Sunfish, Bass and Coots

by Les Albjerg
(Caldwell, Idaho)

I just had to try out my new Shimotsuke Kiyotaki 24 today. I am behind on many projects, but I have learned from Tom Davis that it is OK to go out and fish for a 90 minute session. The Idaho Fish and Game has reopened a lake near me, so I went there. It was hard to believe that the little yellow bag I carried had a fishing rod in it. I had made a line up with 3.5 level line, orange indicator, and 6x tippet. I put on a worm fly, but it was too big for the fish that I was getting to nip at it. I then switched to a size 16 hare's ear nymph. I had left my really small fly box at home. Too bad. My first fish on the new rod was a nice sunfish. I then moved to another part of the dock, and caught some very small bass.

WHAT A BLAST!! I couldn't believe how fun catching those fish were on the Shimotsuke Kiyotaki 24. It casts real easy. It didn't take long for the fly to go where I was looking. Manipulating the fly brought on more strikes, and the rod was sensitive enough to feel the takes, and had enough backbone to handle a couple of 8 inch sunfish. I didn't keep any fish. That said, I do like to eat fish, and I do keep some at times. What I learned is that keepers made my rod sing! They also put up a great fight, and it was so enjoyable. It is hard to beat the price of the Shimotsuke Kiyotaki rods. I also found myself trying to catch the smallest fish I could. I caught a really small one, but it got off before I could take a picture. Chris, you have infected me with micro fishing. What was so nice was it was just me, the coots, and my Britney, "Frankie" at the lake. I fished for an hour and I had a "many day."

“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.