BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

All area children age 15 and younger are invited to Chico’s 22nd annual “Hooked on Fishing, not on Drugs” free children’s fishing event that will take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Horseshoe Lake in upper Bidwell Park, across from the golf course.

Some 8,000 pounds of channel catfish in the 1- to 3-pound class will be stocked in the lake, limit one fish per kid. Free bait, free loaner tackle, free fish cleaning and free instruction are all available.

Those with their own tackle are encouraged to bring it, but remember that lead sinkers are not allowed at Horseshoe Lake. It’s also the perfect occasion to try out your grandpa’s “secret” catfish bait recipe. there will be a separate area for the tiniest anglers age 1 to 5, and an aquarium display featuring the aquatic life in Horseshoe Lake will be presented by the Chico Area Flyfishers.

To minimize the event’s impact on Horseshoe Lake’s local fish population, any kid who manages to catch and release one of the resident largemouth bass, carp or bullheads that inhabit Horseshoe Lake year-round will be rewarded with a new rod and reel courtesy of the Chico Bass Club.

The yeoman job of cleaning those thousands of catfish falls to the Chico Rotary Club. Both the Sunrise and Noon Rotary have been stalwart volunteers and financial donors since the event’s inception. The Chico Bass Club and dozens of additional volunteers worked Thursday evening to rig up the hundreds of loaner rods with the special Danielson “Enviro-Quest” steel sinkers that are required by Bidwell Park’s “lead-free” regulations.

The public is invited to view the fish stocking at noon today, but once the fish are stocked, fishing will be closed for the day until Saturday morning. This is a “kids only” event, so no fishing license is required, and no fishing by adults is allowed.

Refreshments like water, sodas, hot dogs and snacks will be available from local Chico Boy Scout Troop 3, which will also have coffee and Danish in the morning. Shuttles will be running from the entrance of upper park. a Facebook page has also been set up.

Chairman of the organizing committee Pete Giampaoli said, “Our goal is to give every local kid a positive first-time experience with a wholesome outdoor activity they can participate in for their entire lives, and also have a really excellent chance to catch a fish.”

Oroville kids fishing day

Oroville residents have their own free kids fishing event coming up soon, with the “Hooked on Fishing” Oroville edition taking place on June 2 at Bedrock Park. a mixture of catfish and steelhead will be stocked in the lagoon, and a separate area for kids with special needs will be provided.

Fantastic white bites kayak

Angler Joey Nocchi of Paso Robles will think twice before paddling his kayak out into the kelp beds off Central California’s Cambria again. Nocchi was fishing near shore at Moonstone Beach on Saturday, when an estimated 12- to 14-foot fantastic white shark chomped down on his kayak and knocked him out of it. The big predator then swam right over the upturned kayak while ignoring Nocchi.

In typical fantastic white fashion, the shark immediately lost interest and backed off, allowing the untouched Nocchi to get his now water-filled vessel safely to shore. The attack took place about 15 miles from where former Chico resident Deborah Franzman was killed by a fantastic white while swimming about 75 yards out in 2003.

Trout plants

The DFG planted catchable-size trout this week in the following area waters: Butte County — Butte Creek big, Paradise Reservoir; Shasta County — Baum Lake, Lower-Middle-Upper Burney Creek, Small Cow Creek, Grace Lake.

Send your outdoor news-related items to Steve Carson at .

LONGMONT — A Longmont High School junior caught what appears likely to be officially declared a state record-breaking striped bass at McIntosh Lake on Friday evening, reeling in a fish that tipped the scales at 31 pounds, 8.4 ounces when weighed as a Colorado Division of Wildlife officer looked on.

“I just got lucky,” 18-year-ancient Isaac Sprecher said the bass, which he said measured 41 inches long and 26 inches in diameter.

Sprecher said he’s a excellent fisherman, but “I didn’t expect to catch anything like that” when — accompanied by his girlfriend, Longmont High sophomore Megan McGuire — he began casting from McIntosh’s south shore about 5 p.m. on Friday.

Colorado’s previous striped bass record holder was a 15 pound, 11-ounce fish caught in 2009 at CF&I Reservoir no. 2, in Pueblo County, according to Division of Wildlife’s online list of 43 different species categories the state tracks for their weights.

Sprecher said Saturday that once the fish took the Senko soft plastic worm he’d been casting — and Megan briefly tried to reel it in before insisting he take the rod back — he and his girlfriend soon realized that there was “a pretty excellent-sized fish” pulling away.

He said he initially thought he’d hooked a big catfish, and it took so much of the 8-pound test line he was using that “I could see the bottom of the spool” on the reel.

“It took 20 minutes to get where I could really see the fish” before finally bringing it in a few minutes later, he said.

Sprecher took his catch home, where it’s on ice in the garage. It got its official weighing-in on a scale at Bennet’s Bait and Tackle in Berthoud on Saturday morning after it proved to be too big for a scale in his neighborhood Safeway store at 17th Avenue and Hover Street on Friday night.

He said he intends to mount it: “It’s going to go in my room.”

Sprecher and his family live on the 1700 block of Drake Street, within walking distance of McIntosh Lake. He said he often goes fishing there, “something I do to relax.”

