Hey George its Doug Brennan, got
some pics of this years NY trip. Matt’s Atlantic I believe was 13 plus pounds.
Mine was 6lbs 7 ozs. My buddy Eric Munroe had an 8 lb 11 oz Brown, his king
he's holding was 18 lbs and his on the stringer was 22 lbs even. My king was 22
lbs 4 ozs. My favorite was my last one of the trip a 20 lb fresh hen, so silver
I thought it was a steel head, got her on my fiberglass ultra light rod with
yozuri 12 lb hybrid line, not braided. That fish destroyed my reel. It blew all
the bearings. Had to retire it after that fish. Was a great trip. David called
the fish a "bullet" cause it was at the end but looked so fresh, no
green tint at all.
FALL 2010: HAVE NOT BEEN FISHING MUCH BUT MORE FISHING CONTENT TO COME.
Sorry for the lack of fall
fishing reports and pics. I usually enjoy fall fishing and mixing it up with a
little hunting but this year I really got bitten hard by the deer hunting bug
and have barely fished at all since mid September. This season I wanted to
fill the freezer with venison, so this year I decided to take hunting more
serious. I even joined a rod & gun club and made some new friends who have
inspired me to hit the woods hard. After bagging a deer during the bow
season I thought the bug would wind down a bit and I’d pick up my rod again but
all it did is intensify my quest for more back straps. Even with no hunting on
Sundays in MA I’ve been busy scouting, hanging stands and setting and checking
trail cameras. Add in a few buck sightings and some pictures of some big bucks
shot on my trail camera out back behind my home and lets just say it’s been to
hard to pick up a rod. I do have some fishing reports and pics I’ll be
posting soon from some friends (feel free to send me yours) and I’m also hoping
to eventually break away on Sundays for some fishing, after the state stocks
it’s allotment of brood-stock Atlantic salmon. Hopefully the state does it this
month and not January. I’ll also be hitting the ice at the end of the hunting
season and doing so with a new shelter (no more rain and wind for me). Look for
more fishing videos to come of my 2010 season thus far. Some new hunting
content to come also. So come back and check us out again soon. In the meantime check out my new fishing video below. Tight
Lines
& Straight Shooting.
BOW HUNTING IS THE REASON FOR THE LACK OF FALL FISHING REPORTS.
1 OF THE BIG BUCKS OUT BACK I'M AFTER - LOOK CARFUL HE HAS A FRIEND
NEW VIDEO RELEASE
October 2010: COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND, LAST CHANCE BROOKIES, NH
October 15th is the last day for trout fishing for most waters in NH especially my favorite
brook trout haunts. I wanted to do some leaf peeping and trout fishing with my girlfriend Jacqui who has really come to appreciate
the beauty and taste of NH. She really enjoys trout fishing in the White Mountains. We decided to hike to our hot spot, This
little jewel of a pond almost never fails to produce a few brookies. We caught 8 brookies in about 2 hours of very chilly
fishing. Jacqui landed the largest of the day at 13 inches I landed the other 7 ranging from 6-10 inches. With the wind and
the low temps in the 40s we decide to call it a day. We went out on the lake that my camp is on, just before dusk I landed
a 17 inch 2 lb female rainbow. We also traveled to Franconia notch, on a tip that a lake we fish has brook trout stacked up
in the inlet this time of year, It was a no show on the brookies there. Looking forward to next year. Mike Deloia
October-03-2010: LARGEMOUTH BASS FISHING, MA
Hey George, I recently took
a trip to my favorite Bass spot in Orange. I used to fish there allot several years ago when I lived in the area. I had caught
many Bass in the 4 1/2 pound range. I suspected I might find some bigger ones on this trip because I was using live Fallfish
in the 6 to 9 inch range that Mark and I caught out of the river a couple of days before. As we both know they are Big Bass
candy. We were on the water before light and a big one hit me about 15 minutes after sunrise in the same area where I was
catching 4 pounders years ago. The official weight 6 lbs 13 oz. 23 in 16 1/2 in girth. A new personal best. Was weighed in
at Flaggs and released healthy at the boat ramp. Was the only big fish caught on this day. A few other small ones caught.
My daughter Madison was along for the trip. She has recently been interested in getting up extremely early with me to
go Bass fishing. The early mornings is what prevented me from taking her before but she seems to be getting more into it now. She
had a good time and caught a couple of decent Bass herself. I think if she goes back with me next time she will have a good
shot at her 2nd state pin. See ya Steve.
September 5,6 & 7-2010: NATIVE BROOK TROUT & WILD LAND-LOCKED SALMON, ME
My wife
wanted to get away for a long weekend before the summer ended and requested
some place rural and lakeside. She wanted to tan; swim, fish and just plain
relax in an outdoor setting. She didn’t need to ask if I’d be up for such a
thing but she did ask if I knew of such a place and I said how about Maine,
it’s full of some great sporting camps. It fits what you’re looking for and
rustic lodging and great food are part of the tradition of these camps. She
happily agreed, so it was time to make some plans. It’s been years since I’ve
been to one of these camps but after some research and few phone calls we ended
up booking a cabin at Bald Mountain Camps.
Day 1: It was sunny and warm when we pulled out Sunday to begin the drive
north. When we finally got to our camp it was cold, extremely windy and
overcast. I’m glad I talked the wife into packing some warm clothes. The lake
was sporting some serious white caps, so our afternoon plans got shot down. We
were advised that renting a boat was not recommended with the current
conditions. Our plans of sun in the fun turned into welcome to an early and
windy fall. We checked into our cabin, which had a beautiful waterfront view of
Mooselookmeguntic Lake. So we settled in and made the best of it. I loaded up
the fire place and then opened up a beer and sat for a little while and enjoyed
the fire for a bit, then grabbed the rod and headed to the boat dock in front
of the cabin. I knew it was probably too windy to fish but figured it couldn't
hurt to try. On my third cast I got surprised when I landed a fallfish, the
same species I catch in a creek behind my house hours away. About 5 casts or so
later I landed a small native brook trout. My wife saw me catching the two fish
so she came down and started casting as well and before long she had a fish on
as well, she was hoping for a trout on the end of her line but it ended up
being a yellow perch instead. The bite had ended and the wind picked up. We
decided to head back in the cabin and enjoy the fireplace; we then hit the camp
dinning hall for a fantastic meal. Deciding between prime rib or lobster is a
wonderful problem to have. The micro brew was also excellent. Afterwards back
to the cabin to relax and hit the sac early.
Day 2: We got up early and hit the camp dinning hall again this time for a
tasty breakfast. It was still windy and choppy on the lake but not as bad as
the previous day. I decided to rent a boat so the wife and me could fish. With
my wife's comfort in mind the camp owner was kind enough to offer his boat. His
was the only one with soft seats and none of the other camp boats had any soft
seating. He also suggested a spot to try for our outing. Unfortunately after
fishing most of the morning all we had to show for it was a brook trout my wife
landed and a yellow perch I landed. We came back in for lunch and then headed
downtown so my wife could do a little shopping. When we got back the wife
relaxed back at the cabin and I headed out in the boat again to give the
fishing another shot before dinner but unfortunately conditions were still bad
and the fish still uncooperative.
Day 3: Our last day I woke up early in the morning. I looked out the window and
was pleased to discover some sunshine and a fairly calm lake. The overcast
skies and wind finally left. My wife and me quickly packed our things for the
later commute home and then headed back to the dining hall for breakfast. We
decided to spend the morning giving the fishing one last try before heading
home. With the conditions being much more favorable we felt like we actually
had a real chance with the fish. Neither of us had gotten into any of the lakes
landlocked salmon. Yesterday while taking the wife downtown so she could shop.
I stopped in a local sporting goods shop. I picked up some DB smelt spoons and
also some top gun spoons that one of the guys working the shop recommended. I
asked him what the hot color patterns were for these baits and how many colors
down guys were fishing their lead-core line. If you’re a newbie to fishing an
area these little local shops are a wealth of knowledge and worth stopping in
for some tips. So I had a new game plan based on yesterday’s information and
also this time I decided to forget about any suggested locations and look for
some deeper water. I found a nice deep area to troll and ran two rods outfitted
with lead-core line, one for me and one for the wife. I dropped both lines down
8 colors and put a db smelt on one and a top gun spoon on the other and began
our troll. Unfortunately the first hour or so was a bit slow. We ended up
finding some even deeper water and started fishing over this deep hole and I
was hooked up with my first fish of the day a decent brook trout. Not long
after my wife hooked up with her brookie. After getting back in position and making
another pass over the deep hole I connected and landed the first land lock of
the trip. We then repositioned the boat and made another pass over the same
hole and this time both the wife and me had a double hookup, both of which were
successfully landed landlocked salmon. In between we also had some fish come
off and I landed another trout. The bite was surely on and we could have
continued to probably catch many more but we were hungry and had a 6 hour ride
back home and I wanted to avoid driving at night, the last time I drove at
night through Maine I almost hit 2 moose. So we grabbed lunch at the hall again
and then headed home. Though thanks to Mother Nature we never got to partake in
the warm summer activities like we had planned but regardless it was still a
great time that I got to enjoy with my wife. Tight lines!
August-29-2010: LARGEMOUTH HUNTING, MA
Hey George. Was fishing at
my favorite local Lake early Sunday morning. You know the place. Had the best hour of bass fishing of my life. At 6 am caught
a nice 5lbs 3 oz Bass. Was pretty excited because it was my first 5+ in over 2 months. 20 minutes later I boated a 6 lbs 2
oz Hog which is my new personal best. At 7 am got a 4 lbs 6 oz Bass with a nice bulge in its belly from a recent meal. Between
me and Mark we got 10 Bass in the boat and a very large turtle next to the boat which I was forced to let keep my hook. Mark
did get hit by 1 large Bass but didn't hook up. Sounded almost like a Beaver tail when it hit. There are large fish in
this place. I'm sure much larger than we have seen. The big fish were all caught on live Fallfish in the 6 to 8 inch
range that we caught 2 nights before from a new bait spot we found on the river. GOOD TIMES!!!
