greybeard

I carry one when I squirrel hunt and I can't say that I get a lot more squirrels with it, but I've used them early in the morning and seemed to get them to chatter more so it helps me locate them at times. I don't know why, but many times when I call I locate them because they start twitching their tail.

I had planned on another ram hunt in the mountains of Hawaii, but circumstances interfered with that plan . I discussed the mater with the outfitter and he gave me some really good options to help me out. One of those options was boar hunting. I had planned on hunting them on Hawaii , but my obsession with horns got in my way. I had seen some on other hunts, but not big enough to tempt me from my quest for horns .( I shot a boar almost 45 years ago(1973), but not in the Islands so I guess it was my time to go for it, so I took that option. The hunt took place in the late afternoon on a macadamia nut farm. It is my understanding that these nut are not picked and are harvested when they ripen and fall off the trees. I was told that a pig can eat a significant number of these nuts every night. It was drizzling and very warm so I removed my camo shirt and hunted in a cut off shirt under my light weight camo rain jacket. We set up in high brush near the "mac"trees and within 15 minutes we saw our first 2 pigs. They were not what I was hoping to harvest so we let them pass. For the next hour , or so we saw quite a few more, but mostly small boars, sows and very young ones. There was one boar that showed up that was o.k., but still not what I wanted so we let him pass too. After maybe an hour we spotted a larger boar in the high brush and hoped that he'd come into range. He disappeared in the brush at times, but then came into view and I decided that he was a good one. I placed the crosshairs in the vital zone and the .308 ,180 gr. bullet dropped him where he stood. The guide contacted someone to take the meat and he removed the lower jaw for me which I took home to prepare for hanging when I'm finished with cleaning it up. During my trip, while not hunting, I saw some real nice long beard Rio Grande Turkeys as well as some pretty good goats.One day I was out and came in close proximity to a boar hunter whose dogs chased and caught one. The jungle was too thick for me to get through to see it, and I wouldn't have walked in on another hunter anyway. It really sounded wild. I hope to hunt again this spring, but will decide on specie when time gets closer. I really did enjoy the boar hunt, so it's nice to have that in my thoughts when I plan another hunt.

I just sent you a PM with some info that may help you get started

Lawdaz... I agree.. time is fleeting... before ya know it you're in the last 1/3.. It's good that they donate the meat,, I use an outfitter out of N.Y. who does the same thing.. It adds another pleasure to the hunt.

That was excellent. What a great adventure. Thanks for sharing.

I got my 2 Euro ram mounts from O'ahu today. I'm not sure how I'm going to display the ram mounts so I just laid them out for the picture. I got the rams while on hunts with Nahele Outfitters on the Big Island and will be with them again in a few weeks for another hunt. I attached 2 photos. One is the 4 mounts. The 2nd picture is the largest from the last hunt. We spotted and ranged a group of bachelors at 900 yards. We had a great stalk through an open area, ducking, stooping crawling etc. to get to to about 100 yards.... fun for an old guy !! The 2nd ram was with a pretty good size herd that were in a wooded area. We crept around through and over branches and rocks and got within 100 yards of part of the herd. I thought that we'd surely get busted. We saw 2 rams, one had a pretty nice curl, but just couldn't get a shot that I liked . After such a fun stalk I wanted a ram as a memory so I took him. Later the bigger one ran and stopped and would have given me the shot that I wanted, but I have no regrets in taking the smaller one. I wore my good luck hunting shirt and hat for the picture for my records,.

I agree, I like to eat those. I released them yesterday because I have some at home to eat .

I usually don't fish on weekends, but got a call last night from a friend who wanted to go. ....Got out just about daylight and bunker were all over the harbor, but nothing on them. We paddled awhile and hit a few small blues. Then bluefish were showing up all over, but they were mostly small. My buddy got 1 about 5lbs., but everything that we could see , and caught were smaller. WE also saw many schools of snappers breaking all over driving me crazy because I'd chase splashes and diving terns just to find out that they were little guys. I lost a # of tails from my soft plastics...Then the boats came. I'm not used to seeing many boats, but on Sundays lots of people are out. There wasn't a problem with the boats, and all were courteous, but I like solitude ...Well, I had a good day, just no big fish and very finicky smaller ones, and I wasn't skunked.

