tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82629929905314630302023-11-16T11:23:02.878-05:00FlyyakFly fishing, kayaking, and other
stow away hobbiesStealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-65667148692834135842012-09-07T15:52:00.003-04:002012-09-07T19:51:33.719-04:00Ten Days of Fishing Challenge - COMPLETED<br />
Last Wednesday I started the <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/the-flyyak-fishing-challenges.html">fishing challenge</a> of attempting to fish for at least an hour per day for 10 days straight. The only real rule was that I couldn't fish the same body of water two days in a row. Some crazy part of me decided I would add an additional rule that I wouldn't fish the same body of water twice for those ten days (I sort of broke that rule) in order to make it even more of a challenge. I did fish ten bodies of water (I counted ponds in close proximity as 1) in ten days. One day I fished Pick Me Up pond for .75 hours in addition to fishing a different body of water for over an hour. I later used PMU pond as my only source of fishing one day after work. So technically I strayed from the rules, but since I didn't need to fish there to meet my quota for the challenge, I still consider it to be within the rules. If it is that big of a deal to someone out there, then I failed. I'm sorry.<br />
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The toughest part of the challenge was squeezing in time to fish after a ten hour work day. I usually limited those trips to a little over an hour and hit up water in between work and my house. Those days were usually my worst number wise as it was tough to get a feel for what the fish wanted. Regardless, everyday be it one hour or eight hours fished, I still managed to bring at least one fish to hand.<br />
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I kept a series of numbers and notes each day I was out including lengths, species, lures used, etc. I made a fancy chart but it doesn't translate to the blog nicely. I'll just list the highlights in a list instead.<br />
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Bodies of water fished: 10<br />
Hours fished: 25.25<br />
Fish caught: 36<br />
Fish per hour: 1.43<br />
Length of total fish caught: 416 inches or 34.6 feet<br />
Feet of fish per hour: 1.37<br />
Average length of fish caught: 11.5 inches<br />
Longest continuous time fished: 7.5 hours<br />
Species caught: 7 (Largemouth, smallmouth, pickerel, rockbass, green sunfish, hybrid longear sunfish, bullhead)<br />
Most numerous species caught: Largemouth (25 fish)<br />
Largest fish: 24" Pickerel (New personal best)<br />
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This also completed the challenge of catching a 20" or greater pickerel, so I crossed that off and put up catch a 25" or greater pick. I always need something new to shoot for.<br />
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As much as I like fishing, it did get a little tiresome trying to fit fishing in everyday. Had I not had to work or I was catching more fish, I wouldn't have minded as much. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.<br />
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-52433960285118243872012-08-31T17:49:00.005-04:002012-08-31T17:49:55.735-04:00The Prettiest Fish I Have Ever Caught<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-27034437792692398592012-08-29T21:50:00.000-04:002012-08-29T21:50:16.255-04:0010 Days of Fishing Challenge Attempt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today started my attempt at knocking another item off the Flyyak fishing challenges <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/the-flyyak-fishing-challenges.html">list</a>. 10 days of fishing for at least one hour each outing. This wouldn't be too difficult except I work 0800-1830 four days of the week. Another tricky part is that I can't fish the same body of water on consecutive days. This means I can't hit up the same pond on my way home from work or the stream half a mile from my house just to log some hours. I'll keep a running tally of some numbers and post the results. Wish me luck!</div>
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Two of the fish from today's after work outing:</div>
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Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-62298539264058247922012-08-27T23:15:00.002-04:002012-08-27T23:15:34.709-04:00AFTCO Gear Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently won some cool gear from <a href="http://www.aftco.com/">AFTCO</a> and the <a href="http://www.outdoorbloggernetwork.com/">Outdoor Blogger Network</a> with the condition that I write a review for the items I received. After subjecting each of the items to multiple outings starting in early July, I have gotten a good feel for them in order to do a fair review. The swag AFTCO sent me is as follows: a <a href="http://www.aftco.com/fathom-mens-saltwater-fishing-hat-931-prd1.htm">Fathom Fishing Hat</a>, a <a href="http://www.aftco.com/aftco-lure-sun-mask-buff-for-saltwater-fishing-937-prd1.htm">Lure Sun Fishing Buff</a>, and a pair of <a href="http://www.aftco.com/waterproof-fishing-pants-973-prd1.htm">Waterproof Fishing Pants</a>. </div>
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First up is the <a href="http://www.aftco.com/fathom-mens-saltwater-fishing-hat-931-prd1.htm">Fathom Fishing Hat</a>. The hat comes with an attractive embroidering of AFTCO's logo and a tuna on the front and their slogan "If you fish," on the right rear of the hat. The thing that I am most impressed about with this hat is the quality craftsmanship. Just by inspecting this hat I know it is going to be difficult to destroy. All the inner seams on the hat have an additional barrier sewn over them to protect the stitching. I have worn this hat nearly every fishing outing since July (15-20 excursions) in plenty of sun and a decent amount of rain yet it looks the same as when I opened the box. The thread work is remarkable and makes an all around great looking hat. The hat works how it should blocking sun and rain allowing me to see in the water easier and keep fishing in adverse conditions. The hat also seems to keep my head cooler than other hats due to the ample amount of air vents in the back four panels of the hat. The only con I have found is the "Flexfit" method of fitting. Flexfit is a spandex strap that runs the inner circumference of the hat preventing one from having to fit the hat using velcro or plastic that seems to break on every hat I have owned. Their website states "one size fits most," which I believe is true and would fit anglers with large noggins. My issue is the hat seems a little loose on me. If I was kayaking 30 mph down the lake and a gust of wind came up, it would probably blow the hat off and I would be forced to actually have to pay for my second AFTCO <a href="http://www.aftco.com/fathom-mens-saltwater-fishing-hat-931-prd1.htm">Fathom Fishing Hat</a>. I would absolutely recommend this hat to anyone in the market looking for a new lucky fishing hat. But good luck destroying it to the point where it looks like your current hat.</div>
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Next on the list is the <a href="http://www.aftco.com/aftco-lure-sun-mask-buff-for-saltwater-fishing-937-prd1.htm">Lure Sun Fishing Buff</a>. I didn't know much about buffs before receiving one for review. I originally thought they for mainly saltwater use for anglers stalking flats all day in the tropics. After wearing one a few outings, I find myself putting in on whenever I know I will be on the water for extended periods of time or when I am in skinny water and am trying to prevent the fish from seeing my pasty white glow my skin emits. The buff is made of 100% spandex making it easy to adapt to multiple different styles. AFTCO's buff comes in three neutral colors, all in camouflage patterns with AFTCO's logo and images of lures. The buff is lightweight and I found only a burden to wear when covering both your nose and mouth, slightly obstructing your breathing. An easy fix is to pull the buff down so that your nose sticks out and your mouth is still covered. My favorite use for the buff is to keep me cool on the water. Dipping the buff in the water and placing back around your neck provides instant relief in +90ยบ weather allowing you to keep fishing in comfort while also providing protection from the sun. The buff's sun protection abilities are evident from my new tan line on my neck after a 12 hour canoe trip. This prevents the need of applying and reapplying sunscreen on the water saving time and keeping your hands free of malodorous chemicals. The buff also helps to cut down on one's visibility. The camo patterns break up skin tones and allow a stealthy angler to get a little closer to their quarry. I have gotten within rod's length of creek smallmouth and carp without being spotted with the aid of wearing the buff. The buff seems to need additional tapering or an elastic band at the top to fit snugly on my scrawny skull. Without a hat to hold it down, or styling the buff cleverly, it slowly slinks downwards with continual motion. This is barely an inconvenience and remedied in multiple, simple ways. An elastic band may also help reduce the amount of condensation that forms on sunglasses when wearing. Once again, I would recommend AFTCO's <a href="http://www.aftco.com/aftco-lure-sun-mask-buff-for-saltwater-fishing-937-prd1.htm">Lure Sun Fishing Buff</a> to anyone who is actively looking for a buff to wear or those who woul</div>
