Folks
Swez wanted me to post the link to his most recent fishing trip. Although this is a picture to the only fish he's ever caught, just the sheer fact that he hauled in this monster attests to his ability
http://www.startribune.com/767/story/186214-a186770-t3.html
CLAP
CLAP
Replies (13)
newB on 01/16/2006 21:49:11
WOW... NICE catch swez!!!! i honestly didn't think u had it in you...
=)
-Drew
swez on 01/17/2006 00:20:50
Yep, that was me in a previous life. I was Louis Spray and passed to the great beyond in 1950. Came back as Swez in 1955 and they handed me a fly-rod and some silly notions about Car Audio to work on, this time around.
Yeah, she was a beauty huh? That one put me in the hospital for a hernia operation and I never came out of the comma. I died a happy man though.
Mr. B., a recent trip? That was caught in 1949. There ain't noone that big in the great north anymore. Sure am glad one of us had a good memory... thanks for packing those sticks of TNT. It sure made getting monster, a lot easier to land. We did not have tazer's in the late 40's.
Swez COFFEE
MrBrownstone on 01/17/2006 01:21:17
That picture was mislabeled.
pigwiggle on 01/17/2006 20:36:24
Well, not to brag but ... here are a couple of steelhead I took out of the Clearwater in northern Idaho just before Christmas (yah, it was cold). I caught my limit but couldn’t manage them all for the pic.
http://www.hec.utah.edu/~matt/dropbox/steelhead.jpg
swez on 01/18/2006 08:32:30
Those are beauties Wiggle. What did you get them on? (gear and bait?) What were the length and weights on them?
Well done!!! CLAP
Swez
PS Boy, a 8/9 wt. fly rod would make for tons of fun huh?
pigwiggle on 01/18/2006 09:50:06
We used shrimp. The trout weren't feeding; just bugged them enough to get them to hit the shrimp. The winter runs of steelhead are coming back from the ocean and have quit feeding; they are just trying to get up the cold river to spawn. And gear; well, I don't know, wasn't mine. I'm only familiar with flyrod tackle. Essentially just a big rod, conventional reel (saw some spinners though), and a diver. Strip out 30-50ft of line and sit in the current.
We didn't weigh or measure them; I'm guessing the average was 32" and 15 lb, and the largest was 36" and maybe 17-20lb, the smallest was maybe 28". Good eating. Feeding in the ocean turns the flesh from the typical trout gray to pink.
The summer runs will hit a fly. And when they are actually feeding they really hit it. I've been told they completely breach the water and then put up a 30-60min fight.
It was a great day; adult and juvenile bald eagles fishing next to us, huge trout rolling past as they hump it up the river. It's sad though; they are ~70% hatchery raised and then trucked past the dams (wild steelhead are release only). The dams have all but killed the salmon and trout runs; the kokanee are extinct in the Clearwater. I have a picture of my grandfather holding two ~4ft kokanee. Sad.
Victor on 01/18/2006 13:50:35
Well, fishing is not my subject at all, no offences, but if we humans keep developing ( thats what we have defined ), and encroaching the wild teritory , we are definitely going to loose many beautiful species for ever.
Fishing for our own fun and food or even as a sport is not what i wud encourage.
anyways, i am satisfied with myself not indulging in the same, dont really wanna dictate anyone.
Victor...
Its definitely SAD, I wish there was some more powerful species then the Homosapiens, so that even we could realise what its like being hunted ( or fished , for that matter )
Live and LET Live.
pigwiggle on 01/18/2006 15:26:59
It’s not fishing or even human encroachment that have ruined these fisheries; it’s the demand for electricity, the damming of the river. 10% of the electricity on the US grid is hydroelectric. Fishermen are seemingly the only folks that have taken note (or I guess care) of the near dead fisheries. In an effort to pacify this vocal minority state Fish and Game have been stocking the rivers with hatchery-raised fish. It’s pretty clear the fisheries aren’t coming back; 3 in 4 fish caught are from the hatchery, on our trip it was 5 in 6.
If no one goes down to the river to take a fish there won’t be anyone to tell you there are no fish in the river left to take.
swez on 01/18/2006 16:51:51
Agree 110% with ya Wiggle. Has any group pressed for fish ladders in that area? We have done this in many damed rivers in the MW and East as well. They work, but it does cost $$$ to make them part of the electrical power station.
