Archivos de Diario para julio 2017

lunes, 10 de julio de 2017

Micro-fishing

I head about micro-fishing, a method for catching small fish like minnows. A lot of micro-fishers, like birders, keep a life list of all the fish they've caught and travel around to get as many species of fish as they can. I did some Internet research and it looks like it would be a great way to get a lot of species for iNat, particularly for the Fishes of Texas project.

I bought the type of fishing pole recommended, a telescoping crappie rod, from the local sporting goods store, but they didn't have the tackle I needed. I just ordered some from Amazon and it should be here by the end of the week. I hope it goes well and of course I will post the photos here when I start!

About micro-fishing:

NPR article on micro-fishing http://www.npr.org/2016/10/27/498406364/little-fish-tales-micro-fishers-focus-on-the-species-not-size
Getting started: equipment http://microfishing.com/tackle/
What is micro-fishing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd0eQ_JzjIM
Instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9TZ9P0QM2s&index=2&list=PLrDlSni9DzFs0KFkXziHZoo9tyDEZ2UO5

Publicado el lunes, 10 de julio de 2017 a las 02:07 AM por cosmiccat cosmiccat | 5 comentarios | Deja un comentario

martes, 18 de julio de 2017

Microfishing Attempt #1

Yesterday I went to Lake Gilmer Park to experiment with microfishing. I used the size 20 hook I ordered from Amazon and used hot dog bits as bait. I stood on the swim beach, where I could see many tiny fish. As soon as I would lower my tackle into the water, fish would bite. Unfortunately, the fish were really good at nibbling the hot dog bits off the hook without actually biting the hook.

Since it was really hot, I decided to quit and try to find a different bait. I stopped by Academy on the way home and bought some Power Bait maggots, thinking they were more sturdy and therefore less likely to be stripped from the hook. I ate dinner and rested for a while, and then went to a fishing pond in a city park to try the maggots.

The pond is heavily fished and I didn't expect anything but micro species to be in there. As soon as I lowered my hook, sunfish would bite...without stripping the bait. Then I ran into another problem: I had a hard time unhooking the fish. I didn't like standing there and yanking and pulling and turning, trying to get the hook out while the poor thing couldn't breathe. It was especially horrible when one of the fish got hooked through the eye and I had to get someone else to remove the hook.

I want to treat the fish as humanely as possible and minimize its injuries and was stumped. I know absolutely nothing about fishing and you many laugh at me, but I used the Internet to research what to do and found that barbless hooks exist and are recommended for catch-and-release fishing. No struggling to remove a hook. I also learned how to de-barb the hooks I already have. I'll do more experimenting this coming weekend to see how it goes.

Overall, I caught several types of fish. I didn't catch every species I saw, but it was a great success.

Publicado el martes, 18 de julio de 2017 a las 12:52 AM por cosmiccat cosmiccat | 5 observaciones | 4 comentarios | Deja un comentario

martes, 25 de julio de 2017

Microfishing Attempt #2

This afternoon I went to one of my city's public fishing ponds in Lear Park. This one is fished a lot less than the one in Teague Park, so it would have more fish. This time I tried the Frog Hair tippet recommended by microfishing.com. Personally, I didn't like the tippet because it was too light and broke easily. I used corn as bait and caught three Bluegill at the fishing pier. I think I caught one of them twice. I could see a lot of fish in the pond, but they weren't interested in biting that day.

When I got home, I removed the tippet and put the fishing line that came with my reel back on.

Later in the year, when it cools down, I want to microfish the Louisiana and Arkansas part of the ArkLaTex. I checked online and non-residents can buy a $5 day pass in Louisiana. In Arkansas they don't have a day pass, but three-day one for $16.

Publicado el martes, 25 de julio de 2017 a las 04:51 AM por cosmiccat cosmiccat | 1 observación | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

viernes, 28 de julio de 2017

Microfishing Attempt #3

This morning I went to Caddo Lake State Park to practice microfishing. I used bacon as bait and the fish loved it. I caught a lot of sunfish, mostly Bluegill. The sunfish were the only fish I saw until a grass carp swam along the shore. I had hoped to catch some minnows that only live in the Caddo Lake area of Texas, but no such luck.