Stu Sprecher, Isaac’s father, noted that his son earlier had been on a team that won an Illinois state bass fishing championship when Isaac was a sophomore at the Rockford (Ill.) Christian School before moving to Longmont.

“I am so proud of everything he has accomplished in his life,” Stu Sprecher said. “We are definitely looking at having this fish made into a trophy.”

John Fryar can be reached at 303-684-5211 or .

March 30, 2012

COASTWIDE – Thirty-knot winds and huge seas are forecast into next week, and that pretty much spells doom for ocean angling. When this next series of storms moves through and the surf abates, look for brilliant lingcod catches at near-shore reefs, as lings are protecting egg nests and are very aggressive.

For clammers, no minus tides are forecast for another week, but there are some good low tides that should work well on most clam beds. Bay clamming will be best and safest because of the wave surges from the churning seas.

Ocean crabbing is a bust for the foreseeable future because of perilous conditions. Dock crabbing has been poor this week because of heavy inflow from coastal streams.

The marine aggregate limit in Oregon is seven rockfish a day. Beginning Sunday, anglers are relegated to inside the 30-fathom line to steer jiggers away from yelloweye and canary rockfish, and cabezon are back in the aggregate daily bottomfish limit of seven per day.

The lingcod limit is two a day with a 22-inch minimum, and that is separate from the marine aggregate.

BROOKINGS – Bar conditions are extremely poor, but look for conditions to improve as early as midweek when the surf could finally lay down after an atrocious March. Chetco flows into the estuary are extremely high, and that has made any action in the estuary a bust.

Surfperch fishing was good around Winchuck Beach on the few spring days when the surf has been down. The second day after the surf subsides normally provides better catches. Clam necks or prawns are working well.

COOS BAY – Chinook salmon fishing is open north of Humbug Mountain, but activity is light due to very rough surf conditions. Expect to see some recreational boaters go looking for schools of chinook next week when the latest spate of storms abate. When the ocean settles down, anglers can prospect for chinook in waters about 150 feet deep. Vary depths, and slowly troll herring or anchovies with hoochies.

Rockfish catches have been fair and lingcod catches good when anglers have been able to get out.

Crabbing will remain slow off the public docks in the bay thanks to the heavy surge of freshwater from the ongoing storms. The low salinity will force crabs deeper into the bay and back to the ocean.

WINCHESTER BAY – Sturgeon fishing has remained slow below the Highway 101 bridge. Crabbing will be poor for a while due to heavy inflows.

AGATE – A fresh batch of legal-sized trout were stocked less than a month ago and they have spread throughout the bottom half of the reservoir. Heavy inflows this past week raised the reservoir to 94 percent full, and that has kept the trout off the bite. Try worms or PowerBait off the bottom near the dam or wind-drift worms around the shallows in 8 to 16 feet of water. When you get a trout bite, hit that stretch for a while. no gas motors are allowed. Small electric motors are legal.

APPLEGATE – Inflows from the latest storms could put a clamp this weekend on trolling or wind-drifting for rainbow trout, which don’t react well to heavy fluctuations in water levels here. Flows into the reservoir jumped over 1,000 cubic feet per second Friday and outflows more than doubled to 750 cfs as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday prepared to capture runoff. The lake has risen dramatically in the past week and now sits at just over 27 feet from full. Fishing pressure is very light. The facilities at Hart-Tish Park are closed and the low-water ramp at French Gulch is open and usable, as is the Copper ramp. for winter trout fishing, troll Triple Teasers or Wedding Ring lures with worms. Bass fishing is slow.

EMIGRANT – The lake received its first complement of 3,500 legal-sized rainbow trout last week, and fishing for them has remained somewhat slow thanks to poor weather conditions and light effort. Most of the rainbows will be hanging around the county park boat ramp for a while, and you can catch them on PowerBait, worms and small lures. Expect some turbid water throughout the reservoir, with cleaner but colder water on the upper end. no new trout are plotted for next week.

A standing public-health advisory continues about eating all but trout from the lake because of elevated mercury levels.

EXPO – Fishing has held on after the pond was stocked three weeks ago with legal-sized rainbow trout. The pond is accessible at Gate 5 for the Jackson County Expo Park off Peninger Road. Fish Panther Martin lures and other small lures. Worms a few feet under a bobber have worked well for getting kids into the rainbows.

LOST CREEK – The lake received its first 25,000 legal-sized rainbow trout last week and they were split between the boat ramps at Stewart State Park and Takelma. Fishing for them won’t be red-hot yet, largely because heavy inflows into the reservoir have kept trout a small off the bite. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased the outflows to 4,500 cfs Thursday so they can capture heavy runoff during this weekend’s storms. That usually bodes poorly for fishing success. The surface temperature continues to yo-yo between 41 degrees and 42 degrees, and that has slowed the trout bite and made the bass bite terrible. Trolling should be best near the face of the dam, but stay away from the waters upstream of Peyton Bridge until the inflows die down dramatically.

LAKE of the WOODS – The ice is thick, and ice fishing continued to be good this past week near the resort, with catches of rainbow and brown trout and perch reported on worms and jigs.

