greybeard

The weather today was pretty warm so I figured I'd try the local pond for catch and release pickerel. I had one small pickerel chase a soft plastic, but didn't take it. I then decided to try slow rolling a spinner bait thru some heavy cover and in short order caught a largemouth bass the measured 18 inches. I released it and moved a few feet down and caught and released a 19 inch bass. Both bass were very fat which surprised me and really fought hard. I have never caught largemouth in February so it was a great surprise. I was going to take pictures, but I didn't want to keep them out of the water that long and wanted to release them quickly so I didn't take pictures.

I've hunted them years back even got one with a slingshot as a kid. It was the best shot I had ever made with a slingshot. Mostly we caught them on jitterbugs. A number of years ago I gutted a big bull frog and found a whole mouse inside him.Not very appertising. I didn't try to eat it. It stunk !!!

As a kid I used to eat chicken feet, and gizzards in chicken soup. I loved them....

I decided to try shed hunting too. I went out a couple of times this week to wood lots that have lotsa deer. I didn't find any, but while I was there I tried fox calling(no gun). I called in 2 reds the 1st day and 1 red the second day so I had a good day.Got the crows pretty fired up too. I really do want to get some sheds so I'm gonna keep looking.

Dave, I agree with you...We have enough people sniping at us for hunting, we need to be united.

I've enjoyed my life too and agree that genes matter. I do believe that although your genes are important, you can improve your quality of life by improving your lifestyle. I'm not trying to live forever and I may not add more time to my life, but while I'm here I want to be able to do the activities that I love for as long as I can. As I've gotten older more and more people my age that I know are getting diabetes and high blood pressure. I "BELIEVE" that diet and exercise can control both. Maybe high blood pressure and diabetes may come, but I'm hoping not now for me. I am certainly not a health fantic, this is just the lifestyle I have chosen and enjoy.,It works for me and I am not critical of those that chose a different path, or believe differently then me.

I found this topic very intereting also . I agree with some and disagree with others. However,whatever lifestyle someone chooses is his, or her business and I try not to give to anyone advice if their actions don't interfere with me. So this is not judgemental. I've exercised most of my life so it is my lifestyle.I now eat almost no processed food by choice.and I am married to a great cook who can make any dish a gourmet delight. I do what I do because I like it. Also, In recent years, as I got up in age, my blood presure went up and had other issues when I went on periodic binges and not exercising. Even though I've been an exerciser, during my younger years I smoked almost 3 packs a day, and ate pizza almost every weekday.So I did not always follow the lifestyle that I have lived for the past 10, or so years. I try to saltwater fish from my kayak 5 days a week (weather permiting) from Late April into November and intermitantly after that and. I need to keep my body in some sort of shape to paddle in currents and sometimes against the wind. I'm hoping to do this for a lot longer. I mostly hunt and fish alone and when I get back to waterfowling I want to be able to carry my decoys, chair, gun, etc. to my spot in the woods, which could be almost a mile, or paddle to my secluded spots and set up my dekes to hunt for the day. I don't want to depend on anyone to help me do what I should be able to do myself. I realize that at some point I will no longer to be able to do what I do, but I'm not going to stop without a fight because I LOVE what I do. I have a friend almost 20 years older then me who still kayaks and I hope some 60 plus year old guy says that about me when I'm in my 80's..

I'm VERY impressed... congrats and thanx for sharing the results.

I'm a walker, a kayak fisherman, and do a lot of light weight exercises and many bodyweight exercises(.I don't kayak much in the winter after the herring leave except to wach seals on calm days) I don't know how good this is for my body,but every year I try to break my previous totals on certain exercises.. On my 60 th and 61st birthdays it was one arm pushups (did 35 with my right arm)...I started feeling that too much so I do no more then 10 per arm now and just do more sets. At 62nd and 63rd birthdays it was regular pushups ( got to 110 this year, but I really felt it, so no more trying to break that). My brother is 65 and still competes in powerlifting.. So I guess your never too old to push... It sure was easier years back.. I wound up at the chiroprators a few times in the past years trying too hard I guess.

A few years back I was speaking to some people at the Long Island coops and I was told that they stocked at the end of the day. So why not stock just before sunset( if you can).

