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thalweg

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About thalweg

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    Music, angling, business,food and drink, sporting clays, hunting

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  1. Great tip...I'll check that line out. The Core is just about the smallest you'd want to go or get away with. (i choose it more for weight) I tried the ML and don't recommend it. Even if I let off and take it easy, it had a tough time taming 6lb fish or better. It reached its maximum bend to early in my opinion. It was a disappointing experience and having to go back to the shop to upgrade it was another time waster. Just my opinion...some folks really like the super spongy feel of light noodle rods. I personally think it disconnects you from the sensitivity and energy from a fish.
  2. My error and apologize...it is indeed the AVC106MF2. The ML is to light for my approach. Core 50 with 7.1 ratio. If you are into longer drifts then I suggest something with a bit more line capacity. I use sunline 10lb MONO which has the smallest diameter I can find for mono, but am still experimenting with that. I don't recommend braid or flouro for main line. Braid gets messed up in freezing temps and flouro usually sinks.. Mono with line butter applicant keeps it supple and floating on the tail end of medium drift lengths. I rarely drift past 30 yards..very rarely and can still toss hardware way past that if required.
  3. Its a super pleasurable outfit to fish with. The strain on my body after a full day on the water has been reduced substantially. The sensitivity and rod power usually puts me firmly in control when fighting fish. Usually ... the odd 12+ lbr in the sticks is unpredictable...but with this setup and my line choices, it gives me much better chances than what I normally see on the river. As you would expect the drag is as smooth as they come. I usually set it relatively light and augment with my thumb for full braking power when needed. Jumping bows affect the degree of drag vs them screaming down stream, so it requires variable drag coefficients that a thumb and drag combo can offer. In moments when I'm blessed with good timing and an extraordinary high volume of fish, then I'll crank it right down and experiment laying the boots to them. When those opportunities arise, the fight, simply put, is just violent. Half the length of time of the usual battle, but exponentially higher force and energy felt through the rod. Oh and I should add, that I don't use puny hooks anymore either. Gone are the 12's and 14's (unless I'm single egging) now I up size to 6's and 8's and some times even 4's for great lakes steelhead. I only fish super gin clear conditions now with a fly rod and natural flies...so don't require that super stealthy approach. My landing ratio has gone way up since then...and I have the confidence of putting as much strain as I can on the fish with minimal hook problems.
  4. My post wasn't intended to disrespect your sensibilities, but to share personal experience with a technique I've spent years with. Reading it over again, I fail to find where you would interpret insult. But in any event, it makes no difference to me in the slightest how others enjoy their angling. As long as they are the size of a match stick in my sight picture, while sharing a river
  5. I still use a bait cast rod in the 11.5 foot length. St.croix avid steelhead, medium power, fast action. Not many rivers where you need anything over 13. You could get away with a 9 footer on our smaller streams but i wouldn't go much less. 11 ish feels just perfect to me in nearly all river types the Great Lakes has to offer. I avoid the temptation for super long drifts that a long rod can induce. Prefer to use my feet and gradually step down the pool or stretch to cover water. It's getting tougher these days with the crowds to do so...but I've abandoned heavy crowd fishing decades ago so I fare well with that approach now a days. I know the Calcutta 200 but don't have direct personal experience with them to offer any sound advice. I use a Shimano core 7 to 1 ratio. Does the trick nicely.
  6. Sold my pin years ago..went bait caster and never looked back. I find it far superior in almost every circumstance. Unmatched versatility. A quality baitcaster will pay line as smoothly as the highest quality pins even in sub zero conditions. I find most folks who got pins upgraded from a spinning outfit (rightly so btw) because its better than spinning. But more likely felt they saw everyone else using it. Pinning in my opinion is far over rated method. If the fish are on a horizontal highspeed bite...try throwing hardware on a pin. Ain't gonna happen. Casting distance, further assistance of quality drag (yes and the super sensitivity of using your thumb in tandem), complete removal of line twist, throw any bait/presentation you wish, light weight (if you spend the bucks on quality), reduced hand fatigue (can use gloves with it) faster retrieves with more casts per hour....the list of benefits go on and on. A bit of practice with the weights completely off. Yup you'll get the occasional birds nest first couple go arounds , but after that, pure steelhead fighting bliss. Oh...and I long ago abandoned super whippy float rods and sub 4lb leader material. Simply foolish in almost 99% of all circumstances. I now run 10 pound main and 8 pound flouro frog hair leader in most conditions with rare occasion of 6 lb tippet, and upgrade to 12 pound and 10 pound tippet in turbid conditions. I like putting the boots to the steel. Maximum pressure for a violent fight that you can truly feel....instead of pansie footing it down the bank hoping for no break off. In fact this year I'll be trying to boat flip them like a fat bucket in the slop
  7. Those are awesome fish!! Also seemed like really unually deep Large mouth. Were they in usual spots that most largie anglers target like pads, logs, slop...or would you say they were in classic small mouth water? I'm not familiar with Large mouth off shoals or 25 foot rock wall drop offs. Sounds almost like USA style reservoir fishing. Anyways beauty pics and report. Cheers
  8. I should have added that my experiences have been solely in the Ochio Rios areas. My best success was at the Sandals resort.
