Made it back from a week of chasing pike on Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan. I haven't downloaded the photos yet so this is just a "heads - up" post. I think I'm going to blog the trip in a series of posts, one for each fishing day. Sort of a "Serial Post", if you will. I expect to have Day One posted by mid-week and will follow with a new post every other day.
Now - onto the photo editing!
Wolfy
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Florida peacock bass
Fishing the Florida CanalsI have been VERY remiss about posting lately. Between a family vacation and a lot of work, I haven't been able to get out to do much - if any - fishing. Add in a case of Writer's Block, and the end result is NO BLOG POSTS. But - my job took me to Florida last week and I got a chance to go fishing with an old friend for peacock bass, something that has been on my short list of "things to catch" for a while. (Actually, I caught one small one in a FLA canal about 13 years ago, but wanted a decent representation of the species for my photo collection)
The first thing you should know about Florida peacocks is that, as you would suspect, they are outsiders that have established themselves in the waters of S. FLA. This is the absolute northern part of their range, as they are intolerant of even cool water temps. The best populations are found in extreme south Florida, primarily in Dade County, around Miami. Being tropical fish, they are most active in the hottest part of the day. We fished from 9 AM until 6 PM. The temperature was around 95, with a heat index well over 100. Now, one thing you need to know about me - I HATE hot weather. I would much rather fish in cold rain, and wear the right clothes, than sweat in the heat. Middle aged, overweight, balding, pale skinned guys are NOT meant for the heat of Miami. The only thing that could lure me into this weather is the promise of fishing.
I met up with my guide at 8 in the morning on Saturday. Billy Bob Crosno is, in a word, a character. I've fished with Billy Bob in the past, and he is a very good fisherman, excels at putting you on fish and making good suggestions about how to catch them, and the man is nothing if not entertaining. 8 hours in a boat with Billy Bob flies by. If you are in the south Florida area and are looking for agood guide for either largemouth or peacocks, give Billy Bob a shout. www.fishingwithbillybob.com
We fished the canal system in Dade Co. As you can see from the pictures, you fish literally in peoples back yards when in these canals. We fished hard in the intense heat, but the fish were less than cooperative. For the uninitiated (like me prior to this trip), when you fish for peacocks, you try to get them to bite by basically irritating them into it. They attack baits and lures out of territorial urges rather than feeding. So - you have to work you baits fast and erratic to entice them to hit. This is a LOT of work. And - did I mention it was hot??
A nice peacock bassEnd of the day showed a tally of 4 fish landed - 1 very small largemouth, 1 small peacock, and 2 nice peacocks, both around 3-1/2 - 4 pounds. Everything was taken on topwaters - Baby Torpedoes or Zara Spooks. One shook and broke the line while being unhooked (so no picture) but one was gracious enough to allow himself to be photographed. Beautiful colors, great fighters. I also missed about 5 or 6 hits - some missed the lures, others hit it and I missed them. And so it goes.
A litle snook. You never know what you might catch in these S. FLA watersWhenever I'm in a new area, I love to observe the nuances of the local wildlife. Much the same as the peacock bass is an exotic that has taken root and now occurs naturally, the south Florida area is absolutely loaded with iguanas. Originating from released or escaped pets, they are now naturally reproducing. Some of them are HUGE - 5 feet and longer! They're very cool and don't run away too much when they're having their pictures taken. I was intrigued by them the whole time.
A male iguana showing off his orange-ish colors
A green female in a backyard.On Sunday we got out for a couple hours to see if we could find any schooling jacks, bass, or peacocks. I got one small snook on a jerkbait, and missed a decent hit from a small-ish tarpon - around 15 pounds. We saw a lot of tarpon that morning but they were mostly dis-interested in what I threw at them.
All-in-all, a nice trip. All fishing experiences are nice, though. It's too hot down there for my taste. I guess I could get used to it if I had to, but I still prefer the moderate temps up North.
Did I mention it was hot????
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
WAY out of the normal realm of posts
Ok - this one is so far into left field that I hope I don't alienate my readers (I don't think I will). It's not about fishing at all - it's about FOOD.
I recently returned from our summer vacation. My wife and I both grew up in the SE Penn. city of Lebanon, adjacent to PA Dutch country. We haven't gotten back there very often though, and wanted to be sure we made time for our son to spend time with his grandparents and other relatives. In short - the trip was great. Even with NO fishing. What we really like on trips like this is the LOCAL FOOD. You know - the stuff you can't get when you move away.
As I said, we grew up in PA and stayed there until I was 30. Then, we moved to Syracuse NY for a 10 year stint. the summers are fabulous in upstate NY, but the 10 month long winters wore me out (and I LOVE winter!) The 10 months of winter might be an exaggeration, but it doesn't seem like much of one. Anyway, we moved onto the midwest 10 years ago and now live in the western 'burbs of Chicago.
