The Sculpin

The sculpin is a bait fish in every stream, river, and lake, across the US. They can take many different shapes, sizes, and colors, but one this stays the same, every predatory fish loves to eat them!

This is why my smallmouth box is all brown and Olive, with just about every fly imitating a sculpin in some way, shape, or form. Look into my trout streamer boxes and you will find the same. Change the colors a bit to purple and pink and you have a strange bread of steelhead sculpin mixed into those boxes as well. The common theme to my streamer tying has revolved around these blunt nosed bait fish long enough, when someone asks me what I'm tying the response is always the same, "typical or of course you are", after I tell them "a new sculpin".

These bait fish are a soft bodied, big headed bottom dwelling fish, that if you flip of a rock you will often times find one scurry away under the next rock it can find, in its haste to hide again. This reaction can get any predatory fish moving closer waiting for it to jump out just at the right (or wrong if you are the sculpin) time. Other behaviors common among these fish are pretty simple and natural, they spend their entire life under water eating small nymphs, or algey off the rocks and pebbles. Gliding along the sides of rocks in the shadows, trying to be stealthy, their main purpose in life is to survive another day. These little guys, or for the most part little guys can be seen up to 12 inches in some systems, and other species found in larger bodies of water cab be even larger.

Jesse talking to a large sculpin that ate a small egg pattern.

They can be fished many different ways and in many different sizes. Most of my sculpin patterns are on single hooks, sizes up to a 4, where others can be articulated on double 4s or even larger. After my last visit in MT, I discovered that most guides dead drift smaller sculpin under indicators in search of the large, smart, and in a way lazy browns. Others say that striping the fast along the bottom of the stream bottom is the most effective way to fish them. Me well I do all of the above, If its not a sculpin I'm probably not fishing it. So next time you are out flipping rocks looking at mayfly nymphs, pay closer attention when you lift the rock, looking for a fast moving trout meal. Match that hatch!

Top view of my latest Sculpin Fly Pattern 

My latest Sculpin Fly Pattern.

Smallmouth Summer Days

I've spent 3 out of the past 4 days floating the Schuylkill River. Each day it reminds me for different reasons why I love that river, and the fish that inhabit it. Friday I had my first float trip of the season, with the success of Mondays float in the back of my mind, I was confident we would have good action all day. Well maybe not, I woke up to a crazy lighting storm, that rattled my apt, rain came down fast and hard. By the time I got there it was starting to mud up, but we launched the boat and down river we went. It wasn't long till the Sculpin with No Name was doing its job, I thought to myself "nice, they are going to still eat in this muddy stuff". Well an hour later we hooked our next fish, it was slow for the fist few hours. As the day progressed the water slowly got clearer, and the last couple hours we had great action, landing a super nice fish the end the trip. Nice work Dave!

Perfectly placed Zuddler Minnow.

Dave with a great Scuylkill River Smallmouth Bass 

Sunday and Monday were just fun days with the Lenny and Jared aka J-Rod. Those guys headed out after work yesterday for an evening of smallmouth fishing and a couple good laughs, and yup we had both. The fishing was pretty good last night, but wasn't a banner trip, high sun and super hot air temps can turn the fish off pretty quick. Even so we managed a few nice bass, a huge sucker, and my new fishing partner Molly got her first ride in the boat.

Jared with a nice Smallmouth Bass 

Nice Schuylkill River Smallmouth 

Then Finally around 9pm last night as we rowed under the 222 overpass we decided to go for a third trip in the morning. After a night of tying flies and watching fishing videos, we were back to it. Today was a much better day, we had constant action all day, including rising 4 huge fish that we couldn't connect with, well Jared and I each stung one, then flat out missed the others.  Molly did much better today, for her second time out on the water ever. Oh yeah I guess maybe I should tell you who Molly is, Molly is my new roommate, fishing partner, and hiking buddy. She is a 3 year old Siberian Husky, that I rescued from an organization called, Tail of the Tundra. She is an awesome dog, does great in the shop, and is getting much better at riding in the boat.

Lenny's First of the day  

Molly guarding the rods, or is she sleeping?

Not huge, but very pretty Smallie 

Nicely colored smallmouth bass

J-Rods last fish of the trip, Always fun when they crush a frog thing 

Joey also decided to fish the river tonight, when I asked how he did, this is all I got:

Joey's super nice smallmouth bass, and it fell to the McGinley special 

All in all a great few days on the river. Hot flies included: Sculpin with No Name, Zuddler Minnow, Sculpin Helmet Flies, Frogs, Clouser Minnows, and a veriaity of new Orivs patterns we just got in the shop.

Featured Fly - The Helmet

Here is a really cool and easy pattern that I came up with using the new Sculpin Helmets by the guys that brought you the Fish Skulls. This pattern is tied on a tube, however it can also be tied on a regular hook as well. It works very well for smallmouth as well as steelhead. The Helmets really give this fly a true form look. Enjoy...

The Helmet

The Sculpin Helmet in brown

The Sculpin Helmet in Olive