NEW SHOOTING RANGE OPEN IN CAMDEN COUNTY

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA SHOOTERS: NEW SHOOTING RANGE OPEN IN CAMDEN COUNTY

FOLKSTON, Ga (November 12, 2021) — Get ready shooters! Two Rivers Gun Range, located in extreme southwest Camden County, officially opens to the public on Friday, Nov. 12. It is one of more than 40 public archery and/or shooting ranges currently available in Georgia.

“We are excited to welcome everyone to Two Rivers Gun Range,” said Gary Blount, Chairman, Camden County Board of Commissioners. “The facility is an asset to our community and something for shooters to enjoy. We appreciate the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and their contributions to make this facility a reality.”

Staff at this new range eagerly await your visit. Some of the exciting features include:

Pistol Range: 20 stations: 15-25- yard range with Reactive Steel Targets.
Rifle Range: 12 stations: 50, 100 and 200- yard range featuring digital “live” Kongsberg Target Systems.

This range will serve as a resource for area shooting enthusiasts. Hours for the range are Tuesday-Saturday (9 am – 6 pm) and Sunday (1 – 6 pm). Memberships, day passes, gift cards, and merchandise are available for purchase at the range office.

The renovation work done here today was made possible by hunters and shooters. The Wildlife Restoration Program, which funded a large portion of this project, is a federal program funded by hunters and shooters through excise taxes on the equipment they purchase and use, such as firearms, ammunition and archery equipment.

For more information on the Two Rivers Gun Range, visit https://www.camdencountyga.gov/1098/Two-Rivers-Gun-Range. For more information on ranges available in Georgia, visit http://georgiawildlife.com/AllRanges.

Thomasville Georgia Attractions

I went to high school in Thomson, Georgia and live about 25 miles from Thomaston, Georgia, but had never been to Thomasville, Georgia until last weekend. What an amazing town and area with history similar to Jekyll Island. I really enjoyed my tours and stay there.

In the 1800s rich folks from up north wanted to escape the cold weather, just like what we call “snowbirds” now. Without good roads, they needed to ride trains south if they didn’t have yachts and live on the coast, and the main railroad line ended in Thomasville. It did not extend into Florida due to the dangers of mosquito carried diseases like yellow fever and malaria that were widespread a little further south.

A couple fancy hotels survive from that time with elegant rooms and settings for the very rich. But even the very rich balked at paying high prices for rooms for their families and themselves and all their servants that traveled with them for a couple of months each year. They decided they could build their own places outside town and save money.

The results are mansions on “Plantations” out in the piney woods. Most centered on hunting, with deer, quail and turkey abundant. They also ran fox hounds for fox and bobcat.

The rich with yachts did the same thing on Jekyll Island, building huge mansions there similar to the ones in Thomasville to escape south to better weather in the winter.

Touring one of them in Thomasville, like Pebble Hill Plantation, is amazing. As you drive in past outbuildings for servants and other activities you approach a huge brick building designed after Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and think “what a beautiful mansion.” Then you are told that is the stable.

The house, built in the early 1900 after the original burned, has all the modern conveniences of that time, even air conditioning. Each room has a fancy embroidered bell pull to call a servant to your location. Each bed had a button to push for breakfast in bed. There was even an example of the printed menu for guests to check off what they wanted for breakfast.

I toured on a Friday afternoon and there were three weddings going on that day. It is a beautiful, popular place for weddings and other events. And you can still go there and hunt, for a price.

Out in the pine woods, our guide showed us a longleaf pine tree with the nest of one of the rarest birds in the Southeast, a red-cockaded woodpecker. The land on the plantation is managed for wildlife and nature, with proscribed burns to keep the area like it was before it was settled.

The wiregrass covered forest floor is home to many animals and a diverse population of plants. While we were there, yellow blooms carpeted the whole area under the pine trees for many acres. They looked like black eyed Susan flowers but my “Picture This” app on my phone identified them as swamp sunflowers or narrow leaf sunflowers, native to the area and beautiful this time of year.

On Saturday my group met at Myrtlewood Plantation in the clubhouse on a beautiful lake. Some of the members tried fishing but were unsuccessful, the bright sun, clear water and time of day made it tough. Unlike Pebble Hill, Myrtlewood is managed for hunting and fishing, with modern cabins for guests on several different lakes.

Driving in on a dirt and gravel road, we passed a modern five stand sporting clays range where hunters can sharpen their skills before going after quail and doves there. You can also hunt deer and turkey during those seasons. It is an ideal place to hunt, target practice and fish, all in one area.

Very impressive was the Ranges at Oakfield, a modern sport shooting facility owned and run by Thomas County and developed with help from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The facility includes two skeet and trap fields, a 5-Stand sporting clays range, a 100-yard rifle range and a 25-yard pistol range.

