stream fishing for smallmouth bass – Page 18

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.

Exploratory Trip 14MAR2021

We said to heck with the weather and went to a nearby river to see if the White Bass had moved upstream on their spawning run. Of course we were checking to see if the Neosho-strain smallmouth had decided to come out as well.

The stream was in great shape with a decent flow, but it was still in the low 50F’s. Still a bit cold for things to start properly moving but that will begin to change soon.

Unfortunately, no fish were caught, although we did run across a few fingerling smallmouth bass romping around in the shallows.

Needless to say…we just needed to get out!

You Might Want to Keep This Meme Handy…

This meme stays on my phone at all times. Invariably when I send a picture of a fish that I’ve caught, my friends always ask that ONE QUESTION: “Where’d you catch it?”

The picture is usually followed by another text that includes this meme. At that point, it’s probably a good idea to just turn your phone off, because you know what their response is going to be.

Just Sayin!

Keeping an Eye on the Weather…

Here in Oklahoma, the weather can be unpredictable. All of our fishing plans begin with a weather check because it can change so fast. As of today (March 13th) we have had a total of 4.05 inches of rain for the year. 2019 caused a lot of problems for fishermen due to lake and river levels being high for months.

As you can see from the chart…in 2019 we had 59.55 inches of rain. And 61.79 inches of rainfall in 2015. Both years resulted in massive flooding. I’m hoping 2021 won’t end up being the same.

I remember canoeing and fishing on a local river where it started out as a beautiful sunny morning yet by noon, the skies opened and thunder and lightning drove us off the river. We even had a tornado come through in close proximity.

That level of unpredictability forces you to be alert and prepared. We generally have to carry more gear than we like. I’d rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

So Spring is almost here, and with it comes crazy weather…we’ll do the best we can and capitalize on every opportunity to fish. Stay safe!

EDIT: and for some humor…I’ll throw in some earthquake info. We’ve had 346 earthquakes in the last 30 days and 1,948 earthquakes in the last 365 days. Fracking needs to be banned!!!

Major Craft Finetail Stream Switch Style#FTX-46/505UL*Spin 5 pc rod…

I have wanted a decent “pack rod” for a long time and finally found one that’s really good.

So let’s get the specs out of the way first:

-Rod length is 4ft 6in up to 5ft when adding the “switch section”

-Lure rating is: 1-8 grams

-Line rating is: 2-6 lbs or 0.3-0.8 #PE

-Weight is: complete package – 12 oz/340 grams

– rod and sleeve- 3.6 oz/102 grams

– rod only- 2.4 oz/68 grams

-Length is: full case- 16 5/8ths inches

-butt section- 14 3/4 inches

It has a wood reel seat, double up-locking rings, wood spacers, cork grips, Fuji K-frames with SiC inserts and an EVA foam butt cap. As far as power goes…its rated as an UL or ultralight, but since its a “stream” rod, it feels more like an LL or Light-Light rod to me. It’s definitely stiffer than an “area” ultralight rod. Fit and finish is as expected from a Major Craft rod.

I can confirm that this rod (in it’s complete package) fits inside a Patagonia Stormfront/Stormsurge as well as a Yeti Panga 28 pack. More than likely I will just carry the rod and sleeve to save weight.

I am extremely excited to try this rod out. I have a couple of rivers in mind where this rod will be perfect.

My Wading Belt…

I usually wear this belt when I’m actually wearing a set of waders, but occasionally I wear it when I’m bank fishing for catfish because I tend to walk the sandy shoreline.

It consists of a nylon webbing belt with a “cobra buckle.” On it I carry a carabiner, a pair of aluminum pliers, my homemade belt pouch prototype as well a Leatherman Wave multi-tool.

I try to stick with utilitarian items that I use frequently and prefer to have them readily accessible. The last thing I want is unnecessary weight or to look like Batman!

My Wet Wading Footwear…

This is my wet wading footwear setup for stream fishing. I have tried everything from sandals to water shoes before settling on this system.

At the core, it consists of a pair of 2019 Simms Flats Sneakers. 2021 will be their third season and so far, after approximately 200 miles on them, they have held up well.

Coupled with the boots are a pair of Simms 2.5mm Neoprene socks and a set of gravel guards that velcro around the sock/boot. The guards really help by keeping the micro gravel out of my boot.

The Flats Sneakers are very comfortable, especially after walking over rocks, boulders and gravel all day. Not having any metal components helps alleviate any worries about rusting hardware.

The wife opted for the same boot but she went with the Simms Guide Guard sock (3.5mm Neoprene) because of the built-in gravel guards.

To date: this is the best footwear system for us. All day comfort and support! Before, we would stop about every half hour to empty painful debris from our water shoes.

My Package From Digitaka Arrived!

A week ago I placed an order with Digitaka because I wanted to try some different styles of jig heads as well as a couple of spoons.

Left to Right:

-Decoy JIG HEAD SV-52 ROUND MAGIC 2.5 grams- #6 hook

-Owner Cultiva JIG HEAD JH-83 MEBARU DAMA 2.0 grams- #6 hook

-Owner Cultiva JIG HEAD JH-84 AJI DAMA 2.3 grams- #5 hook

-Owner Cultiva JIG HEAD JH-85 NAGARE DAMA 2.2 grams- #7 hook

-ODZ JIG HEAD RUSH HEAD 2.0 grams- L#2 hook

Also, I picked up 2 spoons and a few packages of #00 Quick Snaps.

Left to Right:

-Timon Trout Spoon T-GROVEL in 3.4 grams Color# 138 KGP MATSUBA

-Timon Trout Spoon APEED 3.3 grams Colo# 145 KAMI SILVER

-Owner Cultiva SILENT Quick Snaps Size# 00/8.9kg P-15

I am especially interested in trying the Cultiva JH-85 as well as the JH-84 and ODZ Rush Heads. Nothing ventured…nothing gained!