On my trips to Montana I got to be friends with guide Joe Willauer. Cool guy who writes a solid blog - Evolution Anglers. One of the things that I enjoyed about fishing with Joe is that we seemed to have a common outlook on what made an enjoyable day.
So rather than write my half-ass, newbie blog article on streamer fishing, I'd let Joe offer you some tips honed Out West. Plus, it'll drive some nice traffic to Joe's blog anyway! :)
Technique Tuesday: Streamer Fishing from a Drift Boat
Solid work, Joe! Couldn't agree with this more. I especially liked the light line, heavy fly. On my last Montana trip I had the most success with weighted flies on the Rio Outbound Short Intermediate line. Easy to cast and really produced!
-Sean-
Showing posts with label streamer fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label streamer fishing. Show all posts
09 September, 2014
24 February, 2014
Done? No, evidently, never done...
Well, I'd said I was done with any new fly rods. Quiver's all full, etc., etc., etc. Turns out I was wrong. Two new sticks are on the way. I never intended to own all these rods. And every one I own has a purpose. I guess that's the price you pay for being a year 'round, multi-species angler.
SCOTT RADIAN 907-4
I've wanted a fast streamer rod for a while. Whether it's for smallmouth or trout, I love throwing streamers. Right now I primarily use a Scott A3 907-4 rod for this. Then I cast my buddy's S4S last year. Holy shit. More like a weapon than a fly rod. The streamer equivalent of my Sage TCX "Death Star". Now Scott has the Radian with the tagline "Fast meets Feel" -- sign me up! One's on the way and the A3 will be going on eBay. Now I'll have a Scott A4 for topwater and a Radian for streamers. Boom!
SHIMANO CLARUS 11'3" CENTERPIN
Yeah, I'm an occasional pinner. Get over it - from the bobber down, I'm running a fly rig that's very similar to the Indy rods I run. If Chuck-n-Duck is fly fishing, so is this. I mostly use the pin either to search new water I don't know anything about, or in situations where running a traditional Indy just isn't practical. I've been exploring some of the lower Pere Marquette river and I wanted a pin rod I could get in the boat. My 13' Raven Matrix just won't fit safely and securely. I can't justify spending big bucks on this rod, as it's not one I'll use a ton. Online reviews look good, and it'll fit nicely next to my Scott L2H 1158 switch swing rod!
I am a gear whore. And I suppose I am proud of it. But at least I can look you in the eye and tell you the exact purpose I bought both of these sticks for. Now the Speyco reel that's coming for my smallmouth swinging TFO Deer Creek 11' 6-weight I have no excuse for other than the Ross Evolution LT3 was too light. And not cool enough. Yeah, that's it. Too light...
-Sean-
SCOTT RADIAN 907-4
I've wanted a fast streamer rod for a while. Whether it's for smallmouth or trout, I love throwing streamers. Right now I primarily use a Scott A3 907-4 rod for this. Then I cast my buddy's S4S last year. Holy shit. More like a weapon than a fly rod. The streamer equivalent of my Sage TCX "Death Star". Now Scott has the Radian with the tagline "Fast meets Feel" -- sign me up! One's on the way and the A3 will be going on eBay. Now I'll have a Scott A4 for topwater and a Radian for streamers. Boom!
SHIMANO CLARUS 11'3" CENTERPIN
Yeah, I'm an occasional pinner. Get over it - from the bobber down, I'm running a fly rig that's very similar to the Indy rods I run. If Chuck-n-Duck is fly fishing, so is this. I mostly use the pin either to search new water I don't know anything about, or in situations where running a traditional Indy just isn't practical. I've been exploring some of the lower Pere Marquette river and I wanted a pin rod I could get in the boat. My 13' Raven Matrix just won't fit safely and securely. I can't justify spending big bucks on this rod, as it's not one I'll use a ton. Online reviews look good, and it'll fit nicely next to my Scott L2H 1158 switch swing rod!