When we return to visit PA, our first stop is usually Pete's Pizza in Lebanon. It was our favorite growing up and is still the best we've ever had. We always get cheesesteaks - no, they're not authentic Phillie steaks like Pat's or Geno's, but they're pretty good - miles ahead of the garbage passed off as Phila. Cheesesteaks elsewhere. Then there's the good stuff - Lebanon Bologna, chips, pretzels, and Tastykakes. I know some of you must be thinking "Bologna? We have bologna - no big deal" The typical tan colored, yucky bologna is barely even recognizable as meat, let alone a meat that makes your mouth water. It really needs to be experienced to be appreciated. My picture will have to take the place of a taste.
Seltzer's Old Fahioned Double Smoked Swet Bologna - food of the gods!
Pretzels? the Julius Sturgis pretzel factory in Lititz is famous for their wonderful pretzels and you can get fresh soft pretzels at the factory. But my favorite pretzel is from a tiny producer in Lebanon - Shuey's Pretzels. They are sold only in the local Farmers Market or directly from the baker. Saturday is soft pretzel day - get there early or you'll be out of luck. Great pretzels.
Tastykakes are made in Philadelphia and found only in the PA / MD / Jersey area - until recently. We now get a FEW varieties out in the midwest. They are pies, sweets, baked goods going by names like Krimpets (with their butterscotch icing) and Kandy Kakes. When you grow up eating these treats, you miss them when you can't get them.
Our attachment to NY foods isn't as deeply rooted, but there are a few key things we miss. First and foremost are spiedies. Spiedies are actually from Binghamton, but we enjoyed them in Syracuse , too, and are staples at the NY State Fair. Simply put, the y are chicken strips soaked in a vinegar and herb marinade and grilled, usually on a kabob. the key, of course, is the marinade. I brought back 8 bottles of marinade from our trip! (There are spiedies marinating in our frig right now) Beef on weck - a Buffalo specialty with thin sliced roast beef on a salted kummelweck roll - wasn't on the agenda this trip, but I WILL get one sooner or later!
So - what are the local foods you can't live without? If you've never moved, you might not even know! We never realized that potato chips were lousy in other parts of the world until we couldn't get our favorites.
My motto - if I can't be fishing, I might as well eat!!! Hope I didn't alienate too many people.
Wolfy
I recently returned from our summer vacation. My wife and I both grew up in the SE Penn. city of Lebanon, adjacent to PA Dutch country. We haven't gotten back there very often though, and wanted to be sure we made time for our son to spend time with his grandparents and other relatives. In short - the trip was great. Even with NO fishing. What we really like on trips like this is the LOCAL FOOD. You know - the stuff you can't get when you move away.
As I said, we grew up in PA and stayed there until I was 30. Then, we moved to Syracuse NY for a 10 year stint. the summers are fabulous in upstate NY, but the 10 month long winters wore me out (and I LOVE winter!) The 10 months of winter might be an exaggeration, but it doesn't seem like much of one. Anyway, we moved onto the midwest 10 years ago and now live in the western 'burbs of Chicago.
When we return to visit PA, our first stop is usually Pete's Pizza in Lebanon. It was our favorite growing up and is still the best we've ever had. We always get cheesesteaks - no, they're not authentic Phillie steaks like Pat's or Geno's, but they're pretty good - miles ahead of the garbage passed off as Phila. Cheesesteaks elsewhere. Then there's the good stuff - Lebanon Bologna, chips, pretzels, and Tastykakes. I know some of you must be thinking "Bologna? We have bologna - no big deal" The typical tan colored, yucky bologna is barely even recognizable as meat, let alone a meat that makes your mouth water. It really needs to be experienced to be appreciated. My picture will have to take the place of a taste.
Seltzer's Old Fahioned Double Smoked Swet Bologna - food of the gods!
Pretzels? the Julius Sturgis pretzel factory in Lititz is famous for their wonderful pretzels and you can get fresh soft pretzels at the factory. But my favorite pretzel is from a tiny producer in Lebanon - Shuey's Pretzels. They are sold only in the local Farmers Market or directly from the baker. Saturday is soft pretzel day - get there early or you'll be out of luck. Great pretzels.
Tastykakes are made in Philadelphia and found only in the PA / MD / Jersey area - until recently. We now get a FEW varieties out in the midwest. They are pies, sweets, baked goods going by names like Krimpets (with their butterscotch icing) and Kandy Kakes. When you grow up eating these treats, you miss them when you can't get them.
Our attachment to NY foods isn't as deeply rooted, but there are a few key things we miss. First and foremost are spiedies. Spiedies are actually from Binghamton, but we enjoyed them in Syracuse , too, and are staples at the NY State Fair. Simply put, the y are chicken strips soaked in a vinegar and herb marinade and grilled, usually on a kabob. the key, of course, is the marinade. I brought back 8 bottles of marinade from our trip! (There are spiedies marinating in our frig right now) Beef on weck - a Buffalo specialty with thin sliced roast beef on a salted kummelweck roll - wasn't on the agenda this trip, but I WILL get one sooner or later!
