LadyAngler
www.Ladyanglermagazine.com | Lady Angler Magazine | Nov/Dec 2013 | 1
MAGA ZINE
FISHING
FOOD FUN
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Nov/Dec 2013 Vol 1 Issue 7
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Female Anglers from all over the World
2 | Nov/Dec 2013| Lady Angler Magazine | www.Ladyanglermagazine.com
Welcome to Lady Angler Magazine Your online destination for female-focused fishing, along with fashion, food and fun. It’s time the women of the fishing world were recognized in their own publication.
from the editor
Thank you all for following and supporting Lady Angler Magazine. We have been very fortunate to acquire such great an-
Contributing Editors
glers to write for us.
We would like to welcome Roxsean (Rocky)
Anita Williams
Edwards from Australia as our newest team
Roxsean Edwards
member to Lady Angler Magazine.
Carmen Perez-Pardon Reika Shimizu
Our global reach is now from Japan to Aus-
Laura Pisano
tralia,Italy, Canada and the United States.
Joella Bates
We hope to continue this trend and add
Yvonne Brown
someone from each country around the
Cheryl Perotti
world. I feel that this gives our readers a wide selection to pick from and a diverse point of view from many different cultures.
I hope everyone enjoys our latest issue. Thank you,
LADY ANGLER MAGAZINE 4336 Milsmith Road, Chester, VA 23831
gary@LadyAnglerMagazine.com. No part of Lady Angler may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2013.
Team Lady Angler Magazine
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“Fish Tales” From The Lady Anglers Special Features
IWFA’s Light Tackle Tournament
Color Your World
October 20-23, 2013 By Carmen Perez-Padron..............................10
Outdoors With Anita
Fashion
By Cheryl Perotti.............................................14
Fishing
Spearing Northerns By Anita Williams ..................................................................................................................................6 Turtlin’ 101
By Joella Bates.................................................................................................................16 Angling and Youth Project By Laura Pisano....................................................................................................................................21
Australia - Ladies Only Barramundi fishing tournament October 2013 By Roxsean (Rocky) Edwards...........................................................................................................23
Spybaiting the Silent Capture Technique By Reika Shimizu from Japan...............................................................................................................28
Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters’ Women’s Outdoor Weekend 2013 By Yvonne Brown.................................................................................................................................32
4 | Nov/Dec 2013| Lady Angler Magazine | www.Ladyanglermagazine.com
Previously published bio’s can be seen at http://ladyanglermagazine.com
Welcome our newest Member of the Lady Angler Magazine Team
Roxsean (Rocky) Edwards From Australia Imagine water lily lined waterways, beautiful exotic birds, sunrises through haunting fog over the floodplains, and spectacular escarpment country. You are on the edge of one of the world’s heritage listed National parks. This is my playground, my backyard in Australia’s Northern Territory. I live in Darwin a small city in the northern most part of Australia, home to Australia’s largest terrestrial park, the world heritage listed Kakadu National Park. Renowned for its richness in Aboriginal art and cultural sites, Kakadu is spread across 7,500 square miles in the north of Australia. It is also home to some of Australia’s iconic rivers, floodplains and
billabongs. Billabongs are small lakes or ‘dead rivers’ that fill up with water during the monsoonal seasons experienced in this semi tropical region. The floodplains come alive during this wet season and are abundant with a myriad of bird and wildlife and in particular Australia’s salt and freshwater crocodiles. It is in these and similar waterways spread across the top end of Australia, that anglers consider the Barramundi as Australia’s premier freshwater/estuarine fish. They are a popular and exciting capture renowned for putting up a good fight and presenting spectacular leaps out of the water. They are a protoandrous hermaphrodite and start life as a male at about 5 years of age and measure around 28 inches long when they change gender and become females. A fish measuring around 39-40 inches are elusive for most anglers and are deemed meritorious captures. My favorite target specie is of course the Australian Barramundi, which is a specie that is on every Australian and some international anglers bucket list. Barramundi sports and recreational fisherfolk practice ‘catch and release’ and keep the occasionally one for the dinner table as they are one of Australia’s finest fish to eat. We experience hot and humid conditions all year round in this
part of Australia. Our waterways are crocodile infested, hazardous and hauntingly beautiful. I started fishing in 2003 when a team of girls from my office were looking for a new team mate for an women’s fishing competition. The competition being held on a place called Corroboree Billabong heading towards Kakadu National Park. I don’t have one of those stories where my dad took me fishing from a young age. I had never fished before, but was an outdoors girl who loved new experiences and jumped at the chance to join in on any new adventure. The male skipper gave me a one hour lesson in using a bait caster and in my first ever 1 ½ day tournament I caught 8 fish. I was completely hooked. When I arrived back home, my priority was to get my own gear and I did just that. I discovered that men are a cranky lot on a boat and particularly when they can’t fish with you. After fishing a few tournaments using a male skipper, my team decided that we wanted to manage everything on our own and we entered the “Reel Women’s Barramundi Classic” tournament as an independent women’s team. It paid off as we won Champion team and Champion Independent (no male assistance) team and narrowly missed out on taking out the biggest fish
