casts_by_fly

I ended up at round valley. Went to Merrill first and the ramp was frozen (rest of lake was open). Spruce has inches of ice. RVR was clear but windy and cold. Probably 8 boats out and tons of people on shore. 36 degrees and 25’ visibility. I couldn’t be bothered so after 45 minutes or so I called it and made a break back to the ramp. I’ll wait for the ice to come off at some more preferred lakes.

Actually went out today but shouldn’t have bothered. The lake I wanted to fish was 99% ice clear. The 1% was the 20 yards from the boat ramp out that prevented launching and closed the ramp and kayak slot next to it. That’s the only allowed access on that lake so went to lake two which was iced up solid (as expected). Third lake was completely open but is a tough one to fish in the best of times. Motored out with the wind and didn’t notice quite how strong it was. Marked a few fish and intended to fish back into the wind but when I spun around it was 15mph with gusts to 25 or so. I tucked into some shelter and spot locked over some fish in 30’ but the water was 36 degrees and had 25’ of visibility. If it was a glass bottom kayak I could have seen the bottom. I’d love to say it was good to get out but it’s better to be back home right now.

I’m between I80 and I78. Guys have been ice fishing earlier this week so not much open water. I’m going out tomorrow and we’ll see what’s open. rick

I don't know the 7'4" HC rod ( I considered it) but I recently picked up an Amistad 7'3" in the expert line as a 'light' punching rod and frog rod. We get lily pad and grassed in here quite bad in the summer (think Presque Isle lagoon or the back coves at Arthur) and I needed just a little more rod than I had. Having felt this rod, I think it will also be a great 3/4oz+ spinnerbait rod and even light duty musky rod (we have a couple lakes with a ton of them). But the expert is a bit over budget and I don't know the Bucoo Amistad to recommend it. The 6'10" pitchin stick is a great all around bass rod.

We've got upper 40's and low 50's today through Saturday and plenty of wind to break up ice. As of this past weekend, most places around here had 6" or more, though there are a couple lakes that were skim. This heat should break that up and the sunshine for 5 days should put a touch of warmth in the shorelines (like 39-40 degrees). Its enough that I might put the kayak in and start mapping some new lakes on my new zero lines card to be better prepped for spring. This winter has been a tough one. Our bowhunting season goes until this coming weekend and last year I was still out in Jan and Feb despite 3-4' of snow on the ground. This year, the temps have been single digits and the deer populations WAY down from EHD. Nothing is pleasant in single digit temps besides sitting in the house with a glass of something nice and sharpening hooks, cleaning reels, organizing tackle, etc. I have my rods behind my desk chair (work from home) and will pick them up a couple times a day and pitch to the corner of the room, the couch leg, and tip of the carpet..... thanks, rick

there is also an Abu STX-hs in the classifieds here for $130. I don't know the seller but it has me tempted.

I’ll push you price just a spec and suggest my current pitchin stick setup. Falcon Bucoo SR 6’10” pitching stick (called a head turner in their other lines) with an Abu Garcia SX hs. It’s my primary rod for throwing 5/16-1/2 oz jigs and equivalent plastics into anywhere you want to pitch them outside of the heaviest stuff. I run 17 lb mono for it. It also does double duty as a single hook moving bait setup (chatterbait, spinnerbait). The rod is $99.99 everywhere as standard. The reel is usually $120 on Amazon when it is in stock at certain sellers. Spring sales are coming too and I remember bass pro having them for that price last year. Add it to your cart and save for later with a notification.

And that's where I'd have called it a good day and gone home. No way to improve on that.

If you're spending ~$200 on a baitcaster it will be more than capable of casting a 1/4 oz sinker let alone a 1/4 lure that actually weighs more than a 1/4 oz. Pick the one you liek that feels good to you and like Tom said, get your rod right.

We're going to be above freezing for ~72 straight hours here with highs hitting high 40's with sunshine. I'm hopeful it kills all of the ice before the next set of freezing weather comes next week. Make that cold weather work for it to get that ice back on.

I another thread I mentioned consistency and consolidation and how that resonates with me. So that has driven my rods. Also, I fish from a Kayak, so carry 4-5 rods for every trip and have 2 that I swap in and out depending on the lake and time of year. So for me: Falcon (all but one) Shimano (one) I have some older rods that I've phased out now that I or my dad had 15 year ago before I went to the UK. I have them here and used them some last year, but won't really this year. I also have my fly rods, all of my customs (which I built a while ago), some saltwater gear, and some other randoms that aren't bass gear. If I was in a full rig and carried 20 rods in the boat maybe I'd vary a little, but I'm happy with the falcons and will continue to use them.

