Double Grand Slam - Norfork River

Article by John Berry 

• I had not fished in two days and I was beginning to have withdrawal pains. I checked conditions and noted that the Norfork was off. The temperature was thirty but the Weather Channel assured me that the temperature would climb to thirty nine and there would be little wind and bountiful sunshine. I tried to tempt my wife, Lori, but she thought it was too cold. My yellow lab, Ellie had not recovered from the constant action of our last outing, so I decided to go by myself. I loaded my wader bag and rod case into my ancient Volvo and headed out. 
• When I arrived at the Ackerman access, I was surprised to see that mine was the only car there. I leisurely donned my waders and put my nine foot four weight fly rod together. I waded up stream and headed to one of my favorite spots. My rod was still rigged with a size eighteen zebra midge from my last fishing trip. I waded over to a nice run and began fishing. On the second cast I caught a small brook trout. 
• I immediately thought about the grand slam. The Arkansas grand slam is when you catch all four trout species that we have here, rainbow, brown, cutthroat, and brook trout, in one day. The rainbows are heavily stocked and pretty easy to come by. The browns are stocked in fewer numbers but they reproduce naturally which creates a significant population. The Cutthroats are lightly stocked and fairly hard to come by. The brooks are the least stocked and hardest to come by. While several of my clients have landed grand slams in the past year, it has been a while since I have had one. It seems that I catch the rainbow, brown, and cutt, but cannot seem to find a brook. Today, by starting with a brook, I thought I had a great chance at catching one. 
• I picked up a couple of rainbows but the action was light. I moved over to another run to try my luck. As I was walking in, I noticed that there were several trout rising and that a heavy midge hatch was beginning. I sat on the bank for a while and rerigged my rod. I clipped off my fly, untwisted my lead, clipped of my tippet and removed my strike indicator. I was left with a seven and a half foot 4X leader. To that, I tied on a four and one half foot 6X tippet and a Dan’s turkey tail emerger size eighteen.  
• This is my brother, Dan’s, signature fly. He designed it specifically for the Norfork River but has found it effective on the White and every where else he has tried it, from Montana to the Smokey Mountains. Dan has been tying them for me for twenty years and they are a staple of my fly box. A few weeks ago I decided to learn to tie them for myself. I went through my fly tying materials and located the items I needed. I sat down with the recipe from the Home Waters book and a fly Dan had tied. I took my time and knocked a few out. The next time I saw Dan I showed him the flies and asked him to critique them. He told me to make the wing a bit longer but that they looked pretty good. The fly I tied on was one of my ties. 
• I walked into the run until I was on the right hand edge of the current and faced down stream. I cast to the left at a forty five degree angle. As soon as the fly hit the water I stripped the line back to sink the fly in the film. As it swung in the current the water pressure against the fly line caused a belly to form in the line. Rather than mending the line upstream to achieve a drag free drift, I left the belly in the line. The increased water pressure on the fly helps set the hook when a trout hits the fly. I began picking up fish immediately. I caught several rainbows and then got into a pod of browns and landed several. I still needed a cutthroat. I kept working my way down stream and finally picked up a cutt. I had my grand slam! 
• I continued fishing down the run and landed several rainbows, browns and cutthroats in the process. I felt the strong take of a good fish. It hit my fly hard and immediately ran down stream taking a lot of fly line with it. I was almost in the backing when it made its first jump and I got my first glimpse of him. It was in incredibly fat, brightly colored, male rainbow that was at least eighteen inches long. I swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on the job at hand. I was able to slowly work the fish closer and then he took another long run. About this time the rainbow took another head shaking leap into the air. In the process, the light 6X tippet broke and the bow was gone. 
• I cranked my line back in. I wasn’t disappointed. He had given me a thrill and I had really enjoyed the struggle. I pulled out my fly box and searched for another Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Alas, that had been my last one in size eighteen. Luckily I had several in size twenty two that Dan had tied. Would the smaller fly work as well as the eighteen? I carefully tied one on. With the smaller hook it was much harder to thread the 6X tippet through the hook eye. After several failed attempts, I cut the tippet at a 45 degree angle to create a point on the end of it and was then able to complete the knot. I pinched down the barb and returned to my fishing. On my first cast, I hooked and landed a nice brook trout. It was my second grand slam of the day! 
• John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished the local streams for over twenty five years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or http://www.berrybrothersguides.com .

