Let’s take a break from beating each other over the head about politics and discuss a fun topic— fishing.

I grew up spinner fishing and running trout lines for catfish. I also fished for perch and brim growing up.

After I got older I turned focus to bass fishing.

Now I’m turning it to fly fishing and trying to rig up everything I need.

How about you guys? Anyone fish besides Stink and myself? Favorite fish to chase, bait to use, tricks of the trade?

Growing up in the country I remember doing a lot of nighttime catfishing. Sitting around with friends and some adults talking about all kinds of things while constantly staring at the rod tip to see if it bent ever so slightly. Got my picture in the paper one time for catching a 6 pounder. Scariest thing though was catching a gar one time. Those teeth terrified me. Other than that, simple fishing in the ditch behind the house catching crappie and crawdads was fun. I miss those days sometimes. As for my kids, I've taken them fishing a couple of times but so far they've only been successful catching trees.

I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

(02-14-2019 12:58 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

Be careful about the surroundings of where he learns to fish. A nice farm pond with clean banks and no chiggers or ticks is a good start. It will give him space to learn to cast without the humiliation of getting tangled in a bush. Find a spot where there are no underwater obstructions for his retrieve. Toss some bread or crickets onto the water and fish with live bait for the best results. Fish at the time of the day when mosquitoes are least active.

I recommend a good spincast reel for kids. They grasp pushing the button on the cast and the crank side handle is usually manageable for them to use. Teaching them to watch the cork keeps them occupied and gets them excited when it plunges.

Don't expect them to bait their own hook or remove the fish and use a live well or a cooler filled with water to reduce the trauma of him having to see the fish placed on a stringer.

Once they get comfortable with fishing they will want to learn how to bait the hook and remove the fish. That part comes in good time. If they enjoy the catch, then the rest will be easy.

as much as I love the hunt of salt life, nothing beats the mist rising from the top as the sun rises with a predator chasing that pop-r in the purity of silence....

bloop wiggle wiggle bloop bloop......there she ARE!

#blissfulviolence

(02-14-2019 01:20 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  as much as I love the hunt of salt life, nothing beats the mist rising from the top as the sun rises with a predator chasing that pop-r in the purity of silence....

bloop wiggle wiggle bloop bloop......there she ARE!

#blissfulviolence

Nirvana for me is cutting the engines, turning off the ship to shore, and drifting with the gulf stream with the outriggers fixed and two more trolling lines set astern. Drift, sip something cold to drink and wait for the click alert to zing. I prefer King Mackerel and Wahoo. But on a slow day a Bonita is welcomed too!

(02-14-2019 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 12:58 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

Be careful about the surroundings of where he learns to fish. A nice farm pond with clean banks and no chiggers or ticks is a good start. It will give him space to learn to cast without the humiliation of getting tangled in a bush. Find a spot where there are no underwater obstructions for his retrieve. Toss some bread or crickets onto the water and fish with live bait for the best results. Fish at the time of the day when mosquitoes are least active.

I recommend a good spincast reel for kids. They grasp pushing the button on the cast and the crank side handle is usually manageable for them to use. Teaching them to watch the cork keeps them occupied and gets them excited when it plunges.

Don't expect them to bait their own hook or remove the fish and use a live well or a cooler filled with water to reduce the trauma of him having to see the fish placed on a stringer.

Once they get comfortable with fishing they will want to learn how to bait the hook and remove the fish. That part comes in good time. If they enjoy the catch, then the rest will be easy.

them redbuggies they call the crabs....

time to shave or find some quell, ya???

us non-indigenous learned the hard way.....that's what made it fonzies along the trail...

#continuallearning

The best thing about fishing is cracking beers well before noon.

(02-14-2019 01:24 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:20 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  as much as I love the hunt of salt life, nothing beats the mist rising from the top as the sun rises with a predator chasing that pop-r in the purity of silence....

bloop wiggle wiggle bloop bloop......there she ARE!

#blissfulviolence

Nirvana for me is cutting the engines, turning off the ship to shore, and drifting with the gulf stream with the outriggers fixed and two more trolling lines set astern. Drift, sip something cold to drink and wait for the click alert to zing. I prefer King Mackerel and Wahoo. But on a slow day a Bonita is welcomed too!

Ah... smoker kings. A baloon, a big blue runner and a screaming 12t. Just heaven....

(02-14-2019 01:27 PM)BuffaloTN Wrote:  The best thing about fishing is cracking beers well before noon.

“If you don’t drink in the morning then you can’t drink all day”. Frank Sinatra.

