BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

Last chance to register for: local LinkedIn Networking Group’s first major networking event: Empower Your Network – Enrich Your Life! – Wednesday, May 5th, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm at Emmett’s in West Dundee

Sign up for this open networking session, an opportunity for group members to get acquainted in person, in a great setting. The event will also feature designated areas for members to gather around specific topics and industries.

“The response to the formation of our LinkedIn local group has been remarkable,” said Group Manager Todd Bessey. “were excited to launch our first big event, the first of many dynamic networking and training opportunities we are planning for our members.”

Event capacity is 150 attendees. Advanced online registration is required.

Registration fee: $10 per person (plus minor Eventbrite fee), or $15 at the door (CASH ONLY – if space permits).

A wonderful selection of mini-sandwiches and appetizers will be provided. Cash bar will be available.

So get registered, get your business cards and get ready to:

Empower Your Network, Enrich Your Life!

To register, go to connected-cl-h-e-b-may052010.eventbrite.com/  

Learning to cope with the one that got away is a first lesson of fishing.Hundreds of parents help their children through this painful experience at Kids Fishing Day, place on by the Paradise Irrigation District from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday at Paradise Lake.

The event is exclusively for children aged from 3 to 15 years old, and even though most kids can expect to catch a few fish, Lake Patrolman Greg Dobbs understands that some will slip away.

“That’s fishing,” Dobbs said.

About 1,580 pounds of 2-5-pound farmed rainbow trout found themselves dumped into the lake Tuesday, courtesy of the district, with another 2,000 pounds of “catchable-sized” trout to be delivered by Fish and Game in the coming days, he said.

“The idea is to get kids hooked on fishing,” Dobbs said. “Sounds corny and all that stuff, but it’s true.”

This is the event’s 14th “official year,” having been started 16 years ago by John Johnston, Bobby Thomas and Dobbs. about 600-800 kids are expected to show up, as they have in previous years.

The lake, while usually open for fishing year-round, is closed to anglers until Saturday so kids can get first-casts on the fish, he said.Raffles will give out prizes every hour of the event, with each participant receiving a free ticket. the kid that brings in the biggest fish will win a guided tour of Lake Oroville to fish for bass.

While parents will need to bring fishing gear for their children, it’s free in all other ways, including parking, Dobbs said. a “low cost” snack bar will provide hot dogs and other items for about 50 cents each.the cost of the fish is about $6,000 to the department, but much of the cost is covered by local businesses and donations from pervious years, Dobbs said. he estimates roughly that 10 percent of the dumped fish will be caught on Kids Fishing Day, which leaves the rest for adults to catch later.

“They’re there to be caught and kept – of course, within limits.”

Trout planted in the lake are unable to reproduce, and do not interfere with the ecosystem of the area, Dobbs said.the National Weather Service predicts Saturday will be sunny, with highs of 80 degrees.

For anyone who misses out this Saturday, the Paradise Recreation and Park District is hosting their Fishing Derby from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Aquatic Park Pond, said Recreation Supervisor Jeff Dailey. the derby is free and is for children between 3 and 15 years of age.

As for Kids Fishing Day, Dobbs can’t say enough about how much he loves it.

“It is so fun to watch these kids get excited about catching these things,” he said.

FORT WALTON BEACH – The fishing world lost a good friend and one of the sports’ finest ambassadors with the passing of famed trickcaster Shag Shahid over the weekend.

Shahid, 86, had been fighting several health issues over the past several months and died Saturday night in a local hospital. according to friends and family who were at his side, “he moved on just like he always did, with that well-known Shag smile.”

“It’s hard for us, but Dad seemed comfortable and ready when his time came,” said son Wade Shahid. “Those who knew him best know he was a competitor in everything he did.”

Shahid was known worldwide for his remarkable casting skills, and he was able to build an audience anywhere he’d perform. “I’ll bet you a dollar I can put this plug in that cup,” he’d say, gesturing his rod toward the intended target. it never took long for a crowd to gather and he rarely missed during his routine.

Shahid was born to Lebanese immigrants in Charleston, S.C., and grew up in Timmonsville. he developed a like for fishing early in his youth and frequented Santee Cooper. he was also fond of team sports and played football, baseball and basketball in high school, and then football and baseball at The Citadel.

His birth name was Wadere, named after his father, but got his “Shag” nickname during his high school years. some say the name came from the fact he was so fast; others say it was because he had his own small shag dance.

In the early 1950s he played semi-pro baseball in the region’s Palmetto League as a pitcher. he often used a baseball analogy when teaching casting, saying, “It’s just like throwing a baseball; you have to know when and where to let go.”

After leaving baseball, Shahid moved to Birmingham, Ala., where he owned and operated Shag’s Restaurant. During this time he met Lola Price, and the couple was married in 1955.

