FLW Outdoors’ highly acclaimed TV show to premiere on Versus – FLW Outdoors
January 28, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
28.Jan.2009
MINNEAPOLIS — FLW Outdoors, the largest tournament fishing organization in the world and the home of FLW Fantasy Fishing, today announced that its programming will premiere on Versus, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. Beginning in April, the Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors” program will air approximately 30 original shows, produced in high definition (HD) television, Sundays from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. ET.
In 2009, the Forrest Wood Cup will receive a pair of one-hour shows. Each of the six Walmart FLW Tour qualifiers, eight Walmart FLW Series and five Walmart FLW Walleye Tour events will each be given a one-hour show. National Guard FLW College Fishing, a new addition to the 2009 season, will also receive television exposure as the five Regional Championships will be covered with one-hour shows. Lastly, the Walmart BFL All-American, Stren Series Championship and TBF National Championship will be aired on Versus. FLWOutdoors.com provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.” Each episode of “FLW Outdoors” will also be available on demand in its entirety on FLWOutdoors.com.
“Our multi-year partnership with FSN was instrumental in putting competitive fishing in the forefront,” said Irwin L. Jacobs, Chairman of FLW Outdoors. “That being said, we feel there is room for continued growth, and our new partnership will place our television programming on the fastest-growing network in the nation. Quite simply, Versus is home to the best outdoor programming in the world, which makes it a perfect fit for FLW Outdoors.”
Read more:FLW Outdoors’ highly acclaimed TV show to premiere on Versus – FLW Outdoors.
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New Tennessee Record Spotted Bass Confirmed
January 28, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has confirmed that a new State Record Spotted Bass has been certified from Parksville Lake in Polk County, Tenn. This breaks the previous record that has stood for nearly 20 years.
Jack Watson from Tellico Plains caught the 5 lb. 14 oz. bass on December 31, 2008.
TWRA Reservoir Fisheries Biologist Mike Jolley confirms that following DNA testing, the Agency officially confirmed the new record today.
“I feel great,” said Watson. “It’s a good feeling. I thought I had something special. I’m just a little overwhelmed by it right now. I’m just tickled to death I’ve got a new state record.”
Check out the rest at Chattanoogan.com: 1/27/2009 – New Tennessee Record Spotted Bass Confirmed – Outdoors – Chattanoogan.com.
Atlantic rockfish: These fish rock
January 27, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The sting from saltwater spray laced by 15-knot winds and subfreezing wind chill is instantly forgotten amid a rockfish blitz.
“Fish on!” mate Clinton Lessard yelled when his rod began to flex wildly. But before a fisherman could grab that rod, two more fish had struck. In seconds all six rods on the fighting deck of the Armada were straining under the weight of hefty rockfish.
For more, See The Courier-Journal
Don’t let high water scare you away from trout fishing
January 26, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
The author holds a fish caught in higher-than-usual water.
Standing shin-deep on a gravel bar that I had stood atop, bone dry, only a month earlier, I stared at the currents that whipped across the top of a normally placid pool. My hole was washed out. About that time my buddy popped through a gap in the thicket behind me and stepped out onto the gravel bar. “Mighty high today,” he said. “They should be concentrated.”
He pointed to an eddy no larger than my laptop on the far side of the river and asked whether I had hit it. I shook my head, so he snapped of a cast and placed his plug right against the bank. One crank of the rod handle, and a trout walloped my buddy’s offering. Impressed, I followed suit, and so did a trout that would turn out to be the twin of the one my friend was about to land.
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Season catch-and-release trout streams help fight winter doldrums
January 18, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Frankfort, Ky. – We are now in that long, hard slog of winter; the bleak period between New Year’s and the coming of warm weather in March. Hunting seasons are winding down and those without a boat can’t fish Lake Cumberland for striped bass or Laurel River Lake for smallmouth bass. It is the time of doldrums.
But, a spinning or fly rod and a few lures will get a trout wiggling in your landing net and lift your spirits during this time of cold weather and short days. Kentucky has 13 seasonal catch-and-release trout streams scattered throughout the state that offer outstanding fishing throughout the winter months.
