Helpful ReplyBad weather but I'm still going !

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CAPTAIN HOOK
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2016/08/23 15:23:54 (permalink)

Bad weather but I'm still going !

Remember when you would go fishing or hunting come hell or high water !
Those were the days when everybody said your nuts but you still went !
Time to roll out a few old crazy memories.............so add a few too !
 
We drove up to the Niagara River in February to fish on a river charter my buddy won on a football pool.
Like a dummy I said I'd go along....what a mistake. We got there at 7 am. at a reading of 15 degrees with a north wind blowing! We all had on hunting outfits and layers of extra clothes......wouldn't help !
 He took off down river at about 45 MPH and I was so cold I couldn't feel my face for a half hour !
We fished the mouth for hours and nothing, so it's back up river for another freeze session ride.
Lines were freezing , reels were freezing, we were freezing !
After 6 hours of ice cold misery we called it quits...............never again !     LOL  now ! 
#1
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 15:52:35 (permalink)
I started fishing for steelhead in the tribs in the fall of 2002, and went every chance I could.  I couldn't get enough of it.  With 2 young kids and a very understanding wife who only worked about 15 hours a week, suicide runs became a common thing for me twice a month from October through ice up.  I'd often leave for the 2 hour drive at about 9 or 10 PM; hit Poor Richards which was open 24 hours a day at the peak of the run; fish for a few hours; grab a few hours of sleep in the back of my Suburban for a few hours at the Walmart by the Erie airport and be back on the water at sunrise and fish all day long.  
 
I believe it was January or February of 2004, and a cold snap was forecast but I wanted to get one last trip in to tide me over for however long I'd have to wait.  Temps were forecast to be in the mid to upper 20's and snow on the way.  A lake effect snow warning had been issued for the Erie area, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.  
 
Couldn't leave till around 8 AM, and as I got closer to Erie, the temperature stayed in the upper teens and the snow was flying.  I walked into Poor Richards East to get some bait, and the guy said I was the only person there that day to get bait and he laughed at me.  Most areas I checked had at least edge ice and chunks were flowing down every stream.  I got water down my waders trying to bust up ice on one east side stream.  Line froze almost immediately and stayed frozen.  
 
As the day wore on, the snow got heavier.  I 90 closed down for a time, so I crawled my way over to a couple stops along Walnut with the thought of heading home.  Between Erie and Grove City, I witnessed 4 different vehicles going off the road, and saw the results of many more wrecks.  The normal 2 hour drive took me close to 4 1/2.  
#2
roygpa
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 16:01:14 (permalink)
Went bass and walleye fishing on the Mon out of Fredericktown during what must have been monsoon season. After  couple hours fishing having little luck we see an entire oak tree, roots, trunk and branches intact just rolling along branches over roots. When the branches came out of the water we got a look at how big the tree really was at about 30 TO 40 tall. We decided that my 19 foot boat was no match for something like that and went back in. 
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ZelieSam
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 17:15:46 (permalink)
Last year in May we tried to hit Pymie.  Drug the pontoon up there and started drifting but it was COLD and windy... toughed it out for a few hours taking waves over the bow when we had to motor back to start a new drift.  Wife and SIL were buried in multiple hoodies and the Ohio fish wardens snuck up on us.  They were in full-body deer hunting style winter gear!  
 
About that time we packed it in and it took three people all they were worth to hold the toon still at the launch to get it trailered again.  Pretty much every time I hit Pymie it is a greek tragedy of weather.  
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opsman
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 18:49:30 (permalink)
Ok, here we go.  Had to be March in the mid 1960s.  Fishing with my Dad out of Linesville.  Rented the boat and went out between the islands.  Can't remember how cold it was, just that it was COLD and steady rain.  Pretty much got skunked til just near the end when I had a tremendous hit and fought a very large Walleye up to the side of the boat (How Large, hell I was was maybe 10 years old, at that age EVERY walleye looked huge.)
Anyway, had him at the side of the boat and my Dad was ready to scoop under him with the net, when I couldn't hold the thumb press down on my Zebco 606 anymore cause I couldn't feel my hands!  Out went the slack and off went the fish.  All these years later I remember that like it was yesterday. 
Not much after that episode we headed in to the docks.  We were wearing heavy nylon/rubber rain ponchos. Not the cheap ones made today, but the kind with real sleeves, hood and reached all the way down to our ankles. (Courtesy Sambaugh Thompson's).  Trouble was the nylon zipper and not being able to loosen them because of the cold.
Pretty sure it was Lou Stefan who ran the livery back then.  He had us come in the boat house to warm up and he undid the zippers so we could get out of the ponchos.  Wish I was that age again...

