ODC Shakedown and Evaluation (With Pics)

[zonker]

I finally got out today to try out my latest acquisition, my new ODC-420. I also field tested a new pair of Mares Plana Avanti X3 fins. And to top it off I also managed a few trout. I intentionally left home a bit late as it was still 29 degrees when I headed out on the 85 mile trip to my lake destination. It was a beautiful day, but quite cold. Here's a shot of Mount Hood on the way up.

[inline Hood-1.jpg]


When I arrived there was ice on the edges of the pond.

[inline ICE-1.jpg]


I wasted no time getting to the task at hand. I inflated the new ODC and carried my stuff down to the water.

[inline ODC-4.jpg]


Water was a cool 39 degrees. Fish were about.

[inline Buddy-2.jpg]


The new fins proved to be quite comfortable - much more so than the Creek Company ones I had been using since losing my last pair of Force Fins. The Avanti's are a more powerful fin than the Force Fins so they took a little getting used to. Once I adjusted my kick to match the longer, stiffer blades though, I got right into the groove.

[inline MARES-1.jpg]


I picked my fly from the leech/bugger box.

[inline Flies-2.jpg]


And soon had my first customer. Not a big trout but considering the cool water temp, I wasn't complaining.

[inline Trout-1.jpg]


The bite was fairly slow, again probably due to the cool temps but I managed a half dozen little rainbows about the same size.

[inline Trout-2.jpg]


[inline Trout-5.jpg]

I was really looking for the goldens that had been here on previous trips but they were nowhere to be found - at least not for awhile. As the sun warmed the water my hope was that they would come out to play. Finally a few of them did and I got this one.

[inline Gold-2.jpg]


I had to fish hard for my second one. Lots of casts with few bites. Then finally I got a grab with some meat in it.


[inline Gold-1.jpg]


The water was cooling down by now with the sun dipping behind the trees. The bite slowed. My feet began to feel the pain of the cold water, even through the wool socks, neo waders, and neo booties. I decided to try to get a shot of myself in the new tube. I was alone so after some trial and error with the automatic shutter button, I managed to set the camera on the edge of a casting platform and get this shot. The boat is pretty even if the dude in it ain't. Gives some idea of how the thing rides with my 175 pounds and light gear.

[inline ODC-1.jpg]
And a side view. I had the seat back adjusted at too great an angle in this photo. I cinched it up after I notice the angle in the picture. Much better.

[inline ODC-6.jpg]



Once I got the fin rhythm down I could power kick and move along at a fair clip.


[inline Powerkick.jpg]

All in all it was a good day once I had a chance to do the tuber's stomp for about 15 minutes to get the feeling back into my toes.

I'm super pleased with the ODC. I would buy another in a heartbeat if I needed one. It rides high on the water so that I got wet only up to my knees. It is well made - especially for the price I paid ($149). It is a little longer and rides a little higher than my Fish Cat 4. It has plenty of pocket space for a flyfisher like me. The foam seat was comfortable all day, though a taller person might want to sit in one to come up with his/her own answer on that one. The stripping apron, though I thought at first it would be the weak point of the boat, turned out to be adequate for holding my fly line, which is the main function of an apron for my kind of fishing. I had mounted a Scotty rod holder on the front to carry my extra rod but that turned out to be a line grabber. I'll experiment with moving it back a bit farther. Since I carry only two rods when I fly fish from a tube, all I need is one holder.

Can't wait to get back out on the water.

zonker



[signature]

[OldJigHead]

Great review Zonker and great photography work too! Especially on a (29) degree start. From where I am at in Idaho Falls, I am totally envious of your new ride and the fact that you are still getting in some tubin'. I am guessing that I will pay $159.00 to get one (the ride) now since I was late getting in on the sale at Creek Company. Snooze you lose[]

I sent an email to you the other day about some things going on with the Tubin' Times Forum. Hope you have it!

Talk to you later.
[signature]

[Fishhound]

Hey Zonker,

Another great photo session ! You must have a long timer on your camera to have gotten those self portait shots. My camera on has a few seconds of leeway - maybe I haven't figured it out completely yet.

BTW - I have a fishing buddy too. It's great for tubing. Are you left handed ? If not, try your rod holder on the other side and behind your pockets if possible. In any case, if you're like me, and you tend to get totally engrossed in the fishing part, you'll still have some grab and gotcha of the stripped line somewhere on your tube or person - I've even caught my line on myself. But, that might just be me.
[signature]

[ATFISHING]

GREAT REPORT ZONKER! CONGRATS ON THE MAIDEN VOYAGE.....I KNEW YOU'D LOVE YOUR NEW RIDE AND THE FACT THAT YOU ALSO HAD SOME TAKERS IS ICING ON THE CAKE! CONGRATS

ATFISHING
[signature]

[zonker]

Mel,

Thanks for the kind comments. It is kinda nice to live in a place that has lots of open water through the winter. In fact, in some ways I like the winter best - not much competition from other anglers. Now if I could just keep my feet warm...