I don't fish a lot (don't have a boat) but I do enjoy it. I go up to northern Wisconsin every summer for a week of fishing with some relatives. Normally one pole has a worm or a leech on it and I keep myself busy throwing crankbaits or spinners with my other pole. I like going early in the morning when it's calm and quiet and there's still a mist in the air. My target is whatever will accept my offerings - all freshwater around here so usually bass, panfish, walleye and the occasional pike.

(02-14-2019 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 12:58 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

Be careful about the surroundings of where he learns to fish. A nice farm pond with clean banks and no chiggers or ticks is a good start. It will give him space to learn to cast without the humiliation of getting tangled in a bush. Find a spot where there are no underwater obstructions for his retrieve. Toss some bread or crickets onto the water and fish with live bait for the best results. Fish at the time of the day when mosquitoes are least active.

I recommend a good spincast reel for kids. They grasp pushing the button on the cast and the crank side handle is usually manageable for them to use. Teaching them to watch the cork keeps them occupied and gets them excited when it plunges.

Don't expect them to bait their own hook or remove the fish and use a live well or a cooler filled with water to reduce the trauma of him having to see the fish placed on a stringer.

Once they get comfortable with fishing they will want to learn how to bait the hook and remove the fish. That part comes in good time. If they enjoy the catch, then the rest will be easy.

I learned to fish with my grandfather using a Zebco Snoopy rod and reel.. I suspect my mini me will learn the same way except neither grandfather fishes, but I'm sure they'll get enjoyment out of watching him.

Down around my parts you learn how to shoot a mullet gun. Used to drive the boat when my dad and his friend would get on the bow waiting to see the swirls of the mullet. That started when i was about 5. Pop it in neutral after they throw it then drop in in reverse to close the net. You do that till your about 8 or 9 then you get you a 6' brill net and you get to throw it after the coolers are full. Nothing like a mullet fry. Got to eat those gizzards too though.

(02-14-2019 02:41 PM)gdunn Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 12:58 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

Be careful about the surroundings of where he learns to fish. A nice farm pond with clean banks and no chiggers or ticks is a good start. It will give him space to learn to cast without the humiliation of getting tangled in a bush. Find a spot where there are no underwater obstructions for his retrieve. Toss some bread or crickets onto the water and fish with live bait for the best results. Fish at the time of the day when mosquitoes are least active.

I recommend a good spincast reel for kids. They grasp pushing the button on the cast and the crank side handle is usually manageable for them to use. Teaching them to watch the cork keeps them occupied and gets them excited when it plunges.

Don't expect them to bait their own hook or remove the fish and use a live well or a cooler filled with water to reduce the trauma of him having to see the fish placed on a stringer.

Once they get comfortable with fishing they will want to learn how to bait the hook and remove the fish. That part comes in good time. If they enjoy the catch, then the rest will be easy.

I learned to fish with my grandfather using a Zebco Snoopy rod and reel.. I suspect my mini me will learn the same way except neither grandfather fishes, but I'm sure they'll get enjoyment out of watching him.

It was the original Z33's for me. I gave my girls the snoopy rod & reel combo with the little tackle box. A buddy of mine now has that tackle box still pristine with the original labels. Did you know why Zebco was the name? During WWII the arming mechanisms for our bombs used a spinner blade and the wind from falling would cause the mechanism to spin back until the bomb was fully armed. After the war the same mechanism was retooled to work in spincast fishing reels and the post war company based out of Tulsa converted to a peace time industry that we've all enjoyed. The Zero Hour Bomb Company became ZeBCo. It was a great company until the Bradley company bought it out and sent the jobs overseas. The quality has never quite been the same, although still good enough. The original reels had ceramic pick up pins in them that didn't put kinks in the line which cuts down on line breaks. They didn't wear down like the plastic ones.

Good times!

My best day with a Z33 was when I was a teen and was going to an area that a baitcast reel would have been impractical to use. In my first 10 casts I caught 22 pounds of bass using the same crayfish colored lure. Never had a freshwater experience quite like that again. That was a 7 pounder, two 5 pounders, and 4 legal to keep.

(02-14-2019 01:40 PM)SoMs Eagle Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:24 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:20 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  as much as I love the hunt of salt life, nothing beats the mist rising from the top as the sun rises with a predator chasing that pop-r in the purity of silence....

bloop wiggle wiggle bloop bloop......there she ARE!

#blissfulviolence

Nirvana for me is cutting the engines, turning off the ship to shore, and drifting with the gulf stream with the outriggers fixed and two more trolling lines set astern. Drift, sip something cold to drink and wait for the click alert to zing. I prefer King Mackerel and Wahoo. But on a slow day a Bonita is welcomed too!

Ah... smoker kings. A baloon, a big blue runner and a screaming 12t. Just heaven....

