Ask Dark Skies

[finchaser]

Keep these questions to Googanism

Setting up a googan bucket
Puppet's movements and sounds
Bird photograghy


Nothing Else

[buckethead]

Dark what are the basic components of a googan bucket and do you still carry one? any thoughts on the origin?:HappyWave:

[cowherder]

Haha this is great! DS, if I could respectfully ask, does it make a difference in the googan buckets? Does orange give you a better advantage as a fisherman?:laugh:

[Monty]

Haha this is great! DS, if I could respectfully ask, does it make a difference in the googan buckets? Does orange give you a better advantage as a fisherman?:laugh:
:HappyWave:
Great question. Along the same subject, what about in muddy water, will the orange one cowherder mentioned be preferred? Do they make chartreuse colored googan buckets?

[jonthepain]

How about a swan shaped bucket? Will that give me an advantage when utilizing the snag and drop strategy?

Inquiring minds like mine want to know.

[surfwalker]

Do you only have one bucket, multi use, or do you have one for the daytime and one for the night? Also, do you utilize a cushion on the top or just a toilet seat? How about you food supply, in the bucket or a seperate bag?

[vpass]

I like to know more about setting up a perimeter around important dead things?
Who to call?
If you need to be certified to perform such an act as to setting up a perimeter?

Thank you,
V

[DarkSkies]

Keep these questions to Googanism

Setting up a googan bucket
Puppet's movements and sounds
Bird photograghy


Nothing Else




For years I have been rallying for all the fishermen out there,,,,spending thousands of $$ going to out-of-the-way meetings on

fishermen access,
fishing quotas and management....
fishing rights,
and trying to raise awareness........ for Striped Bass Conservation
and what is happening with the striped bass stocks

And my life has been crystallized down to a thread where you mooks get to ask me questions about googanism?......:burn: :whoo:
Thanks to the benevolence of one grouchy basstid.....:rolleyes: :2flip: :moon:


I think Fin has been hitting the sauce again.....:plastered: :ROFLMAO


Woe is me.....:rolleyes:
All right..... I'll entertain ya's about the history of googanism
No matter how hard I try my Googan ways follow me everywhere.....

So I'll be a good sport on this......ask away.....I'll try to write some responses when I get a chance.......:moon: :HappyWave:

[madcaster]

What type of surf bag do you use and what are the pro'd and con's

[surfstix1963]

Haha this is great! DS, if I could respectfully ask, does it make a difference in the googan buckets? Does orange give you a better advantage as a fisherman?:laugh:The professional googan bucket:laugh:

[DarkSkies]

1. Dark what are the basic components of a googan bucket and do you still carry one?

2. any thoughts on the origin?:HappyWave:


I'll try to answer you mooks one at a time.....:moon: :HappyWave:



Origins of the googan bucket... (playing fast and loose with history....:laugh: )
The googan bucket concept was developed around colonial times. The Pilgrims who came over from England had to get fish to feed their families. The Indians taught them to use crude nets and fishing scoops, but there were always a few things that didn't fit on the wagon as they trudged down to the beach to get the fish.

This gave rise to the primitive form of the googan bucket, the googan basket. This originally was known as the Pilgrim fishing basket...only in more modern times did it evolve to have the term googan associated with it.....

Pilgrim fishing basket/ Googan basket was a loosely woven basket of reeds (again, taught to us by the Indians) that the Pilgrims and early Settlers brought with them down to the water. In it were tools used to fix the wagon and other things Mr Pilgrim might need for a day away from home.....some fresh baked buns from the wife, maybe a crock of milk, possibly some pieces of beef jerky.......:drool:....and some rough twine to repair the nets when necessary.


As the Pilgrims/Setters went down to the beach and netted the fish, the end of the day loomed near, and it was time to take the wagon home full of fresh caught fish.

The wagon was not always reliable, and it was a frequent occurrence for the Pilgrims to repair their wagons......often the ride was so rough.....

This gave rise to the terms
"off the wagon"
"on the wagon"....that have been used by outsiders to decribe the behavior of some of us alcoholics in modern times.....:plastered:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?2318-One-Day-at-a-Time-Do-You-Know-Bill-W&highlight=bill

[Monty]

In it were rough tools used to fix the wagon and other things Mr Pilgrim might need for a day away from home.....some fresh baked buns from the wife, maybe a crock of milk, and possibly some pieces of beef jerky.......:drool:....and some rough twine to repair the nets when necessary.

What about crumpets? Did they bring crumpets?

