Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Lake Mattamuskeet Fish Habitat

A wide range of habitat enhancement, fisheries research, and other projects on Lake Mattamuskeet could improve fishing on the lake for largemouth bass and other species.

A multi-year habitat enhancement project on Lake Mattamuskeet is set to begin in 2016. Partners in the project include the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and UNC-Chapel Hill researchers.

The research project will focus on maintaining submerged aquatic vegetation in the east basin of the lake and examining the potential to increase coverage of aquatic vegetation in the west basin.

Previously, the N.C Wildlife Commission conducted annual electrofishing and trap netting surveys in the main lake and surrounding canals to describe abundance, size, condition, and growth of largemouth bass, black crappie, and other sportfish.

A tagging program evaluated adult largemouth bass movement within and between lake and canal habitats.

Lake Mattamuskeet was stocked with 45,000 largemouth bass fingerlings in 2014 and 70,000 in 2015 as part of a multi-year largemouth bass enhancement study.

Numerous angler surveys found that blue crab, channel catfish, black crappie, white perch, and largemouth bass were the top five species targeted.

Fisheries management plans for 2016 include an additional stocking of 50,000 largemouth bass fingerlings as well as the implementation of a largemouth bass movement project to track the movements of individual adult fish as they move in and out the canals.

Located within Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural lake (40,100 acres). Lake Mattamuskeet fish include both freshwater and estuarine species because of the drainage canals that connect the lake to Pamlico Sound.

source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Vermont Fly Fishing Show



Vermont Fly Fishing Show
Sep 11-12, 2015 (All Day)
The Fly Rod Shop
Rte 100
Stowe, VT

The 2015 Vermont Fly Fishing Show will include fly tying demos, casting clinics, fly fishing techniques presentations, and other exhibits.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Summer Crappie Tactics

crappie fish
Black Crappie

During the summer season, crappie can be challenging to catch. Crappie often seem to disappear during hot weather due to a variety of factors

Unlike many sunfish, crappie often move into deeper, cooler water during the summer season. Crappie may also change their behavior in order to target a food source.

When targeting crappie during summer, the following tactics can help anglers improve the odds of a successful trip:

Look for thermoclines, areas where lakes and streams converge, deep pools, or other cool water locations.

Move around an impoundment until schools of crappie are located.

Try fishing live minnows or other freshwater baits along dropoffs.

When crappie are finicky in rivers and creeks, try vertical jigging with small jigs tipped with bits of nightcrawlers.

Troll jigs or jig-minnow combos, slow and deep.

Choose tube rigs or other soft plastics that can be casted and allowed to sink into vegetation with minimal fouling.

Experiment with different colored lures.

Try dropping a bait into aquatic vegetation using a cane pole or special crappie pole.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Carp Fishing in North America

Maryland State Record Carp (Chesapeake Bay)
Once considered a non-game fish in North America, the common carp is gaining popularity as a freshwater sportfish.

Bait fishing, fly fishing, and bowfishing are popular techniques for taking carp. In some locations, carp are caught by chumming an area close to shore and still-fishing in the middle of chummed area.

To meet the demand for information, a wide range of carp-specific fishing magazines, clubs, television shows, and internet forums have taken hold throughout the U.S. and Canada as more anglers become active in carp fishing.

How big do common carp get in North America? State records for common carp provide clues about trophy-class carp weights and lengths. Across the USA, state records continue to be broken as the popularity of carp fishing grows.

State Record Highlights

Idaho

In May 2021, an Idaho angler shattered the state rod-and-reel carp record Monday with the catch of a 34-pound common carp on the Snake River. The Idaho archery record for common carp stands at 67.65 pounds, taken in C.J. Strike Reservoir in 2011.

Maryland

In May 2022, Logan Kuhrmann of Essex set a new Maryland state record common carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) in the state’s Chesapeake Division. Kuhrmann, 24, caught the 49-pound carp while bass fishing in the Susquehanna Flats area of the Chesapeake Bay.

