27th annual Kewaunee/Door Salmon Tournament

July 25- Aug 2, 2009 — 27th annual Kewaunee/Door Salmon Tournament — More than $30,000 in cash and prizes will be on the line in the Midwest’s most popular chinook salmon fishing contest. Cast or troll anywhere in Lake Michigan off of Kewaunee and Door counties, with weigh-in ports at Algoma, Kewaunee, Sturgeon Bay, Baileys Harbor and Washington Island. First place is worth $10,000 cash to the lucky angler who reels in the winning “king.” The tournament usually pays down more than 200 places, making it unique among Great Lakes’ fishing contests. That's in addition to the daily cash and prizes awarded at all five weigh-in ports. Tickets are $25 per person, or $13 for a one-day chance.

For more information, visit www.kdsalmon or call (920) 883-9792.

WCSFO Election of Officers

The Election of WCSFO Officers was conducted at the October 18, "Annual Fall Meeting" held in Fond Du Lac, WI. All incumbents were reelected for yet another term. They are as follows:

President - Ted Lind (Walleyes Unlimited, USA)
Vice President - John E. Durben (Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sport Fishermen)
Secretary & Media Director - L.A. Van Veghl (Wisconsin Fishing Club Ltd)
Treasurer - Chuck Plotz (Walleyes Unlimited USA)

The meeting took place at the Walleyes for Tomorrow Headquarters. All offices were unopposed.

WCSFO MEETING MINUTES

October 18, 2008

WCSFO president, Ted Lind, of Walleyes Unlimited, USA, began our meeting at 9:38 a.m. While attendance was light, those in attendance covered a wide portion of our state and represented the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, various clubs and fish species. For representation, clubs are reminded to send their representatives or presidents for the upcoming annual statewide spring meeting.

Secretary & media director, Larry Van Veghel, of the Wisconsin Fishing Club Ltd., read the minutes from our statewide spring meeting. The minutes were approved as read.

Our treasurer, Chuck Plotz, of Walleyes Unlimited USA, was in the hospital, and we wish him a speedy recovery. Ted Lind said we have $3055.93 in our saving account. This is up slightly from spring. We have $4613.05 in our checking account, and this is down almost $800.00 from the spring meeting total.

We will print more “Kids Fishing Klinics” publications in 2009. Both the DNR and The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation are helping to get these pro fishing booklets to the youth of Wisconsin.

Ted Lind has dumped the old WCSFO computer components. Many of the items are obsolete.

We discussed getting member clubs to keep up their WCSFO contact information. Clubs must make sure we know the addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of their presidents, treasurers, and representatives. Clubs that are not members are asked to join as are fishing related businesses and individual members.

Cornell Stroik, of the Wisconsin BASS Federation, and Jim Peterson, of the Madison Fishing Expo, had numerous questions regarding tournament permits. George Meyer, of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation stated that the listing of social security numbers is an invasion of privacy.

Having consistent Mississippi River permit regulations for Minnesota and Wisconsin is being worked on, as are the Wisconsin/Iowa regulations. It is hoped that all three states will soon be the same.

Wardens now enforce regulations on tournament anglers the same way as with all other anglers, said Mike Staggs, Director Bureau of Fisheries Management, WDNR.

Tournament numbers on waters, VHS control, and education of tournament organizers regarding what to do with any dead fish was brought up. Organizers must inform their people that they cannot take home more fish than allowed in the daily possession limits.

Round gobies and yellow perch, said Staggs, have VHS in the Milwaukee area, per studies conducted this year. In 2007, German brown trout, smallmouth bass, and lake whitefish became the first listed species.

Wild Rose Hatchery, http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/wildrose/, has Phase 1 completed. This is for the reproduction of trout and salmon. The rest of this portion of the hatchery will up “up-and-going” this year. The Phase 2 Great Lakes spotted musky, sturgeon, pike and walleye, state-of-the-art area will open for production in 2010. (See below for more information on this hatchery.)

Larry Van Veghel asked Staggs if the west of Ixonia carp barrier keeping Rock River carp out of the Oconomowoc River was breached during this year’s high water levels, and Staggs said it was. Van Veghel had observed at least 1,000 carp being kept back by the barrier earlier this year. Staggs offered a high water high note in that he said the high water flows helped the trout streams by cleaning them and positioning the newly installed rocks to create ideal aquifers for trout.

