gimmenamenow

A few weeks ago I took Boo to a kids fishing clinic (Thank you, Hook Kids on Fishing!) and she got her first little rig. Took it out to a local park a few days ago with some hamburger buns, and she reeled in the biggest bluegill of the ones we caught... anyway, there's a point to this, and here it is:

The pond we were fishing is part of a stormwater runoff system designed so that what comes out of the storm drains has time to settle and clear out some before hitting the Indian River Lagoon... where we were fishing is the final "lake" before it filters out to the restored salt marsh, there are three or four smaller ponds with spillways designed to improve water quality as the water gets closer to it's final destination... anyway...

I guess what I'm getting at is what would you guy's opinion be on the edibility of the fish from this body of water? I wouldn't fish to keep from there right now due to the fact that we have had some pretty good rain over the past few days, but I'm thinking ~anywhere~ I fish in town is going to be affected by stormwater runoff, and maybe this might be the best in-town location for keeping fish from due to the design features of the waterways...

I mean, heck, we probably could have limited out on good size bluegill! The more I think on it, the more I'm thinking that maybe the water isn't so bad there...

No, I'm not talking exotic faraway locales, I'm talking about places you go on a regular basis (or semi-regular, or it's close to home, but you don't really go there very often) that you'd be willing to pay decent money to be allowed to come in with your rig and tacklebox.

Me? I start itching every time I go to the local zoo... not only are the waterways full of beautiful bluegill and bass (not even mentioning the tilapia other than to say I'm not mentioning them), but they've got this enormous brackish tank with snook, reds, mangrove snapper, sheephead, sailor's choice, etc... Honestly, I'd be willing to pay $40 just to bring half a dozen shrimp in there...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoygy-8PTtU&feature...

Just saw something on these things on t.v. a little while ago... I think I'd about crap a brick...

Ok, so I've been thinking, Boo's two and a half, and I know it's about time to get her out somewhere with a little pole (or a hand line) and some bread balls or bits of shrimp for bluegill or sailor's choice. Any tips or hints from those of you who have been here before? Should I wait a little longer or is it time? Should I go for bluegill so there's little to no chance of her getting a surprise sea trout from out of nowhere like has happened to me with a hand line? Whaddya think folks?

Don't worry, I'm not asking anyone to give away their secret spots, just what do you like best about your favorite secret spot? (I know, I know, just a variation on some the the questions that are asked on a regular basis, but still)

For me, once again, my favorite fishing hole is just a section of the most diverse estuary system in the U.S., which is what I think I like best about it. Don't really care if I get skunked because there's always something cool going on around me... today was gorgeous, wish I could have been out on the water... just glass flat, saw some mullet jumping, hard to tell if it was a red tailing or not considering I was going along at about 50 mph on U.S.1, but it sure looked like it... it's just getting out into it for me... dinner is a welcome added bonus, but not necessary for me to enjoy a day out... on the rare occasions I can actually get a day out, of course.

So I'm sitting around looking at my gulf hammock rat and my father's everglades rat and having brainstorms. The everglades is a definite male (retired breeder my father got at the expo year before last), my gulf hammock is supposedly a female (sorry, haven't really gotten around to tail comparisons, just figure when she's sexually mature she'll start dropping duds like my bull does)... anyway, I know it's rare to even come across a gulf hammock in the pet trade, but do any of our more experienced answerers have any opinions on how purty the potential offspring would be? Or would I do better trying my pretty pretty gray rat when she grows up?

Just rhetorical at this point, I'd have a lot of prepwork to do before I even started seriously thinking about it, not to mention my gray is only two years old and if she's lucky only half the size of the everglades...

My father told me earlier this evening, "Your boy just regurged all over himself"... really got me thinking...

First off, I hope everyone's doing alright, I know I haven't been on in a while, need to get my laptop worked on... anyway...

