Fishing

[Surfingringo]

Great thread. I love reading everyone’s experiences with fishing since it’s such a big part of my own life.

I grew up fresh water fishing in North Louisiana but in my late 20’s when I moved to a Costa Rica beach town I had found other passions and obsessions. I spend the next 15 years of my life becoming the best surfer I could be (starting in your 20’s is definitely a handicap) and didn’t really give much thought to fishing over those years. One day I was walking back from the beach and one of my surfing buddies was there with a small inflatable. He had eight or ten mackerel they had just caught and I could feel the vibe of their success when I stopped by on the beach. I remember in that moment having a bit of an epiphany. Kind of a V-8 moment where I realized. “Man, I live right on the ocean, I’m in the water every day and I haven’t even tried fishing here”.

I had never done any salt water fishing but the idea of “getting” to learn something new was a large part of the intrigue. I was in the tackle shop the next day buying a cheap spinning combo and a couple of lures. I didn’t really know anything about saltwater fishing so I decided I would just apply what I knew of bass fishing and see if that knowledge would transfer. Almost all of it does. Fish are fish. There are nuances but there are more similarities than differences. I also put aside any ego and pride and became a sponge for knowledge. I had many friends who fished recreationally and professionally in the area and I all but begged the to share whatever they knew with me.

Armed with my cheap rod and reel and a bunch of ideas, I started fishing the beaches where I surf. I went into the activity without any expectations of success. I though maybe it would just be nice to throw some lures now and then. And that’s the way it was for a week or so. Then one day BOOM. I felt the tug. In that moment everything went from meditation to the adrenaline of “holy s***” I’ve got dinner on the end of this line! Sure enough, it was a little Snapper. 1-2 pounds at BEST, but the sense of satisfaction is almost beyond my ability to describe. I still have photos of me holding that little fish up in my yard when I got home. Fried it up straight away with my girlfriend and immediately turned my thoughts to how to repeat this event…as often as possible!

I had a bit more sporadic success from the beach but I would always see more bait beyond my casting range and started scheming about how to get out there to it. I had virtually no disposable income at the time so a boat was out of the question. I paddled out on a longboard a few times but it usually ended in flooding my reel and losing fish because I had nowhere to put my catch. Soon I found a used Hobie kayak for sale. It was pretty beat up and the guy was asking $850. I ruminated over that decision for a week. I was poor and $850 seemed like too big of an investment for something that I was afraid might end up as a big flower pot in the yard (as many do). I took the plunge though and the rest is history.

I almost immediately found success on the kayak and my thoughts turned to “what can I learn each trip to do everything BETTER to have more success”. And ultimately, that is the thrill of fishing for me…just like most of my activities and hobbies. The quest for knowledge and mastery. Whether it is knife knowledge or design, guitar/music, surfing, fishing….the joy comes with the growth. Sure, there are repeatable moments like catching a fish, bringing home dinner, etc that will always be satisfying, but the feeling that I am becoming more proficient in my craft is the real reward. The frequency and quality of the fish caught are just the evidence that affirms the path.

Today I still fish almost daily. Sometimes the passion burns a little less strongly because I feel like there is less in front of me to learn and figure out and I’m just repeatedly applying things I already know. Still fun but not as fun as the “figuring everything out” stage. Some of that is probably also just about old age, ego, and stubbornness though. I mean, there is still PLENTY to learn but I’ve found my techniques that work “well enough” and sometimes get too lazy to try new things. I try to stay out of that laziness but sometimes it feels like an inevitable part of aging. It’s ok. There will always be someone younger and hungrier that will come along and clean up all the scraps I’m leaving. Until then though I’ll be there doing my thing.

[Osborn]

I love fishing. Since childhood, my father has taught me to it. Now I spend every vacation fishing. I have a lot of spinning rods and tackle in my arsenal. I buy something new every time. My wife will soon kick me out of the house along with everything)) I have an everest caliber membership where I can order fishing goods at good discounts. Well, if there is an opportunity, then why not take advantage of it))

[Michael Janich]

Dear Osborn:

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.

Stay safe,

Mike

[Manixguy@1994]

Surfgringo , best fishing story I have ever read , it really says it all about the sport . Thank you for sharing . MG2

[Mushroom]

To all the guys/gals on the fence about fishing; please know most days are skunked or dink catches. I was in South Florida last year on a dock and the guy next to me was skunked for 2 months… and I walked in and he caught a shark! It was a dink, but it broke his skunk-a-tude.