Jim Schommer, of Walleyes For Tomorrow, asked about the portable fish hatcheries and their permitting. Many were on hiatus due to the VHS situation. It is not the DNR that permits these structures; it is the Department of Agriculture. Staggs expects them to be permitted soon.

Our next topic was getting new anglers into our fine sport. The DNR is looking for many ways to do this. Van Veghel brought up what the late WCSFO president Mike Ross had suggested years ago. Ross had pushed for the WDNR having rental fishing boats at state park launches and on major launch sites. It would generate money for the DNR, plus new anglers could afford to buy licenses and go fishing on the water instead of only from limited access shore sites.

George Meyer brought in a WWF proposal to increase the hunting, fishing & trapping licenses by $0.50 and allowing conservation groups to apply for monetary grants for new or increased knowledge hands-on-skills for training youth in hunting, fishing and trapping. These would be in addition to what is already being done. We voted unanimously to support this proposal.

We also voted unanimously to support the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation’s motion for supplementary funds for the Wisconsin Fish and Wildlife Account. This means matching funds would come from groups other than anglers, hunters and trappers and who are also beneficiaries of fish and wildlife management in Wisconsin.

John Durben, of the Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sport Fishermen, brought up violations by commercial fishermen. Staggs said one boat was given a $25,000.00 fine.

Ted Lind is always working to get more access onto our waterways, and he said the North Lake, in Waukesha County, launch is still being held up. The WDNR has the land, but the people who are suing keep switching lawyers so that the case can be retried.

Okauchee Lake, in Waukesha County, will go from 17- to 35- parking places at a cost of $600.00.00. The contract with the Golden Mast will continue for 5 more years with plans for expansion. To the northwest of Okauchee, in the same county, on Ashippun Lake they have received a county grant for the concrete ramp and boarding pier.

On the Wisconsin/Illinois border and in Kenosha County, the Twin Lakes, (Elizabeth & Marie) are getting a grant for renovation and for adding 20 parking places. Walworth County’s popular Delavan Lake will get expanded piers and upgrading, but so far, nothing is being done about the high launch fee of $10.25. Out-of-state anglers pay more.

We held our election of officers. All current officers were unanimously reelected.

Club memberships are a minimum of $30.00 with an option of paying $1.00/member up to a maximum of $500.00. Most clubs pay $30.00/year.

Our next must-attend meeting is at 9 a.m. on March 21, 2009 (Third Saturday) at Gander Mountain in Franklin, WI. We hope to have store merchandise discounts for all who attend.

We adjourned at 12:55 p.m.

Respectively submitted
By
L.A. Van Veghel
WCSFO secretary & media director
WCSFO’s 24th Year

Plenty of ideas, no consensus on Lakes cleanup

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
By Jeff Alexander
jalexander@muskegonchronicle.com

When it comes to restoring the Great Lakes, it seems there are almost as many ideas for improving the massive waterways as there are invasive species disfiguring their ecosystems.

For the record, there are 185 foreign species in the lakes. (More)

Source: Muskegon Chronicle

Enviro group challenges ballast water permits

The Associated Press - Thursday, October 23, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS
An environmental group says Minnesota's new restrictions on ballast water aren't strict enough and is asking an appeals court to reject the rules.

The water that ships discharge into Lake Superior is a threat to bring invasive species into state waters, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency last month adopted a strict new permit process. It requires ships to follow Coast Guard practices. (More)

Source: Bemidji Pioneer

Coast Guard gets swifter boat

Milwaukee station one of first recipients
By MEG JONES mjones@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 22, 2008

The Coast Guard station in Milwaukee is getting a sleeker, faster boat to use for search-and-rescue efforts.

One of the first Response Boat-Mediums that recently rolled off the assembly line arrived this week in Milwaukee. The $2.5 million, 45-foot-long boat will replace the Coast Guard’s 41-foot response boats here and in other parts of the country. (More)

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

DNR proposes fishing rule changes

3 rods statewide, 5 salmon per angler proposed (Michigan)

LDN Staff -

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 The DNR is once again discussing a 2-gallon rule — only it’s not the one most people were hoping for.