Rifle and pistol ranges include electronic targets that show you immediately on a screen by your shooting station where your bullet hits. That allows you to adjust sights and shooting stance without walking downrange to the target.

Future plans include development of a static archery range and a 3D archery range. Ranges are open to the public for a small daily fee, or you can join with a membership to use the facilities if you live locally. It was an impressive facility!

Tips On Cleaning and Cooking Trout

Trout, From Lake to Table
Tips on cleaning and cooking trout from Nebraska Game and Parks

By Larry Pape
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
from The Fishing Wire

Keep your catch of fish as fresh as possible and you will be rewarded with a wonderful meal that is the finale to a fishing trip. In mid-October, trout will be stocked across Nebraska in small city park ponds and state park lakes.

These pan-sized fish offer a person the delicious main course of a meal. From the lake to the table, every step is critical in making the best of what nature has given you.

Fish are a perishable food product and the quality of the meal is only as good as the handling of the fish after the catch. If practical, fish can be kept alive until just before cleaning. The best method is to keep them as cold as possible, as soon as possible. If you know you are going to be keeping fish, take along a cooler with ice and place them in it immediately after catching.

A 10-inch rainbow trout is one of the easiest fish to prepare for the pan. It is not necessary, nor advisable to skin or filet a small trout, as they have delicate flesh that is best kept whole. The method is simply to remove the internal organs and gills, and then wash.

Do this by making an incision along the belly from the vent to the gills, and disposing of the entrails. The gills may take a little more cutting to release them from the head. The head can be left on or removed depending on the diner’s sensibility. Notice a dark area inside and along the spine of the fish. This is the fish’s kidney and can be removed by gently rubbing while washing. It does not change the cooked product if left in the fish.

There are two easy methods for cooking trout:

Pan fry – Dredge in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper and seasoning of choice. Fry about 3 to 5 minutes per side in a quarter inch of medium hot oil. Use spatula to turn the fish gently. When done, place on a platter to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Bake – Wrap in foil and cook on the grill or in the oven. This allows each fish to be seasoned to the particular desires of the diner. Oil is necessary to keep the fish moist; use butter, olive or vegetable oil; just a splash will do. Spices can be delicate such as rosemary and parsley, or bold such as Cajun and curry, but remember that a little goes a long way. To add flavor and edible ingredients, include sliced onions, garlic cloves, capers, or artichoke hearts.

Seal this foil packet and bake on the grill grates or in the oven on a baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes (350 degrees). Serve after resting for a few minutes and then placing each packet in front of the diner on a plate. Open carefully to release the steam and aroma.

A trout meal is best served with rice, vegetables and the stories of how they were caught.

If you are just getting into fishing and want more details, a helpful resource is Game and Parks’ Going Fishing Guide, available at OutdoorNEbraska.gov/howtofish. For information on Fish Stocking, including the dates pf upcoming trout stocking, OutdoorNebraska.gov/fishstockingreports.

Georgia Outdoor Writers Association Excellence in Craft Articles

I was in Thomasville for the annual Georgia Outdoor Writers Association conference. The highlight of the conference for me was the banquet on Saturday night where “Excellence in Craft” awards were presented.

Each year members of the organization submit our work in about ten different categories. These works are then sent to another state, in this year’s case South Carolina, to be judged by outdoor writers there.

With about 30 outdoor writers submitting their best work in each category to be judged, it is a great honor to win one of these awards.

We did not have a conference this past year due to COVID so judged works were done in 2019. I won first place in the Ducks, Unlimited category for an article “Sportsman Night Out” and second place in the category Non-Game Outdoor Recreation for the article “Life Cycle of White Oak Can Be All-Encompassing.” Both ran in the Griffin Daily News.

I hope some of my articles this past year are good enough to be considered for competition.

Lake Restoration Efforts In Arkansas

Classic Lake Restoration Efforts In Arkansas
A $3.2 million restoration promises great results for anglers a few years from now as fish take advantage of new habitat.

HARRISBURG — As trucks unload large gray riprap and spray improved shorelines with grass seeds and fertilizer around Lake Poinsett in Poinsett County, Brett Timmons and his natural resources program technician, Tristan Bulice from Arkansas State University, continue to drag artificial habitat structures to the bed of the lake, nearing the end of a three-year marathon. The 471-acre lake has been dry since 2017 to complete a massive renovation involving many moving parts.

Originally constructed in 1961, Poinsett has held a healthy reputation in Northeast Arkansas as a great destination for crappie, redear and catfish. But managing a fishery is a constant battle against the elements to prevent erosion and deterioration of the lake’s infrastructure while maintaining the habitat under the surface. Timmons, regional fisheries supervisor for the AGFC in Jonesboro, has been hard at work in that battle since he joined the AGFC in 2012.

