Originally posted by: nick barr on 12/11/2004 9:54:11 AM

i need an appraisial for 21 vintage luhr jensen spoons. they are tom mack, manistee, gold star
canadian wonder and one wierd one with rubbed o letters "P25 PAL (sooke or cooke) pc." email me at daddiocoolcat@hotmail.com if you have any info thanx

Originally posted by: zpyles_00 on 12/17/2004 9:58:08 AM

I have had numerous request from fellow members to post this story in this section so here it is. This is a true story.

Ok folks, put your imagination hats on. I'm goin to try an paint this scenario for you as best as I can.

It's saturday morning, about 30 degrees, overcast skies and a beautifull light snow falling. My father and I are heading out onto the ice just as we do religously every weekend during the heat of the action early ice season here in Ohio. You can hear every sound nature has to offer, between the ducks anxsiously awaiting deployment to their feeding grounds, the overwhelming ammount of black birds flying and the local dogs barking, the only foreign noises to be heard is the snow packing beneath our boots and the distant growling of fellow ice anglers augers chewing through the ice.

My father and I head straight to the spot where just the morning before we had filled a 5 gallon bucket half full with 8-9" gills, a bakers dozen of 9-13" yellow perch and just a few crappies. We pop a few holes in and immidiately were on fish! My father being the stubborn person he is, chooses not to sit in the shanty ( as usual ) so I quickly set it up for myself. ( I enjoy the privacy of others not being able to see if your onto fish or not )

About a half an hour goes by and I can hear one of those big air pockets that often gets trapped under the working its way towards my holes. No bother of course, the air pocket comes up through my ice holes & gurgles a bit.

Everything to this point is perfectly normal, but for some reason unknowst to me till this day, out of pure curiosity I lean way forward down towards the ice holes for a closer inspection.

The next thing I know, within a split second, water is being splashed in my face and i'm staring Face-to-Face to the biggest, fattest, meanest muskrat i've ever encountered !!!! This thing didnt have teeth ooohh no, he had FANGS!

Immidiately I jump back, almost falling off my bucket, slamming into the back wall of my shanty, I probally screamed like a girl LOL. In the proccess of all this ruckuss, I managed to kick the access doors to the ice holes shut so im trapped in my shanty with this saber-toothed muskrat. Now I learned a few things about muskrats in the proccess..... They BARK.... They HISS.... They GROWL...... and worst of all, they can JUMP about 3 FEET HIGH.

By this time from my fathers line of view and hearing of this situation only being a few yards away, he is hollaring " What in the hell is goin on.... What are you doing !!!! " ? It's looking like WWF inside of my 2 man shanty from his line of sight. Every time I would start to reach down to open the access lids or the doors to the shanty, that lil monster would start barking and hissing at me. If I would use my foot to try to fudge it open he would lunge at me ! I'm bout ready to gaff this thing by now.

By this time i'm feeling like a little kid being forced to watch a horror flick then being locked in a dark room with the boogie monster!

After a few minutes of WWII inside of my shanty, my father finally come over and opens the shanty door from the outside. My father said he's not sure who came busting out of that shanty faster, me or the muskrat ! Once he had realized what it was that was causing all the comotion, i'm not sure that I have ever seen him laugh soo hard before or since !

Of course now everytime we go ice fishing, he never ever ever lets a moment go by where he can razz or crack a joke about me and that muskrat. Looking back, I now to think that it may be the funniest thing that has ever happened to me and I normally do not pass up an oppritunity to joke about the incident either, but rest assured, it sure as hell wasn't funny at the time!

The best thing about the whole situation is that I got to experience that then "nightmarely" now "hillarious" experience with my best friend, my father, and I know that that is a moment that will never be forgotten and will be able to share together for all time.

