I caught a whopping 34 lb blue catfish today on the classic George Glazener "Spinster" fly. Also crappie, channel catfish, and LMB. The day isn't over yet, and pics will be posted as soon as they have been developed. Thanks to George!!

I considered trying out my $Gill Spinster today as well, but with 35 degree air temp, strong wind, and rain/snow falling, I figured what I was most likely to catch was a cold. Then I remembered an urgent project in the nice, dry, heated basement that required my attention.

Anyway, nice going Todd and George!

Well, that spinster is a crappie killer too. Temps here today are mid 70s. Sorry Theo about the weather there...just keep that fly somewhere safe in the meantime and break it out when the time is right!

I used the Lady G's $ Gill yesterday during a break from adding christmas trees to the brush piles and in 15 min. caught 3 small LMB from 46 degree water. I have dig. pics but am having trouble uploading them to compt. software #*^$#.

George that is the first time for me to fly fish in winter and with my meager skills I was able to cast and let the $ gill sink and as it did -- wham - and hold on. Next I want to catch some large BG/RES .

Todd did you catch that large cat on a small $ Gill or the HSB size ?

CONGRATULATIONS TODD …..!!!!!!

You are the new record holder for the biggest fish ever caught on a Spinster (now affectionally know as the $-Gill), including almost every species that swims, from Amazon Peacock Bass to Alaskan King Salmon.

Lookin’ forward to the pictures – ‘ya done good…
George

Todd,

What weight fly rod were you using when you caught that 34 pound cat? That would be some kind of battle on a 5 weight or anything less. Good show!

Ewest, I didn't know there were two distinct sizes of this fly so can't say if it were the larger or smaller.

Caught on 7wt fly rod with 8lb test tippet. I'm very lucky to have landed this fish based on the hookset and tippet size. Also very lucky the water temps are cool and so it was a 30 minute fight instead of what could have been more than an hour and/or a broken leader.

And just like Ewest, the catfish was caught on initial drop, seconds after hitting the water. We've fished that pond with worms, liver, minnows, tilapia, artificials, etc, but never caught one of our large broodfish until using the $Gill.

Here is an attempt to post pics. of the small LMB caught 12-31-05 on the $ Gill George made. Not big but a lot of fun. Thanks again George !!

I don't mind saying that I'm not liking you southerners right about now. Being able to fish your ponds in Dec/Jan. Not to take anything away from ice fishing now...

Dislike me too, Sunil!

I got these New Year's Day, no ice.

All right Theo. I'll dislike you too, but only for a day.

Maybe I should adjust my statement and say that I'm not liking those of you who live at your ponds.

I'm just thinking that...maybe all the Pond-Bossers frustrated by GG threads should go out and fish (includes ice-fishing), or tie some of George's flies, anything to let out some steam. Works for me anyway.

Those are fat fish, Theo!

Touche Todd, touche!

Theo,

Are those chunkies pellet fed bass? I still have ice up here but it's so thin on the trout pond I saw three large brook trout cruising under the ice.

Theo :

Were those $ Gill LMB . They sure are fat. I bet a $ Gill could be fished through the ice as a jig with good results.

Cecil:

No pellets, just GShiners, BG, & their own nieces & nephews. It was nice to see them in such good condition in January.

Eric:

I took the $Gills back to the pond with me and was considering trying to figure out if I could fish them with a spinning rod. But after I caught the two bass on a Blue Fox Strobe rattling deep crankbait I got for Christmas, I decided to quit while I was ahead. So I'm saving George's flies for March/April by which time I should have obtained a flyfishing rig.

Pretty, fat, and happy...I like that!

I have never even touched a fly fishing rod (or whatever it is called), but my taste buds are sure getting wet with all these posts. My birthday is Feb. 19th... dare I ask for one of these rigs? I'm sure to get "the look" from mom, but dad might just take me up on it (his birthday is Feb. 10th). Ryan will be three on Feb. 4th, but I think we need to stick with the Scooby Doo rod and reel for now.

Deb,

Go for the fly rod (for yourself) and you will never fish any other way again...except when with Ry and he will need conventional for awhile. Trust me, you will love it. If I'm wrong, you can come get your GG's back....Not!

