Golden Trout

 

Paul Katsus is a Texas native who has fished for freshwater trout throughout the United States. Paul Katsus suggests the Golden Trout be placed on the Trout Fisherman’s ultimate bucket list of trout to chase. The fish is an excellent sport fish but is also said to be the best tasting of any Trout, although slightly oiler.

The Golden Trout, which is also known as the California Golden Trout, is a Rainbow Trout subspecies. This California Trout species (Golden Trout) originated from the Golden Trout Creek (which is a tributary of the Kern River), Volcano Creek (a tributary to Golden Trout Creek), and the South Fork Kern River. There are two other California Rainbow Trout subspecies that are closely related to the California Golden Trout. One of these trout sub-species is the Little Kern Golden Trout in the Little Kern River basin and the other is the Kern River Rainbow Trout which are found in the Kern River system. The California Golden Trout, Little Kern Golden Trout and the Kern River Trout are known as the Golden Trout complex of the sub-species. There is another rainbow trout subspecies known as the Redband Trout, although the Golden Trout was perhaps the best known of the California Trout subspecies. Today, the Catalog of Fishes lists the Golden Trout as an independent species of trout rather than a subspecies.

The Golden Trout can be easily be identified by the golden flanks with red, horizontal bands along the lateral lines on each side. There are also dark, vertical, oval marks on each side. In their native California habitat, mature trout range from 6 to 12 inches, with those over 12 inches considered large. However, in area lakes where they have been transplanted, Golden Trout have caught up to 11 pounds. The Wyoming Game & Fish State record Golden Trout measured 28” and weighed 11.25 pounds. The monster fish was caught in Cook Lake, Wyoming in 2012.

The Golden Trout is most commonly found at elevations from 6,890 feet to 10,000 feet above sea level and is a native fish only to California’s southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Their preferred water temperature is 58 to 62 °F but they can tolerate temperatures in degraded streams on the Kern Plateau as high as 70 °F, if those waters cool during the night. Fortunately for Trout enthusiasts, the Golden Trout has been transplanted to the Canadian province of Alberta, and the states where transplanting has taken place include Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. Paul Katsus and many other trout fishermen, who love the sport of trout fishing, are proud to add the Golden Trout among their favorite Trout species.

Blue Catfish – American Monster Fish

Paul Katsus is an electrical utility professional who really enjoys fishing and sharing his passion for the sport. Blue catfish have been among the largest fish ever caught by Paul Katsus, although he has not caught any truly monster fish. The blue catfish can be a monster fish that is among one of the largest species of North American catfish. These monster fish can grow to a length of approximately 66 inches and have been reported to weigh up to 153 pounds, but the average length is 25 – 46 inches. Not too shabby for a fish found in a majority of lakes and rivers throughout the United States. This tremendous size potential is due to the long life span of the species, which can be upward of twenty years.

Because blue catfish can adapt to brackish water in some regions of the country they have colonized along inland waterways of coastal regions. In one such body of water, the Chesapeake Bay, they have become an invasive species. In the James River in Virginia, Blue catfish make up 75% of the fish population, much to the dismay of some fisherman of other game species. In the case of the James River, they have out competed with the smallmouth bass for food and even heavily feed on the smallmouth bass population. In the case of the James River, The introduction of the blue catfish in the James River had some unintended consequences, which resulted in the serious decline of the smallmouth bass fishery.

The blue catfish have two sport advantages going for it which are; the large size potential and their excellent table fare. This makes the blue catfish a tempting fish for fish and wildlife departments across the nation to stock for recreation purpose. Fortunately, the sheer size is of the species is not limited to one region of the United States; rather the trophies are spread throughout the country. In Indiana, a 104 pound record for a blue catfish was set in 1999 by Bruce Midkiff, which was caught in the Ohio River. A record 130 pound blue catfish was caught in Missouri by Janet Momphard, with the help from her boyfriend. On May 22, 2005, in the Mississippi River, Tim Pruitt caught a 124 pound record blue catfish, which broke a previous record of 121.5 pounds caught in Lake Texoma, Texas. On June 22, 2011, Nick Anderson of Greenville, North Carolina, caught a blue catfish of 143 pounds and had set a new state record for rod and reel. On February 7, 2012 a 136 pound fish was caught in South Carolina, but it was not a (near) record because it was not caught on a rod and reel.

For excellent sport and tasty fish, the blue catfish is hard to beat, in this author’s (Paul Katsus) view. Just imagine the chance to catch a 100 + pounds fish, probably close to your house. What other fish species affords you this opportunity without traveling and great expense? Yes, to Paul Katsus, the monster blue catfish is within the reach of most people in the United States.

