Any fishermen here?

[rustywelder]

I don't know about the rest of you but I tend to not get a great deal of modeling done this time of year. With the waters finally unfrozen and warming up all I can think about on the weekend is getting out on the water and getting some fish on the line.

So let's see what you are catching out there!

My pickerel from Loch Raven resivoir near Baltimore Friday.

and my brown trout from a section of the Patapsco river near me last week. There was a rainbow as well but he squirted out of my hands before I could snap the pic.

[tosouthern66]

Nice Fish! I haven't fished in years. Need to get back into it, last time I went it was red fish and salt water trout and flounders.

[rightwinger26]

NICE!!!! I have the same problem, I only build models when the weather is crappy this time of year. I'm on hold until it's too hot to be enjoyable. I went gar fishing last week, had a really good time.

[fulcrum1]

I have a bad fishing habit. I grew up working on commercial salmon boats on the Northern California coast and fly back home a couple times a year during different seasons.

[volzj]

I'm with you as well. This is prime fly fishing time for trout. Nice Pickerel and Brownie.

[DONG]

Yes when the kids were small used to fish all the time.

BTW nice brown about the right size for pike bait up here.

Don

[f5guy]

That would be yes! A terminal fisherman as my ex would say...... Here's a few pics:

41" Tiger Musky caught July 10th last year.

Here's my biggest ever. 46" July 30th last year.

My buddy Sage one up'ed me on our last trip of the year with this fat 46"er on October 10th of last year.

This year I've had my best year so far with the local brown trout. This one was 21" and 4 lbs.

Sage got this nice 22" 4 1/4 lb, Cutt-Bow (Cutthroat X Rainbow hybrid) a few weeks later.

All fish were released to fight another day ;0)

Now I'm just waiting for the water to warm up enough to get the muskies going. Come on summer! Fred K. in Utah

Edited April 19, 2015 by f5guy

[f5guy]

I'm going to try to post this video.....

http://vid1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/muskynut18/39%20strike_zpsyfwqyicw.mp4

Okay, it worked! The fish was this 39"er that grabbed a large tube jig right at the boat. This is exactly why I love musky fishing so much..... hours of boredom quickly forgotten in one chaotic moment! Fred.

Edited April 19, 2015 by f5guy

[f5guy]

Here's another short video. The fish was a snub nosed 37" Tiger Musky caught at Joes Valley Reservoir last year. It hit a 7" white fluke lure near the boat then went nuts! Depending on the size of the video, you might be able to see the lure in the water as the fish hits it. Fred.

http://vid1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/muskynut18/4%2037%20short_zps5kn3jjai.mp4

[ChesshireCat]

That would be yes! A terminal fisherman as my ex would say...... Here's a few pics:

41" Tiger Musky caught July 10th last year.

Here's my biggest ever. 46" July 30th last year.

My buddy Sage one up'ed me on our last trip of the year with this fat 46"er on October 10th of last year.

This year I've had my best year so far with the local brown trout. This one was 21" and 4 lbs.

Sage got this nice 22" 4 1/4 lb, Cutt-Bow (Cutthroat X Rainbow hybrid) a few weeks later.

All fish were released to fight another day ;0)

Now I'm just waiting for the water to warm up enough to get the muskies going. Come on summer! Fred K. in Utah

that's one of my conquests this year (musky). Water's still pretty cold around here, and even the small lakes are in the low 50's. I'll be doing with a fly rod this time, but have all the other stuff as well. I've already been out twice since ice out (I usually fish 12 months a year unless it in the teens or lower). Streams are still a mess right now, and it rained hard today. Probably will be till the end of the month.

I'm a dedicated small mouth fisherman, but also do largemouth bass. Caught some pretty good fish, but not the elusive eight pounder on a fly. Had him in twice last year, and he broke off (probably closer to nine and a half pounds). Been steadily gearing up for tiger musky this year, but think I'm on rod short right now (ten weight). Worked with the streamers off and on last year, and think I got that part figured out as I was catching fish all the time on them. Then I got into tube flies, and didn't have the time to do much else. I didn't even have the time to run rats but once, and this is also part of my musky plan. I tie a big rat (my own design) that can be flipped with a flipping stick, or thrown on an eight weight rod. Strikes are huge and kind of scarey at first (like a hand grenade in the water). I've fished thirty states now, and have a peacock bass trip in the planning stage. (one reason I'm working so much on throwing streamers).

gary

[f5guy]

that's one of my conquests this year (musky). Water's still pretty cold around here, and even the small lakes are in the low 50's. I'll be doing with a fly rod this time, but have all the other stuff as well. I've already been out twice since ice out (I usually fish 12 months a year unless it in the teens or lower). Streams are still a mess right now, and it rained hard today. Probably will be till the end of the month.

