# 2011 Hybrids



## fallen513

19 fish so far, none over 4 lbs. 

Here are some from tonight.






















They've been crushing the fly, on the surface. It scares the bejeebuz out of me every time. So violent! I've been catching them on the 6 weight....even at 2 or 3 lbs, they fight harder than any species you'll find in that size package. They remain my favorite, even moreso than true striped bass.


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## fallen513

I want 15 lbrs.


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## TheCream

fallen513 said:


> I want 15 lbrs.


Don't we all.


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## fallen513

New total, 56. lol! 6 weight gettin' WORKED!


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## salmon king

That clouser miinow almost looks as though its glowing is it?


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## fallen513

Nope, just good ambient light for the photo.


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## Clayton

I've been trying hybrids but I keep getting white bass and huge skipjack/ tiny tarpon lol.


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## fallen513

Clayton, I've come to the conclusion that a 6 weight is not enough stick for big hybrids. I decided to crank the drag & push the 15 lb. tippet to the test. These were 2 lb. fish in very little current. A 10 lbr. in strong current will woop your six bro.


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## fallen513

Clayton said:


> I've been trying hybrids but I keep getting white bass and huge skipjack/ tiny tarpon lol.



That's good news Clayton. There will definitely be hybrids behind the skippies. If you're catching them in current, move to the deeper slack water on down or directly above it. Beef your flies up too.


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## Clayton

You beef up those muskie flies lol. But yeh, I need to tie a few flat wings or other bait fish patterns. How big do they get anyway? I have only caught one about 1 pound.

That said, my six weight is suck a club that I bet I would do just fine... But I might take the 8 to be safe. Sinking or floating line?

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## fallen513

Right now they're biting in tailouts, taking the fly near the surface. I am using a standard WF7. 

Shoot me a topo or aerial of where you're fishin' & I'll see if anything jumps out at me. 


Ohio river hybrids get to 10 lbs easily. There are a lot of state records swimming around in the Ohio too, 17 lbs.+. Tribs near dams are where it's at.




As for my musky flies, you do know the last 2 50"+ muskys I've seen caught were landed on 2" long bass baits?! 


lol.


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## Clayton

Yeah and the last largemouth I saw landed hit a 9" muskie shad  the fish was about a foot long 

I'll goof off in the spot until I get it right. It's what you might call a LARGE trib that's local. Can wade below the dam  I also have a pocket-sized trib that I need to tie a few flies for, I'm thinking clousers with a bit of extra body to them.


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## WPM

They've been crushing the fly, on the surface. It scares the bejeebuz out of me every time. So violent! I've been catching them on the 6 weight....even at 2 or 3 lbs, they fight harder than any species you'll find in that size package. They remain my favorite, even moreso than true striped bass.[/QUOTE]

Fallen,
Looks like a riot - no wonder you like Clousers.
What method are you using to fish them on the surface?

WPM


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## fallen513

WPM said:


> Fallen,
> Looks like a riot - no wonder you like Clousers.
> What method are you using to fish them on the surface?
> 
> WPM



High sticking... basically casting across the current and then pointing the rod tip into the air as high as you can...

(edit: I'm also standing at the head of fast moving water, so at the end of the drift my fly is centered in the stream and swimming near the surface)


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## Steelhead Fever

man, awesome fish!


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## fallen513

These damn fish drive me nuts. Conditions are prime, I fish from 5 am until 10am, nothing. 

Different location but one they should be in regardless. Chalk up another blank. These are the reports that you don't get, that happen most often.


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## Clayton

fallen513 said:


> These damn fish drive me nuts. Conditions are prime, I fish from 5 am until 10am, nothing.
> 
> Different location but one they should be in regardless. Chalk up another blank. These are the reports that you don't get, that happen most often.


hah, don't I know those reports. You'll notice how many muskie flies I tie but how few fishing reports I post? Right-o, there's a reason for that.

"No news" is hardly newsworthy!


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## fallen513

Caught so many I couldn't keep track of numbers tonight. Nothing over 2 lbs. except for one brute that never made it in. It was a good one, 5+ lbs.


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## sbreech

Those are good looking fish. I want to catch one some time...


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## fallen513

Ferocious monsters.


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## steelheader007

I'm glad someone is hooking some fish
around Here!


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## fallen513

You gotta get out there after'm Tom!


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## MrGreen740

I am sooo jealous!!!! Looks like so much fun!


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## fallen513

Hybrid action is heating up, literally. 85 degrees and sun directly overhead.

Big bait everywhere, big moronids right behind.


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## copperdon

salmon king said:


> That clouser miinow almost looks as though its glowing is it?


