Outdoor Adventures with Tim Tipton

© Tim Tipton 2021   Two Days After Christmas By Tim Tipton        It was two days after Christmas when I drove into the Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area to meet up with a new friend and spend my last day of fly fishing for the year 2020. Seeing all the vehicles in the parking area should have given me a clue about how the day was going to turn out.      Darrell was a guy I went to elementary school with, and I played on a basketball team with his older brother, but we didn’t really know each other. It was a chance meeting on social media that brought us together. Darrell had just received his first fly rod as a Christmas gift and was anxious to put it to work. I was just ready to get out of the house and hopefully catch a few fish. I only accomplished one of these.      We hiked downstream about a half mile to one of my favorite spots. It’s a place that rarely seems to have anyone in it. A shelf drops off on the far...

  © 2021 Tim Tipton Getting Them Started By Tim Tipton        In my home state of Kentucky, as well as across the nation, the sales of hunting and fishing license have declined in recent years. There are a variety of factors involved. More people live in urban and suburban areas than in years past. There is less access to rural areas due to development, private leases, and other factors. The attitude of private landowners has changed, and they are no longer quick to give permission due to poor behavior of some people and they also worry about liability issues.      Fewer children hunt and fish now like they once did. There are many more activities that involve our children’s free time, including organized sports, video games, home computers and others. What can outdoor lovers do to get more kids involved and ensure the next generation of outdoorsmen and women keep these traditions alive? We must introduce kids to the excitement of ...

  Sometimes it is important to take a look back and reflect. Here are a few articles that were written about me, and a couple that were written by me. I hope you enjoy, https://bassanglermag.com/march-jerkbaits/ https://bassanglermag.com/classic-rookies-trying-to-ignore-the-pressure/ http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/explore/field-notes/dodging-a-minefield/ https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/outdoors/2015/07/25/ex-boxer-louisville-taking-fly-fishing-dream/30671681/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/national-parks/2016/05/27/great-smoky-mountains-fishing-brook-trout/84997460/

  Here's to 2021, may you enjoy great hunts, hikes, camps, and fishes. Happy New Year!

  © Tim Tipton 2020   Three Classic Bass Streamers and How to Tie Them By Tim Tipton     Fly-fishing for bass can be a relaxing time, a serious endeavor or something in between. How casual or serious a fly angler chooses to take it is up to the individual. What makes bass so entertaining is they are everywhere and easy to access. Bass live in every type of water body you can find. They inhabit small farm pounds, natural lakes, rivers, streams, and large impoundments. They will take a lot of different style flies and are often overly aggressive and are an especially good target species for beginning anglers.   Streamers are effective at catching all species of black bass. They are subsurface flies, so you can get down to the bass’s level and they can be retrieved in a variety of ways. While there is a huge selection of streamers, three have withstood the test of time and are a must have for both beginners and longtime anglers.   Woolly Bu...

© Tim Tipton 2020   Five knots Every Fly Fisherman Should Know By Tim Tipton     If you want to draw an angler into a heated debate, bring up the subject of knots. There are as many opinions about which knots are best, as there are anglers on your local stream. Everyone has their thoughts on the best knots to use. Below is my list of five knots that served me well in my years of fishing and guiding. I believe they can be used by most any angler. None of them are complicated to tie and each of them has exceptionally good knot strength.   Perfection Loop: A perfection loop is a remarkably simple, and very neat knot used to tie a loop in the end of tippet or a leader. Form a loop in the end of the line. Form a second loop and lay it on top of the first with the tag end under the standing end. Pass the tag end between the two loops. Pull the top loop through the bottom loop. Lubricate and tighten by pulling on the standing end and the new loop. Trim the e...

© Tim Tipton   10 Outdoor Books for Hunters and Anglers By Tim Tipton   It is officially winter and while hunting and fishing seasons are still going in much of the country, it is a time of year when many people spend more time indoors. For numerous people, if they can’t be outside enjoying their favorite pastime, they prefer to sit by a warm fire with a glass of their favorite beverage and enjoy reading about their favorite outdoor pursuits. Fortunately, there is fine outdoor literature to be had for consumption. Below, is a list of ten of some of the finest written words about hunting and fishing. This list was compiled by me after talking to many passionate outdoorsmen and women who are also avid readers. In the end, the one’s that made the list was simply my choice. Here is my top ten, in no particular order.   The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark: This classic, first published in 1953, is a collection of short stories originally published in Field ...