Wonderfully Deep

WARMER NOW THAN THEN

Not Quite As Deep

but deep enough

(WALLPAPERS BELOW IF YOU CHOOSE)
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.. The neighborhood is looking clean. Snow always does that. This winter is certainly not as cold or deep as just a decade ago.
.. There's only been a couple of days below -30° F, and we've not been the coldest place in the nation as was common in the recent past. We've not seen more than a single blizzard. We've not seen a "2-foot dump." And we've not seen much of the sun.

.. The Gulf Of Alaska Low has been fairly weak, the arctic air has stayed to the north and east of us, and despite the considerable grayness, it's been a salubrious winter by historical standards. Those low, gray clouds are mom's comforter.
.. Time was when there were tunnels to front doors and thermometers broke in the week-long cold spells. Now there's barely 4' of snow on the ground and it's ablating rapidly in the warm dry air. Roofs are being kept clean and not a single one has collapsed in the last 3 years.
.. The snowpack in the mountains is holding it's own and the rivers have only a very few small icebergs. Fish are leaping after midges, twigs, and bits of flotsam just like it was early spring. In fact there have been spring days colder than today: and there will be again.
.. Starting tomorrow we will return to a brief encounter with a real winter: 7" - 10" of snow and temps falling briefly to about -20° F.
.. It's been so nice lately that we took a moment to visit the neighborhood shops in town. It's novel to chat with the neighbors in a setting other than the post office, or the grocery store, or the hardware store.
.. Yes, it's deep: wonderfully so!

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Once plentiful jack crevalle are now in short supply



Kayak angler Walter Hamm of Sarasota, Fla., admires a jack crevalle



Jack crevalle used to be a constant on every fishing trip.

You might not catch snook, redfish or spotted seatrout, but you could always count on jack crevalle.

They’re a rare catch these days.

I remember looking out over Sarasota Bay several years ago and seeing several schools of jack crevalle attacking baitfish. They seemingly were everywhere.

Talk about a fish made for fly rod …

Jacks will hit a variety of flies. They’ll put up a great battle, no matter what size rod you’re using.

I remember a trip I made in March of 2006. I had an angler from Marietta, Ga., and the fishing wasn’t so hot. The wind was up and it was tough to fish. We caught a few ladyfish in the perimeter canal of Longboat Key. Late in the morning, the wind let up a little and we were able to get out into Sarasota Bay.

We anchored the kayaks, got out and waded. Wasn’t long before I saw a large wake heading our way. I looked around and didn’t see any boats, so I knew it was probably fish. But it was such a large wake that I had no clue what it was.

When the wake got to within casting range, I instructed m client to cast. He did. And so did I.

I hooked up immediately and knew I was into a really big fish. I could see the fish in the school and they were all jacks of 25 pounds or more. I handed the rod to my client and watched as he tried to fight the fish.

The big jack made a long run, and I wasn’t sure my client would be able to stop the fish. He finally did, but I knew he was in for a long battle.

Forty five minutes later, he had the big fish within 50 feet. But that’s when the line went limp. I figured the big jack had broken the line, but I was wrong. The hook on the jig had straightened.

I waded back to the kayak and grabbed another rod. This was a heavier rod with a topwater plug tied on.

I didn’t think the jacks would return. However, I looked down the bay and saw the wake again approaching. I pointed it out to my client and we were ready when it neared. We both cast into the school. Again, I hooked up.

I handed the rod to my guy and watched as the big jack took the line. I don’t think that fish even knew it was hooked. There was little we could do as we watched the line peel off the reel. We were too far from the kayaks. I told him to put all the pressure he could on the fish, but it was useless. Just before he lost all of the line, I instructed him to grab the spool, point the rod at the fish and hold on.

The line broke at the leader. We lost the plug, but saved 300 yards of line.

My client didn’t land either jack, but he was a happy camper. He’d never battled fish so large.

I don’t know if that will ever happen again?

I’m not sure why there are so few jacks around, but I’ve been told the commercial fishing industry is doing a number on them. The commercial guys have created some sort of market for them and apparently are wiping them off the face of the earth.

Jacks aren’t considered good to eat by most folks, so they’ll get not protection. The Coastal Conservation Association won’t go to bat for jacks. Nor will any other organization.

And that’s too bad. Jack crevalle are part of the chain. They’re also great fish to catch and release.

My clients didn’t catch a half dozen jacks last year.

I’m afraid we’ve lost them. I’m hoping it’s just a down cycle, but I’m probably wrong.

Let me know what you think? Are you catching lots of jacks? Is there a shortage in your area?

If you’re not catching them or seeing them like you used to, then start talking to your fishing buddies about it.

We need jacks. We can’t let them be netted to obliteration.

