Are those legal to catch?

There's a permanent ban on lake sturgeon in Ontario since they're so fucking rare, and they don't reproduce for the first 30 years 

They're legal to catch and release. think you can keep one per person 

These are shovelnose sturgeon. Tons of them around. They don't get nearly as big, state record is only 5.5 lbs. Lake sturgeon are farther up north. 

Ah, fair enough.
Yeah I read that lake sturgeon can live well over 100 years and my brain exploded. 

Yeah, a guy in WI caught one that was 100 years old this winter. 

It kinda rubs me the wrong way that people fish something (or at least, keep what they catch) that's been alive two or three times as long as them.

But maybe I'm just dumb that way. 

I really don't hear of a lot of people keeping sturgeon up here.

They're not very common either. Most lakes up here don't carry them. I'd say they're as hard to catch as a musky here 

I don't see the point of keeping many fish at all. I think the last time I kept anything was a few small walleyes and perch on Leech Lake for shore lunch last year, and I fish 3-4 times a week. What good is a 10lb walleye or a 50lb muskie to me? Just get a photo and the measurements and get a mount if you want to. 

Yeah, more or less same here.
I'll keep em if I plan to eat em later that day.

I can't pass up keeping a couple big perch though, to the point where I'd have spaghetti for dinner with a side of fried perch. 

About twice a year me and a buddy or two will limit out on a panfish and do a fishfry.

A good sized walleye we'd keep, but that turns out to really be one a year too.

Bass are awful to eat for the most part, although I'd like to try pike 

Pike are just fine to eat. Lots of meat on an average pike. Just youtube up some videos on removing the Y bones and have at it. 

The way I "learned" via youtube is to fillet it like I do a walleye and cook it with the bones in.

Then there's an imaginary line that you perforate with a fork on the fillet where if you serperate it there all the Y-bones should be visible to pull out. 

Yeah, that works too. Once you know how to fillet out the Y bones, it's really easy. There's about a million eater sized pike out there to practice on. 

Sandy decided I needed to go fishin' yesterday, so she drove me out to the cottage.

(The meds I'm takin' for pain exclude me from driving...)

I grabbed a reel, 2# test, and it had a brightly painted Mepps Spinner on it. Tiny little thing.

I walked on down to the beach to wet the lline, tossed the spinner into about four feet of water, and the largest bluegill I've ever caught nailed the spinner with such ferocity that I thought a good sized bucketmouth hit it.

I have a ten inch finger span, and this bull was close to two inches past.

This young boy, maybe 11 or 12, saw the fish, and his eyes got huge.

"Can I have that fish"?
"What are you gonna do with it?"
"Clean it and eat it."
"You know how?"
"Sure, don't you?"

Little bugger got a monster of a 'gill....:D 

Right on man. I think some of my best fish I've ever caught (based on memories, not size or weight) were the ones I gave to somebody on the bank. 

awesome 

Yeah....:) 

Went out and only caught a little channel cat not much bigger than bait. The mosquitos were unbelievable. I mean, I live in Minnesota, I know they're bad, but I've never seen anything like this. Thank God for DEET. 

Thing is, I think most people agree that they haven't been that bad the last 3-5 years. At least around this part 

Yeah, it's been pretty wet this summer, so they're just out of control this year. 

i have lived in AZ for 20+ years...
mosquito explosion in the last 2 years
(in other words i went 18 years with no mosquito bites) and lately i have been getting ate alive... even when i mountainbiked down in the salt river basin... no skeeters
now i go smoke a cig outside, and it is like living back in missouri

who is dropping the mother fucking eggs... because this shit is not natural in this environment. 

Seriously, the mosquitoes are nuts. I went on a hike today and they are like nothing I've ever seen. The past few years have been very dry, so we got babied. This year there is standing water and the mosquitoes are out of fucking control. DEET is a must.

Though even with DEET all over my body I found three ticks on me on the drive back. 

Crappie..........13" to 15".

'Gills, just as big.

Camera............ass/hat..........

what a good weeekend of fishin'.

:D 

Sweet..... 

Yeah...:) 

I don't know anything about trout, but I gather that this is a big one:
Wis. DNR: 41.5-pound brown trout sets state record

RACINE, Wis. - A brown trout weighing almost 42 pounds has been confirmed as a Wisconsin record. It shatters the previous record by almost five pounds and could also be a world record.

The state Department of Natural Resources confirmed Thursday the fish weighed 41 pounds, 8 ounces. That tops the previous record of about 36 1/2 pounds, set in 2004.

