DES MOINES - The July 4 holiday is the busiest boating weekend of the year in Iowa and with the recent rain over much of the state, boaters using rivers and reservoirs should keep an eye out for hazards floating just below the surface.

“We want people to enjoy the water and the outdoors, but we also want them to be safe,” said Rod Slings, recreation safety programs supervisor with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “When you combine hot weather, high water, swift currents and debris, that increases the chances that someone can get into trouble.”

The cloudy, murky water will hide debris washed into rivers and reservoirs. These hazards are hidden by the stained water and can pose risks to water skiers and tubers pulled behind boats.

“Speed and water conditions will be the main issues for boaters in rivers and reservoirs. Slow down, avoid alcohol and keep an eye out for floating debris,” Slings said. “There will be a lot of boaters out this weekend, and one way for everyone to have a safe holiday is to practice defensive boating and have patience.”

Boaters should go through their boat checking safety equipment, including life jackets, in their driveway before heading to the water. Check boat and trailer lights, the fire extinguisher and throwable life preserver, if required. When arriving to the ramp, using the staging area to get the boat ready to launch. Don’t tie up the ramp.

“Put the life jacket on because it probably won’t save your life unless you wear it,” Slings said.

For more information, contact Slings at 515-281-8652.
Source: Iowa DNR

ATHENS, Texas — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has just completed a successful striped bass spawning and stocking season. TPWD Inland Fisheries Division personnel produced and stocked 4.6 million striped bass and hybrid striped bass fingerlings into 42 lakes. An additional 2.6 million striped bass and hybrid striped bass fry were stocked into three lakes.

“This number of fish is smack dab in the middle of average production levels prior to the onset of golden alga,” said Gerald Kurten, hatchery program director for catfishes and striped bass. “We are proud to be back where we should be in spite of the fact that golden alga continues to be problematic for both the Dundee and Possum Kingdom hatcheries. This year’s stockings represent about 80 percent of the requests from TPWD Inland Fisheries managers. We stocked all the lakes for which the managers requested fish, but a few of the larger requests were not completely met.”

“Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is keenly aware of the importance of the striped bass and hybrid striped bass fisheries to local economies,” said Gary Saul, TPWD hatcheries chief. “Our staff works around the clock for weeks to produce and stock these fish in order to sustain this valuable fishery.”

The fingerlings were produced at the A.E. Wood Hatchery at San Marcos, the Possum Kingdom Hatchery near Graford and the Dundee Hatchery near Electra.

The process began with the collection of striped bass males and egg-laden females from the Trinity River at the foot of Livingston Dam in mid-April. The fish were transported in tank trailers to the hatcheries, where TPWD fisheries biologists and technicians continuously monitored the females to determine when the eggs they carried were mature and ready to be spawned.

Technicians then stripped the eggs from each female into a container while milt from one or more males was added. The eggs and milt were mixed using a turkey feather, and the fertilized eggs were then placed into hatching jars. Large striped bass females are capable of producing as many as a million eggs.

After the fry hatched, most were reared in outdoor ponds to fingerling size, about 1.5 inches long, before being stocked into lakes.

Complicating the process was the fact that the water supply at the Possum Kingdom and Dundee hatcheries contained high levels of golden alga, a microscopic organism that can produce toxins capable of killing fish of any size. Hatchery personnel monitored the level of golden alga toxins continuously during the spawning and grow-out periods and took measures to ensure the fish survived.

Successful management of fingerlings ponds requires constant attention to water quality parameters such as temperature, pH and ammonia concentrations. High pH and ammonia concentrations are the key to keeping golden alga at bay in hatchery ponds, but they are also potentially lethal to young striped bass, so hatchery staff must perform a balancing act to maintain the appropriate conditions in the ponds. Fluctuations in temperature and cloud cover also have an impact, and the staff has to consider how future weather will affect the ponds. When golden alga is present, the fish can be lost at any time during pond production, so constant vigilance on the part of the hatchery staff and predictable weather are the keys to success.

Striped bass are anadromous like salmon in that they spawn in fresh water and then migrate out to salt water. Striped bass were first introduced into Texas in 1967, when they were stocked into lakes Navarro Mills and Bardwell. They can survive in fresh water, and except in Lake Texoma, they normally do not produce enough offspring naturally to maintain their population. TPWD stocks fish to supplement the natural production and provide additional fishing opportunity.

“The way our hatcheries do the spawning absolutely makes them the leaders in this field,” says Roger McCabe, who retired in June 2005 after heading the Texas striped bass program for a quarter of a century. “As far as stocking for maintaining fisheries is concerned, we have the largest striped bass and hybrid striped bass stocking program in the country.”

Stocking Sites
Source: TPWD

MAYPORT, Fla. — The $1.7 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour – the most lucrative kingfish tournament trail in the world – is headed to Mayport, Fla., July 8-9 for the circuit’s third $300,000 event presented by Castrol.

Competitors will fish for a top award of as much as $100,000 and valuable points that could earn them a berth into the no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship in D’Iberville, Miss., Oct. 13-15 for a shot at as much as $150,000.

“Typically, here in the Jacksonville area, it will take a kingfish in the high 40s or low 50s to win in July,” said Rod Hatfield of Jacksonville Beach, captain of Team Raymarine. “The water over the last few years has been cool, and we’ve had a thermocline. Teams would have to run 50 miles to find good fish. But this year is different. The fish are already showing up on the beach. Two weeks ago, a fisherman caught a 52-pound king off a pier. That’s rare, but it tells you the fish are on the beach.

“If a team doesn’t have a lot of experience fishing here, it will be like fishing a new location. Instead of making long runs like we have in the past couple years, a lot of teams will run less than 20 miles, will within sight of the beach, and fish in 30-50 feet of water.”

Harbortown Marina at 13846 Atlantic Blvd. in Jacksonville will host daily takeoffs and weigh-ins at 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Teams will compete for two days to determine the winner based on the largest kingfish weighed.

The winning team earns $40,000 cash, and if the team captain is the registered owner of an Aquasport, Hydra-Sports, Seaswirl or Wellcraft boat that is used during the tournament, the team receives a $30,000 bonus. Additionally, if the winning captain is the registered owner and runs Yamaha outboards during the tournament, the team receives another $30,000 bonus for a total award of $100,000 cash.

Every team that receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine year-end standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. The top 50 teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the championship, where they will compete for two days for a berth in the final round of 10 teams. The championship winner is guaranteed $75,000 cash and may earn cash bonuses equaling $75,000 from Aquasport, Hydra-Sports, Seaswirl, Wellcraft and Yamaha for a total of $150,000.

The Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour features four regular-season tournaments, each with a $300,000 purse.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined purse of $30 million through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

The King County Wastewater Treatment Division is planning to restore salmon habitat with trees removed for a state highway-widening project along the site of the future Brightwater Treatment Plant.

Crews for the Snohomish County Public Utility District will be removing trees to make room for the state Department of Transportation’s State Route 9 widening project. Removing the trees is necessary for moving utility poles along SR-9 north of Woodinville. Some tree removal could start as early as next week.

King County will use about 50 of the downed trees as large woody debris to enhance streams and wetlands in more than 40 acres of open-space habitat at the Brightwater site. Large trees with root wads still attached are useful for providing shade and habitat in salmon-bearing streams. Also, branches and smaller debris will be chipped and stored on site for use as mulch.

For more information about the Brightwater project, visit the project Web site or call 206-684-6799 (1-888-707-8571, toll-free). For more information about the state’s SR-9 widening project, visit the project Web site.

When Brightwater begins operating in 2010, it will serve Bothell, Brier, Kenmore, Mill Creek, Redmond, Sammamish and Woodinville. It will also serve unincorporated areas of Snohomish and King counties in the Alderwood, Cross Valley, Northeast Sammamish, Northshore, Silver Lake and Woodinville sewer districts.

Formerly known as Metro, the wastewater-treatment utility now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for 40 years. The regional clean-water agency serves 17 cities, 17 local sewer agencies and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.

Source: King County

LAPLATA, Md. – Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds Friday to lead the $1.25 million Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s on the Potomac River. At stake are a $200,000 top award, qualification for the Forrest L. Wood Championship and the coveted Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title, which will go to either Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., or Toshinari Namiki of Hachioji-City, Japan.

Hackney held a seven-point lead over Namiki coming into the tournament, so if he finishes at least six places ahead of Namiki on Saturday he will win the title. Hackney is currently in 10th place with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces and Namiki is ninth with five bass weighing 12 pounds.

“I’m going to pull my pants up and fish a little harder tomorrow,” said Hackney, who finished second in both the FLW and Bassmaster tour points last season.

Iaconelli, a former Bassmaster Classic champion who could surpass $1 million in career winnings with a victory here, caught the majority of his bass using a Berkley Sinking Minnow in watermelon color with black flakes.

“It was one of those days when everything went perfect,” Iaconelli said. “I love this place. Some of my first tournaments were here in the early 1990s in the BFL. To come back here 10 years later as a pro on the FLW Tour is awesome. If you’re fishing the FLW Tour, you’re fishing against the best anglers in the world. It’s a great organization, and I love these events.

“The fishing will be tougher tomorrow. There will be more boats on the water and other tournaments. But you have to forget about today and fish like you’re starting from zero.”

Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 4 to secure the No. 2 spot heading into the final day of competition, while fellow Kellogg’s pro Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces to grab the No. 3 spot.

Pro Gary Yamamoto of Mineola, Texas (five bass, 14 pounds, 13 ounces) and Land O’Lakes pro Jerry Williams of Conway, Ark. (five bass, 14 pounds, 12 ounces) round out the top five pros.

Namiki, Williams and Wendlandt have all earned four top-10 finishes in a single season – Namiki this year, Williams in 1998 and Wendlandt in 1999 and 2000. Only Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., has earned more top 10s in a single season (five in 1998).

Pat Wilson of Penngrove, Calif., took top honors and $40,000 in the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces. He caught the fish on drop-shot rigged 4- and 6-inch Robo Worms while fishing with pro Gary Yamamoto of Mineola, Texas.

“At about 1:30 p.m., I only had two keepers,” said Wilson, who has earned 12 top-10s in Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and EverStart Series competition. “Then I caught a 5-pounder, and Gary said I needed to get a limit because I had a chance to win. So he pulled up on a spot, put his rod down on the deck and quit fishing. I was able to finish my limit. I only caught six keepers, but they were quality fish.”

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Cordiale of Orinda, Calif. (five bass, 12 pounds, $20,000); Kent McPhail of Lubbock, Texas (five bass, 11 pounds, 12 ounces, $10,000); Roger Hester of Walnut Cove, N.C. (five bass, 10 pounds, 9 ounces, $9,000); and Fred Martin of North Little Rock, Ark. (five bass, 9 pounds, 13 ounces, $8,000).

Anglers will take off Saturday from Smallwood State Park in Marbury at 6:30 a.m. followed by the final weigh-in at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Drive in LaPlata beginning at 3 p.m.

The community is invited to join the world’s top bass anglers as they celebrate the FLW Tour’s 10th anniversary in the Family Fun Zone Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy.

Tom Arnold and Chris Rose made a special appearance in the Family Fun Zone from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday for a special taping of the FSN hit “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” which will air tonight at 10:30 p.m. Arnold and Rose interviewed FLW Tour anglers Jimmy Houston, J.T. Kenney, Chad Grigsby and Kim Bain.

Monte Burke, author of “Sowbelly, the Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass,” was also in the Fun Zone Friday autographing copies of his new hit book.

The pros will continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight. Pros finishing as low as 50th place earn $10,000.

Only the top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points race following this event will advance to the Forrest L. Wood Championship July 13-16 in Hot Springs, Ark., on Lake Hamilton. The $1.5 million championship presented by Castrol awards the winning pro $500,000 cash, the sport’s largest payout, and features a world-class outdoor show. Pros earn a minimum of $15,000 just for qualifying.

Complete coverage of the Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s will be broadcast to 82 million FSN subscribers as part of the “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” television program July 24 and 31. “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Additionally, “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” is broadcast by the American Forces Network to 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard naval ships. Saturday’s final weigh-in will also be broadcast live to Wal-Mart stores nationwide by the Wal-Mart Television Network.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is making it easier for sport anglers to stay informed about current ocean fishing regulations with the introduction of a new hotline. Thanks to this new service, most of California’s ocean bottomfishing regulations are now just a phone call away.

DFG has developed the Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations Hotline at (831) 649-2801. Using a touch tone keypad, anglers can now get the latest groundfish regulations information over the phone, and with a cell phone, it’s possible to get this information while at sea. To use the hotline, anglers simply need to know where in the state they plan to fish, and the groundfish species or species groups they will be targeting or are likely to catch.

“The department is committed to keeping the information found on this hotline current at all times so that anglers will have a dependable source for finding the latest groundfishing regulations,” said Gary Stacey, manager of the Marine Region. “This new service is now available to everyone 24 hours per day, seven days a week.”

In-season changes to ocean sport fishing regulations can make it tough for fishermen to keep up with current fishing rules. While the DFG provides information on its Web site, at www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd, to help anglers stay informed about regulation changes, those without computers and Internet access have found it more difficult to get current information.

The hotline does not present complete groundfish regulations information, and is not intended to take the place of the regulation booklet or supplement. It does present regulations that are the most likely to change during the season, including openings and closures, depth restrictions, and size and bag limits.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Felsenthal: Crossroads said bream fishing is good on crickets, wax worms and red wigglers fished in the shallows. Top-water poppers are also catching a few bream for the warmwater fly fishers. Bass are fair on top-water lures fished among the cypress trees. Catfish are fair on cold worms.

Saline River: Sanders Pawn and Bait said the river is muddy and low. Fishing is poor.

Cox Creek Lake: Sanders Pawn and Bait said the lake is stained and low. Fishing is poor.

EAST ARKANSAS:

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the lake is clear and low. Bream are biting excellent from 1- to 2-feet deep on crickets and popping bugs. Crappie fishing is fair from 4- to 6-feet deep using minnows and jigs near brush piles. Bass fishing is good using spinner baits and crankbaits from 1- to 4-feet deep. Catfishing is excellent using stink bait along the bottom.

Midway Lake: Ed’s Boat Camp said the lake is clear and low. Bream are biting well from 1- to 2-feet deep on crickets near cypress trees. Crappie are biting well about 7-feet deep on slow-trolled minnows. Bass fishing is excellent about 2-feet deep using top-water lures near the cypress trees. Catfish are biting well on nightcrawlers or minnows.

Bear Creek Lake: Six Rivers Sport Center said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets near brush. Crappie fishing is good from 14- to 16-feet deep using jigs near rocky points.

Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well about 3-feet deep on crickets around the cypress trees. Crappie fishing is good using black-and-chartreuse jigs about 10-feet deep around the piers and the lily pads. Bass are biting fair about 3-feet deep on white-and-chartreuse spinner baits near the cypress trees. Catfishing is good using stink bait and cut bait.

White River Refuge Lakes: Ed’s Bait Shop said the lakes are clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets in shallow water. Crappie fishing is good from 3- to 5-feet deep using minnows near brush piles and stumps in the middle of the lake. Bass fishing is fair using minnows near brush. Catfish are biting fair on worms and stink bait in the river itself.

Arkansas River at Pine Bluff: River City Sporting Goods said the lake is stained and high. Bream are biting well from 2- to 4-feet deep using crickets. Crappie fishing is good from 8- to 12-feet deep using minnows and black-and-chartreuse jigs near brush piles. Bass fishing is good using top-water lures, buzzbaits, Horny Toads, Pop R’s and Baby Torpedoes near rocky points around the bank. Catfish are biting well on shad about 30-feet deep.

Source: AGFC

GRAND ISLE, La. – Kurt Koliba of Port Lavaca, Texas and Michael Shimek of Bay City, Texas caught two redfish weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce to lead day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Western Division event in Grand Isle, where a field of 105 teams is competing for a top award of as much as $50,000 cash.

“We made a long run, all the way up to Venice,” Koliba said. “The area we fished looked like a bass-fishing area. There was lots of grass, and we saw gar and alligators everywhere.

“We sight-fished for the most part, and we caught around 10 redfish. Michael caught one that was close to 9 pounds.” Most of the two-man team’s redfish were duped by throwing jigging spoons. Shimek threw a silver spoon, while Koliba threw a copper-colored one.

Anglers had partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the high 80s for the first day of the event. A storm blew through the Grand Isle area during the course of the day, but Koliba said he and Shimek were able to dodge the turbulent weather.

Rounding out the top five teams are Chris Chapman of Winter Park, Fla., and Dan McGatlin of Lake Mary, Fla. (two redfish, 16 pounds, 8 ounces); Matthew Morel and Peter Young, both of New Orleans (two redfish, 15 pounds, 12 ounces); and in a fourth-place tie were the team of Mark Trevino of Friendswood, Texas and Greg Hartsell of Pearland, Texas and the team of Trent Brady of Larose and Eddie Callias of Galliano.

Both teams caught two redfish weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces.

Anglers caught and released a total of 191 redfish weighing 1,107 pounds, 8 ounces.

FLW Redfish Series qualifying tournaments are two-day events. The entire field competes Friday and Saturday, and the winning team is determined Saturday based on the heaviest two-day accumulated weight. Boats will launch from Pirates Cove Marina in Grand Isle Saturday at 7 a.m., and the final weigh-in will be held at Pirates Cove Marina beginning at 3 p.m.

The next FLW Redfish Series Western Division event will be held Aug. 5-6 in Galveston, Texas.

The FLW Redfish Series consists of two divisions – East and West. Each division is comprised of four events with a $200,000 purse for each event. The top 100 teams – 50 from each division after four qualifying events – will qualify for the three-day, no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship to be held in Mobile, Ala., Oct. 27-29. The championship winner will take home as much as $100,000.

Source: FLW Outdoors

Lake Dardanelle: Early Bird Outfitters said the lake is muddy. Bream are biting well from 2- to 4-feet deep on crickets. Crappie fishing is fair from 8- to 10-feet deep using minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well from 4- to 8-feet deep on crankbaits, dark-colored plastic worms and Carolina rigs. Catfishing is good using stink bait, live bait and cut bait.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the river is muddy and high. Bream and crappie fishing are both poor. Bass fishing is poor to fair using white or chartreuse spinner baits in shallow water. Catfishing is fair using worms or shad.

Lake Ouachita: Trader Bill’s Sport Shop said the lake is clear and low. Bream are biting excellent from 5- to 15-feet deep on red worms, crickets and nightcrawlers. The bream are going back to their beds. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass fishing is good from 15- to 20-feet deep using top-water lures early around points. Also, try to catch bass over or on the outside of the moss. Catfishing is good at night using trotlines baited with live bait. Walleye are biting well from 15- to 20-feet deep on a jigworm.

Lake Catherine: Trader Bill’s Sport Shop said the lake is murky and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets fished shallow near brush or moss flats. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass are biting well on black spinner baits. Catfish are biting well on jugs.

Lake Hamilton: Trader Bill’s Sport Shop said the lake is murky and at normal pool. Fishing is good until 9 a.m. Due to the lake conditions, it is best to stay off the lake from 9 a.m. until dark. Bream are biting well shallow on worms and crickets near brush or moss flats. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass fishing is good using black spinner baits. Catfishing is good using jugs.

Lake Hinkle: Bill’s Bait Shop said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well from 4- to 5-feet deep on crickets. Crappie fishing is fair about 5-feet deep using minnows or jigs near brush piles. Bass are biting well on spinner baits, crankbaits and minnows. Catfish are biting well on trotlines baited with goldfish or shiners.

Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well about 3-feet deep on crickets near cypress trees. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass fishing is excellent about 3-feet deep using spinner baits, crankbaits, plastic worms and jigs near grassy areas. Catfishing is good about 4-feet deep using minnows.

Lake Nimrod: Lake Nimrod Bait ‘n’ More II said the lake is at 345 feet. Bream fishing has been great on crickets and worms. Bass fishing is good on spinner baits and buzzbaits early in the morning. The catfish are biting on nightcrawlers, stink bait and chicken livers. Crappie are biting well on minnows, red-and-chartreuse jigs, pink-and-white jigs and shallow-running Bandit crankbaits.

Arkansas River: Cross Creek said the river is muddy and flowing. Bream are biting fair from 3- to 4-feet deep on crickets in the backwaters. Crappie fishing is fair from 5- to 6-feet deep using minnows near brush piles. Largemouth bass are biting well on white spinner baits on the outside of the grass.

Source: AGFC

LAPLATA, Md. – Tom Arnold, Chris Rose and John Salley will be joining the world’s top professional bass anglers on the Potomac River when the $7.6 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour rolls into Charles County June 22-25 for the inaugural Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s. The trio will be on the water and in the tour’s Family Fun Zone at the LaPlata Wal-Mart Supercenter from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, June 24, taping an episode of the FSN hit “Best Damn Sports Show Period.”

Taping for the nationwide cable sports show, which airs weeknights at 10:30 p.m., will precede the tournament’s day-three weigh-in and crowning of the co-angler champion, which starts at 5 p.m. Friday. Arnold, Rose and Salley will interview FLW Tour anglers and prominent sports figures from the Washington, D.C., area. Spectators could possibly make an appearance on the show as well, so you won’t want to miss this opportunity.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter hosting the Chevy Open and “Best Damn Sports Show” taping is located at 40 Drury Drive in LaPlata. For more information on the popular show, visit msn.foxsports.com/bestdamn.

The Chevy Open is the final regular-season event of the 2005 FLW Tour season, and valuable points are on the line in addition to a $1.25 million purse that pays $200,000 to the winning pro and $40,000 to the winning co-angler. Following the event, the field for the no-entry-fee $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship presented by Castrol will be set, and only the top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers will be making the trip to Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark., July 13-16 to compete in the sport’s biggest event. The prestigious Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title is also up for grabs, with 7 UP pro J.T. Kenney of Frostburg, Md., currently leading the race by a mere two points over Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C. Several other pros are also within striking range.

Anglers take off each morning from Smallwood State Park in Marbury at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located in LaPlata beginning at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The community is invited to attend the free Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy. Monte Burke, author of “Sowbelly, the Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass,” will also be in the Fun Zone autographing copies of his new hit book.

Coverage of the Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s will be broadcast to 82 million FSN subscribers as part of the “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” television program July 24 and 31. “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Additionally, “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” is broadcast by the American Forces Network to 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard naval ships. Saturday’s final weigh-in will also be broadcast live to Wal-Mart stores nationwide by the Wal-Mart Television Network.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Millwood Lake: Millwood Lake Guide Service said the water temperature ranges from 82 to 90 degrees. The lake level is approximately 2 inches above normal. Largemouth bass remain good on chrome-and-black baby torpedoes, bleeding red-and-white buzzbaits, red-and-orange sparkle and chrome-and-black Rat-L-Traps and white Zoom Horny Toads.

Try fishing around lily pads and along the edges of vegetation. Swimming white jigs with milky white grub trailers, and “bleeding” Gitzit tubes in green pumpkin-and-red or black-and-blue is working in the river cut outs and creek mouths dumping into Little River where stumps are in 9 to 12 feet of water. Try flipping 3/8-ounce jigs in Texas craw color with a green pumpkin or a pumpkinseed trailer near the base of cypress trees. Also, try using Carolina-rigged Zoom Lizards in watermelon red, or green pumpkin and Bass Assassin Shads in gizzard shad color along Little River. To fish the shallow grass areas on the main lake, use a stout rod with heavy line and a ¾- to 1-ounce jig to penetrate the grass and vegetation. Kentuckies and white bass remain fair to good using ¼-ounce Rat-L-Traps in white, rocket shads in white-and-chartreuse, Little Georges and Rooster Tail spinners in chrome-and-red. Crappie fishermen report fair catches over brush piles between 12- and 15-feet deep. A few crappie have been taken on jigs and shiners in shallow water around cypress trees, but the fish in those locations are smaller. Bream are fair on crickets and red worms off the bank at the state park and Jack’s Isle. Blue catfish are fair to good; some weighing up to 6 pounds. Try fishing at night with yo-yos set from 7- to 12-feet deep and baited with shiners or cut shad underneath cypress trees in sloughs adjacent to Little River, Horseshoe Lake and in Mud Lake oxbow areas.

