fishnew' be

A relative newcomer to fishing yet already has the "shove fish towards the camera" pose down like a veteran Nimrod. Or maybe he just has huge hands. Or both.

The Summer of Tobin

He conquered the mighty Togue.

He caught Pickerel at will.

He hauled in many Yellow Perch.

He lipped quite a few mighty Largemouth Bass.

He caught one of the biggest White Perch I've ever seen.

He crushed his enemies.
Saw them driven before him.
and heard the lamentation of their women.

Bluefish Bonanza | September 8, 2010

Newly-wedded nimrod, Matt, took his new wife to Great Point, Nantucket this month for some honeymoon action. It included (among other things), catching many bluefish.

Within a few hours, 48 blues were landed – we filled a large barrel. The largest, measuring in at 31 inches, was caught and reeled aboard by lovely Jennifer. Since we were not prepared for such a haul, we gave the fish to the captain, who chopped them up and used them for shark bait.

We fished "the rips" at Great Point; the spot where currents roil over the shallow sandbar. Seals could be seen basking in the shade of the lighthouse on the point.

It was a great day on the water. We'd recommend Captain Fred and the Herbert T to anyone.

We are planning to make this an annual event.

A Miracle on the Penebscot with Mr. Gonya

Where: The Penebscot River, Maine
Who: Master Guide John Gonya, Anglers Chris Nash, Patrick Nash, Jeff Stammen
When: August 25th, 2010

Here's how it went down:

JS: Fish on!
PN: Whoa!
(lure flies back at us)
JS: That was a salmon!
JG: No way.
JS: I think it was. That was no bass. I saw it.
JG: It was probably a pickerel.
PN: I think it might have been a salmon.
JG: No way.
JS: It had a big silver side flash then a big dark pointy tail fin with spots. It had to be a salmon.
JG. I've been guiding on this river for 16 years and I've never seen anyone catch a salmon. They're in here but they're not feeding. Guys fly fish for weeks trying to get one bite. There's no way a salmon is going to hit a bass lure. It was probably a pike.
JS: It was a salmon.
JG: Twenty bucks to anyone who catches a salmon. Heh heh heh.

After that we drifted down the river. John continued to rib me about the salmon. His disbelief was obvious. Later we decided to move back up the river to the spot where the "Salmon Incident" took place. We caught several nice bass there earlier.

PN: Fish on!
JS: It's a salmon!
JG: No way!
PN: Get the net!
(John nets the fish)
JG: Holy ****. It's an Atlantic Salmon. I can't believe it.
(great jubilation ensues)

Five minutes later...

CN: Fish on!...It's another salmon!!!
(more jubilation)

21 1/2 inches and 23 inches. Two landed Atlantic Salmon and many nice Smallmouth. Yet another great day on the river with Master Maine Guide, John Gonya.

Pushaw Lake 2010

[ pickerel ]

[ northern pike ]

Patty and I had five days of fishy bliss on Pushaw Lake a few weeks ago. We caught oodles of big strong pickerel, a few smallies, several largemouth, some good perch and one northern pike. The northern was pretty easy to distinguish from the pickerel. The native pickerel is vibrant green and yellow with a distinctive chain-link pattern and a scaly cheek. The invasive northern was greyish green with short white lines on his side and a fleshy cheek. We did our part to keep the northern pike out of the lake so the one I caught is taking a nice long dirt nap. The northern was interesting but the big angling news was Sarah catching her very first fish. I was mighty proud. She also got her line snapped by a nasty pickerel. She was distraught about losing the lure. Then a few casts later I happened to catch a nasty pickerel with the very same lost rooster tail hanging from his mouth. That was a first. A great week of fishing at one of my favorite fisheries.

From the Schuss to the Saco

Now I know how Odysseus must have felt on his long journey home. Only there were no battles, storms, goddesses, sea monsters, etc. So, maybe I don't know how he felt. Regardless, we had a great time paddling down the Saco River during our trip to the White Mountains for Nimrod Numero Uno’s Bachelor Weekend. We caught some smallies, spotted some giant trout (that looked a lot like carp) and local birds (see the elephant bird and Great Awk nests above), risked our lives on roaring rapids (not really), and laughed (a lot). A great time was had by all. A big THANKS to Peter for hosting the motley crew.

Oh, and that last photo is Matt’s Billy Idol impression. Good, no?

Post-Flood Fishing For Finicky Fish

A third visit in three years to the monstrous Kentucky Lake proved to be a challenge for the seasoned angling professionals of the Stammen clan. Just a week earlier the lake was an incredible 9 feet above normal level due to the torrential rainstorms that hit the area. Some fish enjoy the tumult but our target, crappie, do not. At all. We tempted the snobby slabs for days with every trick and trinket we could muster. To no avail. Despite the silent protests of our steadfast leader, Cap'n Dan, we switched gears and tried for other game. Nearly a dozen different species graced our lines (even a mackerel?) but it was the mighty bluegill and the illusive shellcracker that ultimately filled our baskets. They weren't crappie but they were fun. It wasn't until the evening before our departure that we started to entice a crappie or two. I'm pretty sure they were literally jumping in the boat while we were driving back north. But that's ok. It will just make us want to go back even more. We are a stubborn bunch.