Why Check Your Trolling Motor Shaft for Fishing Line?

Last weekend while fishing at Sinclair I got my jig hung on some line near a dock. When I got it loose I let the line fall back into the water. It got on my prop as I started to move and I got all of it off that I could see. i checked it today – thank goodness I remembered

Line on prop shaft

Line on prop shaft

Use a pair of pliers to remove nut

Use a pair of pliers to remove nut


To get the prop off, I used a pair of pliers to loosen the nut on my Motorguide Trolling Motor. You can buy a tool for this but a pair of pliers, opened a little and used like a wrench, works fine. You can do the same thing in reverse to tighten the nut when finished.

Take the nut off by unscrewing it, you will have to hold the prop while unscrewing the nut. After taking the nut off the prop should slide off the shaft. You may have to tap it on the back side to get it off. There is a pin in the shaft that goes into a slot in the prop hub and it sometimes sticks. Be careful you don’t lose the pin. See the picture of it below.

After I cleaned off all the line I checked the white line barrier. It helps keep line from getting into the prop shaft seal. if line gets into the seal and damages it water will get into the motor and it will rust and stop working.

Clean prop shaft showing seal protector

Clean prop shaft showing seal protector

Time to put the prop back on. First put the pin into the hole in the shaft

Look inside the back of the prop hub and you can see the slot the pin has to go in. You can see the ridges from the front of the hub to help you line it up. Slde the hub down on the shaft until it is tight on the pin. There should be little gap between the outside edges of the prop hub and motor housing when it is all the way down on the shaft as it should be.

Put the nut back on the shaft and tighten it. Use your pliers to get it very tight. I have lost two props because I left the trolling motor in the water and idled across a cove. The water pressure turned the prop backwards, unscrewing it. That is why I have a spare prop, nut and pin in my boat and why I never idle with the trolling motor in the water!

Prop pin

Prop pin

Slots inside prop hub

Slots inside prop hub

Prop on shaft

Prop on shaft

Prop Nut

Prop Nut

Nut tightened properly

Nut tightened properly

Why Are Recreational Fishermen Being Pushed Out of Red Snapper Fishing?

Court ruling clears way for charter/for-hire privatization scheme
from The Fishing Wire

Gulf of Mexico red snapper anglers are out of options under federal management.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – A federal District Court judge has ruled that Amendment 40 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico will be allowed to stand, clearing the way for a new charter/for-hire sector in red snapper fishing and reserving a significant percentage of the recreational quota exclusively for its use.

Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) filed the lawsuit against Amendment 40, also known as sector separation, on behalf of anglers who have seen their access to the red snapper fishery steadily diminish under federal management while both the commercial and charter/for-hire sectors are positioned to reap windfalls.

“The great risk in these kinds of cases is that the court will simply defer to the federal agency charged with managing public resources and, unfortunately, that is what the court chose to do in this case.” said Bill Bird, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “NOAA Fisheries is committed to privatizing public marine resources for the benefit of private businesses at the expense of recreational anglers. We are deeply disappointed that the judge missed an opportunity to correct this misguided federal management philosophy, but it is certainly not the end of our efforts to get this fishery managed properly, for the greatest benefit to our nation.”

The ruling makes it unlikely that recreational anglers fishing from their own boats will see an improvement from the 2015 red snapper season in which they had nine days to fish, compared to 44 for charter/for-hire operators and year-round for commercial vessels. Separating sectors, awarding private property rights to public resources to some and denying access to other is a dysfunctional management philosophy that sets the stage for a never-ending series of user conflicts under federal management.

“This is another frustrating development in a fishery that has been defined by failure and misguided policies for decades, but it does prove that state management is now the only viable avenue out of this mess,” said Bird. “We are more committed than ever to working with Congress to transfer responsibility for the red snapper fishery away from the federal government and let the Gulf States manage it.”

Congress is aware there are significant problems in the Gulf red snapper fishery and is moving to address it. Last month, language was inserted into the Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations bill by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) that extended all Gulf state waters to 9 miles and sought to improve red snapper allocation and stock assessments. That bill was signed into law, and both Alabama and Louisiana announced immediately they will extend their boundaries from 3 to 9 miles, greatly increasing the potential areas for anglers to harvest red snappers. There has been no announcement from Mississippi thus far.

