What are your preferred assist hooks?

Lures…..I haven’t even seen day-time flyline, light flyline, paddy hopping, yo-yo, jig sticks, speed jigging or slow pitch setups discussed.

Quote from: polepole on April 25, 2025, 04:52:11 AM

On the Okuma rod, I typically look at 20-50 as a solid 30 pound rod.  If you're looking more for a 40, go up one size to ax XH.  I don't have direct experience with this particular rod though, but me personally, I'm using 40 for flyline for BFT.

Got it. I bought the XH. Would the Alijos 12N have enough line capacity for this set up?  Supposedly it holds 400 yards of 60 pound braid.

Appreciate the info, Pole and Eric!

Quote from: LoletaEric on April 23, 2025, 08:16:09 PM

Bring them back to wherever they can spawn, but definitely keep an eye on whether it's a place that can successfully recruit and sustain generations of fish.  If all of the places have standards for water quality, good perennial flows, a culture of protection and celebration around the fish...then it can happen.  It's up to the People, mainly.

That's the jam. Climate change modeling paints a grim picture for many of these smaller streams in their ability to sustain salmon going into the future. Elevated summer water temperatures and increased drought frequency are the primary constraints. If the juveniles can seek shelter in coldwater refugia, they might weather the hot temps...the refugia can consist of spring/groundwater upwellings, or even reservoir releases from the bottoms of dams (Berryessa/Putah Creek situation).

I was curious why opting for solid core vs hollow?

With hollow you can pretty easily slip 150# mono top shot inside your main like a finger trap and have probably closer to 100% strength than any knot can provide. (Cue the debate?) I like how the splice has a lower profile and glides through the eyes smoother than various knots.

Plenty of vids on the splice. There is guy out of Texas (Team Hard Life, or something like that) who has a lot of content on what to do.

I have Jerry Brown hollow core multicolor 100# on a similar set up for BF triolling. Cant say yet how the spliced top shot holds up to a BFT… Hoping to change that this year!

Go on a 3/4 day trip first.   Learn the way of fly lining live bait.   I got first one out of Seaforth.   Free parking, on the San Diego.   Mostly yellowfin tuna.  Can rent rod if don’t have.