I won a Release Sg (recently renamed to Truth Reels) reel in a fishing tournament two years ago. It sat for a while unused as my Avet Sx reels were my primary go to reels at the time. Tp be honest, I thought the Release/Truth reel seemed a little too light to really hold up to the rigors of the typical fishing I do. 25 pounds of Drag on this small lightweight reel?? Please...no chance, right?
Well I am happy to report that it is now my primary reel of choice for everything from 5 pound pink salmon to 100 pound or larger halibut. I load it with 50 lbs braid and out of a kayak, I believe I can land any sportfish on the planet that hits my line. The smooth drag combined with the lever drag should allow me to tighten up and get towed all day long by any huge fish.
The initial reel “feel” is a bit misleading as it doesn’t come out of the box or repair facility as smooth as one might expect. But after some reading, they do tell you in advance that it comes this way and with a short break in period, it is as smooth as any reel I have tried.
Current specs on the reel are:
SPECIFICATIONS
• WEIGHT: 13.2 OZ
• GEAR RATIO: 6:1
• 34” PER CRANK
• MAX DRAG: STRIKE 18#, Full 25#
• CAPACITY: MONO 20# 275 YDS
• CAPACITY: BRAID 50# 375 YDS
• CERAMIC SPOOL BEARINGS
• CARBON DRAG WASHER
They have a limited life time warranty which I got to test. I absolutely abuse my gear more than I should. I love my Avet reels but after a while, even several nights of continued saltwater exposure they tend to seize up. The Release/Truth reels were MUCH more tolerant. Yet, after several years of heavy use and frankly abuse, there came a time where I had to send the reels in for repair and maintenance. They have a standard $25 fee to cover shipping and handling as well as the repairs. It was 100% my fault for the damage I had caused, yet they only charged me an extra $25 and I got back a reel that was as good as new. Given the components they replaced, I thought it was a SUPER good deal.
The bottom line, ever since I started using my Release/Truth Sg reels I have yet to use my Avet reels. I highly recommend these reels! Quality appears to be very high and their service was outstanding.
Here's one of my better videos showing the truth reels coming through for me. First place AND Second Place fish at 2015 Alaska Yak Classic!!
I have the clicker on at all times because I can't afford a backlash on the water, and it makes for better video in my opinion when you can clearly tell when the fish is taking out line.
So a week ago, I try some halibut in parchment paper. Turned out really good so I thought I'd share...and I am bored...
I think this parchment paper method has some real potential. Keeps fish moist. Is super easy and super fast. Even though you serve it in burnt paper, for some silly reason, people think it is fancy. lol.
So the entree first. I took the left overs and mixed with mayo and it made some great halibut spread. So I have that project after the entree.
Sorry, I don't use recipes, I don't measure. Therefore I have zero recipes and no names. lol.
This is as close as I can come for this attempt:
Ingredients
Halibut
Roasted Garlic in oil
Artichoke hearts
Chopped green and kalamata olives
Spinach
Lime
Olive oil
Butter
Salt & pepper
I got the roasted garlic, artichoke hearts, olives at the groceries antipasto bar.
So I decided to try and make some spread I could share at the office. Food is one the ultimatum motivators and favor generators at the work place. LOL.
Once again, antipasto from the grocery store. This time Olives, roasted garlic, artichoke hurts, roasted tomatoes, and capers.
Chop it up. This time I am going to marinate in a ziplock bag. Added olive oil to help distribute the flavors better. In the refrigerator overnight.
I plan to bake it in the same method as above using parchment paper. I'll try some as is but plan to make the rest into spread. I know it can be good since I made something similar with the entree left overs. Will report results.
I don't se any reason it wouldn't work for salmon. Any additional ideas????
My name is Rudy. Many of you know me as KardinaL_84 on the forums. I have a confession to make. I type this sitting in a small room with all of the lights shut off. Depressed beyond belief, I agonize over what should have been heaven on earth this weekend. Instead of heaven, I ended up in hell. Fortunately during Alaska Summers, the small room isn’t dark and dreary with the long daylight hours...but my soul is.
I’ve heard “it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” I used to think, “Well duh!.” But today I type with a heavy heart reconsidering that and now I know why its actually a well known statement. I am starting to think the pain is too much to go through something like this again.
