North Platte WU
Newsletter Editors
7 p.m., Wednesday, April 6,
Game and Fish Building
What a month! Very busy for the members who worked tirelessly getting the second annual "all you can eat" walleye banquet off the ground. It was a great success by all accounts and put a few dollars in the bank account that will enable us to take on the next big project which is taking two or three hundred kids fishing later this year. I would just like give a pat on the back to all who helped make it work, you know who you are. It should also be mentioned that it would not have been the banquet it was without the very generous donations of cash and merchandise by our gracious sponsors. They are all listed later in this newsletter. Thank you all.
There were a few problems that I won't mention, like Deidra Holman winning my 9.9 Mercury motor from White's Marine and Mercury Motors and coming up short on the other great prizes. Having the inside track on the tickets didn't work like I had hoped.
This months Tough Man tournament is slated for April 23. There is a couple of rule changes for this year and a few different payout levels. One must be a NPWU member to participate and we hope to give back most all of the entry fees in prizes. I'm sure someone will complain about the changes and that will automatically make them the tournament director for next year, so be forewarned. You will find an application to the Tough Man inside.
March is the month of our NPWU membership renewing. An application is inside. I would like to encourage each member to make an effort to recruit one new member in the following year. Our little club would have a much larger impact with our political efforts to maintain and improve the walleye fisheries in our state with a larger membership. It would also spread the workload to many more shoulders. We are headed that way as our membership has increased 25% in the last few months.
A few months ago we wrote a letter to the Wyoming Game and Fish requesting that they consider making June 16 through July 2 tournament free at Glendo Reservoir to reduce the fishing pressure during this time. The complete text is inside. Rumor has it that the Game and Fish is considering making this a a rule statewide. NPWU would not favor that position because the other lakes do not receive anywhere near the fishing pressure that Glendo receives in the summer. Glendo receives nearly 40,000 visitors just over the 4th of July weekend which in part prompted the original proposal. Stay tuned.
We have a booth at the Outdoor Sportsman's Show that opens the day you get this and runs through the weekend. Drop by and say hi to our volunteers. See you all there.
Fishing Reports-Tips-& tricks
If you plan to freeze some fish, here's a great tip, courtesy of the Food Science Department of North Carolina State University.
Stir one envelope of unflavored gelatin into a mixture of one-quarter cup of lemon juice and 1-1/2 cups of cold water. Place the mixture on a low heat, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Dip the fillets in the mixture, shake off the excess and place in plastic freezer bags.
The protective dip provides an air-tight glaze that prevents freezer burn. According to the experts at North Carolina State, fish can be frozen for six months to a year when protected by this dip.
Good news, bad news
In the fall of 2005, Pathfinder is scheduled to receive 100,000 rainbow trout. If the Pathfinder walleyes can last that long, they will finally have something to eat. You would think gizzard shad would be cheaper.
"Skeeter" Jenkins reported that fishing was good at Glendo. He was using Hail Mary's and getting a lot of bites but didn't get fish in the boat until he switched to Our Fathers.
Others report that fishing is good at Glendo at the south end in the 6 to 12' depths with jig and minnows. Those in the know say the walleye bite will be getting hot in a week to 10 days as the spawn starts. Catfishing is great from shore with cutbait for those into that sort of thing.
Boysen is open, but no fishing reports yet. Should be picking up in one to two weeks as the water warms and the spawn gets going.
Try to keep in mind the fragile nature of our Walleye fisheries. Try to release as many as possible back to the water, especially those of prime spawning age which is between 20" and 29". If we don't protect our fisheries, who will??
For something completely different, Berkley has released a new rod called the Glowstik. Mainly aimed at nighttime fishermen for trolling, it has a internal system of led's that emit light to make the whole rod glow. Makes it easy to read. Would be fun to have for cat fishing from shore also. Priced in the $40 to $45 range.
A new lure company that isn't new at all is starting to be noticed in the walleye fishing world. Salmo, a Polish lure manufacturing company is starting to be recognized for its high quality lures that also catch fish. It was a close kept secret for the last few years but the word is starting to get out. Salmo has a wide variety of lures for many species of fish and many have found their way into the tackle boxes of tournament walleye fisherman. Cabela's has started to carry a wide selection of Salmo lures. I'm guessing you will be hearing more from and about this company and I predict they will be more widely available as their popularity increases. If the bite gets real tough, the bullhead may save the day. I just purchased some Salmo lures and will be testing them this year. If they work for me they will work for anybody.
To those who might care, walleyes have had their scientific name changed. Used to be they were called Stizostedion vitreum, which I think meant "eaters of trout" to their new name, Sander vitreus which I think means "eaters of many trout".
If you didn't have a reason to come to this months club meeting, besides the Karaoke........lol....gotcha... then come to pick up your special club logo scratch pads. If you come to the Outdoor Sportsman Show at the Events Center you will be able to pick up our regular scratch pads. The "special" ones have on the bottom of the pad "ain't nothing better than a trout fed walleye". They will go fast, only available at the club meeting, are free, and will become collectors items. T-shirts coming this summer.
Happy April Fools Day...............
Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing. . As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. . I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. . I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. . So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. . But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. . I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. . I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. . I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. . At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only one check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!
GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC.
Found on the internet, I could relate to this, perhaps you can too.
For those who don't have front electric trolling motors to keep the boats pointed where they want to go in the wind when trolling, this setup may prove to be the answer. It is two small trolling bags tied off to the front cleats and in effect anchor the front of the boat and give the rear trolling or main motor something to pivot against. For the complete setup instructions go to the Wave Tamer website which developed the technique, (http://www.driftbag.com/articles/trolling_drift_bags.shtml). I think any brand of bag would work and the more creative among us would have no trouble fabricating a reasonable facsimile. Sure is worth a try.
On the subject of trolling/drift bags, when using one (always get one three sizes bigger than you think you need), when deploying the bag try using a 25' foot rope, and fish between the boat and the bag. The boat draws a foot or two of water but the big bag you need draws 4 to 6 feet so the walleye are much more freaked by the bag bearing down on them than they are the boat. It might make a big difference on the amount of fish in the boat on those windy days.
Many thanks
We would like to thank again all the great sponsors and product donors to this years "All you Can Eat" Walleye banquet. We couldn't have done it without each and every one of these great businesses and individuals. Thanks again
| Whites Marine Center and Mercury Outboards Bar D Signs Rocky Mountain Discount Sports Gart Brothers Casper Well Products Bullwinkles Bait and Tackle Ziker Taxidermy Cost Plus Appliances Quality Petroleum Walter Cement Construction Wyoming Discount Grocery Polebenders of Colorado Sandbar Lounge Ghost Town Canvas Green Sewer and Drain Larry Forsberg Parkway Plaza Linton's Big R Store Mountain Sports What's in Store Walgreen's East Pure Fishing Wyoming Discount Grocery Gart Brothers Zuck Taxidermy Western Distributing JTL Contractor's Supply Bullwinkles Bait and Tackle |
Wyoming Builders Supply Sportsman's Warehouse Anglers Edge Keyhole Technologies of Gillette Industrial Distributors Home Depot Crushco Auto Recyclers /Steve Clark Dan's Meat A1 Tire Comet Distributing Inc. American Pride Car Wash Smith's RV Kevin ReinHart Western Walleye Magazine Jerry Stone Dan's Meat Dave's Darts and Parts AutoZone Cy And the fishing trips donated by our very excellent tournament fishermen: John Green Rick Walter Billy Brenton Chuck McCauley Kevin Reinhart Rick Mclaughlin |
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Tight Lines -- Woody and Bruce