fishhugger

ty for photos...

@bulldog1935what is the main difference between the harnell and fenwick? i'd guess they're about the same weight? i also have a browning silaflex - full cork grip, similar to the fenwick, in specs. but it has a 'tennessee' grip...

@bulldog1935 thanks for the reply... that's quite a collection of fishing nostalgia! gladding - so i no that name from when i was young (i'm 66). i think it was on fishing lines, or maybe dry fly stuff...? glad to hear the fenwick is still a viable option for ul fishing... gee, do most guys veer one way or the other? i mean - the new rods just really seem so different in action, and weight, to the fiberglass rods. i guess i'll keep trying the fenwick, and see how i like it. it's a beautiful rod, tho. the coloring, look.. the handle is maybe a bit heavy.

just wondering... i get pretty confused by the multitude of fish in --- for example, the california delta. this field guide seems pretty spot on. i mean, it's written by a scientist.... it lists all fish, from teeny ones, to large ones, lists whether they are native, or introduced ---- and describes the fishes habits - in terms of the fisherman.... also, how to clean, store, cook fish..... it's 530 pages... i only read the parts that interest me. looking at all the fish online is just a maze for me. it seems very easy to use, nice format, nice size. i got the revised edition at a used bookstore. $6. score!

i use some vintage things -- a svea stove, mine is 50 years old, based on a century old design... or the old coleman green car camping stoves --- indestructible and reliable. mine are from the 1950s to 1970's. their design is from ww II, i think --- they have an ingenious way of skipping the priming step.... but for reels i prefer modern ones. they're more efficient, reliable, lighter, etc.. imho.

i've been having fun with my new okuma celilo ultralight spin rod, 6' l, line wght 2-6#, lure wght 1/32 to 1/4. i just broke out my old fenwick 6', fiberglass, line wght 1-3#, lure weight 1/8 to 1/4 oz. i thought the fenwick might be interesting casting a really small thill slip bobber, with a 1/16 oz jighead, and trout magnet plastic. are there pros or cons about the fenwick vs celilo for bobber fishing? i am guessing the fiberglass might cast further, i don't exactly need the sensitivity of the graphite. what else would the fenwick be good for? spinners? small crank baits? top waters? i'm using 4# mono on all my bluegill rods. oh - they just stocked the lake with trout too. thanks, guys!

that's such a tuff situation. one of my relatives is 98... now he's in a board and care, and has dementia. when he goes, it wouldn't be such a terrible thing, for him.... i'd rather he go before he busts a pelvis or leg - than after. and i think he feels the same. falls are pretty tuff. yeah - i been phishing for my mental and physical health currently. that's why i use lures. i enjoy them. and enjoy just casting.

tom, do you try to throw it when the fish are chasing bait fish, or can you throw it anytime?

i am just starting to explore the labyrynth known as the calif delta... i've been mainly fishing at italian slough and clifton court forebay, ... i bring a rod or two for panfish - and now one for stripers. for the stripers, first i threw a daiwa floating minnow. that caught tons of weed in it's lip, so i stopped using it. there's weed in lots of areas, and it's often submered, very hard to see. i'm casting as far as i can - maybe 40 to 50 yards once i switched to a big 1 oz strike king silver spoon, on a 25# mono leader, and 20# braid main. the spoon doesn't get that much of the weed stuff, and if i were a striper, i'd definitely go for it. however, no bites. is a silver spoon good to use to look for the stripers, or does it need certain conditions - such as bait fish, etc? , should i keep heaving it? i thought of a lipless crank --- didn't try that yet. i guess i'm trying to avoid the salad bar, at this point. kastmasters? bucktails? should i not cast so far? for rods and reels - i used my surf rod, a 9' okuma rockaway, 12 to 20 lbs line, 3/4 to 2 oz lure rating, 20# braid, penn battle ii 4000 reel. my other two rods are too light for the lures i'm throwing - but are they okay to try for stripers...? one is a shimano combo bait caster, mh 7', fast action, p pro rating 20-50#, lure rating 1/4 to 3/4 oz, and line rating 10-20#... idky the p pro rating and a separate line rating. it has 20# braid. then a mh kastking perigee ii spinning rod, 7',, 8-14# line, 3/8 to 3/4 oz lure rating... 20# braid... thanks so much! ok - doing reading on this site for stripers and spoons... just after posting this....