[DarkSkies]

Origin of the word "Googan":

The pilgrim basket became even more important when a rift developed among the Pilgrims who fished.....:argue:

there were some who still went down to the beach to drag the nets.

Eventually others figured out that if they dragged nets behind boats they could get a greater yield of fish.
More pilgrims began to build boats and fish that way.








However there was a small group of Pilgrims who discovered if you put some twine at the end of a stick, smashed a clam on a rock, and tied it on to a bent curved nail ( the first fishing hooks were bent finely sharpened nails), you could catch fish also......

These folks were at first called the Goofy Ones....and laughed at and ridiculed....:bucktooth:
Why would anyone want to use a stick and twine to catch fish, when you could catch thousands of them in a net? :kooky:


Because they were Pilgrims, the name calling was shortened to Goo-grims.....which eventually became even more compact to the word "Googan"....as it is now used in present day.


The Googans tended to hang with each other as they were shunned by the other townspeople....and eventually they formed their own towns near the water......they were called "Googanvilles" ;)











**It was common knowledge that being a googan was not a good path to take in life....
They missed out on all the best jobs...
All the hot Pilgrim women shunned them......:(
The Googans became as vilified as the Blasphemers, in ancient Rome......:lynchmob:


but still, they persisted in this behavior.....learning to catch fish with sticks and twine..........


Since they lived close to the water, they no longer needed wagons to bring them to the beach.....but they did need a basket to carry their materials for a day of fishing and cleaning the fish.........
This is why the googan bucket survived to modern times....because of its utility and convenience.......:learn:

[DarkSkies]

What about crumpets? Did they bring crumpets?


No crumpets back then Monty.......

That concept came later when there was a splinter group called the Wishermen (Short for Wussy Fishermen,).....
These fishermen wanted to do more modern things....and try different concepts....

like going to the beach together
fishing in the daytime.....:ROFLMAO
having camraderie and pleasant conversations......
singing songs and having campfires at the beach......:upck:
And talking about feelings and what was going on in their lives........:scared:

In fact, this group of fishermen became so shunned, that they had to move to their own villages.......they lived their fishing lives, tea, crumpets, and fishing, together, holding hands and singing kumbaya between catching.........in fear of persecution.....this wishermen group almost died out......


It has recently re-surfaced with the popularity of facebook and internet fishing sites.......where these groups of fishermen are still alive and well., and can be found mostly in the daytime, fishing, dancing around a fire, and having wonderful conversations......
The catching of fish, has become secondary in some of these groups.....the social interaction, and tea and crumpets, are the most valuable part.......:rolleyes:








*********
Me, I would rather belong to the old time googans.....:headbang:.. to each his own......;)



OK, enough for now.....
will try to pick up on this when I have time.....










********
Next segment...(all related to the Googan bucket)

1. will detail the Golden Age of Fishing.
2. the Long Branch Fishing Pier (special appearances by Finchaser and the Old Farts)....
3. Fishing when Men were Men...and they didn't complain how someone else smelled........:ROFLMAO :HappyWave:
4. The official coining of the term googan bucket....and its ties in fishing history to the Birth of the Effumall club.......

[jonthepain]

All the hot Pilgrim women shunned them......:(

au contraire

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/hotgooganpilgrimcopy_zps34b11663.gif

[hookset]

:clapping::clapping:Hot pilgrim chick with googan bucket, priceless! Love the story too.

[jonthepain]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/Tip-Hat-1.gif

[storminsteve]

I'll try to answer you mooks one at a time.....:moon: :HappyWave:



Origins of the googan bucket... (playing fast and loose with history....:laugh: )
The googan bucket concept was developed around colonial times. The Pilgrims who came over from England had to get fish to feed their families. The Indians taught them to use crude nets and fishing scoops, but there were always a few things that didn't fit on the wagon as they trudged down to the beach to get the fish.

This gave rise to the primitive form of the googan bucket, the googan basket. This originally was known as the Pilgrim fishing basket...only in more modern times did it evolve to have the term googan associated with it.....

Pilgrim fishing basket/ Googan basket was a loosely woven basket of reeds (again, taught to us by the Indians) that the Pilgrims and early Settlers brought with them down to the water. In it were tools used to fix the wagon and other things Mr Pilgrim might need for a day away from home.....some fresh baked buns from the wife, maybe a crock of milk, possibly some pieces of beef jerky.......:drool:....and some rough twine to repair the nets when necessary.


As the Pilgrims/Setters went down to the beach and netted the fish, the end of the day loomed near, and it was time to take the wagon home full of fresh caught fish.

The wagon was not always reliable, and it was a frequent occurrence for the Pilgrims to repair their wagons......often the ride was so rough.....

