BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

To the editor:in reference to HB 353 and Rep. Darrell McCormick, R-Iredell, do he and the Coastal Conservation Association even listen to what they say? If you read their own propaganda, the commercial catch numbers for these species — red drum, speckled trout and striped bass — are minimal. even with the minimal by-catch, there is still a significant loss of fish, according to CCA reports.North Carolina Marine Fisheries admits the numbers they work with are not accurate. If the facts CCA waves around are what they believe, these species are declining without commercial help. Alas, could catch limits or catch-and-release numbers be incorrect?on any fall day, you can count 50 to 60 different boats every three to four hours at the rock jetty at Cape Lookout. That is not even a busy day, and some boats are there all night. Suppose not everyone catches a limit, but most are practicing catch and release. You catch a fish, sometimes on lures with treble hooks, pull ’em into the boat, do your best to hold the fish, remove the hooks and release the fish. Sounds excellent — except that the fish was dropped on the floor, picked up with a towel or held tightly in your hand to remove the hooks. this removes the protective slime from the skin of these fish, increasing the risk for parasites or disease. there are some mortality rate numbers for these fish, but they were done by people with the best intentions, not your average fisherman. McCormick and CCA pitch numbers as to how small the commercial catch is versus (supposedly) $30 million in recreational money. McCormick says these fish can still be marketable when the recreation fishers take these fish home to share with friends (seems like sort of a select group). According to their own numbers, the catch-and-release crowd will be out of fish soon with no help from anyone. If this group really wants to help those fish, they would do what they want everyone else to do — leave them alone. You can have some limit, but stop this so-called fun fishing if these species are as stressed as they pretend. It would appear that some user groups want their cake and want to eat it too.If McCormick is so concerned with fisheries, he could work on pollution issues with his own district. Central North Carolina working on controlling the crap they send us via our rivers to contaminate our waters would be much more important than trying to enact HB 353 that even N.C. Marine Fisheries admits is crazy.a privileged few are trying to control a public resource. even with the numbers they use, it makes no sense. But numbers can be made to lie and liars like numbers.These fish are probably more important to me than most, as I have made my living for 20-plus years n the charter fishing industry and these species are a part of my income. It is hard to believe the greed and arrogance of several groups that want to waste a resource that is caught by accident from being used. this minimal by-catch is income for not only fishermen, but markets and restaurants.Should these fish be fed to the crabs, caught for fun or used as a viable resource? Robert C. Sandlin Jr.Harkers Island

• Fishing trawler sinks in Bass Strait
• EPA trying to contain 500m oil slick
• Skipper returns blood alcohol reading above .05

A TRAWLER skipper faces criminal charges after his fishing vessel hit rocks and sank with 30,000 litres of diesel on board off Point Nepean.

The Environment Protection Authority last night was trying to contain a 500m oil spill in Bass Strait caused by the accident, which is under police investigation.

An oil response crew worked frantically to minimise the south-facing oil slick yesterday afternoon before the tide turned and it was pushed towards dolphin sanctuaries and marine parks in Port Phillip Bay.

Six people were rescued from the Lady Cheryl, a 27m commercial vessel, after it hit a submerged reef and began taking water.

Police say the "extremely experienced and qualified" mariner returned a blood alcohol reading in excess of 0.05 after being rescued.

He and his crew were dramatically plucked from the sinking boat in 6m swells by Port Phillip Sea Pilots, who responded to the trawler’s mayday call about 1.05am.

The vessel was travelling out of Port Phillip Heads from Melbourne on a 10-day fishing trip when the incident occurred.

Water Police Sgt Andrew Lilly said the rescued men owed their lives to the sea pilots, who maintain a 24-hour presence at nearby Queenscliff.

"The pilots are very experienced seamen who have often figured in rescues in this notorious stretch of water," he said.

Sgt Lilley said charges were pending against the skipper, a 42-year-ancient Warrnambool man, who was released after being interviewed by police.

"The weather, the conditions obviously played a part and alcohol also played a part," he said.

"We can’t establish which the major contributing factor was at this stage."

After foundering, the vessel came to rest on a sandbar in 10m of water off Point Nepean, on the eastern side of the notorious Rip.

Rescue crews had hoped to tow the vessel to safety yesterday but took hours to go it, fearing it might break up and spill fuel as well as the 300 litres of hydraulic fluid and 500 litres of commercial lubricant on board.

Oil spill experts will assess how to siphon fluids from the trawler before the salvage crew tries to refloat it.

State Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, told the Marine Fisheries Committee that federal dredging dollars are drying up and that the state must find money to keep help keep inlets open for fishermen and other boaters. he said he believed a dredging funding bill could be considered by the General Assembly in this year’s small session, which starts in May.

“It’s an issue that’s not going away,” Brown said. “It’s going to get tougher as we go forward.”

State Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, suggested that marine fuel tax revenues be used for dredging. She said automobile gas taxes help funds roads, so it makes since that marine fuel taxes would pay for projects on the water.

Currently, a part of marine fuel taxes in North Carolina goes to the state’s highway fund.

No other funding thoughts were immediately brought up by the committee, which met Thursday afternoon in Raleigh. The Marine Fisheries Committee is a group of lawmakers meeting in between legislative sessions to explore various coastal issues, from the controversial gamefish proposal to dredging funding.

Rep. Danny McComas, R-New Hanover, said he agreed that dredging funding should be addressed by the Legislature.

“We need to place all the (funding) thoughts we can come up with on the table,” he said.

The chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, Warren Judge, told the committee that Oregon Inlet is “our road to work,” referring to the thousands of area residents who rely on the inlet for their livelihoods. he agreed that there won’t be enough federal funding in coming years to keep inlets open in the state.

