Drew Morgan
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Yeah that Stealthcraft boat is sweet. I really like a lot of stuff they are doing right now. Their inflatables are also very light and able to portage.
Faith, Family, Fishing
Zach, the striper fishery is more of a quality over quantity bite…although if you can get out there on a cloudy day at the peak of the run it can be insane. One day recently 8 out of ten casts took fish swinging shad imitations through current.
The spot and redeye bass fishery in the Spring and summer usually sees 10-20 fish to hand in a day. Of course you have a lot of bluegill and redbreasts mixed in. On days with really good bites it’s easy to go over 20 fish. The fish on the Tallapoosa don’t get as big as other fisheries…a 3 pound spot is a trophy…but they are extremely aggressive and fun to catch on a 3 or 5 wt. The water is pretty clear and clean for a southern warm water river which means most of the time you can see the take.
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Faith, Family, Fishing
Yeah…I am just using a generic 19 lb. “river anchor” that I got from my local marina/boat shop. It works if it has something to grab on too…
Mainly I want something that will hold me on a gravel bottom in moderate current…but that might be asking too much?
Faith, Family, Fishing
Zach, yeah it’s not too far. There are a lot of great stretches of the middle and upper Tallapoosa…but I mainly fish from Horseshoe Bend Park to essentially Lake Martin…there is a boat ramp right where the river empties into the lake. This is a 6 mile stretch and both put in and take out are excellent. This time of year the striper move out of Martin and into the shallower shoals and channels of current. In the summer it is an excellent topwater spot (alabama bass) and redeye fishery.
Faith, Family, Fishing
I also use a 7 wt. switch for stripes. This has plenty of backbone for bigger stripes. I’ll be honest though it is a lot of rod for a spotted bass. You could probably get by with a 6 wt. switch if you want the spots to still give a good tug but still handle a stripe.
Faith, Family, Fishing
Zach, I’m new to this forum…thanks for setting all this up and I’m a big fan of your work. I fish and guide on the Tallapoosa for stripers. They move up from the lake into the river around this time of year.
You may do this but I take my thread wraps a good bit into the bend of the hook…about 1/4 of the way into it…when attaching the wire. I feel this gives the articulation a more streamlined look, and it also gives more length to the fly without increasing the length of the wire. This also helps with fouling…less wire = less fouling.
Your question about beads is an interesting one…I’ve always viewed beads as more of a way to space the front and rear shanks…not as a way to prevent fouling. Would like to hear other thoughts on this also.
Drew
Faith, Family, Fishing
This is also my first post…nice to meet everyone.
I float the Tallapoosa River in Alabama for warm water species and use an inflatable NRS Otter with the front and back seat fishing frame. It drafts an inch of water and is a super stable fishing platform for fly casting.
Also the thing is virtually indestructible…a must have if you are fishing a river with a lot of exposed rocks and boulders like my home water.
I also drive a 4 Runner…and it is too big/heavy to load on top so I use a trailer. It is light enough to carry to and from river access as long as you have a somewhat gradual bank. It is also too wide to fit into a truck bed.
I’d very strongly suggest getting a raft…it really gives you a super stable platform and lets you get into very skinny water. It lets you fish every single inch of a river if you want to. One other boat you might want to look at is Stealthcraft’s Hooligan . It was originally designed by a company called Confluence Boatworks. It was designed to be light enough to put on top of an SUV and skinny enough to fit into a truck bed. It is also super light…but it is a bit smaller than my NRS Otter…
Hope this helps!
Faith, Family, Fishing