Pygmy.. That's funny, and a good comparison... My strategy for checking the south shore was a bad one. My buddies went to my usual fishing hangout and hit nice blues. I scouted the south shore and it was dead.. I know that there's fish up in my area , but just didn't have it together. My head was all over the place last night and this morning.. So, it turns out that I broke the rule.. "Don't leave fish to find fish".. I know better, but was looking for the greener lawn..

WOW !! a 55 inch striper is massive !!! I haven't fished Hempstead Harbor in 15 years, or so. It used to be good for bass. I didn't porgy, or flounder fish there, but I heard that it was good. AT.... I used to fish Little Neck Bay for stripers in the winter. As I'm sure you know it holds bass all year. There are tons of bass there. I used to launch the kayak on the Nassau Co. side at a private club, but they stopped allowing us to do it. After that I launched at the Marina(Before season, which I think was May 1st). I liked the fishing there, but hated getting onto the parkway from the marina. We had to watch the tides because if the tide was too low we couldn't get to the ramp.

glad that you enjoy it. I went to Jones Inlet to see if the albies arrived yet..They are still a no show..... A pod of dolphins came through the inlet into the bay less than 100 yards from shore which was cool to watch. I spoke to the guys that are at the inlet EVERYDAY unless the beaches light up with fish and they said surf as well as the inlet has been dead. So i figured I'd do my fall beach run and check different beaches, and some bays.. Nothin' doin' that were visible. AT....I asked an experienced guy who I know as a really knowledgeable fisherman about black fish at the inlet near the Construction Dock. He advised me that usually for the 1st few days it is good, but after that it's mostly small fish. He said that the bottom fishing guys lose a ton of rigs, which we know. I didn't fish.. just made it into a scouting trip...

Sounds like a great plan.. good luck. I hope to read some stories and see some pictures. After many yeas of bluefishing they still get me pumped.. Watching them invade schools of bait , hitting poppers, , cruising the surface, or doing battle with them on the end of my line excites me like when I 1st started fishing for them. It's been over 50 years since I caught my first adult bluefish, I was on a party boat and caught 11 big blues. After years of bottom fishing and panfishing I had never imagined that such a savage, hard fighting fish was available to me. I've been addicted to them ever since. Unlike most fishermen that I know , I prefer blues to striped bass. I love catching stripers, but bluefish are my favorite for a great battle. I'm going to fish hard for blues and stripers for awhile and throw in some freshwater, then I'm heading to Hawaii to spend special quality time with my wife and I'll ram hunt when I'm there. Maybe when I get back the stripers will still be around, and probably do some small game hunting. The blues will have, most likely, migrated out by the time I get back.

I wish you had a story also, but those days keep us on the hunt.. There were a lot less blues around yesterday than the day before where I was. They were visible fr a short while only, and they were on small baitfish. There were lotsa bunker, but nothing on them. The day before they were getting whacked by blues..Who can figure, but it's like we say.. Fish got fins and they move. Hopefully when the fall run starts they'll be in thick...Last year it wasn't good in the surf , but where I kayaked we had them in thick everyday from early Oct. into Nov. and a lot of the blues were gorillas, and some nice bass too. So let's hope for a good fall run. Every year can be different, but my hopes are always high. There's plenty of porgies , so that can be a good go to if things are slow with blues/bass. They'll stock trout in Oct. and Nov. so there's always that in between the saltwater fishing. Then, of course there's hunting..... Life is good, isn't it... Good luck tomorrow...I haven't decided on my plan yet. I got the bug to try Largemouth bass and pickerel, but we'll see.