A bill introduced by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) H.R. 3094 – the Gulf States Red Snapper Management Authority Act – will grant legal recognition to a plan adopted by the Fish and Wildlife agencies of all five Gulf states to assume management of the Gulf red snapper in federal waters. The bill currently has 28 bi-partisan co-sponsors and has the support of a coalition of organizations representing the saltwater recreational fishing and boating community.

Why Are Pro Fishermen vs Joe Fishermen So Much Better?

There is a popular fishing show called “Brent Chapman’s Pro. vs. Joe.” on TV and the internet. In it professional tournament fisherman Brent Chapman takes a non-pro fisherman out for a day on the “Joe’s” home waters. They have a friendly competition to see who can catch the first, biggest and most bass. Brent usually wins.

I get to do my own version of that show every month. A good example was last Thursday when I drove to Smith Lake north of Birmingham and went out with Alex Davis to get information for a February Alabama Outdoor News article. We fished from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Smith is a highland lake much like Lake Lanier, with steep, rocky shorelines, very clear water most of the time, and big spotted bass. Due to the heavy rains in December the lake was over full pool and very stained. Our bright colored crankbaits disappeared about four or five inches deep.

Alex is 30 years old and has been fishing the FLW Tour tournaments the past four years. That is the top trail for the FLW tournament series and he does well on it. Alex guides on Guntersville and Smith when he is not tournament fishing, so fishing is all he does.

I didn’t have much confidence in catching much since the water was so stained. But Alex was confident. He said he usually fishes subtle baits like a drop shot worm or Fishhead Spin down in 15 to 25 depths in the clear cold water in the winter. But the stained water was 55 degrees so he changed tactics. He fished points with a crankbait, and targeted water less than ten feet deep.

After fishing about four points and Alex catching about a dozen bass to my zero he gave me a crankbait the color he was fishing. I don’t carry much fishing stuff with me on the writing trips and I had only a couple of crankbaits and they were a color that is best in clear water.

At the end of the day Alex had landed between 30 and 40 spotted bass – I lost count at 30 – and had several weighing more than three pounds. His best five, a tournament limit, would have weighed about 15 pounds. He caught every one of them on one crankbait.

I finally caught one spotted bass on a jig head worm. With the rods I took with me I just could not cast the crankbait far enough to get it down to the eight foot depths where the bass were feeding. Alex casts were half again as long as mine. Thats my excuse and I am sticking with it!

Thursday was not the first time this has happened to me. A few years ago I did a Georgia Outdoor News article with Mike Milsaps on Lake Lanier. He is one of the best fishermen in Georgia and wins a lot of tournaments. We didn’t catch much the day we fished but he told me he would be on the lake the next week, practicing for a BFL tournament, and invited me to go with him.

I had a club tournament the day after his BFL so I jumped at the chance to go, hoping to be shown enough to do well in my tournament. After Mike tried several things and figured out what he would do in the tournament, he said he was going to show me something for mine.

In the BFL, if you don’t have at least a limit of bass averaging three pounds each you won’t do well. But in the clubs I am thrilled with a limit of two pound fish, or even just keeper size bass.

Mike took me to a rocky bluff bank and started fishing it with a crankbait. After he caught about six spotted bass in the 15 inch range I had not had a bite on my crankbait. He gave me one exactly like he was using we started up the bank again after I tied it on.

We went about 50 yards and Mike caught several more bass and I still had not had a bite. I realized he was not casting and I asked what was wrong. Mike said he was watching me trying to figure out what I was doing different. He said as far as he could tell I was fishing just like he was. He started casting again and again caught several bass.

By the time we got to the end of the bluff he had landed 14 keeper spots – and I had not had a bite. The only difference we could come up with was he was using ten pound test fluorocarbon line and I was using 12 pound monofilament.

The next Sunday in my tournament I had a reel spooled with ten pound fluorocarbon line and the crankbait Mike gave me tied on it. I went to that bluff bank and fished it, and never got a bite!

Really good fishermen have some kind of special ability to catch fish. It is almost like a sixth sense that tells them exactly how to fish to catch bass. I seem to get little doses of it on rare occasions but nothing like they have every day. That is the difference between the Joes and the Pros!

When Is Trophy Bass Time In Florida?

Trophy Bass Time in Florida

Winter is prime time for a lunker Florida largemouth, based on statistics from the state’s TrophyCatch Program.

