steellee

Sounds like we have similar tastes. Ya Omni used to make all kinds of noodle rods. I remember having a 9', 10'6, and a 12'6 myself at points. Other friends had other ones. Like was said above we used to mostly buy them at Kmart haha usually 80$ish if i remember correct. I remember if we ever broke them which happened often as we were careless kids who lived walking distance to the Whirlpool back than Kmart would just give you a new one no question. I still look for vintage gear alot and almost never see the old Omni noodles, but they must be out there somewhere. I put some fish on the bank just this week with a Fenwick RiverRunner 11' and a Smith n Smith Streammaster. And ya the old Legacy rods and Abu Conolon noodles caught me a lot of fish too in there day until I got a little older and worked and could afford the D&M's or Loomis GL3 and IMX's. I have a lot of the modern gear Exprides and what not where sensitivity is needed and it's miles ahead but as far as float rods and rigger rods go something has been lost along the way and the old noodles are just so much more fun and all I really reach for

Only 3 good shore access points Queenston, Glen area(metal stairs) and the Whirlpool on the lower. Upper has Fort Erie under Peace Bridge but it's extremely sketchy wading if your new to it and some good water above the Falls but most of that is off limits now too.. Lost alot of access over the years but if you're cool with a hike there's a tonne of ground to cover. US side has some great water too and better access and trail system. Like was said Queenston is your only true easy access pull up and fish type situation and even than you can get crowded out by the regulars if the fishings particularly hot at the time you go

I was on the hunt for a decent dual purpose rain/wading jacket and ended up coming across a Mustang Taku online marked down half price last week. Had most of the features I wanted so figured I trust my life to Mustang products on the water they shouldn't have a problem making rainwear. Will see how it goes when I get to test it out. Also while researching found last year's Simms G4Z on half price so figured I would be proactive and jump on that deal as well. Although being Simms most heavy duty wader and packed with features the new Simms G4Z Goretex feels about half the material of my 12+ year old Simms Headwaters Goretex, but hopefully it holds up as long

Do you ever test those pink ones in the rivers for bows? Look like they could be killer under a float...

I did my vintage Mirrocraft tinner about 4 summers ago. It was a scraped up Mirro puke green if you are familiar. Prep work goes a LONG way. I sanded down to bare aluminum best I could. Than tack clothed and alcohol wiped the entire thing to eliminate any possible contaminants. Next step was a couple coats of a self etching primer. Than I chose a hunter green crappy tire marine paint( frustratingly thick and takes ages to cure so patience is a good thing)but the quality, price and final finish I Ioved... New numbers, factory decals and constantly messing with interior setups and it's been good to go. It gets a yearly coat of marine wax if it's lucky and the paint had a very nice natural gloss. After 4 summers of trailering & launching +/-3 days a week and jumping waves to 60' at Port Stanley it has held up great. If you are only doing above the original paint line it should be fine. If you envision doing the entire boat it will probably be a hell of a job. I had the luxury of flipping my light utility boat over with a few guys help. A friend of mine re-did the same boat 2 summers ago as he liked mine. Didn't do the prep and used a home Depot acryllic in similar color. It is already completely peeling in spots...

Assuming since your fishing Gibson you are close to Niagara? For a shore angler any of the creek mouths along the Upper River can have fish cruising by and probably your best bet in that area. Also the Lower River has a small but overlooked population above the dams and all throughout the whirlpool/Glen area. I have never really targeted them there but have caught and seen quite a few incidentally over the years. Spend enough time smallie fishing there one will grab your bass,,or spoon chucking salmon and casting kwikfish for trout seems to hook ski's if ones around . You do see a few guys target them with giant tube jigs or inline bucktails in that area at times.

Very sleek for a float rod! Still have a D&M myself as well and fish with a few guys still running them as their main rods!

30 second fix with the right size tip...I've built, modified rods for 25 years now and played with all kinds of ideas on broken rods. They may not fish 100% like they once did but shouldnt be dumpster bound either. I am currently working on bringing back to life a intact bottom half of an old 11' fenwick river runner mated to a snapped top section of an old 12'6 fenwick legacy that should make a passable float rod around 11'. Will it be perfect, heck no. Will it still get me some bows when I decide to go back in time and use it for an afternoon? For sure! Lots of the old loomis stuff still floating around was frankensteined rods from Lorne Green etc. Sometimes its better to strip and rebuild right from scratch. My favourite IMX 1562 float rod is missing about 3". I stripped it and rebuilt and its my favourite even though I have the same rods without the tip break. Just the straightest and best balanced...Used good quality broken rods to do strip and rebuilds that I end up giving to friends and family also. Allows some creativity and keeps me from always spending money on new blanks and components.

Got to agree, I run them in rivers and creeks for trout all the time but its crazy how many alternative species you get. Bass, pike, perch,etc, etc, even the aggressive carp and cats hit them like trains... you can learn alot about a creek by putting down the float rod and wobbling plugs from time to time! Biggest trick for me is work them SLOW and hang on tight.. For me flatfish have the better action and way better color selection from f3-f6. K7-K9 kwikfish in the bigger rivers seem a slight bit better for me than the larger flatfish. But if I can only pick one it might be a hotshot. They seem to be every bit as productive except you can work them in faster drifts without them kicking out. RiverRockers, Tadpollies, and the various others have accounted for very few fish personally although I probably havent gave them a fair shot comparatively... I have amassed a huge collection of plugs and am always on lookout for more and most days its all I have with me for creek fishing.

I've tried alot of different brands of trolling reels and can say Okuma are by far my least favourite. Shops must get a good markup off them as they are popular mostly because shops love to pimp them. In the mid-range I find the Penn's squall or warfare superior. If your going with Tekotas which is a solid choice for sure at least check out the Daiwa Saltists too. Great reels at a similar price point but maybe a bit harder to get your hands on.

I do alot of my own maintenance but for any shimano gear I own its tough to beat sending it back to peterborough for a more detailed overhaul. The amount of new parts the reels come back with far exceeds the cost of the service. Not something that needs to be done each year but maybe every 5 or so gives you a reel like new

Seems in the fishing world everything good gets discontinued!

No one using Fireline crystal as a substitute? I have tried nanofil and although it handles and casts awesome its durability and abrasion resistance is terrible. Crystal I found to have similar handling, (not quite as good) but its strength and abrasion resistance is crazy. Also way over rated test wise so I usually go with 8lb or even 6 and it breaks FAR over that

NAPA stores, at least the ones by me sell it for 8.99 as everyday price.

I have an older pair of simms headwaters goretex and a new pair of Patagonia. Simms are a bit heavier duty with thicker material. I fish alot and they've given me no proplems in 8 years or so. Just had new booties put on at simms as they were showing wear. Fit of the patagonia are a bit better for me. Never used it but their warranty is supposed to be second to none and are probably worth a look. LL Bean also have a good rep and solid warranty with some good products