There will be no foreseeable change in baiting rules, but if you’re after smelt this winter, you may be limited to 2 gallons of the tasty baitfish. (More)

Source: Ludington Daily News

Lake Erie’s Bayshore power plant big fish killer

How many others are chewing up game/forage fish??

Lake Erie’s First Energy Bayshore power plant may be the biggest fish killer in the Great Lakes.

Studies conducted in 2005 and 2006 and released earlier this year show 46 million fish caught against the screens ― 126,000 a day, and 2.2 billion ― 6 million a day, mostly larval fish ― that go through the screens. But it doesn’t end here and this may not be the worst of it. Power plants, and there are scores of them in the Great Lakes, chew up our game and forage fish as well as related eggs and larvae, every day of the year, 24/7. Industrial facilities — power plants, oil refineries and factories — to cool their generators and other equipment.

The largest of these plants suck in several billion gallons of water each day, killing enormous numbers of aquatic organisms at all life stages, aquatic life on an almost unimaginable scale, while also trapping larger adult fish and wildlife on intake screens. Microorganisms, floating fish eggs and larvae are drawn through heat exchanging equipment and dumped back into waterways dead. Fish, sea turtles and marine mammals are pinned againstintake screens. A trillion fish are killed each year.

Like giant vacuums, power plants suck in massive amounts of water from our waterways, indiscriminately devour aquatic life and spew heated, lifeless water downstream.

To illustrate, Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant near Two Rivers, Wis., closed down for three days because their warm water discharge attracted a school of alewives approximately 100 yards wide and over a quarter mile long, clogging their water intake screens.

Oak Creek, Wis. power plant, a part of Wisconsin's largest utility, was embroiled in a lawsuit brought on in part by Racine's S.C. Johnson & Son. University of Michigan water scientist David Jude, who was hired by S.C. Johnson & Son ― a party to the Supreme Court lawsuit ― to investigate the potential impact, said the plants' intake valve system, the hot water and construction would hurt the lake's food chain. "It's probably going to kill all the aquatic life in some places," Jude said. "This is bigger than any other power plant on the Great Lakes, so it's sort of unprecedented."

The Wisconsin DNR went ahead and approved their building permit anyway, including allowing the plant to draw 2.2 billion gallons of water from Lake Michigan each day, then return it to the lake 15° warmer.

Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that cooling water intake structures reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impact to aquatic organisms that are impinged (being pinned against screens or outer part of a cooling water intake structure) or entrained (being drawn into and through cooling water systems). Phase II of the 316(b) rule for existing electric generating plants was designed to reduce impingement mortality by 80-95% and, if applicable, entrainment by 60-90%.But, are these water intake plants adhering to the Clean Water Act; this critical segment of federal regulations that so affects our nation’s precious and not unlimited aquatic resources? The first of future articles on this subject, we will be visiting the issue more in depth.

Source: Great Lakes Basin Report

Another Related Article: http://www.westernlakeerie.org/bayshore_press_0908.pdf

Gander Mountain returns to direct marketing

Gander Mountain announced it has begun a limited national distribution of its 244-page catalog to customers, marking the company's return to direct marketing after 12 years. The fall 2008 catalog will be the first edition from Gander Mountain since 1996, when it sold its catalog operation. The return to direct marketing allows Gander to become a multichannel retailer with the ability to sell products to customers in all 50 states, not just the 23 states in which its 115 retail stores are located.

"Gander Mountain catalogs will include a broad assortment of apparel and outdoors products that will always be available in the right size and colors," said Rick Vazquez, executive vice president of merchandising.

Source: Great Lakes Basin Report

Feds plan to restrict shipments of some fish due to VHS

Public comments accepted thru November 10

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA has created new rules restricting the Interstate Movement and Import Restrictions on Certain Live Fish.

APHIS is establishing new regulations to restrict the interstate movement and importation into the U.S. of live fish that are susceptible to VHS, a highly contagious disease of certain fresh and saltwater fish. The disease has been responsible for several large-scale die-offs of wild fish in the Great Lakes region.

Comments on the interim rule are due on or before November 10, 2008.

You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

►Federal eRulemaking Portal: To submit or view comments and to view related materials available electronically go to:
www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0038,

► Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2007–0038, Regulatory Analysis and Development, \PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS– 2007–0038

For further information contact:

Dr. P. Gary Egrie, Senior Staff Veterinary Medical Officer, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 46, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; (301) 734–0695; or Dr. Peter L. Merrill, Senior Staff Veterinarian, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737– 1231; (301) 734–8364.

