McClory: Trout fishing tourney a success at Sluice Pond

During the traditional opening day trout fishing tournament at Sluice Pond, enthusiastic anglers crowded the shore hoping to land a trophy trout and salmon Saturday morning on April 27.Comfortable spring weather prevailed, contributing to the success of the event, sponsored by the Lynn Fish and Game Protective Association (LFG). Finicky trout were responsive to most of the popular bait offerings, including meal worms, power bait, and nightcrawlers, with an occasional trout being caught while trolling a favorite lure or fly. Close to 100 anglers fished from both the banks and from boats, canoes, and kayaks. Twenty fish, mostly rainbow trout, were weighed in during the morning ? not very many compared to the hundreds of fish that the state and the Lynn club stocked in the pond during the last few weeks. For most, the key to success was being on the water at dawn, because that’s when most of the fish were caught. Here’s a tally of the winners, their fish and what they received for prizes:-Adult Male, Brian Nickerson, 4.11 lb 22″; he received an Ippi’s Bait & Tackle $25 gift card from LFG;-Adult Female, Rita Murphy Jayroe, 1.25 lb 14″; received an Ippi’s $25 gift card from LFG and a necklace donated by Leo F. Rodokas (Tumble Beach);-Jr. Male, Josh Gilbert, 0.96 lb 13″; received an Ippi’s $25 gift card from LFG;-Jr. Female, Melissa Gilbert, 0.61 lb 12″; received an Ippi’s $25 gift card from LFG;-Pee Wee Boy, Spencer Talbot, 1.10 lb 13.5″; received a trophy from LFG;-Salmon Winner, Donny Lambert, 3.30 lb 21″ salmon; received an Ippi’s $25 gift card from LFG.On May 17-19, the 31st annual Landlocked Salmon and Lake Trout Winni Derby will take place with over $50,000 in daily and major prizes! As a non-profit organization, the Winni Derby is committed to the preservation of the salmon fishery on the “big” lake.This year, the angler that lands the largest salmon caught will take home $12,500. The second-place salmon will be worth $2,500. For the Lake trout category, first and second place winners will take home $5,000 and $1,000. There is also a major prize for the junior division of a 14-foot Alumacraft boat and trailer.To many Vermonters, there are few activities more enjoyable than catching a big walleye from Lake Champlain or hooking a colorful brook trout on a small stream in the mountains. In order to ensure that these opportunities will be available for future generations of Vermonters, the Fish & Wildlife Department is working to promote the state’s native fish species, from captive breeding programs to enhancing aquatic habitat. During the month of April, department staff captured 20 pairs of mature walleyes from the Missisquoi River to use in a captive breeding program. The fish were brought to the hatchery, where the male’s milt was combined with the female’s eggs, producing an incredible 3.8 million fertilized eggs. When these walleye have grown to fingerling size, they will be released back into the river in an effort to boost the naturally breeding population. “Our long-term goal is to have self-sustaining fish populations,” said Adam Miller, fish culture operations manager. “To get there, we’ll have to ensure that we have enough fish and sufficient spawning habitat to reproduce naturally in the wild.”From the Kittery report, a few flounder have been caught at Boston Harbor and Salem, some shad were caught at Rocks River, and a lot of alewives in the Charles and Mystic Rivers with quite a few stripers feeding on them. A few mackerel have shown up in Beverly as well as some great groundfishing for haddock and pollock at the east end of Stellwagen Bank. At Fishing FINatics in Everett, Pete Santini is happy about the number of anglers signing up for his Annual Zobo Flounder Tournament. “Last year we had over 50 people signed up and this year we’re looking to double that number,” he said. “There are great prizes, and the fun thing is that we all get together for a huge flounder fish fry at J.J’s in Melrose afterwards.” Also, “