FishTs-Custom Tees

Department of Natural Resources fisheries experts say people are already out on smaller lakes, bays and backwaters across the state.

When one of my hardcore fishing buddies tells me he’s staying home because of the weather and frigid temps, I know it signals the end of fall fishing.

The weather is looking like it will be pretty polar on Saturday when the Chicago Park District hosts a Polar Adventure Day at Northerly Island from noon to 4 p.m. The free event features birds of prey and coyotes, a dog sledding demo, arts and crafts and a special “ice fishing” area for toddlers.

If you’ve watched more than 30 minutes of NFL football this season, you’ve certainly seen the commercial with the Denver Broncos fan who misses his team’s scoring plays every time he goes down to the basement to get more beer.

Happy Holidays! Hope things are warmer where you are, here in Colorado we are being hit with snow and very cold temperatures! Hope the info below w

Happy Holidays! Hope things are warmer where you are, here in Colorado we are being hit with snow and very cold temperatures! Hope the info below w

I am new to Maryland, just got stationed here and would love to jump back into the fishing scene. I loved fishing for sharks down in florida, everythi

We’d beached the kayaks on the Indian River Lagoon spoil island half an hour earlier.

The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission in Vancouver, British Columbia says the total Pacific salmon abundance in the North Pacific remains at near record high levels. That conclusion was drawn from data compiled by NPAFC members during their annual meeting in mid-November.

Seventy-one participants from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States participated.

Initial North Pacific-wide 2013 commercial catch data, said NPAFC, indicates high catches of pink salmon, with totals of 313,800 tons in Alaska, 241,292 tons in Russia and 13,171 tons in Canada, plus chum salmon catches of 101,395 tons in Russia and 65,120 tons in Alaska.

Catches of Chinook salmon remained at low levels, with 1,640 tons landed in Alaska, 512 tons in Russia, and 214 tons in Canada. These 2013 commercial catches are preliminary estimates and are incomplete because some regions had not finished their fishery seasons at the time of compilation, NPAFC said in a written statement.

While the North Pacific Ocean continues to produce large quantities of Pacific salmon, abundance levels vary among species, often from year to year, the commission said. Total commercial salmon harvests by commission member countries in 2012 reached over 889,000 tons. Of that total, 64 percent came from Russia, Japan and Korea, and 36 percent from the United States and Canada. Pink and chum salmon made up 81 percent of the total catch.

The commission said they were successful this year in efforts to deter illegal, unreported and unregulated salmon fishing in the convention area, with no vessels of interest engaged in driftnet or other types of illegal fishing activities detected.

The overall reduction of sightings of vessels engaged in illegal fishing activity in the North Pacific testifies to the effectiveness of the commission’s cooperative model of enforcement, the commission said.

The Alaska Marine Conservation Council, prompted by a draft report from the halibut bycatch work group, is asking the International Pacific Halibut Commissioner to take a proactive approach to reducing halibut bycatch.

AMCC wants the IPHC to consider requiring levels of observer coverage that produce reliable, accurate estimates of bycatch mortality across all fisheries and to establish targets for bycatch reduction in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea trawl fisheries. AMCC also asked the IPHC to pursue intermediate and long-term bycatch reduction management strategies with a history of success – including setting bycatch limits – and to maintain the prohibition on retention of halibut caught by trawl gear.

Becca Robbin Gisclair, senior fisheries policy advisor for AMCC, said the halibut bycatch work group’s report offers an interesting summary of bycatch and bycatch monitoring, along with some alarming bycatch numbers. According to the report, said Gisclair, the bycatch rate in the Gulf of Alaska since the 1980s has been three to five times of that in the Bering Sea.

But, said Gisclair, the most alarming part of the report is the recommendation to reduce bycatch by allowing trawlers to retain and sell halibut bycatch.

The report states, in part, “removing the discard requirement and, instead, requiring 100 percent retention of all sizes of halibut could lead to the complete elimination of trawl fishery bycatch.”

“From our perspective though, changing the label of these halibut does not lead to the elimination of trawl fishery bycatch,” said she “It just changes what we call it.”

Kelly Harrell, executive director of AMCC, said her letter to the IPHC, that allowing retention and sale of halibut caught as bycatch creates many more problems than it solves. “It eliminates the inventive to reduce bycatch, increases mortality to the halibut stock, has profound ecological impacts and likely will have market impacts as well,” she said. “Given the critical state of the halibut resource, the IPHC must remain focused on the end goal of reducing halibut bycatch.”

The IPHC was scheduled to take up the report and comments during its interim meeting Dec. 4-5 (today and tomorrow) in Seattle, and again at the IPHC annual meeting Jan 13-17 in Seattle.

Ice fishing has come a long way from the huddled figure hunched on a windswept frozen lake, watching a hand-augered hole freeze shut.

“To the art of working well, a civilized race would add the art of playing well,” philosopher George Santayana said.

Ok so I have heard countless back & forths about fish grips. Lots love them and a lot hate them. A site I read on a lot had an awesome article (ente

The fish were biting best in the late morning hours. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait were the baits of choice for most people.

