Aaron Christensen
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Aaron I’d love to see a picture of that spaced out handle you’re describing.
Zach
Here is a pic of the rod grip –
I like the way it gives a full flex on a relatively slow, short rod. I wouldn’t like it on some of my bigger rods, but it works great on this small stream rod.
Graywolf fiberglass 6’9″ 4-piece 2/3 wt. The cork disks in the handle are spaced so the rod flexes for the entire length. The rod is borderline magic. Custom-built for someone that backed out of the sale; that person made a mistake.
You are correct – this is a tough question. I narrowed it down by asking what I would do if I only had one last fishing trip. For me, the answer is brook trout, with this rod.
There is also something cool about talking to the person that built a particular rod. Their enthusiasm for the rod they built can be infectious.
I have a fetish for nice fly reels. I have a 4660 that I am very pleased to own. I use it on a 7 wt rod. I like everything about it — weight, aesthetics, and function. I would buy another one.
In candor, however, I have never had a chance to use it on steelhead or anything in the salt that might put a 7 wt rod (and reel) to a real test. Maybe that will happen this year.
I am trying to decide between a camo wrap for my RiverHawk or a new paint job.
If I go with paint, there is one of those $200 car paint places a few miles from my house. Would a cheap automobile paint job be a good choice for bringing my RiverHawk back to life?
Thanks for anyone with thoughts on that question.
Am I the only one that regularly checks in on this thread for updates? I am not one for reality TV (and cancelled all but basic cable, much to the disgust of my kids) but this story holds my interest.
On a similar vein, I am driving my beater duck boat down to Alabama this weekend, leaving it there, and picking up my River Hawk that I bought a few months back. I plan to switch out the motors, so the River Hawk will have an old 20 HP that seems to run well. (I bought the boat to get the motor). Still, I hope to re-power with a Honda 20 HP sometime soon.
Here are a couple shots I like from a red fish trip:
Here is a carp fishing pic, recently published.
Ended up buying a used 2-stroke 20 hp Mercury for a good price, assuming it works, and probably a fair price for engine only even if it doesn’t work.
Bought it from an older guy who seemed very trustworthy and said he would give me my money back if it didn’t run to my satisfaction. Plus, I have a friend who can fix engines with his eyes closed, so I figure I didn’t have too much to lose.
It came attached to a beater duck hunting/fishing boat and was sitting on an impressive homemade trailer. Had a new gas tank, seat and trolling motor, too.
So now, I am stuck trying to figure out if I want to get a new engine for the RiverHawk and keep this one as my duck hunting beater boat.
Also look into your local FFF chapter (if there is one) or consider attending one of the regional events.
I have a Hobie Outback. The hands free feature is convenient. Also, I can usually set the rudder in a locked position by putting a shim under the lever that controls the left and right. So I would say the boat is pretty good at tracking shoreline.
However, there are downsides to this boat and every other boat. In particular, on the Hobie, it is easy to get the fly line tangled in the pedals (maybe a basket would solve that), the seat back is horrible (maybe a replacement seat would solve that problem), it seems less stable than other options for standing and has no flat surface intended for standing. It is also HEAVY to put on the roof top. I can do it, but my truck has a good dent from where I dropped it one time. Oh yeah, the pedal drive is a real PITA in shallow, rocky water – a toon or regular kayak would be better for that.
The new Hobie Pro Angler seems to address several of these issues, but by the price, its seems they are especially proud of their accomplishment.
Lots of boats are good for some applications. I have yet to find one that is good for a wide variety of applications. (Recently sold my inflatable and have not used my Grumman canoe in years). Still, I continue on the quest and have high hopes for my new boat. 😉
The one big disadvantage I see to kayak fly fishing, at least for me, is this: A very effective way to fish many of our stillwaters is to move along parallel to the shoreline, casting into the shallow water and stripping the fly out. With a float tube or pontoon boat, it’s easy to kick slowly and move. Unless I get into a pedal kayak, it seems like too much effort to cast, paddle a few feet to reposition, repeat, etc..
I’d appreciate any thoughts on this. Have you modified your fishing techniques for the kayak? I’ve never fished from one so perhaps I’m missing something obvious here. And I will, of course, demo a few models should I continue with this quest. Thanks!
in some dream world I’d love to upgrade from a 15 to a 25 on my Gheenoe. That $3,000.00 price tag is a tough one to wrap my brain around.
bdBrian (or anyone), can you comment on your preference for going from a 15 to a 25 hp? I am toying with the idea of buying a 9.9 for a RiverHawk, believing that might be enough and and thinking I might like the lower weight. On the other hand, the boat is rated for up to a 20 (and everyone knows there is a little room for some extra).
With something like a 25, maybe I could pull my kids in an tube, which would make me a hero with our two shorties.
If I knew I had two days left in the vertical position, I would spend at least one of those days chasing brook trout in WNC.
If modest-size fish count, I offer the following snapshot from my trip last weekend:
Drove a total of 5 hours and 20 minutes on this one day trip, so the “itinerant” part fits, even if the size doesn’t.
I can be enticed to buy some overpriced gear from time to time, and I own a Sage One (9 1/2 6 wt) that I really like, but I don’t ever see myself getting an Elite.
