Monthly Archives: June 2015

How Does Managing Sea Predators Affect Other Wildlife Management?

Recovering predators create new wildlife management challenges

Contributed by Michael Milstein, NOAA Northwestern Fisheries Science Center
from The Fishing Wire

Can sea lions be managed?

Researchers suggest multi-species approaches to address tensions around rebounding predators

The protection and resurgence of major predators such as seals, sea lions and wolves has created new challenges for wildlife managers, including rising conflicts with people, other predators and, in some cases, risks to imperiled species such as endangered salmon and steelhead, a new research paper finds.

The study by scientists from NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the University of Washington examines recovering predator populations along the West Coast of the United States and in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, and the conflicts surrounding them. The study was published today in the journal Conservation Letters.

In the Pacific Northwest, for example, California sea lions that have increased under the Marine Mammal Protection Act have increasingly preyed on endangered salmon. Wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995 have since cut into elk herds, reducing human hunting opportunities.

“Increases in predators can be seen as successful in terms of efforts to recover depleted species, but may come at a cost to other recovery efforts or harvest of the predators’ prey,” said Eric Ward, a NOAA Fisheries biologist and coauthor of the paper.

The scientists describe three types of conflicts that can emerge as predators rebound under the protection of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act:

-Increased competition with humans for the same prey. For instance, sea lions eating fish also pursued by anglers and wolves preying on livestock and reducing elk numbers.
-Predators consuming protected or at-risk prey species, such as sea lions eating salmon and grizzlies consuming Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
-Protected predators competing with each other for prey. For example, sea lions consuming the same fish as killer whales, with wolves and grizzly bears also preying on the same species.

Pacific Northwest waters include many such conflicts, largely because many top predators such as sea lions, elephant seals and several whales are increasing in number and prey upon salmon, steelhead, rockfish and other fish protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Conservation conflicts have also emerged elsewhere: On California’s San Clemente Island, a threatened island fox species preys on an endangered shrike, while protected golden eagles prey on both the fox and the shrike. Also in the Pacific Northwest, protected barred owls are moving into forest habitat long important to threatened spotted owls and double-crested cormorants, like sea lions, have been targeted for culling to reduce predation on Columbia River salmon.

The scientists call for improved monitoring and modeling to better anticipate interactions between predators and prey, and assess whether steps to manage predators may be warranted.

Where conflicts continue, the scientists suggest developing multi-species recovery plans that consider the tradeoffs between increasing predators and other protected species.

“Predators such as bears, wolves and whales are charismatic creatures often seen as bellwethers of ecosystem health,” said Kristin Marshall, a postdoctoral researcher at NOAA Fisheries who completed graduate research in Yellowstone and lead author of the paper. “We’re fortunate to have places such as Yellowstone and the Northeast Pacific where they can recover, but in protecting one species you have to be thinking ahead to account for cascading effects that may impact other species too.”

The Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act do recognize larger ecosystem needs. For instance, the first purpose of the Endangered Species Act is “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved,” and the Marine Mammal Protection Act seeks to “maintain the health and stability of the marine ecosystem.” Both NOAA Fisheries and public land managers in the Yellowstone region are increasingly pursuing ecosystem-based management with those goals in mind. Research has also found ecological benefits from the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone.

Both the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act also provide safety valves by allowing limited control of recovering predators to manage their impacts under certain circumstances.

NOAA Fisheries has authorized states under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to remove sea lions known to be preying on endangered salmon, for instance. An “experimental” designation under the Endangered Species Act allowed for removal of wolves that attacked livestock, although wolves are no longer listed as endangered in Montana and Idaho and are now subject to hunting.

But the scientists note that resolving conflicts by culling predators may itself have unintended consequences and will face public and legal opposition that may limit management options.

“Thirty years ago scientists predicted that increases in predator populations would cause more of these conflicts to emerge,” Ward said. “We’ve largely seen these predictions come true, and there’s no indication of these conflicts decreasing.”

How Can I Catch Crappie On Lake Lanier?

Slab Crappie Time On Lanier

Lake Lanier is a 38,000 acre Corps of Engineers lake just north east of Atlanta. Since Atlanta draws much of its water supply from the lake, it has been in the news a lot the past year because of low water levels. It is also one of the most popular recreation lakes in the US.

Mention fishing at Lake Lanier and people immediately think of spotted bass and stripers. But the lake has an excellent population of crappie and a few fishermen have learned how to catch them. You can often catch 100 crappie a day at Lanier this spring and 200 fish days are possible.

Todd Goade lives in Buford and loves all kinds of fishing. Last year he finished third in the point standings on the Bulldog BFL Trail. He enjoys tournament fishing and when he is not fishing the BFL or another bass fishing trail he often will be catching crappie at Lanier.

Last spring he teamed up with Alan Gee to place second in the Crappie, USA tournament on Lanier. Todd and Alan fished the pro division and weighed in a seven crappie limit that weighed 9.83 pounds. Although they caught over 200 crappie that day, they did not catch the big fish that would have increased their weight. Catching and culling through 200 crappie is a fun way to spend a day on the lake.

There are several reasons Todd likes crappie fishing at Lanier. It is more relaxing than bass fishing so it is a nice change-up. The tackle is simple and easy to use. Crappie are excellent table fare and are hard to beat no matter how you cook them. And you can catch a lot of fish. Who wouldn’t like feeling a fish at the end of your line every few minutes.

Todd says there are a lot of pound to pound and a half crappie in Lanier but two pounders are hard to find. The Crappie, USA tournament results from last March bear this out. There were only five crappie brought to the scales weighing over two pounds and big fish for the day was a 2.31 pound fish. But who can complain about catching crappie that weigh over a pound each? And that is scale weight, not “guesstimate” weight.

Todd has learned how to catch Lanier’s crappie and the way he does it will work for you. Shooting docks with jigs is the way he likes to catch them. You will need a boat, light spinning rod and reel loaded with 4# test line and a couple of cards of Hal Flies.

“In April it seems like every crappie in Lanier is under a dock,” Todd said. Since there are so many docks on the lake and so many crappie under them, targeting docks is definitely the way to go. And you can catch crappie under docks all year, not just in the spring.

Little River and Wahoo Creek are the areas Todd usually fishes, especially early in the spring. It is good year round but the water warms first further up the lake and those areas turn on first. Later in the spring the docks down the lake will be better as the water warms there. There is a little more color in the water further up and that causes it to warm faster.