Roger Hellen of Franksville landed the fish July 16 while angling in the Lake Michigan waters north of Racine.

The 39-year-old says it took half an hour to reel it in. He says when he got it in the boat he was more exhilarated than exhausted.

Hellen is asking the International Game Fish Association to confirm it's a world record. The association's website says the current record is 41 pounds, 7 ounces.

 

Is anyone watching "River Monsters" on discovery channel?

There isn't an episode that passes where he pulls out a fucking fish that could swallow a man's arm at least.

I'm constantly going "OH SHIT!" when i watch this show 

This guy takes all kinds of underwater videos from the Minnesota area. Here's a metric shitload of shortnose gar.

I was out earlier this year and any bait I casted got hit 3 or 4 times on the way in by these guys. Really hard to hook since they're just a big armor coated bony mess, even their mouth. I hear the best way to catch them is to attach a bit of frayed rope to your lures so that their teeth get caught in it. 

I tried saltwater fishing when I lived in Corpus Christi for a few months. I went out with a few buddys of mine, using the exact same bait, maybe 20 feet away from each other and just sat there with my dick in my hand while they both reeled in fish.

that was the day i decided to stop fishing. 

It sounds like you were jacking off while your friends were fishing. 

... wait i thought thats what fishing was 

You have... weird friends. 

i have been grossly misinformed as to what "fishing" actually is 

Don't let them take you "camping" 

went out for a couple of hours yesterday.
caught a small largemouth and a large smallmouth.
caught the largemouth on a small river , the souhegan, while fishing for trout
and caught the smallmouth on a big river, the merrimack, while fishing for carp.

not sure whether that counts as successful, or total failure. 

i would call it a success 

not sure whether that counts as successful, or total failure.

Any day spent fishing is a success. 

i agree 

When fishing up in the Adirondacks Mtns this past weekend and killed the smallies. Caught 4 bass over 3lbs and plenty of smaller ones. On an ultralight in fast water, which was a total blast. Not bad for about 3hrs of fishing. 

I'm about done with "Flathead Adventure 2010". Spent probably 50 hours or so on the local rivers with a variety of live and cut baits and haven't had a single run. Lost probably $20 worth of bigass sinkers and Gami circle hooks though.

It's hard finding a decent shore spot to fish from, especially on the Minnesota river where flathead fishing is the best. One wrong step and your up to your fucking knee in mud. 

Going to the lake tonight and looking forwards to some evening fishing. Topwater is where the action is at for the bass. 

Have fun eG.

Topwater is always a blast. 

Another night on the river bank, another skunking. Sigh. 

The weather here has been fucking up lakes like crazy. Not sure how that transitions to rivers 

Fuck flatheads, I'm going after channels tomorrow under the 694 bridge. 

Getting ready to head to Marsh Creek Lake in a few minutes. Hoping for a few largemouth bass this morning. 

I saw quotes around the thread title, yet this thread is actually about catching fish. I am disappoint. 

Going on a boat launch on Mille Lacs Lake today! 

OK, so I want to buy some fishing equipment. My target brand is Okuma. My budget is about $100-150. And I had no idea about fishing stuff.

How important is a fishing reel? Is graphite spool a good purchase? Is the bait weight important if I will try pond/river fishing first? The ocean fishing is not considered at this point.

Thank you very much! And please don't laugh at me if the questions seem silly to you. 

Any reason you're set on Okuma stuff? Honestly, if you're just starting out, I'd take that hundred bucks to someplace like Big 5 Sporting goods, Walmart, Sportsman's Warehouse, etc and pick up your gear there.

I personally use a $30 light rod / reel combo from Walmart that I've "invested" about $10 extra into it by putting good line on it. It's just a little aluminium spool jobber...nothing special. There is definitely merit to buying expensive gear when you have a lot of skill as a fisherman...but for me it's just fun and a way of getting a free meal when I need it.

The rest is just learning HOW you like to fish. If you don't mind casting / reeling over and over again, you might try and pick up some spin baits. If you're a lazy fisherman, like me, there is hardly a substitute for putting a bloodworm on a treble hook and fixing that to a bobber and just casting it out and enjoying a little rest and relaxation on the bank.

Find out what fish is abundant in your area. If you have bluegill, sunfish, crappy...try fishing those first. They are easy to catch, and put up a heck of a fight for their size. If you are in an area with mostly streams, see if you can find a local trout fisherman to show you the ropes and teach you what part of the river to look for them in.

Hope this helps.