Tag Archives: food

Into The Fog

November 23, 2009
THERE'S THIS BIG LAKE
The Trout Swim In Muddy Rivers
right past the bass
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.. A night in a motel between the Umpqua Rivers is not conducive to sleep when one is going farther south. We ignored the possibilities and pushed on.
.. Made it to the mystic river. It's full of mud - usually is - steelhead don't care.
.. They head upstream past the cranberries and the bass. They figure it out and end up in some interesting places.
.. The middle fork of the Coquille River is pretty brown and fishing is hard for those without a bit of flash in their gear - not flies, mind you.
.. We arranged a bit of sight seeing, and a visit with our local informant. Then a brief time out for food. We pause now for a piscatorial adventure. Pictures to follow - words maybe.
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Peak of the Rut…..Chicago Shopping!

November 15, 2009
Well, its the peak of the whitetail deer rut, geese and ducks are flying, pheasants and quail are in season, and the fish are actually still biting pretty aggressively...........and this weekend I was in Chicago shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dont get me wrong, I had a great time away from the kids and work (Brook will read this blog post eventually) but no matter how much we needed a weekend away from the kids (for the first time in 2 years) Its just hard to be in Chicago, and shopping to boot.

Grandma and Grandpa took the kids to Fun City in Iowa on Thursday afternoon so Brook and I booked a last minute hotel on priceline.com and stayed at the 4 star Hyatt Lodge for $60 that night. I had to work South of Chicago on Friday anyways, so we just made a weekend out of it.

Friday morning well before rush hour traffic I headed over to Art Van Barens new pond near Beecher, IL. We hooked up a vertex air one plus aeration system and then formulated a gameplan to turn this 1/2 acre pond into the very best backyard fishin' hole imaginable. A few weeks earlier we stocked 100 lbs of feed trained largemouth bass, and thousands of fathead minnows and golden shiners. With a feeding program in place for next season and a properly designed pond with aeration system, I expect great things from this pond by the end of 2010! By the time the pond is exactly 1 year old, he is going to have a 2.5 lb average on these genetically superior LMB!!!!

I didnt really want to rush back to the mall, so we spent a couple hours checking out a couple other ponds, Art's factory (which is AMAZING!), and even did a little fishing. Then after lunch I really needed to head back up north to the windy city. I just could not imagine living anywhere near there- there are just people and traffic everywhere.

So the next 24 hours really werent that bad, but boy was I glad to be on the road headed back towards God's country with a deep dish giordonno's chicago pizza and a 6-pack of cinnabons Saturday evening. The only good thing about Chicago is the food!!!
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Interesting and Large Bass Experiment

October 29, 2009
If I had a top ten list of favorite things, I would have a tuff choice in the middle of the pack choosing between Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a new Fish stocking experiment! I just can't ever seem to get my fill of either.



Anyhow, enough of the nonsense as I try to make it through the rest of this yet another rainy day. This interesting pond that we electrofished for Pat Mcsherry last week was not necassarily meant to be a fish stocking experiment by design, but falls into that category by default. I have been researching and fooling around with different stocking combinations of low density predators with high density forage and Pat's pond just fit the bill perfectly.

Based on a foggy memory and some observations we estimated that the pond had a huge fish kill about 4 winters ago. The pond is very fertile and simply produced more fish biomass that summer than it could support through a harsh winter and the biggest fish simply suffocated to death. As the fish started dying, their decaying bodies only used up more and more of the available oxygen under the ice and pretty much all the fish died. Well to make a long story even a bit longer, all of the smallest fish in the pond found enough oxygen to survive the rest of the winter.

There were 1000's of small fish that survived the winter kill and absolutely no large predators to eat them. So many that the fish became instantly stunted, as they all competed for the same tiny peices of available food. That basically set the stage for a very low density predator/high density forage situation. When we electrofished this pond, it was completely full of tens of thousands of small crappie, tiny bluegill and little bullheads. The problem was they were all adult fish with huge eyes like this one.
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While there definitely was not a natural balanced fishery at hand, what we did find was just about what I told Pat to expect, I kept telling him that we were going to come across a handful of nice big bass as we were dialing up scores of adult midget fish. Small bass would survive the fish kill as well, and a few of them would make it big enough fast enough to avoid the huge stuntedization of the rest of the population. Then they simply would have as much to eat as they could ever desire! When we did start to find some bass, I didnt expect them to be quite like this: morbidly obese! Look at the size of their mouths in relationship to their bodies.







The average bass in this pond is 18.8 inches long with a relative weight average for the lake of 125%! The biggest bass we sampled was 20.5" and weighed 108 oz. with a 138% relative weight. A typical 20.5" LMB should weigh 78 oz.