The Shahids later moved to Ft. Walton Beach, where he opened Shag’s BBQ in the Gulf Coast region that was fast becoming a well loved tourist destination. it was during this time in the early 1970s that Shahid pursued an opportunity in the fishing tackle business, going to work for Lew Childre in his upstart rod and reel operation in Foley, Ala. Childre and Shahid became good friends and fishing partners, and together developed some of the fishing industry’s most well loved designs in innovative models of rods and reels made and marketed under the Lew’s brand.

“I’m not sure if Shag got out of the barbeque business because he thought the fishing market sounded better to him, or because too many customers were complaining about their sandwiches having a taste of paint from overspray as he dabbled in painting lures on the side,” laughed Casey Childre, son of the late Lew Childre. “Dad and Shag made a good team though, and they worked on a lot of products together. Shag carved from wood what eventually became the pistol grip handle made by Fuji and featured on the Lew’s Speed Stick.”

The Lew’s Speed Stick rod fitted with a Speed Spool baitcast reel ultimately became the tools of Shahid’s trade as he mastered a variety of casting tricks. Shahid developed a unique wrist flip that exaggerated the light action of his small casting rod to effortlessly launch the bait to his target of choice. many learned his techniques, but few ever mastered the same level of proficiency.

Even in the years following Lew Childre’s death in a plane crash in 1977, Shahid was a prominent face of the Lew’s brand.

A Lew’s ad in the March 1979 issue of Field and Stream touted his quote, “If fishin’ is mostly casting … why not learn to cast good.” And to those who knew the man, most probably agree that the body copy in the ad that read “… learn to swat a skeeter off a moccasin at 20 yards,” did come from Shahid and not an ad agency writer, because he had a lot of good one-liners he often delivered during a performance.

As Lew’s changed licensing partners over the years, Shahid was always able to find a role with each new marketer of the brand. he continued making appearances at trade and sport shows for his sponsors into his senior years, including several for Zebco around the company’s 50th anniversary in 1999, during a time when Zebco held the Lew’s brand.

Even as recently as March 2009, Billy “The Captain” Hildebrand had an article in his Fan Outdoor column titled “Sportshow Memories!” in which he wrote … “I remember Shag landing a casting plug in a guy’s pocket as he walked by or dropping that plug into a coffee mug at the end of the aisle. ‘Where would you like me to put it?’ he’d question anyone who’d listen. With a friendly southern drawl he charmed the ladies and just flat sold reels. some bought reels and really had no thought why.”

Shahid was a southern gentleman and he aimed to please, whether teaching a fellow angler or a family member.

“I never really realized what I had in such a special dad while growing up. It’s really only come to me in the past dozen years after having to deal with some tough times of my own,” Wade Shahid continued. “He watched me, instructed me, and guided me until he knew I was on solid ground, then he stepped in to really help me pursue my own fishing career. I’m fishing the FLW tournament circuit and have a confidence like I’ve never had before because of my dad. I’m pleased I was able to tell him that and say ‘thank you.’”

Shahid is considered one of the right pioneers of a fishing industry that advanced rapidly in product innovation and technology through the 1970s and 80s, largely in part due to the growth and popularity of organized tournament bass fishing during the period. he loved to bass fish, especially with a plastic worm, and was really good at it. Shahid’s passion for the sport, the industry, and people who fished gave him the perfect opportunity to utilize his skills in product development, casting and entertainment to the fullest.

His casting demonstrations inspired many anglers to become more proficient with their tackle, and he taught scores of fishermen how to catch more bass by accurately hitting targets with focused casting. Shahid is one of a small group of industry professionals who historically made bass fishing and gear as it’s known today, joining the elite list of legendary anglers who passed before him including Lew Childre, Jim Bagley (balsa crankbaits lure designer), Tom Mann (popularized soft plastic fishing lures) and other fishing friends.

Shahid will be laid to rest later this week near his longtime home in Ft. Walton Beach. he is survived by his wife Lola, sister Agnes, sisters-in-law Margaret and Billie, sons Wade and James, and grandchildren, nephews and nieces.

They were real gigglepots. the four middle-aged women chuckled non-stop as if they had not a care in the world while they prepared our traditional Japanese lunch.

We had been handed soft blankets to keep the late winter chill from our bones while we sat around a rectangular hearth; burning black charcoal dissolving to ice white ash in two clean piles in front of us as we sipped steaming, reviving green tea.

We were in Snow Country, just two hours by bullet train north west of Tokyo but a lifetime away from the capital’s brain-melting madness and an echo of ancient Japan before farming and nature were trumped by neon and hello Kitty.

The gigglers were housewives who help to run Ubusuna House, a roadside restaurant and art gallery in Tokomachi, Niigata province, made inside a renovated traditional ‘minka’ farmhouse.

As we ate our meal of miso soup, rice, local pickles and dumplings from exquisite small bowls moulded by local artists, the laughter subsided as they told us the history of the place.

