Fishing, food, fun, and THE BEAR!!(Part 1 of two posts)

[iceehot6766]

Alright now, this is gonna be one of my longer posts, esp. the pictures because it deserves what it is.....Me and UglyStick put in a 12 hour day today......It never gets old.....I had a good feeling about today before we rolled out, something cool was gonna happen, didn't know exactly what it was gonna be, but just felt something.....So we started out at 6:30am and I told Jim, let's hit my usual 1st spot........Couple casts in....BAM!!...I nail a nice Smallie and it comes unglued....WTF is with me lately?.....smh........continuing forward I show Jim a secret bait and 1st cast....BAM!!....1st chunk of the day.....
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1379709_442027945918944_158975521_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1379709_442027945918944_158975521_n.jpg.html)

.....we drift a little down and Jim yells HE'S ON!! I told him don't horse him in, play the fish. and asks me to net him...After a nice fight,Finally put Jim on to his best smallie of the year.....this was all I wanted to do is see him catch something nice all day.....and he started out great!!....

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1375311_442352749219797_1342134620_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1375311_442352749219797_1342134620_n.jpg.html)

We both continue the day with a few more fish , bass, snot rockets and perch......bite was defiantely on plastics all day long.....

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/564582_442027532585652_1825028111_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/564582_442027532585652_1825028111_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003130831.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003130831.jpg.html)

We hit this one weed edge and I have a good feeling when my line gets a slight bump, I set the hook, and this bruiser comes flying out of the water......

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003130915a.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003130915a.jpg.html)

The day was shaping up to be pretty decent for the both of us.........we both caught fish......time for some lunch.....Mmmmmmmmmmm.......Grilled Chicken Cutlets with Lettuce,Tomato, and Red Onions on Fresh Semolina Bread with Salt Pepper, and Oregano, red wine vinegar and olive oil, and a lemon squeezed over the cutlets after I grilled them.....The Holy MotherClucker sandwich is what I call it.....I included a pic of the whole shebanfg from when I made it also....

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/534021_442027729252299_1083214369_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/534021_442027729252299_1083214369_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1381464_442027639252308_1116487475_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1381464_442027639252308_1116487475_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1384014_441197862668619_2078582810_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1384014_441197862668619_2078582810_n.jpg.html)

Alright we gotta keep it moving and work off that food so back to fishing now......found a pattern that brought a few more over the rails .......

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003131825a.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003131825a.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1386004_442027415918997_2113329644_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1386004_442027415918997_2113329644_n.jpg.html)

[iceehot6766]

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003131825.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003131825.jpg.html)

Jim hooks into another nice one later in the day......Ugly stick Jim gets it done!!!

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/988298_442027842585621_750073057_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/988298_442027842585621_750073057_n.jpg.html)

So we end up going around this one point ad all day I've been saying to Jim about how I've seen bears so many times this year, and this is time for them to come out more often, and all this bear talk, we're fishing and I look to my left and there he is!.........EL OSO GRANDE!!!!!!....I love these animals so much. They are so incredible to see, with their fluffy, shiny black fur and beautiful face....To see them with your own eyes and think people kill these just for fun breaks my heart......They are one of God's most beatutiful creation's in this world..He just sat there on his butt , not one bit afraid of us and let us get very close to him....like probably @ 50 feet or so(we were in the boat off shore and had the gas motor ready in case of an emergency)...We just sat there quietly and watched him as he just looked at us probably thinking, "I wish these guys would just go back to fishing and leave me alone, this isn't the zoo!!!".......AFter about 15 minutes or so he wandered off slowly and we returned to fishing again, I know for me and Jim, was the icing on the cake to a beautiful day on the water...Here's a few pics we snapped...I did video also but not going to load it up here.....Oh yeah, my guess was the bear weighed about 250 pounds....Jim laughed and easily said that bear was 400-450....WOW

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1382956_442026975919041_513574378_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1382956_442026975919041_513574378_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003131623.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003131623.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003131625a.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003131625a.jpg.html)

Here's a link to a video of the bear.........I posted it to my facebook but you can still view it even if you don't have fb..