Massachusetts

In April 2012, the Massachusetts state record for carp was broken by Shane Felch of Shrewsbury, with a 46 pounds, 5 ounce mirror carp, taken by crossbow from Lake Quinsigamond. According to local anglers, mirror carp are the most common variety caught from the Lake.

New Jersey

While bowfishing on the night of May 19, 2014, Adam Faatz of Hawthorne, NJ, broke the New Jersey state record for common carp with a 45 lb. 6 oz. specimen. The massive carp was 42" long and had a girth of 32".

New Hampshire

In 2016, Donald St. Lawrence set a new hook-and-line New Hampshire state record for common carp. Tipping the scales at 35 lbs 13.12 oz "Carpzilla" bested the current rod and reel-caught carp record by almost 3 lbs. The record setting carp was caught in Merrimack River near Manchester.

Ohio


On June 9, 2013, bowfisherman Patrick Johnson of Toledo, Ohio, took a new state record carp in the Sandusky County portion of Lake Erie's waters. The massive carp weighed 53.65 pounds, measured 45 inches in length and 32-1/4 inches in girth.

Pennsylvania

Despite increased participation in American carp fishing, a few state records have withstood the test of time. The Pennsylvania state record for common carp stands at 52 pounds, caught in the Juniata River in 1962.

West Virginia

In 2022, Ayden Minick caught and released a new West Virginia state record common carp while fishing from the bank of Summersville Lake in Nicholas County. The record-setting carp  weighed 45.2 pounds and was 41.2 inches long. 

Wisconsin

In 2012, bowfisherman Zack Seitz reeled in a 59-pound common carp measuring 46 inches long with a 32.5 inch girth, breaking the Wisconsin state alternate method record.

Vermont

In May, 2014, a bowfisherman set a new Vermont state record for carp with a 44-pound 6-ounce fish taken from Lake Champlain. The massive carp was taken while bowfishing in a backwater area of southern Lake Champlain. The previous state record carp, also taken by bowfishing, weighed 42-pounds 8-ounces.

World Record Carp

In addition to fish caught in the USA, monster-sized carp are caught around the world. While vacationing in Thailand in 2013, a British tourist landed a 134-pound carp, believed to be the biggest ever caught. The massive fish weighed 134 pounds 7 ounces, which could set a new world record.


Friday, June 6, 2014

North Carolina Fish Attractor Study

A North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission study found that artificial reefs made from synthetic materials attract fish for longer periods of time than reefs made from Christmas trees.

The research project was entitled "Using the DIDSON to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Different Fish Attractors in Turbid Reservoirs."

"This study proved that artificial structures made from synthetic materials are a better option for us compared to attractors constructed from Christmas trees, which we would have to replace on a regular basis in order for them to attract the same amount of fish as the artificial structures," said Jessica Baumann, the fisheries biologist who oversaw the fish attractor study.

Baumann worked with other Wildlife Commission staff to evaluate the effectiveness of natural and artificial fish attractors to assess how well they congregated fish and how well they held up over a three-year period.

Fisheries biologists began the fish attractor study in June 2008, sinking three different types of artificial attractors and one natural attractor constructed from Christmas tree bundles into Lake Townsend in Greensboro and Lake Cammack in Burlington. They chose the two lakes because of their abundance of sport fish, similarity in size, and lack of underwater structures.

After evaluating each attractor site every fall, winter, spring and summer for three years, using a high definition imagery sonar unit called the DIDSON (Duel-Frequency Identification Sonar), biologists concluded that artificial fish attractors held similar numbers of fish and lasted longer than the Christmas tree bundles.

As a result of this study, the Wildlife Commission has begun using artificial structure constructed from synthetic materials to help congregate fish in many bodies of water. In 2013, staff deployed 19 synthetic fish reefs in Hyco and Mayo lakes near Roxboro.

They also deployed nine fish reefs in Lake Thom-a-lex, four fish reefs in Shearon Harris Reservoir, and two in the Tar River Reservoir. They plan to deploy similar fish reefs in Lake Raleigh, Lake Holt, Farmer Lake, Lake Michie and Lake Reidsville this summer.

source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission