June 26, 2023 at 2:02 p.m.
The Lake Where You Live
On the fly
By Ted Rulseh-
One early June day while down on the pier I noticed bluegills amid the remains of last year's bulrushes, and I thought of the fly rod. I climbed the stairs to fetch it, a black popper bug still tied to the leader. I decided that was good enough.
I've had some instruction and some practice in fly casting, and the technique quickly came back to me. Casting a popper (or fly) takes a particular finesse. There's no relationship between muscle power applied and the distance the lure travels.
It's about letting the rod do most of the work. Swing the rod back so the line pays out above and behind. Feel the instant when weight of the line has caused the rod to bend (at this point the rod is "loaded"). Bring the arm forward, firmly but gently. The energy released as the rod snaps back helps send the line out smooth and straight, and the popper settles lightly on the water.
I endured a few foul-ups and one not-too-serious tangle of clear leader and orange fly line, but soon managed at least some of the time to land the popper where I aimed it, in open spots among the rushes. After several casts I was rewarded when a large swirl engulfed the popper.
I snapped the rod tip upward to set the hook. A fish feels heavier against the flex and deep bend of a fly rod. For a few seconds I was sure I had hooked a bass or a large crappie. It turned out to be a pugnacious bluegill, tugging and spiraling. I cranked the reel and gradually brought it in, a hand-sized mama, fat in the belly, likely filled with eggs. I removed the hook and set her free to complete the spawning ritual.
Continued casting brought a few more bluegills before one of them buried itself in some coontail. When I tried to pull it free, the leader snapped. The popper gone, I was done for the moment, but not for the season.
Advances in fly fishing gear have made the sport easier. For years, the dreaded nail knot one had to tie to fasten a leader to the fly line was a significant barrier to entry. These days you can buy fly line and leaders that enable an easy and secure loop-to-loop connection.
Alternatively, there are tiny screw-eyes that you can stick into the end of the fly line for tying a new leader on. Anyway, knowing I had an assortment of panfish poppers and bass bugs in a plastic box in my office, I left the fly rod on the pontoon boat as a reminder not to neglect it for several more years.
Ted Rulseh is a writer, author and lake advocate who lives on Birch Lake in Oneida County. His new book, "Ripple Effects," has been released by UW Press. You can learn about it by visiting his website at https://thelakeguy.net.
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