05-06-2012, 05:48 PM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Seven minutes from the launch!
Posts: 987
|
Ice Cold!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . It's all about the chest. No, not the arrogant pumping of the chest; the ice-chest. If you're going to be fishing for the big-boys you best plan ahead. You don't want to be running down the isles of Wal-Mart at 2:00 a.m.---frantically trying to find a suitable resting place for your trophy catch. I've seen and been somewhat responsible for this scramble on many occasions, I might add. And I can tell from my second hand perspective that, well, it kind of sucks! That look in the anglers eye as they slide a fifty-pound beast into the back of a BMW is painful to watch. God forbid, the ecstatic angler manages to pull off the daily-double. The stoke tends to impair the anglers judgement at the time, but I can only imagine the wife's reaction as they pull into the garage; and their inevitable retaliation with the American Express! I always tell my partner for the day to make sure and come prepared. A gear list isn't complete without a big ice-chest. It should be right up there with your fishing license on the priority list. Regardless of your skill level, when targeting ornery Pelagic species it's in your best interest to be optimistic. After all, confidence is key! If you don't believe it's going to happen, guess what? It's not going to happen. Being prepared for the best case scenario is a prudent judgment call if you asked me. With that being said, there's a fine line between being prepared and straight up jinxing yourself, though. Go ahead and bring that giant coffin of death, but unless you're about to launch into a WFO bite, never, ever, ever, come loaded down with sixty pounds of ice. If there was ever a jinx that runs the entire spectrum of the fishing community it's loading the chest with ice. I'd say it's easily ten times the jinx of a banana! Easily. So consider yourself warned. When choosing a suitable resting place for your trophy-catch it's very similar to buying quality fishing gear. What happens far too often is guys try to go the cheap-route the first time around. Which, of course, only adds to the final sum of what you end up spending. Just buy a quality product the first time around and consider it done. Quality aside, the most common scenario is guys buying an ice-chest that's simply too small. I have guys all the time say, "oh I got one", and show up with a cooler that's suitable for a six-pack and lunch! I suppose it depends on where you fish and what you target, but the average White Sea Bass the last couple of seasons has been around fifty inches, give or take. That doesn't mean you need a coffin that's fifty inches long. Keep in mind the fish will easily bend at both ends, right? You just need to make sure the resting place is suitable for a trophy this size. Along the same lines, I'm of the opinion that there's a such thing as too big, too. You want the ice-chest to be as efficient as possible. In short, you want minimal space after placing a couple beauties and forty pounds of ice. So don't just run out and buy the, humungous, Marine Igloo for $300. That cooler's designed for limits style fishing with multiple anglers and not ideal for one man's daily catch. For most guys I'd suggest the igloo Costco has carried for the last few years. Here's one of mine. This little puppy hovers around $80, holds multiple trophy fish and is plenty efficient for the task at hand. I suppose you could splurge and go pick up a Yetti cooler (with a retail price of $600), too. If you go that route, though, you either have too much money or aren't catching big enough fish. I don't care if the thing will keep ice rock-solid for three days straight. If it can't fit a trophy fish, what's the point? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Regardless of which cooler you decide to purchase in the end there's only one thing that really, really matters---what's in it!
__________________
|
05-06-2012, 05:57 PM | #2 |
.
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,155
|
you really do have a passion for the game.
__________________
|
05-06-2012, 06:13 PM | #3 |
Damn Hippy
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Riverside
Posts: 311
|
My friends make fun of my man sized cooler in my van but I tell them, I'll need it someday
|
05-06-2012, 06:16 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SD
Posts: 216
|
Coolers..... what a odd post....
Seen a few Coolers these days with some big Ole biscuits in them... And who ever said threes a crowd .... |
05-06-2012, 06:39 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,526
|
one hatch is busted
|
05-06-2012, 06:48 PM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Orange
Posts: 207
|
Nice Josh.
|
05-06-2012, 06:51 PM | #7 |
Administrator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: 1-2 miles off the point
Posts: 6,948
|
now where is the ransom note?...............I gave my 150 coolers away
__________________
|
05-06-2012, 06:55 PM | #8 |
BRTF...bought & paid...
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,247
|
Nice cooler...only the contents though...
I prefer the wooden handles with the rope, but, hey, that's just me, and every time I bring it, I come home empty handed. But I will keep jinxing myself, cuz as you say, ya just never know... Opposed to not bringing one, think I will take my chances and hope one day I will be grateful for bringing my grande cooler...
__________________
Adios Tman Gaffer for Clay the Fishcatcher |
05-06-2012, 07:05 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Redlands CA
Posts: 871
|
sweet
I have an old 180 with rope handles. looks like one biz-kit and 2 yellas fit quite well...
__________________
Barachit Baralah,Elohim-In the beginning,God-Genesis 1:1 "Who among you,if your son asked for a fish would give them a serpent " Jesus Matt. 7:10 |
05-06-2012, 07:29 PM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Point Loma
Posts: 584
|
|
05-06-2012, 07:30 PM | #11 |
Kevin C.
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego/Hawaii
Posts: 146
|
Nice trio there Josh.
The cooler suggestion is spot on. I kinda lucked out the time The kid put me on my very first YT, I didn't have to run to buy a big cooler but I did have to remove it from my snake room since I normally use it for a egg incubator. As far as the ice, ready for your catch no no. I actually had ice ready that day, but now you got me thinking. Anyway thanks for the report. Kevin C. |
05-06-2012, 07:46 PM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,921
|
|
05-06-2012, 08:26 PM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 190
|
Ice Job!
Well I'm going into convulsions due to my low fish catch and consumption so far this year! I'm so due for a strong pull. I can't wait (really cannot) til my 3 scheduled Baja trips to get on something.
__________________
James Caldwell Yellow Prowler |
05-06-2012, 08:34 PM | #14 |
CEO of Team Roby
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 905
|
The latches on those coolers suck ass!!!!
Those fishies do not suck ass though..... |
05-06-2012, 10:06 PM | #15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 367
|
dude, your a monster, oh and nice colors on that biscuit
|
05-06-2012, 10:10 PM | #16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Menifee
Posts: 2,509
|
Great post and great pics!
__________________
”The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” ~Thomas Jefferson.........maybe |
05-06-2012, 11:17 PM | #17 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 396
|
I love the not so subtle play on the "Proof of Life". A "Proof of Death" is best, given the target species. I do, however, hate your disclaimer. The likelihood of any of the prior offended hiring you is next to slim. Stay salty.
And, given the current conditions (launch conditions, weekday fishing, and scarcity of bait) this thread will not cause the same mass attack conditions. As for the cooler, I have a nice collapsible you can use if your rigid framed cooler does not work....... |
05-07-2012, 08:55 AM | #18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Vista
Posts: 1,111
|
Nice
__________________
The shorter you are, the bigger your fish appear |
05-07-2012, 09:54 AM | #19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 309
|
What kind of ice-chest am I?----an empty one - very nice fish.
|
05-07-2012, 10:29 AM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Rancho Cucamonga
Posts: 753
|
Sweet.....Don't I still have some credit with you?
__________________
GO ARMY BEAT NAVY! Bad decisions make great stories! |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|