There are lotsa choices.. good luck with it. My friend has a Hobbie, and it does have advantages like having hands free to fish and other things, but it's just not for me. Many guys love them.. One thought.. If you wear waders and you tip will you sink as they fill up with water. Also, hard to swim in waders.. just my 2 cents. a 41.5 inch striper is a great fish.. congrats. Good luck fishin' .. Bob

When I first started fishing form kayaks, over 20 years ago, almost no one here used them. Then it got very popular, so to meet the demand they started making cheaper ones. There was time when I could give you an educated opinion, but not so much now.. Here's what I think ; (This is info on kayaks for fishing, not touring.) I'm gonna try to put down everything that I can think of, probably some isn't relevant to you, but it's just how I do things so disregard what doesn't apply. Sorry if it's too long and a little repetitious . Also, it's off the cuff, so I may have left something out. I am a fisherman/hunter who uses a kayak.. NOT a kayaker who happens to fish, or hunt.. So I don't put myself in the class of what I consider a kayaker You'd want a recreation kayak that's stable and can be good for fishing.. In my opinion, for that activity I'd choose rotomoulded plastic because it really takes a beating and is cheaper than other materials. I would not fish in anything under a 28 inch width.. I doubt that you want a sea kayak .. longer narrower.. I'd explain, but if you check it out you'll see why I don't recommend it for fishing. It's for a KAYAKER. I enjoy paddling them, but it takes some experience, and it's not for what I do. If you want to be a kayaker and tour, etc. in it then check that out, and take lessons... I'm just ASSUMING that you want to fish in it. I paddle around in mine and it's fine for that , but sea kayaks handle tougher water and paddle more efficiently..I know what my yaks can handle. Check with the company's website and be sure that the kayak you pick can handle the type of water that you'll paddle in. Some kayak shops have demo days and will let you try out kayaks for free on those days...You can also rent one for a day and try one out... I used to help a kayak shop on those days and found that it was a good thing to try. Before I bought my last one I brought down my fishing gear, a few dekes, and small cooler to see if it was good for me.. ( I knew the owner so he didn't think it was to weird) Think about weather..I have 4 kayaks and all of them are sit inside, not sit on top because I fish in colder weather and I can stay drier, especially if I use a half skirt, sometimes a full skirt. My friends with sit on tops don't go in the colder weather..Late season stripiers, herring fishing and waterfowling are during cold times..Also, sometimes I used to look for seals and it was COLD on most days that I did it. Size matters.. For salt water.. my opinion.. no smaller than 12 feet..I have 12 and 14 foot kayaks Weight.. How heavy do you want it.. You gotta lift it and carry it.. I bought an 80lb. kayak which I think is nuts, but it's a tandem kayak and ONLY use it when I'm with someone. My others are in the 50 lb. range. I'd prefer 40's, but I got what I got..The 80lb was soooo cheap and fit my need so I figured what the hell and bought it. read reviews to see if the kayak that you want tracks well.. Weather cocking(turning into the wind) can be a problem with some kayaks. Do you wanna paddle, or pedal.. I'm not into peddling so I don't use a Hobbey (I can't spell it) They are fast and have advantages, but they're too heavy for me and I like paddling.. Also I fish in a aiot of areas with big rocks and don't wanna do damage. Color.. You want to be visible especially to other boats...so pick a color that makes you more visible.. If y0u notice ,in the picture, I didn't listen to my own advice. I did that because for a number of years I used it for waterfowl.. I did NOT shoot from it. I paddled to islands and other spots to set up.. I did sit in it to shoot at times while on shore...My wife sewed some camo for a cover to give me more camo. Storage etc. If you catch a 30 lb. striper where will you put it...If you see the one in the photo you'll see that I have room to store BIG bass. A few years back I stuck that 52 inch bass up front and later put a 39inch in there also.. It was a little tight, but it worked.. I think it's good to prepare for a big 'un because you never know what you'll get.. I can also store decoys in my kayaks Do you need wheels ? You'll decide after you have it. Look at paddles and ask questions.. heavy paddles seem to get heavier as you paddle long.. You're decision..Don't get very cheap paddles or they may break. I on;y ose a white bladed paddle because when I 'm paddling the white is visible.. oh yeah, carry a whistle(it's mandatory I carry a spare paddle every time I go out.. My paddles are 2 piece so storeage isn't a problem.. If you drop one overboard, or a bluefish jumps into it(happened to me) and you drop the paddle you'll be glad that you got 2.. Get a good pfd. If you go in the cold times of year dress for immersion. Striped bass have sharp dorsal fins so if you share the kayak with one, watch out that you don't get stuck.. it hurts. Also.. toothy critters like bluefish bite so watch how you store one. After getting a bluefish hickey on my inner thigh I decided to kill and bleed them as soon as I get them to avoid that again or get a bite higher on my anatomy. Well, that's all my old brain can come up with hope it helps.. I'll put a photo of the 52 inch that I caught in the kayak to show you what mine holds.. (I hate to say it, but maybe to brag), I added the picture of the other bass I stored so you can see what it held..I couldn't fit a hair more in the yak.. The head of one was on my lap.. Getting her in was a chore, but I pulled her on top of me and slid it in.. The pics were a few years ago, and I was turning 65 the month after I got these so it was Mother Nature's birthday gift.

