Skylar's Lifer Brown Trout

I planed for this day all week, finally it was time. My father, Skylar and I loaded into my truck and went in search of Brown Trout. My dad suggested other places where Brown Trout weren't stocked and I told him we were hunting today, akin to a hunter not shooting a squirrel while deer hunting we would not accept anything but a Brown Trout. This is the last of the PA trout for Skylar (unless you are counting Golden Rainbow/Tigers) and for a four year old girl she knows ALL of the trout living in Pennsylvania.

My first spot where I took Kori to catch her lifer Brown Trout was bust, a passerby stopped me and stated they don't stock here anymore due to the dam weakening. Further on down the road we happened upon a large gathering of trout fisherman however what I would consider the prime spot was completely empty. My dad and I rigged up Skylar with a redworm and I started to cast a spoon. Skylar had a giant noodle rod my dad for some reason brought. I look to my right and shes got the tip in the water being a goof, I turn to cast and shes hooked up. Just like that with a little assistance from Grandpa Skylar brought her lifer Brown Trout to shore. "Papa" tried to hold it for her, but Skylar was having NONE of that. Skylar quickly grabbed her prized lifer and posed. Shouting for the approximately 30+ fishless fisherman that she did it. Definitely something she won't soon forget.

It was a welcome victory especially after the skunking we endured on "PA Mentor Youth" trout day, where they said they did but didn't stock most if any fishing spots.

Russo Girls Go Icefishing!

To say I've put in some time trying to make my daughters self sustaining fisherwomen is an understatement, if they chose not to it wouldn't bother me, but they seem to really enjoy it in the same way I did when I was their age so may as well take advantage! In the back of my mind I've always had wild notions about taking them icefishing however I tell fully grown men "Icefishing is only something people do who love fishing at an unhealthy level and for everyone else it is not fun at all". 

Well the stars aligned, I got my father to make a rare appearance, Mark came to help, we were more than qualified for a day out with a 9 year old and 4 year old girl. We set up the rigs at a nice little honey hole I figured would produce consistently and it did. I even got carried away and made a poor Dominos delivery driver deliver pizzas onto the ice. Skylar managed to jig up 2 Largemouth Bass, one being her PB, before she attempted to sleep face down in the ice. My father scooted her off home, content with her days catch.

Maddy, I showed the day before how to use a tip up, however it didn't prepare me for how far she has come. I still think of her as my baby and she's not. Before I even knew, she spotted a flag, baseball slid next to the rig, and pulled up a largemouth bass before I could even press record on my IPhone. No longer a baby. She perfected her tactic throughout the day and did very well for her fish time icefishing catching many more fish as the day went on. Maddy played a little too much in the melted water and soaked her boots, another one bites the dust, Grandpa taxi picked her up and away she went to hangout with Skylar. Maddy stated that she liked icefishing more than regular fishing, it is pretty sweet when the stars align.

Mark and I had consistent tip up action intermittently throughout the rest of the afternoon, Mark's brother Luke even made a never before seen Deftik Angling appearance. My first time on the ice this season, and the girls first time icefishing ever, a late start, but White Sturgeon definitely made up for that.

This guy had a plastic rig stuck in his throat for who knows how long, caught again and rescued!

A Year In Review: 2008

Written 1/15/2018

I put this one off for quite some time because writing about 2008, in 2018 is quite the ordeal, I'm about 10 years detached. Looking back through the photos it looks like I kept up with fishing with friends, a little escapism from college here and there. Most notably this was a year with 0 lifers caught, the first since I started documenting in 2007. My father once famously said something along the lines of "enjoy the fishing while it lasts when you get older you won't be able to keep this up anymore".  I get what he meant, I have tried to keep fishing a centerpiece in my life ever since.

Summer Time and the Livins' Easy...

A Year In Review: 2017

Ah, life....what a wild ride. This years festivities didn't leave room for much fishing. Working and metal concerts predominantly shaped 2017, but we managed to squeak out some time on the water anyway!

I came into 2017 swinging with both fists clenched, we blazed new ground and tried to target Burbot in Canada. Unfortunately we didn't succeed but great times were had, however 2017 decided that this would be the trend woven into the year. Read it here: Zero Dark Burbot

I always love getting out on the local hard water despite lack of worthy targets, its part of the Pennsylvanian landscape I've learned to accept and embrace.

I got the frantic phone call from Mark, the shad were in town. You can read about it here, or you can enjoy this picture. Shad! Shad! Shad!

I'm absolutely dumbstruck and amazed by the sole lifer of 2017. If you were to ask me what fish I'd be okay with being the ONLY lifer of an entire year I'd say hands down the Sand Tiger Shark. What an honor to hold one and release it back into crushing waves. Damn.

I didn't plan on going quietly into the good night, however that is what I ended up doing. I tried to nail down another lifer nemesis in the elusive Mud Sunfish. However the glory was all Kori's on this trip as she flaunted her victory over my head. I've taken 3 people to catch them, and three people have caught them, I still wait for my glorious day however. Instead enjoy a photo of a Bluespotted Sunfish:

But lets not forget bigger picture folks. What did the Russo babies catch in 2017? I'm glad you asked, I can happily say I did bring their fishing careers to the forefront of my efforts, they did not let down.  Maddy's caught a fair amount of lifers at this point so she went fishing a lot but managed to secure 1 Cutlips Minnow. Skylar on the other hand has some catching up with her sister to do and caught 4 lifers, and 1 PB! Her lifer Cutlips Minnow, American Eel, Golden Shiner, and Rainbow Trout all made their way to shore. She also caught a PB Yellow Perch.

Russo Baby Lifers

For the most part 2017 has not been the year of Deftik Angling, minimal fishing has taken place replaced by family outings and a ridiculous amount of metal concerts. While this isn't a bad thing it makes for little to write about on a fishing blog and doesn't exactly excite the fishy blog followers. The fishing that has taken place thus far has been baby oriented, establishing those who will be instrumental to the future of Deftik Angling. The Russo babies have been making some serious strides.

Here is Skylar's lifer Rainbow Trout and Golden Shiner, both of which she lost her mind upon catching.

The rest of the family has been along for the ride, I like to highlight the catching of lifers and PBs (Personal Bests) but just getting out with the family is sometimes just as fun. Below is what Baby Tony, Kori, and Madelyn have been up to.

Just because the first half of 2017 has been at an all time slow, doesn't mean the latter half isn't currently being assembled to rattle down the tracks at breakneck speeds. I guess you'll just have stay tuned...