So here’s my story…details the best I remember. 99% non-fiction...well let's say most, at least 51%...
ACT I: In the beginning...
So the story really starts a few weeks ago. reading through one of my kayak forms, I see that they have a “Barbie rod classic.” Ahhh...Barbie. I had sort of met her once through people who knew her ex, “Snoopy”, the namesake of the Snoopy Rod Classic in Western Washington. I recall walking by her thinking “Wow...she is PURDY!” Then I swore I heard her say in a slightly drunken but sexy voice “That Ken is so passe.” “YES he is! But I’m NOT!” I thought in my head...
Years go by, and as I was walking through a sporting good store here in town...THERE SHE WAS!. Hot dang!!!!! I stand next to her sneaking glances hoping nobody would notice. It’d be SUPER embarrassing if any of my friends knew I was trying to make a really bold move.
I reach out and touch her. I swear, though my memory is hazy, I hear “Hey! Mr Fisherman! Long time no see! Take me fishing!”
Are you kidding?!?!?! Heck ya!!!! Quickly go through the formalities, a little embarrassed to be seen with such a beautiful item...at least I thought so. The cashier looks at me like I am nuts as I walk out with her in my arm. I can’t wait to take her home and “unwrap” her!!!!!. I fumble around. Dang this is harder than taking a bra off a gal for the first time! They sure make these dang outer packaging hard to remove. I slowly examine her and say out loud “Sweetie, I have to change your line out to 20lbs powerpro. Its ok, its allowed by the rules at some of the better known tournament hangouts.”
I usually don’t take strangers out fishing. especially ones I want to impress. Fishing is always fun. But catching is never guaranteed. My kids are overseas in Japan. My girlfriend takes off to New York on one days notice saying something like I’ll be back in 5 weeks. Last time that 5 weeks turned into 5 months. Haven’t gotten a call from her in over a week. Hmmmm...something not right. Too bad for her, she should know that "Hard times and idle hands are the devil's workshop…."
C’mon Babe..errr Barbie! Let’s go fish!!!
Act II - Prepare to fish!!!!
It’s Saturday of Memorial weekend. I’m so excited I can’t sleep Friday night and I drive down to Whiskey Gulch getting there at about 4am. Sleep a few hours and it’s time to hit the water!!!!
Barbie is looking F-I-N-E, FINE!!!!. She feels SO good to the touch. Not like any of the others I take fishing with me. That shine, light weight. The perfect feel in my hands. She has that sort of inexpensive but super HOT look. At $14.99 not only is she a hoot to fish with, she is WAY cheaper of a date than my other fav gal, Avet.
Unlike with Avet, I know fishing with Barbie, I am at a major disadvantage...or so I thought. I didn’t want to stress her with a flasher so she gets paired with a 2oz sinker and green label herring.
Being Memorial Weekend, the boats are out in force. You can see they are hooking up pretty consistently. I fish with Barbie, but maneuver around with Barbie tucked under my arm hoping nobody notices her. I know these fisherman can be cruel. They’d laugh at me for fishing with her, but as soon as they saw what she can do. If they knew what she has on the INSIDE as well as the ultra hot exterior...they’d try to steal her away in a heart beat.
So I slowly let line out. Barbie is a little shorter than my type. I typically like them about 6ft. Barbie was only 30 inches. A serious disadvantage.
Oh, wait. No wonder I am still single. Where are my manners?? I haven’t yet introduced you to Barbie. So here she is. Tell me you don’t have some immature thoughts of just grabbing her while fishing! I think I am in LOVE!!!
ACT III - The Courtship, Marriage, and Honeymoon.
Finally the fishing!!!! Never having tried without a flasher, I really didn’t know what to expect. But in less than an hour, I am hooked up to my first king thanks to Barbie!!! Ya baby!!!!!!
Barbie has the perfect balance of flex and backbone. You don’t expect much drag but her voice gives me goose bumps when the fish is peeling out line! Such a turn on!!!!
Next I manage a tiny halibut I release. Hmm. Barbie might be able to handle this fishing. I thought maybe a king was possible but halibut?
