# Has anyone been fishing? Tell us about it. Was it fun? Did you catch anything? Did you eat what you caught? Did you bait your own hook? :)



## Paco Dennis (Aug 12, 2022)

Fishing has been part of my life since I was 8 years old. We took camping trips on summer vacation to rivers and lakes in the mountains in California. We fished for trout. We used salmon eggs, lures, and fly fished. I camped with my Dad on the Sacramento River near Mt. Shasta when I was 12. I fished almost every morning and evening often catching the limit of 10 trout longer than 12 inches.













We fished on the ocean rocks near Monterey for medium sized sea fish.                 We fished a salt water inlet river for sharks and sting rays.












When we moved to Missouri I really took to bass fishing. I would through my plastic worm out as far as possible and sometimes hook a 3 lb bass with all my line out. That was FUN!


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## Blessed (Aug 12, 2022)

I fished as a child but loved so much more going crabbing with my grandparents when I was a child.  We would do it out on a rock jetty or in the creek that ran up their property from the Nanticoke river.  Just a string with a piece of chicken or bacon tied on the end.  Learning just the right way to bring them up enough on the string until you could use your net to scoop them up.  I liked eating crab so much more than fish. Gosh I miss that!


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## Paco Dennis (Aug 12, 2022)

Blessed said:


> I fished as a child but loved so much more going crabbing with my grandparents when I was a child.  We would do it out on a rock jetty or in the creek that ran up their property from the Nanticoke river.  Just a string with a piece of chicken or bacon tied on the end.  Learning just the right way to bring them up enough on the string until you could use your net to scoop them up.  I liked eating crab so much more than fish. Gosh I miss that!


That sounds like so much fun! I use to play in the tide pools where there often were crabs running all over.


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## Judycat (Aug 12, 2022)

I used to love fishing when I was a kid. Now I feel so guilty for putting that hook in the fish I can't do it anymore. It's a real bummer. Can't even watch fishing shows. My husband used to love to turn on hunting and fishing shows in the morning when I was there in front of the TV, Seeing me squirm gave him a lot of satisfaction.


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## Chet (Aug 12, 2022)

I have fished all my life. I went yesterday (caught nothing) and might go today. It once was about catching the most or the biggest, but now it's just an excuse to be outdoors. Think about it. If you are just sitting on the shore empty handed and staring out into space, people will think you're nuts, but if you have a pole in  your hand, you're fishing.


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## Don M. (Aug 12, 2022)

I used to fish regularly when I was working.  I would usually cover the accounts on weekends, then have two days off in the middle of the week.  I had a nice Ranger bass boat, and usually went to Pomme de Terre lake to fish for Muskies.  When we retired to this rural area, I sold my boat with the idea of getting another one....but I have so much to do here that I never did get another boat.  One of my Son-in-Laws lives near Truman lake, so I go out with him a few times every year....fishing for Bass and Catfish, mostly.


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## DebraMae (Aug 12, 2022)

I have not fished in a long time but my grandfather used to take me.  We would go down to a stream and catch our own minnows.  He had a tub that would aerate the water and keep them alive.  When he would run out we would go get some more.  He melted lead and made his own sinkers too.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 12, 2022)

Blessed said:


> I fished as a child but loved so much more going crabbing with my grandparents when I was a child. We would do it out on a rock jetty or in the creek that ran up their property from the Nanticoke river. Just a string with a piece of chicken or bacon tied on the end. Learning just the right way to bring them up enough on the string until you could use your net to scoop them up.


Blue crabs?

I grew up crabbing with my Grandmother, every time we went to her house in Louisiana she took us crabbing.  Did it just they way you describe, usually in the Calcasieu River.  Blue crabs are still my favorite crab.

One of my earliest memories was catching a small catfish.  I was so excited that I ran home with it to show my parents and grandparents.  Most excited I can remember being as a kid, I was probably about 4.  Still love fishing, and still get excited every time I feel one bite.


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## palides2021 (Aug 12, 2022)

Used to go fishing on a bridge in Florida years ago. Remember catching bass. Those were my favorite fish. We would put them in ice and drive home and descale them, clean them and fry them. Yummy. It's been years now. Thanks for the memories.


