Hello all. Sometimes (awwww, who am I kidding, MOST times) my conversation skills are lacking, BUT I do take a bunch of pictures regularly while I'm out. I thought about posting a few in the Death Chat, but that seemed out of place. So here's a thread to post pictures in, and if they lead to some conversation as well, then cool....

A few rainbows from a nice day out last weekend.

And a plague of crickets we have this year, worse than normal.

Nice pics H/K. Those are some fine looking fish...I bet they tasted great!

I agree, that bottom fella is a beauty.

Are you using bait or lures?

Thanks Tom. My boy had one about an inch longer than my good one. We got in pretty late that night so haven't fried them up yet, but I'm looking forward to it



We caught those on lures Ian. I couldn't seem to get a strike on anything other than a silver Mepps brand spinner with a hair tail on it. My boy caught all of his on a red and white Daredevil spoon. I've had good luck there with a brown Roostertail spinner, but not this time, and for the life of me I couldn't get a strike on a spoon just like my boy was using.

My son does that to me using Heddon Zara Spooks on my pond. He will nail the bass while I just keep trying. I usually switch to a plastic worm and catch up.

Back in the good old days before I retired my son-in-law used to work for me after work on my bush rock business.

Instead of pay I would put his wages into a fishing fund and add the same for myself, when we had enough we would book a weekend away on a fishing charter up to a coastal town called South West Rocks.
That included accommodation and two days deep sea fishing

The owner of the charter knew all of the best spots to get us into the action.

Here's a pic of my SIL holding up a typical fish we used to encounter.
I used to get a bit sea sick but it was worth it for the fun.

Man, I haven't gone fishin' for such a long time!

Ian, I want to go fishing with you!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Rubber worm or twist-tail jig both put up numbers for me, too, Tom. I guess I just don't hold my mouth right when I have a spoon on the line.

That's a beauty Ian. What specie of fish is that?

Man it's been a long time, but when I was a kid we used to go out of Garibaldi off the Oregon coast. We fished with a captain there named Ted or Ed Fisher IIRC (35 years ago...) But anyway, there was a reef there that was later named 'Fisher's Reef' for that Captain, and we caught some big ling cod there. I say 'we' but mostly it was the grown-ups as I was just a kid that wouldn't let go of my dad's coat-tail long enough to get left home. I can smell the salt air and diesel exhaust right now, as well as remember crossing the bar, lol.

The nicest day I ever spent out on the ocean was out of Newport, also off the Oregon coast. I don't think there was a foot variance in the seas that day, and we fished out of my cousin's 17-foot Boston Whaler, a small craft for what can be big water. But it was beautiful that day. Idyllic, really, the water just like glass. There were four of us fishing, and I don't think there was a time all day when one of us didn't have something on. So many days fishing when someone lays into them, but the rest struggle....not this day. We hauled in blue and black bass, capezon, ling, flounder....others that I'm forgetting I'm sure. I doubt I live long enough to see another day on the ocean like that. Thanks for spurring the memory.

Here's a few nice trout from last summer with a NMFSH for size reference.

And a bunch of shovelnose sturgeon from years ago along a stretch of the Missouri River flowing through Montana. These don't get as big as white sturgeon. A 48-inch fish is very large for shovelnose in that country.

It's a Cobia or Black Kingfish, great fighters and a prized table fish.
Can get a good bit larger than that one.

There big fish, do you catch them by set line ?

We caught all those with rod & reel. Actually I'm not sure if it's legal to use a set line there and I know we can't use one here. In other parts of the country I understand it's no problem though. I remember trying to carry/drag them from the river to the truck about 200 yards through the dark that night. That part wasn't near as fun as catching them

One of the hairiest fishing situations happened to me in Alaska in 1990. We were fishing along the Kenai river with my wife's uncle, who had flashlights for us in case it got too dark. We caught a LOT of salmon, and it indeed got very dark. My wife and I decided to go back up the hilly trail to the truck, and of course the flashlight was nearly dead. My wife said "if you will carry the fish and your .44 magnum, I will carry all the fishing gear". That was one HAIRY hike back to the truck, particularly because there were warning signs about bear activity in the area.

Her uncle stayed on the bank fishing all night, and he said he heard a lot of sounds that kept him wide awake all night.

That's enough to keep you awake all week.

I've got a bunch of family in Alaska. I remember on one summer visit we were headed fishing and crossed some big bear tracks on a sandbar. My dad said, awww there's nothing to worry about, they were probably made in the night. Then he got quiet for a minute. I asked him what was wrong, and he said well I just remembered it doesn't get dark this time of year

The view out the back door. The wheat's about ready to be threshed....