But before we can find out, Barbie is putting the hurt to her second king!! SEXY!!! Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about things like this without really knowing for sure. But am I the only one that just gets TURNED ON when Barbie, Avet and the like start singing as the fish starts peeling away! HEAVEN!!!!!
Two kings and a halibut for Barbie in the first few hours! I am in LOVE!!!! But it’s rainy and I had driven all night without sleep. I am tired. It’s been a great day! “Hey Barbie, let’s go in.” I swear she is a pretty and fun gal with a fish on, but just then I swear, I swear I saw images of Lucifer behind her eyes. She glares and just continues to fish. Moments later.. FISH ON!!! I wasn’t looking at her, but I hear “I told ya so…”
This time its a ten pound halibut. Wow. Great battle. All I could think of was “What are we going to do with a twenty pounder?!?!?!
But Barbie isn’t done. As we finally head in, she scores her third king!!! Are you kidding me?!?!?! One of my best King days ever and all with Barbie!!!!!
I take her to Kenai to meet my parents. Give her a nice clean shower. Replace line since I had broken off once on the bottom. But 3 for 3 on Kings. 2 for 2 on halibut. THAT is what you call the perfect companion.
In my dreams, I marry her. Heck ya!!! Where are you going to find a gal that can go 5 for 5 on kings and butts her very first time out on a kayak?!?!?! Who I ask? Give me a name! A perfect 5 for 5? Definitely a keeper!!!!
So as usual, though a little embarrassing, I did take some gopro footage. I know the average attention span for viewers is under two minutes, but because I want to really show off Barbie and how she handled these fish, I have a little longer segment for each.
ACT IV : Tragedy & Heartbreak
Day two starts early. The last time I glanced at the clock last night, it was midnight. I wanted to get up early but Barbie, err, my new wife had just worn me out. I am on the water after lunch and the water is much flatter! Excitement slowly bleeds out into desperation as hours pass without as much as a strike from an Irish Lord.
Is it just me or does it happen to others (though maybe not this quickly) where that euphoric feeling of love seems to dissipate immediately following marriage?!?!?! No? ok, at any rate….
After 5 hours on the water and minimal sleep, I am beat. No mas. “Barbie, let’s head in!” I say. “What you are giving up?” she says with a glare that I can only describe as chilling. "We haven't even gotten a decent strike!" she cries out almost audibly.
Out in front of the parking lot, a powerboat hooks up. Then another! I don’t even recall how it happened but I swear Barbie just started fishing virtually by herself! Just as we hear the boat ahead say “it’s a dandy halibut!” Barbie bends over and starts to sing! Yah baby!!!! After a great battle up comes a ten pound halibut. I am starting to think these ten pounders are about the upper limit for Barbie.
Then a few moments later she is hooked up again!!!! It’s another king! Technical difficulties (i.e. I pushed the wrong button) and I don’t get the footage. Barbie is a little bit “Hollywood” and she was NOT happy that I missed the shot.
The furor over missing “the glamour video” was to portend the beginning of the end of what seemed like the perfect partnership.
I've been tagged out on salmon since last weeks Anchor point Derby so I say “let’s try and get our second halibut.” Right in front of the launch the rod doubles over and it’s game on!!! This is a bigger fish. Halibut for sure. This fish, will likely be forever the “Lucifer” to me. First I glanced to make sure the video is on after fighting it for a bit after the last episode with a missed shot. I notice the battery is on one bar. Dang it! I turn it off knowing this battle is going to go one for a while longer and I needed to get the kill shot. In retrospect, it was stupid. Nobody would ever believe a non continuous video of what would end up being a monster of a fish.
Maybe after 10 minutes, I see color. 20 or 25 pound maybe??? as I peer into the water. The shape just keeps getting bigger and bigger. My initial reaction was “It’s bigger than my Kodiak 105 lbs halibut!!!!!” Ok, maybe I was excited. But it was at least 75 pounds. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
I slowly work it within harpoon range and I hit it. I can feel the harpoon go all the way through. Game over for the fish...uhh...so I thought. The fish takes the A0 buoy down for about 30 seconds. Then it pops up, I start reeling to get the buoy and the fish decides to take off. It is just ripping out drag. YEEHAW!!!! That buoy will slow it down!
