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; OVG—outlook very good; OG—outlook good; OF—outlook fair; OP—outlook poor
BONEFISH: BAHAMAS: FVG as voracious bones crowd flats off Andros. B. F. Bailey, St. Petersburg, broke Nassau's Bang-Bang Club and Bahamas tournament record, boating 11-pound 11-ounce lunker. OVG.
FLORIDA: FVG through Keys. W. A. Jones, New York City, caught 13-pounder on 8-pound test after 25-minute fight. OVG.
SHAD: FLORIDA: Atlantic shad making annual spawning run in St. John's River, with hottest spot Lemon Bluff near Sanford. Most successful are trollers using feathers and small spoons on spinning gear. OG for Apalachicola where shad are about to migrate. Anglers fishing light rigs with spinners and spoons at Chipola cutoff in Dead Lakes area should have good luck.
SOUTH CAROLINA: SO Feb. 1, but trollers waiting for big runs to commence on Edisto and Combahee rivers near crossing of U.S. 17. Small spoons trolled deep and slow will be best fish-getters.
STEELHEAD: BRITISH COLUMBIA: Brief thaw raised anglers' hopes, but freeze returned. All waters except smaller streams in good shape, but L and iced along shore. Vedder L and C but producing. Cowichan VG by Skutz Falls.
OREGON: FF on Nehalem, Nestucca, Siletz, with fish up to 14 pounds taken. Lures and cluster eggs top bait. WT low. OF.
WASHINGTON: Steelies torpid and incommunicado as ice continues to clog rivers. Bellingham correspondent, however, claims a thaw in store.
BLACK BASS: TENNESSEE: Heavy rain resulted in high water in lakes and streams but F still G. Hugh Ault, Chattanooga, took 11-pound 8-ounce largemouth out of TVA waters below Hales Bar Dam, using spinning outfit and 8-pound test. Dale Hollow and Center Hill lakes producing good strings.
LOUISIANA: Unseasonably high temperatures rewarded fishermen in Black River cutoff and Saline Lake at Winnfield. Around New Orleans, trolling with grey hackle streamers and spinners in the Simoneaux Ponds brought nice results, while red plastic worms produced in Churchill Farms waters.
NORTH CAROLINA: Largemouths will soon be snapping up minnows in fresh waters in northeast, including Nags Head area, but anglers are advised to wait until March when artificial lures will also tempt.
MISSOURI: F still P due to unusually icy conditions. Heated-dock anglers at Lake of Ozarks report FF, but OG if sun only stays out.
STRIPED BASS: CALIFORNIA: Splendid winter run continues in Delta despite cold. Frank's Tract, as ever, best bet, but San Joaquin outside mouth at Big Break also yielding sizable stripers. Sacramento slow, due to murkiness from upriver storms. Fish running from 20 to 30 pounds, with notable hauls at Montezuma and Steamboat sloughs.
PACIFIC SALMON: BRITISH COLUMBIA: Bold spirits continue to venture out for winter springs and are being amply rewarded. Victoria reports fine run of 12-pounders around Cattle and Gonzales points. FG at Oak Bay with fish running to 20 pounds. Herring strip fine allround appetizer. OG.
SAILFISH: FLORIDA: FVG from Stuart south through Keys as enthusiastic spy reports heaviest concentration of sails since World War II.
BLUEFISH: LOUISIANA: Grand Isle charter-boat captains did nicely while the sun was out, ferrying shirtsleeved parties to the oil rigs where almost any type of artificial bait brought in blues.
ILLUSTRATION