My family ventured out to my grandmothers pond last weekend for Andrew's 4th birthday. The fish are small but action was fast and fun!
Happy birthday buddy!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Trouthunter Tippet Review
One unique thing I noticed when I was placing my order was that Trouthunter offers half sizes in tippet. I thought this was pretty cool so I ordered 5.5x. I typically use 6x for most of my fishing on my home river, but I thought the extra .5 of strength wouldn't hurt. :)
Spool design - I really like the spool design A LOT! The tippet comes off the spool very smooth and does not kink or have any memory or curling. The lack of line curl is due to the large arbor spool.
Fishing - I've fished this tippet a handful of times now and have been impressed. It does knot really well and seems strong yet supple. I'm far from any type of line strength expert, but this tippet does seem to get the job done quite well.
Cost - $22.95 for a 50m spool. This is a better deal per meter than most of your other top tier tippets on the shelves of your local fly shops.
Conclusion - This is an excellent product at an excellent price. I expect great things from this spool of tippet. Can I tell a big difference between this product and Rio, Orvis, or Frog Hair? No, but it's cheaper and the "tippet scientist" say it's stronger so I'll take their word for it! Well done Trouthunter!
I also ordered a couple 10ft. leaders - I haven't gotten to fish those yet, but I'll be sure to post a review of those as well.
Thanks!
UPDATE 6/6/13: The tippet has continued to shine and truly fish great. I'm certainly sold on its strength, sensitivity, and how supple it is.
As for the leaders... I love them also. I do wish they had a loop tied on the butt section like most of the other major brands but it isn't a deal breaker for me. For whatever reason I also like that they come in 10 footers. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase trout hunter products again. In fact, it's about time to reorder.
Tight lines y'all!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Reports
Fly fishing around East Tennessee is really hot right now. I'm hearing excellent reports in the Smokies (www.littleriveroutfitters.com). Be sure to check out the Fishing report that Byron does. He does an excellent job and always has up to date info.
The tailwaters are fishing well for the most part. The Clinch has been really good at times, but I'm hearing about some warm water right now due to the lack of water being released. It's been a little while since I've been able to fish, but I hope to fix that really soon! Everything I've heard and read about the Holston, South Holston, and Watagua has been good so GO FISH.
The tailwaters are fishing well for the most part. The Clinch has been really good at times, but I'm hearing about some warm water right now due to the lack of water being released. It's been a little while since I've been able to fish, but I hope to fix that really soon! Everything I've heard and read about the Holston, South Holston, and Watagua has been good so GO FISH.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sage ONE Review
A few weeks ago I acquired a Sage ONE 590-4. Most of our waters here in East Tennessee have been blown out with all the rains we've had and I had not been able to test drive the ONE(other than yard casting) and it was driving me crazy.
I had been in the market for some time searching for my next "all around" fly rod. Sage does a great job marketing and has created quite the buzz for their new flagship fly rod. When I found out Sage was calling their new rod the "ONE", I felt like it was a bit cheesy and gimmicky. After thinking about it and knowing Sage's reputation, I knew they had to be very proud of this rod in order to name it the "ONE". I had done my research and after getting to cast the "ONE" I knew it was really nice.
Last weekend I finally got to give it the ultimate test and actually fish it. I had yard cast it, but wasn't going to get too overly excited until I had the chance to hook up with some fish and give it a true test.
I paired my Sage ONE with a Bauer M2SL and a Rio Gold line. The Bauer Reel gave the rod great balance and the Rio Gold seemed to match up and cast very well through the ONE.
Visual: The Sage ONE comes in a sleek looking black tube with black rod sock. One of the first things I noticed was the thin profile of the rod and the black stealth bomber look. I like that fact that its not overly flashy.
Casting: I can honestly say this thing does indeed make me a better caster. I'm nowhere near a great caster, but even I could notice the straightness in which the line was laying down on the water. I even felt like I was getting good distance with the rod once I began to get the feel of the sweet spot. I also found myself false casting A LOT less than I normally have had to with other rods. Medium casting ranges were nearly effortless for me.
