# The fishing thread



## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

My big summertime activity is fishing. Once I hang up the skis, the waders come out for spring trout fishing. I'm lucky to have a gold medal trout steam that runs right through my property, but I also love to move around my area (foothills of the Catskills) and fishing on rarely fished streams. I'm not fussy...I'll fly fish when I can but have no problems picking up an ultralight spinning rig to bag a few nice browns or brookies.

In late spring I move onto the NYC watershed for lake trout. This is when the rowboat starts to see alot of use. Great exercise and alot of fun. Relaxing too. Then it is the transition to bass season in late June. This is my favorite freshwater fish. I especially love to catch smallmouth bass, pound for pound the best fighting freshwater fish there is. I'll fish for bass until early fall and then transition back to trout for the rest of the season.

Although I have been on several awesome bluefishing trips, my saltwater fishing resume is weak. I'd especially like to charter a boat for an overnight striped bass or yellowfin tuna trip.

I'd love to hear your fishing tales and especially any thoughts about saltwater fishing.


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## Grassi21 (Jun 17, 2011)

I get out a few times each Summer on my buddies boat.  He is docked in South Norwalk.  We primarily go for striped bass which is a $hit load of fun.  He is a lifelong fisherman so he even nets his own bunker for bait.  He posted up some pictures yesterday from the South Shore of LI where they were shark fishing.  They pulled and release a few blue sharks.  Hoping to get out with him a bit more this Summer.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 17, 2011)

Agreed on Smallies.  By far my favorite fresh water fish to go after.

Mentioned this place in my thread about camping, but if you like smallie fishing, no better place I've found anywhere than Green River Reservoir.  Catch it on a good night and you can easily reel in a dozen 3+ pounders in the couple of hours around sunset.   Biggest I ever pulled out of there was 5.5.  

http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/grriver.htm


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## ski stef (Jun 17, 2011)

I definitely love to get out in the boat in the evenings to fish during the summer..I haven't done much trout fishing and only a little fly fishing when I was out in Colorado...


My favorite fish to catch are pike and large mouth bass. I'm on the trophy board for this 6.5 large out of Lake Bomoseen.  It must have been right before she spawned...







:-D

Now a fishy tale...
My first time I ever went ice fishing my boyfriend set up all of his tip ups (I am THEE MASTERbaiter ) and he was letting us go one for one each time a flag went up.  He had caught a couple of fish in the morning and I had missed everyone.  Around 2:45 one of his tip ups went off in the way corner and I was up.  I sprinted to the hole and the line was spinning like crazy... I grabbed the line and let it roll through my fingers for a second before I yanked it up to set the hook.  Immediately the fish took off again and I let it take some line before I started to reel it back in.. It took off a couple more times but eventually started swimming towards me.. when I got the fish to the hole all I saw was this GIANT fish head that took up the entire 8-inch drilled hole, It got a little hectic at this point in time when we realized it was a pretty big fish.  None the less I landed it... 11 lb Pike. first fish out of the ice!


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## bigbog (Jun 17, 2011)

So have you strategically moved any boulders to create some holes for the hog Browns to move in...just off your property yet JimG!!???...;-)

I'm more of a hiker/wildlife-watcher, late-boomer explorer(LOL) ie mountain hunter for earning turns now when solo....but a planned day or more with a few others...then the OC-1...or flatwater canoe, and possibly flyrod gear comes along, but in a few streams/rivers one can surf solo and get enough out of just it without running downstream.   I can do a little front/side surfing anytime!  Also love the pt-2nd(or is it 3rd..?) job of doing a little water/wetland testing = has to do with troutwater usually, thus I enjoy it.....
A flyrod/trout addict I was..and I tend to think that although flyfishing's priority has slipped a bit, it never leaves us totally, especially when nice mayfly, caddis and sometimes stonefly hatches still inhabit .   Most of Maine is made up of various levels of remoteness so it's just a matter of what waters will be right given the weather.  Still lots of waters have decent-to-great hatches.. which along with terrestrials...are fun to fish.
Brooktrout predominate with Landlock Salmon and Browns inhabiting a handful of streams/rivers/lakes.  Luckily I know enough waters with nice populations of native Brookies 12"+ so the hunt doesn't have to take that much time, just in getting there(but its tons of fun to visit the real remote stuff if you're prepared for it)..BFG's KM2 tire really performs well on my Xterra...;-)
 I haven't had the motivation to spend the time hunting down the habitats of the bigger Browns up here...but I know where the larger Brooktrout hang...so that's cool enough for me,
Certainly a nice year for paddling and/or fishing = water levels...although it has started slow up here...

**BIG Bass *Ski_Stef*!


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## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

Grassi21 said:


> I get out a few times each Summer on my buddies boat.  He is docked in South Norwalk.  We primarily go for striped bass which is a $hit load of fun.  He is a lifelong fisherman so he even nets his own bunker for bait.  He posted up some pictures yesterday from the South Shore of LI where they were shark fishing.  They pulled and release a few blue sharks.  Hoping to get out with him a bit more this Summer.