Here’s a shot of me kissing a mistress. The catfish were spooking the Florida sheepshead (in my book the best eats.) I figure if I give the cat my attention, they would go away.

Before the end of the trip I caught about 40-50 catfish and was only slapped by one.

LOL that photo is great! I’d love to try saltwater fishing in Florida, there are so many different species to catch.

[Mushroom]

...
If I’m remembering correctly, you made a few TiMascus spoons for a fishing trip but I can’t remember if I read about how they worked. Were you able to catch anything with them? It makes me want to try my hand at making some.
...

You're referring to these... One is timascus and the other is regular 6/4 titanium.


There were issues..
I had two backpacking trips planned and had wilderness permits for both. The two were scheduled 2 weeks apart. At the time there were big fires burning for weeks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and my son and I were lucky to be able to get to our destination and find it unaffected by smoke.
The larger of the two lures I made was not getting any action because it was bigger than ideal for the fish here. I used the smaller one for a little while.


After about 2 casts I cut 2 of the 3 hooks off the treble hook and crushed the barb on the remaining hook. After about 10 minutes I caught trout with it. As luck would have it, the fish spit out the hook as I was reaching to remove the hook and it slipped into the water just before my son was ready to take the picture. At the time I didn't think anything of it, and just figured I'd get more shots of fish on that lure soon enough. Later though, I was back to fishing flies and didn't go back to that lure that day. In the back of my mind I knew I'd get more opportunities the next day and in 2 weeks on my next trip.

When I woke up the morning of my last day out there the smoke from the fires had reached us and it was thick. We knew immediately we had to pack up and get off the mountain and the day's fishing plans were scrapped.
Sadly, 2 weeks later the fires had still not been extinguished and the smoke in the area I had permits for was even worse than it had been in the previous location. We had to cancel that trip altogether

I've got more trips on the schedule and plan to have pics of fish on those lures in the next few months. I'll post them when I get 'em.

Yep, those are the ones I remembered. That’s a bummer to hear that the wildfires cut your trips short. Hoping your next trips are unaffected by wildfires and your lures prove to be successful again. I’m looking forward to your results!

[Mushroom]

Great thread. I love reading everyone’s experiences with fishing since it’s such a big part of my own life.

I grew up fresh water fishing in North Louisiana but in my late 20’s when I moved to a Costa Rica beach town I had found other passions and obsessions. I spend the next 15 years of my life becoming the best surfer I could be (starting in your 20’s is definitely a handicap) and didn’t really give much thought to fishing over those years. One day I was walking back from the beach and one of my surfing buddies was there with a small inflatable. He had eight or ten mackerel they had just caught and I could feel the vibe of their success when I stopped by on the beach. I remember in that moment having a bit of an epiphany. Kind of a V-8 moment where I realized. “Man, I live right on the ocean, I’m in the water every day and I haven’t even tried fishing here”.

I had never done any salt water fishing but the idea of “getting” to learn something new was a large part of the intrigue. I was in the tackle shop the next day buying a cheap spinning combo and a couple of lures. I didn’t really know anything about saltwater fishing so I decided I would just apply what I knew of bass fishing and see if that knowledge would transfer. Almost all of it does. Fish are fish. There are nuances but there are more similarities than differences. I also put aside any ego and pride and became a sponge for knowledge. I had many friends who fished recreationally and professionally in the area and I all but begged the to share whatever they knew with me.

Armed with my cheap rod and reel and a bunch of ideas, I started fishing the beaches where I surf. I went into the activity without any expectations of success. I though maybe it would just be nice to throw some lures now and then. And that’s the way it was for a week or so. Then one day BOOM. I felt the tug. In that moment everything went from meditation to the adrenaline of “holy s***” I’ve got dinner on the end of this line! Sure enough, it was a little Snapper. 1-2 pounds at BEST, but the sense of satisfaction is almost beyond my ability to describe. I still have photos of me holding that little fish up in my yard when I got home. Fried it up straight away with my girlfriend and immediately turned my thoughts to how to repeat this event…as often as possible!

I had a bit more sporadic success from the beach but I would always see more bait beyond my casting range and started scheming about how to get out there to it. I had virtually no disposable income at the time so a boat was out of the question. I paddled out on a longboard a few times but it usually ended in flooding my reel and losing fish because I had nowhere to put my catch. Soon I found a used Hobie kayak for sale. It was pretty beat up and the guy was asking $850. I ruminated over that decision for a week. I was poor and $850 seemed like too big of an investment for something that I was afraid might end up as a big flower pot in the yard (as many do). I took the plunge though and the rest is history.

