Sportsmen's Daily News

BY MARK J. CZERWINSKI
The Record
STAFF WRITER

PARAMUS — Frank DeMarco already is a veteran angler. So are Jim Martinelli and Jay Logan.

Sure, they know all about fly fishing for trout. They'd seen others do it plenty of times over the years, and they were definitely intrigued.

But until they signed up for the beginners fly fishing course offered by members of the East Jersey chapter of Trout Unlimited, they were outsiders, uninitiated in one of the most enduring rites of spring.

That all will change when the New Jersey trout season opens Saturday morning at 8 o'clock. Even though they've only just started the class, all three know their April fishing experiences never will be the same again.

"This is really the sport end of fishing," said DeMarco, 61, who lives in Wayne. "I've always liked to fish, but this is different."

"I had a little taste of it last summer," said Martinelli, 46, of Saddle Brook. "But it's like golf. You can do it, but if you want to be any good, you have to take a couple of lessons."

One of the class assignments over the next couple of weeks is to go fishing, and like the rest of the state's trout chasers, these guys won't have a hard time finding a place to do their homework.

The state has been stocking trout in designated lakes, ponds and rivers since March 22, and nearly 600,000 fish will be added to these waters by the end of spring. The Department of Environmental Protection reports that trout-fishing participation is up by more than 21 percent over the past five years, and the ranks of fly fisherman are about to swell a little more.

"I've been wanting to learn how to do this for a long time," said Logan, 49, who lives in West Milford and hopes to visit the Pequannock River sometime in the next week. "About a year and a half ago, I bought myself a fly rod, but I never did anything with it.

"Last year for Father's Day, my family got me a fly setup. When I saw the article about these classes in The Record — boom — I was in."

The members of East Jersey Trout Unlimited are dedicated anglers who know the North Jersey trout-fishing scene inside and out. They are good and patient teachers who enjoy passing this art form on to other anglers, and the group of instructors even includes former students back to help out.

The classes began last month at West Brook Middle School in Paramus, and run for seven weeks, three hours each Tuesday. The first two sessions made a big impact on the students, who seem hungry for more.

"What I've learned is that I don't want to miss any classes," Logan said. "I want to learn it all. About the bugs. Reading the water. All of it."

"I started with the fly-tying classes over the winter," Martinelli said. "They say once you move away from bait and become a fly fisherman, you never go back to worms and a lure. After this, worms and splitshot seem prehistoric."

The class already has learned the mechanics of casting, so students know enough of the basics to take advantage of everything April has to offer.

Sure, they know all about fly fishing for trout. They'd seen others do it plenty of times over the years, and they were definitely intrigued.

But until they signed up for the beginners fly fishing course offered by members of the East Jersey chapter of Trout Unlimited, they were outsiders, uninitiated in one of the most enduring rites of spring.

That all will change when the New Jersey trout season opens Saturday morning at 8 o'clock. Even though they've only just started the class, all three know their April fishing experiences never will be the same again.

"This is really the sport end of fishing," said DeMarco, 61, who lives in Wayne. "I've always liked to fish, but this is different."

"I had a little taste of it last summer," said Martinelli, 46, of Saddle Brook. "But it's like golf. You can do it, but if you want to be any good, you have to take a couple of lessons."

One of the class assignments over the next couple of weeks is to go fishing, and like the rest of the state's trout chasers, these guys won't have a hard time finding a place to do their homework.

The state has been stocking trout in designated lakes, ponds and rivers since March 22, and nearly 600,000 fish will be added to these waters by the end of spring. The Department of Environmental Protection reports that trout-fishing participation is up by more than 21 percent over the past five years, and the ranks of fly fisherman are about to swell a little more.

"I've been wanting to learn how to do this for a long time," said Logan, 49, who lives in West Milford and hopes to visit the Pequannock River sometime in the next week. "About a year and a half ago, I bought myself a fly rod, but I never did anything with it.

"Last year for Father's Day, my family got me a fly setup. When I saw the article about these classes in The Record — boom — I was in."

The members of East Jersey Trout Unlimited are dedicated anglers who know the North Jersey trout-fishing scene inside and out. They are good and patient teachers who enjoy passing this art form on to other anglers, and the group of instructors even includes former students back to help out.

