Most of you know that I am always trying to leave things cleaner than when I found them. And this applies especially to the water I fish. I encourage everyone to do the same.
To date, I am 3/4ths of the way done on cleaning the shoreline of one of my local lakes. With the lake level being down almost 5 ft, I can access more shoreline than normal. Yesterday was a tough day for sure. I cannot count how many glass bottles and beer cans I picked up. I started out with 10 Walmart bags and 2 big trash bags. The end result was I used them all.
I don’t do this for recognition or anything, it just needs to be done. Afterall, this is a retention pond for our local drinking water supply. If I wait for someone else to do it…I’ll be waiting a long, long time.
68F while picking up trash, but there’s still some snow around.
And of course, if I’m at the lake, I’ll being fishing. I took the Major Craft FAX-B642UL rod and the Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS reel with me. Some of you may remember that I really started to try and learn using a baitcast reel last year for the first time. It was nice to know that I hadn’t lost anything over the past few months, I cast without any backlashes or any issues at all.
Great combo!
Obviously I did more trash picking up than casting…but it is always good to get out.
So my new phone finally arrived late Monday evening. I’ve been playing around with it and the camera is pretty amazing. Coming from an old Note 9, it’s light years ahead.
So I was out burning a brush pile yesterday morning and decided to try the Slow Motion camera option. Might as well combine chores with a bit of fun. Enjoy.
I decided to try and upgrade the Shimano Vanford 1000 with hybrid ceramic bearings.I ordered them individually from Plaig Bearings in Australia. They do offer complete kits for upgrading the reel.
I upgraded the bearing in the line roller, replaced the spool support bushing with a bearing and the rear worm gear bushing with a bearing. I wanted to start simple and see if that made a difference…and it does. Granted, it is minimal, but there is a difference.
I also did the same upgrades in my Stradic FL 1000 and noticed the biggest change in this reel as opposed to the Vanford.
For all intents and purposes, I am happy with the upgrades and will spend more time with the Vanford 1000 to give it a good test run.
This is another backpack I use from time to time when fishing a river or stream. It is waterproof and has a roll-top closure, but what is unique about this pack is that it has a secure closure toggle system. This keeps it from unrolling.
Securing Tabs.Toggles and bungees attached to the roll-top buckles.
Another nice feature that I use is the water bottle pockets on the sides. They are almost full length and easily hold one liter bottles.
One liter bottle stowed.Pockets on both sides.
The harness system is minimalist. There isn’t any padding on the back, other than the sit pad. Just pack carefully.
Also, on the back is a pocket for a removable sit pad.
Sit pad fully removed.
Yet another nice feature is a removable Wet OR Dry bag. It has a built in roll-top pocket with a clear face for your phone or passport or whatever.
Dry bag to separate gear…or you could stow wet items inside as well to keep other items in the pack dry.
I like this pack since it is simple and relatively low-profile. Quality is great and I haven’t found any flaws or issues with it. Prices are all over the map but if you search online, you should be able to find them for around $80 US.
Just thought I’d share another option I use when fishing…
I measured 4 inches of snow this morning and we are expected to get 2-3 inches more throughtout the day. Temps are right around 12F right now with wind chills making it feel like 0F.
I got up early to start shoveling the walkways and cleaning off the vehicles and get them de-iced and warmed up. I don’t need to go anywhere today so that is a plus.
The fire is going and the wood is stacked and ready to feed it when necessary. Zip was a little speed freak when I let him out this morning. The name fits for sure: he was “zipping” around all over the place.
I managed to get fresh water out to the birds and swept off a patch under a tree out front. Spread quite a bit of bird seed around to help them get out of the wind. We easily have 50-60 birds of all varieties taking advantage of the seed buffet.
We did manage to install a radiant heater in the chicken coop and apparently it’s working since we haven’t seen a single chicken this morning. They are quite content to stay indoors just like me.
Received a package from Digitaka yesterday. In talking with my wife, I asked why she didn’t use her trout spoons more. Her response was that she was afraid to lose them because she only had a few. So I ordered some more spoons. Problem solved.
I also ordered a couple of packages of plastic lures to try out. It’s nice to have various options in case a maker goes belly up or they are sold out.
2 inch ringed paddle tails.2 inch ringed curly tails.
I’m not even going to attempt to explain or understand the names. Catch you on the next one…
I had read various posts on the forums about Shimano discontinuing the Soare 500 size reel. I was over on http://www.jpfishingtacklenews.com and noticed that Shimano WILL release this reel in March 2022. UPDATE: The reel has been delayed until May.
I own the CI4+ version of this reel and it is a little beast. The new 2022 Shimano Soare XR 500SPG reel should be even better.
We spend time each year chasing perch for the fun of it and this size reel is perfect.
I just might have to order one of these when they become available. I know that the wife needs one!
We have a winter storm approaching but the weather was going to be decent for the first half of the day, so I drove an hour and a half over to the Illinois River to try my hand at catching some trout.
We had scoped out the Simp and Helen Watts fishing area last year and I wanted to return so that’s where I went. Cloudy skies, 59F, windy and high humidity greeted me when I arrived. There was only one other car in the parking area so I was excited. I was flying solo since the wife had to work so I packed light.
I donned my waders and laced up my wading boots. My rod of choice for the day was the Apia Grandage Lite 61 with the 2021 Daiwa Presso LT 1000S-P reel. I wanted to use a fly rod but chickened out due to the wind. With this major front approaching, the wind was steadily building.
I started with a jighead and a B-vibe and didn’t get so much as a bump. I then switched to a trout spoon and received the same treatment. Next up was some inline spinners. No takers either. I dug out my swimbait box from the Yeti Panga and selected a Lucky Craft Humpback Minnow 45SP-Suspending and attached it to my swivel. First cast and I hooked up. I gave the trout too much slack and he slipped the hook.
