Hey yall, good to be here! I like what I see here and plan to stay for a while!!
A little about me...
I live in Christiansburg, VA, near the campus of Virginia Tech and am about 5 miles from the New river, my curent home river. I have been fishing the New on and off for 11 years now. I mainly fish for smallmouth right now although my roots have saltwater soaked in them! I was raised on the Chesapeake Bay and come from a long heritage of watermen and civil servants. My love fpr fishing began at the age of 2, 26 years ago. I began flyfishing 18 years ago and been tying almost as long. Building rods for 10 years. I started off tournament fishing on the coast of NC and fished all around the south and then began to guide and loved that more. I guided in coastal NC for several years before I had the opportunity to guide out west. I went to Colorado for a few years, starting at an outfitters that catered to elk, deer, and lion hunting and hired me as the main trout guide. After that place I went to the Aspen valley to teach casting and guide full time and rowed a drift boat down the Colorado and Roaring Fork river and took wade trips to the Frying Pan and high mountain streams/lakes. I tied for a few shops before burning out but still tie for myself and friends. I still make rods but again only for me and a select few.
While working at a trout hatchery during the off-season, I broke my dominant wrist and have been messed up ever since. During one of several surgeries, I sustained nerve damage and a condition called RSD set in, basically a malfunction of the nevous system in my right extremity to put it simple. I can only fish when my hand lets me and do fish left handed but get frustrated as I am extremely right handed and in less than ideal conditions, shoot off target. So I fish with spinning and baitcasting rods for the most part.
That doesn't deter me from coming up with new fly patterns though. I still have a love for flyfishing and really, everything to do with the water and the fish that swim in it.
I have fished at least once in each of the lower 48 states with some states very extensively. I have been to Canada, Europe, and Central America to fish. I have a set goal to catch all the bass species and when I get the Neosho Smallmouth I will be finished. My favorite freshwater fish is the Redeye Bass of the small area in the southeastern mountains. I guess my favorite saltwater fish would be a three way tie between Tarpon, Red Drum, and False Albies.
My favorite rod is my self-built Scott 904, 9' 4wt. I also have a custom 5' 0wt. My streamer-slinger is my Fenwick HMG 6wt. My first flyrod is a Fenglass 5wt which I have had for years.
I fish out of a canoe mostly, an Old Towne 160K Discovery Rowing Version. I don't row it of course, that's what drift boats are for. I got the boat because of it's stability and ability to hold all my gear and still have a shallow draft and runs rapids very well. Lots of room for a friend and oh-so comfortable. I have redone the seats and added lots of accessories like anchor pulleys, a fishfinder, a solar charger and a livewell for certifying trophy fish for a live release. Because of my hand, I use a Minn Kota Endura 46lb trolling motor that has made life good. Paddling takes my energy in my hand quick and leaves nothing to fish. Now I can fish all day, when I'm feeling better than worse.
I have a Prijion Hurricane C-1 that I play in from time to time and have two bigger boats, a 1955 mahoganhny runabout made in Salem, VA with a 16' 1958 Mercury Mark 75 6cyl. that I will show when finished. I also fish out of my Traviscraft (no name on title) 17ft fiberglass center console that I totally stripped and is in the final stages of finishing. It has a big flaired bow with huge front casting/fighting deck and behind, a spacious interior with double bait/live wells and a custon polling platform that will make it an ideal, but modest, inshore tarponer.
A few of my big fish include:
Blacktip Reff shark: 10', Fl. Keys
Tarpon: 126lbs, 6', Pamlico Sound NC
Red Drum: 56lbs Pamlico Sound NC
False Albecore: 14lbs on 9wt, coastal NC
Largemouth: 13lb 5oz, NC
Smallmouth: 8lbs, VA
Redeye bass: 2.5lbs, AL
Cutthroat: 35", CO
Rainbow: 9lbs, CO
Brown: 29", VA
Striper: 37lbs, NC
I look forward to interacting with this site, it seems great! I'm crossing over from riversmallies.com where I have been quite involved with articles and frequent posting. I'm looking to expand my forums as I love more fish than just smallies which even citaitions (20") can be bait for some of the fish I go after. Nothing beats running down the surf, chasing after a bull drum, or a spooling tarpon, or the Gulf Stream tunas that test the limits of fishing equipment. I love it all!
Diving is also a passion as I observe all my quarry and have been watching the smallies in one of the world's oldest rivers and have learned alot underwater.
Feel free to contact me at: travbass2@hotmail.com
and talk fishing!!