After lunch, it was getting really hot so I tried catching just one more before I left. I watched another sunfish cautiously approach my bait. Now the whole time I was on the dock, there was a little baby snapping turtle swimming around. It suddenly decided to snatch my hook before the sunfish. I reeled the little turtle in and grabbed my camera, and just as I turned it on, the turtle freed himself and went back into the water. I shrugged my shoulders and packed up my stuff.

Tomorrow: Martin Creek Lake State Park

Publicado el viernes, 28 de julio de 2017 a las 09:29 PM por cosmiccat cosmiccat | 3 observaciones | 3 comentarios | Deja un comentario

sábado, 29 de julio de 2017

Microfishing Martin Creek Lake State Park

This morning I went to Martin Creek Lake State Park. I got tons of bites with the bacon bait, but the fish kept yanking it off the hook. I did manage to catch a few bluegills. I hooked some sort of silvery minnow a few times, but they kept escaping. Toward noon, some sort of large fish took my hook, but I as I was reeling it in, it thrashed about and escaped. I think it might have been a juvenile bass.

I found a recipe for fish dough that claims it helps keep fish on the hook. I made it a while again and used beef broth as flavoring:

"Like store bought bread, raw dough loosens when submerged. Hence, undersized fish and cautious keepers can pick you clean.

I pondered the premise and in a light bulb moment of inspiration, I tried cooking the dough in a microwave. Much to my delight, I found that a brief zapping congealed the mixture into a resilient consistency that I knew would beat the fish at their own game.

Here’s the basic formula: Mix half a cup of flour with just enough water to form a lumpy ball. Dust the outside of the dough with excess flour, flatten the dough into a patty ½-inch thick, place it on a doubled square of waxed paper and microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. To test the results, pinch the edge of the dough after nuking and roll it around on your fingertips. If the bait smears or sticks, cook it another 10-15 seconds.

Not only is microwaving quicker; it cooks without turning the dough dry and crusty. The resulting flakiness of baked dough bait mirrors the water-wear limitations of store-bought bread – both fall apart too easily.

Ideally, the finished product will have a rubbery texture that molds firmly and tightly cling to a hook. This forces fish to grab both bait and hook without pecking the dough off the barb. This bait is so tough you can often catch more than one fish on the same piece. Just remold it on the hook after each catch and drop it again.

White or wheat flour works equally well, but for optimal firmness with minimal air pockets, use all-purpose, not the self-rising flour. For enhanced scent appeal, add a little vanilla extract, onion powder or anise oil to your dough before baking."

http://scout.com/outdoors/bass-fishing/Article/Make-Your-Own-Bluegill-Fishing-Baits-at-Home-105347583

I'll try it tomorrow an see how it works.

Publicado el sábado, 29 de julio de 2017 a las 10:57 PM por cosmiccat cosmiccat | 1 observación | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

lunes, 31 de julio de 2017

More Microfishing on Caddo Lake

This weekend a cold front came through and it felt so nice outside in the morning. I went out to Caddo Lake State Park again to try my homemade dough bait. The fish loved it. I caught a new species this time, the beautiful redspotted sunfish. Microfishing on Caddo Lake is hard because the water is so muddy that you can't even see an inch down into it; I can't tell where the little fish are.

I have been watching a YouTube channel called Extreme Philly Fishing, made by a microfisher. https://www.youtube.com/user/extremephillyfishing . I noticed that he often starts out by using a tiny hook to catch the tiny species, and then switches to a large hook to catch the larger species like carp. This guy is really good and often catches ~10 species from a pond or river. I thought this was a good idea so I bought a panfish kit from Wal-mart that contains various jigs and curltail grub lures. I'll try his technique this weekend on Lake Gladewater.

Publicado el lunes, 31 de julio de 2017 a las 07:57 PM por cosmiccat cosmiccat | 1 observación | 6 comentarios | Deja un comentario