Archive for the ‘Fishing Equipment’ Category
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Wow! What a weekend! Friday, Saturday and Sunday I set up and sold compact Emmrod Fishing poles at the Great Western Sportsfishing Show in the Spokane Convention Center. There was something for everyone there. I think I had to like the big fish tank set up next to me the most. There was something special about being able to actually see fish swiming, following lures and just enjoying life in a manner that made them visible to us. The tank was about 20 feet long, six feet wide and 8 feet tall. There were several small mouth bass, several large mouth bass, at least three really nice walleye, several huge triploid trout, a couple steelhead which really went after the hookless lures used to demonstrate fishing techniques, as well as several other trout. There were also a lot of smaller fish which I never identified.
There were several bait makers, numerous British Columbia, Washington, Alaska and Oregon outfitters pushing their locations for fishing trips. I had a great conversation with a gentleman who has a family business hosting tours to Hawaii, Panama, and Costa Rica. We had a lot of shared fishing experiences to share. He was proud of his son who had a grand slam day where he caught five different marlin–black marlin, blue marlin, silver marlin and a couple more which I do not recall. There was a nice family selling Kayaks in the Sandpoint Idaho area.
Of course, I was there selling my Emmrod compact fishing poles. It was an interesting show. I sold mostly Kayak Kings. I also sold the Packer and the Packrod, both spinning and casting models. The top water tip was also a good seller with three or four of those also hitting the spot. Bass Season is almost hear and a good rod tip for those top water lures really sparked a lot of interest.
Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to put together a few stories from the show so check back from time to time. I am looking forward to the upcoming Big Horn show at the Spokane County Fairgrounds in about ten days. That will be tough as it is a four day show. If you are there, look for me by the fishing pond.
Well, that is about it for tonight. Check out my Compact Fishing system with the unbreakable stainless steel rods at www.whybuyemmrod.com or www.mycompactfishing.com
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, Central American Fishing, compact fishing, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Emmrod Fishing System, Fly fishing pole, kayak king, Pacific Ocean Fishing, Panama Fishing, The Packer
Posted in Fishing Equipment, Spokane County Fishing, Uncategorized, Why Buy Emmrod Fishing System? | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
You do not normally start a story with the punch line, but this time, we will. The answer is: In capitalism, as we all know, Man exploits Man. In Communism, it is the other way around. (AKA Man exploits Man.)
So, knowing how the joke ends, I want to explain the difference between a true believer and someone who found it the convenient path.
Whilst working on the POW/MIA investigations, I spent many hundreds of hours in circumstances where we had nothing to do but wait. Wait for a drive to be over, wait for this that or the other chairman or witness or guide to show up. Or, we spent many hours in dinners and parties or events involved with our work. For one who hates the sounds of silence, that means lots of talking. For a guy who loves to argue about politics, that means lots of arguing. Where better for an ardent capitalist to argue than in the Vietnam of the late 1980’s?
One of my favorite guys was Ngo Hoang. I have to tell you, I still have a lot of fondness for this old man who had lots and lots of history under his belt. At the time of this event, he would have been in his early sixties. We had worked together for about 18 months and knew each other well. We discussed this that and the other thing and were pretty free with each other in that few topics were off limits. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, one of his jobs was to convert the captured French soldiers to the joys of communism. He was pretty successful from what I hear. As a Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee, his English was reasonably good and my marginal Vietnamese filled any holes he had.
We were enjoying a good-by, end of the investigation joint team meal in Saigon before returning to Thailand and he and I began a discussion on the differences between Capitalism and Communism. We discussed the stock market, the investment of the worker (time) vice the investment of the owner (time, money, capital) and the correctness of making a profit on the labor of others which he denied. We argued through the aperitif, the main course, and finally the desert. Finally, I posed the question above to him. At the point where I explained that capitalism involved Man exploiting Man, he said with conviction “YES, YES, YES!”
When I said in communism it is the other way around, he exploded “NO, NO, NO!!!” That was the only time I ever got him hot and he was hot! He took out a cigarette stuck it in his mouth and lit the filter. You see, Mr. Hoang was a believer. He understood the problems with the difference in the theory and the practice which we had discussed. Yet, he had spent his life promulgating this doctrine and struggled with the growing reality that it did not work.
Now we fast forward to another co-worker of this time frame. Mr. Dich. Mr. Dich had ridden the party as a convenience. He had served the party and the party had served him. I never saw the ideological love which I saw in Mr. Hoang. He HAD paid his dues. As a young man, he had participated in a brutal truly remarkable (from a soldier to a soldier) march from Hue to Dien Bien Phu to provide reinforcements to the Communists fighting the French leading up to the final fall of the outpost. He was wounded in this battle via grenade shrapnel in his leg. He showed me the damage from the wound which 40 plus years or so later was still ugly. He had participated as a party secretary at the Paris Peace Talks in 1972/1973 which resulted in the US withdrawal from Vietnam. My Friend Bill Bell indicates in his book that Mr. Dich may have been involved in assassinations at one point in his career. I do not find that hard to believe. Whereas Mr. Hoang was personable and debonair and a mixer, Mr. Dich was morose, and kept to himself far more. He was a bit grumpier than most of the people we worked with. Being a diplomat, I was able to get along with Mr. Dich fairly well.
On this particular trip, we were in the Ashau-Aloui valley. The north end of this valley was made famous by the movie Hamburger Hill. The terrain was brutal, the malaria which infested the area was a particularly vicious form of cerebreal Malari. The mountains were vertical. In short, the main benefit the area had was the multitude of fish ponds created by the B52 bombing of the area during the war. A couple memories of that trip were the horribly scarred face of the noseless man who was burned almost to death when he tried to open up an unexploded bomb to get the phospherous and to obtain the metal for recycling. He messed up and the bomb went off in a fizzling sort of way. I still can see his face.