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The last item to review is AFTCO's <a href="http://www.aftco.com/waterproof-fishing-pants-973-prd1.htm">Waterproof Fishing Pants</a>. The pants' exterior is composed of 100% lightweight nylon allowing them to be easily stowed with your fishing tackle when rain may be in the forecast. If it starts raining, you can pull the pants out and put them on over your current pants without having to take your shoes off thanks to the knee length zippers. The zippers also have a protective velcro flap to prevent water from leaking through. Another velcro band is present around the ankle cuffs allowing the pants to be tightened snugly around your ankles. The pants have kept me fishing in adverse weather more than once. After an hour of fishing in the rain, my windbreaker started leaking water in various spots, yet the pants still continued to keep me bone dry. Moisture runs off the pants easily and is impossible to keep wet as I have tried by wet wading while wearing these. The pants are a great addition to my fishing equipment and are always present in my car or kayak should a storm come up while I am fishing. The pants can be compressed into the size of a soda can making them simple to carry in a coat pocket and hardly noticeable. I have zero complaints with the AFTCO's <a href="http://www.aftco.com/waterproof-fishing-pants-973-prd1.htm">Waterproof Fishing Pants</a>. </div>
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I want to say thank you again to both AFTCO and the Outdoor Blogger Network for allowing me the opportunity to review such great apparel. Besides receiving the items for free, I received no other compensation or pressure to provide a good review. AFTCO's products speak for themselves with their attention to detail and quality craftsmanship.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">All AFTCO products tested receive two (bass) thumbs up!</td></tr>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-61171993088203121922012-08-09T21:45:00.001-04:002012-08-09T21:45:45.276-04:00Water Hazard FishingLightning flashed over the ridge as my senko hit the water. A storm was brewing only a mile away but lacked the energy, or motivation, to push itself over the top of the cliffs. It was dancing its way east where it would find an opening formed by a river where it could continue south again. I counted: one.... two.... three.... four.... and set the hook on my twentieth-something fish as the thunder rolled over the ridge line, a trout stream, hundreds of misplaced golf balls and my head. <div>
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Some intel told me of a series of seven small ponds in dense thickets and knee high grass; a result of a now defunct golf course. Each pond consists of its' own mini-ecosystem and underwater terrain. There are bowl shaped ponds nearly devoid of structure, ponds the color of lime soup with high brick walls, ponds with duck weed dense enough to bounce a chip shot across, and the ponds perfect for fishing, with a ring of weeds around its' edges and fallen trees protruding off rocky and sandy points.</div>
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I fished them all in hopes of a lurking lunker that could crush a stray golf ball in its' jaws. After my fifth or so fish I realized that goal would probably not be obtained, but catching a whole bunch of 10-14 inch bass might be. I tossed, and caught fish on, flukes, senkos, frogs, and crankbaits. Fish after unsuspecting fish tore up my plastics and knocked the paint off my lures until my thumbs were raw. In total, I caught 26 largemouth with 5 giant green sunfish and bluegill. I am absolutely certain those panfish crushed whatever unofficial record I had of largest fish, of each species. There may be some larger fish cruising under the weed mats, but I still had a great day.
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This knocked off the <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/the-flyyak-fishing-challenges.html">challenge</a> of catching my limit of bass from one body of water- which wasn't as grandiose as I was hoping- but added another challenge. To catch a bluegill greater than 10 inches.</div>
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A strange thing I noticed while fishing these ponds was that there were some green sunfish nesting. It seemed as though they collected the lost golf balls and put them in the nest. The first thing I thought was that they were acting like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird">bower birds</a> and collecting items to attract a mate, but in retrospect they were probably thinking the balls were big rocks to put in the nest. Still interesting to see.</div>
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<br /></div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-5223901752174336262012-08-03T22:40:00.001-04:002012-08-03T22:40:21.220-04:00How Far Do You Go?In order to get to some of our favorite fishing holes we have undoubtedly walked gingerly through poison ivy, scraped through briars, or stomped through stinging nettles. We have had to suffer blisters on our feet from wading in the wrong shoes. We have swatted at teems of mosquitoes and deer flies. Worst of all, we have had to deal with wrath of our wives or mothers as to why we were coming home late... again. We suffer, but manage, through many adversities all in pursuit of fish.<br />
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The aforementioned conditions are something I have become accustom to. I have learned to identify potential hazards while out fishing and I try my best to avoid them to prevent any unnecessary pain or discomfort. This is achieved fairly easily since Pennsylvania is not even close to being on the "Things that want to kill you" list. <br />
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So I wandered up my local stream, not worrying about being mauled by a puma or infested with an exotic parasite in search of dumb fish that like to eat small plastic fish (I call them dumb because I have yet to fool a <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-verge-of-overdose.html">smart fish</a>). I found a fish willing to eat my offering on the edge of a brush pile which then promptly turned and dove back under the tangle of tree limbs and vines. I figured it would pop itself off the hook and I would have to drag out a limb to retrieve my bait. After half a minute of yanking and the fish still fighting, I came up with a second solution. I could go in after the fish. I don't recall thinking much on this, so I took my shirt off, dumped out my pockets, and I waded in up to my stomach. I tugged some more with out any luck, held my breath, and went noodling for an already hooked, thirteen inch largemouth. I touched the fish, found the hook and did some blind untangling of line. The fish was free of the limbs and after two more seconds, my hook. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WRPDIzK3IiFmEKhApgygJUPRnoarrIgrtaOx4MrZoro7fli7YdOA8i6ra6-b6zhJN9-YsDF2vpD9sQ5RmMM0ZaB0WVAFgHEP3pGayT1OWKhTA4I0B0mqy5-77Orw40tYQrA2r_R3cgU/s1600/P8020032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WRPDIzK3IiFmEKhApgygJUPRnoarrIgrtaOx4MrZoro7fli7YdOA8i6ra6-b6zhJN9-YsDF2vpD9sQ5RmMM0ZaB0WVAFgHEP3pGayT1OWKhTA4I0B0mqy5-77Orw40tYQrA2r_R3cgU/s400/P8020032.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truly wet wading</td></tr>
