Crawford Reservoir the perfect place to pursue northern pike

Crawford Reservoir the perfect place to pursue northern pike

Crawford Reservoir the perfect place to pursue northern pike

Paonia angler Darrell Green inspects his fishing tackle after a morning catching northern pike at Crawford Reservoir. Green said his morning total included 22-, 25- and 29-pound northern pike.

Paonia angler Darrell Green inspects his fishing tackle after a morning catching northern pike at Crawford Reservoir. Green said his morning total included 22-, 25- and 29-pound northern pike.

By
Dave Buchanan

Saturday, May 19, 2012

CRAWFORD — An hour earlier, after hearing of my destination, a friend had mumbled, disdainfully, “Crawford Reservoir? Why?”

In response, a few numbers: 22, 25, 29.

Not the…

Forest Service offers youth fishing event

Forest Service offers youth fishing event

May 20, 2012 – Staff

Young anglers will have a chance to try their luck at fishing and learn about their environment when the Shoshone National Forest participates in two fishing clinics at Cody and Dubois.

The events will help celebrate National Fishing Week, which is the first week in June, and National Get Outdoors Day on June 9.

“The theme of National Fishing Week is ‘Take a Kid Fishing.’ Get Outdoors Day is to get kids outdoors and have fun,” forest fisheries biologist Ray Zubik said in a press release.

“These fishing clinics are a great opportunity to get kids out of the house and introduce them to a lifelong outdoor sport,” Zubik said.

The Dubois clinic will be at the Scout Pond facility on the Wind River Ranger District near the Horse Creek Station on June 9.

Each clinic has a fishing education session in the morning that usually includes various topics such as casting, knot tying, handling and processing fish, building and maintaining a stream and aquatic invasive species prevention.

Lunch is provided for the kids through local donations.

The late morning and early afternoon consist of on-the-water fishing with assistance for those who need it and donated prizes for all the kids at the end of the clinics.

Kids are asked to bring their own fishing gear and bait, if they have it. Some gear and bait will be available for those who need it. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend.

“Everyone learns and wins something,” Zubik said. “This is a great time to get outdoors and teach kids about their environment and taking care of the land and water. And we get to meet the parents and local groups in an upbeat, positive community atmosphere.”

Mark Whitlock left a legacy beyond his outdoors store – The Birmingham News

Mark Whitlock stands in front of a crowd of around 1,000 anglers at the 26th annual Mark’s Outdoors Lay Lake Open at Paradise Point Marina on April 30, 2011. (The Birmingham News/Joe Songer)

In 27 years of writing about the outdoors for The Birmingham News, it was inevitable that I would lose some hunting and fishing buddies along the way. The deaths of Carl Mancha, Neil Bonnett, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Patrick Hubbard not only left a void in my life, but in later years their deaths have left me with a sense of regret.

There is a false sense of invincibility in being young. You wrongly assume that your friends will be around forever. The hunting and fishing buddies mentioned above all died unexpectedly way before their time.

Once I reached 50 and then breezed past 55, it has burdened me that all of those hunting and fishing buddies passed away without my ever telling them how much I cared for them. Nor did I ever tell them how much they meant to my life.

It never entered my mind at the time to do that because I was relatively young. Only when you get older and realize the myth of invincibility do things like that become important.

I am not ashamed to say that on Tuesday I made sure Mark Whitlock knew that I loved him and how much he has meant to my life. Thank God I got it right this time. Mark was gone 24 hours later. He was just 54, younger than me.

Damn this cancer. It has affected so many people that I care for. It is an equal opportunity destroyer. It doesn’t care who you are, how much money you have or whether you are a gift from heaven or some thug. It does not discriminate.

Every time I’ve talked to Mark in the past year, he told me he was doing well in his fight against lymphoma, but I suspected he was not. My friend Steve Mitchell died with the same cancer and I witnessed his shield of invincibility melt away. When someone such as Mark, who loved going to work every day, was forced to work less and less, I just knew.

It speaks highly of Mark and his impact on people’s lives that customers of his store — customers, mind you — raised more than $65,000 for him to find a donor for a stem cell transplant. A donor had been located but it came too late. Mark’s condition had deteriorated to the point that he wouldn’t have survived the ordeal, his daughter Shelly told me Tuesday. It has been decided that another cancer victim will benefit from that money.

