Category Archives: bass fishing

bass fishing

Hoosic plans to be revealed

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Tomorrow from 1:30 to 2:30 PM a special announcement will be made about the revival of the Hoosic River. The event will take place at Noel Field on State Street in North Adams.   Guests will include State Senator Benjamin Downing, State Representative Gailanne Cariddi, Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin and Mayor Richard Alcombright.

In an October 28 news release, it was announced that the Board of Directors of the Hoosic River Revival (HRR) has chosen the location for the first phase of its restoration of the Hoosic River.  A mile-long focus of their revitalization work will be the South Branch, from Foundry Road to the bridge connecting the former Sons of Italy to Heritage Park, one of seven potential restoration locations recommended by their consultants.

The release went on and reported that “Although the project is still in the ‘conceptual drawing’ phase, it is likely that the primary restoration work will be on the northern half mile.  Once completed, this revitalized section will:  maintain existing flood protection; feature a much wider river with recreational opportunities; ensure a continuation of the Ashuwillticook Bike Path; provide access to downtown (North Adams);  the Greylock Market (renovated Heritage Park), and the future Scenic Rail; and include a large plaza with amphitheatre steps to the river and space for the North Adams History and Science Museum and the Hoosac Tunnel Museum.  Mayor Alcombright expressed his enthusiasm for the pilot project choice of the River Revival, “City residents and visitors will love the close proximity of all these exciting projects, and enjoy looking at our beautiful Hoosic River“.

Since its start in 2008, the HRR has participated in more than 40 public meetings, sharing information about the condition of the 60 year-old chutes, the benefits of restoring a river, various systems for maintaining flood protection, and options for the North Adams section of the Hoosic.  At these meetings, residents have consistently highlighted five qualities for the Board of Directors to include in any project: flood protection; a healthy, accessible river; economic development opportunities; neighborhood, historical, and cultural linkages; and overall improved quality of life in the city. The Board felt it had additional factors to consider:  cost, feasibility, Corps of Engineers requirements, available property, environmental damage, relevant City projects, the new 2030 Vision Plan, and the plans of the North Adams Partnership.

Board President Judy Grinnell praised the extensive cross-section of area residents who participated in this long-term process of deciding how and where to begin the restoration: “Our Board of Directors and Advisory Council members, the Mayor and his staff, and of course the people of North Adams deserve so much credit for giving this 2.5 mile, complex, challenging project such serious consideration for the past 6 years. There were many issues to consider in choosing just one section of the river to restore.  However, we believe the Board’s choice of the South Branch incorporates all of the primary goals highlighted by the community”.

“Funding the pilot project is the next big challenge for the River Revival.  Thanks to the persuasive efforts of our State representatives, Senator Ben Downing and Representative Gailanne Cariddi, there is $8,775,000 allocated in the 2015-19 Massachusetts Environmental Bond Bill for this first phase of the project.  However, funding is not assured.  To receive that State support, the project needs to be considered a priority by (Governor Baker); not all items in the Bond Bill will get that designation.”

(If I may interject, let’s hope that Governor Baker will remember the strong endorsement received from former North Adams Mayor Barrett in his pursuit of the governorship.)

According to Ms Grinnell, if these State funds are not offered to the River Revival, the non-profit Hoosic River Revival will continue its fundraising efforts with individuals, businesses, grants, foundations, as well as appropriate State and Federal entities.  She emphasized that the HRR has asked for no financial support from the City of North Adams and it does not plan to request any City funds in the future.

This scribe cannot overemphasize the important role that Judy Grinnell has played in the HRR’s efforts to revive the Hoosic River.  She even drove from North Adams to my home in Lenox to provide valuable information for a HRR article previously written in this column.  On more than one occasion she urged me to attend its workshops and presentations in order to gather information to inform the public through this column.  How fortunate for the North County folks to have such a strong advocate for the revival of the Hoosic River.  The same applies to the dedicated board of the HRR.

At the end of every memo or news release from the HRR is the following quote from Margaret Meade:

““Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.“

I think we are seeing the thoughtful and concerned citizens of the Northern Berkshires bringing this to fruition albeit on a smaller scale. *****

Staying on the subject of revived waters, I received pictures and an e-mail from David Bell of Pittsfield who caught a “pretty decent” largemouth bass from Silver Lake in Pittsfield last month.   It measured 14 inches.  He went on and said that he has caught yellow perch, crappie and sunfish as well as largemouth bass on prior outings, but this is the first legal bass. “For myself I’ve had to really work to catch them, if one can call it that, but given time it can only get better.”   He said.  “Years ago when looking out over Silver Lake from GE Building Thirty Three I never dreamed I’d be kayak fishing on that body of water.”     

Thank you, David, for the great news.   