Well, hope you enjoy !
zpyles_00

Originally posted by: Orion on 12/23/2004 11:55:46 AM

I was fishing a on post eight acre lake/pond with eight pound spiderwire. I was casting out a night crawler on a size 6 hook. My bober whent down i jerked up i had a 4-5 inch bluegill then as i was reeling in the fish was ramed out of the water my drag started cliking. i started reeling and fighting my adrenaline was pumping the fish was threshing on the surface i had know idea what it was i yelled to the man next me "can you get my net" thankfuly he did the scooped up the fish it turned out to be a largemouth it was huge or at least it looked like it was biggest fish of my life seemed like it was five or six pounds. I couldn't stop shaking i called my dad told him to bring the camera he did i asked how much do you the he weighs he answered around three pounds i was shocked only three but i was still happy and still shaking

Originally posted by: OUTLAW 2 on 12/26/2004 6:40:08 AM

Yesterday, Christmas Day, I decided was a good day to put my shack on the ice. Backed the truck down the hill and up to the shack. Missed the brake and backed into it. Spent most of the afternoon repairing it. The bad part was I not only broke the shack but put a rather large crease in the tailgate of my truck. Do you think someone was trying to tell me NOT to go fishing on HIS birthday?
OUTLAW 2

Originally posted by: I should be fishin' on 1/5/2005 8:55:38 PM

I just sent in another article... we'll see.

Originally posted by: WalleyeWayne on 1/25/2005 5:12:38 AM

Editors;
What are the possibilities of having NAF Magazine articles, from years past, being posted on the NAF web site? You could feature one article a month, as requested by NAF BB Members, and link it to the site Home Page. Many of us "younger" members are very interested in reading the articles that were written before we got here. Please advise.
Thanks,

Originally posted by: davesett2000 on 1/25/2005 11:57:25 AM

quote:

---

Originally posted by WalleyeWayne:
_Editors;_
What are the possibilities of having NAF Magazine articles, from years past, being posted on the NAF web site? You could feature one article a month, as requested by NAF BB Members, and link it to the site Home Page. Many of us "younger" members are very interested in reading the articles that were written before we got here. Please advise.
Thanks,

---

Originally posted by: BowfinBoy95 on 1/26/2005 10:37:13 AM

One of the best fighting but most underappreciated sportfish in North American waters is the bowfin. It may not be the best eatin' fish(hey neither are tarpon!),but the stories that are told about bowfin catches are always riveting. i have caught only one and it was a long time ago, but i want this fish to be recognized by anglers as a sportfish and not a pest. It is a prehistoric relic of a fish, with the ability to breathe air, and is known for its toughness, resilliance and challenge to anglers. To hook and land a big bowfin without ending up with a snapped line, straightened snap swivel,bent hook, mangled spinner or chewed up fingers is not easy. the only people who fish bowfin exclusively are the bowfin anglers group(www.bowfinanglers.com). I'm sure they could offer some fantastic stories for NAFC. I'll write them and email and see if any of them are members and if they have any stories to share.My story isnt lengthy enough to stay interesting for long but if you guys wanna hear it just let me know!

Originally posted by: WalleyeWayne on 1/31/2005 4:29:08 AM

IS ANYBODY MINDING THE STORE HERE...???

Originally posted by: Danarchy on 2/4/2005 10:52:35 AM

Exhausted and wet, we dragged our vessel on to shore. We layed on the beach, laughing and panting, trying to catch our breath. "We need a real boat", Chris said to me. He was right, I didn't want to experience what had just happened to us ever again. It was one of my worst fishing days ever, even though we caught our limit in big bass.

The day started out pretty good. I had just purchased an inflatable raft for $50 at a local Wal Mart store. It was a four person raft, but comfortably seated two. After about 20 minutes of pumping and a six pack of Bud, we were ready to go. We put all of our gear in the vessel, and launched.

We were fishing a small lake in Polk county, Wisconsin. The lake saw very little fishing pressure, and is home to some nice sized largemouths. The landing is located on a small sheltered bay, loaded with lilly pads and bucketmouths. The spot we planned to fish was located inside this bay, near the mouth by the main lake.

We got to the spot pretty quick and began casting or pre-rigged "Bill's Worms". We were targeting a patch of lilly pads close to shore, where the flooded lake submerged some tree roots. We were catching bass like pros, culling our bundle on a classic stringer. This was heaven; beer, bass, and a stealthy raft.

