Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Widespread rains across the state have helped drop lake water temperatures. Look for fish to get active once again, assuming this typical pattern holds true. We'll see. Lake Pleasant The top-water striper bite at Lake Pleasant is picking up. Get there at first light or you might miss the boils. Cover lots of water and look for birds or surface activity. Try top-water lures, jerkbaits and flies. (Zara Spook Juniors and buzzbaits tend to be successful this time of the year.) Roosevelt Lake The...
The way some anglers look at Arizona as a fishing destination has begun to change since April when “Flathead” Ed Wilcoxson landed the heaviest recorded fish in the state’s history. Word is getting out that The Grand Canyon State is home to many gargantuan flathead catfish. Wilcoxson — after photos of his 76.54-pound flathead catfish taken out of Bartlett Lake were shared on fishing forums and media outlets across the World Wide Web — has received phone calls from interested anglers as far away a... Full story
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN! -- Thomas Orozco, 14, 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 this summer.Orozco caught and released kelp bass, sand bass, mackerel and California lizardfish during the three-hour tournament in which 150 kids ages 6-15 participated. This summer the young angler won the following three California tournaments: Berkeley Pier, Berkeley; Shelter Island... Full story
The colors will be changing and the fall fishing could be at its best as 25 guided boats and 50 anglers take to two scenic rivers for the 10th annual Rocky Mountain Fly Celebrity Classic, Sept. 26-28, for rainbow and brown trout. “It’s part of the Redbone@Large Celebrity Tournament Series, helping fund medical researchers “to catch the cure for CF,” said tournament host Mark Cooper. “We’re in Aspen and Basalt, the heart of the Rockies, floating the famous Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers.” Co... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is a pioneer in reducing the amount of lead available in the environment to wildlife species that are particularly susceptible to lead toxicity like the California condor. The department has a successful voluntary non-lead program to aid condor recovery and works extensively with a wide range of partners to monitor lead's impact on wildlife. The Department feels strongly that a voluntary lead ammunition reduction program creates more acceptance and a more... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission recently approved 12 amendments to Commission Order 40 (fish regulations) that are expected to conserve sport fish populations and simplify and streamline regulations. The amendments will take effect Jan. 1, 2014. One amendment of particular benefit to anglers is a change in the statewide possession limit to twice the daily bag limit, applying to all statewide and special regulation seasons. The regulation will now give the angler the ability to continue... Full story
OLYMPIA - To help ensure spawning goals and management objectives are met for wild chinook salmon, anglers will be required to release all chinook beginning Sept. 22 in Grays Harbor Area 2-2 (east of the buoy 13 line) where the fishery will close for nearly a week the following day (Sept. 23). The salmon fishery will reopen Sept. 29 with a daily limit of three salmon, but anglers will be required to release all chinook. Ron Warren, regional fish program manager for the Washington Department of... Full story
OLYMPIA - The fall fishing season for white sturgeon set to begin Oct. 19 on a portion of the lower Columbia River has been cancelled, due to the large number of sturgeon caught in that area earlier this year. That fishery was originally scheduled to re-open three days per week from the Wauna power lines upriver to Bonneville Dam under rules adopted by Washington and Oregon. However, both states agreed to cancel the fishery based on catch data showing that anglers caught 1,942 legal-size... Full story
Coastal salmon fishing is starting to heat up in several areas. We’ve got reports of anglers hooking plenty of coho on the north coast, and others limiting out on chinook after 2 or 3 hours of fishing places like the Umpqua. Check out this week’s Recreation Report to see where fishing is hot, and see river-by-river season descriptions, on the Salmon and Steelhead page on ODFW web site. Columbia River fall chinook fishing still going strong Numbers have peaked at Bonneville Dam but there are stil... Full story
Columbia River Zone News: Beginning Jan. 1, 2013 the Columbia River, and select tributaries (listed under regulation updates for Northwest Zone and Willamette Zone) will be restricted to barbless hooks when fishing for salmon, steelhead and trout. SALMON, STEELHEAD, and SHAD FALL SEASON (August 1-December 31) All Permanent Regulations apply unless noted otherwise. See 2013 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. COLUMBIA RIVER MAINSTEM, Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point/ Rocky Point (Buoy 10 line... Full story
OLYMPIA - The sport fishery for chinook salmon in Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) will close at the end of the day Sunday (Aug. 18), when state fishery managers anticipate the annual catch guideline for that area will be met. Exceptions are Sinclair inlet and five fishing piers within the marine area, where anglers can continue to catch chinook salmon as part of their daily limit. Those piers include Elliott Bay Fishing Pier at Terminal 86, Seacrest Pier, Waterman Pier, Bremerton Boardwalk,... Full story
Action: Opens salmon fishing. Effective Date: 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013. Species affected: Salmon. Location: Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet), south of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point. Reason for action: This area is closed during the chinook mark-selective fishery in compliance with state and tribal management plans. Recent estimates indicate there is no chance of re-opening the chinook fishery and this area can now be opened for coho... Full story
OLYMPIA - Anglers will soon have an opportunity to catch large trout this summer in Beaver Lake near Issaquah, thanks to the release of about 1,200 hatchery rainbows averaging about one pound each. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is scheduled to release the fish Aug. 20. To facilitate fish planting, the agency will close the Beaver Lake access site at sunset on Aug. 19 and reopen the site at sunrise on Aug. 21. Beaver Lake, however, will remain open to fishing while the acc... Full story
