Smaller Nanofil Spooled & Ready

"Do you think it's the rod, reel or line?" Nathaniel asked me about my casts, which were consistently traveling a seriously long distance. We were fishing jerkbaits across broad bars, where longer casts simply met more time with the bait in the zone, and my casts were consistently traveling farther than his (which isn't normal when we are rigged similarly."

"Maybe rod and then line," I suggested. I wasn't sure though, because our rods were similar in length in action and both well balanced, so between casts, we traded.

We again cast toward the same bank and his cast traveled a good 20 feet farther than mine. "It's the line!" we stated simultaneously and with equal certainty. He was struck by how effortlessly my line flew of the reel. I felt his line grabbing when I cast.

Nathaniel's line wasn't stiff or old. It was a soft, light copolymer that handles well and is actually quite castable. I was fishing with Berkley Nanofil, though, and we were both amazed by just how well it cast. I've been fishing with 8-pound Nanofil on a couple of rods for a while now, and have really been happy with its performance. However, that was the first time I had a direct comparison with another rod rigged the same -- other than the line type -- and I'm absolutely sold.

Castability is the no. 1 selling point of Nanofil, a relatively new "uni-filament" that was designed for spinning reels and offers tremendously small diameter, relative to break strength.

So far, I've only fished 8-pound test and have only used a highly visible white version, which definitely requires a leader for trout or other clear-water fish. I just spooled a couple of my trout reels with 4- and 6-pound low-vis green Nanofil and am eager to put those reels and that line to work! Looks like that opportunity might come tomorrow, so I'd better get some fish stories finished and some other trout junk gathered!

Gear: Classic Meets Innovation in Ugly Stik GX2

Some things just can't wait.

The Shakespeare Ugly Stik changed the world of fishing when I was11 years old, and I got my first one soon after. So I've been fishing with Ugly Stiks (both my own and in other people's boats) from time to time for most of my fishing years. Therefore, when a new Ugly Stick GX2 arrived at my house yesterday, I knew I had to slip out to the beaver pond for at least one lap. I felt a need to cast the new Ugly Stik and hopefully feel it bent and wobbling. So I spooled the reel with Spiderwire Stealth Glo-Vis Braid (also new and very cool, but that's another story), tied on a Daiichi 2/O Catch and Release circle hook and grabbed a package of Berkley Havoc Subwoofers. Then Nathaniel and I headed out after dinner for a quick evening outing.

Time was short and the fish weren't going wacky, but I'm happy to report that a couple of fish did choose to cooperate, allowing me to feel the new rod more fully in action.

As billed, the GX2 looks and feels mostly like a classic Ugly Stik, and while no situation tested this part, word is that the new rods feature every bit of the toughness that has always been the signature of an Ugly Stik. New features include far improved guides, which are insert-free, a new construction Shakepeare is calling Ugly Tech and a blank-through-reel-seat design. The result of the latter two changes is a little lighter feel and a better balanced combination.

Like Classic Ugly Stiks, the new ones are black with a clear tip section and with the traditional gold markings near the handle. However, and embossed logo on the foam grip and some red accents give them a slightly newer and more dressed up look.

I've only got to try out the new Ugly Stik for about 45 minutes so far, but you can trust it will get used to catch a lot of different kinds of fish.

Fishing Around the Clock

Photo courtesy of Recycled Fish

Have you ever fished 24 hours straight? Ever thought about it? Right now would be a great time to think much more seriously about the idea.

Here's the deal:

Every year, Recycled Fish conducts a 24 Hour Fish-a-Thon, where anglers all over the country fish 24 hours straight to raise awareness about and funds to assist with problems facing local fisheries. The Fish-a-Thon, which is presented by Berkley, is sort of like a a walkathon, except instead of walking miles, you fish hours (which is a lot more fun), and folks pledge money to support a your local cause.

Teams, which can be any pre-registered group of two or more anglers, log and photograph their catches as they go and then send in the photos and catch details soon after, so everyone can compare notes about who was catching what at the same time. There are also prizes (really good ones) for fundraising and awareness efforts and catches, and cathes are tallied using a unique points system that takes into account the varying sizes of different species of fish.

The folks at Recycled Fish hope to get at least one team fishing in every state in the country. They have a quite a few already and a wide geographic mix, but there are still a lot of holes to fill.

Fish-a-Thon days are Sept. 7,8, but if you're even kind of interested, check out the details right now because the entry deadline is this Sunday, August 12. And if you can't fish, check out the causes other teams are fishing for and make a support pledge

The Mission Statement of Recycled Fish says: Recycled Fish is the non-profit organization of anglers living a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water because our lifestyle runs downstream.