Who loves fishing ?

[Amarok]

Been getting out a fair bit this summer, mostly river fishing with a few lake trips thrown in. It's been fun, but nothing I felt compelled to write up, just simple good times.
Today I was out looking after some business north of the city and afterwards went to look at a river I'd never fished (the Pembina, for any Albertans). I parked under a bridge and went upstream first. Bank was rough and brushy, with some nasty overgrown and hidden beaver runs that could have snapped the leg of an unobservant hiker. Didn’t go far before finding a big pile of fairly fresh bear shit. River looked crappy ahead anyway so I went back to the bridge to try downstream.

Found a nice trail that paralleled the river for a ways before swinging east. It took a while to find a way down to the river from the trail through the super thick brush, but eventually I broke through and started fishing back toward the bridge, trying not to step on any of the tiny frogs that were hopping everywhere.

After a while I started registering the moose tracks that I was following. They were HUGE. There were places where I was walking on top of the sand and he was sinking in 8 inches. I could tell the tracks were fresh, but as I got into some taller grass I realized that they were brand new, as the grass was still bent over from his passage. He had likely been going south along the riverbank while I was going north on the trail 30-40 yards away. It always blows my mind how such a massive beast can move almost silently through brush I have to fight through.

So even though it was a short and skunky time(the river was very low and weedy, basically unfishable), it was nice to get out in the wild country and to be reminded I’m a tiny weak critter who better keep his wits about him.

 

[Ramjet159]

A few historical pics when down at the pub for lunch today tells a story of the history of our coastal town . Like most coastal remote towns it survives on primary production : Fishing and farming with a dash of tourism Poling tuna from the 60s through to the 90s ( no longer practiced ) A basket of Skipjack tuna being hauled aboard from the perse net A typical 60-70s wooden hull 60ft long tuna pole boat the Velebit . It mysteriously sank during the 80s just before the Skipper was about to retire , funny that . No fatalities, my old mans boat rescued the crew .

 

[Amarok]

Those are great photos, Ramjet!
(Did the skipper's insurance pay for a nice retirement? )
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Haven't been out much due to prepping for the move, but I did manage a few hours at the river yesterday afternoon. Had a couple hits and a stolen minnow on the first two casts and thought it was going to be hot, but no such luck. It slowed right down after, but never completely died off.

I had to work the area to find them and keep changing up presentations and retrieve speeds to find what would trigger a hit, but over 2 or 3 hours I lost a couple and landed three small pike. Two of the three fought well above their weight class, taking runs and even the odd jump.

Water was incredibly clear, which added to the challenge but also added to the fun, as a few times I could see the pike down on bottom. Once, after feeling what felt like a very light hit, I looked down in time to see the second hit, about 1.5m below my feet. He was one of the ones that fought like crazy.

It was a nice way to spend a beautiful fall day. Had the sun in the sky, music in my ears, flower in the bowl and tea in my mug. Catching a few fish was a nice bonus.
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Night time lows will be below freezing next week, but I'm still hoping for some more warm days before the time comes to trade the boat for the ice auger.

 

[Amarok]

Does anyone else come home with nicks and cuts, from hooks or teeth, and feel almost like it's an acceptable blood sacrifice to nature?

I know it's a strange question, but yesterday for example, a walleye thrashed as I was unhooking him and the circle hook left a pretty good gouge in my finger (one good thing about the cold, wounds bleed a lot less). Like always, I was having a little conversation with the fish as I landed and unhooked him, and after he got me I told him "fair exchange, you gave me some entertainment, you deserve your bit of payback". (in case you're wondering, I'm not crazy. The fish almost never answer.)

I've been chomped up countless times by pike, had hooks buried in my flesh, been drenched with icy water by thrashing tails, and it all seems like a very small trade for all the pleasure I get in return.

 

[Jewels]

Like always, I was having a little conversation with the fish

I speak with every animal that makes eye contact with me.

? I will happily continue, pretending that is completely normal.

