The Big Hook, Live Bait, and Boats with Big Motors, and Big Fish Thread

Rules--These are general guidelines. The more categories you hit, the more you score:

BIG HOOKS -- Your fish must have been caught using big hooks. Treble hooks are encouraged, multiple hook rigs are rewarded with bonus points. If your hook size has an "ought" designation, such as 4/0, 8/0 extra bonus points are awarded. Hook strength of 3x and 4x are also encouraged. Lazer sharpened hooks are also encouraged, primarly because they stick more firmly in your flesh and make for better stories (see below).

LIVE BAIT -- Live bait such as shad, eels, leeches, pogies, shiners, greenies, trout, alewives, bunker, mullet, or similar are the standards. Similarly, bait that was formerly alive is acceptable, such as ribbonfish, squid, mullet, cut bait, but incurr a slight deduction for the fact that it is not alive. Things that imitate live bait, such as big plugs with lots of big hooks, are also acceptable, but a larger deduction because no effort was made to obtain live bait or keep the bait alive. Live bait imitators get some return in points for big hooks and other categorical enhancements below.

Boats with Big Motors --It is strongly recommended that the fish be caught from a vessel powered by a fossil fuel. If you don't have a fossil fuel buring vessel, but still catch a worthy fish from the bank, shore, edge of water, pier, or other structure, but scoring points in other categories, that's fine too. Recognition is made that not everyone has access to a fossil fuel propelled vessel. If your vessel is unnamed, deduct points. If your boat is named "Master Baiter," bonus points. More gallons per hour of consumption gets bonus points. If you're running a 42' Yellowfin with trip-350's, mega points.

BIG FISH -- Self explanatory. Big is relative. For example a 10lb brown trout is big. A 10 pound tarpon, although nice, might not be big (unless there is a noteworthy story to accompany said catch). For example, if the 10lb tarpon was caught using big hooks and live bait on a boat with a big motor, and the boat was staffed by young semi-naked ladies, this qualifies as a big fish.

Said dentist reserves the right to modify the rules as appropirate.

Modification #1----Eating said fish = mega bonus points. Blood is good too.

Below Ft. Louden Dam below Knoxville, TN this weekend. Bait was 5" gizzard shad and 3" threadfin. Dam was in full discharge, 30,000 cubic feet per second of water. Used 2/0 octopus circle hooks, three way swivel and 2oz of lead to keep it down. Put the boat about 15' from the base of the dam, chunk in bait and hang on as we drifted with the current. We boated 17 fish in the 15-20 pound range.

Here is Mere with a fish on and with a typical fish. Dam in the background. I'll get up some better pics tonight off the 7D.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ortLouden3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ortLouden1.jpg


Boat load of southern fishermen in action!!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=2505842742728

I'll play-

These are older and some repeats, and most are of my wife's cousin, but what the hell-

Big Fish caught with Big hooks off a Big Pier-

Big Redfish caught on 2/0 hook, live whitebait.
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...59_RX9z6-L.jpg

Huge Snook- caught on a 4/0 hook, foot long mullet was the bait.
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...n-Fish-1-L.jpg

Huge Redfish- caught on 3/0 hook, whitebait or finger mullet'
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...en-Fish2-L.jpg

The PIG- Snook- about 48-52 ", no idea how heavy- caught on a 1.5 ft Ladyfish and a 4/0 hook.
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...82_7mPQ9-O.jpg

On the golf pond-

Top Water Skitterwalk-
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...79_MztNS-L.jpg

Fly- 1/0-
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...9_bmKBi-XL.jpg

Fly- Top water- no idea hook size. Small fly.
http://adaps.smugmug.com/Other/Troph...6_bxMPy-XL.jpg

That's an impressive snook, damn!

had to go back a few years, this is the best I have to offer. 34" mack. unfortunately it was from the dock, with a big rapala. hoping I can make up with that some bonus points for blood. made steaks out of him cutting cross sections down the spine, soaked in a peanut ginger marinade overnight and grilled.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...uy/bigmack.jpg

You shoulda heard it hit the ladyfish. Sounded like a bomb went off. We saw him lurking there all night. Once we hooked the ladyfish it was on. We had the rig all ready for such an occasion.