Lake Columbia: Steve’s Marine said the lake is stained and at normal pool. Bream fishing is good 2- to 6-feet deep using worms and crickets. Crappie are beginning to bite late in the evening on shiners fished 8- to 10-feet deep. Bass are biting well on junebug-colored worms and Rat-L-Traps. Catfish are biting well on chicken liver and nightcrawlers fished about 12-feet deep.

Lake Erling: Steve’s Marine said the lake is stained and about a foot below normal pool. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets fished about 4-feet deep. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass are biting well from 3- to 6-feet deep on spinner baits near docks. Catfish are biting well from 3- to 5-feet deep using chicken liver and nightcrawlers.

White Oak Lake: Charlie’s One Stop said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well about 5-feet deep using crickets near brush piles or stumps. Crappie fishing is fair in the cooler water. Catfish are biting at night on trotlines baited with chicken liver or stink bait.

Lake Greeson: Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait Shop said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are biting from 8- to 12-feet deep on minnows and jigs near brush. Bass fishing is fair early in the morning using plastic worms or buzzbaits. Catfishing is fair.

DeGray Lake: Point Cedar Bait Shop said bream are on the beds and are biting well on crickets. DeGray One Stop said the lake is clear, at normal pool and in the upper 80s. Bream fishing is good from 8- to 18-feet deep using crickets. Crappie fishing is fair from 18- to 24-feet deep using jigs in the creek channels or near grassy points. Largemouths and Kentuckies are holding on the outside edge of the weeds and are biting from 18- to 28-feet deep on Carolina rigs and deep-running crankbaits. Whites and hybrids are schooling in the mornings and in the evenings between Yancey Creek and Bill Hill Creek just south of Brush Creek.

Little Missouri River: Generator Three is back online as of June 7 and the last couple of days have seen regular generation out of Generator Two as well. The stream is still pretty dry despite a few recent thunderstorms. A few fish are willing to strike again on small terrestrials like ants (size 18).

Source: AGFC

LA PLATA, Md. – With two days complete at the $1.25 million Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s on the Potomac River, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s qualifying season is over for all but the 10 remaining pros and co-anglers who will continue fishing in the final round for top awards of $200,000 and $40,000, respectively.

The top 48 anglers in each division following the end of competition Saturday will also advance to the $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship in Hot Springs, Ark., July 13-16. Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., leads the Pro Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 10 ounces. He caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces Wednesday using a homemade 3/8-ounce jig with a Zoom Super Chuck Jr. trailer then added another five bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces Thursday using the same lure around both shallow grass and boat docks. He also used a crankbait early in the day to boat a quick limit near grass beds. Low tide, he said, is helping to position his fish each day.

“I feel good right now,” said Chapman, who is expecting the birth of his second child any day now. “I’ve finished 11th twice already this year, so it’s great to make the top 10. If I miss my daughter’s birth, I figure a $200,000 check will help make up for it.”

Michael Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., added five bass weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces to his day one catch of five bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces to finish the opening round in second with 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 9 ounces.

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., claimed the No. 3 qualifying spot in the final round with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 10 ounces.

Toshinari Namiki of Hachioji-City, Japan, (10 bass, 32 pounds, 7 ounces) and Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, (10 bass, 31 pounds, 13 ounces) rounded out the top five pros.

All told, it was another near-record performance in Charles County as 195 pros and 181 co-anglers caught bass, bringing a total of 1,495 fish weighing 3,166 pounds, 15 ounces to the stage. The two-day opening round catch of 3,201 bass weighing 7,084 pounds, 1 ounce is the tour’s third best of all time in terms of bass caught and weight. Only Lake Champlain in New York produced more fish in 2004 (3,457 bass, 8,239 pounds, 11 ounces) and 2002 (3,233 bass, 7,865 pounds, 8 ounces). Most of the bass weighed in on Lake Champlain were smallmouths, while the Potomac River produced largemouths.

The closely contested Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points race drew even closer Thursday with only seven points separating Hackney and Namiki in the chase for the coveted title. Both men came from behind to unseat the previous points leader, J.T. Kenney of Frostburg, who fishes for Team 7 UP. Final points will not be available until Saturday’s final weigh-in.

Coming into the event, Gagliardi, Hackney and Namiki trailed Kenney by 2, 16 and 23 points, respectively, in the No. 2, 3 and 4 positions. Gagliardi finished the tournament in 37th with 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 8 ounces while Kenney finished 114th with nine bass weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces.

Gary Yamamoto of Mineola, Texas, earned the Energizer Keeps on Going Award for jumping from 43rd in the standings to qualify for the final round as the No. 7 angler.

Chapman earned the day’s Snickers Big Bass award of $750 in the Pro Division with a 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth. Danny Correia of Marlborough, Mass., earned the overall Snickers Big Bass award of $1,000 for catching the heaviest bass in either division during the opening round. Correia caught a 6-pound, 9-ounce largemouth Wednesday.

Roger Hester II of Walnut Cove, N.C., leads the Co-angler Division thanks to a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 12 ounces. Hester caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces Wednesday while fishing with John Crews of Salem, Va., then added another five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces to his total Thursday while fishing with pro Koby Kreiger of Okeechobee, Fla.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kent McPhail of Lubbock, Texas (10 bass, 26 pounds, 7 ounces); Fred Martin of North Little Rock, Ark. (10 bass, 26 pounds, 5 ounces); Johnny Taylor of Kodak, Tenn. (10 bass, 26 pounds, 5 ounces); and Merle Wells Jr. of Hammond, N.Y. (10 bass, 25 pounds, 10 ounces).

Dennis Kirby of Lakeland, Tenn., claimed the Snickers Big Bass award and $375 in the Co-angler Division with a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass that he caught while fishing with pro Steven McGahan of Gales Ferry, Conn.

Anglers will take off each morning from Smallwood State Park in Marbury at 6:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Drive in LaPlata beginning at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The community is invited to join the world’s top bass anglers as they celebrate the FLW Tour’s 10th anniversary in the Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy.

Tom Arnold, Chris Rose and John Salley will be appearing in the Family Fun Zone from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday for a special taping of the FSN hit “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” which airs weeknights at 10:30 p.m. Arnold, Rose and Salley will interview FLW Tour anglers and prominent sports figures from the Washington, D.C., area. Spectators could possibly make an appearance on the show as well, so you won’t want to miss this opportunity.

Monte Burke, author of “Sowbelly, the Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass,” will also be in the Fun Zone autographing copies of his new hit book.

Following Thursday’s competition, the field was narrowed from 200 competitors per division to 10, and weights were cleared for Friday’s competition. Co-angler competition concludes Friday based on the heaviest one-day weight, and pros continue competition Saturday with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight. The winning co-angler earns $40,000 while the winning pro earns $200,000. Pros finishing as low as 50th place earn $10,000.

The top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points standings following this event will advance to the Forrest L. Wood Championship July 13-16 in Hot Springs, Ark., on Lake Hamilton. The $1.5 million championship presented by Castrol awards the winning pro $500,000 cash, the sport’s largest payout, and features a world-class outdoor show. Pros earn a minimum of $15,000 just for qualifying.

Complete coverage of the Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s will be broadcast to 82 million FSN subscribers as part of the “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” television program July 24 and 31. “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Additionally, “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” is broadcast by the American Forces Network to 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard naval ships. Saturday’s final weigh-in will also be broadcast live to Wal-Mart stores nationwide by the Wal-Mart Television Network.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
White River: Local fisherman Jeff Moore said the White River at Guion continues to run low making boating difficult. Trout and bass fishing is fair in the Guion area. Rainbows can be caught either by anchor fishing or drift fishing.

Anchor fishing with corn worms or Power Eggs are all effective baits. Drift fishing with spinners tipped with corn, worms, or Power Eggs is working as well. Little Cleo spoons and small Rouges are producing rainbows and an occasional brown trout. The only aggressive bite going are the smallmouth. Most of them are below minimum length but they do provide consistent action. Tube baits and small crank baits with some chartreuse in them is the best bet. Largemouth bass from Guion to Batesville seem to be relating to the grass. The best fishing is early and late. Scum frogs, topwaters, sinko, and floating worms will produce a few fish. Below Lock #1 a variety of fish are being caught. Minnow fishing is producing a mixed bag. You are apt to catch a stringer consisting of drum, sauger, walleye, white bass, bass, and catfish. It is a real smorgasbord. Catfishing is fair using prepared bait and chicken livers too.

Lake Charles: Powhatan Landing said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well about 2-feet deep on crickets. Crappie are biting well about 2-feet deep using minnows and jigs near brush. Bass fishing is fair using top-water lures and buzzbaits. Some bass in the 5- to 6-pound range are being taken. Catfishing is fair on rod-and-reel baited with stink bait or chicken liver.

Black River: Powhatan Landing said the lake is stained and low. Smallmouth bass and Kentucky bass are biting well. Catfishing is good using trotlines baited with stink bait and rice slicks. Also, try rod and reel fishing with live bait.

Spring River: Many Islands Camp said the river is clear and a little low. Trout fishing is good using marshmallows, Power Bait and nightcrawlers.

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

Lake Chicot: Koenig’s Bass Tracker Marine the lake is clear. Bream fishing is fair using small tube jigs and shiners. Crappie fishing is fair using wax worms near the dock or the sea walls. Bass fishing is fair using top-water lures or Slug-Gos near the dock or the sea walls. Catfishing is good using worms, chicken liver and dog food.

Grand Lake: Koenig’s Bass Tracker Marine said crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs.

Old Town Lake: Old Town Fish Camp said the lake is clear and low. Bream are biting well about 16-inches deep on wax worms and crickets near the cypress trees. Crappie fishing is fair about 3-feet deep using minnows and jigs near the cypress trees. Bass are biting fair on top-water lures and buzzbaits fished near the bank. Catfishing is good using trotlines baited with minnows set about 12-feet deep.

Lake Monticello: Outdoor Store said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well about 4-feet deep on worms and crickets near brush.

Source: AGFC

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Connecticut Sea Grant have jointly announced public meetings to gather comment on a Draft Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan.

Meetings will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 29, at the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area in Burlington and at 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 30, at the DEP Marine Headquarters in Old Lyme. Comments may also be submitted in writing and will be accepted until July 14, 2005. Copies of the Draft ANS plan and an Executive Summary will be available as of June 22 and can be obtained through the CT Institute of Water Resources web site (www.ctiwr.uconn.edu) or by calling the DEP Inland Fisheries Division (860-424-3474).”

“The introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species pose a serious threat to the ecology and biodiversity of our ecosystems and to the health and economic interests of the people of the State of Connecticut,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner David K. Leff. The ANS plan lists potential invaders along with over 100 different non-native species already present in the marine and fresh waters of Connecticut.

“The impacts of ANS include degradation of habitat, spread of pathogens, choking of waterways, clogging of water intakes, fouling of water supplies and interference with recreational activities such as fishing, boating and swimming,” said Leff. The draft plan identifies nuisance species and vectors, and provides recommendations for preventing introductions and for effective monitoring and control of established populations. Gathering public comment is a required step in the process of developing a final plan that can be approved by the State and submitted to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a prerequisite for obtaining federal funds to address ANS issues.

The draft ANS plan was prepared by a diverse working group headed by Connecticut Sea Grant, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Institute of Water Resources located at the University of Connecticut. The working group also included representatives from academia, State and Federal government agencies, lake associations, water companies, the nursery industry and the aquarium/pet trade industry.

Meeting Locations:

June 29, 7:00 pm

Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area and Conservation Education Center:
341 Milford Street (Route 69)
Burlington, CT 06013

Directions: Sessions Woods WMA and Conservation Education Center is located on Route 69, about three miles south of Route 4 in Burlington and three miles north of Route 6 in Bristol.

June 30, 7:00 pm

DEP Marine Headquarters:
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, CT 06371

Directions: From the North or West: Take 91 south or 9 south to 95. Head east on 95 North to exit 70. Take a right at end of exit onto Shore road (Rte 156). Go approximately 0.5 mile and take a right onto Ferry Road. Follow Ferry Road to the end where it enters the driveway of Marine HQ.

From the East: Take 95 South (heading west) to exit 70. Go straight through first two lights. At third light, take left onto Route 156. Follow above directions from 156.

Meeting will be in Conference Room B – go past the main building entrance, bear left around building and proceed back to 2nd building in the rear of main building.

Written comments should be mailed to:

DEP Inland Fisheries Division
Attn: ANS Comments
79 Elm Street, Hartford CT 06106

or e-mailed to dep.inland.fisheries@po.state.ct.us

Beaver Lake: Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well from 4- to 10-feet deep on crickets. Crappie and white bass are biting well from 12- to 15-feet deep on minnows and shad.

Night fishing for crappie or white bass is also good trolling Hot ‘n’ Tots. Bass fishing is fair to good from 2- to 30-feet deep using top-water lures early and small soft-plastic worms in the day. Bass fishing at night is also good using a black single-bladed spinner bait or large plastic worms in red-shad. Catfishing is good using trotlines, jugs or limb lines baited with goldfish.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the lake is murky but at normal pool. Bream are biting well from 10- to 12-feet deep on worms and crickets on the flats. Bass are biting well on spinner baits, crankbaits and top-water lures near rocky points. Catfishing is fair using worms and chicken liver.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well from 5- to 6-feet deep on worms and crickets fished near brush, stumps and weed beds. Crappie fishing is poor from 6- to 8-feet deep. Bass fishing is good from 5- to 6-feet deep using spinner baits, top-water lures and buzzbaits. Catfishing is poor.

Beaver Tailwaters: Beaver Dam Store said fishing was tough last week, but more than a few fishermen went home with plenty of trout. Seems the trout are huddled up for the most part, rather than scattered about. Chartreuse Power Bait, wax worms and salmon eggs worked well. Fishing is more productive in early morning or late afternoon. Super Dupers and Little Cleos are working well. Some good fly patterns are Copper Johns in red or chartreuse (sizes 16 to 18), partridge and yellow soft hackles (sizes 14 to 16), Red Ass (sizes 16 to 18), Renegades (sizes 16 to 18), Griffith’s Gnat (sizes 18 to 20), Scuds in orange or tan (sizes 14 to 16) and Caddis Pupa in cream (size 16).

White bass fishing is very good at night under a light near Point 5 and other white bass areas. Temperatures are hitting the low 80s, and black bass are biting from 20- to 25-feet deep, but they may be shallower at night. McLellan’s Fly Shop said generation has been coming on in the afternoon, providing plenty of wading during the morning hours. All of the recent high water has produced some fat and healthy trout that are eager to bite. Scuds and sow bugs, as well as midge pupa patterns, have been the most productive. Soft-hackle action is starting to heat up as well. The best flies have been: McLellan’s Hunchback Scud in gray and olive (sizes 14 to 16), McLellan’s Woven Sow Bug (sizes 14 to 16), Mercury Brassie (sizes 18 to 20), Rojo Midge (size 22), Mercury Blood Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Red Jujubee Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Johnny Flash (sizes 20 to 24), Mercury Black Beauty (sizes 20 to 22), Gray Mercury Midge (sizes 20 to 22), March Brown Spider (size 14) and Red Ass (size 16).

Buffalo River: Ozark Outfitters said the river is clear and low. Bream fishing is excellent from 4- to 6-feet deep using worms near rocky points. Bass fishing is excellent from 6- to 8-feet deep using black-and-white spinner baits and top-water lures near rocky points. Catfishing is good at night using worms and chicken liver.

Kings River: Kings River Outfitters said the river is low. Smallmouth bass are hitting green pumpkin and watermelon soft plastics fished on the bottom around chunk rock. Rebel Crawdad crankbaits are also taking quite a few on gravel shoals next to deep water. Rock bass are starting to make nests and can be taken on grubs and small crankbaits. Look for shallow gravel drops adjacent to deep banks. Catfish can be caught on night crawlers and liver fished around deep boulders.

Source: AGFC

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) today announced five regional town hall meetings designed to give recreational anglers a voice on where hatchery-raised trout are most wanted, and which types of trout are most desirable.

DFG plans to use this input to improve the efficiency of its trout hatcheries. The scheduled meetings, times and locations are:

• OAKLAND - Wed., June 29, from 7 - 10 p.m., at the Elihu Harris State Building Auditorium, 1515 Clay St., Oakland;
• FRESNO - Thu., July 7, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., at the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District Board Chambers, 5469 E. Olive Ave., Fresno;
• REDDING - Mon., July 18, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., Redding City Hall Community Room, 777 Cypress Ave., Redding;
• DANA POINT - Tue., Aug. 2, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Road, Dana Point;
• MAMMOTH LAKES - Thu., Aug. 11, from 7 - 10 p.m., Mammoth Lakes Community Center, 1000 Forest Trail Dr., Mammoth Lakes.

In addition to the town hall meetings, members of the public have until Aug. 31 to comment on the hatchery system or fish stocking program by e-mailing comments to DFG Director Ryan Broddrick at director@dfg.ca.gov, submitting comments to the DFG Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/fh/hatcheryplan.html, or posting a letter to DFG Director Ryan Broddrick at 1416 Ninth St., 12th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814.

To learn more about the DFG’s public outreach effort to improve the hatchery system, visit the DFG hatchery Web page at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/fh/hatcheryplan.html.

White River: Gaston’s White River Resort said the river is clear and at normal pool. There were two generators running on Saturday. Trout fishing is excellent using Little Cleos in gold, Buoyant Spoons in gold-and-red and Power Eggs in yellow or white. In low water, try using nightcrawlers, worms, gray sow bugs or olive Wooly Buggers.

Bull Shoals Tailwater: McLellan’s Fly Shop said generation has slacked off some this week, providing some low water wading opportunities. After all the recent high water, the trout are used to eating a lot. In the faster riffles and runs, drift a scud, sow bug, mayfly nymph or caddis pupa under a strike indicator and hold on. Caddis action is still hot on the White River, so be sure to have plenty of caddis pupa, as well as dries, in your fly box.

Source: AGFC

The best flies have been: zebra-and-black or olive Rubber-leg Copper John (sizes 14 to 18), McLellan’s Woven V-Rib Sow bug (sizes 14 to 16), McLellan’s Hunchback Scud in tan, olive and gray (sizes 14 to 16) Graphic Caddis in tan and olive (sizes 14 to 18), Z-Wing Caddis (sizes 14 to 16), Caddis Larva (sizes 14 to 16), Elk Hair Caddis (sizes 14 to 18), E-Z Caddis (sizes 14 to 18), Red Fox Squirrel Nymph (sizes 12 to 16), Rag Sculpin (size 6), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4), Swimming Jimmy (size 4) White Zonker (size 6), Arkansas Conehead (size 6), San Juan Worms (size 10) and Micro Eggs (size 14).

North Fork River: McLellan’s Fly Shop said generation has been more sporadic lately on the Norfork, but there have been some good wading opportunities during the morning hours. With all the recent high water, the trout are fat and full of fight. Several fat brook trout have been seen just below Norfork Dam. During low water, concentrate your nymph fishing on the faster runs and riffles and tie on a size 16 Skip Nymph or Flashback Pheasant Tail. During high-water conditions, streamer fishing has also been excellent from a boat (especially on overcast days).

The best flies have been: McLellan’s Hunchback Scud in tan, olive and gray (sizes 14 to 16), Flashback Scud in tan, olive and gray (sizes 12 to 16), McLellan’s Woven Sow Bug (sizes 14 to 16), Graphic Caddis in tan and olive (sizes 14 to 18), Skip Nymph (sizes 14 to 18), Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymph (sizes 16 to 20), Beadhead Hare’s Ear Nymph (sizes 14 to 18), Mercury Brassie (sizes 18 to 20), Rojo Midge (size 22), Mercury Blood Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Red Jujubee Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Johnny Flash (sizes 20 to 24), Mercury Black Beauty (sizes 20 to 22), Gray Mercury Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Black Wooly Sculpin (size 4), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4) and Swimming Jimmy (size 4).

Bull Shoals Lake: Wilderness Trail said the water temperature is 81.8 degrees and the lake clarity is around 15 feet. The lake level this week is 653.08 feet. The thermocline is stable at 36 feet. Crappie fishing has slowed some during the daylight hours this week, but the early evening and night crappie bite has picked up. Crappie cribs and watersheds are holding schools of crappie. The best baits are live crappie minnows on colored jigheads and Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows in pearl, smoke and Blue Thunder.

Largemouth bass have been active early in the morning in the backs of the creeks and in the cuts and pockets. Try using buzzbaits or Zara Spooks. Football jigs and Carolina rigs are starting to pick up during the daylight hours on drop offs around chunk rock and secondary points. Smallmouths are moving off the pea rock banks and points, and possibly positioning themselves in rocky areas for shad and crawfish. There will be a full moon and a crawfish hatch this week. Jerkbaits, grubs and jigworms are working on the roaming smallmouths. Tube baits started to pick up around chunk rock banks over the weekend and some early morning top-water action has been seen. Kentucky bass remain with the shad, about 20 feet down, halfway back in the creeks, on cliff ends and in the middle of main lake pockets. A few Kentuckies have been taken on spoons fished under the shad in 30 feet of water. Mojo rigs are also starting to produce nice Kentuckies with centipedes or finesse worms.

Walleye are still inside of 28 feet feeding on sunfish and shad. Ledge banks and chunk rock points are good places to look for feeding walleye in the mornings. Fish crawler harnesses or leeches behind bottom bouncers in the 20- to 26-foot range and pull them from 0.6 miles per hour to 0.9 miles per hour. Long liners are catching a few on Glass Shads and Reef Runners between 27- to 30-feet deep around points. Nighttime walleye are active and striking X-Raps and Suspending Rogues on points from 9 p.m. to midnight. Main lake points are producing the nicer walleye. The bite is very slow until 9 p.m., then the bass are moving up on the banks and feeding on crawfish. Jig ‘n’ pig combos, Texas-rigged worms, Brush Hogs and tube baits are all working well.

White River: Wilderness Trail said fishing for trout on the White River has been good this past week. The Berkley Power Egg bite has been good in yellow, white and pink. Fish are also biting well on Belgium red worms. With generation, Buoyant Spoons, Roostertails and Blue Fox spinners are the baits of choice. The fly fishermen did well on olive Woolly Buggers, tungsten beadhead midges, sow bugs and scuds. Brown trout are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Countdowns and nightcrawlers. Sugar Loaf Harbor said the lake is clear and low. Crappie are biting well from 20- to 25-feet deep on minnows and jigs near brush. Bass fishing is excellent from 13- to 20-feet deep using top-water lures and jigs near brush.

Lake Norfork: Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the lake is clear and normal. Bream are biting well about 15-feet deep using red worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is fair about 20-feet deep using live minnows and jigs near brush piles. Bass fishing is fair to good using plastic worms, jigs and single spins at night. Stripers are biting fair trolling with live shad. Walleye are biting fair on crawler harnesses or trolling about 20-feet deep. Catfishing is good using jugs or trotlines.

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 23, 2005) — On his last cast of the day, 12-year-old angler Robert Womack reeled in the best catch of his life, landing a new green sunfish state record.

Robert, of Benson, enticed the 15-ounce, 10-inch record-breaker from a 1½-acre pond in Johnston County on May 18, using a live night crawler and Quantum rod and reel combo.

With more than 10 years of fishing under his belt, Robert has fished many ponds with his dad, John, but this was his first time casting a line into this particular pond.

“We usually go fishing in another pond nearby, but I wanted to see what was in this pond,” Robert said. “After I reeled it in, Dad said it was the biggest green sunfish he had ever seen.”

Turns out, Dad has a good eye. The fish was weighed on certified scales at Food Lion in Benson and was verified as a new state record by Bill Collart, a fishery biologist with the Wildlife Commission.

