FLY FARVORITE LAKE IN A LAZ-E-BOY: Now you can fly your favorite lake to see what it looks like from the air. A new website feature allows you to view any lake in the U.S.A. from your computer. Wonder what Jordan Lake looks like from the air? Click on: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=apex+nc&ll=35.730715,-79.029722&spn=0.089264,0.123081&t=k&hl=en for ariel photo of Jordan. Its easy to move, just drag curser and you can zoom in. All area lakes are available by searching a city near them. You are cleared for take-off !
NEW STATE FISHING RECORDS WITH PICTURES: A new updated fishing records list is now available at Carolina Outdoors. It now includes some actual photos of the state record fish and the angler who caught it. To view the new addition, click here and go to Carolina Outdoors Fish Records Page.
NEW ASSOCIATE STRIPER GUIDE: Carolina Outdoors has added Troy Roberson, a well known striper guide at Jordan, to its list of associate guides. For more info or to book a trip with Troy, email at info@carolinaoutdoors.net with striper in subject line.
Pedigree Poses' Contest Grand Prize Winner: Carolina Outdoors is proud to announce Jerry Craig & Jac of Hiddenite NC as the latest "Pedigree Poses- Dogs Rule" Grand Prize winner. Winners are drawn quarterly, and the Grand Prize package will arrive soon, which consist of great products from Pedigree and Carolina Outdoors. Thanks to all who have entered. We invite everyone to send in photos of their dog. It can be a photo shot out on the lake fishing together, a family activity together or just a proud pose of your best friend. In return, we will share your photos for others to view at www.carolinaoutdoors.net/pedigreeposes. Include your mailing address, and you will receive a special gift pack for your dog, compliments of Pedigree brand dogfood, just for entering. You will also be registered for a grand prize to be given away periodically. So go grab that Fuji Film and get clicking. Send photos and mailing info to: dogsrule@carolinaoutdoors.net
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Python Bites off too much Gator (picture): In the past five years, the United States has imported more than 144,000 Burmese pythons. National Geographic is reporting some of those snakes are now wrestling alligators in the Florida Everglades—and breeding. Read more.........
North Carolina ranks #2 in US States for Fishing-Related Tourism. What maybe a surprise to most, NC is second, only to Florida, as top states for fishing vacations and destination. A recent survey of nonresident fishing related tourism showed that NC derived $716,318,246.00 in total economic output. Second only to Florida, which generated $1,535,730,000. Top tourist areas for nonresident anglers include Outer Banks, Vance Co. and the Triangle area, which includes Jordan, Harris and Falls Lake. Nonresident anglers spent over $11.4 billion a year in the US.
Bass Fishermen, Bananas and Superstitions? Blaming a banana, or the supernatural during those tough times is more common than think. If you ask anyone if they have superstitions they will usually say, 'No'. Everyone knows it's even bad luck to reveal your superstitions. But if you really dig at them or go fishing with them, the truth will always come out. Every fisherman is superstitious about something. Read story here
Gold Crappie Caught: On Dec. 14, Glen Christie, 64, of Cary was crappie fishing at Kerr Lake. While dunking minnows in 18 feet of water in Grassy Creek, he lands a little golden fish. The fish is now officially recognized as a golden crappie. See a picture of the unusual fish and read details on the day courtesy of a story published by the News & Observer. Read story here.
NCSU WINS NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASS FISHING CHAMPIONSHIP: North Carolina State left no doubt who was the winner at the inaugural BoatU.S National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship held in Texas. They dominated the other schools on the final day with a solid five fish limit that weighed 13.57 pounds. The winning team members for North Carolina State were Chad Craven and Alex Freeman. They used a variety of baits while keying on windy rocky and timber filled banks to target aggressive fish. The North Carolina State team won $12,000.00 in scholarship funds with the win. More details click here.
Oklahoma State University was the last team to take
the stage and after dominating the field the first two
days it was apparent the North Carolina State team
was worried. The event format had Universitys from
all over the nation sending in two person teams to
compete for two days for an overall cumulative weight.
