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anyone here into fishing? (1 Viewer)

The opening day of trout season in Pa is a big deal. 
Always a 8 am start, middle of April. Was scheduled for the 18th this yr.

Streams are LINED with people. It’s tradition for a lot of folks. I used to trout fish ALOT. When my dad couldn’t go anymore about 10 yrs ago that was also when I was coaching my daughters softball teams. I haven’t bought a license since ‘10

Anyway with the golf courses and pretty much everything else closed right now I’ve been thinking of getting out this year

The fish commission came on the news this morning out of nowhere and announced that opening day is TODAY at 8 am lol. They wanted to minimize crowds is what I’ve read

 
If people are lined up on the shore, I can understand why they wouldn’t want that. Not allowing people out in boats makes zero sense. But what the hell do I know, I think you can safely golf right now as well.

 
Was watching a muskie jump tonight.  At least 4-5 times, 40 yards off shore right by my place.  Just hang tight for another 25 days.  Was so tempting to throw a topraider at it.  

 
I took my kayak out on a small lake/dammed river on Sunday morning.  I was the first person there and worked my way up the lake and into the river portion like I usually do.  I didn't have much luck but it was a beautiful day.  On my way back down the river I find the lake portion completely packed with people.  Bass boats, kayaks, people all over the shoreline and people just driving around.  I know everyone is looking to get out but I can't stand being around that many people on a normal day, let alone with this crap going on.  All I could think about was how soon all our public waters are going to be shut down because people are too stupid.

 
The opening day of trout season in Pa is a big deal. 
Always a 8 am start, middle of April. Was scheduled for the 18th this yr.

Streams are LINED with people. It’s tradition for a lot of folks. I used to trout fish ALOT. When my dad couldn’t go anymore about 10 yrs ago that was also when I was coaching my daughters softball teams. I haven’t bought a license since ‘10

Anyway with the golf courses and pretty much everything else closed right now I’ve been thinking of getting out this year

The fish commission came on the news this morning out of nowhere and announced that opening day is TODAY at 8 am lol. They wanted to minimize crowds is what I’ve read
This post brings back memories.  Back in the early 80's me and my buddies would take a tent and sleep out to keep our fishing spot. It was an old coal strip mine out on Middle Road Extension,. Deer Creek maybe?  Pgh guys help me out if you know the place. 

 
If people are lined up on the shore, I can understand why they wouldn’t want that. Not allowing people out in boats makes zero sense. But what the hell do I know, I think you can safely golf right now as well.
In western Pa. These are mostly small streams and creeks that get stocked.  The joke used to be that there were so many lines in the water at North Park that the water level would rise.  

 
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Picked up a 1960 Crestliner 14’ aluminum fishing boat last week. Tested it for watertight yesterday and it’s good. Getting a nice older 9.5hp Evinrude from a friend’s dad who is done fishing. Should be a great little boat for the kids and their cousins to fish and tool around in.  11-yo son can’t wait!

 
Drove up to the little creek by my house this morning and kicked up about 3 dozen minnows

Headed up to a spot I used to fish alot with my dad after lunch. People everywhere. Walked down stream away from the crowds and fished about a quarter mile stretch of deep riffle.

Caught and released probably 12 rainbows and one brown. Had ahold of and lost a few more. Had a blast  

 
Picked up a 1960 Crestliner 14’ aluminum fishing boat last week. Tested it for watertight yesterday and it’s good. Getting a nice older 9.5hp Evinrude from a friend’s dad who is done fishing. Should be a great little boat for the kids and their cousins to fish and tool around in.  11-yo son can’t wait!
Wish I still had a 14'er.  It was awesome for the smaller, no gas, lakes.  Throw it in the back of the truck with a battery and trolling motor.  Caught quite a few muskies from it.  

 
Suppose to be leaving early tomorrow morning for my first tournament this weekend.  Pretty bummed out about it since I had been preparing for it for months.  Hoping I can get out around here sometime this weekend.  Went last Friday afternoon and caught a bunch of nice smallmouth bass.  It was a good day.

 
The opening day of trout season in Pa is a big deal. 
Always a 8 am start, middle of April. Was scheduled for the 18th this yr.