The 90-year-ancient home with its wooden walls and straw roof had to be abandoned after it was hurt by a strong earthquake eight years ago. It seemed to symbolise the slow death of the Japanese countryside over the last few decades, as young people have went from the trying conditions there to the huge metropolises of Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo.

Not for them  the six-month winters when the snow piles up, layer on layer, foot on foot, like an icy Viennetta until it mounds 10 to 12ft to the eaves of the homes. They are picking pavement and pachinko pinball over the pristine, mountainous scenery of the Snow Country – which has resulted in massive depopulation, making Japan’s farmers the oldest in the world.

But the Ubusuna House was rescued and renovated by an ambitious project, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, where every three years since 2000, artists from around the world come to this unspoiled enclave, making 2,000 artworks throughout the countryside in farmhouses, abandoned schools and rice fields in the world’s largest art festival by area.

British sculptor Antony Gormley has been involved and it includes the House of Light, by world-renowned American artist James Turrell, a traditional Japanese style house and artwork in which you can stay the night and a experience its shifting light patterns and view the night sky through a retractable roof.

At the heart of it is the no Butai Snowland Agrarian Culture Center, at Matsudai, a post-modern masterpiece of a building deep in the mountains housing artworks and a perfectly-designed restaurant.

The 2012 Triennale runs from July 29 to September 17, when the hot and humid summer comes to the Snow Country, flowers bloom in the rolling cedar forests and rice grows in the terraced fields.

And they take rice production very seriously in Niigata. Many say it is the best in Japan, which means the world. the little pearls of Koshihikari rice are sticky, sweet and substantial.

They are so good, you can eat them on their own, but in Snow Country usually with endame beans, exotic pickles or delicate mountain vegetables alongside an ever-present bowl of hot miso soup.

Better still, Niigata City is a port which lands some of the best fish caught off Japan (this, remember, is the West Coast’s Sea of Japan, not the radiation-threatened eastern waters) so it doesn’t take a genius to calculate that the sushi here is spectacular.

We ate at Sekaizushi, in the unassuming Chuo-ku area of Niigata. nothing to look at outside, but our guide, Kazuyuki, reckoned it was the best sushi restaurant in the city.

The two elderly chefs behind the long bar we sat at served us a special Kiwami platter, a ten-piece plate of sushi for 3,000 yen (about £25) with soup, including ‘battleship roll’ gunkanmaki where sea urchin or salmon roe on rice is wrapped in nori pressed seaweed.

The soft, moist rice was only bettered by the ultra fresh fish which topped our nigiri. There was bluefin tuna (try getting that in Britain), sea bass, coldwater yellow tail, shrimp, squid, snow crab and a deliciously fatty Niigata speciality, black throat sea perch.

The superior rice and oceans of mountain water from the melting winter snow also means Niigata is home to arguably Japan’s best sake, fortified rice wine.

And what better place to argue that out than at Niigata Sake no Jin, Japan’s biggest sake festival. Pay your entrance fee, grab your little ceramic cup and join the tasting queues throughout the huge conference hall.

The 2012 cups had a blue smiley face at the bottom, which our guide, Ayumi, clarified were designed to cheer people up after last year’s devastating earthquake in the east. Every little helps, I suppose.

Unlimited drink is unlimited drink the world over. But unlike a high-brow wine tasting, the spitoons at the side of the sake stalls were left largely untouched.

With 88 out of Niigata’s 92 producers offering their sake, and many sakes up to 18 per cent in strength, there were a few casualties.

The best sakes – which is brewed, like beer, rather than fermented, like wine, and with a consistency a bit like sherry – are fresh, smooth and delicate and go wonderfully well with Japanese food and especially fish.

My favourites were Mantosuru, from nearby Sado Island, which recently won an international gold medal for its superior daiginjo sake, with a strength above 15 per cent, and Aoki, from the Snow Country, which has been producing sakes for 300 years and where they play classical music to the liquid while it ferments to increase its quality.

On the festival stage there was music, singing and dance demonstrations by geisha, Japan’s traditional female entertainers.

Niigata was once one of the biggest centres for geisha in Japan and the tradition still flourishes here.

We stayed at Niigata’s Italia-ken hotel where we were served a traditional Japanese meal with sake by two lovely geisha, Snow River and Small Summer, whose gorgeous costumes and make-up were only bettered by the elegant dances they performed to the tinkling sound of the shamisen, a banjo-like three stringed instrument.

They sat with us, poured our sake, made conversation through our interpreter and lightly flirted. Don’t get any thoughts, though. Geisha is strictly above-board entertainment, and becoming more well loved again in Japan, where traditional customs or dress is making a comeback after the rise of Western culture over the past 50 years.

And to immerse yourself in Japanese culture, stay at a traditional Japanese ryokan. Soft tatami rice straw mats cover the floor, paper and wood window shutters keep out the cold, the doors all slide and the staff will supply you with hot tea placed neatly on the low central table and make up your comfy futon on the floor.

