i got this TFO rod that i took out for the first time today to see how it feels. anyhow, i caught a little perchie looking thing, then a baby largemouth that still had a very large mouth despite it's body size. then i spotted some very large bass hanging out right next to a grass pad offshore. i cast a few things to them, but they didn't hit anything and learned in the process that the little 3# TFO can consistently land a dry on the nose of a cruising bass in a gusting breeze. i digress. anyhow, i didn't have a heavier rod and none of my bigger flys so i'm wondering if it'd be worth it to huck a clouser or something at those bass to see if they'll hit. also, serveral people came up to me asking if the trout were stocked and i said no since i didn't see any trout and the water was much warmer than the air. besides, the date is the 14th according to the TPWD website.

so, for this time of year, in a pond that has some good grasspad coverage slightly offshore, a deeper section well offshore, and the weather being what it is, will my redfish flys work? i have a variety of clousers, deceivers, and a few spoons. i went to Cut Rate and they didn't have any white Wooly Buggers so i got a couple of black with rubber feet. should i pick up some frogs, minnows, mice, and something else? i'm taking the 6# in addition next time i'm out there so casting won't be an issue.

thanks!

You should also take the 3wt back with some good trout nymphs. I think that they stock it today or next week.

Just checked the TPWD web site. bane was to be stocked on 1/14/05 with ~2000 trout. It was to be stocked on the 13th but it was delayed a day according to the site.

a fishing cat

It is your duty as a TFF member to take as many flies as you can and chunk them all at that big ol' bass until it gets riled up and hits one of them

Sounds like you are an above average caster to say the least, if you are hitting him on the nose with it. Try this; present the fly in such a manner that you can retreive it to look like a fleeing fish/bug/crustacean. That might be more likely to trigger a strike than getting bonked on the nose with it. Lefy Kreh has an article on that somewhere but don't you know it, I can't find it this morning. Its on the web somewhere, just need to Google long enough.

Your redfish patterns should work fine, but make sure you have some in darker colors too. Keep in mind the Clouser was originally designed as a bass fly.

I agree with the crustacean presentation idea. Many times letting a weighted fly settle in to the muck and then producing a large cloud as you twitch it will solicit an instictive strike from those bass.

Or you can try the "sneak or streak" method. This comes from the idea that a given predators food will either try to sneak by slowly so as not to be noticed, or kick it into gear and really haul out of there. I find that this really does work, and medium speeds often doesn't. Kind of like when swinging streamers in a river doesn't work, but you catch fish when stripping in for your next cast.

Can I get a copyright on "Sneak or Streak"?

well, stock a pond with trout in Texas and you'll end up with a zoo. all the spin huckers were riling up the water and the big bass were nowhere to be found. i'll try again during the week.

i'd fish for the trout deep if i had backcast space to shoot my line 70 feet into the depths of the pond but the pond is layed out specifically to thwart fly fishers it seems. too bad wading isn't allowed.

Fishing Cat,

Glad to know that I did not need to drive to Houston from Bryan/College Station to try my luck. My experience is that in a few days, during the week, it will calm down. My experience has been that the stocked trout are crusing around a lot in the pond/lake. I have my best luck with nymphs. Cloudy days and rain keep the masses away as well, but it does not look like we will have that any time soon.

that's what i'm hoping for since i have a bunch of time off this week. i think it's better to not see anyone out there; makes me sad to see a 'bow being caught, hung out of the water by a hook, then stuck in a bucket of water to suffocate. sniffle.

if you happen to be down here during the week, let me know if you want company working that pond.