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October 15, 2009 by
The day I was to leave for Alaska to tape the last episode of the season for my show, The Best and Worst of Tred Barta on Versus, I woke up with a gimpy left leg. My toes had no power, and I could lift my leg only halfway up. I went to my doctor who immediately ordered an MRI.
Shortly thereafter, my problem worsened, prompting me to drive straight to the emergency room.
Approximately six hours later, I lay on a gurney, paralyzed from the waist down.
Since then, I’ve been in three hospitals; all the doctors initially misdiagnosed this as a spinal stroke. Thankfully, I actually have an extremely weird (but treatable) blood disease called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, a rare (notice I still don’t do anything normal) form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma that causes the blood to thicken. Medical oddsmakers rate regaining use of my legs at about 20 to 30 percent. Thank God I still have great upper-body strength, will still shoot my bows, do battle with offshore game fish and should even be able to ride horses again. But make no mistake: I have blood cancer. And I am crippled.
I ask for no sympathy, but I beg you to listen to what this adventure has taught me in life.
During this crisis I found myself in the darkest hole imaginable—an abyss of self-pity. Quite frankly, in all my travels, this is the worst place I’ve ever been. But I swear to you that I am pulling myself out of this hellhole because of my core philosophy—the same philosophy that drives my TV show, the Barta Blue Marlin Classic and the Barta Boys & Girls Club Billfish Tournament.
Without my faith in God, the relentless support of my wife, Anni, and the kindness of hundreds of thousands of e-mails from my friends and detractors, I never would have made it this far.
Throughout my life I’ve tried to help other people. It was easy. I was healthy and it seemed the right thing to do. Now, do many doctors, nurses, physical therapists and friends are helping me. I know for the first time in my life what it means to receive such kindness and it’s overwhelming.
So my message is simply this: Unless you’re in a crisis, you may never know what it feels like to receive help. The Bible says it’s better to give than to receive. But for someone to be blessed by giving, someone else must receive, and it is just as important to receive graciously and appreciatively as it is to give!
So enjoy the porch of life. Spend that extra time with your son or daughter. Never miss an opportunity to cherish your marriage or pass up an opportunity on the dock to teach someone how to rig a ballyhoo or to take time sit with an old man fishing from a pier. You may never know the impact it has.
I do now.
My life will continue. I may walk again, maybe not. Either way, I can’t wait to inspire others on TV and here in Sport Fishing. Life is about doing your best with what you have, never giving up, honor, faith and love of family and friends. There’s nothing more. It’s not about money or how big your boat is or how many world records you have.
Slow down and smell the flowers: If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.
Anni and I thank you for your support. It gives us strength.
Till next tide,
Capt. Tred Barta
Editor’s Note: To help Tred weather the physical and financial storm that has stuck him and his family, five benefit fund-raising auction dinners are scheduled from Rhode Island to South Florida on October 23, 2009 at 7 p.m. Dinners will be held at:
• The Village Inn, 1 Beach St., Narragansett, Rhode Island—Affair Director: Capt. Matt Barashyan; 917-903-8116
• Oakland’s Restaurant, 365 Dunne Rd., Hampton Bay, N.Y. at Shinnecock Inlet—Affair Director: Capt. Anthony Prudenti; 516-810-5812
• Doolan’s Restaurant, 700 Rt. 71, Spring Lake Heights, N.J.—Affair Director: Capt. Len Belcaro 800-827-4468
• Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant, 501 Evans St. Morehead City, N.C. —Affair Director: Capt. Peter Manuel; 919-815-2560.
• I.G.F.A. Banquet Hall, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida. — Affair Director: Lee Green; 800-251-8263
[ Read Full Post ]September 29, 2009 by
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that beginning Friday, Sept. 25, recreational marine fishing licenses will be available for sale.
Recreational marine fishing licenses http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6101.html can be purchased via the DEC website, ordered by mail or telephone at 1-86-NY-DECALS (1-866-933-2257) or by visiting any one of DEC's 1,500 license sales outlets statewide.
"New York's coastal waters provide excellent angling opportunities offer anglers a wide variety of species to target, from scup and sea bass to bluefish and striped bass," Commissioner Grannis said. "Realizing that the federal government was going to soon require marine fishing licenses if there were no state requirement in place, New York elected to implement this new license in order to keep the fees here to help fund state conservation programs. While we know this is a big change for the coastal fishing community, this was the best available option for New York. We appreciate the understanding of marine anglers."
