The Catch-All Fishing Thread 2014

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gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Anyone know if they make bait casting reels for ultralight rigs? I'm shooting for 4lb line for compact trout fishing with small spoons and rapala divers.

I already have a great spin cast reel, but the wife keeps getting it snarled. I figure a bait cast might be more her speed.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2015 19:56

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 07:44

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

My wife is an avid fisher-person. She just doesn't seem to do well with the spincast. She fly-fishes though, so I figured the bait cast would do her well.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2015 05:01

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Anyone have experience with tandem kayaks for fishing?

The missus is interested and it seems like another cool avenue for fishing outside of the usual fly fishing we do.

It seems like there aren't a lot of options in terms of folding/packable tandems for fishing, but there are a few when it comes to inflatables.

Thoughts?

# ¿ Aug 12, 2015 20:34

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Rythe posted:

There is a reason tandem kayaks are nicknamed divorce kayaks. My wife and I have separate kayaks for our use, tandems are hard to access you gear, not designed for fishing and are ready to get pushed around by wind/waves.

bunnielab posted:

Yea, I would have to assume that at some point, no matter how skilled you both are, someone is gonna catch a hook fishing that close.

Point taken.

The wife and I are looking for kayaks for fishing, and I assume I don't need to know how to eskimo roll to use one designed for fishing. Confirm/deny?

Any recommendations for a good one that is easily packable? A lot of the really good small lakes for fishing trout are a decent hike in.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2015 04:32

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

gay picnic defence posted:

Nah, a fishing kayak will most likely be a sit-on-top. If it rolls over you'll just tip off instead of hanging underneath it and if you have all your hatches sealed it will take on very little water and keep floating.

I don't know how 'packable' you need it to be but with a kayak trolley they are fairly transportable if the terrain isn't too rough.

Make sure you read up on how the different shapes and sizes of kayaks affect things like tracking, turning and stability so you get a kayak that is both safe and practical for your intended use. For instance a long kayak will tend to track better than a short one but probably won't be as maneuverable, which makes it less user friendly on smaller rivers and lakes.

Packable for my needs would be a 5 mile hike. I was hoping for something that I could unfold or inflate. :haw:

# ¿ Aug 19, 2015 12:28

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

ihop posted:

I've paddled whitewater kayaks forever and I really don't think fishing out of one is a good idea. Whitewater kayaks are FAR more unstable than fishing/SOT kayaks, they are slow and track like poo poo, are generally not very comfortable, and there's really no good way to stow/access gear. They do make backpack adapters to allow WW kayaks to be packed on your back, but they're still heavy and 5 miles with one sounds like a deathmarch.

I'll give this float tube a whirl, but I know the wife wants a yak. I guess I'll look into inflatables or folding ones. :v:

# ¿ Aug 20, 2015 14:21

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Had a stellar day yesterday fishing for rainbows and browns at the section of creek right by my house.

One thing that seems to be a thing: after I catch either a bunch of 1-2# fish or if I manage to hook up a 3# trout, my line seems to be really prone to snagging. Specifically, the line spools on top of the actual spool. If I'm paying attention, I can catch it and sort out the line (but it still may happen), but inevitably, I'll fail to notice as I'm preoccupied with fishing. I get about 10-20 feet of line in a snag, and usually it's hosed. I have success in getting a stick and threading it into the ring of line and then carefully unwinding, but the chances of it trying to do that again are huge.

I'm spooling the line up just fine, and the line I'm using isn't hosed in package as far as I know. Kept cool, in the dark, etc.

For reference, 4# fluorocarbon (Stren) that I spool onto the reel, and then I take the spool and shove it in a glass of super hot water (out of the tap) for five minutes to let the line conform to the new spool. Works great until I end up hooking something that is capable of stripping out longer lengths of line - I suspect the line being stretched is what may be distorting is so much. I tried reducing the drag on the reel, but that doesn't seem to help terribly.

Advice?

# ¿ Aug 30, 2015 13:36

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

If you're willing to spend, out here, the Rapala countdown 01, diving minnow, and live target trout HD, all in brown or rainbow trout pattern kill it on small streams.

