07/04/2009 @ 07:41 AM Contributed by: Brian McKee Views:: 12
I’ve heard some very strange ‘truths’ in the fishing department over the years. From the obscure to the most rudimentary, they all have one thing in common; a belief that cannot be challenged no matter the evidence to the contrary. Some border on common sense that we all share.
For instance, hooks are necessary.
It starts to unravel a bit when that hook must be of a certain variety, color or size; or that crank bait must be of a certain color and by a certain maker. As the old saw goes, everything I sell is designed to catch fish, or fishermen. Supposing this is true, must you really have that jerk bait in Monkey Puke, or that in-line spinner, only with a red eye or white hair? Terrifying as it may seem, sometimes there are no alternatives in a given situation, such as we have been led to understand, and we must break free of our paradigms, our superstitions if you will and reach deep into the tackle box and blaze off in a new direction…as painful as it seems.
I carry two rigs with me. Some are content with one whenever they show up and open the bail or push that button. Watch the pros and the number of combos strewn across the deck boggles the mind. They work their water to a froth, attempting to determine what magic is required in any given situation. Working a jerk bait when they should have been on the bottom: dragging a worm across a flat when they should have been chugging at the break. And in each and every instance we constantly wonder if we’d only done something just a bit different with the same lure in the same spot, or totally different in a spot just to the right or left, or a mile from where we stood in wonder at the frustration of it all…it can be maddening.
07/03/2009 @ 06:00 AM Contributed by: bigjake Views:: 27
New hunter education course allows students to complete
coursework online before attending Field Day training session
DES MOINES – Iowa is the latest state to adopt the HunterExam.com interactive hunter education course as an option to prepare for hunting certification. The new HunterExam online course allows students to complete coursework online before attending required classroom and hands-on field course training needed to obtain their Iowa hunter education certificate.
The interactive online coursework allows participants to complete a number of the required course sections and hours at home. “Students can register for free and our customized exam center will keep track of their progress as they move through the Iowa Course. Students appreciate the chance to login and out at any time, and pick up right where they left off,” said Kerry Moher, vice president of HunterExam.com.
With an emphasis on safety and responsibility, the HunterExam.com program focuses on reducing hunting incidents through coursework presented in a narrative fashion with more than 350 original illustrations, 30 interactive exercises (powered by HE Tools™), followed by review questions and discussion points. Students also have access to HunterExam.com’s industry exclusive toll-free customer service help line from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, as well as its live online chat customer service feature.
Megan Wisecup, Hunter Education Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, emphasizes that “instructor-led Field Days remain a crucial part of the HunterExam process but the online course is a convenient way for students to complete the required course sections and chapter quizzes at home so more hands-on training can be conducted at the Field Day.”
HunterExam.com also offers the only treestand safety course based on the latest guidelines developed by the Treestand Manufacturers Association. This new, fully interactive, narrative course effectively engages students and is only 15 minutes long. The treestand safety course is free to anyone with an Internet connection at www.hunterexam.com/treestandsafety.
Students may visit HunterExam.com to view the site free of charge. The online course costs $24.95 to complete and to receive a Field Day voucher. The student must then successfully complete the Field Day in order to obtain their Iowa hunter education certificate. For more information visit www.hunterexam.com/usa/Iowa.
07/02/2009 @ 06:00 AM Contributed by: bigjake Views:: 28
As the Fourth of July approaches, the Iowa DNR is reminding boaters and anglers to take a minute and check for any unwanted hitchhikers and protect Iowa lakes and streams.
Zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil are two aquatic invasive species that have spread across Iowa by hitchhiking on boats, in bait buckets, and with other equipment used in the water. Bighead and silver carp are two other aquatic invasive species that have been spreading on their own throughout Iowa rivers. Last year’s flooding helped these carp species swim around dams that otherwise blocked their movement.
A new state record 79 pound 4 ounce bighead carp was caught last week from the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids. Even though anglers enjoy catching these large fish, all aquatic invaders can create serious problems when they become established in our waters.
