That looks like a Stevens net, I have the same, great piece of work.Granger 8642’s (a Victory and a Favorite) are right up there but although it’s not as practical as my other boats, I get all warm and fuzzy on the couple days I fish my home built each year.
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Good eye.That looks like a Stevens net, I have the same, great piece of work.
I have the 5wt version of the one piece Zenith, and it is also a sweet rod. Probably the smoothest casting trout rod I have ever owned. I also have a one piece Orvis H2 8wt that I really like. Maybe it is in my head, but I also have the 4-piece version of both these rods, and the action of the one piece version just feels better. The difference id subtle, but there is a difference.... Transport is a little bit of a pain sometimes depending on who's car we take and/or the rod storage system in the boat or raft we are using. Any new car I look at needs to be long enough to fit the one piece tubes inside.Hah Ya that's what has kept me from fishing it lately. I loved it fishing the beaches and it wasn't a big deal dealing with the 1 piece with my truck, but out on the boat, especially guiding its a pain. I keep the rods Im not using broken down in reel on rod cases so they are semi out of the way and protected, but with the 1 piece there is no place where its not in the way and at risk of being crunched if its not in use.
Its been standing in the corner of my living room unfished for a few years. I keep thinking I should sell it but god I enjoy it so much I haven't had the heart to do so.
I've wondered how they would respond if I broke it. Good to know. Ive never thrown any other Zenith rods, including the 4 piece blanks, but man this one is such a gem.
A power stroke and an Element, I like your choice of vehicles.I have never really felt that a certain rod model fit me like no other; it seems like I can make most work for my needs, so long as I'm in the same ball park (right length and weight for the water conditions needed). That said, I do have favorites for specific waters. Small creeks, I like the Scott Fibertouch in a 6' 1 weight matched with a Ross Colorado 0 reel. For larger creeks and smaller rivers, a Sage LL 379 or 389 with a Ross Gunnison or Colorado reel is hard to beat.
However I am a boat guy and have found over the years that for me, the right boat for the conditions is way more important than rods or reels. Some of you feel the same since a lot have posted boat pictures.
My favorite boat for lake fishing, from which I have caught more fish from than all other boats combined, is a 10' Clacka Coastal Drifter. Double anchored on a shoal drop off has accounted for more fish than the average person needs to catch. And I have incorporated that fishing method for over the past 20 years from this little trailered pram.
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While I have used the pram above it on the Yakima, Ronde, and a few other rivers, it really is a lake boat. For moving water and fishing solo, I have not found an equal to this boat (when launching within 100 yards of the rig) when gear fishing or fly-fishing with a single hand rod. Too bad it got stolen but I'm hoping for a replacement this year. I have had a couple replacements since this was taken, but we wind up selling them faster than we can make them. The next one I plan on keeping.
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When fishing multiple people, fly or gear fishing on calm lakes or in rivers, this boat has been great. Just watch the weather and hope for light winds as even a little chop on the water can make for a bumpy ride.
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When lake fishing further than about a 1/2 mile from the road, I love my Xstream pontoon boat that fits nicely in its own backpack with shoulder straps.
As said many times, there is no one perfect boat. I have a few more that get limited use but the only one I really "need" that is missing is a 2 and 3 person river boat.
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Sweet boat man! I really like the color of that hull.Our family didn’t have a lot of money for discretionary purchases growing up, with very young parents and 3 kids. Same deal extended well into my twenties as I worked to pay off student loan debt and save money for things like a house. Since then though, I have been fortunate enough to pretty much buy what I want gear wise, the benefit of stable, well paying jobs and a dual income, no kids household. I have some high end rods which are great, and some rods I purchased when I was younger, I will never get rid of. I have a 4 weight TFO professional, I have probably caught more fish on than any rod I have ever owned that is special to me. Even though I never fish it now, I’ll never sell it. Some day I’ll be an old man and will want to fish it for nostalgic purposes. A way to remember all those beautiful Montana trout I caught on dry flies when I was in college and treated that $150 rod like it was a priceless. It’s also just a great rod for that purpose btw. To this day, I still have trouble buying expensive gear for light trout work. So much reasonably priced gear is great for that purpose.
As far as what I have now. I agree 100% with @Nick Clayton on the Linkurv stripping basket and the Orvis Hydros reels. PS game changers. I also love Orvis Battenkill reels for trout. Love My Winston Radian 6 weight, Sage One Seven weight and Winston BIIIX 4 weight. Love my Rio OBS lines even with the durability and running line tangle issues (pricks need to fix those issues). However, this year, my favorite piece of gear is below. Due delayed deliver due to covid, a dying dog going through chemo, two new dogs, and a wife who injured herself badly chasing one of said new dogs around the yard during the heart of coho season, I did not use her as much as I would have liked. That WILL change in 2021 though!
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