Just Like Falling Dominoes

IT'S A SIMPLE EXAMPLE

With A Complex Result

see the ecological transformation of

flathead lake

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.. By now, it would seem, that interested and informed fly fishers are aware of the Lake Trout situation in Yellowstone Lake. They are probably aware of the rapidly vanishing native species in Yellowstone National Park, as well.
.. Sadly many of our neighbors, (guides and feather merchants as well,) have poo-pooed the need to do anything about the conservation of native species. They say, sadly: "A trout is a trout, is a trout. I just want to catch them."

Opossum Shrimp

.. Many of our influential neighbors and famous fishers have remained silent on the matter; avoiding the scoping meetings and public comment forums that the NPS has held on the current EA for the Native Fish Conservation Plan, (LINK #1, LINK #2.)
.. We read with great interest the recent article in NEW WEST. The story is about the complex interaction of species in Flathead Lake.
.. A recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details how the introduction of a small non-native crustacean, (the Opossum Shrimp - Mysis diluviana,) has totally altered the ecology of a large lake.
.. It has changed algae production, nearly eliminated Kokanee Salmon, enabled Lake Trout population explosion, and endangered the native Bull Trout.
.. The paper details a classic example of a trophic cascade that has been well documented since it's inception in 1968.

LAKE TROUT

.. The excellent summary in New West informs us that the introduction of the shrimp to were to provide food for Kokanee Salmon which were planted in the 20's. As it turns out the shrimp devoured the Kokanee's food and proliferated.
.. Their population explosion provided an abundant food source for the introduced Lake Trout and allowed the Lake Trout population to grow to the point where the Kokanee Salmon and the Bull Trout are now being eaten at a rapid clip by the Lakers.
.. Another by product of the trophic cascade is the increased growth of algae.

MONEY QUOTE:

"After the mysis explosion kokanee disappeared, bull trout declined, and lake trout came to be the dominant top predator, according to the study. This led to an increase in algal production because the shrimp ate up larger zooplankton, decreasing their levels and allowing smaller types of zooplankton to proliferate, Stanford explains. He says this changed the way the zooplankton “mow the lawn,” or consume algae: smaller zooplankton are less efficient consumers and allow algae room to grow."

.. We note that "simple" is seldom a concept that can be applied to ecological change. Both Yellowstone National Park and Flathead Lake, (as well as many other areas around the country and the world,) have suffered the consequences of actions in the past.
.. "While the future might hold unexpected outcomes, for now fisheries managers have their hands full dealing with the legacy of shrimp and a misinformed decision from the past."

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LINK

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I'm pleased to announce that I will be testing some super Soft Plastics for

The Zipper Worm Company in 2011 . I initially came across them when looking for 

Weedless Jig Heads and I have to say they were the only company offering

 what I was looking for in the 

5g (3/16 oz) to 14g (1/2 oz) and occasionally 21g (3/4oz) range, see below.

These Zipper Jigs all feature Gamakatsu hooks and are excellent quality. 

I will post some images of my favourite Zipper Soft Plastics at a later date.

Versatile Ice Fishing Jigs

On Wednesday I fished with Greg Wade of Wade's Blades Ice Fishing Jigs. I tied on more jigs wednesday than any other day of ice fishing in my life. It was amazing to see the fish react different to each style and color of jig from basically the same fishing holes. Usually I am just a bait guy who focusses on using fresh bait on any sort of jig to catch fish, but I am slowly and surely becoming a jig guy.

Anyhow we took quite a bit of video footage and a bunch of pictures. Here are a few:

Greg makes most of his jigs by hand with premium and very sharp fishing hooks. Also another thing I really liked is he paints them too and there is no paint goo in any of the eyelets! That is super annoying about most mass produced jigs!! I now am the proud owner of pretty much a lifetime supply of ice fishing jigs (unless I lose them over the summer), but actually now that I think of it I will be using them during the summer as well. They are going to be dynamite for many open water bluegill and crappie fishing applications!

Monster Bass Ice Fishing

I have been working on this very young trophy bass lake for 2 years and it has been producing several 5 lb bass this winter through the ice like this one:



Well today we just raised the bar up a few more notches! Check out the size of this bass that Chris caught on a large fathead minnow this morning. This fish is going to the taxidermist!

Chris has two lakes right next to each other. One we are managing for trophy bass and the other we are managing for trophy bluegill. All the small bass come out of the trophy bass lake and go into the trophy bluegill lake. On the flip side, all of the small bluegill come out of the trophy bluegill lake and go into the trophy bass lake.

The lakes are still very very young, but are producing some amazing fish!

Is This Photo Incredible or What?

Photo Mario Bañaga Jr.

