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Tag Archives: bass

AL’s Goldfish Lure Co. is a Proud Sponsor of Project F.I.S.H.

       

          

Playing with 5 of Al's Lures and after useing them to catch several fish, I popped the treble hook covers on and no finger hookups!

APtravelnews-October 1st-news release reprint—What is Project F.I.S.H.? Involvement of youth in a long term and continuous, community supported, sportfishing and aquatic resource education program. 

Vision: To initiate and provide fishing education and fishing skills to interested adults and youth from Michigan’s many diverse populations. This will preserve a natural heritage that ensures the future of fishing, which includes natural resources and environmental awareness, ethical fishing practices, fisheries stewardship, and positive developmental activities for children, families, and the community.

The Michigan Project F.I.S.H. program works through a statewide committee with representatives from: Michigan 4-H Youth Programs, Michigan State University Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife), Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, city and community recreation departments, service organizations, sportfishing/service clubs fishing industries/retailers, volunteers, and many others.

Project Goals:

  • Provide multiple experience sportfishing giving youth gradual, sportfishing mentoring and a lifelong learning process.
  • Develop in kids an appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor ethics and behaviors. Encourage kids to spend time outdoors.
  • Introduce youth to sportfishing as a hobby and lifetime pursuit.
  • Reach youth through clubs, schools, and sportsmen’s organizations.
  • Help adults as mentors spend time with youth.
  • Involve teachers, adult volunteer youth leaders, teen leaders, and retirees as mentors.
  • Provide training for volunteers, school teachers, mentor programs and  service organizations.
  • Help instructors develop willingness and ability to start and sustain a long term program in their local communities (including management/coordinator strategies)
  • Help instructors and youth gain new knowledge and confidence, enjoyment of the outdoors, aquatic biology/ecology, ethics and angling skills.
  • Show local teams of instructors how to use available resources that highlight accessible fishing opportunities.

Contact : Mark Stephens Room 13 Natural Resources Bldg. East Lansing MI 48824

517-432-2700  [email protected] , www.projectfish.org, www.facebook.com/projectfish, www.twitter.com/projectfish

Chasing Trophy Fish Offers Incredible Fishing Lures To Go Chase em’ and Catch em’

Chasing Trophy Fish lures would be "what's for dinner" if I was a predator. They actually look real and better in many cases than the real thing with fins and smell!
Chasing Trophy Fish lures would be “what’s for dinner” if I was a predator. They actually look real and better in many cases than the real thing with fins and smell!

APtravelnews- August 2nd, Goose Holler’ Farm– Product Reviews–When I met Vaughn Holderman (owner of CTF Lures) at ICAST, in Orlando, FL., I knew from his passion about his excellent products and his obvious love and knowledge at such an early age, that this lure company was special! He mirrored many generations of would be anglers who grew up marveling and loving their tender-years experience down at pond, lake, ocean, bay, river and stream. Well, Vaughn has really outdone the hard-lure genre and soft as well, with his jointed and straight stick and swim lures. The lures are available in the following patterns: Brook Trout, Perch, Shiner, Shad, Tiger Trout, Pickerel, Northen Pike and Palomino. There are divers, square bill crankers and wobblers in big and littler bait sizes. His soft jointed and wire jointed are in large and small sizes as well.  These lures as stated on their brochure are “As real as it gets.”  www.chasingtrophyfish.com

Vaughns simple yet compelling story!
Vaughn’s simple yet compelling story!

 

 

Al’s Goldfish; Back with a Vengeance–Trout, Bass, Perch, Walleye Watch Out!

Yellow Perch love wobbly golden spoons, like Al's
Yellow Perch love wobbly golden spoons, like Al’s

P1030547 Aptravelnews-Throw-back and forward- Goose Holler’ Farm-Several decades ago, I proudly owned a Mitchell 300 Spinning Reel with “fat” (compared to today’s diameters) 6-pound test monofilament, attached to a clear fiberglass spinning rod from the long gone, Davega, Brooklyn sporting goods store, and a small metal tackle box, (I still have today) whose little compartments contained the few lures I could buy, after begging my Grandfather David and Uncle Sid for a buck or two! In that steel, brown painted box was a shiny, golden metal lure called Al’s Goldfish. It shared compartment spaces with a Jitterbug, Hula Popper, a Mepp’s spinner or two, and 3-sizes of red and white, and black and white Daredevils spoons. 

Playing with 5 of Al's Lures and after useing them to catch several fish, I popped the treble hook covers on and no finger hookups!
Playing with 5 of Al’s Lures and after using them to catch several fish, I popped the treble hook covers on and no finger hookups!

I lived in Brooklyn, New York in a tenement building with my mom, Mary, Dad, Nat and Brother Mike. My dad was an amputee (his toes) from being in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, during the Nazi War. He was an excellent musician, and never had the patience or interest to take me fishing. The only fishing I could reach at my early age, was when I cut school to head over to the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard docks, and I let none of these lures ever touch the diesel coated waters, I used grizzle and fat I collected from my grandmothers garbage pail, impaled on a size 8-hook, under several pinch-on lead split shot, the kind a kid used his teeth to clamp them on the line with, and hoped for the tug of an eel, so I could yell triumphantly when I felt the bend and throb of the rod.

Only during the summer, when my grandfather rented a bungalow in the Catskill Mountains, did I choose to use my prized lures. Before I was 10-years old, I caught trout, bass and sunfish always referred to as “Bluegills” in the lake regions of upstate New York.  My favorite lure then was Al’s Goldfish! All my lures worked, but the action this little shiny, gold-plated, brass spoon always offered, seemed to guide my hand at decision time, to tie one on, as I opened my treasure chest, tackle-box;  like a Ouija -board pointer, my fingers selected the “gold.” Many years, and trillions of gallons of rushing waters later, I heard that Al’s Goldfish had been languishing in the hands of folks that finally sold the business and patents to someone new, a young entrepreneur named Mike Lee from Maine. From all indications he is dedicated to resurrecting Al’s Goldfish to the “top-of-the-mind” of freshwater anglers once again and genuinely wishes to offer jobs to Americans as well.

I’m here to tell you, even though I’ve drifted over to the fly fishing genre of fishing, I still love and use spin, conventional and if I have to, in far-away places like the Congo, for one of the many places I’ve fished; hand-lines too! Look for more on Al’s Goldfish story and heritage in upcoming posts. www.alsgoldfish.com

As you will see, from Al’s new Living Lures, to Field and Stream naming Al’s as one of the “Top Ten Lures” and still being made only in the USA, together with Al’s treble hook covers, as Arnold said: “Al’s be back!!!!

Always like great fishing tools and Frabill makes excellent fishing pliers and forceps to help preserve the fingers and the fish when unhooking them!
Always like great fishing tools and Frabill makes excellent fishing pliers and forceps to help preserve the fingers and the fish when unhooking them!
Als new Living Lures have just been introduced and I tried a fingerling bass. Bass are more than big mouthed predators, they are also cannibalistic! 1st cast, hit hard!
Al’s new Living Lures have just been introduced and I tried a fingerling bass. Bass are more than big mouthed predators, they are also cannibalistic! 1st cast, hit hard!

Pictures of the week!

Tilapia on the fly! West Coast of Florida at "the ponds."
Tilapia on the fly! West Coast of Florida at “the ponds.”
That's a carp!
That’s a carp!
My class. Taught 400-fly casting techniques in 4-days for Camping World in Wyoming!
My class. Taught 400-fly casting techniques in 4-days for Camping World in Wyoming!

action offshore 1

Wounded Warrior salmon fishing in Kodiak, AK
Wounded Warrior salmon fishing in Kodiak, AK