Five Lakes Outing Club, April 2010

DATE: April 27-29, 2010
TIME:  Afternoon of April 27, morning and afternoon of April 28, and morning of April 29
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, mid 70s, windy
WATER CONDITIONS: Slightly above normal lake level
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Five Lakes Outing Club, near Seyppel, AR
ROD USED: 9’ 3 wt custom-built G. Loomis
FLIES USED: #10 Foam Spider, yellow and black; #10 Bream Killer; #4 gray and white clouser
HATCHES:  N/A
OTHER:  Once again, we were guests of our gracious hosts, Ed and Linda, at Five Lakes Outing Club.  Five Lakes is a relic of the past, one of the South’s finest and most elite of sportsman’s clubs, the likes about which Nash Buckingham wrote.  In fact he had been a guest at the club during his writing days.  This is its 99th year of existence, and we enjoyed some great bream and bass fishing.  I fished with Joe on April 27 PM, Ed on April 28 AM, Kay on April 28 PM, and Dave on April 29 AM.

On the afternoon of April 27, Joe and I fished a large bream bed near the launching ramp along with Dave and John.  We all caught lots of fish.

On the morning of April 28, Ed paddled me around the lake for some bass fishing, and I managed to take 8 or 9 on a Clouser minnow.

On the afternoon of April 28, Kay and I fished the bream bed again, and she caught her first bluegill using a fly rod.  Up until then she had never understood my passion for bream fishing.

On the morning of April 29, Dave and I fished the bream bed while Ed bass fished.  We both caught large, colorful bream.  I caught this one under a limb on the right side of the large cypress tree in the background, using a sidearm cast.

Batting Zero, aka Striking Out

TIME: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 60s, windy

WATER CONDITIONS:  3 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Rim Shoals area

ROD USED:  9’ 6 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Weight Fly, White River Zig Jig

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with John and Dave.  It was a very tough morning, and I didn’t catch a fish or even get a bite despite throwing the Zig Jig several times.  John caught a couple and Dave caught one, both fly fishing, during our morning session.  Caddis were hatching, and the fish began keying on them just as I quit at 11:30 AM. 

Kaden Fishes Dry Run Creek

DATE: April 1, 2010
TIME: 1o:15 AM to 12:45 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, low 60s,
WATER CONDITIONS: N/A
LOCATIONS FISHED: Dry Run Creek
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Had the distinct honor of watching our grandson, Kaden, fish Dry Run Creek—one of life’s true pleasures.  He did a great job of casting and mending, and managed to pick up a few fish along the way.

He tried valiantly to get a big rainbow or brown to hook-up at the bottom of the pool, but neither so much looked at his flies, though he put the flies in the right place.  A youngster above him, who was much less accomplished but far luckier, hooked up and landed a 30+ inch fish.  Just goes to show…