Streams are LINED with people. It’s tradition for a lot of folks. I used to trout fish ALOT. When my dad couldn’t go anymore about 10 yrs ago that was also when I was coaching my daughters softball teams. I haven’t bought a license since ‘10

Anyway with the golf courses and pretty much everything else closed right now I’ve been thinking of getting out this year

The fish commission came on the news this morning out of nowhere and announced that opening day is TODAY at 8 am lol. They wanted to minimize crowds is what I’ve read
Delaware did the same thing a week earlier and added a youth day, 1 day before the opener.  Took my 13yr old down to the creek with the expectation that it would be crowded (we were going to leave if it was).  We had our entire honey hole to ourselves.  He loved it - caught 5 in 45 mins.

They have always posted the stocking schedule, but announced they're not going to follow the schedule and will stock at random times to avoid the goons from congregating during the stock days.

 
Ned said:
Delaware did the same thing a week earlier and added a youth day, 1 day before the opener.  Took my 13yr old down to the creek with the expectation that it would be crowded (we were going to leave if it was).  We had our entire honey hole to ourselves.  He loved it - caught 5 in 45 mins.

They have always posted the stocking schedule, but announced they're not going to follow the schedule and will stock at random times to avoid the goons from congregating during the stock days.
Same here with the stocking schedule. 
 

I ran into a fish warden at sheetz gas pumps this morning and shot the breeze for a minute. He says he doesn’t even know the schedule til the day before but did tell me they plan to do all the in season stocking by the end of this month

 
Same here with the stocking schedule. 
 

I ran into a fish warden at sheetz gas pumps this morning and shot the breeze for a minute. He says he doesn’t even know the schedule til the day before but did tell me they plan to do all the in season stocking by the end of this month
Honestly, I hope this is the new normal.  

 
Honestly, I hope this is the new normal.  
Oh absolutely. 
 

My friends and I used to meet the trucks for the preseason stocks and take buckets up or downstream from the big holes where everyone lines up

Theyd give us hell. They want the trout where they’re supposed to be so people catch them. Otherwise license sales go down

 
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I think Wisconsin's extension of the stay-at-home order just forced me to cancel my fishing trip to Rhinelander.  This sucks but I know it could be worse.

 
Going back to Crystal River for a half day inshore trip this Wednesday. Me and a couple of buddies are gonna try to put together a tuna trip in the coming weeks...Ive never caught a tuna and have been dying to, and tons of local charter Capts are posting ridiculous pics of tuna they're getting right now.

 
Going back to Crystal River for a half day inshore trip this Wednesday. Me and a couple of buddies are gonna try to put together a tuna trip in the coming weeks...Ive never caught a tuna and have been dying to, and tons of local charter Capts are posting ridiculous pics of tuna they're getting right now.
Awesome. I love going after the big guys.

 
Wingnut said:
Going back to Crystal River for a half day inshore trip this Wednesday. Me and a couple of buddies are gonna try to put together a tuna trip in the coming weeks...Ive never caught a tuna and have been dying to, and tons of local charter Capts are posting ridiculous pics of tuna they're getting right now.
I heard a lot of the cruise lines are anchored off egmont and bringing in tons of bait fish around them. 

You could probably find black fin and king fish tearing them up.

 
Wingnut said:
Going back to Crystal River for a half day inshore trip this Wednesday. Me and a couple of buddies are gonna try to put together a tuna trip in the coming weeks...Ive never caught a tuna and have been dying to, and tons of local charter Capts are posting ridiculous pics of tuna they're getting right now.
East or West coast?  That's a long run for the blackfins on the West coast...

 
I heard a lot of the cruise lines are anchored off egmont and bringing in tons of bait fish around them. 

You could probably find black fin and king fish tearing them up.
Coast Guard is keeping boats off the anchored ships last I heard....but there is insane amounts of pilchard schools on the outside edge of the shipping channel 2-5 miles out.  A couple weeks ago I'm sure we were amongst hundreds of thousands of 6" pilchards

 
flranger said:
East or West coast?  That's a long run for the blackfins on the West coast...
East. We actually decided to do a Red Snapper/Grouper trip in June out of Tampa Bay so we can stay local.

We did OK in Crystal River, the wind kept us from trout fishing but my buddies both caught a couple of Snook, and we all got several Reds, with my 25 incher being the biggest fish of the day.

https://i.imgur.com/UVy1wSY.jpg

 
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I heard a lot of the cruise lines are anchored off egmont and bringing in tons of bait fish around them. 

You could probably find black fin and king fish tearing them up.


Coast Guard is keeping boats off the anchored ships last I heard....but there is insane amounts of pilchard schools on the outside edge of the shipping channel 2-5 miles out.  A couple weeks ago I'm sure we were amongst hundreds of thousands of 6" pilchards
I've been seeing several posts on social the past week or so of boats fishing by the cruise ships, you can see the ships in the background of some...and I have seen a tuna or two that was supposedly caught by them but no way to confirm. 

