Bass Fishing Florida

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Florida FWC

Florida FWC partners up to offer free calendars

Do you know any landowners who might like a free 2010 calendar?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) partnered with other agencies and organizations to produce the 2010 Wildlife Habitat Management Calendar. This effort was coordinated by the FWC’s Landowner Assistance Program.

The calendar recognizes the important conservation actions made by Florida’s public and private land managers. A limited supply of calendars is available at regional FWC offices across the state. If you know of a landowner who would appreciate a calendar, please contact a private lands biologist at the nearest regional office.

The partnership established three goals for the 2010 calendar: to encourage landowners to plan, to motivate landowners to adopt wildlife-friendly conservation practices, and to educate landowners about habitat management for multiple resources. The calendar contains general habitat management tips and reminders for each month. This year’s edition has some new features, including a highlight of some of the excellent habitat management occurring on public conservation lands as well as information about the Florida Wildlife Conservation Guide and the Florida Invasive Species Partnership.

If you would like to be involved, support future calendars or simply have a suggestion to improve next year’s calendar, please send an e-mail to FLWildlifeHabitatCalendar@gmail.com. An electronic copy of the calendar is available at MyFWC.com/LAP under “Announcements.” For more information about the FWC’s Landowner Assistance Program, visit MyFWC.com/LAP.

Fishing Journal

Fishing journal entries with new online site

hunt fishThe pros agree a detailed fishing journal is a key to success, but who wants to carry a notepad on the water? Who wants to spend an hour writing everything down after a long day of catching fish? Enter “Fishing by HuntFishTracker.com.” Now you’re only a quick, and most importantly FREE iPhone download away from permanently capturing all of the information that used to slip away.

Fishing automatically updates location, weather, gps data and a host of other trip information and gives you the ability to customize additional data to fit your fishing style. They say the Devil is in the details, and now the details are right in the phone you’re already wearing on your hip. Specifics like your favorite rods, reels, line and lures can be saved ahead of time so a simple click will enter how you caught (or didn’t catch) each fish, and all data is automatically saved on a server awaiting the inevitable dunking that comes to every angler.

Don’t trust your fishing statistics to your memory. Check it out at HuntFishTracker.com today.

HuntFishNetwork.com is a family of sites designed to serve the needs of sportsmen around the world. The sites include HuntFishCook.com, HuntFishOverstock.com, HuntFishGo.com, HuntFishSell.com and HuntFishTracker.com.

U.S.Fish and Wildlife Services

$1.6 billion requested for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011 Budget

The President’s FY 2011 budget request of $1.6 billion for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will focus funding on the agency’s highest priority conservation initiatives, while containing costs through management efficiencies and other savings to address government fiscal realities. Among the top strategic investments are increases of $18.8 million for Climate Change Adaptation and $4 million for work to review planned renewable energy development to ensure they do not place threatened or endangered species at risk, as well as an additional $15.8 million for ecosystem restoration and $20 million for Federal land acquisition.

The budget focuses on key ecosystems threatened by pollution, water shortages and habitat destruction through the Treasured Landscapes Initiative, and includes an additional $2.5 million to fund conservation jobs for youth through the Youth in Natural Resources Initiative. An additional $1.23 billion would be made available through permanent appropriations, most of which will go directly to states for fish and wildlife restoration and conservation efforts.

“This budget request recognizes the need to make difficult choices in challenging economic times, while providing substantial increases to address the unparalleled threat posed by climate change to our nation’s fish and wildlife resources,” said Sam Hamilton, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The strategic investments this budget makes will allow us to continue to work with our partners to build the capacity we need to tackle climate change and other future challenges. Our request also recognizes the need to protect significant ecosystems across the nation and to facilitate the responsible development of renewable energy resources.”

