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Fishing Megathread: Looking For Big Girls Who swallow

Mac8111

By Mac8111
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troph
troph

Ok I have left the building for the most part but I made an exception to come back and say I am THE queen of the fly rod.  It happened! thank the good lord above and all my living right, it happe

BearSchlong
BearSchlong

By myself, at the Sabine jetty. First time since my dad died in March. Hungry reds and trout. Thank you for the last 45 years of fishing, old man. And for leaving me a nice boat. I've seen you catch

MalibuSheriff
MalibuSheriff

Fishing trip with my son after picking him up in camp.  Rio Grande cutthroats caught last Sunday evening at an extremely isolated lake in southern Colorado.    

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4639

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Dry Elbows said:

Nice rig.  Interesting choice of a 400R on that hull.  It's not known as being a fast boat.  Interested what speed you're able to get.

Probably not the worst thing when you’ve got ~100g in fuel, ice, Ttop, etc for a nearshore snapper trip, though.  Or prop it to have a rocket out of the hole?  

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tequila

tequila 318

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Posted
Probably not the worst thing when you’ve got ~100g in fuel, ice, Ttop, etc for a nearshore snapper trip, though.  Or prop it to have a rocket out of the hole?  

What he said. Mostly to get up in a bit skinnier water.


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Braff Zacklin

Braff Zacklin 13618

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Posted
4 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Sorry should have qualified…without dipping your flies in juicy gulp.

Ya savage

No need for "Gulp!" Crawfish patterns work well enough.

There's a whole subset of flies that guys around here tie just for carp. I don't get it, as carp are just big, slow and ugly. They really aren't that difficult to catch with the right flies and technique.

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Horn Draoi

Horn Draoi 255

Posted
Posted
On 8/22/2022 at 3:00 PM, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Carp are damn near impossible to catch on a fly.

In reality, carp on a fly is quite a ‘thing.”  I have a box of carp flies, and go after ‘em all the time.  Freshwater bonefish but more powerful.  Stalk and cast.

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19422

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Horn Draoi said:

Maybe 35 or 40 over the years, but only up to 4 pounds or so.  Key West.  Bigger is better?

I mean, pound for pound every bone I've ever caught has been a better fight than any carp I've caught. I find carp fight like black drum...okay initial run, but they run out of gas pretty quick. I've caught commons up to 5-6 pounds on a 6 wt and never had one take me into my backing. The same size bone would put me there 2-3 times with an 8wt before I got it to hand. A legit 6 lb Bone will have you sweating if you had enough backing on an 8 wt. 

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Jerry Callo

Jerry Callo 8704

Posted
Posted
On 8/22/2022 at 3:00 PM, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Carp are damn near impossible to catch on a fly.

Jim Gray in and around Austin is an expert on catching carp on a fly.  There is a 1+ hour Facebook interview by with Jim where he explains everything he's learned in carp fishing since 2004.  Chris Johnson from Living Waters Fly Fishing was doing the interview so its probably on LWFF FB page.  Anyone interested in catch carp on the fly should listen to Jim Gray.

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BearSchlong

BearSchlong 8098

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No pics but I this morning I caught the perfect tide and trapped the reds and trout between the reef and shoreline at Keith lake and my arms hurt. Just solid fish back to back for about 3 hours, and pulled the boat up the ramp the exact moment the first cold downdraft and raindrop from the huge thunderhead I was tracking hit.

I didn’t even have to use my AK.

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justhookit

justhookit 4191

Posted
Posted (edited)

We are running way south tomorrow. Got a satellite pic of the water down there and it looks good. Pretty sure it’s going to be a boom or bust type thing. Later next week going to hit the FADs on an overnight marlin trip. It was good last week but today’s report was terrible. Apparently there have been some large tuna out so hopefully we run into that.

Edited by justhookit
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MalibuSheriff

MalibuSheriff 1090

Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Looking for a fly rod for my youngest for his birthday. @DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt , or anyone else, any recs? Looking for a 9' 5/6wt for anything from the Fraser by my house to the Gunnison or the Colorado. Anyone have recs on manufacturers? Don't want to spend more than 300-500 because I'm cheap.

I’d recommend looking on EBay for older rods - 590 in the following models - Sage XP, Sage SP, Sage RPL, Winston IM6, Orvis Western.

The fit and finish in those models is excellent.  Most have probably been sitting in their tubes in someone’s closets for years.

Not 9’ but the old Fenwick fiberglass fly rods are outstanding with the FF79 being one of the best dry fly rods ever made. 

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Deej

Deej 76830

Posted
Posted

Nothing big today, but the rain topped the pond off some and the fish were biting. Another big carp, but also plenty of bass. They were chasing minnows up against the bank, and I was throwing on top of them and getting a ton of hits. Good times. 