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## palides2021 (Aug 12, 2022)

Paco Dennis said:


> Fishing has been part of my life since I was 8 years old. We took camping trips on summer vacation to rivers and lakes in the mountains in California. We fished for trout. We used salmon eggs, lures, and fly fished. I camped with my Dad on the Sacramento River near Mt. Shasta when I was 12. I fished almost every morning and evening often catching the limit of 10 trout longer than 12 inches.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Are those your pictures, @Paco Dennis? If so, they are wonderful!


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## Alligatorob (Aug 12, 2022)

DebraMae said:


> He melted lead and made his own sinkers too.


When I was a kid we did that too.  Never bought sinkers.


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## Paco Dennis (Aug 12, 2022)

palides2021 said:


> Are those your pictures, @Paco Dennis? If so, they are wonderful!


No they are just examples...I do have some bass fishing pics somewhere...maybe someday.


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## Blessed (Aug 12, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Blue crabs?
> 
> I grew up crabbing with my Grandmother, every time we went to her house in Louisiana she took us crabbing.  Did it just they way you describe, usually in the Calcasieu River.  Blue crabs are still my favorite crab.
> 
> One of my earliest memories was catching a small catfish.  I was so excited that I ran home with it to show my parents and grandparents.  Most excited I can remember being as a kid, I was probably about 4.  Still love fishing, and still get excited every time I feel one bite.


Yes there were blue crabs but I did not know that then. They were just the crabs we caught in the summertime.  It was such a magical place, we would catch crab, it would also be the time of watermelon and sweet corn.  I will say we never went hungry and all of it were things a kid would love. Some summers it would be jelly fish season.  We could not swim in the river but there was always a lot of fun to be had.


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## Paco Dennis (Aug 12, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> When I was a kid we did that too.  Never bought sinkers.


I use to tie a small rock on my line.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 12, 2022)

My most memorable fishing trip was an all night shark venture.  I was about 13, went in my buddies boat, about 14 ft long.  We were fishing Hurricane Pass.

First we caught a big stingray, probably about 150 lbs.  We pulled it up on the beach where we cut it up for chum and bait, but were unable to cut into the rib cage and center, so we just tied that to the anchor thinking it would be good chum.

Then we fell asleep and at some point in the night were awakened to the boat being jerked and lurching through the water.  It was over before we got fully awake.  The anchor line was frayed.  Seems a really big shark ate that 50 or so pound piece of ray, the 10 lb anchor, and 3 feet of anchor chain...

Never forget that one, I still see the guy I went with from time to time, it never takes long for that story to come up.


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## jujube (Aug 12, 2022)

Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day.

Teach a man to fish and he'll forget about eating.


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## Murrmurr (Aug 12, 2022)

I haven't been fishing for over a year. It's maybe over 2 years now. We did as much fishing and camping as possible when I was a kid, and I took my kids whenever I could get time off work.

The Sacramento River and Folsom Lake when I was a kid, and the Feather River and a few lakes up in the Susanville area is where I usually took my kids. And currently, I live not very far from the Sacramento River.

This is my most recent catch from Sac River...2020, I think. (shore fishing)



And this is at Feather River:
(my nephew's w/me)


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## terry123 (Aug 12, 2022)

We used to fish all the time.  Bass fishing was my fav.  We kept quite a bit in the freezer already to be fried.  Already filleted (sic) and ready to cook after defrosting.  I liked to catch them and my husband would clean them.


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## Bretrick (Aug 15, 2022)

I was raised on the west coast of Tasmania and have a multitude of fishing stories.
My best friend and I would go fishing on the Macquarie Harbour, the harbourside town being Strahan.
I am talking mid 70's, my friend had a 10' Huon Pine dingy with a one cylinder Seagull petrol outboard. One day, raining of course, we dropped our handlines in and both of us immediately had a successful bite. Pulling our catch in, which were fair sized Cod - 5 - 6kg we would then drop the lines in again, success again and again and again.....
We seemed to be sitting above a large school of Cod and well before an hour was up we had filled the dingy with 50+ Cod.
Back to shore to clean our haul. We gave plenty to elderly residents and kept 5 each.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

That's a great story @Bretrick lots of cod.  5 kg times 50 is 250 kg of fish, surprised you didn't sink the boat!


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## Bretrick (Aug 15, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> That's a great story @Bretrick lots of cod.  5 kg times 50 is 250 kg of fish, surprised you didn't sink the boat!


