Best Prize For a Record Fish

In March 2006, fishing during the Texas Carp Challenge, angler Al St. Cyr landed a 43.13-pound, state-record common carp in Austin's Town Lake. That fish earned St. Cyr a $250,000 payday from the American Carp Society, the largest prize ever for a carp fisherman in the U.S.

>By Keith "Catfish" Sutton

Special to ESPN Outdoors.com

What is "The Old Rod" Made Of?

As a maker of bamboo rods I'm quite susceptible to fascinations with all things bamboo, and must confess that Castwell's recent article on "The Old Rod" tantalized me more than a little. JC seemed to be lured by the siren song of days past, back to a simpler, more excitable era. Reading his article reminded me of sitting on the well worn dirt path leading to Bayou DeSiard, watching a bluegill inspect my cricket a few feet beneath the dark water's surface. And it brought fond memories of my own beginnings in fly fishing, learning to tempt those same bluegills with big-eyed popping bugs and graduating to teasing the "educated" trout in Missouri's Roaring River State Park with tiny artificial ants.

My first fly rod was a Cortland fiberglass rod. I have held on to that rod for nearly 40 years. Today it occupies an honored place on the wall above my fly tying bench. Like many of you I graduated to graphite rods early on, but a nostalgic bent lured me towards bamboo more than a dozen years ago. My wife gave me my first bamboo rod for my thirty-fourth birthday. I loved that old rod. Somehow for $150, she managed to find an unmarked Leonard 50DF in great condition through one of the dealer's lists.

While fishing the Little Red River in Arkansas one day, a friend and I swapped rods for a few minutes. Billy wound up fishing with my bamboo rod for the rest of the day, and I fished with his graphite rod. At the end of the day Billy asked, "What do I owe you Harry? You aren't getting this rod back." Foolishly, I saw it as a chance to make some money, and sold the rod for twice what my wife had paid for it. I thought I'd get another nice bamboo rod and have a few dollars left over. Little did I know that rod may well have been worth 4 or 5 times what Billy paid for it. For over a year I searched for another rod. In the process of the search I became familiar with the prices classic bamboo rods demand. The more I tried to get the Leonard back from Billy, the more he teased me. You know how friends are.

About that time at our local Federation of Fly Fisher's Club meeting a young man presented a brief program one night on how he had made two of his own bamboo rods. He brought in a few tools, and both the rods he had made, and talked for half an hour about the processes involved. It was an epiphany moment for me. If Doug could make a bamboo rod, so could I. Gathering the necessary tools, supplies, and components took me eighteen months. My first bamboo rod is too soft. (Shown below). The wraps look funky. The grip is uncomfortable. And when I finished that rod I thought it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen except for my wife and daughter.
I have rods 106-109 on the bench now, ready for ferrules. Hopefully I've made some improvements along the way.

Just twenty or thirty years ago bamboo rods were almost completely written off by the rod buying public. Today there is a real renaissance of those who appreciate the lovely reed. I'll wager a guess that there are nearly 200 folks in the US who make and sell bamboo rods, and three times that many more who craft rods for themselves and friends. Last year several of us, headed by Jeff Fultz of Colorado, decided to start a promotional organization known as the American Bamboo Rodmakers Association to preserve the legacy and craft of making bamboo fly rods. One of ABRA's goals is to help keep the nostalgic fires and feelings of folks like JC alive.

Are bamboo rods better than graphite? Well, are Fords better than Chevys? No, bamboo rods are not better, nor are they worse. They're just different. You might be surprised to find that modern bamboo rods are quite enjoyable to fish and cast. One of ABRA's goals is to dispel some of the myths about bamboo rods and show the fishing public that bamboo rods are a viable alternative to some high-end graphite rods. "After all, some of the biggest rod companies have been trying to mimic the feel of bamboo for years. We want anglers to know that nothing can bring that lively feel to a rod like bamboo," says Fultz.

