Into the Scrag

“You take a left turn off the main road and drive about seven miles. Turn at the second entrance, look for the green sign. Take the off road trail to the parking lot perched atop a hundred foot drop. You should see the water from there. Watch your step. Barbed wire grows from the ground…not kidding.”

 

This is how the place was described me to by Mr. K.O. about six years ago. First trip in and my legs learned quickly that even though it looked heavenly from the top of the cliff, things would only get downright gnarly once I reached the bottom. This trip was no exception. Summer rain gave the foliage increased vigor and a bit of an attitude. The brush was heavier than ever except the barbed wire ones…they were just a little more rusty and more difficult to see. I took a photo of what looked like a new patch emerging from where the cattle had recently grazed.

 

Foliage and mosquitos were biting from all directions but the fish not so much. I was able to coax small fish from spots here and there but no signs from the OMG section. Conditions were clear in the morning with showers predicted later in the day. Action might have been better in the evening but rough terrain and the dirt trail makes the dry morning run a bit easier to deal with.

The top of this fish is spectacular in the sunlight but not even close to what I hope for. Most fishing places are hit and miss depending on the day but this location is a trip to skunksville more often than not.  Even after catching fish I still felt like this trip was a skunker . All; I can do is soak up the scenery and mild conditions while making another cast.

 

Before reaching the end of the stretch a herd of cows had picked their spot to stop, graze and lounge around a bit. I worked the area just to the west and waited for them to move on. Instead of moving they stood their ground and gave me a few rough looks. Not being equipped for longhorn I chose to retreat and look for water I had missed on the way back.

At the end of the day I chalked the day up as another trip into the scrag and just getting out with only a few scratches is a notch on the “good day” side of things. The results may not have met expectations but these days I am just happy to be out there. 

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic

‘Turducken’ of the sea–scientists off Delaware catch shark within a shark-GrindTV

In a bizarre capture, bait is attacked by 3-foot shark, which is then 'completely swallowed' by a large sand tiger shark

(I probably don't have permission to repost this photo but its worth a few dents in the street-cred department. Please visit Grind TV and special thanks to University of Delaware for not sending me a lot of hate mail.)

Researchers at the University of Delaware set out recently in the hope of recapturing tagged sand tiger sharks. They enticed a large female but it was the bizarre manner by which they captured the predator that left them shaking their heads in disbelief.

After casting a small fish called a menhaden, a small shark called a dogfish was quick to snatch the bait, only to be swallowed by the much larger sand tiger shark. “The dogfish was about 3 feet long and completely swallowed by the sand tiger shark,” states a post on the university’s ORB Lab Facebook page.

The researchers had captured a shark within a shark, which prompted pro bass angler Aaron Martens to comment: “There’s gotta be some kind of ‘turducken‘ label for this kind of situation.”
The ORB Lab is short for Ocean Exploration, Remote Sensing, Biogeography Lab.

Scientists are trying to recapture tagged sharks, or tags that have popped off of sharks, to compile data for study.

Sand tiger sharks are vicious-looking because of the many dagger-like teeth protruding from their jaws.

Writes the ORB Lab in a separate Facebook post: “Their protruding spike-like teeth are perfect for spearing their favorite foods: bony fishes, small sharks, rays, squids, crabs, and lobsters.”

Sand tigers, which can measure to about 10 feet, lose an average of one tooth per day and boast 56 rows of teeth in each jaw “at any time waiting to replace lost or broken teeth.”

The sand tiger in the photo looks to have lost a couple of front teeth during its attack on the dogfish and/or its capture (and release) by scientists.

Quite a day of fishing!

Visit the full article on GrindTV at the link below:

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/turducken-of-the-sea-scientists-off-delaware-catch-shark-within-a-shark/

Don lands another biggun’

While fishing the wood structure for crappie, Don throws a big bait into the cove hoping for a bigger bite. Fishing for the MAD Show has been off and on all year long so I knew he was due for a big fish. First cast out and his rod bends over with a heavy fish. The bite was so hard we both swear we could hear it under the water.

 

These are the moments both of us live for and both of us hold our breath it seems until the other one lands the fish. There is no hesitation when it comes to helping with the photo op and at times I have to persuade this guy to let me use these pictures on my blog.

The lure used was a jig combo that I put together several years ago. Once you get the right materials it snaps together lickety-split. Later I asked him what he was throwing and he said, “Your lure.” I missed the first part and only caught what sounded like “lures”.

“No #$%^!” I responded as if Don was holding out on me. “I didn’t think you were throwing live bait…seriously…what are you throwing?”

“YOUR LURE!” he responded holding up the jig-combo. We laughed for about 30 minutes straight.

It is still good fishing you, Don. The one guy that can get up early to the meet spot and doesn’t sell out the fishing locations that I meticulously dig up.

My name is Matt and still a proud member of The MAD Fishing Show.

Longmont man-firm fined over sewage in reservoir

 

DENVER (AP) - A federal judge has fined a Longmont man and his self-storage company for illegally discharging sewage from the company into Union Reservoir in Longmont.

Federal prosecutors say John Albert Paquette and East Point LLC each were fined $10,000 Monday after pleading guilty in April to violating the Clean Water Act.

Court documents say that on June 20, 2012, Paquette and East Point knowingly discharged 1,000 gallons of raw sewage from a hose into the Oligarchy Ditch, which flowed into Union Reservoir.

The reservoir is used for outdoor recreation including swimming, fishing and boating.

Link to article from KOAA, a local news source for this area that covers the Front Range area below:

http://www.koaa.com/news/longmont-man-firm-fined-over-sewage-in-reservoir/

Matt’s rant: Water quality is not a hot topic for a lot of folks but for anglers it can mean the difference between a good fishing spot and human generated fish kill. A lot more could be done in regards to educating the public about potential dangers that are not obvious to the naked eye. Publicizing the bad examples and penalties that are handed down to polluters may also help stress the importance of water quality overall. At the very least it may help explain why those crappie from Union Reservoir smell a bit like crap.

Good luck and good fishing