I glance over my shoulder and I see the buoy just floating there. I look at my reel as line peels off. I glance back at the still buoy. “Oh Oh...this isn’t good.” Better look one more time. Yup. Buoy is not going anywhere. And a few seconds later I am spooled and the fish is gone!
“what happened” plus a few expletives later, I am just crushed. To go from 100% elation thinking you had accomplished something maybe no one else had ever accomplished and lost it do to PURE stupidity. I seriously am ill thinking about it.
I can still hear Barbie just screaming at me.
“I saw you post on the forums that you have NEVER lost a halibut with a harpoon.”
“I did all the hard work and got the fish to the kayak only for you to screw it up!”
“No wonder why everyone I know refers to you behind your back as the “Effin Rudy”.
“LOSER!”
Then the words that made me consider giving up fishing….”I WANT A DIVORCE!”
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And a quickly as I was on top of the world...I found myself in fishing hell.
Sorry for the mild profanity in the video...I guess you can say it on tv and it’s a thing of beauty to hear Barbie sing. Had to keep it unedited at that point.
Epilogue
So what went wrong? I can’t say for sure but I think this is what happened. After playing with the harpoon, I was thinking my new golf club handle shaft was too light for good penetration. So I grab my commercial harpoon and put the tip on...uh...TRIED to put the tip on.
EFFIN WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT OVER!!!!!!!!!!!! It doesn’t fit on to the harpoon shaft!
I grab my golf club and it barely fits over the very tip of the shaft. So when I pushed the harpoon tip with a little force, it wedged onto the shaft. I bet I pulled the harpoon head part way back into the fish and it finally separated when the flesh caught the edges. The buoy was down for thirty seconds. It must have ripped it open during that time. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I didn’t check it as I thought they were all standard size and I am sure I have bought Danielson ones before. I almost want to check and see if they switched sizes.
So I am crushed. Brief flashes of “I am done with this fishing thing!” entered my mind but quickly dissipated.
Barbie is gone, the divorce was painful but that’s ok. She was getting a little tired and weary after delivering 4 kings and three chickens PLUS battling a monster halibut. Anti-reverse was half shot. She was already rusting after two days. Two days of a wicked good time, but by the end of Sunday, she was definitely a lot worse for wear.
One of the commenters on facebook suggested that the reason I lost the fish was the Big halibut are all female so a majority would probably prefer getting caught by Ken.. rather than Barbie. Hmmm...Can’t say I have ever seen a Ken rod. But like Barbie said “He is so Passe” I may go look for a Snoopy rod to entice the big butts!!!!
I still feel ill. But I also should point out that I am absolutely disgusted with hitting the big halibut with a harpoon and due to my failure likely wasted a very nice fish. I’m sure folks have shot a halibut off the leader or done other crazy thing. But really, had I known this was going to be the outcome, I’d rather NOT have hooked it. So what does this episode definitively prove? Conventional wisdom is WRONG! It is better to NOT have loved at all than to have loved and lost...This feeling sucks!!!!
Ok...enough...I gotta go throw up….. Then I'm going fishing!!!!! Who is in!!!!
Hate posting about no fish but maybe this will help others trying the area.
So plans for Saturday was to hit Whiskey Gulch or Homer. But there forecast is for 3 ft in Homer with 20knt winds and 5 ft in Lower Cook Inlet. Even the spot forecast was reading 3-5 ft for Lower Cook Inlet.
My alarm goes off at 3am. Weather looks nasty. Back in bed. Check again at 8am and it seems better. Not the forecast but the general wind conditions.
So off I go. Flat tire at Hope. ARGH. Back to Anchorage. Decide I can hit the low slack at Whiskey Gulch. Forecast still remains similar. Get to the beach at 6:00pm. Current is raging with the big tides. Low tide is at 9:30pm. Sunset is at 9:30pm. I want to stay close to the launch so I fight the urge to jump in the water and wait till 7pm.
Once I launch, I can hold position or move slightly up current. I stayed in front of the car basically the whole time. So at least with a Hobie, you can hold your position even on a big tide swing within 2 maybe 3 hours prior to high or low tide. The last hour and a half, I could freely do circles or move as I pleased.
