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.

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.