Anglers purchasing their license at one of DEC's 1,500 license sales outlets will receive their license and can go fishing immediately. Anglers purchasing their license via the internet will receive a "smart number" and confirming e-mail and anglers purchasing a license via telephone will receive their customer ID number so they can begin fishing immediately and don't have to wait to receive their license in the mail.
Beginning Thursday, Oct. 1, persons 16 years of age and older need to acquire a recreational marine fishing license if they are fishing in the Marine and Coastal District or fishing any water (such as the Hudson River, Delaware River, or Mohawk River and their tributaries) where the angler is fishing for "migratory fish from the sea" (such as striped bass, American shad, hickory shad, blueback herring, alewife). The Marine and Coastal District includes all the waters of the Atlantic Ocean within three nautical miles from the coast and all other tidal waters within the state, including the Hudson River up to the Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge.
The cost for 1-day, 7-day and annual resident licenses are $4, $8, and $10, respectively. The cost for 1-day, 7-day and annual non-resident licenses are $5, $10, and $15, respectively. The cost of a lifetime recreational marine fishing license is $150 and the cost of a lifetime combination fishing and recreational marine fishing license is $450.
All revenues generated from sales of annual, 7-day, and 1-day resident and non-resident recreational marine licenses will be deposited into the Marine Account. The Marine Account is a special sub-account of the Conservation Fund, and, in accordance with State Finance Law, monies in this account shall be available to the DEC specifically for the care, management, protection and enlargement of marine fish and shellfish resources. All revenues generated from the sales of lifetime recreational marine fishing licenses and lifetime combination fishing and recreational fishing licenses will be deposited into the Fish and Game Trust Account as per State Finance Law. Monies in the fish and game trust account are invested by the State Comptroller and the earned income is transferred into the Conservation Fund to be used for intended purposes.
Commissioner Grannis also encouraged all outdoor enthusiasts to consider purchasing a Habitat/Access Stamp, an optional stamp that helps support the DEC's efforts to conserve habitat and increase public access for fish and wildlife-related recreation. This year's stamp features a drawing of a pair of playful red fox. Buying a $5 stamp is a way to help conserve New York's fabulous wildlife heritage.
More information about purchasing a Habitat Stamp <http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/329.html> is available on the DEC website
[ Read Full Post ] August 29, 2009 by
Sharks will always draw a crowd and the one that 20-year-old Taylor Sears of Scituate, Mass. hung on the dock scales the other day was no different. But it was really quite different—perhaps the biggest male mako shark ever caught on a rod and reel.
Sears, a summertime charterboat mate, and crew were fishing for bluefin tuna in the southwest corner of Stellwagon Bank on Thursday when they hooked into a tuna. After a 45-minute fight, the big shark decided that it was time to eat and chomped the tuna in half. A quick re-rig and Sears was shark fishing and hooked the mako within minutes. It took two-hours to boat the 624-pounder.
Whereas many larger makos have been taken on hook and line, most big fish are females. Shark specialist Greg Skomal of the Division of Marine Fisheries, says that the 10-foot fish is the largest ever male mako recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.
To read more about record sharks click here: outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/fishing/2009/05/world-record-sharks
[ Read Full Post ] August 21, 2009 by
“I made it in the hospital through the bleakest, worst times of my entire life. I was in there for 90 days. I made through 80 of them before they broke me! I just couldn’t do it anymore,” says Tred.
According to Tred’s wife Anni, the last high dose of chemotherapy destroyed his kidneys and some liver function. He suffered major depression. Anni and Tred finally decided it was more important to get his head turned around than anything. So Tred—at long last—returned home. Since then, things have brightened dramatically. His kidneys look like they’re responding positively. His most recent blood tests show improvement in his Waldenströms. The local Shaw Cancer Center is trying something new – a milder treatment that can be done at home one day a week for several months, then once a month forever.
Not surprisingly, Tred decided that quality of life is more important than aggressive, big-name, big-city treatment regimens. He just wants to be home. And since he returned, he has gotten his fight back! Certainly, Tred has a long road ahead yet, but he finally has hope and optimism again and that is huge right now from where he and Anni have been. Tred is once again shooting his bow and shotgun from his wheelchair. His TV crew arrived today to shoot his next show and life is heading in the direction of normal – within Tred’s new context. He honestly hasn’t been this upbeat since this all started.
