The fishing thread
- FredS
- Really, really likes watching kids fish.
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Regional variations in fishing gear and techniques is intriguing to me. The surf fishing I'm most familiar with is on the east cost. When I lived in Myrtle Beach there were nice, wide, sandy beaches and the surf fishers would get out early before the families with kids showed up. The used the long poles. Some even had specialized jeeps and buggies with rod holders on the bumpers. Pretty neat.
We used bass gear to fish the inlets around there for sea bass (the best fish I've ever eaten), and flounder and once in a while a king mackerel found it's way in. My buddy was good with a cast net so we hardly ever had to buy bait.
I'll never forget the first drive to SC when we moved there from KS. I saw black people there using cane poles fishing in the ditches along side the highway.
And last year in RI I saw some Vietnamese guys scrambling on boulders as the surf pounded below their feet. It looked horribly dangerous and they were catching some sort of small fish that looked like maybe 2 lbs each.
I've lately been watching fishing shows from England where these guys fish for carp and they use elaborate recipes to make bait balls called boilies and use long poles to deposit the baits in the lake to chum up the fish and hope they take one with a hook in it. It's nuts. And evidently you have to pay to fish everywhere over there and every bit of fishing water is managed for sport.
A sport that's catching on around the center of the US right now is catching those flying asian carp with a bow and arrow or a handheld spear while zooming up and down the larger rivers in motor boats.
EDIT: As a teen, me and my buddies would set 'limb lines' (a heavy line with a hook and half a bluegill or chicken liver on it, tied to a tree limb) and paddle up and down the rivers near my home all night long checking the lines to catch catfish. We'd usually set the lines at dark, drive to town and raise hell for a few hours, then go back to the river and catch bullfrogs for a few hours, then check the lines, then take a short nap, and then pull the lines as the sun came up the next morning.
We used bass gear to fish the inlets around there for sea bass (the best fish I've ever eaten), and flounder and once in a while a king mackerel found it's way in. My buddy was good with a cast net so we hardly ever had to buy bait.
I'll never forget the first drive to SC when we moved there from KS. I saw black people there using cane poles fishing in the ditches along side the highway.
And last year in RI I saw some Vietnamese guys scrambling on boulders as the surf pounded below their feet. It looked horribly dangerous and they were catching some sort of small fish that looked like maybe 2 lbs each.
I've lately been watching fishing shows from England where these guys fish for carp and they use elaborate recipes to make bait balls called boilies and use long poles to deposit the baits in the lake to chum up the fish and hope they take one with a hook in it. It's nuts. And evidently you have to pay to fish everywhere over there and every bit of fishing water is managed for sport.
A sport that's catching on around the center of the US right now is catching those flying asian carp with a bow and arrow or a handheld spear while zooming up and down the larger rivers in motor boats.
EDIT: As a teen, me and my buddies would set 'limb lines' (a heavy line with a hook and half a bluegill or chicken liver on it, tied to a tree limb) and paddle up and down the rivers near my home all night long checking the lines to catch catfish. We'd usually set the lines at dark, drive to town and raise hell for a few hours, then go back to the river and catch bullfrogs for a few hours, then check the lines, then take a short nap, and then pull the lines as the sun came up the next morning.
Last edited by FredS on Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"If we ever get to heaven boys, it aint because we aint done nothin' wrong" - Kris Kristofferson
"One of the things I love about CPS is the frank and enthusiastic dysfunction here. God help me, I do love it so." – OldWorldSwine
"I'd like to put a hook in that puppet and swing it through a bunch of salmon!" - durangopipe
"One of the things I love about CPS is the frank and enthusiastic dysfunction here. God help me, I do love it so." – OldWorldSwine
"I'd like to put a hook in that puppet and swing it through a bunch of salmon!" - durangopipe
- UncleBob
- CPS Theological Dogmatician
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
I grew up on the Mississippi river. People used to go fishing with everything from Coke bottles to Jugs to 5 gallon buckets. I used to fish mostly for catfish in the slews alongside the river and used something that sounds familiar to the "boilies". Overall, though, I preferred fishing in ponds and lakes for bass, sunfish, and blue gill.FredS wrote:Regional variations in fishing gear and techniques is intriguing to me. The surf fishing I'm most familiar with is on the east cost. When I lived in Myrtle Beach there were nice, wide, sandy beaches and the surf fishers would get out early before the families with kids showed up. The used the long poles. Some even had specialized jeeps and buggies with rod holders on the bumpers. Pretty neat.
We used bass gear to fish the inlets around there for sea bass (the best fish I've ever eaten), and flounder and once in a while a king mackerel found it's way in.
I'll never forget the first drive to SC when we moved there from KS. I saw black people there using cane poles fishing in the ditches along side the highway.
And last year in RI I saw some Vietnamese guys scrambling on boulders as the surf pounded below their feet. It looked horribly dangerous and they were catching some sort of small fish that looked like maybe 2 lbs each.
I've lately been watching fishing shows from England where these guys fish for carp and they use elaborate recipes to make bait balls called boilies and use long poles to deposit the baits in the lake to chum up the fish and hope they take one with a hook in it. It's nuts. And evidently you have to pay to fish everywhere over there and every bit of fishing water is managed for sport.
"One man's theology is another man's belly laugh." - Robert A. Heinlein
"Many of the points here, taken to their logical conclusions, don't hold up to logic; they're simply Godded-up ways of saying "I don't like that." - Skip
"You guys are weird." - Mrs. FredS
"Many of the points here, taken to their logical conclusions, don't hold up to logic; they're simply Godded-up ways of saying "I don't like that." - Skip
"You guys are weird." - Mrs. FredS
- Gabriel
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
I snuck out of the house for a bit yesterday afternoon while the kids had some friends over. The rain has been intense here lately, so no go on the creeks. Went up to our little interstate lake/pond and got into some corners I never fish when I have the kids. Took some patience, but I ended up finding a little pocket of largemouth bass. Black wooly bugger on a 5/6 wt rod. Good fun.


