you know about offset hooks? slightly bent hooks with the tip going outward so a fish would stab itself biting onto it instead of eventually laying flat like an inline hook would
old timers i know would only use these
so why is there no fly made with offsets hooks?

>>2860513
Don't gear fags usually use offset hooks for live bait? When you are streamer fishing you will always have tension on the line when they fish hooks up so you get a good hookset.

>>2860518
It's been traditionally used for livebait for centuries if not more yes, pretty sure gearfags use the rotating action Hook that was in the us army survival kit, it's the same concept but slightly more complicated and slightly less efficient

>>2860471
My family's cabin has that same piece of shit sink/cabinet. The front is too wide, and the trim is so low that there is no room to get your feet in with shoes on. Thus, I must bend over to wash my hands as a tall person. I was just at the cabin today.
Anyway, I caught a dink brown, first fish of the year. The highlight, however, was riding on an iceberg. Fishing was not great because of the abundant icebergs, but it was really, really nice to get /out/. I was suffering from cabin fever, not having fished since Christmas pretty much.
>>2860513
>so why is there no fly made with offsets hooks?
I don't know about production flies, but I can tell you that Mustad makes an egg caddis offset hook. Google it, and click on fly fish food. They have some nice pictures.

>>2860513
they don't work like you think for general fishing. sounds like you think they will "set themselves" and not get swallowed, but that's not the case. the only thing that comes close to "setting itself" when a fish bites it is extremely sharp thin wire hooks. they take very little contact to pierce. like an owner mosquito light hook. fish will swallow/not get hooked up on offset hooks just as easily if you don't use it for what it's designed for.

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Covid has permanently fucked fly fishing up. The influx of bored normies drove up fly rod prices and even now as these people are leaving the hobby big fly gear is still raising prices. 1600 for a rod and 180 for a fly line is absurd but I guess people are buying them. Even tfo is putting out 700 dollar fly rods now.

>>2860597
pretty sure companies are fixing the prices and decided to exploit the fad rather than a supply and demand lie
i snatch second hand stuff on ebay and such, it can get very cheap

>>2860597
Covid and the lockdowns played their pat. But it isn't an influx of new anglers that's causing price hikes. It's the massive government spending and associated inflation that's to blame. More money in circulation without an equal input of goods means all goods cost more. EVERYTHING is more expensive than it was pre covid, pre trillion dollar omnibus spending bills. For fuck's sake, gold is almost $5,000 and was up to $5,600 before the last week or two. Silver went from $20 to $100!!!!! While that's cool if you're holding those metals, for everyone else, it's a sign of how weak our currency is.

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Made another Smitty sled this year. This might be my favorite one so far

>>2860617
Well said. I'm glad to find someone understands money in a place such as this.

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I caught it in the place I used to go with my dad...

>>2860632
Does that perform differently than a normal sled?

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How would you fish this spot for bass? top water? even texas rig is pulling weeds.

>>2860696
I fish a place with similar growth to that all the time. invest in some wakebaits, float'n ratltrap, or just keep a normal ratltrap(the smaller 1/8 size) high up in the water column so it doesn't snag the grass. you wanna keep it right over the grass that's underwater, maybe barely ticking the tops of it. you can do the same thing by slow rolling a lighter spinnerbait also. I just avoid throwing it in path of the floating vegetation. keep it in the open channels. the bass are usually under them anyways and strike when you go by it. if you also know where a dropoff is, where the underwater grass just stops, they usually ambush from that dropoff also. it can be frustrating t fish muck like that, but it's usually good fishing because fish love that shit. just use heavy enough line that you can yank your baits free if they get hung up. I like to use small ratltraps with small trebles like the 1/8oz I mentioned because you can usually pull them free if they really get hung in that shit by slowly and progressively pulling your line after sitting your rod down. bigger the hook, the harder it is to pull free. poppers or walking baits also work good but not that reliable if it's not warm out in my experience.

>>2860696
i'd try a lure that don't need too much moving, like soft plastic caddis/may/stone-fly on a small jighead, crayfish and hellgrammites for bigger ones, nikko does all these
nightcrawler live lures work too

>>2860696
Frogs, cast it onto one mat and swim it to the next mat. Hook points are on top so less of a chance you'll snag weeds. You could also try float-n-fly. Use a bobber to set your depth just above the weeds and tie on a jig and twitch it in.

>>2860696
A super spook would probably do well there too.

>>2860696
dinamite

>>2860722
nta but in my country it's forbidden since 1891
i just boggle my mind that people would throw grenades into ponds to fish

remind me what's the name of that good tieable titanium wire for leaders?
i want to use some livebait hooks that don't accommodate my 1mm thick fluorocarbon

>>2860767
The "knot 2 kinky" stuff?

>>2860768
sound like it yes, never used, would you recommend it?
i know pikes are as likely to bite my stuff as any other predator in my area so i need to be pike proof even going for bass

>>2860770
Ive never used it for leaders but i like it for stinger hooks on flies. When i want tieable wire i use 49 strand braided steel wire. Rio is good, partridge seems good, and i imagine the afw option is decent too.

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>>2860690
Not particularly, but it fits in my van and holds my stuff and is nice to sit on once you're there.

