Hi all,

Just so as to keep you all informed, here is a new forum to make any announcements.

As you know we had to change the last forum as the software could not cope with the amount of visitors it was getting. . . it just ground to a halt :)

This new forum is still being configured and will take a few days at least to knock it into shape.

Our first task is to ensure all previous members can gain entry. We know some of you can view the forum but cannot log on as a member. This is being looked at and we are trying to resolve this asap. We will try to respond to all your e.mails when the dust has settled a bit.

Once we have got it working properly we will be looking at adding new facilities, a new design, new forums and a whole lot more. In the mean time (if you can get in ;)) have a look at your new profile in the 'My Home' link that appears on the above menue bar at the top of the page. This will allow you to change the way is looks and serves you information. . .

Have fun and we will try to post online guides of how to get the best out of the system as soon as we can!

Cheers

Steve

Things are still happening fellas, even at this late hour.

Axe

Is it me or has the date format gone all American ? I'm sure it used to be 'normal' before.

Rob.

SAxe - if you can figure out how to get it back to US (maybe a profile option or something) I will be grateful.

I get soooooo confused with the dates laid out in the dd/mm/yy thing. It ain't natural. Nope, not natural at all.

I mean, look what it did to you folks. You even drive on the wrong side of the road and I think it is just confusion from looking at wierd date formats.

Newt,

You think you're confused? I have been here (USA) for 18 months now, and now find myself in the unenviable position of being confused by both the US and the English date format.

Mind you I wasn't much better when in the UK - I remember being asked by a policeman for my date of birth - we had called him as someone threw a brick through one of our (closed) windows at home and he was filing his reprt. When I screwed it up he said "Try to remember it's not a great idea to get your date of birth wrong when we (police) ask for it. Makes us real suspicious!". Luckily I was able to play the "absent minded professor" card - which amused him somewhat!

And as for driving - I stick to the middle of the road!! (Well, have you ever experienced Boston drivers driving in Boston...)

Garry

Newt,

I see that my dates are now "UK style". But that "favorite" isn't "favourite" - if you get my drift!

Garry

Garry - I have always wondered about the UK use of all those silent "u" things. LOL

How is the fishing around Boston (when the water isn't hard that is)?

Hi Newt,

I have only been here for about 18 months, and what with trying to get family settled, a new job, and trying to learn American, I haven't had much chance to explore. I'm the person who e-mailed you a couple of times, just in case you didn't realize! My suspicion is that the "best" fishing is in the ocean, but I have absolutely no experience of such things, apart from the occasional "party boat" trip. My fishing so far has been confined to lure fishing from my canoe on the Sudbury and Concord rivers near my home. Which is fun - have you anyidea how far a 15 lb Northern pike can tow two adults in a canoe?

I would really like to find a bit of quiet carp fishing (there being no barbel over here!) and freshwater fly fishing, without having to drive for hours. At the moment most of the ponds and lakes are frozen, and the rivers are largely covered by ice, in spite of it being "mild" this winter.

No doubt I'll find some "proper" fishing sooner or later!

I do remember some conversations about fishing near the school on that nice river that runs thru town.

And you are right - we are very low on barbel over here. Shame too since they sound like fun.

Not even sure if there are buffalo in the water that far north.

Are you here for the long haul or just a short stint of teaching at Harvard?

Hi Newt,

I'm here at Harvard "forever". Though who knows how long "forever" really is nowadays!!

Something has always puzzled me you know - how come a land like the USA, full of many wonderful things, has no barbel? They are intriguing fish, and really powerful. They don't run huge - UK barbel probably top at around 20 lbs. They are, as you say, great fun. I used to fish for them regularly in the UK. Sort of miss them out here. (Not that I would condone illegal imports of course!).

However, I'm sure to find something to fish for using methods with which I feel familiar. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for trying something new, and I will be experimenting with all sorts of weird and wonderful ways to tempt the local bass (and other things I still have to learn the names of!) - but it's always nice to do something familiar too.

I'll keep you updated!

Garry

Garry - you can see a list of the most common species up your way Here.

In addition to carp, the channel catfish will respond to similar methods as the ones you would use for barbel.

Also have both white and yellow perch. White is closest to the UK variety but they both behave pretty much the same.

The "Northern Pike" is the same as the UK pike.

Tiger Muskellunge is like a pike but with a major attitude problem. Mean and more teeth than a pike.

Walleye - same as you would for zander.

Barbel - I would love to have some down here as well. If you decide to plant some, I certainly won't tell anyone. We already have at least one, USS Barbel, SS-580, which is a submarine. Also supposed to be both Barbus barbus and Barbus altianalis altianalis over here but I am not sure exactly where they are to be found.

We do still have Burbot which I understand have gone missing in the UK. Take a look Here but I'm not sure if they have them in MA. The Ohio record was set in 1999 at 17+ lbs.