For more info, Federal Register, Vol. 73, No 175, Sept 9, 2008 http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-20852.pdf "Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia; Interstate Movement and Import Restrictions on Certain Live Fish"²

Source: Great Lakes Basin Report

Invasive species law stalls as threats to Great Lakes grow

But threat to Great Lakes continues to grow, experts say

Jim Lynch / The Detroit News

The latest unwanted guests to crash the Lake Michigan party don't look much like troublemakers. About a dozen of them can fit on the face of a dime.

But the spread of the New Zealand mud snail into yet another Great Lake represents a particularly frustrating chapter in the battle to protect the region's waters from invasive species. (More)

Source: The Detroit News

Closing Seaway to ocean-going ships 'frivolous, absurd'

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008

Recently an editorial in a leading Midwest newspaper advocated closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway to ocean-going ships as the "only option" for protecting the Great Lakes against further introduction of ship-vectored aquatic invasive species (AIS). (More)

Source: Watertown Daily Times

Grand River anglers: Where's the salmon run?

by Howard Meyerson The Grand Rapids Press
Friday October 17, 2008, 9:00 AM

When Jeromy Butts, of Belmont, showed up at the Sixth Street fish ladder at lunch hour last week, hoping to show his daughter Syndey the big salmon that run up river in the fall, they saw one fairly quickly.

But this year, the run has been more like a walk. It was hardly the slap-dash action of some previous years with fish streaming up the ladder.

"It takes some time to see one. We will wait around," Butts said. (More)

Reservoirs promote spread of aquatic invasive species

Madison (WKOW) -- from UW Madison: The latest "damming" evidence suggests that manmade reservoirs are facilitating the spread of invasive species in Wisconsin lakes.

In a comparison of natural lakes and impoundments - reservoirs created by damming rivers - the impoundments were up to 300 times more likely than lakes to harbor invasive aquatic species, according to a study published last month in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. (More)

Source: WKOW: 27 Madison, WI

New mercury limits will secure a cleaner future for Wisconsin

By Gov. Jim Doyle

From secret spots in the north woods to urban rivers to the open horizons of the Great Lakes, Wisconsin is blessed with an abundance and variety of beautiful natural resources.

Click Here for more.

Source: Leader-Telegram Online

Hearing to order immediate drawdown of Oakwood Lake

December 17 - A contested case hearing in the matter of the order for immediate drawdown of Oakwood Lake, an Impoundment of the Merrillan Mills Dam on Halls Creek, Jackson County, will commence at 10:30 a.m. in the County Board Room, Jackson County Courthouse, 307 Main Street, Black River Falls.

For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.
Meetings

Hearing to remove Nemahbin Roler Mill Dam

December 10 - A contested case hearing in the matter of an application by Margaret Zerwekh to abandon and remove the Nemahbin Roller Mill Dam and an order for drawdown of the impoundment located on the Bark River in the City of Delafield, Waukesha County, will commence be held at 10 a.m., in the Community Room at the Waukesha Public Library, 321 Wisconsin Avenue, Waukesha.

For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.

Natural Resources Board Meeting

October 21-22 - The State Natural Resources Board will meet at the Eagle River Inn and Resort, 5260 State Highway 70 West between Twilite Lane and WI-17 Rangeview Drive. Eagle River. For information contact Laurie Ross, Natural Resources Board Liaison, at (608) 267-7420. Check the Natural Resources Board Web pages for the current agenda. For information contact Laurie Ross, Natural Resources Board Liaison, at (608) 267-7420.

