Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i In-Fisherman

The fish we catch and keep to eat are for most of us a reward for our effort that goes beyond sport and ties us to the principal reason that most of our ancestors fished. For them, fish as food was right up there with, and usually more important than, anything having to do with sport. Today, catching and then releasing fish so they can be caught again has become a vital part of fishing. In traditional fashion, however, many anglers still want to harvest at least some of their catch. For almost three decades, we have promoted “selective harvest,” an approach that captures the best aspects of “catch-and-release” angling, on one hand, and “catch-and-keep” angling, on the other. We suggest that anglers harvest fish selectively as a matter of…

LAKE ERIE PORT CLINTON, OHIO Walleyes » Walleye Capital of the World isn’t far-fetched, with big year-classes in 2015 and 2018, producing lots of fish from 15 to 22 inches, plus trophy fish from the strong 2007 hatch. Contact: Capt. Ross Robertson 419/283-7069, bigwaterfishing. com; Mark 1 Sport Fishing, 419/341-8570, mark1sportfishing. com. Steve Ryan BIG SIOUX RIVER IOWA/SOUTH DAKOTA Channel Cats » These days river access is plentiful alo g the 400-mile stretch of river, with tributary streams like the Rock River (in Iowa) also providing good fishing, in a setting whe e you can get away from it all. Contact: Check naturalatlas.com for boat ramps on the Big Sioux River. Doug Stange LAKE FORK TEXAS Largemouths » Late June into early July produces good fishing for big bass. Get…

Tomatoes ripen, blueberries are out, and chanterelles are popping. Muskie fishing is good, bass fishing even better. Salmon are ripping spoons off downrigger cables. Why think about crappies? Because nobody else is. Some of the best crappie fishing happens in July, all over North America. If you know what to look for. I often find them off deep weed-edges, snapping at big suspending baits meant for bass. Try a smaller bait and they won’t hit it. Go back to the big bait and they rip it. Summer is when crappies can be caught with aggressive methods. Like swimming grubs and 2.75-inch swimbaits through the weedtops and along the edges on 1/16-ounce jigs presented with 4-pound mono on an 8-foot St. Croix Panfish Series rod. That’s my favorite method in July.…

Keys to Successful Steelhead Releases Field Science— Steelhead rank among the most prized gamefish, both on the West Coast and across the Great Lakes region. A key reason for their popularity is the incredible battles they put up, especially when hooked in a small stream. Surveys find that most steelhead anglers are conservation-minded, releasing most of the fish they catch. Steelhead are known for drag-stripping runs, acrobatic leaps, and long battles, and anglers often snap a couple photos of their trophy once it’s subdued. Since these factors are known to cause stress in fish, managers in Idaho investigated real fishing situations to see if problems existed.* They observed anglers covertly, so as not to alert them, and recorded how long it took to land fish, how long it was exposed…

Science in Action— In 1986, the “Operation Share a Lone Star Lunker” began, sponsored by Lone Star Brewing Company and with cooperation of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. It was originally intended to promote catch-and-release of big bass, and it collected largemouths over 13 pounds for use as broodstock at the Tyler Hatchery. The program went through several name changes as sponsoring companies changed, but it’s remained a stalwart, collecting over 530 giant bass, many of them used to produce fry for stocking in public and private waters. Former Director Allen Forshage noted that he, “wanted to identify genetic markers that resulted in maximum growth of bass, and select broodstock on that basis. We want to use selective breeding to increase the number and size of big bass in…

As suggested by their name, largemouth bass have been known for mouth size and what they can cram into it. Dozens of scientific studies describe the diet of this species They’ve been conducted to describe its life history in various waters; to asses its level of competition with other species; effects on populations of preyfish; suitability for stocking in new waters; and its threat to endangered and threatened species The bass’ large mouth is ideal for feeding on preyfish that live throughout the water column. They use a variety of feeding tactics to engulf or overtake prey, or to pin them to the bottom. Over the years, biologists have documented more than 60 different preyfish from bass stomachs, but that’s surely a low estimate, as most waters remain unstudied, and…

Borrowing a concept from Forrest Gump, I like baked walleye, broiled walleye, fried walleye, and grilled walleye. There’s stir-fry walleye, sautéed walleye, lemon pepper walleye, beer battered walleye, Cajun walleye, walleye kabobs, and cheesy walleye casserole. How about steamed walleye, sweet and sour walleye, pickled walleye, poached walleye, and walleye sandwiches? That firm, white flaky meat and delicate flavor make walleye the perfect choice for nearly any fish recipe. Not only are walleyes a healthy and sustainable meal option when selective harvest is practiced, they’re an extension of what makes angling such a rewarding pastime. Whether shared along the water’s edge as shorelunch or dinner back home with family and friends, a mess of walleyes can draw people together and create lasting memories. Tactics for catching numbers of eater size…

Right now, swimming up and down the Red River of the North, 16,000 tagged channel catfish are trying to tell us something. In what has likely become the most ambitious catfish tracking study in history, light has just begun to shine on the species’ perhaps migratory proclivities. With implications beyond but wholly related to catfish movements, the recently published 334-page master’s thesis of Henry Hansen of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) opens another potentially essential discussion: catfish in this world-class fishery have begun to fall under the weighty gaze of Canadian commercial fishing. In essence, results of the research may eventually make a strong argument against commercial catfish harvest. Inarguably North America’s finest trophy channel catfish stream, the Red flows approximately 550 miles from its headwaters near Breckenridge,…