My room in Hinanoyado Chitose ryokan in Matsunoyama village also had a kotatsu, a traditional heated table. But the best thing about Chitose was its hot springs, or onsen, which are a feature of the Japanese countryside.

Matsunoyama is one of the top three medicinal onsen resorts in Japan with the hot spring waters high in sodium and calcium.

There are two communal baths in at Chitose with my favourite being on the roof, open to the air with a view of the snowy hills through the steamy haze. You can’t be shy, though. Bathing naked communally is a must, thoroughly showering beforehand, though mixed sex baths are rare nowadays.

At Chitose, in a fetching kimono, obi sash and haori jacket and wooden sandals, called geta, I ate a multi-course kaiseki menu, with stand-outs of scallops with chrysanthemum petals and a koi carp cooked at the table. Traditional breakfast is also a discovery of tastes with little pots of varied dishes including semi-raw egg, grilled fish, rice porridge, strips of seaweed and again rice and miso soup.

These inns are hard to find in Japanese cities, which are filled with Western-style hotels. And though the hotels and avenues of Tokyo may look Western at first glance, travellers used to the cosmopolitan, melting-pot cities of Europe may be stunned to find that the population is almost exclusively Japanese.

Few people speak English, direction signs and transport maps are in indecipherable Japanese script and the grid pattern layout of the sprawling city means it is hard to find your bearings. Basically, you get the best out of your time there with a human guide.

My brief visit took in the vibrant shopping and entertainment areas familiar from the well loved image of Tokyo. Upmarket Ginza is all haute couture, so if you want something more affordable head to Shibuya which has been conquered by Japan’s bang on-trend youth – and don’t miss the biggest pedestrian crossing in the world at rush-hour.

Here you can also find a rare oasis of cool at the  historic Meiji Jingu shrine which is surrounded by woody parkland. But with 13m Tokyoites you will never find absolute tranquility, unless, of course, you let your mind drift back to the snow-capped thatched roofs Snow Country.

TRAVEL FACTS

Paul Ogden was a guest of Niigata Tourism. Specialist operator InsideJapan Tours (www/insidejapantours.com) offers small group tours, self-guided or tailor-made trips. as a special offer for M.E.N. readers, InsideJapan Tours has place together a fantastic value package following in Paul’s footsteps. Package includes five nights staying a night at Pearl Yaesu Hotel, two at Hinanoyado Chitose, Hotel Italia-ken and Park Hotel Tokyo, breakfast every day, two evening meals, meet and greet airport transfer, JR East Flexi Pass to cover all transport in Japan and a limousine bus transfer from Tokyo hotel to airport. all from £962 per person. Contact InsideJapan Tours on 0117 370 9751 or visit insidejapantours.com . British Airways flies to Haneda, Tokyo’s most central airport, from Heathrow five times weekly. Fares from £870.79 return including taxes/fees/ charges. fly Worldwide Plus for more legroom and space, complementary bar, three-course meal and Audio And Video on Demand entertainment system. to book visit ba.com or call 0844 4930 787. For info about Niigata visit enjoyniigata.com/english/ . For free info pack about Japan go to seejapan.co.uk .

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RIVER VALLEY and OZARK AREA — Back a few weeks ago, I managed to slip out of the office to share a boat with Colton Lindsey. the occasion was the Lindsey’s Media Days event at Lindsey’s Resort on the little Red River outside of Heber Springs.

I was roughly the fourth victim – I mean client – for the now 18-year-ancient as he embarked on his guiding adventures during such an event a few years back. In that time, we’ve struck up quite a friendship and try our best to stay in touch.

Somehow, the allure of the river’s ripples and runs melts away the age difference, leaving us simply as fishin’ buddies and friends. And, of course, that means a trip on the water brings with it a myriad of conversational topics.

On that most recent outing, Lindsey noted that the resort was in the process of revamping its website. the mention of something in the works had me hooked, so I questioned for details.

“We want the website to be more user friendly and to showcase the updates being made at this time on the resort,” he said, noting that lindseysresort.com has been a part of the business’s 47-year history since 1995. “We want to be able to update and post pictures on the site right from the guides’ phones. It just brings us more into the 21st century, really.”

Furthermore, Colton said the resort is researching how to utilize Facebook, blogs and Twitter for their advertising value and the social media’s ability to provide immediate updates on fishing reports, special deals and more.

As usual, a flat-bottom discussion led me to ponder the larger picture of something. So, what is the Web presence of various entities within the outdoor industry, how does that presence affect the site owners, and how do those sites touch us – the consumers?

For Ben Sanders, the creation of arkansasstripers.com led to an entire new career.

That site, Sanders said, “was originally built as a personal information site to learn about striped bass.” then an avid largemouth angler, he watched as the site blossomed into the top Web destination for those wanting to find out more about freshwater striped bass fishing. that was in 2000, and the growth has continued, with the site tallying 969,514 visits last year alone.

