The AFTCO Bass Bus release boats have had another busy season in 2024 helping ensure the safe release of thousands of bass back to the lakes and rivers they were caught in that day. AFTCO sponsors and supports two release boats that are operated and maintained by Ulrich Marine Service in Branson, MO. In 2024, these two boats traveled to dozens of events across the Midwest to aid tournament organizations in releasing fish safely, but also to help spread them out for reduced harvest in the days following an event. Spreading the release of tournament fish out across the lake also ensures that an area does not receive too many fish to safely support them in that area. The Ulrich Marine staff is trained on the proper release methods including “fizzing” and operation of the boats to protect as many fish as possible.
The original AFTCO Bass Bus just completed its seventh season of releasing fish. This boat has supported 43 events in 12 states and released over 27,000 bass back into their waters. AFTCO support for a second boat was added in 2019 and the company now supports two boats in operation in conjunction with Ulrich Marine. AFTCO provides financial support for the operation of these boats free of charge at approved tournaments thru out the year.
In conjunction with the release boat at many events is the AFTCO Bank Bag program and distribution of the AFTCO Bass Care 101 guide for all angler and organizations to use for successful fish care management.
In 2025, both Bass Busses are already scheduled for dozens of events across the Eastern US.
About AFTCO
Family owned and operated, the American Fishing Tackle Company (AFTCO) represents unparalleled quality, performance, and reliability when it counts most. Worn across the globe, AFTCO’s performance fishing clothing and fishing rain gear is designed to handle the harshest elements. Whether you’re a tournament bass angler looking to stay dry in a late fall downpour or an offshore weekend warrior seeking protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays, AFTCO keeps you fishing comfortably.
AFTCO reflects a legacy of firsts. From former company Chairman Milt Shedd’s pioneering conservation achievements, to the invention of the roller guide and the introduction of the world’s first pair of true fishing shorts, AFTCO provides conservation leadership and innovative products proven to deliver performance on the water. Our passion for the outdoors goes beyond our product offering because of an unwavering commitment to help protect our fishing resources and angler rights. Through our 10% Pledge to Protect and Conserve, your purchase of any AFTCO product directly supports conservation initiatives.
The State Of Lake Okeechobee From A Professional Anglers Point Of View – Good or Bad?
By The Fishing Wire
Lake Okeechobee is one of the most historic bass fisheries in the world. The Seminole Tribe named it “big water” for its size, but the size of the bass has historically been what people think of when they hear its name. The lake has and continues to provide anglers from all over the world with a once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip. It is considered by many as the Valhalla of Bass Fishing.
As a professional angler who grew up in Clewiston, Florida, Lake Okeechobee is very special to me because I’ve spent my entire life on it and understand how this lake lives and breathes. It is also a big part of why we are here, as a family, and a big part of why we started our family business on the shores of this wonderful lake. My father–Roland Martin, who has spent his lifetime in the sport—mentored me. I am blessed to have a very successful 22-year career myself by winning bass tournaments all over the country. My family is all involved in the outdoors: my daughter Hilary, seems to be the one that is taking the name to the next generation and continuing our family legacy.
We have a responsibility to act as stewards of this majestic body of water. That’s why we co-founded Angler’s for Lake Okeechobee (AFLO) to advocate for the lake by focusing on solutions to stop large influxes of water and nutrients from entering the lake from urban centers north of us, as well as protecting the habitat and wildlife in the lake. Since starting AFLO, we’ve developed an even deeper personal understanding of how Lake O operates. We’ve seen it at its best and we’ve seen it at its worst and our mission is to maintain and to improve upon its glory. Anglers, business owners, and boat owners as well as fishing guides are all part of this effort to care for the lake, fix the estuary crisis downstream, and reduce spraying of harmful chemicals that are intended to manage and control invasive aquatic plants that can disrupt the native ecosystem, hinder navigation, and negatively impact fish and wildlife habitats.