"Fair winds and following seas..."
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treesparrow
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 19:13:27 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby roygpa 2016/08/24 08:47:41
When I was about 18 years old a friend and I headed for Canada with my younger brother (~13 yr old) and his friend same age. Could you imagine crossing the border today like that. These were the years my brother and I guided and worked in Canada without even thinking we were doing anything wrong.
  Well on this particular trip we camped on an island about 7 miles south of a little town on Georgian Bay. Fishing was fantastic and we hadn't A CARE IN THE WORLD. We brought beans, potatoes, and onions to compliment the fish. Life was good.
  Enter Hurricane Agness, and three days confined to the inside of the tent. Horizontal rain and sleet, and wind that wanted our tent. We were in a great spot and never got water under our tent and we anchored the tent well. We spend much of our time for those two days of intense storm lying in our sleeping bags and betting on which fly would cross a sew seam first. Of course the fly's were as lethargic as us and races lasted hours. Jimmy the Greek would have been proud of us.   
post edited by treesparrow - 2016/08/28 09:36:31
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opsman
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 19:38:22 (permalink)
Ahhh, hurricane Agnes.  Fished Orangeville at the waterfalls with my then girlfriend (now wife) for three straight days.  Water backed way up from the lake cause of all the rain.  Threw softies and hellgramites and we both limited out on Largemouth all three days..and not one under three pounds.  A few pushing five and better!
 
 

"Fair winds and following seas..."
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The Ref
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 20:00:21 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby roygpa 2016/08/24 08:48:29
We would make spring time trips to Put in Bay over in Ohio for the walleyes. This was probably 20 years ago when we would just drift the Erie Dearie and crawlers. On morning with great weather for that perfect drift we were quite a few miles off the island and out of nowhere this very dense fog rolls in. Talk about spooky imagine a pack of boats all around you and you couldn't see them I mean you couldn't see 3 feet in front of your face. We could hear people talking on the other boats it was just a real spooky feeling. Took us hours to get back to the island.
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The Ref
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 20:00:21 (permalink)
We would make spring time trips to Put in Bay over in Ohio for the walleyes. This was probably 20 years ago when we would just drift the Erie Dearie and crawlers. On morning with great weather for that perfect drift we were quite a few miles off the island and out of nowhere this very dense fog rolls in. Talk about spooky imagine a pack of boats all around you and you couldn't see them I mean you couldn't see 3 feet in front of your face. We could hear people talking on the other boats it was just a real spooky feeling. Took us hours to get back to the island.
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The Ref
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 20:03:11 (permalink)
Sorry for the double post
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/23 22:05:12 (permalink)
old dog
r2, i've made many the white knuckle trip through the snow belt after a day of fishing.  i did it in the days of rear wheel drive cars too.  not something i am looking forward to redoing.


My wife went to college at Gannon, and For 2 years I made the 2.5 hour drive from the Pittsburgh suburbs in my Chevy Caprice in all kinds of weather.

She likes to remind me once in awhile that I'd drive through anything to see her in Erie, but now I drive through anything to go to Erie to get away from her.
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CAPTAIN HOOK
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 00:25:29 (permalink)
Rear wheel drive cars, rubber chest waders , army coats  ? 
Now were talking 60's and 70's .....got to love it !
No cell phones , GPS's, internet, and no weather channels ...how did we make it ?  LOL.....
 
Great stories .......keep them going !
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olds-Pa
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 07:47:38 (permalink)
Ahhh yes, hurricane Agness. My cousin and I thought what with the rain coming down, it was the perfect time to do the fishing trip for trout we planned. We got our worms and spinners, poles and all and parked one car at the Tryonville bridge, then drove to Centerville and began the trip down stream Oil Creek. At about halfway and the point of no return, Oil Creek began to become a raging river. I had on a pair of those Korean hip boots. I wear size 12 boots, but evidently Koreans idea of size 12 is more like a narrow 10. We soon forgot about fishing and it became a survival hike through dense brush. We made it, sore feet and all. That storm changed the landscape and course of many waterways for years to come. 
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BeenThereDoneThat.
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 08:37:09 (permalink)
Fishing bad weather good weather it matters not; for when it comes to catching, it's fishing with me you do not want. ~BTDT said that.~
 
 
Capt. congrats on your thread, some fun reading, memories too. 
 