Victor, we have a very diiferent situation here in the USA regarding hunting, fishing and sport kill schedules. If we did not have certain seasons for hunting, the deer populations would swell to a point where they encroach on highways, populated areas and become a major problem. This has been especially true in the Midwestern USA the past 8-10 years. (White tail deer)
If we don't control the population with hunting, many will die of starvation as there is not enough forage food to support larger herds.
Also, most serious anglers and hunters, (that I know) are also Naturalists as well. We study the flora and fauna carefully and pass recorded observations on to the Conservation districts. We are the extra eyes and ears in the region and work with the govt agencies to spot trends, problems and provide solutions to conserve or bolster weak populations of a given type of species.
The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) is very under-staffed and cannot cover the territories they are assigned to without help from private sources. Sportsmens Clubs often go out to given areas to record and count various populations of fish and game, for the DNR. This data helps the DNR to set regulatory bag limits on size and number of game to be taken in a given season.
When game is sparse, the limits are cut to insure a strong population of game in future seasons. When game is abundant or worse yet, a great excess, then the limits are modified to manage the number of game in a given area. Too many critters in a given geographical area are also bad for the envioronment. They can greatly impact future harvests of things they feed upon in the eco-chain.
No, humans do not fully understand the cycles and impact we have on nature when we prune a forest, build hydro-electric dams and even expand housing communities to the wilderness. But avid sportsmen/women are a great source to sound the warning bells, when things get out of balance.
Unfortunately, we have a very small voice as compared to Big Business giants and Political Action Committee's. Greed fosters many bad projects for the eco-system. They do studies on many environmental impact scenarios, but often fail to account for wildlife boundaries and habitats they might otherwise disrupt or destroy, in the process. That's where civic action groups come into the process. We try our best to get Big Biz to act responsibly with their plans. If they consume 20,000 acres of prime forest and game lands, they have to replace that loss by developing new habitat for the indiginous species they displace. That is a tough job to sell... but avid sportsmen are there to protect the eco-system, not destroy game and wildlife habitat.
Swez
Victor on 01/18/2006 18:28:56
Its time we understand, that its not them who are encroaching our territory,. its us encroaching theirs.. electricity...?? do wild animals use it???
if man was still uncivilised and into the wild and part of the nature, i wud not mind us killing for food, but if we call ourselves civilised we have to act accordingly, we have consciously eliminated as well as very selfishly involved ourselves in the chain of life on mother earth..( well cant help it , cause its very typically hypocritic of the human race )
We feel the population of a specific breed is increasing, cuase they enter regions where we stay.. But hell man... look where u are staying was once home to them..
The best way to keep the eco system clean, balanced and protected is to not mess at all with it, and try to keep our dirty hands off it as much as possible..and if hunting, killing, fishing and etc, other activities for any reasons can be avoided its the best.. look what we have done to our forests.......
The way the concrete jungle is growning i doubt there will be any trees left in a span of few hundred years ...
anyways, am not here to lecture on ecosystem.. i am not the only one who needs to care for it... if you people out there are smart enough , u will realise how important it is for all of us.
And by the way, Mother nature need no human to protect it, its got its own ways of healing, the best we can do is not hurt it anymore..
Lets stop hurting it anymore.. We dont have the ability to heal the kind of damage we have already done no matter how hard we try, but hey, mother nature has that ability, lets not interfere in its healing process anymore, and nature will help the human race survive for longer and healthier.
Apart from all this, if a man is dying and u get an opportunity to save him, and after making brave efforts u successfully save him, how satisfied and happy u wud feel, how good u will feel that u did a great job, a good dead and god will bless you for saving the life of one of his creations.
well its not that hard for all you hunters and fishing guys there to save a life, U CAN SAVE A LIFE BY NOT KILLING IT
Say if in your hunting or fishing career how many lives cud u kill, now if u dont hunt or fish, think how many lives u just saved... THINK
Victor..
Sorry but the truth sounds harsh. and more then it FEELS harsh deep down.
And yes lets no more argue on this cause all of you reading this post know what the reality is, all of us know the need for this hour, all of us know deep inside us whats right and whats wrong..