No big boat, no big motor, no live bait, but size 2/0 popper

Big Smallmouth
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8040/7...9d8abb7c_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/7...e68eca1a_b.jpg


Here is a short vid my dad put together of me scoring an 8.5 foot Bull Shark, came in at around 300lbs.. Took me an hour to pull him in, with no assistance, after 30 minutes of fighting a another big one who got off. Bloody fingers and Sweat were abundant. We were fishing for amber jacks, I hooked into 8-10 amber jacks and every one would go limp after 5 minutes of fighting, All I pulled up were severed heads. We figured it out pretty quick that we were getting ninja'd by sharks. This was in the yucatan on a 40 foot viking with a big engine, live lining some kind of 8-12" bait fish, so this video should be firing on all cylinders for the thread edicts. Not sure how to embed video anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAM7NOQL1VI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAM7NOQL1VI

I dont go big fishing much, stoked to see some posts in this thread though.

Oh no, the popper with the electric motor qualifies. Charging had to occur to keep said unit under way. Electricity is typically generated by fossil fuels, so you're still clear. Bonus points for the hand built vessel!!! And with a 2/0 hook you're in the money.

Shark video more than makes up for any negligible deficiencies.

^^ nice glad I could contribute.

That boat is most definitely hand made. My buddy is awesome at wood work. although this may not be his finest example. Nice striperz! Looks like very good times.

Attachment 120494
Attachment 120495
Attachment 120498
Smallest of the chinooks being 15lbs
Attachment 120500
The big pink salmon is 11lbs

size 4 treble hooks
Bait: Anchovies
Boat: 17.5 Campion 180 Alert Hard-top pushed by Suzukie DT140 2 stroke, with a honda 8hp kicker
All fish were either smoked or cooked with beer.

Bonus points for cooking said fish in beer!!!

damn, that smallie is a pig. That's one of the biggest guts I've ever seen on a bass.

32lb Lake Trout. Caught by client on buddy's boat. He couldn't hold it up so I had to jump in.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...e/100_1092.jpg

Big Coho for freshwater Lake Michigan standards.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...shing091-1.jpg

Ling Cod anyone?? I think this is pretty big for a ling, but it's the only one I've ever landed.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...R1-032-14A.jpg

You THINK thats big for a ling? How modest.... I thought they grew to a maximum length of five feet and, unless you are only five feet tall, that fish is getting close to five feet as measured by your body.

This thread is gonna make me real fucking hungry.

Nice laker, but my daughter holds up 32 pound fish solo. Deduct for the extra set of hands. Your client is a puss.

Attachment 120886

big hooks: umm...sure.
live bait: sandworms. f'ers have some nasty pincers
boats w big motor: see background
big fish: decent striper but BIG blue!
modification: hell yea we ate em. grilled the bass and fried the striper (bonus pts?)
blood: yep. striper swalloed the hook. bro-in-law got a little anxious while netting him and flung him into the boat soaking the captain w/ water and blood. had to perform minor surgery getting the hook out.

Sorry, pet peeve of mine:

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...6&d=1347975374

If you click the little check mark at bottom left, it won't load the pic as an attachment.

Same goes for you Ray:

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...4&d=1347334028

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...5&d=1347334090

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...8&d=1347334153

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...0&d=1347334621

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TNKen

Rules--These are general guidelines. The more categories you hit, the more you score:

BIG HOOKS -- Size 8 circle hook


LIVE BAIT -- Live mackerel

Boats with Big Motors -- 23' Grady White "222 Fisherman" with a Honda 225 4 stroke, "Sea Sea Rider"

BIG FISH -- 41" Striper

Modification #1---- Well, seeing as it's on the cutting board in the second pic, yeah we ate it.

---

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...3&d=1348076082

http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...4&d=1348076106






What's my score?

the only time I've used bait in the last couple years
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...31903188_n.jpg

Really I prefer nets
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot..._7264674_n.jpg

Attachment 122650
Date: sometime in mid-July
Boat: ~78' Hatteras
Location: 20-50nm west of Westport, WA
Tackle: 6' custom 270 blank, Shimano TLD-star 15/30 w/ 20lb (?)
Lure: 3/0 salmon hoochie rig behind banana sinker
Method: trolling
Consumption: sashimi that day, smoked the rest.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hop

Attachment 122650
Date: sometime in mid-July
Boat: ~78' Hatteras
Location: 20-50nm west of Westport, WA
Tackle: 6' custom 270 blank, Shimano TLD-star 15/30 w/ 20lb (?)
Lure: 3/0 salmon hoochie rig behind banana sinker
Method: trolling
Consumption: sashimi that day, smoked the rest.

---

Fuck yeah!!!!! Been wanting to try going for albacore for some time now!

Nothing to report other than Sandy screwed up th fishing around here. Bitch.

Fished three hard days. Only thing we caught was bait, and that was hard.

