first fishing expedition of the spring and a few.....

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:48 pm

product reviews.

Temps were near 70F (21C) today, so Michael & I headed to a local farm pond to try out some canned wax worms I bought to try for trout when they are released at the local lake later this week. I also took my new "Kelly Kettle" along to see how it would work for heating up some water for hot beverages.

Of course Michael caught the first bluegill (and the most, too).

He was using an ultralight spinning outfit (his first attempt at anything other than spincast), and did fine with it once he learned not to haul back and cast hard. His first couple casts were on the opposite bank before he realized it doesn't take much effort to get casting distance with an ultralight spinning outfit.

He caught 4 or 5 bluegills, and I actually caught a couple.

The canned wax worms are hard to find, but they worked great for bait! I got mine from eBay, but wouldn't want to buy too many at those prices! (The local bait shop never has fresh wax worms in stock until April, and I didn't want to wait that long.)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0278773347

The Kelly Kettle was a recent purchase and I wanted to try it out before camping season gets here. I got the 1.75 pt model, and we had boiling water in less than 5 minutes using a few dead twigs we broke off a downed tree limb for fuel!
They are made in Ireland - http://www.kellykettle.com/.

The kettle is a bit bulky to carry, but there is enough room to store my coffee press and fire starting equipment inside! (aeropress - makes great coffee!) http://cgi.ebay.com/AEROBIE-AEROPRESS-C ... 7C294%3A50
This is the only coffee press I've found that doesn't leave grounds in the coffee! You use fine grind coffee, so you get plenty of flavor.

A rain shower put an abrupt end to our adventure, but it was still a good start to the fishing season, and a great way to pass the time while waiting on turkey season to open.

GA.crossbowhunt · Post by **GA.crossbowhunt** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:02 pm

you did better than i did the last 2 days wabie nothing but the nats biteing down here. about your canned wax worms are they the fishers cohice one. i got a couple of the crickets and meal worms but they were suppose to be the wax ones. did do any good with the meal worms or the live crickets. but it was a great day to be out doors high clear blue skies with females running in tight shorts around the lake. i am off to a pond on a army base then probally to al local creek that all ways produecs your creel limt

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:15 pm

GA.crossbowhunt wrote: about your canned wax worms are they the fishers cohice one.

they are "BirdWatcher's Choice" brand. But they are made by the same company! (timbuktu outdoors)

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:26 pm

We are at a funny stage of fishing right now, too much ice to cast, not enough ice to drill.
Good going on the bluegill guys! Looks like a bunch of fun.

FredBear · Post by **FredBear** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:06 pm

I wanted to get out today for the first time, but it rained all day!

DuckHunt · Post by **DuckHunt** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:12 pm

I picked up a new Pflueger rod/reel combo on Friday and was itching to try it out. I went out to the Shenandoah for a few casts just to wet my whistle.

Wow, 47 degree (F) water is a bit frigid for wading! I didn't last very long. About twenty casts and I couldn't feel my feet.

It was fun though. The reel works great so it was a succesful trip.

Congrats on the bluegill. I can't wait for the water to warm up around here.

DuckHunt

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:15 pm

Had another good evening fishing today!
This time we tried a different pond and both managed to catch bluegill large enough to qualify for the "Fish Ohio" recognition program.

Still waiting on my new camera, so no pics.

This is one of the many programs Ohio has to get & keep people interested in fishing & hunting, and I'll admit I've caught several qualifying fish over the years, but never bothered to register for an award.

With Michael along it adds incentive to take the time to get the awards, so he can be proud of his accomplishments, so I applied (online) to get our pins and printed our certificates.
Now (hopefully) he will want to catch 3 more species qualifiers to get his "Master Angler" classification.

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:19 pm

Good luck Michael!

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:10 pm

Sounds like y'all had fun, Wabi!

And you're right ... Kelley Kettles are neat!

I like pressed coffee, too! Use a french press frequently; never tried an Aero!

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:01 pm

Grizzly Adam wrote:Sounds like y'all had fun, Wabi!

And you're right ... Kelley Kettles are neat!

I like pressed coffee, too! Use a french press frequently; never tried an Aero!

Grizz,
I'm drinking coffee from my french press/travel mug right now!

It's insulated & makes 16oz of coffee. It's good, but the coffee has to be coarse ground, and you still get some grounds in the coffee. The Aero Press is designed as an espresso press, and it will handle the fine espresso grinds with no grounds getting through the filter. To make "American" style coffee you press an espresso into your cup, then add hot water to dilute it. I still haven't got my "calibration" of coffee/water ratio down perfectly, but I can tell you a "double espresso" straight will open your eyes!!!!!

I've tried several methods of coffee making over the years for camping and never found one that made really good coffee without grounds getting in the brew. The old fashioned percolator is good coffee, but I always end up with a "gritty" cup at the end of the pot.

This new Aero Press seems to be the solution to the problem!

I bought the Kelly Kettle for camping trips where the bulk of it isn't a problem. I got the pot support that goes on top so we could cook while waiting on the water to boil. Figured a breakfast of eggs & grits might be good once in a while.

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:08 pm

look's like a happy fisherman great pic

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:07 am

wabi wrote:The old fashioned percolator is good coffee, but I always end up with a "gritty" cup at the end of the pot.

Perc coffee always tastes like a church fellowship meeting to me!

It has a distinctive smell and flavor.

My daily brew is usually ADC, but I do press the occasional cup. Used to have an espresso maker, but I got rid of it because I didn't use it enough to justify it in my "No Clutter" possession policy!

I am an inveterate coffee drinker; been at it since I was 11 years old.

My grandma got me started on it.

I've been grinding my own beans for years. Love high-quality single origin coffees, but have been drinking Eight o'Clock Columbian for decades as the daily mug.

Always black!

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:28 am

Add me to the list of press coffee drinkers.

We use a Krups French Press machine here at the house.

The socialist blond I live with would never dream of drinking perked coffee!

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:42 am

Mike P wrote: The socialist blond I live with would never dream of drinking perked coffee!

I don't like perc coffee, either. I was being diplomatic when I said it had a "distinctive" flavor!

The only time I drink it is when I'm "social drinking"!

Of course, in this as in all such things, to each their own!

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:59 am

When canoe tripping we used the old centrifugal coffee making method - grounds in a pot of boiling water, swing it like a windmill, all the grounds settle to the bottom. Works quite well!

I have also resorted to straining through a bandana on occasion.

Now when I car camp I use a great unbreakable press a friend picked up for me years ago at MEC.