Editor’s Note: Today, our fishing expert Frank Sargeant answers a question that has confused many of us who aren’t familiar with fishing in the West: What the heck are hoot owl restrictions?

If you’re a southern bass and panfish angler, it’s safe to say you’ve never heard of “hoot owl” restrictions on fishing. But for western trout anglers, they’re currently a bone of contention in some waters.

While a lot of conservationists would disagree, the Idaho Department of Game and Fish (IDFG) just released a study that says “hoot owl” restrictions on summer trout fishing—that is, closing down fishing on many streams when water temperature rises during the hottest part of the day—do not protect a significant number of trout during the hot months, at least in some Idaho waters.

The idea of hoot owl restrictions is that trout caught between 2 p.m. and midnight are stressed and then plunged back into water that is already stressing them simply by being too warm and too low in oxygen. Many fish released in the warmer water don’t make it.

Trout do best at temperatures from 70 F down. Brook trout are the most delicate of trout species, thriving only in water from 44 to 64 degrees. Rainbows and browns do best at temperatures from 44 to 67, but still do some feeding up to 73. After that, it’s survival mode.

While the study indicated, as expected, that more trout caught when water temperature above 73 degrees F died after release, it also indicated that anglers were able to catch a lot fewer trout when the water temperature was 73 or higher—the fish simply quit feeding.

In colder water, the mortality of tagged and released fish was lower, but anglers caught a lot more fish, so the overall mortality was higher.

Read more

While fishing with cut bait recently in Berrien County, Michigan, an angler from Hobart, Indiana, caught a new state-record fish: a flathead catfish weighing in at 53.35 pounds and measuring 48 inches!

Lloyd Tanner was fishing the St. Joe River, a tributary of Lake Michigan, in the early-morning hours of Sunday, May 29, when he reeled in the record-breaker.

This fish beats the previous state-record flathead catfish – 52 pounds, 46.02 inches long – caught in 2014 by Dale Blakley, of Niles, out of Barron Lake in Cass County.

Tanner’s fish was verified by Jay Wesley, Lake Michigan Basin coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

A passion for catfish

“I’ve been fishing Michigan for almost 30 years,” Tanner said. “What draws me to Michigan is fishing for big catfish.” Read more

Contact: Jessica Holley-Roehrs (ORV), 517-331-3790; Sierra Williams (fishing), 517-230-8788 or Ron Olson (Recreation Passport), 517-243-1477

Free fishing, off-roading and state park entry – enjoy it all during Michigan’s ‘Three Free’ Weekend June 11-12

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources encourages everyone to take advantage of “Three Free” Weekend – Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12 – two full days when residents and out-of-state visitors can grab a fishing rod, ride the off-road trails and visit state parks and boating access sites, all free of charge. Read more

DENVER – Fly Fisherman, the leading magazine of fly fishing, offers a new, special interest publication – Fly Fishing Made Easy – on newsstands now. Fly Fishing Made Easy unlocks all the secrets of fly fishing in a special 72-page issue.

Demystifying the perceived complexity of fly fishing is the goal of Fly Fishing Made Easy and readers will receive “turnkey” information into the wonderful world of fly fishing. The issue breaks down the idea of complicated casting instructions, barrier to entry without a mentor or instructor and the difficulty of initially getting started. Read more

Great Lakes muskellunge eggs currently are being collected from the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. These fish will be reared at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan and Thompson State Fish Hatchery near Manistique and stocked in Michigan waters this fall.

In 2021, approximately 232,000 eggs were collected from the Detroit River. Those eggs produced nearly 30,000 fall fingerlings that were stocked in 19 inland lakes and rivers. No muskellunge are stocked in the Detroit River because the abundant Lake St. Clair-Detroit River muskellunge population is supported entirely by natural reproduction.

“The DNR’s goal this year is to collect at least 400,000 eggs to meet our target of 40,000 fall fingerlings for stocking our state’s waters,” said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager.