FISH – The ice is good near the resort and the Forest Service boat ramp, but small effort has been made here thanks largely to deep snow on top of the ice. Ice fishing should be good, but, for those using worms and small jigs.

WILLOW – The lake received its first 4,500 legal-sized rainbows last week, and fishing for them should be good this weekend near the boat ramp with PowerBait, worms and small spinners. The county boat ramp is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ROGUE – The entire Rogue is up and out of shape, and things are only going to get worse over the weekend as heavy outflows from Lost Creek Lake and flood watch-level tributary flows swell the Rogue. That leaves the same best bet as last week — Kentucky and Kansas, which each should win their NCAA March Madness games Saturday, setting up a Monday championship game. Fishing, in small, will be a bust.

Flows out of Lost Creek Lake were 4,500 cfs Thursday afternoon in preparation for the latest string of storms. That takes away the option of wading or floating the stretch from the Hatchery Hole to Huge Butte Creek. That water will be clean enough for fishing but too high and moving to fast for very good success. Flows are projected Sunday at Dodge Bridge to eclipse 22,000 cfs and it gets worse from there.

When it slows down and conditions return to normal, the first few spring chinook salmon might be in the upper Rogue. The series of freshets should draw at least a handful of early-run springers to upper Rogue holes very soon. Winter steelhead will also be present, but look for a mix of dark and spawned-out fish to dominate the catches.

The middle Rogue will take longer to clear up, and when it does, the steelhead catches should be brilliant at high-water holes. Look for turbidity levels at Grants Pass to be down to 15 NTUs before hitting the middle Rogue.

In the lower Rogue, a bunch of fresh steelhead were caught by plunkers using large Spin-Glo’s before the water levels got extremely high this week. A flood warning is in effect for the weekend at Agness.

APPLEGATE – Releases from Applegate Lake jumped to 750 cfs Thursday as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepped the reservoir for weekend flood-control. That made the upper part of the river slow for steelhead. Fish are well-distributed, but the season ends Saturday night, and conditions likely won’t clear up by then. all wild steelhead must be released unharmed, and there is no fishing from a floating device.

UMPQUA – The system was up and out of shape for steelhead fishing.

CHETCO – The river was way out of shape Thursday, and the season closes Saturday night.

ELK/SIXES – Both are way high and out of shape, and both close to angling Saturday night.

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Fishermen have been focusing lately on five fish attractors place in by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in late 2010. These are mostly brush piles from orange tree and oak trees, providing excellent habitat.

In the past month, FWC biologists have found excellent numbers of bass 8 pounds and up in deep bulrushes.

Biologists measured 22 bass over 8 pounds, including several in the 10- and 11-pound classes and one over 12 pounds, during electro-shocking sampling the week of March 5. there were also seven bass in the 7-pound class.

Most of the bass were in deeper bulrushes, or reeds, where they were released unharmed after the biologists collected data.

Catching one of those released bass could place some money in your pocket.

Bill Pouder, the FWC regional administrator in the Lakeland office, said 15 of the 22 bass over 8 pounds were tagged.

“We’re doing a statewide study looking at trophy fish, and as part of the study, we are tagging these 8-pound-plus fish with reward tags,” Pouder said.

External yellow tags are about 4 inches long, placed along the dorsal fin, and simple to see. each tag has a number, reward value and phone number to call.

Pouder declined to say how much tags are worth, and I doubt they’re going to change anyone’s bank account much.

The FWC has also tagged bass on Lake Eloise in Winter Haven, Lake Istokpoga near Lake Placid, and Lake Tarpon in Pinellas County. And more Polk lakes will be electro-sampled like Walk-in-the-Water.

“Wherever we’re sampling throughout the state, fish that we get over 8 pounds are being tagged,” Pouder said.

The FWC says anglers should keep the tag and cut it off as close as possible to the fish’s body. Trying to yank tags out would likely harm the fish. Anglers should measure length and weight, note the location either keep or release the fish. they can call the phone number on the tag to report their catch, and send in the tag to receive the reward.

CHAIN O’ LAKES BAIT AND TACKLE CLOSING

Chain O’ Lakes Bait and Tackle in Dundee is closing on Saturday.

The shop has been owned by Gary Parramore the past 10 years, and it has been there since 1982.

Parramore ran a first-class shop and always had some of the best wild shiners around.

It is the second tackle shop in Polk County to close this month, along with Stone’s Outhouse in Lakeland.

“We had a lot of faithful, reliable customers throughout the years,” said Travis Cliett. “We met a lot of really nice people.”

Cliett said tackle will be on sale until Saturday.

BASS TOURNAMENTS

Wesley Wise and Derek Moore combined for 30.99 pounds to win the Accent Marine tournament on the Kissimmee Chain out of Camp Mack on Sunday. Gary Niemi and James Dyer missed first place by 0.06 pounds, placing second with 30.93 pounds. Bobby Wooten and Chad Stewart finished third with 29.90 pounds. Cole Hinman and Brent Howlett boated a 9.42-pounder for huge-bass honors and finished fourth with 27 3/4 pounds. Dennis Minton and Keith Brown were fifth with 26.76 pounds.

