Classic Attendees Can Whac-A-Mussel to Help Fight Invasive Species

It’s no fun when invasive species like zebra mussels, Eurasian water milfoil, or Asian carp show up in a new body of water. But beating them back is a blast with the new game, “Whac-A-Mussel,” which launches Feb. 24-26 at the BASSMASTER Classic Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in Shreveport, La.

The game plays just like the arcade classic Whac-A-Mole, but fiberglass zebra mussel caricatures pop up the holes and people “mash the mussels” to demonstrate their disdain for the mollusk invaders. At the same time, anglers learn lessons about how they can Inspect – Clean – Dry to stop the spread of not just invasive mussels, but all sorts of aquatic nuisance species.

“Invasive species education is critical,” said Teeg Stouffer, Recycled Fish Executive Director. “But it can be kind of dry and boring. Just say the words ‘Invasive Species Education’ to people and watch their eyes glaze over. This is a learning tool that is fun, dynamic, engaging and interactive – it cuts through the clutter. We’re excited to introduce Whac-A-Mussel at the BASSMASTER Classic!”

There’s more on the line than fun and education. Just for playing, people will score prizes like Grabber Hand Warmers or Mardi Gras inspired beads from DICK’S Sporting Goods. The top adult player will win a pair of Patagonia’s new aluminum bar Rock Grip Wading Boots, designed to help stem the spread of invasive species while providing excellent traction in challenging wading conditions. The top youth player will win a Recycled Fish shirt signed by dozens of professional anglers and fishing legends.

Whac-A-Mussel is made possible through the partnership support of DICK’S Sporting Goods, The Mississippi River Basin Panel, and Fishhound with Recycled Fish and Clean Angling.

The fight against invaders doesn’t stop with the game, however.

National Invasive Species Awareness Week kicks off Feb. 26, and the Classic serves as the the “pre-party.” 

To extend the impact beyond the visitors at the BASSMASTER Classic, Fishhound will launch a new column featuring a 10-week educational series specifically focused on invasive species.

 “Look forward to crazy stories about some of the most interesting people and fishing opportunities in North America,” said Jon Storm, Fishhound Content Director. “Each story will land back at how we fight invasive species, but these are surprising stories that will get people fired up.”

Go here to read about Recycled Fish and its work to engage, educate and equip anglers to be stewards of our waters.  

Funding for the project also comes from the Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species.

Grab Your Shotgun and Let's Go Fishing!

Innovative Americans challenge high-flying carp.

Carp shooters could be patrolling the Illinois River next year with their shotguns poised and ready to blast high-flying invasive species.

That’s because this bill has been introduced into the state legislature:

“Amends the Fish and Aquatic Life Code.

“Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall establish an Asian carp pilot program to permit licensed individuals to shoot Asian carp with a shotgun off of a motorboat in the Illinois River beginning with the 2013 licensing year.

“Provides that the individuals must have the appropriate license and use a specific type of ammunition.

“Provides that the Department may adopt administrative rules to establish and administer the pilot program.”

Read more here.

I’m with the Chicagoist on this one. It says, “Shotguns, jumping fish, and boats speeding along on bumpy water. What could go wrong?”

Still, I salute American ingenuity. This is just as likely to control Asian carp as anything the federal government has done so far.

And it sounds like fun! I'd also recommend having gun boats at the ready in Lake Michigan. Carp are on their way.

Practice Begins Today for Bassmaster Classic Contenders on Red River

Aaron Martens fishes on the Red River during Day One of the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

The Bassmaster Classic is coming up Feb. 24-26 on the Red River near Shreveport, La.

What awaits the world’s best bass anglers on this fishery?

Here is what B.A.S.S. reports:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — “I’ll know when I get there.”

That’s what several Bassmaster Classic qualifiers had to say about Red River conditions and how the weather might or might not dictate the bite for the Feb. 24-26 Bassmaster Classic out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

None of the 49 Classic qualifiers have been on the river lately, because it’s been off limits for more than two months. That will change Friday, the first of four days of practice. But until they start looking and/or casting, what Classic anglers can surmise about the Red stems from past knowledge and long-distance reconnaissance.

It’s a safe bet that the majority have been tracking weather trends and river levels for weeks. Most anglers’ ideal conditions would be moderate air and water temperatures, Goldilocks water levels (not too high and not too low) and a moderate rate of water flow. And that’s been the Red over the past few days.

But the river is famous for turning wild. That’s what makes competition there so tough, especially at the Classic, in which the prestige, visibility and $500,000 first-place prize create extra pressure on anglers.

A hard rain, for example, can quickly muddy the main channel. A swift and high main river swollen from upriver deluges can push stained water into the normally more clear and productive backwaters. Under such conditions, the big and mighty Red River suddenly seems to shrink, said Classic qualifier Todd Faircloth, who can drive two hours from his Texas home and be on the river.

“What high, muddy water does is concentrate everybody, because there’s a smaller percentage of fishable water,” said Faircloth, who competed in the first Classic on the Red River three years ago, finishing 35th.

