sports – Page 2 – Velox Seeker

First Rainbow Trout of 2022…

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.

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.

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!

Until next time…

Practice, Practice, Practice…

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!

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.

The Apia Grandage Lite 61 Spinning Rod…

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.

The knurled ring on the screw down reel seat is metal. Handle is very firm EVA foam.

Shot of the included protective cover for the tip.

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…..

Chasing Perfection…

So many rods and reels…so little money. Being a curious person by nature isn’t helpful at times. With the multitude of technological advancements happening in the fishing industry, it is difficult to choose that ONE rod that does it all. It doesn’t exist and never will. I know this and yet I keep fighting it and keep searching for the perfect setup.

Honestly, I could spend weeks just doing research and refining my needs and wants…but that doesn’t catch fish. But with all of the “Graphite Wizardry” coming out of Japan, It’s hard to settle on one rod anyway. In a land of specialization and variety, the choices are endless. And that doesn’t help my cause. The concept of “perfection” is very subjective anyway.

And as I learn more about JDM fishing rods, the wider and deeper the “rabbit hole” gets. Area Trout, Native Trout, Ajing, Mebaru, Rockfish, Light Game etc etc equals more options, more decisions. Factor in lanquage translation and videos, for an outsider, it appears to be an obsession.

I plan on doing a group photo of all all the JDM rods we have, which might be a bit disconcerting once we actually have them layed out. The plus side is that we do use every single one of them. And we haven’t bought a bad rod yet, which is nice. How’s that for rationalization?

And I will state emphatically that this gear has definitely made our fishing better both in catch-rate and fun. And I haven’t even started looking at Japanese made fly rods! Hmm…Beware the Rabbit Hole!

Zimmerbuilt Tailwater Pack…

I purchased this pack several years ago to use when fishing streams. You can find it on their website http://www.zimmerbuilt.com under “Tenkara Gear.”

Specifications:

-VX-21 fabric

-Capacity: 1300 cu in.

-Height: 19.5 in tall

-Width: 11 in at the top and 10 in at the bottom

-Depth: 6.5 in

-2 external Tenkara rod holders with shock cord retainers up top.

Simple shoulder straps with sternum strap.

This is a very well made pack and runs $95.00 on his web store. This is the lightest pack I own for fishing, coming in at 8.75 ounces. Perfect for carrying a rainjacket, water bottle and lunch, as well as some fishing lures or small tackle pouches/boxes. The back is unpadded so I added a piece of half inch closed cell foam to protect my back from sharp objects. It is not waterproof or submersible but rather highly water resistant. I can attest to fishing in light rain for 6 hours and everything stayed dry.

I don’t do Tenkara fishing and have never used the rod holders on the side. Instead, I break my rods down (4-5 piece) and store them inside.

I like to have several options of gear to choose from so I can tailor my needs to the trip.

Daiwa Presso ST 62ML Spinning Rod…

I had pre-ordered this rod back in December and it arrived today. I’ve been hearing good things about the Presso ST rods and decided to try one for 2022.

Specifications: Daiwa Presso ST 62ML

Length:6’2″
2 piece rod
97cm break-down length
Weight: 75grams
Line weight: 2-5lb
Lure weight:0.8g-5grams
8 rod eyes

Fit and finish is decent and the rod feels good in hand. The accents were nicely done without being too over-the-top. The balance was excellent with the 2021 Daiwa Presso LT 1000S-P. The Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 balanced well also.

I believe the Daiwa Presso rods are designed for Area trout fishing in Japan. These types of rods are designed for light lines and have a more limber/parabolic action to them as opposed to the stiffer Native trout fishing rods that are designed for stream fishing. This was the reason I opted for the ML (Medium Light) action rod to increase the stiffness a bit. This rod has a good action for our type of fishing. I would say it has a Moderate Fast tip with a stiff butt section. That will help fight fish in current better.

Now I need to find time to test the rod out!

Fishing “Systems”…

I don’t like my fishing to be overly complicated. Our preference is to break things down into modular components to be incorporated into a bigger System. Furthermore, we prefer to travel light and be efficient with the goals we have set.

Our Fishing System:

–Footwear: wading boots or shoes, neoprene socks, gravel guards etc.

–Water Filtration: Hiker Pro, Sawyers or Squeeze bottle

–Navigation: map, compass, GPS or none

–Packs: sling, shoulder, waist or backpack or just pockets

–Rods and Reels: proper choices for intended species

–Clothing: seasonal conditions apply, rainwear,hats, polarized glasses etc

–Tackle: seasonal and species specific; spoons, jerkbaits, spinners or sometimes just jigheads and plastics stuck in the pockets of our shorts

–Camera Gear: GoPro, phone or DSLR

–Food: lunch, coffee, tea, snacks etc

–Sundries Bag: licenses, knife, cordage, lighter etc

–First Aid Kit: small and light…not performing surgery!

When wading streams and walking over rocks and boulders all day, every extra pound carried can equal pain. We try hard to carry no more than 10 pounds and preferably less. There is always a balancing act in our gear between weight and durability. As an example, I tend to carry the Yeti Panga 28 backpack more often. With two straps the weight distribution is better than a sling pack. Yes it is heavier but is by far the most durable pack I own. In the future I will showcase a few other pack options that I have and use.

By traveling light we can move faster and go farther. Not that we are “speed fishing” or anything, but rather, we are not overburdened when hopping across boulders or trying to maintain our balance when crossing current.

Your comfort has to be factored into the System as well. Tennis shoes are a lot lighter than wading boots, however, how will your feet feel at the end of the day? I know from experience that my feet feel trashed after wearing sneakers all day while stream fishing. The beefier yet heavier wading boot has a lot more support and protection. But when factoring comfort into the equation, I’ll deal with the extra weight penalty. Besides, I’m not getting any younger!

And by implementing a modular approach into the system, it is easy to switch between packs to further reduce weight or increase convenience. With thought and planning you can custom tailor your gear to each outing or you can settle on one system and stick with it.

I am not creating anything new here, rather, I am just sharing what we use and the thought process behind our system.