15 pounds of fresh fish and a trophy

I've gone fishing all around northeast Indiana and in several places around the country. I've fished the Atlantic Ocean, and gone diving in the Pacific. I've fished Lake Eerie, but until last weekend I had never fished Lake Michigan. I guarantee it won't be my last time. I participated in the Shriner's Charity Salmon Fishing Derby out of Michigan City, Indiana, over the weekend, and I had a great time. Best of all, I put 15 pounds of fresh-caught wild king and coho salmon and steelhead trout in the freezer. The first-place trophy for biggest coho, well that was just bonus.

The fishing wasn't what I am typically interested in due to my incessant need to do everything on my own. No, this was trolling the lake for salmon. The boat captain and his mate set out all the lines, make the choice of baits and set depths. Then it's a waiting game to see when you get a fish on. So as I mentioned, I like to do everything myself, but this turned out to not be a bad way to go even for me. I realized quickly why it is a must for the captain to set everything up. If not for that, you'd have a supreme mess of tangled lines on every pass, which means there'd be no fishing at all.

Now, that's not to say there is no work on the fisherman's part. The fish still has to make it to the boat, and once there into the net. That's not a guarantee. Depending on how far out the line is and the size of the fish, you might just have a 15-30 minute fight on your hands as I did with one king salmon. Squeeze the snot out of anything for 30 minutes then tell me how your hands feel. It is work, but boy was it fun. In fact, I liked it so much I will be heading back up to go fishing with Captain Jerry Ross of Ross Fishing Charters again in a little over a week to go at 'em again.

Here's a short clip from the netting of one of my fish shot on a GoPro Hero camera. Can't wait to shoot the next video.

Vacation: Day 1

What a way to start off the vacation in Tennessee! I ventured out before sunrise this morning to photograph turkeys. I planned to be on location before first light but had a couple of setbacks that put me on the scene right at sunrise - 7:19 a.m. Despite the initial issues, I was treated to an awesome display of puffed out feathers and gobbling.



I first started out with a pair of jakes strutting and gobbling near a trio of hens. Then a tom moved in on the territory. He chased the jakes around a little bit, but there wasn't a whole lot of action. Finally, the sun peeked over the top of the Smokey Mountains, and washed the field in golden sunlight. The turkeys' feathers were ablaze. A few minutes later I decided to start hitting my brand new Ghostmaker Calls pot call, and the birds responded right away. A few minutes after that, three boss toms, who I decided to call the Three Amigos, marched over a hill and right at me with full sunlight on them. I couldn't have asked for a better set up. All told, I had five toms, three jakes and six hens close within bow range for almost two hours. I filled up an 8gb card with stills and HD video, and I plan to go back tomorrow to get more.



The only thing that could've made this morning better was to be taking one of those Three Amigos home with me. Indiana turkey season opens on April 27, and now it's going to seems like an eternity until then.

One

_{Mar. 27, 2011 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Mad Ants forward Marvin Phillips, right, snatches an offensive rebound away from New Mexico's during the second half of the Mad Ants' 129-97 victory over the Thunderbirds on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum. Phillips led a group of eight Mad Ants players who scored in double digits with his 22 points and 13 rebonds, while Peterson was the game's leading scorer with 36 points. Photo by Chad Ryan.}


Yep, just one from last night's Fort Wayne Mad Ants' game. Set up a camera on the shot clock for this one. Unless the Ants make the NBA D-League playoffs and they get a home game after I get back from vacation, last night's game will be my last for this season. It was another fun year, and I only wish I could've shot a few more of their games instead of three high school games a night.

Perigee Moon

Last night the moon was about the closest it ever gets to Earth. Due to that fact it appeared to be about 14 percent larger than most other full moons. According to NASA, the moon on Saturday was less than one hour away from perigee, the absolute outside edge on one side of it's elliptical orbit around Earth. This occurrence happens only once every 18 years.

I did not make the pictures I wanted to make from this event. I had just rolled back into town from a high school state championship gymnastics meet and had less than an hour to scout a location and get set up. All I knew was to look in the eastern sky. I wanted to be outside of town and shoot Fort Wayne's modest skyline with the moonrise, but I could not find an adequate elevated location that faced the east and was not blocked by trees. So I went into town and got set up for a possible shot.

Once I saw the moon creep just above the horizon, I quickly deduced my location was a bust. the moon appeared huge and red, and I thought about staying to shoot it where I was. Instead, I decided to get in the car and buzz around, looking for another spot. The goal was to shoot something in the photo to give perspective to the size of the moon. I thought I would at least get a recognizable Fort Wayne building in there, so I set up for the old standby - the Allen County Courthouse. I've shot the courthouse against a full moon before and made a nice frame of it. I didn't want to duplicate that photo, but I was out of time and had to make a picture.

