casts_by_fly

The cold this morning wasn’t bad- high 20s. The snow flurries didn’t bother me. But the wind was just too much. It was 12-14 here at the house at 7 AM with a forecast to 18-20 constant. The lake was supposed to be a little worse. I don’t care if it is 80 and sunny I’m not going out in that. When it is that hard from this direction (dead west) there is no place to hide on any of my lakes. Where I was planning to go today is too wide open for that. Want to fish the wind blown bank? The wind has a 3 mile reach before it gets there with nothing slowing it down. It would have been white caps for sure, probably a bit more. Not worth the safety risk on that one. Sunday is looking better (rainy, 5-8 mph, and a balmy 35 at wake-up).

You can put silicon spray or chapstick on the guides, especially where the frames meet the ceramic rings (that holds water). That buys you a little while when you start fishing but it eventually wears off. Bigger guides help (not looking forward to my micro guide rods tomorrow). Braid is bad because it absorbs a lot of water and then freeze stiff. Mono is better. I imaging fluoro should be better yet but I’ve not tried it.

We’re going to find out this year. In the past, I spent a lot of time in waders in the winter fishing streams for steelhead and other things. I’d be fishing in temps in the teens with ice floes coming down the stream. That was cold and I was young. Then again, being in the boat means not standing in the water so there’s that. Tomorrow is 26 in the morning and warming up to 40 in the afternoon with clouds and 10-15 mph winds. I think that wind is going to be miserable and might cut me short, but I’m making a go of it. Heated vest, hand warmers, and good insulation.

Never pass today what you would shoot tomorrow!

I have Tuesday off work so of course I’m planning to go fishing. With the limited daylight, any time you get a full day available you take it right? 24 degrees at wake-up forecast. 39 for a high. 10-15 mph wind. This will be the first cold cold day in the boat and man that’s a cold one.

The padron champagne purito 4x38 wasn’t my thing. I’ve had the toro and it was better but the purito had all of the light cream flavor and then went acrid/ashy too quickly. The toro was better and stayed creamy. My Father La Antiquidad was good. I really like box pressed. The first third was great. But despite smoking it slowly It went really ashy quite quickly. Oliva series V melanio (4.5x46). Really tasty. I liked the Oliva G which is lighter. This is better I think. Can’t wait to try the series V 6x60.

Oh man. A coke and <insert alcohol> with flat coke is just a no no for me. I rarely drink a coke and something but it has to be super fizzy. I’m sipping on some light mezcal (Siempre valee I think) with a Perdomo petit corona while my wife takes a nap and before we go out for dinner.

Depends on the bait and the rod. “Probably” is the answer. If you’re throwing a 1 oz spinnerbait plus a trailer, you’re about 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 oz in total. If the rod is spec’d to throw 1.5 oz then definitely. If it is rated to 1 oz then it depends on the rod but probably so long as you’re not jamming on it. The only way to know is to try it. Action-wise, that’s all personal preference. So many threads here lately on action preference for the various moving baits.

Our long range forecast for the winter was warmer than usual but wetter (snowier). That adds up to minimal ice on the lakes. BRING IT ON! I’m fishing through the winter.

https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/news/welcher-completes-historic-victory-at-pasquotank-river/ they are around.

You’re talking about 3/16 and 1/4 oz baits which are on the very light side for casting rods generally and casting reels specifically. A true medium with a light tip might get it done. A ML should be able to do it. But the reel is the hard part. You’ll need one designed to throw light stuff and light line on it. And even then you’re not going to be maximizing distance. A spinning rod is a much better tool for what you want to do.

Excluding the “DD” part of the quote this is me to a t. I’m fun fishing, not tournament fishing so I’m just looking to have a good time. Sitting on a sloping point staring at nothing and making repeated casts while waiting for the fish to show up is not my idea of a good time. I’ll leave and come back if I think the fish will be there or be eating there later. To the original question about seeing baitfish on live imaging, “it depends” is my answer. Open water roaming baitfish 20’ deep over 40’ of water is a common thing for me. I’ll look at the schools and if there are fish following or chasing then I’ll fish them. If not, then I’ll hit the high percentage spots nearby (rock piles are the norm here) to see if fish are down in them and eating. But I’m not working them thoroughly unless I see a fish come out after a bait or if I catch one. And even if I see one or more but they won’t eat a couple trusty things then I’m marking them and moving on. I’ll circle back later.

I’m in! It’s a watch for me.

If they are fully cleaned and the bearings are in good shape (check both of those items first) then I’d be looking for something throwing the spool off balance. Either a dent/bend in the frame or something sticking in a bad place. A bent spool axle could do it also.

I swung past on my way to dinner tonight. They are normally open until 6 and it was 5 when I got there. All locked up. Sign on the door says “temporarily closed” whatever that means.

Yeah. They shut down a bunch of the streets in that area for a couple hours that morning until the sow pokes make it back into the park. The outside the park is about 5-6 miles and then the inside is the rest so that they can get the streets opened back up quicker. There is also an ultra and a full marathon that same weekend but I haven’t looked into how to qualify for it because that’s just silly.

