Will Elliott was inducted into the New York State Outdoorsman Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Southtowns Walleye Association honored him with a Conservationist of the Year Award in 2016.When New York Outdoor News Editor Steve Piatt called me on Sunday, July 1, my first thought was that I was late for a blog. “I have bad news. We…
Mike Waterhouse of Albion, a former Lake Ontario charter captain and the sportfishing promotion person for Orleans County Tourism for many years, has finally come to his senses and retired. It’s been a long time coming for the 70-something workhorse who has long been an ambassador for the Lake Ontario sportfishery. It’s good that he can do this while he…
“I love it when a plan comes together!” It seemed like George Peppard Jr. would say that every week when “The A-Team” aired on NBC during the 1980s. And it was always some roundabout way that led to achieving whatever goal or objective needed to be obtained. May 10-13, the Confederation Internationale de la Pesche Sportive (CIPS) held its 39th annual…
The Led Zeppelin song, “Good Times, Bad Times,” was echoing in my head following a convoluted morning of mishaps and bungles. Sometimes you just have one of those days. Other days you can do no wrong. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you – metaphorically speaking, of course. We were participating in the 23rd annual Greater Niagara…
Pat McManus was a humor writer who focused on fictional characters in pursuit of his own personal outdoor pastimes of hunting and fishing.Patrick F. McManus was one of the funniest people I have ever come to meet. Whether you had the pleasure to gain his acquaintance or not, there are undoubtedly millions of people on this planet who probably share…
So far, so good this season, but learning to adapt to conditions can make or break your fishing trip.
Pat and Bill van Camp of Big Catch on Niagara Street are calling it quits. Back in 1976, Bill and Pat van Camp moved to the Riverside section of Buffalo and decided to open a bait and tackle shop – Big Catch on Niagara Street. They had $500 and bought as much tackle as they could to get the business…
We all have to do our part to share our outdoor heritage in an attempt to pass the torch.
Dave Lefebre is about more than just bass.You just never know where your next piece of fishing information is going to come from. An excellent case in point came recently when I happened to be talking to Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa. An interview had been arranged through the Rapala folks to call and talk to him about ice fishing….
It was a welcomed relief from the frigid temperatures we had been experiencing this year – and the trout fishing was good, too.
But it was a successful hunt, one we’ll remember for a long time.
When I ran into Steve Harrington of Gasport a few weeks ago, he went out of his way to come over and say thank you once again for some of the promotion he received through my writing and broadcast efforts. “Just doing my job,” I told him. “It’s the least I can to. You’re the one who does all the…
Communications with this state’s outdoor press has been a difficult proposition to say the least the last couple of years for the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Press folks, when we needed information, had to contact Albany to arrange for interviews – even if we needed general information on something as mundane as stocking numbers or catch rates in Lake…
Leon Archer was among a host of NYSOWA members who enjoyed a day of fishing on Glen Lake during the recent conference.Fifty years ago, the New York State Outdoor Writers Association (NYSOWA) was formed. The official inaugural meeting was held in Lake George, an effort spearheaded by the late Hans Paller of Massena and William R. Hilts of Sanborn. And…
You can’t do everything during certain times of the year as it relates to hunting and fishing. But in the fall, once hunting seasons start to kick into gear, your outdoor opportunities expand considerably. You must carefully select what works best for you and your schedule. Salmon are in the Niagara River, Lake Ontario salmon and trout fishing is still…
The Niagara Gorge is something special. This is the stretch of the Niagara River that was formed when Niagara Falls slowly started to erode away the land around it. Starting at the escarpment in Lewiston, the powerful water chipped away a few inches every year for thousands of years until it reached its present location. It left behind a gorge…
Drop-shots for walleye? Capt. Joe Fonzi of Gasport made me a believer. Give it a try.
If you’re a bass fisherman on Lake Erie and want to try fishing on Lake Ontario, just bring your knowledge and baits. Ditto for Lake Ontario anglers wanting to tackle Lake Erie. Once you find the fish, you should be able to catch them.
Tapping into the hot walleye bite with three-way rigs.
Fishing was great in the spring and good salmon fishing is still being reported in the month of June all along the south shore of the lake.
Respect your fellow anglers on the water and hopefully that same respectful attitude will be paid back to you.
We need to treat New York’s waters with the respect that they deserve.
It’s all about giving the future generation (and anglers of all ages) the knowledge they need to learn something new and spend more time outdoors.
The next time you take a hike, fish a stream or hunt a forest, take along an extra bag and pick up some trash.
As we grow older, more and more people I know have opted to head south in their “golden years.”
When many anglers think of brook trout in New York, they automatically think about the Adirondacks. This colorful char, also recognized as our state fish…
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