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By Ken Schultz
The Weather Channel once aired a segment that I filmed with them about fishing and the weather. It first ran on their now-defunct Atmospheres program at the end of December and in the first week of January, and was re-aired many times in the following months. I was surprised by the number of people who saw that episode and contacted me about it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been, because, next to ESPN, the Weather Channel is probably the most popular network for anglers and hunters.
In the segment, I introduced Atmosphere’s co-host Mish Michaels to fishing, briefly giving her some casting lessons with spinning tackle and then helping her catch her first bass and pickerel. She had fun, which came through in the show, and which was great for helping to expose the sport to many people who may not fish.
Additionally, however, our purpose was to talk about the affects of weather on fish and fishing. Fortunately the weather played into our hands in the two days of filming, as we had a very warm day followed by a cold, blustery, overcast day.
At the outset of the second day of fishing, Mish asked me if
The Weather Channel once aired a segment that I filmed with them about fishing and the weather. It first ran on their now-defunct Atmospheres program at the end of December and in the first week of January, and was re-aired many times in the following months. I was surprised by the number of people who saw that episode and contacted me about it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been, because, next to ESPN, the Weather Channel is probably the most popular network for anglers and hunters.
In the segment, I introduced Atmosphere’s co-host Mish Michaels to fishing, briefly giving her some casting lessons with spinning tackle and then helping her catch her first bass and pickerel. She had fun, which came through in the show, and which was great for helping to expose the sport to many people who may not fish.
Additionally, however, our purpose was to talk about the affects of weather on fish and fishing. Fortunately the weather played into our hands in the two days of filming, as we had a very warm day followed by a cold, blustery, overcast day.
At the outset of the second day of fishing, Mish asked me if
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
If you fish often and long enough some unusual, funny, and potentially dangerous experiences will happen. If you fish at night, the chances of having such experiences increase significantly.
I often fish just before and after dark. On many nights there are wonderful sunsets, which are generally obscured from my view by tall trees around the ponds I fish. But just before darkness falls, there’s a pinkish glow in the sky that lasts a short while, and white wispy clouds turn pink against a marine-blue background. I’ve stopped fishing to admire this, especially on those nights just prior to the full moon, when it rises early and is perched just above the trees out in the painted sky.
The fishing’s often pretty good, too. Some nights nothing more unusual or odd happens than a slew of bats foraging mightily. Some of them may even strike the line. I’ve been startled a few times when
If you fish often and long enough some unusual, funny, and potentially dangerous experiences will happen. If you fish at night, the chances of having such experiences increase significantly.
I often fish just before and after dark. On many nights there are wonderful sunsets, which are generally obscured from my view by tall trees around the ponds I fish. But just before darkness falls, there’s a pinkish glow in the sky that lasts a short while, and white wispy clouds turn pink against a marine-blue background. I’ve stopped fishing to admire this, especially on those nights just prior to the full moon, when it rises early and is perched just above the trees out in the painted sky.
The fishing’s often pretty good, too. Some nights nothing more unusual or odd happens than a slew of bats foraging mightily. Some of them may even strike the line. I’ve been startled a few times when
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
Surely you have read articles and seen documentaries about invasive species and the effect that they’ve had on native flora and fauna throughout the world. Back in 2005, a sidebar to a National Geographic article on invasives listed the 100 least wanted invasive species worldwide, according to a global invasive species database maintained by the World Conservation Union.
They were not listed in order of the degree of threat they imposed. Among the seven species listed in the fish group was Micropterus salmoides. Yep, the darling of the North American freshwater sportfishing community and the single-most popular predatory fish species in the U.S.: the largemouth bass.
Which, by the way, was endemic to parts of the North American continent, yet is now found
Surely you have read articles and seen documentaries about invasive species and the effect that they’ve had on native flora and fauna throughout the world. Back in 2005, a sidebar to a National Geographic article on invasives listed the 100 least wanted invasive species worldwide, according to a global invasive species database maintained by the World Conservation Union.
They were not listed in order of the degree of threat they imposed. Among the seven species listed in the fish group was Micropterus salmoides. Yep, the darling of the North American freshwater sportfishing community and the single-most popular predatory fish species in the U.S.: the largemouth bass.
Which, by the way, was endemic to parts of the North American continent, yet is now found
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
I’ve been using a personal computer since about 1980. But that doesn’t mean I know much about Ram and ROM, processors and display drivers, or can do any more “programming” than I could back in college when I took a course in the now-ancient Cobalt and Fortran computer languages. But I can get normal things done on a computer just fine.
