flyfisher

I have some spinnerbaits and i have caught some fish on them but for some reason I hate throwing them. I don't know why but it just doesn't do it for me lol I throw chatter baits and crankbaits though and don't get the same feeling. Buzzbaits i like to throw and have a lot of success on them.

old topic and age old question. I will see if i can sum up the 2 main answers i have seen: 1) Baitcasting reels are more like a winch and the power is generated by the reel and not the rod so you want the stronger arm to be reeling 2)If you started using them "back in the day" or were taught by someone from that time frame, all that existed were right hand retrieves so that is what you bought or learned on from the people who taught you. For me it made no sense so i use left hand retrieve reels for everything from spinning, bait casting and fly reels. I am glad that bait casting reels have definitely increased the offerings in LH retrieve.

if you end up catching some carp on the fly rod, be warned it is extremely addictive and more fun than any type of freshwater fishing i have ever done, especially if you are able to catch one of the topwater feeding times that happen a few times a year.

id bet nobody in the country has 16 of those in stock anyways.

It is huge to build a relationship with the local fly shop. Conventional tackle you can buy online and be just fine (although i prefer not to) but when fly fishing the expertise you will gain from taking to those in the know will be monumental. It is a specialized niche and your learning curve can be drastically shortened with the right information. On a side note I went to a local pond today with the fly rod and caught a few bass and a pile of sunnies...always a good time.

I am always shocked with the number of parents there with their kids when it is late. I get that there are extenuating circumstances at times but the majority of the time the kids don't even look like they are tired. if i took my kids to a store at probably any time past 9 i am risking a tired kid meltdown lol

yeah i do both. It really isn't that hard for me to do but i usually don't do both on one trip just from a tackle management perspective in my kayak. I see it as a tool and wile i can fly fish deep, it is boring to me so i'd rather use conventional gear in anything over say 10' or when i am trying to cover water. ironically enough some of my best days have been in the cold, like 45 degree or less water. I think the slower action of a fly and it is kind of hard to fish a fly fast helps in that case. I'll also disagree that you will want to replace the rod right away. Will other rods do a better job, probably but I fished for a long time on an old cortland and caught everything from small brookies to 20lb class carp. There is also a big movement towards the composite/fiberglass rods now too. I guess it is going old school

you are going at the wrong times then....all the good ones come out late at night.

7-8 wt line? if so it will throw everything you want pretty much but the slower action will make you really slow down your casting stroke and it will also make it easier to lay down a soft cast. The composite will make very fish feel larger than it really is too which is always fun I prefer faster action rods to really punch flies into the wind and get extra distance but that is what i learned on too.

the only running you should do is to the nearest pond to get yourself acquainted to fly fishing. I always suggest, if possible, to get a lesson from a certified instructor for your casting. Yes it costs some money but in that hour or whatever time you have you will drastically shorten your learning curve and maximize your success. You can always practice in your yard too and learn from youtube videos but it doesn't compare to good instruction. All that being out of the way, go after some sunnies. grab a handful of slow sinking spiders or poppers and cast to spots that look good. This time of year they are usually pretty cooperative (any time really) and they will let you see and feel what a bite feels like. After a trip or two then go after some bass, either brown or green, up to you really. As far as largemouth goes I like big deer hair poppers and large rabbit hair streamers. Something with a big profile can get them to bite. Nothing better then dropping flies into holes in a lilly pad field and "finesse" fishing them out. For smallies in rivers and streams, give me rabbit hair streamers or sliders and poppers. Cast to likely spots and dead drift them through the pockets and riffles. I know it seems counterintuitive to just let them drift but the flies have a lot of action themselves and i have had better success that way on rivers and streams from large to small. And since i forgot to ask, what weight rod do you have? Rod/line weight will determine fly size more than anything. Above all else, have fun and enjoy the fishing as much as the catching. Any other questions feel free to ask as myself and a few others that frequent here chase bass on the fly rod. I am getting ready to hopefully go out this weekend and try and find some bass chasing shad up shallow in the creeks myself.

For me it is my stakeout pole and anchor trolley. They are awesome for my style of fishing but i am going to set up an anchor to go directly off the bow for river fishing that is more easily deployed and retrieved for some of the smaller flows i fish. Also as far as scupper carts go, be careful as not many kayaks are designed to handle the added stress a scupper cart puts on the kayak. I have seen a lot of cracks in scuppers from using them.

I hope everyone is safe and there is minimal damage. Now a few "hurricane days" off from school wouldn't be that bad though....

Reels are all shimano but one Kastking i bought on a whim. Rods are all over the board...i have shimano, duckett, kistler, abu garcia and St Croix in my normal usage arsenal.

in a kayak you have to think about the angle the line is in the water. When sitting it is much flatter and has more opportunity to wrap up. When standing it isn't going to get hung up as often. I do a lot of pitching into pads sitting down in my kayak (raised seat) and when i find myself losing fish as you mentioned, I start standing and it goes away the majority of the time. Set the hook hard and fast and get them moving towards you.

I ordered a couple of the smaller ones that should be here tomorrow and hopefully if i can get out in between rain showers i can chuck it this weekend I have, and caught some good sized smallies and largemouth on it. Sometimes the smaller baits produce better for me for some reason. I don't argue with success

you ever throw the bigger one?

Megabass PopMax and PopX have been my go to topwater poppers for the past two years and i haven't seen any reason to change that. They seem to consistently produce for me in many different conditions.

Without electronics look at the shore and the features you see as they will continue into the water. Then once you have an idea of what type of structure is available you can begin probing those areas with various baits to learn whats on the bottom or if there are drop offs etc...A big heavy jig is always good to figure out what the bottom contour and composition is like. You can also throw a crankbait of various depths until you start hitting bottom. Another thing to do is to try and find topographical maps of the area you are fishing. And all while doing this, keep saving your pennies for some electronics I know for me getting side imaging on the kayak was a major help in eliminating areas and in reducing paddling time.

I moved from SE PA down to VA and i have done the opposite of you...up there i was all about he rivers and streams (mainly because i had no boat) and then got into reservoir/lake fishing down here. The past year I have been fishing the rivers and creeks a lot more and i have found them to be doing better than when i first moved here almost 15 years ago...so i guess the moral of the story is, who knows but just keep going out there and you'll figure something out

I was thinking of hitting the Pamunkey as I have heard they are getting pretty big downstream of 360 but with school starting tuesday, who knows when i will get out, maybe over Christmas break

I have lived in Richmond area for almost 15 years now and i am not proud to say, I have yet to go out catfishing yet i always say i am going to do it...maybe i will dust off my bait runner and do the same thing here soon...

It happens. I wouldn't worry about it too much. There is a reason each fish when spawning lay thousands of eggs.

last few times out i have done pretty well numbers wise but the size isn't there just yet. The best places i have been have moving water which i guess is keeping it a little cooler and more oxygenated....oh and i am in a kayak not the bank.

While I don't own a Ranger I do have Apple products and I can say that of all the PCs and laptops i have owned, my MacBook Air from 2013 is still going strong unlike many pc laptops I have owned in the past.

Terminators are easy to walk, especially the popping version and that is even leaving the legs long. The easiest frog to walk out of the dozen i have tried over the years is the Megabass pony Gabot, hands down. It has two drawbacks though, price and durability. The plastic is super soft which is awesome for hooklets but not so much on durability. I caught a bunch on it and then i caught a near citation sized bowfin and he completely tore it to pieces.