Back to Basics

by Alan Luecke
(Overland Park, KS)

Last year I took several out of state trout trips and two saltwater vacations. This year not so much. My disappointment at having to cancel some spring trips dampened my enthusiasm for fishing in general. However, one can only hang out in the basement so long and there are plenty of fish in nice places close at hand. I'm back in the game.

Last week I made two trips to the Hillsdale dam face that I've written about before. The first time I took the Kiyose 53M figuring it would handle most things. It did handle most, but unfortunately not all. The catfish were active and something big I never saw broke off the 5X tippet. Obviously I needed the Kyogi 18! On Friday I landed my biggest fixed-line catfish at just over 20 inches. The 3X tippet I was using did the job. The rod is rated for 0X, but it makes me nervous-- if it snags I can't pull hard enough to break it.

On Saturday the local fly club had an outing and I took my canoe to a city lake about 40 miles south of KC. Using the Traveler 39 I landed 27 Bluegill in the 8-10 inch range.

What a trip. Every fish put a total bend in the rod but it landed every fish.

This morning I was running errands and knew I would have some time to kill so threw a rod in the car. Stopped at creek I hadn't been to in years and caught a beautiful sunfish in spawning colors.

I remember now. This was why I bought a Tenkara rod in the first place.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.