If nothing else, I suppose I've got 18 years to find a better location for the next time.

Turkey Season approaches

In the last few years, I've taken up hunting for wild turkeys. I've never been real serious about it because I hunt very hard in the fall and winter here in Indiana for whitetail deer. By the time spring rolls around I've got duties at home and I'm usually quite busy with baseball and other sports. But last year I got the bug. I made a video of my friend Tom's hunt on opening day of the Indiana season. Tom's video is here.

I only had one day to be out in the field, so I didn't get the chance to do a hunt for myself. This year, I'm taking turkeys seriously. There are few experiences like being in the woods before first light and have birds gobbling all around you. Last fall during the archery deer season I would sit and listen to the birds talking back and forth all day, and this year I'll be recording the chatter.



To kick start my pursuits, I added a couple of tools to my arsenal for this season to try to get a gobbler to come within range. First, I ordered a custom-made friction call from Ed Jenkins of Ghostmaker Calls in Illinois. After reading about his callers and seeing photos on IndianaSportsman.com I had to have one. So, I ordered a curly ambrosia caller with a ceramic surface over glass. What a piece of art. The folks over at IS.com always said his calls look almost too nice to take hunting. I have to agree. But I will take mine out because right out of the box I could make it work. I'm new to using pot calls, but I'm feeling good about the sounds I can make with Ed's caller.



The second piece of gear I added was a new choke tube for my shotgun. I heard about Kicks choke tubes, and thought I'd give the Kicks Gobblin' Thunder a try. My initial pattern test suggests any turkey within range will be in grave danger.

Fort Wayne SAC Holiday Tournament

The Indiana IHSAA Class 4A No. 6 Snider Panthers' girls basketball team beat Class 4A No. 13 South Side 64-59, and the unranked Northrop Bruins' boys beat Class 2A No. 1 Bishop Luers 78-74 to win the SportONE Summit Athletic Conference (SAC) Holiday Tournament championship on Thursday at Fort Wayne Wayne High School.



<sub>December 30, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Northrop's Jason Jordan, center, floats between the defense of Bishop Luers' James Blackmon Jr., left, and Ken Mullen for a layup attempt in the final minute of Thursday's SportONE SAC Holiday Tournament championship game at Wayne. Jordan missed the layup but drew a foul and sank both free throws to put Northrop ahead for good in the Bruins' 78-74 victory. Photo by Chad Ryan.




December 30, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Purdue recruit and Snider senior Liza Clemons cuts down the net after the Panthers came from behind to beat South Side in the championship game of the girls SportONE SAC Holiday Tournament on Thursday at Wayne. Snider won its first SAC holiday title since 1998, beating the defending champion Archers 64-59. Photo by Chad Ryan.</sub>

Back on the sidelines

_{December 19, 2010 - Indianapolis, Ind. : Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie, left, falls to the turf, apparently knocked out, after taking a hit by Jacksonville linebacker Daryl Smith on a second-quarter pass play during the Colts' 34-24 win over the Jaguars on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Collie scored two touchdowns in the first half and was in his first game back with the Colts after suffering a concussion earlier in the season. Photo by Chad Ryan.}

After not covering much pro football this year, I found myself back on the sidelines at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 19. I had only photographed the Indianapolis Colts' preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers and then Manning Bowl when the New York Giants rolled into town back in September. Needless to say, I was itching to get back at it.

The Colts certainly did what they had to do to win that game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but in the process they might have taken yet another hit to the team. Colts receiver Austin Collie was on track to have a career day after catching eight passes, two of which were for touchdowns in the first half. But in the second quarter, Collie took a brutal hit to the head from Jacksonville linebacker Daryl Smith as he tried to make a catch in tight coverage. Collie appeared to have been knocked out immediately, and his helmet bounced of the turf. Collie was playing in his first game back after suffering a concussion from a similar situation just about a month earlier.

I shot the play from about 25 yards away, and judging by his body in this picture I'm saying he was unconscious before he hit the floor.

This was a scary moment because Collie was motionless for several minutes before training staff got him turned over and moving again. Reports are out now that Collie has another concussion, and I have to wonder not only will he play again this year, but if he'll ever play again. I'm guessing after watching that hit, his wife would prefer him to find another line of work. But players want to play, and Collie is certainly a football player.