A little about me...
I live in Christiansburg, VA, near the campus of Virginia Tech and am about 5 miles from the New river, my curent home river. I have been fishing the New on and off for 11 years now. I mainly fish for smallmouth right now although my roots have saltwater soaked in them! I was raised on the Chesapeake Bay and come from a long heritage of watermen and civil servants. My love fpr fishing began at the age of 2, 26 years ago. I began flyfishing 18 years ago and been tying almost as long. Building rods for 10 years. I started off tournament fishing on the coast of NC and fished all around the south and then began to guide and loved that more. I guided in coastal NC for several years before I had the opportunity to guide out west. I went to Colorado for a few years, starting at an outfitters that catered to elk, deer, and lion hunting and hired me as the main trout guide. After that place I went to the Aspen valley to teach casting and guide full time and rowed a drift boat down the Colorado and Roaring Fork river and took wade trips to the Frying Pan and high mountain streams/lakes. I tied for a few shops before burning out but still tie for myself and friends. I still make rods but again only for me and a select few.
While working at a trout hatchery during the off-season, I broke my dominant wrist and have been messed up ever since. During one of several surgeries, I sustained nerve damage and a condition called RSD set in, basically a malfunction of the nevous system in my right extremity to put it simple. I can only fish when my hand lets me and do fish left handed but get frustrated as I am extremely right handed and in less than ideal conditions, shoot off target. So I fish with spinning and baitcasting rods for the most part.
That doesn't deter me from coming up with new fly patterns though. I still have a love for flyfishing and really, everything to do with the water and the fish that swim in it.
I have fished at least once in each of the lower 48 states with some states very extensively. I have been to Canada, Europe, and Central America to fish. I have a set goal to catch all the bass species and when I get the Neosho Smallmouth I will be finished. My favorite freshwater fish is the Redeye Bass of the small area in the southeastern mountains. I guess my favorite saltwater fish would be a three way tie between Tarpon, Red Drum, and False Albies.
My favorite rod is my self-built Scott 904, 9' 4wt. I also have a custom 5' 0wt. My streamer-slinger is my Fenwick HMG 6wt. My first flyrod is a Fenglass 5wt which I have had for years.
I fish out of a canoe mostly, an Old Towne 160K Discovery Rowing Version. I don't row it of course, that's what drift boats are for. I got the boat because of it's stability and ability to hold all my gear and still have a shallow draft and runs rapids very well. Lots of room for a friend and oh-so comfortable. I have redone the seats and added lots of accessories like anchor pulleys, a fishfinder, a solar charger and a livewell for certifying trophy fish for a live release. Because of my hand, I use a Minn Kota Endura 46lb trolling motor that has made life good. Paddling takes my energy in my hand quick and leaves nothing to fish. Now I can fish all day, when I'm feeling better than worse.
I have a Prijion Hurricane C-1 that I play in from time to time and have two bigger boats, a 1955 mahoganhny runabout made in Salem, VA with a 16' 1958 Mercury Mark 75 6cyl. that I will show when finished. I also fish out of my Traviscraft (no name on title) 17ft fiberglass center console that I totally stripped and is in the final stages of finishing. It has a big flaired bow with huge front casting/fighting deck and behind, a spacious interior with double bait/live wells and a custon polling platform that will make it an ideal, but modest, inshore tarponer.
A few of my big fish include:
Blacktip Reff shark: 10', Fl. Keys
Tarpon: 126lbs, 6', Pamlico Sound NC
Red Drum: 56lbs Pamlico Sound NC
False Albecore: 14lbs on 9wt, coastal NC
Largemouth: 13lb 5oz, NC
Smallmouth: 8lbs, VA
Redeye bass: 2.5lbs, AL
Cutthroat: 35", CO
Rainbow: 9lbs, CO
Brown: 29", VA
Striper: 37lbs, NC
I look forward to interacting with this site, it seems great! I'm crossing over from riversmallies.com where I have been quite involved with articles and frequent posting. I'm looking to expand my forums as I love more fish than just smallies which even citaitions (20") can be bait for some of the fish I go after. Nothing beats running down the surf, chasing after a bull drum, or a spooling tarpon, or the Gulf Stream tunas that test the limits of fishing equipment. I love it all!
Diving is also a passion as I observe all my quarry and have been watching the smallies in one of the world's oldest rivers and have learned alot underwater.
Feel free to contact me at: travbass2@hotmail.com
and talk fishing!!