The Angler Magazine | May 2023 | Ohio Edition

The Watch for When It’s

a Million

O’Clock

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When traveling the globe, my friend Cynthia has a term for that slightly delirious, unmoored feeling of jumping time zones and not being sure what hour it is: “It’s a million o’clock.”

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RED SPRING USHERS IN

pring is one of my favorite seasons for shing. Fish are warming up and feeding aggressively, especially red sh. Red sh eagerly consume an array of baits this time of year, but there is one arti cial that sets itself apart from the others. Have you guessed it?

If you said, “gold spoon,” you were correct. When you look at the spoon it seems unimpressive, to be honest. However, that is the beauty of it all; we, as anglers, overcomplicate shing. Sometimes all you need is an awkward piece of gold metal to shake the skunk.

WHAT

It combines pro le, color and vibration, which play on the three signi cant senses most game sh use when feeding. e shape might resemble a crab, a small sh or a wounded shrimp, and the unique wobble lets sh know it’s an easy target. Gold spoons are great for beginners and avid anglers alike, they can be rigged weedless, and they are easy to cast. One of my go-to spoons for red sh is the FishLab Bio-Spoon.

RIGGING A SPOON

Rigging is simple; attach a 20- to 30-pound uorocarbon or mono lament leader directly to the spoon. I attach a snap swivel directly to the spoon to prevent line twists. A 1/4-ounce spoon is usually an excellent choice, especially when the bait is smaller. Remember to match the hatch in

terms of size. Pair the spoon with a 7 or 7 1/2-foot medium fast spinning rod and 15-pound braid. My preferred setup is the Okuma ITX 4000 paired with an Okuma SRT spinning rod.

Spoons can produce sh in various conditions, but there are situations when it shines. Along weed lines, mangroves or similar structures should be your rst targets, as this is where red sh congregate. Remember, reds travel in groups, so work an area thoroughly for consistent action. Repeated casts to the exact location or the same retrieval path will o en produce multiple sh.

Gold spoons are best suited for stained or dark water. In cleaner water, the same techniques can be used with a silver spoon. e shape of the spoon and hook guard combine to allow the lure to bounce o obstructions like weeds, mangroves, oyster beds or rocks where other lures might be lost.

Erratic action is the key to the spoon’s success. Many anglers cast and pause, allowing the spoon to utter. If you do not get a hit right o the bat, you have two options for the retrieve. A steady retrieve, varying speed based on conditions, will o en draw sh out and even right to the boat. Others prefer to add a twitch to their retrieve, feeling it increases the motion. Try each or mix it up based on what the sh respond to. Be bold, and try new techniques. Be sure to pick up a Salty Scales Performance shing shirt, stay protected, and remain comfortable on the water.

Capt. Joshua Taylor is a Tampa guide and founder of Salty Scales Performance Fishing Gear. Check them out at www.saltyscales.com.

MAKES THE GOLD SPOON UNIQUE?

HOW TO FISH A SPOON

By Capt. Joshua Taylor

FINALLY, BACK TO GROUPER FISHING

There was a time in my life that we took certain things for granted. For example, No limits and/or seasons on speckled trout, drum, ounder and especially GROUPER! I never thought I would say the two words “grouper” and “season” in the same sentence. Never mind, I’m just venting because I prefer bottom shing and light lining above all other styles of o shore shing.

I went through this last year about this time, but I’ll do it again for those folks who might have missed it. is is the way I start every location we anchor on, or post up with the Rhodan.

NOTE: We take two boxes of quid on every trip, and we typically have live pin sh from the marina also.

