Sharky's Largemouth Bass

[sharky]

Hey all,

I'm missing fishing in Singapore, but I've been actively fishing over at where Im studying at the moment. Here's some pics for the fun of sharing them. Enjoy.

Largemouth Bass


Here's another.


Btw, I'm thinking of starting on fly fishing thats why I'm browsing through these forums...
I always like to check with guys back home.
Im thinking of getting #3 Weight Temple Fork Outfitters Signature Series Fly fishing Rod but I'm having some problems with a good reel to pair up for a beginner.

Any ideas? Suggestions welcome.

[alberto]

Hi Sharky,
If you are going after bass, have no experience with fly fishing, then its a safer bet to start with at least a #4 rod and a reel with a decent drag.

A #4 with at least allow you to cast bigger bass flies and poppers and a reel with a disk drag with help you handle large fish.

Having said that, there are people who are going after bass with ultralight stuff down to a #000 rod in the Sage TXL range. If you want info on the ultra light stuff visit Bill Byrd website at www.byrdultrafly.com/ultramain.htm

You are heading towards a very steep and slippery slope ;D

regards
Alberto

[sharky]

Hey Alberto,

Thanks for sharing that webite, had some pretty good info there about ultralight fly fishing. Apparently some of the folks there are getting pretty good catches on a #2 Fly rod.

However, there wasn't much information on Fly Reels which is where I kinda need help.
Alot of folks here talk about the Ross Evo, but as a beginner, I don't think that such an investment would be recommended just as yet.

So whats a reasonable fly reel with a good drag?

[alberto]

Hi Sharkey,
I fully understand that perhaps as a student, your pockets are not as deep.

I have an Ross Evo 1 and it has served me well. The drag is silky smooth and have tested it on a Pacu up in Malaysia. This is a reel that will serve you well and there is minimal (not none) maintenance needed.

Ross now has a range of good reels made in Asia under their Ross World Wide range of products in a more affordable prices. They have Flystart, Flycast and Flywater models in a good variety of sizes. You should check these out at their website.

Another reel that you could check out at good price / performance is Orivs Battenkill Large Arbour Disc Drag reels.

regards
Alberto

[sharky]

Good stuff,

I hooked myself up with a Temple Fork Outfitters Signature #4 and an Orvis Battenkill Bar Stock #1-#4.

I like em, they're light and easy to swing about. Erm..problem is...I cant cast further than 5 meters.

Scenario: Swing back, release line...swing front...Swing back, release more line...swing front....back & forth till theres lots of line flying up and about in the air....forward swing (hard one) to cast and let go.
Line drops right in front of me...tangled mess...total distance achieved...4-5 meters...hahah.

Where is there "Fly Casting for Dummies" thread?

[alberto]

Hi Sharkey,
You got some nice stuff there that should serve you well for many year to come.

Unfortunately, there is no shortcut in the flycasting department

Being good at casting a fly line means plenty of practice and not picking up bad habits in the beginning to can be hard to undo at the later stages.

Since you are in the US, pickup a DVD on flycasting by Lefty Kreh. Its the best I have seen and the best investment you can make to get your fly fishing going.

When I first started, I practice everyday night at the carpark in front of my house. That went on close to a year and time at the water is also important.

Wish you all the best in your flyfishing journey ;D

regards
Alberto

[xxJiMboZxx]

Ayah, simple! just come back to Singapore for during your holidays. Get Henry from Coho for some of the guys to teach you, otherwise when nobody correct your mistakes you will it be a habbit which is hard to correct later. When I first started, I learnt from videos and books too! But when I make mistakes, nobody corrects me and now I still have some bad habbits.

[sharky]

Greetings again,

This time I have some pics to show for that represent my fly fishing journey and how I've evolved from the total noob to one that can actually cast and catch something. ;D

This fishy gave me quite a scare after he ducked into some heavy weed cover.
Got him on a little cork popper with yellow/black feathers.


This fella went after a black woolly bugger kinda thing. I had to change as the poppers didn't work anymore.


Btw, why are the pictures so darn huge? I cant seem to resize them on photobucket.
Anyway, I totally love my current setup thanks to the good advice from Alberto. My beginner #4 weight hasn't let me down yet.
In June I tried Bonefishing in the Bahamas, Andros and the fellas there were laughing at my under-sized setup but luck was on my side and I managed to hook up 4 of these speed monsters but only brought in 2. I had to borrow a #9 weight setup to cope with the wind and that landed me another 2 of them.

I'm totally disappointed that I couldn't get any pictures, the guide was so sure we'd catch more that he told me it was alright to leave my camera on the boat. Yeah, I did that, had lots of fun, no pictures. Darn it!

