Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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For many, Labor Day signaled the end of summer, but at Arizona State Parks, it's just the beginning of your family adventures. Get away from the hectic fall schedule and travel to some parks and nearby communities. Create moments to share while exploring the beautiful State of Arizona. Here are the top picks of some parks and nearby communities, events and fun things to do on a weekend. • Lyman Lake State Park (St. Johns) - Stay in a rustic camping cabin by the lake and enjoy activities i... Full story
Ah, it's almost that time of year again! Time for my wife to do all the holiday shopping, decorating, cooking, baking, buying and wrapping gifts, etc. I just do the paying. Since those days will be upon us sooner than you think, here's a list of great gifts for shooters. If there's a shooter in your family (and I sincerely hope there is), something on this list is bound to make him or her happy. If you are the shooter in question, circle the items you would like and leave this in a conspicuous... 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
Tip Of The Week Two "old reliable" summer high-country lakes are Kinnickinick and Ashurst lakes near Flagstaff. Kinnickinick Lake is spring-fed, but it is best fished from float tube, canoe or kayak this time of year. Ashurst may not provide the most scenic high-country escape, but it can be one of the more productive ones. It also has some pike (please catch-and-keep all you can to help this fishery). The Reel Deal Hot desert nights are made for bottom dwellers - catfish and carp. Relax on the... 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
The West is finally getting a great tournament circuit with 100 percent payback, championships with prize boats, and television coverage of every tournament. It's about time! For years I've heard guys say that if you want to fish a decent circuit, Arizona is not the place to be. Well, they can't say that any more. The Wild West Bass Trail debuts in 2016, and per their Facebook page, "our objective is to provide anglers the ability to participate in elite bass tournaments with the highest... Full story
H&M Landing Fleet continues to dominate offshore FLEET Saturday 9-5-15: The First String checked in early with Limits of Yellowfin Tuna and Near limits of Dorado. The Producer has limits of Yellowfin and a few Dorado. H&M Landing Dock Total 11 Boats 12 Trips 423 Anglers 660 Yellow fin San Diego Dock Total 21 Boats 23 Trips 691 Anglers 1010 Yellow fin Tuna, 387 Dorado, 231 Skipjack Tuna, 132 Rockfish, 75 Blue fin Tuna, 70 Yellowtail, 67 Calico Bass, 27 Bonito, 7 Spotted Sand Bass, 5 Sand Bass, 2... Full story
We know the weather has been hot, but it's time to make fishing hot again in the Community waters. Our first catfish of the season will be coming the third week of September. Get the fishing poles ready, and check out the Sept-Oct. CFP stocking schedule. New community water coming to Casa Grande After months of working through required paperwork, we are on track to finalize an agreement with the City of Casa Grande to add Dave White Regional Park Pond to the Community Fishing Program. The park... Full story
Western Outdoor Times/Arizona Boating & Watersports welcomes two new editors, Don McDowell and John ("JK") Koleszar, to their staff. McDowell, renowned fresh and saltwater angler and host of Shake, Rattle & Troll radio, will be sharing his fishing expertise as the new Fishing Editor. Koleszar, co-host of SR&T, and an experienced, avid sportsman, will offer comments on and insight into issues of western outdoors activities and concerns as the new Special Features Editor. We are delighted to have... Full story
What a great day spent learning about striped bass behavior, attitudes, and preferences. It was time well spent. We headed out from Wahweap as the sky began to glow in the east. We made it to the mouth of Navajo before sunrise in hopes of seeing the slurping stripers encountered there previously. I am not good at waiting, so we trolled while hoping for the first slurps to appear. That went well as we caught a 3-pound striper trolling a Lucky Craft Bevy Shad at 4 mph. As that fish was undergoing... Full story
A Summer Favorite One summer favorite for high country anglers is Bear Canyon Lake in the Mogollon Rim. This deep canyon lake has decent shoreline access, but don't expect to fish the bottom with your PowerBait. There is a steep drop-off along most of the shoreline. There is a slight hike into this lake, which keeps most people away. There's no store, no facilities (other than a bathroom in the parking lot), and it is only dispersed camping nearby - a good thing for minimalists. The Reel Deal... Full story
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, in association with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, has issued a fish consumption advisory recommending that people limit consumption of channel catfish and largemouth bass caught from Bartlett Lake in Maricopa County. ADEQ is issuing this advisory because recent fish tissue samples from Bartlett Lake contained elevated levels of mercury. ADEQ recommends that adults limit consumption of channel catfish and largemouth bass to 2.4 ounces... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers are seeking public comments on proposed sportfishing rules for the freshwater areas of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. As part of that effort, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has scheduled four meetings to discuss rules proposed for the 2016 season with the public. All but one of the proposals is specific to the rivers and lakes of the Puget Sound and coastal regions. The exception is a proposal for the lower Columbia River that was h... Full story