I'd be interested in tagging along if possible one day. Keep me in mind.


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## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> Agreed on Smallies.  By far my favorite fresh water fish to go after.
> 
> Mentioned this place in my thread about camping, but if you like smallie fishing, no better place I've found anywhere than Green River Reservoir.  Catch it on a good night and you can easily reel in a dozen 3+ pounders in the couple of hours around sunset.   Biggest I ever pulled out of there was 5.5.
> 
> http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/grriver.htm



Love the smallmouths. I fish mostly in the East Branch reservoir about 20 minutes from my house. It's a small impoundment, but it is very deep in spots and has incredible underwater structure. Many very rocky areas, alot of old roadbeds from colonial settlements, and plenty of shallower sandy areas perfect for spawning.

The fish population sounds alot like Green River. On a good day you can catch plenty of 2 1/2+ pound fish. There are also plenty of "pigs" as we call them, baby and juvenile fish 3-6" long, an excellent indicator of a healthy population. My biggest to date was 6 lbs which is an estimate since I am very much a catch and release fisherman. All I could do was measure it and at 24" it was the longest smallie I ever landed. I've caught several in the 20-22" class and the one that was 22" weighed a little over 5 lbs. based on the reading from a hand held scale.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 17, 2011)

Green River is actually quite shallow, but cold.  Lots of lilly pad areas.  I used to fish it pretty much with top water lures like Jitter Bugs and Torpedoes.  Pretty much just Smallies and some MONSTER pickerel. So big, you'd swear they were northern Pike.  On days when the Smallies weren't biting, I'd go after pickerel with shiners.  Other than, Perch and panfish.


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## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

Ski Stef said:


> I definitely love to get out in the boat in the evenings to fish during the summer..I haven't done much trout fishing and only a little fly fishing when I was out in Colorado...
> 
> 
> My favorite fish to catch are pike and large mouth bass. I'm on the trophy board for this 6.5 large out of Lake Bomoseen.  It must have been right before she spawned...
> ...



Very nice Stef! Hope your boyfriend appreciates having a fishergirlfriend. I can see you are experienced just by the way you are holding that fish, upright and with support in the belly area.

If you like pike fishing, the Adirondack lakes have good populations. I've caught a few 10 pounders up in Loon Lake. Used to be a great bass lake but the acid rain kind of screwed those populations pretty good. Also great pike fishing in the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence river, and Wellesley Island has great camping areas. If you really want BIG pike, travel up to northern Quebec and stay at an outfitters cabin up there. My fishing partners and I spent a week up there and the pike and walleye fishing was completely off the hook, pun intended. The smaller pike are 10 lbs and we caught several that were 25. The first few I hooked just wrecked my lure or broke my line. I finally realized that they were so aggressive I could use a steel leader which stymied the tackle wreckers.

I'd also suggest a trip to Eagle County Wisconsin to fish for Muskie. Known as the "fish of 1000 casts", Muskies tend to hang out in thick weedbeds and often are 4' long and longer and can grow to 50 lbs. and even heavier. As wary as they are, many are hooked by moving a lure in a figure 8 pattern right next to the boat. I landed a 25 pounder that way and almost fell out of the boat when that fish hit the lure.

My ice fishing resume is even weaker than my saltwater resume, but that's because I'm skiing when there is ice so I'm just fine with that.


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## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

bigbog said:


> So have you strategically moved any boulders to create some holes for the hog Browns to move in...just off your property yet JimG!!???...;-)
> 
> I'm more of a hiker/wildlife-watcher, late-boomer explorer(LOL) ie mountain hunter for earning turns now when solo....but a planned day or more with a few others...then the OC-1...or flatwater canoe, and possibly flyrod gear comes along, but in a few streams/rivers one can surf solo and get enough out of just it without running downstream.   I can do a little front/side surfing anytime!  Also love the pt-2nd(or is it 3rd..?) job of doing a little water/wetland testing = has to do with troutwater usually, thus I enjoy it.....
> A flyrod/trout addict I was..and I tend to think that although flyfishing's priority has slipped a bit, it never leaves us totally, especially when nice mayfly, caddis and sometimes stonefly hatches still inhabit .   Most of Maine is made up of various levels of remoteness so it's just a matter of what waters will be right given the weather.  Still lots of waters have decent-to-great hatches.. which along with terrestrials...are fun to fish.
> ...



I knew I would get a response from you bigbog! I indeed did clean out my stretch of the creek (got rid of a few brush piles that had built up during floods and one truck wheel I found semi-buried in there) and built several rockpiles for the bigger browns to hang out in. I didn't have any big boulders on my property so I had to resort to rockpiles, but they have held up well during the high water periods in the spring. I also built underwater rock bridges across the creek both at the head and tail of the pool on my property to aerate the water and create riffles.