Lake Okeechobee has suffered several injuries in recent years including mismanagement, chemical assault and negative press coverage from certain groups and people who don’t recognize the Lake’s value or want to blame shift from problems in their own waters to ours. However, there have been significant efforts at the state and federal levels to stabilize the lake and heal it.
I want to share some recent positive developments on the state of the Lake. First, ongoing construction of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells will “slow the flow” of nutrient-laden and contaminated water from Orlando’s urban runoff in the wet season and provide much-needed fresh water during the dry season. Year after year, more than 95 percent of the water and nutrients that end up in the lake flow unimpeded from Orlando and urban centers north draining into the Lake. Leaders in Florida like Governor Ron DeSantis and those in charge of the Florida Legislature deserve significant credit for committing the resources necessary to get these projects done.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have begun to shift their lake management philosophy to put the lake into “recovery mode,” which means lower lake levels will create an opportunity for sunlight to once again grow grass and healthier fish habitat. A major new USACE project was just authorized when the Water Resource Development Act was signed on January 4, 2025. The plan proposes an enormous reservoir north of the Lake with the capacity to store 200,000 acre-feet of flow before it ever reaches the Lake. It will limit human-borne contaminates from polluting the Lake–as we see in the estuaries to our west that are filled with pollution from stormwater runoff, septic tanks, and sewage from failing wastewater infrastructure that feed harmful algal blooms and red tides. Lastly, there has been a shift in focus on supporting funding and projects inside Lake Okeechobee so we can do the restoration and habitat projects that are greatly needed there.
Florida is growing, but our population continues to become more aware of its ecosystems and the impact we all have on water. Lake Okeechobee is not toxic as often cited.
Bass fishing continues to take off nationally. It’s increasingly becoming a young person’s sport and there’s nothing better than seeing the lake filled with young anglers from all over the country. They come to compete and fill their bags on what I believe is still the premier bass fishing destination in the world and considered by many fishermen, their ultimate bucket-list destination.
The push to save Lake Okeechobee continues to gain steam. AFLO has brought together many different stakeholders who all care about the Lake including city leaders, farmers, conservationists, outdoor, sports and fishing brands, as well as our coastal neighbors.
There are still challenges to resolve like the ongoing spraying issues that harm bass spawning beds, promote unhealthy lake bottom, and reduce submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), which promotes fish habitat and provides the filter Lake Okeechobee needs to clean its own water. Lake Okeechobee used to have between 30,000 and 50,000 acres of SAV each year and has been reduced to basically zero over the last 7-8 years.
Also, we need to dispel the idea that Lake Okeechobee is toxic, which has been the result of decades of pseudo-environmentalists attacking our rural communities over water issues.
And finally, we need to promote healthy dialogue among all stakeholders to ensure everyone involved has a better understanding of our shared issues.
The largest freshwater lake in Florida generates more than $30 million in income for businesses annually. That despite all the challenges it has faced over the years. Imagine what a better lake could do for our state and our country.
AFLO, key stakeholders and our family will keep working on this goal by sharing facts and encouraging our leaders to preserve the lake’s status as a world-class bass fishing destination.
–Scott Martin is a professional angler, the host of “The Scott Martin Challenge” and co-founder of Anglers for Lake Okeechobee.
The Georgia Bass Slam 2024 Grand Prize Winner and how to enter this year
By The Fishing Wire
Winner, winner, fish for dinner! Congratulations to Michael Mooney of Grovetown, GA (Columbia County) on winning the Grand Prize for the 2024 Georgia Bass Slam.
Mr. Mooney was one of 67 anglers that got a Georgia Bass Slam in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).
“What a surprise! This is the first time I have ever won anything,” said Michael Mooney, who has been participating in the program since 2018 and gotten 4 total Bass Slams. “These programs are a lot of fun every year and I appreciate the opportunity to participate.”
