An opportunity to take a group of kids fishing every day for a week came through my email this summer. Excitedly, I accepted the offer and suddenly found myself wondering where to start. Fortunately, with some time spent in some pre-fishing planning and following these suggestions, you could easily be the ‘first-time’ fishing ambassador to your own group of students.
The initial debate going through my mind was should I teach technical aspects like knots, fish biology and lure selection or allow the kids to fish with minimal discussion right from the docks? I chose to skip the technical and get the students fishing right away. It was the right choice because most of the students had never fished before.
Keep The Gear Simple
The camp provided closed-faced reels, bobbers, and several dozen worms. I added barbless hooks to the mix to ensure quick release of any fish caught and for safety when hooks are being pushed around by newcomers. To maximize fishing time with these students (I had a new group every hour until noon), I pre-tied swivels and hooks and checked drag setting on the fishing rods before the kids arrived.
Closed-faced reels may not look ‘very-cool’ to anybody who watches the pro’s, but new anglers do not usually know that there are different kinds of options available. The simplicity of the push button to release the bail will allow students to drop their bait over the dock or experiment with casting.
Teach Respect (for others, the fish, and the hook)
Space is going to be required to spread excited new anglers out. For safety and courtesy reasons, remind the anglers to stay in the space they are given. This will be tested when someone starts hooking into a school of panfish. When this happens, remind those encroaching in on the ‘lucky spot’ to wait patiently until the angler moves on or gives permission. As well, take a moment to tell the lucky angler that it is OK to move on and allow someone else to experience the joy of catching a fish. They might find they get more satisfaction from watching – at least, I do.
Show the students the difference between a barbless hook and a barbed one. Stress the importance of the presence of a barb and how it relates to increased difficulty when removing from a person’s body or a fish’s. Remind new anglers to check behind them when they cast and I asked our students to shout, “Casting”, to warn anglers walking by them. For a graphic short video on the importance of hook safety – Watch This
Enforce to the rookie anglers the importance of a quick release and to handle this fish as little as possible. Show anglers, as fish are caught, where to hold fish to reduce injuries from teeth and or fins. Initially, most of the students wanted me to release their fish, this was a perfect opportunity to point identifying marks for fish identification.
As a kick-off to the ‘Most Wanted’ photo contest on my blog, I would like to share 3 photos of some bucks that are still at large in my ‘neck’ of the woods for the 2010 hunting season. These photos are from last year.
Number 1 on my list: The Brow Tine Buck
Check out the brow tines (G1′s) on this guy! Last year, my cousin Kyle had a crack at this bruiser and grazed him. He still haunts the area west of Spiers’ Field.
Number 2 on my list: Craig’s Ghost Buck
I could call this brute the ‘Snow Plow Buck’ but I’d like to keep him friendly long enough for Craig to get a chance at him. Like most big bucks he comes out a night or when your bow is tucked safely in your truck. For this buck’s uncanny ability to show up when a bow is out of sight – He’s on my most wanted.
Number 3 on my list: The Shy Buck
Going through the photos Kyle provided for us last year, this buck always seemed to avoid a head on photo shoot. With another year of antler growth this buck’s rack should clearing brush with ease. Check out those G2′s! Would love to fill my tag on this buck.
It’s a fitting name. I bestowed this name on a huge buck that should have secured my entry into the ‘Legends’ of Rip and Tear Hunt Club’s history. I guess my chapter was yet to be written.
It started out harmelessly enough. All of the gang had returned from a long afternoon on the deer stands and we were anxiously awaiting supper to hit our stomachs. It became quickly apparent that one of our guys, Kevin, had not arrived yet. I forget exactly why the ‘old-timers’ in the camp felt it was so important that Kevin made it back in good time, but they delegated to me the task of his evac.
Then, the debate started.
I remember it quite vividly. Not wanting to tell the ‘Ole Guys’ that I did not want to agree to their request, I threw on my hunting vest and headed for the closest atv.
“You better take your gun.” dad said.
Grandpa and Bill Billingsley piped up with similar sentiments and I think went into story mode about some long lost time forgotten.
“I’m just going down to Spiers’ field. Besides, the atv noise will scare any deer off before I even get there.” I replied. The dice of probablity began to spin in my head.
Grandpa and Bill stopped talking for a second and looked at me with a puzzling look. I could have heard a .22 shell drop on wet leaves. They grinned, looked at dad and went back into their story. Dad ‘encouraged’ me one more time to take my firearm. Stubbornly, I said “I’ll be fine” and fired up the atv and tore off down the camp road to the field.
The dice were still rolling.
Somewhere in the distance a hound started on a deer scent. A feeding buck planned his escape route.
