Fishing

[cornstalker]

Saturday. Wife and daughter cleaned up on crappie, white bass, small walleye and a small channel cat. I stubbornly stuck with cranks, jerks, jigs and chatter baits trying to find a big Wiper. Not a single hit on hard baits all day. I switched over to a soft bait and caught two white bass and a crappie. When my daughter hit her fifth crappie I told her that I always knew she was going to be a crappie kid. And there we have it. I am telling stupid dad jokes now.
The bite was over in less than two hours.

[MGW]

For trout in a lake I use a 7' medium light moderate spinning rod with a Pflueger Summit spinning reel. I run braided line with a flourocarbon leader, but 6 or 8 pound mono does just fine. For lures, I have success with Kastmasters, Tasmanian Devils and Panther Martin spinners. A few different colors of each so you can figure out what they like that day. It doesn't hurt to have a few softbaits like tubes or skirts and some jig heads in case they are really finicky. White softbaits have done the best for me.


That is assuming that you are talking about trout in a lake, Rainbows, Browns, Cutthroats, Cuttbows; as opposed to Lake Trout (Mackinaw) with which I have no experience.

Thank you. I was referring to trout in a lake. Kind of misspoke there but honestly it’s more ignorance than anything. I’ve fished for large mouth almost exclusively my entire life with a few walleye and northern mixed in along the way.

I was looking hard for 6’ spinning rods but that length seems to be non existent. I have a couple beater 7’ rods but might pick up another for this trip. Those reels are on close out and a lot less expensive than I remember. I think I better grab a couple of those too. For science.

[cornstalker]

Thank you. I was referring to trout in a lake. Kind of misspoke there but honestly it’s more ignorance than anything. I’ve fished for large mouth almost exclusively my entire life with a few walleye and northern mixed in along the way.

I was looking hard for 6’ spinning rods but that length seems to be non existent. I have a couple beater 7’ rods but might pick up another for this trip. Those reels are on close out and a lot less expensive than I remember. I think I better grab a couple of those too. For science.

I have a correction to make. My favorite spinner is my Fenwick HMX. It is a fast action, not moderate. It is medium-light spine though. I bought my daughter a Fenwick Eagle for Christmas. It's one hell of a rod for the money. Hers is the 7' medium light-moderate fast. It's coupled with a Basspro Formula FML20 reel. I can't imagine a better setup for $100- $110. Smooth as glass.

[ASH556]

I have an older Fenwick HMX that's apparently a 5'9" Walleye rod, fast action. My grandpa gave it to me as a high school graduation gift. Didn't say anything. One day a rod tube from Cabela's just shows up on the front porch...I loved that man (he's all but gone now, just a physical shell waiting to stop breathing). I might just start calling it the 3.5. Biggest fish I've ever landed with it was a 3.5lb largemouth. The trick is I've landed 3 of them and last weekend my 5y/o landed another 3.5lb'er with it. When I got it from Pa I put a Daiwa Regal S 2000 on it. Great reel and the top of what I could afford as an 18y/o. 2 years ago it began slipping on the hooksets (gear stripping) so I replaced it with a Shimano Stradic FK 2500. Around that same time my oldest (5 at the time, 7 now) made a significant spiritual decision, so we celebrated that occasion with his very own rod & reel. I outfitted him with the same Stradic reel, but couldn't find the Fenwick rod, so I settled on a St. Croix 6ft Medium Fast. It's similar, but the Fenwick is a little stiffer.

5y/o with his 3.5 on the Fenwick



7y/o with a bluegill on his St. Croix

[ASH556]

For myself I mostly fly fish these days. I really enjoy this 3wt 7'6" TFO rod with Orvis BBSII reel. Redbreasts are my favorite, but a Bluegill or Bass will do too.

[Borderland]

Dorado from Baja a couple of years ago. Surface popper (crease fly) on TFO HD Bluewater fly rod.
Attachment 30337

I've fished off of Isla Cerralvo. That was about 10 years ago. Those Dorado can be monsters and they're quite the sport. Never caught one as big as yours but I've had a few on. Of course I had no idea how to play those 20 lb fish and the guide got really pissed at me. I gave him about 15 fish so it made his day, probably his entire week. Those dudes know how to fish.

[flyrodr]

Those Dorado can be monsters and they're quite the sport.

I went to Loreto for several years with the TFO guys. It was (perhaps isn't quite as good now) a really great place, especially if the water temps were right and the baitfish were in thick. Find some sargasso, a tree trunk, piece of plywood, whatever, and there'd be some baitfish and dorado under them. The "problem" was when you cast to boiling fish, you never knew whether you'd hook a 10 pounder, or one like the one in the photo, which was just short of 50 lbs. All were good! And really great fighters. Some tuna, reef fish, billfish. We even jigged for squid, which turned out to be very strong pullers. And most all of them were good eating!

[cornstalker]

Hit a mountain lake for a few hours today. Actually went to try to catch some Northern Pike, but the trout were hitting so we went with it. Caught several smaller ones and finally hooked into a five pounder. (actual weight, not an estimate)

[cornstalker]

Better pic. Check out that gut. (on the fish)

[NPV]