Green sunfish can grow up to 2 pounds, but most are less than a pound. The previous green sunfish state record, held by Craig Wyrick of Gibsonville since Sept. 16, 1998, tipped the scales at 8 ounces.

To qualify for a state record, anglers must have caught the fish on a hook and line, must have the fish weighed on a certified scale witnessed by one observer, have the fish positively identified by a qualified expert from the Commission and submit an application with a full, side-view photo of the fish.

See a list of all freshwater fish state records in North Carolina here. For more information on fishing in North Carolina’s public, inland waters, call the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 733-3633.

Source: North Carolina WRC

Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the lake clarity is poor, and the level is low. Bream are bedded up and biting well from 18- to 24-inches deep on red worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is good 8- to 12-feet deep using minnows around stumps and cypress trees in the middle of the lake. Bass are biting well on soft-plastic worms and Zoom Horny Toads near the lily pads. Catfish are biting well on chicken liver, shad and minnows.

Little Red River: Lindsey’s Resort said the river is clear and low. Trout fishing is good using wax worms with marshmallows, Power Bait, nightcrawlers, Buoyant Spoons and Trout Magnets.

Greers Ferry: Shiloh Marina said bream are biting well from 5- to 10-feet deep on worms fished near Goat Island. Whites and hybrids are biting early in the morning and at daybreak. Try using a 1/8-ounce white jig and minnow combination or try trolling with a spoon.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing said the lake is clear and low. Bream fishing is excellent from 2- to 3-feet deep using crickets on the bream beds. Crappie are biting at night and early in the morning. Try fishing from 6- to 8-feet deep using small minnows. Bass fishing is poor. Catfishing is good about 6-feet deep using large minnows and small bream.

Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well in shallow water on crickets. Crappie fishing is good using minnows or green-and-white jigs about 6-feet deep. Catfish are biting well on trotlines baited with minnows.

Beaverfork Lake: Wooster Grocery said the lake is stained and at normal pool. Bream are biting well less than a foot deep. Try using crickets near brush piles or stumps. Crappie fishing is good on minnows in deeper water. Bass are biting well on lures and minnows near brush or stumps. Catfishing is fair.

Toad Suck Lock and Dam: Bates Field and Stream said the water is stained and low. Stripers are biting on white bucktail jigs.

Little Maumelle River: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream, crappie and bass are all poor. Catfishing is fair to good using chicken liver, nightcrawlers and shad.

River Valley Bait said the river is muddy and low. Bream are biting well from 2- to 3-feet deep on wax worms, red worms and nightcrawlers along the edge of the bank. Crappie fishing is fair from 14- to 18-feet deep using minnows and assorted jigs. Bass fishing is fair about 2-feet deep using assorted spinner baits. Catfish are biting well on the bottom.

Bill Maumelle River: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said crappie are biting fair to good on live minnows near the cypress trees. Catfishing is good using nightcrawlers, shad and chicken livers.

Lake Cargile: Beeson’s Grocery said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Overall, fishing is good using any bait of choice.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said black bass are in the weeds to 10-feet deep early in the morning and late in the day and are hitting on top-water lures and Rat-L-Traps. Largemouths are deeper during the day, with some being caught on Carolina rigs and drop-shot rigs. Kentuckies are being caught 8- to 14-feet deep on 3-inch pumpkin grubs and crankbaits. Drop-shotting 12-feet deep is also bringing in a few Kentucky bass. Catfish are hitting 13- to 28-feet deep on large minnows and prepared baits. Crappie fishermen are doing well in 18 to 22 feet of water on 1/32-ounce jigs and crappie minnows.

Arkansas River: Charley’s Hidden Harbor near Oppelo said fish are moving to the sides of the eddies and swirls to where the shad are schooling. Catfishing has been good drifting in whole shad 15- to 20-feet deep. The fishing is also good below Lock 10 to the Highway 7 Bridge and below Lock 9 to the Highway 9 Bridge. White bass fishing has been good early and late in the day around the balls of shad in the current. Stripers are holding on the tips of the jetties and hitting large casting spoons. Bream are excellent around the grass in slack-water areas behind the jetties. Crappie are good in 8 to 12 feet of water on live minnows.

Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bass are biting well on crankbaits, Zoom Flukes and Zoom Horny Toads in grass beds and on the jetty points. Catfishing is good using trotlines baited with shad, skipjacks or rice slicks.

Fourche La Fave River: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish are biting well on nightcrawlers, skipjack and shad.

Pickthorne Lake: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfishing is good using chicken liver, nightcrawlers and shad. Outdoor Super Store said the lake is muddy and low. Bass are schooling in the afternoon and biting well on crankbaits. Bass are also biting on dark-colored plastic worms in the brush. Catfishing is good using chicken liver in the middle of the lake about 5-feet deep. Try fishing for catfish in the evening.

Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish are biting well when the water is running. Try bait fishing or snagging.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports said the water is stained and low. Bream are biting well about 4-feet deep on black Roostertails or black Beetle Spins. Bass are biting well about 3-feet deep on green pumpkin Gitzits. Crappie fishing is fair about 5-feet deep using black Roostertails or black Beetle Spins.

Sunset Lake in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well from 10- to 12-feet deep on crickets. Catfishing is good using baitfish hearts.

Source: AGFC

LAPLATA, Md. – For pros and co-anglers chasing berths in the $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship, the 2005 Wal-Mart FLW Tour season has boiled down to four days of intense bass-fishing competition on the Potomac River in the $1.25 million Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s – the tour’s final qualifying event. And just to make things a little more intense, the Potomac yielded a near-record catch of 1,706 bass weighing 3,917 pounds, 2 ounces.

The only tournament in FLW Tour history to produce more bass was the 2004 stop on Lake Champlain, where anglers caught 1,811 fish. That same event set the tour’s weight record at 4,481 pounds, 3 ounces. Lake Champlain also holds the No. 2 spot in overall weight with 4,082 pounds, 6 ounces crossing the scale in 2002. The 2002 Champlain tournament slipped to third in number of bass, however, with 1,638 fish, trailing Wednesday’s incredible catch on the Potomac by 68 fish. All 200 pros and 196 co-anglers competing Wednesday caught bass, including 180 limits in the Pro Division and 95 limits in the Co-angler Division. All of which proves that Charles County is home to some of the best bass fishing in the nation.

Land O’Lakes pro Jerry Williams of Conway, Ark., made the most of a fantastic opening day to take the early lead with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, in second with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces and Michael Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., in third with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces.

“I had no idea what I was going to do today,” said Williams, who has earned five FLW Tour top-10 finishes, including four in his 1998 rookie season. “It took a while to figure things out, but after that, we caught a lot of fish. My third spot held all of the bigger fish, and they really turned on when the tide started out. After that, I culled three or four 3-pounders.”

Williams caught the majority of his bass by flipping a jig to grass in 2 feet of water.

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La. (five bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces) and Kellogg’s pro Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla. (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce) rounded out the top five pros.

Danny Correia of Marlborough, Mass., earned the day’s Snickers Big Bass award of $750 in the Pro Division with a 6-pound, 9-ounce largemouth.

Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points leader and 7 UP pro JT Kenney of Frostburg finished a disappointing 70th place on opening day with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces, leaving the door wide open for Hackney, Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., and Toshinari Namiki of Hachioji-City, Japan, to take the title from him.

Coming into the event, Gagliardi, Hackney and Namiki trailed Kenney by 2, 16 and 23 points, respectively, in the No. 2, 3 and 4 positions. After opening day, however, Hackney holds a 66 point lead on Kenney. Namiki now holds a 57 point lead on Kenney and trials Hackney by 9 points. And Gagliardi holds a 36 point lead on Kenney, but trails Hackney and Namiki by 30 and 21 points, respectively. Tides can change rapidly on the Potomac, however, so the race is still up for grabs.

In the Co-angler Division Chris Koester of Winston Salem, N.C., leads the field with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces. He fished with Lawry’s pro Jason Kilpatrick of Satsuma, Ala., who caught five bass weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces and is currently 129th on the pro side.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Blosser of Poynette, Wis. (five bass, 15 pounds, 15 ounces); Terry Chapman of Cornelius, N.C. (five bass, 15 pounds, 3 ounces); Thomas Greene of Germantown (five bass, 14 pounds, 9 ounces); and Dino Caporuscio of Coto De Caza, Calif. (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces).

Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, claimed the Snickers Big Bass award and $500 in the Co-angler Division with a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass that he caught while fishing with pro Robert Karbas Jr. of Wake Forest, N.C., who is currently in 18th with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces.

More than 98 percent of the bass were released alive.

Anglers will take off each morning from Smallwood State Park in Marbury at 6:30 a.m. Thursday’s weigh-in will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Drive in LaPlata beginning at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The community is invited to join the worlds’ top bass anglers as they celebrate the FLW Tour’s 10th anniversary in the Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy.

Tom Arnold, Chris Rose and John Salley will be appearing in the Family Fun Zone from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday for a special taping of the FSN hit “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” which airs weeknights at 10:30 p.m. Arnold, Rose and Salley will interview FLW Tour anglers and prominent sports figures from the Washington, D.C., area. Spectators could possibly make an appearance on the show as well, so you won’t want to miss this opportunity.

Monte Burke, author of “Sowbelly, the Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass,” will also be in the Fun Zone autographing copies of his new hit book.

Following Thursday’s competition, the field will be narrowed from 200 competitors per division to 10, and weights will be cleared for Friday’s competition. Co-angler competition concludes Friday based on the heaviest one-day weight, and pros continue competition Saturday with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight. The winning co-angler earns $40,000 while the winning pro earns $200,000. Pros finishing as low as 50th place earn $10,000.

The top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points standings following this event will advance to the Forrest L. Wood Championship July 13-16 in Hot Springs, Ark., on Lake Hamilton. The $1.5 million championship presented by Castrol awards the winning pro $500,000 cash, the sport’s largest payout, and features a world-class outdoor show. Pros earn a minimum of $15,000 just for qualifying.

Complete coverage of the Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s will be broadcast to 82 million FSN subscribers as part of the “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” television program July 24 and 31. “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Additionally, “Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors” is broadcast by the American Forces Network to 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard naval ships. Saturday’s final weigh-in will also be broadcast live to Wal-Mart stores nationwide by the Wal-Mart Television Network.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events.

For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information on FSN, visit FoxSports.com.

Mississippi River Pools 16 to 19: Fishing on the Mississippi River Pools 16 to 19 has been fair. At the gauging station on Pool 16 (near Muscatine) the water temperature is 78 degrees and the river pool stage is 10.27 feet and is expected to remain stable over the next several days.

Fishing for channel catfish continues to be good throughout the river with leeches, worms, and stink bait. Anglers continue to catch bluegill in all accessible backwaters on worms and small jigs and bobber rigs. Fishing for crappie has been slow. White bass fishing continues to be fair in the tailwaters.

Anglers report walleye and sauger fishing is beginning to pick up. Walleye fishing below Dam 16 (Muscatine) is fair, tailwater 16 is not producing good numbers of fish, but the fish caught are decent sized. Anglers are also getting a few walleye and sauger below Dam 17 (Toolesboro). Walleye and sauger are also starting to be caught off the wing dams on crankbaits. Flathead fishing has been good below lock and Dam 19 (Keokuk). Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing has been fair below Dam 16 (Muscatine) and above Dam 19 (Keokuk).

Lake Odessa (Louisa): Mississippi River levels are preventing the DNR from lowering the lake for the summer, but will resume the water level drop after the river goes down. The Toolesboro access has not been affected by the river level.

Lake Darling (Washington): Evening remains the best time to catch the catfish. For those with boats, try off the ends of the rock jetties on the east side of the lake where the catfish are on the prowl for the crayfish.

Lake Geode (Henry): Late last week, some bluegills had moved back onto the beds for a second spawn. The rest of the bluegills are out deeper at the edges of the weed beds. Try trolling for crappies along the creek channel for some nice fish.

Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk): Bluegill fishing is fair. Water temperatures have hit the upper 70s to low 80s. The bluegills have moved into deeper water so head for the deep submerged trees.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Crappies are still being caught along the rocky shorelines and in deeper water around brush piles on minnows and tube jigs. Walleyes and white bass have been hitting on jigs and minnows, crankbaits, and night crawlers. Channel catfish have been biting on cut bait and stink bait in the Bridgeview area

Lake Hawthorn (Mahaska): Largemouth bass have been hitting top-water lures fished in the mornings and evenings in the shallows and around structure. Channel catfish have been biting on cut bait around the rocks.

Lake Miami (Monroe): Channel catfish have been biting on liver and cut bait. Crappies have been hitting on small jigs and minnows in the flooded timber. Bluegills have been hitting small jigs fished in the shallows.

Lake Wapello (Davis): Channel catfish have been biting on stink bait and liver. Bluegills have been hitting small jigs around structure in 10 to 12 feet of water. Largemouth bass have been hitting on a variety of artificial lures

Pleasant Creek (Linn): Channel catfish are moving shallow to spawn. These fish are very aggressive and can be caught on a variety of baits. Large numbers of 5 to 8-inch bluegills are in the shallows and are usually eager to bite. Largemouth bass have been biting on live and artificial baits around the rocky areas.

Hannen Lake (Benton): Bluegills in the 6 to 9-inch range are being caught in the shallows. Channel catfish are coming in to spawn and are being caught on chicken liver and night crawlers. Largemouth bass are being caught on a variety of artificial and live baits.

Coralville Reservoir (Johnson): Channel catfish are in the shallow rocks to spawn and can be caught on a variety of live and dead baits.

Lake Iowa (Iowa): Spawning channel catfish are feeding aggressively on liver and night crawlers. Look for them in the shallow areas of the lake.

Diamond Lake (Poweshiek): Bluegills remaining in the shallows are being caught on small baits. Spawning catfish are being caught on night crawlers in the shallow rocky areas.

Union Grove (Tama): Crappies, bluegills and channel catfish are being caught in the shallows right now. Try minnows or small jigs for the crappies, small worms or wax worms for the bluegills, and night crawlers or liver for the catfish.

Lake Macbride (Johnson): Try around rocky areas for spawning channel catfish. They are very aggressive and can be caught on a number of live/natural baits. Some bluegills are still holding shallow and are willing to bite.

Kent Park (Johnson): Bluegills and crappies are being caught in the shallows on small baits, while channel catfish are being caught early and late in the day on chicken liver or night crawlers. Many sub-legal bass can be caught on a variety of lures.

Iowa River (Louisa): Catfishing is fair. Bank pole fishing for flatheads has dropped off. River levels are dropping steadily which normally means so does the fishing.

Skunk River (Keokuk and Washington): Water levels are dropping very quickly. Fishing has been poor to fair.

For more information on fishing in southeast Iowa, call the regional office in Brighton at 319-694-2430.

Source: Iowa DNR

Nearly every angler in the state has a favorite, often secret, fishing access site. “With 320 fishing access sites to choose from across the state, anglers enjoy good access to the state’s blue ribbon streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs,” said Allan Kuser, FWP fishing access site coordinator.

Most of the fishing opportunities at these access sites are on rivers and streams. Fifty-eight sites are on lakes and reservoirs, including 14 warm water fisheries stocked by FWP.

“As fishing access sites grow in popularity, more people find that they are attractive places to enjoy Montana’s waters, picnic, walk their dogs, maybe camp overnight,” Kuser said. Currently, 49 sites charge for overnight camping. The cost is $7 with a current fishing license and $12 for people without a fishing license. Camping fees help cover the additional expenses to maintain these sites for overnight use.

A guide to the 320 fishing access sites in the state is available at FWP regional offices. It contains directions, maps, details on facilities, fees, and camping opportunities. Or go to the FWP web site, and search Montana’s Fishing Access Sites.

Source: Montana FWP

Viking (Montgomery): Crappie fishing is fair. Crappies are in 6 to 8 feet of water around structure. Use a small jig or minnow and bobber. Bluegill fishing is fair; cast small jigs close to shore. Largemouth bass fishing is also good using plastic baits and a slow retrieve. Channel catfish are being caught using liver and stink bait.

Cold Springs (Cass): Channel catfish are being caught using liver. Crappie fishing is fair around sunken trees. Bluegills are being caught with small jigs around structure.

Manawa (Pottawattamie): Channel catfish is fair using cut bait and liver on south shore and tin can alley. Walleyes are being caught along west shore in evening drifting night crawlers and trolling crank baits. Fresh water drum are being caught on west shore using night crawlers on the bottom.

Orient (Adair): Fishing is fair for 7- to 8-inch crappies drifting jigs and minnows. Channel catfish are being caught using liver early in the morning. Most bluegills have moved off spawning areas but are still being caught around structure.

Mormon Trail (Adair): A few crappies are being caught around the jetties and sunken trees. Some bluegills are still being caught off spawning beds on the south side of the lake. Try fishing in 5 to 6 feet of water around structure. Channel catfishing has slowed, but some are still being caught using liver.

Greenfield (Adair): Crappie fishing is fair around brush piles using minnows. Bluegill fishing is fair drifting a jig tipped with a night crawler. Largemouth bass fishing is good using spinner baits. Catfishing is fair using liver.

Littlefield (Audubon): Bluegill fishing is fair using small jigs tipped with worms. Crappie fishing has slowed, but some are still being caught using minnows and bobbers. Most crappies are 10 inches. Channel catfishing is fair using prepared dip bait and liver.

Prairie Rose (Shelby): Crappies can still be caught along rocky shorelines. Channel catfish are being caught in the evenings using dead minnows or liver. Largemouth bass fishing has picked up on crank baits and plastic worms.

DeSoto Bend (Harrison): Walleye fishing is fair jigging minnows around brush piles and trolling crankbaits in the evenings in 6 to 8 feet of water. Bluegills have moved off spawning beds, but are still being caught around structure using night crawlers. Channel catfish are being caught on liver.

Willow (Harrison): Bluegills are being caught on worms, and crappie fishing is fair using small jigs on the corner of the dam. A few catfish are being caught in shallow coves using liver.

Green Valley (Union): Some crappie can still be caught in the mornings and evenings near structure, and deeper during the day. Some big bluegill can still be caught from shore with crawlers or jigs tipped with wax worms. Fishing is good for big 12- to 13-inch bullheads on night crawlers.

Three Mile (Union): Walleye can be caught on leeches and night crawlers from the steep drop offs near the big points and on the sides of the mounds. Channel catfish can be caught from the riprap and rock piles. Bluegills and crappies can be caught from the tops of the brush piles or the outside of the weed line.

Twelve Mile (Union): Channel catfish can be caught on liver or blood baits.

Walnut Creek Marsh (Ringgold): Big bluegills and some crappie can be caught along the south dike on crawlers and jigs tipped with crawlers.

Fogle Lake (Ringgold): Channel catfish can be caught using liver in the riprap areas. Some bluegill can be caught from the outside of the weed line.

Little River (Decatur): Channel catfish can be caught using liver from the rocks. Walleye fishing is good using leeches and crawlers around the big points and steep drop offs.

East Lenox (Taylor): Bluegills can be caught from shore using crawlers.

West Lenox (Taylor): Some nice bluegills can be caught from the corners of the dam off spawning beds. Some good largemouth bass can be caught near shore in the evenings.

Wilson Lake (Taylor): Some bluegilsl can be caught in the evenings with crawlers.

Criss Cove (Madison): Some nice bluegills can be caught with crawlers from the outside of the cattails.

West Lake Osceola (Clarke): Bluegills can be caught with crawlers in the bays or around the flooded trees. Largemouth bass fishing is good.

Grade Lake (Clarke): Fishing is good for bluegills on the outside edges of the weed line. Fishing is also good for medium size bass.

Q Pond (Clarke): Some nice bullheads can be caught on crawlers.

Don Williams (Boone): Crappie fishing is good to excellent using minnows and jigs. Channel catfish fishing has been good using stink baits. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair, with a few nice-sized fish. Bluegill fishing has been fair on worms. Several anglers have also reported catching walleye, a few in the 18- to 20-inch range.

Hickory Grove (Story): Crappie fishing has been good using jigs and minnows. Bluegill fishing is fair on worms and bobbers. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair with top water lures, with a few fish up to 19 inches.

Rock Creek (Jasper): Bluegill fishing has been fair using worms. Crappie fishing has been fair to good near and around structure on jigs and minnows, although fish are starting to move into deeper water. Largemouth bass have been biting on top water lures working the shorelines. Channel catfish fishing have been fair to good using worms and/or chicken livers.

Big Creek (Polk): Bluegill fishing has been good on worms, with some nice-sized fish reported. Crappie fishing has been slow to fair using jigs/minnows, with the better areas near the dam and in the east arm of the lake. Anglers also report catching a number of smaller walleye below the 15-inch minimum length limit. Channel catfishing has been slow to fair, with some nice-sized fish in the lake.

Easter (Polk): Crappie fishing has been good on jigs for 6- to 8-inch fish. Bluegill fishing has been good with some nice 8-inch fish reported. Largemouth bass fishing has been good using plastic worms. Channel catfish fishing has been fair using worms and/or chicken livers.

Saylorville Lake (Polk): Crappie and white bass fishing has been good to excellent in various areas, with some 10-inch-plus fish reported. Channel catfish fishing has been good to excellent using stink baits at the outlet from Big Creek Lake, primarily during late evening or night.

Below Saylorville Dam (Polk): White bass and crappie fishing has been good using jigs and/or minnows with some nice sized walleye reportedly caught. Fishing has been good along Cottonwood access downstream from the dam.

Des Moines River (Polk): Crappie and white bass fishing has been fair to good in the Des Moines River below the Scotts Street and Center Street dams.

Lake Red Rock (Marion): Crappie fishing has been fair, with some nice sized fish caught using jigs/minnow combination. The better areas are the shallower, warmer waters, around the outlet from Roberts Creek and in the Whitebreast area. Channel catfishing has been good in the upper reaches of the reservoir off old road beds.

Below Lake Red Rock (Marion): Anglers report white bass and crappie fishing has been fair using jigs in the tailwater area. Channel catfish fishing has also picked up with some nice fish being caught.

Roberts Creek (Marion): Crappie fishing has been good near the outlet using jig/minnow combinations. Channel catfish fishing has been good near the outlet.

Ahquabi (Warren): Crappie fishing has been fair using jigs/minnows. Largemouth bass fishing has been good using plastic worms and spinner lures, although most have been sub-legal. Bluegill and redear fishing has been good with most fish taken on worms near the shoreline.

Hooper (Warren): Crappie fishing has been fair using jig/minnow combinations. Largemouth bass fishing has been good using plastic worms and spinner lures. Bluegill fishing has been fair to good.

For more information on fishing in southwest Iowa, call the regional office in Lewis at 712-769-2587.

Source: Iowa DNR

Anglers hoping to catch spring Chinook salmon on the Little Salmon River, the South Fork Clearwater River and the Lochsa River will be able to continue fishing.

Fisheries managers with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game say recreational anglers have not yet harvested the state’s share of the harvestable salmon on those rivers. Fishing for Chinook on the Little Salmon River, the South Fork Clearwater River, and the Lochsa River is limited to Friday through Monday.

“We will be able to stay open for the entire four days”, Anadromous Fisheries Coordinator Bill Horton said.

Meanwhile anglers can fish for summer Chinook on the South Fork Salmon River seven days per week until the state’s share of harvestable fish is caught there. The South Fork Salmon River opened to fishing on Friday June 17. As of Monday June 20 no anglers had reported catching a Chinook on the South Fork Salmon. As of Tuesday morning (June 21) only two summer Chinook had been trapped at the South Fork weir.

Once fishing picks up on the South Fork Salmon River, the season is likely to be a short one. The state’s share of harvestable summer Chinook is expected to be much lower this year. The amount of mortality allowed under the Endangered Species Act among naturally produced chinook due to incidental take is also expected to be very low this year. Incidental take accounts for salmon expected to die after anglers catch and release them.

