Advice from Friends Lands My First Trophy Fish on the Fly

  I wanted to share some news with you of my good fortune this afternoon. I managed to land my fifth species of a trophy length fish, qualifying me for Master Angler Level II with the Tennessee Anglers Recognition Program, (TARP). But the story doesn?t end there; it was advice emailed to me by friends that made catching the trophy today possible on the fly.      
 Dale Hollow Lake Trout Guide, Paul "Paw" Boyce has been a big help to me since getting my first fly rod last February, his support from this web site and advice mentoring me over the phone has been a big help. Friendships made through being an ambassador and angler just keep being rewarding and the advice is helping me to develop better angling skills.    

 Joey Monteleone, of  TV's Tennessee Wild Side and host of  Wild Side Weekly, had recently shared some fly-casting tips with me in an email a few days ago, and this afternoon I finally got the chance to give the tips a try. After a few hundred practice cast with a piece of red yarn tied on in the back yard, I felt pretty confident to make a few cast with an actual fly.      
 On the second cast I got a bite and as the line stripped and the rod bent I knew it wasn?t a blue gill that had eaten the foam spider. After a good tussle, I brought the Red Ear Sunfish to the bank. The fish was 12.25 inches long and had a girth of 8 inches. The weight of the fish was only 10.4 Oz. But it felt like a monster, as it was my biggest fish to date on the fly.      


 I would like to share with you the tips that Joey shared with me:     

 ?Practice the fly rod with a piece of yarn in the backyard. If you hear a snapping sound you are starting forward to quickly. Let the line "lay out" behind you and then use your wrist to push the line forward.    
 For real fun find a farm pond or the small waters you are fishing and when the bluegill spawn, full moon surface temps around 70 degrees, grab the fly rod tie on a BETTS sponge spider in white or green and you'll catch a ton of em'. I have a 5-weight fly rod reserved mostly for this. Fish the bluegill beds closest to you first as to not spook the others.?    

 The moral to this story: Never be afraid to ask for tips. Most anglers are glad to share tips and stories if you will just ask. It is the friendships made that are the best part, the tips and the fish are second.
 My self taught coarse on fly-fishing, has been WFN blogs (thanks to you as well Fishin? Dan and Cookster) and other web sites such as, YouTube and so on. As well as the great fly fishing programming on WFN, but most of all, it is the advise of friends that has help me the most.    

 Thanks Joey and Paul for taking the time to coach a novice fly angler.  And thanks WFN and fellow  Ambassadors for the continued education.  Now to move on as I work on Master Angler Level III, I hope to add to my list a Spotted bass, Musky, Catfish, Smallmouth, and a Striped Bass, all of trophy length.

Happy Fishing!    

You can visit Paw?s web site at this link:  http://www.tennesseetailwatertrout.com/    

Visit Tennessee Wild side?s web site and read some of Joey?s tips at: http://www.tnwildside.org/stories.asp?Guide=Joey+Monteleone           



More Information for Tennessee Anglers about the TARP Program ?  

 The Tennessee Angler Recognition Program (TARP) allows anglers to have their trophy fish recognized by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Anglers of any age, who catch qualifying fish species that meet or exceed the qualifying lengths may apply. The TWRA Fisheries Management Division sends those accomplished anglers certificates featuring color reproductions of fish artwork by renowned wildlife artist Joseph R. Tomelleri.     

 The program is designed to acknowledge anglers for outstanding sportfishing accomplishments, encourage catch-and-release of trophy size fish, and provide the TWRA with information on large fish caught throughout the state.    

 TARP should not be confused with the State Record Fish program that recognizes anglers who catch a new state record fish (largest fish recorded for that species in the state.) Instead, TARP recognizes anglers who catch trophy-size fish that are not necessarily state records.  TARP features five levels of angler recognition. Anglers catching a fish that meets or exceeds the minimum "trophy" length requirements, listed in the table below, will receive a certificate.     
 These certificates feature Joeseph R. Tomelleri artwork representing the species caught by the applicant and are suitable for framing. After anglers catch five trophy size fish in any combination, a Master Angler level I certificate and patch will be awarded at no cost to the angler.
Anglers submitting five trophy size fish of different species receive a Master Angler level II certificate and patch.     
 The Master Angler III will be awarded to anglers submitting ten different trophy species. In addition to a certificate and patch, the angler will receive a "tackle package" courtesy of Bass Pro Shops-Sevierville, Tennessee    

 The newest level, Master Angler IV, will be awarded to anglers submitting fifteen different trophy fish. The award will consist of a certificate, patch, and an engraved trophy.    

How Do You Qualify?
The fish must meet or exceed the minimum lengths listed below Persons 13 years of age or older must be licensed anglers and must provide their license number (TWRA#) on the application. The fish must be caught legally (in accordance with Tennessee Sportfishing Regulations) in Tennessee waters, by sportfishing methods only (rod and reel or cane pole). The length of the fish must be verified by either a witness or a photograph. The witness must complete the section on the application and/or the photo must be of the fish lying flat on top of or beside a flat measuring rule or tape and included with the application. Note that photographs of the angler holding their catch may be used in TWRA publications, including the Agency's website.    

How Do You Apply
An application form may be obtained by clicking this link (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) or by contacting the TWRA Fisheries Management Division at (615) 781-6575. Complete one application for each fish you are registering. You may include more than one application form per envelope. If the fish length is being verified by photo, the picture must be enclosed with the application. For the Trophy Fish Certificate(s) only, a $5.00 processing fee, per application, must also be enclosed and mailed within 90 days from the date of catch. Make check or money order payable to TWRA and mail, with the application(s), to the address at the bottom of the application. The processing fee is non-refundable for non-qualifying applications.      
    
Species                    Length (inches)  
Largemouth Bass 22
Spotted Bass 18
Smallmouth Bass 20
Striped Bass 40
Cherokee Bass (Hybrid) 28
White Bass 18
Crappie (Black or White) 14
Bluegill 10
Redear Sunfish 11
Rock Bass 10
 Sauger 20
Walleye 28
Yellow Perch 11
Muskellunge 40
Brook Trout 10
Brown Trout 26
Rainbow Trout 24
Lake Trout 28
Channel Catfish 30
Blue Catfish 34
Flathead Catfish 34
Common Carp 34
Freshwater Drum 28    

Measuring Your Fish
Lay the fish flat on the top of, or beside, a measuring rule or tape. Do not lay the rule over the curvature of the fish's body. Close the fish's mouth and squeeze the tail lobes together. Measure from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail to the nearest 1/4 inch.    

Tennessee Residents interested in the TARP program please visit the TWRA?s website at this link: http://www.tn.gov/twra/fish/tarp/tarp.html