Last weekend’s trout fishing trip on the White River was an excellent opportunity to test new gear and revisit old favorites.
Eager for warmer, lighter clothing that is tailored to fishing, I used a new product by Simms called the Slick Jacket. It is designed to withstand harsh weather in the Pacific Northwest. The shell consists of a GORE-TEX based fabric that sheds rain and turns back wind like the Great Wall of China. The fabric is supple for free and easy movement.
It has two giant pockets that hold all of my fishing gear and eyeglasses case, as well as two smaller interior pockets. It also has a loop on the back of the collar where you can clip a net, and two hand warmer pockets with water-resistant zippers that allow you to access your waders without venting the jacket interior.
I wore light layers underneath the jacket, including an Under Armour thermal top, a T-shirt and a synthetic wool pullover. That kept me comfortable in windy, bitterly cold conditions, with freedom of movement.
It’s much more practical than the big hunting parka I usually wear, and I consider it a vital piece of attire.
SUNGLASSES
Sunglasses make fishing more pleasant and more productive by reducing eyestrain and improving your water-reading ability.
I require prescription shades, and lately I’ve been using Oakley HD Polarized bronze lenses in a Flak Jacket frame. These lenses practically erase the water and allow you to see fish on the bottom, as well as all of the bottom contours. They’re also excellent for woodland use.
They are so comfortable and so vivid that they have largely replaced my regular eyeglasses.
FLY FISHING COMBO
This trip debuted a new 6-weight RLS fly fishing combo from Cabelas.
I worried that a four-piece rod would compromise sensitivity, but it casts and flexes like a dream. I flung a nymph for hours across some vast distances without tiring my arm or shoulder.
Rusty Pruitt, who uses Sage rods that cost four times as much, fished with the RLS first. He said: “If you close your eyes and put this rod in one hand and one of my rods in the other, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”
The large arbor reel holds plenty of line and backing and has a high-quality Rulon drag that doesn’t slip or bind. The spool and body are generously ported to reduce weight and facilitate line ventilation.
My 4-weight Cherrywood outfit would have been more appropriate for the small trout I caught, but on the White River it’s always possible to hook a giant, so the 6-weight was insurance for a best-case scenario. I want badly to use it for speckled trout in the Gulf of Mexico.
Cabelas backs the rod and reel with a 10-year warranty. The reel comes pre-spooled with weight-forward floating line, backing and leader. You also get a really nice combo case with separate sleeves for the rod sections.
The combo has a five-star review at Cabelas.com, with a 4.8 rating from a possible 5 based on 41 comments.
RAPALA UL MINNOW
I catch my biggest trout on big stickbaits.
On a whim, I bought a pair of Rapala Ultralight sinking minnows in rainbow trout and brown trout colors. This lure is only 2 ½ inches long, but you can cast it a long way with a spinning rod. It sinks fast, even in swift current. It has a nice wobble, and it flashes like a wounded fry when twitched.
I did well with the rainbow trout color, but in falling water the rainbows abused the brown trout version. I had one hot streak where I caught a fish on every fourth cast.
GULP! ALIVE!
Bill Eldridge and I rely on Gulp! Alive! baits when we want to catch a lot of trout.
It is a line of artificial worms, eggs, crickets and other live-bait imitations that come soaked in a garlic/krill solution. The cotton candy colored worms excel in swift water this time of year. They don’t seem to be as effective in low water during the day, but big trout hit them in low water in low light.
Rig it on a bottom-bouncer that is anchored by a 1/8-ounce or ¼-ounce swivel sinker. A dropper line about a foot above the sinker suspends the bait on a No. 8 or No. 10 short-shank barbless hook.
Sports, Pages 28 on 01/26/2014