Deadline set for returning Lake Hogue tilapia tags

WEINER - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has established a deadline for returning tilapia reward tags taken from Lake Hogue in Poinsett County. Sportsmen will be able to collect $20 for each tag returned by Dec. 31, 2003.

Tilapia were stocked into 250-acre Lake Hogue in May as part of a three-year study to try to provide more food for largemouth bass. During the course of the study, fishermen discovered that large numbers of tilapia could be caught using sportfishing equipment. The opportunity to catch these delicious, hard fighting panfish lured many anglers from around the state to the lake. Reports from successful fishermen indicated that significant numbers of tilapia were being harvested each year. In addition, many fish were being collected during the annual winter die-off.

Fisheries managers wanted to know how many of the stocked tilapia were being utilized so an exploitation study was designed and implemented. Of the more than 10,000 brood stock tilapia put into Lake Hogue this year, 873 were tagged. Researchers will be able to use the information gathered from the reward tags to accurately estimate how many tilapia were harvested from the lake in 2003. This information will be useful in determining the cost effectiveness of stocking these “exotics” to enhance sportfishing opportunities in public fishing lakes.

Each tag is individually numbered and has the word “reward” printed on it. All sportsmen obtaining a tag should call the toll free telephone number that is included on the tag to begin the process of collected their reward.

Almost 29% of the tags have been returned to date with many more tags expected prior to the Dec. 31 cut-off date.

Seasonal trout stocking returning to central Arkansa

LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Urban and Community Fisheries Program is partnering with the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation to again bring seasonal trout fishing to the capital city.

Last year, the AGFC kicked off the urban trout program in Little Rock. That initial program was so successful that it will be offered again in the central Arkansas area.

The program starts with beginner trout fishing clinics. The first two clinics will be held on Dec. 16 at the Rose City Boys and Girls Club and at the Southwest Community Center between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. A third clinic will be held on Dec. 18 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission central office auditorium. Free rods and reels will be given to the first 50 children under 16 who attend the clinics. A family-oriented trout fishing derby will be held Saturday, Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Boyle Park. There will be door prizes and gifts and plenty of staff on hand to assist anglers with trout fishing tips.

The program is an effort by the AGFC to provide inner city children with the opportunities to explore nature outside of city sidewalks and rain filled ditches. Financial assistance from the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, the Arkansas Wildlife Officers Association, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has given the Community Fishing Program the opportunity to award many of the young anglers that attend the clinics with some nice rods-n-reels and essential tackle needed to have a good day of fishing. In just the first year of the program, about 1,000 children in Little Rock experienced first hand the pure excitement of trout fishing on just the first day of the stocking.

Seasonal trout fishing opportunities will be available at Boyle Park, Otter Creek Park, Kiwanis Park and MacArthur Park beginning Dec. 20. Trout fishing will also be available at the newly opened Cabot Community Pond in Cabot. Adult rainbow trout will be restocked biweekly at these locations through late March, according to the AGFC’s urban and community fisheries biologist Clifton Jackson. “This ‘put and take’ fishery will provide convenient and exciting outdoor recreational opportunity for families and friends in central Arkansas,” Jackson said. “Most of the trout stocked in seasonal fisheries are caught and harvested in about 10 days. Our Spring River Hatchery will bring a fresh supply of adult rainbow trout about every 10 to 14 days throughout the winter months,” he explained. “Please bring your own gear and plenty of bait as these fish normally provide plenty of winter time action,” he added.

A fishing license is required for persons 16 years of age or older to fish and a trout permit is required for anglers 16 and over to harvest trout. There will be a three fish limit of trout.

For more information on the trout program, call the AGFC fisheries division at 501-223-6371.

Weather throws added challenge at December elk hunters

COMPTON - In addition to rough terrain and wary animals, heavy fog and rain moved into the Buffalo River country as added challenges to the December elk hunters.

Six of the 16 permit winners killed elk the first day of the hunt. Another of the 16 did not participate in the hunt. Tuesday, the second day, weather took over, with visibility sharply reduced by fog.

The hunt is the second segment of the 2003 elk season, the sixth by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission after elk were restored to the state beginning in 1981.

Stacy Clark of Jasper took the hunt’s first elk, getting a cow elk shortly after sunrise on the first day. Clark’s female elk was a big one, 538 pounds, and he killed it with one shot from his .358-caliber rifle. He was hunting in the Erbie area. Clark said he had hunted elk previously in western states but had never killed one.