By Bob Wattendorf, FFWCC
from The Fishing Wire

Happy New Year! TrophyCatch Season 3 ended on a very positive note, and Season 4 is off to an even better start, with peak fishing time right around the corner. TrophyCatch is the citizen-science program that allows the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to collect data on largemouth bass heavier than 8 pounds. In return, corporate partners reward anglers for properly documenting the catch with a photo of the entire bass (head to tail) on a scale with the weight showing, and releasing it. Check out these trends to find your own trophy bass.

During Season 3, the FWC verified 1,744 TrophyCatch bass, with more than 70 percent of the submissions being approved. The previous season, 993 bass heavier than 8 pounds were verified, which was about 60 percent of submissions. The first season, 185 were verified, which was less than 40 percent of submissions.

“This reflects an increasing awareness by anglers of the TrophyCatch program and how to document their catches, but also shows how prolific the trophy bass fishery is in Florida,” said KP Clements, director of TrophyCatch.

By going to TrophyCatchFlorida.com anglers can register, submit fish, and examine other catches from around the state. Just registering makes you eligible to win a $40,000 boat package. Ed Prather was the lucky winner of the third Phoenix Bass Boat given away by TrophyCatch. The prize boats are powered by Mercury and equipped with a PowerPole shallow-water anchoring. To be eligible for the random drawing at the end of Season 4, simply ensure you are registered and your information is up-to-date.

Data has shown FWC biologists that while there are hot lakes, like Kingsley Lake in Clay County (which has limited access to the military and homeowners), numerous catches come from small urban or rural ponds or even golf course ponds. Large popular public lakes like Istokpoga, Tohopekaliga, Okeechobee and Kissimmee provide equal opportunity for all anglers and are popular tourist destinations. At TrophyCatchFlorida.com you can search for catches by county or water body to determine how your favorite area is doing or where to try next.

Another trend wasn’t unexpected but was interesting to see confirmed. Last season about 50 TrophyCatch bass were verified in December, which doubled to over 100 in January, then increased to about 150 in February and peaked in March with almost 400 approved submissions. Trophy bass catches then declined through November before picking up again, in a typical annual cycle. Of course, this is keyed to the bass’ spawning cycle and anglers’ enthusiasm for finding bass during early spring. TrophyCatch helps ensure these big bass get put right back to continue their activities and challenge other anglers.

March panned out very well for the 15 Hall of Fame winners from Season 3, who were honored in December at an event at Bass Pro Shops, Orlando. Those anglers caught, documented and released 17 bass over 13 pounds; five of which were caught last March. This included Seth Chapman, who earned the TrophyCatch championship ring, donated by the American Outdoors Fund, for a 15-pound, 11-ounce bass submitted from Kingsley Lake. The ring goes to the biggest verified bass of the season.

Each Hall-of-Fame angler earned a fiberglass replica of their first Hall-of-Fame catch prepared by New Wave Taxidermy, gift cards from Bass Pro Shops, a SpiderWire sweatshirt and sunglasses, a Fitzgerald rod and Glen Lau DVD. In addition, American Registry presented them with a customized plaque featuring a photo of their catch with all the details. These custom plaques will be available during Season 4 as a new incentive to Hall-of-Fame winners and at a special discount for Lunker Club (8 to 9.9 pounds) and Trophy Club (10 to 12.9 pounds) recipients.

Porschia Gabrielse was the first angler with three Hall-of-Fame bass — a 13-, 14-, and 15-pounder — all from small Polk County ponds. She has contributed a total of 41 TrophyCatches to the program. Other anglers with more than 30 include: Robert Burnett, Mark Lemieux and AJ Jackson —all dedicated trophy anglers. In addition, thousands of other anglers have submitted at least one catch, many of whom were just average anglers out for an enjoyable day on the water.

“TrophyCatch provides significant data to help manage our valuable fisheries ensuring that Florida remains the ‘Fishing Capital of the World’,” said Tom Champeau, director of the FWC’s Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management.

Clements added, “This program shows what can happen when government, the public, and the business community partner to improve fisheries conservation.”

“It’s great to see this program growing and amazing to see how many giant bass we have swimming in Florida. TrophyCatch anglers documented four fish over 15 pounds this year, and we know there are bigger fish out there” added Keith Alan, from the American Outdoors Fund.

Each Hall-of-Fame fish would be a state record in 28 states, and Florida has had 23 documented in three years. A 15-pounder exceeds the records in all but 12 other states.

