Anyone enjoy fishing?

[Stingray]

I haven't done so much as look at my fishing stuff in probably three years. I used to be really into it. This weekend I guess I got the bug. Woke up early Saturday morning, went out to the spidertrap that I call my backyard shed and dug out my fishing gear. Took my reels apart, cleaned & oiled everything, put new line on both, and I was ready to go. It's pretty easy for me to find someone to fish with, a quick call to my father in law and we were on our way. The bass gods were smiling on me, I caught several some of which were pretty good sized ones.

Went fishing again Sunday with a couple of buddys. Caught quite a few then too, although one of my reels ended up breaking. I guess I must be (pardon the pun) hooked again, because I went out at lunch today and bought a new reel, along with a few snazzy new lures.

So anyone else into fishing here?

-S

[Zakk]

I love to fish, but it's getting too hard here.

[daywane]

yep have a vacation trailer on lake Kincaid.
If I do not get this @##$**** Packard bell going I have a new anchor for my pontoon boat

[OSCAR]

Hey Z!

Heh, I grew up in the "Sturgeon Capital of Michigan" (that's Black Lake, actually).  Sturgeon are very popular there, many sportsmen come from all over to try to get one.  Many local bars have sturgeon mounts, and yes, they are scary as hell!  I can't imagine swimming in the lake and seeing one of those things come up along side ya, yikes!!  Looks like some sort of prehistoric dinosaur of a fish, well, because it is...

But no catch & release with those buggers on Black Lake, you have to spear them during the winter.  It's the only time they come up near the surface because they like extremely cold water and tend to stay in the deeper parts of the lake (45ft +) during the summer months.  On very rare occasions, you can see them in the summer when they do a "log roll" on the surface.  Sometimes one may come up along side your boat, and do a slow roll and you can see this huge, 4ft long white belly pop out of the water. 

But the Muskee's are the really scary ones in Black Lake, they do what we call a "fence post" jump.  They will shoot straight out the water vertical, then slap down sideways.  Makes a huge splash and scares you to death if they do it anywhere near your boat. 


And yes, the conservation officers (DNR here) are nice to avoid.  In Michigan, they have as much or more authority than a state trooper!  Not only can they confiscate your equipment and vehicle for game violations, they can also stop you on the highway and give you a speeding ticket or a DUI...  We learn to recognize those green pickups from a very early age in northern Mich!  I think there are more DNR officers around then there are county sheriff patrols. 

[daywane]

stink spray.
do not spray them but spray when you see them coming
I would.
my eye would be crossed and watering but so would theirs.
I would just tell them I farted
I few time of that ... I would be left alone.
this works I have done this at work. 1 certain supervisor leaves me alone now.
every day this jerk would make me miserable. I decided to fart every time the jerk got near me. a diet of beer, beans and boiled eggs will work

[DrewKaree]

If I do not get this @##$**** Packard bell going I have a new anchor for my pontoon boat

Avoid the rush now, and start looking for a suitable place to tie your rope onto.  Beware, they don't even make good rope-tying points!  Hammers and explosives work best, but if you want to keep it as an anchor, you'll need a more delicate touch like a pliers.

If you mean do we like fishing as in "let's go sit out in the boat on the lake and get lit up like Christmas trees", then yes, I like to fish.  As far as going out purposefully to snag a fish with a lure, I hate it.  Not because I don't enjoy the tasty goodness of fish, but because I suck so bad at actually catching them.

The lure I've found most effective to date for me (and the people who are just as inept at catching fish) is dynamite.  Second would be a shotgun.  I seriously wish I knew how to fish better, but I have no boat, and no gumption to walk down to a lake and fish off the bank.  I looked into building a skiff, but hell, after all the money, I could buy one of those pedal-type rental boats....and it's hard to look cool fishing from one of those

[daywane]

peddle boats will kick you butt. no offence I got on one last year
never again

your fishing is called yard fishing here.
we light up a Bonn fire , a few drinks , tell our wife's we go fishing.
we even grab our poles, and off we run .
(my wife knows)

[Stingray]

I love to fish, but it's getting too hard here.  About 8 years ago I was fishing on a tiny inland lake, when a small truck backed up to a boat launch site, and 3 see-doos came out the back.  They instantly hit everyone on the lake (including me) for our cards.