AT.. here's the info. I can't seem to post pics from my files on a pm.. I'm clueless with computers. I am NOT an expert, but fish constantly.. So I can't recommend anything as an expert.. just someone that fishes and likes a lure and talks about it...My buddies and I discuss different lures all the time.. It's just what we do. I added pictures of the lures as I rig them and just a couple of fish that I caught with them..I hope that all this gets posted I seem to be having a problem with the pics and the ending... The lure is called Hoochie Koochie it's sold by Cabela's I think it's $1.99 for a bag of 10... They come in a few sizes and colors... I primarily use 5 1/2 inch , but will use 4 1/2 inch at times. and only use white.. I have caught fish with another color, but white is my go to. For freshwater : I use a 5/0 hook.. see pic. .....I fish it weedless for bass/pickerel.... watch it drop as you retrieve and you'll see the tail action.. I find it great...I fish it unweighted, but you can use lead head.. Try different techniques.. swim it.. vary retrieves.. walk it over lily pads.. whatever you find good.. For surf, or inlet, or any other saltwater shore use from shore : white 1 oz. to 1 1/2 oz. lead head.or on bucktail I also use 1, or 1 1/2 oz., but have used 2 oz... You can use those weights from a boat, but I kayak fish so I lower the weight of the lead head to 1/2 to 3/4 oz. You're call .... Slow along bottom for fluke with a slight stop and jig works for me..(I'm not big on fluke fishing , but I do it when the mood strikes)... For blues/ bass/etc. straight retrieve , or use your imagination.. great sand eel imitation, in my opinion. So when there is a good sand eel run I find it to be a great lure. Works most times even without the sand eel bite.. Oh yeah, it will not cast as far as a tin, or popper. From my kayak and some shore saltwater shore fishing,, I primarily rig lighter lead heads, but that's my choice... Bluefish will tear them up so I bring a lot.. snappers will cut the tails off, so when they're around I only use the "Hooch" when I see bigger predator fish I make sure that I have about 200(20 bags) every year, but for MOST people that's being obsessive . I fish for blues ALOT and can go thru a bag in one trip.. My friends tried one bag of 5 1/2 inch white to start and decided from there.. I use many different lures.. poppers.. tins and swimmers, but use thee and 4 inch white shad when I think that they'll be best for the si

I'll get back to you with the lure because I want to photograph how I rig it for saltwater .. bass, blues and fluke and freshwater.. I use it for largemouth bass and pickerel.. I'd try pike, but I don't get to fish pike waters. I'll see if I can add photos to a pm if not I'll post them here. I'll get back to you with it Gulp is used by a lot of my friends especially for fluke in the inlet and surf.. They do well with it. hey say that it is great... I'm a bit thick headed at times and am happy with my set up so I stick with it.. I caught fluke including a 7lb. fluke with mine on a bucktail with my trailer. Gulp is a little more costly, and I think, maybe, when it comes to lures I'm a bit cheap..Short arms , long pockets, as they say.

Nice fish !!! Congrats...You're correct I did like the story. I'm really glad that you had that thrill with the bluefish.. They don't know what it means to quit...That's why I love those yellow eyed devils. It's hard to tell about weight even looking at one when you get it...I surf fish as well as kayak fish and chase blues a lot so I hear lots of tales about weights, and many are questionable.. There's some good stories about bluefish weight estimates among my friends...Last year we got gorillas, everyday for a few weeks. Some were weighed on a calibrated scale, but , when asked, I'd say that the fish were up to ..lbs., or over ... lbs. Then I figured I was pretty accurate. No matter what the weight of your fish was , it's a big 'un and you had fun.. You can't beat that. What do you tip the bucktail with ?? pork rind ? soft plastic ??? I had a good discussion with a surf fisherman last night about choices... I'm curious about what you use. .. I still tip with soft plastic, usually with 4 inch twister tails, but found a better plastic and I use it with plain lead heads too, and unweighted in freshwater. If you're interested I can pm you the info...It's REALLY effective. As far as your hair.. I'd pay for that on my head.. Mine went into the drain. I hope you post another story tomorrow, I'm very interested..good luck

Yeah, and they grow some good size game animals. Looks like a beautiful country. I watch some Youtube videos about hunting there.