The classes began last month at West Brook Middle School in Paramus, and run for seven weeks, three hours each Tuesday. The first two sessions made a big impact on the students, who seem hungry for more.

"What I've learned is that I don't want to miss any classes," Logan said. "I want to learn it all. About the bugs. Reading the water. All of it."

"I started with the fly-tying classes over the winter," Martinelli said. "They say once you move away from bait and become a fly fisherman, you never go back to worms and a lure. After this, worms and splitshot seem prehistoric."

The class already has learned the mechanics of casting, so students know enough of the basics to take advantage of everything April has to offer.

"This is real fishing," DeMarco said. "It's so much more fun. It's so much more rewarding."

Ohio Wildlife Council makes changes to hunting regulations, fishing limits

2010-04-09T09:18:00.002-04:00

By D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer
April 09, 2010, 6:30AM
Ohio deer hunters will be allowed to purchase a less expensive $15 antlerless deer permit without being first required to obtain a $24 regular deer permit.The Ohio Wildlife Council approved Division of Wildlife recommendations in setting the hunting regulations for 2010-11, made it less expensive to bag a female white-tailed next fall, and expanded the number of lakes with a 15-inch size limit for walleye, sauger and saugeye.

The OWC also gained two members. Kim Davis of Carrollton and Timothy Ratliff of Winchester were appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to the eight-member board through 2014. They replace longtime member Howard Calhoun of Akron and Gary Grant of Continental.

Ohio deer hunters eager to put venison in the freezer rather than bag an antlered buck will be allowed to purchase a less expensive $15 antlerless deer permit without being first required to obtain a $24 regular deer permit. The more expensive regular deer permit allows a hunter to bag a buck or doe. A $19 resident or $125 non-resident annual Ohio hunting license is required before buying deer permits.

The OWC approved a recommendation to increase the deer bag limit to four deer per season in nine Northwest Ohio counties. Only one antlered deer is allowed per season in all of Ohio. Deer hunters had a record harvest of 261,314 deer in 2009-10.

The 2010-11 deer seasons are:

•Archery: Sept. 25-Feb. 6.

•Special area muzzleloading rifle: Oct. 18-23.

•Youth gun: Nov. 20-21.

•Statewide gun: Nov. 29-Dec. 5 and Dec. 18-19.

•Statewide muzzleloading rifle: Jan. 8-11.

Hunting dates for other game approved by the OWC include: squirrel, Sept. 1-Jan. 31; ruffed grouse, Oct. 9-Jan. 31; fall wild turkey, Oct. 9-Nov. 28; youth upland game season, Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 23-24; rabbit, Nov. 5-Feb. 28; pheasant, Nov. 5-Jan. 9; quail, Nov. 5-28; fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum and weasel, Nov. 10-Jan. 31.

Waterfowl regulations are set in August using U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines. The early Canada goose and mourning dove hunting seasons begin Sept. 1.
walleye fishing.jpgView full sizeD'Arcy Egan / PDThe Ohio Wildlife Council has expanded the number of lakes with a 15-inch size limit for walleye, sauger and saugeye.

Fishing changes: Lakes in Northeast Ohio with a new 15-inch size limit for walleye, sauger and saugeye are Atwood, Pleasant Hill, Tappan and West Branch. The list also includes Acton, Alum Creek, Buckeye, Caesar Creek Ferguson, Findlay, Indian, Snowden, Metzger, Rocky Fork and Seneca lakes.

Think turkey: The month-long spring turkey hunting season opens April 19. Wildlife managers are keeping their fingers crossed.

"Although last year we experienced one of the poorest wild turkey hatches we have seen in recent years, good numbers of 2-year-old gobblers should be available in many areas this spring," game biologist Mike Reynolds said.

Hunters killed 20,710 gobblers last spring. The Ohio turkey population is estimated at 200,000, and 70,000 hunters are expected in the woods.

There are new hunting hours this spring, but only for the last half of the season. The turkey-hunting day begins 30 minutes before sunrise, but ends at noon for the first two weeks. From May 3-16, the hunting day is extended until sunset.
FISHING REPORT

Steelhead trout fishing should continue to sparkle in Lake Erie tributaries if more rain doesn't fall. Lake Erie perch and walleye fishing is warming up. Inland anglers are reporting good catches of crappies, with largemouth bass starting to bite.