Sorry you missed out on the sale. I did, too, as I bought mine on the morning of the same day I later spotted the website sale. Oh well, at least I didn't have to pay shipping. And the boat is a bargain even at the higher price, IMHO.

Guess I must have missed your email. Did you send it as a PM on your board or as an email to my address? If you don't mind, could you re-send it? Thanks.

z~
[signature]

[zonker]

FH,

Sure is fun to do those photo essays. Adds an extra feature to the day and adds an hour to the enjoyment when I get home. I even like to read 'em. Anybody want to do one?[cool]

My camera has what I think is a ten second delay, which gives me plenty of time to push the button down and back away to a suitable distance. When I punch the button a red light comes on. This indicates that the countdown has started. A few seconds before the shutter fires, the red light flashes. I guess that's when you're supposed to and keep your eyes open. Took me a little practice to get it down (which gave me a few extra pictures of my armpit) but now that I have the rhythm down, its a "snap." I was a little paranoid about setting the camera on the edge of the casting platform next to the water, though. Afraid I might hear a little "ploop" sound as my toy went swimming, but my fear was never realized. I have a little 5 inch tripod which might have worked but naturally I left it at home where it could be useful.

As you could see by the pic, my Fishin' Buddy II is one of the older models. The newer ones have higher resolution and perhaps a few more features. Since mine continues to work and does a great job spotting fish for me, I've seen no need to upgrade. It also tells me the surface temp. Some guys don't like the narrrow 9 degree vertical cone but it looks to me that it is just an issue of what kind of fishing they do. I mostly fish shallow lakes so I am seldom interested in spotting fish immediately below me (though I do use it occasionally for that.) All I need from "down under" is the depth. The real benefit is the side finder which, as you know, spots fish in the upper section of the water and tells you which direction they are and how far away from the transducer. Yesterday I had fish all over in the upper part of the water column. The problem wasn't finding them. It was getting them to bite in the cold water.

I'm right handed so I'll take your suggestion and try moving the rod holder over to the other side. Putting it behind the pocket presents a challenge because the bottom is sealed up back there. I'd need to cut a couple of slits in the PVC bottom to get the straps through. Not sure if that would cause me grief later if the slits start to expand. Have you done it?

z~


[signature]

[zonker]

Thanks AT. Your testimony, along with Tubedude's was what prompted me to try it.[cool] My grandson will be especially pleased 'cause he gets the FC4.

Your word "icing" makes my feet tingle though.[unsure]

z~
[signature]

[EvilAsh]

Dave, glad you like your new ride. Great pics too. On your rod holder, if you cast right handed, move it to the other side. You shouldn't have any problems there with line tangle up or hitting the rod. Keep the holder at a lower angle.

EA
[signature]

[zonker]

Alan,

Thanks for the tip and for all your help beyond the public forum. I'll move the holder to the other side. That sounds like the solution. Just need to be creative with the location due to the mounting position of the fish finder. I may try swapping the Buddy to the right side or maybe I can get them both on the same front corner on the left side.

I was near to ordering the Echo instead of the ODC. Then I couldn't raise the Venture Outdoors lady. Also couldn't reach the guy at the fly shop who handles them. Wanted to chat with a real person before the order. Probably could have gone ahead had I mounted an all out effort to make contact but by that time I was into the lower priced ODC. Looks like it will do what I need it to do - at least for now.

I did sign up on the "other" board with all the hardcore flyfishers. I'm sure I'll enjoy it and may start posting as soon as I polish up my rusty latin and gain a feeling for the local customs and protocols. Finding a concentrated group of stillwater anglers who fly fish is really a treat. Winter certainly slows the traffic on all of these boards, though.

z~


[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nice work, as usual. You worry about a little ice? I was drillin' and chillin' on two different ice-covered reservoirs today. Only iced one small rainbow and the high temp for the day was 20 degrees. Man, it's a lot of work drilling out a big enough hole in the ice to launch that tube.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Glad you like the new fins. I never get "frigid digits", even in iceup or iceout water. With big enough fins, booties and fins, I just layer up and go for it. The only times I get cold feets is when I have too many layers on and get constriction.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Great pics and narrative. Keep playing around with the "riggin'". That's a big part of the fun of having a new ride...messin' with it until you get it right.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A word of advice. Be careful about succumbing to the propaganda of the Evil One. I have met some members of that group. Hardcore. But, there are really some knowledgeable fly tiers and flingers in the bunch. I guess you could do worse.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[zonker]

No frigid digits? That would be nice. Actually, I think my booties might be a little bit tight. They fit well in the summer when I only have light socks on under the neoprene wader feet but that extra pair of wool socks do probably put the pinch on the feet. I have another pair that I'll try on the next trip. I think they're a little bigger.

