2009.06.08
Terry "Static Lines" Barber with a fun New River muskie
Regular poster Static Lines, aka Terry Barber, has gotten in on the fun distraction muskies are providing for many New River smallmouth bass anglers.
Well, I guess it's not fun for everybody as I've actually heard that some anglers who are focused on smallmouths have found these toothy critters bothersome because they're tearing up or tearing loose some pricy lures.
Barber's fish, which was 30 inches long, hit a Diawa jerkbait (which it ruined, according to Barber).
Beautiful fish Static! Congratulations!
And now finally we get place a face with the words!
Good to SEE you finally.
I had a great fishing trip myself on Saturday night at SML, caught some very nice Bass and Stripers.
Good Luck Static on your future fishing expeditions!
Comment by Ralph Barton — June 8, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
Nice musky Static,I've been lucky enough to catch a few small muskies on the James,its nice surprise bonus.
Keep up the good fishing,maybe I'll be lucky enough to bump in to you on the river some day.
Mark,I hope the musky hunters don't try to get a special stamp for there fish,it wouldn't be good if we had to pay for every different species.
Have a nice and lucky summer everyone.
Alfie
Comment by Alfie — June 8, 2009 @ 8:55 pm
Nice Muskie there, good to finally put a face to all the good posts you write
Comment by Joey — June 9, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
Congratulations are always in order when someone lands a musky. Good job, Terry. Speaking about names and faces, are you the Terry who calls the Big Dog Sports Talk show? Anyway, as someone who fishes with a bunch of people, I can back up Mark's comments about the toothy one. There are some folks so concentrated on one species that another is just an annoyance. Or, as one fellow I fished with explained to me why he wasn't bubbling over about the 18lb musky he'd just landed, muskies in addition to lots of big smallmouth is ok once in a while, but to have that big of a pull and to have it not be the smallie of a lifetime was, for him, a disappointment. I have felt a little of that when walleye, and musky fishing. A four or five lb smallmouth doesn't fight like a walleye, or a musky, but if you are hoping for a 10lb walleye, or a 35 lb musky, it takes you at least a little bit to realize it's not the prize you were hoping for, though the smallmouth will always give you a great fight. After all, how many of you can say you have gone out and targeted carp recently? Talk about a hoss!!! Still and all, any fish that bites and pulls is a worthy adversary, just because they are willing enough to join this silly game we play. My only concern is the seemingly unusually high numbers of muskies in the New in the 24-30" range. I would think, at that size, they are competing with the smallmouth for food, but what do I know? Final note..to Alfie's joke(?) about musky hunters, the great thing about fishing is that you get to catch 'em and let 'em go. A musky over 42" is a treasure, not a trophy, and if caught and released carefully, can be caught again. But a lot of people think of catch and release, and slot limits, as just as pernicious to their goals, when fishing, as the "hoarding" of the bear hunters that likely prompted Alfie's quip. Sometimes protection of a resource in the face of increasing pressure, can bring about special protections, like trout licenses, artificial only, catch and release sections, etc., but try to sell that one to an ultra conservative fish and game agency and casual meat fishermen.....awww, I shouldn't let myself get started. What I really meant to say was...CONGRATULATIONS TERRY!!!
Comment by Perch — June 10, 2009 @ 2:38 pm
Thanks for the compliments, Ralph, Alfie, Joey, & Perch
I have submitted another fish photo of a Citation Yellow Perch caught at Upper Claytor Lake while Float tube fishing.
1 lb 13 inches caught on a white and chartreuse double bladed vibramax spinner bait, I was going to let it go but boaters urged me to keep it saying they never seen one that big before and it may rank as a citation....
They were on the money, Thanks to the Pontoon boating family
Perch you're correct I am the one and the same.
And here is a compliment to the Roanoke Valley I have never met a bunch of nice people in many cities that I have live in or visited abroad while in the Military Outside of "Rhodes Greece" we'll just keep that one under hat.
Since moving here in 2003 People College Student alike have treated me with kindness and respect not to say every now and then there's the occasional thorn, but the sincerity of the community out shine the cloudy days 24 hours a day.
So I would like to say to everyone that visits Outdoor Blog hosted by Mark Taylor Thank you.
