Yesterday, a woman at work who is moving, came in with a bag in hand and plopped it up on my desk. “I know this is ugly; it belonged to my brother (deceased). I thought of you when I found it in the basement.” Covered in dust and cobwebs, it was a ceramic creation standing about a 18″ high of a large mouth bass with a dragon fly in its mouth surrounded by bilious blue waves of water. “Gosh thanks! Wow! How nice.” Such good fortune.
Almost anywhere in the U.S., there is a pond or lake nearby with America’s most fished for fish lurking nearby. I have actually never fly fished for bass (large mouth or small mouth) beyond a one time outting on Oregon’s Davis Lake. I caught a few, post spawn, and saw some sizable fish cruising about, but I have not made the commitment to chase bass with a fly.
I have made a harsh association of Bass with negative images. I know why. Don’t hold it against me. I have a negative association of Bass with the likes of Michael Iaconelli, Dave Mercer, Shaw Grigsby……. I mean even if I link them to Kevin Van Dam, Jarrett Edwards or Hank Parker, I have this difficulty separating out Bass from tricked out sleds, gaudy shirts and rubber skirted spinner baits. I said don’t hold it against me. I need to remember that Bass do eat flies and assorted underwater creatures. Even my kid has figured this out. It’s my hangup. I just have to get Iaconelli out of my head. I have no clue where I will place the Bass & Dragon Fly….probably out on the deck.
SwittersB & Exploring 
My one son, Tony, has been trying to get me there more often. It does sound fun. Smallmouth would be a good target also I’m told. That is some very! nice tying. Wow!
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it probably won’t help, but that’s how i feel about trout.
if it hadn’t been for gierach convincing me that “regular” folks fished for the bony, slimy things i’d most likely be chasing gar with rope flies.
the biggest bass i’d taken until last year was a four pounder (verified with a zebco de-liar, my son’s) taken on size 12 iwamasa tarcher.
he’s the same son who took a seven pound largemouth with a rubber-skirted spinnerbait during iceout at age twelve. it was de-liarized as well.
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Watching a bass explode on a deer hair bug is one of life’s greatest joys.
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