 FATMAN's GUIDE SERVICE THE LAST FAT TRIP OF 2001 DEC 8 & 9th leaves Saturday 8 Dec from BASS PRO SHOPS at 4:00am. returns Sunday 9 Dec around 5:00pm. We're supposed to be fishing for BIG BROWNs in Arkansas but vacation, wife (& wife's to be??) and a lot of other bad fishing karma have forced us to make this a shorter weekend. That leaves trout fishing around here. Since Wisconsin's trout season is closed and Illinois doesn't have a good season (no offense to the FIBs - LOL) that means IOWA!!! I know you all may be tired of Iowa but that's because you haven't been there yet! Here's the details. It's a mere $100 for the two days of fishing. That buys food, camping fees and me. Or if you'd rather be part of the "CAN'T CAMP IT" team you can stay at the SPORTSMAN Motel (100ft from camp) for less than $35 a night. That's right, no more whining about how the cold hurts your joints, You're afraid of the dark, sleeping on a cot makes you sore, Rich snores, blah, blah, blah. That's right for a mere $135 you can stay overnight in your own heated room. WITH a BED!! How comfortable is that? So....Kiss the wife and kids, significant other or just plain ol' tell the boss you're going fishing. Iowa is the place for trout action this December. Whether you camp or hotel, you've got an excellent opportunity to chase pesky natural brown trout in the Waterloo's catch and release section. Target brown, rainbows, brookies and stocked broods which, hopefully, will show themselves in the put and catch section of the Waterloo. As an extra bonus we'll also be jumping streams to the North and South Bear Creek to catch some beautiful rainbow trout. Finally to sweeten the deal to taste like SUGAR, we may even hit two or three other streams on the way in and out! Bring plenty of small nymphs and streamers. I recommend a 3 wt but if you've got a 4 or 5 you'll be fine. Think shorter rods as the streams are small and clear. Don't leave the ultra-light spinning tackle at home because small husky jerks and in line spinners will also fill your stringer. Be the first on your block to sign up for this trip!!!! That's right.....call now for the trip reservation!! CALL NOW 847.322.0881 or just click the reply button and send an email. CALL NOW!! 847.322.0881. Sometimes, I get a little carried away about fishing. Looking forward to fishing with you one more time this year. For hotel reservations call the SPORTSMAN Hotel 1.563.497.3615. Rooms are limited so CALL NOW! FAT FACTS Summary NOVEMBER Well it's November and the fishing has been spotty. Sometimes you're on and sometimes you're not. Mostly it's browns and bows. I've been doing well on the bottom with micro eggs, wooly buggers and small nymphs. The key is to fish the correct locations, as this time of year....... location, location, location is KEY! We've started tying on Tuesday Nights at Bass Pro, 7pm. So far the classes have been a great time. Usually we get 15 people and we've got room for a whole lot more. Check out the link to see what we're tying this week. This week we're tying the famous Salmon killer - the GOO FLY! Next week we'll be tying hex nymphs. Stop by the link add your two cents and come out to BPS tie some flies, tell some lies and have a great time. http://www.fishinfatman.com/sys-tmpl/tuesdayflytying/ FAT TIP Use the USGS site to help find the fish (http://www.fishinfatman.com/sys-tmpl/usefullinks/). If you check the site prior to fishing you'll be able to see what the last weeks water levels have done. This is KEY to determining your PLAN. (http://www.fishinfatman.com/sys- tmpl/theriverdoctrine/). Once you've determined what the water has done, it's critical to choose the best starting point. Here's some helpful suggestions I use to find the fish. Remember as is the case in marriage, every suggestion you make CAN be wrong, that's why the plan is just the starting point, remember always have a back up plan (i.e. flowers). So as a general rule, as the flows increase, peak and start to fall, this is the time to get the trout/salmon/ FISHING FEVER! A falling flow is the best opportunity to get fresh fish in the river system. I prefer to fish in flows that are above 300 ft/sec. Use the Ft/sec. to start finding the fish. Lower flows mean you'll need to start closer to the lake and higher means closer to the dam. But what do you do in the case of last weekend where flows were about 150 and falling? This is a trick question because the fish can be anywhere in the river system. The fish can move freely through the system. The key is what happened the week before. If you'll note the low water conditions before the rain you'd note the fish were most active down river. Seeing this I would target down river first and then move up river as I would anticipate the active fish in the system prior to the river rise to stop and hold new fish in the system. I'm sure I've talked about this before but rapidity is for fools and I'm a fishing fool. I fish above the Quarry to Horlick Dam in flows above 150 ft/sec, below 150 ft/sec the Quarry to Colonial, and below 75 ft/sec Colonial to Lincoln and maybe Island Park. Below 50 ft/sec there's almost nothing above the lower stretches of Colonial and your best bet is Lower Lincoln Park and Island Park. FATMAN's PEARLS of WISDOM: I know I said I'd rant this month but I changed my mind. I wanted to take it down a notch from my usual highly motivated, awe inspiring high energy level (LOL). It's Thanksgiving this month and just wanted to remind everyone that we all have a lot to be thankful for. This Thanksgiving take a moment with your family or friends and remember the things you're thankful for. My family and I have a tradition on Thanksgiving, we make a list of things we're thankful for. Lately we've been doing the "Family" thing and have got away from that tradition, but not this year!! This year sit down and write ten things your thankful for and share them with your family and friends. Spread some LOVE!! I personally want to say thanks for at least sharing some time with me. I greatly appreciate all of you who make the FATMAN Guides a success. Okay on that note I think I'll just go hug a tree! Hope to see you on the water or in a class soon, Rich |
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