>>2860812
were did you get these orange rubber bands? i could need that

>>2860770
I use beadalon for bite leader. It’s cheap and you can knot it ok but you will need to cut it off your fly most of the time because it’s hard to get off.

Just got into trout/smallmouth/kokanee/catfish fishing a few months back. I'm new to all this and highly prone to asking some stupid questions seeking knowledge.

>What do I need to get into making a diverse set of freshwater rigs? Rings, split rings, sinker sliders, space beads/stoppers, what type of accessories do you suggest?
>How do you feel about snaps?
>What's your favorite fish to catch and favorite rig?
>Why would you not want to catch trout on a rod and reel capable of handling a big carp or catfish?
>What's your PB?
>Any general tips for someone learning it alone?

>>2860813
They look like elastpr bands for castrating farm animals
>>2860841
Those are a lot of questions im probably going to have to wait till after work and address them individually

>>2860848
Any help is greatly appreciated. Got sucked into the hobby by someone about as new that doesn't do their homework. I'm here after feeling like I tried to absorb too much too quickly.

I'll be ordering some tippets, sinker slides + bumpers, beads, swivels and coastlock snaps with the goal of prevailing rigs and "hotswapping" them with tippets I've built on. Going to go with mono or fleuro for leads but don't know if I'm going to use heavier duty mono/fleuro for the main line.

>>2860841
>What do I need to get into making a diverse set of freshwater rigs?
>How do you feel about snaps?
assuming you don't have pikes or similar fishes that will need a specific bite resistant leader, start simple, splitshots are all you need, and assuming you use a spin reel you need swivels to prevent line twisting, they're often sold alongside snaps, i use them they're practical
>What's your favorite fish to catch and favorite rig?
pike, i catch them on jigheads with a soft plastic lure, it's just a lure attached with a snap to a leader attached with a swivel to a mainline, very simple
>Why would you not want to catch trout on a rod and reel capable of handling a big carp or catfish?
i suppose it's not impossible, people used to fish on bamboo rods with no modern characteristics, but now modern rods are made to be able to throw lures in a specific weight range, your 30-60g carp rod won't throw your 5g trout lure properly and a light 4-18g rod will break on a 40g lure, also some techniques will prefer a lighter whippy rod and more importantly a carp rod might not be able to feel a subtle trout bite
right tool for the right job kind of thing
>What's your PB?
110cm (43.3 in) pike
>Any general tips for someone learning it alone?
try things, keep it simple, the correct order for thinking a rig is target fish>lure>line>rod, there's lures for fish and there's lures for fishermen so don't get fooled
assuming you don't have any line cutting predator alongside the fish you mentioned you could probably get away with a 15 to 20lb mono line, a reel with the appropriate drag for it, and a single medium rod, might just need a bit of smaller line to make trout leaders

>>2860841
>>2860871
>what do i need for diverse rigging
You can do a lot with swivels, knots, beads, and a selection of monofilament
Snaps have a time and place, i don't use them much outside of ice fishing.
>favorite fish/favorite rig
Thats a hard one. Im just going to give a few rigs that i like
>carolina/fish finder rig
>dropshot and dropper loop rigs
>simple float rig, slip float rig- both with bait or jigs
>just a splitshot and a hook
>texas rig
>just a lure tied straight on
Bass, bluegill, lake run trout, esox, catfish, rough fish
>not want catch trout on overly heavy gear
Fun, mostly. Its more fun to fight a fish than to winch it in. Thats not to say i don't use relatively heavy gear myself but i also dont winch 8 inch brook trout on 65 pound braid on an extra heavy rod.
>advice for a newbie
Dont get too complicated. Simple stuff works great.

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>>2860876
>>2860885
Thank you both very much, you've given me directions to go in. Actually caught my first trout on a Carolina rig no more than 2 hours after knotting it in as my lead with Palomar knots. I'd gone fishing all day once a week for the past two months prior. Will post how my trip goes next sunday.

I don't know if I'm fucking up fundamentally, but I bought spoons, daggers, weights, beads, sinker slides, split rings, tippets and general "low intricacy to produce" materials off Temu since I refuse to believe a tiny stamped metal spoon to be worth over a dollar a pop off of a shelf. I wouldn't trust anything that requires assembly, moving parts or fine tuning though.

>>2860891
don't hesitate to keep leftover line pieces to practice various knots, check out https://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots
palomar is great but i don't like it and it suck to do on thicker lines, uni and it's variants are my go to, best knots for most connections are improved uni (also called fish N foll knot) and trilene knot
also topology will help you a lot, fishes like to hide, some like shade too, predators will be near preys, locate underwater roots, dropoffs, surface plants and grass patches, pockets of calm water nearing fast waters in rivers, etc

>>2860891
You should try inline spinners. Almost anything will hit it
Simple to tie up just a swivel on the mainline and your spinner on a 1-2 foot leader.
There are a lot of good styles. I like the thomas special spin and panther martins particularly but mepps and rooster tail are in my box too

>>2860891
i second anon on inline spinners, but once you're confident, soft plastic lures for jigheads/texas/carolina rigs will cover everything
if you want to try something else after that livebait will do, and rigs are even more simple

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>>2860813
Skids right >>2860848 they're sheep castration bands. Mega handy, especially if you have the tool that stretches them out. Easily one of my favourite tinkering bits. Make great retainers and seals.