I also remember coming down a stream bed where we scaled the walls at the edge of several 100 foot waterfalls. Mr. Dich followed me in the file and I put his feet in cracks and handed him vines all the way down. (Mr. Dich was about 60 at the time of that event and mountain climbing was not in his job description. He stayed in the hotel the next day and we went out without him.)
One evening, we were resting after the day’s work talking about the war–a discussion worth its own story–and I popped the Man VS Man story on him. I tried Vietnamese, I tried English. My team leader, Gary Smith, tried Spanish which they both spoke. He just did not get it. I think one of the team members spoke a bit of French which Mr. Dich spoke well. Still nothing. Later, as we moved towards Hanoi, we stopped for a lunch break. Mr. Dich was in a particularly grumpy mood and was sitting off by himself. I went over and sat down with him and tried to cheer him up. Finally I got out a paper and wrote out the joke. When I visually moved the front man to the back man place and vice versa, the lights came on! Mr. Dich, in his high pitched voice said in amazement, “The SAME, They’re the SAME!” He saw the light! He KNEW the truth! He reveled in it, he rolled in it and laughed out-loud.
For the next three days as we drove from central Vietnam to Hanoi, he sat in the back seat and every once in a while, he would start tapping his knee, smile and say, “The Same! They’re the Same!”
You see, Mr. Dich was pragmatic and moved with the flow. When communism was what worked, he was fine with it. As the country began moving to a more open economy, and these were the very early stages of that move, he could move with it. Mr. Hoang, on the other hand, was a true, orthodox believer and while I believe he saw the truth of the statement, found it brutally hard to bear.
In any case, both men were very interesting and I look back at my association with them with happiness. It was a good work and we as former enemies were able to work together to achieve some measure of success for our respective countries.
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Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, compact fishing, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Emmrod fishing systems, Fishing fun, Fly fishing pole, kayak king, Pow/MIA, Vietnam
Posted in Fishing Equipment, Vietnam | 14 Comments »
Friday, February 26th, 2010
In Nov 1969, I won the lottery! It changed the course of my life. I would have pursued a living in horticulture. The lottery changed all of that. Yes, I won that all expenses paid, thankfully, round trip airline ticket. Which one, you might ask? The one to Vietnam, I would answer. Thirteen months later, I got down from the bus at Fort Puke, Diseaseville, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, Louseyana. (Fort Polk, Leesville, Louisiana.) Basic training, interrogation school, a year of Vietnamese language class and it was on that plane to Vietnam. July 1972, touchdown at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, Vietnam.
In a sense, it was not all new. It was, after all, Asia! Hot! Humid! Dirty! Polluted! Busy! All that was typical with much of my life growing up in the Philippines. On the other hand, the people were smaller and thinner. The noise of war, a bit louder just outside the city limits but also constant in a muted way within the city, made a background soundtrack. Not obtrusive, not overwhelming, but, there. In town, the three wheeled cyclos both motorized and peddle driven vied for space with the taxis, the ugly duckling citroynes, the bicycles, the people, the overloaded motorcycles and push tricycle goods transporters. On top of it all the airhorns of a thousand duce and a half trucks blaring their right of way through the mass. This was offset by the strangeness of this new life. One of the earliest memories I had was my first shower at the Ton San Nhut airport repo depot where we were billeted until we received our assignment. The shower was a big half open building with an open shower bay. As I stood there washing off the grime and sweat of a long trip, I was shocked to see the laundry lady and her teen age daughter walk in, squat down two shower heads away and start to hand wash some clothes. Thankfully, I was highly lathered. I quickly finished my shower and got out of there. This was new and strange.
For what reason, I do not know, I was sitting in an administrative room a day or two later and in walks this tall thin man in civilian clothes. He asked the clerk if he had any 97 Deltas (An intelligence field clerk.) The clerk said, all he had was me. The civilian asked what my field was. “Interrogator, 96C,” I said. ”Can you type?” he asked. “Yes Sir, 65 words per minute.” “That’s close enough for me,” he said.
I worked for this unit for the next nine months. It was great! I shared a hotel room with two guys. Leon C. who worked with me and some other guy I never saw in the nine months we lived together. I guess he had a gal he actually lived with, but, he had to keep the room. I have to say, his part of the room was always neat!
Initially, we all worked in a large part of the ground floor of a hotel near our billet. But, shortly after I got there, we moved our office to General Westmoreland’s old quarters. It was a small house which was nice. We cooked many of our meals there and our small group of five or six men worked long and hard at our assigned duties.
Here are some snapshots of my 9 months there:
The hotel I lived in was just down the street from another hotel the Viet Cong had bombed. They had driven a vehicle packed with explosives up to the door and detonated it destroying the hotel and killing a number of people. Because of that, the front of our hotel was heavily sandbagged. I recall one 90 pound guard who would not let anyone stop including an American CIA operative who showed up on a motorcycle one night. The guard locked and loaded his shotgun, fired into the air and the guy parked down the road and walked back. He was pretty hot, identified himself and was able to move his motorcycle into the protected area. I felt he was pretty arrogant and thought the guard had done a great thing.
