Oh, and if the video from my last post didn't work for you, check it out here.
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Monday, October 5, 2015
Channeling my inner Bill Dance
Have you ever made the mistake of going to cast, and forgetting to open the bail on your spinning rod??? I've done this often, but never once has it happened to me this bad.
Turn up the volume, and you'll hear me laugh at myself. It's something I do often, because, I'm hilarious. Ha What you can't see in the video is the slope that the rocks are on, that's why my rod and reel rolled into the lake. I laugh every time I watch it. Watch my hands, you can tell that I am helpless and there was nothing left for me to do but watch, and laugh.
Oh, and if the video from my last post didn't work for you, check it out here.
Oh, and if the video from my last post didn't work for you, check it out here.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Spin For The Win
This weekend was a bit strange for me. Part of the strange was me fishing exclusively with my spinning rod. The other part was hooking into a yellow bullhead. One of the reasons I decided to go with my spinning rod was, I wanted to catch the fish in the backyard utilizing a different method. I like variety.
On Saturday, I decided to use my spinning rod to toss out a floating Rapala lure with hopes of finding some bass cruising in the shallows. 15 minutes into my backyard outing, I hook into a fish. At first I thought it was a bass, and as I was reeling it in, it was sort of barrel rolling on the surface of the water all of the way in. I was surprised, because, that's a new species to my knowledge for the backyard lake.
I've handled quite a few catfish this year of all different sizes...I've lip grabbed all of them with no problem. Did they bite down, yes. Did they hurt, no. All good, I'll just lip grab this little bullhead to better get the lure free. OUCH!!!!! Teeth like Velcro just like a bass, but I was not expecting them to have such a strong bite. Whoa!!! I was totally not expecting this little dude to have such a strong jaw. While I was cursing the bullhead out, it bit down even harder, and I just couldn't wait to get my finger free, so, the lure had to come out after me. Haha
On Saturday, I decided to use my spinning rod to toss out a floating Rapala lure with hopes of finding some bass cruising in the shallows. 15 minutes into my backyard outing, I hook into a fish. At first I thought it was a bass, and as I was reeling it in, it was sort of barrel rolling on the surface of the water all of the way in. I was surprised, because, that's a new species to my knowledge for the backyard lake.
I've handled quite a few catfish this year of all different sizes...I've lip grabbed all of them with no problem. Did they bite down, yes. Did they hurt, no. All good, I'll just lip grab this little bullhead to better get the lure free. OUCH!!!!! Teeth like Velcro just like a bass, but I was not expecting them to have such a strong bite. Whoa!!! I was totally not expecting this little dude to have such a strong jaw. While I was cursing the bullhead out, it bit down even harder, and I just couldn't wait to get my finger free, so, the lure had to come out after me. Haha
Note: The short video is silent. There were some curse words and laughing, but the GoPro case doesn't have good audio. I hope it works. If it doesn't, you'll be able to play it on my Instagram page - ( JUSTINCARF )
***Click on the center to get it to play***
***Click on the center to get it to play***
A video posted by Justin Carf (@justincarf) on
After quite a few curse words with laughing in between, I was finally free, and then the lure was, and this little guy was free to swim and terrorize me, again, in the future. I'll be better prepared for him.
Oh yeah, he drew blood. What as asshole! Haha
Sunday morning, I tied our little dog Bo Marley's leash to my belt and went into the backyard. I brought my spinning rod, again, but this time I tossed a Mann's -1 in the firetiger color scheme. Bo barks at my lure whenever he see's it and I can see it in his eyes that he want's to chase it out into the lake.
I've caught fish with him tied to me before, but he's never seen a big fish. I hooked into a decent little guy and Bo tried biting at it's tail while I was trying to get the lure out. After getting the lure out I let him make a fishy friend....and he licked him. Is it weird for new friends lick each other? Daisy is visiting with my Mom, but I'm curious how she would react to a fish. We shall see.
***Click on the center to get it to play***
A video posted by Justin Carf (@justincarf) on
Bo Marley meet Bass. Bass meet Bo Marley. |
It was a good weekend.