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=442230895898649&l=3581591272388676400

On the way in we both got a few more fish including this huge slime dart right as it was getting dark out....

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003131854a.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003131854a.jpg.html)

I want to thank Jim for a great day and for a new friendship...He is such a good decent guy and I am glad we ended up being friends through this site....We are definately going to fishing more next year and again thanks for taking me on your boat ....Here's a few fall in NJ scenery pics I took today to make this post totally well rounded......Thanks for reading and sorry if it was too long......

How our day started....
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/8477_442027785918960_1523317051_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/8477_442027785918960_1523317051_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1383267_442027825918956_1342853568_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1383267_442027825918956_1342853568_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1385492_442027982585607_1323136742_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1385492_442027982585607_1323136742_n.jpg.html)

How we ended the day.....
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1382089_442028015918937_409622738_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1382089_442028015918937_409622738_n.jpg.html)

[FASTEDDIE29]

All I can say is, WOW!!!! Great looking Sammie's, Larry's and some AWESOME PICS of Mother Nature and it's beauty. Watching an animal in its natural environment is a sight to be seen. Black Bears are an amazing sight.

Great job Mitch and Jim. Hands down the best report I've read in a while. Wow, what a sammich!!!! Putting some serious time in on the water, love it! Great post, epic story!!!

[kcritch]

Oh sure take Jim to a place that actually has fish in it and catch'em all day...I see how you are! HA....obviously just kidding.

Sounds...and looks...like a great day Mitch. I'm glad you got to catch a bunch...well deserved for sure....great report and pics.

Nicely Done guys!

[Jigman13]

Enjoyable way to start my morning... great post. Nice fish.

[ScowardNJ]

After reading that post i feel like i just got off the lake with you guys and my stomach is full! Great pics, great day!

[Eskimo]

.


....I love these animals so much. They are so incredible to see, with their fluffy, shiny black fur and beautiful face....To see them with your own eyes and think people kill these just for fun breaks my heart......


Looks like you had another awesome day on the water.

Seeing a bear in the wild always makes my day, too.
This is their hyperphagia period when they are engorging themselves on acorns and anything else they can get their paws on in preparation for the winter.

As much as I like bears, I am glad New Jersey manages their population with a hunting season. I remember when Corzine stopped the bear hunt. There were so many damn bears. Fishing in the evening from the shore at the Delaware Water Gap was a scarey experience. It felt like you were at the zoo on the wrong side of the cages. There were bears walking around everywhere. I almost walked into a bear that was eating out of a garbage can in a parking lot. Scarey stuff to experience when you're alone in the dark.

It couldn't have been much fun for the bears, either. There's only so much food available in the woods. Bears were forced to move into the suburbs looking for food where they were eventually captured and euthanized.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.




.

[Mikeps326]

That looks like an amazing day good job catching them. The bear is a plus!

[iceehot6766]

Thanks guys for the comments....we had a perfect day yesterday!!.......I'm always looking to fish w/ amyone so just pm me and we'll link up......Here's a bonus pic of what went into that sandwich before I put it all together

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1377425_441197536001985_165927810_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1377425_441197536001985_165927810_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1378101_441197802668625_416310213_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1378101_441197802668625_416310213_n.jpg.html)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1378265_441197729335299_735499807_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1378265_441197729335299_735499807_n.jpg.html)

[Fish n Jeep]

I would welcome a bear in my yard if he would eat all the damn acorns. Its like walking on marbles just getting the mail.

[acabtp]

I would welcome a bear in my yard if he would eat all the damn acorns. Its like walking on marbles just getting the mail.
do you know any deer hunters? they would love to rake up those acorns for you. if you really have a lot, think about posting something on craigslist. seriously, i would come do it myself but you're an hour and a half away from me.

[acabtp]

looks like a good day (as always) mitch, good fish (and sandwich)!