Largest trout I've caught here (18-20") have all been small stream and on one of those lures.

They kill it with bass ponds as well. Tons of 3-4 pound largemouth love those lures.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2015 18:57

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

LingcodKilla posted:

Some advice on hooks on lures. When they have two sets of trebels I always remove the mid body one and leave on the tail one. I then clip off one of the three points. I dont seem to miss any more fish than when I dont but I dont tend to snag nearly as much.

What are you typically fishing?

Seems to me nearly all the large trout I hit are hooked solidly on the midbody, with the end doing nothing other than gilling the trout.

I can see clipping the doward point of the treble though - I always hit the top of the jaw with the treble. I've yet to hook a lower jaw as far as trout go.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2015 06:18

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Anyone had issues with spoiling a reel with lighter line?

Amazon sent a shimano IX4k instead of the 2k. The reel is rated 8/10/12 pound test. I was only planning on 4 for the trout out here.

Opinions from the shops here have basically been, "doesn't matter" but none of them have actually put on a significantly lighter line on the spool.

Thoughts?

# ¿ Sep 2, 2015 00:13

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

bunnielab posted:

Dropped some friends off this morning for a bike trip on the C&O and did a little fishing on the upper Potomac.

It was beautiful out but too chilly to wade so I didn't catch anything, but retreating to my beloved canal worked out.

These are two of the better ones I have caught there. Had a few dinks and mids fishing the lock shoots but that seems like cheating. These bass are about the limit that my crappy telescoping rod can handle. I have looked and looked for a higher quality one and would be willing to pay a ton but no one seems to make a decent one.

What telescoping rod is it? I've started using a cheap 6' chinese carbon telescoping rod and it's fantastic for hauling big trout (20-24"/~3pounds) out of the streams and rivers here.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2015 04:00

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

bunnielab posted:

Mine is and Eagle Claw one. Amazon has a bunch of them but none are from very good brands.

This is the cheap chinese carbon one I have. Super chepa and for 6' not bad at all. Durable enough and I was hauling trout out of the Roaring Fork over labor day.

I have it paired up with a Shimano IX4000 with 4pound spooled up. Hauls trout out of streams like it's no thing.

Regarding trout lures, the floating Rapala and the Countdown from Rapala are amazing. 01 size kills it out here in Colorado. It's also super good for bass and pike. Moderate sized pike seem to really go after the countdowns out here. Another good one, but expensive is the Livetarget Trout (fry or parr).

gamera009 fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Sep 13, 2015

# ¿ Sep 13, 2015 23:13

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

bunnielab posted:

How does that rod handle light lures, Amazon says is rated for 20-40 grams, which seems very heavy?

Depends on how light. I get fantastic distance with the rapala/countdown and livetarget lures. Granted, I am fishing in waders in a river, so my opinion on what is reasonable or not is skewed.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2015 01:58

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Marshmallow Blue posted:

What are you supposed to do with your rod when the fish jumps out of the water while hooked? I was bringing in a Rainbow trout this Sunday (would have been my second of the day). It jumped a good 2-3 feet out of the water while I was bringing it in. I pulled way up on my rod and when it landed back in the water it wasn't hooked any more

Did I do something wrong, or was it just unlucky?

I drop the tip. Try to maintain line tension otherwise the fish can shake out the hook.

Where I live, hooks can't be barbed, so managing line tension is huge.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2015 17:32

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Cold water fishing is the best fishing.

Also, on a 5' 3# rod, a small 8" rainbow feels like 3 pounds. It's awesome.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2015 06:13

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Anyone done any flyfishing in Japan? I'm traveling to Hokkaido/Tokyo this summer and I'm thinking of hiring a guide, but I'm curious of what to expect.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2016 14:57

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

LingcodKilla posted:

Fly fishing is nothing special in any case. It's just a way to over complicate getting fish to bite. I've fished plenty of "Fly" spots with spinners, rapalas and worms and caught just as many if not more fish that the Fly boys.

It's just one other way to fish. Or in some areas where I live, the only reasonable way to fish.

