It wasn’t long after moving to Indiana that I found the lakes around here to be full of catfish. I was amazed at the size of channel cats and quickly began targeting them often – and a great time to pursue these big channel cats is in the spring.

The important thing with early spring cat fishing is water temperature. Finding the warmer water on any lake will be the focus during early spring and just a few degrees can make the difference. Water 1 to 5 feet deep, with a mud bottom, is a great place to look as the sun is drawn to the dark, mud- bottom causing the water to warm quicker in these areas. The warmer water stimulates the cold-blooded cats causing them to feed more aggressively and what brings these fish to these shallow coves is food!

In the winter there is a natural die off of fish that occurs and if your lake has shad, then the amount of food floating below the surface of the lake can be extraordinary. This die off provides catfish with a much needed food source before time to spawn. Instinct will prevail and the catfish will find these wind swept coves with lots of dead shad from the winter-kill taking advantage of this natural occurrence.

Wind to an angler can be a nuisance or a great ally. In the case of early spring cat fishing, wind is your ally. Wind mixes the water helping to warm these shallow coves while at the same time pushing dead shad into these coves. The important thing is to find the combination of a large shallow cove and a wind that blows directly into that cove. If the wind is not blowing directly into the cove then at least locate the bank being lapped with the wind blown water and start there.

The choice of bait seems obvious. Cut shad is the way to go for this time of year but try mixing it up a little. Most of the fish will focus on dead shad so you definitely want a rig with cut shad but you should rig a pole or two with something different just in case it stimulates a fish that might be attracted to something new. I have to say that sometimes the different bait far outperforms the shad but always have cut shad in the boat, as it will work best most of the time. Some other baits I use are shrimp, and where legal, fresh bluegill fillets and heads.

Some will argue that the smellier the bait the better. I can only say that fresh bait has always worked well for me and seems to attract the larger fish. I keep the stinky stuff out of my boat and stick to fresh or fresh frozen. I have caught fish on the rotten stuff but I seemed to waste a lot of time with smaller fish. Since going strictly fresh, the bite action has slowed but the hook-up action on bigger fish has increased as I waste little time worrying with those little fish and more time fighting nice size channels to the boat, which brings us to the tackle you want to use to catch these catfish.

You want to start with a medium heavy rod as big channel cats can put up a great fight.  I set all my rigs to free spool just in case I miss a bite he can keep running until I can get to the rod. If I see the bite I set the hook immediately.  A lot of anglers like to tight line their rigs but it seems as though this results in dropped bites when they feel the rod, leaving no time to set the hook.

One stick is all it takes. A common mistake that I used to make was to stick the bait numerous times and cover the entire hook with the bait for fear the fish might feel the hook and spook. I now leave the hook point uncovered and stick the bait only once so that when the fish inhales the bait the point is exposed, and even if it decides to spit it out, there is a better chance for a hook up. This may seem trivial but really does make a difference in the number of hook-ups you will have.

Terminal tackle should consist of a solid hook and a monofilament leader, 20 to 30 pound test, with a barrel swivel between it and the main line. On the main line, above the swivel, there should be a single bead to protect the knot, and then a slider for your sinker; these sliders are inexpensive and are much less abrasive on your line and allows you to easily change sinker size as conditions dictate. The sinkers ability to slide on the main line is very important as these fish are very sensitive to pressure and if they feel any at all, they will drop the bait. The reason I choose mono for my leader is its ability to withstand the abrasion effects of heavy brush a little better than braided line. My main line is 50 to 60 pound braid, which allows more line on a more compact reel, which I like to use.  I set the hook hard on these big cats so I choose the octopus over the circle as my choice in hooks. Quick hook sets are important to get those big cats away from the cover that they are sure to head for when hooked. This is the reason I use a compact rod and reel, to have more control of the fight.

Spring cat fishing may not be as popular as some of the other early spring fishing but with a little patience you might find an exciting early spring activity for yourself and your family and enjoy some great fishing fun as well as some great fillets for the table.

The issue of antlerless permits be it too many, too few, or just the right amount, is one discussed throughout the state. Casual observation, however, indicates that a great deal of hunters feel that Indiana is simply too liberal with bonus-county permits.