So - what are the local foods you can't live without? If you've never moved, you might not even know! We never realized that potato chips were lousy in other parts of the world until we couldn't get our favorites.
My motto - if I can't be fishing, I might as well eat!!! Hope I didn't alienate too many people.
Wolfy
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Back from Vacation
Been gone for a week and a half - no fishing, no computer. Just visiting friends and family (with my family), and recharging the batteries.
Look for new posts coming soon - tomorrow, hopefully.
Wolfy
Look for new posts coming soon - tomorrow, hopefully.
Wolfy
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Preserving the Future - for anyone and everyone
(Sorry folks - this has the makings of a long post)
Kristine at Outdoor Blogger Summit has issued one of the OBS challenges - write about how you help defend and preserve the Outdoors. (If you have an outdoor related blog and are not familiar with OBS, click on the badge alongside my post. I think you'll like what you find). I decided to accept her challenge, and have been thinking about the direction I want take for the past few days.
Most of us in the Outdoor blogging community write about personal experiences in the outdoors. Some incorporate more of their personal "this is my life" into their blogs - Bayou Woman comes to mind. In preparation for writing this piece, I just re-read my initial post on this blog from September 08. I was unsure where the blog would take me at the time, and I'm still just as unsure. The only continuity throughout the blog posting is that they revolve around water and fishing.
Water - no, CLEAN water - is the crux of all life. Clean water supports amazing biodiversity. One of my favorite places on earth is at the camp I've been going to (when I get the chance) for the past 25 years on Kettle Ck. in north-central PA. The main stem of the creek is now a very popular trout fishery reliant primarily on stocking efforts to keep its pools full of trout and the dirt roads that parallel the stream full of angler's vehicles. It is nestled among the steep, rocky mountains in Clinton County and, while the deer population is currently low (a topic for a different blog), there are deer, turkey and bear throughout the hills and valleys. I've seen hellbenders (the largest North American amphibians) twice in the creek. There are Timber Rattlesnake dens in the laurel thickets. My favorite part of the ecosystem, however, is not the main section of stream or its residents. I love the tributaries. Nearly every one of the tribs feeding into Kettle Creek is a wild trout stream. Unstocked, small-to-tiny rivulets that are home to abundant, spooky, small wild, native brook trout. Streams you can step across. Streams where there is NEVER the possibility of an unobstructed 30' cast - too many blowdowns and overhanging trees and limbs. Most of the people I fish with at camp just shake their heads when I tell them where I'm going. In years of fishing these tribs, I have landed ONE wild brookie in excess of 10". Most are 7" or less. If you measureteh success of your fishing by the size of your fish, you would NEVER fish these streams. They are not selective feeders - usually. If you can get a cast on the water without spooking them, they're yours. They are just absolutely beautiful fish, and they can only tolerate and survive in the cleanest, coldest, purest waters. I think that's why I love brookies and cutthroat so much - they thrive in the most beautiful places on earth..
A few miles downstream from the cabin, the effects of man's interference rears its ugly head. Coal mine drainage. Two streams are literally colored orange from mine acidified waters, and they pour into the Kettle from opposite sides. Nothing lives below this junction. The orange rocks signify death for anything that would try to survive in it's acidic waters.
Within this one valley are dozens of streams full of brook trout that have been native to the area as long as there have been trout, a well managed trout stream that caters to the legions of people who simply want to catch and eat some trout in a pretty setting, and a section of stream that was once alive, and has been killed.
So what does this have to do with preserving the future? Well, in this one valley, you can see what was, what is, and what happens when no one cares, and greed takes over. Anyone with any appreciation of nature - on any level - can see the effects of not caring simply by driving up the road. Sometimes it takes a visual and personal reminder of what can happen when we all take our eye off the ball for people to sit up and pay attention. When I drive along this road, it reminds not to take anything that I appreciate for granted.
I don't do as much as I could to help preserve and protect the natural assets of our land. I do belong to, and support, many of the agencies whose mission is to do just that - Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, RMEF, Pheasants Forever. In a small way, my dues and meager donations help to purchase land to preserve. We are adamant in our house about recycling - reducing the amount of land used for the purpose of landfills while more efficiently utilizing the products already in existence by re-using them. While my effort alone is negligible, I firmly believe that recycling is a simple way everyone can have a positive impact on our ecosystems, with the cumulative affect from the masses having a huge impact on our land. I DO try to clean up streams and lakes whenever I'm out - not to prove a point that I'm saving the world, but because I hate to see garbage when I'm fishing. It just looks like hell.
Will these little gestures make a difference in the world?? On their own, no. But I do one thing that I believe has a great impact on the future of our ecosystems - I try to introduce the outdoors to young people and anyone who has not taken the time to appreciate what we have outdoors. Certainly, I do this with my 12 year old son so he might someday feel the same as I do about the wild things. I love seeing the joy on a persons face when they catch their first fish, whether they are 3 or 30. If I can instill the passion that I possess about fishing and the outdoors onto others, I believe I can make an impact. If these people eventually drive up the Kettle Creek Valley in their own worlds, see the negative impacts of man's disregard for nature, see what can be if we take care of and nurture our environments, I believe they will vow to not let the abuse of our natural worlds continue. Then I will have made a difference.