I typically have three or four folks with me every trip. We start by ring down whole squid on the jig. Meanwhile, I’m on the sabiki jigging up whatever is on the bottom below us. I don’t care what is coming up on the whole squid, as this is not the main focus. e real objective is to set a nice ‘chum slick” on the bottom to attract the sh you’re really shing for. A er 4 or 5 rounds of the whole frozen squid, we will re down live pin sh or whatever I’ve jigged up on the sabiki. e other advantage of shing a live pin sh, grass grunt, sailors’ choice or whatever you can jig up, is it eliminates the trash bites. In addition to eliminating the trash bites from small snapper, seabass and other “undesirables,” it’s like physcological warfare, as the gags, scamps and reds cannot digest all that is going on here. To them it appears like the pin sh, grass grunts etc, think the live baits were running around picking up squid pieces, and the squid or crab jigs have caught them and the live bait is struggling to get away. BAM!!! e bite happens. is, my friends, is the di erence between “bottom shing” and GROUPER shing.

Another bait that’s a dead ringer for a grouper bite is a butter ied

bait. e butter ied bait on the bottom basically does the same thing as the squid. e small snapper and other smaller sh will hammer the lets until the grouper have had enough of it. You will feel the small sh biting it constantly, but then all of a sudden the small “pecking” bites will stop. Get ready, and don’t move it… the grouper has moved in and everyone else has to leave, because it’s time for the real bite!

Enough about the bottom. I will occasionally troll for a LITTLE WHILE, but this would be to accomplish two things at once. Catch a sh or two, but also to locate the best part of any given ledge with lots of bait and sh on the bottom. As soon as we locate the bait, reel in the troll baits and get to work! Everything you catch trolling, you can catch on the light line while you’re grouper shing. Tuna, dolphin and wahoo are idiots for a big fat (live) greenie, sardine, cigar minnow or goggle eye out back behind the boat in the current.

All the best shing,

Check out more from Tim Barefoot at barefootcatsandtackle.com

Tim Barefoot

Are Saying

It was a perfect late autumn day in the northern Rockies. Not a cloud in the sky, and just enough cool in the air to stir up nostalgic memories of my trip into the backwoods. is year, though, was di erent. I was going it solo. My two buddies, pleading work responsibilities, backed out at the last minute. So, armed with my trusty knife, I set out for adventure.

Well, what I found was a whole lot of trouble. As in 8 feet and 800-pounds of trouble in the form of a grizzly bear. Seems this grumpy fella was out looking for some adventure too. Mr. Grizzly saw me, stood up to his entire 8 feet of ferocity and let out a roar that made my blood turn to ice and my hair stand up. Unsnapping my leather sheath, I felt for my hefty, trusty knife and felt emboldened. I then showed the massive grizzly over 6 inches of 420 surgical grade stainless steel, raised my hands and yelled, “Whoa bear! Whoa bear!” I must have made my point, as he gave me an almost admiring grunt before turning tail and heading back into the woods.

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By TAM Sta

Where Southern Stripers run

WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run

species that crosses their path.

It is a good time to be a river angler. Here are three excellent destinations for river-run striped bass in the South.

• Saluda River: Columbia, South Carolina

In spring and summer, scads of striped bass make the 60-mile run up the Congaree River from the Santee-Cooper Lakes southeast of Columbia, S.C. By late summer, most of those sh pile into the Saluda River, which is a short, 10-mile-long tributary that’s fed with cold water from the dam at Lake Murray. August is the heart of the Saluda season, when 100- sh days of 2- to 5-pound stripers are possible. Fish heavier than 20 pounds are a possibility, but this shery sees a lot of pressure and the water is normally very clear. e big ones spook easily and become nicky late in the season.

• Etowah River: Cartersville, Georgia

On Georgia’s Etowah River, the sh are spread out over about 50 miles of river, so covering water is the name of the game. Anglers should expect to do a lot of casting to each shoal and piece of wood cover where stripers might lie in ambush.

Starting in April, they run some 75 miles upriver from Alabama’s Lake Weiss to a lowhead dam downstream of Georgia’s Lake Allatoona. e sh are constantly on the move and the idea is to intercept them. Anglers might hook up with sh from 4 pounds on up to 20 pounds and larger.