Water with a little stain in it is good. Todd likes to be able to see his jig down a foot or two but no more. Stained water warms seems to make the fish hit a little better since they don’t get as good a look at the jig. You can catch fish from extremely clear water but a little stain will help you catch more. Muddy water is tougher, too, so try to find stained water.

Any dock on Lanier can hold crappie. Todd says you should start fishing an area and keep records and notes of where you catch good fish. He will often hit a bunch of docks in the morning then return to the ones where he caught fish later in the day.

Early in March the crappie are likely to be holding on deeper docks toward bigger water. Docks with at least 17 feet of water under them are best. As the spawning urge takes hold when the water starts to warm the crappie will move back into the docks in coves and pockets and will be under docks with as little as six or seven feet of water.

“The dogwoods bloom and the crappie spawn is the old saying,” Todd told me. When the water temperature is 62 to 64 degrees I expect most of the crappie to be back in pockets in shallow water spawning. But not all spawn at the same time. They move back in waves so you can find some fish in different depths most of the time.

By late April after spawning the fish will move back out, holding on the same docks they used as they moved in. And some docks will be “honey holes” and hold crappie better than others. Sometimes you can pick these docks out by looking at them but you usually have to fish to find them.

Covered docks are best and the more stuff overhead the better, according to Todd. Pontoon boats are especially good. Older docks seem to be better. A boathouse with a pontoon or boat lift under it can be excellent. Brush piles under and around the docks sweeten them, too.

Todd seldom fishes an open slip in a boat dock. Crappie want something over there heads and an empty slip is way too bright. If there is a brush pile under the slip it might be worth hitting but usually he just goes to the next slip where a boat or lift offers lots of cover over the fish.

Seeing green algae growing on boats, dock floats, posts and boat lifts means the dock is likely to be better. Baitfish feed on the algae and are attracted to docks with it. Crappie eat the baitfish so they are more likely to be under docks where there is a lot of food for them.

To shoot a jig under a dock you need a five to five and a half foot spinning rod with a light tip. Todd likes an All American 5.5 foot rod and teams it with a small Pflueger President reel. The reel needs a smooth drag and the small spool helps the line come off faster.

The line is very important and Todd chooses 4# test Trilene Fluorocarbon Professional Grade. This line is tough for its size, invisible in the water and works well on his spinning reel. A limp line is necessary for small reels and thin line helps the light jigs sink better.

Todd uses Hal Flies for all his crappie fishing. He likes the 1/24 ounce jig best and he starts with a white or white and chartreuse jig. One with some pink in it is good in clear water, too. Many colors work well and some jigs with reds and yellows attract bites, especially if there is a little color to the water.

Hal Flies have feather tails and Todd bites off a little of the end of them, making them just a bit shorter. He says he is not positive this helps him get more hits but he does it anyway. It is worth trying, especially if the fishing is tough. You never know what might help.

Quietly approach a dock you want to shoot and get in close. Your boat will usually be just a few feet from your target. Kneeling or even sitting on the boat deck helps you get on the right level to shoot under the dock. A quiet trolling motor is best and Todd often uses his hand to move the foot control to position the boat. If you are in the back of the boat you can often just sit on the deck and stay in the right position for shooting the dock.

Boat position can be critical. Sometimes fish seem to want the lure moving in a certain direction, especially if they are holding on a brush pile right in front of the dock. Experiment with different angles and let the fish tell you what they want.

The bigger crappie usually hold in the hardest area of the dock to get your jig into. A narrow opening between dock floats and a boat lift float or pontoon float may mean you have to hit a six inch wide, four inch high hole, and you need your jig to go as far back as possible. Remember, the more stuff overhead the more likely the crappie are to be there, and the further back and darker the spot the more likely bigger crappie are to be holding.

Open the bail on your reel and drop your jig down to the last guide above the reel. Grab the head of the jig between thumb and trigger finger with your free hand. While holding the line at the reel with your finger, pull the tip of the rod down to make it bow. Aim the rod at the opening you want to hit and release the jig. As it flies toward the target, release the line at the reel.

It takes some practice to do this but is easier than it sounds. You will go high and hit the dock or go low and hit the water too soon but a little practice will have you putting your jig in spots impossible to reach any other way. Sometimes your jig will skip on the water and you can get it even further back, especially if there is not much clearance between the water and the top of the gap you are shooting.

When your jig hit’s the water flip your bail shut and count the jig down. A 1/24 ounce jig on 4# line will sink about a foot a second. Todd says he counts “One Mississippi, Two Mississippi” to keep a consistent space on his count. You need to know the depth your jig is at when you start getting bites.

Start by counting down to six and then slowly reel your jig back. No action is needed on the retrieve. Actually, jiggling your rod tip may hurt the chances of a bite. If you have ever watched a small minnow swim along it does not move much, it just glides along. That is what you want your jig to do.

Try a few shots with a six count then try eight, ten and even 12 counts. Watch your line carefully at all times. If it jumps as the jig sinks, set the hook and reel in the fish. Just remember where it was on the strike and start using that count. Crappie usually hold at about the same depth on most docks.

When Todd fishes with a partner they try different counts with one reeling in at six and the other at ten then both changing. That way they can cover different depths quickly. They will also try different colors. Once the fish tell them what depth they are holding and which color they like best both will concentrate on those keys.

Another trick Todd uses is to let his jig fall an few inches just when it passes the end of the float or edge of the boat he is fishing. Sometimes a crappie will follow the jig and that little drop will trigger a hit.

As you reel in watch your line, too. If it jumps or if you just feel it get heavy, set the hook. Don’t use a break-their-jaw hook set, just sweep the rod tip and the light wire hook in the jig will go into the soft mouth of the crappie.

Play the fish slowly and carefully to the boat. Crappie aren’t called “paper mouth” for nothing. It is easy to pull a hook out of a big fish, even with four pound line. And you don’t want to break the light line.

Often you will shoot over a bar or part of the dock under water. When you hook a crappie with your line over something, go to it with the boat and get it. You can not pull a decent fish over anything with such light line.

Some people worry about getting a hook in their finger while shooting a dock. Todd says that has never happened to him. Holding the jig by the head turns the hook up and away from your fingers so it will not hook you when you release it. And it won’t come flying back at you if you try to pull it loose if it gets hung. Four pound line will almost always break before that happens.

Todd will shoot his jig into openings on a small dock seven or eight times then move on. He tries a few shots at different depths but says crappie usually hit pretty quickly if they are there. There is no need to waste a lot of time if you are not getting bit. But if you do catch one fish you are likely to catch several.

