Your favorite species?

[GlennB]

Right, this is a difficulty one. Got me to thinking "If fish were women, who would they be?" My sick, twisted mind has come up with this:

 

Roach - Universally popular, sleek and silver-blue. Its delicate, almost feminine features, the perfect mouth - It's got to be Kylie!

 

Perch - Feisty, aggressive, colourful, like a spunky punk princess posing down the Kings Road and sticking her tongue out at the tourists. Souxsie and the Banshees.

 

Tench - Dusky beauties. Like some well-rounded Carribean babe you see sashaying down the road on a hot summer morning. Where does she go in winter? Who knows, but you don't see her again until the late spring. Has she put on a bit around the hips?

 

Pike - Despite the rather obvious "Mother-in-law" similarities, I see them like this: All quvering intensity, waiting to strike like some well-stacked femme fatale, sitting on a bar stool waiting for the first mug punter to try his luck. Beware of her!!

 

Carp - Difficult one this. The way I see it, there are 2 varieties. There's the sleek, lean classic English beauty with it's 50's film star lines. On the other hand, there's the fat, bloated sort that are much in evidence today (the anglers AND the fish). A creature who has gone to pot for sure. "Two Tone" caught 3 times in a month - giving it away to all and sundry like the local slapper! So you've 'ad 'er lads? Is it worth boasting about?

 

What do you think? Do you agree, or am I just a sick b**tard!

well, it makes two of us. Souxsie - excellent

 

Pike - Joan Collins (as she was 20 years ago)

Carp - Sophia Loren ( ditto)

 

(whoops - sexism - how do I edit this thing ?)

[D Dawis]

In Australia, these seem to be the 'Holy Grail' of fish, the barramundi

Followed by the murray cod and yellowbelly (golden perch)

 

Great. Now I'm going to have to save up some $$ to go to Australia besides wanting to revisit the UK. Guess food and shelter are overrated anyway.... Nice fish!!! How heavy was that one?

 

Dave D

[Bobj]

Great. Now I'm going to have to save up some $$ to go to Australia besides wanting to revisit the UK. Guess food and shelter are overrated anyway.... Nice fish!!! How heavy was that one?

 

Dave D

1.19 metres and 60lbs caught in Peter Faust dam, Proserpine, Qld

 

Why revisit UK when Australia has MORE to offer??

[Newt]

I like largemouth too, but you guys can grow 'em down there. Ours top out at about 5-6 pounds, mostly catching in the 2-4 pound range. I like their feistiness and the fact the jump clear out the water on their runs. I have yet to chase flatheads and carp they way I would like to.

 

 

 

Well, if you can get down to the southern part of North Carolina, I'd love to do some fishing with you. Budgie gave me a clonk when I was in the UK this past May and I just bought a DVD (arrived today) that shows exactly how to use one for calling flatheads so meybe next spring? Some decent largemouth around here too.

 

 

 

MN - I will probably treking up that way again in the next year or two. Have a friend there who took me to the Red River in Canada for the finest channel cat fishing I ever dreamed of and we spent a day on the upper Mississippi catching this and that including some nice carp before we headed north so I know you have them up there.

 

 

 

Maybe if you say where you are we can suggest some carping for you after the ice melts next year.

[D Dawis]

1.19 metres and 60lbs caught in Peter Faust dam, Proserpine, Qld

 

Why revisit UK when Australia has MORE to offer??

 

I haven't been able to get out of this state lately - these danged 10,000 lakes and their fishies keep getting in the way! My brother keeps on bringing up a Baja California or a Puerto Vallarta vacation... Need to win a lotto or something .

 

Dave D

[D Dawis]

Well, if you can get down to the southern part of North Carolina, I'd love to do some fishing with you. Budgie gave me a clonk when I was in the UK this past May and I just bought a DVD (arrived today) that shows exactly how to use one for calling flatheads so meybe next spring? Some decent largemouth around here too.

 

 

 

MN - I will probably treking up that way again in the next year or two. Have a friend there who took me to the Red River in Canada for the finest channel cat fishing I ever dreamed of and we spent a day on the upper Mississippi catching this and that including some nice carp before we headed north so I know you have them up there.

 

 

 

Maybe if you say where you are we can suggest some carping for you after the ice melts next year.

 

Thanks Newt! I'd love to travel to and fish NC!! I have my east coast relations in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Perhaps some day I can make down to NC.

 

Let me know when you're in the neighborhood and maybe we can get together to fish the Mississippi or St. Croix. One of my favorite city spots is just below the Ford Dam(Lock & Dam #1) on the Mississippi. Walleyes, saugers, flatheads, channels, white bass, sheepshead, smallmouth, carp can be found in generous amounts on good days. I usually hitch a ride with one of my fishing buddies as I don't have a real boat (though I have a flat-backed canoe), and there's always room for one more!

 

I live in SE Minneapolis, a stone's throw from where the Franklin Avenue bridge crosses the Mississippi.

[Newt]

Sounds like a plan to me Dave.

 

If you do manage to get down this far, I'll try to talk real fast so you can understand me. :D

[D Dawis]

Sounds like a plan to me Dave.

 

If you do manage to get down this far, I'll try to talk real fast so you can understand me. :D

LOL - Yah - yew betcha, I know whatcha meen, dere Newt, but wee MinnesooOHtan's don't talk too fast either, doncha know. But, yep, after deelin' with my eest cooast relayshuns, eh, a week er two, I ken be shuure my verbal meetabohlishm will be running somethin' ungodly fast.

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

Interesting note about the zander/walleye similarity:

Minnesota's official state fish is the walleye, so that is what most anglers/diners are gaga over most. As a very palatable and abundant species most fisherman will keep their limit to eat if they are small to medium (generally 1 to 4 lbs.). Large ones are typically returned after a picture. Walleye is on the menu on almost every restaurant that serves fish. Funny thing is that a local news crew found out it wasn't always walleye - often the restaurant had replaced it with zander! Restaurants now have to disclose to diner whether the fish they are eating is zander or walleye, not that there is any difference in the taste. For some reason unbeknownst to me, zander is actually cheaper to buy here than walleye, even though (I believe) it's imported! I think it's partly because the folks marketing walleye know if walleye fisherman are willing to drop loads of cash to land just a few of them, they'd be willing to fork over a few more bucks to have them at a restaurant as well.

 

Dave D

 

apprently they are a difrent species(probably closely related,as perch are a cousin of zander),over here altho it is frowned upon,pubs in the fenland areas offer pike and zander on the menus,never tried it myself but zander are supposed to taste very nice,personally i think they should all be put back not eaten..

 

zander in the US would almost certainly be imported?

[Dick Dastardly]

There were meant to have been Walleye introduced into this country several decades ago.Both at Woburn Abbey and on some Fenland waters.In fact there is/used to be an official Walleye British record.Many now believe that these Walleye were also Zander that were also imported from Europe at the same time.

 

Another thoroughly bit of useless Budgie waffle there!

 

Walleye certainly dont grow as big as Zander despite being extremely closely related.