Van Staal VM150: First Impressions

Van Staal makes the only reel that look as at home on a solid gold chain as they do on a fishing rod. Their stunning design won me over the very first time I lay eyes on them and I have dreamed of owning one ever since. While the new VM150 doesn’t come in the same stunning gold and silver finishes its big brothers do, its still every bit as beautiful.

The Van Staal VM150 is the latest and greatest addition to my reel collection and will have a primary task of landing big striped bass here on the east coast. Its secondary, but most urgent task, is to join me on my upcoming trip to the British Virgin Islands to chase tarpon and several other species. I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about this reel when I return in mid November, but for now, enjoy the unboxing!

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Late Father’s Day Fishing Adventure!

For the past two years I have done a solo muskie fishing trip to New Brunswick on Father’s Day. This year I wasn’t able to do the trip on Father’s Day, but I did make it out this past weekend. This time I wasn’t alone, I was joined buy a couple of buddies that are fishing rookies who were seriously feeling the Fury. Both Aaron and Jarrod are not completely new to fishing, but hadn’t done much fishing until we started fishing together this spring. We had spent a fair amount of time shore fishing a few lakes nearby without any significant catches. When I told the boys that there were some big mean fish the next province over they both jumped at the opportunity to catch something big.

In typical Fishing Fury fashion, we met up shortly after midnight to begin our 4.5 our voyage to Fredericton, New Brunswick. The drive went surprisingly fast thanks to good company and energy drinks and we got to our destination about 40 minutes before sunrise. I gave the boys a few tips, setup a few rods and gave them a crash course on casting big lures with heavy gear. They both caught on quickly and we all began casting out as far as we could searching for the fish of ten thousand casts.

Within two hours, we had covered some serious shoreline. For reasons unknown, the city of Fredericton thought it would be a good idea to to line the shores of the river with the most jagged, tipsy, slippery rocks they could find. Incredibly, we managed to balance on the rocks in just the right place and Aaron hooked into something mean. Two hours into the trip, Aaron had his first muskie, and biggest fish of his life!

After a few quick photos and some cut hooks, this beauty muskie, estimated to be about 38×16 inches, was on its way back into the river. Shortly after getting some new hooks ready for Aaron’s new favourite lure (the Rapala Super Shad Rap), Jarrod decided to take full advantage of the situation and manage to hook into another big fish before I had even had a chance to cast. The result, Jarrod’s first striped bass, and biggest fish of his life! Aaron decided to lend a helping hand and earned the assist on this one after the striper made a run and crossed his line.

After the lads caught some pretty serious fish, I was able to relax and go after my own. My chance came a few hours later when a I saw a good size muskie chasing my lure toward the dock. I executed a figure 8 at the side of the dock and watched in awe as the muskie lunged at the lure not once, not twice, but three time – missing each time and retreating into the darkness below.

After 10 hours of fishing the boys each lost a solid fish, most likely muskie. Worrying that they were losing interest, I told them we could switch to lighter gear and look for some smallmouth bass, to which they magnanimously agreed that they did not want to do. We fished until darkness, casting big lures in search of another muskie, but in the end I was the only one without a single fish.

We spent the drive home recapping the excitement of the day. A day in which we witnessed bald eagles soaring, massive sturgeons leaping, and Double Downs inside of Baconators. After an epic 24 hour marathon of fishing and driving, we all agreed that we would return for round two as soon as possible.

I Want To Catch A Big Striped Bass

Who knows, maybe even a sixty pounder!

via xtranormal.com

Thanks Yuri!

Striped Bass Quintuple Header!

Striped bass fishing is picking up here in Nova Scotia. I’m hoping to catch my first Canadian striped bass this weekend. While researching striped bass I came across this awesome video featuring a quintuple header, five fish hooked at the same time!

Check out more from the Jordan brothers on Junkfish Journal!

Spring Is Coming – Gear Up and Save Big!

The weather is finally warming up which means only one thing, spring is coming! We all know that spring can be an awesome time for fishing so we’ve teamed up with our friends at OpenSky to offer our readers another great promotion! We’re offering 15% off one of Abu Garcia’s hottest reels, The Revo Toro, so you can gear up for catching some big fish this year. Not only can you save 15% but you can also send your proof or purchase to Abu Garcia and receive a free pair of Wiley X sunglasses, valued at over $125!

Click the image below to head to OpenSky’s spring promotion page, where you can save 10% on all spring products – select the Abu Revo Toro reel and use promo code is REEL15 to save 15%

This offer is only good from March 4th – 11th and while supplies last, so act quickly!

Download the Wily X coupon from Abu Garcia (PDF)

This is Fly 21

With the new year comes a new issue of This Is Fly. Check it out!