So here’s what I’m wondering about this morning: When it comes to nylon monofilament fishing lines, who is using what? There’s a huge array of brands and styles out there, so I’m curious to know what your response--and that of others--might be.

Fair is fair, so here’s what I use. Most often, it’s Berkley Big Game mono in various sizes because it’s fairly consistent, predictable, and--most of all--cheap. A 10-pound-test spool containing 1,500 yards sells for about $8 at my area Wal-Mart. Sometimes I want a little extra edge and spool up with Trilene Sensation, which is more expensive but a bit smaller in diameter.

[ Read Full Post ]

Sorry to riff off the Fly Talk blog, but I came across this photo and it was too good to pass up. If I'm not mistaken, it originally ran in a 1912 issue of Field & Stream. And yes, that's a big old porpoise (a.k.a. "Flipper" if you want to make it cute), hanging on a Naples, Florida, dock like a marlin or tuna. Oh my, how things have changed.

So let's have some fun. Whoever writes the best caption wins a Sebile Crankmaster and Flatt Shad...two very fine lures good for bass, walleye, even redfish if that's what you're into. I'll announce the winner at the end of my blog post on Thursday, February 4th. Have at it. -- Joe Cermele [ Read Full Post ]

As we reported last September, biologists from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) were able to tag 5 great white sharks along Monomoy Island on Cape Cod’s southeastern shore. Now 4 months later one of those satellite-transmitting tags has popped up about 50 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida.

The tags were placed by Capt. Bill Chaprales throwing a harpoonlike device from the pulpit of a “stick” boat (photo), meaning one more commonly used in harpooning giant bluefin tuna or, historically, broadbill swordfish. The sharks were located with the aid of a spotter plane, and were for the most part swimming just outside the surf line in the area of a large seal colony.

This is especially significant because the MDMF’s radio tagging was the first-ever on great whites in the Atlantic Ocean. The tags themselves accumulate data such as the sharks’ swimming depth over time and are designed to pop free of the fish eventually, at which point the tag floats to the surface and starts transmitting so it can be located and recovered. For more details see this section of MDMF’s website.

Eventual data analysis... [ Read Full Post ]

The byzantine politics of coastal striped-bass management took another turn last week as a Massachusetts state legislative committee held a hearing on a bill that could end commercial striper fishing in that state. Making striped bass solely a gamefish might seem like a no-brainer to inland readers especially, where there are no commercial fisheries for species such as largemouth bass or trout.

But it’s not that simple. Commercial striper fishing is a centuries-old tradition here, which accounts for its political viability. At the same time, recreational striper angling has grown hugely in popularity over the last 25 years as striper populations recovered from their collapse (from overfishing) in the 1980s. The so-called “recs” are now taking far more fish every year than the “comms.” And it may well be there simply aren’t enough fish to go around, despite interstate striper management by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Because stripers are for the most part near-shore migrants--moving seasonally north and south from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas--an individual adult striper might pass through as many as 13 different coastal jurisdictions in a year. In some cases--New Jersey and Maine, for example--that fish will be a gamefish. And if... [ Read Full Post ]

Tomorrow, January 14th the state of Massachusetts has hearings on bill H796 which would ban the commercial harvesting and sale of wild striped bass, make it illegal to kill more than one striped bass per day, and enforce stringent rules on the raising of farmed fish. This effectively would make striped bass a gamefish in the waters off of the state out to three miles. In October of 2007, president Bush signed an executive order making striped bass a gamefish only in federal waters or those waters past three miles.

[ Read Full Post ]

Whether or not you use products like Berkley's Gulp! or get excited over the color-changing baits in Yo-Zuri's Sashimi Series, it's hard to deny that recent technology has produced some amazing things in the lure world. But if you're a fan of the Terminator films like I am, you might be inclined to wonder if we'll ever reach a point where lures become too "smart." Imagine a lure that homes in on a fish's mouth like a heat-seeking missile and hooks itself in place. Hey, it could happen, and according to this news story on Physorg.com, science has already created a lure that "forces" fish to bite.

[ Read Full Post ]

In an attempt to drum up excitement over the new season of "Man Vs. Wild," the Discovery Channel just threw a few teaser clips up on Youtube. In the one below, host Bear Grylls, who is stuck on a Pacific Island, eats the eyeballs out of a triggerfish. According to old Bear, the eyes are full of fluid that can thwart dehydration. That may be true, but I still don't think I could ever eat a fish eye. But what I have thought about is what lures I'd want to have on me if I ever got stranded in the woods or on an island.

Here's the scenario: You're stranded by a river, lake or on the ocean. You'll be stuck for at least a month. You get to carry one lure and one lure only. We'll pretend that you  managed to get stranded with a rod and reel to fish said lure.

The white bucktail jig seems like an obvious answer for saltwater. In fact, they are included in some survival kits. No doubt, a white buck will catch almost any fish that... [ Read Full Post ]

Like it or not, a federal saltwater fishing-license requirement became effective on January 1. It applies to most coastal anglers in those states that do not otherwise require saltwater licensing, such as New Jersey and Rhode Island. And it is hugely contentious.

Saltwater angling for fish such as striped bass has been essentially free for generations of anglers in the Northeast, albeit subject to growing size and bag limits for various species. That’s been the case for so long that many surfcasters, for example, take their otherwise unencumbered fishing as an absolute individual right, as opposed to the licensed privilege granted freshwater anglers by their respective states.

Not any more. Over the weekend, I went online and became a federally “registered” saltwater angler. For 2010, the permit is free. After that, the feds will be charging for it. This has led some states such as Connecticut and New York to newly enact their own marine fishing license programs. If I had bought--as I still might--a New York marine license, for example, I would not need to register federally. And holding the new federal permit does not exempt me... [ Read Full Post ]

There was a little fish-type activity here over Christmas weekend, despite its being a cold and blustery winter holiday. I warmed things up a bit by making an old-fashioned New England fish chowder. Here’s how it worked.

Traditional ingredients are local to the New England coast, but can be found anywhere: salt pork, cod or haddock (or any sweet, white-fleshed fish from freshwater or salt), onions, potatoes, water, milk or cream or both, salt and pepper. The trick is in adding ingredients in the right order to account for differences in cooking times. [ Read Full Post ]

Last night I was digging through my freezer and buried beneath the Ellio's Pizza and a few venison backstraps, I found this lone vacuum-sealed trout. I thought quite hard about where it came from. I'm usually pretty good about marking the date and species on all sealed fish, but this 12-inch brown trout, no doubt a local stocker, is anonymous and apparently slipped out of view during cold storage. Its origins remain a mystery.

[ Read Full Post ]

Thanksgiving is over. I know this because every commercial on TV is now Christmas-related. I don’t generally pay attention to these rants about sales and holiday cheer, but I noticed something interesting this year. Bass Pro Shops is running loads of commercials, and I’m not talking about just on Versus and the Outdoor Channel. I’m talking Bravo and Lifetime. Why? Because these commercials are targeted at wives who don't fish. Here’s why they’re genius.

[ Read Full Post ]

Here's an interesting story via the blog of former Field & Stream editor and noted vampire expert Scott Bowen.
 
Researchers at the University of Rochester have discovered that exposure to nature can actually change how we view the world.
 
From the story:
"...a recent article by researchers at the University of Rochester shows that experiences with nature can affect more than our mood. In a series of studies, Netta Weinstein, Andrew Przybylski, and Richard Ryan, University of Rochester, show that ... [ Read Full Post ]