Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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For Washingtonians, the start of the new year is a great time to hunt for waterfowl, fish for steelhead, and enjoy the annual spectacle of bald eagles, snow geese, elk, big-horn sheep and other wintering wildlife. But weather is an important consideration. Preparation is essential for any outdoor activity, especially in winter. Check the weather conditions, river conditions and road conditions – and let people know where you’re going before heading out. Those hardy souls that do head out... Full story
We spoke in August 2015 that El Niño is "significant and strengthening," and could rival the strongest on record - even the Super El Niño of 1997. Perhaps there will be more and bigger fish and much-need precipitation this winter from the West Coast. Well it did and has, so did the fishing. As the sportfishing season comes to a close, let me clarify, the anglers are not as enthusiastic about going fishing now as earlier in the season. We're all used to the fish bailing out of the area and we g... Full story
On Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1, when boaters, sailors and anglers want to celebrate their generosity and give, they go to BoatUS.org, the online home of the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Since 1981, the boating non-profit's sole mission is to reduce boating accidents and fatalities and increase stewardship of our waterways, so giving to the Foundation means they're giving back to boating. Based in Annapolis, Md., the tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization is the boating safety and... Full story
Each November we conduct our annual gillnet sampling to assess adult fish population strength, numbers and health. Since we will be on the lake for two weeks, this issue's fishing report will the last of the season. Sporadic reports will be sent out randomly when something unusual happens like a trophy fish being caught. For current fishing information during winter log on to Wayneswords.com. The next regular weekly report will be published the first week of March 2016. Stripers Late fall finds... Full story
Tip Of The Week Silver Creek near Show Low is a spring creek that comes out of the ground at a constant temperature and does not freeze in the winter. Catch-and-release fishing for big rainbow trout with artificial lure and flies, with single barbless hooks, will continue through the winter. The Reel Deal Fishing, hunting, football, campfires, and possible "cast-n-blast" adventures (it's quail season!) - this is our cool wave of fall perfection. It also signals the return of trout to our... Full story
Alexandria, VA – December 15 – 2015 - Over the course of 2015, numerous legislative, public policy and advocacy activities occurred that will have a lasting impact on recreational fishing's future. The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) today recounted seven of the top recreational fishing advocacy accomplishments of 2015. "I'm extremely proud of ASA's efforts to promote fisheries conservation and access to help ensure a strong future for our industry," said ASA President and CEO Mike Nus... Full story
Every angler loves to get fishing gear as a gift, but if you're not a fisherman yourself, it can be difficult to pick out something useful and appropriate. A great gift for a bass angler is not necessarily a great gift for a trout fisherman or a crappie angler. So here are some ideas specific to what your angler loves to fish for. Bass Anglers Savage Gear won best of show for their 3D shrimp at ICAST this year, and they have other 3D lures as well. One thing that works particularly well for big... Full story
Action: Fishing for chum salmon opens in Marine Area 10, with a daily limit of 2. Effective Date: 12:01 a.m., Oct. 28, 2015 through Jan. 31, 2016. Species affected: Chum salmon Location: Marine Area 10 within Puget Sound. Reason for action: Following the emergency closure of Marine Area 10 to all salmon fishing on Oct. 19 (due to estimated total encounters of chinook salmon reaching the allowable limits for the area), WDFW biologists have continued to assess the most recent monitoring data from... Full story
OLYMPIA – Starting Nov. 1, anglers will be restricted to one hatchery-reared adult coho salmon per day as part of their catch limit on several tributaries to the lower Columbia River. Poor returns of coho salmon prompted state fishery managers to reduce the daily limit to one hatchery adult coho – down from six – to preserve fish for state hatchery propagation and restoration programs. Waters affected by the new limit include the Deep, Grays, Elochoman, Cowlitz, Toutle, Green, Tilton, Cispu... Full story
OLYMPIA – Anglers fishing for salmon in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) will be allowed to keep chum only beginning Nov. 1, state fishery managers announced today. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) had scheduled an opening for hatchery chinook salmon to begin Sunday, Nov. 1, but has postponed that season to protect a large number of juvenile chinook in those waters. “We’re seeing more young chinook out there than we’ve seen in over a decade,” said Ron Warren, WDFW fisheries... Full story
Alexandria, VA – November 5, 2015 - Not many activities offer as many opportunities for tranquil relaxation or exhilarating surges of adrenaline, but both types of experiences have about equal appeal when it comes to fishing. This, and other motivational factors, are illuminated in the third report in a series examining sportfishing “churn,” a term that refers to anglers’ transitioning in and out of the sport from year to year. Produced for the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) by Southwi... Full story
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. –– Game and Fish and Mohave County are planning a "Welcome Back the Trout" day on Nov. 21 to commemorate the return of this popular sport fish. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Davis Camp in Bullhead City. Fish will be stocked prior to the event. This will be the second year of trout stockings since the Willow Beach Hatchery ceased stockings from November of 2013 to October of 2014. During the clinic hours, individuals may fish without a license. Walmart a... Full story