Costa Rica the Sportfishing Mecca

         

• No matter what your preference, salt water or freshwater, conventional or fly, offshore or river fishing, Costa Rica has a fishing destination for you.  Costa Rica is bordered by the Pacific on the West and the Caribbean on the East.  There are too many rivers to count flowing in between.  If you prefer to fish lakes, there are freshwater lakes of all sizes within the borders and even creating the border with Nicaragua. There are also canals, mangroves, and estuaries, in additional to offshore islands.

• This abundance and variety of fishing venues has led to several game fish records being set in the relatively small country.   Costa Rica currently holds 89 International Game Fish Association records including a 162 pound blue marlin, and a sailfish caught on the fly. 

• It is not just the abundance of fish that should make an angler choose Costa Rica, it is also the country’s eye towards game fish conservation.  Circle hooks have long been required and the Costa Rican government, working with the Billfish Foundation has recently enacted new rules for both sports fishermen and commercial fishermen aimed at reducing the number of billfish killed as a result of long lining and poor fishing practices.

• Whether you want to fish in the Pacific, the Caribbean, both or somewhere in between you will have no trouble finding the perfect fishing lodge or day charter. 

• The Caribbean coast, is the place for unparalleled world class tarpon fishing.  This side of the country can be more remote than the Pacific.  Here, you can find all inclusive lodges that include lodging, meals and fishing for tarpon, snook, snapper, and guapote.

• Up and down the Pacific coast you will find everything from fishing villages, to beach resort towns, to world class marinas, to middle of nowhere lodges.  When choosing to fish in the Pacific you need to do a little research.  Although marlin, sailfish, snapper, tuna, dorado, amberjack, wahoo, roosterfish and snook are all common catches, the season for each fish varies depending on your location in Costa Rica.  

• It is not just the fishing seasons that vary the atmosphere in different locations can be completely different as well.  In the north the beaches are popular, the condos are tall, and the wind makes the fishing season a bit shorter than further south.  In Herradura, the Marina is world class, you can golf, the fishing is incredible three hundred days a year, but you might miss some of the Costa Rican experience.   In Quepos, the fleet is large and experienced, the fishing is great nearly year round, and you can visit Costa Rica’s most popular National Park, Manuel Antonio.  Further South on the Osa Peninsula you will find Golfito and Puerto Jimenez.  The fishing is great year round depending on the species you are after, the locations are remote and you get to experience the natural beauty of Costa Rica.

• Before you come to Costa Rica you need to decide what type of angler and what type of traveler you are.  Are you coming for fishing and relaxing or do you want a place with night life?  Do you like to feel like you have never left home or do you want to experience Costa Rican life and culture?  Do you want luxury or economy?  Are you just coming to fish or do you want to participate in other adventure activities?  Are you traveling with your family, with your wife, or with a group of guys? Your answer to these questions will effect where you want to fish.  What you want to catch and where you want to fish may effect when you want to fish. 

• Rest assured that you will have a great time fishing in Costa Rica.  The fishing is world class due not only to the great number and variety of big fish, but also due to the number of days you can fish per year, the quality of the country’s conservation programs, the quality of the boats to be chartered and the experience and professionalism of the captains and crews.

For more information about fishing in Costa Rica or to book a custom adventure vacation visit http://www.queposadventures.com/

Apalachicola, Florida Fishing

          

• What can people expect on a fishing trip in your area?  Inshore fishing trips with Flats guides - Light tackle or Fly fishing for 1 to 2 anglers per boat for Redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, pompano, spanish mackeral, cobia, black drum, jack crevalle, etc. (about a dozen different species available) We fish 120 miles of coastline from Mexico Beach to Alligator Point as well as the Apalachicola River mouth.  

• What is the best time of year to plan a fishing trip in your area?  Best fishing from March through November.  

• When is the best time of year for catching a big fish?   Tarpon - June - August

• When is the best time of year for catching lots of fish?  April – October

• What is the fishing like in the spring?  March-May - it’s totally awesome - for everything that swims in the Northern gulf of Mexico  

• What is the fishing like in the summer?  June - September - Tarpon!

• What is the fishing like in the fall?  Best Redfish of the year

• What is the fishing like in the winter?  Good on sunny mild days but even good on cold windy ones.  

