casts_by_fly

agreed. Lots of people shoot the first deer they see so…

I’ve got another 5 weeks. It’s a LOOOONG season. It means I can be a little choosy about when I go. I’ve passed a bunch of buttons this year now. Every time I see them coming, get in position to shoot, and at the last minute I see the nubs. It’s getting harder to tell now since their coats are thick. This one I had to look three times to be sure. Our doe to buck ratio seems high to me and we had a crapton of deer two summers ago. Ehd hit locally and last season the population was low but they have come back after two breeding cycles now. Next year the population will be back up again I suspect.

just about. I was drawn on one Wednesday evening. It came straight in, let me draw with its head behind a tree at 20 yards, walked to 15 yards and stood there. But I could see it was a button buck and not a doe so I didn’t shoot. Still planning to shoot one more doe this year.

If you want a double duty rod, a falcon expert amistad extra heavy will give you a 3 oz rating and will throw a bit more. It’s 7’4” and 3/4-3. I had the expert amistad (regular one) and while rated for 2 oz I would fish to just about 3 oz as a light musky rod. It throws an Alabama rig or 7” keitech also. The extra heavy would do the same with a bit more bottom end for the heavier stuff.

Rod bond is the right thing but last I knew it came in bigger containers than you’ll need. 30- minute two part epoxy will do just as well. Like in the link above, take some fine sand paper or a heavy kitchen scrubber and get the surfaces as clean as you can and take the shine off of them. rick

I’ve got my usual half dozen that I fish all of the time. I might do them in a different time frame order this year and focus on different things, but the same lakes. I’ve fished most of the lakes around so there isn’t much new to explore but I do want to put time on the Delaware this spring. I’ve contemplated an smallie focus this year so the Delaware would have to figure significantly.

yup. Forgot I ran it dry last time I used it. Didn’t check that.

We are right on the border of 1-2", 3-4", and 8-12" on that same map of our area. If the storm moves east 30 miles we get 12". North 30 miles and we get rain. It looks like we're going to start with hard snow and move into wintry mix and rain for the area, though with our house at a little higher elevation than most we normally tip over into snow then. Either way, I'm not going anywhere and the snowblower fired up on the 4th pull (the gas tank was empty for the first three).

I went straight to Amped and haven't had a second thought. At the time, cheaper lithiums didn't have much of a track record. Now though, there are quite a few that have been good for people. The orange and white ones on Amazon seem to have a following (can't remember the brand) and they are cheaper. I think its LiTime. Looks like they have a 50 AH for $159 right now. And, if you decided that 50 ah wasn't enough, you could add another one for 100 AH and either carry it separately or hook them in parallel.

given the deal on the Revros LT at TW right now ($39!) I think you'll be hard pressed to top that for the money. I don't know the Fury, but you're talking about the $100-$125 price range. I do know the Falcon rods and the Lowrider series is right in there and a good set of rods. As for power and action, for a do it all like you desribe, I'd be looking at a medium power, fast action or thereabouts. Something with an 1/8-1/2 lure range. That's a light enough tip to throw a 3" unweighted soft plastic or a small 1/8 oz, 3" grub but still enough power to handle a 5" senko on a wacky rig or a split shot rig. Line is personal choice. Lots of people fish braid to leader for spinning rods (I'm one), but straight mono has been used this way for 50+ years to good effect. For a do it all rod, 10-15lb braid to a leader of your choosing (6-12 lb test) is what I'd do.

