FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
The Bucket List
The pile of stuff to be packed is almost done, the tickets and itinerary are set, and I am simply frozen with anticipation. Going on trips like this always involve long term planning, and careful packing. The first rule when heading “north”: “You can take it off but if you do not have it you can not put it on.” And Alaska would be the perfect example of why. So heavy duty rain gear, clothing that can be layered depending on the weather, and plenty of socks. With no access to a laundry until the end of the first week a week’s worth is exactly how many clothes we are taking. When we fly to Port Hardy BC for the bear expedition we are limited to 30lbs each on the float plane. Before we head out it will be laundry and we can leave any overweight at the plane company until we get back 4 days later.
The rest of the packing is different. New SD cards for the cameras, 2 cameras with long lenses, binoculars, which about covers it. The place we are fishing for the week provides literally everything from waders to rods and reels and even lures. While weight is an issue on this trip there is a bag of Knockin Tails and jig heads in the pile. The plan, catch a salmon on the KTL, adding it to the list. And one fish I have not had the pleasure of catching is a Dolly Varden. It is actually a trout in the salmonoid family so it will potentially be a new species for me, much less one on the KTL. But it will not be all about the fishing. With a full week we will raft and do some wilderness hiking and burn the candle at both ends.
Then it is off to Great Bear Lodge for some serious bear viewing with biologists. We love grizzlies and are really looking forward to seeing them more “in the wild” without a few thousands of “our closest friends” like Yellowstone and Teton. And who knows, there is plenty of other critters and a wolf or even lion is possible. With at least 8 excursions, from river viewing stations, boat, or hiking, they put you when and where you need to be based on the bears. And something cool will happen, we have to wait and see just what that might be. We love seeing stuff in the wild and will continue to do that kind of travel until they put me in the Old Fisherman’s Home. As the world shrinks, and the outdoors gets increasingly crowded, we plan to keep trying to be in the right place at the right time, and this place fills the bill.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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Canada
My buddy Clyde is in Canada on his annual fishing trip. It has been at least 30 years since he started fishing there and he has an amazing book of knowledge on Lake of the Woods, one of the best fishing holes in the world. And this trip is going just like it usually does. From tough fishing to knocking them stupid Canada never fails to produce.
Those are some serious pike.
The beat down continues. Caught the pike buzzing spinnerbaits in 4 foot of weed choked water. They absolutely crushed it. Caught probably 17 “big ones” in two places. The walleye was 28″ and added about 70 smallmouth.
Glad it is going so well. Your years of experience pays off again. Nothing better than big pike smashing a buzzed spinnerbait!
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I said it before but it is sad to see some of the pens made to re-introduce the grass to Coleto starting to be on dry land, and it has only gotten worse. Will try to remember to get a picture next time out. Guess no one is in charge of making sure that is not happening and I sure hate to see some of the hard work go to waste. In my wildest dreams the grass catches on and matures at the same time the 41,000 bass they just dumped in do. It could be the perfect storm on Coleto in 3 – 5 years.
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One of the issues traveling by plane now that has really changed is the number of flights being cancelled. We have not even left and already our schedule has been changed since a flight was cancelled. We do pay government employees to regulate the airlines don’t we? Whoever those overpaid pinheads are they are sure not doing anything about airlines booking literally thousands of flights that will never go. The airlines keep the money for months and then inform folks, sometimes hours before takeoff that they have been cancelled. That is nonsense and needs to stop. Either you have the staff and planes or you don’t, it is not that hard. So our regulators sit on their ass drawing a check, pension, and medical most folks will never get yet the consumer is left holding the bag. But hey the FAA only has 48,ooo employees “who regulate all aspects of civil travel” and they sure must be soooo busy. You know like the old Bachman Turner Overdrive song. And when you add the change in passenger demographics no wonder it is such a mess.
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Some better numbers from the holiday weekend. I will just quote a few from TPWD but enclose the link to check out the press release.
Between Friday and Monday, 352 game wardens conducted 10,218 safety checks on vessels, issuing 62 fewer citations than they did the year before.
Game wardens did, however, respond to 15 boating accidents and six drownings that occurred on waterbodies including the Rio Grande, Lake Sommerville, Grapevine, Blanco River, Cedar Creek Lake and Lake Buchanan.
Over the weekend, game wardens rescued capsized boaters, including at Lake Nasworthy, where they pulled 13 people from the water, and Lake Lewis, where some of the 16 rescued from choppy waters were not wearing life jackets, and instead were clinging to their overturned boat while waiting for help.
So glad the numbers were down, a tribute to boater education and folks just doing a better job. But the deaths are still to high. Put the life jacket on with your kill switch, your loved ones will thank you for it.
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No wonder they fight so hard!
Florida’s bonefish are testing positive for over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
Summary:
- Researchers sampled 93 bonefish in South Florida since 2018.
- An average of seven prescription drugs were found per bonefish.
- A total of 17 pharmaceutical drugs were found in a single fish.
- Researchers also found pharmaceuticals in bonefish prey, including crabs, shrimp and finfish.
Recently announced results of a three-year study
This research is being done by the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. We all think we flush it and it magically disappears into the air but not so. The only thing that can be done to slowly fix this is educate folks, do not flush medications, end of story. But think about this while you are at it, whatever else do we “flush” that is in the fish? An ugly thought.
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Thus begins a busy couple of months for me. A couple of weeks after we get back at the end of June I head to Florida with the boat. First up is a couple of days at ICAST in Orlando, the industry tackle show where I will be hanging with Michael at the Knockin Tail booth. ICAST is Christmas for a boy like me and I can not wait to see many of the folks I have followed for years. Plus there will be plenty of cool new stuff to see which is headed to the market in the next year.
Then from there it is off to the Everglades for a week, which I am just starting to research though my lodging is taken care of. Never hurts to know someone. While I have made 3 trips there in the past who knows how things have changed. Tomorrow mow grass, get the last of the stuff organized, boat to the shop for annual service, then the wait begins. Next time you hear from me will be from Alaska. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
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Off Topic Rants – Not for the faint of heart.
Louie Gohmert – US Representative from Texas, and I quote.
“if you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they’re coming after you.”
WTF? This is one of the things wrong with this country, phony respect for law enforcement. This God knows what he is, is saying that if you are a Republican you should be able to lie to the FBI. For the love of God, not only is lying morally wrong, it can be/is a crime, but hey he is ok with it. Here is the bottom line: It is a felony to lie to the FBI whether you are a Republican or a Buddist Monk from Muskogee, the law does not discriminate. Either you support law enforcement coming after all felons, or not, end of story. And don’t give me the usual political nonsense that your idiotic comment was taken out of context, it is what folks say when speaking their truth without engaging the brain. One thing you learn real quick representing indicted criminals, the same old refrain; “But what about the other guy?” As if that justifies their behavior. What a shining hypocritical example for our children.
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A want to thank Steve for his long comment on one of my off-topic rants. It was eloquent and well expressed and I appreciate his views. I admit the blog is at a crossroads and where it is headed is an open question. With my 69th birthday right around the corner it might be time for a change. But at my age I have earned the right to state my opinion. I agree that this may not always be the proper forum, but it is my forum, bought and paid for. Anytime anyone wants to buy it let me know. Thanks for your comment. And as far as the fishing it is about to get real!