The Bass Slam Grand Prize Winner receives a cooler, camp chair, tackle box and a beautifully framed bass print. Are you working on your 2025 Slam?
Georgia Bass Slam: Catch (at least) five of the different black bass species found in Georgia within a calendar year and you have a Georgia Bass Slam! This program recognizes anglers with the knowledge and skill to catch different species of bass in a variety of habitats across the state, while also stimulating interest in the conservation and management of black bass and their habitats. For complete rules and more info, visit BassSlam.com.
Other Fishing Recognition Programs:
Angler Award Program: This program recognizes those who catch fish that meet or exceed a specific weight or length for that species. There is an adult, youth, public fishing area and trophy bass angler award program category. For complete rules and more info, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/anglerawards.
State Records: In addition to the angler award program, the division also maintains a freshwater fish state-record program for anglers who land a catch that exceeds the existing record catch weight by one ounce or more. More information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/recordprogram/rules.
Trout Slam: Catch all 3 species of trout available in Georgia waters and earn a Trout Slam! More info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/trout-slam.
Kids First Fish Certificate: The division wants to recognize children across the state for catching their first fish with an online kid’s “first fish award” certificate available at GeorgiaWildlife.com/my-first.
Georgia Wildlife Resources thanks anglers that took part in these programs and appreciates all anglers that head out to state waters throughout the year to wet a line. For more information about fishing in Georgia, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/angler-resources.
What Does It Mean For Hunting with FIRST POSITIVE CASE OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CONFIRMED IN GEORGIA
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (January 23, 2025) – The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has confirmed through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories that a hunter-harvested deer sampled for routine surveillance in Lanier County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This is the first case of CWD detected in Georgia.
The sample was taken from a two-and-a-half-year-old male white-tailed deer harvested on private property. Immediately following the positive confirmation, WRD staff implemented the CWD Response Plan and are taking additional samples from the area.
“I want to assure our hunters that deer hunting will continue to thrive in Georgia, despite this current discovery,” said Walter Rabon, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “Working together with our hunters and all Georgians, we will manage CWD and maintain healthy deer herds.”
What is Being Done?
The DNR CWD Response Plan is in effect and a CWD Management Area is established. The CWD Management Area includes the county where the positive sample was found and any county that touches a 5-mile radius around the location of the positive sample. The current CWD Management Area includes Lanier and Berrien counties.
The critical next step is to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate in that Management Area (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer have CWD). The Department will do that with landowner cooperation through “cluster sampling” in the immediate area.
What is CWD?
CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk ,and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 3 Canadian provinces: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming as well as Canadian provinces Alberta, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
How You Can Help Prevent Spread
Don’t move live deer. Moving live deer is the greatest risk for introducing CWD to new areas.
Dispose of carcasses properly and don’t bring whole carcasses into Georgia from out of state or move whole carcasses outside the CWD Management Area. Any carcass parts you don’t intend to consume should be left on the property the deer was killed, sent to a landfill, or buried.
Report sick or abnormal deer to your nearest WRD Game Management Office.
The Georgia DNR with its partners – Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study – will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.
I looked out my office window today and saw a flock of swans flying by. For me, that was a pretty big deal. I’ve seen more swans in my home area in recent years. Certainly more than we saw just a few years ago, but I still consider it a new experience. Oddly, or maybe not so oddly, we’re seeing more and more of some types of wildlife and fish life. And also not so oddly, we’re seeing fewer and fewer of some types of wildlife and fish life. What we see and what we do in the outdoors has certainly changed from then to now.
Fishing has changed in a lot of ways. It used to be that keeping the larger fish was the way to go. On many bodies of water today, it’s beneficial to the fishery to keep the smaller fish. Northern pike are a good example of this. On some lakes, keeping the smaller pike is encouraged. A body of water can support a certain amount of fish poundage per acre. For instance, if a particular lake can support a hundred pounds of fish per acre, there can be twenty, five pounders, or fifty, two pounders. Take some of the smaller ones, the ones that we used to throw back, take’em home and eventually we’ll have bigger pike. That’s an over-simplification, but it makes sense. And when prepared properly, those two and three pound pike are outstanding on the table. The same concept holds true for panfish in many lakes. In some cases, we’re doing the fishery a favor by keeping the smaller fish.