6 lbs 2 ozs
5 lbs 3 ozs
4 lbs 6 ozs
August-29-2010: FISHING FOR FALLFISH AND BAIT FISH, MA
I went behind the house and down to the creek to fish for fallfish
and also to catch some smaller bait fish with a minnow trap and a small cast net. I brought down the trap and net to the creek
for the first time not only to help collect bait but also to survey what other types of minnows and baitfish might be in the
creek. The larger fallfish bit well on spinners. Captured in my net and trap though were the usual smaller fallfish, a couple
of bonus golden shiners, a few white suckers and minnow I have not identified yet. See the sampling photo below and the fork-tail
minnow in the upper left corner? If anyone has any idea let me know!
August-21-2010: BLUEGILLS & LARGEMOUTH BASS, MA
While
relaxing at a restaurant last night and enjoying a great meal with great company, my family. My nephew tapped me on the shoulder
and wanted to know when I would take him fishing. I said how about tomorrow buddy, his parents gave their nods and blessing
and he was instantly excited. Though I had planned on hitting the Quabbin Reservoir early Saturday morning, with visions
of giant lake trout in my head, it was already a 40 minute ride to pick him up and then an additional 80 minutes heading back
the opposite direction to fish the big reservoir. The Quabbin can be slow at times as well and kids just want to catch fish,
they are not all that picky on what kind their catching as us adults can usually be. So I decided it would make more sense
to take him to a little pond not to far from his home. Little Tyler has never gone fishing before so this would be an extra
special outing, being the first one to introduce this wonderful kid to the sport was a honor and a pleasure. The goal was
to keep it simple and basic but also teach a little skill. I brought the canoe but decided to start him off shore fishing
and teach him how to cast a spinning rod first and put him on what most of us catch as our first fish here in the northeast,
the very cooperative and eager to bite sunfish/bluegills, aka....kiva. I was a proud uncle when he took to casting easily,
especially with the spinning rod. I want to also point out for those of you considering taking a young child fishing that
you can even make it simpler for them by purchasing a push button reel and rod combo, that are much easier and faster for
kids to learn and also pretty in-expensive. I bought one for the little guy shortly after his birth but mom lost it on him.
Tyler's rod was set up with a bobber and a garden worm, like I said simple. It took no time before he landed his very first
fish, a pretty little bluegill. He began reeling in sunfish after sunfish and seemed to enjoy casting just as much as the
catching. At that point all I could think was that this kid was going to be a natural. After Tyler’s great display I
was glad I brought the canoe and decided he had graduated another grade up and it was time to slide the canoe into the water.
The little guy seemed a little concerned about getting in the canoe but once he got settled he mentioned how fun it was. I
asked if he wanted to continue to fish for sunfish or if he wanted to go after some bigger largemouth bass. His response was
both uncle. We began fishing out of the canoe and he continued to slay the bluegills and also managed to land his very first
largemouth bass. After a while I decided to join in on the action in-between assisting and teaching the little man. I was
able to land a couple of lunker largemouth. One around 4 lbs and the other around 3 lbs. Both fish were caught on a black
spinner-bait. Initially when I hooked the fish I asked the little man if he wanted to reel them up but he wanted nothing to
do with it and preferred keeping busy and hauling up bluegills all by himself, like a big boy instead. But he was still fascinated
by the big bass when they were brought up. It was a memorable trip for both of us and Tyler wants to continue to join uncle
on more fishing trips. Something tells me he’s going to become a great fisherman someday and become a semi-usual boat
fixture. Tight Lines! And Take A Kid Fishing!
LITTLE TYLER'S FIRST FISH
SO MANY BLUEGILLS HE LOST COUNT!
TYLER'S FIRST LARGEMOUTH BASS
August-14-2010: LARGEMOUTH BASS, CT
I decided to head out and pursue some largemouth bass, a species I for the most
part have incidentally neglected so far this summer. My original plan was to hunt down our most abundant species the
largemouth bass during the course of the summer, until a trophy bass was landed. Instead I fooled around with other last minute
pursuits' of other species. Regardless I finally made it out for some largemouth action. Hunting for big fish I brought only
large swim-baits and as a backup plan I also brought some live and large fallfish, which I caught the other night in preparation
for this outing. I finally get to the lake and immediately start tossing Slammers and AC Plugs, working every bit of cover
and working the bait many different ways in hopes of trying to figure out how the fish wanted the bait presented. Unfortunately
it was some slow fishing but I did mange to land a good chunker guesstimated around 4.50-5 lbs. I caught it while working
the bait erratically on the edge of a heavy weed line. After about 3 hours of fishing the swim baits I then put them away
and decided to bump my odds up with some live bait. I was baiting up fallfish ranging from 8”-12” long. I forgot
my octopus hooks so I had to settle for the circle hooks I had. Great for hooking fish in the corner of the mouth but I find
you miss more fish and your catch ratio goes down. So I was not happy about forgetting my octopus hooks. And as I expected
I did have a few come off when setting the hook but I still also landed a few more bass, including another chunker around
4 lbs and the others around 2 lbs. I didn’t get the monster I had hoped for but still managed some decent fish and all
and all not a bad day for an afternoon of fishing. Tight Lines!
August-7th & 8th-2010: GOLDFISH GONE WILD, MA
One weekday evening a friend had told Bill and I about a near by drainage pond
out in the woods that he heard had been stocked by someone about 5-6 years ago with shiners from a bait shop and Rosie reds
and Goldfish from a pet shop and how they flourished in the pond. Now before I go on with this story I want to remind and
discourage anyone from dumping any pet shop goldfish into our public ponds, lakes and rivers. It’s illegal and you risk
spreading diseases and negatively impacting native fish and eco systems, (ok, back to the story). As silly as it might sound
the pond sparked my curiosity. Wetting a line for any new species is always fun to me (yes even wild goldfish). Bill and me
decided to check it out sometime. An outing to this pond sounded interesting since I could combine two hobbies into one...sort
of. One of my other hobbies is fish keeping. I have a couple of fish tanks, including a 120-gallon tank that holds some very
hungry peacock bass. I feed them pellets but every now and then I treat them to Rosie-reds and goldfish as treats, curtsey
of the local pet shop. My pet fish usually put on a great show chasing and hunting every last minnow in the tank until they
have all been eaten. I figured I’d bring a minnow trap and an ultra-light rod and see if I could bring home some free
feeders for my pet fish. I also figured if I got into any large goldfish I'd bring home one or two as pets for my tanks. After
all how many fisherman and aquarists can say they caught their own pet Goldfish. I also wanted to see exactly how large these
gold fish have grown. I was also curious if due to all the feed if there were any big fat largemouth bass in the pond. The
following Saturday afternoon I ended up meeting Bill at the pond. We both tossed out our minnow traps. I then casted out a
few lures and realizing shortly after that there were no bass or any other game fish in the pond, not even a sunfish. It was
even more evident when nothing but Goldfish and Rosie-reds appeared (in droves) after tossing out some pieces of bread and
crushed crackers. I then grabbed my rod and baited the smallest hook I had with a bread ball and casted. It did not take long
before I landed my first goldfish. I’ve done some strange and out of the ordinary fishing before but this by far tops
the cake, regardless it was still fun. Ended up catching quite a few gold fish and some bonus shiners with the rod. As planned
I took home the two largest goldfish caught and added them as new residents to my tanks. Bill did pretty good himself and
when we both pulled up our minnow traps they were full of mostly Rosie-reds and some small goldfish and shiners. Some of the
Rosie-reds and small goldfish ended up being chow for my pet fish that night; they looked pretty fat and happy. The next day
one of the new goldfish that I thought would be too big to be eaten disappeared. One of my exotic catfish (the largest in
the tank) had a beach ball belly. I assumed he was the culprit of the disappearance. I could not get over how he was able
to fit that giant goldfish in his mouth. Well it was back to the pond that same day to try and catch a bigger replacement
goldfish. Fortunately I did, as well as all kinds of funky colored variations of goldfish. Including some crazy looking specimens
with extra long fork tales. Probably some of the most unusual fishing I have ever done. Tight Lines!
SHINER
JULY-24th-2010: PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF WITH A BIG CARP, MA
Bill and me have been changing things up a little this year and been doing a
bit of carping recently. After fishing our new carp spot for the first time, we
each caught 3-4 carp apiece and I landed a decent size carp that at fresh
weight went 17 lbs 8 ozs. Bill after witnessing the capture was determined to
get one of 15 lbs or better himself but after a handful or so of trips he made
only had a bunch of small carp to show for it. I told him the fish are there
and to just put his time in and he would eventually be rewarded. Our little
spot though lately had only been producing a lot of small fish and then the
bite died off all together. Saturday I had a bunch of household chores to catch
up on and then dinner plans with some friends in the evening but after
finishing up the chores earlier than expected left me with a 2-3 hour window of
free time. So I met up with Bill and we hit our carp spot and it was a dead
bite. I had one strike and that was it and Bill was having the same luck as I
was. I finally headed home to shower and head out to dinner. After I left Bill continued
to fish and stayed. On my way to the restaurant I get a call from Bill and he
tells me he finally landed a lunker carp. He kept the fish over night in his
massive holding tank so he could have the fish weighed in at a official weigh
station for a MA state award pin. The next day after the weigh in I helped Bill
transport the giant cooler back to the pond. With the weight of the water and
fish what a chore it was trekking through the woods. But that’s what friends
are for and Bill recently did the same for me as well. It was well worth it to
see that big fish swim off alive and well to be caught another day (maybe even
bigger next time). It was nice to see his efforts rewarded. TIGHT LINES!