Sorry forthe rambling - I just re-read the post agian and realize that I spent 8 paragraphs trying to say what could have been said in 4 words - Take A Kid Fishing.
Wolfy
Kristine at Outdoor Blogger Summit has issued one of the OBS challenges - write about how you help defend and preserve the Outdoors. (If you have an outdoor related blog and are not familiar with OBS, click on the badge alongside my post. I think you'll like what you find). I decided to accept her challenge, and have been thinking about the direction I want take for the past few days.
Most of us in the Outdoor blogging community write about personal experiences in the outdoors. Some incorporate more of their personal "this is my life" into their blogs - Bayou Woman comes to mind. In preparation for writing this piece, I just re-read my initial post on this blog from September 08. I was unsure where the blog would take me at the time, and I'm still just as unsure. The only continuity throughout the blog posting is that they revolve around water and fishing.
Water - no, CLEAN water - is the crux of all life. Clean water supports amazing biodiversity. One of my favorite places on earth is at the camp I've been going to (when I get the chance) for the past 25 years on Kettle Ck. in north-central PA. The main stem of the creek is now a very popular trout fishery reliant primarily on stocking efforts to keep its pools full of trout and the dirt roads that parallel the stream full of angler's vehicles. It is nestled among the steep, rocky mountains in Clinton County and, while the deer population is currently low (a topic for a different blog), there are deer, turkey and bear throughout the hills and valleys. I've seen hellbenders (the largest North American amphibians) twice in the creek. There are Timber Rattlesnake dens in the laurel thickets. My favorite part of the ecosystem, however, is not the main section of stream or its residents. I love the tributaries. Nearly every one of the tribs feeding into Kettle Creek is a wild trout stream. Unstocked, small-to-tiny rivulets that are home to abundant, spooky, small wild, native brook trout. Streams you can step across. Streams where there is NEVER the possibility of an unobstructed 30' cast - too many blowdowns and overhanging trees and limbs. Most of the people I fish with at camp just shake their heads when I tell them where I'm going. In years of fishing these tribs, I have landed ONE wild brookie in excess of 10". Most are 7" or less. If you measureteh success of your fishing by the size of your fish, you would NEVER fish these streams. They are not selective feeders - usually. If you can get a cast on the water without spooking them, they're yours. They are just absolutely beautiful fish, and they can only tolerate and survive in the cleanest, coldest, purest waters. I think that's why I love brookies and cutthroat so much - they thrive in the most beautiful places on earth..
A few miles downstream from the cabin, the effects of man's interference rears its ugly head. Coal mine drainage. Two streams are literally colored orange from mine acidified waters, and they pour into the Kettle from opposite sides. Nothing lives below this junction. The orange rocks signify death for anything that would try to survive in it's acidic waters.
Within this one valley are dozens of streams full of brook trout that have been native to the area as long as there have been trout, a well managed trout stream that caters to the legions of people who simply want to catch and eat some trout in a pretty setting, and a section of stream that was once alive, and has been killed.
So what does this have to do with preserving the future? Well, in this one valley, you can see what was, what is, and what happens when no one cares, and greed takes over. Anyone with any appreciation of nature - on any level - can see the effects of not caring simply by driving up the road. Sometimes it takes a visual and personal reminder of what can happen when we all take our eye off the ball for people to sit up and pay attention. When I drive along this road, it reminds not to take anything that I appreciate for granted.
I don't do as much as I could to help preserve and protect the natural assets of our land. I do belong to, and support, many of the agencies whose mission is to do just that - Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, RMEF, Pheasants Forever. In a small way, my dues and meager donations help to purchase land to preserve. We are adamant in our house about recycling - reducing the amount of land used for the purpose of landfills while more efficiently utilizing the products already in existence by re-using them. While my effort alone is negligible, I firmly believe that recycling is a simple way everyone can have a positive impact on our ecosystems, with the cumulative affect from the masses having a huge impact on our land. I DO try to clean up streams and lakes whenever I'm out - not to prove a point that I'm saving the world, but because I hate to see garbage when I'm fishing. It just looks like hell.
Will these little gestures make a difference in the world?? On their own, no. But I do one thing that I believe has a great impact on the future of our ecosystems - I try to introduce the outdoors to young people and anyone who has not taken the time to appreciate what we have outdoors. Certainly, I do this with my 12 year old son so he might someday feel the same as I do about the wild things. I love seeing the joy on a persons face when they catch their first fish, whether they are 3 or 30. If I can instill the passion that I possess about fishing and the outdoors onto others, I believe I can make an impact. If these people eventually drive up the Kettle Creek Valley in their own worlds, see the negative impacts of man's disregard for nature, see what can be if we take care of and nurture our environments, I believe they will vow to not let the abuse of our natural worlds continue. Then I will have made a difference.
