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Fishing

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    • CoachLou wrote:

      Do not put a fly on. Just put a 6' leader on. You are not casting the fly, you are casting the line. The fly follows a good cast. When you follow thru stop the rod at 10 o'clock, and let the line unfurl.


      Did you find that video yet.......Lefty Cray.........he really makes sense of the cast so you can figure it out.
      When you say Leader, do you mean line or tippet? My line is 10.5’ the rod extends to 10’, and my tippet is 3’. It felt a bit short, I wonder if I need a longer line? Maybe 13’?

      I finally found time to put the rod together and practice in the back yard. I made the mistake of not watching a video on extending the rod, opened the wrong end, and had to put it all back together. Because it telescopes, opening the larger end makes all the sections fall out, lol! At least I learned how to put it together from scratch.

      I’m ready to try it out with a fly.
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • I spent the morning fishing and hiking in the Smokies. It was fun and frustrating.

      I parked next to a stream and found a great spot to eat an early lunch and play with my Tenkara rod. It started with my line getting caught on an overhanging limb because I forgot to check what was above me. Shortly after, the hook got caught on something under a rock. I had waded into the stream, barely managing to stay upright on the slippery rocks, and had to go knee deep to retrieve it so decided it was safer to fish from the bank.

      Needless to say, I didn’t catch anything. I don’t think I will ever excel at fishing but I’m hooked nonetheless. Oh how excited I will be when/if a fish decides to show me some mercy.

      Later, I drove down the road to a trailhead and hiked a few miles. It was a nice day.
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work or just about anything other than hiking of course. I've had plenty of zero catch days. Some of my best days were in the winter. I used to be a really hardcore fisherman and kept a notebook of where I was fishing, day, tide, temperature, weather , and lures used.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • I’m going to Lake Jocassee in SC soon and plan to fish. As usual, I need advice.

      I want a rod and reel so plan to buy the ugly stix GX2, it’s 6’ with a 30 reel, I plan on using an 8# line.

      I’ll be fishing from the bank and a kayak and will probably do catch and release.

      I’ve read multiple recommendations to use a Keitech 2.8” in blue/chartreuse with an Okishira screw head. (But I don’t want to use a barbed hook so that won’t work for me.)

      Does that sound like overkill for bank fishing? Any other recommendations for lures for leisure fishing that are appropriate for my chosen rod/reel?

      (For the record, I still haven’t caught a fish.)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      I’m going to Lake Jocassee in SC soon and plan to fish. As usual, I need advice.

      I want a rod and reel so plan to buy the ugly stix GX2, it’s 6’ with a 30 reel, I plan on using an 8# line.

      I’ll be fishing from the bank and a kayak and will probably do catch and release.

      I’ve read multiple recommendations to use a Keitech 2.8” in blue/chartreuse with an Okishira screw head. (But I don’t want to use a barbed hook so that won’t work for me.)

      Does that sound like overkill for bank fishing? Any other recommendations for lures for leisure fishing that are appropriate for my chosen rod/reel?

      (For the record, I still haven’t caught a fish.)
      What species are you fishing for? Bass, sunfish, pike?
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      I’m going to Lake Jocassee in SC soon and plan to fish. As usual, I need advice.

      I want a rod and reel so plan to buy the ugly stix GX2, it’s 6’ with a 30 reel, I plan on using an 8# line.

      I’ll be fishing from the bank and a kayak and will probably do catch and release.

      I’ve read multiple recommendations to use a Keitech 2.8” in blue/chartreuse with an Okishira screw head. (But I don’t want to use a barbed hook so that won’t work for me.)

      Does that sound like overkill for bank fishing? Any other recommendations for lures for leisure fishing that are appropriate for my chosen rod/reel?

      (For the record, I still haven’t caught a fish.)
      What species are you fishing for? Bass, sunfish, pike?
      I just want to keep it simple and have something multi purpose. That’s probably impossible though.

      I find all the different lures and techniques too complex and confusing.

      This is in the SC fishing guideline. Copy & pasted

      “Artificial lures and bait can be used when fishing for trout except on Lake Jocassee, it is unlawful to use or possess corn, cheese, fish eggs, or imitations of them.”

      huh??? I puzzled over this for a long time then decided it’s supposed to say,

      Artificial lures and bait can be used when fishing for trout. On Lake Jocassee, it is unlawful to use or possess corn, cheese, fish eggs, or imitations of them.

      Is my interpretation correct?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Reading and thinking a little more (always helpful)…the lake has very little shallow area, it drops off quickly and steeply so I need to be prepared for deep water. Also, it’s probably not the best time for trout so I’m thinking bass (?).

