2018 Fishing - Year of the big one

[krevo 142]

15 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

I’ve got about a dozen Allstar medium light action Shrimptail Specials or Titaniums and a few Falcon HD lights with Shimano Stradic or Sierra 3000, spooled up with Power Pro Slick 8, I can cast a topwater a quarter mile, just like Uncle Rico spun the pigskin back in high school 

Btw - The original All Star Rods was sold and now their rods are being built under the name McCain High Performance Rods.   They make those shrimptail specials still on newer blanks and better hardware for a little more money (just in case you ever need to replace one)

[Sbbruin 21925]

So I occasionally buy crap on Wish.com, China's cheap shit site.  I've bought hooks and lure, and they've been alright.  Saw a baitcaster that looked good and was well reviewed, but was certain it was probably shit, so I passed.  But came across Spectra brand line for almost nothing. $2-$3 so I pulled the trigger.  Hope I don't lose one to cheapness.

https://www.wish.com/feed/tabbed_feed_latest/product/58d63656bc6acb54c95b7542

 

Taking the boy rockfishing on Saturday out of Oxnard.  Should be fun.

[crash_davis 23162]

1 hour ago, krevo said:

Btw - The original All Star Rods was sold and now their rods are being built under the name McCain High Performance Rods.   They make those shrimptail specials still on newer blanks and better hardware for a little more money (just in case you ever need to replace one)

the original all star rods were great rods.  then they sold and quality went to crap.  so they sold again to "mccain high performance rods"?  if so, i may have to look at the again.

[crash_davis 23162]

1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

So I occasionally buy crap on Wish.com, China's cheap shit site.  I've bought hooks and lure, and they've been alright.  Saw a baitcaster that looked good and was well reviewed, but was certain it was probably shit, so I passed.  But came across Spectra brand line for almost nothing. $2-$3 so I pulled the trigger.  Hope I don't lose one to cheapness.

https://www.wish.com/feed/tabbed_feed_latest/product/58d63656bc6acb54c95b7542

 

Taking the boy rockfishing on Saturday out of Oxnard.  Should be fun.

braid is not that expensive for how long it last.  i would not want to cheap out on fishing line and lose quality fish.  saving a few bucks and ruining a day of fishing would piss me off to no end.  let me know how that braid holds up.  may buy a roll on that website based on your recommendation.

[davidg 4040]

I haven't really fished hard for trout/redfish for close 10 years so all small stuff I have is old school.  My gotos are round reels: a Calcutta 200 on a Castaway 7' med rod and a 100 on an OG shrimp tail special IM6.  I broke the Castaway a couple of years ago and ended up buying a Curado and  a cheap Med Allstar popping rod.  

Thinking about getting a new Chronach.  What would be a good matching rod?  

[krevo 142]

4 hours ago, crash_davis said:

the original all star rods were great rods.  then they sold and quality went to crap.  so they sold again to "mccain high performance rods"?  if so, i may have to look at the again.

McCain HPR is actually "the" Morgan McCain (the guy that founded the OG All Star company.) 

Once he sold All Star and the company that bought it moved production to China, he realized he made a mistake.  I think he had to wait a few years due to non compete clause or something, but he started McCain HPR and is making a lot of rods like his original All Star line.

Edited May 3, 2018 by krevo

[davidg 4040]

Wasn't there a guy name Crawford that owned Allstars at one point after the original owners?  I think he also has a company called Platinum Rods at some point or may e that was a series of rods from All star

[Lurch 5941]

Should I be doing anything to keep my reels in good working order?  Penn CFT5000 conflict spinning reels if it matters.  Replace/tighten line, oil, etc

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, Lurch said:

Should I be doing anything to keep my reels in good working order?  Penn CFT5000 conflict spinning reels if it matters.  Replace/tighten line, oil, etc

Good questions. Can one of our frequent fishermen maybe point to a YouTube vid or the like for reel maintenance?

[4th and 5 4926]

Wash with light spray, loosen drag, spray with Reel Magic

[Sbbruin 21925]

Should I be doing anything to keep my reels in good working order?  Penn CFT5000 conflict spinning reels if it matters.  Replace/tighten line, oil, etc

I just give them a spray of water to remove salt and grit and then use this stuff

[Sidney Sherman 66]

Anybody know any good fishing spots around Galveston island? 

