Indiana Lampreys

I’ve caught some weird looking fish, but none as strange as the lamprey. While fishing the St. Joseph River in Elkhart County, Indiana, I hooked a walleye, but pulled in two fish. A lamprey was attached to the side of my catch. I recognized the invasive species and witnessed their damage to Indiana waterways firsthand.

An adult specimen will attach itself to a larger fish and suck the blood and body fluids in a parasitic fashion. The one I saw had a round sucker mouth with circular rings of teeth. It looks somewhat like an eel, but had a dorsal fin, blackish brown body and grayish underbody. Lampreys either kill the host fish by draining it of fluids like a vampire, or leaving a wound that becomes infected.

Techniques for Snag-Less Fishing

Losing your favorite lure on the bottom of the lake is frustrating and expensive.  I ask Nick Teeters (www.rangernick.com), my favorite guide on Lake Monroe in southern Indiana, if he will back the boat up again in an attempt to retrieve my B-1 Bomber.  I imagine all the big bass that just left the area.   But Nick just grins and says, “If you’re not getting hooked up, you’re not casting where the fish are!”  I’m no longer embarrassed by my imperfect cast.
 
Ranger Nick is a naturalist that can provide information about the lake, techniques, fishing patterns and native wildlife. He calls turkeys and points out bald eagle nests.  Fishing with Nick is fun and educational.  He’s taught some of the best anglers new tricks, yet is patient and kind to my nervous 12 year old daughter. Nick taught me two methods that have reduced my fear of getting snagged.

Tournaments for Women

My dream is to retire to a life of tournament fishing.  The prize money for bass tournament fishing is getting better for women.  In 2007, the top 12 women anglers will be competing for cash and prizes totaling $640,000.  Deb Wilkinson, Tournament manager for the Woman’s Bassmaster Tour said, “We’re looking forward to another full-field season of high-stakes competition on some of the best lakes in the country with these anglers.”

The events will be held in Del Rio, Texas; Russellville Arkansas; Guntersville, Alabama, Gilbertsville, Kentucky and Shreveport, Louisiana, with the Tour Championship on Lake Mitchell near Birmingham, Alabama.  With over 200 entrants expected in the professional and amateur divisions, competition will be stiff.  To fish these fine lakes in the south would be heaven on water.  Fish on…

Belizian River Fishing

There is nothing like fishing for salt water fish in a fresh water river.  Fresh water is less dense than salt water and where rivers empty into the ocean, the salt water is deep, and the fresh flows over the top.  While in Belize on vacation, we had the opportunity to experience this exciting form of fishing.