After two days the top 5 schools/teams competed on
one final day of the event for the title and scholarships.
For a full update with an exclusive interview, and pictures,
New Fishing Education Center Opens: Named after Wildlife Commission Chairman and Fayetteville attorney John Pechmann, the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center, located off Lake Rim Road, will provide anglers of all ages and abilities with opportunities to learn about fishing and aquatic ecology in a natural setting. Pechmann, a well-known conservationist and outdoor sports enthusiast. “For as long as I’ve known him, John has been a staunch supporter of fisheries management, conservation and education,” said Richard Hamilton, executive director of the Wildlife Commission.
The center is a 4,800-square-foot building with a classroom and exhibit hall, a handicapped-accessible fishing structure and deck near the water, an educational pavilion and more than six acres of ponds teeming with a variety of popular gamefishes. “Its the only facility of its type in North Carolina where kids and their families can come to learn more about fishing and aquatic resources in a fun, hands-on environment,” said Kristopher Smith, a fishing education and outreach coordinator for the Wildlife Commission. “Getting students involved and actually doing things, such as casting, knot tying and, of course, fishing, is the best way for them to learn and to stay interested. ”The center offers a variety of aquatic programs designed to teach first-time and experienced anglers about North Carolina’s aquatic resources. Some classes will teach fundamental fishing skills, such as casting and selecting the right equipment. Advanced classes will cover topics such as fly-tying and fly-fishing. Most programs will be free.
“We will tailor the programs to appeal to a broad range of anglers, from those who have never picked up a rod and reel to others who have fished their entire lives,” Smith said. “While many of these programs will be geared toward kids, we will continue to work cooperatively with the Lake Rim Parks and Recreational Center to offer clinics that involve the entire family.”
NCSU Bass Pack Continues To Make History: In only its second full season of existence, the North Carolina State Bass Pack, a collegiate bass fishing team from NCSU, is again making history. As reported, the team of Alex Freeman and Chad Craven recently won the College Bass Fishing National Championship. With that win, NCSU has made a move in the newly released College Bass National Rankings, going from 9th to 6th overall.
CBAA national rankings are the only statistical based, multi-year, comprehensive rankings of the nation's collegiate angling scene, and are the official national rankings for the sport of collegiate angling. Note: CBAA ranking reflects team strength and team activity (results) are taken into consideration and evaluation of statistical event data. Example; a team with boats finishing #1 and #20 is not statistically stronger than a team with boats finishing #5 and #15, etc.
Collegiate Bass Anglers Association Top 10 National Ranking for November, 2006
Wendy's High School Heisman Award: What's this got to do with fishing? Well, fishermen & fathers like to brag. This is my moment, as a father, to be proud. My oldest daughter Emily was recently nominated for the Wendy's High School Heisman Award. Like the original College Heisman, the WHSH program has set the standard for high school student-athletes. The program recognizes the nation’s most esteemed high school senior men and women for excellence in academics, athletics, and community/school involvement. Emily (pictured at right with the male nominee) is Academic All Conference in both volleyball and softball. She was team captain in both. Emily also was a three year player on a USA Junior Olympic Volleyball squad. She is a member of the Beta Club and Who's Who of High School Seniors, ranked 3rd in her graduating class. In her spare time, she is active with her Youth Church Group and local Animal Rescue & Adoption Agency. Emily will attend NCSU, majoring in Veterinary Medicine. Congrats Emily !
Ryan Newman Charity Tournament: The Ryan Newman Foundation Bass Tournament is in the books. Held on Lake Norman, the event funds the RNF, which caters to homeless animals needs. It was fun for all, as the day turned out to be a beautiful warm sunny Dec day. I was honored to be ask to represent Pedigree at the event, which started with a bass tournament that paired some Nascar celebs, and ended with a great meal and VIP autograph "meet & greet" session with all. Some notable names in attendance was of course, Ryan Newman, along with Tony Stewart, and other Nascar contingent like Kevin Harvicks Crew Chief. Forrest Wood was there, along with several FLW bass pros like myself. In all, 135 teams competed in the bass tournament, with the winners taking home a fully rigged Ranger Bass boat. It was sun, fun and good food for all. Everyone was all smiles, as the picture shows, even after a long day on the water.