Joey Smith and Jason Eldridge won the Lake Wales Po’ Boys Classic on Lake Istokpoga Saturday and Sunday with 36.91 pounds, and Eldridge’s 6.77-pounder was tops on Sunday. Buddy Mongiovi and Justin Brown took second with 33.06 pounds, followed by Phil Hayes and Bobby Abbatoy with 30.90 pounds. Jim Zak’s 8.76-pounder was best on Saturday.

John Catlin and Rick Bateman compiled a 27.94-pound stringer on Lake Istokpoga Saturday to win the Outcasts Bass Club tournament. And Catlin netted a 7.03-pounder for huge-fish honors. Matt Bedenbaugh and Michael Bedenbaugh finished second with 20.68 pounds. Bill Braden and Gaither Davis were third with 16.69 pounds.

Ron English boated a 9.58-pounder and teamed with Jerry Peed to win the Dixie Country tournament on Lake Kissimmee March 17 with 17 1/4 pounds. Bud Thurston and Gary Slifko finished second with 14.74 pounds, followed by A.J. Kitchens and John Della with 14.64 pounds.

John Harwell Jr. won the Harwell’s ugly Sow Scramble, a three-day event on Lake Kissimmee with a group of 15 guys from Polk County, South Carolina and Georgia. He weighed 11 bass totaling 27 pounds, 14 ounces, including the big fish at 9 pounds, 2 ounces. Ross Batey was second with 12 bass totaling 20 3/4 pounds, and third went to Julian Ford with a dozen bass totaling 19 pounds, 7 ounces.

Joe Magnatta and Shorty Carter won the Sunday Open Series open tournament on the south Winter Haven chain Sunday with 12 1/4 pounds. Jack Alward and Willard Combee took second with two fish totaling 10 pounds, 14 ounces thanks to a 9-pounder.

Mike Boswell and Ryan Thomas won the Bartow High School Yellow Jackets Fishing Team tournament on Lake Kissimmee Saturday with 11.95 pounds, including Boswell’s 3.15-pounder. Jay Malys and Josh Parker took second with 3.95 pounds. Luke Ferguson and Jacob Rogers were third with 3.70 pounds.

[ 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. ]

On Monday, Gordon James, of Fort Lauderdale, and fellow attorneys Javier Rodriguez and Ray Abadin, of Miami, caught three cobias up to 30 pounds, two tripletails, including an 8-pounder, 15 redfish up to 6 pounds and seven sea trout up to 3 pounds fishing with Sanders on his boat My Girls. They also released a stingray and a Goliath grouper.

“It was just a fantastic day,” James said.

Fish of the week

Scott Knapp, of Aurora, Ohio, caught his first sailfish and he and his father, Jim, also caught nine dolphin, four of them gaffers, and four amberjacks, the largest nearly 90 pounds, fishing on L&H with Capt. Jimmy David.

Ariel Mendez, of Hialeah, caught five fish weighing 10.35 pounds Sunday to win the Broward County Jr. Bass Trail tournament at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. Jack DeChene, of Parkland, was second with a limit weighing 10.26. Austin Newland, of Sunrise, was third with a limit weighing 7.76. DeChene had the huge bass of 4.27. the 16 anglers caught and released a total of 64 fish. the trail concludes April 15 at Silent Waters Park in Deerfield Beach. Contact Bob Newland at 954-357-8816 or .

Capt. Alan Zaremba, of Hollywood, guided Chuck Muller, of Pembroke Pines, and Paul Ziegler, of New York, to a total of 47 peacock bass up to 7.5 pounds using jigs and floating Rapalas in three morning trips in the C-1, C-4 and C-8 canals. the following three days, Sam Oliver and his wife, Kay, of Hughesville, Md., caught a total of 50 peacocks and 12 largemouth bass fly fishing with Clouser minnows in the C-1, C-8 and L-30 canals. Brian White, of Addison, Texas, and Rufus Littig, of South Africa, caught 22 peacocks up to 5 pounds fly fishing with Clousers in the C-4.

Mark Sommer caught 33.55 pounds of fish Saturday and Sunday to win the Everglades Bassmasters of South Florida club tournament on Lake Kissimmee. Sommer also had the huge bass Saturday at 7.32 and the huge bass Sunday at 4.71. Dan Potts was second at 19.43, followed by Bob Gallik at 17.57, Ed Knorr at 13.52 and Manny Rodriguez at 12.4.

Upcoming events

“Finding Freedom on the Water” is 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the new West Marine superstore in Fort Lauderdale. the free event, which is open to the public, features disabled sailors discussing their experiences.

The 27th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show is Thursday through Sunday along Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach. among the hundreds of boats on display in the water will be three vessels from Neptune Group Yachting’s charter fleet — a 60-foot Hatteras, a 97-foot Hargrave and a 103-foot Johnson.

Among the exhibitors on land at the show are Albury Brothers Boats; artist David Wirth, who will have his newest wooden sculptures and T-shirts on display; IMS American Marine Electronics, which designs, installs and services electronics and entertainment systems; Baush-American Towers, which can modify existing towers or build new ones; and American Canvas and Interiors.

Anglers caught bass weighing 6.17 pounds, 6.33 pounds, 6.49 pounds, 6.51 pound, 6.84 pounds, and 8.53 pounds.