• What types of bait / lures work well in your area?  Guides use a bit of everything based on conditions, time of year and the fish they are targeting.

• What do most people fish for on your guide trips?  Redfish, speckled trout & tarpon.

Article By:  Robinson Brothers Guide Service

For more information on visiting the Apalachicola area, take a look at our tourism links below. 

1. Apalachicola, Florida

2. Apalachicola Fishing Guides

3. Apalachicola Lodging

4. Apalachicola Bait Shops

5. Apalachicola Boat Rentals

6. Apalachicola Marinas 

Kissimmee, Florida Fishing

          

• What can people expect on a fishing trip in your area? The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes offers some excellent largemouth bass fishing and there are plenty of other surrounding area lakes that also offer some very good bass fishing.  
• What is the best time of year to plan a fishing trip in your area?January through May are excellent times for planning a bass fishing trip to the Kissimmee area.  January through March are typically the best times to come down to land a big fish.  This is the time of year that you can find some very big bass in the shallows as they get ready to spawn 
• What is the fishing like in the spring?  Excellent 
• What is the fishing like in the summer?  Very good, but ½ days because of the heat. 
• What is the fishing like in the fall?  Excellent 
• What is the fishing like in the winter?  Excellent 
• What types of bait / lures work well in your area? Live bait is best, especially live shiners, but almost all types of bass fishing lures will work as well 
• What do most people fish for on your guide trips?  Largemouth Bass

Article By:  Ray Frenette’s Guide Service

For information on the Kissimme area, take a look at our tourism links below.

1. Kissimmee, Florida

2. Kissimmee Bait Shops

3. Kissimmee Fishing Guides

4. Kissimmee Marinas

5. Kissimmee Lodging

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The Three R’s of Fishing #1: Milwaukee

• As with all sports and activities basics and fundamentals are the foundation from which a sound well played game is achieved. The name of this article could have been the twenty five R’s of fishing because many small details will make or break your day on the water. However I decided to focus on only three of the fundamentals, rigging reacting and record keeping. This is article #1 of a two part article.
• Rigging is a vast subject with a different definition to most anglers. To me it means assembling the correct components in the best way to meet the current conditions. Let’s get into specifics. The rod, reel, line and terminal tackle are the foundation to success. In my earlier days of fishing the selection of a fishing rod was confusing. The more people you talked to the worse it got. My experience over the years has lead me to a simple conclusion, heavy weight rods for big fish with high test line. Light weight rods for small fish on light test line. Following the recommended line weight marked on the rod will put more fish in the cooler. A rod that is too
  stiff will not bend with light line. The result will be lost fish from failure to maintain a tight line to the target. You will also be able to use smaller snaps and terminal tackle on light line with a light action rod. This will enhance the lure action with improved presentation.
  
• Reacting to changes will improve your success. The speed of your bait whether it is a spoon, jig, or crankbait is important. The right lure at the wrong speed will be less productive. The correct speed is dictated by many variables. Always consider the mood of fish and the environment they are in and adjust to the conditions. This will help you find the best speed. Mood is defined by weather and the time of year. High and low barometric pressure are a part of the weather question. They both have a significant impact on the mood of all fish. Activity
  level in fish will change with the movement or lack of barometer movement. You must know what the weather has been preceding your fishing trip. This information will set the stage giving you the information you can use to your advantage. A clear blue high sky after a low pressure front is every anglers nightmare. Fish get spooky, neutral or negative in these conditions. For these types of days a slow spot on the spot presentation is key. Work your favorite location with precise boat and lure control. Inactivity is normal, when this happens pick your favorite locations on any body of water and look for your target species in the next break to deeper water. Work smaller spoons, lures or baits in a slow systematic presentation. If motor trolling is your method of fishing use small spoons. Present them at slow speeds and fish them near the bottom. On the other hand steady barometric pressure for an extended period of time with overcast sky conditions is time to grab your pole and to head for the water. Don’t miss these ideal days. The fish will be up on the shallow flats, near shore and active.
  Pound these fish with big baits and fast erratic actions. Work hard, work fast and cover a lot of water. This sets up a great opportunity for trolling big water. The correct lure color for overcast will put more fish in the boat. Silver or gold has long been the standard until resent years. Cutting edge anglers are now going to glow in the dark lures. The visibility of glow spoons far exceeds the old standards. Badger Tackle has great line up of glow spoons. For the anglers that run a boat speed from 2.0 to 3.5 MPH I would recommend the Vulcan magnum. This is a tough heavy weight spoon with a slim profile that fits well with most freshwater and saltwater forage base sizes. The other one I like is the Reaper. Run the regular size on clear calm days and magnum at first light, overcast or whenever you are down deep or in a low light presentation. The Reaper is a wide spoon with a crippled baitfish action for trolling at speeds of 1.0 to 2.5. The Striper and Salmon fishermen say it is a perfect
  match to the Shad and Alewife forage. Both are exclusively sold at badgertackle.com. Good Luck let’s go fishing!
  