Mark called his employees to his home last Friday night to give them the news before they could hear it elsewhere. He left them with wonderful memories. He temporarily found the strength to be comical and he made a point to pick on everyone as he always has. When an employee got a beer, Mark appeared dumbfounded and asked: “Where’s mine?”

When the employee showed concern about Mark mixing a beer with his medications, the irony of the moment wasn’t lost on Mark. He laughed and took the beer.

In recent months, I have been frequently asked what I thought might happen to Mark’s Outdoors if something happened to Mark. My reply was always that a good businessman such as Mark would never leave a mess. Shelly confirmed that when I talked to her Tuesday.

She says Mark laid out 10-year and 20-year plans for Mark’s Outdoors. The business will go on.

Shelly is a spunky woman cast from the Mark Whitlock mold. She bounced back from a horrifying car crash with great tenacity and has learned the business in recent years. Mark’s wife, Dana, has been involved in the business since Day 1. Jeremy Hopkins has been the store’s manager for awhile now and was appointed to that position by Mark for good reason. He understands personal service and that is why Mark’s Outdoors is one of the top sporting goods retailers in the U.S.

Mark’s obituary will probably note that Mark’s Outdoors was named Alabama Retailer of the Year in 2010 and 2011 and was named National Retailer of the Year in 2004 by Fishing Tackle Retailer Magazine. Cool stuff, but that won’t be Mark’s legacy.

Mark did a lot of good for people in his lifetime. He probably gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars in gift certificates and merchandise to schools, churches and outdoor-related organizations to be used as door prizes and raffle items.

He did a lot for people that never became widely known. He wouldn’t want me to talk about that.

When I talked to Shelly, she told me that Mark’s personal relationship with the Lord made having to let go much easier to accept.

“He is definitely someone who I have always looked up to,” she said. “He was always there when I needed him. Not only did he always have an answer, he had the right answer.

“He will always be my hero.”

Mike Bolton’s outdoors column appears on Sundays in The Birmingham News. Email him at mbolton@bhamnews.com.

Committed collectors best prospects for vintage fishing gear

Q: These fishing reels belonged to my dad. We found them in a box marked “Antique.” I know nothing about reels and have no idea how to find out if they have any value. Could you give me some direction on where to start?

A: The query came with images of six reels.

When it comes to the market in old fishing tackle and collectibles, Lang’s Auction, or langsauction.com, is a leader. Started by Bob Lang, the auction was bought in 2002 by Waterville, N.Y. residents John and Debbie Ganung.

Once in charge, they took the business online and built it from a sleepy regional specialty auction into a powerhouse. Their site is informative and complete, and the auctions set benchmarks, as well as records.

Lang’s was the first auction house to take its catalog green, moving from printed catalogs to disc and online. And they did so long before others joined the movement.

John Ganung recommends the Internet as a source of information on antique and collectible fishing tackle. Search for websites built and maintained by collectors for all categories of vintage tackle.

Smart collectors know that a committed collector knows more than anyone about the item or items they collect. As example, Ganung cites sidemountreels.com, the site built by a collector of early American side-mounted reels.

For tackle-related books, he recommends whitefishpress.com. And check the Lang’s site for prices realized at Lang’s for all sorts of antique and vintage equipment. Results date from 2005 to the present.

The reader’s reels, he added, date from the 1950s to ’70s. They are vintage, not antique. Makers are Bronson, sold by Montgomery Ward, Shakespeare, Heddon and a Sportfishing 400 model, sold by Kmart. Values range from $5-$20 each. Many were made, and these are used standard models.

They’re considered recent as fishing collectibles go.

Q: We want to sell two pieces of Royal China, but can’t find the pattern on eBay or replacements.com. How do we find value?

A: The pattern seen in images of two serving pieces is a knockoff of a Royal Worcester blue-and-white pattern.

The Royal China Company of Sebring, Ohio, operated from 1933-1986.

During that time, it produced many pieces of dinnerware in differing patterns. Royal China was such a prolific maker that identifying the exact pattern may be impossible.

The company’s Old Curiosity Shop and Currier and Ives patterns are most in demand today. Much of the rest sells for $2-$4 a plate, though serving pieces can bring more.

