The fishing thread

[durangopipe]

These are the Hardys I use:



All of them are at least 25 years old, a few a lot older, and I swear by them, too. Only one of them was expensive when I bought it: the St. George in the front. I had one just like it that I left on the roof of the car and lost. I had to pay a lot to replace it a few years later, but after fishing with one I didn't want to be without it. Unfortunately, there are no guide deals on antique tackle.

[durangopipe]

I hope this isn't too much, but I like this photo and hope my fellow anglers will, too.

This is my bamboo salmon/steelhead "quiver" . . .



A Sharpes Scotty Aberdeen, a Farlow's Grilse, and a Farlow's Sawyer. All were acquired for very little after most salmon and steelhead fishermen had long since switched over to graphite.

Quality short, light, antique bamboo trout rods remain quite dear, but long heavyweight rods are not. A two-hand cane rod is easy for even an old fart like me to handle, and there's something about the look and life of bamboo, the smell of sun-warmed varnish and the glow of honey-colored cane that makes fishing with them especially wonderful.

[Bloodhound]

I love pics of fishing and pipe gear

[Gabriel]

I love pics of fishing and pipe gear

I see fishing gear, some tobacco and smoking gear... shame he didn't have a proper pipe to go with it all.

[Thunktank]

I love pics of fishing and pipe gear

I see fishing gear, some tobacco and smoking gear... shame he didn't have a proper pipe to go with it all.

You need to look harder, it's there. Hehe.

[durangopipe]

I love pics of fishing and pipe gear

I see fishing gear, some tobacco and smoking gear... shame he didn't have a proper pipe to go with it all.

You need to look harder, it's there. Hehe.

A cob is a good pipe for the middle of a river.
If it takes a swim, no big loss.

[FredS]

If it's not too windy, I like to use wood matches to light my pipe when I'm fishing simply because I enjoy the sspfffft sound when I toss them in the water.

[JimVH]

If it's not too windy, I like to use wood matches to light my pipe when I'm fishing simply because I enjoy the sspfffft sound when I toss them in the water.

Me, too. I thought I was weird. Thanks for the validation.

[FredS]

If it's not too windy, I like to use wood matches to light my pipe when I'm fishing simply because I enjoy the sspfffft sound when I toss them in the water.

Me, too. I thought I was weird. Thanks for the validation.

Doesn't mean you're not weird.

[Thunktank]

If it's not too windy, I like to use wood matches to light my pipe when I'm fishing simply because I enjoy the sspfffft sound when I toss them in the water.

Me, too. I thought I was weird. Thanks for the validation.

Doesn't mean you're not weird.

Imagine the sizzle of a smoked cigar tossed into the water! It's also an potential way to discourage health minded fisherpeople away from your fishing hole, which is a constant concern anywhere near here. It never ceases to amaze me how far a city slicker from LA or Orange County will walk into the wilderness to get away from the hoards of home only to find a crowd there in the mountains too!

[JimVH]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

[Bloodhound]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

There are some very nice "Fish" above seat yaks on the market now
https://www.fishingonline.com/brands/Jackson-Kayak.html
...but for the 2 of you, it may be a canoe would be best. Float tubes are also a possibility.

[JimVH]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

There are some very nice "Fish" above seat yaks on the market now...but they are one person...for the 2 of you, it may be a canoe would be best.

Two angler kayaks are similar in price to one good canoe. It's up for consideration. Also, both would fit on top of my nerd car.

[Thunktank]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

I used to fish from kayaks and canoes a lot. Most folks prefer their own sit on top kayak for fishing. If you do get a tandem kayak make sure it has a rudder. Kayaks of that type can be outfitted far easier than anything else. I personally believe less is more, some modern fishing kayaks are heavy and full of features, nearly as much work as a small boat, which defeats the best attribute of fishing with hand launch craft, which is ease to get fishing.

I'm considering a Canoe if I can get out enough again. Kids and dogs are why and it will be limited to fresh water really, which is another plus for kayaks. They're sea worthy. I used to take mine off shore. They're practically unsinkable.

Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120s, 140s and 160s are a great kayaks. The ultra lite 120 version would be my choice for rivers and small lakes and ponds.

If you do a lot of sight fishing on the flats, they do have special makes and models for that too.

[durangopipe]

I have fished lakes and mild rivers out of a canoe for years. At one time I had canoe acquisition disorder. My shed at our old place was full of them. Obviously, I'm biased, but for me there's a pleasure in paddling a canoe well that is very hard to equal in other small water craft.

Dorys/drift boats are beautiful and wonderful in big rivers and whitewater, small pontoon boats are becoming popular but rowing one is a clunky, awkward affair at best, rubber rafts can't be beat for rocky, pinball rivers, but for reasonable rivers and lakes nothing beats a canoe in my opinion.

Learning to paddle a canoe well is as rewarding as learning to cast well and as never ending and joyful a process.
My vote would be for the best tandem, 16' canoe you can manage and a pair of decent wooden paddles.

They're addicting in the very best sense of the word.

This is me at a local lake in my 14' solo, a Mad River Ladyslipper freestyle canoe:



With a buddy and one of my bird dogs in our tandem, a 16' Mad River Explorer:



Tell me that doesn't look like fun.
Imagine you and Hockeyboy out in a tandem yanking in hogs!

I apologize for the poor quality of the photos--I just copied them from 5X7 prints on textured paper that were tacked to a cork board in my office.

Of course, being land-locked, my advice is worthless if you also want to use whatever you get, out in the salt.

[FredS]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

You're getting sucked in deeper every week.

Since we're spending your money, I say skip the intermediate stuff and spring for a 16' wood dory with a 15-20 hp outboard.

[durangopipe]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

You're getting sucked in deeper every week.

Since we're spending your money, I say skip the intermediate stuff and spring for a 16' wood dory with a 15-20 hp outboard.

Well, yeah.
A wood Dory.

TOO!

Baby steps.
Baby steps.

We don't want to scare Jim away.

[durangopipe]

After a couple of canoes and a nice wooden drift boat, a center console jet sled for navigating upstream in whitewater!
But seriously, for fishing with your son a tandem canoe is hard to beat.

[Bloodhound]

Several years ago I bought an Old Town Discovery 158, I used it to paddle around and spin cast fish local lakes and ponds...then I got the bright idea my son and I should take it on the river from Delta to Grand Junction...the end of May...we were neither one experienced enough for that trip...we lost gear, I broke my leg and ...it was a bad trip...one of the very dumb things I have done in my life. I sold the canoe the next week...another Dumb Move. Wish I still had it...it was a great canoe, I just used it wrong. Now I am really interested in a yak...but havn't decided to spend that kind of $$....yet

I am currently drooling over this one
http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/Predator_XL/
And this one
https://www.fishingonline.com/jackson-kayak-big-rig/

[JimVH]

Justin and I want to get out on the water to fish, mostly small lakes and rivers. I don't want another boat or the storage and operational costs, so we are left with a canoe, kayaks, the single person pontoon floats, etc, to consider. I've never been in any of them, let alone fished from them.

I'm open to thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

:dudefishing:

You're getting sucked in deeper every week.

Since we're spending your money, I say skip the intermediate stuff and spring for a 16' wood dory with a 15-20 hp outboard.

Here lies the root of the problem. I started by googling cheap kayaks. That lead to good kayaks, which lead to canoes, which turned into jon boats, yada yada yada. Within a half hour I was looking at 20' center console, shallow draft power boats because, for obvious reasons, I would need that for fly fishing coastal flats. Bear in mind I'm still trying to catch my first fish on a fly rod.