A rain gear review interrupted by 2 good fish

Dec 30 2022

David Felton

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
122

Reservation Number : 34588
Property Name : Dogwood Lakes Estate: West Lake
Reservation Date : 12/29/2022 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 2 LBM, 4.12lbs and 5.75lbs
Lures Used : Tx rigged paddle tail, Tx rigged beaver style creature

My fishing buddy and fellow member Mark Daugherty and I braved the frigid 70 degree late December day to test out our new rain gear.  He was sporting the fashionable and functional Sims gear, while I opted for the budget friendly Frogg Toggs Pro Pilot II that don’t match.  We decided to do some fishing while we were standing out in the rain that alternated between light drizzle, steady rain, hard pounding thunderstorms, just clouds, and repeat.  Watere conditions were 48-50 degrees (before rain vs. after), stained tea color with 12-18 inch visibility.  Winds alternated between calm and light breezes 5-10mph.  We had pretty high hopes for the day when on the 2nd cast from the bank before we launched the boat Mark hooked up with a FAT 4.12lb toad.  We were casting toward the fish feeder just after it went off around 8am, and he caught it on a Tx rigged 4.8in swimbait.  We tried for several more minutes around the boat launch and along the north bank with swimbaits without any more takers.  We launched the boat and proceeded to cover the whole lake for around 4 more hours without another fish to be had.  I got a single short strike on a bluegill colored spinnerbait, but that was the extent of the “action” till we put the boat back up to get a snack around 12:30pm.  While we were docked I make a couple of casts from the back of the boat out toward the fish feeder with a Tx rigged beaver bait in hematoma color.  I got my 2nd bite of the day, but even though the fish was swimming off with it, when I set the hook, there was nothing there.  I threw out in the same general direction and when I got back to just about the same spot, I got my 3rd and final bit of the day.  I patiently waited for the line to start moving away slowly, and set the hook, and this time she was on!  It was a very short battle as the bite was close to the bank, but for a very cold fish she made it clear she didn’t want to be caught.  She tipped the scales at 5.75lbs and I’m pretty sure is my new PB by a quarter of a pound.  We fished the rest of the day till around 3:30pm in alternating stormy conditions without a single bite.  The previous week’s arctic blast must have just shut them down even though we had a great temperature day (for the fishermen anyway).  Lures tried that did not produce:  everything, including: shallow crankbait, deep diving crank, lipless crank, blade bait, jerkbaits, Carolina rigged baits, chatterbait, jigs, Ned rig, weightless Senko, spinnerbaits, finesse swimbaits on underspins, Tx rigged worms and lizards.

Jan 02 2023

Steve Carpenter

Keeper

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
401

Curious about the review of the rain gear?

Jan 03 2023

David Felton

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
122

Originaly Posted By Steve Carpenter

Curious about the review of the rain gear?

Hi Steve, the “review” was just a tongue in cheek name for the report…but it was a perfect day to see whether they would hold up.  Mark was using the Simms Challenger jacket and bibs, and at the end of the day he was dry and comfortable.  He didn’t have anything bad to say about them at all, and for $400 for the set, I would hope so!  I was looking for more “value” priced gear, but not cheap/flimsy, and I think I found a home run with the Frogg Toggs Pilot II Guide Jacket and Bibs.  The only place I got wet was on my arms up to about my elbows, and that was my fault.  The jacket does have double cuffs (the inner ones velcro adjustable neoprene), and I failed to adjust the inner cuffs at all to fit my very bony/skinny wrists.  Other than that, I was dry and comfortable for the ride home afterward.  It would be harder to speak of their comfort in extreme temps as the temperature that day was a perfect 70 degrees or a little less, so we were not going to get over heated, but both sets have a breathable membrane that I would trust works well given how well the rest of the features worked.  In case you’re in the market, Frogg Toggs website has my exact bibs marked down (in one color) to $79 from $179.  I originally ordered mine as a matching set on Amazon, but when I found the bib deal, I returned the matching ones to Amazon and bought the discounted color and saved like $80 from my original “deal”.  I don’t care that they don’t match as long as the fish don’t care.  I hope this helps.

Jan 04 2023

Steve Carpenter

Keeper

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
401

Originaly Posted By David Felton

Hi Steve, the “review” was just a tongue in cheek name for the report…but it was a perfect day to see whether they would hold up.  Mark was using the Simms Challenger jacket and bibs, and at the end of the day he was dry and comfortable.  He didn’t have anything bad to say about them at all, and for $400 for the set, I would hope so!  I was looking for more “value” priced gear, but not cheap/flimsy, and I think I found a home run with the Frogg Toggs Pilot II Guide Jacket and Bibs.  The only place I got wet was on my arms up to about my elbows, and that was my fault.  The jacket does have double cuffs (the inner ones velcro adjustable neoprene), and I failed to adjust the inner cuffs at all to fit my very bony/skinny wrists.  Other than that, I was dry and comfortable for the ride home afterward.  It would be harder to speak of their comfort in extreme temps as the temperature that day was a perfect 70 degrees or a little less, so we were not going to get over heated, but both sets have a breathable membrane that I would trust works well given how well the rest of the features worked.  In case you’re in the market, Frogg Toggs website has my exact bibs marked down (in one color) to $79 from $179.  I originally ordered mine as a matching set on Amazon, but when I found the bib deal, I returned the matching ones to Amazon and bought the discounted color and saved like $80 from my original “deal”.  I don’t care that they don’t match as long as the fish don’t care.  I hope this helps.

Thank you David. I like to fish during colder weather and am in the market for upgraded rain gear. Have a great 2023.

Jan 04 2023

Ken Addington

Fry

Member Since :
2012
Number of Posts :
18

Sounds like it was worth the wet arms!  Great fish!