The following is a brief summary of the Service’s FY 2011 request:

Climate Change Adaptation Initiative: The budget request provides for an increase of $18.8 million for climate change, including $8.8 million for Climate Change Planning and Adaptive Science Capacity. The budget will build on the new Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), partner-based centers for biological planning and conservation design. By the end of FY 2010, nine LCCs will be established. In FY 2011, three additional LCCs will be established with $3.8 million of the requested increase for climate change planning, thereby enabling the Service to increase the total to 12 LCCs. These 12 LCCs will cover more than half the country. To support pressing scientific needs, $5.0 million dollars in additional funding is requested to provide climate models, species and habitat assessments, and other information needed to make required adaptive management decisions. The budget also provides $8.0 million for continued development of our refuge system climate science inventory and monitoring effort, as well as $2.0 million for conservation measures on private lands through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program.

New Energy Frontier Initiative: This initiative includes an additional $4 million for consultation, conservation planning and technical assistance in project design and review of renewable energy projects. Energy development activities can have a major and direct impact on fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats, and have the potential to alter public recreational opportunities in the outdoors. The Service’s ability to conduct consultations and planning activities is critical to ensuring that the nation can expand the production of renewable energy while protecting environmental values.

Treasured Landscapes: An additional $15.8 million will lend additional support to ongoing restoration and conservation efforts in nationally significant ecosystems such as the Everglades, Gulf Coast, Chesapeake Bay, and San Francisco Bay Delta. The budget also provides $106.3 million, an increase of $20.0 million, for land acquisition for the National Wildlife Refuge System, providing support for important ecosystems and vital wildlife habitat and lands for outdoor recreation. Additional funding requested includes:

$1.8 million requested for Everglades to support landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects in the Florida Everglades. $5.0 million requested for Chesapeake Bay to support implementation of Executive Order 13508 to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. The Executive Order calls for Federal leadership “…to protect and restore the health, heritage, natural resources, and social and economic value of the Nation’s largest estuarine ecosystem and the natural sustainability of its watershed.”

$4.0 million requested for the California Bay Delta will support a variety of actions and investments the Administration is undertaking to address California’s current water supply and ecological crisis. The Administration’s efforts will support and complement the recently-enacted state law that addresses water supply needs within the State.

$5.0 million requested for the Service’s Gulf Coast effort -part of a larger effort with state and federal partners – to implement restoration projects on refuges and enable the Service to provide its expertise to multi-agency planning of projects. These projects are needed to mitigate, in part, effects of ongoing wetlands losses along the Central Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Youth in Natural Resources Initiative: Additional funding will provide jobs in natural resources for America’s youth, including Youth Conservation Corps positions at wildlife refuges. The increase for this initiative includes $2 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System to hire youth through programs such as the Youth Conservation Corps and $1 million through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will leverage this funding to obtain private contributions and implement a competitive grant program to develop new or expand existing youth conservation job programs. Funds will be awarded to Refuges, Fish Hatcheries, Friends groups, Youth Conservation Corps, and non-governmental organizations and others who seek to develop innovative conservation employment opportunities for youth. The primary focus of the program will be to support Refuges, Fish Hatcheries and priority species on both public and private lands.

Details on the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request are available online at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.

Media Contact
Joshua Winchell
703 358-2279
Joshua_winchell@fws.gov

Fish Art Contest for Young Anglers

State Fish Art contest offers opportunities for young anglers

fish artBROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA – Students across the United States have the opportunity to win prizes and national recognition while learning about state-fish species, aquatic habitats, and conservation. The State-Fish Art Contest uses art to children’s imagination while teaching them about the outdoors.

The 12th Annual Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest is open to all students in grades 4 through 12.

Winning artist will be invited to attend the Expo and will receive prizes and trophies.

Entries must be postmarked by March 31, 2010. Winners will be announced May 1, 2010.

To enter, young artists nationwide must create an illustration of their chosen state-fish. A short written composition on its behavior, habitat, and conservation needs is also required.

Educators, Homeschoolers and Parents: Visit the State-Fish Art website at www.statefishart.com for complete details and to download the free lesson plan.

Winning contestants from each state will be honored in three grade categories, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. All winning designs will receive national recognition on the official State-Fish Art website and during the Expo.

The 12th Annual State-Fish Art Expo will be held at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, TX. on the weekend of July 16th & 17th 2010.

Winners who attend the Expo will be treated to a wide variety of family events throughout the weekend including a special a ceremony to recognize all the winners with prizes and trophies.

