News and more by state
Click on your state or bordering states to get the latest news in your area.
|
• Alabama • Arizona New! • Arkansas New! • California • Colorado • Connecticut New! • Delaware • District of Columbia • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois New! • Indiana New! • Iowa New! • Kansas • Kentucky |
• Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan New! • Minnesota New! • MississippiNew! • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York New! • North Carolina New! • North Dakota |
• Ohio • Oklahoma New! • Oregon • Pennsylvania New! • Rhode Island • South Carolina New! • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia New! • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin New! • Wyoming |
ALABAMA
Oct. 2009
Access improvements — The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Freshwater Fisheries Division is making improvements at Bonners Landing Public Ramp on Lake Jordan in Elmore County. The project includes constructing a 60-foot-wide launching ramp capable of accommodating up to four boats at a time. The new ramp is expected to be ready for use in advance of the 2010 spring fishing rush.
Sept. 2009
Free stay — The Alabama State Parks' Fab 5 promotion offers guests who stay for three nights at any one of the five participating parks a free night during their next stay. The promotion runs through February 2010, and guests have one year to take advantage of the free night when they stay at a park resort-style hotel and lodge room, cabin, chalet or cottage. The Fab 5 participating parks are Cheaha, DeSoto, Lakepoint on Lake Eufaula, Joe Wheeler and Lake Guntersville.
ARIZONA
Nov. 2009
No phone calls — Boaters are advised that the Arizona Game and Fish Department is no longer accepting watercraft registration renewals by telephone. For a reduced fee of $2.50, residents and nonresidents can renew their registration online at www.azgfd.gov/watercraft.
Sept. 2009
Launch restrictions — Boats entering Lake Powell at all major launch ramps must now be inspected for quagga mussels. Personnel are available daily for screening at the following times: 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mountain Standard Time at Wahweap and Bullfrog; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for Antelope Point Marina; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Hall's Crossing Marina.
ARKANSAS
Nov. 2009
Making Progress — An advocacy group of stakeholders in the Lake Conway watershed area is doing its part to rectify longstanding flooding and sedimentation problems in the watershed. The Lake Watershed Advocacy Group continues the long and expensive process of bringing together divergent groups under a common goal, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has noticed real progress. "We've got some momentum going now, especially with downstream flooding issues at Grassy Lake Road and in the effort to fund a watershed study of the Lake Conway area," said Mark Oliver, AGFC chief of fisheries.
CALIFORNIA
Check back for updates!
COLORADO
Oct. 2009
More opportunities — Fishing is Fun grants are giving Colorado anglers access to a half-mile of the South Platte River in Littleton and on 14 other streams and ponds across the state. The Fishing is Fun grant program encourages partnerships between the Colorado Division of Wildlife and local communities in order to expand public access and improve aquatic habitat at local rivers, lakes and ponds. For more information about the project, visit http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing/.
CONNECTICUT
Nov. 2009
License increases — A newly enacted state budget law will double most fishing license fees. The resident fishing license rises from $20 to $40; nonresident fishing, $40 to $80; and resident combination hunt/fish, $28 to $56.
Oct. 2009
River restoration — Final funds from a settlement with General Electric (GE) are being allocated for 27 projects for the Housatonic River Basin Natural Resource Restoration Plan. The settlement with GE in 1999 includes $7.5 million for restoration projects in Connecticut aimed at restoring or rehabilitating the natural resources and recreational uses of the Housatonic River that were injured by the release of PCBs from a GE facility in Massachusetts.
DELAWARE
Check back for updates!
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Check back for updates!
FLORIDA
Sept. 2009
Fish producers — The staff at the Blackwater Fisheries Research and Development Center was busy this past spring producing more than 4 million fish for Florida waters. Dave Yeager, senior fisheries biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission facility near Holt, said the fish included striped bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass and largemouth bass. The fingerlings were either stocked in Panhandle waters or taken to the Florida Bass Conservation Center in Webster or the Welaka National Fish Hatchery in Palatka.
GEORGIA
Sept. 2009
New site — A new Georgia Museum of Natural History Web site offers the most complete look at Georgia fishes and where they can be found. The site, http://fishesofgeorgia.uga.edu/, details 337 species and is the result of thousands of hours spent by researchers studying records, sampling streams and inspecting fish preserved in jars.
HAWAII
Check back for updates!
IDAHO
Check back for updates!