“I’ve heard Commissioners comment in the past about the challenge we have in fisheries management,” Timmons said. “Most of the work and the outcome is hidden from the naked eye under water, so it’s a difficult thing to measure against results of work that’s more easily seen.”flexamat reinforcements combine with riprap to prevent future erosion

That under-the-surface nature of lake management was illustrated in 2017, when after nearly 60 years, the infrastructure of Poinsett began to fail.

“Materials and construction techniques used at the time of Poinsett’s construction typically have a 50-year lifespan,” said Ben Batten, chief of the AGFC’s Fisheries Division. “At nearly 60 years old, the infrastructure of Poinsett had reached a point that repairs would be needed for the lake to continue providing the quality of fishing anglers had enjoyed for the last six decades.”

Work of this magnitude is much more than pushing some dirt with a bulldozer. Construction was complicated with the primary soil type surrounding the lake being loess soil and the area along Crowley’s Ridge in Arkansas being in an earthquake zone. Engineering, construction and ultimately the success of the project hinges on many factors like soil type, topography of the entire watershed that flows into and out of the system, and current condition. The repair work done at Lake Poinsett is one of the most expensive lake renovations undertaken by the AGFC to date. Including the extensive shoreline stabilization project, complete removal and replacement of the water-control tower and retrofitting of the outflow pipe and renovation of the auxiliary spillway, the cost of the completed renovation will exceed $3.2 million.

“Last year, only four major construction projects were underway by the agency, and Poinsett was one of them,” Batten said. “We currently have 15 other dams that are in need of some repair work, and we anticipate more work like this in the future simply because of the age of most of the infrastructure. But the benefits after these renovations make them worthwhile”

Slow Drain
Problems with the lake began to surface when shoreline erosion was documented a little over 10 years ago. This erosion became larger over the years and a plan to stabilize the shore was developed by the AGFC’s Arkansas Stream Teams program. But in 2016, a significant failure to the water-control structure rendered it inoperable. The following spring, officials at Lake Poinsett State Park noted that the lake level was dropping significantly. Contractors with the AGFC determined that the housing where the outflow pipe attached to the water-control structure had given way, allowing water to escape the lake with no control.

“The water-control structure needed to be replaced, and to do that you have to drain the lake completely,” Batten said.

Timmons said the work to complete the water-control structure was impressive.

“They drove steel beams 50 feet into the ground to provide a solid footing, then built up from there,” Timmons said. “Luckily, the dam was sound and the outflow pipe was still in good enough shape that they were able to repair and reinforce the pipe through an injection process instead of having to dig or auger a channel for a new pipe entirely. The finished product will likely last at least as long as the previous materials.”

Construction companies have also been hard at work placing riprap and erosion-control materials called “Flexamat” to replace eroded shorelines and prevent further damage.

“The riprap will block erosion, and the Flexamat will allow grass and other vegetation to grow within it to help stabilize slopes,” Timmons said. “Thousands of feet of shoreline have been repaired during the renovation.”

Angling Improvements
The renovation should be an exciting time for anglers, as Timmons expects good things from the dry period between the time the lake was drained and its expected refilling at the end of this year.

“Any time you draw down a lake and allow that lakebed soil to dry out and crack, you’re releasing nutrients back into that system when it refills,” Timmons said. “And the brush and grasses that have been allowed to grow during the construction time will add instant habitat for baitfish when we begin to restock. The breakdown of that vegetation also will add nutrients to the lake, promoting a boom of growth similar to what you see when a lake is first constructed.”

Timmons says anglers should see excellent rewards for their patience in the project, with good fishing only a few years after the lake is filled.

“We’ll stock catchable-size channel catfish as soon as we think the lake can support them for some instant gratification, and we’ll stock forage species in 2021 to let them get a good head start on the game fish to give the lake a good foundation,” Timmons said. “In 2022, we plan to stock bass and crappie. If all goes as planned, anglers should see some excellent fishing within four years or so.” Pallets, concrete and PVC pipes combine for beneficial habitat

Pallet Palace
Timmons isn’t leaving the habitat solely up to Mother Nature. He and many other AGFC staff have been hard at work adding extra bits of cover to increase the habitat throughout the lake.

“We added more than 4,000 pallets to the lakebed in July alone as fish habitat,” Timmons said. “I’d say we have somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 pallets in fish attractors throughout the lake at this point, and we get more on a weekly basis.”

The pallets have been placed in different stacks and shapes in areas that were historically good for fishing and in new areas biologists determined would be likely hot spots when the lake refilled. Instead of weighing them down with concrete blocks, like they would do if the lake were full, Timmons and his team are able to strap the pallets down to the lakebed with steel cable and anchors driven into the ground.

“I’ve sunk a lot of cover for fish in my lifetime, and this is one of the most efficient ways to make sure it stays in place,” Timmons said. “But you have to have a renovation like this where the lakebed is dried out to do it.”Timmons with hundreds of spider buckets destined for the lakebed.

