Outdoorsman Thread

[jerryd6818]

But I'm no expert.

Obviously, neither am I. I guess I should shut my tater trap and let those who know answer their own questions.

[Paladin]

OH is referring to Speckled Trout and there is a more scientific name but for the life of me, I cannot remember it.

Ray

[treefarmer]

How about OH’s fish maybe being a spotted weakfish or a sea trout?
Speck is another common name for the fresh water crappie in our part of creation.
Treefarmer

[Old Hunter]

Evening gents, I'll do my best to unravel the confusion I caused. The correct name for the fish I caught are Spotted Sea Trout. In this area they are incorrectly referred to as Speckled Trout, but most folks refer to them as a Speck (the colloquial name for them, which is how I refer to them as well). Most fish have multiple names; a correct name and lots of local names (such as the Striped Bass, aka Rockfish or Striper.

Cudgee, it was a very controversial decision by the state Dept. of Marine Fisheries (especially since it only applies to recreational fishermen and not to Professional Guides or Commercial Fishermen). For us recreational fisherman (fishermen without a commercial license) it is a one year moratorium. I am close enough to SC to go Flounder fishing there, which is what I will do.

Thank you all for the compliments.

OH

[cudgee]

The state has closed our fall Flounder season so that leaves Specks, they have begun showing in the brackish water rivers. Had a couple of hours to fish yesterday at dawn. Caught three nice, fat ones lost the third as I was getting the net under it. OH

What sort of fish are Specks, are they similar to some sort of other fish? Why have they closed your flounder season? Flounder are one of my favorite fish to eat, good fun catching them too. Hope you have a good week.

Found this online. I didn't know because I'm not much on fishing but my curiosity got the better of me.

"They're known as specks, crappie (pronounced craw-pee), perch and moonfish. Whatever you call them, the black (or white) crappie, a small North American sunfish, has become the largest fishing sensation, perhaps overtaking the popularity of the prized largemouth bass."

The picture of the fish you posted looks very similar to a fish over here called black bream, they are a fresh water fish which are a very targeted sporting species. They are catch and release because they are small in numbers and very hard to catch because of their habitat, in hard to get at areas. We also have salt water and estuary bream, a lot more common, and really good eating when eaten fresh, cooked straight away, not kept and frozen. Really enjoy reading about your wild life and different fish and animals.

download.jpg (8.78 KiB) Viewed 1315 times

This is a black bream, you can see the similarities.

[Dinadan]

Nice Specks, Old Hunter. We call them that here along the Gulf. Probably the single most sought after salt water fish in my area. It is sure my favorite!

Speck

By the way I have huge fingers!

Jerry, that crappie is a good guess.

Cudgee - that black bream looks like a pretty big fish. We have fish in my part of the world that we call bream, but they tend to max out at about a pound or maybe a pound and a half.

Bream

[cudgee]

The photo of the black bream is of one that would be old, they are very rare to catch, most are a lot smaller, maybe 1 pound.

[Old Hunter]

That's a nice Speck you are holding Mel. Specks are one of my two favorites for catching and eating - along with Flounder. OH

[Waukonda]

This is not exactly the grandeur of Alaska, but came across this fellow this morning. Box turtles, obviously aren't unusual although populations are declining, but I rarely see them this small.
I sat it down and waited about 10 minutes for it to emerge so I could get a look at the eye color (males have red eyes), but it stayed in the shell and the dog had no patience for turtles, so we walked on.

[TripleF]

Nice fish fellas!!!

[doglegg]

Thanks Ike, I loved to find them as a boy and in my working life, stopped the truck a lot of times to help them over the curb. That one is a small one.

[Quick Steel]

Waukonda, I sincerely admire your patience to invest time in order to pursue the little fact you wanted to determine. Seems like few people today are willing to stop "and smell the flowers," so to speak.

