Stonefish

Stud bull. Congrats! SF

If you don't mind DIY, Go to Hobby Lobby, Michaels or any craft store really. They have small plastic boxes. Buy a sheet of 3 mm foam and some contact cement. You can crank out a bunch of smaller boxes for $2-3 each. Lots of YouTube videos on making your own boxes plus threads hear if you search the forums. Another option is the clear Plano boxes. Good luck, SF

I enjoy all forms of fishing, but prefer fly fishing.. I'll fish gear when the situation calls for it. Some water is just fished better with gear. SF

Guys do it out here and catch fish doing it. You don’t see it very often though. I’ve seen it done with a popper / dropper combo. I’ve also seen it done with a quick release slip indicator and a balanced baitfish pattern tied on 90° jig hooks. When the indicator goes down, it pops loose and slides up and down on the leader while you play the fish. Just like chironomid fishing stillwaters for trout. With some wind chop and a balanced baitfish pattern you get some great action on your fly. We don’t have many jetties out here but I think it could be deadly off them. If you aren’t familiar with balanced patterns, google “balanced leech”. Just tie a baitfish pattern in the same manor and go for it. SF

Back in the day before all the integrated head lines became available, lots of folks used loop to loop shooting head systems. Some still do today. It wasn't uncommon to upline by two to three line weights and these systems worked fine. Most modern graphite rods will have no issue with uplining them. You just have to find what line works best for your rod and casting style. SF

Microsoft co-founder and owner of the Seahawks, Blazers and part owner of the Sounders passed away today. SF

I don't fish Stripers, but always fish my leader to the rod tip. Depending on what the current is doing, I'll either sweep the fly across my body or back towards the beach with my rod tip in the water. That acceleration of the fly can get followers to commit. It works on multiple species of fish. SF

Very envious. I wish we had those up in my neck of the woods. SF

Great looking craft. SF

BFD, Enjoyed the report and glad you made it out on the water. Best of luck with your treatments. SF

Very nice! SF

Sounds like they are trying to reduce flossing but requiring shorter leaders. We see lots of folks up this way using 10’+ leaders and a black corky or yarn. They catch lots of non biting fish by setting the hook multiple times per drift. If they’d just learn how to drift fish with a 3’ leader and how to detect a real bite, they’d catch just as many fish. SF

From what I’ve seen, the old versions and the new versions have the same grain weights. I have 7 wts in both and if I recall correctly, they are both the same grain wts. SF

I will also note that where I fish, we generally don’t have “surf” like you would say on a open Pacific Ocean beach. We also have a fish handling law up here that any salmon, Steelhead or char you don’t intend to harvest can’t be removed from the water, thus the use of a net. As I mentioned, not a perfect solution but the best I’ve come up with. SF

Ben, I use a wooden net because it floats in case I lose a grip on it. The dimensions are 14 x 18 on the hoop with a 13” handle for a total length of 31”. The rubber bag is 16-17” deep so the fish don’t easily flop out of it like they are on a trampoline. I stuff the handle down underneath my wading and stripping basket. It stays out of my way while casting and is easy to access when I want to net a fish. Not a perfect solution but in the days of selective fisheries management up here, it’s the best solution I’ve come up with for releasing fish I don’t intend to harvest. This is a picture of a 5 lb or so coho lying down in the net. SF