News of the Week: 07 July 2008

An awesome story of an Iraqi soldier and his quest for a giant fish...Gary Baze and Peoria Nationals gets a nice writeup...bass flies rule...subway cars as fish structure?...the monster cats of the River Thames...Catfish on the fly...a boy catches a piranha in his back yard...the man behind the fish pen...Thad Norris gets "exposed" for his fish culturism...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: An awesome story about an enlisted soldier in Iraq, a legendary 100-pound fish, and the truly great tale of angling in the worst of circumstances.


The NFLCC Nationals and show host Gary Baze get a nice write up in the Peoria Journal Star.

A profile of bass flies and bass fly tier Sean Polk.


The Plano Star reports on some fishing bloopers.

Finally! A use has been found for those old New York Subway cars we all having lying around: as an offshore fishing reef. Hope this works better than the idea of using old tires as fishing reefs...


Keith Arthur reports on the phantom monster catfish of the Thames River.

The Columbus Dispatch gives us the 411 on sturgeon fishing in British Columbia.


The joys of Kokanee fishing.


A musky fishing tale...from Ohio.

Catfish on the fly, courtesy of The Idaho Statesman.

Local Illinois boy catches Red Bellied Pacu (related to the Piranha) from subdivision lake; proof that idiots are STILL releasing exotic fish into the wild.


From the That Didn't Take Long Files: South Carolina African Pampano record broken...after just 13 days.

Catfish Sutton says El Salto Lake is still the best big bass reserve in the world.


Apparently, plastic worms make for great fishing lures. I'm also told that ice makes water more desirable on hot days, but I'm skeptical...

Local Vancouver company develops way to beat the Chinese at the tackle game.


The Minnesota Star-Tribune relates how to properly buy a casting rod.

The Tanzania Daily News reports on the crackdown on illegal fishing.

Fish Picture of the Week Folder: A nice 30 pound catch-and-release Musky from Webster Lake, Indiana.


A profile of the man behind the Fish Pen.

Details on the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program.

Go Erie orders us to build our own worm and jig rods.

Local fishing clubs step in to save the walleye population in the St. Joe when the state bureaucracies fail the outdoorsmen (again).

A nostalgic look back at fishing in days gone by.

A profile of former University of Minnesota-Duluth football player-turned-fishing guide "Little" Vince Ekroot.


Finishing With a Flourish: An appraisal of Thaddeus Norris as a fish culturist, by Mark E. Dixon (with the friendly help of Steve Vernon and yours truly).



-- Dr. Todd