WE KNOW OUR MOTHER EARTH IS DYING BECAUSE OF US
pigwiggle on 01/18/2006 19:29:29
Victor-
We all kill to live, no exceptions. Even vegetarians kill (I’m assuming you must be by your vociferous objections). You may have less empathy for the living things you consume, but that has more to do with your limited perspective than their measure of ‘life’. You identify with animals, as generally we all do, simply because they are more similar to you than other living things. That’s fine, that’s how empathy works; but it is solely a product of your ego and resolves no deeper truth about the measure of ‘life’ in the plants your eat. You are confusing something wholly internal with an external truth.
I know where my food comes from; I’ve stalked it, killed it, and butchered it. I’ve been disturbed by a bad kill, and been moved to be more efficient and humane. You are right, it is often ugly business; I wish more folks had a direct part in it so they could appreciate where their food came from. I feel good about killing my own food specifically because I do have empathy for these animals.
Victor on 01/18/2006 19:48:31
it aint about empathy, and i dont have seperate names for guys eating vegetation or livestock,
I agree kiling a tree is equal to killing an animal, but, what we eat as vegetation is grown by us, if u have a fish farm , u grow fishes in it, or for that matter a poultry and grow chickens for that purpose and eat its still a bit acceptable ( its not justified yet tho )..
Also do u know how much agricultural produce does it take to raise a cow, pig or a chicken to a size where they can be butchered for food, its soo enormous that if we stop eating those animals we can actually save ourselves soo much vegetation that we can solve the starvation problem of all humans on this earth..if you would care to look a bit on google search engines you will get the real figures..
Also in those ages when agriculture was not developed man was wild, we had nothing to survive on, and we had to kill to survive,,
Things have changed now, we call our selves civilized, we dont need to kill anymore to survive.
swez on 01/19/2006 14:49:21
This is a good debate between concerned conservationism and using resources wisely. Unfortunately, there's one problem we cannot overcome... human greed and a desire to rule over the earth and subdue it.
Humans know very little about our eco-system yet. We are looking at it from many angles, but the variable are so complex, noone can fully grasp the cause and effect we create as we mine the ground for precious metals, coal, oil, fresh water supplies and so much more.
I agree with you Victor... it is we (humans) that have encroched on wildlife and their domains, for our own pleasures. I see rapid expansion of new homes and such, in the western suburbs of my area that were once farm lands and wild forests. The farmer's have sold their lands (at a very nice profit) to developers and builders. Why? Because they cannot live on farming that land only anymore.
So, 25 years ago, there were say 5-6 homes on a plot of land of say 10 square miles. Now, that same plot of land has been converted to subdivisions with hundreds of home sites. We build roads to get in and out of the community, run power lines, sewer lines, gas lines and then have to build small businesses to support the community. (Gas stations, grocery stores, Wal-Mart's and the list goes on)
If I could have my dream home, it would be a very efficient Log cabin with mayby 800 sq ft of living space, a 40' x 40' building for shop and building stuff, on 5 acre plot with lots of trees and bushes. (Apples, berries, pears and grapes) I would also have a garden for veggies and a small stream out back for fresh water.
No need for fences or barriers as I love watching the wildlife come and go as they please. However, I would make a barrier in the garden to keep critters from eating the crops. But, would set aside a portion of each annual crop to feed and attract the critters during the winter months. This would be living with nature... not displacing it for my own selfish purposes.
Would probably become a Naturalist and document the events of each season and take many pictures and write about all that goes on in that domain. I would live off the land as much as possible (hunting fishing and farming) and do my best to leave it in better health, then when I arrived.
Some would say that's living like a hermit or recluse. Fine by me! Let them talk. I care not one wit !!! That's how I would like to spend the rest of my days on this 3rd rock from the Sun. Just give me a kind hearted woman, not afraid to rough it, get her hands dirty and have many hours of peaceful seclusion together. Grant us a radio for news and events, enough food to eat and forget all that
"materialism/consumerism" crap. I can easily live without that.
Yes, a cell phone would be good, Internet too and maybe a Dish Net system for TV. Other than that, I'd be one happy camper for the rest of my life.