ILLINOIS
Nov. 2009
Youth calendar — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has unveiled a new interactive tool to keep families informed about outdoor youth activities throughout the state. A new online calendar (http://dnr.state.il.us/youthprograms) contains descriptions and information about hundreds of youth activities, such as the new Illinois High School Association Bass Fishing tournament, urban fishing clinics and tackle loaner programs at state parks and other areas across the state.
Sept. 2009
New assistant — John D. Rogner is the new assistant director of the Illinois DNR. Rogner joins the IDNR from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he has served since 1998 as supervisor of the Chicago Field Office.
INDIANA
Nov. 2009
Fishing promotion — The new Fishin' in the Fort program is aimed at increasing recreational fishing in Fort Wayne. The community-based initiative will educate residents about fishing opportunities and encourage their participation in other outdoor activities. A newly released study showed sportfishing in the city's three rivers is limited. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working with the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department on strategies to improve the fishing. New director — Mark Reiter has been named director of the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife. Reiter has spent most of the last 32 years in various positions with the agency.
Sept. 2009
License changes — State residents can take advantage of several new hunting, fishing and trapping license changes that went into effect this summer. Two of the license changes are: (1) youth under age 18 no longer need a fishing license to fish in Indiana public waters, and (2) seniors who are not required to purchase a fishing license may now purchase a voluntary senior annual fishing license, if they want to do so as a contribution to the benefit of fish and wildlife.
IOWA
Nov. 2009
Invasive confirmed — The presence of the invasive aquatic plant Eurasian milfoil at Mill Creek Lake, near Paulina, has been confirmed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR plans to use an aquatic herbicide to treat the water milfoil next spring. Liberalized fishing — The Iowa DNR has relaxed fishing regulations at Lake Wapello near Drakesville to allow anglers to freely harvest fish before the lake is drained. The lake is undergoing a fishery renovation because gizzard shad had been released into the lake. Lowered lake — Evansdale city staff has lowered the water level in Meyers Lake at the request of the Iowa DNR fisheries biologists in an effort to rid the lake of problem fish. The lake has also been chemically treated with rotenone to eliminate all fish in the lake so the DNR can restock it with bluegill, catfish and largemouth bass.
Oct. 2009
Upping reward —
An anonymous resident from the Lake Wapello area has pledged $500 in addition to the $1,000 reward offered by the Turn-In-Poachers program for information leading to a successful prosecution of the individuals responsible for introducing gizzard shad into the lake. The TIP number is 800-532-2020. The gizzard shad population was eliminated from the lake during a lake renovation project last spring, but more shad were discovered this summer during a routine sampling of the newly renovated fishery.
Relaxing regulations — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has relaxed fishing regulations at Moorehead Lake near Ida Grove and Summit Lake near Creston to allow anglers to more freely harvest fish before a planned fish renovation at Moorehead and a lake renovation at Summit. Licensed anglers will be allowed to harvest any size or number of largemouth bass, channel catfish and all other fish species from the lakes. The fishing renovation at Moorehead is necessary to improve the quality of the panfish species in the lake as well as the largemouth bass population. The fishery renovation at Summit Lake is part of a process to improve the lake's water quality.
Sept. 2009
Restored backwaters — A $3 million project to restore historic backwaters and side channels to the Missouri River has been completed at the Tyson Bend Wildlife area near Missouri Valley that will create about 30 acres of critically needed backwaters. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported that waterfowl and various fish species, including bluegill, bass and crappie, should all benefit from the backwater habitat.
KANSAS
Oct. 2009
Invasive found — The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks confirmed that white perch, a non-native invasive species, has been found in El Dorado Reservoir. The department reports that white perch have been associated with declines in both walleye and white bass populations and feed heavily on baitfish needed by other species, including black bass.
KENTUCKY
Check back for updates!
LOUISIANA
Oct. 2009
Native stockings — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is progressing rapidly in its effort to stock native fish species in the Port Sulphur waterways in Plaquemines Parish in response to tilapia eradication using rotenone. This summer, thousands of tilapia found in ditches and ponds in the area were euthanized. Some of the predatory fish species being stocked by the department include bowfin, mud catfish, spotted gar, alligator gar, largemouth bass and green sunfish.
MAINE
Check back for updates!
MARYLAND
Check back for updates!
MASSACHUSETTS
Oct. 2009
Lead ban — The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Board unanimously voted to prohibit the use of lead sinkers, lead weights and lead fishing jigs with a mass of less than 1 ounce in the inland waters of the state. The regulatory change will not take effect until 2012.
