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trevor

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  1. Thank you all for your responses. GetFishorDieTryin, I don't think they make a 2000 USDM. The JDM ones I'm seeing are shallow spool. I will probably go with a Stradic 1000 - still fine for what I'll be doing.
  2. I've been fishing the Tatula LT 3000 and loving it. I put a lot of hours on it over the last year, and the reel still feels great. Based on that experience, I bought a 2000 series Procyon AL (the new red and silver one). Out of the box, I could feel a noticeable friction—a tight feeling—and more noise than I'd expect when reeling. The handle would not "fall" on its own, even with some jiggling to get it moving. Everything else about the reel seemed awesome and of great quality. I'm returning the reel today, but I'm left wondering if I should gamble with another Procyon AL or just go with a Stradic. (I've never had an issue with Shimano spinning reels, but have had several with Daiwas in the past.) I probably would have gone Shimano from the get-go, but I heard a few reviewers talking about how great this new Procyon was. Plus, it comes in a 2000 size, my preference for ultralight. Do any of you have experiences, good or bad, with the Procyon AL?
  3. This is going to be my first post in quite a while, but I need to brag a little. For my senior gift, my family took me to Beaver Island, Lake Michigan, for some flats fishing. I'm limited on data, so I can't post all the beautiful pictures we have, but rest assured it was the prettiest water I have ever seen. I've never seen water this clear ever. Not offshore, not on a fabulous day in the keys: never. You can look up pictures of Beaver Island if you don't believe me. The people and atmosphere of "America's Emerald Isle" were just as lovely. Unfortunately, as we were arriving in Michigan, so was a cold-front. The first morning we fished was brutally cold in the clothes I had brought, but the afternoon turned out nicely. We started out accidentally hooking quite a few massive smallmouth. After casting to well over 75 carp in the morning, which the guide explained probably would not bite due to the cold weather, we pulled up along a long, thin finger of land stretching off of a small island. This rocky peninsula was lined with carp, and we began picking targets and making casts. Eventually, after hours of casting, I was rewarded with a take, a fight, and a release of a beautiful carp. The take was unlike anything I've ever experienced carp fishing before. The carp turned, chased down the fly, and swam off with it. I felt a carp bite! That would never happen back in Pennsylvania. Soon after, I hooked another. The next day seemed promising. The water had already had an afternoon to warm, and the temperatures promised to only climb more. False. After a beautiful morning, clouds rolled in and we had to slug it out in pretty terrible conditions. Didn't have so much as a follow all day, although we did land countless more trophy smallies. The guide was obviously doing everything he could to get me on some fish, and taught me more in those two days that I would have learned in two years of doing it myself. That was it on Beaver Island, however, and we returned to Traverse City for our last day of vacation. I did some talking to the an awesome employee at the local Orvis (couldn't have been much older than me), and he told me where I could go to try to get some carp on my final day. I rigged up my under-powered 6 weight with some 12 pound fluoro tippet and a crayfish fly, bought some cheap waders, and set off. Another cold, rainy day made the fishing hard, but after a surprising quick time, I stumbled upon a feeding carp. I cast to him a few times, never putting my fly where I wanted to. Then, voila. I made a half decent cast, and fish on. The fish almost ran my Hydros 7/8 reel out of backing! Yet alas, when I landed the carp, I realized he was snagged in the gill. I kept at it though, and soon made a rare good cast to a shadowy fish that was obviously on the prowl. I hoped my fly, he turned, and I felt the tug. I set the hook, got him to the reel, and started screaming in excitement. Fast forward a few seconds, and the hook has pulled. I wait around for a little while longer, but see no more fish. I make the walk back to shore, figuring my dad is ready to go. He encourages me to try again, so I walk back out, but this time to another pocket that looks promising. It was a little deeper, so I had to stand on a big boulder to avoid waves in my hip waders. Fish after fish ignore my fly as I'm surrounded by huge carp. Then I feel the tug on a strip. The carp jumps, and I figure something is up. After a very odd run, the I begin to reel the fish back in, and I am not too optimistic for a fair-hooked fish. My suspicions are confirmed as I land him, seeing the hook firmly embedded in his tail. But it was time to go, so I had to settle for one fair-hooked, lost carp on the Michigan flats. Which was still a dream come true, honestly. I couldn't have asked for a better trip. Here is the guide's report: http://thirdcoastfly.com/
  4. Hey, guys, it's been a while. Thought this might give some of you a laugh, maybe not though.
  5. Just my opinion on the worst two fishing magazines, they're Bassin' and Crappie World. Reading Crappie Magazine, I'm embarrassed for everyone involved in making it. It's just really bad. Bassin' isn't much better, seems like they are both about 80% advertisements and uninformative gear reviews. Best magazine I've ever read is Eastern Fly Fishing, which is very informative and has spectacular photos, without being too expensive like other fly fishing magazines (Fly Fishing Journal). I bought a few recent editions of Bassmaster, and thought it was pretty useless. While nice to sit and flip through, I think you can find much more info online.
  6. x2 Or the Saros on eBay
  7. Another rod to consider is the Falcon Bucoo.
  8. I've had three terrible experiences with Daiwa spinning reels (two Tierras and a Regal Xi), and would strongly recommend against them. I think the Pflueger is probably a fine reel, but personally for the $100 mark I'd go with a Shimano Symetre, or if you can find one on eBay the Shimano Saros. The newly redesigned versions of those two reels will be coming up soon, and look promising as well.
  9. For a true heirloom reel, there's a company called Zeebaas: https://www.zeebaas.com/our-team. Van Staals may also fall into this category, but don't get quite as spectacular reviews as the ZB's. The Penn Torque is another such reel. I would say in the more affordable category, Shimanos are hard to beat. The gears are top notch, and even with hard fishing, everything holds up great for me.
  10. If the water's that cold, I would try ultralight gear and appropriate lures to start, and see if there are any trout or suckers in it. Pretty much all stream fish I've come across respond well to teeny crayfish imitations (like the Trout Slayer) and tiny little twister tails in natural colors, fished on light jig heads and 4-6 lb line.
  11. Soap and water never works as well for me.
  12. After long days handling stinky cut bait and lots of fish while saltwater fishing, I have always hated the stink of fish slime on my hands. By trial and error, I think I've got something: toothpaste! Never heard of others doing this, but maybe they have. Lather up with the stuff for a minute, and the scent is majorly diminished. Try it some time, and I hope it works for you as good as it has for me.
  13. I use mono backing on my Saros. It can't hurt, and to me isn't a big deal to do.
  14. \I think that the needlefish is kind of the family of fish, while houndfish are a specific kind that grow quite large.
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