CATCH AND RELEASE

The idea of catch and release is still one of controversy among fishermen. I know when I was younger, I didn't follow a catch and release format. I always stayed within any limits that were imposed but I kept my limit of fish every time I went fishing! They say, "hind sight is 20/20" and after saying that, I wish I would have released some of the bass I'd caught years ago! The lake I fish used to have a good population of 2#-5# bass. Today that is not the case! Today you're lucky if you can catch bass over 15 inches in length! The lake was open for paid fishing years ago and had a lot more fishing pressure then it has had in the past 25 years. According to the State of Ohio D.N.R., 10 bass of 10 inches and one of 15 inches should be harvasted per acre per year. That seems like quite abit of fish (maybe that's why Ohio has such weak bass fishing on it's lakes). I now practice catch and release unless the fish is injured to the point I think it will not survive! Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing intended as a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are unhooked and returned to the water before experiencing serious exhaustion or injury.

Effective catch and release techniques avoid excessive fighting and handling times, avoid damage to fish skin, scale and slime layers by nets, dry hands and dry surfaces.

1. Artificial lures (swimming plugs, surface poppers, jigs, etc.) are often rigged with multiple treble hooks. One disadvantage of these lures is that a fish struggling to escape capture will often hook itself with the remaining treble hooks, leading to additional injury. Anglers should try to use lures with a single hook if possible, or replace treble hooks with steel hooks (not stainless), or reduce the number of treble hooks on the lure. Bend the barbs down.

2. Bait fishing is a popular technique, however the baited hook is often swallowed so that the hook is deeply imbedded in the stomach ("gut"). To reduce "gut hooking" a fish, anglers should set the hook immediately before the bait can be completely swallowed, or use a "circle" hook. When a fish is "gut hooked" the best solution is to cut the line as close to the hook eye as possible. This helps to prevent severe damage to the fish's internal organs, which can occur while trying to remove a hook. If the hook is not stainless steel, it will eventually corrode due to the fish's stomach acids used in digestion. Please bend the barbs of hook down.

3. Tools used in hook removal can be extremely useful. Tools including needle nose pliers, hemostats, hook degorgers, nail clippers and wire cutting pliers can be very helpful in reducing hook removal time.

4. Handling methods depend on fishing technique used, how the fish is hooked, and size of the fish. Ideally, the fish should not be removed from the water. If fishing from a boat, try to prevent the fish from banging against the side or thrashing around the deck. Improper handling can cause internal injuries, skin abrasions, scale loss, or removal of the protective slime layer that prevents infection. When handling make sure that your hands are wet to reduce loss of protective slime coat on fish.

5. To release the fish, grasp the tail firmly and place the fish back in the water and slowly move the fish back and forth. This motion will cause water to flow over the gills, restoring oxygen to the blood stream. Recovery time will vary according to size and health of the fish. As a general rule, the longer the fish fights and the higher the water and air temperature, the longer it will take the fish to recover. An erect dorsal fin is a sign of a revived fish.
There is nothing more exciting than catching a large fish and then releasing it in hopes you or someone else can catch it agin! Good Fishing!

OPPOSE THE PROPOSED FEDERAL BAN ON LEAD IN FISHING TACKLE

I recently received this e-mail from Dave Jann from Jann's Netcraft on the opposition to the E.P.A. on the ban of lead in fishing tackle!

Oppose the Proposed Federal Ban on Lead in Fishing Tackle
Submit your comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opposing the proposed ban on lead in fishing tackle

The Situation
On August 23, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was petitioned by the Center for Biological Diversity and four other organizations to ban all lead in fishing tackle under the Toxic Substances Control Act. This includes sinkers, jigs, weighted fly line, and components that contain lead such as brass and ballast in a wide variety of lures, including spinners, stick baits and more.

It is important that anglers send your comments now! Let your voice be heard!

On August 27, 2010, the EPA denied the petition for ammunition but maintained the petition to ban lead fishing tackle. Supporters of hunting and the shooting sports have been successful in having ammunition excluded from this ban.

The petition was presented with the aim of reducing bird deaths caused by the ingestion of lead sinkers and jigheads; however, a study conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that less than one percent of all waterfowl and other birds such as eagles are killed by lead sinker ingestion.

