I need to take a moment to tell everyone about about my experience last night.
I left work around 4:15PM and took the metro to the Smithsonian metro station and walked to the Tidal basin for a little quiet time with the local fishes. I took my fathers bamboo convertable flyfishing rod from his time overseas during the korean war. This was to be the first time that I have ever used it and possibly the first time it was EVER used (Dad was a great guy, but not much into fishing and never fly fished). Anyway, back to the story, went out with a small clouser on a sinking line and a 4X tippet and with my second cask, I hooked on something. This was obviously not a little sunfish. He kept on bending my rod to an almost C shape and I would have to constantly gain and release line inorder to control the pressure on the rod and line. After a couple minites, I was able to get him to the surface and found him to be a large channel cat. By large the largest fish I have snagged on a fly! As I'm leaning over to grab the line and pull him out of the water, he snaps his head and my tippet and down he goes. Now I don't have proof of this but I swear that he used his tail to swirl his mustache and smerked at me like so 1920's villian.
After I calmed down, I went back to casting and within the next half hour, I caught a a bill gill and a nice size (18" 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. {though I still think my scale is wrong}) channel cat. This is the largest fish I have landed on a fly. What amazed me was that I was standing in front of the Jefferson memorial and no one would come over and take my picture with the fish. I finally got an old Asian couple to stop and listen while I TRIED to get them to take a picture for me. Well they did take the picture but they used there own camera. I tried again to get them to take one with my camera but they did not understand and then walked away. Suffice to say, there is a family from half way around the world that will be showing there friends and family their vacation slides including a random guy showing off a fish he caught. For those young guys and galls, a slide show is a really slow movie! :)
I hope to go back tonight and get back my small clouser from the large cat that got away yesterday. Will keep you informed if I make any progress.
Aaron O
P.S. The rod did a great job and I'm very happy with it. The only hick up is that the older rod does not have as smooth action due to friction from the line going through the loops as the new ones do. If anyone has any suggestions on that, or any other tips on maintenance of an old bamboo rod, please let me know. Thanks
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