Albacore finally bit in a big way Friday as at least two boats reported between 50-and 100-fish days.
Chuck Taft, owner of the Sea Adventure 80, said his boat had 50 albacore aboard and was still fishing at 5:45 p.m. yesterday afternoon. He said the Pegasus had over 100 albacore.
“They're finally acting like they want to bite,” Taft said. “It's about time, and the good thing is there are fish being reported from 31 miles to 76 miles south. The bulk of the good fishing (yesterday) was at 76 miles.”
Taft said captains are finding perfect conditions, with water temperatures in the 63-to 64-degree range.
“Some long-range boats went farther west and found some 61-to 62-degree water, so that warm water everyone was worried about was just a pocket that came in and moved out,” Taft said.
Albacore are most active in 64-to 66-degree water.
Taft said he has the last of his discounted 1-½-day trips on tap for Tuesday and returning early Thursday. The cost is $275 and includes Mexican fishing permit.
Call Taft at (760) 753-8394 or H&M Landing at (619) 222-1144.
Federal Duck Stamp: The $15 Federal Duck Stamp celebrated its 75th anniversary yesterday, with the first one sold to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall during a special ceremony hosted by Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World near Baltimore.
This year's special stamp is a depiction of a pair of northern pintails by Minnesota artist Joseph Hautman, who won the Federal Duck Stamp contest in 1992 and 2002, and has won multiple state duck stamp contests. His brothers, Bob and Jim, are multiple Federal Duck Stamp Contest winners.
Back in 1934, Postmaster William Mooney sold the very first Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, which became known as the Federal Duck Stamp, to J. N. "Ding" Darling. Darling was the first Federal Duck Stamp artist and also served as Director of the U.S. Biological Survey, the forerunner of the USFWS.
Since then, the first Duck Stamp has been sold to the Director of the Service. Bass Pro Shops sponsored similar sale events at many of its other forty-four retail stores around the country.
“It's an honor to be the first in line to buy this stamp and help contribute to this unique wetlands conservation program,” Hall said. “I'm proud to carry on the tradition started by Ding more than 75 years ago. Now more than ever, our nation depends on healthy wetlands and clean water for conserving waterfowl populations and ensuring healthy and safe communities. Purchasing this little stamp reaps huge dividends for our nation.”
All waterfowl hunters 16 and older must buy and carry in the field the current Migratory Bird Conservation and Hunting Stamp. But the stamp also is popular with stamp collectors, bird watchers and the like who want to support habitat conservation. Ninety-eight percent of the proceeds from the stamp go to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which supports the acquisition of wetland and upland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The 2008-2009 Federal Junior Duck Stamp also went on sale at the event. Seokkyun Hong, 18, of Dallas painted a pair of Nene (Hawaiian goose), and that was the winning stamp picked by a panel of judges at the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest held at the San Diego Zoo in the spring. Proceeds from Junior Duck Stamp sales are used to support environmental education efforts and awards for contest winners.
Duck Stamps can be purchased at post offices, as well as major sporting goods stores that sell hunting and fishing licenses. For information on other Federal Duck Stamp products and buying options, check www.fws.gov/duckstamps/stamps.html. City Lakes: All lakes will be open for business next Friday, with the exception of Lake Barrett. Murray will have fireworks at dark. Also, the water level at Miramar is being drawn down again and the launch ramp is out of service, starting this weekend. No boat rentals will be available, either.
Alpen Optics: For the sixth time, Outdoor Life Magazine has chosen Alpen Optics as the best buy in optics for 2008. The magazine states the Alpen Pro 10x42 binoculars match or exceed binoculars costing 10 times as much. Alpen binoculars will be the optic sponsors for the 2008 Paralympics Archery Team in Beijing. For information, check www.alpenoutdoors.com. Question of the Week: For regulation purposes, at what point does a stream become a lake? Carrie Wilson, marine biologist with the Department of Fish and Game and author of the feature, “Ask Carrie,” answers: “Technically, where there's a current, the body of water is considered to be a stream. At the point where the water backs up and becomes slack (no current), the body of water is defined as a lake. Remember that this is defined by the water flow and not necessarily by a geographical area; therefore, this point can change depending on the elevation and time of the year. For example, if it's the end of the summer and you're standing in a half-full reservoir, if the water has a current, you're fishing in a stream.” Cormorant Problem: Anyone who has visited local lakes knows how successful cormorants can be at catching fish. In Europe, the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association has noticed and is backing a Pan-European cormorant management plan in the wake of findings that cormorants are depleting fish stocks at a rate of 1,000 tons a day.
More than 1 million cormorants have established themselves in Europe, a recent study shows, and the fish-eating machines are showing no signs of letting up. Cormorants are capable of eating a little over 1 pound of fish per day. Said European Fishing Tackle Trade Association chief executive officer Jean-Claude Bel: “This is a shock. We all know that cormorant numbers are increasing, but this is the first time I have seen that fact presented in such a way. It is quite horrific and clearly there needs to be a Europe-wide plan to manage cormorants. Naturally, we are concerned for the livelihoods of the 60,000 people employed in the European fishing tackle trade and their families. But this is not just about fishing. it is about stopping what could become an environmental disaster. Doing nothing is not an option.”