Don’t hesitate to go back to docks where you caught fish earlier. Crappie will often move in and out around the dock and will be easier to catch at different times. And Todd says watch your depth finder. You will often see a school of crappie near a dock, or brush out from it. When you spot either back off and work your jig through that area at different depths.

Schools of crappie often look like balls of baitfish on your depth finder they are so close together. Baitfish may be present, too, and that is a good sign. Always keep an eye on what is under the front of your boat.

Bass boats are fine for shooting docks but their high decks are a drawback. A lower, smaller boat allows you to get down to the water level easier and make better shots under docks. If you are in a small boat just put in near where you want to fish since Lanier can get so rough.

If you want to try your luck in a crappie tournament, Crappie USA has a tournament on Lanier on March 15, 2008 and West Point on March 29, 2008. There is also a tournament on Weiss on March 8, 2008 and Hartwell on April 5, 2008. You can enter the Amateur Division for a $75 per team fee or choose the Semi-Pro Division at a higher cost. Cash prizes are paid in each division but are higher in the Semi-Pro side.

Crappie, USA was formed in 1996 and purchased the “Crappiethon” tournament trail. They hold 45 tournaments in 20 states each year. Each region has at least six spring and two fall tournaments. The Georgia tournament last fall was on Oconee.

To fish in their tournaments you must join their American Crappie Association organization for a cost of $25 per year. You can get more information about Crappie, USA and their tournaments at http://www.crappieusa.com/

When Should I Use Big Baits for Bass?

When Big Baits Are Best for Bass

How up-sizing can work magic on heavily-pressured waters, especially during “heat fronts”

By Steve Pennaz
from The Fishing Wire

Steve Pennaz with bass

Pennaz has found that soft plastic lizards are a great bait to fish during both cold and heat fronts. “The beauty of the lizard is it resembles salamanders, which pack a big caloric punch, motivating bass to eat during negative to neutral bites. Also, not a lot of anglers throw them anymore, so fish are less conditioned on pressured waters,” says Pennaz.

Fish studies confirm that bass can become conditioned through continual exposure to baits. Especially on heavily-pressured waters, bass do learn to avoid baits. Berkley’s Dr. Keith Jones covers the subject in his book Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach for Catching More Fish. In it, Jones discusses research evidence that suggests bass remember lures for a long time – “for at least up to three months and perhaps much, much longer.”

The challenge for the angler is staying ahead of the curve. One of the best ways is to fish outside of the box, choosing baits the fish have probably never seen before. Or fishing baits that have fallen out-of-favor for newer, trendier baits.

Or simply up-sizing the same baits we already know are effective.

I remember fishing a river system one spring day. We had started early to avoid the crowds, then battled skyrocketing temps throughout the day. I know a lot of anglers like to be on the water during those warm spring days, but I prefer more stable conditions.

Fishing was predictably slow under the changing conditions so I slowed down like you do during a cold front and went to smaller baits while casting to timber and current seams along the bank. We landed four bass running between 1.5 and 2 pounds.

There was another boat working the same bank behind us…with a lone angler in the bow. I saw him hook up a couple times, but didn’t think much of it at the time.

Later, back at the launch, I asked the other angler how he had done. He said he caught five fish, including a 3-pounder and two 4-pound fish flippin’ the same river timber I had fished ahead of him.

I asked him, “What bait where you flippin’?”

His plaintive response: “Power Lizards.”

I hadn’t thought to go larger with my presentation and so this information was striking. But the more I thought about it, the logic behind it was too strong to ignore…how many other anglers would go in this direction during difficult situations like cold fronts or what I call “heat fronts”?

When you get a week of average temps and all of a sudden the temperature sky-rockets into the 80 or 90s (or higher), water temps change drastically. It’s like what happens during a cold front, but in reverse. And the effects on bass and other fish are the same; their movements slow. If you monitor the water temps on your electronics, there are situations where increases can be as much as 8, 10 or even more degrees in a day. Where I live, going from 40-degree overnight air temps to 80 degrees by late afternoon is not uncommon!

When faced with drastic temperature increases, I often hold off fishing my best spots until late in the day when temperatures stabilize somewhat. By this time, the biggest fish with the most mass will have had time to acclimate to the change and will be more active. The bass that do feed during these dramatic shifts in water temperature often look for the biggest meal with the least amount of metabolic effort. Like any host of large amphibians, salamanders and the like.

Still, a lot of anglers are hesitant to fish lizards, thinking they’re only big-fish baits. In reality, a lizard doesn’t appear too large to bass, which typically track prey from behind. The visual cue is only part of the equation. What can really stimulate their feeding or attack response has to do with how they feel that bait. With its many appendages, a lizard displaces more water and produces more vibrations, which the bass picks up via its lateral line.

An angler needs to ask a few questions:

How big of a bait can I get away with on a given body of water? And secondly, what will be most appealing to the biggest fish in a school?

At times it makes sense to start smaller, but there are times when going large is the right move.

If the waters have big fish and lots of pressure, I may start bigger because I can. And for the past couple of years, I’ve been fishing lizards … a lot.

Why more anglers aren’t fishing lizards is a real head-scratcher. But I can relate. The past decade we’ve seen so many new and effective creature-style baits and worm designs hit tackle shelves that it was easy to forget the proven performer.

Big mistake. Lizards worked then — and still do.

Lizard Rigging Tips

When rigging lizards, hooks can make or break your day. I learned long ago that while great for compact, creature baits, EWG-style hooks are not the best choice for Texas-rigging lizards or big worms.

Instead, I use a 5/0 or 6/0 offset worm hook that provides great hook-up ratios and allows the baits to move fluidly, as designed.

Historically, my favorite lizard is the 6-inch PowerBait Power Lizard, although I’m starting to catch a lot of bass on the Gary Klein-designed Havoc Boss Dog, too. But given that bass will often grab lizards and big worms in the middle – rather than inhaling the entire bait – the PowerBait formula really puts the odds in your favor. They simply hold on to the bait longer, giving you more time for a solid hookset.

In terms of color, my favorite is pumpkin with a chartreuse tail, which is based purely on nostalgia; it produced my first giant bass years ago and still works great today. But I also carry black/blue, black, green pumpkin and watermelon.

In terms of line…I fish 10- to 15-lb. Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon in clear waters; 15- to 17- lb. for stained conditions. And in waters with double-digit bass, I’ll go even heavier. I like the sensitivity you get with fluoro, the fact it sinks, and the near invisibility factor.

Another cool thing about fishing heavy fluoro with lizards or big worms is it decreases the amount of tungsten or lead weight you need to use. You get some sinking factor with the line itself. That means I’ll often fish lizards or big worms weightless in shallow-water (1.5- to 2 feet) situations. Plus, the Berkley PowerBait Power Lizard is pretty bulky in the body. All this adds up to long casts and easy fishability.

