wisconsin heat

More pics of the fly rod. also finished a spinning rod. 7’ M on a CRB blank. Trying out the microwave guides and also trying out reversing the grip so that it is unlocking with the main grip above the reel as opposed to below it.

Fly rod

First time it ever happened to me, brand new reel, about a half hour into using it, side plate comes off mid cast and plops down into the depth. 😭

Small world! Took it out for its maiden voyage today, The rod seemed to work well, felt just about as expected casting a 1/2 oz spinnerbait and trailer, and a 5/8 oz football jig. I think 3/8-1/2 oz jigs and spinnerbaits will be just right in the zone.

MHX MB843-MHX rod blank, was 7' MH, but chopped it down to 6'9". CRB LZR guide set. Going to be a spinnerbait rod to use from my kayak, shorter length should help with accurate casts.

Spinnerbait rod

What he said, I drive a small truck ford Maverick and my rods fit in the cab. I never store my rods in the bed of the truck, that’s where the kayak goes! I find myself wanting to take out the kayak much more often now that I switched to a truck vs cartopping my old ford escape. If you want to take out the kayak more, get a truck!

Finished my jerkbait topwater rod. 7’ M CRB blank trimmed down 2” to 6’10”. CRB LZR guides, handle from AliExpress. Tried a dragon scale in metallic black to keep with the blackout theme, but the black just doesn’t show through 🤷‍♂️. Maiden voyage was successful caught a monster largemouth and a bunch of stripers! On another note, I picked up a Piscifun Carbon XCS reel to put on and it was around $40 and I was pretty impressed on how it handled, it is also extremely lightweight and made fishing jerkbaits all day pretty comfortable! I’ll be picking up another one.

I’ll third the use of KVD line and lure. I bought it off TW after hearing recommendations on this site. And wow it does make both Flouro and mono/copoly lines cast a lot better. I spray it on the spool the night before an outing. Another tip I use is to “stretch” or tighten the line to “straighten” it out and remove some of the coiled memory. In the backyard or at the ramp I’ll hook the lure to a fence or post, and walk with the rod a casting distance or more in a direction and then pull on the line to get it tight and hold it for 10-15 seconds. When you let go of the pressure you will find that the line won’t be as springy and won’t remain in such tight coils.

I’m only 29 and feeling the same way. Its surprising how many different roles fishing has played throughout my lifetime. When I started fishing as a kid in junior high, it was something new, something that was challenging and exciting to learn, something that my dad thought me how to do and something that I spent time with him doing. Shortly after, my high school years, it became something I obsessed over, reading every bass master magazine I could get my hands on, scrapping together whatever money I could to buy the latest technique, hollow belly swim baits, flick shake worms, football jigs and square bills, whatever was popular on the pro tours. It became evident very quickly to me that my father knew nothing about fishing, and became something I could teach him later on. In college it became an escape, something I would skip class to go catch a few. Fishing became less common for me after I got married and moved into a big city, still managed to buy a kayak and take it out a few times a year. But mostly this chapter of my life became more about collecting and customizing gear. I built my own rod and customized a JDM reel for Bait Finesse applications. Since then, I have relocated to the deserts of Las Vegas NV and rarely ever get a chance to fish. I have taken a liking to fly fishing, tying my own flies, and building a few fly rods for myself and loved ones. Fishing trips to me now has become much less about catching everything I can and applying my knowledge, it has become more about connecting with nature, really feeling the spiritual connection of being in the great outdoors, and creating lifelong memories. There is no wrong approach to fishing, it can mean many different things to every person, and I’m not going to judge anyone for doing their own thing while on the water. Heck, maybe one day I’ll be the guy with a snap swivel and a big red and white bobber. Thanks for sharing your experience and story. It’s always great to hear what other anglers are doing and how fishing is incorporated into our lives.

I said screw the alcohol burner after my second rod build. I’ve built a handful of rods since without it and have never had any bubbles or setting issues. Flame is just unnecessary I’ve found. Using prokote as well.

We’ve got friends in Tampa, so it would be out of there, the party is looking at something offshore. It will be with the wives who aren’t fishers, so something that would be easy enough for them is needed.

Hello, I am possibly going to Florida next month and am looking at booking an offshore fishing charter? what are the best/most fun kinds of fish to go after? I guess I’d be looking for good sized fish 10+lbs (bigger is better) and lots of action and hard fights. Someone in the party mentioned red snapper but I thought those were relatively small?

You can get 22-26 gauge copper wire at hobby lobby works real good for wire tying jigs.

These cranks look great especially the craw patterns. With a commercial like this how can you not pick a few up? ?

Have the same rod 6’6” M spinning. Very light, not super sensitive but it is a great rod nonetheless, just feels really good in hand, I can’t believe I got it for a $20 bill.

I built a bfs rod on a CRB 6’ L blank. Bombs a 1/8 oz rooster tail. if you don’t go custom, and want a rod that will cast 1/8 oz and under, I’d honestly look at Chinese market rods (Ali express). Many more options than American market and not as much $$ as JDM rods.

I’ll chime in and say that you can get some good components for good prices online. I’ve been ordering a lot from gbflyshop lately - I’ve gotten a few of those wooden reel seats for around $17. And a nice blue acrylic one for around $20. Their graphite blanks are also really really nice, haven’t tried their fiberglass blanks yet.

Go flyshop if looking for fly fishing stuff, my latest purchase was from there. Great great priced fly blanks and components.

Cool! Let us know how they work!

If the cover is sparse enough for a jig, I’d use a 1/2 oz jig. otherwise id use a 3/8 or 1/2 oz flipping weight and a beaver style lure like a Dbomb or pit boss, or a draw like a rage craw or chigger craw. 1/2 oz if I want to be covering water faster, 3/8 if the bite is slower or if the water is closer to the 5-7 ft range- 1/2 oz if it’s closer to 12ft deep. The heavier weight will help you move faster if you’re trying to cover water, if I’m dissecting a good area, id prefer the 3/8 as I think it gets more bites.

Welcome aboard!

Big thanks to @swhit140 for the fishmas Loot! Great stuff I will definitely use, and you’ve made some gorgeous colors on your homemade soft plastics that I can’t wait to try out!

Tied up some hogs this weekend. Still working on how to incorporate hair and feathers into the skirts. I like the bucktail on the chatterbait, but I feel like the craft feather in the jig didn’t turn out as I had originally hoped.