This is another great photo. It clearly shows the spacious and well-kept cockpit of Shambala our 60 ft Hatteras, available for charter through Pisces. Chic McSherry happened to be in the photo modeling one of our sweatshirts nicely then to top it off, this friendly dolphin, who blends a bit too well with the water color, obliged by leaping out of the water and "smiling" just as Mario hit the shutter button. Doesn't get much better than this. And what are you doing?

A Study of Contrasts

Photo by Mario Bañaga Jr.

We just loved this picture of our good friends T.J Dobson captain of Shambala and Chic McSherry, Pisces collaborator long time friend and fisheman. T.J has lived in Cabo since he was fourteen and being aclimatized found it chilly the other morning. Chic, on the other hand comes from Scotland where they have had one of the coldest winters on record......don't think we need to explain any more.

Z Fish Report (1/27/11)

The 80º water is getting kind of confusing as to where to find the fish. If you find the concentrations, you do excellent. If you don’t find the fish in the pockets of clean water, you get skunked. The Terrafin Satellite chlorophyll charts make this very clear. The chart shows clean water at the 100 fathom line and about 6 miles out. This holds true to the south, with clean water going for miles. But, straight out in front of Ixtapa, the water turns off colored again at about 16 miles. Plus, a large area of green water seems to be pushing down from the north.

And all this holds up with what we are experiencing this week. Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, found a concentration of sailfish releasing 6 one day, and then going back and releasing another 6 for his clients. But, Martin, on the Gaviota, released 6 one day, went back two days later and got Zip. It just seems to be feast or famine.

Santiago on the super panga Gitana made a long run for tuna. He found them too; but at 59 miles and darn close to where the ocean drops off the earth. They got a dozen yellowfin tuna between 20 and 40 pounds. He told me this morning at the pier they actually ended up at 72 miles when they were done.

But, again, going back to the Terrafin Photo, the 60 mile mark is just at the back edge of the off colored water. The tuna were in the clean water.

There were not many reports on the inshore this week, but Adolfo did tell me he was going north today because there were a lot of sierras up there, small to medium sized jack crevalle (4-10 pounds) and a few small roosters (6-12 pounds). These all translate to a lot of fun with light tackle or a fly rod.

Ed Kunze

lake marie winter walleye

Made it out yesterday with Neal and a group of friends targeting nighttime walleye on Lake Marie. The bite was slow but there was fish present. Neal's buddy Keith scored a nice legal walleye on a tip down rigged with a minnow in 10 feet of water. The rest of the night was slow but I did manage to get on the board with a walleye no bigger then a good cigar. I'm definitely thinking about spending some more time trying to get to know Marie, I'm liking what I'm seeing so far...

lake marie winter walleye

socializing

We are battening down the hatches at the Dirty Dog Ranch this week as hoards of pirates threaten to invade the city. While Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla plunders through the streets of Tampa, Ye Mogan Krewe of Addictive Fishing puts together a plan of counterattack as they prepare to invade Ft. Myers. Pegleg Producerman let it be known that an upgrade to the AF website is in the works. This is going to be the year of interaction. If you are heading to Tampa to interact with the pirates, hang on to your booty!

Our first interaction of the year is near! Next weekend, the FINS Wet A Line Tour travels to Ft. Myers for the Florida Sportsman Fishing & Boat Show. The Mogan Man will be there with FINS to show off the different strands of situational braided lines. Stop by the booth and check out the "Flats Blue" signature series rods by Wright & McGill. While you’re there, drop off a donation for Project Snook. Your donations just helped land a matching grant of $25,000 from the Florida High Tech Corridor but our continued support is needed in order to sustain the Mote research and breeding facility. Mark your calendars for February 5-6, doors open at 10am and Capt. Blair will be on the main stage @ 1pm to talk about inshore tactics. See you at the Lee Civic Center next weekend!

"Social Entertainment" – That is how Kevin McCabe is describing the new and improved Addictive Fishing web site. Kevin has been testing the first version of the site this week and is very excited with the beginning stages of the new build. "Just imagine taking the interactivity of this forum and making a website out of it and then adding the ability to watch our show", McCabe wrote on the AF Forum. We can't give too many details just yet; it would spoil the surprise! Stay tuned as we will keep everyone updated on this developing development.

Fore! You know the ole saying, "If you can’t catch fish you may as well take up golf." Here's a fish tale about catching Mogans on the back nine. Brayden Keyes posted a couple of pictures this week of catches from the golf course. You never know what creatures you might find lurking in those ponds near the coast. Brayden, thanks for stopping by the AF Facebook fan page and getting us teed up! You are our Mogan of the Week!

I believe that feather in your hat belongs to me,
BillBird 

A day on the water...