The reasons for opposing the ban are:

•The data does not support a federal ban on lead sinkers used for fishing. In general, bird populations, including loons and other waterfowl species, are subject to much more substantial threats such as habitat loss through shoreline development. Any lead restrictions need to be based on sound science that supports the appropriate action for a particular water body or species.

•Depending on the alternative metal and current prevailing raw material costs, non-lead fishing tackle products can cost from six to 15 times more than lead products. Non-lead products may not be as available and most do not perform as well. Mandatory transitioning to non-lead fishing tackle would require significant changes from both the industry and anglers.

•A federal ban of the use of lead in fishing tackle will have a significant negative impact on recreational anglers and fisheries resources, but a negligible impact on waterfowl populations.

•America's 60 million anglers generate over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for over one million people.
Anglers are encouraged to support voluntary angler education programs for the use of lead sinkers and should urge state and federal fish and wildlife agencies to do the same.

How You Can Help
The EPA has opened the petition for public comments. Please take the following two simple steps to oppose this ban.

1.Officially submit your comments opposing this ban using the EPA’s comment page at www.regulations.gov. Comments are due by September 15. You can copy and paste the template message below into the official comment form.
2.Enter your zip code at the bottom of this page to voice your concerns directly to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Your letter to EPA Administrator Jackson will also be copied to your two Senators and House member.
Template Message
I am writing to oppose the proposed EPA ban on lead in fishing tackle. This ban would have a significant impact on the recreational fishing community with minimal benefit for the referenced waterfowl. Lead is used not only in sinkers but in a wide variety of fishing lures and other tackle components.

The petitioners’ document is replete with commentary unsupported by scientific data and rife with misunderstandings about the use of lead sinkers. Although the petition is aimed at reducing waterfowl death from lead sinker ingestion, a study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has shown that less than one percent of birds die from ingested sinkers. Lead fishing tackle does not present a population level problem to any bird species. In fact, loon populations are increasing throughout their breeding range.

If a particular body of water is of concern, the issue is most effectively addressed by a local science-driven process, not a national ban. Fisheries and recreational fishing methods are best managed by state agencies.

While supporters of this ban claim that there are many comparable alternatives to lead sinkers and jigs, this is not the case. Depending on the alternative metal and current prevailing raw material costs, non-lead fishing tackle products can cost from six to 15 times more than lead products. Non-lead products may not be as available and most do not perform as well. Mandatory transitioning to non-lead fishing tackle would require significant – and costly - changes from both the industry and anglers.

The resultant decrease of fishing tackle purchases will diminish the dollars for fisheries conservation through fishing license sales and the federal manufacturers’ excise tax on fishing equipment. Something our country can ill afford.

I urge you to deny the lead ban petition, because it will have a significant negative impact on the recreational fishing community and only a negligible impact on waterfowl populations.

Thank you for your consideration.

FISHING WITH DAD

Over the 55+ years that I've been fishing Ive had numerous fishing friends! I have spent the majority of my fishing by myself but it was, and is, a special day when I have someone with me! The one person that I owe all my knowledge to, is my Dad! I have to say that he was my best fishing buddy of my life! We lost Dad 22 years ago and when he past I lost quite abit of my enjoyment for fishing! I have some beautiful memories of time spent with him on the water! Dad really loved to fish and when ever he hooked a nice fish, I got so much enjoyment just watching the fight! When I was a small lad, Dad had two or three guys that would go with him but as soon as I was old enough, he had to take me along! I know I really tried his patience but he stuck with me and I listened and learned. My first trip to Canada was in the summer of 1966. Mom and Dad had been there several time before but not with me. Dad was so excited just getting ready for that trip. He went out and bought all kinds of tackle including a huge hip roof tackle box and he filled it with every kind or fishing lure you could think of! When we arrived at our camp, I unloaded the car while Dad took a nap (since he drove all night to get there). I set up all the tackle then grapped my spinning outfit and headed to the dock. It wasn't long before I caught my first Smallmouth Bass. It wasn't big but it was a start. I then caught a fish that I had never seen before. This fish was long and skinny and had a mouth full of teeth! I had to go wake up Dad for an identification which he confirmed it to be a small Walleye. I was ready for more. The next morning we headed out on the lake. The area that was recommended to us was known as the "TRIANGLE" because it was in the middle of three points. It also had over 100 feet of water which made me nervous since I never fished water this deep. I mentioned all the tackle that Dad had bought well, we fished with nightcrawlers most of the time! We started out wind drifting and Dad started to pull into weeds, so he thought! It dawned on him that we were in too deep of water to be hitting weeds so he "SET THE HOOK" into what turned out to be his largest Walleye of his life! I never saw him this excited! He was actually shaking! I went to net the fish and missed on the first try which caused some anxious moments for Dad. I didn't miss the next time! That Walleye weighed 6# with so many teeth. We had a great week and made return trips in each of the next two years! Needless to say I have now caught several Walleyes with a couple in the 8# range. I could sit here all day and talk about Dad and that is just about fishing. I'll wait until later to tell you of our hunting trips! I hope you have fond memories of fishing with someone you love! It cann't be beat!!