Over time the rockpiles did create holes and I did catch several 14" browns this spring in there, pretty much as big as they are going to get in that creek.

I've never fished up in Maine, then again I've only been in Maine once in my life and that was in the Winter. I believe that fishing for brookies out of a canoe with a buddy with flyrods is my favorite all around fishing trip. Just alot of fun and brookies may be the most beautiful freshwater fish there is. We have several streams near me with 12+" brook trout (actually a member of the char family) populations, but I've been to Quebec to fish for brookies (called speckled trout or specks up there) and up there they can grow to 5 lbs. and bigger.


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## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> Green River is actually quite shallow, but cold.  Lots of lilly pad areas.  I used to fish it pretty much with top water lures like Jitter Bugs and Torpedoes.  Pretty much just Smallies and some MONSTER pickerel. So big, you'd swear they were northern Pike.  On days when the Smallies weren't biting, I'd go after pickerel with shiners.  Other than, Perch and panfish.



Sounds very nice. I normally don't discuss lures, but one of my favorite bassing lures is the Big-O. It's a deep runner with superior action and BB's in the body that rattle like crazy during the retrieve. It's a killer lure. Top action lures like the Jitter Bug and Torpedoes are also favorites, especially on calm evenings. I'm also a big fan of the Flatfish, especially on the slow troll.


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## bigbog (Jun 17, 2011)

That's excellent stuff JimG.   Browns in some of the spring-fed bogs/ponds up here, in addition to streams/rivers they're in now...would really be nice.  I'll get some pics and post from time to time.


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## Nick (Jun 17, 2011)

I think I'm _way _to ADHD for fishing. :lol:


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## JimG. (Jun 17, 2011)

bigbog said:


> That's excellent stuff JimG.   Browns in some of the spring-fed bogs/ponds up here, in addition to streams/rivers they're in now...would really be nice.  I'll get some pics and post from time to time.



Cool. I've got to start being more digital camera aware and snap some shots from time to time too. Cameras and me do not seem to get along well regarding outdoor activities. I've broken/lost more than a few.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 18, 2011)

JimG. said:


> Sounds very nice. I normally don't discuss lures, but one of my favorite bassing lures is the Big-O. It's a deep runner with superior action and BB's in the body that rattle like crazy during the retrieve. It's a killer lure. Top action lures like the Jitter Bug and Torpedoes are also favorites, especially on calm evenings. I'm also a big fan of the Flatfish, especially on the slow troll.



I'll check that lure out sometime.  My preference for top water lures is due to how much I enjoy seeing a fish rocket out of the water attacking in.  I'm sure for that reason, I'd really enjoy fly fishing.  I've just never invested in the gear.


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## Cannonball (Jun 18, 2011)

I fish a lot.  Saltwater only.  But I have a different interest in it.  My only interest and intention is to catch a fish to eat.  I don't like catch-and-release, I don't target schoolies, and as soon as I have a keeper I'm done.  Bluefish are my favorite to fish for.  Easy to catch, no size limit, and TASTY!


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## deadheadskier (Jun 18, 2011)

I have gone fishing Blues before.  Strong, strong fighting fish.  Nasty to.  My Uncle Allen had an unfortunate accident with a Bluefish.  When they were bringing one on board, somehow it hopped off the line and landed right at his feet.  Bastard latched right onto Allen's ankle and bit clear through his Achilles tendon.  This happened 25 years ago.  Hasn't walked the same since. Just a freak thing


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## bigbog (Jun 19, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> I'll check that lure out sometime.  My preference for top water lures is due to how much I enjoy seeing a fish rocket out of the water attacking in.  I'm sure for that reason, I'd really enjoy fly fishing.  I've just never invested in the gear.



HA, if that doesn't sound like a flyfishing _addict in the making_...I don't know what is..;-)
DHS, the nice part is that you can use *a)* a floating line...then the flies can either float(style of being tied..or with floatant applied to the fly) OR sink a little if most of hair is either tied back or wrapped...in the fly tying process......*or b)* varying sinking lines....ie sink-tip(the end ~15' sink and the rest floats) or full-sinking.
The rods of today do most all the work....the caster just adds the right directional motion with hand and arm.


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## JimG. (Jun 19, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> I'll check that lure out sometime.  My preference for top water lures is due to how much I enjoy seeing a fish rocket out of the water attacking in.  I'm sure for that reason, I'd really enjoy fly fishing.  I've just never invested in the gear.



The Big-O is a great "one lure quiver" so to speak...it floats and can be fished as a top water lure also. I have in fact had several excellent evenings fishing it that way. Cast it, let it float and just pop it now and then. Then, crank it and it dives.


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## JimG. (Jun 19, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> I fish a lot.  Saltwater only.  But I have a different interest in it.  My only interest and intention is to catch a fish to eat.  I don't like catch-and-release, I don't target schoolies, and as soon as I have a keeper I'm done.  Bluefish are my favorite to fish for.  Easy to catch, no size limit, and TASTY!



