“Pete was very impressed with Pymatuning,” DePaola said. “He’s fished for muskies all over North America and said Pymatuning compares well with any of the famous big muskie lakes in the Upper Midwest.”

This is a good news for a fishery that was struggling just a few years ago.

I just got back from an Alaskan flyfishing trip on Sunday. Seven of us from my Trout Unlimited Chapter (Southeastern Montgomery County TU Chapter) flyfished the Copper and Gibralter Rivers for unbelievable rainbows during the later part of the sockeye salmon spawning run.

This was my dream of a lifetime fishing trip. We stayed at Rainbow Point Lodge on Iliamna Lake in the Bristol Bay drainage system. Everything about
the place was wonderful, the lodge, the guides, the rivers, the flying, the rivers, the wildlife and of course, the fishing.

I never caught trout as big as the ones up in Alaska. These rainbows from 4-inches to 26-inces put up terrific unimaginable fights. They fought all the way to the net. We used barbless hooks and returned all fish back to the water. Fishing for these rainbows is catch and release only. What a memorable experience!

 

For more information on Walter’s fishing adventures, spend some time on his fishing page.

Lindy’s X-Change Jig System features a unique patented design, which allows the angler to quickly change the weigh or color of their jig without retying.  I am always experimenting with different colors or weights when on the water, but I am not a very fast knot tier.  So, I loose some fishing time, especially when on a good looking spot, by retying a lot.  The end result is that I then don’t experiment as much as I should.

This system looks like it might eliminate the need to retire altogether.   Lindy boasts that

Cutting line for traditional jigheads is made obsolete with the convenience and efficiency of the X-Change Jig System. Whether by allowing for varying wind conditions, color swapping or facing finicky fish that dictate a faster or slower fall rate, the X-Change Jig System provides anglers with a multitude of size, color and hook options that can be changed for the conditions with one simple snap.

Here’s a diagram of how it works…

The product will be available December 2008.

I, like most of the rest of the world, had never heard of Governor Palin before she was tapped as John McCain’s VP pick.  Quite frankly, I really didn’t care too much either.  That was until, I saw a picture on the news of her hunting.  The cool thing about the picture was that it wasn’t staged at all as a photo-op to win the outdoor enthusiast’s vote.  Then I learned that her parents had to come back from their caribou hunting camp when the news came that she had been selected.

I now know a lot more about Palin and her politics.  I wouldn’t have bothered much except for my interest being peaked by these stories of she and her family’s love of the outdoors.  I don’t plan to vote for a candidate just because she or he hunts as I am not a single issue voter.  But the future of fishing and hunting is a big deal to me.  So whether I believe someone is supportive and understands our pastime is critical in winning my vote. 

I want to emphasize that I want a candidate who understands our love for fishing and hunting.  Words mean little and the politician who goes on the occasional chartered fishing trip or pheasant hunt for photo opportunities doesn’t count.   They need to be able to appreciate our thrill of the catch or harvest, the work that goes into a successful hunt, and the respect that we have for the wildlife we pursue. 

Too few politicians understand us at this level.  From everything I read, I believe Governor Palin does.  This is far from an endorsement of McCain/Palin.  But this is one of the core issues that I will vote on in November.  I would encourage all of us to think about how much a politician understanding fishing and hunting will and should influence our next vote.

As a social worker I might not share his knowledge of advanced physics, but it does appear that we share a love for fishing and fishing in Canada.  His fishing page has reports from several different years on trips to Lac Poutrincourt.  Each report is very detailed and will give you a lot of information if you are considering a trip to Quebec’s Lac Poutrincourt for walleye and northern pike.

Here’s an excerpt from a good morning during their 2005 trip…

Tuesday morning we went out to the Hot Spot on the big lake again and drifted for walleyes. The water was very calm compared to the previous day. It’s amazing how fast the weather conditions can change up there. We were using worms and were able to catch a good number of walleyes. We caught 31 walleyes, 1 pike and Walt had hooked a large pike and `lost’ him at the last moment against the boat.

The highlight of the afternoon came while drift fishing at our favorite spot near the island and cove. Lamar spotted a black bear right at the water’s edge, deep in the cove about 60 yards away. The bear was walking along the water’s edge around some big rocks. Cas took the boat quietly further into the cove and all 3 of us got a good look at the bear. Cas thinks that it was a young black bear around 200 to 300 pounds. Walt tried to capture the bear on film, but the bear decided he would not be caught posing in the open and leisurely scampered away as we got closer. So no photo of the bear, sorry.

