flechero

You have a few options... mostly dependent on how much time or money you want to spend. I've done it twice... First time I was broke so I opted for the cheapest, labor intensive route. I sanded mine down to fresh metal... mainly used drill mounted sanding disks/ wire wheels/etc and then a bunch of detail work with sandpaper and wire brushes and even dremel wheels. Then prime & repaint. Next time I used a product called rust eater but they are long gone... replaced by something like plastikote rust converter. It works shockingly well. Just knock off the flakes or bubbles and paint it on. It turns seals and stops the rust and then you paint right over it. Much easier this way... and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Not show quality but no one but me ever noticed it wasn't original paint. Bedliner sounds like it might be a good option- but I don't know enough about it or the properties of the roll on vs spray on, etc.. Traditional primer and paint is good, if prepped right, and obviously can look nice. Either way, the prep usually makes the finish job and you have to get rid of the rust or seal it. If you have the cash, just tow it over to the paint and body shop and p/u the next week!!

I like your persistence, James! Don't lose any more sleep on the lost fish... I bet you'll catch something as big or bigger, pretty soon! Keep learning from each outing, it can come together quick!

My dream fish is a Permit, on a fly. I hooked one and he took me deep into the backing before coming undone.

looks great, your accents really finish it off! Can't zoom in well enough to see clearly - what did you finish off the seat with in front? Is it an aluminum check?

Sounds pretty good! Must have been the lighting that made the food chartreuse! lol

That's an awfully yellow plate!! What did you guys eat??

Aside from the great info above- check with other high schools ask to speak with their team coordinator or sponsor. It's in their best interest to get other teams going so they have people to fish against and with. What state are you in? If you give a location or approximate location, folks here may be able to point you to nearby schools with teams to talk to.

Several people close to me have... the difference between a full and swift recovery and a bad experience with lingering issues is almost universally not doing all the rehab... yes it's painful and yes its tough but if you fight through the first month, you'll likely be one of the success stories!! Good luck, brother, I'll be praying for you and the surgeon.

Did she come unbuttoned into the net or were you lipping her with the scale's hook?? That's a pretty tight estimate of a lost fish! lol

Starting to wonder where Stephen is...

If frame strength is a concern, you are fishing for something much larger than the reel was intended for. Raul's example, while real life, is not so typical... it's like the minor fender bender and a car frame ends up bent and a car is totaled when the other only has $2500 in damage. Drop an aluminum framed reel and you are as likely to bend a handle or upset the antireverse bearing and the reel is trashed anyway. Freak accidents are just that. You want a tough reel- pm me an address, I might still have some old Daiwa and Abu reels. I couldn't sell them for pennies on the dollar 5 yrs ago.

I treat them differently... Muddy conditions are [usually] a temporary and new thing for the fish so they will act differently because their environment changed recently... where as stained or tea colored water is just that. In muddy water, slowing down the presentation can also be key, as eyesight and strike zones often diminish proportionally. In the case of spinnerbaits, going to a single colorado blade is helpful a it allows the fish to really zero in on a pronounced thump. I'll also change to a jig with a rattle when water is muddy... Black and Blue is a classic muddy water combo for jigs and or plastics, and my own favorite.

Yep, it is a terrible feeling... and there is no immediate cure. Unfortunately, most of us have been there and can sympathize with you. Keep your chin up, you know where she lives!

I've had problems with 3 bank chargers over the years... 1 of the banks has failed on both of the 3 bank chargers I have owned. I've resorted to using a 2 bank for TM batts and mounting a separate 2a trickle charger on board for the starting battery. No more issues in the last 5-6 years. You should check the bank in question on the known good battery... It's very conceivable that your 2.5-3 yr old batts are just history... especially if the fluid level dropped. For TM batts, I always replace them together.

I had to go to the AT&T store yesterday and asked about the 7 being waterproof and he quickly said "it's only water resistant, and rated for 3' for 30 minutes... we call it splash proof" I had assumed the recovery was to save the cost of a new purchase vs. insurance claim with the bad phone... Are you guys thinking that the phone will still work??? Now that I think about it, if your phone backed up, your pic is in the cloud but if if hasn't then you pic may be lost forever. (or hopefully you texted or emailed the pic before you lost the phone) I'm more curious than ever since I need to replace my phone pretty soon and looking at a 7 as a probable replacement.

Fly fishing is awesome! You are lucky that your son wants to learn... but be forewarned, for a 7 YO, it will be a bit of a steep learning curve. If he learns to cast right, he'll love it... if he struggles casting, he'll hate it. This is a rare time when I would say (spend the money) call you local orvis store or whatever the local fly shop you have and ask who does lessons locally. Usually they have a list of local guys that have the basic flycasting certs and will give lessons... pretty reasonably and in your case, a dual lesson is usually only a couple bucks more. You can listen while he explains and teaches the boy... or stand off to the side and mimic the lesson. Like bass fishing, you can spend a ton on gear but honestly, a sub $100 cabelas or bass pro 4wt or 5 wt will serve him well for almost any freshwater species. Yes, you can spend a grand (and i have) but I still have a $50 bass pro 4 wt that I use for trout, sand bass and panfish. Decent line (that you hand stretch before fishing) and a good, slick, line cleaner/ conditioner will do more than a high dollar rod for now. I never lived anywhere that I could really trout fish (other than stocker and tailrace fish) so I flyfished for LM & SM bass, white bass, panfish and all the saltwater species i could. There isn't much better on this earth than 2-3 acres of sand bass boiling when you are holding a 4wt and manning the trolling motor!! Tight loops to you and the boy!!

As mentioned previously, have a plan (including a ladder into the boat) if you don't have a wet suit... and have dry clothes in the boat or car and have the car warmed up if it's cold out. Be safe, good luck and I can't wait to see the pic after all this effort to recover!!

What a reminder.... Haven't thought about this in a long while but I was on Lake Texoma in 1994 (shortly after buying my boat) when some nasty storms cropped up from nowhere that day and there were several confirmed tornadoes... and we came across a water spout while trying to get back to our camp & ramp! Never been so scared before and I beached that brand new boat at a pretty good clip and just threw the anchor around a tree trunk. I am a bit more careful about watching the forecasts now-a-days. lol

Thanks, gentlemen, I appreciate the welcome!!

If the water is that cold, cant you rent a wet suit or a dry suit for like $50/day or less? In 7' of water you should be able to recover it. Add a mask and a buddy in the boat holding the rope in case you don't come up in a minute or so... and you should have your phone back without incident.

It depends on how you fish, assuming you have a serviceable rod and reel now. If you are a crankbait/spinnerbait, chunk and wind all day kind of guy, a better reel will benefit you more... if you are a soft plastics, feel kind of guy, the rod is infinitely more valuable.

I don't have any specific recommendations but, since the Crucial is a favorite of yours, do they make that rod in a HVY?

The issue is shipping that you'll lose some money on the sale and then shipping- probably $30-40 insured, so unless you sell it locally, you may as well keep it and use it for a loaner, or find a use for it. It's not something I use but could see it as a good small bait rod... maybe a good small stickbait/crankbait rod, even a little zara spook rod. Might be a good pond rod as well. It may work for any scaled down technique you like.

Learn to tie a good connection and carry 2 little spools of (mono or flouro) leader lines in your tackle bag/box/pack, to cover the types of water you fish. I never go straight braid, just because you risk rod and reel damage if you get hung deep, trying to break it off. You'll have to experiment a bit with leader lengths, to suit your style. I like a shorter leader, but that also requires more frequent changes. (which is fine for me as I retie often, anyway)

You'll be able to backlash even faster and deeper than before!