Nah, it's just happy 

Nice fish!


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## fallen513

Had a killer night. Highlight was the biggest of the night, missing the fly in about 12" depth water...then doing a big donut to come back & smash it again... just a few inches off of some submerged grass... then jumps, twice! I'm talkin' 2-3' out of the water! I was a little confusd @ that point & thought I must have a 5+ smallie on. Then the silver bullet buried its nose and took off & I knew what I had... 


Abel Super 8 with Scott 9' 8 weight, large flies. Here are a few from tonight:






























Freight trains!


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## fallen513

My boy learnin' the ropes!


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## fallen513

9 weight Scott with Abel Super 8, 25 lb. tippet & heavy clouser fished near the surface. I'd rather chase the fish than get into my backing, otherwise I would have tried to bring it to hand in front of the camera. It was a brute. 
Check out the bend in that rod!


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## Andrew S

Nice! Looks like it slammed that fly.

Was it night out? Is that why the image is sort of...um, "odd"? Or is that some sort of camera special feature? I felt like maybe I was watching something I wasn't really allowed to be watching!


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## steelheader007

fallen513 said:


> 9 weight Scott with Abel Super 8, 25 lb. tippet & heavy clouser fished near the surface. I'd rather chase the fish than get into my backing, otherwise I would have tried to bring it to hand in front of the camera. It was a brute.
> Check out the bend in that rod!
> 
> 
> &#x202a;Hybrid on the fly&#x202c;&rlm; - YouTube


it seems to happen more than not these things love to eat the fly just as your getting ready to lift the fly out of the water and cast again as all your line is at your feet! Tighten down your drag and you wont see your backing ..lol.. You got heavy tippet on put the screws to them! You were at a huge disadvantge with the river current!...


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## fallen513

Watching that video is almost as fun as catching them. I've probably watched it 50 times.  lol.



It was getting dark, & I also edited the video a bit to protect the spot.


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## fallen513

I've "put the screws to 'em" before...and let me tell you, if everything is not perfect, a 10 lbr. will snap a 25 lb. tippet right now! Look at the bend in that rod as I chase the fish!


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## steelheader007

fallen513 said:


> I've "put the screws to 'em" before...and let me tell you, if everything is not perfect, a 10 lbr. will snap a 25 lb. tippet right now! Look at the bend in that rod as I chase the fish!


Well I guess you need to use heavier tippet ..lol..


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## fallen513

The main reason I try to stay out of my backing is to keep the fish from coming unhooked. I have found that the more line I have out of the reel, the easier it is for the fish to change directions and crush my dreams.


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## steelheader007

fallen513 said:


> The main reason I try to stay out of my backing is to keep the fish from coming unhooked. I have found that the more line I have out of the reel, the easier it is for the fish to change directions and crush my dreams.


Absolutly! I agree ppl have less control the more line they have out you cannot keep up with the fish!


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## fallen513

Got a friend on his first hybrid on the fly. That was pretty exciting. He caught it on my 6 weight. He also caught a huge crappie. I got in on the action as well. We left the house intending to fish the falling river, but after the downpour we endured we ended up fishing it on a small rise with rising pressure.


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## OhJoe

Nice Job with both fish...That crappie is superb!


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## Andrew S

Wow, that is a big crappie.

Those bass are pretty, too.

By the way, did y'all hear that a new world record (pending) was caught last week in Connecticut? (Caught on a live eel, I think).

Just short of 82 pounds. I'm guessing you'd see your backing on that one!


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## fallen513

I did see that story. Quite the fish huh?


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## Andrew S

Yeah, it would put a bend in the ol' 4 weight.

A friend of mine took a bunch of the photos because he wrote a story about it for "On the Water" magazine. I would have liked to have seen that fish in person.

The best part of the story is that apparently it had one (or maybe even two) old hooks in it! Somebody out there busted off the new world record striper. I imagine there are more than a few anglers out there remembering a big fish that got off not long ago and wondering...


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## TheCream

I think you need a GoPro camera, Seth. I also think I need one, and will have one soon.


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## fallen513

I've been reading a lot about big striped bass. It's interesting that up to 80% of the spawning population come out of the Chesapeake. I have numerous friends on the bay as well as VA beach and family in North Carolina...where the cows end up each fall. Definitely a trip there in the near future. 

Also found it interesting that up to 25 million schoolies leave the bay each spring, but the total adult population is estimated to be near 45 million fish. 

So a lot of those fish are harvested and/or die on the journey, otherwise the Atlantic population would be in the hundred millions after just a short few years.