Not all bamboo rods are alike. Back when your grand-dad fished bamboo rods, wet-fly fishing was the name of the game. Fishing a brace of three or four wet flies without tangling your leader into a bird's nest requires a slow stroke and an open loop. Grampa's rods were made with slow actions to fit the fishing methods of the day. Today's rods often have quite modern actions. Most of the rods I make are quite fast-actioned to fit the needs of modern fisher persons. Many quality bamboo rod makers will work with you to create a rod that fits your personal desires.
One hundred percent of American Bamboo Rodmaker Association dues are used for national advertising campaigns and administrative expenses. Board members volunteer their time and energy.

By :Harry Boyd

Anglers Hook 100-year-old Monster Fish Weighing Over 35 Stone

Two British anglers waded waist deep into a river to land a 100-year-old monster fish weighing over 35 stone - after battling with it for over an hour.

Nick Calleya, 36, from Cubert in Cornwall and George Carstairs from Scotland landed the 500lb white Sturgeon while angling from a boat in the Fraser River in British Columbia in Canada.

The 10ft-long giant was snared using a rod and line with salmon eggs as bait.

Mr Calleya said: "We hooked on to it and it shot off.

"The boat was anchored so we quickly pulled it up and sped after it.

"George is quite a small guy so I had to grab him and hold him down because the fish was lifting him off his seat."

The pair grappled with the massive fish for over an hour, taking turns to hold the rod when their tired arms threatened to let their prey escape.

All the time, their fishing guide was at the controls of their jet boat trying to keep pace with the fish.

"We were constantly going up and down the river for half a mile or so," Mr Calleya said.

"Every now and then, the line would go dead and the fish would come back and zoom upstream.

"We managed to take it into a shallow spot further down stream and George jumped out and lassoed its tail and held it."

With the giant finally tamed, the two friends took pictures and captured their catch on video.

Their guide then microchipped the fish as part of a conservation research project before releasing it back into the river.

Mr Calleya said: "The guide said it was the best part of 100 years old.

"Although there are much bigger monsters in the river, he said it was the biggest one he had seen for more than a year."

The two friends spent a week fishing on the Fraser River, at Chilliwack, south of Vancouver.

by:http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Most Expensive Lure

Were you upset the last time you snagged and lost a $5 or $10 fishing lure? Then you might not want to fish with the Million Dollar Lure from MacDaddy Fishing Lures.

This 12-inch trolling lure, designed to catch marlin, is crafted with just over 3 pounds of glimmering gold and platinum, and encrusted with 100 carats of diamonds and rubies (4,753 stones to be exact).

Cost? Just as the name says — a cool $1 million.

By Keith "Catfish" Sutton

Special to ESPN Outdoors.com

Anglers Catch 293kg Monster Fish

Fishermen in northern Thailand have caught the biggest catfish on record -- a 293-kg giant the size of a grizzly bear -- and eaten it, the WWF and the National Geographic Society said today.
The giant catfish, believed to be the largest freshwater fish ever found, was caught along the Mekong River, home to more species of massive fish than any river on Earth.

"We've now confirmed that this catfish is the current record holder, an astonishing find," Dr Zeb Hogan, a WWF Conservation Science Fellow, said in the joint statement.

Local environmentalists and government officials tried to negotiate the release of the fish so it could continue its spawning migration in the far north of Thailand but the adult male died and was eaten in a remote village, it said.

The Mekong giant catfish is southeast Asia's largest and rarest fish and the focus of a National Geographic Society project headed by Hogan to study freshwater fish more than 2 metres long or weighing more than 100 kg.

Reuters

Biggest Record Fish

On April 21, 1959, Alfred Dean caught a 2,664-pound great white shark off the coast of south Australia. Amazingly, he subdued this monster — the heaviest record fish ever listed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) — in only 50 minutes on 130-pound line. Dean also caught great whites weighing 2,333 and 2,536 pounds.

By Keith "Catfish" Sutton

Special to ESPN Outdoors.com

Chinese Fishing Net, Cochin, Kerala, India.