I've fished Pelican island just before the park, but usually it's just a flounder spot. I was thinking of going to the East end and dropping a line with some live shrimpies and see whats over there.

[krevo 142]

9 hours ago, Lurch said:

Should I be doing anything to keep my reels in good working order?  Penn CFT5000 conflict spinning reels if it matters.  Replace/tighten line, oil, etc

With overbuilt workhorse reels like that - I would usually just give them a good freshwater rinse and wipe with a warm rag after using.   And then once or twice a year depending on how often you use them - I would unscrew the drag and pull off the spool.   Give everything in there a cleaning with a toothbrush or Qtip dipped in Reel Magic or other cleaning solvent (there will be a lot of built up gunk mixed with grease or oil)  Once everything is cleaned, there are specific places to lube before reassembling.  Also - some reels have a little slit in the body on the underside to allow you to put a few drops of oil on the gearing.  

 

Bad pic - but these are the most common places you want a drop of oil when doing a full cleaning.  (basically anything that spins, pivots, etc)

 

[krevo 142]

Also - for those of you using baitcasting reels.  My number one suggestion if you ever have 30 minutes.

 

Open up the side plate on the left and take off the spool tension knob off the right side (under the star drag)  There are small pentagon shaped clips holding the bearings in place.  Take both of those spool bearings out, drop them into a bearing cleaning solvent (I use Zippo lighter fluid in a shot glass.)   Give them a stir and let them sit for a little while.   This will remove all of the factory packed grease they have been filled with which actually hurts their performance but increases their longevity for lazy asses who dont rinse their reels after salt.

Once you pull them out, pat dry and put them on the end of a Qtip and give them a spin.  If they only spin 3-4x, put them back in the solvent.   Eventually, they will spin for 10-20 seconds or longer.   Once that happens - leave them to dry and put a single drop of high speed reel oil in between the body and the shield and reinstall in your reel.  You will be blown away at how much better your reel will cast and how you have actually lowered your chances of backlashing because your spool is spinning more efficiently.    Will easily add 10-20ft to an already good cast.  Just make sure you keep them oiled.   

[BearSchlong 8140]

That sounds like a plan.

[Lat22 4053]

I soak my bearings in acetone. Then I put them on a center punch and hit them with compressed air. Mine will spin for a minute. I don’t oil them at all when I put em back in. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

I do same, Lat. No oil.

lurch biggest thing you can do is minimize the amount of salt you get on them in the first place. Make sure they never, ever, get dunked. 

Light rinse with fresh water. When I was using mono I changed cline each trip. I figured it was by far the cheapest piece in the entire equation. Use the lightest oil you can. 

Edited May 5, 2018 by fattyflattie

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

On 4/24/2018 at 8:04 AM, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

2000 mile road trip in search of bull trout starts today. Woke up with a nasty head cold, swollen throat and the runs. Nothing standing in a cold river in rain/snow and sleeping on the ground can’t fix.

A shot of your strongest whiskey, barkeep.

Turned out to be a 2,500 mile road trip, 34+ hours behind the wheel. Slightly aggressive. Arrived in central Oregon and went to a fly shop, where we were informed we'd be lucky to get 1 bull trout to hand amongst the 3 of us. Conversations with locals on the water re-affirmed this...apparently we picked a really bad time to chase them. We worked our tails off, hiking many many miles in search of these fish. We managed 5 to hand in 2 days and I got the skunk off in the bottom of the 9th. Stoke levels were high.

I've now fished eastern Oregon, central Oregon and coastal Oregon. Three very different types of landscape and all beautiful. While I didn't get to spend much if any time there, Bend seems like a really cool town.

[bigshark88 388]

Florida self-employed Friday afternoons have been working pretty well this Spring

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Caught this at ranch Friday

[krevo 142]

19 hours ago, Johnny Sack said:

Caught this at ranch Friday

Toad.