As the beer supply dwindled, and our intoxication peaked, I noticed a bubbling sound. I paid no mind to it and kept fishing. About ten minutes later, I noticed that Chris was slouching. It turned out that he wasn't slouching, the raft was. We struggled in a drunken stooper, trying to find the leak. When I moved around, the air would move Chris around on his side of the raft, challenging his balance, something that seemed to amuse him. And when he moved, I also flopped to and fro, only I was getting a bit aggitated. We couldn't find the leak, and the air was escaping fast. I remember pulling up our fish stringer that was tied to the oar ring, which held more than 20 pounds of bass. I admired our catch, and began to lower them back into the water when I saw the bubbles. It was obvious that our bundle of fish was the cause of our troubles. The bass's fins had punctured the raft from below. I streched the rafts bottom to the surface, and saw numerous holes where the fish had rubbed against it. I knew then and there that the raft would not be afloat for long. Since we were drunk, sinking, and possesed no PFDs, we set a course for shore and began paddling back.

Our stroking of the oars was not getting us anywhere, since there was not enough air in the raft to support our combined weight. Chris decided to jump out and swim, pulling the raft with the rope handle that circled the raft. I continued to paddle, while Chris towed through the lake. We were only about 100 yards away from the landing, so we figured it was no problem. After about ten minutes of swimming, paddling, and cursing, we realized that we weren't getting anywhere. I decided to jump out and swim the boat along too. When I got into the water, I was greeted by the nasty feeling of submerged vegitaion. This stuff is good for fishing in, but lousy for swimming through. The small bay was so choked up with weeds that it was almost impossible to swim in. It would instantly tangle around your legs, arms and torso, so getting through the stuff was quite a challenge. I think we made it about half way when we couldn't go any further. We were exhausted, dehydrated from an 18 pack of beer, and very sick of that weedy feeling. We rested a bit, and resumed. When we tried to swim the boat for the final stretch, we couldn't go any further. Something was holding us back. We tried lifting the raft to see what was wrong, and almost ended up losing all of our gear. Frustrated, I swam to the back of the raft, and found our problem. The stringer containing ten 2lb plus bass was so entangled with weeds, that it was acting as an anchor. It took me at least 5 minutes to remove all of the weeds from the bundle of fish. I threw the fish on the nearly airless raft, and we began swimming for shore.

When we finally made it to the landing, it was like those guys in the movies who kiss the ground in relief to be on safe land. We laid there resting from our 100 yard, 45 minute struggle against our own demise. I folded up the raft which by this time was completely deflated. "It's a good thing we didn't go out to the main lake", I said to Chris as I closed the trunk of my car. And it was. Had we gone out to the other side of the lake like we normally did before, we may not have been fortunate enough to make it back. This excursion taught me to always carry PFDs and to drink responsibly when on the water. Many others before us weren't as lucky as we were. That night at the fish fry, we ate those bass with a new found respect, and I haven't used the raft since.

Daniel Dillon

Originally posted by: thefishinggod on 2/7/2005 9:37:41 PM

More than a few summers ago when I first started fishing for steelhead, I wasn't having any luck fishing the low clear water of the Upper Clackamas River so I decided to try fishing with 6lb line. I thought maybe the 8lb line I was using might be spooking the fish. And since I wasnt having much success anyway I figured there was nothing to lose. I was fishing a special little rig I had devised where I could fish using nymphs without using a flyrod. The nymphs were tied on like you would tie a corky and a swivel on for drift fishing. It was about an hour before dark when I finally hooked a nice chrome steelie. Since I was using light line I had to keep the drag fairly loose to keep from breaking my line. Of course there was no one around to help me land the fish and the closest I could get to it was about 50 feet. Everytime I got any closer it would tear off again. After about 45 minutes of playing this fighter, my line broke where I tied the flies on. I was disappointed and elated at the same time. As I stood there cursing my luck, with my knees shaking and my heart pounding, I started to laugh. It was a good day fishing.
Three days later, I managed to sneak out of work early and hit the river again. I was still pumped up after losing that fish a few days before. When I got to the hole, I walked along the bank to see if I could see any steelhead laying in the hole and sure enough I spotted two fish. I got my "fly rig" out and started fishing. After a couple of casts I got one on. This time I had my 8lb line on and figured this fish was in the bag. It made three good runs and jumped twice. After 15 minutes of playing the fish I had it up to the bank and I was ready to pounce on it. I grabbed it by the tail when I noticed that this fish didnt have just my two flies in it, it had two flies in the other side of its mouth also. They were the same flies as I was using. Since Im the only person that ties those flies, I can only assume that this was the same fish I had caught three days before. With an even bigger grin on my face, I removed all four hooks and gently revived this fish and watched it swim away. It was one of the first ten steelhead I ever caught, but I figured any fish that would bite and fight me twice like that deserved to live to spawn, hatchery fish or not.
Ok thats my fishing story, if you folks at the magazine like it I got a picture to go with it. If you dont like, Then I will have to try again. Brian