You can actually learn quite a bit about LMB by observing this sort of scenario. I have electrofished and analyzed well more than 100 lakes and ponds across the midwest this year and can tell you this- If you want to truly grow big bass, you can do that much easier and faster by stocking just a few per acre and harvest them like crazy if they even think about making babies!

This may sound strange to many, but the average ADULT bass in Illinois is 12 inches long. If you wait until next year it will still be 12 inches long and if you let it grow up the year after that, its still going to be 12 inches! Many lakes and ponds will grow their original stocked fish well past 12 inches due to limited competition, and the first year class after that may hit 14-15 inches, but the large majority of their offspring will not grow much past 12 inches due to the increased and compounding competition, unless they are harvested, preyed upon, or naturally thinned down.
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A Bit Of Weather

October 7, 2009
THE BUGS ARE HERE
The RUNNERS Are Here
the boats are here
the snow is here (kinda)
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.. Despite the ominous weather warnings fisher folk are crowding the Firehole River and the Madison River - and - many of the neighbors have taken to their boats to intercept the runners in the major estuaries of Hebgen Reservoir.
.. The Madison River and the Firehole River are jammed full of anticipatory fishers.
.. The total amount of fly gear entering the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park on any given day amounts to an estimated $4,769,123.00. This does not take into account the gasoline that powered each and every $40,000.00 SUV or $2,000.00 fish car.
.. Boat fishers on the reservoir are taking large fish on Kastmasters, Rapala Trout, and Rooster Tails. They are doing very well with aluminum boats and an "Old Pal" tackle box.
.. Fly fishers whine about the gear fishers. They forget that the Madison River Fishery in Yellowstone Park is artificially inflated by a man-made structure: Hebgen Dam.
.. PPL Montana is pleased to inflate the fishery and egos of the Madison River. They are busy repairing the dam right now.
.. Things on that front are progressing apace despite the lack of interest shown by fisher folk and the fly guys of the region. Despite the nation-wide realization of the harm that dams do: this is one dam adored by the fishers of the world.
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.. It would bring barf to their mouths to let the elite know that most of the gear fishers also troll with a streamer fly. They would curl up and whimper to know that many of the gear guys tie their own streamers. They would lose enormous amounts of vitriolic conversation to discover that catching fish does not require wading belly-deep in the holes where the fish were.
.. Can it be true that some of the neighbors can cast a fly rod accurately - and - place a worm precisely with a gear rig?
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.. The weather brings bugs and boats. It brings tales and tails. It brings a classic confrontation of Weltanschauungs. Do we torture fish for our own recreational pleasure and then release them to be tortured again - or - do we catch and kill them for food?
.. Seldom do the gear guys and the fly guys discuss this. They visit different pubs. They have different sorts of jobs. They each assume, (righteously so,) that their practice is proper and holy. Neither bothers to remember that they are partaking of an artificial situation.
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.. Well, the weather has changed. The boats and bugs are here. The runners are running. The Baetis are emerging. The fishers are fishing, and the construction continues on Hebgen Dam. May artificiality be forgotten and may the torture and killing begin.
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Pond Boss Conference Update

September 23, 2009
We headed down to Branson, Missouri on Wed morning for the Pond Boss Conference and Expo. When we got to Branson we checked into our log cabin and then headed for the Bass Pro Shops on the white river!

Over the next few days we listened to some incredible fish and pond experiments and case studies, hung out with a lot of good friends from all over the country, ate tons of food, did a seining demonstration on the Big Cedar Pond, Fished a tournament on table rock lake, and hit up the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield on the way home.

A more detailed account of the conference along with many pics can be found at http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=183880#Post183880

OH yeah, let me just say that the Big Cedar Lodge in Branson is quite simply AMAZING!
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Little Sister Fishing Well

August 25, 2009
THE WALK IS WORTH IT
Go Past The First Bridge
we like the green ones
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(All images are monstrous - click for detail.)
.. The trailhead parking lot at Lone Star is full of cars, the Kepler Cascade parking lot is full of cars: "What to do?"
.. Fish the little sister. There's plenty of parking. There's lots of hoppers. There's cool deep runs. There's few fishers. Nez Perce Creek is fishing well, and the catching couldn't be better.
.. The walk to the fishable sections is pleasant and of a gentle grade. The trail is discernible but not well worn. With morning clouds the dew will wet your socks until 10:30 or 11:00 AM.
.. Take pictures, but stay clear of the thermal areas. When you get in the vicinity of the first bridge you're home free. The heat has not slowed the catching and the hoppers are in full flight.
.. Take as many or as few types of flies as you like. The fish are feeding and enjoying a feast of both terrestrials and aquatics.
.. Hoppers are prime attractors: so too, Beetles, Ants, Mosquitoes, Spruce Moths, and of course your favorite Wulff. The action on top is consistent and nearly continuous throughout the day. If you see noses, fling 'em some food.
.. Subsurface fishers can find plenty of action by drowning the above flies or sticking with the favorites: Prince Nymph, Muddler Minnow, Hornberg, and Feather Duster are the usual neighborhood choices.
.. There is still a fairly decent caddis hatch on Nez Perce Creek. There is also some sporadic mayfly activity. If you bump into one of these - have at it.
.. A few enormous bison are wandering in the meadows and a sharp eye should be kept peeled during this time of year. It won't harm your day if you leave the trail and retreat to the trees as you watch these fuzzy giants amble by.
.. The unsettled weather for the upcoming 10 days or so should keep the fish and the bugs percolating right along. Hot for hoppers and ants, cloudy & cool for mayflies, sunny for moths and caddis: what more is there.
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Fishing For Trout With Crank Bait’s

