10-25-2014, 03:57 PM
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[font "Calibri"]Cold temperatures ended our long season with Hand in Hand Outdoors boat designed for the disabled at Strawberry. 100’s of disabled vets and children with disabilities had been aboard both at Utah lake and Strawberry, but it is now time to remove the boat from her slip and bring her home for the winter.[/font]
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[font "Calibri"]A torn rotory cup temporarily ended my casting, but I was determined to take advantage of the extraordinary fall fishing at strawberry. I couldn’t cast flies, but I could certainly troll the big streamers.[/font]
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[font "Calibri"]I was looking for a way for individuals with restricted use of their upper limbs to catch fish beyond the electric reels we have aboard so I purchased some gimbel belts to strap around them and a couple of specialized trolling rods with long fighting butts to fit in the gimbel. Completing the package is a multiplying fly reel that retrieves line at a 3.0 1 ratio which would, hopefully, ease the task of winding in the fish. Strawberry trout have moved into the top of the water column so I loaded the reels with 100 yds of backing and a sinking level 7 wt fly line and 12 feet of fluoro leader. Flies selected to try were big bucktails and streamers that had worked well for me when I could still cast a fly; mickey finns, mormon girls, bunny leeches, egg sucking leeches, and a few patterns I had tied for the testing.[/font]
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[font "Calibri"]As I expected, the fishing was good. Each trip I took in my own boat took fish with the long rod. If the rod was left in the gunwale mounted rod holder, the disabled individual could quickly get the trout to net with the specialized reel providing he or she had enough use of either arm to reel. When the long rod was placed in the gimbal and attached to the wheelchair it worked as well. With insufficient arm strength the electric reel could be attached to the fly rod. This was going to work and provide new opportunity when the 2015 season begins for those who otherwise might not be able to fish. Very exciting.[/font]
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[font "Calibri"]Each trip out we would catch 15 to 20 trout. Depending on location and the fly used the trout would either be a majority of slot cutthroat with a sprinkling of rainbows or the majority rainbows. Cutthroat which do not have a reputation for being ferocious fighters offer new challenges on long fly rod and the drag of trolling speeds of 2.0 to 2.50 mph which is as slow as I can troll with either boat without using the electric motors, but this is a plus to the disabled individual with a fight to remember and now allows us to troll on the big pontoon boat. Side planers will facilitate trolling 6 lines when we have wheelchair bound warriors or children aboard .[/font]
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[font "Calibri"]Yesterday we fished in the narrows and the catch was 12 rainbow and 8 cuttroat. The best flies were egg sucking leeches, bunny leeches and the mickey finn bucktail. Over the series of tests the number one streamer is a fly we have tied for us that we call Red Eyed Janice. The streamer is basically a black bunny hair streamer tied with red eyes and a stinger or tail hook to foil the short striking cutthroat.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]For the angler without disabilities what we have garnered can apply to a great day of fishing. A sinking fly line with a streamer or bucktail is certainly effective right now and the fly rod makes the fight special. Lacking a fly rod and reel one color of lead core tied to a trolling reel or even a spinning reel will get you down to the right depth. It is a fun way to fish and from my perspective it beats bait fishing and is more productive than lures. for the disabled angler it is a brand new tool![/font]
[font "Calibri"][url "http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org"]http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org[/url] [/font]
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[font "Calibri"]Cold temperatures ended our long season with Hand in Hand Outdoors boat designed for the disabled at Strawberry. 100’s of disabled vets and children with disabilities had been aboard both at Utah lake and Strawberry, but it is now time to remove the boat from her slip and bring her home for the winter.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]A torn rotory cup temporarily ended my casting, but I was determined to take advantage of the extraordinary fall fishing at strawberry. I couldn’t cast flies, but I could certainly troll the big streamers.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]I was looking for a way for individuals with restricted use of their upper limbs to catch fish beyond the electric reels we have aboard so I purchased some gimbel belts to strap around them and a couple of specialized trolling rods with long fighting butts to fit in the gimbel. Completing the package is a multiplying fly reel that retrieves line at a 3.0 1 ratio which would, hopefully, ease the task of winding in the fish. Strawberry trout have moved into the top of the water column so I loaded the reels with 100 yds of backing and a sinking level 7 wt fly line and 12 feet of fluoro leader. Flies selected to try were big bucktails and streamers that had worked well for me when I could still cast a fly; mickey finns, mormon girls, bunny leeches, egg sucking leeches, and a few patterns I had tied for the testing.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]As I expected, the fishing was good. Each trip I took in my own boat took fish with the long rod. If the rod was left in the gunwale mounted rod holder, the disabled individual could quickly get the trout to net with the specialized reel providing he or she had enough use of either arm to reel. When the long rod was placed in the gimbal and attached to the wheelchair it worked as well. With insufficient arm strength the electric reel could be attached to the fly rod. This was going to work and provide new opportunity when the 2015 season begins for those who otherwise might not be able to fish. Very exciting.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]Each trip out we would catch 15 to 20 trout. Depending on location and the fly used the trout would either be a majority of slot cutthroat with a sprinkling of rainbows or the majority rainbows. Cutthroat which do not have a reputation for being ferocious fighters offer new challenges on long fly rod and the drag of trolling speeds of 2.0 to 2.50 mph which is as slow as I can troll with either boat without using the electric motors, but this is a plus to the disabled individual with a fight to remember and now allows us to troll on the big pontoon boat. Side planers will facilitate trolling 6 lines when we have wheelchair bound warriors or children aboard .[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]Yesterday we fished in the narrows and the catch was 12 rainbow and 8 cuttroat. The best flies were egg sucking leeches, bunny leeches and the mickey finn bucktail. Over the series of tests the number one streamer is a fly we have tied for us that we call Red Eyed Janice. The streamer is basically a black bunny hair streamer tied with red eyes and a stinger or tail hook to foil the short striking cutthroat.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]For the angler without disabilities what we have garnered can apply to a great day of fishing. A sinking fly line with a streamer or bucktail is certainly effective right now and the fly rod makes the fight special. Lacking a fly rod and reel one color of lead core tied to a trolling reel or even a spinning reel will get you down to the right depth. It is a fun way to fish and from my perspective it beats bait fishing and is more productive than lures. for the disabled angler it is a brand new tool![/font]
[font "Calibri"][url "http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org"]http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org[/url] [/font]
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