Something funny happened, though. because of his site, Sanders started to get requests for guided trips to Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton. Starting from zero, he contacted a Hot Springs-area guide to take trip referrals, then started to work with him when he had too many bookings. Now Sanders, a former automotive service manager, has been guiding for 12 years.

“I have never done the trade shows or any other advertising,” Sanders said of his business’ success. “One-hundred percent of my business comes through the site. as a guide, it took me from zero to hero in less than a year.”

Furthermore, he said, referrals from the site have bolstered the business of other area striper guides. also, Sanders said, the site continues to inform visitors about striped bass.

“On the content side, I hope it has educational value for anglers to know that striped bass are not the evil fish some portray them to be and that they belong in the huge lakes and reservoirs of the nation,” he said.

LURED IN FOR PRODUCT INFO

As far as lures go in our Natural State, one would be hard-pressed to find an angler who has not tied on something that falls under the PRADCO umbrella. Its lure lineup includes time-tested names such as Heddon, Rebel, Cotton Cordell, Bomber and Arbogast, along with newer introductions such as Yum and Booyah.

“PRADCO – in its current form – is 50 years old,” said Lawrence Taylor, the company’s director of public relations. “Before we started making fishing lures, the company made plastic injected parts for refrigerators and air conditioners.”

The company’s website, lurenet.com, went online a decade ago. Currently, Taylor writes two or three stories each week for the site; but, he said, “The real contact with the angling world is through Facebook now. the lurenet.com Facebook page has more than 21,000 people watching it, and it’s incredible when I post a picture of one of our pros or a question. I immediately get a bunch of responses.”

While sales through the site amounts to less than 10 percent of PRADCO’s take, Taylor said the Web presence is “essential” and believes that its importance will grow in the future. “When an angler hears about a new product, the first thing he does – if he’s younger than 35 – is look it up on the Web. We need more and more info, video, personal observations and ratings added to the site every day.”

Reiterating the site’s importance, he said, “A company’s website is its link to the public, a virtual storefront and information center. if you’re not giving consumers what they want, they’ll go elsewhere. with Facebook, you can interact directly with consumers – a great way to build a following. But, it’s also a great way to lose them, too, if you’re not on it every day answering questions and interacting.”

While Taylor serves on the fishing side of the business at PRADCO, he spent the first half of his six years there doing PR for the company’s hunting products. Now, that job is handled by Mike Mattly, who previously worked in a variety of positions with Knight Rifles, one of PRADCO’s hunting lines.

That group includes well known names such as Carry-Lite Decoys, Code Blue hunting scents, Knight & Hale, Moultrie Feeders and Summit Treestands. Those brands went online at different times, but all had a Web presence by 1999, Mattly said.

“I believe the Internet is very vital for the high tech/high-priced items,” he said. “We want the site to cover the basic questions that guys tend to not question to salespeople, and sell to the people who don’t have time to go to the local shops.”

WHEN TO HUNT, WHERE TO FISH

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has been a part of state history since 1915, but the AGFC did not go live on the Internet until the summer of 1997. one of the people charged with keeping the commission’s Web presence viable is Keith Stephens, an 11-year veteran of the AGFC who worked in the newspaper business before stepping in as public-information coordinator.

“I would say about 50 percent of our contact with the outdoor world is through the site,” Stephens said. “In January alone, we had 157,000 visits to our website, with 625,986 pages viewed.”

Roughly two thirds of those visits were from computers, while the remainder came via mobile devices. the hottest topic that month? the Hunting Seasons page received 44,000 page views.

Stephens said he expects such numbers to continue to grow in the future.

“We have many inquires, comments and suggestions that come to us electronically,” he said. “It’s hard to place a number on that. We still go out to meet with the public through outreach programs and meetings, but more and more, people are using the Internet to communicate with AGFC.”

Stephens stressed the need for a Web presence as a must for the commission, noting the “research information, 24-hour service, professional image, feedback from those interested in our agency and its programs, … and communication between the agency and its stakeholders” as vital facets of agfc.com.

“In this day and age, we know that our customers expect us to have this presence,” he said.

The site has won several national awards for providing such special features as “online game checking, online buy of hunting and fishing licenses, real-time harvest reports, breaking news, program alerts, waterfowl reports, fishing reports, weekly newsletters, videos and photos,” Stephens said. “You name it, and we have it on our website.”

Furthermore, he said, “I believe it’s a excellent thought to keep our agency in front of our stakeholders. through our Arkansas Outdoors newsletter, we frequently let people know about various programs we have to offer. the Internet makes it relatively inexpensive to keep in touch with people interested in what Arkansas has to offer. We also have a large social-media presence with Twitter and Facebook. our Facebook page boasts over 45,000 ‘Likes,’ making it one of the largest followed pages of all conservation agencies. We also utilize an iPhone app that has been well-received … [and] are in the final stages of development of an Android app to continue to accommodate our constituents.”