Sept. 2009
Fish brochure — A new full-color, illustrated brochure of the Freshwater Fishes of Massachusetts is available from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife). The brochure includes pictures of most of the freshwater fish species found in Massachusetts and is packed with tips on identification of game and bait fish, fishing ethics and instruction on how to fillet a fish. The brochures can be found at any of MassWildlife's regional offices.
MICHIGAN
Nov. 2009
New access — The Eight Point Lake Boating Access in Garfield Township is open to the public. The new site at the 388-acre lake boasts asphalt-paved roads and parking areas, a single concrete launch ramp, a courtesy pier and restroom facilities.
Oct. 2009
Virus discovered — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in samples of fish collected this spring in Baseline Lake in Washtenaw County and in Lake St. Clair. The virus was detected in brown bullhead in Baseline Lake and in smallmouth bass and muskellunge at Lake St. Clair. The smallmouth bass were sampled during a fish kill in early June in Lake St. Clair.
MINNESOTA
Nov. 2009
Mussel find — A local resident recently found a zebra mussel attached to a native mussel in Pelican Lake in Otter Tail County. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists searched the lake and found both adult and young zebra mussels, suggesting that the non-native mussels have been in the lake for more than a year.
Oct. 2009
Rule changes —
New rules for Minnesota fishing contests in 2010 may exempt some tournament organizers from permit requirements and will reduce permit fees by half, but charitable organizations will no longer be exempt from fees. Under the new permit fee structure, small open water contests (31 to 100 participants, 50 or fewer boats) pay $60 while large open-water contests (more than 100 participants or 50 boats) pay $200. For a complete summary of the tournament regulations, call the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Information Center at 651-296-6157 or toll-free at 888-646-6367.
Sept. 2009
Pesky weed — Eurasian watermilfoil has been discovered growing in Lake Florida near Spicer. The nonnative, invasive aquatic plant was discovered near a public access by a local angler who reported it to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR will be working with local groups and citizens on management of the invasive plant.
Zebra invasion — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Sea Grant biologists have confirmed that zebra mussels have been found in Pike Lake near Duluth. The infestation is especially disappointing because the DNR and the local Pike Lake Association have co-sponsored DNR watercraft inspectors at public access areas for several years. The DNR also confirmed finding a zebra mussel in Lake Le Homme Dieu in Alexandria.
Paying forward — Making a fishing rod part of a youth's outdoor learning experience became a reality this summer for 33 successful applicants in a Minnesota DNR program that provides educators with equipment kits that help introduce youth to fishing. Any teacher, scout leader, 4-H leader or fishing enthusiast already familiar with the DNR MinnAqua program's "Fishing: Get in the Habitat!" leader's guide curriculum was eligible to apply for the DNR's Pay It Forward fishing equipment program.
MISSISSIPPI
Nov. 2009
Final stock — An additional 5,000 to 6,000 bass have been stocked this fall in the final year of a cooperative effort to rebuild bass stocks in the Pascagoula River following Hurricane Katrina. Several groups have been involved, including Mississippi Power, Mississippi State University researchers, coastal anglers, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Foundation. More than 30,000 8- to 10-inch Florida bass fingerlings were stocked in 2007 and 2008, and an additional 9,000 fish were stocked earlier this year.
Sept. 2009
Honored employees — Three Fisheries Bureau employees have been honored by the Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries & Parks Commission. Receiving special honors were Justin Wilkins, North Mississippi Fish Hatchery Manager, for being Fisheries Biologist of the Year; Jason Thigpen, Lake Claude Bennett Manager, State Lake Manager of the Year; and Sherry Hazelwood, Fishing Rodeo Coordinator, Fisheries Employee of the Year.
MISSOURI
Oct. 2009
Director retiring — John Hoskins, director of the Missouri Department of Conservation, announced his retirement after 32 years of service to the department. He began his career with the department as a conservation agent and has been the agency's director since July 2002. Hoskins will continue to serve as director until Jan. 15, 2010.
MONTANA
Sept. 2009
New administrator — David Risley, a 30-year veteran of Ohio's state wildlife agency, will guide Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' new Fish and Wildlife Division. Risley has been the wildlife management and research administrator with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division since 2002.
NEBRASKA
Oct. 2009
Top catches — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reported more Master Angler fish were caught at Lake McConaughy than any other body of water in the state during 2008. Largemouth bass was the most common species to produce a Master Angler Award last year with 386 awards. A Master Angler Award is given to an angler whose outstanding fish meets minimum size requirements.