Carolina Rigs for Pre-Spawn,Spawning Bass

Carolina Rigs For Pre-Spawn, Spawning Bass
By Larry Nixon

 
larry nixonIf it hasn’t already begun to happen where you live, then over the next few months the water in your favorite fishery will begin to warm up and all the bass will instinctively begin to think about reproducing.

They will begin to move into shallow-water staging areas, because shallow water warms more quickly than deep water., to forage after a long winter before moving up on to bedding areas.

Granted, these bass behaviors will be affected by the region of the country where you fish: Southern latitudes with warmer weather are already seeing bass in the spawn; Northern anglers won’t see these behaviors until the May/June timeframe. This time of year is very popular with bass anglers because of the opportunities to catch big, hungry fish.

There are a lot of ways to do it, but one of the most effective ways to catching bass during this time of year, a way that is less affected by springtime’s ever-changing weather, is using a Carolina rig.

A Carolina rig is a bass fishing basic. I try to keep my Carolina-rigging simple: I use basically the same line, rods reels and baits for most situations. I know it works well shallow or deep, ultra clear water or stained and I know it works all year long. A lot of people think of a Carolina rig as a post-spawn, summertime technique, but it can work during this time of year, too.

The rig works well because it keeps the bait on or near the bottom better than any method out there and it covers lots of ground. When bass are relating to the bottom they will eat a Carolina rig. When they aren’t relating to the bottom of the lake, try something else. Because bass are moving shallow with the warming of the water, that means they are relating to the bottom. You can use a Carolina rig in staging areas during pre-spawn, by targeting transition areas near spawning flats. Once the fish have moved to the beds – whether spawning has started – the Carolina rig is a great alternative to sight fishing, especially when wind or cloud cover prevents you from seeing the fish on the bed.

How do you do it?

I thread a 3/4-ounce sinker on my main line, then a bead, and then a Trilene knot to tie on a swivel. Then I tie on a leader — about 3-feet long — and attach a hook designed for rigging. For my main line I use 10-pound Berkley FireLine and 20-pound Berkley Vanish for a leader. The main line needs to be tough and low stretch; the leader needs to be invisible to the fish. These lines do just that.

I use two different baits, Berkley Gulp! and PowerBait. For this time of the year, the two baits I use are the 4-inch Gulp! Sinking Minnow and the 4-inch PowerBait Power Lizard in green pumpkin or white. These baits and colors mimic prey bass will be feeding on during this time of the year, as well as the kind of predators that might be raiding their beds in search of eggs. I switch baits and colors and let the fish tell me which to use.

I always use a tungsten sinker. Being more dense, it stays on the bottom better and sends more distinct vibrations up the line so I can tell more about what’s going on down there. I feel the rocks, gravel, logs or whatever. After time you will know instantly the bottom composition. I use a bead to protect the knot but I make sure of two things: first, the bead needs to be made of plastic because glass breaks easily in the rocks; and second, the bead needs a hole in it large enough to go over the knot.

Leaders, hook-sets

Sometimes I vary the leader length. Heavy cover and shallow water requires a shorter leader. Hang-ups are less frequent and when I hit a stump or other cover I know the bait is close by and to get myself ready to react. I try to always use a sweeping, side-arm hook set. I use a 7-foot Fenwick Techna AV medium-heavy rod. It feels good to me for a Carolina rig rod … long enough to take all the slack out of my line to set the hook and sensitive enough to feel the bottom and the bites. I use an Abu Garcia REVO STX high-speed reel, it’s the best one I’ve ever used for any fishing technique.

Remember that with a Carolina rig, you’re actually fishing the sinker, not the bait, since that is what you will feel making contact with the bottom. The sinker controls everything. The Sinking Minnow or the Power Lizard just hangs around and does nothing except follow the sinker. The weight of the sinker controls the fall speed, the crawling or swimming action, and the bottom-bouncing attraction. The sinker makes noise on hard bottoms, and puffs up clouds of silt on soft bottoms.

The next few months will see many anglers across the nation enjoying some of the best fishing of the year. There’s lots of ways to do it, but sometimes sight fishing for the spawning and pre-spawn bass just won’t work. With a Carolina rig, novice and pro anglers alike will be dragging in these rigs in, two feet at a time, right through the heart of some big-bass water.

