casts_by_fly

something with a darker than white belly and a mid toned back, usually with a little local color thrown into the back. Here's one example in a dshad (green gizzard) but pick your favorite shape.

I'm surprised that someone built a weight chart for styrofoam floats. In europe all floats come printed with the loading weight on them. The Thill floats in the picture likely do also (the ones I have do). But the styrofoam floats? I never would have guessed. fishthunder- Any amount of weight so long as it floats will work. When you are adding weight to a float, you are 'setting' it for a depth in the water. In the picture above, something like D/E/F where you have a long skinny stick on top is all that would be above the water line. Then the lighest bites only need to pull down the buoyancy of the wooden stick, and none of the actual float. When you go to something like the Thills at J/K the colors top is all that's above the water when set, but that's a bit more buoyancy to pull down. Then as the shape gets more top heavy you are talking about more buoyance to pull down and less visibile on top. A for instance you'd nominally set it at the color change which is half of the styrofoam. Those ones normally have a lead wrap around on the bottom peg which sets them and helps with casting without needing added weight. That's the closest to what you have for size and style, though that's foam and I think your's are the plastic ones? The plastic bobbers won't take as much weight as styrofoam. Also, if you're fishing for bass and just using the bobber as a bite indicator, you don't really need any weight to set the bobber. A 1 1/4" bobber needs negligible force to pull it down and when a bass hits they aren't going to be gentle. So you only need the weight for casting and possibly holding your bait down. If you're fishing a minnow under a bobber 5' deep then a single BB split shot at 4' is about right.

You'll probably be fine. Don't shoot for the moon and use a softer lob type cast. It won't be optimal, but it will fish. I used to throw alabama rigs that were 2.5oz on my amistad which was a 2 oz rod. I onyl quit because A rigs don't work, not because the rod wouldn't work.

I'm in the upper south branch valley (the trout end of it) so yeah, I hear you. I have yet to fish the raritan for smallies though I'm sure they are there. If I were 10 years younger I would have taken a summer day and wet waded it by now but it's a lot easier to just drop the boat into one of the lakes. I have yet to find a pond worth fishing. My first year here I scoured google maps and put a lot of time in exploring but I have to say that bank fishing in general here is a tough go. Boat on the other hand, there are 8-10 lakes within 35 minutes of here that are all worth fishing and turn out something worth fishing for.

Need? No. Depends on what rod you have now and how heavy of a swimbait. A 6” Magdraft goes 1.25oz. A 6” freestyle with a 3/8oz belly hook isn’t much more. I fished both last year on my heavy setups (rated 1/2-1.5) to good effect. If you are going bigger and heavier then you’re going to push the limits of most heavy rods. Then you might need one.

Welcome! What part of jersey are you in? I’m in morris county.

Welcome! I’m up in morris county. Not a native NJ guy but been here 5 years now, all focused on bass in freshwater.

Yeah, you're right. I thought they came out with a G4N version of the 5" when they did the full G4 lineup but they stopped the 5 at a G3, non networking. Good call.

yeah, it was 15 when I got up. Never got above 26. I went to the grocery store at 11 to gauge and just walking from the front door to the truck was tough on the fingers. No way I was fishing in that. I don’t like my chances over the next ten days either.

The transducer is the same over the gen 3 and gen 4. Easy swap. If you go bigger on the new one you’ll get the bigger transducer and I would recommend using it if you go that way. It’s twice the power, 5x as long. if you decide to get another helix 7, then just get the CHO msi model and save the cost of a transducer

Yes, you can almost certainly do that. The power plug is the same across all of the helix. The transducer will plug right in. If you keep at a 7 then both will have the small transducer (assuming side imaging units). And a gen 4 7” will have the same mounts/bracket. not sure if what you have is networked. If they are, then make sure you get a helix g4n.

Depends on the specific models. If they are all networked models and if you have the space for a 5 and 9 on the consol then run mapping on the 5 and side imaging on the 9. Share waypoints with all three. if the 5 doesn’t network then I’d sell it. It’s not worth the real estate it would take up in that scenario. this is a good shout. Still use it for mapping and have speed displayed.

my usual ‘normal’ size jig rod. Might be my headturner, might be the heavy cover jig.

Frog toggs pilot for me. I started with the jacket a couple years ago and a lighter pair of bibs. I wore those bibs out and just got a pair of the pilots last season to replace them.

I thought I’d follow up on this with what I had ordered and first impressions. you guys hit a lot of the things I already fish so glad I’m not missing out on much. My new to me this year are yamatanuki (small and medium), scope shad, pit boss (I fish a rodent already which is similar, but want to try the pb), Yamamoto cut tail worm (4” and 5”), and a pair of tiny Ned worms in the yum 3” dinger and the Yamamoto Ned senko. I added a few new colors of things I already fish (Ned bomb, 4” senko) as well. first impressions and surprises? The 3” dinger and 3” Ned senko are tiny. Both are about as big around as a #2 pencil. I was thinking they would be a lot closer to the 4” senko diameter but they are tiny. I have a use for them and I’m sure they will catch fish but I, glad I only grabbed one pack of each to try. The 4” cut tail worm is similar. Even the 5” cut tail isn’t big. I’m going to need some of the 7+” version to do what I wanted it for. The Ned bomb color ‘fishaliscious’ looks really good in person. I wanted something a little more minnow than bluegill and this will be right. It’s just a little darker in person than on the TW page which is great.