I threw a variety of flies and rigs to see how it would cast. I threw #20 midges, double nymph rigs with indicator, and even a chunky wooly bugger. It handled every rig very well and I feel comfortable casting every fly in my box without hesitation.
Many rods on the market today claim to get great distance, but I have never seen casting accuracy highlighted in a marketing campaign. The Konnetic technology limits the wobble when compared to traditional rods. This is illustrated by Sage in this photo:
About Konnetic™ Technology:
Sage's Konnetic technology is here, premiering in the Sage ONE fly rod. Konnetic Technology is the most recent and significant evolution in fly rod innovation and uses new materials combined with pioneering manufacturing methods and processes. This technology incorporates an optimized ratio of Sage’s proprietary resin to exclusive high modulus aerospace-grade carbon fiber.
Summary:
Sage has done a remarkable job with this rod. I am super happy with my purchase and look forward to many great days on the river fishing the ONE. The one question I have is where does Sage go from here? They've already created the "ONE". What else should they need to sell us?! :)
I had been in the market for some time searching for my next "all around" fly rod. Sage does a great job marketing and has created quite the buzz for their new flagship fly rod. When I found out Sage was calling their new rod the "ONE", I felt like it was a bit cheesy and gimmicky. After thinking about it and knowing Sage's reputation, I knew they had to be very proud of this rod in order to name it the "ONE". I had done my research and after getting to cast the "ONE" I knew it was really nice.
Last weekend I finally got to give it the ultimate test and actually fish it. I had yard cast it, but wasn't going to get too overly excited until I had the chance to hook up with some fish and give it a true test.
I paired my Sage ONE with a Bauer M2SL and a Rio Gold line. The Bauer Reel gave the rod great balance and the Rio Gold seemed to match up and cast very well through the ONE.
Casting: I can honestly say this thing does indeed make me a better caster. I'm nowhere near a great caster, but even I could notice the straightness in which the line was laying down on the water. I even felt like I was getting good distance with the rod once I began to get the feel of the sweet spot. I also found myself false casting A LOT less than I normally have had to with other rods. Medium casting ranges were nearly effortless for me.
I threw a variety of flies and rigs to see how it would cast. I threw #20 midges, double nymph rigs with indicator, and even a chunky wooly bugger. It handled every rig very well and I feel comfortable casting every fly in my box without hesitation.
Many rods on the market today claim to get great distance, but I have never seen casting accuracy highlighted in a marketing campaign. The Konnetic technology limits the wobble when compared to traditional rods. This is illustrated by Sage in this photo:
About Konnetic™ Technology:
Sage's Konnetic technology is here, premiering in the Sage ONE fly rod. Konnetic Technology is the most recent and significant evolution in fly rod innovation and uses new materials combined with pioneering manufacturing methods and processes. This technology incorporates an optimized ratio of Sage’s proprietary resin to exclusive high modulus aerospace-grade carbon fiber.
Summary:
Sage has done a remarkable job with this rod. I am super happy with my purchase and look forward to many great days on the river fishing the ONE. The one question I have is where does Sage go from here? They've already created the "ONE". What else should they need to sell us?! :)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
High water? Who cares!
TVA has been blasting 2 or more generators for what feels like an eternity through this mild winter we've had. Wading opportunities have been few and far between. Luckily, my buddy Rodney has a drift boat so we're able to get our fix on our favorite tailwater.
With the beautiful weather and temps going to be hitting upper 60's, we knew we had to fish somewhere, somehow. We weren't up for a road trip and we knew Norris would be pushing 8700cfs and fishing would be tough, but the possibility of hooking a monster keeps us intrigued while fishing high water.
