Tomorrow - - Tuesday - - would have been North Carolina author Robert Ruark's 100th birthday.
I only discovered Ruark a few years ago, but his The Old Man and the Boy and The Old Man's Boy Grows Older have quickly earned a place on my shelf of favorite books. They are a pure distillation of nostalgia for his upbringing in coastal North Carolina, specifically the Cape Fear region around Wilmington. I've spent a lot of time down there myself, seeing some of what Ruark saw, although the area is far more developed than he would recognize these days. He'd probably recognize the area around Fort Fisher, though, and maybe shake hands with descendants of people he fished with off of the Kure Beach fishing pier, and once into a boat and away from the crowds on shore he'd probably be quite happy revisiting the marshes, islands and beaches of the Cape Fear area. If you've never read The Old Man and the Boy, you're missing a great coming-of-age story and a primer on how to be a good man, even if Ruark himself often ignored the advice his grandfather gave him.
Showing posts with label fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fishing. Show all posts
Monday, December 28, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
"Keep Hookers Off the Piers?"
Really, PETA?
OAK ISLAND – PETA plans to fly a banner behind a plane Friday throughout Oak Island that reads “KEEP HOOKERS OFF THE PIERS!” to get an anti-fishing message across following shark bite incidents Sunday that maimed two swimmers.
"Dangling blood and bait in the water is like ringing a dinner bell for sharks, who rarely attack without provocation — and the consequences can be disastrous, as they were in these cases," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said. "PETA's banner will remind Oak Island–area beachgoers that fishing is dangerous not only for fish, turtles, birds and dolphins, but also for swimmers and tourists visiting the beaches."
OAK ISLAND – PETA plans to fly a banner behind a plane Friday throughout Oak Island that reads “KEEP HOOKERS OFF THE PIERS!” to get an anti-fishing message across following shark bite incidents Sunday that maimed two swimmers.
"Dangling blood and bait in the water is like ringing a dinner bell for sharks, who rarely attack without provocation — and the consequences can be disastrous, as they were in these cases," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said. "PETA's banner will remind Oak Island–area beachgoers that fishing is dangerous not only for fish, turtles, birds and dolphins, but also for swimmers and tourists visiting the beaches."
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Headline of the Day
"There are planty [sic] of ways to recycle Christmas trees."
One way we did it in Florida when I was growing up was to tie a concrete block to it and dump it in the lake with the other old Christmas trees, it made a great habitat for speckled perch (Black Crappie). No better-tasting panfish exists on this planet.
One way we did it in Florida when I was growing up was to tie a concrete block to it and dump it in the lake with the other old Christmas trees, it made a great habitat for speckled perch (Black Crappie). No better-tasting panfish exists on this planet.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Look What He Fished Up
It's 4000-year old Bronze Age pagan God-dude.
Looks like Father Jack from the old Father Ted BBC show, don't he?
Looks like Father Jack from the old Father Ted BBC show, don't he?
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Monday, December 03, 2012
Fewer Dams = Better Fishing
While there is much to be said for dams in their role of flood control and reservoirs for drinking water, they also degrade the quality of fishing.
For years, the first thing Ranger Tom Charles has done on spring mornings at Cape Fear Lock and Dam No. 1 is let in the fish.
“There’s probably hundreds of them” waiting below the 11-foot dam 39 miles northwest of Wilmington, he says. “When they’re in there pretty thick, you’ll see them jump, but you can’t see how many there are.”
Most are American shad, waiting for Charles to open the lock to start them on the 90 miles or so to their ancestral spawning grounds in Harnett County. It’s the short leg of the journey for some of these fish important to the marine food chain; they started out in Nova Scotia.
The churning mass also includes striped bass, which migrate shorter distances, and there could also be an endangered sturgeon or two, says Charles, who works for the Army Corps of Engineers.
When spawning territories are blocked, “You lose the vast majority of the population,” says Mike Wicker, Raleigh-based biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When lifted by the locks, 35 percent of the shad make it past all three dams, according to a study by Dr. Joseph Hightower, U.S. Geological Survey biologist teaching at N.C. State.
Beginning next spring, North Carolina, the corps, and the fish will embark on a new venture. The lock will stay closed, and the fish will begin their journey on their own. They’ll jump up a natural-looking “rock arch rapids” or weir – a 200-foot slope of rock added to the downstream side of the dam.
It stretches up to the top, and “fish swim right over the dam,” Wicker says.
Although it’s a first for the Southeast, “That kind of rock arch weir has been done quite a bit in the Midwest,” Hightower says. “It’s been very successful there.”
Click the link to read the rest.