I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours yesterday with James MacSweeney on board his boat "Bass Bandit" in Cork harbour. Conditions were against us with a howling north easterly the fishing was going to be very hard and to be honest I was not too confident as we loaded up the boat in Monkstown for the off.

On our way to the first mark James showed me all the nooks and crannies that he knows very well all around the harbour where he has had some really nice specimen bass last season. There is some serious bass ground around cork harbour and Im already looking forward to getting down to fish some of these marks in summer.

Anyway we arrived at our first drift where James reckoned we would have a good chance of getting some cod on soft plastics. This sounded interesting as Id never had cod before on sp's....loads of things were running through my head like will this work? and will cod really give much of a fight or will it be like bringing in a dead weight?

They really do hammer these soft plastics

Happily the questions I was asking myself were answered pretty quickly as I got my soft plastic bouncing on the bottom i felt a solid bite I struck and FISH ON!! and this continued on each drift after with a couple of double hook ups this really was curing the winter blues and the lack of bass around at the minute!!!

My injection was seriously tested by these smashing codling they ranged from 3-5lb and boy do they go..... a different fight to a bass but when these fish are hooked at a good depth they do not give up easily. As you try to bring them to the surface expect vicious head shaking and line being stripped off the reel when the cod go on long powerful runs....this is proper fishing for this time of the year.

We ended up with a some really nice cod and I managed to sneak out a nice pollack, James aslo got broke up by two seriously good fish, maybe a big pollack or big cod but whatever these fish were they went on huge runs thats simply could not be stopped. I suppose a good days fishing would not be complete without the "ones" that got away.

If you want to contact James you can reach him on james.macsweeney@yahoo.com , weather it be some cod on soft plastics in the next few months or bass on surface lures in the summer and autumn, the fishing that can be had in cork harbour is awesome.

Tight lines,

JamesB

How to Create a Big Bluegill Lake

Deep infertile lakes with limited bluegill reproduction and bunches of skinny hungry stunted bass seem to naturally produce monster bluegills consistently. In the deep clear water there usually aren't many bluegill per acre, but on average they are big. Fertile lakes tend to grow lots of bluegill, but typically on average they aren't very big. I have noticed this time and time again while out electrofishing lakes across the midwest and have been using that information to grow big bluegill in lakes that don't naturally grow them. Here are some guidelines to follow to consistently grow big bluegills:

The recipe is to take out all the largemouth bass over 14 inches and to stock extra 10-12 inch bass. Keep em stunted and hungry. Also a few other things to do is to take away all the cover and structure in shallow water less than 10 feet deep so baby bluegill get eaten up right away. We don't want them to live and eat up the big bluegills food supply. If you wanted to grow fat would you want to share your pizza with a bunch of kids? In regards to good structure for a bluegill lake, simply add just a couple HUGE reefs in deeper water about 15-25 feet deep. These will be your year round fishing spots.

Also don't get crazy by stocking tons of species of fish and never ever let a catfish go when caught. Catfish are the absolute worst catch and release fish on the planet. You can always catch em once or twice, but very very rarely will you catch the same catfish more than twice in a pond. They are actually the smartest fish in the whole pond, old wise fish are not easy to catch. If they can't be caught they are just wasting space and resources.

For people who like catfish fishing in their pond just simply eat the ones you catch and then stock more every year or two, they are very cheap to buy and easy to grow. Catch rates will actually go up by using this method, plus I make more money when I can convince people to stock fish regularly........thats what most of you are thinking anyway so I might as well go out and say it.

So there are few tips to creating a big bluegill pond, now here are some pics from a lake that naturally follows suit with all of the above specs: It is deep, clear, relatively infertile, has limited shoreline cover and bunches of skinny hungry bass, and it produces bunches of big 12-15 ounce bluegill every year! Ice fishing today on the lake was no exception. Here are some pics:





The lake is completely full of these pesky bass. There is very rarely ever a bass over 14 inches caught out of this lake, they all are 13.5 inches long and perfect for wiping out yoy bluegill.





Here is the catfish being caught and kept for dinner!



So this lake is consistently pumping out 3/4 lb bluegill. Now what to do to grow even bigger bluegills? Well, at this stage of the game for this lake now its time to start supplementally feeding high protein fish food to these gills to push them over the one pound mark. Starting in April I will feed them aquamax 500 twice per day all the way through September. Also I wouldn't remove any bluegills from the lake over 9 inches for this year and take out a couple hundred of the 6-8 inchers. Next year at this time when I go back to this lake ice fishing we will be holding up 16-20 ouncers instead of 12-15 ouncers!


Two years from now we will be holding up lots of 20-24 ounce bluegills! This is a very fun project to say the least, I absolutely love growing boone and crockett bluegills!