Cleveland area The night bite isn't hot yet, but some Lake Erie walleye have been caught after dark from Lakewood's Gold Coast to Edgewater Park. Few anglers are chasing yellow perch around Cleveland, but the perch have been steadily biting off Lorain Harbor.

Walleye fishing has been fair to good to the west, with anglers trolling minnow-style plugs and casting hair jigs and minnows in the traditional spring hot spot from Huron's Cranberry Creek to Sherrod Park in Vermilion. The best depths have been in 15 to 25 feet.

Rainbow trout were recently stocked at Shadow Lake in the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation in Solon, and at the Westlake Recreation Center pond.

There are various trout limits. The steelhead and rainbow trout limit in the main rivers is two fish per day, as well as on the East Branch of the Rocky River, where there have been frequent stockings of 1- to 4-pound rainbow trout. There is a trout limit of five per day on lakes getting state stockings, including Shadow and Hinckley lakes and the Ohio & Erie Canal waters. The Cleveland Metroparks limit on its stocked waters -- Wallace, Ranger, Judge and Ledge lakes -- is three trout per day.

Anglers must also carry a 2010 fishing license.

Trout streams It has been a very good week of steelhead trout fishing in Northeast Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries, with most of the rivers low and fairly clear. Recent rain seems to have enhanced the fishing, but too much rainfall will slow it down. Rainfall has been erratic, with some areas getting only a little moisture in the past day or so, and steelhead fishermen will need to check river levels. The Grand River has been the hot spot, with some fresh fish to catch and lots of dark trout heading back to Lake Erie after spawning.

With clear-water conditions, steelheaders are downsizing their flies and bait. Stealth fishing has been the key, with the trout especially wary this time of the year. Lots of trout are on the gravel beds to spawn, and easy to snag. Those trout must be released.

Steelhead trout fishing has been good on the Rocky River, where lots of suckers also have moved into the stream. Some smallmouth bass are showing up in the lower stretches of the Rocky River.

Anglers with small boats can target steelhead trout in the lower estuaries and harbor areas in the lower sections of the river and around the mouths of rivers. Casting streamers is a good bet, with some anglers trolling plugs and spoons in the lower sections of rivers.

Inland lakes, reservoirs Mosquito and Pymatuning reservoirs have been giving up fair to good numbers of walleye, with some anglers wading the shallows to cast shallow-running diving plugs and jig-twister tail rigs for walleye. Crappies are also being caught in good numbers as they move into shallow water, although the larger schools of crappies are gathering around structure in deeper water.

Turkeyfoot and West lakes in the Portage Lakes have been good for crappies in 10 to 15 feet of water.

Bass fishing has been very good at the small electric-only lakes, including Mogadore and LaDue reservoirs, where bass are making an early appearance along shoreline drop-offs. Pitch small plastic worms, jigs and trailers and tube jigs.

Today's cold front could slow the fishing down a little bit in shallow water, but warming temperatures should improve the fishing toward the latter part of the weekend.

Western Ohio Walleye fishing around the Niagara Reef complex and waters to the west has been good, with anglers casting lead-head jigs with hair skirts tipped with minnows or twister tails. The Maumee Bay and Turtle Creek areas have been especially good. Some yellow perch are being caught, and smallmouth bass are making an early appearance around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island.

Walleye fishing has slowed a bit on the Maumee and Sandusky rivers as rain has kicked up the water levels, but there is plenty of walleye in the rivers. Anglers are casting lead-head jigs and twisters tails and floating jig heads and twister tails on Carolina-style rigs. Bright colors are working best.

White bass fishing on both the Sandusky and Maumee rivers will begin soon.

Holy mackerel! The largest fishing tackle flea market in the area is open today through Sunday, with Jim Wohlever filling the New Russia Township Hall in Oberlin with rods, reels and lures, including antique tackle. The free show is open today from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wohlever offers free appraisals of old fishing tackle.

