North Platte WU
Newsletter Editors
7 p.m. Feb. 2
at Game and Fish Building
We are only a month away from our annual banquet this year on March 4th, at the Parkway Plaza.. Things are shaping up rather nicely. It looks like we will have a sell out early so if you haven't gotten your tickets yet you might want pick some up. We have received another Mercury 9.9 Four Stroke Bigfoot kicker motor from Mercury Motors and White's Marine Center to raffle off. There will be a maximum of 150 tickets at $20.00 a piece and they will only be available at the banquet. They should go fast like last year so if you want a chance on the motor show up early.
There will be some new events planned for this years banquet to make it more entertaining. One of these events is our Walleye Fishing Pro Panel Seminar on the Friday night before the banquet, March 3rd, also at the Parkway Plaza. There will be demonstrations of all sorts, presentations, and a question and answer period with some of Wyoming's best professional walleye fishermen. This is a family affair, free to the public, and surprise gifts to the first 200 kids thirteen and under. There will be door prizes and a raffle or two to spice up the night.
We are still having meetings every week to tie up all the loose ends and if anyone would like to help you are more than welcome to join us. We are meeting at the Silver Fox every Thursday at 6:00 in the bar area.
Ice fishing season, what little we had this year is drawing to a close. Alcova stayed open most of the winter. It iced over middle of last week but is very thin in the middle of the lake. A fair amount of walleyes were caught over the winter at Alcova.. Glendo is open water as I write this, but not sure how the fishing is doing. One thing of note, is that the adult gizzard shad might not have as high of a mortality this winter due to the warm winter. That suggests a huge forage base for this coming year. We may have fat and happy fish this year that will be harder to catch. It remains to be seen how the adult gizzard population will affect the walleye year class this year as they can consume huge amounts of walleye fry.
Boysen still has good ice, but as I understand it, there is a problem with obtaining minnows. There has been numerous citations issued for using live minnows that came from a different drainage systems so be sure to not take minnows from the Casper area as they are illegal to use at Boysen. Getting certified minnows in Casper for use in Boysen is near impossible.
The club is looking into the minnow problem and Bruce Parker is a com- mittee of one doing the legwork to see if the minnow regulations can be amended to help solve some of the current problems of live bait. If anyone would like to help Bruce you may contact him at the number listed on this page.
I picked up a copy of "Bait Minnow Farming" at the Wyoming Game and Fish and if anyone is considering raising minnows it explains how to do it. As little as a tenth of an acre would work so it doesn't require a large land area to start. Any wanna be fish farmers out there?
For those of us who are not quite at the top of their walleye fishing game, there is a series of five books out that should help make anybody a better walleye fisherman. The title of the series is "Critical Concepts- Walleye Fundamentals - Foundations for Sustained Fishing Success." It is quite a large dose of information. My problem is trying to retain all the knowledge contained in these books. So if you see me out there on the water with a bunch of books on a lanyard around my neck I hope you understand.
With Spring apparently just around the corner, might be a good time to get the boat and boat trailer checked over. Check the batteries, trailer lights and bearing grease. Have you got your current boat registration yet?
I plan on bringing all my tackle in from the boat and do a major reorganization, rerigging my rods and reels and other such activities. Have to wait till the wife is gone so she won't see it all, start doing inventory and adding up the price tags. I have so much stuff now, the only way half of it will ever see the water is if the boat sinks.
This years Hawg Tournament at Pathfinder was won by Mak Wagner with a huge 2.86 lb rainbow trout. Second was Ron Estess Jr. with a 2.32 lb fish. Third place was won by Kieth Wolfort with a 2.26 lb rainbow. Biggest walleye was a 1.78 lb caught by Mike Wergin. Surprisingly nobody went swimming considering the iffy ice conditions.
Fishing Reports-Tips-& tricks
Every year there is a new "buzz" about the latest fishing gadget or tecnique. Last year was the Salmo Hornet #4 floating crankbait. This year it seems that red hooks for everything seems to be the hot setup. If your bored waiting for the winds to die down and the ice to turn to water,, pick up some red hooks and replace the front trebles on some of your favorite cranks and tie up some harnesses with red hooks. Keep some red bait hooks around for lindy rigging, drop shots, slip bobbers. After all, it's only money.
Many of you may not know that your newer fish finders may need an update from time to time. If you have a computer and internet access go to the manufacturer's website and look for updates. You will need a memory card and a card reader compatible with you fish finder to transfer the updates from your computer to your fish finder.
Recipes:
Grilled Walleye with Fruit Chutney or Basil Pesto
Walleye:
o 4-6 medium walleye filets
o 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
o 2 cloves of garlic, minced
o salt and pepper
In a large bowl cover walleye filets with oil and garlic. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Heat grill. Sprinkle salt and pepper on filets, then wrap all walleye filets in one large sheet of tin foil, and place on grill, keeping it away from extreme heat. Filets will be done in approximately 15 minutes or when they flake easily with a fork. Remove from heat, and coat with one of the two sauces below. Serves four.
Creamy Basil Pesto:
o 2 tablespoons fresh ground basil
o 1 clove garlic, minced
o 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
o salt and pepper
o 2 tablespoons fresh ground
parmesan or romano cheese
o 1/2 cup half and half
o 2 tablespoons ground pine nuts
In a food processor, vigorously combine ingredients to form a paste. Serve immediately.
Fresh Fruit Chutney:
o 1/2 cup vinegar
o 1 cup dry white wine
o 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
o salt and pepper
o 1 tablespoon oregano
o 1 red delicious apple, cut into cubes
o 1 orange, chopped
o 1 cup cantaloupe, cut into cubes
o 1 medium onion, chopped
o 1 clove garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Fruit may be substituted for fresh regional varieties of apple, citrus, and melon.
Some quotable quotes:
"Of all the liars among mankind, the fisherman is the most trustworthy." ~ William Sherwood Fox
Who said the promised land is really land?
I hope my ship comes in before my dock rots.
When my ship comes in, I hope I'm not at the airport.
The Key to Management is to keep the ones that hate you away from the ones that are undecided!
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -Thomas A. Edison
You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. -Evan Esar
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. -John Steinbeck
Everyone ought to believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing. -Unknown
The way to yeild the highest profit on a raw material is to shape it into a boat part.
How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
Between two evils, I always pick the one I've never tried.
Never argue with an idiot. People passing by can't tell who's who.
Why do they lock gas-station restrooms??? Are they afraid someone will clean them?? -Anonymous
wyowalleyenewsletter@hotmail.com
Tight Lines -- Woody and Bruce