"Public action is the key to preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species," said Kim Bogenschutz, DNR Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator. “Boaters and anglers can unintentionally transport aquatic hitchhikers if they do not take the proper precautions to prevent their spread - inspect, clean, drain.”
Inspect your boat, trailer, and equipment and clean them of any visible plants, animals, or mud before leaving a water body.
Drain water from the live well, bilge, transom, motor, and bait buckets before leaving a water body.
Clean and dry boats, trailers, and equipment. Before transporting to another water body either:
Spray/wash your boat, trailer and equipment with high-pressure and/or hot water; or Dry your boat and equipment for at least 5 days.
Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash. Never release plants, fish, or animals into a water body unless they came out of that water body.
It is illegal to possess or transport prohibited aquatic invasive species in Iowa. The fine for violating this law is $500. Signs are posted at public accesses to remind boaters to stop aquatic hitchhikers and to identify infested waters. More information about aquatic invasive species and a list of infested waters can be found in the 2009 Iowa Fishing Regulations booklet.
For more information contact Kim Bogenschutz, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator, at 515-432-2823.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays in an effort to provide the latest information heading into the weekend. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. For current information, contact the district fisheries office at the phone number listed at the end of each district report.
Garnavillo – The fisheries biologist with the DNR’s Decorah Trout Hatchery estimated more than 15,272 fish, including 532 rainbow trout, were killed in a 7.5 mile stretch of Buck Creek, near Garnavillo, last week.
The DNR received a call on June 27 from a citizen who saw fish dying in the stream on the morning of June 26. The area received a heavy rainfall on June 25.
When rainfall washes across the land, street or parking lot, it can collect anything left on the landscape, like lawn fertilizer, lawn clippings, fuel or oil leaked from vehicles and manure applied to a field. Once in a stream, the material can reduce the amount of oxygen available to aquatic life and cause a fish kill.
Other fish killed during the pollution event include suckers, darters, stonerollers and various minnows. The fish are valued at $11,752.46.
The incident remains under investigation.
Iowa’s State Parks and the Fourth of July are as much of a tradition as hot dogs, apple pie and the annual parade.
“Our campgrounds are already busy in fact we have some parks where the first come sites filled two weekends ago,” said Kevin Szcodronski, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau. “We are encouraging all of our campers to be aware of the noise level at their campsites and to have patience at the shower houses and dump stations because of the busy holiday.”
The DNR will be handing out large green reusable litter bags for campers to use to collect trash. The bags contain information on how campers can have a smaller impact on Mother Nature while enjoying Iowa’s scenic beauty. The DNR worked in cooperation with Keep Iowa Beautiful to sponsor the bags.
06/30/2009 @ 01:32 AM Contributed by: barneyinswia Views:: 275
Hey right now is the time to really put a hurtin on some catfish!
This is a time when cats can be very very easy to put a hurt on. I have connected several times but i am not totally sure exactly what is at play here but i know it works. It is MY belief that the kittys are pry in the middle of spawning right now !
Pry in all three phases as I speak. But find rip rap and find kittys ! Dont seem to matter whether or not we are talking rock jettys, rocked shorlines, or sunkin rocks deep but cats ARE around them. Heavily toooooo !
Cats seem to use these lockers to get in side the caverns created by rock to do their thing.
Pry the most common approach is using a bobber and a float with a wiggling nightcrawler or leech similar to crappie fishing and dabble the rocks.
It is my beleif that these cats are in no mood to actually feed but to just protect their space . basically a reaction strike. Lots of cats also using a jig or crankbait for this reason. Also i beleive that this pry lasts a few weeks as the parents guard the nest at least until the hatch is well over and the fry disperse.
All i know is that this time of year people fishing for any thing that bites find themselves tangling with something much bigger than they expect and when they do actually catch some thing it is a huge "blue cat" lol
Well i hate to blast their bubble but the same lake that only produces channnel cats the other 11 months has not had a sudden invasion of blues!