July 25, 2009

berkley frenzy crankbaits  Crank Bait’s Are King

We all have seen those big fat juicy looking lures dangling from the tackle store shelves just begging us to buy them. Heck they look so life like these days I even think about eating one or two of them so why not a fish. I turn on the fishing channel on Saturday mornings and see these same lures being used time and time again, “today we will be using crank baits to catch our fish” says the host of the TV show. So why choose the crank bait to catch your prey. Well its simple really, these lures like the Rapala are tank tested to achieve the perfect wiggle, wobble, pitch and roll which makes the lure look like a reel bait fish.

The color schemes on the Rapala are matched to duplicate whatever baitfish is in your local area. I fish my local river for rainbows and brown trout so I choose the corresponding colors to catch my quarry, rainbow trout colors and the brown trout color. I see the pro’s using them while they fish and have great success with them; some even sign their name on the favourite lure like the Berkley Frenzy Jay Yelas hard baits. Relying on  Berkley Frenzy crank baits, professional bass angler Jay Yelas led wire to wire at the 2002 CITGO Bass masters Classic to capture his first world championship.

Yelas, who finished with 45 pounds and 13 ounces, entered the final day of the three-day competition with a comfortable lead of over nine pounds, out fishing the field that included fifty-two of the world’s best bass anglers. It was only the third time in the 32-year history of the Classic that the winner led from start to finish. So this is why I choose to fish the crank bait often, they are proven to work for the pro’s and for me also.

Crank baits can be used in all depths of water as they make them to dive from two feet all the way down to thirty or more feet deep. Depth is important in choosing the right crank bait for your fishing situation. When exposed to different food sources, trout spend more of their time at different depths, making the most of the variety of food that is available to them. When fishing at depth, use large crank baits for better visibility, and when fishing shallow where light penetrates easily, go smaller. Fish tend to find their food on the surface, on the lake or river bed or in the margins. The middle depths tend to be an unproductive “dead zone” as there is little food and no cover there. It is wise to begin fishing deep, on or near the bottom or on the surface when fishing open water. If you don’t find quick success, work your way up or down with your crank bait until you find success and hook up.

Crank baits can be used from a boat or while standing on a shoreline. They can be used in rivers and lakes alike, so they are very versatile and work well in most all fishing situations. My favourite crank baits include the Rapala, Berkley Frenzy, Storm, and many more. Crank baits deserve a place in your tackle box and on the end of your line.

Post from: Bounty Fishing Blog

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Long Time Comin’

June 12, 2009

I was quite pleased with my bream success. I had decided on a target of a 12 pounder this year and of course I had met my target on the first fish. A twelve pound bream may not be big by national standards but it's a good fish for here in the NorthWest these days.

My tench target was more ambitious. I wanted a NorthWest 'nine' again and while I knew it would be difficult, it certainly is possible as I've proved in the past. As it turned out though, it was going to be a lot more difficult than I expected. May ended with no tench at all to show for my efforts and I was already lowering my sights. "An eight will do" I told myself.

Why the tench wouldn't come out to play was a mystery but I took comfort in the fact that most other people were struggling to catch them too. Indeed I never even saw a tench on the bank right through May and early June though they could be seen rolling in several places. The weed was one of the big problems. It's grown up much thicker and faster than usual this year and it isn't hard to spot the reason why. This lake usually has upward of a hundred coots living on it but this year I've never seen more than a dozen. The tufted duck are thin on the water too and with so few birds eating the weed it has grown out of control.

Where are all the birds then? Well that's another mystery but I'm guessing that the very cold winter has seen a lot of them off. With the water frozen for several weeks they will have struggled to find food and I expect a lot of them died.