>>2860908
would you say it work well to old a reel? i have one of these old rods that use metal rings to hold the reel on the cork handle and one is missing so i need another solution
>inb4 replace it
can't it's old enough to be handcrafted and don't fit any standards, i've tried

>>2860909
People use them that way all the time, I'm basically slowly rebuilding all my rods with wood Tennessee grips and bands for the reel. Only issue is they will for sure make grooves in the cork. They're crazy strong. The band's themselves are like 5$ for 100 on Amazon, and even cheaper if you have a farm supply store local. just pick up a box and try them yourself.

>>2860508
Why do fishing threads have the best girls on this site?

>>2860976
cool, saw these for cheap on ebay with the tool for it, thanks for the tip

I got into fishing late last year due to my son's sudden interest in it. I bought cheap stuff just in case we dropped it, but we both really took to it and I'm ready to get back out there

I have a 7' Ugly Stik I got on clearance paired with a Shimano Sienna. It's been good, but I want a step up on the reel

I'm thinking a Daiwa or Shimano <$100, but even that narrow criteria is still pretty overwhelming. Any suggestions? Mostly going to target panfish and bass.

>>2860979
Honestly with those brands, budget, and intent of use, its going to be really hard to go wrong. A 2500 or 3000 size reel will be a good size, and you can honestly just pick based on aesthetics and youll be fine.

>>2860979
on the cheap size i got an okuma alaris ALS-30 for 40euros last summer, been pleasantly surprised, maybe i'm biased because i'm used to use old gear but still
big brands reels are usually fine and will fit most applications in the 3000 size, they're all in a similar gear ratio, so i mostly look at drag limit when choosing

>>2860979
upgrade the rod first, get a daiwa aird-x
after thatget a daiwa revros

>>2860979
just get the nasci fc 2500. it's the best $100 reel and it's not even close, and I don't even own one.

>>2860977
This one is old with fake hair, but at least she doesn't have fake tits and is holding a fish she didn't catch. I am disgusted to think of the conversation between a cuck and his girlfriend or wife: "Babe, would you hold this fish that I caught? I know you think fish slime is gross, but how much worse is it than getting covered in cum, like you do every night? No, I'm not calling you disgusting for getting covered in cum. It's just that I want to post your picture online so a bunch of bored guys scrolling Facebook at work will be turned on by you."

>>2861047
get yourself checked weirdo

>>2860979
I recommend a 2000 or 2500 Regal. I sell tons of them. It has always been a great price to performance reel.

>>2860841
For catfishing it all depends the spot, the time, and bait more so then the rig IMO. I usually start with a basic bottom rig with sinker slides with shad (FRESH), cutbait,live bluegill (flatheads), or chicken liver soaked in garlic powder (if I don't have time to catch bait). If I'm getting hung up I will switch to a 3 way rig or use a snag resistant weight to save my sanity.

Your asking about a lot of species i'd say try to target them when it's optimal. For example I would not be going for bass in the winter unless I had a boat and knew the area. I'd rather just save the headache and go for something more active in the cold like trout.

>Any general tips for someone learning alone
Talk to the people who seem like they know what they are doing at a new spot. Usually I base what I am doing off of the locals. Just don't be a dick/autistic and actually hold a conversation. You will find yourself paying it forward I assure you.

>>2860980
>>2860981
>>2861019
>>2861023
>>2861059
Thanks guys. I've been eyeing a Regal LT because it's a good price, has the features I want, and looks sick as hell. Think I'll grab a 2500 the next time it's on sale.

>>2861134
and don't forget to also get nice things for your son
i still cherish to this day the first rod and reel my uncle gifted me when i started

>>2861155
No problem there. I got him an ok budget combo rod and reel from Daiwa last year, but what he loves most are lures (pretty sure that's what is sustaining his interest rn), so after Christmas I picked him up a Strike King advent calendar for $5 on clearance, plus a lure making kit (he's 7yo) as we both love to watch Marling Baits make lures on Youtube

We'll be breaking those out come March

>>2861134
Maybe, this is because my knowledge is mostly from a small sporting goods store, but I would never wait long for a sale in this day and age. Prices have stabilized since tariffs, but inflation is still around. You can expect good deals in March and April and Black Friday. Never wait long for a good deal because your item may go up or out-of-stock.

>>2861134
Yup thats a good choice

>>2861134
sahara fj or nasci fc have way more engineering features for the price. by any means buy whichever you like, but daiwa has done some fuckery lately on their lt reels, just changing the color scheme every couple of years and acting like it's a new reel with more features and upping the price by $20 for each tier. you don't even get direct thread handle below Exceler LT and that is just a legalis LT with direct thread handle thus not worth $100+

I have a Fuego and nasci 1000 size, each for about a year now
The nasci still feels new and the Fuego is not feeling as smooth as out of the box.
I'm sure it'll be fine after oiling and greasing, but the "mag seal" really didn't do shit for my normal freshwater fishing
No anti reverse on the shimanos is lame yho

>>2861047
Virtually nobody that posts pics like that thinks of it as cucked. From their perspective they're cucking everybody else by being the one that gets to fuck her.