Fishing for catfish is slow at all Urban Fishing waters statewide through the summer (no stocking period). For holdover catfish, try the larger lakes of more than 5 acres. Some catfish and bass are being caught, but it takes persistence and some good timing in the early morning and evening hours. Fishing has been good all summer for the plentiful bluegill that frequent the shoreline areas in search of food. Mealworms fished on the bottom or a few feet under a bobber can catch sunfish throughout... Full story
Did you know that — • There are now a total of 21 lakes in the Program located in 11 cities. More lakes are expected to join the Program over the next few years. • The $18.50 Class U (Urban) fishing license fee is the same price for non-residents too. • The Class L, Super Conservation Fishing license is also valid at Program waters. This new combo license includes the Class A state fishing license, the Class U urban fishing license and the Trout Stamp packaged together for $53, a savings of $5 f... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has added largemouth bass virus (LMB virus), whirling disease and all snakehead fish to the Director’s Orders aquatic invasive species (AIS) list. LMB Virus LMB virus, which primarily affects adult largemouth and smallmouth bass during the summertime, has been discovered at Lake Pleasant (Maricopa County Parks) and Bartlett, Saguaro, and Roosevelt lakes on the Tonto National Forest. All watercraft users leaving those lakes will now be required by law to c... Full story
OLYMPIA - More upriver fall chinook salmon are returning to the Columbia River than any time in the past 75 years, so Washington and Oregon fishery managers are expanding sport fishing options below Bonneville Dam beginning Sept. 13. Scrapping a previous rule that would have closed the chinook fishery that day in a portion of the lower river, both states adopted new regulations that: Allow anglers to continue fishing for chinook salmon through the end of the year in all areas of the mainstem... Full story
WASHINGTON, DC (9-12-2013) – A bipartisan coalition led by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) introduced legislation today that charts a new course for management of Gulf red snapper, an important commercial and recreational fishery that has been plagued by controversy Joining Miller and Richmond as original co-sponsors of the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Conservation Act were Reps. Charles Boustany (R-La.); Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.); Blake Farenthold (R-Texas); Bob Latta (... Full story
With the recent discovery of quagga mussels in Lake Powell, boaters leaving the northeastern Arizona lake will be required by law to pull their boat plug and decontaminate and dry their watercraft before leaving the vicinity of the lake to help prevent the spread of these invasive mussels. The requirements, which took effect July 1, are now the same as for other Arizona waters known to contain quagga mussels. These waters are listed in the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Aquatic Invasive S... Full story
With catfish stockings at all Phoenix and Tucson urban waters on hold during the summer months, fishing becomes more challenging, requiring anglers to be adaptable, patient and persistent. Plenty of wily catfish still lurk the depths of the lakes, especially larger lakes of more than 4 acres. Catfishing is fair for anglers using worms, stink baits, or shrimp fished on the bottom. Catfish can be caught throughout the day, but are most active when the sun goes down. Most catfish are from 14-18 inc... Full story
Lake Powell fishing strategy is determined by shad size and abundance. Striped bass are feeding on the surface over the entire lake but where shad numbers are small so are the boils. Where larger shad are numerous fishing success is terrific. In the southern lake shad are tiny and scarce. Little slurps are seen randomly throughout the day, but stripers feed quickly on a small group of shad and then dive back to the depths. Stripers can be caught if they surface within casting range and anglers... Full story
Tip Of The Week Remember that at Blue Ridge (C.C. Cragin) there is no bag or possession limit. The road is open and SRP has begun to draw the lake down for necessary repairs to the dam and associated piping. There have been reports of some nice holdover trout being caught. The lake will not be stocked this year due to plans to drain the lake for repairs. The Reel Deal Trout fishing is only picking up with monsoon activity. Many high country fisheries are scheduled to be stocked this week. But,... Full story
Bluefin Dive Long-range boats reporting from the bluefin area south of San Diego yesterday indicated bluefin fishing was tough at best. Some boats managed one or two fish per rod; others didn’t fare so well. There were reports indicating fishing was okay in the morning, but non-compliant in the afternoon. Skipper Andy Cates of Red Rooster III offered a typical report: “We started off good in the morning with a couple of stops on school size bluefin. We dropped the ball and spent the aft... Full story
KeepAmericaFishing™, (KAF)the industry’s angler-advocacy program, is pleased to announce several ground-breaking developments. These changes will enhance interaction with anglers on issues and provide a more engaging experience across the board. As of late June 2013, KeepAmericaFishing supporters number over 1 million. That is over 1 million anglers advocating for recreational fishing — an army of angler advocates. It started July 1; now you can join KeepAmericaFishing as a member for only... Full story
Local sportsmen's groups can apply now for grant funding for programs that promote activities and events for hunter, angler, shooter and trapper recruitment and retention. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering $75,000 in grant funding this year. Applications must be received by the department by 5 p.m. (MST) on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013. Examples of projects eligible for the Arizona Game and Fish Department grants include — Hands-on mentored hunting events: • Small game hunting camps - qu... Full story