Anglers targeting Chinook salmon must have a valid Idaho fishing license and a salmon permit. Barbless hooks are required, and anglers must immediately release all fish that do not have a clipped adipose fin. Any angler who keeps a salmon must quit fishing for that day, and any angler who has three fish in possession must also quit fishing. Any angler who has recorded ten fish on a 2005 salmon permit must quit fishing for salmon for the season. Other rules for spring and summer Chinook fishing are available at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov./fish/rules/chinook_seasons/

CASS LAKE, Minn. - The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Minnesota Division will stage its third tournament of 2005 on Cass Lake June 25. The tournament is expected to draw as many as 200 weekend walleye anglers to the area, with Boater Division competitors casting for a top award of as much as $4,000 and co-anglers in the hunt for a top award of as much as $2,000.

Anglers will take off from Break on the Lake Resort at 7 a.m., and the weigh-in will be held there beginning at 3 p.m. The community is invited to attend both the takeoff and weigh-in, which are free and open to the public.

Boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired for the event and fish for a combined boat weight. Cash payouts are based on a full field of 100 boaters and 100 co-anglers. Boaters compete against other boaters, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers.

The winning boater will earn as much as $3,500 cash for the win, and if the winner is a registered owner of a Ranger boat used during the event, the winner receives a $500 Ranger bonus for a top award of $4,000 cash. If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics with at least one unit being a qualifying unit, the winner will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Garmin for a total award of $5,000. The winning co-angler will earn as much as $1,750 and if the winner is a registered Ranger owner, the winner will receive a $250 bonus for a top award of $2,000.

Three FLW Walleye League divisions - Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin - each feature three one-day events and one two-day Super Tournament during the regular season. Every angler who receives weight credit earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on, except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings.

The top 35 boaters and 35 co-anglers from each FLW Walleye League division advance to the $115,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals, set for Sept. 8-10 on the Mississippi River in Winona, Minn. Anglers finishing in the top 10 in each division also receive priority entry into the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour for 2006.

The Wisconsin Division’s final regular-season stop will be the Super Tournament presented by Evinrude July 30-31 on Lake Bemidji.

If the June 25 tournament on Cass Lake is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Palace Casino Hotel located at 6280 Upper Cass Frontage Road. Entry fees are $150 for boaters and $75 for co-anglers.

The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created to provide the grassroots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered, close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000.

Source: FLW Outdoors

DES MOINES - Iowa waters are getting busy as summer heat sends people to beaches, rivers and lakes to cool off and to recreate. With the peak of the boating season less than two weeks away, Iowa boaters are encouraged to brush up on their skills and to practice safe, defensive boating.

One area where boaters get into trouble is when they operate the boat too fast for the conditions. When pulling a water skier or tuber, know the person’s skill level and keep the boat speed in check.

“We are seeing injuries happen to people when they fall off the tow tubes at a high rate of speed. People are damaging their ear drums and we are finding cases of temporary paralysis because of neck injuries,” said Rod Slings, recreation safety program supervisor with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

With the increase in traffic, boat ramps will become congested as people try to get in and out of the water. Practice good boat ramp etiquette. Prepare the boat for launching away from the ramp. “When you’re on the ramp, be ready to cast off. Don’t tie up the ramp. Have patience,” Slings said.

Boaters need to keep an eye on the sky as well. Weather conditions can change quickly and turn a nice day into a dangerous situation.

“Don’t wait until the last minute to get off the water, because you are going to find a logjam at the boat ramp, and that is where a lot of boaters get into trouble,” Slings said.

Review the handbook of Iowa boating laws and responsibilities and be aware of any special regulations pertaining to boating on the body of water.

Required equipment includes a sounding device if the boat is 16 feet or longer, lights, a fire extinguisher if the motor is 10 horsepower or larger. There must be a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket, free from tears with all straps in place, for each person on board, and a throwable floatation device for boats l6 feet and longer. All this equipment must be in servicable condition.

Equipment nice to have includes an anchor and plenty of rope, a paddle, a first aid kit, cell phone, extra short lines for tying up the boat, a tow line (could be the anchor rope). Boat fenders to protect the boat, the dock and passengers when moored, a map for the lake, compass, flashlight and sunscreen. It would also be nice to have a spare tire for the boat trailer.

Source: Iowa DNR

Anglers fishing for bass in Idaho should look closely at the fish they catch.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is tagging bass in five locations to learn more about bass fishing in southern Idaho. The tagged bass are swimming in CJ Strike Reservoir, Bell Rapids Reservoir, Milner Reservoir, the Snake River below American Falls Reservoir, and Gem Lake.

Each tag is imprinted with an ID number and a toll-free telephone number (1-866-258-0338). Survey forms will also be available at access points at each reservoir. Anglers catching tagged bass are asked to fill out a survey form and send it in, or call the toll-free number with information about their catch.

Anglers who keep the tagged fish they catch are asked to return the tag to Fish and Game. The Department encourages catch and release fishing, but anglers who release their fish should not attempt to remove the tags. Anyone releasing a tagged bass should simply record the tag number and fill out a survey form or call the toll-free number. Researchers are interested in answers to the following questions:

1. What is the tag number?

2. Did you harvest (keep) the fish?

3. When did you catch the fish?

4. Would you have kept the fish if it was not tagged?

5. Did the fish have two tags?

6. Do you wish to have the tag returned to you?

Research Biologist Art Butts says the information anglers provide will be used to improve bass fishing statewide. “We can learn information on growth, survival, and movement of individual fish when tag numbers are reported”, Butts said. “This information can be used to help us better manage this very important resource.”

Source: Idaho Fish and Game

MANY, La. — Pro Michael Metcalf of Center, Texas, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41 pounds, 3 ounces to win $50,000 in cash and prizes, including a Ranger 519 VX powered by a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart batteries, at the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail event on Toledo Bend.

This was the second time Metcalf has won a TTT event on Toledo Bend since 2003. A field of 190 pros and 190 co-anglers competed in the event, which featured a $98,700 purse. Metcalf, who’s been competing in TTT events since 2001, fished the north end of the reservoir and threw Carolina-rigged Zoom soft plastics and a Frentz crankbait to catch his winning limits under scorching 100-degree temperatures.

Rounding out the top five pros are Stan Burgay of Timpson, Texas (10 bass, 38 pounds, 2 ounces, $8,000); Spencer Mcalester of Denison, Texas (nine bass, 28 pounds, 12 ounces, $6,000 plus $4,000 bonus); David Curtis of Trinity, Texas (10 bass, 25 pounds, 4 ounces, $4,300 plus $3,000 bonus); and Jim Campbell of Many (9 bass, 24 pounds, 1 ounce, $3,200).

Bonuses are awarded to registered Ranger boat owners. Pros must also fish out the eligible Ranger boat during the tournament to qualify for contingency awards.

Mark King of Gurdon, Ark., won the Co-angler Division and $34,000 in cash and prizes including a fully rigged Ranger 519 VX. King fished with Metcalf both days of the event and caught his winning two-day total of eight bass weighing 29 pounds, 4 ounces throwing crankbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics. King caught the largest bass of the tournament on Saturday – a 9-pound, 6-ounce largemouth.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dan Schoonveld of Hemphill, Texas (eight bass, 22 pounds, 13 ounces, $3,000 plus $1,650 bonus); Sisto Salinas of Troy, Texas (10 bass, 19 pounds, 11 ounces, $2,000 plus $1,200 bonus); Anthony Ferdinando of Spicewood, Texas (eight bass, 18 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,000 plus $1,000 bonus); and William Herline of Silsbee, Texas (nine bass, 16 pounds, 2 ounces, $800 plus $900 bonus).

The top 50 pros and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the $195,000 Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship Oct. 15-16 on Lake Conroe near Conroe. The winning pro at the championship can earn as much as $71,000 in cash and prizes, including a Ranger boat.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit flwoutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): Walleye fishing has been good around weed lines and fishing in the basin is picking up. Live bait presentations using leeches and crawlers are best for numbers with crankbaits. They are catching fewer but bigger fish. Largemouth bass fishing has been good around docks close to the weed lines using soft plastics.

West Okoboji Lake (Dickinson): Largemouth bass fishing has been good around the weed lines using soft plastics. A few largemouth are also being caught around docks. Smallmouth bass fishing is fair around rocks. The top presentations have been using crankbaits in the evenings and soft plastics during the day. Bluegill fishing has slowed, but anglers are still getting a few around the docks. Look for bluegills around rock piles that have vegetation close by. Northern pike fishing has been good for small fish using crankbaits.

East Okoboji Lake (Dickinson): Catfish fishing has picked up using stink bait and chicken liver. Bluegills are being caught around the trestle area.

Lake Minnewashta (Dickinson): Anglers are catching some nice bluegills.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Catfish fishing has been good to excellent around the submerged brush using cut bait. Anglers are catching a few big bullheads.

Trumbull Lake (Clay): A few northern pike are being caught around the outlet using spoons and spinners.

Ingham Lake (Emmet): Bullhead fishing is excellent. Anglers are catching channel catfish using chicken liver and stink bait.

West Fork of the Des Moines River (Emmet): Walleye fishing has picked up the past week.

Five Island (Palo Alto): Walleye fishing is fair, but has slowed down considerably.

Willow Creek (Osceola): Largemouth bass fishing has been good using top-water baits.

Lake Pahoja (Lyon): Fishing has been good for bluegills and crappies around brush piles. The fish are on the small side, but it is a great place to take the kids.

Black Hawk Lake (Sac): Channel catfish are good using a variety of baits. A few walleyes are being caught on leeches, but it is slow. Remember the 15-inch minimum length limit. Bullheads are good using night crawlers all over the lake.

Storm Lake (Buena Vista): Catfish are good on leeches, night crawlers and minnows. Walleye are fair trolling crankbaits.

North Twin Lake (Calhoun): Bluegill and channel catfish fishing is good.

Brushy Creek (Webster): Bluegill fishing has been good lately using wax worms or a piece of worm. A few nice crappies have been picked up using minnows on a small hook and slip bobber fishing around structure. Yellow perch are being caught along with the bluegills using wax worms or a piece of worms. Walleyes are biting sporadically throughout the day. Bass fishing remains good throughout the lake.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Walleye fishing has been fair. Slip bobbers with live bait or spinner rigs with minnows, night crawlers or leeches are producing fish. Fish around the rock reefs with either technique for the best action. Channel catfish are hitting on night crawlers, minnows and chicken liver. Bullheads are hitting on night crawlers fished on the bottom. Yellow bass have been difficult to locate, in any numbers, since they moved out of the spawning areas.

Beeds Lake (Franklin): Crappie fishing is good using small tube jigs or twister tails in 10 to 18 feet of water. Fish are suspended high in the water column, so use light jigs and drift or troll them out away from the boat. Bluegills are hitting on small jigs or pieces of crawlers. Fish are on the spawning beds near shore.

Interstate Park Pond (Franklin): Crappies are hitting on small jigs and minnows off the fishing jetty. Bluegills are hitting on small jigs and night crawlers around the shoreline.

Lake Cornelia (Wright): Bullhead fishing is good off the jetty or any wind blow shoreline. Use night crawlers fished on the bottom. Walleye fishing is fair trolling crankbaits.

For more information on fishing in northwest Iowa, call the regional office in Spirit Lake at 712-336-1840.

Source: Iowa DNR

If you’re planning to go fishing or hunting this year and haven’t bought your license yet, you may want to get to a vendor soon.

The prices of most Idaho fishing and hunting licenses will go up on Friday July 1. The fee increase, approved by the legislature earlier this year, will raise most prices by about 10 percent; resident adult hunting licenses will go from $11.50 to $12.75, and adult fishing licenses for residents go from $23.50 to $25.75. Resident combination licenses will go from $30.50 to $33.50.

However, the price for a senior combination license will go from $4.50 to $11.75. The legislature approved the higher increase on senior licenses to bring them more in line with junior licenses. The increase also includes a 25 cent increase for vendors.

The fee increase goes into effect on July 1 because that is the day the new fiscal year begins. All licenses purchased before July 1 remain valid for the remainder of 2005. For more information on where and how to buy a license go to the Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov and click on the “licenses and tags” link.

Mississippi River Pools 9 to 15: Water levels on the Mississippi River have complicated fishing over the past few weeks; however, river levels were expected to crest on June 20, then begin to recede. Water level in the tailwater at Guttenberg on Monday morning was at 9.3 feet with a temperature of 78 degrees.

Bellevue was on a slow rise at 9.87 feet with a temperature of 76 degrees. Water clarity is stained. Sporadic catches of walleyes are being reported from Pools 9 to 11. Some anglers are fishing the wing dams for walleyes using a three-way worm rig. Other anglers are catching walleyes by drifting jigs in the larger, flowing sloughs such as Minnesota Slough (Pool 9) or Harpers Slough (Pool 10). Walleye fishing in Pools 12 to 15 is fair to good using night crawlers, crankbaits and leeches along the wing dams tight to shore (areas with less current) and off the rocks and rip rapped shorelines.

Fishing for freshwater drum has been good to excellent in nearly all flowing water habitats in Pools 9 to 15. Use a sliding sinker and night crawler for drum. Good places to fish for freshwater drum include Minnesota Slough near New Albin in Pool 9, Harpers Slough near Harpers Ferry in Pool 10, and the emergency spillway near Guttenberg in Pool 11, or fish the wing dams and areas with current in Pools 12 to 15.

Channel catfish are biting on worms, night crawlers, cheese bait and stink baits fished along the rocky shorelines in Pools 9 to 15. Channel catfish normally start to spawn when water temperatures reach 75 degrees, so look for catfish around spawning habitat-rocks and logjam areas. Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass are both biting well in Pools 9 to 11. Smallmouth can be found in current areas along natural rocky banks or along riprap stretches of the river in Pools 9 to 11. Use an in-line spinner or crankbait and pitch the lure as close to the rock as possible, since smallmouth will hide in rocky crevasses.

Largemouth bass are biting well throughout Pool 9 and in the tailwater areas at Lynxville (Dam 9) and Guttenberg (Dam 10). Anglers are using a variety of spinning baits and are fishing the quiet pockets or along the spillways. Largemouth in Pool 10 are also being caught using scum frogs in Bussey Lake and Methodist Lake. Largemouth bass fishing in Pools 12 to 15 is fair to good on a variety of traditional bass lures including crankbaits, spinner baits, top-water lures and jigs fished around woody structure, vegetation and rocky shorelines in the backwaters and along the main channel border in areas with little or no current. A few bluegills are being taken off rocky shorelines and backwater areas next to woody structure in Pools 12 to 15.

Cedar River (Floyd): Walleyes are biting on bright-colored jigs or jig heads tipped with a night crawler. Smallmouth bass are hitting bright-colored crankbaits and jigs.

Cedar River (Black Hawk), Shell Rock River (Butler) and West Fork Cedar River (Butler): Channel catfish fishing is good to excellent drifting a minnow, night crawler or leech below a bobber. On the Cedar River, look for channel catfish below the dams.

Maquoketa River (Delaware and Jones): Fishing for channel catfish is good using minnows, night crawlers or chicken liver. Smallmouth bass are biting on crankbaits in the catch-and-release area below the Lake Delhi Dam.

Shell Rock River (Floyd): Smallmouth bass fishing is good with jigs tipped with a night crawler.

Gilbertson Nature Center Pond (Fayette): Channel catfish are biting on stink baits. While in the Elgin area, anglers are encouraged to visit the nature center.

Lake Meyer (Winneshiek): Bluegill fishing is good on a piece of night crawler fished under a bobber.

Lake Hendricks (Howard): Bluegill fishing is good on worms fished under a slip bobber. Largemouth bass are hitting on top-water lures. Channel catfish are biting on chick liver and cut baits.

Lake Delhi (Delaware): Fishing for channel catfish is good using chicken liver or prepared bait. Largemouth bass fishing is good using crankbaits or plastic worms.

Marten’s Lake [Sweet Marsh] (Bremer): Largemouth bass are biting on spinner baits or plastic worms fished along the weed lines. Marten’s Lake consistently produces some of the largest bass caught in the area. Boaters are reminded to thoroughly clean their boats, live wells and trailers after fishing Marten’s to help prevent the spread of Eurasian water milfoil.

Silver Lake (Delaware): Bluegills are on the beds and fish are biting on a piece of worm or jig floated under a bobber.

Volga Lake (Fayette): Anglers are catching nice size channel cats fishing night crawlers on the bottom along the face of the dam. Anglers are finding the most success fishing in the early morning hours.

Turkey River (Clayton): The Turkey River at Big Spring Hatchery northwest of Elkader will provide excellent fishing as the water temperature increases. From April through early June, trout stocked at Big Spring can spread out several miles upstream or downstream of the hatchery making them somewhat more challenging to catch. As the water temperature in the Turkey River increases in late June, trout become more concentrated near the coldwater spring outlets or below other remote springs that flow into the river. Generally speaking, trout will be concentrated for about a half mile below the hatchery during the hotter summer months. Combine concentrated trout numbers with a stream being stocked three times per week, and you get-great fishing! Don’t forget that the Turkey River is stocked on Saturdays all summer long and provides great fishing opportunities for the weekend anglers. When the Turkey is a little muddy, live or artificial-scented bait works best, but as the river clears artificial lures become just as effective on trout.

Trout Streams: From late June and early July, the marginal coldwater trout streams (Bear, Brush, Buck, Mink, Otter, Paint, Patterson, Silver, Spring, South Cedar, Swiss Valley, Turtle, Wapsi, and West Canoe) are dropped from the regular stocking regime and do not get stocked until cooler temperatures return in September. However, trout can still be caught in most of these streams by anglers interested in giving them a try. Of those streams, higher densities of trout can be found on Otter and Paint throughout the summer months.

While some of the marginal streams are dropped from the regular stocking regimen during the hot summer months, stockings increase on other streams. During the summer months, trout stockings on Grannis and Glovers will occur twice per week with one stocking announced and a second stocking unannounced on each area. Look for more information on Grannis and Glovers in next week’s Fishing Report. Bloody Run and Sny Magill are also stocked more frequently from June through August. Overall, trout fishing and stream conditions are excellent. For current trout stocking information, contact the Iowa DNR at 563-927-5736 or go on-line at www.iowadnr.com and check the fisheries web pages to view the 2005 stocking calendar.

For information on fishing in northeast Iowa, call the regional office in Manchester at 563-927-3276.

BENTON, Ky. — FLW Outdoors announced purse detail for its 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule Tuesday following registration at the $1.25 million Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s on the Potomac River in Charles County, Md.

Next season’s schedule takes the $7.6 million tour to some of the nation’s best largemouth and smallmouth fisheries over the course of four $900,000 qualifying events, two $1.25 million opens and the $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship.

Competition kicks off Jan. 18-21 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., then continues on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Feb. 8-11 and Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala., March 1-4. Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., will host the Wal-Mart Open April 5-8 followed by a stop on Kentucky Lake in Benton, Ky., May 10-13 and a tournament on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., June 21-24. The location for the Forrest L. Wood Championship, complete with its world-class boat and outdoor show, and the host site for the Chevy Open will be released at a later date.

Last year’s championship in Birmingham, Ala., produced articles in magazines and newspapers with a combined circulation exceeding 45 million copies worldwide. This level of exposure will help establish the host site of the 2006 championship as a premier bass-fishing destination among the nation’s 55 million fishing enthusiasts. This announcement is one of the sport’s most anticipated.

“We will be announcing the location for the 2006 Forrest L. Wood Championship soon,” said Charlie Evans, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. “Fishing fans can be assured that the event will be the biggest and most exciting event the sport has ever seen.”

As in 2005, each $900,000 tour stop features top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $20,000 in the Co-angler division. Each $1.25 million open features top awards of $200,000 in the Pro Division and $40,000 in the Co-angler division. Every regular-season event also awards $10,000 through 50th place on the pro side.

The bracket-style, $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship will once again award an incredible $500,000 to the winning pro and $25,000 to the winning co-angler. The top 48 pros and the top 48 co-anglers in Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points standings following the six qualifiers will advance to the championship, and every pro receives a minimum of $15,000 just for qualifying.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as the title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events.

For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLW Outdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

DES MOINES - A Bellevue, Neb., man is the new record holder for the largest channel catfish ever caught in Iowa.

Dustin Curtis’ 38 pound, 2 ounce catfish bested the old record by 1 pound, 10 ounces, held by Ron Goodwin of Earlham. Goodwin caught his 36 pound, 8 ounce channel catfish in August 1993 from the Middle Raccoon River in Dallas County.

Curtis was fishing the Iowa side of the Missouri River, about a mile south of Lake Manawa in Pottawattamie County, the morning of June 11 when he discovered the 40-inch catfish on the end of his bank pole. Curtis said be baited the bank pole with a creek chub.

The weight of the fish was verified by Lake Manawa State Park manager John Maehl, but the fish was transported to Cabela’s in Kansas City for display before it could be positively verified as a channel catfish. Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries supervisor Joe Bonneau verified the fish was indeed a channel catfish upon arrival in Kansas City.

The fish was placed in a holding tank, and later transported to an adjacent store pond in hope it would recover from stress associated with the trip. However, a Cabela’s spokesperson Monday indicated the fish died the next day.

Source: Iowa DNR

What a great tournament! Best turnout in many, many years.
The prizes were fantastic and thanks again to our ladies tournament committee for all of their hard work.

Leaving the weather was great but some nasty thunder storms made the middle of the day a little rough. Guess it was a good idea to only hold a one day tournament.
Please give us feedback by emailing us at the web site if you want us to continue the one day tournament, change it back to 2 days, possibly fish Friday and Saturday? Any other comments please let us know, pro or con.

CATEGORY WEIGHT LINE CLASS BOAT ANGLER

DOLPHIN
3RD PLACE 26.6 Lazy Bones Erin Setzler
2ND PLACE 29.4 The Whole Nine Yards Tatana Peek
1ST PLACE 33.4 Fat Lady IV Emma Callicoat

WAHOO
3RD PLACE 35.6 Builder’s Risk Chassidy Parks
2ND PLACE 40.6 Sea Reaper III Kari Ellingson
1ST PLACE 52.8 Grey Ghost Angie Woodruff

TUNA
3RD PLACE 48.2 J-Sea Cheryl Waid
2ND PLACE 48.6 Builder’s Risk Paula Irwin
1ST PLACE 52.2 J-Sea Cheri Lowery

CATCH & RELEASE
4TH PLACE WM-100 200pts Builder’s Risk Christy Symes
3RD PLACE SF-50 300pts Woo Hoo Maggie Bagwell
2ND PLACE BM-80 625pts Dream Machine Linda Judkins
1ST PLACE BM-50 750pts Reel Crazy Allison E. Hardy

JUNIOR ANGLER Fat Lady IV Emma Callicoat

TOP LARGE BOAT 750 pts Reel Crazy

Boats 42.0
Anglers 149.0

Source: Mobile Big Game Fishing Club

Boating Safety Tips

* Always wear a life jacket.
* Avoid alcohol.
* Be especially careful on personal watercrafts.

* Children younger than age 13 must wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway.
* Enroll in a boater education class.
* Don’t overload your boat.
* Operate at a safe speed.
* Always have a passenger serve as a lookout in addition to the operator.
* Watch out for low water areas or submerged objects.

Always Wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) or Life Jacket

* Most boating fatality victims were found (recovered) NOT wearing a PFD.
* Always carry extra PFD’s in both adult and child sizes.
* Children younger than 13 years old must wear a PFD while underway.

Avoid Alcohol

* The probability of being killed in a boating accident doubles when alcohol is involved.
* Operating a boat under the influence is just as dangerous as driving a car after you have been drinking.
* Boating while intoxicated (BWI) is strictly enforced and carries penalties similar to driving while intoxicated penalties, including possible Driver’s License suspension.

