BillsTheBassMan

Garry, I really do think you should write a book - your posts are always amazing and I look forward to all of them. Kudos again!

A very rewarding experience for you Leechman! A great way to spend time with your daughter and show her the joys of fishing! I had a similar experience with my nephew on Father's Day - he's 6 and caught his first ever trout - a 8" brown! Cheers Ryan

Hey Mark, Don't get too caught up on the "necessity" to buy 30 different rods for every specific situation. I know lots of old timers, great fishing authors, and fly-fishers in general that have no qualms about Steelheading with a 6 weight. You can surely find a rod that suits both Bass and Steelheading well enough. I'd GUESS a 7 weight will suit you just fine, particularly with the decreased amount you actually manage to get out with your new schedule. As far as rod setups go I will leave that to the more experienced guys. Don't break the bank on a reel. My $40 Metalist is a durable classic and it will balance well with a 7 weight I'm sure.

The Stradic is my favourite spinning reel as well. I've had mine (that I got for the discount price of $100 shipped - brand spanking new) for 3 years now and it's just like the day I bought it. It has never seized up, and required no service (but I grease it now and then for good measure). I've never fished the rod you got, but I'm sure it is great (though I love avids the most). Cheers and congrats on a sweet setup!

but with his luck he'd find another Afghany 100 Trillion Dollar Mineral Deposit.

Again, this wasn't photographed in the heavy rain time frame - this picture was taken during the heat spell in late May - end of June. This is a heavy clay area and you could be 100% right, I just want to run it by a few people to see what they think it is before I get telephone-happy.

Just as long as he is somewhere else other than here. . .

This picture was taken 3-4 weeks ago during a low-water period. The plastic pipe was not the main pipe - there was a bigger pipe (presumably metal) going into the field. The plastic pipe looked functional as well though.

I think this specific situation would have to be handled with care unfortunately. The farmer community in this particular area is extremely tight knit. The word would travel that officials have been knocking around and threatening fines etc. It could result in a loss of access areas and lots of posted land. With that said, you just can't let the river pollution continue (provided it is pollution). So, something needs to be done. Seems like a very fine line is being walked with situations like this. In this particular situation I think I may have a solution. I have recently volunteered for a group that protects this river. After my vacation I am going out with them to do some work in and around the river, and at that point, I'll mention this and show this to one of the members.

It's running from what is presumably a cattle field and I suspect there may be methane-containing-sewage. The foam was not constricted at all in this situation.

Hello Folks, On a recent fishing trip with Timmeh we found this sketchy looking drainage site running into one of our local rivers. The rocks and surrounding grass, plants, weeds, were red & yellow and a gross foam was forming where it entered the water. It looked pretty sketchy and I'm wondering if any of you know what to do in a situation like this. The drainage pipe ran from a farmer's field into the river. I guess I didn't get a picture of the foam, but it was there. Let me know what you think. Ryan

The Triumphs are a different graphite grade from the rest of the St. Croix products. They actually discontinued the Fly Rod Triumphs (and potentially all of them) as my first fly rod purchase this year was the "new triumph." It's a Rio Sante Fe or something, and it qualifies for their superstar program.

Yeah, I agree with the tournament decision completely. Follow the rules, buy your licenses, and there are no problems.

Those Globalization Fools from the G20 should have just gone to Nippissing and protested the spiny water flea.

I'm not embarrassed to say that I own a triumph (among many other St. Croix Rods). It is fine. It's a good, all around, multi-species rod in the $60-$75 range. I even got my triumph serviced on warranty with no questions asked. For the price, it is close to the top of the field (for that price range). The problem with Triumph: 1) It is the only St. Croix Rod made in China, with weaker graphite. 2) You will not apply for the St. Croix Tradeup program and newest warranty service. 3) Triumph Rods have been discontinued for the made in USA Rio (Santa Fe?) model. If you're ever in the Kitchener-Waterloo area you could check Rainbow Sports or Fishing Fanatics - they both have them. I could also sell you mine as I plan on getting a new LT or Avid in a few weeks - pm if interested. If I'm going with St. Croix (which I generally do) and if I'm on a budget I wouldn't think twice about getting a premier. You should just feel the rods and get the one you like the most. Bring the reel you plan on using! Hope that helps.

Great Report and Thanks for Sharing LucG! It's always cool going out with someone and teaching them new things and showing them more about fishing . . . rewarding as well. I'm sure your bro had a blast.

Must be people with cottages on that lake

Yeah, that's a must Alex. You're killing your own action and making it less attractive to the fish. It's like wearing old track pants to a club.

I've fished Sparrow once for a full week and we did quite well also. I got a 5lb SMB and our group got some pickeral as well. The pike seemed to also be in the same size range as yours (and Duck Bay produced). I figured out the lure colour early in the week and it produced all week and also seems to produce best of Couchaching as well. All and All I would say that Sparrow seems to be a solid fishery. Congrats on a great trip and thanks for sharing your report!

Congrats on a successful opener! If you could see the rivers where I live you'd be very satisfied with your day - my area blown for 5 days now

Knowing a buddy with a stocked smallmouth pond helps as well

Just another case of some donkey releasing fish in his home water and hoping they'll breed because he personally likes to eat them. Pretty frustrating.

On the bright side it is supposed to be a BEAUTIFUL weekend. Hope all are safe during the storm, with the crazy weather we've seen the last few weeks you just don't know what to expect.

No Problem Rigged, That's the kind of customer service you can expect from a great company like St. Croix. I don't suspect they'll disappoint. Bass Pro on the otherhand . . . . meh, I'd still give it a shot, but I wouldn't hold your breath with them.

Hello Again Rigged, Here's what I'd do with your rod. I'd first take it back to the tackle shop where I purchased it and ask them if they send away for warranty. If you send it in personally it will cost you $25 (and it might at the tackle shop too, but it is usually a little cheaper). Also, it looks better having a tackle shop return it than having "Joe Blow" return it (no offense). Since it broke on its first use I suspect that it may have either received some abuse in the store or been manufactured with flaws (depending how you were handling it in the snag). They will look at where it broke and judge it by that. You will almost guaranteed receive a new rod. It will take about 5-6 weeks. Be sure to ask the tackle shop when they plan on shipping it (sometimes they wait for 5-10 rods, so if you're number 1, it may be too long). Hope that helps. Ryan