Gone Fishing

I'll be off the blog for a few days, but Mike hopefully will make a few choice posts.

OREGON: Finding steelhead success.

BUSINESS: The outdoor stoor as tourist attraction.
(NYTimes log-in required.)

TECHNOLOGY: Breath-controlled fishing rods for the disabled.

Happy Birthday Fishing Jones

This blog is two years old today. Not bad for something created to kill time between the end of striper season and the start of trout season (my local stream starts catch-and-release on February 1st).

Basscar Invitational

Here's the link to my colleague Dan's article on fishing the Daytona infield during the Pepsi 400. And, again, here's how you can fish there during the 2006 Daytona 500.

(A quick note: This is a personal blog that has nothing to do with my employer. Any links to my employer's website here are at my discretion. Just felt the need to disclose that.)

TECHNIQUE: Drag-free nymphing and other questions answered in Fly Rod & Reel Magazine.

FLY TYING: The Flyfishmagazine blog has a post with photos about Poorly Tied Flies That Sometimes Catch Fish. I, too, am not the best tyer, so I related to it, though I tie mostly saltwater baitfish patterns. I took a class a few years ago, and if my fly came out poorly, the instructor would look at it and say, "bluefish fly." I tied a lot of flies fit only for a bluefish frenzy.
Still, there's a tremendous satisfaction that comes with catching a fish on your own creation. So far my "own fly" list is short but (to me) sweet--striped bass, bluefish, snook, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, and peacock bass. But tying trout flies? Just getting the tippet through those tiny hook eyes gives me a headache.

CONTEST: Like bass fishing? Like NASCAR? The magazine I work for is running a contest where you can win the chance to fish for largemouth and watch the 2006 Daytona 500 from the infield lake. A colleague did it during the Pepsi 400 in July and had a blast.

IOWA: Sauger fishing banned along parts of the Mississippi.

FLY FISHING: A pioneer carves out a niche for targeting bottom species. Most people think of fly fishing in limited terms--trout or bonefish. But this guy has figured out how to catch grouper and snapper, pushing the boundaries of what you can catch with the long rod. Just goes to show, if it swims, you can fly fish for it.
(Link via Midcurrent.)

BASS: The five best largemouth rivers.

MORE GEAR: Another lists of gifts for the outdoorman. I guess we'll be seeing a lot of these for the next month. (For the record, I already asked for a 12-weight.)

GEAR: Now's the time to amass without guilt.

Happy Thanksgiving

With horrid local winds, my annual Thanksgiving striper trip got cancelled today. So instead of some new pictures and stories, I'm signing off for the rest of the week with a Newsday article about "Saltwater Turkey."

Spinner Sharks, The Movie

Scott Hamilton, a pioneer in fly fishing for spinner sharks, has posted a video on his website that will get your adrenaline going.

TRAVEL: "Volkswagons in the Shallows," an article about fishing for giant bluefin tuna that tells you pretty much everything you need to know.

BASS: That guy from the bachelor has some fall fishing advice for largemouth.

PERSONALITIES: The eight-year-old prodigy.

FISH STORY: Swedish ice fishermen find turtle under the ice.

STRIPED BASS: Fishing with live eels.

NEWS: Are you one of the one in ten Americans to purchase a fishing license this year?

NEWS: More on the havoc wreaker that is the Asian carp. Quote, "“If you get hit with one of these fish, it's the equivalent of being hit by a bowling ball..."

PENNSYLVANIA: How to catch a steelhead on "Black Friday."

Finally Fishing

After a long dry spell due to many factors--work, lack of boat access, weekend family commitments--I finally got on the water. Stefan, Mike, and I took a Campion hardtop (which I'm using for an article) off the South Shore of Long Island. The North Shore is my true home turf, so being in unfamiliar waters we decided just to look for working birds. We found them, and got into some bluefish. I was hoping for stripers, but was happy just the same. My brother and I are going fishing this week with Capt. Ralph Burtis, and then hope to try for steelhead after Thanksgiving. Fish on.

STRIPED BASS: High hopes for the Hampton Rockfish Tournament. (Photo from the Hampton Daily Press.)