Yep, I'd cut 'em into steaks, wrap 'em in bacon, put an Orange slice over 'em, and put a strip of Colby cheese on top, wrap 'em in tin foil and put 'em on the grill to slow cook. The cheese did one thing. When it melted it put the oil on the top that held in the moisture.

Heaven is right! Wahoo was just as good with a lot more of it. Bonita we either let go or cut into strips for bait.

I started fishing at grandparents lake cottage at (yup) Coon Lake out side St. Paul. Place still had an ice box, as in the truck pulls up, the guy hops out with his tongs, he grabs a ginormous block of clear ice and drags in to the back porch and shoves it on the open upper shelf.

Catching what where called Bull heads up there, the big catch of the day was mine- 13inches. Fished all through Elem- HS, used to ride bikes to lake accotink or Cameron Run in NoVa.

Fished lakes and streams in the lovely Shenandoah while in school, then moved back to the beach, we'd crab, cast net, flounder fish for some lunkers that could get to the size of a trashcan lid.

Got my first taste of Offshore in '92.
We caught our limit of Tuna and some serious bull dolphins (mahi).

Been pretty much blue water fishing ever since. Was going about 1-2 a month there for about a decade, then the guy we went with got in trouble with the wife, moved, got divorced etc., and the whole thing fell apart.

I think my personal favorite is actually coastal fishing for Rock. Man-o-man, when they turn on it's the most fun you can have with your pants on. Taken both kids a number of times, my daughter caught her first tuna at about age 7. Son went more often, we've got pics of him with dolphin taller than he was. He and I also caught barracuda and wahoo that cut in steaks were as big around as a dinner plate or bigger while in Aruba. 150 yds off shore. Good stuff.

good times, good times. Some scary as all hell and rough times too, but that just sweetens the memories. Tom still hasn't lived down one epic trip and he was the Navy Sub driver!

(02-14-2019 03:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:40 PM)SoMs Eagle Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:24 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:20 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  as much as I love the hunt of salt life, nothing beats the mist rising from the top as the sun rises with a predator chasing that pop-r in the purity of silence....

bloop wiggle wiggle bloop bloop......there she ARE!

#blissfulviolence

Nirvana for me is cutting the engines, turning off the ship to shore, and drifting with the gulf stream with the outriggers fixed and two more trolling lines set astern. Drift, sip something cold to drink and wait for the click alert to zing. I prefer King Mackerel and Wahoo. But on a slow day a Bonita is welcomed too!

Ah... smoker kings. A baloon, a big blue runner and a screaming 12t. Just heaven....

Yep, I'd cut 'em into steaks, wrap 'em in bacon, put an Orange slice over 'em, and put a strip of Colby cheese on top, wrap 'em in tin foil and put 'em on the grill to slow cook. The cheese did one thing. When it melted it put the oil on the top that held in the moisture.

Heaven is right! Wahoo was just as good with a lot more of it. Bonita we either let go or cut into strips for bait.

lemon, butter, bacon, and filet bass carved up squirming and cooked over charcoal on the tailgate.....

that's a slice of redneck yummy for the tummy....

it's akin to licking yellow fin off the knife....

(02-14-2019 03:12 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 02:41 PM)gdunn Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 12:58 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

Be careful about the surroundings of where he learns to fish. A nice farm pond with clean banks and no chiggers or ticks is a good start. It will give him space to learn to cast without the humiliation of getting tangled in a bush. Find a spot where there are no underwater obstructions for his retrieve. Toss some bread or crickets onto the water and fish with live bait for the best results. Fish at the time of the day when mosquitoes are least active.

I recommend a good spincast reel for kids. They grasp pushing the button on the cast and the crank side handle is usually manageable for them to use. Teaching them to watch the cork keeps them occupied and gets them excited when it plunges.

Don't expect them to bait their own hook or remove the fish and use a live well or a cooler filled with water to reduce the trauma of him having to see the fish placed on a stringer.

Once they get comfortable with fishing they will want to learn how to bait the hook and remove the fish. That part comes in good time. If they enjoy the catch, then the rest will be easy.

I learned to fish with my grandfather using a Zebco Snoopy rod and reel.. I suspect my mini me will learn the same way except neither grandfather fishes, but I'm sure they'll get enjoyment out of watching him.