We put in at Miller's Island around 9:30am and immediately began throwing large streamers. We weren't even through the island yet and I already hooked up with this nice brown. Cool thing was he had a shad hanging out of his mouth! Lucky for me, my streamer was nearly identical in color and size to the shad in his mouth. I guess this guy was a bit greedy and wanted a double dose.
After picking up that fish right off the bat, we knew it was going to be a great day.
Once I got on the oars, it wasn't too long before Rodney had hooked up.
Throughout much of the float, we each caught fish, missed some nice fish, but mostly just enjoyed the great time on the Clinch.
Here was my final catch of the day.
QUICK RELEASE(always!)
We ended up with 4 or 5 brought to the boat. We were both tired from battling the wind, but its a trip to remember. One of our more successful high water trips.
I hope we are getting close to some more manageable release schedules for wading opportunities, but in the event we get a bunch more rain and TVA continues to generate heavily...we have a plan!
With the beautiful weather and temps going to be hitting upper 60's, we knew we had to fish somewhere, somehow. We weren't up for a road trip and we knew Norris would be pushing 8700cfs and fishing would be tough, but the possibility of hooking a monster keeps us intrigued while fishing high water.
We put in at Miller's Island around 9:30am and immediately began throwing large streamers. We weren't even through the island yet and I already hooked up with this nice brown. Cool thing was he had a shad hanging out of his mouth! Lucky for me, my streamer was nearly identical in color and size to the shad in his mouth. I guess this guy was a bit greedy and wanted a double dose.
After picking up that fish right off the bat, we knew it was going to be a great day.
Once I got on the oars, it wasn't too long before Rodney had hooked up.
Throughout much of the float, we each caught fish, missed some nice fish, but mostly just enjoyed the great time on the Clinch.
Here was my final catch of the day.
QUICK RELEASE(always!)
We ended up with 4 or 5 brought to the boat. We were both tired from battling the wind, but its a trip to remember. One of our more successful high water trips.
I hope we are getting close to some more manageable release schedules for wading opportunities, but in the event we get a bunch more rain and TVA continues to generate heavily...we have a plan!
Coming Soon - Sage ONE review
I recently acquired a Sage ONE 590-4
I'm really looking forward to getting to use it and will be doing a review on the rod as soon as possible.
From all the research I've read on this new rod, I expect to be extremely pleased!
I'm really looking forward to getting to use it and will be doing a review on the rod as soon as possible.
From all the research I've read on this new rod, I expect to be extremely pleased!
Gear Review - Lefty Kreh's Yarn
I wanted to share a product I discovered a year or two ago at Little River Outfitters. Lefty Kreh's Secret Little Strike Indicator yarn. This is by far the best yarn I've found. I've been using it almost exclusively since discovering it. Before I had tried many other yarns, thingamabobbers(also good in certain applications), putty, football style, pinch on, you name it! I probably tried it.
Lefty's yarn comes waterproofed and I can typically use one small piece of yarn all day and it will stay high on the water. It is fully adjustable, reusable, easy to put on, and extremely visible on the water. Speaking of visibility. This yarn comes in a variety of different colors for different conditions. Some of my personal favorites are White, Orange, and Chartreuse. There are 24 inches of material in each dispenser, enough for a years worth of fishing for most people.
If you're searching for a great yarn. I would recommend you try Lefty's.
Lefty's yarn comes waterproofed and I can typically use one small piece of yarn all day and it will stay high on the water. It is fully adjustable, reusable, easy to put on, and extremely visible on the water. Speaking of visibility. This yarn comes in a variety of different colors for different conditions. Some of my personal favorites are White, Orange, and Chartreuse. There are 24 inches of material in each dispenser, enough for a years worth of fishing for most people.
If you're searching for a great yarn. I would recommend you try Lefty's.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
It begins...
After much thought, I've decided to start a blog that will be dedicated to Fly Fishing in East Tennessee and surrounding areas. This blog will be used primarily as a way to share information, fishing reports, thoughts and photos.
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