Sept. 2009
Summer kill — Swan Lake near Chambers experienced a natural fish-kill phenomenon, known as summer-kill, that included yellow perch, bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish. The lake had a high amount of algae in the water, which during cloudy, calm weather resulted in dying algae and led to low dissolved oxygen levels that were lethal to fish.
NEVADA
Check back for updates!
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Check back for updates!
NEW JERSEY
Check back for updates!
NEW MEXICO
Sept. 2009
Veterans' discount — Disabled service veterans who are New Mexico residents are eligible to buy an annual combination fishing and small-game hunting license for $10. The license normally costs $33, but any New Mexico resident who is a disabled veteran can get the discount by presenting a "Veteran Administration awards letter" at a Department of Game and Fish office in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Raton, Las Cruces or Roswell.
NEW YORK
Nov. 2009
Flow changes — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has made changes to the reservoir flow plan for the Delaware River Basin that will provide greater protection for smallmouth bass, trout and other popular species in the Delaware while continuing to ensure anglers have quality fishing opportunities. In 2007, the Delaware River basin states and the city of New York adopted a Flexible Flow Management Program that permits modifying release rates as circumstances dictate. For more on the plan, visit the Delaware River Master's Web site, http://water.usgs.gov/osw/odrm.
Sept. 2009
Angler favorite — The black bass continues to be a top favorite among many New York anglers, according to a recently completed New York State Freshwater Angler Survey, which provides valuable insight on fishing trends and resource management. Reports from the survey are available on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Web site at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7730.html.
NORTH CAROLINA
Nov. 2009
Joining forces — The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is collaborating with the state Department of Transportation to improve recreational access to the state's public waters. Leaders from the two agencies adopted a Memorandum of Agreement that will allow the agencies to more effectively work together to identify additional areas of potential boating and fishing access to public waters along roadways, bridges and other infrastructure. Enhanced fishing — Fishing opportunities in McDowell County have been enhanced by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission partnering with Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center to provide loaner rods and reels free of charge to anglers of all ages. The commission's Tackle Loaner Program, which allows anglers to receive the gear with their tackle loaner identification cards, has 25 rods and reels available.
Oct. 2009
Military exemption — Under a new law that went into effect this summer, North Carolina residents serving full-time active military duty outside of the state in the Armed Forces or a reserve component of the Armed Forces and are home on leave for 30 days or less may hunt or fish without obtaining a license. When hunting or fishing, they must have with them a military identification card and a copy of the official document issued by their service unit confirming that they are on authorized leave from their duty station outside of the state.
New boating law — A new boating safety education law will be implemented by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Beginning May 1, 2010, vessel operators will be asked by law enforcement officers to present a certification card or proof of compliance with the new state law. For more information on required boating safety education, visit https://www.ncwildlife.org/Apps/BoatingSafety/CourseSearch.asp, or call 919-707-0030.
Sept. 2009
Lifetime anglers — Zack Kahl, 12, of Jacksonville and Miah Dormel, 9, Morehead City, won the top prizes of lifetime fishing licenses in a statewide drawing from participants in 40 kids' Fish-For-Fun events held in celebration of National Fishing and Boating Week. At each event, participants who registered were entered into a random drawing for fishing-related prizes, including the lifetime fishing licenses, rods and reels, tackleboxes, playing cards and spools of fishing line.
Added attraction — North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission fisheries biologists were busy placing "porcupine" plastic fish attractors into lakes James, Rhodhiss, Hickory, Lookout Shoals, Norman, Mountain Island and Wylie. The biologists were assisted by local fishing clubs, homeowners associations and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.
NORTH DAKOTA
Check back for updates!
OHIO
Check back for updates!
OKLAHOMA
Nov. 2009
Expo aid — A $40,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service will be used by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to introduce youngsters to outdoor sports at the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo. The Expo is a three-day recreational event in which visitors can try archery, shotgun shooting, kayaking, fishing and more. They can also attend seminars that teach outdoor skills and provide information about the state's outdoor opportunities.
Sept. 2009
Record update — Bryan Fuksa of Enid caught an 11.2-pound largemouth bass on a jig June 13 to set the lake record for Sooner Lake. Other new bass records include a 9.1-pound largemouth caught by Brent Dempsey on Konawa; 6.4-pound smallmouth, Monty Bollinger, Lake Tenkiller; 10.5 largemouth, Kevin Barnicoat, Hefner Lake; 12.2 largemouth, Ray Earley, McGee Creek; 11.2 largemouth, Charles Carter, Sardis; 9.9 largemouth, Andrew Blalock, Texoma; and 10.9 largemouth, Charles Jewel Jr., Lake Murray. For more information on all the entries of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Lake Record Fish program, log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com.