“That inlet is so valuable to us,” he said. “It’s valuable to our economy.”

Meanwhile, the gamefish proposal came up only briefly Thursday. a highly controversial bill sitting in a House committee would designate red drum, spotted sea trout and striped bass as “gamefish,” allowing them to be caught by rod and reel only and prohibiting their sale or purchase in North Carolina. The bill is supported by most recreational fishermen but opposed by the commercial fishing industry.

McElraft suggested that commercial and recreational fishermen go through arbitration to talk through their issues instead of battling through the media.

“I just reckon we really need to have them listen to each other’s plight,” she said.

But Brown, a committee chairman, said the sponsor of the gamefish legislation, Rep. Darrell McCormick, plans to pursue the bill’s passage in the 2012 small session. There will be time for debate then, Brown said.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said.

The committee also debated a proposal to transfer the Division of Marine Fisheries from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the Wildlife Resources Commission. Advocates for the change said they believed it could eliminate operational redundancies between the departments and save money. But several committee members said a choice shouldn’t be made without further study.

Brown said the issue may be too complex to be taken up by lawmakers this year.

The committee also briefly talked about providing additional funding to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to expand its marketing of the state’s seafood industry.

State Sen. bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, echoed others’ sentiments when he asked, “Where are we going to find that money?”

No votes were taken by the committee on Thursday. Brown said he planned to have draft legislation on a number of issues at the committee’s next meeting. The committee would then choose whether to recommend the legislation to the full General Assembly.

Patrick Gannon: (919) 854-6115

On Twitter: @StarNewsPat

Specifically, Oceana is disputing the U.S. government?s choice to allow these fisheries to injure and kill more loggerhead sea turtles without adequately assessing the aggregate impacts of the fisheries on this species. Oceana says the fisheries harm leatherback, Kemp?s ridley, and green sea turtles as well, and those species also would benefit from proper assessments of the fisheries? impacts.?

?The U.S. needs to ensure that fisheries kill fewer sea turtles, not more,? said Beth Lowell, campaign director at Oceana. ?These decisions should not be made without considering all of the impacts affecting these sea turtle populations.?

Oceana?s complaint addresses biological opinions for eight federal fisheries, including those for monkfish and for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass, which are responsible for the highest levels of sea turtle bycatch in the region. Biological opinions are part of the consultation and review process when a federal agency authorizes commercial activities that are expected to harm or kill a species protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Although these decisions came on the same day and were even announced in the same press release, the analysis for each fishery did not adequately account for the increased number of sea turtles harmed by the other seven fisheries, according to Oceana.

?It is absurd to pretend that each fishery operates in a vacuum,? said Beth Lowell, campaign director at Oceana. ?This is like saying that if each of the eight fisheries kills five sea turtles, then only five were killed, not 40. what the U.S. government is doing simply does not add up.?

Oceana is calling on the U.S. to implement simple solutions to protect and restore sea turtle populations in the Atlantic, including the requirement of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in trawls that allow sea turtles to escape after being unintentionally caught, adopting adequate monitoring of fisheries that catch sea turtles, capping the allowable catch of sea turtles and where necessary closing areas for fishing when and where sea turtles are present.

A Statofortress overshadows the small Warthog

By Craig MastersThe announcement came this week that the historic 97 building complex covering over 2 million square feet of aircraft manufacturing and support facilities in Wichita, Kansas will be shuttered by Boeing. The total impact to the area is only imaginable for now, but the 2,200 lost jobs will certainly have a ripple affect across the entire local economy. Supporting businesses, retailers, even restaurants and hotels will suffer in the crossfire of this latest skirmish between the great American aircraft manufacturer and the Obama tribunal of the departments of Labor, Justice and the IRS.

The Wichita facility is the home of two of America’s great military aircraft, the World War II era B-29 Superfortress and the magnificent B-52 Stratofortress which, with proposed modifications, could continue to patrol the skies with atomic bombs for another 20 years as it has for the past 60.

Currently, the Wichita facility has been focused on modifications and upgrades of military aircraft. The recent award of a contract to build a tanker based on Boeing’s 767 was expected to breathe new jobs and vitality to the enormous facility. but the grueling process of competing for the KC-46 tanker contract forced the privately owned American manufacturer to compete in a low-price bidding war with the European socialists backed competitor EADS in what was called the KC-X contest.

As a result of the price shoot-out with the foreign government subsidized rival, Boeing is struggling to avoid a loss on the first batch of 17 KC-46 tankers that it is making for the U.S. Air Force. Moving the tanker line to a much smaller facility near Puget Sound, Washington, puts it closer to where the 767′s are built. If the company can survive the initial 17 plane contract, it should be set to profit from future contracts if the 179 plane program is allowed to continue in the current period of defunding the defense department.

But building planes more economically is only part of the strategy to save Boeing owners from having their property confiscated by the administration like what happened to GM owners. The Obama administration has more weapons than just the recently dropped labor board lawsuit. The IRS has opened intense investigations into the company’s records. Such investigations cost taxpayers millions and even if not one dime is gained in return, the company’s cost to comply with the ‘fishing expedition’ will be extensive in money and distractions of management.

In discussing the closure of the Wichita facility, Mark Bass, VP in the modifications and upgrade sector, explained, ” We know that there are many more hard decisions ahead of us. Labor costs are higher here than other sites.” he went on to clarify that competitors in the refit and upgrade business are operating with “just two hangars and an office building.”

The 2,200 jobs lost in Kansas will be offset by approximately 200 new jobs in Puget Sound, and an estimated 1,100 to 1,400 new jobs at company facilities in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, according to Bass. but those jobs too, may fall victim to government intrusion and defense budget cuts which will have a ripple affect into the company’s commercial business.

