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Surprise, It's Trout!

The past few day's have been an absolute hell. I've been stuck inside sick with some sort of virus that has been kicking my ass. I haven't even had the energy or motivation to tie anything. Just lay around like a potato.

This evening I finally was feeling good, and antsy to get out to my local lake, because, it was so nice out the past few days, and today was just awesome. It felt like it was close to the 70's, and there was hardly any wind. Got out to my local lake and began to cast. Started with a black wooly bugger, and quickly switched to a small bead head I tied. I was curious as to how fast  it would sink. 2 cast and I had a follow from some bluegill, and hooked up with a few.

Once I was done fooling around with them, I tied on a small ep baitfish pattern I had tied with hopes of hooking up with some bass cruising the shallows. After my first cast and fixing the line that had wrapped itself around my reel, I gave the line a 2 strips and BAM!!! Thought I had a bass until it went airborne, and I saw that it was a rainbow trout. I was very surprised to see that there were some survivor stocker rainbows in the lake.


Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 9:19 PM Labels: bait, bass, bluegill, fish, fly fishing, fly tying, lake, orvis, outdoors, rainbow trout, sick, the fiberglass manifesto, trout, yearofthebluegill


That's more like it!!!

Few days ago, I was leaving work a few hour later than I expected. As I was driving out of the parking lot I noticed there was someone fishing, so, being the curious type I drove over toward the person. Turns out that they were fly fishing, and I got really excited then. Got out and walked over to him, and turns out it someone that I know that works in the same building. Who would have thought!

I got my gear out of my car, and fished with him. I have only tried fishing the lake at work a few times with no luck a month ago. Today was a whole new story. He was throwing a black wooly bugger size 8 I believe, and he caught a big crappie, and then he caught another big crappie. I wasn't using a black wooly bugger, and I was catching nothing.

So, I made the logical choice in switching to a black wooly bugger. After a few casts I hooked into a few bluegill, and then some nice crappie. Then I started fishing off of one of the small bridges, and tied on a larger wooly bugger, and what do ya know...hooked up with a decent sized bass! Unfortunatly, she fought like a dead fish. She was also full of eggs (I'm assuming) After jumping down the side of the bridge and catching a rear end full of thorns from the bush I was trying to avoid, I was able to release her, and call it a night.

Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 1:45 PM Labels: bass, bluegill, bugger, crappie, explore, fish, fishing, fluke fish, fly fishing, largemouth bass, orvis, panfish, sling pack, spring, yearofthebluegill


GoPro Hero 3

I finally got around to playing with some video I took to test out my GoPro Hero 3 camera. Here is just a test video I made with some video, and still shots. I edited this on my iPad 2 using iMovie. (I need a new laptop/desktop...they're outdated, and not capable of playing the videos from this camera.)
(Mind you - I threw this video together in 20 minutes.)

Let me know what you think.....

Also, has anyone else had a problem with their GoPro and 64gb class 10 micro SD card????

I just sent an email to ScanDisk about the GoPro possibly frying my card. I've read numerous forums about this subject, and there seems to be quite a bit of people out there experiencing this. I am hopeful that they will send me a new one. (I've read they will replace it....I should start looking for a different brand if it continues.)
Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 10:13 PM Labels: animals, be a hero, chicago, clouds, elk, fishing, fly fishing, gopro, hero, ice, jay z, jigga, micro, scandisk, shadow, snow, sun, winter

Orvis Guide Sling Pack

Hello...my name is, Justin, and I'm a fly fishing gear junkie.

I've been using the Orvis Magnum Sling pack since it came out. I loved the functionality that the sling pack offers. A few months go by and then they release the Orvis Guide Sling Pack. (I am in love with the digi camo.) and I waited on buying it. I eventually gave in...

So, after using it on all of my unsuccessful outings this year. I must say that this pack is great. Being an over packer - I absolutely love all of the extra space that this pack offers. It allows me to take even more stuff that I will most likely not use on each and every outing! It also, has a designated place to hold a water bottle. This is crucial for times when you're out on the water dying of thirst. Also, The tippet spool holder is included! Did I already mention the digi camo? Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 10:01 PM Labels: abel, bag, bass, camo, digi camo, fish, fishing, fly, fly fishing, fly gear, nippers, orvis, review, sling pack, spool, trout



So, just the other day I was looking through my fly tying materials, and I found a few items that have been hiding from me...some foam spider bodies (Waspi). I remember purchasing these years ago when I first started tying, and I still had quite a few left. (I actually had 3 - 24 packs left - haha.) So, I decided to give them a go, and ended up running out of hooks. Now I think I have enough spiders to last the spring and summer. These smaller flies (Beadheads) are new to me. I don't normally tie stuff like this, but I've been wanting to learn to tie different patterns. I normally tie stuff for bass...streamers, clousers, etc..