Re: Ice fishing... I think I could stand the cold but I wonder if I could get by with a two foot long fly rod?

BTW, where's the report and the pics?[cool][cool][cool]

z~
[signature]

[Bluegillman]

Guess you all know how a donut is, that's what I still have. I wonder about those new one just like all of you guys that are using now, how does it do on a windy days? With the donut I'm pretty much in the water and I can control it but you guys are sitting a little high out of the water only your knees are wet. We do chirstmas name picking and I thought to ask for fins. Looking at yours and TubeDude's list of them and boy I didn't know they do go that high! I was looking for some that would go over my gym shoes for those summer days...
Zonker, love the frist pic of Mount Hood!
[signature]

[OldJigHead]

Zonker,

Just sent you another email tonight. Hopefully, you get it. Might want to check to see if it is in your Bulk Mail fodder. I am also going to send PM so you should get information one way or another.[]

[url "http://flyfishseidaho.net"]Http://flyfishseidaho.net[/url]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No need for a two foot long fly rod, but you gotta be pretty good to lay out a long cast and drop your size 22 into an 8" hole in the ice. Takes practice, especially when your stripping line keeps freezing on the ice. You gotta have a basket, and even then the wet line wants to freeze up between casts.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I put up a post on the Utah Board, but refrained from posting here, 'cause we are not ALL looney here...looney enough for hard deck fishing anyway. But, since you inquired, here is a copy of my Utah post.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]Shoulda stood in bed, but what the heck. Slipping on glassy new ice, almost getting skunked, numb fingers and all that stuff is all worth it, if you are in good company. That's what I've heard, anyway. I was with a pretty grungy group.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Bassackwards, Bassrods, Out4Trout and CBR were already out fishing around the docks by the time I got to the north marina at Willard. The 4" of glassy new ice looked like water in the the early light. I couldn't help chuckling as I took a picture of the no swimming sign. 12 degrees at the time.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We drilled holes and sonared all out along the docks, seeing quite a few fish at mid depth in 12 - 13 feet of water, but only a couple of hits among the group. I worked through my standard variety of offerings without even a nudge. After an hour or so of that stuff, I heard Mantua calling. We all decided to go up there and cover the ice with perch and bluegill. Yeah, right.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The first spot we set up was in about 17 feet of water, and we were hooking weeds. As we decided to look for deeper and weedless water, I hooked my first and only fish of the day...a planter rainbow. Skunk removal at best.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In 20 feet of water, CBR caught the first perch and hailed us to join him. After getting the group set up, BA scored a small perch and about 5 minutes later O4T also iced one. Several minutes later, CBR went bendo on a nice cutt. Measured out about 19 inches. One or two more bites each, all around, and then no more fish. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We tried shallower water, but couldn't find any fish on sonar. Came back out to the original holes and I promptly had a serious whack, on my first drop. Then back to boredom. About 12:30, my rumbling stomach reminded me that I had left my lunch in the car...and I had all the fun I could stand. Temperature had warmed up to about 20 by the time I reached the car.[/#0000ff]
[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13372;"][#000000] NO SWIMMING.JPG [/#000000][/url](102 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13373;"][#000000] DOCKERS.JPG [/#000000][/url](131 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13374;"][#000000] HOLE-Y GATHERING.JPG [/#000000][/url](59.4 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13375;"][#000000] MEN OF MANTUA.JPG [/#000000][/url](75.9 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13376;"][#000000] O4T PERCHIE.JPG [/#000000][/url](137 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13377;"][#000000] CBR CUTT.JPG [/#000000][/url](210 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=13378;"][#000000] CBR CUTT 2.JPG [/#000000][/url](169 KB) [/size][/black][/font]
[signature]

[zonker]

Brrr! Makes me appreciate the relative "heat wave" in which I fished in the earlier narrative of this post. Now I know that it really wasn't a cold day for me since I only had to crunch through the ice on the edges of the pond. And 39 degrees - that's tropical weather. I think my brain is beginning to freeze.[cool]

Think I'll stick close to the fire for a few days before venturing out again.

z~
[signature]

[zonker]

FishHound and EA,

I moved the rod holder to the left side and the Fishin' Buddy to the right. The Buddy sits low enough on the side of the tube to avoid most encounters with the fly line. Looks like that's the solution. With the added ability to switch out lines while in my tube by switching spools, I'll only carry the one extra rod. This seems to be just right for what I need. Thanks for the suggestions.

