Tag Archives: fishing

A Picture of a Crappie I Caught Today…

I rarely take pictures of the fish I catch and what’s worse is that I’m woefully unprepared when I do feel like taking a picture. My phone was safely tucked away in a waterproof bag so I had to grab my GoPro to take a quick snapshot. If you’ve ever fished from a kayak then you understand that rummaging around looking for something is never easy or convenient.

I caught several Crappie this morning and a few small bass but released them all. I was trying out my Major Craft Finetail Banshee FBA-602L spinning rod coupled with my Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 reel. I think these two will stay paired up from here on out. What a great combo!

Testing Out a Major Craft Finetail Banshee FBA-602L

I’ve never been one to care about matching rods to reels when it comes to colors, but when I saw the Finetail Banshee…I couldn’t resist! When I ran across the rod on Digitaka’s website I thought WOW, “that rod would pair up perfectly with my Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 spinning reel.” So I pulled the trigger.

I have been wanting to try a rod with Fuji Titanium Guides and Torzite inserts. CHECK

I wanted to try a Fuji TVS reel seat. CHECK

So I took the rod out this morning and was pleased with its action and power rating. With a flick of the wrist I can cast a 2.2 gram jig a LONG ways. And as you can see…they pair up nicely with each other!

03April2021-Kayak Fishing

The wife and I took the kayaks down to one of our local lakes this morning. The weather was typical for Oklahoma…WINDY! The sun was out and the temps were in the low-to-mid 60’s F so it was nice.

My ride is a Wilderness Systems Thresher 140 and hers is the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120. It was fun being able to finally get out and paddle. According to the Garmin locator…water temp was between 55.9F and 56.2F. Hopefully the water will hit 57F and things will fully turn on.

I managed to catch several small bass and a few nice crappie. I was testing out 2 new rods and reels and will do a follow-on post shortly.

The Wife’s Setup for Bigger Fish…

The wife opted to try her new setup (new to her) which was a Tsunami Air Wave TSAWSS702M coupled with a Van Staal VR50 running 15# Power Pro braid.

I didn’t get on with the Van Staal VR50 because the reel stem is too short and it constantly smacked my knuckles when reeling. Apparently this has been fixed with the newer versions of this reel. But she loved the reel and her fingers are smaller so she didn’t have the same issue. She made several comments about the aesthetics of the reel and how solidly it was built. I have been sorely tempted to get the Van Staal VR50 Black but keep talking myself out of it.

This was her first time really casting lures on a short surf rod and she did great. It takes a bit to get the hang of it but she did fine and actually had fun casting for the few hours we were out there.

She tried the Major Craft Seabass CRX-904ML and liked it as well and was able cast it just fine. Come summertime, we will be going after catfish and white bass for sure.

Stay tuned…

I Turned 50…

Well it finally happened! I hit the Big 5 0. My family got me some wonderful gifts that I will be using this year while fishing and I couldn’t be more excited.

However, my Dad’s health took a serious turn for the worse so that has overshadowed everything else at present. We are hoping he will pull through and are sitting by our phones waiting for any updates on his condition.

I haven’t posted anything to the blog because it just doesn’t seem important right now. So please bear with me. Thank you

Caught 4 Little Bass This Morning…

The wife and I went to a local lake to fish for about an hour this morning. We ended up catching 4 between us so that means the skunk is off her hands!

It is good to see them starting to move into the shallows finally. The temperature was 55F and sunny with winds out of the South-Southwest around 10mph. The water temperature was still around 50F but it is warming.

I was using the Major Craft Finetail Stream Switch Style rod and she was using her TenRyu Super Yamame rod. Although it was a short outing, we both had a lot of fun.

If the weather trend continues…we’ll be fishing a lot more often.

Got Out With the Major Craft Finetail Stream Switch Rod Today…

I paired this rod with the 2020 Shimano Vanford 1000F reel and it worked well. I am liking this rod due to the portability and action…it’s really sensitive and casts light lures well.

It was a joy to cast and I am looking forward to trying it on a specific stream in Arkansas that I have in mind. It’s quite a hike to get to the water and I think this rod will be perfect.

Stay tuned for that trip…

MEIHO Tackle Boxes Fr0m Japan…

I stumbled across a guy on YouTube who has a channel named TSURINAN; and that is where he introduced his viewers to these boxes. I immediately decided to track these boxes down as I really liked the compact layout and functionality. I also shamelessly copied his idea to put magnet tape in each compartment to secure the contents from accidental opening of the box. The tape is a great idea from the standpoint of an angler standing in a stream and not having to worry about dropping things into the water.

