Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i Game & Fish East

Partnership Conserves 752 Acres THE PENNSYLVANIA Game Commission and The Conservation Fund announced the purchase of 752 acres of forestland near Red Rock. It is bordered on three sides by Ricketts Glen State Park and State Game Lands (SGL) 13 and 57. The newly protected area in Sullivan County features wetlands, swamps and forested headwaters for 2 miles of the high-quality Mehoopany Creek. Now part of SGL 13, the land is open to the public for hiking, hunting, fishing and wildlife-viewing. York County Men Apprehended In Game Warden Assault TWO YORK County men have been charged in the felony assault of a State Game Warden in Norwegian Township, Schuylkill County. Wade Michael Winemiller, of Wrightsville, and Thomas E. Kelly Jr., of Glen Rock, have been charged in the assault of…

Daiwa All-Around Rod $189 Shimano Curado DC Baitcasting Reel $249 Slithering a worm through a maze of timber or ticking a jig down a rip-rap bank require an odd pairing of both finesse and pure power. Daiwa’s All-Around rod has ample backbone to manage the heavy lines often used when fishing worms or jigs in dense cover. Conversely, it has the sensitivity to monitor those baits for subtle strikes. Worms and jigs are thrown into a variety of covers, ranging from thick to thin. Multiple casting techniques are often used during a single fishing session, whether overhanding, underhanding, skipping, flipping or pitching. Shimano’s Curado DC, equipped with an electronic cast control, is the perfect partner to the Daiwa All-Around. The electronic cast control system keeps casts backlash-free, a must when…

Abu Garcia Revo Rocket Casting Reel $299 Kistler Z-Bone Baitcasting Rod $520 Covering water quickly with search baits is fundamental to locating cooperative bass. The ability to make more casts and keep the bait in the strike zone longer often leads to more fish. The Revo Rocket, with its blistering 10.1:1 retrieve ratio, lashed to the incredibly sensitive Kistler Z-Bone, manages search baits better than any other combo we’ve thrown. The Revo/Z-Bone fishes lipless crank-baits, small/medium swimbaits, spinner-baits and stickbaits confidently. The 7-foot, 3-inch North Fork blank loads efficiently and fires long casts for exploring large areas of aggregate water. The Rocket manages any type of line, whether braids, superlines or clear lines — making it an ideal companion to a vast array baits. BOTTOM LINE: The Revo/Z-Bone fishes search…

BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Signature Baitcasting Combo $329 Every fisherman needs an all-around combo, one capable of fishing any number of techniques with confidence. The BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Signature combo, available in a variety of lengths, is a great option for any number of bass baits and techniques. We paired the 7-foot, 4-inch with its 11-bearing, 6.8:1 retrieve ratio. That combo will capably fish spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits (lipped and lipless), frogs, worms and jigs, and small to medium swimbaits. The rod length also allows it to double dip as a light flipping stick, when in a pinch. The reel, at 6.8:1, falls somewhere in the middle of retrieve ratios. It has plenty of power to work bulky baits and is fast enough to work search baits. BOTTOM LINE: For…

There are several baits and hook configurations to incorporate on the business end of a bottom bouncer. Single-hook spinners can accommodate a minnow or leach that will often outshine crawlers, especially if other fish like white bass keep picking crawlers off. Plastics do have their place when white bass and perch are outcompeting walleyes. Natural plastic worms will continue to put walleyes in the boat consistently and will stay on the hooks much longer than a crawler. Anglers fishing big water often will use treble hooks on the harness to increase hookups on big, aggressive walleyes. The best tip of all is when walleyes are nipping the tail off the crawler, simply apply a stinger hook to the back hook on the harness. (Anglers should always check their state’s fishing…

REALTREE FISHING We love our camo, even when we’re fishing. A new Columbia PFG shirt sports the Realtree Fishing pattern. It’s pretty cool to have a shirt full of tech, plus a pattern that reflects what we love. Realtree Fishing uses actual images from depthfinders to show brushpiles and bottom contours, just like you are checking out on your down-scanning sonar. We wore this shirt recently during tackle testing and were impressed with it. $50 PLANO RUSTRICTOR There are rust-inhibiting tackle boxes and accessories on the market. But none that we know of have had the rust protection molded into every part of the box. Enter Plano’s Rustrictor. Close the box and a vapor corrosion inhibitor fills the space and adheres to metal, making a protective barrier. It won’t give…

MAY 4 OPENING DAY WALLEYE The second walleye and sauger season opens. It continues through Dec. 31. pfbc.pa.gov MAY 18 BASIC BOATING COURSE Held at the Pike County Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Contact Michelle Chorba at michelle.chorba@brookfieldrenewable.com or (570) 226-1370. MAY 18 & 19 OAKS GUN SHOW This Phoenixville Gun Show is held at Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission $12.00, children 10 and under free. eaglearmsgunshows.com MAY 19 NORTHMORELAND PARK FISHING DERBY This free fishing derby is held at Northmoreland Park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Trophies and prizes are awarded to both adults and youth. Participants 16 and older must have a fishing license. (724) 830-3959 or…