I'm a dedicated small mouth fisherman, but also do largemouth bass. Caught some pretty good fish, but not the elusive eight pounder on a fly. Had him in twice last year, and he broke off (probably closer to nine and a half pounds). Been steadily gearing up for tiger musky this year, but think I'm on rod short right now (ten weight). Worked with the streamers off and on last year, and think I got that part figured out as I was catching fish all the time on them. Then I got into tube flies, and didn't have the time to do much else. I didn't even have the time to run rats but once, and this is also part of my musky plan. I tie a big rat (my own design) that can be flipped with a flipping stick, or thrown on an eight weight rod. Strikes are huge and kind of scarey at first (like a hand grenade in the water). I've fished thirty states now, and have a peacock bass trip in the planning stage. (one reason I'm working so much on throwing streamers).

gary

Hi Gary,

There are a few times of the year in this area, now and late fall, when the guys fishing for the tigers with flies are the only ones catching them. There's something about those big streamers in cold water that drives them bonkers. Good luck with your quest! I've caught a bunch of muskies on top water too, and your analogy of a hand grenade going off is quite accurate. There's nothing like watching your lure make its way across the surface of the water and then see it disappear into a swirl the size of a coffee table! Wait for the weight of the fish, set the hook, and game on! I love it ;0) Fred.

[toadwbg]

I like to pretend to be a fisherman. Sometimes I even catch some fish but never enough to feed myself or rarely anything worthy taking home. So I let my neighbors and in-laws catch'm and I eat them. In exchange I bring beer. Love a good fish fry.

I really don't fish enough. Always relaxing and I always enjoy it. I do take the kids in the spring and summer mostly. Wife even enjoys it.

I guess I hunt more because I've been more successful with that it involves shooting animals which I'm better at

[rustywelder]

Very nice muskies Fred! I've finally gotten conformation that there are some small tiger muskies in one of the lakes near me. The park service has said they have been stocking them for years, but I had never heard of anyone catching any.

Fulcrum, that sounds like fun! I've always wanted to get after salmon but haven't had the opportunity.

Don, haha. There are pike in loch raven as well, but the biggest one I've ever caught was about the size of the big pickerel there.

The family and I are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks, and it signed up for a bonefish/tarpon charter. I'm hoping for some good action as they are two species I've wanted for a long time.

[ChesshireCat]

the fish of ten thousand casts! I had several followers but never a taker. Right now I have a dozen or so eight inch streamers of different colors to experiment with. Much too big right now, but did get some serious hits with big woolly buggers the other afternoon. (I forgot my woolly bugger box that must have forty different ones in it). Colors was all wrong. I've caught just about everything on them, so it's always a good place to start. I'm working on a snake, and need to build a few of them to run over the top of coon tail moss banks. The one fly that constant eludes me is the common crayfish. I just can't seem to build a good one.

Last fall I lost a large mouth bass that looked like a submarine when it came out of the water. It was huge and I hooked him on a five weight rod. I knew I was in trouble from the get go, and wish I'd had at least a seven weight rod in my hand. No way I could turn him. Better luck next time!

gary

[f5guy]

Very nice muskies Fred! I've finally gotten conformation that there are some small tiger muskies in one of the lakes near me. The park service has said they have been stocking them for years, but I had never heard of anyone catching any.

Fulcrum, that sounds like fun! I've always wanted to get after salmon but haven't had the opportunity.

Don, haha. There are pike in loch raven as well, but the biggest one I've ever caught was about the size of the big pickerel there.

The family and I are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks, and it signed up for a bonefish/tarpon charter. I'm hoping for some good action as they are two species I've wanted for a long time.

Thanks Rusty! Good luck on your bonefish/tarpon trip. Those two are on my hit list as well ;0) Fred.

[Exhausted]

Lots of good catches here. I'm very jealous.

I'm glad summer's coming. I could use some drinks as I cast a line.

If I go to Corpus Christi I could probably bag a Redfish big enough to eat.