Tony Stewart, Jeffrey and Ryan Newman
Va Tech Wins Collegiate Bass on Falls: The 2nd Annual Falls Lake Collegiate Bass Tournament is in the books. Va Tech jumped ahead of the host University and defending National College Bass Champion NCSU team to claim top honors. The 2 day event, which featured bass teams from N.C. State, UNC-Charlotte, Purdue, South Carolina, Murray State, Eastern Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia Tech, displayed their own version of March Madness on the waters of Falls Lake. The team from Eastern Ky came out of the gates quick, leading day one with 12.3. But it was the young VT team of Scott Wiley and Chase Grinnel (shown) who poured it on the last day to take the title with a total weight of 22 lbs. NCSU finished the event 2nd, while Eastern Ky settled for 3rd. More to come...... Look for full coverage with pictures to come at Carolina Outdoors.Net. Fox College Sports will air the event on FSN later in the year.
Carolina Outdoors : Hear the latest talk around the fishing world and lakes. Docktalk contains interesting tidbits, changes in rules and regulations, special events around the water's edge. Its also a great place to announce up coming events and shows. It you got something of interest, please send it to info@carolinaoutdoors.net with the word "Dock Talk" in the subject line.
NCSU Top 10 Collegiate Bass Fishing National Championship: The three-day tournament, which had 86 teams from 48 colleges and universities, competing for the National Championship is complete. A year after winning the inaugural collegiate bass fishing title, two teams of anglers from the NCSU BassPack, finished ninth and 43rd at the second annual BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship in Texas. After day one, the NCSU team of Alex Freeman and Randall Hess was in 3rd place but a tougher second day landed them a top ten finish.
VT team of Scott Wiley and Chase Grinnel are all smiles after taking Title.
NC Ranks 2nd in Fishing Tourism: NC is ranked 2nd (behind Florida) for U.S. fishing destinations, bringing in a whoping 1.2 billion dollars to our state, which ranks 9th overall in U.S. fishing revenue. This also ranks NC 10th in states for number of fishing related jobs (20,300). The annual report has some interesting numbers for NC.
NC resident fisherman total 868,000, compared to 395,000 fisherman who live outside NC and visit our state to fish. The triangle ranks #1 for destinations for fishing, with Jordan and Harris topping the list. When you compare that to hunting, NC ranks 30th in out of state hunting tourism with estimated 27,000 visitors. The total NC revenue for in state Sportsmen is 1.7 billion dollars. The ripple effect of NC Sportmen revenue is $2.8 billion! NC Sportsmen spent 170 million dollars in state & local taxes. Yes, we are one of the heaviest taxed groups. And we are one of the biggest spenders in NC.
NC Sportsmen spend 313 million a year alone on boats and outboards, and a total of 1.7 billion dollars. Which by the way, ranks NC Sportmen #14 for U.S. state spending. To give that some perspective, thats more revenue that one of NC's top revenue companies, Sealy. NC Sportsman support more jobs than UNC, Duke and NC State University combined. We also contribute $818 million dollars in salaries and wages.
If all NC Sportsmen voted in the upcoming Presidential election, they would equal 40% of all NC votes. Thats poweful, 1 in 7 NC residents hunt or fish or both. Enough to fill Lowes Motor Speedway 6 times over. If you would like to see the complete NC huntiing & fishing fact sheet, click here: NC Sportsmen
"The experience was awesome, even better than last year, I couldn't ask for a better trip, " the BassPack's Alex Freeman said after he and Randall Hess finished ninth. Fellow BassPack anglers Bryce McClenney and Josh Quisenberry finished 43rd.
"We felt real good about our chances of a repeat National Championship title after day one," said Randall Hess. "Conditions changed the second day, we had really bad winds and couldn't hold on our best spot. We still thought with the conditions being so tough for everyone that we had a chance to make the final day fish off with our catch."
