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West Michigan anglers win fly-tying titles
Chris Soule, Gerry Worden and Jim Reed have more than a little in common. Each loves fly-fishing and tying flies. Each is a member of the Grand River Fly Tyers, a two-year-old chapter of the national Federation of Fly Fishers. Most notable is that all three gained fame as world champion flytiers this summer. They won 39 of 96 medals given out at the first annual FFF International Fly Tyers competition. The event drew 156 competitors from countries such as Finland, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and the Bahamas. "I was hoping I might get something, but I was not anticipating such a wonderful reaction from the judges who are my fly-tying heroes," said Christopher Soule, 36, of Grand Rapids. "Those guys are the best in the field.
Mid-South Fishing Report
Pickwick Lake: Tommy Akin of Strike King Lure Company says the stripe fishing below Pickwick Dam has been excellent. Anglers are catching lots of fish during the heat of the day, bumping bottom with live skipjack. When the fish come to the surface during the evenings, Akin says, you can catch them on just about any kind of topwater bait or jerkbait. Fish in the 7-to-12-pound range have been common. Reelfoot Lake: With water temps in the high 80s, fishing has been super slow. A few anglers are catching bluegill around shallow weeds on jigs tipped with wax worms. Catfishing is also fair with a few eating-size fish taking nightcrawlers in the ditches. Herb Parsons Lake: Bank fishermen are catching a few decent catfish on chicken and turkey livers, but everything else is slow. Lake Graham: Bass fishing is fair with trick worms and Zoom Super Flukes fished around the shallow cover just after sunrise and for about the last 90 minutes before dark.
Could brown trout dominate the Big Wood?
Permanently connecting the Big Wood River to Magic Reservoir south of Bellevue could result in an influx of brown trout and a dramatic alteration of the prized rainbow trout fishery, according to Bill Mason, owner of Bill Mason Outfitters in Sun Valley. "I'm the last guy to stop any stream restoration projects, but this could change the whole complexity of the fishery. Browns could take it over," Mason said. "We might want to be a little more careful about what we wish for." Mason is referring to an ongoing effort to restore flows to a seasonally dry 12-mile stretch of the Big Wood River south of Bellevue. Known as the Wood River Legacy Project and spearheaded by Rich McIntyre, of Hailey, the seemingly improbable undertaking is gaining support in Blaine County and down-basin communities, and could eventually serve as a pilot project to change Idaho's water laws, which are considered by some to be archaic.
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