Thomas Orozco, 15, of Union City, CA placed 1st in his age division at the International Game Fish Association Young Anglers Tournament held at Shelter Island Pier in San Diego, CA on August 8, 2015. Thomas caught and released Calico Bass, Sand Bass and Mackerel during the three hour tournament in which 125 kids ages 6-15 participated. This summer Thomas also won the IGFA Marin Rod & Gun Club Pier Tournament in San Rafael, CA on August 1, 2015. Thomas caught this rare 37 inch Guitarfish. Thomas... Full story
An army of volunteers began arriving at sunup at Shelter Island pier in Point Loma on Saturday, August 8th. San Diego Sportfishing Council event coordinator Vic Gamboa led the team of volunteers provided by International Game Fish Association (IGFA), San Diego Rod & Reel Club, San Diego Anglers, UPSAC and San Diego Fly Fishers. Staging for free 13th Annual Young Angler Tournament went quickly as the team performed like a well-oiled machine. Registration of the 150 participating young anglers... Full story
Subtle changes in fishing conditions continue. Here are some of the small events that may change your fishing adventure into a successful trip. Stripers have now received that warm-water spawning trigger and most have now spawned. Female stripers caught recently had no viable eggs left in the ovary. That is important because spawning occurs at night and daytime activity is very limited. One successful report from last week indicated a good trolling pattern at night with stripers from 2-10 pounds... Full story
The wonderful thing about living in Arizona is that we have such a range of altitudes and ecosystems. When it's too cold up north, we can mess around in the desert, and when the desert is broiling, we can either keep cool at one of the desert reservoirs or head up to higher altitudes and enjoy cooler weather. We enjoyed an unseasonably cool and wonderful May, but now that June and July are here, the summer weather has fully set in. So here are my picks of the top ten ways to enjoy the summer out... Full story
Washington, D.C. – June 18, 2015 – The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced today is official endorsement of Bass Anglers for Saltwater Conservation (BASC), a new intuitive online advocacy system that allows fishing enthusiasts to write, call, or tweet their legislators through prewritten engagements online. The official BASC site launch was announced on June 1 by B.A.S.S. “Bass Anglers for Saltwater Conservation is an important tool for anglers nationwide, not just bass... Full story
Largemouth bass fishing is a great bet at Bartlett Lake, and the dropshot technique using plastic worms is usually the most reliable method of catching these fish. Before heading out, see a video shot at Bartlett Lake with local semiprofessional angler Gary Senft on how to fish a dropshot rig using Bobber Stoppers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35ATjA3DL4g&feature=youtu.be THE REEL DEAL Let's get right to some recommended Fourth of July weekend fishing waters, starting with the high country:... Full story
Alexandria, VA – July 8, 2015 - Six members of the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) were elected or re-elected to fill three regional seats and three at-large seats on the board of directors. Their terms begin October 1, 2015, and they will serve two-year terms. ASA’s board members may serve three, consecutive two-year terms. Regional seats went to: South Central Region – Jeff Pontius, president, ZEBCO Brands, Tulsa, Oklahoma (reelected) Southeast Region – Aledia Hunt Tush, preside... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers will host four public meetings in late July to discuss plans to treat several lakes and a stream in eastern Washington with rotenone, a naturally occurring pesticide commonly used to remove undesirable and illegally stocked fish species from lakes and streams. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is proposing to treat No Name Lake in Pend Oreille County; Williams and Badger lakes in Spokane County; and Green and Lower (Little) Green lakes, Rat La... Full story
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 10 have been conducting a variety of events for National Safe Boating Week. This week prior to the Memorial Day weekend is to heighten awareness of safe recreational boating. The events began May 16 and continue through May 22, the official dates of the 2015 North American Safe Boating Campaign. On May 16: Flotilla's of Division 10 provided - at no charge - Vessel Safety Checks (VSC) at Saguaro and Canyon Lakes, an informational booth with... Full story
Steve Roberts from Clear Lake, Iowa, had a great first trip to Lake Powell. He did his homework by reading all the fish reports on Wayneswords.com two weeks before his arrival. When he finally arrived, he couldn't wait to get out on the lake. He launched at Wahweap and headed through the Castle Rock Cut to Warm Creek and started fishing for bass. There were a few bass that cooperated but it was challenging fishing due to the cold front that had just passed by. Roberts then headed to the back of... Full story
http://www.wayneswords.com Fish reports from the first part of May are rolling in and all agree that we have seen the best fishing of the year and perhaps the best seen in a very long time. All species of fish were caught along the length and breadth of the lake. Smallmouth bass were the leader by a country mile followed about equally by largemouth bass, crappie, and walleye. Stripers came in last but there were a few clues to help find them in the coming days. Smallmouth Bass Smallmouth bass... Full story
Tip Of The Week Trout stocking in our mountain streams has begun and will continue every week until September. In the White Mountains region, big holdover trout have been caught at Big Lake, Luna Lake, Carnero Lake, and Becker Lake (there are special regulations at Carnero and Becker.) The Reel Deal The recent full moon helped trigger a heavy wave of spawn activity in the Phoenix/Tucson-area desert lakes. Although largemouth bass spawn through June, this will likely be the final such apex of... Full story