[krevo 142]

On 5/3/2018 at 4:45 PM, davidg said:

Wasn't there a guy name Crawford that owned Allstars at one point after the original owners?  I think he also has a company called Platinum Rods at some point or may e that was a series of rods from All star

Brett Crawford bought the company from Morgan McCain or partnered with him before K2 sports bought the company and started building the rods overseas.  I'm pretty sure their exclusive distribution with Academy and the demand for the rods had something to do with the sell.  With Academy keeping the price of those rods around 100 bucks for the last 20 years, it was inevitable they would have to go somewhere cheaper for labor.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

51 minutes ago, krevo said:

Toad.

We have some big ones in the lake.  My biggest is 10.  Lake record is 13.  The guy who caught the 13 is a much better fisherman than me.  He caught an 8, 10, and 13 in one evening.

[Sbbruin 21925]

Had a great day Saturday with the boy fishing the Channel Islands for rockfish. We bet $5 for the first fish, and $5 for the most fish. I owed him $10. (11 fish to my 7)



Great fish tacos last night.

[bigshark88 388]

Spro frog came through at a local pond just before sunset yesterday. Best pic I could manage by myself.

[BearSchlong 8140]

Well done, Bruin.  I'm sitting in the office waiting on my boy to come fish with me tomorrow.  Cherish those times because they grow up so fast.

[Sbbruin 21925]

2 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Well done, Bruin.  I'm sitting in the office waiting on my boy to come fish with me tomorrow.  Cherish those times because they grow up so fast.

No kidding.  He and I have done a ton of fishing over the years, mostly out at Catalina Island.  This summer is the summer I get him into kayak fishing.

[atomheartbevo 90118]

My 5 year-old has finally decided he wants to fish (yay!).  Picked up a nice little rod for him and let him pick out some lures.   We have a state park pass already, and know the state parks are free to fish (don't need a license), but I'll be picking up a license anyways

First off, as long as it's not marked "no fishing" and is publicly accessed, can we fish the public areas around Austin?  We are just doing catch-and-release (basically getting his toes wet).  

Obviously we will hit up Mueller and Town Lake at some point, but we have the flood-control ponds near Central Market on North Lamar fairly close, and we are close to Shoal Creek and have walked it a lot and seen plenty of fish.  I see people fishing those areas all the time, although maybe not so much the ponds near Central Market (too many fucking turtles).

[atomheartbevo 90118]

Along those lines, I'm not dragging out my more expensive/larger gear (bass fishing gear) to go fishing at some of these places.  I'm going to pick up a fairly cheap little telescopic combo and holy shit, it seems like Amazon only sells Chinese-brand gear.  I'll see the exact same gear under different names with highly-different customer ratings.

Anybody got any recommendations for a decent telescopic combo under $50?

Alternatively, I could just grab the spinning version of the $10 Zebco Dock Demon my kid picked out (he's got the spincast version).  It's only 2 feet long, which will make casting interesting, but I don't have to worry about it hanging up in trees/brush, and we can take it just about everybody you could take a smaller rod.

[fattyflattie 4639]

I can hum my daughters princess such and such 2' rod a country mile. Need to move her on up to a lightweight spinning outfit this year. 

[krevo 142]

13 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Along those lines, I'm not dragging out my more expensive/larger gear (bass fishing gear) to go fishing at some of these places.  I'm going to pick up a fairly cheap little telescopic combo and holy shit, it seems like Amazon only sells Chinese-brand gear.  I'll see the exact same gear under different names with highly-different customer ratings.

Anybody got any recommendations for a decent telescopic combo under $50?

Alternatively, I could just grab the spinning version of the $10 Zebco Dock Demon my kid picked out (he's got the spincast version).  It's only 2 feet long, which will make casting interesting, but I don't have to worry about it hanging up in trees/brush, and we can take it just about everybody you could take a smaller rod.

I keep the deluxe version of the Dock Demon in my car.   It's got a better cork grip and a slightly nicer (although still cheap plastic spinning reel)   I took the shit reel off and put an older Shimano 500 sized spinning reel on it with 10lb braid.   Use it for throwing Roadrunners and wacky rigged senkos.  Texas rigs with any sort of weight will not result in a very good hookset on these little rods but any open hook or treble hook lure will do fine.   Also, they are fairly easy to cast although not very far.  

