Who loves fishing ?

[Mim Towls]

Back to the river this morning.

A ~24" pike slammed an inline spinner about a foot off shore shortly after arrival to kill the skunk.

Action was slow, lots of little hits and a couple better ones but no hookups. I moved around a bit and finally got a decent strike. I took up the slack, set the hook and said "sturgeon!"

Then I said "this ain't no 30-some incher" as the rod bent in half. My heart started racing.

As is common, it came in heavy but easy until it realized it was hooked. Then it was a couple short runs, including one toward the beaver lodge, and for the first time I said "there's no way I'm going to land this"

Steered it out of the brush(who am I kidding, it went where it choose to go) and then it got serious. The fight was already over 5 minutes in when it took the first serious run. I just watched helplessly as the line peeled off the spool as the dinosaur went straight across the river.

Finally turned the head and put a little line on the spool before it turned again and just peeled drag, heading straight for the massive bridge support, nearly 100 yards away. I saw my line go around and disappear behind the support and knew I'd never land this fish.

But I'm too dumb to quit. I ran upstream to get a better angle and I slowly started gaining line until it came back around the support. Yes!

Then the sinker snagged on bottom. Fuck!!!!

I gave it a few minutes to see if the snag would come loose before making the choice to force it. The weight broke away clean, just as designed. I felt the dinosaur start pulling, but it was tiring out.
We were now 20-25 minutes into the battle and I still haven't seen my opponent.

A few minutes later I landed an approximately 4 foot long sturgeon(estimated). We were both exhausted and I had no desire to cause further stress, so I made no attempt to get a photo out of the water. It swam away and I stared up at the sky and released a primal scream of pure animal triumph. What an incredible feeling.

This is the only picture I have of the fish that gave me the greatest experience I've ever had while fishing.

Be strong and make lots of little sturgeon babies, you wonderful creature. Thank you.

View attachment 169741

HELL YEAH!!! That is so awesome. What a beast, and such an awesome fight. I can picture it perfectly given your write up. Good stuff right there!! Congrats!!!!

 

[Mim Towls]

Which size is that you're slaying with? Do you get caught up very much using those swimbaits? Can you Texas rig them? You're killing it!

That keitech is 3.75" and the joshy swimbaits that I throw a ton are 2.75" and 3.25". I like the bigger size, but sometimes the fish are eating little so I keep the smalls too. The swimbaits changed my game for river fishing. It's tricky to rig up for a good hookset when doing them Texas style, but I have done it and brought fish in that way. The ball jig heads I use keep me pretty much snag free since the hook is facing upwards, I do a nice slow roll and keep it from bouncing bottom. The nice part about the jig heads is that if I do get snagged up, they bend out pretty easily.

I have had some really good luck using the shad shaped worm texas rig style with a bullet weight etc. Works really well, but those dang things don't last worth a crap. One fish per bait if you're lucky.

 

[Amarok]

Dude - Congrats! What a fucking battle and a great account - felt like I was there!

HELL YEAH!!! That is so awesome. What a beast, and such an awesome fight. I can picture it perfectly given your write up. Good stuff right there!! Congrats!!!!

Thank you, I'm happy I was able to convey some of the excitement. It was so much fun.

I honestly believed I wouldn't land it, after the first time it showed its power, so I just decided to enjoy the ride while it lasted.

The final few minutes after the weight broke loose were the least dramatic in turns of action but the most stressful. That was when I finally started believing I might actually land this fish.
It made a few turns and tried to run but wasn't able to get any momentum. After having recovered from the trip around the bridge support and then from the snag, I was picturing having the fish almost close enough to touch and the line finally giving up and snapping.

When I finally grabbed that tail, the relief and joy were off the charts.

------------------------------

Going back in a while to try for that one's grandpa.

I was using a heavy reel with a lighter rod this morning. I'll be breaking out the big gear for tonight. If I ever want to land a 6 footer, I'll need a lot more backbone in the rod.

If I understand the cycle correctly, from now until some time in July, there should be lots of chances to play with dinosaurs.

Hell @SSGrower, depending on your thoughts and wishes, we might turn this holiday into a full on dino-hunt. (all up to you. I'll have lots of chances)

 

[Hugh Jass]

That keitech is 3.75" and the joshy swimbaits that I throw a ton are 2.75" and 3.25". I like the bigger size, but sometimes the fish are eating little so I keep the smalls too. The swimbaits changed my game for river fishing. It's tricky to rig up for a good hookset when doing them Texas style, but I have done it and brought fish in that way. The ball jig heads I use keep me pretty much snag free since the hook is facing upwards, I do a nice slow roll and keep it from bouncing bottom. The nice part about the jig heads is that if I do get snagged up, they bend out pretty easily.

I have had some really good luck using the shad shaped worm texas rig style with a bullet weight etc. Works really well, but those dang things don't last worth a crap. One fish per bait if you're lucky.