I am a gear whore. And I suppose I am proud of it. But at least I can look you in the eye and tell you the exact purpose I bought both of these sticks for. Now the Speyco reel that's coming for my smallmouth swinging TFO Deer Creek 11' 6-weight I have no excuse for other than the Ross Evolution LT3 was too light. And not cool enough. Yeah, that's it. Too light...
-Sean-
17 May, 2013
Shot At the Title
In recent years, I've gotten hooked on streamer fishing. I'm not sure if it's the "hunting" nature of targeting a likely spot, or the visual of watching a big fish hunt down the streamer - but it's addictive. I started on trout, but then moved on to smallmouth as well.
Tuesday was a huge day on the river for me. My buddy Jon Ray and I set-up a float to chase big trout on big water. With the rivers swollen from a snowy Winter (and Spring!), there was a lot of flow, a lot of color, and a lot of opportunity. I really see this as a big part of my evolution as an angler. Where once I'd have been giddy sticking lots of 8"-12" fish on a float, now I want a 20"+ hog.
My set-up for big water like this has evolved a bit as I figured out what conditions demand and matching it to gear I have. For today I was running a Scott S3 958-4 rod (9' 6" 8-weight), my trusty Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor V, and an older Rio 200 grain sink tip. The S3 was one of my earliest high-end rods. After I discovered switch rods, it didn't see much use, but in the past couple of seasons I've re-purposed it as my chuck-and-duck (when necessary) and heavy sink tip rod. Works just great for both!
Our day starts off well enough - within the first hour I stick a nice 15-16". Decent, but I forgo the photo. Sorry, pal, you're not what I'm here for. Today is also my first day of rowing instruction, so I take a turn on the sticks. More on this later. Let's just say I went from complete chaos, to managed chaos. Look for more in a future blog.
The interesting part of this float is that we're picking up fish mostly in the middle. I'm more used to targeting pockets along the bank and near cover. My first fish is dead center, as is one Jon picks up as well as a couple of follows we both have. I think this is a result of the BIG water and high flows - fish feel more protected by all the color in the water, I suppose.
As the day rolls on, the sun comes out, so I move back to the banks. Hucking big flies into likely hidey holes. Around mid-day I toss into an eddy behind a log. Suddenly I see the telltale flash and BOOM! Fish ON! Just from the size of the roll and the heft on the line, I can tell this is a good fish. I've learned from previous losses that this is a game of showing the fish who's boss almost immediately. I get some bend in the rod and start putting to boots on this one. For a moment there's some back and forth, but I get the upper hand. When we get it in the net it's evident - this is a 20"+! Fortunately, Jon has a client who's on a quest to boat a big fish, so there's an excellent measuring device aboard. To my surprise, my fish tapes out at 23"! And it's not just long, this is one fat pig of a brown. WOO F*cking HOO!!!!!! My personal best-ever resident trout! I was able to break 20" in Montana last Fall, and I've taken a very large lake-run while pinning for Winter steelhead (we didn't measure, and doesn't count in my book anyway.) The adrenaline is FLOWING!
After a few pictures, in which we find out I can't hold a big trout very well (Jon: Don't you know how to handle that thing?" Sean: "Dude, I've never caught one this big, of course I don't!") we get some nice pics and even film the release. I spend the remainder of the float completely jacked up after the experience. This, of course, has fueled my desire to break the two foot mark.
Stay tuned. It's only just begun.
-Sean-
Tuesday was a huge day on the river for me. My buddy Jon Ray and I set-up a float to chase big trout on big water. With the rivers swollen from a snowy Winter (and Spring!), there was a lot of flow, a lot of color, and a lot of opportunity. I really see this as a big part of my evolution as an angler. Where once I'd have been giddy sticking lots of 8"-12" fish on a float, now I want a 20"+ hog.
My set-up for big water like this has evolved a bit as I figured out what conditions demand and matching it to gear I have. For today I was running a Scott S3 958-4 rod (9' 6" 8-weight), my trusty Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor V, and an older Rio 200 grain sink tip. The S3 was one of my earliest high-end rods. After I discovered switch rods, it didn't see much use, but in the past couple of seasons I've re-purposed it as my chuck-and-duck (when necessary) and heavy sink tip rod. Works just great for both!
