casts_by_fly

We're going to be above freezing for ~72 straight hours here with highs hitting high 40's with sunshine. I'm hopeful it kills all of the ice before the next set of freezing weather comes next week. Make that cold weather work for it to get that ice back on.

I another thread I mentioned consistency and consolidation and how that resonates with me. So that has driven my rods. Also, I fish from a Kayak, so carry 4-5 rods for every trip and have 2 that I swap in and out depending on the lake and time of year. So for me: Falcon (all but one) Shimano (one) I have some older rods that I've phased out now that I or my dad had 15 year ago before I went to the UK. I have them here and used them some last year, but won't really this year. I also have my fly rods, all of my customs (which I built a while ago), some saltwater gear, and some other randoms that aren't bass gear. If I was in a full rig and carried 20 rods in the boat maybe I'd vary a little, but I'm happy with the falcons and will continue to use them.

When we moved back to the states from the UK I had to 'relearn' how to bass fish after a 15 year hiatus. So much new stuff, so much stuff I didn't have anymore. My dad's been doing it for 50 years now so I've been taking notes. One of the things I noted was that he's got a matching set of rods and reels. All chronarch and shimano Crucials (IM10 series). I asked why and the condensed answer is consistency. When you pick up a combo, you know how it feels in your hand because they all feel the same. The reels adjust the same, the grips and seats all feel the same, etc. The only difference is the action itself which will vary with what you're doing with the rod. That made a lot of sense to me and I've stuck with that methodology. I settled on Falcon rods and Abu Garcia reels (he gave me 2 Abus that he had moved on from). I've now got a good feel that if I need a rod for something I can pick based on the spec and description and have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting. I can then put another Abu low profile on it and it will fit into the arsenal immediately. My gear ranges from Bucoo SR to Expert and Abu SX to MGX but they all feel the same in hand and all fish exactly how I'd expect. That's my long way of saying that if you like Diawa then upgrading to a higher end model isn't the worst choice. thanks, rick

Since we’re still frozen here I’ll share some of last seasons. The lakes around here are very multi species so you never know what’s going to bite. We do get some good perch and they are in most of the lakes around. This one ate a chatterbait. I keep meaning to go after them one day to bring some home but never do. Tons of pickerel here and various other predators. Walleye on spinnerbaits and topwaters? Why not. Crappie on crank baits? Sure.

I’m right handed and push buttons with my right hand. I also stand to fish and the fish finder is practically touching my right leg facing forward so no issues with casting or reeling.

I fish Falcon rods so that's where my reccos are. I use the Bucoo SR Lizard Dragger (7' 3/8-1oz) for a lot of things including bigger topwater like a choppo 105 (3/4 oz). It would be no problem with a 1 oz 120 if I wanted. Throwing a 1 oz spinnerbait with a trailer gets to be a bit much or is at least on the edge. I jut picked up an Expert Amistad (7'3" 3/8-2 oz) and it has a really nice action and I think would be a good choice for the biggies on top, but I'll have to see in a month or two when we thaw out. The Expert Bayou is a similar rod in 6'11" and was my other consideration. thanks rick

same here for me. That’s reliably into may here.

Are you guys iced over in MD? I’m about 100 miles north of the state line (I’m 2/3 the way up NJ) and we have been iced solid for the past month or so now. last year for us ice came off mid March and as of the end of April our water temps were 49-50 still, even in the smallest, shallow lakes. Fish were still schooled deep with nothing up shallow at all. I’d call it early prespawn maybe. Surprising that you’d be two months ahead for only 100 miles unless you’re down on the VA line.

Yeah, spotlock changes things. More than a few times last year I sat on a point or backside of a point with wind in my face or coming around the point. The wind blows the current and baitfish around and the predators wait for them. Spotlock holds you where you want and the fish just keep moving in. This was one spot. 15 mph wind just past the point but a break behind.

can you recommend a drop in bfs spool for the shimano chronarch 100? I have one here I’m not using and wouldn’t mind trying it. It’s not the SF model, just the basic one. Awesome reel generally but not low profile enough for me to fish it all the time. A bfs rig would be nice to have. thanks rick

do you have a spot lock motor?

for sure! Where are you based and do you fish from a boat or shore? I just checked out spruce yesterday while I was in the area. Obviously full ice still but I’ve not seen the shoreline up close before and I wanted to gauge distances (because 4mph in a kayak requires planning). I’ll be starting in March when the ice is out.

the omegas are great and secure. But you’re going to struggle to use more than two. So if you carry more than 3 rods you’re kinda stuffed.

apparently there is something in the water as a bunch showed up here too and brought some dt fat and OG slim friends.

not sure if I shared this with you in another place but this is my setup. Horizontal rod holders from mariner sails. I’ve written about them in the autopilot Facebook group a good bit. Overall I like them a lot and would never change to vertical rods. I need to make a modification eventually to put the Navarre handle on and move my mounts back a bit so it doesn’t interfere with the rudder deploy. I carry four or five rods. If five, one is in my hand and four down. If I want six, then I add a yak attack holder tilted down behind the seat. I stand the whole time to fish so vertical rods are a pain. i also don’t run a crate. Rods go in the holder in the picture above. I carry a Plano guide series tackle bag that holds 5x 3700, a 3600, and a bunch of soft plastics bags in the sides. I’ll swap out a 3700 depending on where I’m going. To do it again I would get the big one one yet and just not swap stuff around.