When we read the email from Pike County resident Alan Nelson, it really contained nothing this magazine hasn’t heard before; hunters are seeing far fewer deer these days. Many blame the state’s excessive use of bonus-county permits, others blame two summers of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) that took a heavy toll on southern Indiana deer herds. Astute critics blame both plus the state for not responding to EHD die-offs by reducing the number of bonus-county permits.

But the message that came through more than anything was the letter writer’s disgust at how he and others in a coalition (that included two state representatives) were treated by the DNR staff that  included its Director, Rob Carter and eight others.

“They were arrogant, paid little attention to us. They were rude and already had their minds made up to ignore any and all suggestions made by us,” said Alan Nelson of Winslow.

Nelson is part of a group of nearly 30 hunters from Pike, Gibson, Knox, Warrick and Vanderburgh counties who have come together to discuss Indiana’s deer management, and other areas of DNR management as well.

Nelson said the group came together a couple of months ago and have met twice to discuss DNR management, primarily deer management, but other issues have been raised as well, such as supplemental fish stocking on DNR properties.

Three representatives, that included Nelson and two others along with state representative Mark Messmer and state senator Lindel Hume, sat down with the DNR in Indianapolis to air the groups concerns.

“It was clear by the DNR’s reaction that they weren’t going to listen to us and at one point simply told us ‘we’re not going to change a thing,’” Nelson said.

Nelson added even the two state representatives commented that they too were dismayed at how the DNR treated them and indicated that maybe it’s time for an overhaul of the Indiana DNR.

“Lindel Hume wasn’t happy at all with how the DNR conducted themselves,” Nelson said.

The core of the current unhappiness lies with what many see has a deer population in trouble simply because the DNR wants to sell deer tags. While the DNR touts record population levels, deer hunters and deer processors disagree.

“I know there are areas of Indiana that still have high numbers of deer, but from what I’m hearing from other deer hunters throughout the state, the numbers aren’t as high as the DNR wants us to think,” Nelson said.

Nelson cites his own experience on several hundred acres of prime deer habitat that he alone hunts and the fact he only saw two deer in 27 outings this year. Others tell him the same type of stories.

“We were hit hard by EHD two years in a row down here (Pike County). It really slammed us,” Nelson said.

Nelson went on to add that he also consulted with a friend in the insurance business that researched car-deer collisions and found these to be down 43 percent. When Nelson called 10 area deer check stations they all said their check-ins were way down and area deer processors also indicated fewer deer. But Nelson said it was the deer processors who really opened his eyes when these folks reported that the average weight of deer being processed was only 60 pounds.

“Where are the big does?” Nelson asked. In his mind, two years worth of EHD claimed these.

But deer hunting isn’t the only issue the group is taking to task. Nelson said they also asked about the state doing supplemental fish stockings because a lot of the guys are fishermen and have seen the quality of fishing decline on several of the public lakes. He said the DNR’s reception to this idea was also one of arrogance and rudeness.

Nelson said the Pike County group isn’t alone in their thinking. “I was talking to Rep. Messmer following our meeting with the DNR and he told me a group of sportsmen from Dubois County have also gathered and signed a petition to send to the state.”

“Indiana has really started to whack the sportsman with fees,” Nelson said citing the cost of deer tags and other fees such as boat registration, trailer tags, launch fees and lake enhancement fees just to list a few. “It’s cheaper to go to Kentucky to fish than it is here,” he said. “Plus they have a lot more to offer.”

Nelson said that it’s becoming clear that the Indiana DNR is more about making money on deer tags than it is in preserving the quality of hunting, and they do this by way of bonus-county permits.

“We’re just rallying the hunters right now,” Nelson said. “We’re taking on the state and this group is going to take off and we’re going to have to use politics to do it,” Nelson said in reference to the DNR’s administration that is based on the politics of the sitting Governor.

“We’re beginning our petition process and we’re focusing our efforts on the Governor. We’ve already got two state representatives behind us,” Nelson said.

Nelson is inviting anyone who concerned about deer hunting and other DNR matters to attend a meeting on Feb. 16, 2010 at the Trading Post located south of Winslow on St. Rd. 61. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Those who can’t attend the meeting can get involved by contacting on of the following: Alan Nelson, 812-789-2860 or by email at alannelson28@ msn.com; Ron Beadles, 812-789-3054 or by email at truearchery@aol.com or Todd Harker, 812-766-9050 or by email at trappertodd@psci.net.

