Golf tournament benefits wildlife water program
GOLFER’S ATTENTION: YVRGC AND SWWF are hosting the April 9th “WATER FOR WILDLIFE” GOLF TOURNAMENT
(to assist with the water project): Read on and get registered to get in on the fun at Desert Hills Golf Course.
FORMAT: 4 person scramble with 2 drive minimum, MINIMUM HANDICAP: 50 PER
TEAM (not more than 1 play with a handicap of 10 or less!). Tournament is First Come – First Serve! Registration Options: SINGLE PLAYER: includes green fees, cart, lunch and skins $100, 4-PERSON TEAM – includes green fees, cart, lunch and skins $375, 4-PERSON TEAM W/TEE SIGN – includes green fees, cart, lunch and skins $450; TEE SIGN & 1 PLAYER- includes green fees, cart lunch, skins & Tee Sponsor Sign $150,
TEE SIGN – includes a sign professionally posted $100. 2 Longest Drive Holes, 2 Closest to the Pin, 1 per side, Cash Prize 1st – 4th place. More information: Pat Headington, 928-257-8143; Brad Hamner, 928-919-0523; or Mike Daily, 928-920-2560/928-344-1886. Check payments: to Southwest Wildlife Foundation; Email: yumavalleyrgc@ gmail.com. Registration Website: YVRGC.org.
Hunt happenings:
YUMA VALLEY ROD AND GUN CLUB: I will report in next week’s column the 5 winners of this year’s annual fundraiser for “Water for Wildlife” being drawn later tonight at the Yuma County Fair. Without the needed rain in the Yuma area to keep the water catchments filled for the animals, let me say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who bought tickets. The funds, after paying all winners, will be used for getting equipment for YVRGC and Region IV of Game and Fish working together to haul the water to the wildlife for their survival on our Yuma desert areas. We are forever grateful!
DESERT YUMA
DOVES – Any woman interested in learning about firearms, shooting, hunting, being in the outdoors and/or wildlife conservation and putting it all to good use can attend monthly meetings – 6 p.m. every 3rd Thursday at Brewers off Ave. B – you’ll be most welcome. Questions? Call Catherine Thompson at 928-580-9012 or email Tanja Eiben at tpeppermintpatty @yahoo. com. Ladies are welcome to become members of the organization – call Tanja at 928-581-6851. FINAL PROPOSED HUNT GUIDELINES for fall 2023 through spring 2028 hunt seasons online: Proposals and public comments, with department responses addressing those comments can be viewed at http://www.azfd.com/ Hunting/Guidelines. Final proposals will be presented to the Commission at it’s April meeting.
”ARIZONA FORWARD” HOLDS HONOR
BANQUET: The Arizona Game and Fish Department reports, “After two years of postponing the Arizona Forward event, it was extremely inspiring to see more than 500 guests join us as we celebrated projects submitted during 2020 and 2021,” said Lori Singleton, President and CEO of Arizona Forward. “Mother Road Brewing Company’s “Environmental Excellence” honor award with other projects also honored in the awards program continued to demonstrate environmental excellence at its best. “Arizona Forward does a great job bringing diverse people together. It was really special to build community among the brightest minds tackling big issues,” said Mother Road VP of Operations and Culture Oliver Adams. “We believe environmental sustainability and economic vitality go hand-in-hand and that collaborations like ours with the Arizona Game and Fish Department will drive us to meet environmental goals.”
Up for multiple awards, it was significant for Mother Road to win with a first-of-its-kind U.S. collaboration between a wildlife management agency and a brewery. Founded in 2019, Conserve & Protect has raised over $40,000 for on-the-ground wildlife conservation projects including population surveys for Sonoran desert tortoises and endangered Mt. Graham red squirrels. As a Mother Road mainline beer sold statewide in restaurants, bars and grocery stores, Conserve & Protect Golden Ale provides a way for wildlife heroes to support AZGFD’s mission to conserve and protect the more than 800 species of wildlife that call Arizona home.
YUMA AREA FISHING TOURNAMENTS
• ABA – Yuma Region – April 9th launching out of Fisher’s Landing – call Tracy Purtee at 928 9783659 for details.
• A reminder about the Chapman Chevrolet 8-pound pot – take advantage of it by getting in on the competition.
• Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club – April 9th – The Hideaway Bass Derby, Fisher’s landing. Call Simon Apadoca at 928-2610922 or visit Tiapanrods@ aol.com for details. I am holding on to March tournament results from ABA until I get complete last names – please have patience or call Tracy.
AZGFD FISHING REPORT
To target LARGEMOUTH BASS in the Imperial Division of the Colorado River, focus in the backwaters or near the mouth of the backwaters around structure such as weedbeds, emergent vegetation, tree stumps, brush, or boat docks. There are many different techniques used for largemouth bass, but as a general rule, due to the cool water in the winter, fishing slowly and using plastics will likely be the best strategy for winter fishing on the river, though it can’t hurt to have some rods rigged up with topwater lures such as frogs, buzzbaits, crankbaits, or swimbaits. Since the river warms up quicker than almost any other large water body in the state, start looking for bass to be spawning in some of the warmer and shallower backwaters.