“I caught 19 trout standing in the same place recently on Big Bone Creek,” said John Guthrie, an expert trout angler and member of the Northern Kentucky Fly Fishers. “The fish are in the deeper holes and bigger pools. I didn’t catch any in pocket water or runs.”
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources implemented the seasonal catch-and-release trout streams program in 1999. Under seasonal catch-and-release regulations, all trout caught from October 1 through March 31 in specially designated streams must be released immediately.
Only artificial baits may be used for trout in these streams during the catch and release season. Anglers may not use organic baits such as PowerBait, corn, cheese or salmon eggs, or live baits such as worms or minnows.
“The goal of the program is to delay the harvest so the trout stay in the stream longer,” said Dave Dreves, fishery research biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “In a lot of these streams, a lot of the freshly stocked hatchery fish are caught out quickly during spring and summer. Most are gone in a few days. They haven’t gotten stream wise yet and bite about anything. The catch-and-release season gives them time to acclimate and grow.”
Anglers can carry all the lures needed to catch winter trout in a plastic sandwich bag. “I’ve had good luck with in-line spinners,” Dreves said. “They also hit Trout Magnets and small crankbaits.”
Fly anglers should carry some nymph patterns in their fly box. “I caught them on a bead head pheasant tail nymph in sizes 12 and 14,” said Guthrie. “I started with Clouser minnows and wooly buggers with no luck, but started hammering them when I switched to nymphs.”
Dreves also prefers nymphs. Those that imitate mayflies, such as the hare’s ear nymph, are his favorites for winter fishing, but he also casts a more generalist pattern, such as the Prince nymph.
Stonefly imitations also produce in winter. “A lot of winter stoneflies are small,” Dreves said. “You’ll want to cast smaller stonefly imitations.”
A shorter, 3- to 4-weight fly rod is the best choice to cast nymphs and stoneflies. “For creeks as small as Big Bone, I like a shorter fly rod, between 6½ to 8 feet,” Guthrie said. “Longer rods are harder to cast with the limited space. Plus, casts don’t need to be very long.”
The best of the 13 seasonal catch-and-release streams is Rock Creek in McCreary County. “East Fork of Indian Creek in the Red River Gorge Geologic Area is probably second and then Swift Camp Creek,” Dreves said. “Swift Camp Creek is in the Clifty Wilderness Area of Red River Gorge. It is a unique fishing experience.”
Unlike the other 12 specially designated streams, the catch-and-release trout season on Swift Camp Creek runs until May 31.
Shake off the winter blues with a jumping trout. Get out and take advantage of a unique fishing opportunity. Spring will be here before you know it.
Seasonal Catch and Release Trout Streams:
Bark Camp Creek – Whitley County
Beaver Creek – Wayne County
Big Bone Creek – Boone County
Cane Creek – Laurel County
Casey Creek – Trigg County
Clear Creek – Bell County
East Fork, Indian Creek – Menifee County
Elk Spring Creek – Wayne County
Left Fork, Beaver Creek – Floyd County
Middle Fork, Red River – Powell, Wolfe counties
Otter Creek – Meade County (Otter Creek Park is temporarily closed to public access)
Rock Creek – McCreary County
Swift Camp Creek – Wolfe County (season closes May 31)
Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.
Winter is a good time to take care of gear
January 16, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Over the past couple of fishing trips, your spinning reel feels like it is slowly filling with sand. The handle sticks in one spot on the retrieve, making rhythmic presentations difficult. The reel binds after getting wet. You figure it is time to replace the reel, not a popular suggestion at home with money tight.
But, an hour with some grease, an old toothbrush, rubbing alcohol and a quality reel oil will make your reel feel like it did right out of the box. Winter is a great time to do some reel maintenance.
Late winter is prime time for striped bass in Lake Cumberland tributaries
January 10, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Jacob Knight of Lexington holds a 6-pound striper caught on a 30-degree day on Lake Cumberland
A slight temperature variance can make a huge difference in February, according to Tim Tarter of Nancy Guide Service, who has been fishing for Lake Cumberland’s legendary stripers for as long as the fish have been in the lake.
“We’re always looking for a little bit warmer water this time of year,” he said, noting that alewives and consequently the stripers will congregate in spots where the water is just a degreee or two warmer than other parts of the lake during February.
Often that means heading up the Cumberland River or up tributary creeks to parts of the lake less famous for their striper fishing than the lake’s open lower main body. These areas have more flats, which warm up just a bit on sunny February days, and the creeks bring warmer water into the lake after most February rainfalls.
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Look for hot smallmouth fishing in winter
January 1, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
We have experiences in the outdoors that can be transcendent, although the conditions are rough. Catching crappie after crappie in cold March sleet, bagging your biggest turkey ever in a chilling April downpour or taking a limit of ducks in weather so cold hot coffee quickly freezes on the rim of your cup make great memories.
Although these encounters test your mettle and enrich your life, few outdoor pursuits compare to December fishing for smallmouth bass in the snow. The activity seems incongruent – floating in a boat on ice-free water with white frozen snow lining the banks. You seem completely out of place, casting a hair jig, the float and fly or a shiner with snow in your eyelashes. You feel you should be at home; that it is dangerous to fish in such weather.
Questions and answers with: Dave Stewart, Bass Buster Guide Service
January 1, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Dave Stewart of Bass Buster Guide Service in Benton, Ky.Years guiding: 6. Contact number: 270-354-5039. Email: dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
Kentuckyfishing.com: How did you get started as a guide and why?
Dave Stewart: Actualy, I got started after I retired from the military in 1995. I moved to Kentucky Lake and I was living at a resort. People at the resort asked me if I could take some people out who weren’t catching fish. I helped them catch fish and this eventually became a business.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What do you like about the job?
Dave Stewart: I like he people. Outdoors people, especially anglers, have got to be some of the best people to be around. For me, watching clients catch fish has become more fun than catching the fish myself.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What do you not like so much about the job?
Dave Stewart: Winter. I hate the off season. I get bored.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What is your favorite tactic?
Dave Stewart: I primarily guide for bass; it makes up probably 95 percent of my business. For smallmouth, I love to fish crankbaits and jerkbaits in teh spring. In the summer I fish for largemouth and I love to use Carolina rigs. Kentucky and Balrkley are good Carolina rig lakes. I love to fish tubes, too. That’s kind of a trademark of mine, tube fishing.
Kentuckyfishing.com: Why do you like to fish for bass over other species?
Dave Stewart: I started ot fishing fo bass in clubs and tournaments. It just seems to be the most challenging of the fish here to catch. I enjoy taking people out, especially those who are having trouble finiding fish. I started out guiding as much crappie as I did bass. But I turned to bass. That’s where my reputation is. Ninety-five percent of my business is tournament preparation.
Kentuckyfishing.com: Are tournament anglers tougher to deal with? Are they more difficult to deal with?
Dave Stewart: Not really. You ahve to take each client as they come. Probably my most favorite clients are children — fathers and sons. But tournament types are not that hard to work with.
Kentuckyfishing.com: Do your clients have special tactics they want to try?
Dave Stewart: I find that for the majority of them, since I do a lot of tournament preparation, most people will leave it up to me. They realize one tactic is not a catch-all. But I do have a lot of people who want to try Carolina rigging.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What is your favorite lure?
Dave Stewart: As a go-to lure I’d have to say a tube. I’ve been fishing them for years and years and years. They’ve just become popular down here in the last few years. I’m not sure I’m happy about that. (laughs) My favorite lure to throw, though, is probably a Carolina rig or a crankbait. But a tube is definitely the go-to lure. When nothing else will work a tube will get you some fish.
Kentuckyfishing.com: When do you most like to fish?
Dave Stewart: I love spring. I love the early smallmouth and the pre-spawn largemouth. It’s got to be the most productive and the most fun fishing there is. Those are the days of the big numbers and the big fish.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What kind of cover or areas do you like to fish the most?
Dave Stewart: The obvious would be stumps. Old stump fields are the most productive. I also like brush piles. If you find those brush piles you can score fish. But fish like to cruise open water. So it changes all year long.
First published in The Kentucky Fishing Journal, February 2003