News of the shooting first hit Operation Migration’s web site (www.operationmigration.org) on Dec. 3, 2009, the day whooping crane #217 was found dead in Vermillion County near the town of Cayuga by tracker Eva Szyskoski. Eva is Tracking Field Manager for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCRP) and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Vermillion County is a traditional migration stop for this crane and its mate, #211.

News of the death was quite saddening to say the least. When I was first alerted to the death and the fact that it had occurred in our neck of the woods, my first thought was, ‘Please let it be natural or a coyote kill.’ On Dec. 9 the dreaded news release came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Whooping crane #217 died of a gunshot wound.

“This is likely the most important bird in the entire Eastern Migratory Population,” said Operation Migration CEO Joe Duff. “We are all saddened by the loss and troubled by the motive behind the act.” This particular crane and her mate were the only whooping cranes in the eastern Migratory Population who thus far have successfully reared young.

The shooting occurred sometime between Nov. 28, when trackers last recorded her, and Dec. 1, when her carcass was found. During an aerial search the male whooper was spotted but #217 was not visible. Her transmitter signal was tracked to a location a few miles away.

Was this most dreadful act committed by someone calling himself a hunter? It is not yet known, but soon after I heard the news, I telephoned a journalism colleague of mine, Dave Staver, who is also a birdwatcher and golfer extraordinaire, and this is what he had to say; “Crow, we have a saying in golf. ‘There are people who are golfers and people who play golf.’ Likewise, there are hunters and people who hunt. People who hunt are generally idiots with guns who like to shoot things, whereas hunters are people who respect the ethics and nuances of hunting. You’re a hunter and I’m a golfer.”

All whooping cranes are special, but #217 was really special. She and her mate were the parents of #W601, the first whooping crane born in the wild in more than a century. The three of them were dubbed The First Family. A second chick, W602, was also born to the pair, but was unfortunately predated in the late summer of 2006. At least predation is a more respectable death than being shot out of the sky by some idiot with a gun.

Maybe the killing was just an act of cruel, juvenile vandalism or perhaps a hunting mistake. But even if she had been mistaken for a mute swan (legal game in Indiana) and shot by someone hunting (I would suspect a duck or goose hunter), a mistake of this magnitude should never occur. I am outraged and ashamed that shooter might consider himself a hunter.

The odds of ever finding out what really happened are slim. Perhaps the $10,000 reward will entice someone to speak.  Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents are conducting a joint investigation into the shooting. In addition to the Endangered Species Act, whooping cranes are protected by state laws and

The initial reward of $2,500, leading to information, arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, has grown to $10,000 and includes contributions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife (a national non-profit conservation organization), and the Indiana Turn in a Poacher or a Polluter Program, plus one anonymous contributor.

“To kill and abandon one of 500 remaining members of a species shows a lack of reverence for life and an absence of simple common sense,” said John Christian, FWS Assistant Regional Director for Migratory Birds. “It is inconceivable that someone would have such little regard for conservation.”

Sadly, this isn’t the only senseless and reckless setback the whooping crane reintroduction crew experienced last fall. On Nov. 20, 2009, unknown individuals broke into the airplane hanger at the Necedah, Wisconsin airport and did more than $30,000 damage to ultra-light aircraft and other equipment used to lead first year whooping cranes south for their first migration. Operation Migration is based out of the nearby Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, whooping crane lovers (also called ‘craniacs’) and various other groups have come together to make up for that loss through generous donations.

Some readers may not fully understand my appreciation for whooping cranes. Many of you will remember the large photo spread in April 2009 as seven of these birds made a stopover at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Indiana is in a rather unique position, geographically, when it comes to migrating whooping cranes – we’re in the heart of their migration route.

At the time this issue of the Tri-State Outdoor News went to press, there were still 28 whooping cranes in the Hoosier state including the counties of Knox, Greene, Vermillion and Vigo counties, the heart of this magazine’s circulation area. The Vermillion County bird is the widower of the crane that was shot. Gibson County is also a favorite area although no birds have been sighted there this fall. Many of the birds are repeat visitors.

Folks in eastern Illinois are also fortunate as Operation Migration is now leading birds south using an Illinois route. There were two cranes listed in Wayne County also as of this printing.