>>2861184
anti-reverse switch is a main spot for water intrusion as well as being another part to break, that's why lots of reels don't have it. but yeah, shimanos feel like new even after years as long as you don't abuse them in retarded ways. I prefer Daiwa for baitcasters but shimano is just at the top for spinning. the daiwa lt spinning reels are good reels don't get me wrong, but there is not much difference at all from revros/regal, legalis, exceler, and fuego. they have gotten a lot of shit lately for choosing to have a stupid lineup like that with very little distinction other than color and an extra bearing/screw on handle/mag seal..

>>2861221
daiwa braking on baitcasters is unmatched

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>>2861212

>>2861294
This recent obsession with cuckoldry is confined to pretty limited parts of the internet. Most people don't even think of that. Guys have had trophy wives and so on forever and that was never what it was about. I myself had a GF for years who had a big internet following (despite only ever posing modest cosplay) and it never even crossed my mind to think of it in any terms other than "haha losers you're fapping to the girl I fuck." Other guys I know who do have girlfriends/wives that wear slutty cosplay also seem to have the same attitude too.

>>2861294
your brain was been rotted by the internet if you're so distanced from your fellow man that you don't understand why pics like that are taken and shared

>>2861233
I won a Curado XG, but I have an opportunity to swap it out for an HG. I already have one. Should I do so?

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>>2860508
Sorry I been MIA been working still miss you guys! Hope all is well with you fellers! I'm try and lose some bait for Monday

>>2861339
talking about gear ratios? higher speed is better for things like finesse fishing where you want to quickly set a hook. it will require more strength to reel in a fish though. slower ratio is better for techniques like crankbaits and spinnerbaits that you are steady retrieving and put a lot of strain on the reel's gears. also easier to turn and those baits have resistance. middle speed like hg is a good "do-all" but I don't recommend them for high resistance baits like spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and medium/deep crankbaits because you want the power of a lower gear ratio both for your muscles and less train on the reel's gears.
tl;dr
xg for soft plastic fishing where you set the hook
hg general mix of hardbaits and soft plastic fishing
however... if you are a sperg who always fishes everything too fast like me, get the hg, it will help slow you down.

>>2861339
whats the difference?

>>2860508
Wouldn't it be painful to have an ice cold beer resting against your pussy?

>>2861359
HG is ~7 gear ratio. XG is ~8 gear ratio.

>>2861383
Not as painful as resting an ice cold beer against your balls

guys i think i figured out something
you don't need that sweet 1k dollars daiwa or shimano
you need that reliable 30 dollars second hand 60's full metal reel that's made to be serviceable and outlive you and your children if properly maintained

>>2861389
i can't see a reason for anything above 7

>>2861397
Get yourself a shimano stradic, solid aluminum body and properly sealed. I've abused the fuck out of mine in saltwater and it's still buttery smooth. I wipe it clean with a damp microfiber cloth after every session and lightly oil it just once per season.
Sure it's a bit pricy but it will last you a lifetime with proper maintenance

>>2861403
Neither can I, do I think I will swap.

>>2861403
like I posted earlier, dedicated finesse fishing setup. takes the slack out of the line quicker. that's really it. not like a medium speed isn't "fast enough" but faster is better for that.

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I got my monthly Smitty's box in the mail last week. But I've been in a bit of pain, so I just got around to opening it and tying the patterns. This month's beginner pattern is a mop fly. This is a super simple pattern. You're just tying in the mop and a dubbed thorax. Included materials: size 10 nymph hooks, 4mm tungsten beads, 6/0 uni thread in black, brown and chartreuse mop and black ice dubbing.

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>>2861431
The intermediate pattern the Smitty's Bug-e-nymph. It's a fairly simple pattern. A hare's ear with a full body wing case and legs. Materials included: size 14 rolling stone hooks, 2.4mm brass beads, 8/0 uni thread in brown, small copper wire, black crystal flash, a pheasant tail, callibaetis dry fly dubbing and brown/olive ice dubbing

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>>2861431
So, I tied all of the chartreuse and the first brown with way way to big of thorax sections. I was burning through the ice dubbing and thinking, I must be doing something wrong. So I watched their video and noticed they were tying in the mop much closer to the bead. So, with that change, the last three used a much more reasonable amount of dubbing. Aside from that error on my part, it's a super simple pattern. I haven't fished any mop flies yet. But I've always thought they looked great. So I'm excited to try these out the next time I'm out fishing!

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>>2861433
I like this pattern. It's much larger than my usual hare's ears. It's got a nice buggy profile. I think it's going to be a good addition to my nymph collection. No issues with this month's pheasant tail. It tied in nicely and wasn't brittle at all.

>>2861435
Oh, one modification I made on the four on the right, they have 2.8mm tungsten beads from my personal materials.

I just bought some size 8 and 10 jig hooks and 4mm slotted tungsten beads to tie up some mini/euro buggers. I'll tie those up in a couple days.

>>2860674
Late reply, but nice.

Fly bros does anyone have the pattern for the sloopy droopy. I can’t find any links that are still working this seems to be a true boomer fly.

So excited for another year of trout not biting literally everything I try for multiple days until there's nothing left to catch.