I do keep a few every year. Generally speaking though, the last thing I want to have to do after a day of fishing is clean fish.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 19, 2011)

always been catch and release for the most part myself.  Bet I've kept 10 total in my life and that was more at the urging of the company I was fishing with.  I just assume throw em' back and catch em' again another day when they're bigger.


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## Cannonball (Jun 20, 2011)

JimG. said:


> I do keep a few every year. Generally speaking though, the last thing I want to have to do after a day of fishing is clean fish.



That's funny.  Different strokes I guess.  For me, it isn't a day of fishing if you don't get the chance to go from this....







to this....


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## deadheadskier (Jun 20, 2011)

what kind of fish is that?  Halibut?


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## JimG. (Jun 20, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> what kind of fish is that?  Halibut?



Fluke?

It is certainly big enough to be a Halibut though.


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## Cannonball (Jun 20, 2011)

JimG. said:


> Fluke?
> 
> It is certainly big enough to be a Halibut though.



Halibut.  From AK.


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## JimG. (Jun 20, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> Halibut.  From AK.



Nice.

Would love to take a trip there one day. Being a freshwater guy I'd of course spend all of my time flyfishing for big salmon. My brother-in-law went there and came home with pics of 50+ pound King salmon he caught on flys.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 20, 2011)

Legendary bartender friend of mine in Stowe, VT, "Chief" used to go out to fish for Kings every summer.  One summer he said screw it and didn't come back.


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## Cannonball (Jun 20, 2011)

JimG. said:


> Nice.
> 
> Would love to take a trip there one day. Being a freshwater guy I'd of course spend all of my time flyfishing for big salmon. My brother-in-law went there and came home with pics of 50+ pound King salmon he caught on flys.



Very cool.  I've been up there for a few vacations (heli-ski).  But mostly I've spent a lot of time working up there.  Those pics are from a research cruise I was on in Prince William Sound.  With nearly 24-hour daylight, we had tons of free time to fish.  Mostly we were stuck on the ship in deep water so we fished for halibut and rock fish.  But we did manage to hike in for some pinks and reds too (no Kings unfortunately).  I think a brought home 80-100lbs of fish every time I went up.

To me, this 'Kings and Corn' trip is about as good as it gets...http://www.chugachpowderguides.com/kingsandcorn.html


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## JimG. (Jun 20, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> To me, this 'Kings and Corn' trip is about as good as it gets...http://www.chugachpowderguides.com/kingsandcorn.html



Oh yeah! Throw in some whitewater rafting and I might never come back home.


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## Cannonball (Jun 20, 2011)

JimG. said:


> Oh yeah! Throw in some whitewater rafting and I might never come back home.



See ya!

KINGS & CORN ADVENTURE TRIP 
Come experience five days of non-stop action and adventure in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness with Chugach Powder Guides. Our Kings and Corn summer action-adventure trip features* King Salmon fishing*, *corn-snow heli-skiing*, and *whitewater rafting*. Lodging, as well as authentic, gourmet Alaskan meals by our gourmet chef are provided by Tordrillo Mountain Lodge located in the heart of the Alaska Range. All our activities are heli-supported, enabling access to the best the Alaskan bush has to offer. Chugach Powder Guides requires guests to arrive in Anchorage the night prior to trip start date. You will be greeted at Anchorage International and chauffeured in Anchorage for any gear and last-minute needs. That evening's accommodations and activities are on your own. The next morning starts early. We will transport you to Lake Hood for the floatplane ride to Tordrillo Mountain Lodge where the adventure begins.


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## JimG. (Jun 20, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> See ya!
> 
> KINGS & CORN ADVENTURE TRIP
> Come experience five days of non-stop action and adventure in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness with Chugach Powder Guides. Our Kings and Corn summer action-adventure trip features* King Salmon fishing*, *corn-snow heli-skiing*, and *whitewater rafting*. Lodging, as well as authentic, gourmet Alaskan meals by our gourmet chef are provided by Tordrillo Mountain Lodge located in the heart of the Alaska Range. All our activities are heli-supported, enabling access to the best the Alaskan bush has to offer. Chugach Powder Guides requires guests to arrive in Anchorage the night prior to trip start date. You will be greeted at Anchorage International and chauffeured in Anchorage for any gear and last-minute needs. That evening's accommodations and activities are on your own. The next morning starts early. We will transport you to Lake Hood for the floatplane ride to Tordrillo Mountain Lodge where the adventure begins.



Oh boy, now I'm in big trouble!

This is a dream trip. 5 days doesn't seem like enough time.


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## Nick (Jun 20, 2011)

Oh the only other fishing story I have (well, haha, it's not even mine)... a guy I worked with at my last job used to go on an annual fishing trip near Martha's Vineyard with his old college roomates. About five years ago they went and caught a Mako Shark. I think it was 850 pounds or something out of control like that. Took them like 5 hours to get it. 