 
 
post edited by BeenThereDoneThat. - 2016/08/24 08:39:18

Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~
 
 
 
  Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
 
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Walleye jigs
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 11:15:39 (permalink)
I got you all beat! I went fishing once when my cable and internet was out!
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ZelieSam
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 13:24:28 (permalink)
This one time I went fishing with a crazy old coot up at Shenango, and when we got to the launches there were no LAUNCHES.  I fell out of the boat trying to get my manatee-frame up over the boat rail and soaked my left leg.  Then I froze all day.  
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CAPTAIN HOOK
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 14:50:09 (permalink)
That old coot sounds familiar !
 
Talk about bad fishing fogs. We were on Shenango at daylight one Spring and seen a fairly thick fog across the lake. As we started into the thick mist I noticed several dark shadows moving across the surface. I told my buddy to slow it down there are some geese just ahead moving kind of slow. As we approached them it became clearer that the two shadows were deer swimming out in the middle of the lake ! Who would ever think you can collide with deer in a boat !
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olds-Pa
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 16:39:58 (permalink)
One of my more recent fishing adventure blunders was this past June 6. Sever thunder storms were forecast for Girard and McKean up north towards Erie. My son, grand daughter and I decided to set out to Canadohta Lk. to troll for walleye. The storms up north were visible and it was clear at the lake. We launched and headed halfway down the lake when I noticed we were beginning to be surrounded by green looking clouds. Just as I mentioned it, my sons phone began sending a weather warning that a tornado was imminent in our area. It wasn't kidding, and just as we got back to the launch, there was a rotating wall cloud looming just over the trees and over us. The wind picked up and hail started pelting us. Grand daughter made it to the truck, and that's when this old guy found out he could not run to save his life. My son tied the boat to the ramp and passed me to the truck, I made it finally, and we got out of dodge quickly. Thank goodness it did not set down on us and I feared for all of our lives that day. It did set down in Warren county and did some damage. It was rated a F-1 90 mph winds. Not a fun ride in a 16' aluminum boat. No more bad weather days for me...
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Porktown
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 17:18:24 (permalink)
 
I had a similar situation 2-3 years ago on Arthur.  The winds picked up like crazy and rain started coming down.  So we pulled off of the lake, to the closest refuge, which happened to be the boat rental marina.  We then hear the wind wiping through the trees, and could have sworn it was the "locomotive sound" that tornadoes supposedly make.  The clouds were rotating, but no funnel cloud.  The boat rental place was all locked up.  We were very close to tossing a fire extinguisher through the window to get inside.  Within 15 minutes, it rolled out.  Not sure if it formed an actual tornado further away.
 
I was also out at Lock 3 fishing when that micro burst that came through and killed a woman at Kennywood.  Right before it came through, the fish turned on like crazy.  My buddy and I were wading and couldn't stop fishing, because the catching was too good...  Eventually the lightning and rain were too much.  We ended up riding out the storm in a car.  The traffic getting home was horrendous, with so many tree limbs on the roads.
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BeenThereDoneThat.
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 17:24:18 (permalink)
python73
This one time I went fishing with a crazy old coot up at Shenango, and when we got to the launches there were no LAUNCHES.  I fell out of the boat trying to get my manatee-frame up over the boat rail and soaked my left leg.  Then I froze all day.  


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
 
OMG that's sooo funny...........  I almost felt bad too!

Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~
 
 
 
  Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
 
#20
CAPTAIN HOOK
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/24 21:32:48 (permalink)
Once again we were heading to the Niagara River for a few days of shore fishing in early December.
It was about 10 am. when we got on I-79 at Mercer. All was good till we hit Meadville, then it was a white out and one lane of slow creeping snow traffic all the way to Edinboro. Accidents were everywhere !
We finally got to I-90 at about 1 pm. and it looked just as bad. We decided to keep going and take our chances, and after we got to where you hit the toll booths it was like a different world.
Roads were clear and hardly any snow ! Totally amazing !  
#21
ZelieSam
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/25 10:44:50 (permalink)
Many years back my dad and I were on Arthur in our little johnboat crappie fishing.  Nice summer day.  Next we looked up there was a Terminator 2 storm headed for the lake.  We decided to run, and just about the time we pulled away from the launch it opened up.  The lake looked like a laser light show and it T-stormed so violently on the way home we could barely see.  I remember thinking I was glad we didn't try to duck under the bridge and ride it out.  
#22
opsman
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/27 14:59:54 (permalink)
So this one isn't so much weather related, but it was a very hot summer night.  Buddy and I decided to night fish for pike at Wilhelm.  Parked somewhere where we had to walk a distance through some fields to get to the bay we were targeting.  Fished til around 3am and decided to just lay down and wrap up in our "space blankets" and catch a few z's before hitting it hard again at the crack of dawn.
I remember waking and wondering why my friend had covered me with our mosquito netting during the snooze,  til I fully woke and realized it wasn't the netting that i felt but a whole lotta spiderwebs!  It wasn't quite daylight and I swung my flashlight to see the entire area, including the field we crossed, completely covered in webs and those nasty looking yellow and black spiders.  That was bad enough, but it really got interesting when I woke my friend up who happened to be deathly afraid of spiders!  It wasn't pretty

