It seems that Catmandoo (Ken G.), Todd3183 (Todd Laneve), and Rainman (Rex) will be at my pond in Somerset PA on Friday Oct. 22, '10.

So, if there's any other PB members who are close by, please accept an invitation to join us.

It seems like Ken is going to grace us with his culinary indiscretions kind of in a Survivor Man mode, using what we can catch in my pond, or what he can find on the street.

Rex will be delivering some fish for all of us.

Todd will provide moral support for all attendees to eat what Ken prepares.

Regarding fish to cook, we will certainly have Bluegill, Bullheads, some LMB, and maybe some crappie, channel cat, and Yellow Perch.

There goes the neighborhood.

Don't worry, Guvnor, that neighborhood's been gone for a long, long time.

Obviously photos are required for this event.

All photos, and all written accounts -- factual, exaggerated, or otherwise, shall require careful scrutiny by attending legal counsel, prior to posting.

Wow. I just Googled Sunil's "pond." This ain't no BOW for Bill Cody's yacht! It appears to have its own rail line running from one end to the other. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable in anything less than a 60-foot vessel captained by a Coast Guard licensed pilot.

Lynda is worried about my involvement in this adventure. She's hoping none of us will need Todd's services.

For those attending, we'll have epicurean delights like you've never tasted before.

Jeff,

This seems like a perfect opportunity for you. Isn't it time to visit the in-laws?

I'd be glad to pick you up before sun-up and get you back shortly after sun-down. I can throw a ladder in the truck if you find it necessary to sneak out and back in.

Todd would have to evaluate the decision, but I think we could possibly extend our legal review of photos and stories to your presence.

Ken

This will no doubt turn out to be a good old fashioned east coast throwdown. Of course, the world will likely never know as we'll be sure to apply a good dose of legal redaction to all written, photographic, or other recordings of events that may be alleged to have taken place!

This could be almost like Woodstock 69.

This could be almost like Altamont 69.

We probably will have a few hundred-thousand less people, a few dozen less famous musicians, and a lot less drugs (except for those of us taking drugs for blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rhythm, hair loss, . . .

We need a name -- Somerset 10-10 . . . ????

One last thought -- how about FishStock 1010?

Let's take full photo documentation, but then put the infamous black bar over everyone's eyes in the pictures.

I'd love to Ken, unfortunately it's just not doable with my schedule.

I'll just have to be there in spirit.

You should set up a Web Conference for the event for those of us that are excluded from on-site participation. That way the event could be worldwide rather than local. You can have a worldwide event with only the local beer costs to worry about!

Maybe we'll drunk-dial you on Thursday night, JHAP. Lucky for you the time difference 'cause drunk-dialing is best when you're waking up the recipient of the call.

This is especially important if the call recipient is a good friend. Really, they're glad you cared enough to call, so they don't want to hang up on you for waking them up; then the blathering from the call initiaters becomes too much and anger sets in 'cause the call recipient was woken up by the call.

Hey, if I could get a leather biker's vest, I could look a little bit like the Hell's Angels that worked "security" at Altamont!

Or we could just skip that part, down our Lipitor with a couple of cold beers and take home our fish from Rex!

I vote for Fishstock, but dammit, I'm not camping out and shunning civilized living standards just for the effect!

Man up and take one for the team.

I find that the hang up usually occurs somewhere after the 8th or 9th recitation of how much the drunken caller loves the woken up callee.

Sunil is ignoring me again (I know it's just because he doesn't understand me).

The thing about drunk-dial is the unintended consequences when wife answers and gets the "treatment" from an unknown slobber-drooler.

You just made the list, Dwight.

(taken from Stripes)

No, really, Dwight, I'm not ingnoring you. We can call you also. I think you only get a 1-hour time zone reprieve.

I have to be in court that morning and possibly into the afternoon of that Friday, but had planned on being at our hunting cabin in PA that evening. So, if timing works out I hope to be able to swing by... What time were the festivities planned for?

It seems we're getting together Thursday night, staying in a hotel near my pond. Then it will all depend on Rainman 'cause Todd, and maybe Ken, have to get their fish back to their ponds.

So Friday morning into the mid-afternoon if you can make it, CJ.

Sounds like I will just miss out. If I get out of court early I may be able to make the back end to at least meet you all. Might know more as it gets closer. Getting a show of cause issued against me probably wouldn't be the best idea...