Online is where to find a motivated buyer. I’d watch sale results of Royal China comparable pieces on eBay. Then, post the pieces at prices you can live with.

BOOK IT! “Vintage Cottages” by Molly English (Gibbs Smith, $24.99) is chock full of ideas on how to marry a traditional vacation home with modern, fun decorating. Using actual homes such as “Chautauqua,” an English cottage, “Pelican Roost” and more, photos show how to achieve a restful cottage look.

Auction Action: A new record for fishing reels at auction was set at Lang’s Auction in April, 2012 when a rare circa 1990s titanium fly reel fashioned by master maker Jack Charlton brought $31,050. Making a reel of titanium is extremely difficult; hence few exist. Considered the best fishing reel money can buy, the titanium reel is a fly fisherman’s dream.

Only about eight of these were produced and the maker passed away a few years ago, making them all the more desired and collectible.

Collector Quiz

Can you ID the major reason why some auction houses will not switch to disc catalogs?

1) Production costs are prohibitive.

2) Many mailing list customers lack fast computers.

3) Customers want a book in hand during the sale.

4) Discs don’t have the authority of a printed book.

A: The answer (3) is all about collector behaviors. Many — if not most — auction attendees and those who follow sales online personalize their catalogs with Post-It notes for items of interest. They add handwritten notes and jot down prices realized. Many then keep the annotated catalogs as reference.

Danielle Arnet welcomes questions from readers. She cannot respond to each one individually, but will answer those of general interest in her column. Send email to smartcollector@comcast.net or write Danielle Arnet, c/o Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Please include an address in your query. Photos cannot be returned.

Catching big Alabama bream on light tackle is fun way to fish

Tom Gossett fishes for bluegill much of time and says using a little finesse in tackle and technique will catch more and bigger bluegill. (Mike Bolton)

Tom Gossett checked the shade line on the water caused by the morning sun and cast a cricket where his instincts told him the big bream would be.

His brightly colored, weighted foam cork disappeared immediately and the Springville native reeled in a bluegill way bigger than his hand.

“They are in the shade line early in the morning, but once that sun gets up they’ll move out to deeper water,” he said. “A lot of times they’ll get so deep that you’ll have to take off the float and fish right on the bottom with a big split-shot.”

Bluegill can be found in every public reservoir and just about every creek, private pond, private lake and water hole in Alabama. It’s easy to argue that catching bream is a no-brainer and anyone can do it, but there are still fishermen such as Gossett who take it to a different level. He targets big bream and is highly successful.

You don’t hear about those fishermen much anymore because the quest for their quarry doesn’t sell fishing magazines, make good television fishing shows or sell expensive fishing tackle. There is no such thing as the Bream Master Classic nor are there bream tournaments on every lake every weekend.

For fishermen who believe going fishing means only bluegill fishing, that is a part of the draw. They are a diminishing breed, but never doubt they are as much of an expert in their chosen endeavor as a good tournament bass fisherman is in his.

Big bluegill like this one can be caught more readily by downsizing tackle. (Mike Bolton)

Gossett says that, like most of his brethren, he started fishing for bluegill as a youngster with a ZEBCO fitted with 10-pound test line, a few crickets or worms, any hook he could find and a red-and-white ball float the size of a golf ball. He has learned a more finesse type of fishing through the years.

“You don’t need that heavy tackle for bluegill,” he said. “Not only is it a lot more fun catching bluegill on light tackle, you catch more and bigger bream with light tackle. A lot of people think bluegill are stupid and will bite anything. The smaller ones are and will, but the bigger ones are not. They didn’t get big by being stupid.”

The traditional hook, float and a cricket will catch bluegill, but it should be fine-tuned to catch bigger fish, Gossett said. He uses 4-pound test line, a small, long-shank wire hook, and a small foam cork that has a lead ring around it.

The smaller long-shank hook aids in removing the hook once a bluegill is caught.

“The weighted cork serves two purposes,” he said. “It makes it possible to make long casts with the light tackle but also makes for a rig that bream can pull down easily. Bigger bream will often try to swim away with a cricket and if they feel the resistance from a big float they’ll spit it out.”

One of the bigger mistakes bream fishermen make is locating a bream bed in two or three feet of water and plopping a big cork into the middle of the bed, Gossett said. “That scares the fish. They become wary, especially the bigger ones. They know something isn’t right.”