Rod & Reel Setup

One of my secrets to fishing lizards is upping the speed. Rather than the typical “lift-drag” Texas rig retrieve, I’ll use a twitch-twitch-reel-reel-shake and repeat. This gets the appendages really pushing water. To those ends, I like a higher-geared baitcaster like the 7.0:1 Abu Garcia Revo MGX.

Big hooks for big baits

Pennaz prefers a 5/0 or 6/0 offset worm hook over an EWG for Texas-rigging lizards or big worms. “You’ll get greater hook-up ratios and a more natural bait action,” says Pennaz.
Speaking to that reel, it weighs around 5 ounces, which means when combined with a feathery 7’6″ fast action, medium-heavy power Abu Garcia Veracity, you can easily fish these big baits all day without fatigue. Plus, fishing lighter rods and reels gives you better sensitivity…important for detecting bites on the drop.

Parting Words

This season pay attention to drastic temperature swings and fish them like cold fronts in reverse. Size up and try lizards for more and bigger bass, even during difficult situations on pressured waters.

About Steve Pennaz

Steve is one of the most trusted voices in fishing. From 1988 until 2012, he served as Executive Director for the North American Fishing Club, including North American Fisherman magazine, fishingclub.com and the club’s daily enewsletter “Fishin’ Informer.” He’s also hosted several television series, including “North American Outdoors,” “North American Fisherman,” and “Fishing Club Journal.” Pennaz launched Knot Wars, now a successful app on iPhone and Droid. He excels at finding and catching fish on new waters, a skill that now drives “Lake Commandos.”

Lots of Spots At A Kids and A Club Tournament At Bartletts Ferry In May

Last Saturday we had only three boats participating in the Spalding County Sportsman Club/Flint River Bass Club youth tournament at Bartletts Ferry. Even though the numbers were low and the fishing was tough we had fun.

On the youth side Alex Watkins fishing with Sam Smith won the older age group with four bass weighing 2.89 pounds. My partner Hunter Jenkins came in second with two at 2.55 pounds and his 1.29 pound largemouth was big fish. Blaze Brooks, fishing with Zane Fleck, won the younger division with two bass weighing 1.18 pounds.

In the buddy tournament Sam and Alex had five fish weighing 5.82 pounds for first and a 1.45 pound largemouth for big fish, Hunter and I had five at 5.07 for second and Zane’s team had two at 2.28 pounds for third.

Youth could weigh in any legal fish, so they could bring in spotted bass less than 12 inches long. On the buddy side all fish had to be 12 inches long. Bartletts Ferry is full of little spotted bass and we all caught a bunch of them. There were only three largemouth brought to the scales.

Hunter and I started fishing a point with topwater, crankbaits and worms. He had two bites on worms but when he set the hook he brought in a half worm. I missed two on topwater and I think they were all little spotted bass, too small to get the hook.

As the sun got higher we went out on a point and I could see fish on it on my depthfinder, and I caught two small keeper spots and several too short to keep on jig head worms and drop shot. Then we fished several more places without catching anything.

At about 11:00 we started fishing docks and Hunter got two keeper largemouth and I got a keeper spot. We both caught some throwbacks, too. That was it for us. It was a very frustrating day, made even more so at the ramp when we watched a pot tournament weigh-in and it took five weighing 14.5 pounds to win and 14 pounds to get a check!

The next day in the Spalding County Sportsman Club May tournament at Bartletts Ferry 16 members and guests fished from 6:00 AM till 2:30 PM to land 55 keepers weighing about 64 pounds. There were only 11 largemouth, all the rest were small spotted bass. Six of us had five-fish limits and only one fisherman didn’t have a keeper.

Billy Roberts won it all with five weighing 8.02 pounds and had a 3.72 pound largemouth for big fish. My five at 6.18 pounds was second, Niles Murray had five at 6.14 pounds for third and Sam Smith’s five at 6.05 pounds was fourth.

After seeing the tournament with the good catches weighed in Saturday I thought all night, trying to figure out what they could have done. Often you can go up the river and catch largemouth, but the water looked muddy at the ramp so we had all fished clear water on the main lake Saturday. I told my partner Jordan McDonald we were going for broke, running up the river to try to catch some bigger fish even if it was muddy.

The first place we stopped I got a keeper spot on a spinnerbait, not what I was hoping for, and Jordan caught a short spot. We fished great looking cover for over four hours and all we caught were two more short spots and a short largemouth even though there was good current, usually a good sign, the water was what I consider a perfect color. I could see a spinnerbait down over a foot deep.

At 10:30 we decided we had better go to the clear water and try to catch a keeper spot. On the way down the river, near the mouth and still in very stained water, I remembered a good point and we stopped on it. Current was moving across it and it is often a very good place when the current is flowing.

We immediately started catching fish. It was strange. The boat was sitting in about 14 feet of water and we were casting up on the point, covering it from five feet deep out to 14 feet deep. In the next two hours I caught about 15 small keeper spots and several that were too small to keep. Although I gave Jordan one of the lizards I was using, and he rigged it Texas style just like mine, I caught all the keepers.

By 12:30 the fish quit biting and the boat traffic go so bad it was uncomfortable and dangerous to stay there, so we went to some other places. For some reason pleasure boaters like to break the law and ride close to fishermen, violating the 100 foot rule. Most of them seemed to slow down to make as big a wake as possible. I yelled at one guy when he almost ran over us and he yelled back we were in his way although there was a lot of open water all around us!

Jordan had a bad day. I got three more keepers fishing docks and points but he never got one. It is weird the way it goes some days and you just can not figure out why. I have had it happen to me many times. In fact, in a February tournament at Bartletts Ferry Jordan won with a limit weighing about 12 pounds and had big fish and I caught one keeper all day!

What goes around comes around, sometimes!

Fishing Fathers’ Day Gifts

A Few Ideas for Dad’s Day Gifts

By Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire

Forget the socks and ties, OK? We want outdoors stuff for Father’s Day. Here are a few suggestions:

Anglers are hard on shoes, no doubt about it. Our feet are frequently wet, from spray, from rain, or from hopping over the side to beach the boat. It’s not uncommon to have shoes drizzled with fish blood and slime and with mud, either. And most of us spend long hours standing up to fish–sitting restricts casting efficiency too much.

Most of us also like “kick off” type shoes, low-cut, just in case we someday fall over the side–it happens to everybody eventually.