Anni is searching for live-in help for Tred as she can’t handle the heavy lifting, household management and well – Tred – all by herself. In addition, the Bartas face some staggering medical bills: As you can imagine, rebuilding every door, adding an elevator, completely redoing a handicapped bathroom, adapting the truck so he can drive, ramps, a powered wheelchair – it all costs megabucks and not surprisingly, health insurance provides them with $1,500 over a lifetime for these maladies. So anyone who feels inclined to make a tax-deductible donation to help the Bartas return to some semblance of real life can contact for Tred Barta at the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, PO Box 1275, Avon, CO 81620, 970-845-6339. Or Donations can be made by credit card at www.v vcf.org <http://www.v%20vcf.org/> , again mention for Tred Barta.
[ Read Full Post ]August 17, 2009 by The media was kept away from Barack Obama’s first foray into presidential trout fishing last week during his trip to Montana. But thanks to hollow cottonwoods and tall streamside grass, Outdoor Life managed to catch a few snippets of Obama’s conversation with fishing guide Dan Vermillion during the rainy session on the East Gallatin River.
“Wow, these hooks are sharp as a Sarah Palin glare.”
“Yeah, I know. You just hooked me in the ear with your last backcast.”
“Sorry, Dan. I guess I’m a little preoccupied with health care. Speaking of which, you need a Band-Aid? You’re bleeding pretty bad.”
“I’m okay. Whoa, you just missed a rise. You have to keep your eye on your fly.”
“Hey! That sort of talk back in D.C. will get you a restraining order. And a call from Larry Craig.”
“So, the word out here in the West is that you’re going to take away all our guns once the economy turns around.”
“Oh, Dan, that’s a bunch of crazy talk. Between you and me, the gun industry is so economically viable that I’m actually thinking of, you know, maybe consolidating some of it in my Homeland Security department.”
“You might socialize the gun industry? Hey, cast over to that rise along the bank!”
“Well, socialism is such a loaded term. I’d just ask for some, um, public-spirited contributions to pull us out of this recession. After all, double-digit growth is only acceptable if it’s my poll numbers. Dang! Missed another fish. I don’t know why we need all these firearms companies anyway. After all, one gun is pretty much just like another. Just like those constitutional amendments. In an effort to make government more efficient, I’m thinking of restructuring the Bill of Rights. Two or three amendments seems about right. My new justice, Sonia, seems to agree with that, too.”
“I hear you’re thinking of making an announcement about public access to public land. That’s a big deal out here in the West. Public land is where we do most of our hunting.”
“Dan, you should stick to fishing. We are hatching a policy directive about land, but it has more to do with demographics than elk hunting. So much of your land out here originally belonged to Spain, if we cede some of it back, there’s no way we lose the Hispanic vote in 2012. Damn! You caught another fish?”
“How about wolves? Are we really going to get to hunt them this fall?”
“Hey! I got a bite. No, wait, that was the bottom of the river. Wolves? You guys out here have a real problem with those beautiful animals. Look at it from my perspective: if we can keep this wolf engine humming, then you won’t be so worried about public access. Or about guns. They’re such an elegant solution to so many problems.”
“Yeah, I guess we can all just learn how to fish.”
“That’s right. Just like me. Hey, look, I caught a fish!”
“That’s not a trout, Mr. President. It looks more like a sucker to me.”
[ Read Full Post ]June 8, 2009 by
Tred wants you all to know that he had never worked harder at anything in his life. He undergoes physiotherapy all-day, everyday. At the end of his first week in rehab, he has experienced no improvement in the sensation in his lower body, though neither has he lost any ground. He especially works on upper-body strength and has quickly earned the respect of his doctors and therapists for working more intensely than anyone they've ever met. IF he never gets the use of his legs back again, it will certainly NOT be for lack of effort.
Tred is getting better at maneuvering his wheelchair and practices shooting his bow and casting light tackle everyday. He has physical glitches to deal with like undiagnosed pain and difficulty regulating body temperature. He is learning how to ameliorate bed sores. But overall, he is optimistic and grateful that he is as good as he is -- especially after seeing so many others in his rehab center so much worse off than he is.
