General Outdoor Fun DiscussionWhether you rock climb, kayak, snowboard, hike or hang glide, if you play outside and you play hard, come talk about it in here.
I doubt it, but does anyone hunt here? If ya do, whaddya hunt? I'm gonna go duck huntin' for the first time this year and eat me some duck. De-licious. What about fishin? I'm not a big fisherman myself, but I sure as hell love t'eat my catfish and bass. Any fishers here?
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
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I used to pick up bluefish out of the surf--pound for pound the best fight from a fish you will ever get. Try pulling a two foot blue that swims from Florida to Nantucket ina direction it doesn't want to go.
Fly fishing is, some say, harder. I like it because it puts you in touch with all aspects of fishing--the habitat, the time of year/month/day, the fish themselves, their prey...everything. It's pure...and it's beautiful. Rent A River Runs through It and see if you don't want to give it a try....in Central PA, we have beautiful streams.
I used to spend hours fishing, mostly saltwater, surf and inshore in Long Island Sound. Dont get to go as much any more. I second the suggestion about bluefish. Get one about ten pounds or more on a freshwater bass rod and you got something. Just keep your fingers away from its mouth when you land it. Those teeth are a lot like cutting pliers, lol. They can cut a eight inch long baitfish in half with one shot.
Surf fishing is incredible, especially if you can get out during weeknights to spots that are not tha accessible (most good surf fishing is done from dusk until dawn, at least in the Northeast). Its just you out there, all night long, casting, a lot of the time you cant even see where the lure is going. You work it entirely by how it feels. You make hundreds of casts. Then, boom, your on. What have you got? Could be anything from a bluefish, stirper, weakfish, fluke, to a small shark. Even bonito at the right time of year.
I am heading up north this Friday to get in some fishing. The flowage I am on is mainly full of panfish but also has Northern's and Muskie's.
We have some decent Northerns here in the Connecticut River (I measured a dead one at 47") but I have only hooked one once, did not land it. (hooked him on one of those little panfish jigs with the weak hooks, lol, couldnt keep him out of a downed tree).
Never seen a Muskie, except in pictures. I did used to have a great St. Croix Premier Graphite rod that I beleive was made for Muskie fishing. I used it as an inshore saltwater rod for blues and stripers.
Hope you hook up with one of those toothy monsters!
If I do it will piss off my host. It seems like all the rookies he teaches have caught a sizeable one and he has not. I am now the newbie of the group so it is my turn to keep up the tradition. I prefer something you can eat rather than just something to mount . . . only with regards to fishing of course.
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We have some decent Northerns here in the Connecticut River (I measured a dead one at 47") but I have only hooked one once, did not land it. (hooked him on one of those little panfish jigs with the weak hooks, lol, couldnt keep him out of a downed tree).
Never seen a Muskie, except in pictures. I did used to have a great St. Croix Premier Graphite rod that I beleive was made for Muskie fishing. I used it as an inshore saltwater rod for blues and stripers.
Hope you hook up with one of those toothy monsters!
If you've seen a 47" northern you have a pretty good idea of what a muskie is like. I grew up in northern Minnesota. I miss fishing. Nothing like trolling along on a nice day. Northerns and crappies were my favorite. I did quite a bit of crappie and bass fishing when I lived in Alabama, too.
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The Connecticut River has an interesting mix of fish in it. We have the usual Northeast variety, stripers, black bass, etc (though I am aware that the bass are not native) and the occasional salmon left over from the largely unsuccessful restoration efforts. We also have Northerns and a run of lamprey eels. And there is (I am pretty sure) two kinds of sturgeon, though we dont have any 2000 lb. monsters like they found in Lake Seattle a few years back. A little north of where I live, there is walleye.
Connecticut is actually a pretty good place for fishing, especially salt water. I believe a striper caught at a spot near shore that I can see from my office window here in New Haven was over 80 lbs.
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
I caught a decent sized brookie last year in the Yellow Breeches. Reeling it in, I saw this torpedo launch from under a log on the other side of the stream. Seems a Northern had gotten in and was picking off trout as fishermen hooked them.
Mine turned out to be a two-inch brook trout, measured from the tip of it's nose to the gills, where it was cleanly sawed off with surgical precision. Northerns are not to be trifled with, +1 with Muskies...
I used to hunt when I was a kid. Went out with a friend one day, he shot at "a bird". It was an egret and was endangered in VA. We went to get it (to ID properly), while he was standing over it freaking out the game warden walked up. The GW knew our dads so he took us home. I got my ass beat within an inch of my life for just being with the kid when it happened. That was the end of my hunting career.
