PITTSBURGH Mar 1, 2005 — He could be older than Warner Bros. studio, General Motors, the Boy Scouts and the states of Arizona and New Mexico. He could have survived two world wars and Prohibition. He could have been dinner.
He's Bubba, a 22-pound leviathan of a lobster pulled from the waters off Nantucket, Mass., and shipped to a Pittsburgh fish market. The lobster has been kept in a tank near a fish counter in Wholey's Market since Thursday while owner Bob Wholey tried to figure out what to do with it.
"It is overwhelming," Wholey said. "If you see it, you will never forget it. Customers are just in awe."
On Tuesday, Wholey gave the lobster to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, which will send him to an aquarium at a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.
Based on how long it typically takes a lobster to reach eating size about five to seven years to grow to a pound some estimate Bubba is 100 years old.
That would make the crustacean older than Warner Bros. (1907), the Boy Scouts (1910) and the states of Arizona and New Mexico (1912), not to mention the first commercial radio station (1920), television (1927) and computers (1943).
Bob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maine's Lobster Institute, is skeptical and estimates that Bubba is likely 50 years old, but doesn't know for sure. Warm water and plenty of food may have more to do with a lobster's size than how long it's been alive.
"We have looked at all kinds of things to figure out if there is any way to age a lobster. I'm guessing 100 years is probably too high but I can't argue with it because you don't know," Bayer said.
No matter his age, Bubba dwarfs a typical 1 1/2-pound lobster. He's about three feet long and took up about half a 4-foot-by-4-foot tank at Wholey's Market. A lobster sharing his tank was about as big as one of Bubba's claws.
A handful of people who wandered by the tank Tuesday were impressed. One woman quietly said, "Wow," while a man said, "He's serious."
Although his business is to sell seafood, Wholey says Bubba was never bound to be boiled and buttered. And he's become a little philosophical after seeing the lobster, which could be twice his 54 years.
"I don't think you could eat something that big. … What range of emotions does a lobster have? Greed? Lust? Love? I'm just going to give him to the zoo and hope he lives another 100 years," Wholey said.
"If you sat down and ate this thing, wouldn't that be a bit shellfish?
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Do lobsters feel pain?
Getting boiled to death doesn't hurt, if you're a lobster. According to a new Norweigian study, scientists at the University of Oslo conclude that a lobster's simple nervous system and underdeveloped brain keep it from experiencing pain in the pot. What about all that thrashing? Just an escape reflex. As biologist Mike Loughlin says, "It's a semantic thing: No brain, no pain." This may put the "lid" on PETA's call for lobster liberation as part of its Fish Empathy Project.
Seal Cove Pot Party T-shirts Are In!
The limited edition "Seal Cove, Maine" edition of our famous Lobster Pot Party t-shirt are now available. The shirts feature the large Pot Party design on the back and a small lobster and "Seal Cove, Maine" on the front. These are probably some of the only t-shirts ever made for our tiny village of Seal Cove. Get them while you can online at www.fishboy.com
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Florida Lobsters Have Herpes
A herpeslike virus has infected up to 10 percent of baby lobsters in the Florida Keys. Biologists doubt that the disease can be transferred to humans. Authorities have alerted the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just in case.
Maine Lobster Fisherman Cuts Off Arm
A lobster fisherman from Maine in the US has told a BBC documentary on human instincts of the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to preserve his own life:
Doug Goodale cut off his own arm at the elbow in order to survive an accident at sea.
He had become caught in a winch hauling lobster pots up from the sea floor, and could not free himself.
The power of the winch left him hanging over the side of the boat, unable to either free himself or clamber back aboard.
'I did it for my children'
As the boat was rocked by stormy weather, he believes it was only a last, desperate instinct for self-preservation that kicked in to save him.
He said: "Nobody near you, no help, no radio, nobody to turn the radio off - that's it - you're going to die.
One instinctively knows when something is nasty...
Somehow he managed to haul himself back onto the deck, dislocating his shoulder in the process.
His motivation was the image of his daughters appearing to him.
"I don't know how to explain it to people, but I swear, climbing onto the boat were my two girls."
However, he was still trapped in the winch, bleeding heavily, and with no way of getting free, his only option was to pick up a knife and cut through his right arm.
He then managed to pilot his boat back into harbour to get medical help.
He said: "When my six-year-old tells me: 'It doesn't matter that you've only got one arm - you're here'.
"Now if you heard that from your kids, wouldn't you take a knife and do the same?"
Human instinct helps us avoid infection
Survival instincts are the theme of the first in a series of BBC documentaries starring Professor Robert Winston.
These are abilities and reactions which are imprinted in us by millions of years of evolution.
Even babies have the instinctive ability to spit out bitter-tasting food - which may save them from eating poisonous food.
And modern phobias, say scientists, are simply left-overs from times when spiders and snakes represented a genuine threat to life.
From the first years of life, humans develop a finely-tuned sense of "disgust" which can protect them from items which might spread disease.
Adrenaline rush
And the classic "fight or flight" response still works, with the first indication of a threat launching swift brain activity to flood the body with adrenaline, readying it for action.
Human instincts have been honed over 4.5 million years, and account for the natural human preference for sweet or fatty foods.
This harks back, say experts, to millennia in which such food was scarce - humans who craved it tended to thrive better than those who did not.
It is only in the past 100 years that food has become plentiful in any part of the world.
Doug Goodale cut off his own arm at the elbow in order to survive an accident at sea.
He had become caught in a winch hauling lobster pots up from the sea floor, and could not free himself.
The power of the winch left him hanging over the side of the boat, unable to either free himself or clamber back aboard.
'I did it for my children'
As the boat was rocked by stormy weather, he believes it was only a last, desperate instinct for self-preservation that kicked in to save him.
He said: "Nobody near you, no help, no radio, nobody to turn the radio off - that's it - you're going to die.
One instinctively knows when something is nasty...
Somehow he managed to haul himself back onto the deck, dislocating his shoulder in the process.
His motivation was the image of his daughters appearing to him.
"I don't know how to explain it to people, but I swear, climbing onto the boat were my two girls."
However, he was still trapped in the winch, bleeding heavily, and with no way of getting free, his only option was to pick up a knife and cut through his right arm.
He then managed to pilot his boat back into harbour to get medical help.
He said: "When my six-year-old tells me: 'It doesn't matter that you've only got one arm - you're here'.
"Now if you heard that from your kids, wouldn't you take a knife and do the same?"
Human instinct helps us avoid infection
Survival instincts are the theme of the first in a series of BBC documentaries starring Professor Robert Winston.
These are abilities and reactions which are imprinted in us by millions of years of evolution.
Even babies have the instinctive ability to spit out bitter-tasting food - which may save them from eating poisonous food.
And modern phobias, say scientists, are simply left-overs from times when spiders and snakes represented a genuine threat to life.
From the first years of life, humans develop a finely-tuned sense of "disgust" which can protect them from items which might spread disease.
Adrenaline rush
And the classic "fight or flight" response still works, with the first indication of a threat launching swift brain activity to flood the body with adrenaline, readying it for action.
Human instincts have been honed over 4.5 million years, and account for the natural human preference for sweet or fatty foods.
This harks back, say experts, to millennia in which such food was scarce - humans who craved it tended to thrive better than those who did not.
It is only in the past 100 years that food has become plentiful in any part of the world.
Man Allegedly Poaches 50-Year-Old Sea Bass
Police: Man Poaches 50-Year-Old Sea Bass
Sea Bass Weighs 150 to 200 Pounds
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of using a spear gun to kill a protected sea bass in the La Jolla Ecological Preserve, 10News reported.
Omid Adhami, 34, and two other men, were spotted around 12:45 p.m. trying to lift the 150- to 200-pound black fish into his boat, said San Diego lifeguard Lt. Rick Wurts.
Lifeguards sent a rescue boat to the fishermen's vessel and discovered the dead sea bass, which had been shot with a spear gun, Wurts said.
The sea bass, which can grow to 500 pounds and live to the age of 50, is a "docile fish that you can swim right up to," Wurts said.
However, they only reproduce when they are older, and the fish that was killed appeared to be in its prime, the lieutenant said.
"What's so tragic about a black sea bass is that it's a majestic animal and they live to be very old," Wurts said.
Adhami was arrested by San Diego police on suspicion of shooting a protected species and fishing in a protected area, he said.
The case was turned over to the state Department of Fish and Game.
Sea Bass Weighs 150 to 200 Pounds
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of using a spear gun to kill a protected sea bass in the La Jolla Ecological Preserve, 10News reported.
Omid Adhami, 34, and two other men, were spotted around 12:45 p.m. trying to lift the 150- to 200-pound black fish into his boat, said San Diego lifeguard Lt. Rick Wurts.
Lifeguards sent a rescue boat to the fishermen's vessel and discovered the dead sea bass, which had been shot with a spear gun, Wurts said.
The sea bass, which can grow to 500 pounds and live to the age of 50, is a "docile fish that you can swim right up to," Wurts said.
However, they only reproduce when they are older, and the fish that was killed appeared to be in its prime, the lieutenant said.
"What's so tragic about a black sea bass is that it's a majestic animal and they live to be very old," Wurts said.
Adhami was arrested by San Diego police on suspicion of shooting a protected species and fishing in a protected area, he said.
The case was turned over to the state Department of Fish and Game.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Mind your three P's of fishing
By Wayne Hooper
sports@seacoastonline.com
Complete Sports Index
The three P’s of fishing will help to make you a better fisherman. They are preference, presentation and practice.
Preference of the bait you use will depend on the weather and water conditions. In the early spring with its cold water, baits such as a crankbait, jerkbait or spinnerbait will have the bass and pickerel chasing them for a free lunch. Trout and salmon will chase a daredevil type spoon or a trolled streamer fly.
The preference comes from experience and what you prefer. Most anglers have a favorite bait that they rely on 90 percent of the time. To them it’s lucky and they won’t sway from it. This persistence or stubbornness can hurt them in the long run. Watch a bass tournament sometime and see how many fishing rods these guys have in their boats. I’ll guarantee you it’s close to 10 rods all rigged with different lures just in case the conditions change. I have 10 rods in my boat but seldom use more than four on most days.
Next on the list is presentation. I’ve talked about this many times in the past in this column and to me it is the most important part of fishing. A fly-fisherman will try to lightly grace the water with his fly so as not to scare the fish. Many fishermen will throw their lure up on the bank and drag it back into the water to keep the noise down. If you can place the lure where you want without making a lot of noise, you are going to catch more fish than the nimrod that is thrashing the water. Being able to precisely place your lure in the strike zone is as important as a baseball pitcher hitting the corners.
Practice, of course, is what allows us to become the better fisherman. As in all of life, the more you do something the better you should be. There are born salesmen, but there are no born fishermen. Fishing may be in your blood because of your parents and grandparents, but you have to practice to bring home supper. There are exceptions, but usually that is because a newcomer to the sport hits the water as the ice goes out and the fish are feeding heavily due to the long winter under the ice.
I’ve also seen amateurs go fishing just as the bass spawn occurs and the fish are protecting their beds and will attack anything thrown their way. In both instances, once a few days go by these fishermen will wonder what happened. Oh, they’re hooked all right, but now they had better listen and learn if they want to be consistent. Even the professionals don’t win every week. There are too many factors involved for everyone to be successful every time out on the water. That’s why it’s called fishing not catching.
Even the pros practice every day. As a fisherman, you owe it to yourself and the fish to practice until you can catch fish consistently. When you do, you also will be able to set the hook quickly so as not to harm the fish. This will allow you to get the fish in the boat sooner and get it back into the water to be caught by another angler in the future.
Practice makes perfect is an old saying that is still true today. We may never be perfect, but we can try to be by practicing our presentations and by being confident in our skills and our bait preference.
sports@seacoastonline.com
Complete Sports Index
The three P’s of fishing will help to make you a better fisherman. They are preference, presentation and practice.
Preference of the bait you use will depend on the weather and water conditions. In the early spring with its cold water, baits such as a crankbait, jerkbait or spinnerbait will have the bass and pickerel chasing them for a free lunch. Trout and salmon will chase a daredevil type spoon or a trolled streamer fly.
The preference comes from experience and what you prefer. Most anglers have a favorite bait that they rely on 90 percent of the time. To them it’s lucky and they won’t sway from it. This persistence or stubbornness can hurt them in the long run. Watch a bass tournament sometime and see how many fishing rods these guys have in their boats. I’ll guarantee you it’s close to 10 rods all rigged with different lures just in case the conditions change. I have 10 rods in my boat but seldom use more than four on most days.
Next on the list is presentation. I’ve talked about this many times in the past in this column and to me it is the most important part of fishing. A fly-fisherman will try to lightly grace the water with his fly so as not to scare the fish. Many fishermen will throw their lure up on the bank and drag it back into the water to keep the noise down. If you can place the lure where you want without making a lot of noise, you are going to catch more fish than the nimrod that is thrashing the water. Being able to precisely place your lure in the strike zone is as important as a baseball pitcher hitting the corners.
Practice, of course, is what allows us to become the better fisherman. As in all of life, the more you do something the better you should be. There are born salesmen, but there are no born fishermen. Fishing may be in your blood because of your parents and grandparents, but you have to practice to bring home supper. There are exceptions, but usually that is because a newcomer to the sport hits the water as the ice goes out and the fish are feeding heavily due to the long winter under the ice.
I’ve also seen amateurs go fishing just as the bass spawn occurs and the fish are protecting their beds and will attack anything thrown their way. In both instances, once a few days go by these fishermen will wonder what happened. Oh, they’re hooked all right, but now they had better listen and learn if they want to be consistent. Even the professionals don’t win every week. There are too many factors involved for everyone to be successful every time out on the water. That’s why it’s called fishing not catching.
Even the pros practice every day. As a fisherman, you owe it to yourself and the fish to practice until you can catch fish consistently. When you do, you also will be able to set the hook quickly so as not to harm the fish. This will allow you to get the fish in the boat sooner and get it back into the water to be caught by another angler in the future.
Practice makes perfect is an old saying that is still true today. We may never be perfect, but we can try to be by practicing our presentations and by being confident in our skills and our bait preference.
Friday, April 22, 2005
110 Pound Catfish
110-pound catfish could be state record
By JOE MACALUSO
The Advocate
BATON ROUGE (AP) - Keith Day Sr. has been fishing the Mississippi River for as long as he can remember.
''When I was a kid my dad took me there to fish,'' the 49-year-old Zachary resident said.
Day was tired: His eyes said that much.
He filled out the rest of the story with a rambling account of a Friday night spent along the banks of the Mighty Mississippi near St. Francisville, a tale that bears repeating when it comes to talking about giant fish from one of the world's giant rivers.
Not in the 40 some-odd years Day's fished the big water has he had such an experience.
''I love fishing the river,'' he said. ''It's always been good to me. Caught lotsa fish, catfish mostly, and I give them away to lots of people I know.''
