Mike G

Good question. The other side of the coin is P&T. What's up?

Nice jab, but you miss the mark. Because, really, does the boat find the fish, rig the rod, select the bait, make the cast, work the retrieve, set the hook, and land the fish? That's why manufacturers hire pros to video fishing from their boats. If a Jackson does all that there would be video, wouldn't there? And if there were, I would take another look at Jacksons. Or is the Jackson better just because there are more reports from the users than say from Wilderness users. On the circuit Ranger buries them both. How about Pungos? ;-) TOW (time on water) makes the difference. And that TOW gets divided between paddling and fishing. With a high performance hull, you are going to spend less time paddling. Connect the dots. I am posting this as a service to the ISA membership so that they will not assume that rotomolded $1K kayaks are the only choice out there.

FYI Interesting. Cute video, very trendy. If I wanted to make one I could make those segments out of stainless wire and use epoxy in lieu of the CCG knocking 75% or more off the materials cost. That's if I wanted to. But first, is anyone having phenomenal luck or just luck on segmented flies? Anybody? Anybody? Buhler?

You have chosen wisely! What kind of sponses did you get? (Though they get outstanding paddling performance, the Wenonah designs can seem tippy to some. For the man that has to stand, sponsons put Wenonahs over the top as the best choice for just about everything.) Right now they are the missing piece in my puzzle. I want to choose wisely. PS You are under equipped. (Tell your wife I sed so.) You need a 240-250 double bladed paddle for fishing or solo paddles.

Enjoy! I hope your vacation is more positive than your recent posts.

This one is the best: 通常、融資に伴う審査は、条件の良い融資商品ほど審査が慎重で厳しい傾向です。 Best in the original, the Google translation does not do it justice.

Oops again. Now I see the report button on my own post. On other posts it is blurred out till I point at that post. I will give that a try next time.

March 15, 2010 THUD! (the sound of this topic being dropped) Since then I did find where Brad Miller had put together a summary on TSA in the past. http://www.flybass.com/html/sm_alliance.html Then click on Smallmouth Alliance http://www.smallmouth.org/ to see the new look for the Alliance. Scarry, huh? But I do like the international look. It goes with my Tenkara Outfit. I knew something like this would happen.

Cash the check?

Thanks for getting back on this Scott. Personally I prefer the tight lipped approach. I won't give out the names of small streams and ponds. For a lake the size of Shabona, I might name the lake but I would not say whether it was the dam, the roadbed, or one of the rock piles where I found success. My personal rules are probably tighter than the house rules. I can't think of a post that I would call indiscrete about giving out location information. So the moderators are doing a good job in my book. If Ron or anyone else has some posts in mind, I suppose they can take those up "off the air" with a moderator. Oops that is easy to say. But where is our "Contact Moderator" button.

I do not believe that ISA has an official policy about this. But I will defer to an officer to inform us on that question. Freedom of speech says that you can give out as much or as little information about your honey hole as you want. In the past we have all defended the tight mouthed individual who refused to give any details about the location where he scored. That is a different story. Since I do not see GPS co-ordinates in any posts, I have no problem with the current level of detail in our posts. The site moderators do not seem to have a problem either. For instance, considering both banks and mid-river structures, there is a lot of Fox River in St Charles. I am not giving much out by saying the west bank was hot last night. But will lurkers steal our spots? Who are we kidding anyway? There's probably a worn path leading to the "secret" spot. And besides by the time you read it here, it is yesterday's news. There that saying, "You shoulda been here yesterday." Oops, forget I mentioned the Fox. No fish there.

With P&T temporarily out of the picture, this is shaping up as a true ISA event. Team Jackson will be there, and Wilderness Systems will have a strong group of supporters. Any Pungos? Should Jackson challenge all comers to a tug of war. (The Battle of the Bathtub Toys!) Still, when the ripples calm, I think you will all be paddling Wenonah's or wishing you could. I sould show you, but the 100 mile one-way trip is out of my range.

By one estimating formula that is about 7.6 pounds. (Lbs.=L x L x L/1600) Cudda been a contender!