my mom enjoyed taking a bunch of us out to 'the cement boat' to fish. it was an old cement boat, permanently grounded, near santa cruz in california. it was pretty adventurous to fish, either on the boat, which i viewed with suspicion, because there was water in it's hold... the ocean. i prefered the pier. you could, being adventurous, cast under the pier, to try to get that structure... a lot of the older people in my family fished - usually for stripers, in the california delta. that was when it had more fish than it does now. i've just started fishing the delta now, and had my first striper outing friday. no luck, except had a nice day on the delta. the weather was good

yup... you guys helped a lot, as always. happy fishing...

hi eric and all... i got a 6'6" celilo, to go along with my 6'. then there's my 5' shakespeare microlite. then i move my reels amongst them - i have a real light shimano sienna 500, about 6.3 oz, then heavier 1000's - shimano sedona and a penn battle iii. i think they are almost 1 1/2 oz more than the little sienna. unclear if i like the 1000's more than the 500. i think i have less confidence in the 500, in terms of strength and durability, unsure about drag. so right now moving reels among rods, seeing which combination i like, etc. i'm using all 4# mono, to keep that part simple. i'd like to get an upgrade in rods at some point, once i've figured this stuff out more.

idk about lmb... but for bluegill in summer, they are on bed on full moons - that's my understanding... i haven't even seen this yet. this guy in alabama, richard gene on youtube, claims he can smell them on bed. i guess i believe him... definitely... i don't go for bass there, but a guy i just saw said he got a 2 pounder... another guy said there are some big ones there. but i don't see that many people going for lmb there. i think it's not that great 4 that. more catfish, etc... which they stock, at least in summer, catfish, winter, trout.

@Caliyak and @Darth-Baiter i received my fishnmap via mail, for the delta... i think it's clearly more detailed than the first map i got, the franko map of the delta... they're both water resistant, if not waterproof. the fishnmap is really detailed, quite a bit of text... i've just been glancing at them; i think i definitely prefer the fishnmap.. thanks again, everyone, for all the info. man, the delta is so vast.

sorry to hear about your mom... does the full moon help you out on the weekend? it happens on the 10th. i was at my lake, temescal, and there was a lot more activity (probably bluegill). i was wondering if that was because of the upcoming full....

i don't care for it, particularly ---- people keeping fish out of the water too long, etc.. but i try not to pay attention. like others have mentioned, i just try to pick up any mono i see lying around. the trashier the place --- some people practically unspool their whole reels, leaving lots of line just strewn there.

i assume you tried to order the franko maps but never got it? i got it off amazon. i think the map you mention has a bit more detail on the fishing, though it's hard to say til i see it. i'm just going for panfish, so have been looked for more sheltered water.. GL!

thanks, d... i just ordered it... i already have another similar map, california delta by franko maps... the map you mention has additional fishing info, etc... we'll see! ty, tom... manteca is kind of far for me, as i'm in the bay area - is there a reason you mention that particular town and store? i can ask around at other stores.... i've heard stories about the delta and 'trouble'... i figure i'll try to keep a lookout up... are we talking trouble when you're in the middle of nowhere? i live in oakland. we have shootings all the time. it's like croissants and coffee. but i no when i was parking in the delta, i was worried about i guess being singled out for an out of towner.