I am only guessing the weight. 45 years ago. might have been 4 kg. 
All I do know is the Cod were at least 14" - 16" " long, 6" thick and  6" - 8" deep.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

Bretrick said:


> I am only guessing the weight. 45 years ago. might have been 4 kg


LOL!  All the fish I caught that long ago have grown too!  In the retelling anyway.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

Paco Dennis said:


> Did you bait your own hook?


I still insist on baiting my own hook, even on charters where the mate is supposed to do it.  Just doesn't seem like fishing otherwise.


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## Pinky (Aug 15, 2022)

I was "the chosen" fishing buddy .. also got to bait the hooks. Dad was an avid fisherman. In Alberta, if I recall correctly, we caught rainbow trout. Can't remember what we caught in Vancouver.

Bing Crosby used to fly into B.C. to fish. I remember Dad being so thrilled to see him one time, on a plane returning from the logging camps.


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## MountainRa (Aug 15, 2022)

I’ve never understood the appeal of catch and release fishing. To me, you fish because you plan to eat what you caught.  If not, then let the fish go on about their business and quit jerking them out of the water.


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## Lizzie00 (Aug 15, 2022)

Paco Dennis said:


> Fishing has been part of my life since I was 8 years old. We took camping trips on summer vacation to rivers and lakes in the mountains in California. We fished for trout. We used salmon eggs, lures, and fly fished. I camped with my Dad on the Sacramento River near Mt. Shasta when I was 12. I fished almost every morning and evening often catching the limit of 10 trout longer than 12 inches.


I got some good fishing time in as a kid in VA….fresh water in a little 3-man boat. My equipment consisted of a cane pole with a bobber & a can of worms….all crew were required to bait their own hook. Seems like we caught mostly crappie and blue gill & you betcha we ate them if they were big enough to keep…fillet’d & fried in cornmeal with drop-dead hush puppies…i loved both the fishing part AND the eating part


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## Michael Z (Aug 15, 2022)

Went fishing on a quiet small lake last week for bluegills in my canoe. Was the only one on the lake. Caught a bunch and one keeper bass. My kind of fishing!

Cleaned them all and froze them as I did not have time to fry them up. I am not much for catch and release as to me it is almost like pulling up a carrot I have grown and stuffing it back in the ground. I only fish when I need the fish to keep.


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## JaniceM (Aug 15, 2022)

Tried it a few times when I was 12-13 yrs old.  It's not for me.  I'm not an "outdoorsy" person in general, but also cannot bait hooks and cannot eat a fish if I've seen it alive.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

MountainRa said:


> I’ve never understood the appeal of catch and release fishing


I agree, never could get into it.  

I don't like bass much, so don't fish for them, and they are the #1 sportfishing target in freshwater here.  Tarpon are another one you can't eat but lots of people fish for them, not me.

Unfortunately with today's limits and seasons we end up having to "release" a lot of edible fish I would want to keep.  Deep sea fishing I don't understand the logic, when you pull a snapper or grouper up from more than 100 feet it rarely lives, so the "release" mostly makes for a lot of happy sharks...


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

Michael Z said:


> bluegills


One of my favorites, just head em, scale em, gut em, and pan fry.  Great eating!


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## Michael Z (Aug 15, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Unfortunately with today's limits and seasons we end up having to "release" a lot of edible fish I would want to keep.  Deep sea fishing I don't understand the logic, when you pull a snapper or grouper up from more than 100 feet it rarely lives, so the "release" mostly makes for a lot of happy sharks...



I noticed that when we were down in Florida. I assume this is because of the red tide fish kill? All I caught off shore in the intercostal off our rental dock in Indian Shores were pin fish. We actually fried them up and they were good. I had a lot to learn about saltwater fishing!


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## palides2021 (Aug 15, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> I haven't been fishing for over a year. It's maybe over 2 years now. We did as much fishing and camping as possible when I was a kid, and I took my kids whenever I could get time off work.
> 
> The Sacramento River and Folsom Lake when I was a kid, and the Feather River and a few lakes up in the Susanville area is where I usually took my kids. And currently, I live not very far from the Sacramento River.
> 
> ...


Great pictures, @Murrmurr!


