The Tug Is The Drug

After returning home from a big fishing trip, Cody and I have chosen to fish smaller creeks around our area just to see what they hold, how they appear, and how well our kayaks maneuver on these smaller water bodies.  We aren't catching many fish or large fish, but...that tug is the drug that keeps us going back.

We chose South Prong Creek, today, putting in at Spring Park on Lake Waxahachie and heading up creek as far as was navigable, and then kayaking back down to the park.  The CodyBugger was the fly of the day, landing three Largemouth Bass for Cody and a Channel Catfish for me.

Pink Mooschka

Christiaan Pretorius

Chasing some of the Northern Hemisphere's largest trout led Cody and me to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.  While several groups were in Kamchatka from Tailwaters, we chose to accompany Ron Foster to the Zhupanova River. Catching those bruisers with big shoulders and rod bending stamina demanded articulated flies in streamers and mouse patterns. Predominately, black streamers produced the best catches, and thanks to FlyCastaway's guide Christiaan Pretorius of South Africa, and his wonderful fly, I was able to hook, fight, and land two Rainbow Trout of a lifetime--one in Russia and one in Alaska.

Spending his first year on the Zhupanova, Christiaan tied a particularly fabulous pattern. Graciously, Christiaan allowed me to name the fly and to keep the fly. I named the pattern Mooschka and used the color scheme as the descriptor to round out the name.

The Pink Mooschka

I fished the Pink Mooschka in Russia and Alaska's NakNek River with astonishing results. Ultimately, I chose to sacrifice catching bigger fish to bring the fly home safely.  I can't wait to see what Mooschka does to the Bass!

29 7/8", 7 lb. 7 oz.  Zhupanova River Rainbow Trout

27", 7 lb. NakNek River "Chrome" Rainbow Trout