David Wright and Chris Brown, both of Lexington, topped the field with a five-fish catch totaling 23.91 pounds. Most of the fish hit shallow-running crankbaits. for their haul, the two anglers shared $490.

Randy Weddington and Ronnie Smith, both of China Grove, ranked second with 21.44 pounds and received $265. Their catch was anchored with a 6.87-pound bass, the second-largest fish of the day. Justin Goodyear of Thomasville and Tony Waterhouse of Lexington took third place with 20.73 pounds, winning $160.

Scott Harwood of Gold Hill and Jeff Roe of Salisbury placed fourth with 19.87 pounds and collected $122. Their stringer included a 6.49-pound bass.

Jack Vanderford of Salisbury captured the huge-fish award of $110.50 with a huge 8.53-pound bass that struck a Speed Trap crankbait fished at a secondary point.

Vanderford, who fished alone, weighed in only four fish but had the fifth one get away.

“it came off right at the boat,” said Vanderford. “The fish weighed about 5 pounds. If I had a partner to net the fish for me, I don’t think I would have lost it. but I’m happy I landed the 8 pounder. I don’t get to see many fish of that size.”

Tournament director Carl Benton wants to notify fishermen that the trail’s Fish-off has been moved to Nov. 3 to avoid conflicting with other tournaments.

The Tarheel Striper Club held a Feb. 25 tournament at Lake Norman, an impoundment shrouded in controversy over its declining striped bass population.

Striper kills at the lake have been attributed to poor oxygen levels caused either by excessively hot summer temperatures or thermal warming made by hot-water releases from the lake’s power plants. The latter cause, cited by some local anglers, has not gain support from Duke Energy or N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission fisheries biologists who attribute the lake’s problems to a forage base of blue herring that lures hungry stripers to oxygen-depleted zones from which the stripers can’t escape.

Despite the struggling striper fishery, Tarheel Club members experienced honest fishing for stripers at Norman.

Robert Steele of Lexington and David Woodward of Charlotte took the first-place cash award by catching three stripers, the club limit, that weighed 16.40 pounds.

Johnny Young and Janet Bruner placed second with two stripers weighing 8.40 pounds. bill Sharpling and Chris Osborne had one keeper, a 7.50 pound striper that captured the huge-fish award for the day and third place.

Aaron and Isiah Miller ranked fourth with one fish that went 6.30 pounds, and John Thompson and Chad Evans took fifth with a 5.45-pound striped bass.

Mark Bayse of Thomasville and Todd Gibson of Archdale placed second at the March 3 Springhill Outfitters Piedmont Bass Classic Open event at Shearon Harris Lake. Their catch of 22.78 pounds paid $400.

The NCWRC has completed renovations at the Gaston Boating Access Area in Northampton County in time to serve the numerous fishermen who visit the Roanoke River in March to try for shad and striped bass during their spawning runs.

The Gaston site features a new ramp with a floating dock and a paved parking lot which includes parking spaces for the vehicles of bank fishermen.

The NCWRC has now renovated nine of its 10 sites along the Roanoke River with several sites having fishing piers. all are ADA accessible.

“Come March, anglers flock to the Roanoke River for fantastic shad fishing, followed closely by arm-wrenching striper fishing,” said Erik Christofferson, chief of the Commission’s Division of Engineering Services. “some of our access areas along the river have lines of up to 100 cars waiting to launch. with newer, better lots, more launch lanes and more accessible sites, our ramps along the Roanoke are better than ever.”

Access area renovations were made possible by funding from the Sports Fish Restoration Program and motorboat registration receipts.

Tony Garitta is a fishing columnist for The Dispatch.

By Peter Ottesen March 21, 2012 12:00 AM

Murky water from Northern California runoff extends through major rivers and sloughs. more is expected throughout the week.

Striped bass basically shut down because of the muddy water. The bite was excellent last week for trollers – some catching up to 40 fish a day – on the West Bank, Ancient Dairy and points west. On Sunday, runoff and wind squelched the bite, and it hasn’t returned.

The trick for catching striped bass is to seek the cleanest water or areas that will clear first, such as the Mokelumne River and its upper reaches in Hog, Sycamore and Beaver sloughs. Striped bass, 18 inches to 8 pounds, are being caught.

Ron Halvsorson at Thornton Road Bait touts Dad’s Point off Monte Diablo Boulevard in Stockton, where striped bass to 5 pounds are showing. Boaters drift live minnows to take them.

Sardines are enticing stripers 12 to 15 pounds for field scout Roberto Ponce, who casts whole sardines into Potato Slough.

With muddy water, many anglers are switching to sturgeon, which seem to relish the turbid conditions that wash plenty of food into the system. Eel, grass shrimp, ghost shrimp and pile worms fished separately or in combination do the number on sturgeon above the Rio Vista bridge and into Cache, Shag and Prospect sloughs. Farther west on the Sacramento River, sturgeon are active at Light 17 below Decker Island, Collinsville, Roe and Ryer islands, Suisun Cut and Grizzly Bay.

