fishingromantis

report

Hammerhead Attacks a Tarpon

shark attack

Fly Expert has Clinics, Mexico Bass Trip on Tap

Posted by D’Arcy Egan January 25, 2008 10:52AM

Categories: Outdoors

Fly fishing expert Jerry Darkes has a wide range of fly fishing fun on the horizon.

The Strongsville angler and Scott Fly Rod pro will kick off a series of fly tying seminars at The Backpacker’s Shop in Sheffield, starting with a Getting Started session on Feb. 4. Classes to follow include Basic Steelhead Flies (Feb. 11), Nymphs and West Flies (Feb. 18), Dry Flies (Feb. 25), Streamers (March 3) and Basic Patterns for Warm Water (March 10). All of the classes are from 6:30-9 p.m.
To sign up, call 440-835-0861. The fee is $25 per session, $95 for all five sessions.
Darkes and sidekick Will Turek will team up for the Warm Water Fly Fishing School on May 2-4 at well-stocked Lake Shawn in southeastern Ohio near St. Clairsville. The 30 acres of ponds feature largemouth, smallmouth and hybrid striped bass. The cost is $495, which includes on-site lodging, meals, boat and electric motor and, of course, lots of fly fishing tips and tricks.

For the ultimate in fly fishing trips, Darkes will lead an expedition to northern Mexico’s largemouth bass paradise, Lake Guerrero. The April 4-8 adventure is $1,150 for room, board, guides and transportation from Harlingen, Tex. For the Lake Shawn and Lake Guerrero outings, call Darkes (440-781-3906.

Coming right up: The deadline for a lottery to fish the fantastic Cold Creek waters at the Castalia State Trout Hatchery this spring and summer is Jan. 31, with online applications accepted at ohiodnr.com . . . The Cleveland Hailers Chapter of Ducks Unlimited has its winter Sportsman’s Night Out on Feb. 2 at the West Park Party Center on West 130th St., with April and Dave Blaylock (216-749-7758) in charge . . . . Tony Misseri (440-975-6566) is taking reservations for the 15th annual banquet of the Western Reserve Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited at the American-Croatian Lodge in Eastlake.

Ice fishing safety: With new ice on area ponds and lakes, here are some safety tips:
** Constantly check the thickness of the ice and wear a life jacket, float coat or float suit.
** Let someone know you’re going to be on the frozen water. Take a cell phone in a sealed container.
** Go with a fishing buddy, but don’t walk or fish close together until you’re sure the ice is thick enough to support your combined weight.
** Don’t fish near streams or rivers, or around bridges. Currents keep ice from forming and can erode ice.
** Dress in layers. Anglers can quickly succumb to hypothermia, a cooling of the body core. Don’t drink alcohol, which lowers internal body temperatures.

More tournaments: The success of the night walleye fishing tournament late last year prompted Cleveland guide Virgil Tent of Fish Crazy Charters to expand his list of fishing derbies. Tent will have a Spring Walleye Frenzy on April 20-May 31, and one-day walleye and steelhead trout tournaments on June 21 at Edgewater Marina and July 12 at East 55th St. Marina. The fall Walleye Frenzy for the Cleveland area night anglers will return on Nov. 2-Dec. 6.
Mussels out west: California and Colorado fisheries officials are very concerned after finding zebra mussels in San Justo Reservoir in California’s San Benito County and Colorado’s Lake Pueblo. If those fisheries managers would like to see the trouble they will soon face, visit Ohio. Lake Erie has trillions of the invasive species, and no real plans to halt ocean freighters from bringing more exotic creatures to the Great Lakes.

Free camping: On the road with your recreational vehicle and looking for overnight camp site? Visit FreeCampgrounds.com, which lists more than 1,800 places where you can park for free - or almost free. Many of the sites, including Wal-Mart parking lots, are listed as "boondocking." That’s a nice way of saying that you’ll be squatting on private property and hoping no one gives you the boot. Many of the sites do welcome RVers, and are free.