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## fallen513

The other amazing thing, that world record was surely not alone. Whether there were other or bigger world records swimming with it, we'll never know....but we do know they tend to stay with their age class to some extent and where there's one 80 lbr, there's sure to be more!


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## fallen513

TheCream said:


> I think you need a GoPro camera, Seth. I also think I need one, and will have one soon.



Meh, I'll take a Canon 5D on a tripod before I try to fix a camera on myself somewhere.

Where would you put it that it would make sense while fly fishing? On your shoe?  


I could see wearing one on a helmet while I fight a bear maybe. No helmets for me while fishing.


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## steelheader007

"I imagine there are more than a few anglers out there remembering a big fish that got off not long ago and wondering."

Amen..Maine 2006 saw my inner arbor three times never saw her/him haunts me till this day and the 6/0 it nearly straightened out!


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## TheCream

fallen513 said:


> Meh, I'll take a Canon 5D on a tripod before I try to fix a camera on myself somewhere.
> 
> Where would you put it that it would make sense while fly fishing? On your shoe?
> 
> 
> I could see wearing one on a helmet while I fight a bear maybe. No helmets for me while fishing.


I think it will make a great secondary angle from a static position camera! That's my plan.


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## fallen513

TheCream said:


> I think it will make a great secondary angle from a static position camera! That's my plan.



Ahhh, that sounds better. I haven't researched it, what makes it better than a three or four hundred dollar HD video camera? The housing?


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## TheCream

fallen513 said:


> Ahhh, that sounds better. I haven't researched it, what makes it better than a three or four hundred dollar HD video camera? The housing?


Waterproof housing, hands-free use, and "wearability" are the main things I like. My current HD hard drive camcorder I can only use on my kayak in a static position over the shoulder, so I can miss a lot, especially boatside action and landing. Or in your case with this hybrid, you would have the secondary angle as you chase after the fish!

I looked at these types of cameras a few years ago and wasn't that impressed, but the new HD models produce some really good footage.


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## TheCream

Here is a decent redfish clip I watched recently using a GoPro, Seth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRzQNFYSz2s&feature=youtu.be

This guy used the chest harness instead of the head strap. Interesting angle, but you can hear him banging into the camera with something causing the audio to be a little goofy. You can see the possibilities, though!


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## bigduck10

Here is a little known story about Stripers in Ohio. They were onced stocked in Grand lake St. Marys. I guess it was maybe late 50's or early 60's. I guess they were having folks fish for crappies and have their rod torn out of their hands. 
Can you imagine. Fishing for Crappies with a cane pole and have a Striper just destroy your rig!


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## Andrew S

TheCream said:


> Here is a decent redfish clip I watched recently using a GoPro, Seth:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRzQNFYSz2s&feature=youtu.be
> 
> This guy used the chest harness instead of the head strap. Interesting angle, but you can hear him banging into the camera with something causing the audio to be a little goofy. You can see the possibilities, though!


I think the self-mounted cameras make for some interesting angles, and I would like one at some point, but I've come to realize that I personally prefer to view videos that are mostly NOT shot from those kinds of cameras. I guess the idea behind those cameras is that they're supposed to make you feel like you're "right there", but I don't think they do that well if the entire video is from that perspective - they make me feel like I have an extreme case of tunnel vision.

But again, that's just my personal opinion.

Since I've started making little videos, I've learned a lot about what I like to see and do NOT like to see in my own videos. Again, this is all just about personal preference, but here are some things I've come to feel are important, in no particular order of importance:

1) As much fun as it is to fight a fish, it is boring to watch somebody else do it for very long. I edit a lot of the fight out of my videos, keeping interesting things like jumps, runs, etc., sometimes using slow motion for those. If I want to show that the fight was long, went all over the place, etc then I'll sometimes leave more in, but I speed it up. This can look a little silly, but personally I still prefer it over watching somebody fight a fish in real time for a long period. I can watch that for about 30 seconds, tops!

2) Sort of related to last point, but editing is absolutely key to a nice little film. Just because you shot for 12 minutes doesn't mean it all needs to be uploaded! 

3) A tripod makes things MUCH easier to view. (Or at least some form of camera stabilization). Cameras that move all over and shake and turn left and right at blinding speed give me motion sickness. This is one downside to the head mounted cameras, in my opinion.

4) Music. It's amazing to me what slapping a little music into a short video will do to make it seem more "professional". It doesn't even matter what the music is. Sometimes the natural sounds of the video are nice, but even then the music can play quietly behind. But most of the nuisance sounds (banging camera, jacket sleeve rustling, etc.) just distract things to me. 

