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| 6 ARNOLD ROAD, COVENTRY, RHODE ISLAND 02816 |
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Strategies
for Fly/Light Tackle Fishing by Capt. Jim White |
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Strategies is a column by
RISAA member, Capt. Jim White, a fly-fishing/light tackle specialist
who operates "White Ghost Guide Service" and fishes Narragansett Bay.
Jim is an endorsed professional of Ranger Boats and Evinrude Outboards,
and a professional outdoor writer/photographer who's work has appeared
in The Fisherman magazine and many national publications.
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| Lighter/Softer Fishing Rods |
| For years we've been hammered with reasons why we should switch
to the high modulus graphite fishing sticks manufacturers were pumping out.
These rods are lighter, faster, stronger, and more sensitive, you will catch
more and bigger fish and many, many other reasons that Madison Avenue thought
would help to sell more rods. In some instances they were quite probably correct.
I say that the graphite fly rod of today is in the Star Wars category when compare to the glass blanks of fifteen or twenty years ago. It has made most anglers better casters and added more distance to those who already knew how to cast. I like a graphite stick when I'm fluke fishing. I like the extra feel and sensitivity it gives and the quick hook-setting power it allows. That also works for most bottom fishing situations whether its cod, pollock, blacks, bass or blues. When tossing plastic baits like Fin-S Fish, Slug-Go's, Zoom Flukes and similar baits, a graphite blank gives you a bit of an edge when tossing these baits and when setting the hook, especially when the hook set comes on the end of a long cast. These stiffer rods take up the slack in the line and I'd say hooks a lot more fish than a softer rod would. When using swimmers, poppers or metal however, I've gone back to the lighter, softer rods and watched my hooking capacity rise sharply. These rods are a lot more forgiving than the stiffer graphite rods and, in my opinion, gives a better hook set on the fish when they strike. Now, this is not meant for all types of fishing, I just feel that fiberglass rods - or a combination of graphite and glass - still have a place in your fishing tools. After switching to an old Shakespeare glass rod for trolling two years ago, I watched my score on weakfish double in very short order. The reason was simple. The rod is much more forgiving, allows the lure or bait to work better and you can watch the rod tip allowing the lure to do its thing. Once the fish is hooked, its awfully hard to pull the hook on these fish since the glass blank is very forgiving. I like the Shakespeare Ugly Stick series for trolling, and the new Intercoastal series for many other inshore duties. They are tough as nails; not at all expensive; last a very long time; take tons of abuse; and land their fair share of fish when used under various fishing conditions. Remember this: graphite is not the only kid on the block. Fiberglass is still a viable option for many fishing applications. Try it out next season, you may be pleasantly surprised. |
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