Ethanol backlash: The rush to plant corn and other bio fuel crops in order to cash in on the ethanol for auto fuel movement has had major repercussions in North Dakota, America’s duck factory. Federal figures show 420,000 acres of Conservation Reserve Program lands, a federal set-aside to benefit nesting waterfowl and other wildlife, were converted to cropland in 2007 as crop prices soared. That’s about 12 per cent of all CRP acreage in North Dakota. CRP losses were double what was expected.

"Conservation is in for a long swim against a strong current when trying to fight the tide of land rolling out of CRP," said Duck Unlimited’s Jim Ringelman, director of conservation programs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service credits CRP with producing more than 2 million ducks a year.

Our weekend of mixed fortunes

Jan 12 2008 by Andrew Wilkinson, Evening Gazette

IN a weekend of mixed fortunes, icy flood-water created havoc on the rivers making for low catches.

But on the other hand local lakes have fished brilliantly considering the cold snap.

The Frank Flynn Memorial Match fished on the lower Tees around Yarm attracted just 22 anglers because of the horrible conditions, but there were still fish to be caught.

Ian Lumb of Newman Scott made the most of his draw at peg 187 on the golf course section, after opting for feeder with worm.

A trio of bream obliged and his 11lb 9oz net was good enough to win.

Team-mate Bill Blythe fished identical tactics on the same stretch to connect with bream, but fell just short with 9lb 2oz.

T Walker of Yarm took third place in a difficult match with 3lb 12oz.

It was the same on the River Ure where 28 anglers battled the conditions for the Ripon Piscatorials match.

Graham Skirrey of Turners Tackle did the business by catching a pike and a couple of roach to win with 5lb 11oz.

In second place, Pontefract’s Brian Higgins fished stick float with maggot for dace and roach to weigh in 5lb.

On the River Ouse at Thorpe Underwood conditions were also horrendous for the Riverside Financial Services 52-peg match.

Winner Eddie Bridon of Shimano Quaker fished down the side with worm and caught all small roach in his winning 3lb 12oz net.

Runner-up Mark Rockingham from Leeds fished pole with maggot taking small roach for 2lb 10oz.

Meanwhile 44 anglers tackled the latest Sunday open at Woodlands fished across all of the match lakes.

Jim Prescott of Northallerton blew the field away by returning 60lb 11oz of carp and tench by fishing straight lead with corn and worm from peg 26 on Skylark.

Runner-up Peter Close of Shimano Quaker fished identical tactics for 48lb 3oz, while John Murray of Woodland Tackle came third with 46lb 1oz.

Mark Longhirst of Woodlands Tackle also fished a blinder returning 40lb of carp by fishing straight lead with corn from peg 13 on Partridge during the 25 peg Saturday open at Woodlands.

Mick Webb from Leeds was way behind weighing in 17lb 8oz in second place.

The 30-peg Wednesday match was a much closer affair with just one fish separating the two front runners.

Mick Webb from Leeds just held on at the finish in heavy going by fishing straight lead with maggot from peg 16 on Wagtail for his winning 32lb 9oz net.

Fast-finishing Barry Smith of Yarm Flynn’s took second place with 31lb 4oz and Gordon Poole of Garbolino trotted up into third with 23lb 10oz.

Other results.

Oaks on Saturday 42 pegs: J Dent (Daiwa Cleveland) 22lb 7oz. S Little (Daiwa Cleveland) 22lb 7oz. M Calvert (Daiwa Cleveland) 21lb 4oz.

Oaks on Sunday 54 pegs: A Clements (Daiwa Cleveland) 34lb 11oz. L Brabham (Bob-co) 30lb 13oz. J Dent (Daiwa Cleveland) 26lb 1oz.

Christmas and New Year matches. The Oaks 42 pegs: S Little (Daiwa Cleveland) 36lb 12oz. P Sellars (Garbolino Elton) 31lb 6oz.

Yarm AA 51 pegs: R Emery (Shotton) 13lb 4oz. S Lister (Shimano Quaker) 10lb 8oz. M Arrowsmith (Newman Scott) 8lb.