When bluegill are on bed in shallow water, Gossett chooses to use light line on an ultra-light rod and reel. He removes the float completely and fishes a light wire hook, a small BB shot and a cricket. That light setup can be cast a good distance. It also allows the cricket to fall into the bed, which big bluegill can’t resist.

In Alabama, the bluegill spawn occurs on the full moon each month from May through September. That is the easiest time to catch numbers and big fish, but more effective techniques can be used when those bluegill come off the bed. The larger bluegill often feed on small fry at this time, and miniature jigs will often out-catch crickets and worms 10 to 1.

Tiny Keystone jigs, the Lindy Little Nipper in 1/32 size, small Beetle Spins and even tiny crappie jigs will catch more and bigger bluegill without the fuss of finding and buying crickets and keeping them alive.

Locating bluegill when they aren’t on bed requires only a little knowledge of their likes and dislikes. Bluegill love the sun, hence their name “sunfish.” They dislike current and wind, so they most often are found in pockets off of the main river channel. They also prefer a hard sand or rocky bottom. Backwater pockets littered with stumps and fallen timber are usually a can’t-miss.

Outdoors Notebook: Youth fishing derby slated for June 2

The Berkley Fishing Team will hold its annual Pep Tamargo Memorial Youth Fishing Derby on June 2 at Sippo Lake. The event will run from 8 to 11 a.m. for children ages 4 to 15.

At the end of the event, trophies, bicycles, camping and fishing gear will be awarded to both boys and girls in three age categories (4-8, 9-12 and 13-15).

Every child who participates will receive a bag of tackle donated by Kame’s Sporting Goods and door prizes will be awarded throughout the day.

All participants will be entered into a drawing to a win a rod and reel at the derby, as well as entered to win a $500 savings bond at the end of the summer.

Fishing ponds open
The Division of Wildlife District Three fishing ponds will be open to anglers ages 15 and under starting Saturday.

Children can fish free from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day weekend as well as Memorial Day and Labor Day.

All children must be accompanied by a parent while in the youth area, but adults are not required to have a fishing license. Adults are not allowed to fish in the area, but can assist the young anglers.  

Upcoming events
• Lone Eagle Bowmen’s Club in Canton will hold the Senior Olympics at 9 a.m. June 2. The events include 3-D shoots or 900 round. All participants must preregister at hofseniorolympics.org/2012registration. The cost is the registration fee plus $8 shoot fee at the event. Also the club will have a 30 target 3-D shoot at 9 a.m. June 3. The event is open to the public and crossbows are welcome. Equipment is available to tune bows for a small fee. For information, call Matt Williams at 330-575-0744, Gary Williams at 330-484-6535 or visit www.loneeaglebowmen.com.

• Game Reserve Association will host a Lucky-X shoot at its farm in Dundee at 8:30 a.m. June 2. The event is open to the public. Cash prizes will be awarded. For information, call Merv Hendershot at 330-343-2884.

• Mapleton Gun Club in East Canton will host a registered shoot at 10 a.m. June 3. The club is also open Thursday nights at 6 p.m. For information, call 330-452-4625.

• The Bolivar Sportsman’s Club will hold a Lucky-X shoot and a buy-sell-trade event June 10. Breakfast is served at 6 a.m., registration starts at 8, and the shoot starts at 9. The club also holds trap shoots every Friday at 6:30 p.m. All events are open to the public. For information, call Joe King at 330-874-3175 or visit www.bolivarsportsmanclub.org.

SHOOT RESULTS
Canal Fulton Ramrod Club
Canal Fulton Ramrod Club wrapped up this season’s winter pistol shoots. The top finishers include:

1, Tom Armentrout (Marshallville)  530; 2, Chuck Malone (Cleveland)  507; 3, Brian Gerber (North Canton)  500.

FISHING REPORT
Inland lakes
Atwood Lake
As with many lakes across Northeast Ohio, crappie continue to bite well. Fish near shore, targeting 6-foot depths with beetle spins or minnows 3 feet below a bobber to catch these tasty panfish. Anglers should note that a 9-inch minimum size limit is in effect for crappie at Atwood, with a 30 fish daily bag limit. Catfish also have been biting well, taking worms, creek chubs and cut bait fished on the bottom. The saugeye haven’t turned on yet, although a few anglers have done well drifting jigs or trolling crankbaits. Bass fishing has been weather dependent, with anglers periodically taking good numbers of fish with senko-style stick baits, jigs and spinnerbaits.