Among the larger outdoor box-store chains in the United States is Gander Mountain. Steve Uline, executive vice president of marketing, has witnessed much of Gander Mountain’s online success since coming to the company three years ago.

While Gander Mountain started in 1960, the Internet site for the company went online in 2008. the site supplements the physical retail space of 114 stores in 24 states, including the Sherwood location in central Arkansas.

“Our website provides a very high degree of store visibility and informs consumers across the country about our hunting, fishing and other outdoor sports products, ranging from … camping and boating gear to footwear and apparel,” Uline said.

While the company’s Internet presence currently provides only a small percentage of Gander Mountain’s total sales, Uline noted that the site is exhibiting double-digit sales growth each year.

The site, the executive vice president said, is presented to “enhance the outdoor enthusiasts’ shopping and learning experience” and to “enable our consumers to easily research, learn and buy their outdoor passions.” In other words, Uline said, it is about convenience.

Staff writer James K. Joslin can be reached at (501) 399-3693 or jjoslin@arkansasonline.com.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 142 on 03/18/2012

Print Headline: Outdoors online

Dear Bar Harbor Times, Capital Weekly, VillageSoup Gazette, VillageSoup Journal and the Scene subscribers, readers and users of our respective websites:

It is with deep regret that I inform you that effective Friday, March 9, 2012, we will discontinue these publications. the company will cease operation beyond that which is necessary to complete the closure process.

The profound changes in the newspaper publishing business, a weak economy and our investment in new products made severe financial challenges. Over the recent months, I have worked with outside professionals to achieve a financial restructuring that would allow us to continue. these efforts failed as of 3 p.m. today, March 9, 2012. We can no longer sustain our operations.

I am deeply saddened by the disruption this brings to the lives of our 56 dedicated staff members.

I am grateful for the loyal support and participation of current subscribers, members, users, advertisers, vendors and my staff. I am confident that others will step forward and replace the loss of professional journalism and community service previously provided by our publications.

I fish with an old fishing guide. He's very experienced and is in his 60's. He has been fishing for years and caught every kind of fish known to man. Muskies, Northerns, trophy sized bass and Walleye. I asked him if its worth spending hundreds of dollars on a fishing pole. He laughed at me. He said as long as you take care of your stuff you shouldn't spend more than 50 bucks on a fishing pole.

What he did say was the most important was the tackle. Make sure you use excellent hooks and line. Also if you are using lures, make sure you have excellent ones that mimic live bait.

Your thoughts? Is he right?

Spending hundreds on a fishing rod is not something to be laughed at. a excellent fishing rod can last an entire life in fantastic working condition if it is properly maintained and used. Yes, a cheap rod could also do the same, but having a excellent quality rod to use makes fishing more enjoyable since there will be less tangles, backlashes, etc… I would rather spend a lot of money on one rod that will last me a lifetime than a cheap rod that breaks or I don't enjoy using because it isn't high quality.

There is a excellent bit of fact in what he says, my father used to "high jack" bass in the creek, that rig consisted of a excellent cane pole, line and a top water plug. my first excellent rig was a garcia 5000C loaded with 17 lb stren line, but it was mounted on a western auto fiberglass rod salvaged from a trash can that I replaced the tip on. I caught a lot of bass on it, but now that I can afford better I do because it makes fishing simpler on this ole man

He's right, but it comes down to Bragging Rights and Pride. to talk about all of the things that an expensive rod has and possibly does, is like a fantastic fishing tale.

BTW, I own a custom Glide Fishing 12 Weight rod that cost me $1100, and I haven't used it yet. The rod has collected dust for almost 10 years now. The rod was built to fish for Tarpon. That's my tale and I'm sticking to it.

All I can tell you is that no rod I have ever used, and I've used a bunch, has the feel, sensitivity, backbone, and casting ability of my St. Croix.

But, I have to be very careful with them. It would break my heart to see one of them break, at $200 each.

For my money, the biggest bang for the buck is the Berkley Cherrywood rods. Well made and sensitive enough for most uses, and at $30 or less each not a heartbreaker.

Money is like manure, if you pile it all up in one place, its stinks to high heaven, but if you spread it around, it makes everything green.

Collecting tackle is a fantastic leisure activity, it may be more fun to kiss a lot of girls than just one.

Ghost gets my vote for BA.

UPDATE: People keep mentioning Hideous Stiks. Yes, they are durable, (well, I should say the BLANK is durable). I've owned (and still own) a couple Hideous's. they aren't terrible- but they are CERTAINLY not as sensitive, have as excellent a warranty, have as excellent a handle, tip top, guides, or "work" better than a $100-plus rod.

Comparing an Hideous Stik to a high-end G.Loomis, Sage, St. Croix is like comparing a Rolls Royce Phantom to a 1978 Volkswagon Beetle.

Both cars have the ability to transport you to your destination, but, the handcrafted Rolls Royce has 5 times the amenities and warranty.

Anyone that tells you an Hideous Stik is "just as excellent" as a St. Croix/Sage/G.Loomis obviously hasn't used a freshwater fishing rod over $150. they may SAY they have- but they haven't. There is no comparison.

Nevertheless, do you NEED a Rolls Royce Phantom to get to your job? (DUH) No.

So, it's a matter of choice. The "gear" doesn't make the fisherman- it only helps.

More to the point WHY NOT?
If some body has the money to throw away then I find no problem with them doing doing so.
But i might just Add many years ago my local police force held an inter force fishing match which my parents Attend as they had a friend competing.
My mother got bored and asked for a rod rest stick , a length of line and a hook.
And using the very basics caught the heaviest a larges haul of in the match!
But sadly was disqualified as she had not signed on or was not a member of the constabulary at the time she later on became a special!

Certain rods cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars because of the materials they're made with. Materials equal out to making the rod very lightweight and extremely sensitive, which in turn saves the angler from fatigue but also aides in catching more fish… the sooner you feel the bite, the more ready you are to set the hook.

A lot of expensive rods also come with a no-questions-questioned lifetime warranty.

Your guide is right in some ways, especially when it comes to taking care of your stuff. But he's absolutely wrong about not having to spend more than $50 on a rod. What's he guide with, Hideous Stiks??

And as small, itty bitty side note, muskies, northern pike, bass and walleye aren't the only fish known to man. He must be from Canada or Northern Territories of the United States…

for most fishing an hideous stick or similar rod will be just as sensitive as one that costs a lot of dollars and you can't beat the warranty. i do a lot of glide-fishing and really own a river guide business. when it comes to a glide-rod there is a huge difference between a 50 dollar rod and a high-end Sage or Loomis. i have tried some of the rods offered by Cabellas and Bass Pro and some are really nice but there is still a noticeable difference and if i am going to be casting from dawn until dusk i like very high quality.
just my opinion but i have been fishing for over 40 years and casting a glide almost as long.

Is it worth the money? Yes and No. Some fishermen believe that you will catch more fish with a 100 dollar rod and a 100 dollar reel. i don't believe this. You guide is right, the tackle is what matters. The most i have ever spent on a rod is like 35-50 dollars. And All the reels I buy are HIDEOUS STICKS. these have the best quality in my opinion. I have had these rods for about 10 years or more and they work fine. i have over 15 hideous sticks and Some of them were from my grandpa who bought them when he was 30 ish. I still use them to this day!!!
Excellent Luck Fishing!!!

Can anyone tell me anything about this rod? Like what does the I.G.F.a. 50 stand for? or how many pounds the reel can take?. The rod says Coastal with a boat in front of the word Coastal. The reel says Shimano SPOOL F4 12/311,14/255/,17/220. Does that mean the minimum line test is 12lbs and max is 17? or is this just a guide line. also does that work well with this particular rod. and it came with line on it,but i don't know how old it is. should i just replace.
Please help with any info you have.
Oh yeah just in case this matters. I'm fishing in New York,far Rockaway in Salt water. In bays and off the rocks at the beach.
I here most people are catching Bluefish and Striped Bass.

international game fishing association
should be fine for bass trout or catfish
medium stuff

What General Lee said above is right.

But it sounds like the rod is mismatched for the reel. IGFA 50 is an International Gamefish Association 50-pound line weight rod. I can only imagine that it is a boat rod. a boat rod is a small, fat rod used for trolling with a level-wind type reel, but you have a spinning reel on it.

If the rod and reel are both in good condition, you can find a good spinning rod for the reel and a levelwind reel for the rod.

Obviously, no one else knows what this is. It would seem that you have a mis-matched outfit – a spinning reel on a conventional rod. In fact, they will not work together.

Your rod is a 50-lb class trolling rod designed to be used with about a 4/0 size revolving spool conventional reel.

Your Shimano reel is a mid-sized saltwater spinning reel best suited to a 7-ft or 8-ft saltwater spinning rod.

Both are saltwater tackle, but, unfortunately, not designed to be used together.

I have seen what the item description calls " fishermans ultimate knot guide" it is waterproof (it says) and the reviews say pretty excellent things about it. it would also fit right into the small tool slot in the bottom tray of my tackle box. so it would virtually take no room at all (since it will just be underneath the other stuff I have in there like plyers sewing scissors or cutting line and 2 round slot organizers with hooks/swivels and the other with split shots) Its about 6 bucks so I can simply take it out of my box in case I forget any vital knots for specific situations. Or is it just stupid because the clinch knot alone is all I would probably need for bass (or other pan fish species) of freshwater fish?

Thanks

The thing to do is to go to this website:

animatedknots.com/

and practice the knots at home. (I can't imagine it's simple to fumble with a small booklet when you're standing there needing both hands to tie an unfamiliar knot.)

