Greetings!

I've been fishing for some years now, and on waters from Michigan to Louisiana... and even over into Arkansas and Texas, there are the three live baits that are the "standard holy three live baits". They are called minnows, crickets, and worms. I'd think that your thought of night crawlers fits into the "worms" category. :)

Of course, there are other live baits in some parts of the country... shrimps and crawfish to name a couple... those work well in other areas like the gulf coast (which could include Florida and up the East Coast)

Whatever your choice of live bait may be... Your mileage may vary, and batteries not included. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Absolutely, yes wanderer6029... anytime will work for catfish...

Although it is to say that my personal best times for catching catfish has been during the dark times of any given day, however, I've done well during the light times on other days. Catfish hunt by sense of smell (that's what their whiskers are for), so I'm pretty sure they see the food whenever they get closer, however to me that to get them close to your chosen bait, you need to use the smelly factor. I'm thinking this is why things like chicken liver, worms, or other stinky bait seems to work well.

The night time fishing also allows you to stay out of the hot parts of the day, which can be a definite relief during the somewhat warmer summer times, because you don't have to stand or sit while the "deadly heat rays" of the sun are not beaming powerfully intense down upon your head. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Blademan,

About a mile and a half to two miles below the dam (maybe even a bit more), along a dirt road named Ghost Village Road. There are many old log cabin ruins from that big earthquake in the late 1950s that shut off the Madison River and made Earthquake Lake. Anywhere between Hebgen Reservoir and Earthquake Lake along the Madison should be fun. Take a look at Google Maps in that area for a bit more detail of that area, also check with Montana DNR for the rules on that piece of the Madison.

There are also several campgrounds in that area... however, I'm not sure which ones would be RV friendly.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

tj-escape,

Fishing is not called catching for a reason... I know it's easy as heck to get frustrated. I have found that concentrating on being outside in a natural environment can really provide more relaxation than any frustration that you may experience when getting skunked.

However, in my experiences, I've always caught fish when I am paying more attention to the birds and trees instead of my fish line. I have not a clue why it works that way for me. Maybe it is just the karma of the fishing situation. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

My brothers and I fished the Madison river sometime back (around Hebgen Lake), and we did really well. A great amount of fun was had by all. Over the two full days we fished there, we caught a couple dozen trout with our fly rods. We considered that our results weren't bad for a band of brothers with minimal experience on a world class trout river, with all our fish being in the 15 to 18 inch size. We took a couple of them back to the hotel, and cooked 'em up. They were wonderful to eat, and we want to go back there someday.

I hope your fishing luck is as good as ours was...

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

I smile in your general direction... with a story like that, you must have been born with a fishing rod in your hands :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

I smile in the general direction of oldsalt. :)

Obviously, your dad was a highly intelligent fishing person.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Way back in my younger days... and there are plenty of those available to me. :) I was given a tip how to prevent this kind of thing from happening, it might seem silly, but it has always worked for me.

Before putting your chosen fishing rod together, take the parts and rub the "male" end and rub it around your nose, particularly on the sides near your nostrils. Beings as that part of your body has a lot of skin oil on it, this provides the perfect and most natural lubrication for the parts of your fishing rod. Folks have looked at me funny when I do this... however, I've never had my rod parts get stuck.

Of course, using all my arm strength to jam the rod pieces together until my face gets contorted isn't a good idea either. These connections need to be firm, but not using your natural superhero abilities.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

RF,

The reason bamboo fly rods are (or seem to be) the "expensive ones" is because the large majority of them are handmade... or antique, or a family heirloom kind of thing. I do have to admit though, spending some thousand dollars on an Orvis, Sage, Winston, etc. kind of graphite fly rod is also out there in our fishing world. So I'd guess the exact meaning of "expensive" in this kind of situation usually refers to the bank account holder that's making the decision on what is, or is not expensive. :)

I believe that what makes a bamboo fly rod the best, is that bamboo is best suited to line weights between 3 & 6, and lengths between 6 & 8 feet. Within this range the weight and flex of bamboo is at its best. These shorter length rods have many advantages in tight, bushy surrounds. It can also be highly accurate in these conditions. I only know this because of my previous experiences with my brother's home built fly rod, compared to my Orvis Clearwater.