FLATHEAD FISHING will likely be pretty slow during the winter, though the flathead catfish population of the Imperial Division continues to be healthy. Try fishing in slack water areas, deep holes, or near overhanging vegetation along the main channel of the river. Flatheads prefer live bait such as sunfish or small common carp.
CHANNEL CATFISH are in the main river channel and backwaters and will bite on nightcrawlers, hot dogs, chicken liver, stink bait, or about any other “smelly” bait. They can be caught year-round but probably bite best at night. Bluegill and redear sunfish are widespread but are most likely to be found around structure in the backwaters or slackwater areas.
BLUEGILL AND
REDEAR will bite on meal worms, night crawlers, flies, or small crappie jigs. Mittry Lake can be a bit frustrating at times, especially for bass fishermen; the bass are sometimes finicky, especially in the early part of the winter. As a general rule, fishing slowly and using plastics should be a successful strategy, though it can’t hurt to have some rods rigged up with top-water lures such as frogs, buzzbaits, crankbaits, or swimbaits. Changing weather, including wind, sometimes brings on the bite. There is a healthy population of catfish in Mittry Lake, though the cool water temps of winter could make for some slow fishing. Channel catfish are the most numerous, but there are also a number of flathead catfish. Channel catfish will bite on nightcrawlers, hot dogs, chicken liver or prepared stinkbait. Flatheads prefer live bait such as sunfish or small common carp. They are occasionally caught by bass fishermen on plastics, spinners and crankbaits. Sunfish species are abundant in Mittry Lake. Bluegill and redear can be caught around structure such as docks, vegetation, or artificial structure using mealworms, nightcrawlers, or small crappie jigs. Community Fishing waters: Fortuna Lake, Somerton Ave. Council Park, West Wetlands, PAAC Pond -Fishing in Yuma-area community fishing waters should be good this winter. anglers . Anglers can also throw lures such as spoons or spinners, and bait anglers should use garlic PowerBait in a variety of colors or nightcrawlers fished on the bottom. To catch the remaining channel catfish, try nightcrawlers, anchovies, hot dogs, chicken liver or prepared stink baits fished on the bottom. Cheap hot dogs and shrimp were the best bait for channel catfish in the fall – they tended to outfish nightcrawlers, stink bait, or cut bait. There should at least be a few sunfish for anglers to catch throughout the winter. For bluegill, use mealworms, nightcrawlers, or small crappie jigs under a bobber.
Shooting sports
YUMA TERRITORIAL LONGRIFLES CLUB
– Regular black powder matches have begun again 1st & 3rd Saturdays at
8:30 a.m. at the Adair Park Range. Call Jim Gilligan at 386-679-9130 or Glenda Graves at 928-580-0915 with questions.
4-H SHOOTING SPORTS: If your youngster is interested in getting into the Shooting Sports in the Yuma area, they should get together with a 4-H club in the Yuma area to be eligible to do so when training begins again in Sept.
YUMA TRAP AND SKEET CLUB: Saturday and Sunday matches held at the Adair Park range 8 a.m. to 12-noon with Tuesday and Thursday matches 12-noon to 4 p.m. with sign up range fee $1 paid at the club house prior to shooting. Non-Member fee $7, Member fee $5
per round of 25 targets. Please use small bills or check. Eye & Hearing protection required. Call Bob Avila at 928-580-0918. CHOLLA RIFLE &
PISTOL CLUB: Most matches are done the last of March each year – best to check with Rick Kelley at 928-502-0736 for shooting plans beginning in April; HIGH POWER RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB OF YUMA: Visit hprifleyuma.com or call Joseph Murek at 928627-4556 .Visit hprifleyuma.com for the club full schedule of shooting.
YUMA MATCHMASTERS: Monthly matches PRACTICAL USPSA, 2nd Sunday,COWBOY SASS, 4th Sunday COWBOY FAST DRAW, 3rd Sunday, STEEL MATCHES – 1st Saturdays, MULTI-GUN/ PCC matches 1st Sunday, NATIONAL RIFLE LEAGUE (NRL) .22 on 2nd Saturday. Check Yuma Matchmasters.com, Facebook or call Irene Snyder at 920-613-4598.
• SOUTHWEST BOWHUNTERS: Sunday Archery Shoots 7-10-a.m. open to all! Field and Animal rounds are shot throughout the fall/winter seasons along with regular archery shoots all year long. Call Rick Bielke at 928-750-6279 or Keith Parsell 928-750-7620. The SWBH is proud to support other clubs’ events in addition to their own. If any events aren’t displayed, please send information to info@southwestbowhunters.net – we will gladly post them to our site. For SWBH information, Call Rick or email the club at info@southwestbowhunters.net. All shooting is done at the Adair Park Shooting Facility located approximately 15 miles N.E. of Yuma off east HWY
95.
4-H SHOOTING SPORTS: If your youngster is interested in getting into the Shooting Sports in the Yuma area, they should get together with a 4-H club in the Yuma area to be eligible to do so when training begins again in Sept.