I'm currently thinking of getting a #7 weight and leave my #4 weight for more finesse applications. I've narrowed down to either a Bauer MacKenzie Superlite, Ross Evo or a Nautilus FW Plus. Does anyone have any experience with these reels?

I like the Bauer because of that snazzy star drag on the retrieve side of the reel but the Nautilus Featherweight supposedly has a better Carbon Fiber Composite drag? What about Ross's drag, is it Cork/FXB or CCF?

Also, from experience, after fishing in saltwater, there seems to be some salt residue on my reel which totally screws up the drag if not washed thoroughly. I'm not sure how the 3 reels above hold up to salt water.

Can anyone shed some insight on the better buy as they are all around the same price.

[pirate!]

i dont own a bauer reel so i cant speak for them. i've got the ross evo, and the nautilus FW. both have sealed drag systems so after fishing u can just rinse the reel under some warm water and wha-la. all done, or at least thats what i do. i usually will also remove the spool and soak it in some water so the backing gets washed too. As you know, the backing does get drenched in saltwater when you're fishing in the salt. the ross evo is a super light reel, i mean, its like REAL light weight. the nautilus is heavier but is able to put on more drag pessure. so its drag VS weight (both reels are pretty light). both reels have drag knobs with grooves so you can grip the knob and adjust it when your fingers are wet (oh yeah!) and have clicks as you adjust your drag so you know exactly how much more/less drag you're putting on the fish. i think both reels will serve you very well. warranty wise, if i'm not mistaken, both have a lifetime warranty.

picture of my evo + a stone fish



picture of my evo+Orvis superfine4wt 7'+ PB


sadly, i dont have a picture of a fish taken with the nautilus yet. its not caught a fish for me YET... soon (:

overall, both really lovely fly reels.

[sharky]

Hey Pirate!

Thanks for the reply. When you said that the Nautilus Feather Weight "is able to put on more drag pressure," do you by any chance know what kind of drag system it has? I cant seem to find the info on their web page.

The Ross uses some funky Delrin 500AF to anodized aluminum interface - conical friction drag system.

The Bauer has a Cork/FXB polymer disc drag.

All these fancy high tech sounding names. Which is better? Whats the difference?

I'm beginning to think they're all the same and its some marketing ploy to name their drags systems in the most complicating manner to confuse the heck outta me.

[pirate!]

sharky said:

Hey Pirate!

Thanks for the reply. When you said that the Nautilus Feather Weight "is able to put on more drag pressure," do you by any chance know what kind of drag system it has? I cant seem to find the info on their web page.

The Ross uses some funky Delrin 500AF to anodized aluminum interface - conical friction drag system.

The Bauer has a Cork/FXB polymer disc drag.

All these fancy high tech sounding names. Which is better? Whats the difference?

I'm beginning to think they're all the same and its some marketing ploy to name their drags systems in the most complicating manner to confuse the heck outta me.

heya! i'm really sorry but I"VE GOT NO IDEA i did hear from somewhere is a self lubricating cork drag in the nautilus or the old florida but dont quote me on it cuz i really am unsure of it. well, as for cork, you've got to maintain it quite religeously (said by 67er) by putting graphite grease on it. i'm a fan of sealed drags since they have less maintainance. do you msn, sharky?

[Qwek]

Nice catch Sharky, keep your CR coming.

Cheers
Qwek

[Mattseah]

Now that's a nice bucketmouth..

Do you have panfish in the area too? (bluegills, crappie) I've heard alot about how fun they are to catch on fly..

And nice work with the bonefish too.. Don't worry, you'll get other chances to fish for them again im sure..

Regards,
Matthew

[alberto]

Hi Sharky,
Pretty nice bass you have there and glad that you are enjoy your new tackle.

You are very fortunate to have the opportunity to Tango with the bones - I still dreaming of the day I can do so.

Just remember that Saltwater flyfishing tackle takes a lot of punishment so buy the best you can afford. Forget about the Ross Evo as its a fresh water reel. The Bauer SL are great reels and the cork drag is as good as they come. They are pretty light to boot. If you use spectra as backing you should have enought to tango with most of the denizens of the flats.

Check out my threads as you'll see my MSL1 and MSL5 has taken on all sort of fish. Just last week, I took a 5,5kg Barra on a #4 rod and a Bauer MSL1 ;D

With regards to the Rod, no matter which line weight you select, make sure that it has a solid aluminium double locking anodised reel seat and stiff enough to beat the wind and cast heavy weighted flies.



regards
Alberto

regards
Alberto

[pirate!]

hey sharky,
could you do me a big favour please?
do you have any pics from the bahamas?
i've got a kaki who's planning to go next year (:

Pics of the landscape or the guide with some contact numbers would be great, if you could!

thank you very much!!

An Ren