I almost immediately found success on the kayak and my thoughts turned to “what can I learn each trip to do everything BETTER to have more success”. And ultimately, that is the thrill of fishing for me…just like most of my activities and hobbies. The quest for knowledge and mastery. Whether it is knife knowledge or design, guitar/music, surfing, fishing….the joy comes with the growth. Sure, there are repeatable moments like catching a fish, bringing home dinner, etc that will always be satisfying, but the feeling that I am becoming more proficient in my craft is the real reward. The frequency and quality of the fish caught are just the evidence that affirms the path.

Today I still fish almost daily. Sometimes the passion burns a little less strongly because I feel like there is less in front of me to learn and figure out and I’m just repeatedly applying things I already know. Still fun but not as fun as the “figuring everything out” stage. Some of that is probably also just about old age, ego, and stubbornness though. I mean, there is still PLENTY to learn but I’ve found my techniques that work “well enough” and sometimes get too lazy to try new things. I try to stay out of that laziness but sometimes it feels like an inevitable part of aging. It’s ok. There will always be someone younger and hungrier that will come along and clean up all the scraps I’m leaving. Until then though I’ll be there doing my thing.

Thanks for sharing, Lance! I was hoping you would stop in to grace this thread with your wisdom.

I’ve often wondered how you got started fishing on the kayak. I was similar in that I immediately found success on the kayak. I’m primarily a freshwater bass fisherman and most lakes in my area are developed or the land surrounding them is privately owned so it’s often difficult to find bank access. The kayak opened up so many opportunities for me to fish that I was instantly hooked.

Feel free to use this thread to show off some of your catches, if you want. I’ve seen enough of your Instagram posts to know that many forum users here would be just as impressed as I have been!

[Mushroom]

I went down to a local pond for a couple hours yesterday to test out a new rod that I got recently. Finally caught my first open water fish of the year. Water temps are still low, 40-45°F range, so the bite is still slow for anything other than trout and the state doesn’t stock this pond. I was surprised to catch anything, to be honest. I mostly just wanted to get some casts in with the new rod and see how it felt.

Largemouth Bass - didn’t weigh it but could tell it was a little over a pound. It was a respectable first fish of the season at least.




The Rod is Shimano Curado 6’10” Medium fast paired with a Shimano Curado DC reel. Bait was a Strike King red paddle tail swim bait on a jig head.

[Bloke]

I went down to a local pond for a couple hours ...

Very cool, Nick! Nice little fish, it looks a bit like our Estuary Perch which are a great little sporting fish, hard and tenacious fighters caught in fresh and saltwater.

I also noticed you must be right handed(?) as you’re reel has left hand crank. It’s always baffled and amused me to see right handed fishers casting with their right hand, swapping the rod to their left hand then cranking with their right.

It’s strange and people mustn’t think about it, I s’pose. It just doesn’t make sense to use your dominant hand to crank rather than hold the rod. Our Alvey side cast reels all came right hand crank and I’d take mine, after I bought them to the service department and have them converted as I couldn’t do it myself.

I’ve converted most of my mates and I can’t understand why game reel are right hand crank? Left handed fishes must be laughing. Ah, hahaha!

[Manixguy@1994]

Redneck Fishing Tournament for Carp on Illinois River . A bar in Liverpool sponsors the event every year , quite a crazy time . A lot of beer is involved ! Dan

[Mushroom]

I went down to a local pond for a couple hours ...

Very cool, Nick! Nice little fish, it looks a bit like our Estuary Perch which are a great little sporting fish, hard and tenacious fighters caught in fresh and saltwater.

I also noticed you must be right handed(?) as you’re reel has left hand crank. It’s always baffled and amused me to see right handed fishers casting with their right hand, swapping the rod to their left hand then cranking with their right.

It’s strange and people mustn’t think about it, I s’pose. It just doesn’t make sense to use your dominant hand to crank rather than hold the rod. Our Alvey side cast reels all came right hand crank and I’d take mine, after I bought them to the service department and have them converted as I couldn’t do it myself.

I’ve converted most of my mates and I can’t understand why game reel are right hand crank? Left handed fishes must be laughing. Ah, hahaha!