• Hiwassee River: Reliance, Tennessee

e Hiwassee is more of a quality than quantity shery. Anglers are called on to sh hard for just a few bites, but those bites come from sh that o en weigh 20, 30, even 40 pounds or more.

In the South, the striped bass runs of spring and summer bring some of the most exciting shing of the year for those who prefer to sh rivers. Landlocked striped bass are as large and powerful as any sh in freshwater, and for most of the year they are only available to big-lake anglers who troll or downline live baits.

at all changes in spring. e rst groups of striper migrate into the rivers on spawning runs. In many locations, this spring run is followed by a larger summertime push, when pods of striped bass move up into cooler, more oxygenated waters. Sometimes they pile up below dams, and sometimes they patrol surprisingly skinny waters in wolf packs, gobbling up any prey

Most years, the wide, shoal-broken river around Reliance loads up with striped bass from July into September. ese are big-river sh that run some 50-miles upstream from the Tennessee River at Lake Chickamauga. ey revel in cold, oxygenated water that ows down the mountains from Apalachia Lake on the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

ey hold in the same holes and shoals every year to feed heavily on skipjack herring, gizzard shad and the stocked trout Tennessee puts in the river for anglers.

For more information, go to coastalanglermagazine.com.

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2023 OHIO HOTSPOTS FISHING PREVIEW

It’s now time for all of us to properly prepare our gear, ready our schedules and plan our trips for the upcoming angling season. Here is a list of top locations by specie, utilizing the latest ODNR stats, longtime contacts from across the state, and ongoing input to both the Buckeye Angler Facebook and buckeyeangler.com sites.

BLUEGILL (includes redear, warmouth, sunfsh, and pumpkinseed )

5. West Branch

4. Punderson

3. Buckeye Lake

2. Mogadore Reservoir

1. LaDue Reservoir

CRAPPIE

5. Mogadore

4. Caesar’s Creek

3. Berlin Reservoir

2. West Branch

1. Mosquito Reservoir

CATFISH

5. Mogadore

4. Mosquito

3. Ohio River

2. Clendenning

1. Piedmont

LARGEMOUTH BASS

5. LaDue Reservoir

4. Highlandtown

3. Mogadore

2. Lake Erie

1. Portage Lakes

MUSKIE

5. Alum Creek

4. Leesville Dam

3. Clear Fork

2. Salt Fork

1. West Branch

YELLOW PERCH

5. West Branch

4. Findley Reservoir

3. Pymatuning

2. Mogadore

1. Lake Erie

NORTHERN PIKE

5. Mosquito

4. West Branch

3. LaDue

2. Killbuck Creek

1. Cuyahoga River

SMALLMOUTH BASS

5. Cuyahoga River

4. LaDue

3. Alum Creek

2. Great Miami River

1. Lake Erie

TROUT

5. Mad River

4. Punderson Lake

3. Rocky River

2. Conneaut Creek

1.Lake Erie

WALLEYE

5. Mosquito

4. Pymatuning

3. C.J. Brown Reservoir

2. West Branch

1. Lake Erie

Article by Jack Kiser Host of “Buckeye Angler”. He can be reached at the Buckeye Angler Facebook site, or the new buckeyeangler.com.

May Brings Great Fishing Options in Western Lake Erie

Wow, Mother Nature is catching up quickly here on the western end of Lake Erie. We had a great April with lots of successful anglers due to the high population of walleye in the lake right now. Prime fshing weather is here and leading us right into summer. It seems like this time of year we have so many options for fshing on ake Erie that the prime spring spawn bites come and go fast. As we fsh in May, the western basin walleye bite will be getting good for big post spawn fsh. Many fsh that have already spawned are being caught now by anglers trolling off the reef complex edges all the way to Mouse Island, Rattlesnake Island and the Green Island area. Areas such as these along with the upper cans of the Camp Perry fring range (A- - ans) will continue to produce well for the next few weeks for trolling anglers.