Sorry forthe rambling - I just re-read the post agian and realize that I spent 8 paragraphs trying to say what could have been said in 4 words - Take A Kid Fishing.
Wolfy
Saturday, June 13, 2009
A perfect evening
Yesterday - Friday June 12 -turned out to be a nearly perfect day. Weather was good - a little on the cool side, but missing all the weather elements I hate - no downpours, no horrendous winds, no scorching sun. One of the guys I work with - Jesse - had dropped his boat in the pond over lunch - he was coming back the next morning to get a load of 'gills for his pond. We fished for about a half hour over lunch to "scout" for him. Gills were plentiful on small grubs. I mentioned that I might come back in the evening, and he said to take the boat if I did.
My wife Stacy called at work and suggested we grab a pizza and go to the pond for the evening. Now, she goes along with me quite a bit in the spring, but rarely is she the one who suggests we go fishing. She likes to fish, but it has to be perfect conditions -no bugs, not too hot or cold, not much wind, and the fish have to be biting. That's a pretty tall order of circumstances to fill for one outing. Well, the everything came together last evening.
Stacy with one of the crappies.
I usually fish these ponds from shore, but having a Ranger to tool around with the trolling motor was a nice change of pace. Plenty of room for me, Stacy, and Joey. Joey didn't feel like fishing - he took a few casts and caught a few fish, but mostly he just watched us and read. No problem. We started fishing with 1/16 oz. jigheads and dark 2" grubs, and never looked back. Stacy started catching a fish on just about every cast. If she didn't land one, she had a hit on probably 90% of her casts. Same with me, even though I was experimenting with different baits. One interesting aspect of the evenings catch - very few largemouth, and none of any size. a few of them are still guarding nests, but most have moved off beds. The most interesting catch stat, in reviewing the evenings tally, was that we caught about 20 walleye. Most were the small ones - 8" - 10" - but 4 were around 15". We both fished UL outfits with 4 pound test, making every catch fun!
Another small walleye from the pondThe end of the evening showed a tally of an uncountable number of bluegills, around 20 walleye, 8-10 crappie, 2 pretty nice rainbow trout, and the catfish shown, that Stacy caught in the first 15 minutes. I'm not really sure what it weighed, but it was all her UL gear could handle. Some of the guys have told me they caught cats over 10 from here, but this is the biggest one I've seen personally from this pond. She got it on a 2" Yamamoto grub and fought it like a pro. Fittingly, it slapped me with it's tail when I put back in the water.
Stacy's catfish (She doesn't like to hold these)
No bugs, no wind, lots of hungry fish. I LOVE days like that on the water. The thing is, you have to spend a lot of time when it's NOT like that before you finally run into the great days. We had a blast fishing together as a family, and nothing beats that.
A contented son enjoying the evening
Picture Perfect
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Got 'em all - over lunch!!
I haven't been out to my ponds recently - been on the road for work, and when I've been home, it seems like the grass is two feet tall and calling my name. I did walk across the street to my subdivision pond on Sunday evening with my new 2 weight flyrod. I was quickly reminded that a 2 wt. is a specialty rod - not very effective in the wind or if you need to make a cast over 30'. Luckily, the 'gils were close, with a few crappie mixed in, too. It doesn't take much to put a GOOD bend in a 2 wt. rod!
Anyway, over lunch today I got out to the ponds I've been writing about . Weather is cool and a little overcast. The pond was as clear as I've ever seen it - easily 4 feet of visibility. Maybe the loads of rain we've had all spring washed the usual crud out the overflow?? Gills were shallow, and I saw more than a handful of largemouth cruising the banks, right on the edge of where the water was too deep to see bottom. [This always seems to be a "magical" area, whether its 1 foot down or 10 feet - wherever you can no longer see bottom seems to be a zone where fish cruise. Try it in your water!] I caught a few 'gills right off the bat near the overflow. I went to the end of the pond where the deeper water comes up quickly to a mud flat, and caught 4 small walleyes in 5 casts with a Beetle Spin. Cool . Still, I was seeing more fish than I was catching. It was time to quit fooling around. Out came the Cubby Mini-Mite and the weighted bobber. (NOTE - the rod I had along was a 4-1/2' UL spinning rod)
I've extolled the virtues of the Mini-Mite / weighted bobber combo in the past, but it never ceases to amaze me. I fished a brown Mini-mite about 4' under the bobber and, after I found the depth they were holding at, caught fish constantly. I got about a dozen gills, 4 crappie, 4 largemouth - 3 small, 1 about 14" - , a 17" very healthy rainbow trout, and, on my last cast, a channel cat that I weighed at 6 pounds, 2 ounces. The rainbow came from about 6' of water; the cat was 4' down over 15' of water. Everything else was in 4' - 6' of water.
