u/Possible-Leek23

I know rod gloves exist, but is there something that lets me store both pieces of my rod? All my rods are 2pc and I like to keep them unattached. My Tatula XT came with a little black cover that works well, ideally something like that.

Want to pick up a pair, is there a single colour that works in most conditions?

Currently have a Defy Gold by 13 Fishing (MH F), would upgrading to a Shimano SLX be worth it? I found one thats the exact same in length, power, and action. Specifically the SLXS70MH2A if that matters.

Currently have a Defy Gold by 13 Fishing (MH F), would upgrading to a Shimano SLX be worth it? I found one thats the exact same in length, power, and action. Specifically the SLXS70MH2A if that matters.

Seems like most people go to the Bow River to catch Trout, however are there any lakes within 1-2 hours of Calgary that have Trout?

26 y/o male considering a vasectomy, the only drawback for me seems to be the possibility of PVPS. I don't mind mild discomfort, but life altering chronic pain would definitely not be something I could handle (as I'm sure most can't either).

How likely is this? What's been everyones experience here? I've also heard open-ended vasectomies lower odds of PVPS, is this true?

For what it's worth, the clinic I'm going to does 2k to 3k vasectomies anually only doing open-ended.

Rigging up softplastics for Pike. I have 3 colours for my plastics at the moment and that's white, perch, and black.

My question is, can I use a white jighead on all three? Ive been told jighead colour isn't as important as the plastic itself, but still curious. I know it probably wouldn't matter for aggressively feeding Pike, but what if I'm targeting pressured or sluggish Pike? Would the colour throw them off or reduce chances of a bite?

On hunt for jigheads that fit the Mayor. Most of the standard swimbaits at this size (4"), arent as thick so I opted for 4/0 hooks.

However, it seems impossible to find jigheads in the following two sizes

1/4oz w 4/0 hook

3/4oz w 4/0 hook

Any idea where I can pick them from up? Kind of at a loss

I know the general advice is to aim deeper and use a jerkbait with long pauses, but I’m running into a couple issues.

Issue 1: Hard to cast far as I’m limited to shore fishing

Issue 2: Most jerkbaits are also hard to cast far given their light weight, and the heavy ones are just super long and bulky.

Fishing for Pike if it changes things!

Picked up 4” Rapala Mayor swimbaits, just unsure what size jigheads to use. Will be fishing in open lakes for Pike.

Ideally want a size that works as a general/all purpose jighead for most situations. Would 1/4oz suffice?

Picked up a kit of assorted Trout Magnets, everywhere I’ve seen people say to put them on a float or casting bubble and cast upstream. My problem is when I do this the line has too much slack (the current is really rapid) so I can’t detect a strike with the rod.

Any advice?

For the most part, lures are the main thing that confuse me. I have colours down pretty well (what colours to throw out based on water conditions and weather), but the type of lures still stump me.

I've only really stuck to spoons, and have had amazing luck with them (namely a Mepps Syclops, haven't bothered touching other spoons), but my question is when do I throw something else? When would I want to throw an inline spinner? Or a softplastic?

I'm mainly interested in the following lure types. Spoons, spinners, softplastics (mostly swimbaits), glidebaits, and jerk/crankbaits. Could someone help with a short write up on when to use each? I know theres no ideal condition for any given bait, and usually you can throw multiple options but more so just what the general purpose/goal is so I have a bit of a clearer idea of what to do if my spoons stop working.

Secondly, is it bad I only really use one style of spoon? I've tried quite a few spoons, but the Mepps Syclops is my favourite by far. Is this a bad way to fish or is having a preference with this sort of thing okay?

Been catching a lot of Pike in the past week and now I have the desire to move onto trying to get bigger Pike (30"+) and making trips to the bigger lakes further out from Calgary. I'm currently limited to only shore fishing and have been using a 7' MH rod that's rated for lures up to 3/4oz.

I've been told I need to throw bigger lures for larger/trophy sized Pike, and a lot of the big glidebaits/swimbaits I see are upwards of 6oz.

My question is, what rod do I buy next? I found a decent 9' heavy rod but it's only rated for 3/4oz to 3oz, however fairly affordable. Will an upper limit of 3oz be enough for me to catch larger Pike from shore? I'm also somewhat worried about casting distance as well (due to the shore limitations). Most heavy rods I've seen are rated a lot higher, so unsure about this one.

Open to any and all advice! Along with rod recommendations

Want to properly spend some time learning the Bow, curious as to what you all throw? Feels like the usual answer is spinners/spoons for smaller trout followed by jerkbaits for larger trout. Is this a fair assumption/view?

I've always seen people say inline spinners are the best Trout lures when it comes to spin-gear, but would small spoons work well? Like a 1/8oz Mepps Syclops in a rainbow or brown trout pattern.

Bow River seems very hard to learn given the blue ribbon fishery status and how smart the Trout are, Glenmore Reservoir seems to be super pressured as-well.

What are some nice bodies of water where I can target Pike/Trout near Calgary? I can only fish from shore due cold urticaria, but saving up for a boat!

If it's worth anything, I have two setups. 7' MH rod with a 3000 size reel that has 20lb braid with 40lb fluoro leader, and a 7' UL rod with a 1000 size reel that has 6lb braid and 6lb fluoro.