JUNE-18th-2010: MY FIRST KOI, PA
Day two
of our catfish trip. The plan was to fish the morning for another attempt at a
big cat and then head home. The day before we noticed a small school of koi fish
that I’m assuming were put in as ornamental fish. When the bite got real slow I
occasionally took one of the rods and messed around briefly with the koi trying
to get one to bite. But found it to be impossible. Anyway on our last morning
we all caught more channel catfish but no monsters or flat heads, the bite was
a little slower than the previous morning. Around the last hour before leaving
I grabbed a can of sweet corn I had in the truck, left over from a previous carp
fishing trip. I figured since koi are the same exact fish as carp (only with a
cooler paint job). I’d try the same method as I use on carp. I chummed some
corn first before casting out my line. The corn got their attention and they
certainly fed on it. But they clearly knew the difference between corn dropping
naturally to the bottom and corn with a hook and line attached to it. I kept at
it and eventually suckered one into biting. It took the bait while it was
sinking to the bottom. Though I was mostly just messing around with them I was
happy to catch one. TIGHT LINES!
July-18-2010: STRIPED BASS, MA
Hey George, My dad said you
were always interested in some pictures
and I figured I'd throw you a couple of what I caught in the Bay off
cape this year. Season was pretty good, but I didn't manage to real in
any monsters. Did a little lobstering as well with my girlfriends dad.
Other than that how've you been? Haven't fished with you in awhile. Take
it easy and by the way I like the site keep it up! -Steve Audet
JUNE-17th-2010: QUEST FOR CHANNEL CATS, PA
My friend
Mike called me up one day and told me about a pond in PA that he read about online
that had some big catfish in it and if I was interested in checking it out with
him. I’ll fish for anything so the next thing I know me, Mike and his son are
on a road trip. While traveling to our destination we saw a small herd of 5
bucks in velvet in someone’s backyard. Most of the bucks had nice racks in
velvet but what I found peculiar was that there are no woods adjacent to this
neighborhood. The nearest woods are about a 20-minute (human) walk away,
crossing downtown through Main Street? No fences either, I hit the brakes when
I saw them and pulled over to shoot some video and Mike snapped a few pictures,
cool sight. Anyway the next morning (day 1) we started fishing and I managed to
land the first fish of the trip. Mike and little Mike soon followed and caught
some channel cats as well. We each landed a bunch by being patient and every so
often plucking out a cat. We fished chicken livers (yuck) off the bottom with
slip sinkers. At one point we saw a massive flathead catfish appear near the
surface out in the center of the pond. What a monster. Unfortunately this fish
was beyond casting distance for my gear but man what a fish, I’d guess around 45
lbs. At least we all got to see a whopper. The action wasn’t fast and furious
but it was consistent enough to keep us interested. We didn’t hook any of the monsters
we hoped for but considering the heat wave we got I’d say we did all right. Not
to mention we all got to catch our first channel cats.
JUNE-2nd-2010: MONSTER WALLEYE, CANADA
My friend
sent me this picture of his uncle holding up this 34 inch, 15 pound 8 ounce Walleye. It ended up being a record for that area.
The Pickerel River near the French River in Canada. One hell of a catch.
To
top it off before this fishing trip his uncle had not not picked up a fishing rod in 25 years.
MAY-??-2010: BIG LARGEMOUTH, MA
Steve sent
me a quick report of his largest largemouth bass thus far this season. A 6 pound even bass. The largemouth taped out at 23
inches long and was released alive and well to fight another day. Steve wished he had caught it a couple months ago when it
was full of eggs and weighed more. His little girl is also catching her own largemouth bass.
LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER
JUNE-20th-2010: FATHERS DAY BROOKIES, MA
When my 3 boys asked me
what I wanted to do on Fathers Day it was an easy answer....Go trout fishing in
NH!!! So we took off on Saturday after I got out of work. We all slept late on
Sunday morning because my cousin and his daughter were there!!! Once you start
catching up and laughing the time flies. I asked my 3 boys who wanted to go do
a little fishing. Only Skylar was up to it. So off we went just the two of us
on Fathers Day. We went to our hot spot in the White Mountains; we were only
going to stay for a short time because it was really hot out. We ended up doing
well and landed 3 Bookies’ in about 45 minutes. One was very small and still
showing its par markings. It was enough for me; the temps were over 80 degrees.
So not the most comfortable weather. One of the Brookies had very deep colors;
even for a male it was almost spawning colors??? Take your kids fishing Mike
Deloia
JUNE-21 & 22nd-2010: LARGEMOUTH BASS, MA
Bill recently
did some river shore fishing the last couple of days and sent me a couple of pictures and a quick report. Each picture represents
each days best fish. Fish were caught on texas rigged rubber worms. Bill estimates that one fish is around 3 pounds and the
other around 4 pounds.
JUNE-27th-2010: LONE STAR BASS, TEXAS
Neil from
Texas wanted to know if there were any bass fishing options in MA, he asked since he will be moving out this way soon. He
was happy to here that our ponds, lakes and rivers all have largemouth bass in them and sent us a couple of pictures.
His girls 7 and 5 years
of age fish their Golf Course
pond a few times a week.
JUNE-27th-2010: BEARS, BEAVERS & BROOKIES, NH
I took 2 of my 3 boys on a
hopeful Trophy brook trout fishing trip. We were on a mission to put a wall
hanger in the boat. We headed up to NH for 3 days of brook trout fishing. Our
plan was to hit 2 lakes managed as trophy brook trout fisheries. The first night
we did it on our own. We trolled on a fly rod only lake in my 12 ft canoe, with
my oldest son Mike 14 years old this year, its a little easier he can lift and
carry most of the gear. My son Skylar 9 years old is still getting the hang of
the fly rod, so he gives it his all to keep up with us. On our first pass both
of them hooked up, Skylars was on the small side, we knew because of the bend
in Mikes rod was larger. We also knew because we landed both! Mikes was
13.5" and a very colorful male, Skys about 9". On the very next pass
we hooked up again, Mike was into another good one 15.5", a long lean Male
with a bright orange belly. We ended up with 5 the first night. The next 2 days
we fished with guide Richie Bernard of Fin Fighters. Richie is a great guide he
really plays by the book. He knows a few tricks that helped educate me. We
caught plenty of brookies the next couple days. Richie puts on the best shore
lunch. It really helped that we used a guide, its very, very tough to fish if
you have a younger kid with you, between the line issues and tying on flies and
guiding him while landing the catch...This time I got to fish. Skylar hooked up
by far the most and lost 15 trout. He landed 6 over 2 days. At one point he had
what looked like a large brookie come off because of his inexperience with a
fly rod. The highlights of the trip were seeing a Black bear and her cub on the
mountainside and a beaver came out every night at 5:00 to build his dam. The
top 3 brookies were all caught by Mike a 13.5", 14.5" and 15.5",
between 1 lb 8 oz and 1 lb 12 oz. We never did get a wall hanger in the boat
but the trip was a great bonding experience for me with my boys.
Take your kids fishing Mike Deloia!
JULY-11th-2010: CARP FISHING, MA
Being a multi-species angler at
heart I get bored targeting the same type of fish species over and over again.
Every year I try and target something different or try and improve on a species
I have not had much opportunity to target or achieve the success I wanted. For
me successes is landing something new that I have never caught before or
improving on a species by catching a trophy specimen or something of
respectable size, basically a new personal best. As an angler when I'm
successful it’s very gratifying and even more so when I achieve that success in
my local waters. This year one of the fish I set my sights on was the much over
looked Carp. These fish are the fresh water kings in Europe. However when you
compare the number of US anglers perusing fish like, largemouth bass and trout.
Carp anglers are in the minority (popularity is increasing every year). Some
anglers even hang on to the old stigma, that carp are trash fish; luckily I see
through the ignorance and have fun pursuing them anyway. About 4 years ago
before moving to a different part of the state I started messing around and
fishing for Carp out of the Blackstone River. Most were mirror carp and also
mixed in were occasional common carp. Not long after discovering the carp
fishery the wife and me moved, cutting short my efforts for catching a large
carp. Before moving I did mange to catch a good number of them but I never
landed anything in the teens. Fish that I’d landed were always 10 lbs or under.
Though I occasionally would see some massive size fish I could never hook any.
Either they were onto me and were extremely skittish or the smaller carp and
sunfish would get to the bait before the big carp could. Carp are certainly not
dumb fish. Since having caught carp before my goal for revisiting carp fishing
was to catch one large enough to qualify for a MA state pin award. In order to
do so I would have to catch one 15 lbs or better? I ended up achieving this but
it didn’t come easy. My fishing buddy Bill was also up for a change of pace and
wanted to try and target some carp as well. So we teamed up and on our first
attempt we hit a section of the Assabet River and we were close but no cigar.