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and the Champion angler of the event. Fishing was fast becoming a passion for me and it was time to take the next step, I bought my first boat, a 15ft aluminium with a side console. Due to our success at this tournament, my team was invited to enter a team in Australia’s premier Barramundi fishing tournament, the NT Barramundi Classic held on the iconic Daly River west of Kakadu National Park. This was a very exciting step for our team as this event is an invitation only event and we were privileged to be considered to participate in this major tournament. Our team was fishing amongst some of Australia’s best Barramundi fishermen and the competition was way above our level of fishing. It was a fabulous experience and was the spring board to elevating our level of fishing and boating. I also entered a team in another major Barramundi tournament, The Northern Territory Barra Nationals which is also held on the iconic Daly River and fished the Nationals again this year. For the past 2 years I have camped for 4- 6 weeks fishing the Daly River in and around these two major Australian Barramundi tournaments, it has become my annual holiday. Earlier this year I bought my new dream boat specifically set up for tournament barramundi fishing. I opted for a tiller steer to allow more space on the floor to handle fish and had installed a Lowrance HDS7 with a structure scan and a 55lb Minn Kota electric motor. This year was a proving to be a tough year for Barramundi fishing in the Northern Territory due to a poor wet season period and
the lack of runoff from the landlocked billabongs that would normally overflow back into the rivers during the wet season. It was extremely hard fishing, but my dream run commenced and I landed a barramundi just over 42 inches in length (107cm) during the 2013 Barra Nationals, this fish was the second biggest captured overall and helped me secure the inaugural Champion female angler for the event. A week later I was preparing for another tournament the 2013 Barramundi Classic and did a pre fish with my ladies team and I caught a 44 inch (111cm) barramundi trolling down the middle of the river using a shallow hard bodied lure. This was my personal best for Barramundi and I was ecstatic. My run didn’t stop there, during the Barramundi Classic tournament I caught a third fish in the 40inch range that measured just over 41 inches (105cm) using the same lure and techniques. This fish helped me also become the champion female angler for the Barramundi Classic. I have ranked in the top 10 individual anglers in both events. I fish other events including women’s only competitions such as “Secret Women’s Business” held at Corroboree Billabong and a relatively new event the Broads Barra Bash held at 4 Mile hole in Kakadu National Park. My team won Champion team and Champion angler in the 2012 Broads Barra Bash and I have just competed in the 2013 Secret Women’s Business Barra Challenge tournament. Where possible I look for opportunities in the southern states to target fish such as bass and bream and have dabbled a lit-
tle with fishing for Wahoo and Marlin. I am a committee member of my local Game Fishing Club and use every opportunity to promote women in fishing. I have worked in the media all my working life and currently contribute to magazines, blog and websites and am occasionally interviewed for radio and television stories about fishing. Fishing is now a very important aspect to my life and I consider that man’s best kept secret is a secret no more.
6 | Nov/Dec 2013| Lady Angler Magazine | www.Ladyanglermagazine.com
Spearing Northerns By Anita Williams
A
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blanket of snow lies upon rocks piled on the shoreline of Pokegama Lake. Like marshmallow cream five inches thick as far as I can see. I ride the snowmobile across the frozen bay with Joan. Bits of ice swirl in the air and sting my face as we round the bend toward the shelter. Her husband, Randy, is already in the darkhouse and will guide me fishing. Ice and cold water make Northern Pike aggressive. This is no ordinary ice fishing. A spear replaces a fishing rod as my weapon. Spearfishing for northern pike is the most exhilarating fishing I have ever done. Today feels like a great day for these aggressive predators. We arrive at The Shack to find Randy holding a large northern pike. “I was barely in the shack and had just skimmed the ice out of the hole.” Randy speaks with confidence as he tells about his catch. “I watch a big fish swim by. I grab the weapon and spear him.” I can hardly wait to get into the shack to spear a pike just like this. Minnesota ranks first nationally in sales of fishing licenses per capita (at over a million sold per year). Spearfishing accounts for fifty thousand of those. Spearfishing is an exhilarating sport. I love everything about it: the warmth inside The Shack, the view into the cold water watching fish swim below me, the conversations as we sit on the bench, the thrill with the thrust as I release the spear, and the taste of a freshly speared Northern. They all combine to make an enjoyable winter afternoon. I enter The Shack and hang my coat on a hook. Orange glow from the heater produces warmth as I sit on the grey wooden bench. The rectangular hole has been cut through the floor of The Shack and the ice beneath it cut out, making a window into another world. The wooden decoy is eight inches long and is painted greenish-yellow except for its metal fins. It hangs into the water three feet beneath the surface and is held in place with a string. The string is tied to the wall of The Shack. Weeds grow on the bottom of the lake and my guide tells me we are above water 15 feet deep. I pick up the string, forcing the decoy to swirl, imitating a swimming fish. A school of perch fingerlings swim by. I hope a Northern will be hungry enough to pursue. Pike are ferocious predators and their appetites intensify during winter months. They prefer cylindrical fish like perch. I watch the cold, clear water intently. Soon a dark
green fish swims into my view. I hold the spear, stand, and begin to lower the spear into the water. Immediately the Northern notices my movement, curls her body, and disappears in a flash. Will she return? I sit and watch the water for movement. Almost immediately a Pike swims toward the decoy. I am doing all I can to remain calm. The dark green elongated body mimics a charging alligator, coming in fast and furious. I must react quickly. I stand, lower my spear in the water, and thrust it
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into the fish. In the split-second flurry, she thrashes her tail and curves her back. Water bubbles envelope and rise with her as I pull her up. She is large. The spear is parallel to her body, instead of the ideal shot, behind the head and cross-wise to her body. I must be careful as I lift her out of the water. I do not want to let her shake off the spear. I must get her out of The Shack and away from the water hole. She has sharp needle-like teeth that point backwards. I am cautious and stay away from her dangerous mouth. Randy throws open the door, grabs the spear, and shakes the pike onto the snow. I did it! Joan and Randy congratulate me. We get back into The Shack to try for another fish. All of a sudden I see a smaller fish and can’t react quickly enough to spear her. The sun is lower in the sky and darkness will come quickly. We head back to the house, clean the fish, and enjoy dinner. The good news is that Minnesota may be known as the walleye state, but the truth is, the northern pike is the most widespread game fish here. That is great news for Joan, Randy, and Me because we enjoy spearfishing.