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Afterwards, I thought I may have gone a little further than most people would have to catch a fish. Especially after seeing the dead goose floating twenty feet upstream.<br />
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How far have you gone, or are willing to go, to catch or land a fish?<br />
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-71964848649540441142012-07-21T23:29:00.003-04:002012-07-21T23:42:24.884-04:00Here fishy, fishy, fishy.<br />
Where have I been? I have only had one real post since June. A snap of the fingers and the months have flown by and we are almost at August. My fishing hasn't been much since my last post, my fly fishing less than that, and my fly tying non-existent. I have worked a little on <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/the-flyyak-fishing-challenges.html">the list</a>. This included a muskie following my lure and catching a few minnows in search of a wild trout. Most of my fishing I have done has been at the local stream and pond. There was an outing to the shore for some flounder- which I did catch- but the photos have eluded me. All I've got is a picture of this guy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAG_UR1ztgVWCGaoi3E2aUlGxiOdJBd-zB-yDSJvH9X8mDPSa4J9QxXruLo8NKV7LdxJLtMagnIR3p5oURPeKDs7Jj7KGM20IKki6O-g3GPTD9PVM2LhZFmmfdTTqWooPUWLCHy_7-TJY/s1600/P6240063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAG_UR1ztgVWCGaoi3E2aUlGxiOdJBd-zB-yDSJvH9X8mDPSa4J9QxXruLo8NKV7LdxJLtMagnIR3p5oURPeKDs7Jj7KGM20IKki6O-g3GPTD9PVM2LhZFmmfdTTqWooPUWLCHy_7-TJY/s400/P6240063.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oyster toadfish AKA winner of the squishiest fish contest</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">There was also some time spent on the </span><a href="http://holesinmyjeans-kpannabecker.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">James River</a><span style="text-align: left;"> which only brought a few small smallmouth and fall fish to hand. The water there was some of the clearest I have ever fished which affected my game I think. I had many follows but most fish would turn away upon closer inspection. Even my go to flies and lures were being shut down. Jackie managed just as many fish as me after ignoring most of my advice (smart girl). I am proud of her as she picked her lures, caught her fish and unhooked them all on her own. There's still hope for her.</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlQ5Pcvq8dOXWHlHIXMNta1pLSCXM01NYSvz7ftljPBXmKY-v8R6ZFy-ZjAihL5zYv9xQ0KTTzCy_oUa90Bfr5jwR1htWuM8CjitBiSbonFayyRIelyA7IEul_Lczd6s-3GHWMdKpjP0/s1600/P7110070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlQ5Pcvq8dOXWHlHIXMNta1pLSCXM01NYSvz7ftljPBXmKY-v8R6ZFy-ZjAihL5zYv9xQ0KTTzCy_oUa90Bfr5jwR1htWuM8CjitBiSbonFayyRIelyA7IEul_Lczd6s-3GHWMdKpjP0/s400/P7110070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James River Smally</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3dYKMp7UZzQtxDY5F1iqlQRUlie-aycq0z_ATD-OmSZvU9qcc3pSspM9lfiHakKJsmMrm0tCl5SHW7dBQapvjrbxdpCrhc-gfHZr4iMz0Anx2dHzWICv4zhT7U8GQ_SLmG-wiWZnrM4/s1600/P7070037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3dYKMp7UZzQtxDY5F1iqlQRUlie-aycq0z_ATD-OmSZvU9qcc3pSspM9lfiHakKJsmMrm0tCl5SHW7dBQapvjrbxdpCrhc-gfHZr4iMz0Anx2dHzWICv4zhT7U8GQ_SLmG-wiWZnrM4/s400/P7070037.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Toothache</td></tr>
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The rest of the shots are pictures from some top water action today. Most fish came on buzzbaits with a couple hitting a fluke. It has been a long time since I have actively pursued Perkiomen Creek smallies. My old fishing holes seem to have filled in and new ones opened in the last two years. Next time I will be taking my fly rod for that 15+ incher that got away. The largemouth came from Pickmeup Pond. It seems as though the average size has bumped up two inches since April. The trick was keeping the fish out of the weed mats on the bottom and the duckweed soup on top. All fish didn't hesitate to slam a buzzbait through the slop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yHIuW0U9kobUEPD_FtpI8m5EG5Tb_udJwQskXkJm3G1puXkQb_t1JtQc7iCkiayTo2xC98A98x-bVD-t_RaK3J2D2zV9A6bU0Kk90aRLruZfUX_I6P0a7ijiirgzKPiEeRnMovjJtX4/s1600/P7210284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yHIuW0U9kobUEPD_FtpI8m5EG5Tb_udJwQskXkJm3G1puXkQb_t1JtQc7iCkiayTo2xC98A98x-bVD-t_RaK3J2D2zV9A6bU0Kk90aRLruZfUX_I6P0a7ijiirgzKPiEeRnMovjJtX4/s400/P7210284.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjcg64VhBnE04jPUarSnB9lNBlpYXqThNLXxX3HwcTohBS47-KZn7Ij2GkbuBrflv0cy5A-rMmDzCATIU35HmBUcXfIxmvox6sVfswHiCnuJ9rvStOdWbLezX3l1ZYWRHZSO_u46GJ7k/s1600/P7210286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjcg64VhBnE04jPUarSnB9lNBlpYXqThNLXxX3HwcTohBS47-KZn7Ij2GkbuBrflv0cy5A-rMmDzCATIU35HmBUcXfIxmvox6sVfswHiCnuJ9rvStOdWbLezX3l1ZYWRHZSO_u46GJ7k/s400/P7210286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scoliosis</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdjbuotb-rlIzz1Rq31m0XPvnkhvRM43FTLC6Jf2yw0nhYW0CXcIOIlQZb73hiOVEuC5cjShF9GBhSQRpwqnl6vp1XnDqnldQgHBTON4HDJfLwtRPg5P3jswC4l6MYFVtpX_e_KIKp_o/s1600/P7210289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdjbuotb-rlIzz1Rq31m0XPvnkhvRM43FTLC6Jf2yw0nhYW0CXcIOIlQZb73hiOVEuC5cjShF9GBhSQRpwqnl6vp1XnDqnldQgHBTON4HDJfLwtRPg5P3jswC4l6MYFVtpX_e_KIKp_o/s400/P7210289.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekYNeBpnyW1H9yQaEhGuuqS04liupxxrU39WUXGDpqKu7aqfkmOrV-YZBH5VjiJjahn4g3Aw63Ue9tatLK87vLIKvol6Y9na7N1JqPM-IYdjgNXy7ou2zrmYtHdo4CtPCzZP1BGEb07k/s1600/P7210342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekYNeBpnyW1H9yQaEhGuuqS04liupxxrU39WUXGDpqKu7aqfkmOrV-YZBH5VjiJjahn4g3Aw63Ue9tatLK87vLIKvol6Y9na7N1JqPM-IYdjgNXy7ou2zrmYtHdo4CtPCzZP1BGEb07k/s400/P7210342.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Maybe my next post will be of the dragon fly pattern I have bouncing around in my head... but probably not.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBXRQRoLMQrCydQz44agV-3ydYh9B9Wguc0gO_MDuNH1ruJo3amA18iHaZwmzB9Zz8sTl3Ox7JFcmWhGo6KcWaAHg7WEfk4qDMXwoXlXcmWZIktPpYJQftKZkgzScrMLiM04uzZJ0nhc/s1600/P5310101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBXRQRoLMQrCydQz44agV-3ydYh9B9Wguc0gO_MDuNH1ruJo3amA18iHaZwmzB9Zz8sTl3Ox7JFcmWhGo6KcWaAHg7WEfk4qDMXwoXlXcmWZIktPpYJQftKZkgzScrMLiM04uzZJ0nhc/s400/P5310101.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-23695776954291955902012-07-21T15:28:00.000-04:002012-07-21T15:28:00.930-04:00The Bowfin<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjta2NiOiD0cQgYM92JvN-tTFQz1f3tIiC1z2QAz2azySXsV3ue-k_mgYlInAkiWO7hVInYNHywJmyZV-LctgUbOpfpyyhZ4UhChnA0U6w-0Tp_XiaCHOlaz9kO2Vyc2VH-sDsmOfLN4J0/s1600/Black+Lake+2012+990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjta2NiOiD0cQgYM92JvN-tTFQz1f3tIiC1z2QAz2azySXsV3ue-k_mgYlInAkiWO7hVInYNHywJmyZV-LctgUbOpfpyyhZ4UhChnA0U6w-0Tp_XiaCHOlaz9kO2Vyc2VH-sDsmOfLN4J0/s400/Black+Lake+2012+990.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad case of swamp bass</td></tr>
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The bowfin, <i>Amia clava,</i> is a prehistoric fish, over 150 million years old, native to North American waters eastward from Ontario, Canada and southward to Texas. The bowfin prefers swampy habitats and even waters that are too low in oxygen for most fish to live in, the bowfin can thrive in due to their ability to use their swim bladder to breath oxygen from the surface air. Varying on region, the bowfin is called many names. Dogfish, grindle, lawyer, mudfish and swamp bass are among some of the names it is commonly called.<br />
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The bowfin mates in early spring at a nest created by the male. Once the eggs have hatched the male guards the fry for several weeks until the young are old enough to fend for themselves. During this period, the male becomes a vibrant lime green to attract the female.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spawning male bowfin<br />
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An easy way to distinguish a mature male bowfin from a female is to look for a spot on the dorsal half of their tail.<div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Although many anglers view the bowfin as a nuisance species, they can obtain a size over three feet long, will often hit live bait or lures and will put up a tough fight to rival any gamefish. Some anglers incorrectly perceive the bowfin as a threat to a fishery and kill any bowfin they catch. This is not the case and all bowfin that aren't being kept for consumption should be returned to the water immediately. Live minnows and crayfish are most often used for bait when targeting bowfin as are any lure that resembles a crayfish. </span></div>
