Breaking in a new rod

Went to KC yesterday and got a new rod from Tim. It's a Cabelas TQR 5-foot 2-weight. I hurried home and went out to the lake after the storm passed to see how this new little toy felt with a fish on the end of it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG00982.jpg

This was the first nice bluegill on the rod. All I could do was stand there and laugh as the rod doubled over and he ran straight for the weeds! What a fun rod!
Since today was a holiday, I got up and headed back out to the lake first thing this morning. Most folks camping hadn't gotten around yet, so very few people were on the water. I ended up bringing home 8 gills about the same size as the above pic, all on the 2-weight. Before the clouds cleared, purple was just killing 'em, and then chartreuse was the ticket after the sun came out.

Hi Zac,

Cool! Good job, and the gill looks pretty good sized. How many inches long is it?

Regards,

Gandolf

Thanks Stew! Somewhere between 7 and 8 inches, I'd guess... I didn't measure him.

Man! Thats looks like too much fun. I had to grab the Cabelas Catolog and check it out. Did you get the "combo"? Why the 5' over the 5' 6"? I have never used a rod that short. What are they like to cast? Looks like 9" gills to me!

Fun way to break in new equipment, isn't it?
Congrats & thanks for sharing.
Mike

What a pretty Bluegill and they sure are delicious eating. They sure are a great fish to catch, especially when you're fishing with a 2wt rod.

A few years ago, I went fishing with a buddy who was using a Carolina rig for LM bass while I was flailing away with my fly rod. He felt a small tap on his worm but that was all, so he fished it back to the boat. When he brought the worm up, it had a five inch bluebill that had stuffed about three inches of the 8 inch worm down it's mouth and couldn't spit it out. This bluegill sees something that's 40% longer than he is and he's not only going to attack it, he's going to eat it whole. You gotta love a fish with that kind of attitude.

Jim Smith

Jim, yes I love it! Between them and green sunfish, I'm not sure which thinks they have a bigger stomach.

:-DI was fishing for crappie at Cheney last year and caught a 3'' 'gill on a 2'' minnow. It wasn't hooked, it just couldn't, or wouldn't let go.:confused:

Glad you're having fun with it, Zac! Looks like it found a good home.

Great way to start off!!!