Outdoor News Daily

The brief Georgia winter provides a great opportunity to get excellent results for crappie fishing, and several reservoirs across the state offer rewards for anglers willing to brave the bitter cold temperatures.

“Anglers searching for crappie need to concentrate on cold weather ‘hot spots’,” says John Biagi, chief of Fisheries Management for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. “Crappie fishing brings a lot of action which means it is an excellent time to engage the entire family and/or to introduce someone new to the fun aspect of the sport.”

During the winter cold, crappie tend to congregate in deeper water, generally 15-30 feet deep, near the mouths of major tributaries and in the main lake. Large schools are easily located with sonar electronics.
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The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission today adopted 2010 halibut and sturgeon regulations, got a preview of upcoming ocean salmon seasons and approved $1.4 million in funding for 41 projects designed to improve fish habitat and improve sportsman access to private lands around the state.

The actions were taken by the seven-member commission during its March meeting at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife headquarters in Salem.

Halibut fishing opens in May

The Commission approved a suite of halibut fishing seasons off the Oregon coast recommended by ODFW’s marine staff based in Newport. The largest and most popular halibut fishery is a 200-mile all-depths section of the coast between Cape Falcon near Manzanita and Humbug Mountain south of Port Orford.
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service will implement new regulations March 22 addressing pre-season striped bass fishing. These restrictions will be in effect until the April 17 start of the spring trophy season. The regulations are being introduced to address a serious concern over sub-lethal impacts on pre-spawn female striped bass, that are moving up the Chesapeake Bay to their spawning grounds in March and April.

“It is never easy to restrict the access and opportunity to a resource, but let’s not forget how far we have come from the striped bass moratorium of 20 years ago,” said DNR Fisheries Director Tom O’Connell. “We are fortunate that all sectors of our fishing community benefit today from the sacrifices of past management efforts. The latest stock assessment raises some concerns that require us to pause and evaluate how our actions may be impacting the long-term sustainability of this resource. If we remain vigilant and prudent in our management of this resource, we will ensure that our premier striped bass fishery will remain available for us and future generations to enjoy.”
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A Queen Anne’s County District Court judge found John Franklin Riggs, 45 of Rock Hall, guilty of possessing oversized rockfish and suspended the waterman’s tidal fish license for a year. This suspension means Riggs cannot engage in any commercial fishing activity until March 10, 2011.

“We commend the court’s decision on this very important issue,” said Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin. “Hard working Marylanders have invested far too much in our Bay and our fisheries to allow the theft of these fragile resources.”

NRP charged Riggs on January 11, 2010 with possessing striped bass larger than 36” during the commercial striped bass gill net season; Riggs also has a history of natural resources violations.
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