Wow, sound like you have some serious game wardens there. I've never been asked to show my fishing liscence, though I have never been fishing without one. I don't know what the fine is here for fishing without one, but I do know that they will seize all of your gear. Now that would p*** me off!

If you mean do we like fishing as in "let's go sit out in the boat on the lake and get lit up like Christmas trees", then yes, I like to fish. 

Hey, I thought the "getting lit up like a Christmas tree" part just goes without saying. It's not a fishing trip without a cooler of your favorite adult beverages.

Talk about dinosaur fish, has anyone here ever caught an alligator gar? Every few years the Arkansas river really floods, for some reason those things are super easy to catch when the river is overflowing it's banks. They're gigantic and nasty looking. I don't know of any other fish you can catch without a hook. You just take a couple feet of nylon rope,  fray it out and tie that to your line. They bite it and their teeth get tangled up in it, then you've got a fight on your hands. Most of the time they get off before you land them, sometimes you'll get one on shore. This is where the beauty of the no hook method comes in, you can just shake the line and it will untangle. I'd hate to get my hands close enough to those teeth to try and get my hook back.

-S

[Shape D.]

Never heard of those before.

that is one nasty looking fish.

[Stingray]

You should see their teeth! I wouldn't be brave enough to lift one up on the tailgate for that picture even if it were dead. They're fun to catch, but I just drag 'em up on the bank, untangle the rope and shove 'em back in with my foot.

-S

[Shape D.]

You should see their teeth! I wouldn't be brave enough to lift one up on the tailgate for that picture even if it were dead. They're fun to catch, but I just drag 'em up on the bank, untangle the rope and shove 'em back in with my foot.

-S

I guess you wouldn't know if they taste good or not then.

I saw some pics of their teeth on the site i found that pic. I wouldn't want to touch one of those either dead or alive. I'd eat one after it was cooked though.

[Stingray]

Well as I said, I catch them in the Arkansas river. I don't think I'd eat anything I caught out of that particular body of water.

-S

[mr.Curmudgeon]

that is one nasty looking fish.

Not quite as ugly as a Sturgeon though. Those things always creeped me out.



My grandfather once caught a 51" Sturgeon while fishing from a canoe, damn thing just pulled him around the lake for hours until he finally landed his boat and dragged the fish to shore.



mrC

[Jabba]

I love fishing...Fishing season does not open here until the May long weekend. We call it the Victoria Day long weekend (usuallyt 24th of may thereabouts). Me and my cousins (I have lots) usually get together and make it a camping/fishing weekend. No women or children allowed, just us, our fishing gear and a couple of cases of beer.

We're only allowed catching Trout, Walleye and Pike. Large and small mouth bass are not allowed and as Zakk pointed out, the MNR conversationists can impound everything you got. Although, due to massive budget cuts over the last few years, there are maybe 1 to 2 per 1000 lakes. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances...
 

[Stingray]

I love fishing...Fishing season does not open here until the May long weekend.

I didn't know you guys had a fishing season. You can fish all year long here, although you have to renew your liscense annually.

-S

[Shape D.]

man now I want to go fishing. I hate you guys. 

[Stingray]

man now I want to go fishing. I hate you guys. 

My fishing stuff is in the car calling my name. Maybe I should pretend to be sick so I can leave at lunch.

-S

[mr.Curmudgeon]

I don't think I'm ever happier than when I'm floatin' on a boat in the middle of a quiet New England lake, feet kicked up, sipping a beer. I don't really ever care if I catch anything or not. Usually I don't catch anything other than a buzz. 

I've waited all winter...this thread may get me out on the water this weekend.

mrC

[GGKoul]

How old would the fish be to get to that size?

[Jabba]

My fishing stuff is in the car calling my name. Maybe I should pretend to be sick so I can leave at lunch.