On some lakes smallmouth bass have taken the place of walleyes. Largemouth bass have always been in these lakes, but they lived in areas where the walleyes didn’t. As smallmouth populations grew, they moved into the walleye’s neighborhood. The smallmouth flourished. They were more aggressive than the walleyes and forced them out of the areas that were originally walleye territory.
When I was younger, pheasants and jackrabbits were abundant near my boyhood home in Iowa. Now pheasant numbers fluctuate up and down, but there aren’t as many as there used to be, and I haven’t seen a jackrabbit in a very long time. Weather plays a role in pheasant populations, but habitat, or habitat loss, is a very important factor. Since 1990, Iowa has lost 2,637 square miles of habitat. That’s a strip of land nine miles wide that stretches from Davenport Iowa to Omaha Nebraska. That’s a lot of habitat!
In an earlier era, we never ever saw an eagle around home. When we went on our annual fishing trip to northern Minnesota, we would usually see an eagle or two, and it was always a thrill. Today, we see eagles in the back yard. And it’s still a thrill. I’m hopeful and certain that it will always be a thrill.
We also see more deer, geese, and turkeys than we used to. Seeing deer, geese, and turkeys aren’t quite as thrilling to me as eagles, but I sure do like to see them, as long as they aren’t on the road in front of my pickup.
Most people who spend time outdoors will agree that the outdoor world is changing. It’s up to those of us who enjoy the outdoors to do what we can to make those changes, on land or water, changes for the better.
Photo Caption—As the outdoor world changes, it appears that deer and turkeys are learning to read.
“There’s a kind of hush all over the world,” sang The Herman’s Hermits in 1967. The weather a week ago Sunday and Monday reminded me of that feeling when sitting on a deer stand. The fog and misty rain wetting the leaves and tree branches, and me, made everything in the woods hushed and quiet.
It is fun most days sitting in a tree hoping deer will wander by, but rainy, foggy days were always my favorites. Everything is very calm and peaceful. Even tree rats scurrying around on the ground searching for breakfast don’t make much noise.
Some noises are still loud. The “crack” of a Whiteoak acorn quietly falling 30 feet to smack a limb over your head will get your attention. But most sounds are muted and there is a special quiet to the woods.
The patter of water drops on the black plastic bag I used for a makeshift rain cover is relaxing, bringing back memories or raindrops hitting the tin roof of the old farmhouse where I grew up. But unlike the plastic bag roof, it did not leak drops down my collar, bringing me back to the present.
A flicker of movement gets my full concentration, but most likely it is the flip of a squirrel tail. I look at it through my scope, cranking it up to maximum power to try to prove grey squirrels have some grey hair. They do not.
Sometimes the movement is from a magic deer. The woods Houdini can suddenly appear, seemingly popping out of the ground where they stand. It is no surprise they make no noise in the wet woods, but they can walk through dry leaves just as quietly, the same leaves that made your walk to the stand sound like big foot sitting beside you chomping on ice cubes for breakfast.
If a deer does appear it is time to check it out closely. Although it is legal to shoot a deer without visible bone above the hair and count it as a doe, not one of your two bucks, you look closely. Then you don’t care because you are hunting for meat, not horns, and don’t plan on filling both buck tags anyway.
The quiet is conducive to deep thoughts as well as more shallow ones. Will a doe or buck come down the trail 30 yards down the ridge from your perch in the Whiteoak. Are you hidden well enough for deer “that never look up” to miss seeing you when they look up? Can you get your crosshairs on them without spooking them?