it can be comparative if two rods are shown the same way, conditions, etc. But with a static tie in point (which is what that looks like) you are forcing the rod to bend towards a specific point (the tie in) and you don’t have a reference of how hard it is to get the rod to bend in the first place. The better way is to use a constant weight and hang it from the tip of the rod. That’s what the common cents system is. You can still get an idea from what he’s doing but you have no idea if that’s a light power or a heavy power because you don’t know how hard he’s pulling up on it. specific to that rod, you can see in the picture how the very tip is straight for the first three guides more or less. That indicates a quite light power in the tip which is indicative of a fast action. Then it transitions into a fairly quick bend back to the butt. The butt up through the bottom three guides is basically unbent. Assuming the power rating is accurate to the blank (which you can’t tell because you don’t know how hard he‘s holding it), that’s a quite light tip, quick transition top third, and an unflexing bottom. That’s what I’d expect from a jwr type blank.

That’s a static line test which can show you relative bending on the rod but without knowing how much weight is used (or force if the line is fixed) that isn’t going to tell you the action.

I fish a Texas rig for two main things. 1- bottom focused search bait for active fish and 2- target pitching. I have a bunch of grass and less wood so I’ll throw a Texas rig (I’d throw a jig more if that was reversed) to get through the grass more cleanly. My standard starting point is a 3/8 tungsten (pegged) and a standard rage bug. I like a straight shank flipping hook around a 4/0 (depends on the brand) but other hooks are fine. Color depends on the day but with my clear water it’s usually some combination of green pumpkin, blue craw, black/blue flake, etc. I picked up some “no brainer” in my last order which is green pumpkin black flake on one side and gp blue flake on the other. I’m sure it will work. I might downsize to the midi or even the mini at times. I’ll swap to a rodent (which is more like a pit boss shape) for something different. Some days the fish want less weight and some days more. But if you gave me a set of weights from 1/8-1/2, a couple rage bugs, and associated hooks I’m pretty sure I could catch a couple.

About 15 years ago we started with a new personal trainer and one of the things we did was an elimination diet. For a full month we eliminated all of the things that are possible irritants to the body - gluten, dairy, alcohol, processed ingredients, etc. After a month when they have all fully processed, you introduce them one at a time back into your diet (I started with alcohol). If you are intolerant or even mildly irritated by the thing then after 30 days the first time you have it will be eye opening. I learned that heavy dairy (heavy crème, crème brûlée, raw creamy cheese, and similar) all irritate me. Hard cheese and whole milk not as much. Gluten isn’t a problem but heavy creamy pasta is. Once you know, you can adapt and make choices. I don’t eat crème brûlée anymore even when I used to love it and make it at home. I’ll use a little half and half in my coffee as that’s my one concession. I don’t do Alfredo sauce ever. Make sure you’re keeping up on your fiber as I’ve found that to help me.

For treble hook type topwaters, 30# 832 for me if I’m fishing braid. You don’t need heavier for open water and it’s a good pair for 12-16# mono leader if you’re using it. For frogs, I’ll bump to 50# 832. Rod wise, have a look at the falcon Cara eye crosser.

before the webpage update it was more apparent with a link on the left. Now you have to go to clearance items and then at the bottom there is ‘used’. It’s not a voluminous as alf but the deals are good and it’s a wider range.

It’s gone now. With the tw used stuff you have to act quickly.

Must be nice. It’s been too windy and icy to hunt the past month. The water has been solid since Christmas. I’ve had three free afternoons or full weekend days and not been able to do anything with them. This year is the first in the past five that I’ve been truly stir crazy at not getting out. The warm rain yesterday opened up the creeks and I’m contemplating a winter trout trip tomorrow but with 24 hours of 28 to 11 degree weather I fear there will be a bunch of ice tomorrow.

Make sure the fabric isn’t catching on the clasp. Wash it and brush it like Tom said. Then I’ll use a little all in one oil/sewing machine oil if it’s bare metal. Put a couple drops along the teeth and run it back and forth a bunch until it’s smoothed out. If the zipper is a smoother painted type or heavy plastic then I have some yeti branded zipper wax that is great for that. I wouldn’t buy it (it came with a cooler we have) and instead I’d use basic chap stick.

chronado. I like that. I assume you mean the white 200e series. I have one of those that’s come in and out of the rotation. It’s going back in for a dedicated swimbait rod. It’s a good compact form for a slightly bigger reel. My only issue (and maybe it’s just my reel) is that if there is tension on the line pulling against the spool when you press the button to cast it is very hard to depress. I have to use my thumb to relieve the tension a tiny bit to let it click easily. That could get to be a pain if I’m throwing 8” Magdrafts so let’s see. I have a chronarch 100a downstairs that is probably the smoothest casting reel in this house (it would give my met a run for its money). The gearing is fantastic and there isn’t the slightest hitch. My problem with it is the form factor. It’s a big chunk of a reel and sits high off the rod. On a standard Fuji casting seat (which all of my falcons have) it’s just too high to be comfortable. I might put it on a shimano crankbait rod which is a different seat, but I don’t fish crankbait enough to justify it.