OLYMPIA - The hatchery steelhead fishery will close on the Wenatchee River Sunday (Feb. 28) to protect wild steelhead, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

Steelhead fishing will close Sunday on the river an hour after sunset.

The closure is necessary to comply with provisions of a federal permit that authorized steelhead fishing in the river, said Jeff Korth, regional fish program manager for WDFW. The permit prescribes strict limits on the incidental catch of wild steelhead, which are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
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Learn fishing prospects, crappie techniques, and best locations in southeast Kansas

PRATT — Want to know where the really big fish are? Do you have that burning question about your favorite lake or maybe a question about a fishing regulation? Attend the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) “Fishing Information Night” at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 South Horton, Gordon Parks Bldg., on March 10. The event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Fishing guide Chatt Martin will start the program with tips and techniques for catching crappie. Local KDWP Fisheries biologists Don George (LaCygne Reservoir, Bourbon State Fishing Lake, Elm Creek Lake, Fort Scott Lake); Rob Friggeri (Bone Creek Reservoir, Crawford and Neosho state fishing lakes, and all Mined Land Wildlife Area lakes); and Sean Lynott (Big Hill Reservoir, Wilson State Fishing Lake, and the Neosho River paddlefish snagging area at Chetopa) will then give overviews of area fisheries and best bets for spring and summer angling.
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Leave the nasty 2010 winter behind and bring in the 2010 fishing season with an evening of New River smallmouth bass fishing techniques and West Virginia trout fishing secrets featuring Bruce Ingram, renowned sporting writer and contributor to Virginia Wildlife magazine, and Britt Stoudenmire, New River guide from the New River Outdoor Company. The ‘Thaw-Out’ Smallmouth & Trout Fishing Seminar March 4th in Christiansburg event will be held Thursday, March 4, at the Montgomery County Government Center, 2 miles south of I-81 (exit 118C) on Rt. 11 in Christiansburg. Admission is free, but a $5 donation at the door supports the New River Valley Trout in the Classroom program and puts you in the running for a New River smallmouth float trip guided by Britt Stoudenmire, as well as numerous other door prizes. Additional door prize chances will be available for purchase. Bruce Ingram will also donate $2.50 from every book sold at the event to the Trout in the Classroom program! Trout in the Classroom is a cooperative program involving VDGIF, numerous public schools, Trout Unlimited and community and business partners to introduce students to the science and excitement of coldwater ecology. As an added feature to the event, Bruce and Britt have agreed to answer your fishing questions that may be pre-submitted via email to the address be_ingram@juno.com. Come out to hear some great fishing information from regional experts and support a worthwhile cause! Contact Todd Lowe (540) 797-0643, toddlowe@gmail.com for more information.

News release courtesy Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

The Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited and VDGIF partner with Graves Mountain Lodge the first Saturday in April for Trout Heritage Day and Kid’s Fishing Day. Several hundred trout are stocked along a private section of the Rose River, solely for children under the age of 12 to experience the joy of fishing. Come join us on April 3 to support Kid’s Day and Trout Heritage Day at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, Virginia. Check the VDGIF website for details.

News release courtesy Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

WATERBURY, Vt – Vermont has the best walleye fishing in New England, and Richard Levesque’s latest entry in Vermont’s fish record program underscores that point. Levesque shattered the previous state record for walleye on February 10, when he caught a walleye weighing 14.55 lbs. through the ice on Lake Champlain.

Levesque, who lives nearby in West Swanton, caught the big fish at 9:00 p.m., using a tipup baited with a golden shiner. The walleye measured 32 ½ inches long and had a 20-inch girth.

The previous Vermont state record walleye weighed 13.44 lbs and was caught in the Clyde River in 1997 by Doug Niles of Newport Center, Vt.

The fish was examined by State Fisheries Biologist Brian Chipman at Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s office in Essex.

News release courtesy Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

MADISON – Anglers should be aware that the game fish season on most inland Wisconsin waters closes at the end of the day on Sunday, March 7.

The panfish seasons remain open year-round as does the season for certain game fish on select lakes and rivers, including much of the Wisconsin River and its impoundments. Waters that remain open are listed in the fishing regulations and on the Department of Natural Resources Web site.

In addition, an early trout season opens 5 a.m. on March 6 and continues until Sunday, April 25 at midnight. The early season is catch-and-release only, and only artificial lures may be used while fishing for any species of fish on trout streams. Beginning this year, anglers are no longer required to use barbless hooks during the early trout season, but are still required to use only artificial lures while fishing for any species of fish on trout streams.

Most trout streams are open to early fishing with the exception of most Lake Superior tributaries and most streams in northeast Wisconsin. Check the “2010-11 Trout Fishing Regulations and Guide” to verify which waters are open during the early season and visit the early trout fishing page of the DNR Web site for tips on the flies and techniques to use – as well as other information – to help make your early trout season more enjoyable and successful.

News release courtesy Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

OLYMPIA — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today modified the boundaries of a recently adopted rockfish rule for waters off the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

During a conference call, the commission voted to revise the new rule so that it will apply only to the eastern portion of Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) – east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line. The rule, as previously adopted, would have applied to all of Marine Area 4, which extends from Cape Alava on the coast to the Sekiu River in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
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OREGON CITY – Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon today adopted fishing seasons for Columbia River white sturgeon that provide greater protection for sturgeon below Bonneville Dam.

New harvest guidelines approved by both states will limit this year’s catch below the dam to 24,000 fish, a 40 percent reduction from levels approved in 2009. Of that total, 19,200 will be available for harvest by the sport fishery and 4,800 by the commercial fishery.
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OLYMPIA – Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon today adopted fishing seasons for this year’s spring chinook fishery on the Columbia River, where the prized salmon are projected to return in the largest numbers since at least 1938.

Encouraged by a forecast of 559,900 returning fish, both states approved regulations that will provide Columbia River anglers with a full range of fishing opportunities above and below Bonneville Dam in March and April.

Last year, 222,000 spring chinook returned to the river.

But after watching spring chinook runs fall short of expectations for the past two years, fishery managers exercised caution in setting fishing seasons below the dam. In calculating the number of fish available for harvest, they set aside a 40 percent “buffer” until the forecast can be verified by data collected once the run is under way.
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Volunteer training starts in March

Want to help a group of kids have one of the best experiences they’ll have this spring?

Then volunteer to help a youth fishing club!

The Division of Wildlife Resources is looking for volunteers to teach 6- to 13-year-olds about fish, the places fish live and how to catch them.

Volunteers are needed in communities stretching from Brigham City to Washington City. To learn more about the clubs, and to volunteer to help, visit wildlife.utah.gov/cf/clubs.php.

(You can also listen to a radio interview about the clubs at wildlife.utah.gov/radio.)

Anyone can help

The number of kids who can participate in the clubs is tied directly to the number of adults who volunteer to help. If more adults volunteer to help, more children can participate.

“If you want to help, but you don’t know much about fishing, that’s OK,” says Chris Penne, community fisheries biologist for the DWR. “If you’re a positive person, you’re patient and you have good communication skills, you have everything we’re looking for.

“We’ll teach you all of the other skills you’ll need to have a great experience with these kids.”

Training

Most of the youth fishing clubs start in March and April. But a few begin as late as June.

Most of the clubs meet once a week for six weeks. Each club session lasts about two hours.

The children spend the first 30 minutes of each outing learning a new lesson or skill. After teaching the kids, adult volunteers take them down to the water and help the children use their skills to catch fish!

“The kids look up to their fishing mentors. You’re their leader,” Penne says. “If you’d like to volunteer, it’s best if you can commit to being with your club every time it meets.”

Two to three weeks before a club’s first meeting, DWR personnel will provide a volunteer training seminar in the community where the fishing club meets. The training takes less than two hours to complete.

Also, all volunteers must consent to and pass a criminal background check. “The DWR and the various communities are committed to keeping the children in the clubs safe,” Penne says.

Rewards

Penne says a number of rewards await those who volunteer. “One of the biggest thrills you’ll have is watching a young boy or girl reel in their first fish. Seeing that is priceless,” he says.

“It’s also rewarding to teach someone a skill they’ll be able to use and enjoy the rest of their life. And knowing you’re helping get these kids outside, so they can experience the natural world around them, is also very rewarding.”

If you have questions, please e-mail Penne at chrispenne@utah.gov.

A popular program

“We had a great turnout in 2009,” Penne says. “About 1,500 kids and 300 volunteers participated. Many of the volunteers were folks who volunteered the year before. They had a great experience, and they wanted to help again.”

Penne says many of the city recreation departments in Utah have added fishing to the list of sports they offer to kids. That’s one of greatest reasons for the program’s success. “For the first time, fishing has found its way into mainstream sports, right along with soccer, baseball and football,” Penne says.

The number of children and communities involved in the program is growing. “We need volunteers more than ever before,” Penne says.

News release courtsy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources