In my tailgate induced beer stupor I overlooked that important detail of your post. The lack of O and D at the game sobered me up tho. Helluva fishing trip. Congrats.
Saltwater Flyfishing
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Last: 27 days ago by Dogdoc
Saltyfly11 and I have been trying to get together to fish since February. Finally made it happen this afternoon.
Started off the day with a killer sunrise.
I fished with a different buddy in the morning because saltyfly11 wasn't free until the afternoon. The tide was too low for my panga, but we could see birds working shell pads so we waded out to them. There was lots of fresh cracked crab shells and claws on the shoreline, so I figured the reds would be head down eating crabs. Tied on a heavy black and chartreuse crack fly and picked up a lower slot red.
After the bird action slowed down we headed back to the boat. I poled my buddy for the rest of the morning while he threw artificials, got him on a rat red and a slot red.
After lunch, saltyfly11 and I got together and headed back to the marsh . The wind wasn't very cooperative for most of the early afternoon, but at about 3ish it died down. We started seeing occasional fish on the shorelines but no real aggressive feeders. Saltyfly11 had a nice fish boil on his fly but didn't get the hookup. I got a little bow time and broke in the new Kraken reel and glass rod on a 22 inch fish.
Felt good to squeeze in a last couple fish for 2016.
Started off the day with a killer sunrise.
I fished with a different buddy in the morning because saltyfly11 wasn't free until the afternoon. The tide was too low for my panga, but we could see birds working shell pads so we waded out to them. There was lots of fresh cracked crab shells and claws on the shoreline, so I figured the reds would be head down eating crabs. Tied on a heavy black and chartreuse crack fly and picked up a lower slot red.
After the bird action slowed down we headed back to the boat. I poled my buddy for the rest of the morning while he threw artificials, got him on a rat red and a slot red.
After lunch, saltyfly11 and I got together and headed back to the marsh . The wind wasn't very cooperative for most of the early afternoon, but at about 3ish it died down. We started seeing occasional fish on the shorelines but no real aggressive feeders. Saltyfly11 had a nice fish boil on his fly but didn't get the hookup. I got a little bow time and broke in the new Kraken reel and glass rod on a 22 inch fish.
Felt good to squeeze in a last couple fish for 2016.
Great way to close out the year. Nice work!
Figured I should quit lurking on this thread and post some fish porn. I'm in Turks and Caicos working at a clinic. Hopefully the wind will lay down so I can post some more fish pics!
Great stuff! I spent some time in Provodenciales as well as sailing through the T&C's years ago on my father's boat. I fondly recall trolling behind the boat between Bahamas and T&C's and getting spooled by 4 blue marlin before we finally hooked one small enough to land.
Somebody got into the skiff game this weekend...
Centerpole90
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Lets see it already!
Yessir! Been looking for a while and finally found a decent deal on a gheenoe without having to drive to Florida. 98 Gheenoe Classic with a 25 Mercury. Sorry, I don't think I can post pictures yet since I haven't posted enough.
Thanks to Salt of the water for some advice and walking me through the process. He's a good dude.
Motor needs some tinkering with but overall everything looks to be in good enough shape. Fingers crossed google and youtube can teach me enough to get everything up and running smooth. I've got a lot to learn but can't wait to get it out on the water after some reds!
Thanks to Salt of the water for some advice and walking me through the process. He's a good dude.
Motor needs some tinkering with but overall everything looks to be in good enough shape. Fingers crossed google and youtube can teach me enough to get everything up and running smooth. I've got a lot to learn but can't wait to get it out on the water after some reds!
Go to the academics board - without looking I'll guarantee there's a post padding thread there somewhere to get rid of the rook tag.
Oh. And congrats on the new ride!
Oh. And congrats on the new ride!
SaltyFly11 said:
Yessir! Been looking for a while and finally found a decent deal on a gheenoe without having to drive to Florida. 98 Gheenoe Classic with a 25 Mercury. Sorry, I don't think I can post pictures yet since I haven't posted enough.
Thanks to Salt of the water for some advice and walking me through the process. He's a good dude.
Motor needs some tinkering with but overall everything looks to be in good enough shape. Fingers crossed google and youtube can teach me enough to get everything up and running smooth. I've got a lot to learn but can't wait to get it out on the water after some reds!
Hell yeah! A friend of mine (Jeremy aka Jerms) in Charleston has one, really awesome little boats. Time to get lost!
I must admit, I'm a little jealous. The classic is 10 inches wider and 2.5 ft longer than my 13. It opens up options like poling platforms and not having to ask everyone you take how much they weigh.