Definitely not, but getting a continuance granted because of your urgent need to attend to a "family" matter isn't too bad of a thought! After all, this IS widely regarded as the Pond Boss Family! Make that prosecutor actually do some useful work for once and file a continuance for your hearing!

CJ, I may still be there past 3PM.

Keep in touch on your status.

Hope y'all have a great time.
Ken, how about starting the festivities off with this:

mmmmmmmmmmm larvae smoothie!!!!!

Randy -- great idea. I probably won't get up there until sun-up on Friday morning. The rest are arriving on Thursday night. They'll probably need some protein by morning. Your suggestion would certainly fix any growling they might have in their tummies.

Ken, please don't disclude yourself from enjoying a larva-smoothie first thing on Friday morning.

Sunil

I really respect your generous intentions. But, even if I don't have quite enough larva to make full-size smoothies for everyone, I'll be more than glad to share all I have with the attendees. If it looks like I might be a little short, I'll stop at a Sheetz and have them mix it with something else that might be delicious. What else are good friends for?

Ken

Ken, let me know how the Sheetz employees respond to your request to mix some larva in with their smoothies... I suspect you'll get a very interesting reaction!

You guys have fun. Sure you will let us tag along via pics. No pics of sick folks (to much drink or questionable food sources)or compromising pics.

All responses and photos will be in good taste!

Not at all hard to believe that Ken knows of an eatery called Sheetz.

I don't think y'all have Sheetz convenience stores down south.

Dang it, Randy, he doesn't need encouragement!

Any idea what time on Thursday?

I will try to be properly prepared for this all important conference call. I would like ensure that I have begun my libation early enough to place myself in the proper state of mind in order to receive such a prestigious communication.

With the three hour time difference, I'd say we might call you around noon Cali-time.

Actually, we'll call you around 7AM EST on Friday morning. We will only be hung-over, but you'll be sleeping.

Keep your cell phone by the bed.

So sometime between noon Thursday and 7AM Friday?

Jeez way to narrow it down for me.

I shall put the cell phone in the pocket of my Hello Kitty Footie Jammies on vibrate. (the cell phone will be placed on vibrate not the Hello Kitty Footie Jammies.... that would just be weird).

It's probably better that you don't have any more details than that.

Let's go with early EST on Friday 'cause you'll be sleeping.

Sounds good.

Perhaps just to ensure that I wake up for this important call I'll set the phone on vibrate and reset my ringer...

JHAP's ringer setting for the upcoming conference call.

All right! You guys are safe for now. I just looked at Randy's picture. There is a dead fly on the table in front of the blender. I'm really cautious about what I serve.

What made that fly die? Until we know, I won't be serving smoothies.

Dang it, now there's no incentive to make the drive.

I'll be there Thursday.......

With my CSBG in the tank, I hope!

Tomorrow is dedicated to fishing and cast-netting CSBG.

That's not a fly, it's a leaf. Just think of it as "garnishment".

You two truly are twin brothers separated at birth. Sickos!

Rex, take lessons on throwing the cast net and show me how it's done when you get here.

What day/time (I know, it's an iffy question ) do you think you'll be here?

Well guys, how are we making out for our get-together.

I spoke to Rex yesterday and he anticipates arriving at the Knights Inn in Somerset on Thursday.

So I think Rex, Todd, and myself will tear up the little town on Thursday night.

Still an open invite to any Pond Bossers....

That seems a lot like a don't-ask-don't-tell question!

As of this morning, I was thinking I'd be up tomorrow night. Now you've got me worried.

I have a late night canoe trip planned. Rex is going to be playing Ned Beatty's role.

I'll let you all know what time Rex leaves my place... he's stopping by my location in Central Ohio with some Golden Trout and Shiners...

Sound like fun brewing in PA!

Rex just left my place about 10 minutes ago (11:15 a.m. Eastern Time)

He rolled in around 8:30 p.m. last night, we stocked the 30# GSH in the pond, and changed all the water in all the tanks on the truck. Went to dinner and it was around midnight when he hit the sack. Up at 7:30 a.m., out the door around 8:30 a.m. to see about getting some BG for Todd. Fishing was slow, we only got 10 of them, between 7" and 9". So they are on the truck on their way to WVA. Rex left his glasses at the restraunt last night, so he's stopping there on the way East. He has to swing by a place down near Dayton to pick up some fish before the guy leaves for work, then on to the deliveries. I think having to stop there first is going to add a couple of hours on to his trip today. We orig. had it mapped out so that was last on the route so he didn't have to do any backtracking.

