Equipment: Old and Needed

5/16/13

Rule #41:  Always try to think before you speak and ask yourself, "Is what I'm about to say positive, and does it contribute to the conversation"?  If not, keep your mouth shut.

Old and Needed Gear

When we went to Kelley's Island last summer, two of my rods were closed in a door.  They were trashed, and one of them was also slightly damaged, but I was able to work on it.  One of the reels was similarly broken.  In the end, I have four serviceable rods and four average reels.  I should say that one of the rods Peggy got for me last year through some sort of gift program with her bank.  It is a very nice graphite composite MH rod, meant to toss 1/4--5/8 oz. lures.  It's quite good, but I would never use it on the river because I just don't need that big a pole, and I don't think it would do well flipping 1/16--1/8 oz lures, regardless of the reel.  I have an old Shimano, though, that I'll rig with 12 pound Stren flourescent monofilament. It should match well with that pole.

The Silver Ryobi has 4 lb. Spiderwire flourocarbon spooled onto it.  This is the first time I've used flourocarbon.  So far, I've had no real problem with it.  I chose it for river fishing because I thought it's low visibility and extra distance casting would be appropriate.  I really think the fish on the White River, especially in those areas that are fished the hardest are sort of spooky.  So I want a line that the fish have to look for, and a line that will get me to some of the pools and rills that most fishermen can't reach from the public bank.

The brown "no-name" rod carries Stren 4# flourescent monofilament.  On my first day out, I tied the plastic worm I used on this rod.  When I fish those finesse worms and jigs with no weight, I need to be able to see the slight twitches in the line.  Stren 4# flourescent has been my "go-to" line for years.

The third outfit  is very rough--a MH rod with a battered reel and Stren flourocarbon 12# monofilament.

The pole Peggy got for me is matched with a too small reel with 8# Stren.

This year, for Father's Day and for my birthday, I am going to add to these:

A Pflueger President reel, 6925; 5:2.1; 4/110, 6/140; 9 + 1 Ball Bearings; seated on a Bass Pro Shops MicroLite rod; Fast Action; 2--8 lbs.; 1/16--1/4; 2 pieces; Model ML70LS-2

First Catches of the Season

5/11/2014

Rule #39:  Every now and then, grow something.

First Casts

I started fishing about 10:15 A.M.  I am continuing a project I started last year: I am going to record my fishing trips to the White River, starting across the river from the Water Treatment plant.  My goal is to fish upstream through as much of Muncie as I can, mostly on the north side of the river.  Last year, I made two trips, but then had to go to the hospital for a pretty long time and the project stalled.

So, I picked up where I'd left off--about 100 yards upstream from the spillway.

The day was sunny, it was about 80 degrees, sunny, but the wind was blowing 15 mph.  I forgot to check water temperature.  The clarity was as good as it gets when the river is at a normal level.

I said my prayer for Grandpa Bird, which must be done before making the first cast of the season.

I fished 5 different lures:

