an intimate place I know very well. Most of the time I have it to myself and today was no different. However, I was pretty a sure a fly rod would be a tough thing to manage there. As it turns out I was right.

I've never been real good at…

When we talk about BIG, we sometimes need a lesson in perspective. I went fishing today and got just such a lesson.

Lately, I've been planning the purchase of a float tube and sold my 10 foot Hobie kayak to fund the venture. But, the purchase was stalled and for now I'm still shore bound. Nevertheless, I got a chance to rethink my "floating" priorities on this morning's junket.

At 56k acres, Lake…

I watched 4 guys pile into a small jon boat yesterday and head out. The wind was blowing fiercely and it was cold... it had me ducking for a lee shore. These intrepid blokes didnt have 6" of gunwale showing, yet they were undeterred. Part of me was worried for them, the other half applauded their tenacity.

I hope things turned out well for them....

This is a shallow water method, first told to me by our own beloved John Sheehan, of RINGWOOD, NJ. You may not know that John is a fine musician; you can hear him on ITUNES or see him on YouTube all day long. I encourage you to do so. But John is also an accomplished angler and he uses this plan for both bass and pickerel. Let John tell you how it works:

“Flutter spoons thin gauged spoons that come into play when a slow fall is the preferred presentation  . This means they don't cast…

This season was one of changes. We moved, TWICE, in 2012. In the end I saw a lot of countryside, had some false starts and ended up broke, but happy enough. I now live within 10 minutes of Lake Murray, SC.

I've learned about what works (some of the time) in this lake instead of the usual black river haunts I was accustomed to. The big bait story here were the Beetle Spins and Johnson Silver Minnow. Both were producers for me.

I also got into a kayak - this one with pedals. Yep,…

I visited the South Fork of the Edisto River and Aiken State Natural Area this morning. It was a fresh, cool morning - one of those that make you glad you got up early. Sweeter still is that before long, South Carolina's  summer will be upon us like a weight.... and such mornings will be gone.

The wind was only a breath and the mists were still hanging heavy when I arrived at the river. We have had a lot of rain in the past week and the river was in a pretty good flow. Most…

It gives me great and unending pleasure to report that my truck is back in running form again.

Here's a recap of the events:

- First, the broken clutch actuator was re-welded with the transmission in place. It was a crappy weld, though, and broke again after two days.

- Next, the tranny was removed and taken to be repaired, the arm being re-welded properly. In the meantime we discovered one of the U-joints was shot, so we replaced it.

- Transmission…

Okay, so you remember that truck of mine. Well, the weld made on the clutch arm broke this morning on the way to work. It was a crappy weld, anyway.

Make a mental note, folks - crappy welds do not hold up.

Not a block from my house, I depressed the clutch and it went, "POP. That sickening pedal-to-the-floor thump came next and there I was, no shift - no nuttin'. Dang!

Luckily, I got the thing back in gear using the synchro and was able to putt-putt it back to the house…

My other thing next to fishing is cycling. Well, to be honest - I've been cycling in recent years more than fishing.

I ride about 20 miles per day to and from work, except in the coldest part of the winter. I'm late getting back in the saddle this season though, and today was my first run of the Spring. I "aired" up the tires, lubed the chain and got everything tuned - and I was off!

In short, things went well and I didn't end up in some ditch gasping out my last…

I got the clutch actuator arm welded back together today and she's been test driven - all's well.

Welding skills are alright, but the little Lincoln buzz-box I had was a little slack. If she's still in good shape next weekend, I'll finally make it out to wet some bait.

I gots me a mess of Berkley Gulp! and Powerbait goodies, too - Fish Fry, Maggots, worms and wigglies... so we'll see how those stack up.

I also whipped up a batch of my first ever, panfish Dry Chum Mix.…

Okay, I dont have to work tomorrow (FRIDAY) except to make a few client calls. "Heck, I can do that from the river bank," Im thinking "...so Im going fishing!"

So what happens? I get in the truck this morning, press in the clutch pedal and SNAP! It lets go with a sickening feel and goes right to the floorboard. The damn actuator arm broke clean off.

First thing out of my mouth - "Summbitch - there goes Friday's fishing!!"

The truck can be fixed, but I cant get a…

Well Ive finally done it- Ive scouted out a handful of fishing spots and have amassed enough  panfish tackle that even a packrat like me can feel comfortable. I catch myself wringing my hands and cackling over the pile my goodies like some overgrown leprechaun. So the game is on.

I look around at all my junk... er, treasures... and it dawns on me that I need to dump a lot of this stuff. It started last year when we moved to this house and I had to actually TAKE all my crap…

Im a 'returnee' you might say. For years all I ever did was fish. But in the past 15 years or so, that has fallen away in favor of other things. Oh, I kept a few items of tackle, just enough should I decide to wet a line once in a while. But for the most part, I just quit going.

Recently, I moved to my dads house and 'inherited' all his fishing gear.** This has inspired me to get back into fishing.

** For the record my dad is fine... he just moved to a senior living…