SALMON: A photo essay in Gray's Sporting Journal.

CONSERVATION: Warmer waters could stunt fish spawning.

TAHOE: No snow? Go fishing. Nevada's season is still going strong.

PERSONALITIES:How to tie 3,000 flies.

STORY: "I've never had a bad day fishing."

BASS: Cheating tournament angler banned for life.
(Link via Outdoor Pressroom.)

CONSERVATION: NOAA Fisheries will distinguish between rainbow trout and steelhead.

NEWS: Fish.com Domain Name Sale Nets $1 Million. I'll sell fishingjones.com for $1 million. Any takers?

PERSONALITIES: More on Roland Martin.
Money quote..."I soon realized Martin intended to jump across the dew-moistened, grassy levee. With a boat. With us in it."

PERSONALITIES: Ted William's battle with an epic black marlin is being released on DVD.

CONSERVATION: Hermaphrodite fish in in California steal a line from Leslie Nielsen,"I've been swimming in raw sewage, and I love it!"

STUDY: Atlantic striped bass stocks abundant. I still say they should make the striper a game fish.

FISH STORY: What kind of bait do you use to catch a Burmese python?

NOVA SCOTIA: Be the billionth person over the bridge, and you could win a shark fishing trip.

NEW JERSEY: Surf casters still waiting for the fall blitz.

NEWS: The snakehead is now king of the Potomac.

PERSONALITIES: A top woman offshore angler now has her own line of trolling lures, called Billfishgirl.

NEWS: Scientists seek a bigger role in national fisheries management.

PERSONALITIES: Another one of my favorite musicians, Steve Earle, is a fly fishing addict. Beats heroin any day.

(Link via Midcurrent.)

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: The fishing's been lights out.

TECHNIQUE: Schedule your fishing around the moon.

GENERAL: The colors of fishing.

SALMON: The fish that brings out the best, and worst, in anglers.

BASS: Fishing buzz baits in the shallows.

MORE VETERAN'S DAY:Military wounded fish for diversions.

IN HONOR OF VETERAN'S DAY: A young vet returns to Alaska.

GEORGIA: Over 4,000 miles of trout streams.

BASS: The College Smash-Mouth Bass Series will appear on ESPNU, which apparently is less obscure than ESPN8, "The Ocho." But how cool would it be to be on a college fishing team?

UTAH: Umm...who's up for fishing there?
(Link via Midcurrent.)

One From the Vault

Listening to the cold rain and thinking about fishing trips, mostly this one...

Ugh

As for the most recent local NWS marine forecast...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNINGGALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGHTHURSDAY EVENING

TRAVEL: Cowboys and cutthroats in New Mexico.

STEELHEAD: Fly guys vs. baiters.

NON-FISHING ITEM OF THE DAY: Canadian researchers take on cow-tipping.
(Link via Dave Barry.)

CONSERVATION: The man who's saving California salmon.

MICHIGAN: Now's the time for bass fishing. "It's probably the best time of year to fish," said Kevin VanDam, the Kalamazoo angler who is among the top professionals in the world. "It's amazing how well they bite."

FISH STORY:Two anglers on a trip for Alaskan salmon, return instead with mammoth tusks.

SOUTH FLORIDA: A post-Wilma fishing report.

CONSERVATION: In Yellowstone, killing lakers to save the cutthroat. (NYTimes log-in required.) Text..."In 1999 in Bridge Creek, 2,300 cutthroat spawned. Last year, a single fish made the trip...In five years of aggressive fishing with miles of drift nets and electric shocks, biologists have killed more than 136,000 lake trout. Fishers are also allowed to catch and kill as many lake trout as they want."

CONSERVATION: Trying to save the Salton Sea, by far the weirdest place I've ever fished. At times, the Salton has an incredible orangemouth corvina bite.

WEATHER: I can't recall seeing this...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON..so often.

TRAVEL: Tarpon fishing in Costa Rica.

KAYAK FISHING: San Diego angler lands a 50-pound yellowtail.

FLORIDA: The state with more registered anglers than 14 other states, and DC, have combined.