Big Fish!

I got the opportunity to spend last thursday evening with my son fishing for cats on Badin Lake in New London. Friday was his birthday, and this was our “celebration.” We stopped at Bojangles on the way to the lake and got some chicken and biscuits for dinner in the boat, and headed to the launch.

We were catching bait at 6:45, my son throwing the cast net and me at the helm of the trolling motor.  We had our catfish lines in the water at 8:05 PM, and the first strike hit at 8:25. I grabbed the rod, and when he stopped his initial run, I set the hook hard twice, and he headed right for the boat as fast as he could swim. He was at the boat quick, and the real battle began to net the pig. We got it done, and the fish weighed between 35-40 pounds, a big blue cat.

Over the next three hours, we landed another eleven fish, all channel cats between 3-10 lbs. The second fish we landed flopped in the boat and jumped right into the Bojangles box, so dinner was a bust. We released all the fish, and got home around 2:00 AM.

There’s nothing I enjoy more than spending time on the lake, and no one I’d rather do it with than my son. He is becoming a proficient catfish hunter, and he makes me proud every day.

By the way, some of the fish he landed came on the spiral wrapped catfish rod he built with me. Makes it all the mre fun.

Fishing Rod Seminar

Did you ever walk into your local sporting goods retailer and marvel at the shear number of fishing rods for sale on display? Have you picked up ten or twenty, tried to understand what the difference was and walk out of the aisle more confused than when you arrived? Ever wonder what the difference was between a $29 rod and a $229 rod?

Well, here’s some help for you if you live in the Lake Norman area. On April 22 at 6:30 PM I will be joining local Lake Norman expert and guide Gus Gustafson for a two hour discussion on selecting the right rod & reel for you. We will meet at the Gander Mountain store in Mooresville, and at the end of the evening I guarantee you will leave with some good information on how to navigate through the fishing section of your retailer and make the right purchase decision.

Topics will include how rods are made, understanding power and action, how to pick the right one for your particular fishing preference, and a look at some of the newest innovation in fishing equipment. Mark your calendar and get there early if you want a seat.

2009 ICRBE

Well, after all the anticipation and waiting, the International Custom Rod Builders Expo has come and gone. It feels kind of like waiting all Thanksgiving Day for the turkey to get to the table, and 15  minutes later, you’re done eating. But just like on turkey day, I came away stuffed with ideas and innovations from the best builders in the world.

Some of the highlights for me were the seminars on micro guides and abalone. But there was so much more. Plenty of opportunity to pick up and feel new blank designs, new grip and seat materials and configurations, and a chance to reconnect with friends made at past events.

Here’s a few photos from this year’s Expo:

Jason Brunner, St. Croix Design Engineer

 

 

Anglers Resource - Our source for Fuji Components

 

 

Abalone Underwrap

 

First Day on the Expo Floor

I hope these pictures give you a little taste of this year’s Expo. As soon as I perfect some of the innovative concepts I saw last weekend, I will post pictures of the results. To stick with the thanksgiving analogy, getting busy with the new ideas I picked up at the “table” is like going back for that late afternoon turkey sandwich and pumpkin pie.

If you were there, you know what I mean. If you weren’t, I hope you get to attend next year.

Fishing in Afghanistan

 

I didn’t even know they had fish in Afghanistan. I thought it was all sand. But here I see that one enterprising afghani soldier has developed a “surefire” method for catching fish. Take a look.

Whipping the Females…

Not what you expected when your google search brought you here? Sorry to disappoint you, but I had to write about a fly rod building blogsite I found that posts tutorials on the different steps in building a fly rod. I can only assume that the blog originates across the “pond,” where rodbuilding jargon is a little different than it is here in the states.

What we, or at least I call wrapping is referred to as “whipping’ in England. So this post I found had to do with doing wraps on the female part of the ferrules, or “whipping the females”. Kind of makes rodbuilding even more sexy than it already is, don’t you think? 

The Catfish That Ate a Basketball…

…or tried to, at least.  This story came from The Ultimate Fishing Blog, althought I have seen it bounce around the internet before. It is worth a laugh, though, just the same.

True Fish Story

A guy who lives at Lake Macquarie (50 miles north of Gosford near Newcastle) saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate. It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.

The bloke tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish. You probably wouldn’t have believed this, if you hadn’t seen the following pictures…