Turkey talk: Turkey hunters can sight their shotguns Sunday at a special session from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Cuyahoga Sportsmen's Association in Chatham Township. The Northcoast Limbhangers Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is holding the event. A wide variety of shotshell loads are available to test at a cost of $1.50 to $3 per shell. The NWTF chapter also has its annual banquet April 15 at Holy Spirit Party Center in Parma. Call Jim Cartellone (330-220-7185) for tickets.

Out and about: A fire destroyed the main equipment building at the London Fish Hatchery last weekend, a facility west of Columbus that raises rainbow trout stocked at lakes around the state. . . . It's the time of year wildlife officials are warning well-meaning people to not rescue wildlife, even though a deer fawn or baby raccoon appears to be abandoned.

Venison for food banks: Buckeye deer hunters had a good year, and so did the food banks that rely on their donations of venison. During the season, hunters donated 116,750 pounds of venison to the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry program, enough for 467,000 meals for Ohioans in need. A total of 2,336 deer were donated, up from 1,096 deer in 2008-09. The Division of Wildlife helped pay the processing costs of the donated deer.

Ontario netters unhappy: The Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission allocated Ohio sport fishermen a smaller number of walleye for 2010.

Ohio was able to maintain its daily bag limit of six walleye this summer, though cuts are forecast for 2011, and the yellow perch bag limit for Western Lake Erie increased to 30 fish, matching the bag limit in the rest of Ohio's Lake Erie waters.

Ontario commercial fishermen, who usually catch all of their quota with efficient gill nets, are not so pleased. Critics in Canada say the quotas for walleye and perch are the worst ever, reports the Windsor Star. One commercial fishermen said he could catch all the perch he's allowed in a single month, if he wanted. Commercial fishermen predict this year's catch will net them about $20 million, half of what they earned in the lake's heyday.

New law makes vandals pay

2010-04-09T08:15:00.000-04:00

By Independent Record

Montana state parks, fishing access sites, and wildlife management areas are seeing the benefits of a law passed during the 2009 Montana legislative session that gave more teeth to convictions for vandalism at FWP sites.

House Bill 223 authorized the revocation of hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges upon conviction of criminal mischief or trespassing on Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ properties or criminal trespass while hunting, fishing, or trapping.

The law went into effect one year ago in early April, just in time to apply to widespread vandalism at the Dailey Lake Fishing Access Site in the Paradise Valley. The vandalism included driving over 12 signs, the visitor kiosk, five windscreens surrounding the latrines, and several sections of jackleg fencing, as well as ramming the iron ranger fee-collection box, which was set in one cubic yard of concrete.

Paden Andersen, 21, of Livingston was caught and charged with felony criminal mischief for the vandalism. He was ordered to pay restitution of $7,330 and his hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges were revoked for a minimum of 24 months or until restitution is paid in full. It ultimately cost FWP about $10,000 to replace the signs, kiosk, fencing, and windscreens, and to reset the fee collection box.

In another case, on Dec. 26, 2009, Chase Glueckert of Helena left his vehicle overnight in a day-use only area at Spring Meadow Lake State Park in Helena. The security guard with the company that locks the gates nightly tried unsuccessfully to locate the car’s owner, recorded the vehicle’s license plate number, and locked the gate. Glueckert, 18, returned later to find the gate locked, so he drove through a fence to get out of the lot.

After game wardens caught up with Glueckert, he admitted to driving through the fence and was convicted of criminal mischief. He paid a fine of $335 and restitution of $250 to replace the damaged fence, and his hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges were revoked for 24 months.

More recently, on March 27, Helena game wardens received a tip that campers at Black Sandy State Park on Hauser Reservoir north of Helena were attempting to hill climb with a vehicle, damaging vegetation on the steep hillside. Although the violators had left the site, wardens caught up with Jonathan McCausland, 29, of Manhattan, who was charged with criminal mischief and pleaded guilty. He was fined $135 and his hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges were revoked for 24 months. The site will require recontouring, regrading and revegetation.

The law also was used in an Aug. 24, 2009, incident at the Greycliff Fishing Access Site on the Madison River. John Andrew Whitney, 20, of Bozeman shot up and destroyed a metal latrine door at the site, and was later fined $200 and ordered to pay restitution of $550 to replace the door. His hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges were revoked for 24 months.

