Billy Belsom
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Shane,
The 8 footer may well be a superior choice for LM bass – I don’t have much experience chasing those on the fly. But it really sounds like you want an all-around 8 weight for sweetwater and salt. In that case I might stick with the nine foot rod, which is the standard length for a “do-it-all” 8 weight.
Also consider that you don’t really know your rod until many hours on the water. As you get more familiar with it you might decide to sell it in favor of another rod. And you would probably have a better second-hand market for the nine footer.
Just some thoughts. Have fun picking one out; buying a new rod is pretty exciting!
Billy
One trick for identifying the fish as a blackie is noticing the “whiskers” on the underside of the jaw.
Dan and Mark, I feel your pain. I live 2 hours away from the Biloxi Marsh and this has been the worst fall/winter season I can remember. If it hasn’t been raining/overcast, then the wind has been HOWLING. A few good days here and there but nothing consistent.
I’m actually looking forward to the summer this year. Gotta get your fishing in before the heat of the afternoon sun, but plenty of 6-lb. fish, with the occasional shot at something bigger – the bulls are scarce but the smaller fish are everywhere.
Matt,
Great photos! I live in South Louisiana and get after those reds quite a bit. Bryan Carter is a great guide, looks like he did ya right!
Anyway just wanted to say I appreciate your coming down to check out our fishery and giving it some props around here – it is pretty amazing. Same goes to Kyle, who fished with my good buddy Alec.
Billy
The trick with the Xi2, imo, is the soft tip. I really like it for redfishing, most of the sight casts are sudden short casts with very little line out of the rod. It has all the lifting power you need and the extra “gear” to punch out a long line. But it won’t be as smooth since the tip and butt section have such different feels. It doesn’t cast as smoothly as others, and is not my best parking lot rod by any means.
Testing rods is good, and you will end up with a rod you can have confidence in – and that is the key in my opinion.
Food for thought – in your parking lot test, are you trying different lines? Maybe, but probably not.
Actually as of about 4 years ago (give or take) the image clarity of the 8x was noticeably superior to the image clarity of the 10x.
I have those exact binocs and am very pleased. I am no expert but did some research when I bought them and the 8×42 was the cream of the crop.
Scott,
Excited to hear about your new rod. I am curious, did you cast the 8’6″ 4 wt in addition to the 9′? There’s not a fly shop within several hundred miles of me that would stock them both, and I am really curious how the 2 lengths compare.
Thanks-
BillyAdam,
I live in Baton Rouge and have fished around New Orleans extensively in my own skiff as well as with several of the guides in the area. Greg has gotten on some really big fish and you probably can’t go wrong there. I have never fished with the Holemans.
When I started out years ago, the junk hanging from the lanyard tended to snag my fly line. My line management is better now, so I could probably avoid trouble, but first impressions can be indelible.
I got a vest but felt like an old fogie wearing it, plus fishing from boats I found I preferred some sort of bag. So I fished with a Mountainsmith waist pack for a few years and I liked being able to wear it around the waist, or sling it over the shoulder, or drop it on the floor of the boat.
Lately I prefer walking and wading, and have found that I have trouble getting my fly boxes in and out of the bag when the waist belt is snug. So I have switched back to the vest, where my fly boxes are easily accessible. In order to make the load bearable I try not to cover EVERY contingency – for example, I don’t bring the extra spool or reel. Also I dangle a water bottle from my wading belt using a carabiner, instead of putting bottle in the vest.
For boat fishing though I still prefer a bag at my feet.
I had a fantastic trip to Leadville earlier this month, fished with Tim Hill. Leadville is about 45 minutes south of Vail, so if you don’t mind the drive give him a call and tell him I sent ya:
http://www.alpineskiandsport.com/fishing.shtml
I have never had a guide put in as many hours per day as Tim, and we got on a lot of nice browns at a time when many destinations were suffering from runoff. Got into a few nice Caddis hatches, other than that dry/nymph dropper was the ticket.
The Orvis rep brought a 6 wt. tip flex, 8 wt. mid flex, and 10 wt. tip flex to the saltwater ff picnic south of New Orleans about a month ago. The tip flex rods were much more to my liking. I have never – ever – been impressed by an Orvis rod heavier than a 4-wt., but these blew me away. The 10 weight was unbelievably light, hard to believe how easy it was to cast. I would like to know how it fights a fish though.
IMHO the 6-wt was the class of the three. Light, responsive, smooth. It was one of those rods that came to life in my hands. Very subjective, I know, and all related to my personal casting style, but wow. I lust over it, but of course it won’t be available until Spring . . . and I can’t afford one . . . but then I can’t afford most of my gear!!
Cheers,
BillyLots of good points here. I’ll only add that I know I can get a replacement spool (or extra spool) for an Abel, without worrying that they have redesigned the reel or changed the finish and no longer support owners of their reels. The same may be true of a select few inexpensive reel designers but for the majority it is not.
Bowfishermen are beneath contempt in the fly fishing circles around here; they have wiped most of the redfish out in several widespread areas of the marsh and ruined generations-old fishing areas. Not a lick of conservation ethic to be found in the bowfishing “guides.” Several fly-fishing guides have withdrawn their (previously generous) support of CCA-Louisiana for its refusal to support legislation outlawing bowfishing.
Amazing that they would use carp as nothing more than target practice. Of course, with redfish, they only leave behind the mortally wounded and juvenile (below-size limit) fish.
Hello all,
Grew up in New Orleans, spent the last 12 years practicing law in Baton Rouge – Geaux Tigers! – hung ’em up at the end of 2006. Now, as a recovering lawyer, I work part time in the fly shop in New Orleans and try to find other ways to make some change. Never married, no kids, awesome girlfriend with a busy schedule that allows for plenty fishing.
I chase redfish in the marsh about an hour from New Orleans when it’s not 100 degrees outside, and I handle the travel program for the fly shop which is how I manage to swing my destination fishing (this year to Jackson Hole and the Bahamas). Also drive to Arkansas or the GSMNP for trouts.
Been out of the country for most of the summer so it is good to be back and see how far Zach has taken the site. Cheers,
Billy
One of the problems of fish farming is that it typically harms wild stocks – whether through disease-spreading cage farming like Carter mentioned, or through closed farms that invariably leak genetically weaker stock into wild runs. This decreases the viability of wild stocks, and decreases the numbers available for commercial fishing, resulting in further overfishing. It also leads to depressed prices paid to commercial fishermen, also encouraging overfishing. The downward spiral leads to decimated stocks.
Do I worry about tilapia farming? No. But with salmon, for example, fish farms are not an alternative to overfishing – they are destructive of the wild runs.
I’ll second the Abel Creek #2 reel – depending on where you fish, you could get away with a #1 if you are trying to keep weight down. A disc drag is superfluous with a 4-wt. rod, in my opinion. They are lightweight – only marginally heavier than the Lamsons I believe. And you can’t find a fault with the manufacture; they are top quality reels.
The Creek is a large arbor design that maintains a conservative design. I don’t own a G2 but for a more moderate-action rod, I think the Abel Creek fits the bill nicely.
Good luck with the decision. New gear is fun.
bb