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DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt

DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301

Posted
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@Chewbacca i think you're sitting squarely in that TFO zone where you'll be tough to get more bang for your buck elsewhere.*

*I can't believe how expensive even the mid-range stuff has gotten. 

The rods mentioned above are nice, just not sure a) many are in your price range even used, b) you're looking to pay $150 when he inevitably breaks a rod tip being a kid, c) some aren't practical all-water/all-rig setups for CO.

I'd be getting that Axiom II in a 5 wt 4 piece setup if I were you.

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troph

troph 24851

Posted
Posted (edited)

Yeah @Chewbacca I’d spend the money on the TFO, it’s essentially a lifer for a mid range price so if he doesn’t stay at it you can take it and use it. save on the reel. If he sticks with it you can put a high end reel on it and the TFO will play. I have a 3wt TFO that’s a ton of fun to cast, a 5wt TFO that’s so easy, then a Scott and Thomas & Thomas for my 8wt and 12wt and while they are amazing rods it’s not easy to tell the difference for 2.5-3x the price. I gave away a 9wt TFO as a tip to my Tahiti guide and that was what I fished  for bones anyway. They make a fantastic rod with an amazing warranty (so I’ve heard haven’t needed it) for the price. 

we’ve played with other brands below TFO levels and they’ve consistently broken, at least two rod tips. Super annoying especially when out there trying to have a good time.

 

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19422

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Posted (edited)

I'll third the TFO recs. They are hard to beat at 3X the price. Little Rojo has a TFO in 5, 6, 8, and 10wt and has caught everything from Bluegills to Bonefish with them. I had a replacement tip for an 8wt in 24hrs the last time I had to request warranty. Look at the Axiom II, the LK Legacy, or the Mangrove Coast models. 

Edited by Pescado_Rojo
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Kennythetiger

Kennythetiger 9389

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, justhookit said:

Well it was bust.

caught a nice 200 pound blue first thing in the morning and then 1/2 on sails after that. Nothing for dinner and only raised one other UFO. Slow day. But on the water so all good.

I wonder how many rods and reels are at the bottom of the world’s waterways. 

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Damor

Damor 1236

Posted
Posted

@Chewbacca as this thread attests, I suck at fly fishing, especially as compared with our resident gurus.  That said, I feel like I have developed some relative expertise lately in breaking rods and buying more.  

I'll pile on with the TFO recommendations.  I have a 5wt LK legacy, and it was cheap and easy to order a replacement for the section I broke.  Arrived in a couple days.  It's a faster action than I was used to, but seems very versatile and handles my shitty streamer casting pretty well.

I also bought an Echo Carbon XL which I really like.  More of a medium action as compared with the TFO LK., and I think it was only about $150ish.  No comment on the warranty/repair process, as I haven't broken it yet.  Give me a couple more weeks.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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9 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

@Chewbacca i think you're sitting squarely in that TFO zone where you'll be tough to get more bang for your buck elsewhere.*

*I can't believe how expensive even the mid-range stuff has gotten. 

The rods mentioned above are nice, just not sure a) many are in your price range even used, b) you're looking to pay $150 when he inevitably breaks a rod tip being a kid, c) some aren't practical all-water/all-rig setups for CO.

I'd be getting that Axiom II in a 5 wt 4 piece setup if I were you.

That's where we ended up.  There is a TFO dealer a couple miles from my house so we went over there and looked at rods.  Got a TFO Axiom II with a TFO NTR reel.  Little fucker has nicer gear than I do now.  We also looked at the Echo Carbon but he liked the action on the TFO better so we stuck with that.  He got an early birthday present and has gear that will last a long time.

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19422

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Best poling skiff for Texas coast? I fish out of POC.

Hell's Bay Whipray or Professional, or Waterman, Maverick HPX, Chittum Laguna Madre, Sabine Skiff, East Cape Lostman. There's plenty of others. Just get something with a flat or 2 degree bottom. My Hell's Bay Whipray has a tunnel, but you don't need one for middle coast, IMO. (I fish the POC Seadrift area 80% of the time) If you fish S. Texas a lot, you'll definitely want a tunnel hull. What's your budget? Skiffs are higher than giraffe pussy right now...just like all boats I guess. 

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Ojo Rojo

Ojo Rojo 1965

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Hell's Bay Whipray or Professional, or Waterman, Maverick HPX, Chittum Laguna Madre, Sabine Skiff, East Cape Lostman. There's plenty of others. Just get something with a flat or 2 degree bottom. My Hell's Bay Whipray has a tunnel, but you don't need one for middle coast, IMO. (I fish the POC Seadrift area 80% of the time) If you fish S. Texas a lot, you'll definitely want a tunnel hull. What's your budget? Skiffs are higher than giraffe pussy right now...just like all boats I guess. 