The lake's been very busy too. The controlling club have stocked a lot of carp and the no-hopers who can't catch in a natural water have flocked to it. Every swim is now occupied every weekend - am I glad I work shifts and can fish midweek!
I've fished a different swim every trip, partly to try and find some feeding tench and partly to find an area where I could present some bait without it becoming buried in the weed. I nearly had a success last week when, after fishing hard and feeding maggots for eight hours I fanally got a bite - only for the hook length to part inexplicably in the middle. I was getting desperate and lowered my sights still further, first to a seven pounder and then to a tench - any tench!

Today, at long last I put a couple on the bank. I fished a deeper area - again to try and avoid the weed and as a result I expected to catch bream. I wasn't disappointed there, taking two bream in the night topped by a big-framed male fish. Both of the bream took mini boilies which pleased me rather since I've switched to a new, fruity flavour and this was the first time I've tried them. I was getting quite a few line bites early in the night and picked the two bream up both before midnight so I thought I might be on for a big hit. The clear sky and nearly full moon put paid to that though, all activity drying up once the white face was on show.
In the morning I started to get line bites to the maggot rods at around ten. This went on for some time until at mid-day the first rod was away and I pulled in a plump five pounder. I've never been so pleased to catch such a modest tench but there was better to come. An hour later I struck into a better fish and after a very hard scrap slid the net under a 7lb 14oz female.

I caught two pike too, one of them a double so it was a nice mixed bag.

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Luck

October 22, 2008
I have this thing about luck. I believe your luck balances out over time, you get so much good followed by an equal amount of bad and vice versa. The only thing that varies is the time scale, so you might have to suffer a long period of poor luck before one big lucky event comes your way.
I had a particularly big river fish early this year, then a few days later I crashed my car, even-stevens you see!


I really wanted to fish the rivers this week. The weather was perfect while I was at work then the night before I was due to fish the heavens opened and the rivers were soon on the rise. That was my first bit of bad luck and I cursed it so I decided instead to get the boat out for a two-day session of deadbaiting and lure fishing.

Day one saw me at the waters edge with the boat fully loaded by dawn but the wind was a bit stiff. Nevermind, I was there and I was going to fish so I set off to a spot I often fish at the mouth of a stream where it enters the lake. Of course the heavy rain soon put paid to that. I picked up a six pounder on a smelt but the constant bombardment of leaves, twigs and weed brought down by the stream soon had me on the move.

I was limited by the wind strength to fishing sheltered areas and had to anchor up with care so as to keep the boat steady in the blustery conditions and on one occasion I managed to get the back anchor rope around the propellor. Luckily the engine wasn't damaged but the rope was and it will have to be replaced. I tied a knot it in for the rest of the trip and that did me ok.
Late in the day the wind subsided and I got to fish a spot I really fancied. I caught three further fish there, the biggest a little under ten pounds and this one had a bit of a surprise for me. As I was removing the hooks it kicked and drove one of them through the middle finger of my left hand. It was a hairy moment with me attached to one end of the trace and the fish attached to the other and thrashing wildly but I managed to keep my cool, reached for my cutters and ended our brief union. I chopped up the hooks and pulled the remaining bits of metal out of my flesh, only to prompt a welling of considerable quantities of blood - nice!

Darkness soon fell and I motored over to the bank and began to cook my evening meal, curry and rice. It took around twenty minutes to get everything cooked but as I reached down to take it off the stove I clumsily knocked the whole lot over into the mud. I had no more food and had to make do with the bits left in the pan that hadn't spilled, boy was I having a bad time. I was fed up by now and my throbbing finger and rumbling stomach nagged at me to abandon the idea of staying over and go home. I was sorely tempted but something in the back of my brain said "hold on, your luck's got to change sooner or later" and so I wearily curled up in the car and tried to get some sleep.

Next morning the day dawned with promise. Gone was the wind, gone was the rain, though there was the odd shower to remind me who was boss. I headed for the spot I fished last the day before. I had had three small fish there and reasoned that there might be a better one if I stuck at it.

With three deadbaits in strategic positions I set to with the lure rod casting a replicant. I was soon into a fish of around eleven pounds and this brightened my mood a bit. I tried to take a quick photo of the fish lying on the mat but the camera batteries were flat so I just slipped it back and changed the batteries afterwards. As I was doing so, with my attention turned away from the rods for a moment, I heard the familiar buzz of a baitrunner. Sure enough one of the deadbaits, a whole mackerel, had been taken. I pulled into what was obviously a big fish and soon had her aboard. It was all worth it after all! I flicked out the hooks and held the fish up on the scales - a nice weight and one that I'll use in a guess-the-weight at my next slide show.

Two more fish came later in the day, a jack and one of around twelve pounds and I went home a happy lad - to a big meal! Surface temperature on the day was 11.5 degrees.
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