Tuesday, August 27, 2013

End of Summer Report

We'll we're hitting the end of the summer which is sad in some ways but it means good musky action is just around the corner.

The upper St Croix is running really low and we've been primarily wade fishing the river.  Action has been steady with topwater but the fish are not relating to the banks as much because of the low water.  It is a little harder to find that mid river break when you're wade fishing the river, especially before you trip over it but when you do there are more than one fish schooled up.
The Mississippi is flowing perfect right now and fish are really active with this heat.  We floated from St Cloud down to Clearwater the other day and had two dozen nice fish (missed a bunch as well).  We've been waiting almost 3 years for the river to be fishable in August.  With this heat and stable weather it should be good through mid-October.

I don't really care about SMBs anymore because starting Labor Day weekend it is full into musky.  Sunday we're planning a musky float and B. Marshall has lent me his new Sage Pike rod that he wants stunk up with Esox slim - I will do my best.

Tomorrow however I am in Washington trying for some more Pacific steel.  Trying my lunch at spey fishing the Cowlitz. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What happend to summer?

July was going along great - good SMB popper action and then last weekend happened.  It was a 45 degree drop from the previous week's high to the low Saturday.  We were wet wading to cool off and then Saturday we did it to warm up.

What was weird is how it triggers musky and pike to bite.  Friday we floated the St Croix near Grantsburg and although we managed a dozen nice smallies on topwater the highlight was Jeff's 36 inch musky on a topwater.
The best part is I didn't have my net along.  When I picked up he and Bob in the morning I said "muskies have been biting but if I put the net in the boat we won't catch one".  Of course we were in waist deep water and I had to try and grab the thing.  The water was really low and we (me) dragged the boat a lot.

Saturday it actually got colder and cloudier.  Smallies slowed more but the pike started biting.  I caught this beauty on a flash tail streamer on a jig hook (PS I think that helps the hook setting - note the fly in the top of the mouth).
Going to do an evening float Monday and then Mississippi Friday.  I'll try and take less grip and grin photos.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

St Croix Early July

We were on the river (both St Croix and Namekagon) over the 4th a number of days.  Flows looked good but the rivers had some color to them from the heavy rain the previous week.  Fishing was pretty slow even though we managed to catch fish each time out.  Smallies weren't chasing topwater and you really had to drop it right on their head.  Muskies on the St Croix were really active and we landed a nice 32 incher wade fishing (very fun) and missed two others.  The Namekagon musky bite was slow and we had one take early on and saw a nice fish right in the middle of the river below a riffle. 

Here are some good early morning pictures on the St Croix the morning of the 4th.

Friday, June 21, 2013

St Croix was Hot!

I know I said in a New Year's resolution that I wasn't just going to just post fish pictures and instead get better action shots - this is going to be an exception.

Blake got his biggest SMB career to date - a 17 inch beut.  SMBs were almost all on topwater - finally.
And while he and Scott were casting topwater I followed up with a wounded minnow pattern and this fella came out of nowhere - my biggest pike ever.
A nice part about fishing in rural NW Wisconsin is that on your drive back you can fire off a few rounds.  Blake and I are working on Yeti promotion shots - and this was the first firing of my new AR-15.  Only $1.10 a round!
We head to Door County for a week vacation.  It's mainly going to be gear fishing but we have a musky day Tuesday and I'm bringing the fishing boat for SMB and walleye action.  No flats carp plans.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

First Musky on the Fly for the Season

We have been hitting the St Croix a bunch lately.  Even though water is a little high the clarity has been good and it's warmer than the Namekagon.  Brian and I hit it Memorial Day weekend and even though the day finished pretty slow, it started great.  A 30 inch musky started the day off on a chartreuse sculpin I tied for such an occasion.
Minutes later and slow moving 19 inch smallie hit the same fly.
 
Not pictured is the pike (Brian likey big pikey) caught on the same fly.  I'm sending it to one of the main fly companies for it to go into full production.  Brian got the St Croix Grand Slam on the same fly - I don't know how we didn't touch a walleye dredging the thing.  That would have been amazing - maybe next year.
 
Last weekend we hit the section up by T and caught some big girl SMBs. 

As you can see from the photo - the boys were with me.  I don't know why I think every year it works to take 4 people, 2 of which are little boys, out in the boat.  At least they weren't bugging mom.
 
Fish are starting to move a little more - nothing on topwater yet but I assume that will be changing pretty quickly. 



Thursday, May 16, 2013

Driftboat Season Underway

Started the season off last weekend with two full days of floating the Namekagon and St Croix.  There were high hopes but quickly it was realized that the late spring has delayed everything.

We started with a short float by County Rd T which had pretty good clarity.  The gauge at Riverside said 3,030 but that includes the Totagatic which was dumping a ton of water to fix the dam and the Namkagon which was dumping a bunch of water from late snow storms. 

Nothing - Matt had a walleye strike but that was it.

We then floated the Namekagon for 10 miles.  The river was moving very quickly but still had that clear clarity we love.  We switched to a jig with some plastic to try and get down and find a walleye or two since the smallies weren't around and musky is closed.

Matt caught the largest redhorse sucker I've ever seen on the jig.
We floated the Namekagon 10 miles in about 5 hours - record time. 

We went back to float the same stretch of the St Croix thinking the warm sun might have helped.  One pike and this small musky.  Matt caught it on a tiny Rapala.
On the St Croix the following day the winds were in the 20+ mph range - but at least at the back of the driftboat.  One lowly pike at the take out.

We'll be out again for Memorial Day - probably will be epic with about every warmwater species in the post spawn eating frenzy at once.  Or at least that's what comforts me from 2 fishless days.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Florida Trip

 
Why didn't I do a post on my Florida flats day trip sooner?  Because it didn't go well that's why.  It seemed like a great day, warm, nice and sunny, tide coming in, fish moving - but 25 mph winds.  It was really difficult to sight fish through the 1 ft chop let alone put a fly where I wanted it.  I had shots at fish - and I missed takes.  But basically I landed one small redfish and a flounder on the clouser.  It was cool but not getting fish is tough.
 
The next day a couple of guys from the wedding and I took a 65ft charter out 15 miles into the Gulf.  It was simple and we caught lots of fish - mainly gray snapper and porgey but there was all sorts of crazy stuff brought up from the bottom.
 


Other than that I'm just tying flies and waiting for the Fly Fish Film Tour Friday February 1st.  We have 20 guys going - should be fun - maybe I'll win a new rod.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Musky Fly Time

It's winter now and I've been working on some great musky flies.  But before I get to that - take a look at this video I was slow on uploading.  This was a 36 incher caught on the Namekagon in late October.

Underwater Musky Release from >Charles Metzig on Vimeo.

I've been working on a bunch of musky flies.  Most the Supercharger by Jared Ehlers - here's a pic.

 
You do go through an entire packet of Flasabou per fly.
 
Here are the video links for tying (it is pretty quick and easy).
 
Next up is spinning deer hair for heads.  But first I head to Florida for a little redfishing.