The Bass Hole

Update to: Expect some pics here by Sunday

2006-06-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

Jeonju was awesome. T-Bone won the six-pack as Ron showed up on time for a change. We caught a cubic buttload as predicted... you can read all about it and see the pics here.

I'm finally going down to fish Jeonju. Bill, Ruben and TK are going too. Ron says he is, but I'll believe it when I see him. I bet T-Bone a six-pack of beer that Ron won't show up at 4AM. Free beer is good beer.

I expect for us to catch a cubic buttload and you can check the pics here on Sunday or maybe even Saturday night. I made a wood floor for the boat. It came out pretty good if I do say so myself. I even had time to throw two coats of enamel on it before heading off for work in Taegu. The color is perfect... baby-shit brown with a tinge of orange. Same color as the Korean mud I'm always stepping in when I go fishing.

Time to go pack the truck for the morning... 4AM... yikes!

Very Respectable Catch - Update

2006-06-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

Update: My hat is off to Walt and John who had a nice showing representing the Americans down there at Andong for the Fenwick Pro-Am on Sunday. They had a limit of fish over 13 lbs total and placed in the middle of the field. I believe this may have been Walt's first time out as a professional. Congratulations guys!

Personally I had a great time camping out and barbequing with everyone and look forward to doing it again, though I may just stay up at Halmoni's or sleep in the truck next time... I feel like I'm getting too old for this camping stuff, and the weather can be suddenly-hostile down there.

Speaking of Barbeque, this shrimp is off the hook! Here's the rough recipe if you'd like to try it: 1lb of large, uncooked shrimp, 1 cup of butter, 1/2 cup crushed garlic, 1/4 cup of Oyster sauce, 1 handful of fresh parsley sprigs, a glob of Japanese green horseradish pepper, an ample "bam" of Emiril Lagasse's Bayou Blast seasoning. Cook covered with foil for about 15 minutes or until done. Shake or turn over the foil container a couple of times while cooking.

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Walt sent me this pic he took of John "The Original" with a Sogari he caught on a deep-diving Shad:

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Here's one of the many bass John caught on Saturday:

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And here's one Alan took of me holding two fish that weighed 7lbs collectively that I caught:

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Here's a couple of pics of Mr. So and Ruben from Andong on Saturday. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Nice fish guys!

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Oh, I almost forgot... Ron caught a little one.

Congrats J.D. and MiJin on some nice slabs

2006-06-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

I found these pics over at Anglerstown. J.D. and his wife are always catching some nice bass. This was last weekend out at Andong. They caught 8 bass total over 5lbs, the biggest went 6.5
I need to hook up with them one day and do some fishing...

Congrats Alan on a Nice Fish!

2006-06-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Alan, 5.4 lbs, Andong, 28 May 2006

Bell Sends... Is Korea even listening anymore?

2006-06-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post on political events here anymore, but since this little gem seemed to have escaped the blogosphere I though it worthy of a second look.

Read this and you can feel the real strain in the alliance. I've never heard a Korean CINC speak like this publicly. Granted, it may be the General's style, I really don't know, but his tone and message are indisputably clear...

Here's a blurb:

“It is fair to say that we loved this land and its people enough to die for it,” Bell said. “To state now that we have been irresponsible stewards of Korean land, while standing side by side with you, is a charge that hurts my heart.”

Please read the rest here if you missed it.

All I can say is "Pinatubo"

My Version of "Wilson" from Castaway

2006-06-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

This picture cracks me up. It's only my beard trimmer, but I swear its got an attitude...

"Hey mane, I'll cutch-you. I swear I catch-you wid a nudder trim, mane..."

What should I call him? Remington?

PBC...

2006-06-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

The Pyeongtaek Bass Club

2006-06-04T03:26:00.000-07:00

Something different happened today, and it was a good thing. A local Korean man named Mr. So decided it was high time to start a Pyeongtaek Bass Club. He was also gratious enough to envision it not be limited to Koreans-only, but should include all the avid anglers in and around the area, regardless of nationality. No dues, membership fees, etc. Just a bunch of good people getting together who share the same passion for fishing. There were professionals and amateurs there alike today, and many brought boats. No boat? No problem. Those "with" made sure those "without" got a chance to do some fishing on the water if they wanted to. Folks brought their wives and kids. There was plenty of good old home cooking, and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. I know my wife and I did. The plan is to get together once or twice a month and everyone brings a little something to the table, that way it doesn't cost any one person an inappropriate share. I think it's a good plan, a good start, and I will certainly support it. Here's a few pics.

More PBC...

2006-06-04T03:23:00.000-07:00

I Finally Bought a New Digital Camera...

2006-06-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a decent digital camera for quite awhile now, and the wife finally gave me the green light to buy one, which was perfect, since the one I wanted was on sale. I ended up buying the Canon EOS Rebel XT, and so far I'm duly impressed. I can't wait to take it out fishing with me... My old camera would take about 10 pics and I'd have to change the batteries. This almost always happened when someone had a nice fish to shoot. Ruben caught one of the biggest trout I've ever seen last winter, and wouldn't you know it, the battery died just as I was taking the pic.