Save yourself six bucks.

Are you sure you would have time to read the booklet, learn the knot, practice and then do while you are already out on a fishing trip. Why not practice them well ahead of time? Surely this is going to help.

marinews.com/knots/fishing-kn…

It would most certainly not be stupid, a fisherman should be proficient with the tools of his trade.
I learned from friends and family growing up, and I have narrowed the knots I use to about 5.

animated knots.com or grogs knots.

i only use about 4 knots and those are pretty simple to memorize. you could spend money on the book if you want to, or you could sit in front of the computer with a shoestring and commit them to memory.

You should surf a lot of fishing website. Or you can search via Youtube. Youtube is a very excellent information. You can see the video then learn the knot.

If ur going on a fishing trip yes if you need to tie knots.just reckon about it .do you really need to tie knots.if not why know how

unless your a well trained boy scout it is smart to have the knot book.

stupid i have used 1 knot as long as i fished

News of the weird, it would appear, is quick to become news of the world.

Since publishing the story and photo of the unusual two-mouthed trout caught by Fort Collins fisherman mark Wilson in Lon Hagler Reservoir last March, we’ve received a handful of similarly odd reports. but none quite so compelling as that of Don Beusman from the Finger Lakes district of upstate new York.

After a friend forwarded a copy of Wilson’s story of the two-mouthed rainbow trout, Beusman sent word of a rare breed of two-mouthed lake trout that’s been living in Canandaigua Lake for more than 40 years.

“The first one that I ever saw was caught by my longtime hunting and fishing buddy, Charlie Shakeshaft from Churchville, N.Y., on the west side of Canandaigua Lake in 1970,” Beusman wrote in an e-mail that included photographic evidence. “When Charlie yelled to me that he had just caught a two-mouth lake trout, I said, ‘Yeah, and I can walk across Canandaigua Lake to Vine Valley,’ where we were camping. By gosh, his 3-pound laker had an upper mouth and a lower mouth. Unreal!”

About six years ago, Beusman was fishing the same area and caught another one.

“This trout had two separate mouths with two separate throat units that fed the same stomach,” he said. “While fishing the same Canandaigua Lake area 30 days later, wow! I caught another two-mouth laker. This one was 5 pounds and was a gorgeous fish. My wife, Sue, convinced me to have the 5-pound one mounted, and so we did.”

Over the course of nearly 55 years fishing the lake, Beusman has kept a diary for the new York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and his unusual catches have generated quite a stir. Most want to know where the nearest nuclear power plant is.

There isn’t one nearby, leaving Beusman and his wife to do some research on the stocking and natural breeding of lake trout in the new York State region.

Unlike Wilson’s hatchery rainbow, which was dismissed by a local wildlife biologist as an injured fingerling that most likely had adapted to the damaged jaw with the formation of a second mouth, teeth and all, behind the first, Beusman learned through DEC records and interviews that the genetic fluke of his two- mouthed lake trout started many years ago and is still developing.

The fish apparently were brought in from Canada (Georgian Bay) as small stocking fish, making their way to Cayuga Lake, N.Y., and finally into the Bath, N.Y., hatchery, where they were then distributed to all the Finger Lakes, he said.

“As far as I have heard, all of the Finger Lakes in new York state have this strain of two-mouth lake trout,” Beusman said.

Littleton man lands lunker.

Coloradans are making a name for themselves all the way to northwest Arkansas, where fishing guide Ed Chapko reports a first from Littleton client Bobby Dotson on Beaver Lake. When Dotson and fishing buddy Bill Bowen of Rogers, Ark., showed up for a guided striper fishing trip wanting to use flies they had tied themselves, Chapko didn’t know what to make of it.

“I have been fishing this lake for nearly 30 years and never heard of fishing like this for stripers,” Chapko said. “Well, they work! We got the flies down to a certain depth with the aid of downriggers and they used 9-weight rods with 20-pound leaders.”

Dotson landed a 36-pound striped bass and a 37-pound striped bass within 25 minutes of each other.

Seminar offered.

With dove and grouse seasons on the brink of their Sept. 1 opening, C.J. Kausel of Hunt Smart Productions (huntsmartpro.com) is offering a series of $10 seminars on tactics to take to the field.

Monday’s 7 p.m. seminar at the Denver Bass Pro Shops (7970 East 49th Ave. at I-70 and Quebec) covers dove hunting in Colorado, including dove characteristics, habits and habitat, gaining access to prime hunting areas, required gear, guns and load, safety in the field, care of the harvest and cooking recipes.

Similar topics will be covered as they pertain to blue grouse and sharptail grouse in a 7 p.m. seminar on Thursday and a 10 a.m. seminar on Saturday. Preregistration is required for all seminars, and women and youth are encouraged to attend. Log on to huntsmartpro.com or call 303-699-7199 for registration and information.

Scott Willoughby: 303-954-1993 or