So, when was the last time you jumped out of your comfort zone? The reason I ask? It seems these days, a lot of people tend to corner me and call me a fly fisherman. It drives me absolutely nuts. As long as I can remember (and each day it seems that gets a little longer), I have thrown spinning and baitcasting gear. I still remember my very first fishing pole. Still have it. Dad bought it for me. A black and white Zebco rod with a gold, closed-face, Zebco reel. I hated that reel. Instead of line zipping out on long casts, that toothy thing always seemed to suck in and eat every inch of line I had. As hard as I tugged, it wouldn’t ever come back out, at least in one piece.
Anyway, several years back, I decided to take a little risk and hop out of my comfort zone. I picked up a $59 fly rod and gave it a throw. It wasn’t pretty at first. Thing was, every single time I hooked a fish, I realized the excitement that can come from leaving your comfort zone. I set out to get really good at using a fly rod. Not just to chase trout in streams and lakes, but to catch every species of fish I could imagine. I bet I have 30 or so species under my belt. Trout, carp, sunfish, bass, pike, even walleyes. I’ve been lucky enough to chase quite a few saltwater species too. See, I love to fish conventional gear all year long. It’s just that sometimes, I try the fly rod instead. I try different techniques. I used different flies. I experiment. Turns out, fly rods can be a great way to catch fish, especially those that get chased with conventional gear. Let me explain. 
Most free weekends, I head north to my home water of Gull Lake. This past weekend, I chose to skip it and chase bass on a lake a buddy and I have always wanted to fish together. Too bad we always get too busy and never get to the lake. So, we took the time to fish “The Ville” Friday evening and early Saturday morning. The catch? We chose to fish for “The Ville’s” bass on fly rods. I saw guys in other bass boats out there tossing plastics, topwater baits, jigs and minnows, you name it. Actually, with all the guys on the water chucking conventional gear, Jacob and I looked a little out of place. Our whizzing fly lines mined up a few chuckles from other boats. No sweat. That’s what fear of wandering out of the comfort zone brings.
I chase bass in the dead of summer, by fishing early and late, at least when I throw flies. I false cast out a lot of topwater stuff right on top of weed beds and along weed lines. I tie most of my own flies and take a little pride in knowing what I created tricked the fish. Oh, and I’m about convinced 
that flies will often bring bass to the surface when conventional gear just won’t do it. We talked to a couple of people in boats whocomplained of slow fishing. Turns out, Jacob and I had decent luck on poppers. Big, gnarly, green, blockhead poppers with jiggly eyes. They’re my favorite. They’re fun to tie. They make a ton of noise in the water. Oh, and many of my biggest fish have come on them. While the fishing wasn’t lights out on the150 acre lake, the bass offered us enough action to keep the trip interesting.
There’s something about a bass taking a fly off the surface of calm water. I think I can remember every fish I’ve seen chase a topwater fly. It’s much the same sensation I get when a gobbler calls back first time to my turkey call. Heart pumps. Head spins. Exactly the result when the first fish erupted out of quiet water Saturday morning. The big splash got our attention immediately. The fish missed the fly completely. Instead of recasting, I simply let that green popper sit. After a few long moments, I popped it once and the fish instantly struck again. Two minutes later, with sweaty brow and slightly tired arms, Jacob snapped a quick picture, a juicy three-pounder in my hands. Just after, we noticed a red tiller slowly making its way our direction. At the controls? An older gentleman with a well-weathered felt hat resting on top. As he got close enough to talk, he chuckled and said, “I thought I was the only one smart enough to use a fly rod out here.” He winked and we proceeded to trade a few fishing tales between boats. Then we traded a few home-
spun bass flies and then trolled off our separate ways, waving fly lines as we drifted away. Jacob and I proceeded to hook a few more respectable fish over the next hour or two. In all, we caught a handful of big bass. Who knew wandering out of the comfort zone could lead to such adventures. On a different note, I’m currently in seat 10-D headed to Roseburg, Oregon to fish with one of the most influential Steelhead fishermen in the western world. I have the honor of spending this week with Washington Fisherman Frank Moore. At 80-some-years-old, he still wades the Umqua River’s wildest water. I’ll try and drop an update and a few pictures later this week (that is, if I’m not hooked up to a 20 pound Pacific Steelhead). Oh yes, I should tell you...I'll be fast water on a big river. Yep, seems I plan to find myself way outside of my comfort zone the next couple of days. I can’t wait….