Again, these are just my own personal opinions and I don't to come across as sounding like I know much about this, since I don't. I've only made a handful of them. But I just know that I find my own videos have become so much more pleasing to me to watch them as I've implemented these ideas more and more.

Happy shooting!
Andrew


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## TheCream

Andrew, the general rule I was told about (I edit a lot of video, both for work and personal stuff), and it's generally true, is that you'll have at minimum twice the amount of time in editing that you'll have in footage. So, 20 minutes of footage means at least 40 minutes of editing, and that's generally for bare-bones stuff. 

I completely agree on the action cam being used as a secondary angle only, entire videos shot with them aren't as good in my opinion, either. I also don't like for the entire video to be shot from the same stationary angle, though, because I think (even with me in my kayak) too much is missed too easily. Case and point, when I hook into a carp in my kayak and get spun around (which happens a lot ), the camera is still in its static position looking ahead while the fish and all the action is happening behind it. This is where a cut away to the action cam would make for a cool addition, in my opinion. That, and the easy ability to shoot quick underwater release shots would be nice, too!


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## Andrew S

Oh yeah - I'm in total agreement that multiple angles is great. And of course I'm sure you agree that's pretty tough to do solo! Actually, carp might be one fish where it's at least possible if you have two cameras because you can spot the fish you're going to film first. Imagine the amount of "empty" footage you'd have to shoot of yourself blindcasting for hours on end if you were trying to get a shot of the take of a Pacific northwest steelhead!

I hope I didn't sound like I was knocking the GoPro idea, or your videos. I was just rattling off some things I've been thinking about as I've been playing with my own videos. As I said, I'd love to have a mounted camera like a GoPro as just one more addition to the stuff I lug around!


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## fallen513

Even though I said "meh", I've priced them now & would consider buying one just because I'm a fishing nut...a gear nut...a film nut.... so... it's only natural I buy more gear.


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## TheCream

fallen513 said:


> Even though I said "meh", I've priced them now & would consider buying one just because I'm a fishing nut...a gear nut...a film nut.... so... it's only natural I buy more gear.


Ha, you should get into bowhunting if you're a gear nut. Or don't, if you like saving money.  I added it up one night in my head walking into the woods. Camera, stand, climbing sticks, bow, camo, etc...over $2,000 with me on one evening hunt. 

Andrew, I'm in complete agreement! Empty footage is bad enough when I am bass fishing, trying to film topwater strikes from my kayak. I'll usually roll for 15 minutes or so, if no takes, I delete that clip and start another one. That's where a hard drive camera comes in handy!


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## fallen513

TheCream said:


> Ha, you should get into bowhunting if you're a gear nut.


You should know better.


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## RIDGE_RUNNER91

fallen513 said:


> You should know better.


That picture brings back some memories :!


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## fallen513

Yes yes my friend. Many a foam deer hath died at our hands...and even a few real ones.


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## fallen513

That was shortly before my demise in the world of target archery.


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## TheCream

The foam deer just don't taste as good to me.


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## Guest

dagnab seth, you're a madman when it comes to fly flinging.


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## fallen513

Couple more shots of the pending world record:


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## Andrew S

My buddy Kierran took that first photo!

(You can link to his article via his blog: http://kierran.blogspot.com/2011/08/potential-world-record-striped-bass.html)


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## fallen513

Good morning on the water. My LMR fish have all been smaller this year, averaging 2-3 lbs.

4 1/2 lbr. above.

Biggest has been 6 lbs, still 7+ lbs. off of last year's best.

Ain't done yet though.


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## Andrew S

Very nice fish, and nice photos. 

Tough morning of carping for me - saw a lot of fish, but they seemed particularly spooky, and those that I did manage to put a fly to just didn't seem interested. Got one in very skinny water, which is fun, but that was the only one. Then the sky opened up. I took that as a sign that my fishing was over.


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## Intracoastal

Seth,

Awesome job, as always. Is your clouser all craft fur? Just curious.


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## fallen513

Thanks for the kind words. The fly order is hook point down, flashy rabbit fur dubbed base, white bucktail belly, turn fly over, red dub base, chartreuse craft fur, your choice of flash, chartreuse bucktail. If you replace all the chartreuse with white & add some peacock herl on the top it looks like a very transparent, generic minnow that you can bounce on the bottom.


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## fallen513

I have to be honest, the smallmouth _almost_ fought as hard as the line side. Look at those liiiiiiiines they're so hypnotizing. 




