Fish Chris

Thank you Endless. For starters, I eat the most regimented, calculated diet you could ever imagine. I put most of my daily intake together each morning, throw it in my lunch box, and it goes with me, whether for work, or for play, 7 days a week. I eat a LOT of natural protein. I was eating whey protein for quite a while, but just last week I decided to try increasing my natural protein (nearly doubling them... trying to get 200 gm's a day) and cut out the whey for a while, as I hear the body can make better use of natural protein + it's more filling. I also eat a decent amount of fats, but nearly all the good kind, from nuts, avacado's, olives, and olive oil. Fairly low carbs, especially lately, as I've cut out most of the grains, and cut way back on fruits. Anyway, I take a bunch of fish oil, multi-vites, Super B complex, and DHEA, every day. I'm 6ft, and just over 200 lbs right now, with maybe a hair below 20% body fat. But my 3 1/2 year goal (by my 50th B-day ) is to weigh 230lbs, with 10% body fat. Crazy, steep goal, I know. But if I can only achieve 3/4's of that, that would still be pretty darn good. Anyway, it's time to workout right now Peace, Fish

Thanks again guys Hey JimmyMo, if you want to learn all you could ever imagine about digital photography, and even about photography with specific cameras and lenses, go check out DPreview I learned more about photography over there, than anywhere else. Peace, Fish

Well now, this has become quite an interesting thread. Tin, did you tell the proffessor that my buddies arms are "only" 17 1/2" ? Okay, sure, I wish my arms were 17 1/2"..... but I'm totally confident they will be in 3 years. The point I'm making, is that my buddy looks really huge, and his muscle mass really jumps out at you, but the main reason for this is that he has really low body fat. About 4% right now. So anyway, I don't think 17 1/2" arms are so huge that one would need chemicals to obtain them. 20" ? Probably. Especially for a 50 year old. 23" !?!? Absolutely.... for any age, even with perfect genetics. And then bassdockter brings up a really good point, that totally pertains here.... Muscle memory ! So check this out, 24 years ago, my buddy here had 19 1/4" arms ! But what's funny is, he really didn't look much, if any bigger / more buffed than he does now, as his body fat was probably around 10 or 12%. And here's the whole thing about body fat.... It's calories in vs calories out. Simple as that. Even with poor genetics, if a person burns enough, and eats little enough, they will end up with very low body fat, and whether they have only a little muscle mass, or a ton of it, either way, whatever they have will show more. And my final thought on the matter is this; Guys like Zack Kahn, are totally cool in my book, chemicals or not. So, if I found out my buddy was doing roids.... Uhhh... Okay. That wouldn't tell me he's just been sitting around being lazy, and eating cheetos all day. The guy works out like a mad man, and keeps a rediculously strict diet. So if it takes more than that, I'd be fine with that too. Peace, Fish

Much thanks Jason. I'll tell you what, I look, and feel (not just physically, but mentally) like a different person ! .....or should I say, a lot more like I felt when I was 19 years old (28 years ago). Again, as soon as I can get a good tan (about 2-3 more months) I'll post some before and after shots of myself, and I'm sure you will be amazed. I know I am And I'll tell you what else, as tore up as I was 1 1/2 years ago, if I could do this "ANYBODY" can ! Peace, Fish

Sounds fun ! My Stripers have been nice, but I'm getting a little anxious for some green and brown ones too Peace, Fish

Hey Susky, isn't that funny ? I often think about how in impoverished countries, or times and places back in ancient history, fat was considered attractive. From a personal standpoint though, I always hated my own fat.... and I was always attracted to thin, athletic girls. What other guys would call "healthy" or just a little "chunky", I look at as fat and disgusting. To me, 5'3" 110 lbs, is just right.... as are B cups Any more than that is just sloppy, and gets in the way But again, it's all a personal taste issue. Peace, Fish

Okay, but hey now guys (besides Susky, he's already answered) Is my buddy Dee, too buffed ? Like I say, he only has 17 1/2 inch arms. He's just always working on getting completely shredded down to like 4% body fat, which makes the muscle he has, really stand out. Personally, I don't ever need / want to be that low of body fat ....for myself, that is. I do think it looks cool on somebody with enough muscle to really show it off. I'm thinking 10% is quite low, but still within reason for myself. Fish

Hey Susky, to each their own. You might have found my obese, distended belly, 1 1/2 years ago, pretty sexy then Peace, Fish

What an awesome fish ! That fish is shaped very similar to my PB. But only a Lake record ? Isn't that right next to the Texas state record ? I know it has to be within ounces anyway, but I was thinking the Texas record was 18.1.... No ? Fish

Ha ! I'm totally not surprised. However, 1 1/2 years ago, I wouldn't have cared the slightest bit though, as I was in such lousy shape, I didn't give a $*** if I lived or died anyway. Seriously. I'd have probably read this thread and thought, "Yea', Taco Bell sounds good.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Funny how things can change, if you work hard enough. I haven't had a bite of fast food in the last 1 1/2 years, and Lord willing, I never will again. Now I'm splitting hairs over what types, and how many carbs, proteins, and fats, I should have, at what times during the day, and surrounding my workouts.... Fast food / junk food, just hardly has any place in my train of thought anymore. I don't eat it, so why think about it. I think a normal person (read; somebody who doesn't have a food addiction) could eat junk / fast food once in a while, and probably be just fine. I'm not one of those people. It would have killed me If I'd have let it. Fish

Hey, one things for sure.... no matter how buffed I ever get, I promise you won't have to see me in a man thong, or a speedo LOL Just not my thing. I think my buddy is just starting to get fired up about entering a contest or two..... But hey though, in his defense, his wife is a very good looking girl, who obviously loves big, buffed guys. And as a matter of fact, she just got her womens Professional Fitness card... meaning, she can't compete against amateurs anymore (because she whipped them too bad She's only 5ft even, 98 lbs, so she's not even close to one of those females (on steroids) body builders. Just really lean, and fit. And a very sweet girl too. She's 48 I think. They have an 18 year old son BTW.... Speaking of girls preferences, sure, I know most do not like a guy to be really big and buffed. But here's the thing; Let's just say 1 in 100 girls likes a really huge, buffed, scary guy. Well how many really huge, buffed, scary guys {like Zack Kahn} do they have to choose from ? Not many. Which means, he would do quite well if he was looking for a girl friend. BTW, I showed a room mate (a cute little Indian girl) a photo of Zack Kahn, fully expecting her to freak out, and say ooooh gross.... But she totally surprised me with, "Wow ! That guy is huge and strong ! He looks like he looks really good" ! Huh ? I told her, I thought so too..... but from the opposite prospective I like females, but I'd love to look like that guy In any case, from a personal standpoint, I've always liked extreme things anyway. But maybe even more importantly, if I ever got to a point where I was totally satified with my fitness level, I think I would quickly lose interest, and be in worse shape than I ever was a year or two later. It's probably a good thing that I will never be as buffed as I'd like to be, because it gives me something to keep shooting for. Peace, Fish

Funny you can walk into any Wal-Mart, GNC, or most other drugstores and buy DHEA. But yes, I had a complete blood test done a few months ago, and all was good. Liver was fine. In fact, most everything showed improvement, especially my cholesterol. Not really surprised though, after changing my whole life from taking zero care of my body, to being a health and fitness fanatic But that's the story of my life, from one extreme to another.... Peace, Fish