Personally - I'd rather lug around a single high quality rod and reel than have to mess around with a cheap one.  

Edited May 8, 2018 by krevo

[G650 14303]

Was hoping for some tuna for dinner tonight, but a total blowout at Oregon Inlet. Nobody even tried to go out.

[davidg 4040]

Was looking through an email archive over the weekend and found an old email that I sent out after a fishing trip to our place that happened a long time ago.  Forgive the length but I think its a nice read.

I was able get up to our farm a couple of weekends ago with my Dad, one of my best friends from back home and a friend of his, who lives near me down here in Houston.  We were planning on setting some trotlines in Lake R/C and doing a little bass fishing in our small lake.  When Dad and Beau arrived Friday afternoon, a strong, 25 mph south wind was blowing 2'+ waves onto our shoreline where we launch.  Since Dad only likes to use his old 12' johnboat (and paddle at that) to set lines in the big lake, they retreated back to our small 12 acre lake and set one line out, using some hand-sized perch as bait, for opelusa catfish.

The small lake has given up lots of op's in the past 30 years, including a 72 pound family record that Dad caught back in the late '80s.  Spring, two years ago we did pretty good in Lake R/C,  catching 15 op with a total weight of 302 lbs.  Last year we only set the big lines twice without catching any large fish either time.

Since the wind was still blowing strong when we arrived in from Houston that night we only had the one line set.  The line was set with one 2 liter jug in the middle to keep the baits off the bottom.  As we pulled up to the lake the next morning,  we noticed that the jug was pulled into the wind, out of line of the two post driven into the lake bottom that act as the trotline anchors.  Waiting for my Dad to join us, we watched the jug move back and forth, occasionally tipping up and submerging (a la  JAWS).  FISH ON!  We climbed into Beau's 16' john and trolling motored over to the first anchor post.  Dad got ahold of the line and we quick ran down to the fish.  It looked to be a nice one.

Our preferred method of fighting a large trotlined fish is to use another 2 liter jug with a short piece of cord and a quick-clip trotline/longline clip.  We move down the line and attach the jug as close to the fish as possible.  The fish will make several 'runs' against the jug (you release the trotline when the fish surges) and will soon tire.  When the fish tires you can then either reach in and gill the fish into the boat or use a 'large' dipnet.  We soon had the fish in the boat, a 42lber.

The wind died a little on Saturday so we were able to set our other big cat lines in R/C and one small line we use for catching channel catfish.  We spend the rest of Saturday catching bait for the big lines and running the small line a few times.  The small line will usually give up about 6-10 1-2 lb channels each run so we had a nice mess of fish for a fry Saturday night (4 men, 7lbs fresh channel cat fillets, 2-12 packs of beer = life is good) and a bunch for the live box.  We hit the sack foundered from a good feed looking forward to running the lines in the morning.

We arrived at the little lake first thing and again noticed the jug moving into the wind.  Another fish on!  We went to the anchor post and picked up the line and Johhny promptly had the line pulled from his hand.  The fish was on the first hook in 3' of water.  He got the fish on the jug and played out like a pro.  The dipnet went out and into the boat came a 48lber!   We
congratulated one another for a moment, then realized that there was something still pulling.  We ran down the line to the other end and found a 12 lb channel cat as a bonus fish.  A real nice run for the little lake.

We went on down to our landing on R/C and Dad and Johnny ran the lines there while Beau and I started cleaning fish.  3 hours and 39 catfish later we were done.  Here's a few pictures of how to land a big op.

Putting the jug on the line

 

Fish up to the surface

 

 

Get the net

 

Lift her in the boat

 

Get the hook out

 

In the bottom of a 54" jonboat

 

Getting ready to weighg

 

Up on the scale

 

42 pounds

 

Catch another one the next day

 

 

/csb 

TL;DR: caught some big catfish a long time ago

[G650 14303]

That's a good day my man.