Bringing back endangered species such as the whooping crane, whose numbers had dwindled to as few as 15 in the 1940s, takes time and money, with most of the tab being picked up by generous corporate and individual donors. Each year, like so many other conservation projects, Operation Migration never knows if it will have the needed funds to cover their expenses. But thanks to these generous donors who sponsor migration miles, and more recently began contributing to the “Give a Whoop!” Fund for as little as $10 per whoop (see web site for more information), another year’s class of whooping cranes find their wings causing the population to grow.

Anyone with information of the shooting should call the Indiana DNR’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-TIP IDNR (800-847-4367), or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 317346-7016. Callers can remain anonymous.

(The class of 2009 has 20 first year flyers, and at the time of this writing is in Franklin County Alabama, halfway through their journey south to Florida.)

Besides camping, there is fishing, boating, hunting, shooting sports, hiking, bicycling, swimming, golf, and many interesting places to visit, including shops and eateries.

If you are looking for a new place to camp, Rend Lake ought be near the top of your list. It is close to anyplace in the Tri-State area, and has 1,100 campsites ranging from full-hookups to remote primitive sites. It’s a place you can always find a level campsite, usually in the shade or on the lake shore.

Rend Lake is just off I-57, about 20 miles south of Mt. Vernon, IL. Located just outside of Benton,campers and other visitors are only about five minutes from most all the local conveniences, such as restaurants, hotels/motels. movie theater, wineries, an opera house, horseback riding, roller skating, bowling, and golf courses.

The lake itself is nearly 19,800 acres at normal level and is surrounded by another 24,000 acres of state and federal land, most of which is managed by the U.S. Army corps of Engineers. In southern Illinois, there is nearly 400,000 acres of public land. The Shawnee National Forest has about 300,000 and Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge totals 48,000.

Rend Lake was built as a joint project by the Illinois Department of Conservation, the Rend Lake Conservancy District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The reservoir was built to provide a dependable domestic water supply to a two-county area beginning in 1965. Construction of the $60 million project took five years to complete with the final filling of the lake in the early 1970’s.

Since that time, many improvements have been made resulting in the current quality facilities that are currently available. Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area was developed to provide public hunting, and other recreational opportunities.

Wayne Fitzgerald State Park on the central part of the eastern shore has excellent camping facilities. Some are located directly on the shoreline with beautiful views of cross lake sunsets. There are nearly 400 campsites, and besides many shoreline spots, others are well shaded.

Corps of Engineers recreational facilities and boat ramps are scattered around the lake. There are nearly 700 campsites. The Visitor Center is located at the east end of the main dam Road.

There is plenty to do for everyone. The Southern Illinois Artisans Shop and Visitors Center is the flagship of three Illinois State Museum shops with samplings of the Illinois Artisans Program. Some of the state’s finest craftspeople offer their handcrafted items. There also is an art gallery in the same building.

The nationally known Red Lake Shooting Complex offers trap, skeet, sporting clays and facilities for archery enthusiasts. It is a state-of-the art facility.

The 27-hole golf course is rated one of the best public courses in the Midwest. It also has a lighted driving range.

Not only will visitors see many types of ducks and geese, but the cranes, herons and even a eagle once in a while. Black pelicans make a stop during their migrations. Deer are seen everywhere as well as raccoons, fox and opossums. Take your camera.

Rend Lake is a relatively shallow reservoir, productive for sport and commercial fisherman alike. All species of fish that are common in southern Illinois can be found at Rend Lake. There is an abundance of large crappie and channel catfish. And the lake has a reputation of being one of the better waterfowl hunting areas in the state.

Mike Hooe, Rend Lake fisheries biologist, says he is really excited about the lake’s crappie, since a creel limit of 25 was established. Of the 25 fish, 15 must be under 10 inches in length.

While some anglers initially objected to the regulations, he said they became very supportive “once the regulations began to work…We have had seven consecutive years of good crappie fishing…We don’t now have the boom and bust year cycles.”

Rend also has good largemouth bass and catfish fishing. The white bass angling is good, but less stable due the dependence on spring water spawning conditions in the feeder streams to the lake. “We have some really good 14-16-inch white bass, and fishing should be good the next two to three years,” he said.

“We don’t stock catfish because we don’t have to…We have a lot of channel catfish and decent flat heads,” he added.

Largemouth bass last year were supported by a supplemental stocking of 58,000 fish, and an enhanced forage base with stocked threadfin shad. The Corps of Engineers also had dumped timbers into the facility to add additional cover.

