Outstanding Catch: March 2010

SuperUser Account — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:41:06 GMT

The NAFC staff has carefully chosen 10 finalists for the March Outstanding Catch Awards contest. Now it's up to you! Vote for the catch you feel is the most outstanding, considering not only the fish's size, but also the body of water, geographic location and method used. Review the finalists below and consider their photos (click on the thumbnail to enlarge), and then cast your vote below. Also, one random voter will be selected to win a prize, so please submit your name and e-mail address below when you vote for your favorite outstanding catch.Enter your own photo for the next Outstanding Catch contest, and see past winners. Eric Boley; 24 ½-inch brown trout; Green River, WY; tube jig. Sean Kearney; 31-inch, 8 1/4 pound walleye; Delaware River, PA; Rapala Shad RapTed Parrish; 10-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass; Lake Fork, TX; Bass Pro lipless crankbait None Vang; 24 ¾-inch largemouth bass; Lake Berryessa, CA; 6-inch plastic wormJohn Karbowski; 18-inch smallmouth bass; Lake Pleasant, NY; Strike King buzzbait Bill Hegyi; 34-inch steelhead; Oak Creek, WI; spawnbag. Michael Dumont; 54-pound Atlantic cod; Isle of Shoals, NH; cut mackerelPaul Trontvet; 29-inch rainbow trout; Canyon Lake, SD; kernel of corn.Barbara Gustafson; 52-inch sturgeon; Stilliquamish River, WA; bankfishing herring Dareld Smetana; 2-pound black crappie; Lower Lagoon, Castaic Lake, CA; Rapala Shad Rap Fill out my Wufoo form!

Outstanding Catch: February 2010

SuperUser Account — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:14:58 GMT

The NAFC staff has carefully chosen 10 finalists for the February Outstanding Catch Awards contest. Now it's up to you! Vote for the catch you feel is the most outstanding, considering not only the fish's size, but also the body of water, geographic location and method used. Review the finalists below and consider their photos (click on the thumbnail to enlarge), and then cast your vote below. Also, one random voter will be selected to win a prize, so please submit your name and e-mail address below when you vote for your favorite outstanding catch.Enter your own photo for the next Outstanding Catch contest, and see past winners. Barbara Corey; 22-inch flounder; Holden Beach, NC; kayak fishing a Gulp! Shrimp. Monte Cowan; 42 ½-inch northern pike; Deep Creek Lake, MD; creek chub Tyler Christopherson; 21-inch largemouth bass; Hidden Valley Lake, IL; Mann's 1-Minus Joe Pool; Lake Grand Prairie, TX; 9.4-pound largemouth bassIan Lewis; 32-pound chinook salmon; Hanford Reach, Columbia River, OR; downrigging a K16 clown KwikFish Mark Fehrenbach; 60-inch white sturgeon; California Delta; grass shrimp Nicholas Tomlinson; 29-inch steelhead; Skookumchuck River, WA; jig-and-nightcrawler under floatWilliam Hegyi; 30-inch walleye; Lake Michigan, Milwaukee Harbor; ice fishing a fathead minnowBrady Krebs; two 26-inch largemouth bass on one cast; Lake Casitas, CA; 8-inch trout swimbait Blake Ellefson; 52-inch sturgeon; Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior; ice fishing a shiner minnow Fill out my Wufoo form!

Fish Ed

SuperUser Account — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:23:44 GMT

