Breaking in a new rod

[quivira kid]

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.



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.

[Gandolf]

Hi Zac,

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

Regards,

Gandolf

[quivira kid]

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

[crappiecrazy]

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!

[ohiotuber]

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

[James Smith]

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

[quivira kid]

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

[rrhyne56]

Great way to start off!!!