FISHING CRANKBAITS FOR LARGEMOUTH BASS

This has been a really tough summer for Bass fishing but knowing where to fish and what to throw can make the difference in the cast to catch ratio! For the most part, I've found that using a lure that can get down from 7 to 15 feet deep along the edge of weed beds will catch Bass! One of the best lures for this is a medium to deep running crank bait. Not only is the lure an important factor, so is the type of tackle being used as well as the type of line that is on your reel!. Here are my 5 best tips for selecting equipment for fishing crankbaits on weed edges:

1.)Using a crankbait rod that has a soft action tip that flexes when the fish hits allows the bass to suck the crankbait in when it hits. A soft action rod also allows the bait to bounce and deflect off the bottom and bounce off cover in a way
that makes fish bite it. And lastly, a soft rod keeps you from pulling the hooks out of the fish during the fight. A good crank bait rod should bend at least 1/3 of the way down the rod and have a soft feel. When using a wide wobbling crankbait on your rod, you should be able to see the rod tip actually vibrate and pulsate at
the same speed as the lure itself. Most companies make a specific model for crankbaits. Most pros will use a fiberglass or a graphite/fiberglass composite rod. It seems funny that the fiberglass rods are what I started out with so many years ago and the trend changed to graphite and boron and now things are reverting back to the glass rods again! Like they say,"What Goes Around Comes Around"!

2.)You need to use a line that transmits vibrations well. This means use either fluorocarbon line or a low stretch mono. I like to use TRILENE VANISH line which is a invisable (in the water) flurocarbon. I have found this to be a soft, small diameter line that holds up very well for me! I rarely use a line heavier that 12# test. You can go heavier to 14# or 17# fluorocarbon if you have big fish and real heavy weeds.

3.)Sometimes I take the split ring off my crankbaits and just use a snap lock to change baits. This lets me change baits faster and usually gives the baits better action. Do not use a snap swivel. The swivel is extra weight that hampers the movement of the crank bait.

4.)Most of the time a wide wobbling crankbait is better in warm water. Use a tight wobble in cold water. For fishing grass you should have three basic crankbaits....one that runs less than two foot deep, one that dives 4 to 6 feet deep and one that dives about 10+ feet deep. The baits you get should be very buoyant and made of balsa or plastic. The ideal crankbait around weeds, floats
very easily so that when you stop it in the weeds and it is stuck the bait has a chance to float up and away from the weeds before you continue the retrieve.

5.)A good weed crankbait will have a round bill or a coffin bill. A square bill is better for rocks and wood and will often pick up more weed than a round bill. You are always going to get stuck in the weeds but a round bill is easier to clear from the weeds when you fish it. Which ever style you use, use a stop and go retrieve and occasionally, give the rod tip a little jerk. These actions cause the crankbait to have a stutter effect which will cause many a Bass to hit!

Well that's the basic equipment considerations for cranking the weeds. Crank baits are a big favorite of mine! I've caught some very nice fish on them and I never seem to have enough crankers. I'll talk more on this subject at another time. Until the next time, Good Fishing!