Along Came a Spider
In addition to the thousands of wooden pallet structures, AGFC staff have been building PVC fish attractors called “spider buckets” since the project began and is placing those in key areas of the lake. Fishing piers and areas near banks where anglers can access them easily will be crawling with spider buckets when the lake is allowed to fill.

“I’ve had extra help and interns building these using 5-gallon buckets, some concrete and PVC pipe that was given to us by Crittco Cable and Fiber, NEA Construction and Craighead Electric,” Timmons said. “They use the pipe to shield underground cables, but they always have some odd lengths at the end of the spool that can’t be used. They have given us miles of this odd-sized pipe that would have otherwise been headed to a landfill. Now it’s going to be great attractors for baitfish and sunfish.”

concrete culverts offer excellent cover for catfish and bass Lunker Bunkers
Pallets and spider buckets aren’t the only pieces of cover being added to the lake while it’s dry. Concrete culverts weighing more than 2,000 pounds apiece also have been placed along portions of the lake. These concrete tubes not only offer hard surfaces that attract fish, they make ideal ambush cover for larger fish.

“Catfish and bass really like these sorts of features on the bottom,” Timmons said. “It offers a different, larger space that they prefer, and we have tried to place them in groups to increase the attractiveness of the site for some of these bigger fish.”

Partnerships Provide
Timmons credits much of the success with the habitat work done so far to amazing partnerships from local construction companies and a nearby steel mill.

“We have had some great support throughout the entire project,” Timmons said. “From the local school who worked with us on habitat projects through their EAST program, to companies providing the thousands of wooden pallets and other materials we’ve used, I can’t say enough about the help we’ve received. This lake truly is a part of this community, and we really saw the community step up to help out wherever they could.”

Timmons says the contractors also have been exceptional throughout the project.

“There are plenty of habitat components the contractor did while he was working that were just above and beyond his quoted job,” Timmons said. “He would drag concrete tiles out and set up extra habitat sites while he was on his way back and forth to do other work in the lake, and just was always happy to help even without us asking.”

Brent Crow Wins

Alabama’s Brent Crow Surges to Win Toyota Series Championship Presented by Guaranteed Rate on Pickwick Lake

Alabama Pro Wins by 4-Pounds, 1-Ounce, Takes Home $235,000

COUNCE, Tenn. (Oct. 30, 2021) – The final day of the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Guaranteed Rate at Pickwick Lake was a come-from-behind story for pro Brent Crow of Hartselle, Alabama , who after starting the day in 10th place brought a five-bass limit to the stage Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounce to vault to the top of the leaderboard and claim the title of 2021 Toyota Series Champion and the $235,000 top prize. Crow’s winning bag gave him a 4-pound, 1-ounce margin-of-victory over pro Mikey Keyso of North Port, Florida, who weighed a five-bass limit of 15 pounds, 3 ounces on Saturday, for a total of 48-1, good for second place and $50,000.

Saturday’s final weigh-in marked the finale of the 2021 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. season, which featured thousands of anglers from around the world competing for millions in cash and prizes.

Crow finished Day 1 of the competition in 28th place with a mere 13 pounds, 7 ounces on the leaderboard. He leapt 18 spots after Day 2, narrowly winning a tiebreaker against veteran angler Randy Blaukat of Joplin, Missouri to slide into the top 10 and qualify to fish the final day. Crow began Championship Saturday with 29 pounds, 1 ounce, before laying down the hammer with the heaviest bag of the tournament to upset the field and bring home the win.

“This is the biggest tournament I’ve ever won. I’m not trying to make a living tournament fishing, but when the schedule fits, I fish,” said Crow. “Once I realized the Toyota Series Championship was on Pickwick in the fall, I knew I needed to qualify for this event. I had some schedule conflicts with fishing the Southeastern division, but the Northern division schedule was appealing and looked like it would work out perfectly.”

The Alabama pro opted to fish the Northern division of the Toyota Series, competing against a slew of tough anglers to qualify for the championship, despite his lack of experience on the fisheries in that division.

“Those lakes are all awesome and full of fish,” said Crow. “I guide full-time down south, and the Northern schedule had events in July, August and September, when guiding is slower in my area. That also meant I didn’t have to battle the summer heat.”

Crow said he went into the Championship planning to fish below the Wilson Dam, but was dismayed the first few days to find the area wasn’t performing as well as he’d hoped.

“I’ve been fishing here and guiding for many years and fall is usually the time of year I fish the tailrace,” said Crow. “I purposefully didn’t go check it out in practice because I didn’t want to get in my head about whether or not I saw other anglers up there, or if the fish were biting good or anything that might spin me out.”

However, Crow said when he went up there the first two days of the event, he was discouraged to see the fish weren’t biting at all.