Enroll in a Boater Education Course – Regardless of Age

* It’s a good idea for the whole family to enroll in a boater education course.
* A majority (52 percent) vessels involved in boating accidents are operated by persons 26-50 years of age.
* For information about classroom, home video and on-line course options, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Web site at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ or call (800) 792-1112.

Be Especially Careful On Personal Watercrafts (PWC)

* PWC operators and passengers must wear a life jacket.
* Before you borrow or rent a PWC, take the time to learn how to operate the vessel and the rules of the waterway.
* Obey the 50-foot rule! Maintain a 50-foot distance from other PWC’s, vessels, persons, shore, stationary platform or other object unless operating at headway (idle) speed.

Operate at a Safe Speed
* Although there are no numerical speed limits on the water, citations may be issued for excessive speed or reckless operation. Use common sense, and operate at a safe speed at all times – especially in crowded areas.
* Excessive speed is a rate of speed greater than is reasonable or prudent without regard for conditions and hazards or greater than will permit a person to bring the boat to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead.

Any other questions can be directed to (512) 389-4627.

Source: TPWD

SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. – Pro Dustin Kjelden of Brookings, S.D., caught five walleyes Saturday weighing 25 pounds, 4 ounces, giving him a four-day total of 20 walleyes weighing 86 pounds, 12 ounces to win the inaugural Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Open on Devils Lake. For the impressive performance, Kjelden earned $100,000 – the largest regular-season award in professional walleye fishing.

“Everything went well today,” Kjelden said. “We knew we were going to gamble and go for big fish, and we threw back some decent fish – one was 23 inches long – but I knew I needed to shoot for 25 pounds today. The fish pretty much came in the right order. In the first 40 minutes, we had 18 pounds in the boat.

“I fished shallow, and boat control in the wind had a lot to do with the win. I was casting cranks in 7 to 8 feet of water, but the retrieve was very important. It was a fast presentation, with a jerk and a pause. Other boats around me this week weren’t doing that, and they weren’t catching the fish I caught. I used a chartreuse and white crank.”

Rounding out the top five pros were Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn. (20 walleyes, 82 pounds, 11 ounces); Rick Olsen of Mina, S.D. (20 walleyes, 81 pounds, 9 ounces); were Mark Courts of Harris, Minn. (20 walleyes, 79 pounds, 8 ounces); and Scott Fairborn of Hager City, Wis. (18 walleyes, 73 pounds, 9 ounces).

Pro Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., who never finished lower than 33rd this season, won the FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year title. Johnson beat out Tommy Skarlis of Walker, Minn., by eight points.

Fred Gordon of Willmar, Minn., won the Co-angler Division with a four-day total of 20 walleyes weighing 80 pounds, 12 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Thomas Grzadzieleski (20 walleyes, 79 pounds, 3 ounces); Daryl Zimney of Jamestown (20 walleyes, 77 pounds, 6 ounces); Mark Magness of Fargo (20 walleyes, 74 pounds, 13 ounces); and John Hight of Fargo (17 walleyes, 67 pounds, 11 ounces).

Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

With Montana’s lakes and rivers facing an epidemic of illegal stocking of fish, state officials said today anglers will see wardens checking boats and live-wells this summer for unwanted hitchhikers.

Illegal introductions of fish, or “bucket biology,” occur from the illegal movement of fish from one body of water to another, bait-bucket transfers, and even from mail-order companies that market all manner of fish.

It is illegal to transport live fish in Montana without a permit from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. It is also illegal to dump live fish into any Montana water.

“It’s a national problem that’s rapidly spreading across Montana,” said Chris Hunter, chief of fisheries for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Helena. “We believe that more than 20 percent of Montana’s illegal fish introductions occurred in the past 10 years.”

FWP recently confirmed the state’s 500 th unauthorized fish introduction. At least 50 different species of fish have been illegally dumped into state waters.

“It’s an epidemic that’s threatening Montana’s native fish populations and the state’s planned for and managed fisheries from Lake Mary Ronan near Polson to Broadwater Pond near Billings,” Hunter said.

Illegally introduced fish and other aquatic species can harm native, wild and stocked fish populations, spread disease, and create water-quality problems. The consequences of an illegal fish introduction diminishes fishing opportunities and increases management costs by exhausting hatchery stocks or by requiring the rehabilitation of a lake or stream to restore a fishery.

Jim Kropp, FWP’s chief of enforcement in Helena, said FWP wardens have been working the state’s fishing access sites and boat ramps to inform anglers and boaters about the threat of illegal introductions and to check live wells or bait buckets for live fish.

“The illegal practice has grown so rampant that it’s now beyond FWP resoures to remedy the problems being created,” Kropp said. “We’re hoping onsite education and enforcement will provide awareness of the problem and help to prevent additional illegal stocking. We do need the public’s help in understanding and controlling this problem.”

Kropp said boat inspections for illegal introductions and for unwanted aquatic species have been conducted at Canyon Ferry, Fresno, Tiber and Fort Peck reservoirs. FWP will check boats at numerous locations, including Big Horn, Hauser, Holter, Noxon, and Tongue River reservoir; and on the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers.

To protect Montana waters from damages caused by illegal fish introductions:

* Never move live fish, aquatic insects, or other aquatic organisms from one water to another for any reason

* Never release aquarium fish into streams and lakes

* Never release live baitfish into streams and lakes

The illegal introduction of any fish into any Montana water is a crime, punishable by fines up to $1,000. In addition, violators may be required to pay restitution for the costs of removing the introduced species and restoring the original fishery. If you witness such a crime, report it by calling TIP-MONT at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668).

Free “Kick the Bucket—Stop Illegal Introductions” bumper stickers are available at all FWP regional offices.

Source: Montana FWP

(PRWEB) June 19, 2005 — Everyone now realizes the benefits of Tungsten weights over lead for many reasons. The size is a main factor, as the Tungsten in over 50% smaller with the same weight. But that is only the beginning with Tru-Tungsten.

The new “Tru-Tungsten” weights are taking the fishing world by storm! This are the most revolutionary product to hit the market in years with the exception of “Fish Hedz” masks.
They have a revolutionary design that eliminates the plastic sleeving inside the weight for even more sensitivity! It is amazing the difference versus regular Tungsten weights. You can detect strikes that everyone else misses!

The have beveled edges inside and are polished to completely reduce line fray. If this wasn’t enough, they now are manufacturing them in even smaller sizes down to an 1/8 ounce and even smaller soon.

One of the other features is that they come in a variety of colors as well to match the baits, and now you can get the new Tru-Tungsten jigs at Delaware Tackle, as well as the weights.

These are a revolutionary product that tournament fisherman and recreational anglers alike are buying faster than they can be produced.

The testimonials just keep coming in every day, and people just can’t say enough good things about them.

The Tru-Tungsten line of baits are available at the Delaware Tackle store at www.delawaretackle.com online, at the absolute lowest prices on the web, but you can also order by phone as well by calling 1-856-566-4486.

To read more about each product or to order just go to the Delaware Tackle store, but hurry, they are being snapped up as fast as they come in by every tournament angler in the northeast.

These products have been reviewed recently by all the top Bass Lure Review sites and are featured in many outdoor publications as well. You will never go back to lead again after using these Tungsten weights and jigs.

www.delawaretackle.com - The Leader in Tomournament Tackle and Services for Professional anglers.

BENTON, Ky. – Yamaha pro Terry Bolton of Paducah caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 37 pounds, 9 ounces to win the EverStart Series Central Division event on Kentucky Lake presented by Yamaha.

He was awarded a fully rigged Ranger 519 VX powered by a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart Batteries plus $10,000 cash. He also won an additional $10,000 from Ranger for being a registered Ranger owner, another $3,000 for being the highest Ranger Cup finisher and an additional $1,500 for meeting the Yamaha contingency requirements for a total of $64,500 in cash and prizes.

“I finally got it right,” Bolton said of his first major win in 13 years as a touring professional angler in front of his hometown crowd. He caught not only one bass that broke the 5-pound mark, but also a behemoth that weighed more than 8 pounds. His final day limit of 21 pounds, 5 ounces was the second heaviest limit of the entire event.

“That 8 pounder was the fourth bass I caught Saturday morning,” he said. “You just don’t catch bass like that on this lake in the summer. When I put her in the livewell, I knew it was going to be a special day.” While all nine of the other competitors weighed in smaller limits on day four, Bolton improved his catch by more than 5 pounds from the previous day.

Bolton made a key adjustment on Saturday that meant the tournament for him. He marked fish on his depth finder suspended off the bottom and realized he would have to hop his jig up to them to catch the better bass. He used a brown 5/8-ounce homemade jig to catch his final-day limit.

Rounding out the top-five pros are Curt McGuire of Lawrenceburg, Tenn. (10 bass, 33 pounds, 2 ounces); Larry Frasier of Owensboro (10 bass, 29 pounds, 2 ounces); Shawn Penn of Eddyville (10 bass, 285 pounds, 6 ounces); and William M. Davis of Russellville, Ala. (10 bass, 28 pounds).

David Curtis of Trinity, Texas finished in 8th place but locked up the points title in the EverStart Series Central Division. His points title is a major accomplishment considering it’s his second points title this year after winning the points standings in the Wal-Mart FLW Texas Tournament Trail earlier this year. Curtis had three top-10 finishes in four events in the Central Division and two top-10 finishes in four events in TTT competition.

Chuck Rounds of Benton caught 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Co-angler Division and a fully rigged Ranger plus $5,000 cash. The win was Rounds second EverStart Series win on Kentucky Lake. His last win came in 2000. He’s also won three Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League tournaments on Kentucky Lake since 2002.

“Everyone was dragging their jigs,” Rounds said, “but I like to hop my jig.” Rounds ties his own jigs and favored black and blue and brown crawfish patterns in this tournament.

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers are Brad Taylor of Catlettsburg, Ky. (10 bass, 22 pounds, 15 ounces); Emmet Barnett of Waldron, Ark. (10 bass, 22 pounds, 7 ounces); Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg, Texas (10 bass, 22 pounds, 3 ounces); and Melinda Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark. (10 bass, 22 pounds, 2 ounces).

Mark King of Gurdon, Ark. won the points title in the Co-angler Division of the EverStart Series Central Division.

EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.

Source: FLW Outdoors

(PRWEB) June 18, 2005 — Anglers, do you remember the corn cob fishing bobbers of the 1920’s. They are used for fishing bobbers, are sanded and have a hole in them for your fishing line.

RJR’s Iowa Corn Cob Fishing Bobbers are all natural handmade Iowa corn cob fishing bobbers. They come (3) in a pack and each one lasts up to 3 months in the water. They have holes in the bobbers for the fishing line.

RJR’s Corn Cob Fishing Bobbers are cut by a bandsaw and sanded with a belt sander to give them color. They are 3 inches long and will last up to 3 months in water every day. There are (3) 3 inch fishing bobbers in each plastic bag and there are holes in the corn cob fishing bobber for your line.

They are very colorful and have enough weight to give you a longer cast. It is a natural way of using bobbers for freshwater or saltwater fishing.

$1.00 (3) shipping/handling United State Postal Service only. Zipcode or country code while determine the shipping/handling cost. 7 business days for delivery.

Discounts for volume buyers.

Source: PR Web

BENTON, Ky. – Pro Curt McGuire of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces to lead the final round of the EverStart Series Central Division event on Kentucky Lake presented by Yamaha.

Friday and Saturday combined weights will decide who will take home the fully rigged Ranger 519 VX powered by a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and Everstart Batteries plus $10,000 cash. Ranger also awards an additional $10,000 to the winner if he is a qualified Ranger owner.

Another bright sunny day made for great ledge fishing on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. Six limits over 15 pounds came to the scale in the Pro Division on Friday, and most pros reported catching multiple limits.

“I probably hit 12 or 13 spots today,” McGuire said. “I caught fish everywhere I stopped, but I only caught 13 or 14 keepers.” McGuire is fishing large schools of fish, but he’s moving a lot to keep up with them.

“They will be in 8 or 9 feet in the morning, and then I catch them later in 23 feet of water,” he said. McGuire has been alternating between a 3/4-ounce jig, a 7 1/2-inch worm, and a deep-diving crankbait, but said he needs a big bite to secure the win on Saturday. “I haven’t weighed in a fish 4 pounds or more all week,” he said.

Rounding out the top-five pros are Larry Frasier of Owensboro (five bass, 17 pounds, 12 ounces); Terry Bolton of Paducah (five bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces); Billy Schroeder of Paducah (five bass, 15 pounds, 6 ounces); and William M. Davis of Russellville, Ala. (five bass, 15 pounds, 4 ounces).

Chuck Rounds of Benton caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces to lead the Co-angler Division.

“Deep water and sticking with the jig have been my keys this week,” Rounds said. A well-known local angler on the lake, Rounds has been relying on a jig to catch the better quality bass from the back of the boat.

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers are Keith Newsom of Memphis, Tenn. (five bass, 13 pounds, 5 ounces); Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg, Texas (five bass, 12 pounds, 13 ounces); David Hargett of Sherwood, Ark. (five bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces); and Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark. (five bass, 12 pounds, 3 ounces).

EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.

Source: FLW Outdoors

More than 180 children participated in Turn a Kid On To Fishing programs at the Upper Wabash Reservoirs on June 11, during Indiana’s Free Fishing Weekend. Free fishing derbies were held at Salamonie, J. Edward Roush and Mississinewa reservoirs, drawing families from all over northern Indiana.

Grand prizes included: rods and reels, tackle boxes, and other fishing equipment.
Donations for the three derbies came from Wal-Mart and their affiliates for the National All American Kids Fishing Derby, Yohe Realty of Wabash, Bob Evans, BK Drive In, Juergens, United REMC, Bippus State Bank, Erie Stone - Irving Materials Inc., Eric Harmon, McDonalds of Wabash and Huntington, Aldi’s, Sam’s Club- Ft. Wayne, Dave Walter, Teacher’s Credit Union, Huntington’s Owen’s North and South, Izaak Walton League- Wabash Chapter, Huntington Drive In, Peace Pipe Bait and Tackle near Salamonie, Our Sunday Visitor, Wabash’s Burger King, Ponderosa and Pizza Hut, and Mark Coratti.

Grand Prize Winners at J. Edward Roush Lake Reservoir:

* 1st - Joshua Kuzemka, Age 9, Roanoke
* 2nd - Abigale Horn, Age 5, Huntington
* 3rd - Rylie Rickert, Age 7, Huntington and Carl Spencer, Age 8, Huntington

Age 2 - 5 Prize Winners:
o 1st – Morgan Stout, Age 2, Huntington
o 2nd – Riley Swihart, Age 2, Huntington
o 3rd – Maclure Thompson, Age 5, Huntington

Age 6 – 10 Prize Winners
o 1st – Houston Lehman, Age 8, Huntington
o 2nd – Grant Pape, Age 8, Huntington
o 3rd – Garret Pape, Age 6, Huntington

Age 11 – 14 Prize Winners
o 1st –Majella Eckert, Age 12, Huntington
o 2nd – Kristen Pressler, Age 11, Huntington
o 3rd – Cierra Myers, Age 13, Huntington

Grand Prize Winners at Salamonie Reservoir:
o 1st - Hannah Gerstoff, age 9, Marion
o 2nd - Nathan Owen, age 5, Fortville
o 3rd - Michael McDaniel, 14, Greentown

Age 2 - 5 Prize Winners:
o 1st - Andrew Kaylor, age 5, Huntington
o 2nd - Tyler Branham, age 5, Lagro
o 3rd - Matthew Strickler, age 5, Andrews

Age 6 – 10 Prize Winners:
o 1st - Logan MacDonald, age 10, Wabash
o 2nd - Brendan Ridgeway, age 9, LaFontaine
o 3rd - Lukas Kaylor, age 9, Huntington

Age 11 – 14 Prize Winners:
o 1st - Nick Kaylor, age 11, Huntington
o 2nd - Caleb Neiman, age 11, Summitville
o 3rd - Sabra Johnson, age 12, Wabash

Grand Prize Winners at Mississinewa Reservoir:
o 1st - Bradley Albright, age 4, Noblesville
o 2nd - Dondre Williams, age 7, Peru
o 3rd - Nathan Saylors, age 8, Converse

Age 2 - 5 Prize Winners:
o 1st - Hunter Baughman, age 4, New Carlisle
o 2nd - Carson Rody, age 5, LaFontaine
o 3rd - Logan Stanfield, age 5, Macy

Age 6 – 10 Prize Winners:
o 1st - Seth Parsons, age 7, Bunkerhill
o 2nd - Trae Wright, age 7, Greentown
o 3rd - Sidney Albright, age 7, Noblesville

Age 11 – 14 Prize Winners:
o 1st - Dillon Pauge, age 11, Converse
o 2nd - Alex Burrows, age 11, Peru
o 3rd - Shannon Garrettson, age 14, Peru

To find out more about the Upper Wabash Interpretive Services, call 260-468-2127 or visit our Web site: www.dnr.IN.gov/uwis/

SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. – Pro Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn., caught five walleyes weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce Friday, giving him a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 67 pounds, 12 ounces to lead the inaugural Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Open on Devils Lake.

Pros are competing for a potential top award of $100,000, while co-anglers are competing for a potential top award of $20,000. Only the top 10 anglers in each division advanced to fish Saturday. “With the wind and sun today, some guys fished deeper, but my fish actually went shallower,” Goligowski said. “I’m fishing some new weed growth on one large shelf. The fishing has been really weird. On day one, I had all cookie-cutter fish that were about 4 pounds. On day two, I consistently caught fish around 5 pounds. Today, I caught about 15 keepers around 3 pounds with a couple bigger fish, but I also caught a lot of short fish. It was slower today. But new waves are coming through every day, and I need the replacement troops to come in tomorrow if I’m going to win.”

Rounding out the top five pros are Mark Courts of Harris, Minn. (15 walleyes, 67 pounds, 9 ounces); Tim Flynn of Tea, S.D. (14 walleyes, 65 pounds, 10 ounces); Rick Olsen of Mina, S.D. (15 walleyes, 64 pounds, 4 ounces); and John Kolinski of Greenville, Wis. (15 walleyes, 64 pounds, 3 ounces).

Fred Gordon of Willmar, Minn., leads the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 65 pounds, 13 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Magness of Fargo (15 walleyes, 62 pounds, 14 ounces); Brian Drake of Merrimac, Wis., (15 walleyes, 62 pounds, 4 ounces); Daryl Zimney of Jamestown (15 walleyes, 60 pounds, 1 ounce); and David Tufte of Audubon, Minn. (15 walleyes, 54 pounds, 5 ounces).

Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

RALEIGH, N.C.— Fishing for a fun and inexpensive way to celebrate Independence Day? The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission invites anglers and would-be anglers of all ages to go fishing — for free.

On July 4, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., anyone can fish any public, inland water in the state without having to purchase a license, including a trout license. All other fishing regulations apply, including size and creel limits as well as bait and tackle restrictions.

“The Wildlife Commission offers a free fishing day to show novice anglers how much fun fishing can be and to remind lapsed anglers how much fun they’ve been missing,” said Bob Curry, chief of the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries. “It’s a great opportunity for everyone to experience the incredible fishing that North Carolina has to offer.”

To make finding a fishing hot spot easier, the Wildlife Commission maintains more than 90 Public Fishing Access areas and Community Fishing Program sites statewide.

Public Fishing Access areas provide free fishing opportunities from the banks of North Carolina’s waters. The Wildlife Commission clears the banks of underbrush and, in some cases, constructs handicapped-accessible fishing piers and installs fish attractors.

Community Fishing Program sites are intensively managed bodies of water receiving monthly stockings of catchable-sized catfish from April to September. Many sites also feature solar-powered fish feeders and handicapped-accessible fishing piers to make fishing more enjoyable for anglers of all abilities.

For those who want to fish but don’t have the equipment, the Commission’s Tackle Loaner Program, available at many Community Fishing Program sites, allows anglers to borrow rods and reels for free for the day.

North Carolina residents age 16 and older who are interested in fishing the remaining 364 days of the year can purchase a fishing license for $15, which is valid for one year. A lifetime comprehensive fishing license is $250. Licenses can be purchased online, www.ncwildlife.org, or from any of the Commission’s 1,100 wildlife service agents located across the state.

A list of all Public Fishing Access areas, Community Fishing Program sites and Tackle Loaner Program sites can be found on the Wildlife Commission’s Web site, www.ncwildlife.org. For more information on fishing in North Carolina’s public, inland waters, contact the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 733-3633.

SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. – Pro Joe McCartin of Land O Lakes, Wis., caught five walleyes weighing 28 pounds, 15 ounces Thursday, giving him a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 50 pounds, 13 ounces to lead the inaugural Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Open on Devils Lake. Pros are competing for a potential top award of $100,000, while co-anglers are competing for a potential top award of $20,000.

While many anglers noted tough fishing conditions throughout the day Thursday, weights were still solid – comparable to Wednesday’s catch. Anglers reported that walleyes are moving a lot and the action is sporadic. Warm, stable weather should make the bite more predictable as the tournament progresses.

“I jumped around a lot today,” McCartin said. “Yesterday I was fishing in 5 feet of water, but the wind stopped today, and I moved out deeper. It was slow. We were getting about one bite per hour. But I was the only boat there, so I think I’ve got enough fish there for another two days. That deep pattern should get better each day with this hot weather.”

Rounding out the top five pros are Aaron McQuoid of Isle, Minn. (10 walleyes, 47 pounds, 10 ounces); Carl Grunwaldt of Green Bay, Wis. (10 walleyes, 45 pounds, 15 ounces); Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn. (10 walleyes, 45 pounds, 11 ounces); and Mark Courts of Harris, Minn. (10 walleyes, 45 pounds, 1 ounce).

Brian Drake of Merrimac, Wis., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing a hefty 56 pounds, 4 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Magness of Fargo (10 walleyes, 51 pounds, 1 ounce); Fred Gordon of Willmar, Minn. (10 walleyes, 48 pounds, 6 ounces); Heath Fremstad of Mondovi, Wis. (10 walleyes, 43 pounds, 13 ounces); and Daryl Zimney of Jamestown (10 walleyes, 42 pounds, 7 ounces).

Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan reminded anglers that the State’s bass fishing season opens Saturday, June 18, 2005.

“As reflected by the increasing number of national bass fishing events conducted on our waters each year, New York’s reputation as a top location for anglers seeking largemouth and smallmouth bass continues to grow,” Commissioner Sheehan said. “Although our most popular waters such as Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence and Hudson Rivers continue to provide outstanding bass fishing opportunities, thousands of smaller waters throughout the State provide fantastic fishing for our most popular sportfish.”

In addition to the aforementioned waters, other bass hot spots include Chautauqua Lake, Silver Lake, the Cassadaga Lakes, Bear Lake, Honeoye Lake, Conesus Lake, Quaker Lake and Red House Lake in the west; Tupper Lake, Long Lake, Lake George, Schroon Lake, Saratoga Lake, Chateaugay Lake, Chazy Lake, Black Lake and the Saranac chain of lakes in the north. For those anglers seeking a small-water Adirondack bass fishing experience, Tooley Pond and Nicks Lake in DEC Region 6 provide excellent bass fishing on a catch-and-release basis. In Central/North-Central New York, Cayuga Lake, Oneida Lake, Owasco Lake, Otisco Lake and North Sandy Pond are all good bass fishing locations.

In the southeastern part of the State, New York City reservoirs such as Cross River and Titicus are top bets for quality bass fishing. Anglers wishing to fish any of the New York City reservoirs should be aware that a permit is required for all recreational activities on City-owned water supply land. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/html/dep/watershed/html/wsrecreation.html on the City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website.

Southeastern New York anglers are also encouraged to fish the many waters found within the region’s State Parks, including Rudd Pond, Canopus Lake, Mohansic Lake and Lake Tiorati. All of these waters contain good bass populations. Anglers visiting this part of the State should be aware that the popular Mongaup River reservoirs (Swinging Bridge, Mongaup Fall and Rio) are currently closed to all public access due to ongoing dam repairs and may continue to be closed for the remainder of the summer.