As with all battery questions, it comes down to how hard you're going to use the trolling motor and how big a water you're fishing. Like Jar said above, if you're running it on full power all of the time, you'll get about 3 hours of run time on still water with a 100 Ah. In a canoe like you describe, I'll estimate 3-ish mph for that, maybe a touch more. If you're planning to launch, run a mile, fish, run a mile, etc and all at full speed then maybe a 100 Ah is what you need. If you're launching, going at a moderate speed for a couple hundred yards and starting to fish then you don't need anywhere near 100Ah. If you're tootling around the bank at fishing speed you could do it on a 15 Ah battery. I've fished one of my lakes (120 acres, electric only) and used less than 8 Ah of battery in 6-7 hours of fishing in a not dissimilar setup. So for lakes, you need to figure out how hard you're going to push it. For rivers and streams you have to factor in current. If there is a 3 mph current and you're able to move at 3 mph, then you're going to have the battery on full power all day and go nowhere (or go downstream REALLY fast when you turn around!). If the river is more of a still river and very lightly meandering, then you'll probably be fine with a mid range battery size. I've got an 80 Ah in my kayak. For the two big lakes around here where I will be running full speed for 30-45 minutes once or twice a day it is enough. I've run it down to about 15% once, and in the the low 20% a couple times. One lake is 1200 acres and long, the other is 2700 acres. For all of the lakes under 500 acres its more than enough battery to never worry about it. For some of the lakes I might use 15% of it in a day. Personally, I want to be able to fish anywhere for any length of time so the bigger battery is right for me. If I was only fishing the smaller ones, then I'd consider a 50-60 Ah. Type depends on how much you want to spend vs how much weight you want to carry. A group 27 Duracell is rated at 90 Ah. On lead acid you plan based on 50% of capacity, so 45 Ah usable. For your use maybe a little more than 50%, so consider a group 27 as 50 Ah. That's 53 lb and costs $150 or so. In lithium, you get 90%, so a 60 Ah nets you 54 AH, weighs 16 lb and costs $379 from Amped (my preferred /current battery). Its also about 7"x7"x7" and can just about fit in a fanny pack.

How long does it take to wear out a snow shovel up there? Serious question. I had/have the type with the double 90 degree bend in the middle, the big plastic scoop, and a metal plate across the nose/bottom of the scoop. I bought my yellow one in 2006 for new house. I took it to the UK in 2007 and we only had 2 snow storms in 12 years that I needed it (but boy was it great to have since no one there has one). In the 4 years back here I've used it a handful of times. Most of its lifetime was used to chip ice which is what split the metal lip and why I had to get a new one. thanks rick

When you pulled the old star off, was the shim stuck to the inside of the star? That would be my guess. I'd google the parts diagram to be sure. rick

We're forecast to get somewhere between 2" and 10" saturday night into sunday this weekend. We're right on the edge of the current models, so if the storm moves 25 miles one way we'll get 0-2". If it goes 25 miles the other way (less likely in current forecast) we'll be at 10". The current most likely is 8", but I think its going to be 4-8" in the end. I actually bought a new snow shovel 2 weeks ago. Just need to fire up the snow blower today/tomorrow to blow out the cobwebs. We have no plans this weekend, so its going to be a stay at home day.

If you’re planning to fillet trout and cut through the pin bones while cutting back the fillet, get yourself an electric fillet knife. Pin bones on trout and salmon will dull a knife quick and you’ll need to sharpen it every couple fish at best. An electric will make short work of them and give you the cleanest cut. rick