So keep the thoughts and prayers coming. Tred has a very long, arduous and frustrating journey ahead of him. He needs every bit of support you can share. Thanks.—Dean Travis Clarke
[ Read Full Post ]June 1, 2009 by
Imagine waking up in your bed in New York City (or any town near a major airport on the eastern seaboard) to a cold, miserable rain. Your first inclination is to hit the snooze button and roll over, but then you remember that this day is different. This day, by 2:00 this very afternoon, you’ll be casting to bonefish on the sun-soaked flats of a tropical island so desolate and remote you’ll think you've travelled half way around the world for two days just to get there. But you didn't. You'll have arrived there in under 5 hours.
Amazingly, this is entirely possible, and for a lot less money that you probably think. The islands I’m referring to are known as the Bahamas’ “Out Islands,” among them Crooked Island, Acklins and Mayaguana, and I was fortunate to take part in a recent whirlwind tour that included stops on all three.
 A direct flight from JFK to Nassau (round-trip for as low as $250) takes about 3 hours. A charter flight from Nassau to Crooked lasts only about an hour (currently this can cost as much as $150, but the Ministry of Tourism is working with the charter companies to get that figure down to $50–$75). After a quick lunch at Crooked Island Lodge, you’ll be wading in the shin-deep waters that cover the expansive Bight of Acklins with an experienced, knowledgeable guide. With any luck you’ll even bring a bonefish to hand. I didn’t catch a fish my first afternoon in the Bahamas, nor did I catch a fish either of the following two days on Acklins and Mayaguana (frankly, I’m just not a good enough flyfisherman to make a 30-foot cast in 15-knot winds), but that was certainly not for a lack of fish or a horde of competing anglers.
This is some of the most pristine, unpressured fishing you will ever experience. Outside of the others in our travelling party, I didn’t see another fishermen the entire trip. Tourists simply don’t come here. Crooked (population: 550; area: 192 sqare miles), Acklins (400 people, 92 sq. mi.) and Mayaguana (300 people, 110 sq. mi.) are underfished and, in fact, underappreciated bonefishing destinations, especially when compared to other Bahamian islands like Andros, the Florida Keys, Mexico’s Ascension Bay or half-way-round spots like the Seychelles and Christmas Island.
 Don’t expect a lot of amenities and posh accommodations here, but you won’t be sleeping in a thatched hut, either. The lodging options are comfortable and provide everything you need and nothing you don’t. Your luggage will comprise an 8-weight rod and saltwater reel loaded with floating line (flyfishing is the most popular method, but spin fishing is certainly acceptable); shrimp- and crab-pattern flies or hair jigs; light-weight, fast-drying clothing; wading boots or sandals; lots of sunscreen; bug spray; and a wide-brimmed hat. That’s it.
Add to the islands’ accessibility and their untouched beauty: a lack of a language barrier; no need for currency exchange (the Bahamian dollar is equal to the U.S. dollar, which is accepted everywhere); cold beer, dark rum and delicious food including fresh fish, conch, jerk chicken, plantains, beans & rice, mac & cheese and other starchy delights (a fellow traveler aptly referred to it at “soul food on steroids”); and genuinely warm, charming people. It’s all just a few hours away…assuming you can lay off the snooze button.
[ Read Full Post ] May 21, 2009 by
UPDATE: Tred’s biggest problem at present is lack of sleep. Hospitals just won’t let you. He’s been undergoing a legion of tests trying to determine the cause of his spinal stroke with no determination so far. Understandably, he’s feeling dejected. However, tomorrow he transfers to Craig Rehab hospital, one of the most loving, positive atmospheres anywhere on earth. Hopefully they will boost his spirits AND let him get some sleep. He complained of pain and nothing among the almost 30 different pain medications helped the pain and his body hated it as well, resulting in allergic reactions. He also hasn’t eaten for days and without chocolate milk and peanut butter and jelly, he gets VERY depressed. Anni also requires your prayers as being stoic and positive throughout all this is an equally tough job. She, too, needs sleep and consideration, PLEASE keep all your positive energy, prayers and good thoughts channeled toward them.—Dean Travis Clarke
Outdoor television personality Tred Barta has been hospitalized in Colorado after suffering a spinal stroke.
According to Sport Fishing magazine executive editor Dean Travis Clarke:
"Just got off phone with Tred Barta and wife Anni. He had packed to travel to Alaska for a bear hunt for his TV show. Put his bag in his truck, Returned to house and then on way back to truck felt loss of feeling in his left leg. Decided to walk up mountainside behind house to make sure he could handle the rigors of hunting in Alaska before getting on plane. Condition worsened, so he immediately went to doctor. Doctor ordered ambulance to take him to hospital where MRI, CT scan, etc determined he’d suffered a spinal “Stroke.” Quite rare – afflicting approximately 12 of 100,000 people in the U.S. each year.