In the past two issues, we evaluated 51 of the latest and greatest rods and reels, then shared our picks for our “Editor’s Choice” and “Great Buy.” In March, we covered baitcasting gear, in April, spinning gear. Now, we share our picks for the best paired combos. We reached out to two industry giants, Abu Garcia and Shimano, to supply control rods and reels for our testing. These companies’ commitment to quality-control and consistency let us get to know our 29 test rods and 22 test reels intimately. By having Abu Veritas casting rods (VTSC70-5) and Veritas spinning rods (VT-SS70-5) on hand, we were able to mount test reels to the control rods and isolate the reels’ features, and attributes. With Shimano’s Sedona 2500 spinning reel (SE2500HGFI) and Citica 200…

We tested 51 rods and reels for this article and for two other articles that appeared in recent issues. You can see these reports at gafmag.com, and subscribe there as well to catch future gear reviews. MARCH 2019 “Baitcaster Showdown” We tested out rods and reels and picked an Editor’s Choice for rod (Kistler Z Bone) and reel (Revo Rocket), plus a Great Buy rod (Denali Fission) and reel (Academy Mettle HD). APRIL 2019 “The Spin Doctors” We evaluated spinning gear in April. Doomsday’s “The 47” rod and Daiwa’s Tatula reel won Editor’s Choice, while Dobyn’s Colt Series rod and the Cadence CS10 reel won Great Buy. The full report at gafmag.com, plus more @gameandfish and facebook.com/gameandfishmag.com…

CRANKBAITS ARE king in the spring for the majority of Lake Erie walleye anglers. At least those who catch big fish consistently. Come May, the walleyes are in post-spawn mode from Toledo east to Presque Isle, and are seriously hungry. The prime action moves with the fish, from west to east, as the walleyes seek cooler waters and follow schools of baitfish doing the same, often not peaking in Pennsylvania waters until late in the month. According to lifelong Lake Erie walleye angler and guide Captain Ross Robertson, the fish that migrated west to spawn on rock reefs and rivers earlier in the spring are hanging out on the mudflats adjacent to those locations, as well as the deep water around the Bass Islands and spreading east to seek out…

1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) SUBSPECIES AND STRAINS: The Northern strain is more prevalent, but the Florida strain, generally limited to warmer climates, has the genetics to grow larger. That advantage comes with a distinct disadvantage, though — they tend to get exceptionally finicky during cold fronts. Largemouths are adaptable, able to live in massive lakes and fast-moving rivers, as well as shallow ponds, and in water that barely covers their backs down to a hundred feet or so. GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION: As a result of their incredible adaptability, largemouths have long been found in 49 states, and one was recently seen in Alaska.They’ve also gone international, with a record-tying specimen caught in Japan, and avid angler communities arising in southern Africa, South America and Europe. HABITAT AND DIET: Largemouths are…

Altamaha Bass: Found above the fall line in the Ocmulgee, Oconee and Ogeechee river basins in east-central Georgia. Bartram’s Bass: Found above the fall line in the Savannah River basins of northeast and east-central Georgia. Cahaba Bass: Found in the Cahaba River System of the Mobile Basin in central Alabama. Chattahoochee Bass: Found above the fall line in the Chattahoochee River basin. Choctaw Bass: Found in the upper panhandle of Florida and into southeastern Alabama. Cuatrociénegas Bass: A largemouth found in the Cuatro Ciénegas ecosystem in Coahuila, Mexico. Neosho Smallmouth: Populations have historically existed in small portions of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. Tallapoosa Bass: Found in the Tallapoosa River basin. Warrior Bass: Found in the Black Warrior River System of Alabama.…

Edwin Evers found that flipping and drop-shotting were the ways to victory in a recent Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour event. Evers used a black and blue Berkley Havoc Pit Boss to find small indentations in the undercut bank on Lake Conroe to pull out some of the best fish in the tournament. But it was a drop-shot (Havoc Bottom Hopper) that netted him a show-stopping 8-pound, 1-ounce bass that sealed his victory. “You can’t imagine how good it feels to catch a fish like that,” Evers said after the February tournament. “I knew there were big fish in there.” Evers registered 51 pounds, 12 ounces. Jeff Sprague took second with 40 pounds, 8 ounces. For the latest, check out majorleaguefishing.com or see current and past episodes of MLF…

THEY SAY old habits die hard. I guess I was stuck in a rut. “Why did we stop? What’s wrong?” my wife Dawn asked. “There’s no way I hit the lever again.” She had been curled up in the passenger seat, napping as usual on our long drives. It was her old habit to occasionally stretch a foot, hit the gearshift lever and knock the car’s transmission into neutral. “I’m stuck in a rut,” I said. “Maybe you need to get a real job,” she said. “That would be something different.” “No,” I said. “I mean I’m literally stuck in a rut. We turned onto this dirt road a couple of miles back. This wouldn’t have happened if we had agreed to get those all-terrain tires with the Mudder &…