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## palides2021 (Aug 15, 2022)

Bretrick said:


> I was raised on the west coast of Tasmania and have a multitude of fishing stories.
> My best friend and I would go fishing on the Macquarie Harbour, the harbourside town being Strahan.
> I am talking mid 70's, my friend had a 10' Huon Pine dingy with a one cylinder Seagull petrol outboard. One day, raining of course, we dropped our handlines in and both of us immediately had a successful bite. Pulling our catch in, which were fair sized Cod - 5 - 6kg we would then drop the lines in again, success again and again and again.....
> We seemed to be sitting above a large school of Cod and well before an hour was up we had filled the dingy with 50+ Cod.
> Back to shore to clean our haul. We gave plenty to elderly residents and kept 5 each.


Wow! You must have felt you had won the jackpot that day! What a wonderful story.


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## Paco Dennis (Aug 15, 2022)

While camping/fishing one summer I lied to my Dad about how I caught a 2 1/2 lb 19" brown trout in the upper Sacramento river ( I caught it with my hands on the river bank...it was old and dying ). I said it took me 1/2 hour to land it, I had wade down stream so the line wouldn't break, but I finally tired it out and caught it. We entered the fish in a contest for the biggest trout caught that season. He was so proud of me. We didn't win, but that story lasted for 15 years until I told him the truth.  He looked over at me and all he said was "You little sh%t ass!". That was the TALLEST tale I ever told.  really....


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## Em in Ohio (Aug 15, 2022)

My dad was an avid fisherman who made his own sinkers and lures and taught me how.  It still hurts to remember my mother selling his tackle boxes, rods and reels, and bait buckets.  She never thought to ask if I might like them.

He would go out on Lake Erie with his boss and some coworkers and bring back enough fish to feed the entire block.  They would go down the basement of our duplex home and clean them for hours - and I got to explore fish anatomy!

I used to take my kids camping almost every weekend.  We only packed a loaf of bread and peanut butter.  The rest of the time, we ate the fish we caught.  We would also take advantage of the local park stocked ponds when they had "free for all" fishing to correct the surplus of blue gills and sunfish.

I had a stocked pond at my old location, but have to admit that I couldn't fish it - There was something too emotionally unsettling about catching the fish that I fed daily and got to know personally.

My long-coated dog would swim in the pond and come out dragging catfish that thought his long, waving strands of hair were worms!  It was hysterically funny to watch!  

Now, every year, for about ten minutes, I think that I should get a license and gear and go again.  I loved fishing from the edge of the local river.  Sigh.  The good old days!


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## Lizzie00 (Aug 15, 2022)

Em in Ohio said:


> My long-coated dog would swim in the pond and come out dragging catfish that thought his long, waving strands of hair were worms!  It was hysterically funny to watch!


Now THAT’s a fish story….what a HOOT!!!!!!!


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## palides2021 (Aug 15, 2022)

Em in Ohio said:


> My dad was an avid fisherman who made his own sinkers and lures and taught me how.  It still hurts to remember my mother selling his tackle boxes, rods and reels, and bait buckets.  She never thought to ask if I might like them.
> 
> He would go out on Lake Erie with his boss and some coworkers and bring back enough fish to feed the entire block.  They would go down the basement of our duplex home and clean them for hours - and I got to explore fish anatomy!
> 
> ...


What a lovely story, @Em in Ohio ! Your stocked pond reminds me of goldfish we used to have in our aquarium. We started with 10 and slowly they died and only one remained - several years later. He grew so big, he just about filled the aquarium tank and our dinner guests would look at him and ask, "When are you going fishing?" Never! He was beautiful to behold, with a shiny golden skin. Anyway, we ended up giving him back to the pet store when we had to move. We had grown quite attached to him.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

Michael Z said:


> I noticed that when we were down in Florida. I assume this is because of the red tide fish kill? All I caught off shore in the intercostal off our rental dock in Indian Shores were pin fish. We actually fried them up and they were good. I had a lot to learn about saltwater fishing!


Had to laugh at that, when I was a kid we ate a few pinfish, never heard of anyone else doing it!  Nothing wrong with them, a bit small and boney but taste fine.

Now I use live pinfish for bait.  You might try that off of your dock, it could lead to bigger fish.