  9. Been a number of times. I wouldn't really bother with a charter as its hit and miss. Night time is best for surf fishing. With a kayak you might get some decent inshore fishing during the day. Basically any larger bass baits...jerks, jigs, cranks, swim baits\soft plastics, top water BIG poppers and spinner baits work well. If you are in a kayak and can head out into deeper water (be careful go on calm days...don't venture to far....lots of ocean current there and can send you a mile away before you know it) you will often see schools of Bonito (use jerk baits and ripp em in a fast as you can...don't bother jerk and wait) straight silver\chrome spoons work well in the cleo line. From an artifical perspective you can get a ton of fish...lots of cuda and jacks and tons of other fish I've never seen before. NIGHT TIME is BAIT TIME! 1/2 ounce egg sinkers tied carolina style on 12-15lb flouro leader on say 30 lb braid...use a medium heavy to heavy rod 7+ feet in length. Go to your resort chef and ask for some left over shrimp, raw fish...or if your in a pinch a hot dog. Hooks....surprisingly number 6 or 8 steelhead hooks...you'll nail em...don't worry about galvanized or stainless steel and all that crap..just bring a hundred of em....TIP - they are more valuable to the natives than dollar bills. use em at the end of your trip for tips for the locals on the beach and the rest of your terminal tackle for that matter, and you'll be the coolest guy around.... Once you hook a couple small fish, use a small pocket knife and cut strips of fresh meat with the skin still on....cast out and in about 2 seconds you'll likely have a hook up, ranging from the common googel eye- smaller red fish with a huge yellow eye kinda looks like a snapper, to snapper, puffer fish, jacks and a ton of other exotics...BRING WORK GLOVES!!!!!! or some bath towels when handling any fish you aren't familiar with....I got stung by a few and wished that someone would just come over and cut my hand off.... it was brutal, but eventually got the feeling and the sting out of my hand within an hour. Make sure you have the resort security around the beach area at night...I wouldn't step out or off of the resort areas at night time for any reason whatsoever in Jamaica...if the security guy comes around...make sure you gotta plastic bag (most likely you will as to carry the pile of red strip beers and steak sandwiches you'll consume while fish'n ;)and fill it with your fish and give it to him for the protection and security...he'll love you for it...The key to really successful fishing down there at night comes down to two things...organic bait and those number 6-8 steelhead hooks....trust me. Enjoy
  10. Paul has an impeccable reputation for fishing the Niagara river and surrounding water bodies. IF he can't get them...then highly unlikely anyone else can.
  11. Thats not a bad idea. Sucker Spawn flies in the spring can be deadly. I however usually opt for the fly-rod when conditions are less than ideal for roe. Which often happens on the days when I can go on a trip and can't time the weather. For those that can't always take advantage of timing ideal conditions, versatility earns them rewards. For the most part...I'll take one fresh fish on a flyrod than 10 on a centre pin. There is no comparison to the battle, not even close and the sense of accomplishment in fooling a beauty steelie on the fly is far more satisfying. I've hooked thousands of fish on centrepins mind you, and it is generally and usually the next plateau for newbie steelheaders to adopt...because well..they see everyone else doing it and when you refine your steelheading skills it is the next natural way to improve it. But if you want challenge, have matured past numbers and want the sweetest reward possible in steelheading...than a legit caught flyrod steelie is incomparable. Getting one on a swung dry fly is the ultimate. I haven't accomplished that yet, but for the last 15 years I carve out one or two trips a year in an attempt to do so. Flyrod and only dries. I've had about 6 rises and one halfhearted take that I missed in all those years....and I nearly passed out from the adrenaline of that one instance and remember that moment more than any of other fish I've ever taken.
  12. I've managed to salvage a day on high muddy waters...but not too muddy...chocolate milk is likely the worst case scenario. Slightly darker than double double coffee can still offer up a few. More often than not they'll take advantage of this situation to be on the move to spawning water. In between runs, I'll target the slackest water I can find. The fish have no concern for cover in these instances. Frothy riffles and fast water are unnecessary to maintain a sense of security...they aren't going to be on a feed either. They are looking to consume the least amount of energy, and will take a bright bag out of reflex..particularly one that releases a lot of scent.
  13. 99 percent of steelheading is timing a run. After a rain, when the water recedes, usually results in a fresh run of fish. At this time you can throw almost anything and get fish..it feels so easy. It's when conditions are not ideal that truly experienced guys can get fish when others leave empty handed. In tough conditions, stealthy presentations, unique offerings and knowing to read water is key. Despite herd mentality, you don't need a centrepin setup. A decent noodle rod and spinning gear works in most circumstances and in fact is more versatile when trying other baits and lures such as spinners and small crank/jerk baits. For longer drifts and less hassle working your bail on the reel, a centre pin helps. A quality bait caster and rod is ideal. It will trot floats for a long way as smoothly as a centrepin, will be easier to cast and retrieve long distances and weigh almost half that of a standard centre pin. Not to mention virtually eliminate line twist. Roe is likely the most popular and effective bait. And not all roe is equal. Water hardened, unhardened, cured, skein chunks, scraped skein, boiled single eggs from a variety of specie are your general options. Personally, I like Georgian bay untreated salmon scraped skein for early fall, loose water hardened for mid fall, singles for late fall and early winter and scrapped rainbow skein for late winter and early spring. Under certain conditions, namely gin clear low water conditions I like the fly rod and have out fished roe in the conditions more often than not. Stone flies,caddis, buggers in a variety of colours usually work well as do San Juan worms etc. When the water is low and gin clear the fish are usually in the system for a while. If they haven't been filleted riverside then they are smart and weary and have likely seen a blizzard of roe bags come at them all day. Last but not least, soft plastics, spinners and small crank baits can be absolutely deadly.....leaving centre pinners with mouth agape as you land numerous beauties in succession while they do an extra water harden of their roe bags.
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