The Jasper area is the center of Arkansas’ elk country, and Clark is the first Jasper resident to win a permit, which are free and issued at public drawings at Jasper’s Buffalo River Elk Festival each summer from thousands of applications.

Another Newton County resident had the second elk. Terry French of Western Grove killed a cow elk in the AGFC’s Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area.

Only previous Newton County elk permit winner was Dena Beaver of Compton, who won the first permit issued in 1998,the first year of elk hunting. She had a bull permit and killed a trophy 6X6 elk, meaning it had six points on each side of the antlers.

Keith Linn of Rogers took a first-day cow elk, William Moore of Fifty-Six had a cow elk, and Randy White of Strong also scored with a cow elk.

David Akins of Pocahontas, one of three hunters with bull permits for the December hunt, killed a 5X7 bull shortly before dark the first day in the Shaddox Field area near Pruitt. His bull weighed 503 pounds.

One hunter in the field was Kyle Elliott of Jacksonville, whose permit specifies either bull or cow. It’s a youth permit, issued separately from the other permits.

In a separate but simultaneous elk season, the Zone A or private land hunt has a quota of five elk. One was killed the first day, a cow elk taken by Ronald Ramsey of Harrison.

The five-day hunt was elk at sundown Friday unless all the permits are filled before then.

Arkansas has an estimated 450 elk living in the Buffalo River corridor in northwest Arkansas. Most are on the Buffalo National River of the National Park Service and on Gene Rush WMA. Some are on private land.

AGFC publications make great Christmas gifts

LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s wildlife books and magazine make great Christmas gifts for friends and relatives who enjoy the outdoors. The various books provide practical information along with picturesque wildlife photography. Here are just a few of the AGFC’s magazines and books available as gifts:

*Arkansas Watchable Wildlife Viewing Guide - Want to know where you can see red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, bull elk or a gentle waterfall? It’s all in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s “Arkansas Watchable Wildlife Guide” now available from the agency. Arkansas’ variety of wildlife is stunning and its wildlife viewing opportunities are almost limitless. Watching wildlife in Arkansas can increase public knowledge and appreciation of wildlife through activities such as bird identification and backyard bird feeding, wildlife viewing and outdoor photography. The book is $7 by mail or $5 from the AGFC central office or any AGFC regional office.

*Arkansas Wildlife magazine - Whether you are interested in hunting, fishing, or enjoying watchable wildlife, this magazine has something for you. The magnificent color pictures and well-written articles make this magazine something that you will look forward to receiving.

Arkansas Wildlife is an excellent source of information for learning about the important issues concerning conservation of the natural resources of Arkansas. In addition to five issues of the magazine, the gift recipient will receive a handsome full-color wildlife calendar packed full of beautiful wildlife paintings by Arkansas artists. Subscriptions are $8 per year, $15 for two years and $21 for three years.

*Anglers Guide to Arkansas Fish - This book was put together with one main goal in mind - to help the angler identify their catch. The cost of the book is $3.00.

*Arkansas Deer: A Manager’s Guide for Private Lands - Basic deer management involves habitat and harvest management. This handbook is designed to provide landowners and hunting clubs with information needed to achieve deer management goals on private lands. Cost of the handbook is $7.50.

*Arkansas Outdoor Atlas - Outdoor enthusiasts love maps, and the latest version of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Outdoor Atlas is here to feed that craving. Recently updated with all-new county maps, the new atlas pinpoints more than 950 boat ramps and stream or lake access points, as well as showing the location and boundaries of all wildlife management areas, national wildlife refuges and national forests in the state. It’s an accessory no pickup truck or SUV should be without. Copies are $15 plus $3 shipping.

*The Wild Turkey in Arkansas - This book provides general information on the history, biology and management of wild turkeys in Arkansas. It is intended to help bring turkey hunters, landowners, conservationists and wildlife managers together for the benefit of the wild turkey. The handbook is $7.50.

*Bats of the United States - Bats may be the most misunderstood animals in the United States, although as consumers of enormous numbers of insects, they rank among the most beneficial. Read how most bats are highly intelligent and possess fascinating abilities such as homing instinct and the ability to navigate in the dark. The book is $5.00.

*Snow Goose Cookbook - Snow geese, properly cooked, provides some of the finest gourmet dining, whether sitting around the campfire or seated at a candle-lit table. The cookbook is $7.00.

To order any of these publications or for more information on other publications, contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205, 501-223-6351, or order online at www.agfc.com.. To save shipping costs, the publications may also be purchased at any AGFC Regional Office or the central office in Little Rock.

AGFC