 

[woodhippy]

I speak with every animal that makes eye contact with me.

? I will happily continue, pretending that is completely normal.

I thought I was the crazy guy in the woods. Glad to know I am not alone.
I also do this with animals taken for food. Every life has a purpose.

 

[Amarok]

I'm not a spiritual guy, but I'm the same way. I recall reading about native people thanking the spirit of the animals they harvested and I guess I've just assimilated the concept.

Fish, beavers, muskrats, deer, coyotes, foxes....I've had chats with 'em all.

One day I had a muskrat chewing on grass on the bank of the river, six feet from my head, at eye level. I talked to him quietly and he finished his snack and went down and around me at a distance of no more that 2 or 3 feet, before slipping into the river. I've had beavers chomping away at a branch 10 feet away from me, I had a fox walk with me at almost heel distance through Suncor up at Fort Mac.

I know life isn't a disney cartoon and wild animals are indeed wild, but so far staying calm and being aware and observant have kept me safe and given me some fun little experiences.

 

[Ramjet159]

Those are great photos, Ramjet!
(Did the skipper's insurance pay for a nice retirement? )
-----------------------------

Haven't been out much due to prepping for the move, but I did manage a few hours at the river yesterday afternoon. Had a couple hits and a stolen minnow on the first two casts and thought it was going to be hot, but no such luck. It slowed right down after, but never completely died off.

I had to work the area to find them and keep changing up presentations and retrieve speeds to find what would trigger a hit, but over 2 or 3 hours I lost a couple and landed three small pike. Two of the three fought well above their weight class, taking runs and even the odd jump.

Water was incredibly clear, which added to the challenge but also added to the fun, as a few times I could see the pike down on bottom. Once, after feeling what felt like a very light hit, I looked down in time to see the second hit, about 1.5m below my feet. He was one of the ones that fought like crazy.

It was a nice way to spend a beautiful fall day. Had the sun in the sky, music in my ears, flower in the bowl and tea in my mug. Catching a few fish was a nice bonus.
------------------------------
Night time lows will be below freezing next week, but I'm still hoping for some more warm days before the time comes to trade the boat for the ice auger.

Apologies for the late reply . Only just saw your question . Yep the insurers paid out nicely and it sank in deep enough water where the wreck was difficult to inspect for potential divers . It was a common event back then to see the older boats mysteriously sink with all crew safety accounted for ?.
Having said that like most fishing towns we have a memorial monument on the docks of those tragic never came home souls . I lost a good friend a few years ago when he got flung overboard at night prawn fishing or what you guys would call shrimp fishing . Really shocked me as he was so experienced and was one of the last guys I would’ve expected that to happen too . Had a young family and all . Sent me a good reminder that you can be taken at any time, veteran or not the sea shows no mercy

 

[woodhippy]

I know life isn't a disney cartoon and wild animals are indeed wild, but so far staying calm and being aware and observant have kept me safe and given me some fun little experiences.

This has worked for me all my life. Was really helpful with the 15 years I did as a Land Surveyor Crew Chief. Getting paid to travel through the woods.

 

[Amarok]

Couple photos from earlier in the week. One of a small walleye and one of "home base". I'm usually working a slip bobber rig around, but I need a place to sit and have a tea and a toke once in a while.






Had a couple fish cops come down and check me out at sunset last night. They were cool. We chatted for a few minutes after the formalities were completed.

The day these pics were taken, I listened to a clumsy mule deer bash his way through the bush before making his way out to the riverbank straight across from me. I watched him make his way along the bank for close to half a click, including when he was bouncing through the grass on all four legs at the same time(stotting?) and put his front legs into a trench right above a beaver lodge and nearly did a face plant . I guess they all can't be graceful.

