Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Kudos to Norm and Jerry Kopecky

The latest issue of Pond Boss mag features the 4 acre pond that Norm and his wife created with a great deal of work and expense. Tucked in the several page article is a statement that they reserve the fishing for kids, handicapped and nursing home residents.

Glad you and Jerry are there!

Dave,

You stole my thunder. We spend a lot of time making our ponds the way we want them and a lot of us don't think about how our pride and joy may help others. A tip of the cap and a rigid (ex)Navy Salute to Norm and his wife for all the work they put in to giving something back to those less fortunate. Salute!

I have to agree. Great job, Norm and Jerry!

Ditto.

But I don't think I saw a picture of Norm or Jerry in the article.

OK, Sunil, I tried to remedy the "no picture" for Norm. I don't have a picture of Jerry, but I do have some of Norm.

I e-mailed Kathy, and she had the webmaster post a couple of pictures for me on the "Photos" page of the Forum.

So, if you are interested, click on "Photos" and then go to page 4. The fifth picture from the left (on my screen, anyway) is a guy in a red/black coat. Click on that picture, and then the entire picture will come into view.

That picture shows two of our graduate students in a work boat with Norm, and they are setting a trap net. Norm is the young gentleman in the middle (I should talk). The resolution of this posted image in not that good, so if anyone wants a better picture, just e-mail me and I'll return the higher-quality image directly to you via e-mail. This was the best picture of Norm that I had.

The sixth picture from the left on page 4 is another image that I took at Norm's pond. On the "Photos" page, it just looks like a wooden bridge. When you click on it to see the entire image, you can actually see about the north half of Norm's pond. I'm standing on the west bank of his pond, looking north and east as I took the picture.

From this picture, you can see just how well Norm is set up for letting kids and handicapped individuals come to fish his pond. He has gravel right up to the edge of the bridge, so vehicles can get very close. That covered bridge has a series of rod holders, and the fishing is quite good right there. Norm has one feeder there, plus a tank full of fathead minnows that he uses both for bait, and to entice the fish. He has a series of rods ready to go, all with easy to use spincast reels, and all rigged with a slip bobber and a circle hook. It's quite the operation! Norm is not short on enthusiasm.

Dave

I got started on circle hooks fishing offshore in Savannah, GA. Around here in Oklahoma, most of the circle hooks I've seen are still for large catfish sized fish. Do they have light wire circle hooks readily available now? What sizes do I need to find for a bass / crappie type fish? Do they have them small enough for bluegill, also?

Hi Shawn. Hope you're well.

I'll bet Norm will see this and answer your questions about the lighter/thinner circle hooks. The answer is yes, but I don't know the details (no personal experience). Let's see if we hear from Norm.

Dave

Thanks Dave for your comments and compliments. I just received my magazine a couple of days ago and Bob Lusk really did a great job with it.

Although Bob didn't know it, there is a picture of me in the article. I'm the guy in the blue shirt holding the LMB for Roy Ryberg.

Dave has some of the best students you can imagine. We say you can know a person by their children. Well, you can know a college program by the quality of students it attracts. Dave's program at South Dakota State must really be outstanding judging by the students he attracts.

What we are doing with our lake is no more than what millions of people do every day. They volunteer their time, effort and money to make this a better world. We just happen to be fortunate to have this wonderful resource of a lake. None of us will save the world but if each of us had just one small group out fishing in our lake once a year, think of all the good we could do.

We use #6 Eagle Claw circle hooks. They have held every thing from small bluegills to a 10 lb. catfish. The line or knot usually breaks before the hook. I leave the barb on to hold the bait on the hook better. As long as the fish doesn't swallow the hook (as they don't with circle hooks) we don't get any immediate release mortality. We used to get quite a few fish swallowing hooks and just cutting off the leaders. We ended up with fish swimming around with 2, 3, or even 4 hooks and leaders in their mouths.

Unfortunately, that I know, Eagle Claw doesn't make circle hooks with leaders. While not as strong, I have successfully use #4 "J" hooks with leaders, bent into the shape of a circle hook with a pliers. In all of this, the most important thing is to make sure the tip of the hook is in direct alignment with the rest of the hook. Remember, the way a circle hook works is by pulling out of the fish's mouth and catching on the lip.

If you've not used circle hooks before, their use is quite different than regular "J" hooks. If you set the hook as people normally do, you will pull it right out of the fish's mouth. You have to let the fish take the bait completely and then gradually tighten the line and set the hook. Think of how a catfish hooks itself on a set line.

Especially for kids or inexperienced fishermen, circle hooks are great. They are almost error proof.

Thanks, Norm. My compliments again on your particular management and access programs. I wondered about bending those regular hooks. It really killed me to hook into a really nice fish, just to realize that it was gullet hooked and most likely to die. I'm used to circle hooks and have even tried them on trot lines. You just need plenty of slack so the catfish has enough room to turn away from the line.

Shawn, you've identified the technique for using circle hooks perfectly. It's hard to break the habit of setting the hook immediately. Kids that don't watch their bobber intently do great with circle hooks. Someone points out that they have a fish and when they start reeling in, the fish is hooked right in the lip. It works great!