After finishing the 2019 season First-Team All-MAC, Ball State offensive lineman Danny Pinter shares how he’s getting ready for the NFL Draft and what the NFL Scouting Combine was like. He also offers up his favorite fishing stories, why his versatility should help him in the NFL and more.
After finishing the 2019 season First-Team All-MAC, Ball State offensive lineman Danny Pinter shares how he’s getting ready for the NFL Draft and what the NFL Scouting Combine was like. He also offers up his favorite fishing stories, why his versatility should help him in the NFL and more.
In addition to racking up an impressive stat line as a defensive end at NC State, James Smith-Williams has had two internships at IBM and uses his off-the-field experience to excel on-the-field. Here’s how he’s preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft and some of the fun ways he’s spending his free time.
In addition to racking up an impressive stat line as a defensive end at NC State, James Smith-Williams has had two internships at IBM and uses his off-the-field experience to excel on-the-field. Here’s how he’s preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft and some of the fun ways he’s spending his free time.
A 9-year-old boy ice fishing nervously reeled in a catch he could hardly believe, and his reaction is priceless.
A 9-year-old boy ice fishing on the lake in front of the family cabin was nervously reeling in a big fish, and even asked his mother to go fetch dad, but he kept reeling and soon started handlining the fish of a lifetime up through the ice. The word excited just doesn’t do his reaction justice.
“Come on, come on…come on, buddy,” Hunter said as his mother Melissa Warford videotaped the special moment last week on Shabogomo Lake in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. “Come on now, oh that’s a fish!”
When the head of the estimated 12-pound lake trout came through the hole in the ice, Hunter was beside himself. His mother told him to pull him up and he replied, “I can’t. Help!”
But he did. And then, wow.
“He was so pleased with catching the fish on his own and even had some nasty cuts from pulling on the line,” Melissa told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “But he didn’t care because he felt it was worth it.
“He was so excited for days. It was all he could talk about. He had never caught a fish without dad’s help so I think he was a little nervous that he couldn’t do it on his own.”
The video cut out just as Hunter began crying tears of joy.
“I’ve never seen him so emotional,” Melissa told For The Win Outdoors. “He’s caught big fish before but always in the summer and with the help of dad. This is the first one he did all by himself and I think that made him very proud.
“I will treasure this memory forever and I’m sure he will as well.”
An angler on quarantine lockdown accomplished a rare feat recently by landing a fish from his apartment balcony – 50 feet above ground.
An angler on quarantine lockdown in Dubai accomplished a rare feat recently by landing a fish from his apartment balcony – 50 feet above ground.
Philip Du Plessis told For The Win Outdoors that he became so stir-crazy that he just had to try, given that his apartment overlooks a brackish canal that showed more promise with each passing day.
So late one night at the end of March, on his 11th day of lockdown, Plessis put a shrimp on his hook and began to cast.
The accompanying footage, captured by his wife Veriza, shows the hookup with a lively bream, and Plessis’ joyful expression after he reeled the fish over several obstacles and through his apartment window.
“Balcony bream,” Plessis says to the camera, after sinking to his knees and laughing in disbelief.
Because it was so late, Plessis was concerned that he might have disturbed his neighbors living below. “They won’t be impressed in the morning with the dried fish slime across their living room window,” he told the Daily Mail.
Plessis, owner of Soolyman Sportfishing Charters, told For The Win Outdoors that he had to cast 40 to 50 feet just to reach the water, and that the hookup occurred after his second cast.
Asked if he considered throwing the bream back, he replied: “No. Unfortunately it wouldn’t have survived the fall and would have landed on the walkway below, so we gave it to the building security guard to eat.”
Plessis, who is originally from South Africa, said his neighborhood is on lockdown for another two weeks to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, or the coronavirus.
–Images are courtesy of Philip and Veriza Du Plessis
When a giant trevally pulled the fishing rod out of his girlfriend’s hands, Jack Roberts had no time to react to save a $1,800 rod and reel.
When a giant trevally pulled the fishing rod out of his girlfriend’s hands, Jack Roberts had no time to react to save his rod-and-reel outfit worth $1,800, so he quickly removed his hat and dove into the water, not thinking about removing his $250 Mako sunglasses.
The hilarious fishing moment occurred over the weekend off Mackay, Queensland, Australia, after Roberts borrowed a boat from a friend. His girlfriend Bianca Wellby really wanted to catch her first giant trevally and Roberts was “super excited for her” when he spotted a school of bait, he told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors.
“I saw a giant trevally launch through the school of bait at her lure and knew she was on to a good fish,” he told For The Win Outdoors. “Before I could give my next bit of advice to lift the rod, it spat out of her hands. The drag was too tight for her. My thoughts instantly were jump in and retrieve the rod, but I had my $250 Mako glasses on and my hat.
“On a quick thought process, I decided to throw my hat back in the boat but leave sunglasses on and proceeded to lose them as I hit the water.”
Fortunately, he recaptured the fishing rod.