When I fish these little jigs, I use a simple technique: cast out and let the jig settle under the bobber. If there is any wave action, I'll often just let it sit and let the waves impart the action to the jig. Then, reel in about a foot of line fairly quickly - you want the jig to rise toward the surface on the retrieve of the line. then - stop. let the jig "swim" back down. Let it sit for a few seconds - 4 or 5. Repeat. Practice in shallow water where you can watch the action of the jig based on the retrieve you make. I PROMISE you it works.
I got all 6 available species of fish - bluegill, walleye, largemouth bass, crappie, rainbow trout, and channel cat - in my pond over lunch today. I'll take that over the usual diner food any day!
(Of course, I left my camera at home. I REALLY need to get another camera and throw it in my car, just for these occasions)
Wolfy
Anyway, over lunch today I got out to the ponds I've been writing about . Weather is cool and a little overcast. The pond was as clear as I've ever seen it - easily 4 feet of visibility. Maybe the loads of rain we've had all spring washed the usual crud out the overflow?? Gills were shallow, and I saw more than a handful of largemouth cruising the banks, right on the edge of where the water was too deep to see bottom. [This always seems to be a "magical" area, whether its 1 foot down or 10 feet - wherever you can no longer see bottom seems to be a zone where fish cruise. Try it in your water!] I caught a few 'gills right off the bat near the overflow. I went to the end of the pond where the deeper water comes up quickly to a mud flat, and caught 4 small walleyes in 5 casts with a Beetle Spin. Cool . Still, I was seeing more fish than I was catching. It was time to quit fooling around. Out came the Cubby Mini-Mite and the weighted bobber. (NOTE - the rod I had along was a 4-1/2' UL spinning rod)
I've extolled the virtues of the Mini-Mite / weighted bobber combo in the past, but it never ceases to amaze me. I fished a brown Mini-mite about 4' under the bobber and, after I found the depth they were holding at, caught fish constantly. I got about a dozen gills, 4 crappie, 4 largemouth - 3 small, 1 about 14" - , a 17" very healthy rainbow trout, and, on my last cast, a channel cat that I weighed at 6 pounds, 2 ounces. The rainbow came from about 6' of water; the cat was 4' down over 15' of water. Everything else was in 4' - 6' of water.
When I fish these little jigs, I use a simple technique: cast out and let the jig settle under the bobber. If there is any wave action, I'll often just let it sit and let the waves impart the action to the jig. Then, reel in about a foot of line fairly quickly - you want the jig to rise toward the surface on the retrieve of the line. then - stop. let the jig "swim" back down. Let it sit for a few seconds - 4 or 5. Repeat. Practice in shallow water where you can watch the action of the jig based on the retrieve you make. I PROMISE you it works.
I got all 6 available species of fish - bluegill, walleye, largemouth bass, crappie, rainbow trout, and channel cat - in my pond over lunch today. I'll take that over the usual diner food any day!
(Of course, I left my camera at home. I REALLY need to get another camera and throw it in my car, just for these occasions)
Wolfy
Monday, June 8, 2009
Outdoor Bloggers Summit
Those of you who are followers of this blog AND observant will notice that I 've added the Outdoor Bloggers Summit badge alongside my posts. Actually, many of you are already affiliated with Outdoor Blogger Summit - shame on me for taking so long. The site - http://www.outdoorbloggerssummit.com/ - is a wealth of information and links to other great outdoor related blogs, as well as a great resource for all bloggers.
I've never been one to "jump in" first - I always sit back and see what happens to those who are the jumpers. Also, I believe I tried once before to post a link to the site but, because I'm a computer illiterate, it didn't work. (Obviously, both of the preceding comments are lame attempts made to cover up the fact that I should have linked to OBS long ago.)
I look forward to being a part of this group - if you write an outdoor related blog and are not aware of OBS, do yourself a favor and click on the link. You'll be glad you did.
I've never been one to "jump in" first - I always sit back and see what happens to those who are the jumpers. Also, I believe I tried once before to post a link to the site but, because I'm a computer illiterate, it didn't work. (Obviously, both of the preceding comments are lame attempts made to cover up the fact that I should have linked to OBS long ago.)
I look forward to being a part of this group - if you write an outdoor related blog and are not aware of OBS, do yourself a favor and click on the link. You'll be glad you did.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Times they are a-changing (with apologies to Bob Dylan)
Last week, the fishing at the ponds peaked. Bass were ultra-aggressive, attacking almost anything they saw. I took numerous "rookies" out there and, if they could hit the water with a cast, they could catch a fish. We threw pink Sluggos and watch the bass attack them. It was awesome.
