Weather, water warming up is good time for fishin’

With spawns for most species of fish in the early to beginning stages, now is prime time to blow the dust off that lazy fishing gear and get your line in the water. If you are a beginner, this is great practice time for attempting to catch fish. Whether you catch anything or not, it’s well worth the time and effort — and great therapy for that ol’ tired mind and body. And it’s even more worthwhile if you take a youngster along to enjoy it with you.

Now that our weather and water temperatures usually begin warming up, fishing results should be doing the same.

Large mouth bass will begin warming up along with Colorado River waters with crankbaits doing a good job in the bait department. Try using one with a big lip for diving in deep water near cover and reel it back at a steady pace. A retrieve with several pauses brings good results this time of year. To make a crankbait run at its designed maximum depth, use as light a line as is reasonable for the species you’re fishing for and the amount of structure nearby. Be sure to check the line often for frayed spots, and cut and retie as needed to avoid losing any fish.

To make a crankbait run even deeper, hold your rod tip as close to the water as possible, or even retrieve with your rod thrust under the water. Many pro bass anglers kneel on the bow of their boat and fish in this manner to gain an extra three to four feet of depth from a crankbait. Work your lure as close to structure as possible, especially along the bottom. If a lure’s front lip isn’t occasionally ticking weeds, rocks or stumps, you aren’t getting your lure close enough to fishholding cover.

When the bass actually begin the spawn, also try flipping into heavy cover. Try the Texas rig (with a salamander) that has a glass bead and brass collar between the hook and sliding sinker. It gives off a clicking sound as it’s fished in short hops at rocky areas. This is good for brush or heavy cover where you don’t want to get hung up. Work backwaters where water is calm and on the warm side.

Catfish are biting on the good side with both channel cats and flatheads biting on almost anything. Try chicken livers, cut mackerel, goldfish or small bluegill, even nightcrawlers. Stinkbait, the stinkier the better, is another good option with a really rotten sardine base (mixed with other nasty and greasy ingredients that have set in the sun to ripen. A light set-up (small tackle, small hooks, even a small bobber if you use one with a swivel and snaps avoided altogether) is a lot of fun and brings results.

If you’re not a night angler, try 5 to 9 a.m. when feeding activity is still going on as the cat grabs at Jean Wilson what will be the last feeding time until night comes again.

A novel idea is to try fishing with a bare hook. Rumor has it a catfish doesn’t know or care what a hook is. If your fishing with minnows and small bait fish, grasshoppers or pieces of cut fish, leave the tip exposed after you hook the bait. Or wrap chicken liver or blood bait — stinkbait as well — in a square of cheese cloth or nylon stocking — thread the hook through the corners and leave the point uncovered. You may lose more hooks by leaving them exposed, but you’ll gain extra catfish.

If striper fishing is your bag, the white 3/8-ounce Maribou jig and the white/ chartreuse or white/orange feathers do well, casting and flipping. It’s good to work the edges near sandbars in the current along the Colorado River above Imperial Dam to below Laguna Dam. Ferguson Lake may also be good to check out.

Check with The Hideaway — Edgar and the other guys are always glad to show you what works — or other dealers in town for latest fishing tips, even get together with the fishing clubs where their members will share their successful tips and techniques for you to try and learn about. It won’t be a waste of your time for sure.

Fishing clubs

• Desert Bass Anglers “The Fun Way to Fish”: If you missed the Feb. 2 bass team tournament at Mittry Lake, check this column for results soon or call Mac or Bobbi McDermott at 726-1984. Club dues are still $15 with additional members of immediate family $10 each. New members are always welcome. The next Open Bass Team Tournament will be March 2 with details forthcoming.

• Desert Draw Pro/Am Fishing Club: Check with Michael Obney at (928) 750-7081 for details about the Feb. 23 tournament launching out of Fisher’s Landing. Member dues are $20, fees: $30 each boat, $10 big fish, $5 8-lb. pot, $1 junk fish. Points awarded to each participant, the same for both boater and nonboater according to their ranking in each tournament. Obney encourages non-boaters to sign up for tournaments as well as boaters.

• ABA — Yuma region: The 8 lb. pot was not paid out at the January tournament so will roll over once again to the next tournament taking place Saturday at the Colorado River with sign ups on Friday at The Hideaway. Sign ups will also be at the Landing the morning of the tournament about one hour before safe light. Call Billy Clothier at 919-0304 for details. Many thanks to sponsors FTS Automotive & Diesel Service, A Touch of Glass, The Hideaway, Transmissions Plus, Adobe Eyecare, Village Inn Pizza, Rock Pile Fishing Co., DB Ranch and Bad Influence Marine.

• Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club: The Big Bass Qualifying runs Jan. 1 through May 19 so keep your lines in the water and weigh in your bass at The Hideaway. The next tournament, the March 9 Jimmy Phipps Memorial Bass Derby launching out of Fisher’s Landing. Call Robby Ballew at 919-2453 or Edgar at (928) 257-2604 with questions.

• Yuma High School Bass Fishing Club: A great way for any high schooler to learn all about fishing for bass. Members of both the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club and Desert Bass Anglers assist the kids in providing them with boats and equipment as well as guiding the youngsters, both guys and gals, in gaining a good share of fishing know-hows. Call Terry Hurt, school sponsor, at 580-6567 or visit StudentAnglerFoundation.com to get started. Any interested high school student will be a part of an exciting year for our next generation of anglers at Fisher’s Landing/Martinez Lake.

• New owners of The Hideaway (had been Sportsmen’s Hideaway): Danny Woods and Blake Hash are the new owners of the Hideaway with Edgar still on site to help with tips along with helping with your fishing needs. Visit them at their new shop where Mitch’s Bait Shop used to be, a bit east on 16th Street from where they’ve been behind Baron’s Fuel.