To become a TrophyCatch winner yourself catch, document and release a largemouth bass legally that is eight pounds or heavier in Florida. To enter a trophy bass take a photo of the entire bass on a scale with the weight visible, and release it alive. Being legal includes having a Florida freshwater fishing license or approved exemption, so make sure you are covered. You can buy or renew a fishing license at License.MyFWC.com.

For more details and reminders, like us at Facebook.com/TrophyCatchFlorida, and check out the award winners, some great catches and promotional videos on YouTube.com/TrophyCatchFlorida.

So from all of us at the FWC, we hope you enjoyed the holiday season and encourage you to take the opportunity to participate in all the great outdoor experiences the new year has to offer here in the “Fishing Capital of the World.” Who knows, if you bring a scale and camera with you, you might be our next TrophyCatch champion. Good luck and good fishing this year.

Instant licenses are available at License.MyFWC.com or by calling 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Report violators by calling 888-404-3922, *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone, or texting to Tip@MyFWC.com. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “more news,” or bit.ly/FishBusters for more Fish Busters’ Bulletins. To subscribe to FWC columns or to receive news releases, visit MyFWC.com/Contact.

What Is the Outdoor Recreation Outlook for 2016?

Positive Outlook For Outdoor Recreation In 2016
from The Fishing Wire

Editor’s Note: According to this report from the American Recreation Coalition, 2016 looks like it will be a good year for the outdoor industry.

Washington – Outdoor recreation leaders report good sales and activities for 2015 and expectations of still stronger activity in 2016, according to a new report from the American Recreation Coalition, Outdoor Recreation Outlook 2016. Americans spend more than $650 billion annually on equipment ranging from skis and tents to RVs and boats and on services ranging from fishing licenses to zip lines, supporting millions of jobs in manufacturing, sales and service. And renewed interest in outreach and promotion by federal land and water management agencies – based around the National Park Service’s Centennial Celebration – is creating new opportunities for Americans everywhere to enjoy their great outdoors.

A core strength of outdoor recreation in America is the lure of America’s public lands and waters covering nearly one third of the nation’s surface. Best known is America’s National Park System with 408 units, ranging from world-renowned destinations to small historic sites. Visitation is on the rise, up to 3.66% from 2014 levels, with 8.7 million more visits for the year to date. Key to this rise is the National Park Service’s first major promotional campaign in 50 years – Find Your Park – as well as the Every Kid in a Parkinitiative, aimed at providing four million fourth graders and their guests an experience on public lands and waters throughout the school year.

Collectively, America’s State Parks hosted more than 740 million visitors in 2014, an increase of more than 12 million from the preceding year. State park visitation trends continue at record levels. State parks now report an inventory of more than 217,000 campsites, of which about one-third are seasonal. Of the nearly 60 million overnight visitors to state parks in the past year, over 50.3 million were campers.

Vehicle sales remain strong. According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), the market for RVs has maintained its strength and sales of new units in 2015 will rise to more than 370,000 units. This will mark a sixth consecutive yearly increase. Looking further out, forecasts for 2016 RV sales remain favorable with total shipments expected to surpass this year’s estimate to finish at more than 380,000 units.

Recreational use of on- and off-highway motorcycles, ATVs, and ROVs is also growing. The industry contributes nearly $109 billion in direct spending to the U.S. economy annually and over 1.5 million jobs. Nearly 30 million Americans ride motorcycles on and off roads, and ATV ridership is some 35 million annually.

KOA – the nation’s largest private campground system – reports a very strong year across the board, with both occupancy and registration revenue showing increases.

ACTIVE Network, the organization that manages recreation.gov – the unified means for making reservations on all federal lands – reports that reservations increased 19% – to 4.4 million in 2015, up from 3.7 million in 2014. Recreation.gov recorded more than 22 million visits, an increase of 31.25%, and a 28.15% increase in users, with nearly 12 million in 2015. Use fees also increased 12% over 2014 levels. Federal reservable facilities increased from 3,079 to 3,205 over the same period.

Fishing remains one of the most popular lures to the great outdoors. According to the 2015 Special Report on Fishing released by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the Outdoor Foundation, the sport continues to grow, with 2.4 million newcomers who tried fishing in 2014 alone. Forty-six million Americans – 15.8% of the U.S. population ages six and older – participated in fishing last year and those numbers are expected to keep growing with RBFF’s new “60 in 60” initiative, which aims to achieve 60 million anglers ages 6 and older by 2021.

