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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I was finally able to get away and go fishing yesterday with a good friend. We went to the New River in Grayson Co. VA and waded across the river to fish the rocks below the dam at Mouth of Wilson...a very famous spot. We arrived at 5pm and by the time we left at 8pm we had caught 25 Smallmouth Bass...I caught 9 with the three largest at 17, 19 and 20 1/4 inches...the 20 1/4 inch fish is a Virginia Citation size and weighed nearly 4 lbs...Here are two pic's of my largest Smallmouth ever:
Yes, I am having it mounted! |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Sweet hawg!  |
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Location: Flahdaw | Forget the fish....I thought you were gonna record something on your new Tak for us to listen to. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | WOW!!! Smallies give such a great fight! I love the way they run and jump like a trout, but pull like a largemouth. I always thought of catching a trout like having a wild horse on the end of your line, and a largemouth like having a grizzly bear. Smallies are like a combination of both. Must've been SO much fun. Congratulations!!! |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Forget the fish....I thought you were gonna record something on your new Tak for us to listen to. Wow, did we get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? lol
One thing I have learned as I approach birthday #57 (next Saturday) is that "Patience is a Virtue"...
And also, you gotta have a life!
I have a vacation coming up...the probability of a recording is high... |
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Location: big island | hey...i have a shirt just like that one. minus the high watermarks. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Randy, if I'd had more time to think about it I would have taken Al fishing...
Hindsight is worthless however...lol |
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Location: big island | yeah. you'd probably have gotten several more bites. |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Wow, now we've got fish porn too. What a great place! :D |
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Posts: 1479
Location: Michigan | 25 fish in three hours :D
9 of them by you :)
16 by your friend :eek:
where is the picture of the guy who caught twice as many fish as you :D
what a day of fishin :cool: GWB |
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Location: Utah | Is the fish going to sing when it is mounted? |
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Location: Right now? | That is one beautiful fish, Mikey. Geez, I'm hungry now ... I hope you didn't make your wife clean the other ones ... I want to see it after you have it mounted, too. |
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Location: Rego Park, NY, | Hey Mike, What kind of strings are you gonna use on that bass? :p |
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Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I recommend Berkley XL in six pound test. I'm sure some of you would rather use spiderwire or maybe elixers. :D |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I hope you didn't make your wife clean the other ones We didn't keep any others...all catch and release so there will be plenty of fish for others...these smallmouth are fabulous fighters...
the reason that my friend caught more than me is that he is an expert at this whereas this was my first time "flippin creek chubs" for smallies...I got the hang of it fairly fast though... :D
One last thing: I clean my own fish...unless she goes fishing with me...then I clean hers as well!! :eek: :D ;) |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Red Power Pro 6# with a 20# fluorocarbon leader and a 1/0 or 2/0 Owner Mutu light circle hook, thank you... works for 95% of my fishing.
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Hey Mike, What kind of strings are you gonna use on that bass? Dental Floss.... ;) |
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Location: Right now? | One last thing: I clean my own fish...unless she goes fishing with me...then I clean hers as well!! There ya go! You're a good man! |
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Location: East Tennessee | Someone said, "A bad day fishing,(or golfing ,or playing guitar), is better than a good day at work". |
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Location: GA USA | I think for the next southern get together we're going noodling. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | I kinda like "Your life is extended an hour for each hour you fish".
Hey Jas, I'll watch...
Well, off to sleep for a few hours. Heading down to the Keys for some 'bugging' (aka spiny lobster) at 4 AM. |
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Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
I kinda like "Your life is extended an hour for each hour you fish". I find that when I'm fishing I lose all track of time. Hours fly by, feeling like minutes. I take the fly tackle out to the Chippewa River here, from time to time, and try to get smallies on. They put up a good fight, which is a blast on a five weight. Beats driving three hours north to hit the trout waters, too. ;)
Nice looking fish, MusicMishka! |
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Location: Right now? | OK; I know, I AM from "Joisey" (btw, I never talked like that in my LIFE), and I'm afraid to ask, but I have to:
1. What is "noodling"?
2. What is "Bugging" and what could it possibly have to do with spiny lobsters, lol!
So much for my college education, I guess ... |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Noodling is fishing.