I’ve been driving a car since I was 16. But I can’t repair one and I don’t know a piston from a manifold and I’m lucky if I can even point to the carburetor. But I’m a pretty good auto driver, even with those smaller rental cars I often have to use.
And, I’ve been boating even longer than I’ve been driving a car or using a computer. I had a little hydroplane as a youngster and raced around the lake where my family summered, probably annoying fishermen there much like today’s personal watercraft users do. But I couldn’t tell you a thing about outboard engines other than how to start them, fuel them, and clean them. I retract that last item; I rarely clean the outside of my outboards.
As with the computers and autos that I’ve owned, my boat must have an engine that runs flawlessly, and, in general, is a utilitarian device that I don’t have to spend time tinkering with. I just want to have it start whenever I turn the key, get me where I need to fish, and
I’ve been using a personal computer since about 1980. But that doesn’t mean I know much about Ram and ROM, processors and display drivers, or can do any more “programming” than I could back in college when I took a course in the now-ancient Cobalt and Fortran computer languages. But I can get normal things done on a computer just fine.
I’ve been driving a car since I was 16. But I can’t repair one and I don’t know a piston from a manifold and I’m lucky if I can even point to the carburetor. But I’m a pretty good auto driver, even with those smaller rental cars I often have to use.
And, I’ve been boating even longer than I’ve been driving a car or using a computer. I had a little hydroplane as a youngster and raced around the lake where my family summered, probably annoying fishermen there much like today’s personal watercraft users do. But I couldn’t tell you a thing about outboard engines other than how to start them, fuel them, and clean them. I retract that last item; I rarely clean the outside of my outboards.
As with the computers and autos that I’ve owned, my boat must have an engine that runs flawlessly, and, in general, is a utilitarian device that I don’t have to spend time tinkering with. I just want to have it start whenever I turn the key, get me where I need to fish, and
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By Ken Schultz
Someone told me a few years ago about a person who was writing a book about his attempt to catch fifty species of fish on a fly. He was hoping to get an article about this published in a major magazine and the feat was allegedly going to qualify for a Guinness World Record.
My first reaction, as it usually is with such stuff, was to dismiss this undertaking and wonder if this person doesn’t have some better contribution to make to mankind.
Then it occurred to me that I have probably caught fifty or more species of fish on a fly, though
Someone told me a few years ago about a person who was writing a book about his attempt to catch fifty species of fish on a fly. He was hoping to get an article about this published in a major magazine and the feat was allegedly going to qualify for a Guinness World Record.
My first reaction, as it usually is with such stuff, was to dismiss this undertaking and wonder if this person doesn’t have some better contribution to make to mankind.
Then it occurred to me that I have probably caught fifty or more species of fish on a fly, though
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By Ken Schultz
I’d like to think that anglers, whether on their own or through clubs they belong to, do something to give back to the resources that they so clearly enjoy. Things like helping clean up trash on a lake, recycle fishing line and soft plastic lures, habitat improvement projects. There are many ways that anglers can do something to help.
One fascinating way to help is by getting in the water and working with groups that are restoring habitat in areas that critically need such. Stream restoration projects, for example, are commonly undertaken by some anglers, particularly those belonging to local Trout Unlimited chapters. Building oyster castles and reefs is another one undertaken in coastal estuaries, where oyster recovery is necessary to help with water quality improvement as well as forming habitat that attracts forage and predator species.
This past week I got in the water on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with
I’d like to think that anglers, whether on their own or through clubs they belong to, do something to give back to the resources that they so clearly enjoy. Things like helping clean up trash on a lake, recycle fishing line and soft plastic lures, habitat improvement projects. There are many ways that anglers can do something to help.
One fascinating way to help is by getting in the water and working with groups that are restoring habitat in areas that critically need such. Stream restoration projects, for example, are commonly undertaken by some anglers, particularly those belonging to local Trout Unlimited chapters. Building oyster castles and reefs is another one undertaken in coastal estuaries, where oyster recovery is necessary to help with water quality improvement as well as forming habitat that attracts forage and predator species.
This past week I got in the water on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
Someone recently asked me what I thought was the most exciting freshwater sportfish. I said it may be peacock bass. I had to say “may be” instead of “is” because I haven’t caught all of the world’s top freshwater gamefish. My life list does not include the (Argentinian) dorado, Niugini bass, mahseer, or taimen, for example, the first two of which I’ve heard great things about.