Trolling cranks such as Deep Walleye Bandits, deep diving Husky Jerks, Reef Runners, the new tuned “Reef Stalker”, and the new Bill Lewis Precise Walleye Crank in natural colors, along with pinks, and purples should produce well when run about 40- 00 feet behind planer boards.

Early in the month, in the early mornings, a good amount of the walleye will still hang around the reef areas waiting for a hair jig to hop by to bite. Colors such as purple, yellow, and John Deere green are colors that are always good and don’t be afraid to tip your jig with a piece of worm as we transition into the worm bite. As the month moves on and the water temperature increases, a good worm harness and bottom bouncer bite will pick up for drift cast anglers. The fsh off the reef edges will still bite in this transition and “drifters” should also look to fsh the island area for migrating walleye. As for the Maumee and Sandusky rivers, most of the walleye

will be moving out and the white bass and many other species will be moving in. The white bass are a fun fsh to catch and are good table fare if only a few are kept and eaten fresh. Bass fshing will be heating up for small mouth and largemouth. You can expect the bass to be shallow soaking up the warmth before summer sets in. May is my favorite month for springtime crappies as well. shallow marinas or fshing the Sandusky ay rip rap or some structure in the rivers may fll a basket for you. Overall, spring brings us a lot of fshing action on the west end of ake Erie, if you like to fsh, get out and chances are, you will be catching and not fshing!

Article by: Capt. Jonny Fickert. He can be reached at Sea ree e harters, -6 6- 0 (seabree echarters.com).

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So many fsh, so little time!

May is one of the toughest months that anglers have when making the decision on which species of fsh to pursue, since they all are now fully-active.

Walleyes, which number over 90 million in Lake Erie this season, stretch this month from West Sister to the islands and beyond. According to Captain Mark ahlik, of Mark IV harters in Port linton, they are stupid-easy to be caught this month by casting or trolling. However, other common species that can divert attention include White bass, Smallmouth bass, yellow perch, hannel catfsh and bullheads, multiple species of sunfsh, suckers and even carp.

ess common, thus less pursued species of fsh that can be added to a life-list might also include igmouth buffalo, ongnose gar, owfn (Dogfsh), and a handful of other, even less well-known inhabitants.

White bass can be caught in stringer-busting numbers in the Maumee, Sandusky, and Portage Rivers and as they school along the rocky island and mainland shorelines.

Smallmouth and Largemouth bass have a restricted season during May, but many anglers target them for catch and release while they concentrate in shallow water during their nesting season.

To accommodate anglers who catch a trophy bass, the Ohio Division of Wildlife allows ( lack) bass over -inches to be possessed during May and most of June - traditionally the most popular period of time to pursue ake Erie Smallmouths.

With the resurgence of aquatic vegetation habitat, as a result of Zebra mussels fltering algae and sediments from the water column, argemouth bass numbers have been increasing and anglers have taken notice and have been targeting them more often.

Yellow perch can be found lingering around the reefs and underwater island structures after completing their spawning in late April or early May, depending upon water temperatures.

The rivers and bays team with hannel catfsh which migrate to locations where they can fnd nooks and crannies to spawn into under the watchful eyes of the males.

All of the larger rivers provide numerous public access points, private shorelines, and places to pull off the road and soak a hook baited with worms, shrimp or other favorite offerings for them and their whiskered relatives, including bullheads and Stonecats.

White, uillback and edhorse suckers, arp and an occasional oldfsh are all willing biters in many of these same locations.

Consistently catching Longnose gar takes a little more planning. One of the best techni ues involves using a lead-head jig that has a thick hair or combed rope tail. Having the hundreds of teeth entangled with these materials has proven to be more effective than getting a hook into the bony jaws of these prehistoric fsh.

rappies, luegill, ock bass and other sunfsh form dense spawning beds in shallow, protected shorelines, and marshes, which also host primitive owfn. It is really hard to narrow down which species of fsh to pursue in May. I have caught all of the above in May, but not ever all in the same year!