Sola Deo Gloria
- Thunktank
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Very nice!Gabriel wrote:I snuck out of the house for a bit yesterday afternoon while the kids had some friends over. The rain has been intense here lately, so no go on the creeks. Went up to our little interstate lake/pond and got into some corners I never fish when I have the kids. Took some patience, but I ended up finding a little pocket of largemouth bass. Black wooly bugger on a 5/6 wt rod. Good fun.
Have you made any fly poppers yet? When the conditions are right on small ponds and lakes it's really cool to watch a bass break the surface after a lure (and miss often).

- Dlibbon
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
"Son, you'll always be good for something even if it's just a bad example "FredS wrote:[BBvideo 560,340]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPmpUPqUHxY[/BBvideo]
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- Thunktank
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Yesterday evening, an hour before dark, I decided that I wanted to take a walk along the beach. Son 2 wanted to come along so I grabbed a rod and light surf tackle and off we went. My boy caught a few of these little Surf Perch, a type of saltwater bream. It's like fishing for Bluegills in the surf. He's really having fun, though this picture doesn't reflect that.
Sliding egg sinker, orange bead, swivel then a fluorocarbon leader with small hook and a sand worm.

Sliding egg sinker, orange bead, swivel then a fluorocarbon leader with small hook and a sand worm.