“This past year, 35 percent of the bass we surveyed were 14 inches or longer<, said Hooe. Should you want to vist the lake, but not camp, beautiful Rend Lake Resort at the north end of Fitzgerald State Park has 110 rooms and a boat slip for each room. Now is a good time to plan a visit to Rend Lake.

Rend Lake contacts:
Rend Lake Visitor Center, 618-439-7430
Fitzgerald State Park, 618-629-2320
Rend Lake Resort, 1-800-633-3341
Todd Gessner Outdoors (fishing and hunting),618-513-0520 (toddgessneroutdoors@yahoo.com)

Contact writer Phil Junker at: outdoorscribe@yahoo.com.

Even though they can be a little tougher, fish can still be caught during the dog days of summer – sometimes in impressive numbers. You may just need to tweak your presentations and locations you fish in order to get on them.

Fish at night

In the heat of the day, most species of game fish often head for deeper water. The water is cooler and fish are warm-blooded, meaning their body temperature is that of the surrounding water temperature. For this reason, to successfully catch fish in the middle of the summer, fishing at night will likely boost your odds. Once the cooler evening temperatures begin to set around dusk, predators such as bass and catfish move into the shallow flats to feed. This is a perfect time to use topwater baits.

Go deep or go home

Since I just mentioned that most game fish tend to head for deeper water during daylight hours in the heat of the summer, if fishing during the day, go deep. I have had tremendous success in the heat of the day by simply going to deep running crankbaits or plastic worms. The types of lures will get down to where the fish are, which may be twenty feet or more.

Try trolling

Whether it’s for bluegill or for bass, sometimes trolling can be just the ticket. When casted and retrieved, those deep running crankbaits may not even hit the targeted depth because by the time they get close, your retrieve is likely half over, in which case your crankbait must begin ascending back towards your rod tip.

Trolling crankbaits along points and humps ensures that the baits reach and stay in the desired depth range. Incidentally, trolling small spinners can have the same effect on bluegills.

Utilize shade

Remember, fish don’t have eyelids so any shade you can find is likely to hold fish. This is especially true in shaded areas that hold cover. Besides the relief on their eyes, the shade also helps to camouflage predators when in search of prey and it also serves to cool them down as well as these areas are usually lower in temperature.

Find oxygen

If fishing rivers or streams, forget about stretches of stagnate slow moving water and look for faster moving water with ripples or eddies. In the summer months, slack water areas quickly become deprived of oxygen, while the faster moving water creates more oxygen which is crucial to fish survival.

Target weeds

Weeds provide excellent cover for prey such as fry (newly hatched fish) tadpoles. Predator fish know this and often lie in wait tucked just inside the weed edges while waiting for their next meal. Some weeds also help to create added oxygen in ponds and lakes where faster water is unavailable.

Vary your speed

During the middle of the day, fish may get sluggish and reluctant to bite. To this end, try using jigs, worms, or any other slow presentation. When the fish begin moving into the shallows at night however, they will get more aggressive, allowing you to switch to more aggressive lures such as topwater lures or shallow running crankbaits.

Summer doesn’t need to be a time to avoid hitting your local waterway or for you to feel like you would be wasting your time on the water. With some simple technique changes you can be in the fish all summer long.

“I always try to keep a good supply of some type of plastic worms,” said Andy Mowrey, an avid farm pond angler and stream restoration biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “I also like the good oldfashioned topwaters like Hula Poppers and Jitterbugs. Also, I keep some kind of jig-and-pig or crankbait; something that moves faster than a plastic lure.”

Southwestern District Fisheries Biologist Eric Cummins keeps topwaters in his tackle box when targeting bass in farm ponds. “A buzzbait in white and chartreuse or a Pop-R are always a good bet,” Cummins said. “If the fish are willing I always go the topwater route for bass.”

As summer progresses, many farm ponds become inundated with moss, or filamentous algae. Anglers should change up their lures when fishing these ponds.

“You can use plastic worms or a ‘do-nothing’ worm if the farm pond has a lot of vegetation,” Cummins suggested.

“As the name implies, it’s not weighted. You work it slowly and can hook it a variety of different ways to give it the action you’re after. It will help keep you out of the moss.”

Cummins again recommends chartreuse and white for these baits. “You can go crazy and use pinks and such, but usually I keep it simple,” he said.

Live bait is a good choice when going after bluegill. Night crawlers, redworms and wax worms are bluegill favorites. Kids can even dig up their own worms or catch crickets around the bank.