New boat sales continue to steadily recover but still remain below pre-recession highs. With an estimated 6% growth expected in 2015 and another potential 6% growth in 2016, the industry would be poised to return to near pre-recession levels of 250,000 new boats sold, including power, sail and personal watercraft. Ski boats, outboard boats, jet drive boats and personal watercraft are showing the strongest gains in 2015.

Marinas continue to build momentum post-recession. The push to improve comes from the call from boaters for marinas to be resort and destination locations instead of just places to store and repair boats. Boaters want pools, clubhouses, nearby restaurants and activities, as well as clean, comfortable accommodations for weekend visits. More marinas than ever are offering boat rentals, water toy rentals, event services and cabin, campground and RV park services.

The U.S. bike industry is enjoying another solid, steady year of sales. Total U.S. retail dollars generated by retail sales of bicycles, accessories, and related equipment are expected to exceed $7 billion this year – a figure that includes sales of used bikes. Unit sales are expected to total about 18 million. According to a study commissioned by PeopleForBikes, 103 million Americans rode a bike at least once in 2014. Bike riding in large U.S. cities has doubled in the last 15 years. Safer bike infrastructure and the onset of bike-sharing systems (in at least 70 U.S. cities) are key factors in this growth, a trend that is expected to continue.

According to the America Outdoors Association, revenues for whitewater rafting, kayaking and paddlesports are up significantly over 2014, with lower gas prices fueling family travel. Most outdoor recreation activities and cabin rentals saw higher demand. Revenues for aerial adventures (zip lines and aerial adventure parks) have flattened out as the number of parks have proliferated.

The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) is very optimistic about the 2015-16 season. Snowmobile sales in the U.S. and Canada for 2015 increased 6% compared to 2014. And the sales of manufacturer-branded parts, clothing and accessories increased 5% from last year. The number of miles ridden increased 9% over last year.

U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 53.6 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2014-15 season – down 5% from the previous season’s 56.5 million total, and down 3.8% from the five-year industry average of 55.7 million skier visits according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). Despite a stronger economy, weather challenges across all regions of the country contributed to this drop in skier visits. Nationally, snowfall was 28% below average this season.

NSAA’s survey results also contained some particularly positive news. For example, the results from the critical Rocky Mountain region were well above the region’s five-year average. NSAA’s survey results also showed strong growth in season pass sales, which were up 6.2% from the previous season – an important indicator in the public’s demand for skiing and snowboarding.

Snow sports market sales topped $4.5 billion for the 2014-15 season, up 2% compared to the 2013-14 season. Overall, categories including outerwear, snow boots, headwear and more sold very well this season, but equipment and many equipment accessories like goggles and helmet sales dropped compared to 2013-14.

Recreational activities continue to be a mainstay of the American lifestyle, and there is widespread optimism regarding 2016. ARC’s report is available for download as a PDF at http://www.funoutdoors.com/files/Outdoor%20Recreation%20Trends%202016.pdf.

Global Warming?

Just a few years ago (2008)I did an article for the January issue of Georgia Outdoor News on Lanier. For information I went with Ryan Coleman in early December and the lake was 20 feet low. There were only two boat ramps open on the whole lake and people were saying it would never fill back up.

This year the lake is above full pool and there was some concern about dam safety there is so much water in the lake. My back yard looks like a rice paddy, and I live on a hill! A water tower sits about 100 yards behind my property so this is the highest spot in this area.

December was unusually warm, much like one December in the 1980s when I fished at Clarks Hill during Christmas holidays barefooted and shirtless. I have also fished there during the holidays when it was sleeting and I needed my snowmobile suit to stay comfortable. Weather changes.

I saw a big article on the net about Glacier Bay in Alaska comparing how it looked 100 years ago and today. The glacier there has retreated 100 miles in 100 years. When I was there a few years ago we cruised up the bay to the glacier and the guide told us how it had retreated about a mile a year for 100 year. She also said the fastest retreat was in the ten year period from 1860 to 1870. I guess those Civil War SUVs were to blame.

The global warming evangelists say this retreat proves global climate change. It sure does. Climate has always changed and always will, no matter how much of your money the government confiscates and spends on its programs and no matter how high your electricity prices are driven by the government’s policies.