The guy who hired me was known for his wild driving. His nick name was Crash K—f. (I will protect the guilty). One day, Gary B. (God rest his soul.) who looked and comported himself somewhite like a French Painter described a harrowing ride with Crash from the office to Tan Son Nhut Airport. They left with about ten minutes to takeoff time. The drive was at least an 18 minute drive for most people. “Gary said, I couldn’t believe it! Sidewalks, ditches, the wrong side of the road, horn blaring all the way. Three chickens, two ducks and maybe a puppy dead. I had my eyes closed when I wasn’t screaming. I almost pooped my pants and am sure I peed them a bit. BUT we made it with two minutes to spare!” I bumped paths with Gary on and off for the next ten to twelve years and recall him fondly.
Bob Hope and the Miss America crew came through along with Ann Margaret as I recall. After about six months of seeing the relatively thin, short Vietnamese women, I walked out of a hotel as the retinue of American Beauties was walking into the hotel. What Giants! I thought. I went to the Bob Hope show, but, it did not do much for me. There was a huge, packed crowd there though and I appreciate his groups willingness to put themselves in harms way to provide a taste of home to us.
There are many more recollections, some vague, some fuzzy, some sharp, some painful and many happy. As time permits, I will try to bring some of them to life for a few moments.
In the meantime, if you are a fisherman, woman or child or know a fisherman, woman or child, you can help support this blog by visiting the www.WhyBuyEmmrod.com, www.MyCompactFishing.comsite (Same site, just different roads.) Check out the Emmrod Packer, The Emmrod Mountaineer, The Emmrod Stream Master Fly Rod and the many other great products there. Thanks for stopping by. Dave Atherton
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, canoe fishing, compact fishing, compact fishing pole, compact fishing rod, Emmrod, Emmrod Fishing System, Emmrod fishing systems, Fishing fun, Fly fishing pole, fun fishing, kayak fishing, mountainer, The Kayak King, The Packer
Posted in Fishing Equipment, Vietnam | 4 Comments »
Friday, February 19th, 2010
Greetings to all! This blog is going to be about 90 percent plagiarized! The information is just too cool to pass up. I was researching Eloika Lake, a Lake near my home and found a great data sheet on Spokane County, Washington Lakes. I am going to paste it below.
I like Eloika Lake a lot and am working at getting to know it better this year. The ice is mostly off the lake already–at least the south end and the east side of the lake. The west side and North gets a lot of protection from the sun so according to a gentleman I met there this week (Mid February) who had a boat and was out fishing there was still a lot of ice to the west and the north. It is going fast. He had tried many places and had not had a single hit.
The lake itself is still pretty frigid! I know, I slipped and got my feet soaked. I have fished there the past couple weeks for an hour or so as the afternoon slipped away. One tiny nibble. Watching the water, there is very little movement of fish surfacing so I guess they may still just be hanging out in their little fish beds with their little fish blankets pulled up to their chins and their little night caps pulled down over the gills waiting for it to warm up! So, without further silliness on my part, here is the great list I found listing Spokane County, Washington Lakes.
This is a great start document. Reading through it, much of the information appears to be older so I would strongly recommend checking online for current access and conditions. Some of the lakes had no information and I have sought that elsewhere. Where I could find it, that info is in Italics.
Lakes in Spokane County
Amber Lake (117 acres)
Selective gear rules are designed to create a quality fishery at this popular rainbow and cutthroat trout fry-planted lake 11 miles southwest of Cheney. Electric motors are allowed. The trout daily limit from the last Saturday in April through September 30 is two fish over 14 inches. Anglers must release all trout with a missing adipose fin — only unmarked trout may be retained as part of the legal limit. There is an additional catch-and-release only season from October 1 to November 30. Amber has a public access.
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Badger Lake (244 acres)
This lake 12 miles south of Cheney on the Cheney-Plaza Road was rehabilitated in the fall of 1995. It receives rainbow trout fry each spring. Fishing should be excellent this year. A Mayfly hatch later in the season usually provides great dry fly fishing. Badger has a public access. Open season is from the last Saturday in April through September 30. Disabled accessibility � level 1. WCT, Blk Tpa, level.
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Bailey Lake is totally surrounded by a private gated community (private lake) and is a no motor lake. This lake is 11 acres and is stocked with fish for its community members fishing pleasure. The lakes is 5-10′ deep and 15′ at its deepest; its a nice little sailing lake as well. No Motorized boats permitted. As a licensed realtor, I will be happy to help you purchase a property in this subdivision so you can fish here!
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Bear lake (34 acres)
Located in a county park off Highway 2 about half-way between Spokane and Newport, this lake offers largemouth bass, perch, and planted rainbow trout. Bear Lake changes from juveniles-only to family fishing rules on May 1, 2000: Only juveniles or licensed adults accompanied by a juvenile are allowed to fish. Check with the regional office in Spokane for details. Access depends on whether or not the county park is open. Open season is from the last Saturday in April through October.
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Bonnie Lake
This lake is located SE from Cheney about 15 miles on Cheny-Plaza Road, then go south 1 1/2 miles on a private road.Bonnie Lake has Bass, Crappie, Perch,Sunfish and Catfish.
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Chapman Lake (146 acres)
This lake has a late closure so you can take advantage of good action on its large mouth and small mouth bass then. Chapman also provides good catches of rainbow trout and kokanee, with a generous kokanee limit; check the regulations pamphlet for details. Open season runs from the last Saturday in April through October 31.
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Clear Lake (375 acres)
This spring’s plants of yearling rainbow and brown trout, along with fall fry plants of both, should provide good action. This lake has also been selected to receive a bonus plant of large triploid rainbow trout (averaging 1-1/2 pounds apiece). These sterile fish can grow to trophy size if not harvested. A good largemouth bass fishery is available here as well. Located two miles south of the town of Medical Lake, Clear Lake has resorts and a public access on the south end. Low water conditions can make launching trailered boats very difficult. Small car-top boats, rafts and canoes are recommended. Open season is from the last Saturday in April through October 31.