According to the web site Military.com, the bottom line is: the intransigence, gridlock and dysfunction that have plagued Washington will only get worse until the election — and probably remain in effect afterward. Congressional defense advocates will battle desperately against the sequestration threat, but they didn’t have enough oomph to break the logjam this year, so there’s no reason to reckon they’ll have any more luck in 2012.

In December, Sandra Erwin writes in National Defense Magazine: “Pentagon suppliers are headed for a period of ‘turbulence,’” says retired Air Force Gen. Charles F. Wald, director of Deloitte Services, a consulting firm. “Companies will be consolidating, downsizing, shedding overhead and striving to maintain their core skills,” he says.

In another NDM issue article, Dan Gouré, VP at the Lexington Institute defense industry reckon tank, estimates that many contractors have about a one-to-two-year window to make drastic decisions, such as whether to stick around or exit the market. “You already saw companies such as ITT, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems” shedding assets, he says. “They’ll either get out or buy up others’ assets and hope like heck that things turn around. … If you’re not in position over the next year for the beginning of the train wreck you’re going to be out of luck.”

And while the administration continues its union-backed attack on America’s industry, …the IAM has filed a separate civil suit against South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley, who took office last January, accusing her of suppressing the right of Boeing workers to join a union. Haley bitterly denounced the union in a guest editorial in the April 29 edition of the Wall Street Journal. “We don’t need unions playing middleman between our companies and our employees,” she wrote. “We don’t want them forcefully inserted into our promising business climate.” a fellow South Carolinian, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said: “This is nothing more than a political favor for the unions who are supporting President Obama’s re-election campaign. unfortunately, it comes at the expense of hundreds of jobs in South Carolina and thousands of jobs nationwide.”

Meanwhile, the workers in South Carolina voted 199-68 to decertify the IAM as its sole bargaining representative shortly after the announcement of the expansion.

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Researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) are now working with commercial fishermen to collect and share fisheries data in a cooperative venture that promises to build trust and foster the mutual goal of sustainable and profitable fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic and new England regions.

The VIMS team, led by fisheries scientists Rob Latour, Chris Bonzek, and Jim Gartland, is a key part of NEAMAP—the NorthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program. the NEAMAP Mid-Atlantic/Southern new England Near Shore Trawl Survey team at VIMS also includes Jameson Gregg, Evan McOmber, Deb Gauthier, Melanie Chattin, Greg Mears, Kristene Parsons, and Kevin Spanik.

Since 2007, the VIMS team has partnered for one spring and one fall survey each year with the crew of the fishing vessel Darana R, a 90-foot commercial trawler out of Hampton, Virginia. the boat is captained by Jimmy Ruhle from Wanchese, North Carolina, with help from mates Bobby Ruhle and Rigo Rodriguez. When not doing survey work, the trio mainly fishes squid and herring.

Gartland, who leads the VIMS team at sea, says “The way we conduct our survey—cooperative research where scientists team up with commercial fishermen—is coming more into favor. one of its huge advantages is that it allows us, as scientists, to do what we’re best at—data collection and analysis, and lets the fisherman do what they’re best at—fishing and making the gear work correctly and consistently. Putting that together makes a great partnership.”

Each survey keeps the team at sea for four to five weeks depending on weather and other factors. They tow a trawl net for 20 minutes at 150 randomly selected sites per cruise, in inshore waters from Cape Hatteras north to Cape Cod. all told, they’ve spent 262 days at sea during the last 4 years, plus countless hours in the lab at VIMS processing samples and analyzing data.

Their data—recording factors such as length, weight, age, sex ratio, and diet—have now been used to help manage commercially and recreationally vital species throughout the coastal waters of the northeastern U.S. these include spot, croaker, drum, summer flounder, and weakfish in the more southerly waters, and black sea bass, scup, squid, spiny dogfish, and winter flounder toward the north. NOAA’s latest estimate of the annual ex-vessel value of commercial landings from these waters is $283 million (2008 data).

“The selection of a team from VIMS to manage this interstate survey reflects the reputation our scientists have earned through decades of monitoring work in Chesapeake Bay,” says VIMS Dean and Director John Wells. “Their work helps ensure sustainable fisheries not only along the Atlantic seaboard, but also in the Bay, since many of the fishes they monitor spend considerable time in local waters both as juveniles and adults.”

Praise for the survey also comes from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, who in a letter to former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke wrote “The Inshore Ocean Trawl Survey is a model of cooperative research… along with new York, NEAMAP surveys will benefit all of the Atlantic coast states north of South Carolina.”

Even though the researchers keep only five fish of each species and size group (small, medium, and large) for full analysis per tow—quickly identifying, weighing, measuring, and releasing the rest—their workload rapidly adds up. In 2010 alone, they caught and released 1,087,000 fishes weighing approximately 171,961 pounds, recorded the length of 143,642 of those, and spent months in the lab studying the stomach contents of 7,586 fishes and using ear bones to age 10,434 others. all told, the team has so far recorded 146 different species, including boreal, temperate, and tropical forms.

Researchers Cameron Ward and Jameson Gregg from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science process fish samples in the on-board lab during a NEAMAP Trawl Survey cruise. Credit: Photo by David Malmquist/VIMS.

Fishery-Independent Data

An vital aspect of the VIMS NEAMAP survey is that it provides “fishery-independent” data. unlike “fisheries-dependent” data—information from fishermen and dealers regarding catch, landings, and effort—fisheries-independent data are designed to be free from vagaries introduced by changes in factors such as fuel costs, fishing gear, market price, and consumer demand. They are thus much more suitable for assessing the true population characteristics of a particular species.