Finding shoes that are at home in the water, stain-resistant, comfortable enough to make long hours of standing bearable, and easy to get off and on can be a bit of a challenge.

Soft Science is one good solution. Their “Fin” model shoes are amazingly comfortable and light–under a pound for a pair, which is about half the weight of conventional shoes. The microfiber mesh uppers keep feet cool, whether you wear socks or not, and the material is both strong and stain-resistant.

The removable insole is made of a soft composite the company calls Trileon, which is waterproof, stain-resistant, odor-resistant and washable, and which provides great arch support and heel cushioning. The sole is made of this same material, and it’s non-marking on boat decks and very “grippy”, even on wet fiberglass or mossy boat ramps.

Vents in the sole allow water to run out if you go wading, and the sole wraps up well over the mesh uppers to give a bit of protection on rough terrain. Fins are available in sizes from 6 to 13, and in five colors. Price is $79.99; www.softscience.com.

The Impecca Power-It is an amazingly compact jump-starter, about the size of an iPhone 6 Plus (but thicker) and yet it’s got the oomph to kick off your outboard or tow vehicle for an emergency start. It’s also a charger that works for 12-volt marine and automotive batteries, and it also has dual USB outlets to charge cellphones, tablets and laptops. It includes an LED flashlight with SOS signaling device–all for $79.95 in the 8,000mAh version.

The company says the product will recycle 3000 times before needing replacement. Larger versions capable of jumpstarting even large trucks and big RV’s are also available; www.impecca.com.

Also for those who need portable power, the Olympia External Battery/Dual Solar Charger provides charging and battery power for those who go “off-grid” in areas where electrical power is not available. The system includes a 5500mAh rechargeable battery, solar recharging panels and both USB and micro-USB ports for charging. It’s designed to handle wet weather and the bumps and shocks of backcountry life, according to the company. It charged my iPhone 6 in about three hours, and the company says it will charge most tablets in 5 to 6 hours. It’s $59.99: www.olympiaproducts.com.

Every outdoorsman can use another set of Cablz, the clever sunglasses retainers made of stainless steel cable or heavy monofilament. These things not only keep your glasses handy at all times, they also don’t hang on the back of your neck and draw sweat, as cloth retainers do.

The rubber tips of these retainers slide easily onto the ear pieces of most glasses, and several models have adjustable lanyards, especially handy if you need to keep several pairs of glasses handy, as I have to do these days–one for running the boat, one for reading the GPS and one for tying knots. They’re 11.99 to $14.99. A flotation device that slides on the retainer is also available–I’ve never had one blow off, but considering the price of prescription sunglasses these days, probably a good idea; www.Cablz.com.

Digging Holes Do Kids Still Dig Holes?

Digging Holes

Do kids still dig holes or is it a lost art? When I was growing up we dug holes all the time. Some had a purpose but many were dug just for the fun of digging in dirt.

I grew up in Dearing, Georgia on Iron Hill Road and it was named that for a reason. The red clay made the ground look like rusted iron, and it was about that hard. Digging holes was not easy.

We still dug holes for everything from traps to trying to dig to China. Back then we actually thought we could dig all the way through to the other side of the earth, and adults encouraged that belief with a grin.

Our holes usually got a couple of feet deep before we gave up. The ground was just too hard. And on our farm, it was full of rocks. But we never gave up starting a new hole when the notion struck us.

Our traps never worked, either. Reading about pit traps made it seem easy to dig a hole, cover it with small limbs and leaves, and catch dinner. We dreamed of catching rabbits, possums and raccoons, but never got one. I realize now our small shallow holes would have been easy for a critter to climb out and we never thought of putting Punji sticks in the bottom.

Wouldn’t have really mattered, anyway, since I don’t remember ever seeing one of our traps where something has actually broken through the cover. Maybe it was because we dug them where the digging was easy, not on some kind of game trail.

My grandmother and an aunt lived in Ocala, Florida and I looked forward to our twice-annual trips there. The soft sand in her back yard was really easy to dig holes. We dug them on every trip at Christmas and during summer vacation.

It took no time to dig a hole deeper than we were tall. But that created a problem. It is really hard to get dirt out of a hole deeper than you stand. That made us give up a little bit before we got to China.

My Uncle Roger lived on a farm near Thomson and Uncle Adron lived about a mile away. Roger, Jr. who we called Dunnie, and Adron’s son Bobby were a few years older than me. On Uncle Roger’s farm out in a field were two huge boulders side by side, touching each other.

Those boulders stood about eight feet high off the ground. Bobby and Dunnie were convinced they marked buried treasure or some kind of Indian burial place. They spend many hours digging around them. On some trips I helped.

We tried digging under them from the side. I guess we never considered the danger of one rolling a little and crushing us, like we never thought about the holes in Florida caving in on us. And we never found the treasure!

We dug a lot on Dearing Branch, too, but most of that digging was trying to build a dam on it. We would dig sand off the edges and bottom of a big pool, making it deeper and bigger as we dug, and filling croaker sacks with the sand for the dam.

One summer we actually go the pool deep enough for the water to come up to our necks – when we kneeled on the bottom. It never got deep enough to swim and every winter the rains filled the branch and sand washed in and filled in our efforts. And the rushing branch washed away our dam. But that just gave us something to do the next summer.

It is kind of funny, but when daddy made me dig holes for a purpose, like setting fence posts, I hated it. I liked using post hold diggers but not for a purpose. And we had to put up posts to repair fences every summer on the farm.

And digging a drainage ditch was somehow different from digging for fun. We often had to work on the shallow ditches around the chicken houses to drain the water away from them, and the only good thing about digging them were the earthworms we uncovered. At least we could collect them and go fishing!

I still dig holes sometimes, but always with a purpose. Post holes and drainage ditches mostly now days and they are still not a lot of fun. But I guess my aches and pains keep me from wanting to just dig for fun, anyway.

Encourage your kids to dig holes but safely. It will get them out of the house, keep them out of trouble and keep them fit. And they may have as much fun as we did.

Can Maps Help Find Potential Fish Habitat?

Maps from the 1930s Help Find Potential Fish Habitat in the Digital Age

Fish habitat map

A total of 1.4 million National Ocean Service (NOS) bathymetric soundings from 98 hydrographic surveys represented by smooth sheets in Cook Inlet were corrected, digitized, and assembled in order to produce this interpolated depth surface for Cook Inlet, Alaska.

For years, researchers, fishermen, and policy makers have had to rely on low-resolution navigational charts with limited fish habitat information to analyze fish habitat in Alaskan waters. But now, with the help of technology, detailed survey data from the 1930s may help to improve fish habitat analysis and help us learn more about important fish stocks.