This gave rise to the terms
"off the wagon"
"on the wagon"....that have been used by outsiders to decribe the behavior of some of us alcoholics in modern times.....:plastered:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?2318-One-Day-at-a-Time-Do-You-Know-Bill-W&highlight=bill


:clapping:Dude I thought I had a creative mind but you are really out there! rofl, good stuff!

[storminsteve]

au contraire

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/hotgooganpilgrimcopy_zps34b11663.gif


:clapping: :ROFLMAO Fantastic job jonthepain, hilarious!

[jonthepain]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/googanBucket_zps61d81527.jpg

imagine if there was one, single photo of DS on the internet???

:d

[ledhead36]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/googanBucket_zps61d81527.jpg

imagine if there was one, single photo of DS on the internet???

:d


I'll sell a pic of him fishing bunker to the highest bidder!;) Fantastic photoshop work jonthepain. who would have thought that pilgrim women and googan buckets went together?

[jonthepain]

common knowledge

where you been?

[finchaser]

It's a true story as history tells us many Googan buckets were handed down from one generation to the next. DS excels in these googan ways, that's why i started this thread in hope he would educate his following. People feel free to ask him because besides birds he lives for this. Rumor has it he was on a jetty last night honing his googan skills. Only the true googans were out , probably just him which keeps his status up as King of the Googans.

[jonthepain]

King of the Googans

oh if i only had a photo of the elusive ds!

The King's chariot:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/googan_boat_zps46810f78.jpg

[cowherder]

It's a true story as history tells us many Googan buckets were handed down from one generation to the next. DS excels in these googan ways, that's why i started this thread in hope he would educate his following. People feel free to ask him because besides birds he lives for this. Rumor has it he was on a jetty last night honing his googan skills. Only the true googans were out , probably just him which keeps his status up as King of the Googans.


oh if i only had a photo of the elusive ds!

The King's chariot:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/googan_boat_zps46810f78.jpg

Ha you could call it the good ship googan! Just kidding dark, but it is funny lol.:HappyWave:

[finchaser]

:clapping:^^^^^^^:clapping::clapping::clapping::cl apping::clapping::clapping::clapping:

[storminsteve]

It's a true story as history tells us many Googan buckets were handed down from one generation to the next. DS excels in these googan ways, that's why i started this thread in hope he would educate his following. People feel free to ask him because besides birds he lives for this. Rumor has it he was on a jetty last night honing his googan skills. Only the true googans were out , probably just him which keeps his status up as King of the Googans.


Well ds were you out? Was it EPIC? Where's the report?:HappyWave:
Finchaser, there used to be a Monty Python bit where the father and son are looking out over all the land he owns, saying "someday son all this will be yours" - substitute googan bucket for that! Funny stuff.

[robmedina]

DS- I hope you don't mind but I would love to pick your brain, and Monty and others as well. I am laughing to myself as I write this because it makes me reflect on my own experiences. (and I will get to the point shortly, I just seem to always take the long way around...ask my kids they will agree) anyway In Large Mouth Bass fishing, when I am not catching - I always use that as a time to figure out why they are not eating and if I work at it long enough I can usually get a couple to bite. Now the part that makes me laugh is when my buddy would go fishing with me during those times of inactivity, he would get so frustrated and want to leave. For me, that was the part about fishing that kept me (forgive the pun) hooked. So now coming over to saltwater I am a complete newb. For me I know fish are there but I don't know WHAT is there, which makes decisions a little harder. That being said, DS I copied your post from the June Fishing report so I can ask some questions:

That small plug (similar to a small redfin) was the only thing they had an interest in. Finally got into a groove where I managed a hit or miss every 10 casts.

That's the action some of us look for out there. When we can't fiind bass, it is all about finding the action....and this was a puzzle that I finally found some pieces to......I knew they were feeding on small spearing, but had seen some larger ones the other night, and thought the behavior would be different....when the going gets tough, you have to get back to basics, and this may help you catch. This was in reference to your June 10th report. Now for me, I have to keep it simple because I don't have so many plugs and metal to through and from what I have read a bucktail can catch fish anywhere any time. SO with regard to bucktails/ presentation. Was your bite related more to the depth and cadence you were swimming the OFFC plug? Was it more "match the hatch"? Since I hear this "all fish have white bellies, white bucktails work...period" Could I have thrown , say a 1/4oz white buctail with a red uncle josh trailer and mimicked the depth and cadence? Sorry to take the long road around and I appreciate your time and answers! (if you elect to do so)

[surfstix1963]

If matching the hatch doesn't work throw a big plug at them draw that big one out of the school don't be afraid to stray from the norm, there are really no rules carved in stone.Learn the structure of a beach or inlet(look for the funny water)then worry about what bait is around and have confidence in what you are throwing at them.You will find your most productive plug will be the one that is your go to plug because you fish it more and you gain confidence in working it,throwing a thousand plugs will result in failure more often then not.The golden rule is K.I.S. Keep It Simple.

