Program looking for families

Hundreds of new anglers got their feet wet for the first time at British Columbia's provincial parks during 2012.

A record number of B.C. families took part in free Learn to Fish programs in provincial parks, which added value to the park visitors' already great experiences.

The program served 2,765 youth and their families at more than 78 sessions in 19 different provincial parks during the 2012 season. This was a 20 per cent increase over 2011 levels in BC Parks.

The provincial parks program is a result of a partnership with the non-profit Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC that has delivered the Learn to Fish program in B.C. since 2006. The Learn to Fish program has served nearly 100,000 participants throughout B.C., and of those participants, more than 12,500 baited their hooks in provincial parks. The program is delivered by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC in partnership with BC Parks and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

Designed to attract new anglers to recreational fishing, the Learn to Fish program has a strong focus on conservation and increasing environmental awareness. It expanded in 2012 to include provincial parks in the Thompson-Nicola, Okanagan, East Kootenay, Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island regions.

The program's increasing popularity builds on a 2011 expansion that was assisted by BC Parks funding of $5,000. Additional growth in 2012 was possible due to continued support from BC Parks, as well as $80,000 from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, $35,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust Fund and increased funding of $50,000 from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

For 2013, the Learn to Fish program aims to serve another 25,000 people at various locations throughout B.C.

This will include more than 80 programs in provincial parks, reaching more than 3,000 youth and their families.

"BC Parks partnership with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.'s Learn to Fish program, helps embody our Families' First agenda and one of its core pillars - family affordability," said Environment Minister Terry Lake.

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Sasser: Ethel, with whom state began lunker program, should get spot in Hall <b>...</b>

Nominations are open through December for 2013 inductees into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. Anyone can fill out a nomination form, available at tpwd.state.tx.us/fresh
waterfishinghalloffame, or call 903-670-2255 for necessary paperwork and details.

The Hall of Fame is housed at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. Twenty-four

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FWC&#39;s Big Catch Program Upgraded

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has made several changes in the program effective July 1, including a new series of freshwater grand slams.

And in October, the FWC will unveil a new TrophyCatch program for bass over 8 pounds with three tiers — the Lunker Club for bass 8-9.99 pounds; the Trophy Club for largemouth 10-12.99 pounds; and the Hall-of-Fame Club for bucketmouths 13 pounds and up.

The FWC will encourage fishermen to follow catch-and-release guidelines for TrophyCatch entries with reward incentives.

Bass 8-12.99 pounds can be documented with length, weight and a series of photos before releasing the fish. There will be a different certification process for bass over 13 pounds.

The TrophyCatch program is part of the FWC's new Black Bass Management Plan designed to promote Florida as the Bass Fishing Capital of the World.

Using data on when and where trophy bass are caught and released, biologists will be able to improve management techniques, according to the FWC.

More details on the TrophyCatch program will be forthcoming this fall.

In the meantime, there are upgrades to the Big Catch Angler Recognition Program that started in 1990.

More than 7,500 Big Catch certificates have been issued since 1990 that are full color and suitable for framing.

But as of July 1, the FWC instituted a mobile-friendly online reporting system so anglers can submit catches electronically. New sponsors — FishPhotoReplicas.net and SportsmanOnCanvas.com — offer 20 percent discounts for replica mounts.

And there are now grand slams for bass, bream and nonnative fish.

The Black Bass grand slam includes catching a largemouth, spotted bass, shoal bass and Suwannee bass in one year.

The Bream grand slam is for catching any four of bluegill, shellcracker, spotted sunfish, warmouth, redbreast sunfish or flier in one day.

The Nonnative slam is for catching butterfly peacock bass, Mayan cichlids and oscars in one day.

In addition, there are changes in sizes for species like Suwannee bass and shoal bass. Yellow perch, Mayan cichlids and jaguar guapotes have been added, while alligator gar, redfin pickerel and skipjack herring have been dropped.

For information, check MyFWC.com/BigCatch.

BASS TOURNAMENTS

Tom Yutzy and Buford McCoy took home $1,000 for winning the 13th annual Lake Alfred Lion's Club Tournament on Lake Alfred July 4. With Yutzy's 7-pound, 15-ounce kicker fish, best of the day, they totaled 26 pounds, 1 ounce. Doug Yutzy and Sean Phelps finished second with 23 pounds, 7 ounces. Monte Goodman and Eric Conant placed third with 17 1/4 pounds. The event raised $3,300 for Lion's Club projects.

Richie Upchurch weighed in 25.42 pounds, anchored by a 9.30-pound bass, to win the Camp Mack Open on the Kissimmee Chain Saturday. James Pearson took second with 22.77 pounds. Jeff Crandon finished third with 19.32 pounds, and fourth went to Eric Conant with 17.93 pounds.