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Cooks Lake Maybe in Pend Orielle County. Could not find any information.
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Downs Lake (225 acres)
With a mild late winter, anglers can count on large mouth bass, perch, and other warm water fish here, along with stocked rainbow and brown trout. Downs warms up earlier than other area lakes because it’s located in the southwest corner of the county (partially in Lincoln County). There is a resort with a small boat launch. Open season runs from the last Saturday in April through September 30.
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Eloika Lake (660 acres)
Perch, large mouth bass and crappie in the spring and fall are the best bets at this year-round fishery, located 7 miles north of Chattaroy off the Newport Highway. A few 4- to 6-pound large mouth bass will be caught, but because it takes 8 to 11 years for them to reach that size, many anglers voluntarily practice catch-and-release. Some brown trout yearling plants are made, and a few eastern brook trout are also available. Eloika has several resorts with launches, and a public access south of Gray’s Landing. Open year-round. Jerry’s Landing and the public landing is nice and new.
July 28, 2010 update. Eloika Lake has been a bit slow but looked like the water was turning. Crappie and bass both doing ok. Check out Jerry’s Landing 41114 North Lake Shore Road Elk, WA 99009-8743 (509) 292-2337 for the current status. They carry all the bait and emergency supplies including fat pills that you might need. Boats, cabins for rent as well. Brought to you by: http://www.mycompactfishing.com/compact-fishing-products.html
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Fish Lake (47 acres)
Rehabilitated in fall of 1998, Fish Lake will be planted with 15,000 catchable-size brook trout, 2,000 brood brook trout, plus fry brook trout in April and May of 1999. The lake will provide excellent fishing. Located 2-1/2 miles northeast of Cheney on the Cheney-Spokane Hwy, access is via county park property. Gasoline-powered boats are not allowed. Open season runs from the last Saturday in April through September 30.
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Hog Canyon Lake (53 acres)
Also known as Hog Lake, the winter-only season here should produce nice catches of rainbow trout to 10 or 11 inches. Rehabilitated in fall of 1998, Hog Canyon was restocked with catchable and fry rainbows during spring of 1999 and 2000. Dam construction has been completed, and this water levels should be at a maximum for the winter 2000 season. To find this lake 10 miles northeast of Sprague, take the Fishtrap Lake exit from I-90. Check the regulations pamphlet for winter season and catch limits.
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Horseshoe Lake (68 acres)
A shallow lake 10 miles west of Nine Mile Falls, Horseshoe gets annual plants of rainbow trout to provide some fair fishing early in the season. Open all year.
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Liberty Lake (711 acres)
Although large mouth bass, perch and other warm water species dominate here, yearling and brood stock rainbow trout and yearling brown trout are planted. This lake has also been selected to receive a bonus plant of large triploid rainbow trout (averaging 1-1/2 pounds apiece). These sterile fish can grow to trophy size if not harvested. Walleyes have been planted and may be of legal size by now. Liberty is just 15 miles east of Spokane at the town of Liberty Lake. Public access is available. Disabled accessibility � level surfaces, can fish from bank at access. Open season runs from the last Saturday in April through September 30.
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Long Lake (5020 acres)
This is actually a reservoir on the Spokane River, created by a hydroelectric dam 23 miles northwest of town. It provides good large mouth bass, perch, crappie, and bullhead fishing, plus an occasional northern pike. Planted catchable-size brown trout are also taken, and small mouth bass have been stocked. Long Lake is open year-round and has several resorts, plus a DNR camp and boat launch off the Nine Mile Falls road.
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Mason Lake is a Lake in the state of Washington (county of Spokane), located at latitude – longitude coordinates (also known as lat-long or GPS coordinates) of N 47.35183 and W -117.76632. Mason Lake is shown in the center of the topographic (topo) map, which is sourced from the United States Geographical Survey map USGS Fishtrap Lake quad. The nearest major town is Edwall, WA. No real information available on conditions.
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Medical Lake (149 acres)
This selective gear rules lake is open during a limited season in compliance with local ordinances of the town of Medical Lake. Brown trout are the target here, with regular plants providing catches in the 15-inch range. Check the pamphlet for any special regulations.
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Newman Lake (1200 acres)
This lake 14 miles east of Spokane on Highway 290 has something for everybody: largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, perch, catfish, plus some rainbow, brown and eastern brook trout. The lake has also been selected to receive a bonus plant of large triploid rainbow trout (averaging 1-1/2 pounds apiece). These sterile fish can grow to trophy size if not harvested. In addition, Newman has been stocked with tiger muskies, with a one-fish, 36-inch minimum size limit; please check your regulations pamphlet for details. There is public access on the east shore, and resorts. Year-round open season. Disabled accessibility � Level 1. 3 WCTs, Blk Tpa, level, good WC accessibility.
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North Silver I believe this is part of the Silver Lake system at Medical Lake. This is a good spiny ray lake. I have heard late summer fish do not taste that great.
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Queen Lucas Lake No significant information available. Small Lake between the rail roads.
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Ring Lake Another small lake south of Medical Lake. No Data on access or fishing available.
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Silver Lake (486 acres)
This lake receives a small plant of catchable-size rainbow trout. Because of a large tench population, fishing is expected to be poor for trout. Silver has several resorts and public access on the north shore. Open year-round.
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Spokane Lake Nice information at this web site: http://www.riversidestatepark.org/lake_spokane.htm.
Aka Long Lake, Lake Spokane.