      I plan to stop at a local tackle shop so will ask their advice.

      Really, I just want to throw a line in the water, that’s probably why I never catch anything.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • There's a lot of rules to trout fishing. Last time I went I had to have a VA license, a trout stamp and another special national forest stamp. No barbed hooks and all that special bait rules. Here's my all time favorite lure for brem, crappy and bass. It's called a beetle spin. The white color ones work great. Just cast and real it in slowly.https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/johnson-original-beetle-spin?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=BPS%7CShopping%7CSmart%7CFishing%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CTopPerf%7CNMT&gclid=CjwKCAjwrZOXBhACEiwA0EoRD0e1WzH2wizV8kNtBGcwXB4SQIDy4lIrjPWJHhGpeAKzdmcvj7no9BoCHRcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • Thats the truth; you really need to know the rules of the streams when you trout fish. In GA, they all need a license and trout stamp. From there, some streams are anything goes (except for the size and limits) corn etc allowed. Some -- like Noontootla Creek at Three Forks on the AT (mile 4) -- are artificial only, no barbs on the hooks, daily limit, and a longer minimum size of (I think) of 16 inches. It's a beautiful spot to fish and there are some dispersed campsite on the creek by the forest service road. I never caught anything there.

      I don't know how they would handle this today (I bet a smart phone would be used), but back in the 80s I went trout fishing on the Soque River with my friend who brought his out of state cousin along. The cousin didn't bother with getting a license becasue he didn't want to pay the non resident cost, he was caught by the rangers, and they took him to Clarkesville to the jail. We followed him there and luckily had enough cash between all us to pay his fine. They were going to detain him until that happened.

      There is a trophy trout stream that I fished once (no luck). It has more stringent regulations that Noontootla and they have rangers who hide in the woods and watch the fishermen with binoculars. If they catch you doing something illegal they remove you from the stream and you pay a fine. They had polaroid pictures of all they people they caught on the wall.

      I fished a lot until I was about 30. I don't fish anymore. There are other outdoor activiites I enjoy more.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 2 times, last by max.patch ().

    • This is from SC . Gov which is why I think artificial lures are allowed for trout.

      “A most effective method of fishing for Jocassee trout is trolling artificial lures that imitate wounded threadfin shad or blueback herring. An old standby lure on Lake Jocassee is the Sutton Spoon.“

      Trout fishing around Tellico is the same…you need a license, trout stamp, and Tellico/Citico permit.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      I plan to stop at a local tackle shop so will ask their advice.
      TJ, this is the best plan right here. They will be able to advise you on local conditions.

      I think your chances of catching a trout from shore will be next to zero. In the heat of the summer they will be looking for deep, deep, cold water. That is where the fishermen are trolling for them I would guess.

      I enjoy bass fishing because on my little pond I have great success with it. I work my way around the pond using a 'spinner bait.' I try to work any sort of structure, offshore rocks, downed trees, in the front of weed lines. I have my best luck that last hour before sunset.

      Nothing wrong with just dropping a worm on a sinker with a bobber so it will float a bit off the bottom. You can get sunfish, perch, hornpout and such this way. I have even pulled in the occasional snapping turtle :)

      The one freshwater fish I will eat if I get them big enough are the perch. A tasty fish.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Got my new fishing pole, it’s much better than my 20 yr old kid’s set.

      It came unassembled so I had to attach the handle and reel and spool the reel. I’ve spooled a reel before with no problems but this time the line messed up at the end and made a big mess.

      Next, I attached a few doo dads to the line and practiced casting in the yard. The second cast got stuck in a tree. I hope the neighbors weren’t watching.

      (My plan is to fish from a kayak but now I wonder if that’s a bad idea, I’ll probably tip over.)

      Doing more reading and watching videos, I’ve come to the conclusion that my approach to fishing is all wrong and that’s why I never catch anything. I didn’t want to get so into it by trying to catch specific fish with specific lures and bait (except for trout when I’m using my Tenkara rod), but now I understand…open rabbit hole, insert feet.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • This is my foster daughter, M.
      We got plenty of Haddock, Redfish, and one Cusk. Had a great day on beautiful, calm water.
      The several whales spouting nearby was a nice bonus!

      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • I had a great time at Lake Jocassee, it’s a beautiful lake with very little development.

      There isn’t much opportunity to fish from the bank as it’s steep so I paddled the kayak to a cove with a little beach that was perfect for swimming and fishing. The cove started to get crowded so I found another cove and fished from the kayak. It was so peaceful.

      No bites except the Bream that bit the back of my leg. :)

      It was cool to see parts of the Foothills Trail from a different perspective.
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      Lost in the right direction.