 

[billyhunter]

A few historical pics when down at the pub for lunch today tells a story of the history of our coastal town . Like most coastal remote towns it survives on primary production : Fishing and farming with a dash of tourism View attachment 80765 Poling tuna from the 60s through to the 90s ( no longer practiced ) View attachment 80764 A basket of Skipjack tuna being hauled aboard from the perse net View attachment 80766 A typical 60-70s wooden hull 60ft long tuna pole boat the Velebit . It mysteriously sank during the 80s just before the Skipper was about to retire , funny that . No fatalities, my old mans boat rescued the crew .

i did that shit as a lad !! bloody hard work but a fantastic sense of freedom out there ! only 40ft boats then in this part of the southern ocean where a lot of shit would be dished up to you .. these days though it's mainly estuary fishing for king george whiting , flathead and prawns !

 

[Ramjet159]

i did that shit as a lad !! bloody hard work but a fantastic sense of freedom out there ! only 40ft boats then in this part of the southern ocean where a lot of shit would be dished up to you .. these days though it's mainly estuary fishing for king george whiting , flathead and prawns !

Ah I can tell your a local when your talking King George ?? And yep Tuna Fishing is by far the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life . When you weren’t chasing Tuna you were chasing live bait at night . Was a long hard season .

 

[billyhunter]

Ah I can tell your a local when your talking King George ?? And yep Tuna Fishing is by far the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life . When you weren’t chasing Tuna you were chasing live bait at night . Was a long hard season . View attachment 88661

hey , nice lot of KG's ramjet ! got a few over here in the west to 65cm .. tasty feckas ..

 

[Ramjet159]

hey , nice lot of KG's ramjet ! got a few over here in the west to 65cm .. tasty feckas ..

65 are slob size . My brother caught them trawling for market fish in the Head of the Bight in 80 metres of water around that size and bigger . I never thought they’d be out that deep but there you go . From memory I think he said they tasted ok but were maybe too big . You guys are blessed with some beautiful eating fish in the west . Swordfish , Jewfish , Blue bone , Red emperor all premium table fish . It’s a pretty harsh coast to work in though in areas . I trained with the Masters on the Geralton tugboats in open swell . Crazy stuff !!! Big respect for those guys ??

 

[billyhunter]

i here ya ramjet ..these were in shallow water 10-15 mt and ate excellent . i fish on the rough southcoast for harlequin , blackarse and nannagai which i doubt you'd beat for taste but sometimes it's an effort with these seas . i have fished up north and it's like a bloody lake compared to down here ..lol
but all in all , i just love being out there and getting a bit of spray in the face , catching a feed and having a beer and a cook up back home , cheers

 

[Amarok]

The local creek has close to 3 inches of ice as of this afternoon. With no warm weather in the forecast, some of the lakes will have enough ice for the brave and/or foolish to venture out within a few weeks.

I lay no claim to bravery, but my enthusiasm for fishing has definitely seen me be foolish a time or eighty.

 

[Amarok]

Bought a new insulated ice fishing tent and thought I'd done my splurge for the season, but ended up picking up a new sonar as well. It is a budget unit, but has the built in contour-mapping software, which is a huge upgrade. Not sure how much I'll be able to do over the winter, but next open water season I'll be picking some local lakes, mapping them out, and marking some structure. It will save a lot of time for future trips.

I was tempted to make the next jump in technology, but that increased the price by 50% once shipping was factored in, so I figured I'd save that extra $ for fuel and bait.

It's crazy what you can spend on freshwater fishing electronics these days if you choose to. I spent a tiny fraction of the cost of the unit linked, but I know guys who own this technology, if not this unit.

Lowrance® HDS-16 LIVE 3 in 1 | Cabela's Canada

• Active Imaging™ 3-in-1 (CHIRP/Side/Down) sonar ready • Active Imaging™ 2-in-1 (Side/Down) sonar ready • Smartphone notifications • High-performance dual-core processor • FishReveal™ Smart Target View • High-resolution SolarMAX™ HD multi-touch screen • Enhanced charts with 1-foot contours...

www.cabelas.ca

 

[Ramjet159]

Bought a new insulated ice fishing tent and thought I'd done my splurge for the season, but ended up picking up a new sonar as well. It is a budget unit, but has the built in contour-mapping software, which is a huge upgrade. Not sure how much I'll be able to do over the winter, but next open water season I'll be picking some local lakes, mapping them out, and marking some structure. It will save a lot of time for future trips.