Here is a story, and here is a picture






All I know is I love eating me some fish!


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## Nick (Jun 20, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> That's funny.  Different strokes I guess.  For me, it isn't a day of fishing if you don't get the chance to go from this....



I can't imagine going through all the hassle of fishing just to let it go. Delicious fish for dinner is what I would want after all that. :beer:


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## vdk03 (Jun 20, 2011)

Just got back from northern vt this afternoon, some family and friends and I fish the LCI (Lake Champlain International) every year. Its a great tournament, about 6000 people fish it each year with hundreds of thousands of dollars and three boats up for grabs. We usually go up there and target the pike and bass. I caught this 4lb 13oz largemouth this am, about a half a pound to small to make the top ten.


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## JimG. (Jun 21, 2011)

vdk03 said:


> Just got back from northern vt this afternoon, some family and friends and I fish the LCI (Lake Champlain International) every year. Its a great tournament, about 6000 people fish it each year with hundreds of thousands of dollars and three boats up for grabs. We usually go up there and target the pike and bass. I caught this 4lb 13oz largemouth this am, about a half a pound to small to make the top ten.



Another nice largemouth...now I'm getting antsy to go out in my boat!

Couldn't get out for opening weekend last week, nor will I get out this weekend...busy with college showcase soccer tournaments with my 2 oldest boys.

But the first weekend of July is already filled with fishing trips to my home reservoir, the East Branch reservoir in NY, and to Candlewood lake in CT.

Thanks for the fishing stoke!


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## JimG. (Jun 21, 2011)

Nick said:


> I can't imagine going through all the hassle of fishing just to let it go. Delicious fish for dinner is what I would want after all that. :beer:



Hassle? You're a skier, right?

Fishing is no trouble at all compared to dragging ski equipment around. I like to keep it simple; I wade in streams alot which is very self-contained, and I stick with rowboats when I go out on a lake/reservoir. I guess you can make it more complicated, but I love fishing because of the simplicity.

I do keep a few each year because fresh caught fish is delicious; I guess the catch and release thing is mostly a personal preference. I'm superstitious too...I believe that putting them back brings good fishing karma. I've been known to pour a freshly opened beer in the water as a sacrifice to the fishing gods too.


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## Cannonball (Jun 21, 2011)

Again, to each his own.  



JimG. said:


> Hassle? You're a skier, right?
> 
> Fishing is no trouble at all compared to dragging ski equipment around.



You're right, fishing certainly isn't a hassle....but neither is cleaning them.




JimG. said:


> I guess the catch and release thing is mostly a personal preference. I'm superstitious too...I believe that putting them back brings good fishing karma.



I believe that catch and release brings bad karma.


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## JimG. (Jun 21, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> Again, to each his own.



Indeed. I think that's what I love about fishing.

My buddy Eric (who passed years ago, RIP), would come with me to upstate streams on fishing trips. We would get to the first good looking pool and that's where Eric would stay for the whole day. Literally. I like to walk a few miles downstream and then work my way back upstream fishing. I could never understand why Eric would do that, but then again it was not uncommon for me to get back to Eric with stories of the nice fish I caught only to find him with the one big fish I wished I had caught.


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## Nick (Jun 21, 2011)

I guess what I meant to say is the entire point of fishing is to catch the fish, right? 

You wouldn't go hunting and just shoot animals and let them walk it off, right :lol: 

Then again I guess that isn't really feasible :roll: you can tell I know absolutely zilch about fishing. I have always wanted to try scuba diving and get my own lobsters though....


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## Cannonball (Jun 21, 2011)

Nick said:


> have always wanted to try scuba diving and get my own lobsters though....



Great fun.  Recreational permit in MA is only $40.  You can easily make that back in just a few trips.  I've switched over to mostly freediving for lobster instead of SCUBA.  A lot quicker and easier.  Actually, that's not entirely true....I've mostly switched over to having a few traps.  that's a LOT easier.  But it is fun to snorkel or scuba and get all hands-on with it.


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## JimG. (Jun 21, 2011)

Nick said:


> I guess what I meant to say is the entire point of fishing is to catch the fish, right?
> 
> You wouldn't go hunting and just shoot animals and let them walk it off, right :lol:




Again, it's a personal preference. I go fishing as much for the recreation and the being outside as I go to catch fish. Don't get me wrong, I go for the catching too, but I don't consider the day a failure if I get skunked. After all, it's called fishing and not catching.

And to give you a better glimpse of my mindset, I've never hunted and probably won't ever. I'm not a gun guy and I'm not much for killing. That's why I like fishing...I can release the fish and not kill them.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 21, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> Great fun.  Recreational permit in MA is only $40.  You can easily make that back in just a few trips.  I've switched over to mostly freediving for lobster instead of SCUBA.  A lot quicker and easier.  Actually, that's not entirely true....I've mostly switched over to having a few traps.  that's a LOT easier.  But it is fun to snorkel or scuba and get all hands-on with it.



