Caught these Friday in about 30 mins because my friend got sea sick and made us head in early. Bigger two are 31 and 32 inches.
I've been looking at the Vibe 120 and Crescent LiteTackle. I'm right at 6' 200lbs and saw a buddy standing and paddling in the middle of a choppy lake with his Vibe 120 with a similar build/frame. Curious to see what you end up going with. I'll either be floating down river or riding through choppy waters.
love my Bonafide. Easiest stand up kayak I've ever used https://bonafidekayaks.com/product/kayaks/ss127/
yeah the dirty D. i really haven’t fished this much other than the private water, but the crowds have been small with the campgrounds closed.
Growing up my dad and I used to go to North Carolina all the time to fish. We'd go to the Davidson and Tuckaseegee or go to Robbinsville and fish the Big and Little Snowbirds. The best fish I've ever caught was out of the Little Snowbird.
ahh those are tributaries for Lake Santeelah, a hunter banks guide told me about huge huge trout migrating out of Santeelah and Fontana up the creeks. The Tuck will have big trout move out of it and up Deep Creek and some others. some trout actually run out of Keeowee up the Eastatoe and "try" to spawn.
Wife took the girls to her mom's, so I slipped up to the Burrell's Ford on the Chattooga this evening and caught a few nice rainbows.
My dad and I took my 7 year old to the East Fork of the Chattooga for trout fishing. She still can't get the spinner out far enough to be effective, but I threw a dry fly out there and she caught several trout on the dry fly. Caught 5 in the run above the second set of rapids, including the first brook in a while. She cleaned one of the trout Spoiler
that might have been a wild brown. that is almost too small to have been stocked and has similar coloring to the wild browns in the Whitewater river above Jocassee. they have done better at keeping the fins on at the hatchery, but the pectoral and dorsal fins take a beating as they fight over food.
Yeah, I think it was. I just liked the colors on it. Helped her learn how to let them go properly after she had a quick look. She caught that just upstream of the water intake dam for the fish hatchery.
New Nebraska state record flathead https://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2020/06/stop-the-presses-big-fish/
Two things: 1. Huge props to that guy for releasing the fish after certification. 2. That guy looks exactly like what you would expect someone who just broke the Nebraska state flathead record to look like. GBR NFM
For those that fly fish, do you know how better newer rods are and how much it really matters. I use a 40 year old handme down from my dad. Its a 8 ft fiberglass #6 Cortland. Trying to decide if it's worth getting a newer rod.
Hit up a cool spot the other week. Had some luck on the first handful of casts then it petered out. Worth it for the view alone tho.
1. What kind of fishing are you doing? 2. Newer rods are crazy light. A new 12 wt rod is going to cast easier than a fiberglass rod from 40 years ago. Doesn’t make it better, but your casting style might not them. I like slower rods myself
I went from an old Daiwa glass 6wt, to a 6wt Sage and 3wt TFO. For the water I fish, it makes minimal difference. If I were going out west, one of the newer one offers more distance with less exertion, which is nice. There is definitely a learning curve when you upgrade. Find a shop that will let you cast the floor models, and test drive a few. I think you will appreciate a new rod even if it takes a bit of getting used to. There are many options at decent costs, and coming from a FG blank, you don't need a Winston rod, just something a bit more modern.
it does not matter. "better" is so relative. the newer graphite is more forgiving of mistakes, and can transfer more power with poor casting technique. the rest is up to the quality of the caster. if you have a 6wt rod, that is sort of heavy for trout, but not by much. you might have more fun fighting fish with a 3, 4, or 5 wt rod.
Primarily stream/river fishing in upstate SC. So that ranges from the Chattooga which is 40-60 ft wide to small mountain streams that are 8-10 ft wide. I will probably be going to Montana next year with my dad for fishing on the Madison and areas surrounding Ennis. I've done that before with this rod. This was my dad's first rod when he didn't know much about fly fishing. He's since gotten new ones and just settles for 5 weight since he goes from local to Montana.
yeah, I don’t really know much about that type of fishing. I’d find a shop that will let you cast with your reel and line. Shouldn’t be hard. I’m not telling you that you need to spend $1000 on a rod, but I am a believer in buy once cry once. If you find something you like, check eBay. Tons of people buy fly gear, realize after 2 trips it’s not as fun as they thought, and dump it. If you are just looking for a new rod, check out back county and sites like that. They usually have lower end reddington models and other brands lower end models for like $60
you should be fine, unless you just want something new. the lighter rods are fun to fight fish with, thats all. 4wt or 5wt and 8’6” is the best for panfish, trout, bass, and most freshwater species. if you do want to try stuff Karl at Chattooga river fly shop will let you try some rods. he also sells a few used rods a year and might have a deal. Daltons in TR is the old Luthi’s folks, i bought my current 4wt from them for half the original price during a close out. im currently partial to Echo. tim rajeff knows what the hell he’s doing and doesn’t want to take all of your money.
ran yo-yos Sunday and Monday night. 32 cats, 4 crappie (One was the biggest I have ever seen), 3 bass 7 gallons of filets
Thanks. I'll probably wait a bit but look around. I've looked through the selections at Orvis, Echo, Sage, Redington, and TFO, and it's hard to tell any difference in the rods in the 4/5 8.5' range.
in my opinion, the only people who can really tell a difference are probably being paid to tell you there’s a difference. the problem with used rods is you forfeit the warranty unless the previous owner will let you use their name and info for warranty replacements.
to an extent, I agree. You can definitely tell the difference between an entry lower level rods and the newest high end rods. Can you tell the difference between a $500 and a $1000 rod? Probably not. The blanks are all Chinese made from the same factory just like all the reels are from the same CNC factory over there. Also, the hardware is usually much better quality in higher end rods. For trout streams probably not that big of a deal, but in salt it does matter the stuff made here in the USA is more expensive
i mostly fish freshwater so my perspective is stuck there. i agree, salt water is different, nothing in my rivers is gonna touch my backing. They do have cool names like Asquith, X, and Radian. the cork grip is a million times better on good rods. hard to deny how nice that is.
I thought I had a monster red, instead I monster bonnet head, plus I had a new real and the drag wasn't set so I almost to pulled in. Spoiler: Pics
Nebraska waters staying frisky. New Wiper(hybrid striped bass) record. https://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2020/06/stop-the-presses-big-fish-second-week-in-a-row/ Even the little ones put up an absurd fight. That had to have been fun.