- Gabriel
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Looking at fly tying kits, vises, etc. Looks like the Anvil Apex gets great reviews for the price. Mrs. Gabriel and I are now half looking for a vice a tools. Is it worth looking at used equipment? Do these things hold up?FredS wrote:If you can tie a size 14 fly to your line, you can probably tie flies at home on the bench. My eyes are what give me fits. I have to use a lot of light and high powered glasses these days. The other day I found myself at the lake without my reading glasses so I rummaged around the car and found an old pair of prescription glasses. I had to wear them AND my current bifocals in order to tie on a fly. And as soon as dusk set in (the magic hour for warm water fly fishing) I had to go home when I broke off a fly because I couldn't see well enough to thread on a new one.Gabriel wrote:I did start to look at that possibility this past winter. Unfortunately, I need to be a bit more realistic about what my arthritic hands can handle. Fly fishing itself is demanding enough without adding another delicate task.Dlibbon wrote:Start to tie them yourself. A starters kit is worth every penny.Gabriel wrote:Nice catches there Bilder and Thunk!
OK boys and girls - I'm running low on streamers. I need recommendations for somewhere to acquire more flies - particularly streamers, but I'll need other ones eventually. There is no local place to find flies, the closest "local" would be a Bass Pro in East Peoria. A solid hour away and not exactly inexpensive. Suggestions?
The good news is that another fly fisherman is graciously helping out with flies. Mrs Gabriel has also expressed interest in learning to tie, so there might be that...
Sola Deo Gloria
- JudgeRusty
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
in the meantime, does this help? shipping should be cheap as the weight should be low. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/s ... _103929480Gabriel wrote:Looking at fly tying kits, vises, etc. Looks like the Anvil Apex gets great reviews for the price. Mrs. Gabriel and I are now half looking for a vice a tools. Is it worth looking at used equipment? Do these things hold up?FredS wrote:If you can tie a size 14 fly to your line, you can probably tie flies at home on the bench. My eyes are what give me fits. I have to use a lot of light and high powered glasses these days. The other day I found myself at the lake without my reading glasses so I rummaged around the car and found an old pair of prescription glasses. I had to wear them AND my current bifocals in order to tie on a fly. And as soon as dusk set in (the magic hour for warm water fly fishing) I had to go home when I broke off a fly because I couldn't see well enough to thread on a new one.Gabriel wrote:I did start to look at that possibility this past winter. Unfortunately, I need to be a bit more realistic about what my arthritic hands can handle. Fly fishing itself is demanding enough without adding another delicate task.Dlibbon wrote:Start to tie them yourself. A starters kit is worth every penny.Gabriel wrote:Nice catches there Bilder and Thunk!
OK boys and girls - I'm running low on streamers. I need recommendations for somewhere to acquire more flies - particularly streamers, but I'll need other ones eventually. There is no local place to find flies, the closest "local" would be a Bass Pro in East Peoria. A solid hour away and not exactly inexpensive. Suggestions?
The good news is that another fly fisherman is graciously helping out with flies. Mrs Gabriel has also expressed interest in learning to tie, so there might be that...
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal
- FredS
- Really, really likes watching kids fish.
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
I suppose a good vise will last forever. Probably the only used vises you'll find locally at garage sales and stuff, would be the low end vises that come with fly tying starter sets. Those vises tend not to hold hooks real well and their jaws can get bent/worn making them even less effective. OTH - most of them are probably used very little because the kit was received as a gift and the recipient never got in to the hobby. If you find a set that's still in the box with all the starter threads and fur and feathers it's a good clue that it wasn't used much if at all and it might be worth buying to see if either of you enjoys it.JudgeRusty wrote:in the meantime, does this help? shipping should be cheap as the weight should be low. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/s ... _103929480Gabriel wrote:Looking at fly tying kits, vises, etc. Looks like the Anvil Apex gets great reviews for the price. Mrs. Gabriel and I are now half looking for a vice a tools. Is it worth looking at used equipment? Do these things hold up?FredS wrote:If you can tie a size 14 fly to your line, you can probably tie flies at home on the bench. My eyes are what give me fits. I have to use a lot of light and high powered glasses these days. The other day I found myself at the lake without my reading glasses so I rummaged around the car and found an old pair of prescription glasses. I had to wear them AND my current bifocals in order to tie on a fly. And as soon as dusk set in (the magic hour for warm water fly fishing) I had to go home when I broke off a fly because I couldn't see well enough to thread on a new one.Gabriel wrote:I did start to look at that possibility this past winter. Unfortunately, I need to be a bit more realistic about what my arthritic hands can handle. Fly fishing itself is demanding enough without adding another delicate task.Dlibbon wrote:Start to tie them yourself. A starters kit is worth every penny.Gabriel wrote:Nice catches there Bilder and Thunk!
OK boys and girls - I'm running low on streamers. I need recommendations for somewhere to acquire more flies - particularly streamers, but I'll need other ones eventually. There is no local place to find flies, the closest "local" would be a Bass Pro in East Peoria. A solid hour away and not exactly inexpensive. Suggestions?
The good news is that another fly fisherman is graciously helping out with flies. Mrs Gabriel has also expressed interest in learning to tie, so there might be that...
I've never used the Anvil Apex (or any Anvil) vise, but they do have good reviews. I use a Peak Rotary. All my kids went together and gave it to me for fathers day a few years ago.
BTW - If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime, you guys should watch Kiss the Water. It's nominally about a lady fly tier but it's just as much about the aesthetics of fly fishing in general (from a British POV anyway).
[BBvideo 560,340]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ivvqmRKt4[/BBvideo]
"If we ever get to heaven boys, it aint because we aint done nothin' wrong" - Kris Kristofferson
"One of the things I love about CPS is the frank and enthusiastic dysfunction here. God help me, I do love it so." – OldWorldSwine
"I'd like to put a hook in that puppet and swing it through a bunch of salmon!" - durangopipe
"One of the things I love about CPS is the frank and enthusiastic dysfunction here. God help me, I do love it so." – OldWorldSwine
"I'd like to put a hook in that puppet and swing it through a bunch of salmon!" - durangopipe
- bilder
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Re: The fishing thread 2015