Nice pic H/K!

That is a nice picture.

We used to set lines on the Baron river out at Collarenebri where I spent a good part of my youth after Yellowbelly (Golden perch), there was a little old lady down the road who regularly set a couple of lines and one day she had one on that was far too big for her to handle, her two sons were shearers and happened to be home at the time, they went out to help her get it in. They later weighed it in at the butchers at 106 lbs.

That's a LOT of fish!

Sure is, from what I've heard the big ones don't taste anywhere as good as a juvenile fish.

Thanks! It was a beautiful evening, if a little warm lol.

Are those golden perch white-meated? Man that would be a dandy fish alright.

Yes they are white meated.
There is currently a push to remove all of the introduced European carp from our dams Rivers and freash waterways. They have bred to massive proportions and here it is illegal to throw one back in if you catch one, by law they must be killed.

They are endangering our native species.

We are also overrun with carp. It's not illegal to throw one back, but no one ever does. At least we don't have any of those jumping ones out here that go crazy when a boat passes by.

I've seen them on documentary's, fortunately we don't have them either

Asian carp takes down reporter, or reporter takes down game warden??!

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I can't get that one to work for some reason.

Well shoot. A very nice-looking lady reporter is doing a story on the invasive asian carp when the one she is holding begins to flop. The reporter lady promptly drops the carp and jumps backwards into the game officer, who she knocks over and ends up sitting in his lap with him smiling a big goofy grin

Doesn't have the same effect just telling it though

It's up now!

I would smile too!

We're going to try to get out and catch a few kokanee this week. We're going to a spot my folks use to go to when I was a kid. It's far enough off that I haven't had a chance to fish it/scout it, so I sure hope we hit the run right!!

Best of luck H/K!

Thanks Tom! I'm sure ready to get out of Dodge at this point in the day!

Have a good one H/K

I hope H/K takes some pictures, as he will be in some beautiful country.

Sounds like a good times plan to me!

There are times when I feel nostalgic about the fishing spots and mushroom spots of my youth...

Yes, I often think about past vacations and fishing trips. I'm spoiled now that I have my own pond, but now I can take my grandkids whenever they visit. New memories!

What do you catch there Tom?
Twice I tried breading Yabbies and both times the turtles and Kookaburras cleaned me out.

Thanks for the well-wishes all!



Same here Cesar. One of the reasons I wanted to take this trip is that my family used to live in that area and fish and camp there when I was very young. The new generation hasn't got to see this area before, so I wanted to make some new memories, like Tom said.

It was a great trip. We were too early for the run of kokanee that I wanted to show everyone, but as my girl is headed back to school, it was now or never. We did catch some trout and bass (you could fish the streams, the main river, or the reservoir) and I got to show my kids and niece some different techniques for fishing multiple types of water, so that was cool. At least it was for me, and I think they'd say the same, ha! Beautiful country for sure.







Lion sign



Bear sign



And the biggest Rubber Boa that I've ever seen (they're a very small snake). They're about the only snake I can tolerate, probably because they're not poisonous or big enough to eat me lol.

Now that's a beautiful place to spend some time.

Great spot for sure!

Definitely a beautiful area!

It is beautiful for sure. We had a marten (called sable in some places) run through camp while we were there and heard wolves howl one night. I was looking on my GPS at the surrounding area while we were there. The spot we stayed borders the Sawtooth Wilderness, and I was amazed at how many high mountain lakes are in that country. Literally, a man could live his whole life and try to visit every one of them in Idaho alone, and fail. Same in Montana, and I'm sure other states as well. Beautiful and wild country. Here are a couple of more pics my wife snapped while we were there.

It would be a fantastic place to have a cabin back in there someplace secluded.

I was thinking the same thing!

Yeah, I could happily become a hermit in that situation.

Now here's an old picture I found.

Taken with my first wife quite a few years ago.




The man that reared me when my parents gave up.
My Grandfather, only a little skinny fella, but most of him was heart.



Who's game to put a few up

I like those pictures Ian!

Here's a few...

My wife snuck this one of me last trip. I'm even showing a little leg. Get your sun glasses!!



Me and my girl checking out a trout she caught



Another shot of my girl singing the national anthem before an Idaho Steelheads game

Great pictures, HK.

For sure!

All boys should get to run through the woods with the hounds at least once. Here's mine

H/K, you look like you're big enough to wrestle a bear! Those dogs sure look happy.

That's a great picture!

