The 32-year-old town of Ira resident ended up getting skunked on Saturday – but he did catch the attention of Cayuga County 911, three volunteer fire companies and the Air One helicopter from Syracuse.

It all started with Howe wanting to try Owasco Lake for walleyes after reading on the Fishing Forum on Syracuse.com about anglers who have been having luck on that lake. This is the time of year when walleyes come close to shore after dark in a number of local lakes – most notably on Oneida Lake – to feed and bulk up on bait fish to get ready for winter.

Unfamiliar with Owasco Lake or where the walleyes were being caught, Howe parked in a pull-off by the traffic circle near Emerson Park. With waders on and pole in hand, he walked out about 300 yards from shore over the silty, sandy bottom to the right of the swimming area off Deauville Island.

“It was just before sunset,” said Howe who wrote Tuesday about his experience in the Fishing Forum under his nickname, MeatHunter30. “I wasn’t feeling good about finding fish there, but figured I would try it anyway.”

As darkness fell, Howe was nearly chest deep and didn’t bother to put his head lamp on.

At about 6:30 p.m., Cayuga County 911 got a call from an unidentified person on the western side of the lake, noting there was a man in the water and that he possibly needed help.

At about 7 p.m., Howe said he heard “the fire whistle, and suddenly police, ambulances and fire trucks were pulling into the parking area where my car was.” The two fire companies from Owasco and one from Fleming answered the call.

Travis Poole, Owasco’s assistant fire chief, said they could see Howe with binoculars, and firefighters unsuccessfully tried to signal him with lights and horns. He said Howe didn’t have any reflective clothing or light on. Poole didn’t want to take any chances as Howe disappeared from sight in the darkness.

Howe figured the sudden gathering of emergency vehicles and ensuing ruckus was “odd.” But he figured he’d keep on fishing since it was “just getting to be prime time for the ‘eyes.” He said he kept casting for about 20 minutes.

Suddenly, Howe heard a helicopter flying nearby. Then he noticed a rubber boat with several men in wetsuits coming toward him.

“I turned on my hat light, and the ‘copter puts the spotlight on me,” he said. “Now I thought I was in trouble or mistaken for someone else.”

“So the guys in the boat come over to me, and I’m waving ‘Hi’ to the ‘copter. They ask me what I was doing and I said, ‘I’m trying to catch some walleyes.’ ”

The firefighters told him how they had received a 911 report of a man in the lake.

“Comically, I said, ‘I didn’t realize there was a curfew on this lake, since I’ve never fished it before,’ ” he said, heading toward shore.

Howe said when he reached shore, there were a few firemen left and they kidded him that nobody catches anything where he was fishing. He said he told them every bay on Oneida Lake has people wading this time of year for walleyes and he just wanted to try his luck here.

“To make a long story short, I will never fish Owasco again . . . and no, I wasn’t issued any tickets,” he said.

Story was posted from Syracuse.com.

Nonetheless, they landed a beautiful muskie that any fisherman would be proud to catch.  Let’s watch.

I’m officially calling the 2008 fishing season quits as I get my boat read for winter.  Because North Dakota’s been in a severe drought these past few years, my fishing opportunities have diminished quite a bit.  Some of my favorite fishing holes were dried up or made inaccessible due to low water.  But I did get some quality time on the water this year.

My favorite day was mid-June.  Wind is a constant in North Dakota.  The only real time you don’t get wind is the moments before a storm hits, so you can imagine my excitement when I woke up on a scheduled day off to 0mpg wind and none forecasted.  My daughter was at a friend’s house all day and my wife had to work.  So I loaded up the boat, bought some bait, and headed off to the fishing hole.  I cruised around that lake virtually all day with not a wave to be seen other than my small wake behind my trolling motor.  I caught my limit of walleyes, a couple of white bass and a northern.   On top of it I got a nice suntan and drank a beverage or two.

That was a good day.

But today I look out at 40 degrees and rain, with snow on the way.  So I guess it’s time.  Time to pull out the battery, clean out the last of the equipment, and button up for the winter.

For those of you who need some help winterizing your boat, like me, I found a nice article at BoatUS.com. Check it out and make the day you open your boat up next year a good one.

Yeah, I know it’s time to put away the boat, poles and fishing tackle, but some times it’s just be to keep fishing, right?

But fall can be a challenging time to be on the water.  The weather can be unpredicable and at times the fish can be uncooperating.

Game & Fish Magazine has come to the rescue with some tactics you can take to keep the fishing for walleyes hot and heavy into the fall months.

Speed trolling is just as it sounds… blasting through cover, bumping into logs and weeds, and bouncing plugs off the bottom at a higher than average rate of speed.

The results are two-fold.  You find out what the contour of the water is, and you catch fish.

Check out the full article HERE.

What started out as a simple cast into the murky water ended up being a tug-of-war with a 500 pound… elk.

The elk was dead at the bottom of the lake, and the lure had been tangled in the antlers.

Lagekvist took an antler as a souvenir and has the story of a lifetime.

Read the article from Sweden’s “The Local” here.

World’s top walleye anglers to compete on the Missouri River

BISMARCK, N.D. (Sept. 5, 2008) –The Missouri River, one of the nation’s foremost walleye fisheries, will host the world’s top walleye anglers Sept. 24-27 during the $650,000 Walmart FLW Walleye Tour Championship – the sport’s most lucrative event. The prestigious tournament featuring 108 competitors from 18 states and Canada will award as much as $150,000 cash to the winning professional and as much as $20,000 cash to the winning co-angler.

“This tournament features the best walleye anglers from across the United States,” said Land O’Lakes pro Eric Olson of Red Wing, Minn., who qualified 31st in the points race to make it to Bismarck. “I worked hard all season to get here and I couldn’t be more excited.

“Going into this tournament is different from the qualifying tournaments because the only goal I have in Bismarck is to win. There is no more worrying about points to make the Championship — it’s all about winning the grand prize here.”

Olson said that there are a number of fish in the river, but finding the big ones will make you stand out from other anglers. He also stated that it is important to get five walleyes in the boat to do well in the tournament. He predicts that it will take 15 pounds a day to make the cut. On the final two days of competition he predicts that it will take 20 pounds a day to win.

“Many presentations will be used on the river, but most anglers will be either pulling live bait or trolling crankbaits,” Olson added.

Olson said local anglers may have the advantage at the Walleye Tour Championship over those who aren’t as familiar with the water. According to Olson, anglers who fish the waters of the Missouri River regularly have many more opportunities to explore the massive expanse of the water that makes up the river and allows those anglers to find key fish not easily found by visiting anglers.

“The more you know about this river the better off you will be,” Olson added. “Many anglers will travel a good distance to get the fish they need.”

Olson said success in this tournament will be deciding what fish to keep. “In this tournament you are only allowed to catch eight fish and keep the best five,” Olson said. “Many anglers struggle with this and it is very important to make the right decision. This rule could possibly make or break you in the end.”

Graner Bottoms, at Sugar Loaf, will host daily takeoffs at 7:30 a.m. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Bismarck Civic Center, located at 315 S. 5th Street., beginning at 4:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon Saturday. Saturday is free fishing rod and reel day at the Fun Zone, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing rod and reel.

The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $100,000. If the winner is a qualifying Ranger or G3 boat owner, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if the boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 bonus for a total cash award of $150,000.

The winning co-angler is guaranteed $10,000 cash and is eligible for a $5,000 bonus from Ranger or G3 if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus from Evinrude or Yamaha if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard.

Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes for two days and then is cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers for day three. Anglers in both divisions start from zero on day three, and co-angler competition concludes with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. Pros carry their weights over to day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, FLW Outdoors® offered anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players could become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, which provided them with exclusive insider information that could have guided them to a $100,000 victory at every Walmart FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage gave them an edge over the competition and increased their shot for the $1 million cash grand prize awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Visit FantasyFishing.com today to find out more information and to register for next season.

Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Missouri River will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Nov. 30 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits. FLW Outdoors also took fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million in cash and prizes.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

At this time, I don’t have any of the previous posts, so months of work has gone down the drain.

But, we are working on a new and improved website, and this blog is just step one!

So, look for a new website very, very soon!