Further North

I meant to comment on this... I saw them, and I didn't want to get sucked into the hype from folks who might have a vested interest...and no way I was going to pay retail... ...so when the opportunity came up, I reached out to a couple folks I trust who had cast them, got a decent thumbs up from both, so I grabbed it. I'm still reluctant to buy into the hype, thus my statements above about trying to be objective...but jeez...is this thing accurate. The TFO Axiom II has some of the same kind of thinking applied to its design, but the H3 seems to have and edge accuracy wise. I need to fish it more (that means get ticked off a couple times when I can't drop the popper in the 6" slot between the lily pad and the branch) to be completely objective, but I'll get there. I was out last night practicing into a mid-teens wind...and as long as I did my part (high back cast, low forward) I was having no problems putting that little hunk of foam close to where I wanted it.

Tell you what: That Single Handed Spey blew me out of the water with how easy it casts once you get the hang of it. You're going to have to double haul if you're not just flipping out a roll cast (I do that about half the time with that line). As you can see, i've got it rigged with a popper and sits right up on the top, really well. Rio's InTouch Outbound short lines are great as well. I like the Rio Smallimouth and Clouser lines as well, but not as much as the two above. The Airflo floating line I mention above is great, but I'm not sure they make it anymore....but their new stuff gets the job done too. With Orvis now owning Scientific ANglers, I expect their lines to get better...the SA Hover is another great line, but it's for going juuuuuust subsurface. I've also heard good things about the Titan, the Amplitude and Orvis Power Taper lines... ...and now I'll wander off the topic a bit: The fly fishing industry has really messed up rod weights, and with it, line weights the last few years. Overly fast rods, often built to with the obsession for hero-length casts has made it much harder to match up line to rod. Depending on the rod, and the line, you could easily wind up going one line weight heavy...but what'll screw that up is that some line makers are already compensating for that...and adding weight. Add in that fly rods are pretty individual in terms of what we like and don't like...and we can spend some time figuring out what works for us. I'm fortunate in that I've got 6 8 wt. reels with different lines on them...and another half dozen lines I can swap in, so figuring out what'll make me smile is easier than a guy who has to buy lines...or drive to a shop that'll let him test them

That's hilarious. I use two of them... ?

I like it, and I think it's it's easier to deal with than the transom savers.

No. Having had three different kinds break, I've come to believe they transmit shocks directly frm the trailer to the lower unit... But I do use the M-Y Wedge to take the stress off the hydraulics: https://www.cabelas.com/product/M-YWEDGE-MOTOR-SUPPORT/2030926.uts?productVariantId=4220019&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04201272&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwqqP8KHM2wIVRp7ACh0BjAbUEAQYBSABEgLMcvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Someone will likely jump in with experience that they've towed for years with a transom saver, and you should listed to them as well. I just went with what happened to me. There are also folks who run with the support built into the motor. I'd listen to it all and make your own choice.

Add Doctor Spoons to your arsenal. Bigger wobble, I like them a lot. I would fish them with a pike/musky leader though, if either is in your area. They like them...a lot...

I catch a walleye now and then by accident...but if you want to be successful for both, I think that tactic is your best bet. Where I run into walleye is when they are up shallow, or on a break to deeper water and a bit more aggressive than normal and I'll pick them up with smallie rigs.

Yes.

That's how I see it, with a strong preference for layout over aesthetics. For me, pretty that doesn't work is useless... That's a great question! A long time ago, when we were looking for a DJ for our wedding, I called most of the DJs near the place we were getting married and asked all of them who was the 2nd best DJ in town (after talking for them for a while, of course). THe sme guy turned up three or four times, that's who we picked, worked out great.

Seems to me that a 22' "Fishing Barge" (pontoon?) is gonna get batted around in the wind a lot...is a 70# motor enough to keep it under control?

I can't speak for others, but the cost/benefit calculation doesn't cut it for AGMs for me. They cost about twice as much, but don't last twice as long...

How'd it go? I live just south of there, and we we had a weird start to the season... Water temps on the opener were mid 40s...buy the next weekend, they were mid 60s and smallies were moving onto beds... Beds all over the weekend after that...then 90° air temps...then 50s...It's been all over the place so far. Sorta normal now.