Fished halibut for an hour. trolled king for two. Nothing. But you can see the water is pretty flat. Glad I went. At least I got it out of my system.
Having spent all last weekend at the Sportsman Show, I had to go fish. But the weather forecast was not looking good for Homer. Southwest winds are not fun off the spit. Cook Inlet looks rough too. Hmm... Seward looks good. Well Ya never know.
Launched at Miller's landing. Trolled around the area and out to Tonsina Creek. I told myself I was fishing for Dollies but secretly I was hoping I would discover a king. Not to be. I didn't find either. Tried deeper water for a bit. Managed a quill back rockfish.
The whole time I am thinking to myself...only if I could fish Cook Inlet...Still it was a good day.
So before I go to bed, I check the weather. Homer is still ugly. But as I use the spot map forecast, I click right off of whiskey gulch and it says "light winds, 1ft to 2ft". HUH??? I knew the swells would be fairly large even if the wind waves were small given the SW direction and the winds we have had the past few days. Still, no pain. no gain.
Leave the house at 9am. I drive through a blizzard at hope and then once again after Ninilchik. Surf looks big! But you can see the water right behind it is almost flat. Ok, gotta try it. On the water at 1pm.
It's snowing and sleeting to the point where it hurts. I'm trolling a flasher and green able herring. Started with 12oz, but lightened it up to 5oz to try shallower. One hour into the session, over 25 ft of water, my rod doubles over.
SUH-WEEEEEET!!!!!! It puts up a good battle but its no match for my halibut rod with 65lbs power pro and 80lbs flour leader. lol.
So, if I want to fish halibut, I have to go a mile off shore. The weather looks like its getting worse so I opt to head right back in. I am loaded and up the hilt 3pm. 2 hours total from launch to load. Hard to beat! Did manage to drive through a heck of a snow storm.
So make it EIGHT consecutive months I have landed a king salmon off my kayak! I have a hard time believing it. But like I said in my seminars, it really is the kayak.
The 22nd annual Homer Winter King Derby was held this weekend. This was my third year entering. The previous two years I have been blanked. The weather and fish certainly cooperated for the derby. Records were shattered in number of anglers, boats, and fish caught. The total ended up being 1,324 anglers, on 386 boats (7 kayaks) with 590 fish caught! That fish per angler was 0.45 fish per angler.
There were 3 Hobie Outbacks, two Pro Anglers, one wilderness System kayak, and a Native Propel. Two kayakers including myself entered fish. Of the seven, 5 were from "TEAM NWKA". I only got to speak to Travis on the Wilderness System. A third kayaker, Derrick (sp?) lost a fish which was unfortunate because had he landed the fish instead of being 0.29 fish per kayak angler it would have been 0.43 which would have been virtually identical to the power boats! Now THAT is pretty cool! Especially when you consider the area we fished is NOT consider a hotspot by any means and most boats traveled at least ten miles one way to get to their spots.
I pre-fished the derby on Friday. I managed a fish in the first 5 minutes of fishing but didn’t get another strike the rest of the day. I caught it on a chrome Silver Horde Coho Killer spoon behind a red/chrome Fish Flash flasher and 12oz of weght.
On derby day, I had a solid strike early but when I reeled up, 40lbs fluorocarbon had been cleanly cut off just above the spoon. I switched to herring and nothing. Switched back to a Black and White coho killer spoon and within 2 minutes had my fish on! I am starting to think the action of the spoon trumps the fishiness of herring. More reaction strike than an "eating" strike…maybe?
A strange mix of weather. Cold and breezy in the morning. Blazing sun and heat during lunch, then a few more sprinkles. But you couldn’t ask for a better time!
To add a little more kayaking flair to my story, I head out Sunday on a powerboat with friends who had gotten skunked during the derby. Four rods for 6 hours and zero strikes. Maybe my kayak really is more optimal in catching fish! Lol.
Great times, slow fishing. But who can complain!!! Thanks to the Homer Chamber and the entire community for holding this great event! We willdefinitely be back!!!!
So a fairly unedited video. My Friday and Sat fish.
A few pictures:
I should add I did manage a king on March 8 as well! Three kings in March!! Insane!!!