>>2861434
I can see why you tied a big thorax, though. The hook is too long. A little bit of a curve would be nice too.
I've been tying Mayer’s Mini Leech jigs. When they cost $5 each and with how simple they are to tie, buying them simply isn't reasonable. I fish those flies all the time. I just got some new beads the other day, so now, I'm tying different body colors.

bass jigs
do the jighead types really matter all that much

what grease to you guys recommend for reels?

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First time making a spoon. my next post will be with a fish on the end of this

>>2861494
is that an hammered beer can?

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Half a driveway marker turned down for the rod portion. Need to make some wire guides and it's ready for burbot.

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>>2861497
Yeah it's a cap from a japanese beer. I pinched it flat on one side and slightly wider on the other side to hopefully get good action. I'll be devastated if I lose it in a snag before catching a fish. Picrel is a tilapia I caught on a spoon last year

>>2861503
Would love to see that with a fish on the end of it. What's the handle from

>>2861503
i'd like to know about the handle too, i might buy one of these old steel rods from ebay or the like and put it on it

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WOOP!!

>>2861488
The only thing about jig heads that matters is how they secure the bait. Screw lock, wire keeper, or a little notch. I rank them in that order, and for really soft soft plastics, like Keitech, the little notch won't work. I haven't tried wire, but I know screw locks work great.
>>2861515
Fugly.

>>2861492
I've used Penn for the last few years but want to try something else because it seems really viscous, therefore you want to aplly it VERY lightly to avoid resistance in winter temps. I assume the viscosity is a good thing for saltwater intrusion though.

>>2861523
never had any issues with securing plastics on any of them really
more curious about performance with various types of structure

>>2861492
ardent makes good stuff

>>2861474
Yeah, I have some hooks I think would look better. 50° bend jig hooks with wide gap. I've got them in size 8, 10, 14, 16 and 18. Next time I visit this pattern, I'll use those.

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>>2861507
>>2861508
It's a turned down part of an old broomstick, not an off the shelf part. I would much rather make wood handles from literally free garbage than pay 30$ each for cork rings or blanks.

>>2861547
Turning wood on a metal lathe is based.
Ever consoder making a rest to put in the tool holder tp use gouges and chisels and other conventional wood turning tools?

>>2861434
>>2861474
Yeah i like scud hooks for mops personally
>>2861435
Those look like theyd be good as the first fly on a double nymph rig
>>2861442
Looks like a deceiver to me

do you guys have any experience with old mitchells?
i got a 306 mint condition, later one, probably 70s, one of the models without the planamatic gear
do you guys know if the frame is the exact same and if i can swap out gears for planamatic ones?

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>>2861574
found a plan that clarify it, i got a model with the crosswind disk, i know the motion isn't the same, my uncle used to have a 308 with the planamatic gear
look like i can swap parts but if someone got firsthand experience that would be great

>>2861578
I have a 407, same thing but high speed right hand, with the planomatic. They ditched the planomatic gear train because people fucking hated it, lots of people fabricated simple crosswind blocks for the earlier models because they wanted a simpler, more robust system. The planomatic doesn't lay line particularly well anyways. No idea about swapping but seems very possible. Only issue is you need to buy a whole separate reel just to get that one part.

>>2861563
I have done lots of wood turning freehand, I much prefer "machining" it with nice straight lines and sharp edges

>>2861603
>because people fucking hated it
first time i hear of it, my uncle loved these, the gears supposedly do wear over time but the shaft movement doesn't work as much as the main gear so i don't see how it could become a failure point, as for the lay line i've heard it's better for small lines but worse for thick lines, anyway i know a guy that sell spare parts, i suppose for a few bucks i might as well try

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>>2861547
Are you sure your reel is going to stay put once you have a fish on? Idk what the orange part attaching it is but maybe you need something like picrel?

>>2861611
I think those are castration bands. They stay in place really well. Rubber bands (not the office supply) are the preferred reel seat on ice rods.

>>2861612
I have no doubt they'll hold it snug from forces that pull it perpendicular to the rod, but there's a large force parallel to the rod when you hook a fish. You can minimize it your rod, but that's probably not as easy with a driveway marker.

You'd want some kind of stopper between it and the tip of the rod, even just a nail or screw

>>2861606
It's much more fragile than a solid crosswind block. The 306 was a large reel meant for big fish, the planomatic fragility plus the shit ass drag of the 306 (compared to the multi component 302) means a lot of people would have seen sheared gears after big fights with drags locked down. I have a hard time loving the 306 specifically because of how poorly matched the drag is to the size of the reel.

>>2861611
I'm pretty sure. If I was worried I'd just put a commercial reel seat on.

>>2861614
You're over thinking it, and you have no idea how fucking strong these bands are.

I'm using MAX 10lb line with 2-3lbs of drag on any kind of ice setup even if I'm horsing in pike or lake trout. The bands are a perfect elegant solution I don't need to fuck up the handle with nails or pipe clamps.

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Caught this fish today. I might update with a length later (need to measure my rod).
The weather has been weird. We got lots of snow early, which melted. I got a late start on fishing, and by fishing, I mean mostly driving around, literally in a circle (long-story). On my third time going down this road, I found a tree fell in the middle. I just barely made it by without going off a cliff.
Anyway, I only got in the water with an hour of light left, if not less. I got a couple eats but couldn't connect, and then, I got pic rel. It was fun. Glad I wasn't skunked.

