Seek, Catch, Release, Protect
We had such good luck with the Owner Cultiva JH-85 jigheads that we knew we were definitely going to order more for 2022. Same went for Eurotackle Micro Finesse B-vibe 2 inch soft lures. I can’t recommend the B-vibes enough! We also will being trying the 1/8 oz Tungsten jigheads from Eurotackle as well.
We are off to a good start for 2022 in spite of “supply chain” issues.
I decided to try and go fishing again this morning. With the wife helping me, we adjusted the wrap on my left elbow to make it more comfortable. There were 2 pieces of wadded up gauze that were rubbing against my sutures. The impetus to go was the weather. High temperatures today were forecast for 65F but windy. A cold front is rapidly approaching and we will get snow tomorrow. It was now or never.
It started sprinkling after I had been fishing for 20 minutes and the wind picked up. Forecasts called for 10-20mph winds with gusts up to 30mph. I decided to pick up trash and wait for the gusts to die down a bit before continuing.
It was a short outing but fun and productive. The bass was small but fought well while using the ultralight setup. I’m not looking forward to the snow but on the plus side…I can fish afterall. Progress I suppose!
Addendum: a little off-topic but I am always trying to repurpose items and this was no exception. I found an old pair of safety glasses that had a neoprene cover and decided to make that into a super small pouch that holds two Walmart bags for the trash round-ups I always do.
Thanks for reading…
I thought I would share this Manufacturer’s List. Lots of interesting stuff all in one place. No affiliation whatsoever on my part: For Informational Purposes Only.
Pin Posts
*Not responsible for any purchases made!
I was surfing the web this evening and ran across this rod. What caught my attention was its weight! It comes in 3 iterations…the React 50 weighs 36 grams!!!! The React 55 weighs 38 grams and the React 65 weighs 44 grams. To me that is incredibly light and it started the gears in my head turning.
It’s pricey but opens up quite a few possibilities in regards to my type of fishing. I definitely like the minimalist handle and the 0.6mm tip diameter is “uber thin” and tends to make me think that this is a specialists rod, possibly targeted towards Ajing fishers.
The gears are definitely turning and I will have to mull this rod over…
The weather forecast for today called for temps near 65F so I decided to hit a local trout pond. With it being a week out from surgery I wasn’t expecting to be able to do much.
The sun was shining and the temps were nice but my elbow said “NO WAY” and I quit attempting to fish after about 10 casts. But that gives me somewhat of a benchmark to work from.
At that point I opted to walk the shoreline and pick up trash. I only had 6 bags with me but found somebody’s dinner trash still in the bag so I used that too.
I take my role as a steward of the land seriously and even being unable to fish, I still try to be productive and help keep our waters clean. I needed the fresh air and exercise so why not combine them.
Have a GREAT DAY…
Right out of the gate I will state that I don’t NEED any new rods or reels. These are purely WANTS/WISHES…(this statement WILL come back to haunt me!) And I am not saying that I will purchase any of these items, I’m just curious about them. I’m sure my wife is biting her fingernails and worrying because she knows I tend to “gear up” during the winter months in preparation for the upcoming season. But these are a few items that have piqued my curiosity…
First up is the new Daiwa Presso LT reel. This is the “update” to the Daiwa 2017 Presso LTD series. Unfortunately this reel is no longer made in Japan but has been outsourced to China. I like the idea of the monocoque body and I really like the color scheme of this reel. It seems to be a bit more muted compared to the Presso LTD 1025 that I own. Bearing count (12+1) is the same so it should be smooth. The 2021 Presso LT 1000S-P weighs 145grams(5.1oz) while the Presso LTD 1025 weighs in at 155grams(5.47oz). A 10gram difference. Probably too minor to really notice.
I have a “thing” for multi-piece rods since it suits our style of fishing. I was curious about the next level of these style rods and looked to Tenryu for an option. I own a Tenryu Lunakia 610 and know that they make high quality rods. This Rayz Integral is definitely a contender.
I know nothing about Timon rods but this one interested me especially at this price point. I have yet to buy a bad JDM rod. A rod worth considering.
I hear great things about Smith rods so I thought I’d take a look at their offerings. Again, this is obviously a multi-piece rod and seems quite interesting.
NOTE: This is where my wife needs to stop reading this blog post!
If I win the lottery or if money were no object…I would seriously entertain buying this rod. I like the looks. I really like the components, especially the rod guides.
As I’ve said MANY times before, I am curious by nature. And after owning several mid-tier JDM rods, I am wondering what the next level up would be like. But it’s really hard to justify an expenditure of that size. Safer to just drool…
I thought I would share a few links from businesses and YouTube channels that specialize in JDM fishing gear, or fishing in general. During the “winter doldrums” these links keep me fired up.