Thanks for the updates!

Yeah, just got off the phone with Rex and it sounds like a busy day today for him. Sounds like he will be hitting my place later this afternoon early evening. First time getting fish from Rex, sounds like a really nice guy.

He's going to be making some additional stops at my place in the spring for Tilapia!

I'm looking forward to getting those trout in the water, and then on the table!

Rex is good pepple.

Well, I should say that 'we' feel that way. PVC piping, not so much...

Yeah, I am going to run straight home from work and paint my PVC green and throw some grass and weeds over it I'm planning to bust his hump about it when he shows up...

I'll try to snap a few photos of the trout, etc... when he shows up. I figure folks like seeing pictures on here as much as I do... I might even get one or two of Mr. PVC.

lol

You are a twisted man, my friend! But timely with your wit!

I wish I could make it up for the festivities! One day too early. I have to work tonight and tomorrow night and have to be in court both tomorrow morning and Friday morning. I really need to stop arresting people. These court appearances are cutting into my free time and sleep...

Travis -- if you came up tomorrow night and Friday -- I'm sure you could still have some court appearances ahead of you, on a number of counts in at least two or three states. Heck, Todd could maybe even represent you if you did something on the way through WV!

I guarantee we could get arrested without too much effort - this is a professional crew coming together! And Travis, I'd proudly represent you pro bono, so throw caution to the wind, my friend!

"I'd proudly represent you pro bono, so throw caution to the wind, my friend!"

Todd, are you registered in Pennsylvania?

Rex left my place about an hour ago! It was great meeting him.

He dropped off some great trout and some shiners! I had one golden which appeared to be struggling near the beach, and I needed dinner. He is on the grill as I type.

I'll post some photos later!

Great update. Did all your PVC piping make it?

Not licensed, but eligible, planning to get licensed, and have handled cases there before as long as I have local counsel to sponsor me, so we can get as wild as we want!

By golly, it did...

He had one hell of a time staying away from it... Kind of like a moth to a flame!

Photos from Rex's visit this evening...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cooks/sets/72157625207710578/

Fantastic photos. Fantastic looking pond. Fantastic looking helpers. Trout are a real treat in the winter, especially for the kids.

I'm taking a break near Toledo trying to catch up on the latest threads...

I saw those nasty white muskrats around rcooked's pond but figured the youngins or the neighbors might get upset if I killed them.

After reading Sunil's comment about the canoe ride, I'm glad I saved the extra bullets.....Methinks Sunil will be the one squealing tomorrow!

Rex, no worries, the canoes are in bad shape and have holes in them. It's a short canoe ride!

I'm excited! Probably just less than 24 hours now, we'll be hanging out!

I keep getting more worried all the time.

I just realized that the majority of the inside of my aerated fish hauling tank is made from PVC pipe! It will be in the back of my truck, just above the gas tank.

Then, I can't get this picture out of my mind:



I sure hope we don't need the Lysol and chlordane at the Good Knight Inn.

I'm just glad I was able to arrange sessions with my therapist fish counselor consultant tomorrow afternoon before I leave -- and, hopefully I'll make it back for the Saturday morning session.

Oh, where is Felix Unger when I need his advice?

Ken, I made one minor correctiom in red above for you.

Also, you won't need the Lysol for the Knights Inn. You will however need your hiking shoes for climbing the hills in the flooring!

O.K. Where's Waldo now? (Rainman)

I think there are a couple of PVC plants on the way to Sunil's. My guess would be a slight detour was made to one of those...

Rex called a few minutes back and should be here in the next ten minutes.

I'm going to make him chug three beers before he gets into his room.

Lube him up with the first one, then make him 'Shotgun' the other two! Just make sure the PVC repellent device is "checked".

Have fun!

Sunil, before you start filling him up, have him check the O2 tanks and fish. Double check the fuel in the truck - you don't want him running out of diesel. I heard some horror stories.......

After the fish are set for the night, then start the party.

Very good points Esshup! And make sure the .40 ...

Dang, wish I was there.

I'm all loaded up on Peroni, Deer Pastrami, and some kind of Pig Knuckle type thing.

Changed to a fresh O2 tank....we all looked at the fish together....and fortunately I ran out of fuel AT the pump!