I may give it a shot with some jig heads I got - if I keep getting hung on the shoals, I'll just put it down.
I feel the same way about the senko/dingers changing everything for me. I used to throw worms and lizards
but the senkos let me get to so many more holes because they throw so far. They also last for several fish.

 

[Mim Towls]

So I lied. Todays catch on the Nikko winnow 95. The Nikko stuff is bomb and super durable. I didn’t realize that’s what I had called the keitech

 

[sandman83]

those make great chatterbait trailers! Love the different sized keitechs...I wanna say I had the best luck with the under weight rig to keep them oriented properly. Spinnerbait/chatterbaits are my goto vs my buddy loves cranks.

 

[Psychobilly]

I have to say I've neve caught a Bass on purpose. I've landed some, but it was using a Carolina rig with a slip sinker, and normalize cut bait or a slim Jim lol. I've used them as bait before too, but all I caught that time was scourge Bass lol. Then again I've caught Snapping Turtles on Strawberry Dough bait for Carp and Channel Cats lol.

You guys ever try candy? I landed my first Pumpkin Seed on a Sour Patch Kid with an ice fishing Jig.

 

[Mim Towls]

those make great chatterbait trailers! Love the different sized keitechs...I wanna say I had the best luck with the under weight rig to keep them oriented properly. Spinnerbait/chatterbaits are my goto vs my buddy loves cranks.

Heck yeah, I didn't even think of running a chatterbait with that one. It already has a really nice wobble, so now I'm excited to see what the chatter adds. Thanks for that. I def like throwing blades more than anything, but I've had some really good luck with the square bill cranks too. Somehow they don't get snagged up a ton either.

 

[Mim Towls]

I have to say I've neve caught a Bass on purpose. I've landed some, but it was using a Carolina rig with a slip sinker, and normalize cut bait or a slim Jim lol. I've used them as bait before too, but all I caught that time was scourge Bass lol. Then again I've caught Snapping Turtles on Strawberry Dough bait for Carp and Channel Cats lol.

You guys ever try candy? I landed my first Pumpkin Seed on a Sour Patch Kid with an ice fishing Jig.

haha I wonder what a sour patch tastes like to a fish

 

[sandman83]

not candy, but hot dogs, canned corn, leftover raw bacon, moldy cheese,etc sure! As a kid whatever was left is what i grabbed to fish the canal with. I'm still more likely than not to just toss a nightcrawler under a bobber and relax instead of 'power fishing' all over the dang place.

 

[Psychobilly]

haha I wonder what a sour patch tastes like to a fish

Lol, bro Sun Fish like candy for some reason. They will eat bread too, but keeping that in a hook is difficult at best. Better to toss a few pieces of bread out to get them feeding on it, and then putting a piece of Styrofoam on a hook since it stays on better. When you can sight fish like that you just have to set the hook as soon as you see them go for it so that can't spit it out once they taste that it isn't bread, but a look alike lol.

You keep tossing bread out though, or they may get suspicious.

not candy, but hot dogs, canned corn, leftover raw bacon, moldy cheese,etc sure! As a kid whatever was left is what i grabbed to fish the canal with. I'm still more likely than not to just toss a nightcrawler under a bobber and relax instead of 'power fishing' all over the dang place.

Hot Dogs work great on small Channel Cats and probably Bullheads too. Corn is great! Catfish and Carp will take that. They make corn lures for Carp in England. Raw Bacon or Bacon Jerky are good for a Channel Cat too

Moldy Cheese.... bro you better have your heaviest gear if you use that.... I'm not easy to land lol. And I'll destroy your net too... lol.

I'm near woods a lot, and sometimes I have gear and not much bait, so whatever is slower than my hands are, ends up on a hook.

I can't use Catfish or Sturgeon for bait out of my love for them, so I'm unlikely to get a decent Flathead, but the rest I don't mind. I use Perch, or Carp, or Suckers, or... I've used Frogs, Lake Trout, Salmon, Sun Fish. Whatever I catch that isn't a Cat basically lol.

Just got back from a blunt in the woods that had lots of Kief added in so, tight lines, and stanky Genetics everyone

 

[Mim Towls]

not candy, but hot dogs, canned corn, leftover raw bacon, moldy cheese,etc sure! As a kid whatever was left is what i grabbed to fish the canal with. I'm still more likely than not to just toss a nightcrawler under a bobber and relax instead of 'power fishing' all over the dang place.

Me and my buddy have a spot we take my aluminum boat to go catfishing " grandpa style". We use bobbers, jig heads and night crawlers ( not the whole thing just a little piece) and have a ball. Something special about that type of fishin' .

 

[Ramjet159]

Back to the river this morning.

A ~24" pike slammed an inline spinner about a foot off shore shortly after arrival to kill the skunk.