Oh yeah, check out my website at: www.thefishinggod.com

Originally posted by: J the Fisher on 2/8/2005 10:10:25 PM

2-6-05
This day will never be forgotten in my life. I reached the lake in the morning about 8:00am did a 30 min hike with two poles a huge tackle box and some extra stuff that I had(phew!!) very tiring. But I finally reached the end of a cove. I had been studying the lake map for 2 weeks just to see which coves were accessible by foot. I get there and about 2 hours later I took a nasty fall on a small ledge while holding on to my pole. <ouch!!> trust me it was a nasty fall I sat in pain for a good 2 min or so. As soon as I got up I felt resistance in my pole and a fight was on!!! There he was MY FIRST LARGEMOUTH!!!! I said to my self out loud "I will fall 15 times more just to get another catch like this one <!--graemlin::)-->" It was my only catch but one of the most memorable. I am 27 years old a little old for a first time largemouth catch, but I felt like a 13 year old with my dad. I wish my dad was here to see this <!--graemlin::)--> on my way back I got to see a turtle sun bathing on a rock What a great day. Good fishing!!
<!--graemlin::)-->

Originally posted by: J the Fisher on 2/8/2005 10:10:59 PM

2-6-05
This day will never be forgotten in my life. I reached the lake in the morning about 8:00am did a 30 min hike with two poles a huge tackle box and some extra stuff that I had(phew!!) very tiring. But I finally reached the end of a cove. I had been studying the lake map for 2 weeks just to see which coves were accessible by foot. I get there and about 2 hours later I took a nasty fall on a small ledge while holding on to my pole. <ouch!!> trust me it was a nasty fall I sat in pain for a good 2 min or so. As soon as I got up I felt resistance in my pole and a fight was on!!! There he was MY FIRST LARGEMOUTH!!!! I said to my self out loud "I will fall 15 times more just to get another catch like this one <!--graemlin::)-->" It was my only catch but one of the most memorable. I am 27 years old a little old for a first time largemouth catch, but I felt like a 13 year old with my dad. I wish my dad was here to see this <!--graemlin::)--> on my way back I got to see a turtle sun bathing on a rock What a great day. Good fishing!!

Originally posted by: SmallWater on 2/17/2005 4:22:46 PM

Where should members send article submissions for publication consideration? Also what format does NAFC prefer pictures (to accompany article) to be in? I've written a few articles for a local outdoors magazine and they prefer photo's in a slide (processed color positive) format. Thanks for your help.