For years, the first thing Ranger Tom Charles has done on spring mornings at Cape Fear Lock and Dam No. 1 is let in the fish.
“There’s probably hundreds of them” waiting below the 11-foot dam 39 miles northwest of Wilmington, he says. “When they’re in there pretty thick, you’ll see them jump, but you can’t see how many there are.”
Most are American shad, waiting for Charles to open the lock to start them on the 90 miles or so to their ancestral spawning grounds in Harnett County. It’s the short leg of the journey for some of these fish important to the marine food chain; they started out in Nova Scotia.
The churning mass also includes striped bass, which migrate shorter distances, and there could also be an endangered sturgeon or two, says Charles, who works for the Army Corps of Engineers.
When spawning territories are blocked, “You lose the vast majority of the population,” says Mike Wicker, Raleigh-based biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When lifted by the locks, 35 percent of the shad make it past all three dams, according to a study by Dr. Joseph Hightower, U.S. Geological Survey biologist teaching at N.C. State.
Beginning next spring, North Carolina, the corps, and the fish will embark on a new venture. The lock will stay closed, and the fish will begin their journey on their own. They’ll jump up a natural-looking “rock arch rapids” or weir – a 200-foot slope of rock added to the downstream side of the dam.
It stretches up to the top, and “fish swim right over the dam,” Wicker says.
Although it’s a first for the Southeast, “That kind of rock arch weir has been done quite a bit in the Midwest,” Hightower says. “It’s been very successful there.”
Click the link to read the rest.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sometimes Fish Eats You!
Or nearly so:
It was a dramatic weekend for kayakers in waters off Cambria: A Paso Robles fisherman escaped an attack by a great white shark Saturday, although his kayak didn’t, and another Paso Robles kayaker was plucked from the 51-degree-water Sunday in time to save his life.
Joey Nocchi, 30, of Paso Robles, had the big-fish tale to tell, after his kayak was upended and bitten by a great white shark. Nocchi and friends James Byon of Paso Robles and Matt Kerschke of Los Osos were fishing for rockfish at 1:30 p.m. Saturday near Leffingwell Landing off Moonstone Beach.
“We’d just about limited out on rock cod, and Matt caught two halibut,” Nocchi said. “We were cruising along together and talking.”
He was reaching for his knife when “I got hit from underneath and started coming up out of the water. My buddies said I came out of the water 4 to 5 feet — it flipped me over the side. The shark rolled the whole kayak over, rolled me out of it, and he went over the top of it. He swam across me — his tail touched me.” His friends estimated the shark was 12 feet to 14 feet long.
Nocchi’s buddies told him “the shark came all the way out of the water, jaws open, extra eyelids closed like they do when they’re making a kill strike.
“I swam back as fast as I could and got back on the back of the kayak. I didn’t even think to turn it back over.”
Nocchi said he was glad he did not fish alone, and added he’d likely stay out of the ocean for a while. “I’ll be bass fishing for a while, probably from the shore.”
Can't say I blame him for that.
It was a dramatic weekend for kayakers in waters off Cambria: A Paso Robles fisherman escaped an attack by a great white shark Saturday, although his kayak didn’t, and another Paso Robles kayaker was plucked from the 51-degree-water Sunday in time to save his life.
Joey Nocchi, 30, of Paso Robles, had the big-fish tale to tell, after his kayak was upended and bitten by a great white shark. Nocchi and friends James Byon of Paso Robles and Matt Kerschke of Los Osos were fishing for rockfish at 1:30 p.m. Saturday near Leffingwell Landing off Moonstone Beach.
“We’d just about limited out on rock cod, and Matt caught two halibut,” Nocchi said. “We were cruising along together and talking.”
He was reaching for his knife when “I got hit from underneath and started coming up out of the water. My buddies said I came out of the water 4 to 5 feet — it flipped me over the side. The shark rolled the whole kayak over, rolled me out of it, and he went over the top of it. He swam across me — his tail touched me.” His friends estimated the shark was 12 feet to 14 feet long.
Nocchi’s buddies told him “the shark came all the way out of the water, jaws open, extra eyelids closed like they do when they’re making a kill strike.
“I swam back as fast as I could and got back on the back of the kayak. I didn’t even think to turn it back over.”
Nocchi said he was glad he did not fish alone, and added he’d likely stay out of the ocean for a while. “I’ll be bass fishing for a while, probably from the shore.”
Can't say I blame him for that.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
110,071
That's the number of Largemouth Bass that H. Reid Jones of Raleigh, NC, has caught in the last 37 years.
