Toyota Share Lunker 508 Sets New Record for Lake Austin

T.J. Nissen of Austin holds the new record for Lake Austin after catching a 16.03-pound bass late in the day on January 27.

Nissen was fishing in four to five feet of 49-degree water when the fish took his crankbait. The fish is 28.25 inches long and 21.75 inches in girth. Only three other fish entered into the Toyota ShareLunker program have been that long.

Lake El Salto & Anglers Inn Heating Up

Anglers Inn International at famed Lake El Salto has become famous for its phenomenal service and giving anglers a once-in-a-lifetime experience never to be forgotten.

Lake El Salto went through some water level growing pains, which caused fishing conditions to cool by the end of 2010. The hot summer months concentrated piles of fish around timber, giving anglers the perfect opportunity to catch high numbers of fish. As usual, the water level dropped and in 2010 the lake level was at a near all time low. When the rain approached, it caused the lake to rise over 40-feet in a very short amount of time. This caused the level of the water to suffocate the vegetation, which caused the fish to suspend in hopes of finding higher levels of oxygen.

11 Year Old Lands State Record Smallmouth

Conner Peitsmeyer, 11, likely won't remember the frigid 35-degree temperature when out fishing with his father on Nov. 12. What he'll hopefully never forget, however, is becoming Colorado's newest fishing state record holder that morning.

That's when the Aurora, Colo., resident pulled a 6 pound, 8 ounce smallmouth bass out of Aurora Reservoir which eclipsed the previous species state record by 3/4-pound.

A few days before, the youngster had landed his first "big fish" in the same area -- a smallmouth that weighed more than five pounds.

"We had caught quite a few big bass that week, so we knew they were in there," his father, Michael, said. "When he caught that first big one, Conner told me he was shaking, but he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the excitement."

Peitsmeyer's catch eclipses the previous state record smallmouth, a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass caught in 1993 by Carl Dewey at Navajo Reservoir.

The bass isn't the only state record fish caught at Aurora Reservoir this fall. On Oct. 4, 20-year-old Jessica Walton, also from Aurora, landed a 43-pound, 6-ounce channel catfish at the reservoir east of Denver.

"Aurora Reservoir has ideal forage conditions to produce very large fish," said Paul Winkle, the Colorado Division of Wildlife aquatic biologist who manages the fishery. "There's an outstanding population of crayfish and yellow perch, which provides an excellent food source for fish to grow to enormous sizes."

The youngest of three brothers, Peitsmeyer loves fishing so much that he said he had saved his birthday and Christmas money to buy his own gear. And now he has an exciting fishing tale to add to it -- an excitement that, it seems, is shared.

"Any time someone lands a new state record, it's exciting for us," said Greg Gerlich, DOW fisheries chief. "It's even more exciting when it is a youngster that pulls in one of these big fish. This is yet another example of how anyone, regardless of age or experience, can have a great day fishing."

Lake Cumberland Comes Back From Bass Loss

The sight of hundreds of medium-sized striped bass and quality walleye floating bloated and dead on the surface of Lake Cumberland in August and September sent a shudder throughout the Kentucky fishing community.

The ongoing repair work on Wolf Creek Dam means the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must keep Lake Cumberland much lower than normal, resulting in higher water temperatures in the depths with less dissolved oxygen. The situation worsened in August to the point that some striped bass and walleye in the lake perished.

New State Record For Colorado Catfish

A 20-year-old Aurora woman became Colorado's newest fishing state-record holder after landing a 43-pound channel catfish at Aurora Reservoir on Oct. 4. The mammoth fish, caught by Jessica Walton, is the largest channel catfish ever caught in Colorado and the third consecutive state record taken from the Front Range reservoir in 15 months.

Portion of Washington's Lower Elwha River to Close for Fishing

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife closes the section of the Elwha River from the Aldwell Lake Dam (lower Elwha Dam) downstream to the new bridge on Elwha River Road.

Louisiana Reopens All State Waters to Recreational Angling

Today, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission ordered an immediate opening of all state inshore and offshore territorial waters to recreational angling, including charter boat angling. The areas opened today by the commission do not include the recreational harvest of shrimp, crabs or oysters. Prior to today's action, approximately 862 square miles or 11 percent of saltwater areas of the state remained closed to all recreational fishing due to the impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Texas' Lake Fork Trophy Bass Catches Looking Up

After declining big bass catches for the last six years in the Lake Fork Trophy Bass Survey, nearly as many 7-pound or bigger bass were reported caught from March through June as were reported during all of the 12-month period from March 2009 to February 2010. Anglers participating in the survey reported 733 big bass caught from March through June 2010 compared to 746 for the 12 months ending in February.

Muskies to be stocked in Indiana's Lake Everett

State fisheries biologists plan to approve a private request to stock muskies in Lake Everett in an ongoing effort to reduce an unwanted population of gizzard shad in the 43-acre lake northwest of Fort Wayne.

Ohio's Best Spots for Reeling In 2009 "Fish Ohio" Catches

Lake Erie and a dozen inland lakes were among the best places to reel in "Fish Ohio" catches, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife. The "Fish Ohio" program recognized noteworthy catches among 19 fish species in 2009.

2010 Lake Erie Sport Fishing Outlook Good

Lake Erie anglers should experience another year of diverse fishing opportunities during 2010, according to biologists with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

New crappie limits in effect on 38 Ohio lakes

With spring just around the corner, crappie anglers are reminded that new size and bag limits went into effect on March 1, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

Virulent Fish Virus Identified for First Time in Lake Superior

For the first time, the presence of an exceptionally virulent fish virus (viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus or VHSV) has been identified in fish from Lake Superior by researchers at the Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and confirmed by scientists at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle.

TPWD Piney Woods Region Fishing Reports

* BOB SANDLIN
Water fairly clear; 85-92 degrees; 0.19' low. Black bass are good on Zell Pops and buzzbaits early, later switching to wacky rigged Senkos, Texas and Carolina rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs under the 21 and railroad bridges. White bass are good on slabs and Humdingers over humps and off points. Catfish are good on live bait and prepared bait.
* CADDO
Water off color; 85-92 degrees; 0.29' high. Black bass are good weightless Yum Dingers, chatterbaits and soft plastic frogs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around cypress trees. White bass are good in the river channel on minnows and Road Runners. Channel catfish are good on nightcrawlers. Bream are good on crickets and worms.