Crazy in Kentucky "Noodling"

When I see these pictures and hear the stories all I can think is I know Jeff must have a fishing pole.  It's the primal element about it that makes it so interesting.  Could you imagine sticking your arm in the mouth of a 50+ lb river catfish and having it do an alligator style death roll while biting your arm. Our good friends and adopted family in Kentucky spent the recent Father's Day weekend finding holes and pulling out monster catfish.  Jeff said it can be brutal when that big fish starts biting and rolling.  It sometimes seems you're not sure who is doing the catching, the fish, the fisherman or in this case the fisher-woman.  Thanks for sharing some of the photos Jeff and glad you had a happy Father's Day making special memories with loved ones.  I'd like to get you and the family to come and teach us this fishing technique on the Tensaw River here in South Alabama.  

Monster Catfish.

Catdaddy!

Impressive fish even if hers was bigger...

Haw Shoot this thang.  That's a huge fish.

Great Job Guys and thanks for sharing.

Question or Comments

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

www.rarebreedwhitetailhunting.blogspot.com

Little Emily shooting her 10/22 using our MaXbox magnetic shooting rest

Check out Emily shooting her 10/22 while using our new maXbox magnetic shooting rest.

We really enjoyed shooting using the new rest, it's light weight and was very easy to use.  Emily killed a water bottle and kept spinning the plinker all afternoon.  Summer time target shooting makes for a better shot when those winter days in the woods come back around.   Check out our YouTube link below to see her make a shot.

Emily shooting the 10/22 using our MaXbox rest.

Question or Comments:

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

Small Boat Big Fish

Alabama Red Snapper season opened on June 1st this year and our first good opportunity presented itself on Friday night.  I went fishing with Joe and Tim and it turned out to be a great all night trip.  We left the house heading south around 11pm pulling our 17' Cape Horn.  It is amazing how much gear you have to pack in a boat for a gulf fishing trip.   When we arrived at the launch we heard mixed reviews from the other anglers hanging around and leaving from fishing.  A couple of guys pulling out a 25 foot boat reported the seas were choppy and the bite was slow.  That's not what you want to hear when your leaving the boat ramp.  We decided to press on and hit the water with our hopes of big fish and calm seas being diminished a little.  After a ten minute boat ride in the bay we rounded the end of the peninsula and crossed the famed Dixie Bar and entered the Gulf of Mexico.

 Entering the gulf we found a bright moon to guide our way across a generally calm sea.  With 50 or more oil/gas rigs in sight its not hard to pick a fishing destination.  Our target rig needed to be in deep enough water to hold Red Snapper.  We picked the fourth rig heading east south east and made a beeline for her.  On the way out we had a North wind with us and knew the waves would build the further off shore we rode. We connected with the gas platform by using our homemade rig hook and began fishing shortly after midnight.  Within 2 hours we had a 2 per person limit of Red Snapper and had caught a wide variety of other fish including King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Atlantic Spade Fish, 

The State of Alabama and the local gulf community has done a great job of building a world class fishing haven just off the coast of our beautiful state.  I've fished these waters most of my life in small center console boats and it's a fact that you can catch big fish in small boats.  Now if we could only get the Federal Government to leave our season and regulations to the people who build this world class fishing destination it would be better for everyone involved.  Alabama has the largest artificial reef program in the world and its paid major dividends. 

                                        Shelby Byrd      alakingfish@gmail.com

Alabama Alligator Hunt

Alabama Alligator Hunt Registration Opens June 2

Registration for the state’s 10th annual regulated alligator hunts June 2 at 8 a.m. The total number of Alligator Possession Tags will increase this year from 240 to 260. Also new for the 2015 alligator season is a separate hunting zone for Lake Eufaula and preference points for those who applied but were not selected the previous year. Registration must be completed online by 8 a.m. July 14. The hunts will take place starting in mid-August. 

New this year according to the Outdoor Alabama Website the tags will now be selected using preference points to those that registered but did not get selected last year.  To read more about the upcoming season please visit: http://www.outdooralabama.com/alligator-hunting-season-alabama