Low Water, at last
December 19, 2008
By John Berry
My fishing buddy, Jeff Trost, called me on Friday Night. “Are we going to go out for beignets at Angler’s Coffee Café tomorrow morning?” “No”, I said “I just read the generation forecast and they are going to have both rivers on the bottom for twenty four hours”. We had not been able to wade in a long time and were eager to take advantage of the great conditions so we hatched a plan to meet early the next morning to make the final decision as to where would fish.
Jeff arrived before six thirty. David McCray and Scott Berringer got there a few minutes later. I had a pot of coffee ready and was feverishly studying the various generation charts on my computer. This is the most reliable and informative source of river conditions available. The White and Norfork had been off since 10:00 PM the night before and there was a dizzying array of options. After some spirited conversation, we decided to fish in the morning at the Narrows and the afternoon at Rim Shoals with our wives, who were all sleeping in as we chatted.
The sun was just peeking through the clouds as we walked through the cane thicket to arrive at the river. The wind was howling and it was about forty degrees as we waded upstream to the island. I opted to walk to the top of the island. The others stayed at the bottom.
I found my favorite run and began fishing it with a Y2K. I was rewarded on the fourth cast with the heavy weight of a good fish. I worked the spot for over an hour hooking plenty of fish in the process. I decided to try something different. I stripped off the fly, lead, and strike indicator. I cranked in all of my line and switched spools on my reel to one that held a sink tip line. I strung the line through the guides and tied a three foot 4X tippet to it and knotted an olive woolly bugger to the end of the tippet.
I began casting down stream at a forty five degree angle and let the line swing in the current. I was stripping the line to impart a bit of movement in the fly. I concentrated on the deeper water and worked my way down to the guys. The amount of time you will spend with a particular strategy is directly proportional to the amount of confidence you have in it. I have caught thousands of fish over the years with this strategy and I was determined it would produce in this situation. However, when I stopped a bit over an hour later I had only landed three fish with it. Sure there was the big rainbow that I had hooked, but it had spit the hook on the third jump. I waded to the bank and walked down where the guys were fishing.
They had experienced varying degrees of success but all had caught fish. Scott had the hot hand (he finished the morning with 53). I concentrated on what he was doing, which was high sticking Y2Ks. I took a few minutes to switch spools back to my floating line. I carefully rigged a Y2K and noticed a really good run that had not received any pressure in a while. I caught a trout on the first cast and stood in the same spot for an hour and absolutely nailed them. The run finally played out and I suddenly realized that I was famished. We had skipped breakfast in our haste to arrive at the river. I gathered up the guys and we headed back to Cotter.
Scott and David had to run. Jeff and I collected our wives, Lori and Shelley, and headed for the Sands. The home made vegetable soup and Rueben sandwich was just the thing to gird me for an afternoon of fishing. We left the restaurant and gathered up our gear. We donned our waders and headed for Rim Shoals. David rejoined us there. The wind was still howling, but it was a bit warmer. We strung our rods and waded across to the island. I was still fishing the Y2K. I caught a few fish but the going was quite bit slower than the morning.
Lori waded well below the island and was doing very well swinging an olive woolly bugger in her favorite spot. I, on the other hand, was experimenting with a variety of flies. I had some limited success on small olive scuds and sowbugs. I finally pumped the stomach of one of the trout and noted that it contained small scuds and sowbugs.
I glanced at my watch and noted that it was about 4:30 PM. Sunset was to be at 4:52 PM and I wanted to wade across the treacherous top riffle before it got dark. As usual, Lori wanted to make one more cast. It was a long walk out and she eventually agreed to leave. We arrived at the truck as the sun was setting. I had fished from sun up to sun down and I could feel it. I had been fighting fifteen to twenty five mile an hour winds all day and they had sapped my strength. In the process, I had landed around forty fish. It was good to wade through my favorite spots on low water again. It seemed like it has been a long time since I have done that.
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The Christian Chronicle » He walks like a Christian, calls like a duck
December 19, 2008
By Joy McMillon | The Christian Chronicle
Walking like a Christian – Phil Robertson, center, known to many as The Duck Commander, participates in a men’s class at the White’s Ferry Road church in West Monroe, La. Robertson is an elder at the congregation and isn’t shy about preaching when he speaks about his famed duck calls.Article Resources
The Duck Commander has a passion for duck hunting, but he’s even more obsessed with sharing his faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ.
WEST MONROE, La. — He’s been called the Billy Graham of duck hunting. He looks more like a wilderness-dwelling John the Baptist — clad in camouflage with shaggy hair and a graying beard that hangs down to his chest.
Occasionally, he’s mistaken for a homeless man.