Got this in my favorite catfish pond. Must have been caught there during the winter floods. Not exactly a pond fish.
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- Dlibbon
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Big fishing week for us. (I'm on a little vacation) both my girls caught their first fish! 

And well I got skunked in the marsh.
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And well I got skunked in the marsh.

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- hugodrax
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Beyond awesome. My favorite post of recent memory.Dlibbon wrote:Big fishing week for us. (I'm on a little vacation) both my girls caught their first fish!
And well I got skunked in the marsh.
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- Gabriel
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Went fishing at the pond up the road from my parents today (we're over here for the holiday). I caught more panfish than I ever have in one 2 hour period in my life. Bluegill, sunnies, big ol pumpkinseed sunnies, etc; and a few bass in the mix as well. I fished nothing but a #14 pheasant tail nymph tied by FredS. Good times.
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- UncleBob
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Nothing fights better, pound for pound, than bluegill.Gabriel wrote:Went fishing at the pond up the road from my parents today (we're over here for the holiday). I caught more panfish than I ever have in one 2 hour period in my life. Bluegill, sunnies, big ol pumpkinseed sunnies, etc; and a few bass in the mix as well. I fished nothing but a #14 pheasant tail nymph tied by FredS. Good times.
"One man's theology is another man's belly laugh." - Robert A. Heinlein
"Many of the points here, taken to their logical conclusions, don't hold up to logic; they're simply Godded-up ways of saying "I don't like that." - Skip
"You guys are weird." - Mrs. FredS
"Many of the points here, taken to their logical conclusions, don't hold up to logic; they're simply Godded-up ways of saying "I don't like that." - Skip
"You guys are weird." - Mrs. FredS
- Thunktank
- Terminal Lance. Perpetual Sea Lawyer. Unicorn Aficionado
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Talked to my neighbor today. We might be going to Mexico in August for a big game fishing trip. He does it annually, asked me to go before, but I was unable to make it. He goes spur of the moment when the owner of the boat who lives down there tells him the conditions are right. That's makes it hard for me to go. I need to plan for multiple days. Anyway, he almost always catches lots of big fish (20 to 60 lbs) when he goes.
Yesterday I did get a new Daiwa Sealine x reel (conventional) to replace my Saltist (that was moved to another rod). This will be for live lining bait inshore stuff like Calico/Sand bass, Barracuda, Bonito, schoolie Yellowtail and Albacore near the kelp patties when they're being line shy. Anyway, this reel has a good drag, good capacity and great casting. Can't wait to get it wet.
Yesterday I did get a new Daiwa Sealine x reel (conventional) to replace my Saltist (that was moved to another rod). This will be for live lining bait inshore stuff like Calico/Sand bass, Barracuda, Bonito, schoolie Yellowtail and Albacore near the kelp patties when they're being line shy. Anyway, this reel has a good drag, good capacity and great casting. Can't wait to get it wet.

- Thunktank
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
You mean ounce for ounce?UncleBob wrote:Nothing fights better, pound for pound, than bluegill.Gabriel wrote:Went fishing at the pond up the road from my parents today (we're over here for the holiday). I caught more panfish than I ever have in one 2 hour period in my life. Bluegill, sunnies, big ol pumpkinseed sunnies, etc; and a few bass in the mix as well. I fished nothing but a #14 pheasant tail nymph tied by FredS. Good times.