“Unfortunately, these crimes are becoming more common and replacing or repairing damaged public property costs FWP, and therefore Montana sportsmen and women, tens of thousands of dollars each year,” said Regional Warden Captain Sam Sheppard. “I hope this makes someone think twice about destroying public property and the consequences of losing hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges.”

Anyone who witnesses a natural resource crime or has information about a crime is encouraged to call TIP MONT, a toll-free hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). Callers can remain anonymous or confidential and may be eligible for a reward upon conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the crime.

For more information about TIP MONT visit http://fwp.mt.gov/enforcement/tipmont

Turkey hunting can be a dangerous sport

2010-04-09T08:11:00.001-04:00

Reported by Casey Roman

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - More hunters are taking up the sport of hunting turkeys in our area. With more guns in the woods, the number of shot gun related accidents have increased.

Last year, 3 people died while turkey hunting in North Carolina and 40 other people were injured. A handful of these injuries came from Columbus, Pender, Robeson and Brunswick counties.

Many accidents happen when a hunter tries to "stalk" his prey. Hunters should call the turkey from a seated position and allow the bird to come to them. When hunters "stalk" or "chase," they can easily become unaware of what's around them. Often they shoot at the sound of the gobble, which turns out to be a fellow hunter.

Lieutenant Matt Long with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission said stalking is the least successful and the most dangerous method of hunting.

The hunter who is calling will be the first to see the other hunter. "His job, in order to protect himself, is to say in a quiet voice, 'Hey, I'm not a turkey. Don't shoot!'" said Lt. Long.

Unlike other animals, turkeys can see color. Hunters are not required to wear blaze orange which easily identifies them in the brush.

"If the hunter wore blaze orange, he would never kill a turkey," said Lt. Long. "The turkey would see the color and go the other way."

Still, hunters forget that even a red bandanna or a white t-shirt turns them into a colorful moving target. Those are the same colors found on the bird.

"A hunter is looking for red, white, blue and black," said Lt. Long. "Those are the colors of the turkey and if he sees them, he's going to key in on them and say, 'There's a bird' and get ready to shoot."

Hunters can only hunt male turkeys and use a shot gun or a bow.

Turkey hunting season starts Saturday, April 10th and last until May 8th.

Inaugural Idaho Wolf Hunt Ends

2010-04-09T08:05:00.003-04:00

by J.R. Absher

Idaho’s history-making hunting season for gray wolves officially ended at dusk last Wednesday, March 31, with 185 wolves killed by hunters, 35 animals shy of the 220 statewide quota.

Wildlife officials immediately offered words of praise for the historic hunt, claiming it effectively demonstrates that states can responsibly manage a species the federal government spent millions of dollars over the last 15 years restoring in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Cal Groen, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said it should also dispel fears that giving hunters license to kill wolves would threaten recovery less than a year after the animals were removed from the endangered species list.

“I think this shows that we’re going still going to have a healthy wolf population that can be a part of our landscape,” Groen said.

In Montana, hunters killed 72 wolves during its inaugural two-month season in 2009, while wildlife agents killed another 145 found harassing or preying on livestock. In Wyoming, where wolves remain under federal protection, agents killed 32 wolves, and in Idaho, another 138 were killed by wildlife agents.

A report issued in March by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found more than 1,700 wolves roaming the region, compared to 1,650 the previous year. The number of breeding packs increased from 95 to 115.

In addition to contributing to the successful management of wolves in the two states, the hunts also added considerable revenue to agency coffers, something that’s always welcomed in the current era of ever-tightening game department budgets.

Idaho sold 31,393 wolf tags for its 2009-2010 season, generating $497,304 for wildlife conservation. In Montana, where 15,603 wolf licenses were sold, a total of $325,916 was brought in.

Plans are already underway for Idaho’s 2010-2011 wolf season. Potential changes include allowing hunters to kill a second wolf in certain zones, adjusting season length, changing zone boundaries, decreasing tag fees for non-residents and allowing hunters to use electronic predator calls. The state hopes to decrease the wolf population to a target number of about 500 animals.

Montana game officials plan to assess all the harvest information and other data collected through the year prior to proposing any changes for its 2010 hunting season quotas.