Hi Newt(n+1),

Thanks for the info. I must say I'm interested in catfish. Though I don't know the first thing about them - except that they have whiskers of course. So perhaps I could pretend thay are barbel!

I do hope to explore the local fishing this year. It's a little cold for me right now (10 F when I left for work this morning at 7:00 am) and the waters have this odd hard covering. If I didn't know better I would say it was ice... Last year was largely taken up with trying to get to grips with living in the USA. Do you know of any good books on catfishing in the USA? As I said, it's completely new to me.

As for burbot - now that would be fun. If only for the bragging potential with my UK friends!

Hi Newt(n+1),

Forgot to mention that I was aware of the USS barbel. I always thought it a most appropriate name (I wonder how it came by it?). Sometimes when you hit a barbel it feels just like you scared up a submarine!

Oh, and tiger muskies - I presume one uses a whip?

Whip & chair for tiger musky is by far the prefered gear.

Catfishing books - found a few.


http://www.nighthawkpublications.com/fishing/masterscatfish.htm "Masters' Secrets of Catfishing"

http://www.fishinglines.com/bookstore/htmls/catfish.html "Fishing for Catfish"

http://www.wsmcafe.com/temp/09011250jau/page5.html "FISHING FOR CATFISH"

http://www.wsmcafe.com/temp/09011250jau/page6.html "CATCHING CATFISH" which is the softcover version of FISHING FOR CATFISH shown above.

Newt,

Thanks for that info - I'll be the best read catfisher in Cambridge.

And as for the whip and chair - do Cabelas do a camouflage set?

Hi Newt,

Thanks again for the info. I have just ordered one of the books on catfish which you listed.

As regards burbot - I have just done a search and found that they appear to be almost as rare in MA as in UK:

******
BURBOT Lota lota (Linnaeus, 1758): DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Native - State Rare. In Massachusetts, burbot are known from only 4 records. Lesueur (1818) described and illustrated a juvenile specimen from Northampton (presumably from the Connecticut River). Storer (1839) stated that he saw or identified a 6-inch fish from the Ashuelot River, New Hampshire (Connecticut system); but later (1867) he mentions another (or the same?) 6-inch specimen from the Connecticut River (in Massachusetts). In July of 1970, Joseph Bergin, and a Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife survey crew found single specimens (7.5 and 8.5 inches TL) in Hubbard and Schenob brooks, both in the Housatonic drainage, near the Connecticut state line. The most recent record is based on two post-larvae found on May 16, 1987 by William Kenney in Longmeadow Brook near the Connecticut River. One of the specimens was raised until mid-June, when it measured about 30 mm SL and was definitely identified as a burbot. The specimen is now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
*****

I think the aforementioned museum might well be right next to me here at Harvard. The Museum of Natural History is - my favorite exhibit (apart from the glass flowers - which are just amazing) is a preserved coelacanth. As I can get in for free I go visit it often. Know any good books on catching coelacanths? (I already have "A Fish Caught in Time"). What bait do you recommend, and what's your PB??

Well Garry - in the overall scheme of things, Ohio isn't too terribly far from MA so maybe you could go after your Burbot. I tried to find a "burbot guide" but apparently no one guides for them.

Or if you want to go further west and like the "0ld fish" species, we have bowfin as well. I caught the occasional one when I lived in Arkansas and the states along the Gulf coast have them as well. Also as far north as the Great Lakes. Serious teeth and a horrible attitude but they can live in the worst water you can imagine. The pic below does not show it but the inside of the mouth is a nasty blue color.

Take a look at http://www.osadv.com/_borders/bowfin.KDJr.3.11.2001.jpg

Newt,

That bowfin looks suspiciously like the younger brother of my friend the coelacanth in the museum next door... ...do you think the whole "coelacanth story" could be a hoax, perpetuated by "illegal imports" of bowfin??

Good news is that there would appear to be some catfish in my neck of the woods. The author of the catfish book (Keith Sutton) I ordered e-mailed me to say it was on its way. And following my reply (the usual pitiful "UK angler adrift in a foreign country" story) he suggested I contact a Roger Aziz, who lives in MA and who he says "holds several world records, and apparently, is a great catfisherman". I'll try and see how far I get. Don't want to break any records (Mr Aziz might be a little p***ed and anyhow I couldn't handle the fame and adulation). Just a few fish in nice surroundings. And no mosquitoes please.

Yup. I think he does hold a few records. Take a look at the current list of MA records. He is listed with a 3lb 8oz bullhead - our smallest catfish and 3lbs is HUGE. The record carp for the state seems to be a touch over 44lbs.

http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw/dfwfrec.htm

And a nice article about him catching lots of white catfish (never even knew there were white catfish) in tidal waters in MA is at http://www.edersfishing.com/fresh/publication/2000/november/TideCats/default.cfm

Sounds like you could have some serious fun with him and learn a bunch as well.

And ole brother bowfin does look a bit like a coelacanth now that you mention it.