2012 the year of the bass?

So I'm not giving up on trout in the new year.  Trout fishing around here is just not as abundant as some of the other local fisheries, but I do think I'll do more trout fishing in 2012 then I did last year.

The biggest fish of 2011 and she was a porker brown.   

That being said, I have found a new love for catching bass - bass of all shapes and sizes.  This year I will be targeting them even more with the fly rod then I did last year.   Sarah and I are already saving up for kayaks and with them should come even more reasons to take a fly rod or two.

With a little help from this guy and some of the my co-workers I hope to make 2012 full of fish like that.

Bass fishing is also opening up some new doors in the fly tying world as well. From foam and cork poppers to five minute epoxies and deer hair bugs - these big and exciting flies pose new challenges in tying, casting and fishing.

A small sample of the new flies I'm tying.

Last - and most importantly - bass are readily available everywhere. They are available where we are located near a couple ponds, as well as multiple brackish water ponds and rivers. This means large mouth and stripped bass are right out my back door! So with the challenges these fish bring both on the water and at the vise I am simply going to fish to them more.

Not to mention the occasional boat trip on the bay.

Hopefully 2012 will be full of these colors!

Happy New Year

Bruce