Kochi (or Cochin, as it was known till a few years back) is one of many second tier Metro in India, which is growing at a fast and furious pace.

Kochi has a long and colourful history, which dates back to 1100 AD, when the state of Cochin was formed. In the year 1341 AD, the neighbouring port of Cranganore was washed away in a massive flood, and Kochi became the port which handled all the spice trade. Trade and movement of ships made Kochi "a great melting pot" where people of different nationalities met and interacted. Port at Kochi used to receive ships from Portugal, Holland, England from the western hemisphere and China, Malay, Java from the eastern.

It is told that the first Chinese Fishing Net (like the one shown above) was set up at Kochi in the early 1500's. Chinese traveller Zheng He is given the credit for introducing this method of fishing at Cochin.

Chinese Fishing Net is a deceptively simple, shore based fishing system, designed to deliver the maximum result with minimum of efforts.

Huge mechanical contrivances, made of wood, hold out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. Each structure is around 10 m high, and is basically a cantilever, with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen.

The system is very well balanced and the weight of a man walking along the main beam is sufficient to cause the net to descend into the sea. The net is left submerged for a short time, before it is raised by pulling on ropes.At the entrance of Kochi harbour, these fishing nets are a must see now for all visitors to Cochin.Cochin had been ruled by the local Kings, Dutch, Portugese and Ensglish. Vasco Da Gama died at Cochin, and was buried here.Keep watching the photostream for more images and history of Cochin.

Contributed by:Kanad Sanyal

History Of Fishing

The history of fishing goes back nearly as far as the fish. Fishing history dates back to when people of ancient times began fishing for food, when pieces of bone were used as hooks and lengths of vine as line. The oldest known painting of an angler using a rod or staff comes from Egypt and history dates it from about 2000 BC.

Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle mentioned angling in their writings, and another Greek writer, Plutarch, gave tips about fishing lines. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, Roman rhetorician Claudius Aelian wrote about Macedonian trout anglers using artificial flies as lures.

The methods and tackle used for fishing evolved slowly through the centuries, and not until the late 15th century did sportfishing as it is now known really begin. In 1496 the book A Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle gave specific details for the first time in English about the use of the fishing rod. Written by Dame Juliana Berners, the prioress of an abbey near Saint Albans, England, the book describes the construction of hooks and rods for angling.

The manuscript also describes how to tie knots in fishing lines and how to make and use artificial lures and flies to take advantage of the feeding habits of game fish. Dame Juliana's precepts were the basis of angling knowledge in England for about 150 years.

In 1653, English angler Izaak Walton published The Compleat Angler, or the Contemplative Man's Recreation, the single most influential book ever published about sportfishing. In The Compleat Angler Walton addresses the art of constructing tackle, the science of basic aquatic biology, and the philosophy of recreational anglers. Based on a lifetime of observations, Walton's book describes the craftsmanship involved in making fishing tackle and ponders the methods anglers must use to catch game fish.

Walton also gives detailed accounts of feeding habits and life cycles of different species. He believed that the true angler is one who fishes for the love of fishing and that catching fish by sporting means is far superior to other methods of fishing.

Since Walton's time, anglers have continually improved their fishing gear, tactics, and knowledge of fish behavior. At the same time, many of the sport's proponents have realized the necessity of protecting fish habitats so that the sport may continue. Notable anglers and writers who have helped to popularize the sport include two Americans: Lee Wulff, whose books contain anecdotes and intricate details about fly fishing, and A. J. McClane, the author of numerous fishing guidebooks.

Through the years, men have dominated sportfishing, but in the late 20th century women took up the sport in increasing numbers. Books by American fly-fishing instructors such as Joan Wulff have resulted in fly-fishing schools, organizations, and specially designed tackle for women. The increased participation of women has been an important part of an overall rise in tourism and business associated with sportfishing.

Contributed By:
Jay H. Cassell, M.A.Senior Editor, Sports Afield. Member, Outdoor Writers Association of America. Contributor, Business Week, Camping Journal, and other publications.