It wasn't a night like he had a week ago Tuesday when he said he caught 37 catfish, so many that he hauled the catch to his nephew to skin and dress out.
This recent Friday night was slow by those standards.
All his son, Keith Day Jr. could do was nod.
''He knows when to go and when not to go,'' Day, Jr. said of his father. ''He takes vacation around a couple of months in the spring and in October and November when he knows the fish are going to be there.''
''But, I never had a time like last night,'' Day Sr. said.
He rolled his specially rigged truck up to his favorite fishing spot, then staked out the spot just right for the five rods and reels he usually takes to the river. He made a point to stock up on the Canadian nightcrawlers he said catfish can't resist. He bought four boxes, enough to carry him through a night's fishing.
About 10 p.m. he had only two fish. The river was rising and not the best time to catch a big mess. One of the small bells he had on the Penn reel and nine-foot-tall rod began to ring. It's a rig more common on offshore boats, maybe to catch red or mangrove snapper or other small saltwater reef fish.
''You can tell by the sound the bell makes if it's a big fish,'' Day Sr. said. ''Small fish make it jingle a lot, but big fish make it ring a couple of times then stop, then ring again.''
From the sound, he knew it was a big fish.
An hour and a half later, he found out how big.
And, by the following afternoon, the Days were ringing telephones all over town. They had a big catfish and wanted to know how to register it in the State Top 10 Fish Records.
How big?
''At least 110 pounds, maybe more,'' Day Jr. said. ''We weighed it earlier and it was 117 pounds, but we can't find a (state-certified) scale.''
Tony's Seafood in Baton Rouge obliged, and the scale that more often weighs out hefty sacks of crawfish and other seafood, was big enough to weigh a potential state record.
''110 point 3 pounds,'' Day Sr. said after uncovering the behemoth lying in the bed of is son's pickup. Just seeing the fish touched off the last chapters of his 18-hour odyssey, made even more sensational when Day Sr. told about using the nightcrawlers - ''because they last a long time in the current in the river'' - and how he threads them on a 4/0 Kahle hook, a hook that should go into some fishermen's hall of fame somewhere for standing up to the potential state-record cat.
''Yes, the river's cold this time of year,'' Day Sr. said. ''But I had my shoes off and was wading into the river to get the big fish, when I saw what it was. I catch sturgeon out there sometimes, not big ones, but you have to release them as soon as you catch them.
''When I saw it was a catfish, I couldn't believe it. I knew it was a catfish by the way it was fighting, but never had seen one that size.''
And, because the existing state record is 105 pounds taken by Joe Wiggins from the Mississippi River, not many people have ever seen a catfish that big either.
''After fighting the fish for that long, I was worried he'd pull off the hook, or something, 'cause I've had some big fish do that before,'' Day Sr. said.
''When I got out there to that fish, he flared his gills and I stuck my right hand in there, then stuck my left hand in his mouth and locked my hands. That was the only way I could get him to the bank.''
That's when he called Day Jr., who was working the night shift at Big Cajun Electric on the west bank of the river. The younger Day was several hours away from shift end, then had to catch the St. Francisville Ferry to get to his dad.
That was just to lift the fish in the truck.
''You can tell how excited he is,'' Day Jr. said. ''Look at him. He's got to be tired, but this has him pumped up.''
And, from the photo of the soon-to-be state record, so will a lot of other folks.
''I've spent a lifetime looking for a fish like this,'' Day Sr. said. ''My dreams have come true.'
By JOE MACALUSO
The Advocate
BATON ROUGE (AP) - Keith Day Sr. has been fishing the Mississippi River for as long as he can remember.
''When I was a kid my dad took me there to fish,'' the 49-year-old Zachary resident said.
Day was tired: His eyes said that much.
He filled out the rest of the story with a rambling account of a Friday night spent along the banks of the Mighty Mississippi near St. Francisville, a tale that bears repeating when it comes to talking about giant fish from one of the world's giant rivers.
Not in the 40 some-odd years Day's fished the big water has he had such an experience.
''I love fishing the river,'' he said. ''It's always been good to me. Caught lotsa fish, catfish mostly, and I give them away to lots of people I know.''
It wasn't a night like he had a week ago Tuesday when he said he caught 37 catfish, so many that he hauled the catch to his nephew to skin and dress out.
This recent Friday night was slow by those standards.
All his son, Keith Day Jr. could do was nod.
''He knows when to go and when not to go,'' Day, Jr. said of his father. ''He takes vacation around a couple of months in the spring and in October and November when he knows the fish are going to be there.''
''But, I never had a time like last night,'' Day Sr. said.
He rolled his specially rigged truck up to his favorite fishing spot, then staked out the spot just right for the five rods and reels he usually takes to the river. He made a point to stock up on the Canadian nightcrawlers he said catfish can't resist. He bought four boxes, enough to carry him through a night's fishing.
About 10 p.m. he had only two fish. The river was rising and not the best time to catch a big mess. One of the small bells he had on the Penn reel and nine-foot-tall rod began to ring. It's a rig more common on offshore boats, maybe to catch red or mangrove snapper or other small saltwater reef fish.
''You can tell by the sound the bell makes if it's a big fish,'' Day Sr. said. ''Small fish make it jingle a lot, but big fish make it ring a couple of times then stop, then ring again.''
From the sound, he knew it was a big fish.
An hour and a half later, he found out how big.
And, by the following afternoon, the Days were ringing telephones all over town. They had a big catfish and wanted to know how to register it in the State Top 10 Fish Records.
How big?
''At least 110 pounds, maybe more,'' Day Jr. said. ''We weighed it earlier and it was 117 pounds, but we can't find a (state-certified) scale.''
Tony's Seafood in Baton Rouge obliged, and the scale that more often weighs out hefty sacks of crawfish and other seafood, was big enough to weigh a potential state record.
''110 point 3 pounds,'' Day Sr. said after uncovering the behemoth lying in the bed of is son's pickup. Just seeing the fish touched off the last chapters of his 18-hour odyssey, made even more sensational when Day Sr. told about using the nightcrawlers - ''because they last a long time in the current in the river'' - and how he threads them on a 4/0 Kahle hook, a hook that should go into some fishermen's hall of fame somewhere for standing up to the potential state-record cat.
''Yes, the river's cold this time of year,'' Day Sr. said. ''But I had my shoes off and was wading into the river to get the big fish, when I saw what it was. I catch sturgeon out there sometimes, not big ones, but you have to release them as soon as you catch them.
''When I saw it was a catfish, I couldn't believe it. I knew it was a catfish by the way it was fighting, but never had seen one that size.''
And, because the existing state record is 105 pounds taken by Joe Wiggins from the Mississippi River, not many people have ever seen a catfish that big either.
''After fighting the fish for that long, I was worried he'd pull off the hook, or something, 'cause I've had some big fish do that before,'' Day Sr. said.
''When I got out there to that fish, he flared his gills and I stuck my right hand in there, then stuck my left hand in his mouth and locked my hands. That was the only way I could get him to the bank.''
That's when he called Day Jr., who was working the night shift at Big Cajun Electric on the west bank of the river. The younger Day was several hours away from shift end, then had to catch the St. Francisville Ferry to get to his dad.
That was just to lift the fish in the truck.
''You can tell how excited he is,'' Day Jr. said. ''Look at him. He's got to be tired, but this has him pumped up.''
And, from the photo of the soon-to-be state record, so will a lot of other folks.
''I've spent a lifetime looking for a fish like this,'' Day Sr. said. ''My dreams have come true.'
Catfish For Iowa State Fish?
Not this year. A resolution on the fish didn't make it through the Legislature's latest deadline to make it out of committee. But supporters are not giving up saying they'll try again next year.
Area lawmakers picked up the catfish drive from George Marzeck. The West Burlington man has been pushing to see it happen since 1968 when he and some others held a contest to determine the state's most popular fish.
Area lawmakers picked up the catfish drive from George Marzeck. The West Burlington man has been pushing to see it happen since 1968 when he and some others held a contest to determine the state's most popular fish.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Catfish Identification
Catfish Identification T-shirts Now Available from FISHBOY.COM!!
CHANNEL CATFISH
(Ictalurus punctatus)
Common Names - spotted cat, blue channel cat, river catfish
Description - Channel catfish closely resemble blue catfish. Both have deeply forked tails. However, channels have a rounded anal fin with 24-29 rays and scattered black spots along their back and sides. They have a small, narrow head. The back is blue-gray with light blue to silvery-gray sides and a white belly. Larger channels lose the black spots and also take on a blue-black coloration on the back which shades to white on the belly. Males also become very dark during spawning season and develop a thickened pad on their head.
Subspecies - There are no recognized subspecies. However, on rare occasions, they hybridize with blue and flathead catfish. Aquaculturists recognize numerous hatchery stocks and create a variety of hybrids to improve their culture characteristics.
Range - Found throughout the state, except in the Florida Keys.
Habitat - Most common in big rivers and streams. Prefers some current, and deep water with sand, gravel or rubble bottoms. Channel catfish also inhabit lakes, reservoirs and ponds. They adapt well in standing water where stocked.
Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs mostly in rivers and streams in the spring and early summer when waters warm to 70 to 85 degrees. They also will spawn in larger lakes where suitable habitat is available. Eggs are deposited in nests secluded under banks or logs or over open bottom. The male selects the site, often a natural cavern or hole, clears the nest and guards the eggs and young. A female may lay 2,000 to 21,000 eggs that hatch in six to 10 days depending on water temperature. Males protect the fry until they leave the nest in about a week.
Feeding Habits - Feeds primarily at night using taste buds in the sensitive barbels and throughout the skin to locate prey. Although they normally feed on the bottom, channels also will feed at the surface and at mid-depth. Major foods are aquatic insects, crayfish, mollusks, crustaceans and fishes. Small channels consume invertebrates, but larger ones may eat fish. Contrary to popular belief, carrion is not their normal food.
Age and Growth - Maximum size attained in Florida is about 45 pounds. The fish's weight generally averages two to four pounds. Studies indicate 14 years as the maximum age, but some fish probably live 15 to 20 years.
Sporting Qualities - Most channels are caught by bottom fishing with baits such as dried chicken blood, chicken livers or gizzards, and nightcrawlers. They prefer dead or prepared stinkbaits to live bait, but at times will take live minnows and lures such as spinners and jigs. Strong fighters with good endurance, they are frequently caught on trotlines. Since channel catfish can also be taken by commercial fishermen, except where stocked by the Commission, they are not legally classified as sportfish. However, specific regulations apply and they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
NOTE: Channel catfish are reared at Commission hatcheries and stocked in many managed areas, such as urban ponds, Commission-managed impoundments and selected fish management areas. Often in these areas, the Commission provides automatic fish feeders to help increase the growth rate of catfish, bullhead and bream and also to concentrate fish for angler harvest.
Eating Quality - Considered one of the best-eating freshwater fish. The meat is white, tender and sweet when taken from clean water. Florida aquaculturists and commercial anglers provide these fish to markets and seafood restaurants throughout the state.
Records - World Record: 58 pounds, caught in the Santee-Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina, in 1964. State Record: 44.50 pounds, caught in Lake Bluff, Lake County, in 1985. (Please check link for updates).
BLUE CATFISH
(Ictalurus furcatus)
Common Names - channel cat, hump-back blue, forktail cat, great blue cat, silver cat, chucklehead cat, blue fulton
Description - Adult fish have stout bodies with prominently humped backs in front of the dorsal fin. They resemble channel catfish by having deeply forked tails, but are dissimilar because they are unspotted and have a long, straight-edged anal fin with 30 to 35 rays. The back and upper sides are blue to slate gray, and the lower sides and belly are white. The internal air bladder has a constriction in the middle, giving it a two-chambered appearance.
Subspecies - There are no recognized subspecies. They are known to naturally hybridize with channel catfish. The channel-blue hybrid is popular among aquaculturists.
Range - Originally found in the Escambia and Yellow rivers in northwest Florida, they are now also in the Apalachicola and Suwannee. Blues were first officially recorded in 1990 by Florida Game and Fresh Water Commission biologists despite reports that anglers had been catching blues for many years.
Habitat - Blues occur in big rivers and in the lower reaches of major tributaries. They prefer clearer, swifter water than other catfish, and are usually found over sand, gravel or rock bottoms. Their preferred water temperature is 77 to 82 degrees.
Spawning Habits - Spawning and nesting behavior is similar to others of its family. In late spring, males commonly choose and clear a nest site, usually in drift piles, logs, root systems or other dark, secluded areas near the bank. The eggs hatch in about a week, and males guard the fry in the nest until they swim away a week or so later.
Feeding Habits - Young blues eat aquatic insects and small fish while larger blues prefer crayfish, mussels and other fish. They feed primarily at night.
Age and Growth - Blue catfish grow faster and live longer than channel catfish. They are the largest member of the catfish family. Blues may grow to lengths of over 55 inches and may weigh more than 100 pounds. Maximum life span for blues is unknown but is probably 20-25 years.
Sporting Qualities - One of the strongest freshwater fish; blues are caught on bush hooks or trotlines as well as rod and reel. The most effective baits are cut fish, live fish and nightcrawlers. They also will take prepared and rotting baits. Most are caught while bottom fishing with cut fish, rigged on large hooks weighted down by heavy lead sinkers. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specifics portfishing regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program. NOTE: Blue catfish are restricted as being potentially detrimental to the natural ecosystem if they were moved from their current range into other water bodies and should not be transported alive.
Eating Quality - Considered an excellent food fish with white, firm, delicately flavored flesh.
Records - World Record: 109.25 pounds, caught in the Cooper River, Moncks Corner, South Carolina, in 1991. State Record: 61.5 pounds, caught in the Escambia River, Escambia County, in 1996. (Please check link for updates)
WHITE CATFISH
(Ameiurus catus)
Common Names - forked-tail cat, catfish
Description - The sides are blue-gray to blue-black and may be mottled. The tail is moderately forked, and the anal fin is shorter and rounder than that of channel or blue catfish. Whites have only 19-22 anal fin rays. The chin barbels are white or yellow. They have a blunt, more-rounded head, and they lack black spots on their body.
Subspecies - None
Range - In Florida, they are found statewide in rivers and steams and in slightly brackish coastal waters.
Habitat - Usually found in slow-moving streams, river backwaters, reservoirs and ponds. They will tolerate a siltier bottom and higher salinity, and prefer water temperatures of 80 to 85 degrees.
Spawning Habits - As with other members of its family, they are nest builders, and the male guards the young for some time after they hatch. Both parents help excavate the large nest, usually on a sand or gravel bar. Spawning occurs in the early summer when waters reach about 70 degrees.
Feeding Habits - Although fish are their major food, whites also eat larval aquatic insects, small crustaceans, fish eggs and aquatic plants. They may feed at night, but are not as nocturnal as other catfish.
