Streamers in the swamp

My local water is one of those places you'll never see many people.  Lets not even talk about the chance of seeing another person throwing a fly.  I'm sure it happens but the refuge is 65k acres and there's a few cypress trees to block the view.

But those trees and the isolation are what make it special.  So much water to fish.  And you never know what you'll catch.  It's a maze and obstacle course, that make fly fishing from a kayak exciting.  Here's a short video that better illustrates what I'm trying to explain.

Kayak Bass Fishing

It's been a awhile since I chased bass with conventional tackle.  My recent knee surgery has made standing and fly fishing for extended periods of time out of the question.  But I can sit and fish all day.  Last week, the knee felt stronger so I was able to stand up and fish for a few hours.  One day was frustrating but the other was fantastic.  Here's a short video that sums up the two days.  On a side not; I'm enjoying the conventional side again.

A great week of fishing and surgery.

I'm going to make a long story short.  In June, just after returning from Wisconsin I was running beside my kids riding their bicycles when I felt a burning sensation in my knee.  After a few weeks of limping around and everyone in my family telling me to go see a Doctor I did.  The diagnosis was a sprained ______ ______ tendon (can't remember the name but it was painful) and a torn meniscus.  Surgery was scheduled in August.

For the rest of the summer I limped around and fished as often as possible.  Actually I went out daily just to exercise.  I wasn't able to run but having a kayak got me outside to exercise.  The week before school started was really great because I had 6 hours each day to go paddle and fish.  Spent a few of those days chasing bass and two of the them chasing carp.  Here's a short video I made during my first week after surgery.  Had to do something fishing related that week to keep from going insane.  Hope you guys enjoy it.  I have some other collaborations coming in the future.

VaCajuning in Grand Isle, LA

Every year in May just before school gets out for the summer, my wife gets out her calendar and starts looking at possible week-long travel destinations.  It took a few summers before I learned if I didn’t find something first, I’d end up walking around in the Houston Zoo in June or sitting on a bench at the Butterfly Museum in Branson, MO in August. 

This year, I pitched Southeast Louisiana before the drama could unfold.  The delivery was key and I made sure to highlight the things they would enjoy on our vacation before mentioning what I wanted to do. 

My wife and kids love the beach, Café-Du-Monde, riding the trolley, the Aquarium in New Orleans and air condition.  I like redfish.  So, we rented a house on the beach in Grand Isle, LA for a few days then spent two days in New Orleans.  It was arguably, one the best ideas I’ve ever had!   

Each morning, I would get up and carry what they needed to the beach.  Then I would take my kayak to the marsh and fish until around lunch.  We all agreed, Southeast Louisiana is a great place to vacation because it has something for everyone.  

Grass Carp fly pattern - One of my favorites.

Over the last few months I've gotten a lot of questions about the what fly I use.  Here's one that I've had some success using.  It's a simple leech pattern (took me longer to type this post than tie the fly) that I've talked about before.  It's not much different than any other leech pattern except I add a foam head to either keep it floating or slow the fall down.  This allows me to drop it right in front of a feeding grass carp and it slowly falls right in front of their face.  They can't resist that slow fall.

Materials
sz 6 Gama SL45 Bonefish hook
Black or whatever color head you want craft foam.  Cut to less than hook gap and 1.5 inches long.
UTC 70 thread or whatever you have.
Black Marabou (or any color you prefer) I do these in olive also.
Black Rabbit strip.
Saddle Hackle
Black Crystal flash - optional

Secure the hook in the vise. I pinch the barb on mine but forgot to do it for this post.

 
Put down a thread base.  Then tie on the rabbit strip.

 Tie in the foam.  Leave enough room at the eye to fold back and build a small head.

 Next up is the marabou

Matched to the same length or slightly less than the rabbit strip...couple lose raps then pull to the length you desire.  

 More marabou on the bottom.  Measured at about half of the rabbit strip.

Add some flash.  Tie in on one side then cross over and down the other side.  I avoid the loud or obnoxious flash.  I skip this step at times.

Tie in the saddle hackle by the tip.  Only 3-4 wraps.  I don't want the longer fibers found at the base.

 Here you can see it's just enough to give it a buggy look but not too much.

For the head just fold the foam back to the desired size you want.  I make them in a few different sizes.  Bigger they'll float at or on the surface.  Smaller they'll sink head up.

Whip finish over the foam.

 Finished and ready to fish.

I fish these either under a small pinch on indicator, as a dropper or alone.

Got questions post in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.