Spring turkey hunting season opens tomorrow

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Hard to believe the turkey hunting season is beginning its 34th year in Massachusetts. The spring season runs from April 28 to May 24.

At the time of colonial settlement the wild turkey was widespread in Massachusetts, ranging from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. As settlement progressed; however, hardwood forests were cut and the range of the turkey began to shrink. By the early 1800s turkeys were rare in the state, and the last known native bird was killed on Mt. Tom in 1851. Fortunately, conservation and wildlife organizations intervened, and the wild turkey made a dramatic recovery. Between 1972 and 1973, 37 birds were captured in New York and released in southern Berkshire County. The new flock grew slowly at first, but expanded rapidly after about 1976 with the estimated fall 1978 population totaling about 1,000 birds. Supplemented by an overflow from adjacent states, turkeys ranged throughout most parts of Massachusetts west of the Connecticut River. In-state transplants of the birds, conducted from 1979 to 1996, expanded the range of the bird into the central, northeastern and southeastern parts of the state.

Back in 1980 there was an estimated 1,250 turkey hunters and 72 turkeys were harvested.  Last year some 21,115 hunters applied for turkey permits and they bagged close to 3,000 birds. (2,778 in the spring and about 200 in the fall seasons).  The estimated fall population of turkeys now exceeds 15,000 birds.  The wild turkey was designated the official state game bird of Massachusetts in 1991.

Here are some reminders from MassWildlife: A permit is required to hunt them. An official green safety sticker must be attached to the firearm such that it is visible to the hunter when sighting down the barrel. Spring hunting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to 12:00 noon. .The annual bag limit is 2 turkeys per year either by: (a) 2 bearded birds in spring season (1 per day) with NO fall turkey hunting allowed, or (b) 1 bearded bird in spring season and 1 bird of either sex in fall season. No hunter may take 2 birds in the fall season.

Turkey hunters can check their harvested bird online. Immediately after harvest, the hunter must fill out and affix the tag from the turkey permit on the harvested turkey.  The turkey must be officially “checked” either online via the MassFishHunt system or at a traditional check station within 48 hours of harvest and before the bird is processed for food or for taxidermy. One can find a check station near you at mass.gov/dfw/checkstation.

 

If checking your game online, the MassFishHunt system will generate a confirmation number after you submit all information; this confirmation number must be written on the harvest tag that is attached to the turkey. (The confirmation number serves as the official seal)  The tag with confirmation number (or metal seal) must remain on the bird until it is processed for food or for taxidermy.

Turkey hunters should read the regulations (Page 32 of the Fish & Wiildlife Guide) for more information.

It will be interesting to see how the hunters do this spring because many claim that the turkey flock is down this year.   Remember, turkey hunting is one of the most dangerous forms of hunting.   Use your noggin! *****

 

The Stockbridge Police Department will present an NRA Home Firearm Safety Course on Monday, May 5 at 6:00 PM in the Community Room at the Town Hall. This free course is exclusively for women who are residents of the Town of Stockbridge. If there are firearms in your home owned by family members, or if you think you may be interested in learning more about firearm safety and the shooting sports, this course is a great way to get started.

The four hour non-shooting course teaches students the basic knowledge, skills, and explains the attitude necessary for the safe handling and storage of firearms and ammunition in the home.  Students are taught NRA’s three rules for safe gun handling, primary causes of firearms accidents, firearm parts, how to unload certain action types, ammunition components, cleaning, care, safe storage of firearms in the home and more

The application deadline is 8:00 AM on May 1 and applications are available at the Stockbridge Police Dept. *****

The Greylock Bass Club reports the following 2013 Results: Angler of the Year was Bill Gates, 2nd – Chip Mcann, 3rd – -Dave Benham, 4th – Jim Underhill and 5th – Joe Chague. The lunker largemouth for the year weighed in at 4 lbs 9.5 oz, caught and released by Bill Gates.

In 2014 they will be fishing 6 tournaments in Mass and New York. They also will host a 2 person Open Bass Tournament on June 1 at Pontoosuc Lake. Check local sporting good stores for more information   *****

The following local waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week: Hoosic River in Cheshire and Adams, Clesson Brook in Ashfield and Buckland, South River in Ashfield, Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Huntington, Middlefield, Russell, Savoy and Windsor; Potash Brook in Blandford and Russell, Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Dry Brook and South Brook in Cheshire, West Branch Brook in Chesterfield and Worthington, Sackett Brook in Dalton and Pittsfield, Swift River in Ashfield and Goshen, Stones Brook in Goshen, Kinderhook Creek in Hancock, Little River and Norwich Pond in Huntington, Hop Brook in Lee and Tyringham, Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield and Lanesborough, Yokun Brook in Lenox, York Lake in New Marlborough, Windsor Lake in North Adams, Big Pond and Otis Reservoir in Otis, Berry Pond, Housatonic River (SW) and Onota Lake in Pittsfield; Mill Pond in Plainfield, Richmond Pond in Richmond, Buck and Clam Rivers in Sandisfield, Westfield Brook in Windsor, and Bronson Brook in Worthington.

