Travis Patsell of Vinton sent me a recent rundown of his fishing exploits, including this shot of his girlfriend Brook Ayers with a 22-pound blue catfish from Buggs Island Lake.
Patsell said he's made two recent trips to Buggs and done pretty well on the blues. Fishing with cut gizzard shad on Carolina rigs (with circle hooks) they caught six in the 10-pound ranged on the first trip and nine on the second trip, with this one the biggest.
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures.
Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism.
After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters.
70 Degrees this weekend??? I'm gone!!! Either looking for stripers at SML or largemouth at CC.
IT's Fishing time!
--With the gradual warm-up we'll have going into those 70-degree days, this weekend could have some great potential. Good luck out there. mt
Comment by JOHN — March 4, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
Congratulations Travis and Brook! BEAUTIFUL fISH!!!!!
Comment by Ralph Barton — March 5, 2009 @ 5:01 am
Personally I'd vote for a trip out for spring run steelhead on the Rogue, Deshutes or Yakima...
-Not sure how those rivers are fishing but the ones my dad and brother fish in Southern Oregon have been terrible this year. mt
Comment by Win — March 5, 2009 @ 1:22 pm
Mark,
Took advantage of the nice weather and hit a pond in Stewartsville Sunday afternoon. The crappie and bluegill were hitting pretty good, we were using minnows floated under a bobber. Got to love pond fishing!
--Great report. So, why didn't you call me?
mt
Comment by Jim Basham — March 9, 2009 @ 9:54 am
Jim Basham
Any chance of a fella putting a float tube in that pond for some casual crappie and bass fishing?
Comment by Static lines — March 9, 2009 @ 8:19 pm
Nice catch... Young lady!
Mark have you heard of the Tiger Bass or Gorilla Bass.
Barry Smith and Don Keller of American Sport Fish Hatchery, for 12 years, Smith and Keller have bred an aggressive strain of northern bass they call gorilla bass or tiger bass.
They cross gorilla fish with a fast-growing Florida strain that has the genetics to reach 20-pound trophy size. The offspring is called a tiger bass, and it's taking the world of private pond owners by storm.
We stocked tiger bass, and they're growing 2 pounds a year or better. This is their fourth year in our lake, and we have 8- to 10-pound bass," says Burt Fuller of Hill Ranch at Gainesville, Ala.
Although they may not live as long or grow quite as large as pure Florida bass, tiger bass can grow more than 2 pounds per year and often reach the treasured 8-pound range as 3-year-olds.
Mark would this strain of bass be Great for Pandapas Pond.
Comment by Static lines — March 13, 2009 @ 4:25 pm