Tag Archives: trout fishing @en

Players!

Spineri @en, , , , , ,

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Every year, Sakura boyz bring to daylight a piece of fishing gear that takes our breath away.  This year that are Players rods. 8 spinning and 5 casting models look absolutely amazing and we couldn´t wait to get our hands on them. We decided to try ULST and ML+ model and here are our experiences.

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ULST model iz UL toy with solid tip, 2,18 in lenght and 0,5-5 grams of casting weight. It is conceived as a weapon of choice for soft lures, but it´s much more. It handles little spoons, twitchbaits, even smaller inline spinnerbaits with no problem what so ever. So, it´s excellent choice for trout and perch fishing, but it has  enough power to cope with uninvited guests, like smaller pike, chub, even a barbel.

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Players ML+ is also very versalite. With lenght of 2,13 m and casting weight between 3 and 15 grams, it´s great tool for soft lures and it also feels great casting and handling twitchbaits and topwaters. Soft lures around 10 grams together with twitchbaits and topwaters up to 10 cm suit him the best, although ML+ model has enough power to cast and work even heavier lures, like 105 mm Naja SuB.

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Because of its sensitive tip and strong backbone, it´s an excellent choice for finesse fishing for bass, or river fishing for chub, or asp, as well as sea fishing for seabass, smaller bluefish, etc.

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We don´t wanna waste too many words about design, it´s enough to look at the photos. We find it beautiful. It´s important to say that all Players come with Fuji guides and KR concept, Fuji reel seat and monoblock handle for better balance and sensibility.

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For info about rest of the Sakura Players range, there is a link, and to see how ML+ model works in practice, click on a YT video!

http://www.sakura-fishing.com/cannes/players/

Baby face killers!

Spineri @en, , , , , , , , , ,

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We present you 2 spin rods:

Garbolino Ghetto rider ul and Garbolino Game hunter microlure.

Ghetto rider

Ghetto rider is a fancy spin rod which will hardly leave you indifferent. Hot red blank with Fuji K series guides, split handle made of red and black eva foam and Fuji skeleton split reel halter will leave you speechless even for a moment. To some, design like that will be avant-garde and progressive, to others it´ll be a total miss. If you prefer classic rods, I doubt it you´ll even take it in your hands and try what it feels like. Well, too bad for you.
First round guys from Top fishing store ordered sold out in a day or 2. I only managed to try one last left that was reserved for someone. I was stunned. I thought it over and ordered one eventually. I assigned it for trout fishing and couldn´t wait for the season to start. First half an hour I fished with it, I thought I couldn´t set a hook. Truth is I felt every stone my inline spinnerbait stratched. It felt like a bite because of a super sensitive rop tip. First fish i hooked was a small brown trout. Every one who caught one knows how nervous that fish is once when hooked. Over the rod tip I felt every single move, every twitch it made. That trout could jiggle for an hour and it wouldn´t fall off. I cuddle it for a while and then I realised it can wrestle with much bigger fish. So it did.

 

Game hunter

Game hunter, partly because of a camouflage pattern and thicker handle above reel holder (25 mm diameter), at first looks kinda beefy. For real, there are not too many differences compared to Ghetto rider. It is 30 g heavier than Ghett rider, but once you mount reel on, you can hardly feel the difference. Reel weighting around 250 g works well for both of them. Game hunter has normal guides, finish is nice, and it´s quite similar to Ghetto rider with it´s action. Same as with Ghetto rider, blank is super fast and sensitive, rod tip detects shy bites well, but it has strong backbone which can cope with bigger fish than you could imagine. Although print on a blank says microlure, this blank can cope with normal lures without any problem. That is work horse, for fishermen who catch fish and who don´t bother with high end components and make up on the rod. Considering we are dealing with 2 very similar blanks, general impression can be said in 3 words: baby face killers. In 4 words, wolf in sheep’s clothes. In 5 words.. No, I am just kidding. Both of these 2 are great for what they are made for. Thay cast and feel small, UL lures superb. On the other hand, you can cast a 20-25 grams of a weight with it. 10 cm slit shad with 15 g jig hook, for a n example. We did it, it is possible. How ever, they feel the best with softbaits up to 7 cm and 7-8 g, twitchbaits between 5-8 cm and metal jigs up to 10 g. We landed few bass around 1,5 kilo, barbel around 2, couple of asps over 60 cm, and so on. These boys can do it. Ghetto rider is more expensive because of Fuji k series guides (which trully are tangle free!), Fuji reel halter, it weights less and its design is great. If you ask me. On the other hand, if you like ´more common´ rods better, with Game hunter is a rod for you. Whichever you choose between these 2, you can´t go wrong.[ezcol_1half]_MG_4675[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]_MG_4677[/ezcol_1half_end]

