clayton86

I open the can when I get to the water toss a handful or two into the water then put a kernel or two on the hook that's it. I fish a small river though not a big lake so my chum basically stays where I throw it and it's shallow and clear I can see carp in the area and walk the bank till I find them.

My buddy and I launched the kayaks at marsh creek off of point breeze. First we headed north up the oak towards point breeze I got a large mouth quick on the frog in some Lilly pads then went dry for a few hours. Got another nice bass but lost it due to cotton wood jamming my level wind and couldn't reel as it ran towards me. After the oak we went up marsh creek messed with a bunch of northerns....actually they messed with us. I had a 24"ish pike on jumping going crazy got it next to the yak and I went to grab it and it broke my line costing me my last white booyah spinner bait. I started cussing like a sailer then I noticed my spinner on the bottom so I attempted to hook it with my pole but just covered it in mud so I paddled away to let it settle. Then my buddy goes over and sees my spinner so he try's to hook it and in the process a different northern picks my spinnerbait off the bottom and swims off!!! I was still tying a new lure on when this happens nd he's laughing and telling me to come over he followed the pike. Sure enough this little 12" pike has my spinnerbait hanging out of its mouth in some cat tails. So I'm like I'll whack this thing with my paddle and get my lure back. So I jab at this baby pike it takes off and stops a few feet away and I paddle over and it swims a few feet away again this went on for a good minute or two till I started cussing like a sailer and gave up the whole time my buddy is behind me laughing hysterically. So after that whole mess we went south on the oak towards lake Alice and found a little cove loaded with bass in 2fow hammering top water. Now my legs are lobster red and I'm beat did lots of paddling today.

When I was younger I used a UL for everything I caught so many fish on a cheap Walmart Shakespeare combo and probably the cheapest line I could get tons of big carp, bass, catfish, pike you name it. Now I'm all into specialized gear and more lures I know what to do with and a rod count that keeps building up lol. Everything was so much simpler back in the day.

Hook size idk off the top of my head. I'd have to go look. Line is 12lb big game trilene rod at that time in them pics was a 6'6" M bps extreme combo now I have a eagle claw some thing I bought years ago for cheap just for carp it's like 8'6. Carp usually not my cup of tea targeted them maybe 3 times in the last 8 years. Been trying to get one on the fly lately though since I've picked up fly fishing.

Whole kernel sweet corn I dump half the can out and chuck it out as chum then one or two piece on a circle hook. I run a barrel weight above a swivel basically a Carolina rig with a circle hook and corn. Or by hand while fighting one on the other line

All my river smallies shrunk most are 16-18" at most all dinks.

I've been in a heck of a slump this week fishing the oak and johnsons not a single fish since Tuesday not even seeing any other then carp. All beds are abandoned nothing it's like a ghost town. The kids have a youth fishing derby tomorrow at the Alabama swamps I probably won't be back out chasing till Monday since my weekend is booked with plans with the family the derby and fantasy island. As long as it's not windy I'll be on the kayak Monday morning think I got a good idea where to look for some large mouth even though I've only caught two LM all season.

Got some to load

So here's the latest and third attempt I really like how this turned out. I did it on a cheapo diawa rod I found busted and shoved in the fence at one of the lakes I fish. I started doing a base under wrap of blue then on the 0* and 180* I ran I piece of thread straight down the blank and made sure each "X" was formed on that line and just eye balled the spacing then pulled the two marking threads out. This worked great all my diamonds formed a thread or two from that center mark. I did 5 threads of red then out lined it in metallic silver then black one thread each. From there I went to the tie off and inlayed blue, red, silver in the black wrap. Did a three count band of each color then taped the silver to the butt section and doubled up the red and blue and did a olive branch with the silver then out lining the edges. Finished it all off with the three bands and she done. Didn't intend for it but my buddy said it looks very 'Merica lol. Next I'm gonna fix a fly swatter in the end blend it some how and have a sweet fly swatter haha. I can't get the rest the pics to pull up I have the worst service here at work I'll post them in the morning

Not much of a beer drinker but this this is a different story

I've been having a lot of luck in the river still both the oak and johnsons creek for smallies. Lake Alice meh not so much seeing a lot of bass cruising and chasing gills but that's about it.

I've been watching some of his videos for some time now his work is insane. I want to try some of the eva inlay/overlay technique he does he has videos and a write up of how he does it.

When using a hand wrapper you just slide the rod down till you have your working section in front of you and use the spare stand to support the butt section. It can be a real pain on softer rods or ice rods to wrap the top couple guides.

Just checked the tracking on it it says it's in NY be here Thursday. Handle and reel seat won't be in till Friday And I haven't even ordered guides and thread yet still can't decide what colors.

Tinkered a little more today measured the circumference of the arrow shaft I was using it was a perfect 1" so I marked every inch on the 0* plane and every inch starting at half an inch on the 180* side. They didn't come out perfectly straight in a line though I think I need to be more precise with my dots I more or less made some quick marks with a sharpie and a tape measure. Might bust out my old machinists ruler from when I was building engines in college. Other then that it went pretty smooth besides the end I turned around to come back down with it kept slipping as you will see in the pics. I went up to my dot but it slid away from it as I worked down. Though not perfect I got it in CP now I'm gonna epoxy it and cut it off as a sample and keep it in my box of things and try some more tomorrow. I also plan on buying the custom rod thread art book as well that explains all of it and the formulas for dealing with tapers. I'll order that with the guides and stuff to finish off my rod geeks fly rod. Baston- I have looked up docski I subscribe to his YouTube channel he was mentioned several times in the tutorial video I watched as well

All I fish lately is a small river for smallies although this year I've had a fly rod in my hands for it if the last month but I've used regular gear usually in the past. My go tos are white double tail grubs(mister twister, kalins,Arkie, rage, zoom) weightless flukes, manns baby -1, white spinnerbaits, rapala jointed J7 or J9, and husky jerks or pointers. Once summer hits I have a lot of luck with small buzz baits as well.

I found a few videos that describe it well by guidesnblanks.com. Depending on the weather today I'll try some more.

That's sweet

Well with it being only 40 out today compared to yesterday's 90 and with rain I stayed in and tried a cross wrap on an old arrow shaft. It came out like crap I think lol. I already see some things to do different. I tried looking on you tube for instructional videos and while plenty of people doing the wrap none say how they set it up its just them laying thread down so I kinda winged it. I started off tapping either end and sticking 4 threads into it and just spinning the arrow till I got the 4 threads to the other side about 4-5 turns. I then grabbed a different color and did it again 180* on the other side going the other direction. Did that a total of 5 times per 180* so one goes g-bl-g-bl-g and the other is bl-g-bl-g-bl. Which is what I'll do different next time around I'll do both the same and see what patterns that gives. Then I just did a basic wrap to tie it off first side I worked towards the wrap making trimming and hiding all the tag ends a major pain in the arse. The second side the light bulb went on and I started at the previous end and worked towards the tags after about 10 wraps I trimmed and frayed them and just kept on wrapping much much cleaner looking. That's about it pretty simple even did it with my 18mo daughter attempting to help after her nap. I think next time I'll also measure out where the crosses will cross the 180* and 0* axis with a piece in of string and a sharpie then pull it out once the first couple are on. Tips? Tricks? Hints? Bash my sad attempt lol. And sleeping beauty trying to give her .02 lol

I did it years ago in a tournament with a guy from work. Big drop off that ran the probably a mile down the north side of the lake. A lot of downed trees and structure old brigdge slabs of concrete hanging off the ledge. I stood on the bow of his 14' aluminum deep V like it was a casting platform and flipped a football head jig at the old bridge parts and was picking smallies off like crazy.

Ours went in two weeks ago. Had it on yesterday it was 90* today it's 43*

Hey now I'm never getting married again I'm one and done. My current gf has talked about it and I put the brakes on real quick. Told her she don't want my last name or half my crap when we're done lol. Even though she is pretty awesome tells me to fish all the time and doesn't complain ever. But never doing the " I do" bs again lol. Raider congrats but you crazy

I'll have parts trickling in next couple weeks for it then. Just ordered a handle, reel seat and fighting butt all turned out of curly maple with chrome hardware.