No the red tide is something different.  It kills a lot of fish, but since it kill most of the fish there are none left to eat them and they end up washing up on the beach.  The fish that die from being quickly depressurized are one at a time and there are plenty of healthy sharks waiting for them.


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## Alligatorob (Aug 15, 2022)

This is one of my favorite fishing stories, like most of Garrison's stories its pretty long.  Skip forward to about 5 min to get to the better parts.




Gotta love Bruno


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## Been There (Aug 15, 2022)

I do a lot of fishing, mostly in the Potomac River. I wouldn’t keep or eat anything out of that cesspool.


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## Bretrick (Aug 15, 2022)

palides2021 said:


> Wow! You must have felt you had won the jackpot that day! What a wonderful story.


Fish were plentiful back then. We never missed out on a feed whether it were Cod, Eels, Crayfish, Abalone, Crabs.
Great times for sure.


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## Bretrick (Aug 15, 2022)

Living on the West Coast of Tasmania I spent a lot of my free time fishing.
Macquarie Harbour, Braddon River, Arthur River, Gordon River, Franklin River, Pieman River, Henty River.
Kelly Basin, Granville Harbour, Trial Harbour.
Trial Harbour was one of the most bountiful fishing spots. We had a cabin at Trial Harbour, a small seaside settlement of about 30 - 40 cabins.
Many Fridays after work 4 of us would gather our fishing gear, swags and the essential 18 gallon barrel of beer.
Trial Harbour was our go to place to catch Crayfish, large crayfish, not the tiny things seen in local fish markets today.
We would launch the dingy loaded with 5 cray pots and go out no more than 100 metres off shore to lay the pots.
We also had cray rings which we would use sitting on the rocks, back then we could watch crayfish as they walking into the ring to eat the baits we placed in them.
We had a 44 gallon drum as a boiling pot and would eat crayfish and abalone all weekend.
Abalone is the most tasty seafood I have ever tasted. Preparation was nothing more than flattening(tenderising) the abalone with a tenderising hammer, then throwing them on a hot barbeque plate for 30 seconds either side.
No extras, no fancy sauces, onto the barbi, into the mouth.
Good times.


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## deaver (Sep 1, 2022)

NO. last time I went fishing dad and I were driving down a back country highway looking at nothing in particular when we came to a fork in the road. Situated between the forks was an old gas station with a small convenience store. Inside you could get a cup of coffee and cookies or some sort of candy bar. On the wall hung knick knacks of one kind or other including prepackaged all in one fishing gear. This contained several lures of various shape, the rod and closed face reel and a small net. Price tag read $9.95. Bought one just in case we found any water to fish...I took the package and out the door we went. Now I may stretch the truth oncet awhile but this is the HolyTruth I swear cross my heart and etcetra..but before I got that fishing package in the car it exploded. Nope nope I mean it. The fish line on the reel was poking out and wrapped around the reel and the rod. The lures hooks were bent and the net(I think it was a net) was wrapped around the handle...I swear this is the truth...never fished again!!


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## Alligatorob (Sep 1, 2022)

Next week I am heading to Florida and Louisiana and plan to do a lot of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.  

No matter what I am sure it will be fun, and I hope to catch fish, and be able to eat them.  Always bait my own hooks.


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## deaver (Sep 1, 2022)

I love fish stories, don't you?


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## Alligatorob (Sep 1, 2022)

deaver said:


> I love fish stories, don't you?


Absolutely!  And my fish keep growing with every retelling.


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## NorthernLight (Sep 1, 2022)

Sitting in a boat doing nothing and saying you're fishing is great. But actually catching a fish? 

I also hate clamming, blueberry picking, mushrooming, and gardening. Oh well.


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## Alligatorob (Sep 1, 2022)

NorthernLight said:


> Nope. Sitting in a boat doing nothing and saying you're fishing is great. But actually catching a fish?
> 
> I also hate clamming, blueberry picking, mushrooming, and gardening. Oh well.


To each her own.