I noticed all of the dogs have trackers on them, I could have done with a few of those at times.

Well as you know I have an aversion to my picture being out there....but here's one I can live with...

Looks like you're ready and rearing to tackle the world there Andy!

That's my kid, and yep, I let him do most of the wrestling now!!




I've ran dogs most of my life without them. About 12-15 years ago I began running telemetry collars, and then about five years back upgraded to GPS collars. I certainly do not want to go back to the old way!

yep....had Mum known what she was getting into she would have probably returned me then and there. I am guessing that is late 1969.

Yeah, it's not much fun still out in the middle of the night looking for dogs.

WE were out until about 3am one morning calling and looking for dogs, my mate said I think we should give up and come back in a day or two, though we wont have the same desire I guess, what desire is that?
To shoot the bloody things on sight.

Often we had to go back for one or two, they'd be laid up at a farm sore footed and looking miserable.

Andy,
that's a fetching picture of a healthy looking young fella.

I think I've shown this one.

Taken in 1958 at Collarenebri, getting a feed for the dogs

Rifle is a Lithgow .22 single shot, the only rifle I owned at that age.
Went droving just after that pic was taken from Burren Junction to the Riverina.
After that I was cashed up and able to buy my first hi power MK5 .303 Jungle Carbine.

Later on in life I bought a Mauser 3000 in 30-06 and a Roberts rifle in Roberts 257. But kept the Jungle Carbine most of my adult life, mainly used on a horse in a scabbard, I eventually shot the barrel out on the .303.

....yeah, but it seems I grew out of those baby good looks....

Here's some old pictures of the Lightening Ridge "Billy Goat Races"

I used to go out there every year until I heard that the animal libbers were going out to protest about cruelty to the wild goats that were caught each year for the races.

A whole load of BS!

















Every now and then a goat would find a way out of the cordoning and head for the hills with someones kid hanging on as the jockey.

Then there would be 4X4 wheeler's heading in all directions to get the kid back.
Being wild, they didn't all run in the right direction.

It's been a bloody long time since I went to Lightening Ridge. There was a time there when gunfights around town were not uncommon. God knows how many bodies are actually stuffed into old shafts there !!

Yeah I know, as a kid I used to go out with the mail contractor to open the gates for him. The pub in those days was corrugated iron on bush poles.
Nothing to see fellas walking around with a rifle or shotgun in those days.

If anything, Coober Pedy was worse or better, depending on how you look on changes we have in today's society.

Here's a few more!



The Wiz bin races.

For those who don't know, Lightning Ridge is the home of Black opals.

The most valued of all opals is the Black Opal, of which Lightning Ridge is ’home’ and their inherent value comes from their rarity. Black Opal is distinguished from other opals by their dark background (Body Tone) and this characteristic enables the brightness of colour of which they are known. The ‘darkness’ is the result of the opal is formed on a darker (black) quartz-like layer that enables greater refraction/reflection of the light to the top of the opal, especially the reds and pinks. It is the 'reds' that are more valuable.

To expand the 'play of color' of Black Opal even further, some specimens have a light crystal colour bar on dark opal potch (colourless opal) which gives the otherwise light opal a dark appearance. Even expensive black/dark opals may have only a very thin colour bar on black potch (Colourless Opal).

Black Opal is found as what is referred to as 'Nobbies', which are fossil replacements of corals or sponges. As the opal is formed, silica replaces the organic material and carbonaceous material or impurities like titanium impregnates the mineral structure giving the Black Opal its body colour.

Compared to Light and Boulder opals, Black Opals fetch a higher price for a given colour, clarity and pattern, due to their scarcity.

Black Opals

Hahaha! That looks like a great time. They have porcupine races in a town about an hour north of here every year. No riders allowed lol

Sadly, thus is what we let the minority groups do to our country, same as the gun lobby.

Its time Australians show some balls and put them all in their places.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-04-13/change-of-format-for-lightning-ridge-goat-races/2619208

And why I won't be back there.

It's everywhere Ian. The local FFA club (Future Farmers of America) used to do a 'donkey basketball' fund raiser for their chapter. That got shut down too. Somehow bake sales just don't turn the revenue like watching the school principal trying to make a basket from the saddle.

Yeah I guess so mate, its sad though that a small amount of loud mouths can cause so much trouble.

Everyone that I know is outraged that the races are stopped as well as the locals. But the minorities still win at the end of the day.

Yep I agree. Maybe we'll see a change one of these days, at least I hope so.

Got to do a little fishing with the family over the weekend. Not a lot of fish, but the ones we did catch were good ones.