Lake Michigan Commercial Fishng Board teleconference meeting

October 20 - The Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board will conduct a special teleconference meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the DNR’s Sturgeon Bay Service Center, 110 S. Neenah Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, for discussion and possible action on the October 7, 2008 letter from Mike LeClair to Al Blizel, DNR Commercial Fisheries/Charter Fishing Specialist. For more information contact Al Blizel at 920-746-2866

Lake Geneva Club Hearing

October 24 - Pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 30.12, 30.208, 30.209 and 227.42 and Wis. Admin. Code chs. NR 2 and 326 the State of Wisconsin Division of Hearings and Appeals will initiate and hold a telephone prehearing conference in the matter of amendments issued August 11, 2007, and May 16, 2008, to a permit issued February 15, 2007, to Lake Geneva Club authorizing placement of a new cribbed pier and modifying an existing multi-slip pier on the bed of Lake Geneva, Town Of Linn, Walworth County at 10 a.m. Lake Geneva Club, c/o Joe Gardella, 778 Black Walnut Court, Sugar Grove, Illinois, 60554 applied to the Department of Natural Resources for a permit to place a cribbed pier on Lake Geneva. The proposed pier would be 136 feet long by five feet wide with an “L” section and eight finger piers on the east side of the main pier stem. The proposed pier would be supported by ten rock-filled cribs and would provide mooring space for nine boats. Lake Geneva Club has an existing pier that currently moors 21 boats and there are an additional 13 mooring spaces along the shoreline for a total of 34 moorings. Under the new proposal the existing pier would moor 17 boats, the proposed new pier would moor 9 boats and there would be six mooring spaces along the shoreline for a total of 31 moorings on the property. The proposed project is located along Lake Geneva Club Lane in Section 18, Township 1 North, Range 17 East, Village of Fontana, Walworth County. The department approved the Lake Geneva Club’s application with limitations and received a request for a contested case hearing from Attorney David Williams on behalf of Chicago Club of Lake Geneva Homeowner’s Association. No testimony will be heard at the telephone prehearing conference, however, a date may be set for the hearing on the merits at the conference. When the hearing is held it will be a Class 1 contested case pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 227.01(3)(a). For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.

Spearers must purchase Winnebago sturgeon license by Oct. 31

OSHKOSH, Wis. -- Sturgeon spearers who want to participate in the 2009 Lake Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season need to purchase their sturgeon spearing license before the Friday, Oct. 31 sales deadline. That is the last day sturgeon spearing licenses will be sold for Lake Winnebago and the three Upriver Lakes -- Buttes des Morts, Winneconne and Poygan seasons.

Licenses are $20 for residents and $65 for non-residents and can be purchased: over the Internet through the Online Licensing Center; by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236); at license sales locations; or DNR service centers during their regular business hours (check service center link for hours of operation, which vary by service center; service centers are closed Saturdays). The 2009 sturgeon spearing season opens on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes on Saturday Feb. 14.

The minimum spearing age for spearing is 14. Youth who turn 14 between Nov. 1, 2008 and the last day of the 2009 spearing season can still purchase a spearing license after Oct. 31. Military personnel home on leave can also purchase a license after Oct. 31.

The number of licenses sold is not limited on Lake Winnebago, but is limited to 500 for the Upriver Lakes fishery. The Upriver Lakes fishery is managed through a lottery and 500 individuals out of 4,031 who submitted a lottery application prior to Aug. 1, 2008 were authorized to purchase an Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license for the 2009 season. Once a person is authorized to purchase an Upriver Lakes license for a season, they are not able to purchase a license for Lake Winnebago. Those who applied for an Upriver Lakes license in the lottery, but were not authorized, received a preference point and can still buy a Lake Winnebago license prior to Oct. 31.

There were 9,374 licenses sold for the 2008 sturgeon spearing season. Of those, 8,898 were for Lake Winnebago and 476 for the Upriver Lakes.

The Lake Winnebago System is home to the largest lake sturgeon population in North America with current estimates at approximately 38,000 adult fish. The long standing traditional means of harvest is spearing through the ice.

The lake sturgeon program on the Winnebago System has been in place for more than 100 years and is considered an international model for effective sturgeon management.

An integral part of the program since 1977 has been active involvement of the unique citizen advocacy group, Sturgeon for Tomorrow. That organization has raised and donated nearly $750,000 to sturgeon management and research activities over the past 30 years. Sturgeon for Tomorrow funds the annual sturgeon guard program which protects spawning sturgeon each spring on the Wolf River and the Upper Fox River Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Project. The latter project is attempting to restore a healthy spawning population in the upper Fox through stocking, habitat development, and migration studies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Bruch, DNR Winnebago Sturgeon Biologist, 920-424-3059

About the picture: A lake sturgeon makes its journey up the Wolf River on a sunny, April day.WDNR Photo

Smallmouth Techniques and Other Methods

Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd. (2008 - Our 42nd year)

Oct. 27 - Bill Schultz, outdoor writer and stream angler specializing in smallmouth bass, will deliver a Power Point presentation on Smallmouth Techniques and Other Methods. $3.00. 7 p.m. meeting; 8 p.m. speaker. Calhoun Station, 1849 So. Calhoun Rd., New Berlin. Contact Dan Freiherr, Treasurer, (414) 464-9316. Fishing reports, fishing equipment raffle plus hot pizza is available.