“They were running a little too much water out of the dam for me to do what I wanted to do, so the first two days I basically struggled and squeaked into the top 10 catching spotted bass,” said Crow. “I have a few places I can count on to catch big spotted bass, and I weighed in seven spots and three smallmouth the first two days, which saved me.

“I noticed last night that they weren’t going to run as much current out of the dam as the past two days, so I knew there was an opportunity to really catch them there on the final day.”

With a hopeful heart, Crow ran up to the dam again early on Day 3.

“I pulled up and checked the levels and when I saw the release level was at 35,000 (cubic feet per second), I knew it could be good,” said Crow. “I got out where I needed to be and made the first cast and the next hour was just chaos. I either caught one or lost one on every cast.”

Crow said if he could have written out exactly what he wanted to happen on Championship Saturday, it would have gone exactly the way it did.

“I probably wouldn’t have lost as many as I did, but I anticipated I’d be able to get a big bag under those conditions and thankfully everything worked out perfectly for me today.”

Crow said he’s put more effort into qualifying for this championship than he has any other event he’s fished – effort that was certainly not wasted as it resulted in nearly a quarter-million-dollar payout for the Hartselle native.

“The money is great, but it’s not all about money,” said an emotional Crow. “All fishermen have pride in what they do, and it feels good to be recognized, especially by your buddies. My phone has been lighting up all day with calls and texts from friends and fellow fishermen – most of them better fishermen than I am. It’s a great feeling that everyone is supporting me and taking the time to congratulate me today.

“There have been a lot of great fishermen that have won this trophy, and I’m probably nowhere near the caliber of most of them but I’ll take it,” finished Crow.

The top 10 pros at the 2021 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake finished:

1st: Brent Crow of Hartselle, Ala., 15 bass, 52-2, $247,500
2nd: Mikey Keyso of North Port, Fla., 15 bass, 48-1, $50,000
3rd: Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 44-8, $40,000
4th: Cody Nichols of Fayette, Ala., 13 bass, 43-0, $35,000
5th: Jeff Reynolds of Calera, Okla., 13 bass, 38-13, $30,000
6th: Todd Castledine of Nacogdoches, Texas, 12 bass, 37-1, $14,000
7th: Chris Digino of Dallas, Texas, 11 bass, 35-4, $13,000
8th: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 11 bass, 33-8, $12,000
9th: Barry Graves of Bobcaygeon, Ontario, 11 bass, 32-5, $21,000
10th; Aaron Johnson of Shreveport, La., 10 bass, 30-0, $10,000

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 27 bass weighing 88 pounds, 14 ounces caught Saturday. Three of the final 10 anglers brought in a five-bass limit.

Scott Parsons of Rogers, Arkansas weighed in three bass totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the top Strike King co-angler prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard engine, with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 35-8. Second place went to co-angler Daniel Lutz of Las Vegas, Nevada , who weighed in a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 33-9, good for $12,500.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers at the 2021 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake finished:

1st: Scott Parsons of Rogers, Ark., 12 bass, 35-8, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-horsepower Mercury outboard
2nd: Daniel Lutz of Las Vegas, Nev., 10 bass, 33-9, $12,500
3rd: Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Ark., 12 bass, 30-10, $10,000
4th: Matt Hummel of Lancaster, Pa., 11 bass, 28-15, $7,500
5th: Rod Mackinnon, III of Middletown, N.Y., 10 bass, 26-7, $5,000
6th: Charles Dubroc of Hessmer, La., seven bass, 24-6, $4,000
7th: Mason Chambers of Galena, Mo., 10 bass, 23-12, $3,500
8th: Ray de Jong of Harare, Zimbabwe, eight bass, 22-1, $3,000
9th: Allen Neal of Whitley City, Ky., seven bass, 18-8, $2,500
10th: Nycholas Swanson of Waterloo, Iowa, five bass, 18-2, $2,000

The 2021 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Guaranteed Rate at Pickwick Lake was hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The three-day, no entry fee tournament featured a field of 198 pros and co-anglers from around the world, competing for a top cash award of up to $235,000, plus multiple contingency bonuses.

The 2021 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Guaranteed Rate will premiere on the Outdoor Channel at 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 15, 2022, with additional airings to follow on the Sportsman Channel.

The full field of anglers competed on Days 1 and 2 of the event, with the top 10 pros and top 10 Strike King co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day. The 2021 Toyota Series champions were determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.

The 2021 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consisted of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. The highest finishing pro from each division at the championship claimed a $10,000 bonus.

For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. via social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .

About MLF5
MLF5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.

What Are Some Fall Inland Fishing Tips?

