It has been an odd year for sure. We had set a goal of 50 outings for 2023 and have been stuck on number 41 for quite awhile. And for someone that has fishing on the brain almost 24/7, it has been tough not to go. Part of the reason is work as well as the high temperatures.
My wifes mother had to have her leg amputated above the knee due to a bone infection/ wound that just wouldn’t heal. Fortunately she has bounced back quickly and is in good spirits. Her rehab has been going well and it looks like she might be able to go home soon. It will be a few months before she will get a prosthetic and is able to return to some semblance of normalcy.
Needless to say, we have been stuck close to home. And I am in no way blaming that solely on my mother-in-law. It has been HOT! Months have gone by where it has been in the 100F’s and 90’s, but that might be coming to an end soon. We are looking forward to Trout Season which should kick off sometime in November and December.
The wife and I haven’t made much in the way of rod and reel purchases this year. We each picked up Daiwa Airity 2000 reels and I have one rod coming soon, the rest has been tackle. Trying new lures and techniques is always fun as we constantly learn and adapt.
I did get to hang out with the Grandson last weekend. His birthday was October 1st and his Mom got him a fishing rod for his birthday. It was fun teaching him how to cast in the front yard and brought back some great memories of when my Dad taught me. Fortunately for the Grandson, the ranch backs up to a lake so he will have lots of adventures in his future. And yes, I do hope and pray that he takes to fishing like I did and I will continue to encourage him. He has no idea how much Grandpa will spoil him IF he dives into fishing headfirst. But he’s 8 now, so the wind may blow his interests elsewhere.
With that I will close this blog post. 50 outings is still the goal and we will do our best to accomplish that. We still have 3 months left and will make the most of it. Thanks for reading…
After a solid month of 100F or better, not to mention countless hours of overtime at work, we carved out some time to fish our local river.
We were up at 0400 to get the morning chores done before we departed and were on the road by 0500. Zip ran to the car and hopped in all by himself so I guess we weren’t the only ones who needed to get to the river.
We arrived at 0645 and it was 68F which was a nice break from the heat. Lately it has been at least 85F at that time of morning. First thing Zip did was race to the water and go for a swim. I caught a fish on my first cast and began to worry…usually that means that’s the ONLY fish I catch when it’s that fast. My worries were unfounded, we ended up catching 43 between the two of us.
My setup for the day
I opted to use one of my baitcast setups since I was throwing hardbaits. I chose a lure we purchased from a maker on Etsy that goes by “veleshandcraftedlure.” He is out of Serbia and makes very good lures and neither one of us can get enough of them. In fact, it’s bordering on an obsession.
A FIRST for meCaught TWO on one lure.
We had the entire river to ourselves up until we had almost returned to the car when we ran across some kayakers. The river was at 5.7 feet according to the gage so it was really low. They seemed to be dragging their kayaks more than paddling. I have no idea how the stream gages are calibrated, it just says that 6.5 feet is borderline floatable.
Taking a break
One item that was new for me was a strap vest. It’s from a company in Japan named “Little Presents” and I decided to try one. The problem with the Yeti Panga is that I have to take it off to get a lure box or something I need. The vest allows me to put various items up front for quick access. I really liked that feature. It also has a zippered pouch on the back where I kept certain things I didn’t use all the time. I will need to spend more time with it before I make a determination on it. Yes I have a fly fishing vest, no I don’t want to reconfigure it if I decide to fly fish or spin fish or use baitcasting gear. What’s the point of working 60-80 hours a week if I can’t indulge myself perioically?
Needless to say, we had a great outing. All of us needed a break from the day-to-day monotony. I don’t know what it is but I hate being cooped up…I have to roam, to see what is around the next bend or over the next mountain. Unfortunately, commitments keep me tied down more than I like…but it is what it is. Hopefully this quick “recharge” will help overcome some of the depression that arises from too much time away from nature. And with that, I will leave you with some pictures of our outing. Thanks for reading.
