fly fishing | Josenhans Fly Fishing Blog

December Stripers on Fly

6 12 2014

Still some nice rockfish around for those who don’t mind a long run in a cold boat. No heater in my Jones Brothers but we still have fun. Here’s a brace of 30-inch stripers caught today on my G. Loomis NRX 9 weight.

RIO Fly Line App

22 10 2014

I probably get more questions about fly line selection than any other type of tackle. Saw this on Facebook and thought I’d give it a try. Fast and easy download to my iPhone. Best part was it’s FREE. There is an Android app as well. Works great! Step by step actually took me right to the lines that I currently use. There’s also a link to the website, store locator, and more. Click on the link below to get started and let me know how you like it!
RIO Fly Line App

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Tags: fly fishing, RIO Fly Lines
Categories : Fishing Reports

Overwhelming Response to Walk On Trips!

18 10 2014

Due to the large number of calls and emails that I have received requesting a spot for my walk-on trips I have decided to open up a few more November dates in an effort to accommodate as many of you as possible. I now have available November 19, 20, 21 & 24. In addition, I need a single angler to share a full day (8 hour) trip on Friday, November 14th. Also, on any one of the latter dates, I need a single angler to share a half day (4 hour) trip. Please call or email me for details. This is it for November, and while I do plan on running trips in December, you just never know what to expect with the weather. Thanks again for your overwhelming response!!

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Tags: Chesapeake Bay, Crisfield, fly fishing, rockfish, Tangier Sound, Walk-On Trips
Categories : Fishing Reports

NY Times Fishes Crisfield

1 08 2014

Nice article by NY Times freelance writer Tim Neville who fished with me last September.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/travel/a-father-son-fishing-trip-on-the-chesapeake-bay.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1&referrer

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Tags: fly fishing, speckled trout, Tangier Sound
Categories : Fishing Reports

Bull Red Drum & Trophy Stripers

18 05 2014

Bull red drum fishing on the Virginia Eastern Shore flats is as good as it gets! – at times. When conditions are right, this is world class fishing. In nine days of fishing the flats and shoals at the mouth of the bay my anglers boated 11 red drum of 43 to 50 inches. All but one were caught casting artificial’s, mainly 5″ Tsunami and Storm shads. Two gorgeous 46-inch reds were landed on fly. A four-inch half & half in white was the ticket.

Skip Powers proudly shows off one of six reds boated during his two day trip

Bob Lepczyk with a nice red after a hard-fought battle on a G.Loomis NRX 9 wt. Photo credit Bob Lepczyk

As an added bonus, we were blessed with four days of trophy stripers cruising the shallow flats of the nearby barrier islands. Looking not unlike dense schools of large bunker from a distance, upon closer observation it soon became evident this mass of fins and scales was anything but bait. This was flats fishing heaven. Forty-inch striped bass gently gliding around and under the boat in turquoise colored water was a site to behold. Large Stillwater poppers pulled through the tightly packed schools brought explosive strikes and long, hard runs from rockfish weighing upwards of twenty-five pounds. The Susquehanna Flats was never like this!

Skip Powers with a brace of trophy rockfish

John Nelson hefts a big rock fooled by a Stillwater popper

For more photos and details of the trip check out my soon to be published e-newsletter. You can subscribe by visiting my website at JosenhansFlyFishing

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Tags: fly fishing, Red Drum, striped bass, Virginia Eastern Shore
Categories : Fishing Reports

Lefty Kreh’s TieFest 2014

23 01 2014

striperrelease1-70x70 Lefty Kreh’s TieFest 2014 is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 at the Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville, MD. Show hours are 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. I’ll have a table there and I hope to see you at this great event! For additional information click on the link below.

Lefty Kreh’s TieFest 2014

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Tags: Chesapeake Bay, fly fishing, Lefty Kreh, Tangier Sound, TieFest
Categories : Fishing Reports