Here it is:
Here it is:
That dude's photo dump of 2016 pics on the Drake forums is pretty epic.
Salt of the water said:
I must admit, I'm a little jealous. The classic is 10 inches wider and 2.5 ft longer than my 13. It opens up options like poling platforms and not having to ask everyone you take how much they weigh.
Here it is:
Congrats. That's a slick little rig. Gheenoes are a lot of fun. Gotta love the stick-steer.
Finn Maccumhail said:
That dude's photo dump of 2016 pics on the Drake forums is pretty epic.
He's a great follow on insta but damn... that was epic.
http://www.drakemag.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37436
Somebody buy this thing before it gets hauled back to Florida.
http://www.microskiff.com/threads/1999-hells-bay-whipray-tunnel.43049/
Not mine, just a pretty rare boat to see for sale in TX.
http://www.microskiff.com/threads/1999-hells-bay-whipray-tunnel.43049/
Not mine, just a pretty rare boat to see for sale in TX.
If I had a spare yam 40 2 stroke it would be in El Lago now...Salt of the water said:
Somebody buy this thing before it gets hauled back to Florida.
http://www.microskiff.com/threads/1999-hells-bay-whipray-tunnel.43049/
Not mine, just a pretty rare boat to see for sale in TX.
That that's a sweet little Whip.
Salt of the water said:
Make it happen!
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/#/topics/2165361?page=1&_k=7bqk05
Dammit.
I don't know if those year model 40s are interchangeable or not but if they were you could keep the one with the blown head for parts.
I figured this is the best place to ask for advice. What do y'all think of the Ankona Shadowcast? I don't want a high dollar boat like a Hell's Bay (although badass), and Ankona boats seem to fit the mold and seem to get good reviews from what I've seen so far. We do our fishing from kayaks right now and I'm looking to adding a boat to the stable.
BirdhunterAg13 said:
I figured this is the best place to ask for advice. What do y'all think of the Ankona Shadowcast? I don't want a high dollar boat like a Hell's Bay (although badass), and Ankona boats seem to fit the mold and seem to get good reviews from what I've seen so far. We do our fishing from kayaks right now and I'm looking to adding a boat to the stable.
I shopped the Ankona (and Mitzi) before I got my BT Micro and a buddy in Houston has a Shadowcast. You can get a brand new BT micro tiller built for 19k and have a better built skiff with better attention to fit and finish. I understand it sounds biased as a Micro owner but I recommend looking hard at this option as my boat runs just as comfortably, poles easier, gets skinnier and has a better build. You can also find slightly used side consol and tillers on microskiff classifieds.
Good luck!
Yeah the BT micro caught my eye as well. I'm open to used, but it's really tempting seeing the Shadowcast 18 with side console, piling platform, and trailer for ~$15k.
BirdhunterAg13 said:
Yeah the BT micro caught my eye as well. I'm open to used, but it's really tempting seeing the Shadowcast 18 with side console, piling platform, and trailer for ~$15k.
Trust me, I understand. I had to get hands on to appreciate the difference. If you are in the houston area feel free to check out my micro. Additionally I can arrange for you to look at a shadowcast.
I've never seen an ankona first hand, so I'm no help there. A similar hull (narrower) that can be found cheaper is the east cape gladesman. A couple came up for sale in TX in the spring and went for under $10k.
A general tip: driving to Florida will usually save you money on the skiff market. Skiffs that come up for sale in Texas usually move pretty quick.
Couple questions below that may help everyone with boat recs.
You looking for something to hunt waterfowl out of also?
If you already fish from a yak have you considered mother shipping it out to skinny water? You could get a mother ship boat for cheap.
What part of the coast (what bays) do you want to fish?
Desired type of trip? Shallow sightcasting or working deeper water. Stalking on the pole, or drifting large flats.
How many people do you want to be able to take?
Have you fished off a skiff before, have you poled a skiff? It's not for everyone, but it's a unique fishing style that can get you hooked.
A general tip: driving to Florida will usually save you money on the skiff market. Skiffs that come up for sale in Texas usually move pretty quick.
Couple questions below that may help everyone with boat recs.
You looking for something to hunt waterfowl out of also?
If you already fish from a yak have you considered mother shipping it out to skinny water? You could get a mother ship boat for cheap.
What part of the coast (what bays) do you want to fish?
Desired type of trip? Shallow sightcasting or working deeper water. Stalking on the pole, or drifting large flats.
How many people do you want to be able to take?
