By Kirk Deeter and Tim Romano

Let's give away some fly rods.

First up, I'm going to declare the winner of the Cabela's CGt fiberglass rod: given for a witty caption to this image three ladies and their freaky stingray encounter. As a rule of thumb, I would advise that insulting the editor is not the best plan for winning prizes on Fly Talk. However, I'll be a good sport and go with HuntinAl, who penned: "Yes, that was Kirk Deeter in a thong, but shouldn't you be more concerned about the stingray on your back?"  

I do so because I am comfortable with my Herculean, fish god physique. And I am quite confident that nobody on this planet will ever have to worry about spotting me in a thong of any sort, anywhere. Good job Al, but I'll be watching you from now on.

For rod number two, I'll hand it off to my partner Tim Romano.
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By Joe Cermele

That guy in the photo is Andrew Metzger, better known to frequent F&S.com readers as Koldcut. Andrew lives in Colorado, but he's originally from eastern Pennsylvania. For the last few years all I've been hearing from Andrew is, "the next time I'm in PA we have to fish." Well, he was in PA last week and we fished. And he got a righteous taste of what us Northeast saltwater guys deal with all fall: Wind when no wind is forecast, the fish you want being non-existent even though they were everywhere the day before, and bluefish (a.k.a. lemonade). Only Andrew's tall glass of lemonade came with a twist.

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By Editors

Field & Stream's Catchbook app for the iPhone is a social fishing journal that automatically turns fish photos into catch records complete with detailed weather conditions, then lets you share that information on a map with fishing buddies you trust. The map is private, but the photos of your fish are public, which means everyone can see what all Catchbook users are landing around the country (and around the world!).

Since we launched the app in April, more than 6,300 people have installed it on their phones and have posted thousands of photos (check out our editors' picks for the 50 best shots from September here).

If you fish, and you have an iPhone, we'd love it if you'd check out our app. Here's an extra incentive: We're giving away a 16GB iPhone 5 (MSRP: $649)—plus OtterBox Defender Series ($49.95) and Commuter Series ($34.95) cases to go with it—to the best photo posted to the app during the month of October. Also, the best photo each week wins one of OtterBox's great new iPhone cases. Click the link to download this fishing app from the iTunes store.

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By Kirk Deeter

I don't think any group of people outside of baseball is more closely associated with the caps they wear on their heads than fly anglers. The lid you wear is more than a fashion statement. It's the "been there, done that" statement. The badge of honor. The telltale that you proudly belong to a fishy culture.

And for some of us, it's what keeps the bald spot on top of our head from getting sunburned. (Although I've come to embrace baldness to the point where I don't actually feel like wearing baseball caps indoors. I tell people the bald crown is a solar panel for a fishing machine.)

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By Chad Love

A California man fishing off the Mexico coast has landed a potential world-record yellowfin tuna.

From this story on worldfishingnetwork.com:

Guy Yocom of Dana Point, California brought in a monster yellowfin tuna that could very well be the new all-tackle IGFA world record. The fish – caught 180 miles offshore from Cabo San Lucas - was weighed on two different scales registering 427.5 pounds on one and 427 pounds on the other. IGFA representative Minerva Saenz was present for the weigh-in and has sent off the scales to be verified and checked for certification. [ Read Full Post ]

By Joe Cermele

Everyone thinks it's those pesky sharks you need to watch out for when you're reeling in fish around a reef. What people don't realize is that more often than not, it's a big, mean grouper that chomps your catch, not a hammerhead. Goliath grouper in particular have no qualms about shooting up from the bottom to grab an easy meal. In the video below, a catch this spearfisherman thought was secure was actually far from it. He might have to change that wetsuit after this one.

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