We hoped the carp would be there and they were. We could clearly see them
swimming around in this one area. We brought corn and bread for bait. It seemed
like we were going to sight fish for them and it was going to be easy but not
the case. As we were rigging up a bunch of young small kids moved in and
started throwing rocks and casting lures at them. Scaring allot of the fish
away. We gave it a shot anyway and it seemed every time a carp came in to
investigate my offering the bluegills would eat all the bait before the carp
even had a chance. The closest I got was one fish spitting out a bread ball
before I could set the hook and another one looked like it was interested and
then at the last minute turned away. Bill did a little better but not much, he
borrowed a rod from someone and never checked the line. He had a monster carp
take the bait of the bottom and run. He fought it for a little bit, the massive
fish even leaped for us in it’s attempt to flee. The fish ended up breaking
Bill’s line and when he checked the line he discovered he lost his fish due to
his line being all frayed up. That was it for action that evening. We made
another attempt or two at the same spot but they were never around again. It
was a here today, gone tomorrow deal. After a little research and connecting
with another angler I even made a road trip to the Connecticut River, which is
said to be one of the best spots in the state for carp. Met some cool anglers
but none of us caught any. I only got one bite but did see some break water but
hey that’s fishing sometimes. On another day Bill and me hooked up to go bass
fishing. He suggested we fish a tributary pond off the Assabet River that has
some largemouth bass but that might also have some carp too. Well we fished it
and our bass trip turned into a carp trip. I caught 3 and Bill caught 3. All
were small fish except for my 3rd, according to my digital scale a 17 lbs 8 ozs
fish. When it hit I new I had a big fish on, she broke water and made a
screaming run into the lily pads. In order to land the fish I had to take my
sneakers off and empty my pockets and wade into that nasty, muddy brown water
and pray I didn’t step on any broken glass, so I could untangle the line that
was wrapped around the lily pads and I hoped she was still be attached to the
other end of the line and luckily she was. She made one last run and then tired
out and I was able to beach her on shore. The bait shops in the area ate the
time were closed. So we put her in a big fish cooler, set up with plenty of
pond water and an aerator and then transported her to a giant live well, so
that we could keep her over night and get her officially weighed in the next
day. The next day we did just that and brought her to a certified weigh
station. She obviously more than qualified for a state pin. After the weigh in
we brought her back to the pond and released her alive and well, to fight
another day. To top it off later on that week me and Bill made yet another trip
and I hooked another monster carp I brought to the net that we estimated around
15-16 lbs (a fat fish) but due to some unfortunate circumstances that one never
got photographed or weighed but is alive and well in the pond. Mission
accomplished. TIGHT LINES!
Check out the new video I put together of Bill and I trying to capture Common Carp big
enough to win a Massachusetts Bronze Pin Award.
JULY-9TH-2010: SUMMER RAINBOWS, MA
Shore
fished a spring fed pond that holds trout all year. Nothing serious just
messing around while in the area for a couple of hours. I caught largemouth
bass, small pickerel, bluegills and a few rainbow trout. I was primarily
switching back and fourth between the trout and the largemouth. For trout I was
tossing out fly’s and spinners on my trout rods. On my bass rod I was tossing
out a rubber worm and twitching it off the bottom, to my surprise I landed a
nice 14-inch rainbow trout. Not what I was expecting but a pleasant surprise
and the best fish of the afternoon. TIGHT LINES!
JULY-3RD-2010: SUMMER LAKE TROUT, MA
Last Sunday I headed out
and fished the Quabbin from early afternoon up to closing time. I brought with
me some large live dace I had caught 2 days ago from a creek behind my home.
The plan was to troll this bait deep for laker's. I knew with the large size
bait I was using it would be hit or miss. I figured I’d catch a monster fish or
nothing but what happened is far from what I expected. Running live 10-inch
bait down about 60 feet I got hit twice but no hook set. About an hour before
closing time my rod got slammed and it was completely bent over in the rod
holder. I grabbed it and set the hook. I knew instantly I had a big one on and
I took my time playing it. I was alone trying to fight the fish, control my
boat, keep from tangling on my 2nd line, keep from drifting into a restricted
non-fishing area and self net. After a bit of a tug of war battle I finally get
the laker up and it’s a whopper. One I’m estimating around 9-10 lbs. I struggle
to get its head in the net and before I can even lift the net. The treble hook
that was embedded in the fish’s mouth was now also caught in the mesh of the
net. The laker starts thrashing and manages to unhook itself. I painfully watch
this trophy pin fish as it swims straight down into the deep clear water.
Though I was disappointed and disgusted I looked forward to another chance. The
following Saturday I go back for that second chance. I brought some more large
fallfish I collected during the week, so I could repeat the same tactics. I
also brought Bill along. After a very long morning Bill and me had nothing to
show for it. We got so bored catching nothing that we even took a break from
trolling and fished some rock ledges for small rock bass and little smallmouth bass;
at least they got rid of the skunk for us. After messing around we get back to
trolling and then we see another boat land it’s third laker, while we struggle
to hook up with our first. Aggravated, I decide to switch tactics and forget
about the live bait. I drop a rapala on the downrigger about 80 feet over 100
feet. Not long after doing so the rod finally pops and a nice healthy looking lake
trout is in the net. Unfortunately it's size was a far cry from the one
that got away last week but a lake trout non-the less. Tight Lines!
JUNE-27th-2010: MULTI-SPECIES, MA
Decided
to meet up with Bill for some shore fishing. The plan was to hit some creeks
and try and collect some fallfish/dace in the afternoon and then hit another
spot in the evening for some lunker largemouth bass, using our freshly caught
dace as bait to try and tempt some hogs into hitting. The plan came together
pretty nicely; we caught a good number of dace and some good size ones that
were large enough to prevent most of the little rat bass from stealing our
bait. Collecting the bait was almost as much fun as bass fishing. I got a nice
little surprise when I landed a 14-inch dace, a monster size for this species
and my personal best one. The average dace we usually catch run around 4-10
inches. The 14-inch was a beautiful specimen with bright red gill plates. In
the mix was also some sunfish. After filling up the bucket with enough monster
size live bait, we took our dace and hit the Assabet River to target lunker
largemouth. I ended up getting one pretty quick off the bat, a bass around 2
lbs 8 ozs. Then it slowed down. I managed a couple of small rat bass on my
second rod on plastic worms. Bill ended up with a couple of bass; both were in
the 4 lb class and caught on live dace. So the plan did work but we had hoped
for more and larger lunkers but there is always next time. When it got dark the
bite was dead but rather than leave we switched tactics and species. We chopped
up some dace, to bottom fish with and try our luck for some bullhead catfish.
The bite was on and we both caught our share of cats. The catfish bite was not
the only bite that was on, so was the mosquito bite. They were relentless and
the mosquito repellant spray didn’t seem to be working. After catching a bunch
of cats we called it quits, to seek shelter at home from the mosquitoes and
grab a bite ourselves. All and all not a bad day.
JUNE-19th-2010: BASS AND PICKEREL, MA
Hooked up with Bert and we
decided to hit the Assabet River for some largemouth and pickerel and hoping
for some large fish. Unfortunately we didn't start fishing until late morning.
It was extremely hot and the fishing was extremely slow. Bert didn't connect
with any fish. I landed two small rat bass and a decent size pickerel around
three and a half pounds. The heat was insane and not much action, so we split early. I should have gone
with another option that I was considering but I suppose it could have been worse. TIGHT LINES!
JUNE-12th-2010: BEHIND THE HOUSE FALL FISH, MA
I only had a few hours to fish and needed to stay local. In fact I stayed
so local, I never even got in my truck. Behind my house is some town conservation land with a river that runs through it.
About 3-4 years ago on my first backyard trip exploring and bow hunting the property I ran into this river. It was only a
10-15 minute walk from my house. Since that day I wondered if there was anything in it worth casting a line at. I planned
on eventually fishing it and checking it out. Most of the river is pretty transparent and shallow and narrow, however there
are some wider sections, with some deeper pools. But I just assumed there probably was not much in it. About every winter
I usually squeeze a trip behind the house for a little bow hunting and every year when I run across the river I'm reminded
of another fishing season of mine that has passed and overlooked this river again. There have been a few rare times I thought
of it but quickly passed it up for more fruitful water. But finally I decided to grab a rod and load a back pack with the
needed gear for the day and give it a shot. As I found myself walking through the back yard and into the woods I started to
hope that this backyard exploration would not be a waste of time. The river is not stocked and I doubted there would be much
for any warm water fish like bass and sunfish. However I thought there might be a good chance at finding two species that
I had in mind. Such as carp but I never hooked or seen one. The other fish I had hoped to find and catch was there. In fact
this species was very plentiful and struck my lure in every pool I casted into. The species I'm referring to is the Fall fish.
Allot of anglers have not heard of them but those who fish rivers often enough incidentally and occasionally catch them while
trout fishing. On this day they ranged anywhere is size from 5 inches all the way up to a 13-14 inch specimen. Most averaged
9 inches. Another common name used for this fish is dace. They are not shy at striking your lure and I lost count of how many
I caught. What got me excited about this backyard fishery is that it's so close from my home and it's something a little different
to target than the usual stuff. But more importantly I found a source of some monster live bait. Fall fish are like candy
to large pike and largemouth. Though I fish artificial's most of the time, I'm not opposed to live bait or bumping up the
odds a bit with some mega size live bait. Going to try some fall fish as live bait for pike and bass. Maybe even for smallmouth
and lake trout over the summer. I also plan on collecting some later on in the late fall, for the up coming ice fishing season.
It's going to get interesting, stay tuned. Tight Lines all!
JUNE-05-2010: BACK FOR MORE TIGER'S, MA
Had the afternoon free and decided to go at it again with the trout. After boating a 3 lb and 4
lb 4 oz trout on previous trips. I thought to myself let’s see if there are anymore big ones and headed to the usual
spot I’ve been fishing the last few or so excursions. The fishing was decent but I didn’t land any large fish
this time or get the numbers I had gotten on other recent trips but that’s fishing. I picked up about 5-6 rainbows and
a couple of tigers. Most fish were caught on the fly rod and a couple were caught on the lead-core rod. I kept a few of the
hatchery put and take trout for dinner tonight and the wife did a hell of a job cooking them up and it made for a nice treat
with a cold one. I think I've had my fill with the hatchery trout though. At least for a little while and need to move on
and fish for something else next weekend. Tight Lines All!