“Fisheries-dependent data give managers and scientists a picture of the fishery,” says Bonzek, “while fisheries-independent data, over the long term, provide information on the stock status of a species.”

The NEAMAP team ensures the validity of their data by sampling in a consistent manner from cruise-to-cruise and year-to-year. whereas commercial fishermen will readily change to a more efficient net and move to where the fish are in an attempt to optimize their target catch, NEAMAP teams always use a standardized trawl net and sample randomly within their study area.

“We select our tows using a stratified random design,” says Gartland. “That means we break the survey up into different regions and use a computer to randomly select tows within each. That ensures that we have excellent spatial coverage and statistical validity.”

The team’s net—a 3-bridle, 4-seam bottom trawl—was specifically designed for survey work by an advisory panel that included commercial fishermen, trawl-gear manufacturers, academic scientists, and federal researchers at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC).

During each tow, the scientists and crew use electronic sensors to ensure that the net’s “wingspread,” “door-spread,” and “headrope height” remain within accepted values. “When you’re working with a survey net you want consistency so that your data are comparable across tows and surveys,” says Gartland. “That way, you can tell if a species is on the increase, the decrease, or holding steady.”

“Consistency in the performance of the survey gear ensures consistency in the catch data,” adds Latour. “The more robust and sound the data, the more effective the fisheries management program.”

Filling a “Data Gap”

NEAMAP was established in 2006 to meet the needs of fisheries management and stock assessment in the marine waters of the northeastern U.S. It complements a similar program called SEAMAP (Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program), which operates from Cape Hatteras south into the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Neither NEAMAP nor SEAMAP was designed to replace existing fishery programs, but rather to coordinate and standardize procedures and improve data quality and accessibility among existing programs—whether state or federal.

The impetus for this NEAMAP survey, which was established by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2003, was a concern that existing surveys weren’t collecting enough data from inshore waters to effectively manage certain fisheries along the lengthy stretch of seaboard between Cape Hatteras and the U.S.-Canadian border.

“When we sat down and mapped out which groups were sampling where, we realized that we had a problem in the coastal Mid-Atlantic and Southern new England regions,” says Gartland. “New Jersey is the only state running a survey in their coastal waters, and the federal government—the NEFSC—was about to abandon their sampling of the near shore zone because their new boat had a very deep draft. these inshore waters support abundant populations and a rich diversity of fishes, and in turn valuable commercial and recreational fisheries, so ignoring these areas could make it hard to generate reliable stock assessments and management plans for certain species. Our survey was designed to fill this sampling gap by providing high quality data to assessment scientists and managers for this critical area. so far we’ve been successful.”

The VIMS component of NEAMAP—the Mid-Atlantic/Southern new England Near Shore Trawl Survey—currently supplements and extends the federal survey, with responsibility for sampling all waters shallower than 60 feet between Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod—an area of roughly 4,500 square miles.

In addition to NEAMAP, VIMS researchers also operate ChesMMAP—the Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program. Data from the ChesMMAP surveys help quantify major links in the Bay’s food web, estimate population sizes for recreationally, commercially, and ecologically vital species, and identify their geographic and seasonal distribution.

Provided by Virginia Institute of Marine Science

December 02, 2011

COASTWIDE – Ocean anglers face a small-craft advisory through tonight and then some stiff winds and rough seas through the weekend. Look for that to continue until the next front moves in.

Anglers may venture past the 20-fathom line for the remainder of the season, but few have bothered recently to make deep-water runs.

The marine aggregate limit in Oregon is seven rockfish a day. Cabezon can no longer be kept by boat anglers because the quota has been met. the lingcod limit is two a day with a 22-inch minimum, and that is separate from the marine aggregate.

The ocean is closed to recreational crabbing through Dec. 15 at the earliest after tests showed Dungeness crabs haven’t filled out yet. the commercial season also will not open on the ocean until Dec. 15.

For clamming, the entire Oregon Coast is open but no minus tides this week. the next minus tide is Dec. 8 to 14 starting after sundown. With the heavy surf, razor-clam diggers should watch closely for sneaker waves.

The ocean chinook salmon fishing season off the mouths of the Elk and Sixes rivers is now closed.

BROOKINGS – the ocean salmon season is closed, and anglers are working tidewater for incoming chinook now that Chetco River flows are down.

COOS BAY – Chinook fishing is over. Crabbing picked up this week after the drop in freshwater flows and catches were excellent off the public docks in Charleston. the Dungeness meat levels are starting to improve. Red crabs have a lot more meat.

Excellent catches of rockfish have come when anglers have been able to get across the bar, but don’t expect any of that this weekend. Fishing for black and blue rockfish off or near the north jetty has been good at the high and low slack tides.

WINCHESTER BAY – Sturgeon fishing is slow. Crabbing has picked up now that the river flows have dropped.

AGATE – A batch of legal-sized and larger trout was stocked recently for the winter trout fishery. Look for very good fishing for them around the lower section of the lake, which is 30 percent full. Worms or PowerBait will be best. No gas motors are allowed. Small electric motors are legal.

APPLEGATE – the facilities at Hart-Tish Park are closed, but 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 has slowed with the colder weather.

EMIGRANT – the lake has been stocked with trout. Lots of yellow perch in the catches, but still enough crappie to keep things fascinating. the lake is 41 percent full.

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

HOWARD PRAIRIE – the lake is closed for the season.

HYATT – the lake is closed for the season.

DIAMOND – the lake is closed for the season.

LEMOLO – the lake is closed for the season.

EXPO – Fishing remains honest for stocked rainbow trout with Panther Martin lures, PowerBait and worms under bobbers.