Lake Milton
The crappie bite remains strong, as anglers fishing overpasses have been catching good numbers in 10 feet of water or less, fishing minnows under slip-bobber rigs. Catfish have been biting at the upstream end of the reservoir have been doing well for channel catfish, fishing live bait and shrimp, while anglers downstream have been catching numbers of white bass near shore by the dam using minnows under bobbers.

Reach Repository outdoor writer Curtis Duffield at 330-58-8391 or e-mail curtis.duffield@cantonrep.com

Look out trout

In the end, I opted for an immersion approach to learning to fly fish – and no, I am not referring to my first outing on Oak Creek, when I slipped on a rock and fell on my face. Or to the same outing, when I stepped forward after casting my line and found myself in water nearly up to my shoulders.

This was a few months earlier, when I went away to fly-fishing school. School is by no means necessary if you want to learn to fly fish (see boxes), but I was coming at it from a pretty deep deficit, so it made sense for me.

About that deficit: I have always loved to fish, ever since my granddad handed me a pole, a line, a bobber and a coffee can filled with earthworms. This worked well enough on the catfish in Missouri farm ponds. But since then, it’s been all downhill.

Mind you, I’ve enjoyed deep-sea fishing trips off the coasts of Maine, Florida and Alaska; bass fishing with a guide in Alabama; lots of worm-chucking into lakes in New York state, Missouri and, of course, Arizona.

I love to fish. But in lo these many decades, I never learned enough to fish very successfully on my own. I didn’t know what I was doing – and that’s not much fun. I decided last year to rectify that.

Why fly fishing? Partly through a process of elimination: No oceans lap at the shores of Tucson; I can’t afford a bass boat. I wanted to go fish when I felt like it – and not have to spend a fortune on guides or excursions.

Add to that the appeal of trout-fishing settings: rivers and streams and lovely mountain lakes.

Decision made.

Seminars on the water

Thus: fly-fishing camp. Orvis operates one- and two-day “schools” around the country. Mine cost about $450 for two days at a rustic cabin alongside a stream in Dogwood Canyon near Lampe, Mo.

We three students – a husband and wife from Kansas City and me – had lectures on fly rods and reels, on lines and tippets, on casting theory. We watched casting videos, practiced casting into our stream, then got video feedback on our progress.

We completed knot-tying workshops and an entomology and fly-selection seminar (followed by time spent crawling around at streamside, turning over rocks to get a look at the bugs du jour on the trout menu). We discussed fishing tactics.

And, finally, we enjoyed a few hours actually catching trout from our sparkling clear Ozark stream.

Just do it

The experts agree: There is no substitute for time spent on the water.

Practicing casting. Reviewing knots. Reading up on flies. Studying how to “read” a stream. All are important, but none compares to actual fishing.

Good – because that’s what I wanted to do. My first outing was a three-day trip to fish Oak Creek last August. My friends at the arizonaflyandtie online discussion board (see box) tried to discourage me: Oak Creek is too “technical” and the trout too spooky, they said. I’d be frustrated by streamside brush that would snare my casts. It might be better to find a well-stocked lake first.

They were right, of course. In three days, wearing sneakers and shorts and sharing the creek with hordes of splashing tourists (“Don’t worry! We won’t scare your fish!”), I fell on slippery rocks, I badly abraded a shin, I lost a score of flies in trees and I caught not a single trout.

But I relished it all. I was learning a lot – and the setting was exquisite.

When I returned to Oak Creek a few weeks later, I was sure-footed in felt-bottomed wading boots and protected from briars and cold water by chest-high waders – and I had a strategy. Leader and tippet chosen. Flies selected. Over two days, I caught one trout. Progress.

I’ve been back to Oak Creek twice. Total trout: maybe seven. But I’ve stood waist-deep in the current at dusk and watched a great blue heron stalk along the bank. I’ve reeled in my line when too many orange and russet leaves have fallen onto the water.