Age and Growth - Whites grow more slowly than other catfish species. Fish as old as 11 years have been documented. They seldom exceed a weight of three pounds.
Sporting Qualities - Among the catfishes found in Florida, the white is second only to the channel catfish in popularity. Live bait, especially minnows and worms, accounts for most caught whites, but they also will take cut and prepared baits. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specific regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - An excellent food fish, whites are prized for their firm, white flesh.
Records - World and State Record: 18.88 pounds, caught in the
Withlacoochee River, Marion County, Florida, in 1991. (Please check link for updates)
YELLOW BULLHEAD
(Ameiurus natalis)
Common Names - butter cat, yellow cat, creek cat, white-whiskered bullhead, greaser, polliwog, chucklehead cat
Description - The yellow bullhead closely resembles the brown bullhead with a squat body and a round or square tail. It is yellow-olive to slate-black above and lighter, often yellow to yellow-olive, on its sides with little to no mottling. The belly may be white, cream or yellow. The chin barbels are yellow to buff or pale pink; the upper barbels, which are light to dark-brown, help distinguish this species from brown bullheads. The anal fin has a straight margin with 23 to 27 rays.
Subspecies - There are no known subspecies.
Range - Occurs statewide.
Habitat - The habitat is variable and includes vegetated areas of clear, shallow lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and slow-flowing streams. They are more tolerant of polluted environments than most other members of the catfish family.
Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs in May and June as a rule, with eggs deposited in a nest usually adjacent to a submerged object. One or both parents take part in building the nest, and take turns caring for the eggs, which may number 2,000 to 4,000 and hatch in five to 10 days. The male guards the eggs and fry.
Feeding Habits - Though scavengers, yellow bullheads prefer to feed on minnows, snails, shrimp and crayfish. They also will feed on insect larvae, vegetation and decaying organic matter. Scent and taste play a vital role in their feeding, most of which is done at night.
Age and Growth - Little information is available on age and growth of this species. Generally, they average less than one pound but can grow up to three pounds.
Sporting Qualities - Easy to catch on cut bait, worms, crickets, doughballs and a wide variety of natural and prepared baits. They can be caught at any time of day, but bite best at night. They are not strong fighters. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specific regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - They are important as a food fish in some areas and are the dominant species in some waters. The creamy flesh is quite good when taken from clean water.
Records - World Record: 4.25 pounds, caught in Mormon Lake, Arizona, in 1984. State Record: None exists. (Please check link for updates)
BROWN BULLHEAD
(Ameiurus nebulosus)
Common Names - creek cat, mud cat, horned pout, red cat, speckled cat
Description - The chin barbels on browns are pigmented, not whitish as with yellow bullheads. The sides of brown bullheads have a distinct, irregular brownish mottling over a light background. The belly is creamy white. They have square tails and 20 to 24 anal ray fins.
Subspecies - Two are recognized: the northern brown bullhead and the southern brown bullhead. Brown bullheads also are known to hybridize with black bullheads.
Range - Throughout Florida, except in the extreme southern part of the state.
Habitat - Browns generally inhabit still or slowly-flowing warm waters in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, large rivers and sluggish streams. They prefer water temperatures of 78 to 82 degrees, but can survive in warmer waters. They inhabit areas with mud or deep muck as well as sand or gravel bottoms.
Spawning Habits - Browns are nest builders and often select a site next to some underwater object such as a rock or log. Both parents often care for the eggs, and guard the young up to a size of one inch. At times the parent fish have been observed picking up the eggs or fry in their mouths to clean them, depositing them back in the nest afterwards.
Feeding Habits - They are primarily bottom feeders, feeding mostly at night. Highly sensitive barbels enable them to smell a wide variety of food such as insects, plant material, carrion, small fish, snails, crayfish, worms and leeches.
Age and Growth - Browns are the largest of the bullheads and occasionally reach a weight of three pounds, although they average closer to one pound or less. The maximum age is about 12 years.
Sporting Quality - Fair fighters, they are easy to catch with baits such as worms, minnows, shrimp, chicken innards and stinkbait. They bite throughout the day, but fishing is best at night.
Eating Quality - A good food fish, only slightly inferior to the white and channel catfish, if caught from clean waters.
Records - World Record: 5.50 pounds, caught in Veal Pond, Georgia, in 1975. State Record: None Exists. (Please check link for updates)
FLATHEAD CATFISH
(Pylodictis olivaris)
Common Names - yellow cat, mud cat, shovelhead cat, johnnie cat, goujon, appaluchion, opelousas
Description - A flattened head, tiny eyes, squarish tail and protruding lower jaw distinguish the flathead from other catfish and contribute to it being placed in a genus of its own. They are yellow-brown and usually mottled above, with a creamy-white or yellow belly. Small flatheads may be confused with yellow or brown bullheads.
Subspecies - There are no known subspecies; however, they have been known to hybridize with channel catfish.
Range - The distribution of flatheads in Florida is limited. Populations of notable size are found in the Apalachicola and Escambia rivers in the Florida Panhandle.
Habitat - Flatheads are found mainly in large rivers and their major tributaries. They prefer long, slow-flowing, moderately-turbid streams. Adult flatheads are solitary and spend most of their time in deep water near cover such as log jams or fallen trees.
Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs in late spring when water temperatures reach 70 to 80 degrees. One or both parents excavate the nest that is usually made in a natural cavity or near a large submerged object. Females lay a golden-yellow mass of up to 100,000 eggs. The nest is guarded and the eggs are agitated by the male to keep them clean and aerated. The young remain in a school near the nest for several days after hatching, but soon disperse.
Feeding Habits - Flatheads are predatory fish and will consume bass, bream, shad, crayfish and often feed on other catfish. The young rely more extensively on aquatic insects and crayfish than do the adults. Large flatheads sometime congregate where food is plentiful such as near tailraces of dams. They often feed at the surface or in shallow water at night, returning to their residence in a hole or brush pile to rest during the day. They rarely eat dead or decaying matter.
Age and Growth - Although flatheads have been aged by biologists to 19 years, the species is probably capable, based on its maximum size of about 56 inches, of living much longer. They grow faster than any other catfish except blue.
Sporting Qualities - Extremely strong fighters. Their solitary lifestyle, however, makes them more difficult to catch than other catfish. They bite best at night while in shallow water looking for food. To catch flatheads, anglers typically fish on the bottom using heavy tackle with live or freshly cut fish. Trotlines are effective in catching this species. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specific regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - The species is highly regarded as a food fish when taken from clean water. The meat is white, firm, and flaky, with an excellent taste.
Records - World Record: 91.25 pounds, caught on Lake Lewisville, Texas, in 1982. State Record: 48.4 pounds, caught in the Escambia River, Santa Rosa County, in 2000.
CHANNEL CATFISH
(Ictalurus punctatus)
Common Names - spotted cat, blue channel cat, river catfish
Description - Channel catfish closely resemble blue catfish. Both have deeply forked tails. However, channels have a rounded anal fin with 24-29 rays and scattered black spots along their back and sides. They have a small, narrow head. The back is blue-gray with light blue to silvery-gray sides and a white belly. Larger channels lose the black spots and also take on a blue-black coloration on the back which shades to white on the belly. Males also become very dark during spawning season and develop a thickened pad on their head.
Subspecies - There are no recognized subspecies. However, on rare occasions, they hybridize with blue and flathead catfish. Aquaculturists recognize numerous hatchery stocks and create a variety of hybrids to improve their culture characteristics.
Range - Found throughout the state, except in the Florida Keys.
Habitat - Most common in big rivers and streams. Prefers some current, and deep water with sand, gravel or rubble bottoms. Channel catfish also inhabit lakes, reservoirs and ponds. They adapt well in standing water where stocked.
Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs mostly in rivers and streams in the spring and early summer when waters warm to 70 to 85 degrees. They also will spawn in larger lakes where suitable habitat is available. Eggs are deposited in nests secluded under banks or logs or over open bottom. The male selects the site, often a natural cavern or hole, clears the nest and guards the eggs and young. A female may lay 2,000 to 21,000 eggs that hatch in six to 10 days depending on water temperature. Males protect the fry until they leave the nest in about a week.
Feeding Habits - Feeds primarily at night using taste buds in the sensitive barbels and throughout the skin to locate prey. Although they normally feed on the bottom, channels also will feed at the surface and at mid-depth. Major foods are aquatic insects, crayfish, mollusks, crustaceans and fishes. Small channels consume invertebrates, but larger ones may eat fish. Contrary to popular belief, carrion is not their normal food.
Age and Growth - Maximum size attained in Florida is about 45 pounds. The fish's weight generally averages two to four pounds. Studies indicate 14 years as the maximum age, but some fish probably live 15 to 20 years.
Sporting Qualities - Most channels are caught by bottom fishing with baits such as dried chicken blood, chicken livers or gizzards, and nightcrawlers. They prefer dead or prepared stinkbaits to live bait, but at times will take live minnows and lures such as spinners and jigs. Strong fighters with good endurance, they are frequently caught on trotlines. Since channel catfish can also be taken by commercial fishermen, except where stocked by the Commission, they are not legally classified as sportfish. However, specific regulations apply and they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
NOTE: Channel catfish are reared at Commission hatcheries and stocked in many managed areas, such as urban ponds, Commission-managed impoundments and selected fish management areas. Often in these areas, the Commission provides automatic fish feeders to help increase the growth rate of catfish, bullhead and bream and also to concentrate fish for angler harvest.
Eating Quality - Considered one of the best-eating freshwater fish. The meat is white, tender and sweet when taken from clean water. Florida aquaculturists and commercial anglers provide these fish to markets and seafood restaurants throughout the state.
Records - World Record: 58 pounds, caught in the Santee-Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina, in 1964. State Record: 44.50 pounds, caught in Lake Bluff, Lake County, in 1985. (Please check link for updates).
BLUE CATFISH
(Ictalurus furcatus)
Common Names - channel cat, hump-back blue, forktail cat, great blue cat, silver cat, chucklehead cat, blue fulton
Description - Adult fish have stout bodies with prominently humped backs in front of the dorsal fin. They resemble channel catfish by having deeply forked tails, but are dissimilar because they are unspotted and have a long, straight-edged anal fin with 30 to 35 rays. The back and upper sides are blue to slate gray, and the lower sides and belly are white. The internal air bladder has a constriction in the middle, giving it a two-chambered appearance.
Subspecies - There are no recognized subspecies. They are known to naturally hybridize with channel catfish. The channel-blue hybrid is popular among aquaculturists.
Range - Originally found in the Escambia and Yellow rivers in northwest Florida, they are now also in the Apalachicola and Suwannee. Blues were first officially recorded in 1990 by Florida Game and Fresh Water Commission biologists despite reports that anglers had been catching blues for many years.
Habitat - Blues occur in big rivers and in the lower reaches of major tributaries. They prefer clearer, swifter water than other catfish, and are usually found over sand, gravel or rock bottoms. Their preferred water temperature is 77 to 82 degrees.
Spawning Habits - Spawning and nesting behavior is similar to others of its family. In late spring, males commonly choose and clear a nest site, usually in drift piles, logs, root systems or other dark, secluded areas near the bank. The eggs hatch in about a week, and males guard the fry in the nest until they swim away a week or so later.
Feeding Habits - Young blues eat aquatic insects and small fish while larger blues prefer crayfish, mussels and other fish. They feed primarily at night.
Age and Growth - Blue catfish grow faster and live longer than channel catfish. They are the largest member of the catfish family. Blues may grow to lengths of over 55 inches and may weigh more than 100 pounds. Maximum life span for blues is unknown but is probably 20-25 years.
Sporting Qualities - One of the strongest freshwater fish; blues are caught on bush hooks or trotlines as well as rod and reel. The most effective baits are cut fish, live fish and nightcrawlers. They also will take prepared and rotting baits. Most are caught while bottom fishing with cut fish, rigged on large hooks weighted down by heavy lead sinkers. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specifics portfishing regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program. NOTE: Blue catfish are restricted as being potentially detrimental to the natural ecosystem if they were moved from their current range into other water bodies and should not be transported alive.
Eating Quality - Considered an excellent food fish with white, firm, delicately flavored flesh.
Records - World Record: 109.25 pounds, caught in the Cooper River, Moncks Corner, South Carolina, in 1991. State Record: 61.5 pounds, caught in the Escambia River, Escambia County, in 1996. (Please check link for updates)
WHITE CATFISH
(Ameiurus catus)
Common Names - forked-tail cat, catfish
Description - The sides are blue-gray to blue-black and may be mottled. The tail is moderately forked, and the anal fin is shorter and rounder than that of channel or blue catfish. Whites have only 19-22 anal fin rays. The chin barbels are white or yellow. They have a blunt, more-rounded head, and they lack black spots on their body.
Subspecies - None
Range - In Florida, they are found statewide in rivers and steams and in slightly brackish coastal waters.
Habitat - Usually found in slow-moving streams, river backwaters, reservoirs and ponds. They will tolerate a siltier bottom and higher salinity, and prefer water temperatures of 80 to 85 degrees.
Spawning Habits - As with other members of its family, they are nest builders, and the male guards the young for some time after they hatch. Both parents help excavate the large nest, usually on a sand or gravel bar. Spawning occurs in the early summer when waters reach about 70 degrees.
Feeding Habits - Although fish are their major food, whites also eat larval aquatic insects, small crustaceans, fish eggs and aquatic plants. They may feed at night, but are not as nocturnal as other catfish.
Age and Growth - Whites grow more slowly than other catfish species. Fish as old as 11 years have been documented. They seldom exceed a weight of three pounds.
Sporting Qualities - Among the catfishes found in Florida, the white is second only to the channel catfish in popularity. Live bait, especially minnows and worms, accounts for most caught whites, but they also will take cut and prepared baits. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specific regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - An excellent food fish, whites are prized for their firm, white flesh.
Records - World and State Record: 18.88 pounds, caught in the
Withlacoochee River, Marion County, Florida, in 1991. (Please check link for updates)
YELLOW BULLHEAD
(Ameiurus natalis)
Common Names - butter cat, yellow cat, creek cat, white-whiskered bullhead, greaser, polliwog, chucklehead cat
Description - The yellow bullhead closely resembles the brown bullhead with a squat body and a round or square tail. It is yellow-olive to slate-black above and lighter, often yellow to yellow-olive, on its sides with little to no mottling. The belly may be white, cream or yellow. The chin barbels are yellow to buff or pale pink; the upper barbels, which are light to dark-brown, help distinguish this species from brown bullheads. The anal fin has a straight margin with 23 to 27 rays.
Subspecies - There are no known subspecies.
Range - Occurs statewide.
Habitat - The habitat is variable and includes vegetated areas of clear, shallow lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and slow-flowing streams. They are more tolerant of polluted environments than most other members of the catfish family.
Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs in May and June as a rule, with eggs deposited in a nest usually adjacent to a submerged object. One or both parents take part in building the nest, and take turns caring for the eggs, which may number 2,000 to 4,000 and hatch in five to 10 days. The male guards the eggs and fry.
Feeding Habits - Though scavengers, yellow bullheads prefer to feed on minnows, snails, shrimp and crayfish. They also will feed on insect larvae, vegetation and decaying organic matter. Scent and taste play a vital role in their feeding, most of which is done at night.
Age and Growth - Little information is available on age and growth of this species. Generally, they average less than one pound but can grow up to three pounds.
Sporting Qualities - Easy to catch on cut bait, worms, crickets, doughballs and a wide variety of natural and prepared baits. They can be caught at any time of day, but bite best at night. They are not strong fighters. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specific regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - They are important as a food fish in some areas and are the dominant species in some waters. The creamy flesh is quite good when taken from clean water.
Records - World Record: 4.25 pounds, caught in Mormon Lake, Arizona, in 1984. State Record: None exists. (Please check link for updates)
BROWN BULLHEAD
(Ameiurus nebulosus)
Common Names - creek cat, mud cat, horned pout, red cat, speckled cat
Description - The chin barbels on browns are pigmented, not whitish as with yellow bullheads. The sides of brown bullheads have a distinct, irregular brownish mottling over a light background. The belly is creamy white. They have square tails and 20 to 24 anal ray fins.
Subspecies - Two are recognized: the northern brown bullhead and the southern brown bullhead. Brown bullheads also are known to hybridize with black bullheads.
Range - Throughout Florida, except in the extreme southern part of the state.
Habitat - Browns generally inhabit still or slowly-flowing warm waters in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, large rivers and sluggish streams. They prefer water temperatures of 78 to 82 degrees, but can survive in warmer waters. They inhabit areas with mud or deep muck as well as sand or gravel bottoms.
Spawning Habits - Browns are nest builders and often select a site next to some underwater object such as a rock or log. Both parents often care for the eggs, and guard the young up to a size of one inch. At times the parent fish have been observed picking up the eggs or fry in their mouths to clean them, depositing them back in the nest afterwards.
Feeding Habits - They are primarily bottom feeders, feeding mostly at night. Highly sensitive barbels enable them to smell a wide variety of food such as insects, plant material, carrion, small fish, snails, crayfish, worms and leeches.
Age and Growth - Browns are the largest of the bullheads and occasionally reach a weight of three pounds, although they average closer to one pound or less. The maximum age is about 12 years.
Sporting Quality - Fair fighters, they are easy to catch with baits such as worms, minnows, shrimp, chicken innards and stinkbait. They bite throughout the day, but fishing is best at night.
Eating Quality - A good food fish, only slightly inferior to the white and channel catfish, if caught from clean waters.
Records - World Record: 5.50 pounds, caught in Veal Pond, Georgia, in 1975. State Record: None Exists. (Please check link for updates)
FLATHEAD CATFISH
(Pylodictis olivaris)
Common Names - yellow cat, mud cat, shovelhead cat, johnnie cat, goujon, appaluchion, opelousas
Description - A flattened head, tiny eyes, squarish tail and protruding lower jaw distinguish the flathead from other catfish and contribute to it being placed in a genus of its own. They are yellow-brown and usually mottled above, with a creamy-white or yellow belly. Small flatheads may be confused with yellow or brown bullheads.
Subspecies - There are no known subspecies; however, they have been known to hybridize with channel catfish.
Range - The distribution of flatheads in Florida is limited. Populations of notable size are found in the Apalachicola and Escambia rivers in the Florida Panhandle.
Habitat - Flatheads are found mainly in large rivers and their major tributaries. They prefer long, slow-flowing, moderately-turbid streams. Adult flatheads are solitary and spend most of their time in deep water near cover such as log jams or fallen trees.
Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs in late spring when water temperatures reach 70 to 80 degrees. One or both parents excavate the nest that is usually made in a natural cavity or near a large submerged object. Females lay a golden-yellow mass of up to 100,000 eggs. The nest is guarded and the eggs are agitated by the male to keep them clean and aerated. The young remain in a school near the nest for several days after hatching, but soon disperse.
Feeding Habits - Flatheads are predatory fish and will consume bass, bream, shad, crayfish and often feed on other catfish. The young rely more extensively on aquatic insects and crayfish than do the adults. Large flatheads sometime congregate where food is plentiful such as near tailraces of dams. They often feed at the surface or in shallow water at night, returning to their residence in a hole or brush pile to rest during the day. They rarely eat dead or decaying matter.
Age and Growth - Although flatheads have been aged by biologists to 19 years, the species is probably capable, based on its maximum size of about 56 inches, of living much longer. They grow faster than any other catfish except blue.
Sporting Qualities - Extremely strong fighters. Their solitary lifestyle, however, makes them more difficult to catch than other catfish. They bite best at night while in shallow water looking for food. To catch flatheads, anglers typically fish on the bottom using heavy tackle with live or freshly cut fish. Trotlines are effective in catching this species. Since they can also be taken by commercial fishermen, no specific regulations currently apply but they are eligible for the "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - The species is highly regarded as a food fish when taken from clean water. The meat is white, firm, and flaky, with an excellent taste.
Records - World Record: 91.25 pounds, caught on Lake Lewisville, Texas, in 1982. State Record: 48.4 pounds, caught in the Escambia River, Santa Rosa County, in 2000.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Fishboy Beer Steins Are Back!
Good news! We've secured a limited number of the Fishboy beer steins that were originally sold at mass market retailers a few Christmas seasons ago. Many Fishboy fans have asked us if we had any more over the past two years and now we can say Yes! Fishboy licensed three fish beer designs to Cedar Key a company that specializes in gift items for fishermen and hunters.
Three collectible steins are available: Deep Sea Light Lager, Trout Stout and Flounder Flat Ale.
Click here for more info!
Review: Cleonice, Ellsworth, ME
If you like food full of wonderful flavor and variety, you need to explore beyond the strip mall canyon of High Street and venture to the beautiful old downtown of Ellsworth to Cleonice -- a truly fantastic dining experience.
A tribute to Chef Rich Hanson's late mother Cleonice Renzetti, Cleonice offers exotic and traditional Mediterranean fare from the entire region. Rich's mother, first generation Italian, was a brilliant cook and loved to experiment with cuisines from around the world. Her influence inspired Rich to pursue a career in cooking and this, the culmination of his work, bears her name and spirit.
A Mediterranean restaurant serving lunch and dinner, Cleonice features the theatre of an open kitchen serving tapas and meze (appetizers from the Mediterranean) in addition to drinks from the thirty-two-foot bar that dates from 1938. The casual setting offers simple and spectacular foods from Italy and Greece to Turkey and Spain. Cleonice serves the region's best using the freshest local ingredients. Cleonice's connection to the farm and farmer makes it a unique dining experience with a deep connection to the community.
Housed in a stunning vintage building, the restaurant caters to adult's tastes and there is no children's menu but older kids will probably find something they like in the tapas menu or if you have a well behaved younger child who can be entertained with a garden salad it is possible to bring children.
As a fine dinning experience Cleonice receives Fishboy's highest recommendation.
A tribute to Chef Rich Hanson's late mother Cleonice Renzetti, Cleonice offers exotic and traditional Mediterranean fare from the entire region. Rich's mother, first generation Italian, was a brilliant cook and loved to experiment with cuisines from around the world. Her influence inspired Rich to pursue a career in cooking and this, the culmination of his work, bears her name and spirit.
A Mediterranean restaurant serving lunch and dinner, Cleonice features the theatre of an open kitchen serving tapas and meze (appetizers from the Mediterranean) in addition to drinks from the thirty-two-foot bar that dates from 1938. The casual setting offers simple and spectacular foods from Italy and Greece to Turkey and Spain. Cleonice serves the region's best using the freshest local ingredients. Cleonice's connection to the farm and farmer makes it a unique dining experience with a deep connection to the community.
Housed in a stunning vintage building, the restaurant caters to adult's tastes and there is no children's menu but older kids will probably find something they like in the tapas menu or if you have a well behaved younger child who can be entertained with a garden salad it is possible to bring children.
As a fine dinning experience Cleonice receives Fishboy's highest recommendation.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Fishboy's Boss Hog Spotted At Red Sox Spring Training
A rare Boss Hog bucket hat was spotted recently at a Red Sox Spring Training game. Beyond the beautiful Boss Hog you can see Johnny Damon leading off in first inning versus 2004 American League Cy Young winner Johan Santana at the last Spring Training Game of season versus Minnesota Twins at Twins stadium in Ft. Myers on March 05.
Click here for more info!
Friday, April 08, 2005
The Story of Father's Day
Father's Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. In fact when a "father's day" was first proposed there were no Father's Day cards!
Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day." In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father's Day.
Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day." In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father's Day.
Quotes About Fathers
Father Quotations
"That he delights in the misery of others no man will confess, and yet what other motive can make a father cruel? "
-- Joseph Addison
"The greatest gift I ever had Came from God, and I call him Dad! "
-- Anonymous
"Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; and the end of the world is evidently approaching."
-- Assyrian clay tablet 2800 B.C.
"The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears."
-- Francis Bacon, Sr.
"A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again. "
-- Enid Bagnold
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
"We never know the love of our parents for us till we have become parents."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
"He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn't afraid to into the basement by himself. He cut himself shaving, but no one kissed it or got excited about it. It was understood when it rained, he got the car and brought it around to the door. When anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription filled. He took lots of pictures ... but he was never in them."
-- Erma Bombeck
"I have always looked at life as a voyage, mostly wonderful, sometimes frightening. In my family and friends I have discovered treasure more valuable than gold."
-- Jimmy Buffet
Silhouette of Father and Child Fishing
"If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either."
-- Dick Cavett
"The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children."
-- G. K. Chesterton
"The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself."
-- Gilbert Keith Chesterton
"The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them. "
-- Confucius
"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love the most is soap-on-a-rope."
-- Bill Cosby
"You know, fathers just have a way of putting everything together. "
-- Erika Cosby
"Be kind to thy father, for when thou were young, who loved thee so fondly as he? He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue, and joined in thy innocent glee. "
-- Margaret Courtney
"Role modeling is the most basic responsibility of parents. Parents are handing life's scripts to their children, scripts that in all likelihood will be acted out for the rest of the children's lives."
-- Stephen R. Covey
"People who exercise their embryonic freedom day after day, little by little, expand that freedom. People who do not will find that it withers until they are literally 'being lived.' They are acting out scripts written by parents, associates, and society."
-- Stephen R. Covey
"What a dreadful thing it must be to have a dull father. "
-- Mary Mapes Dodge
Father and Son Fly Fishing - Deerfiel...
"Those who trust us educate us."
-- T.S. Eliot
"To her the name of father was another name for love. "
-- Fanny Fern
"The longer I live the more convinced I become that God governs in the affairs of men. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance. "
-- Benjamin Franklin
"Parents can tell but never teach, unless they practice what they preach."
-- Arnold Glasow
"When Charles first saw our child Mary, he said all the proper things for a new father. He looked upon the poor little red thing and blurted, 'She's more beautiful than the Brooklyn Bridge. "
-- Helen Hayes
"To be a successful father...there's one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don't look at it for the first two years. "
-- Ernest Hemingway
"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
-- Burton Hillis
"I am not caused by my history--my parents, my childhood and development. These are mirrors in which I may catch glimpses of my image."
-- James Hillman
"There are fathers who do not love their children; there is no grandfather who does not adore his grandson. "
-- Victor Hugo
"You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was."
-- Irish Proverb
Father and Son
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
-- Proverbs 22:6
"Any woodsman can tell you that in a broken and sundered nest, one can hardly find more than a precious few whole eggs. So it is with the family."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"My dear father; my dear friend; the best and wisest man I ever knew, who taught me many lessons and showed me many things as we went together along the country by-ways."
-- Sarah Orne Jewett
"When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry. "
-- Jewish Proverb
"The longer we live the more we think and the higher the value we put on friendship and tenderness towards parents and friends."
-- Samuel Johnson
"He was all questions. But small boys expect their fathers to be walking lexicons, to do two jobs at once, to give replies as they are working, whether laying stones or building models...digging up a shrub, or planting flower beds...Boys have a right to ask their fathers questions...Fathers are the powers that be, and with their power and might must shelter, guard, and hold and teach and love...All men with sons must learn to do these things...Too soon, too soon, a small son grows and leaves his father's side to test his manhood's wings. "
--Roy Z. Kemp
"I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it."
-- Rose Kennedy
"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," my dad would reply, "we're raising boys."--Harmon Killebrew
"Up to a point a man's life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, "This I am today; that I will be tomorrow."
-- Louis L'Amour
"The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is because they share a common enemy."
-- Sam Levenson
"A child's job is to test her boundaries, a parent's is to see that she survives the test."
-- Dr. Roger MacDonald
"A man knows he is growing old because he begins to look like his father."
-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Father and Son
"The love of a father is one of nature's greatest masterpieces."
"The merry family gatherings-- The old, the very young The strangely lovely way they Harmonize in carols sung. For Christmas is tradition time-- Traditions that recall The precious memories down the years, The sameness of them all."
-- Helen Lowrie Marshall
"The thing to remember about fathers is, they're men. A girl has to keep it in mind: They are dragon--seekers, bent on improbable rescues. Scratch any father, you find someone chock--full of qualms and romantic terrors, believing change is a threat - like your first shoes with heels on, like your first bicycle I it took such months to get. "
-- Phyllis Mcginley
"Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush; anxious for greater developments and greater wishes and so on; so that children have very little time for their parents; Parents have very little time for each other; and the home begins the disruption of the peace of the world."
-- Mother Teresa
"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."
-- Mother Teresa
"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes."
-- Gloria Naylor
"It is much easier to become a father than to be one."
-- Kent Nerburn (Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man)
"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live."
-- Pope John Paul II
"He who is taught to live upon little owes more to his father's wisdom than he who has a great deal left him does to his father's care. "
-- William Penn
"The fundamental defect with fathers is that they want their children to be a credit to them. "
-- Bertrand Russell
Untitled - Fishing with Dad
"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them."
-- Jonas Salk
"Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible--the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family."
-- Virginia Satir
"The commandment to honor parents was given to ensure that the elderly, although they may not feel wanted by family or society, are still given their appropriate reward."
-- Dr. Laura Schlessinger
"I've been very blessed. My parents always told me I could be anything I wanted. When you grow up in a household like that, you learn to believe in yourself."
-- Rick Schroeder
"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. "
-- Anne Sexton
"It is a wise father that knows his own child."
-- William Shakespeare
"My father must have had some elementary education for he could read and write and keep accounts inaccurately "
-- George Bernard Shaw
"It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping."
-- John Sinor
"The family--that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to."
-- Dodie Smith
Father and Daughter in Rain
"When a child, my dreams rode on your wishes, I was your son, high on your horse, My mind a top whipped by the lashes Of your rhetoric, windy of course. "
-- Sir Stephen Spender
"All the feeling which my father could not put into words was in his hand--any dog, child or horse would recognize the kindness of it."
