ADVENTURE Fly-fishing on the Guadalupe * March 24, 2006 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 2, Issue 15 * See Page 19 www.lonestaroutdoornews.com INSIDE FISHING Angler flirts with world bass record By Darlene McCormick Escondido, Calif., March 20 when he If the catch meets International Sanchez landed what could be the world-record Game Fish Association requirements, largemouth bass. Weakley’s fish would break the 74-year- The fish weighed in at 25.1 pounds old record. The reigning record large- California’s Mac Weakley and his on a hand-held Berkley digital scale, mouth bass, weighing 22 pounds, 4 longtime fishing buddies ended their said Weakley, 32, of Carlsbad, Calif., in ounces, was caught in 1932 by George quest for fishing’s Holy Grail on a rainy a phone interview. Perry at Georgia’s Montgomery Lake. Monday morning with a white rat- “We’ve been after that fish and two But there’s a catch to this fish story: A lack of a true winter has the tlesnake jig. other fish for years. It’s crazy. It’s been a Weakley foul-hooked the bass behind notoriously picky walleye biting Weakley was bed-fishing near the wild day — a really, really, wild day,” he 25-1 POUNDS: Mike Winn holds the fish Mac early this year at Lake Meredith. handicapped pier at Dixon Lake in said. See Record, Page 10 Weakley caught. Photo by Mac Weakley. Even so, lake guides say the fish are still fussy about what they go after. See Page 8 Think you’ve caught a record- breaking fish but all you’ve got to weigh it on is a hand-held scale. Well, you could still end up a winner. Hand-held scales can be certified by the IGFA after the fact or by a commercial calibra- tion company. See Page 8 HUNTING Increased hunting pressure has led to “smarter” waterfowl, experts say. They’ve learned a lot of the hunters’ tricks — often educated by impulsive hunters who can’t resist firing at wary birds that are too far away. See Page 6 NATIONAL More than 150,000 square miles of ocean off the West Coast has been deemed Essential Fish Habitat and slated for protection from such commercial fishing practices as a bottom trawling, thanks to a plan approved by the TV STARS: Mary Delgado and pro angler Byron Velvick show off a 7-pound bass near their new home on Amistad Reservoir. Velvick met his fiancee on the hit TV National Oceanic and Atmos- show “The Bachelor.” Photo by David J. Sams. pheric Administration . See Page 2 CONSERVATION Border lake luring pro fishermen Land owners along the Canadian River in Texas and By Alan Clemons Bass-fishing stars looking to make pound bass, which is the biggest New Mexico could get financial one of my career. It’s an amazing help from the federal govern- lake. I’m actually looking at buying ment to improve their habitat for el Rio has become a boom- Amistad Reservoir area home property here.” wildlife. The National Wild town with a touch of Professional angler Byron celebrity thanks to Amistad Velvick, who was featured on “The Turkey Federation will disperse D Amistad tourney time — PAGE 12 the funds. Reservoir, which is being touted as Bachelor” in 2004, is way ahead of the top bass fishing lake in the the curve. He moved from Las See Page 5 property and relocating to this down I did not want to leave,” said nation right now. small border town. New Jersey’s Mike Iaconelli, who Vegas to Del Rio in January, and his Major players in the professional “We usually fish from sunup to grabs national attention with his fiancé, Mary Delgado, is getting her fishing world are snapping up sundown, and when the sun went bad-boy image. “I caught a 13- See PROS, Page 11 DEPARTMENTS Across the Nation Page 5 PRSRT STD Turkey opener hit or miss US POSTAGE Product Picks Page 13 PAID keys, which account for about 95 Heroes Page 14 By Mark England PLANO, TX percent of all the wild turkeys in PERMIT 210 Outdoor Puzzler Page 15 Texas, this season should be high, The joke could be on turkey according to Texas Parks and Wild in the Kitchen Page 15 hunters come April 1. Wildlife. The birds are found Despite recent heavy rains west of Interstate 35 up to Weather Page 15 in North Texas, ongoing Hunting safety the Panhandle with scat- drought conditions in much tips tered populations as far west Game Warden Blotter Page 16 of the state could disrupt the PAGE 4A as the Midland area. They mating rituals this hunting spend their winters along Outdoor Datebook Page 17 season, making hunting more diffi- creek and river bottoms. Come nest- Fishing Report Page 18 cult. ing season, they move out into The numbers for Rio Grande tur- See Turkeys, Page 10 Page 2 * March 24, 2006 NATIONAL Fishery protection plan first of its kind Area from Canada to