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Northern Pike and Ice Fishing
That fish just slapped me in the face! My son was pretty elated to hold a 13 pound Northern pulled up through the ice by courageous Uncle Mike. My Dad did the easy work reeling her in while Mike thrust his hand down the hole in below zero temps. Mike's hand was a bit chewed up from pulling this beauty up through the ice but the kids sure loved it.
Smallmouth Bass & Wisconsin
We just drifted over the drop off on the depth-finder when the bite was on: doubles, triples and who's got the net? Well, it was a magical afternoon catching Smallmouth Bass in a mysterious lake in Wisconsin. My nephew hauled in so many of these pesky fighters that 3 hooks snapped from our lines. It was good fun to say the least and the action was unparalleled.
Walleyes & North Dakota
The Great Plains have an inescapable heat in the summer time. This was one of those hot July days fishing the Sakakawea Reservoir on the Missouri River in North Dakota. According to the depth finder, we rolled across some flats and each time we passed the area two more walleyes were in the live-well. It was fun! As a family affair, we have been heading out to Dakota for a little over ten years. Heat and alchohol dehydration affect fish camp by day two and tempers get testy but it's worth the walleye fishing. My Dad has a twelve pound walleye hanging over the mantle from one North Dakota trip but I have yet to hook into anything over five pounds.
Salmon & Alaska
This picture of a twelve pound Sockeye Salmon (also known as a Red) doesn't do fishing on the Kenai River in Alaska any justice. In addition to the the mountain views and combat fishing (your rubbing elbows with the person next to you) with hipboots on the shores of a roaring glacial river,it's a blast snagging these salmon that will be breeding to death.
Just for the Halibut
This 160 pound Halibut was like hauling up a rock. The action started when the naturally high-strung Captain Tim and his deckhand, who was dating the Captain's daughter, tried to haul this monster onboard. The tied was ripping out and my arms and back were tingling with fatiaue. Once I started to get the fish water skiing to the boat, the deckhand quickly grabbed the harpoon and flung it through the Halibut's side and then Captain Tim, who downed 4 power drinks in the first hour at sea and spoke in a language of cuss words, brought out the 4/10 and put this fish out of its misery.
Sailfish & Malaysia
Fishing for sails in Malaysia with a bunch of friends is a blast. In the morning everyone breaks out the light tackle to catch bait which is no bigger than a sucker minnow. After the day heats up and the baitwell is full, it's time to charge up the twin V6 outboards and follow the birds. Interestingly enough, sailfish follow the baitfish, the birds follow the sails to find the baitfish and the fishermen follow the birds to catch the sailfish. When you hook into a sailfish they put on a remarkable show of aerial acrobats. It was heart-pumping action listening to the drag scream and feeling your forearms throb.
Have you ever caught a fish with a torn off sunglass strap? As absurd as it may sound, this 30 pound Aku (Tuna) was caught with a hook and rubber sunglass strap rigged like a Texas jig. Hawaii's blue waters provided the backdrop for this fishing adventure as we again followed the birds to lead us to the baitfish who in turn were being fed on by hungry tuna. The tuna in the picture ran like a bull after seeing a glimpse of the boat nearly yanking the rod from my hands.
Last update: June 2007
Tuna & Hawaii