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by Jim Porfilio
Your forehead is covered with sweat. It's 95 degrees. There are no fish in your fish basket. How come? Dog days? Not only were the dogs uncomfortable, but so were the fish. They just stopped biting and eating. Wrong! The fish do not stop eating in hot weather. In fact, they eat more in hot weather because they are more active. They are cold blooded creatures; so when the water warms up, their whole system warms and they move faster. They need more energy and food as they become more active. Well, where is the problem? Why aren't we catching fish? The simple answer is that fish have moved to new locations and different structures. The 90 degree days have warmed the surface water. And, without getting into all the technical terms like thermocline and stratification, there is an area of water that is more comfortable to a fish during those really hot days. This is mostly the area of water sandwiched between the very cold water at the bottom of the lake or pond and the warmer water at the top of the body of water. The trick is to find the fish's preferred comfort zone. Now, let's go hunting! We may have to alter our fishing techniques to compensate for increased water temperatures.
Enjoy nature! Keep it cool! Enjoy Fishin'!
The
Ultimate Edge
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A dull tool is a
dangerous tool daddy used to tell me. And, he was right.
Most times that I have cut myself while cleaning fish or
just plain using a knife, was because the knife had lost
its edge. I forced it. With today's advanced sharpening devices, honing your fishing, filet, or pocket knife can actually be fun. It is no longer a tedious job. Some of the new sharpening implements on the market are a combination of natural materials and synthetics. The new blade metals are even more interesting and durable — they hold an edge for a few years and then can be discarded. My favorite sharpening device is one that my son gave to me for Christmas about fifteen years ago. It came in a wooden box with the name Hoffritz on it. When you take the cover off, the tool sits in the lower half of the box. It’s a manufactured plastic form 6” x 2”. As you look at the top, you see a thin sheet of metal with hundreds of eighth inch holes. The next layer is a combination of man-made materials plus industrial diamond dust. But, any good sharpening stone will give you almost the same results. Begin by wetting the top layer and proceed to use the basic sharpening technique of stroking or pushing your blade away from yourself. Think of cutting a slice off of the stone. This technique is used for a knife that is badly in need of sharpening. The blade should be held at about a 10 -15° angle. Make two or three of these cuts. Then flip the blade over and do the same thing coming toward yourself. Caution Here: These strokes can be dangerous. As a final, repeat the direction of honing, but this time instead of using straight cuts, use light circular motions with very little pressure. Now rinse the sharpening apparatus. We next come to the part of sharpening that separates the super sharp blade from the sharp blade. If you take your thumb and slide it up the side of the knife blade toward the cutting edge, you'll feel a very, very minuet burr on one of the two sides. This burr is most often not visible. The reason it is there is because when you made that final stroke on either the right or left side of the blade, you were pushing the metal over to the other side of the blade. If you want a better explanation of this, get a very strong magnifying glass and look at the blade under a very bright light. You can then see this burr or turned over edge. In most cases, the average person just leaves that edge the way it is. But, for the real pro, this is when the steel or strop comes into play. The steel, the rat tail file looking item, is used. It has miniature teeth or grooves on it. You gently bring the blade back toward yourself using alternate sides of the blade. This procedure will do two things. • If it is done gently enough, that burr will be removed. • If done often, those minuet grooves or hatchings will keep your blade sharp for a long time. As a very final, for the person that wants that razor edge, strop that knife blade. Remember those pictures from the 1920’s showing a barber running the cutting edges of the razor across a wide belt like leather strap? This technique removes the fine burr from knife blades also. The key is to stroke away from the edge of the blade. In fact, some go from stone to strop skipping the steel step. They say that the strop gives a smoother finish than the steel — the coup de grâce. A strop is easily made. I made mine by cutting a 10” long section from a 1.5” wide belt. That was glued to a 1.5 x 3 x 15” piece of piece of wood. Imagine a paint stirrer. I then formed a handle. Unbelievably, after 20 years, it still gives that final touch Now when you filet that fish, be super careful. You won't have to force your razor sharp blade; it will cut almost on its own. Good filleting and good eating. |