Steelhead fishing

I fished the Rocky River near Cleveland, Ohio this morning and did really well. I started out at around 8:30, after some driving around and a long walk to avoid crowds, got into some fish. I had alot of success using copper johns and glo bugs as a tandem rig under an indicator. The water was really clear so i dropped my tippit down to 4lb floro carbon and this led to an increase in strikes and a few break offs. The weather was about perfect and the fish were cooperative.

Starting a vegetable garden

About ten years ago we put in a small garden along the side of my house, for the first few years we took good care of it and had good success growing vegetalbes in it. However the past about 3 years we havent put any work into it and didnt really grow much. We planted a raspberry bush and it took over a huge portion of the garden. Originally we dumped a ton of quality top soil and mixed it in with the unproductive clay soil that we have in my area.

Today I turned over the soil and mixed in a bunch of good top soil. By braking up the chunks of clay and adding rich soil to the garden, i hope it increses the productivity this summer.

I also reclaimed a portion of the garden by cutting the raspberry back. I hope to plant a bunch here in the next week or so and have fresh produce through out the summer.Right now i am planning on planting a few tomatoe plants, green beans, lettuce, carrots and what ever other interesting seeds i find at the store.

Frost Mora, Swedish Mil. Mora Knife Review

The Mora Clipper is a great knife i have been really impressed since i picked it up a few weeks ago. It came with a very sharp blade that I have had to sharpen only once. Once sharpened it stays sharp for a very long time.
When I first got it

I was not sure how i felt about the plastic sheath and plastic handle. I thought it was cheaply made, however it has exceeded all my expectations. I have used it for battoning wrist thick branches for fire wood, carving, and cleaning fish. It has worked very well for each of these tasks. I like how the sheath clips onto things and it can easily be put on a belt or strap on a pack. The sheath holds the knife in suprisingly well and i have never had it pop out.

My only real criticism of the knife is that it is not full tang. the knife runs about halfway through the handle. But even when battoning wood with it, I never felt like it was going to break. I look forward to continue putting a beating on this knife and seeing how it holds up over time. For less than 15$, this knife is a steal.

The blade is 3 7/8" and made of carbon steel, it throws sparks off of a ferro rod really well. The knife and sheath weigh next to nothing and are a great addition to any kit.

Ultralight camping gear

I was getting some of my gear out of storage from the winter and organized for the spring and hopefully a camping trip here in the next few weeks. I usually pack extremely light and enjoy "roughing" it. I usual center my camping trips around fishing and supplement my food with fish i catch.

My gear lis is pretty simple and I am looking to make some additions or subtractions to it before i go.

Shelter
1 10'X10' brown cheap tarp with 15' sections of paracord on each corner attatched to the bottom of the pack
1 cheap pvc plastic poncho(used as a ground cloth and rain gear) stored in the hydration bladder sleave

Cooking
1 32 ounce nalgene bottle (filled all the time)
1 2 liter hydration bladder (not filled till camp)
1 nesting cup for the nalgen bottle( i think it is like 16 or 18 ounces?)
1 small "nesting" frying pan type dish that fits loosely around base of cup held in place with rubber band
a few pieces of tin foil
Rice mix put into individual serving sized bags
Oatmeal portioned into 1 cup bags
bag of jerky
Seasoing(salt, pepper, garlic salt)
small bottle of oil + small bag of flour
water purification pills

Clothing
either a pair of flip flops and a pair of tennis shoes/2 pairs of socks OR velcro sandals
baseball hat
bandana
sun glasses and strap
1 under armor shirt
1 pair of underarmor compression shorts
1 pair zip off nylon pants
1 light rain jacket/wind breaker with hood (optional based on weather)
fron pocket of pack:
wet ones
camp soap
bug spray
mora clipper knife
multi tool
TP
headlamp
first aid kit
ferro rod
lighter
petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls
paracord
compass and map of area
whistle/compass/match holder

Fishing
2 sided plano box full of tackle
ultralight (reel stored in sun glasses bag thing, plastic tube with end caps with rod in side strapped to side of pack)
license

IF I am using my kayak:
dry bag to fit pack inside
paddle+ extra half paddle
micro fiber towel
life jacket

As of now thats what I am going to be taking, right now projected temperatures are in the low 80's during the day and high 50's low 60's at night. If the weather is colder i may opt for a slightly larher pack and a sleeping bag. I probably will make alot of changes here over the next week or so.

palmico 100 kayak review

I currently own 2 kayaks and the Wilderness Systems Palmico 100 is hands downs my favorite boat. Measuring in at 10 feet long and 30 inches across, this kayak has alot of stability while still tracking well on longer paddles. I have used this boat on waters ranging from Lake Erie in decent chop to the Rocky River. It has handled all of the different types of water excellently.

The open cockpit design allows easy entry and exit. I have done alot of fishing out of this boat and it is a blast. It has allowed me on a small budget to target walleye and perch on the lake. On a few occasions while catfishing out of the boat, i have been literally pulled around in the water.

Overall this boat is great, but for longer paddles on flat water it could be a little longer for improved tracking, also the very open cockpit allows some water to get in but that could be solved by purchasing a spray skirt. I really enjoy paddling this boat and think it is a very good value and a great starter boat.

First Post

This blog is going to center around my experiences mainly outdoors in Ohio. I am an avid fisherman, kayaker and outdoorsman and hope to share this with others. I enjoy fishing mainly for steelhead but also enjoy fishing for about anything.