PS Still if I catch that creep that stole items from my car after I help him get gas for his car.
It's On!
Comment by static lines — June 11, 2009 @ 3:51 pm
Congrats Terry, (Static!), on the citation Perch. I look forward to seeing it. I have been having quite a successful fishing season myself.... I've been blessed with numerous trophies - Largemouth & smallmouth bass and stripers.
I also caught one small musky that blasted a Crazy Shad topwater bait. Even though he was a youngster it still made my heart skip a beat!!!!!! They are ferocious!!!!
I'm glad you are liking it here in our community.... I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, it's a great place, with great people, and MANY oppurtunities for the outdoorsman. Of course it sounds like " Rhodes Greece" might be interesting too LOL!! You'll have to share that story sometime!
I don't want to put it out here on the blog but holler at Mark and get him to send you my Email address...... send me a note and maybe we'll hook up for a fishing trip sometime.
I'm heading out fishing tonight on Smith Mtn Lake. The alewives and threadfin shad are still coming to the surface late at night and the gamefish are follwing them..... the topwater bite during this period is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO exciting!!!!!!! I can't wait to get down there!!!!!
Wishing you Lots of Luck Static in your future fishing expeditons!
Comment by Ralph Barton — June 13, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
Perch nice to have met you in person...
Had you stayed 30min longer you could have helped land a 40+ Musky, I switched back to the 1/2 oz Hydro Blade Spinnerbait...Wht/Chart casting into the shadows when a Monster of a Musky struck I fought that thing for 20 min on 8lb test while float tube fishing the New river off Route 114.
It was amazing that fish was easily longer that the width of my float tube! A fellow fisherman on the shore yelled to me to kick ashore and he would help me get it out once I got near the rocks at bank edge he said put some slack in the line and the Musky broke the line and I lost the fish and my favorite lure.
The JymSu 1/2 oz Hydro Blade Spinnerbait...Wht/Chart, this lure has never failed me while fishing with it. Largemouth, Smallmouth, Rock Bass, and now Musky has hit that lure when no other lure has produce for me.
Still it seem the most ideal condition is when the river has been high or slightly high as it was today. The only store that had this lure was Sportsman Warehouse do any reader of this blog have one of these lures they would like to sale?
The company is currently out of them for the present time.
Comment by Static Lines — June 13, 2009 @ 7:14 pm
Note to Terry's creep, move to China. I met Terry today, on the New, actually for the second time but first with formal introduction, and I'll just say, that creep is in trouble, and I'd like to add that I shift my congratulations to Terry's musky. He's lucky HE survived the encounter. All joking aside, Terry, good to see you again. You have definitely raised the bar on the float tube front, I particularly liked the barbell anchor resting in your lap. I regret not photoing your rig for the blogosphere. I was into the perch a fair bit early this year on Claytor, with some fine fish, but we only had one citation, so glad yours made it. Fine eatin' fish at any size! Also got the impression that you would fit in anywhere you go, Terry. Friendly folks like friendly folks who like to fish. See you on the river, hear you on the radio, and hope you got 'em today. We got about 60, smallmouth and redeye combined on our short float, no big fish, 17-1/2" was best. E me and we'll fish someday if you'd like, my float is definitely bigger than yours!
Comment by Perch — June 13, 2009 @ 7:28 pm
Very nice fish Static. Good fish!!
Comment by arrow-only — June 15, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Have a Happy Independence Day and it will be my birthday Saturday!!!
Let's be safe on the water, and if there's fireworks on Claytor Lake "I be there".
Comment by Static Lines — July 2, 2009 @ 6:34 pm
Was this fish caught at the boat landing below Radford bridge? Im asking because that were it looks like in the pic and im pretty sure i ran into this guy while fishing up there with my father.
Comment by cj horne — August 31, 2009 @ 4:02 pm
CJ
I caught that muskie on the left side under the bridge on route 114, were about a 100 yds up the river along the bank were I hooked an even bigger one.
That one made the one in the photo look like a tadpole, but as I said before I mainly use 8lb test line and fought that monster for at least 20 min before it finally broke off.
By the way CJ I hope all your fishing endeavors this summer have been grand.
Comment by Static Lines — September 1, 2009 @ 9:34 am