Several artificial lures also work well for bluegill. “Beetle Spins would be an easy bet,” said Cummins. “Black is a good color, or even a black body with white and chartreuse.”

Mowrey casts flies tied a couple feet below clear teardrop- shaped bobbers. Some anglers call these casting bubbles. “That’s a lot of fun,” he said. “You can also catch a lot of bluegill on a fly rod.”

Catfish are another farm pond favorite, and good baits can be as close as the refrigerator. Mowrey recalls hooking a monster blue cat on a piece of hot dog as a kid. Cummins uses chicken livers, worms and grasshoppers.

“If you dare, you can use stink baits,” Cummins said. “But that comes at a price.” Head to the water early in the day as the weather warms up this summer. The fish are biting and the best fishing hole may be as close as your favorite farm pond.

Author Hayley Lynch is an award-winning writer for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. She is an avid hunter and shotgun shooter.

However, many anglers may fish long hours just to catch a few 12-inch bass to show for it.

“I have trouble with postspawn fishing because it’s transitional,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The spawn takes a lot out of them. Shallow water fishing declines after the spawn. You may still catch little ones, but the big females are transitioning to their summer habitat.”

That decline in shallow water fishing is the reason Ross isn’t the only bass angler who struggles to catch fish after the spawn. Anglers fishing for bass from Kentucky Lake in the Purchase Region to Fishtrap Lake in Pike County find tough fishing in late June. The likely reason is they still fish the same areas in the same way they did in April.

Anglers need to intercept largemouth bass during this transition. “It all depends on the kind of lake,” Ross explained. “At a shallow water lake like Lake Barkley, the post-spawn transition will be different than at a lake like Laurel River.”

Creek channels, points, weedlines and other features such as roadbeds or rows of stumps along what was once a fencerow serve as arteries for fish migration. They move from the shallow spawning beds to deeper summer bass habitats such as deep points, channel drops and off-shore humps in June.

“They aren’t going to randomly swim around in open water and then dive down to their summer habitat,” Ross said. “They are going to follow something. On a really shallow lake, they may use a weedbed as a guide, but on most lakes, it is usually a channel. At a deep lake like Laurel or Cumberland, they may just move down the point closest to their spawning grounds.”

On shallow to mid-depth lakes with defined channels – such as Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Barren River Lake or Green River Lake – or any Midwestern reservoir – a soft plastic jerkbait, or a Carolinarigged 7- to-inch plastic worm or lizard, is a tremendous choice to fish channels in summer. Carolina rigs consist of a heavy egg-shaped sinker and a swivel. Tie the hook 1-2 feet from the swivel, with the egg sinker placed above the swivel to keep the sinker from contacting the hook. This gets the rig down, but allows the bait to float above the bottom.

Sling the Carolina rig onto the flats adjacent to a channel, then work the bait over the channel lip and down into the channel. Channels with brush or stumps along their lips are the best places to try. Once you catch a fish, mentally note the location and depth and try and replicate those conditions along other channels in the lake. This may lead to a glory day you’ll brag about to your buddies for many years.

“Flats are good post-spawn areas,” Ross said, “especially if they lie near channels, stump fields or weedlines.” Carolina rigs are also good for probing weedlines. The heavy weight of the rig plows the way for the soft plastic offering to hover just above bottom. Soft plastic jerkbaits and spinner baits are two other lures to try along a weedline during the postspawn period.

In deep lakes like a 4- to 6-inch finesse worm rigged on a Shakey head and slowly worked down the point should intercept any transitioning bass. A Shakey head is a specialty jig designed to make a soft plastic bait stand up from the bottom. By gently twitching the tip of your fishing rod, you can impart a tantalizing action to the bait.

A 3/16 -ounce jig-and-pig combination swum just over the bottom along the contour of the point also fools postspawn bass.

For soft plastic lures on the Carolina rig, Shakey rig or jig-and-pig combination, earth tones are the way to go in June. Combinations of green, brown, black, red or orange perform well on bass. For soft plastic jerkbaits and spinner baits, the reliable white and chartreuse combination is still tough to beat.

The June post-spawn transition period isn’t that hard to figure out if you intercept bass as they move from their breeding grounds to their summer haunts. Don’t fish for them in same areas as you did earlier this spring. They’ve left town for the summer.

Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

Just this week I was fishing with my kids and they decided they wanted to throw surface baits for bass. We tied on everything from Jitterbugs to Hula Poppers to some non-descript rubber frogs.

The kids, despite getting plenty of hits, could not seem to land a fish. So I decided to ease the anguish of missing the big ones by baiting up a hook with a tiny red worm and tossing it into the lily pads. Quickly the bobber was gone, but instead of a little bluegill, I found myself fighting a really nice bass. The fish turned out to be a 16- incher and the silly look on my face told my kids I had no idea why it hit the worm or how I landed it on that tiny little hook.

But no matter; it was a nice bass and everyone was happy. Now when you get a nice bass, you have to do something with it. Here are some suggestions.

Bass With Avocado Sauce

1 small ripe avocado coarsely chopped

1/4 cup skim milk

1 tbs. lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Hot sauce to taste

2 tbs.s lemon juice

1 tbs. light soy sauce

1 tsp. lemon rind, grated

1 tsp. dijon mustard

16 ounces of bass fillets

1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs

Vegetable cooking spray

Mix the first five ingredients in a blender; cover and blend smooth. Set mixture aside. Combine lemon juice and next three ingredients in a shallow dish, dip fillets in lemon juice mixture, and dredge in bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450F for 7 minutes; turn fillets over, and bake an additional 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer fillets to a serving platter, and top with avocado sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Baked Bass

1 (5 lb.) bass or equiv.

1 big onion, chopped

1 gr. bell pepper, chopped

1/2 stick butter

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can whole tomatoes

1 tbl lemon juice

1 cup cooking wine

Dash Tabasco sauce salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and season well the night before cooking. Lightly saute’ onions, and bell pepper in butter. Add tomato sauce and whole tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes in uncovered pot. Add 2 cups cold water and seasoning to taste along with dash of Tabasco. Cook for 25 minutes over medium heat. Add wine and pour mixture over fish arranged in a baking dish. Bake in 325-degree oven for 40 minutes. Baste several times. Serve over a bed of wild rice mix.

Simple Bass

salt

pepper

vegetable oil

2 cups flour

1 cup corn meal

1 Ziploc freezer bag

milk

8 bass fillets

Combine salt, pepper flour, and corn meal in the Ziploc bag. Shake well. Place fillets in a bowl full of milk. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes. Place fillets one at a time in ziploc and shake well. Place 2 fillets in a frying pan with the vegetable oil, and fry until golden brown. Serve and enjoy. Makes 4 servings.

In his announcement earlier this month, Vilsack stated, “These road maintenance projects will provide for public health and safety, resource protection, and access to lands in the National Forests.”

A diverse set of road maintenance activities will be undertaken through ARRA-funded projects. Individuals hired under ARRA will complete this labor-intensive work through a number of approaches, depending on the specific project area and needs: installing physical barriers at road entrances; replanting road beds; limiting erosion; removing fills and culverts; reestablishing drainage-ways; stabilizing road shoulders; and totally obliterating roads and reshaping roadbeds to match the surrounding area.

The work will cover the nine county area of the Hoosier and be accomplished over the next two years primarily through contracting and summer students. “This is a great opportunity to improve our road system, protect forest resources, and make the Forest more easily accessible to the public,” said Brad Lidell, the Hoosier’s Forest Engineer.

Breakdown of ARRA road funding on the Hoosier:

• $750,000 for road maintenance, reconstruction, mowing, culvert replacement
• $250,000 for replacing road and gate signs
• $30,000 for sign replacement on county roads designated as a forest highway
• $60,000 for road maintenance and brushing, culvert, gate and sign replacement in the Paoli Experimental Forest

Multiple-Day Events

9 a.m.–Noon Youth DNR Fishin’ Pond (except Aug. 7, 8, and 17-21)

10 a.m. Snakes Alive Talk, DNR Amphitheater, every day

7 p.m. Architectural Fairground Trolley Tour, from DNR Building, 8/7 and 13

4:30 p.m. Live Raptor Show, DNR Amphitheater (except 8/10-14, 17-19, and 23)

4:30 p.m. Indiana’s Birds of Prey, DNR Amphitheater (8/10, 14, 17)

Daily Schedule

Fri., Aug. 7

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: The Mystery of Coal, DNR area

1 p.m. Grain Milling in Indiana, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Water Games, DNR Fishin’ Pond
Conserving Land to Protect Wildlife, DNR Front Porch