Deb,
ML is right on this one. I grew up fly fishing for LMB & BG with my Dad in VA & NC. Started before I was 10. I still love it today. The constant winds & lack of big trees to block those winds in Central Texas make it a little tougher to do, but I still slip out from time to time right before dark when the wind lays. Go for it!

Deb, for Ryan, instead of a Scooby Doo, Walmart has a Shakespeare 4 1/2 ft. spinning outfit, copper colored for $21 which would hold some of those GG's better.

Nice thought Burger, but Ryan is only 37 inches tall. Besides I won't let him fish for a GG just yet. Trying to keep him OUT of the cold water. I am aiming him more toward a lazy walleye (absolutely no pun or redundancy there, I promise).

Deb

Debra, I'm only 70 inches tall and fish with an 84 inch spinner. No, really, I have several granddaughters who outgrew a barbie/scooby Doo quickly and now are pretty good with this Cirrus spinner.

BTW...If I have a 1/2 acre pond, with stocking rate for GG at 3000/acre with aeration and feeding..right? Let's see...3000 divided by 1/2.
That means 6000 GG I need to order, correct? :p

Ryan is just starting out with the whole fishing business, so I think I will stick with the Scooby Doo right now (although I will remember your advice when he gets ready to "move up").

Good math on the stocking rates. :rolleyes: Are you planning on feeding yourself to them?

Deb, I started my boy, Quinn, at age 4 with a 9ft 5 weight fly rod. Had to stand 100 feet away to avoid a hook in the ear mind you. Here he is at age 6, no fancy flyfishing get-up, spiderman running shoes and butt-naked under his t-shirt :rolleyes:

Wood,

That picture is priceless, just priceless...starting that young, maybe he can double haul by 10.

ML, both my boys have been fishing since they could walk, outdoors and nature were learned early, raised in the country with most of our pursuits a long way from civilization. We are somewhat like bush-weasels and sometimes lack the social skills and rules of city life.

Reminds me of a funny story. When Quinn was about three years old, I took him fishing for the day at a public lake close to Edmonton. It was extremely hot out in the boat and we ended up near a very crowded beach so I decided to ease the boat on shore and let him cool off. He instantly jumped out and ran along the shoreline.

By the time I beached the boat and climbed out, I noticed out of the corner of my eye something yellow flying overhead in the general vicinity of where he was. I looked down beside the boat and saw his life jacket, and thought "what's he throwing?", I then remembered his shorts and shirt were also yellow. Sure enough he was streaking full speed at the water's edge directly in front of a crowd of sunbathers and on-lookers.

I sat on the edge of the boat and watched his performance, not really too concerned at this point, until he stopped about mid-way down the beach. He then proceeded to turn and face the lake, pausing for a moment before letting loose with an incredibly large, upward arcing stream of pee nearly three times his own height. Pretty hard to miss, and somewhat less than subtle.

By this time, he had the attention of the crowd, so I hollered "Quinn!" He responds with "Hold on dad, I'm peeing". I really didn't know what else to say, so I called him back over. When he got back to the boat, I told him he shouldn't do that at the beach. He paused a moment and said "No running on the beach dad?"
I smiled and said, "let's go fishing".

Oddly enough, I was more envious than embarassed at his behaviour that day.

Wood,

A great story. I was also raised in the country (deep in Ozarks of Missouri) and am very comfortable with "bush-weasel" ways. My child, however, was never really exposed to that and now I'm trying to show my grandchildren that side of life through our ranch in the remotes of East Texas. Sometimes they look at me like I'm crazy, such as when finding a tree to go behind, but I really want them to see the other side of life. Thanks for a fun story.

Wood I second ML on that comment. That picture of your son is wonderful. And your story about the beach... That reminds me of Ryan a lot. Amazing what innocence we have lost as we age.

So I need some real old fashion advice as far as Ryan and his fishing. Mom and dad have a three acre pond (about 15 years old) with a confetti fish population. Name it and it is in there. Ryan has held a pole, but has only reeled in smaller fish that my daddy and I have caught. He will be three on February 4th, so what does he need to use, and how do I teach him. I know by watching midget baseball leagues that attention spans are short (they would rather pick bugs on the grass), so what do I do?

