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.

The Bismarck Tribune is reporting

Tony Dean (pictured) was the host of several television and radio shows, and also contributed to numerous websites and magazines, including TonyDean.com and Dakota Country Magazine.

He was a champion of the North and South Dakota sportsmen, and a staunch defender of conservation.  His mellow voice will be dearly missed on tv and radio, and his biting intelligence will leave a void in the defense of the welfare of habitat and wildlife.

I’ve always said that Mr. Dean had it figured out.  Somehow he managed to figure out a way to make a living hunting and fishing the Great Plains.  It seems unfair that his life was cut short by something as trivial as an appendix surgery.

Dean won more than 160 regional and national awards for his programs. He also served as a press secretary for former South Dakota Gov. Frank Farrar.

Godspeed Tony Dean.  You have enriched the lives of so many, and will live on in our memories.

Below is a link to Tony’s last Dakota Backroads audio show from 10/3/2008.

How about excitement over the upcoming North Dakota Deer Rifle Season?

Sign up today for the Blast & Cast Calendar (still in testing) and you can add dates for upcoming seasons, tournaments, events and more.

Signup is free.  All events are automatically posted, at least until I uncover abuse and have to shut that down.

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.

I just spent 45 minutes in line at Scheels Sports in Bismarck because there was a line of out-of-state hunters purchasing waterfowl licenses.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand the lure of ND wildlife and the economic boost that all of you are bringing here.

But, North Dakota has one of the best online licensing systems I’ve heard about.  It’s quick, easy, and will let you print, or even download, your license immediately.  That means you can print multiple copies and store one in the vehicle, one in the tackle box or ammo box, and keep on in a wallet or checkbook.

Why spend nearly a half-hour in line at your favorite store filling out paper forms and licking stickers when you can just be ready to hunt before you even leave for our great state.

You probably took some time online to research your hunt in ND, and probably even booked the trip in part online.  Make full use of the technology next year and purchase the license at http://gf.nd.gov, or click here to go direct to the North Dakota Game & Fish online license purchasing site.