"Fair winds and following seas..."
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CAPTAIN HOOK
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/27 15:01:24 (permalink)
Talk about being young and crazy about hunting or fishing !
I remember standing up at the Goose Blind Management Building at Pymatuning, waiting in line outside in freezing cold weather at 3am., waiting for the building to open up and draw a duck hunting area ! It usually didn't open till 5:30 am.
And there would be at least 50 or more guys standing with us.......insane !!!
 
I can't stand a 5 minute wait at Wal-Mart !
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opsman
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/27 15:07:00 (permalink)
Cap'n I bet I was in a few of those lines with you!  I can remember just before the drawing, "Good Morning gentlemen, it's five degrees outside and we have eleven blinds available this morning, good luck"  And if we didn't get lucky, we would haul**** through Linesville to area L, I believe it was, to duck hunt

"Fair winds and following seas..."
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treesparrow
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/28 16:57:56 (permalink)
This also happened back in about 1970. My brother  his friend and I headed up to the Sinnemahoning area to trout fish. I recollect it being the second week of trout season. It was fair weather turning cold and toward evening it was bitter cold with snow. We brought a big piece of plastic for shelter. Well the industrious lads that we were we settled into one of the roadside CCC picnic areas. The log shelter had a fireplace that we gathered all the picnic tables and built a wall  around the fireplace and pulled the VW inside. Well with a roaring blaze and the VW stereo music playing, and us all snuggled in, along comes Mr. Ranger. The good sign was his chuckling.  After visiting and commenting on our resourcefulness he asked us for one promise. Please next morning place the picnic tables all back to their assigned places ( they were the big heavy oak ones).
   How do you think that would play out today.
post edited by treesparrow - 2016/08/28 17:00:04
#26
CAPTAIN HOOK
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/28 20:56:05 (permalink)
Rick that spider story still has me laughing !
 
I got a spider story too.
We were night fishing along Shenango Lake shores when a huge water spider showed up slowly disappearing into the roots along shore. We'll my boy isn't fond of spiders especially large ones. Later on as he was bent over digging through his fishing vest on the ground I grabbed my extra rod and just barely brushed it across his back while yelling at him
" That huge spider is on your back " ! Well he started running along the shoreline while stripping off his T shirt and screaming where's he at !  Man, I know I was wrong but I couldn't resist or stop laughing for 10 minutes ! Yea.....the good old fishing nights .
#27
crappiefisher
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/29 00:22:26 (permalink)
treesparrow
When I was about 18 years old a friend and I headed for Canada with my younger brother (~13 yr old) and his friend same age. Could you imagine crossing the border today like that. These were the years my brother and I guided and worked in Canada without even thinking we were doing anything wrong.
  Well on this particular trip we camped on an island about 7 miles south of a little town on Georgian Bay. Fishing was fantastic and we hadn't A CARE IN THE WORLD. We brought beans, potatoes, and onions to compliment the fish. Life was good.
  Enter Hurricane Agness, and three days confined to the inside of the tent. Horizontal rain and sleet, and wind that wanted our tent. We were in a great spot and never got water under our tent and we anchored the tent well. We spend much of our time for those two days of intense storm lying in our sleeping bags and betting on which fly would cross a sew seam first. Of course the fly's were as lethargic as us and races lasted hours. Jimmy the Greek would have been proud of us.   




 The day Agness hit I was down the Allegheny up from the Hulton bridge a bit. Stuck it out a little too long & after climbing the 30 or so steps up the bank thought somebody was throwing rocks at me. The biggest sized hail I've ever seen filled the skys, had to hide under a truck for some time before it was a little safer to run home.
 
  Caught a 22" L/M a few min. before Agness hit, biggest I ever caught from the river to date. My fishin'was ruined for the rest ov that summer for the river.
 
crappy
#28
opsman
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/30 16:32:25 (permalink)
Lol  3.2 Stroh's red cap.  7.0 gold cap  God Bless the Milk Barn drive thru

"Fair winds and following seas..."
#29
graveydavey
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Re: Bad weather but I'm still going ! 2016/08/30 17:42:12 (permalink)
Old Dog, I got discharged a month before Agnes hit. I remember it quite well. I was getting buzzed, but not on 3.2 beer !!!
#30
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