Zach Matthews
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There are ways to determine fish age via otoliths , but I suspect mostly they just use creel surveys to determine ‘age classes’ by watching the the bell curve go bigger each year.
You’re absolutely right about that Mike. My issue with the bait fishing is not the bait fishing itself. It’s the fact that it’s so easy to break the rules.
I saw a couple guys fishing with VERY large coolers. Way too big to need for mere cut bait. They also had more than one rod going. If DNR is in the area it’s easy for those guys to just dump the cooler overboard and claim they were dumping ice (thus releasing any live bait) and to reel up one rod and stow it. From a distance (except the two rods thing) you can’t tell a guy who is fishing live bait from a guy fishing cut bait. I’ve seen a couple interactions get ugly, and frankly have been involved in a couple, where the non-bait fishing angler simply asked the bait fisher what bait he was using. One time I intended to be offensive because I suspected the guy was using live bait. The other time I was caught by surprise when the person turned hostile, because I hadn’t even thought they might be cheating the rules. In retrospect I think they were both using live bait and didn’t like being called out.
If ALL bait fishing was banned you could tell from a distance what was going on. I have no problem with any form of fishing, but in the case of the Hooch, the stripers are a very limited resource with a great deal of pressure. You think pressure is high now? I think the word is just getting out in the bait fishing community. I see the numbers increasing exponentially year over year and I expect that trend to continue unless DNR does something. A bait ban to me is a great compromise because people can always fish flukes, which are just as fun but not nearly as destructive. If you’re too lazy to make a cast and reel it in versus sitting there getting drunk and watching a float, I don’t have much sympathy for you.
This isn’t a fly v. conventional thing although I am sure the bait guys see it that way. This is a killing fish thing. Is there even a striper creel limit and if so why would it ever be more than one fish a day? The DNR’s own advisory warns people not to eat more than one fish out of there a MONTH! Strictly from a public health perspective they would be doing people a favor by enforcing C&R with a trophy slot of anything above 20 lbs.
Zach
Mike, that’s an easy fix.
Fiberglass is nothing more than resin (polyester in the case of factory fiberglass typically) squirted around the actual fibers. home builders typically use epoxy, which is more expensive and better than polyester and does a better job of patching.
You don’t need much to fix that. Start by sanding the section with a heavy grit (like 60) sandpaper to knock away the flakes. Don’t go crazy, just get some on there. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a couple packs of 2-ton or slow-setting epoxy. If Wal-Mart doesn’t have 2-ton in your area you can usually buy it at Napa Auto Parts or similar stores. Resist the urge to use 5 minute epoxy; it sets quick but weak.
All you are going to do is mix up the two ton and baste it on there with a throwaway brush. Let it set. You want it to be a little higher than the level of the material, but not much. If it’s too deep a gouge to fill on the first go-round just let the first layer set then re-apply. When you have enough epoxy on there to stand a little “proud” over the factory surface, get out your 60 grit again and shape it to fit. You can go a little wide onto the factory surface because you’re going to paint anyway. When it is just about right, switch down to 150 grit, then finish with 400. It shouldn’t be too hard to get to a paintable surface.
For paint you have a couple options. On a section that small I would simply try to get an enamel paint to match from Home Depot. Ideally you could bring the step in for them to color match — they are really good when you do that. If not, just carefully compare paint cards until you get it right. You won’t need too much paint. For the best results I’d mask off a section and wipe it down with Acetone, then prime it with a spray can of primer. Then paint on. You can use the roll and tip method of painting with a roller then very lightly dragging a dry brush’s tips through the rolled section, which will make it lay down perfectly, OR you can spend $10 for a Preval sprayer and just load your enamel paint into the hopper and spray. If spraying be sure you spray in even passes that finish ON THE MATTE, not on the painted surface. Go easy, let it dry, and apply 1-3 extra coats. For a really sexy finish buy a pack of 1000 grit automotive sandpaper and WET sand between coats. It’ll be glossy.
There will be a rim where you masked off so place your tape where the line won’t show, for instance on a transition point.
That’s basic fiberglass repair and paint work. You COULD re-gel coat it with a tinted epoxy “paint” but in this case it’s not worth it. Enamel paints hold up on fiberglass for an adequate amount of time.
The only caveat here is that if the gouge were structural, I would advise you to buy some fiberglass cloth, shred it with your fingers, and add some strands into the epoxy to serve as “rebar” and help strengthen the patch. Then just proceed as above.
Zach
I am kicking this thread back to the top. In the last couple weeks I’ve been catching some of the smallest stripers I’ve ever seen in the Hooch. These little torpedos have all been in the <3 lb. class, which is great to see because I interpret this as the 2011 stocking class beginning to make its way up the river.
Given the large amount of bait fishing pressure up by Morgan Falls and the consequent number of killed fish (both intentional and otherwise), the DNR was going to have to put more fish in or this fishery was going away. This year has been pretty sorry from a conditions perspective, but when conditions were good, I still felt the overall number of fish was down. I suspect that's a double-edged sword: bigger fish that are still in the river are now wary after having been caught a couple times, and the medium-size schoolies that were our 7-10 lb bread and butter are now largely either grown up or dead.