Put in nearly 5 hours yesterday driving in search of the state record @ Greenup dam with the man himself, DaveO. Thanks for the hospitality Dave. No state records were caught, though I tried... with some 2 lb. shad. Our host arrived & as I expected, caught a fish on his first cast. The master. The water from the turbines was awe inspiring. Looking out across a bay downstream you could see thousands of skipjack herring porpoising out of the water after shad fry. If I wanted to make money as a guide I'd take light tackle 3 weight fly guys out after skips, what a blast... If I had a boat that's what I'd be doing.  




I lost a half dozen fish. I was using giant bait & circle hooks that were not doing their job. I officially hate them. It's more of a sizing problem than anything but I don't have any hooks big enough for the bait I was using. I could feel having a hybrid "hooked" with the fish in it's mouth, violent strike, pulling drag, then I could feel the fish coming out of it's mouth & that was that...or... the fish would pull out of it's mouth & the stunned bait would surface...then the hybrid would bust the bait a couple times & it would come unhooked. Various other methods proved unproductive. The fish were there in huge numbers, as you could tell from pods of 6 to 20 5+ lb. individuals busting bait together. Most were out of reach or came off the damn hook! Great experience none the less. I'll be heading back soon.


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## Andrew S

That's the weirdest looking fly rod I've ever seen!

Seriously though, how long is that thing? It looks like a surf rod.


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## RIDGE_RUNNER91

Seth is a little over 6' so the rod is at least double that. 

Super cool that you finally got to meet Dave, wish I could have been there. He is definitely the man! 

Cool picture in the fog too.


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## fallen513

Andrew S said:


> That's the weirdest looking fly rod I've ever seen!
> 
> Seriously though, how long is that thing? It looks like a surf rod.


11' Predator from the early nineties? 

...

I ordered components for a surf setup & the rod arrived broken. After shooting steam out of my ears & looking for a super cheap replacement @ the local sell-everything store Meijer & Walmart & finding nothing, I called the master of hoarding cool crap, my father. He had a matching pair of Cabela's Predator rods that I remember from a lonnng time ago. They are still really sweet. They were shoved up on some makeshift cabinetry in what amounts to a chicken coop. I was casting a few ounces of lead & a pound or two of shad quite a distance, LOL! Luck was on my side there because they worked perfectly.

Surf rods. The reel holds about 600 yards of 30 lb Jerry Brown braid but I have 65 lb. JB on the way. Just in case I hook a 300 lb. tuna.  Another funny thing, the reel weighs 27 ounces. In case you forget your anchor. I could not have asked for a better rod, the technique to catch fish involves casting into the right current that carries your bait & launcher out instead of down river. There is this concrete shelf that is only 3-5' deep adjacent to the turbines that are in maybe 15-20' of water. Beautiful seam...and depending on how much water is being let out of the actual dam or locks, there's another huge seam that moves in & out where you continually see baitfish getting crushed. So how far out that seam is matters. A really long rod allows you to cast further of course, but in this type of fishing it's to help keep your slack off the water & out of the boils that pull it downnnnn into the depths. Keeping the slack off the water allows the float to drift your bait outwards. You would not want to try your waders out over the turbines. Scary power there. You cast your weighted float (one fella was using an empty water bottle & a bass spinning rod, top eye broken off & a days old dead shad!) & let the current carry it out. It's pretty neat when you see your shad start runnin' for it's life across the surface! We would have caught a ton of fish but we did not have what we needed to catch small shad, a cast net. 4-6" shad were the order of the day & I had a couple hard takes about 80 yards out.  Braid is nice for feeling every thwack of a predator, even at that distance. 


Haas, figured you were makin' that money for your big trip! Greenup is very similar to our TN spots, except much larger. A massive amount of output. You can't get boats anywhere near it. 300+ yards maybe? Even out that far, it's still rippin'. Skipjack central. Long haul. Regardless of what anyone tells you, gizzard shad will hit a lure.  Watched a heavy shad eat a roostertail & took a picture. Without a doubt, it chomped it down. First time I've seen that though I knew they ate insects.Thousands of adult shad constantly within reach, billions of shad fry constantly getting smashed by multitudes of skips...which you see leap way out of the water at times, trying to avoid their place in the food chain as a big boy chases it. I saw a hybrid chasing a skipjack & it looked like the hybrid was above water! It was right on the things tail for like 15 feet, the skipjack jumping & then immediately jumping again. Pretty incredible water. I'm guessing it's critical to read the gauge before heading out to determine generation since it's so far... 2 hours 20 minutes. It's worth the drive just to see it chop the water up.


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## fallen513

I guess they hold line over incoming waves too huh?