If you’ve ever wondered how fish react to fishing pressure, a new study on brown trout offers tantalizing clues.To gauge different responses to angling pressure between heavily fished and relatively untouched populations, biologists measured the catch and various behaviors of brown trout in two backcountry New Zealand rivers.1 A recent study suggests that being caught and released drastically changes a fish’s behavior. The Ugly River is a wilderness stream accessible only by hiking 10 hours through untracked and difficult terrain. The second site was the Owen River, which is easily accessed by road and has high fishing pressure for a backcountry river. Both are 50 to 100 feet wide, provide the same habitat, and have similar densities and size structures of brown trout.Let’s Go FishingTeams of guides and experienced fly anglers methodically fished each river on four three-day trips. In 12 days, 157 browns were caught in the Ugly River, 51 in the Owen. The fish represented 43 percent of the Ugly River’s browns and 11 percent of the Owen’s population. Fish in both rivers averaged about 3.8 pounds.Both the number of trout seen and hooked declined on successive days of each three-day trip on the Ugly, as fishing pressure pushed the browns tight into cover. Researchers allowed two to four weeks to elapse between each three-day fishing trip, and noted that trout sightings and catches returned to high levels on the first day of each trip. In other words, fish responded to angling immediately, but the effects on trout behavior disappeared after two weeks.On the more pressured Owen River, the numbers of fish seen and hooked were much lower on the first day and did not change during successive days of each trip.Also, the trout in the Ugly River were less likely to be spooked, more likely to be caught on the first cast, and overall required fewer presentations. Fish in the Owen that did not spook were more likely to remain at their feeding station while anglers cast to them.What It MeansRelatively unfished brown trout are less angler-shy and more vulnerable to capture. But the “virgin waters” effect is short-lived. As was apparent in the Ugly River, a single capture drastically changes a fish’s behavior. Whether this response is learned or has a physiological basis—such as elevated levels of stress hormones or the depletion of energy reserves after capture—is not easily determined, but the effect lasts several days.There was also a “chronic” effect of fishing in the Owen’s browns. The trout were less visible and less catchable. And, while fish occupying visible feeding stations were less likely to spook, they were also less likely to take a fly. Do these findings apply only to brown trout in New Zealand streams? I doubt it. Fish in small, clear streams are highly vulnerable, but dozens of anglers fishing even a large lake or reservoir day after day can “educate” a lot of fish.I commonly hear fisheries management colleagues who try to maintain large populations of quality fish lament the effect of “increasingly skilled anglers” and how technology has raised angler efficiency. There is little doubt that angler skill and efficiency is increasing. But we may be wrong in assuming that the fish don’t change, too. 1.Young, T.F., and J.W. Hayes. 2004. Angling pressure and trout catchability: behavioral observations of brown trout in two New Zealand backcountry rivers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 24:1203-1213.Dr. Hal Schramm is a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and professor of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University.

Web Links February 2010

SuperUser Account — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:59:35 GMT

Fishing AdventuresLake of the Woods: Zippel Bay Resort: http://www.zippelbay.com/ Lake of The Woods Tourism: http://www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/Mississippi RiverIowa DNR: http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/index.htmlSusquehanna RiverBass Fever Guide Service: www.bassfeverguideservice.comClose To HomeMobile Phone Satellite Imagery: www.google.com/mobile/products/maps Chain Ranch: http://www.chainranch.com/fishing-adventure Take Me Fishing Lake Finder: http://www.takemefishing.org/community/select-a-stateAlmanacFight The Washington Lead Tackle Ban: http://www.capwiz.com/asafish/issues/alert/?alertid=14446771

Five Phenominal Fisheries on a Budget

SuperUser Account — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:52:25 GMT