"Within four hours, he had completely lost feeling in both legs up to a point halfway between his chest and navel.
"Tred and Anni seem to be taking turns being supportive and dejected. Fortunately, they seem to balance each other that way. He will soon be transferred to Craig Rehab Center in Denver. Craig is a non-profit freestanding hospital that has been rated every year in the Top Ten Rehabilitation Hospitals by US News and World Report since the ratings began eighteen years ago.
"Though last night was tough, today finds some encouraging signs. He has been able to respond to stimulus causing his toes to curl. The paralysis has lowered to about navel level. He seems to have regained some slight sensation in his right leg. Results of blood and spinal fluid tests also seem encouraging.
"He seems remarkably positive and upbeat this morning. Keep them in your thoughts and please live YOUR life as though this could happen to you tomorrow!"
[ Read Full Post ]May 7, 2009 by
For better or for worse—he's done it again.
As many of you may recall, Outdoor Life was on the scene back in 2006 when Florida angler Bucky Dennis shattered the world record for hammerhead sharks at 1,282 pounds. Dennis, who donated the brute to the Shark Center at Mote Marine, endured some criticism for taking the big female hammerhead which was pregnant with 55 pups.
Dennis' latest catch weighed in at 1,060 pounds. It, too, was caught in Florida's famed Boc Grande Pass. He fought the hammerhead for 2 1/2 hours and is expected to submit the catch to the IGFA as a line-class record.
Here's a look back at former Fishing Editor Jerry Gibbs' tale of the world record hammerhead of 2006.
Once they're hooked, giant hammerheads know where to go. The nightmare monster that ate a live and bleeding 20-lb. stingray bait Capt. Clyde "Bucky" Dennis served up followed the script flawlessly. It was 11:30 am, May 23 at Boca Grande pass, Florida, and an instant after it bit the shark left the pack of tarpon boats where it had lurked trying for an easy grab of hooked 'poon, and roared for deeper water. Five-plus hours later and 12 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico, his back and legs battered and hurting, Bucky had the fish alongside. Fairly beaten, gaffed twice, the fish was tail and head lassoed for its final ride. If everything checks out this shark will have shattered the 24-year-old IGFA great hammerhead record of 991 pounds. Bucky's monster tipped a state-certified truck weigh station scale at 1,280 pounds.
 The 36-year-old, Port Charlotte angler was alone in his low-slung 23-ft. flats skiff when the shark ate. The hammerhead had first lunged at a hooked tarpon pal Kenny Hyatt was fighting close by. Kenny ran his boat in a high-rev doughnut over the beast trying to scare it. Such creatures don't frighten easily. This one moved slightly, saw the stingray, and chomped. Bucky was in trouble now, trying to steer and keep the rod from touching anything which would have queered his record shot. But then another friend, Brian Hart, jumped into the angler's skiff. Bucky took the bow fighting chair and they followed the running fish.
Hart stayed with Bucky past Boca Grande's second bell buoy. There the angler's "crew" of other pals piled aboard. Of those men it was Larry "Mack" McLean who drove in the first gaff hook after five hours of battle. The flying gaff pierced the hugely muscled dorsal and held. Imagine the deltoids of a thousand pound NFL linebacker and you understand about a solid hold.
"After that first gaff she went ballistic," Bucky says. "That huge tail was really going. She sounded again. We'd tried ten times to get the leader and get that first gaff in, but now it was. She wore down in thirty more minutes and we got a second hook in just behind the right gill slits. Then we got the tail rope on; once you've got that-or a head rope-you've got them locked. Unless you've got a small boat and the shark pulls you under."
That almost happened. Bucky and his pals tried sliding the shark across the aft skiff deck to avoid towing the beast in. The boat's entire stern quarter began sinking as the enormous girth of the creature was exposed. With four men pulling, it was impossible to raise the shark further than half way. It took nearly three hours to tow back to Gasparilla Marina.
The shark was loaded onto a boat trailer. The following day Bucky donated it to the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Weighed on their scales it had lost 18 pounds.