H. Reid Jones of Raleigh made an entry in his fishing diary 37 years ago about the largemouth bass he caught that day.
He’s still making entries. Each of the 6,693 fishing trip since, Jones, 77, has written about that day’s catch. There is a notation for every largemouth he has caught – all 110,071.
“I started writing them down just for the heck of it,” Jones said. “There were all these tournaments with all that competitiveness and I just didn’t think that was what bass fishing was about. I just started keeping up with what I had done.”
Click the link to read the rest.
H. Reid Jones of Raleigh made an entry in his fishing diary 37 years ago about the largemouth bass he caught that day.
He’s still making entries. Each of the 6,693 fishing trip since, Jones, 77, has written about that day’s catch. There is a notation for every largemouth he has caught – all 110,071.
“I started writing them down just for the heck of it,” Jones said. “There were all these tournaments with all that competitiveness and I just didn’t think that was what bass fishing was about. I just started keeping up with what I had done.”
Click the link to read the rest.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The Old Man Would Understand
Trying to rebuild stocks of Menhaden along the Atlantic Seaboard.
Called menhaden, the fish — part of the herring family — is today mostly used as fertilizer, feed for animals and farmed-fish and bait. Its place in American history goes back to the Pilgrims. Menhaden were the fish that Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to plant with corn as fertilizer. New England tribes in the pre-Colonial era called the menhaden munnawhatteaug, or "fertilizer."
As the most heavily harvested fish, in terms of pounds, on the East Coast, its numbers have dropped to about 10% of its Colonial-era population.
So on Wednesday, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 14-3 to reduce the amount of menhaden that may be caught by about 25% compared with the previous year's catch. That should mean on average 60,000 metric tons "more fish in the water to help the population begin to rebuild," says John Crawford of the Pew Environment Group's Northeast Fisheries Program.
The commission's decision was complicated, based on the estimated percentage of spawning-aged fish , says Ben Landry, director of public affairs for Omega Protein Corp. The Houston-based company catches 75%-80% of menhaden, which it turns into fish meal and fish oil at its Reedville, Va., plant.
If you've ever read The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark, you'll remember that the Old Man, Capt. Ned Askins, owned a "pogie boat" for Menhaden fishing in Southport, NC, and young Robert had some of his adventures on that boat. You'll also recall that the Old Man was a firm believer in conservation, teaching Ruark the importance of preserving various species (quail, in particular) by not over-hunting or over-fishing.
Called menhaden, the fish — part of the herring family — is today mostly used as fertilizer, feed for animals and farmed-fish and bait. Its place in American history goes back to the Pilgrims. Menhaden were the fish that Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to plant with corn as fertilizer. New England tribes in the pre-Colonial era called the menhaden munnawhatteaug, or "fertilizer."
As the most heavily harvested fish, in terms of pounds, on the East Coast, its numbers have dropped to about 10% of its Colonial-era population.
So on Wednesday, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 14-3 to reduce the amount of menhaden that may be caught by about 25% compared with the previous year's catch. That should mean on average 60,000 metric tons "more fish in the water to help the population begin to rebuild," says John Crawford of the Pew Environment Group's Northeast Fisheries Program.
The commission's decision was complicated, based on the estimated percentage of spawning-aged fish , says Ben Landry, director of public affairs for Omega Protein Corp. The Houston-based company catches 75%-80% of menhaden, which it turns into fish meal and fish oil at its Reedville, Va., plant.
If you've ever read The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark, you'll remember that the Old Man, Capt. Ned Askins, owned a "pogie boat" for Menhaden fishing in Southport, NC, and young Robert had some of his adventures on that boat. You'll also recall that the Old Man was a firm believer in conservation, teaching Ruark the importance of preserving various species (quail, in particular) by not over-hunting or over-fishing.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
World Record Catfish Caught In NC Lake?
A 143-lb blue catfish up in Kerr Lake, near Henderson, NC.
Pic:
Ugly damned thing. Sorry, I'm a bass guy, don't much like catfish.
Pic:
Ugly damned thing. Sorry, I'm a bass guy, don't much like catfish.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wilmington's Greenfield Lake
Wilmington, NC, that is.
It's a public park in Wilmington, with lake, gardens and sports facilities. You can rent paddleboats and canoes, and fish in the lake, as well, although I don't think I'd recommend eating the fish you catch, as the lake is polluted. (It's getting better, though.)
Sara and I have visited it and sat by the edge of the lake to watch fishermen. If you click on this link to the accompanying gallery, you'll see the bench (1/20) that we sat in.
The lake, in addition to the usual turtles, has alligators in it.
