Buddy...

So I got this buddy I met on this website (yes this website). His name is John, you can future out his handle. He makes wine, and literally makes car and boats too!

Anywho, he sent me a fishing rod. Super nice 9 footer. breaks down into 3 pieces. Comes with a great, strong as bull, case.

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Oh no, you figured it out.

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I put a small reel on it, with Varivas PE 6lb test line. And dang can it toss a 1/32 ounce PICO jig. Wow. I mostly use it to livescoop crappie with, the PE makes the bite feel huge. And with the short butt on the reel, it is a heck of a fight. Great finesse fishing style for sure.

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And one more thing. When I catch crappie to keep/eat, I usually chill the fish over night on ice (and in fridge). I do this for three reasons. 1) The fish don't flop much when I clean it! In fact, don't flop at all. 2) It's stiff, and easier to handle/clean. 3) The meat is whiter.

I never really showed y'all this last theory, but today I cleaned fresh caught and still alive crappie, and crappie I chilled which were caught yesterday.

Here's a pic of the fillets right after cleaning. Guess which is which?

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Doh, chilled one on top in pic...just sayin'. John is a great person, congrats on the new pole and case. Nice fishes too!!!

That's a fine looking rod and a top notch case too! Evidently, Rojo is a man of many talents.

Awesome. Lots of great folks here at cdc. John is one of the best. The owner of cdc is another one. :highfive

NICE!!!


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Originally Posted by Jamesdean

Doh, chilled one on top in pic...just sayin'. John is a great person, congrats on the new pole and case. Nice fishes too!!!

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I have a theory, when a crappie is "chill killed", all the blood goes to its organs to keep it alive longer. Kinda like people that fall in ice water and live even after not breathing for a while.

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Originally Posted by Slab

I have a theory, when a crappie is "chill killed", all the blood goes to its organs to keep it alive longer. Kinda like people that fall in ice water and live even after not breathing for a while.

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Awesomeness

Awesome looking set up for sure !
I agree 100% on chilling before filleting makes so much easier and not near the mess!

And I thought you doubled your usual daily catch. :Rofl Nifty pole and case bud.

My neighbor down the street does something similar.

He puts his catch in an old cooler and then covers them with a couple old towels. Then he puts a few jugs that he has filled with water and froze on top of the towels. He leaves them in the garage overnight and cleans them the next day.

It does make a difference.

Very nice rod Boss. Give to a guy that gives rods to the rest of us. It’s way better than any of the others you’ll have in your hand.

Also a good reason to chill kill, as you call it. I’ve done that before but never put 2 and 2 together. I bet they do taste different and I know they’re easier to fillet.

Lots of talent and generosity on this forum, eh?

Very nice gift you got there.



I chill my fish by adding ice, some water and some salt. Makes a super cooled slurry. No need to take a nap when you get back as they are ready to go right away.

Very nice rod and case.
Bob

Are we gonna be able to win one of these rods at some point?

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Originally Posted by chaunc

Are we gonna be able to win one of these rods at some point?

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Not my rods, PM Rojo if you want one.

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Originally Posted by chaunc

Are we gonna be able to win one of these rods at some point?

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I'm sure we can find one for that Bud.

I've been out of town on a Sport Clays event. All the Crappie I catch I lay flat in the cooler on a small block of ice. Seems if you lay them down instead of tossing them in the cooler they don't flop around as much. When the body feels cold either I slide them to the side or they flop off the ice making room for another. As soon as I get home I cube ice several inches thick everything in the box to quick chill the fish. Interesting thing, when the water is real cold I caught the fish in it may take a day or more for them to die. I don't fillet till Ice cold and Stiff.

looks like a nice rod , way to nice for me for sure , rod breakage on nice ones is what I do .....:Rofl
as far as chilled fish , the guides here dry chill them sometimes too , nothing worse than a lively crappie on the cleaning board , they bleed like a stuck pig and the filets are all pink when youre done , instead of white , just saying

I used to have a video on YouTube of me with a 22# Redfish on one of my 9wt Fly rods. It showed me twisting my body wrapping the rod around myself trying to break it. My Buddy who was filming shouted "You're going to break the rod! I said I'm trying to!". The look on his face after that was priceless. He's used to fishing with $1000 Orvis fly rods and his mind could not go to a place where my rods were any less quality because we flat out Kicked some Bull Red Booty that day and the rods were flawless through it all. They fish like a big money rod. Everything Rojo Grande is environmentally engineered for a Saltwater Angler.

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Originally Posted by Rojo

I used to have a video on YouTube of me with a 22# Redfish on one of my 9wt Fly rods. It showed me twisting my body wrapping the rod around myself trying to break it. My Buddy who was filming shouted "You're going to break the rod! I said I'm trying to!". The look on his face after that was priceless. He's used to fishing with $1000 Orvis fly rods and his mind could not go to a place where my rods were any less quality because we flat out Kicked some Bull Red Booty that day and the rods were flawless through it all. They fish like a big money rod. Everything Rojo Grande is environmentally engineered for a Saltwater Angler.

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we use salty rods when we chase sockeye in Alaska , most salt stuff is a bit tougher than the freshwater gear.
locally there was a lady that built crappie rods and she actually used real diamondback rattler skin on them .
never asked how much , but BOY howdy were they some kind of pretty rods ...
ketch wonders if you could do that too ....someone might have the snake skins and or python maybe ? lots of them in Florida you know and the good news ....you could cover an entire 16 foot rod with most of them slithers .....:Rofl

That is a great looking rod and case!!


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Nice looking rod and case and a nice gift to a fellow crappie fisherman from a craftsman. Good job.


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Nice! The members on here are the best. Now we gotta figure out how to get our hands on some of that delicious looking wine!! LOL


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