Anita lives in Grand Rapids, MN and is the mother of two adult children. She has been a hairstylist for thirty years. Her empty nest allows time to pursue interests of photography, bowhunting, fishing, travel and food. Follow her on facebook and watch her video @ http://youtu.be/WhuERKotcDY
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For those ladies who also like to hunt you will enjoy our newest publication
Go to our website http://ladyhuntermagazine.com Like us on Facebook http:// facebook.com/ladyhuntermagazine
10 | Nov/Dec 2013| Lady Angler Magazine | www.Ladyanglermagazine.com
IWFA’s Light Tackle Tournament October 20-23, 2013 By Carmen Perez-Padron
Calling all ladies who love to fish! If you are a competitive woman who loves to fish the IWFA is the organization for you. The International Women’s Fishing Association is rich in history but most importantly filled with women that are truly passionate about the sport and extremely talented anglers. One of the club’s biggest annual events is the Light Tackle Tournament held every October in Islamorada, Florida at the Islamorada Fishing Club. This year the co-chair for the LTT is the President of the IWFA Lisa Olson Everett and long-time member and IWFA historian Molly Fleming. These ladies have been planning the event for several months now and it is sure to be filled with lots of fun, laughs and hopefully lots of fish! The tournament, which is open to IWFA members only, is 3 days of fishing targeting bonefish, tarpon, snook, redfish, permit, jack crevalle, ladyfish
and spotted sea trout. The line test is limited to #6 Ande clear and/or #8 Ande pink and ladies can choose to fish with spin, plug or fly. Each day ladies will fish with a different fishing guide. These are professional fishing guides that know the Florida Keys waters very well. On Wednesday, October 23rd after returning from a full day of fishing there will be an awards dinner where the long awaited results will be revealed as to whom the overall winners for the tournament are and the top fly an-
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gler. Other awards are given out as well opening up the playing field for other ladies to have the opportunity to win something. Last year lots of fish were caught and most importantly fun was had by all participants. We look forward to another great event in Islamorada this October 20th -23rd at our home at the Islamorada Fishing Club. We would like to thank in advance our co-chairs, Molly and Lisa, for all of their hard work and effort into making this event a fun filled week with all the IWFA ladies. Stay tuned!! The next issue will include the week in review and the tournament standings‌‌.. For more information on how to join in the fun that is being a member of the IWFA, go to www.IWFA.org for more information.
L-R: Vallie Blakeley and Molly Fleming
L-R: Kim Clement Harrison, Pam Marmin, Sharon Ellenwood, Vallie Blakely
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IWFA’s Light Tackle Tournament October 20-23, 2013
By: Carmen Perez-Padron
ISLAMORADA, FL- Susan Gros wins IWFA Light Tackle Tournament for the third time. Susan, who resides in The Villages, FL, takes home the coveted title as Grand Champion Angler for the 2013 Light Tackle Tournament. Previously, having won this tournament in 1998, 2008 and 2013, Susan was overjoyed to have once again been the big winner after three days of fishing the backcountry in Everglades National Park. Susan who is originally from Louisiana, Reel Louisiana Adventures, is all too familiar with fishing and winning, namely, world records. Susan is a multi-IGFA world record holder for Dolphin, Yellowfin Tuna and Wahoo. The IWFA is very fortunate to have Susan and many other talented ladies as members of the club. Part of the format of the tournament is a random drawing as to whom each lady will be fishing with each day. So, every day each lady is fishing with a different partner but that is not to say that they are teammates. Team mates equate to 3 ladies that are also drawn randomly as are the fishing guides the ladies fish with each day. It is the luck of the draw as to who the guides get each day. At the end of the 3rd day the totals are tallied for each member of a team and the team with the most points wins. This year it was the team that consisted of Susan Gros, Hazel Basnight and Joan Kelley. Joan Kelley from Key West, FL also took home the Top Fly Angler, 2nd Place Angler and Top Angler Day 3 awards. Aledia Tush, of CB's Saltwater Outfitters in Siesta Key, was also bestowed with several trophies this year, taking home top honors for Top Artificial Angler, 3rd Place Overall, and Top Rod Day 2. All the ladies involved did a wonderful job of catching and of course telling stories of the ones that got away but we wouldn’t have these stories to tell if it weren’t for the talents of all of the Florida Keys fishing guides that took the ladies out each day. All the guides should be commended for their hard work in putting the ladies on fish, rigging and re-rigging and rigging some more after catching all those “mangrove-fish” and packing patience to deal with some very spirited, competitive and fun ladies. Tournament wins run in the family for some of the guides and in this tournament it is no different. Captain Dave Denkert and Captain Richard Black are very well known names in the Florida Keys that are synonymous with winning! Captain Denkert came in as the first place captain at the LTT and right behind him in second place was his son in law, Captain Richard Black. They both are like two peas in a pod very much alike and have an amazing sense for knowing fish and where to find them! Third place captain went to Captain Larry Sydnor another Florida Keys guide that is familiar with the winner’s podium. Congratulations to all involved both captain and anglers. Many thanks go out to the ladies responsible for putting this huge event together they did an incredible job and should be commended for all of their hard work, IWFA Historian Molly Fleming and President Lisa O. Everett.
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FINAL RESULTS All activities and events held out of the Islamorada Fishing Club 15 boats - 30 Lady Anglers Total # fish caught: 941 The talented Florida Keys fishing guides that made it all possible!