It was a great evening. We all arrived about the same time. I was a little worried about being in a $45 per night motel. It isnt bad.
Rex made it on fumes. He had to point the truck downhill using the starter motor to make it to the diesel pump.
I brought about three pounds of venison pastrmi and a pound of jellied pigs knuckles. The jellied pigs knuckels were completely consumed. Two of the three pieces of the venison pastrami were consumed.
In the morning we hope to get enough bullhead for a great fish fry.
If you arent here you dont know what you are missing.

Hey Dave. You just can't imagine what you are missing. We each enjoyed a cold one in your honor this evening.

Wish you were here. You missed some really good eatn' and the best is still to come.

we do

Jellied pig knuckles? Never even heard of that.

My wife's side of the family on her dad's side is Slovock. The wife says her grandmother always had a jar of pigs feet in the frig when they visited.

To heck with the pickled pigs feet - where are the pics ?

You know, we really make a lot of jokes about catmandoo and his proclivity to cook any kind of creature, and we should continue to do so.

But, dude is a master!

I just got home and have to get with the family, but here's the only pic I have of Todd w/ a smallie:



Ken and Todd have quite a few photos but won't be home for a little bit.

More later. Good times.

9:06 p.m. Eastern Time Where's the pics!!!????

More photos!!!

Gang, just got home from the farm. I got there around 6:00 and all the fish were looking good! Temped them and released with my family and a couple of other friend families with their kids all present. All the fish swam off well except for a couple of BG that were pretty sluggish and may or may not make it.

We spent an evening of fellowship around a campfire and I just rolled in to check the forum. Too tired to post any of my pics tonight, but promise to do so this weekend.

All in all, what a great night and day it was with Sunil, Rex, and Ken! We had an absolute blast! Sunil's pond is awesome and we caught some darn nice fish today! He and I took his boat out and in a span of probably 30 minutes, which included stocking about 50 pounds of shiners, caught probably 7 LMB, the smallest of which was probably two pounds! We were just sharing one of my poles with a gold/bronze double willow leaf spinner bait and the fish were going for it again and again. The last one was an absolute hawg that I could have easily fit my fist into his mouth and it wouldn't have touched the sides! Right as I was pulling it up, the line snapped, so we lost both the fish and my freaking lure!

I caught my first ever striper - an absolute beauty - on my ultra light rig and had a heck of a fun time landing it. Ken has that picture and I absolutely can't wait to see it again! I caught that SMB later in the day, and of course had a number of LMB, so I hit for the cycle! We caught a bunch of yellow perch, too, which was cool for me as I'd never caught one previously. Ken whipped up an awesome fish fry for us, including fresh made french fries.

Of course, we spent some time burning a bunch of rounds through my AR-15 and Sunil's and Rex's .40 cals, too. It was pretty much a perfect time - beer, guns, fishing, and fried food!

I'll get my pics up tomorrow and hopefully Ken will get his posted. Wish you guys could have been there!

And thanks again, Sunil! You rocked as the event host, bro!

How can we turn down such a request?

Fishstock 2010 was a great success. Sunil's property and pond are fantastic. He's got a wonderful fishery.

Rex was the first to pull out a nice LMB. Four pounds and 1 oz.


Todd didn't do bad either.




When fishing got slow, the temptation of a PVC bucket hanging from a tree became just way too much for some.



Sometimes things didn't go quite like we wanted.


Before we left, I did fillet, skin, and cook a couple of buckets of various LMB, yellow perch, and bluegill. Sunil has some beautiful perch in the pond. He was also culling all LMB under 14 inches. Interestingly, all of the perch, maybe 10-12, were filled with eggs.





All in all, it was a really great relaxing day.


Lastly, jellied pig knuckles aren't pickled pigs feet. It is more like pig Jello. It is coarsely chopped pig hocks in a spiced jell made from bones.

Nobody even got in trouble, and a great time was had by all.

I saved this one. It may come in handy sometime in the future.



It looks like everyone had a great time. It sure beat what I did all day long! Sorry I missed it.

Todd, I'm suprised you didn't break out the .50 to show the boys what a big caliber gun is like.

Sunil, those are some nice looking fish that are coming from the pond!

Water temps were about 52 degrees in 10" of water. We didn't even see one bullhead.

I'm not sure the air temps ever really got over 50 degrees. It was one of those days where you're never really warm, but not frozen either.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!! Great looking fish. Sunil the lake is beautiful.
As Todd said "beer, guns, fishing & fried food" - you just can't beat that.....