-- Freya Stark
"It's clear that most American children suffer too much mother and too little father."
-- Gloria Steinem
"Children learn to smile from their parents."
-- Shinichi Suzuki
"Cultivate your own capabilities, your own style. Appreciate the members of your family for who they are, even though their outlook or style may be miles different from yours. Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest."
-- Chuck Swindoll
"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. "
-- Mark Twain
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them . . . work, family, health, friends and spirit, and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls . . . family, health, friends and spirit . . . are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same."
-- Unknown
"A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names. A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book."
-- Unknown
"My parents really hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio."
-- Unknown
"That he delights in the misery of others no man will confess, and yet what other motive can make a father cruel? "
-- Joseph Addison
"The greatest gift I ever had Came from God, and I call him Dad! "
-- Anonymous
"Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; and the end of the world is evidently approaching."
-- Assyrian clay tablet 2800 B.C.
"The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears."
-- Francis Bacon, Sr.
"A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again. "
-- Enid Bagnold
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
"We never know the love of our parents for us till we have become parents."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
"He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn't afraid to into the basement by himself. He cut himself shaving, but no one kissed it or got excited about it. It was understood when it rained, he got the car and brought it around to the door. When anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription filled. He took lots of pictures ... but he was never in them."
-- Erma Bombeck
"I have always looked at life as a voyage, mostly wonderful, sometimes frightening. In my family and friends I have discovered treasure more valuable than gold."
-- Jimmy Buffet
Silhouette of Father and Child Fishing
"If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either."
-- Dick Cavett
"The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children."
-- G. K. Chesterton
"The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself."
-- Gilbert Keith Chesterton
"The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them. "
-- Confucius
"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love the most is soap-on-a-rope."
-- Bill Cosby
"You know, fathers just have a way of putting everything together. "
-- Erika Cosby
"Be kind to thy father, for when thou were young, who loved thee so fondly as he? He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue, and joined in thy innocent glee. "
-- Margaret Courtney
"Role modeling is the most basic responsibility of parents. Parents are handing life's scripts to their children, scripts that in all likelihood will be acted out for the rest of the children's lives."
-- Stephen R. Covey
"People who exercise their embryonic freedom day after day, little by little, expand that freedom. People who do not will find that it withers until they are literally 'being lived.' They are acting out scripts written by parents, associates, and society."
-- Stephen R. Covey
"What a dreadful thing it must be to have a dull father. "
-- Mary Mapes Dodge
Father and Son Fly Fishing - Deerfiel...
"Those who trust us educate us."
-- T.S. Eliot
"To her the name of father was another name for love. "
-- Fanny Fern
"The longer I live the more convinced I become that God governs in the affairs of men. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance. "
-- Benjamin Franklin
"Parents can tell but never teach, unless they practice what they preach."
-- Arnold Glasow
"When Charles first saw our child Mary, he said all the proper things for a new father. He looked upon the poor little red thing and blurted, 'She's more beautiful than the Brooklyn Bridge. "
-- Helen Hayes
"To be a successful father...there's one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don't look at it for the first two years. "
-- Ernest Hemingway
"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
-- Burton Hillis
"I am not caused by my history--my parents, my childhood and development. These are mirrors in which I may catch glimpses of my image."
-- James Hillman
"There are fathers who do not love their children; there is no grandfather who does not adore his grandson. "
-- Victor Hugo
"You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was."
-- Irish Proverb
Father and Son
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
-- Proverbs 22:6
"Any woodsman can tell you that in a broken and sundered nest, one can hardly find more than a precious few whole eggs. So it is with the family."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"My dear father; my dear friend; the best and wisest man I ever knew, who taught me many lessons and showed me many things as we went together along the country by-ways."
-- Sarah Orne Jewett
"When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry. "
-- Jewish Proverb
"The longer we live the more we think and the higher the value we put on friendship and tenderness towards parents and friends."
-- Samuel Johnson
"He was all questions. But small boys expect their fathers to be walking lexicons, to do two jobs at once, to give replies as they are working, whether laying stones or building models...digging up a shrub, or planting flower beds...Boys have a right to ask their fathers questions...Fathers are the powers that be, and with their power and might must shelter, guard, and hold and teach and love...All men with sons must learn to do these things...Too soon, too soon, a small son grows and leaves his father's side to test his manhood's wings. "
--Roy Z. Kemp
"I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it."
-- Rose Kennedy
"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," my dad would reply, "we're raising boys."--Harmon Killebrew
"Up to a point a man's life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, "This I am today; that I will be tomorrow."
-- Louis L'Amour
"The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is because they share a common enemy."
-- Sam Levenson
"A child's job is to test her boundaries, a parent's is to see that she survives the test."
-- Dr. Roger MacDonald
"A man knows he is growing old because he begins to look like his father."
-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Father and Son
"The love of a father is one of nature's greatest masterpieces."
"The merry family gatherings-- The old, the very young The strangely lovely way they Harmonize in carols sung. For Christmas is tradition time-- Traditions that recall The precious memories down the years, The sameness of them all."
-- Helen Lowrie Marshall
"The thing to remember about fathers is, they're men. A girl has to keep it in mind: They are dragon--seekers, bent on improbable rescues. Scratch any father, you find someone chock--full of qualms and romantic terrors, believing change is a threat - like your first shoes with heels on, like your first bicycle I it took such months to get. "
-- Phyllis Mcginley
"Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush; anxious for greater developments and greater wishes and so on; so that children have very little time for their parents; Parents have very little time for each other; and the home begins the disruption of the peace of the world."
-- Mother Teresa
"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."
-- Mother Teresa
"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes."
-- Gloria Naylor
"It is much easier to become a father than to be one."
-- Kent Nerburn (Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man)
"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live."
-- Pope John Paul II
"He who is taught to live upon little owes more to his father's wisdom than he who has a great deal left him does to his father's care. "
-- William Penn
"The fundamental defect with fathers is that they want their children to be a credit to them. "
-- Bertrand Russell
Untitled - Fishing with Dad
"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them."
-- Jonas Salk
"Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible--the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family."
-- Virginia Satir
"The commandment to honor parents was given to ensure that the elderly, although they may not feel wanted by family or society, are still given their appropriate reward."
-- Dr. Laura Schlessinger
"I've been very blessed. My parents always told me I could be anything I wanted. When you grow up in a household like that, you learn to believe in yourself."
-- Rick Schroeder
"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. "
-- Anne Sexton
"It is a wise father that knows his own child."
-- William Shakespeare
"My father must have had some elementary education for he could read and write and keep accounts inaccurately "
-- George Bernard Shaw
"It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping."
-- John Sinor
"The family--that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to."
-- Dodie Smith
Father and Daughter in Rain
"When a child, my dreams rode on your wishes, I was your son, high on your horse, My mind a top whipped by the lashes Of your rhetoric, windy of course. "
-- Sir Stephen Spender
"All the feeling which my father could not put into words was in his hand--any dog, child or horse would recognize the kindness of it."
-- Freya Stark
"It's clear that most American children suffer too much mother and too little father."
-- Gloria Steinem
"Children learn to smile from their parents."
-- Shinichi Suzuki
"Cultivate your own capabilities, your own style. Appreciate the members of your family for who they are, even though their outlook or style may be miles different from yours. Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest."
-- Chuck Swindoll
"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. "
-- Mark Twain
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them . . . work, family, health, friends and spirit, and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls . . . family, health, friends and spirit . . . are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same."
-- Unknown
"A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names. A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book."
-- Unknown
"My parents really hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio."
-- Unknown
Father's Day Tips
How to Celebrate Father's Day
The third Sunday in June is Dad's time in the sun. And, contrary to what some cynics contend, this holiday was not the invention of a greeting card company - commercial greeting cards as we know them didn't even exist when Sonora Smart Dodd thought up Father's Day in 1909.
Steps:
1. Pamper him with whatever culinary ceremonies he enjoys most, whether it's breakfast in bed, a burgers-and-beer lunch at the local sports bar, dinner at his favorite four-star restaurant - or all of the above. (After all, Father's Day comes but once a year.)
2. Eschew the ties, shirts, golf balls and best-selling thrillers. Instead give him something you know he'd love but isn't likely to buy for himself: perhaps Ella Fitzgerald's songbook collection on CD, a drawing he's been admiring in a local gallery, or an autographed photo of his childhood baseball hero.
3. Look for clues. If he keeps saying he wishes he'd practiced the piano when his mother told him to, sign him up for lessons. If he reads every issue of "Gourmet" Magazine cover to cover, give him a gift certificate for a cooking course - in France, Italy or Switzerland, if you're feeling flush.
4. Give him the ultimate gift: your time. Present him with a gift certificate announcing the plan: dinner and a ball game, a day at the beach, a weekend jaunt to the PGA tournament, a camping trip in the Rockies, or simply an afternoon of side-by-side digging in the garden.
5. Make him a scrapbook commemorating "Life With Father" over the past year. Or go all out and make a scrapbook, or a series of them, covering your whole life together.
6. Honor your father's memory if he's no longer living. Send a donation to his favorite charity, or lend a hand to a cause he cared about.
7. Remember, you needn't limit Father's Day to your biological dad. Do something nice for all the father figures in your life, whether grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, godfathers, big brothers or that first boss who helped you launch your career.
Tips:
Father's Day was the brainchild of Sonora Smart Dodd, whose mother had died giving birth to her. At a time when many widowed men sent their offspring to live with relatives, Sonora's father reared her and her five siblings alone, on a farm in eastern Washington. In 1909, grown and married, Sonora was in church listening to a Mother's Day sermon when the thought struck her that fathers deserved credit, too - especially hers. Through her efforts, Spokane, Washington, held the first Father's Day observance the following year.
By 1924, the custom had spread through the country, and Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential proclamation in support of Father's Day. Nearly 60 years later, President Richard Nixon made it permanent in 1972, when he requested that Congress pass a joint resolution making the third Sunday in June a National Day of Observance in honor of fathers everywhere.
The third Sunday in June is Dad's time in the sun. And, contrary to what some cynics contend, this holiday was not the invention of a greeting card company - commercial greeting cards as we know them didn't even exist when Sonora Smart Dodd thought up Father's Day in 1909.
Steps:
1. Pamper him with whatever culinary ceremonies he enjoys most, whether it's breakfast in bed, a burgers-and-beer lunch at the local sports bar, dinner at his favorite four-star restaurant - or all of the above. (After all, Father's Day comes but once a year.)
2. Eschew the ties, shirts, golf balls and best-selling thrillers. Instead give him something you know he'd love but isn't likely to buy for himself: perhaps Ella Fitzgerald's songbook collection on CD, a drawing he's been admiring in a local gallery, or an autographed photo of his childhood baseball hero.
3. Look for clues. If he keeps saying he wishes he'd practiced the piano when his mother told him to, sign him up for lessons. If he reads every issue of "Gourmet" Magazine cover to cover, give him a gift certificate for a cooking course - in France, Italy or Switzerland, if you're feeling flush.
4. Give him the ultimate gift: your time. Present him with a gift certificate announcing the plan: dinner and a ball game, a day at the beach, a weekend jaunt to the PGA tournament, a camping trip in the Rockies, or simply an afternoon of side-by-side digging in the garden.
5. Make him a scrapbook commemorating "Life With Father" over the past year. Or go all out and make a scrapbook, or a series of them, covering your whole life together.
6. Honor your father's memory if he's no longer living. Send a donation to his favorite charity, or lend a hand to a cause he cared about.
7. Remember, you needn't limit Father's Day to your biological dad. Do something nice for all the father figures in your life, whether grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, godfathers, big brothers or that first boss who helped you launch your career.
Tips:
Father's Day was the brainchild of Sonora Smart Dodd, whose mother had died giving birth to her. At a time when many widowed men sent their offspring to live with relatives, Sonora's father reared her and her five siblings alone, on a farm in eastern Washington. In 1909, grown and married, Sonora was in church listening to a Mother's Day sermon when the thought struck her that fathers deserved credit, too - especially hers. Through her efforts, Spokane, Washington, held the first Father's Day observance the following year.
By 1924, the custom had spread through the country, and Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential proclamation in support of Father's Day. Nearly 60 years later, President Richard Nixon made it permanent in 1972, when he requested that Congress pass a joint resolution making the third Sunday in June a National Day of Observance in honor of fathers everywhere.
Father's Day Gift Ideas
Scoping out the array of men's gifts at department stores would leave you with the impression that every male in the country is not only in need of a new tie or gadget, but a golf fanatic. On the contrary, men's passions are diverse. Try these ideas for great dad gifts, whether you're buying for a grandfather, husband, first-time dad or good friend.
Steps:
1. Zero in on an enduring hobby or new interest, then shop for gear and accessories he doesn't have yet. Is he a science or computer buff, a car or airplane fanatic, a fisherman, a cook, a gardener or basketball fan? Shop Discovery.com, an auto supply store, Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table. Visit a local nursery or buy a couple of tickets to a ballgame.
2. Do something fun together. Plan a fishing or camping trip, or even a helicopter ride. Or buy tickets and popcorn, and let him choose the movie.
3. Tap into a nostalgic moment or time you shared. If you've traveled together, get a coffee-table book on a place you visited that evokes a great adventure.
4. Go high-tech with gizmos all men find irresistible. A Forever Flashlight (foreverflashlight.com, $40) works without batteries; after a good shake, it provides five minutes of light. Pick up a pair of binoculars that takes pictures (around $100), a two-way radio and wristwatch combo (around $50), or a wristwatch-camera combo. Get inspired at HammacherSchlemmer.com or TheSharperImage.com, or tour RestorationHardware.com.
5. Appeal to his practical side. Buy him jumper cables, a really good road map (such as from Thomas.com) or a Leatherman mini tool kit for his glove compartment.
6. Feed his sweet tooth with a bag of his favorite childhood candy. See's Candy (sees.com) has a variety of tasty gifts that will tempt anyone off the Atkins plan. Alternatively, pick up a savory treat like smoked salmon or a 20-lb. can of pistachios from Costco.
7. Head for a home improvement store and get him a cordless drill. These are as essential to survival as food, water and the remote.
8. Birdie, don't bogie. Buy a set of monogrammed golf towels and a pack of golf balls (real or chocolate), and spring for a guest pass for a day on the green. Better yet, go with him.
9. Add a little dazzle to his wardrobe. If he likes to go out on the town, order a pair of monogrammed silver cuff links. If he's just a regular Joe, update his bedraggled wallet or briefcase.
10. Give him the world. Find a gorgeous wall map, atlas or globe at NationalGeographic.com. Or appeal to a secret passion: a map of Civil War battlefields, for example, is $9.95.