When I reached the field location where I was to pick-up the hunter I turned off the atv’s engine and waited. That hound was getting closer. Out of instinct I reached for where my gun pouch would be and remembered it was sitting on my bed listening to 3 men chuckling about the rookie who left it behind.
A buck picked a path down a ridge to Spiers’ field.
The dice in my head stopped rolling.
“Snake-eyes.”
After another minute, the hound sounded very close and then I saw a massive buck briskly walking across the field. He was 75 yards from me at full broad side. I watched with a broken heart as the deer continued his perpendicular path in front of me for another 30 seconds!
Moments later, Kevin walked out of the bush and asked if I saw anything. I said “Yup!”
Then, he asked, “Where’s your gun?
“Back at camp.” I sheepishly whispered.
When we got back to camp the smell of supper welcomed us inside the cabin. 3 heads turned towards me and asked me if I needed my gun.
The dice in my head started rolling again. There was not much chance of dodging that question.
Four old-timers jeered about what had happened that day. Three were in the cabin and the other was somewhere west of Spiers’ field.
Fish Warrior is one of National Geographic’s newest extreme fishing shows airing Monday nights. The extreme fishing host took some time to answer this blogger’s questions about his new fishing show. It seems being shocked by electric eels and encountering hostile tribes is all part of the catch.
1. It is quite obvious that you have a love and excitement for the fish you catch. What has helped develop your enjoyment of extreme sport fishing?
I have been fishing since I was five years old. I was always trying to catch more, and bigger, fish. My biggest passion as a young fisherman was fishing for Wels catfish, the biggest and strongest freshwater fish in Europe. I was fishing for Wels catfish more than 300 days a year as a fishing guide. I fished many different and exotic places, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the delta of the River Danube in Romania and every other places you could find Wels catfish. This fueled my quest to pursue the largest freshwater fish on the planet. I made a list of 24 freshwater giants and set out to find them, catch them, and study them in their natural habitat.
2. How has fishing traditional freshwater species prepared you for the monsters you face on the show?
If you want to catch a big fish, you first have to learn how to catch a small fish. Choosing the diameter of the line and the size of the hook, choosing the right bait, casting the lines, feeling the fish on the other end; making all of these decisions and gaining experience with smaller fish all have prepared me to take my fishing to the next level and to go after the really large fish. It was really difficult to target these big fish when I started my project to catch the 24 freshwater giants, because I didn’t yet know where to go to find them, what their behavior would be, and how to successfully catch them. Since I couldn’t find information on how to catch them in books or online, I wound up spending much more time in the field doing my own research and teaching myself what I needed to know to catch these fish. For example, I spent more than 17 months in the Amazon in order to find and catch large specimens of arapaima and piraiba catfish. But every time I catch a fish, I learn about the behavior and it is easier to go on and catch the next.
3. Besides catching some of the world’s largest and most exotic fish species, what excites you most about hosting Fish Warrior?
I have always loved fishing and am so happy that my passion has turned into my life’s work. It was always my biggest dream to have a show on National Geographic Channel, and now through Fish Warrior I can show the world these fish. People will know they exist and will care more about them. Hopefully a new, young generation of fisherman will see my work and be inspired to study and save these amazing creatures.
4. Is it the thrill of the catch or something else that sustains you while you travel to remote areas and survive between catches?
l love travel, I love meeting the native people and experiencing their traditions. They know about survival better than any of us so I am learning survival techniques from them as well. They live in the most remote places on our planet, and that’s why they are the best teachers in these extreme environments. I love the thrill of the catch, holding the fish and experiencing these living dinosaurs up close. I am a firm believer in the catch-and-release method of fishing. I love when the fish is swimming away after I release it, because I know I may have a chance to see it again and other people may have that chance as well. The fish spawn new generations and the cycle of life will go on.
5. How do you feel that Fish Warrior contributes to the conservation of the fish species you target?
As I said, there are more than 24 freshwater giants that can grow over six feet long and way more than 220 lbs. We know a lot about ocean giants like whales and sharks, we know a lot about land giants like elephants, rhinos, and hippos. But these freshwater giants are for the most part unknown to the world, including experienced fisherman, and still at least half of these 24 species will disappear before the end of the century. Overfishing, climate change, deforestation and other issues jeopardize these fish populations and we have limited time to search for and study them, and try to save at least some of them before they are lost forever. Just because these fish are in far away places doesn’t mean their survival isn’t important to all of us. Fish Warrior shows these magnificent fish to the world and lets the audience know that we need to act now in order to save those fish that we can.
6. Can you share a fish encounter or have you faced a particular set of circumstances (while filming) that could have resulted in a serious injury?
