TheFin.com

Getting ready to fish!

According to my records I'm about 2 months away from catching my first striped bass of 2008 (my log shows that I caught my first bass last year on April 28 and caught it on a chartreuse and white clouser).

This brings up the topic of preparation.  How do I get ready for the fishing season?
Here is the beginning of a list (its sure to get longer):
1. Start tying flies like crazy (jiggies, clousers, epoxies, sand eels, deceivers, hollow fleyes...)
2. Check/change all rusty or bent hooks on all plugs (w/VMC 4x)
3. Check all rods and reels for damage and if needed send back for repair
4. Buy new waders
5. Replace missing studs in Korkers
6. Buy a new wading top
7. Replace flashlight batteries
8. Start researching early season bass spots

Fishing Manhattan Beach Style

Greetings from California.  I visited the Manhattan Beach Pier yesterday and snapped a few photos.  The fishermen there have an interesting style of fishing live bait.  First, they cast out a sinker as far as they can and then attach the bait to the line and let it slide into the water.  The water looked to be about 20 feet deep or more so the live bait has plenty of room to swim around naturally.  The only thing I question is, how do you set the hook effectively with the sinker on the ocean floor and the bait somewhere in between?  I did not see anyone catching but the guys I spoke to said it works every time. 

Ice fishing at home

Since it's snowing out, it seems like an appropriate time to discus ice fishing.  A friend just sent me an article from todays Boston Globe, you can read it HERE.  It's all about the popularity of ice fishing as a family sport....but what caught my attention were the photos of the ice fishing huts (if that's what you call them).   They have beds, TVs, and fireplaces!

(Must look great sitting in the front yard during the off season!)

 

5,729,669 views on YouTube - Hammerhead Attacks a Tarpon

With that many views it's got to be worth a look no? Ehhh not sure I agree with the hype. Is there a way to artificially increase the number of views?

Which presidential hopefuls are fishermen?

Since it's Super Tuesday I thought I'd do a little research to see which one of our presidential hopefuls is a fishermen:

-Barack Obama: I don't see any info that Barack is a fisherman
-Hillary Clinton: Can't find any on Hillary either
-John McCain: John is an avid fisherman according to his website
-Mike Huckabee: According to an article in Outdoor Life Mike is an avid angler and hunter
-Mitt Romney: I'm not sure how avid but based on Boston Globe article Mitt has done some salmon fishing in Alaska

Regardless of who you are voting for, get out and vote today.

Paris Hilton in Parade magazine: "I love fishing" Huh???

In the latest issue of Parade magazine Paris Hilton reveals little known secrets about herself (I didn't know there were any).   When asked "What would surprise us about you?" She responded

"...I love fishing. I like to catch them, but I don’t eat them. I just put them right back, because I feel bad for them."  If you're interested here is the whole article.

CT boy breaks Florida state record for heaviest bull shark

Minnesota & Fishing

Just a quick blurb from a Reuters article someone sent me this morning:

MINNESOTA:
Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Hawaii and Florida combined. Not surprisingly, fishing is a passion: nearly half of the state's 5.2 million residents count themselves as anglers and the ratio of boats to people is the highest in the country.

Also, here is some more info on fishing in Minnesota:
-Fish Species
-State Records
-Fishing Seasons