David Glenn eked out a narrow victory over Jay Morgan in the Winter Haven Lunker Lovers tournament on the Kissimmee Chain Sunday. Glenn weighed in 20.24 pounds, while Morgan had 20.22 pounds, a margin of 0.02 pounds. Matt Henderson finished third with 19 pounds, while fourth went to Huck Pewitt with 17 1/4 pounds, including the big bass of 7.52 pounds.

Monte Goodman and Eric Conant won the Sunday Open Series tournament on the south Winter Haven chain with 19 pounds, 13 ounces. Jason and Dell Danes took second with 18 pounds, 1 ounce, including the biggest bass at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Matt Bedenbaugh and Mike Adams tied for third at 15 pounds, 11 ounces with the teams of Robert Gatlin and Stan Adams, and Terry Pierce and Louis Veal.

Eric Conant, fishing solo, swept big-bass and overall honors with a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass and a 17 1/4-pound stringer in the Ron's Tackle Box evening tournament last Thursday on the south Winter Haven chain. Rick Combee and Brooke Shock placed second with 9 pounds, 13 ounces, while Robert Gatlin and Stan Adams had 8 pounds, 5 ounces for third.

Robby Wright won the Bass Bandits tournament on Lake Toho Saturday with 12.20 pounds. Rick Schuler placed second with 10.70 pounds with the top fish of 5.05 pounds. Donnie Rooks had 8.05 pounds for third.

[ Del Milligan's freshwater fishing column appears Thursdays in The Ledger. He can be reached at del.milligan@theledger.com or 863-802-7555. Milligan's blog, Central Florida Fishology, can be found at theledger.com home page. ]

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Loan program hopes to reel in new <b>fishing</b> enthusiasts

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Ron Thompson of the Kamloops Fly Shop checks out a returning rod borrowed from the loan program.

Not having fishing gear is no longer a barrier for those looking to get into the time-honoured sport of fishing.

The Kamloops Fly Shop is now one of 16 locations across the province taking part in the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.'s Go Fish B.C.! Rod Loan Program.

"This is about giving the people who don't have the gear the chance to go fishing," said Ron Thompson, the fly shop's owner.

Earlier this week a grandmother and grandson visited the shop who wanted to go fishing. So Thompson set them up with a rod each and tackle box with bait.

"It's absolutely free," he said. "It works out quite fine."

There are 20 rods available to borrow at the shop on Hillside Drive and the Kamloops Visitor Centre at 1290 Trans-Canada Highway. Thompson said two were on loan when The Daily News talked with him on Friday.

Borrowing a rod and tackle box is easy. All the borrower needs to do is fill out a form and provide a credit-card number. Thompson said people can borrow a rod and tackle box for a week to 10 days and staff are happy to volunteer tips as needed.

"We give all the help we can to get people going," he said.

There was a time when Kamloops was a world-renowned fishing destination, said Thompson. While the fishing is still great, grandparents and parents aren't passing the sport on to their children and grandchildren like they used to.

By being a part of the Go Fish B.C.! Rod Loan Program, Thompson hopes to lure more people to the sport and see it thrive again, he said.

The Go Fish B.C.! Rod Loan Program was introduced in 2011 at visitors centres in Terrace, Prince George, Williams Lake and Quesnel.

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. is a not-for-profit organization funded by anglers through freshwater fishing licence revenues. For more information visit gofishbc.com.

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Sturgeon <b>fishing</b> focus of April 25 program

Milt Gudgell, a boat captain with Pacific Salmon Charters in Ilwaco, will be the guest speaker at the April 25 meeting of the Olympia Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He has been guiding since 1985 and has more than 40 years of fishing experience.

Gudgell will give a presentation on up-to-date fishing techniques, locations and the best gear to use when fishing for sturgeon. The Columbia River white sturgeon, often described as a living dinosaur, is the largest freshwater fish in North America.

Gudgell will also talk about fishing requirements based on recent legislation and the complexity of developing and following management plans for the lower-river sturgeon fishery amid concerns of a diminishing resource.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at North Olympia Fire Station, 5046 Boston Harbor Road N.E., Olympia.

Compiled by Jeffrey P. Mayor, jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com

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USFWS Will Continue Funding to Arizona's Fish Stocking Program

PHOENIX - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) as part of the Environmental Assessment of its proposal to continue to fund, in part, the Arizona Game and Fish Department's (AGFD) sport fish stocking program over the next 10 years.

The FONSI decision means that FWS can continue funding to support AGFD's hatchery operations and fish stocking activities that provide recreational opportunities for anglers.