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## Teacher Terry (Sep 1, 2022)

_I grew up on a lake in northern Wisconsin during summer because my parents owned a small resort. I fished daily from the age of 4 until they sold it when I was 14. We caught bass, walleye and pan fish. My mom fried them and everyone baited their own hooks with worms. _


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## Gary O' (Sep 1, 2022)

Has anyone been fishing? Tell us about it.​
Too many times (not enough really)

Wrote about some notable trips;



*I had a fishing buddy. *


Rob could pull a fish out of a mud puddle if it had a rock in it. He had an uncanny touch of what was happening at the end of his line, and stream savvy beyond my scope.
We fished most of the north coastal streams of Oregon together, going after sea run cuts, steelies, and salmon.
We'd spend the eve tying hooks, sorting lures and gear, and getting our wives to pack us a lunch.
Off we'd go, swapping lies on the way, stopping at Staleys on hwy 26 to load up on bait, refill our mugs with hot coffee, grab some jerky, and head to whatever stream looked good that day.
One fine morn we decided on Beaver creek. The stream was pristine. A freshet, days before, made it a great prospect.
As our custom, we walked the creek, picking a starting point in the town of Beaver. Wading about a half mile downstream, we came upon the mamma johamma of fishing holes. The eddy, the depth, the tail out was the stuff of fishermen's dreams.
Rob decided to work it from the top, tossing his line close in, each cast drifting a bit further than the previous. Watching him was a study in precision. His worn vest bearing testimony to experience, held just a few choice lures, as he seldom snagged.
I chose to directly work the hole in the hopes of getting a much needed head start in putting keepers on my stringer. We each pulled in a couple fat cuts, and the day was looking productive when I spotted a rather large German shepherd loping down the hill towards me. Following him was a middle aged guy with no legs 'running' down the hill on his knuckles and leather torso pad. Rather unnerving, and distracting to my little adventure.



Stopping at the bank, Shorty, resting on his knuckles, watched for a while, then started throwing rocks in the hole.
Then Rin Tin Tin chased the rocks.
'How ya doin'?"
"Fine."
More rocks.
"Nice day isn't it."
"Yup."
More rocks.
"Let's see, this is public land, but your personal fishing hole, right?"
"Oh, you can fish here, I don't own it."
More rocks.
Cujo is now in a frenzy. Teeth bared, making those precious GGGRRRR noises that endears parents of small children.
"So, mind throwing rocks over there?" pointing to my buddy.
"No, I like it here, where I catch fish."
I reeled in, and commenced upstream towards Rob.
It turns into a game for Shorty's dog, as he plunges toward me, intent on maybe getting his master a couple new legs, mine.
Ever try to run or hurry when waist deep in a stream?
I yelled to Rob, "I THINK WE SHOULD FISH A BIT FARTHER DOWNSTREAM, DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE PRODUCTIVE HERE."
Shorty grunted something (apparently in canineese) and satan dog immediately retreated.
In town I found out no leg dog man was a local hero, had a big write up about him in the Reader's Digest.....and he was the mayor.
Rob and I talk about that place from time to time, and refer to it as the hole that got away.





*Getting Lucky*


After several trips to the coastal system Salmon River, Rob and I pretty much new all the good holes. The best bein’ right below the weir, of which was right below the hatchery.


Plenty of anglers ran lines thru there. The well beaten paths from the make shift parking area bore witness.


It was very accommodating. A gentle sloped wooded path traveled right to the beach. On the right about 30 yards upstream, the deadline stretched across the water. Within 20-30 yards up from that was the weir. Easy pickin’s if one could legally fish there, as the returning salmon piled up, resting before negotiating the little overflowing dam.


But just below that was this beach, and there was plenty of opportunity to hook into these weary returning nomads, as they rested in any slow water available.


The river created this stretch of unhurried water from the restraints of a cut bank on the other side, curving into a rapid at the tail out.


Oak, bull alders and willows graced the opposing bank, lending their shade to the spent fish.


It was the first week of summer.  Arriving in the early dawn hour, we were the first there. So, as we were taught from conscientious anglers before us, Rob and I policed the area of cans, their plastic six pack holders, fishing line, fast food wrappers, Styrofoam, and the plastic bags that the slack jawed troglodytes brought them in, loading up our ‘pack it in, pack it out’ sack.


We studied the water. Late springers were everywhere. Their torpedo shapes moving up and coasting back, holding.


However, they were not taking.


Everything in every color we presented was ignored.


An hour had passed. Anglers were starting to line the gravel beach.