As much as I detest YouTube…I will add some channels that I enjoy in spite of the “experts” in the comment sections!
-TroutMagnetMan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWCjOaWgSZm8ogjti50JFg/featured
-Enjoy Fishing Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQAtakEbQa-YZ6zmESV92w
-i_fish https://www.youtube.com/c/ifishcatfish
-TSURINAN https://www.youtube.com/c/%E9%87%A3%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AA%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99ch
-27 mojo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvGkG9JtqfRZFY-yIGQJcag
-Threadline Angler https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrXgmWY9fLzd9BqfOnZwpg
-Hobie-Wan Kenobi https://www.youtube.com/c/HobieWanKenobi
-Brooksy https://www.youtube.com/c/JonnyBrooksFishing
-RoKKiT Kit https://www.youtube.com/c/rokkitkit
-Henry Gilbey https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGM2KWkhqA8L18HT7oFsfrQ
-Gido’s Fishing Adventures https://www.youtube.com/c/GidosLandBasedFishingAdventures
-Lanix Fishing Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/LanixFishingChannel
These are just a few that I regularly watch. I enjoy several different forms of fishing and I like to see “how it’s done” in various parts of the world. And now for the Ubiquitous Disclaimer: I do not sell anything, make commissions from, or have sponsorships from any of the above. They are merely links for the sake of information.
The above quote from Henry Rollins is exactly how I live my life.
The surgery has come and gone, healing is going well, but I’m having a hard time adjusting to the forced down time. I feel like I should be doing something or accomplishing a task. Maybe when I start physical therapy things will change. I am notorious for going really hard at PT and trying to recover in record time.
I did manage to tear down my Shimano Vanford 1000S and oil the gears and bearings in an effort to reduce the slight grinding noise I was experiencing. It definitely helped. And let me tell you…that was an epic task trying to do it with one hand! Zip was unimpressed by my efforts though…
I went ahead and placed a couple of orders to replenish our supply of jig heads and soft plastics. The Owner Cultiva JH-85’s and the Eurotackle Micro Finesse B-vibes that worked so well for us last year have become a staple in our tackle bags.
I have also started to round up permits and licenses for the 2022 season as well. It’s amazing how fast those expenditures add up. We are currently making trip plans and pouring over maps in an effort to seek out new waters and maybe revisit some of our favorite spots.
Keeping physically AND mentally active is important to me but patience is the order of the day…and for those who have been following my blog, you know I don’t possess much of that.
Til next time…take care out there.
I took a chance buying these jig heads and soft plastic lures last year. As it turns out, we used them almost exclusively for the entire 2021 fishing season.
The jig heads are from http://www.digitaka.com and are the Owner Cultiva JH-85 Nagare Dama and the JH-86 Cross Head. The weights we used were 2.2grams up to 3.0grams. They have two tie points on them depending on how you want to present them. Keep in mind that the target species was our native smallmouth bass and they don’t reach near the size of the Northern strain smallmouth bass. These hooks were fine for the Neosho strain smallmouth.
For soft plastics we opted for the Eurotackle Micro Finesse B-vibe 2 inch paddle tail swimbait.
Our colors of choice were Green Pumpkin, Bluegill Pro and Black. These were very productive for us and we plan on continuing their use for 2022.
As we tweak our gear and lure selections, we tend to carry less tackle. We continually strive for efficiency to keep from being overburdened and to maximize our time on the water. Food for thought…
I prefer to fish streams so all of my gear is generally tailored for that application. As such, we fish out of backpacks quite often so the rods are usually multi-piece for portability. Also, we specifically target our indigenous smallmouth bass which rarely reach 3 pounds so we don’t need heavier tackle.
The rod I used the most was the Majorcraft Finetail Trekking and Traveler Switch Style FTX-46/505UL.
My favorite spinning reel of 2021 turned out to be the Shimano Stradic FL 1000S. This reel blew the Vanford 1000 out of the water! Price to performance was exceptional.
The Yeti Panga 28L waterproof and submersible backpack was outstanding. Expensive but extremely durable and useful for my needs. Worth every penny and holds everything I could need for a day or two on the river.
My baitcast rod of choice was a tie this year. I used both the Majorcraft Finetail Trekking and Traveler Switch Style FTX-B46/505UL and the Majorcraft Finetail Area Stage FAX-B642UL. Both were great rods.
My Baitcast reel of choice was the Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS-HG Left. An expensive reel, but it worked really well and I had a lot of fun fishing with it.
We had a great year of fishing and managed to explore some new water. We had arbitrarily stated we wanted to make 25 trips during 2021 and according to my fishing journal we reached 27 trips. We spent a lot of time researching gear and tackle but managed to escape without any duds for the year. Everything worked perfectly for our style of fishing.