What actually happens is that these fish are still channel cats which turn an awesome blue color when they are spawning. Man are they ever pretty this time of year And the males get a big old head and neck that makes em loook totallly different from the rest of the year
Let us know if any of you have ever found this pattern and your thoughts
06/29/2009 @ 06:00 AM Contributed by: bigjake Views:: 71
Iowa’s state park staff will be handing out reusable trash bags this holiday weekend to help campers and visitors with the carry in carry out trash policy at state parks.
The bags are approximately 18 x 25 inches and made from recycled plastic. They look like a mesh onion bag and are meant to be reused.
“We’re also hoping people will carry the bags with them when they are hiking or strolling around the park and help park staff in keeping the parks litter free,” says Jim Lawson, district park supervisor for the DNR.
“Iowa’s state parks are feeling the same economic pinch we all are this year,” says Gerry Schnepf, executive director of Keep Iowa Beautiful and person behind the free bag idea. “Without their normal seasonal help, it is hard to keep up with general maintenance of the park. We’re hoping the bags will help promote good stewardship of not just individual campsites and parks, but the whole state of Iowa.”
According to Schnepf, litter costs Iowan’s nearly $30 million per year to clean up. “The July 4 holiday is around the corner and maybe someday Iowan’s can celebrate our independence from litter,” said Schnepf.
The bags were made possible through contributions from Keep Iowa Beautiful, Waste Management, Prairie Meadows, DNR, Metro Waste Authority, Waste Commission of Scott County, Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations and the Iowa Parks Foundation.
The reusable bags will also be distributed by DNR waters officers around the state and by the bag sponsors.
06/27/2009 @ 06:00 AM Contributed by: bigjake Views:: 56
PHOTO: Perched atop a swaying cattail stock, a male yellow-headed blackbird voices his territorial battle cry.
By Lowell Washburn
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Photos By: Lowell Washburn
For resident members of yellow-headed blackbird colonies, a spectacularly successful nesting season is rapidly winding down. Although a handful of males still voice battle anthems from atop swaying cattail stalks, the unique tightly woven over-the-water grass baskets that once held eggs and babies are now empty. Although many remain incapable of sustained flight, this year’s crop of youngsters is now fledged. And although the awkward babies still cling desperately to nearby marsh vegetation and loudly beg food from their mothers, it won’t be long until they’ll begin hunting insects on their own.
PHOTO: A female yellow-headed blackbird delivers a beak full of insects to her recently fledged, but still dependant, young.
Few things make a summer wetland seem more alive than does an active nesting colony of yellow-headed blackbirds. Yellow-heads are a lot like some people, they want neighbors --- but they don’t want them too close. To the casual observer, a nesting colony appears to be pure chaos as pairs vie for nesting space and males conduct constant aerial dog fights. By there is an underlying order to it all, and everyone eventually finds their own space.
PHOTO: A newly fledged yellow-headed blackbird clings precariously to its cattail perch. As nests become crowded, young yellow-heads leave home before they are fully capable of flight. As wing and tail feathers continue to grow, they remain solely dependant on their mothers who supply them with near constant deliveries of insects.
Although yellow-heads remain an extremely common summer resident in northern Iowa’s prairie marsh country, the species is comparatively rare in the south. In Illinois, the yellow-headed blackbird is listed as an endangered species. This unique and interesting marsh creature is just one more good reason for protecting Iowa’s fragile wetland habitats.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays in an effort to provide the latest information heading into the weekend. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. For current information, contact the district fisheries office at the phone number listed at the end of each district report.
PHOTO: Perched atop a swaying cattail stock, a male yellow-headed blackbird voices his territorial battle cry.
PHOTO: A female yellow-headed blackbird delivers a beak full of insects to her recently fledged, but still dependant, young.
PHOTO: A newly fledged yellow-headed blackbird clings precariously to its cattail perch. As nests become crowded, young yellow-heads leave home before they are fully capable of flight. As wing and tail feathers continue to grow, they remain solely dependant on their mothers who supply them with near constant deliveries of insects.