I’ll tell you in a couple hours. I’m on my way to Evansville for a work trip and was going to swing in this afternoon,

I think that’s your plan. At ice out when the water is starting to warm in the back bays they will slide up into there, especially if there is some weed cover or wood. If it is shallow and clear you might even be able to see them, though lower in a kayak will be tougher. A 2” plastic minnow like a Bobby garland crappie shad on a 1/32 head worked slow through should find them if they are there.

So I’ve learned a few things this weekend. My wife is away and the pool is closed so I’ve spent a ton of time out back on my own with nowhere to go and no dogs to hurry me (the pool is closed so they just hang out now). The pardon 4000 Maduro is probably my favorite cigar that I’ve had to date. The first half of it is absolutely incredible. The flavor profile is just about what I’m looking for. I’d like a little more rich flavor (less of the lighter delicate notes and a little more chocolate/heavy earth/sweetness(?) maybe) but I think this 6.5x54 version is awesome. I can’t wait to try the similar other ones in this order. Smoking slow with a big ash is a big difference. The ash keeps the core colder while keeping it smoldering it seems. Every time I de-ash, the cigar that is left gets really hot with the first puff. The engineer in me see that it makes sense but the impact is profound. I smoked the padron above to the nub and the 2” nub was still very good until I got to the point where the nub was getting hot to my fingers. It got a little acrid after that. having a rich and sweet barrel bourbon is a great pair for this style of cigar. The oliva melanio is calling my name after this.

I’m with Kevmo- those are lakes, not ponds. At least around here that’s for sure. If you want to know whether there are crappie or not, then in the spring when they are bedding is a gimme. Ice out is also a good shout as the crappie around here will still be schooled up but will move into shallow backwaters. So you end up with a LOT of fish hunkered down in a small area. When you find them, there will be a bunch. Once you know if they are there, then you have plenty of options and time to find them through the year. For places that size, a boat and a little electronics go a long way.

The difference between a 10k and a half marathon is in the practice/training. The actual race is longer of course, but when you hit 10k and longer, you just settle into your pace during the actual event. The time element comes in for the preparation. If you’re in 10k shape and want to get into half shape then you need to think about 8-10 weeks of good training which is a lot of miles on your feet. That’s a lot and I never wanted to truly commit to it outside of the couple times I ran one. On a separate note, if you do decide you want to run a half and also want to make a trip of it, the London Royal Parks half marathon is awesome. We were sponsored by work, so we had a small fundraising commitment but there are plenty of options to get in whether through the lottery or charities. The cool part is that you start in Hyde park and then run past Buckingham palace, green park, Embankment, through Trafalgar Square, and then around a few other places depending on the year before you get back into Hyde park and wrap all around it a few times. It is an open top bus tour wrapped into a race. https://www.royalparkshalf.com

Congrats! That’s a great pace. I find running is like a virus. it makes me feel like crap, there is nothing you can do but let the hurt run its course, and hope you never come in contact with it again. FWIW, I ran a couple halves, a couple 5-10k, a pair of tough mudders (hilly ~half marathon with obstacles), and a couple triathlons. I think the runners high is someone smoked something before they went for a run. Never got to me.

What Columbia craw said. if you look at the duckett Wheeler rods or the phenix feather rods they are really big diameter down by the fore grip relative to their power. You can make power in a spot on a rod by adding diameter to the blank, adding thickness to the graphite mesh in the first place or adding more wraps of the mesh. Then the mandrel and the taper of that mandrel that the graphite flag is wrapped around will impact. The stiffness of the binder layer between layers of graphite (the scrim) plays also. There are so many factors as part of the physical design that can have huge implications that diameter is just one. I have a great example sitting next to my desk right now. I have a Phenix feather ML and a Falcon Expert ‘Buzzbait’ which is rated H (more on that in a minute). The ML is at least 50% bigger diameter in front of the grip and is pushing 2x the diameter. The difference is less when you go up the rod, but it is a stark difference. Now would I call the Phenix a ML and the falcon an H? Probably not. The phenix is rated 1/4-5/8. That’s more like a true medium to me and most others. And the falcon is a 6-power falcon which in their scheme is a very light heavy or closer to a MH in some brands and rods (it is rated 3/8-1 oz) and this specific one is on the lighter end of all their 6-power rods. So practically speaking I’m comparing a medium with a medium heavy in reality, but to emphasize your question- the stated power is a guide. A better way most of the time is to look at the lure rating. if the bottom end starts with 1/8 on a casting rod then you’re looking at a ML or L. If the top is 5/8 then that’s a medium, 3/4 MH, and 1-1.25 then light heavy or a really powerful MH. Above that gets to be a crapshoot depending what the rod is designed for. And if you’re in store feeling rods, then you should be able to feel how it flexes and how much force it takes flex it.

2’s and 3’s depending on the brand. A #3 isn’t necessarily the same size across all so pick a brand/style you like and get 3 sizes- the one you think is right plus minus one.

Probably a store brand knockoff of one of the main branded ones. Which stores do you have locally? Academy (H20 brand), Bass pro (BPS series), and all the other big stores had their own.