Once ice forms on lakes, it is quite difficult to catch up with local ice fishing expert Dave Genz.

The DNR says the cold weather is helping create the ice that will start the season a little sooner than usual.

The Wisconsin DNR reported things like carrying a cell phone, getting ice conditions updates, carrying a spud bar to check ice thickness and taking extra mittens or gloves to keep warm can help keep you safe on the ice.

A scene soon to be repeated on lakes and rivers throughout the state: drilling a hole before dropping a minnow and hoping for the best.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is weighing the pros and cons of transitioning to an electronic monitoring system for federally managed fisheries, according to a presentation given Monday at a meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council at the Hilton Riverside in Wilmington.

Oshkosh, WI, United States – Ice fishing season has already started on Lake Winnebago waters but the lack of snow on the ground raised safety concerns for local officials.

by Libby Yranski, Policy Fellow, American Sportfishing Association
December 3, 2013

Lead sinker and jig use is already greatly restricted in Maine and now comes a threat against the use of soft baits. After starting with these restrictions, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump before Maine ends up as the first state to become anti-fishing.

I learned to fish in the backcountry of Maine with my best friend’s family. Her family has been going to the same camp to fish and hunt for almost seventy years. Her dad taught me as much as he could that week – right down to what colors on our soft baits would work best. I, of course knowing nothing about what colors would work best, chose the one that looked like a ladybug. My friend’s father tried to talk me out of it because it had never worked for him, but after my third fish was caught off of that lure he stopped trying to convince me to choose a new color. There’s not a summer that goes by since where I don’t wish I could go back with them. The backcountry of Maine is some of the most beautiful country that the Nation has to offer in my opinion, but soon freshwater fishing in Maine might be a thing of the past.

In early 2013, Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ruled that an official departmental study was needed to study the effects of soft baits on fish. Soft baits have been used since the 1950’s as a way to mimic a fish’s natural prey. Soft baits come in an incredible array of colors, sizes, shapes, and are extremely valuable to anglers. Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are primarily using online research, ice-angling reports and litter assessments to determine if there are adverse effects on fish and the environment in the lakes of Maine from soft baits.

The soft bait industry does test their products in laboratories and these studies have shown that on average fish pass or regurgitate soft baits and these soft baits do not cause any harm to the fish. While no scientific studies have been conducted to date on the effects of soft baits on fish in the wild, there’s also no evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, that might suggest that soft baits are causing population-level impacts on fish or wildlife.

The study language morphed out of legislation introduced in January 2013 that would ban soft baits outright. The study also includes the impact of hooks. If soft baits are banned then what’s next?  Other types of lures can also end up on the bottom of lakes and streams. Maine is on a slippery slope! Recreational fishing is a family friendly activity and as wholesome as apple pie. It’s a way to get our youngsters away from their phones/computers/tablets and actually enjoy the outdoors! It’s also a way for lessons, family-fishing secrets and stories to be passed down from generation to generation. This tradition should not and cannot be put into jeopardy!

KeepAmericaFishing™ is once again asking you to sign a petition to “Stop the Ban on Soft Baits.” At the end of January over 19,000 KeepAmericaFishing members had signed the petition, help us grow that number by asking your friends and family nationwide to protect the use of soft baits. Do not let the Maine legislature take away our traditions!

What a difference a year makes! I wrapped up my November this year with three Ice fishing trips to Lake Winnebago.

Thursday December 5, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. “MI Ice Guys” Steph Sissel, Chad Schaub, and Chas Thompson talk local ice fishing hot spots and techniques.

A cast that reads like a who’s who in the world of sports, entertainment and the great outdoors will help Bass Pro Shops celebrate the opening of its newest store in Palm Bay on Wednesday evening.

With red-crusted trees trimming the foggy horizon, fishing on Lake Claiborne offers some dynamic viewing on a December day — even if you have to listen to Homer Humphreys’ stories dotted with an occasional exaggeration.

I was first introduced to the Phenix Rod line at the 2010 International Sportsmen’s Expo in Sacramento.

Ben McCullough went trout fishing at Cosmo-Bethel Park on Monday. McCullough, a MU student, first began fishing with his father when he was 4. “Come on fish,” he said.

“Ask the DNR” returns to WNMU-TV Channel 13 in the Upper Peninsula Thursday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. .

Hundreds of Palestinian protesters set sail from Gaza on Monday in protest of the ongoing Israeli naval blockade that prevents fishing, trade, and freedom of movement for Palestinians living inside the resource-strapped territory.

This is a video of some ingenious Ruskies fishing a Honda SUV out of a frozen lake .

December is the beginning of the end of a great year in the outdoors. However, there is still plenty to do before we ring in the new year.

Kevin Pearson along with his Dad, Jackie, and brother, Paul,from Georgia chartered theHappy Day Today along with the Topshotfishing team to do som

Two boys, ages 8 and 9, drowned on an Adams County pond after falling through the ice while ice fishing Saturday night.