Awards
First Place Angler: Susan Gros from The Villages, FL total points 3,265 Second Place Angler: Joan Kelley from Key West, FL total points 2,855 Third Place Angler: Aledia Tush from Sarasota, FL total points 2,760 Top Fly Angler: Joan Kelley from Key West, FL Top Artificial Angler: Aledia Tush Sarasota, FL Top Bait Angler: Susan Coleman from Warrenton, VA Top Angler Day 1: Jing Torn from Fort Lauderdale, FL Top Angler Day 2: Aledia Tush from Sarasota, FL Top Angler Day 3: Joan Kelley from Key West, FL First Place Team: Susan Gros from The Villages, FL; Hazel Basnight from Manteo, NC; Joan Kelley from Key West, FL Second Place Team: Vallie Blakely from Climax, NC; Sharon Ellenwood from Islamorada, FL; Betsy Bullard from Islamorada, FL Third Place Team: Jing Torn from Ft. Lauderdale, FL , Kim Clement Harrison from Islamorada, FL, Linda Harper from Nags Head, NC Newcomer Award: Carmen Perez-Padron from Miami, FL First Fish: Janeen Davis 8:00:30 am from Palm Beach, FL Last Fish: Connie O’Day 2:59pm from Pearland, TX First Place Captain: Capt. Dave Denkert from Tavernier, FL Second Place Captain: Capt. Richard Black from Tavernier, FL Third Place Captain: Capt. Larry Sydnor from Tavernier, FL
Overall Champion Susan Gros with 3rd Place Angler Aledia Tush from Sarasota, FL
Captain Richard Black with his Day One Angler and big winner- Susan Gros
International Women’s Fishing Association
www.iwfa.org
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Environs
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Color Your World
robably the biggest challenge when planning a room or, even more so an entire home, is the color palette. Cool or warm tones, neutrals with a splash, or a monochromatic scheme...these are just a few of the options/decisions that are a part of creating your new decor.
Observing the color wheel, it is apparent that colors impact one another greatly. An analogous scheme embraces colors that are adjacent to one another on the wheel -in other words they live in the same neighborhood. Think Tuscany with shades of orange pottery, red wine, and sunrise gold. A complementary choice would be colors that lie opposite one another on the wheel. They create the strongest vibrations, such as the reds and greens of Christmas or the orange and blue of my favorite team- go Gators! When used in design, complementary themes usually employ secondary and tertiary colors such as apricot and navy or olive and pomegranate, still strong opposites but with more shading and sophistication. Although most homeowners want color, they are often reluctant to commit on their walls, retreating to the safer choices afforded by the neutrals.
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The obvious benefits of neutral backgrounds are: Resale appeal Longevity- you may not tire of the neutrals as quickly as you would a color so your choices may have a longer shelf life Easy updates and change outs - color can be added (or subtracted) in accessories for a “new” look. Using color on your walls can strike more visual interest, add drama, highlight architectural features and promote periods of style as well as create regional flair. Various shades of red are an appetite stimulus and therefore often seen in dining rooms, colors of nature can help bring the outdoors in, thus are popular in garden rooms, and quiet hues of sea foam are often paired with silvers and muted browns or grays for a serene bedroom environment. Finally, used carefully, color can create a wow factor with accent walls where little design interest exists. If art work and clean architectural lines are your passion, than a neutral background will always serve you well. But when using neutrals, remember that your strongest impact is often achieved with darker shades.
ors, can be so difficult for clients, I always encourage them to find photos that reflect the ambience they wish to create and to purchase small samples of their paint to try in various areas of their space, remembering that shadows, natural light, and artificial lighting will vary the appearance of their choice from wall to wall.
Your accent colors will help to set up a rhythm which causes the eye to move around your rooms, so it is important to repeat these throughout your space. Finally, never ever second guess yourself on a painted room while it is empty or devoid of Both neutrals and colors can serve to visually raise your accessories and accent colors unless your or lower ceilings, push back walls or camouflage mind’s eye can fill in the effects to provide the final awkward structural elements. And both are im- picture. Remember, the magic is in the finishing pacted by the color key, meaning they are either touches and the harmony they can create. There warm tones or cool. Generally it is more pleasing are so many right choices- mentally bring out the to stay in the same key when mixing colors. crayons and begin to color your world beautiful! Since selecting color schemes, especially wall col-
Fountainhead designs Interior/Exterior
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16 | Nov/Dec 2013| Lady Angler Magazine | www.Ladyanglermagazine.com
TURTLIN’ 101
CAUTION: TURTLING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH! WRITTEN BY: Joella Bates On June 7, 2010, I was greeted by a caravan of folks at the WalMart parking lot in Stanford, KY who were waiting for the LIVE ACTION. Ernie Brown, Jr. AKA, Turtle Man and his secretary Neal James, AKA, Banjo Man made regular appearances for live turtling events as entertainment for birthday parties, college functions, weddings, and other parties, so for him, it was just another day’s work as “TURTLE MAN.”
Joella grabs a red-eared slider by the shell
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Hadden Owen, a professional internet guru and experienced videographer videoed the day’s events and posted it on www.youtube. Jeanna Taylor and her family were also there to witness the “turtling” volunteered to operate my digital camera and snap lots and lots of pictures. Banjo Man and Ernie brought tote sacks and the turtle barrel along with Oliver “The Grouch.”
pond to put the smack down on those duck-eating turtles. All afternoon, I could just imagine the headlines, “TURTLE MAN RESCUES DUCKS FROM THE GAPING MOUTH OF MR. SNAPPER.”
While I was purchasing my fishing license at WalMart, a young man recognized the local super hero. He whispered to his mom, “That is Turtle Man.” Ernie heard him and responded with his YeYeYeYe whoop and holler.