Black bass fishing isn’t simple, but some mighty big fish are willing to hit crankbaits and swimbaits, reported Dave Sanchez at The Outdoor Sportsman. Sunday’s Stockton Bass team tournament produced a 14.2-pound monster for Gary Hall of Linden, and a winning five-fish bag that weighed 33 pounds – better than a 6-pound average. The second-heaviest weight was 31 pounds.

In all, 18 of 32 teams weighed five-fish limits during the one-day tournament.

Sanchez, who directs tournaments for Stockton Bass, said his monthly events run exclusively out of Ladd’s Marina, on the Calaveras River. The next event is April 22.

Freshwater clams and cut baits – anchovies and sardines – work well for a variety of catfish.

Ocean – Storms and wind will keep charter boats in port. Most are pulling maintenance and last-minute repairs before the start of recreational salmon fishing on April 7.

San Pablo Bay – Insufficient runoff allows salty water to intrude far up the bay, attracting no end to bait-stealing juvenile crabs. Anglers can’t keep mudshrimp on their hooks. Striped bass and halibut fishing is real slow.

American – Watch for the water to clear, and when it does, drift jumbo minnows or cast jigs for striped bass. a excellent location is from the Jibboom Street bridge to Cal Expo.

Feather – Recent storms turn the lower river dirty from Shanghai Bend to Boyd Pump. Before the water got muddy striped bass fishing was excellent with live jumbo minnows, Pencil Poppers and Rapalas lures. a few bass reach 20 pounds. Keep in contact with Johnson’s Bait in Yuba City for the latest conditions. The bass are here.

Mokelumne – Try red eggs, nightcrawlers, flies and silver spoons for steelhead, which seem to be filling pools just below Camanche Dam.

Amador – Brilliant fishing for trout, 3 to 14 pounds from either the shore or boat. Florida-strain largemouth bass to 10 pounds are caught on grubs.

Camanche - if you troll for trout, go fast, 2.5 to 3 miles per hour, and tow Rapalas or wobbling lures. Power Bait dunkers anchor off the dam, Houseboat Cove or near Hat Island over 20 feet of water, or fish from the shore off North Shore Peninsula. Trout to 9.24 pounds were caught this week on Power Bait. Most rainbows run 16 inches to 2 pounds. Two trout derbies are on tap: Central Valley Anglers on Saturday and Kokanee Power on March 31. Black bass fishing is slow, with fish in 10 to 25 feet.

Hogan – Brilliant striped bass bite, mainly on white jigs and flukes, with many of the larger fish going 6 to 8 pounds, according to Dave Sanchez at The Outdoor Sportsman. Cut baits also will yield stripers.

Los Vaqueros – On excellent days, 40 to 50 striped bass are weighed at the entry kiosk. On slower days, the total is more like 10 to 15. All the action is on anchovies, shad or sardines. Stripers range from 18 inches to 8 pounds, according to field scout Chris Senti. The most recent trout plant was March 5. The bite is slow, with the only trout showing from South Cove. Only the south entrance is open, with no services provided until later in spring.

New Melones – The trout and kokanee bites slow with the heavy rain and runoff. a Saturday bass fishing tournament produced a 13.88-pound bag for the winning team that included a 4.43-pound big fish. Soft plastics, either Carolina or drop shot rigged, produced best. of 47 teams, 23 came in with 9-pound or larger sacks. Glory Hole Sports hosts its free all-day fishing seminar on April 14 in Angels Camp.

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Published: Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 7:48 p.m. last Modified: Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 7:48 p.m.

1 At Huge Pier 60 in Clearwater, good week for nice trout, with everybody getting limits including one over 20 inches on live shrimp, reports Larry Holder. Spanish mackerel in mornings, and a few sheepshead. Water temperature 73.1 at noon Thursday, up from 68.5 last week. Pier opens 24 hours starting April 1.

2 At Madeira Beach, larger kingfish have arrived off the beaches during the past week with the water temperature rising to 70 degrees, reports Capt. Jason Lineberger. He saw a boat at the dock Saturday with a pair of 35-pounders that came out of 18 feet. Lineberger said Spanish mackerel, bonita and sharks — blacktips and spinners — are mixed with kings on hard bottom in 15- to 21-foot range near Redington Pier. Grouper bite very strong in 45-60 feet, but season closed. at 80 feet and beyond, Lineberger said amberjack and goliath grouper are solid. And there’s silver trout, and tripletail around crab buoys in 26 feet.

3 At John’s Pass, lot of activity off the beaches for kingfish and Spanish mackerel, but the inside flats are hopping for trout, catch-and-release snook and redfish.

4 At Fort DeSoto Park, anglers can target kingfish, Spanish mackerel and sharks in the Egmont Channel, and Capt. Jason Lineberger said there’s been a few blackfin tuna around the Whistler Buoy. Inshore action good for trout and redfish this week with calmer winds, with Tarpon Key a good area, said Larry Mastry.