>>2861621
>Harder

Nice fish

>>2861615
>means a lot of people would have seen sheared gears after big fights
are you sure you're not mistaking main gear and planetary one? on the 400 series usually the planetary thing itself is fine but it's the main/pinion gear that shear over time because it got a higher ratio for the same size, so inevitably more teeth, which are inevitably smaller, which make them inevitably weaker structurally

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Thinking of ordering circle hooks in bulk from Amazon. What size here would you guys say is closest to a real standard issue 1/0?

Glad the invasive species in Florida got kicked in the balls.

>>2861624
You need to remember the era of these reels, these are boomers we're talking about, and these reels were surf casters in direct competition, though always understood to be at a lesser tier, with the penn Greenies which have a reputation for being bomb proof. I don't think you or I gently using these reels as fun relics are going to have the same problem as those guys, but yes specifically people damaged the planetary gears. I wasn't around in those days, whether or not that reputation is justified I have no idea, but that is a talking point among current day vintage Mitchell users.

>>2861626
If you're ordering in bulk I would assume it's because you use a lot of them, so measure one of the ones you have and get a comparable one. If you don't use them already, you're just shopping for a dopamine hit and the size of the hook doesn't matter

>>2861622
I know. Try lubing up a Smart Water bottle and gripping it while full of water.
Fish was 14 inches. I'm going to try fishing beetles for brook trout today, at least for a little while.

>>2861603
Fair enough, do what you prefer.
>>2861611
Those elastor bands hold tighter than you think
>>2861626
Hook sizes are made up and 1/0 doesnt mean anything even within the same brand- gamakatsu makes a c14s glowbug hook and its size 4 is nothing like a soze 4 gamakatsu b10s. Look at pics like youve got posted and send it by eye.

>>2861631
mexicans?

do you guys have something specific for reel storage and transport? trying to organize my stuff

Now THAT's a better opening pic. Caught some sweet flathead off the bar at Noosa using blue pilchards, worked out to just under a kilo of meat after filleting. My summer has just started because I've been working interstate but for a first trip out on the boat it's a good omen for the next couple months.

>>2861661
lol

>>2861661
As somebody from the west coast, can confirm they do more damage to wildlife and bank erosion than anything else.

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Done. Now I just need to stay up all night jigging a 2oz spoon hoping I can get a tug on it.

Turned out a little heavier action than I was aiming for, but there's less than 5$ of materials in it so I can do another if I hate it.

>>2861756
What's that green thing at the first eyelet?

>>2861756
did you make the ligature yourself? i want to do the same, some use varnish some use resin and i'm confused which way to go

>>2861758
Craft bead to stop the line pulling through. I used line tension on the rod to hold the blank into the handle while the glue was drying.

>>2861772
Yes, it's literally just sewing thread wrapped around a bunch and coated with helmsman at the same time I varnished the whole blank so I don't get fiberglass slivers. You don't get the nice glossy high build of resin but it holds great. I did not do nice careful aesthetic wrapping I just went back and forth over it until the guides held super solid.

>>2861775
i got a bunch of bamboo rods drying since last summer in a barn, i'll try doing three pieces using the traditional korean method (filing the inside of the bottom part and the outside of top part successively untill one fit into the other)
any sewing thread will do? probably need some specific varnish for the bamboo tho

>>2861776
Any sewing thread can work but if you get proper rod building thread from fuji or pac bay it will hold colour better over time. U.V. light is hard on dye.

>>2861778
well if the price difference is only justified by the dye then i'll go for the cheap option

>>2861729
Very true.

>>2861779
The fiber material is different too im pretty sure the "real" thread is nylon or similar synthetic but yeah no it doesnt actually matter

>>2861834
i checked and it's all polyester yeah
i hate all that synthetic shit everywhere
i got myself a piece of wool felt to make washer/joints for old pieces of equipment that had them and it was extremely annoying to find something that wasn't fully or partly polyester

How often do you guys fish hard? I'm talking about being out for a full day focused on fishing, no drinking and sitting around.
I feel like I've been slacking in my fishing. Sure, it's just a hobby, and one can do what they want, but I'd like to be more productive with my time.

>>2861860
the last couple years i've really amped it up, i got sick and tired of getting skunked and started focusing a lot more, keeping journals, etc
not necessarily spending 14 hours days but making sure the time out is well focused and not wasted, i've improved a lot and its been worth it, rarely get skunked anymore

>>2861860
i usually fish light and not far from home, so i don't bring a cooler and fish untill i get a keeping size fish and then maybe an hour more tops after that
i'm considering buying sardines to deadbait for pike and shit down a bit for once

>>2861860
I don't drink and I exclusively kayak fish so every time I go out I stay for at least 5 hours or so. Almost every weekend so 3-4 times a month.

>>2861860
Every time I go out but I also drink fairly heavy as well. Me and my buddy will bring a yeti with whiskey in it but we don’t stop fishing.

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>>2861860
Much less with 2 kids. Every chance is precious.

>>2861776
I doubt bamboo calls for special varnish, outside of historical accuracy autism. Realistically any sewing thread will do but I prefer the ones on the heavier side, cheap shit frays and snaps too easy pulling knots.