Several of the parks here are artificial lure only, and with how tight the pool is, and the speed of the stream, flies are the only decent deliverable that won't get snarled on the bottom.

It's not more or less complicated than spinning or baitcasting. It's just one more tool to catch fish.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2016 07:29

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

If you master a rolling cast, you actually don't need much space behind you. :ssh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRaCV5c63mY

# ¿ Feb 28, 2016 18:28

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

beefnoodle posted:

Lake fishing with Tenkara sucks, except for cruisers along the shore, but it's great for streams, which it was designed for. I would never use Tenkara in a drift boat on the Bighorn or the Green. I got into it for backpacking in the Rockies, since there is a lot less to pack.

Basically this. It packs down really nicely for hiking/camping in Colorado. Out here, there's plenty of reasons to have any number of rods. Plenty of situations that work well for one versus the others.

Man. A lot of goons getting angry about fishing in here.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2016 05:33

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Most of my use of Tenkara is when I want to delivery to smaller pools or eddies that a western fly rod can't consistently deliver to - cover/tight spaces make it less effort to flick a fly over with the Tenkara rod, or fire a fly over with the bow/arrow technique.

Otherwise, my weapon of choice is my smaller #4/8'. I just picked up a new #6/10' for Xmas and I'm excited to use it when I hit up the Roaring Fork/Poudre/Colorado River ranges this spring/summer.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2016 14:32

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Marshmallow Blue posted:

regarding all this fly fishing talk. Has anyone tried the "Fly and Bubble" Technique (it's a "fancy" bobber weighted with water that lets you cast flies on a spinning rod)? I'm thinking of trying it out this upcoming season.

I've used rigs like this in the past, and the biggest issue I've had is that the fish out here are pretty easily spooked, and a large object that plays light oddly causes them to immediately sink into the pool or current and avoid taking anything for a spell. YMMV though.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2016 18:21

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

beefnoodle posted:

Same.

Local chat time: have you been on any of the streams recently beefnoodle?

I live right by the Boulder tailwaters so I've been pulling the occasional brown when I have the time.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2016 21:51

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

hagie posted:

Picked up fishing after a 15 year or so hiatus. Every weekend (usually Saturday night) from 4pm-dark I hit up a spot a coworker swears he pulled out a 5lb largemouth. Everything I have seen so far is 1/5 of that.

I would say that the spot is definitely over fished, but the problem I am having are too manny misses. So far I have had 3 misses on plastic worms and 1 on a top water frog. On the frog I let it crash, counted to 1, and set the hook, only to find my lure hitting me in the chest. All misses have been confirmed by visibly seeing a fish crashing or rolling so I don't think it's over sensitivity from running across the ground/cover I can't see. All misses so far have been at the time of setting the hook.

I was joking with my buddy about buying a 5' youth rod, and using an inline spinner for trout that's tiny, because it seems the hooks we have are too big for the mouths of what is in the water. He has also had several misses in the same scenario. I want to catch some drat fish but really don't want to sacrifice quality with quantity just to catch em all. My thought is bigger bait, potentially bigger fish, or at least hungrier. The hooks I'm using aren't ridiculously huge or anything, and in fact I have down sized. Most have been hitting on various worm sizes, with just a hook through a worm and made weedless. No Carolina/Texas rigging or anything, just floating work and a hook. It doesn't seem to be a presentation problem but landing.

For the trout here in CO, I use no more than 4# mono and the smallest spinner or countdown rapala I can find. I pull reasonably slowly against the current and pause for a half second about halfway through the retrieve.

Out here the general rule of thumb is that big lures for trout can work, since only the largest trout can mouth the bait, but small lures trigger a feeding response from all fish, including the biggest trout. Larger lures only frustrate the fisherman if that massive trout doesn't exist where you think it does. On the other hand, on tiny mepps spinners, I've caught 5# rainbows and brown trout up in the mountains.

YMMV

# ¿ May 16, 2016 13:51

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Having used Tenkara and western fly, both have their place. I tend to fish highly covered streams when close to home, but do a lot of both pocket/pool trout fishing and larger river trout fishing.