Have you fished off a skiff before, have you poled a skiff? It's not for everyone, but it's a unique fishing style that can get you hooked.
It'll be used for waterfowl occasionally yes. We fish primarily east matagorda but fish Galveston all the way down to the lower Laguna. No more than 3 people at once and will mainly fish 1-2 people. It might be used to mothership the kayaks, but not super often. No I have never ridden or driven a poling skiff. Only shoalwater and similar boats. Fishing primarily shallow waters and sight casting.
Ankonas are generally pretty capable skiffs and the guys I know who have had them really like them. The fit & finish will not be what you get with a Hells Bay, Maverick, or East Cape. Probably on a F&F level like you'd find in a Carolina Skiff J-series.
I would strongly recommend riding & fishing in a poling skiff before you buy. Lots of folks here in Texas seem t buy them then load them down like a typical Texas sled, fish them like a sled, and are very disappointed in the performance when they're simply using a tool for a purpose it is not suited to.
Beavertail makes a quality skiff at a decent price. When it comes to bang for your buck BT rates very highly.
I would strongly recommend riding & fishing in a poling skiff before you buy. Lots of folks here in Texas seem t buy them then load them down like a typical Texas sled, fish them like a sled, and are very disappointed in the performance when they're simply using a tool for a purpose it is not suited to.
Beavertail makes a quality skiff at a decent price. When it comes to bang for your buck BT rates very highly.
BirdhunterAg13 said:
It'll be used for waterfowl occasionally yes. We fish primarily east matagorda but fish Galveston all the way down to the lower Laguna. No more than 3 people at once and will mainly fish 1-2 people. It might be used to mothership the kayaks, but not super often. No I have never ridden or driven a poling skiff. Only shoalwater and similar boats. Fishing primarily shallow waters and sight casting.
If you are into shallow water sight casting then you may enjoy a skiff. A poling skiff means you give up some stability, weight capacity, and often (not always) some shallow running capability compared to a Texas style boat like a shoalwater. What you gain is more stealth and less of your fishing being dictated by the wind. Usually you get a shallower draft in a poling skiff as well.
Poling skiffs are often lower horsepower than a similar length Texas style boat so gas, maintenance, etc is cheaper.
Poling a skiff is very much a team oriented activity. Depending on who you fish with, you may do most of the poling. Be prepared for less actual "fishing" time than you may be used to. I get just as much enjoyment from putting people onto fish as I do catching them myself, but not everyone feels that way. It's something to think about.
Any of the well known fiberglass brands would serve you well. I wouldn't worry too much about brands and just look for one on good shape that's priced right. The EC gladesman I recommended earlier probably won't do 3 guys, but there are plenty of boats that will.
If you fish around a lot of shell the aluminum sabine skiff versatile may be a good option. It looks like a good hunting boat too. Not sure what their prices are.
I fish EMB quite a bit also. I'm sure we can figure out a skiff ride at some point. Even though I don't have a true poling skiff, it should give you an idea if you like that style of fishing.
Thanks for all the insight. I see people that buy one and load them down with all kinds of **** and don't quite understand that.
Hey Birdhunter:BirdhunterAg13 said:
Thanks for all the insight. I see people that buy one and load them down with all kinds of **** and don't quite understand that.
http://www.microskiff.com/threads/2014-beavertail-micro.43061/#post-338978
19k side consol Micro in Charllotte.
The more I see the beavertail, the better it looks at the price. Does the side console add a significant value to them?
Boats with side and center consoles go for a little more usually. They have more working parts and cost more to rig out. That also means more to maintain/break compared to a tiller.
Dont discount boats with tillers until you try one. They can be fun to run and are probably easier to run standing up than being hunched over a low console. If it's rough or visibility is impeded (tall marsh grass), you may wish you could run standing. Tillers also make repowering to a different brand very easy. No throttle/steering compatability concerns.
Sitting behind a wheel is definitely nice on longer runs though, and less work after a day of poling.
Dont discount boats with tillers until you try one. They can be fun to run and are probably easier to run standing up than being hunched over a low console. If it's rough or visibility is impeded (tall marsh grass), you may wish you could run standing. Tillers also make repowering to a different brand very easy. No throttle/steering compatability concerns.
Sitting behind a wheel is definitely nice on longer runs though, and less work after a day of poling.
Hey Birdhunter: I am here for you dude...BirdhunterAg13 said:
The more I see the beavertail, the better it looks at the price. Does the side console add a significant value to them?
http://www.microskiff.com/threads/skull-island-16.37136/
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