Its somewhat ironic that the global warming fanatics put out guidelines a month or so ago when we had unusually cold weather for the time of year. The guidelines preached on how to argue with folks saying the unusually cold weather proved there was no global warming. Unusual weather did not mean anything.

But now those same folks are saying the unusually warm weather in December is proof of global climate change. Rational people don’t try to have it both ways.

The change alarmists say if they don’t spend trillions of your money and make your gas and electricity too expensive to afford the average global temperature may rise as much as three degrees in the next 100 years. That is supposed to decimate animal and plant populations and change everything.

New Year’s Day this year it was 36 degrees at my house at daylight. By 5:00 that afternoon it was 54 degrees – a change of 18 degrees in ten hours. That is not unusual for any day of the year. Animals and plants seem to do just fine with temperatures changing more than 20 degrees in a few hours every day, but a three degree average change over a 100 year period will decimate them? Sure thing.

Hundreds of climate change true believers flew to Paris last month and spent a week dining on the finest foods and staying in nice hotels in rooms with temperature controls to make them comfortable. They came up with an agreement, that our government is part of, to spend biillions and reduce US use of coal and oil drastically.

The jets those folks used to get to Paris put more carbon in the air than a normal person like you or I will emit in more than a year. They convoys of SUVs moving around Paris used more gas than you or I will burn in many years. Yet they tell us how we are supposed to sacrifice to save the planet while they live it up at our expense.

I think bass and deer will do just fine even if the temperature goes up a little over the next 100 years. But I’m not sure you and I will do very good if we are made to follow their silly rules. We probably won’t be able to afford gas for our vehicles, even if any is available, to go hunting and fishing.

When I see the leaders of the movement to restrict my carbon output, like President Obama, reduce theirs lower than my current use, I will pay attention to them. Until then I will oppose everything they try to do.

What Is Burbot Fishing at Utah’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir?

Cold Weather Means Hot Burbot Fishing at Utah’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir
from The Fishing Wire

November and December are great months to fish for burbot at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. These anglers caught 130 burbot in a single night.

Lots of burbot

Lots of burbot


Photo by Ryan Mosley

Interested in catching 25 to 50 fish in just a couple of hours? Believe it or not, those who fish for burbot at Flaming Gorge Reservoir often catch more than that.

Their secret? They fish from boats before the reservoir ices over in the winter. Even though fishing can be fast and furious before the reservoir freezes, few anglers take advantage of this great opportunity.

To catch burbot in open water, take a lesson from ice anglers, and then duplicate what you learn from the deck of a boat or from a good spot along the shore.

While the techniques are simple, timing is critical. The best burbot fishing of the year is starting now. The best time of day to fish starts at sunset.

“Anglers are already catching burbot as water temps drop into the low 50s,” says Ryan Mosley, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources project leader for Flaming Gorge and the Green River. “Fishing will get even better when temperatures drop into the 40s.”

Where to go

Mosley says anglers are catching burbot in both Utah and Wyoming right now. However, research has shown burbot generally move north, towards the area where water enters the reservoir, before the spawn.

“In our trend studies,” Mosley says, “the number of burbot usually increases in abundance in the Inflow Region, including the Green and Black’s Fork Rivers, in early November. We believe the burbot caught in these areas are moving north, towards the inflows, to spawn during November and December.”

Using tracking studies, researchers with Utah State University have substantiated this assumption. Researchers have tagged several burbot in November and then released the fish in the lower part of the reservoir. The researchers later found the fish, in December and January, in the Green River and Black’s Fork arms of Flaming Gorge.

“As November progresses,” Mosley says, “I suggest moving north. Try fishing between Lost Dog and Firehole on the Green River arm, or above Lost Dog on the Black’s Fork arm. During last fall’s netting, good numbers of burbot were found in both of these areas.”

To intercept the burbot as they move uplake, Mosley suggests fishing off rocky main channel points, in 20 to 40 feet of water.

Gear

Mosley says using the same type of fishing gear you use during the ice fishing season is the key to catching burbot in open water.

“Fishing for burbot in open water is the same as fishing through the ice,” he says, “you’re just fishing from a boat instead of on a bucket. Make sure you have equipment that’s stout enough to provide good hook penetration and that can handle fish that could weigh as much as eight pounds or more.”