Tin, my diet is freaking fanatical ! Every meal is calculated, and I put my daily intake all together in the morning, right after breakfast, and it all goes into my lunch box, 7 days a week, whether I'm working or playing. I just got back into a cutting cycle, so I'm back down below 3000... probably closer to 2700 cals a day. Which includes 175 gm's of protein. I was eating 200 gm's, 1/2 natural, 1/2 whey sup.... but I just switched back to all natural. I hear that the body can make better use of natural protein than it does with processed whey. We will see. Also, nearly ALL of my fat intake, is good fat. Avocados, nuts, fish. Olives and olive oil. Very low processed sugar. In fact, almost zero processed foods of any kind. But for anybody reading this, don't get me wrong, I eat a LOT ! For quite a while, I was eating 4000 cals a day, and gaining very slowly. Hopefully, mostly muscle. But like I say, now I'm back to a cutting cycle. Going from 4000 cals to 2700 a day, most of what I cut out was carbs.... fruit, wheat crackers, etc. Oh, and about my T-level, I actually had it tested a while back, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was pretty good for an old, white guy ....419 ng/dl I do take B complex, zinc, DHEA, and a lot of fish oil. I have not had 1 single bite of cake, pie, candy, ice cream, cheese cake, milkshake, fast food, pizza, nor any other awesome tasting junk food like this, for nearly 15 months. I always here people say, "Well, ya' gotta' treat yourself once in a while........" NOT ! For me that's just flat out the wrong answer. I was a food addict for all of my adult life. Telling me I can have 1 piece of junk food, is like telling an alcoholic, he can have just 1 or 2 drinks... or telling a crack head, he can have just one or two hits.... Obviously, that will never work. I just can't afford to fall off of this wagon. If I ever did, I'm convinced I'd be dead in 5 years. Seriously ! I feel like I caught myself just in time ! I don't think I'd be so lucky the next time. Peace, Fish

Oh hey Aceman Since you should mention it, here's a couple photos of my long time buddy Dee. He will be 50 years old this year. (some of you might know of him from a few articles on my old fishing website. He's a stick !) He just got back into weightlifting about 3 1/2 years ago. I think he's doing pretty good for an old guy Definitely inspiring for me, as I've got about 3 1/2 years to go before I'll be 50, and I hope to get maybe 3/4's as buffed / ripped as Dee, by then..... if I'm lucky. BTW, he is really proportioned, and really cut, but actually only has 17 1/2" arms. He is 5' 8", 200 lbs. Cutting the fat is really what makes the muscle you have, show that much more. And fat cutting is all about diet... what you eat, and how much of it. In this shot, my buddy is at about 5%, which is that of a pro body builder, competition level. Peace, Fish PS, My buddy says he also has crappy genetics for body building. Yea' right !

Geeeez, you guys sound like a bunch of normal people ! I'm sorry. I know you can't help it But like I say, I would absolutely love to be freakishly buffed like Zack Kahn. Peace, Fish

You guys know I've been working out really hard, right ? Now, for one thing, I knew before I ever started (from working out 30 years ago) that I have crappy genetics. I got pretty strong by the time I was 18 (295 bench, 155 curl) but never got near as buffed as I wanted to be.... or, as some of the other kids in my school. So, 30 years later, I kind of knew what to expect.... But I was not going to let that be an excuse to not get as fit, cut, and buffed as I possibly could. Hey BTW, 15 months ago I weighed 272, with like 45-50% body fat, no muscle to speak of, blood pressure 150/102 7 months ago, 191.8, at 24% body fat. blood pressure 100/60 2 months ago 205 at 20.25% body fat 1 month from now () 195 at 17% body fat 4 months from now 205 at 17% (see the pattern I'm working on ? ) My 3 1/2 year goal is 230 lbs, at 10% body fat. I think that would be pretty darn good for a semi-worn out 50 year old. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So, hey now, this is a photo of my body building idol Zack 'King' Kahn. His stats are, 6ft, 300 lbs during the off season, 270 when totally cut down to 5% body fat. 24" biceps. 36" thighs. Does this guy look absolutely scary, or what ? Like a video game assassin ? LOL But wait.... I'm going to beat you to the punch > Steroids, right ? Well duh. Human beings just don't get this big without them. However, that is only one part of the puzzle. The other parts are vastly superior genetics. Many years of ridiculously hard-core training. An unbelievably large, and calculated diet. And maybe most importantly, the right mind set. In other words, maybe 1 out of 10's of millions of guys could ever get this big, no matter what they did. So, back to the question.... Would you like to look like this ? I would. In fact, I'd love it ! But I'm a realist too. And whatever I can achieve, it's still better than dying from obesity / high blood pressure {where I was headed 15 months ago}. Heck I already look, and feel 10 X's better than I did. I'll post some before and after shots of myself this Spring or Summer, in a tank top, with a good tan.... and on my bald head too LOL Peace, Fish PS, Jay Cutler (3 time Mr Olympia) is rediculously huge, symetrical, and cut up too..... but is kind of a "pretty boy" I think I'd rather be as ugly / scary as Zack Kahn, if I was this big ;D PPS, Zack Kahn actually seems like a really cool, laid back kind of guy. I mean, he really doesn't have to "act tough"... Who's going to mess with him ?