Hess stated that a battery charging issue the night before didn't help fishing under the severe windy conditions. "I think too many boats were using the same outlet at the hotel, and our batteries didn't charge. Overall, we are pleased with how we did, a top ten is pretty good but its frustrating to be in a position to repeat and not." added Hess. They reported catching their fish on DT22 crankbaits and Texas rigged lizards with Eagle Claw hooks in 16 to 18 foot of water. "We thought our experience on the lake from last year would help, but the bigger field made the lake fish extremely small." More to come...
Bassin' aboard Billboards: What's fast and floats and is read all over? A bass boat. The ubiquitous hot rod tool of the professional angler has taken on a new role for anglers and sponsors: floating billboard. Jeffrey Thomas of Broadway is sponsored by the usual suspects -- fishing tackle manufacturers -- but his Ranger bass boat sports the Pedigree dog food logo prominently on each side of the hull. In the parlance of modern angling, his boat is "wrapped," not unlike the Capital Area Transit buses in Raleigh, which carry advertising that no longer is painted on but instead is applied like giant sheets of vinyl wrap -- thus "wrapping" the buses in laminate and in advertising. Read special feature article by Mike Z from the News & Observer: Bassin' aboard billboards.
Harris Lake 2007 NCWRC Shock Report: NCWRC has released results of recent electrofishing survey for Harris. The bass surveys are conducted in odd number years and 2007 shows excellent growth rates but less numbers. In the 2007 sampling, Harris produced 73 fish per hour, compared to 131 bass per hour in 2005. In 2003, they saw 111 fish per hour. The average Piedmont lake produces 30-60 bass per hour so Harris is still a top producing lake though numbers are down.
The 2007 sampling produced 30 bass in the 20-24 inch range. Compared to 2005, the sampling produced 54 bass in the 20 to 24 inch size and one in the 24-28 inch size range. In 2003, 53 bass were 20-24 inch range and one in the 24-28 inch range. If you go further back, 2001 sampling showed 38 bass in the 20-24 inch range, a rate higher than 2007. No bass over 24 inches was listed in the 2007 survey.
Overall, the report gives Harris an excellent quality index rating even though the overall numbers have declined. The rating is based on the length of the fish to its weight, Harris received an index rating of 102. A rating over 100 is considered excellent. The 2007 sampling also showed that 50 percent of the bass was greater than 16 inches and 12 percent was greater than 20 inches. Harris has a slot regulation no fish between 16 and 20 inches maybe retained. With 50 percent of the bass sample falling into the slot, perhaps slot 's working even though 20-24 inch range bass numbers are down.
Big Bass Bonanza: You want to catch a bass of a lifetime? You need to go to Florida or even maybe some exotic lake in Mexico? Not hardly as recent local tournament success shows, you only have to travel to one of the triangles area lakes. Be it Falls, which now near normal pool or Jordan or Harris Lake; the big bass are biting.
Recently Carolina Outdoors reported several catches over 10 pounds at Harris. It continues with a Fishers of Men tournament at Shearon Harris Lake. The team of Randy Carr and Joey Davis took big-fish honors with an 11.68-pound heavyweight while Randy Fisher had a 10.56-pound bass for the second-biggest fish of the day. And David Brookbank weighed in a 10.03-pound largemouth. And to top that, during the Bojangles Pro-Am, a bass over 12 pounds topped the scales.
Its not just Harris producing mammoth bass, Jordan is producing some eye popping catches, including a 11 pound plus bass catch that can be seen on Carolina Outdoors Video TV. During recent National Bass Circuit Capital Division tournament at Jordan Lake, Vinston Nettles of Pittsboro and Jimmie Spencer took the big-fish award with a 9.33-pound bass. Danny Haire and Harold Hutchins of Yadkinville weighed in a 9.17-pound bass, the second-biggest fish of the day, while several over 8 pounds made trips to the scales including Dave Farman and Jeff Killian an 8.47-pound bass. And Falls is producing as well. It shows two things, we are blessed with some of the best trophy lakes in the U.S., it also shows that "catch & release" does work. Please, if you do catch a fish of a lifetime, measure it, photo and release opting for a replica mount, which in today's technology, is cheaper than a skin mount. NC, particularly the Triangle lakes, rivals most nationally recognized big bass lakes. Lets keep it that way for generations to come, catch-photo-release.
