BSmaster

You are a true artist Paul. It is gorgeous.

"Climate Change" is the new buzz word. Hard to convince people that the Earth is warming when it gets this cold out. Polar Bears - the new spokesman for climate change.

An extensive google search on this idea has rendered me nothing. This is a project for a grad student if anyone knows anyone in a fisheries program. I wish now that I had looked more extensively and as I typed this I realized I had the guts still out in the a bag waiting for trash day. I checked the inside of the stomach to see if there were any soft plastics and they feel empty. This is the pic below. Guys on here know a lot more about this than I do. Do you see anything? If I need to send this to Cortland, let me know. Nick and Jeremy, I sent you a pm.

Nick, I would like to know more about this. I admittedly didn't know what to look for.

I honestly did not think this would be a hot topic. I will give more info. I did catch this at a cayuga trib where three weeks earlier I caught numerous parr and smolts. This day I caught one premature fish and had missed this fish or others of the same size. I kept the fish. Had a cup worth of fresh and very wet and loose eggs which I tied up for my trip to the Oak yesterday. They worked well and would have worked better if the water level is where it should be for this time of year. I do not fish for lakers because I think they are not worth it for fight or fare but my Mom likes them for table fare so I gave her the fish meat and I know several chinese people who love the salmonid heads for soup. When I gutted her I found an empty stomach but as you see the cold kept me from looking too much. I expected to see a little rainbow parr but nothing. I know a guy that fishes a seneca trib and has told me that he has caught every game fish that exists in the lake up the in the stream. Why they run is unknown to me. After seeing shows where fat lakers are cut open and rainbow smolts pop out I really didn't want that eating machine left up there in the spawning grounds. It lacked girth but the head on that flat body was all business. BTW those are eggs in the pic. The fight was typical head shaking and it was strong. Not that it showed up in the pic but the tail was bigger in porportion as well. anybody wants specifics PM me. I won't offer more info over the full web. Joe

I caught this on a FL trib. this past Tuesday. It was not the mouth. It was at least a mile up a strong flowing trib. I have heard of this happening but I have never seen it before Tuesday. It went around 7lbs. didn't measure length. ~30in.

Wasn't going to comment on this thread but I have noticed in my short time fishing conesus that the quality of Pike has diminished and there does seem to be an occasional 10-15lbr mixed in with a whole lot of 24-30 inch fish. This can be validated by watching the run in the spring, which I highly recommend as a family trip for everyone. Tournies aren't for me (catch and release or keep and kill) and that is all I will say about that. However, As great the numbers are for Pike, weren't the numbers great for musky before all of the tournies wiped them out? I should say I wasn't there so I can only infer from the numerous literature of the great tournaments 50 + years ago. I am ok with the harvest as long as the system has the resources to replenish it. Larry seems to think it does not and I have to agree with him. Not because I know but because I think he knows. To me it is simple thermodynamics. What comes into the box has to replace what is leaving the box. Frackers down here take water out of our river system and they have to be careful how much they take out and what part of the river they remove it from. If they take too much from one spot the river will go flat and it will stress the system. If people harvest fish from Conesus and only Conesus, it may be problmatic for the fishery, however, there are numerous places to catch northerns. Where people decide to do this may be more of an issue. I harvest fish from the river but I am always conscious not to over harvest in one area and I always take into account how the bait looks and how much fat the fish have. If I was in a tourny, I probably wouldn't care about next year or the year after as long as I had an opportunity to be on the "board". To summarize, I aree with the concern. I also believe tournies are wanted by a large population. Balance... First learn stand...then learn fly... nature's rule.. Daniel-san, not mine. Better learn balance...balance is key. Balance good...everything good. Balance bad...better pack up and go home. Miyagi: Go, find balance!

That's a nice fish! And anyone who fishes them with line light enough for them to break it knows how much fun they can be. Nice job! Curious - did you have to tighten and loosen the drag or did it just use its shoulders on you?