The camera came with a basic lens, 18 - 55mm AF zoom and will focus down to 0.9'

I love it.

Here's some pics I took while out and about yesterday:
Nosey Dog:

Gastronimical proportions:

Bee-u-tiful:

It's designed for the advanced amateur to pro photographer, niether of which I am... but it's so easy to use.

I hope I don't drop it in the water.

Blogging and Bassin' - Memorial Day Weekend

2006-05-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try and not neglect this site any more than I already have, but since the Lost Nomad has invited me to join him as a guest blogger on his site it may be difficult. Let's face it folks, he has thousands of readers and gets over 2000 hits a day. I have a few faithful readers... Rob, Bill, Basspastor...

That said, the basshole has always been there for me, and I won't let it die. Here's a few pics of some bass I caught during a Memorial day outing to Idong this afternoon.

The bite started slow as shit, but picked up nicely late in the afternoon. In fact, about the time we left was when it was at it's best all day. Hell, I wasn't driving, and I sure didn't want to get stuck on the wrong side of the mountain again in the dark, so I obliged and reeled up when everyone else did.

I caught one bass tha might have went 4lbs. If it wasn't close to 4 than I truly am an amateur. Again, I need to get a freaking scale. I guess I'll just go buy one from Yeom this week and quit talking about it.

Anyway, congrats out to Alan who landed a nice 5.4 lb lunker out at Andong over the weekend. he is now the proud (and temporary) keeper of the "5lb+ Trophy Bass Hat'" a club that Rob made up, or at least he will be once I give it over to him. Don't be getting my hat dirty Alan... Just note the weight, date, and your name somewhere on the hat, and then put it somewhere safe until I come looking for it again. :)

Fishing vs. Catching, Saturday, May 20th, 2006

2006-05-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

A group of us went out to the lake Bill and I found recently and we cleaned up. We brought 3 electric trolling motors with us and we wanted to take the boats with the transoms already built-in. Adjoshi had other plans and made us take the crappiest boats. Luckily we planned for this and had brought some home made transoms with us.

We paired off in three groups of two and with three boats. One boat reported catching 12 bass; another reported catching 30+, and the last one reported catching 45 - 50. John even caught another big catfish on a spinner bait, while Bill snagged a nice Bream on a spinner bait.
No lunkers caught today,
though I did see one pass close by the boat that might have went 6 or 7 lbs. The lake is chock full of bluegill and crystal clear in some places. You could see the strike 20 yards out, and also watch the little bass chase the lures all the way to the boat.

Everyone had a blast. For a while there it was almost a fish for every cast. I turned Bill on to the power of the chartreuse spinner bait and he started nailing them one after another. When I put a trailer hook on it was all over but the crying. If I landed every fish that hit my bait I would easily have caught over a 100 bass, truth is I was catching so many I quit counting them.
Most of the fish Bill and I caught were about a pound and a half, though we had more than a few that were 2 lbs and up.
What a great day. The weather was good, though it was foggy-as-all-get-out when we first got there. We left Pyeongtaek around 0530, not too far off of schedule... Most of us (not all) were up at 0330 getting ready. Bill and John came through as usual right on time and Bill even brought Dunkin Donuts. I like fishing with these guys. They make a plan and actually stick to it. John is hard-core and would probably have stayed out there until the cows came home, but we were getting pretty fried and my battery was dying so we called it quits around 3pm. Bill is starting to scare me - I can tell he's a die hard like me.

Though it started out a little bumpy, as it always seems to when you're trying to get 6 or more people together at the same time and place, it was such a nice day it would have been almost impossible to ruin it.

Why I like Fishing in a 1000 Words or Less

2006-05-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

9lb Bass Caught in Korea

2006-05-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

Charles caught this porker last week at Andong lake, Korea's premier bass lake.

Saturday: Rain, Rain and More Rain (not)

2006-04-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

At least I was hoping it would. I ended up cancelling a big party with a live band because the weather report called for a 50% chance of rain. Well, as some of you know, it turned out to be the nicest day of the year so far. So, we had a small BBQ party instead. That's enough drinking for awhile... it's time for some fishing. I may join some of the guys down at Andong who are going there for a pro tournament, but the important thing is to get back in the water. I'm betting the bass are in pre-spawn mode right about now, or possibly bedding, we'll see. It should be fun this weekend to try and figure out what they're up to.

I'm going to try and scrounge up a piece of plywood to make a solid deck for my inflatable. I think it would be a lot more comfortable to be able to freely walk and stand in it, instead of balancing on the ribs.

See you on the water.

- G.

Saturday, 4/15/06: Catfish out the Ying Yang...

2006-04-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Headed out to a new "mystery lake" off Hwy 38 at John's friend Jack's suggestion. We were told it produced 5 and 6 pounders last year consistently... As we approached the exit to a lake we had been skunked at only two weeks before, there was a collective sigh of relief in the other two chase vehicles as we passed by the exit. But wait! They're turning around... Doh! We were going to the same lake and not to a new mystery hotspot. Damn it!

