Not on a streamer, yet

by Alan Luecke
(Kansas City, MO)

Red Shiners are the common local variety and I've caught a lot of them. But never a spawning male. I found a large school of them swarming around some Green Sunfish that appeared ready to spawn--everybody likes fish eggs.

The blue and red coloring is really exotic. It's easy to see why these are a popular aquarium fish among collectors.

I'm not sure there is a streamer fly small enough to catch one of these, but in the meantime I'm happy to finally have a picture of one of these beautiful fish. I used a size 24 Frenchy Nymph and my Soyokaze 27.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.