• Fishing Arizona and the Colorado River: Bob LaLonde, Yuma Bass man, is putting plans together for this year’s tournament — visit yumabassman.com/forums-new/ index.php/topic,9542.0.html. Let LaLonde know about food preferences for the dinner following the fishing competition. Complete information will be forthcoming.

• Fish stocking schedule: Game and Fish will plant fish (trout or channel catfish) on Monday at Hidden Shores, Imperial Dam, Somerton Council Park Pond and Yuma West Wetlands.

Shooting sports

• Yuma Territorial Longrifles Club: Get in on the open black powder matches at the Adair Park range, 1st and 3rd Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. Call Roger Bickel at 726-7453 with questions or to ask about .22 matches.

• 4-H Shooting Sports: The Yuma County 4-H shooting sports is open to any 4-H youth ages 9-19 with end of the year competition in March. Call the Yuma 4-H office at 726-3904 or Stan Gourley at 344-0740 with questions.

• Renegade Archers of Yuma: Archers interested in shooting the 3D animal trail shoots at the Foothills Archery Range, can call Kevin Wilson at 726-0953. We are glad to assist in your learning as well with free archery instructions — call ahead so we can bring extra equipment. The practice area at the range is open (use is free) daylight hours all week for archers practice and enjoyment. You might be best satisfied to bring your own target — People are intent on tearing down the expensive cotton bales — do what you can to prevent vandalism while at the range so we can all enjoy.

• Yuma Trap and Skeet Club: Anyone interested in trap and skeet? Shoot 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays as well as noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Adair Park, located off Highway 95, 15 miles east of Yuma, turning west onto Adair Range Road, 1st range on the right. The board meeting will be Feb. 25. Call Bob Avila at (928) 919-0622.

• The Yuma Young Guns with the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP), The program, open to ages 9-25 still in school, will continue through May with a team of Arizona Game and Fish Department certified instructors assisting. They will hold SCTP practice at Adair 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, 6 p.m. Tuesdays. Call head coach H. McNutt at (928) 580-0918 or John Gross at 5801836 if interested.

• Cholla Gun Club: Silhouette match schedule at Adair Park with $5 shooting fee per gun: 4th Saturdays in February, March, November and December — big bore long range pistol; cowboy lever action rifle; pistol cartridge lever action rifle; .22 lever action rifle. These are NRA approved matches, however, NRA membership is not required to participate. 2nd Saturdays February, March, November and December — black powder cartridge, vintage military rifle silhouette or fun match. Vintage military rifle is any military rifle built up to 1952. No M14’s allowed. Chickens shot standing, pigs, turkeys, rams shot off of a ground rest. Replicating military positions while shooting. Bench rest 1/2 size targets will also be shot. This is all center fire calibers shot at 200, 300, 385, 500 meters. Other shooting schedules: Tuesdays 8 a.m. Schutzen .22 rifle match on the black powder range. 20 shots bench rest at 100 yards, 20 shots standing at 100 yards. Bench rest match 50 shots at 50 yards. Shot on alternating Tuesdays. Wednesdays — Informal get-together for fun and plinking off the bench or standing. Practice your shooting skills, test your ammo for the gun you want to shoot it in. Everyone is welcome. Wednesdays 9 a.m. BPCR .22 Silhouette, .22 Long Range Silhouette match. Fridays .22 and pistol cartridge caliber rifle and pistol silhouette fun matches. Informal get-together for .22 rimfire rifle or pistol and pistol caliber lever rifles or pistols. Everyone welcome. Club meeting 2nd Tuesday 7 p.m. at Villa Alameda RV Park, Avenue 5E. Open to the general public. Instructions provided as necessary. All firearms must comply with NRA guidelines for each event. Cartridges must not result in damage to the targets (i.e., no belted magnums). Small bore is .22 long rifle ammunition (no .22 magnums). Sign-up at 8 a.m.; shooting promptly at 8:30 a.m.. Call Rick Kelley (928) 502-0736.

• High Power Rifle and Pistol Club of Yuma: Shooters are welcome to get in on the Saturday matches at 7:30 a.m. at the Adair Park R&P range. A 3X 1,000 match will be shot today, shoot the Vintage Service Rifle matches Feb. 16 and Matches for Across the Course at 200, 300 and 600 yards Feb. 23. Call Joseph Murek at (928) 627-4556 with questions. Shooting activities with the club’s Junior Club junior “Whipper Snipers” for all ages on Saturdays as well, also at 7:30 a.m. Check club matches as well as Whipper Snipers news listed on the club website at hprifleyuma.net.

• Yuma Matchmasters: A variety of matches are offered each month at the range, all open to shooters at 7 a.m. with the steel challenge the 1st Saturday, multi-gun matches the 1st Sunday, IPSC combat matches the 2nd Sunday with the cowboy fast draw the 3rd Saturday. SASS cowboy matches moved from Saturday to the 4th Sunday. Interested in cowboy action shooting? Call Irene Snyder at (209) 613-4598 or Bob Wiles at 920-2158 with questions.

Hunt happenings

• Big javelina contest 2019: The Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club members who have been drawn for a javelina hunt this year should call Dennis or Linda Florence at 5810825 for a weight slip that you will turn in once your hunt is successful or call them to pick one up.

• Mentored javelina hunt camp Feb. 21-24 for hunters who are learning by practical experience under skilled workers of the trade or calling: Registration is required with space and mentors limited. Location is the Cordes Junction area, Units 19A, 20A, 20B and 21 hosted by Christian Hunters of America, The AZ Elk Society and Phoenix Varmint Callers. For information, contact David at davidmyrick@christianhuntersof america.org or call (602) 309-3430.

Contact Jean Wilson at jeanrenegade@ gmail.com or 928 247-4450.