We started in some ponds that Ernie had turtled in before. The farm hands lead the caravan of vehicles to the first pond. It was a pond that Ernie had not turtled in before that day. He waded in and tested the depth of the water then invited me to join him. I waded in slowly allowing my body to acclimate to the coolness of the water.
So now we were on a mission. Ernie had to teach me enough about turtling to use me as the official “Turtle Woman” for the duck rescue project.
“Come on in here Jody Bell,” Ernie encouraged me. “The first step’s the hardest. Just wet yourself all the way over your shoulders and get used to it then I’ll teach you the different techniques that I use to catch turtles.” “Do I have too?” I thought to myself. I waded in and squatted down to brave the cold water. “Now just come over here and start tapping the bottom,” Ernie instructed.
Joella buys a fishing license in KY so she can legally catch turtles by hand
“How much do you charge to remove turtles from a pond?” the Mom asked. “Why?” Ernie questioned.
“Whew!” I shrieked as I started patting the mucky sediments covering the bottom of the pond. There were several inches of suspended sediment above the hard bottom. It felt very unnerving bare-handedly exploring the bottom for an object identifiable as a turtle.
“We spent over $68 for ducks – adult ducks – and the turtles have killed all of them except for the wild duck that was already there. Now she won’t get in the water, because she is afraid of the turtles.” “Today is your lucky day,” Ernie replied. “Ms Jody Bell here is a TV star (referring to me after he found out that I had put the one-two-three punch on a white rhino that I green hunted with my bow and arrow) and she is here doing a story on The Turtle Man, so today it is free,” Ernie continued. After getting a phone number and directions to her place, Ernie assured her that we would stop by her
Wading in shoulder deep water searching the banks for turtles is intimidating
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“If you think it’s a turtle, put your foot on it and feel around the shell. When you find the head, let me know,” he continued. “How am I going to know when I find the head?” I questioned him again. “I don’t want to get bit.” “Find the tail and grab it.” Turtle Man instructed. Now, I was in a predicament, I really didn’t want to get bit. I didn’t want to lose a finger. I didn’t want to chicken out, but I was really scared. I took a deep breath and moved my foot around the object. Turtle Man convinces Joella to put her hand in and pat the mud to locate turtles. Once the turtle is found, you put your foot on its back so it will smack at you so you can locate its head.
‘Did it hit you?” Ernie questioned.
“Use your feet too. Just keep tapping,” he said. Then his famous hound dog bawl, bwalllll, bwallll, bwall and the hand pointed at the object of his affections. “Come here Jody Bell. Come see what I done found you,” Turtle Man acknowledged.
“Then reach down there and grab it. Trust me. I’m not going to let you get hurt. I promised you that I would protect you and I will,” Ernie assured me.
“Not yet,” I responded.
I reached in deliberately and tapped it again with my hand. “It’s a rock.” I said. I brought my hand out I carefully moved in his direction. Turtle Man wait- of the water and this time Ernie grabbed my hand ed with his foot on the object. “Reach right down and shook it. there and tap it,” he instructed. “OK, grab it,” he instructed. It took every ounce of courage that I could muster to reach my hand down there and touch the I grabbed it and raised the rock out of the water. object. I’ve made a living shooting a bow and ar- “My first rock turtle,” I whooped. I felt a surge of row. I really do like having 10 fingers and 10 toes. adrenaline pass through my body. I’d broken the I didn’t want to lose any appendages to a turtle or ice and now I at least knew what a common rock anything else that might be lurking in the depths felt like buried in the mucky sediments of the pond of that pond. But at the same time, I wanted to be brave, so here goes. With a scowl on my face, with Ernie’s continual coaxing, I ran my hand down his leg and tapped it. I tapped it a second time. “What does it feel like?” he questioned. “I don’t really think it feels like anything is moving.” I responded. “It kinda feels like it might be a rock.” “Then grab a hold of it and pull it out,” Ernie suggested. “Well, what if it ain’t a rock?” I asked. “What if it’s a turtle?” Joella’s first turtle just happens to be a ROCK
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my comprehension until, I saw the bubble trail. “See that bubble trail,” Turtle Man pointed and howled.
Turtle Man coaches me to pat the mud to locate the turtle. I’m really not sure what I am about to find
bottom. We continued to work our way around the pond edges. Ernie constantly encouraged me to tap the bottom with my hands. Each tap got a little easier as I began developing my own tapping method. I kept my fingers close together still not wanting to make a single dangling finger too appealing to an awaiting snapping turtle. “Stretch out your arm and point your fingers at the water. It helps break the glare off the water.” Ernie continued to teach me one lesson after another. “Notice how the water bubbles when you walk on the bottom and when you hit a stick or log. Those bubbles let you know that something has disturbed the bottom. When you see a bubble trail, it means that the turtle’s swimming and disturbing the bottom. And when you see lot of bubbles coming up for one spot, the turtle’s digging is burying himself,” Ernie informed me. I have a Masters from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN, so I knew form my college courses that hydrogen sulfide gas was being released as we or anything disturbed the bottom. I could smell the decomposing material in the sediments and the gases that were released. I’d waded ponds before while snake hunting for nonpoisonous water snakes while attending 4-H Camps, but I’s really glad that we didn’t see any snakes. The allurement of discovering an awaiting turtle was getting the best of me. I wanted very much to catch a turtle, but the mystery of how we would finally make it happen was almost beyond
Next thing I knew, Turtle Man lifted a slider from the water. It was covered with algae. He handed it to me and let me hold it. It was a male with extremely long toe nails. “The males toe nails get very long, maybe more than half an inch,” Ernie relayed. Ernie took the turtle from me then released it. It went to the bottom and tried to bury in. I could see the bubble trail. “Tap it,” he instructed. “Its head always leads,” he said. “Look for what ever way the bubbles are going and you know the head’s leading. Grab him by the tail.” I placed my hand on the turtle’s shell and pressed it into the mud. I grabbed it by the back of the shell and held on tight. I lifted the turtle from the water and whooped and hollered just like the rest of the crowd. We had our fist turtle. Ernie showed me the alligator crawl to help me maneuver from place to place quicker in the mucky pond. Lie on your belly and pull one leg up under you and reach forward with the opposite arm. Press you hand into the mud then push with the foot alternating to move like a gator would. It was a real relief for me. My feet were cramping. My legs were burning. It was much harder walking in the pond than I’d imagined. The muck sucked my feet into the sediments and held on. I knew that I’d have sore muscles tomorrow.