Fall Inland Fishing Tips
Chuck Long Arkansas GFC Northeast Regional Educator, Jonesboro, AR
from The Fishing Wire

JONESBORO — As the temperatures drop and the leaves change color, the thoughts of most outdoors fans turn to the pursuit of deer, ducks, squirrels and other game. Fishing is put on the back burner, but the changing seasons and dropping temperatures will spur many fish into a feeding frenzy that can lead to some of the best angling days of the year.

As waters warm in the early months of the year, fish are spurred to the shallows looking to spawn. Initiated by water temperature, this move to the shallows can occur at different times for different species, thus providing target species at different times. But during the fall months, all these species are driven to congregate by the need to feed before winter sets in. This provides anglers with a possible mixed bag on any given day. Fall fish are there to feed and their voracious appetites make them great targets for a day on the water.

The fall feed occurs on lakes, rivers, streams and creeks and each one provides an angler with great opportunities. These fish will also fall for a wide variety of baits, thus allowing an angler to be successful with their favorite style of fishing.

Fish in large, clear-water upland impoundments often follow large schools of shad. These shad are also trying to feed before winter sets in and can be found on long points, drop-offs and brush piles. Small crankbaits can be good, but the fish might also hit spoons or even topwaters. Perhaps one of the most overlooked lures for fall fishing is a 3-inch paddletail grub. Fished on a ?-ounce jighead, a smoke or pearl grub will catch most any fish in the lake, including bass, crappie, white bass, stripers and even an occasional catfish.

All sorts of fish fall for a simple white grub. In smaller lowland lakes, the fish tend to venture toward shoreline cover. Cypress trees and brush piles, especially those that might be in a little deeper water are often used as ambush points by hungry fish. Smaller lakes provide a little more targeted fishing, so lures like a jig and pig and spinnerbaits can produce bass. Crappie in these lakes will fall for the standard crappie jigs in a color appropriate for the water. In clearer water, natural colors like smoke and pearl will produce, while dirtier water may call for a red or black with chartreuse. A 1/16-ounce jighead with a jig in the 2- to 3-inch range will be very appealing to a crappie trying to beef up for the winter.

Flowing waters offer their most interesting fishing of the year as the leaves change and begin to fall. Many species of fish that inhabit rivers and streams will begin to feed aggressively and often stack in large numbers in the same general locations in search of food. A very important tool in fishing a river is being able to read the river and its current flow. Falling leaves can provide a great clue of likely locations to cast a line. As the leaves fall and settle on the water’s surface, they will flow downstream with the current and these flowing leaves will tell an observant angler exactly where to cast. Eddies, backflows and current breaks will be evident by the actions of the leaves on the surface, thus indicating likely locations a fish could be using as an ambush point.

A white or white/chartreuse spinnerbait is a tried and true lure for river bass in the fall. Targeting eddies and backflows with a jig and pig or a creature bait can also be very effective. Once again, the traditional crappie jigs will catch papermouths and a variety of other species, but a step up to a slightly heavier jighead and a slightly larger profile jig can be very productive. A black-and-chartreuse jig fished slowly in an eddy or behind a current break can fill a cooler with river crappie.

Whether it be a river or lake, fall is a great time to be on the water. Not only are the fish actively feeding, the crowds have dwindled and the scenery can be spectacular.

For Arkansas fishing spots, check out agfc.com under the “Fishing” tab and also see the weekly fishing report.

Trophy Florida Bass Tests Angler Weight Estimates

The “Eyeball Challenge” for Trophy Florida Bass Tests Angler Weight Estimates
From The Fishing Wire

______________
Nearly 900 anglers completed the final round, and the results were quite revealing: on average, anglers were off by plus or minus 2.22 pounds per bass in estimating weight from photos. Even the top 5% of all guessers — the A-pluses at the head of the class — were only able to shave their error down to plus or minus 1.35 pounds of the actual weight.

How big do you think this bass is? Ten pounds? Seven? Twelve? A unique study by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) along with partner, Bass Pro Shops, recently revealed that guessing right is harder than you think — whether you are an experienced bass angler, fishing guide or even a bona fide fisheries biologist. The Eyeball Challenge arose from FWC’s TrophyCatch program, which collects data from anglers on bass eight pounds or larger for use in fisheries management and conservation. The core requirement for submission is a photo or video of the entire bass on a scale with the weight reading clearly visible. And, every trophy bass must be released.

“Given the very specific submission requirements, I’m still a bit mystified whenever I get the ‘That bass isn’t 10 pounds!’ comment on one of our posts,” said biologist and TrophyCatch Facebook Manager, John Cimbaro. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from looking at thousands of bass photos, it’s that the same fish can look very different depending on how the picture is taken and how the fish is held. A hero shot of an angler holding a trophy bass up is usually the best-looking photo for a Facebook post. But the fish-on-scale photo is the one that matters for the research program and that’s the photo l point a doubting commenter to.”

The Eyeball Challenge asked anglers to estimate the weights of bass in three separate challenges, each with a series of photos. Each bass was weighed by a biologist with field scales to ensure accuracy. The Eyeball Challenge culminated in August with Round 3, which featured 24 individual Florida bass. Nearly 900 anglers completed the final round, and the results were quite revealing: on average, anglers were off by plus or minus 2.22 pounds per bass. Even the top 5% of all guessers — the A-pluses at the head of the class — were only able to shave their error down to plus or minus 1.35 pounds of the actual weight.

Does fishing experience endow anglers with weight-guessing skills? Eyeball Challenge participants told us if they identified as novice, intermediate or avid anglers, and they provided the number of years of bass fishing experience they had accrued. Interestingly, statistical analysis indicated that there was no performance difference among the three levels of anglers. Technically, increased years of bass fishing experience translated into improvements in guessing bass weights, but in practical terms, it takes anglers a lifetime of fishing experience (60 years) to gain only about .5 pound of accuracy over inexperienced anglers. The bottom line is that no matter how good you are at catching fish or how long you’ve been fishing; a variety of factors makes it hard to accurately guess the weight of a fish from a photo.

One key result from the Eyeball Challenge was that how an angler holds his or her bass in a photo makes quite a difference in how we perceive it. Half of the bass featured in the Round 3 challenge were held out toward the camera, at arm’s length. The other half were held much closer to the angler’s torso. As anglers might guess, there was a highly significant difference in anglers’ ability to accurately guess the weights of bass in the two groups. Anglers were much more accurate at guessing weights of bass held at arm’s length but had a slight bias toward overestimating those bass. For bass held close to the body, anglers underestimated those bass by over 1.25 pounds on average. For more details on the study, visit TrophyCatchFlorida.com/Eyeball-Challenge.

“It’s now scientifically proven—If you want the best photos of your catch, hold that fish out toward the camera,” said biologist Drew Dutterer, who helped design the study. “If not, it may be impossible to convince your fishing buddies just how big that bass really was!”

The TrophyCatch program has been popular for not only allowing citizen-scientists to contribute their data, which anglers report is their primary reason for submitting catches, but because industry partners such as Bass Pro Shops provide rewards for participation. To register for TrophyCatch and learn more, visit TrophyCatch.com. For more information about the TrophyCatch program, email Laura Rambo at Laura.Rambo@MyFWC.com.

Plugging for the Chetco River’s Giant Salmon

How Can I Catch Salmon Plugging for the Chetco River’s Giant Salmon

By Buzz Ramsey for Yakima Bait
from The Fishing Wire

If you crave big fall chinook, one that might tip the scales at 50 pounds or more, now would be a good time to plan a trip to Oregon’s Chetco River. Located on Oregon’s southern coast (near Brookings) the Chetco hosts a run of fall chinook that peaks in early to mid November, making it a destination for anglers from throughout the Northwest and beyond.

According to professional-fishing-guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing, 206-388-8988, the majority of the salmon returning to the Chetco River consist of 4-year old chinook which average 20-to-25 pounds. However, twenty percent of each out-migrating year class of salmon return as 5-year old fish that average 35-to-40 pounds; with some bouncing the scale at 50 pounds or more. For example, while guiding clients on the Chetco River over the last dozen years Andy has netted at least one salmon at, approaching or above 50 pounds each and every season. His largest to date is a 65-pound monster taken during the later portion of the 2011 season.

Originating in the Siskiyou National Forest, the Chetco flows for 55 miles before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The Chetco is unlike many other Pacific Northwest rivers as there are no dams obstructing the salmons’ pathway to their spawning sanctuary.

The river hosts a strong, self-sustaining wild run of fall chinook that according to ODFW can number as high as 15,000 returning adults. In addition, the Department of Fish and Wildlife supplements the wild run with an additional 125,000 fingerling size chinook that are liberated in the lower river. Being of hatchery origin these fish are fin-clipped prior to release and tend to stage low in the river, where released, upon their return as adults.

The Chetco offers excellent access for bank anglers thanks to the City of Brookings and state of Oregon owning a large section of the lower river. Called Social Security Bar, this nearly two mile stretch offers free public access to bank-bound anglers that plunk Spin-N-Glo lures, sometimes in combination with bait, from shore when the river is running 3,500 CFS or higher, and drift and float fish for salmon when the water is lower.

In addition, the Chetco offers drift boat anglers’ excellent access with several put-in and take-out sites available. The most popular drift is from Lobe Park to Social Security Bar, a 5-to-6 mile float, which according to Andy Martin contains about 15 deep salmon holes. The next launch site is a private, pay-to-play launch called Ice Box. There are two launch sites above Ice Box that are located within the National Forest and go by the name of Miller Bar and Nook Bar. Nook Bar is the upper most launch and marks the upper deadline for the keeping of salmon.