Burmjohn.. Go to the DECNY website and go to the trout stocking list and you'll see where and approximately when they stock trout in Nassau and Suffolk County. . There still should be a number of trout left in the ponds and creeks from the October and November stockings. The DEC site also gives the number of trout stocked in each location. There is also the Connetquot and Nissequoge Rivers which has fly fishing for a fee. They have some rules like barbless hooks and a few other rules so be sure to ask. There were some disease problems in the Connetquot, so call and see how the fishing is. I'd call the park, but the DEC, Stoneybrook fresh water fishing department could probably tell you. I used to call them quite a bit a few years ago and they were absolutely terrific The Long Island Fly Rodders can also help with that info. Hope this helps Good LUCK.

Burmjohn. I'm sure that you are aware of the trout stocking on L.I. in spring and fall. There are quite a few areas to catch trout in Nassau and Suffolk. with the flyrod. I started fly fishing in the late 80's and found that fishing for bluegills was the best practice in the world, especially in May when they started to spawn. In the shallows you can watch how they pick up, or strike a nymph and how they can suck it in and spit it out without you feeling it at times. You'll learn to watch your line for the slightest touch from a fish and once you learn to detect the strike your on your way ( You can use what they call a strike indicator to see the strike too, but I prefer to watch the line.) I absolutely loved targeting bluegills with the flyrod especially the bigger one's.. And you can catch bluegills and crappie in winter months if you scout around and find some fertile water that hasn't iced up.Early spring sunny days can really be good for 'gills at times as the sun warms the water in the day. I don't do it as often now, but I spent a lot of time on Largemouth bass.They are great to catch on poppers(pickerel too), and there are a few pretty good ponds on the Island that have bass and pickerel. When you hook your first nice fat bass on a flyrod it's a great feeling. I did some saltwater flyfishing, but prefer freshwater with the fly rod.Saltwater was too much work for me. I still do it, but rarely. (I mainly saltwater fish from sit inside kayaks so fly fishing sometimes becomes a little tedious for me. The L.I. Sound has some good spots and you don't get the waves like the ocean on the south shore. The south shore bays can be good too. There are clubs on L.I. Some years ago I was a member of the Long Island Flyrodders, and thought that the members were VERY helpful and they have trips.There is also a saltwater fly club, but I'm not too familiar with it. Fly fishing isn't hard it just takes some practice. I'm sure you'll love it. Good luck

I'm pretty familiar with the Cranberry Mt. State land. I started hunting there in the late 80's into the 90's and a few times after 2000. I just hadn't been there in some time. I got quite a few pheasants back then.I even got one not too far from the pond in the back..Also got a grouse there, which made my day since I didn't expect it. I always loved that spot...I just never remembered a public trail on the other side of the road I hope the County spot get's stocked with pheasants also. It' d be good for the Putnam residents.. It gives 'em a little more for their County tax money. I hope to read some future success stories from that spot. I'm not sure if I ever hunted the Great Swamp, I may have many years ago., maybe around 1965. There used to be a Putnam County Coop where you checked in daily and got a permit to hunt the coop lands. I think there was a parking/hunting area on rt. 22 that was part of the Great Swamp ( I never heard of the name GREAT SWAMP until recently). The spot we hunted was like marsh land.

I'm pretty familiar with the Cranberry Mt. State land. I started hunting there in the late 80's into the 90's and a few times after 2000. I just hadn't been there in some time. I got quite a few pheasants back then.I even got one not too far from the pond in the back..Also got a grouse there, which made my day since I didn't expect it. I always loved that spot...I just never remembered a public trail on the other side of the road I hope the County spot get's stocked with pheasants also. It' d be good for the Putnam residents.. It gives 'em a little more for their County tax money. I hope to read some future success stories from that spot. I'm not sure if I ever hunted the Great Swamp, I may have many years ago., maybe around 1965. There used to be a Putnam County Coop where you checked in daily and got a permit to hunt the coop lands. I think there was a parking/hunting area on rt. 22 that was part of the Great Swamp ( I never heard of the name GREAT SWAMP until recently). The spot we hunted was like marsh land.

