Kabuto 7653 - Fantastic Fly Rod!!!

I will be trying to put some miles on this rod over the Memorial Day Weekend - I've only got a few 5wt lines, so I'll be cycling through them pretty quickly as I try a develop a feel for this Kabuto. From the first lawn casts, I could tell this rod is really something special. Snappy, medium action and refined (keeps the line under control very easily). Made me look like someone that knew what they were doing... Then I took it out to the lake. Fishing with it is an absolute pleasure. Casts nicely in close and just as well out to 60'. I managed to get a couple of bluegill to hand, one bass to take (but got off while I was fumbling with the camera), and one crappie. It's a wonderful thing to pick up a rod that works well with you - casting, aesthetics, versatility and fish conquering prowess are all qualities I want out of a rod. Most times you get a few of these, but not all out of a rod. From this first experience, I am inclined to say this is a wonderful thing this Kabuto 7653 ;)

Horrible Casting...

I lined up the Epic 480 with a SA Mastery WF4 and went on a late afternoon casting session. For some reason I was casting like total crap!!! The rod felt underlined with the WF4 and I couldn't get my timing down at all... Despite the ugly casting, I did manage to catch a couple of largemouth bass, a few decent sized bluegill and a good sized crappie (that brought out a can of feisty and was pulling line of the reel!!!!). I'm thinking using the DT4 on the Scott F7643 last session did something to my casting.... Sometimes you stink and there is no reason other than you stink.

More Hard Fishing

I went out too - really wanted to make a comparison of the RIO Gold and RIO Perception 3wt WF lines using the Barclay Glass 3wt. I think I like this rod better with the RIO Gold... maybe because there has been a bit of wind in the area lately. Maybe it's because of my propensity to make the down turn with the wrist at the end of the casting stroke (to make those loops just a like bit more refined). Maybe it was just the mood I was in these past few days. Maybe tomorrow I'll like casting this rod with the Perception - you just never know (and that's the fun of it all). The fish were further between also. I ended up with 4 crappie, 2 largemouths and 5 bluegill - spread out over a couple of hours. These numbers really picked up at the end as I had moved to the short pier at the end of the dam - that's where the crappie were hiding out. I'm going to setup the GoPro 3+ Black shortly, so I can take "ballcap" perspective photos and videos - that will cure the ill I've had of not having good actions shots from the 1st person perspective. Stay tuned (I just need a decent micro SD card). One last thing I saw of intense interest - the largemouth that I have been able to stand next while casting at the dam (while not being able to get the fly in the bass's mouth) had it's clutch of eggs hatch. I saw a suspended cloud of bass fry moving in and out of the algae right next to the dam rocks. The largemouth was doing patrols to prevent any of the marauding fish (every other fish in the lake) from grabbing an easy meal. The parent bass was actually very caring of the fry - makes you wonder if scientists have given proper credit to the intelligence of fish. Now that I got to see the fruits of it's labor, I'm glad I didn't catch that fish... but now that the spawn is nearly over... time to go casting to some hungry fish ;)

Ah the Weekend!!! Here at Last!!!

I got home, followed by Marlon and Noe and we all went to the kids Tae Kwon Do session early (so we could get back and go fishing at the lake). Well - when we got back, the kids were pooped and decided to sit this session out. So off I went, heading straight for the dam and the crappie hole from yesterday. The sun was not out as bright as it had been yesterday. And the wind had changed direction leaving this stretch of water fairly calm. Well something had changed because the fish were not as eager to take the black nymph fly. I did get several crappie, a decent bass and a couple of bluegills - but they were spread out in time duration to catch and across the lake more. I used the Barclay Glass 3wt lined with a RIO Perception WF3 line. A bit more reach than the Scott F2 6533 I used yesterday - nothing but pure sweet casting goodness!

Crappie Hole Bingo

It was nice and warm on Thursday afternoon. Marlon asked to go fishing so off we went. He ended up using small popper we made back in the winter and got some decent hits from a few largemouth bass and a bruiser of a bluegill. I wasn't doing so well at this spot so I told Marlon I was headed to the dam. The buttercups were is full bloom - nice diversion from casting. At the dam, it took a few fanning casts to find my groove but when I did... BAM!!!! I was catching a different crappie nearly every cast for about a good 15 minutes straight. This largemouth got a bit jealous of all the action and took a turn at the tug'o war line. To ensure I am rotating the stock sufficiently, I am making sure to use a different rod each time I head out - this should also help me get my casting dialed in. Switching up the rods, lines and leader length will force me to adapt my stroke. On Thursday, I was using the Scott F2 6533 - it didn't take long for me to remember I really like casting this rod (and I think I will be repeating that statement with each change of rod). I lined up the rod with a RIO Gold WF3. The drill became cast a ostrich herl bead chain nymph out parallel to the dam rocks, strip in slow, watch for the slab flash, gently set the hook and bring in a feisty crappie. AWESOME fishing day!

Tuesday - The Action is Heating Up!!!!

I fished with the Nissin Nagare 39-44 and the Epic 480. I used some flies I equipped with weed guards, but they got eaten whole by the local tree gang. I did catch a few largemouth, a couple of black crappie and several bluegill. Always a good time fishing this lake! The notable catch today were the crappie. They came up out of the murky depths, snatched the fly as it was being stripped along and with a subtle arc of the body, back down they went. Seeing the flash was all the warning I was given. As I realized these were crappie, I resisted a regular set and went super light. These guys would have been more fun on one of my soft 3wt flyrods, but this 4wt can push a line into the wind better than the 3wts. Give and take - give and take. Oh - and I got a bunch of my tan back ;) See you later winter!!!