These last few months, I’ve fly fished on White Mountain lakes, on the Colorado River and at Parker Canyon Lake. This summer I’ll combine a family event in Colorado with fly fishing in Rocky Mountain National Park.

And I’m semi-competent. I can usually figure out how to catch at least one trout. On the other hand, I’m planning to run up to Oak Creek again in a couple of weeks.

Start at home

• Sportsman’s Warehouse at 3945 West Costco Drive; call 877-4500. In the fishing department, Tom’s your go-to guy. Along with rods, reels, leaders, tippets and flies, they carry waders, boots, pontoon boats, float tubes, books and maps, and more.

• Dry Creek Outfitters, an authorized Orvis dealer operated by Eric Loeffler, at 5655 E. River Road, Suite 131, at North Craycroft Road. Call 326-7847 to get information about the shop’s free casting, knot-tying and other fly fishing skill classes. It provides loaner gear.

For women

Does it matter that I’m a woman? No. Men and women fly fish using exactly the same techniques and skills. There are more men than women on the water. All the better for us.

Arizona Resources

• The Arizona fly fishing forum -azflyandtie.com – is a fabulous resource. Just register and then check in regularly to learn about fly tying, whether Becker Lake is productive, ideas for approaching the finicky trout in Oak Creek and much more. There are archived discussions that offer invaluable insights. Introduce yourself, and you might meet some fly-fishing buddies.

• The Arizona Game Fish Department emails regular fishing reports that include recent stockings and news about who’s catching what, where and how. Go to gf.state.az.us to subscribe.

• My favorite Arizona-centric reference book is “Flyfisher’s Guide to Arizona” by Will Jordan. It includes insider information on just about every creek, stream, rill and river, along with guidance on proven flies to use, leader length and size, and more.

• Game Fish partnered with Arizona Highways this year to publish “Arizona’s Official Fishing Guide: 181 Top Fishing Spots, Directions Tips.” It speaks more directly to bass fishermen and other “bait chuckers,” but includes lots of information for fly fishers, too.

• The Old Pueblo Trout Unlimited chapter organizes speaker meetings, corrals clean-up crews for Southern Arizona fisheries and puts together day trips – and some bigger expeditions, too. Check out optu.org online.

• There are some marvelous blogs out there. My favorite is “Oak Creek Angler,” written by Iain Emmons, a 20-year fly fisherman who lives in Flagstaff. Emmons gets around the state and clearly knows what he’s doing. The photos are lovely, too. Visit oakcreekangler.blogspot.com.

• Orvis has excellent resources online and most of them are free: animated knot-tying lessons (orvis.com/animatedknots); tips for beginners (orvis.com/beginner); experts’ advice (orvis.com/expertarticles); blogs (orvisnews.com); podcasts with advice from Orvis’ Tom Rosenbauer (orvis.com/podcast).

National Fishing and Boating Week Offers Chance to Fish for Free

June 2, 2012 marks the start of National Fishing and Boating Week. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited about it. A host of great fishing events are scheduled to take place all across America that week. Many states are waiving fishing license fees for select days. Others are holding fishing clinics, fishing contests and fishing festivals. Some are even offering the free use of fishing rods and reels. Here’s a quick look at some of what’s on tap in Georgia and Florida:

Fishing Events in Georgia

In celebration, the State of Georgia will be holding not one, but two, free fishing days. The free fishing days are slated to take place June 2, 2012 and June 9, 2012. Don’t have fishing equipment? Never fear. Some of the state’s parks can help you out with that. Many are part of the fishing tackle loaner program.

Through the fishing tackle loaner program, park visitors get free access to fishing rods, reels and tackle. Some of the participating facilities that I can recommend are the Crooked River State Park in St. Marys, the Laura S. Walker State Park in Waycross and the Mistletoe State Park in Appling. A list of all the participating park locations may be found online.

Can’t afford the park entrance fee? Well, I’ve got another money-saving tip that I can share. Georgia residents can access the state’s parks for free by checking out a park pass from their local library. Personally, I make use of the program whenever possible. Those that would like to camp out and do a little night fishing may also want to check out the state park system’s first-time camper program. It includes the use of tent camping gear for four people.