Game hunter je radni štap, za ribiče koji love ribu i ne zamaraju se opremom, šminkom i high end komponentama. Nadam se da mi nitko neće zamjeriti kada napišem da je game hunter ekonomična verzija ghetto ridera, i to jako, jako isplativa.

S obzirom da se radi o jako sličnim blankovima, opći dojam za oba se da izreči u 3 riječi: ubojice dječjeg lica. U malo više riječi, oba štapa odlično odrađuju ono za što su namjenjeni: bacaju i osjećaju male varalice, bilo da se radi o jig streameru vezanom na 2 g glavici, ili nekom tviču od 5 cm. I kad lupi manja riba, zabava je zagarantirana zahvaljujući punoj špici koja odradi i prenese i najmanje trzaje. Pri drilu veće ribe, ostatak štapa ulazi u fajt i sa ribama do 2-3 kg nema problema, pa makar se radilo o mreni oko dvice u jakom štromu. Klenovi, bassevi, ili pastrve oko 50, kao i boleni veći od toga nemaju šanse. Mada smo bacali i 15-20 g teške jig udice sa 10 cm dugim silikoncima, preko 10 g i 7 cm dugih silikonaca ne bih išao. Isto vrijedi za razne žlice i pilkere. 5-10 g je optimum. Što se voblera tiče, 5-7 dugi tvičevi bi bili optimalni, a do 10 cm nema nikakvih problema sa kontrolom i vođenjem. ´Meps´ dvojka je taman, a ni sa trojkama nema problema.

Svoju cijenu ghetto opravdava opremom (fuji k stvarno je tangle free!), malom težinom, jako dobrim općim dojmom pa i dizajnom koji je nesvakidašnji. Fujijev split halter, koliko god čudno izgledao na prvu odlično leži u ruci i poboljšava osjetljivost, jer su i dlan i kažiprst na blanku. S druge strane, ako vas ne smeta malo aljkavija završna obrada, ako trebate radni štap, za stvarno malo novaca (oko 400 kn) u game hunteru dobijete štap sličnih performansi. S obzirom da s oba štapa možete pokriti ultra light, light pa i medium light ribolov donekle, ozbiljno konkuriraju za best buy do 500 kn, odnosno 1000 kn.

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Specifications:

Game hunter

lenght: 2,22 m

tip diameter: 1,2 mm

butt diameter: 10,2 mm

handle lenght: 44 cm

lenght from reel till the end: 37 cm

weight: 144 g

casting weight: 1- 7 g

guides: 9

space between guides: 90-32-24-19-15-12-11-10-9 (cm)

diameter 24-15-10-8-6-6-5-5-5 (mm)

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Ghetto rider

lenght: 217

tip diameter: 1,1 mm

butt diameter: 9,6 mm

handle lenght: 38

lenght from reel till the end: 33

weight: 115 g

casting weight: 1- 7 g

guides: 9, fuji k series

space between guides: 92-30-21-18-15-12-11-9-8

diameter: 24-15-12-10-8-7-7-5-5

 

Rastoke brownies

Spineri @en, ,

A hundred kilometers from Zagreb Slunjčica (I bet you can´t pronounce this!) flows. It just to be rich with grayling in past, but they say it´s over fished now. In non-fishermen circles, it is famous for Rastoke. Slunjčica (try slunchisa) flows into Korana river in a series of impressive waterfalls there, and, trust me, it´s breathtaking! I imagined it like fast and shallow, but it is just the opposite. It is deep, clear and really slow flowing. You can buy fishing license in a Vodena ovca (water sheep) caffe like we did. We sipped coffee in a matter of seconds cause we saw trout in a creek beside the caffee and we couldn´t sit still not a moment longer. You can try fly fishing in a centre of Rastoke, between old mills, but we decided we´ll go upstream.

