Thanks for the info! I think I’ll probably buy a smaller woodstove soon here and work on designing a new window with welding fabric. It should be interesting space-wise because I have a mini Cooper, so I’ll have to see if I can fit one extra bin in the back!
I usually store my lighter rods and noodles in a case, but for my homemade lake trout and walleye rods – I lean those up against my wall. They’re all carbon blanks and decently stiff, so it doesn’t hurt them (unlike leaning a bamboo fly rod against a wall lol)
Sidenote: Currently finishing up on a giant Laker setup! I’m pretty pumped, it’s a 48in extra-heavy carbon blank with a 10in grip and Japanese fly guides. I’m probably going to be using 6-8in tubes on it
From what I’m hearing and from fishing recently, it seems like the lake trout that are up shallow (like the one I posted) are usually just cruising – possibly feeding on baitfish while the 40-60ft basins usually have a population that hang around most of the time.
What I’m thinking as well is that the shallow water lake trout may be more charged up for feeding, thus more aggressive?
I’ve been seeing that a lot of duck hunters like the Ascend H12 but at $900 it seems a bit much for a kayak that is meant to get beat up and abused – my budget would be around $500 max.
Thanks danimal! I’ll look at that one
That does make sense! The whole column is probably around the same temperature by now so maybe sight fishing would be good this weekend. It’s one of those things that’s been on my bucket list as far as ice fishing for a long time. Just seeing a Laker come in and slam a spoon would be pretty sweet
Awesome pike!
I do mono backing until there is enough for the braid to catch on, then it’s braid, after that I do a perfection loop knot on the end of the braid into a loop-loop connection with a fluorocarbon leader which has a perfection loop knot on one end as well. This is a little extreme (generally used for dry fly fishing) – it is the smoothest for getting line out and the loop to loop eliminates braid twisting up.
As for the backing lb. test, I generally like to go with 6-8lb, even with reels I’m going to use for lake trout on Superior. The smaller diameter mono catches the braid better and doesn’t slip hardly at all – the backing can slip if it’s too heavy so that’s just something to keep in mind!
For my sturgeon setup I run a carbon x size 2000 on a 42in. Heavy carbon rod I made. Size 3 fly guides to prevent icing and an 8in straight grip cork handle. Anything honestly that has a solid backbone and slightly heavier blank with an even taper should work good – a longer handle might be better as well to ease strain on the wrist with a longer fight.
Lake Superior ice is still pretty sketchy, I went out near two harbors and it was like hop-scotch from one sheet to the next. The fishing was decent but now the ice is broken up further so fishing has to wait till this weekend, the sheets are too small to support a persons weight (this is as of yesterday). An ice sheet is forming in front of Duluth but I doubt it will connect with the shoreline – waves have been steady and breaking ice up
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I use the carbon x 3000 size for lake trout on Superior on two different rods and 1000 size for a finesse setup for schools of herring and coho that come through, both have braid and run amazing. I’ve hooked up with some decent lakers and other fish on the carbon x and it’s performed just as well as my Nasci – for the price point, some of Piscifun’s reels really are amazing. I’ve seen the ICX when browsing their website, I might have to buy one for late ice or next season…
I would agree. It seemed a little too aggressive.
Thanks Whooligan for the link. I can’t believe how aggressively he was jigging – I might honestly be jigging too light. I’m doing 2-3ft raises with my rod and erratic movements as well so similar to what was in the video, though he was raising it 5-6ft high at times. I’m not sure, maybe it’s just the spot that I was set up on but a laker should’ve come by – I was on a drop-off at 70ft.
