The hunting/fishing thread!

[duluthralphie]

Well darn was hoping to be a professional fly fisher so i can retired because I have developed such awesome skills. Lol. I haven’t used the pole yet so we will see what happens when I start. But either way fishing is fishing. It’s like golf, a bad day is still better than a good day at work. We just enjoy being outdoors even if we don’t catch anything. I usually catch, my husband spends more time untangling his reel.

Never compare fishing to golf.. golf is on parr with watching paint dry or grass grow..

Fishing is man against scaly beasts of the water worlds.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Hello, new to this thread but my husband and I like to fish. Not into hunting but fishing for sure. We bought kayaks to take out on to lakes and did a lot of fishing and kayaking due to Covid. But just recently we bought some fly fishing equipment however haven’t been able to go due to work and now winter has come upon us. Any suggestions about fly fishing?

i love fly fishing, not the best at it but i like to go stream fishing for brook trout with the fly.

here are a few of my tips to start.

practice, practice and more practice took me most of a summer to figure it out, also don't tie a fly on when you start just practice with no hook on.

also when you start do not whip it if you hear a crack or snap/pop most likely the fly just broke off. so its kinda of a slow not to hard cast. tough to explain.

next i would highly recommend starting in a flat lake, river or pond with no trees/bushes around.

 

[592784]

i love fly fishing, not the best at it but i like to go stream fishing for brook trout with the fly.

here are a few of my tips to start.

practice, practice and more practice took me most of a summer to figure it out, also don't tie a fly on when you start just practice with no hook on.

also when you start do not whip it if you hear a crack or snap/pop most likely the fly just broke off. so its kinda of a slow not to hard cast. tough to explain.

next i would highly recommend starting in a flat lake, river or pond with no trees/bushes around.

Thanks for the advice !!!

 

[592784]

Never compare fishing to golf.. golf is on parr with watching paint dry or grass grow..

Fishing is man against scaly beasts of the water worlds.

I feel my skill set for both is as tough as watching paint dry

 

[itsasmallfarm]

planning to go ice fishing tomorrow, hoping to start off with some perch in the early day and then later go for some pike and maybe get a burbot if am lucky.

 

[duluthralphie]

planning to go ice fishing tomorrow, hoping to start off with some perch in the early day and then later go for some pike and maybe get a burbot if am lucky.

Good luck. I didn’t even mark a fish Sunday.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

well i caught one perch, a very nice one at about 3/4 of a pound.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

also today, my cooey single shot arrived. (took a bit after shipping delays) but more interesting is that its in 25 rim fire. or .25 Stevens.

got to get some reload-able brass for it (the ones that use 22 blanks) to get it shooting should be good for rabbits and grouse.

 

[duluthralphie]

well i caught one perch, a very nice one at about 3/4 of a pound.

I went out today, there is 6 more inches of ice than there was Sunday. About 14 inches of ice.

I caught a few small sunnies.

Lots of people on the ice.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have a fishing injury to report.

I went fishing yesterday, and took a friend that has never been on ice in his life. He is a transplanted Southie and ice scares him.

We had about 14 inches of ice. We did not drive the truck on the ice, we took my ATV.

I wanted Sunnies and Crappies. This is the map of the lake:

I set up right to the west of the red I tried to mark on the picture. I drilled about a dozen holes. The lake is only 21-23 ft deep.

I wanted to hit about 14 ft off the rock rise. I found the top of them (or close to it) at 5ft. (Using a vexilar).

Then I found 10 and 12 ft holes. I placed tip ups in a medium sucker minnow in one hole a light sucker in the other. I put them about half way down from the top.

I then set my house up in 14 ft of water. I could see fish on the bottom with my vexilar. I could get them to come off the bottom and tap the hook but not take the bait. No idea what kind of fish they were.

We tried, waxworms, Red worms and nightcrawlers with no luck.

I but on a small crappie minnow and got one nice bump, but failed to land it.


Then after a couple hours I got a good hit. My drag was screaming. I had a jig stick with light reel on it. 2 pound test line.

After about 5 minutes I got it into the hole. It was a small northern about 22 inches. I landed it easily.

About an hour later it was a replay. This one fought harder. I only had 7 inch holes. I saw it pass under the ice and said, “poop”.

I did not think I would get it landed. I wasn’t sure I could get its head directed into the hole. Remember, I can’t horse it up. I have bare line with no leader and light enough for a mosquito to break.

I got lucky and it’s head came straight up. Almost like it was going to jump. I managed to get a hand on him behind his head and get him onto the ice. I have never used an ice gaff, I think I might get one sometime.

This one was just over 27 inches. The hook was stuck in his lip and the line outside his mouth. For those of you that don’t fish NorthernPike a steel leader is a must. To get two in one day without a leader is a minor miracle.

I was holding the Northern on my knee trying to get the hook out, when it lounged forward and swallowed my index finger.

Once again I said, “poop”, after I finished yelling in pain. My finger was bleeding, I was hurting. I got the hook out and threw him on the ice to die.

Here are the pictures of my finger from last night.

Here are from today;

It appears they might heal. I am dreading the rabies shots again. They hurt so bad last time I had them.