We are in these situations all the time. When we started the show, my producer asked me if it would be possible to make a show with incredibly huge fish that were never filmed before. I said yes, but we have to push our limits and travel into the middle of nowhere to get the chance to find the “Last of the Mohicans” of these species. We camp all the time, we eat and drink with locals. We don’t sleep in hotels, or lodges. For the most part we are days and days from hospitals and towns. If you have a toothache or stomach pains out in the wild, it can be a much bigger deal than if you were close to civilization. The crew and I battled malaria in Kenya; I was bitten by poisonous snakes in the Amazon and in Congo; I have been shocked by electric eels and I have dealt with numerous parasites and infections along the way. I have also encountered hostile tribes in some of the locations we have traveled to, who were not always happy to see us in their country. For all the dangers though, this is what must be done to catch and film these very special fish.
7. Have you ever found the “Holy Grails” of artificial lures? Do you know of a lure that will catch any fish species?
The short answer is…no. If we were able to find such a lure, fishing would be too easy and would be boring. A few times, I thought I found a secret technique or lure that could catch any fish, but there is always that next fish that shows you you are wrong. If you want to catch a fish, your bait has to be in the water. If you are always trying to find a reason to stay home…the moon is too full or the water is too high…you will never catch a fish. That’s why I fish all the time. The time I spend fishing doesn’t count as time off of my life, so that is why I am going to live and fish forever.
You can catch Jakub on Monday nights on the National Geographic Channel at 9 PM Eastern. Here is a scene from last week’s episode:
Thanks for your time Jakub! Looking forward to next week’s show.
Over halfway through 2010 and one could argue that bears are trying to destroy their teddy bear image through various bear attacks and snarling close encounters.
For or against, these occurrences have many people talking about the cancellation of Ontario’s spring bear hunt. A lost hunting opportunity that many hunters felt was politically motivated. It was a management tool that developed a healthy fear of man in bears and helped to minimize encounters like those shared in this post. It did NOT mean the end of Ontario’s bears. Nobody wanted that!
Black Bear Photo: HBarrison from Wikipedia
Those against a bear hunt are being ‘treated’ with more bear sightings, bear attacks, property damage and other close encounters.
Anecdotally, through sources close to Muskoka Outdoors, some Huntsville residents have been having some close encounters.
One man was working outside his house when he came face to face with a bear. After repeated attempts to scare the bear off, the man went back inside his house, with the bear following, to get his firearm. When the man exited his house with gun in hand – the bear bolted away.
In a second, different encounter, one woman returned back into her kitchen to find a bear in her kitchen. It had come in through a screen door.
Then, there was this past spring. In less than one month, three separate aggressive bear encounters have been reported in the area of Orillia, ON. One of the attacks was nearly fatal, while the other two were ‘charges’ and acts of aggression.
Listed below are accounts of the encounters from various sources:
It’s getting more difficult to buy into the ‘rarity’ of hostile bear encounters and attacks. Clean BBQ grills, bear ‘proof’ garbage containers and call lines might fool humans into a sense of safety, but ‘Smokey’ the bear’s identity is lost in the reality of the Canadian rural setting.
Live trapping bears might make sense – until they end up in your back yard or mine. If we are going continue with this tool – I hope those involved are getting DNA samples of the bears that are re-released to make sure they are not repeat offenders. It will also give human victims a means to trace who released a potential risk to back to the wild.
At some point, increasing hunting opportunities, in conjunction with a science-based management plan, will need to be considered to start minimizing risks to humans. It could be a tough pill to swallow for anti-hunting groups.
It is more heart breaking for me to see a human become a causality of the ‘business-end’ of a bear.
Consider tuning in to National Geographic’s new, epic fishing shows this summer! Monster Fish and Fish Warrior will hook your attention and will not let it go as the hosts of the shows haul in some huge freshwater fish.
Monster Fish episodes will feature Zeb Hogan on research expeditions to bring awareness to unique freshwater fish that swim the waters of our incredible planet. Watch Monster Fish on Monday nights (10 PM eastern) on the National Geographic channel. This video captured my full attention about Louisiana’s Alligator Gar:
Fish Warrior particularly baited the angler within me. The show’s host is accomplished angler, Jakub Vagner. His fishing adventures will take viewers to remote and exotic locations (across the globe) on quests for large fish. You will see fish and fishing tactics that are not normally seen on other fishing shows. The show will start airing on Monday nights beginning July 26 at 9pm eastern. I loved this “Sneak Peak” video:
The initial debate going through my mind was should I teach technical aspects like knots, fish biology and lure selection or allow the kids to fish with minimal discussion right from the docks? I chose to skip the technical and get the students fishing right away. It was the right choice because most of the students had never fished before.