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</div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-43442953798693278902012-06-12T12:53:00.001-04:002012-06-12T12:53:14.289-04:00I Don't Need Kayak Glue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'd happily be stuck in my kayak with out it.</div>
<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-68873274993151689622012-06-09T20:42:00.000-04:002012-06-09T20:45:56.441-04:00Black Lake, NY 2012: Part ThreeThe largest fish of our trip was landed by my sister. When I first got a glimpse of the fish in the water I knew it was a monster and started contemplating if I would need a gaff rather than a net. I positioned myself and the net in front of my sister and told her to not worry about slapping me upside the head with the rod. The fish would get within netting distance and then take line off of the mismatched rod and reel combo. The rod was an old, yellow, fiberglass rod from the 1960s and the reel something you would find on a saltwater charter boat. One of my father's concoctions. A trait I have somewhat inherited from him. Push your equipment as far as it will go, and when it gives up, keep it together with duct tape and zip ties. Although this combination was not the most effective for the job we employed of it; it held up. After three or so runs we finally guided the bowfin into the net and hauled my sister's largest fish onto land. The beast weighed in at a respectable 8 pounds and was 27 inches long. Congratulations Katie! I hope you beat this record soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In awe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going back home</td></tr>
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The next day we checked the forecast and saw we had heavy rains and wind up to 40 mph on our way. With that news, we decided to cut the trip short a day and headed home after lunch, pushing the envelope as long as we could. We tied the kayaks to the roof as the first rain drops were pulled to Earth. Serenaded by the kayak straps whistling in the wind, we drove back up threw the cow pasture and down the roads we rode on so many times in our youth, unsure of when we would get to take this trip again. </div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-56961407781365061092012-06-07T18:52:00.002-04:002012-06-07T18:53:59.806-04:00Black Lake, NY 2012: Part 2Once we arrived on the island we unpacked and then wasted no time getting to the fishing. I made the decision to go at this trip without worms or minnows which have always been staples on our past trips to the lake. We both still wanted to have bait under the bobbers while we fished with lures so our first step was to catch bait. We tried our normal techniques until I decided the fly rod would be a (slightly) more efficient method. There were plenty of perch and bluegills caught for bait but the trick was only catching the small ones. I think this is the only time in my life were I wanted to catch as small of a fish as possible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too big for bait...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJCLeNQ1SE1YGvLKwYaFaIiuJeeHQCKhr1b5dHpEAy-B7yupwIsbMKMGe1bhikTN2ttKZ6cUzYChSqXotMy8IOJdcvcfkbsmvgZcCophS1bbOwU9nzOWe5vhEbadL93pgMmsJIVmOtN8/s1600/P5300052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJCLeNQ1SE1YGvLKwYaFaIiuJeeHQCKhr1b5dHpEAy-B7yupwIsbMKMGe1bhikTN2ttKZ6cUzYChSqXotMy8IOJdcvcfkbsmvgZcCophS1bbOwU9nzOWe5vhEbadL93pgMmsJIVmOtN8/s400/P5300052.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's better! This fish was also Katie's first fish on the fly rod!</td></tr>
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After bait was caught we threw lots of lures off the rocks of the island with no success. The bobbers started to go down pretty regularly however and netted us a good amount of fish over the next three days. As always with me, there were plenty of fish missed but eventually we started catching more than we were missing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Full of bull</td></tr>
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I love those bowfin. If they hit lures or flies more readily I think I would have a different favorite fish. They have a distinct prehistoric look to them and are made of only teeth and muscle. I am planning to do a separate post about them later on for those who may have never caught or seen one before.</div>
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Even though we both tried, I was the only one who managed to catch any fish on lures. The only lure that seemed to be working was a yellow and red Cabelas spoon. You can see that spoon in the picture with the perch. It seemed that the pike were moving out of the 4-8 feet deep bay in search of slightly deeper water which meant we needed to try and find them from our kayaks. Unfortunately, the wind had other plans then we did and kayak fishing was pretty difficult. </div>
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I did try a good amount of time to catch a pike on the fly rod and knock off another item from the<a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/flyyak-challenges.html"> challenge list</a>. But, I failed. The only fish I managed while trying to obtain that goal was a hefty 17 inch bass. I caught it on one of my deer hair Dahlberg divers with a rabbit strip tail. Each one of those flies takes an hour for me to tie so I was glad it landed at least one fish. I did have a few more hits on it and had a hard time straying to a different pattern after I landed this fish on the Dahlberg.</div>
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No fish of real size were cau- </div>
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What's that? I forgot about one? Oh, I guess that fish will have to wait till the next post.</div>
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<br /></div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-68036717470109735452012-06-03T21:53:00.001-04:002012-06-03T21:53:46.781-04:00Black Lake, NY 2012: Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FLERRc1-2HQvq-0ICptFiAV-dgxf7M8UXNuLTgDPDAnxcM-R3hg4HCzRLIq2L_hBhboA5OP-8hcsgzXiv9E0vn1bflTf0pB_S-hnswfKrawFsmE5uNWjWWpl-oxTRz6rRStSyt21M0Q/s1600/P5300003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FLERRc1-2HQvq-0ICptFiAV-dgxf7M8UXNuLTgDPDAnxcM-R3hg4HCzRLIq2L_hBhboA5OP-8hcsgzXiv9E0vn1bflTf0pB_S-hnswfKrawFsmE5uNWjWWpl-oxTRz6rRStSyt21M0Q/s320/P5300003.JPG" width="240" /></a>I'm home, showered and fed after a great trip with my sister. Although the trip was cut a day short due to impending inclement weather and only a few handfuls of fish were caught, we both still had a blast. After a two and a half hour drive, I stopped for the night in Binghamton to pick up my sister. We loaded up the Yaris with both kayaks and the gear we would need for the next few days. <br />
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The next morning we awoke early and drove to the lake reminiscing as my sister wonderfully captured on her blog, <a href="http://funtimeshadbyall.blogspot.com/2012/06/black-lake.html">here</a>.<br />
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Once we arrived, we loaded up our kayaks and paddled to the island where we'd spend the next three days fishing, kayaking, and enjoying each other's company.Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-72506205039197636122012-05-28T08:02:00.002-04:002012-05-28T08:02:16.314-04:00T Minus 2 DaysIn two days time this<br />
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will be my view waking up.</div>
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will be my back yard.<br />
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is where I'll be catching</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy of www.winonaflyfactory.com</td></tr>
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If I decide to come back, I'll post a report.</div>
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-62627179330269436892012-05-19T20:55:00.002-04:002012-05-19T20:56:07.362-04:00The Destroyer of Darkness<br />