Doing the alligator crawl
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Ernie was a real gentleman and protected me from the submerged logs and bob-wire. I spotted a turtle head then another bubble trail. Ernie bawled then went on point. He trapped the turtle on the bottom with his foot and held him until I got there. This time I took over. I put my foot on its shell and held it down. He guided my hand into place then I grabbed the rear of the turtle’s shell. I lifted it with both hands from the water. It was another slider – red-eared slider. After photos, we moved to the next pond. It wouldn’t be fair for me to turn you lose turtlin’ without issuing you some cautions.
Turtle Man dives down and retrieves the snapper that Joella is standing on then hands it to her to take to the bank.
CAUTIONS: Know the laws before you go. Familiarize yourself with the regulations and be able to identify the Relax and enjoy. The harder you fight the mud the different turtle species that you are likely to en- deeper you will sink into it. counter. Once you have the turtle by the tail hold on tight and remain in control. If it is too big, let it go. Don’t go turtling alone. Be extremely careful in water over waist deep --- Communicate well and pay attention. If divers go especially chest deep. Avoid water over your head. down, make sure they don’t stay down too long.
Never turtle without a strong knife that is easily Like I advised when grabbling, do not mix turtling reached attached to your body in case you have to with drugs or alcohol; you will get enough of a pry a turtle’s jaws from your flesh. “It might be a natural high to get your adrenaline pumping. long time until it thunders, and that is just an old wives tale anyway.” If you have a special event that you would like to Big turtles can put a real hurting on a person, so have Ernie Brown Jr., A.K.A., The Turtle Man, to ennever let down your guard. Always watch which tertain at, contact him or his manager, Neal James way their head is turned and keep your hands and through Facebook. Don’t forget to look for CALL OF THE WILDMAN other flesh away from their mouths. on Animal Planet. To see the “Live Action” go to A turtle can stretch its neck half way back of its www.youtube.com and search Turtle Man at Aiker’s Pond. shell, so keep away from that danger zone.
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Angling and youth project
By Laura Pisano - Italy
PESCANCHIO 2013 is an Italian recreational sea angling youth project made in place thanks to the will of 4 women: 3 from an Italian secondary school (director, her vice director and one teacher) and me, as board member of APR Alleanza Pescatori Ricreativi (www.pescaricreativa. org) a national angling association from Italy, ran with the support of friends and skilled anglers all from APR.
When women want, women have. We are able to dream, and work hard to realize our dreams. The project had two main objectives: - to make young people (the students) interested in and aware of the territory in which they live (Liguria -Portofino’s Natural Park
Particular attention deserves the participation of “Fishing TV”, (Italian channel 236) on Sky Television. The day after a conference with school classes, local politicians, local press, has been organized and MPA) and, by the school to demonstrate - to introduce them to recre- that recreational fishing is, or ational sea angling, for them to should be, like other fisheries, enjoy this outdoor activity while strictly connected with the life at the same time being taught about “sustainable use of the resources” A school project is nothing new, many anglers organize project for child or teen agers in school in Italy too, but this time has been different because the school looked for us, not vice-versa. So we worked together to make it possible in one of the most italian wonderful place: San Fruttuoso Abbey, near the well known Portofino, Liguria - Italy. The fifteen years old boys and girls have been introduced to recreational sea angling with artificial lures and to fly fishing.
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and traditions of coastal communities. Pescanchio 2013 had echoes on local press, on politicians and among other schools and interest groups. We and the guys enjoy a lot the days. Special thanks to the women who made this possible and to the anglers and APR members who shared with the guys their love and passion for angling; to the Sky “Fish� channel cameraman and, of course, to all sponsors but in particular to the Italian Seaspin and the international Shimano which provided rods, reels, lures and gadgets. We are working now on the 2014 edition!
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Australia - Ladies Only Barramundi fishing tournament October 2013
By Roxsean (Rocky) Edwards
Photos are courtesy of Creative Light Studios
I
ts early October and it is lines in at 6.30am, 123 ladies in 37 boats descending upon a water lily lined waterway, bursting with bird life, fish life and menacing saltwater crocodiles. All on the edge of the world heritage listed Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia. This was the beginning of two full days of competition fishing and I was about to compete in the 2013 Secret Women’s Business Barra Challenge. The target was Australia’s premier freshwater/estuarine fish the Barramundi, sometimes likened to the Nile Perch.
When I signed up to fish this event, I suspected it would be a tough fish. I based this on reports filed from right across the top end of Australia that indicated that the normal abundance of Barramundi have quite simply been deficient this year in every waterway. There have been many theories already in print as to why, but a lack of a good wet season clearly plays a major part in Barramundi movements in our top end waterways.
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The SWB Barra challenge was to be held on a billabong (small lake) called Corroboree and there were few reports of any good Barramundi being landed there, these reports were consistent with the lacklustre fishing elsewhere in the top end. I was fishing with my team mates of this event, Roma Dainius and Jacky Dynan and we had put a bit of time into preparing for this event. We would be competing against a record number of ladies from around Australia in this ladies only, catch and release fishing tournament.