LOST CREEK – the lake remains under an advisory against water contact due to a bloom of blue-green algae. Fishing effort is down substantially since the advisory was issued. the boat ramp at Stewart State Park is unusable, but the Takelma ramp near the dam is operable at all water levels. the lake is down slightly more than four feet below its normal winter level.

FISH – For late-fall trout fishing, troll Triple Teasers, Tasmanian Devils and Wedding Rings with worms. Bank fish with worms or PowerBait. No ice yet. the Forest Service ramp near the resort remains open. Water temperatures are cold.

WILLOW – Fishing is honest for legal-sized and larger rainbow trout stocked there earlier this year. Troll deep and slow or fish PowerBait off the bottom.

ROGUE – the upper Rogue has picked up for late-run summer steelhead and even a few coho now that the water levels have varied a bit, while the middle Rogue is slow for steelhead and halfpounders and the lower Rogue is starting to see the first few waves of winter steelhead bending rods of plunkers on lower-river gravel bars.

That keeps the best bet on the upper Rogue, mainly because the hatchery steelhead are still good enough for the smoker and nothing else is really worth driving to until another flurry of rain jump-starts the fishery. but the forecasts are calling for dry weather for at least another week.

Flows out of Lost Creek Reservoir were down to 1,319 cubic feet per second of 44-degree water Thursday, leaving the upper Rogue low and cold. even so, big, late-run winter steelhead were biting throughout the stretch, and counts at Cole Rivers Hatchery jumped a few hundred fish to 1,872 steelhead for the season. That’s low, but improving.

It remains artificial flies and lures only from the Shady Cove Park ramp down to the ancient Gold Ray Dam site. Plugs and hard-plastic, single-egg flies usually work well around spawning redds. Fishing definitely picked up on this stretch this week, with success coming on K-11 Kwikfish, Rebel crayfish plugs, black jigs under bobbers and fake egg clusters side-drifted from boats. Bait isn’t allowed in that zone until Jan. 1.

Bait fishing is allowed upstream of the Shady Cove ramp, and driftboaters this week have done honestly well side-drifting tiny clusters of roe behind salmon redds. Small pieces of roe are best.

The upper Rogue is seeing an influx of coho salmon, but they are tough to get to bite. Purple or red plugs can work well in the far upper Rogue, but coho are notoriously poor biters.

In the middle Rogue, steelhead fishing had been good near creek mouths for wild summer steelhead hanging out near creek mouths waiting to spawn. It’s still a little early for them to enter the spawning streams, so focus on these areas for some good catch-and-release fishing. Small egg clusters, streamer flies on sink-tip lines and plugs all work well for summer steelhead. the vast majority of them are wild there and must be released unharmed.

In the lower Rogue, heavy rains and winds left the estuary bare this week. but anglers have reported seeing some big steelhead lying in lower-river tailouts, perhaps signaling an early start to the winter steelhead run. When winter steelhead are early, it often indicates a strong run. Stay tuned.

The Agness area remains slow for adult summer steelhead and halfpounders in riffles. Fish mornings and evenings with streamer flies, worms, eggs or plugs.

Chinook fishing is closed from the Hog Creek boat ramp up to the hatchery.

APPLEGATE – the river is open to trout fishing. all wild trout, including cutthroat, must be released unharmed. It is illegal to target summer steelhead in the lower Applegate.

UMPQUA – the North Umpqua is slow for summer steelhead amid cold and low flows, but a few fish have went into the Swiftwater area of late. only unweighted flies may be used in the glide water now. the South Umpqua is open but flows are low, and early-run winter steelhead haven’t made it up there yet.

CHETCO – the river was dropping and clearing to a point where it could be tough to fish for early-run winter steelhead. Fishing for them had been very good earlier this week as the higher water dropped. A few fall chinook are still in the upper river and relatively simple to catch on plugs or concoctions of roe and sandshrimp.

ELK/SIXES – both rivers were dropping out of shape for late-run fall chinook and early-run winter steelhead thanks to poor freshwater flows. Forecasts are for dry weather for at least a week, and river forecasters are looking for some awfully low flows next week.

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October 20, 2011

• Festivals• Fundraisers• Hikes / Walks• Nature• Art and Exhibits• Meals• Talks• Sales• Kid Stuff• etc.• On Stage• Auditions• Coming UpHalloween Events

· Halloween Kids Fest, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through October, Tony Andrews Farm, 394 old Meetinghouse Road, East Falmouth. Weather permitting. Pumpkin picking, tractor rides and kid-friendly haunted house. Continues Saturdays and Sundays through October. halloweenkidsfest.com. Pumpkin-picking information: 508-548-4717. Tractor rides information: 508-527-0189.

· Harvest of Horrors, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 29, Tony Andrews Farm, 394 old Meetinghouse Road, East Falmouth. Gates open 6:30 p.m. Last ticket sold 9 p.m. $10.

· Chatham’s Oktoberfest! Kate Gould Park, 500 Main St., Chatham. Pumpkin people in the park made by local businesses, nonprofit agencies and family groups, on view through Oct. 31. Festival Day, Saturday: Pumpkin decorating; bring best decorated pumpkin to park by 11 a.m.; judging and prizes in afternoon; $5, free ages 13 and under. Music, games and face-painting, noon-4 p.m.; also food vendors and beer garden until 8 p.m. oktoberfestinchatham.com.

· Pumpkin picking and hayrides, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Coonamessett Farm, 277 Hatchville Road, Falmouth. Farm open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. $8 admission. coonamessettfarm.com; 508-563-2560.