>>2861756
I changed my mind it's perfect

>>2861905
yeah i've read a bit and settled for normal marine varnish, anyway bamboo is supposed to take months to dry so i got time

Best live bait for fly fishing? Been wanting to try it out.

>>2862027
i don't think i've seen anyone use anything but artificial flies
but i suppose you could grab a grasshopper or a beetle and put it on a hook

Anyone going to opening day for trout parks?
Supposed to be really shitty out so hopefully it's not as slammed as usual.
Probably just gonna use powerbait/marshmallows and some jigs.

>>2862027
I would use a piece of nightcrawler. Nightcrawlers are my favorite and practically only bait, but I haven't tried them on a fly rod. I've messed around by trying to use a real caddis a couple times, but my flies work better. Nightcrawler is the only thing I'd have confidence in across a broad spectrum of species, unless we are talking about catfishing or saltwater.
>>2862076
No. I wouldn't go to one of those places, and if I did, I would never go opening day. When one guy I met was describing them with enthusiasm, I felt nothing but contempt.

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Tied up some mini bugger jigs. Size 8 and 10.

>>2862078
Most trout in my state are stocked and 80% die within 2 weeks of release.
If i'm going for sport I go to the very few places they naturally reproduce and use a fly rod and release so I don't kill the population.
If I want to eat I pay $5 and limit out baitfishing.
I get what you mean but it's good for my friends who don't really fish

>>2862127
not to mention stocked fish are genetic abominations. it's like a McDonalds "quality beef" burger, might aswell eat it.

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>>2862080
Different color pattern.

>>2862145
I suppose it depends on the quality of your hatcheries. Here in northern California, our hatchery rainbows/steelhead and salmon are very robust. The eggs are taken from local wild stock, manually fertilized, hatched, raised and released. I'm sure it helps that this is where they occur naturally.

>>2862149
>>2862080
Those look good. Id personally probably try to get a little denser collar right behind the nead but thats just personal preference, those should fish great.

>>2862127
>80% die within 2 weeks of release.
wtf, why?
do they starve or is it from pollution? what's the point of stocking if everything die off

>>2862145
are you just assuming this is true because the process is artificial?

it's pretty normal stuff, anon. in every state i've lived in the broodstock has come from outside the hatchery, either native fish or stocked fish that survived from the previous year. the only "trick" behind a hatchery is that they can provide a controlled environment so that 99% of those thousands of eggs per female survive instead of 0.1%.

the reason anglers say they act stupid is that in the past they were conditioned to have bad habits. specifically they were fed in such large groups that they learned to stick near the surface and strike everything as fast as possible because the competition was so fierce. this + a lack of predator fear meant they were much less cautious than wild trout. but even back in the 90s and 00s this was being corrected.

>>2862180
It's due to a couple of factors.
Very easy pickings for the first couple weeks like anon said >>2862188 because they have to adapt
Side note: You can exploit this by using rainbow trout colored lures to get big smallies downstream of hatcheries.

Fishing pressure is huge I've heard and seen many people quadrupling their bag limit.
Mostly the amish after they dig through the gutting station for powerbait.
Water quality is also a problem in some places or flooding.

The main point of releasing so many is that it ensures they don't completely die off, provide opportunities for the native fish to feed, and for sport.
It's better that they die in such numbers because they are invasive in many places.
If you live in a state where they stock a good chunk of your license fee goes to this.

>>2862145
Completely untrue in regards to the safety of the meat they sample as well as strictly control what they eat and live in.

>>2862196
sound like feeding the crayfishes with extra steps

>>2862196
>Fishing pressure is huge I've heard and seen many people quadrupling their bag limit.
>Mostly the amish after they dig through the gutting station for powerbait.
You're telling me that the Amish will break the law? That sounds unreasonable. The Amish may not be pleasant to the English, but I have never known them to break the law.

>>2862188
I've seen plenty of stocked trout that look like they would try to kill sigourney weaver

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Crappie bite is slow, but the sizes are good.

Was hoping there would be sufficient cold to get one more weekend of ice fishing. It doesnt seem that will be thr case. I guess im going to swing streamers on saturday.

>>2862274
We’ve got 30 inches of ice, but we’re probably going to lose all our snow pack next week.

How do baitcaster guys get over the fear of birdsnesting? I've been fishing long enough to be proficient with spinning reels, but still get wind knot PTSD from when I first started. I'm thinking of joining the baitcaster race but I don't think I'm mentally prepared to deal with birds nests

>>2862322
I got over my birdsnest issues by getting and fixing a bunch of birdsnests. I also almost exclusively use braid on baitcasters, its easier to get birds nests out of braid

>>2862322
You stop getting birdsnests once you git gud. The only time you will ever have a birdsnest after that is if you get lazy and do something stupid like clip something as you cast. Situational awareness prevents birdsnests. You can also greatly reduce the chances if you get something with really good braking systems, but obviously that comes at a cost. I've actually switched over to using 75% baitcasters now. I only really use spinning for ultralight stuff. I'll probably go bfs at some point.

>>2862337
>I'll probably go bfs at some point.
I'd like to try it but bfs reels seem pricey
I fish a lot of inline spinners, would there even be a benefit using BC reels for smaller hard baits?