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Upstream of the bridge in some 15 minutes my buddy Krmpa takes 5 trouts on a orange Berkley nymph. I can´t get a bite on my twitch wobblers, not so ever. I saw couple of smaller fish by the bank, but they stay indifferent. I am changing my presentation. I am trying to get a bite on inline spinnerbait near the bottom first and then I am doing the same with jig streamer. That gives me 2 short bites. I have a feeling if they were just nibbling on feathers.

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Upstream of a waterfall, we see couple fish, I even manage to get one´s attention, but again, without happy end. On another waterfall i misshook one on inline spinnerbait and I am getting nervous. I know these I see can´t be fooled, but I can´t help myself and I keep on aiming them. 3 hours later, I am depressed. Not a single fish. Not a smallest trout. Nothing. Krmpa and Robert decide to take a break for a lunch, I am hungry as well, but sense of frustration is stronger so I continue upstream. I am hoping for some rapids, but all i get is a shallow part of a water with a couple fish around 25- 30 cm. All the sudden, from a water vegetation half a meter long fish comes out! I am skintight by the tree, she can´t see me. She swims thru that area like big white shark. Smaller fish get out of her way.
Water is standing still so I decide to offer her small silent twitchbait. I am throwing it, it ´s turning, it goes after the lure, and it stops. It´s following it again, but without any hint it´ll attack it now, or in a half a million years. It swimms almost cheerfull behind it. She came all the way to the bank and only thing n the world I would like to do right now is to jump on its head! Like its aware of just might could of happen, she´s taking off.

I give up, I take off too, outplayed and defeated. I am getting back to those waterfalls and rapids. Right in time to see Krmpa has a good fish on a fly. It lasts couple of seconds and then rod straightens. We have some really cool curses in our language and my buddy is using almost all of them. I know the feeling, my friend.

He had it on a streamer so I copy him for a while, but it´s boring. Let´s try metal jig for a change. Cast on the other side, I let it sink and start to twitch it. Couple of casts later, I finally got one! It took me six hours, but I got one. She pumps at the bottom first and then jumps out of the water. It breaks loose ina the air. Metal jig goes one way, fish goes another. Respect! Nevermind, showtime started.

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In next 5 casts I get 4 fishes. They are definetely feeding frenzy. It lasts 30, 40 minutes and it stops. 6 hours of agony and half an hour of delight. Good enough, let´s go home.

Čabranka, river of fulfilled dreams

Spineri @en, , , , , ,

Winding road takes us thru Risnjak mountain from Delnice to Čabar. Deer jumps from the woods, stops for a moment and disappears back in woods. It´s been 7 or 8 years since I visited Cabranka (it pronounces chabranka) last time, maybe even more. I knew nothing about trout back there. However, among couple of rainbows, I was so lucky to lure beautifull 44 cm long brown trout. I couldn´t take my eyes of her when I finally landed that lovely fish. Adrenalin hit me so hard i was shaking for quite some time after I took some photos and released it. Every now and then, photos of some trout caught in Cabranka river were released in fishing magazines in Croatia. Each time it was like they are calling me to come back.

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Couple of years later, here we are, drinking coffee in Klaric caffe bar and talking with Mr. Klaric. Through conversation with him, Robert and me decide to start our excursion all the way downstream, where Cabranka meets Kupa river. I am occupied with trout, while Robert has his mind set on grayling, whose population is rich in those parts of Cabranka. Cabranka is pretty low, but I manage to trick couple of smaller brownes. Robert is bathing some flies somewhere behind me. In a deeper part of river I finally see school of nicer fish. I try with inline spinnerbait first, then with a twitchbait, but I get no response. So I move along upstream, certain it these are graylings.

In next gap happens the same, and in a third try i finally have a fish. It came out after an inline spinnerbait, but didn´t take it in a first try, so I offered her Megabass X-55 twitchbait next. It couldn´t say no to that. Brown around 30 cm soon got back in a certainty of a hole she jumped out. In a couple of hundred meters upstream I caught couple more fish, and then at Gerovcica river mouth strong strike stops my inline spinnerbait. I am sure I hooked nice brown trout, but happiness lasts only till I saw chub under my feet. He packed lure in its mouth like he hasn´t eat for days. Now i realise those shadows from deep weren´t grayling, but chub. That´s why Robert couldn´t catch any!

