# My "Island Lake" Report + Question



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

basstube (fellow site member) and I had a blast on Saturday slaying the rock bass with our fly rods. Those little rockers nailed the hex emerger patterns we tied on. We fished the Huron downstream from the dam. It was nice to meet up with a fellow enthusiast and catch a bunch of fish, even if they were just rock bass. 

So...I think now both he and I would like to target the larger varieties on the Huron @ Island Lake since the area is so picturesque.

I am still going to be using my fly rod and was wondering what patterns are producing good results for the smallies and walleye in the Huron River (not impoundment) areas. I was thinking that a strip leech pattern with a sink tip might be good for working the holes. I can certainly chug mouse patterns on the surface too.

I guess I've never really tried to fish for bass / walleye in the rivers so I don't really know what they like (emerging nymphs, active retrieves, streamers, surface patterns, wooly buggers, etc).

Thanks all for your help!
Mike


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

I think my black-olive strip leech, fresh off the vice, should do the trick.
This is just one of the 77 flies I tied up over the weekend! :yikes:

Damn! I have to make 15 posts before I can put up a picture of my strip leech!

Should I really reply 13 times to my own message? Could happen!


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Anyway, salmon season is upon us


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

So I started to fill my salmon box with the essential flies for the season


----------



## Chromedoggy (Mar 25, 2007)

I would recommend a weighted fly or split shot, versus a sink tip. The water is very shallow except for right below the coffer. 
I have used an intermediate tip in this section, and it reduced my fishing time dramatically.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

And for me, that means strip leeches (perhaps most popularized by Gary Borger in his book "Persentation" which I highly recommend.)


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

The strip leech pattern can be dead drifted, or swung in the currents and gives a lively, 3D movement to the fly (rather than the 2D view that a fish has of some of the typical, streamer patterns.)


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

The salmon seem to love it! I have had fresh salmon rip my line out at night, even while casually walking upstream and letting my leech pattern trail behind me in the water!


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

But the main point about this post is BASS on the Huron! And so I will get on with my posts in order to present what I think is a pretty darned good leech pattern (not that it looks exactly like a real leech).


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

The fly is tied with a maribu tail, chenille body, thin bunny strip from the head, and hackled in front of the rabbit strip. I use maribu hackle for simple put a maribu beard on the fly.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Very easy to tie in all sizes, and works best on a sink-tip line. For salmon, I tie on a salmon hook (more durable than the Daichi streamer hooks I used for salmon in the past)


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

So, with that in mind, what works for the salmon (and brown trout by the way) should work for bass, too!


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

BTW - the largest browns I have ever hooked into were all caught on a strip leech, upon retrieval, while fishing for salmon on the Pere Marquette river.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

A pic will be posted...soon!


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

My 15th post says the pic will be viewable VERY SOON!


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Hopefully this works!


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks Chromdoggy! Sorry I had to be such an @ss about my post here, but I really did want to put up a pic since I worked so hard on busting these little buggers out this weekend! I have black-olive, orange-pink, all purple, whites, and multi-colored "Arctic Cat" leeches all tied using the same basic pattern. They're really the most basic pattern that one can tie but are so very effective at the right time!


----------



## Kelly Johnson (May 22, 2005)

After seeing the pic and reading every one of your posts now...it was worth it

Killer looking fly MC


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks Kelly! I do love fly tying, and am finally getting back into it after being rather inactive for the past 5 years or so (I tied up roughly 1000 flies while I was single and haven't had to look at my fly vice since). LOL! 

I used to spend most of my time fishing the nothern Michigan rivers for trout, but have realized that there are some gems in my backyard worth exploring. Besides, a rock bass hitting my fly is just as fun as any trout nipping at it, and not having to drive 6 hours round-trip is certainly nice!


----------



## Huron River Dan (Apr 16, 2001)

Don't overlook foam poppers for Smallies...

Dan


----------



## kype138 (Jul 13, 2006)

nicely done!


----------



## nockedup (Jul 15, 2008)

Seems silly you cant post pics until lucky number 15??
I love the persistence Mettilacat:evil:


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! If everything works out with the weather I will have another report to post on Sunday about the Huron.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Here is a quick pic of the Hex Emerger basstube and I were using last weekend. The tail / lower half of the body is a hackled underside feather from a hungarian partridge cape, but really any sizable "down" type feather will work. You'll want something lively, with movement. Above that is yellow dry fly dubbing. A large tuft of yellow deer hair makes the wing, and then I used brown oversized hackle around the wing tie-down point. The down feather material naturally wants to float due to the natural oils on it. BUT - once you dip it in the water and get it real nice and wet it will sink nicely. I use floatant on the wing and brown hackle to keep the head up out of the water. Otherwise it gets waterlogged after a couple of fish and then the whole fly wants to sink. This fly floats vertically in the water column and realy gives the fish something to look at. I tied this on a size 6, 2x long hook.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Yet another bassy looking bug. I tied up this one years ago but have never used it. It is a pattern taken from one of Gary LaFontaine's books. The yellow-black foam piece attached to the swivel-connector keeps the bug on top of the water and allows the fly to move and wiggle behind it. It is suposed to represent a struggling minnow. It is mostly maribu, with an antron or sparkle yarn body.


----------



## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

nockedup said:


> Seems silly you cant post pics until lucky number 15??
> I love the persistence Mettilacat:evil:


It does kind of suck for legitimate members, but we have had problems in the past with spammers posting both pornographic links, and pictures on the site. The 15 post rule was the easiest way to stop it. 

Nice flies BTW.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks! All are welcome BTW! Huron River fishing at its finest! Due to the rain-out scheduled for Saturday, I'll most likely hit the river again on Sunday with my long time fishing bud. 



quest32a said:


> It does kind of suck for legitimate members, but we have had problems in the past with spammers posting both pornographic links, and pictures on the site. The 15 post rule was the easiest way to stop it.
> 
> Nice flies BTW.


----------



## Metallicat (Jul 23, 2008)

The Huron is still waaay up. basstube and I managed to entice a few rock bass again, but where the water was merely knee deep 2 weeks ago, it was nearly over our waders yesterday.


----------

