Fishing With Face

Giant crawdads? I've seen enough horror movies to tell you some irresponsible company must be leaking radioactivity in the water*. Next well be one big enough to eat you [g].

*Well, presumably it can't be atom bomb testing anyway.

It's weird, and I've obviously been trying to "figure it out" =p

Both cricks are in the park; not only is there no industry, there's no development whatsoever. The crick of the previous record is only a handful of miles long, maybe 5. It starts on the mountain and runs alongside one lonely road. In the last half mile before dumping into RedHouse Lake, it passes one tent and RV campsite, and that's it. The other, where I caught the new record, isn't any longer. This one starts at a swamp and likewise runs through one campsite of about 12 cabins.

Both obviously get low human pressure, but I dunno if that makes the difference. It's not like craws are high on the human pursuit list, and I'd wager the animal pressure would have to be higher here. Coons are everywhere, and every time I pick for bait, coons raid my bucket. The evidence of coon predation is apparent everywhere, so I can't think that it's lack of molestation that lets them get so big.

The one glaring difference is the water. Both of these cricks are ice cold. They're both tucked into gulleys in the mountains, and neither see the sun until the last half mile or so. Like this time, we're in the first of August. Both are still so cold it would hurt your teeth if you drank it. It's almost a given that hot = big. Just look to anything that spans the east coast, like the largemouth, for example. With a longer growing season and more time spent with the high metabolism that comes with warmth, the Florida largemouth blows the northern brand out of the water in size. Maybe, for whatever reason, these things don't follow that rule.

I dunno. I can't really pinpoint it yet. Really the only difference I can see is that water temp, but the result is counter intuitive to what you'd expect. A mystery to be continued, I suppose =)

FINALLY.

Tuesday was the big fishing tourney with all the CO's, so we took the Lord's Day and went into the woods to get our bait. Jonny L emptied a tree stump of giant grubs, most bigger than a cocktail weeny. We then raided the crick, bringing home 78 craws in just 120 minutes. I tossed them in my aquarium confident I could keep them alive, and happily only one died, chopped in half since he had just molted and was vulnerable.

The weather called for rain but we were on the water just after sun up. 6 dozen craws, 3 in leeches, and a bucket full of those giant grubs; the day was going to be good.

Well, my boat started acting up again, spitting and missing for the whole trip out. 4 miles off shore with a sick motor; the things we do for fishing =) Before 7:30a I got my first line wet, and that first cast brought up one coming in at 3lb 6oz. Good start. Ash hooked into one right away as well, losing it at the boat. We again went fish for fish, with Jonny L only landing one sad goby.

The bite cooled and we moved, and that move put us on the fish again. Ash caught one immediately, tipping the scales around 4lb. My fish got culled and I set after a new leader. Jonny L brought in a 2lb'er, I caught one that might have challenged the lead, but lost it at the boat. In the meantime, Ash landed another just as big as her first, so in the live well it went.

The weather went back and forth for a bit. It was cool and grey to start, which gave way to on and off showers. Eventually it let up and the sun came out, leading to shirt-off weather. But just as soon as it came it went, and it got downright cold and started raining again. None of the rain was severe, and we avoided the lightning this time around. The absolute worse was after that rain finally subsided. It got dead calm, not a mote of breeze. And then came the flies. Fortunately they weren't biters, they were just those random flies that you find every now and again. But they came en masse. Once to the boat they just landed and stayed, so as the hours ticked by, they built up more and more. It got to the point you had to hold your breath when you moved, as it would stir them up and they'd fill your nose. About 4 hrs into this and we couldn't take it, having to move just to create some wind to blow them away.

One move didn't even do the trick, you had to go around the boat waving them on and scooping them out of the protected areas. And as soon as we stopped, boom. Fly storm straight out of an African night. We were buried in flies. It eventually became so hard to breathe, see, and keep them out of your ears that we came in a whole hour early.

4lb 6oz took first place. Our 4lb 1oz from last year would have taken third. As it was, Ash landed both big fish of the boat, both coming in at 3lb 14oz. She missed the money by just 4 oz, but I think she took way more pleasure in stomping the boat than if she had won the cash =p

We still got the free B-B-Q lunch, and at the prize call out, I was called 1st and Ash 3rd, giving us the pick out of all the prizes. We both nailed a dipsy diver and lure package, setting us up for what will soon be our first foray into deep water walleye fishing. Report to come soon =)

Awesome!

Just another ordinary morning and you go out to put something in the trash... Hello there!

What in the hell is that?!?!?!

Quote: FrGamble

What in the hell is that?!?!?!

Coconut Crab... climbs palm trees and eats coconuts. Territory is usually remote polynesian islands but some jokers brought them to Hawaiian waters and one was recently encountered walking along the sidewalk in Hawaii. Yes, threat to pets, inquisitive children and drunks sleeping on the beach. Officially listed as invasive species, felony to import or harbor it. Mandatory prison time, no probation.

I would not have guessed it to be real. Looks like a movie prop or something.

How do they taste? Looks an easy meal.

Quote: Face

Looks an easy meal.

That is precisely what a Coconut Crab thinks when it encounters a yachtsman who is lying on the hot sand sleeping off a lobster or two and a half dozen beers. They are particularly fond of beautiful women whose deafness makes them unable to hear their scurrying 35 mph approach. They hunt in pairs. Starting with a big toe, each.

The taste is great, absolutely great, unless the crab has been feasting on sea mangoes in which case a human will die at the first or second bite and, if male, if die with an absolutely huge erection.

They are said to never let go of anything they pinch, but if you find one on Ashley's big toe, just tickle its underbelly... it thinks you want to have sex with it and will let Ashley go.

Quote: Fleastiff

That is precisely what a Coconut Crab thinks when it encounters a yachtsman who is lying on the hot sand sleeping off a lobster or two and a half dozen beers. They are particularly fond of beautiful women whose deafness makes them unable to hear their scurrying 35 mph approach. They hunt in pairs. Starting with a big toe, each.

The taste is great, absolutely great, unless the crab has been feasting on sea mangoes in which case a human will die at the first or second bite and, if male, if die with an absolutely huge erection.

They are said to never let go of anything they pinch, but if you find one on Ashley's big toe, just tickle its underbelly... it thinks you want to have sex with it and will let Ashley go.

This may be one of the strangest and funniest posts I have ever read.