The hero of the day!
Second cast and I hooked into another trout, only to lose it at the riverbank trying to get a picture. Third cast and I’m onto another one. I put the boots to this one, never letting up until it was in the net. That’s the little trout in the first picture. That’s when I realized how hard it is to get photos when you are fishing by yourself. From that point on I didn’t even try.
Next thing you know I have two guys up on me. Literally one standing almost next to me and one in the water wading and casting right in front of me. We exchanged words and I held my ground ready to square off. I can’t stand when fisherman do that! They moved off shortly after and I continued to fish. Damn near a mile of riverbank to fish and you have to try and wade and cast right in front of me. That’s a JACKASS move if there ever was one.
Anyway, I ended up losing 4 and catching 5 before the bite turned off. One of them went 16 inches. I released them all, not even taking them out of the water. I decided to call it a day and head home before anything happened or got out of hand.
I took my time getting out of my wading gear as there were several Bald Eagles flying over the river hoping for an easy meal. They tend to over-winter in this part of the state and it is always good to see them.
The Apia Grandage Lite 61 rod allowed me to cast to the other bank.Relatively peaceful.
For the record…I’m not really into “Hero Shots” when the trout are stockers. Seems kind of lame in my mind, but that’s just me.
I took the scenic route home so I could relax and enjoy the outing. I did miss fishing with my wife and felt guilty about going, but she assured me she was fine with it since she had a pile of work to do and couldn’t get away. Believe me, I tried talking her into going!
Today was gorgeous! After dealing with two appointments this morning and being out in the sunshine, I decided to go practice my flycasting.
The wind was up a bit, around 15mph, but it was 67F when I stopped at a local lake. I decided to practice with the Loop Opti Dryfly reel and the Loop XACT 5wt 9ft rod. I try to practice casting every chance I get and in conditions I will experience quite often…such as wind.
The Loop 5wt was definitely the way to go. I also brought along the Loop Evotec 3wt 9ft and the Hardy Ultraclick 4000 to practice with. I figured it was a suicide mission with the 3wt due to the wind but gave it a shot anyway. I must say, I didn’t do to bad. Never thought I’d use a lot of “Kentucky Windage” while flycasting!
Great rod!I really like this Hardy Ultraclick 4000 reel
I will shamelessly admit that I really got into fly fishing after seeing the movie “A River Runs Through It.” I thought that this method would make a great addition to my fishing toolbox. It only took about 30 years before I managed to afford a halfway decent setup and decided to actually fly fish a lot.
With the weather being really nice this weekend we opted to work with Zip on traveling by car. He still gets car sick so we have started taking really short trips with him. He has never seen a pond or lake before so we decided to begin there.
He’s definitely not afraid of the water.
Also, we are still working on the basic commands and he is responding well. He likes to explore his environment so he and I will get along great.
And it would be silly of us not to fish while we were at these lakes and ponds. My wife finally tried out her TenRyu Rayz Integral RZI50UL-4piece rod. She liked it and stated that it didn’t cast as far as some of her other rods but would make a good creek fishing rod. I cast it a few times and concur with her assessment. Definitely not a long-range casting rod.
Watching her test the TenRyu rod.
It has been a relaxing weekend so far. Zip is curled up at my feet as I type this blog post. The weather will be taking a drastic turn soon. It is slated to be 71F later today but we have ice and snow as well as 5F temperatures moving in soon. We try to enjoy nice weather while we can. Stay safe out there…
This is an Ajing (Horse Mackerel) rod and as such is relatively stiff. I ran across this rod while looking at UL Saltwater rods and decided to give it a shot. If you remember, my TenRyu Lunakia rod is also a similar rod. There are a couple of categories besides Trout that I look at such as Rockfish, Light Game and Ultralight Saltwater rods.
When it arrived and I removed it from its zippered case and put it together, I was concerned that it might be too stiff. After casting it for over an hour I can say that it is fine and casts a long ways. I’d put it right there with the TenRyu Lunakia as far as casting distance.
What drew me to this rod was the reel seat. As you know, I prefer minimalist style reel seats. The fact that it weighs 56.5 grams was another factor. It does have a solid tip for the last 3 rod guides and that tip is very thin.
SpecsThe knurled ring on the screw down reel seat is metal. Handle is very firm EVA foam.My preferred style of handle.Shot of the included protective cover for the tip. Another shot of the tip protector. Partitioned zippered rod sleeve.
I can definitely see myself using this rod a lot. I paired it with the Shimano Vanford 1000 and it balanced nicely. The Vanford is loaded with 6lb Daiwa J-braid which created a lot of noise throughout the rod. I will more than likely respool the Vanford with nylon line soon. Some Japanese rods are line specific…nylon, ester, fluorocarbon and braid. Something to be aware of when looking at JDM rods. This rod was an absolute joy to cast and even using a 2 gram trout spoon, I could feel the lure flutter as it was retrieved. To say I am impressed with this rod is an understatement!
Apia (Anglers Utopia) makes a wide range of rods in the Grandage series. I noticed they make the Grandage Lite in a 6ft 8in 5 piece rod too. Hmm…..
They’re here and my rod is complete again. I’ve been waiting impatiently ever since I received shipping confirmation.
Shipped in an 18 inch PVC tube. Padding not shown!2 Replacement sections.Complete rod and case. For reference: the handle section is 14.75 inches.
Since I spent a large portion of today running errands and getting chores done, I plan on going fishing tomorrow. Supposedly the local trout pond was restocked this morning so I plan on heading there tomorrow morning.
If all goes well and the weather holds…I have a surprise for tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Velox Seeker 