I kinda thought hunting might be allowed because of the wear orange sign.. but it doesn't matter because I live on Long Island so I I can't hunt there anyway... I hope it's good land for the Putnam hunters

I enjoyed that. Thank you

I happened to be in Ct. today so I drove to New York to Cranberry Mountain just to show someone an area where I used to hunt. Just before the first parking area at Cranberry I noticed a parking area on the other side of the street, with a sign that advised hikers to wear orange. I have not been to Cranberry in a few years and never remember seeing that spot ( I think it might be County land). Does anyone know of that area and is hunting allowed.I should have gotten out of the car to read the sign,but I wasn't thinkin' clearly I guess and drove right past it without stopping. I guess I was having a SENIOR MOMENT !!!

poppabear.. I was herring/mackerel fishing at jones inlet this morning and saw hundreds of flying brant,they were in the Freeport area, and also circling over the back side of point lookout....I used to hunt brant mostly in East Rockaway... I don't waterfowl anymore, but it got my blood going....good luck

excellent video.. great job and congrats on the fox

I used to hunt Otis Pike and Rocky Point quite a bit. It'll take some time learning the different spots, but there are a few fair squirrel spots as well as rabbit spots. Hunting rabbits without a dog is tough. They stock pheasants every week as I recall, so you can walk up on birds. There are also a couple of wetland spots on L.I. that offer small game hunting, some are waterfowl only so you have to check. You'll need a permit for the wetlands, so call the DEC on L.I. to get the info, the rules and the maps. I used to call DEC a lot, they were really helpful. In case you don't know, you can get a permit to hunt small game on the coop areas ( Otis Pike, Rocky Point etc. ) for after Dec. 31st when the check station closes. In January however, as I recall you CAN NOT hunt on weekdays in the coop because it's for deer hunting only and the spots are given to hunters by a lottery, or something like that ( I never gun hunted for deer on L.I. so I'm not that familiar with the process, or rules.. Check with the DEC for the rules and the permit. The permit is free just like the wetlands permit. Check the rules and open seasons carefully before you hunt.I THINK the after season small game permits are for Jan. and Feb. Also get a copy of the DEC properties open for hunting, they have brochures, and maps for each of them. I used to make notes on the maps of which spots were best for different species that I hunted so that I would remember from year to year. I hope this helps..... Watch for ticks...

Just a reminder to saltwater fishermen... Don't forget to renew your Marine registration for 2012. The 2011 expires on 12/31. I know it's October, but I just wanted to advise those that might not realize that it must be done, and to remind others so they don't forget. I just did mine last week. I spoke with some DEC officers today, who were where I was fishing and they reminded the fishermen. I believe that it's a $50 fine if you don't register and are saltwater fishing.... It's FREE !!

Hi Big Indian,. I small game hunted a number of times in Big Indian in the mid 60's, also Westkill on rt 42. I have great memories of that area. We used to drive up from L.I. and hunt for the day and come home. I wish I had that much energy now ! Thanx for the history, and for bringing back pleasant memories.

Biz-R- Oworld. I doubt that he smelled the fish until he got close. The fish were laying in the water until I was gonna start cleaning them. You'd have to see the spot to understand why I say that he couldn't smell them until he was closer. Also the breeze was in my face blowing scent over the water. There is a fox den on top of the hill and I'm not sure if it was in the den, or just up on the hill.(I can see the den from the water in my kayak, which is how I get to this spot.) .I call there a lot and have had them almost run me over, and generally come in almost as soon as I start calling..I was using a call that has proven to work in this spot as well as a spot further up the harbor. The fox in this area are very receptive to calls. I change calls often, but sometimes I get dry spells and figured that I educated them too much. The call that I used this last time is a closed reed so I reversed it and changed the sound to more of a higher pitched rodent.( I own over 20 predator calls and also use pheasant and turkey calls at times.) The last time that I called one in in that exact spot was with an open reed call, which does excellent bird distress sounds,

great video...

I was out fishing this morning and decided to paddle to shore to clean some fish. I paddled to a spot where I know there are red fox, so I figured I could call before I cleaned the fish and maybe get one to come in ( It's a NO Hunting spot). I've overcalled this spot using different calls so I didn't really think that I'd get one to come in, but figured I'd try anyway. I start callin' and see and hear bluejays right away very excited, I was behind a downed tree, so I look up, but saw nothing. Then I smelled one. He really stunk and I knew he was close, but still couldn't see him. I started cleaning a fish and had called again and smelled him again..I thought I heard him maybe 10 feet from me. I got up slowly and this time I saw him. I've smelled them in the woods, but never called and smelled one before I saw it. It sure is an unforgetable odor. Did anyone ever have that happen , where you smelled one before you saw it ?