Jim J

Schad,

Can you blow up that pic to make it look bigger?

KenD is a rank amateur fisherman who just started fishing last year and who can only catch 6" fish. That's why he makes up stuff about "targeting" small fish. Sort of justifies his catch.

I on the other hand, being a master caster, sometimes throw the lure on shore so I can work it slowly into the water and make it look like it just crawled in to fool fish.

So if you see me throwing on shore, that's what I'm doing.

A VERY advanced technique for nearly professional fishermen. Don't try this at home.

Fish Kills Still Trouble River Posted 2007-04-26

By Dan Kipperman

HARRISONBURG — Biologists found more troubling evidence of fish kills in the Shenandoah River this week.

Don Kain, biologist at the Department of Environmental Quality and co-leader of the Shenandoah River Fish Kill Task Force, said scores of dead and diseased fish have been found at various points of the river in the last few days.

The latest discovery came on Tuesday at Island Ford, near McGaheysville, where Kain said 10 dead fish were found and 10 more showed some signs of disease.

He said local river watchers also found handfuls of dead fish that day on a section of the North Fork of the Shenandoah about six miles from Woodstock and on the South Fork of the river between Bentonville and Front Royal.

On Wednesday, Kain and Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist Steve Reeser collected about 30 smallmouth bass near Port Republic and said five or six showed some signs of stress.

“There are some fish with heavy mucus and lesions,” Reeser said. “All are signs of what we have seen with previous kills.”

Declining Population

Scientists aren’t quite sure if the latest information portends more kills of the kind that have plagued the Shenandoah River during the last several years.

Last spring, hundreds of northern hogsucker fish died in the main stem of the Shenandoah, while smallmouth bass and sunfish were found dead in the north and south forks of the river.

In 2005, 80 percent of the South Fork’s smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish died, and a similar kill occurred on the North Fork in 2004.

Kain said the number of dead or diseased fish has decreased this year, not because the river is healthier, but because the river’s fish population has experienced such a significant decrease in the last three years due to the previous kills.

While he was on the river Wednesday, Reeser says, he was unable to find any redbreast sunfish.

“They are nonexistent,” he said. “Normally, this section of the river would be full of sunfish. I think they’ve been really impacted by the kills of the last few years.”

Next Step

Once dead or diseased fish are discovered, Kain says, they are sent to either a U.S. Geological Survey lab in Leetown, W.Va., or a veterinary lab at Virginia Tech.

“We’ve had reports of some fish that were behaving abnormally,” he said. “We want to send them to the labs so we can try to figure out what is going on.”

DEQ spokeswoman Julia Wellman said that researchers have been monitoring the situation for the last few months.

“Though only a few dead fish were found, a number of live fish with skin lesions or abnormal behavior was observed,” she said in a statement on Wednesday. “These fish will be thoroughly examined, with evaluations for diseases, viruses, parasites and organ-by-organ anomalies.”

Contact Dan Kipperman at 574-6274 or dkipp@dnronline.com

Oh I remember that article, it was good.

Do you want to update it at all? Add any other books?

I might also have it somewhere.

Structure fishing is more important than the lure one is using.

Focus on structure, followed by the lure and presentation.

Select a lure for the structure one is targeting.

Great lines.

Basically location and presentation.

Sorry, just read your title.

That's what you were saying.

That was against the law.

Every smallmouth in Illinois caught on a river/stream or creek, with the exception of the Miss has to be released regardless of size between April 1st and June 15th.

Courtesy of the ISA.

I used the TALS for a few years but switched to this and like it a lot.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...&hasJS=true

and yes, One More Cast has great stuff.

Why I Gave Up Fishing

Saturday morning I got up early, put on my long johns, dressed quietly, made my lunch, grabbed the dog, slipped quietly into the garage to hook the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. There was snow mixed with the rain, and the wind was blowing 50 mph!

I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad throughout the day.

I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed here I cuddled up to my wife's back. Now with a different anticipation, and whispered, " The weather out there is terrible ! ! "

She sleepily replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that stuff."

BISMARCK, N.D.

A new state record smallmouth bass has been caught, the state Game and Fish Department says.

Bruce Elberg, of Burlington, caught a 6-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth from Lake Darling, northwest of Minot, on April 14, the department said. The smallmouth bass eclipsed the old record of 5 pounds, 15 ounces taken in 2003 at Spiritwood Lake.

The bass was the first entry on North Dakota's list of state record fish since 2005, the department said.

State fisheries chief Greg Power said smallmouth bass are thriving in North Dakota because of stocking efforts that began about 15 years ago. Most lakes and reservoirs where smallmouth bass were introduced now have self-sustaining populations, he said.

BOB MACIULIS

Many years ago, when I was a high school teacher, I used an analogy to

explain to the students that we can accomplish few things in life without

help.

"Even the best football player," I enjoyed making the comparison, "who

scored a record five touchdowns in the Home Coming game eventually has to

review the films the following week and realize that, while he ran a pretty

good game, he could not have done it without the help of his team mates who

were hurling themselves into the defense fearlessly."

The same is true of those concerned with the environment.

Like most sports, it is a matter of team effort. Nobody can do it without

help.

Oh, sure, there were great environmentalists like Aldo Leopold, Rachel

Carson and the Valley's own patriot who called himself The Fox.

They had great ideas and found ingenious ways to share them, to broadcast

them to generations yet unaware of how critical the timing was for

conserving our precious, finite natural resources and how important it was

to weigh all societal progress against the toll on the environment.

So, it continues to this day.

I missed Earth Day. Many of you did, too.

