AKDragonFish3D

Caught Off Guard  In spring of 2021, when I decided I would be more proactive with my fishing knowledge and become more of an active fisherman, I came across several Facebook pages about fishing in Alaska.  This was roughly late March 2021.  Similar posts continued all the way into late May. I was caught off guard.  Several people were posting about how the Hooligan were running and showing very large ice chests and coolers full of these little silver fish.  I didn't understand, and I did a little research then, but the "runs" were over by the time I got any planning.  I had many questions about Hooligan, what they were used for, etc.  The biggest question is how do I participate in this event? What is a Hooligan? A Hooligan is a small silver fish, also known as an "eulachon" or "candlefish" and are a species of smelt.  They are usually average 8-10" in length.  They are like Salmon in that they spawn in freshwater and live in the ocean, howe...

 Friday Night Fights presents:  the Rival I know it's not Friday .....  life got in the way of me making my Friday Night Fights afternoon post. However, on Saturday I was just talking with some friends and the joys of D&D (along with a possible adjustment of game schedule / time for more players) when the conversation of hardcore metagamers came up. Now, at my table, i've had a few metagamers come and go.  It's one thing to want to build a cool character idea, but it is a completely different animal when you feel you must "win" at D&D, thus needing to make a "super optimum ultra badass." News flash:  most players don't like this.  Not one bit. I came up with a solution......  and before you start bashing me on this idea, as so many lovely people on various D&D Facebook pages have before you, calling me a bad DM among other things.... hear me out.  The solution is simple.  The solution is a rival. ___________________________ Step 1...

The Issue: Unfair and Biased Attack on Alaska Salmon Fisheries, Special Interest Hit Piece: Press Release, Alaska Department of Fish and Game  I just read an article involving the ADFG defending itself against a "self interest group" seeking to defame the state of Alaska for violating the Pacific Salmon Treaty.  I'm all for defending nature, but that only goes so far.  This is a bit out of hand. The long and short is Alaska has regulations in place, and as someone who has to jump through hoops to follow the basic regulations to catch a Salmon with rod-and-reel, I can respect that.  Millions of Salmon come through these rivers between June and August.   Alaska maintains a count, they publish their conservation findings, and set limits on how much and by what method you can catch Salmon during those times.  They monitor Salmon populations and maintain transparency with their data through their website. Here is the treaty in a nutshell: The Pacific Salmon...

 Happy Thursday.  I recently had a conversation with a friend regarding 3D printed lures.  We discussed various aspects of it, namely cost to create versus cost to purchase.  This seems like a good topic this week for Allow or No Allow. I'm all for it personally.  I've been fishing since I was about 9 years old.... so 30+ years now and I've seen a lot and talked with a lot of people throughout the US and beyond.  If people want to fish, they are going to fish and find a way to fish. Plain and simple. Ancient fishing methods were all DIY in my opinion.  I imagine a bunch of dudes, on a boat or standing on a fallen tree over a river, throwing anything they can in the water to either trap, entice, or otherwise catch fish, crustaceans, shellfish, etc.  After a quick google search and finding this link  History of Fishing - From Ancient Fishing Methods , I'm not too far off in my assumptions.   In my opinion, Angling was one of the first...

 Hi everyone, its Mr. Jon here to type and share another glorious blog involving fishing.  This time, its about what my projected plan is for 2022.  Before you roast me, know that this is only a draft and by no means any "set in stone" plan.  I have a lot of influences in my life, so its best for me to be a leaf in the wind through the summer months.  Either case, on with the plan. Currently its January and the ice is fairly thick, especially after the "icepocalypse" we had around Christmas timeframe.  There are a lot of good ice fishing reports involving lakes in the Wasilla Valley - Finger Lake, Big Lake, Nancy Lake, etc. - however, i'm an Interior guy.  I'm interested in what the lakes and rivers around here have to offer.  So I will be starting there and gathering information from various sources and plan a trip around Late January / Early February.  This will probably be my only ice fishing trip, if I even go, as i'm not a fan of the tec...

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS Customizing monsters in D&D I've always found it fun and funny to customize monsters in D&D and/or any RPG for that matter.  I feel it goes back to the core concept of giving my players a fun challenge, which is what I want to write about today.   I've been called out for being a overchallenging and arbitrary jerk to my players, and that, like this post, is a matter of opinion.  I'm just sharing how I do things and maybe it can help others do the same.  Oh, I also echo a lot of other DMs out there as well. BIGGEST RULE OF ALL IS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE PLAYERS.  IF THEY STOP HAVING FUN, THE GAME STOPS BEING FUN FOR EVERYONE, DM INCLUDED. With that said, if you want to ramp up your combats, here are my suggestions: 1.  give your monsters "levels" in a class.   What do i mean by that:  there is an NPC section in either the DMG or Xanathars that helps you quickly generate an NPC for whatever reason.  There a...

Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game (ADFG) has released their 2022 Projected Stocking Report.  Here is a quick post to share my opinions, thoughts, and strategies on the topic. The report can be found here:   Statewide Stocking Plan - Sport Fish, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Since 99% of where I fish is in the Interior, I'll focus my opinions on that portion.  The areas that are part of this region include the areas surrounding Fairbanks, Delta, and Glenallen. The long and short is this is a reprint of the November 2021 draft.  I see no obvious changes in numbers by size or numbers by location that jump out at me. ________________ You're reading this going "what's this all mean, Mr. Jon?"  Simple answer is this is just planning information.  Knowing where ADFG intends on stocking as a whole, and what species they intend to stock, and at what breeding capacity determines how I plan my fishing spree once all the ice starts to break up on the lakes and ri...

 Hello everyone.  It's Mr. Jon again and for this little blurb of my brain, I thought I would start a segment called "Allow or No Allow" where I cover various different topics that most of the time I get heavily engaged in with discussions, arguments, etc.  I will also do video segments on my other social media channels regarding this as well. For this topic, I will be discussing my opinions on the Dungeons and Dragons topic of to allow or not to allow a player to have a natural ability to fly (meaning not acquired through experience, level, or magical means - aka they were just born with it). I will begin by saying this is a very hot-button topic as of recent weeks/months on most of the Facebook pages I follow that some of you reading this follow also.  People going back and forth about rules as written (RAW) vs. rules as interpreted (RAI) vs. DMs stifling creative freedom vs. DMs just allowing it and having to adjust to the spectrum. IN MY OPINION (because that's w...