[f5guy]

the fish of ten thousand casts! I had several followers but never a taker. Right now I have a dozen or so eight inch streamers of different colors to experiment with. Much too big right now, but did get some serious hits with big woolly buggers the other afternoon. (I forgot my woolly bugger box that must have forty different ones in it). Colors was all wrong. I've caught just about everything on them, so it's always a good place to start. I'm working on a snake, and need to build a few of them to run over the top of coon tail moss banks. The one fly that constant eludes me is the common crayfish. I just can't seem to build a good one.

Last fall I lost a large mouth bass that looked like a submarine when it came out of the water. It was huge and I hooked him on a five weight rod. I knew I was in trouble from the get go, and wish I'd had at least a seven weight rod in my hand. No way I could turn him. Better luck next time!

gary

If you get a "follower" that seems hesitant to take, try speeding up your stripping, and once its close to the boat or shore, make some turns or circles with the lure, and some more speed changes. Sometimes that will trigger them to strike. I've caught a number of tigers with less than two feet of line between the rod tip and lure (and lost even more!) They're quite a handful when you get them like that!

Also, my biggest smallmouth and largemouth bass have come on musky lures. You'd be surprised at the size of lure those bass will hit! Good fishing ;0) Fred.

[Thommo]

Yup, I'm a fly-fisherman and part time trout fly-fishing guide for a tourist operator near where I live.

Also like to go to the estuaries and catch flathead on soft-plastics.

Sometimes also fly-fish for Australian bass on the east-coast river.

This trout below is from the UK though, caught on a recent trip to Norfolk

And here playing an Aussie bass on a local dam

[rustywelder]

Nice trout Thommo! Do you ever have any issues with crocs while fishing down there? I ask having lost more than a few fish to gators in Florida and Georgia when I was younger. Also what exactly is a flathead? I suspect it is not the same as what we call flatheads in the states.

Not my fish, just used to illustrate what they are and how big they can get. I saw a video of one once in the Ohio river with an NBA size basketball stuck in its mouth.

[rightwinger26]

I'm heading down to the Outer Banks this weekend with the wife, and my fishing stuff is going with me. I'm dying to take my kayak out for some bass fishing, but haven't had a chance yet.

[krow113]

Looking for a boat as we speak. Gonna go after the BIG SALMON , not unusual to get 25 pounders around here. West coast , British Columbia.

[rustywelder]

I'm heading down to the Outer Banks this weekend with the wife, and my fishing stuff is going with me. I'm dying to take my kayak out for some bass fishing, but haven't had a chance yet.

Good luck!

Looking for a boat as we speak. Gonna go after the BIG SALMON , not unusual to get 25 pounders around here. West coast , British Columbia.

Good luck to you as well! Are you going after chinooks? I should like very much to see some photos of your catch.

Cheers!

[Spectre711]

How big do the Pickerel get down there? They average 12-18" here with my personal best being 24" on the money.

[rustywelder]

They are generally in that range around here. The middle one is pretty typical, although I've seen pics of at least one 28" out of loch raven.

[Thommo]

Nice trout Thommo! Do you ever have any issues with crocs while fishing down there? I ask having lost more than a few fish to gators in Florida and Georgia when I was younger. Also what exactly is a flathead? I suspect it is not the same as what we call flatheads in the states.

Not my fish, just used to illustrate what they are and how big they can get. I saw a video of one once in the Ohio river with an NBA size basketball stuck in its mouth.

Hi Rusty

Damn your flathead are monsters! We do get them here up to about a metre in length, but not that big.

No crocs where I fish in New South Wales. Crocs are all in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Plenty of sharks though off the coast of NSW, though I rarely fish in 'shark territory' - with the exception of standing in some saltwater estuaries/river fishing for flathead where there would be bull sharks which actually kill more people than great whites.

An Aussie flathead is a saltwater fish which bury themselves in the sand & ambush bait fish as they swim by. They are great fun to catch of light tackle and soft-plastic lures (I often use just a 4lb leader = lots more strikes, but also bigger risk of bust-off). You have to handle flatties carefully as they have nasty spikes on their gills and dorsal fin. If you get cut by these, the cut will ache for a month!

In the following pic, the bottom two fish are flathead, the top one a bream. I rarely keep fish, release 99% of them, but flathead and bream are just about the best eating fish you can get in Oz, so these 3 went on the BBQ. You can also see the little soft plastic lure I caught them on.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Thommo