I still think you should give a try at building a bamboo fly rod RF... you might even surprise yourself and others as to how well it turns out. ;)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Hey Riverfisher, Welcome to you!!

Flyguy... hello again :)

Although you wouldn't make your first fly rod you build out of bamboo, my brother chose to do exactly that. I'm an "unwilling participant" in his rod building experiences, in that my lovely little brother has a tendency to explain every step during our phone calls (and I do mean EVERY step, in four part harmony with the New York Symphony providing orchestration, in great detail, and him repeating the latest news at every possible opportunity)... heh heh.

It's not that hard to do really, however, I will say that it is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a project for someone that has no patience or attention to detail... Back in my younger days, I built and flew all of my R/C airplanes from scratch, and if you've ever done something like that, then you'll understand what I mean by "patience and attention to detail".

Like many other hobby projects, your first attempt will seem to be almost prohibitively expensive, due to having to buy specific tools for the task(s) at hand... however, at the same time, that kind of expense is more of a one-time-only expense, so your second (or tenth) fly rod is much less expensive.

My brother's first hand built fly rod turned out perfectly well done, I've fished with it and it casts as well or better than the fancy Orvis fly rod I normally use. Some things are useful to keep in mind... Don't be afraid to start over if you make a mistake, or you find out that some step turned out wrong in some way. I built many little airplane fuselages that ended up being banana shaped, or wings that ended up being twisted. My brother's fly rod ended up with the last two feet being permanently crooked, so he ended up having to rebuild that section a couple of times.

So Riverfisher, if building your own bamboo fly rod is something you want to do, I tell you to go for it and I wish you much fun and good luck doing such a thing.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

There are some here that write that the captain of the ship is responsible for keeping you safe... this is pretty much correct in all situations. However, on the one in ten thousand chances you find yourself flailing uselessly in the water, you'll quickly understand that it's not the captain that's getting wet. heh heh heh

On every fishing trip I've been on, at the very least... I've always thought that "if the engine is running, I wear my lifejacket". I found that this rule works even when the engine is not running. It does not matter if I look silly or not, it does not matter how I end up in the drink, and it does not matter how many people are willing to help me.

So, I wear a lifejacket all the time in unfamiliar water... sometimes even in familiar waters... Always be safe, OK?

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

MadOyof, one of my brothers has some glasses that are like coke bottle bottoms that he keeps tied around his neck with a string... those work well for him. It all comes down to whatever works for you. :)

With the (sometimes) higher cost of most fly fishing stuff, a Tyepro seems to solve my simple problems with attaching a fly to my tippets. Of course, being able to easily attach a fly to my line does not really improve my rate of catching fish... Wish I could spend $17.00 to make the catching fish as easy as tying the fly to the line.

Thanks for the feedback guys and girls... it seems as though (for me) that this is a good investment.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Being an olden type kinda person, I found myself not being able to stab the line into the eye of the hook and then tie a clinch knot... my problem is just not being able to see the hole in the fly...my eyes are just getting old...

So, I looked around and found a "tyepro" thing... your experience may vary, your vision may be different, however, it works for me.

Anyone else here use this?

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

I admire your efforts at filleting bluegills and your discovery that frying them whole is most likely the best way to eat them. One bite of fish per bluegill is usually the normal amount. :)

(Unless of course, you count the tail and other fins as a bite... heh)

With bluegills in the six to eight inch range, cooking them whole over a camp fire is IMO the best way. Of course, your experience may vary should you be catching world class bluegills. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Greetings all you acquirers of aquatic animals. ;)

Please keep in mind also that the sun reflecting off the surface of the water can (and does) create a situation where all your long sleeve shirts and wide brimmed hats are no protection from the deadly rays from the sun on your face. I'm not sure why that every good fishing spot I've found seem to have the sun reflecting off the water onto my face, maybe that's just a part of "fishing luck".

Much like Flyguy, back when I was younger and not nearly as knowledgeable about the deadly sun rays, I paid no attention to such things... however, after spending some painful Sundays and Mondays after a day fishing trip with dried lips, parched eyes, and a seemingly permanent red face... I finally figured out that the sun reflections off the water can hurt too...

Fortunately, I've never had melanoma (thank God)... however there have been times when the sunburn pain after a whole day of fishing, upon my face have made me wonder why I went fishing in the first place.

So yes... those were good times too.


Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams