flyfisher

doesn't give the same action but I agree they are a good pattern. I am gonna tie up some Jerk Changers here eventually. I do well with flukes for both green and brown bass so they will serve double duty. Pretty easy tie too just takes a little time.

This is exactly why I plan on tying some fluke style flies before my next river trip

less than 1%

Amazon is good with that stuff. I placed an order for an adapter plate for the back of my kayak. It came to me perfectly fine but was missing some bolts. I let them know and said I just need the hardware and everything else was fine. They said we can send you another one or refund you the purchase price. I asked about shipping the other one back and they said nah you keep it and give it to someone else. So I took the refund, went to Lowes and got the hardware I needed and called it a day. I am all about calling out things like that because nobody is perfect and as long as they are willing to work with me on fixing it in a timely manner, I am good.

Gotcha. I am not a fan of loon UV products for tying but I haven't used this stuff.

Topwater frog or you are going to have to use something heavier to punch through it, 1/4oz won't work, 3/4oz or larger probably. I also work flukes across the top and let them fall into the openings on the retrieve. Another thing that seems to help is using something like megastrike on the plastic so it helps it slip through a little better.

no pic so I have no idea what glue you are talking about but I use UV for all my fly tying. the flex stuff from solarez is awesome stuff and I use it on foam poppers and also to make a welded loop on fly lines that the loop is busted. You don't need a light either, just being in the sun for a little but will dry it pretty quickly.

Nice work. It is a lot of fun catching them on a fly rod for sure.

it all depends. Are the genetics of the fish good, are there good food sources to support a larger fish, does the water level maintain enough during warmer weather that they can stay put, is there spawning habitat? here in central VA a 20" fish in a smaller stream is pretty rare. I have never done it in a stream small enough I can cast across but I have come close with a couple 19'ers out of one stream but not others that are very similar. Bottom line is you never know until you catch one and you don't catch one without fishing

If there was more work there back when I was looking, I'd probably be living there to be honest. That place is beautiful. It is a lot of fun and more mentally and physically challenging than fishing. I have gotten away from it over the past 15 years but I still get the urge to head out a few times a year and usually do and have a lot of fun once I realize I need to not try and do what I did back when I was climbing 100 days a year lol Either that was a gigantic bird or it wasn't really that long. I can't see it being not completely dried out at that length of time. I don't do the low and slow per se when I do my turkey every year. I basically open my WSM wide open with some peach wood and let it go until the brined turkey is done. Check the temp in the breast and the thigh and call it a day.

Completely agree....dry rub and I am good. why ruin all that meat flavor with sauce? I'll let you know...its not to bad of a drive from Knoxville lol. I have been in that area a lot in years past climbing in the obed river area.

on lakes it is whatever time I can. I usually go out early and come back for other obligations in the afternoon or go out in the afternoon till dark because of stuff I have to do in the AM. River fishing varies on time and water I want to cover or fish thoroughly. I usually have at least 4-5 sunrise to sunset days a year though.

A few reasons really. One is that a lot of times I am also using my grill simultaneously as my smoker for appetizers and sometimes just burgers and dogs etc. Second, it seems like after you use the grill as a smoker that the smoke flavor is still there, a lot more than I like for most grilled meats. Totally a preference thing. My WSM I set the vents once and let it go but I have also been using it for close to a decade now probably and know based on weather temps and what I am smoking what I need. All this smoker talk is gonna make me go pick up some chuck roasts and do shredded beef this weekend I believe.

Weber smoky moutain cooker for smoked meats and a steel kamodo for grilling. Had a weber for over a decade and finally got rid of it when a buddy wanted a rod I had and he got a new grill so we made a swap. Kamodo grills are good for grilling for sure and making pizzas but i am not a fan of them for smoking stuff. I also am not a fan of using eh same tool for smoking and grilling.

That is exactly what I said. If you aren't tracking straight it is your paddle stroke or your boat. The stability of boats now lends them to tracking somewhat straight. Weight distribution also plays a very big role in a kayak's ability to track straight as does a seat positon that is dead center. Comparing a touring kayak to a fishing kayak isn't a fair comparison at all. Most are designed to use a skeg or a rudder from the get go and also are designed to accommodate rougher conditions and weather which may facilitate the need for a rudder. Most kayak fisherman would benefit more from using the wind to their benefit than trying to overcome it.

There are lots of good kayaks out there especially with standing not a primary concern. If you need a rudder to paddle straight then it is one of two things...your kayak just doesn't track well which isn't always a bad thing if you fish a lot of moving water or your paddle stroke is not where it should be. I am looking at SUP for my next "kayak". Lighter weight, wide open deck for fly fishing and shallow draft for the rivers I frequent.

With a ton of HP restricted lakes around me I fish from a kayak and I rarely run into tournaments. I have had a few people get close to me on one lake that has a tournament pretty much every weekend but I keep doing what I was doing and didn't pay them any mind. I have had some people buzz a little close on rivers in catfish tournaments but I'm cool with it as long as they stay on plane.

Right now in VA the water temps are very warm still and catching the natives can really stress them out. I personally don't fish for them right now till around November. that being said, a 12" native is definitely a trophy and I fly fish for them as it is the best way to present to them in the smaller water they inhabit. Brookies aren't very selective, most times, as they live a short tough life. You need to find out where they are and not spook them and get something in front of their face and they will bite it. The biggest thing is finding the right streams that hold natives of that size. I have caught a bunch over 12" over the years and all but a couple were on Royal Wulffs.

Anyone can catch fish on a bait when they are hitting it like you mentioned. It is the times they are not actively feeding that separates the average from the great fisherman. It is those non active times that type of soft plastic matters, at least it has to me on many occasions.

yes all kayak tournaments are CPR, Catch Photo Release. They don't use a points system just length on an approved board with various rules of how to take the picture of the fish as well.

As a kayak angler I will take a person staying on plane near me most of the time unless it is some deep V or another style that pushes a large wake. We have a lot of jet boats that run the rivers I fish and most of them need to stay on the throttle to keep through the shallow spots anyways so it works out well.

I leave mine in the trailer unstrapped and covered so all I gotta do is strap it down, take off the cover, hook it up and roll out.

When I was researching Lithium batteries every manufacturer recommended a lithium specific charger as a normal 12V charger will charge but you won't get full voltage. A lot of the chargers will also be able to wake up a cell if needed.

I have never hesitated to throw to a spot and that even includes my fly rod. I have used leaves to hold a fly and float it on trout streams and twitched them off to get to places....almost always results in a fish or at least that is what I remember lol

one thing I would highly recommend if at all possible trying both styles of pedals. Being a cyclist I absolutely hated the Hobie back and forth motion but liked the recumbent bicycle style. Also take the time to get your seat situated correctly, even on the test pedal as it can make a huge difference in the feel of the pedal stroke.