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West Medical Lake (235 acres)
Rainbow trout fry plants, plus catchable-size plants in the spring will provide good fishing for the April opener. This lake has also been selected to receive a bonus plant of large triploid rainbow trout (averaging 1-1/2 pounds apiece). Winter aeration and lots of moisture have greatly improved the outlook for this popular water located about a mile west of the town of Medical Lake. Minimal irrigation withdrawals are critical to annual fish survival and related recreation. Because of expanding goldfish and pumpkinseed sunfish populations, West Medical is scheduled to be rehabilitated in the fall of 2000. The lake has a resort and west shore public access. Open season runs from the last Saturday in April through September 30. Disabled accessibility � Level 1.DP, 2 WCTs, Blk Tpa, level, Blk Tpa paths to bankside fishing area. Excellent WC fishing site highly recommended for HC/WC persons.
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Williams Lake (319 acres)
Williams Lake was rehabilitated in the fall of 1995. It is planted with rainbow trout fry annually. Good fishing is expected this year. The Mayfly hatch in mid-May is usually the peak fishing time. Located 12 miles southwest of Cheney via Mullinex Road, it has public access on the northwest shore and several resorts. Shallow water some seasons may limit access for larger boats at the public access site. The lake also has two full-service resorts. Open season is from the last Saturday in April through September.
Here is the web site from which I obtained this information: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/nwfishing/
There you go. A lot of great places to take your Emmrod Compact Fishing System and have a great day! Check out the different products available to you at www.WhyBuyEmmrod.com or www.MyCompactFishing.com
Tags: Bass, Brook Trout, compact fishing, Compact fishing equipment, Eloika Lake, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Emmrod Fishing System, Emmrod fishing systems, Fishing fun, Fishing In Spokane County, Rainbow Trout, Spokane County, Spokane County lakes, Sting Ray Fishing, Sun Fish, Sunfish, The Packer
Posted in Emmrod, Fishing, Fishing Equipment, Spokane County Fishing, Why Buy Emmrod Fishing System? | 28 Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
I lived in the little town of Maili, Ohau Island, Hawaii from 1985 to 1992. I was gone mucht of that time on the road to South East Asia (SEA) but made time to go fishing when I was home. We lived five houses from the main highway that circled the Island, almost. On the far side of the highway was a beautiful beach and the ocean. It does not get more convenient than that!
My pole was about ten feet long and I used a large open face spinning reel. I had a large swivil at the end of the line, then put a leader with a weight on it and threw it out as far as possible, maybe a 120 feet or so. The weight would normally hang up in the rocks so you could have a good tight line that would not be thrown back up onto the beach by the wave action. When you had a hit, the lighter line attached to the weight would break and you could fight your fish. I baited my nice sized hook with a long strip of squid or eel, and put a heavy duty leader on it that was tied to a swivil type clip. After clipping the baited hook and leader to the line, it would work its way out to sea until it hit the larger swivel at the end of the line. After getting it all set I up, I placed the pole in a holder stuck in the sand, hooked a bell to the line, picked up a book, pretended to read it while I watched the girls and waited for the bell to ring.
Most of the times, the bell did not ring. Long Line fishing was in a state of flux with many long liners plying the close in waters. (See my blog on long line fishing.) Yet one day, the bell went nuts! I grabbed the pole and jerked it back with some strength. For the next 45 minutes or so, I fought something, but had no idea what it was. I just knew I was getting tired. Meanwhile a big crowd of people gathered on the top of the berm behind me waiting to see what monster I had hooked. Finally, it showed in the surf near the beach. A HUGE turtle!
No way! I can’t keep it, even though they make great soup and the shells look great in combs. But even worse, it is illegal to hurt them or do anything to them. On the other hand, if I just cut the line, it will be a death penalty for the turtle eventually. So, I just kept fighting it hoping to get close enough to use my pliers to remove the hook or at least cut the line very close to the turtle so it won’t strangle in it.
All of a sudden, there was a big wave and my line was slack. I was SO happy, the big one got away! I think everyone on the beach sighed a sigh of relief with me. Go back to the wild, lay a lot of eggs and avoid the turtle eaters in life.
I do think, if I had been using my Emmrod Packer, with a bait casting reel and a gulf master tip, I would likely have been able to land it. So, I guess we just need to be happy they were not invented at that time! But, if you are going to fish for some large fish, read the earlier story on Mel and look at some of the heavy duty options on my website which can be reached at any of these addresses:
www.mycompactfishing.com, www.Emmrodfishingfun.com, www.emmrodfishing.info, www.whybuyemmrod.com, www.emmrodeastwashington.com, www.emmrodfunstore.com, www.emmrodidaho.com, www.emmrodfun.com
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, Barracuda, compact fishing, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Emmrod Fishing System, Emmrod fishing systems, Fishing fun, kayak king, ocean fishing, Pacific Ocean Fishing, Philippines. Emmrod
Posted in Environmental issues, Fishing, Fishing Equipment, Fishing and Hawaii experiences | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
When we first moved to Hawaii in 1985, we lived temporarily in a condominium on the far west end of Oahu Island. We were about a half mile from the end of the road. Where the road ended was about a mile walk from the northwest tip of Oahu and not that far from the big wave surf beaches of the North Shore. But, this story is not about surfing. My only story about that involved a brief stop in Oahu in 1969. I stopped for a day or two on the way back from high school in Manila to live with my uncle, aunt and cousin in Birmingham, Alabama. One stop was at Waikiki to hang out with some of my classmates who had also stopped there. I borrowed a surf board from a guy. Saw the wave coming, climbed on the board, the wave arrived, the wave went, and the board sank. Story of my life!