They are beauty's.

Is that ice your sitting on?

Nice catch H/K!

My last two Busse knives:

I like that hogs-head stamp!

Those rocks look pretty funky now that you mention it. The river dropped fast and left a film over everything below the high water line. It rained on us the other night and we could hardly keep our feet under us it was so slick.

BUT, the fish went on the bite during the storm and we were able to tag-team this 28#er.

Wow! That is a thumper.

That picture gives the impression that your under water, great picture.

H/K, that's a lot of fish!

One from 1995, I was doing an advanced rope course out in the Blue Mountains, part of this was people management so they would get a couple of us to come along and work on their beginners classes. Inevitably there was a number of early 20s people (I was only mid 20s) including the odd one or two eligible girls as their confidence grew I always suggested an "Australian Rappel" and there would be a few doubters that it was a thing so I would demonstrate....hence the star fish look, a little posing...

Great picture, Andy.

I think I'd need my brown undies on for that job.

Here's a avatar pic that Carl designed for me back in the old days.

Here's an oldie from me, Taken out in the NT outback with a family that were just wandering around out there looking for a place to buy and rear their family away from the city.

I hoped they found their dream, we first thought they were broken down as he had the bonnet on the Holden station wagon up.



We were just bumming around between jobs.

Another pic of a ute and caravan just about to go down the Roper River in the Northern Territory, been a lot of tourists eaten by crocks on that river over the years, the river had receded a little and I was able to get a chain on them and get them going again.

I always thought that the bonnet up was a default position on any Holden...

I'm just gonna roll on the floor laughing until Andy gives me some stern words...
Used to own Astra... got a genuine Holden alternator that fell off the truck to get it running smoothly... (damn! where's the rolling on the floor emoticon when you need it?!?!?)

LOL.

I used to work for an old fella that swore if a man wanted to become successful in life he was to stay with Holden utes and Caterpillar machinery and Mack trucks.

.....next knife delivery you get I may send in the Prius...lets see if they arrive....

Lol. It was worth the log-in to see elof this gleeful!!

Ian, it's a wonder that rig wasn't washed plumb down the river.

Yes, they were very lucky, the old fellas wife was so scared she was going to become a big salty's dinner while they were stuck there, forgetting that death would be drowning if they were washed down.

Had this fight with the Princess of Darkness when we were up in the NT, had a deep'ish crossing to make so I told her to get her seat belt off and the window down, that way if we got pushed over she would be able to get out easier...she would do neither as she was not planning on leaving the Toyota....I tried to point out that drowning would be a certainty and being eaten was still only a remote chance but she was having none of it. I did explain I would have no further conversation about it once water started filling the cabin and would be making for the bank if she chose to join me...

LOL.

It's amazing how the fear of being eaten takes prevalence over every thing else.

Yep....logic goes out the window.... !!

Mind you, a big one often will watch the habits of people camped and lay waiting hidden and watching their movements ready for an opportunity to grab them.

There's been some slack stockmen taken that way, its not only tourists.

One of the people giving me jobs freaked out today when I sent her a Redback picture from the job and said she's getting a pest control guy in...

Given the shit that I was doing (removing a pile of various shit that the mental owner of property dumped between the fence and the house) I was happy that I didn't come across a Funnel Web spider...

I didn't enjoy getting bitten by a Red Back 15 years ago, I'd imagine it was something akin to bad acid trip (never done anything more than marijuana), so the driving back home would have been out of the question... but spiders have extremely important role in the ecosystem, so i didn't kill the girl...

However I might need to fumigate my van... somehow I managed to bring a lizard to the tip, so possibly some of the spiders might have caught the ride too...

There's a good chance you have a couple there.

We used to bring thousands back with the rock truck, I imagine many fell off on the way down as well.
I was bit by a Redback at about age 8, trying to get him into a matchbox.

Some cool pictures of a Queensland scrub python swallowing a Wallaby.

Here's my good friend Buck. He's made quite a name for himself in my part of the world, to the point that folks who don't know my name may well know his He's pretty popular with the local ranchers or anyone with big critter problems. Danged dogs just don't live long enough, and he's starting to show his miles. Makes me happy and sad at the same time.

It is sad to see them get old, particularly when they develop arthritis, and most working dogs do as they have spent their life active and the joints wear out.

The one I have now, I reckon will outlive me by years.

Here is a picture of my boy Murray. He is getting bigger every day. We had a good weekend at shows this past weekend. He was ready to find a couch and start snoring when we were done though!