Larry Nixon is a former Bassmaster Classic winner with more than $1.5 million in career earnings on the BASS Tour. Currently fishing the FLW Tour, Nixon lives in Bee Branch, Ark.

 

FLW Series Okeechobee Day 2

 Cox maintains lead in FLW Series on Big O

flw seriesOKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2010) – John Cox of Debary, Fla., caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces Thursday to retain the lead in the FLW Series Eastern Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 47-15.

“I was just running and moving around a lot and catching a good one here and there,” said Cox, who is fishing in his first FLW Series event. “I figured I caught 15 (pounds) early in the morning and figured that was pretty good.”

Cox said his technique of moving around and searching for fish produced 12 keepers Thursday. He said he is mainly focusing on fish he can see and picks the fish he thinks will bite. The longest he targeted one fish Thursday was 20 minutes.

“I’m kind of just standing around and waiting to see them,” Cummins said.

Cummins said he fished new water on the second day of competition and will continue to do the same Friday. Cummins also said he is looking forward to the forecast of rain for Saturday.

“I’ve got a flipping spot and I’ve been dying to go to it,” Cummins said. “These flipping fish are on beds; you just can’t see them.”

Cox now holds a commanding 8-pound, 13-ounce lead over second place pro National Guard team pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 39-2 during the first two days of competition.

“The neat thing about Lake Okeechobee is that it’s never the same year after year,” said Martin, who has won more than $1 million in FLW Outdoors events. “As big as this lake is, it’s always different based on water levels and the amount of grass. I’ve never really gone out and caught fish in the exact same spot year after year.”

Rounding out the top-10 pros at Lake Okeechobee are:

3rd: Team Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 35-11

4th: Bob Izumi, Milton, Ontario, 10 bass, 34-6

5th: Tom Mann Jr., Buford, Ga., 10 bass, 34-0

6th: Craig Dowling, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 33-5

7th: Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-2

8th: Ray Scheide, Dover, Ark., 10 bass, 32-0

9th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 31-8

10th: Trevor Fitzgerald, Ocklawaha, Fla., 10 bass, 31-3

Overall there were 671 bass weighing 1,459 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 153 pros Thursday. The catch included 113 five-bass limits.

In FLW Series competition, pros are competing for a top award of $50,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.

Jeff Cummins of Marion, Ohio, leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 25-2 followed by Larry Mullikin of Lauderhill, Fla., in second place with nine bass weighing 24-6.

“We were throwing everything,” said Cummins, who is fishing in his first FLW Series event. “The bite was tough, but we worked at it all day long and finally got a limit.”

Cummins said he caught six fish during the course of the day on Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers and flukes. Cummins said his largest fish, an estimated six-pounder, was his second fish of the day and fell for a Senko.

Cummins caught five bass weighing 10-14 while fishing with pro Robert Sherry of Saint Charles, Ill., Wednesday and five bass weighing 14-4 while fishing with pro Pat Kelly Sr. of Guntersville, Ala.,Thursday.

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:

3rd: Larry Butler, New Haven, Vt., 10 bass, 19-13

4th: Richard Rhodes, Calvert City, Ky., six bass, 19-12

5th: Philip Jarabeck, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 19-2

6th: Marlon Crowder, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 18-13

7th: Eugene Lewis, Saint Petersburg, Fla., 10 bass, 18-9

8th: Robert Eid, Key West, Fla., nine bass, 18-4

9th: Anthony Goggins, Sylacauga, Ala., nine bass, 17-14

10th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 17-12

Overall there were 355 bass weighing 591 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 130 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are competing this week for a Ranger 177TR with 90 horsepower engine as well as valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.

Anglers will take off from C. Scott Driver Park located at 10100 W. Hwy. 78 in Okeechobee at 7 each morning. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. The final weigh-in on Saturday will be held at Gilbert Chevrolet Company located at 3550 Hwy. 441 S. in Okeechobee at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at Gilbert Chevrolet prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela’s gift card and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

Coverage of the Lake Okeechobee tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors”, will air May 2 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.

ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.

www.FLWOutdoors.com

 

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