More important, how many other hunters have been on this ridge where some of the oaks are more than 100 years old? Did the dirt farmer that scratched out a living here, terracing the steep hillside and moving rocks so he could grow crops to feed his family in the early 1800s hope to shoot a deer with his musket for some meat?
Did his children and grandchildren that lived on the land after he did shoot squirrels here for a stew, or wait for deer, maybe sitting on the big boulder almost under your tree? The old man that sold you his final piece of property before dying told you he hunted here, as did his ancestors. Remembering brought a tear in his eye, giving up the last of his ancestral land.
It almost made you regret buying his families land but if you had not, someone else would have. And they might have developed it and a subdivision might be covering the ancestral lands now.
I have insured through a “Land Conservation Covenant” that nothing will be built here before I die. I hope some future hunter will enjoy the peace of this place like I do but I fear some may sing the Joni Mitchell song from 1970: “You don’t know what you got till its gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”
Reading outdoor magazines like Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and Sports Afield when growing up in the 1950s and 60s made me wish to do things I never really expected to do. I have accomplished an amazing number of them, from fishing for Cutthroat Trout in the Yellowstone River to catching salmon on a fly rod in Alaska.
Many of the simple things also intrigued me. I wanted to hear the haunting call of a loon at daybreak on a lake. I thought the sound of wild geese flying and calling at night would be amazing.
Loons and Canada geese were not present where I fished and lived in Georgia. But through management and conservation, both are now common on area lakes.
One morning at Clarks Hill as the eastern sky lightened, I heard a loon call. I had never heard one but there was no doubt in my mind what it was. The call has been called “eerie – wild – aching” in both poetry and outdoor articles and it fit those descriptions perfectly.
Canada goose calls can be somewhat jarring, but the first one I heard while fishing at night, with a full moon over my shoulder, fit this poem perfectly:
“One wild-goose call —
and even brighter shines
the midnight moon.”
Geese and to as lesser extent loons have made a comeback thanks to the work of Ducks, Unlimited and state and federal conservation agencies. Protecting wetlands, a major goal of Ducks, Unlimited, has benefited multiple species of wildlife, from loons and geese to mallards and songbirds.
Ducks, Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres since 1937. They raise money through local banquets and other fund raisers and work with state and federal wildlife agencies to conserve wetlands and other projects to benefit waterfowl and other wildlife.
Many projects are far from us but affect our wildlife, especially waterfowl, in many ways. Protecting loons north of us allowed them to spread to the south, increasing their range.
Some geese migrated to Georgia, most of them to the coastal areas, for years. But projects in Georgia to increase habitat for them, for example the big waterfowl sanctuary on Lake Walter F. George, brings more to our state.
And back in the 1980s the Georgia DNR worked to establish a resident flock of Canada geese here. They made big pens on lakes like Clarks Hill and clipped the wings of adult geese so they could not migrate north in the spring. That forced them to nest here and raise goslings that were never taught to fly north in the spring.
Geese calling at night from that flock started on Clarks Hill made me feel wild and free, and intensified the joy of a perfect night on the lake for me. It is no wonder to me poetry has been written about that sound and the feelings it brings.
Since 1985, money from Ducks, Unlimited has helped conserve more than 22,000 acres of wetlands right here in Georgia. The Ducks, Unlimited Georgia affiliate organization has more than 20,000 members and 1400 volunteers. The national Ducks, Unlimited organization has about 700,000 members working for conservation.
Currently, Ducks, Unlimited has delivered more than 20,000 conservation projects all across North America. Right here in our state there are 24 projects involving Ducks, Unlimited helping waterfowl and wildlife.
Many people like me do not hunt waterfowl but are members due to the good work the organization does in our state and nationally. Dues are reasonable and go to a good cause.
Banquets are fun events for attendees and raise money for the cause. Upcoming events near us are October 20th in Conyers/Rockdale County, Covington/Newton County on November 3rd and Fayette County in Tyrone on November 3rd. Attend one for fun and a good cause.
You can find more information on Ducks, Unlimited and the work they do, as well as events, at https://www.ducks.org/
If you want to do catch and release, remember From Hook To Release: How Gear Can Make A Difference For Fish Survival
from The Fishing Wire
By Greyson Webb
Your odds of success on the water can hinge on the gear you use, and the same principle applies when it comes to releasing fish. From not meeting size requirements to being caught out of season, there are many reasons why you might land a fish that you’ll need to release.
While released fish can go on to survive and be caught again, there are a variety of stressors a fish can experience throughout their landing and handling that can result in injury or death. Simply letting a fish go does not guarantee its survival, and the use of proper gear is a best fishing practice that can be adopted to help minimize stressors and improve a fish’s chance of recovery and survival.
What makes certain tools more effective in minimizing stress and injury than others? This article explores how the tools used throughout the catch and release process can boost the survival rates of released fish to keep populations healthy for the environment and anglers alike.
Non-Offset, Non-Stainless Steel Circle Hooks
It all starts with the hook—the first point of contact between angler and fish. The right hook will minimize hooking injury, reduce stress, and improve the ease of hook removal—all factors that influence a fish’s chance of survival. This is where the circle hook can make a difference. Circle hooks are designed to catch a fish in the jaw, which is the safest area if release is needed. Less likely to be swallowed or snag vulnerable areas like the gills or eyes, circle hooks decrease the odds of a potentially fatal hooking.
Not all circle hooks are the same, though. Non-offset circle hooks and non-stainless steel circle hooks go the extra mile in improving a fish’s chance of survival after release. Non-offset hooks are easier to remove than offset hooks, meaning less time out of the water for the fish, less bleeding caused by removal and less stress overall. In the case a hook cannot be removed, a non-stainless steel circle hook provides the benefit of degrading and shedding up to three times faster than a hook made of stainless steel or other non-corrodible metals.
Pro tip: If you’re wondering whether a hook is stainless or non-stainless steel, “Tournament Approved” labeling usually indicates non-stainless steel. For a quick test, you can also use a magnet to check the material. Simply place a magnet on a hook: if it sticks, the hook is stainless steel; if it doesn’t, you’ve got yourself a non-stainless steel circle hook.
Knotless, Rubberized Landing Nets
While not necessary for landing every fish, landing nets are a functional tool that help shorten fight time, reduce stress on the line and rod, and prevent potential poking or piercing by hooks, teeth, or spines as you land your fish. However, landing nets with coarse mesh can inadvertently damage a fish’s delicate fins, scales, or protective slime layer—increasing their vulnerability to infections or injuries. Made from a smoother and friction-reducing material, knotless, rubberized landing nets help in preventing these potential traumas. With the protective slime layer preserved and more scales and fins intact, a fish landed with a knotless, rubberized net is a fish that has a better chance of survival after release.
If you prefer to use your hands to land a fish, using wet hands or rubber gloves provides similar relief to that of a knotless, rubberized landing net.
Dehooking Tools
The clock starts ticking the moment a fish is brought out of the water—its chances of survival dropping the longer it stays out of its natural environment. This is when a dehooking tool can help fish and anglers alike. Designed to rapidly remove hooks while causing minimal injury to the fish, time is not wasted struggling with a tough hook and the risk of injury during hook removal—for both the fish and the angler—is greatly reduced. It’s a win-win.
That said, there are situations where it is better to leave the hook in place. If a fish is deeply hooked in the gut or throat, attempting to remove the hook can often do more harm than good. In these cases, it is best to simply cut the leader close to the hook and leave it in the fish—particularly if it is a non-stainless steel hook, which has a greater chance of being shed. Research indicates this is less damaging and gives the fish the best chance for survival.
