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After coming back from a 15 year hiatus with all the gear I used to have as well as my dad forking it all over, I have only bought 1 spinning reel...everything else was baitcasters. I bought some Cabela's special for like $50, and then 2 for $80 then another combo for $100 then a steal of a Diawa from tacklewarehouse at the beginning of the year. Amazingly the bottom barrel Cabela's stuff is alive and kicking strong. The baitcaster runs so much smoother to me now that I can dial it quick if I change tackle. Also they make things so drat easy in a kayak.
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Dec 11, 2017 03:42
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Rythe posted:They are not that bad, I pretty much practiced in my yard and a local pond for a few hours messing with different weights and brake settings until I dialed it all in and now I could never go back. Plus all the practice got me used to fixing birds nest relatively quickly while I'm kayak fishing. Finally saw a method via YouTube on getting rid of birds' nests without spending 20 minutes stripping half the reel and cutting that I need to try out. YouTube taught me more in a week about using one than I learned in years as a teenager trying to suss it out from BASS books and whatnot; no backlash since then, but it's only been one trip. The real itch I've had lately is pier fishing; used to do it for a week straight on vacation and fell out of the habit. Went for the first time in years this September and it was a real study in contrasts    Even though I haven't fished anything close to all of them, I've at least finally visited all of them in NC that still exists
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Dec 11, 2017 05:04
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so I have a question: I live in MA and the water isn't frozen in my pond (Water never loving freezes here anymore, THANKS BIG OIL) and I was wondering if it's possible to bounce something and get a nibble in the shallows? Edit I guess it's not really a pond: I live off a cove on a river that feeds directly into a dam Gumbel2Gumbel fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Dec 11, 2017 |
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Dec 11, 2017 05:06
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Even though I haven't fished anything close to all of them, I've at least finally visited all of them in NC that still exists You any where near the Raleigh area by chance?
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Dec 12, 2017 02:48
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Rythe posted:You any where near the Raleigh area by chance? Fayetteville, which coincidentally leaves you few good local choices when you're boatless. I have recently realized that a bunch of the Sandhills Game Land is accessible even with my 2WD Corolla however, which may give me more options than just garbage-caked NC Wildlife piers.
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Dec 12, 2017 07:17
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Gumbel2Gumbel posted:so I have a question: I live in MA and the water isn't frozen in my pond (Water never loving freezes here anymore, THANKS BIG OIL) and I was wondering if it's possible to bounce something and get a nibble in the shallows? The two classic winter lures for bass are, 1) jigs, finished painfully slowly, like 10-20 seconds between drags, and 2) suspending jerkbaits, fished just as slow. Jigs cost whatever, but a good jerk that will actually suspend start at like $12-15. If you have pikes then jerkbaiting becomes kinda stressful.
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Dec 13, 2017 02:41
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Fayetteville, which coincidentally leaves you few good local choices when you're boatless. I have recently realized that a bunch of the Sandhills Game Land is accessible even with my 2WD Corolla however, which may give me more options than just garbage-caked NC Wildlife piers. I am about a hour away from you in Goldsboro. Do you have a kayak by chance?
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Dec 14, 2017 00:09
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Rythe posted:I am about a hour away from you in Goldsboro. Do you have a kayak by chance? Nah; given my last attempt to canoe, it probably wouldn't end well (especially since I'm a giant fat dude anyway). Plus I'm just not that fond of boats; some guy recommended kayaking the Cape Fear to me, but the idea of paddling that river gives me the heebie jeebies. Belly boats for ponds seem kind of interesting though. Speaking of the Cape Fear, man if you want to meet some scuzzy characters just hang around the few shore-accessible spots of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville on weekends. EDIT: Thanks YouTube, due to your tutelage I was able to toss a jig around on the baitcaster for about half an hour today without a single backlash
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Dec 14, 2017 04:29
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ROFLburger posted:I have a beginner question about this kind of worm. I admittedly haven't fished a dropshot rig very much but I would assume that it's largely dependent on what sort of surface you're dragging the rig over. For example of the lake bottom is one great big giant mudflat as is the case with the local pond I've been fishing as of late or if the worm is floating over a weed bed I'd probably twitch my rod tip as I'm reeling it in. If you're dragging over a rocky bottom probably not so much.......as far as stick baits go Yamasenkos have fairly good action on their. However, to be perfectly honest I don't think there's really a right or wrong way to do it. Just try various methods and I can assure you that the bass will let you know what they want.