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## fallen513

In the photo you can see one of the launchers Dave was kind enough to bring us. It has a 3'-4' 35 lb. mono leader tied to a 4/0 hook through a 7" Zoom Super Fluke. I have more plans for this setup.


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## fallen513

I also tried various flies with the launcher both alone & as teasers. You can throw a size 20 griffiths gnat 100 yards with that setup!


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## Intracoastal

That sounds like a slammin' good time, regardless of the fishless photos. Too bad you couldn't get them to stay buttoned. I also despise circle hooks, as much as I want to endorse them politically. 

Weird that you would only have one rod and that it would be rigged for live bait. It sounds like conditions were 110% perfect for tossing large poppers to those pods. It's crazy how competitive the hybrids in the teens get for a big struggling surface presentation. Lots of noise needed to get their attention when the dam is going. I've caught them to somewhere in the mid-teens# on 2oz poppers and a 7' stick with 20# braid and 15# leader. You should be fine.

And thanks for the description of the fly. It looks great and is obviously effective. It looks much simpler than your recipe in the photos. Have you tried it reverse--with the bucktail wing and the craft fur tail? I find that craft fur fouls a lot as a wing material (though its action is superb), and I wonder if the reverse would require less adjustment.


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## Intracoastal

fallen513 said:


> I also tried various flies with the launcher both alone & as teasers. You can throw a size 20 griffiths gnat 100 yards with that setup!


That's how the pro's catch the elusive bluegill in the Ohio River's distant pocket water...j/k


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## fallen513

Mmmmmeaty.


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## fallen513

I had my Scott 6 weight, Scott 9 weight, 7' spinning, 6' heavy spinning & the 11' footer with me.  With a snap it was every easy to switch from a live shad to a 7" fluke or one of the new Rapala flatrap 10's beneath the launcher. You need a 4-6 oz sinker to set live bait on the bottom, which would be the other 

I spent quite a bit of time fishing artificials also. We tried everything. I considered taking my 3 weight & fishing for the skips but truthfully I am just too sick with the line sides. 


Speaking of poppers, this is gonna be getting slung by the 11 footer soon!

Yozuri Sashimi Bull! 2 1/2 ozs.


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## fallen513

Also have these ordered: 










I know I'm hitting the Outerbanks in the fall but I may try for Montauk or RI also. 



Or...maybe CT?


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## fallen513

Also ordered a 4 1/2 oz popper I'm pretty excited about, I'll post pics when it arrives. Heaviest lure I've ever bought, interested to see how far I can chuck it.


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## Intracoastal

Now that's what I'm talking about. Those yo-zuri bull poppers are sweet. The tsunami talking popper is a nice cheap alternative that still produces, and with nice paintjobs and 3d eyes. Throw a 5" and a 6" of those in your popper box or surf bag (you could probably consider making one of those bags since you're getting so diehard about the linesider, you know, the saddle bags with the vertical tubes?) If you get the conditions you had, you'll have a popper wiper in no time. I love watching them inadvertently push the popper out of the water with just the wake off their enormous shoulders.


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## Andrew S

Seth,

If you do head east (or even just for the local hybrids) you're welcome to borrow some of my striper plugs. Some of the ones that I had some luck with in CT, based on the recommendations of others, are the Bomber Model Long A (affordable) and the Yo Zuri Mag Darter (not affordable). I have a few of each of those, plus who knows what else. I started getting back into big plugs just before I moved here, so they didn't see a lot of use, and now sit idle.

Andrew


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## fallen513

You can just roll out with me.  I'll let you know when I start hearin' about 50+ lbrs. getting caught, you do the same.


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## fallen513

Funny you should mention the Tsunami poppers. 




> Tsunami Pencil Popper Poppers 8" Lure striper NEW bunker (270678194825)
> Paid on Aug-21-11 Qty: 1
> Estimated delivery: August 25 - August 26, 2011




That's the 8", 4 1/2 ounce plug I just ordered last night. "Talkin' Popper".


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## Andrew S

fallen513 said:


> You can just roll out with me.  I'll let you know when I start hearin' about 50+ lbrs. getting caught, you do the same.


Nah - I'm only interested in those that go 81.889 or better.


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## fallen513

Andrew S said:


> Nah - I'm only interested in those that go 81.889 or better.



It ain't comin' outta Columbus! Saddle up!


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## Intracoastal

fallen513 said:


> It ain't comin' outta Columbus! Saddle up!