AT... There is a guy that used to fish bottom at the Construction Dock . He used nuts, etc.for sinkers because he lost so many. I went out at dark this morning because I had to be home before noon. I had planned on being there at change of tide, but didn't have the time. The spot where I got fish yesterday is a LONG paddle so I couldn't make the timing work for me. There were small bass before daylight and the few bluefish that I saw were too picky...There were no bluefish, or bass on the many bunker schools that are out there... What a difference a day makes, and .....that's fishing..

crappyice....My father used to eat bluefish of any size and cooked every crazy way. He made bluefish soup and I almost puked when I smelled it. We all laugh about it these days. He made some crazy concoctions. good memories

I don't know if Field 10 has good blackfishing. I never saw any quality blacks come from there, but it's worth a shot. I was gonna tell you about the parking by the Coast Guard Station, glad you know about it. You can also park at West End 2 and walk the sand trails to the Construction Dock, but it's a bit of a hike. You're gonna lose a bit of tackle at the Construction Pier so bring a few rigs. Thanx for the invite, but the 1st week or 2 of October I am heavy into blues/bass on the north shore in the kayak..I'm addicted to those things, but if I'm not out there I'll let you know...Last year the blues were insane where I fish and were up to the teen size , and there were some good stripers there too. I wait all year for this..... My time is limited this year because I'm heading out of state with my wife and also to hunt during the prime blue/bass time. Last year I got it in exactly, but things changed this year. I never heard of soaking blues in gin. I'll try it thanx I'm heading back to hunt for more blues early tomorrow

ATbuckhunter.. This may not be the case anymore so it may no longer be accurate. A number of years ago I went over to Robert Moses to the fishing pier. I had some clams and a small rod in the car so I figured I'd kill time...I caught a number of smal bottom fish and a keeper blackfish. Another guy came down who fished with green crabs and started getting nice blacks. I left and bought some crabs and returned to limit out.. I returned a couple of other days and caught more. I know that there are some guys that would go there every year and get them, but I haven't kept up with it so I don't know if it's still good. Maybe it's worth a shot if you don't have a spot...I just can't say for sure if it's still good.(the bait station at Captree, or The Field 10 Bait Station may know. The pier that I got them at was the 1st one as you drive in. I fished the west pier at the east end of that pier which required getting around a rail. They say that there's a mussel bed there. (there are newer piers there now, but I haven't ever fished them.) You will need a daily permit for the Robert Moses Pier which is free. Park your car in the dirt lot and go into the Admin bldg. and get the permit to put in your car. They also get blackfish at Jones inlet near the construction dock. I go there a lot, but go for blues, and sometimes for shad , bass, or herring so I don't pay attention to the blackfish guys. I hear that they do well. The Pier 10 bait station should know... You need a parking permit to park at the Construction Dock, or you get a fine of over $100...If you're not familiar with that .I can explain it to you if you pm me..... It's different than the daily pass at Moses.

I like eating bluefish especially in the spring. I thought that it was only me who thought spring blues were a little less fishy, but found out other surf casters did also. I bleed out bluefish as soon as I get them and get them on ice quickly. In my kayak I carry a small cooler and paddle to shore after a while , fillet them, remove the red meat and get them in the cooler. I don't usually keep the teen size blues. I love blackfish, but don't fish for them much. I ate soooo many porgies that I lost my taste for them so it's mostly catch and release for me. Pygmy.. I love perch, but don't get to fish for them much.. ATbuckhunter hope you get some blackfish and post some pics

yes it is. I caught my first adult bluefish in July 1964 and have been "hooked" ever since.