So I skip the Super Bowl to try and land my February King. The weather is colder than forecast hitting -8 deg F in Sterling. I was hoping it's not 20 deg colder than the forecast in Homer like it was for Sterling.
Get on the water around Noon for a 1pm High tide. Not much action on the sonar until about 3pm when I start seeing bait stack up in front of the condos. The water was siltier than usual but I began to hit some nice Pacific Cod and even a decent yellow fin sole.
The weather in homer was around 30 deg so it wasn't too bad until the winds started picking up. Probably maxed out at 15 mph winds but it was chilly!
Still how can you complain? 29.5 inches and as fat as any winter salmon I have ever caught. So I missed the Super Bowl but managed a nice king!
Used a customized fish flash flasher and red label herring. This fish marks the 6th consecutive month (Sep - Feb) I have caught and kept a king from my kayak! Seems unreal even to me!!!
The kayak is amazing in so many ways. Not only does it let me access waters that hold fish, but it is MUCH easier on the wallet and nerves to car top my kayak than it would be to trailer a 28 ft dual 150HP powerboat through the snowy mountain passes on a 450 mile round trip!
Christmas Eve. I am sicker than a dog! Everyone in the family has the flu. I am in an irritable mood, my mind far far far away from the joyous holidays. I have not gone fishing since December 6th. Over two weeks! It would be another 2 weeks or more before I feel well enough to go out fishing again.
What is an angling addict to do? During the days of wandering aimlessly around my garage looking at fishing gear, I realize I had mice. Didn’t seem to be an infestation but you can’t have mice just running amok in your garage. After a brief consultation with the boss, I am told to evict them. “Evict”? Not “terminate”?
“If you didn’’t want mice in the garage, you should keep your fishing gear more organized.” the boss says. Well that’s true so off I go to set non-lethal traps. Since I am sick and bored, I decide rather than order traps, I would make a few and see if they would work.
Though I love to fish, I have never been much into hunting or trapping. Or rather I just haven’t had the time outside of fishing to pursue other outdoor hobbies. Can an avid angler take his expertise and use it for other purposes? Was my “fishing knowledge” a positive or negative when it came to catching these mice.
Here’s my month long saga and how my angling habits both helped and hindered my effort.
Dec 31, 2014
The first trap is set. A simple cardboard box, with a hole cut out of it. Laid a piece of tissue paper over the hole with a bit of peanut butter on it. These are mice, how hard can this be? Well not too hard I thought as I watched a mouse fall into the box on video within hours of setting it. Run out to the garage to check. No Mouse. WHAT?!?! I later learn that mice can jump over ten times their body height.
12 second video:
My Fishing Lesson: Do some research prior. No sense going pike fishing without a wire leader only to hook a fish of a lifetime on your first cast and promptly lose it.
Damn….
January 1, 2015
I realize that the box trick isn’t going to work. So as typical when I get stuck on something...I ask for help. I have very few friends outside of fishing, so off I go to one of my trusted kayak forums for help. Much like with fishing questions, the suggestions vary widely. All good well intended advice.
I don’t want to make a dozen different styles, so like when I go fishing, I look at the suggestions. Are they applicable? Are they based on the posters personal experience or is it second hand advice? One forum member suggests modifying a container and using a mousetrap as the spring loaded door to trap them inside. He had apparently captured a snake years ago and that s how he captured field mice to feed them.
5 second video:
My Fishing Lesson: Learn to take in ALL information. Most of it isn’t going to be “right or wrong.” Learn to filter the info and apply it to your specific situation. You may absolutely know that a person is lying to you. That is fine. He didn’t have to give any information. Now consider why he lied? The point here is ALL information is useful, but you are responsible for filtering and choosing the path you go down.
I am terrible at building things. But my effort seems like a pretty good first effort and it was fun. But the trigger mechanism is pretty tricky. I am actually impressed with how well the triggers are engineered and how close the tolerances for placement of the wire and associated staples.
My Fishing Lesson: You can buy premade lures and equipment. It is a lot more fun and satisfying to use and succeed in catching fish with something you made yourself. BUT understand that the popular commercial brands have likely gone through the test of time and more minor things than you might think have been tweaked for better performance.