What are y'all's thoughts? Anyone have a more recent striper stocking graph for West Point? Anyone heard whether the DNR is going to ban bait fishing altogether on the Hooch as they had considered?
Zach
Thanks guys. Good deal Travis! I am glad they fit. The 580 glass is the best there is. I just had a pair repaired that my old dog had bitten through, and after a couple years using the 580 plastic, it was so nice to go back. There’s a big difference.
Zach
Did everyone get their prizes? They should have arrived by now, except possibly for the one I sent to Oz…
There aren’t really that many options for ‘quiet and secluded’ unless you want to chance camping in the river bed, which is not technically illegal but can be dangerous.
JFK Park has very nice facilities but they are crowded and popular with the motor home set. Lobo Landing has a private camping area but I don’t recall there being any public facilities. You might have the option of camping on the lake side and getting away from the crowds but you would not be on the river itself. I’m not aware of any camping options in the peninsula area tipped by Cow Shoals, but there could again be some kind of private site I am not familiar with.
Good luck!
Zach
Personally I love clunky foam hoppers. They never need to be dried out and rarely tear apart. Awesome job Mike. I should get out there and do that with you. Was it crowded?
Zach
He did Colin. You were competitive with the New Zealand segment thanks to your local water bonus but Travis’s fish would be epic anywhere.
I’ve seen it. It’s pretty rigid, looks bombproof, but my twin concerns would be UV damage and whether it would maintain rigidity in the water (versus swarming around all over everything). I imagine it would stick to rocks.
Zach
WE HAVE A VERDICT!
After consulting with some highly preeminent Australian anglers who were familiar with the Maggie Island Golden Trevally, the word that came back is that Chris’s fish would be “slightly above a schoolie and just moving into mid sized. A good flats caught goldie from there would be around the 6kg mark and a really good one 8kgs.”
Accordingly I hereby declare the final order of victory to be:
(1) Travis Wiles, who wins a pair of Costa Hamlin sunglasses in 580G Silver Mirror with the Black frames (retail $249).
(2) Marty Horn, who wins a Scott fly rods t-shirt and hat and
(3) Chris Beech, who wins a Montana Fly Company Poly Fly Box with Swing Leaf.
Will you guys please each email me your shipping information at ZachMatthews@gmail.com so that I can distribute the prizes? Marty I will also need a shirt size for you.
This was a lot of fun guys and I am looking forward to doing it again next year with even more prizes.
Thanks for playing!
Zach
Bob I’m afraid you’ve discovered the secret of inland angling: really good photoshop on all our pictures… 🙂
This post is ancient and like most ancient things it has been eroded by time, but I still have never answered my original question: anyone ever tried to stock taimen, anywhere in the world?
So, this is the calculation I came up with.
Travis Wiles’ 31″ hog brown–assuming standard girth–checks out on the trout calculator as weighing approximately 13 lbs. HOG! The present world record brown trout is 42 lbs, making Travis’s entry 30% of a world record, (which is actually pretty darn good), but since I promised to take locality into account, the measurement I am going to use is the Tennessee State Record, which is only 28 lbs. Travis’s fish is 46% of that.
Meanwhile, Marty Horn has his 8 lb. hybrid striped bass. Missouri’s hybrid striped bass record is 20 lbs. 8 oz., so Marty’s fish is 39% of the state record! Great job Marty.
Finally Chris Beech weighed in from the other side of the world with his ~4kg (call it 9 lbs) Golden Trevally from Magnetic “Maggie” Island in Queensland, Oz. This one is a little tricky. The IGFA world record Golden Trevally was 32 lbs., which means Chris’s fish is 28% of a world record. But is it a bigger fish FOR THE AREA?
I’ve reached out to my contacts in Australia for some local knowledge. When I get their feedback I will make a ruling. It’s a horserace folks! Will Travis Wiles hold on to the lead, or get knocked down to second place? Does Marty get a cool Scott t-shirt and hat? Or will the dark horse candidate from Oz sneak by to win the contest?
STAY TUNED! 😉
Zach
That’s amazing Alan. I actually looked up coastal brookies after you posted – had NO idea those still existed in the lower 48.
Travis I’ll give you a pass on being nine minutes late since you had posted it to the board and go ahead and include it. 🙂
Ok guys, the polls as they say are closed. I need to do a little analysis to compare the posted fish with their “record” class per the rules of the contest, but look for the results soon.
Preliminarily, it looks like the runoff will be between Travis Wiles with his ridiculous 31″ brown trout, Chris Beech with those exotic trevally, and Marty Horn’s fat hybrid bass.
Great job everyone. There were some excellent fish posted this summer, especially in the trout sector.
I’ll be back with winners and be reaching out for shipping addresses soon.
Zach