Calling all dads!!!

Deb, get him a spin cast reel and about a 3-4 foot rod. If you want, you can have him practise casting with a weight, no hooks. Buy him his own little tackle box. Let him go at it and I bet he will pick it up quickly. As for attention span, bring snacks, drinks, pop, toys,small boats with string, whatever. I used to bring along a minnow net and a small plastic aquarium. When they got bored, they would investigate the shoreline and scoop up bugs, scuds,frogs, minnows and watch them swim about in their little plastic house. Most of all, and I'm sure you already know this let him set the pace.

Deb,

Wood said it all perfect...except include some small rocks to throw in the pond...that will be the main event for him at first.

A small net, a small bucket and shovel, small fishing rod/reel and stuff as per Wood and ML. A worm bed for digging , rocks to throw. A small area with sand --small beach(some in pond bottom some on land). Two rules 1) have fun doing what he wants 2) when he fishes you watch (don't fish) explain what he sees while he fishes. When he gets a little bigger then you can fish with him. Start with live bait fishing -worms or cricketts. If not catching fish after a short period stop and do something else --don't wait for him to get tired and bored. A cheep pair of sun glasses so he can see into the water. I use yellow as it brightens up the under water world. Then sneak up on some BG/RES beds , or watch some minnows (and catch them with the net). Just a few thoughts.

Deb,
I would only expand on Wood's advise by recommending that whomever takes Ryan fishing at his age, does indeed take Ryan fishing.
When he's fishing you should not be, or at least not seriously.
I raised 4 boys & patients can wear thin when you are trying to fish but constantly having to stop to untangle a line ect.

Oh well, What ewest said.

Plentiful rocks are a "biggie" for both boys and girls. A few chunks of wood laying around are real important. For boys, they make great swords.

Hey Wood, you have a PM.

I couldn't help laughing about your son on the beach. When my 7 year old Grandson was just out of diapers, I had him with me in the country. He had to go and I explained to him that it was OK to let fly in the pasture. He was quite impressed and repeated the performance an unbelieveable number of times. The next day he was back at Daycare and they went out to recess. You guessed it. They didn't even bother calling his Mom or Dad. They called me and told me to come get him and explain things to him. They weren't upset but he was pretty sure it was OK since I had said so. Now, when he goes with me, he bails out of the pickup as soon as we get stopped and imitates a world class rainbow. Yeah, I understand the envy.

Oh yeah, I was talking to a Cub Scout Leader in a rural area who took the beginning Cubs out for their first one day campout. Part of it was digging a trench for a latrine. These kids were mostly from a rural background. He told me that he overheard one 8 year old ask another "Why in the Hell would you dig a hole just to pee".

I hate to sound too much like a safety nanny, but I highly recommend a life jacket for little kids when shore fishing. We started ours out that way and released our son from the requirement when he got his Swimming Merit Badge. My daughter (10) is still in a jacket when at the pond; she actually has better swimming form than my son but has zero body fat and hence great difficulty floating.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. You all have had A LOT of experience, and it shows.
Got the rocks and wood part covered. Ryan has been skipping rocks on the pond for quite some time now. My dad even has a special "Ryan" pile of rocks near the bank.

I went to pick up Ryan at mom and dad's this evening, and I mentioned to daddy what you all had recommended. I told daddy I would be getting Ryan a pole and small tackle box for his birthday. Daddy said "nope, got it covered already". Ryan and daddy are best buddys. Everything is "gandaddy" this and "gandaddy" that (never with an "r"). They even have matching tractors now. See:

tractor racing

idle time

Won't be long before he is reeling in the big ones. Daddy's garden is a special "honey hole" for wigglers. I have VERY fond memories of us digging for them when I was younger. As I have stated before I am a canepole and worm kinda woman.
And you all are right about letting Ryan do his thing. My excitment will come from helping him reel them in and watching his reactions.

Thanks a plenty for the input. You are a great group of guys (not to mention dads).

I'm just a pretty darn proud momma.

edit: Redid the pics as URl links so take a look.