Here’s an easy affordable way to try Tenkara. Normally I would be doing more fishing this time of year. However, a Gallbladder attack and surgery sidelined me for a while. Fishing with a drain bottle bouncing against my side was too awkward. It did give me a chance to put together some notes I had on Tenkara fishing. If I can’t do it I can write about it. When I first saw the light of the fishing day in the 50s and 60s, I appreciated knockoffs. A premium lure cost $2.00 which including tip was what I earned caddying nine holes. Knockoffs were less than half of that. We relied on Japanese manufacturers to keep us in lures. Through Herter’s Inc. we were able to get all kinds like Red and White Spoons (Dardevles), Lazy Dabners (Lazy Ikes), Thinfish (Flatfish), and Dying Minnows (Heddon Dying Flutters) along with rods, reels, lines, and other stuff. A funny thing happened on the way to the 21st Century. Japanese manufacturers went from imitating the standard to being the standard. Consider Shimano, Toyota, and Lucky Craft. My first encounter with Tenkara was in the 21st Century. OK, I gulped to see the rods going for around $200. They telescoped. There were no guides. They didn’t even have reel seats. At least the lines and flies were more reasonable though $20 for a 10 ft. line was still a challenge. Here the Chinese came to the rescue, and my story begins. April 8 2013 It is dangerous to read posts on the internet. I got that urge to give it a try. So I headed for my emerging favorite tackle shop for bargains, Amazon, and found a $22 Tenkara by Como. Who's that? http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kY0Yc1T5L._AA160_.jpg I will report on the experience. April 11 The rod is a Chinese made "Tenkara." I picked it based on price and then length since it would do as a crappie pole if it failed or if I failed at Tenkara. It measures 14 feet which is short of its stated 4.5 meters by about 8 inches. I was surprised to see a Tenkara pigtail on the tip. The grip is just an embossed section on the butt section. I wrapped the grip with a tennis grip cover ($1.00) for practice. BTW for the price those tennis wraps are a good alternative to the pricier rod grip wraps which are harder to find anyway. April 19 The story is not over; here are some more chapters in my adventure. The Line So I extended the rod and tried it with some improvised lines. Visibility is an issue. White 20# dacron backing seems to work. Some old Fused Spider Line was good casting but was too hard to see. I thought I might have to break down and buy the real thing. The Butt Though I lost 2 feet in length from 14 feet to 12 feet, I found that the rod casts better without the butt section. It is also lighter by a full two ounces. It went from 4.5 oz to 2.5 oz. April 26 Someone suggested hockey tape for the grip. It’s cheap, durable, and does not shrink and become sticky. Once applied it will be difficult to remove. Will feel great in the hand. I need to explain.. I should have said tennis grip overwrap. They are very similar to the grip overwraps sold for fishing rods. They are thin EVA wraps that give a non-slip feel. Hands wet from perspiration might cause problems in tennis just as wet hands could be a problem in fishing. Having used both on rod grips, I can say that there is very little difference in how they work. Rod grip wraps are harder to find and are more expensive. So I went with the tennis product and get the same effect. And a more competitive market keeps the price down. On my first go round I used the tennis overwrap on the existing Como butt section grip. It helped though as noted the casting was marginal with the butt in place. When I removed the butt section to get a better casting action, I was left with a thin raw blank to hold. So I added a new twist, bicycle handlebar tape which is thicker and has the same non-slip feel. A bonus was that I could get it in a cork grain that fits the fishing rod theme. May 8 The Grip The "grip" on the old butt section was just an embossed pattern. Wrapping with a tennis racquet grip wrap gave a better sense of feel but did nothing for the casting. The butt section had to go. To get a bulkier grip, I decided to try a bicycle handle bar wrap. I was lucky to find one in a faux cork finish for $3.00. I hope I do not have to build a cork grip. The cost of cork rings has skyrocketed since the wine craze hit Yuppidom. May 12 http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/MikeG742/2013/TenkaraGillCroped.jpg It worked. I was at the lake and noticed Crappies in the shallows. So I switched to my economy Tenkara. I forgot to bring my 20 # backing line so I went with 4# mono and a tiny jig and plastic. I caught some Crappies and this Bluegill. The Bluegills hang around bedding Crappies hoping to steal some spawn. I was surprised how compact the outfit is until you extend it. June 19 More on Line Here's the latest chapter. I went back to the great tackle shop in the clouds, Amazon. A search for Tenkara line led to Amnesia leader where a reviewer said that 15# hi-vis red made a good Tenkara line. I got some, 200 ft for about $3 plus shipping. http://www.fishusa.com/assets/product_images/51061007/Variations/500-0.jpg It worked. Using a small soft plastic,June 18,I hooked and landed a 12" Largemouth for a real fight on the light rod. There is a good local source for traditional furled lines if I ever break down and want the real thing. http://streamsideleaders.com/ Today So I am on the way with a new outfit. It is so easy to transport and set up that I may be using it a lot. I still have to consider wrapping the joints so they do not splint under a heavy load. Would this work for Smallmouths? The max cast with this outfit is about 30 feet since the rods average 12 feet and the line tippet combination is about 15 ft. (Arm reach adds the other three feet.) It is a perfect incarnation of Bob Long Junior’s third rule of fly fishing for Smallmouth Bass, “Make short casts, 30 feet or less.” The short line also fits a popular technique called Dabbling. Finally, no matter who makes the tackle, Tenkara is Japanese. It would not be Japanese if there wasn’t a B movie with subtitles. Enjoy. http://vimeo.com/22824065

