Fish Junkie

The view... The crew... The spread... The catch...

Check out the marking on this tiger...

Nice going Scott. PS. Love that Aqua view I bought from you. Works great! Played with it on Conesus this past week.

Cleaning the basement out and came across these. They have (3) 4" vanes and are cut to 30" I think they were only shot once. I still have the original box. 1/2 dozen $ 15.00

Nice! Cohocton?

Pre-spawn perch

Bad photo of a splake

If Brian's brother doesn't take it I will. My e-mail: [email protected]

Yeah your right. Almost forgot about them. Have a great little trick using caulk that can reproduce those teeth very realistically. Thanks for the feedback.

Ray, I think that blank was around $200-225.00. They are very detailed fiberglass casts of actual fish. the fins are a flexible molded material as well. You just have to do some touch up sanding on the blank, attach the fins with adhesive/bondo, more light sanding, then they are ready to just shoot (paint with the air brush.)

Caught this guy on Braddock's today while jigging for perch. He hit a teardrop jig tipped with a spike. Seriously, this is my first attempt at a king reproduction. i have been dabbling with fish mounts as a hobby the last few years for friends and family and my uncle wanted a king he caught done. He caught the king in early September, so i tried to capture that pre-spawn coloration phase as they start to stage near the rivers. Still have to work on more spotting of the tail, a light mist here and there of some touch up colors, and then clear coat it.

Dang! Beauties.

Regarding Coyotes: A college collegue of mine recently discovered through DNA tests that the 'yotes in our state are actually coyote and wolve hybrids more adapted to our environment than coyotes or wolves alone. This includes having a diet of deer as stated in the article. He is the currator of mammals at the NYS Museum in Albany and does extensive field research of mammals of all species. Below is an article from this fall summarizing his findings. If there are any rumors regarding, coyotes, moutnain lions, etc. you want me to ask him about, let me know and I will try to get in touch with him. http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=wylie-coywolf-the-coyote-wolf-hybri-2009-09-23 Sep 23, 2009 06:52 PM in Basic Science | 24 comments Wylie Coywolf: The coyote-wolf hybrid has made its way to the Northeast By Carina Storrs Bigger than coyotes but smaller than wolves, their howl is high-pitched and their diet includes deer and small rodents. They are "coywolves" (pronounced "coy," as in playful, "wolves"), and they are flourishing in the northeastern U.S., according to a study published today in Biology Letters. Although coyote–wolf breeding has been reported in Ontario, where coyotes started migrating from the Great Plains in the 1920s, this study provides the first evidence of coywolves—also known as coydogs or eastern coyotes—in the Northeast. And even though they are more coyote (Canis latrans) than wolf (gray wolves are Canis lupus, and red wolves are Canis rufus), the expansion of these hybrids into western New York State marks the return of wolves to the Empire State. "It's kind of interesting that we drove this species from the area and it sort of came back in another form," says Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum in Albany and first author on the study. To get a sense of the pedigree of coyotes in the area, Kays and his colleagues examined the genetic material from samples—mostly tissue, hides and skulls—that museums had archived. The source of these samples was itself a sign of the coywolves' success. As Kays points out, specimens came from hunters who killed the dogs in an effort to stem the growing population. Based on the genetic analyses, the team concluded that mating between female coyotes and male wolves was abundant. The researchers also noted that the coywolves have larger, stronger jaws and bigger skulls overall than the so-called straight western coyotes. Although hybrids are typically less fit than straight species, the story of coywolves in the Northeast might be one of success. Their strong jaws will enable them to eat the deer that are abundant in the area, while the coyote-like ability to coexist with humans could be an advantage that wolves lack. "Wolves have not made a comeback on their own in the area because they can't deal with human development," Kays says. "In this case, the hybrid has become more adapted." Another advantage of coyotes and wolves mating is that, unlike many interspecies relationships, their offspring are fertile. Kays points out that it is common for members of the genus, Canis, including coyotes, wolves, and dogs, to "hybridize quite readily." Take that, liger. Images of coywolves courtesy of Roland Kays at the New York State Museum

It's a great deer but i'm not seeing 170-180" IMO.

Good ole 'Michigan Crickets' ! Haven't seen that fly pattern in years...

Prayers sent for your father Rick.

Sweet pics as always. nice job!

I have seen the barrels on 870's get loose from use. Every time you use it make sure the barrel is tightened as far down as it will go. Wouldn't be surprised if this might be part of the problem.

Link isn't working.

Thanks guys. Every trip down there is a new adventure. It will never get old. Highlight of the trip this year (although I didn't have my camera with me) was having a 300 lb. sea turle come up and let me pet him while snorkeling for lobsta!!! Was amazingly HUGE ROCHESTER, HUGE. Had a head the size of a bowling ball and scared the sheet out of me when I first saw it. I heard my brother-in-law mumble my name under water, I turned and had the beast in my face. Fortunated he wasn't agressive and kept hanging around me. He was either very curious or he wanted to mate with me After I got brave enough to pet him and he kept coming back, i got a bit braver and grabbed him by the back of the shell and rode on his back like a Sea-World show. My brother-in-law was speechless. I guess it may have been pretty stupid, but it was the chance of a lifetime. Fortunately the turtle didn't freak. The 'cuda was 45" and our largest to date. How we got that thing out from under the bridge I will never know. Jason (my brother-in-law) fought him for 40 minute on 12 lb. spinning gear. The lobsters were DELISH! Bowbender, my wife and i continue to stay at the Lime Tree resort on Long Key just south of Islamorada. They have a variety of different sized rooms as well as multi bedroom suites and a cottage for larger parties. The prices are reasonable. The facilities include bayside oceanfront, small fishing pier, pool, hot tub, hammocks, outdoor seating areas, grills, etc. Would reccomend them. http://www.limetreebayresort.com/

Slide show.... http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v68/gumpy2/FL%20Keys%202009/?action=view&current=FLkeys2009.flv

Long Key

A few shots from our fishing/snorkel trip last week...