This is about fishing. I really did not have a clue about HOW to fish for anything, but, I found a likely spot, went out about 8 pm, and fished for an hour or two. The only thing I managed to get was a snarly Morey eel. Dude was NOT a lady! It was ugly as sin. I had heard these could be skinned and cut into long strips which were great for Ulua fishing. This is a big eyed Jack that weighs over ten pounds if I recall correctly. Mostly we saw the babies which were Papio. So, I kept it.
By the time I got home, I was really tired. Instead of taking time to clean it, I just put it in a sauce pan, put the lid on it and stuck it in the fridge. I headed towards bed but got to worrying. My wife gets up way before I do. I did not think she would be filled with joy and thanksgiving at her husband’s great hunting prowess. Also, my wife is from Thailand and most things that look like snakes from that part of the world are not something with which normal people want anything to do. I went back and wrote a note and taped it to the pot lid.
IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS POT, YOU WON’T GET THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS SCARED OUT OF YOU!
I think she actually opened it. Due to the warning, she was not scared. On the other hand, she was not impressed with “Today’s Catch.”
I did skin it and use it to try to catch some fish. Caught some little ones, but nothing to write home about.
As a point of interest, due to the coral and rock and lava on the ocean floor, you could not put the hook on the end of the line and the weight up higher. We would put a large swivil on the line with the leader above the swivil and capabile of sliding up and down the line a bit. Then, we would put a lighter line below the swivil with a weight at the end. We expected to loose the weight as that would catch in the rocks and the weight leader would break letting you recover your hook and any fish that might be on it. If the weight was above the hook, you would likely loose the entire rig and most importantly, the fish. At times, you would cast out and set the weight in the rocks, then, hook the leader with the bait on the line and let it float down to the swivil. Typically, we would park the pole in a holder in the sand of the beach, put a bell on the pole, sit down and read a book, cook or sleep until the bell rang.
To use the Emmrod fishing system like I used to fish, I would use the Gulf Master or the Gulf Master II. You can check these out at www.MyCompactFishing.com or www.WhyBuyEmmrod.com
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, big eyed jack, compact fishing, dock fishing, Emmrod, Emmrod Fishing System, Emmrod fishing systems, Fishing fun, hawaii, Makaha Hawaii, morey eel, night fishing, ocean fishing, Pacific Ocean Fishing, Papio, waianae Hawaii
Posted in Fishing, Fishing Equipment, Fishing and Hawaii experiences | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
My last duty station in the military was at Barbers Point, Hawaii. In 1987 and a bit of 1988, I worked part time as a night watchman on a dry dock just outside of Barbers point. In and of itself, there are quite a few interesting stories to tell about that. This dry dock was involved in making the decorations depicting bomb strikes on the vessles used to film “Winds of War.” That was neat to see. Then, there was the huge sailboat we had in the dock for about six months while we cleaned it up and fixed the break in the keel which was caused by not blocking it correctly. At least, that is what the owners said. Then, there were other boats that came and went including a submarine which was also used in the movie.
Now, those things are neat, but not the reason why you take a low paying night time job. You take it because these little man made bays off the ocean are prime breeding areas for all kinds of fish. On top of that, you have a huge spotlight at your disposal to draw the fish to the good ol’ fishing hole. We had so much fun fishing there.
I have tried to recall and look up names of fish we frequently caught and have struggled on both accounts. There was a large eyed Jack we called Papio. I think when it got over five or ten pounds we called it ulua. What we caught off the end of the dock was Papio. These were a nice silver fish that tasted great. When they hit, the really fought and were great fun to catch. They tended to school with a reddish colored fish whose name I could not locate. It too tasted quite nice. If you caught an eight inch fish of either type, we figured they were pretty big. Then, there was the Oio. This is a Ladyfish or Bonefish. These were really fun. They looked a bit like Walleyes and were typically 18 to 24 inches long. You cleaned these fish by “Spooning” them. To do this you cut off the tail about an inch into the fish. Then, you took a large spoonand gradually worked the meat out the cut end of the fish. It would squirt out like toothpast. Then, you took the bowlful of meat and mixed it up with eggs and other spices and vegetables and made deep fried meatballs from it.
My FAVORITE fish to catch was the Hammerheads. They were about two feet long and fought like crazy. It would take about 20 minutes to land each one. The interesting thing about these fish was they stunk to heaven. But, if you gutted them and let them hang in the water overnight, they cleaned right up and you had some very good meet with no bones. MMM MMM MMM! If you ever fish for hammerheads, be very careful of their teeth and skin. The first one I caught sliced me like a razor and the skin is like an 80 grit sandpaper so handle with care.
I just wish I had had my Emmrod fishing poles back then. It would have been so easy to put all my gear in a little bucket and have it convenient to go fishing. The packer to bring in those guys you caught with bait and the kayak king to go after the Oio and Hammerheads by spinning. Yes sir, if the opportunity to get a job on a dry dock presents itself, jump for it!
I am going to put in a word of caution. I am not sure how healthy these fish were. Who knows what kind of impact those rusting hulks we cleaned up had on the water in there. But, my last kid was born after we ate a lot of these fish and I was not able to sell him to the circus. On the contrary, he has his Mother’s good looks, His father’s wife’s intelligence, graduated from Whitworth University summa cum laude and is now teaching English for the Japanese Government in Japan.
Check out the Emmrod fishing system at www.MyCompactFishing.com, www.Emmrodfishingfun.com, www.emmrodfishing.info.
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, dry dock, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Emmrod fishing systems, Fishing fun, hawaii, night fishing, ocean fishing, Pacific Ocean Fishing, Philippines. Emmrod
Posted in Emmrod, Environmental issues, Fishing, Fishing Equipment, Fishing and Hawaii experiences | 2 Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
I’m not telling you to throw away your other fishing poles but, you just might!
