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Tag Archives: sunfish

Go Fish Education Center in Perry, GA.

Barb lips the biggest largemouth in the world.
Visiting a black bear at the center.
Free catch and release pond with gear included!
Barb hitting the pheasant lights on the simulator.

American Press Travel News-October 9th, 2019-Perry, GA. – Bob and Barb “On The Road Again” this time in GA. While in Perry, GA. on the way home from Florida to our Goose Holler’ Farm in TN., we stopped in a area of GA. that has several interesting Go To places for locals, travelers and general visitors. There is a huge convention center, a marvelous outdoor venue for equestrian and RV convention events, as well as a monster Georgia National Fair, and carnival functions, year-around. A huge project now open for over a decade is the Go Fish Education Center. This center features over 200,000 gallons of aquariums/exhibits. The exhibits showcase fish and habitats from all areas of Georgia. We tried out fishing and hunting simulators. These were a real treat for us and the various families including children that tried these simulators out. We were introduced at the incoming desk of Go Fish to Michael Fulghum, the aquarium manager. Fulghum said that the tradition of fishing was passed on to him from his grandfather and father. “Working at the Go Fishing Education Center has allowed me to share that tradition with others. From school children to senior citizens , the staff at the Go Fish Center teaches the skills and techniques needed to enjoy fishing. We have the great pleasure of sharing some of life’s little moments with our guests, whether watching a child land their first fish, or helping a family catch their limit, the Go Fish Education Center is here to secure the tradition of fishing for years to come”, concluded Fulghum. We agree, this is a terrific venue for keeping the healthy and happy sport of fishing, top-of-the -mind for everyone. Visit their state-of-the-art hatchery, and catch and release, with bait and tackle is free at their fishing pond that’s stocked with several warm water fresh water species. Go to their website: www.gofisheducationcenter.com for more information.

Bob’s Reverie At The Farm

 

Barb loves to fish when she has an edge and doesn’t have the whole day to hopefully hook a neighbor with shoulders enough for us to spar with! 

APtravelnews-May 16th-Crossville, TN.—Goose Holler’ Farm—Bob’s reverie at the farm–I Woke up this morning to chirps from at least a dozen birds: Blue, red, black, gray, mottled, white, yellow, striped black and gray. Their songs and calls were sweet, some raucous, some sounding playful and a few staccato as in three different kinds of woodpeckers including a bright red headed one with a real attitude that come to our feeders and the older trees with lots of dead wood near the fence-line of Goose Holler Farm.

Today was especially auspicious, as the deer with and without antlers and testicles were feeding along a weed whacker line I made near the pond (the pond brings many varieties of ducks and geese over the year to rest and feed)  to keep our paths from growing wild and hiding some other unsavory visitors. These serpent critters such as water moccasins come looking for a red- eared, or blue-gilled sunfish, or a bass fish dish alongside the weedy shallows, along with some other potentially poisonous water snakes that we all prefer not to tread on, or brush by, by accident.  Sure, I have more squirrels and chipmunks per acre than probably anywhere in our area, as I have at least 150 trees per acre on our ten acre little farmstead, but until they get into our attic, I don’t shoot at them with anything more powerful than a stinging B-B gun to keep them from clearing the bird feeders within an hour or less.  

The trees are mostly big trees of nut and flower, oaks, black walnut, maples and almond, the billions of leaves- each one slightly different than the other, keep us shaded and cool in the summer. Together with the blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry bushes and a sundry, seed bushes, not to mention our grown fresh veggies and herbs, we have a fine cornucopia. I guess that in the great profusion of wild plants, it would take a true horticulturist to be able to name them all.  I love waking and spending my day writing, looking out and on our land and up-keeping and gardening here.

 I guess the reason for this post is I really feel blessed to wake up to nature, and the honeysuckle, roses, peonies and lilac bushes blended a sweet natural aroma to a day full of promise that anyone could enjoy if they gave their I phone, laptop and TV a rest for a day or, two a week!

Tony Romano-Wood Carver Extraordinary

American Press Travel News-Florida-Feb. 25th,-Bob and Barb “On The Road Again“-When I met Tony Romano, I had no idea until I saw a large showcase filled with some of his over 600-various carvings, in genre’s that include birds, fish and other wild creatures, of how creative and talented he is.

He is a fine soft-spoken fellow who moved from Orient, NY, to Florida in 2010. His previous life revolved around a quality taxidermy business for 6-years, and then spent twenty years in the wine and liquor business before retiring to warm, and comfy Florida.

Residing in Port St Lucie, FL, his favorite relax time where we met, is a hot tub where we both jiggle our back, arms and legs against the powerful jets of a fabulous and large hot tub system. “Carving takes my mind off of mine, and the worlds issues, I totally immerse myself into creating something out of 3X6 inch rectangular block of wood, creating a pretty, lifelike Cardinal bird, that once I paint it, people can enjoy the look of a nearly real bird. My sense of satisfaction is beyond words. My favorite piece (all of them really are) is my Redhead Duck. I won a ribbon my first time I entered into a jury’d carvers contest” said Tony Romano. 


Bass Are Smarter Than the Average Weekend Warrior on the Water Really Know

Barb knows how to wrestle with big bass too! This fish was caught in Northern California!!
Barb knows how to wrestle with big bass too! But, today we fish in our pond without hooks to test lures such as Al’s Goldfish (lollipops to our fish) 

AmericanPressTravelNews.com–Goose Holler’ Farm, TN.–Barb and I have ‘stopped to smell the roses’-our roses!  This morning, while relaxing next to our pond in TN., sipping the best coffee in the world, I spotted 3-of the largest Largemouth bass in our acre pond, swimming within 5-feet of the shore, along the wild grass where the frogs, turtles and snakes like to hide. Suddenly, all three stopped. 2-fish spanned out leaving a triangle of fish one closer to the shore the other two about 8-feet out remained motionless. The bass in the middle as if on signal charged the shore with such fury that it launched itself out onto the wet grass directly within 6-feet of where I was sitting at my umbrella shaded picnic table. Fortunately, I had my polarized glasses on. Immediately, a second after the bass spun/slid around, the other two bass waked into the attack on the small sunfish that were chased out into the open. All three bass fed. Now, we have all seen the killer whales, dolphin (mammals) display somewhat of a similar behavior, but I never saw bass do a strategic take-down before. There are many behaviors of many species of fish I’ve observed all over the world having fished everywhere, possible except China. Wished I had my cell so I could have possibly gotten a video, but when incredible things happen, we are almost totally taken by surprise and don’t have set-up time to capture it!

So I can say, perhaps G-D offered me his Fathers Day Gift? I am taking it that way, and sharing it, in any event!

Happy Pop’s Day to all! Bob