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Dec 17, 2017 19:31
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I think I posted the video this guy did about the LBM spawing, but he has a few others on up now and they are all great so I am posting them again. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCata79WFUPYPDG33LrC57Wg This is his "mid winter" video and it is super informative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH8AMqSTdFw Also do any of you dudes fish out of a float tube? I have a smallish kayak that is pretty easy to lug around but float tubes just seem so chill.
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Jan 1, 2018 22:29
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bongwizzard posted:Also do any of you dudes fish out of a float tube? I have a smallish kayak that is pretty easy to lug around but float tubes just seem so chill. I love fishing out of a float tube. If nothing is happening it's really easy to just take a nap in there. Being close to the water makes keeping the fish alive for catch and release really easy, which is nice.
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Jan 1, 2018 22:40
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Chaosfeather posted:I love fishing out of a float tube. If nothing is happening it's really easy to just take a nap in there. Being close to the water makes keeping the fish alive for catch and release really easy, which is nice. What do you use to pump it up and how bulky is it when deflated? There are a few spots that even getting my kayak too is a pain but have awful bank access.
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Jan 2, 2018 00:04
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Yesterday, I went to my buddy's house. He's a fly fisherman / guide and has been tying flies all of his adult life. Here in Western MD, there's Tiger Muskie in the upper Potomac, and both of us really want to catch one. To that end, he showed me a huge muskie fly that he finished tying yesterday. Check it:  He also tied me up some awesome smallmouth subsurface flies,  And some smaller flies for the PA trout to much on:  I won't ever get into fly tying myself, but it was so cool and interesting to see it done. Hand tied flies are super sturdy, and of course an expression of the craftsman. 
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Jan 2, 2018 02:02
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I have done almost every kind of fishing I can think of and I can safely say I have zero experience with fly fishing. Do you typically use a fly rod or can you use a ultra light? Can you target crappie and other pan fish with them or is the certain species of fish that are better to target with flys? Let's get a fly discussion going so I can get some learning in.
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Jan 2, 2018 04:24
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I've never fly fished, but I do have a little experimental rig I haven't tried in about 10 years that I need to give another shot. Somehow I wound up possessing a handful of panfish flies, and had the idea of tying them to the end of a 2 foot leader attached to a barrel swivel with a clear bobber near it. Briefly tried casting it with a spinning rod and making the occasional short, twitchy retrieve a couple of years ago but no luck. Apropos of nothing, how come there's no trout within 3 hours of here, yet every Walmart and bait store has jar upon jar of goddamn trout paste and trout eggs
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Jan 2, 2018 05:03
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Rythe posted:I have done almost every kind of fishing I can think of and I can safely say I have zero experience with fly fishing. Do you typically use a fly rod or can you use a ultra light? I'm pretty sure you need a fly rod because the fly is not heavy enough to load a spinning rod up to cast.
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Jan 2, 2018 10:31
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I have a fly rod, I've never used it because I never got round to grabbing a fly reel. It's a Cortland desire 9' 6-7wt, which I think is suitable for flicking larger flies around the flats for black bream and flathead. I'm not sure if it's any good as far as fly rods go, I'm tempted to sell it because any time I take learning to cast it is time taken away from actually fishing
gay picnic defence fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Jan 2, 2018 |
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Jan 2, 2018 10:34
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I haven't fly fished but read up on it recently. 6-7wt is probably overkill for bream and flatties. More like a 4wt. Your rod is robably better for Bonnies, salmon and tailor
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Jan 2, 2018 10:56
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Rythe posted:I have done almost every kind of fishing I can think of and I can safely say I have zero experience with fly fishing. Do you typically use a fly rod or can you use a ultra light? You absolutely can use flies with an ultra light, in fact it's one of my favorite ways to fish. I tie my own flies, and make special weighted versions of certain patterns that can be cast with an ultralight. You can also tie a lot of patterns onto a 1/32oz to 1/64oz plain jig head, such as woolybuggers. People also often use normal, unweighted flies in conjunction with a normal splitshot weight a foot or two up the line, or with those weird casting bubble things you can fill with water.
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Jan 2, 2018 14:56
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WTF BEES posted:with those weird casting bubble things you can fill with water. I think the term for that is "float and fly" if anyone wants to look up more info. I have taken larger saltwater streamer flys and cast them on an UL spinning rod. The rods I have tried are too soft to give it any action though and trying to jerk it via stripping line is kinda lovely when usings super thin braid or mono. I just discovered that there is a fly fishing club like 15 min from my house, so I think this spring I am going to check them out.