Too funny. Don't forget to PM me too! I don't wanna miss out on a Montauk blitz trip! Though I'd be coming from Chicago...;(

Glad you bought the tsunami. I've had them break, but only after 200 casts against the dam structure itself on those insanely windy days. But I've had plenty of yo-zuri products do the same. So the tsunami is a steal and works wonders. The 5" has sort of been my standard, and it doesn't fail to attract the hybrids. I've even caught them on the 4". I think I've stuck with the smaller sizes just because I only bring 1 or 2 along in case conditions are right, but otherwise my river gear is walleye-oriented with a pair of 7' medium action sticks, one a little heavier-duty than the other (medium means different things to diff companies). Hence my saying that I've caught them on #15 leader. If I were strictly targeting big hybrids, and had a more expensive popper at risk, I'd probably go 30-60 mono leader, and either a swivel or a bimini instead of the uni-to-uni.


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## fallen513

I'm using 65 lb. Jerry Brown braid with mono backing & leader. 

Along with the 8000 series reel, I also bought the 5000 series. It's going on the other eleven footer with some 30 lb. JB & then a 35 lb. mono leader. It will be a little more wieldy & throw baits under 2 ozs better. If you are really interested in a fall trip, let me know. Time to plan is now!


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## fallen513

Good stuff!

And how about these 5/0 & 7/0 jig hooks for..... TWENTY FIVE CENTS! Now I just have to buy the butterfly jigs to go with them & another strategy can be implemented.


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## Intracoastal

Or you could be nice to the fishies and use those assist hooks to replace the trebles on your poppers! You'll be thinking it when you eventually and inevitably hook a big toothy bluefish out East. 

I like that Penn reel, too. I've never owned an 8000 size reel; they always seemed like anchors. I had a 7000 series Okuma once and sold it.

PM sent re: Montauk


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## fallen513

That's a great idea. I have enough (seriously they were a quarter for 3 of them, $2 shipping on ebay! Mustad micro points!) I will definitel put them on the poppers. I don't like treble hooks at all. They hook me way more than the fish.


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## fallen513

I appreciate the offer Andrew. I'll have to pass as I am still ironing out the kinks of my surf cast using braid & I'd hate to send your plug sailing after it snaps off. I'm already heaving nightmares about the sashimi bull soaring off in the moonlight.

If you can't join perhaps you can provide some valuable information when the time is right. I am piecing the puzzle together now.


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## McBride757

Here's a video of a good cast technique. At about 1:27 in the video you'll see them heaving them off the pier. I'll be there n less than just over a month.
http://www.youtube.com/fishmilitia#p/u/1/ihs3KzpWXL0
lol just over a month


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## fallen513

That's a sweet video, thanks for sharing. 


Never caught a Red, could be a new favorite>


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## fallen513

Pulled the 8" 4 1/2" oz Yo-Zuri plug off Ebay for $18 shipped.


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## McBride757

I've never seen anyone fish for reds with a fly rod. I bet that would be fun in the surf.


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## Intracoastal

Redfish are one of the most popular fly rod quarry in U.S. inshore coastal waters. The Gulf coast is already basically a "destination fishing" location because of the reliability of redfishing in the marsh. Plus, they're awesome fighters.


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## fallen513

I want to beat this.














Huge Tsunami plug arrived! Holy cow! 




















It's going to get a workout in the Ohio river for hybrids before it sees the salt.

Come to find out, it also glows.











Sweeeet.


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## steelheader007

fallen513 said:


> I want to beat this.
> 
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> Huge Tsunami plug arrived! Holy cow!
> 
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> It's going to get a workout in the Ohio river for hybrids before it sees the salt.
> 
> Come to find out, it also glows.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> Sweeeet.


I want to be there when you either hook a fish on it or hear a snap off your back cast when you lose it! Great looking plug!.


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## fallen513

steelheader007 said:


> I want to be there when you either hook a fish on it or hear a snap off your back cast when you lose it! Great looking plug!.


Better book your ticket to Montauk now before they get expensive.


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## fallen513

Snapping plugs off is one of the reason I'm going with 65 lb. Jerry Brown.

Braid is still prone to snapping under shock so I'll be as gentle as I can when casting.


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## steelheader007

fallen513 said:


> Better book your ticket to Montauk now before they get expensive.


Well then I guess you will have to call me when I drive to Maine..lol...


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## TheCream

Be careful with that giant plug. Imagine this happening with it:


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## fallen513

Took the plug out today.. got some odd looks at the local bass lake. I could get it out about 75 yards, it's just a bit heavy for the predator rod @ 4.5 ozs. Definitely the coolest hardware I've bought in a long time. Walking the dog with an eleven foot surf rod & braid is easy & the bait looked amazing. I am confident a giant hybrid will crush it. Can't wait for my 2 oz plugs & pencils to arrive, the rod will throw them a mile. The Jerry Brown braid gets 5 stars also. Smooth, round, ties solid knots & is thin. 