Many U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ areas in Georgia are also holding special events in honor of National Fishing and Boating Week. For example, the Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery is holding a Seniors Fishing Rodeo on June 1, 2012 and a Family Fishing Festival on June 2, 2012. The festival is expected to feature a host of fishing exhibits, demonstrations and opportunities to snag fishing swag. The Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center is also planning on hosting a Kids Fish for Fun Day on June 9, 2012.

Fishing Events in Florida

The State of Florida will also hold two free fishing days in June 2012. The first is slated to take place on June 2, 2012. It is for saltwater fishing. The second is for freshwater fishing. It is scheduled to take place on June 9, 2012. A few great Florida based facilities that offer fishing activities and free admission are the Fort George Island Cultural State Park and the Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park. Both are located near Jacksonville. The Fort George Island Cultural State Park features access to the Fort George River. Pumpkin Hill features access to a few tidal creeks. Another option worth considering is the North Peninsula State Park in Flagler Beach. It offers access to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Killeen Gonzalez enjoys fishing with her family and has traveled extensively.

More from this contributor:

Affordable Places to Buy a Home Near the Florida – Georgia Border

Tips for Planning a Tent Camping Trip to South Georgia’s Beaches

Fishing Rodeo Set to Start June 7, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida

Best 5 Fishing Piers in the St. Augustine, Florida, Area

Woman anchors The Guide Shop 20 years to tap Clearwater River fishing

• Story
• Photos 03
• Comments

‘);
$(“#content-tool-box-”+tool_name).jqm({trigger:this,overlay:20});
}
});
});

Anglers pose with their spring chinook salmon at The Guide Shop in Orofino, Idaho, after returning from a Clearwater River fishing trip.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)

Orofino contacts

• The Guide Shop
, (208) 476-3531,
theguideshop.com

• Orofino Visitor Information
about activities, services, attractions and other outfitters along the Clearwater River, (208) 476-4335,
tinyurl.com/Orofino

Orofino, Idaho, has quite a few things going for it along U.S. Highway 12. The spring chinook are en route this week via the Clearwater River. The steelhead will be swimming there from the Pacific Ocean this summer.

Of course, where fish go, fishermen follow.

For 20 years, anglers coming to Clearwater County have been welcomed and ushered to the best big-fish runs by Evelyn Kaide, owner of The Guide Shop.

The mother of three children and grandmother of four also oversees up to six fishing guides during the May-June spring chinook season and up to 14 guides during the late August-March steelheading season.

“I’m a little bit like a mother hen

waiting for her chicks to come home,” she said. “I don’t go anywhere until my last boat is back in for the day.”

Kaide, 67, and her former husband were hunting outfitters based in Challis for 20 years before they diversified into Orofino-based fishing in 1992 to give their guides year-round work.

“I’ve done the safety training in the boats and all that, but what I enjoy is being in the shop, booking and taking care of clients and hiring really good guides – the kind you’d think were born with a tiller in their hand,” she said.

Idaho offers more stability for outfitters than some neighboring states. Kaide said she welcomes Idaho’s outfitting rules and requirements for training and safety.

“Not just anybody can go out and buy a guide license,” she said, noting that licensing and criteria must be met. “Idaho designates outfitter territories so places don’t get overrun.”

The main change in her two decades in the Clearwater River sport fishing industry is the number of people fishing.

“The fish have generated a lot of interest along the shore and on the water,” she said. “We see a lot of the clients we’ve taken out coming back with their own boats. Then sometimes they still come back with us. There’s always something to learn from a guide who’s on the river day after day.”

Another big change during Kaide’s tenure on the river stems from the fish hatcheries that paved the way for the restoration of spring chinook salmon seasons starting in 1997.

“We have long-haul truckers who call ahead to see if the fish are in so they can take a break here,” she said. “The fish were late this year, but they’re here now.”

Kaide compares her guides to a litter of Labrador retrievers: “They’re all different. Good ones are hard to find, but when I do, boy, I hang on to them.”

She said she likes them to be individuals, but she also has some expectations. “They’re all clean,” she said. “They might smell like fish when the day is done, but they’re clean.”

Kip Fry of Lenore, Idaho, has been guiding with Kaide for 18 years.

“I’ve worked around Idaho and Alaska, but Evelyn is such a pleasant lady to work with and the Clearwater is special,” he said. “With this river, we run from salmon season into steelhead season with barely a month off, so a guide doesn’t have to be constantly traveling and chasing the fish.”

