The weather has been conspiring against us for most of January it seems.
Fortunately we had a small warming trend and some rain which “de-iced” the trout ponds. Today the temperature was 37F but with 18-20mph winds so it felt like 26F. Come hell or high water…we were hitting the trout pond, and we did.
We had two new rods to test and hopefully give them a proper workout, but sadly we only caught one rainbow trout. Granted, it was a decent one at around 3 pounds.
For those interested…The rods were a DreemUp Dreem Con Three 62L spinning rod and a Shimano Soare SS Ajing S58L-S spinning rod. Both are fantastic casters and I caught our only trout on the DreemUp. The rod performed flawlessly and really helped keep the trout under control.
DreemUp DCT 62L on top and the Shimano Soare SS Ajing S58L-S on the bottom.
Wish we could have stayed longer but the wind and cold made us head for home. Talking with a few of the regulars, they confirmed that it had been stocked this past Thursday so hopefully we can return tomorrow.
It felt SO GOOD to hear the drag sing and feel the pull on the rod. It has been too long for sure. And once again, the trout spoons came through for us. Of the 6 anglers present, ours was the only trout that we saw being caught. I can’t stress enough how effective these spoons can be.
Hopefully we can return tomorrow and do a bit better…
We have been really wanting to go trout fishing but a recent winter storm and below freezing temperatures have forced us to wait. A new rod has been sitting here waiting for me to give it a good workout and it is probably just as frustrated as I am.
The weatherman assured us that it would be 32F by noon so we made plans and gathered our gear. But we all know that they are about as trustworthy as a politician! Temperatures ended up dropping by noon as a new round of winter storms approaches. The rain, sleet and ice are supposed to start falling by 6PM.
We pulled into the trout pond and noticed that there wasn’t a single person fishing. Never a good sign! We can’t actually see the pond from the parking lot so we parked and walked down to the edge. This is what greeted us…
The aerator/pump was running and that was the only open water, but casting and getting a fish would’ve been tough…too much ice to contend with. We put Plan B into motion and opted to drive to another pond.
Two pockets of open water well out of range and socked in with ducks and geese. Not a chance!
We gave up and headed towards home. We ended up detouring a bit and checking out one of our local lakes and it was iced over too. Something we had never seen before. After that we called it a day an opted to relax for the rest of Sunday. The weather forecast looks bleak for next week but maybe we will get another chance come the weekend.
I have never been one who followed the herd. I am not special nor a trendsetter. Honestly, I could care less about being in any form of “limelight.” If I develop a concept or theory in my head, then I follow it and see where it leads.
Yes, this article brings JDM gear back into focus. I am not trying to sell anything and never will. If you’re interested in JDM gear then you understand. What I will try to demonstrate is that it is possible to defy normal convention.
Case in point: Almost all JDM stream/native trout rods have cork handles. Cork is fine and we are not against that. However, we have found that having a composite handle suits us much better. Area rods tend to have a lot of dense EVA foam on them. Cork and foam tend to be insulators whereas straight composite grips transfer every nuance of the lure or fish straight to your hand. I have often wondered what a graphite/carbon fiber fly rod handle would feel like while nymphing! The problem is finding a rod that meets our criteria and we are forced to look at other possibilities.
TOP: JDM Area trout rod handle, MIDDLE: JDM Stream/Native trout rod handle, BOTTOM: JDM Ajing rod handle.
The easiest way to explain it is that Area trout rods are more whippy and have a parabolic bend, whereas Stream/Native trout rods have a stiff backbone yet possess a responsive tip. This also transfers over to UL Saltwater/Light Game whereas the Mebaru rods have a similar action to Area rods and the Ajing rods are similar in action to the Stream/Native rods. Area = Trout Pond and Stream is exactly what it sounds like.
We spend quite a large amount of time researching Ajing (Horse Mackerel) spinning rods. These rods are NOT designed for our intended purpose, but we try them anyway, and so far it has worked in our favor. Not only are these rods lighter, but also more sensitive and responsive.
I have literally held my Tenryu Lunakia 6’10” 2-piece rod straight out in front of me and had a friend rub a dandelion seed head against the tip…and I could feel it!
I am not knocking USDM (US Domestic Market) rods…too much, but I honestly can’t stand the way they feel/respond. Components are quite unimpressive and the price is off in my opinion. But then again, in all openess, we’ve never found a USDM rod that is designed for the fishing we like to do. That being said, if I’m chasing Northern-strain Smallmouth, then I’ll grab an off-the-shelf rod and use that. My priorities are pretty simple at that point…ML to Med action and be a 2-piece rod. That’s it!
With the exchange rate being what it is……currently 148.14 YEN to $1 USD, it’s a no-brainer for us. It’s the perfect time to find bargains on quality rods and reels. Another factor is the Japanese have sales quite often and you can save even more. Several online sites even offer free shipping adding up to more savings. Sorry if it sounds like im preaching!