“We now have a much more detailed picture of the seafloor in some areas,” said Mark Zimmermann, research fish biologist with NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “We can see variations in depth between areas and unique features like troughs and banks. We will also be studying how fish and other marine life use these different habitats.”

The challenge was to translate the old data that were documented by hand on large flat, one-dimensional sheets of paper called smooth sheets, into a form that would be useful to modern scientists without having to spend millions of dollars.

These smooth sheets exist for many nearshore areas of Alaska. Nearshore areas are important as nurseries for rearing of young fish. Being able to pinpoint where these nursery areas are enables fishery managers to better define and protect essential fish habitat for commercial species of Alaska.

How did the scientists translate the data?

Inshore cartographic features

Inshore cartographic features of rocks, reefs, kelp patches and islets from smooth sheet H05152. Depth soundings in fathoms are shown as numbers, some with fractions.
NOAA Fisheries scientists developed a new methodology to transform the one-dimensional data on the smooth sheets, into three-dimensional digitized layers of data. They used a geographic information system (GIS) to do this.

Smooth sheets provide 10 times as much bathymetry or seafloor depth than traditional nautical charts. They also provide other data such as; shoreline location, seafloor sediment type, and various features such as kelp beds, rocky reefs, and islets.

What can we learn using digitized maps?

Scientists used the digitalized maps to compare five inshore study areas known to be important habitat for juvenile Pacific halibut and flathead sole. They were able to quantify differences and similarities between bottom type and depths at each of the sites to determine, which ones would provide preferred habitats for these fish.

Scientists in the Gulf of Alaska Project sponsored by the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), are using these same data sets to predict the preferred habitat across the central Gulf of Alaska for juveniles of five other important species: walleye pollock, Pacific cod, Pacific ocean perch, arrowtooth flounder and sablefish. This knowledge could help design more focused research surveys in the future, saving valuable resources.

Smooth sheets are available for free through NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. For more information on the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s use of smooth sheets and the study of Alaska bathymetry please visit the AFSC website.

Where and How Can I Catch Middle Georgia Bass In April?

Middle Georgia April Bassin’

If you like catching bass in April and live in the central part of Georgia, you are in luck. Bass are shallow and feeding, and you can catch them from big lakes and smaller public waters.

The following lakes give you a variety of types of fishing and offer chances to catch either largemouth or spotted bass, or both.

Lake Harding

Often called Bartletts Ferry by Georgia fishermen, Harding is a 5850 acre lake on the Chattahoochee River north of Columbus. It has varied cover and structure, from rocky banks and points to channels, grass beds, docks and blowdowns that all hold bass.

The lake has a big population of spotted bass as well as largemouth. Most of the spots are small with an average size of only about half a pound, and anglers should keep spots for a meal. There is no size restriction on them. The largemouths have an average size over 12 inches long and 15 inch plus fish are fairly common.

In the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Creel Census report, it took about four hours to catch a 12 inch keeper, yet almost 20 percent of club tournament fishermen weighed in a five fish limit. The average bass weighed 1.36 pounds and just over 70 percent of the fish weighed in were largemouth.

To catch largemouth in April the water willow grass beds up the river from the Georgia Power ramp are good targets. Bass feed in them as well as bed around them. A spinnerbait run through the grass is a good way to cover water. Use a chartreuse and white bait with one gold and one silver willowleaf blade.

Also fish the grass beds, docks and blowdowns with a weightless worm. A black or white Trick worm works well. Try moving it steadily with short twitches just under the surface, but also let it sink to the bottom and sit still for several seconds before moving it. Bedding bass on the edge of the grass will often pick up a worm sitting on the bottom.

For spots, target rocky points and banks with a small jig and pig or jig head worm. In clear water use a three sixteenths ounce brown jig with a brown twin curly tail trailer. In stained water use a black jig with a blue trailer. Raise the bait off the bottom a few inches and let it fall back, making the tails of the trailer wiggle. Dip the tails of both color trailers in chartreuse JJ’s Magic. Spots love chartreuse.

A green pumpkin Zoom Trick worm or smaller Finesse worm work well on jig heads. Dip the tail to color it and give it scent, and work it with shakes and short hops through the rocks. Also fish both baits around docks, both largemouth and spots will hold on them and hit the worm.

Lake Tobesofkee

Lake Tobesofkee is a 1750 acre lake just outside Macon owned and operated by Bibb County. Although a small lake, it has plenty of structure and cover to fish for largemouth, with grass beds, rocky points and banks, docks, channels and wood cover.

The largemouth population is excellent at Tobesofkee, with 20 pound plus tournament stringers of five bass not unusual. According to the Department of Natural Resources, up to one-third of the catch should be fish in the 15 to 25 inch range with good numbers in the bragging size from 20 to 25 inches.

A spinnerbait or buzzbait worked in the grass and around docks will catch bigger fish. Also try a chartreuse or crawfish crankbait that runs six to eight feet deep on the rocks and docks. Riprap on the bridges hold bass this month to fish it with those baits, too.

For slower fishing try a half ounce jig and pig or three sixteenths ounce jig head worm. A black and blue jig or a green pumpkin worm on a jig head works well. Fish both around dock pilings, brush piles and rocky banks. For riprap go to a one-eight ounce jig head and fish the rocks, concentrating on the corners at the bridges.

The area above the Lower Thomaston Road Bridge has a lot of shallow water but is ringed by good grassbeds to fish. Where the creek enters the lake is a good area to target. The docks and points as well as the riprap on the lower lake offers more varied cover to try.

High Falls

High Falls is a 650 acre lake east of I-75 north of Forsyth that is a Georgia State Park. It is an old lake that has been silted in so most cover is shallow. There are grass beds, stumps and docks to fish all over the lake and you can easily spot the best places to fish.

You are limited to a ten horse power motor but you can use a boat with a bigger motor if you do not crank it. The lake is small enough to cover with a trolling motor from the ramp in Buck Creek and the one at the dam. Fishing is limited to sunrise to sunset.

The Georgia DNR says High Falls is an untapped resource for largemouth. It has one of the highest populations of bass larger than 15 inches long of any of our lakes, with average size about 14 inches long and weighing about 1.5 pounds.

Ricky Hightower lives near the lake and fishes jon boat tournaments like the Lil’ Waters Bass trail and others. He also puts on pot tournaments on High Falls and fishes it often.

Since most of the cover in High Falls is on the bank, Ricky fishes a lot of water fast in April with a spinnerbait. The fish are scattered and will move in and out of the shoreline cover, so he will fish the same places more than one time during each trip.