Descending Devices
If you land a fish and notice it has bulging eyes, bubbling scales, difficulty swimming below the surface, or organs protruding from the mouth or anus, it is likely suffering from barotrauma. Similar to the bends experienced by divers, barotrauma is an injury that can occur when a fish is brought from the high-pressure environment of deep waters to the low-pressure environment of the surface. This change in pressure can cause the gases in a fish’s swim bladder to expand, damaging organs and making it difficult for the fish to return to its original depth. Barotrauma is particularly common in deep-dwelling species, such as some snappers and groupers. Untreated, a fish experiencing barotrauma becomes vulnerable to predators, the elements, and the injuries of barotrauma itself. Fortunately, the right tool can help reverse this condition.
Descending devices are tools that use added weights to lower fish back to their depth of capture. As the fish is pulled down the water column by a descending device, the swim bladder recompresses, and the fish is given a better chance at survival. Descending devices all work to return a fish to their original depth, but they come in different forms: inverted hooks, weighted crates, and lip clamps.
An inverted hook is a barbless hook with an added weight that is inserted either through the original hook hole or through the soft tissue on the fish’s lower jaw. Rigged to a rod and reel, the inverted hook guides the fish back to its proper depth. Once there, a gentle tug on the rod will release the fish if it hasn’t already slid free.
Similar to an inverted hook, the lip clamp is a descending device that uses an attached weight to pull a fish back to depth by attaching to a fish’s lower jaw. However, instead of piercing the jaw, the clamp securely grips it. A lip clamp can be pressure triggered or spring triggered for release. A pressure triggered lip clamp includes a pressure-sensor mechanism designed to automatically release fish once the desired depth is reached. A spring triggered lip clamp requires you to manually open the lip clamp by pulling up on the rod once the fish reaches the desired depth.
A weighted crate, often referred to as a fish elevator, is a crate with an open top—such as a milk crate—that has a rope attached to the closed bottom along with weights. To use one, place the fish in the crate, quickly flip it upside down into the water, and let the attached weights sink the contraption. Acting as a bottomless cage, the weighted crate will bring fish back to depth, where they recompress and can swim away on their own.
A good rule of thumb when using any descending device is to use one pound of added weight for every five pounds of fish.
Given their benefits, many of these tools—such as descending devices, dehooking tools, and non-offset, non-stainless steel hooks—are required to be readily available or in use when fishing for or possessing snapper grouper species in federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Eastern Florida. Interested in learning more about the practices and requirements that give snapper grouper species a better chance at survival after release in the South Atlantic? Check out the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Best Fishing Practices campaign for more information and ways to get involved.
Fisheries
Threatened Coho Salmon Return To Upper Klamath River Basin For First Time In More Than 60 Years
November 24, 2024
By The Fishing Wire
CDFW releases 270,000 fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the first yearling hatchery salmon release following historic dam removal
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has seen the first returns of threatened coho salmon to the upper Klamath River Basin in more than 60 years following historic dam removal completed last month. Not since the construction of the former Iron Gate Dam in the early 1960s has CDFW documented coho salmon occupying their historic habitat in the upper watershed.
On Nov. 13, seven coho salmon entered CDFW’s new Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County, which is located on Fall Creek, a formerly inaccessible Klamath River tributary about 7.5 miles upstream of the former Iron Gate Dam location.
“To see coho successfully returning this quickly to this new habitat post-dam removal is exciting,” said Eric Jones, a Senior Environmental Scientist who oversees CDFW’s north state hatchery operations. “We’ve already seen the Chinook make it back and now we’re seeing the coho make it back.”
Of the seven coho salmon that entered the Fall Creek Fish Hatchery last week, four were male and three were female. Two had missing adipose fins, identifying them as being of hatchery origin. The other five were natural origin fish as all hatchery raised coho salmon in the Klamath Basin have their adipose fins removed for identification prior to release.
The returning coho are being kept at the Fall Creek Hatchery pending genetic testing at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center laboratory in Santa Cruz. Geneticists will determine which of the seven coho are the least related genetically and direct the spawning of those pairs to maximize genetic diversity.
