Recent content by choupique

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    Hook cutter

    Knipex makes good stuff. I've used them to cut hooks out of a fish or two, and a buddy has done some creative surgical removal of big-a$$ hooks with them. Highly recommend.
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    Where to hunt grouse?

    Wisconsin. Pennsylvania. Parts of WV. Sure, you can find them here but even the best TN or NC pops are at densities that are a tiny fraction of what you'd see further north.
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    Redhorse

    They are a sucker, so they have a lot of thin intermuscular bones, but they are excellent eating -- especially smoked. If you score fillets about 1/4" apart and deep fry them, they're also really good. A couple split shot, a small hook and pieces of nightcrawler should work.
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    Trout

    Unless you were in a tailwater, my money is on redhorse. They look vaguely trout-ish from above. Golden and black redhorse will often hang in that type of habitat, in loose schools. A couple years back I watched an angler on the lower Tellico cast repeatedly to a big silver redhorse (which get...
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    Down in the dumps

    pet shops.
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    Redneck Rod repair

    After they transitioned to Shimano and their repair policy went to crap, I had a nice 5wt holding up beans in my garden. Will never buy another again...
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    TN Musky

    Wear your PFDs, use wire, and make sure you have a big net easily accessible. Wire jaw spreaders and long hemostats are your friends. Watch flows carefully before you go. If it's much over 2500 cfs at the McMinnville USGS gage, you might want to go fish the reservoir instead.
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    TN Musky

    Muskies spawn around here during March- April. You might want to leave them alone then, and also in midsummer-early fall when water temps are above the mid-70s.
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    What kind of shad?

    Sheesh. I'd hate to see the stripper that's interested in a threadfin shad...
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    Jet Motor

    The White is a totally different river than the Clinch, you don't get those sharp transverse rock outcrops like you see on the Clinch. They'll tear a lower unit up. Don't see many folks running Supremes or Shawnees on the Clinch, for the same reason. The pea gravel issue is minor; the...
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    Too Late for Muskies?

    Probably have a bit longer, but watch the water temps. Sure, you can catch them any time of year, but if you catch them much above mid-70s you're likely going to kill them. Mornings are usually OK. Switch to smallmouth in the afternoon, please.
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    Asian carp

    Extremely tiny only counts on silvers, when there's a big bony mass that partially blocks the throat. Have you ever actually looked at how the gill rakers are arranged? You can shove your fist all the way down a big bighead's throat down into its gut. Easily. The gill rakers just strain material...
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    Asian carp

    That's a bunch of bunk. No minnows (the family, not the general term) have stomachs, they have an alkaline digestive tract, but there's plenty of species that eat other fish -- pikeminnows, creek chubs, fallfish, etc. Bigheads have fine gill rakers that they use to direct food items into the...
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    Muskie Advice

    Doskil gave you some good advice. You might also want a big net with a deep bag. Also keep in mind that we're the southern edge of their range for a reason -- they're at the upper edge of their temperature tolerance. If you fight them in hot water, it's very easy to unintentionally kill them...
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    Cold brewing coffee/tea

    Or longer, if I put an extra batch in the rotation. I've had some go 3-4 days without any noticeable weird flavors or acrid funk. It's not like it's going to go bad in the fridge...
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