How many kinds of hammers are there? Carpenter, Jeweler, at least 3 kinds of ball pien, rubber, Claw, club, sledge, joiner’s mallet, and so on. Is any one better than the other or more or less of a hammer than the other? No, each is a tool designed for its special functions. We can say the same for pliers, irons, golf clubs, cars, trucks and fishing poles. That leads us to Emmrod!
There are as many fishing poles as you can imagine, in fact there are about half a dozen different basic Emmrod fishing poles! With mixing and matching parts, you can create an even larger pool of choices! So, what makes Emmrod Special?
DURABILITY! This pole just does not break! The Rod part of the pole is Made in USA Stainless Steel. Other parts are made in around the world and assembled in Spokane Washington by a Family owned and operated business. Great care is given to make sure each pole meets the highest standards. The company has been in business building these poles almost a decade and has actively listened to their customers and made changes to continually improve the Emmrod Fishing System. We back up Emmrod with a great guarantee!
COMPACTABILITY! One of the biggest problems with fishing is the hassle of getting from your house to your boat or river bank to fish. With each additional person that problem increases. How many times have you broken your rod slamming it in the door, driving over it, or stepping on it? How many times has your wife had an additional ear piercing from your favorite hook on a pole squeezed between you as you drive? With Emmrod, you can literally put an entire family’s fishing gear in a small backpack! No hassle in dis-assembly or reassembly. Ladies, if your husband does not support you in your fishing hobby, keep in mind, the Packer easily fits in a midsized purse. You can tell him “Honey, I am off to the mall” and he will never know you went fishing!
PACKABILITY! We talk about less clutter and space. That is so important for the hunter, backpacker, Extreme Fisher, survivalist or airplane pilot or crew member who wants a surival pack or anyone who wants to be able to have a lot of capability but does not have room or weight allowances to permit taking a lot of equipment. The Packer breaks down to about 12 inches of space and just a few ounces of weight! Other models breakdown into different sizes but all are very compact.
ADAPTABILITY! How many times have you cursed the fact you have to drag three or four different poles to your favorite fishing area to accommodate the different types of fishing you are going to do? With Emmrod, you may still want to take some different poles, fly fishing pole, bait casting reel pole and spinning pole for example, but, they all fit into a much smaller bag and you can buy several different rod tips to vary your fishing pleasure.
CASTABILITY! The Packer is a 2 foot pole with the action of a 6 to ten foot rod. The spring assist in the stainless steel rod and the minimal number of eyes, usually just one, so reduces friction on the line that you can match or exceed the casting capability of much longer rods. You can cast over head or from the side and in places where there just is no room to handle a long pole.
SHOOTABILITY! What? We are not hunting! True! But, when we fish, often we find ourselves in a place where standard casting is just not going to work. Even underhand casting may be difficult. In these cases, you can grab the end of your pole, bend it back, aim and let her fly. This will work easily up to and sometimes farther than 50-60 feet! Obviously, how heavy the weight is and how much you practice are factors.
HOOKABILITY! I know, just like most of my “Bility” words, this is not a word either, but you understood it! In virtually any use, the spring in the rod helps set the hook, but, in trolling, ice fishing or any use where the pole is not held in your hand, we see this magnified. The fish bites and pulls the rod, the spring pulls back and Mr. Fin is on the line!
DECLUTTERABILITY! I mentioned this in the compatibility paragraph, but, just think how much happier the non-fishing spouse is going to be when all of the gear shrinks down to a drawer or bucket or two instead of taking up the entire garage ceiling or wall space. Be it the garage, the car or the boat, being able to pack a family’s worth of fishing gear in a small spaceis going to make everyone happier. No tripping, no breaking, no huge packinging or unpacking hassles. Less time getting ready, more time fishing!
FUNABILITY! Everything about the Emmrod is designed to give you more time fishing and better luck fishing. The less time in take down or set up or packing, the more time fishing. The more accurately you place your bait, the more you catch. The more durable your fishing system, the less you spend. Add it all together, more time fishing at less expensereally equals a lot more fun. After-all, fun is what fishing is all about!
My Web Sites: www.MYCOMPACTFISHING.COM www.Emmrodfun.com www.Emmrodfunstore.com www.EmmrodIdaho.comet.al.
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, backpack fishing, compact fishing, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Emmrod Fishing System, Fishing fun, florida fishing, Fly fishing pole, kayak king, mountainer, ocean fishing, Pacific Ocean Fishing, Panama Fishing, Philippines. Emmrod, small fishing poles, survival fishing, The Packer
Posted in Emmrod, Fishing Equipment, Uncategorized, Why Buy Emmrod Fishing System? | 46 Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Back in late 1975, I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. This was a pretty good assignment for a regular military job. I was lucky and spent most of my 26 years with Uncle Samuel in off the wall jobs out of the mainstream of routine military life. I did not really enjoy the 5 am Physical Torture (PT) sessions and spending 12 hours a day doing a job that could be done in much less time. Never-the-less, for a regular military job, it was pretty good with a number of out of the ordinary jobs to keep it fun. One of these was a three month trip to Panama. This was before President Carter did the unthinkable and gave up the Canal Zone. So many stories to tell about such a short period of time.