Tight lines.[cool]

z~
[signature]

[AdictedBassTard]

Hey TD, I was out on Strawberry Resevoir back in '99's winter. That lake does not have fish, it has whales.
I went ice fishing for the first time with a buddy of mine who stayed in Heber City. We took our little jig poles, an assortment of jigs and some Jack Daniels. We were all Eskimoed up, but no chairs, cofee, food or much else. We figured Jack was big enough company to replace all that.
Anyhow, Paul (my friend) was yanking them out the hole faster than a group of Ethiopians fishing beans from a can. I figured, "Well, i'm using what he's using, doing what he's doing and we're only fifteen feet apart. My chances are as good as his. I just have to be patient."
Sure enough ... pow! I called to Paul i had a big one on and he mocked me (the friends I have). When the fish crossed through the beam of sunlight created by the hole, I got my first glimpse and realized just HOW big it was. When it reached the hole I yelled to Paul to come give me a hand and that if he laughed I would like to see him try to catch fish with his pole jammed up his ***.
He came over and tried to gill it, but the fish would not fit through the hole. I told him to use the crush bar and make the hole bigger. He told me he couldn't as the law was eight inch holes only and should there be a gamie watching us, we would both be fined.
Well, the fish got loose and I watched the exhausted trout lazily swim down into the deep and out of sight. I was happy the old codger was alive and someday maybe someone else would have the experience of hooking him (her?).
I would have thrown it back anyhow, since my wifey and I never keep what we catch (we figure someone better or there'll soon be nothing left), we like the sport of the fight and never fish heavier line than 6lbs.
Anyhow, that was my first experience with ice fishing. I have done some here in NY, but they use tip-ups only here. I like using poles and whenever the wife and I stand over our poles jigging, we innevitably draw curious gazes from the others camping on chairs with their tip-ups primed and their jaws wagging constantly, LOL.

-ABT-
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Glad you got to "experience" Da Berry, as we call it here in Utah. Too bad you did not get to hold your biggun, but it is understandable that you chose to use the "professional release", especially since you did not intend to keep the fish anyway.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We have had some significant changes in the fishery since '99. We are now maintaining a population of the larger and more fish-eating Bear Lake cutthroats, in order to keep down the chubs and other rough fish. We have a slot limit (under 15" and over 22") to reduce the number of fish kept. Most anglers release a high percentage of the bigger fish, over the slot limit too. This has resulted in the lake producing increasing numbers of cutts over 25" and it kicks out rainbows over 10 pounds every year.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You need to program some time into your schedule to be out here in October, with your float tube and fly rod. Those big fish really get aggressive in the cooling fall waters and you can catch many in a day on either spinning or fly gear.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Ash and myself bought Force Fins at Sportsmens Warehouse ($129.) this year and what a diffence, even in our higher riding boats, wind is no problem (well, a problem but we could accually more) The wind picked up so bad at Henry's Lake, that I would still be there if it weren't for the Force Fins
Zonker, nice albino, the largest one I have caught was 18" @ Mirror,
What was yours?
[signature]

[zonker]

Flygoddess,

I had a pair of force fins that I purchased before our move to Oregon over 15 years ago and I liked them very much. These were not the new "float tube" variety. They were very comfortable with their open toe area and as I recall, they got me along on my way very well. Then sometime during or after our move I lost them. Don't know if I left them at the house in Cali or on the bank in Oregon somewhere but a diligent search for them turned up nothing but disappointment - enough to make a grown man cry. The recently purchased Avanti's were acquired on the advice of TubeDude and I find I like them very much. The blades are stiffer than the Force Fins, and thus, more "powerful" in that sense. At least that is the term the guy at the dive shop used. I don't remember a shortage of power was any problem in my Force Fin days. Like the FF's, the Avanti's are very comfortable, even with extra socks and hard soled neoprene booties. I had to adapt my kick just a bit to accomodate them (straighter legs, kick more from the hips rather than the knees) but that was no problem. Both of these fins are top notch in my opinion.

Anyway, your question about the albino or "Golden Rainbow Trout" as they are often called... the biggest I have caught was nearly four pounds. I didn't tape it but simply weighed both net and fish and subtracted the weight of the net. It was a real pig because it was so fat. Here is a pic from an earlier post:



As you can see, it was the girth and not necessarily the length that made this trout noteworthy. I meant it when I said "pig."

I like catching big trout and this one surely met my criteria for a worthy subject.

Someday I'd like to fish Henry's Lake and catch some of those brute hybrids like you and Alan have posted on your web page. Until them I'll have to be content with our local steelhead and salmon.[]

z~


[signature]