Silflay Hraka

Lionfish have made it to Long Island.

Divers report capturing hundreds of lionfish this summer, compared with about 30 total over the last three years.

“For us to be finding that many, there must be thousands and thousands more out there,” said Todd R. Gardner, a biologist at Atlantis Marine World aquarium in Riverhead. “It’s a population explosion.”

Apart from the novelty of lionfish and the mystery of how they wound up so far from home, the sudden proliferation also raises questions about effects on the ecosystem, including potential threats to indigenous fish and hazards to swimmers.

America’s Best Fishing Bars, courtesy the Boogie Scarecrow.

Speed! Death! Beer!

“Last year, a guy went off the course. He’s lying there by his car, and one of the track marshals told me, ‘I’m pretty sure he’s dead.’

You probably don’t want this milk in your coffee.

“I use a product called Menhaden Milk,” said Jarusinski, 69, who is an insurance industry retiree and a part-time guide. “Unlike straight menhaden oil, it mixes with water so it stays at whatever depth you disperse it into the water column.”

For Longnose Gar and Green Sunfish.

Now holding the longnose gar mark is James Thomas Bryant of Henderson, who caught a 191/2-pounder while fishing for striped bass in the Roanoke River at Weldon in April. The prehistoric-looking critter measured 513/4 inches.

James Michael Deaton of Rougemont took the sunfish record while fishing at Falls Of The Neuse/Butler Game Land in May. His 11-inch catch weighed 1 pound, 2 ounces, and beat the previous mark by a mere 3 ounces.

That’s a big damn gar.

Rittenhouse Very Rare 21-Year-Old Single Barrel Straight Rye Whisky

…a 100-proof whisky that cost around $150 at retail outlets. The Bardstown company is shipping 32 barrels, or about 3,000 bottles. It’s a bold move since American whiskies traditionally linger on the low end of the price spectrum.

Expensive single malt scotch I can see a market for. Rye? Not so much.

Those, for one.

About the same time each summer as the Pamplona insanity is televised across the world, bulls of another type begin a run of their own across south Louisiana. These bulls are the finny-type, breathe with gills and aren’t likely to gore you. But they do provide plenty of excitement. They are the bull redfish of summer!
…
While fighting a monster red on light tackle might seem like the sportsmanly thing to do, it can actually be disastrous for the fish.

When a bull red is finally played out after a 20-30 minute fight it often is totally exhausted. It is then at the point of no return and no amount of resuscitation can revive it. Restricted by a one-fish per person limit, “kill” and release becomes the order of the day.

The World Beer Festival Durham is on October 7th. Tickets can be hard to find the day of the show so you might want to plan ahead.