Mosley says a good presentation to start with is a three-inch curly-tailed, glow-in-the-dark grub fished on a glow-in-the-dark 1/4 to 3/8 ounce jighead. Tip the jig with a small chunk of sucker or chub meat (make sure to leave some space in the hook gap, though). Some anglers also use Smelly-Jelly, in crayfish or another flavor, to add extra attraction to their offering.

After the presentation is ready, drop it within just a few inches of the bottom, and then jig it. When a burbot investigates the bait, hold still until the fish takes it, and then set the hook.

Nice catch of big Burbot

Nice catch of big Burbot

Timing and safety

Mosley says burbot fishing usually gets good right around sunset and then picks up and holds strong for the first few hours after dark. Before fishing at night, it’s a good idea to visit the area you’re going to fish during the day. That way, you can get familiar with it before the sun sets.

Mosley encourages you to watch the weather and to not take any unnecessary risks. “Wind and storms can come up quickly at the Gorge,” he says. “Take safety gear for everyone. And be sure they know how to use it.”

He says lights, both navigational and personal, are also essential.

“The lights you use should be bright enough to light up your boat while fishing and to spotlight the bank and boat ramps when returning after dark.”

Mosley says it’s also critical to wear warm, waterproof clothing in layers and to take some extra layers with you. “Also,” he says, “let someone know exactly where you’re going and when you’re coming back.

“Finally, if you’re not comfortable venturing out on your own, consider hiring a seasoned guide who is familiar with the lake and the fishery.”

Burbot contests

Right now is not only a good time to catch burbot, it’s also a great time to fish before the 2016 burbot contests start. The annual Burbot Bash will be held Jan. 22–24. That event will be followed by the Buckboard Burbot Classic on Feb. 4–6.

Both weekends will be similar to what the Burbot Bash has been in the past — each weekend, prizes will be awarded for the most, the biggest and the smallest burbot caught.

Tagged fish contests will also be held. All of the tagged fish will be worth a cash prize. The top prize is a fish worth $10,000.

For more details and other information, visit www.burbotbash.com or www.buckboardmarina.com.

Striped Bass

The Scoop on Striped Bass

by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Littlejohn, U.S.C.G.
from the Fishing Wire

Fishing a bridge

Fishing a bridge

John Miller of Farmville, Va., tries his luck at striped bass fishing in the Lafayette River in Norfolk, Va., under the Hampton Boulevard Bridge. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Littlejohn)

A cluster of small boats gather toward the end of an ebb tide on a dreary November evening in Norfolk, Virginia. Fishermen, clad in rain slickers, cast their lines toward pilings and retrieve them in silence. There’s no chatter among them – an entire day spent on the water exhausted their conversations. They’re focused on one thing – their target species, the Atlantic striped bass, though nobody’s landed one today. Suddenly, the song of a reel zings out over the rushing water as a striper is hooked and begins what might be the fight for its life. “Hooked up!” exclaims an angler, finally breaking the silence with words they all yearn to shout. The fish peels just enough line to make a beeline for a piling, wrapping the monofilament against the barnacles plastered to it like living razor blades. The line snaps, leaving the fisherman to grieve in the gloomy dusk.

For anglers across the U.S., the challenge of locating and landing stripers is what keeps them coming back for more.

“Striped bass are an elusive fish,” said Dwight Ocheltree, a striper fishing enthusiast and employee at Greg’s Bait Shack in Portsmouth, Virginia. His statement applies in more ways than one.

Striper fishermen know finding these fish isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s a patience game of waiting for them to show up or to start feeding. Then there’s the challenge of landing one after it’s been hooked.

“Stripers love structure,” said Ocheltree. “Bridges, pilings – places they can stay out of sight and ambush their prey. Fishing around structure takes skill that comes with experience. The first thing a hooked striper will do is try to retreat behind structure, and that means breaking the line if you aren’t prepared.”

Talking about fishing

Talking about fishing

According to Ocheltree, once a fisherman lands a striper for the first time, it’s then he or she who will be hooked.

“Once you land one, you’ll be back for more,” he said. “If you’ve been trying but aren’t catching any, keep at it. Keep plugging. You’re one cast away from the best day of your life!” Anglers hoping to catch “the big one” are drawn to waters off the Mid-Atlantic coast, where laws aimed at protecting the species are different that those close to shore.

Coast Guardsmen, charged with protecting living marine resources, enforce an important federal law designed to protect the Atlantic striped bass population.