The other weekend, I got my mom to watch the kids for a while and B and I went out to one of our little productive spots to see about catching dinner... we left the house at about 8:30 and had to be back by 11, so of course the first hour or so was unproductive and we would have to leave for the house by 10:35 at the latest... a few undersized mangrove snapper, couple sailor's choice, a few barely keeper sheephead, and at about 10:20, the bite turned on for black drum... caught four nice ones, two ended up being each of our over 24 inch, and the other two were right at 23 inches, so they were all keepers, and if we didn't have to go home, we probably could have caught our limit of five a piece with one over 24 inches, and probably with no more than 12 or 14 casts to do it... After B caught the first one, there were only one or two casts between the both of us that didn't catch anything, and that was due to fish knowing where the rocks are in this spot.

All in all pretty fun, but I would have loved to have had another 20 minutes or so.

Anyway, anyone had any spectacular fishing since I've been on last?

Ok, just to straighten things out beforehand, I hate everyone the same, get what I'm saying? Don't care if you're white, black, yellow, brown, purple with hot pink polka dots, I treat people how they treat me, but every now and then something'll catch my eye and it makes me want to slap the offending person and ask them "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

So I'm sitting outside the hospital the other day waiting for them to move my grandmother out of the ER and into ICU, getting ready to walk over to an area where I can smoke a cigarette without someone chewing me out for it, and this black girl comes out of the hospital and sits on a bench opposite me... what got me was her jacket....

"STATE PROPERTY"

WTF?!?! Can someone please explain to me why anyone (White, Black, Yellow, Brown, Purple with hot pink polka dots) would wear this? And would it have been horribly wrong for me to laugh in this girl's face and explain to her why I think her jacket is horrible and wrong and unacceptable?

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-OLD-BUZZ-BAIT-TOP'S-FOR-CRAN...

Look at the top one there, the one I've been trying to find (I know it's around here somewhere) is gold, and (I could be wrong, but I think) it's a smidge larger, but otherwise, that's the crazy thing I've been wanting to post in hopes of someone knowing what it is, and if it's the "lucky hook guaranteed to land your first 10 pound sea trout" mentioned in the note that was in my grandfather's tacklebox...

Also if anyone's trying to figure out what I want for christmas.... ; )

You know that lure I've been griping about not being able to find for the past week or so? Well, I'm just going to try to describe it, that way I can stop stressing over finding it and maybe it'll turn up (If it does, I will be posting pictures so you guys can see what I'm talking about...)

Ok, picture your basic buzzbait, take the plastic lure part off, and feed it some steroids and crack... the thing's nearly a foot long, has at least a 2/0 hook on the one end, and a big (about 1 inch diameter) plastic gold sparkly "buzzer" at the other... I'm not talking big gold sparkly like this: http://talonlures.com/images/products/detail/TBBTu... I'm talking big gold sparkly like some kid took gold sparkles to it... that one's scaled maybe a big larger than this one is, but it's a big plastic propellor shaped dealy-bobber...

If I have to buy myself a memory card for my phone for christmas, I'm going to do it... I know it's a shot in the dark, but maybe someone will say "Hey! I think I've got that in my tacklebox!!" Never know... it happened in a previous question...

here ya go... enjoy:

http://www.ilovebacon.com/v5/121409/f.shtml

I was going to post these in response to Chadd's "What's the oldest item in your tacklebox that you actually use?" question, but I realized that I don't use them, so it doesn't count...

These are out of the tacklebox that I inherited from my grandfather... the first one needs new hooks installed, and even so, I'd hate to lose it on a snag or something, so I doubt I'll be using it any time soon...

(sorry about the fuzziness on the first pic)

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab56/Ann_Onimou...

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab56/Ann_Onimou...

Yes, it has a little string in it's mouth that, when pulled, makes the tail go "floppy-floppy-flop"

and then there's:

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab56/Ann_Onimou...

(And yes, I think he actually used some of these! One day, I might break down and use some of them as well...)

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab56/Ann_Onimou...

Ok, now that I've thoroughly embarassed myself, it's you guys' turn.

If it lets the question I've been trying to post go through now, I'm gonna go ape-caca....