On Long Island, where the bass season opened on June 4, 2005, excellent bass fishing can be found in the Peconic River and its impoundments - Lake Ronkonkoma, Fort Pond, Big Reed Pond, Fresh Pond (Hither Hills State Park) and Blydenburgh Lake. Efforts to rebuild bass populations in Nassau County by prohibiting bass harvest continues to be a success, with bass populations in Upper and Lower Twin Pond, Massapequa Reservoir and Massapequa Lake rebounding nicely. Long Island anglers should also be aware that catch-and-release bass fishing in Artist Lake and Belmont Lake is now permitted year-round. Anglers fishing the freshwaters of Long Island are also encouraged to participate in the angler diary program underway in the region that will be valuable in future DEC fishery management efforts. For more information concerning the angler diary program, contact the DEC regional office at (631) 444-0280.

New York City residents can also experience quality bass fishing. Waters such as Prospect Park Lake, Kissena Lake and the Harlem Meer all provide excellent bass fishing opportunities. Anglers are reminded that all angling in New York City is strictly on a catch-and-release basis and other New York City Parks regulations may also apply. For a complete listing of bass fishing waters in New York City and Long Island, request the pamphlet “Fishing the Freshwaters of Long Island and New York City” from either the Region 1 (631-444-0280) or Region 2 (718-482-4922) DEC offices.

With the exception of the Hudson and St. Lawrence, New York’s rivers are often overlooked when it comes to bass fishing. However, these flowing waters can provide some of the fastest action of the season. In northern New York, good bets for river anglers seeking bass are the major Eastern Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River tributaries such as the Black, Indian, Oswegatchie and St. Regis rivers, as well as sections of the Saranac system. The upper Hudson River above the Troy Dam offers excellent fishing for both smallmouth and largemouth bass on a catch-and-release basis. In the western part of the State, weed edges and shoals in the Upper Niagara River provide excellent habitat for largemouth and smallmouth bass, as well as the occasional northern pike and muskellunge. Smallmouth bass dominate the catch for anglers fishing the section of the Niagara River below the falls, where recent anglers’ surveys have shown very high catch rates for this species. Anglers are also encouraged to fish the Genesee and Allegheny rivers with a canoe as the recommended method of access.

For North-Central New York residents, the Seneca, Oswego, Oneida and Genesee rivers usually offer good opening day action for bass. Eastern New York anglers should try the Schoharie Creek downstream of the dam at Blenheim-Gilboa, and the Mohawk River. In central New York, the Susquehanna River system, including the Chenango, Otselic, Chemung, Tioughnioga and Unadilla rivers, are lightly fished and readily accessible to wading and canoe or cartop boat anglers. There are numerous access sites along these waters for comfortable floating-and-fishing outings.

Anglers looking for smallmouth bass fishing in the streams of southeastern New York should consider the Walkill River and Lower Rondout Creek in Ulster County. These moderate size streams are accessible via canoe or wading and provide excellent opportunities for flyfishing, as well as other techniques. The Delaware River also provides substantial wade and boat fishing opportunities for smallmouth, particularly the 50 miles between Callicoon and Port Jervis.

New York Bass anglers should be aware that the DEC is considering a proposal to change the current statewide black bass (largemouth and smallmouth) fishing regulations. The proposal increase fishing opportunities by allowing bass fishing (with restrictions) during the portion of the year that is currently closed to bass fishing. This would provide additional bass fishing opportunities in waters throughout the state while minimizing risks to bass populations through the establishment of a catch-and-release only (artificial lures only) regulation during the winter and spring months. Details about the proposal can be found at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/fishregs/bassregschangefaq.html on DEC’s website. Public comments on the proposal can be e-mailed to fwfish@gw.dec.state.ny.us and will be accepted through June 30, 2005.

Anglers are reminded that the New York State Department of Health (DOH) has recently issued updated health advisories, with significant changes that anglers fishing Adirondack and Catskill waters should be aware of. Based on new information on mercury concentrations in fish in Adirondack and Catskill waters, women of childbearing years and children under the age of 15 should avoid eating any northern pike, pickerel, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and larger yellow perch (over 9 inches in size) from any water in the Adirondack and Catskill regions. This advice is in addition to the specific advisories posted for 117 New York waters, and the general fish consumption advisory that recommends that anglers not consume more than 1 meal (½ lb.of fish) per week from any of the State’s freshwaters and selected marine waters at the mouth of the Hudson River. More information on fish consumption advisories in New York State, including the complete list of waters with specific advisories can be found at the DOH’s website at www.nyhealth.gov/nysdoh/fish/fish.htm, or by contacting the DOH’s toll-free information line at 1-800-458-1158.

Anglers are also reminded of their important role in protecting the outstanding bass fishing opportunities that New York provides. Anglers are reminded to:

1. Be certain that they know the most current regulations for the waters they intend to fish. Fishing regulations are put in place to maintain or improve fishing opportunities, but can only work if they are followed. Numerous exceptions to the statewide regulations exist in each DEC region. Regulations may be found in the 2004-2006 Fishing Regulations Guide issued with your license, or at: www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/fishregs/index.html on DEC’s website. Anglers should also be sure that they have the current year’s fishing license before hitting the water.
2. Be certain that your boats, trailers and other fishing gear are not transporting “aquatic hitchhikers.” Boaters and anglers are reminded that they are a common mechanism by which nuisance exotic species such as Eurasian water milfoil, zebra mussels and numerous undesirable fish species are spread in New York. Anglers should never dump unused bait into a body of water unless the bait was taken from that body of water. Boaters should make certain that their trailers, boat props and other locations where vegetation may cling are clean before leaving the water from which the “weeds” were collected. Livewells and bilges should also be drained prior to leaving a launch-site and allowed to dry before launching into a new body of water. Similarly, non-boating anglers should be certain that their waders and other fishing gear are free of mud, plants, fish or animals before leaving the water they have been fishing.
3. Release a trophy to fight again. This can make a big difference in maintaining or improving the quality of a bass fishery. This is particularly the case in some of the nutrient poor bass waters of the Adirondacks that contain smaller bass populations with relatively slow growth of individual fish. Given the ready availability of fiberglass mounts, there is no longer a need to harvest a fish to get a quality mount. All one needs is a photo of the fish, along with a length and girth measurement, for a taxidermist to produce a quality and longer lasting mount. The fish can then be released to grow even larger and provide the same thrill for another angler in the future.
4. Purchase a Habitat/Access Stamp or “Conserve Habitat” License Plate. While purchasing or renewing your fishing license, consider voluntarily purchasing a $5 habitat stamp that helps support the Department’s efforts to conserve fish and wildlife habitat and increase public access for fish- and wildlife-related recreation. This upcoming year, Habitat Stamp revenue will be supporting 14 projects, including eight that will provide new or improved access to quality fishing opportunities. Last month, DEC also unveiled the new “Conserve Habitat” custom license plate available through the State Department of Motor Vehicles. Revenue from the sale of the plates will be used to protect, restore, and manage habitat, and to develop public access for fish- and wildlife-related recreation and study.
5. Consider using non-lead fishing sinkers. Anglers and New York fishing tackle retailers are reminded that the sale of small lead sinkers weighing ½ ounce or less is prohibited in New York State. Sale of jig heads, weighted flies, artificial lures or weighted line are not included in this prohibition. Although the law does not prohibit the use of lead sinkers of this size, anglers are encouraged to seek non-lead alternatives which are readily available in tackle stores. Ingestion of lead sinkers has been linked to the death of waterfowl and loons.

For a listing of additional waters that offer good fishing for warmwater fish species including bass, visit www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/introwwfsh.html at DEC’s website. In addition, over 400 lake contour (depth) maps of many popular New York lakes and ponds are also now available in electronic format at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/lakemaps/index.html also on DEC’s website.

SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. – Pro Todd Riley of Amery, Wis., and co-angler Ken Kovack of Omaha, Neb., caught five walleyes weighing 29 pounds, 15 ounces to lead day one of the inaugural FLW Walleye Tour Open on Devils Lake.

Pros are competing for a potential top award of $100,000, while co-anglers are competing for a potential top award of $20,000. The event is also the fourth and final tournament of the regular season, and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers advance to the no-entry-fee FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, where the winning pro could earn up to $125,000 and the winning co-angler could earn $22,000.

Anglers caught an impressive total of walleyes Wednesday. One hundred teams caught a limit, and every boat weighed fish. Nearly one ton of walleyes were weighed, and anglers are predicting the fishing will improve each day.

“I basically have one key spot,” Riley said. “If that spot fails, I may go down hill. That spot has held for several days, so it may have enough fish to last the rest of the week. I caught a limit by noon and was able to go look for new areas and found a few spots that could help. I’m doing what most guys are doing – using a slip bobber, casting a crank and throwing jigs with Power Baits.”

Rounding out the top five teams are pro Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn., and co-angler Brian Drake of Merrimac, Wis. (five walleyes, 29 pounds, 13 ounces); pro Mark Meravy of Shorewood, Ill., and co-angler Jason Treptau of Becker, Minn. (five walleyes, 27 pounds, 7 ounces); pro Scott Larson of West Fargo and co-angler Gary Chase of Fort Pierce, S.D. (five walleyes, 27 pounds, 3 ounces); and pro Mark Courts of Harris, Minn., and co-angler Steven Maksymyc of Komarno, Manitoba (five walleyes, 27 pounds, 2 ounce).

Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced the establishment of a DEC Marine Enforcement Unit (MEU). The MEU will be responsible for protecting the State’s marine resources by enforcing State and Federal laws and regulations concerning habitat preservation and the recreational and commercial harvesting of fish, shellfish, and crustacean.

“Our Marine Enforcement Unit will serve as the agency’s eyes and ears on our marine waters,” Commissioner Sheehan said. “While our Environmental Conservation Officers in the lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island have always provided enforcement of marine resource statutes and continue to do so, the enhanced skills and equipment of the specialized MEU will allow closer monitoring of these resources and their users. The creation of the MEU will enhance the DEC’s long-standing commitment to protecting our fragile marine environment.”

The MEU will include 10 officers and an investigator. The investigator will assist the unit in conducting long term and in-depth investigations into large-scale violations of marine resource statutes. The unit is being placed under the command of a Chief Environmental Conservation Officer and will be headquartered with the DEC’s Marine Resources sub-office in Setauket, Long Island. The new commander, Captain Dorothy Thumm, is a 23-year veteran of the DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement. In addition, a supervising Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO), with the rank of Lieutenant, will be assigned to the unit to handle field supervision.

Last week, 32 new ECOs graduated from the DEC Police Training Academy in Oswego. Five of these graduates are being assigned to the new Marine Enforcement Unit.

The specialized training and experience of the officers assigned to the MEU makes them experts at species identification, methods of taking, and the rules governing seafood harvests, as well as the operation and maintenance of their specialized equipment. The Unit will work closely with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the United States Coast Guard, and local enforcement agencies.

The members of the MEU are trained to operate the largest and most sophisticated of DEC’s police patrol boats including a 42-foot craft stationed in eastern Long Island, and two 32- foot vessels powered by fuel-efficient and pollution-controlling 4-stroke outboard engines. MEU boats are able to patrol in all sea and weather conditions.

DEC issues nearly 10,000 permits for the taking of marine species, in what has become a combined $5.7 billion dollar industry for recreational fishing, commercial fishing, and other seafood-related activities in New York State.

Source: NY DEC

GRAND ISLE, La. — The $1.9 million Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series – the most lucrative redfish tournament trail in the world – is headed to Grand Isle June 24-25 for the second Western Division event. Up to 150 teams will be competing in the tournament, which features a $200,000 cash purse.

Anglers, competing in two-man teams, will fish for a top award of as much as $50,000. Competitors will also be vying for valuable points that could earn them a berth into the no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Mobile, Ala., Oct. 27-29 for a shot at as much as $100,000.

Kevin Sahadi of Corpus Christi, Texas, who, along with his partner, Kevin Shaw, also of Corpus Christi, won the first Redfish Series Western Division event in Port Aransas, Texas, has high hopes for the Grand Isle event. “This should be a great tournament, and there should be plenty of teams catch fish,” Sahadi said. “The water should be nice, depending on the weather.

“We’ll start out by sight-fishing and poling in the flats, but lots of teams will head out toward deeper water and fish the jetties. The fish caught out there are likely to be a little heavier than those caught in the flats,” Sahadi said.

Pirates Cove Marina, located at 6060 Admiral Craik Drive in Grand Isle, will host the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins at 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Teams will compete for two days to determine the winner based on accumulated weight.

The winning team earns $25,000 cash. If a member of the winning team is the original owner of a Ranger, Champion, Aquasport, or Wellcraft boat or a Hydra Sports 1900, 2000 or 2300 Bay Bolt that is used during the tournament, the winners also receive a $12,500 bonus. Additionally, if a member of the winning team is the original owner of a Yamaha outboard that is used during the tournament, the winners also receive a $12,500 bonus from Yamaha for a total award of $50,000.

Every team that receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine angler standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winners, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. The top 50 teams from each of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series’ two divisions – Eastern and Western – will advance to the championship.

Each Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Division features four regular-season tournaments.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit flwoutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Felsenthal: Crossroads said bream fishing is good on crickets, wax worms and red wigglers fished in the shallows. Top-water poppers are also catching a few bream for the warmwater fly fishers. Bass are fair on top-water lures fished among the cypress trees. Catfish are fair on cold worms.

Saline River: Sanders Pawn and Bait said the river is muddy and falling. Bream are fair in the brush piles on worms and crickets. Bass are fair close to the banks. Some are being caught on soft-plastic tubes and craws.

Cox Creek Lake: Sanders Pawn and Bait said the lake is stained and a little low. Bream are fair on worms and crickets fished near the brush piles. Bass are fair on artificial lures.

EAST ARKANSAS:

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The river is clear and at normal level. Crappie are fair in 10 to 14 feet of water on minnows and black-and-chartreuse tube jigs fished near stumps and other brush. Bass fishing has been good on crankbaits, buzzbaits and Horny Toads in the mornings. Catfish have been good on shad fished in 25 to 40 feet of water.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the water is clear and low. Crappie fishing is good slow-trolling minnows in 5 to 8 feet of water. Bream are excellent in 2 to 4 feet of water on crickets fished near brush piles. Bass are biting well around rocky points on spinner baits and soft-plastic worms.

Midway Lake: Ed’s Boat Camp said bream fishing is fair on crickets fished in the brush piles out to 2-feet deep. Crappie fishing is poor, but a few are being picked up deep trolling minnows. Bass fishing is good shallow around the cypress trees.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the lake is clear and at normal pool. The bream are on the beds and hitting red wigglers, crickets and artificials as fast as you can get them in the water. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished in brush piles and treetops out to 10-feet deep. A few catfish have been caught on jugs baited with rice slicks. Bass are fair with a few being caught around the stumps on soft-plastic jerkbaits.

Six Rivers Sport Center said bream are good about three feet from the bank on jigs, worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is good in 14 to 15 feet of water. Bass have been good in the mornings on buzzbaits and other top-water lures.

Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the lake is clear and running a bit high. Bream are in the cypress trees and are being caught on crickets in the shallows. Crappie are holding in lily pads and off piers and can be caught on small tube jigs. Bass are in the cypress trees, with a few being caught on spinner baits and soft-plastics. Some catfish are being caught on trotlines and yo-yos baited with cut shad and stink bait.

White River Refuge Lakes: Ed’s Bait Shop said the lake is low. Bream fishing has been good on crickets. Crappie fishermen are catching a few fish on a jig-and-minnow combination. Catfish are good on live bait.

Source: AGFC

BRACEY, Va. — The Shenandoah Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Lake Gaston near Bracey June 25 for the third of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Lake Gaston Americamps in Bracey will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 5:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Shenandoah Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Clarks Hill Regional near Augusta, Ga., Oct. 11-15 and will compete against anglers from the Choo Choo, Dixie and North Carolina divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

Shenandoah Division anglers will next visit the James River in Richmond July 30 for their fourth regular-season event. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Potomac River in Dumfries Sept. 10-11. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 25 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 1121 E. Atlantic St. in South Hill. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

CLINTON, Mo. — The Ozark Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Truman Lake near Clinton June 25 for the fourth of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Bucksaw Marina in Clinton will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 5:45 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Ozark Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Lake Ouachita Regional near Hot Springs, Ark., Oct. 18-22 and will compete against anglers from the Cowboy, Louisiana and Okie divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

A two-day Super Tournament, the Ozark Division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Table Rock Lake in Branson Sept. 10-11. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 25 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 1712 East Ohio St. in Clinton. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

Millwood Lake: Millwood Lake Guide Service said the water temperature ranges from 75 degrees to 85 degrees during the heat of the day and the water has the typical Millwood stain.

Largemouth bass remain good on buzzbaits with white- or bubblegum-colored skirts. White Jigs with pearl or white grub trailers are taking good keepers on river ledge wash outs and outside river bends next to stumps 8- to 10-feet deep. Black bass are also good on Carolina-rigged Zoom lizards in pumpkinseed/chartreuse tail, or watermelon/red flake, and Bass Assassin Shads, along Little River. Early and late in the day, bass are still feeding and chasing shad near top water. Zara Spook Jrs, Zara Puppies, and Spit’n Image Jrs, in shad patterns, along with white Rat-L-Traps are catching these bass. During the heat of the day, 1-ounce Rat-L-Traps in gold, white or various shad patterns fished along deep drops and cuts of Little River are taking larger bass.

Kentucky bass and white bass remain fair to good, hitting white, ¼-ounce Rat-L-Traps, white-and-chartreuse Rocket Shads, Little Georges and Roostertails. Crappie have transitioned back to deeper water. Crappie fishermen report fair to good catches over brush piles between 9- and 12-feet deep. There have been a few catches in shallow water around cypress trees the last few weeks on jigs and shiners, but these fish are smaller. Bream remain in spawn mode, and are fair on crickets and red worms.

Lake Columbia: Steve’s Marine said the lake is clear and at normal level. Crappie fishing and catfishing are both poor. Bass fishing is good with many bass schooling in shallow water. Lipless crankbaits and shallow-running Bandits are catching a few bass. Bream fishing is good on crickets in 5 feet of water.

Lake Erling: Steve’s Marine said the lake is clear and bream fishing is the only thing going. But if you can find the beds in 5 feet of water, you’ll load the boat using crickets.

White Oak Lake: Charlie’s One Stop said the water is clear and the bream fishing is excellent. Many fish are being pulled from 2 to 3 feet of water on crickets. Crappie are biting well early in the morning on jigs and minnows. Bass fishing is fair early on soft-plastics, but shuts off once the sun is high. Catfishing is good at night on cut bait, worms and chicken livers.

Lake Greeson: Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait Shop said the lake is clear with a slight haze. Bream fishing is good on crickets. Crappie are fair 8- to 12-feet deep on jigs and minnows fished around brush piles. Bass are fair early in the morning on buzzbaits and plastic worms. Catfish are fair.

DeGray Lake: DeGray One Stop said the lake is clear and the water temperature is in the mid-80s. Bream are scattering out but should be back on the beds by the end of the month for another spawning run. Get the crickets ready. Catfish are fair with many cats coming into shallow water to spawn.

Hybrids and white bass are schooling in the morning and evening between Yancey Creek and Big Hill Creek south to Brushy Creek. Crappie are fair on jigs and live bait fished along grassy points and creek channels in 18 to 24 feet of water. Largemouth bass and Kentucky bass are holding on the outside edge of the weeds in 18 to 28 feet of water. Fishermen are working Carolina rigs and deep-running crankbaits along these deep-water areas to pull in a few.

Little Missouri River: Generator Three is back online as of June 7 and the last couple of days have seen regular generation out of Generator Two as well. The stream is still pretty dry despite a few recent thunderstorms. A few fish are willing to strike again on small terrestrials like ants (size 18).

Source: AGFC

NORTH EAST, Md. — The Northeast Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Chesapeake Bay near North East June 25 for the second of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Elkneck State Park/Rogues Harbor Boat Area in North East will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 5:45 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Northeast Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 18-22 and will compete against anglers from the Empire, Mountain and Music City divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

Northeast Division anglers will next visit the Hudson River in Catskill, N.Y., July 23 for their third regular-season event, followed by an event on the Potomac River in Marbury July 27. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Hopatcong in Cedar Knolls, N.J., Sept. 17-18. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 25 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 300 E. Pulaski Hwy in Elkton. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

Beaver Lake: Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake is at normal level. Crappie fishing is good at night under lights. Don’t be surprised if a few white bass join in with the crappie under the lights as well.

Black bass are settling into their normal summer patterns and many are being caught early in the morning on top-water lures and spinner baits shallow and finesse worms and football jigs later in the day. Catfishing is improving, and many have been caught on trotlines baited with live minnows and shad. Hickory Creek Marina said the lake is at normal level and the clarity is ideal. Bream have been good on crickets and worms fished deep. The crappie spawn is near and many are being taken from brush piles in 12 to 15 feet of water. Catfishing is excellent on large minnows fished on the bottom near schools of shad. Bass fishermen are having some success on the flats fishing spinner baits and lemon-lime-colored crankbaits.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said bream are bedding up and spawning in the shallows. Look for the beds and drop red-wigglers and crickets around the edges for some fast action. Crappie are holding in brush piles from 5- to 10-feet deep and are being caught on minnows fished under a cork and tube jigs. Bass fishing is good early and late in the day on soft-plastic worms and jig-and-pig combos down to 10-feet deep. Catfish are biting well near the dam on nightcrawlers and chicken livers.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the lake is muddy and at a normal level. Bream fishing is peaking, so get out and enjoy some fast action for bluegills on crickets. Crappie fishing is good on minnows fished under a slip-cork. Bass are holding in brush piles and are hitting soft-plastics. Catfish are fair on chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

Beaver Tailwaters: Beaver Dam Store said trout fishing reports have been best in the early morning hours. Bait anglers are catching trout on a Power Bait/wax worm combo, cheese-scented trout worms and nightcrawlers pumped with air. A few good reports on live minnows have come from Houseman Access. Parker Bend is fishing better. Micro jigs and Micro jig/wax worm combos drifted 2- to 4-feet deep are producing fish. Fly anglers are finding fishing a bit tough. A few good reports have come in on Griffith’s Gnat (sizes 18 to 22), Renegades (size 16 to 18), Elk Hair Caddis (size 20) and Hare’s Ear Nymphs (size 14). Walleye are fair on Shad Raps between Beaver and Holiday Island.

Kings River: Kings River Outfitters said the river is low. Smallmouth bass are hitting green pumpkin and watermelon soft plastics fished on the bottom around chunk rock. Rebel Crawdad crankbaits are also taking quite a few on gravel shoals next to deep water. Several anglers have reported catching more than 50 bass per day. Largemouth bass are doing well on soft plastics on the lower river. As with smallmouth, use green pumpkin or watermelon in clear water and darker colors in stained water. Rock bass are starting to make nests and can be taken on grubs and small crankbaits. Look for shallow gravel drops adjacent to deep banks. Catfish can be caught on night crawlers and liver fished around deep boulders.

Source: AGFC

COLUMBUS, Miss. — The Mississippi Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Columbus Pool of the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway near Columbus June 25 for the fourth of five regular-season events.

As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Columbus Marina in Columbus will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Mississippi Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Lake Martin Regional near Alexander City, Ala., Oct. 18-22 and will compete against anglers from the Everglades, Gator and Savannah River divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

A two-day Super Tournament, the Mississippi Division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Ross Barnett Lake in Brandon Sept. 17-18. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 25 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 1913 Hwy. 45 North in Columbus. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

White River: Local fisherman Jeff Moore said the river is low on the river. Trout fishing is pretty tough in this area. Anyone wanting to trout fish should be between Sylamore Creek and Calico Rock or even farther up the river.

