• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

The Fishing Thread

I grew up hunting and fishing and love doing both to this day. As someone that grew up in New Mexico ocean fishing was never in the cards or something I ever thought about. For fishing my passion is a 4wt fly rod and small stream way up in the mountains. Fishing for bass, crappie, and bluegill is fun but trout on a fly is one of my happy places.

With that said, seeing those pictures of you all catching ocean fishing makes me want to go to the ocean and go fishing.
 
Melissa said:
is it odd that I feel bad for the bloodied and dead fish?
Click to expand...

Nope

My goal is only keep what I will eat in a timely manner and release everything else nicely. I fed so many people when I caught that tuna. For my day trips, I generally only keep one meal’s worth even if we catch 30 fish. And sometimes you catch a beautiful big one and just gotta let her go. Fish mama gotta spawn to keep the ocean healthier.

I hate it when I see people harvesting, keeping everything they catch (sometimes illegally).
 
Points for recognizing the BARFers that have caught fish on my boat.

IMG_8822.jpeg
IMG_7915.jpeg
 
SVsick50 said:
Dude, freeline rig (no weight) and small'ish hook with a live nightcrawler is basically a guarantee. Cast it out, close the bail (by hand) and let the worm fall naturally - don't start reeling in. If the worm hits the floor, small movements ("stitching" - small 2-4" retrieves while on the floor) and make sure to pause. The fish instantly see/smell it and get after it, typically on the pause. Give the reel a bit of drag, and this will allow a better hook set. If you can find local grubs, caterpillars or worms in the ground or brush around where you are fishing - this is even better. Generally, the fish will hit the worm on the fall since the worm starts squirming erratically when it hits the water.
Click to expand...

I’ll give that a try, asap! :thumbup

my joke is “I can catch them—when they want to be caught.” :x :laughing

IMG_3364.jpeg


me, demonstrating how to use your CA fishing license in Nevada. :facepalm

(I throw my fish back, mostly, cuz I’m too lazy to clean them.)

Mr @m0t0_ryder took me fishing at a BARF Weaverville Rally … he brought a kayak for me to use. That’s his fancy fishing kayak in the pic:

IMG_0087.jpeg


🥳
 
Last edited:
Hunters and anglers are the biggest conservationists ever. When I buy a new firearm, I don’t mind the tax because I know that 100% goes to conservation/Texas Parks and Wildlife. People tend to hate on game wardens, but they truly help keep the balance between enjoying the outdoors and exploiting it. Unfortunately, a lot of people exploit and waste it.
 
Some pickles from a quick visit to my local pond yesterday - only spent 1hr there before dark. Water temp cooled, so the activity was low compared to my last visit.

Used, fat, green live nightcrawlers, cut in 1" sections. They are green, but I think they are made green with dye.

I usually go with my UltraLight panfish rod and 500 reel with 2lb test, but yesterday I busted out the St. Croix, 2000 Okuma reel with 4lb test and it was waaaaaayyyy too heavy with the bait I was using. Got some line twist and such, so I'm going back to my typical light setup.

IMG_2433.jpeg
IMG_2432.jpeg
 
Last edited:
stangmx13 said:
I hate it when I see people harvesting, keeping everything they catch (sometimes illegally).
Click to expand...
One of my best friends became an environmental lawyer, hated it and at 35 went through the police academy to become a game warden in NJ. If it makes you feel any better, only a small percentage of hunters and fishers harvest or poach. I don't say that to minimize the damage they do, it is significant! However, the small number of bad actors are the focus of the best wardens out there. They hate the depletion of the resources too. Enough so to approach armed strangers in the woods and waterways about it.

Tip of the cap to everyone who enjoys hunting and fishing ethically. The rules are backed by science to guard the resources for future generations. Fish on!
 
Mike95060 said:
One of my best friends became an environmental lawyer, hated it and at 35 went through the police academy to become a game warden in NJ. If it makes you feel any better, only a small percentage of hunters and fishers harvest or poach. I don't say that to minimize the damage they do, it is significant! However, the small number of bad actors are the focus of the best wardens out there. They hate the depletion of the resources too. Enough so to approach armed strangers in the woods and waterways about it.

Tip of the cap to everyone who enjoys hunting and fishing ethically. The rules are backed by science to guard the resources for future generations. Fish on!
Click to expand...

Dude, I remember when my Dad would take me and my brother out on fishing charters and we would bring home potato sacks full of rockcod - I'm not kidding... like 40 fish in each bag. It was insane. This was back in the 80's. I can't even imagine between recreational anglers and commercial how much it depleted the species, and effectively hurting the ecosystem and environment.

Yeah man. Last citation I got was for having more than 2 hooks in the water at the same time. It was my naivety, but it was an error I wouldn't make again and not angry at the warden who gave it to me.
 
^ My buddy has noticed an odd interaction with hoarding and wildlife/foraging for some people. It’s like, they have a hoarding “gene” or trait that’s only expressed through taking wildlife resources. He’s busted respectable, high functioning people with freezers full of 5 or 10 year old illegally caught or shot meat. He only busted them for it because they just keep going back for more. :/

Maybe it’s some kind of caveman survival programming they never learned to shake.
 
The 2024 law that requires fisherman to descend rockfish is prob helping the populations a lot. Oh wait, the law is carry a descender. They can’t prove if you didn’t use it. And I have no idea if the sport boats actually use it when they have 40-60 fishermen onboard. Reel in a 4” rockfish, toss it overboard, and watch the trail of floating rockfish behind the boat. 🫤

Fish pic
IMG_7911.jpeg
 
@stangmx13, what is that cool fish?

Growing up I wanted to be a game warden, but became a biologist instead. When hunting and fishing I am super happy when I get to interact with wardens, they have a thankless job.
 
It’s a CA sheephead, a male. The females are only pink. But as they age, they eventually turn into dudes and change color. They hang out near shallow rockfish and love eating shrimp.
 
I’ve gone fishing twice in my life. The first time was at the Palo Alto yacht harbor while I was in junior high. I got stuck in the mud and was slowly sinking. The fire department had to rescue me. The second and last time was in the Rocky Mountains. I caught some trout and put them on a line in the water for the next morning’s breakfast. I woke the next morning to find that the raccoons had gotten them all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top