Fishing Lure Kentucky

Outdoors notes: UNA, Northwest-Shoals finish in top 5

Team 1 from the University of North Alabama finished third in the two-tournament that ended Thursday. Northwest Shoals Community College finished fifth.

Eastern Kentucky University won the tournament with a two-day total of 42.73 pounds. University of North Carolina at Charlotte was second with 41.27 pounds.

Rounding out the top five were UNA with 39.45 pounds, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with 38.79 pounds and Northwest-Shoals with 37.88 pounds.

The tournament, which featured 173 anglers, was held out of Paris, Tenn.

Catfish championship July 9

The annual world championship of catfishing, the National Catfish Derby is July 9 in Savannah, Tenn.

The National Catfish Derby features the top catfish anglers in the South and Midwest competing for a $10,000 first prize.

The July 9 festivities include entertainment by Nashville Star’s 2007 winner, Zac Hacker at 1 p.m., followed by the tournament weigh-in on the town square in Savannah. Catfish and hushpuppies will be available at 2 p.m.

For details, call 731-925-8181

Duck populations rise

Improved conditions in much of the waterfowl breeding habitat in northern states and Canada have helped boost populations of many species of ducks, according to breeding population estimates released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The preliminary estimate of the total duck population from the traditional survey area was 45.6 million birds, an 11-percent increase from last year, and 35 percent above the long-term average.

The survey found the mallard population was 9.2 million birds, a 9-percent increase from the 2010 estimate of 8.4 million birds.

The estimated blue-winged teal population was 8.9 million, which was 41 percent above the 2010 estimate of 6.3 million.

The canvasback estimate of 700,000 was similar to the 2010 estimate and 21 percent above the long-term average.

Bill Dance launches app

America’s best known TV fisherman is sharing his fishing tips with iPhone users.

A Bill Dance application is now available for IPhones and iPads.

“Our emphasis will be centered around the most popular species such as bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and trout. All anglers can benefit from this app.” Dance said in a prepared statement.

“It’s probably the most complex app in fishing. And the tips I like aren’t the everyday tips. They’re easy-to-understand seasonal tips like how to read water, structural tips, technique, lures, and presentation of different types of baits in different seasons.

Fishing News: Reel Chat with CHAD GRIGSBY - FLW Outdoors

With nearly $630,000 in winnings and 10 top-10 finishes at FLW Outdoors-related events since 2001, the Goodwill pro finally secured his first-ever FLW Tour win at Kentucky Lake on June 19. Grigsby, who has a remarkable six top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour since the 2005 season, leapfrogged from third place to first on the final day of Kentucky Lake competition after turning in a mammoth one-day stringer weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces. In the end, Grigsby – who never led until the final day – wound up winning the tournament title by a healthy margin of more than 6 pounds. A: Well, actually, after I caught my fourth big one, I thought it was going to be pretty tough for anyone to catch me. I knew Jay wasn't going to be able to catch 24 pounds flipping. And I talked to Ramie and he said the day before that, "If it's cloudy and rainy, my fish don't position right." So after my fourth, the only person I was nervous about was Kevin Snider. But I pretty much knew I had it won after the fourth fish, which I caught at about 11:30 a.m. A: I never knew I was on winning fish until the last day. I was just poking along, doing the best I could. The fish might have moved up the last day, but I guess I don't know for sure. On Kentucky Lake you can pull up on a spot, make five casts and get right real quick. I had one area where I could catch a limit real quickly, and then I'd move around and try to cull. I'd also hit some spots near the dam. But I only had four or five spots overall, so I was committed to those areas. A: I've only fished in Minnesota about four times in my whole life. Most of the lakes in Minnesota have grass, and they don't have a lot of current. Water temp down South gets 90 degrees, and we don't really have that. I think you can stay shallow in Minnesota pretty much all year, but you can find some fish out deep. There is just so much cover here that it's very productive to stay shallow. A: When I hit bottom, I'll sometimes snap the rod to see if the fish react. But there are no rules. You just have to vary your action. The fish will bite differently every day. But the key is to try and make that bait erratic. A lot of times those fish will follow the bait along the bottom, and if you do the same thing all the time, the fish won't bite it. But if you do something different, it's like how a cat will react - they'll jump. When fishing shell beds, you can definitely feel it - it's like pulling the bait across gravel.

Old Fishing Lures & Tackle, Identification and Value Guide

A Fishing Guide to Kentucky's Major Lakes

Classic Fishing Lures, Identification and Price Guide

The Kentucky encyclopedia

Field & Stream