It was the original Z33's for me. I gave my girls the snoopy rod & reel combo with the little tackle box. A buddy of mine now has that tackle box still pristine with the original labels. Did you know why Zebco was the name? During WWII the arming mechanisms for our bombs used a spinner blade and the wind from falling would cause the mechanism to spin back until the bomb was fully armed. After the war the same mechanism was retooled to work in spincast fishing reels and the post war company based out of Tulsa converted to a peace time industry that we've all enjoyed. The Zero Hour Bomb Company became ZeBCo. It was a great company until the Bradley company bought it out and sent the jobs overseas. The quality has never quite been the same, although still good enough. The original reels had ceramic pick up pins in them that didn't put kinks in the line which cuts down on line breaks. They didn't wear down like the plastic ones.

Good times!

My best day with a Z33 was when I was a teen and was going to an area that a baitcast reel would have been impractical to use. In my first 10 casts I caught 22 pounds of bass using the same crayfish colored lure. Never had a freshwater experience quite like that again. That was a 7 pounder, two 5 pounders, and 4 legal to keep.

Wow, that's some good fishing. My brothers use to use Zebco 202s. They were said to be disposable - use them once, then throw them away. Crummy reels. By the time I got into fishing it was the Z33s and those were okay. I like my spinning reels nowadays.

Lately I've caught a good variety of fish on the Live Target "bluegill" crankbaits. They're expensive though.

(02-14-2019 04:06 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 03:12 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 02:41 PM)gdunn Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 12:58 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I’m anxious for my son to get old enough to want to go. I don’t want to force him and want him to love it like I do.

Be careful about the surroundings of where he learns to fish. A nice farm pond with clean banks and no chiggers or ticks is a good start. It will give him space to learn to cast without the humiliation of getting tangled in a bush. Find a spot where there are no underwater obstructions for his retrieve. Toss some bread or crickets onto the water and fish with live bait for the best results. Fish at the time of the day when mosquitoes are least active.

I recommend a good spincast reel for kids. They grasp pushing the button on the cast and the crank side handle is usually manageable for them to use. Teaching them to watch the cork keeps them occupied and gets them excited when it plunges.

Don't expect them to bait their own hook or remove the fish and use a live well or a cooler filled with water to reduce the trauma of him having to see the fish placed on a stringer.

Once they get comfortable with fishing they will want to learn how to bait the hook and remove the fish. That part comes in good time. If they enjoy the catch, then the rest will be easy.

I learned to fish with my grandfather using a Zebco Snoopy rod and reel.. I suspect my mini me will learn the same way except neither grandfather fishes, but I'm sure they'll get enjoyment out of watching him.

It was the original Z33's for me. I gave my girls the snoopy rod & reel combo with the little tackle box. A buddy of mine now has that tackle box still pristine with the original labels. Did you know why Zebco was the name? During WWII the arming mechanisms for our bombs used a spinner blade and the wind from falling would cause the mechanism to spin back until the bomb was fully armed. After the war the same mechanism was retooled to work in spincast fishing reels and the post war company based out of Tulsa converted to a peace time industry that we've all enjoyed. The Zero Hour Bomb Company became ZeBCo. It was a great company until the Bradley company bought it out and sent the jobs overseas. The quality has never quite been the same, although still good enough. The original reels had ceramic pick up pins in them that didn't put kinks in the line which cuts down on line breaks. They didn't wear down like the plastic ones.

Good times!

My best day with a Z33 was when I was a teen and was going to an area that a baitcast reel would have been impractical to use. In my first 10 casts I caught 22 pounds of bass using the same crayfish colored lure. Never had a freshwater experience quite like that again. That was a 7 pounder, two 5 pounders, and 4 legal to keep.

Wow, that's some good fishing. My brothers use to use Zebco 202s. They were said to be disposable - use them once, then throw them away. Crummy reels. By the time I got into fishing it was the Z33s and those were okay. I like my spinning reels nowadays.

Lately I've caught a good variety of fish on the Live Target "bluegill" crankbaits. They're expensive though.

Yeah, hand tuned Lucky Craft lures retailing for $30 each or more is a symbol of the gentrification of bass fishing. They do run well. The early 202's weren't disposable but the ones made today sure are.

If I'm fishing for crappie I prefer a spinning real. It's nice to drape that first bit of line over a finger so you can feel the nibble quicker. I like them on a short light action rod for bream fishing too. They seem quicker to reload and when a bed is going crazy quick is of the essence.

It's nice to hear such fond memories from so many different locales. It's a touchstone too unfamiliar to many kids today. I hope that gets remedied.

bass/pond fishing mostly...(of course, that was when we didn't have to go out and have a stupid fishing license to fish in any pond we came across) but I haven't done it in forever. As for the Zebco 202's being disposable, I guess mine came from the "good quality" era, as mine lasted forever.

But i was a jitterbug lure guy myself.

But I'd love to go to the Ozarks to do some fishing there (but then there's that stupid license issue thing that they REALLY enforce around here).