On another note…the reels I have settled on are the 2019 Shimano Vanquish and the 2023 Daiwa Airity.
We do own Shimano Stella’s and Daiwa Exist’s which are their top of the line reels. But for me anyway, these mid-range reels are just about perfect and I don’t ever see me buying a high-end spinning reel again.
Defy convention…don’t think outside the box, just get rid of the box! Fish can’t read.
With all that being said…once it warms up to above freezing, we plan on hitting the trout ponds today. The stocking schedules have been off due to the recent winter storms so we will keep our fingers crossed.
Catch you on the next one…
P.S. Just a “public service announcement”- If there are any bass guys reading this, JDM Tackle Heaven is having a huge sale until January 31 and they have a ton of Megabass rods on sale. www.jdmtackleheaven.com
It’s that time of year again when we go over our most used gear from the previous year.
First up will be the wading boots…
We both used the Simms Flyweight Access Boot. It was the second season for my pair and they are showing some wear but otherwise are holding up fine. Lightweight with plenty of grip.
Our choice of jigheads changed this year. We found the Daiwa Gekkabijin’s to work very well. Runner up was the Duo Tetra Works Sniphead Large.
Our favorite snap this year ended up being the IMA Tariki snap in Size #0 and #1.
For the second year in a row…we still prefer the EuroTackle 2-inch and 3-inch B-vibes in Green Pumpkin or Black.
New for 2023 was adding a Yeti GoBox 15 to the loadout. We were looking for something that could hold all of our extra jigheads, snaps, plastic baits and spools of line. It lived in the vehicle for most of the season. It was nice to reach the car after an outing and reload what we needed.
For me, my most used reel was the Daiwa Airity. I absolutely loved using it and can’t recommend it enough. My wife used her Stella almost exclusively and loved it. She has recently received an Airity so we will see what 2024 brings.
My most used spinning rod ended up being the Tenryu Rayz Spectra RZS51LL again. Great rod for our type of fishing and target species.
Her two favorite setups. The Stella C2000S with her Tenryu Rayz Spectra RZS61LL and her Shimano Soare XR S58UL-S rod with a Soare XR 2000 reel.
I did spend quite a bit of time in 2023 fishing with baitcasters and really enjoyed throwing hard baits with them.
Daiwa Silver Creek Stream Custom 8.5 on a Tenryu Rayz Spectra RZS51LL-BC followed by a Shimano Scorpion BFS on a MajorCraft Finetail FSG-B462UL glass rod.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t throw in a pic of some nets we used for 2023. We purchased these off of Etsy from a Ukrainian master craftsman who goes by ZenNets. Excellent nets!
I am sure that there are things I’m leaving out, but these were the main items that stuck out in 2023. We explored several new areas, enjoyed beautiful scenery, had a lot of laughs and a few disappointments. But all-in-all, we had a great year of fishing and continued to learn a lot. Here’s to 2024 being a great year as well…CHEERS!
We had noticed these Nestout batteries and lights a year or so ago (2022) on a Japanese camping forum. We liked the concept but they wouldn’t ship to the US. Fast forward to 2023 and we noticed that they were selling them on Amazon so we grabbed a few. They are slowly trickling in their entire product line via Amazon. They have batteries ranging from 5000mAh up to 15000mAh’s as well as two different lights…the Lamp-1 and the Flash-1.
For camping, or even wading a river, having a dustproof and waterproof battery pack that has USB-A and USB-C was handy to have. Currently they have the batteries in 3 colors…grey, black and tan.
Only the lights come with a tripod and storage bag so be aware of that. Also, it is a proprietary fitting that comes with a screw on ring that attaches to the battery and allows for the USB light to plug in and lock into place. If you’re charging a phone or GoPro it won’t matter, just plug the cable in and go.
Lamp-1 w/ 10,000mAh battery.The Lamp-1 ranges from 10-350 lumens.10,000mAh battery w/ Flash-1 light…you can see the locking ring in the middle.The Flash-1 is adjustable from 30-1000 lumens.
These will work well for us and we can appreciate the innovation and design concept. They have already been pressed into service during a recent power outage and did a great job.
Hope everyone is doing well and Thank You to my readers for a great year.
Things have been very hectic for both of us with many contributing factors…work, family and life. We have been able to squeeze in a few short excursions here and there so we are still fishing.
We did pick up a few new rods this year. In particular was the 2021 Shimano Soare XR series in 5ft 4in and 6ft Super Ultralight and the 5ft 8in Ultralight. These rods are fantastic and extremely sensitive. The 54SUL paired with the Shimano Soare XR 500SPG reel excels for trout in our local stocked ponds. The 58UL paired with a 2000 size reel works really well in small streams.
Shimano Soare XR S58UL-S rod.