Tenkara is great for a no fuss fishing experience kinda like fly fishing, but you're fairly limited by distance and presentation and line management. A lot of Tenkara fans will talk about how you don't need to do any mending or complicated line management - this is bullshit. It's just different line management. Presentation is limited due to distance limitations. Even out here on the Roaring Fork, Poudre, or Big Thompson, there are spots where trout are incredibly skittish and Tenkara users wouldn't really have a hope of getting close. With a good fast action rod and level line, I can approach safely and deliver reasonably precisely.

On the other hand, delivery versatility is pretty neat with Tenkara, and for very compact situations, it's amazing and can be super fun for very tight pockets and pools, or very narrow streams/creeks.

In short, go fly fishing. It's pretty awesome. With a really fast 2 or 3wt, even large crappie or other panfish seem to be a blast. LMB and SMB on a 4wt is pretty killer. My streamer game is terrible though.

# ¿ May 24, 2016 04:54

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Suspect Bucket posted:

That might be a triploid grass carp. They get introduced into ponds and rivers for weed control. They're sterile, so they don't take the place over, but they're good at mowing. They are super huge, but also super chill.

We have a handful in the local bass ponds. They're hilarious. Always a hoot to watch even the largest SMB back off while the grass carp moseys through just chill as gently caress.

# ¿ May 29, 2016 15:35

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

YarPirate posted:

A lot of the perch in my area are covered in little black spots... I've always assumed they were some kind of parasite but have no idea why the other fish wouldn't also have them. Anyone else find perch like that? I have never kept any to eat because I have been terrified of aliens busting out of my chest or something.

Are they this stuff?

MN DNR has a page on it as well.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2016 15:15

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

gay picnic defence posted:

I just started a new job at a fishing tackle wholesaler/distributor... I'm going to have a pretty decent collection of gear in a little while, the staff prices are insane

So when are you extending that to some of us fishergoons? :getin:

# ¿ Oct 20, 2016 12:42

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Mukulu posted:

I want fall walleye. I can find no fall walleye. I have problems.

Fishing at dusk?

# ¿ Oct 21, 2016 23:00

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Sorry for the phone posts, but went over to the Yampa over the weekend. Fantastic cutbows and browns. Tons of medium-sized rainbows but these two were the big prizes.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2017 04:42

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

charliebravo77 posted:

First fish ever on a fly, 100 yards from the continental divide.

Grats!

Fly fishing is extremely zen for me at this point. I don't even have to catch fish to have a great time.

If any of you want to run around Boulder-Estes Park-RMNP and do some fishing, shoot me a PM.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2017 03:55

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

hot cocoa on the couch posted:

Anyone have some good recommendations for books/guides on tying flies/bucktails? Right now I'm just looking to dress up trebles/siwash hooks for spinners but I imagine with the kind of fishing I'm enjoying next season I'll probably get into fly fishing

Late to reply, but between YouTube and just loving around I've built up enough skill to tie the basics and the usual suspects we use out here.

Basically nothing but hippie stompers/bead head pheasant tails/midge/emergers.

a foolish pianist posted:

I have a problem, I think. I love Japanese fixed-line rods too much.

From top to bottom:

Pole&Line Rudow 8500 honryu salmon rod - 8.5 meters, just shy of 28 feet

Nissin Kyogi honryu carp rod - 5-odd meters, 17 feet

Tenkara Rod Co. Owyhee - 13 feet

Tenkara Rod Co. Sierra - 10 feet, 6 inches

Tenkara Rod Co. Mini Sawtooth - 8 feet, 8 inches

Daiwa Hinata tanago rod - 5 feet

Anyway, that's my story. Thanks for reading.

Have you used any of the TenkaraUSA rods? They're a local outfit and I'm tempted to pick up a triple zoom rod for backpacking since even my #4 rod is a bit of a pain in the rear end to pack around. The ball and chain has an Iwana rod and loves the hell out of fishing with it. She's been successful on any water she's fished with about a tenth the gear I have.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2017 18:18

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Any recommendations for smaller lures for saltwater pier fishing?