Originally posted by: ole1kanobe on 3/19/2005 1:22:50 PM

A couple of years ago me and a buddy were fishing up around Detroit Lakes. Our mission was northern so we were trolling around the lake, slowly making our path into deeper and deeper water. We were almost in the center of one of the bays when my buddy (who was driving the boat) had a strike when he wasn't paying attention. It happened so fast that neither of us had time to react, and his pole broke off right at the end where the reel mounts into the handle. (ghetto-fabulous Zebco equipment is his tackle of choice) He just looks at me with this dumb-founded look and holds up the small piece of handle, all that is left of his rod and reel set.
After everything clicked and we realized that he probably just lost a monster fish, he stops the boat and we sit there a second just looking at each other and start to half-heartedly laugh about what just happened. Out of the corner of my eye I see something floating on the surface of the water about 30 yards behind us. So he fires up the motor and we head in that direction. When we get closer to the object, we are floored to see that it is his pole floating on the surface of the water. We oar closer to the pole and I grab it out of the water, amazingly the line was still strung through the eyelets. I start taking up the line to see if the reel was still attached, it was! So I give what's left of the rod and reel back to my buddy and he slides the reel into the front slot of the rod to start reeling in his line. He was reeling in for only a few seconds when we realized that there was still something on the other end.
By this time I can not believe what all has just happened inside the past 10 minutes or so, and the fish is still on to boot. After a few more minutes the fish (what we expect to be one of the biggest fish either of us have ever caught) is just about at the surface of the water next to the boat. There wasn't much fight in the fish and we figured that it had gotten tired out trying to drag a rod and reel through whatever kind of terrain was at the bottom of that bay.
The fish finally surfaces, low and behold it is a northern, all of 15 inches long. When I saw how small this fish was, I immediately started laughing uncontrollably while my buddy reached into the water to claim his catch. He pulls the hook and tosses the fish back and then he starts laughing as well.
We couldn't figure out how that small little fish was able to break that pole, we just chalked it up to the pole having some sort of small break or fracture in the handle from a prior fishing trip.
The moral of this story? ALWAYS check your gear before heading out away from home to fish.

Originally posted by: Disabledfisherman on 3/19/2005 3:41:00 PM

My name is Nick Ojeda and I am in a wheelchair. I had an ATV accident four years ago. The other day I was driving down the road and noticed all these billboard advertisment that are put up on the sides of the highways. I began to think that the back of my wheelchair is pretty bare. It hit me suddenly to use the back of my seat for advertisment space considering it would be good instead of you seeing them on the sides of the road it would be more like a moving advertisment. If you or anyone you might now would be interested please email me at nickojeda733@hotmail.com.

Originally posted by: Gary P. on 3/23/2005 8:14:07 PM

This is my fishing biography for Monday September 13, 2004. We got to the fishing spot at about 2:30pm today.

Ok for about an hour myself nor the wife didn't get a bite. Then the wife had to go use the restroom, When she left I gave Poseidon a little sacrifice. I didn't get a pic of my first fish, Poseidon didn't give me a big fish but it was a first. The wife was still gone. <muhaha> Little did she know of my sacrificial shiner. about 20 min later she came back and no other fish from Poseidon.

Then at about 3:45 maybe 4:00pm I got my second fish.


at about 4:20 I got fish Number three... I guess Poseidon was pleased.



At about 5:30 they started to hit like crazy. Here is Posieden's Gift.



And at 5:55 Poseidon strikes again. Teaches the wife to rub it in this time. <muhaha>



Ahh, Now Poseidon decided to give my wife a break. Here is her fish. The only one she got a pic of. <muhaha> Well kinda. The others she let go before i could get a picture. they were all about the same size as my 5th one.



And Just when I thought Poseidon was going to stab me in the back, He gave my wife a line break on her big fish. lol.... <muhaha> Boy was it a wopper too. it bent her pole in half almost. I want to say it was about 4lbs maybe 5. Yet it didn't count since she didn't land it. I think Zues was medaling again, Yet Poseidon prevailed. <muhaha> :lmao

Oh almost forgot my wifes favorite friend and my problem child when fishing. Heck doesn't this bird ever leave. Isn't migration coming soon?



I think next time I will talk to Poseidon about this.

I got the last shiner because the wife dropped hers. <muhaha>

On my last shiner Poseidon came through for me. Next time I owe him two shiner sacrifices. :bow



Another one closer up.



Over all Poseidon proved to be a good fishing god. The wife can't rub this in this time. I guess it is my turn now. <muhaha> <muhaha>

Originally posted by: twin2 on 4/11/2005 4:49:20 PM

Was red fish fishing with live three inch mullet when I hooked a big one. As I was only using 8lb test line I didn't fight it hard. All of a sudden there was a big swirl nest to the boat and the fish made a big run. Another swirl and he threw the hook. When I reeled in to my suprise; on my hook was a fourteen inch mullet that was hooked through the head just over the eyes. The real suprise was that it was half digested. I figure that the big fish swallowed my bait and in the process the hook became lodged in the larger mullet in its stomach and when he threw the hook the large mullet went with it(lucky that I had a witness in the boat with me when I arrived back at camp)

Originally posted by: davesett2000 on 4/13/2005 1:13:21 PM

Hi NAFC staff...back in January I sent the below following e-mail to you guys.