A friend of mine has emailed me a book with a ton of different classic patterns in it for trout, so, eventually, I will be diving into that and trying to tie up some trout flies. Maybe, I'll get to use them when I go out to the Driftless Area.

I wish I was out fishing right now, but we just had some huge storms the past few days, and especially yesterday into today that have every body of water flooded. There were a ton of road clousures today, and a 15 minute drive took me 1 hour, and to get home took me 2 hours. Ugghhhh!
 Labels: bluegill, chicago, clear cure goo, driftless, f3t, fishing, fly fishing, fly tying, foam, largemouth bass, orvis, smallmouth bass, spiders, spring, summer, trout, wisconsin, yearofthebluegill



Since last Sunday's bluegill fest, the only thing I've caught were some sweet shots. The weather has been up and down, and when it has been nice....I've been at work. Go figure! This past Sunday, I did go out with a few friends in search of muskie at a local lake, but I had to leave my fly rod packed away in my car, because, it was extremely windy. We chucked big cranks, and inline spinners with no luck, but that's nothing normal to me....I've never caught a muskie. The hunt continues....

Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 3:03 PM Labels: baitcaster, bass, bass fishing, bridge, clouds, fish, fishing, gopro, hooks, lake, lures, muskie, musky, nature, outdoors, photography, rapala, skull, sky


Finally...the fish showed up!

I FINALLY caught my first fish of 2013! I was starting to forget what the tug of a fish felt like at the end of the line. Haha

I caught a small large mouth bass, 16 bluegill/sunfish, and 2 overgrown golden roaches (I presume). I do still need to shake the rust off of my hook setting skills, because, I missed 2 very nice large mouth bass. One of them had to be at least 3 lbs. Thing's are on the up!! I assume that this was a golden roach that just survived winter and being eaten, after being dumped in the lake after an unsucessful day of fishing. Your thoughts?
Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 7:22 PM Labels: bait, bass, bluegill, chicago, fishing, fly fish, fly fishing, hook, largemouth bass, orvis, spring, the fiberglass manifesto


6 Days - Zero Fish

So, I've been out fishing 6 times thus far (Not consecutively), and I've only accomplished to shake the rust off of my cast. Which is fine by me...for now anyway. Here is a day by day recap w/pictures of my outings.

Day 1: Salt Creek
I had zero expectations, because, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground, and the temperatures were still boucing between the teens and 30's. This snowball took a size 6 black wooly bugger. Day 2: Downers Grove Pond
After work I decided to fish a decent sized pond. When I arrived I took notice that there was still quite a bit of ice on the lake. It was a beautiful day, the temperature was up, and the sun was shining. I was actually hoping to catch my first fish of the year, but she stood me up. I was dressed to impress, but my first fish of the year stood me up.

Day 3: Songbird Slough
This lake is litterally down the street from me. It's only good for sunfish. It was an extremely windy day, but the sun was shining, and that's good enough for me. Only thing caught was this tree.... What not to do while fly fishing....catch trees.

Day 4: Meachem Grove
What a beautiful day this was. That was about it. No fish, but I got some nice pictures. Day 5: Lake Michigan
Wasn't planning on fishing, but while in downtown Chicago I decided to give the Big Pond (Lake Michigan) a few cast's with a spoon, because, I know the browns and salmon are moved in. Didn't catch a thing, and I neither did anyone else I talked with. No fly rod today. Day 6: Songbird Slough
I now know why I dislike this lake. I talked with a guy that was fishing nightcrawlers under a bobber, and he said that he heard from a guy, who was talking with another guy, about how they shocked the lake and hardly any bass came up. Mostly carp and catfish." So, I just casted with extremely little expectations. My weapon of choice.

Posted by JUSTIN CARFAGNINI at 11:41 AM Labels: bass, bass fishing, carp, catfish, chicago, creek, fishing, fly fishing, lake, lake michigan, largemouth bass, nature, orvis, outdoors, photography, pond, snow, snowball, spring, winter