· Pumpkin Decorating Days, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Coonamessett Farm, 277 Hatchville Road, Falmouth. Admission ($8) entitles one to pick and buy a pumpkin and visit education center to decorate it. Hayrides, blueberry bush maze, animals, picking included. 508-563-2560.

· Cape Cod & Islands Community Health & Wellness Expo, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Willy’s World Wellness & Conference Center, 4730 State Highway 6, Eastham. Benefits silent Sprig Institute and Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. enjoy facility all day. Saturday: Dance-A-Thom, 1-4 p.m.; Tennis round Robin, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday: Tennis Marathon, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Kickbox-A-Thon, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $25 tax-deductible fee per events in addition to admission fee: $10, $5 children. Preregister for events at silentspring.org/communitywellnessexpo or call 508-246-3047.

· Jen’s Helping Hand, luncheon fundraiser, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sea Crest Resort, North Falmouth. Includes children’s games and crafts, live band with dancing, three-course luncheon, raffle and auction. Benefits Jen Sturtevant Meus, new mom of twins recently diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. $50, $20 children under 10. Tickets or to donate: 617-833-3394; email: ; or visit jenshelpinghands.org.

· Party in Pink Zumbathon Fundraiser, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Gus Canty Community Center, 790 Main St., Falmouth. Hosted by co-owners of 241 Fitness, Ally Wilson and Wendy Bryant, to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and its global nonprofit partners to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research, education, screening, treatment and community outreach programs. $15 advance, $20 at door. 241fitness.vpweb.com.

· Wings for Falmouth Families Annual Fall Ball, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Waterfront Restaurant at the Captain Kidd, Water Street, Woods Hole. Hors d’oeuvres, raw bar, live and silent auctions, music. $50. Sponsorship opportunities available. Wings for Falmouth Families provides local families financial assistance when they are experiencing a medical crisis or tragic event. wingsforfalmouth.org.

· An Evening of Spirit Communications, 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Mashpee High School, 500 old Barnstable Road. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. all proceeds benefit class of 2012. Doors open 6 p.m. Refreshments sold. Message work starts promptly at 7 p.m. $20 (not everyone is guaranteed a message).

Trips and tours

· Captain Penniman House tour, 11 a.m. Saturday, Cape Cod National Seashore, Captain Penniman House, Fort Hill, off Route 6, Eastham. By reservation only. 508-255-3421. FREE!

· Lantern Tours of Harwich Graveyard, 6:30-8 p.m. Saturday, starts at Brooks Academy Museum, 80 Parallel St., Harwich. Meet “spirits” of Harwich past on this one-hour guided lantern tour of First Congregational Church cemetery, sponsored by Harwich Historical Society. Rain date: Sunday. $10. 508-432-8089.

· Nauset Light tour, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Nauset Light Beach, Eastham. Sponsor: Nauset Light Preservation Society. Donations accepted. 508-240-2612.

· Oyster reef tour, 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, off Route 6, South Wellfleet. Visit wild oyster reef restoration site with sanctuary director Bob Prescott. Dress for weather and wear hard-soled, waterproof shoes. $20. 508-349-2615.

· three Sisters Lighthouses tour, 3-4 p.m. Sunday, Cape Cod National Seashore, Nauset Light Beach, Eastham. Meet at northeast corner of beach parking area. 508-255-3421. FREE!

· Conaumet Neck hike in Mashpee, 9 a.m. Saturday, from Route 130 take South Sandwich Road north and follow approximately 0.8 miles to Trustees of Reservations parking area on left. part of Town of Mashpee Interpretive Nature Tours. Stormy weather cancels. 508-539-1400, ext. 540 (weekdays). FREE!

· Eastham Hiking Club, 9 a.m. Wednesday, Harwich reservoir; Exit 10 off Route 6, left at Route 124, right at church, Fantastic Western Road to Sands Pond parking lot on right.

· Wednesday Walk with Connie Boyce, 9 a.m. Wednesday, Foss Woods, Provincetown. Leave 8:50 a.m. from Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Route 6A, Brewster. Rain cancels. $6. ; 508-394-2683.

Art and Exhibits

· Meet the Artist Marlene Weil, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, the Art Gallery of the Guild of Harwich Artists, 551 Main St. (Route 28), Harwich Port. Reception and demonstration of a pastel underpainting, using mixture of water and alcohol to make vibrant pastel paintings. 508-769-6759. FREE!

· “Working Men, Working Boats,” through Dec. 18, Cape Cod Maritime Museum, 135 South St., Hyannis. Photographic retrospective of Cape Cod’s fishing industry from 1960s-1980s by Milton Moore, in collaboration with Cape Cod Times. Admission: $5, $4 senior and students, free under age 7. 508-775-1723.

· “Quilt & Sculpture Show,” Thursday through Nov. 13, Falmouth Art Center, 137 Gifford St. Presented by Crazy Quilters of Cape Cod. Reception 2-4 p.m. Oct. 30. falmouthart.org; 508- 540-3304.

· Fish fry, 6 p.m. Friday, Wareham Lodge of Elks, 2855 Cranberry Highway, East Wareham. Tickets sales start 5 p.m. 508-295-6000.

· Pancake breakfast, 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Fraternal Lodge, 1989 Falmouth Road (Route 28), Centerville. $6, $3 ages 12 and under.

· Breakfast, 8-11 a.m. Sunday, Buzzards Bay Eagles Hall, 39 Cohasset Ave. all you can eat. $7. 508-759-9974.

· Spaghetti supper to benefit Yarmouthport Library, seatings 5:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Jack’s Outback II, 161 Main St. (Route 6A), Yarmouthport. $12. 508-362-3717.