Here's how they stand: 6-pound tippet – 6 pounds, Herbert Ratner, Jr., Lake Erie, Penn., July 9, 2000 8-pound tippet – 5 pounds, 4 oz., Daniel Marini, Barnstable, Mass., April 16, 2001 12-pound tippet – 5 pounds, 8 oz., Herbert Ratner, Jr., Pickwick Dam, Tenn., Oct. 2, 1996 16-pound tippet – 6 pounds, 4 oz., Ms. Pamela, McClelland, Pine Lake Mich., Aug. 12, 1995 20-pound tippet – 6 pounds, 12 oz., John Herrick, Basswood Lake, Minn., Aug. 30, 1997 It looks like a 7 gets you a record in any class. I was surprised that the fly records are about half the 11-15 all tackle record. Let's get going guys; we can make history with a healthy 22-23 incher.

My question too. How about Rockford?

It looks like a product that would keep a fly dry for a long time. How much is it? Since a coating of turkey gravy is my goto when the fish are being difficult, I would not use it on all my flies.

I have been using the red garlic dip variety for some time on generic soft plastics. It gives the plastics an upgrade to make them more like the Brand Name scented baits. I assume the liquid in the pens is the same as the liquid in the bottles. Here's the caution. Both the scent and the color stain are extremely powerful. A drop on the carpet makes a stain that is there forever and the smell will seem to be there forever. These are good qualities when one wants permanent color and scent. It is definitely an outdoor product to be used carefully even there. Wear old clothes. Gloves are not out of the question. Now I never thought of using this stuff on flies. Maybe there is an ethical issue of fly doping to be considered. For a total of 2 cents.

Great news for Distinctive Fabrics. I am curious whether these are floaters too. I would make them and dip the head in Softex.

Did you upgrade to the 10 G Martinni holder or go with the standard 5?

Nope! No beer can holders!

Ryan, I put my money on Lefty. Fly Fishing for Bass: Smallmouth, Largemouth, and Exotics. http://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishing-Bass-Smallmouth-Largemouth/dp/1592283101/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1372351171&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Lefty+Kreh+Fly+Fishing+for+Smallmouth+and+Largemouth+Bass I have heard that Holslag has a good one too.

I should clarify that I am not suggesting buying the $20 outfit as much as wondering what is in that Redington that makes it worth $40.

Orange is due for a revival. Helin's favorite and top selling color for Flatfish was orange. The company also produced our family favorite Light Orange. Then they had the same two colors with Black Back and Red Head that had distinctive Mohawk looks. Other manufacturers picked up on orange like the Tango (long out of production) which morphed into the Tadpolly (not seen much) and now the River Rocker which has an Orangeade and a Perch pattern with a lot of orange in it.

I'm sure it is just like his daddy does it Kits like that look interesting. "Practice in your back yard without beating up your good gear." But then one can get a real outfit for half the price. Is it in the name? http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-River-Fly-Fishing-Combo/dp/B000X5Z8J0/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1372339453&sr=1-1&keywords=fly+rod+kit