veloxseeker

My Go-To Rod and Reel Setup

For years now, my go-to stream fishing rod and reel setup has been the St. Croix Triumph Travel TRS66MLF4 and the Abu Japan Roxani 2500MSH spooled with Daiwa J-braid x8 in 8lb test. I chose this rod because its a 4-piece and is easy to strap to the side of a pack or stow in the trunk of a compact car. The ML (Medium Light) action is perfect for chasing Velox.

This particular rod is made in Mexico but so far (3 years) it has held up well. The Roxani has been brilliant as well and is still smooth after everything it’s been through. We stream fish and that means wading! Some spots we’ve had to swim across or even swim through deeper pools to reach the next section. Both rod and reel have been dunked or splashed but they’ve held up well.

The Roxani was my first JDM (Japan Domestic Market) reel and won’t be my last. They just have a different feel than USDM reels. We will see how it goes as 2021 seems to be shaping up into a manner where I’m going LIGHTER. Both the rods and reels I’ve purchased lately have been lighter…1000 size reels as well as Light to Ultralight rods. Time will tell…stay tuned for more!

Aquatic Surveys

In July of 2019, the wife and I were fishing a particular stretch of river when we saw 2 kayakers coming downstream. They made a beeline straight for us and I told the wife to get her license handy. Instead of game wardens, they turned out to be wildlife biologist research students. After some small talk they asked if we would be willing to participate in a survey. (Note: most fisherman I know are tight-lipped and WILL NOT participate) We agreed and had a lengthy 45 minute question and answer period. It was a great interaction and they shared a lot of information. I would highly recommend interacting we these folks as the learning process goes BOTH ways.

A few weeks later, an official and lengthy survey arrived in the mail. I filled it out and voiced my complete OBJECTION to allowing other strains of smallmouth to be introduced into this watershed. Bass fishing is huge in Oklahoma and there seems to be some sort of tournament on the lakes weekly/monthly. I know there’s big money involved and I’m not knocking tournament anglers (I’ve fished tournaments) but why can’t we leave this watershed unspoiled?

I am not a hardcore environmentalist but I do believe in clean water and clean air and I’d prefer to see this watershed LEFT AS IS. Why do you think I try to leave my fishing waters cleaner than when I arrived? For others, our kids and grandkids!!!

BONUS: Those two research students gave me information that allowed me to open up about 8-10 more miles of river to fish! WELL worth the interaction and sharing of information.

Why I’m worried about the future for Micropterus dolomieu velox!

I have included links to a few articles specifically about the Velox to give you some insight into this unique bass as well as the problems we face.

–Preserving native smallmouth (espn.com)

–Smallmouth Fishing Deep in the Ozarks – Fayettechill

–U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov)

Study will help fisheries management of a popular game fish—the smallmouth bass (phys.org)–

Thank you for reading!

MAGPUL DAKA zippered pouch

I use a MagPul DAKA zippered pouch to hold my licenses and permits as well as other ancillary items. I chose yellow for visibility when I’m using a slingpack (Patagonia Stormsurge Sling or Yeti Panga 28L). It just keeps things together and reduces the clutter. The DAKA is not 100% waterproof but it’s durable and does the job.

As stated before, I spend a lot of time researching gear choices. I think things through with a focus on price, durability, utility and function. I prefer a modular approach so I can switch out easily. Anything to maximize my fishing time and keep clutter to a minimum…

My River/Stream Essentials

Anytime I find myself on my local rivers or streams fishing, you will find these items on my person.

A homemade pouch that holds my plastic baits and jig heads.
A Sawyer Squeeze water filter. It allows me to drink from the river without having to carry extra water bottles which add a lot of weight.
A spool of Seaguar 6lb fluorocarbon leader material.
Loon mitten clamp hemo-cuts.
A Victorinox Alox Solo pocket knife.
A mini Bic lighter.
Abel nippers..
A ziplock bag containing a small chamois for cleaning my eyeglasses and sunglasses.

Bobby Garland 2.5 inch Stroll’r soft plastics

Again, with lots of trial and error, I’ve settled on these 4 colors almost exclusively when fishing for Velox. For those new to the blog, Velox is short for Micropterus dolomieu velox- the Neosho-strain Smallmouth Bass.

I remember the first few times we fished the stream for these fish and we threw EVERYTHING we had. Most of which were our tried and true colors…pumpkinseed, motor oil, buffalo, electric chicken etc etc. But NO, they only wanted blue. They would ignore anything with chartreuse which I thought was bizarre. But who am I to argue! Give them what they want. And they wanted BLUE!

