Fishing the Surf, Part Deux

Shortly after I wrote the first post about my surf fishing vacation I received an email from the owner of a website dedicated to all types of ocean fishing. The site is loaded with information on equipment, pier fishing, fishing inshore or offshore, and lots more. Top-Saltwater-Fishing-Guide is a great place to learn how to begin enjoying fishing for saltwater species.

For those of us fortunate enough to live reasonably close to a coast, saltwater fishing adds a new opportunity for catching species of fish you might never see otherwise. Take a minute to visit the site, and save it as a favorite. I have! Make sure you read the section on understanding tides, under the “Fishology” tab.

Fishing the Surf

I just spent a fabulous week at Surfside Beach in South Carolina, with all my kids and grandkids. Fourteen of us in a beach house for seven days. It was a terrific vacation. My son and I fished from the surf almost every day while there, and while we are novices at surf fishing, we did have some success. Considering we were just throwing live bait on bottom rigs from the beach in front of our house, we knew our catch was going to depend on whatever happened by. Just the same, we did reel in several species, and a few surprises.

It might surprise a lot of folks, and strike fear into some others, that we must have caught a hundred small sand sharks, They were like a saltwater panfish to a striper fisherman, a nuisance. We did land a few redfish, bluefish, and spots. But my son hooked and landed two hammerhead sharks, one three feet long, and one four feet long. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed like their were less people in the water after the hammerheads were landed.

I fished with two surf rods I built with two-piece graphite composite blanks by American Tackle. Both were set up for spinning reels. Both rods have cork tape handles, and graphite spinning seats. The 9′ rod has a seat that is adjustable along the length of the cork handle, accomplished by loosening and tightening a knurled cap on each end of the seat. Mud Hole used to sell these, but I didn’t see them in the 2008 catalog. Actually, while a good concept, in reality I find it weighty. The 8′ rod has a more conventional seat, permanently placed. Both rods really performed well in the surf, throwing the 4 oz. pyramid sinker and double drop rig well past the breakline of the surf. While sturdy enough to handle the lead, both rods had soft enough tips to detect the subtle strike of a 10″ sand shark.

As I mentioned, I am a beginning surf fisher. I don’t live close enough to the beach to do it more than a few times a year. But these rods I built are doing a fine job of getting it done. I have one more of the 9′ blanks left that I intend to build this fall. I also will be at MudHole next week picking up a few more components, and plan to look for some of the 8′ blanks.

If you would like to try surf fishing, and would like to explore your options for rods, email me or call me and we can talk.

Fishing in Afghanistan

 

I didn’t even know they had fish in Afghanistan. I thought it was all sand. But here I see that one enterprising afghani soldier has developed a “surefire” method for catching fish. Take a look.

Acrylic Reel Seats

One of the fun things about a custom fishing rod is that besides being able to choose components that surpass the quality of those used in most production rods, you are also able to work with materials that you won’t find in Bass Pro or Cabela’s  rod rack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of these fun materials is called celluloid acrylic, and it is a resin cast product originally used to turn pen blanks. The applications in custom rod building includes reel seats and/or grips. There are many colors and designs available, and they can add a lot of distinction to a custom fishing rod. You can find more examples of this material and its application in rodbuilding on my page entitled “View My Work”.

If you’l like to learn more about acrylics, email me and we can talk.

 

Fishing Rod Selection

There are a lot of factors to consider when contemplating a fishing rod selection, or thinking about having a custom rod buiIt for you. I recommend doing a lot of research before spending the money.  You’ll end up with a rod that better suits your fishing need.

One of the biggest points of confusion I see is not understanding the difference between power and action.  It’s not entirely the angler’s fault that they don’t understand the difference. A lot of rod manufacturers contribute to the confusion by the way they label their products. Knowing the difference is going to make your fishing rod, or your fishing blank selection better serve your particular need.

Action refers to where along the length of the blank the bend begins under a load. A rod that has all the bend in the top 25% of its length is referred to as extra fast. The top third would be fast, and the bend beginning in the top half would be considered a moderate action. A rod that bends way down the blank, in the bottom third, is called a slow action. This illustration should help you understand this concept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Power, on the other hand, refers to how much load it takes to accomplish the bend that the action allows. Power is usually described in terms like ultralight, light, medium, medium heavy, or heavy. It is possible to have a light power and a heavy power rod that both have fast or slow actions. A medium heavy power rod with a moderate action and a medium power rod with the same action might both be good rods for throwing crankbaits, but the medium heavy rod will perform better with big baits, and with big fish.

These distinctions are critical when deciding on a new fishing rod. If you need help with your decision, email me or call me at 704-894-9729, and I will be glad to help you through the choices.

WalMart FLW Tour Fishes Lake Norman

For the second year in a row the WalMart FLW  bass tour is fishing our own Lake Norman. A hundred boats and two hundred anglers started over a week ago looking for the biggest black bass they could find.  A lot of docks took a pounding this week, and it will be interesting to see the results.

You can check out the standings and the winner on Sunday, when they weigh in at the Charlotte Convention Center. If you have a boat that will do 80 mph, you can try to follow the finalists tomorrow to observe their techniques.

Broke a favorite rod while fishing your hot spots? From guides and tips to a one piece rod becoming two, I can help. Email me if you need some help.

Lake Norman Water Level

At the urging of my son, I got the boat off the trailer and into the water Tuesday afternoon. Lake Norman’s water level is ahead of Duke Energy’s target for this date, and it felt good, albeit cold to be running around the lake. Water temperature in the main lake is around 61 degrees, so I would bet the fish are still a little lethargic. If you’re going fishing, downsize the bait and slow down the presentation. Soon, bass will start looking for beds, and crankbaits will be the bait of choice.

If you’re throwing crankbaits, I recommend  a 7′ medium power, moderate action rod. A lot of fishermen think they need to throw a crankbait with a glass rod, but there are several good choices in graphite blanks that can do the job just as well, and they are considerably lighter. If you’re going to throw that bait any significant number of times, lighter is better.

If you would like to discuss a rod designed for the way you want to fish a crankbait, email me or call me at 704-894-9729. You’ld be surprised at how affordable a quality custom rod can be.

Whipping the Females…

Not what you expected when your google search brought you here? Sorry to disappoint you, but I had to write about a fly rod building blogsite I found that posts tutorials on the different steps in building a fly rod. I can only assume that the blog originates across the “pond,” where rodbuilding jargon is a little different than it is here in the states.

What we, or at least I call wrapping is referred to as “whipping’ in England. So this post I found had to do with doing wraps on the female part of the ferrules, or “whipping the females”. Kind of makes rodbuilding even more sexy than it already is, don’t you think? 

Fly Rod Building Class Scheduled

The next Build Your Own Fly Rod class is tentatively set for the first week in April. Location will be the same as always, Madison River Outfitters in Cornelius. If you are interested in enrolling, email me or give me a call at 704-578-4778.

We’ll start and complete a quality fly rod that you select in three evenings over a three week period. But to get in you have to be one of the first four to contact me, because of limited space and equipment. Don’t wait until April 1st, because I need to get your components ordered and shipped in time for the first night.

There’s more info and pictures from the last class on the Build Your Own Fly Rod page. Take a look, and give me a call.

Lake Norman Report

Make sure you check out the newest page on my Custom Rod blog - the Lake Norman Report. You can check lake level conditions anytime, find public boat access ramps, get fishing information and find a professional guide, all on this page.