We were ready to head downstream, but I had my eye on a hawg that moved little, and hung directly under a dead fall oak, of which the river had undermined its roots the winter before. The old oak had made a natural platform about six to eight feet long, ending about two feet above where the old bruiser hung.


Spring Chinook range 15 to about 40 lbs, 30 lbs being the common nice sized fish in comparison to their larger fall cousins.


This one looked to be at least 30 pounds.


I forded the river thru the rapids, and grabbing the limbs, made my way down the log.


He was still holding.


I looped a fresh bait of eggs on my hook, and back reeled my presentation down and about three feet in front of his nose.


As the bait drifted toward him, he moved to the side to let it pass.


This happened several times.


I got on my knees and studied my elusive friend.


He had the look and size of a five salter, and had been thru a battle or two. Having only one eye, and what looked like a seal bite near his adipose, I dubbed him ‘Lucky’.


He was a bit dark, not the black, or the ‘so rotten they’re white’ look about him, but I bet he wasn’t going back out.


I steered my bait to about a foot in front of his eyeless side.


No movement.


I brought my line back upstream and artificially drifted the now washed out roe to the front of his nose, but on the eyeless side again.


The spent eggs were an undulating cushion of veined textured goo, and I let it envelope his face.


No movement


No movement


Then


BAM!!


I had driven him a few clicks past irritation, and he was done with it all.


He turned his head and snapped at the bait in one split second move!


Watching this front row action was the thrill of my fishing lifetime!


He thrashed the water, anglers on the beach side started reeling in.


The fight was on!


He ran, making a huge wake, and then down.


It was all I could do to hang onto my rod.


SUH-NAP!


The fight was over as soon as it started.


I had forgotten to back off on the drag!


My usual custom of tightening the drag, getting a good hook set, and then backing the drag off was totally forgotten!


Apparently I’d let my mind focus so hard on getting Lucky to bite, as they are tunnel focused on one thing, going upstream……getting home, no time to dine at this juncture, that I’d disregarded what I’d learned about salmon, and that’s basically you only get one chance, especially with late spring Chinook.


Lesser fish will let you recover a mental lapse. Once a salmon is hooked in a stream, its fight to the end, and they know all the tricks.


We traveled home without fish that day, but armed with the new knowledge that sometimes, when they are not biting, it not only takes great patience, the ability to adapt at presentation, the right gear, and the mental aptitude to remember the basics at the most critical time, in order to get ‘Lucky’.








*The Guard Rail Hole*


Early one fall, Rob and I discovered the guard rail hole on the Salmon river between Otis and the hatchery upstream.
There was a gauntlet of anglers, elbow to elbow.
We watched.
You could see these brutes coming upstream, the wake from their dorsals making a vee in the water.
Sometimes 3, 4 abreast.
About every 10-15 minutes someone hooked a fish.
Lines were retrieved.
Anglers waited.
Only one in six were successful in landing one.
There was a constant jabber from most until a fish was hooked.
Then everyone busied themselves, checking baits, hooks, lines.
It takes about 20 minutes to tire these hawgs out, and you need all the hole and more to give yourself a chance.
Some have the guts to let their line slack, culminating in pulling at the corner of the fish's mouth from downstream, prompting the fish to fight it by swimming upstream. It gives the angler more of a fighting chance, if the hook set is sure.
After an hour of watching, which isn't a bad tactic, no matter the pressure, a couple younger guys reeled in, packed up, and left. Rob and I looked at each other. We were both game. The young fellas had been in a less than desirable spot, on the upstream end of the hole. The older, retired gents had their spots way before dawn. Even if they hadn't, the spots would've been protected by their compadres.
We both hooked and lost fish.
Fall Chinook usually run 30 to 60 lbs. They'll straighten out the stoutest of stream rods, and it's a thrill to feel so much muscle at the end of your line.