Conversely, in a dry spell, some backwater areas can drop and be inaccessible by boat if they don’t disappear altogether.

Like most Classic qualifiers, Alabamian Aaron Martens would not like to find extremely low water when he arrives back in Louisiana.

When he scouted in December, low water was what he saw. “It was impossible or very difficult to get to any of the stuff we fished before (in 2009),” he reported. “At normal pool, fishing should be decent. I’m not sure what it is now; I’ll look at it when I get there.”

He’s hoping the South’s moderate winter temperatures will continue. Not so much for his comfort — although he’d take it, he said — but because he’s found that Red River bass tend to bite better in warmer weather.

He has not been tracking upriver or local rainfall closely.

“When I get there, I’ll check the river flow. Mostly, though, just seeing the river is going tell me the most,” said Martens, who was ninth in the 2009 Classic.

Brent Chapman from Lake Quivira, Kan., is hot off a Feb. 12 fish-off win in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open in Texas. Like other Classic qualifiers, he is expecting a backwater bite in tight quarters.

“It’s a great fishery, but it tends to fish small,” said Chapman, who finished 27th in the 2009 Classic. “You have to expect to fish around several other boats.”

Edwin Evers has not been back to the Red since Classic 2009, in which he finished fifth. At home in Talala, Okla., he tracked Red River water levels. Lower water would definitely create a crowded backwater contest, he said.

“Low water will put a whole lot more boats in those areas, and it will fish a lot smaller than it did when we were there before,” he said.

Like other anglers, Evers will evaluate the Red when he sees it again. But under any given river condition, he expects the weights to be tight.

“It’s just that type of fishery,” he said. “There’s really no hidden, secret area that somebody can use to blow this thing out. Every ounce is going to count.”

Evers noted that given extremely low water, some competitor might decide to run a shallow-draft aluminum boat or a jet boat into a skinny backwater,” but that angler will not be him. He planned to leave his aluminum rig at home. He said no condition would be likely to tempt him to give up the advantages of his fully equipped fiberglass rig.

Faircloth is of the same mind; he said going to aluminum is not an option for him.

So what does Mother Nature have planned in northwestern Louisiana come Classic time? On Feb. 16, the National Weather Service seven-day forecast pegged daily highs in the 60s and nighttime lows in the 40s, with mainly cloudy skies and rain showers through Feb. 22. The 10-day Weather Channel forecast shows that the first competition day, Feb. 24, will be under sunny, clear skies with a high of 70 and low of 48 degrees.

As to water level, according to the National Weather Service’s hydrologic statement of Feb. 15, the Red’s readings have been falling. The flood stage at Shreveport is 30 feet; the river on Feb. 15 was 18.4. For the start of practice Feb. 17, the water level prediction was at 17 feet. Normal at Shreveport is 17.72 feet. By Monday, Feb. 20, the date of the farthest-out prediction, the level was expected to be steady at 17 feet.

Fog reduced visibility in the Shreveport area to a quarter mile as recently as today in the early morning hours. Fog isn’t just a driving nuisance, it can change an entire Classic game. Fog over water can delay a morning start, as it did last year at the New Orleans Classic. This year, for any angler counting on having enough time to lock down into the Red River’s lower pools, a shortened competition day won’t work.

Given all the possibilities, will the weather be a ruling factor in Classic No. 42? Until a crystal ball appears, as Faircloth put it: “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens when we get there.”

Your Help Needed to Ensure Gulf, Delta Restoration

In two letters to Congress, more than 650 fishing, hunting, and outdoor sporting businesses and organizations have stepped up to help restore the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast.

Have you?

If not, please do it now. Click here to tell your senators and representatives to support the RESTORE Gulf Coast Act, to ensure that fines paid by BP and other companies go where it is supposed to go --- to restoration.

Without passage of the act, greedy politicians could divert the money to the general fund, where it will disappear into a black hole of waste and political favors.

“The delta has suffered years of damage and is being lost at an alarming rate—a football field of land disappears every hour,” said Land Tawney of Vanishing Paradise (VP).

“The oil spill added insult to injury for this area and the entire Gulf region. Now is the time for Congress to pass the RESTORE Act, to ensure that oil spill fines reach the Gulf, where the latest round of damage was done.”

VP reports that a bipartisan poll this spring showed that 83 percent of voters nationwide support—and 69 percent strongly support—dedicating the Gulf oil spill penalties to restoring the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast. The poll also showed that an overwhelming majority of conservative voters favor this proposal, including 76 percent of Republicans, and 78 percent of voters who agree with the Tea Party movement.

“Restoring the Gulf and the Mississippi River Delta is an important issue for all sportsmen,” said Mike Iaconelli, 2003 Bassmasters Classic champion.

“Those of us who hunt or fish need to step up and show we care about this issue. The disappearing Mississippi River Delta is not a problem we can’t fix, and Congress has a chance to do what’s right for the Gulf Coast. Now is the time for them to take action.”