Seeing a bear in the wild always makes my day, too.
This is their hyperphagia period when they are engorging themselves on acorns and anything else they can get their paws on in preparation for the winter.

As much as I like bears, I am glad New Jersey manages their population with a hunting season. I remember when Corzine stopped the bear hunt. There were so many damn bears. Fishing in the evening from the shore at the Delaware Water Gap was a scarey experience. It felt like you were at the zoo on the wrong side of the cages. There were bears walking around everywhere. I almost walked into a bear that was eating out of a garbage can in a parking lot. Scarey stuff to experience when you're alone in the dark.

It couldn't have been much fun for the bears, either. There's only so much food available in the woods. Bears were forced to move into the suburbs looking for food where they were eventually captured and euthanized.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.
well said! in general, i think bears are really cool too. i don't personally hunt them, but i do support the bear hunt to manage their population. it's really the only way that works to keep their numbers in check. otherwise, there just get to be too many and they end up expanding their range into areas that cause conflict with people. i have bears on my property several times a year. one time in particular this spring, the police and I chased the same ~450# male off the property three times in two hours... the bears have learned to not be afraid of humans because they see us so much, and that's an issue. other people in my town have had pets and livestock eaten.

maybe the state should implement an Equal Opportunity Bear program. when DEP captures nuisance bears up here in northern jersey, they can ship them down to the folks in central and southern NJ to enjoy. :p :p

[acabtp]

Equal Opportunity Bear pilot program:
http://www.tombeauchamp.com/misc/fishing/EOBPilot.jpg
;)

[Fish n Jeep]

Roflmao

[iceehot6766]

O just added some video of the bear in it's natural habitat...........Just scroll down and under the 3 pics of the bear, there is a link that should bring you to the video on my facebook page....even if you don't have fb, you can still watch the video!!!......Enjoy guys!!!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Good stuff Mitch! Was the wind blowing toward that shoreline where the bear was spotted? If yes, that big old bear was there cus it smelled that delicious sammich!!!

[420*NightCrawler]

Pretty epic day it looks like. Apparently those watershed properties still produce well. You made me jealous....and hungry! Your sandwich reports are just as awesome as your fishing reports. ;)


Lol'd at the bear in the river catching a striper pic, nice job photoshopping.:D

[UglyStick]

Once again, another AWESOME day on the water with a valued new friend. Thanks Mitch for such a detailed post (and the Holy MotherClucker...) - detailed enough where I'm not sure what I can add to it and I WAS THERE! It doesn't get better than this.

You have a spot on my boat anytime...looking forward to it...

[FASTEDDIE29]

Couple of those Smallies looked pretty BIG! Any idea how big the largest SAMMIE was?

[iceehot6766]

Ed, we didn't have a scale but my guess is my fish went 3.5 maybe more....the bellies on ALL the fish we caught was full and looked like they had a golf ball to a handball sized bulge in their stomachs....definitely startIng to feed hEavy for the end of the season......one of the picklerel's stomach was so hard I thought it swallowed a turtle!!!.....Here's a better pic of Jim's biggest...I just found it on my phone...was exhausted from yesterday and for some reason missed it.......

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1375311_442352749219797_1342134620_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1375311_442352749219797_1342134620_n.jpg.html)

Some more bear pix....
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1003131622b.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1003131622b.jpg.html)
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k538/iceehot66/1385114_442027052585700_1259175275_n.jpg (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/iceehot66/media/1385114_442027052585700_1259175275_n.jpg.html)

[anthrax2244]

kick a$$ post! thats a lot of quality fish! awesome sight seeing a bear in nature like that.

[Mako333]

What area is that you are fishing is that around Montague where do you launch the boat from? Looks like a great day

[The Birdman]

Awesome post, nice fish and delish lookin food!

[iceehot6766]

Bird, when are we fishing?.....before the sheds close next weekend?....

[EJS]

Great post iceehot6766!!! Black Bears are amazing to see in the wild! There is a tagged male Black Bear I see roaming Zion Mountain from time to time. They are a great reminder of what we have in this state and how it's important to protect it.