MY Perception (All examples are not my Bio) 1.)Definitely passion. What is your trigger? (mine is littering but not a frequent topic) 2.)Also, internet Savvy. How well do you communicate? 3.)Finally, some people are just itching to do battle. Example 1-1. I caught a nice fresh steelhead and took a picture of it on rope designated to drag deer out of the woods while it flopped around in a muddle puddle in the parking lot. Nothing illegal but this picture would infuriate some people passionate about steelhead. Example 1-2. I caught a beautiful musky but had difficulty handling it and the picture showed this while I was trying to get my hero shot. It was obvious to experience musky anglers that the chances of the fishes survival was minimal and this infuriated them. Example 1-3. I shot a small deer with my bow and took pictures of it with arrows sticking out of its body. Most people who do not hunt would find offense to my portrayal of the hunt. Example 1-4. I shot my first bear. Yeah! however, it is just a cub. I should know better and get ridiculed for it. Example 1-5 I caught a sturgeon and took a quick pic of it before I released it. The fish is ok and I know it is against the rules and get reminded by 1/2 doz people which leads to an argument of the viability of the fishery and what everyone's responsibility should be. Example 1-6 I can relate to a bad experience that i had to a new post and for the next few days i am bashing Russians and Pennsylvanians because they suck! Example 2-1 I do not know how to interface an inanimate object such as my computer monitor and have a different opinion than the last post so I decide to call them a stupid jacka$$ and tell them to come get some. $Boom$ Example 2-2 I have an irrelevant topic I would like to share in someone elses post. Example 2-3 I know everything there is to know about the topic at hand and let people know it and refuse to see another point of view. Example 3-1 I know that there is an opportunity to prey on the topic at hand by focusing on the first 2 example points and getting all technical so I call somebody out on based on their picture and description of the event and see where the conversation can go so I can pile on. Example 3-2 I am unhappy with an experience I have had with another LOU member and decide to air my feelings within the community. Example 3-3 I have had a terrible walleye season and decide to blame the successful guy that posts all the info. Of course, my deer season was pretty bad too, so those other guys must be hunting over bait. There is no way they could be better than me. Example 3-4 somebody was in my spot and when I get on LOU I see a recent report regarding my spot and this make very angry. Stop talking about my spot! No Pictures! Merry Christmas everybody. Please remember to treat others as you would like to be treated.

Ray, you should write a book. Never a dull moment with you. I am ready to concede that unicorns probably do not exist. However, I am still holding out on the idea that there could be mountain lions (or subspecies) within the appalachins. It is plausible so I will hold onto my fairytale. BTW (sidenote) my wife mistook a bunch of black heffers running through the pasture as a herd of buffalo. Most likely because her smarta$$ husband told her that's what they were. Point being, gullible people (ie kids) will believe what you tell them and if you tell them that there are mountain lions in them there hills they will usually grow up to believe it. (Its called Faith) I have been duped many times and it is because I looked up to the people who played me.

I ask a lot of permission. Remember, a lot of the land owners that will say no to you for deer will say yes to you for small game and spring turkey. It is a good oportunity to show them what kind of person you are in an effort to move toward a familiar relationship - hopefully positive. There is a farmer that I cook meals for (Venison, rabbit, Pheasant... etc) that I have only hunted once. He will let me hunt whenever I want. I gave most of my deer to another landowner years back. That is the kind of relationship I want to forge with land owners. That get something positive from me to show my appreciation. Let him know when you see something amiss and offer to help them with it. Nothing will work with tree huggers and unfortunately rabbits are cuter than deer. I started hunting squirells when I was 8. By 11, I was hunting rabbits (alone) By 14, me and both beagles were gone from sun up to sun down and not just in the winter but the fall too. Great way for any youngster to wet his feet and feel his manhood (figuretively).

rabbits!!! Love em and love hunting them. Love beagles too! Squirrels - not so much.

I am sorry for your loss. He will always be there with you. My cousin did the same thing with our Grandpa's buck rack he had used in his bedroom as a hat hanger.

looks good Ray... How's that go with the bear meat?