7 p.m. Campfire Stories, Songs & S’mores, DNR Amphitheater

Sat., Aug. 8

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Arachnids, DNR area

11 a.m. Taste of the Wild Cookout, DNR Fishin’ Pond & Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Flintknapping, DNR Front Porch

3 p.m. Indiana Smallmouth Alliance Casting, DNR Fishin’ Pond

5:30 p.m. Indiana Stories and Songs, DNR Amphitheater

Sun., Aug. 9

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Animal Adaptations, DNR area
Smokey Bear’s Birthday, DNR Amphitheater
Taxidermy Demonstration, DNR Front Porch
Life Jacket Races & Games, DNR Fishin’ Pond

Mon., Aug. 10

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Military History of Fort Harrison, DNR area

1 p.m. Using Fire as a Tool, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. SCUBA Demo, DNR Fishin’ Pond
Nature’s Nasties, DNR Front Porch

Tue., Aug. 11

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Tools of Fire, DNR area

1 p.m. Indiana Stories and Songs, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Resource Management in State Parks and Reservoirs, DNR Front Porch

Wed., Aug. 12

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: What is an Artifact?, DNR area

1 p.m. Indiana’s Bats: Myth and Reality, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Geology ROCKS!, DNR Front Porch

4:30 p.m. Evening with an Eagle, C52, DNR Amphitheater

Thu., Aug. 13

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Birds of Indiana, Pokagon Interpreter, DNR area

1 p.m. Attracting Birds to Your Backyard, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Military History of Fort Harrison, DNR Front Porch

4:30 p.m. Art of Falconry, DNR Amphitheater

Fri. Aug. 14

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Ice Age Animals, DNR area

1 p.m. Insect Craft, DNR Butterfly Garden

2–4 p.m. SCUBA Demo, DNR Fishin’ Pond

Geocaching Fun, DNR Front Porch

6 p.m. Resource Dog Workout, DNR Amphitheater

Sat., Aug. 15

Noon Fly Tying Demonstrations, Fly Masters of Indy, DNR Front Porch

Sun., Aug. 16

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Leave No Trace, DNR area

1 p.m.–3 p.m. “Road” Show (Bring Your Artifacts for ID), DNR Amphitheater

2 p.m. Dog Retrieval Demo, DNR Fishin’ Pond

7 – 9 p.m. Indy Admirals Remote Controlled Boats, DNR Fishin’ Pond Mon., Aug. 17

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Indiana Snakes, DNR area

1 p.m. Indiana Cemetery Stories, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Got Geese? Canada Goose Management, DNR Front Porch

3 p.m. Voyageurs and the Fur Trade in Indiana, DNR Amphitheater

Tue., Aug. 18
11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Indiana Geodes, DNR area

2–4 p.m. GPS–How it Works, DNR Front Porch

2–4 p.m. Make It–Float It Boats from Recycled Materials, DNR Fishin’ Pond

Wed., Aug. 19

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Indiana Fossils, DNR area

1 p.m. Waterfowl of Indiana, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Indiana Owls, DNR Front Porch

3 p.m. Voyageurs and the Fur Trade in Indiana, DNR Amphitheater

Thu., Aug. 20

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Wood ID, DNR area

1 p.m. Underground Railroad in Indiana, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Make and Take Tree Measuring Stick, DNR Front Porch

Fri., Aug. 21

11 a.m. Roving Naturalist: Abe Lincoln Visits, Dean Durrell—DNR area

1 p.m. Indiana Wildlife at the Time of Lincoln, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. SCUBA demo, DNR Fishin’ Pond
Help for Your Old House, DNR Front Porch

Sat., Aug. 22

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Gene Stratton Porter in Indiana, DNR area

1 p.m. Gardening for Butterflies, DNR Amphitheater

2 p.m. Water Dog Demonstration, DNR Fishin’ Pond

2–4 p.m. Managing Deer in Indiana, DNR Front Porch

6 p.m. Resource Dog Workout, DNR Amphitheater

7 p.m. Water Dog Demonstration, DNR Fishin’ Pond

Sun., Aug. 23

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Roving Naturalist: Invasives Around “R” Environment, DNR area

1 p.m. Digging Around: Fun with Archaeology, DNR Amphitheater

2–4 p.m. Indy Admirals Remote Control Boats, DNR Fishin’ Pond
Arachnid Adventures, DNR Front Porch