Buffalo Gourd-Cucurbita foetidissimaMorning Glory-Ipomoea purpureaThe Veles made lure we were usingI love this dog! I wanted a fishing dog and we sure got one.Classic Velox! -“Neosho-strain smallmouth bass- Micropterus dolomieu velox
On a previous blog post I mentioned that we picked up a Dometic 11L water jug which ran about $70.00 US. The main features we liked were the size, the large opening and the quick disconnect fitting that matched our water filter. Easy to carry, easy to clean and easy to fill. But we felt the price was a bit steep.
Dometic 11L with Kataydn Hiker Pro connected
We have been slowly reconfiguring our camping gear to cover various applications and situations. I will post more on that soon. Whilst researching gear options, I ran across a Scepter jug or “Jerry can” that I hadn’t seen before…a little sawed-off 10L version. Amazon had them for $32.00 US so I ordered one. Why a 10L as opposed to the standard 20L size Jerry can? We filter our water from the nearest water source and 9 times out of 10, that’s a river so it’s easier for us to carry over distance and terrain.
We ended up liking the quality and construction so we ordered a second Scepter 10L. I remembered seeing a kiosk in an outdoor store that had a bunch of Sawyer products on it and recalled that they made a kit (SP115) Fast Fill Adapters. I ordered the kit and modified the lid of the Scepter by drilling a whole slightly smaller than the quick disconnect fitting.
Fitting installed and silicon tube fittedCloseup of quick disconnect fitting.Same concept as the Dometic. Not as elegant but still functional.
It works and that was what I wanted. In the end I saved $28.00 since we were considering purchasing another Dometic 11L jug. And it never hurts to have extra water on hand.
The second jug was the wifes idea. She had been wanting something to wash our feet or wading boots off before heading home. And sometimes to wash Zip off before letting him in the vehicle. Again, on Amazon we found a cheap battery operated pump and sprayer which would allow us to do just that. Or even wash our hair or take a quick shower.
Wish I could say this was a life-changing hack but it wasn’t. I drilled a hole and pushed a fitting through and attached a tube to the back. It was simple yet fun nevertheless. And more importantly, it fits our needs quite well.
On the home front…we moved our youngest into his dorm Thursday followed by him turning 18 on Friday. It will be an adjustment for all of us but we are so proud of him and are excited to watch him learn and grow.
Thanks for reading and we’ll catch you on the next one.
These past 3 weeks have been hectic. Our youngest starts college in mid-August and we’re scrambling to purchase the things on his dorm list. Believe me…I’d rather be fishing but family comes first.
I’ve been working a ridiculous amount of overtime to put towards his college. Between scholarships, VA benefits and plain old cash, we’ve managed to cover the first year completely and most of the second year. As a parent I’m concerned about his financial future and would prefer him not to be bogged down with debt upon graduation.
More importantly for us…it’s time for him to grow/mature and become more independent. As independent as a college student can be anyway.
Things have worked out though. We’ve had a weird summer with quite a few thunderstorms, high humidity and 110F heat. With me working 16 hour days I don’t get to see the sun much or have to deal with the heat. Starting at 0500 and crawling into bed around 2400 leaves zero time for anything else.
I can’t complain one bit though. The overtime came along at the perfect time and sometimes a little bit of sacrifice now pays off huge dividends in the future.
Looking at my fishing journal…we’ve managed 40 outings exactly this year. And I haven’t posted a whole lot about any of them…not sure why. I’ve only fly fished once so far and am really wanting to do more. I’m sure things will calm down soon so I’m not too worried.
And a big shout out to the other WordPress content creators! Thank you!!! I’ve been able to live vicariously through your posts and have enjoyed all of them.
Cheers to ALL and hopefully I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled broadcast soon.
I would like to sincerely thank each and every one who has visited the blog. It means a lot to me. And maybe by reading this blog it will help you pass the winter months!