Smallmouth bass fishing continues to be fair. Small finesse worms and tubes continue to catch fish. Some fly fishermen are floating a 1/64-ounce marabou jig under a strike indicator and are doing well on the smallmouth. Largemouth bass fishing between Guion and Batesville is fair early and late in the day. Scum Frogs and Flukes have worked well around the grass. Small jigs and floating worms are catching some fish from the log piles.

Rod-and-reel fishing for catfish is picking up. Chicken livers and prepared bait, such as Doc’s are working pretty good on the blues and channel cat. Crappie and bream remain fair in and around the mouth of the creeks. Some walleye and sauger are being caught in the Oil Trough area trolling small crankbaits.

Lake Charles: Powhatan Landing said the lake is clear and at a normal level. Bream are biting well off the bank in 3 to 5 feet of water on red worms and crickets. Catfish are biting well on stink bait and nightcrawlers. Look for bass around isolated structure and pitch a soft-plastic worm in junebug, red shad or black with blue flake to them. Crappie are hiding around stumps and brush piles in 2 feet of water.

Black River: Powhatan Landing said the water is very muddy and the fishing has been slow.

Spring River: Many Islands Camp said the river is clear and a little low. Trout fishing has been good on orange Power Bait and nightcrawlers.

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

Lake Chicot: Koenig’s Bass Tracker Marine said the lake is clear. Crappie are fair on small tube jigs and shiners. Bass are also a little slow, but a few are being caught near docks and sea walls on top-water lures and Slug-Gos. Catfish are good on worms, chicken liver and dog food. The bream are biting well against dock pilings and sea walls on wax worms.

Lake Monticello: Outdoor Super Store said the lake is clear and anglers can see the bottom in 6 feet of water. Bream fishing is excellent on shallow flats next to the bank. Catfishing is fair, with a few cats being pulled up from deeper water on stink bait. Bass fishing is poor, but a couple of fish have been caught in 10 to 15 feet of water on soft-plastic worms.

Grand Lake: Koenig’s Bass Tracker Marine said the only reports lately have been on crappie, but the fish are biting well on minnows and jigs slow-trolled in 8 feet of water.

Mississippi River: Koenig’s Bass Tracker Marine said the river is falling, so the fishing should start picking up in the chutes and oxbows. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers fished around rock piles.

Old Town Lake: Old Town Fish Camp said bream are still on the beds near the banks in 16 inches of water. Crickets and wax worms are bringing in many sunfish. Crappie fishing is good in water 2-feet deep on minnows and tube jigs. Bass fishing is good around the cypress trees on top-water lures. Catfish are good on cut bait, stink bait and minnows.

Source: AGFC

HARDIN, Ky. — The LBL Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Kentucky Lake near Hardin June 25 for the fourth of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Kenlake Marina in Hardin will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 5:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 LBL Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Lake Cherokee Regional near Morristown, Tenn., Oct. 4-8 and will compete against anglers from the Buckeye, Illini and Piedmont divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

A two-day Super Tournament, the LBL Division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Kentucky/Barkley Lakes in Kuttawa Sept. 24-25. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 25 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 310 West 5th St. in Benton. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

White River: Gaston’s White River Resort said the river clarity is perfect and the water level is running low, but two generators are running. Trout fishing is excellent on No. 7 Rapala Countdowns in gold and small gold spoons. Pink salmon eggs are working as well.

Fly-fishers are catching many fish on scud and sow bug patterns. Wilderness Trail said trout fishing picked up last week. The Berkley Power Egg bite has been good in yellow, white and orange, or Berkley Nuggets in Orange. Buoyant Spoons, Super Dupers and Little Cleos are working well when the generators are running. The fly fishermen did well on olive Woolly Buggers, tungsten beadhead midges, sow bugs and San Juan worms. Brown trout are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Countdowns and nightcrawlers.

North Fork River: McLellan’s Fly Shop said generation has been more sporadic lately, but there have usually been some good wading opportunities during the morning. With all the recent high water, the trout are in very good shape and full of fight. On recent guide trips, we have been catching several fat brook trout just below the dam. During low water, concentrate your nymph fishing on the faster runs and riffles; tie on a size 16 scud or sow bug and hold on. During high water, streamer fishing has been excellent from a boat. Big new streamers like the Swimming Jimmy and Articulated Zoo Cougar have produced several strikes.

Best flies have been: McLellan’s Hunchback Scud Tan, Olive and Gray (sizes 14 to 16), Flashback Scud Tan, Olive and Gray (sizes 12 to 16), McLellan’s Woven Sow Bug (sizes 14 to 16), Graphic Caddis Tan and Olive (sizes 14 to 18), Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymph (sizes 16 to 20), Beadhead Hare’s Ear Nymph (sizes 14 to 18), Mercury Brassie (sizes 18 to 20), Rojo Midge (size 22), Mercury Blood Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Red Jujubee Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Johnny Flash (sizes 20 to 24), Mercury Black Beauty (sizes 20 to 22), Gray Mercury Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Black Wooly Sculpin (size 4), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4), Swimming Jimmy (size 4).

Bull Shoals Lake: Wilderness Trail said the warm weather pushed the lake temperature to 81 degrees. The lake level is at 652.94. Lake clarity slipped a little this week and is at 14 feet throughout most of the lake. Crappie are on the cribs and around the points in front of the cuts in the creeks. The best bait has been crappie minnows or small shiners and Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnows in Blue Thunder or smoke. Catfish are feeding well at night. Best locations have been halfway back in the creeks and main lake coves. Magic Bait, hog dogs and chicken livers are the best baits.

Largemouth bass are feeding early in the morning and throughout the night, but the daytime bite is very spotty. Zara Spook Jrs, buzzbaits and Lucky Craft Sammys will create some nice action in the mornings. During the day fish Carolina rigs with Trick Worms or Brush Hogs around secondary points. Also work the shade around docks with tubes and jigs.

Smallmouth have switched off the shad and are feeding primarily on crawdads. Transition banks and chunk rock points are where most of the smallies are foraging for food. Spider Jigs, tubes and a mojo rigs with finesse baits are your best bet. Try some Pop R’s or Chug Bugs early in the morning for smallies that are roaming the shallows. Kentucky Bass are with the shad. Cliff walls, channel swing ends and cuts that have some brush in them are the best areas to look for schools of Kentuckies. Drop-shot rigs have picked up this week using Swimming Minnows, Tiny Brush Hogs and drop-shot worms fished under the balls of shad.

Walleye remain shallow for this time of year - From the bank out to 25 feet of water around points and along banks that have ledges. A number of techniques are catching walleye at this time - here are a few. Jig and worm or leech, split shot with worm or leech, worm or leech harnesses with bottom bouncers, Glass Shad and trolling Reef Runners. Sugar Loaf Harbor said the lake is clear and low. Crappie are fair, but no one has reported a limit in two or three weeks. Bass are biting well in the morning on plastic worms and minnows fished over rocky points.

Lake Norfork: Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the clarity is about 15 feet and the lake is at normal pool. Bream are in 2 to 4 feet of water and are hitting red wigglers and crickets. Crappie are excellent on crappie minnows and jigs fished in brush piles from 20- to 25-feet deep. Largemouth and Kentucky bass are biting early and late on top-water lures and spinner baits. Switch to soft-plastic finesse worms and Carolina-rigged Baby Brush Hogs as the day goes on. Stripers are chasing shad in the early mornings and are being caught on large top-water chuggers. Striper fishermen are also bringing in a few trolling umbrella rigs baited with large Twistertails and hair jigs. White bass are schooling in the mornings and can be caught on Rocket Shad spinner baits and small Roostertails. Catfishing is good on chicken livers, shad, hot dogs and night crawlers fished on jugs and trotlines.

Source: AGFC

TRENTON, Mich. — The Michigan Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Detroit River near Trenton June 25 for the first of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Elizabeth Park Marina in Trenton will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Ohio River Regional near Paducah, Ky., Oct. 11-15 and will compete against anglers from the Arkie, Hoosier and Great Lakes divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

Michigan Division anglers will next visit the Detroit River in Trenton July 9 for their second regular-season event, followed by an event on Lake Muskegon in Muskegon July 30. The division’s fourth qualifying event will be held on the Detroit River in Trenton Aug. 20. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Detroit River in Trenton Sept. 10-11. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 25 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 2155 N. Telegraph Road in Monroe. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream fishing is fair in 3 to 4 feet of water on worms, crickets, wax worms and Tinsel Teasers. Crappie are hanging around cypress in deeper water near the channels. Many are being caught on small minnows and chartreuse jigs.

Bass have been fair on dark-colored plastic worms and buzzbaits fished around the edges of the pads. Horny Toads fished in the middle of the pads are also bringing some vicious strikes. Catfish are fair on trotlines baited with minnows and bream.

Little Red River: Lindsey’s Resort said the river clarity is good and the water is low, providing some good wading opportunities. Trout are good on wax worms with marshmallows, Power Eggs or nightcrawlers. Spin-fishers are catching a few on Roostertails, Little Cleos and Trout Magnets.

Greers Ferry: Local fishing guide Tommy Cauley said the water level at Greers Ferry is 460.05 and falling because of summer evaporation and generation. The hybrid fishing has been pretty fair in a few spots around Sugarloaf and Shiloh and Bud Creek on jigging spoons, in-line spinners and grubs. All three species of black bass are pretty slow during the day but can be caught on Carolina-rigged lizards and Texas-rigged worms in grasshopper colors anywhere from 18 to 25 feet. The crappie can still be caught over the tops of brush piles in 20 to 30 feet of water on jigs and minnows.

Bream are still good 6- to 15-feet deep on crickets and nightcrawlers. The walleye are still biting well on flats and points out to 27-feet deep with back trolled night crawlers and leeches. Shiloh Marina said bream fishing is good from 10 to 15 feet on worms fished near the bottom. Crappie fishing is good 15- to 20-feet deep on minnows and ¼-ounce white jigs drifted in Salt Creek. Catfishing is fair on trotlines baited with cut shad. White bass and hybrids are schooling in 15 to 20 feet of water around Piney Point. Try vertically jigging a CC Spoon.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing said the lake is clear and at normal level. Bass are fair with a few being pulled from the weed beds on soft-plastic worms. Catfish are good on large minnows and rice slicks. Bream are good on red worms and crickets fished 3- to 4-feet deep.

Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the water is hazy and at normal pool. Bream fishing is good on crickets early in the morning on rocky points and brush piles. Crappie have gone deep, with a few being taken on minnows slow-trolled on the bottom. Bass fishing is fair on white top-water lures and buzzbaits during low-light hours. Catfishing has been slow.

Toad Suck Lock and Dam: Bates Field and Stream said the crappie fishing is fair in the backwaters. Try using a live minnow on a slip-cork rig in 3 to 8 feet of water. Catfish are biting well on had heads in the deeper holes along the dam. The big story last week was the stripers, with a lot of action below the dam coming on white-and-chartreuse hair jigs.

Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said the water clarity is normal. Catfishing has been excellent on just about anything fished on the bottom just out of the current. Bream are holding in 2 to 3 feet of water just off the edge of the banks and are being caught on red worms. A few crappie are being caught from brushy cover on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinner baits and other reaction-type lures.

Big Maumelle Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish have been good on rice slicks, shad and skipjacks. All other species have been slow.

Lake Cargile: Beeson’s Grocery said fishing has been slow for all species.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said black bass are in the weeds to 10-feet deep early in the morning and late in the day and are hitting on top-water lures and Rat-L-Traps. Largemouths are deeper during the day but not into their summer pattern yet. Some have been caught on Carolina rigs and drop-shot rigs. Kentucky bass fishing is good. Kentuckies are being caught 8- to 14-feet deep on 3-inch pumpkin grubs and crankbaits. Drop-shotting 12-feet deep is also bringing in a few Kentucky bass.

White bass are schooling from the marina east to Three-fingers Cove and around the Chimney. Spooks, clear Near Nothings, Roostertails and CC Spoons are all working on the whites. Catfish are hitting 13- to 28-feet deep on large minnows and prepared baits. Crappie fishermen are doing well in 18 to 22 feet of water on 1/32-ounce jigs and crappie minnows. Reports on bream are good and picking up. They are hitting on crickets and worms.

Arkansas River: Charley’s Hidden Harbor near Oppelo said the headwater from Lock 9 is 284.7 with a tailwater of 270.9 and a flow of 6,100 cubic feet per second. Fish are moving to the sides of the eddies and swirls to where the shad are schooling. Catfishing has been good drifting in whole shad 15- to 20-feet deep. The fishing is also good below Lock 10 to the Highway 7 Bridge and below Lock 9 to the Highway 9 Bridge. White bass fishing has been good early and late in the day around the balls of shad in the current. Stripers are holding on the tips of the jetties and hitting large casting spoons. Bream are excellent around the grass in slack-water areas behind the jetties. Crappie are good in 8 to 12 feet of water on live minnows.

Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said many good channel cats were caught last week on trotlines.

Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said the lake is muddy and there has been little success lately. Bream and crappie are both poor. Some bass have been caught on Rat-L-Traps and shallow-running crankbaits. A few channel catfish have been caught on chicken livers in late evening towards the middle of the lake.

Lake Valencia: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish have been biting well on chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

Sunset Lake: Bream have been biting well on crickets fished in 8 feet of water. All other species have been slow.
Saline River Access in Benton: The water clarity is low due to the recent rains. Smallmouth bass are good in 4 feet of water on jerkbaits. Bluegill are biting well on small Roostertails fished 4-feet deep.
Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish have been good on rice slicks, shad and skipjacks. All other species have been slow.

Source: AGFC

BENTON, Ky. – Pro William Davis of Russellville, Ala., caught five bass weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces to lead day one of the EverStart Series Central Division event on Kentucky Lake presented by Yamaha. The winning pro will take home a Ranger 519 VX powered by a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart Batteries plus $10,000.

“I had an excellent practice day on Monday,” Davis said. “In fact it’s the best day I’ve ever had as far as just finding the fish.” Davis is fishing as many as 20 ledges on the lake. On Wednesday, he would pull up to a spot, make a few casts and if he got bit, he stayed for a while longer, and if not, he moved on to another spot. “Most of my fish are coming 8-14 feet deep,” Davis said.

Most of the pros admitted they were fishing ledges and that the bite seemed to improve as the day progressed. Local anglers dominated the leaderboard with six of the top-10 pros calling Kentucky Lake their home fishery. “I’m covering 15-20 miles of the lake,” said Yamaha pro Terry Bolton of Paducah.

“The fish have been biting better later in the day,” said Drew Lynch of Paducah. Lynch said early Wednesday morning that he hadn’t been catching many smallmouths but ended up bringing a beautiful smallie to the scales that broke the 4-pound mark.

Rounding out the top-five pros are Sam Lashlee of Camden, Tenn. (five bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces); Drew Lynch of Paducah (five bass, 17 pounds, 14 ounces); Terry Bolton of Paducah (five bass, 17 pounds, 10 ounces); and David Curtis of Trinity, Texas (five bass, 17 pounds, 6 ounces).

Robert Gulley of Tupelo, Miss. caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces lead the Co-angler Division on day one. Gulley was fishing soft plastics behind his pro partner Yancy Windam of Gordo, Ala. who sits in 8th place after day one.

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers are Melinda Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark. (five bass, 15 pounds, 2 ounces); Richard Holt of Camden, Tenn. (five bass, 14 pounds, 9 ounces); Keith Ray of Florence, Ala. (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces); and Tom Medlock of Licking, Mo. (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce).

Travis Loyd of Vienna, Ill. caught a 6-pound, 9-ounce largemouth on a Texas-rigged tube to win the $725 Snickers Big Bass Award in the Pro Division while John Ballard of Kansas City, Mo. caught a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to win $245 for big bass in the Co-angler Division.

Anglers caught 1,017 bass weighing 2,496 pounds.

EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.

Source: FLW Outdoors

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is closing several rivers to fishing for spring Chinook salmon effective immediately.

The rivers that are now closed are the mainstem Clearwater, the North Fork Clearwater and the Mainstem Salmon. Increasing angler success over the last four day interval in those fisheries resulted in cumulative harvests approaching the state’s share of the harvestable surplus of hatchery spring Chinook.

Anglers have taken approximately 90% of the state’s share of surplus hatchery Chinook in the Clearwater River system. Recreational anglers fishing the mainstem Salmon and Little Salmon rivers have harvested about 80% of the state’s share of surplus hatchery fish.

Fishing will remain open on the South Fork Clearwater, the Lochsa River and the Little Salmon River for at least one more four day interval from Friday June 17 to Monday June 20. Anglers can also continue fishing the Snake River from Dug Bar Boat Ramp upstream to Hells Canyon Dam until the scheduled closure on Sunday June 19.

Anglers will have a limited opportunity to harvest summer Chinook on the South Fork Salmon River from Goat Creek upstream to a marked boundary 100 yards downstream from the South Fork weir. The season there begins Friday June 17. Managers expect the season on the South Fork Salmon to be short because of a very limited number of surplus hatchery fish and a low allowance for incidental take of naturally produced Chinook protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Anglers fishing any river for Chinook salmon are limited to a harvest of one fish per day, three fish and possession, and a season total of ten fish. Any angler who achieves any of these limits must stop fishing immediately. Anglers targeting salmon must have a valid Idaho fishing license and a salmon permit. Barbless hooks are required and only salmon with a clipped adipose fin may be kept.

A complete list of the rules for salmon fishing in Idaho is available online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov./fish/rules/chinook_seasons/

Fish and Game will continue to monitor salmon harvest where seasons remain open and will provide updates on further closures as they happen on the web, and through statewide media outlets.

BENTON, Ky. – FLW Outdoors announced its 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule and indicated that complete payout details will be released June 21 following registration for the $1.25 million Chevy Open on the Potomac River in Charles County, Md. Next season’s schedule takes the most lucrative bass tournament trail in the world to seven of the nation’s best largemouth and smallmouth fisheries.

Competition kicks off Jan. 18-21 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., then continues on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Feb. 8-11 and Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala., March 1-4. Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., will host the Wal-Mart Open April 5-8 followed by a stop on Kentucky Lake in Benton, Ky., May 10-13 and a tournament on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., June 21-24. The location for the Forrest L. Wood Championship, complete with its world-class boat and outdoor show, will be released June 21 along with identifying which of the sites previously announced will play host for the 2006 Chevy Open. All told, the 2006 season will consist of four qualifiers, two opens and the Forrest L. Wood Championship.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as the title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events.

For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit flwoutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour regular-season schedule

Jan. 18-21 - Lake Okeechobee - Clewiston, Fla.
Feb. 8-11 - Lake Murray - Columbia, S.C.
March 1-4 - Pickwick Lake - Florence, Ala.
April 5-8 - Beaver Lake - Rogers, Ark.
May 10-13 - Kentucky Lake - Benton, Ky.
June 21-24 - Lake Champlain - Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Mississippi River (Pools 16 - 19): Fishing on the Mississippi River Pools 16-19 has been fair. At the gauging station on Pool 16 (near Muscatine) the water temperature is 70 degrees and the river pool stage is 11.32 ft. and is expected to remain stable over the next several days.

Fishing for channel catfish continues to be good throughout the river on dip baits, crawlers, leeches and shad guts. Bluegill fishing continues to be good in all accessible backwaters on worms and small jigs and bobber rigs. Bluegills have been caught in Big Timber and Lake Odessa on Pool 17. Crappie fishing has slowed, however anglers still report catching a few crappie. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair. White bass fishing continues to be fair in the tailwaters. Fishing for walleye and sauger has been slow, but a few fish are being caught in the tailwaters of Dam 15 and near Credit Island.

Lake Odessa (Louisa): Catfishing has picked up with lots of nice fish being taken. Cut bait and shad guts are working well as bait.

Lake Darling (Washington): Anglers are catching some nice catfish in the evenings on chicken liver and night crawlers. Start working the riprap as the catfish are starting to look for areas to nest. The bluegills are still in shallow, although they have moved off the nests. They might be a little harder to find.

Lake Geode (Henry): Bluegill fishing remains good although the fish have moved off the nests and into deeper water. Work the edges of the deeper weed beds with a jig and wax worm for some nice fish.

Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk) Bluegill fishing continues to be excellent. Work the deeper water in the trees. Remember with clear water, silence is golden and will lead to a lot more fish. Fish small jigs tipped with wax worms or pieces of worm.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Crappies continue to bite on minnows and tube jigs along the rocky shorelines and also out in deeper water around brush piles. Channel catfish have been biting on cut bait and stinkbait around the Bridgeview area. White bass have been hitting on minnows and night crawlers in shallow water and also out along the flats.

Lake Hawthorn (Mahaska): Channel catfish have been hitting on cut bait. Bluegills and crappies are hitting on small jigs. The panfish have moved out into deeper water around submerged structure.

Lake Sugema (Van Buren): Bluegills have been hitting on small jigs in the shallows. Crappies have moved out into deeper water. Largemouth bass have been hitting on a variety of artificial lures. Top-water lures in the mornings and evenings have been productive. .

Lake Wapello (Davis): Largemouth bass have been hitting on top-water lures fished in the mornings and evenings. Other artificial lures have also been productive in areas around submerged structure. Bluegills have been hitting on small jigs in the shallows. Channel catfish have been biting on night crawlers and stinkbait.

Pleasant Creek (Linn): Channel catfish are moving shallow to spawn and are very aggressive. They can be caught on a variety of baits. Large numbers of bluegills in the 5- to 8-inch range are in the shallows and are usually eager to bite. Largemouth bass have been biting on both live and artificial baits around the rocky areas of the lake.

Hannen Lake (Benton): Bluegills in the 6- to 9-inch range are being caught in the shallows. Channel catfish are coming in to spawn and are being taken by anglers on chicken livers and crawlers. Largemouth bass are being caught on a variety of artificial and live baits as well.

Coralville Reservoir (Johnson): The channel catfish are in the shallow rocks to spawn. They can be caught on a variety of live and dead baits.

Lake Iowa (Iowa): Spawning channel catfish are feeding aggressively on livers and crawlers. Look for them in the shallow areas of the lake.

Diamond Lake (Poweshiek): Bluegills spawning in the shallows are being caught on small baits, while spawning catfish are being caught on crawlers in the shallow rocky areas of the lake.

Union Grove (Tama): Crappies, bluegills and channel catfish are all being caught in the shallows right now. Try minnows or small jigs for the crappies, small worms or waxies for the ‘gills, and crawlers or liver for the catfish.

Kent Park (Johnson): Bluegills and crappies are being caught in the shallows on small baits, while channel catfish are being caught early and late in the day on chicken livers or crawlers. Many sublegal bass can be caught on a variety of lures as well.
Iowa River (Louisa): Catfishing has been good. River levels are remaining stable despite the recent rains.
Skunk River (Keokuk and Washington): River remains high, as the North Skunk seems to be providing quite a bit of water yet. Catfishing hasn’t been bad but stable water levels would improve it.

For more information on fishing in southeast Iowa, call the regional office in Brighton at 319-694-2430.

Source: Iowa DNR

Now that the prime fishing season has arrived, anglers can obtain locations and information on 77 of the top fishing waters in Nevada by dropping by any Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) office or visiting the agency’s web site at www.ndow.org.

Information sheets that are updated annually by NDOW biologists provide history of the individual waters, maps and directions, access, types of game fish, time of year to find the best fishing, tips for catching fish and a current year’s fishing prediction.

Since the information is produced by the biologists who manage the waters, there are tips and information about catching fish that aren’t available anywhere else.

The fishing information sheets are available online at www.ndow.org. They also are available at NDOW offices at 4747 Vegas Drive in Las Vegas and 744 South Racetrack Road in Henderson. Offices are open weekdays, except state holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Viking (Montgomery): Crappie fishing is fair. Crappies are in 6 to 8 feet of water around structure. Use a small jig or minnow and bobber. Bluegill fishing is fair; cast small jigs close to shore. Largemouth bass fishing is also good using plastic baits with a slow retrieve. Channel catfish are being caught using liver and stink bait.

