Fish Tales

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by FIG

Speaking of fine fishing spots and Tarpon. One of my all time favorites was Gatun Lake in Panama. Peacock bass by the boat loads. Occasional stray tarpon from lock wash out, though rare.

On the Tarpon note, Shagris River off FT Sherman use to be an excellent spot for Tarpon fishing. One of the 18E in C/3/7 won the Tarpon tourney while i was there (90-93) with a 162lb'r. Sure miss that place, truely a great place to fish.

Panama was not only a fisherman's paradise - it was a diver's paradise (scuba diving!). Two oceans - no waiting. Plus Gatun Lake and many of the old "canals". I searched several times for the locomotive left by the French in one of the old canals - without luck - only to find it written up in a dive magazine in the 80's.

While working the "Expedient Obstacle Crossing" station during support of JOTC on the mighty Chagres River, we'd often see several of sharks heading upstream to feed at the spillway of Gatun Dam. We had more than a few students preparing their poncho rafts for the swim to the other side refuse to enter the water... usually 82nd!

And the Bocas del Toro region used to be absolutely fantastic. Not to mention Portobelo!

[FIG]

ZonieDiver,

Ohh so true! Even the lagoon outside the Ft Sherman scuba shop had a priece of wreckage that was interesting at times. I use to go buggin outside the main gate at Fort Sherman and off the reef at Paradise Cove all the time on the weekends. Some good spear fishing off the reef too

We had a CO SGM, that use to do some serious treasure type diving around all the wreck sites. He has some nice coins and a few pieces of jewerly to show for it when 2/7 was doing rotations to Ft Sherman for company training.

Portobelo was really nice, except when the weather would kick up, can get a bit hairy between the island and the finger of the shore, wicked current heading out.

Never really took to the Gatun dives. So much silt and crap built up at the bottom. Stick my arms in the ground and next thing i knew it was up to my shoulders. Found old bottles and nothing more.

FIG

[TOMAHAWK9521]

An old Ranger buddy and I spent last weekend up at Long Draw Res in Northern Colorado fishing for cutthroat trout. We pulled in 7 and kept 3. His first trout ever was a beautiful 16-inch cutthroat. Now he owes me a case of Odell's Cutthroat Porter.

[darbs]

What is your favorite species of fish to catch?
Largemouth Bass / Northern Pike / Musky
Favorite to eat?
Walleye
Favorite bait/lure for favorite species?
Top water buzz bait / spinner bait / slow floating and top water jerk - Bass/Pike/Musky
What was the largest fish ever caught?
37" Northern Pike
Any "fish tales" or "hard to believe" stories?
On Sept 12th my youngest brother and I were fishing for Largemouth on Turtle Lake (Elkhorn, WI area).
We had been fishing since 0630, around 0850 my brother says he has to go in(something about getting his "honey-do" list done?), I tell him one more cast...
I hooked into this Pike.
My brother, who is 35, was screaming like an 18 y/o kid that just won the lotto, "That's a wall hanger baby! You're keepin' this one! No debate, you're "F"-ing keeping this pig!".

Back to lurking...