Morgan Plus 8

Paul Katsus is an Electric Service Consultant for a large electrically utility company. Paul Katsus loves sports cars and sometimes loves to share information on little known car manufacturers and rare car models. One of these is the British car manufacturer; Morgan Car Company which has been building cars for one hundred years. The Morgan Plus 8 model is a sports car built in Malvern, Worcestershire, England by the specialty car maker beginning in 1968. The Morgan Plus 8 gained an instant following and its enduring popularity has been credited with saving the company and keeping the company famous. There Morgan Plus 8 doesn’t look like any other sports car being built today. It is a carryover of the long lost era of basic, road legal race cars. Its appeal lays in the fact it is unique and very British in character.

In its present form, it is powered by a BMW sourced V-8 with 362 horsepower and 370 ft. lb. of torque. With its advertised curb weight of 1,876 lb., it is easy to see why the Morgan Plus 8 is one of the fastest British sports cars. It has an advertised 0-62 mph of 4.2 secs and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. On top of all that performance, the Morgan Plus 8 can still return a 32.2 mpg rating on the highway.

Determined US Morgan fans were not deterred by US Emission standards roadblocks to buying their beloved Morgan’s. As a result, from 1974 to 1992 cars were converted to run on propane as a way to pass the strict US emissions standards. In 1993 when Rover Group had re-certified their V-8 engine for use in the Range Rover SUV sold in the U.S. Morgan decided to use this engine in the same tune and with the same anti-emission devices. But, as US safety regulations continue to change, Morgan was again challenged in 2006 to meet stricter structural requirements which were announced by the NHTSA in 2000.  The final nail in the coffin came when the law on airbags would not be exempted for Morgan and their appeal was denied and the importation of traditional (classic) Morgan’s ceased.

Buffalo Carp

 

Paul Katsus is a Katy, Texas native with interests in all types of fishing. Paul Katsus likes to share information on the sport of fishing, especially in fishing opportunities for the average fisherman without a boat. Paul Katsus will share information on other species of fish that offer low cost options and easy access to the average angler. To distinguish the Buffalo Carp from the common carp, their backs and are tan or light brown and/or sometimes dark with a coppery or greenish tint. They have a light yellow varying to white belly. Smallmouth buffalo have large scales and are easy to confuse for the common Carp. The Buffalo Carp has one easy to tell difference – there are not the barbells around the mouth as in the common Carp. Smallmouth Buffalo Carp have a mouth that points downward, as opposed to the common Carp which has a mouth more or less like any other fish.

Buffalo Carp are commonly thought of as a “trash fish” by many anglers in the United States. In other parts of the world all varieties of the Carp species are valued for their sporting excellence, as well as, for their flesh. A Buffalo Carp can grow to surprisingly huge proportions, providing quite a fight. Pound for pound, the carp is greatly underestimated by American anglers for the thrills these huge fish can provide. Dough balls and canned corn can sometimes be used to entice these freshwater monsters into biting. When one is on the line the angler better be prepared for the strong steady pull these fish provide. Don’t expect a large fish leaping out of the water but what you can expect is the drag screaming with tension unleashed by these underrated giants.

Porsche 928

Porsche 928

 

 

Paul Katsus is a car guy like many of us, with a budget that does not match his dreams. One car that Paul Katsus has always wanted to collect was the Porsche 928. Was the first V-8, front engine Porsche ever made. The Porsche 928 was manufactured from 1977 to 1996 (sold In the US until 1994 but continued until 1996 in Europe). The V-8 powered 928 was originally intended to be a replacement for the flat six cylinder Porsche 911. The original premise for the 928 was that Porsche management decided that the six cylinders 911 had come to the end of its product life cycle.  To be competitive with the other high end sports car manufacturers of Europe, a new model was needed.  The 928 was intended to be the flagship of the Porsche lineup and thus commanded a much higher price than the 911. To the conservative Porsche crowd, the styling proved to be divisive, with some believing it too trendsetting and others loving it. The front engine V-8 car was a radical departure and just not Porsche enough for the true believers of the brand. The 928 V-8 produced a modest 240 horsepower when it was introduced. These horsepower numbers grew to 310 hp on the S and S2 models. The S4 model was 316 hp and the top of the line GTS model V-8 output increased to 340 hp.  In the U.S. 85% of all models sold were automatic transmissions, with the remainder being five speeds.