#SPINFORTHEWIN
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Fly Fishing with The Slaunch Mob
My buddy Adam aka The Slaunch Mob (Instagram - @theslaunchmob) decided that he wanted to pick up fly fishing. We were finally able to get out and fish with one another, and since we both have a love for smallies, we decided to wade a stretch on the DPR that he fished the day before with minimal luck. There were some storms that rolled through, so, the water was high, but that didn't stop us from getting out and getting some casting time.
We were skunked, but it was a good time none the less.
Here's a short short video of the outing. Basically, it was just me playing with different camera angles and working on my editing for future stuff. Turned out pretty cool.
Enjoy the skunk.
Here's an awesome shot that Adam took while I was casting into the morning fog with the sun peering over the trees. If you're on Instagram, I suggest you give him a follow. You certainly won't find fishing shirts quite like his anywhere else.
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Monday, September 21, 2015
CARF Strikes Gold!!!
I caught my first carp on the fly!!!!
I am super stoked!!!!
I mean, look at all of those exclamation marks!!!!
Do I wish it were a bigger one, yes.
Am I still as excited, yes!
Check out the video.
Looking forward to hooking into some bigger golden nuggets.
By the way....the pork chops were DELICIOUS!!!!
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015
WCF DPR FLOATILLA
This past Labor Day weekend, I got out with a bunch of guys from a local fishing forum - WindyCityFishing.com. I believe there were 13 of us that made it out to the Des Plains River with kayaks and canoes. It was a great time. I got to meet some good people from the forum that I haven't met, yet. After the float there was food and drink provided by a few guys.
Big thanks, to all of them for throwing this all together.
I made a video of the outing. Everyone contributed to the video, so, I can only take credit for throwing it together. Hope you enjoy it! Hopefully, I'll be able to make the next one.
Big thanks, to all of them for throwing this all together.
I made a video of the outing. Everyone contributed to the video, so, I can only take credit for throwing it together. Hope you enjoy it! Hopefully, I'll be able to make the next one.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Exploring the Northwoods: 2015 - Part 1
Few weeks ago, I had a last minute opportunity to do whatever I wanted, so, I decided to quickly pack my car, load my kayak, and head to the Northwoods. The weekend forecast called for clear sunny skies, and 90 degree weather. I was hoping to arrive with time to spare on a Friday night, so, I was racing the sun. Fall and Winter are on their way, because, the sun is starting to set at 8 PM and rise shortly after 6 AM. Need to take advantage of what strange summer we have left.
Racing the sun on beautiful open roads. |
Almost there. |
There were a few strong storms that passed through the area throughout the day, and I'm sure this tree fell casualty of the high winds. Luckily it left just enough space on one side of the dirt for me to pass. There would have been no way I would have been able to remove it. I do carry an SOG tomahawk in my trunk, but I would have been chopping away at that tree for quite a long time, if it came to that.
Bumps in the road. |
The smallies were en fuego, and still loving the brown fly I had so much success on them my last trip back in June. So enjoy some fish porn!
This place is special to me, and I pick up any trash I find along the way, I only found 1 can of Old Style this trip, but 1 piece of trash is usually all I find. Another good reason for the kayak. As I reached the end of what should be a 2 day wade, I hopped in my kayak and floated all the way back to where I launched....BRILLIANT.
I really cannot get enough of these fish. |
Catch and Release. |
Got some from the kayak. |
TANK. |
And more tanks!!! |
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Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Ohio - Part 2
Yep, you read that right, this is part 2. Part 1 has not been written, yet. Ha
Last year around this time, my GF and I took a road trip to visit my best friend Mike and his GF out in Toledo, Ohio. Last year we went to a German American Festival, and had a great time, but our timing this year was off. We came out a week too early for the fest, but we made due and had a good time any way.
Got out to the same spot I fished last year with some success catching smallmouth bass while wet wading on the Maumee River. When I came out here around the 4th of July, the river was unfishable, because, of high fast moving water. Hoping that the water levels have decreased since then, I was hopeful to get out there and fish. As we finished lunch at a pizza buffet, my GF and best friend Mike sat down on a bench in the shade and watched me do my thing on the river.
