Pete Ankeny, Phil Ankeny, Steve Wilson, and Dave Ryerse joined us for 3 and 1/2 days of smallmouth bass fishing. Joe Dougherty and Jon Balaski would be the guides. The technique we planned on using were popping bugs on a fly rod. Usually we are fishing bedded bass at this time of the year. This year was different as the bass had bedded, spawned and moved on to pre summer movements. Most flyanglers use a #8 or #6 weight fly rod. The eight weight is a little easier to use in the wind. Weight forward floating lines are best. weight forward means the first thirty feet of line is thicker and heavier than the rest of the line. This allows the weighted end to help cast the fly line.
Generally when fishing out of a boat on a lake the cast are longer than if you were stream fishing. Today's gear has made it much easier to cast flies at greater distances.
Tuesday started out with a twenty mph wind making conditions tough. The islands on Rainy Lae's south arm run primarily east and west. West winds sweep the islands making it difficult to find good water to cast flies in. We fished the east ends of islands and boated twenty bass for the day. Every one was earned the hard way.
Wednesday the forecast was for southerly winds, just what the doctor ordered. Jon and Joe fished around spawning areas even though the bass were done spawning. Fishing was unbelievable. Eighty eight bass between them, many over 19" and 20". Pete said it was the most big bass he had ever caught on Rainy. They were using #4 popping bugs. A cast then pop, pop, hesitate and bang bass on, time after time.
Thursday was a day of more southerly winds with very similar results. Joe and Jon opted to fish a different area of the lake. They fished in similar types of water with the similar results as Wednesday, may be more big ones than the day before.
Friday morning the Chairman II headed back to base after breakfast. Pet, Dave, and Phil opted to fish until noon and then head home. A southwest breeze made things alittle more difficult. Twenty bass ere caught between the boats.
Lower popper looked like top one when we started!