Mexico to prohibit bottom trawling The National Oceanic and Atmospheric eries under the administration’s National aries as “habitat areas of particular con- Administration approved a plan earlier this Ocean Policy. cern.” This designation will alert other month to establish and protect more than “This is the time we have taken such an agencies that are active in these areas that 150,000 square miles of marine waters off extensive approach to protecting offshore NOAA Fisheries Service may have conserva- the West Coast as Essential Fish Habitat. habitat,” said Bob Lohn, head of NOAA tion recommendations to ensure projects The plan prohibits fishing methods with- Fisheries Service’s Northwest Region in do not harm bottom-dwelling fish. in much of this area that can cause long- Seattle. “Over the long run, we expect that The NOAA Fisheries Service said it would term damage to the ocean floor, such as bot- not only will we have a healthier ocean but not include in its areas of particular concern tom trawling. Developed by the Pacific that the fishing will get better as well.” any of the 13 decommissioned oil rigs off Fishery Management Council, the plan is The plan was developed with support and the California coast, included in the coun- aimed at replenishing fish stocks. It covers advice from both environmental and fish- cil’s original proposal, that can attract a an area from Canada to Mexico, out to 200 ing industry groups. The agency added that wide array of plants and animals and serve nautical miles in some places. NOAA is the its own economic analysis of the closures, as productive habitat areas on their own. federal agency that oversees management based on historic data on landings, showed “We’re not opposed to considering leav- of ocean fishing in the United States. that less than 10 percent of revenue from ing some or all these platforms in place to The approval of the plan will provide commercial fishing comes from areas that serve as fish habitat,” said Rod McInnis, much-needed habitat protection to areas will be closed. Even that loss is expected to head of the NOAA Fisheries Service’s that are essential to commercially valuable be made up as fishermen move their opera- Southwest Region in Long Beach, Calif. fish. The habitat protection comes on the tions to areas that remain open. “But we think it’s premature to designate heels of recommendations by national Although the NOAA Fisheries Service them as special habitat areas until we have a review panels that the government should does not have regulatory authority over better understanding of how they can best do more to protect pristine ocean areas and non-fishing activities that may damage contribute to habitat protection and fragile habitats. The action is considered habitat, the plan includes designating vari- growth.” part of achieving sustainable marine fish- ous habitats such as kelp, sea grass and estu- —A NOAA report Gulf refuge damages threaten system At a recent hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives, the National Wildlife Refuge Association detailed the massive hurricane damage to Gulf Coast national wildlife refuges and urged Congress to take swift action to speed their restoration. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Dennis inflicted damage to 66 national wildlife refuges in eight states. “This is literally an unmitigated disaster,” said Evan Hirsche, President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “The estimated $270 million in damages repre- sents approximately 70 percent of the Refuge System’s annual budget. America’s diverse wildlife heritage will suffer a great blow if we don’t act quickly to address the damages.” According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, total facility and habitat damages from the 2005 storms have exceeded $270 million. At Breton NWR in Louisiana, which includes all of the federally owned Chandeleur islands, an estimated 50-70 percent of habitat was completely washed away, with nothing but open water remain- ing. A number of refuges are also contami- nated with hazardous materials. “As we sit here today, more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids and gases are sinking further into the low-lying marsh right in the heart of Sabine National Wildlife Refuge (La.),” said Hirsche. “In short, we’re looking at a refuge that’s effectively been converted to a toxic dump.” An emergency supplemental request from President Bush asks for $132.4 million for facility repair and clean up on hurri- cane-impacted refuges. The NWRA has called on Congress to approve emergency funding for refuges of at least the level requested by President Bush.