Maumee River - Ohio |
After my GF came down it was smooth sailing from there, I had lady luck on my side, and started to catch fish....some strange fish. Haha I was tossing a chatterbait and working some of the deeper pools and runs/ripples, and hooked up with quite the eclectic group of fish. Normally this lure catches me bass and northern pike....fish that I usually fish for. On this day, there were no bass caught.
Here we have a Channel Catfish. I cannot even remember the last time I caught one of these, but I can tell you, the last time I caught one of these was on a nightcrawler.
Channel cats got sass. |
Next up on we have a Sheepshead. A strange fish that I do not know much about. I caught 3 of these last year, and all 3 came in kayak bass fishing tournaments.
This one put up the best fight out of the 3 I have ever caught. |
Release. |
What was it...I had absolutely no idea. I couldn't tell what kind of fish it was by the fight, and it didn't show face until it was at my feet, and when I saw what I had hooked, I could not believe my eyes....My very first Flathead Catfish! I've been wanting to catch one of these on the Fox River back home, because, of their size and what I hear about their fight. This one lived up to the hype. One thing I will remember about this Big ole Flathead was that it smelled absolutely horrible. Hahaha Hand down the stinkiest fish I have ever caught. Cool none the less. Haha
Before exiting the water and climbing up the rocks back to the bench my GF and best friend were, I spotted some trash on the rocks. As I got closer to it, I took notice that it was a cast net. It was probably washed away and caught up on the rocks when the river was flooded. When I picked it up, a shed from a snake skin fell out. I was thankful that it wasn't alive. haha I gladly tossed that net, so, other animals would not get caught and die in it. #leavenotrace
With my limited allotted time, I caught some fish, smelled some fish, cleaned up some trash, and knocked a fish species off my catch list. It was a beautiful day.
Flathead Catfish - you stink. |
Trash. |
School of shad. |
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Thursday, August 13, 2015
Poppin' for Pike
Got our for a float with some cool dudes. Met up at a boat launch on a Northern stretch of the Des Plains River (DPR) about 7 AM. Spotted this at the boat launch out of the corner of my eye, and got a good lauch out of it. I have a simple humor, and I'm a little upset, I didn't think about this. HA!
DanK got a good shot of UA Dave and I in his canoe approaching the take out spot, and getting in some lasts casts. This is the very spot that I caught my first pike on the DPR. T'was a good float Gents. You would have thought with the overcast conditions that the fishing would have been popping off, but it wasn't. Next time!
Here's looking at you! |
The Float Crew this trip......
Urban Assault Fly Fishing - Dave |
Marcus - DPR Pro |
No Intro needed. |
Not pictured are Dan and Saul.
4 Kayaks, 1 Canoe, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Dave tied up some big weedless frog flies, and gave me one. It's just a super sized version of a Gutless Frog pattern, and they're awesome! Both Dave and I tossed the top water for awhile. I had a small pike fly completely out of the water trying to eat it...It was AWESOME!! Unfortunately, none of us hooked up with any top water pike. I was 0 for 3 or 4...I forget. Dave hooked up with 2 pike, and I forgot how the others fared.
9 AM...is it too early for a cold one on the river????.................NAHHHHH
Thanks, for bringing the brewski's, Dave!! I got 'em next time. |
UA Dave and a solid DPR Pike. |
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river
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
A little wacky
Caught my first bass on a wacky rigged worm using my spinning rod this weekend. I caught a few more after it. Now that's a lot of fun!!!! I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally hook up with a bass utilizing this method.
Bass Stache
Senko Stache
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senko,
wacky
IRON FLY - CHICAGO BURBS
If you're looking for a good ole bitchin' time, then mark your calendars for June 4th (next Thursday).
IRON FLY is going down at T-Woods (Thornwoods) in Wood Dale. 6 PM start time for mini games until the main event.
T-Woods (Thornwoods)
1051 North Wood Dale Road
Wood Dale, IL 60191
If you're into fly fishing, fly fishing curious or none of the above, come on out!! Everyone and anyone is welcome to participate, especially, those who have never tied!!
I've got some awesome swag to giveaway, and the only way to have a chance at it, is to be there!!
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Monday, April 27, 2015
One Last Time...
Took a ride with my Uncle and Cousin to help with the grunt work of setting up my grandparents camper.
Things on the usual agenda.
1. Get the roof/tarp over the screened in deck.- Not a problem for my Cousin Donny and I. The key to getting the roof/tarp over is a trick our Grandfather taught us of rolling it up, and once it's through the tracks, we can then roll it down over the rest of the roof, but the thing that made this go so quickly was my Uncle Mike utilizing the broom stick. =)
- This was the hardest part of the day, and to think, our Grandfather used to do this by himself with the help of our Grandmother using the broomstick. Unbelievable.
- There was an incredible amount of leaves on the deck. We grabbed 3 brooms, and started sweeping. It was not until we were pretty much finished that we had the thought of a leaf blower. My Uncle went to check the shed, and sure enough, there was a leaf blower. There's no doubt that Papa Carf was definitely shaking his head and laughing at us.
Roll out the carpet.
- Check.
Set up the tables, chairs, and cabinets.
- Check.
Make sure there were not mice.
- No rodents. The moth balls win, again!
Run the water and make sure the electric works.
- Check.
My Grandma is going to be selling it this summer. A lot of good times and great memories were had here. It's going to be a sad day once it's sold. Until then let we're going to enjoy it with our Grandma and the rest of the family a few more times.
For those of you that do not know. My Grandfather passed away July 2014. I've had a draft post about it pended for quite some time. One of these days I'll muster up enough to finish it.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Lunch Time Bass
With the new job, I am able to step away from the office and down the street to a local forest preserve lake, Busse Woods. I kayak and fish this lake often. Tons of people come here to fish, kayak, jog, and bike.
Once I get there on my lunch break, what do you think I do?
A. Kayak
B. Fish
C. Jog
D. Nap
E. Skateboard
If you guessed "B" you answered correctly. If I were to nap in my car, I'd just stay in the parking lot at work and maximize my napping time. All of the other things I listed, I just don't have time for on my lunch, but you can bet I'll be doing one of those on the weekends.
Once I get there on my lunch break, what do you think I do?
A. Kayak
B. Fish
C. Jog
D. Nap
E. Skateboard
If you guessed "B" you answered correctly. If I were to nap in my car, I'd just stay in the parking lot at work and maximize my napping time. All of the other things I listed, I just don't have time for on my lunch, but you can bet I'll be doing one of those on the weekends.
Not a bad way to end the work week. Friday lunch time bass! |
Caught this little guy on a KVD rattle trap. I really need to start leaving my fly rods set up, lined, and ready to go in my car.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Spring Editions
My 2 favorite online magazines have released their Spring editions.
In this edition of a Tight Loop (aTL) you'll find some excellent reading and photography. My 2 favorite articles are "SXSW Bass," and "Solitude." You will also, find a picture that I took in the Letter from the Editor section, by yours truly.
>>>>>> CLICK HERE <<<<<<
Southern Culture on the Fly has their Spring edition out, as well. My favorites from this one were "Haiku" and "Bluelining,"
>>>>>> CLICK HERE <<<<<<
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Monday, March 16, 2015
Hoo Rag
I won another contest!
3 weeks ago, I entered another contest on Instagram on Hoo Rag's page. This one was simple, because, I was only needed to comment on the photo. They chose 4 people to win, and yours truly was one of them. Hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing. This is borderline ridiculous. The winners got to choose which Hoo Rag they wanted.
I received my Hoo Rag the same day I decided to make another appearance at the warm water discharge to get my fishy fix in.
That guy hates me so much. |
Upon arrival at the WWD, I was surprised to see I was the only person there, but that was short lived. The kid/teen in the background showed up, and he is notoriously annoying to all of the fishermen that fish the discharge. I had a few encounters with him last year, but he didn't recognize me with my new Hoo Rag on. My superior skills in annoying certain people proved to be too much for him, once again. I win!
I fished for 15-20 minutes, caught a few bluegill, took a few pictures, and beat a pest at his own game. I'd say that was a successful outing.
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Saturday, February 21, 2015
How to fish like the Pro's
With the Bass Master Classic going on down in South Carolina right now, I figured there was no better time than to help out all of you hopeful Bass Pro fisherman out. I hope you have a crayon and construction paper ready for some notes, because, you're going to want to write all of this down, that is of course, if you don't have access to a printer.
Bass Pro - Mike Iaconelli |
Justin Carfagnini's: How to fish like the Pro's
The basics:
1. Rod - It just doesn't matter.
2. Reel - It just doesn't matter.
3. Line - It just doesn't matter.
The secret combo to becoming a Bass Pro:
1. Red and white bobber - It's a classic, and classics catch fish.
2. Steel leader - Because, you never know when you're going to run into those toothy predators. It also, has a snap at the end, so, you can change out whatever lure you didn't know how to use out, for other lures you do not know how to use.
3. Red/white Daredevle spoon - It flat out catches fish.
Take a moment and gather yourself. I know your mind has just been blown away.
To give you a visual of what this type of set up looks like, and it's capabilities, please see below. I discovered the secret back in 2005, and have enough will power and knowledge of self to know, that I just cannot handle it's fish catching powers. So, in the year 2005, it stayed.
...and here is a closer look at the set up. It was extremely effective in catching crayfish/crawfish, too. You might ask yourself, but why would you want to catch those when you're out bass fishing a big tournament. Simple answer - to see what color they are, so, you can better match the forage of body of water you're trying to win big bucks on, duh!
Yankee's hat...I definitely don't remember that. What in the hell? haha |
Hope this helps all of you out there!!!!!
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Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Winter Pike Float with Urban Assault Fly Fishing - Part 2
My buddy Dave (Urban Assault Fly Fishing) shot me a text message on Friday asking if I wanted to float the DPR on Saturday morning. I was in!
I was about 15 minutes late arriving to the launch, because, I had forgotten my waders at the house, so, I had to do a little back track. All this talk of "Geezers" is starting to get to me (Howard & Mel). It was sunny, and the temperature was in the mid 30's, the weather couldn't have been any better - Who am I kidding! It could have been 80 degrees outside, but with it being mid January, 30 is the new 80.
We floated a section that both of us haven't done before. It was a local part of the river, that I have shore fished extensively. It was really interesting and awesome fish places I couldn't reach from the shore. One of the highlights of the trip was floating under a major expressway in these parts, I-90. There were all kinds of things going on, because, this section was down the street from O'Hare Airport. Planes, trains, and automobiles surrounded us.
Photo by: Dave |
Here is the very same low head dam I posted about in my previous post about racing stick boats. The river seemed to be flowing at normal levels. The banks were icy and muddy. There was a lot of animal activity. We saw a group of 5 female deers, a huge red tailed hawk/owl (Debatable...we couldn't figure out what it was when it flew across river, but it was huge).
Dave was the only one to hook up. He was tossing an articulated double hook fly he tied the night before that had 2 tungsten beads, to help better work the deep pools. Sure enough this pike came from the bottom and took his fly. I had one strike on the day, and that pike was super lazy. It only went after my fly, because, it needed to play its predator role in the Eco system, but I did not hook up with that pike. It gave a half hearted tail flap/wave to me and drifted away.
Dave jamming on the pike guitar...and getting pooped on. (Check out his knee. HA!) |
Looking forward to the next outing!
Labels:
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Monday, January 19, 2015
Night crawlers and Cats
Ah, the good 'ole days, baiting a hook with a fat juicy night crawler, casting it out to what you think is the deepest spot on the lake, and waiting. I was rummaging through some old files on an external hard drive of mine, and came across some old pictures.
I haven't caught a catfish in so long. Makes me want to set aside an outing to dunk some bait this summer. With the lake right behind my GF's townhouse, I just might have to do that, while I fire up the BBQ and grill some steaks.
Thee biggest catfish I have ever caught. (No idea why I'm wearing a batting glove. HAHA) |
Nice little Channel Catfish at Mallard Lake. |
Catch and Release |
Salad
These photos are probably 10+ years old, and they brought back some really good memories. If I find any more good ones, you can bet, I will most definitely share them!
|
Labels:
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fish,
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river,
spinning rod,
tbt,
worm
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