Cooler temperatures have finally come back, which means it's time to switch to trout stocking. The week of Nov. 2 included our final catfish stockings for the season. We will resume stocking catfish next March. Our first trout stocking into core waters is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16. See the schedule. Due to some necessary scheduling changes with the vendors, we'll be stocking some of the core waters on Monday, and the rest of the waters on Wednesday. The first stocking of the season is the on... Full story
Action: The following Grays Harbor tributaries are open for salmon and gamefish fishing: Humptulips River (Grays Harbor County): From the downstream edge of Reynvanns Bar up to Hwy 101 Bridge. Salmon daily limit is 2. Release wild coho. Release all chinook beginning Nov. 16, 2015. Wishkah River (Grays Harbor County): From West Wishkah Road Bridge to the Wishkah Rearing Ponds. Salmon daily limit is 2. Release all salmon except chum and hatchery coho. Satsop River (Grays Harbor/Mason counties):... Full story
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering anglers opportunities for tight lines rather than long lines on the day after Thanksgiving. The “holiday specials” include thousands of large trout averaging 15 to 16 inches in length and weighing 1-1/4 pounds. The Department is currently preparing to stock lakes in southwest and western Washington in time for Black Friday, Nov. 27. In eastern Washington, thousands of smaller trout stocked in lakes last year should have... Full story
Alexandria, VA – November 19, 2015 – The sportfishing industry applauds the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for advancing a major portion of the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015 during today’s committee markup hearing. Originally sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015 contains provisions that will benefit our natio... Full story
The fall sports season has begun with college and professional football kicking off. Not to be outdone, husky professional-size striped bass in Lake Powell are lining up to compete against the smaller-but-more-numerous underdog shad population. Shad are huddling in the backs of the canyons hoping to come up with a playbook that will allow them to survive another day. Stripers are on the open water side of the scrimmage line waiting for the shad to venture out in the open where they become fair... Full story
Some misspell them, "strippers." True enough, they are just that: strippers of line. Today, though, we'll be talking about stripers. Just northwest of Phoenix, the striped bass fishery is buzzing. Lake Pleasant is a haven for these linesiders, known for their line-stripping potential, excellent table fare (their mild, white meat is great for fish tacos) and, under special regulations at this 9,500-lake, no bag limit. Great to eat. No bag limit. Yep, and this type of fishing is suitable for men... Full story
What: Peoria Police Department Family Fun Day When: Sunday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: Rio Vista Park Lake, 8866 W Thunderbird Rd., Peoria, AZ 85381 Comments: Although the event is for the police department and their families, the fishing portion of the event is open to everyone. So come out and enjoy some family fun with the Peoria Police Department and their families. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is providing free fishing for everyone during event hours. Bait will be provided... Full story
OLYMPIA – With some 125,000 trout scheduled for stocking in western Washington lakes, area anglers should have an excellent chance at phenomenal fishing this fall and through the holiday season. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will stock 44 western Washington lakes with catchable-size trout this fall. “Fishing at lakes throughout the region should be great over the next few months,” said Larry Phillips, WDFW’s inland fish program manager. “Most of the trout are 11 to 13... Full story
OLYMPIA – Salmon fishing in Grays Harbor and its tributaries will close Monday, Oct. 26, to help protect wild coho salmon, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today. The early closures include sport and commercial salmon fisheries within Grays Harbor and recreational salmon fishing in all tributaries of the harbor. Recreational salmon fishing was scheduled to run through Jan. 31 in most of the affected fisheries. Catch data suggests the return of coho is s... Full story
Visiting boaters, whether staying over for just one night or a couple weeks, offer real economic benefits and add to the vitality of waterfront communities, marinas and boat clubs. But laying out the welcome mat can be challenging. Transient boat docks that are protected and safe for overnight tie-ups, deep-water channels, restrooms, and pumpouts - just some of the infrastructure necessary to draw visiting boaters - can be expensive. However, the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program from... Full story
http://www.wayneswords.com Striper boils reported last week were visited by more happy anglers this week. Stripers did not disappoint - if the proper rules were followed. Stripers feed on their own schedule when in these bonus days of high shad numbers. The prime feeding time over the length of the lake was the last two hours of daylight. Major feeding events were described by lucky anglers as "covering 20 surface acres, continuing for hours, full of big fish, and totally satisfying." Those who... Full story
Thomas Orozco, 15, of Union City, Calif., placed first in his age division at the International Game Fish Association Young Anglers Tournament held at Shelter Island Pier in San Diego, Calif., on August 8. Orozco caught and released calico bass, sand bass and mackerel during the three-hour tournament in which 125 kids ages 6-15 participated. This summer young Orozco also won the IGFA Marin Rod & Gun Club Pier Tournament in San Rafael, Calif., on August 1, during which he caught this rare... Full story
As of May 27, 2015, new regulations mandate that all passengers fishing within 12 miles of Mexico’s coast and their islands must possess a valid passport. This applies to ¾ day and full-day Coronado Islands/Baja coastal trips. No other form of ID will be accepted. This does not apply to freelance/offshore trips.... Full story