Published: March 12, 2007 08:43 pm      

OUTDOORS COLUMN: New bait regulations worry fishermen

The big question surfacing right now around sporting circles is: What’s going on with the baitfish regulations?

According to Bill Culligan, Great Lake unit supervisor for the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), some changes are being made to the emergency regulations that were put into place last fall. Those changes should be on the DEC Web site at www.dec.state.ny.us soon, if they aren’t up already.

Pat Van Camp at Big Catch on Niagara Street in Buffalo was quick to point out that she’s been fielding questions on baitfish for hours at a time, pointing out that there’s quite a bit of confusion among the general public.

“We’re a VHS-free facility,” Van Camp said, referring to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia that put all the Great Lakes states and Canada on alert — changing everyone’s way of doing business.

“Fishermen can buy any kind of bait from us and not have to worry about transporting it in their vehicles. We give them a dated receipt and they’re good to go, but only for seven days. That’s as long as you can keep the bait.

“And, you can now buy as much as you want if it’s disease-free certified bait,” Van Camp said.

Of course, that comes with a price. Expect to pay double for emerald shiners, the little critter that bears the brunt of the concern due to the fact there were some fish found in the Niagara River with the virus.

Where the DEC is attempting to crack down is with individual transport from and to a body of water. If you go down to the upper Niagara River, dip bait and fish right there, no problem.

If you want to take your boat, put the bait in your boat and go fish in Lake Erie without taking your boat out of the water, no problem. But if you dip bait from anywhere in the Great Lakes and head onto the highway, you’re going to be in violation.

Also included in this is salted minnows. Big Catch has a process that will allow for them to be certified, too.

One of the new revisions on use of the bait allows for the Upper Niagara River, Lake Erie and all the tributaries up to the first impassible barrier as one body of water. If you have certified bait, you can take it anywhere you want. But if you dip it from the upper Niagara and want to trailer your boat to Lake Erie, you’ll be in violation. There will be absolutely no transportation of non-certified bait.

To answer all your questions, go onto the DEC Web site and read over the final outcome. You can rest assured it’s not over and the difficult task of enforcement is not the hurdle the DEC must overcome. It’s also creating some problems in the fishing tournament circuit, with some of the major fishing competitions looking for exemptions or making changes to 2007 events.

For example, one of the major walleye circuits has altered its boundaries for fishing the Detroit River, requiring all fishing to take place in Michigan. Jon Storm of Fredonia, editor of BassFan.com, is following the path that some of the major bass tournaments circuits are following, too. Check out his Web site for some interesting reading.



Sobiegray wins Parker shoot

It’s not unusual to have a Sobiegray win a shoot at the 3-F Club in Lewiston.

Dave Sobiegray of Wheatfield has been one of the standout skeet shooters at the Fin-Feather-Fur facility for a number of years. However, this time it’s his 16-year-old-son Scott, who won the Don Parker Memorial 50 bird shoot over 55 other shooters.

What added to the excitement was that Scott was tied with another shooter with 49 birds each. That person was his father. In the ensuing shootoff, Scott beat out his dad and earned his first title.

High handicap was Kevin Parker of Lewiston. In the Youth Division, it was Nick Calandrelli of Lewiston with the best overall score.

High handicap was Stephen Perri of Lewiston, but not before there was a shootoff with Jeremy Meigs, another local boy doing good on the skeet field. Using the Lewis Scoring system, nearly half of the shooters were involved with shootoffs and earned a prize. A good time was had by all.



Wild Kritters to hold fundraiser

Wild Kritters of Niagara County will hold its first-ever fundraiser to benefit injured and orphaned wildlife at the 3-F Club in Lewiston on March 25. The 3-F Club is located at 904 Swann Road, across from the Fatima Shrine.

Wild Kritters, based out of Sanborn, will have some animals for viewing along with refreshments, a Chinese auction and door prizes. It’s a fun event to help a most worthy cause.

The fundraiser starts at 1 p.m.

To date, they’ve cared for more than 400 mammals and birds, all through donations or out-of-pocket expenses. It’s mostly been the latter. If you have any questions or would like more information, contact Kathy at 731-9334 or e-mail her at kritters@frontiernet.net.



Niagara County Federation awards banquet set

The Niagara County Federation of Conservation Clubs will hold its annual awards banquet at 5:30 p.m. April 14 at the LaSalle Sportsmen’s Club, 2445 Tuscarora Road, Niagara Falls.

This is the time of year that sportsmen and women honor the conservation leaders from 2006 and recognize them for their efforts. For more information, contact any Federation delegate or give the LaSalle Club a call at 297-0410 after 4 p.m.

You can also call 772-5150 to RSVP. Tickets are $25 per person or $40 per couple. The guest speaker will be Sullivan County Environmental Conservation Officer Lt. Deming Lindsley.



NRAA Outdoorsman raffle, game dinner set for April 14

It’s going to be a busy day for area sportsmen.

The Niagara River Anglers Association will hold its outdoorsman raffle and wild game feast at the 3-F Club in Lewiston from 1-5 p.m. April 14.

The cost is $20 in advance or $25 at the door. After its successful inaugural event in 2006, the fishing club hopes this event will be even bigger and better. For more information, contact Mike Henderson at 282-8099 or check out the club’s Web site at www.niagarariveranglers.com.