MAY-31-2010: TIGER, RAINBOW & TROPHY BROWN TROUT, MA
My good friend Ray joined me for an early morning excursion I wasn't even sure if he would be joining
me until I heard a knock on the door at 5:30 AM in the morning. Which is a story within itself, one I wont get into but
all I can say is unbelievable. Anyway Ray was ready and 5 minutes after the knock so was I. We debated hitting The Quabbin
or doing a canoe trip to some smaller trout water. After telling him a few stories and the numbers the wife and me had been
getting into and since it was a bit of a late start for the Quabbin. It was decided to take the canoe and we were off to fish
a favorite trout pond of mine. Surprisingly the early morning trout bite was not what we thought it would be. We had to work
for them and picked at them sporadically, all rainbows. Late in the morning Ray hooked up with his personal largest trout
to date in MA. After a long careful battle and struggle on 4 lb test, I slipped his fish head first into the net. A beautiful
spotted brown trout. I weighed her quickly to get a fresh weight on my digital scale and she went 4 lbs 4 ozs. His fish
qualified as a trophy for a state bronze pin award but unfortunately by the time we got off the water all the local bait shops
were all closed for a official weigh. Regardless still one hell of a brown. Oddly enough mid to late afternoon the bite got
really good and we landed rainbow after rainbow loosing count of how many we landed total. Ray also had a monster on that
he originally thought was his lure stuck on the bottom until the fish made such a powerful and fast run. His drag was screaming
and then just like that snap, his line broke when the fish made another powerful run. We checked the end of his line, which
was pretty frayed up. We debated on what it could have been but whatever it was it was huge and Ray said the feel of the fish
dwarfed the big brown he took earlier. Those are the breaks sometimes (no pun intended). In the mix were also a couple of
(emerald green looking) tigers that I landed at the end of the trip, which capped off the day. Another enjoyable trip on the
water. Tight Lines All!
MAY-30-2010: JUMBO TROUT BONANZA, MA
Decided to go back to the same spot as last time, in hopes of more tigers and larger fish. Just
as I was ready to leave and head out my wife changed her mind and decided at the last minute to join me. After a short delay
in getting her a fishing license and getting some gear rigged up for her we were off. She must have been the good luck charm
I needed because we immediately got into fish and they were plentiful. My 3rd or 4th fish in I hooked a big one on the fly
rod and it took sometime to bring in but it ended up being a brown trout over 3 pounds. My wife was also getting into them
pretty hard with a lead core line set up I gave her to use and not long after me she hooked into her own brown, one that went
over 2 lbs. I also got into a couple more tigers and somewhere after number 15 we both lost count of how many rainbow trout
we landed. Some of the rainbows were pretty plump and sizeable too but most were the 12”-13” cookie cutter size.
Some fun quality time with my wife on a beautiful sunny day, cant ask for more. It was a good day. Tight Lines All!
May-30-2010: ECHO LAKE, NH
Here's a report from Mike: I wanted to troll Echo lake in NH, every
year a monster brook trout is
caught on this body of
water. I got up nice and early with everything packed the
night before. We drove over an hour from my camp to get there. We
started to unload all my gear!!!! I noticed I never packed the trolling motor for my canoe????
I was out of
my mind. I thought to my self, do I drive back to camp grab the motor
and lose 2 hours or stay and paddle into the wind and troll with it
using bait!!! I stayed and did a wind troll!!!! It actually worked
pretty well... We hooked up and landed 5 brookies between 9-11" I was
pretty happy with that but after 3 hours of fighting the wind..We were
ready to get back to camp. We tried again that night this time with a
trolling motor. We landed 3 more. And 5 more at a hike in pond so a
grand total of 13 brookies!!! No trophys but real nice trout. We did
land a couple nice rainbows on our lake at camp. One was 16" just under
2lbs. We also got a great photo of a Fox on the way to the lake.
Keep those lines wet - Mike Deloia
MAY-28-2010: TIGER TROUT HUNT, MA
Headed out for a few hours
in the evening. I was on the hunt for Tiger Trout. I had heard about a spot that got stocked with them and also got a mix
of other trout, with a small number of them going 18” or over thrown in. Also while I was launching my canoe I spoke
to one gentlemen who was shore fishing and happen to show me a photo of a brookie he had caught a week prior that went over
3 lbs. So while launching I was feeling very optimistic. But what I really hoped for were tigers, I had tried for them one
other time this year at comet pond but came away with a bunch of browns under my belt instead. Out of all the stocked varieties
of trout (rainbow, brown, brook & tiger) the tiger in my opinion is the hardest fighting. Biologists attribute their vigor
and fighting ability due to being sterile and therefore all their energy goes toward feeding and not breeding. Tiger’s
in Massachusetts are the result of the Sandwich hatchery, where browns are crossed with brook trout, creating these beautiful
hybrids. Though hatchery reared they are not necessarily Franken fish either, as some trout purists call them. This hybrid
cross does occasionally happen in the wild were both brown and brook trout co-exist and successfully spawn. It’s extremely
rare but it does happen. Out of the 4 varieties of trout stocked in MA the tiger is the least stocked in numbers, making them
the most difficult of the 4 to catch. So I finally get out on the water and begin my search. I locate one area were the fish
are down about 20 feet or so using sinking line on my 5 wt fly rod I get into a few pretty quickly. However they were all
rainbows, I like them too but not what I was after. I ended up breaking a cardinal rule and left fish to find fish. But it
paid off I found a pod of tigers in another spot about 10-15 feet of water and bagged 3 of them before calling it a day. I
lost a few in the process including one fish that came un-buttoned that felt like a real large one. All fish were caught on
the fly rod. I also had a dozen or so follows on my spinning rod casting out rapala’s but no matter what I did they
just wouldn't commit. All and all a short and fun evening and I finally got my tigers this season. Tight Lines All!
MAY-23-2010: BROWN TROUT AT COMET POND, MA
Did not have much time
this past weekend to wet a line. Most of my time was allocated to yard work but I did slip away Sunday afternoon. I hit comet
pond for a quick trip and hoped I'd get into some Tiger Trout the state stocked about 2 weeks ago or so. While launching my
canoe one guy I talked to ending his day landed a tiger and two rainbows. Which made me feel a bit optimistic but things were
really slow. I covered a bunch of water and not even a hit. I finally landed a trout trolling with my fly rod but it wasn't
a tiger it was a brown. After going so long without a hit I no longer cared about what kind of trout it was. I then anchored
down and stationed myself and started casting a rappala rainbow trout pattern countdown and had another brown trout follow
the bait all the way to the canoe. To make a long story short I landed 5 brown trout all in one small little area but had
at least 15 follow the bait to the canoe and not commit, I would have killed for some fish sent to rub on the lure. Not what
I was after but a fun little trip. Tight Lines All!
A BEAUTIFUL RED SPOTTED BROWN
May-22-2010: MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, NH
Here's a report from Mike: I have been fishing the remote hike in ponds
and lakes in NH for 6 years
now. I always seem to have pretty good sucess. My 3 boys and I have
caught hundreds of Brook
trout from these Glacier
lakes and ponds. I know some very large Brookies roam these
waters. I have seen photos and heard stories. We have caught some nice
size ones over the years. Just not a true trophy, this has eluded us. I
had planned on taking My son Skylar trout fishing and hiking just as a fun day, the fishing
was going to be
practice and a couple for lunch. We got on the water early and hiked to
the back end of the pond. Its only 12 acres and 40 ft deep, it has some
nice hold over trout. Skylar landed a nice 12 inch Brookie to start with, on my first cast I felt a good tug on my hand
tied fly. I knew it was a
good sized trout but when it peeled line off my reel I knew it was a
trophy. It surfaced just in front of us. I saw the huge mouth!!! I
thought it was even larger than it was....we landed it with the net. The
line broke just as it made a surge, lucky it was in the net. The
measuring tape read 16.5 inches and the scale read 2lbs 4 ozs!!!! This
was a true trophy a "Glacier Lake Monster" Brook trout. Up until
this Brook trout the largest remote pond one we caught was Skylars, it
was 14 inches 1 lb 8 ozs. We ended up catching a total of 8 brook trout, from 9-12 inches. Along with this colorful
trophy. This one will hang on
the wall at Camp Deloia...Finally!!!!!! We also had a game warden
check us out, he was very nice because I was with my son. We always
use the same stump to photograph our brook trout so its funny to see the
size comparison. Its great to know you may have landed the largest fish
on a certain body of water...This Brookie was the Alpha Male of this
water!!! Take a
kid fishing- Mike
Deloia!
May-07-2010: LAKER TAKER, MA
Another trip to the Quabbin, this time I took my friend Dale out again. I
had hoped the salmon were still in the general area that they were in yesterday but that was not the case. Though we
did not get into the numbers I got the previous day, I did help put Dale on his biggest and first ever MA lake trout. I knew
Dale wanted one and he got it. After it's capture the laker still remained strong and healthy and after some minor convincing
Dale released the laker to fight another day. The wind picked up pretty bad and to escape it we tucked into a shallow cove
that had very little wind and played around with the warm water fish. Other fish caught that day included: yellow perch, largemouth,
smallmouth and pickerel. TIGHT LINES!
DALE'S BIGGEST & 1ST MA LAKE TROUT
ANOTHER SHOT OF THE BIG FISH OF THE DAY
MAY-06-2010: THE DAY OF THE QUABBIN BIG THREE, MA
After taking out some of my friend’s back to back and playing guide, I needed a break. Though
most of the time I like fishing with friends I wanted a day with no pressure of trying to put anyone on fish. So I headed
out on a solo mission and ended up having so far my best day at the Quabbin. Early morning I got into a couple of beautiful
lakers, bottom bouncing live bait. The first one was released unharmed, the other the hook had popped a gill and was a bleeder,
and so he was kept for table fair. These lake trout are a blast, they’re also wild and allot larger than your typical
1 lb hatchery planted trout. I also fooled around briefly with the smallmouth and caught a couple of hefty fish with a jig.