Cold Springs (Cass): Channel catfish are being caught using liver. Crappie fishing is fair around sunken trees. Bluegills are being caught with small jigs around structure.
Manawa (Pottawattamie): Channel catfishing is fair using cut bait and liver at Boy Scout Island. Walleyes are being caught along the west shore in the evening drifting night crawlers and trolling crank baits. Largemouth bass fishing is fair using a slow presentation with spinner baits and plastic worms.

Orient (Adair): Fishing is fair for 7- to 8-inch crappies along the rocks. Channel catfish are being caught using liver early in morning. Most bluegills have moved off spawning areas but are still being caught around structure.

Mormon Trail (Adair): A few crappies are being caught around the jetties and sunken trees. Some bluegills are still being caught off spawning beds on south side of lake. Try fishing in 5 to 6 feet of water around structure. Channel catfishing is excellent using liver.

Greenfield (Adair): Crappie fishing is fair around brush piles using minnows. Bluegill fishing is fair drifting a jig tipped with a night crawler. Largemouth bass fishing is good using spinner baits. Catfishing is fair using liver.

Littlefield (Audubon): Bluegill fishing is fair using small jigs tipped with worms. Crappie fishing has slowed, but some are still being caught using minnows and bobbers. Most crappies are 10 inches.

Prairie Rose (Shelby): Crappies can still be caught along rocky shorelines. Channel catfish are being caught in the evening using dead minnows or liver. Largemouth bass fishing has picked up using crank baits and plastic worms.

DeSoto Bend (Harrison): Walleye fishing is fair jigging minnows around brush piles and trolling crankbaits in evenings in 6- to 8-foot of water. Bluegills, 6 to 6 ½ inches, are being caught on spawning beds. Channel catfish are being caught using liver.

Willow (Harrison): Bluegills are being caught using worms. Crappie fishing is fair using small jigs at the corner of the dam. A few catfish are being caught in shallow coves using liver.

Green Valley (Union): Some crappies can still be caught in the mornings and evenings near structure and deeper during the day. Fishing is good for catfish on liver and blood baits. Some big bluegills can still be caught from shore with crawlers or jigs tipped with wax worms. Fishing is also good for big 12- to 13-inch bullheads on night crawlers.

Three Mile (Union): Walleyes can be caught on leeches and night crawlers off the big points and over the rock piles. Channel catfish are being caught using blood bait or liver from the riprap and rock piles.

Twelve Mile (Union): Channel catfish can be caught on liver or blood baits. Some bluegills and crappies can be caught during mid-day.

Walnut Creek Marsh (Ringgold): Big bluegills and some crappies can be caught along the south dike on crawlers and jigs tipped with crawlers.

Fogle Lake (Ringgold): Channel catfish can be caught using liver in shallow water or the rocks. Some bluegills can be caught near shore using crawlers.

Little River (Decatur): Channel catfish can be caught using liver from rocks. Walleye fishing is good using leeches and crawlers around the big points.

Badger Creek (Madison): Some bluegill and crappie can be caught from the rocks of the jetties and off the rocked roadways using crawlers or light jigs.

East Lenox (Taylor): Bluegills can be caught from shore using crawlers.

West Lenox (Taylor): Some nice bluegill can be caught from the corners of the dam off spawning beds. Some good largemouth bass can be caught near shore in the evenings.

West Lake Osceola (Clarke): Bluegills can be caught with crawlers in the bays or around the flooded trees. Largemouth bass fishing is good.

Grade Lake (Clarke): Fishing is good for bluegills on the outside edges of the weed line and for medium-size bass.

Q Pond (Clarke): Some nice bullheads can be caught on crawlers.

Don Williams (Boone): Crappie fishing is good to excellent using minnows and jigs. Channel catfish fishing has been good using stink baits. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair, with a few nice-sized fish. Bluegill fishing has been fair on worms. Several anglers have also reported catching walleyes with a few ranging from 18 to 20 inches.

Hickory Grove (Story): Crappie fishing has been good using jigs and minnows. Bluegill fishing is fair, with worms/bobbers the best combination. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair with top-water lures, with a few fish up to 19 inches.

Rock Creek (Jasper): Bluegill fishing has been fair using worms. Crappie fishing has been fair to good near and around structure using jigs and minnows, although fish are starting to move into deeper water. Largemouth bass have been biting on top-water lures working shorelines. Channel catfish fishing has been fair to good using worms and/or chicken livers.

Big Creek (Polk): Bluegill fishing has been good with worms, with some nice-sized fish reported. Crappie fishing has been slow using jigs/minnows, although fish up to 12 inches have been caught. Anglers also report catching a number of smaller walleye below the 15-inch minimum length limit.

Easter (Polk): Crappie fishing has been good on jigs for 6- to 8-inch fish. Bluegill fishing has been good with some nice 8-inch fish reported. Largemouth bass fishing has been good using plastic worms. Channel catfish fishing has been fair using worms and/or chicken livers.

Saylorville (Polk): Crappie and white bass fishing has been good to excellent at the outlet from Big Creek Lake. Fish have been caught on a variety of lures with reports of nice-sized fish of a variety of species caught. Crappie fishing has been good in shallow-water areas of the reservoir with some 10-inch-plus fish reported.

Below Saylorville Dam (Polk): White bass and crappie fishing has been good using jigs and/or minnows, with some smaller walleye reportedly caught. Fishing has been good along Cottonwood access downstream from the dam.

Des Moines River (Polk): Crappie and white bass fishing has been fair to good in the Des Moines River below Scott Street and Center Street dams.

Lake Red Rock (Marion): Crappie fishing has been fair, with some nice-sized fish caught using jig/minnow combinations. The better areas are the shallower, warmer waters, around the outlet from Roberts Creek and in the Whitebreast area. Channel catfish fishing has been good in the upper reaches of the reservoir off old road beds.

Below Lake Red Rock (Marion): Anglers report white bass and crappie fishing has been fair using jigs in the tailwater area. Channel catfish fishing has also picked up with some nice fish being caught.

Roberts Creek (Marion): Crappie fishing has been good near the outlet using jig/minnow combinations. Channel catfish fishing has been good near the outlet.

Ahquabi (Warren): Crappie fishing has been fair using jigs/minnows. Largemouth bass fishing has been good using plastic worms and spinners, although most have been sub-legal in size. Bluegill and redear fishing has been good with most fish taken on worms near the shoreline.
Hooper (Warren): Crappie fishing has been fair using jig/minnow combinations. Largemouth bass fishing has been good using plastic worms and spinner lures. Bluegill fishing has been fair to good.

For more information on fishing in southwest Iowa, call the regional office in Lewis at 712-769-2587.

Source: Iowa DNR

VENICE, La. — Team Slip N Slide headed by Captain Tom Aberle of Wilmington, N.C., caught an impressive kingfish Friday weighing 56 pounds, 9 ounces to win the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour event in Venice, La., presented by Raymarine and earn $100,000. A field of 103 teams competed for a share of the $300,000 purse in the second event of the most lucrative kingfish tournament trail in the country.

FLW Tour Kingfish Tour events are two-day tournaments with the heaviest kingfish determining the winner, but with the approach of Tropical Storm Arlene, tournament officials elected to cancel Saturday’s final day of competition, making Friday’s results final. With weather conditions deteriorating throughout the day Friday and the passing of outer rain bands from the tropical storm, anglers scrambled to their best spots and left plenty of time to navigate the choppy seas back to weigh-in. Despite the poor weather, numerous hefty kingfish were brought to the scale – the top-three kingfish all topped 50 pounds.

“We got here Monday to start pre-fishing,” Team Slip N Slide member Adam Aberle said. “This morning we went 55 miles straight to an oil rig that had some bait around it yesterday. We got our lines in the water at 8 a.m. and hooked up with the big fish at 9:15 a.m. We fought it for 45 minutes, and it stayed deep the whole time. It really didn’t feel like a king, so we didn’t know what it was until the last minute. The fish hit a blue runner over 180 feet of water.

“We didn’t do anything at the first event of the season, so this makes up for that. Winning $100,000 is really exciting. We really appreciate the FLW Kingfish Tour and the opportunity to fish these great tournaments.”

Andy Barringer of Charlotte, N.C., was also a member of Team Slip N Slide.

Rounding out the top-five teams were Team Megabyte captained by Steve Olensky of Theodore, Ala. (53 pounds, 15 ounces, $17,750); Team Cat Daddy captained by Danny Mathis of Gonzales (50 pounds, 2 ounces, $15,750); Team Capt. Dan captained by Daniel Gourley of Hardeeville, S.C. (49 pounds, 11 ounces, $8,200); and Team Hannon’s Cannon captained by Kevin Hannon of Seminole, Fla. (49 pounds, 1 ounce, $7,200).

Interestingly, Cat Daddy, Capt. Dan and Hannon’s Cannon finished first, second and third, respectively, at the previous FLW Kingfish Tour event at Ft. Pierce, Fla.

When registration opened for the FLW Kingfish Tour in February, every qualifying event filled in less than 48 hours. As a result of continued strong demand, FLW Outdoors expanded the field for each qualifying event from its previously established 100 boats. Along with the field increase, the payback for events was increased.

The next FLW Kingfish Tour event, presented by Castrol, will be held July 8-9 in Mayport, Fla.

The $1.7 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour consists of four regular-season events. After four events are complete, the top 50 teams compete in the three-day, no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship to be held in D’Iberville, Miss., Oct. 13-15. The championship team will take home as much as $150,000.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit flwoutdoors.com.

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): Walleye fishing has been good at Angler’s Bay. Also, the south weedline and the north end in front of the footbridge have been good during the day using crawlers and leeches.

The night bite has been good on the west side and along the reeds trolling shad raps in 10 to 14 feet of water. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair in thick vegetation around the lake using jigs and top-water baits. Muskie fishing has been fair in Angler’s Bay and around the south end of the lake.

West Lake Okoboji (Dickinson): Bluegill fishing is excellent over the spawning beds using black jigs tipped with a waxworm or small garden worm. Largemouth bass fishing is good around docks using plastic baits.

Center Lake (Dickinson): Bluegills fishing is fair; look for spawning areas of sand. Most fish are being caught using a small worm. Crappies are also being caught on small jigs and worms. Catfish are being caught on cut bait.

East Hottes Lake (Dickinson): Anglers are catching crappies using small minnows around the outflow. Bluegill fishing is fair on small jigs tipped with waxworms.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Walleye fishing is good trolling planer boards and drifting with crawlers. Fish range from 12 to 22 inches.

Tuttle Lake (Emmet): Walleye fishing has been fair with nice-sized fish being caught around the outflow; 17- to 21-inch fish are being taken.

Trumbull Lake (Clay): Yellow perch fishing has been good from shore using small minnows.

Silver Lake (Clay): Crappie fishing has been fair.

Lost Island (Clay/Palo Alto): Anglers have had success fishing from shore for bullheads.

Willow Creek (Osceola): Bass fishing with top-water baits has been good. Bluegill fishing off the docks and around brush has been fair.

Winterfield Pits (Sioux): Bass fishing has been fair around submerged brush, throwing diving crank baits and Carolina-rigged plastic baits.

Storm Lake (Buena Vista): Fishing for channel catfish has been excellent on a variety of baits. Lots of fish in the 2- to 5-pound range have been caught. Walleye fishing has been good trolling number five shad raps. White bass fishing has been good on twisters or spinners from shore or trolling crank baits.

Black Hawk Lake (Sac): Catfishing has been very good on a variety of baits. Bullhead fishing has been excellent all over the lake on night crawlers; most fish are 7 ½ to 8 inches. Walleye fishing has been good using leeches. Lots of fish are under the 15-inch limit, but limits of legal fish have also been taken.

Arrowhead Lake (Sac): Bluegill fishing has been good in shallow water. Small black leadheads or small hooks tipped with a piece of night crawler under a small bobber have been working best.

Crawford Creek (Ida): Fishing has been good for nice-sized bluegill.

North Twin Lake (Calhoun): Walleye fishing is fair to good trolling crankbaits. Yellow bass fishing is fair to good along the shoreline. Monster bullheads are also being caught.

Brushy Creek (Webster): Bluegill fishing is good. Fish close to shore using wax worms or a piece of worm. A few walleyes have been picked up throughout the day on leeches and night crawlers. Many anglers are catching bass throughout the lake.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Walleye fishing has been slow. Trolling crank baits and jigs and minnows fished around the rock reefs are producing some fish. Channel catfish are hitting on crawlers, minnows and chicken livers. Bullheads are hitting on crawlers fished on the bottom.

Beeds Lake (Franklin): Bluegill fishing is good on small jigs or pieces of crawlers. Fish are on beds near the shore.

Interstate Park Pond (Franklin): Crappies are hitting on small jigs and minnows off the jetty. Bluegills are biting on small jigs and crawlers around the shoreline.

Smith Lake (Kossuth): Bluegill fishing is good, although sorting is required for the quality-sized fish. Use small pieces of crawlers or small jigs for the best results.
Silver Lake (Worth County): Bullhead fishing is excellent on night crawlers fished on the bottom.
Rice Lake (Winnebago): Bullhead fishing is excellent. Quality-sized fish are available in good numbers. Fishing crawlers on the bottom provides the best action.
Lower Pine (Hardin): Largemouth bass fishing is good. Work the downed trees with jigs or spinner baits.
Lake Cornelia (Wright): Bullhead fishing is good off the jetty or any wind blown shoreline. Use crawlers fished on the bottom. Walleye fishing is fair trolling crankbaits.

For more information on fishing in northwest Iowa, call the regional office in Spirit Lake at 712-336-1840.

Source: Iowa DNR

GALLATIN, Tenn. — The Mountain Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin June 18 for the fourth of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Bull’s Creek Ramp in Gallatin will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Music City Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 18-22 and will compete against anglers from the Empire, Mountain and Northeast divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

A two-day Super Tournament, the Music City Division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin Oct. 1-2. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 18 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart located at 112 Nashville Road in Gallatin. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

Mississippi River - Water level at Lansing is 9.61 feet and stable. Water level in the tailwaters at Guttenberg is stable at 8.93 feet and temperature is 79F. Fishing over the past week slowed due to rising river conditions, but some fish were still being caught.

A few walleye are being caught in Black Hawk Park (Pool 9), near Lynxville (Pool 10) and in the ends of the sloughs around Prairie du Chien (Pool 10). Try trolling crank baits, willow cats (madtoms) or a leech along the wing dams and sloughs. Some walleye are being taken on crank baits or three-ways tipped with a leech or crawler fished along the sand flats leading to deeper water. Also, fish the shallow areas with live baits just before dark with jigs or crank baits in 1to 4 feet of water for walleye. Walleye fishing is fair along the wing dams in Pools 11-14 using crank baits or three-ways tipped with a night crawler or leech.

Bluegill fishing slowed due to rising river conditions, but some are being taken around snags or brush in 6 feet of water with a slight current and in tailwater areas just outside of the main current in shallow water in Pools 9-11. In Pool 10, fish for bluegills along the weed lines and up the spillway near Harpers Ferry using a piece of crawler fished near the bottom in 1 to 5 feet of water. Also in Pool 10, bluegills are hitting worms fished in the Sny Magill area, Norwegian and Methodist lakes. Other good bluegill waters include the backwater areas in Pool 10 and the tailwater of Lock 10. Bluegill fishing was slow in Pools 12-15.

A few crappies are being caught in Pools 9-11 in deeper water with little or no current. Look for woody debris and suspend a night crawler, minnow or jig under a bobber in 1 to 7 feet of water. Crappie numbers and size are excellent this year in Pools 9 and 10, with many large fish observed by DNR personnel during spring netting. Better crappie fishing can be found using minnows fished in Pool 10 near the spillway by Harpers Ferry, the Sny Magill area, Norwegian and Methodist lakes.

Fishing for freshwater drum has been excellent using night crawlers or jigs and minnows fished in the tailwater areas, sand flats off the main channel or the wing dams in Pools 9-11, and off the wing dams and the main channel in Pools 12-15. White bass (striper) fishing is picking up in the Pools 9-12 tailwater areas, with fish being taken on jigs and spinners fished in the current. Excellent white bass fishing has been reported off the sand flats and wing dams near Harpers Ferry in Pool 10 using small white or silver spinners thrown into the current for quick action with these scrappy fish. Small shad rap crank baits can also be effective with white bass. Look for places where baitfish are schooled together and white bass can often be seen hitting the surface, chasing schools of minnows around.

Fishing is improving for catfish in the tailwaters and along the main channel border of Dam 10 and off the rocks in Pools 12-15. Stink baits have worked the best, but catfish are also being caught on night crawlers and chicken liver fished in the main channel border or tailwater areas of Pools 9-11. Also try fishing the logjams in Pools 12-15 for hungry cats using leeches and crawlers floated under a bobber.

Largemouth bass fishing is fair but improving in Pools 9-15 on a variety of traditional bass lures including soft plastics, crank baits, spinner baits, top-water lures and jig-and-pigs fished around woody structure, vegetation and rocky shorelines in the backwaters and along the main channel border in areas with little or no current. Try fishing for smallmouth bass along rocky shorelines in Pools 9-12 that have some current flowing by. Smallies are being taken on black twister jigs and a variety of crank baits. Northern pike can be found in the backwater areas in Pools 9-11 using spoons, spinner baits and shallow-running crank baits. Look for areas with some vegetation and, as water temperatures increase throughout the summer, expect these fish to congregate near the mouths of coldwater tributary streams or springs that flow into the Mississippi.

Cedar River (Mitchell); Turkey and Upper Iowa Rivers (Winneshiek): Recent rains have muddied these rivers and fishing has slowed. However, some anglers are still catching trout near the coldwater outlets using various baits.

Cedar River (Black Hawk), Shell Rock River (Butler) and West Fork Cedar River (Butler): Channel catfish fishing is good to excellent drifting a minnow, night crawler or leech below a bobber. On the Cedar River, look for channel catfish below the dams.

Maquoketa River (Delaware and Jones): Fishing for channel catfish is good to excellent using minnows and night crawlers. Smallmouth bass are biting on crank baits in the catch-and-release area below the Lake Delhi dam.

Shell Rock River (Floyd): Smallmouth bass fishing is good with jigs tipped with a crawler.

Casey Lake (Tama) is good for bluegills on small jigs or a piece of worm fished under a bobber in the shallows. Fishing for channel catfish is good to excellent during the evening hours.

Lake Meyer (Winneshiek): Bluegill fishing is excellent on a piece of night crawler fished under a bobber. Crappie fishing is good.

Lake Hendricks (Howard): Bluegill fishing is good on worms fished under a bobber. Largemouth bass are hitting a wide variety of baits including top-water lures and spinner baits.

Lake Delhi (Delaware): Fishing for channel catfish is good to excellent. Largemouth bass fishing is good using crank baits or rubber worms. Bluegill fishing is good on a piece of worm fished under a bobber.

Silver Lake (Delaware): Bluegills are on the beds and fish are biting on a piece of worm or jig floated under a bobber.

Volga Lake (Fayette): Anglers are catching big bluegills using wax worms and other live baits.

Sny Magill Creek, near Garnavillo in Clayton County, offers miles of quality trout stream for anglers. Sny Magill is stocked twice per week with catchable-size rainbow and brook trout. The stream also has a significant population of catchable brown trout that were stocked as fingerlings and allowed to grow up on the stream. While there, check out the new stream habitat work that was recently completed and the new angler access trail which begins in the parking lot near the kiosk.

Sny Magill is well marked with signs to identify the area, or anglers can consult the Iowa Trout Fishing Guide for exact directions to the stream or go to www.iowadnr.com and download a map to the area. Near the upper end of the stream there is a kiosk with a map showing the boundary of the entire public area and the stream section open to angling. Students from MFL-MAR-MAC High School completed a community service project by cleaning the Sny Magill area of trash earlier this spring.

Yellow River (Allamakee): For a great trout fishing canoe trip, the Yellow River offers the perfect opportunity. Not only will you experience spectacular scenery, but fishing for brown trout can also be spectacular with many 20-inch-plus trout caught each year. The best section is from the Highway 51 bridge to the Ion bridge on County Road X36. Consult the Iowa Trout Fishing Guide for directions to the stream.

Trout - Trout fishing is excellent and stream conditions are good to excellent. For current trout stocking information, contact the Iowa DNR at 563-927-5736 or go on-line at www.iowadnr.com and check the fisheries web pages to view the 2005 stocking calendar.

For information on fishing in northeast Iowa, call the regional office in Manchester at 563-927-3276.

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. — The Mountain Division of the $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Barren River near Scottsville June 18 for the fourth of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $39,000 in cash, including as much as $5,500 to the Boater Division winner.

Peninsula Marina in Glasgow will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 5:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. (Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha.) If the winning boater uses only Garmin electronics during the event and at least one product is a qualifying unit, Garmin will also award a $1,000 bonus. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude Direct Injection outboard. That’s a potential top award of $8,500 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $2,750 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.

The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season are eligible to advance to regional competition. Seven $110,000 regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the 2006 All-American championship, which will feature a $1 million purse and a top award as high as $140,000. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to compete in the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a championship field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.

The top 40 Mountain Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 18-22 and will compete against anglers from the Empire, Northeast and Music City divisions for an All-American slot. The top 40 anglers from each division may also advance to the EverStart Series in 2006.

A two-day Super Tournament, the Mountain Division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn., Oct. 1-2. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

If the June 18 tournament is not yet full, entries will be accepted at tournament registration, which will be held June 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Wal-Mart located on Happy Valley Road in Glasgow. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour — bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Source: FLW Outdoors

PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A new report by state scientists documents the amount of freshwater inflows from the Sabine River watershed needed to sustain the Sabine Lake ecosystem, a vital resource that supports dozens of fish and wildlife species and is worth millions of dollars per year to the regional economy.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Water Development Board recently completed the report “Freshwater Inflow Recommendation for the Sabine Lake Estuary of Texas and Louisiana.”

The report recommends 9.6 million acre-feet as the amount of flow for the Sabine Lake system. (An acre-foot is the amount of water it takes to flood an acre a foot deep.) This recommended flow is actually far less than the average flow that the system receives every year based on historical records. Sabine Lake receives by far the largest inflows of any bay system in the state because of the relatively high rainfall throughout the eastern parts of Texas which flows into its drainage basin.

“Factors such as drought or flood constantly change the rules in natural systems such as these, and are actually a key part of their proper functioning,” said Larry McKinney, Ph.D., and TPWD coastal fisheries director.

“Thus, the recommendation is provided only as a target rather than as a strict requirement which must be met every year. TPWD’s main goal is for water to be managed so that recommended inflows are provided frequently enough to maintain the system’s productivity while also providing for other human needs.”

Located on the coastal border between Texas and Louisiana, Sabine Lake is actually a coastal bay which hosts a multitude of recreationally popular fish and wildlife species such as speckled trout, redfish, canvasback ducks and Canada geese.

In 2001, saltwater recreational anglers statewide spent approximately $600 million in Texas, generating a total economic impact of about $1.3 billion, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The bay also supports a healthy commercial fishery for shrimp, menhaden and other species. In 2001, 4,180 pounds of finfish worth $57,059 and 1,420,147 pounds of shellfish worth $1,175,874 were landed in Sabine Lake.

Besides the lake itself, the expansive wetlands along the edges of much of it also rely on freshwater inflows and provide key habitat for many other species, such as crabs, muskrats, river otters, ibises and great blue herons.

In 1985 the Texas Legislature directed TPWD and TWDB to determine the beneficial freshwater inflow needs for major Texas estuaries. To that end, state scientists consider historical river flows, local rainfall, salinity (salt content in sea water), nutrients, and fisheries needs as well as other components in calculating the freshwater inflows that will sustain a healthy bay.

To request a copy of the report, contact Nathan Kuhn, a TPWD biologist and primary author of the report, at nathan.kuhn@tpwd.state.tx.us or (512) 912-7016.

Source: TPWD