Captain Jim Hirt
www.bluemaxcharters.com

Trophy Tail Walking Rainbows

• In this article we will continue with successful methods of catching trophy fish. I would like to explore location, presentation and lure selection for Rainbows. The excitement of Rainbow Trout fishing is on the top of my list. When you hook up with a fish that goes air-borne, it is an experience you will never forget. This trophy fish is not as commonly caught on Lake Michigan as the other species primarily due to their summer location. Where there are exceptions, most of the time deep water is the best location to find them. Look for them in 150 feet of water and deeper. This fish likes deep water but don’t look for them on the bottom. Fishing the surface down to forty feet should be your target.
• The primary forage for Rainbows up to six pounds is aquatic and terrestrial insects, crayfish and other crustaceans. Rainbows also eat fish, as well as plankton, snails, leeches and fish eggs. They take a variety of anglers’ flies, lures and baits. The presentation of choice for fish under six pounds is flashers and flies. Big bows are more likely to forage on baitfish and spoons would be the way to go for trophies.
• The water temperatures in June make it the best month for all size Rainbows. Rainbow Trout are a cold water fish that cannot survive when the water temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time. Their optimum water temperature is about 55 degrees. Although they do best when the water is less than 70 degrees, they can withstand temperatures into the 70s if there is plenty of oxygen. In June the surface water near shore warms first. This warming trend extends to the deeper surface water as the season continues.
  A temperature break where the warm near shore surface water meets the colder off shore can be dynamite in holding trophies. In forage-rich Lake Michigan, they grow 30-32 inches long and may reach 16 pounds by the time they are five years old. On charter we have boated Rainbows to 21 pounds.
  
• Please allow me to give you an overview of the optimum conditions for predictable success. This is a fish with banker’s hours. I never work them before 10 in the morning and by 4 in the afternoon they are off the best bite of the day. They like the bright light and your lures should be for the brightest conditions. If you recall from one of my earlier articles on lure color as it relates to light, you should use lures that are at the top end of the rainbow that are red, orange, yellow and green. Combinations of these colors on a silver spoon will get the
  action started. Two of my favorites are made by Badger Tackle the Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver and the Reaper Big Joe Silver. These lures are sold only at badgertackle.com.
  
• A stealthy approach is necessary for the biggest fish. Several that can be used are trolling downriggers with leads to 100 feet or more and leadcore is another good choice. Three to five colors of lead will put your lures where they belong. Get away from the boat in water undisturbed. The basics of leadcore are simple. The most expensive part is the reel. It must have enough line capacity to handle the leadcore line plus mono and Dacron for a total of anywhere from 300 to 600 yards. I run my three to ten colors on an Okuma Convector CV45D. This is the smallest reel a full core will fit on. Leadcore sinks at a rate of 4-5 feet per color. A half core will run about 24 feet deep. When loading this reel, start with 100 yards of a braided Dacron then strip the lead out of the end of the leadcore and tie a Blood Knot to the leadcore. Finish with a Willis Knot and 60 feet of a 20-pound monofilament to a ball bearing cross lock snap. You will need a heavy action 8-foot rod to work with lead. The most effective way to present this is with a Yellow Bird Big Bird planer board if you are going to use multiple set
  ups. Snap on your favorite lure and let out all of the line to the Dacron. Then install your board so it does not release. I usually run them 150 feet off each side of the boat. Very wide turns and low boat traffic are a must to avoid tangles and getting run over. I set my drags light. When the reel starts to scream, adjust the drag as necessary. Reel in the line until you can reach the board and hand release it. Now the line is clear to bring in the fish. I will continue with trophy variables for Lake Trout in the next article.

