I thought in the spirit of helping each other out during this steelhead season, we could share our favorite scents, methods by which to apply and situations that may cause one scent to be chosen over another.
Try to keep it to steelhead if you can. There’ll be plenty of time to talk Salmon soon enough.
Does that make any scents? Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I love it when people send in pics. Nothing better that getting this Allaroundangling engine going.
Here’s a few pics from Brennan Ingram, Josh Leach and Thad Tyler. Some sturg n’ steel. What a great place we live in. What could beat the Pacific Northwest?
Cheers and tips up…unless you need them down.
The Leacher Creature’s near-five foot keeper (from left to right…Bill, Thad, Josh…Lil’ Tanner in front)
Brennan the Brick with steel at his feet and gators in his arms….
Got a recent picture to share? Maybe you have an old picture you’re really proud of? Either way: Send ‘em on in. Allaroundangler is YOUR online magazine for the river angle. H3llcaptain
As I continue to meet all kinds of new people to fish with…..I want to mark this year, 2010, as a year I grow exponentially as an angler. After all, Tailout Swinger would be proud to see this progress continue. The productivity across many different rivers continues as Brennan the Brick has reinstilled in me the need for speed….and stealth….along the river banks.
I’ve got some new tricks up my sleeve thanks to Bear, Matt the Metal Enforcer and Brennan the Brick from the last coupla weeks too. What are they you ask? Fish with me. Find out. You can find me with one of the three guys I mentioned along with Nookslayer in this feature movie created right here on my brand new HP Desktop PC which is complete with a 22 inch HD 1080 rez monitor, a high speed dual processor with the DDR3 Ram (6 gigs) for efficiency. This thing plays like a Quad core.
Props to Sal and my awesome Significant Other for sponsoring this new machine for me and ultimately for all of you out there who read, watch, learn and enjoy Allaroundangler.com. I’m refraining from posting pics in this post so you’ll need to watch the whole movie to see all two weeks worth of angling. And as always: Haters need not apply or comment. One.
NEW MOVIE HERE!!! NEW MOVIE HERE!!! NEW MOVIE HERE!!!
NEW MOVIE HERE!!!
CV’s new custom-built drift boat…with a diamond-plated bullet!…..and some slabs too….
Every so often this blog of mine is graced with some great fishermen. I mean fishermen that have the fish trembling next to the rock they lay against. Although he would never admit it or gloss his own success….Chris Vertopoulos is one of those fishermen.
I’ve known Chris for almost 18 years. He is as humble today as the first day I met him and I am grateful for the love he shows my Pops, Sal Monid, every time Sal hires him for his services. It’s money well spent as there are not many better people at this game as Chris. Also, he has the same name as me which is a plus as well.
Without any further reaching around on my man….here are Sal and Kenny Mack in what I like to call “A Chrome Delight”
Videos from this amazing trip and many more coming up in the highly anticipated “January Steelhead Wrap Up, 2010″….posting to come by end of weekend…
CV’s famous & often imitated EZ Egg rag bait
Kenny Freaking Mack
Chris Vertopoulos and Kenny Mack (a well known Sal chronie…)
This posting brought you by the only bona-fide content fishing blog around, Allaroundangler.com. Please recognize that. Mr. H3llcat
Hi viz yellow 20lb….here is the coating at beginning stages of peeling away…..this is 3 day old line fished all three days with a float
Moss green 15lb……here the coating has built up on either side of the stop-knot making the line weak and rendering my stop, immovable…my stop is the white dacron in the middle
A Product Review: TufLine Duracast
Available in moss green or high viz yellow; full range of applicable # tests (all river or lake apps)
Primary design purpose: Engineered for use on a spinning reel and sports a fused core which is designed to give the line some center mass for increased mend ability, cast ability, etc.
Difference between this line and and regular TufLine XP or Plus?:
While the standard spectra braids like TufLine and Power Pro use an actual “braid” of spectra that is dyed (only holds color short term due to zero absorption of light, water or color) and then braided together. No center mass.
POSITIVES
+ With the coated braids, such as TufLine Duracast and P Line Hydrofloat, there has been a core engineered into the middle of the braid. This ‘core’ or center mass, allows the angler to have significantly more control of the cast, the mend and the preservation of integrity while the line is in free spool on your spinning reel. I love these things about it.
+ With a double Quick Knot used on terminal gear the strength is excellent. In fact, that center mass I referred to allows the knot strength better than regular braid.