It's dark. The sun has shown the last of itself for the day and recedes behind a silhouette of darkened evergreens and granite. A whip-poor-will across the bay sings its lonely lullaby as the sun pulls a heavy, black blanket over the land and water as it rests its head for the night. The darkness is enveloping when you are miles from civilization. There is no street light to creep in through the cabin window, no light pollution to trickle over the treetops of the island and no neighbors with a hair trigger motion light that starts with every gnat that flies by. The only light that shines here at this time of night is the light of the moon and the stars and an old, Coleman kerosene lantern.<br />
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In my youth, the lantern was lit, in ritual and necessity, every night we were at the cabin. My father's work-hardened hands would fill the preheat cup and light it with a long match, with luck, before it became too dark to see. The small blue flame was left to wait for a few moments while it warmed the kerosene. The tiny, flickering, harbinger would then beckon to the depths of the kerosene well and, with help, usher in a darkness destroying, yellow-orange torch. The lantern would push the shadows back to the corners of the room and stave off the blackness fighting to spill back over every surface. There, over our days catch laying in the sink and on the filleting board, the lantern would hum softly and keep guard over my family. My father would teach his children the anatomy of the fish we caught, how to properly sharpen a knife, and the importance of selective harvest to keep a fishery in balance. The number of fish in the sink would slowly diminish as the number of moths beating on the screen door would exponentially rise; drawn to the lantern as many outdoor loving people are also prone to. Once the fish were packed into the red and white cooler and our nightly card games completed, I would burrow into the army green sleeping bag with its plaid interior, nestle beneath the red tag with white lettering, and fall asleep contented in knowing the Coleman lantern still burning one room away, and the Coleman sleeping bag, would provide a safe passage for me until morning.<br />
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A Coleman lantern was all my family truly needed to bring us closer together. I am certain we would have been contented making the four hour journey just to gather around the card table, the lantern in the center, and connect. After a full day of fishing and boating we spent numerous hours gathered around its warmth and light conversing, laughing, and becoming closer as a family. Most lanterns would have probably had the ability to light the four room cabin we vacationed at, but none would have come with the patina that ages on my memory so fondly as that which comes with the Coleman lantern. Furthermore, no lantern would have been as reliable considering the demand we asked of it and the neglect we subjected it to. Every winter it would sit on a Hoosier cabinet in -20ยบ temperatures and every summer it endured temperatures breaking 100ยบ. A lesser lantern would have refused to work over a few seasons of these temperature swings and lack of maintenance, yet the Coleman still endures on, continuing to light the cabin whenever we ask of it. </div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Sponsored by <a href="http://www.coleman.com/" style="color: #006699;">Coleman</a> and hosted by the <a href="http://www.outdoorbloggernetwork.com/" style="color: #006699;">Outdoor Blogger Network</a>, this is my submission for the <a href="http://www.coleman.com/" style="color: #006699;" target="_blank">Coleman</a> <a href="http://www.outdoorbloggernetwork.com/blog/2012/05/08/coleman-camping-heritage-essay-contest/" style="color: #006699;">Camping Heritage Essay Contest</a>.</strong></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-64151341701692592802012-04-28T19:27:00.001-04:002012-05-19T20:57:55.396-04:00The Release<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't felt much like blogging lately. So here's a few fish I have caught recently on their way back home. </div>
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-37459561631628255942012-04-20T21:51:00.001-04:002012-04-20T21:51:49.628-04:00Spring Has Sprung a Leek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With spring, lots of new activities, and chores, arise faster than the daffodils. For me, this always includes morel mushroom hunting (let's just say it's not my year) and digging up leeks. <br />
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Wild leeks, or ramps, are significantly smaller than the version you find in the grocery store but taste, at least three times, better and are extremely versatile. My favorite recipe is always <a href="http://pinchmysalt.com/macaroni-and-cheese-with-bacon-leeks-and-thyme/">bacon and leek mac and cheese</a> but I use them as a substitute for onions or scallions in most recipes this time of year. </div>
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Another wild edible in abundance this time of year, to the dismay of most, are dandelions. I stumbled across this stretch of a simile the other day from my angst-filled college years--</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boom. Sunshine explosion.</td></tr>
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"Life is like dandelions. Beautiful yellow cups that everyone hates. People tug at its tap root, kick at its developing blossom, spray its leaves with poison. At the end of its full week of life, they hate it even more. A perfect cloud soft, bleach white sphere that only wishes more sunshine for each lawn. If they only looked softly at the petals they would see its characters beauty. But they rip, causing a slow ooze of milky blood to sticky up their hands. Releasing a tacky smell that holds for a moment once inside you and leaves a bitter, acrid taste that binds to your throat. Each autumn the flowers are forgotten under a golden red shower and they whither. Spring comes and everyone hates them again. A vibrantly defenseless explosion of light rashly hated and rashly forgotten. Each foot a truncheon on their persistence to lighten the world."</div>
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Brilliantly written, I know. I suppose I was somewhat right back then. Life is like dandelions in the sense that someone can come by at any time, pop your head off, and fry it up in some butter. With a simple corn meal/flour batter and some sauteing you have got a great appetizer or side dish.</div>
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While we are on the topic of wild edibles, the local stream has been packed full of non-native trout again. As the good ecologist I am, I went forth to help lower the numbers of fish and prevent the further spread of the invasive fish. </div>
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Day old stocked trout are like confused children who had cruel parents their whole life. Their parents tell the children how wonderful candy is, but they have to be very cautious what pieces they eat because some are poison. The trout are dumped in the stream used to eating pelleted meal, and when a tasty mayfly bonbon or a minnow chocolate bar slips past them they hesitate. They look at the sweet and turn away, then change their mind and return to inspect it again until it floats out of range or another more daring, or rebellious, child engulfs the treat.</div>
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I stood in the stream and watched the trout behave this way. There was a pod of thirty or so fish that would chase anything that moved but would hesitate, turn around, hesitate and then decide if the the item was a food source. It was an interesting show, especially when a black bunny leech confection was the potential toxicant. After a few fish on the fly rod it was time to fill the stringer which was done in short work with a panther martin spinner which netted me my first brown trout.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I named him "dinner"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple and leek stuffed trout with a lemon caper butter</td></tr>