[Pebbles]

You should do a search on here. I think we have thread about "reading the water." Dark can probably remember the name of the thread. The one thing I can tell you that learned is that if one plug or metal does not work try another. You never know what is going to strike their fancy and any given time. Sometimes you need bucktails, somethimes you don't, sometimes you need poppers, or pencils other times it's metals.

If I am not catching I am changing up. Most important pay attention, without being obivious and don't mug:(. You can learn alot from those catching near you.

[DarkSkies]

......and from what I have read a bucktail can catch fish anywhere any time. SO with regard to bucktails/ presentation.

Was your bite related more to the depth and cadence you were swimming the OFFC plug? Was it more "match the hatch"? Since I hear this "all fish have white bellies, white bucktails work...period" Could I have thrown , say a 1/4oz white buctail with a red uncle josh trailer and mimicked the depth and cadence? Sorry to take the long road around and I appreciate your time and answers! (if you elect to do so)


Rob, sorry for the delayed answer.
As I mentioned in less than 30 days most of the bass will be gone from NJ, except the few that stay behind as summer residents.....so I have been out every chance I can get.

I hope folks don't take this the wrong way.....
I have run into a lot of people this Spring who say how easy bluefish are to catch....and they will hit anything....:kooky:,,,maybe for bait, yes...but it has definitely not been true this season, so far, absent blitz conditions, for those of us fishing artificials....

That hasn't been my experience when the water is colder, or in the few days after a cold weather system passes through. The bluefish go "off the feed" so to speak...and back out of some of the river systems into the bays. If they are in the bay they go to areas where the salinity is better.
In my experience, they are sensitive to salinity changes.....

They are also harder to catch, for me,,,,when the forage is chiefly small bait....
For me, bass are much easier....
I know many look down at bluefish...but there are a lot of us here who enjoy catching them....:fishing:

As mentioned, it may be easy to catch a few, but if you want double digits per trip, it's best to pay attention to what they are feeding on that day/night, and where they are in the water column.








*In the latest trip, they were mid water column....and focused on small bait...the tiny 2" spearing...would not touch top water, only small plugs and metal worked very slow...

*In the trip before that, they were much more spread out.....and more aggressive,,,hitting top water as well..it was a lot easier to generate double digits...

* In the trip before that,,,,the one where you read about the OFFC plug...,.it was the morning after a heavy rain, the water was cloudy, and they were off the feed...only hitting the profiles that closely resembled the small spearing they were eating......crawled very slowly to give them a chance to see it....as it was, I hooked many in the eye or head, letting me know that they were either sluggish, or hitting the plug because it was enough to **** them off,,,,,but not enough to spur their aggressive tendencies.....

[DarkSkies]

1. Bucktails....should work, if they are on or close to the bottom....

I consider myself a pretty decent bucktailer,,,although some friends of mine are far better than I am..
In the last few trips I have only managed a few on bucktails, despite changing weights and what's attached (pork rind, white grub, chartreuse grub, small squid grub for a shorter profile,,,,etc...)



2. Rubber...when fish are this picky,.....rubber can work when other things do not....
Reason I don't use it more often when bluefish are around.....I'm cheap and don't like to waste $$ on rubber for bluefish...:laugh:










One of the best rubber fishermen I know is finchaser.,...it's amazing watching him hook twice as many blues or bass as guys around him when he's throwing rubber.....
You could ask him some questions about rubbber and bass/bluefish presentation, in this thread, if you want....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8784-Ask-Finchaser



One of our members who is almost always using a teaser of some sort, and semi-famous for some of the most double headers in NJ...:cool:...is Monty...feel free to ask him teaser questions in this thread...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8786-Ask-monty-(aka-WWM)/page4






Or, if ya have any questions about bucktailing, fishing eels, inlets, rips, etc....and reading the water....why not ask Surfstix....:HappyWave:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8785-ASK-Surfstix










Any one of the above...or several other of our senior members....vpass, surfwalker...clamchucker....buckethead....is probably more qualified to answer those subjects, than I am...
me, I'm just a googan with a white bucket....
(post #15)
:laugh: :bucktooth:.... and I don't want to lose sight of those humble roots.....:HappyWave: