The Great Outdoors

[Haykakan]

I dont really consider hunting and fishing sports, i feel they are more hobbies then sports but many people consider golfing a sport so i guess hunting and fishing can also be included. I dont know how many of you are into the out of doors but i am and i enjoy talking to fellow fishermen and hunters about our hobbies. I love to fish including icefishing and i am new to hunting but i want to learn more about it. I live in SE Michigan and i fish for all kinds of fish so i can talk fishing all day and would love to share info and talk with fellow fisherman-hunters-campers... This can be a good spot for those of us who love the out of doors to share stories and information.

[MrHyeSev]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

You are right about that Haykakan
Hunting & Fishing is not a sport it's more like a hobby.

[Haykakan]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

I guess there arent too many people here interested in the out of doors. That's too bad caus its beutiful out there.

[Sip]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

I like to spend most of my free time outdoors but mostly in the form of camping, boating, offroading, etc. Most my dead animals come from the grocery store

Also, I'm pretty much convinced all ice fishermen are completely crazy. CRAAAAZY ... -19F and they are sitting out there on a frozen lake .. some of them even with fires going on the ice. Just crazy My "outdoor" love kinda stops when the temps hit below 20F.

[Haykakan]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

I love camping to and most of my friends like offroading but i have not tried it nor do i really have the desire for it. Making a big fire at night is fun and so is cooking your dinner that you caught a hour ago. Meat and fish taste so much better when they are really fresh.
Icefishing may sound crazy but in reality it is really addictive. Pulling up one fish after another from hole in the ice is fun plus the bigger fish seem to bite better then. Sure its cold but there are no buggs to deal with, no sunburn to worry about, dont need a boat either. I bought a Ice Armor suite and the cold is not a issue. I have a few Armenian friends who also like icefishing and we go togather to a nearby lake but we are planing on going to different lakes this year. Some pretty cool things happen on the ice, many people use shanties which are basicly hutts on the ice. This guy was fishing from his shanty and had his small dog with him, he had a fish on and was reeling it in when his dog got real excited and jumped into the hole and went right through it. The guy was terrified thinking his doge was a gonner when a guy in the shanty next to his started yelling and screaming cause the dog had swam across and crawled up the hole into his shanty. Imagine sitting there and fishing and a dog crawls out of the hole. Funny things happen out of doors and sharing these stories is fun to.

[Haykakan]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

6:04 PM ET 11/20/09 | Reuters
* Asian carp DNA found beyond barriers meant to block fish

* Great Lakes ecosystem at risk from invasive carp

* U.S. authorities weighing options, look for carp

By Andrew Stern

CHICAGO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - There are signs Asian carp may have breached barriers designed to keep the prolific fish out of the Great Lakes, which could spell ecological disaster for the vital source of fresh water, authorities said on Friday.

Concentrations of DNA discovered by Notre Dame University researchers may indicate the presence of bighead and silver carp upstream from two electrical barriers designed to bottle up the invasive fish.

Environmentalists say that if the fish reach the Great Lakes, about 20 miles (32 km) from the barriers, they would quickly destroy the lakes' $4.5 billion fishery by consuming other fish and their food sources. Only Lake Superior among the five lakes may be too cold for the carp, which can reproduce rapidly and reach 100 pounds (45 kg).

The Great Lakes are the world's largest body of surface fresh water and are relied on by 30 million people in the United States and Canada for drinking water and recreation.

"This is devastating news," Andy Buchsbaum of the National Wildlife Federation said of the discovery of carp DNA in the Cal-Sag channel 8 miles (13 km) from Lake Michigan.

"We have to hope that there aren't enough population of fish to reproduce and create an epidemic of Asian carp in the lakes," he said.

The barriers are on the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal, which is fed by several waterways that flow away from Lake Michigan. The canal is connected by various rivers to the Mississippi River.

Two electrical barriers constructed in recent years in the canal near Chicago were designed to shock the carp and keep them out of the lake.

The DNA could be from carp feces or eggs carried by ship and barge traffic, but it could indicate the carp have breached the barriers, Buchsbaum said.

CLOSE LOCKS

Environmentalists called for the immediate closing of several locks separating the lakes from the inland waterways, and pressed for a permanent solution that would separate the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River watershed.

"Right now we have a last shot at keeping these carp out of Lake Michigan, and that's to close the locks," said Joel Brammeier of Alliance for the Great Lakes, an environmental group.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it and other agencies had met since Wednesday to consider the best course of action. Authorities will be sampling the channel to try to locate any loose carp.

"We're not discounting any options," which could include shutting the locks, a spokesman for the Corps of Engineers said.

The waterways are used by barges serving steel plants and other industry in the area. The lock separating the Chicago River from Lake Michigan would also be affected, although tour and pleasure boat traffic is down because of the season.

The invasive bighead and silver carp have come to dominate the Mississippi River watershed that is linked to Lake Michigan by a network of canals.

The carp were introduced into the Southern United States in the 1970s to help clean man-made fish farms. They escaped into the Mississippi River during flooding two decades later.

The omnivorous fish -- which are known to injure boaters because they often leap out of the water at the sound of a passing motor -- make up 95 percent of the biomass in sections of the Illinois River.

The Corps of Engineers said it would go ahead with planned maintenance on one of the two barriers beginning on Dec. 2. As part of the maintenance project, authorities will bar ship traffic and introduce a fish poison, rotenone, into several miles (km) of the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal downstream from the barriers to kill all fish, including the carp. (Editing by Peter Cooney

[Haykakan]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

My friend and i are getting our ice fishing gear ready and testing out some new lures. We caught some big northern pikes the other day, a 10lb and 8 lb. I have been testing the forage minnow lure and had good results initially but it was not as productive the last time out. Berckley power baits such as the power spikes are working very well as they did last year on bluegills and crappie. I plan on going out in search of my buck again if the rain here ever stops.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

Man, the Corps are going to commit fish genocide. First it's asian carp... next it'll just be asians.

Pike fishing rules.... those fish put up one hell of a fight, even after you reel them in and try to knock them out.

[Haykakan]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

Yeh i caught a 13 pounder this summer and he almost emptied my spool. They get a lot bigger in Canada. You Canadians are blessed with awsome fishing lakes and rivers. You got any good fishing by you KanadaHye?

[KanadaHye]

Re: Outdoor Sports (hunting, fishing...)

Not really, I have access to Lake St.Clair and Lake Erie... probably the same as you.