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Did You know - outdoor edition

Started by WV Sawmiller, December 21, 2020, 11:03:46 PM

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WV Sawmiller

Dad grabs record 104-pound Mississippi catfish ?by the gills? to catch it, he says

Did you know Mississippi now has a new state record Blue catfish? Apparently the man caught it 31 July on a Trotline in the Mississippi River. I don't know why the fish would not also apply to Louisiana since it was caught in a border river. Many states do not allow fish to be a state record unless caught on a rod. I suspect Mississippi also has another record for ones caught on a rod but apparently any legal method is allowed in Mississippi - which I think is a great idea/policy.

The man who caught the fish said it was very tasty. I noticed the other day the MM was having catfish for lunch. Looks oddly coincidental to me but I digress.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Yes the Catfish that we were eating came out of the Mississippi River.  A Grandson and his "crew" regularly enter tournaments where the 5 best fish are weighed.  Mine came from his last entry of 5 White & Blue catfish weighing 175 lbs.  They were fishing the Mississippi side so they were Mississippi fish.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WDH

There is a Thai Restaurant in Decatur, GA with a spicy catfish dish that has a generous amount of green peppercorns that is one of the best dishes that I have ever had.  Top 5 of the best fish dishes that I have ever had. I love catfish. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WV Sawmiller

   I did a project at Murphy Oil there in Chalmette LA and stayed at Slidell and used to eat at the old ice house restaurant who had some good catfish. Thinking back though that was 20 years ago. It looks like it has been shut down and may be opening again. I did learn to love Oyster Po Boy sandwiches on that project. Shrimp and Crawfish were good but oyster were the best IMHO.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

That thin catfish at Middendorf's is right up there too.  
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

   Since we have drifted back over to food/catfish again, do you know the difference between trotlines and limblines/bush hooks/drop lines?

   Both are considered "set hooks" because they are baited, set and left out in likely spots unattended and the fisherman comes back to check, rebait and remove any fish he has caught. Each state has specific regulations as to if, where, how many hooks, bait, types of line and types of hooks to be used. Pretty much all states will require the users name and maybe license details to be attached to the line. The line will have to be checked regularly so the catch does not die and go to waste. In some states live bait cannot be used, others will not allow game fish or parts to be used for bait, some states require any game fish that get caught to be released/returned alive, some states will not allow wire or cable to be used, here in WV multi-point hooks are not allowed. In some states a trotline cannot be used over half the width of a stream.

 A trotline is a single main line that is tied to a tree, limb, or stump in the water or on the bank and the other end is tied to another stump or a heavy weight. Alternating weights and floats are used to keep the line near the bottom or to raise it off the bottom as desired. Leads or drops are added every 4-5 feet in most cases. These are usually about 12-16 inches long. You do not want your leads close enough 2 adjacent fish can get tangled. There is stretch in the line itself that helps allows a powerful fish some play to wear itself out when hooked rather than tearing free.

  The advantage of a trotline is you can set a lot of hooks in the same area where a lot of fish are present allowing you to catch a lot at one time. Also you can bait with different baits to help determine what they are biting and you can adjust the depth with floats and weights and help determine where they are biting and adjust your line when you determine the best place/depth to be fishing. I love putting a trotline across the mouth of a creek or a slow bend in the river.

  Trotlines can be dangerous especially in fast current as you have sharp hooks and stretched lines and where there is a lot of boat traffic. Hooks have all kind of bacteria on them and cuts and punctures are common and slow to heal. I have had them break and have had boaters come by and cut them with their prop while I was working them and had them near the surface.

  Bush hooks/droplines/limblines are a single line with a hook and sometimes a sinker and/or a swivel. They are tied near the bank to green, limber overhanging tree limbs and usually set about 1'-4' deep and adjusted to the current and conditions. The fish bites the bait, gets hooked and wears himself out on the limber line. They are placed in likely areas and checked daily or more often and rebaited or fish removed. Bush hooks are used to cover a big area and you can find which spots are producing and move or adjust other lines to the same kind of spots. They are generally safer to use than trotlines and can be pretty fast to put out and take up. I use a quick release knot, have a loop on the free end and roll them up on a board at the end of a fishing trip till the next use. Mine are usually about 8'-10' long and I set them with a bait (a live bream here in WV where it is legal) about 1'-2' deep. I love to tie them just above a big submerged log or rock and may tie several on a fallen tree top. Basically if there is cover for crappies and bluegills the catfish are coming to dinner too.