Article by John Hageman. He now writes approximately 25 articles per year after retiring from the Ohio Sea rant Stone aboratory - The Ohio State niversity’s ake Erie biology station at Put-In- ay.

Photo Sunfsh - (top to bottom) luegill, Pumpkinseed and ock bass are close to shore in May (John Hageman)

Pro Angler Spring Bass Tips

This particular time of the year can be really exciting and fun as long as you have patience...As the water warms toward normal spring temperatures, fsh will gradually make their way up from the thermocline depths of the deep. As my friend Jimmy Houston and I were talking one day, he mentioned to me that the seasonal patterns of bass are always the same. In the spring, you always cast down an underwater embankment and bring the bait or lure upwards just as the fsh will travel in the same direction, and in the fall, the bass will do the opposite after they have fed heavily in the fall.

One of my favorite approaches in the spring is to throw a Black and blue Cast Cray lizard in a 6 inch or even a 4 inch. Use a cover up scent to mask any human odor. And a 1/4 ounce to 3/8 ounce black tungsten bullet weight. Also, I like

to throw a light brown craw also using the same weight as I mentioned earlier.

These two techniques work very well in the Portage Lakes chain as well as Berlin Reservoir, and so many lakes in Ohio. If I fsh the Lake Erie region, a great bait that has been forgotten about for such a long time is the 3-1/2 inch watermelon seed tube. Use a 3/8 ounce jig head along with a crayfsh scent up inside of the tube. This will drive the smallmouth crazy. Until next month please take care around and on the water...

Ron Slater---Pro # 808 N.P.A.A. Bassfsher273@gmail.com (330) 780-3652

Brag Board

Skyler Glassburn

Barney Gammon

Derrick Robertson

Kevin Miller

Portage - Mogadore area

a Dennis. get slowing the Monday boat has and Fly-Fishing fy (who and on a As I

do it again someday. Stage 4 cancer is a terrible thing, my prayers are with them. P.S. I have never had such a touching guide trip as this one. Sometimes we need some sunshine and a great fshing trip to help us put life

Gear Review – e Fishing Butler

One of my favorite things to do is to watch funny shing fail videos. O en times they involve someone breaking their rod in a truck window or tailgate, or tripping over a bunch of rods laying on the deck of their boat. I think the folks at Fishing Butler must have experienced some of those things or at least seen the videos. ey have come up with a simple, a ordable, and clever solution to dealing with organizing, transporting, and storing shing rods.

The the on 4 words. This and can

BE SEEN HERE

e Fishing Butler is made from a nylon bungee cord with a slider that has a 4mm foam pad to keep it from scratching or denting whatever it is attached to. ey come in di erent colors and three sizes, small, medium, and large. e large one is big enough to wrap around a sleeping bag, tackle bag, tarp, or hank of rope. I think there are probably endless ways you could use one. When it is wrapped around something, it leaves a loop that can be used for hanging the rod or other item safely. It would work great to hang rods on the side of your boat to keep them out of your way, but yet easy to get to. ey are locking with a quick release, and they oat! ey are sold at hundreds of vendors locations in the US and Canda and a few international locations. ey can even put a company or shing club logo on them for you and make great gi s. You can see them at FishingButler.com. https://www. shingbutler.com/

Summit - Portage - Mogadore area

On July 25, 2022, I had the privilege of guiding for a very special true friend, by the name of Dr. Eric Dennis. He is in a battle with Stage 4 cancer and wanted to get out on the water when the treatments weren’t slowing him down. This trip was like no other, when I got the call, I dropped everything and made plans for Monday morning to guide for him. He wanted to use his boat too, just to give it a good workout.

Mr. Dennis is a well-known fy-tying champion and has given many demonstrations and talks about fy tying and fy fshing. One of his fies can be seen at the Fly-Fishing Museum in Vermont. He is planning on doing some fy fshing in Montana with his son and friends soon (who are all dentists), but for now, we were bass fshing, and it was a beautiful morning for it. When we pulled up on our frst area, at Turkeyfoot lake, Mr. Dennis landed a huge bass that weighed in at a little over 6 pounds! As I was taking a few pics, we were all smiles and laughs. The fun and friendships we make on the water may be the best part

of what fshing has to offer.

do it again someday. Stage 4 cancer is a terrible thing, my prayers are with them. P.S. I have never had such a touching guide trip as this one. Sometimes we need some sunshine and a great fshing trip to help us put life in perspective.

Ron Slater is a fshing guide on the Portage Lakes in Ohio, he can be reached at 330-780-3652 or email bassfsher273@gmail.com

For advertising opportunites, please contact:

Steve Philpott Co-Publisher e Angler Magazine – Ohio Edition

steve@theanglermagazine.com

After about 4 minutes we went across the lake and on his frst cast there, he landed another huge bass, a 4 pounder this time. Our excitement was beyond words. It is not often you hook into back-to-back lunkers. This will always be a special day for Dr. Eric, his wife Mary and myself. We will never forget it and I hope that we can

O

ce: (740) 899-0591

Ron Slater is a fshing guide on the Portage Lakes in Ohio, he can be reached at 330-780-3652 or email

YOUR KID COULD CATCH A WORLD RECORD

Would your kid be proud to set a new world record?

Of course they would, and right now is a great time for kids to catch a world record thanks to the International Game Fish Association’s new length-record category for young anglers. e category is intended to promote catch-and-release by making it possible to measure a sh for world-record consideration without killing it, and right now there 169 vacant species just waiting for anglers under 16 years old to set a new world record.

e new IGFA All-Tackle Length Junior category follows the same rules and regulations as the current All-Tackle Length record categories. e All-Tackle Length Junior category will have one record available for each eligible species, with no di erentiation made for the angler’s gender, which is consistent with current All-Tackle Length and All-Tackle Length Fly record categories. Vacancies exist for all eligible species of the All-Tackle Length record category and will follow the same minimum length requirements already established.

“By introducing the All-Tackle Length Junior category, we hope to inspire the next generation of anglers to get out and sh, while promoting ethical and sustainable shing practices,” said IGFA President Jason Schratwieser. “Fishing is a fantastic way to connect with the outdoors, and we believe that by engaging young people with this sport, we can inspire the next generation of stewards of our oceans, lakes, and rivers and help ensure the long-term health and vitality of our aquatic resources.”

With children and teenagers increasingly disconnected from the outdoors, the IGFA hopes to inspire a new wave of young anglers who are passionate about the sport and its role in connecting people to nature.

For more information, go to www.igfa.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IGFA.

Alexandra Hall caught this 63-pound blue cat sh from Virginia’s James River to set IGFA 20-pound line class and female junior world records for the species.

FROG FISHING FOR VERY HUNGRY BASS TIPS FROM A PRO

TYLER WOOLCOTT

Across the country, bass are either in their post spawn patterns right now or they will be soon. ere is a plethora of ways to catch these bass, but my all-time favorite for getting bit and drawing in a big one is a hollow body popping frog.

A popping frog can be used as an incredible search bait, and you can duplicate many di erent bait sh depending on where you throw it and what color you tie on. ere are many di erent options out there. I try to duplicate the bait sh forage in the particular lake I’m shing. Sometimes I use a frog to imitate a bluegill, and sometimes I throw a shad color pattern. 13 Fishing makes an incredible popping frog that comes with a stout hook and a wide variety of colors for any scenario.

When I throw a frog as a search bait, I work it faster than most. Cover as much water as possible until you put a pattern together on what exactly the sh are focusing on. at’s the magic of a frog; you can literally throw it around everything! Docks, lay downs, grass and open water are just a few of the targets I look for. Once you locate a group of sh or put a pattern together, slow down and pick them o a little slower. I have noticed sometimes there isn’t a “too fast” while working a popping frog.