Bugging is catching lobster. The mini season (sportsman season where the regular people are allowed to go out before the commercial people get out) is about to start. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Actually, noodling is using your fist and arm to stick into holes under water and under banks to get a large catfish to bite on and then "try" to swim to the surface with it still latched on...very popular in the South and has been know to kill more than one person who couldn't make it back to the surface when the 100lb or so catfish refuced to let go...not for the weak at heart...I knew guys with scars to prove the battles on their arms.... |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Fox had a blurb day on noodling and mentioned that 34 people died last year doing such.
Spiny lobster (aka Caribbean lobster) do not have claws, unlike the New England. Locally, the SL are fondly referred to as the 'cockroach of the sea', ergo 'bug'.
Those pics were from our first day of last years mini-season. Hopefully we can do as well this week.
Got leave a few in the water for TJ, Bonnie and Paul's visit in August...
Come on down... the water's fine! |
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Location: Right now? | Actually, noodling is using your fist and arm to stick into holes under water and under banks to get a large catfish to bite on and then "try" to swim to the surface with it still latched on...very popular in the South and has been know to kill more than one person who couldn't make it back to the surface when the 100lb or so catfish refuced to let go...not for the weak at heart...I knew guys with scars to prove the battles on their arms.... I have really gotten an education today! I LOVE this forum!
Oh my goodness! That is WILD! I won't even stand in the shore water of the ocean (and we owned a beach cottage too, that I still use, lol), let alone a river or a LAKE!
I mean, geez, my ex owned a 28 footer motor boat (or whatever they call them), and I'd go out on it with him. After all ~ the boat was named after me, but I always hated every, single second of it because I was truly terrified. The fact that I'm an ivory skinned redhead, doesn't improve my love for the sun, either.
An incident of witnessing a twenty foot high water spout while we were out on the water one day, finished my nautical days for good, I think perhaps even leaving me with a little bit of post traumatic stress disorder, but I'll tell that story some other time. It was just too scary, high speeds and water ~ for me, terrifying.
I appreciate the asthetics of a beautiful body of water, and I love sitting on the beach in the earliest of the morning or in the evening, but that's as far as my 'love' goes. I guess I should work on that phobia.
I would however, be willing to go crabbing or lobster fishing, because I am pretty sure you sit kind of still for that. And I love eating lobster and crabs! Iffy! I'll bring the butter and hot sauce ... also, I make a helluva paella, fellas! ;) |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by WillaMuse:
I would however, be willing to go crabbing or lobster fishing, because I am pretty sure you sit kind of still for that. Actually, 'bugging' can be quite labor and technique intensive, especially when snorkeling for 'em.
Once I saw a hole in some coral that I just KNEW had to have a bug in it. Since the water clarity wasn't great, I had to 'stick' my nose right up to it. All I saw was a lime green head with a mouthful of choppers! Yepper, good ol' Mr.Morey eel made me pop to the surface and move on.
Do a YouTube search for 'lobster keys'. You'll get the idea...  |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Great Resorse for Keys Lobster |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | OK, one more post prior to bedding down for tomorrow's (oops, this mornings) 'bug' scouting venture.
One of my son-in-laws brother is a 'bug' virgin and so 'pumped'. We just spent four hours and a few adult beverages going over the 'dry land' techniques, what to expect and to look for.
Not until he gets in the water and has someone show him the sighting clues, how to coax a bug out and successfully net one, will he be able to do so.
So I guess I can relate this to guitar learning and playing. It's so much more difficult to learn on your own. Ya just can't rely on the web to get ya to where ya wanna be!
Geeze, I need to take my own advice...  |
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Location: south east Michigan | 
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Location: Michigan | Brad,
That looks like a channel in Lake St. Clair?
Iffy, you guy always look like your havin too much fun!