Joanna with a nice pond bass
A happy Megan with another nice bass from the pondsYesterday(Sunday) I went to the same spot. Fished hard, first with reaction baits (spinnerbaits, buzzbaits), then more subtle baits (flukes, Senkos). I got one hit on a spinnerbait. I saw the swirls where bass were chasing bluegils away from their beds. The fish are now on beds, and the bountiful season that is the springtime warmup is now over. I'll still be able to catch fish here, but I'll have to work harder for them and employ different techniques. The day before - Saturday - I spent 2 hours with a co-worker working the larger pond hard to see what we could come up with. Jesse fishes bass tournaments and has fished hard for ANYTHING for years. He got on a pretty consistent bite with smallish square-lipped crankbaits. The bass were holding out from shore, and were spawned out. Still nice fish, but much lighter in weight. I played around with different baits, getting a few on spinnerbaits and other stuff, before I finally relented and put on a crankbait. (I'm pretty pig-headed about immediately going to the "hot bait" that the other guy in the boat is throwing). We caught fish, but it was obvious that in the past week, everything had changed.
Jesse with a crankbait bass. No eggs in this bass!Times they are a-changing. Just like they do every year.
My wife just shakes her head every year wen I continue to be amazed by the greening of the landscape in springtime. Same for the leaves changing color, or the first snowfalls. I always react like I am amazed (because I am) even though I love the outdoors and have witnessed these changes for my entire life. I am just as amazed at the changes in the fishing patterns due to seasonal movement. Now that the bass have spawned, I'll key into the bluegills as they set up shallow. Out will come the flyrods. Then, in the midst of the summer doldrums, the channel cats will get really active.
Something is always changing, and I'm always amazed (Some would say easily amused!)
I hope I never lose that awe of the changes of nature. I'm pretty sure I won't.
Even though the bass were not going crazy on my ponds, I did manage to catch some other fish. I got 5 walleyes, a few crappie, a bunch of bluegills, and one un-common resident of the ponds - a green sunfish. Take a look at the size of the mouth on the picture. It is noticeably bigger than the usual sunfish, with the exception of the warmouth. Nice coloration on these panfish.
Green SunfishKeep following for the progression through the seasons and more fishing. I'll try to get some fly fishing in for trout in the near future.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A Royal Slam at the pond - sort of
Made it out to my favorite ponds this evening. I know they get a little crowded over the Memorial Day weekend, so this might be my last chance for a while. The weather wasn't what I like, but you fish when you can. Last night we had a scattered frost warning - didn't make it quite that low, but it was cold. It was a cool, windy, clear sky weekend - exactly what I DON'T like to fish in. It rained alot last week - almost 3 inches. Ponds were either muddy or stained. I tried the upper pond, which was muddy, first. Fish should be crowded into the shallows and set up to spawn. Tough to tell in these conditions. Anyway, I got one largemouth to bite a buzzbait, and 3 more to hit a spinnerbait. Decent, chunky largemouth. Now the evening wouldn't be a total blank. On to the lower pond to see what might bite.
(My son Joey with our buzzbait bass. He decided he was too cold to fish tonight, and just "modeled " by posing with my fish. Still good to spend time with your kids, whether they're fishing or just talking)
On to the lower pond. The first thing that was apparent was that there was a lot of bug activity, and the trout were slashing into something on the surface. Of course, my fly rods were back home.. I picked up a few nice 'gills on the old reliable Cubby jig. Then, on a shallow edge of the pond, I got another hit on the Cubby. Definitely bigger than a gill, but didn't fight like a bass. A big walleye maybe? Nope - first catfish of the year. It was a yellowish cat. I've only ever caught channel cats here, and all have been the standard grey / silver colors. I assume this was just an off-color channel. Anyway - 3 species tonight. Now I need 3 more to catch them all - I needed crappie, walleye, and rainbow trout.
First, while the sun is still out, I try to fill in the trout. I pulled out another UL spin outfit and tied on a Mepps spinner that has been deadly in the past on these pond trout. Fished it hard for about a half hour. missed 2 that hit near the dock, and had one other short strike. Usually this spinner is death on these trout. Oh well - tonite's not the night for trout for me. So I move down the bank with my Cubby / weighted bobber. About 5 casts into it, right along the bank, I hook up with a BIG trout. It's on for a about 30 seconds, and it straightens the size 12 gold hook on the Cubby. Tough break. Naturally, that's the only trout I hook up with tonite. I re-tie and put on a 2" white Lindy Munchie grub on a 1/16 oz. jighead. Sun drops below the trees, and its like the light switch gets turned on for the crappie. 7 nice crappie in 10 casts. Almost time to go. Another light hit - a little walleye. That's all of them - all the species found in the pond. Hooked and lost the trout, landed the rest. Even though it was getting colder outside - 54 when we left - it was fun. It's always fun when you fish though. At least it should be.