It's best to be cautious when visiting the park, as it is close enough to the poor parts of Wilmington to draw criminal activity: drug dealers, muggers, and rapists. I probably wouldn't visit it again myself unless I had a CCW and was heeled.
Good bunch of stories and photos. It's nice to know that the lake is slowly becoming less polluted, and stories from the Star-News in the past indicates that the Wilmington police are trying to deal with the crime problem. I hope that they do, it's a pretty park.
It's a public park in Wilmington, with lake, gardens and sports facilities. You can rent paddleboats and canoes, and fish in the lake, as well, although I don't think I'd recommend eating the fish you catch, as the lake is polluted. (It's getting better, though.)
Sara and I have visited it and sat by the edge of the lake to watch fishermen. If you click on this link to the accompanying gallery, you'll see the bench (1/20) that we sat in.
The lake, in addition to the usual turtles, has alligators in it.
It's best to be cautious when visiting the park, as it is close enough to the poor parts of Wilmington to draw criminal activity: drug dealers, muggers, and rapists. I probably wouldn't visit it again myself unless I had a CCW and was heeled.
Good bunch of stories and photos. It's nice to know that the lake is slowly becoming less polluted, and stories from the Star-News in the past indicates that the Wilmington police are trying to deal with the crime problem. I hope that they do, it's a pretty park.
Friday, April 01, 2011
Orcas & Tunas On The NC Outer Banks
Fishermen at Oregon Inlet at the North Carolina Outer Banks were happily hooking Bluefin Tuna when a pod of Orcas (Killer Whales) decided to join in.
Orcas aren't normally found this far south, so it was a rare treat for the fishermen to see them, even if they were losing their hooked tunas to the cetaceans.
More info here, including photos.
Here's one sample pic:
Orcas aren't normally found this far south, so it was a rare treat for the fishermen to see them, even if they were losing their hooked tunas to the cetaceans.
More info here, including photos.
Here's one sample pic:
Friday, December 10, 2010
Meanwhile, Over At Rasch Outdoor Chronicles...
...Albert has a post about George Washington, fisherman,including a pic of Washington's pocket fishing kit.
No, it's not made by Ron Popeil.
No, it's not made by Ron Popeil.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Fishing Ban In The Sea of Galilee
Fishing banned for two years in the Sea of Galilee to allow stocks depleted by overfishing to recover.
The fish are known as St. Peter's Fish, and are a variety of tilapia.
The fish are known as St. Peter's Fish, and are a variety of tilapia.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Britain's Oldest Fisherman: Bill Hocking, 80
He's been fishing for 70 years, can't swim a stroke, doesn't eat fish or shellfish, prefers steak.
Makes his living catching crabs and lobsters to sell in the fishmarket at Looe, Cornwall.
Update: Much better story on the same subject here. H/T to Jon Mills, the author of the piece, for pointing it out. Video included in the link.
Makes his living catching crabs and lobsters to sell in the fishmarket at Looe, Cornwall.
Update: Much better story on the same subject here. H/T to Jon Mills, the author of the piece, for pointing it out. Video included in the link.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Old Man Tarrypin and the Crab Pots
Unfortunately, Old Man Tarrypin has no luck with the crab pots, so it's not a story with a happy ending...yet. Maybe crabbers can start using turtle excluders on their pots, or some other solutions that are less deadly to the Terrapins.
For a story of how Old Man Tarrypin outwitted Brer Fox, go here.
If you've never heard of or seen a Diamondback Terrapin, Wikipedia has a fine entry.
They used to be a food delicacy in the US, but aren't seen too often on menus anymore, if at all, because they are protected from harvest by various states.
For a story of how Old Man Tarrypin outwitted Brer Fox, go here.
If you've never heard of or seen a Diamondback Terrapin, Wikipedia has a fine entry.
They used to be a food delicacy in the US, but aren't seen too often on menus anymore, if at all, because they are protected from harvest by various states.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Even Lobsters Get The Blues
A New Hampshire lobster fisherman caught a rare blue lobster in his trap.
They're rare, only 1 in 1.5 million lobsters is blue.
Pic:
They're rare, only 1 in 1.5 million lobsters is blue.
Pic:
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Let's Go Fishing
A novice fisherman describes the enjoyment to be had by fishing from an ocean pier.
It's something I've never done, either; all of my fishing has been in fresh water, except for a trip with my grandfather to Cedar Key, Florida, which resulted in my being stabbed by a stingray in the hand, a painful experience.
It's something I've never done, either; all of my fishing has been in fresh water, except for a trip with my grandfather to Cedar Key, Florida, which resulted in my being stabbed by a stingray in the hand, a painful experience.
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