To collect the eggs, mature muskellunge are captured with electro-fishing gear in the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. Collecting Great Lakes muskellunge is difficult in these areas because of the physical conditions associated with open water, especially in the spring.

As a safety precaution, the DNR requests boats on the water avoid coming close to the electrofishing boat during nighttime shocking work. Read more

INMAN, S.C. –– TrueTimber has teamed up with ProFISHiency and ProLine Baits to host the Big Bass Blast sweepstakes beginning today. At the end of the promotion period, one fan will be randomly selected to win the grand prize pack consisting of prizes from each brand. Fans have multiple options and chances to enter using the Big Bass Blast Giveaway landing page. Entry period ends May 30, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Grand Prize:

– $250 TrueTimber Gift Card

– $100 ProLine Baits Gift Card

– ProLine Baits Bass Series Scent Pack

– ProFISHiency 7’2” Medium Heavy Casting Rod with ProFISHiency P4-13 Baitcast Reel

– ProFISHiency 7’2” Medium Heavy Spinning Rod with ProFISHiency A13 Spinning Reel Read more

This weekend marks opening day of fishing season in many parts of the country. Today, Craig Springer shares some of the reasons why it’s such a special occasion for many anglers.

— Craig Springer, USFWS, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration

April can be a cruel time of year in northern-tier states; it’s not quite spring, not quite winter. But it brings with it opening day of fishing seasons.  Welting sleet spit from gunmetal gray clouds or a sunlit bluebird sky—no matter the weather, anglers of all stripes are out on the water when trout, walleye or other sport fish species come into season, open for fishing after a winter-long hiatus.

Opening day of trout season is a cultural phenomenon, said Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). “It’s deeply historic. Opening day has a long happy history,” said Schaeffer. “It’s almost carnival-like—it’s a rich tradition in Pennsylvania.”

Opening day is of course, one day out of the year.  From a fisheries management perspective, preparing for opening day is a yearlong process, according to Schaeffer. The PFBC operates 14 state fish hatcheries, eight of which raise trout—3.2 million brook, brown, and rainbow trout are stocked by the agency each year in Pennsylvania.

“Hatcheries run 24/7/365,” says Schaeffer. “It’s a constant cycle of work. Field biologists contribute to that cycle; their assessments determine where to stock and what habitat concerns need addressed. Conservation officers work with our biologists to I.D. stocking locations.”

Rod and gun clubs and sportsman’s groups in Pennsylvania also figure into the whole affair, contributing another 1 million trout from about 150 cooperative nurseries statewide before and after opening day.  “Anglers are deeply invested in conservation,” noted Schaeffer. Read more

— Frank Sargeant

I spend a lot of time these days on Lake Guntersville in northern Alabama, which has to have some of the busiest boat ramps in America during the spring, summer and fall bass tournament seasons. It’s routine for some ramps to have 50 to 75 boats launched in the first hour of daylight as anglers from all over the country come to the big lake for tournaments and for fun fishing.

The amazing thing about it is that the vast majority of this action goes off very smoothly and with minimal backup, because most of the guys who come here are hard-core veterans of hundreds of previous launches and they do what works best to keep the line moving.

It also helps that most of these guys are on the water for serious fishing, and there’s no alcohol aboard most boats. The ramp arguments and occasional fisticuffs that are becoming pretty common in coastal south Florida and many other places are rarely seen here.

Given that, as we approach the peak of the boating season across most of the nation, it might be a good idea to take a look at how it’s done right, with minimal damage to equipment or egos, and with no need for EMS assistance.

First, of course, is to be sure your boat is ready to launch when your turn in line comes—drain plug in, tie downs released, motor trimmed up, bow line in place, key in the boat’s ignition, and all the stuff from the truck already moved to the boat.

Second, when your turn comes, back in just far enough to float the transom, again make sure you’re got a bow line on the bow eye, and then unhook the winch strap. Read more