I'll take my fly rod to the hydroelectric dam tomorrow so I can post some photos pertinent to this forum.


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## Andrew S

Seth,

Do you tie your braid directly to the plugs, or do you use some sort of mono leader?

And, don't you think it's funny that all this talk about surf rods and 4 oz plugs is in the fly fishing forum?

-A


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## fallen513

I do think it's funny, for a few reasons. One, there's no "surf" anywhere near here. LOL.


It is pertinent to my 2011 hybrids though... because the sickness that's compelling me to hunt giants in the surf with spinning gear is the same one that has me standing in Ohio's rivers with the long rod day after day.


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## Intracoastal

fallen513 said:


> It is pertinent to my 2011 hybrids though... because the sickness that's compelling me to hunt giants in the surf with spinning gear is the same one that has me standing in Ohio's rivers with the long rod day after day.


11' spinner and a 9' fly...now I'm not sure what "the long rod" refers to anymore...


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## Intracoastal

I'll keep this off topic for a moment due to popper talk...

Hybrids don't even have "teeth!" I would expect this from a muskie, a blue or a 'cuda:


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## fallen513

Will blues bite mono off? I plan on using a steel leader of about 18" to prevent it if so. 

I also prefer a nice swivel & clasp for quick bait changes with braid.


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## Intracoastal

You won't even know they hit, you'll just keep reeling and there won't be any drag from the lure anymore...

Good thing is, large lures act somewhwat like a bite guard. It takes a big fish to get a 6"+ popper far enough in to bite the line. 2 problems though, a) if the fish turns and line angles itself against other side of the mouth, or just as common, another 1 or 2 fish try to steal the food from the hooked blue's mouth while he's fighting. I freaking love bluefish. 

It's common for striper anglers to use 40-80# mono leaders to help slow the bite-off process down.

Okay. Now we aren't talking about flyfishing, or Ohio, or even freshwater...lol.


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## steelheader007

Intracoastal said:


> I'll keep this off topic for a moment due to popper talk...
> 
> Hybrids don't even have "teeth!" I would expect this from a muskie, a blue or a 'cuda:


A gar will do that also!


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## Andrew S

Intracoastal said:


> It's common for striper anglers to use 40-80# mono leaders to help slow the bite-off process down.
> 
> Okay. _Now we aren't talking about flyfishing_, or Ohio, or even freshwater...lol.


Not true! I use a 60 lb mono bite tippet often when fly fishing for blues or stripers.


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## Intracoastal

Andrew, bite tippet is what I meant, sorry for the mixup. I had my spinning and fly lingo mixed up, which makes sense given this thread's trajectory...


_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors._


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## fallen513

Hit Greenup today in search of that record. BLANKED. 



At least until I got out the fly rod... caught skipjack 18-20" and quite a few in the 6-10" range. The smaller ones have a tendency to shake the hook shortly after you think you've got'm. Very cool fish. 

2 trips now to Greenup I've been skunked in search of big hybrids... and I know they're there... saw them last time...but it's all about the presentation. The hydro puts out crazy CFS & they interact with the water being released through the sluice gates to create crazy seams & water traveling in all directions. The key to catching is getting your bait in that holding water... which can be impossible on days like today when the flow of the river was almost greater than the flow of the turbines, so your bait was carried back in. Tough, if not impossible conditions. Plenty of practice with the surf rod though.  Also plenty of practice fly casting into a severe wind. Going to focus on the local flybrids this week & see if we can't get this thread back on track.


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## bigduck10

Here is video of the record Striper catch. Don't know if you have seen this yet.


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## fallen513

Plug madness


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## RIDGE_RUNNER91

bigduck10 said:


> Here is video of the record Striper catch. Don't know if you have seen this yet.
> 
> Hitler Loses a Big Striper - YouTube



Funny stuff right there man!

I love the part where he is tells anyone that isn't in the 60 pound club to leave the room, and then at the end where he tells them to bring the tide charts and gas up the boat.................classic! Had me in tears!

I would like to know what he was really saying there tho........ he seemed pretty POed


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## fallen513

RIDGE_RUNNER91 said:


> I would like to know what he was really saying there tho........ he seemed pretty POed



Pretty sure it was something about allied forces, or Jews. lol.


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## steelheader007

So inappropriate but so funny lol!





fallen513 said:


> Pretty sure it was something about allied forces, or Jews. lol.


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