As part of the Selected Alternative, a Conservation and Mitigation Program has been developed. The Conservation and Mitigation Program will implement actions to avoid, offset or reduce environmental impacts of the stocking action and ultimately contribute to conservation and recovery of native species. The program's development was a coordinated effort between the FWS's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), its Arizona Ecological Services Office, and AGFD.

The decision came out of an Environmental Assessment process that analyzed three alternatives which provided a range of recreational opportunities and impacts to biological resources.

After review of public and agency comments received on the Draft Environmental Assessment, WSFR, the Arizona Ecological Services Office and AGFD chose to modify the Proposed Action. The modifications to the Proposed Action include the removal of one previously proposed stocking site and the elimination and/or substitution of some species proposed for stocking at some sites. The modified Proposed Action has been identified as the "Selected Alternative."

Under the Selected Alternative, funding will support stocking of sport fish at 166 sites in selected rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and tanks in the state. It will also support continued operations and maintenance of five AGFD hatcheries that rear sport fish (primarily trout) for stocking. The actions in this alternative are the most comparable to Arizona's current stocking program.

Hundreds of thousands of Arizona residents and nonresidents take advantage of the state's recreational fishing opportunities each year. Based on 2006 numbers, there were 4,156,000 angler use days (AUDs) of fishing in Arizona, with a total annual economic impact of $1.3 billion (Southwick Associates 2007). Arizona Game and Fish estimates a resident demand of 6 million AUDs through 2012, with some growth anticipated in nonresident demand.

Under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950, FWS has the authority to provide federal funding to state wildlife agencies for management and restoration of sport fish, as well as public use and benefit from those resources. Funding is provided on a match basis through the WSFR program. Sport Fish Restoration funds through that program come from a federal excise tax on certain fishing equipment and a portion of motorboat fuel tax revenues. In July 2011, Arizona received about $7.9 million in Sport Fish Restoration Act funds. Although the amount varies from year to year, about $2.5 million was allocated to sport fish stocking and hatchery operations.

To view a copy of the Finding of No Significant Impact document and the final Environmental Assessment, visit www.fws.gov/southwest/federal_assistance/index.html or www.azgfd.gov/fishea.

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The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD's programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Director's Office, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Director's Office as listed above.

Media Contact
Tom Cadden (623) 236-7392,
Public Information Officer, AGFD

Jose Viramontes (505) 248-6404,
Public Affairs Specialist, USFWS

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Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement Program Funds First Wenatchee River Salmon Fishery in 25 Years

The Wenatchee River salmon fishery-recently opened for the first time in at least 25 years- is the latest result of the Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement program.

Since April 2010, all anglers 15 years and older fishing for salmon or steelhead on the Columbia River or its tributaries have been required to purchase an $8.75 endorsement to support management of those fisheries. The endorsement pays for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fishery management activities including scientific monitoring and evaluation, data collection, permitting, reporting and enforcement.

The endorsement has generated more than $1 million annually to avert recreational fishery closures and increase fishing opportunities throughout the Columbia River basin.

"This program has made it possible to maintain existing opportunity and open new fisheries such as the Wenatchee River hatchery summer salmon season," said WDFW Fish Program Assistant Director Jim Scott.

The Wenatchee River fishery opened Aug. 1 from the river mouth at the confluence with the Columbia River to 400 feet below Dryden Dam. Anglers are allowed to retain two hatchery-marked (adipose-fin-clipped) adult and jack summer chinook salmon per day. The season runs through Oct. 15 with selective gear rules and night closure in effect. Anglers are required release fish other than hatchery chinook salmon.

Another section of the Wenatchee River, from the mouth of Peshastin Creek to the Icicle Creek road bridge west of Leavenworth, will open Sept. 1 through Oct. 15 for retention of hatchery summer chinook salmon under the same rules.

Season and rule details are listed on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) website at https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=1077.

The Wenatchee River fishery is allowed because hatchery summer chinook returns to the river are expected to exceed spawning escapement needs, WDFW's Northcentral Regional Fish Program Manager Jeff Korth explained. Hatchery summer chinook are not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, but Upper Columbia River spring chinook are listed as endangered and steelhead and bull trout are listed as threatened. The majority of spring chinook and bull trout have already migrated to the upper Wenatchee River, but a few steelhead remain in the area of the recently-opened fishery.

"Monitoring the impacts of the fishery on listed stocks is essential, but monitoring and other management activities for this fishery are expensive," Scott said.

Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement program was created by the 2009 Washington Legislature (Senate Bill 5421). A board of citizens representing four regions within the Columbia River basin reviews fishery proposals and has been instrumental in the success of the program.

Besides the Wenatchee River fishery, the endorsement program also supported salmon or steelhead seasons on other rivers in the Columbia River system, including the Snake, Entiat, Methow, Okanogan and Similkameen.

Media Contact
Jeff Korth, (509) 754-4624, ext. 224

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