With the smallies and lakers under my belt I only had one species left for the day to complete the Quabbin big three. Something
I had not done yet. So I switched gears and targeted landlocked salmon, which paid off. While trolling with my baits just
under the surface I found some salmon and then continuously worked the school. When the bite stopped I would troll in the
general area, find them again and work them again. I landed 6-7 salmon and also had a few come unbuttoned. Some were caught
trolling and a few caught casting rappalas into the active school. They seemed to hit anything that resembled smelt (their
primary forage). The first salmon landed was the best fish of the day, 6 lbs on the button (fresh weight). At the end of the
day I brought it to a bait shop to qualify it for a state pin (MA awards program). After blood and slime loss and drying under
the sun for a bit in the boat it lost a couple of ounces and was certified at 5 lbs 14 ozs. This big land-lock had a crooked
kype. I also kept a hen that I dropped on it’s head by accident and decided since I was already bringing a couple home,
I mine as well go ahead and keep this one as well, versus releasing a half dead fish. All other fish caught were returned
alive and well and ready to fight another day. The hen also qualified for a state pin, it had a deformed head, which was a
bit too rounded. Though the Quabbin does have wild salmon that are born and bred in the lake and it’s tribs., the state
also does do some supplemental stocking of smolts. Judging by deformities of the 2 kept fish I believe that the school I found
today are products of a past hatchery smolt stocking. Regardless of whether they’re smolt stocked or fully wild I can
never get over how incredible they fight and in my opinion the hardest fighting of the big three with smallmouth a close second.
Also while searching for the salmon some incidental yellow perch were caught, further adding to the multi-species day. What
a blast on the water today. Now get out and go have your own fun and report back. Tight Lines!
P.S. currently
in production are 3 new separate Quabbin video's (lake trout, landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass). Look for those
soon to come, so check back often.
Also if anyone wants to send a video link and or pictures/report, feel free to email me them and
I will include you in the next round of updates.
TWO MA STATE PINS
LAKER & LANDLOCK
A LAKER WITH BEAUTIFUL COLORATION
A 6 POUNDER
A HEN STATE PIN SALMON
A MALE STATE PIN SALMON
THIS BEAUTY WAS CAUGHT & RELEASED
THE LAST SALMON OF THE DAY BEFORE RELEASE
A PRE-SPAWN SMALLMOUTH
A YELLOW PERCH
Below a new video I put together
of some of the landlocked salmon that friends and me caught over the spring. Some good
fish again this year. Also look for more video's to come, that will correspond to my journal entries below.
Tight Lines!
May-04-2010: MIXED BAG, MA
Back to the Quabbin and this time I took my friend Dave with me. Though
we did not crush them today I was happy to help put Dave on his very first landlock salmon. We both also got some quality
sized smallmouth bass. I also got my first Quabbin largemouth (I guess they do exist here), in the 2 lb range. It was fun
hanging out with Dave and swapping stories. The day ended with a thunder storm that rolled in. The heavy rain and wind gusts
were nothing I had seen before at the Q and made things plain miserable. There were Literally white caps in the marina. The
wind was so bad it took both of us in the water to pull and guide the boat onto the trailer. Dave was a trooper and I'm
glad he came otherwise loading and packing up in those conditions alone would have been a nightmare. We both got soaked
to the bone. That's fishing sometimes. Tight Lines!
DAVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL HOOK JAW SALMON
ANOTHER SHOT OF DAVES 1ST LANDLOCK
QUABBIN LARGEMOUTH BASS
ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL BRONZE BACK
May-03-2010: LANDLOCKED SALMON, MA
I love vacation, back to the Quabbin again. This time I took my friend
Dale with me. We finally found some salmon and both landed our first landlocks of this season. Dale got his first and not
long after I got mine, a pin size fish of 4 lbs 5 ozs. We also had a few fish come unbuttoned. Then all of a sudden the salmon
suddenly seemed to disappear but we kept searching. After a little time and not too far from were we had hooked our previous
fish, I was on again and brought a 5 lb beauty of a salmon to the net (another pin size fish). Just as we found them again
and were about to slay them. A boat disrupts us and pulls right up next to us and it's a game warden. Asking to see our licenses,
my boat registration and life jackets in the boat. To make a long story short the only time so far this season I forgot my
wallet and life jacket in the truck was of course today (Murphy's law right). I ended up back at the marina pulling those
items out of the truck to show the warden. When it was all said and done. I had my Q trip cut short and got slapped with a
fine. Not exactly how I wanted to end the day. Being forgetful can be expensive :-) TIGHT LINES ALL!
A 5 POUND LANDLOCK
ANOTHER SHOT
DALE WITH HIS FIRST SALMON OF THE SEASON
ANOTHER SHOT
MY 2ND SALMON OF THE DAY A 4 LBS 5 OZS BEAUTY
MAY-01-2010: BIG FISH HUNT, MA
Headed to the Quabbin and was hoping to see a big fish taken today. I took
Bert out with me this time and got him into his first lake trout. So far this season it's the best laker caught out of my
boat. We had hoped we would get into a few more lake trout but though we didn't the monster smallmouth bass that we were catching
more than made up for it. The best two smallies were 4 pounders. The highlight of the day was how excited Bert was over his
fish. It's his largest freshwater fish ever. Bert's used to catching small hatchery trout, so to him this laker was a monster
trout and something different to add to his fishing resume. TGHT LINES!
THE SMILE SAYS IT ALL
MY OWN PRIZE OF THE DAY A TROPHY SIZED SMALLMOUTH
ANOTHER GREAT FISH FOR BERT
May-01-2010: SPRING BROOKIES, NH
I had the urge to go Brook trout fishing up at my camp in New Hampshire,
so I took my 3 boys and my son Mikes friend Nick. We wanted
to try fishing the camp Lake first to warm up for the next day. We got to
the camp a little late but got in some casts. My son Skylar hooked a
real nice bass. I thought was a trout at first. It was 17" long and around
the 3 pound plus area!! The next mornig we were off to this remote pond
we have had some luck with in the fall. The spring brookies seemed to
elude us in the past. We knew they were there but we never did very
good. This time was going to be the exception. Skylar caught one on his
first cast a nice 10" Brookie. In fact Skylar caught the first three
brookies. Then sam caught 2 then I got one. Mike and Nick walked the
shore not catching any trout at all. They soon rejoined us. We ended up
catching 30 brookies ranging from 9 to 13 inches. Most of these brookies
held on to their beautiful Fall colors. I know this pond has some larger
brookies in the 16 to 18 inch range, we have never hooked into those
trophys yet, but time will yield one. Mike and Nick enjoyed a nice meal
of brook trout at the camp. Take your kids
fishing - Michael Deloia
April-25-2010: PERSONAL BEST SMALLMOUTH CAUGHT, MA
Headed back to the Quabbin again but only
for the afternoon and this time my friend Dave joined me. We were looking for salmon without venturing to far out from the
gate and could not find them but we did find some smallmouth. The biggest fish of the day ended up also being my personal
best smallmouth, beating out a previous best caught not so long ago by one ounce. Off on vacation this week and look
forward to putting some real time into the Quabbin and some fish in the boat. Tight Lines!
A NEW PB 4 LB 3 OZ SMALLMOUTH BASS
ANOTHER SHOT OF IT
April-24-2010:
QUABBIN BRONZE BACKS AND FORK TAILS, MA
Me and Bill returned back to the Quabbin.
We concentrated in one core area. Bill did not have any luck the last time he was out with me but this time he landed 2-3
smallmouth, including his personal best smallmouth, a 3 lb 12 oz fish and the fattest football shaped smallie I've seen
so far come out of the res. I got into a few smallmouth myself including one real pretty one with beautiful vertical bar markings
on the sides, that went 4 lbs and I also got a couple of more lake trout. The lakers went 4-5 lbs and were
also real pretty with their yellow vermiculation markings and spots covering their green bodies. Their forked tails and
white edged fins certainly add to their beauty and character. The lake trout I have been hooking up with seem to not
live up to their reputation and actually fight well, minus the leaps. I was actually pleasantly surprised with their
fighting ability and have been enjoying targeting and catching them. Next trip hoping to find some landlocked salmon
to add to the mix. Tight Lines!
BILL'S PERSONAL BEST FOOTBALL SMALLIE
April-21-2010: HUNT FOR LAKE TROUT, MA
Last year during the spring at the Quabbin I was successful at targeting
landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass and I planned on targeting the lake trout over the summer too but then the unexpected
closure of the Quabbin happened, due to the zebra mussel scare and I never really got my chance at the laker's. Nor did I
catch one incidentally last year. In fact though I have caught plenty of lake trout, including some monsters. I have never
caught one out of my home state. So this year I wanted to target them early and focus on them by fishing a bit deeper. That
was one of my fishing goals for the season and I was happy to achieved it today. I got into two beautiful lake trout that
were caught over 13 feet of water adjacent to a 40 foot drop and bottom bouncing the baits. I was pretty pumped and in addition
to the trout I also got into a few plump smallmouth between 3.5 lbs and 4 lbs. In addition to the fish, the sightings of bald
eagles, loons, mergansers, along with the gorgeous back drop of a wilderness setting just made the trip that much more grand.
When it comes to MA fishing waters this reservoir in my opinion is the crown jewel of the state. I can't wait to return. Tight
lines!