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Jan 2, 2018 15:31
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bongwizzard posted:What do you use to pump it up and how bulky is it when deflated? There are a few spots that even getting my kayak too is a pain but have awful bank access. Deflated it's a bit bulky at first but it is fine over time. I store it in the outdoor closet in a trash bag after I rinse and it dries off. So honestly I don't put much thought into storage. As for pumping it up, I'm not sure on the technical term but it's an air compressor powered by the car engine that I hook up to the tube. It'll only inflate it to a certain point, and will shrink in the cold so I hand pump the rest until I feel it's ready. One thing to note, I only inflate it once I am on the field, which is a little noisy and a bit of effort, but definitely worth saving the bladder for. I know guys who have inflated them beforehand only to have the bladders rupture going over a ridge on the way up to the lake.
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Jan 3, 2018 03:36
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Re: Flyfishing chat. Here's my story of sorts to help answer some questions, I grew up spin fishing ponds and lakes for crappie, bluegill, largemouth. When I moved to MD, I ended up in fly fishing country. I was gifted a beginner rod, and therefore I fly fish because of where I am and that I have befriended a guide. Otherwise, it's not something I would have seeked out if I had not lived in trout country. If I lived in LA, I'd catfish, and if I was in MN, pike / walleye, etc. I enjoy it, but without my buddy, I'd probably be a lot more frustrated (as I was when I started). Trout are smart and you generally have to match what they're feeding on. With all that said, I enjoy it. Trout are fast water fish, so they are really muscular and fight well and feel bigger than they are on the light tackle. You ABSOLUTELY can catch panfish, bass, etc with a fly rod. Not all flies are topwater "dry" flies as I once thought. I have caught smallmouth on a crayfish pattern with a small split shot. I've caught bluegill with little flies, wormy looking things, etc. It's fun and mixes it up a bit. Learning to fly cast is not really that hard, IMO. The line management can be a pain in the rear end sometimes, and your arm can get tired quicker. I recently bought waders as I got a great deal on them. This means I don't have to be on the bank any more, and can wade a little farther out in the Potomac. You can get into fly fishing relatively cheaply, but like any sport it can get expensive if you start getting into gear. Orvis stuff is well made, but you need to be ready to pony up if you're going to buy name brand stuff like that straight from the retailer. I like shopping local, and because I have done that, you end up befriending people who are part of the community and you benefit from it. I bought a nice rod secondhand and have some flies and waders and that's about it. Bongwiz we will hit up Swain's Lock and some other stuff here in the Spring as we discussed last year. If you look up Dam 4, fishing below that is where the Walleye and Tiger Muskie have been known to congregate. If you're willing to come up that far and wade, that's the ticket. I am going to do a bike ride this Spring from Cumberland to Brunswick along the CnO canal and plan on taking my fly rod and fishing along the way. Also I am interested in the concept of float tube fishing. As much as I'd like, I just have no room for a kayak or a way to transport it around. Planet X fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Jan 3, 2018 |
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Jan 3, 2018 04:11
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bongwizzard posted:I think the term for that is "float and fly" if anyone wants to look up more info. not sure what laws around fishing methods are in America, but in New Zealand, fly-and-float counts as spinning, and so is banned in quite a few fishing areas (not that ever seen an enforcement officer anywhere outside of opening day lol)
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Jan 3, 2018 07:57
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Trauma Dog 3000 posted:not sure what laws around fishing methods are in America, but in New Zealand, fly-and-float counts as spinning, and so is banned in quite a few fishing areas (not that ever seen an enforcement officer anywhere outside of opening day lol) Oh, don't worry. They're there. Fish and wildlife officers are ninjas, trained in the art of being unobtrusive and mildly camouflaged while you are otherwise occupied.
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Jan 3, 2018 14:06
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Trauma Dog 3000 posted:not sure what laws around fishing methods are in America, but in New Zealand, fly-and-float counts as spinning, and so is banned in quite a few fishing areas (not that ever seen an enforcement officer anywhere outside of opening day lol) Like a most everything in America, it is absolutely a state-by-state deal.
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Jan 3, 2018 14:11
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Here in VA the laws are less focused on gear and more focused on the bait/hook used. Most trout waters in VA are labeled "Artificials Only", and most of those also ban anything other than "single barbless hooks". I've had more than one run-in with rangers or wardens who wanted to see my license with appropriate stamps and also take a peak at my tackle box to make sure I wasn't using treble hooks and nightcrawlers.
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Jan 7, 2018 02:29
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Has anyone here ever tried curing chicken livers in the winter?
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Jan 7, 2018 07:36
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Has anyone here ever tried curing chicken livers in the winter? Trip Report: It took 5 days and has given my shed a gassy garlicky smell. Hopefully the channel cats like it.