Being a consummate fisherman…it’s our destiny to experiment and experiment we will. I have a host of new lures to try in 2021…and yes…they’re BLUE.

Gamakatsu Round 211 1/8th oz jig head.

After a few years of trial and error I settled on the Gamakatsu Round 211 jig head in 1/8th oz. I find that the hooks are super-sharp and the short shank makes hookups more consistent for stream fishing smallmouth bass.

With this weight, I can fish the deeper pools or tail-out areas. Riffles can be fished with a faster retrieve as well as the rod tip being held higher. Just be careful not to high-stick the rod when fighting a fish.

I have zero scientific evidence to prove my theory other than my fishing journal which shows on July 13th we caught 10 Velox using a generic jig head as opposed to July 27th where we caught 82 using the Round 211. It might have been a banner day where all the planets were aligned…but the Journal says otherwise! As with fishing in general….Your mileage may vary!

Quick Shot of the 2020 Shimano Vanford 1000 on my Major Craft Troutino TTS-562L.

I put the Vanford 1000 onto my Major Craft Troutino TTS-562L rod and headed to a local pond. Both of these are new to me ( arrived Friday ) and I wanted to see how they paired up. Balance was really good and the action on this rod was great. No fish were caught unfortunately but I was there mainly to get a feel for the rod and see how various lure weights performed.

Randy over at TroutMagnetMan (YouTube) says, “Major Craft gives you a lot of rod for the money” and he was absolutely correct. This is a JDM rod yet its made in China but fit and finish was excellent. I’ve been using a St. Croix Triumph Travel ML spinning rod for years and this was cheaper but much nicer all the way around.

When the waters warm up a bit I plan on hitting the panfish hard as well as white bass and my beloved Neosho-strain Smallies. Stay tuned for more…

This is ME:

My name is Jeff and I enjoy the Great Outdoors. I love to fish and have been doing it most of my life. I have made over 25 trips to Ontario to fish as well as several other destinations.

Currently I reside in Oklahoma and fish the lakes and streams on a regular basis. The past few years I’ve rekindled my interest in fly fishing as well as using spinning gear while wading streams. I prefer to fish “off the beaten path” and do lots of research to find somewhat remote spots.

Please do not be upset if I don’t reveal locations. If you recognize them then you know why! Also, you will routinely see me doing stream clean-ups EVERYTIME I’m out fishing. I could rant on and on about the conditions of some of our local waters and live by the mantra of “leave it cleaner than how you found it.” A great way to recycle a plastic bag is to fill it with trash on your way out. Just sayin

Stay safe and go fishing! -Jeff

Are Journals Important?

I keep fishing journals…NOT personal journals!

I started my fishing journals years ago so I would have a reference point for a particular location, time of year, temperature, water depth/stream flow, lure choices etc. It has been really handy to re-read them before I head out and if you fish an area long enough and often enough…you’ll end up with useful information that may cover all seasons and weather conditions.

Just food for thought….

Blogging vs Vlogging

I had a fishing channel on YouTube before I severed all ties with them (that’s a long story for another time) I didn’t like the pressure to create cutting edge content or have to turn into a Hollywood director and producer to get “Likes” and “subs.” I find that having a blog suits my temperament much better and it definitely stream-lined my life.

I will do my best to give you good photos (as good as I know how anyway) and honest reviews of gear that I highlight. I spend a lot of time doing gear research so I can “buy once, cry once.” Basically, if it’s utilitarian and suits my needs/purpose, then I usually get it. Some of the fishing I do is specialized…not that its cutting edge or anything, but I want a specific piece of gear to maximize my fishing time so I track it down or make it myself.

I will be highlighting some of the gear I use and why…so follow along!

2020 Shimano Vanford VF1000F

For 2021 I decided to try a lighter spinning reel and chose the Shimano Vanford 1000. It weighs 5.3 ounces and has a 5.1:1 gear ratio. It has 7 pounds of max drag (which I’ll never use) and 7+1 ball bearings. This reel has the typical Shimano smoothness and line lay was excellent.

I have it spooled with about 130 yards of Daiwa J-Braid Grand X8 in 6 pound test. Onto that is attached an 18 inch fluorocarbon leader at 6 pound test.

side note: PE# 0.6= 6lbs test

I’m interested to see how the new features (trickled down from the Stella) act with this reel. I’m keen to see how the long stroke spool works out.

Stay tuned for more…..