+ Extremely affordable. $9.99 US retail per one-shot filler spool. Less than half of regular braids.
NEGATIVES
- Unlike regular braids the Duracast can not be fished with a sliding bobber or float-stop on it’s own mainline. The movement of the bobber or float-stop back and forth, even when done with a hand-tied stop-knot and moved gently, wears down the line within a day at most. This does two things: 1) The coating begins to build up and inhibits your ability to move the stop. 2) Exposes the internal core of the line which has absolutely ZERO abrasion resistance.
- I have broken off entire rigs from main line breaks after only 3 steelhead. I am talking about making a cast and the main line breaking under the load of an 1/8 ounce jig head. Not good. In fact, general abrasion resistance is almost nil from the get go. Definitely an inhibitor of a better review.
Overall thoughts and suggestion for use:
I will probably be in the minority with this statement: I plan on continuing to use Duracast for one more go-round while attaching a mono bumper or top shot to this line for the stop-sliding. I don’t need much abrasion resistance because I am using it for float-fishing only. If the line becomes abraised while fighting a fish, I have the confidence I can get that fish in and then I would cut off the damaged portion of the line before returning to fish. It’s worth it for me because of the cast ability, center mass and affordability. When speaking with Thad Tyler of Broken T Guide Service (video to come) he pointed this top shot idea out to me and I intend to give it a go. I don’t blame you if you do not, however.
As we rounded out our float on Saturday, Matt Dogg asked if I could angle with him the next day. Skunk trips will put that urgency to get back out there right into a guy. Before I could even say that I could not, after fishing two days straight (6 times in 10 days) he was less than impressed. He’s hardcore like that.
What he was excited about however was me making a phone call from the river to Sal with an invite for him to come along where I couldn’t.
Sal accepted on short notice and a two TS members having not fished together before made the plans to navigate by driftboat: Matt’s new Alumaweld that I managed to bang up pretty good for him.
Anyway, here is Matt’s fish with Sal directing the sail. Video of this fish and much more to come at end of the month…..but no clips of the crazy tailwalks this fish performed. Sal was busy on the sticks for that part.
CONGRATS MATT! Your persistence paid off.
Matt sporting the Sal special poncho….and some chrome
My machine arrived today. What a serious tool for the salmon steelheader of the PNW, I was able to tie up the whole skein in 40 minutes and none came loose, now I just need time to get to the water. Hope that I can video it’s use on the next run, gotta locate my tripod.
Here’s the spawned half through the skein, took a few too get a system down now I can role through a hole skein in 20 minutes. And now I think I will try a few more wet cure to really make these milk out.
A few different times now since the inception of this van glorious web site invention I have met people who are either new to the area, returned to the area or new to angling in general.
Each time I suggest using this website to connect with other like-minded anglers in order to accomplish successful trips out on the rivers. Many friendships have been forged through this website as well as trips organized, first fish caught, etc.
I know that each time this happens…..I have helped to create it along with Allaroundangler.com and all it embodies in spirit. I don’t expect everybody to understand because, after all, we only have our own experiences to draw from.
Which is what make AAA so amazing. The ability for people to connect, share, entertain, stay in touch and learn. Period. It’s a simple formula and one that is not based on bravado.
It is in this vein that I would like to share an idea for a new page on this website with you, my readers. I’m thinking of calling this new proposed page…”Catch A Ride”…..as the hitchhiking angler above indicates.
We have anglers with motor and drift boats who regularly view this website. Many of you will never comment unless you have a need to. With this in mind, perhaps a section offering availability of boat rides/trips will persuade some of you solo anglers out there to meet up with some other Allaroundanglers right here on this website.
A new member to Team Salmon, Matt Dogg (new story and pics from him tonight) has suggested this on several occasions and I think he is right on the money. And it need not only to be for boat trips….but also for solo bank-fished trips. After all, wouldn’t you like someone to be there alongside you when you hook those two steelhead? I would.
Please let me know your thoughts and remember: Haters need not apply.
“Hey man, I got out with Todd yesterday to do some sturgeon fishing.
What a day.
I got my first keeper sturgeon ever and we brought about 25 fish to the boat, lost 3 (one of those was for sure a keeper for Todd)…..and we probably swung and missed on 12 or 13 fish.
For just two guys we had action all day. For the first three hours I didn’t even sit down, every time I was about to I got bit.
Definitely something out of the norm for a change and absolutely fun.”