Doomsday ‘The 47’ Spinning Rod $139 Daiwa Tatula Spinning Reel $189 The ability to downsize baits and slow down presentations to a creep is key to coaxing fish that have turned tight-lipped. A quality spinning rod and reel combo is a must for anglers looking to catch fish that refuse the usual suspects. When finessing, infinite smoothness is required so you can hyper-focus on what the bait is doing — not the reel’s grind. Daiwa’s Tatula is amply smooth for monitoring tiny baits on a silky turn. The 6.2:1 Daiwa is both fast and feathery light. When combined with the remarkably agile Doomsday Tackle Company “The 47,” the user can concentrate on their bait without fussing with a distracting heavy combo. BOTTOM LINE: This combo’s light line rating and nimble…

IT’S ONE of the ficklest times in a bass’ life cycle, but the spawn needn’t become an exercise in frustration. When it’s right, the spawning season can offer lights-out potential, but that’s never a guarantee. Fish can go from nervously unsettled to hyper-focused in a day, so make sure you pack generous supplies of patience and persistence. Throughout much of the Midwest, spring dynamics can present a roller coaster of opportunity, but consistency comes through understanding a handful of key principles. In this magnificently diverse region, bass anglers might be looking for spawners in anything from clear natural lakes, to river habitat, to manmade reservoirs. That means there’s no one-size-fits-all approach; however, attention to the key details will help you dial in the search. TEMPERATURE AND TIMING We tapped Kevin…

Muskie baits have evolved a great deal over the years, but the basics remain the same. Shallow-diving crankbaits like the Rapala Super Shads, Believers, Classic Grandmas and Suick Super Husky lures are big enough to trigger monster muskies but still small enough to troll and cast effectively. Spinners like Double Cowgirls, Mepp’s Muskie Killers and Blue Fox Vibrax Super Bou also troll and cast extremely well in this system. Spoons have taken an enormous number of muskies over the years. The Eppinger Red Eye, Mepps Syclops and Williams Wabler are important to have in the boat. Muskies are sight-feeders and feed up in the water column, so make sure the bait runs in the upper third. This also brings topwater baits into play when anglers break into casting mode. Baits…

From the broad window of his Huron, Ohio, tackle shop overlooking Lake Erie, each year about this time Bob Hanko watches boat after boat of eager walleye anglers depart his marina’s narrow entrance and power up, headed for the distant horizon. What they don’t realize is that just about where they are jumping on plane is where they should be throttling back to present baits to the shallow-feeding walleye 3 to 15 feet below. “The walleyes come in shallow feeding on minnows attracted by the warmer water and cover,” the avid walleye angler explained. “Most fishermen think they have to be out deeper, where they can see packs of other boats, to catch fish. That’s not the case in May, where walleye are shallow and deep — wherever they need…

While bass are remarkably adaptable and resilient, they’re not immune to their environments. On the contrary, while they might share the same genetic ancestry, they’re shaped by their surroundings, the classic “Nature AND Nurture” paradigm. Sometimes, they can coexist with one another peacefully. For example, on Ozark lakes like Table Rock, tournament anglers often weigh in largemouths, smallmouths and spots on the same day — and occasionally what are known as “meanmouth” (smallmouth-spot) hybrids, too. Black bass hybrids might chase the same lures and fight with every bit as much vigor — or more — as their ancestors, but often hybridization ultimately weakens native strains. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department started stocking smallmouths in some lakes in the 1970s, but they now note that resulting crosses constitute “the greatest…

YOU KNOW those bass you’ve been fishing for since you were a kid? Yeah, well, they’re not bass at all. They’re sunfish. The largemouth? Yup. Smallmouth and spots, too. All of ’em. Those popular game fish are one of eight genera within the family of ray-finned fish known as Centrarchidae native to North America. All of the family members are characterized by spiny rays at the front of the dorsal fin, usually accompanied by 5 to 13 spines, along with at least three spines on their anal fin. These popular “bass” are genetically closer to bluegills than they are “real” bass like landlocked striped bass (aka stripers, rockfish or linesiders) or white bass (aka sand bass), which are members of the Moronidae family. The latter group, which also includes white…

Post-spawn bass disperse as they swim to summer haunts from spawning beds, so finding them requires covering lots of water. Three Major League Fishing anglers name the lures they use to get that done. Josh Bertrand reaches for Berkley’s 120mm Choppo, a prop-tail topwater. “You’ve got the shad spawn and water temperatures warming up, so topwater is the No. 1 deal,” he said. “It’s a good way to get a big bite, too.” It fishes fast on a steady retrieve. “Compared to a popper, you can fish five times faster,” he said. Dave Lefebre picks Rapala’s 1/2-ounce Rippin’ Rap. A proven bass-catcher on straight retrieves, it’s capable of much more, allowing him to explore different depths, structures and covers. “A lot of times I pitch it like a jig, hopping…