Bass Fishing Dec 2019 - Jan 2020 | Page 17

3 Great Holiday Ideas for Any Angler Weird Finds Be on the Lookout If you still have an old Nintendo Game Boy lying around, you might be able to put it to use on your next fishing trip. Seriously. In 1998, Bandai released a “Pocket Sonar” accessory – essentially a sonar- equipped cartridge with a floating trans- ducer – that actually worked as a fish-find- er. It also included a fish encyclopedia in the programming. Retailing for 14,800 yen (about $136) at the time, it certainly wasn’t the cheapest accessory, and finding one now might be a tall task. Still, they pop up on eBay from time to time and aren’t prohibitively expen- sive (at least by vintage Game Boy acces- sory standards). The northern snakehead isn’t so north- ern anymore, it seems. In early October, Johnathan Maynard was fishing a private pond in Gwinnett County, Ga., when he hooked into one of the toothy predators that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says should be killed immediately if caught. Maynard says the fish freed itself from his scale while he was weighing it and returned to the water. The “Frankenfish,” as it was coined after being discovered in Virginia, is now present in 15 states. It’s a nonnative pred- ator that can have serious negative impli- cations on aquatic ecosystems. If you spot one in Georgia, kill it, freeze it and report it to the Georgia DNR. 1. Lifetime Fishing License Several states offer options for lifetime hunt- ing and fishing licenses. Save the outdoor enthusiast in your life some hassle and sign him or her up for a lifetime commitment to enjoying the great outdoors. 2. Tackle Warehouse Gift Cards Like it or not, a generic pack of hooks and some soft plastics isn’t always what the angler in your life wants or needs come Christmas morning. Instead, opt for a gift card or two from tacklewarehouse.com and let your favorite angler buy what they really want. Get Paid to Fish 3. DIY Lure Starter Kit The National Parks Service (NPS) is mulling over a novel approach to curbing the spread of an invasive species, and you might like where this story is going. Brown trout are not native to the Colorado River, and their boom (after initially being introduced in the early 20th century) has led to some ecosystem imbalance, particularly below the Glen Canyon Dam, where the larger cousins of rainbow trout are making a dent in the humpback chub population. The NPS wants to incentivize the natural removal of brown trout via traditional fishing methods that don’t include electrofishing, which would also affect the nonproblematic rain- bow trout population and is opposed by some local Native American tribes, and it wants to pay people to help. While compensation details have yet to be put in place, the NPS will notify the fishing public when it’s ready to roll out the incentive program. WINTER 2020 I FLWFISHING.COM When anglers aren’t fishing, they’re thinking about fishing. They’re also probably spend- ing a lot of money on the best new lures or the old standbys they have a hard time find- ing these days. Kill multiple birds with one stone and get them a do-it-yourself lure-mak- ing kit (there are dozens to choose from). Whether a balsa crankbait kit or a pour-it- yourself soft plastics setup, giving someone the chance to save money and spend a little more time focusing on what they love is sure to be appreciated. 15