Phil Robertson, known around the world as the Duck Commander, eats, sleeps and breathes duck hunting.
Born with a gift to sound like a duck, he invented a line of “duck calls” — hunting tools used to emulate the sound of ducks.
Since the early 1970s, he has parlayed his obsession for duck hunting to build a water-fowling empire Click Link Below for Full Story!
via The Christian Chronicle » features » people » He walks like a Christian, calls like a duck.
Louk all about safer tree stands – The Clarion-Ledger
December 19, 2008
Petal man heads national organization
Jason Munz • jmunz@hattiesburgamerican.com
Simply put, John Louk knows tree stands.
Louk, 49, of Petal, founded Ol’ Man Treestands, along with his father, Bob, in 1990, and currently serves as the executive director of the Treestand Manufacturers Association (TMA).
He was appointed in 2002 and has served ever since.
Why tree stands?
Matthew Bush/Hattiesburg American John Louk of Petal is an avid hunter and an expert on tree stands. His goal is the safe design and use of the important hunting tools.
“I’m an outdoorsman,” he said. “I just love the outdoors. (My father and I) spent a lot of time hunting and fishing and doing other outdoor things when I was young, so I’ve been involved with the outdoors in one way or another for the past 40 years.”
What drives Louk today is working with TMA members to establish tree stand standards and safety practices. After 12 years with Ol’ Man Treestands, Louk said he lost the business due to litigation in the state of Mississippi related to tree stand safety.
“It put me out of business,” Louk said. “So my passion is driven by personal experience. My passion for tree stand safety was driven at Ol’ Man by my love and concern for my- Click Link Below For Full Story!
via The Clarion-Ledger – Outdoors.
Ohio Deer Hunters Prepare for Statewide Muzzleloader Season, December 27-30
December 17, 2008
A total of 178,838 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season and the first six weeks of the archery season. That compares to a total of 167,965 killed last year during the same time period. Hunters took a total of 232,854 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.
Prior to the start of the hunting season, Ohio’s deer population was estimated at 700,000. The Division of Wildlife expects as many as 265,000 hunters will hunt deer during the muzzleloader season.
Ohio deer hunters must possess the proper permits. Regardless of zone, method of taking or season, hunters may take only one antlered deer during the 2008-2009 deer hunting season.
Legal hunting hours during the statewide muzzleloader deer season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Deer must be checked by 8 p.m. on the day after harvest, except those killed on December 30, which must be brought to a deer check station by 8 p.m. that day.
Ohio’s small game, furbearer and waterfowl seasons also will be open during the muzzleloader season. During those overlapping four days, small game hunters and deer hunters must visibly wear a coat, jacket, vest or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange in color.
Hunters have been encouraged to kill more does this season and donate extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The Division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.
The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 6th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 4th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $1.5 billion economic impact in Ohio. Hunting related retail sales in Ohio total more than $700 million.
Additional hunting regulations and maps of deer zones are contained in the 2008-2009 OhioHunting Regulations. This free publication is available where hunting licenses are sold and from the Division of Wildlife by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE or on the Internet at wildohio.com.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com
via Ohio Deer Hunters Prepare for Statewide Muzzleloader Season, December 27-30.
Ice fishing – and why
December 17, 2008
Some people just love to fish no matter how cold it gets. Others simply love winter — ice, snow and all. But for many, it’s a way to get outdoors and do something.
By Doug Smith, Star Tribune
Ice fishing is ubiquitous in Minnesota, home to the largest ice angler population in the nation.
Most of us don’t give a second thought when thousands of ice fishing houses and thickly dressed anglers show up each winter on frozen lakes and rivers around the state.
That just happens here.
But it’s also what makes us unique.
“Ice fishing is this really distinctive thing of living up north; people who don’t live here think it’s nutty,” said Greg Breining of St. Paul.
And, of course, staring for hours into a faintly illuminated hole bored through the ice is a little bit nutty. But several hundred thousand of us do it anyway. Click Link Below For Full Story!
Denver Fly Fishing Examiner: Fly fishing the Blue River can be a great après ski choice
December 17, 2008
by Michael Miller, Denver Fly Fishing Examiner
When most people think après ski, they think warm lodges, sitting by the fire and possibly sipping something that keeps the insides nice and toasty. There is a growing number of people that are choosing to spend their après time on the river wetting a line, instead of hitting up the local tavern or lodge. I have recently met up with several anglers on the Blue River that spend their mornings hitting the slopes and then come down to fish the Blue River before heading back to the urban jungle that is Colorado’s front range. Click Link Below for Full story!
via Denver Fly Fishing Examiner: Fly fishing the Blue River can be a great après ski choice.