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Jan 15, 2018 07:00
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Are there any magic secrets for catching bass/panfish around this cold time of year? Exclusively fishing from the shores of pretty shallow lakes (like 4-9 feet)
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Jan 15, 2018 15:51
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Achtane posted:Are there any magic secrets for catching bass/panfish around this cold time of year? Bass react to cold water temperatures by slowing down, so to catch them you have to slow down whatever presentation you are using. The two classic winter lures are a suspending jerkbait and a jig. Both involve casting out, then making a series of small movements followed by very long pauses, like 20 or 30 seconds in some cases. Getting a jerkbait that will suspend is not easy and the good ones are pretty expensive, anywhere from $15-$25 per. Any old jig will work, as long as you have the patience to drag it slowly enough.
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Jan 15, 2018 17:00
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Trip Report: It took 5 days and has given my shed a gassy garlicky smell. Hopefully the channel cats like it. Curious how this work, I like to fish for cats during the winter but I typically use blue gill I saved and froze from summer time. I never had much luck with livers due to keeping them on the hook and I would still love to learn more about cat fishing.
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Jan 16, 2018 02:12
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Rythe posted:Curious how this work, I like to fish for cats during the winter but I typically use blue gill I saved and froze from summer time. A few tutorials on YouTube, but the short version: arrange livers on a grate of some kind that lets fluid sluice through easily, cover with garlic salt until no liver is showing. 8 hours or so later, flip them and repeat. Leave them in the sun if weather permits, second day flip again and cover them with regular non-iodized salt and Borax. Next day, flip and repeat salt and Borax. After a few days (a couple if you're lucky), when you crack the Borax covering off of them they'll be good and leathery and feel only slightly moist. They'll be tough enough to stay on the hook much better, but rehydrate enough to spread the scent. Alternately, wrap them with bait thread or pantyhose for a bit more staying power. I've heard beef liver or turkey liver recommended, but can't find turkey liver anywhere.
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Jan 16, 2018 03:57
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Achtane posted:Are there any magic secrets for catching bass/panfish around this cold time of year? Slow rolling spinnerbaits can work. I like using ones with the big spoon style blades.
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Jan 19, 2018 00:52
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:They'll be tough enough to stay on the hook much better, but rehydrate enough to spread the scent. Got around to testing it in the Cape Fear River earlier this week; they did in fact stay on like a champ and survive 3 or 4 recastings no problem
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Jan 19, 2018 02:09
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The weather was finally conducive to an offshore session. I forgot my anti seasickness pills and as a result 20 minutes out wide had me feeling pretty unwell so I had to settle for drifting around a more sheltered spot closer in. The target was kingfish, and I did sound up what I thought were a few schools of them but they weren't having a bar of the poppers, plastics, stickbaits and jigs that were on offer. I got a squid of all things on a 80g metal jig, and the biggest leatherjacket I have ever seen took a 6" soft plastic I let drift down through a school of kings. I lost count of the number of wrasse I jigged up. At least it's a really pretty spot to catch a bunch of rubbish fish.      
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Jan 20, 2018 10:29
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My father-in-law laughed at me last week, telling me it was the wrong time of year to go catfishing. Three days later I get to tell him "suck it, bruh."
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Feb 4, 2018 07:33
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Does anyone out there know if there's a difference between the Japanese spec Shimano Metanium and the American one? Other than the jap version being around 100 dollars cheaper? For 305 bucks on Amazon I'm almost willing to take the leap, assuming that it's the same reel of course.
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Feb 9, 2018 01:46
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Don’t know about that model but some Japanese model Shimano have softer, cheaper main gear alloy. Also you won’t have any warranty and not sure if Shimano USA will even work on it. I buy the American modem on eBay for best price with warranty.
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Feb 9, 2018 02:30
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Flakeyfish posted:Does anyone out there know if there's a difference between the Japanese spec Shimano Metanium and the American one? Other than the jap version being around 100 dollars cheaper? For 305 bucks on Amazon I'm almost willing to take the leap, assuming that it's the same reel of course. I don't know about that specific reel, but in a lot of cases the JDM version of a reel will be cheaper because of the exchange rate. You will lose warranty support buying JDM, but depending on the savings it can be worth it.
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Feb 9, 2018 09:15
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I don't know what their warranty policy is in the US but here in Australia Shimano do 10 years as long as the reel is regularly serviced by one of their official technicians. This costs around $100 a pop so unless you're buying something upward of $300 you're better off just buying their reels from wherever, not bothering with the warranty at all and servicing it yourself until it shits itself.
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Feb 9, 2018 11:10
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