I’ve been meaning to reply to a few posts and give some replies/reports/observations and so here they are randomly all in one post. Gifts, how’d they work, SRC fishing reports, sippers, prehistoric looking sea lice, new resolutions and random thoughts therein?
I just bought my first ever new high end rod this Xmas, a 9' 6" BIIIx 5 wt for salt and lakes. I got 2 great single malts too, Lagavulin and Laphroaig hence this rambling post.
All of my life I’d always bought lower end gear and ‘enjoyed’ being a good angler with such. My perverse pleasure was that as a kid and beyond I could cast a lot better and catch more fish than many, esp. the walking ‘Orvis/Simms/add high end brands’ clad anglers. My issue here I’ll note, but hopefully folks know what I mean.
I had asked a buddy in 2017 “really why use high end rods?” and he noted, “It’s fun casting when I’m not catching fish and I often think of the pleasure of casting even when I’m not fishing”. I’ve never thought like that…
A personal discussion with an elder brother noted our Dad never bought great gear for himself when he easily could have and then it was too late. My brother always buys the best that he can afford. My point? Don’t leave it too late to enjoy at least one, essentially non guilty pleasure. If you can afford it then why the hell not buy it and enjoy something that’s really good? These rods can be bought for great deals in the classifieds, there’s always good deals. I’ve been there, done that, I just wanted to buy a great rod from the start.
The rod is good but hasn’t changed my life, I’ve only fished it off the beach and in some tough winds mainly and so as a 5 wt not ideal. I also bought a SA amplitude line, a supposedly super dooper line for $130…I got a deal at $50 as I burned so much on my Winston; get a crazy good rod, get a good crazy line, right?
So to the fishing and testing. My resolution is to fish the Sound a lot more and figure out a variety of good beaches to freeze my ass off getting SRCs rather than freezing my ass off catching ‘bows in lakes. The diversity of chasing SRCs has caught me and there is a ton of natural beauty in the areas I’ve fished so far.
I went to a SSound beach and started to fish the new rod, line and 10’ intermed polyleader, casted Ok but meh! not brilliant, actually a bit shite. Caught some cutts on a Delia’s squid. I only came across this pattern a yr ago but what a fly! I love Clousers, I cannot lie, but as a new confidence fly for catching fish I love it.
After a while, the fish were gently rising but ignoring the D squid. Sippers, so maybe a small euphausid? Off with the interm head and boom! The line and rod took off together, it was mad in the difference without the hinging. Cast the head out, loaded, and boof!!! It went out. Not 90’ but pretty good, an easy farish cast but a noisy running line that tangles a bit. I’ve just put on my 5wt 40+ onto a different spool and I’ll see tomorrow how this goes and get back.
With a very slow strip I had an amazing take 5 casts in with 16” SRC in a flashing on top take. All the SRCs I caught had the really nasty looking lice, argualids(?) that Nic C has noted earlier, they are stuck on and I tried to remove a couple but they’re stuck tight and so just left as is for a quick release. They are ugly and make the trout look nasty. Caught more rezzies too which were free of such nasties.
Looking forward to meeting or annoying WFF folks on far ‘off’ SSound 'secret beaches'
Cheers,
Dave
I just bought my first ever new high end rod this Xmas, a 9' 6" BIIIx 5 wt for salt and lakes. I got 2 great single malts too, Lagavulin and Laphroaig hence this rambling post.
All of my life I’d always bought lower end gear and ‘enjoyed’ being a good angler with such. My perverse pleasure was that as a kid and beyond I could cast a lot better and catch more fish than many, esp. the walking ‘Orvis/Simms/add high end brands’ clad anglers. My issue here I’ll note, but hopefully folks know what I mean.
I had asked a buddy in 2017 “really why use high end rods?” and he noted, “It’s fun casting when I’m not catching fish and I often think of the pleasure of casting even when I’m not fishing”. I’ve never thought like that…
A personal discussion with an elder brother noted our Dad never bought great gear for himself when he easily could have and then it was too late. My brother always buys the best that he can afford. My point? Don’t leave it too late to enjoy at least one, essentially non guilty pleasure. If you can afford it then why the hell not buy it and enjoy something that’s really good? These rods can be bought for great deals in the classifieds, there’s always good deals. I’ve been there, done that, I just wanted to buy a great rod from the start.
The rod is good but hasn’t changed my life, I’ve only fished it off the beach and in some tough winds mainly and so as a 5 wt not ideal. I also bought a SA amplitude line, a supposedly super dooper line for $130…I got a deal at $50 as I burned so much on my Winston; get a crazy good rod, get a good crazy line, right?
So to the fishing and testing. My resolution is to fish the Sound a lot more and figure out a variety of good beaches to freeze my ass off getting SRCs rather than freezing my ass off catching ‘bows in lakes. The diversity of chasing SRCs has caught me and there is a ton of natural beauty in the areas I’ve fished so far.
I went to a SSound beach and started to fish the new rod, line and 10’ intermed polyleader, casted Ok but meh! not brilliant, actually a bit shite. Caught some cutts on a Delia’s squid. I only came across this pattern a yr ago but what a fly! I love Clousers, I cannot lie, but as a new confidence fly for catching fish I love it.
After a while, the fish were gently rising but ignoring the D squid. Sippers, so maybe a small euphausid? Off with the interm head and boom! The line and rod took off together, it was mad in the difference without the hinging. Cast the head out, loaded, and boof!!! It went out. Not 90’ but pretty good, an easy farish cast but a noisy running line that tangles a bit. I’ve just put on my 5wt 40+ onto a different spool and I’ll see tomorrow how this goes and get back.
With a very slow strip I had an amazing take 5 casts in with 16” SRC in a flashing on top take. All the SRCs I caught had the really nasty looking lice, argualids(?) that Nic C has noted earlier, they are stuck on and I tried to remove a couple but they’re stuck tight and so just left as is for a quick release. They are ugly and make the trout look nasty. Caught more rezzies too which were free of such nasties.
Looking forward to meeting or annoying WFF folks on far ‘off’ SSound 'secret beaches'
Cheers,
Dave