Old picture, caught on a big 'ole five-of-diamonds with a treble hook.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...258_6041_n.jpg

And we ate it. It was tasty.

Ok, reviving a thread. Tired of seeing all the bush whacking, long skinny, flip-it back and forth rods with size 22 hooks wrapped with fuzzy things.

Bring on the big hooks and live bait stories.

Some of these have been seen before.

My buddy with a big Brown caught in the Apostle Islands, biggest I've ever seen or heard of around here.
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...ps49979ab9.jpg

From a few years back, Joe Deloia and I in Northern Ontario mid March. Joe was 90 at the time.
Joe is a world renowned dog trainer, breeder, and sportsman and was my mentor.
We used snowmobiles to get out on the ice. Bait was a Cisco. Line broke as her head came into the hole, and I reached down the hole and got a gill plate and hauled her on the ice. Joe said he thinks its the biggest he'd ever caught.
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...psdec53c70.jpg

I like ice fishing.
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...ps16e328b0.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n..._7862176_n.jpg

Cant remember if we caught this one using live mackerel or chunks, but was a pretty decent sized striper

[ATTACH=CONFIG]138569[/ATTA

52" musky on 16" sucker 6/0 treble hook quick strike rig. 225 hp on Ranger 621

Looks like we have a winner with the snake like toothy critter!!! Nice catch.

Ken

From Saturday morning. Mere with her first striper of the year. On the jetboat, slinging gizzard shad.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ps9d20ef8a.jpg

Her very first striper when she was 12 or 13.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...redithFish.jpg

TNKen, please post a pic of your jet boat as you have it set up.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...97107883_o.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ortLouden2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...Edgeinyard.jpg

Boat is a custom built Edge Marine 23.5' plus swim deck. Has a 383 small block mated to a Hamilton 212 pump. Has a 9hp Yamaha 4-stroke kicker. 1/4 inch aluminum bottom. Closed cooling system with heaters in the console to warm hands. Trim tabs. I added a Minn-Kota Rip-Tide 101lb thrust trolling motor (36 volt w/ onboard charger) that has remote control, GPS navigation, etc. Boat drafts about 13" on float, and runs in about 6" of water at speed. When it was stripped before I added stuff, it would run about 51mph. Probably down to mid 40's with all the weight now.

Boat is set up as a guide boat with 4 seats up front, raised front deck. 6 rod holders on the side, one on the back, five off the T-top. I run a 30 gallon Creek Bait tank for live bait. Have a friend that has a 50 gallon Creek tank we put on the swim deck when we are holding bait fish for multiple days.

Has a Lowrance HDS 12 touch screen fish finder. GPS, sonar, structure side scan, downscan (this thing is the shits). Also a POS hummingbird on the back deck.

I carry about 12 rods, four big Avet SX/Shimano Teramar 7'6" MH rods for trolling, 2 Penn Battle 5000's, 2 Penn Battle 4000's, 3 Penn Battle 2000's for trout, a Shimano Calcutta 400b for casting big Redfins, etc, and a couple of other no name rods.

Usually use gizzard shad, threadfin shad or alewives for bait. Sometimes trout when we are trying to catch really big stripers that are up in the colder rivers. In the hot summer, the stripers run up into the cold dam released water to get out of 80 degree water.

Boat is probably overkill for what I use it around here, but it is big and comfortable. Guy told me last night he had never seen an ocean boat up in the river!!

Off Jacksonville out of the St. Johns River. Kingbuster Tournament, Sunday was kids day. Four adults and 6 kids on the Contender. We put all 6 on the board, 3 in the top 10. No smokers, but a lot of fun.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...26821676_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...13150390_n.jpg

From the weekend.

HDS12 lights up

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ps9ce5c19d.jpg

Mere hooks up

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...psb0fdfe83.jpg

Fish

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...psf964089e.jpg

20lbs spring

Attachment 139314

Attachment 139335

Big butts!!!

Attachment 139336

Good eating!!

Bait was salmon scraps on big hooks at ~250' deep. Plenty of blood and slime on the 22' gas guzzler.

Great day on the water as we added some tanner crab to the mix as well.

neah bay treated us pretty well last week. pinks were pretty thick inside and my uncle brought in his biggest king to date- just under 40". brought home our limit on sea bass and a couple good ling to boot.

http://s7.postimg.org/4q1811c57/image.jpg

Last week. I forget to take pics most days.
Attachment 139883Attachment 139884Attachment 139885

Today. Big halibut was 48 next was 46. Attachment 139908