"I hope for the record but even so I know somebody will catch a bigger one eventually," Bucky said. "They're there. There are three big hammerheads there -- a couple light gray and one black one-- all pushing seventeen-eighteen feet. Mine was just over fourteen. Two weeks ago we had two gaff hooks in the black one and they pulled. It was longer and bigger around than mine. Yeah, I'll be ready to get back on the water pretty soon."
[ Read Full Post ]April 10, 2009 by
Northeast
Spring is slowly emerging in the Big Apple and New York anglers are seeing more opportunities to shake off cabin fever and wet a line. Karl Anderson at Urban Angler on 5th Avenue reported water temperatures fluctuating between 40 degrees and 48 degrees. “Fishing early in the season is super hard because release flows are not announced,” he explained, “you could show up to the river and find the trip blown cold or high water.” So, Karl has been fishing New York reservoirs and creeks on eastern Long Island for brown and rainbow trout. He’s using streamers like white Zonkers or small black wooly buggers. “Streamers can imitate anything from a bait fish to a hellgrammite,” Karl says. Nymphs patters such as the gold ribbed hare, small black stones, pheasant tails, and copper Johns in size 4 to 12 have also been effective. “Fishing is tough,” he said, “you’re lucky if you catch just one fish.”
Mid-Atlantic
It must be spring because anglers from New Jersey to North Carolina are encountering large numbers of big tog. Captain John Nedelka www.karensueboat.com has been blistering big blackfish out of Indian River, Delaware. He’s been fishing with green crabs and clams on wrecks that are in 80 to 90 feet of water. Last week, they scored 11 fish between 9 and 11 pounds. And Nedelka calls that a “slow day” expecting the fishing to get even better as the water gets warmer. Last week, we fished with Ken Neill and crew on the Healthy Grin and caught 38 tog, including 14 keepers over 14 inches, off Virginia Beach. Ken started fishing offshore and hit several wrecks in 100 feet of water before coming inshore and loading up on one piece of structure in 70 feet. We were using blue crab and chowder clam on a single dropper bottomrig with a 3/0 baitholder hook and 6 to 10 ounces of lead. Anglers fishing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel have also been getting in on the tog bite by anchoring over the rock tubes or in front of the pilings. Matt Shepard and his kayak-fishing buddies hit the south island of the CBBT last week and found steady action on keeper tog on the change of the tide. It seems that everywhere Mid Atlantic anglers turn, they are encountering tog.
South
“Lots of wind and no fishing,” reported Chris at Professional Sport Shop in New Orleans. For the past week, anglers have been hemmed in by the weather. Luckily, chris expects the action to fire up when the wind lies down. First, he looks for trout to show up along the bridges and trestles. He says that anglers will troll RatLtraps with lead-core line along the pilings. Chris suggests replacing the back treble hook on the plug with a 2 foot piece of leader and a soft plastic jig. “Use a flats boat and bump troll along the pilings,” Chris says. He expects fishing in the creeks and canals to pick up as bait moves into the area. Right now, the best bite is on Tsunami swim shad or Fin-S soft plastics. Perch fishing has also picked up along HWY 51 in Manshack and Riddick. He said that anglers casting Bettlespins, crickets, or worms are loading up on tasty pan fish. Offshore fishing has also been slowed by the weather. Crews are catching wahoo, blackfin, and yellowfin when the wind subsides. Once the conditions improve, Chris expects the fishing to take off. “Right now, we either get rain and high water or wind that blows the water out,” he said.
Midwest
Bass fishing on fire around St. Louis, Missouri this week. John at Bull’s Eye Bait and Tackle www.bullseyebaitandtackle.com reported excellent fishing on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, and North Fork. He suggests looking for the fish in the shallows on a warm day and in 12 to 18 feet of water when the temperature drops. The best baits have been Lucky Craft suspending jerk baits. “Everyone has his favorite color,” John says.
West
The spring run of Chinook salmon is picking up speed as the fish move up the rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Jim at Chinook Bait and Tackle www.chinookbaitandtackle.com reported the best springer action around Portland and Longview. He said that anglers who slow troll plug-cut herring on the incoming tide or back bounce a sardine wrap on a Quickfish during the outgoing are averaging one keeper salmon to three throwbacks. Jim said that local anglers are just starting to explore the possibilities around Deep River and Brookfield. He had just outfitted several crews and sent them to fish the pilings around Brookfield. “Can’t wait to hear how they do,” he said.
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