Steps:
1. Zero in on an enduring hobby or new interest, then shop for gear and accessories he doesn't have yet. Is he a science or computer buff, a car or airplane fanatic, a fisherman, a cook, a gardener or basketball fan? Shop Discovery.com, an auto supply store, Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table. Visit a local nursery or buy a couple of tickets to a ballgame.
2. Do something fun together. Plan a fishing or camping trip, or even a helicopter ride. Or buy tickets and popcorn, and let him choose the movie.
3. Tap into a nostalgic moment or time you shared. If you've traveled together, get a coffee-table book on a place you visited that evokes a great adventure.
4. Go high-tech with gizmos all men find irresistible. A Forever Flashlight (foreverflashlight.com, $40) works without batteries; after a good shake, it provides five minutes of light. Pick up a pair of binoculars that takes pictures (around $100), a two-way radio and wristwatch combo (around $50), or a wristwatch-camera combo. Get inspired at HammacherSchlemmer.com or TheSharperImage.com, or tour RestorationHardware.com.
5. Appeal to his practical side. Buy him jumper cables, a really good road map (such as from Thomas.com) or a Leatherman mini tool kit for his glove compartment.
6. Feed his sweet tooth with a bag of his favorite childhood candy. See's Candy (sees.com) has a variety of tasty gifts that will tempt anyone off the Atkins plan. Alternatively, pick up a savory treat like smoked salmon or a 20-lb. can of pistachios from Costco.
7. Head for a home improvement store and get him a cordless drill. These are as essential to survival as food, water and the remote.
8. Birdie, don't bogie. Buy a set of monogrammed golf towels and a pack of golf balls (real or chocolate), and spring for a guest pass for a day on the green. Better yet, go with him.
9. Add a little dazzle to his wardrobe. If he likes to go out on the town, order a pair of monogrammed silver cuff links. If he's just a regular Joe, update his bedraggled wallet or briefcase.
10. Give him the world. Find a gorgeous wall map, atlas or globe at NationalGeographic.com. Or appeal to a secret passion: a map of Civil War battlefields, for example, is $9.95.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Fish Control My Brain Gift Creel
The ultimate gift basket for your fishing nut! Full of great Fishboy merchandise, fish related munchies and novelties like the "Hooked On Fishing" candy pills "for those days that feel like if today was a fish I'd throw it back" and the worm snacks made from real worms. Like we said, this is the gift for true fishing fanatics!
Click here for more info!
Great gift ideas for fishermen, hunters
By Roger Aziz
Correspondent
Fishermen and hunters are easy to buy gifts for. There are so many items available, such as rods and reels for fishermen, gun-cleaning kits and gun cases for hunters, and clothing made of modern, lightweight materials to keep everyone warm and dry.
Buying guns for hunters is not a good idea. In some cases it would be illegal, but mainly, the reason to avoid such a gift is that hunters know what they want in a gun. And unless they pick it out themselves, such a gift would not be that well accepted.
Fishermen, on the other hand, are easier to accommodate when it comes to Christmas gifts. If the fisherman is a fly-fishing purist, chances are good that buying him or her a peripheral-type gift will please him more than a rod or reel. Veteran fly fishermen, like hunters, prefer to buy their own rods and reels.
However, if the recipient of your gift is a novice at fly fishing, a nine-foot graphite rod rated for five- or six-weight line is a good way to get started. A single-action reel with a forward-weight, floating fly line is a good match. These can be purchased starting at $60.
Most spin fishermen, however, would be glad to receive a new rod and reel for Christmas. A good guideline when buying freshwater tackle is to buy an all-around combination. A seven-foot, medium-action, two-piece spinning rod with a medium-sized reel capable of holding 200 yards of six-pound test line is a good bet for any fisherman. Such a rod can be used for trout, bass and shad fishing. Spinning-rod combinations start as low as $30, but fairly good ones will begin at $60.
Smaller gifts are always welcome by fishermen and hunters. For fishermen, tackle bags with plastic box inserts are handy for storing fishing flies, lures and miscellaneous items. Many of these range from $10 to $15. Hard tackle boxes begin at $15 with larger ones $40.
Fishing tackle such as line clippers, a digital scale and sets of lure packages are all great stocking stuffers. Many of these cost under $10.
For hunters, a good compass always helps, while the more expensive global positioning systems range from $99 to $500. And any expendable items such as small, throwaway ponchos and pocket-sized first aid kits are good stocking stuffers.
All outdoors folks, whether they hunt or fish, can use winter underwear. A good set of polypropylene underwear is important in the outdoors scheme of things in winter. Both ice fishermen and hunters need to stay warm when afield.
Correspondent
Fishermen and hunters are easy to buy gifts for. There are so many items available, such as rods and reels for fishermen, gun-cleaning kits and gun cases for hunters, and clothing made of modern, lightweight materials to keep everyone warm and dry.
Buying guns for hunters is not a good idea. In some cases it would be illegal, but mainly, the reason to avoid such a gift is that hunters know what they want in a gun. And unless they pick it out themselves, such a gift would not be that well accepted.
Fishermen, on the other hand, are easier to accommodate when it comes to Christmas gifts. If the fisherman is a fly-fishing purist, chances are good that buying him or her a peripheral-type gift will please him more than a rod or reel. Veteran fly fishermen, like hunters, prefer to buy their own rods and reels.
However, if the recipient of your gift is a novice at fly fishing, a nine-foot graphite rod rated for five- or six-weight line is a good way to get started. A single-action reel with a forward-weight, floating fly line is a good match. These can be purchased starting at $60.
Most spin fishermen, however, would be glad to receive a new rod and reel for Christmas. A good guideline when buying freshwater tackle is to buy an all-around combination. A seven-foot, medium-action, two-piece spinning rod with a medium-sized reel capable of holding 200 yards of six-pound test line is a good bet for any fisherman. Such a rod can be used for trout, bass and shad fishing. Spinning-rod combinations start as low as $30, but fairly good ones will begin at $60.
Smaller gifts are always welcome by fishermen and hunters. For fishermen, tackle bags with plastic box inserts are handy for storing fishing flies, lures and miscellaneous items. Many of these range from $10 to $15. Hard tackle boxes begin at $15 with larger ones $40.
Fishing tackle such as line clippers, a digital scale and sets of lure packages are all great stocking stuffers. Many of these cost under $10.
For hunters, a good compass always helps, while the more expensive global positioning systems range from $99 to $500. And any expendable items such as small, throwaway ponchos and pocket-sized first aid kits are good stocking stuffers.
All outdoors folks, whether they hunt or fish, can use winter underwear. A good set of polypropylene underwear is important in the outdoors scheme of things in winter. Both ice fishermen and hunters need to stay warm when afield.
Attack of the Killer Snakeheads
More Than an Urban Legend
For decades people have leaned against the office water cooler and exchanged tales of piranhas turning up at the local fishing hole. Vicious man-eating piranhas that rivaled the great white shark in Jaws. Although exaggerated a bit, those stories weren't entirely the stuff of urban legends.
It became a serious enough problem that the toothy fish is banned in southern states where winter temps seldom drop low enough to kill off wayward piranha that have escaped into the great outdoors. Now a new fish is on the scene that makes the piranha look like a goldfish. In fact, this new fish has caused such a stir that even the U.S. Government has taken notice.
Unsuspecting Fisherman
The story began quietly enough on May 18, 2002 when an angler caught an 18 inch fish in a Crofton Maryland pond.
He couldn't identify the fish so he sent photos to the Maryland DNR, who later identified the fish as Channa argus, the northern snakehead. Initially it was thought that the displaced species, a predatory fish from China, was a minor problem that could simply be contained in the small pond where it first appeared. Unfortunately, the Maryland DNR soon found this was no ordinary fish they were dealing with.
Most fish are content to live out their lives swimming in their own little pond. Not so for the northern snakehead, who is among a class of fish that possess the ability to breath air. They can literally hop out on dry land and take a hike for greener pastures - or bluer waters, as the case may be.
How Did They Got There?
How did this aggressive air breathing fish that is native to the Yangtze river in China end up in a small Maryland Pond? Because northern snakeheads are quite tasty and can live for up to three days out of water, they are often shipped live to fish markets. What better way to ensure fresh fish? Two years ago a New York seafood dealer sold a pair of live snakeheads to a fish enthusiast who originally intended to make them into soup. Instead of the soup kettle he put them in an aquarium.
That's when the rest of the trouble began. Before long the pair outgrew their aquarium, and ate their way through their owners pocketbook. Rather than mortgage his home to buy feeder goldfish, he elected to divest himself of the ravenous fish by dumping them in a pond behind the local strip mall.
The snakeheads found they had hit pay dirt. Their new home was teaming with tasty sunfish and bluegills. The carnivorous snakeheads, which can grow to three feet in length, have no natural enemies in Maryland - or any other state in the U.S.A. Easy living and bountiful food swelled the snakehead population into the hundreds.
The President Takes Notice
Within days of the discovery, the Bush administration announced a proposal to impose trade and import bans on 28 species of snakeheads. The ban is none too soon, as snakeheads have already been found in six other states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
A scientific panel has recommended that the Maryland DNR act quickly before the snakeheads decide to take a stroll over to the Little Patuxent River, just 75 yards from their pond. The recommendation is to kill all the vegetation in the pond with an herbicide, then apply the poison rotenone a week later to kill the fish. The DNR will make their decision by the end of July and begin the process of eradicating the fish early in August. As for the snakehead owner who dumped them in the pond in the first place, he's probably wishing he'd decided to make soup after all.
For decades people have leaned against the office water cooler and exchanged tales of piranhas turning up at the local fishing hole. Vicious man-eating piranhas that rivaled the great white shark in Jaws. Although exaggerated a bit, those stories weren't entirely the stuff of urban legends.
It became a serious enough problem that the toothy fish is banned in southern states where winter temps seldom drop low enough to kill off wayward piranha that have escaped into the great outdoors. Now a new fish is on the scene that makes the piranha look like a goldfish. In fact, this new fish has caused such a stir that even the U.S. Government has taken notice.
Unsuspecting Fisherman
The story began quietly enough on May 18, 2002 when an angler caught an 18 inch fish in a Crofton Maryland pond.
He couldn't identify the fish so he sent photos to the Maryland DNR, who later identified the fish as Channa argus, the northern snakehead. Initially it was thought that the displaced species, a predatory fish from China, was a minor problem that could simply be contained in the small pond where it first appeared. Unfortunately, the Maryland DNR soon found this was no ordinary fish they were dealing with.
Most fish are content to live out their lives swimming in their own little pond. Not so for the northern snakehead, who is among a class of fish that possess the ability to breath air. They can literally hop out on dry land and take a hike for greener pastures - or bluer waters, as the case may be.
How Did They Got There?
How did this aggressive air breathing fish that is native to the Yangtze river in China end up in a small Maryland Pond? Because northern snakeheads are quite tasty and can live for up to three days out of water, they are often shipped live to fish markets. What better way to ensure fresh fish? Two years ago a New York seafood dealer sold a pair of live snakeheads to a fish enthusiast who originally intended to make them into soup. Instead of the soup kettle he put them in an aquarium.
That's when the rest of the trouble began. Before long the pair outgrew their aquarium, and ate their way through their owners pocketbook. Rather than mortgage his home to buy feeder goldfish, he elected to divest himself of the ravenous fish by dumping them in a pond behind the local strip mall.
The snakeheads found they had hit pay dirt. Their new home was teaming with tasty sunfish and bluegills. The carnivorous snakeheads, which can grow to three feet in length, have no natural enemies in Maryland - or any other state in the U.S.A. Easy living and bountiful food swelled the snakehead population into the hundreds.
The President Takes Notice
Within days of the discovery, the Bush administration announced a proposal to impose trade and import bans on 28 species of snakeheads. The ban is none too soon, as snakeheads have already been found in six other states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
A scientific panel has recommended that the Maryland DNR act quickly before the snakeheads decide to take a stroll over to the Little Patuxent River, just 75 yards from their pond. The recommendation is to kill all the vegetation in the pond with an herbicide, then apply the poison rotenone a week later to kill the fish. The DNR will make their decision by the end of July and begin the process of eradicating the fish early in August. As for the snakehead owner who dumped them in the pond in the first place, he's probably wishing he'd decided to make soup after all.
Recipe: Snakehead Soup
Sliced Snakehead Fish and Watercress Soup
Ingredients:
1 pound watercress
1 pound sliced snakehead fish
1 small piece dried tangerine peel, rinsed
1 slice old ginger
3 cups water
Marinade for fish:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
dash of pepper
1/2 teaspoon oil
Seasoning:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
Instructions:
1. Trim off the roots of the watercress. Pluck the leaves
from the stems. Use only the leafy parts.
2. Rinse the slices of fish very quickly in cold water, drain thoroughly and marinate for 5 minutes.
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Put in the ginger, tangerine peel and watercress leaves.
4. Cover the pot and boil for 15 minutes over medim heat.
Bring the heat to low, add seasoning, and simmer for 10 minutes. Bring the heat to high.
5. Include the marinated fish and stir briskly. Check seasoning and serve immediately.
Ingredients:
1 pound watercress
1 pound sliced snakehead fish
1 small piece dried tangerine peel, rinsed
1 slice old ginger
3 cups water
Marinade for fish:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
dash of pepper
1/2 teaspoon oil
Seasoning:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
Instructions:
1. Trim off the roots of the watercress. Pluck the leaves
from the stems. Use only the leafy parts.
2. Rinse the slices of fish very quickly in cold water, drain thoroughly and marinate for 5 minutes.
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Put in the ginger, tangerine peel and watercress leaves.
4. Cover the pot and boil for 15 minutes over medim heat.
Bring the heat to low, add seasoning, and simmer for 10 minutes. Bring the heat to high.
5. Include the marinated fish and stir briskly. Check seasoning and serve immediately.
World Record Bass
The world record bass was caught near Jacksonville, Georgia on June 2, 1932 by George Perry. It weighed 22 pounds 4 ounces and was caught from an oxbow lake off the Ocmulgee River called Montgomery Lake. That is one of the most sough-after records in the fishing world.
Gift Ideas for Fishermen
Trying to find the perfect gift for that fishermen on your Christmas list? No idea what the ideal present for them would be? Let me make few suggestions, ranging in price from stocking stuffers to major gifts. Most of them are things I use and like and think others would find useful. I offered many of these same suggestions in my outdoor column in the Griffin Daily News.
A top end gift would be a nice new LCD depthfinder - something on my wish list. On my boat is a Lowrance X-16 paper graph depthfinder, but paper is getting more expensive and harder to find. LCD's are improving but have not quite reached the level of the paper graph. The better ones like the Eagle Optima cost a little over $300 and you can add water temperature and speed probes. The most inexpensive LCD's cost less than $100.