5 Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, keeper trout and catch-and-release snook keeping lines tight all week for Capt. Shawn Crawford of Lakeland (941-747-3856). Crawford was releasing a 35-inch snook at noon Thursday, and also had a 31-incher. his anglers released 35-40 snook on Wednesday, all on greenbacks. Simple limits of trout daily and a few over 20 inches. Huge black drum still holding around Skyway flats and picking up crabs, pinfish and shrimp, reports Capt. Jason Lineberger. Crawford had a 35-inch redfish this week, but it was the only one over-slot, and reds have been tough. Fish are moving a lot day to day. Greenbacks not thick enough to net on flats yet, so Crawford going to Skyway. But water is 68-72 degrees.

6 At Anna Maria, kingfish pretty thick at 5 miles off the island up to the Egmont Channel, said Capt. Shawn Crawford. He said a fellow captain boated kings into the 30-pound class nonstop for 2 1/2 hours Wednesday. on the beach, there’s pompano and huge flounder in surf, Crawford said. And Spanish mackerel should be increasing off the beaches. Trout going strong in Sarasota Bay, with catch-and-release snook mixed in.

7 At St. Petersburg, variety of species to target with spring weather. Redfish and trout are turned on pretty good on flats, with Pinellas Point a good spot, said Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889). Catch-and-release snook are on the flats as well. It’s prime time for sheepshead. Spanish mackerel are running flats and along shipping channel. And there’s even early season tarpon at the bridges — Skyway, Gandy.

8 In the north end of Tampa Bay, consistent bite around Double Branch for redfish 22-27 inches, reports Capt. Jason Lineberger of Tampa (813-363-9474). He’s also connecting with catch-and-release snook around Bishop’s Harbor on incoming tides.

Elsewhere

On the Space Coast, good week for cobia up to 40 inches and slot redfish, reports Capt.Keith Mixon of Lakeland (mixinworkwithplay.com). Cobia at Port Canaveral on live eels and live crabs fished near reefs such as “8A” reef located at coordinates N28 28.990 W80 20.170. Bright sunny days and cool conditions best for finding cobia. Redfish averaging 24 inches in Indian River north of Titusville on scented jerk-baits like Bass Assassin’s Bone Diamond 5-inch Salt Water Shad rigged weedless on Chartreuse Flash 1/4-ounce Long Shank Jig-head just after first light in 3 feet or less.

At Fort Pierce, snook are still real good, mostly at night around the South Bridge on 2-ounce Redtail Hawk jigs, but there’s also some in the hole at the inlet early and late on live baits, reports Capt. Steve Anderson (stillwaterguideservice.com) at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637). Trout good on flats and redfish mostly around docks. Black drum 3-5 pounds off Roosevelt and North bridges. been too rough to go offshore.

Published: Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 2:28 a.m. last Modified: Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 2:28 a.m.

Stone’s Outhouse is closing its doors on March 31, and possibly sooner.

Brent Howlett has owned the tackle shop on Edgewood Drive in South Lakeland for almost 5 1/2 years.

The shop has been a fixture in the Lakeland fishing scene since 1979, when Bob Stone founded the business.

But reduced sales because of the sagging economy is forcing Howlett to declare bankruptcy.

“There’s been a lot of stressful nights staying up and trying to figure out routes we can go to make it work,” said Howlett, who has operated the business with his wife.

“I wouldn’t do it again, but I loved the people and the camaraderie of my loyal customers,” Howlett said. “I don’t regret it at all. I’ve learned a lot on the business aspects side of it.”

Howlett, 31, purchased the shop from Stone in 2007.

“Total sales have dropped significantly in the past three years,” Howlett said. “The first two years were fantastic. but ’09, ’10 and ’11 were tough.”

Howlett said the economy is the primary culprit. but he said Internet stores like Tackle Warehouse, Tackle Direct and Blackhawk Custom Outfitters, as well as eBay, have taken business away because of the convenience for customers wanting to save money on tackle and even the cost of gas. Stores like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s didn’t impact Howlett’s business too much, he said.

Howlett said it is hard for shops to exist solely on selling tackle, rods and reels.

“All the big shops that survived don’t just do tackle. they have clothing and accessories, marine equipment, it’s almost like an outfitter,” Howlett said. “There’s no money in just tackle, in my opinion.”

Last year, sales of more expensive rods and reels were down 50 percent from 2010, he said.

“People wanted the $30 to $70 rods and the $20 to $60 reels. That’s what they could afford,” Howlett said.

Long-time customers of Stone’s Outhouse, myself included, are sad to see the shop close after 33 years.

“They despise it. Everybody’s kind of down in the dumps about it,” Howlett said.

Stone’s Outhouse has always been a popular spot, whether it’s to stock up on fishing gear, hang out or chew the stout. And Howlett has always been more than accommodating to the wants of his clientele, knowledgeable about keeping the best lures and tackle in stock, and ordering it if he didn’t.

Now his customers are going to have to shop elsewhere, maybe even online.

Keith Albritton took top honors in the Camp Mack Open One-Man tournament Saturday on the Kissimmee Chain with 20.90 pounds. Doc Swango finished second with 16.68 pounds. Robert Lane was third with 15.14 pounds, followed by James Malone with 15.09 pounds. Charlie Rost had 14.07 pounds for fifth. David Crews produced the largest bass at 7.97 pounds.