But from what I’ve seen, the peacock bass is in a class of its own, especially when caught in its native flooded rain forests of South America. How good is it? If you tied identical-size peacock bass and largemouth bass tail-to-tail, the peacock would quickly drown the largemouth.
As it happens neither of these sportfish are actually “bass.” And, as it happens,
Someone recently asked me what I thought was the most exciting freshwater sportfish. I said it may be peacock bass. I had to say “may be” instead of “is” because I haven’t caught all of the world’s top freshwater gamefish. My life list does not include the (Argentinian) dorado, Niugini bass, mahseer, or taimen, for example, the first two of which I’ve heard great things about.
But from what I’ve seen, the peacock bass is in a class of its own, especially when caught in its native flooded rain forests of South America. How good is it? If you tied identical-size peacock bass and largemouth bass tail-to-tail, the peacock would quickly drown the largemouth.
As it happens neither of these sportfish are actually “bass.” And, as it happens,
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
Have you had an opportunity to eat your catch for lunch? It’s the best food you’ll ever have.
The last time I fishing in Mexico, on two successive days we ate our catch for lunch. Well, just part of our catch. One 3- or 4-pound bonito in fact.
The captain I was fishing with pulled the skin off the fish, cut out fillets, rinsed them in the ocean (while we continued fishing), trimmed them into strips, added slices of onion and finely diced chilies, then sprinkled this all with the juice of several limes. It’s a variation of seviche (marinated fish) common to the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo region of Mexico called chiritas.
Boy was it good. Four of us ate the whole thing.
I’ve had chiritas or seviche before with other species, including dolphin (mahi-mahi), yellowtail jack, and yellowfin tuna, while fishing in the ocean.
Sure beats a couple of pieces of ham and a slice of cheese tucked between two pieces of hi-carb white bread.
And, by the way, nothing defines the meaning of “fresh” fish better than
Have you had an opportunity to eat your catch for lunch? It’s the best food you’ll ever have.
The last time I fishing in Mexico, on two successive days we ate our catch for lunch. Well, just part of our catch. One 3- or 4-pound bonito in fact.
The captain I was fishing with pulled the skin off the fish, cut out fillets, rinsed them in the ocean (while we continued fishing), trimmed them into strips, added slices of onion and finely diced chilies, then sprinkled this all with the juice of several limes. It’s a variation of seviche (marinated fish) common to the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo region of Mexico called chiritas.
Boy was it good. Four of us ate the whole thing.
I’ve had chiritas or seviche before with other species, including dolphin (mahi-mahi), yellowtail jack, and yellowfin tuna, while fishing in the ocean.
Sure beats a couple of pieces of ham and a slice of cheese tucked between two pieces of hi-carb white bread.
And, by the way, nothing defines the meaning of “fresh” fish better than
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
Editors note: This is a re-publication of a blog post originally published on ESPNOutdoors.com in April 2005.
The November 2004 issue of Bassmaster magazine reported that angler Bill Alexander won second place in last summer's BASS tournament on the Hudson River. The article mentioned that Alexander was applying a "finesse approach" for the river's finicky bass.
It noted that Alexander sprayed his plastic worms with – pay attention, now – "garlic-flavored Pam Cooking Spray."
My first reaction was that this was ingenious.
And economical.
So I went to my local supermarket, where a 5-ounce can of Original PAM was
Editors note: This is a re-publication of a blog post originally published on ESPNOutdoors.com in April 2005.
The November 2004 issue of Bassmaster magazine reported that angler Bill Alexander won second place in last summer's BASS tournament on the Hudson River. The article mentioned that Alexander was applying a "finesse approach" for the river's finicky bass.
It noted that Alexander sprayed his plastic worms with – pay attention, now – "garlic-flavored Pam Cooking Spray."
My first reaction was that this was ingenious.
And economical.
So I went to my local supermarket, where a 5-ounce can of Original PAM was
- Published on
By Ken Schultz
Much has been made about the fact that the newest Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, is an avid angler. Likewise, the Fonz, actor Henry Winkler, has been profiled for his angling enthusiasm, most recently on the CBS Sunday Morning show in January. Both Gorsuch and Winkler are trout and fly fishing devotees, and pretty serious about the sport.
I thought about those two personalities when
Much has been made about the fact that the newest Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, is an avid angler. Likewise, the Fonz, actor Henry Winkler, has been profiled for his angling enthusiasm, most recently on the CBS Sunday Morning show in January. Both Gorsuch and Winkler are trout and fly fishing devotees, and pretty serious about the sport.
I thought about those two personalities when