I'm heading out to Belize (San Pedro) for a week and the place our group is renting has its own pier. I plan on taking my collapsable 6' telescoping pole and a small tackle box.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2017 15:22

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

gay picnic defence posted:

Metal slugs are good if you want to cover a lot of ground and there's some baitfish eating midwater fish hanging around.

Recommendation for a good spincast reel and line? I'm aiming for something compact and packable since I'm only in San Pedro for a week.

Currently I have a good collapsible 6' carbon rod and a light-mid weight spincast I use for trout. I assume I need to bump up from 4# fluorocarbon?

# ¿ Oct 3, 2017 23:08

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Enigma posted:

Just to be clear, when you say spincast you're talking about one of these, right?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_reel#Spincast_reel

I've never seen one used for saltwater, which tends to really gently caress up reels that aren't built with saltwater in mind. I would suggest considering a spinning reel instead.

As for line, I favor braid for all my saltwater fishing. I would suggest 15# for your mainline. If you want to use fluoro for the line's invisibility, get something to use for a leader and tie that on. For that, 15# or 20# is probably fine.

That being said, what sort of budget do you have?

I misspoke. I meant one of these.

Not a huge budget. I'm just going to be at a location with a small private pier so I wanted to do some casual fishing while I'm out there.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2017 23:44

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Rev. Bleech_ posted:

speaking of reels, is there such a thing as a relatively cheap, reliable spincast reel? My wife refuses to use anything else, and I'm tired of having to replace hers every year or two after they rust or fall apart. Jesus, I have poorly-maintained surf reels that got salt and sand coated that lasted years longer than the average stupid Zebco spincast.

I really like Mitchell reels, but I also have this thing that I picked up cheap off amazon that's been fantastic.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2018 02:57

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

a foolish pianist posted:

I get a lot of use out of my tenkara rods in Michigan, and I think the rivers here are similar. You've got to watch out for trees and sometimes modify your casts - a sidearm cast is very useful when you're fishing from a bank with lots of trees and brush. I'm surprised the traditional fly rod folks were doing fine if you were having trouble. Where were their backcasts going?

Probably water loading or rolling casts.

# ¿ May 2, 2018 06:13

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Gumbel2Gumbel posted:

Whomever posted about Rapala for freshwater fishing, thank you. I didn't get the CD, I got the J-06 yellow perch and it got hit by sunfish/panfish/kibbers/whatever the hell they call them here.

It seriously was getting hit twice a cast. Definitively proves that I'm not missing bass hooksets but getting nibbled to death by panfish.

Can't wait to see what this does on Bass though

No joke, never seen anything get hit like this before. It was windy and sunny too.

Whenever I�m not getting much response from my fly rod, and I�m angry, I�ll throw in a small CD rapala and get instant results.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2018 05:00

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Anyone tie a squirmy wormy yet? I'm thinking of making a few to try compared to my usual san juan worms, but I don't want to spend fly shop money on something that is ultimately an experiment. I'd rather purchase the base material online at way cheaper pricing than what the fly shop would charge.

Anyone have recommendations for cheap material to tie the thing?

# ¿ Jun 11, 2018 00:52

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

So I've been playing with the two-tone slinky indicator for tight line nymphing on the tenkara rod.

Verdict: HOLY poo poo. I should have been fishing this way a long time ago for nymphing under pretty much every circumstance. Once I learned how to read the indicator, it was ridiculously easy to set on target, or the fish would self-set.

A++ would highly recommend.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2018 01:52

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 07:44

gamera009: Apr 7, 2005

Stalizard posted:

I just bought a Pflueger Lady President for thirty bucks, looks identical to the Regular President (which I have and like a lot) only it's pink instead of blue. Lots of places have em, it looks like it's getting discontinued. So if you don't mind pink and are in the market for a moderately priced fishing reel, I really don't think you can go wrong picking one up!

Got mine at sierra trading post dot com but the Pflueger website offered similar prices.

Any goons fly fish the area around Blue Hill, Maine?

I'm going to be out there for business and I'm hoping to get some stream/river time while I'm out there to see what the fishing out there is like.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2018 03:31

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