veloxseeker

Oklahoma Weather…

Funny how it was almost 65F yesterday but only reached 27F today (at 5am). With the wind it felt a constant 14F all day long. We didn’t get much snow thankfully.

The birds kept me hopping though. When I went out back to bust ice in the horse trough, the birds swarmed in for a drink of water. So I went out front and put a bowl of water out by the birdfeeders for them. Needless to say, it kept freezing up so I repeatedly had to refill it. Since I couldn’t go fishing today…what better way to pass the time than to be at the beck and call of a bunch of birds. It was literally a “for the birds” kind of day.

I have no idea how it happens, but when I put out Cardinal seed, they show up. I never see them until then. The suet was a big hit as well and I’ll need to buy some more soon.

It was kind of nice to watch the snow falling and witnessing Zip’s first ever snow. He loved it and like a little kid, constantly wanted to go out in it and play only to come in when he needed to dry off and warm up. Rinse and repeat ALL day.

For not having any plans today…we sure were busy. Stay warm and we’ll catch you on the next one

Our Re-Supply Arrived…

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.

First Bass of 2022…

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.

4 bags to start with. Ended up filling 8 bags before I left.

I opted for my ultralight setup this morning. Shimano Soare Ci4+ 500 and a Major Craft Finetail Works Tune Area Spec FTA-582UL.

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.

I turned the neoprene sleeve inside out and used my Juki to sew one end shut. Super simple.

Clips onto my fishing bag. Low-profile and compact. Works well.

Thanks for reading…

Tackle Japans-Manufacturer’s List

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!

The DUO Tetra Works React 50, 55 & 65 Spinning Rod…

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…

Went to a Local Trout Pond…

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 pulled as much trash out of the water as I could reach and threw it up onto the shore.

And After. Yes, there is still a styrofoam cup in the water but I couldn’t reach it. Sorry

7 bags total. See the big green dumpster in the background???

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…

Fishing Gear That I’m Interested In for the 2022 Season…

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.

Daiwa Presso LTD SGA SMT 62L. Pie In The Sky!

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…

Links That Keep Me Going…

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.

http://www.digitaka.com

http://www.jdmtackleheaven.com

http://www.finesse-fishing.com

http://www.plat.co.jp

http://www.jpfishingtacklenews.com

http://www.japantackle.com

http://www.ichibantackle.com

http://www.jdmfishingtackle.com

http://www.baitfinesseempire.com

http://www.suburbantrout.com

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.

I AM NOT BUILT FOR SITTING OR DOING NOTHING…

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.

Our Most Used Lures of 2021…

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…

My Most Used Fishing Gear of 2021…

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…

Doing Projects to Pass the Time…

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.

Keyboard, Battery, RSP1 and Quick Pi Kit.

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.

Full setup running. I’m using a Baseus 65watt 30,000mAH battery and I am not getting voltage error messages from the Pi.

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.

7 inch Pi touchscreen, Raspberry Pi 4 and cable extensions. I added a small fan to help control the temperature of the Pi.

Wired up and ready to fit inside the Pelican 1150 case.

I know it’s not fishing related…but it’s wintertime and I do have other interests. Thanks for reading…