1. A "0" Panther Martin in-line spinner, gold blade, body was yellow with orange spots, caught one Rock Bass on it.  The wind was blowing from the W, SW, so this lure and the 1/16 oz. Beetle Spin were challenging to cast.
2. a 1/16th oz. Beetle Spin, silver Colorado blade, pink jig head, and chartreuse body.  I had some nibbles on this, and a few followers, but none caught.
3. A 1/8 oz. Beetle Spin, again, silver Colorado blade, black jig head, and a darker body with some silver flakes.  I chose this one because I thought it might match the crawdads that are the main source of food for the Smallmouth on the river.  No fish on this either.
4. I talked to a guy and his wife who were sitting upstream from where I was fishing, and he was using the damndest combination--a large brown plastic crawdad, hanging about 2 feet down from a big-ass bobber!  He said that his kids had been knocking the smallmouth dead using this the day before, so it got me to thinking--maybe this river gets so much fishing pressure that the fish are getting used to the  "usual" lures: in-line spinners (Rooster Tails, Mepps, Panther Martins), Beetle Spins in almost any color.  So, I thought I'd mix it up a little.  I tied a tiny crankbait: 1", maybe 1 1/2", chartruese with gray stripes and a black top; square bill, and it sunk very slowly, almost a nuetral buoyancy.  I caught three of the Rock Bass on this lure.
5. Continuing my effort to use lures I don't usually use, I tied on a Kelley's Pier Boy pre-rigged, 5" plastic worm, dark purple with a bright pink fire-tail.  For me and my long-time fishing partner, this particular lure has been responsible for catching more Largemouth Bass than any other lure.  However, I have almost NEVER used it as a river lure.  It worked very well.  I caught two more Rock Bass, a baby Smallmouth, and the biggest fish of my day, a really nice Smallmouth.  He was no "lunker," but at 11-12", close to a pound if not over it a little bit, he fought like a fish three times his size.

I was using two of the four combos I have put together from the reels and rods left over from last year (more on that later.)  Both of the light rods are set up to throw 1/8 oz. lures, so with a couple of my lure choices required that I really fling them.  The silver pole is a Ryobi.  It's practically a "noodle" rod.  The tip is so flexible, and there isn't really any backbone the further down the rod you go.  The second rod is a brown, no-name rod.  Pretty much the same as the silver rod, but with a little more strength.

The Ryobi rod is matched with a Quantum reel--lower-end product. I have put 4 lb test Spiderwire flourocarbon on this reel.  I think I got as much as 6-10 feet per cast by using this line.

The brown rod is paired with a little ultra-light Shimano.  Again, this reel probably cost $15--$20 new.  Few bearings, and the rate of retrieval must have been something like 4:1  This still makes a good worm or grub lure because burning a soft plastic isn't a good idea.

I had a good day, but didn't make very much progress, which doesn't really matter. There was, of course, about a metric ton of goose shit up and down the bank.  The birds themselves left me alone for the most part.  As I "shooed" a group of them away, I noticed one that had a pronounced limp.  If I meet up with that gang again, I'm going to come prepared to give him some bread.  I saw a Nuthatch, an Eastern Bluebird, several Mallards, and a baby Painted Turtle.

Here are some pictures of the day and the day's catch:

Rock Bass, or old "Goggle-Eyes"

The water is just a little low.  Notice the green shade of the deeper pools.

Sub-Species:  Upside Down Goggle-Eye

First Fishing of 2013: Getting My License

4/5/12


Rule #31:  Once you've made your point, stop talking.

The Fishing License

I did it.  I went to Walmart today and purchased my fishing license.  Besides the increased price, something else has changed about getting your license.  First, they used to be available only in hardware stores.

My uncle would buy my license for me each year, usually at Simmons Hardware in Albany, IN.  It was the same dark, mysterious store from which my late Grandpa had bought me my first knife: an old Barlow with a long clip blade and a shorter, pen blade.

The salesperson would ask those questions about how tall you were and how much you weighed, whether you wanted a fishing, fishing/hunting, or fishing/hunting/trapping license. My uncle would listen carefully to these questions and my answers, and there would be the usual good-natured teasing about how big I was getting, "too big for his britches," etc.

It's been a while, but I can still remember getting the light blue license that indicated you were "all in," you'd be on the water, in the woods, and in the fields the whole year.  If you got all three seasons, Mr. Simmons would give you a little card stock envelope to keep your license in your wallet.

Getting your license involved looking forward to fish caught; rabbits, squirrels, maybe a quail shot; and muskrats, racoons, even mink trapped.  Everything was ahead of you, and through your imagination, there was no real limit to the success you would have.
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Now, they just take your driver's license, copy down the information, and run your license out on a regular sheet of paper from a printer they keep on the counter.

I miss Simmons Hardware Store.  I miss my uncle.