This was not a bad morning fishing excursion. We already forgot the previous day’s exciting ride back to camp. We sighted a true native in the wild as well as having a good day fishing. This reminded Cas of the `good old days’ on Lac Poutrincourt. We ran out of worms and had to make a run to the base camp to pick up more.

If you are planning a trip, Walter’s web site is a must read. 

Domaine Poutrincourt Outfitter provides lodging and boat rentals on the lake.

In East Goshen, a controversial plan is being debated that would allow hunting on 210 acres of township open space behind seven subdivisions. Most residents are against it, even if they are willing to admit the township has a significant deer problem. So what are township officials to do?

There may be hope after all. Research is being conducted on a deer contraceptive that may be the township’s best hope at a compromise. The contraceptive, PZP, porcine zona pellucida, works on free-ranging deer or captive deer.

The deer are caught and tagged, and given the vaccine, which lasts about two years. A booster shot will be given to them in two to three years via a dart gun, which can be administered from 30 yards away.

The contraceptive is hardly new. In fact, it’s been used in various settings for the past 25 years. In South Africa, game parks use it to control the population of elephants and other wild animals that are free-ranging. It’s also been used to control the population of wild horses on the island of Assateague, Md.

I have to give credit to the Pennsylvania Game Commission on this one as they have been unwilling to consider this option to this point.  But I believe that as deer continue to be considered Public Enemy #1 in PA, the pressure will only grow. 

1. Go to http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/

2. Click on Doe License Updates

That’s it.  Some WMU’s have already sold out.  Here’s a map of the WMU’s.

Since then, I have been busy trying to find bow hunting stuff at the cheapest price possible without sacrificing quality.  I have found some good places to find deals.  Here are several of those.

Archery Talk

The Archery Talk web site has free classifieds.  This may be the best place that I’ve found to buy a used bow.  The prices are generally real good.  They often even get better if you can be patient as sellers often will reduce their price over a few days of trying to sell their bow. 

Many of the people that use this site know their bows.  You are not purchasing the bow from the “average joe” selling on Ebay.  The person who I bought my bow from is a pro staffer for an archery company.  I bought an older model Hoyt Viper in excellent shape.  I paid a little over $100 to have the bow delivered.  The seller even threw in some quality Beman arrows. 

Craigslist

Craigslist was a great place to find a climbing treestand.  Actually, I bought two.  I didn’t want to pay for the shipping costs of a treestand.  So, I needed to find someone selling one locally. 

My local classifieds didn’t turn up a whole lot.  So, I started looking and quickly found that I was getting warmer at Craigslist.  Immediately, I found a few stands at a good price but their location was further than I wanted to travel to. 

I had to be patient but I found someone selling two treestands for $20 each within about 20 miles from my house.  I bought both.  Don’t get me wrong.  These aren’t the most modern or fancy stands, but they will get me up a tree.

Yard Sales

The best deals that I found at yard sales have been on camo clothing.  Again, I am not buying the latest Scent-Lock expensive items.  But I am slowly stocking up on various camo clothing.  I am buying camo for less than $10.  Sometimes much less…

Gander Mountain

I am not going to get into a debate about which box star has the best prices.  But I do need to give some credit to Gander Mountain for their recent archery clearance sale.  I bought several bow accessories at very cheap prices.

I still have some stuff to buy.  I will keep you posted if I find other places to do some good bargain shopping.

*Picture by h. wren from Flickr.com

A man has been arrested after allegedly fishing some bottles out of an Abbotsford, B.C., liquor store.

Police were called to a Liquor Barn just before 4 a.m. Monday by a security guard who spotted what he thought was a stick poking out of the ceiling tiles.

The stick had a wire attached, allowing somebody in the ceiling to fish for bottles on the floor below.

“It looks like a piece of two by four with a coat hanger attached to the end and fashioned into a loop,” said Sgt. Mike Powell.

Police caught and arrested the suspect outside the store climbing down from the roof with the makeshift fishing pole and his catch of four bottles of liquor.

They alleged he had climbed in through a hole in the roof to reach the false ceiling of the store.