Our club is an active member of the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, WCSFO.

Fall Salmon Egg Collection - Kewaune River

Here's outdoor writer Kevin Naze helping the DNR with their Kewaunee River fall salmon egg collection. The fish are ready to release down the chute.

The processing took place at the Besadny Fish Hatchery on the Kewaunee River near Kewaunee, WI. The fish ladder includes underwater viewing windows which offers vistors an eye-to-eye look at the salmon and trout as they head upstream to the holding ponds.

This shot of Kevin was taken on Monday, October 6th with a couple kings getting ready to process down the chute. The eggs that are collected are hatched and raised at a state hatchery. The young fish are released back into the Kewaunee River and head into Lake Michigan until they return to their birth place where the process starts all over again.

Chicago’s electric carp barrier hits a snag

Safety of electrified water for barge operators questioned

By DAN EGAN degan@journalsentinel.com

Posted: Oct. 5, 2008

It’s supposed to be the last chance to keep the Great Lakes from turning into the Great Carp Ponds, but the federal government’s new electric fish barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is not doing the job. More

From: JS Online (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

READING IMPROVES ANGLING

by: L.A. Van Veghel

The advantage of reading fishing books is that you learn the most in depth information. TV shows are often too basic for anglers who are fishing club members, read a lot of fishing magazines, study fishing websites, fish a lot, or all of the above. Books fill this void.

The Year of the ANGLER and the Year of the TROUT by Steve Raymond. The Lyons Press. 560-pages and $19.95. Raymond has written for Sports Illustrated, Fly Fisherman and Flyfishing magazines. He’s been on ABC’s American Sportsman too. Like me, he’s a fisherman who is also a writer. This means he writes from personal experience, instead of using guides to provide the information. He’s a fisherman, and he writes about his adventures. The first section goes through the season from the angler’s angle, and the second covers the seasons for trout. River salmon are included in this fine book.

Northern Pike; A Complete Guide To Pike And Pike Fishing by Will Ryan. The Lyons Press. 200-pages and $14.95. This angler/writer has written for Outdoor Life, Fly Rod & Reel and Fly Fisherman. Here’s a dandy book covering pike life plus how to catch these toothy rascals. You’ll find out about habitat, pike habits, and pike life cycles. Ryan explains where pike live during each of the four seasons, and he states that biologists are coming to realize that pike are cannibals. This explains why the age old Pikie Minnow has been effective for so many years. Yet, per the author, he’s unable to find any references to why the lure was created to imitate a young pike. For more on this topic, get the book. You’ll like it.

Trout Unlimited’s Guide to America’s Best Trout Streams by John Ross. The Lyons Press. 384-pages and $18.95. The author is the chair of the Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited, and he’s fished from the high Arctic tundra to the grassy plain steppes of Tierra del Fuego and even in the Falkland Islands. There are more than 30 new streams and updated maps in this “Updated and Revised” edition. Two of Wisconsin’s streams make this list. The streams are the West Fork of the Kickapoo River with its “Great browns in the most pastoral of settings” and the Bois Brule. The author calls this river “The ‘real’ Brule with really big fish.” Maps of the areas are provided.

The Orvis® Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing; Secrets from the Orvis Experts edited by Tom Rosenbauer. 352-pages and $40.00 in hardcover. The vice president of marketing at the Orvis Company in Manchester, VT, Rosenbauer has written three other books on related subjects. Here, he has gathered the experts at Orvis to cover fly fishing from the powerful bonefish to largemouth bass to steelhead. You’ll study how to catch numerous fish species, plus how to read streams for smallmouth bass and trout. Even if you don’t fly fish, there is lots of information you can use to improve your catch rate. Bass poppers are discussed, and you can use information on wet flies and nymphs if you are a jig angler. Bucktail flies like the Mickey Finn look a lot like jigs. In fact, professional walleye anglers are finally figuring out that streamer flies on slip rigs will catch their favorite specie. I’ve had streamer flies in my walleye tackle box since the 70’s, back when I was the secretary & editor for The Okauchee Fishing Club.