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As for the chores, I got the garden dug, and what a chore it was. Digging, pulling out tree roots, dumping in peat moss and compost, mixing and leveling was done in the last two days. I am attempting modified square foot gardening with the hopes of filling forty-eight square feet with over a hundred plants, as well as making an herb planter for the deck. I'm sure more posts will come regarding my successes. If someone is in need of some sod that has a small potential to actually revert back into grass, I am willing to part with the pile in the picture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dirt hole.</td></tr>
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And this is the part of the blog post where I dump a bunch of photos that don't need a narrative.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chomp Chomp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nom nom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The release</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat rock bass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Story of my life.</td></tr>
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</div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-32411356769075600412012-04-14T20:15:00.000-04:002012-04-14T20:20:01.271-04:00Pick-me-up PondI have been trying to come up with a name for the pond a four minute walk from my house. After spending the last three days hooking countless fish and missing even more on the hook set, I needed to go back to basics. This pond never fails to produce, and although the fish in there seem to get no larger than thirteen inches, it is still good to know you haven't forgotten how to set the hook. I actually caught the same fish twice from the same spot in less than five minutes so seems that they have started spawning. I will leave them be for a the next month or so to make me some more trophies. I hope I don't need a pick me up before then.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fish aren't the only things making babies</td></tr>
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-57927741327239406032012-04-13T23:55:00.001-04:002012-04-14T07:30:25.382-04:00On the Verge of an OverdoseI must be addicted. That's the only way I can rationalize it. I am addicted to being kicked, spit on, and down right disrespected... by carp. In the last eight days I have spent over seven hours chasing those pursed lipped scum suckers. I have had three fish eat my black bunny leech. They suck it into their leathery chops, I set the hook and the dull hook fails to penetrate or they deftly spit out the fake or my poor excuse for a knot disintegrates into powder and I am left staring at a mud plume where a giant fish was seconds ago. I have been so close to crossing off another item on the <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/flyyak-challenges.html">list</a>. All the hard monotonous work has been done and it is time to enjoy fighting the fish and bringing it to hand, and I just can't do it.<br />
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Tomorrow, I'm picking my teeth up. I'm learning a new line to line knot, tying on a new leader, sharpening my hooks and attempting to completely erase the part of my memory that contains the steps to tying a clinch knot. I am fairly positive the clinch knot is the only knot that has the ability to decrease the strength of your fishing line by 80 percent. <br />
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I'm starting to think fisherman bring their fish home to brag about and carp bring home my flies .<br />
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-59976243618833602782012-04-03T21:48:00.002-04:002012-05-19T20:58:18.307-04:00Challenge: Catch a trout on the fly rod - COMPLETEDOpening day of Pennsylvania trout season, 2012. <br />
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Hoards of people were clogging the stream banks. A dozen people crammed around every four foot deep hole a stocked trout could be swimming in. Before the sun even showed the top of its head over the horizon, cans of beer were already being discarded into the bushes. Gobs of brightly colored powerbait floated downstream, completely ignored by the hundreds of trout that eyed it from below. Poachers snuck more than their days limit, packing their stringers full of any trout they caught or snagged. Camp sites were illegally established and improperly cleaned up leaving mounds of trash and smoldering ashes around their foundations. The trees were adorned with opening day ornaments from the errant casters. The fish huddled together in pods whose numbers rapidly diminished, and they knew that even if they survived the day, they still would not live past the warmer water temperatures only two months away.</div>
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Every year it's the same scenario and after my first opening day last year, I didn't think I would attempt it again. Yet, there I was at seven in the morning, an hour before the opening bell rang, sitting stream side at my claimed spot. I chose the furthest point between the two parking areas in hopes that the other anglers would be too obese and too lazy to walk the half mile to find a fishing hole. And it also had the advantage of being one of my lucky spots on the stream. For the first forty-five minutes I was alone, but more and more anglers showed up until five of us would be casting into the same twenty square foot area. The second eight AM came, our lures and bait and line and sinkers were thrown into the water at the unsuspecting fish. I hooked the first fish out of the five anglers in only a few minutes after the season began on an inline spinner. Being net-less, I fumbled with the fish with my hands in the forty something degree water until the trout found a way off my hook. </div>
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I generally am happy with the first fish of the day. The first fish means I am doing something correctly and I am almost guaranteed more fish if I replicate the conditions. This feeling feels cheapened on opening day; at least for it does for me. I knew these trout were put here and would eat nearly anything put in their view. I knew where they were, what they wanted, and how to get them to commit. It was catching fish in a nearly non-metaphorical barrel. The Walmart version of trout. But, I like Walmart, and I like fish, and I have little shame left from the time my mother and sisters dragged a thirteen year old me along to go bra shopping. For them, not me. So, I continued casting into the bargain bin hoping there was an amazing deal hidden at the bottom everyone else had overlooked and I continued to ignore the pins and needles in my hands. Soon, that feeling was overwhelmed by, and probably a contributing factor to, my lightheadedness. I deemed it a bad idea to have vertigo while standing knee deep in a stream so I chose to go home and shove my frozen hands into my armpits for a painful fifteen minutes. </div>
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After the dethawing, I tied a few new flies, checked that the air temperature had risen fifteen degrees, and headed back stream side to test the new ties. I waded back to my spot just in time to see all the other anglers leaving with full stringers. This left my back cast clear and the entire hole to drift through without worries of tangling someone else's line. I found my casting rhythm pretty quickly and worked the hole until I saw a flash of silver and felt my fly stop. I set the hook only to find the line snapped just above my knot. Well, at least I knew the flies worked. I tied on a new rabbit, metal, and lead amalgam and ensured my line wouldn't snap this time. I had a few casts into the water and a few more short strikes until I finally hooked into my first trout on the fly rod. This time I didn't feel so debased when I landed the fish. Instead, I liked this feeling. Tricking a trout on my own fly that I created only an hour ago added a lot more excitement to the catch. I put my fish on my stringer, smiled, and waded back home to cross the first challenge off <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/flyyak-challenges.html">the list</a>... and to make dinner.