Man, that AR15 is really something!

Todd has a lot of good pictures also.

Looks like you guys had lots of fun.

I just had to save the Sunil with an AR photo. Somehow, someday that is bound to come in handy.

Killer photos, boys! I love seeing Sunil with a gimmee cap, a smile and an assault rifle.

I think Todd has a picture of each of us with the AR.

But, "I have no recollection of that, Senator."

great pics and story guys.

It was great fun at Sunil's!!! What a way to cap a 4200 mile, 2 week run!

Sunil, thanks for being such a great host!

Ken, Thanks for all the great food!

Todd, Thanks for the, now extra loud, tinnitis from the AR-15!!!

Thanks for the pics and update. Glad there were no ricochets.

I love it, Jeff! Sunil definitely enjoyed the rifle - as did we all!

Here are some more pics for your viewing enjoyment.

Ken and Rex surveying the snacks provided by Ken



And here is Sunil getting a close up look at the jellied pig's knuckle thing. After having done a number on it, Sunil decided it was time to really examine what he was eating!



Preparing to embark on a day's work!



Ho hum. Rex with yet another great LMB. The dude was a machine!



Rex and Black Rifle.



Ken and the Black Rifle.

How many holes did the truck have in it ? Eveyone seems to be aiming at Rex's old truck. Since Rex can't kill it I guess everyone else got to try their hand.

But wait, there's more!


Tony Montana, er, Sunil, and the Black Rifle. And note the really cool feature in this pic - a spent casing has just been ejected and is visible against the rifle. And note how steadily Mr. Montana, er, Sunil, is holding the rifle on target - he's a true marksman!



Here's Rex working on getting us all supplied with our fishy friends!



A batch of HSB going into Sunil's pond.



Sunil's pond is a beautiful place and is a very impressive fishery as well. The variety and really healthy size of the fish there is just amazing. Here's a nice long view up to the far end of his pond, but what this doesn't show is that through a little canal and behind the trees on the right is another couple of acres of water in an absolutely stunning setting. His place is superb and I feel privileged to have spent time there with this group.



And, of course, not to be left out and certainly saving the best for last, campmaster Ken, in his portable kitchen setup whipping up a little lunch of fresh fried fish fillets and french fries for us! This guy does NOT know the meaning of the word "skimp" when it comes to cooking!



Can't wait to do another trip like this one and want to encourage the group to take advantage of chances to do similar things with those who are near you. It is an absolutely awesome way to get to know your fellow PB'ers better and to have a great time while you're at it. In fact, it was so much fun that I'm planning to join Ken at his home again next Thursday night for a couple of days of muzzle loader hunting. I'm sure we'll have some good stories from that adventure, so stay tuned!

LOL! Yeah, I was thinking the same thing when I looked at the pics. The really funny thing is that we were all cracking up about the comments everyone would have about us standing there and shooting that close to his truck! Since he made it home, we obviously also failed to kill it! And while it would have made one heck of a good story had he ridden out of Somerset with a bullet hole in that beast, it's probably best all the way around that he did not!

Oh, and forgot to post this picture of the four of us at the end of the day. Great fun and great friends!

Looks like you guys had a great time! I wish I could have joined you all...

It looks like everyone had a blast - literally (just for Bruce).

Maybe next year!

One more highlight from the trip. As most of you know, the reason for this get together was to get fish from Rex for stocking in our ponds.

I fed tonight. I didn't see any of the HSB I put in on Friday night, but several of the rainbow trout, especially one huge fella, were coming up for pellets. The rainbow trout that Rex brought ranged from big, to bigger than most people will ever catch in their life. He had more of these monsters than I could safely haul back to my pond, so they went into Sunil's pond.

I didn't see any of the golden trout I put in.

Interesting, one thing that really caught my eye was large sunfish-shaped fish. I couldn't tell if they were really big bluegill, or large black crappie. From their size, I'm guessing they had to be crappie. If they were bluegill, I'll definitely have a fish for Cecil to convert into a wall hanging..

Ken

You are not kidding about the size of the Rainbow's. Rex ended up putting a couple in my pond when he stopped over, and they were absolutely monstrous! Very impressive fish. My golden's were all in the 1.5 -2.0 lb (or larger) range and they were nice looking fish.

Hopefully everyone in PA enjoyed themselves - looks like a great time was had.

I'm looking forward to Rex stopping in the spring for a tilapia delivery!