A few things I guess... 1) I use spinning for basically everything. Even big, heavy swimbaits. 2) I use braid for everything. I just don't see where using some kinky, coily, stretchy garbage is ever a benefit. I'm sure their are more, I'm just drawing a blank... Peace, Fish

I don't do a lot of night fishing.... but when I do, I'm likely to be fishing with a 9" MS Slammer, rigged with 2/0 Owner ST36 treble hooks ! So, I get a short hit (which is really common, right ?) and I swing back, and now I have this large "deadly weapon" coming straight at my face, in the dark no less ! So, yes, what he said > Peace, Fish

Hey Goose, yes, I fish by myself 99% of the time, and yes, I use a tripod. But the real kicker, is the cameras I use can be tyotally set up (customized) ahead of time, then all the settings saved in the cameras memory. So when I stick a good fish, I just slap it on the tripod, turn it on in the "C" mode, and Bam ! I already have it dialed in ahead of time Too bad Canon quit making those cameras (A6XX series) Stupid move IMPO. I guess these were just too nice of cameras, for too little $. Glad I have 3 of them ! Peace, Fish

Much thanks guys Hey Rolo, for my straight up photography (non-fish photos) I use a Canon T1i, and for most of my wild life and long distance stuff, I shoot handheld, with my 400mm 5.6 lens. It's a great lens. Honestly, my camera is the weak link. I really want a 7D for wildlife ($1600 body only), and a 5D II for landscapes ($2400 body only). Maybe someday Oh, but for all of my fish photos, I absolutely LOVE my little Canon A series cameras. I have an A630, an A640, and an A650is. What I really like about these, is that you can totally set them up ahead of time, in every aspect, aperture, ISO, flash power, manual focus, distance, etc, then save all of these settings with a couple clicks. So then, you get out on the water and stick a monster (and of course with adrenalin pumping, your all shaky) but turn the camera on in the "C" (custom) mode, and bam, it remembers every thing you had it set for ! You might make 1 small adjustment for brightness in those particular conditions, or something, but usually its really close to begin with ! Almost like have yourself behind the camera, and in front of it holding a big catch at the same time How cool is this ? Peace, Fish

Couple days late. Was having internet issues, but hopefully fixed now. Anyway, after getting skunked the trip before, my confidence had taken a serious hit. So, I was very pleased to have caught a couple nice ones Both right about 14 lbs. And as a matter of fact, the first one, a 34 1/2"er, had a CaDFG tag on it Kind of cool. So the first thing everybody asks is, "Do you get any reward for it" ? Ha ! Are you freaking kidding me ? This is Cali, remember ! We can't afford to pay our state workers, teachers, etc, etc, etc ! You think they are going to just give money away ? They only "give" money to crooked politicians, and public figures. Speaking of this, I think I have probably caught about 13 to 15 tagged fish in my life. Lost count a long time ago, but it seems I get one every couple years. And out of all of those tagged fish, I think two of them had a reward for like $10 and $20. In any case, it's cool to find out the info behind your catch... when it was tagged, where it was released, if it has grown, etc. Oh, and BTW, do any of you Cali guys know if I can give the tag # and catch info online ? .....and then get the tagging info for the fish back online also ? It would seem strange to me if I couldn't..... Anyway... Here's a shot of one of the 14's. But they were basically twins anyway. Nice, healthy fish though. Fought great, and released strong. Regular heavy action spinning gear, and a BIG bait > 14" Split Tail. Never had any hits and runs that were too small to take it either. And was treated to a nice sunset Oh, tried for a Sturgeon for about 3 hours after the Striper fishing, but not a touch.... which was a shame, as I had the most perfect bait ever ! ....a tint little live Splitty about the size of my finger ! Oh well. Peace, Fish