Hi guys, I got the rod and reel while we were away (super fast TW shipping and over a holiday!). I'll go through my thought process below, however, I think both are going back for a replacement/exchange (respectively). What i went with: Shimano Zodias 6'9" ML 1/8-7/16 oz Fast action and a Stradic 1000 FL Why: At christmas I felt my dad's Zodias. His is the 7' Medium, Fast action 3/16-1/2 oz. Its a nice rod for what he uses it for (splitshot worms on tough days). The tip was basically light enough for what I wanted to do and would have covered 95% of what I'm intending, though just a little lighter would be my preference. The bottom end of the rod didn't feel too powerful for what I wanted either. The length was a touch long as I already knew. I reasoned that dropping to the ML would lighten the tip a little, while more or less keeping the same bottom end power and putting it all into a shorter package (which would even quicken the action a touch). All of that was the correct reasoning. This rod is just a touch faster action, a little shorter, and a little better balanced than his (3" off the tip helps). I think this is exactly what i was looking for. A light power would work too and be better for the lighter stuff, but I'll be on the heavier end of my spectrum more than the lighter end so this is the right compromise. I tied on a 2" crappie shad on a 1/15 oz head (1/10 oz total weight) and its right on the edge of what this rod will cast and its about as light as I'd ever throw. I went with the reel because I have a Stradic FH series from 2003 that is still smoother than a lot of new reels on the market. The Stradic series has consistently been great for me and I expected the same. I didn't want a 3000 size reel, but they don't have a 2000 size here and TW has a fantastic deal on the FL models now that the FM is out. I figured with the shorter rod that it would be good. Why's it going back?: The guides and the reel seat aren't lined up. The guides are perfectly straight. However when you look down the reel seat they are off by almost the diameter of the first guide. When you consider that the reel handle torques the rod around a little further yet when holding it, the guides are almost completely visible on the right side of the blank as I hold it. I know this isn't a custom rod and manufacturing tolerances vary, but on a $200 rod it should at least line up. I'll probably just get a replacement and hope its right. I considered an Expride before I ordered but they don't have the same model as this. The Poison Adrena is close in the 6'7" and I'm sure that would work, but not for another $200. I don't love the unsanded blank on the Zodias as I think its a cop out from the manufacturer to skip a step in the process, but I can get over that. The reel is also going back. The physical size is great. It's a great total package size on the rod and would fish fantastic. My only issue with my other Stradic is that my knuckle gets wrapped with the bail every now and then. I think that's the rod its on though. On this rod it doesn't do that so the 1000 size is no biggie. However, the new Stradic is only 6.5 oz. On this rod it puts the balance point out where the front grip meets the blank. The carbon rear grip on the rod has no weight to balance the tip so holding with the new FL puts a lot of pressure on the finger behind the reel seat (pinkie for me) to hold the rod at level or tip up. That's what I HATE about spinning rods in the first place. My old Stradic FH is 7.9 oz and on this rod it puts the balance right under my index finger where it should be. This Stradic FL 1000 would be great on a 6' rod or a rod with a heavier butt maybe. Also, the new reel has a rough spot (I think). It might just be dry bearings but for the first half hour it was on the rod there was a clear position in the handle rotation where you could feel and hear a rub and friction. I put two drops of bearing grease on the two handle bearings and it seems to have dissipated a little but this combined with the weight issue means its going back. Next steps: I'm going to think it through a little today and double check my options. I think I'm going to get a replacement on the rod (no change) and an exchange on the reel to a 2500/3000 size. The 2000 size vanford is lighter yet so no go. The 2500 Stradic is right at 7.9 which is the same as my old 1000 so I know where it will balance. I think that's my best course but I'll give it a few hours to sink in. Separately, I ordered the Suffix 131 on @Dwight Hottle's suggestion. I can see why he likes it just feeling it from the spool. It's just a little stiffer than 832 of the same size and its rounder/smoother. We'll see how it fishes soon enough but I think I'm going to like it. thanks, rick

At this rate we might not even have skim ice the rest of the year. I’m going to start stripping and lubing this and next week. The new spinning rod and reel is getting lined out tomorrow and might get a test run next week. I suspect the crappie are up shallow too.

the only issue for me is that the rewind time feature only works on a computer, not an iPad. I can’t install Google earth on my work computer and I only use an iPad for myself.

Navionic online is free. https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#boating@9&key=kaoxFh|ggM

The common cents system was designed back in 2002 or so as a measure of action and power (one number for each). Primarily it was used by rod builders to compare blanks, but then some manufacturers started lifting rods with it and rod builders started measuring and reporting factory rods to get comparable blanks. Then, there is a more involved version which measures deflection at various points along a blank to describe the change in power and action through the curve. It’s more involved but still simple to measure.

It’s time! When we get back from this New Year’s party weekend that’s my job for this week. Strip line, clean and lube, clean the boat. We’re at 40 degree water so I’m fishing the second week of Jan.

Well, I’ve made a decision. Just put an order into TW for a full setup and it will be here on the 3rd. I’ll put up a first review here when I get it. rick

I got screwed twice on timings. Both things that had guaranteed delivery dates. One I sent to our house because it was guaranteed before we were to drive back to Pittsburgh. The other was to deliver on the 22nd so I sent it here from the start. Of course we missed the one sent home by a day and the one sent to Pittsburgh by a day. At least the one sent home will be there when we get back. I’ll have to have my father in law send me the other. Both were Christmas gifts for my wife.

your braid was slipping on the spool. Some cheap mono backer will fix it.

Braid with no backing?