34% increase sought in hunting, fishing fees | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register
December 17, 2008
By PERRY BEEMAN • pbeeman@dmreg.com • December 15, 2008
State wildlife workers want to raise basic hunting and fishing license fees by 34 percent, in part because of lost revenues caused by last summer’s widespread flooding.
“We had fewer people hunting, fishing and camping this year,” said Ken Herring, the state’s conservation and recreation administrator. “Our pheasant population was severely hit by the long winter and wet spring. We had parks closed during the peak camping season. It just was not a good year.”
Herring said this year’s drop in license purchases forced the state to cut the Conservation and Recreation Division’s spending by 7 percent, and move to raise fees. Lawmakers would have to approve the increases, which most likely would take effect July 1.
Rumblings about the proposed hikes already have stirred debate on Internet chat boards and in meetings. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via 34% increase sought in hunting, fishing fees | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register.
Smith & Wesson posts loss, sees weakness in hunting | Markets | Bonds News | Reuters
December 17, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 15 Reuters – Smith & Wesson Holdings Corp SWHC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz posted a quarterly loss on a non-cash accounting charge and reported a plunge in hunting rifle sales that offset handgun growth, sending its shares down as much as 25 percent.
Sales of hunting rifles fell 41 percent in the quarter as cash-strapped consumers cut back on spending and distributors slowed purchases following a sales slump.
“The burden that the hunting business places on the otherwise healthy majority of our business is a significant consideration as we plan for our future,” Chief Executive Michael Golden said.
The company has started cost-cutting measures such as extended holiday factory closures, support-function consolidation and job cuts.
Known for its 156-year-old handgun business, Smith & Wesson said in September it had shed about 80 hunting-related rifle production jobs at its facility in Rochester, New Hampshire.
The company’s troubles reflect a broader trend as the percentage of Americans who hunt declines, though sales of other guns in the country remain strong. Smith & Wesson said quarterly U.S. revolver sales rose 13 percent on a year ago Click Link Below for Full Story!
via UPDATE 2-Smith & Wesson posts loss, sees weakness in hunting | Markets | Bonds News | Reuters.
Taking stock of the flock – JSOnline
December 12, 2008
Pheasant hunters love South Dakota
Hecla, S.D. – The airways have grown congested here along the James River in northeastern South Dakota.
As we hunt through a frozen marsh, the furry seed heads of cattails dislodge and whirl upward in a brisk north wind. A low, gray sky adds to the mix, dropping clouds of dime-sized snowflakes.
And 250 yards ahead, dark, long-tailed shapes take to the air, rising above the cattails, flapping and gliding into the distance. The birds erupt singly and in bursts of twos and threes, sometimes accompanied by a cackle.
To Wisconsin eyes, it takes time to believe: Ring-necked pheasants.
The spectacle of so many pheasants in view is both fascinating and frustrating. Fortunately for us hunters some birds afford a closer look.
“I think Tram’s on point,” says my hunting partner, Bob St. Pierre of St. Paul, Minn. Two dozen yards ahead, his 1½-year-old German short-haired pointer Trammell – named for former Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell – stands frozen amid the swirling atmospherics.
As we crunch closer, a rooster pops out of the dense cover, angling downwind. St. Pierre spins and fires, tumbling the bird with a single well-placed shot. Tram digs out the bird – an upland gift of tasty meat and colorful red, white, green and brown plumage – and brings it to hand. Click Link Below For Full Story!
Taking stock of the flock – JSOnline.
FOXNews.com – Hunting, Long in Decline, Is Back on the Rise
December 12, 2008
By SE Cupp
Riverview Sales in East Windsor, Conn.Riverview Sales in East Windsor, Conn. It’s been a year for house hunting, job hunting, bargain hunting … and real hunting — the kind that requires a gun or a bow and lots of open land.
National and annual statistics have yet to be tallied, but hunters across the country are in agreement: Hunting is making a comeback. More people are grabbing their guns and heading for the woods, and it’s mostly because of the recession.
Pennsylvania, New York, Montana, Wisconsin and Missouri are among the states reporting a rise in hunting license applications from last year. Sales of hunting rifles are also up in some places, and hunters are donating more deer meat to food banks, something many homeless shelters will rely on to feed struggling families over the winter.
Hunters say the main reasons for the uptick are that it supplies cheap food and rising unemployment and a slowed economy have given people more time to spend in the woods.
Once one of the country’s most popular pastimes, hunting has seen a steady decline since the 1970s because of lack of recruitment, a rise in high-tech entertainment and the migration of rural families to cities. Click Link Below For Full Story!
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