Holetail

Back in my 20’s I did quite a bit of commercial fishing off shore. Captain and I decided it would be a good idea to spent the night on the break (67miles out) on his 26’ center console. It was summer and winds were forecasted as light. About 2 AM it started blowing 15-20 with 6 foot seas. All we could do was take turns at the helm motoring over the waves while the other tried to sleep. Miserable night but we caught the hell out of the grouper the next day. Oh to be young and dumb again.

HS kids in the muzzle loader club bringing their completed rifles home on the bus at the end of the year. No big deal since everyone had at least a shotgun in their vehicle. Building bike ramps out of bricks, blocks, and a piece of plywood and launching ourselves as high and far as possible. Numerous crashes without helmets yet we all survived somehow. Two farmers kids getting in to a fight in the hall freshman year. One pulled a pocket knife and the other said no fair so the kid tossed him his knife and pulled another. No bloodshed and no one was expelled. Junior high bus driver let one of us jump off the bus and run to a corner store to buy soda and candy with pooled money. Had to make it to the next stop before the bus or it would be a long walk home. Only remember one time a kid didn’t make it. Would be arrested for sure doing any of these things today. Simpler times for sure and it’s fun to reminisce.

Amazing how this little guy… turned into this giant, spoiled mutt!

I have only used the Owner heads in 1/16 and 1/8 and have good results. Recently picked up some slider pro and the BPS brand. Haven’t tried either yet so no real review yet. I did notice the BPS have a pretty light wire hook as opposed to the Owner. Mostly throwing ribbon tail worms on these so far. Also grabbed a pack of the Zman version. They have a shorter hook shank so I’m thinking they will work well with more finesse sized baits.

I have the NRS Chinook so it’s not the vest. Just going to take some time to get used to doing everything while on the boat. Thanks for the crate recommendation. I will check into it.

Got out for the maiden voyage this AM. Paddling was no issue but I can tell I’m going to be sore later. So out of shape… Everything is more difficult with the PFD in the way and constantly being aware of how moving around will make the boat react. I’m sure it will get easier the more I go and get used to what I can and cannot do. Even casting had a new learning curve that will need more practice. Had a few accidental skip casts I was not ready for. Only one backlash that I couldn’t get out on the water though so I’m ok with it since I can get it out at home. Went with rod holders instead of a crate which I’m rethinking now. Problem is the place I fished today has a ton of cypress trees that overhang which is why I wanted to keep the rods low. Boat was crazy stable. Never once felt even a little tippy. Figure I’m going to order the flex wings though. Noticed pretty quickly what everyone said about the so-so tracking. Wind was still and I struggled to keep from spinning some. Paddle management was tricky at first until I got comfortable with keeping it in my lap. Towards the end I was managing it much better. Fishing was tough. Water was 80 degrees still. Didn’t see much activity on the surface or even birds. I’m sure it will get better when things cool off some. Hooked one fish and lost him. Sure I didn’t get a good hookset. Missed two other bites. All in all, it was a blast and didn’t expect to slay them. Looking forward to the process of figuring this out and the fish will come.

Well, I picked the boat up today and spent a few hours rigging it. Trying to not get too crazy until I fish it and figure out where I want everything. Cannot wait to get on the water in the AM! Will post some pics of it set up to fish and hopefully some slime on the deck…

Some days, It’s not all about fishing…

Most definitely not a “toad”, but my first fish on one. Haven’t really thrown top water much but was organizing baits and found a bag of toads I picked up at some point. Watched a few videos last night (including Glenn’s) on how to fish them so I stopped this AM on the way to work and caught two in about 20 mins. Now I’m wondering why I haven’t tried this sooner. Have another pond full of weeds that I cannot wait to check out after work.

Thanks for the info. I’ve read about the seat issue and May see about getting the retrofit plastic guards they sent out rather than mess with the pads. Will see how it goes. Most of the places I plan to fish are pretty small so until I decide to get on some bigger water, I’m not overly concerned about the tracking. May get the flex wings if it seems really bad. Picking it up tomorrow and plan on fishing it Sunday so I am excited. Will post some pics once I get it home and start rigging it.

Maybe try attaching a float to them? I have used the large foam bobbers on my pliers instead of a lanyard with good success. Simply break off the plastic line attachments and hog out the hole to fit 550 cord, loop through grip handle and tie a square knot. I use the big orange or yellow floats so I can easily find them if I leave them on the bank.