- FredS
- Really, really likes watching kids fish.
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
It's been said that if bluegill grew to 5 pounds, nobody would give bass a second look.Thunktank wrote:You mean ounce for ounce?UncleBob wrote:Nothing fights better, pound for pound, than bluegill.Gabriel wrote:Went fishing at the pond up the road from my parents today (we're over here for the holiday). I caught more panfish than I ever have in one 2 hour period in my life. Bluegill, sunnies, big ol pumpkinseed sunnies, etc; and a few bass in the mix as well. I fished nothing but a #14 pheasant tail nymph tied by FredS. Good times.
We have a fish called a green sunfish around here that fights like hell. An 8" greenie weighs about a pound and is a blast on a #2 wt fly rod. They have wonderful blue neon stripes and speckles and the adults have bright orange fin tips. Just beautiful fish.
"If we ever get to heaven boys, it aint because we aint done nothin' wrong" - Kris Kristofferson
"One of the things I love about CPS is the frank and enthusiastic dysfunction here. God help me, I do love it so." – OldWorldSwine
"I'd like to put a hook in that puppet and swing it through a bunch of salmon!" - durangopipe
"One of the things I love about CPS is the frank and enthusiastic dysfunction here. God help me, I do love it so." – OldWorldSwine
"I'd like to put a hook in that puppet and swing it through a bunch of salmon!" - durangopipe
- Thunktank
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Yes, I can believe that about five pound sunfish. There was a pond on a farm in Pennsylvania that had bass and pumpkinseed sunfish. It's ecology was upside down in that the sunfish frequently outgrow the largemouth bass. They were the largest sunfish I ever saw and they were typically large while the bass were severally stunted. The sunfish were biting our surface plugs that mimicked frogs as often as the bass did. They were fighters too! I don't want to guess how large they really were, I fished that pond until I was about 13. But I remember clearly believing that their weight was similar to legal sized largemouth bass in that region. They were huge!FredS wrote:It's been said that if bluegill grew to 5 pounds, nobody would give bass a second look.Thunktank wrote:You mean ounce for ounce?UncleBob wrote:Nothing fights better, pound for pound, than bluegill.Gabriel wrote:Went fishing at the pond up the road from my parents today (we're over here for the holiday). I caught more panfish than I ever have in one 2 hour period in my life. Bluegill, sunnies, big ol pumpkinseed sunnies, etc; and a few bass in the mix as well. I fished nothing but a #14 pheasant tail nymph tied by FredS. Good times.
We have a fish called a green sunfish around here that fights like hell. An 8" greenie weighs about a pound and is a blast on a #2 wt fly rod. They have wonderful blue neon stripes and speckles and the adults have bright orange fin tips. Just beautiful fish.
But even our surf perch which are close cousins are real fighters. If they top 10 inches or so they will pull hard enough to get the drag working on light tackle. And they will use the wave action in surf to their advantage. Surf fishing perch and croakers locally has a following among some anglers similar to fly fishing for trout by stream fisherman.

- Gabriel
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
Oh yeah, bluegill/sunnies are fun to catch any day of the week. Those big pumpkin seeds we were catching were enough to run the drag out on my daughter's reel every time. People look down on them cause they're smaller and will jump on anything sometimes, but unless you're gonna put it on the wall or feed a crowd with it... I'll take a fun to catch fish any time.FredS wrote:It's been said that if bluegill grew to 5 pounds, nobody would give bass a second look.Thunktank wrote:You mean ounce for ounce?UncleBob wrote:Nothing fights better, pound for pound, than bluegill.Gabriel wrote:Went fishing at the pond up the road from my parents today (we're over here for the holiday). I caught more panfish than I ever have in one 2 hour period in my life. Bluegill, sunnies, big ol pumpkinseed sunnies, etc; and a few bass in the mix as well. I fished nothing but a #14 pheasant tail nymph tied by FredS. Good times.
We have a fish called a green sunfish around here that fights like hell. An 8" greenie weighs about a pound and is a blast on a #2 wt fly rod. They have wonderful blue neon stripes and speckles and the adults have bright orange fin tips. Just beautiful fish.
Sola Deo Gloria
- Thunktank
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Re: The fishing thread 2015
I think after my DIVCO project I'm going to start a skiff project. A sea worthy work boat that I can fish the coastal salt and islands.