· Italian buffet supper, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Van Rensselaer’s Restaurant, 1019 Route 6, South Wellfleet. Fundraiser for A.I.M. Thrift Shop charities. $18 advance, $20 at door, $7 children under 12. Tickets available at thrift shop, 305 Main St., Wellfleet. 508-349-6622.

· “From Whaling to Whale Watching,” 6:30 p.m. Friday, Cape Wildlife Center, 4011 Main St. (Route 6A), Barnstable. Presented by Regina Asmutis-Silvia of Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society and Heather Rockwell of Cetacean Society International. $5. Sponsor: Barnstable Land Trust. Preregister. 508-771-2585.

· Talk by Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and author Hank Phillippi Ryan, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nelson Hall at St. David’s Church, 205 old Main St., South Yarmouth. Presented by Cape Cod branch of AAUW. Refreshments. 508-394-9097. FREE!

· Talk by Gary Moorehead, president and field director of the Marigold Fund, 2 p.m. Saturday, Eldredge Public Library, 564 Main St., Chatham. Moorehead spends most of his time in Afghanistan helping to build bridges, roads, schools or whatever is needed. Sponsor: Fellowship of Reconciliation, Cape Cod Chapter. 508-240-5169.

· “the Archaeology of the Stony Brook Valley – An Update with Dr. Fred Dunford,” 2 p.m. Saturday, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Route 6A, Brewster. $7. 508-896-3867.

· Gallery talk by Tracy Nicholas Bledsoe on exhibit “Men and the Sea,” works by Frank Cardozo Nicholas (1922-2003), 2 p.m. Sunday, Cape Cod Museum of Art, 40 Hope Lane. Admission: $8, free ages 18 and under. 508-385-4477.

· “Problems of Finding Generals after First Manassas,” group discussion, 1 p.m. Monday, Yarmouth Senior Center, 528 Forest Road, South Yarmouth. Presented by Cape Cod Civil War Roundtable. 508-896-6421.

· Fall Lecture Series: “Cape Cod’s Oldest Shipwreck,” 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Cape Cod Maritime Museum, 135 South St., Hyannis. Talk on the Sparrow-Hawk by historian and author Mark Wilkins. $5, includes admission to exhibits. 508-775-1723.

· Rummage sale and boutique, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 3055 Main St. (Route 6A), Barnstable. Bag sale 11 a.m. Saturday, $5. Most items 50 percent off.

· Pumpkin Patch, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Oct. 31, Bourne United Methodist Church, 37 Sandwich Road. Proceeds go to the Navajo and Bourne Food Pantry. 508-759-2104.

· Rummage and bake sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, West Dennis Community Church, 288 Main St. (Route 28). 508-398-6420.

· new England Paperweight Collectors Dealers’ fair, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Cape Codder Resort & Spa, 1225 Iyannough Road, Hyannis.

· Nantucket Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday through Thursday, downtown, Main and Federal streets.

· Buzzards Bay Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, near Chamber of Commerce, 70 Main St.

· Orleans Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday, 21 old Colony Way.

· Provincetown Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, across from town hall, Commercial Street at Ryder Street.

· Sandwich/Village Green Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, village green, Route 6A.

· Chatham Farmers Market, 3-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, parking lot of Thyme after Thyme and Christmas Joy, across from the Box Office Cafe, Route 28 and Morton Road, South Chatham. 508-247-7268.

· Green Harvest Organic Farmers Market, noon-6 p.m. Tuesday, Barnstable County Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Highway (Route 151), East Falmouth. Includes live entertainment. Rain or shine; held in the Sheep Barn in inclement weather. 508-563-3200 or 508-548-3047.

· Mid-Cape Farmers Market, 2-6 p.m. Wednesday, parking lot at Hyannis Youth & Community Center, 141 Bassett Lane, Hyannis.

· Bass River Farm Market and Al Fresco Artists, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 old Main St., South Yarmouth. 508-394-7100.

· Cape School of Art silent auction, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Hilda Neily Gallery, 374 Commercial St., Provincetown. 508-413-9492.

· “the Art of Dissent,” open mic for music, poetry, prose and performance art, 7-9:30 p.m. Friday, Oddfellows Hall, Main Street and Namskaket Road, Orleans. Community-building event where sociopolitical perspectives can be shared. all ages and voices welcome. Refreshments available. First-come, first served. $5. Sign up by calling: 508-240-3899.

· Gong Meditation, 7 p.m. Friday, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich Road, East Falmouth. Bring whatever you need to be comfortable on floor; chairs also available. Presented by Arlene Myers of Acupuncture & associated Therapies, Mashpee, $20 advance, $25 at door. 508-539-0299.

· Fifth Annual Tree of Life Conference on healing the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis – Focus: “Journalism: How can we know the Truth?” Sunday and Monday, the Federated Church of Hyannis, 320 Main St. Speakers include Palestinians, Israelis and Americans involved in promoting a just peace in the Holy Land. Sunday’s program: “Music and Sharing,” 3-6 p.m., featuring musicians visiting from Palestine and others from new England. Speakers include Sa’ed Atshan, Harvard University Ph.D. candidate; Ahmet Moor, freelance journalist; and Allison McCracken of Code Pink. Monday’s program: “Voices of Conscience and Hope,” 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with featured speakers, journalist Alison Weir of If Americans Knew; Jeff Halper, anthropologist and founder of Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions; authors Susan Abulhawa and Mark Braverman; and Rabbi Brant Rosen, founder of Jewish fast for Gaza. Also peace advocates Lou Maloof, Cape Cod resident; and Palestinian Daoud Nassar, founder of Tent of Nations. $10 Sunday only; $25 Monday only (includes lunch); $30 both days. Students and under age 21 free. Information: tolef.org (programs, Cape Cod link). Registration: email or call 508-514-4251.