_{December 19, 2010 - Indianapolis, Ind. : Indianapolis Colts receiver Pierre Garcon, left, and linebacker Tyjuan Hagler celebrate in the end zone after Hagler picked up a Jacksonville Jaguars onside kick and ran for a 41-yard kickoff return to seal the Colts' 34-24 AFC South divisional victory over the Jaguars on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Photo by Chad Ryan.}

Galloping Gobbler 2010

I photographed the 2010 edition of the Galloping Gobbler four-mile run/walk at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Gobbler has become a Thanksgiving Day tradition, and more than 2,000 participants braved the rain and wind this morning to burn off some calories running through Lindenwood Cemetery.

For more info about the race, go to FortWayneGobbler.com. To see the photo gallery and order prints head on over to my Photoshelter site: RyanVisuals.com.

Trying not to be a slacker

It appears I am once again guilty of letting the blog updates slide to the rear of my list of things to do. I could give excuses, but what good would that do any of us. I think we can move on from this.



_{Nov. 21, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Mad Ants forward Darnell Lazare, left, ducks under Sioux Falls' Anthony Mason for a reverse layup in the second half of the Mad Ants' 99-97 comeback win over the Skyforce on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum. Photo by Chad Ryan.}


So, I have been ridiculously busy shooting, writing and pursuing my outdoor adventures in the last three months. The shooting part has been OK. I’m working myself out of a little funk right now in that department. The new hip has been a little slow to get back to full speed, and when I’m shooting the same things over and over, I’ll admit it gets a little tough to see things in a new way. But I’m starting to get back to where I want to be.



_{Nov. 21, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Madame Ants dancer Samantha cheers during the fourth quarter of the Mad Ants' season-opening game against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum. Photo by Chad Ryan.}

The writing is, well, writing. That’s all I have to say about that.


_{Oct. 28, 2010 - Churubusco and Fort Wayne, Ind. - Churubusco's Kyle Monk, left, and Canterbury's Becky Pedro and two area basketball players to watch this season. Photos by Chad Ryan.}


The outdoor adventures have been great. I’ve been hunting a very nice whitetail buck and have been close to taking him. I did miss a shot during the archery season, which is definitely not normal for me. Then I let him slide at 40 yards during the opening day of the firearms season because I had my 14-year old son with me. I wanted my son to get a shot at the big boy, but he couldn’t get in position so we let him go. The next time there’s a close encounter, it will be the last.

In any case, I’ve posted a few pics that I think are OK from the last three months. Take care an Happy Holidays to everyone.


<sub>Sep. 4, 2010 - South Bend, Ind. - First-year Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly leads the Fighting Irish to the field before the start of the Saturday's game against Purdue. Kelly and the Irish opened their 2010 season with a 23-12 win over the Boilermakers at Notre Dame. Photo by Chad Ryan.


Sep. 4, 2010 - South Bend, Ind. - Notre Dame's Michael Floyd leaps over Purdue corner back Ricardo Allen to make a catch inside the Purdue 20-yard line in the third quarter of Notre Dame's 23-12 win on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Photo by Chad Ryan.


Aug. 27, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Carroll running back Corey Nelson, left, and Marion linebacker Justin Little dive for Nelson's fumble inside the Chargers' 10-yard line in the first quarter of Friday's game at Carroll. Little recovered the fumble and set up a Marion touchdown. Photo by Chad Ryan.


Sep. 13, 2010 - Bluffton, Ind. - Former North Side football coach Casey Kolkman, center, now coaches at Bluffton and has led the Tigers to their best season start at 3-1 in a number of years. Photo Illustration by Chad Ryan.


Sep. 19, 2010 - Indianapolis, Ind. - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) grabs the arm of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) causing a fumble during the Colts' 38-14 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Photo by Chad Ryan.


Nov. 2, 2010 - Orland, Ind. - Firefighters battle a blaze caused by an explosion in a home just east of Orland, Ind., on Tuesday, November 2. Photo by Chad Ryan.


Oct. 13, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Canterbury midfielder Adam Antalis, right, heads teh ball away from Snider's Tyler VanCamp during the first half of their Carroll Regional ofirst-round game on Wednesday at Carroll. Photo by Chad Ryan.


Oct. 13, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Snider's players mob replacement goal keeper Seth Tutton, center, No. 15, after the Panthers beat Canterbury 3-2 in penalty kicks in the first round of the Carroll Regional on Wednesday. Tutton made a big save on the Cavaliers' first shot in the penalty-kick round after replacing Jeremiah Hill, left, after the second overtime period. Photo by Chad Ryan.</sub>

HS Volleyball

Just one for today...