Josenhans Fly Fishing – Susquehanna Flats 2014

13 12 2013

Believe it or not, I am already receiving calls about the 2014 Susquehanna Flats Catch & Release Striped Bass Season. For those of you who have yet to fish the flats with me, I keep my Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman docked at the Havre de Grace City Yacht Basin for several weeks each April. If you have fished the flats, you also know that the fishing can be like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates – “you never know what you’re gonna get.” This past spring we experienced a handful of days (five to be exact) of some of the hottest fishing the flats can provide. Rockfish up to 43-inches provided consistent action in water no deeper than six-feet, exciting light-tackle fishing to say the least. Then we had an early spawn and the stripers vacated the flats for over a week, and never really returned in numbers. The remainder of the season was spent working really skinny water, casting to several pods of trophy stripers that ventured back onto the flats post-spawn. This can be exciting fishing, especially during low-light periods when the large rockfish would crash a surface popper. There were several days where we did more fishing than catching, but that chance at a real trophy on light tackle kept people’s interest. That said, you can book your trip today with the assurance that should the rockfish decide to play hard-to-get, I will inform you ahead of time so you can decide for yourself if you wish to roll-the-dice. When making your decision, be mindful of the fact that the fishing can get hot with each new tide. Drop me an email at KJosenhans@aol.com or give me a call at 443-783-3271 if you would like to get in on some shallow water striper fishing.

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Tags: Bass Assassin, Bass Kandy Delights - BKD, Chesapeake Bay, fly fishing, G.Loomis, Li'l Jimy, rockfish, Specialized Baits, striped bass, Susquehanna Flats, topwater
Categories : Fishing Reports

Josenhans Fly Fishing – July Newsletter

12 07 2013

The month of June has seen a stretch of windy weather unlike anything I have experienced since, well, May? In point of fact, the first half of 2013 has been the windiest six-month stretch of my 20-year guiding career. I am really glad I have my trusty Jones Brothers underfoot to soften the ride.

Regardless, we are experiencing yet another outstanding season with speckled trout. As anticipated, numbers are down slightly from 2012 but the average size is greater. To date, we have had many more specks of 23-inches and larger, with several in the 27-inch range. I look for a super fall with some really big fish!!

Redfish, or puppy drum as they are known hereabouts, are slowly increasing in numbers. These hard-fighting bulldogs have grown as well. Most that we have caught have been in the 19 to 22-inch size range. I can honestly say they’ll make you forget all about speckled trout. There’s no quit in a red.

Stripers and bluefish round out the usual daily catch, with even a few weakfish (grey trout) in the mix. Flounder have yet to make a showing, but then the breezy conditions have not really been conducive to good flounder fishing. Take a visual stroll through some of this past month’s action.

Steve Smith nailed this healthy rockfish in heavy grass

John Lupenitti with a fly caught speck

Mark Nichols enjoyed another great day

Phil Bangert hefts a 27-inch speck

Jack McKenna had fun with the long stick

Jack’s trout were caught on his son Kevin’s hand-tied pink Cactus Striper

Burt Anderson’s custom-tied flies are works of art

..and put to the test..

..this bluefish proves they’re not just pretty to look at

John McMinn fooled this colorful speck on a fly

Kevin Gladhill enjoyed an outstanding day with big specks

Kevin released all of his trout to be caught again

Bob Clark became a believer in plastic jigs

Bob with another beauty!

Chris Harley proudly displays a nice four-pound trout

Spencer Schenking with one of several weakfish caught this day

Spencer’s dad Mike with a grey trout of his own

Spence doubles-up on trout with a fine speck

This good-sized croaker fell to Spence’s Clouser Minnow

Mike adds a speck of his own

Susan Kemp had the hot hand early with big specks

Susan’s 9 year old grandson Nick McIver was top dog for the day with his 24.5″ rockfish

Bo Hardesty and Steve Schad with a brace of specks

Steve had lots to smile about as he and Bo landed over 30 trout for the day

Howard Stinefelt braved windy conditions to land this fat speck

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Tags: bluefish, cobia, croaker, flounder, fly fishing, redfish, rockfish, speckled trout, Tangier Sound
Categories : Fishing Reports

Josenhans Fly Fishing – Speck Catches Ahead of Last Season

3 06 2013

Despite a constant and relentless breeze, speckled trout catches are ahead of last season’s record pace. It looks to be another fantastic season for this spotted member of the drum family. While I have yet to have any puppy drum come aboard my boat, I have heard of a few starting to be caught in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. We have had the best success casting Bass Assassin 4-inch Sea Shads rigged to a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce Specialized Baits Jig head, something brand new in an already excellent line of speciality lures from creator George Lenard. George’s old standby, the Li’l Jimy, is as effective as ever when trying to coax a fat speck out of the grass or stump-field.