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PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:27 am • # 21 
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Joined: 02/07/14
Posts: 382
Location: The southern tip o' Texas
Well, we got back from a week of tossing craft fur at redfish in Matagorda last night, and I stopped by the office on the way home. My new rig was waiting for me on my desk. I must say, I was quite impressed with it. I didn't get home until after dark, and I was pretty well beat, so I decided to unload the truck this morning. I relaxed with a tall tekillya and coke while I spooled the braid on the reel, then retired for the evening. Thought I'd unload the truck and run to a private pond I have access to and see how it casts this morning. Unfortunately, the sky has been falling since I awoke, so the truck still isn't unloaded and the kayaks and Soloskiff are still on the trailer. Guess I won't get to cast it today.........


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:24 pm • # 22 
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Joined: 02/07/14
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Location: The southern tip o' Texas
I couldn't stand it! I got the truck unloaded during a break between the storms, and I took a heavy (large lead eyes) Clouser tied on a #2 Gamakatsu SC-15 ( the same size as a #4 anything else), which has a very thin profile and the barb crushed as soon as it hits the vise. A bit lighter than the same fly tied on a Billy Pate, but MUCH easier to get a good hookset with on light tackle. I tied one on and set up the reel with the spool shaft cap just tight enough to allow it to freefall without overspinning when it hits the ground. I set the magnetic control to maximum. I was casting the Clouser about 25 - 30 feet (in the front yard; naturally, the neighbors all asked if I was having any luck). With some trigger time, and fine-tuning the reel, I'm sure I could improve that substantially. But I am going to run it with tandem rigs. I will nail knot some 15# fluorocarbon to the shaft of the front fly and hang a similar (but with different colors) Clouser a foot or so behind the lead fly. Twice the weight for casting ease, and an occasional double hookup on the specks. Yep. I'm ready now...........


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:53 pm • # 23 
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Joined: 02/07/14
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Location: The southern tip o' Texas
Well, I finally got the UL rig on the water today. I hit a private pond that I have access to and I took some of my double Clouser rigs. I got a lot of backlashes at first, as I tried to adjust the reel to cast the very light rigs. Meanwhile, the bass were absolutely crushing the flies. I had ended up retying the double rigs to place the second fly about 6-7" behind the lead fly, as I was worried that I would have issues casting if the flies were too far apart. I found that the hooksets were a snap with the braid, and I think that with 4 or 6 pound fluorocarbon main line I should be okay. I still don't care for braid on a levelwind......

I crush the barbs on all of my flies and I don't have many fish fall of the hooks. But probably four out of five of the bass I hooked today threw the tandem rig on the first jump. And they were all jumpers, jumping abnormally high and often. I don't really know why I lost so many, but I have to guess it has something to do with the tandem setup. Anyway, it was a hoot! I didn't catch anything over three pounds, but they were on the bite the whole time I was there. This cooling water really has 'em lit up. I scored a couple of hand-size bluegills, but surprisingly no crappies this trip. I got to hear my drag sing a bunch and I got to hear the wood ducks squealing and I really enjoyed myself. I am going to respool the reel with some 6# fluorocarbon and try another session to see how it goes. If I feel I can get away with it, I will order some 4# fluorocarbon and see how that works. I can't wait for the saltwater trip in January!


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:31 pm • # 24 
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Joined: 01/26/09
Posts: 617
Location: Oklahoma
Hey Jim,
Aaron and I are in the very early stages of planning another Hill Country trip for next spring. We hope to combine folks from the ultralight forum and the fiberglass flyrodders forum into one event. So far I have brought it up on the FiberglassFlyrodders forum and there is definitely some interest. As we get a little further into the planning, will post on this forum. Hope you can make it. If you do, you definitely need to bring that new finesse setup; should work great on those Hill Country streams. I wish I could have made it down for that Matagorda trip, but it just wasn't in the cards. Besides I have been fighting a really bad tendinitis in the right wrist and haven't been able to fish in several weeks. Going to try for some trout tomorrow and see how my wrist holds up. I can see how that finesse setup might have some advantages in some circumstances when fishing for trout, especially in narrow streams with a lot of tree cover.

Larry


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:42 pm • # 25 
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Joined: 02/07/14
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Location: The southern tip o' Texas
Hey Larry, y'all keep me in the loop! We hope to make a trip to Rockport in January; maybe you can join us there. Don't have any dates set yet. I'll be happy to bring the new rig to the Hill Country, but I think that fly rods would be more appropriate there. I think my half weight was the only rod I used on the last trip. Good luck tomorrow!


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