January 2, 2015
Trap is set but no love. I see mice in the area but the trap is failing to catch them. At first I thought maybe they weren’t eating the bait. Hmm….I need to learn more about these mice.
My solution: Go buy a couple and observe them.
My Fishing Lesson: It is critical to understand the behaviour of the prey.
January 3
I am getting hits on the camera but something isn’t right. I see glimpses on the edges above the bait on the rack. I figure they have to come to the bait at some point and time. But they never do. Hmm…..
Decide to switch levels and replace multiple style traps and focus on one trap in the right place.
32 second video:
My Fishing Lesson: It may feel right but you still aren’t catching, but if the direct evidence is telling you something different, ya gotta change things up. Also a focused approach always seems to do better than a shotgun approach...unless you are hunting ducks.
January 4, 2015
SUCCESS!!!
After reviewing multiple camera hits, I realize the mice are not triggering the trap despite entering. Still I get lucky and the first P.O.W. is caught!
I make a few modifications. Lighten the trigger wire. Lengthen the “trigger plate” by putting bait on the end of a wooden popsicle stick.
My Fishing Lesson: Small modifications such as sharpening your hook so less effort is required to set the hook plus or trailing the second hook farther than you normally would to catch thee short strikers can seriously up your percentage of hook ups.
January 6, 2015
I am KING of the MICE!!! Double success!!! The modification for the traps works successfully and I catch two mice!
Because the boss of the house has declared them to be legitimate enemy combatants in full uniform, I am told I must abide by the Geneva convention and house and feed them properly.
So now, I am housing three enemy combatants. Feeding them, giving them water, and even a nice little condo for their comfort.
I have three cute mice safely caught and I waste no time posting my success on facebook. I am now officially the “Master of Mice” and everyone should know! Every fisherman is an expert at one thing: Bragging about their catch!
After bragging about it, as is often the case in fishing, I can’t replicate my success even though I know I have at least one more mouse I keep seeing on the camera. 3 days go by uneventfully.
Still nature is interesting. We all know about the fight or flight response. In this video, the mice gets caught and then freezes for 14 seconds before going berserk. Interesting to see how it just lays so still.
47 second video
My Fishing Lesson: I personally think sharing your success is a good thing in fishing. But the day you get too arrogant or let your guard down, nature has a way of punishing you.
January 9th, 2015
JAILBREAK! WHAT? Are you kidding me? Ungrateful rats! Ok...mice. Friend Dave reminds me all prisoners have the right to attempt an escape according to the Geneva Convention.
I knew the cage wasn’t 100% secure. But they had been in it for several days without chewing on the plastic.
My Fishing Lesson: If your instincts tell you something can go wrong, it probably will. Listen to those warning voices in your head and most importantly take action or prepare to suffer the consequences. For example, secure your stringer. How many times have you looked at your fish stringer and thought “Hmm...I wonder if that will hold?” and then it didn’t! If you say never, you either don’t fish much or you are a liar! hahaha. It’s happened to me at least three times over 40 years.
Jan 11
SANITY! I am out fishing...on real water! I manage a small king making it five consecutive months I have caught a king from my kayak! Yah baby!
My Fishing Lesson: The only truth is fishing is that the “Fish are in the water.” If you aren’t fishing, you have a 100% chance of NOT catching a fish.
Jan 12-14
After spiking on the day of the jailbreak, the hits on the motion detecting camera fall off to one or two a day. Still I can see them glimpses of them and I know I had missed at least one prior. The discussion center around the question of whether they would leave a hostile environment and the answer was “yes...the cold outside. They aren’t leaving the garage.”
My Fishing Lesson: Instinctive nature of the fish will repeatedly cause fish to come back to similar spots. They may leave the exact area for some time but what made that area good in the first place will make it attractive to other fish and even the old ones I would think. Sometimes ya just got to rest an area.
Jan 15 & 16
My first capture after the jailbreak. Nothing really different. But by watching some of the videos, you could see them getting habituated to the traps and the chum left around the traps. At first they would only look at the chum and take off. Then they would slowly work their way onto and then finally into the trap. The entire process took 2 days.
I seem to get them in a few at a time. They stay away from the traps, and then it seems like when one finally commits, the others are willing to commit as well.
My Fishing Lesson: Fish are a lot like mice. They can learn. But I am going to give mice more credit than most fish. If you hook or disturb a fish they can be caught again. But larger more experienced fish seem to take longer to recover.
Jan 17
It’s the weekend! the weather is good! I am going fishing!!
Unfortunately for the first time in a long time, I get absolutely skunked. One massive P-cod and a one pollock. No strikes that seemed remotely like Kings.
Still I drove the mice with me to release at the first place I saw above freezing. Sorry Homer.
This was going to be my glorious good karma day. I go to dump the mice out and….uhh...maybe one mouse, even then I am not sure. I had the video running and didn’t see anything on the video but caught something out of the corner of my eye.
Roh Roh. Well they aren’t dead so I think I still deserve the good karma. Still, this story is getting old. Time to wrap it up. I think.
So no glory shots of fish or mice. ARGH.
Jan 18-19
So I think the two mice I took to Homer are out of the house. Maybe not. I continue to get motion hits but the mice are not coming anywhere near the traps. I’ll give it a few more days to see if I can get them habituated to the food again. Still the longer I wait, the greater the possibility of them breeding.
Trying to get good karma isn’t a bad thing. But like any obsession, it’s starting to interfere with my life. Sometimes you just need to make a decision about what’s more important. Unknown benefits like Karma vs known negatives about having cute fuzzy mice running around your garage.
Made a change in trap location. Mice get till the end of the week to get captured alive. Then I am going to consider lethal setups.
My Fishing Lesson: We all have superstitions, some of us may even pray for a strike. But at the end of the day, we need to focus back on to the basics and the science.
Jan 20
Finally got one mouse interested in the trap. But this one must have been caught before. It goes right up to the trigger and then avoids the trigger mechanism. Hmm. Well its starting to gain confidence as nothing happens and it pilfers the few sunflower seeds I left out. I think this one will get caught but it just needs time.
So with new intel, I better modify the trap. Need to have it trigger while it’s on the plate. I’ll need to think about this.
I also bought two commercial live traps. The design is pretty slick and super simple. My one concern is I don’t think these mice are too keen on “entering” anything. Video continues to show them hop on to the trap but not enter it. They know something is wrong.
This story is getting old. Not sure there is much more benefit from my fishing perspective. Lethal traps are waiting. I have the feeling they are going to be more effective. C’mon Karma, if you care for the mice at all, better convince them to jump into the live traps!
So now I am running two home made live traps similar to the ones shown above and one "stick" trap that is alive method.. I have two store bought traps raising my live traps to 5. Once I lay down the lethal traps, it will be interesting to see how effective they are relative to the live traps.
Jan 24
After watching mice for a 4 days with no success, it's time to say goodbye. If the tenant won't leave peacefully through live traps, then it time to go lethal. I place four lethal traps and over the course of 36 hours, manage three lethal kills.
I caught on video my first lethal kill. Didn't make me feel very good as it didn't seem to die right away. That bummed me out. I was seriously rethinking the lethal kills. Then I proceeded to watch the videos after the capture and realized I was MUCH more concerned about the lethal kill than the other mice. The dead mice's comrades were simply ignoring the dead mice. No fear but no care either. Just crawl around the dead mice like it was in the way. Funny how perspective changes things.
So I have come to realization that these mice are truly vermin that just happen to look cute. They have to go.
My Fishing Lesson: Tried and true methods have weathered the test of time. It may be more fun to try in different ways and places but its often not as productive.
Jan 25
So today, One month and one day after this saga began, I will end my story. Or at least this chapter of the story.
Battle between mice and men will continue for the rest of history. I have been impressed with the mice's wariness and intelligence. Their ability to avoid capture is really impressive. They will be around longer than mankind will.
Still it was a lot of fun to try and craft methods that would outsmart nature. I guess at the end of the day that is what we anglers strive to do every time we are out.
Of the 8 mice captured in one way or the other, only one was caught when I really didn't expect it to be caught. The others were caught typically after changing something up or actively changing trap location or bait to induce capture.
I think the lesson I learned that I would leave everyone with is "HOPE is an overused and underperforming strategy for success." Make something happen. Get more info and change something up.