I've never owned or fished out of a super shallow draft boat or one with a tunnel. We drive to a place and jump out and wade. What are the pros and cons of the tunnel? I don't know what skiffs cost. I've seen some on Boattrader.  I guess I'd like to keep it under $50K.  Looking hard at Sabine.  

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4639

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Posted
7 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

We drive to a place and jump out and wade.

Just asking, are you trying to get away from  that? Technical poling skiffs are purpose built to be light, quiet, and well, pole well.  Just like every other thing with regards to boats, you make trades for those attributes. 

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Ojo Rojo

Ojo Rojo 1965

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Just asking, are you trying to get away from  that? Technical poling skiffs are purpose built to be light, quiet, and well, pole well.  Just like every other thing with regards to boats, you make trades for those attributes. 

Yeah, I'm in a big transition with POC and fishing generally.  We're selling our house and I'm going to sell my Pathfinder 2200v this fall.  What I want to do when I fish seriously is fly fish from a poling skiff or toss spoons or plastics.  But all sight casting from a skiff.  The areas I've been fishing most and the areas I like to fish the most are way better fished from a poling skiff than slogging through the mud like I've been doing.  I don't go across big open water much, so I'm not that concerned about being able to take chop or stay dry in chop.  I run fairly protected routes everywhere I go.

I'm sure there would still be times where we don't pole, like if we're fishing for trout over a dropoff at the edge of a flat or something.  So we'd just anchor and wade.  But that's still something a poling skiff could do.  I'm just ready to try something new and this is it.

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19422

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

I've never owned or fished out of a super shallow draft boat or one with a tunnel. We drive to a place and jump out and wade. What are the pros and cons of the tunnel? I don't know what skiffs cost. I've seen some on Boattrader.  I guess I'd like to keep it under $50K.  Looking hard at Sabine.  

Pros: Prop runs above the bottom of the boat so you can run them really shallow. My skiff will probably run in 3" of water...It will run shallower than it can float, so I gotta be careful where I shut it down. Because you can run it with the prop above the bottom, you can also get the boat up in really shallow water, if you know what you're doing. 

Cons: The tunnel reduces hull surface area at the back of the boat, so tunnel hulls tend to squat a little at rest, and you lose a couple inches of absolute draft. They are also less efficient under power because the tunnel causes a vacuum that sucks the boat to the waters surface. You typically need more HP to get comparable speed to a non-tunnel boat. For example, My HB Whipray Tunnel drafts 6.5" of water with a 50 Tohatsu. The same hull without a tunnel drafts 3" with a 30HP motor, and both boats top out in the low 30s. Some companies offer a vented tunnel option, which is supposed to break the vacuum and make them faster, but most guys I know that tried them ended up sealing them off again. 

What all this boils down to is you can get into a lot of places with a tunnel skiff you might not be able to get out of if you don't know what you're doing...or you just guess wrong on water levels in the marsh lakes. The safer way is to shut down in deeper water and pole your way into those marsh lakes. Bonus, that way is a lot quieter and spooks fewer fish. In South Texas, where you might not find deeper water for miles, the tunnel is worth the tradeoffs, but middle coast I find myself poling in and out of the marsh more and more often. Unless I know exactly where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. If I'm exploring, I always shut it down and pole.  

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19422

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Yeah, I'm in a big transition with POC and fishing generally.  We're selling our house and I'm going to sell my Pathfinder 2200v this fall.  What I want to do when I fish seriously is fly fish from a poling skiff or toss spoons or plastics.  But all sight casting from a skiff.  The areas I've been fishing most and the areas I like to fish the most are way better fished from a poling skiff than slogging through the mud like I've been doing.  I don't go across big open water much, so I'm not that concerned about being able to take chop or stay dry in chop.  I run fairly protected routes everywhere I go.

I'm sure there would still be times where we don't pole, like if we're fishing for trout over a dropoff at the edge of a flat or something.  So we'd just anchor and wade.  But that's still something a poling skiff could do.  I'm just ready to try something new and this is it.

How many guys do you usually fish? 3 is a crowd on most poling skiffs. 

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Ojo Rojo

Ojo Rojo 1965

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

How many guys do you usually fish? 3 is a crowd on most poling skiffs. 

It depends, but I know I would only want to fish 2 at a time on the skiff.  If I take more than that out then the other guys are wading.

 

So what do y'all think of Sabine? What's the most economical option? What kind of price range am I looking at? Can you flounder from a skiff rigged with lights?

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4639

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

It depends, but I know I would only want to fish 2 at a time on the skiff.  If I take more than that out then the other guys are wading.

 

So what do y'all think of Sabine? What's the most economical option? What kind of price range am I looking at? Can you flounder from a skiff rigged with lights?

My vote would be the one in my post on the previous page, #1461. 

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