One way to make fish look bigger is have a small person hold them.
Here is my daughter (all 5' and 100lbs) with her almost 4 lb smallmouth caught Memorial Day in the UP. She loves to fish and being a grad student has recently realized it is "free food". Oh and Willa she caught it off the dock, so you would feel safe except for the UP mosquitos!
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Location: south east Michigan | Rich... my canal empties out to the North Channel about 1/2 mile up from Lake St Clair. |
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Location: Right now? | Rich, pretty daughter, and holy cow! Look at that FISH! Good to know she was on the dock, haha! ;) |
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Location: Right now? | All I saw was a lime green head with a mouthful of choppers! Good grief. The authorities would have been pulling ME out with a fishing line if that happened to me, lol. Iffy, you're a salty dog fer sure, ain't 'cha? Hmmm... makes me wonder what the true origin of that expression ("salty dog") is. That was an incredible haul you got that day! Do the 'bugs' taste better or not as good as the other kind, and what is a 'rock lobster'? |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by WillaMuse:
Do the 'bugs' taste better or not as good as the other kind, and what is a 'rock lobster'? I prefer the bugs as I think the tail meat is more tasty and delicate. But I don't really want to start a crustacean 'battle'...
Down here a 'rock lobster' is one ya can't reach! ;) |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by WillaMuse:
Do the 'bugs' taste better or not as good as the other kind, and what is a 'rock lobster'? I prefer the bugs as I think the tail meat is more tasty and delicate. But I don't really want to start a crustacean 'battle'...
Down here a 'rock lobster' is one ya can't reach! ;) |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Just spoke to Iffy by cell on his boat; they've got 14 "bugs" aboard... |
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May 2006
Posts: 4227
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Originally posted by MusicMishka:
Just spoke to Iffy by cell on his boat; they've got 14 "bugs" aboard... Ask him if he can freeze a couple and ship'em to Poughkeepsie.  |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Dinner? |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Quick check in...
No wheres near last season's first day! We worked our fannies off ALL day and have 15 tails vac sealed and in the freezer. Last year we were in with our limit (36) by 11 o'clock AM... 
Gonna take a nap and go out bully netting (Google is your friend) at 2 AM. Hopefully we can make up for the lack of the daytime numbers.
'Bug bulletins' to be posted as time allows... Doesn't look good sport fans...
Getting a great tan though! Think nutmeg...  |
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Posts: 4227
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
Think nutmeg... |
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Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Still some mighty fine eatin...mmmmm...yummmm!
BTW: Rich, your daughters fish is really nice...mine looked very similar until I put it in a white cooler for the trip home from the river...Smallies will try to camouflage to their surroundings...they are know as fresh water chameleons... |
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Posts: 67
Location: Texas | Looks like some of you are getting some good fishing done,if it would'nt so hot around here I would try my luck,pretty good smallmouth at canyon lake,those lil devils are sure scrappy when you set the hook,never have caught one as nice as the ones pictured tho.
good luck |
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Posts: 335
Location: Reisterstown, Maryland | Wow! I've just started back fishing and all I'm catching so far are little sunfish and crappie.
Good eatin' guys and gals!
Anita |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Patch:
How 'bout we just think "nut"? Many of ya'll already know that for a fact!
Bug Update Bulletin:
Busted buns again today and only got five more. Worst bug season in many years for us.
But... this evening we celebrated with a camp feast fit for 'cracka' royalty:
Fresh Apalachicola oysters, shucked on site with local key limes, saltines, horsey cocktail sauce
Grilled roasted fresh yellow/white sweet corn on the cob, de-silked and in the husk
Apple wood grilled 1 1/4" T-bones
Grilled buttered Cuban bread
No one had room for dessert. Dang good thing, in that I didn't plan for any...
Me be tired and full... 'nite ya'll... zzzzzzzzzzz |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Geeze, I must be tired. I forgot the menu headliner specialty of the evening; apple wood grilled
ZZZzzzz... |
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OT - Something Fishy About This