· “A Howlin’ good Time,” 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Falmouth Dog Park, Brick Kiln Road. Halloween costume contest (human and canine), educational and canine events, bicycle raffle, entertainment by Falmouth Fiddlers. $5. Benefits Falmouth Dog Park and PAL (Police Athletic League).

· Calliope – Poetry Readings, 3-5 p.m. Sunday, West Falmouth Library, 575 West Falmouth Highway (Route 28A). Open mic sign-up 2:45 p.m. Featuring Susan Berlin, Alan Feldman and Philip Hasouris. Refreshments. $5. 508-566-1090.

· A Taste of Africa, 6 p.m. Sunday, Preservation Hall, 335 Main St., Wellfleet. Sit-down organic dinner featuring dishes from Zimbabwe followed by cultural drumming performance by master djembe drummer Issa Coulibaly. Dinner and performance: $35-$75. Performance only $10-$20. Reservations required for dinner: 508-560-0418.

· Ladies only Psychic Party with Jon Stetson, 7 p.m. Monday, Cape Codder Resort & Spa, Route 132 and Bearse’s Way, Hyannis. Reservations suggested. $25. 508-771-3000.

· “the Wampanoag Experience for Children,” presented by Plimoth Plantation, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Eldredge Public Library, 564 Main St., Chatham. Learn about daily life, environment, shelter and food of the 17th-century Wampanoag. for children in grades K and up. Registration required. Sponsor: Rotary Club of Chatham. 508-945-5170.

· Volunteer Opportunity Center, 9:30 a.m.-noon Thursday, Harwich Community Center, 100 Oak St. Free consultations on volunteering opportunities at over 150 nonprofits. capecodvolunteers.org. 508-362-0242.

· Weekly Wine Tasting, 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Harvest Gallery Wine Bar, 776 Main St. (Route 6A), Dennis Village. five selected wines paired with selected cheeses. Live music 7:30-10:30 p.m. $20. 508-385-2444.

Mid-Cape

· “the Rivals,” 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 30, Gertrude Lawrence Stage, Dennis Union Church, 713 Main St. (Route 6A). Presented by Eventide Arts. $20. 508-398-8588.

· “Quills,” 8 p.m. Oct. 21-22 and 2 p.m. Oct. 23, Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road. Contains nudity, graphic language and situations. No one under 18 admitted. $20; $18 seniors, $10 students. 508-428-0669.

Lower Cape

· Seventh Annual Provincetown Dance Festival, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21-22, Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St. Features two different evening performances with innovative troupes from across new England. Oct. 21: Portland Ballet, Alissa Horowitz Dance, Paula Hunter Dance & Boston Tap Company. Oct. 22: Chu Ling Dance Academy, Kairos Dance Theater, Hanna and Kellie Lynch, Betsy Miller Dance, Spectrum in Motion. Tickets: provincetowntheater.org; 508-487-9793.

· “Promises, Promises,” 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 13, Harwich Junior Theatre, 105 Division St., West Harwich. Additional performance 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10. $25, $15 under age 21. 508-432-2002.

· “How to Succeed in Business without really Trying,” musical, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 13, Academy Playhouse, 120 Main St., Orleans. $22. 508-255-1963.

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Copious amounts of live squid moved in to the Santa Monica Bay providing a powerful magnet for more potential gamefish as well as providing one of the most preferred baits to anglers.

For now, the squid is being used mostly for rockfish. Vermillion rockfish and lingcod are just two of the numerous rockfish that can be caught off the Southern California coast on live squid.

In my commercial fishing days, we would make many a stop off the West end of Catalina Island to tank up with live squid before continuing on to Tanner Bank. the results were always better when we fished with the candy bait.

The presence of market squid off El Segundo now bodes well for some excellent fall surface fishing. a white seabass bite is not out of the question, a few more yellowtail and excellent sand and calico bass would not surprise either.

“There is so much squid here that something will come looking soon,” said Eric Hobday from the Redondo Special. Jimmy Bass from Tradition Sportfishing agrees. “We have been catching more and more lingcod on the squid (eight lingcod on a recent trip) but you just have to feel like some white seabass are coming soon.”

The Enterprise out of Long Beach Marina Sportfishing has been reporting limits to near limits of rockfish on most trips. Fishing just past the Huntington Beach oil rigs in about 300 feet of water, the Enterprise has been catching lots of salmon grouper, some fat vermillion rockfish as well as a few lingcod. You’ll need a 10-ounce sinker in this depth of water along with a two-hook ganion. Talk to your crew member and question him/her the best way to rig up.

Blowout sale: Captain Shawn Morgon from big Fish Tackle in Seal Beach is having a blowout sale this weekend through Sunday. “We need to make room for our Christmas Specials so we are discounting everything in the store,” he said.

There will be more than 3,000 items on sale, starting at 25 cents. If you buy $30 in terminal tackle, you get a free t-shirt, buy a Phoenix rod at the regular price and get a $25 big Fish certificate. there are many other specials and discounts, including 20 percent off all baits. the sale goes from 5a.m. until 6 p.m. big Fish Tackle is located at 1780 Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach. the phone number is 562-596-0040.

Fundraiser: United Anglers of Southern Anglers is having an all-you-can-eat crab feast on Saturday, Nov. 12. the event is being held at the Compton Hunting and Fishing Club at 1625 South Sportsman Drive in Long Beach. Adults can eat all the crab they can for $40 while kids can munch out for $20.

Preceding the event, there will be a swap meet with fantastic buys on a variety of fishing tackle. the swap meet starts at 8 a.m. and runs through 3:30 p.m. Lunch is being served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details at 562-494-9900.