The Soare XR handle has been the most ergonomic and aesthetic handle we’ve come across so far.
Believe it or not, I have been using this little reel…The Shimano Soare XR 500SPG a lot lately. It is a beast of a little reel! Gear ratio of 4.7:1 with 3kg or drag and weighs 135grams.
2021 Shimano Soare XR 500SPG
We haven’t sat down and planned trips for 2024 yet, but once winter fully sets in I am sure we will start that process. We are definitely not sure what kind of year 2024 will be but I think we can all guess what it might look like.
I do know that Daiwa will be releasing a new Daiwa Certate in the 2000 size sometime in the first quarter of 2024 and I am interested to say the least. Time will tell though.
I will close now, and again, I wish to give a heartfelt shout-out to everyone who visited this blog and hope you all have a happy holiday season no matter where you are. Cheers!
We finally managed to get out and fish a bit yesterday morning. Temperatures are cooler early in the morning and we arrived at one of the nearby lakes shortly after sunrise.
Nice little perch on a hardbait
The wind kicked up just as the sun rose over the hills so we had some issues casting our light lures. We managed to pull out 7 bass and the one perch. We were expecting a package so opted to head home early to be there for its arrival. Long story short…it never arrived so we wasted our time. Had we known, we would’ve stayed and fished all afternoon.
Fast forward to the next morning and we were once again waiting for the package to arrive and it finally did at 0905.
This is classed as an Ajing rod and is listed as a saltwater super ultralight rod. It is a bit stiffer than ultra light rods that are made in the States.Paired with the Shimano Soare XR 500SPG reel.The bending curve on this rod is fantastic, as is the sensitivity.
We were at another local lake by 0930 with the purpose of putting this rod through its paces. We had a narrow window of opportunity as storms are expected early this afternoon.
Much to our surprise, they had cleared all of the brush from around the lakeshore so we had a few more chances to cast from the bank.
Think this was the smallest bass I have ever caught.
This is going to be a tangle of poison ivy soon.
We managed to catch 5 bass before the rain started. I am impressed with the new rod and can see it being almost perfect for the trout ponds. It would definitely be fun to use on the rivers for smallmouth.
It looks like it will finally start cooling down after tonight which is a great relief. We want to fish the river at least one more time before trout season starts. It will all depend on how much rain we get tonight and what the temperatures are going to do. Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading.
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.
On the fishing side of things, the only new thing has been the purchase of two nets from ZenNets out of Ukraine. The gentleman is a master craftsman working under austere war-torn conditions. We didn’t need more nets but he was having a half-off sale so we snagged two more.
As far as actual fishing goes, the answer is NO. I am still working tons of overtime which means 16 hour days. Also, the heat as been atrocious these past few weeks. For those who don’t know…we tend not to fish for our beloved native smallmouth (Velox) in these conditions due to increased mortality rates due to extreme stress. And I will also add that come Saturday, I’m pretty exhausted and tend to sleep a lot. I am not sure how accurate my Samsung Smart Watch is in regards to its sleep tracking software…but it showed I managed to get 4 hours and 57 minutes of DEEP/REM sleep from Monday thru to Friday. Im not gonna lie…I am tired.
On the weather front…the heat indexes have been well over 100F and approaching 120F day after day. It IS August in Oklahoma after all. The hard part for us is that we usually don’t have to contend with a lot of humidity from July to September. This year has been different in the fact that is has rained/stormed just enough to keep the humidity high enough to be miserable (60%+)
Our youngest leaves for college next week and we’ve been buying everything required to furnish a dorm room. Seems odd to me that the University provides a long list of necessary items knowing full well that they are cramming two young adults into a 12ft x 15ft dorm room. I feel horrible for my wife because she has been the one running around and purchasing everything. I’m at work from 0500-2300 and can provide ZERO help unless it’s via a phone call. Parents are truly the unsung heroes in the world! The things we do for our children that go unnoticed is astounding.
Cheers! to all of the parents out there
I will close here as there hasn’t really been anything exciting going on and I haven’t had a chance to really go fishing…anything further would sound like whining, lol. Thanks for reading!
I am constantly trying to streamline my gear to become more efficient. I prefer to carry what I think I need for a day on the river and not much else.
For reference: I do own a Patagonia Convertible Fly Fishing vest already. And for honesty’s sake, I’m too lazy to pull all of the stuff out to reconfigure it for a different purpose. Once I get something dialed in the way I like it then I tend to leave it alone. So for that reason, I bought something different.
The LittlePresents Strap Vest Neo V-23. This is a Japanese company that designs various items that are fishing related. I’m not into the tactical look but this had what I was looking for without being over the top.
I will still continue to use the Yeti Panga 28 backpack, but I wanted something a little more “user” friendly. Having my essentials up front and accessible will increase efficiency which will allow me to fish more. I will no longer have to stop and take off my backpack and dig into it to find what I need.