It’s hard to believe that two years have gone by since I had the idea to try a blog as opposed to making videos on YouTube. It has been a lot of fun thus far and I will continue to interject information and humor as often as I can. It has been quite a learning experience, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
We started on the Japanese Domestic Market fishing tackle journey about 3 years ago. We were tired of the same old gear selection found in our area. I happened to stumble upon a couple of YouTube fishermen out of Japan and that was the impetus for me to do more research on their tackle. What an effort that turned out to be! With translation apps and some heavy-duty web searches, we managed to get the hang of it.
So I mention the backstory to bring us forward to where we are at now. As far as reels go, the 2022 Shimano Stella is an amazing reel (despite me having a couple of line issues) and is loved the world over. For my needs and our original intent of paring things down and going lighter, the 2019 Shimano Vanquish would have been the best option in a reel. Super light, felt drag washer and silky smooth…it suits our needs very well, and I could’ve saved money. Lesson learned. The 2022 Daiwa Exist is phenomenal and I feel it was worth the money spent but it isn’t necessary for our type of fishing. I’m not the type of person to bling out or swan around and I was genuinely curious if those reels were really that much better. Honest answer…NO. There! I paid the “stupid tax” for you. You’re welcome.
The rods have their own caveats. There is light, ultralight and then stupid light. A 44 gram rod requires too much protection and looking after to suit my taste. Lightweight comes at a cost in regards to durability. I ended up really settling on either the TenRyu Rayz Integral RZI 50L 4-piece or the TenRyu Rayz Spectra RZS 51 LL 2-piece rods. They are durable, extremely well made, sensitive and most important for me…they have larger rod guides than other rods in the same category. I tie my leaders on with an Alberto knot and some of the rods we used had 1-1.5mm eyes which always caused an issue, however minor. At 50+ years of age, threading those micro guides is a struggle!
Lures? I’m not going to bother with that one because everyone has their own favorites and their own style of fishing. Use what you are confident in. I will say that the Japanese market has a bewildering array of various lures.
Wading gear. It is what it is. Reviews are ALWAYS all over the map which makes it difficult to make an informed decision. With manufacturers warranties being what they are these days…just get what suits your taste and price range. I’m a middle of the road kind of guy and the Simms Freestones have worked well.
Boots? Ha! The same thing applies. 2 years is a standard warranty/longevity period. Get whatever fits and hope for the best.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is that for the past 2-3 years, I was blindly chasing “perfection” when I should have been focusing on “ENOUGH.” Close enough, good enough etc. Don’t misunderstand me here…we have found some really amazing gear that turned out to be worth the expense and I would not purchase a lesser/cheaper version for any reason. It’s that “grey area” where the real gems are found and that zone is where the fun lies and the real learning takes place. I used to fish just to relax and get outdoors, now it has become a “thinking mans” game which I really enjoy.
Live and learn. Some things are cheap and other things cost a lot of money so do all of the research you can and really sit down and think about it beforehand. If there is anything on this blog that you have a question about then feel free to get in contact with me and I will try my best to answer any questions and give you an honest opinion on it. There are ZERO sponsors here and I am not afraid to tell the truth despite what the marketing hype tells you.
Here’s to a great year of fishing and hopefully more years ahead for the blog. Cheers EVERYONE!
We’ll skip the usual blah blah blah and get right to the pictures of a new lure box and 2 more lures that I ordered. One is a 50mm 4 gram sinking lure and the other is a 50mm 5 gram fast sinking lure. Exceptional quality.
I hope everyone has a great holiday and I would also like to extend a Thank You to everyone who has stopped by the blog. There have been 7,742 visitors from 68 countries in 2022. That blows my mind. Cheers to all!
I hope everyone had a great holiday and was able to spend time with family. We have a lot to be thankful for.
We’ve been really busy with trying to get ready for winter. Bringing in hay, stocking up on horse and chicken feed, as well as filling the bird feeders. It has already snowed twice and I realize I still need to increase my firewood supply. We will get it all done in due time.
All of the discarded/lost fishing line we have recovered in 2022.