How many traps can one have for recreational purposes?

Don't think I'd dive for Lobster.  I'd be too freaked out about getting pinched.



JimG. said:


> Again, it's a personal preference. I go fishing as much for the recreation and the being outside as I go to catch fish. Don't get me wrong, I go for the catching too, but I don't consider the day a failure if I get skunked. After all, it's called fishing and not catching.
> 
> And to give you a better glimpse of my mindset, I've never hunted and probably won't ever. I'm not a gun guy and I'm not much for killing. That's why I like fishing...I can release the fish and not kill them.



I'm in the same boat as Jim, pun intended.

Though I do think I'd keep salt water fish.  It's a different story when one giant Striper can feed a family many, many meals, as opposed to one average smallmouth bass that might feed 2 ppl.


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## ctenidae (Jun 21, 2011)

JimG. said:


> Again, it's a personal preference. I go fishing as much for the recreation and the being outside as I go to catch fish. Don't get me wrong, I go for the catching too, but I don't consider the day a failure if I get skunked. After all, it's called fishing and not catching.



Just because I'm not catching anything, it doesn't mean I've got anything better to do.


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## Johnskiismore (Jun 21, 2011)

At the 175 bridge in Woodstock, caught a 8lb sucker on Sunday.  Retrieved the hook and sent him on has way, don't think he would taste good.

Kristen has caught many nice sized Rainbow Trout so far.  Can't wait for Maine, land locked salmon, big trout!


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## Cannonball (Jun 21, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> How many traps can one have for recreational purposes?.



Ten


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## lolkl (Jun 22, 2011)

With an Avatar like mine I guess I can't miss this thread. I caught that Dorado ( Mahi Mahi ) in Cabo San Lucas this Spring. We`also caught about 30 Yelow Fin Tuna ( about 30# each ). I am friends with the guy who owns a few boats there ( The " Bob Marlin" ) and I can help set people up with a great day of fishing. Sure, it's a long drive, but....


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2011)

ctenidae said:


> Just because I'm not catching anything, it doesn't mean I've got anything better to do.



That's funny and highly accurate! 

A potential bumper sticker.


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2011)

lolkl said:


> With an Avatar like mine I guess I can't miss this thread. I caught that Dorado ( Mahi Mahi ) in Cabo San Lucas this Spring. We`also caught about 30 Yelow Fin Tuna ( about 30# each ). I am friends with the guy who owns a few boats there ( The " Bob Marlin" ) and I can help set people up with a great day of fishing. Sure, it's a long drive, but....



Wow, 30 or so 30lb tuna would make for a great night's sleep I'm sure.


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## Cannonball (Jun 23, 2011)

Sometimes I'd rather just photograph than fish.  Some herring the other day in a local stream....


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## vdk03 (Jun 23, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> Sometimes I'd rather just photograph than fish.  Some herring the other day in a local stream....



Cool, I just got an underwater digital camera im pretty excited to put it to use. Im not sure I would want to photograph them instead of catching them though. Id like to be able to take underwater photos of someone catching/fighting a fish.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 23, 2011)

I've got a waterproof Pentax, but that purchase was mainly in case I had an epic wipe out while skiing.  After 4 years I haven't once tried it under water.  Cool photo Cannonball


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## Geoff (Jun 23, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> Great fun.  Recreational permit in MA is only $40.  You can easily make that back in just a few trips.  I've switched over to mostly freediving for lobster instead of SCUBA.  A lot quicker and easier.  Actually, that's not entirely true....I've mostly switched over to having a few traps.  that's a LOT easier.  But it is fun to snorkel or scuba and get all hands-on with it.



Lobster is gone from Buzzards Bay.   The water temps warmed up a couple of degrees and they all walked offshore.   It does make it easier boating since I don't have to watch for lobster traps.   I haven't had my own traps since I was a kid.


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## JimG. (Jun 23, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> Sometimes I'd rather just photograph than fish.  Some herring the other day in a local stream....



Cool photo.

You seem to have an interesting occupation what with being on research vessels in Alaska, diving, and underwater photography.


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## Cannonball (Jun 23, 2011)

JimG. said:


> Cool photo.
> 
> You seem to have an interesting occupation what with being on research vessels in Alaska, diving, and underwater photography.



I'm a marine ecologist.  Back then I was doing work in Prince William Sound related to the Exxon Valdez spill and in the Beaufort Sea related to oil leases (ANWR).  These days I'm doing local river restoration work (dam removal, salt marsh restoration, etc).  Plus the oyster farm....

The pics are from a GoPro, which I bought for skiing but is amazing underwater.


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## JimG. (Jun 23, 2011)

Cannonball said:


> I'm a marine ecologist.  Back then I was doing work in Prince William Sound related to the Exxon Valdez spill and in the Beaufort Sea related to oil leases (ANWR).  These days I'm doing local river restoration work (dam removal, salt marsh restoration, etc).  Plus the oyster farm....
> 
> The pics are from a GoPro, which I bought for skiing but is amazing underwater.