One of the first LCD's to come out is on the front of my boat, and it works OK but not nearly a good as the newer models. I have a flasher mounted beside it and use the flasher most of the time. I like a flasher on the front of my bass boat. They are getting harder to find too, but Hummingbird still offers one for less than $100. I may have been one of the first people in mid-Georgia to have a snowmobile suit. Conditions even this far south during the winter make a snowmobile suit the most important thing a fisherman can have. I am still wearing the one I got 23 years ago. They are fairly expensive but last a long time! Spend the money to get a good one.
A good stocking cap and warm, insulated boots complete the outside outfit. Snowmobile boots with felt liners are fairly cheap, waterproof and warm. Don't fall out of the boat wearing them, though! Insulated boots with a breathable liner would be better on those days starting out frigid but warming up rapidly.
Insulated underwear and wool socks will also help keep you warm. Buy the underwear big enough that it does not cut off circulation. If wool sox make you itch like they do me, get a thin pair of sox to wear under them. All these gifts are fairly cheap and no fisherman would want to be without them.
Fishing gloves might be a nice gift and work for some, but I have never been able to find any I could wear and fish. Even the ones with finger openings keep me from feeling the rod and being comfortable holding it. And I always have to take them off to tie a knot, so my hands get cold and never warm back up anyway.
For the bass boat owner, a motorcycle helmet with a face shield is a great gift. Riding down the lake at 60 miles per hour with the 20 degree breeze blowing in your face will make you appreciate the helmet! Several handwarmers, either the chemical kind good for one trip or the kind you light a charcoal stick inside, are great to warm you even more while you fish, and cost only a few dollars.
Rods and reels are tough to buy as a gift unless you really know the person's preferences. A gift certificate or an assurance that the rod and reel is exchangeable might be the way to go. Or your fisherman may be like me and mark the exact rod and reel they want in a catalog or tell the local sporting goods store owner. That way there is no doubt.
No fishermen ever has enough tackle and all would appreciate a selection of lures - several Shadraps in different sizes and colors, a variety of worms in favorite colors, a couple of spinnerbaits - all are good stocking stuffers at a few dollars each. If they have a favorite crankbait, get them several in the color they like best. See what kind of worm or spinnerbait they use and get them more.
I never go fishing without my hand held digital scales. I can know exactly how much a bass weighs before I release it. Cuts down on the bragging, but I like to know. A box of worm hooks or worm leads, spools of line or a filet knife, all are useful and needed - and fairly inexpensive. A good thermos is another nice gift, especially if your fisherman likes lots of coffee.
A GPS is a fun toy for a fisherman. They have really dropped in price with handheld units well under $200. You can find your favorite fishing hole with one, tell the exact speed of your boat and the direction you are traveling. Lots of outdoor books are available specific to anyone's individual preferences. A magazine subscription will be like a gift every month. Visit local sporting goods stores for more suggestions and ideas or browse catalogs from the big distributors. There are always lots of things needed and wanted by fishermen.
A top end gift would be a nice new LCD depthfinder - something on my wish list. On my boat is a Lowrance X-16 paper graph depthfinder, but paper is getting more expensive and harder to find. LCD's are improving but have not quite reached the level of the paper graph. The better ones like the Eagle Optima cost a little over $300 and you can add water temperature and speed probes. The most inexpensive LCD's cost less than $100.
One of the first LCD's to come out is on the front of my boat, and it works OK but not nearly a good as the newer models. I have a flasher mounted beside it and use the flasher most of the time. I like a flasher on the front of my bass boat. They are getting harder to find too, but Hummingbird still offers one for less than $100. I may have been one of the first people in mid-Georgia to have a snowmobile suit. Conditions even this far south during the winter make a snowmobile suit the most important thing a fisherman can have. I am still wearing the one I got 23 years ago. They are fairly expensive but last a long time! Spend the money to get a good one.
A good stocking cap and warm, insulated boots complete the outside outfit. Snowmobile boots with felt liners are fairly cheap, waterproof and warm. Don't fall out of the boat wearing them, though! Insulated boots with a breathable liner would be better on those days starting out frigid but warming up rapidly.
Insulated underwear and wool socks will also help keep you warm. Buy the underwear big enough that it does not cut off circulation. If wool sox make you itch like they do me, get a thin pair of sox to wear under them. All these gifts are fairly cheap and no fisherman would want to be without them.
Fishing gloves might be a nice gift and work for some, but I have never been able to find any I could wear and fish. Even the ones with finger openings keep me from feeling the rod and being comfortable holding it. And I always have to take them off to tie a knot, so my hands get cold and never warm back up anyway.
For the bass boat owner, a motorcycle helmet with a face shield is a great gift. Riding down the lake at 60 miles per hour with the 20 degree breeze blowing in your face will make you appreciate the helmet! Several handwarmers, either the chemical kind good for one trip or the kind you light a charcoal stick inside, are great to warm you even more while you fish, and cost only a few dollars.
Rods and reels are tough to buy as a gift unless you really know the person's preferences. A gift certificate or an assurance that the rod and reel is exchangeable might be the way to go. Or your fisherman may be like me and mark the exact rod and reel they want in a catalog or tell the local sporting goods store owner. That way there is no doubt.
No fishermen ever has enough tackle and all would appreciate a selection of lures - several Shadraps in different sizes and colors, a variety of worms in favorite colors, a couple of spinnerbaits - all are good stocking stuffers at a few dollars each. If they have a favorite crankbait, get them several in the color they like best. See what kind of worm or spinnerbait they use and get them more.
I never go fishing without my hand held digital scales. I can know exactly how much a bass weighs before I release it. Cuts down on the bragging, but I like to know. A box of worm hooks or worm leads, spools of line or a filet knife, all are useful and needed - and fairly inexpensive. A good thermos is another nice gift, especially if your fisherman likes lots of coffee.
A GPS is a fun toy for a fisherman. They have really dropped in price with handheld units well under $200. You can find your favorite fishing hole with one, tell the exact speed of your boat and the direction you are traveling. Lots of outdoor books are available specific to anyone's individual preferences. A magazine subscription will be like a gift every month. Visit local sporting goods stores for more suggestions and ideas or browse catalogs from the big distributors. There are always lots of things needed and wanted by fishermen.
Gifts for Fishermen Are Easy to Find
Shopping for a Christmas gift for a fisherman is easy. There are lots of items, from small and inexpensive to big and budget breaking, that every fisherman would like to have. I will offer some suggestions for things that I have and use and like, and a few that I can only dream of owning.
If you know what you want to get but can't find it, check wth the manufacturer for a local dealer of to see if you can order directly from them. Looking for a rod or reel? Visit the web sites of Abu Garica, Daiwa, Penn, or Zebco. The discount houses are good sites for lots of different kinds of gifts, from rods to lures. Bass Pro Shops and Cabellas both offer mail order service.
For something a little different, try the HoldZit Dual Tool Saver, something that will keep your pliars and file from rusting.
A good set of needlenose pliars, a file for sharpening hooks, or one of the universal sportsman tools is a good gift. Battery powered hook sharpeners are also nice to have.
Hooks, leads, line and other terminal tackle would be a good gift, especially for the beginning fisherman. Get a small box with compartments and give them several sizes of each. Tackle boxes are always nice but make sure you know what the person you are getting it for likes in tackleboxes!
In the realm of dreaming, how about a nice bass boat? Ranger, Stratos, Skeeter, Triton and others would be a real dream come true!
A lure or pack of worms is always appreciated, and they make great "stocking stuffers." Fish counter software would be nice and the fisherman could start the new year keeping up with his catch. Fishing games are good for any age fisherman. A filet knife is a good gift if you ever clean fish, and a fish cooker would come in handy for many folks. No fisherman ever has enough flashlights, and you can choose from small to huge, rechargable or battery powered.
A depthfinder would be another top end gift for the fisherman, but make sure you know their preferences. A trolling motor or deep cycle batteries would also be useful but expensive.
Still having a hard time thinking of a gift, or need some more suggestions? Check out the list of tackle and fishing equipment sites listed in my library and visit their sites for more ideas!
When all else fails, check with your local tackle shop and get a gift certificate. Or maybe do that in the beginning! That way your favorite fisherman can go to the store and pick out exactly what they want.
If you know what you want to get but can't find it, check wth the manufacturer for a local dealer of to see if you can order directly from them. Looking for a rod or reel? Visit the web sites of Abu Garica, Daiwa, Penn, or Zebco. The discount houses are good sites for lots of different kinds of gifts, from rods to lures. Bass Pro Shops and Cabellas both offer mail order service.
For something a little different, try the HoldZit Dual Tool Saver, something that will keep your pliars and file from rusting.
A good set of needlenose pliars, a file for sharpening hooks, or one of the universal sportsman tools is a good gift. Battery powered hook sharpeners are also nice to have.
Hooks, leads, line and other terminal tackle would be a good gift, especially for the beginning fisherman. Get a small box with compartments and give them several sizes of each. Tackle boxes are always nice but make sure you know what the person you are getting it for likes in tackleboxes!
In the realm of dreaming, how about a nice bass boat? Ranger, Stratos, Skeeter, Triton and others would be a real dream come true!
A lure or pack of worms is always appreciated, and they make great "stocking stuffers." Fish counter software would be nice and the fisherman could start the new year keeping up with his catch. Fishing games are good for any age fisherman. A filet knife is a good gift if you ever clean fish, and a fish cooker would come in handy for many folks. No fisherman ever has enough flashlights, and you can choose from small to huge, rechargable or battery powered.
A depthfinder would be another top end gift for the fisherman, but make sure you know their preferences. A trolling motor or deep cycle batteries would also be useful but expensive.
Still having a hard time thinking of a gift, or need some more suggestions? Check out the list of tackle and fishing equipment sites listed in my library and visit their sites for more ideas!
When all else fails, check with your local tackle shop and get a gift certificate. Or maybe do that in the beginning! That way your favorite fisherman can go to the store and pick out exactly what they want.
New! Fishing Gift Basket
The ultimate gift basket for your fishing nut! Full of great Fishboy merchandise, fish related munchies and novelties like the "Hooked On Fishing" candy pills "for those days that feel like if today was a fish I'd throw it back" and the worm snacks made from real worms. Like we said, this is the gift for true fishing fanatics!
Click here for more info!
No need for tacky fly-fishing gifts
By Mark Littleton
Special to The Seattle Times
I have been doing this fly-fishing thing for quite a while, so it's hard to keep something like that a secret from my family. Eventually they start trying to get Christmas presents that relate in some way to my avocation.
When you have been fly-fishing long enough, you start to become selective. And even though I already have just about everything I really want in the way of useful fishing gear, that doesn't stop the well intentioned from getting the things they think you might want, or that they would want if they fly-fished.
In my experience, women in particular are likely to find things for my den with a fishing theme. At different times I have received gifts of all manner of strange knickknacks with a fishing theme. A partial list of gifts I've received includes little fly-fishing statuettes, rotating fly-fishing lamps, fly-fishing bookends, fly-fishing Santas, a picture frame with painted fish all around the outside, and other less memorable stuff, all of it tacky and just about as useful as a rock in your boot.
The all-time champion of these was a fly-fishing teddy bear complete with rod, glasses and a pipe. It's pretty hard to say, "Thanks for the fly-fishing teddy bear" with a straight face. What is a full grown man supposed to do with a teddy bear?
A whole industry has sprung up around this type of stuff. I have a catalog at home that, in addition to real fly-fishing gear, has almost every worthless thing you can imagine. Fly-fishing garbage cans, placemats, welcome mats, mugs — even get a toilet seat with flies visible through the plastic. A fly-fishing store owner once told me that the hot gift that year was a fly-fishing toilet with a fish painted in the bowl. I shudder to think what the psychological implications are.
I am pretty sure that women buy most of this stuff, or maybe I am wrong and other fishermen are just more in touch with their feminine side, you know, the side that likes this stuff. I've never been able to figure out the female mind. What exactly is the thought process that creates demand for tacky clutter?
If they have never seen me buy anything like this, what makes them think I want it?
Right now you are probably wondering like I am: "How can I put an end getting this junk for Christmas?"
You could try the tough love route and just tell them you really don't like this stuff.
Can't do that? You could finesse the issue and anonymously mail this column to the offenders, or post it on your refrigerator, or leave it in a conspicuous place.
As a last resort you can do what I do, say thanks as politely as possible and suffer, while silently repeating the Christmas mantra:
"It's the thought that counts."
Happy holidays!
Trout Bums, authored alternatively by Randal Sumner and Mark Littleton, appears on the first Tuesday of each month. Sumner owns Blue Skies Guide Service on the Yakima River. Littleton, also of Yakima, has been an avid fly-fisherman for more than 25 years.
Special to The Seattle Times
I have been doing this fly-fishing thing for quite a while, so it's hard to keep something like that a secret from my family. Eventually they start trying to get Christmas presents that relate in some way to my avocation.
When you have been fly-fishing long enough, you start to become selective. And even though I already have just about everything I really want in the way of useful fishing gear, that doesn't stop the well intentioned from getting the things they think you might want, or that they would want if they fly-fished.
In my experience, women in particular are likely to find things for my den with a fishing theme. At different times I have received gifts of all manner of strange knickknacks with a fishing theme. A partial list of gifts I've received includes little fly-fishing statuettes, rotating fly-fishing lamps, fly-fishing bookends, fly-fishing Santas, a picture frame with painted fish all around the outside, and other less memorable stuff, all of it tacky and just about as useful as a rock in your boot.
The all-time champion of these was a fly-fishing teddy bear complete with rod, glasses and a pipe. It's pretty hard to say, "Thanks for the fly-fishing teddy bear" with a straight face. What is a full grown man supposed to do with a teddy bear?
A whole industry has sprung up around this type of stuff. I have a catalog at home that, in addition to real fly-fishing gear, has almost every worthless thing you can imagine. Fly-fishing garbage cans, placemats, welcome mats, mugs — even get a toilet seat with flies visible through the plastic. A fly-fishing store owner once told me that the hot gift that year was a fly-fishing toilet with a fish painted in the bowl. I shudder to think what the psychological implications are.
I am pretty sure that women buy most of this stuff, or maybe I am wrong and other fishermen are just more in touch with their feminine side, you know, the side that likes this stuff. I've never been able to figure out the female mind. What exactly is the thought process that creates demand for tacky clutter?
If they have never seen me buy anything like this, what makes them think I want it?
Right now you are probably wondering like I am: "How can I put an end getting this junk for Christmas?"
You could try the tough love route and just tell them you really don't like this stuff.
Can't do that? You could finesse the issue and anonymously mail this column to the offenders, or post it on your refrigerator, or leave it in a conspicuous place.
As a last resort you can do what I do, say thanks as politely as possible and suffer, while silently repeating the Christmas mantra:
"It's the thought that counts."
Happy holidays!
Trout Bums, authored alternatively by Randal Sumner and Mark Littleton, appears on the first Tuesday of each month. Sumner owns Blue Skies Guide Service on the Yakima River. Littleton, also of Yakima, has been an avid fly-fisherman for more than 25 years.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
The Tale of Barbie Lobster
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, Maine (AP) — A female lobster crawling around off the Maine coast has cheated death at least 10 times, thanks to Barbie and a couple of Mount Desert fishermen.