Just looked up the Estuary perch and they’re definitely similar fish. The Largemouth Bass is in the “Sunfish Family” though, so it is technically a different family of fish. We have two species of freshwater perch in my state, White Perch and Yellow Perch. Other than color, the White Perch seems to more closely resemble the Estuary Perch.

This is an average sized White Perch I caught last year.


———

And you noticed correctly, I am right handed. I share the same feelings about swapping hands after casting, doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve even heard some people say they fish right handed casting reels but left hand spinning reels! I guess they just want to be able to catch those left handed fish too.

As a kid I would fish with spinning gear and always had the crank set up on the left, so that’s what has always felt natural to me. When I transitioned to casting gear, I just assumed that’s what I should get because that’s what I was used to. It’s actually nice when looking for reels because the left hand versions tend to stay in stock longer than right handed.

[Mushroom]

Redneck Fishing Tournament for Carp on Illinois River . A bar in Liverpool sponsors the event every year , quite a crazy time . A lot of beer is involved ! Dan

Wow that looks hectic, in a good way though! That looks like it would be a blast with a group of good friends.

[huyfishin]

I'm an avid angler. I catching anything that swims. Ice fishing, Lakes, oceans and rivers.

[Bloke]

I'm an avid angler. I catching anything that swims. Ice fishing, Lakes, oceans and rivers.

That’s pretty cool, huy!

Here’s a little Fattie I just caught. Nothing to write home about but my favourite size to eat.

[JD Spydo]

I just got told yesterday that the Crappie in one of our local lakes are starting to spawn. It's so fun to catch them during their spawning season. Not to mention that Crappie are one of my very favorite eating fish as well. We also have huge bluegill in that same lake along with walleye, channel cat and some huge large mouth bass. Bluegill are also a great eating fish too.

Red Snapper are probably my favorite salt water fish to eat along with Halibut and Alaskan Pollack.

Yeah I've got to get my D.A.M. Quick German made fishing equipment ready to go. Fishing is truly good for the soul.

[JD Spydo]

I'm an avid angler. I catching anything that swims. Ice fishing, Lakes, oceans and rivers.

Holy Mackeral!!! is that a Sturgeon in that one pic??? That's one fish I've never ever caught for some strange reason. I hear they are not a bad eating fish as well.

Also I love about any fish out the Pike family. Particularly Walleye are so good to eat.

Also we have some great trout parks here in the State of Missouri as well.

[huyfishin]

I'm an avid angler. I catching anything that swims. Ice fishing, Lakes, oceans and rivers.

Holy Mackeral!!! is that a Sturgeon in that one pic??? That's one fish I've never ever caught for some strange reason. I hear they are not a bad eating fish as well.

Also I love about any fish out the Pike family. Particularly Walleye are so good to eat.

Also we have some great trout parks here in the State of Missouri as well.

that is correct!! that fella took me around 10 hours to catch. I sat on the side of the river watching my fishing rod all day for the one bite! Give it a try when you get the chance. They pull hard! Plus now I can say I caught a dinosaur.

This sturgeon was still a baby i'm guessing around 13 to 15 years old.

[Mushroom]

Those are some really impressive catches huyfishin!

There are at least two species of Sturgeon that live in some Massachusetts waterways. Atlantic Sturgeon and Shortnose Sturgeon - they’re rare but they can be caught around here. I don’t know if it’s illegal to specifically target them here but I know the state prohibits landing them if accidentally hooked due to their endangered status. Thanks for sharing!

———

I caught a little Eastern Brook Trout today that came with a couple surprises. I caught it on a small spoon, it was barely hooked by the time I landed it but it was good that I did. It had two old broken soft plastics in its throat that I was able to remove before snapping a quick photo and releasing it.

[Manixguy@1994]

Friend who has been under quarantine sent me his therapy shot last night .

[Mushroom]

Friend who has been under quarantine sent me his therapy shot last night .

Thats a good haul of Crappie and Bluegill! They’re all good size but that sixth Crappie down from the top looks like a really nice one. Thanks for sharing.

I actually went out today for a bit and was catching mostly bluegill and sunfish but there were a few crappie in the mix as well. They’re all spawning around here right now, so they’re abundant and easy to find. I was hoping for some larger fish but nothing too big today.


One of the bigger Bluegill from the day -


And a 12.5” Black Crappie showing some nice spawning colors -