Uhhh.... has anybody ever sat you down and made you watch them use live bait ? LOL To be totally frank, I believe you have been brainwashed into believing things about live bait fishing, which simply are not true. Personally, I love fishing live bait..... and would do it even more, if their were not so many situations where artificial lures make it easier to catch a monster bass. What really amuses me, are the guys (purists) who pat themselves on the back, because they only use artificial lures..... Uhhhh.... Okay. If I could only use live bait 'OR' artificial lures, I'd choose the latter myself, as I'm sure I'd catch more giants this way. However, I've always felt that by leaving all options open, I can maximize the odds of sticking a big one, which is the whole reason I'm out there in the first place. Peace, Fish PS, Come to think about it, I guess I'm not really a fan of watching people use live bait either.... especially if they are catching fish, and all I can do is watch ;D

Bassthumb and ROLO, Bluewing Teals do not (or are not supposed to) have any Cinnamon Red color whatsoever. I think the only similarity between the two, is the blue wing patch. Here's a Blue Wing on the water > (not my photo) And here's one in-flight> Peace, Fish

Well, I decided to switch things up, and do something different. Instead of Stripers / Sturgeon in the Delta, I went to my home Lake Berryessa, and chucked a Hud around for a few hours. Now, before I tell you how I did, I gave myself about a 20% chance of catching even 1 fish. Although, I felt if I did stick one, there was a 50% chance of it being over 10 lbs. You have to realize that when I go to this lake in April or may, I might get 2 bites, and say .3 or .4 fish on the average trip. So in January ? Probably about .5 bites, and .1 fish per trip. So anyway, guess what ? I actually got "1 bite" ! Whacked that Hud pretty hard too ! But if I had to guess, I'd say it was a little 2 or 3 lb Spot.... Really agressive, but too small a mouth to eat a Hud most of the time. In other words, that one bite was probably even a little more action than I expected today ! But look what I saw Sorry for the poor PQ on this one... Heavy crop.... But what a cool bird, huh ? Then, since I got home early, I decided to run out to the Delta with my camera and got a couple more pretty cool shots... What's for dinner ? It's fresh dead rat ! Mmmmm And a White Tailed Kite. These guys are SOO coool ! Back after the Sturgies and Stripers tomorrow Will try to get some pics Peace, Fish

Ya' know, I must have read the title of this thread 20 X's... and every time I did, I pondered it, and thought... "I dunno... Their are a whole bunch of techniques I totally suck at... crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs.. just to name a few.... but then I really don't feel like that stuff would help me much at all, to catch more giant Cali trout eaters, anyway. If I can't catch them on a swimbait (a Hud) or sightfishing (with whatever soft plastic bait I decide to grab) or on a crawler, or a dad, I probably wouldn't catch them on anything else anyway. Then it finally clicked.... Their is one technique that I wish I was better at.... > trolling ! I know their are a handful of big bass sticks, who absolutely nail giants, trolling big swimbaits ! And as much as I've tried, I just flat suck at it I think the closest I've ever come to sticking a big one trolling, was one time when I had trolled all the way from one end of my trophy pond, to the other. When my boat finally beached itself, I turned around to reel my lure in, and Bam ! Stuck a 10.2 Does that count ? {cooler yet, on the next cast, I stuck another 10+, and the 3rd I caught one that was 9 and change Only 3 bites I had all day, BTW. But yea, trolling. Wish I knew how to do it correctly. Fish