There was Rock Hunting because of the candy store nature of rocks in this area. Agates, amethyst crystals, quartz crystals, petrified wood, petrified coral. The list is really endless. As a rock hound, I was in heaven! Also my good friend PSLW and his family were there so that was good. He and I were in the same unit in Vietnam, then Thailand so it was great to reunite. The work was really fun and interesting too. But, the FISHING!!! We were on the Pacific side of the Ismuths which means we were on the side with great fish. I fished off the shore and caught some nice fish. Considering I did not know what I was doing that was great. I also broke a tip on a borrowed rod. Very embarrassing. (You can save yourself some embarrassment by getting an Emmrod fishing system where you are just not going to break the rod tips! Check them out at www.MyCompactFishing.com )
The crowning joy of the trip was a weekend fishing excursion. First day was a total bust. I probably chummed a good part of the journey by giving up what I had eaten the previous couple days. The fish did not like it either. But, that night, we hove to at some island getaway. We had a collective bet. Whoever caught the biggest fish won all the bucks in the pot. Frankly the fishing was pretty crummy but about 1030 pm, I got a big strong hit. For about an hour, I fought this monster fish without having any idea what it was. Finally, I pulled it into the boat. It was a beautiful sting ray! No wonder it was so hard to pull in. All that wing work!
I called the guy who held the pot. He grumbled something about it not really being a fish. It should not count. Moan, moan moan, grumble, grumble, grumble. But, finally, he paid me the pot. With joy I counted it out. NINE BUCKS! Retirement was near!
Well, 34 years later I still remember that experience with joy. My only regret was not just letting the ray go. It was a lot of fun but we had no use for it. So, that is the moral of the story. If you ain’t gonna eat it, your buddy ain’t gonna eat it and the poor family down the street ain’t gonna eat it, let it go.
PS. The next day, we hit a school of “Whahoo.” For about 2 hours we drove around in circles until we were sated with bringing in these big barracuda like fish. I think we caught about 20 or so. These guys were delicious! Great nice round steaks of white meat that hardly had any fish smell at all. How fun!
If you ever get offered a Central American fishing trip, take it!
Tags: Barracuda, Central American Fishing, Emmrod, Fishing fun, florida fishing, ocean fishing, Pacific Ocean Fishing, Panama Fishing, Sting Ray Fishing
Posted in Barracuda, Central America, Emmrod, Fishing, Fishing Equipment, sting ray | 8 Comments »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
One of the joys of the Emmrod system is the ability of each user to adapt it to their special need. Over my trip to Salt Lake with Jim Markley, we talked about Mel L. and his exploits fishing from the dock in Florida. Mel, if I misrepresent anything here, shoot me a note and I will make the appropriate change.
Mel’s goal is to catch the biggest shark with the smallest pole! He has done a pretty good job so far catching sharks in the five foot long range. But, I am getting ahead of myself. Mel’s basic gear is the Emmrod Packer Pole (You can see all the products Emmrod sells at www.MyCompactFishing.com ) with the Rugged Flex Rod. Emmrod says the Rugged Flex Rod is warranted for fish up to 50 pounds. Mel’s argument is you can catch any fish with any rod if you take enough time and use the drag in conjunction with the pole you are using. It sure seems to work for him!
 Check out his Emmrod Packer Pole! You can see the Emmrod Packer Pole w/ the green handle no less! Mel is using the double tipped Rugged Flex Rod ($49.95). Here in lies the joy of the Emmrod system. Typically, we would sell this pole with a 4 or 6 coil Rod for those fishing for larger fish. We would use the 7 or 8 coil rod for those fishing for smaller fish. But not for Mel! NO! He is not content with puny 25 or 30 pound fish, he wants some of those big guys! So, he just steps up to the double tip rod. Imagine pulling in these 50+ inch fish with your Emmrod Packer! Or, for that matter, with ANY pole. I recall landing some “Portegee Marlin” off the Waianae coast, Oahu, Hi. I am not sure if they were barracuda, but they sure looked like it. I think the ones we got were about 2 feet long–it has been about 17 years so the memory is somewhat hazy. Even the 18 inch scar on my leg where one of the fish bit me when I brought him into the boat has faded away into nothing. IF you ever help someone land one of these guys, DON’T grab them by the tail and swing them into the boat. They really do not appreciate that. Their teeth are like razors and I found that out right away!
 Another one of Mel's conquests! I am having a hard time staying on point tonight folks. Sorry. So, back to Mel’s tackle. If you look closely, you will see he is using a large bait casting reel similar to what the trolling boats that go out after big fish use. He has the harness that wraps around his shoulder to his waist so he can use his body strength to help wear out the fish and ultimately land them. This is what is so cool about Emmrod. Do you have something you want to fish for in particular? If we do not make a specific product for that use, I bet you can mix and match the different Emmrod poles and rods to create the perfect tool for your target fish. (You hold the poles and the Rods are the stainless steel tips you insert into the poles.)
 Another great catch! So folks. Figure out what you want to catch and we will help you do it. Fishing is all about fun and if you check the New Funky Waggers dictionary, you will see this definition: Fun. Emmrod! Check us out and see lots of photos and some videos at www.MyCompactFishing.com
Some of the Emmrod Products are: The Packer, The Packrod Casting and The Packrod Spin Casting, The Mountaineer, The Kayak King, The Rugged Flex, The Gulfmaster and Gulfaster II, The Stream Master Fly Rod. New innovations are coming on line all the time. Some of the website names I use are: www.EmmrodFun.com, www.WhyBuyEmmrod.com and www.MyCompactFishing.com. The will all take you to the same location so type in anyone and check out the products and the blogs.
 
Tags: 8 coil fishing rod, Barracuda, dock fishing, Emmrod, Emmrod fishing pole, Fishing fun, florida fishing, ocean fishing
Posted in Barracuda, Emmrod, Fishing, Fishing Equipment, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
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