A couple things I look for this time of year are bass guarding fry and also sh roaming the banks feeding on bluegill. is is very predictable and an awesome way to catch big ones. Typically, if you know a few areas where the sh previously spawned, these patterns will occur in the same areas. I throw a bluegill pattern popping frog because bluegill chase bass fry, and that drives bass crazy.

Another pattern to watch for is a shad spawn. is occurs in the mornings and evenings and can lead to a bunch of sh in a hurry. Look

for birds feeding on banks while running down the lake. Find the birds and you nd the bait! A white popping frog or a bait sh color is typically my choice in this situation.

A popping frog can work all year long, but it really drives post spawn sh crazy. Who doesn’t like catching sh on a topwater with heavy line and a heavy rod?

Frog Fishing Gear

Heavy gear is needed for setting those big frog hooks and shing around heavy cover. I sh a 13 Fishing 7’4H Omen Black rod paired with a Concept A 8.3 reel spooled up with Seaguar 50-pound Smackdown braid. is setup allows you to get sh out of heavy cover and into the boat!

Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcott shing.com.

Angler and The Angler Magazine, Suzuki Marine and Sea Eagle have come together to offer readers a shot at this Sea Eagle FishSkiff 16 paired with a Suzuki DF4 outboard that ll ta e you wherever the sh are. he ishS iff 1 is an in atable shing boat that is lightweight sturdy stable and e tremely pac able. It rolls up small enough to t in the trun of a car and quic ly in ates into a shing machine. owered by Su u i s four stro e you ll have to hold on to your hat as you scream over the ats. esigned for ef ciency and performance and portability, the DF4A provides all the speed and acceleration you can handle. It s lightweight and can be attached or removed with ease.

40-POUND PIKE BREAKS IDAHO RECORD!

BLACK SEA BASS OPEN YEAR-ROUND IN SOUTH ATLANTIC

Black sea bass o en y under the radar for anglers o the coast of the Southeast. Perhaps it’s because their size and numbers are thickest in the middle of winter, when it’s not as pleasant to be on the water? Or maybe it’s because they don’t grow as a large as the other grouper species that inhabit our wrecks and reefs?

This 40.76-pound northern pike is a new Idaho state record. It beat the existing 13-year-old record by a little more than half a pound.

Avid pike sherman omas Francis landed the monster sh on March 21 from Hayden Lake in northern Idaho. e sh was more than 4 feet long, with an o cial length of 49 inches and an impressive girth of 26.5 inches.

Francis told Idaho Fish and Game he speci cally targets big pike almost every day. In late March, ice still ringed the banks at Hayden Lake, so Francis was casting his lure up to the edge of the ice.

“When my lure hit the water, I let it sink all the way to the bottom,” he said. “As soon as my lure hit the bottom, I felt her hit. I sh with 80-poundtest line, and she almost immediately started peeling drag, a lot of it.

“She pinned herself to the bottom and just kept going, peeling drag the whole time,” he continued. “I knew that wasn’t normal, and I could tell it was something special.”

e IGFA all-tackle world record northern pike was caught in Germany in 1986. It weighed 55 pounds, 1-ounce.

For more information, go to https://idfg.idaho.gov

Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that black sea bass are some of the tastiest critters in the ocean, and anchoring over a wreck or reef teeming with them can ll a cooler in short order. Just ask the folks up in New England, where the species is a highly sought a er target of anglers.

NOAA recently announced that recreational harvest of black sea bass will again be open year-round for the 2023-2024 season in federal waters of the South Atlantic, south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. So, sharpen the hooks on your chicken rigs and go collect some meat.