And daughter too, I believe.

Pics. red x again

You better believe it. I may be 33 (quickly pushing 34), but I will ALWAYS be daddy's little girl.

If you can, throw out a minnow trap the day before. Kids love to play with a bucket full of little fish, just don't use those for bait.

Posted by Debra King "As I have stated before I am a canepole and worm kinda woman."

My kinda woman.

Daddy and I had a wonderful father daughter day yesterday at his pond. I caught a 7 1/2 lb LMB and a 5 lb LMB (approximate because I did not have any scales available), daddy caught a bluegill, and together we caught about 30 yearling LMB. Here is a picture of a yearling caught on a $-gill.



And here is the monster that swallowed my $-gill



After that we had to switch over to superworms and artificial minnows, but HATS OFF to George for giving me a day to write into the memory book. It had been so long since daddy and I fished, and yesterday could not have been more perfect.

Deb, I catch a lot bigger fish than 7 pounds when I don't have a scale.

At least I admitted it. Those were daddy's weight guesses on the LMB. What would you guess just by the picture alone?
Wierd thing about hooking that one, he hardly fought me at all. I was using a new rod and reel that daddy had just ordered from Bass Pro (I kinda stole it from him yesterday ), and I was letting the lure skip along. Actually I was doing my best to imitate fly fishing even though I have never fished that way. I felt the LMB "bump" the lure, and then I paused to see if he would run. I decided to reel in a bit, and was rather surprised that something was attached. Granted he was heavy (I was using a 6 lb test that was zinging), but he did not actually run like the yearlings were doing. I wonder if it had anything to do with the lure stuck in his gut.

Nice fish Deb. I'd bet it was the top dog predator in that pond...and probably caught before. I've noticed that fish, especially trout, that have been caught before tend to not have as much fight in them as a first caught fish. That fish has probably seen a lot of lures but hadn't seen one like George's spinner fly.

You sure the old man didn't buy a new rod and reel for you to get you to go fishing? And then manage to take it home like it was his all along at the end of the day? They can get pretty conniving as they get older; my Father-in-Law could out think me three ways at once on stuff like that.

Seriously, when the kid is willing to go fishing with you, you let them have their choice of poles AND bait AND where to fish from. But I bet Ryan's Mom understands that already.

You know Theo you are probably right. The rod itself was a $50.00 beauty that was graphite with a double cork handle. Really long, double handed cast, and felt like a canepole (my true love). Seeing as how daddy is a retired shrink, I bet he thought that one through REAL well when he ordered it. He suckered me! But I fell hook, line, and sinker (and loved every minute of it). Next step is creating those memories with tadpole (Ryan). I got the fishin' fever again.

Ryan will be set up thanks to all of you guys. I will have several poles, worms, minnows, toys, food, and a small critter "home" for entertainment purposes. Thanks to ALL of you for the help on those ideas.

george, how can i buy a supply of these flies?
thanks.

darrell stringer
darrell.stringer@sbcglobal.net

Darrell, I don’t sell flies – I give them away and the supply never meets the demand.

Guess I need to write up and post a detailed recipe, with pictures, to introduce forum members to flytying.

Since you are in Dallas perhaps we can get together and I can teach ….?

I’ve got to replenish my supplies – Theo’s troublemaking $Gill naming contest winners used up all my stuff.

George Glazener

Hey George, I was lucky enoughf to win one of your flies at the Ga Pond Boss meeting on Sat. Cant wait to try it out on my ultralite for some pound bg. After seeing Debs pics I might trie it on one of my bait casters and see if I can catch a LMB. Thanks again for the flie. Really had a great time at the meeting and really enjoyed all the folks I meet.

Big Jake,

you don't know what a temptation is was not to "lose" those flies that George donated to our meeting.

Let us know how it works.

George, thanks again for the door prizes!

Frank

Frank, since you mentioned it I thought I read somewhere that George donated 4 flies and you only gave out 2. Just kiddin of course but who could blame you if ya did. I will let you guys know how they work in my pond, you can bet I will be retieing, every other fish just to insure I dont loose it. If George ever does go public with them he will have plnety of testimonials.

Big Jake