A Constant Threat spinnerbait made by Terry Lee in Griffin, director of the Lil’ Waters Bass Trail, is his favorite. He likes a white skirt and one silver and one gold blade on a half ounce bait. He fishes it fairly fast around and through the grass and blowdowns as well as around docks.

A KVD 1.5 or 2.5 crankbait also works well around the docks. Try a natural shad or orange belly bait and try to bump the dock posts and other wood cover.

If the bass seem to be reluctant to bite Ricky fishes a jig and pig or jig head worm. He likes a black and blue three sixteenths ounce jig with a blue twin tail trailer. His jig head is one eight ounce Spot Remover head with a candy bug Trick worm on it. Both should be cast around and under docks and to blowdowns and brush piles.

Favorite areas include Brushy Creek, Watkins Bottom and the area near the dam. All have docks, grass and wood to fish. Keep moving and cover water to catch the scattered bass this month.

Lake Jackson

Jackson Lake is a 4750 acre Georgia Power Lake at the very upper end of the Ocmulgee River east of Jackson, Georgia. It is an old lake but still has a lot of good structure and cover to fish for spotted and largemouth bass.

Although the DNR says largemouth make up about 42 percent of the bass population, only half the bass weighed in at club tournaments are largemouth. And the numbers are sometimes skewed in tournaments since spots are usually culled for heavier largemouth.

In club tournaments it takes about four hours to catch a 12 inch keeper that weighs an average of 1.77 pounds. There are some quality bass in the lake, with it taking 254 angling hours to catch one over five pounds, one of the lowest times per five pound bass of any of our lakes.

The lake record largemouth, caught in March, 1986, weighed 14 pounds, 7 ounces. Twenty years later a 5.08 pound spot set the record for that species. There are some grown spots in the lake and you still have a chance of landing a wall hanger largemouth.

Kip Carter is a well known tournament fisherman that grew up on Jackson and still fishes it often. He guides on Jackson and other area lakes when not fishing a tournament, and makes Bass Hound lures. He sells his lures in tackle stores and through his web site at http://ginebrewedtackle.com. “Everything on Jackson centers around the spawn in April,” Kip said. Some bass have already spawned by early April but bass continue to move to the spawning areas in waves all month long. You can catch pre spawn, spawning and post spawn bass all during the month.

The shad spawn also takes place in April and is a key to catching both largemouth and spots while it is happening. During the shad spawn a spinnerbait fished on main lake seawalls and rocky banks is a sure way to catch fish early in the morning.

You can catch bass off the beds during the day but Kip does not concentrate on them. If he sees a good one on the bed he will try to get it to bite, but he is usually fishing a variety of baits to fish for bass he does not see.

During the shad spawn a white buzzbait and white spinnerbait are always ready to cast around the spawning shad. A Pointer jerk bait will also catch bass around the shad spawn.
A brown jig tipped with a Zoom brown or pumpkinseed trailer is a good bait to fish around shallow cover, and it will catch bedding bass, too. He likes a three-eights to one-quarter ounce jig and trims them down.

A weightless worm s one of the best baits to fish around shallow cover on Jackson this month. Natural colors are best and the bait should be fished around all shoreline cover, from docks to blowdowns and seawalls.

A Carolina Rig and a jig head worm work for fishing a little deeper, too. A Baby Brush Hog is fished on the Carolina rig and a Trick or Finesse worm works well on the jig head. Green pumpkin and natural shad are good colors.

Start at the mouth of spawning coves all over the lake and fish from the point to the back, covering all the cover. If you are not catching fish back in the pockets concentrate on the points with your jig head worm or Carolina rig.

Lake Russell

Lake Russell is a 26,650 acre Corps of Engineers lake on the Savannah River north of Augusta. No shoreline development is allowed so its natural shorelines are pretty to fish and the lake holds good numbers of both largemouth and spotted bass.

You can catch a lot of bass on Russell as the Creel Census Report shows. Average time to catch a 12 inch keeper in club tournaments was less than three hours, the best in the state. Sizes are good with the average tournament bass weighing 1.38 pounds and about 31 percent of the fish were largemouth.

Kent Guest is a tournament fisherman from Elberton and fishes Russell often. He says bass are on many patterns that work this month, with pre spawn, spawn and post spawn bass all month long. Baitfish are the key to catching both pre and post spawn bass and Kent fishes where he finds bait, knowing bass will be feeding around them.

A variety of baits are good, including crankbaits, a jerk bait, a jig and pig, a weightless worm and a Carolina rig. A jig head worm also catches fish but he prefers the Carolina rig to the jig head. And he also has a drop shot worm ready to catch fish he spots holding deeper.

Wind really helps the bite this month so Kent fishes wind blown banks and points as long as he can control the boat in the wind. Rocky points and banks are best but bass feed on clay bottoms, too. Use a crankbait or jerk bait in the wind to fish fairly fast. Cast near the bank and work both baits back all the way to the boat.

If the wind is not blowing try the points at the mouths of spawning coves with your Carolina rig and jig and pig. The water is usually clear so stick with browns and green pumpkin colors. Fish water from three to 15 feet deep and rock or brush cover holds the bass on the points.

Also work the back one-third of coves with a weightless work, fishing it around all cover in shallow water. A bright colored worm like white or chartreuse will help you see the bite and know when to set the hook.

Spots are all over the lake now but the best largemouth fishing is in the creeks like Beaverdam, Coldwater and Pickens. And the largemouth are more likely to be around wood cover with rocks holding spotted bass. The DNR says it is easier to catch spots than largemouth on Russell.

Head to one of these lakes near you or travel to one a little further away for some great April bass fishing. You won’t go wrong with any of them.

What Is Magnuson Stevens and What Does It Have To Do With Fishing?

Improvements Much Needed in Recreational Fishery

By Jim Donofrio, Executive Director
Recreational Fishing Alliance
from The Fishing Wire

Fluke

As a longtime Jersey charter boat captain, listening to my customers’ needs was critical to business success. Now as executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, it’s my responsibility to listen to our individual members’ needs, which in many ways are the same as those I used to take fishing full time for tuna, striped bass, weakfish, bluefish and fluke.

The saltwater anglers I speak to on a daily basis want healthy fish stocks; they also want reasonable access. As rewritten in 2006 by special interests at the Marine Fish Conservation Network, the federal fisheries law (Magnuson Stevens) rebuilds fish stocks by stopping allowable fishing. Black sea bass is a rebuilt fishery that environmentalists tout as a Magnuson victory; New Jersey anglers, however, are not allowed to fish for sea bass from Jan. 1 through May 26, and on July 2 will be allowed only two fish.