Runner Up champion team
team Barrametrics (my team)
It was a tragic start to the tournament with a tourist drowning in a house boat that was upturned during a freak storm. This accident had occurred the afternoon before the competition was to commence. I was pre- fishing with my team on Corroboree that same afternoon and could see the storm front approaching. It was getting late into the afternoon and this was the signal that it was time to call it quits and get back to our camp at Corroboree Tavern camping ground. We had just got the boat out when we were caught up in numerous willy willy’s (small whirlwinds) that literally sandblasted us getting into the car. Although not cyclonic these willy willy’s were intense and continued to thrash my car and boat with sticks and dust on the short drive back to camp. A few hours later, we were made aware of the unfortunate events that unfolded at the other end of the billabong during that storm and the possibility of the postponement of the event. The news was devastating, but the ladies were all good sports and were prepared to head back home and return another day if that was what was required. The police were able to secure the upturned vessel and
fishing was banned in the immediate vicinity. With all due respect to the deceased person’s families and friends, the SWB Barra Challenge was to go ahead as planned. It’s a line up at the boat ramp and the teams were eager to get on the water. The teams could field either 3 or 4 competitors. The vibe was good and the teams were sporting big boats, bright apparel and were filled with bucket loads of excitement. It had rained the night before, and it was a hard call for any skipper tossing up whether to troll or cast for the morning bite. Some opting to troll were rewarded with few very small Barramundi and with the resident Barramundi being so elusive, some strategically targeted the seemingly abundant Saratoga. You were certainly in the game if you could land enough Saratoga to out score the almost double points awarded for an equal sized Barra.
Champion angler Tracey Saliba
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The conditions of the day were perfect, plenty of clean water and little wind, but there were few bites that would convert into points for most anglers. The statistics of the day were grim with 10 Barra and 29 Saratoga caught. The top 10 scoring teams and anglers were revealed at the end of day one with team Cupla Qwyties & A Chill clearly ahead of the field on day one of the event with 355 points. This team of 4 ladies were certainly the ones to watch, having landed 8 Saratoga and 2 Barra. As it transpired, my team had achieved a top 10 finish for day one.
My team of 3 had all caught one Saratoga each and were not confident of a good placing at the end of day one. Team mate Roma and I scored a Saratoga each early in the day and it wasn’t until the end of the day that our other team mate Jacky finally hooked up. After putting in so much effort casting all day we really wanted this fish landed and in the boat. We reckon that we would have casted upwards of 400-500 times each that day and felt we well deserving of a capture for our efforts. Jacky’s fish had stitched her up in the lillies and was likely to get off. With absolute determination and a bit of brute force she skull dragged a large ball of weeds through the lily stems and to the boat. As luck would have it, nestled in amongst the weed was a perfectly good and well hooked Saratoga. We were all on the score board now and this late capture felt really good.
Day two, fog covered the waterway and the boats moved carefully through the cuttings of the billabong to safely make their way to their selected starting spot. Another spectacular Corroboree morning sunrise filled the sky, magpie geese were prolific, whistling ducks and jabirus lined the edges of the billabong and the population of crocodiles were without threat and peacefully making their presence known. The competitors were just as keen as the previous day to go hard. I stuck to my game plan and arrived at my number 1 spot just in time for lines in. Conditions were looking really good. Within two casts we had a double hook up of Saratoga and this was shaping to be a great start and elevated the team’s expectations. It was however, short lived. Teams were moving about the billabong a lot, seeking out new territory or falling back on tried and tested favorite spots. This extra activity clearly indicated that the fishing was even harder than the first day. 37 teams, big boats and few using the electric motors helped force the bites up to the back of the lilies or against the banks. It was hard work and the few bites you were successful
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The sterling efforts of skipper Elaine Sanderson and Angling Angels team mate Miriam Melis they achieved overall runner up champion team. An amazing effort considering both these ladies are new to the region, having recently moved from southern parts of Australia and fielded a team of only 2. Champion angler overall was awarded to Tracey Saliba from Cupla Qwyties & A Chill and was closely trailed by Elaine Sanderson from Angling Angels.
Team Barra Babes
in getting were halfhearted and rarely hooking up. This region is semi-tropical and at this time of year it is extremely hot and humid. It’s a hard slog especially when there are few bites and fewer fish landed. The end of day two and even fewer fish captured than the day before. Experienced and novice anglers alike, these ladies teams impressively toughed it out until lines out on Day 2, landing 66 fish in total with only 18 of these being Barramundi. A really tough few days of fishing when compared to last year’s tally of 178 Barra and 24 Saratoga captured. Champion team overall was a team with a quirky name “Cupla Qwyties & A Chill” This team that had lined up as bridesmaids in this event in the last 2 years. Mary Van Der Velde, Tracey Saliba, Nyomi Page and Jan Harris were deserving winners and were the runaway team of the tournament. They cemented their scores early on in the game and maintained a healthy margin for the remainder of the competition. At a time hooking any fish was a challenging experience, this team finished with a respectable points.
Champion Team - Cupla Qwyties & A Chill
Biggest barramundi caught was measured at 22 inches and the Biggest Saratoga was measured at 27 inches.
Group shot of teams
These ladies fishing teams pride themselves on being independent and self-sufficient but it was just terrific that this event was supported by the members of a local fishing club,who willingly provided their own boats and time to assist in marshalling this competition.