As a gag, Jim Bright and his stern man, Chris Costello, outfitted the lobster in doll clothes — a blue blouse, red and white checkered skirt and pink high heels — before placing her into a friend’s trap last September.
"It’s a monotony hauling traps day after day," said Costello, "and we just wanted to break it up a little bit. It totally worked."
Barbie Lobster, as she is known, has been hauled up by various fishermen at least 10 times along the 26-mile channel between Baker’s Island and Mount Desert Rock.
The VHF radios used by lobstermen would buzz with chatter and laughter each time a new sighting of Barbie was reported.
Costello made a special trip to Wal-Mart in Ellsworth to buy the Barbie clothes.
The fishermen had wanted to dress up a jumbo lobster, but it was too fat to fit into a Barbie doll outfit. They chose a svelte 11/2-pound crustacean instead.
"They slipped right on, just like Cinderella," Bright said of the tiny pink shoes he and Costello slipped on Barbie.
Costello disagreed, saying it was a challenge to put the high heels on the little lobster legs. There are four legs on each side so the men attached them to the center two.
"You try squeezing Barbie shoes on a lobster," he said. "That was the most time-consuming thing."
Barbie hasn’t been seen since early December and apparently was unkempt and nearly naked, with just her pretty pink high heels still hanging on.
If she and the shoes survive until spring, she may be home free for another season, Costello said. "We have our spring fashions all ready to go," he said.
As a gag, Jim Bright and his stern man, Chris Costello, outfitted the lobster in doll clothes — a blue blouse, red and white checkered skirt and pink high heels — before placing her into a friend’s trap last September.
"It’s a monotony hauling traps day after day," said Costello, "and we just wanted to break it up a little bit. It totally worked."
Barbie Lobster, as she is known, has been hauled up by various fishermen at least 10 times along the 26-mile channel between Baker’s Island and Mount Desert Rock.
The VHF radios used by lobstermen would buzz with chatter and laughter each time a new sighting of Barbie was reported.
Costello made a special trip to Wal-Mart in Ellsworth to buy the Barbie clothes.
The fishermen had wanted to dress up a jumbo lobster, but it was too fat to fit into a Barbie doll outfit. They chose a svelte 11/2-pound crustacean instead.
"They slipped right on, just like Cinderella," Bright said of the tiny pink shoes he and Costello slipped on Barbie.
Costello disagreed, saying it was a challenge to put the high heels on the little lobster legs. There are four legs on each side so the men attached them to the center two.
"You try squeezing Barbie shoes on a lobster," he said. "That was the most time-consuming thing."
Barbie hasn’t been seen since early December and apparently was unkempt and nearly naked, with just her pretty pink high heels still hanging on.
If she and the shoes survive until spring, she may be home free for another season, Costello said. "We have our spring fashions all ready to go," he said.
New Lobster T-shirt! Lobster Trap Lounge
Down at the Lobster Trap Lounge the nightlife is hot but the patrons can some times get a bit surly. Come out of your shell down at the Lobster Trap Lounge!
Silkscreened design on a 100% cotton t-shirt.
Shirt Color: Stream
Click here for more info!
Monday, April 04, 2005
Bar Harbor - Tourist Mecca
Bar Harbor was originally called "Eden" which should give you a hint of the scenic beauty of the area. Bar Harbor is located on Mount Desert Island just slightly off the coast of Downeast Maine and was once a internationally known hot spot for the ultra-rich with a summer "cottage" community that rivaled Newport.
The great fire of 1947 which burned about 100 of the great mansions and thousands of acres with in Acadia National Park, officially ended the gilded era which had declined since the introduction of the income tax and the World Wars.
What grew among the ashes of the fire was a new version of the resort town. Once that was no longer so exclusive but to appeal to a broader economic range of tourists. Tourism was not longer only for the ultra rich. The emerging middle class found itself with more vacation time and more money to spend on vacations. While villages untouched by the fires such as Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor (Martha Stewart and the Rockefellers have houses here) continue to be dominated by the rich who can afford to "summer" in Maine, Bar Harbor offers more for the traveler coming for a week or two.
So while the town still enjoys the reputation from the gilded age it really offers more for the common man - t-shirt shops and gift shops as well as dining experiences everywhere from take out burritos to fine French cooking.
What hasn't changed over time is the incredible rugged beauty of the Maine coast and the access to Acadia National Park. The park offers a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, picnicking, "rocking", beaches, swimming, birding, horseback riding and/or simply drinking in the natural beauty. Specily in Bar Harbor there enough activities for a day, weekend or full week.
Great Things To Do In Bar Harbor
Walk the Shore Path
The famous Shore Path in Bar Harbor, Maine, begins at the town pier and continues South for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile along the eastern shore of Mount Desert Island. Originally created around 1880, people have walked on this path taking in the sites, sounds and smells ever since. Soon the shore path will be extended to the north so that you can walk all the way to the Bar Island sand bar which during low tide will lead, over the sea floor no less, to Bar Island.
Go On A Whale Watch
You can buy tickets for a whale watch trip right down at the town dock. Dress warmly for the trip because you'll be heading way out to see.
See the Famous Stained Glass
One of the most popular destinations of cruise ship tourists according to a recent survey was to visit St. Saviour's Episcopal Church which is the oldest, largest and tallest public building on Mt. Desert Island. It is claimed that St. Saviour's has more Tiffany windows than anywhere else in Maine! There are ten beautiful examples of Louis Comfort Tiffany's technique and artistry here at St. Saviour's. We have a total of forty two stained glass windows in all. St. Saviour's also houses a number of more formal English stained glass windows as well as a variety of historic memorials. The windows span over a century, ranging in date from 1886 to 1992.
Watch the Cruise Ships
Some eighty cruise ship visits a year, you are very likely to see one or two cruise ships in the harbor during your visit to Bar Harbor. Last summer The Queen Mary 2, the largest boat afloat came for a visit.
Visit Acadia National Park
Located on the rugged coast of Maine, Acadia National Park encompasses over 47,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. Such diverse habitats create striking scenery and make the park a haven for wildlife and plants. Bar Harbor provides close and easy access to the park.
Eat A Great Meal
Maine is known for lobster and seafood but Bar Harbor also offers Italian, French, Chinese, Tai, Mexican and even Cuban restaurants.
See a Movie
For a rainy day or just to relax after a busy day, Bar Harbor has two great movie theaters.
The Criterion Theatre first opened its doors on June 6th, 1932. The art deco Criterion was used for vaudeville performances for many years during the heyday of the vaudeville circuit, as well as motion picture exhibition. The acoustics are excellent, and every aspect of the theater was designed specifically for the location, from the light fixtures to the carpets and wall fabrics.
One very special feature of the building is its "floating" balcony, one of a few of its kind. Not only is this free-hanging structure an architectural feat, it also offers some of the best seating in the house. The balcony is divided into nine sections (loges) separated from each other with half walls and from the back corridor with velvet curtains. Originally rented out by the box to the town's wealthy summer residents, these seats are now available to all, and offer an excellent birdseye view of the screen and stage. The theatre currently seats 88 upstairs and 781 downstairs.
Reel Pizza offers a different kind of movie experience. Reel Pizza combines great gourmet pizza with movies to create a unique dining and munching experience. Come to the theater a half hour early to put your order in so you won't have to get up during the show. The seat all include tables except the front row which is made up of flea market sofas and lounge chairs.
Museums and Tours
There are plenty of opportunities to learn and explore new things in Bar Harbor. Visit the local art galleries, take a tour and visit the museums.
There are a number of museums in Bar Harbor including Bar Harbor Whale Museum, The Abbe Museum of Native Americans and COA's Natural History Museum The Oceanarium is great for kids and adults and features a lobster hatchery and touch tank. Tours include bus tours of the island, kayak and biking tours, Atlantic Brewing Company brewery tours, nature tours from the Park or private tour companies, Boat tours leave the harbor several times a day and the Margaret Todd, a tall ship, sails out into the harbor three times a day.
Plenty of people come to Bar Harbor for a brief visit. Whether they are on bus tour or cruise ship making a quick stop or are on some kind of 10 cities in 10 days kind of tour of Maine but as you can see there is enough to do in Bar Harbor to last a day or a lifetime.
The great fire of 1947 which burned about 100 of the great mansions and thousands of acres with in Acadia National Park, officially ended the gilded era which had declined since the introduction of the income tax and the World Wars.
What grew among the ashes of the fire was a new version of the resort town. Once that was no longer so exclusive but to appeal to a broader economic range of tourists. Tourism was not longer only for the ultra rich. The emerging middle class found itself with more vacation time and more money to spend on vacations. While villages untouched by the fires such as Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor (Martha Stewart and the Rockefellers have houses here) continue to be dominated by the rich who can afford to "summer" in Maine, Bar Harbor offers more for the traveler coming for a week or two.
So while the town still enjoys the reputation from the gilded age it really offers more for the common man - t-shirt shops and gift shops as well as dining experiences everywhere from take out burritos to fine French cooking.
What hasn't changed over time is the incredible rugged beauty of the Maine coast and the access to Acadia National Park. The park offers a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, picnicking, "rocking", beaches, swimming, birding, horseback riding and/or simply drinking in the natural beauty. Specily in Bar Harbor there enough activities for a day, weekend or full week.
Great Things To Do In Bar Harbor
Walk the Shore Path
The famous Shore Path in Bar Harbor, Maine, begins at the town pier and continues South for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile along the eastern shore of Mount Desert Island. Originally created around 1880, people have walked on this path taking in the sites, sounds and smells ever since. Soon the shore path will be extended to the north so that you can walk all the way to the Bar Island sand bar which during low tide will lead, over the sea floor no less, to Bar Island.
Go On A Whale Watch
You can buy tickets for a whale watch trip right down at the town dock. Dress warmly for the trip because you'll be heading way out to see.
See the Famous Stained Glass
One of the most popular destinations of cruise ship tourists according to a recent survey was to visit St. Saviour's Episcopal Church which is the oldest, largest and tallest public building on Mt. Desert Island. It is claimed that St. Saviour's has more Tiffany windows than anywhere else in Maine! There are ten beautiful examples of Louis Comfort Tiffany's technique and artistry here at St. Saviour's. We have a total of forty two stained glass windows in all. St. Saviour's also houses a number of more formal English stained glass windows as well as a variety of historic memorials. The windows span over a century, ranging in date from 1886 to 1992.
Watch the Cruise Ships
Some eighty cruise ship visits a year, you are very likely to see one or two cruise ships in the harbor during your visit to Bar Harbor. Last summer The Queen Mary 2, the largest boat afloat came for a visit.
Visit Acadia National Park
Located on the rugged coast of Maine, Acadia National Park encompasses over 47,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. Such diverse habitats create striking scenery and make the park a haven for wildlife and plants. Bar Harbor provides close and easy access to the park.
Eat A Great Meal
Maine is known for lobster and seafood but Bar Harbor also offers Italian, French, Chinese, Tai, Mexican and even Cuban restaurants.
See a Movie
For a rainy day or just to relax after a busy day, Bar Harbor has two great movie theaters.
The Criterion Theatre first opened its doors on June 6th, 1932. The art deco Criterion was used for vaudeville performances for many years during the heyday of the vaudeville circuit, as well as motion picture exhibition. The acoustics are excellent, and every aspect of the theater was designed specifically for the location, from the light fixtures to the carpets and wall fabrics.
One very special feature of the building is its "floating" balcony, one of a few of its kind. Not only is this free-hanging structure an architectural feat, it also offers some of the best seating in the house. The balcony is divided into nine sections (loges) separated from each other with half walls and from the back corridor with velvet curtains. Originally rented out by the box to the town's wealthy summer residents, these seats are now available to all, and offer an excellent birdseye view of the screen and stage. The theatre currently seats 88 upstairs and 781 downstairs.
Reel Pizza offers a different kind of movie experience. Reel Pizza combines great gourmet pizza with movies to create a unique dining and munching experience. Come to the theater a half hour early to put your order in so you won't have to get up during the show. The seat all include tables except the front row which is made up of flea market sofas and lounge chairs.
Museums and Tours
There are plenty of opportunities to learn and explore new things in Bar Harbor. Visit the local art galleries, take a tour and visit the museums.
There are a number of museums in Bar Harbor including Bar Harbor Whale Museum, The Abbe Museum of Native Americans and COA's Natural History Museum The Oceanarium is great for kids and adults and features a lobster hatchery and touch tank. Tours include bus tours of the island, kayak and biking tours, Atlantic Brewing Company brewery tours, nature tours from the Park or private tour companies, Boat tours leave the harbor several times a day and the Margaret Todd, a tall ship, sails out into the harbor three times a day.
Plenty of people come to Bar Harbor for a brief visit. Whether they are on bus tour or cruise ship making a quick stop or are on some kind of 10 cities in 10 days kind of tour of Maine but as you can see there is enough to do in Bar Harbor to last a day or a lifetime.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Recipe: Fishboy's Beer Belly Shrimp
A recipe that combines beer, shrimp and hot sauce? What's not to like!
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached
1 cup beer
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well to coat the shrimp. Place in a large shallow dish and refrigerate. Let marinate for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Heat oven broiler. Drain shrimp. Thread shrimp through neck and tail onto six 14-inch skewers so that shrimp will lie flat. Place skewers on a lightly greased rack of a broiler pan.
Broil 5 inches from heat for 3 minutes. Turn skewers and broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink. Serve warm with cold beer.
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached
1 cup beer
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well to coat the shrimp. Place in a large shallow dish and refrigerate. Let marinate for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Heat oven broiler. Drain shrimp. Thread shrimp through neck and tail onto six 14-inch skewers so that shrimp will lie flat. Place skewers on a lightly greased rack of a broiler pan.
Broil 5 inches from heat for 3 minutes. Turn skewers and broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink. Serve warm with cold beer.
Seal Cove Auto Museum
Seal Cove seems like the last place on earth you might find a world class collection of antique brass automobiles but there it is.
What's it doing here? Well, the Seal Cove Auto Museum is a private collection of a very private collector whose family has been summering in the area since the 1920s.
The collection specializes in very early automobiles of the "brass era" and includes over 100 rare and beautiful automobiles, and over 30 antique motorcycles.
The museum is open to the public 10-5, seven days a week, from June 1 through September 15.
Seal Cove Auto Museum
What's it doing here? Well, the Seal Cove Auto Museum is a private collection of a very private collector whose family has been summering in the area since the 1920s.
The collection specializes in very early automobiles of the "brass era" and includes over 100 rare and beautiful automobiles, and over 30 antique motorcycles.
The museum is open to the public 10-5, seven days a week, from June 1 through September 15.
Seal Cove Auto Museum
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