“The Atlantic striped bass is managed through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate organization designed to ensure states along the eastern seaboard manage their shared fishery resources through cooperative stewardship,” said Patricia Bennett, deputy enforcement chief for the 5th Coast Guard District in Portsmouth. “It is illegal to possess or target the Atlantic striped bass in federal waters, which begin three miles from shore. In state waters – waters less than three miles from the coast – each state has its own laws designed to protect stripers. Even though the Coast Guard does not enforce those state laws, if we find a violation at the state level, we may notify state authorities.”

“The three-mile line is clearly marked on nautical charts,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Stephen Atchley, captain aboard Coast Guard Cutter Cochito out of Portsmouth. “With all the modern navigation equipment, it is every mariners responsibility to know where they are when they are on the water. That means knowing if you’re fishing in state or federal waters.”

“I’m a fisherman myself,” said Atchley. “I’ve fished my entire life. I want there to be fish for my family and for future generations.”

While striped bass fishermen are responsible for understanding and following both state and federal regulations, the majority of these anglers will never venture near the three mile mark, fishing closer to shore in rivers and bays.

“Some people think you need a boat to catch stripers,” said Ocheltree. “You don’t. You can catch striped bass from shore. In fact, that’s how many people prefer to fish them.”

One particular characteristic of the species helps make it the preferred target for so many. Stripers are anadromous – they’re born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to spawn. This means anglers can catch them in rivers that run through cities – they’re a popular urban game fish. Their ability to acclimate and survive in entirely freshwater ecosystems led humans to introduce the species to completely landlocked lakes and ponds. Striped bass can be found throughout the country and are among the most targeted of all game fish.

November usually means striper season arrived here in the Mid-Atlantic. As water temperatures begin to decline, the action should increase. “If you want to catch a striper, you just have to go out and do it,” said Ocheltree. “Put in your time. Talk to other fishermen. Listen to the people at bait shops and at the boat ramps. Every year I learn something new from someone different.”

Find the Birds, Find the Fish

For the Birds – Find the Birds, Find the Fish!

By Frank Sargeant, Editor
from The Fishing Wire

Searching for the birds may seem a roundabout way to go bass fishing, but from now through March, it’s a highly successful tactic on many lakes in the southern half of the nation.

Diving gulls

Diving gulls

Diving gulls and leaping baits mean one thing—gamefish below!

An assortment of sea gulls migrate into this region each winter as cold drives them south, and many settle on the larger freshwater impoundments due to the large shad populations. The birds know how to take advantage of the feeding behavior of largemouths, white bass and stripers–they watch for striking fish from aloft, then swoop in and grab injured baits from the surface.

During a major flurry, they may form what some anglers call a “white tornado” of birds whirling over the school. Find one of these events and throw any sort of shad-imitating lure into the midst and it’s instant fish.

But even when there are only a few birds diving–or when there’s a flock sitting on the water–the birds are well worth checking out. Often they rest right above the school of bait, just waiting for the bass and other species to go to work and drive them to the top where they can get at them.

Anglers with sonar can ease up to areas where birds are resting and graph the depths below to see if there’s a large school of bait under them. If so, these spots are well worth fishing, because the birds don’t often hang around bait that does not have some predators close by to push them to the top now and then.

Two bass at a time

Two bass at a time

When bass are schooling tightly on bait under birds, it’s not uncommon to catch them two at a time on multiple-hook plugs.

Though topwater lures are usually not thought of as winter baits, they can be effective when fished around bass feeding on bait schools. Noisy lures like the One-Knocker Spook, Sexy Dawg and Pop-R can all be effective at times.

More often, though, sinking lures are a better choice, and suspending baits like the Rapala Shadow Rap can be ideal. Swimbaits–jig heads with long soft plastic swimmer tails, can also be effective, as are “rattlebaits” or lipless crankbaits.

And, if the fish are deep, heavy-weight lures like the Rapala Jigging Rap, the Hopkins Spoon and other lures that can be jigged vertically do the job.

The nice thing about finding fish under birds is that the bass may not be on the usual “community holes”, and so are more inclined to feed than those that see 30 or 40 lures a day.

Fishing around cormorants does not seem to work, it should be noted. Cormorants are able to dive below the surface and chase the bait like predatory fish, and this seems to run the gamefish off–maybe because the cormorants are not above latching on to smaller bass when they get the chance.

Fishing under gulls, however, is frequently productive–when nothing else is working, it’s often a great way to put fish in the boat.