However, there are those who understand that the struggle may be promoted

with a celebration of the planet, with posters and articles and videos but

that eventually someone has to roll up their sleeves, to step into the water

and accept the challenge personally. Somebody has to do something to make

things better.

The Friends of the Fox River is a tireless, dedicated group of volunteers

which doesn't wait for the once-a-year Earth Day projects to do some good.

So, here's a salute to the Friends of the Fox River! Thank you, for all you

do to keep the focus on the reclamation of one of Illinois' rare

environmental jewels. Certainly, the Fox River is more a diamond in the

rough, these days, than the brilliant sliver of an ecosystem from the past

that we often talk about, but it is making a comeback and it wouldn't were

it not for the efforts of groups such as the Friends.

Here's a way to do something good for the planet by beginning with your back

yard. It is an introduction for stream monitors, teachers, fishermen or

anyone curious about what's living in their local stream.

The McHenry County Conservation District and Friends of the Fox River's

Monitoring Network are co-sponsoring a free introduction to benthic (stream

bottom) macroinvertebrates workshop on Saturday, April 28 from 1:00-4:00

p.m. at Glacial Park, Conference Center (The Lodge), in Ringwood.

"This workshop is a whole lot of getting up close to benthic

macroinvertebrates," according to Jennifer Howard, Media Relations

Coordinator for the Friends of the Fox River. "Learn how these small stream

critters tell the big story about what's going on in our local streams. The

workshop will begin indoors with a detailed macroinvertebrate slideshow

presented by McHenry County Conservation District Restoration Ecologist John

Aavang. John will share interesting facts about stream critter adaptations

and help participants sharpen their identification skills. We'll then spend

time in a local stream collecting and identifying macroinvertebrates. Lots

of resources and identification practice will be packed into this afternoon

workshop for adults."

If you doubted that rehabilitating local streams is really a lot of fun, the

last line of her note should put you over the top: "Participants are asked

to bring waterproof boots."

Sounds like running through puddles during a warm spring day drizzle. As

future Aldo Leopolds say, How cool is that?

To register and more info: Contact Mary Kozub, McHenry County Conservation

District at 815-479-5779 or mkozub@mccdistrict.org.

Coalition hopes to halt bass migration toward Rangeley

By Terry Karkos , Staff Writer

Thursday, April 19, 2007 PHOTO GALLERY

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BETHEL - A coalition of anglers and others will attempt to decrease the number of smallmouth bass migrating toward the Rangeley region's brook trout fishery.

About 40 fishing enthusiasts at Wednesday night's Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited meeting in Ordway Hall at Gould Academy in Bethel were briefed on the plan.

Years ago, bass were illegally introduced into Lake Umbagog, which straddles the Maine-New Hampshire line. About 25 years later, they outgrew the lake and began migrating via Rapid River to Pond in the River, upsetting brook trout anglers worried that the voracious bass would obliterate prime brookie fishing waters.

Working with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Florida Power and Light biologists Bill Hanson and Kyle Murphy said they hope the flushing action during bass spawning in June will weaken the fish to the point where they can't survive in the winter.

"The intent is to delay smallmouth bass spawning as late as possible so we can, potentially, take a year (of fish fry) out," Murphy said.

Hanson said the intent of the 12-hour flow bursts from Middle Dam at Lower Richardson Lake in Township C will force the fish to spawn later in the summer. That means they wouldn't have enough time to build up the fat reserves needed to get them through the winter, he said.

"We know we won't have any impact on the bass in Pond in the River. Bass are well established in Pond in the River, so that makes it difficult to get them out," Hanson said.

Removing bass through electro-fishing hasn't produced good results.

"If you take Pond in the River and catch (bass) there and throw them in a barrel and kill them, for the first few years, it looks like you're doing something good. But, you're only eliminating their natural competition and then, they rebound in even greater numbers," Hanson said.

Two attempts last year with highly experimental flow bursts produced inconclusive results due to heavy rains, Murphy said.

"It has to happen when bass fry are just emerging off the nests, which is in the first part of June. The timing of it is critical," he added.

The flow would cause Rapid River to gradually rise a foot, which is why FPL will do the bursts at night when anglers aren't on the river.

"It would be bad PR to wash fishermen downstream," Hanson said after the program.

Now that's funny.... Jim J

Jonn Graham has a very cool book called Paddling Illinois which is great for streams and rivers.

Sorry Mark,

I was just kiddin,

It's an old joke around here regarding me not talking about my favorite river or saying there's no fish in it.

Apologies, I knew someone on the boards would give you the right info.

Jim

Yea, carp only

My wife was searching some stuff, and sent me that. I asked her the same thing.

Trying to check up on me...

I lived in Hinsdale then.

Had to use the wipers on some days.

Rick,

Pm me your address again and I'll get you out some issues. If you can tell me the last one you got, that would be good.

Since it's out every other month, look for it and let me know if you have not received it.

Way too many dumps in the woods here.

Ever heard of Dunkin Donuts?

How long are you guys fishin or quit eatin at White Castle before you fish.

Wipin your butt with PI?

The lakefront pic is really funny especially in that small boat.

Oh, I forgot about him.

Tim s get's a 19+ a week ago, Eric gets a 20 and Steve J gets a 20.

We've written about this for the past few years about April being a big fish month.

For the last bunch of years while we had the big fish of the month contest, April had more reports for 18-20 inch fish than any other month.

This year it seems to have started a bit earlier but the next warm spell and low water should again produce some big fish.

Steve's fish had big bellies meaning they're feeding to get read for the the spawn.

Get out there this month.

My sense of humor is diminished due to high river water.