  Catfish mostly feed at night so I try to bait my hooks just before dark and run them right at daylight. When camping or such along the river/lake running your lines a couple of times in the night can be very productive as you are there during the peak feeding times and not only can you catch multiple fish on the same hook, you replace the bait on hooks the small fish had stolen.

  Common bait used is cut fish, crawfish, goldfish, chicken or beef livers, worms, minnows, live bream, cheese/stink baits, soap, etc. Check your state's regulations before you use any of these as some of these items are not legal in all states. I used to use "trash" fish I caught on my lines that I was not going to eat for my bait. I used eels, gars, bowfins and carp for bait as we did not eat them. They were good cut bait.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Do any of you know how to make and use a snag line? I once met a man who showed us a technique he said he used to catch catfish and said he was going to use it in the Alabama River. He called it a snag line and what I remember looked like a trotline only he tied his leads on with a special knot directly to the main line. He used single point J hooks and I remember he had sharpened them till they were razor sharp. I thought he said he tied them on about 2" apart but I could be mistaken. He said he tied out the line and did not use any bait - the fish swam into the line and got hooked and apparently multiple hooks would embed themselves in the fish. I don't know how deep he set the line or what kind of location he looked for. I have always wondered how the fish got hooked in a single point hook like that.

  If any of you have experience making and using a snag line please post any details especially with any pictures you have to the materials, process and fish you caught on it.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Did you know the thick, fleshy outer husk of Black walnuts get infested with small white worms or larvae? I do not know what the parents look like but it is very common when removing the outer walnut husks to kind white worms or grubs that are about 1/2" long. As far as I can tell they do penetrate the actual hull of the walnut. In the Fall when the mature walnuts I often roll the walnuts around in the grass and gravel drive to scrape the husks off then pile them up to dry some and collect them later. Several species of small birds follow behind me and scratch through the broken husks and readily grab the little worms/grubs from the husks. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Did you know many lakefront property owners, especially in the south, install 4' or longer fluorescent lights on their docks just above the water level (Maybe 1' or so) and use these as fish attractors? When they want to fish they turn on the lights an hour or so ahead of time, bugs come to the lights, fall into the water and small baitfish eat them and the larger predator fish come to catch the bait fish. Many people also combine this with structure such a brushpile for the smaller fish to hide in.

  An old buddy of mine on Lake Blackshear near Cordele Ga took it one step further with a roll of old fence wire which he called his lure attractor. When people came and fished under his dock they get hung and lost their expensive lures. In the winter the power company lowered the water level to work on their equipment and he'd go out and collect the lures hung there.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Walnut Beast

Five years sitting around and most are good and some bad. Never did husk these. Just let the elements do it. 

 

 

WV Sawmiller

  I saw in another thread someone was worried a heron will fly up and steal Jeff's catfish or bullhead out of his pond - and he may. Did you know a blue heron can swallow a 2 lb bass? Probably even a bigger fish. I saw a video of one down on the Amazon who was dragging around a 5 lb catfish. I never saw him eat it so I don't know if he tore it into pieces or choked it down whole.

  On 13 March 2013 we were on a trip to the Everglades in Fla and I saw a bass beside a slough or canal with a largemouth bass that looked to weigh nearly 2 lbs in its beak. When I saw it I laughed and said to myself it had caught more fish than it could eat but the heron started tossing it up in the air and finally got the head in its mouth and, then with a lot of twisting and turning, he choked it all the way down.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

KEC

I saw a Great Blue Heron catch a meadow vole once. I've talked to people who have seen them eat chipmunks. Utube has videos of them swallowing gray squirrels and Norway Rats; and huge fish. If I remember correctly, years ago when people were trying to get rich raising emus I heard that the emus were sudden death on mice.

Don P

My in laws retired to the Gulf Coast years ago. Her Dad always kept a couple of freezers full of fish and had made friends with Pete the heron. Pete would hang out across the canal most of the time, especially if we or any other guests were there. He would watch what was going on inside as well as out. He must have forgotten we were there one time and we met at the downstairs door early in the morning. i opened the door and we were eye to eye, Pete was waiting on his morning fish. Needless to say we both flapped off to our corner for a minute.

