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By Louie Stout
Mark Zona with large walleye
Will we see a new Zona fishing show next year… like maybe, “Zona’s Awesome Walleye Show?”
Not likely, but our celebrity Michiana resident hooked him a good one Thursday while fishing with his dad, Big Al, on Klinger Lake.
Zona, who grew up on Klinger and lives near White Pigeon, Mich., is the host of “Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show” and co-host of “Bassmaster Live.”
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By Louie Stout
Hey guys, we need to take better care of tournament fish we catch and that means doing more than tossing them off the end of a boat dock after a weigh-in.
I was contacted by a DNR official recently who told me he visited a northern Indiana public access the day after a tournament was held there. He counted 11 dead adult bass within 50 feet of the ramp. He said that was the second time in two years that he’s seen dead bass near the ramp after a tournament was held there.
The fish were released in a shallow channel where water quality was suspect.
“The fish now are stressed from the rapid water warmup and the spawning season,” the official said. “Please inform your readers to take extra precautions at all times, especially right now, when releasing fish.”
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By Louie Stout
The Indiana DNR isn’t buying up much land to create new public access sites, but they are trying to improve the ones they have.
In fact, northern Indiana waters of Webster, Otter, Bear and Pretty lakes will be getting facelifts this summer.
Weston Zurbrugg, the DNR’s north maintenance supervisor, said he hopes to get on these sites sometimes in July or August, depending upon availability of the excavator that the DNR uses. The access site will be closed for 2 to 3 weeks during construction.
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By Louie Stout
There’s no question that bass tournament anglers love to compete. They may smile and joke with you at take-off, but the bottom line is they want to beat your butt by the end of the day.
Construction is underwayYet, off the water, Michiana anglers remain a strong brotherhood. That point was driven home recently when a veteran angler suffered a serious health issue and fellow competitors stepped up to help out.
Anglers working on the rampDennis Losee, a longtime competitor in bass tournaments in northern Indiana and southern Michigan, suffered a stroke during a heart procedure in early February.