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The comfort of the competitors was also a major consideration. It’s not often you can fish a Barramundi tournament in such a remote location and be provided with a “croc free” flushing toilet and served with hot coffee. At this year’s Secret Women’s Business that is exactly what was on offer. The mooring of a houseboat midway on the billabong with a “barista” was a sensational idea. This event continues to get better every time I fish it and I have to congratulate the coordinators Chrissie Hurren and Kris Noble for an extremely well organized and well run event. Despite the lack of fish numbers, this is a stand out fishing event for women in the top end of Australia and is elevating the levels of fishing and boating for many of the women who are involved in this event. Rocky Edwards October 2013
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Spybaiting the Silent Capture Technique
M
By Reika Shimizu from Japan
any high quality companies create distinc- charm of this lure. tion from themselves by the introduction of a unique lure. But, it is rare that a com- Realis, SPINBAIT 80 petite is 80mm in lenght and pany can take a technology and improve it so it believe it or not and weighs 9.4 grams. can become dominate in its use. DUO set forth its bass angling brand called Realis with a generous introduction of innovative products. This is an example of a company being serious about its investiment in to skilled bass angling. DUO’s Realis bass line took it a step further with the introduction of Spybaiting technique. One of the most refined tools for Spybaiting is Realis’ Spinbait80. It is the topic of the SPINBAIT I want to spend some time introducing your readers to . The technique called Spybaiting is new to most anlgers, therefore the Spinbait80, although deadly , is still very new to bass anglers. It is surely a genre to make a clear distinction from conventional crankbait or jerkbait or wirebait, and I want to talk about the
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CASTING When you toss this lure, you will be shocked about the distance you can reach in a single cast. The flying distance of this lure is top-class for its 80mm size. A high specific gravity design of 9.4g on this slim body give this lure accurate distsance. The lure has a propeller system type classifies the rolled drapery system. Therefore the distance traveled is the condition that is absolutely appealing. It also gives the angler more options in how to use the lure.
After a water landing Because self-respect is 9.4 g, after a water landing, subsidence speed is a little faster. If you want it to swim surface subjacency, you must be starting retrieving after a water landing immediately. Or if you want set it to range which you aimed, you can do it by countdown once and can retrieve straight the range.Unlike a lure of the lip system, it is the biggest charm of this lure that you can trace only the range which you aimed at.
Retrieving There is not approximately the touch retrieving basically. Body in itself slowly roll but it can swin while keeping stable posture by the slight wave that an anteroposteriorpropeller produces while giving off an appeal natural at all. The flushing effect with the roll is great, too. 15 colors perform a lineup, and the place of the activity is immeasurable from the large-scale field to Pond, from Maddy water to Clearwater.
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Slightly wave In Japan, the history of this propeller system lure is not so long.From about the summer of 2009 when the bass of the world record appeared, this propeller system, I-shaped lures were popular explosively around Lake Biwa. Big bass which did not react to even a worm, a jig, a wire bait reacted to only this type lure. “All the fish which I could catch with SPINBAIT were higher in an average than others.� the story spread in an instant, and a small propeller for remodeling disappeared all from the lureshop of West Japan. Anglers attached small propellers to own jercbaits, crankbaits and wirebaits, and they tried them in Lake Biwa.The propeller system which had not yet appeared so a lot at that time but now, they evolved and was refined.This is birth of the new genre that I should mention specially in Japan.
I do not know why this small propeller can appeal to cooperation to big fish so much. However, I began to use this, and the chance to have a fish of good siza in its hand broke out drastically surely.I want to actually tell nobody, but want woman anglers of the world to stun the man angler. I believe that this SPINBAIT performs the function.
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Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters’ Women’s Outdoor Weekend 2013 By Yvonne Brown
F
or the past 19 years, the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters (OFAH) has offered a unique program for women that are interested in hunting, fishing and the great outdoors. Each September, 80 women spend a weekend doing a number of activities than many of them have never tried before: archery, target, skeet and crossbow shooting, fly tying, high-ropes climb and fishing, to name a few.
John “Sedge” Sedgwick, of LetsFish Guiding, and I were invited to last’s years Women’s Outdoor Weekend (WOW) as fishing instructors and were thrilled with all the positive feedback we received from both the participants and the organizers. We were invited back this year, and since Sedge was not able to attend, I asked two fellow lady anglers to help out: Carrie Cartwright and Jennifer Fullard.
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recipient of the award and the presentation was somewhat tearful as Carrie described her experience with Tammy out on the water. We three are extremely proud of all of the women that, not only fished that weekend, some for the first time in their lives, but for also trying new activities that they may not have been 100% comfortable with. Happily, many of the women expressed an interest in extending the amount of time for the fishing activity and the organizers of On the Friday night, the women attended a varia- the program will be considering that when plantion of my Fishing 101 for Women seminar to give ning next years’ event. them the basics of fishing – licensing, safety, fish identification, rods, reels, tackle, etc. The following day, the participants take part in a rotation of five activities, one of them being the Sue Robbins Memorial Fishing Tournament, where the women get to put some of what they learned the night before into practice. They have the option of fishing from shore or going out in the canoe – not the easiest or most stable vessel to try to bring fish in. As instructors, we also have the duty of choosing one woman that is most deserving of the tournament award. It’s not the person that caught the biggest or the most fish but someone that exemplifies the true spirit of the weekend; someone that shows determination and courage. Carrie took a lady named Tammy out in the canoe and instructed her on where to cast and how to work the bait. She had a couple of fish on but lost them. Then, just as time was running out, she caught and landed her first fish ever! We chose Tammy as the
Women come from all over Ontario to participate in WOW. The weekend sells out and there is usually a waiting list as well. For anyone interested in getting more information about this program or to register for next year’s event, visit www.ofah.org/ wow or “Like” their Facebook page to get the most recent updates www.facebook.com/ofahwow
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