fair enough. I’m not far off that and tend to throw heavier and reel faster depending on the lake. Middle of March was ice out here last year, and end of March was fishing on the full lake. This year is colder and there is a lot of ice so short of a heatwave I think mid March might be ambitious

you REALLY like blade minnows for spinnerbaits trailers. I have a pack of green pumpkin and use them, but find they add quite a bit of weight compared to a boot tail or split tail. I think I need to try them in white/light on my more preferred spinnerbait colors to give them a proper workout.

https://kbass.com one option.

i love and hate Hopatcong at the same time. It’s not my favorite bass fishery. I know there are fish there and I get into them occasionally, but what works there doesn’t fit my wheelhouse of preferred fishing. And with as many tournaments that are there, those fish see a lot of pressure. But I LOVE the multi species nature of the lake. On one day there last year I had large and smallmouth, perch, pickerel, hybrid stripper, white perch, pickerel, and walleye. All throwing a combination of top waters and crank baits. Having multiple walleye slam a 110 plopper before the sun comes up is a lot of fun. You really never know what you’re going to catch. The pleasure boats suck and being in a kayak is a little limiting at times. If it wasn’t so close I wouldn’t fish it as much. thanks, rick

a stake out pole is a great choice for flipping in a kayak. I’ve considered one or a micro power pole. Most of the places I fish though an 8’ anchor wouldn’t touch bottom so I rely on the motor and play the wind. I’ve also considered a stakeout pole to use like a push pole in places when I get shallow but I’m not carrying that plus the paddle so I’ll stick to the paddle. the pdl106 should be just fine for what you want to do.

Which kayak? Stability and height above the water are your friend for pitching. I’m in an autopilot but the whole sportsman series is super stable and would work. A hobie PA would also. If you can stand, you can pitch. The main challenge then will be wind blowing you into the cover you’re fishing. If you’ve got a big area of pads or grass then you can let the wind blow you in and get stuck. Then pitch what you can reach and move again. If you want to pitch a long bank where you have to keep moving, I’d suggest learning how to paddle standing up like a paddle board. You lose time standing up and sitting down. cranking is also possible. If you’re cranking offshore then you’ll need an anchor. Wind will blow you all over and you’ll lose position. Also bigger cranks and other high resistance lures will pull your boat along as you reel in. That’s great for fishing down a bank and I do that all the time but not great if you want to be casting to a spot repeatedly.

I lived in the UK for 12 years, only coming back to the US just over 2 years ago. Carp/bream/tench are the most fished for as they are in every pond and lake in the country. There are two main methods for freshwater pond fishing. 1- how much weight can I bag as quickly as possible and 2) what’s the biggest of a species I can catch. Style 1 is based in competitive match fishing. You sit in one spot (a peg or a swim) and have a fixed amount of time to catch fish. Doesn’t matter if you catch 50 lb of 1lb fish or 10x 5lbers. Top weight total wins. Here is where you try to catch whatever the pond has the most of and where the 1-4 lb carp win. You feed the swim with chum until you have bunches of fish and then catch as many as possible. Here is where looooooong poles (30’ or more) reach you to the far bank and put your bait exactly where you want it in 10 seconds of shipping the pole out. This is MLF style. Style two would be called specimen hunting. This is specialist territory. Carp rods are 10’+ affairs with 20 lb line and multi component rigs and weights. Guys camp out for days at a time with the hope of catching one of the named fish that is known in the lake. This isn’t competition usually, but more passion to find the biggest there is. It isn’t limited to carp but they are the most popular and known. Both feature carp heavily but not exclusively. Bream (not bluegill like, but a different species), tench, roach, and some others feature depending on the water. In running water there are a few more. Some places have perch, Zander and pike but that’s getting more specialized. I don’t think they are stocked anywhere. I didn’t get into it heavily but since I had a couple lakes nearby I would do a little. Carp on bread on the surface in summer on ML spinning gear is fun. Mostly 1-3 lb fish but you get the occasional 10 lb. greyling and trout are a ton of fun if you like moving water. I fished both fly and centerpin for them. Access is tougher and more expensive. Nothing like the plethora of free streams here in the US. That said, a nice October day with good flow and clean water is so much fun for chalkstream greyling. i think there are two ponds in the UK that list largemouth as being present. I never searched them out so can’t verify. thanks rick

I went Humminbird helix on my autopilot. I have the G3 MSI 7”. I’d like a touch screen and I’d like a bigger screen, but a solix 9 isn’t in budget. I played with my dads 7” lowrance (Ti I think) and the imaging was better on the helix. I love mine and haven’t had a single issue in a year.

I built a fair few fly rods with recoil guides when they first came out. Still have a Dan Craft 9’ 5wt with them and it’s one of the most responsive rods I’ve ever cast. I’ve not done a casting/spinning rod with them, but it would be a hard choice between them and titanium SiC tiny guides if I wanted a super light high performance rod. rick

not around here. what this guy says. After fishing just the edges and tops last year I picked up a big kids rod to drop 3/4-1 1/2 oz down through it. It gets thick here, especially the pads.