[atomheartbevo 90118]

2 hours ago, krevo said:

I keep the deluxe version of the Dock Demon in my car.   It's got a better cork grip and a slightly nicer (although still cheap plastic spinning reel)   I took the shit reel off and put an older Shimano 500 sized spinning reel on it with 10lb braid.   Use it for throwing Roadrunners and wacky rigged senkos.  Texas rigs with any sort of weight will not result in a very good hookset on these little rods but any open hook or treble hook lure will do fine.   Also, they are fairly easy to cast although not very far.  

Personally - I'd rather lug around a single high quality rod and reel than have to mess around with a cheap one.  

Could do something like your Dock Demon setup, since I have several orphaned reels.  Eventually we will be doing more serous fishing, and I'll haul out the high-quality stuff I used many years ago, but right now, I'm just thinking in terms of having something simple.  We're basically within a quick walk (15-20 minutes)  to Shoal Creek, Central Park (aka Turtle Pond at Central Market).  A little bit longer walk to the pond at The Triangle, although that thing was a moss-covered clusterfuck last time I went by it, and I'm not sure if that's even public property.

Dock Demon appeals to me because it's short, and a lot of the areas I want to try along Shoal Creek have trees overhead or right next to you, and I wouldn't be casting more than 20 feet or so.

When I went to look at cheap but fairly decent telescopic rigs, it was nothing but Chinese manufacturer after Chinese manufacturer.  Actually, I need to check Craigslist.

[pevodog 14]

Right place at the right time


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[krevo 142]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Could do something like your Dock Demon setup, since I have several orphaned reels.  Eventually we will be doing more serous fishing, and I'll haul out the high-quality stuff I used many years ago, but right now, I'm just thinking in terms of having something simple.  We're basically within a quick walk (15-20 minutes)  to Shoal Creek, Central Park (aka Turtle Pond at Central Market).  A little bit longer walk to the pond at The Triangle, although that thing was a moss-covered clusterfuck last time I went by it, and I'm not sure if that's even public property.

Dock Demon appeals to me because it's short, and a lot of the areas I want to try along Shoal Creek have trees overhead or right next to you, and I wouldn't be casting more than 20 feet or so.

When I went to look at cheap but fairly decent telescopic rigs, it was nothing but Chinese manufacturer after Chinese manufacturer.  Actually, I need to check Craigslist.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zebco-Dock-Demon-Deluxe-Spinning-Combo/22172324?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227016606971&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40968844952&wl4=pla-78910987472&wl5=9028308&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=22172324&wl13=&veh=sem

This is the one I got since it's got cork.  The reel is garbage.  

Like I said, wacky rigged senkos, TX rigged senkos and worms, treble hook topwaters, small cranks, etc will all work on this rod and you'll be surprised how well it holds up even with a good size fish on.  My recommendation would be to run some light braid on it as well.  Helps with getting greater casting distance,  and increases sensitivity (because the rod itself is a solid fiberglass tube)

 

Edited May 8, 2018 by krevo

[crash_davis 23162]

where were they found?  not talking bay, but depth and bottom.  and what slayed them?  

[pevodog 14]

4 foot over shell, limetruse tidal surge split tail,East bay.



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[Mac8111 2118]

Here are the trout from South Pass two weekends ago.

[llanoflash 151]

On 4/26/2018 at 11:24 AM, Lat22 said:

Yes. Good old Site 55. 

ha.. have to meet a dude on 2510 for work tomorrow. 

just lucky i guess.

[Stros 153]

Galveston surf today. Damn this desk!

IMG_7469.mov



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[Stros 153]

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[pevodog 14]

Sweet!


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[llanoflash 151]

5 hours ago, Stros said:

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Your pic inspired me to run to mustang island. The sea was angry this day. One ladyfish. 

[Lurch 5941]

New species for me tonight. Spotted Sea Trout with a huge sharp canine

[Lurch 5941]

I bought a cast net, but can’t seem to get the hang of it. Anyone have good instructions? I’ve seen a few videos but nothing I’ve been able to apply successfully

[Mac8111 2118]

How big was the trout ?

[llanoflash 151]

Get a ring assisted net. They are easy

[Lurch 5941]

How big was the trout ?

10-12” I’d guess. Not huge but could probably make a meal of 2-3 of them