JimH,

I use the fingerless exercise gloves to protect my hands. Need em to paddle anyway. Still kind of hard to cover the wrists between the shirt and the gloves. Someone should make a fingerless glove that goes up the forearm under the longsleeve SPF shirts.

Man, that's a real curve ball you are throwing. Let me see, money's no object, and you don't like the way your rod handles. It could be the line weight is wrong, and you can't feel it loading on time. Or, you are throwing something besides dry flies or small nymphs. So, you must decide what type of fishing you will be doing most, and match your rig(s) accordingly. Needless to say, watch a lot of Youtube fly casting videos before you buy, and take at least one lesson from a pro. He/she can help you correct any issues very quickly.

On most trout streams you can dryfly and nymph fish. The rod you choose should correspond to the size of the fish you are likely to catch. In my opinion, going lighter is better. As far as rod speed goes, you have some other questions to answer. Such as, are the stream banks mostly open or cluttered with overhead obstruction? If the latter, you will need a rod that roll casts well. A soft, slow rod does not do that very well. Ditto if you are nymph fishing with split shot and an indicator.

If you are lake or ocean fishing you may have to contend with wind, so a faster/stiffer rod with heavy line will help.

It has helped me to borrow a friend's rod for a few minutes to see how they differ from mine. I must admit I have an advantage. My brother is a fly fishing guide, and we have fished together for over 60 years...rods abound.

Here's what I have and how I use them.

Trout and small steelhead: Fisher GT40, 7 piece combo, 5/6 weight that makes two different rods - a light weight and a medium weight. I fish the Upper Sacramento, the Scott and the Klamath rivers in California with these.

Bonefish and bass: 8 weight Thompson and Thompson, 4 piece, on light wind days. Medium fast. Does not throw a big fly too well. I fish the Atlantic ocean flats and the keys in South Florida, and recently lakes for bass in Florida.

Bonefish and small tarpon: 9 weight Sage TCR, 4 piece, essential on windy days. This is a very fast rod, and I use a 10 weight line to feel it load faster. Sage's warranty is gold. They will replace broken rod sections for free. I think they sent me a brand new rod last time I sent one in for repair.

Regarding reels, Orvis has some inexpensive small reels that will do just fine up to 7 weight. For the bigger arbor, salt water stuff, I like the Okuna 9 weight. They are cheap and you can get them wet in the ocean without any problems if you wash and clean them regularly. When they break just get another one. I have three 9 weights. In my opinion you don't need an expensive fly reel until you are dealing with really big, fast fish, and then you need good drag and strong stuff.

One last, unsolicited piece of advice. Don't spend a lot of money on equipment, better to spend it taking the time to fish, traveling to fish and enjoying the journey. Remember, you can't catch anything until your line is in the water. Just saying....

limonfritata,

About the rod, what are you fishing for? Are you fishing from a boat? Spinning or fly rod? How many pieces?

I do a lot of fly fishing, and I just carry my rod in my hand when I'm walking to the fishing spot. We often move to several places on a river, by car, and we just put the rods in the van or pickup in a safe way. If you are backpacking, it's a good idea to break the rod down and carry it in a hard case until you get to the stream or lake.

Hey Jim,

I did the same thing last year, right at the beginning of the pandemic. I have been out only a few times since, but learned a couple of things that might help. Get a cheap bungee type paddle retainer (Amazon) and snap it onto your yak. That will make it easy to turn loose of the paddle quickly. Also, remember to cover your whole body with clothing. I still have a sunburn on my lower legs from three weeks ago. I ignored the the area between my wading shoes and my water pants. Cheap socks would have saved that. Need a good hat and face protector, too.

Hope that helps.

Salesrep,

Thanks for the casting advice. It's a lot to unlearn. I presume it's easier to feel the back cast load with a medium rod vs. a fast rod. I have both, so I''ll start the popper lessons with the medium.

bapabear,

This is somewhat the same technique we use dry fly fishing for trout on mountain lakes. We let the initial wave-ring move out quite a distance before moving the fly just a little. Seems the fish sense the wave and come looking for the cause. All movements are minimal to appear as a natural insect movement. I appreciated you insight on slowing everything down. No doubt a lot of bass are watching the popper trying to decide whether or not to hit it.

Thanks, Salesrep. Look's like it's the KISS principal. Good advice and easy to follow.

I fish with a 9 foot, 8 weight, fly rod, and I'm new to popper fishing for bass from my kayak. What would you recommend for leader/tippet, weight and length? I'm guessing the length should be shorter than my rod to keep the line to leader knot from hanging up on the rod tip while landing a fish. Also, is a loop knot necessary on a popper?

Ditto the recommendation for the Brooklyn kayak. I have an 11.5 foot, single seat version, and it is very stable. It weighs about 60 pounds, so it's not easy to cartop. Regarding the trailer, if you have a stout tree in the back yard, you could set up a simple block and tackle or winch to pull the trailer up hill. Lots of those at Harbor Freight for very little money. Or, just sink an iron pole or 4x8 in the ground to attach the winch to.

Whitereb,

Sounds very effective. Bet the can shape and the rebar hold really well. Thanks for sharing.

All the above is good advice, but if you are a sit on top kayaker, don't forget to wear long socks with your wading shoes or you will get a nasty sunburn on your ankles. Same goes for your wrists. If they are not covered by your gloves, you will burn between the long sleeves of your shirt and your hands. Sunscreen helps, but it gets washed off frequently when you are handing fish, washing your hands, etc.

I've had good luck with an 8 pound, rubber coated dumbell. Tie your anchor line on with a secure clove hitch or even a tight bowline. I'm fishing in still water or light ocean waves, and it holds OK in winds up to 10 knots. If the wind, waves or current are stronger, you probably shoudn't be anchoring because you will be taking water over the bow.

Thanks, Nighthunter. What's your favorite knot to the split ring or the eye?

I'm on my way for 6 days of bass fishing in the Kissimmee Lakes area, starting April 9th. I have literally no experience with bass, but alot of time fishing freshwater for trout and steelhead, and fly fishing for bonefish for years. My question is, when do you tie on to plugs and spinnerbait with a swivel and when directly, line to lure?

Hi Mike,

Glad to have you aboard. I live in Key Biscayne, about 1 1/2 hours south of you. I am an avid fly fisherman for bonefish and occasionally, snook. I am going to be bass and snook fishing north of you at Big Cypress lake and Sebastian inlet from April 9 through 16. I'll let you know how it goes. You have some great fishing near you, especially for snook.