Action was slow, lots of little hits and a couple better ones but no hookups. I moved around a bit and finally got a decent strike. I took up the slack, set the hook and said "sturgeon!"

Then I said "this ain't no 30-some incher" as the rod bent in half. My heart started racing.

As is common, it came in heavy but easy until it realized it was hooked. Then it was a couple short runs, including one toward the beaver lodge, and for the first time I said "there's no way I'm going to land this"

Steered it out of the brush(who am I kidding, it went where it choose to go) and then it got serious. The fight was already over 5 minutes in when it took the first serious run. I just watched helplessly as the line peeled off the spool as the dinosaur went straight across the river.

Finally turned the head and put a little line on the spool before it turned again and just peeled drag, heading straight for the massive bridge support, nearly 100 yards away. I saw my line go around and disappear behind the support and knew I'd never land this fish.

But I'm too dumb to quit. I ran upstream to get a better angle and I slowly started gaining line until it came back around the support. Yes!

Then the sinker snagged on bottom. Fuck!!!!

I gave it a few minutes to see if the snag would come loose before making the choice to force it. The weight broke away clean, just as designed. I felt the dinosaur start pulling, but it was tiring out.
We were now 20-25 minutes into the battle and I still haven't seen my opponent.

A few minutes later I landed an approximately 4 foot long sturgeon(estimated). We were both exhausted and I had no desire to cause further stress, so I made no attempt to get a photo out of the water. It swam away and I stared up at the sky and released a primal scream of pure animal triumph. What an incredible feeling.

This is the only picture I have of the fish that gave me the greatest experience I've ever had while fishing.

Be strong and make lots of little sturgeon babies, you wonderful creature. Thank you.

View attachment 169741

Awesome fishing story and well told . So lucky not to part the line by the sound of it . That’s a beast in fresh water in any part of the world . I think I’m gonna YouTube binge on Sturgeon fishing later on ?. That monster Billy put up awhile ago is unbelievable . I wonder how old it was ?

 

[Mim Towls]

a piece of Styrofoam

my lil trick for panfish is keeping a couple fly/nymphs lures in my box. If I ever need to pull a quick gill, I just bounce a lil' fly across the water and they always eat. I actually haven't caught a panfish yet this year, maybe I'll yank one out today for shits and gigs.

 

[Mim Towls]

Just knocked out some veg work in a hurry to get back to my stretch of river. The little bits of action I have been getting are juuuust enough to keep me obsessing. I learned where 4 more nice smallies live yesterday. Every time I catch a glimpse of a nice smallie, I hear franks voice from Donnie Darko saying “ Now you know where he lives”.

I might skip 2 lowheads down today and try to see if I can grab a saugeye. Maybe. The area gets seedier the further down river I go and last time I got ate up by some kinda chiggers down there.

 

[Hugh Jass]

The area gets seedier the further down river I go and last time I got ate up by some kinda chiggers down there.

Get it! I'm thinking of changing my name to "TickBait."

 

[Psychobilly]

Me and my buddy have a spot we take my aluminum boat to go catfishing " grandpa style". We use bobbers, jig heads and night crawlers ( not the whole thing just a little piece) and have a ball. Something special about that type of fishin' .

All Catfishing is special

Awesome fishing story and well told . So lucky not to part the line by the sound of it . That’s a beast in fresh water in any part of the world . I think I’m gonna YouTube binge on Sturgeon fishing later on ?. That monster Billy put up awhile ago is unbelievable . I wonder how old it was ?

*Cough* Lake St. Clair *cough*

my lil trick for panfish is keeping a couple fly/nymphs lures in my box. If I ever need to pull a quick gill, I just bounce a lil' fly across the water and they always eat. I actually haven't caught a panfish yet this year, maybe I'll yank one out today for shits and gigs.

Bro I've seen dudes use a Fly for Panfish and SLAY them LOL. They love that.

Get it! I'm thinking of changing my name to "TickBait."

Nature is amazing huh? Imagine; Something out there wants to bury it's head in your old ass hahahaha.

 

[Hugh Jass]

I know everyone knows this dude, but some solid pike and musky action here
Plus that bird lure is just hypnotic... glub, glub, glub...

 

[Psychobilly]

I know everyone knows this dude, but some solid pike and musky action here
Plus that bird lure is just hypnotic... glub, glub, glub...

The real thing works here. Toss the ol' Walmart Eagle on a hook (Seagull) lol.

Flippin' the bird for Pike lol.

 

[Mim Towls]

I know everyone knows this dude, but some solid pike and musky action here
Plus that bird lure is just hypnotic... glub, glub, glub...

saw that last night laying in bed....and I woke my girl up saying " I have that LURE!" haha I wish I could fish those waters in North Dakota.... that dude hits some pristine spots. He's awesome.