Ianab

Herons don't tend to be fussy eaters  :D

The small local ones are often stalking around paddocks looking for worm and crickets etc, but they won't pass up fish or frogs of course. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

   I can see UGA with a new mascot - Old Blue the heron. :D
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

I wonder if a large blue heron could swallow a war eagle?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

Green Heron Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

   Did you know there is a Little Green Heron? Many people see them and never realize what they are. There are many on our local rivers and COE lake. They are one of my favorite birds because they have "personality". They remind me of a grumpy old man. (So does a screech owl.) Often they will fly off when you get too close but the bolder ones may stay longer. They love to hang around drift piles and walk on partially submerged logs and hunt for minnows, small fish, frogs, etc. They use the typical heron stalk, freeze, lunge hunting technique. Several years ago my wife and I were in the New River above where it becomes the COE Bluestone Lake and the water level was pretty low. Where a local creek entered the river was a wide mud flat. The water was so low we saw a couple of small mud turtles crawling around with their backs exposed. There were 2-3 young (That year's hatch) LGH feeding in the shallow water. They had very short tails and could only fly short distances so they let us get pretty close and watch them. One caught a good sized crawfish and my wife got a good picture of it. She brought the picture home and blew it up to 8X10 or 11X14 size and she uses really good professional camera equipment so we did not lose any detail. In the picture you can see the bug eyes and spread claws of the crawfish. In the picture you can practically see the the thoughts of the crawfish like a cartoon and the crawfish was thinking "Oh Crap! I'm in big trouble." And he was.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

Quote from: WDH on August 17, 2022, 09:46:30 AM
I wonder if a large blue heron could swallow a war eagle?
I routinely see eagles taking the prize away from GBHs around here. Its like a daily occurrence so be prepared. I can hear the new UGA battle cry - Squawwwk.

Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Did you ever watch a heron fishing? No ballet is more precise or could be more beautiful. He will ever so slowly ease forward one slow step at time sometimes pausing with one foot in the air for several seconds. Then when he spots his prey he points his beak towards it, eases forward one last step while simultaneously drawing his neck back into an S shaped curve then he lunges forward with his face and beak completely under water. He may or may not come up with a fish or frog or crawfish. Sometimes the prey will move and he slowly relaxes the tension in the S- curve and resumes his slow and methodical stalk.

   We watched and my wife photographed a big white heron here on Bluestone Lake yesterday along a shallow muddy beach behind an island. The water was calm and she was getting a nice, complete reflection in the water. I guess the heron walked 40-50 feet while we watched. About half the time he missed his attack but the others were successful and on one case he had a pretty large fish flopping as he swallowed it down.

   My daughter and grandkids came up from Charlotte NC for an overnight stay and my wife and I met them at the boat landing and spent 5-6 hours easing along the lake and river above and finally stopping to let the kids fish for small bream with 10' fiberglass poles. The water was up and muddy from lots of recent rain and fishing was not great but they still caught 10-12 which was plenty for them. We laughed at the kids and my wife when the 3 y/o gd dropped a tiny fish in the boat and it flopped under her seat and it took them 30 minutes before they were able to grab it and throw it in the live well. I guess there was enough water there at the back to keep it alive till they caught it.

   We saw kingfishers, lots of blue herons, several white herons, probably a dozen deer in and along the water, one early rising coon walking the bank and finally running up a walnut tree, dozens of Canada geese, red-headed ducks, an anhinga or two, one mature bald eagle, one young eagle who had just hatched in February/March of this year, 10-12 osprey including one pair who were fishing and made several failed attempts to land dinner by diving/crashing into the lake, several Little Green Herons, a red-tailed hawk and even spotted an eagles nest in a distant dead pine I had never seen before. It was a great day to be on the water and I will treasure the memories forever.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

https://extension.psu.edu/cyanide-poisoning-of-livestock-from-cherry-tree-leaves#:~:text=When%20the%20cherry%20trees%20blow,will%20easily%20consume%20these%20leaves.

   Did you know that wild cherry leaves contain cyanide and when the tree is cut or  blown over in or around a pasture the livestock can become sick or killed by eating the wilted leaves?

   Many farmers/ranchers try to cut down every wild cherry tree they find in their pasture but they try to do it in the winter after the leaves have fallen off.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Don P

I think that was the cause of death of several fine horses in KY a few years ago.

Ianab

It's only the wilted leaves that are actually toxic. Fresh green is OK, and dry ones aren't toxic either. But wilted ones, say from a broken off limb after a day, are toxic, and animals dont realise.

But yes the risk is a real one
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

doc henderson

Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

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