Just a dream I have been hatching for a few years,
Swez
Swez wanted me to post the link to his most recent fishing trip. Although this is a picture to the only fish he's ever caught, just the sheer fact that he hauled in this monster attests to his ability
http://www.startribune.com/767/story/186214-a186770-t3.html
CLAP
CLAP
Replies (13)
newB on 01/16/2006 21:49:11
WOW... NICE catch swez!!!! i honestly didn't think u had it in you...
=)
-Drew
swez on 01/17/2006 00:20:50
Yep, that was me in a previous life. I was Louis Spray and passed to the great beyond in 1950. Came back as Swez in 1955 and they handed me a fly-rod and some silly notions about Car Audio to work on, this time around.
Yeah, she was a beauty huh? That one put me in the hospital for a hernia operation and I never came out of the comma. I died a happy man though.
Mr. B., a recent trip? That was caught in 1949. There ain't noone that big in the great north anymore. Sure am glad one of us had a good memory... thanks for packing those sticks of TNT. It sure made getting monster, a lot easier to land. We did not have tazer's in the late 40's.
Swez COFFEE
MrBrownstone on 01/17/2006 01:21:17
That picture was mislabeled.
pigwiggle on 01/17/2006 20:36:24
Well, not to brag but ... here are a couple of steelhead I took out of the Clearwater in northern Idaho just before Christmas (yah, it was cold). I caught my limit but couldn’t manage them all for the pic.
http://www.hec.utah.edu/~matt/dropbox/steelhead.jpg
swez on 01/18/2006 08:32:30
Those are beauties Wiggle. What did you get them on? (gear and bait?) What were the length and weights on them?
Well done!!! CLAP
Swez
PS Boy, a 8/9 wt. fly rod would make for tons of fun huh?
pigwiggle on 01/18/2006 09:50:06
We used shrimp. The trout weren't feeding; just bugged them enough to get them to hit the shrimp. The winter runs of steelhead are coming back from the ocean and have quit feeding; they are just trying to get up the cold river to spawn. And gear; well, I don't know, wasn't mine. I'm only familiar with flyrod tackle. Essentially just a big rod, conventional reel (saw some spinners though), and a diver. Strip out 30-50ft of line and sit in the current.
We didn't weigh or measure them; I'm guessing the average was 32" and 15 lb, and the largest was 36" and maybe 17-20lb, the smallest was maybe 28". Good eating. Feeding in the ocean turns the flesh from the typical trout gray to pink.
The summer runs will hit a fly. And when they are actually feeding they really hit it. I've been told they completely breach the water and then put up a 30-60min fight.
It was a great day; adult and juvenile bald eagles fishing next to us, huge trout rolling past as they hump it up the river. It's sad though; they are ~70% hatchery raised and then trucked past the dams (wild steelhead are release only). The dams have all but killed the salmon and trout runs; the kokanee are extinct in the Clearwater. I have a picture of my grandfather holding two ~4ft kokanee. Sad.
Victor on 01/18/2006 13:50:35
Well, fishing is not my subject at all, no offences, but if we humans keep developing ( thats what we have defined ), and encroaching the wild teritory , we are definitely going to loose many beautiful species for ever.
Fishing for our own fun and food or even as a sport is not what i wud encourage.
anyways, i am satisfied with myself not indulging in the same, dont really wanna dictate anyone.
Victor...
Its definitely SAD, I wish there was some more powerful species then the Homosapiens, so that even we could realise what its like being hunted ( or fished , for that matter )
Live and LET Live.
pigwiggle on 01/18/2006 15:26:59
It’s not fishing or even human encroachment that have ruined these fisheries; it’s the demand for electricity, the damming of the river. 10% of the electricity on the US grid is hydroelectric. Fishermen are seemingly the only folks that have taken note (or I guess care) of the near dead fisheries. In an effort to pacify this vocal minority state Fish and Game have been stocking the rivers with hatchery-raised fish. It’s pretty clear the fisheries aren’t coming back; 3 in 4 fish caught are from the hatchery, on our trip it was 5 in 6.
If no one goes down to the river to take a fish there won’t be anyone to tell you there are no fish in the river left to take.
swez on 01/18/2006 16:51:51
Agree 110% with ya Wiggle. Has any group pressed for fish ladders in that area? We have done this in many damed rivers in the MW and East as well. They work, but it does cost $$$ to make them part of the electrical power station.