I am actually in Wilmington so not too far away. Once I get the boat rigged up and learn to fish it, would be up for a road trip to check out some new waters. Would be happy to show you around if you’re ever down this way as well

Thanks, he is pretty happy to have bested his old man! Amazing the fight these little fish put up in such shallow water. The guide we used was great and really put us on the fish. My buddy was on a different stretch of the river and he landed 15 fish so they knew what they were doing. Very enjoyable day, but I’m not going down the fly fishing rabbit hole just yet. Bass fishing is expensive enough! Haha

No bass this weekend, but wanted to share a few of the beautiful native trout my boy and I caught in the NC mountains. First time fly fishing for either of us so happy we caught a few and the boy has bragging rights for the biggest fish for now…

X2 on the Reaction Innovations skinny dipper. The Little Dipper is great too for a smaller profile. They have a good bit of rolling action so perfect on a swim jig. Although not a swim bait per se, I’ve had good luck with a swimming dinger as a trailer as well. Can easily shorten them and they make a nice compact profile with a more subtle action.

I have been having some luck with 1/16 and 1/8 oz slider heads rigged weedless. Mostly using a ribbon tail or straight worm. Let it settle on the bottom and slowly reel until you bump into weeds then a small pop to clear it and repeat. Seem to get hit after the pop a lot. Also been tossing a Tokyo rig with a trick worm right into the weeds. Shake it a little or hop it. Seems to keep the bait clean even when the weights collect some junk.

Am I sending some sarcasm here? Haha. It is a little more flashy than I’d prefer but I’m a patriotic guy so…

Since KOZ did such a great write up and review of his Seastream, I thought I would do the same for the SS127. I ordered an RS117 through a local dealer back in June. Really wanted the SS127, but didn’t really want to spend the extra $ at the time. I still don’t want to , but grew seriously frustrated with how long it was taking for the RS to come in. I’m understanding about supply issues, but the boat has been delivered to the stores warehouse two hours away and has been sitting there for over a month now. Several calls to them and a couple visits to the store to inquire on status left me with no real info other than it would be another week or so. My breaking point was a lack of urgency for the shop to get the boat to complete the sale and their refusal to even make a phone call to check status. Anyway, they have had an SS127 in the store that hasn’t sold since I first placed my order. It’s the Patriot edition which isn’t my first choice in colors, but I’m happy enough with it. I got the OK from the wife to spend the extra $ after some debate. I know it’s the boat I truly wanted and I probably would have regretted not buying once and crying once. Went in on Sunday and transferred my deposit to this new boat which I can pick up anytime this week. I am super excited to finally be able to get off the banks just in time for what I hope to be a good fall bite. Will definitely post updates once I get it in the water and answer anyone’s questions.

Got out early this AM and was rewarded with a dink fest. Got 5 on the fluke but also got 3 on the bitsy bug. Even dinks love the jig!! Think I’m starting figure out this jig fishing. Still sure I’m missing bites, but gaining confidence.

Re-reading the jig thread and was inspired to place an order with Siebert. Now I need my kayak to arrive so I can put these to good use…

Recent success with the Tokyo rig has got me wanting to make my own. BPS has the wires with needed loop so I picked those up along with swivels and split rings. The monkey wasn’t satisfied so added some slider heads, couple packs of different worms, and couldn’t resist the Plano Edge jig box. Academy got me with $20 off on a Tatula 100 7.3:1. Didn’t really “need” another reel, but I sure enjoy the one I have and it wanted company…

Other than my private hunting club lake 600 miles away that no one bass fishes in, I don’t really have any secret spots. I have figured out one retention pond here that sees some pressure. The other day I stopped there after work and another guy pulled up and was asking if there are fish in the pond. Decided to walk the bank hoping to “see” some fish all the while talking about another spot with 8 pounders nearby. Had a feeling this guy is part of the bucket brigade so I purposely missed a couple bites while he was around! Gotta do what ya gotta do to protect what few spots I have.

Looked back through my notes last night and saw that I caught 4.63 lb fish a month or so ago in the same spot. Didn’t measure length on that one but I am definitely thinking this is the same fish. Ate a Tokyo rig with a trick worm then as well. Go figure…

Could not find the rod locally and not easy to find online. Finally found one and it took more than 3 weeks to arrive. Prefer not to have to ship it back and wait for replacement. Will call them tomorrow and see what they have to say

Anyone have this rod? Just got one after almost a month wait. It appears this is missing the insert in the tip guide but wanted to be sure it wasn’t normal before calling tomorrow. Figure I will just have a new guide put on, rather than wait for a new rod. It’s only a $50 rod but pretty bummed I cannot use it since I would be ticked if I broke off because of fraying. TIA for any help.