NOAA Fisheries has projected that the 2023-2024 recreational catch limit of 366,510 pounds whole weight will not be met. e season in federal waters will run from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. Seasons in state waters vary, so be sure to check state regulations where you plan to sh. In federal waters of the Atlantic, south of 35 deg 15.0321’ N, there is a seven sh per person bag limit with a 13-inch minimum size limit.

A descending device is required on board all vessels shing for or possessing snapper and grouper species in federal waters of the South Atlantic. e descending device must be readily available for use and attached to at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line. For more information, go to coastalanglermag.com.

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STILL TIME FOR A TROPHY TROUT

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

If you are big trout enthusiast like me, you know there is still some time le if you haven’t had your ll over the past ve months. December through a portion of May is when I set my eyes on catching a personnel best speckled trout. With the full moon on May 3 this year, I feel the entire month will hold promise to land one full of eggs before the rst full moon in June. May is also a little more enjoyable, too, so sit back and let me tell you why.

Most anglers in Texas think about big trout mid-December through early April, and when the waders come o they change their focus. Fortunately, not all the big girls have dropped their eggs yet and will still hold them into May. It gives us the opportunity for a heavy trout to take a big smiling photo with.

Speaking of taking the waders o , wading in May is typically warm and enjoyable even if the sh don’t cooperate. e pleasant temperatures are more appealing than dreary, cold, winter days, and they also allow me to sh the way I prefer. At times in winter, we must slow down our presentation and this can become a little monotonous; however, targeting big trout in the warmth of May allows us to work the lure more aggressively.

ere is not much more exciting than a topwater explosion, and spring is one of my favorite times to utilize this tactic for trophy trout. May is also a great time to throw other lures. Traditional slow-sinking and suspending lures also work wonders this time of year.

As most of you know, I am a paddletail fanatic! is month, I’ll give several sizes a shot at getting inhaled by a huge yellow mouth. ese large predators will take 3-, 4- and 5-inch lures this time of year. As their bodies warm with the water, they become as aggressive as they will be all year, so adding some rattling sound to your tails can really get the sh active.

I seek out areas of grass ats in knee- to waist-deep water. Finding a at with a drain from a small lake or creek will work wonders for concentrating sh over adjacent shallow grass. A depression along such a at is another area you should target. When choosing a at with these criteria, areas of potholes are a plus over a solid grass- lled at.

I hope these tips help you get your PB trout on your last chance of the year to nd one lled with eggs. Take a kid shing. ey like big trout too. And be safe. May is the uno cial start of summer, and inexperienced boaters will be on the water.

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

KAYAKER LANDS

102-POUND PADDLEFISH

An angler got a little more than he bargained for in early April while shing for walleye in the Upper White River in northwestern Arkansas. Fishing 12-pound-test line and a 3-inch-long crankbait, Robert Murphy accidentally snagged a 102-pound paddle sh and spent the next hour battling the sh from his kayak.

In April, the Upper White experiences spring runs of several species into the riverine sections of Beaver Lake, including white bass, walleye and paddle sh. Paddle sh, also known as spoonbill, are a large zooplankton eating species. ey won’t chase lures or live bait, so anglers typically “snag” them during Arkansas’ paddle sh snagging season. e daily limit is two sh per person.

Murphy might not have intended to snag a paddle sh, but that’s exactly what he did. According to Outdoor Life, Murphy was throwing a 3-inch Berkley Flicker Shad for walleye when he saw a big sh on his sonar. inking it was a big striped bass or a gar, he ran his 10- to 12-foot-diving plug through the area and hooked his river monster in the top of the tail.

Anyone who has ever foul-hoked a sh knows how hard they ght when you can’t turn their head. Well, Murphy spent the next hour battling the beast from his kayak as it pulled him up and down the river. A er he nally hauled it into his kayak and brought it to shore, he weighed and measured the sh. With a length of 71.5 inches, it was nearly 6 feet long, and at 102 pounds, it was shy of the 118-pound, 9-ounce state record that was caught from Beaver Lake in 2020.

For more information, see www.agfc.com.