Impressive. I wish my job was as impactful on the environment and life in general.


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## powhunter (Jun 4, 2012)

Heading out tomorrow afternoon to fish the Farmington..Pretty much fly fishing, but not a purist..If nothing is happening I will break out the spinning rod...Hows everyones spring going??

Steveo


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## JimG. (Jun 4, 2012)

powhunter said:


> Heading out tomorrow afternoon to fish the Farmington..Pretty much fly fishing, but not a purist..If nothing is happening I will break out the spinning rod...Hows everyones spring going??
> 
> Steveo



Sadly I have not wet a line yet. Too busy with kids.

But soon bassing begins. I have some good shots from last season I never posted. 

Can you post here from an iphone?


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## Rushski (Jun 5, 2012)

JimG. said:


> Sounds very nice. I normally don't discuss lures, but one of my favorite bassing lures is the Big-O. It's a deep runner with superior action and BB's in the body that rattle like crazy during the retrieve. It's a killer lure. Top action lures like the Jitter Bug and Torpedoes are also favorites, especially on calm evenings. I'm also a big fan of the Flatfish, especially on the slow troll.



I'll second that the Big-O is my go to for bass fishing.  Especially good at twilight when the sun is going down and the bass come out of the shadows.  That being said my biggest bass was over 6.5# on a live shiner.  Best on artificials was a 4+ pounder on a jointed Rapala.

Last couple years I've been trying to flycast a bit more.  It's not pretty but can get the fly out there and have caught a few trout in moving water.


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## jrmagic (Jun 5, 2012)

Not sure wy I never thought about looking for a fishing thread here before lol. I have fished on and off for most of my life. I started in freshwater as a young kid learning everytihng myself as there were no fishermen in my family then transitioned to saltwater as a teenager and then stopped for several years until I got a house on Lake Zoar in CT which is a dammed section of the Housatonic. The place was filthy with LSB and SMB. My biggest LMB was 8 pounds but I "cheated" lol.  I had a friend of a friend out and we got skunked and he kept complaining that there were no fish and that I didn't know what I was doing etc really pissing me off so we got back to the dock I ug up a worm and promptly had a bluegill on the hook as I'm telling him see there are fish lol. Next thing I know a huge bass darts out from under my dock and slams the bluegill. After a couple of minutes I had my first true hawg. that shut him up for good. I did catch a 6 pound SMB on a perch pattern shad rap in that lake.

Since then I've been back in the salt for a decade or so. I own a boat with a buddy on the east end of LI and we do a good amount of bass weakfish blackfish and fluke fishing with the kids. I also do some trips up north for cod and some canyon tuna trips. I attached a few pics from my work computer.

1) Biggest weakfish at 15.2 pounds.
2) 9 pound blackfish
3) 2 ncie cod caught out of Glouchester
4) decent yellowfin in Hudson canyon


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## bigbog (Jun 5, 2012)

*June 4th = not very much hiking action = blackflies!*

Nice stuff everyone since here last...
Well I can talk about our planned intentions, with either sightseeing with the 4wd [+ hiking][+ paddling(canoe/kayak)]...but with the quantity of moose, deer, and hawks out the area around the Penobscot's North Branch headwaters is always pretty amazing.
The blackflies were hot(to say the least)..combined with the brilliant move of forgetting my headnets and flydope..drove around on new & old cutting trails and small roads sighseeing the moose and deer.  A few useless casts for trout(high water from the last week of rain) as the fish up there only cooperate with good water levels and weather..
Had a good time though...although none of the many moose and deer seen gave me any chance to load up for pics....were pretty close to the 4wd with deer very wary and the bigger bulls(moose) having no fear at this time of year...if they wanna cross the road in front of you...they just stride across.  Avoiding anykind of confrontation while they give you the chance to observe them usually keeps my hands on the wheel...so I usually end up with 0 pics..  Will get some next time up.
Just a couple ultra-short videos...#1) wanted to see where one little road would end up..brought me to the usual multi-day rains = overflowing brooks.  Had I had my mudtires on...might've opted to follow further, but with the everyday all-terrains' softer 50%-worn tread I opted to keep the day a relaxed sightseeing tour for us...;-)
#2) Second one is just a little stretch of brook that connect two bogs, that is usually a little lower & slower.  One my favorite bridges...btw.  You're ~20mi out away from the main woods road on old cutting roads.  Nice that it has the sturdy under layer;-)
$.01...


http://s1071.photobucket.com/albums/u513/bigspencer12/NBrPenob_06042012/


http://s1071.photobucket.com/albums/u513/bigspencer12/


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## Mpdsnowman (Jun 5, 2012)

I have a camp on lake ontario. Was a charter captain for 15 years. 

Were still fishing for browns. It started out awesome but has slowed down abit. 






Now were re rigging for these bad boys.