Coho salmon in the Klamath Basin are listed as a threatened species under both state and federal endangered species acts. Coho salmon typically return to freshwater to spawn in the late fall and winter, later than the more numerous fall-run Chinook salmon.
CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery has an annual production goal of raising 75,000 coho salmon to help restore populations in the upper Klamath River Basin post dam-removal.
Also pertaining to CDFW’s salmon work in the Klamath Basin:
** CDFW last week released approximately 270,000 yearling, fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the last Klamath Basin hatchery release of the year and the first release following dam removal. The year-old juvenile salmon, approximately 4 to 6 inches in length, were released over four days, mostly at dusk to improve survival, and allowed to swim freely out of the hatchery into Fall Creek without handling.
“We’re releasing various life histories so that gives the fish a chance to out-migrate at different times of the year mimicking what we would see in the river naturally,” said Crystal Robinson, Senior Environmental Scientist and CDFW’s Klamath Watershed Program Supervisor.
Hatchery salmon released as yearlings in the fall show some of the highest rates of return as adults, which is attributed to their larger size at release and optimal fall river conditions with cool temperatures and strong flows.
** CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, a $35 million, state-of-the-art facility in its first year of operation, began spawning returning fall-run Chinook salmon in late October. To date, the hatchery has spawned 100 fish and collected 277,393 eggs. The hatchery has an ambitious annual production goal of 3.25 million fall-run Chinook salmon.
** Multiple state and federal agencies, Tribes and non-governmental organizations are monitoring salmon throughout the Klamath Basin, including the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat following dam removal. CDFW is particularly focused on newly accessible tributaries within the former reservoir footprints, including Jenny and Shovel creeks. To date, a video fish counting weir installed on Jenny Creek has recorded 310 adult Chinook salmon and one Pacific lamprey entering the tributary from the Klamath River. CDFW field crews are surveying regularly for salmon nests, or redds, and post-spawned adults.
The salmon work taking place in the Klamath Basin reflects all six priorities of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Futurereleased in January 2024. Those priorities are removing barriers and modernizing infrastructure for salmon migration; restoring and expanding habitat for spawning and rearing; protecting water flows and water quality at the right times to benefit salmon; modernizing salmon hatcheries; transforming technology and management systems for climate adaptability; and strengthening partnerships.
CDFW’s post-dam removal management strategy, as detailed in the recently released Klamath River Anadromous Fishery Reintroduction and Monitoring Plan, is to mostly allow these ocean-going fish species to naturally repopulate the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat as they are now doing.
National Fishing and Boating Week is June 1 through June 9 this year. This week, set aside to recognize the millions of people who love fishing and boating, was started in 1979 a National Fishing Week and Boating was added later to include others.
Georgia celebrates this event by offering ”Free Fishing Days” from June 4 – 11th. During this week you can fish on public waters without first buying a fishing license. You also can fish on WMAs without a Land Pass and do not need a trout stamp to fish for them.
Based in those relaxed rules, this would be a good week to check out Big Lazer PFA south of Thomaston. It offers great shore or boat fishing and has good facilities for fishermen and their families. Although gas is ridiculously expensive to get there, there are no other costs once you arrive with your tackle and bait.
Also consider trips to High Falls, the Flint River (a public access boat ramp is at the Highway 18 bridge,) Still Branch Reservoir and Jackson Lake. All are less than an hour from Griffin and give you the chance to enjoy the water and catch some good eating fish for dinner.
I’m glad this all takes place after Memorial Day weekend. There are already many jokes on social media about the kinds of clueless boat owners that visit the lake on holiday weekends.
Some are just funny, like the pictures of boat ramps with truck underwater with boat trailer still in parking lot, or boat floating in the water with trailer still firmly attached under it.
But what is scary to me are the folks out there that don’t have a clue on driving a boat safely. They are apt to cut across in front of you illegally as well as not obeying other laws. They have no clue about boating “rules of the road.”