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@roadrunner.com.  Phone/fax:  (413) 637-1818..

 

 

The saga of the old Baby Zara bass plug

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When we were youngsters, my buddy Jerry Zink, then of Lenox, and I were avid bass fishermen. In those days, we would clip out advertisements from sporting magazines and send for free fishing catalogs from Heddon Co., Creek Chub, Fred Arbogast, etc. Jerry would send for some and I would do likewise and after checking them out, we would swap catalogs. While our friends were trying to get a hold of “girly” magazines, we were drooling over color pictures of beautiful bass plugs. Weird kids, eh?

By the time we were 13 we had summer jobs and had amassed enough money to send for some of those bass plugs. I remember well my 1956 order from Heddon: two River Runts, two Meadow Mouse plugs, and two Punkinseed underwater plugs. I had a dollar of so left over so I ordered a frog colored plug called the Baby Zara. When my order arrived, I was pleased with the plugs except for the Baby Zara. It was a torpedo shaped floating plug that didn’t wobble, gurgle, rattle, dive or do anything. It just sat there in the water. I put it in my tackle box and forgot about it for the next 5 years.

One summer night in 1961, some of us guys decided to go to the shores of Stockbridge Bowl at night and hang out for a while. Because my parents were suspicious of our activities, I brought along my fishing rod to make it look like I was going night fishing. Not being serious about fishing, I chose the one plug that I didn’t mind losing, the Baby Zara.

After horsing around with the guys for a while, I decided to cast the plug into the darkness. Not seeing where it landed I started giving it sharp jerks hoping to hear or see it. All of a sudden there was a strong silent jerk back. After a fierce battle, I landed a 5 lb bass. After a period of jubilation, I cast the plug out again, made the same sharp jerks and the same thing happened – another 5 pounder! What unbelievable luck, especially with this ho-hum plug.

I’ll never forget the look on my father’s face when I walked into the house that night with those two giant bass. He immediately began sharpening his fish cleaning knife. (We didn’t practice catch and release in those days, the only fish we released were into the frying pan.)

The following day I went fishing during daylight with this plug to see what in the world attracted those fish. Nothing happened. Then I remembered that I was sharply jerking the plug the night before and when I did the same, the answer became obvious. When the plug was jerked hard, the plug nosed down into the water and then it would pop 2 or 3 inches into the air, just like a small fish or frog would do chasing an insect. It immediately became my go-to plug until I lost it sometime later in a fish. I didn’t order another one as I knew I wouldn’t be home fishing for several years.

Having just gotten out of the Service in June 1967, I started bass fishing again. Although I had other plugs, there was no Baby Zara, and to make matters worse, it was no longer listed in the Heddon catalog. I wrote to the company to see if it was possible to order a couple of them. They responded that they no longer sold that plug; but if I ordered a box of 25, they would send them to me. The cost would be around $35, which was about half of my pay in those days. I asked Jerry Zink if he wanted to split the cost of the box of plugs. I don’t think he was as enamored with them as I, but he went along with it any way. Hey, what are friends for?

The supply of them was getting low when in the 1990’s they showed up on the market again. My wife Jan, stepson Lance and I bought a few of them. I should have bought more for after a year or so they stopped selling them again. Later on they came out with a similar version but the eye placement on the plug was in a different location and it didn’t work the same. It just didn’t jump when jerked.

Fast forward to last summer. I was fishing alone on Ashmere Lake in Hinsdale around 5AM with one of the remaining plugs from the 1967 purchase. (yellow one with a silver fishbone design on its side). All of a sudden the morning silence was shattered when a big bass swirled, grabbed the plug on its second attempt, and jumped two feet out of the water a couple of times. When I finally got it near the boat it made a powerful dive and broke the line. I never saw that fish nor the plug again. I really felt bad, not because the fish got away (would have released it anyways) but because it took the 45 year old plug. Upon returning, I told our neighbors Mike and Claire Shepard about the incident. For the next week, Jan and I searched all over the lake for it but to no avail. Oh well, at least that old plug went down fighting.

Ten days later, Mike called. His daughter Meredith and her friend Nick were kayaking on the lake and found it floating not far from where I had lost it. They returned it and I was absolutely elated. That plug is now retired and hangs on a roof rafter right next to my red and white Bass-O-Reno and other old retired bass plugs.