When we moved back to the states from the UK I had to 'relearn' how to bass fish after a 15 year hiatus. So much new stuff, so much stuff I didn't have anymore. My dad's been doing it for 50 years now so I've been taking notes. One of the things I noted was that he's got a matching set of rods and reels. All chronarch and shimano Crucials (IM10 series). I asked why and the condensed answer is consistency. When you pick up a combo, you know how it feels in your hand because they all feel the same. The reels adjust the same, the grips and seats all feel the same, etc. The only difference is the action itself which will vary with what you're doing with the rod. That made a lot of sense to me and I've stuck with that methodology. I settled on Falcon rods and Abu Garcia reels (he gave me 2 Abus that he had moved on from). I've now got a good feel that if I need a rod for something I can pick based on the spec and description and have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting. I can then put another Abu low profile on it and it will fit into the arsenal immediately. My gear ranges from Bucoo SR to Expert and Abu SX to MGX but they all feel the same in hand and all fish exactly how I'd expect. That's my long way of saying that if you like Diawa then upgrading to a higher end model isn't the worst choice. thanks, rick

Since we’re still frozen here I’ll share some of last seasons. The lakes around here are very multi species so you never know what’s going to bite. We do get some good perch and they are in most of the lakes around. This one ate a chatterbait. I keep meaning to go after them one day to bring some home but never do. Tons of pickerel here and various other predators. Walleye on spinnerbaits and topwaters? Why not. Crappie on crank baits? Sure.

I’m right handed and push buttons with my right hand. I also stand to fish and the fish finder is practically touching my right leg facing forward so no issues with casting or reeling.

I fish Falcon rods so that's where my reccos are. I use the Bucoo SR Lizard Dragger (7' 3/8-1oz) for a lot of things including bigger topwater like a choppo 105 (3/4 oz). It would be no problem with a 1 oz 120 if I wanted. Throwing a 1 oz spinnerbait with a trailer gets to be a bit much or is at least on the edge. I jut picked up an Expert Amistad (7'3" 3/8-2 oz) and it has a really nice action and I think would be a good choice for the biggies on top, but I'll have to see in a month or two when we thaw out. The Expert Bayou is a similar rod in 6'11" and was my other consideration. thanks rick

same here for me. That’s reliably into may here.

Are you guys iced over in MD? I’m about 100 miles north of the state line (I’m 2/3 the way up NJ) and we have been iced solid for the past month or so now. last year for us ice came off mid March and as of the end of April our water temps were 49-50 still, even in the smallest, shallow lakes. Fish were still schooled deep with nothing up shallow at all. I’d call it early prespawn maybe. Surprising that you’d be two months ahead for only 100 miles unless you’re down on the VA line.

Yeah, spotlock changes things. More than a few times last year I sat on a point or backside of a point with wind in my face or coming around the point. The wind blows the current and baitfish around and the predators wait for them. Spotlock holds you where you want and the fish just keep moving in. This was one spot. 15 mph wind just past the point but a break behind.

can you recommend a drop in bfs spool for the shimano chronarch 100? I have one here I’m not using and wouldn’t mind trying it. It’s not the SF model, just the basic one. Awesome reel generally but not low profile enough for me to fish it all the time. A bfs rig would be nice to have. thanks rick

do you have a spot lock motor?

for sure! Where are you based and do you fish from a boat or shore? I just checked out spruce yesterday while I was in the area. Obviously full ice still but I’ve not seen the shoreline up close before and I wanted to gauge distances (because 4mph in a kayak requires planning). I’ll be starting in March when the ice is out.

the omegas are great and secure. But you’re going to struggle to use more than two. So if you carry more than 3 rods you’re kinda stuffed.

apparently there is something in the water as a bunch showed up here too and brought some dt fat and OG slim friends.

not sure if I shared this with you in another place but this is my setup. Horizontal rod holders from mariner sails. I’ve written about them in the autopilot Facebook group a good bit. Overall I like them a lot and would never change to vertical rods. I need to make a modification eventually to put the Navarre handle on and move my mounts back a bit so it doesn’t interfere with the rudder deploy. I carry four or five rods. If five, one is in my hand and four down. If I want six, then I add a yak attack holder tilted down behind the seat. I stand the whole time to fish so vertical rods are a pain. i also don’t run a crate. Rods go in the holder in the picture above. I carry a Plano guide series tackle bag that holds 5x 3700, a 3600, and a bunch of soft plastics bags in the sides. I’ll swap out a 3700 depending on where I’m going. To do it again I would get the big one one yet and just not swap stuff around.

fair enough. I’m not far off that and tend to throw heavier and reel faster depending on the lake. Middle of March was ice out here last year, and end of March was fishing on the full lake. This year is colder and there is a lot of ice so short of a heatwave I think mid March might be ambitious