Fly Fishing In Idaho with photos by R. Randolph Ashton, text by Will Godfrey and an Introduction by Terry Ring. Stoecklein Photography & Publishing. 170-pages and $35.00 in hardcover. Ashton, the photographer, takes the headlines here. This fly fishing book is what is called a coffee table book. There are some fantastic fishing photos. Great scenery, cool looking fog photos, and pictures that make you say “I wish I was there right now” are featured. Godfrey, the writer, provides one page descriptions of the area’s waterways and fisheries. Ring, the Introducer, grew up fishing these waters and became a guide. He’s the owner of Silver Creek Outfitters in Ketchum, ID. You’ll enjoy photos from such picturesque names as Big Wood River, Copper Basin, Fall River, Teton River, Medicine Lodge Creek, and the famed Snake River. Mountains, picturesque pines, fall colors, and colorful trout show us why areas like this must be preserved.

Rod Crafting; A Full-Color Pictorial & Written History from 1843-1960 by Jeffrey L. Hatton. Frank Amato Publications, Inc. 305-pages, $45.00 softbound and $65.00 hardbound. No, this isn’t a boring book. It’s full of facts and data, but it also contains some great anecdotal writing. For instance, the author states that in Fred Mather’s 1897 book “Men I Have Fished With” there was an angler named Reuben Wood. This gentleman used to make up fishing terms, for example, whenever Wood caught a big fish, he’d call it “An Old Codwalloper.” Casting reel bird’s nests were called “Wrinkle-Hawks.” He called long-stemmed pipes “flugemockers.”

Not all of the rods are fly rods. There are bait-casting rods, such as the Von Lengerke & Detmond 8’ 3/2 Bait-casting Rod circa 1898-1899 by T&E. This rod featured soldered hardware. The Fred DeBell of Denver Fly/spin Combination Rod 2/1 7; circa 1940’s- 1960’s had reel seats for both reel types, and it could cast current light jigs such as Dick Smith’s Panfish Grubs, Inch Worms, Doll Flies, etc. The author claims the rod isn’t a great spinning rod, and it requires heavy fly line to load the rod. Hatton states that the rod is “just adequate for either purpose at best.”

We covered a lot about fly fishing in this article. If you can learn to read the water, match the hatch, understand the seasons and how they relate to fish and their prey as do successful fly fishers, you’ll increase your fish catch no matter what sport fishing method you choose.

Contact DNR before placing new fish cribs

James Jung - ask the wardenQuestion: I am interested in placing a fish crib in front of my place on a lake just outside of Rhinelander. Fishing has declined over the years and I would like to be able to cast off of my dock and catch some panfish in the evenings. What are the issues I need to know about and will this project require a DNR permit? More

The Daily News - Rhinelander, WI

Fishing tournament permits now available online

MADISON – Tournament organizers can now apply online for the permit they may need to host a fishing tournament in Wisconsin.

“The online permit system allows for quicker review and processing times,” says Andy Fayram, Department of Natural Resources fisheries policy analyst.

“Certain restrictions still exist on how far in advance and how late people can apply for tournaments,” says Fayram, “but using the online system makes the application process more efficient, which can result in a quicker turnaround.” The system offers further assistance by guiding you through a screening process to help you determine if a permit is required for your event.

In addition to the application, a new, searchable calendar, allows organizers, participants, anglers, and all water users to see which waters have scheduled fishing tournaments.

“The calendar is a great tool for the tournament organizers to make sure there are no competing tournaments scheduled for the day they’re looking at and also for anglers or boaters looking to avoid a crowded water body,” says Fayram.

While revisions are under consideration, rules for tournaments have not changed.

The online application and a blank, printable form can be found on the fishing tournament pages of the DNR Web site along with other information about fishing tournaments, rules and regulations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONACT: Andy Fayram (608) 266-5250; Joanna Griffin (608) 264-8953

Above Photo: Largemouth and smallmouth bass caught during a tournament.