Summer flounder (fluke) is a rebuilt fishery that the Marine Fish Conservation Network cites as an example of Magnuson’s excellence, yet two years ago the state was forced into a more restrictive “regional” approach with New York, leading to an increase in state size limit now decimating South Jersey businesses forced to compete with Delaware.

At the same time, the federal government will not allow New Jersey to open the fluke season before May 17, thanks to the federal law and “fatally flawed” data collection. Meanwhile, recreational blueline tilefish anglers are facing draconian cutbacks because the government has failed to collect enough statistical data.

Magnuson Stevens was enacted in 1976 to protect our U.S. recreational and commercial fishing industry. It was meant to foster robust coastal communities while conserving coastal fish stocks. While Marine Fish Conservation Network lobbyists boast of their success with rewriting this law in 2006, they fail to address the impacts of lost angling opportunity. Today, their political operatives take great delight in reducing open congressional review of this law into partisan grandstanding, while the overwhelming majority of commercial and recreational fishing organizations have banded together in mutual support of H.R. 1335 to reform Magnuson Stevens.

The legislation passed by the House Natural Resources Committee addresses the arbitrary, congressionally created timelines for rebuilding fisheries, a hallmark legislative appeals put forth by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., on behalf of New Jersey fishermen.

With support from new committee member Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., H.R. 1335 would also modify the rigid requirements now forcing draconian “accountability measures” leading to ever-shrinking seasons. It also would force management councils to provide more public transparency. H.R. 1335 would limit future “catch share” programs in our region (concepts pushed by the environmentalists to issue individual fish tags for all fishermen), and dedicate fishery fines toward data-poor fisheries while taking steps to improve recreational data collection.

As a registered lobbyist who works exclusively to represent saltwater anglers and the recreational fishing industry nationwide, it’s important that I listen to my members while also keeping open dialog with the opposition, wherever possible. Paul Eidman, who as early as December of 2009 was lobbying for Marine Fish Conservation Network to stymie efforts to allow improved angler access to rebuilding fish stocks, continues his partisan attacks against sensible fisheries reform through the Asbury Park Press.
After seven years of congressional hearings, it’s obvious that the federal fisheries law needs reform. It’s time for congressional Democrats to stand up on behalf of their angling public, and allow what once had bipartisan committee support to move forward, without partisan grandstanding on behalf of radical “green” ideology.

This law is rapidly destroying the robust fishing communities it was designed to protect.

Jim Donofrio is executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

Scientific Studies Gun Control and Global Warming

While working on Masters and a Doctorate degree I learned a little about scientific investigation. One of the cardinal rules of any scientific study is to start it with no prejudices and no expected outcomes. The purpose of a truly scientific study is to find accurate information, not to try to prove your prejudices.

That basic fact of doing any kind of accurate research seems to be lost on many so-called researchers now. Anyone that really knows about research knows you can prove anything you set out to prove. You may have to adjust the data a little or ignore some that doesn’t fit your goals as “outliers,” but you can get to your preconceived conclusions if you want to.

One of the big pushes of the gun ban fanatics right now is a “universal background check,” requiring all gun purchases, not just those from licensed dealers, to go through the database of those prohibited from legally buying a gun. Right now if you go to Berry’s Sporting Good to buy a gun, you have to show a valid ID and have your name run through this check unless you have a valid Georgia Firearms License. It is an inconvenience and usually takes just a few minutes, but most of the time it returns accurate data.

There are exceptions. If your name happens to be the same as a convicted felon you can be turned down. If you don’t think you have to worry about that, do a Google search on your name. You might be surprised how many people have the same first and last name.

For example, I know Ronnie Garrison died suddenly on September 28, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee and Ronnie Garrison was arrested on felony drug, burglary and grand larceny charges in Oklahoma on January 2, 2014. I have a firearms license so I have never had a problem, but I’m not sure if I could instantly pass the background check.

The gun banners crow that background checks have stopped 1.2 million gun sales since started. There is no follow up. How many of those were mistakes later corrected or how many of those people got guns illegally anyway.

A supposedly “study” at Duke University of the current background check found the following: ““If these handgun denials were successful in preventing violence-prone people from arming themselves, we would expect to see a larger reduction in gun crimes committed in the 32 Brady states compared with the non-Brady states. Disappointingly, our study did not find significant trend differences between the Brady and non-Brady states in the most reliably measured gun crime – homicide. Thus the direct effect on gun crime that advocates expected from denying disqualified adults in the Brady states does not reveal itself in our data.”

Notice the key word “Disappointingly” in that report. The so-called researches were not happy with their results. They set out with an agenda to prove their prejudice that background checks make a difference. But even with their goals, at least they admit they could not prove what they set out to prove.

So why make the system of background checks that does not work “universal?” That is like saying drinking water doesn’t cure cancer so drink more of it. It is not rational.

And what would the effects of these universal checks on law-abiding citizens? If I wanted to sell you one of my guns, not that I would ever sell one, we would have to go down to Berry’s, pay to have the check run and only then would the government allow me to sell you my property. In states that have universal checks it cost from $50 to $150 to have one run, adding to the cost of the sale.

What if you want to give one of your children one of your guns? You are still required to have the check run. If you wanted to leave a child a gun in your will? Could a universal background make that impossible?

Gun banners will grasp at anything they can to achieve their goals of making it impossible to own a gun. Gun control laws affect only the law-abidiing. They do not affect criminals in any way.

Which brings me to another of my pet peeves about scientific studies. In 1975, while working on a Masters Degree at West Georgia College, I took a course titled “Environmental Science’ and was assigned to write a paper on the coming Ice Age due to air pollution.

Forty years go the science was settled. The earth was cooling and half of North America would be covered with glaciers within one hundred years. Governments, especially the US government must take immediate steps and spend lots of tax payers’ money to keep the earth warm.

Sound familiar? Some of the same people and same groups that made those claims 40 years ago are now saying exactly the same thing about global warming or global climate change as they call it now. Its just weather – of course the climate changes. Always has, always will.

Don’t forget at one time the science was settled that the universe revolved around the earth and that you would fall off the edge of the earth if you sailed too far on the ocean.

Anytime you are told “the science is settled” you can be sure that is being used to stop others from trying to get the truth. Anytime a study sets out to prove something, rather than find facts, it is suspect. Anytime some in the government want to spend your money on the latest fad, be very skeptical!

About Fishing

Welcome To About Fishing