You can burn a hole in your thumb trying to keep your line from stripping to the backing.
The oldsters became more and more disgusted every time we hooked up, knowing it was in vain.
"Just give it a hard jerk, and enjoy your fish lips for dinner."
"Why don't you break the goddamn thing off, it's been twenty minutes?"
Rob broke off.
I immediately hooked another. An ol' geezer started barking at me, tossing his rod to the bank. Only I had a plan. Rob and I talked about the chances of wading the shallowest part of the hole and gaining a fighting position. The specter was the good chance of falling in, and my last conscience thought before drowning would be seeing and hearing old men scoffing as I drifted through the hole.
Turns out, the route I picked was apparently not the shallowest.
On tiptoes, leaning upstream, treading in places, keeping the line taut (not that there was an option) I got to the other, navigable, side.
This fish was a brute.
Rod straight.
Tugs coming hard.
Line heading downstream.
I'm scrambling now.
Falling over rocks.
Now sitting in two feet of water, my sandwich making its way out of my vest, floated merrily, merrily down the stream.... an old guy with catcher's mitts for hands, lifted me up by my armpits.

Something was not right. I never had fought a fish of this heft before, so I wasn't sure.
The fish was tiring.
I was tiring.
'Defibrillator paddles would be good about now', I thought.
The fish was spent, fighting now in spasmodic, vain attempts at freedom.
I nursed it up to the bank.
Steam coming from its heaving gills.
Steam coming from my heaving gills.
I did it!
I landed a fifty pound hawg!!
It was beautiful.
In my triumphant elation I hadn't noticed that the hook was lodged in the gill.
Foul hooked!?
The beast had sucked the hook through its mouth and out the gill, hooking on the intake!!
An old gent handed me his pliers.
Hathaway, the ODF&W warden, Don Knots of Otis, was on the other bank, arms folded, waiting for me to make a wrong move.
I carefully unset the hook, turned my trophy toward freedom, gently rocked him back and forth, and he was gone............
On the way home, Rob jabbered away at how he would have kept it..........it's a good thing we weren't hunting..............fishing ‘accidents’ are harder to explain.


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## squatting dog (Sep 1, 2022)

Every once in a while. Relaxing.  
Of course, my brother and his buddy always go after the bigger one's and try to intimidate me. Don't work.


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## Alligatorob (Sep 1, 2022)

squatting dog said:


> Every once in a while. Relaxing.
> Of course, my brother and his buddy always go after the bigger one's and try to intimidate me. Don't work.


Nice, don't know that I have ever caught gag grouper, cobia, and flounder on the same trip.  Did you do it in that boat in the picture?  Not many places you can get far enough out for grouper in a little bay boat like that.


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## squatting dog (Sep 1, 2022)

No, the boat was a might larger than that one in the background. I have a friend who does charter work and has a center console similar to the one pictured, and he knows where to find fish.  
One of these days, I'm going back out after the giant grouper. Caught one once, but, as I got him to the surface, a huge shark came and chomped him. All I had was a head about the size of 2 basketballs and a little gill. (what a time to not have a camera with us).


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## David777 (Sep 1, 2022)

As grade school kids, during summers we endlessly fished Sacramento area creeks mostly for green sunfish and bullhead catfish.  I became an expert at digging for earth worms or catching crayfish which we used tails of for bait, or grasshoppers.  As an adult that became a Sierra Nevada backpacker, during my 20s/30s did a lot of cast a bubble with dry flies fishing for our 4 species of trout.  Also occasionally rocky shore salt water fishing.  About 1980 I increasingly became more a landscape and nature photographer, so in this era despite enjoying the activity, only usually fish when on trips with brother J that is much more the enthusiast and being lazier now more often use a metal lure.  The below are 3 rainbow trout I caught this July at a lake in the John Muir Wilderness.  Always only fish for meals and greatly enjoy eating trout, especially mature salmonids. 

After arriving at the lake at 10k feet elevation, then making camp, it took me less than an hour using a Kastmaster lure to catch 3 fish at 10, 10.5, and 11.5 inches, clean em, and get them cooking in our frying pan.


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## Alligatorob (Sep 1, 2022)

squatting dog said:


> One of these days, I'm going back out after the giant grouper. Caught one once, but, as I got him to the surface, a huge shark came and chomped him. All I had was a head about the size of 2 basketballs and a little gill. (what a time to not have a camera with us).


Wow!  Was it a gag?  I think those in your picture were.  If so that would really be a huge one, bigger than any gag grouper I have caught.

Picture below is of the largest grouper I have ever caught, not a great picture but you can get some idea of its size.  It was a goliath grouper (formerly called jewfish), probably 500 to 600 pounds.  Had to release her, keeping them was not legal then.  Took her a few minutes, but she perked up and swam away.


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