I would especially like to give a shout out to all of the people who are trying to make their fishing areas a better place. Those who pick up trash and other detritus without being asked or told. Those are the people who make this sport and our world a better place. And I am thankful for them.
Conservation is a key component in fishing, whether it be stream/river/lake management, selective harvests or volunteer outings. We can all play a role no matter how small, so help out where you can.
I am also thankful for my readers. I appreciate each and every one of you! Until next time…take care and be safe.
2022 has been a weird year in regards to weather. We really didn’t have much of a Spring season here in Oklahoma. I’m sure a lot of other places experienced the same thing or worse. We’ve had many more days over 100F than I ever remember and we’re still experiencing those temperatures this late into September.
Like several other places, we need some rain. We haven’t had any meaningful amounts in months. Our vegetable garden has not produced much in the way of food all summer. In fact, we are just now beginning to see tomatoes on the plants. Even our Okra, which usually does well in sun and heat has suffered and is only about 24 inches tall, which is odd.
Our fishing has suffered as well due to high temperatures as well as low water conditions. Fortunately the Velox is a resilient species and we hope they continue to thrive.
We did manage to complete one of our projects and that was getting a solar power system out to the barn and shed. It is a small scale system at the moment but we will expand it as funds are available. I was tired of running extension cables out there to do any work. I still need to get a pure sine wave inverter and one more battery but I can at least charge tool batteries and have lighting out there. It’s a start at least and moving incrementally forward is still better than going in reverse. Solar is far from perfect, but maybe it will help in some small part.
As stated before, I am not a climatologist and have refrained from making statements or announcing my “position” because I don’t have all of the data. But just by using pure observational skills, it is clear that something isn’t quite normal. We already try to reduce or conserve what we can and with the supply chain issues around the globe, this situation can and may get more “interesting.” And I am sure it will probably impact our fishing even more. Time will tell.
My apologies for not posting anything to the blog for a couple of weeks. My work schedule has drastically increased to include longer hours and weekends as well. We are still experiencing temperatures in the upper-90’s to 100F+ so we haven’t been fishing at all. The good news as far as I can tell is that the temps will start slowly decreasing next week.
Yes, we could hit the rivers and fish but we haven’t had any measurable rainfall in over a month which will effect water levels. At times like that, it’s like “shooting fish in a barrel,” so I feel that it isn’t very sporting. I prefer to have a sustainable population of fish for the future as opposed to “getting mine now.”
Some people may disagree but I prefer to have an ethic when it comes to this sport. This isn’t a rant, nor am I pointing fingers. Rather, it’s just my ethos and I will not deviate.
I definitely have upcoming blog posts which I think readers may like. They are still a few weeks off but I promise they will be forthcoming. Stay tuned for those and I hope everyone is doing well.
I had high hopes for these boots but ran into a major issue-at least for me.
SImms Free Salt Boot and Simms Flyweight Access Boot
First the GOOD- they fit like a tennis shoe and the traction was far superior to the Simms Free Salt Boot. And they definitely felt less clunky and bulky. I felt more nimble while traversing across rocks and boulders. They are light as the name implies and I could’ve worn them all day.
Now for the BAD- no matter what I tried, I couldn’t keep sand and microgravel from getting into the boot. It got to the point where enough got inside that it was uncomfortable wearing them. I know that I have skinny ankles and as such I expect some sand/microgravel to enter in through the top of the Simms Guide sock but there was a lot inside the boot. Way more than what was inside the sock.
As you can see from the photo the Simms Free Salt is quite a bit taller which gives the Guide Sock more surface area to prevent ingress of sand/microgravel. The tongue design and height of the boot might be the culprit.
I plan to try my Simms standard wading socks and separate velcro gravel guards to see if I can get a better seal to prevent this issue. As of now, I’d rate them at a 5 out of 10 on a sliding scale. I’m not ready to give up on them, but as is, I shouldn’t have to stop and empty the boot out just to keep fishing-that doesn’t work for me.
Velox Seeker 