The bigger box is a MEIHO VERSUS VS-388SD. If I had a chance to get another one, I would opt for the clear lids instead of the smoked lids. The smaller box is the MEIHO VERSUS VS-355SS with clear lids. Both have a clam-shell design and a beefy hinge to keep them closed. I am very impressed with MEIHO boxes and haven’t found one I didn’t like.

For those interested, I found them on Amazon.jp

Shipping was reasonable (I bought several items) and they arrived in 6 days. And did I mention that they were A LOT cheaper than using Amazon in the US!

Holistic Fishing Part 2…

As I sit at my desk trying to put my thoughts down on this blog post, I realized that this is a topic that is so vast that I don’t think I will ever be able to convey it all.

For me, and the type of fishing I prefer, I believe the best summation is “COMPLETE EXPERIENCE.”

When I’m driving to my chosen fishing destination, I rarely think about the actual fishing. I focus on driving and taking in the scenery, the fishing is all but ignored until I’m finally on the water.

And then…I tend to focus on a few key concepts such as…

-Attitude

-Contentment

-Connectivity/Immersion

The first one is huge! A great attitude goes a very long way. I don’t want any undue, outside influences interrupting my time on the water. No pressure. I turn my phone to silent as I hate hearing it “ding” when I’m on the water. Also, I slow things down and take my time, being meticulous on my foot placement and casting targets.

The second concept is that I’m OK with not catching a fish. Seriously…any fish caught is a bonus. Just being out there is enough for me and any failure is a great teaching tool if you’re open to it.

The final portion is total commitment to the outing. Immerse yourself in the entire setting with no distractions and take it as it comes. Fish unscripted! That’s why I’m not doing fishing videos anymore…it takes my focus off where I want it to be… enjoying the entire experience from start to finish.

I sincerely hope this makes some sense…perhaps it’s just the ramblings of an aging fisherman.

Leave No Trace…

This is a picture that we took when we made it back to the car. Although we didn’t catch any fish, we were still productive.

We both carry plastic grocery bags in our packs just to pick up garbage on our way out. We each filled one up. Surprisingly, we ran across another person out there who was picking up trash as well so that was great!

And honestly, it wasn’t near as trashed out as we thought it would be. I still wish Oklahoma would put a 10 cent deposit on all cans and bottles…I think that would help tremendously.

We are stewards of the land, and as such, we should all do our part.

A Quick Shot of the Wife Fishing…

The wife fishes just as hard as I do! She wanted to test out her own rod, reel and line today.

She has a TenRyu Rayz RZ6102S-LML Super Yamame spinning rod which she received for Valentine’s Day. She absolutely loved it and was very happy with the handling characteristics.

The reel she used was the Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 spooled up with Daiwa Presso Type-N nylon line in 4 pound test. Both worked flawlessly for her.

She could cast bank-to-bank easily and was impressed with the sensitivity and action. Handling and balance of the rod and reel suited her very well and she liked the line, which was a big question mark for both of us. She had zero issues fishing with it.

She carried her Abu Garcia One Shoulder Bag and was pleased with all aspects of it. Think we have some winners as far as gear choices for 2021 go.

The Rod, Reel and Line I was Testing Out

Today I wanted to test the TenRyu Lunakia LK6102S-ML-T rod coupled with the 2020 Shimano TwinPower C2000S spooled up with Varivas Super Trout Advance Twitch Master VLS Nylon in 4 pound test. All performed brilliantly.

I chose the TenRyu Lunakia as my stream rod because the action, length and weight are perfect for the stream fishing I do and the target species-the Velox. I could easily cast bank-to-bank if I wanted to. The sensitivity was superb since I could feel every rock, stick or reed I swam my lure through or over. And for me…the Nishijin weave in carbon fiber for the reel seat is classy.

The 2020 Shimano Twin Power C2000S seemed to pair much better with the Lunakia than the Daiwa Presso LTD 1025. The balance and swing weight were spot on for me.

I’m always leery of spooling up a reel with line I have never tried and taking it fishing. But this time, it worked extremely well and I experienced zero issues with it. I am VERY impressed with this line. And I was pleasantly surprised that Varivas US carries it. The cost is $14.00 per spool which isn’t bad for this level of quality.

As a bonus, the Abu Garcia One Shoulder Bag Waterproof (quite a mouthful) worked very well. We fished through intermittent rain and everything stayed dry. I can attest to the fact that it floats because I stepped in a hole and went up to the tops of my waders and the bag was fine.