BIGGEST LAKER OF THE TWO
April-17-2010: QUABBIN RESERVOIR OPENER, MA
Well as excited as I
was for the opening day of the Quabbin reservoir, it faded pretty quick when I woke up to pouring rain, cold temps and wind. Not
exactly the most comfortable weather conditions. After a phone call and talking it over with Bill, we decided to call the
morning a wash-out and go back to bed and reconnect after awakening for a afternoon trip. Which we did and when we finally
got to the Quabbin, the rain had stopped. To our surprise the parking lot was jam packed with empty boat trailers. I guess
there were much braver souls willing to deal with the nasty conditions of the early morning. Well for us a late start was
better than no start. Due to the wind and having a small boat we didn’t head out to far from the gate. We hit some of
the islands that produced some nice salmon last year but they were not there so me and Bill decided to switch gears and focus
on the fat pre-spawn smallmouth that were around. Luckily the wind had died down a bit making it easier to fish. I landed
3 smallies with the biggest and also my new personal best weighing in at 4 lb 2 oz. The other two fish were not that far behind
in weight. Unfortunately Bill was not able to get into any on this trip but I’m sure he eventually will on a future
trip. All and all for a short tip not a bad way to start the opener. With the new boat seal restrictions on the Quabbin and
the quality fisheries that exists at the reservoir I’ll be focusing allot of my upcoming weekend excursions there. Hoping
for more big smallies, giant landlocked salmon and trying for some lake trout as well. So check back and stay tuned and find
out how I make out or better yet head down to the Quabbin yourself and try your luck. Tight Lines!
4 lbs 2 ozs
April-14-2010: CHASING RAINBOWS, MA
Took the day off to take care of some errands
and things I needed to get done. I finished up earlier than expected and headed out late in the afternoon in my canoe for
some recently stocked rainbows. I heard the state had put in lots of 14-16 inch trout this year. The rumors I heard turned
out to be true. The trout were of decent size and fought exceptionally well. I caught about a dozen or so casting and trolling.
I used flies, spinners and rappala’s. I had one rod with lead-core line I was trolling and not secured in a rod holder,
that a large fish stole from me. I saw a large silvery fish clear the water and it either had to have been a very large rainbow
trout or brood-stock Atlantic salmon. Followed by the jump was my rod flying out
of the canoe and into the water. I attempted to grab it but missed it by about 2 inches. Normally catching a bunch of trout
on a pleasant evening I would consider a good day but loosing a favorite rod of mine and then add the insult of loosing
that rod along with a large fish with it to boot made for a not so good time. I kept a couple of hatchery bows for me and
the wife’s dinner and released the rest. Tight lines!
April-13-2010: LARRY STRIKES GOLD, WV
Larry on a fly fishing trip in West Virginia did very well and got this
nice golden. In addition he also landed a couple of rainbows tout and brown trout on
dry flies and that it was very fun. He also reports that the stealhead action is slowing down now in Ohio but the walleye
bite is picking up and he should be putting the boat in the water in a week or two. Sweet fish Larry keep those pics coming.
April-12-2010: EARLY SEASON LARGEMOUTH, MA
Steve sent us a quick report, he fished a lake in Orange and caught this
20 inch, 4 lbs 6 ozs Largemouth. Nice fish Steve!
April-05-2010: AFTER WORK BROWN TROUT, MA
Stopped after work for a few casts again at a near by
trout
Pond. Felt lazy and didn’t feel like doing allot of casting so I tossed out some meal worms, under
a float and got a couple of brown trout. Only fished for about an hour or so, nothing serious just wanted to enjoy another
nice evening from shore. Released one brown and kept one for tonight's dinner.
April-01-2010: DRIVE BY BLUEGILLS, MA
On the way home from work I stopped at a small no name,
warm water pond. The weather has been so nice I just wanted to get out and take a few cast and explore a little before dinner.
I targeted bluegills (A fish I don’t target often) using a ultra light rod and casting out some small spinners and some
earth
worms I pulled out from underneath some rocks near the lake shore. Caught a handful of gills along with
a bonus largemouth I took off a rooster tail before heading back home. None of the fish were anything to brag about but just
a pleasant evening to be out and feel some tugs on the end of the line.
Some pretty colors too on some of those little scrappers. Tight Lines!
March-20-2010: HUNTING FOR GIANT BROOD-STOCK ATLANTIC SALMON, MA
Last December the state stocked some big brood-stock Atlantic salmon. Me and friends targeted them
during the ice season with some success. However the ice is gone and I decided to take the boat out for the first time officially.
I like to target the salmon immediately after ice out or soon after. Had a few friends interested in joining me Saturday,
especially with the out of the ordinarily warm forecasted conditions. Two weekends ago my friend Bill helped me work on the
trailer and set up some seats and a bunch of other little things, so out of appreciation for his help he’s the one I
invited and who joined me. Me and Bill were hoping to score with one of the remaining silver giants. Me and Bill got started
some what early in the morning. To cover more water and help improve our odds for this hunt we trolled. We threw out everything
that has ever worked on the salmon and even experimented with working the entire water column. The fish finder was picking
up the trout that had been stocked Tuesday almost off the bottom. The water is still ice cold and even the trout did not want
to show us any love. After about 8-9 hours of fishing with only a couple of missed hits to show for it. Bill was ready to
call it quits and head home to have some dinner with his girl. I mentioned not much daylight left, you mine as well finish
the day out, better than watching TV right. He said agh nothing was happening and he was going to head out. So while we said
our good bye’s I joked around and mentioned maybe he’s the one that brought us bad luck and that I’d probably
hook a giant as soon as he pulled out of the lake. We both chuckled, Bill headed home and I headed back out with the boat
again. About 30 minutes later I tried a small orange rapala, I had not used it yet. In fact I hardly ever use it at
all. I figured what the hell nothing else worked. I ran the bait just under the surface for about 15 minutes or so and whack!
At first I thought I was stuck on the bottom but looked at my fish finder and realized I was fishing over 43 feet, so no way.
Then I finally felt the dead weight come alive and start to move and run. The fish made some massive runs and Could even feel
the fish diving down all the way to the bottom. I slowly winched him up but then all I heard was that sweet sound to my ears
of a screaming drag. The fish came to the boat about 5-6 times and then would run again but finally I was able to get him
close enough to slip him in the net head first. When I lifted up on the net with the salmon in it what a sign of relief I
felt and what a fight. The battle must of lasted 15-20 minutes. Trying to fight this large fish, control the boat, remove
another line out of the water and self net made the landing a challenge for me. Certainly things would have been easier if
Bill had stayed and maybe I could have even gotten him to film some of the battle, regardless what a blast. The salmon looked
larger than I thought, but when weighed on my scale (that was a little on the fritz) it was a little shy of a pin size fish
but still a monster to me, weighing in at 9 lbs 3 ozs and measuring 31” long. My friend Dave was across the lake and
had witnessed the battle and called me on my cell phone right after I had the fish in the net and he congratulated me. I then
called Bill and told him he should have stayed and that persistence sometimes pays off. I mentioned I just caught one of those
big salmon off the side of the boat he was fishing. At first he thought I was joking but when I told him I wasn’t kidding
around he was very surprised. Joking around I told him maybe you are bad luck and that I would have to reconsider the thought
of fishing with him again. Of course I was just joking around and Bill you know your welcomed to fish with me again, hopefully
next time things will be more fruitful for both of us. Tight Lines All!....George
SALMON HIT 30 MINUTES BEFORE SUNSET
SALMON FOOD OF THE DAY
March-20-2010: A Rare Tiger Musky
Caught, WORCESTER, MA
I caught this fish with a J-9 jointed rapala, 6 lb test, no steel leader on Lake Quinsigamond.
I was over by Sunset Beach trying to catch a Salmon or trout, and I think the musky was doing the same. Overall the bite was
pretty slow Saturday but what a way to start my fishing season with my first tiger. Thanks for your interest – Chris
Thanks for sharing Chris and what a
incredible catch, keep those reports coming!
March-26-2010: A Little Casting On
The Way Home Again, MA
Last Tuesday some of the local ponds got stocked for the first time this year. I stopped by one
of them and casted some lures from shore during the last half hour of light or so and this rainbow whacked my rapala (bass
pattern) countdown. Tight Lines All!.....George
March-16-2010: Hold-Over Rainbows
with Little IAN, MA
Here's a quick report
from Ray. He says attached are pictures of three of eight hold-over trout that he and little Ian caught from a local trout
pond. Ry got one off a dry fly using his fly rod and the rest came on power bait fished near the bottom.
Nice job buddy, glad to see you continuingly
keeping the little guy on some fish. I think we got him hooked on fishing with all those perch and crappie he got into during
the ice season.
March-18-2010: A Little Casting On
The Way Home, MA
Stopped by a local trout pond on the way home for a few quick casts and to soak up the great warm
temperature. Really just messing around chatting with a friend. A real quick trip and nothing serious but still ended up catching
a decent brown trout casting a rapala (rainbow pattern). The trout ended up being pan fried and made a great dinner that night
with some sautéed onions and a cold one. Tight Lines All!.....George
DONT YOU JUST HATE IT WHEN THE SHOT COMES OUT BLURRY!