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI6WCqsmJlEcOTmv2z3c3uBHxEBCYgRQsw4RN-_kDdFZHKad2t8Fbmqk9Z9Ju3YYsAO4N5eekUtgINE6AHCed8gs9cSEjtv2LNSWQ9Lt5ufSvQAptQUDVZOyxX6lS76ixd-AQ7b2H73bJ/s640/stuffed-trout-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI6WCqsmJlEcOTmv2z3c3uBHxEBCYgRQsw4RN-_kDdFZHKad2t8Fbmqk9Z9Ju3YYsAO4N5eekUtgINE6AHCed8gs9cSEjtv2LNSWQ9Lt5ufSvQAptQUDVZOyxX6lS76ixd-AQ7b2H73bJ/s320/stuffed-trout-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my fish, but I assure you it looked just like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-91813585799420562852012-04-01T07:04:00.000-04:002012-04-01T07:04:38.003-04:00April SchoolsThere's a whole lot of fishing advice on the internet - some advice is to help you catch more, larger fish, some advice is to keep you from making the same mistakes someone else has already made, some advice is designed to steer you away from someone's favorite spot, and some advice is just plain bad. I will let you be the judge of the following tips I have picked up along the way.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Microwave your flies before use. Humans prefer a warm meal and the same goes for a fish. Throw your fly box in the microwave for a few minutes on high before you head out the door and your flies should be toasty all day long. In a pinch you could dunk your flies in your coffee thermos for a few seconds. The fish will eagerly respond to a warm meal. Epoxy probably doesn't melt.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV_VM_qwrF4spAqppGpcvfiaOVY768rwTWicDzHT1RaWO5tXCMZ15sg3zDfy1eGzLt6SbqSPAhGsSD_IYYReyEgSNKEEo-FMArBFmejmDS_IUePL5FlP8qAYF9IbzX96S1O-jdWfLPnY/s1600/Sloppy+Fly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV_VM_qwrF4spAqppGpcvfiaOVY768rwTWicDzHT1RaWO5tXCMZ15sg3zDfy1eGzLt6SbqSPAhGsSD_IYYReyEgSNKEEo-FMArBFmejmDS_IUePL5FlP8qAYF9IbzX96S1O-jdWfLPnY/s200/Sloppy+Fly.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allison</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDn7d_o8qs1xh84OdARR-eRYlu-dz05oAQE7DRdkhAmmseJXZsuk3NO17BbgmQFuEKS15hLdkkupBA2mCJRX_snhHoFmlCnROO6ebd-CJ9y22QsTkAsd_KBgOBVNdR_inqj8wEIveeHBE/s1600/Bad+Fly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDn7d_o8qs1xh84OdARR-eRYlu-dz05oAQE7DRdkhAmmseJXZsuk3NO17BbgmQFuEKS15hLdkkupBA2mCJRX_snhHoFmlCnROO6ebd-CJ9y22QsTkAsd_KBgOBVNdR_inqj8wEIveeHBE/s200/Bad+Fly.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer</td></tr>
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<li>Name your bad flies after ex-girlfriends. Because she is probably just as sloppy as your flies.</li>
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<li><span style="text-align: left;">Always carry a gun. When you tangle into the fish of a life time are you going to rely on your tangled tippet or the </span><a href="http://www.netknots.com/html/palomar_knot.html" style="text-align: left;">winning knot</a><span style="text-align: left;"> from </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5DB81A906A43A0E6" style="text-align: left;">Knot Wars</a><span style="text-align: left;">? I don't. I count on 225 grain jacketed hollow point rounds traveling at 2400 feet per second to ensure I net my fish.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left;">When the fish gets in range, "</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WViqpEyNfgA" style="text-align: left;">Choot em' Lizabeth</a><span style="text-align: left;">!"</span></li>
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<li>Tie some new catfish flies. Skip buying the tanned rabbit and deer hides. There are much cheaper materials on the side of every roadway. Scrape off some opossum skin, lash it to a hook and toss it in. I find specimens 3-5 days fresh work best.</li>
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<li>Keep every fish you catch. How else can you better prove your manliness to your family and friends than by bringing home fish that you can almost scrape an ounce of meat off of? You can even cook your bait if nothing is biting that day. </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minnow Fries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-38965541224822517162012-03-31T19:07:00.000-04:002012-03-31T19:18:39.690-04:00The Flyyak Fishing Challenges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After much thinking, I have decided to add a new section to Flyyak. I bring you the <a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/p/flyyak-challenges.html">Flyyak Fishing Challenges</a>. These challenges are meant to give me something to strive for, or are an additional bonus while I'm fishing; plus, it should generate some material. I suppose it is sort of like a never ending "bucket list" for fishing. <br />
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<u>Unofficial rules</u>: On most days, I will be fishing just for the sake of fishing. If I do happen to complete one of these challenges on such a day, then it will count for that challenge. On other days I will call out my shot and post the challenge I will attempt to complete prior to attempting said challenge. Should I fail, the challenge will remain on the list to attempt in the future, but I must admit defeat each time I fail. On those days, if I am feeling ambitious, I may add an additional stipulation such as: "I will perform this challenge with my left hand behind my back." Some challenges should be fairly easy, while others may take many years and a fair amount of luck to achieve. I will add to the list when I come up with a new challenge, or one is offered to me. Each time a task is complete, a blog entry will be generated declaring victory. If one fish meets the criterion for multiple challenges, I can choose only one challenge I want it to count towards. For example if I catch a 27" carp on the fly rod, it would qualify for 3 challenges (catching a carp on the fly rod, catching a 20-24" fish on the fly rod and catching a 25-29" fish on a fly rod), but I can only choose one goal to cross off the list. As we go along, I will most likely need to refine these rules a little (read as: alter the rules in my favor), but these general guidelines will get us moving.<br />
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PLEASE post your comments below, or email me, or call me, or leave a note written on the sidewalk in front of my house with colored chalk, if you have any challenges you think I should attempt. Especially if you think I will fail miserably in the process. Feel free to call me out and say, "I want you to catch blahblahblah with a watchamacallit wearing a thingamajigger... in the next hour." I may tweak the challenge a little in that last case, but you get the idea. The more challenges I have available, the more content this will generate and the more enjoyable (for you readers) this will be. I hope.Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-48866256300479817562012-03-23T18:45:00.002-04:002012-03-31T19:18:23.944-04:00Buzzbaits in March?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My fly rod is starting to feel neglected.</div>
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-8222816406063370312012-03-22T16:32:00.000-04:002012-03-31T19:18:10.518-04:00The One That Could Have Got AwayI arrived at the nearby reservoir with fog still hanging heavy on the water. With June-like air temperatures, the water is already in the high 50s. I'm never on the water this early in the year so I had low expectations. This was supposed to be a scouting trip. The park drains the reservoir every winter for spring run off (which we had none of this year). So, with the water still four feet lower than summertime, my plan was to run most of the shore line taking pictures and mental notes of the structure I can't normally see when the water is raised back. I paddled my kayak to the opposite shore and started throwing a white spinnerbait; taking pictures when a partially submerged log or a rocky ledge came into view. With the size of the lure I hardly paddled as it was pulling me along a steady pace down the shoreline. I even started to steer my kayak by retrieving my lure. <br />
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After two hundred or so casts, I thought of changing my lure choice, but I always have a good feeling using spinnerbaits. I slowly began paying less attention to my fishing and my eyes and mind wandered. I watched the bluegills smacking gnats off the glassy water, a spider skitter across the slippery surface of my kayak, the carp beginning their water thrashing mating rituals, the walkers and joggers going around the lake. My mind sank deeper into unfocused thought, jumping from topic to topic with no provocation and no set destination. I was elsewhere in my thoughts, but in reality, there was no where else I wanted to be. Drifting through the calm morning waters with the sun beginning to warm me and the turtles already stretched out on the logs. </div>
