By Ben Romans

A surveillance camera overlooking a tributary of the Blackfoot River outside Seeley Lake, Montana recently captured an unusual angler—a mountain lion—plying a stream for trout.
 
In an article from the Missoulian, Jamie Jonkel, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear manager, says he was using surveillance cameras to monitor a specific Blackfoot River tributary where he knew rainbow trout spawned. He says he wanted to see if bears in the area were using it as a food source—which they were—but this was the first time he’d seen a cat feeding on fish.
 
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By Tim Romano

Being that it's Friday I figured you all could use some entertainment to get ready for the weekend. This week's romp around the Internet led me to some very entertaining bits of video.

The first I know Mr. Cermele will really appreciate, a gentleman landing a permit—on the fly from a Stand Up Paddleboard from Chris Lewis. The second is simply a gorgeously shot tarpon release by Color Blind Media. Lastly, while way too long and not up to the quality of the first two videos, is a story about a guy dropping a fly rod in the Green River and his friends going back a week later with scuba gear and actually finding the thing.

Permit on an SUP

By CJ Lotz

An angler in Athens, Texas set a state catch-and-release record this week with this 20.8-pound channel cat that measured nearly three feet long.

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By Mark Hicks

Top-end specialty rods commonly fetch $100 or more. But you can get a hardworking bass stick for half that.

If you’ve balked at buying a flipping stick because it’s too technique-specific to justify the expense, it’s time to reconsider. We found four flipping rods that perform far better than their price tags might suggest. They may be the biggest bargains in bass fishing.

All four are 7-1⁄2 feet long and have a parabolic action, which is what you want for flipping. And the grip configuration on most lets you touch the blank with your fingers for increased sensitivity. Don’t let their extending handles put you off. Pricier models have one-piece blanks, but these are plenty sturdy for fighting big fish, and they shorten the rod a foot or so for easier transport. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

Greetings from Ryabaga Camp on the banks of the Ponoi River in northern Russia. 

The Ponoi has certainly lived up to its reputation as one of the world's greatest Atlantic salmon fisheries. Prior to coming here, I fished for Atlantic salmon in Canada and Ireland for a total of eight days, and only landed one fish. I landed nine on my first day here, and I did even better yesterday. The 12 anglers who covered this section of the river accounted for 205 caught salmon, the largest being around 20 pounds.  [ Read Full Post ]

By CJ Lotz

A German angler fishing near Norway will go home to a happy spouse. Christian Johannsen's wife told him to come home with fish as he left for his trip. He responded by landing a 427-pound halibut this week.

"Oh she'll get a big piece," he told the newspaper Die Welt.

Johannsen needed the help of two friends in the four-hour figh to reel in the huge fish.

“Every fisher dreams about this, it’s like winning the lottery,” Johannsen said.

This is the second monster fish caught in Norway by a German angler in recent weeks. Remember that pending-world-record cod?
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