flyfisher

Been getting the fly fishing and fly tying itch after doing it sporadically the last 10 years. I finally have space to tie so I figured I'd get back into it. Decided to go with the ever popular game changer fly which will catch anything that swims. It is articulated with 4 joints and gives a crazy good action in the water. The first one i tied was the green on in the blow pictures. The next two were tied after thinking through the issues i had on the first one and trying some new things and they turned out much much better. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed fly tying.

did you see they now allow the solo skiff as well? KBF has gone to **** and the only reason is the guy in charge is an egotistical crybaby really. BASS and Hobie series will make KBF extinct most likely.

Usually after I catch a few to make sure I like it and don't want to return it

a 10'5" kayak is not going to be fun to keep straight, pedal or paddle. I haven't pedaled or paddled that one but i'd imagine that short length you will be making a lot of adjustments to stay straight

This is so true. In college i was a fly fishing and rock climbing guide. I began to loathe them both not because of the fun of it but running into people when i was doing it for fun ruined it for me. I got back into both of them but it was definitely not fun for a while. Having a guy come up and say hi when I am going after a rising brown during a trico hatch and spook the fish can ruin a day lol

I usually only throw a toad when i am getting blowups and no hookups on the hollow body. More often than not, it makes for a better day of frogging. I figured if they are blowing it up and I am not hooking up that a different type of bait in the same areas will up my chances.

I did fine last year on them but compared to other techniques it is definitely the worst ratio.

Hollow bodied frogs are probably my lowest but i am with everyone else that I don't think they always eat it. Buzz toad type baits I don't miss many. Being in a kayak I have learned that certain techniques benefit from standing on the hookset. My guess is the angle of the hookset pulls more up than out. Other baits once I have them on I don't lose too many unless they shake at the boat on a weak treble hookup or in the slop.

Only baits I don't take with me when it is cold is my topwater and frog stuff. Everything else stays in my crate. I have caught fish in 35 degree water on just about any technique which leads me to believe it is more about locating and presenting more than the bait itself, much more so than in warmer weather.

I use the same thing in my kayak as I would anywhere else. The boat doesn't change the gear for me and this includes up to 9' fly rods. I am curious though, what regulations are in place to say what type of kayak you can or can't have? thant is a new one for me.

I don't have an offseason so no rituals for me. I have been tying more flies though and am thinking the itch to catch more largemouth on the fly rod this year is gonna be strong

Tourney anglers time is of the essence so unless they found a pattern where the fish are needing baits presented slowly and thoroughly they are looking for those activities e fish, especially early in the day when trying to fill the limit. Me personally, I work a piece of cover pretty thoroughly but not to the point of boredom. I can also say that if you are working a laydown and it hits near the boat, i can promise you the tree is under the boat then. I was amazed when i got my sidescan at just how far out the majority of letdowns extend into the water.

So what exactly are you complaining about, did you not get your reels or are you just complaining about what you read from others?

What he said and if you want it to flare out even more get the cross cut rabbit strip

You will not always have water in your boat at some point in a SOT unless it is poorly designed or you are a pretty heavy person in a boat not designed for the capacity. And if you do get water in it, well that is what the scupper holes are for, to drain it away. If you get water in a SINK it has nowhere to go but slosh around. SOT is safer in colder water for this reason alone. As far as clothing goes, it kind of depends on the water you are fishing. If i was big into river fishing where the probability of going in the water in cold weather was higher I would get a dry suit and be done with it as nothing is safer. I am not a big river fisherman in winter so I go with synthetic base layers adjusted for the temperature of the water and air with a pair of waterproof breathable waders and the jacket of my choice for the day. I have tested this set up out to see how much water would get inside should i flip or something along those lines and with a PFD on you don't get much as the pressure of the water pushes the waders tight to your body. The only time I got water in more than a few drops was when I intentionally jumped in and tried to go over the point of where the top of my chest waders were. Still didn't get much and i also realized how difficult it actually was to get down that deep as the waders also provide flotation. Big thing is to be prepared for the water temperature and not the air. You see stories every year of people going ot on one of those balmy 60 degree early spring days, or around here even winter, and people don't think about the water still being 45 degrees. One thing to look for if you go the wader route is ones that are comfortable to wear sitting down. Many of the cheaper waders don't have good ergonomics as far as movement goes which can make sitting uncomfortable or getting in and out a pain as well. I personally enjoy fishing in winter and have done pretty well doing it as well. It is worth the time and effort to get the right gear.

Being a teacher and that is what I am doing and have been for the past 5 years. I do plan to move up to administration. My goal is in 5 years to be a principal or move towards something else in education that can combine my previous career of being a process engineer with education as education is sorely in need of streamlining and reducing of wasted time and effort.

Handles very well and I use KVD line conditioner. No issues at all. Super strong stuff too.

Preventable deaths are always painful but hopefully serve as a reminder to those who think it can't happen to them. Cold water is no joke and is something I have a healthy respect for, especially as a kayak angler.

I prefer yozuri 15lb hybrid myself. I used to use braid, 40lb but made the switch last year and I seem to have a better hookup percentage. not sure if the no stretch was pulling the baits out or what but I didn't lose many fish at all this past year.

torqueedo makes electric outboards that are much more powerful than trolling motors. pricey but worth it if you want the most power. I saw guy once at an electric only lake with one and he was up on plane cruising around with a 18' modified V type hull. He said he set up the boat purely for electric only lakes as there are quite a few around here nd he loved the set up.

the one that got away....

I am not a fan of things hanging out like that. I use storage totes with boxes on the inside usually but some are just thrown in there and I can fit a lot in each one to maximize space. I know where to look to see what i need when the time comes.

Seeing it and losing it is way worse to me. I was reaching down to grab a bass out of my kayak and it was big enough that I knew it was my PB. It had a mouth that was big enough that i could easily fit both my fists in his mouth. He had one treble hook in and a little shake and he swam away. What made it more painful was the next week I heard rumors from a guy who lives on the lake that they shocked the lake for fish study stuff and they pulled out a double digit largemouth in the area I had him on. I am 99% convinced it was the same fish I had on but I was never able to catch or see him again....

Lake fishing I take whatever I feel like which is usually 6-7 rods and a bunch of tackle in probably 8 plano boxes in a standard milk crate. I can't stand having rod holders on my crate as it takes up space and they are more awkward to get to in my experience. My ATAK 140 has space for flush mounts so that is what I use, 6 to be exact with three on each side. If i am on the river I just change out the gear I am taking but usually I am fly fishing primarily on moving water so the gear is less. I also have my fish finder and stakeout pole and anchor set up on there. Not fan of nets, haven't really needed one as of yet so the extra hassle isn't worth it to me. It is very important to learn the capability of your skill combined with your boat though as that will help determine a lot of how much you do as far as fastening things down. Don't get stuck on the leashing everything ell either...last thing you want should you flip your kayak is to be tangled up in some leashes. My best advice is don't do anything to it permanently until you fish it for a while and by a while I mean at least 5-6 trips. I have been kayak fishing well north of a decade and every boat I have bought I paddle and fish it a few times prior to rigging anything. Kind of the measure twice cut once mentality.

happy birthday man. I am still a few years away from being closer to 50 than 40 but I am still going strong as well and hope it continues.