King salmon. 

these photos were from last season. We put together videos and photos during the season. Should have some good ones to post in here. once they start hittin lol

Here is a recent vid we did in April. I think some of you may have seen this in another thread. Sorry for the duplicate but thats all we got right now lol


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## bigbog (Jun 7, 2012)

Big water...BIG fish!  Nice stuff Mpd.
Haven't encountered any big hatches up here, while with flyrod...powhunter, GreenDrakes and Hex have yet to start hatching, but have seen many mayflies and caddis flying around..~100yds back from the shoreline of a few bogs that I haven't gotten to yet.
Haven't caught many..have been out with the flyrod ~6times so far..and have caught about a dozen brookies running 6" to a couple nice ones 14" and 17" a week ago.  Mostly on caddis emergers and pheasant tail emergers.   Rain clouds have been plowing down from the maritimes, but othw has been sunny..making for the chance of good hatches to go off.  Think I'd like to go tomorrow afternoon into the evening...or Sat.


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## Hawkshot99 (Jun 8, 2012)

Going up to a friends lake house for the next 2 days for a party.  Gonna go up a bit early and see if I can catch a few bass off the docks.


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## steamboat1 (Jun 8, 2012)

jrmagic said:


> Not sure wy I never thought about looking for a fishing thread here before lol. I have fished on and off for most of my life. I started in freshwater as a young kid learning everytihng myself as there were no fishermen in my family then transitioned to saltwater as a teenager and then stopped for several years until I got a house on Lake Zoar in CT which is a dammed section of the Housatonic. The place was filthy with LSB and SMB. My biggest LMB was 8 pounds but I "cheated" lol.  I had a friend of a friend out and we got skunked and he kept complaining that there were no fish and that I didn't know what I was doing etc really pissing me off so we got back to the dock I ug up a worm and promptly had a bluegill on the hook as I'm telling him see there are fish lol. Next thing I know a huge bass darts out from under my dock and slams the bluegill. After a couple of minutes I had my first true hawg. that shut him up for good. I did catch a 6 pound SMB on a perch pattern shad rap in that lake.
> 
> Since then I've been back in the salt for a decade or so. I own a boat with a buddy on the east end of LI and we do a good amount of bass weakfish blackfish and fluke fishing with the kids. I also do some trips up north for cod and some canyon tuna trips. I attached a few pics from my work computer.
> 
> ...



jrmagic you are far to modest. You should have also mentioned that you are a member of the Marine Recreational Advisory Council  (MRAC) in New York. The council represents both recreational & commercial fishing interests in NY & makes recommendations to the NYSDEC which sets salt water fishing regulations in NY. Jrmagic is very knowledgeable about all types of salt water fishing. He is also a moderator of a very popular fishing website.

Me I come from a family that has been in the party fishing boat business since 1949. This is what I did for a living growing up. The family is still in the business & I still maintain my captains license but haven't been heavily involved in the business for 30 years.


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## ctenidae (Jun 9, 2012)

Ton of bunker feeding in the Sound this afternoon.
Guess what I didn't have with me in the boat...


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## jrmagic (Jun 11, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Ton of bunker feeding in the Sound this afternoon.
> Guess what I didn't have with me in the boat...



If they were just milling around in a big circle, chances are they weren't being harrassed by any predators so no biggie to not have the snag or a cast net handy unless you wanted to catch some bait to go find another pod that was being harrassed. Its been years since we have had this much bunker in the sound. I'm hoping that as a result they hang out all summer and don't make an early exit.


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## bigbog (Jun 11, 2012)

Amazing fish guys and Stef.....


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## bigbog (Jun 11, 2012)

Nick said:


> I can't imagine going through all the hassle of fishing just to let it go. Delicious fish for dinner is what I would want after all that. :beer:




Fresh fish is nice.  So is spending time out on the water...but I don't feel I have to fish every time I'm out on the water.  The seafood joints are great....I seem to only eat saltwater fish these days.  Have always loved the coastal areas....  The flyfishing part was just a spinoff of spending time in the woodlands up in Maine, with an accessible camp and boating/canoeing in the early 60s.


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## steamboat1 (Jun 11, 2012)

Fishing & boating in particular is about a lot more than dinner.


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## jrmagic (Jun 12, 2012)

steamboat1 said:


> Fishing & boating in particular is about a lot more than dinner.



Agreed though I do enjoy catching my dinner too. I would say across the whole season I probably keep about 25% of the fish I can legally keep. Nothin better to me than the smell of the ocean and fishing predawn and watchnig the sun rise out of the water. The same goes for fishing the afternoon into night.


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## Mpdsnowman (Jun 23, 2012)

*Summer kings*

Ok were gettin into em now. The lake is turning, happens this time every year so now its temp temp temp...find that 50 degree temp and put em down. This was two days ago. I didnt get the ball down for more than 25 seconds before she hit. First fish is a brown, second a king. I should be able to find the mature kings real soon.

These little guys were a good start.


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