r/flyfishing

Pic for visibility. I'm looking at getting some new waders. I definitely won't be buying some $600 simms or Patagonia waders but I might get the orvis Clearwater. My question is are the frog tog waders decent. It's tempting to pull the trigger since they're $150 but I also dont want to invest in pure garbage. How are the orvis Clearwater waders?

(East coast) Had a blast catching my first steelhead on the fly. What a fun fish!

I’ve been looking for one of these fish for the better part of a year. Stoked to finally connect with a bull of this size!

Not my biggest fish this year, but quite possibly my prettiest

Fish 1 caught on a clown Y2K, Fish 2 on a white crystal meth.

my first longear sunfish

Greatest hits from my Mt Hood adventures this year!

After building a few different variations of a PVC rod vault for my car and never quite being happy with it, I decided to re-build an aluminum version instead. The main thing, no more flopping tubes! I've tested it all summer and it's worked perfectly and costed me less than $150! There is probably better ways to improve on this but here's how I did it:

1. 1-1/2 in. x 10 ft. aluminum Electrical Metallic Tube (EMT) conduit (Home Depot)
2. Plano plastic ammo can
3. Halex 1-1/2 in. EMT set screw connectors (Home Depot), to connect the tubes to the ammo can
4. National Hardware zinc gate hinges (x2, Lowe’s), to connect the two tubes together. These don’t clamp the pipes perfectly, so I added some spare foam from my garage to take up the extra width and tighten the fit.
5. U-bolt plates (x5) with long screws and nylon locking nuts, to attach to the crossbars
6. Uxcell 1-1/2 in. (38mm ID) black rubber/vinyl end caps (Walmart)

How I built it:

1. I cut the 10' tubes down to 9' so they didn't hang over my car as much. This is optional!
2. I used the discarded 1' leftover tubes and connected them both with the gate hinge to get a template for the correct width in which to drill into the plano box. (easier than working with long 9' tubes).
3. I slid the set-screw connector on and then I placed the template on the plano box in upper half of the box and used a sharpie to trace the tubes.
4. The biggest drill bit I had was 1-1/2 inch so I used that and then used a X-acto knife to trim around the sides until I was able to insert it snuggly.
5. I then spray painted the tubes black with a few coats.
6. Once dried, I slid the set-screw connector on the main 9' tubes and then inserted it into the plano box and the screwed on the locking nut tightly.

Now it's ready to attach to your car!

7. Throw it on your rack and align the gate hinges with your cross bars.

8. I used the steel u-bolt plates to then attach it with long screws and nylon locking nuts.

9. Added the end caps.

Rod protection:

I use Scientific Angler rod sleeves to protect the rods when they are inside.

Hopefully this helps anyone out there who wants to make their own! I'm not a pro at this by any means so if anyone has any suggestions on how to improve this please do so!

After hours of only seeing Alabama bass we climbed up a waterfall and the stream was loaded with warrior bass.

Hit my local public spot yesterday after work for a bit of fly flinging and relaxation. Crappie have been biting well lately and I've been smashing them on white articulated wooly buggers. Only caught one worth keeping last night but he was enough for me.

Seasoning:

Smoked Paprika

Cayenne Pepper

Cumin

Black Pepper

Onion Powder

Garlic Salt

Dropped in a hot pan with just starting to brown butter. Few minutes each side.

Bowl of jalapeno rice, shredded cheese, sour cream, the fish, and some diced jalapenos to top it off.

Have always fished but never kept anything until lately. Starting to get the hang of cooking fish and loving it.

At sunset.

Looks like this one has been in the wars a bit (tail). End of a great trip, go there if you can

West Branch of the Ausable is fishing well and looking even better

Never used a fly rod before, this guy is selling the rod/reel on left for $150. 5wt, im looking to target trout in smaller rivers and streams. Is this a good deal?