BassPack Slam Dunks UNC Bass Team: The NCSU Wolfpack Bass Fishing Team was successful in its first trip to University Lake in Chapel Hill this past weekend. Five two-man teams each from UNC and N.C. State competed in what was Carolina's first-ever bass fishing tournament.
The BassPack came in at 43 pounds, nine ounces, while the Tar Heels caught 16 pounds, three ounces. State's top team of Alex Freeman and Josh Hooks beat the Tar Heels single-handedly, catching more than 17 pounds of bass on the day. Freeman said it always feels good beating Carolina. "I could never get tired [of] beating Carolina," Freeman said. "We may not be able to beat them in basketball, but we're definitely not going to lose to them in bass fishing." Way to go !!
Cletus Take The Reel: Have you ever heard the hit song by Carrie Underwood, "Jesus Take the Wheel"? Well how bout "Cletus Take the Reel"? Its a great spoof of the hit song that involves a couple buddies doing what we all like to do.............bass fishing.
Carolina Outdoors Video Page: Miss an episode or just wanna see some interesting video. The new Carolina Outdoors Video TV page delivers. Tune in here for some past videos and some new ones. Mostly action packed fishing ventures but occassionaly you will see some inspirational and out takes from previous episodes. Sure to be a ratings favorite. Grab your remote.
Warriors On The Water 2008: The Fourth Annual Military Appreciation Bass Tournament is in the books. Held Friday April 18 on North Carolina's Jordan Lake, the event paired military personal with professional and local fisherman for some friendly competition.
I participated in the event again, and must say, as always, "impressed with the tournament chairpeople and the servicemen and woman." The young soldier I took out fishing was orginally from Texas, stationed in Jacksonville with the Marines. A very cordial young man with a purpose in life and service for our country. He is scheduled to begin a tour of duty in the Middle East.
The event started with the Ice Breaker, where some well known whose who of the fishing industry greeted the military personal at Ft. Bragg. People like Forrest Wood, Hank Parker, David Fritts, Marty Stone and Charlie Evans, along with myself attended the gathering. Look for a special video/picture showcase of the entire event soon from Carolina Outdoors. For now, you can read an account of the event from a local newspaper: Warriors on the Water 2008
NC Man WIns 100 Grand in Fantasy Fishing: FLW Fantasy Fishing announced its second $100,000 winner – Reginald Pickett, a Greensboro, N.C., resident, who took first place in the second tournament of the FLW Fantasy Fishing tournament series.Pickett came in first based on the real, on-the-water performance of the pro anglers he picked for his fantasy team. “It’s still hard to believe that I won. My wife, Sandra, is still in shock,” said Pickett, 55, a longtime Greensboro resident who has worked with the U.S. Postal Service for 18 years as an electronics technician. “It’s easy to enter, and it’s fun to play. It makes following the FLW pro bass anglers even that more exciting.” Pickett will be award the $100,000 check by Smith Lake pro winner Michael Bennett.
A Day (afternoon) At Harris: Climb in the boat as CLU founder Kelly Barefoot and I spent a wet and cold afternoon recently on Harris Lake. There was an early spring warming trend with the action. The fishing was H.O.T.!
We start out with spinnerbaits for some pre-spawn toads then move to some heart pounding action with floating worms. Nothing is more exciting that a pink floating worm!
Click on the video for a short montage of the afternoon. We caught several more fish but who wants to stand behind a camera when you could be getting your line stretched. It was Kelly's wedding Anniversary (thanks Heidi) so we made it memorable again.
We all need "Days Like These" ! Turn up the volume! More to come at Carolina Outdoors TV......
