FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR
SO—season opened (or opens); SC—season closed (or closes); C—clear water; D—water dirty or roily; M—water muddy.
N—water at normal height; SH—slightly high; H—high; VH—very high; L—low; R—rising; F—falling.
WT50—water temperature 50°.
FG—fishing good; FF—fishing fair; FP—fishing poor.
OG—outlook good; OF—outlook fair; OP—outlook poor.
TARPON: FLORIDA: Tampan G. L. Ingram baited a handline with a 2-pound catfish to catch a shark snooping around his snook rig under the 22nd Street Causeway when 140-pound tarpon took bait and took off. He fought it 30 minutes with line cutting bare hands, beached it at end of bridge after seven jumps. Boca Grande Hotel tallied 97 fish to last Saturday, with 14 over 100 pounds, biggest 134. Good schools reported in vicinity of new Pass Bridge and Siesta Key bridge at Sarasota.
LOUISIANA: Big tarpon in coastal waters are putting kinks in light tackle of anglers after mackerel and blues.
TROUT: NEW YORK: Esopus anglers found "portal" partly open last week for first time since SO; FF with scattered hatches of Hendricksons, Quill Gordons, small caddises and stoneflies, but most fish taken on bait or spin lures; OF/G. Beaverkill was slow last week, with WT in mid-60s, sporadic hatches of caddises, Cahills, Hendricksons and few March Browns, level falling and whole watershed in need of heavy rains to keep fishing worthwhile through June; OG if rain, OP/F if not.
OREGON: Deschutes and Metolius rivers L, C, FF, OF but should improve when showers and snow flurries abate.
CALIFORNIA: As SO May 14 in eight central Sierra counties, lower creeks were roily, higher waters blocked by late snows, but bait and spin-fishers took many limits; best bets for next week are North Fork of Yuba, Plumas, North Fork of Feather, with OF/G for Butte Creek, South Fork of the American, Fallen Leaf Lake. Truckee River clearing. OG. Best bets in S.F. area are Stevens Creek Reservoir, Pescaredo and Purissima creeks in San Mateo County. Best waters within 100 miles of L.A. are Cachuma, Big Bear and Irvine lakes, east and west forks of San Gabriel. East slope of Sierra picking up. Best bets are Lakes Crowley, Convict, June, Grant, Rush Creek below Silver Lake, upper Bishop and lower Rock creeks. Most creeks from Lone Pine to Bishop still H, SD but bait fishermen are connecting.
MONTANA: SO May 22 for most waters but high water makes OP except in lakes; best bet is reservoir-controlled Madison River.
BRITISH COLUMBIA: All coastal lakes still producing well; lower Campbell among best, with occasional 5-pounders reported. On the mainland the Harrison River has had good run of fry, with plenty of feeding cutthroats; OG. For Kamloops trout, Jacko and Canim lakes report FG, others around 2,000-foot level are open but roads are still in bad shape.
IDAHO: FF in Coeur d'Alene area waters; most roads in bad shape. On Snake River, FG at Thousand Springs, American Falls, Massacre Rocks below Strike Dam; trout are hungry for worms, roe, yellow wooly worm and renegade flies, and OG.
WISCONSIN: Our Brule River spy says stream is L, C, WT50-55, weather cold and windy, fishing pressure light, FF and OG.
PENNSYLVANIA: Most Allegheny Forest streams VL, C, few flies on water, FP, OP until rain comes; meanwhile best bets are lower ends of Tionesta and Oil creeks. Northern-tier counties report streams L, C, FP, with rain badly needed (but green drake-coffin fly due on water last week in May). State has stocked Pine Creek's "big water" from Ansonia to Waterville; this canyon water is hard to get to, harder to get from but holds some fine browns. Loyal-sock agent says FF/G, OG on stretch from Barbours to Hillsgrove. In central Pennsylvania, FF/G on Yellow Breeches, Clarks and Stony creeks, but all area streams L, F, need rain. Famous "Fisherman's Paradise" near Bellefonte now open for fly-fishing only, with limit one trout daily (but 20-inchers are commonplace in this experimental mile of chalkstream where state replaces fish daily, pound for pound).
BLUEFISH: NORTH CAROLINA: Blues from 1½ to 3 pounds abundant in surf and at Oregon and Hatteras inlets at Nags Head-Hatteras area; trollers near Diamond Shoals and along edge of Gulf Stream made heavy catches last Saturday, and OG off and on throughout summer. Large schools were off Morehead City and hitting spoons and feathers enthusiastically, but strong winds kept most charter boats at dockside; OG when weather settles.
FLORIDA: Schooling blues are just off Dog Island Reef near Carrabelle (NW coast) and attacking red-and-white top-water plugs.
MARYLAND: FF/G at Ocean City Inlet for blues averaging 2 pounds, and OG rest of May.
ATLANTIC SALMON: NOVA SCOTIA: Best river last week was Nictaux (Annapolis County), with St. Mary's a poor second; streams east of Halifax H, west of Halifax N, OF/G this week throughout province,
NEW BRUNSWICK: Blacks were still showing last week above Doaktown on Miramichi and should thus be in lower river through May 25; a 30-pounder was killed last week near Howard; sea-trout run has started.
MAINE: Sam Ward of Dennysville, Maine busted the slump at the Dennys River with a 7½-pound bright salmon; sea-run fish are still due momentarily at the Dennys, Machias and Narraguagus rivers and may be there now.
BLACK BASS: FLORIDA: Spin Fishermen Pat Mahan and Ray Gerber of Clearwater fished Lake Tarpon just S of Tarpon Springs, caught seven bass that weighed 8¾, 8¾, 8½, 7¾, 7, 6¼, 5¾ pounds, felt very good about it. FG and OG in headwaters of St. Johns River from Cheney Highway south. Little Lake Harris (near Leesburg), canals leading into Blue Cypress Lake W of Vero Beach. In NW Florida top bass spot is Lake Jackson, with limit catches the rule and whoppers frequent; Owl Creek in lower Apalachicola River region is runner-up for fast action.
MISSOURI: SO May 28 in streams; meanwhile OG for Lake Clearwater, where bass favor surface lures.
PACIFIC SALMON: IDAHO: Chinooks are coming nicely over the Bonneville Dam ladder, and next two weeks should see fish taken from Weiser below Galloway Dam and at Riggins.
CALIFORNIA: Chinook schools are still off Ferralones. but heavy seas keep most anglers ashore; top fish from Monterey waters last week was 39-pounder boated by Walter Williams of Kingsburg. Recent rains should raise level of upper Sacramento and may put salmon in more cooperative mood; OF.
TUNA: BAHAMAS: A few big-game fishermen warming up for the coming annual Cat Cay Tuna Tournament had boated nine bluefins to 543 pounds in three days last week (and released six others); OG.