>>2862338
you have to get a more finesse style baitcaster in order to properly throw anything under 3/8oz. not pure bfs, but shallow/light spool models like 70 size. cheapest one would be a shimano slx mgl 70 I believe. I have a tatula sv 70 and exclusively throw 1/4oz hardbaits on it. on a normal baitcaster, you will only get a few yards at best throwing something that light, and that's only if you really have the brakes low, which requires a very experienced thumb. if you just want to learn baitcaster and don't want to spend much, I'd suggest just getting a "normal" sized baitcaster and throwing baits around the 1/2oz and heavier mark. it's far easier and doesn't require you to spend $150+. there are budget bfs reels from china but I can't recommend them having no personal experience with them, inline spinners are more bfs territory. the way I started out with baitcasters is just having a "big bait" exclusive setup for targeting bass. things like 1/2oz bass spinners, heavier topwater lures, etc. it's much easier to learn that way. lighter lures are heavily gear dependent and require higher skill also.

>>2862337
>>2862338
BFS is definitely fun, but make sure you get a good rod. I didn't. The one I got makes fishing for longer than 30 minutes uncomfortable. Also, don't not try to look for low gear ratio reels. High gear ratio is fun and effective.
If I got another bfs rod, it'd have to be in the style of the Megabass Huntsman, but there's no way I'm paying that much.

>>2862322
Practice. Simple as that

>>2862338
The piscifun spark pro is almost bfs, i use it to throw ned rigs on 20lb briad and a mono leader a lot, as well as inline spinners and small jerkbaits
>>2862342
Yup this. The first step to being good at something is to suck at something.

>>2862347
20 lb is way to heavy for bfs by all definitions. 20 lb is what I use on my normal baitcaster.

>>2862349
braid is limp enough where diameter doesn't matter

>>2862349
>ITT anon isnt familiar with the word "almost"
Its not a bfs reel. Its almost a bfs reel, it handles lighter presentations a lot better than my shimano slx or my diawa reel which cost more than double, but it is a regular baitcaster.

>20lb braid is too heavy for bfs
Sure you can get better performance out of lightwr line but 20lb braid will still out cast 6lb mono, amd 6lb mono is absolutely suitable BFS line. My ultra lightest trout rod has 15 pound braid and i can dtill tgrow a 1/16 oz jig farther than my buddy with his noodle rod and 4lb mono and when i accudentally hook a 3lb bass crappie fishing my weak point is usually the hook not my line. Throwing a trd on a 1/10 oz jig and a medium light rod it feels great.

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Pier fishing anon here. Thoughts on this rig setup? Last time I was in FL, it didn't occur to me that switching over to a float rig would alleviate my problem with snagging in the reef every other cast. Still trying to found out which oz egg sinker to use for the floats as pictured- something heavy enough to give me casting distance and to keep the leader submerged, but not too heavy that it makes the float sink.

>>2862394
what are you fishing for with what kind of bait? look over complicated

>>2862396
Saltwater fish along the atlantic east coast using mostly squid and some shrimp (dead) here and there. Hoping to catch bigger fish like reds and snappers but this time without getting snagged on coral

>supposed to be on an Eelpout ice fishing mission
>waiting for a strep test at urgent care instead.

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>>2862398
i'd do a rig like picrel, with one of these floats that attack on the bottom of it instead of inline
now i checked online and your rod got a 2-6oz cast weight, which is heavy, so you want a 2oz sinker, that + bait weight will be enough
now you need to find a float with 3-4oz buoyancy
also you probably need a fluorocarbon leader as well, don't snapper have teeth?

>>2862424
Been watching marks on the vexi since just before sunset. No takers so far.

>>2862394
I think you need more snap swivels bro

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>>2862460
No out last night, no trout today. Still worth doing though.

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Local independent tackle shop put this ice rod on sale at 50% off, so I said fuck it. Paired it with a Shimano Sienna 500 I picked up at Fleet Farm earlier in the year. Doubt I'll get to use it till next season, but I'm feeling pretty good for having less than $100 invested so far. Now the big question: Are my warm weather crappie jigs appropriate for ice, or do I need to start collecting tungsten stuff?

mic check

>>2862495
You can use the regular stuff, but the tungsten is nice because it makes a better return on the flasher, sinks harder, and you often need to downsize to get a shy bite to commit.

>>2862495
>>2862499
Tungsten is way better than lead performance wise in certain situations. The two applications I'm certain this is true for are ice fishing and fly fishing. Tungsten is so much denser than lead. Thus, you can get your bait down where it needs to be without adding a ton of bulk. This also means less time with a slack line. But when we're talking about a 3 inch soft plastic, bulk doesn't matter, and with how they're designed currently, a lead jig can complement the plastic nicely.
This doesn't mean you can't use your lead crappie jigs, but tungsten is definitely better.

Had an interesting day on the ice today. Got out for 10 am, just as the ministry was pulling up to check other anglers, checked everyone but us for some reason.

Had nasty stomach ache from all you can eat sushi last night so I had to drill a shallow hole to liquid shit into and wipe my ass with ice shavings, that was rad.

Got a 6lb pike on the last of my giant freezer burned mackerel just as I was packing up to leave at 3pm. Only other fish was a little hammer handle I basically snagged while jigging for perch out of boredom.

>>2862530
tmi faggot