[Lansky1]

I'm in N/E PA and fish the upper Delaware river often. The upper area is a national park for 40 or so miles, so its a pristine waterway (no houses) - crystal clear & good smallmouth bass fishing. I have a jet boat so I can run through some fairly skinny water & get to places others with prop's can't. We don't get alot of trophy smallies, but make up for it in numbers - using ultralight spinning gear, it's too much fun (30 fish mornings aren't uncommon). Here's a recent morning when they were hitting topwater ... pretty stretch of water when the fog is lifting. Plus we see alot of bald eagles ... floated right under this guy (wish I had a better camera) --->

[royal0014]

Here's a recent morning when they were hitting topwater ... pretty stretch of water when the fog is lifting. Plus we see alot of bald eagles ... floated right under this guy (wish I had a better camera) --->

You lucky 'ol dog ...

I sat it down and waited about 10 minutes for it to emerge so I could get a look at the eye color (males have red eyes), but it stayed in the shell and the dog had no patience for turtles, so we walked on.

Sometimes it's the little things in life is it not ...
Some turtles, or terrapins, the males will have a dish on their underside,
to, ahem, 'assist' with mating .....

[Waukonda]

So.......I could have saved myself 10 minutes and just flipped the creature over? I did not know that, very interesting. Actually, since it was young, I was curious if any male coloration would show up in the eyes or legs or if that developed over time, as in some bird species.

Oh and btw John, the upper Delaware looks like an awesome area to spend some time, and if the fish are biting that is just icing on the cake.

[doglegg]

John, that is some pretty country!!! Looks glassy smooth. Watch eagles and catch fish too! Wow!

[Dinadan]

Cool little turtle, Ike. I always like seeing any turtles.

That river looks like a very nice place, John. Great photos!

[Lansky1]

Thanks guys ... yeah, I do feel fortunate to have access to a really cool place to fish and enjoy the outdoors.

The only downside is the weekly floatilla or as my wife calls it, the armada of canoes that are dumped in every weekend by a growing contingent of local canoe tour outfitters. There are groups of 24 canoes that float down in constant incessant waves every 15 minutes for 4 hour drifts. It goes on for hours ... so the fishing shuts down by around 10 AM - have about 4 hours of peace and quiet before all hell breaks loose out there on the river. Can't blame the folks though - most all are from NJ or NYC (less than 2 hours away) and they've never experienced anything like the upper Delaware (they're beginning to come in by the busload) - they're having a ball, might even be exposed to ideas of how conservation and fishing is a good thing, and that's a very good thing...

[Dinadan]

The only downside is the weekly floatilla or as my wife calls it, the armada of canoes that are dumped in every weekend by a growing contingent of local canoe tour outfitters. There are groups of 24 canoes that float down in constant incessant waves every 15 minutes for 4 hour drifts. It goes on for hours ... so the fishing shuts down by around 10 AM - have about 4 hours of peace and quiet before all hell breaks loose out there on the river.

I can remember when the same thing happened to my favorite river. It is kind of weird when place that has always been secluded and private becomes more peopled. On the plus side, some of the girls did not wear their tops, so I did not complain a lot!

[Lansky1]

The only downside is the weekly floatilla or as my wife calls it, the armada of canoes that are dumped in every weekend by a growing contingent of local canoe tour outfitters. There are groups of 24 canoes that float down in constant incessant waves every 15 minutes for 4 hour drifts. It goes on for hours ... so the fishing shuts down by around 10 AM - have about 4 hours of peace and quiet before all hell breaks loose out there on the river.

I can remember when the same thing happened to my favorite river. It is kind of weird when place that has always been secluded and private becomes more peopled. On the plus side, some of the girls did not wear their tops, so I did not complain a lot!

Hey Mel - I'll have to keep an eye out for that !

[TripleF]

Beautiful setting John....I'd probably never go home!!

[doglegg]

Beautiful sky this morning pre sunrise.

[Waukonda]

Nice sky Doglegg!
Meanwhile, looks as if there will be plenty of snow to shovel this winter in Illinois....

[doglegg]

Cool pic Ike, now explain why there will be lots of snow in Illinois this winter. I'm sure it is like the thickness of rings on the wooly caterpillar but it is a saying or sign I'm not familiar with. (I thought there was always plenty of snow in Illinois in the winter) Thanks.

[Steve Warden]

Nice sky Doglegg!
Meanwhile, looks as if there will be plenty of snow to shovel this winter in Illinois....

And you know this because............???
I have no idea what that is beside your knife or what the wive's tale behind it is.