Our day starts off well enough - within the first hour I stick a nice 15-16". Decent, but I forgo the photo. Sorry, pal, you're not what I'm here for. Today is also my first day of rowing instruction, so I take a turn on the sticks. More on this later. Let's just say I went from complete chaos, to managed chaos. Look for more in a future blog.
The interesting part of this float is that we're picking up fish mostly in the middle. I'm more used to targeting pockets along the bank and near cover. My first fish is dead center, as is one Jon picks up as well as a couple of follows we both have. I think this is a result of the BIG water and high flows - fish feel more protected by all the color in the water, I suppose.
As the day rolls on, the sun comes out, so I move back to the banks. Hucking big flies into likely hidey holes. Around mid-day I toss into an eddy behind a log. Suddenly I see the telltale flash and BOOM! Fish ON! Just from the size of the roll and the heft on the line, I can tell this is a good fish. I've learned from previous losses that this is a game of showing the fish who's boss almost immediately. I get some bend in the rod and start putting to boots on this one. For a moment there's some back and forth, but I get the upper hand. When we get it in the net it's evident - this is a 20"+! Fortunately, Jon has a client who's on a quest to boat a big fish, so there's an excellent measuring device aboard. To my surprise, my fish tapes out at 23"! And it's not just long, this is one fat pig of a brown. WOO F*cking HOO!!!!!! My personal best-ever resident trout! I was able to break 20" in Montana last Fall, and I've taken a very large lake-run while pinning for Winter steelhead (we didn't measure, and doesn't count in my book anyway.) The adrenaline is FLOWING!
After a few pictures, in which we find out I can't hold a big trout very well (Jon: Don't you know how to handle that thing?" Sean: "Dude, I've never caught one this big, of course I don't!") we get some nice pics and even film the release. I spend the remainder of the float completely jacked up after the experience. This, of course, has fueled my desire to break the two foot mark.
Stay tuned. It's only just begun.
-Sean-
29 March, 2011
Ross Love
A couple of new reels arrived for the quiver - and both just strengthen my loyalty to the Ross Reels brand.
The first is a CLA-6 for my spey rod. I wanted a reel large enough to hold a Rio Skagit Short line, and balance out my Scott ARC 1287-3 rod (at 12' 8" that's a fair bit of rod). I own three other CLA's, but all are smaller. This new one's like an extra-large, extra-beefy version. Seems like it will be perfect to throw on the spey stick. Very impressive, especially at the price point. Funny though, the market calls it a "guide favorite". Knowing a few guides, I think this ironic. For client gear, most guides seem to aim toward good quality with a keen eye toward reliable performance. In a reel that means that they can hand them to clients of all levels of ability and awareness and expect solid performance throughout the season. Ultimate precision isn't typically the goal; a good dunking and a sand bath will kill that reel quickly. This reel meets these goals perfectly -- rugged, performance that will last for years without bells and whistles you don't need.
The second is an Evolution LT 4 and spare spool. This one's going to be for my streamer rig for chasing trout and smallmouth. One spool will get a Rio 200 grain sink tip, and the other a Rio Outbound Short. I'd seen this reel in a case at a recent show, but wasn't prepared for how impressive it would be in reel (ha) life. What an amazing piece of design and machining. Light, durable, and super cool looking. Shocking how light it is for a size 4. It will be great balanced on a 9' Scott A3 7-weight streamer stick! As mentioned previously, I do a lot with precision machined parts in my day job and this thing is incredibly well-done. As a bonus, it incorporates a super-simple drag system that just looks bulletproof. I think I may actually pick up a third spool and put my 300 grain sink tip on it too. This product completely exceeded my expectations.
All of this is why I've gone to standardizing on Ross Reels for all my rigs. Every one has consistently exceeded my expectations. Now I just need to talk myself out of the blisteringly cool F1...
-Sean-
All of this is why I've gone to standardizing on Ross Reels for all my rigs. Every one has consistently exceeded my expectations. Now I just need to talk myself out of the blisteringly cool F1...
-Sean-
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