Needless to say, we really didn't catch anything. Ron pulled in two baby bass on a spinnerbait as if to say, "well, at least we know there are some bass in here."

That said, we moved off to a pay lake near Yongin and proceeded to tear them up. We collectively caught about 30 bass, two regular carp, one Hyeong-oh carp (scaleless), a couple of bream, and about 15 catfish.

We bait-fished and lure-fished, and I must admit, Ron had the magic touch as he caught the most... sometimes reeling in two at a time, and sometimes reeling in mixed species on one line.

Considering how hungover I was from the the night before, I'm surprised I was there at all, but I'm sure glad I didn't blow it off. In fact, I gave Ron so much crap about being a non-commital fisherman Friday night that he left a honey in bed at the hotel and showed up just to prove me wrong. I'm sure he doesn't regret it.

Pics to follow.

Rob and Nomad

2006-04-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed the Gosam trip Saturday. I was so busy this week I didn't even check my email until today. I was going to go when Ron mentioned it, but I still have many honey-do's to take care of around the new house. Let me know how you did or send me some pics and I'll post them here.

Down By the River

2006-03-30T16:17:00.000-08:00

That's where Rob and I are heading today. We're both off from work today. We're taking the small boat out for the first time this year. The weather report calls for 2mph winds today, and 15mph+ for the weekend, so might as well take advantage of the nice weather on the river. Fishing in the wind literally blows. I'll probably skip fishing this weekend all together.

Gearing Up for Spring

2006-03-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

My wife is going to kill me when she finds out I've spent over $750 at Bass Pro Shops this year. What the hell, you only live once right? Fishing is my passion, and everything is so expensive to buy locally - just look at all the money I saved! Yeah, right... She'll never see it that way.

I finally broke down and bought a quality bait cast reel. I blogged last year about the first one I bought from the Osan guy and ended up throwing it in the middle of the lake. The second one I bought at E-mart was made by Banax and it held up pretty good, for the inexpensive (cheap) reel that it is.

Here's the reel I bought. I hope it works as good as it looks. I've heard from Quantum users and they swear by them. I plan to mate it with a Saint Croix 6.6' Medium-action trigger rod. It's got 7 ball bearings, infinity drag control with 9 weights blah blah blah... A reel that catches fishermen.

I also bought enough spinner-baits, jigs, swim and crank baits to last me well into next season, and of course a new soft-box to hold everything. Woo-Hoo! Christmas in April!

Fish Report, 25 March 2006

2006-03-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Went out to Idong (Seongjeong) lake near Yongin late Saturday morning. We heard reports they were biting on senkos around the river area. Sure enough they were... The wind was blowing extremely hard making finesse fishing difficult at best, and the dust kicking up from the parking lot left a bad taste in my mouth. I tried the back corner of the lake by the channel, the dam, the spillway, but the only place we got bites and caught fish was alongside the creek that flows under rte 82. I really don't like Idong that much, and won't waste much time there this year.

I drove by 4 new lakes last week when coming back up from Taegu. All off route 70 near Eumseong. I'm going to have to go back on a weekend and hit some of them when it warms up. A couple of them I could see bass fry swimming around, and another had carp for sure as there were floaters on the bank. One of the lakes was tucked away in a mountain pass and looked a lot like the Sierra Nevadas to me - pristine and beautifully clear, surrounded by pine trees.

I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to fish this weekend because we found a house with a yard and will be moving soon. This weekend we'll probably have to hang curtains and stuff. At least I have room for all my stuff now, and can keep my boat inflated and ready to go.

First Bass of the Year

2006-03-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Met with some friends Sunday morning and we headed East of Pyeongtaek to check out a couple of new (to me) lakes that looked promising. The weather was clear, but windy and cool. The first lake had a lot of drowned bushes and stick ups, and though we didn't catch any, we could tell it would be productive when it gets a little warmer. Particularly by boat... The second lake was more of the same. We could tell it was a bass lake by all the lures dangling off the power lines... Brush hogs, rubber worms, jigs etc. I finally managed to hook my only fish of the day on a spinner bait. I was drop-shotting for most of the morning, but never had a single bite. I liked the second lake the best of the two as it had a beautiful area where the mountain came right up to the waters edge, and you could tell it was quite deep there. The water was very clean at both lakes. This one reminded me of Nomad's cove on the backside of Seongjeon lake as we did a little mountain climbing to get to the dam area. The only way to fish the mountain wall would be by boat, as it's steep and heavy with cover. That's exactly what I plan to do the next time I go back. It was a good day all in all. I was just happy to avoid the skunk smell on the first time out.

"I see dead people..."

This Author of This Blog is Hibernating

2006-02-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

I apologize to those who've come here looking for updates and found none. I'm leaving the site up as a bookmark, but won't be posting much until the weather warms and the fish are biting again (mid-March timeframe). Once they are, you may find Korean outdoor-related activities covered, particularly fishing and pics. No more politics etc. I'll leave that to the Nomad. It was easier to delete the entire blog than try and delete all the posts etc. Clean slate this way...

See ya' all on the water!

Gar