Blowing Rock N.C

Blowing Rock N.C

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Keeping both dry and warm at deer camp.




Every year i pack smarter for deer camp. I've switched so much gear from year to year in the 20 years I've been deer hunting during the Ohio gun season. Every year it seems to revolve around staying dry and keeping warm. I froze my ass off one year and got soaked in the rain the next....I"m trying not to be a bitch about it...its hunting WTF....I see my dad every year go hunting in the snow and the coldest of Ohio winter weather in a 1989 blaze orange baseball cap that's worn out to hell, no gloves, and the same set of old style cammo BDU's. So, after freezing my ass off in 2009, I broke down and bought a pair of fleece liners for my pants. So far this has been the best investment I've added to my huge hunting tote that sits in my basement. Haven't froze my ass off wearing the fleece underpants, so they get my A+ grade. Next, i stuck with the fleece and got a fleece turtle neck to wear under whatever coat or jacket i wear....A+ again. I guess I'm basing this all on the cold so far, but you have to stay dry right?...I also bought an Outdoor Research Winter Trekking hat that keeps my head very warm and lets it breath. I also use a balaclava that keeps my face and neck warm from the wind. The best investment I've made so far in keeping dry is my Browning Gore-Tex rain pants and jacket. I wear these over the fleece turtle neck and fleece pants....

So, do any of you cold/wet weather deer hunters have any suggestions on how to keep dry and warm during the gun season? I'm still working on what type of gloves to get...

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Spoons and spinners for steelhead fishing?




Anyone have luck using spoons and/or spinners for steelhead fishing? I've recently had someone tell me they use spoons to catch steelhead in the Chagrin River (Ohio) near the beginning of October. I"m new at the salmon and trout fishing game and am looking for advise on early river run tactics?


I just bought a noodle rod and still haven't found the reel i need? Anyone have any advise on a good reel for a noodle rod used for steelhead fishing?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

FISHING ETHICS



To keep or not to keep.....some anglers keep every fish they catch, some keep none...and some keep only what they want/need. Some of us fish for sport, some for food, and some for both.
So what constitutes as an ethical angler? Do you keep a fish if it swallows the whole hook? What if you pull the line and hook out, but the fish is bleeding from the inside? What about if your only catching the smallest of fish, do you keep them still?
I was King Salmon fishing on Lake Ontario just out of Rochester New York this August. My cousin is a firm believer in catch and release of steelhead, for hopes they will move upriver and spawn. He caught several steelhead that day to let everyone of them loose but one...Did he keep the biggest one he caught, no. He kept the one that swallowed the whole spinner and was bleeding out on the deck of the boat. Most people say you can just cut the line and leave the lure or hook in a salmonoid and they will be just fine. If they are bleeding out, it's better to just add them to your daily bag limit and not let them be waisted.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Blue Gill Fishing (Sunfish)

Keep moving, fishing different spots and different depths until you find a school of sunfish. Use a slip bobber to easily fish different depths until you find your school. Fish near tree cover, vegetation, downed trees, and boulders. Use a light spinning rod and reel 4-8 lb. test line. Sunfish can eat like champs or be very picky. Use of a pinmin, aka ice flies, or small hook baited with maggots, waxworms, or redworms seem to work the best any time of year (ice fishing, spring, summer or fall). If using a pinmin....make sure you keep a variation of styles and colors. The black ant pinmin is my personal favorite. Lots of Blue Gill fisherman swear to the use of a chartreuse (neon green) pinmin. Both have been great for me. I got my first Fish Ohio Blue Gill (10.5 inches) on a chartreuse pinmin tipped with a maggot. My next Fish Ohio Blue Gill (11.5 inches) was on a black ant tipped with a maggot.


Does anyone have any tips on time of day, and/or time of year to fish for sunfish?