He said Kaide mostly leaves guides to be themselves, but she emphasizes some philosophies that have kept her business running in a cutthroat field.

“She doesn’t expect her guides to catch all the fish in the river, but she wants everybody to have a good day,” Fry said. “It’s something she learned from her 40 years in the outfitting business.

“I’ve heard her say, ‘It’s not just our river; it belongs to everybody.’ “

Guiding fishermen is similar to being a farmer who has to deal with what nature delivers.

“We control everything we can,” she said. “We take care of our gear, the bait, and learn all the techniques, but we never know when a river will blow out with mud or something. We try to call clients and reschedule when conditions are bad.”

Even when conditions are ideal, the number of salmon or steelhead running 465 miles up the Columbia and Snake rivers and into the Clearwater varies.

“Some years are better than others, but most of the time it’s very good,” she said.

“When everyone’s catching fish, everyone is happy. But when the fishing is tough, it pays to be out with a guide who knows where the fish are and how to catch them.

“I expect the guides to have their equipment in good shape and to be knowledgeable and courteous,” she said. “I tell them to go out and have a really good time with their clients, make sure they enjoy the eagles and other things about the river.

“I tell them to realize these people are hiring a guide for one of several reasons: they don’t have the boat and gear to do it on their own or they don’t have the expertise to catch fish regularly. Either way, they’re not hiring a guide to be abused.”

Montana-based guide Scott Willumsen said Kaide’s No. 1 priority is that her guides get everyone back home safely.

“Beyond that, as long as everyone’s happy, she’s happy,” said Willumsen, who’s guided the spring and fall fish runs for Kaide for nine years.

Having guided in several states, he say he finds a comfort zone at The Guide Shop.

“Most places, guides are just sub-contractors who meet clients and take them fishing,” he said. “Down here, we’re all a big family.”

Kaide gets a kick out of watching her “brood” of guides function.

“I’d say they act like brothers, but they get along a lot better than that,” she said. “They all have the good attitude every day that they’re going to catch fish. Sure, every now and then one of them gets skunked, and he gets ribbed about it. But they all know it could happen to them sooner or later.

“They do a lot of sharing where they found fish and what they were doing to catch them.”

Kaide invests herself so much in the office and community, she rarely gets out on the water anymore, said Dawn Padilla, who works in the shop.

“But she and her daughter got out (Tuesday) and caught a 22-pounder. The fish are coming in. That makes everyone happy.”

Recent stories by Rich Landers

• Local Trail Angels: Backcountry Horsemen May 20, 2012
  
• Backcountry Horsemen tend Pend Oreille park trails May 20, 2012
  
• Landers: Contest gives anglers incentive to hit the water May 16, 2012
  
• Big changes for state parks topic of upcoming meetings May 16, 2012 6

Recent stories in Outdoors

• Woman, 73, oldest to climb Mount Everest May 20, 2012 2
• Field reports: Turnbull Refuge gets high marks May 20, 2012
  
• Out About: Replica celebrates milestone tiger musky May 20, 2012
  
• Local Trail Angels: Backcountry Horsemen May 20, 2012
  

Discounted Shark Fishing Charters in Destin, FL – Virtual

TripShock.com is Now Offering $50 Off on Shark Fishing Charters in Destin, Florida for Travel Dates Now Through 5/24/12.

Destin, Florida (PRWEB) May 20, 2012

TripShock.com is now introducing Shark Fishing Charters to the Destin, Florida area. This specific Shark Fishing Charter targets sharks strictly in the Gulf of Mexico. This fishing charter includes bait, tackle, fishing license, and an experienced captain.

Now through travel dates 05/24/2012, TripShock.com is taking $50 Off Shark Fishing Charter trips when booked online. To view specific dates, availability and pricing, please visit TripShock.com.

About TripShock!

TripShock! ® is the one and only travel agency that enables travelers to book accommodations, tours, and activities online directly for the Northern Gulf Coast. TripShock! offers trusted reviews from real travelers, photos, videos and other planning tools to help create the perfect Gulf Coast vacation. TripShock! attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually and partners with over 100 activity and lodging providers from Florida to Louisiana.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebSharkFishingCharters2012/DestinFloridaDiscounts/prweb9509852.htm