We didn’t go quite that far, but went about fifty miles out, in a little over a 100 feet of water. We couldn’t have asked for a better day - ocean was glass and some cloud cover. Top two day on the water for me, and all we were missing was a little more action when we were trolling.
Caught my first bass today, this is the first summer I’ve taken up fishing, been out a handful of times and didn’t catch shit. Felt good to finally get one. Had a couple others that I just missed too
Trout Unlimited hosts a kids day on the Chattooga River every year where they stock small pools for young kids to fish. Took our girls there again this year where they got to catch our trout supper. \
Staying on NE side of Lake Grenville for a week, just north of Cashiers, NC. Any good parts of the lake or rivers close to that area that anybody knows about? Bringing fly rods.
It's tight for a fly rod, but the Big and Little Snowbird are good trout fishing. The Tuckaseegee is wide open for fly fishing, but may be catch and release only.
most of this post is accurate for your question. i love the tuckaseegee which is nearby too. if the east fork is generating water you wont be able to wade safely.
Got my ass kicked for 35 minutes by this bruiser yesterday. Weighed 33 pounds. We were looking for tarpon a little ways off the beach and found this guy instead.
Also finally got my bottom fishing setup complete. Two absolutely badass pieces of fishing equipment. I’ll be breaking it in in the Florida Middle Grounds at the end of the month. The reel is nasty. Max drag is 38 pounds and it’s not a monsterous reel. Also a 2 speed. Perfect for bottom fishing the gulf and Atlantic
Jacks are always a blast, and have saved many a slow day in the past. Getting them on topwater is as fun as it gets.
We limited out on kings in 20 minutes. Great bite yesterday. We saw tarpon rolling off the beach and decided to play with them for a bit since we had extra bait. My buddy caught a 15 lb bonito lol
Anyone fish with frogs? I have a couple Boo Yah bullfrogs and they’ve been my best lure by far, but I’ve also missed so many catches on it. It’s almost like the fish can’t swallow it or the lure is too big. Not sure what the issue is, I’m a rookie but tonight I was so frustrated.
could be the kind of line are you using? braid is the way to go due to its low stretch. just being patient on the hookset is the biggest thing,
Yeah I feel like I try to set the hook before it gets swallowed up, but I guess other times I feel like the frog is completely eaten and the fucker comes flying when I try and set it. Probably just practice.
Throwing scum frogs is my favorite way to catch bass. The 3 main reasons I have seen for misses when throwing them have been: 1) like HOOSINSC said, line stretch from throwing mono over braid, 2) setting the hook to early, 3) sometimes the bass will come up and slap the lure with their tails/body rather than swallowing it. If #3 happens try letting your frog sit there for 10 seconds, I have had some come back around and swallow it after slapping it. I also find keeping some fresh scent on my frogs helps, more so than with other lures. I hope this helps. The bright side is it sounds like you are getting a lot of action, and on topwaters that is always fun whether you land them or not.
My friend and I definitely agree with the last part, we’ve had really weird weather up here this spring (basically mid 40s and then out of nowhere nothing below 90), so there’s been some days we don’t see any action. I’ll have to think about changing my line. I do think by the end of the night I was trying to set it too early, because early in the night I was a tad late it seemed. It was crazy though at some points as soon as my frog hit the surface a fish was nipping at it, so sometimes I was definitely not ready or the line would still have some slack in it.
What those dudes said is correct, but I also have another tip as I fish frogs a lot. Frogs typically come with super long skirts/legs. Trim those babies up a bit because a fish will come up and just grab those legs, never getting a hook in its mouth.
I also might try and switch to a popping lure next time, a little bit smaller plus a more exposed hook.
The lake I’m using the frogs it’s a pretty good mix I would say. They have a lot of tall grass on “shore”, then there’s a lot of washed up dead grass/vegetation along shore in the first 3-4 feet of water. Then it opens up. There are some spots though where it’s all clear/open the whole way
Ok, yeah I'd experiment with some different topwaters with treble hooks in those open areas. Poppers are good, but I've personally had the most success with a walking bait like a Zara Spook. Stick with that frog around the grass though since it's weedless.
was having a ball hammering some bream with my 4wt at the lake on sunday when this guy decided to make it interesting heading to the Shenandoah Valley this weekend hoping to pop my brook trout cherry
Wishing you luck. We've had so much rain this late spring that they are still pretty active. Most of the action I have heard about has been nymphing through the middle of the day, with typical dry flys in the morning and before dusk. Hope you have a good time, whether the fish cooperate or not.