I was tempted to make the next jump in technology, but that increased the price by 50% once shipping was factored in, so I figured I'd save that extra $ for fuel and bait.

It's crazy what you can spend on freshwater fishing electronics these days if you choose to. I spent a tiny fraction of the cost of the unit linked, but I know guys who own this technology, if not this unit.

Lowrance® HDS-16 LIVE 3 in 1 | Cabela's Canada

• Active Imaging™ 3-in-1 (CHIRP/Side/Down) sonar ready • Active Imaging™ 2-in-1 (Side/Down) sonar ready • Smartphone notifications • High-performance dual-core processor • FishReveal™ Smart Target View • High-resolution SolarMAX™ HD multi-touch screen • Enhanced charts with 1-foot contours...

www.cabelas.ca

I still remember in the the mid to late 80s our first pro satellite navigation systems where you had to wait for an available satellite to be overhead after you’d punched in the latitude and longitude then wait for the data fed back which gave you a range and bearing to your position required . That was it , no map . Was so slow and archaic but I guess it had to start somewhere ??‍♂️

 

[Amarok]

I still remember in the the mid to late 80s our first pro satellite navigation systems where you had to wait for an available satellite to be overhead after you’d punched in the latitude and longitude then wait for the data fed back which gave you a range and bearing to your position required . That was it , no map . Was so slow and archaic but I guess it had to start somewhere ??‍♂️

Yeah, once the Yanks opened up access to their GPS satellites it changed the world.

How many people these days have never read a paper map or used a compass?

I would imagine you, @Ramjet159, could still pull out the old instruments and maps if you needed to navigate back to shore, as could most of the seafarers of your generation and older. ( Is learning to navigate by instruments still common?)

I always have a basic map in my mind, especially if on foot. At the bare minimum I have clearly defined boundaries ( rivers, roads, or other geographical features) so as long as my compass can keep me on a reasonably straight course, I will eventually be able to make it out. The more time I spend, the more detail I add to that mental map.

I love the new tech, but consider it vital to learn the old ways first. My kid learned to navigate by street signs and maps and memory before ever being allowed to use GPS, and has thanked me for it.

 

[Ramjet159]

Yeah, once the Yanks opened up access to their GPS satellites it changed the world.

How many people these days have never read a paper map or used a compass?

I would imagine you, @Ramjet159, could still pull out the old instruments and maps if you needed to navigate back to shore, as could most of the seafarers of your generation and older. ( Is learning to navigate by instruments still common?)

I always have a basic map in my mind, especially if on foot. At the bare minimum I have clearly defined boundaries ( rivers, roads, or other geographical features) so as long as my compass can keep me on a reasonably straight course, I will eventually be able to make it out. The more time I spend, the more detail I add to that mental map.

I love the new tech, but consider it vital to learn the old ways first. My kid learned to navigate by street signs and maps and memory before ever being allowed to use GPS, and has thanked me for it.

We have to by law still retain maps , dividers , parallel rule , Compass magnetic/gyro onboard for survey requirements if all that means anything to you and if we do long voyages around the coast generally when delivering or picking up new vessels we have to use both plotting a course on map progressively and cross referencing our position with electronic equipment every hour which is roughly 10-12 miles depending on tide and wind .
If we are only working domestic waters close to home in say a 20 -40 mile range we generally just use electronic as our local knowledge holds us in good stead accompanied by radar etc .
I honestly think if your going offshore you’d be crazy to rely solely on your electronic equipment for obvious reasons and if your a half decent sailor you should roughly know by the Sun , direction of Swell and speed over distance where you roughly are .