Victor, we have a very diiferent situation here in the USA regarding hunting, fishing and sport kill schedules. If we did not have certain seasons for hunting, the deer populations would swell to a point where they encroach on highways, populated areas and become a major problem. This has been especially true in the Midwestern USA the past 8-10 years. (White tail deer)
If we don't control the population with hunting, many will die of starvation as there is not enough forage food to support larger herds.
Also, most serious anglers and hunters, (that I know) are also Naturalists as well. We study the flora and fauna carefully and pass recorded observations on to the Conservation districts. We are the extra eyes and ears in the region and work with the govt agencies to spot trends, problems and provide solutions to conserve or bolster weak populations of a given type of species.
The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) is very under-staffed and cannot cover the territories they are assigned to without help from private sources. Sportsmens Clubs often go out to given areas to record and count various populations of fish and game, for the DNR. This data helps the DNR to set regulatory bag limits on size and number of game to be taken in a given season.
When game is sparse, the limits are cut to insure a strong population of game in future seasons. When game is abundant or worse yet, a great excess, then the limits are modified to manage the number of game in a given area. Too many critters in a given geographical area are also bad for the envioronment. They can greatly impact future harvests of things they feed upon in the eco-chain.
No, humans do not fully understand the cycles and impact we have on nature when we prune a forest, build hydro-electric dams and even expand housing communities to the wilderness. But avid sportsmen/women are a great source to sound the warning bells, when things get out of balance.
Unfortunately, we have a very small voice as compared to Big Business giants and Political Action Committee's. Greed fosters many bad projects for the eco-system. They do studies on many environmental impact scenarios, but often fail to account for wildlife boundaries and habitats they might otherwise disrupt or destroy, in the process. That's where civic action groups come into the process. We try our best to get Big Biz to act responsibly with their plans. If they consume 20,000 acres of prime forest and game lands, they have to replace that loss by developing new habitat for the indiginous species they displace. That is a tough job to sell... but avid sportsmen are there to protect the eco-system, not destroy game and wildlife habitat.
Swez
Victor on 01/18/2006 18:28:56
Its time we understand, that its not them who are encroaching our territory,. its us encroaching theirs.. electricity...?? do wild animals use it???
if man was still uncivilised and into the wild and part of the nature, i wud not mind us killing for food, but if we call ourselves civilised we have to act accordingly, we have consciously eliminated as well as very selfishly involved ourselves in the chain of life on mother earth..( well cant help it , cause its very typically hypocritic of the human race )
We feel the population of a specific breed is increasing, cuase they enter regions where we stay.. But hell man... look where u are staying was once home to them..
The best way to keep the eco system clean, balanced and protected is to not mess at all with it, and try to keep our dirty hands off it as much as possible..and if hunting, killing, fishing and etc, other activities for any reasons can be avoided its the best.. look what we have done to our forests.......
The way the concrete jungle is growning i doubt there will be any trees left in a span of few hundred years ...
anyways, am not here to lecture on ecosystem.. i am not the only one who needs to care for it... if you people out there are smart enough , u will realise how important it is for all of us.
And by the way, Mother nature need no human to protect it, its got its own ways of healing, the best we can do is not hurt it anymore..
Lets stop hurting it anymore.. We dont have the ability to heal the kind of damage we have already done no matter how hard we try, but hey, mother nature has that ability, lets not interfere in its healing process anymore, and nature will help the human race survive for longer and healthier.
Apart from all this, if a man is dying and u get an opportunity to save him, and after making brave efforts u successfully save him, how satisfied and happy u wud feel, how good u will feel that u did a great job, a good dead and god will bless you for saving the life of one of his creations.
well its not that hard for all you hunters and fishing guys there to save a life, U CAN SAVE A LIFE BY NOT KILLING IT
Say if in your hunting or fishing career how many lives cud u kill, now if u dont hunt or fish, think how many lives u just saved... THINK
Victor..
Sorry but the truth sounds harsh. and more then it FEELS harsh deep down.
And yes lets no more argue on this cause all of you reading this post know what the reality is, all of us know the need for this hour, all of us know deep inside us whats right and whats wrong..