A final note - this was my first time out with my newest rod. I picked up a 4'6" UL St. Croix Avid spinning rod. I put a Quantum Energy UL reel on it, 8# Fireline, and it's about as sweet an ultralite outfit as you can find. (The bass caught tonite were on a baitcast outfit for the buzzbait / spinnerbaits) The 8# test on a UL might sound a little strange, but if you follow my posts, you know I fish some ponds that have some pretty big fish in them. I can usually wear them down with the rod, but using the usual 4# mono gets me in too much trouble with cats, big bass, or sticks and logs in the water. The 8# Fireline is 3# diameter, feels great on the setup, and will land anything I hook in the ponds. Give it a try on your UL - I think you'll like it.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Introducing co-workers to the great sport of fishing
I've been waiting for the ponds to heat up, both water temps and the fish's spawning movements. It's been very erratic here from a temperature standpoint - a few days of warming temps usually seem to be followed by unseasonably cold weather, delaying the bass's push into the shallows to set up to spawn. Friday the variables all seemed to come together - gradually increasing temps, storms forecast for the evening and overnite, west winds. And I had one of the enthusiastic newcomers to the sport from work to go to the pond with me over lunch. I hoped it would be the right timing, more for her than for me.
Over the years, a lot of people at work have expressed interest in gong fishing with me. This inevitably ends up like most casual social commentary - you know the type - "Hey, we'll have to get together some time", and that's the end of that. And that's fine - it's just the way things are. But I always tell people "All you need to do is ask, and I'll take you". Well, Megan took me up on my offer.
This young lady is one of our talented Marketing people, and she has fished a few times with her Dad and brother, but she says they rarely catch anything. I really hoped it would be good . It was.
When we got to the pond, I walked up to the edge and a bass spooked from the shallows. GOOD - they were in tight. It was a little mossier than I would have preferred for a newcomer, but I figured a buzzbait would get her some fish. What could be better than buzzbait explosions from big bass?? We had 1/2 hour before we had to head back into work. She got used to the rod and lure, made some nice casts, and had 5 hits. She landed 3 bass and had a big one shake loose at the bank. All the bass she landed were bigger than anything she had ever caught before. She was ecstatic, and her enthusiasm was certainly contagious. It is such a pleasure to take someone on a successful trip and see their face light up when they catch fish, whether its a child or an adult. I have another trip planned with a co-worker, his 2 daughters, and his wife. Can't wait
These are Megan's 2 larger bass. She's hooked!
We've all heard the message to TAKE A KID FISHING. Now we can start another chapter to that directive - Take a Co-worker Fishing!
Over the years, a lot of people at work have expressed interest in gong fishing with me. This inevitably ends up like most casual social commentary - you know the type - "Hey, we'll have to get together some time", and that's the end of that. And that's fine - it's just the way things are. But I always tell people "All you need to do is ask, and I'll take you". Well, Megan took me up on my offer.
This young lady is one of our talented Marketing people, and she has fished a few times with her Dad and brother, but she says they rarely catch anything. I really hoped it would be good . It was.
When we got to the pond, I walked up to the edge and a bass spooked from the shallows. GOOD - they were in tight. It was a little mossier than I would have preferred for a newcomer, but I figured a buzzbait would get her some fish. What could be better than buzzbait explosions from big bass?? We had 1/2 hour before we had to head back into work. She got used to the rod and lure, made some nice casts, and had 5 hits. She landed 3 bass and had a big one shake loose at the bank. All the bass she landed were bigger than anything she had ever caught before. She was ecstatic, and her enthusiasm was certainly contagious. It is such a pleasure to take someone on a successful trip and see their face light up when they catch fish, whether its a child or an adult. I have another trip planned with a co-worker, his 2 daughters, and his wife. Can't wait
These are Megan's 2 larger bass. She's hooked!
We've all heard the message to TAKE A KID FISHING. Now we can start another chapter to that directive - Take a Co-worker Fishing!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
More pond notes, and a new visitor emerges
Joey with one of our Pond Bass
My ponds continue to produce, frustrate, try my patience, and make me smile - sometimes all in the same day. I sometimes get a little too cocky on these small waters, and think I have them all figured out. Then a front blows through, the pressure drops, the bass get lockjaw, and the 'gills move offshore. Or, the pond that has the rainbow trout will have the trout rising to something, and I can't buy a hit! Oh well - that's what keeps us coming back.
Joey with a Pond WalleyeI did get a good afternoon in with some nice bass, including one of my best from the smaller pond - a pre-spawn female that had to be a little north of 5 pounds. Some good 'gills from areas that usually only have smaller ones. the crappies seem to be a little more common, too, but that concerns me. For the past 10 years, crappies in the ponds were pretty uncommon, but big. Now they seem to have taken hold, but the bigger ones seem harder to find. I don't want to let them overpopulate the pond, which they are known to do. Time for a bunch of crappie dinners! One of the unusual species for the pond, along with the trout, are walleyes. These have been stocked a little at a time over the past 10 years or so. I catch smallish ones (8' - 10") pretty frequently, and have caught them up to 17". A nice distraction when they feel like biting.
We have new companions on the ponds, too - the water snakes have come out. These are common Northern Water Snakes, and there are a lot of them in these ponds. Some pretty big ones, too, as evidenced by the picture from Monday.
With our local river near flood level from the excessive rains we've had, the ponds have saved my spring!
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