Not for the faint of heart. $$$ will knock your socks of if you pay anywhere near retail. I know a guy...actually three guys...I didn't. I'm not terribly interested in that swirl, or discussing it, I'm just a guy with a fly rod/reel/line who wants to share some info with similarly inclined Micropterus dolomieu fans who can set aside stuff like that for an objective look at gear. This rod, reel and line combo is not for everyone, I get that, but neither are some of the gear fishing rigs we use. Rod: Orvis Helios 3F, 8 wt. Day One: 8 wt. It's the "F" version. Not as light as the Temple Forks Axiom II...but not by much. Balance is a little nose heavy with a Lamson Speedster and Airflo floating line...more reel/line combos to come. Easy casting to about 70 ft. Really easy casting at 35-40 ft. Can't speak definitively to the advertised claims about super-accuracy, but it's plenty accurate. Fit and finish is as expected. Graphics are indeed NASCAR-ish...but who looks at the rod that often, really? I use reels that look like they fell off a late 90s - early 00s sports coupe anyway... That's all I've got for now... First impressions, Part Deux*: I could easily be focusing more, or compensating more than I am aware of, but standing on the deck, then wandering the back yard throwing at various weeds, dark patches of grass and gopher mounds... This thing's on target, and I don't feel like I'm working at it. Did the same with the Axiom II, a rod I've fished for weeks already...and I'm not as on target. But...different line, entirely. Not conclusive. I've fallen for enough shotguns, then found they didn't really work all that great after the bloom was off the rose to get sucked into this being definitive, but so far, so good. *several hours later Day Two Swapped reels and lines around tonight; put the ULA with the Rio Single Handed Spey on the H3, and the Airflo floater on the Axiom II. H3 is still a little nose heavy even with the heavier line on the ULA. Pretty much the same deal: The H3 throws straight lines to what I'm looking at, no need to compensate for whatever's going on with the rod. The Axiom II will throw a little further with the same effort...but how much do I care, really? I'm a 75 ft. caster, most days and that's more than enough for teeth or bass in my neck of the woods. Day Three So here's how she sits right now: Helios H3F + Lamson ULA 3 + Rio Single Handed Spey Floating line. It's set up for bass right now, no allowance for teeth. Had it out for a couple hours today... It is the most natural, see fish, cast to fish rig I've ever thrown, but it's pretty unique to how I do things. YMMV. Actually, YMWV is probably more apt. We'll see how it it shakes out. It'll put a Mr. Wigley on a lily pad, if you you do your part. Seriously. Balances OK: Better with line out...

Interview with Sven and Olie Petersen, after a tragedy on Musky Lake, June, 2018

Wicked cool rig there! Enjoy!

I can't tell you where mine are usually when I get home, but I've run them all day, two days in a row without a charge. Seemed weird to me.

That's not good...and the batteries don't sound great. You should be able to run them pretty much all day and still have half you capacity or better left. On that day above where I had to make it back to camp on my Terrova, I still had plenty of battery left.

It'll be fine. If your'e worried about fish seeing line, tie in a 4' - 6' piece of mono, fluoro or co-poly as a leader, tie you bait to that. Works for me hundreds of times a year in clear water, stained water, moving water...and I run high visibility bright green Suffix 832 30#...

I use an Abu Garcia LTX. ...but it wasn't cheap...cost $380 new in 2016... I tend to look at it this way: It was less than the Shimano Calais DC I use for pike and musky...

20 ft., half inch bungee cord. Trust me.

I think you're both thinking about it, and making the right call for you... That's the thing...I learned a long time ago with bird dogs...don't be breed blind. They all have something to offer and if you open your mind, and your heart, they can all make you smile. I'm mostly a pointing dog guy, but some of my fondest memories are of flushing dogs or retrievers doing their thing...the way they do their thing. Same goes for being brand blind with vehicles. Back in the 80s, 90s and probably into the early 00s...you could get a better vehicle for less money going with an import...cars in particular...but I had a couple of Isuzu Troopers that were insanely good, one of which made it past 350,000 miles, with one expensive problem: the A/C compressor went belly up at around 100K and it was an expensive fix. Those Troopers cost around $3-$4,000 less than an Explorer or whatever GM was offering at the time in the same class...it was a no-brainer to make the choice we did. Gotta make the right call for you, at the time, and ignore all the true believers and Kool-Aid drinkers.

Funny thing about which vehicles you like and don't like: It's not a race. It's what makes you happy. I'll take what I like over what puts up the best numbers, every time. It's why I raced balanced sports cars instead of straight line heavy metal. It made me smile. Nailed it. I'm not terribly pro, or anti, any brand. But holy cow do the Kool-Aid drinkers slurp it up about whatever they are in love with, and you can't have a rational discussion with any of them. Same with boats, motors, electronics and a host of other things. I don't begrudge anyone their preferences...until they tell me what I like is junk...then it's walk-away time. From what I've seen and read, this is true. I know that Jeep has improved immensely, particularly in regard to power plants. THey've been world class WRT to all wheel drive forever, but have had plenty of other issues along the road...or off it, if that's more appropriate. ? I'll go back to my earlier statement: It's hard to find bad vehicles these days.

Looks like that'll work.

It'd be cool if it worked out that way. My faith in sales-reported manufacturing schedules, based on 35 years of dealing with Sales Gomers 'n' Goobers making promises we couldn't keep, is about zero... I Hope you're dealing with someone who's been dosed with reality.

True enough, if we can trust the media to report things accurately. I think it's bad call, for a lot of reasons, but it is what it is. Nah. Ford's not that stupid.