Roberts was in the water fighting the estimated 35-pound fish for a couple minutes before his brother turned the boat and picked him up.
“In this time, I became very tired trying to tread water and hold the fish back from swimming into reef structure and risk being snapped off,” he said. “I was tired, but my mind told me hold on so I can land this fish for Bianca. Also knowing that there is regularly sharks in the area, I was still determined to not give up.”
Once on the boat and with adrenaline still pumping, he began fighting the fish again, but “sadly, the fish shook the hook off and I lost it.”
He said he then gave his girlfriend a “serious lecture” on how to hold a fishing rod correctly.
The incident was reminiscent of an episode on the old TV show “American Sportsman” with Curt Gowdy when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was fly-fishing for tarpon in Florida. A tarpon pulled the fishing rod out of his hands and Bradshaw went diving in after it.
“I never laughed so hard in my life,” Gowdy said in the book “Celebrity Fish Talk.” “It’s the only time I ever saw a fish catch a man.”
Gowdy was happy to get his rod back because it had a $350 reel on it.
The story had a happy ending for Roberts, too. When it heard about the incident, Mako eyewear sent him a new pair of sunglasses for free.
Aaron Martens, one of the most successful pro bass anglers of all time, underwent surgery Monday after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Aaron Martens, one of the most successful pro bass anglers of all time, underwent surgery Monday after being diagnosed as having two brain tumors.
Martens, 47, who lives in Leeds, Alabama, with his wife Lesley and their children, Jordan and Spencer, was hospitalized after suffering apparent seizures Saturday while fishing with friends.
Carol Martens, Aaron’s mother, told For The Win Outdoors that surgeons removed one tumor and collected biopsy samples of the other on Monday. Doctors will treat the other tumor at a future date.
The surgery was performed at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham.
Carol Martens said that Aaron was feeling “miserable” after the surgery, in large part because his family has not been able to visit because of hospital restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Carol Martens said her son could be allowed to return home as early as Wednesday.
Martens, who is originally from Southern California, is a four-time runner-up in the prestigious Bassmaster Classic tournament. He was named Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year in 2005, 2013 and 2015.
He has posted more than 70 top-10 finishes on the Bassmaster circuit, with career earnings topping $3 million.
Martens had more recently been competing on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
–Top image showing Aaron Martens and his family is courtesy of Seigo Saito/BASS Communications; second image is courtesy of Phoenix Moore; third image is courtesy of Josh Gassmann
Since catching a state-record carp, Brenden Burnham has become a celebrity, prompting unusual but understandable action to keep people away.
Since catching a state-record carp at Virginia Lake in Reno, Nev., Brenden Burnham has become somewhat of a celebrity at the urban lake, which sees plenty of people strolling around its shoreline.
Not surprisingly, word spread among the locals about Burnham’s catch of a whopping 35-pound, 3-ounce carp, prompting the curious to walk right up to Burnham to chat about his catch.
Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem. But these are different times, what with the coronavirus.
So Burnham, 41, was prompted to put up yellow caution tape around his fishing spot to force people to remain at a safe distance when approaching him.
“I feel this could be a good way to encourage social distancing while being able to still do the things we love,” Burnham told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors.
Nevada has a stay-at-home order, but people are still allowed to get outdoors to hike, bike and fish—but at safe distances from others.
Burnham fishes at Virginia Lake about five days a week, and over the course of a three or four-hour session, upwards of 20 people will stop to chat. Some stop to question Burnham about his rod pod and the alarms rigged to them. It’s very European.
“I had been trying for the state record and my good friends knew this,” Burnham told For The Win Outdoors recently. “Just three days before I had caught five carp out of this lake which has never happened – I don’t believe – for anyone. The weights were 14 pounds, 17 pounds, 27 pounds, 29 pounds and finally 30.5 pounds. I knew the potential for the state record was there and, well, the rest is history.”
And please note, any future catches Burnham makes can be enjoyed by onlookers from a distance.
Photos of carp catch and fishing spot are courtesy of Brenden Burnham and David Strege, respectively.
A California angler recently caught a lingcod with such unusual coloration that Newport Landing asked, “What’s wrong with this fish?”
A Southern California angler recently caught a lingcod with such striking coloration that Newport Landing Sportfishing posted the photo to Instagram, asking, “What’s wrong with this fish?”
The inside of its mouth was turquoise, its skin blueish-green and mottled. Its teeth – nothing unusual here – were long and sharp.
A right-swipe shows how most lingcod look: mostly brown and blotchy. (See Instagram post below.)
Both fish were caught off Newport Beach before closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic went into effect – one aboard the Western Pride out of Davey’s Locker Sportfishing (top), and the other aboard the Aggressor out of Newport Landing.
To answer Newport Landing’s question, nothing was “wrong” with the blue-green lingcod. But according to the landing, this type of coloration is “rare,” appearing on only 20% of lingcod catches.
Some anglers maintain that the the flesh of these lingcod, while it can also be tinged with green before it’s cooked, tastes sweeter.
And veteran anglers know that lingcod come in other color variations, too.
