 keep up with a guy running a trolling motor on his pretty easily. Not that I was trying to but it was interesting that I could. I like it. It's put me on the water. I've caught some fish. I'm getting it figured out. And after seeing all the new stuff that's coming out of iCast I'm glad I have waited on a more expensive boat. Now I can take my time to make an educated decision but still have a good boat that puts me on the water fishing. I even stunk it up with a decent first fish.
Need some trolling guidance!
I will get a pic of him off my gopro John! Some type of shad minnow. Went back to the Green river again today and it was totally blown out and rolling after the storms we had last night. Super muddy... Hiked an angler trail about a half mile back in trying to find a small cove creek but the trail stopped in some really thick undergrowth and we had to double back. Lots of bear sign and tracks too! From there we called it, and drove to a nearby town hendersonville looking for a fly shop that no longer existed... At this point it was almost 10:30 and not a line in the water yet LOL. We drove all over NC it seemed like before we found a number for Davidson Outfitters and made the trek to the Pisgah national forest home of the Davidson River. The Davidson river is a beauty, and I finally at least saw some of my first NC trout. Fished the ripples with some ants and beetles with no luck. Came to a decent size deeper pool and went to jigging with an ultra light. Had 2 strikes but couldn't get hooked up... But I came darn close LOL.Davidson river is about an hour and 30 minutes away from where we are staying, but I wished I would of went there first. We didn't hit the water till 11:30ish and I think if we'd gotten there in the morning we would of had better luck. Going to try the broad river this evening and maybe head back to the davidson river tomorrow or Friday. My search continues for my first NC Trout! I've spent more time driving and hiking than fishing, but it really is beautiful country up here so I can't complain. Hopefully I have fish pics soon here to post!
I only have 20 or so of the 90's, but all of mine run perfect and catch fish as good as any bait I have ever fished. I did have a tail stop once on a 130 and it was wrapped with a small 1 inch strand of braid. Was a bugger to get out of there but when I did, it came back to perfect life.
Hey guys, My website and access to the realtime temperatures readings (on the 15's of every hour) and twice-daily clarity images are now completely free of charge, and will remain that way indefinitely. You must register, but registration is free, just like OAF. I am taking my time perfecting the design of the actual unit, so that they can be built and configured in a manner that will allow me to easily ship them to a marina, and they can easily install it themselves...essentially'standardizing' the units. Below are all the units reporting. CAPE FAIR unit has camera issue, but temperatures are accurate.
Picked up a Pradco Deep Little N. Looks identical to the pre-Pradco ones, but it does say on the package that they are now made in Guatemala. I'm sure it's a good business decision for Pradco, but hate to see another US based business bite the dust.
Some years ago (2000?) I fished the water below Norfolk with a guide named Cliff Chism. (I just Googled his name and his Facebook account's most recent entry was 2011, and he looked really grey. Not a good sign. darn, some things about getting old suck.) He had me fishing roe on circle hooks - not fancy tied sacks, but sections cut from huge sacks he bought over the internet from Oregon. I slammed that day, as did my fishing buddy Larry Yadon. Larry's cut throat pushed 5 pounds. My Brown was nearly as large. Neither Brook was much over 12 inches, although on a different trip I did catch one nearly 15 inches. It was not until years later that I realized how unusual those trips were. BTW, all fish were released unharmed.
I do the same thing with the swivels and various cranks to figure out which one is the hot one for that time. Another thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is the use of "lead core line"... I try to stay away from the mono because it tends to wind up easy on me. I also agree that a boat without carpet and the rubber net will make a difference in not get those trebles in a messy situation. I also prefer long rods to get away from the motor. I also have two different configurations for my boat. I have rod mounts everywhere and also have a "spider rigging" bar that I can put into the back pedestal mount. Just try to be careful and not get the line caught up into your prop if you are going to use the big motor....I've been there done that a few times.
The jets on the 11 Point are no comparison to all the trash jet boaters on the current.
Trolling has been tough on stockton this year for me....no idea why. For long lining cranks, each person fishing will do well with 1 8-9ft, med heavy power, moderate slow action rod (OKUMA Classic Pro rods are perfect for 30 bucks a pop...but any downrigger rod works great). I would highly recommend metered braid line (power pro depth hunter), but as has been mentioned simply marking your spot with a sharpie works too. Tie a snap to the end of the line and everyone put on different color flicker shads (size 5,7, and 9 are good). Let out 100-200 feet of line out (vary this as it effects how deep your lure is going). After catching a few fish youll be able to put together a pattern of best color, size, and running depths. Trolling speeds of 0.5-3.5 mph has been effective for me, usually i like 2-2.5. Dont be afraid to go way faster than you would think...aggressive fish will chase it down, especially in hot water. I like the soft action rod with the no stretch braid, seems to give me the best hookups, and keeps em on for the long ride back to the boat, more of a personal preference though. When i detect a bite, i immediately put the boat in neutral and begin hauling in the fish...other fisherman in the boat also reel in to 1.) avoid tangles and 2.) many many times get a bite on the retrieve. I often times will simply make a U turn and go back over the area where i got a bite. Quite often you can triangulate an area where your getting multiple bites..especially if you have good electronics..then simply go to where x marks the spot and begin a more methodical approach to catching the less active fish. Its a great way to find fish and quickly pattern them. A rubber net, good pliers, and no carpet in your boat will also help you spend more time fishing and less time with a walleye pinned to the boat carpet/net with 2 sets of treble hooks. Get the precision trolling app. Its nifty if you dont wanna fork over hundreds for the book.
The problem with WP's to me is that they are red hot, but will IMO gradually lose their effectiveness. Do Not Misunderstand. They are freaking awesome right now and you do not own a bait that does what it does to fish. No one owns a bait that complete replicates what it does. The WP is not a magic bullet. It doesn't catch fish that aren't there. It doesn't catch fish when conditions are completely wrong, but it's special (right now at least). I suspect I'm going to get left holding a rather expensive bag down the road, but I'll ride it as long as I can. Buy a couple of the WP's. Just change out the split rings before you lose the hook to a fish.
You and I are in the same boat. Well said. I have all sorts of brands and am not a "fan boy" of certain things. If they work...they work. Although I am becoming more and more partial to Daiwa stuff. Plus my HUK/Daiwa rebate hoodie just came yesterday, so I have to pimp their gear now I guess. It's no jersey like Champ likes to sport but it will work.
Good find Stump. I'll still drop $5 a year on a box for the convenience. Beats spending it on Starbucks coffee, which ends up literally just...well you get it.
Owner and Spro if you want 100% fool proof and peace of mind. If you are in a pinch and want to take a risk Eagle Claw or Danielson will work. If immediate failure is your goal purchase Bass Pro split rings. Haven't tried Worth, VMC or Molix.
Canning spicy dilly beans today. BTW, a good dilly bean beats any onion or olive in a martini.
Wow, that is very nicely organized. I fall short of those standards, I have a little Plano pocket sized box I keep them in. I glue mine on at home, I don't trust myself and super glue when out on the lake. I'm on my 2nd Plano box for Neds, and need to get another one to replace the current one I