“Battle of the Bago” Buckle

Well, I know there are a LOT of ice fishermen out there, and I give you my utmost respect for what (to me) is a very, very cold endeavor.  I went ice fishing twice – - “my first and last time all at once”.  Okay, yes…I do start striper fishing here in New Jersey in March, and we do have some pretty cold days, some of them a little snowy even, but ice fishing is just a step over the line for me.

If I were to make a list of the Pros and Cons of ice fishing, this incident would definitely be in the “Cons” column.  Thankfully, no one was injured and everyone will live to fish another day…perhaps even enjoy a nice hot toddy.

Creole Fish Fillets Recipe

Try a low-fat, low-sodium fillet dish!  Easy to prepare and a great source of protein, this dish is super tasty AND super good for you!

1 16. oz can no salt added tomatoes, cut up
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. thyme leaves
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/8 t. salt
1 lb. fresh cod fillets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine all ingredients except fillets in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaf.  Place fillets in a baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.  Pour sauce over fish and serve.

4 servings, 3 oz. fish + 1/2 cup sauce each.  Per serving: 130 calories, 1 g fat, 49 mg cholesterol, 155 mg sodium

Talk About Pimpin’ Your Ride!!!

The fishing pole rack on Dewey Powell’s 4WD hemi-powered Corvette is NOT just for show.  From October through early May, when non-official vehicles are allowed on Ocean City, NJ beaches, Dewey takes the ‘vette out for some surf fishing!

Dewey Powell’s Pimped-Out ‘Vette

Read K. Scott Teeters’ full story here.

My Earliest Fishing Memory by B.J. Clayton

“The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.”  ~A.K. Best

Tiniest fish EVER

The “daughter” part of the “father-daughter” team behind Fishing Tackle Plus, here.  I can’t be sure this picture is from my FIRST fishing trip with my dad, but it’s certainly the first trip I remember.  I’m estimating I’m about 6 or 7 here.    Looking at the photo now, I think I must have caught the smallest fish in the lake, but it was MY fish that I caught while fishing with MY daddy.  So, in my eyes, at the time it was the biggest, BEST fish ever!  My dad taught me everything I know about fishing (but not everything HE knows, as he might say).  Fast forward thirty-something years and I still love fishing with my dad, though we don’t have near enough opportunities to enjoy it together!  He is my #1 lifelong favorite fishing buddy!!

Who taught you how to fish, and who is your greatest fishing buddy?

In Search Of: The World’s Best Lure

“What’s the best-ever lure?”  As one of the owners of Fishing Tackle Plus, I’ve been asked this question A LOT over the past 9 years.  To tell you the truth, I always have to chuckle a little to myself when I hear it.  Don’t get me wrong, we sell some really great lures like Ballyhood and Boneyard Baits (we’re even in the process of getting the new Brig Rigs).  But, with the thousands of lures available, is there actually that ONE FANTASTIC LURE that is so much better that it should be immortalized?

Here’s where the chuckle comes in: I remember many years ago, my brother-in-law and I had gone overnight fishing at our favorite lake.  Action was pretty good that night and by morning, we were out of live bait.  I was fishing for pike and he was cooking breakfast over a campfire. 

On a lark (or perhaps out of desperation), I threw on a spinner with a #1 hook and grabbed a piece of bacon before it hit the pan.  TA-DA!  A homemade lure!!  First cast – - BAM! – - caught a nice one.  Second cast – - hit the shoreline once again – - an even larger one.  Before I could get the third cast out, there’s my brother-in law, rigging up with BACON LURE.  So, no…I can’t give an answer to, “What is the best lure ever?”  One thing I do know from my 60 years fishing is that the lure that works like magic on Monday may need to be replaced with a different one on Tuesday.  Such is the challenge…and the beauty…of fishing.

What interesting homemade bait have you fashioned out of necessity?

Too Bleepin’ Cold to Fish?!?!? Fish Online for FREE!!

We’re from the Northeast, and while we know some brave souls who’ll fish in ANY weather, we’ll be sitting out the next several weeks!  To tide us over ’til we can fish for “reel”, we like playing these FREE online fishing games.  And you know what I always say, “If it’s free, it’s for me!”

Big Mouth Bass 3D at Shockwave.com
Harpoon Fishing at DailyFreeGames.com
Super-Fishing at FreeWorldGroup.com

What are some of YOUR favorite FREE online fishing games??

Remember Your First Time?

Do you remember the first time you went fishing?  I mean the real one; that time that set the little wheels in your head turning and fishing got into your blood stream.  You know what I mean – the start of that thing called angling that made you a “Fisherman” with a capital “F” and lasted your whole life.

When I was 6 years old, my father had taken me to a park a few times after dinner with some quickly-dug worms from the backyard to catch Calico Bass (Crappie to some of you) for an hour or two.  What I didn’t know at the time was that he was gauging me to see if I had it.  No, I’m not there quite yet…but wait.

After a few trips, he said he was going to take me fishing with his “fishin’ buddy” on a Saturday morning.  That’s when it started…the life alteration.  Yes, I remember it like it was only yesterday (and I’m a Senior Citizen now).  I couldn’t sleep the night before; then up before the sun and off to the lake.  Although it was a cloudy, chilly, drizzly day and we didn’t catch too many fish, what was important was it was the day that I went fishing with The Men.  I had been accepted into the fraternity of some of the best guys in the world, FISHERMEN.  And, yes, the bug bit me, and it’s lasted a lifetime.  Thank you, Dad.

So…do YOU remember your first time?  Tell us about it in the comments!