Both front pockets are spacious and hold plenty of lure boxes and terminal tackle boxes.There is a single large zippered pocket on the back to hold raingear, licenses and various other things. Even my coffee brewing kit.With net attached.Relatively low-profile.
My criteria was for a “thin” vest as opposed to one with a gazillion pockets everywhere that stick out too far forward. I didn’t want my casting to be impeded so I got a vest that could hold only the essentials. I also wanted it be lighter and cooler than a regular fly fishing vest (I know they make mesh vests) because summer is here and temperatures are climbing. I also wanted a vest that still had the potential to be modified by me if I deem it necessary.
Two things I still need to sort out are: a spare rod holder and a water bottle holder. I can always toss a water bottle in the back pocket but I’d like something easier to get to.
I love fishing…but I also love tinkering with fishing gear and tackle! Hopefully this will work out and I plan to test it soon so stay tuned for that. Thanks for reading.
The other day when the wife and I were fishing a river that we frequent often…we heard something and looked upstream to see two kayakers approaching.
Usually we have the river to ourselves for the whole day but this day was different. The first thing the older gentleman in the lead kayak said was, “this river sure is crowded!” I thought the comment was rather odd and I could tell the guy was genuinely upset that we were fishing the same river as them.
I will digress a bit here to explain to the reader that I myself am not a people person. I prefer to get as far away from other humans as I can. I like to fish or hunt completely surrounded by the sounds of nature. And I don’t take kindly to incursions from the outside world/other humans. Also, I am tired of cleaning up after other humans no matter where I go. Now back to the story…
I could’ve gotten upset myself at THEIR intrusion since obviously we were on the river well before them. Instead I let the old man vent for a bit and genuinely agreed with most of his complaints/observations. For reference, this particular area became available to the public in 2019. However, most of the people who accessed it kept it pretty quiet because they knew what would happen once word got out. It wasn’t until recently that the Fish and Game Commission decided to advertise it on TV as well as holding fishing clinics here. None of the “regulars” were happy to say the least.
Anyway, the 4 of us sat on the river and talked. We had honest conversations regarding this river and our respect and concern for it. These two gentlemen were from Arkansas and had purchased land on the river just so they could have access. Once they realized that my wife and I were just like them in the fact that we deeply cared for the well being of this river, they relaxed a bit. They were amazed that we fished up and down the river on foot…deeming it too strenuous so they opted to fish out of kayaks. Respect was earned and given both ways as the conversation continued. We could’ve parted as enemies but instead parted ways as fisher-friends.
Give and take goes a long way. I’d rather fish in harmony with others when possible. And I really don’t have a problem with others trying to protect their waters as long as they allow access to people who feel the same way. I don’t pick up trash for awards or recognition but because I CARE. In retrospect it was kind of funny…as we talked and shared stories about some of the rivers we fished, we ended sharing new locations and access points with each other. I shared my knowledge of BFS and JDM tackle and showed them the gear we were using as we clearly had different concepts of what constituted “ultralight” fishing gear. If both parties of a conversation are not learning something…is it really a conversation?
It was a beautiful start to the morning. After a 2 hour drive just talking and drinking coffee, we hit the river running. The temperature was hanging right around 70F and the skies were grey and cloudy. We could hear some thunder way off in the distance but we opted to fish anyway.
MajorCraft Fiberglass rod with a 2017 Shimano Scorpion BFS reel.She opted to try her Teucer fiberglass rod as well.She used her Daiwa Silver Creek Stream Custom 8.5L reel.
I was a bit surprised when she told me she wanted to try using a baitcast setup on the river. She has practiced with me many times before so I knew she could do it. She was worried about bird nests and I told her it was going to happen and was inevitable…so don’t worry about it.
First fish on a baitcast setup for her. YEAH!!!!
We had a really good morning session on the river. We managed to catch 73 with about half of them being decent. I hadn’t spent a full day behind a baitcaster on the river before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Watching the smallmouth rocket up from the bottom to smash the lure was a sight to see.
Her efforts were ended early due to a weed! There was a piece of Johnson grass at her side and when she cast, she hit it which resulted in a reel spool full of mayhem. And try as I might, I couldn’t pick it out. I offered her my setup but she was quite content to fish on with her spinning outfit. I was and am, very proud of her. I think she sees that there is some value in that method in regards to how and where we fish.
It wasn’t long before the wind picked up, the skies grew ominous and the sound of thunder got louder. We decided to call it a day and started heading back upstream to the car. And of course we weren’t fast enough and we both were absolutely soaked by the time we made it back. Zip? He could’ve cared less and was having the time of his life!
It was definitely good to be back on our home waters. We are not looking forward to the heat that we know is coming, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Stay tuned for the next one!
Velox Seeker 