Haven't heard about coast guard out that way but it wouldn't surprise me.

 
Things are gradually opening back up here in Iowa.  Campgrounds start opening today.  My first kayak tourney is next Saturday and if no changes are made it looks like it's actually going to happen.  I'm very excited.

 
I'm going to add a small trolling motor (something like this) to my fishing kayak, which is a Feelfree Lure 11.5.

Any suggestions on a battery for the trolling motor?  I assume the battery case is a must to protect it, right?

Ideally, I'd like something fairly lightweight and maybe around $100.

 
I'm going to add a small trolling motor (something like this) to my fishing kayak, which is a Feelfree Lure 11.5.

Any suggestions on a battery for the trolling motor?  I assume the battery case is a must to protect it, right?

Ideally, I'd like something fairly lightweight and maybe around $100.
Dakota Lithium, Bioenno Power and Amped Outdoors are some popular brands that kayakers use.

Edit:  That's if you want lithium but they're expensive.  I think a lot of people like the Optima blue top batteries from Walmart for their price.

 
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Going up to Rodman reservoir Sat. Hate going on a Saturday there will be a lot of boats on the water but I hear you can get lost up there so maybe we can find a secluded sweet spot.

 
Returned recently from an unplanned vacation from the board 🙄

While I was gone I took my 4 yr old granddaughter fishing for the first time. I ran into the stock truck one day on my favorite stream and took her the next day knowing it’d be easy pickings. 
 

She’s a bit of a girly girl, I wasn’t sure how it would go. She loved it 😃

I cast and hooked them and she reeled then in. She wouldn’t touch the first one but insisted on handling the 2nd one and put it back. ( we catch n release ). She handled and released them all after that. We probly caught a dozen or so.

She brought lunch for us (juice boxes , Oreos, potato chips and gummies). We had a ball. Going again in the morning , hoping to catch a few

👍

 
Dakota Lithium, Bioenno Power and Amped Outdoors are some popular brands that kayakers use.

Edit:  That's if you want lithium but they're expensive.  I think a lot of people like the Optima blue top batteries from Walmart for their price.
If I buy a regular marine deep cycle battery from the auto parts store for my trolling motor, will I need to recharge it after each use?  So I need to buy a battery charger too?

(This may seem like a very dumb question but aside from the battery in my car, I don't have much experience with using larger batteries)

 
If I buy a regular marine deep cycle battery from the auto parts store for my trolling motor, will I need to recharge it after each use?  So I need to buy a battery charger too?

(This may seem like a very dumb question but aside from the battery in my car, I don't have much experience with using larger batteries)
You'll need the charger regardless of if you choose Lithium, AGM, or Lead/Acid battery.  Given light load, very unlikely you would need to charge after every use.  With a smaller trolling motor, you'll probably get 20 hours or so of run time per charge (depending on amp draw). 

For a Kayak, the lighter the battery the better as you transport it, but Lithium is more expensive.  But they will last years longer.  The good thing is you could probably go with something like a 30ah Lithium battery and it would power you all you want.

Good LiFePO4 battery website:   https://lithiumhub.com/lithium-deep-cycle-batteries/fishing-kayak-batteries/

 
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If I buy a regular marine deep cycle battery from the auto parts store for my trolling motor, will I need to recharge it after each use?  So I need to buy a battery charger too?

(This may seem like a very dumb question but aside from the battery in my car, I don't have much experience with using larger batteries)
Yes you do need a charger and should trickle charge it after each use. A trolling motor has no alternator and will just drain it over time, totally normal. Buy the biggest battery you can afford and fit in your boat for best performance.

 
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I've been going absolutely crazy missing the spring fishing season. My buddy and I are doing a cannonball-run-type surf fishing trip this weekend. Leaving tomorrow around 2:00pm, driving 4 hours to the coast, picking up $100 worth of fresh bait (curbside pickup) and staying on the beach until we run out of bait, or Sunday afternoon - whichever comes first. No hotel. Just gonna eat, drink, fish, sleep right there on the beach. I'm like a kid on Christmas eve right now.  :excited:

 
I've been going absolutely crazy missing the spring fishing season. My buddy and I are doing a cannonball-run-type surf fishing trip this weekend. Leaving tomorrow around 2:00pm, driving 4 hours to the coast, picking up $100 worth of fresh bait (curbside pickup) and staying on the beach until we run out of bait, or Sunday afternoon - whichever comes first. No hotel. Just gonna eat, drink, fish, sleep right there on the beach. I'm like a kid on Christmas eve right now.  :excited:
East coast or West Coast? I got a couple really nice pompano last weekend here in NSB.