I can HIGHLY recommend http://www.digitaka.com for reels and http://www.jdmtackleheaven.com for rods.
Here’s to 2022 possibly being a better year of fishing! Cheers…
Since I have 2 weeks before I see the surgeon for a post-op appointment, I have decided to test some “proof of concept” ideas that I have been kicking around.
This build was based on the Quick Pi Kit from http://www.back7.co
I have wanted a rugged and portable computer setup for taking out to the field. I figured a Raspberry Pi 4 would be ideal because it is cheap and relatively functional for my needs. So basically, this is a Raspberry Pi 4 in a waterproof Pelican Case utilizing 3D printed parts from back7.co. It is a friction fit so no holes are drilled in the Pelican 1150 case to preserve its waterproof-ness.
I downloaded a free Pi image containing CubicSDR from the SDRPlay website and flashed it onto a MicroSD card. The SDR (software defined radio) that I used was the SDRPlay RSP1.
As I’ve stated before, I enjoy listening to various radio programs spanning Mediumwave (AM), Shortwave (HF), NOAA weather, Airband and VHF/UHF frequencies. The CubicSDR software is pretty basic without a lot of features, but it is simple to run and doesn’t require a high end processor to function. I can connect to my Apple Airpods via Bluetooth or you can plug in a speaker or even opt for headphones.
It was fun to test out and it works well. My compliments to Jay over at back7.co for the very well made 3D printed panels to go inside the Pelican 1150 case.
This is a fully functioning Raspberry Pi so I can pull up files from a thumbdrive or connect to wifi if needed. The only limiting factor for a build like this is your own imagination. It’s not quite a “cyberdeck” nor is it an SHTF backup computer, but it has lots of possibilities.
I know it’s not fishing related…but it’s wintertime and I do have other interests. Thanks for reading…
As I’ve stated before, I am an Amateur Radio Operator as well as a Shortwave Radio Listener. In short…I’m a nerd! For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with the airwaves and what I could pick up on a radio.
You can still use traditional shortwave radios to listen to the bands or you can use software defined radios. SDR’s are basically black boxes with circuitry that are connected to a computer. The software on the computer is what demodulates the RF signals into audio. The graphical user interface simulates a radio. Pretty cool technology!
The RTL-SDR dongle and the Nooelec SDR SMArt dongle each cost $30.00 USD and are 8-bit ADC processors. Frequency coverage is 24MHz-1.8GHz. The Airspy HF+ Discovery is an 18bit ADC processor and run $169.00 USD. Frequency range is 0.5kHz-31Mhz and 60MHz-260Mhz. The SDRplay RSPduo ($249.00 USD) is a 14-bit ADC dual tuner SDR with a frequency range of 1kHz-2GHz.
Connecting these SDR’s to a laptop or desktop and running the software creates a much different radio listening experience. With this method, listening to radio signals is on a different level since it is visual as well as aural.
In amateur radio parlance, I can cover all frequencies from DC to daylight. An exaggeration to be sure, but frequency coverage is impressive. Much wider coverage than a standard amateur radio. Each of these SDR’s are useful for different purposes. Some are primarily focused on HF frequencies (0.5kHz-30MHz) where others are wideband and are useful for scanning VHF or UHF frequencies as well as the FM band.
Antennas are the most important part of this system. Currently I am using passive loop antennas (Airspy Youloop $35.00 USD) active antennas (mini whip and Bonito Meg Aktiv MA-305) a long wire antenna and a Loop on Ground antenna.
I built the Loop on Ground antenna as an experiment but have been very impressed with its performance. I wound a FairRite #2873000202 binocular core transformer with 28AWG Kinar wire to create a 9:1 transformer.
Since these are receive ONLY antennas, it is acceptable to use CATV RG-6 coax cable. My Loop on Ground antenna has 60 feet of wire to form a loop. Total cost for this antenna was $12.39 USD. Results were spectacular. My signal-to-noise ratio was greatly improved. Background noise was drastically reduced which makes listening much easier on the ears without a bunch of static.
When it is cold outside and I can’t go fishing, I tend to sit at my desk and surf the airwaves just to see what’s out there. There are still a lot of programs on the shortwave bands believe it or not. You can decode weather faxes as a way to get weather information without any network connections. Listen to AM and FM, NOAA weather radio etc etc.
All of the software I use is FREE. Zero cost. And there is software for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. In the main picture you can see my mini-Windows 10 desktop and 34″ monitor running both SDRuno software and the Airspy SDR# software at the same time. You have lots of options!
Anyway, I thought I would share a different hobby that I have besides fishing. Stay warm out there…
Velox Seeker 