Archive for the 'Coat Racks' Category
The Old Man and the Sea was a great book and a fabulous movie. The excitement and adventure of capturing a huge fish larger than the boat is a scary thought when reading about it, much less experiencing the event in real life!
Should you want this kind of adventure, read the article in the Outdoor Life magazine June/July 2008, pages 83-89. You won’t believe your eyes! . . . I didn’t! These brave fishermen “risked it all” while fishing from a personal kayak, jet ski, and/or a rubber tube! I believe this is taking deep sea fishing to the extreme! They probably had success at putting a world class trophy on the wall of their game room! It comes down to how much you’re willing to pay for excitement, adventure and wall decor.
“The one that got away” is a familiar quote that every hunter or fisherman tells over and over. The story is embellished many different ways, while changing the details and experience to fit the tale. Many times it all starts when a friend asks the question about the hunting decor in the living room or the fishing decor in the den. “Oh, that’s my trophy room,” or ” That’s my favorite fishing trip . . .”
“The truth is, while traveling through Montana, back from a fishing trip to the Great Lakes, we came across this etched mirror of a Muskie, fighting for its freedom. The mirror was for sale and displayed in a restaurant. It’s just like the Muskie I hooked and battled for almost an hour, and “It got away from me!” But, it was still a great fishing trip.
One of my fondest western images was during the summer of 1951. An Old Timer living at Discovery Bay, Washington, told me, “If you go down to the railroad trestle when the tide comes in, you can catch all the Sea Perch you can carry in a ‘gunny sack.’ ” He told me the fish feed on small sand crabs on the beach and to load my fish hook firmly into the side of the crab, and then cast my line close to the edge of the bank.
My dad was working as a heavy duty mechanic on the road construction crew. They paved the highway from Discovery Bay to Neah Bay, located on the south shore of Puget Sound. At the age of eleven, I went fishing between the hours of 3:00 to 4:00 AM, and provided food for the families of the road crew. With fishing gear and burlap sack in hand, and my dog Queenie at my side, I got up before breakfast and went to work catching Sea Perch.
The rule was, my dad said, “You catch ‘em, you clean ‘em.” I did it, too! As I went from cabin to camper, I presented my catch and was paid for my services. The rewards were much more than money. I learned that salt water sea perch are mammals and do not lay eggs to hatch, a magnificent discovery in nature. There is joy in the giving of ourselves for the needs of family and others, and there are many great rewards for working hard: respect, discipline, obedience, and love for my parents.
They don’t call it Discovery Bay for nothing!
In the June 2008 issue of the Field & Stream magazine, page 12, there are three photos of individuals holding their catches of large mouth bass. The first is a 13 1/2-pound bass caught in Lake Casitas in Southern California. The second is a 14-pound, 5-ounce bass, a record catch out of Tyler State Park in Northeast Texas. And the third is a 10 pounder caught in North Carolina. Here are some of my observations that I find interesting and entertaining:
The first two photos are both big, burly guys, most likely experienced fishermen, displaying their record catch. The third is a woman “fisherperson.” (It’s politically incorrect to call her a fisherman or a fisherwoman!) I find it interesting how the larger bass, caught by the bigger guys, appears small; and the smaller bass, held by the smaller woman, appears larger and longer then those caught by the BIG GUYS? And she is just a beginner!
To make it more convincing, the photo of the woman is also smaller than the pictures of the big catch. With this information, I conclude that to convince individuals observing a trophy catch of a large mouth bass, it is best to have the fish mounted or photographed in the proper environment that best produces the desired effects for displaying your wildlife wall art. Another special effect is to place the trophy catch on a small wall, and the effect will appear larger. Get it?