Category fishing

We’ve gone fishing… We’ll be back just in time for hunting season with a fresh new website and some of our favorite content. 

See you soon!
Whitney

By Dave and Sheree Swistun

A prehistoric predator stalks the deep, murky waters — moving with the ease and grace of a silver arrow, relentlessly hunting its prey. With rows of needle- sharp teeth, merciless “dead” eyes reminiscent of a shark’s, an almost snakelike body and a survival instinct that has changed little over millions of years, the northern pike is an adversary worthy of any angler’s skills and best efforts.

One of the most prized game fish in northern United States and southern Canada, their range has been extended over the decades through effective stocking programs — and these days any lake in these regions that ices over in winter is likely to have a population of northern pike.

Pike can grow to a respectable size, and they have a reputation as fierce fighters ...

Okay remember my post about fall fishing and camping in Shenandoah and how excited I was? Well it turned into quite the adventure! First, it was Columbus Day and near impossible to find a camping spot. After getting recs from the great folks of Mossy Creek Fly Shop, my husband Dan and I ended up in George Washington National Forest about three and half hours from DC. We couldn’t believe our luck – this public land is just a stones throw from James Madison University is absolutely beautiful. We fished for a few hours and then headed to set up camp.

Our campsite appeared perfect… at first.  A creek nearby, lots of space and a flat spot near the fire pit perfect for our tent...

Recently while driving, I heard this story on NPR about the revival of the meat locker (read “communal walk-in freezer.”)  Although the piece is centered on storage for buying meat in bulk directly from farmers and ranchers, it got me thinking.  Could communal freezers be the answer for urban hunters and anglers?

Meat lockers were popular in the 1950s because of the cost of individual ice boxes. And now as a modern hunter and angler and city dweller, space for food storage in our house is an issue. Plus adding an additional freezer even if we had the space could prove costly due to the energy it takes to keep a second individual freezer cold.  And as more and more of us live in cities the convenience of shared storage just makes sense.  

Check out the Corning Meat Locker here in Corning, ...

The Hubs and I are headed out to Shenandoah this weekend to camp and *cross your fingers* dapple in a little fly fishing.  We’ve had heavy rains the past few weeks in and around DC, which has spoiled plans to get out several weekends.  With heavy rain, the water gets too high and muddy to fish but we’re hoping with this dry week that the fishing has been improved and we’ll finally get our feet in some cool water. It’s been too long since our Montana trip and I’m itching to land a fish!  Practice makes perfect right?! And if anything is right, it’s that we need more practice. Here’s a guide to North America’s fish to prepare us for what we *will* be pulling out of the water…

Wish you had this guide to help I.D. your fish?  You’re in luck, it’s a crafty poster!  Check it out here.