Gave the Fly Rod some exercise today

Put on the waders and got in the water around 8 this morning. First time I've had a chance to wade this year. Caught a few fish and enjoyed a day in the water and no rain for a change. Tied on some of the flies which I tied a couple of weeks ago to see if they would really fish! Best fish of the day was an 18" rainbow, which I caught on a soft hackle wet fly which I call Brown Bird. In addition to landing a couple of trout, also caught a sauger and to my surprise, a Scalpin. Plan on making a few more cast tomorrow and hoping this good weather holds for a few more days. ;)


[IMG]http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss177/Garymarthab/Cumberland%20River%20540%20cfs%20April%2027%202011/IMG_0337.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss177/Garymarthab/Cumberland%20River%20540%20cfs%20April%2027%202011/BrownBirdN12S640P.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss177/Garymarthab/Cumberland%20River%20540%20cfs%20April%2027%202011/IMG_0344.jpg[/IMG]

sp...should have read "Sculpin", not "Scalpin". :confused:

Nice, I am hitting a famr pond today regardless of the weather.

Nice! Are madtoms different than sculpins?

[QUOTE=colonelmeyer;451779]Nice! Are madtoms different than sculpins?[/QUOTE]

Interesting, as I was not familure the the term Madtom, so I googled. They are different. Pasted in some info below;
(also, you can run an google search "madtoms sculpin" under images for more info)

[B]Madtoms[/B]
Madtoms, an undersized species of bullhead catfish, offer the catfish virtues of availability and durability. Most specimens run under five inches in length and hang about in rocky, sand or gravel runs in smaller streams. So it's easy to see why they are favorite smallmouth and trout baits. Some species are most common near vegetation -- see field guides if you want to fish baits where they naturally occur.
Catching madtoms couldn't be easier. So these are always baits of opportunity because, when you run out it's simple to bash a rock onto a submerged rock, roll the submerged rock and collect your stunned baits. Carefully replace the submerged rock so it forms a nice shaded hidey-hole and, next visit, you'll have another bait. Tip: stick a mini-net, like those used in tropical fish stores, in your creel. These nets help catch hellgrammites, crayfish and other baits too.
Since madtoms like to hide under and in things, you can catch them by stringing together a batch of pop-top cans and submerging the cans in rocky madtom habitat overnight. Don't worry about keeping these sturdy little fish; madtoms are a durable and season-long bait when held in submerged cages or aerated tanks. Fishing madtoms on bottom rigs for trout, walleye and smallmouth in rocky rivers and larger streams offers superb results.
[B]Sculpins AKA Muddlers[/B]
Members of the sculpin family, like various madtoms, prefer clear water that's cold and fast moving. Such water delivers dinner to the fish that, because of its pectoral fin spines, airplane wing horizontal cross section and, most of all, lack of swim bladder, sticks tight to the bottom.
Most of the 300 species of sculpins are marine. Several, like the California bullhead, are important baits in brackish water for striped bass and other estuarine gamefish. Trying to identify species is difficult for experts, but some general rules obtain. For example, species from small, cold streams run to fewer prickles and spines than those from warmer water, and slow to still waters. Mottled sculpins, sometimes called bullheads -- although their heads don't look much like bull's to most -- and sometimes called "muddlers" after either their tendency to simply muddle about or their fly imitation, do suit trout and other stream species East and West.
Muddlers aren't difficult to catch by turning over rocks -- see also madtom collection and traps. Some stun these fish by banging dropping rocks on submerged stones, then flipping over the submerged stone and gathering the stunned fish. A net held downstream, as for aquatic insects, reduces desperation grabbing,
As is the case with other minnows, sculpins do nicely in aquariums or bait barrels, and will eat goldfish food and just about anything else. They are exceptionally durable on the hook and a wonderful bait when fished in moderate to fast moving water on or near bottom. Note: spiny marine species used in brackish water, and freshwater species from slow water seem to produce more bites if their spines are trimmed so they roll in currents rather than use their spines to jam in and hide under a rock.