FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR
C—clear water; SH—slightly high; FG—fishing good; FF—fishing fair; FP—fishing poor; OG—outlook good; OF—outlook fair; OVG—outlook very good.
STRIPED BASS: CALIFORNIA: Upland bird season has thinned ranks of fishermen, but FG in Delta waters, some worthwhile trolling in upper San Pablo Bay, Napa River.
NORTH CAROLINA: Last week's most unusual catch was made by Henry Felton of Norfolk who landed two striped bass, first taken from surf at Nag's Head, north of Oregon Inlet, since 1926.
NEW JERSEY: FF/P along Jersey coast, as bass have moved off shore and southward, and OP except for occasional flurries through Dec.
STEELHEAD TROUT: OREGON: At press time all coastal streams H, D, fishing almost impossible. OVP if heavy rain continues but clearing weather may change picture rapidly; if rains let up, best bets are Wilson, Trask, Miami, Nestucca, Salmon, Siletz and Alsea rivers; if deluge continues, try smaller streams such as Neskowin, Beaver, Schooner, Drift, Ten Mile and Big creeks. Cluster eggs best bet, with red fluorescent yarn producing too.
WASHINGTON: SO Dec. 4 and cold dry weather needed in western Washington to make good opener, as streams too high now. Samish River run has started.
CALIFORNIA: Rains have muddied most of the streams but produced new runs, and OG; best fishing is in upper Klamath, Trinity, lower Eel and Russian rivers. Last week's top fish were 23½-pounder from Trinity at Burnt Ranch, 17-pounder from Eel, where fly-fishing is fair to good with optic bucktails.
BRITISH COLUMBIA: Fish are definitely in the Vancouver Island rivers with several in 15-pound class reported from Campbell and Quinsam rivers; Oyster, Courtenay, Qualicums and French Creek also good bets. On the mainland, Vedder and Alouette should be worthwhile. Most streams in good shape, and OG.
BLACK BASS: CALIFORNIA: Lower Colorado outlook improving as the winds subside; Havasu and Mohave lakes are best bets as 4-to 5-pounders hit trolled diving plugs.
MISSOURI: SC Nov. 30 in rivers, but FG in lakes, now C and N. where many good catches are reported on deep-running lures, and OG.
TENNESSEE: At Kentucky Lake last week Dr. Sidney Ballard of Nashville couldn't get anyone to go fishing with him, went out by himself, returned with 10 largemouth bass weighing 48 pounds; all were taken on spin-size plug. FG and improving at Kentucky, Center Hill and Dale Hollow lakes, where some sportsmen combined duck shooting with bass fishing.
FLORIDA: On east coast, dry spell has squeezed the bigmouths into the channels, and heavy catches are reported on deep-running imitation eel. OVG for St. John's River from Lake Helen Blazes to Sanford through Dec. 15 (but watch for duck hunters, who have killed two fishermen so far this season—one at Lake Talquin near Tallahassee, where fly-rodders using poppers and spin-fishermen using top-water lures took easy limits last week, and OG).
LOUISIANA: C. C. Simpkins of Lake Charles went to the Calcasieu River last week, came home with one 5¾-pound bass, four ducks and two squirrels. Major Lawrence E. McGee took 7-pounder from New Orleans City Park Lagoon to prove winter bass season is in full swing.
BONEFISH: BAHAMA ISLANDS: Spy says that the greatest concentration of bonefish in recent years is muddying flats at Andros Island and Sandy Point on Abaco; OG for quantity catches of smallish fish on artificial lures around Bang Bang on Andros and for whoppers on live shrimp at Bimini.