You just sounded like Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn

[Stingray]

Some fish in the winter, get a fishing hut set up on the lake/river, drill a hole, drink a beer, catch a fish (repeat pattern...). I never got into that ice fishing. Another reason is that its just too darn cold to fish before the May long weedend...

Never gets cold enough here for the lakes to freeze over, at least not more than a very thin skin of ice on the surface. Most years it doesn't get cold enough for even that to happen.

Anyone try fly fishing? I've been meaning to give that a try. I hear its pretty tough to get the feel of it though...

Every now & then we go to a place in Missouri called Roaring River, where trout fishing is king. I love to watch the guys who really know what they're doing with those flyrods. I'd love to try it, but there really isn't any place near where I live to do it, so I couldn't really justify the expense of the extra gear that I'd only use maybe once a year.

It's still fun to catch trout even if you're just using a regular open faced reel. I usually switch to very light line (2 lb) and tiny hooks. The trout seem to be able to see the line & hook otherwise and just won't bite.

-S

[Stingray]

Speaking of reel types, I just bought my first baitcaster reel. I'm still learning to get the hang of casting it. You have to stop the reel from spinning with your thumb or your  line gets all tangled. You can really cast far with it though.

-S

[Zakk]

Look at that Sturgeon!

[tommy]

I say we build cabs 2 days and fish 5..............i'd rather be fishing.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

How old would the fish be to get to that size?

Male Sturgeon generally live to 55 years and females can live up to 80 years or more. They reach maturity at about 20 years or so, and continue to grow slowly from there. I'd say the one in the picture up-thread is anywhere from 30-40 yrs old. Just a guess though. Growth rates have declined in certain areas as environmental changes take place, so it depends on where it was caught.



mrC

[DrewKaree]

Speaking of reel types, I just bought my first baitcaster reel. I'm still learning to get the hang of casting it. You have to stop the reel from spinning with your thumb or your  line gets all tangled. You can really cast far with it though.

-S

Oddly enough, even though I go so rarely, that's the kind of reel I have.  My dad had several of those growing up, so I learned to use those.  I HATED him for making me use those instead of my trusty Zebco "push-the-button, hold, and cast".

Mainly I hated 'em because that marvelous ability to cast it farther than most other reels simply makes for larger piles of tangled line

Is that the actual "name" of that type of reel?  I always just called 'em "open faced reels" and people seemed to know what I was talking about.

[Zakk]

A spincast reel is the one with the button, a spinning reel is the one with the wire thingy you flip over, and a baitcast reels are kind of oval things that guide the line back in (jeez what a bad description).  Personally, I like a good spinning reel, since I've yet to snag the side of my head with the hook while casting with one.

[SirPoonga]

I do once and awhile.  Now that I am a WI ite again I should get a license.  I usually just fish with my dad and/or grandpa.  But since I was a MNer for awhile I couldn't fish in WI without paying the out of state price.  So I just did the free day then.

[Daniel270]

I used to love fishing when I was a kid....  haven't done much since then, tho.  Esp now that I sunburn so easily.  Did just buy a license for the wife tho, so she fishes some when my family comes to visit.

[Stingray]

Oddly enough, even though I go so rarely, that's the kind of reel I have.  My dad had several of those growing up, so I learned to use those.  I HATED him for making me use those instead of my trusty Zebco "push-the-button, hold, and cast".

Mainly I hated 'em because that marvelous ability to cast it farther than most other reels simply makes for larger piles of tangled line

Is that the actual "name" of that type of reel?  I always just called 'em "open faced reels" and people seemed to know what I was talking about.

As far as I know they're called bait casters (which is a fairly stupid name since you certainly can use one with lures and not just with live bait). On the whole I prefer my spinning reel - funny enough I refer to that as an open faced reel- to any other type. In my experinece, despite the fact that they are supposed to prevent tangles, the line is more prone to tangling inside a closed spincast reel than with an open spinner. Not only that, but when the line does tangle in there you have to open it up to sort out the mess because it's all wrapped around the internal mechanism.

For the sake of clairity these are the names I'm applying to the various reels:

Baitcaster:


____________________

Spincaster:


____________________


Spinning reel:


____________________

-S

[daywane]

fish for fun