Looks like I’ve got the words starting with “B” covered.
A few times a year I pull out my bamboo rod and look for some dry fly action. Because I use it so infrequently, I have to relearn how to cast each time. The cadence is slower, and I never seem to get the distance that I’m used to with a graphite rod. It could also be the double-tapered line as well.
In order to make things even harder on myself, I added a braided leader to the mix. Braided leaders give a softer presentation and are easy to mend, but I don’t use them regularly, just when I fish the bamboo rod.
Temps were heading into the 80’s, a break from our recent heat wave near 100 degrees, so I hit the water early. As luck would have it, a nice rainbow took the caddis dry shortly after I arrived. I had it on the line until it got close to the net, but then it broke off. I got a good look at it – about 12″. It was the only trout I would catch for the day.
Then I started moving upriver. I soon fell into a school of sunfish that kept me busy for the next hour. The fish were healthy, hit hard and had some beautiful colors. This is a sure sign that the river is getting warmer.
I continued moving upstream until I reached an island. At that point I switched over to a Bloody Mari nymph, added some split shot and headed back downstream. I know some are not fans of nymphing with bamboo rods, but it worked really well. I continued to pick up fish all the way back.
On my return trip I hooked into one bass, also in the 12″ category, but largely encountered more sunfish.
I also caught a chub, but I’ll start on the C’s tomorrow. Enjoy!