Okay, so we keep hearing a lot about the tough economy. Boat sales are in the tank and some manufacturers report sales down as much as 60 percent. More than a few of the more remote and high-end fishing lodges didn't even open their doors in 2009. That's the bad news. The good? Not all is not all doom and gloom in the fishing world. Several of my colleagues in the tackle and gear business say their sales are up. Why? Because people can go fishing without spending a ton of money. That got me thinking. Where are my favorite fishing destinations? You know, the ones that won't kill the bank account? Here are five of my favorite picks.1. Bassin' and WalleyesThere are a ton of options for bass fishing in North America. Heck, more people fish for bass than any other single species. I'm all about big fish and small crowds. Exactly why Roy Lake, South Dakota comes to mind. Roy is a 1,500 acre lake created 20,000 years ago by the glaciers. It sits in the heart of what's called South Dakota's Glacial Lakes Region; an area full of walleye, bass and crappie lakes. If you like smallmouth bass fishing, there aren't a lot of lakes that compare to Roy. Jig and minnows work wonders on Roy, as do soft plastics pitched around the lake's submerged timber. Come late July and August, the topwater bite takes off. Don't be surprised if you catch a couple fish in the 5 pound range. Oh, and don't be surprised if you also hook a few nice walleyes and pike. The lake has another big lure. Roy Lake State Park surrounds a good chunk of the lake, so visitors can beach their boats and camp right next to the beach. If you're looking for fancier accommodations, Roy Lake Resort is another great option.The Numbers: Fishing license $32 (3 day non-resident) State Park Campsite $16 (per night) State Park Vehicle Fee $6 (per day) Closest Major Cities Sioux Falls, SD 2 ½ hours Minneapolis, MN 4 ½ 2. Trout fishingIf you're into fly fishing and the trout game, better pack your bags for Colorado. There, you can find plenty of great places to chase plenty of fish without having to pay expensive rod fees and private access rates. One of my favorite public spots is a place called Cheesman Canyon. The South Platte River runs through Cheesman Canyon just an hour from Denver and holds as many as 5,200 rainbown and brown trout per mile. If you visit, be sure to bring along your best pair of hiking boots. Anglers must hike a minimum of a mile on the Gill Trail to find good water. The key to Cheesman Canyon? Stick to small mayfly and midge patterns.The Numbers: Fishing License: $21 (5 day non-resident) 1 Pair hiking boots $100 Closest Major City: Denver 60 minutes 3. Saltwater OasisIf you're looking for saltwater action without the hassle or price of a big-time fishing trip, then you need to check out the Padre Island National Seashore just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. Anglers there have access to nearly 70 miles of beach along the Gulf Coast. Here's the catch. The National Seashore is open to cars and trucks. Locals cruise the beach, looking for feeding Pelicans. If you find the birds, you'll find the baitfish and the feeding sea trout, pompano, drum and crevalle jacks. On my last trip, surf casting Berkley Gulp on a long-shank jig worked like a charm. If you'd like to up the ante, you can hire a local guide and fish for sharks from the beach. Be warned, even a small five foot black tip will turn your arms to rubber.The Numbers: Fishing License: $16 (non-resident per day) $10 Saltwater stamp $10 Beach access charge per vehicleClosest City Corpus Christi 15 minutes 4. A Winter Getaway Photo courtesy of Jacob Gibb. See more at jacobgibb.com.I may be a little bit biased, but the Mississippi River runs darn near through my backyard, just north and west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Come the snowy season, I grab my waders and winter hat and head to the river. Just upstream of the city of Monticello, two power plants use river water to cool plant turbines. That warm water allows that stretch of the river to remain open, even during the coldest winter months. That means anglers can chase big smallmouth bass, walleyes and even a few channel catfish in the dead of winter. The river, at its widest point around here, might be about 100 yards, so wade fishing is easy. Drifting a jig and minnow under a shallow slip bobber is deadly. Your best access point is Montisippi Regional Park, where you can park right at the river and hike upstream to the best water.The Numbers: MN Fishing License: $28.50 Closest City: Minneapolis 30 minutes 5. The White and North ForkFor some reason, I like fishing rivers. Exactly why I suggest you make a quick trip to Arkansas and the White and North Fork Rivers. After all, the White is home to at least one 38 pound brown trout, which was, at one point, a record fish. Yes, a lot of really big trout call the White and North Fork Rivers home and anglers have plenty of public access. I prefer to wade fish when I visit. I also tend to spend a lot of time on the North Fork, where I've found some awfully big rainbows. Jerk baits are a good choice for big fish. So are streamers. The River Ridge Inn and Gaston's are two of my favorite family resorts.The Numbers: Fishing License: $11 (3 day non-resident) Trout Stamp: $10 Hotel on River $99 (per day)

North American Fishing Club

Outstanding Catch: March 2010

Outstanding Catch: February 2010

Fish Ed

Web Links February 2010

Five Phenominal Fisheries on a Budget