Fun day on the water. The old man and I caught 23 total. All 15 of mine were on a 3/8 oz brown and purple jig. This was the best of the day, right at 4 lbs.
the brook trout were hammering everything this weekend on the Dry River. One of the many nice ones we pulled out below.
Caught my first bass on the kayak today. Not big but all I typically get on the river is brim. Approx 1-12 lbs.
The old man and I tore em up today. I wish we would've been in a tournament. Our best 5 went around 19 lbs. 3.8 4.25 5
Looks like a good day. Did you hit all those fish on a swim jig? I noticed the jig in the picture...the swim jig just started poppin' in my lake.
What we use is kind of a hybrid jig. It can be used as a swim jig, but we caught pretty much all of ours on the bottom in 10-15 ft of water. I caught one on a frog early. Everything else came on a jig.
Good luck. My trip to the Middle Grounds was postponed from today to July 10th The captain called me and told me that the wind would likely prevent us from making it 90 miles out and that the current closer in was crazy, throwing the bite off. He gave me the option of proceeding with the original plan or postponing. If there's one thing I've learned when it comes to fishing, it's to not force it.
my casting sucked on monday though. it was like i was teaching a master's class in tailing loops. you can notice a wind knot a few inches above my fly here. smh
What kind of kayak is this? I'm looking at a 12 foot Ascend. Having a hard time spending almost $2k on a kayak when at that price point I could go higher and get a boat. Fished a Redeye Bass Tournament on the Tallapoosa River this past weekend with Project Healing Waters. Mainly floated along in a 10ft with a vet and loved it. 10 ft was likely to small but got the hang of the multitasking involved. Any advice is appreciated. I know I want an open deck for my fly line, quality, and a sit upon chair.
I have a Vibe Sea Ghost. It is a very good kayak for fishing with lots of storage. Center console has measurements on it. Has a rudder which helps in certain situations. It is stable enough you can stand (also helps when you need to relieve yourself). Mine is 2 years old and is still in great shape although that depends on how you treat it. It is a bit heavy since it is 13’ but I can load it in my truck bed by myself. If you are wanting something to ride on top of an SUV it might be a little difficult loading solo. I have replaced the seat and paddle but that’s because I bought it local and they offered a seat upgrade. Nothing wrong with their paddle, I just wanted a different style. https://vibekayaks.com/products/vib...MI2Mnkj_r22wIVjVmGCh1NfwrbEAAYASAAEgLgIfD_BwE Photo for reference, I’m just under 6’ and there’s plenty leg room Let me know if you have other questions
Mine came with 4 built in rod holders. Looks like new model has 2. You may look for an older model or just mount your own rod holder on the back.
Standing stability and room to manage fly line are both big items for me. It'll go in the back of my f150. This is going to sounds stupid but here goes----->How exactly does the rudder work? Assuming it helps keep you stable/straight in the current via shifting the paddles inside the kayak? Would you get this in another kayak down the road? Their corporate office is 30 miles up the road, I can hit both a local outfitter/dealer and the Cabela's to compare next week. Appreciate the heads up.
Trying to find a spooling station for offshore conventional reels that isn't insanely priced. Anyone have any recommendations?
TBH I had no idea originally either. Basically yes it helps keep you on your intended path when it’s windy. You can make adjustments to the angle to assist in turning as well. I am rarely battling wind so it isn’t a game changer for me but seems like a nice addition considering overall cost.
Anyone have a Rec on a beginners fly rig? My best friend just bought two cabins on the lower mountain fork so I’ll be spending a lot of time up there.
5wt ----- either orvis clearwater, redington butterstick, or a TFO Lefty Kreh, rod is more important than reel at 5wt. Get a rod with a warranty if you can. ~$400 for a decent total setup with a warrantly and assorted gear. Otherwise, you can likely get out of Basspro with a Whitewater set for under $200 with no warranty. I might have some extra orvis coupons I can send your way depending on what my buddy sent me. The Orvis 101 class is a great place to start and they give you a ton of coupons.
9 ft 5w orvis Clearwater. See if the orvis near you offers the Fly Fishing 101 class. Take that one weekend and get 20% off a full starter rig