i been exploring the california delta - trying to find some good crappie bluegill spots near the bay area . in the southern delta. i laboriously used google earth, just trying to find sheltered water, slower water, and what looked like PUBLIC water. is there any? i was interested in dutch slough, as that looked calm, had some trees, didn't have houses and lots, although it had docks. so i figure - worth a try! it looked public... not really. at least for me. dutch slough road was hard to locate off bethel island road... it looked more like a private dirt road. no way. i hopped over to jersey island road... man, the delta is like the ocean coast - all owned. sorry i'm complaining so much. so, dutch island road there looked like there were som great areas - however, first i had to park. not on dutch slough road. it's a fire road. no parking signs everywhere. park in front of someone's place? is that legal? decided not to. i don't want no trouble from the locals. so i parked, half a mile away? i think where they used to drill for oil... anyway, a ranch. so my van is literally - in the middle of nowhere. there's nothing there. cows. walk up to dutch slough road - then i see the no fishing signs. "avoid arrest! no respassing! no fishing on levee by order rd 799. so - no fishing. this sign may have been for a far part of the levee - there was an area that 'appeared' to be public - but i guess i just didn't want to chance it. i mean, it seems illegal to do anything on bethel island... k. i vented. i guess. it was a difficult trip. have been to big break --- but most of the shore doesn't have trails, so i was limited to the pier, kayak area, etc. looking at google earth now - i do not see any public ways (trails) to get to the shoreline. any suggestions? i guess mine is: don't go to bethel. but then ------------ where on gods green delta is there? i ended up fishing at some regional thing.... is there any way to figure out what is public and what is not? or do you actually need a kayak...? (kayak is out for me - too old). ended up at the oakley pier. not super into that. i use google earth and also a california delta map.... looking for panfish. thank you - sorry for the rant.

i'm in the bay area --- there's one in sacto... that's possible. i'd never heard of turner's... i'll check them out...

thanks a lot guys... i'll do a lil research on these... maybe i'll be making a trip to dicks or bps... actually, i may be going to reno soon. i live in california............ our outdoor shops sort of suck compared to those in reno or is it sparks..... wow. actually, our shops totally suck compared to the ones in NV.

i've been comfortable, since i can cast 'only' about fifty feet with my 5' shakes, that my 4# mono is fine for hooking up... how far are you comfortable casting - and hooking up - with 4 # mono? i'm thinking of the stretch factor... and i guess, the weight factor of that much line out with a tiny bait.... thanks!

thanks, eric, for the honesty... i've only been fishing a couple years, and this sensitivity thing is pretty challenging... yeah, it's hard 'reading' what is ticking my lure 100%, but i feel the celilo is okay at it. algae, twigs, rocks, a quick bite - are sort of distinguishable. so maybe a st croix would make it *that* much more distinguishable. but then there's the reels - i feel my shimano sienna probably won't respond well if something over a few pounds grabs my lure, i mean, respond as well as a more expensive reel, in terms of drag, or even strength, etc.. so maybe i should spend more $$ on my reels. (i'm buying slightly higher cost shimano's now, which is sedonas). if i get a more expensive panfish rod, i'd either go for something like the bps panfish elite, or even higher. a higher priced rod, i mean, up to $150, might be what i'd go for... maybe. but, yeah, the issues are a little clearer now!

thanks ---- bps panfish elite... it could be in my price range...list price is about $80. there's really a difference in sensitivity between that and a celilo? they are both graphite --- i've seen the st croix and other rods, but never outside a store. i've just always - maybe naively - felt graphite rods were all about the same, except uh ... for components and finish??? k.. thanks guys... uh.. okay - well, i am interested in trying a more sensitive rod... the only ultralights i've tried are the rods i've mentioned here, i don't think 1970's fiberglass spin rods count... a fenwick and a browning silaflex. are you happy with all the rods you listed in this thread ? and i'm wondering why you're getting an ultralight trout rod... i would've thought one of the panfish rods would have been good for that? thank you

thanks --- i'm trying the rods out with 1000 size reels on both.. the 1 1/2 oz difference between my reels was too noticeable .... when do you reach for the five footer, and what do you like about it? perhaps i'll try a longer rod, the 6'6" or 7'.... wasn't aware it helped with larger fish. i do have various obstacles, from shore, lots of reeds, etc. i sometimes lift my rod up high, trying to get the line out of the water. for more control, a direct line to my float, etc... seems like my reasoning... other times, prefer the tip low. i think that's when my bait is close to shore and i don't want to pull it up that much... what rods do you use for more sensitivity? tysm....