 
I've been going absolutely crazy missing the spring fishing season. My buddy and I are doing a cannonball-run-type surf fishing trip this weekend. Leaving tomorrow around 2:00pm, driving 4 hours to the coast, picking up $100 worth of fresh bait (curbside pickup) and staying on the beach until we run out of bait, or Sunday afternoon - whichever comes first. No hotel. Just gonna eat, drink, fish, sleep right there on the beach. I'm like a kid on Christmas eve right now.  :excited:
The anticipation prior to a fishing trip is awesome   
The daydreaming and bull ####ting on the drive Is priceless 

Good Luck!

 
East coast or West Coast? I got a couple really nice pompano last weekend here in NSB.
East coast. Stripers and black drum are the primary targets. Getting 3 dozen live peelers. Think the pomps are further south? Will likely throw a bucktail for flounder or a tin for blues while soaking bait.  :fishing:

 
The anticipation prior to a fishing trip is awesome   
The daydreaming and bull ####ting on the drive Is priceless 

Good Luck!
When I was a kid, we would go out a few times each summer on a party boat out of Cape May. It was always so hard to fall asleep the night before. I would spend time in the basement hitting the hooks with sandpaper and making sure we had all the proper weights. Oh yeah, and assigning poles to everyone going on the trip.

 
East coast. Stripers and black drum are the primary targets. Getting 3 dozen live peelers. Think the pomps are further south? Will likely throw a bucktail for flounder or a tin for blues while soaking bait.  :fishing:
Can we be BFFs?

ETA: I'll bring the Chetty's!

 
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East coast. Stripers and black drum are the primary targets. Getting 3 dozen live peelers. Think the pomps are further south? Will likely throw a bucktail for flounder or a tin for blues while soaking bait.  :fishing:
I suspect there will be a few around. They are heaviest in March around here but can be caught year round. They love sand fleas.

 
If I buy a regular marine deep cycle battery from the auto parts store for my trolling motor, will I need to recharge it after each use?  So I need to buy a battery charger too?

(This may seem like a very dumb question but aside from the battery in my car, I don't have much experience with using larger batteries)
Definitely going to need a charger regardless. How often you need to charge it will depend on how long you’ve used it, how much you’re running off it and the amp hours the battery is rated. 

 
Yes you do need a charger and should trickle charge it after each use. A trolling motor has no alternator and will just drain it over time, totally normal. Buy the biggest battery you can afford and fit in your boat for best performance.
I recently had to buy a couple batteries for my boat and went to an Interstate Batteries warehouse.  This was a place that had trucks and serviced businesses and stuff like that.

The guy I talked to about the batteries said the exact same thing.  It is best to put it on a trickle charge after each use.  IIRC he recommended it be on a trickle at all times really.  They had the Battery Tender brand.  I would recommend it as well.

Also, I seem to remember a lot of pro fishermen would buy deep cycle batteries from WalMart because they were affordable and you could always find a WalMart nearby when you are on the road going to tournaments.   I'm thinking that there aren't that many battery manufacturers.  They just give them different branding.

 
First day back on the Caney Fork trout fishing in a while.  They had been generating every day almost all this year.  And last year doing work on the dam had the water a bit odd and the bite was strange.

Today wasn’t a great day unless you were fly fishing (we were not).  Not a lot of water flow.  Changes to the river bottom with all the generation. Finally found a little hole at the end of a run with some flow and caught several and a decent rainbow.  

The guy fly fishing near us was catching some very nice fish.

 
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Between yesterday pre-fishing and the tourney today I spent 20 hours on the water with my kayak. It was a beautiful two days but the fishing was not as great as the weather for me. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped but still managed a limit. 

 
I see watcha did there. Nice bass! I'm gonna have to try freshwater one of these days.
I am more of a  inshore saltwater guy. Usually just go freshwater maybe a dozen times a year to restock my speck supply. Bass fishing pretty fun though. 

If you decide to go give Rodman a try it's probably only a couple of hours from you. It might pay to hire a guide though so you don't tear up your boat. Lots of trees under the water and other hidden objects have to be careful.

I have the number of a great guide up that way if your interested.

 
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Canadian border closing sucks. My first two Canadian fishing trips had to be canceled. ☹️

The first one we moved to Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. Never fished it. Walleyes and Northern Pike. Anyone ever fished Sakakawea?

 

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