Jim Zak and Dave Harrod claimed huge-bass and overall honors in the old Farts Fishing Club tournament on Lake Walk-in-the-Water March 1. Harrod’s 9.50-pound anchored a 15 1/2-pound stringer. Audrey Dawson and Charlie Tanner finished second with 3.80 pounds, followed by Harry Myers and Harry Welling (3 1/2).

John Myers and Reggie Bush combined for 14.70 pounds to win the Xtreme Series Kissimmee Division tournament Sunday with 14.90 pounds and the largest bass at 4.19 pounds. Bruce Vann and Daniel Gaskins finished second with 9.67 pounds. Mitchell Massey and Corley Smith placed third with 4.45 pounds.

Barry Edie won the Lakeland Hawg Hunters tournament on Lake Istokpoga Sunday with 11 pounds, 10 ounces, most of it on a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass. John Gasperak finished second with 5 1/2 pounds, followed by Derek Boswell with 3 pounds, 14 ounces.

[ 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. ]

The temporary boat ramp at Orange Springs was finished and usable more than a week ago. Downriver and slightly lower in elevation, the temporary ramp at Kenwood was not ready by early Wednesday, but the parking area had been scraped to offer hard-packed sand, and the launch ramp was expected to be finished “any day.” By the time you read this, the Kenwood launch site is likely in use.

Saturday, Kris Akridge tried out his home lake, Alto. with speckled perch in mind, he drifted Hal Glide jigs out in the midlake depths. But on this day, only yearling bass seemed interested in proven crappie producers. when he called it a day, the Hampton angler had released 25 small largemouths that seemed interested only in orange-colored speck jigs.

Determined to catch speckled perch, Akridge and his friend, Roger Hickson, went Sunday to the place they felt was surest to produce. They tried to launch at Kenwood early that morning, and after finding the access gate still locked, drove the small distance to Orange Springs. there, they launched easily. although it was still early, the men were surprised that only eight trucks with empty boat trailers sat parked along the river channel. Fishing Beetle Spins and minnows “in open pockets in the hydrilla” in the river Akridge and Hickson took more than 50 specks, releasing all but the largest 33 fish. when they ramped out, at least fifty boat trailers sat parked on the newly exposed river bank at the ramp.

Dennis Hart and his sons, Lee and Lake, started visiting Rodman as soon as they learned the temporary ramp at Orange Springs was finished. Saturday, the Alachua anglers cast soft plastics, crankbaits, and rattling jigs in the river channel to catch and release 30 stout bass up to 5 pounds. That was so much fun they returned Monday to boat 25 more fish. among these, Lee took a 5-pound beauty and Lake nailed a fine 7-pound specimen. Wednesday, Dennis and Lake launched at Orange Springs again. This day offered the fastest bite — forty bigmouths topped by a 5-pound chunk and four more solid fish about 4 pounds each.

It was once a whispered-about secret of area bass and speck fishers, but Lake Wauburg hasn’t made the fishing report much at all through recent years. in fact, the smallish lake just south of Paynes Prairie on Highway 441 has received small attention from area anglers. Ryan Sullivan and Megan Ouellette think it’s still pretty excellent. the UF sweeties were casting along a Wauburg shoreline Friday evening when a demanding tussle arrived suddenly. the watermelon-colored Bass Assassin Tapout that Megan cast to a boat dock produced a solid bite, and it wasn’t long before the young couple knew that this was a big fish.

Following a drag-slipping battle complete with gill-rattling leaps and round-and-round the boat bulldogging, Ryan netted Megan’s big bass. after admiring and photographing the beauty, they released the whopper that they estimated at between 7 and 8 pounds.

Just as the dewatered Rodman Reservoir is in the crosshairs of freshwater anglers, Suwannee has to be considered the center of fish-catching along the gulf coast.

Allen Martin and Dan Dorosheff are among the league of anglers that have enjoyed fantastic Suwannee action recently. the Lake City fishermen tight-lined shrimp in creeks near the river’s mouth last Tuesday to take 25 redfish. Fourteen of the reds were “slot fish” from 20- to 25-inches long. the most fascinating part of their tale, though, was the variety of species drawn by their baits. Using spinning tackle with relatively light line, they caught reds, speckled trout, sheepshead, flounder, black drum, and stumpknockers. Martin figures that had to qualify them for a “Suwannee Slam.”

Suwannee fishers with a bent toward competition should check into fishing Santa Fe High School’s 4th Annual Raider Slam Inshore Tournament coming up Jan. 7 out of Suwannee Marina. Cash prizes will be awarded in Redfish, Trout, and Bass categories. for more, contact Mike Metzler (352) 213-3743 or Dennis Hart (352) 284-9243.

Last weekend in Islamorada, a pair of very young Gainesville anglers scored an impressive victory. T.J. Bowen (8), and Philip Hess (9), third-graders at Gainesville Country Day School, were named Grand Champions of the 47th Annual 2011 Islamorada Junior Sailfish Tournament. Fishing aboard “Contagious” with Capt. Brian Cone and Shannon Attales, the boys released 8 sailfish — including a 70-pounder — during the two days of competition. It was an incredibly successful first sailfishing experience for the boys who responded to their victory by Tebowing. Fantastic job, guys!

Gary Simpson, a veteran tournament angler, operates Gary’s Tackle Box at L & S Trim.