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My stream of consciousness started gaining speed. Over the thought-worn rocks my ideas swirled and foamed, sprayed and tumbled. It pushed aside the small flotsam and rushed between, over, and under the larger obstacles on its way to harbors unknown. Each runlet of conception added more strength to the torrent raging inside my brain. Strong enough now where no force can stop it, eroding, moving, destroying anything in its pa-</div>
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My lure stopped. My thoughts and ideas evaporated instantly, through my head, and back into the fog surrounding me. My attention snapped back, but my mind still faltered.</div>
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It could have been a rock... a branch maybe... no this is moving... what do I do again?</div>
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Oh. Right. </div>
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SET THE HOOK!</div>
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I leaned back and drove the hook home. Somehow in my daydreaming, there was a fish fifty feet away who was daydreaming harder. Thinking of the boys who will court her soon, the shad she stalks until one strays from the school, the diving birds stealing her lunch, or perhaps about those strange metal and plastic fish she sees occasionally who never swim just right. Oh, hey, there's one now. Yes, let's eat that. And I'm glad she did. </div>
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After a brief hand to fin battle I get her close and and I start shaking. She fought well, but I didn't think she was this big. I fumbled and swiped at her mouth causing her to dive deeper. I got her back to the surface and make another pass that she nimbly shruged off. I start thinking she is going to escape. I reach my arm into the water, guide her in with the rod and lift. Twenty three inches of scales and muscle and gills and slime.... a lot of slime. It looks like she was swimming in pig spit. Clumps of it clings to her body, her fins, her eyes. Due to her poor health, I want to make this release even speedier. Unfortunately, I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl when Justin Bieber asks them to the spring formal and apparently, my newly lost thoughts took my dexterity with them. I manage to unhook my prize and take a slew of pictures of her letting her rest in the water often. When I am done admiring, I open my hand, she turns under my kayak and vanishes back down through her suitors, the shad, the loons and those pesky fishing lures.</div>
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<br /></div>Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-27693227401197888572012-03-20T22:53:00.001-04:002012-03-31T19:17:42.291-04:00Installing a Kayak Rod HolderInstalling a rod holder on my kayak was part of my<a href="http://flyyak.blogspot.com/2011/10/things-to-do-winter-2011-edition.html"> things to do list</a>. With this streak of warm weather we've been having and the first day of spring today, I needed to finish what I was planning to do all winter. I bought a pair of <a href="http://www.cabelas.com/product/Plastic-Flush-Mount-Rod-Holder/737003.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dkayak%2Brod%2Bholder%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=kayak+rod+holder&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products">Cabela's rod holders</a> back in October but I had some hesitation to install them. Part of my procrastination was my fear to put a hole in a perfectly good boat. If my kayak was a sit on top, I would have probably put it off even longer. Once I committed, the installation took only fifteen minutes or so.<br />
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The first step was simply tracing the rod holder with a Sharpie where I wanted it to go. I chose a spot that I could reach easily, but I had little real estate to work with. I wanted the rod holder to be in back of me and out of my paddle stroke, however, any of the area that the holder could have been perfectly placed had ridges. I found a spot on the top of a ridge that had the most surface area and reluctantly marked.<br />
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Next, I drilled the impending hole with a 2"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole_saw"> hole saw</a>. After the hole was in place I realized the top of the rod holder is in an oval shape so some filing needed to be done to extend the hole.</div>
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Next I marked the spots the screws where the screws were going and drilled pilot holes.</div>
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Finally, the screws were put in place.</div>
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I thought of using a silicone gel to seal the hole but opted not to. There won't be much splashing of water where it is placed and if significant water is coming in through that hole, I will be worrying more about my life jacket being on correctly. Had this been a sit on top kayak, I would have definitely used a sealant and procured a cap for the holder.</div>
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This weekend it will get the on the water test. I'm pretty excited to have a spot to put an extra rod that's not between my knees. hopefully its out of the way of my back cast.</div>
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8262992990531463030.post-13837228858585262332012-03-10T18:28:00.001-05:002012-03-31T19:17:31.100-04:00First Fly Rod Fish of 2012It has taken me a while to put my 2012 fishing license to use. April is normally the earliest I start fishing, and with this May-like weather we have had lately I couldn't resist any longer. On Thursday, the temperature reached 70 with winds around 20 mph. This left the reservoir I was at pretty choppy and the winds made fly casting impossible. Out of 2 hours of fishing I ended up getting a tiny perch on the spinning rod. Friday, I went to a nearby pond that I recently discovered. I put on a generic dry fly and started catching lots of bluegill. Occasionally I will go out to with the sole intention of catching panfish. I, as well as everyone else, I'm sure, used to love catching them under a bobber, but I have acquired a new favorite way to target them and that is with surface flies. There's not many things better than seeing a fish eat the fly, especially when it's on the surface.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First fly rod fish of 2012</td></tr>
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Friday's pond fishing left me wanting more so I tied up some new dry flies and headed out the door for the same pond. I caught more bluegill than I did on Friday and also landed a couple of shiners. If you have never caught one, they put up a good fight for their size and they hit the fly with the intent on unraveling its every thread. After only a dozen or so fish the dry fly became a wet fly and the fishing only got better. The fish of the day was a large bottom-hugging redear sunfish that was pushing a pound.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How the shiner got its name</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Redear Sunfish</td></tr>
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The guys cutting down trees Friday said they stock the pond with trout in the spring time for a kids fishing derby so I will be back to the pond after that for sure, or maybe I will show up during the derby and upstage some eight year old kids... They tree guys left a couple of lures that were lodged in the branches. It just so happens that my favorite lures are the free ones!</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">A lot of the fish had </span><a href="http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/health/vol2issue8.htm" style="text-align: left;">black spot</a><span style="text-align: left;">, a 3 host parasite that causes black specks throughout the fish. It </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">seemed as though the smaller fish had a heavier parasite burden. I'm unsure if this is because the smaller fish eat more snails than the larger ones, or if it seemed like a heavier load relative to their size. </span></div>
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The bigger fish should come out in the next few weeks!</div>
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<br />Stealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147951393858126238noreply@blogger.com0