March-7th-2010: Getting Ready For
A New Season, MA
Spent most of the weekend with Bill fixing up the trailer and prepping up my boat for the upcoming
season. I wanted to test the gas outboard after it sat in storage all winter and just test it all out. All the local lakes
and ponds were still iced up. My cabin fever did not help, so I drove to Plymouth in search of open water and dumped
the boat in Long Pond. Everything was functioning well and I had about a little over an hour to fish before heading out. The
state has not stocked any trout yet so I was hoping for a hold-over. I did end up getting one rainbow trout working a deep
diver rapidly. It’s slim body indicated to me that it was surely a hungry hold-over. I did not have much time to fish
and it was rather a tease that I was not able to fish longer but the boat and trailer functioned well and I scored my first
rainbow of the year. Tight Lines All!.....George
Remembering 2009: Largemouth and
Pickerel, MA
I've attached a couple of the nicer catches of 2009. The pickerel is 23 1/2", 3 lbs 6 oz, Caught
on Thanksgiving day. The Largemouth Bass 20" 3 lbs 15 oz, I think was the following weekend at A1. - Mark
Nice job Mark and keep them coming.
February-22-2010: Pike Hunting The Berkshires, MA
Hey George. I attached a couple of pictures from the Berkshires on Monday. Still 20 inches of ice.
Should be safe for a while. I managed to get a nice 34 inch, 10 pounder on one of the 8 inch dead shiners from my freezer.
A new personal best for me. So it was a great day. Talk to ya later. –Steve
February-21-2010: Crappie Day, Plug Pond, MA
It seems the big pike bite turned on this weekend, some giant pike were caught. Unfortunately I
missed out on that bite again. I still had some fun though, I got out on the ice with little Ian and Ray. I guess little Ian
had so much fun with the perch last time he was anxious for more ice fishing. Kids going to grow up and be a fishing animal.
Anyway me and Ray took him to another near by lake plug pond. Action was slow but we all managed to land some crappie. We
got about 5 crappie total. Ian had fun icing his first crappie, I did too pulling one up on the jigging rod. We fished during
a derby there were a million guys out on this heavily stocked pond and not a single salmon or trout was caught. The largest
fish of the derby was a 4 pound plus Largemouth. Pretty sad results but still a fun day. Take a kid fishing!
A CRAPPIE CAUGHT ON A JIGGING ROD
RAY'S CRAPPIE
IAN WITH HIS FIRST ICED CRAPPIE
February-20-2010: I Met A Fishing Legend!
Ok, here’s my first ever non fishing report (sort of) but figured some folks might enjoy reading
it. Saturday I decided to give up a ice fishing road trip for pike and instead headed down to the Bears Den fly fishing
show in Taunton MA. I did so for two reasons one to pick up some new flies for the upcoming season and the second and
primary reason to meet the legend himself Larry Dahlberg. Before the popular cable shows “Hooked” or “River
Monsters” Mr. Dahlberg had already been there and done that. Host and TV personality of my favorite fishing program
“THE HUNT FOR BIG FISH”. From musky to peacock bass, tarpon and everything in-between. He’s traveled the
globe and done it all and in my opinion is the ultimate big fish hunter & multi-species angler on television. I’m
a big fan of the show and it is one of very few fishing programs I find entertaining or get into. The show targets big fish
you’ve heard of, to exotic and strange fish most have never even seen or heard of. Which I find separates itself from
the others shows. I’m just a local weekend angler and don’t mean to ruffle any feathers here, but I find most
of the other fishing television hosts to be a bit tired and boring, week after week catching the same old tired species of
fish or worse an infomercial masked as a fishing show. Understandably they all need a few sponsors to exist and pay some bills
but then there is just plain selling out. You know the ones with all those patches on their shirts, making a big deal of catching
1 pound bass and every other word coming out of their mouth seems to be a product promotion. Those type of shows I find myself
ignoring. Which I guess is why I’m such a fan of Mr. Dahlberg’s program because it’s different and refreshing.
You never know what he will be chasing or what angling method he will be using during his pursuits. In my past I have
ignored opportunities to meet other TV fishing personalities, simply because I’d rather be on the hard water than attend
a show or my lack of interest. But in this case I made an exception and was glad I made the drive to meet Mr. Dahlberg. I’m
not sure if my first impression on him came off a bit quirky or not but when I met him he was friendly, gracious, entertaining
and a bit funny. I got to learn how to tie his classic fly the “Dahlberg Diver” by the man himself and during
that demonstration he had mentioned that he had never written an article on how to tie his classic fly but that he had found
and read articles on how his own fly should be tied, he then pointed out that they were all incorrectly written and the crowd,
including myself got a chuckle out of it. It was a good time. Scott and the guys over at Bears Den did a great job organizing
this free show. I also picked up some fly’s I look forward to testing out this spring on my favorite local waters. Next
Saturday I hope to spend it outdoors though on the hard water, if it doesn’t melt with all the rain we have been getting
lately that is. Tight Lines!
CJ found our website and was kind enough to send us some pictures. He went for a walk down a Cape
Cod pond and got into this beautiful and colorful winter brook trout. He’s also shared with us some great pictures of
some of the landlocked salmon he has taken in seasons past. Great fish!
CAPE COD WINTER BROOK TROUT
February-09-2010: Berkshire Pike, MA
I went out to Lee again. The ice was 16 inches thick. Winter in the Berkshires is great. I
did a little better than the last time. I managed to catch a 30 inch 6lbs 10oz Pike on a freshly killed 9 inch shiner. I am
starting to become a believer in dead bait for Pike. Hopefully I will see some Pike in the teens or bigger this season. There
is still time. Talk to ya later. -Steve
February-06-2010: Ice Fishing for Yellow Perch, MA
Well I finally got back out on the ice again. Saturday I originally wanted to target big pike in
CT. A good friend of mine Ray though wanted to join me ice fishing but also take 6 year old Ian with us (his future step son).
Ray wanted to stay a bit more local, near his fiancés house so he could take Ian and drop him off when he got to cold or bored.
As anyone knows who’s ever fished for pike it can be real slow fishing, flagless days are not uncommon, especially when
fishing large baits. It was little Ian's first time ice fishing and we wanted to take him somewhere were we had a shot at
some numbers of fish, regardless of species. I couldn’t say no, so I postponed my pike hunt for another time. Kids get
bored so easy and don’t care what kind of fish they catch. So me and Ray settled on a nearby lake that also happened
to be stocked back in the fall with some brood stock salmon. So there was still a small chance at something big being caught.
Little Ian was a trooper and stuck it out most of the day and kept busy scooping out holes and keeping them ice free, playing
with the shiners and chasing yellow perch flags. The yellow perch kept us busy between all of us I lost count how many we
caught. I had a couple of runs that took out some line but nobody home when I when for the hook sets. Ray had what was undoubtedly
a salmon on that had the spool screaming but when he set the hook it came unbuttoned, better luck next time buddy. The spot
we wanted to set up on was already taken when we got there and it gave up two salmon for one of the guys in that group. A
5 and 6 pounder, those guys seemed nice and were fun talking too. The spot where Ray had his screaming run was the spot closest
to where they were set up. The salmon may not have co-operated for us but the yellow perch action was allot of fun and it
was also a blast introducing the little guy to ice fishing. Tight Lines and Take a kid fishing!
January-09-2010: Ice Fishing for Atlantic Salmon, MA
Happy New Year everyone. It's hard to believe as I write this entry
into this digital journal that it's 2010 already, time sure does fly by. This is my 3rd year sharing pics, stories, misspellings
and improper grammar......LOL! Well it was my first time out this new year ice fishing and a great beginning of another
season. I wanted to target something big, so I debated between going after pike or (broodstock) Atlantic Salmon. I decided
to chase the salmon and boy I’m glad I did. My friend Bill and Bert joined me.
I set my 5 tip ups along with Bert's 5 tip ups. I rigged all the tilts with medium shiners, 3 feet under the ice. Some say
these brood Atlantic's are not line shy but I believe sometimes they will drop the bait if they feel a steel leader attached
to their morsel of food. Not wanting to take a risk and knowing big salmon are far and few. I spent the night before tying
on some 10 lbmonofilament line leaders and experimented with down sizing my hooks to a size 8 (blood red). Without the fish
feeling a bulkier hook my theory was it would be less likely to spit out the bait. I hoped that I would get the opportunity
to test this very simple theory. After only 2 wind flags in about 3 hours of fishing I was starting to have my doubts. Finally
another flag went up in a spot I had felt confident in and this time the spool was screaming line. I had planned on letting
Bert take it but I warned him it was a real big salmon and that it would have to be played out carefully or the mono line
would break or the hook would come unbuttoned and that he would not just be able to yank it out like the small bass and pickerel
he's used to forcing up from the one other ice fishing trip he did years back. After hearing that and being inexperienced
with ice fishing herelinquished the tip up back to me again. When I put the breaks on him I knew with certainty
it was a good one. I played it for a bit and it made a handful of runs. Each time it got near the hole it would bolt again.
Because the fish was making so many runs I had Bert still help out by holding up the trap to help keep the line from getting
caught on any of the ice crevices. Bill filmed some of the battle and also helped undo a tangle on the spool right before
the fish made another run. The head started to get near the hole again and I did not want to risk lifting the fish straight
up and breaking the line so I gaffed the fish to get her out of the hole. These old retired broodstock fish are stocked for
put and take and don't hold over for very long. I estimated the fish between 10-12 pounds. A couple hours after landing the
fish I got her on a certified scale at a local bait shop and she officially weighed in at 10 lbs 5 ounces. She probably shed
some ounces from just the blood alone she lost. She probably would have went 10 and a half pounds had she been weighed immediately
after capture. Regardless the fish more than met the weight qualification for a state pin award. A great fish to start the
new fishing season with. I hope to get a video up of this catch soon. Thanks again to Bill and Bert, not sure I would have
landed it without your help guys. Can't wait to get back on the ice again, Tight Lines All!
MY FIRST FISH OF 2010
WHAT A BATTLE
MY CREW OF THE DAY STRIKE A POSE
EVEN THE FISH SMILED
POOR SHINER!
Updated frequently, so check back often.
DON'T BE CAMERA SHY! Send us your Report,
Pictures & Grace