I know, it's been asked before, but I want to go a bit deeper (no pun intended, but I'll keep it around anyway) into the subject...

I don't care about acreage, or the name of the body of water... I want the "feel" of the area you fish... I know most of the regulars have read my descriptions of my fishing area, but it's a general description... Here's a specific spot...

Drawbridge overhead, water moving right to left as the tide comes in. Mosquito lagoon to the east, Indian River to the west, smack in the middle of the most diverse wildlife refuge in the U.S.

Nice easy cast to the pilings, rocks waiting to snag your rig. Pigeons dislodged when the bridge opens for a boat. Seawall, pepper trees, damn lazy @ss people's garbage for me to pick up. Look out don't sit on the broken glass... morons... pelicans flying formation down the length of the canal, dive-bombing unsuspecting cormorants to steal their catch, manatees cruising from one seagrass bed to the next, dolphins chasing schools of fish into the boat launch... otter! Hey, how come that guy caught a snook and I didn't? Mangrove snapper, redfish, FREAKING RACCOON GET OUT OF MY S#IT!! sheephead, seatrout, holy cow that's a huge hermit crab! the rumble of traffic going by overhead, I wonder how many are oblivious to what is right in front of them... come on, buddy, just cuz I ain't in a boat don't mean I'm not fishing that spot that you just pulled into, gimme a break! porcupine puffer!?! Babe, take care of this toadfish for me, I can deal with cats, but these things are just creepy looking... JEEZUS Look at the red that woman just caught! Black drum! Friggin bait snatching undersized mangroves...

Sorry, my train of thought is on a rampage tonight... but you get the idea...

Just to add a bit of spice to the section and take a break from the typical onslaught of care questions, I figured I'd put together a who's who of sorts and see who knows who these people are and what they're known for in the world of reptiles... (some of these may be pretty obscure, and really, I don't expect anyone to get all of them, but hey, who knows, I might be surprised.)

1) Ross Allen

2) George Van Horn

3) Bill and Kathy Love

4) Edwin Froelich

5) Peter Pritchard

6) Bill Haast

(Bah, there were others I was thinking of, but this is what I get for waiting an hour or so between thinking of a question and posting it... I'll probably be adding to this list)

Good luck.

I've been wandering aimlessly following links, and look at what I just found!!

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/speciati...

How come I missed this?

Just thought I'd warn you.

anyway, I've got a shoulder thawed out and marinated off of one of the does Brandon got, and I've got the coals catching in the smoker... how long you think I should leave it in there? And what should I do for sides (Yes, I would gladly have a straight venison dinner, but it's just not right.)

I know I've answered the "What would happen if a snake were to swallow it's own tail?" questions with something along the lines of "A snake wouldn't swallow it's own tail, I know they're not the most intelligent animals that there are, but they're smart enough not to eat themselves..."

Well... I guess I've been proven wrong with this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/p...

(I know, I know, not a question, but still...)

The Big Kahuna Weekend was a blast, I must admit... to the point that I was thinking today (Oh No! Run for cover!! She's thinking again!!) that maybe this should be a regular occurrence... now I'm not saying everyone posting three questions a day every weekend (I think we'd all burn out... not only on original questions, but answering) but one weekend a month... or even if it's a random one day a month of your choosing, we all wrack our brains and come up with a few good questions to spice up the every day repetitive questions that crop up here in the fishing section. I've really had fun these past few days, and it's good seeing this much activity and not all of it being "What bait should I use for bass in November?" and things of that sort... I'm STILL looking for my cord to plug my phone into my comp to get this picture uploaded and posted to get people's opinions (I think this should at least get a few chuckles out of some people... it's a bizarre piece of tackle I found in my grandfather's box, and I'm wondering if it would be what's referred to in a little note that was in there as well... that's all I'm saying until I can provide the picture)

Anyway, my point:

Should we make this an organized monthly thing?

Should we make this a random monthly thing?

Or should we just see how long the Big Kahuna Weekend drags on on it's own before making any decisions on this?