We skip shallow parts upstream and then rain starts to fall like crazy so we rest in a car for a while. As soon as rain stopped, we are back in business. We fish on a part of Cabranka that is shallow at first and then starts to deepen. I can´t hook decent fish which strikes my Aglia with gold blade 2 times in a row, I land only a couple of smaller fish. We take a break for a quick snack and we´re back on the water in no-time. It´s late afternoon and I simply can´t postpone a visit to the place where I caught my first brown trout any more. I recognized the rock beneath which it jumped out at first. But water level is lower than it was back then, who knows where it is now.

I am going downstream back to place where I left Robert. He had cople of smaller trout and nice grayling on a fly rod. It´s getting dark so we pack. In that moment a car parks, guy comes out and says to us Mr. Klaric sent him to show us a fish. He grabs a big bag from a trunk. At first I thought he has a huchen in it. When he took it out of a bag, I couldn´t believe what i saw. It was a trout. Big, fat brown trout. 6,9 kilos and 70 centimeters. Robbie takes few shots of a lucky fisherman with his trophy and they leave. When we came back to caffee, Mr. Klaric just looked at us and smiled..

What´s up, guys, he says..

What´s up? Someone catches a 7 kilo carp and he´s happy, pike, or zander that big is a nice trophy everywhere. This guy caught 7 kilo brown trout, that´s what´s up! We were lucky to see biggest brown caught in Cabranka river ever. Couple of beers after we are still under impression, but it´s time to hit the bed. Tomorrow morning we are back on water. We fish for a couple of hours and come back for a coffee.

Mr Klaric suggests us that we go upstream and give it a try around powerplant. Cast a jig and you´ll get some fish, no doubt, he says. We´ll do, sir! We parked somewhere downstream the powerplant and went up. Cabranka flows thru woods here and there are lot of rocks in it. Lot of whitewater. So I tie a jig head on a knot, rig Sakura Slit shad on it and cast it in a whitewater. It sank, water caried it and i felt something. I wasn´t sure if it was a rock, or a fish, but I decided to set a hook anyway. My Ghetto rider bended as fish wildly swam downstream. I managed to turn her, and it jumped out of the water. Rainbow! Another jump, some more pumping and here it is, in my hand. For a moment only. Each time I try to catch it, she goes ballistic! Finally, it lies tired on a side. Silver beauty rests in my hands just as long as robbie needs to take couple of photos and then it jumps out of my hands. That´s some crazy ass fish, I think to myself.

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We get out of river bed just by the powerplant and got back couple of hundred meters upstream. Waterfalls, one after another but with not much water. Tough terrain. We finally hit one that is richer with water and has a deeper pool. Again I lay my hopes in Slit shad. Cast in a corner of a pool takes trout around 30 cm out of its shelter, but it misses my lure. I decide to let it rest so I aim straight in white water. Lure dissapears and only a second or 2 laterit stops. Maybe it jammed between 2 rocks, I am thinking, so I nicely try to free it with a tip of my rod. As line got tense I realized rock moves. I set a hook as hard as I could and fish got mad. She pumps like crazy, Ghetto Rider is bent like I am fighting big bass, and fish is all round the pool. I am yelling for my friend to come down and help me, but he´s talking on his cell phone and doesn´t hear me screaming. He finally sees I am in a trouble, but trout is tired enough I can pull her in a shallow water. Beautifull brown trout rests there for a while, while Robbie sets his Canon and after a number of photos I bring it back to life and there it goes. I light a cigarette to calm down and buddy goes back to his cell phone. I wanna catch that smaller one as well. i rig new Slit shad on a jig hook, cast it and half a meter before that rock I was aiming another nice trout grabs my lure. I yell Robbie, Robbie again, he turns around, sees my bend rod and he´s like, oh no, not again! I start to laugh. Ghetto rider tames this as well, fish is soon tired, I wanna unhook it while my buddy gets down and in that moment fish twitches, runs thru my hands, my boot slips and I lose my balance as I try to turn to catch it once again and I fall in water. What the hell, some have to get away! We get out of the water satisfied and go search for some tamer terrains. We find a dam and decide to give it a try. 10 minutes later Robert catches nice dark trout and that´s it. Time to eat something. We fish some more after, Robert lands nice grayling again and the day is at his end.

Tomorrow morning after coffee we pack. Time to go home. We got what we came for, we saw giant brown trout and we´ll sure come back.