He's a beautiful animal that's for sure, people here travel miles to the dog shows, the one that's nearest to here has vehicles parked often with interstate number plates.

And some of the rigs they tow for the dogs are mobile gin palaces.

Probably everyone has seen this, when Stan was put down I created a video with some of his pictures that I liked, being a first and only time, I made an amateurish mess, but parts of it turned out good.

That is a fitting tribute for your mate Ian.

Thanks mate!

It is still not easy for me to watch it through. John Williamson, who is about my favorite Aussie singer doesn't help with "True Blue"

He also sang that song at Steve Irwin's farewell.

That's still an awesome tribute!

Thanks Tom.

Loving the dog pics. That tribute video is a neat idea Ian.

DB, is Murray a Chow?

Nice work Ian.

Thanks mate.

Its well done mate. I still struggle when I see pics of a couple of mine that have passed.

Yep, I have more trouble getting over a dog or horse than a human.

That makes two of us mate !!

HK, Murray is a Newfoundland.

Side note, his official registered name is Water's Edge Ancient Mariner. Murray, his call name, is an Irish name and means "Of the sea". A bit of a nod to an old poem.

My dogs are named: Indy, Bear, Junior, Mingo, and Ten. But sometimes they are addressed as Shithead!

LMAO

I used to have one called "Crunch" he was blue healer x bull terrier.

My 1 year old Rottweiler loves to chew up 2" x 4" boards...it's his favorite "toy".

Couple of sweet ones, not Rats though.

That's right, a Newfoundland. I remember that now. Beautiful dog DB.

Man I like the scales on that Badger Attack Ian.

Sweet aren't they, even Josh reckoned they were as nice as he's seen for snakeskin.

Actually it's a Jack, I think TACjack,
We might need elof on that one.

Yes it's a Jack and I think a Tac it is. The Attacking Badgers are a favourite of mine however...

Andy, here is the first Badger made.

The BA-e, they were off the market before the rest of the ergo series came out, probably around 2000 or a little earlier when they were for sale.

I have a few pictures of one in Afghanistan on my old computer somewhere, a special forces guy had it stuck into a door of an old house.
Besides being stuck in the door, it was also stuck through a block of C4.

He later went on to take it to Africa after his deployment.



I bought this one and a Police Recruit from a fella in New York.The BA-e came with two sheaths, an Okuden kydex and a Kenny Rowe in black leather.

And the other one that elof has.

Nice Ian....the BAeII is a nice knife as well ! I took that BATAC of mine to Africa as well

So if I've got this right....

The BATACs are both a little shorter and little thicker than the one of Ian's that's wearing the snakeskin? And Ian's would be called the SJTAC?

Yes thats an SJTAC I believe. The "TAC" is the handle style that they share. I only have one take on the SJ and that is an Axehammer.

It is the best all round drop point I have being a great compromise between a small and large knife.

Also it feels great in the hand.

That's the first Murray I've seen since my Murray passed on back in 2015. And he's a nice big fella too Love big dogs.

If only one, then that tribute blade would be a dandy!

I had another gentleman on Blade say almost the same thing to me via PM about the SJTAC. Good info, and appreciated!

Stan at a dog show with the lady that bred him, he won the his group against the other breeds in his class here, not long after that he nearly grabbed a judge that was fussing around him and was banned by the dog show association as dangerous.

I could never go with her and help as I had the rock business in those days and was far too busy.



A bunch of little Stan's.
This was taken long after Stan was gone, the breeder had frozen semen stored at a veterinary surgery.

Look at all those little buggers !!!!!!!

lol. They'd be a handful wouldn't they.

Those are some great looking pups!

There would be a few dollars worth of pups standing there.

I don't know about Bull Mastiffs, but English Mastiff pups go for around $600.00 - $650.00 in this area.

They can go for $1500 here and up to three thousand.

Good grief!

Those little French Bulldogs are selling for $5000.00.

If you need a new cat here, you just wait for someone to dump one.

That's how we got our cats.

Same here, even Butch would have been an ancestor of a dumped one.

I guess the county line is the favorite place for folks to dump animals; that's how we got all three cats and three of our five dogs.

Yes, its pretty bad here as well, people don't have the guts to get rid of their animals humanly.

They just throw them out of a vehicle and keep driving.

Been Ferreting a few times. but this is a different slant on it altogether.

Watch how this clown does it!
A temporary Australian.

I'm not ever going to need a rabbit bad enough to try that.

Why not just eat the snakes?

He threw probably 15 lbs of meat down a hole to get 2 lbs out.