The two fishing methods that dominate the drift boat fishery include back-bouncing bait and back-trolling plugs. Salmon egg clusters rigged in combination with a Corky Drifter are what the back bouncing crowd use. According to Andy Martin, the most popular Corky colors on the Chetco include rocket-red and green-chartreuse. When the water is on the high side those bouncing bait will switch out their Corky for a Spin-N-Glo threaded on their leader above a bearing bead and baited hook. A selection of 1-1/2 to 4 ounce sinkers is what’s needed if you are planning to back-bounce bait on the Chetco.

The other popular fishing technique is to back-troll salmon plugs. According to Andy Martin, salmon size plugs work especially well on the Chetco and account for the majority of the giant salmon taken in his boat. The plugs Andy employs most often are the 4.0 through 5.0 sizes Mag Lip, size M-2 FlatFish, and 5.5 Hawg Nose FlatFish. When it comes to determining what size plug to choose, it’s all about the water conditions.

The Chetco, like other rivers up and down the coast, is heavily influenced by rainfall. It’s the onslaught of storms originating over the Pacific and later hitting the coast that causes rivers to rise and subsequently drop when the rain subsides. Salmon, smelling the fresh water, migrate into rivers from the ocean each time the rivers come up and bite best as water levels drop and clear from each rain storm. A big rain event can make the Chetco River unfishable and not clear enough to fish for four or five days. When the water first drops and clears is when the catching is at its best.

According to Andy, the ideal height for the Chetco is 3,000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) and the river is considered low when it drops down to 1,200 CFS or less.

What Andy has learned over his many years of guiding is that he can catch salmon using plugs when the river is as high as 5,000 or at times even 6,000 CFS, providing the water is clear enough to see two feet or more into it. When the Chetco is dropping from a high water event, it’s the clarity of the water Andy closely watches.

This is a time when he employs the large salmon plugs that dive deep like the Hawg Nose or 5.0 size Mag Lip. The fast actions these plugs provide when back-trolled not only catch fish but their frantic action can shake the leaves off that strong winds can sometimes blow into the river. As the river continues to drop and clear, all the way down to 1,200 CFS, Andy reduces his plug sizes down to an M-2 size FlatFish and/or 4.0 size Mag Lip.

Although you can take your own drift boat, fully guided salmon fishing trips are available from guides should you decide to try your salmon luck from a boat. While the number of guides residing in Brooking is somewhat limited, this popular fishery draws professional guides from surrounding towns like Grants Pass, Medford and Gold Beach. There are several guides from California that work the Chetco too, so don’t limit your guide search to just the Brookings area.

The chinook limit on the Chetco is currently one salmon per day, and no more than five per year. Current regulations require you to stop fishing after catching your one adult salmon. And while your daily limit can include up to five jack salmon (salmon measuring between 15 and 24 inches) you must catch them prior to retaining an adult salmon.

Tackle, bait, shuttles, and fishing info can be obtained at Riverside Market, 541-661-3213, which is located along the lower Chetco near Social Security Bar.

Lake Oconee and Lake Martin Results

In the Sportsman Club Classic, 11 members fished for eight hours to land 33 keepers weighing about 67 pounds. There were three five-fish limits and one person zeroed.

Preview of these tournaments

Kwong Yu won with five at 14.03 pounds and had a 5.78 pound largemouth for big fish. Niles Murray placed second with five at 9.03, my five at 8.45 pounds was third, fourth went to Raymond English with four at 7.98 pounds and George Roberts placed fifth with four weighing 6.69 pounds.

At Martin we pay back each day like they were one day tournaments. We had 37 fishermen and we landed 291 keepers weighing 354.81 pounds in 17 hours. Two people didn’t weigh in a fish but there were 46 five bass limits.

On Saturday I won with five at 10.54 pounds and Kwong Yu was second with five at 9.96 and had big fish with a 3.10-pound spot. Tom Tanner had five at 9.95 for third and Doug Acree placed fourth with five weighing 8.36 pounds.

On Sunday Tom Tanner won with five at 9.65 pounds and Kwong Yu, on roll, placed second with five at 9.47 and had big fish with a nice 4.16-pound spot. Lee Hancock was third with five at 8.08 and Billy Roberts was fourth with five at 7.37 pounds.

I should have gambled and made the long run! My five weighed 5.87 pounds and did not place.

Overall, Tom Tanner won with ten weighing 19.60 pounds and Kwong Yu had ten at 19.43 pounds for second and big fish of 4.16 pounds. My ten weighing 16.41 pounds was third, Lee Hancock’s ten at 14.22 pounds was fourth, Sam Smith placed fifth with ten at 13.64 pounds and Raymond English came in sixth with ten at 13.12 pounds.

We are already looking forward to the Martin trip next year!