To this date, I have NOT received a reply. <!--graemlin::(-->

Is there ANYONE there that could give me a reason WHY?


From: David <davesett2000@yahoo.com
To: editors@fishingclub.com
cc: smithw@bowater.com
Subject: Magazine Story Submission
01/12/2005 02:06 PM

Hi all...I am David, aka Life Member davesett2000 on the Club Bulletin Board.

During the month of December, we held a "BB Personality of the Year" contest, and would like you to consider the following write-up for the magazine.

I have also attached a Word document of the same thing, in case that is easier for you to use.

Thank you for your time, and have a great weekend!

"1st ANNUAL NAFC BB PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR CONTEST"

During the month of December, the members of the club Member-to-Member Forum Bulletin Board held the "1st ANNUAL BB PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR" Contest. Although no prizes were to be awarded, everyone that contributed to the topic thought it was a great idea, and were eager to vote for their favorite member. Four members (Davesett2000, WalleyeWayne, WalleyeKing #1, and Rod Tender) took it upon themselves to organize the procedures and set up a list of rules to assure members that it would be a fair contest. The vote took place the last two weeks in December, with the winner being announced on Jan 1st / 2005.
Once the voting started, there was a flurry of activity throughout the BB as contestants went out of their way to solicit votes from members. One member even posted “swimsuit pictures” of rival candidates, and some candidates tried to “bribe” the panel members with offers of smoked fish (a joke of course). But under the watchful eye of the panel, the rules were followed. Voting was slow during the first few days do to the “Christmas rush”, and it looked like it was going to be a close race. However, once the banter settled down and more votes came in, one name kept showing up more then the others, making it easy for the panel members to determine the winner.
The 2004 B&B Personality of the Year goes to LIPRIPPER, for his outstanding contributions to help and greet other members. When asked by the panel why each member voted for a particular candidate, they commented on how Lipripper always takes time out to greet new members and get them involved by directing them to a number of topics throughout the BB. His funny jokes and sense of humor make us laugh, and his signature “Eye” (for “I”) and multitude of funny graemlins all contributed to his win. Congratulations Lipripper!

On behalf of the members that utilize the NAFC club web site, we would like to thank the Editors and Staff of the North American Fishing Club for giving us this Great Club, Magazine and Web Site. Without their continued efforts none of this would be possible.
We would also like to extend an invitation to all club members reading this magazine to join us at www.fishingclub.com. Stop on down and check it out. On the home page you can find out about Club benefits, new products, upcoming stories, and keep up to date on fishing news & events within the Club. You can also test your fishing knowledge on the Weekly Web Quiz and enter the monthly Click & Win contest. Then there’s the personal side of the web site, with a Member-to-Member Forum Bulletin Board and chat-room, where you can share your fishing stories, pictures, ask questions or get answers to help you become a better fisherperson.
During the past year on the BB, members discussed a multitude of topics, such as what rods and reels work the best, best baits, best boats, rigs & jigs how / when / where to fish them. Some members started get-togethers where they meet up and share fishing time on the water together. No matter what the question is, there's always someone there willing to help find an answer for you.

Originally posted by: timster1174 on 4/14/2005 12:10:23 PM

My friend Rich and I were fishing in Sebastian, FL for, I don't know about him, but it was my first time. It was sunny, then cloudy, then sunny again off and on all day. We went on the south side of the boat launch to catch our bait fish, then go around to the inlet that leads out to the ocean. I'll tell you what, the fish never stopped hitting. We were hooking Yellow Jacks, and the smallest we brought in was 17lbs. The thing about it, is that it was non-stop. We dropped the baitfish in the water, and the current would take it, and within 15-20 seconds were fighting with a fish. He pulled in the biggest one that day at a whopping 33lbs. It was so much fun. I recommend that spot to anyone who comes to FL. The Sebastian Inlet.