Fishing though, oh man. I love it. I prefer surf fishing to anything else. Doesn't matter what time of the year, it's fun. I go fresh water fishing several times per month just to catch dinner, it's not as fun. I'd rather catch a blue or a striper than a bream/sunfish.
My brother and I went out the days before Christmas to fish on his boat. 17" boat with an 80hp motor. Overkill but it moves. Went out in the Elizabeth River one day for speckled trout. Got a few hits but didn't catch anything. It freaking poured the entire day. We had fun though. The next day we went out into the ocean trolling for stripers. Got a few big hits but didn't catch anything. It was cold as @$@#$ and I wasn't moving too well. Pretty day, blue skies.
The most fun I've had fishing was last summer. We went to Corolla to surf fish for blues. Got there and it was perfect. Sunny but maybe 80F. No clouds. A light offshore breeze. But there was surf, it was waist high and glassy. We walked out into the surf and started casting #4 Hopkins. I ended up in chest deep water casting over and over, trying not to get owned by the waves. I had such a good time. Caught a few blues, my bro did the same, my daughter caught a menhaden (bunker to you yanks). I missed out on some good surf but I had so much fun casting. My daughter spent the day playing in the tide pool, collecting hermit crabs.
A bad day fishing beats a good day at work.
Oh, if you frustrated because you don't catch anything remember this: it's called FISHING and not CATCHING for a reason!
I hunt deer and turkeys in the winter and spring, and fish for bass and Rockfish(striped bass) in the summer.
I love being outdoors. It's about the only way I can escape from the hassle of our modern life.....that and my hour or two I spend at the gym each day!
BTW, venison is probably the best tasting meat/steak there is imo.
I caught a decent sized brookie last year in the Yellow Breeches. Reeling it in, I saw this torpedo launch from under a log on the other side of the stream. Seems a Northern had gotten in and was picking off trout as fishermen hooked them.
Mine turned out to be a two-inch brook trout, measured from the tip of it's nose to the gills, where it was cleanly sawed off with surgical precision. Northerns are not to be trifled with, +1 with Muskies...
I live an hour away from world class fishing here. The annual trip produces at least one trophy a year...as for the northerns and muskies...lots of fun to hook into...the young ones under 5lbs really fight...the oldies just get dragged to the boat then they thrash cut the line and we have another story to tell.
I've seen a nothern pick off a family of ducks...sucking them under like appitizers...
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I'm a spring turkey hunter, DH hunts deer and turkey and we both love to fish when we get a chance. Been awhile since I bagged a bird, I think I'll have to try harder this year. We home butcher our deer, the only way to go. If you haven't had home butchered venison, don't decide that it's too gamey till ya try it
I don't really hunt, but I do fish. My parent live on lake and I go out there and fish on the weekends. My brothers hunt deer, turkey, and quail. I went quail hunting once and ddn't hit a thing. Anyway, just wanted ot post my hunting experience.
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I hunt and I know that before you can "eat duck" you need to be able to "hit one".
And since the original post was made in June it needs to be understood that duck seasons generally don't start until sometime in the fall. The big flocks of migratories typically start moving down from the arctic in November some time.
I have never hunted before, but I just got a Remington 700 30-06 for deer season, though I haven't even bought a license yet.
The reason I never hunted was every "hunter" I ever met always seemed the sort of guy that just likes to kill little animals. But this year I met some "real" hunters and I've reconsidered. Some of these guys are so environmentally conscious they won't dry clean their clothes. They maintain a respect for the critters they kill, and they eat everything they kill.
I agree that there are different "groups" of hunters. But I think most you will find are more conscious of the well-being of the environment and are far more focused on conservation and wildlife management than almost any other person you'll find.
I can't wait for cooler weather to arrive....with that comes hunting season. Last year I bought archery equipment so I have extended my season even more.
Wow... this is an old thread. Oh well, I'm going to post anyway.
I am an avid hunter. When I lived in BC I went bow hunting beer and cougar. Now I live in Manitoba so it's pretty much just deer now. Bow and rifle.
We do plenty of fishing out here though! Probably heading out ice fishing this weekend!
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The best way to refresh your mind is by doing fishing alone with the one beer in hand but ya at the same time u must be aware of bears ! Anyone who have seen any bear while doing fishing! Love to hear any incidence regarding this......
Hunting/Fishin'?
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