Minnesota is the nation’s premier trophy muskie fishing destination today based on the abundance of catchable 50-plus inch fish and larger, and anglers are taking the bait.
The growing popularity of the sport has even led the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to consider increasing the number of muskie waters around the state.
The five waters that currently do not contain muskie but could in the future include Roosevelt Lake in Crow Wing County; Upper South Long and Lower South Long in Crow Wing County; Tetonka in Le Sueur County; and the Sauk River Chain in Stearns County. These lakes were chosen based on their geographic location, their suitability based on various natural resource criteria, and their ability to produce trophy-sized muskie (at least 48 inches long).
Women who want to learn how to hunt, fish and develop skills in other outdoor activities can find more than 45 program offerings in the new Becoming An Outdoors Woman (BOW) catalog.
The catalog, now available on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Web site, features a wide variety of hands-on skill-building activities, including how to fly-fish, turkey hunt, and back a boat into water.
“We have programs for both women and families,” said Linda Bylander, the DNR’s BOW coordinator. “Our programs focus on learning by doing in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.
New program offerings this year include goose hunting, archery turkey hunting, mentored pheasant hunting, fly-fishing and fish filleting. Also available are classes on kayaking, canoeing, bird-watching and biking. Classes range from beginner level to advanced level. They are designed for women ages 14 and older. An outdoors family weekend is scheduled for June 19-20 near Lanesboro.
Wan Teece of Enterprise caught a kokanee weighing 8.23 pounds, measuring 26.25 inches in length with a girth of 16 inches at Wallowa Lake on March 24, breaking the Oregon state record for kokanee and possibly a national record, too.
“From what we currently know, this kokanee is the largest ever caught in the United States,” says Bill Knox, assistant district fish biologist in Enterprise. “Only the current world record kokanee from Lake Okanogan in British Columbia is bigger.” (That fish weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces.)
ATHENS — It’s a done deal that the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation will pay $500 per pound to the lucky angler who wins the race to Toyota ShareLunker 500.
With only 10 fish to go to get to the checkered flag, two big questions remain: Who will catch it? Where will they catch it?
Speculation about where ShareLunker 500 will come from is sure to be a topic at lakeside restaurants all over the state in the coming weeks, although all anglers will be certain they will be the one to cross the finish line with it. Will fish 500 come from Lake Fork, The Bassyard? Or Amistad, The Jewel of the Desert? Or Falcon, bass fishing’s Thunder Valley?
The latest entry into the program, No. 490, came from Lake Casa Blanca, near Laredo, on March 24. Jesse Garza Perez of Laredo caught a new lake record 14.79-pound bass from eight to 10 feet of water using a seven-inch junebug PowerBait worm.
VDGIF District Fisheries Biologist Tom Hampton has certified a potential new state record yellow perch. The fish was caught at Flannagan Reservoir on Monday, March 8, 2010 by George Mullins of Haysi. Hampton notes he has identified the fish, examined it and witnessed the weigh-in. The fish weighed 3.04 pounds and was 16.5 inches long (13-inch girth).
On Saturday, March 20th, during an Anglers Choice Western Rookie League Tournament, 20-year-old Kyle Gentry of Oakdale caught the fish of a lifetime- an 18.11-pound largemouth. There have been very few fish of this size caught in the world, and this may be the biggest bass ever weighed in during a tournament. The big bass had a 28-inch girth, and was 30 inches long. She was fat and healthy, like all of the bass we are seeing out of New Melones Lake.
OLYMPIA - Anglers will have fewer days to catch halibut this year under recreational fishing seasons announced today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The largest single factor affecting this year’s fishery is a 15 percent reduction in the Pacific coast halibut quota set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, said Michele Culver, a WDFW regional director.
The NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has scheduled two training sessions for teachers who plan on starting a Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program in their school for 2010, or are interested in learning more about the program itself. The sessions will be held at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center in Oxford on April 20 and June 3, each beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Trout in the Classroom is an exciting science-based program that teaches children about the importance of coldwater conservation through a hands-on approach to learning.