Captain Jim Hirt
www.bluemaxcharters.com

Early Risers Catch Trophy Brown Trout: Milwaukee

• In this article we will continue with successful methods of catching trophy fish. I would like to explore location, presentation and lure selection for Brown Trout. This is a virtual untapped resource on Lake Michigan. Most anglers get hung up on salmon fishing and ignore big Bulldog Brown Trout. Once you have an opportunity to hook up with a fish that is almost as big around as he is long you will be back for more. Footballs, as we like to call them, are only about 3% of the catch out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The lack of popularity and pressure puts
  you in a great position to boat a real wall hanger. This unique specie has two strains the Domestic or German and the Seeforellen. The bigger of the two is the Seeforellen with the state record at 36.5 pounds. I have landed German Browns over 20 pounds. This is definitely a trophy in any angler’s book. Where there are similarities in the two species on temperature preference the biggest difference is location. Domestic are more of a near shore fish and Seeforellens are a pelagic specie found suspended in deeper water.
• Please allow me to give you an overview of the optimum conditions for predictable success. All the weather factors discussed in the last article pertain to Browns as well. They are always more active at first light and last light of the day. Heavy overcast days afford some of the best opportunities for lunkers.
• Temperature is as important in producing Browns as it is for any other fish. I work water that is 60 to 63 degrees when it is available. The month of April is known for easy pickings on all size Browns. When the lake has not warmed up to the preferred temp for Browns, look for them at mouths of rivers, harbors, protected bays and power plant discharges that offer water above the lake temp. A temperature gauge is a tool all fishermen cannot be without.
  
• A stealthy approach is necessary for the biggest fish. In definition stealthy is a presentation that avoids being notice. Several that can be used are trolling downriggers with leads to 100 feet or more and leadcore is another good choice. Most of the time you will find working shallow water less than 40 feet is key to domestic brown success. In the clear shallow water a normal presentation will generally not produce.
  
• Mid summer is the best time to locate Seeforellens in deep water. Find a sharp break in temperature from the colder lake water to 60 to 63 degrees and present your tackle in temperature they prefer. These breaks above colder water are the best place to locate trophy fish. Presentation will remain the same get away from the boat in water undisturbed. I have one more presentation that you may find easier to work especially in shallow water. Fish the surface down to fifteen feet with planer Boards. Some of your choices are, Yellow Birds, Church, Off Shore and Riviera. I’m a little hesitant to recommend a particular brand because what works for me may not work for you. I will say I find it easier to run a small board on each line rather than a large board with releases on the towline. I do feel it is important to run all the same type to get a presentation that is easy and productive. The clear surface water leaves you with a visibility factor to consider. I run a 1/4 to 1 ounce bead chain trolling sinker at the end of the 20-25lb mono to avoid line twists and get the depth I want. From the sinker to the lure I use 8ft of a 12lb mono and a small round cross lock snap. When the fish hits, the board slides down to the trolling sinker. With the sinker in line, the board will not knock the fish off as it would if it ran down to the lure. When setting this presentation, I set my boat speed at 2 mph and let out my lure about 30 to 100 feet and attach the board. This distance will change with the amount of light, type of lure and depth you want to fish. When action is slow, adjust this distance and see what happens. Once the board is attached, carefully lower the board into the water and let out enough line to allow room for more boards, between that board and the boat. Boards should be spaced about 30 feet apart. When a fish hits, the board releases and it will drop back behind the boat. Land your fish and reset this board by letting out enough line to allow the board to fly back into the same spot it came from.
  
• Let’s wrap this up with my favorite Brown Trout lures. Spoons are my first choice with crankbaits and minnow type lures a close second. Always consider the size of the baitfish and amount of light in the time period you are fishing. When fishing in bright conditions or with the presence of small baitfish go to regular or small lures. Run the magnum spoons in low light situations. The two most productive Brown Trout spoons for me in recent years are the glow in the dark Vulcan and Reaper both sold by Badgertackle.com The silver/blue Vulcan has also
  been a regular producer. The shore fishermen are also having good success with this lure. I will continue with trophy variables for Rainbow Trout in the next article. Good Luck!
   

Captain Jim Hirt
www.bluemaxcharters.com

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