OREGON
Check back for updates!
PENNSYLVANIA
Nov. 2009
Survey results — Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission area researchers discovered this summer that smallmouth bass reproduction in the Schuylkill River was alarmingly poor. Biologists blame high spring flows on the river for the fact that smallmouth production was the lowest it has been since 1986. Monitoring kill — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officials are working with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address a fish kill in Dunkard Creek this fall. More than 30 stream miles in Pennsylvania and West Virginia have been affected by a discharge originating from West Virginia that contained high levels of total dissolved solids and had killed at least 18 species of fish, including smallmouth bass.
Oct. 2009
Projects funding — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced more than $1.36 million in grants to develop and implement projects that benefit fishing, boating and aquatic resources within the Sinnemahoning Creek watershed in Cameron, Elk, Potter and McKean counties. The funding is available through a 2007 settlement agreement with Norfolk Southern as restitution for environmental damages from a train derailment in which sodium hydroxide spilled into Big Fill Run, Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek and Driftwood Branch of Sinnemahoning Creek.
RHODE ISLAND
Check back for updates!
SOUTH CAROLINA
Nov. 2009
New president — The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies elected South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Director John Frampton its new president during the Association's 99th annual meeting. The association is the collective voice of North America's fish and wildlife agencies at every level of government.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Oct. 2009
Hall inductee — Retired South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Department official Dennis Unkenholz of Pierre will be inducted into the Hall of Excellence of the American Fisheries Society's Fisheries Management Section. Unkenholz is the GFP former fisheries chief who retired in 2008 after 31 years of service to the state.
TENNESSEE
Oct. 2009
New chief — Darren Rider has been named as chief of the Boating Division for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. He became the Boating Division's assistant chief in 2005 and has been serving as the acting chief since March when former chief Ed Carter became the executive director of the agency.
TEXAS
Check back for updates!
UTAH
Oct. 2009
Bright future — After several years of unsure water conditions because of repair work on its dam, the future of Cottonwood Reservoir near Gusher is looking brighter than ever. The dam has been repaired, and fisheries biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources have stocked 323 smallmouth bass and tiger muskie into the desert reservoir.
VERMONT
Oct. 2009
Rescheduled project — The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department's proposed ramp improvements for the Lake St. Catherine Fishing Access Area have been rescheduled for April 2010. Officials explored a variety of options on how to best accommodate boaters and the need for repairs, and they determined that early spring would work best for everyone involved.
Sept. 2009
Strategic plan — The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative announced the availability of a final Strategic Plan for Lake Champlain fisheries. The plan includes guiding principles for ecosystem management, sustainability, natural reproduction of native species and adaptive management. The plan can be found online at the Cooperative's sea lamprey control Web site, www.champlainlamprey.org.
VIRGINIA
Nov. 2009
Ramp closing — The Lake Whitehurst fishing station and boat ramp in Virginia Beach will close to public access Nov. 1 because the property owner, Norfolk Airport Authority, has decided not to renew the lease agreement to the city of Norfolk. The lake itself will remain open for fishing and boating; however, access will be extremely limited. New card — The new Lifetime Virginia Boating Safety Education Card is available to those who meet the boating safety education requirement. The card costs $10; an application for the card is available online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/education/requirement/.
Oct. 2009
Sharing photos —
Virginia anglers can show off their catches on the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries "Virginia Fishing" group of the photo-sharing website Flickr by e-mailing their photos to dgifweb@dgif.virginia.gov. The photos must be of fish caught in Virginia and include information on the species, location and date of catch.
WASHINGTON
Check back for updates!
WEST VIRGINIA
Check back for updates!
WISCONSIN
Nov. 2009
Eradicating invasive — A new invasive crawfish that can harm native fish, frog and crawfish populations was found in Wisconsin this summer, presenting an early test case for a new invasive species rule (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/mediakits/mk_invasive_species.asp) aimed at keeping new invaders from gaining a foothold in the state. The red swamp crawfish, which was found in a Washington County subdivision, is prohibited under the new rule that gives the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources authority to take fast action to eradicate prohibited species.
Sept. 2009
Twittering — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries management program is using the social networking tool Twitter to give people instant access to all kinds of information about Wisconsin's fish, opportunities to catch them and how DNR staff and partners are working to make fishing even better. To sign up, visit www.twitter.com/fishwisconsin.
WYOMING
Check back for updates!
 |
Click here to JOIN BASS! |
MORE HEADLINES