Wrote UC Santa Barbara scientist Milton Love in his book, Certainly More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast: “Lings come in a vast assortment of colors, from black, or brown, to green, with darker mottling and spotting on back and sides. They often have orange or yellow spots.”
Lingcod, which are not true cod but members of the greenling family, are found on the West Coast from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. According to NOAA Fisheries, lingcod are not overfished and considered a “smart seafood choice” if consumers can find them listed on menus.
Lingcod, which can measure 5 feet and weigh 80 pounds, are caught only sporadically by recreational fishermen during rockfish excursions. So when one comes over the rail, given their size and menacing appearance, the angler is usually the envy of others.
–Images showing a blue-green lingcod and the more usual brown-colored lingcod are courtesy of Davey’s Locker Sportfishing and Newport Landing
Robyn Bordelon has landed more catfish than she can count, but her recent catch of a 10-pound blue catfish is one she’ll never forget.
Robyn Bordelon has landed more catfish than she can count, but her recent catch of a 10-pound blue catfish is likely one that she’ll never forget.
The fish, caught from a kayak on the Mississippi River, had no blue pigmentation. It was mostly white with a piebald pattern more likely to appear on a horse or cow, with a pink-and-black tail.
Robyn Bordelon poses with rare leucistic blue catfish. Photo: Robyn Bordelon
“I’ve seen pictures of these fish, but I never thought one would grace my line,” Bordelon, who is from Destrehan, La., told For The Win Outdoors. “That’s the best Monday I’ve had in a long time, and watching that fish swim away was priceless.”
Bordelon, who retrieved her baited jug lines on March 16 in the hope of landing fish she could store in her freezer, said she could not bring herself to keep the odd-looking catfish.
It was likely leucistic, a rare condition in which skin lacks typical pigmentation.
“That fish is at a disadvantage from birth with a mostly white coloration that sticks out to predators,” Bordelon told Louisiana Sportsman, explaining why she set it free. “When I pulled up the line and saw what it was – and how big it was – I almost lost my lunch.”
Robyn Bordelon shows off a normal-looking blue catfish. Photo: Robyn Bordelon
Bordelon told For The Win Outdoors that she likes to fish with a rod and reel, but when the river is high during the spring runoff she uses her kayak to set jug lines.
The anchored lines, with jugs serving as floats, are baited with shad or mullet and allowed to sit for extended periods. Bordelon waited about 24 hours before checking her lines on March 16, but the leucistic catfish appeared to have been freshly hooked.
She told Louisiana Sportsman: “I quickly got it netted, took pics, revived it, and happily watched it swim away.”
–Images showing Robyn Bordelon with a rare leucistic blue catfish, and a normal-looking blue catfish (bottom), are courtesy of Robyn Bordelon
Two fishermen in Utah face felony and misdemeanor charges for cheating in a bass fishing tournament at Lake Powell.
Two fishermen in Utah face criminal charges for cheating in a bass tournament by catching fish from a different lake and using them at the weigh-in, a scheme that was uncovered because the bass looked much different than the others being weighed.
Robert Dennett, 45, and Kamron Wootton, 35, both from Washington City, caught bass from Quail Creek Reservoir near St. George, Utah, and transported them to use at a tournament at Lake Powell, according to the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources.
The tournament prize was $2,500 for the team with the heaviest five fish caught during the two-day event. The suspects were in second place after the first day, and led for overall biggest fish. But tournament officials disqualified them because of the suspicious nature of the fish.
“Some of the largemouth bass they’d turned in had little heads and fatter bodies, indicating a different diet than the fish at Lake Powell, which were more lean,” DWR Lt. Paul Washburn said. “The fish also had red fins, which indicated they had undergone some stress.”
Photos from the DWR show the differences.
Suspect’s bass.What a normal bass from Lake Powell looks like.
DWR conservation officers were alerted and subsequently had the fish tested at a University of Utah lab, along with fish caught from Lake Powell, and the results determined that the suspicious bass had come from Quail Creek Reservoir.
“Illegally moving and introducing fish into different waterbodies can cause a lot of damage to that fishery,” Washburn said. “In this case, there were already largemouth bass at Lake Powell, but you can still run the risk of introducing disease and causing other issues whenever you move fish illegally. We continue to be grateful for those vigilant Utahns who report suspicious wildlife-related activity to our poaching hotline.”
During the long investigation, conservation officers learned that the suspects had taken first, second or third place at eight other bass fishing tournaments earlier in the year. The illegal activity occurred at the tournament on Oct. 21, 2018. Charges were brought Wednesday.
In Kane County’s 6th District Court, Dennett and Wootton were charged with bribery or threat to influence a contest, a third-degree felony; unlawful release of wildlife, a class A misdemeanor; and unlawful captivity of protected wildlife, a class B misdemeanor. It is illegal to transport live fish to other areas of the state without proper certifications.
Dennett and Wootton have a court appearance June 4.
Photos of a suspicious bass and a normal bass for comparison are courtesy of DWR. Photo of Lake Powell courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
