It;s Not All About Fishing

I do take some time off from fishing to get involved in other outdoor activities. My regular new York State deer hunting took place last week and I spent a few days with my son John. We hunted on his acreage in Sullivan County and saw several nice deer. I got this 6 point buck the first day.

I spent the rest of the week taking photos of all of the other bucks that were in the area including this nice 7 pointer that is waiting for me next year.

Now I can return to my writing about fishing along with my days of frustration concerning out country's political situation. At least when I fish and write I can get something done right. That's more than the Government seems to be able to do.

Families enjoy outdoor activities

Once again last Saturday the Duke Energy Explorium sponsored their annual Family Outdoors Program.The Harbour Fishing Club and Boaters Warehouse joined me in putting on a fishing event for the kids and their parents. The weather had a slight chill, but we had great participation with the kids program. The fish were not too cooperative but the kids did manage to get a few Bream and many won prizes in our casting contest.Here are just a few photos of the event.

Louisiana Red Fishing

I had the occasion to do some red fishing at the Grosse Savanne marsh south of Lake Charles Louisiana. It took me a little time to get the feel of the bite but once I did it was game on for me and the fish. Most of the reds that I caught were from 28 to 30 inched and weighed 12 to 14 pounds. I caught them on frozen and thawed shrimp, on a light jig head. The water was fairly shallow by my standards so the big fish couldn't go down but they sure fought 360 degrees around the boat. Each one was a pleasure to catch. Also caught flounder,trout an black drum. very exciting fishing that ended with sore arms.

Never Too Young

Someone once asked me what the proper age was to start a youngster fishing. My answer was that as soon as the child can wear a life jacket that fits, they are ready. My three year old granddaughter Gemma kept asking me to take her fishing.I gave her a couple of  incentive challenges which she accomplished and I took her out on the lake on her third birthday. The bite was kind of slow but she showed surprising patience, which is rare for youngsters. Finally after about 20 minutes she hooked this nice three pound spotted bass. Once she got over her initial surprise, we took this picture and she returned the fish into the lake. She not only got her first fish but also a lesson in conservation when she asked why we were putting the fish back. I told her that it would let the fish grow and give another child the chance to catch it again and receive the thrill that she had.

Jake is now a regular writer for The Angler magazine

In addition to his staff writers position with Outdoors Unlimited (ODU) magazine, Jake is now a regular for the Charlotte section of The Angler Magazine. Starting in October he will also have a 5 part column dealing with sonar image interpretation. One element of this series will be included in each issue for the next 5 months. The Angler can be obtained free at most local fishing supply stores.

Youngsters Enjoy a Few Hours of Fishing

Thirty one youngsters and their parents showed up for this years fishing program for the kids. I conduct this program each year under the sponsorship of The Harbour Fishing Club of Mooresville. The program is supported annually by Boaters Warehouse of Mooresville and this year we added Bass Pro Shops since they agreed to allow us to use their outdoor pond for the event. The weather was cloudy but the rain held off just long enough for the kids to catch more than 50 fish.

More than eight rod and reel combinations were given out to winners in several categories. 15 boys and 16 girls attend the event t his year with the girls taking the prize for catching the most fish. For some youngsters, this was the first time they had an opportunity to fish and certainly the first time they caught a fish. Gracie Caminiti shown here with her dad Keith was excited about her first fish, and she was the youngest girl to catch a fish.

The kids caught bream, bass and catfish, all of which were returned to the pond. The real reward of this program is to see the smile on the faces of the kids when they pull in their first fish. More important, this gives the youngsters an opportunity to spend some quality outdoor time with their parents.