WE KNOW OUR MOTHER EARTH IS DYING BECAUSE OF US
pigwiggle on 01/18/2006 19:29:29
Victor-
We all kill to live, no exceptions. Even vegetarians kill (I’m assuming you must be by your vociferous objections). You may have less empathy for the living things you consume, but that has more to do with your limited perspective than their measure of ‘life’. You identify with animals, as generally we all do, simply because they are more similar to you than other living things. That’s fine, that’s how empathy works; but it is solely a product of your ego and resolves no deeper truth about the measure of ‘life’ in the plants your eat. You are confusing something wholly internal with an external truth.
I know where my food comes from; I’ve stalked it, killed it, and butchered it. I’ve been disturbed by a bad kill, and been moved to be more efficient and humane. You are right, it is often ugly business; I wish more folks had a direct part in it so they could appreciate where their food came from. I feel good about killing my own food specifically because I do have empathy for these animals.
Victor on 01/18/2006 19:48:31
it aint about empathy, and i dont have seperate names for guys eating vegetation or livestock,
I agree kiling a tree is equal to killing an animal, but, what we eat as vegetation is grown by us, if u have a fish farm , u grow fishes in it, or for that matter a poultry and grow chickens for that purpose and eat its still a bit acceptable ( its not justified yet tho )..
Also do u know how much agricultural produce does it take to raise a cow, pig or a chicken to a size where they can be butchered for food, its soo enormous that if we stop eating those animals we can actually save ourselves soo much vegetation that we can solve the starvation problem of all humans on this earth..if you would care to look a bit on google search engines you will get the real figures..
Also in those ages when agriculture was not developed man was wild, we had nothing to survive on, and we had to kill to survive,,
Things have changed now, we call our selves civilized, we dont need to kill anymore to survive.
swez on 01/19/2006 14:49:21
This is a good debate between concerned conservationism and using resources wisely. Unfortunately, there's one problem we cannot overcome... human greed and a desire to rule over the earth and subdue it.
Humans know very little about our eco-system yet. We are looking at it from many angles, but the variable are so complex, noone can fully grasp the cause and effect we create as we mine the ground for precious metals, coal, oil, fresh water supplies and so much more.
I agree with you Victor... it is we (humans) that have encroched on wildlife and their domains, for our own pleasures. I see rapid expansion of new homes and such, in the western suburbs of my area that were once farm lands and wild forests. The farmer's have sold their lands (at a very nice profit) to developers and builders. Why? Because they cannot live on farming that land only anymore.
So, 25 years ago, there were say 5-6 homes on a plot of land of say 10 square miles. Now, that same plot of land has been converted to subdivisions with hundreds of home sites. We build roads to get in and out of the community, run power lines, sewer lines, gas lines and then have to build small businesses to support the community. (Gas stations, grocery stores, Wal-Mart's and the list goes on)
If I could have my dream home, it would be a very efficient Log cabin with mayby 800 sq ft of living space, a 40' x 40' building for shop and building stuff, on 5 acre plot with lots of trees and bushes. (Apples, berries, pears and grapes) I would also have a garden for veggies and a small stream out back for fresh water.
No need for fences or barriers as I love watching the wildlife come and go as they please. However, I would make a barrier in the garden to keep critters from eating the crops. But, would set aside a portion of each annual crop to feed and attract the critters during the winter months. This would be living with nature... not displacing it for my own selfish purposes.
Would probably become a Naturalist and document the events of each season and take many pictures and write about all that goes on in that domain. I would live off the land as much as possible (hunting fishing and farming) and do my best to leave it in better health, then when I arrived.
Some would say that's living like a hermit or recluse. Fine by me! Let them talk. I care not one wit !!! That's how I would like to spend the rest of my days on this 3rd rock from the Sun. Just give me a kind hearted woman, not afraid to rough it, get her hands dirty and have many hours of peaceful seclusion together. Grant us a radio for news and events, enough food to eat and forget all that
"materialism/consumerism" crap. I can easily live without that.
Yes, a cell phone would be good, Internet too and maybe a Dish Net system for TV. Other than that, I'd be one happy camper for the rest of my life.
Just a dream I have been hatching for a few years,
Swez
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