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OUTDOOR
SCENE
By Joe Ognibene
Joe Ognibene is a local sportsman who has been
covering the outdoor scene since 1957.

Ognibene’s column is syndicated and
appears every week in the Niagara Sunday Gazette,
Lockport Union Sun & Journal, Tonawanda News, and the Medina
Journal.
The Niagara
Gazette is the area’s leading
outdoors sports information newspaper.

Make sure you read the story of
“OLD PANTS” Here, before you leave.

1925 – 2009

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OUTDOOR
SCENE –  “A CLASSIC”
By Joe Ognibene: 51 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday March 30 2008  Be sure
to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE  NEW QUESTION!

“OLD PANTS”

      About 25
years ago I wrote a column about an old pair of hunting pants that for
years had hung on a nail in the cellar. I mentioned how they had served me
well until the waistline had shrunk a bit and the rips let in the cold and
the stains got worse. That’s when I hung them on a nail in the cellar and
forgot about them for years.

 It was about five years later that I noticed them hanging there
all dusty, covered with sawdust and mold on what used to be leather patches
on the knees and seat. I got to thinking, “those pants served me well and
shouldn’t be just hanging on a nail.” I found a respectable hanger, brushed
the dust and sawdust off, turned the worst stains to the wall and re-hung
them near some deer racks taken while wearing the old pants. I wrote a column
about those old pants in 1982 that the late John Long said he very much enjoyed
reading about “Old Pants.” I ran across “Old Pants” the other day while in
the cellar and was surprised when he greeted me, “Hey, you old geezer, I see
you’re still on the right side of the grass.” I had to smile and then said,
“I see you’re holding your own and don’t look a day older than back in ’82.”

       That’s
when I really looked Old Pants over and got to remembering. Remembering
days gone by when the whole world of hunting and fishing stretched out in
front of me like a never-ending highway. Back when working the second shift,
grabbing a couple hours of sleep and heading out to a goose blind by 4:00
a.m. was not unusual. Back when I insisted on driving deer so the “older
guys” could sit on a watch. Wading an ice cold Wiscoy was not a problem,
afternoon naps unheard of, no hill too difficult to climb and snow, ice, rain
and wind were minor things taken in stride. Those were what I called my
halcyon days and I thought they would never end, as many of us thought the
same.

Back then Old Pants had a waistline of 30 inches and wasn’t a bit
snug, His knees and seat were double with a leather covering to turn away
thorns, thistles and briars. I crawled on my belly after geese, waded icy
creeks to retrieve downed ducks and bulled through briars without a thought
to what was happening to Old Pants. They were my favorite pants and I wore
them constantly. Ideal for helping dig a flower garden, change oil in the
driveway, shoveling snow, shingling a roof or gutting out a deer. That’s
where the first serious stain came from, an eight-pointer taken when Old
Pants was almost new. Then oil changes in the driveway added a few more and
the first rip came when my north end was too high while wriggling under a
barbed wire fence. I figured the bloodstain could be called a badge of
accomplishment so I never did bother to try clean it.

As the years rolled by the rips became more frequent and I noticed Old
Pants was beginning to show his age. It seemed to me that his waist had shrunk
and the many rips I had tried to sew were letting in the cold chilling legs
that weren’t getting any younger. That’s when I replaced Old Pants and
relegated him to the cellar. I mentioned some of the things we had done
together to Old Pants, heard him sigh and then he said. “Well, we both had us
a time didn’t we?” “Now that we’re octogenarians is as good a time as ever to
look back with a smile or two. Think back to those great days on the top of
Cameron Hill, the farm in Lyndonville chasing wild geese with “Bud” McCabe,
the poker games at the Gasport Conservation Club meetings and getting lost in
a briar patch outside Arcade.” “Yep,” he said, “those were good days and I
told you then you would never have a pair of hunting pants that could
replaced me.” Old pants was right, I never have found any that fit as well,
could take the punishment Old Pants did and feel as though they were a part
of me.

       Old
Pants told me one of the things about getting older is that your memories
of things that happened grow fonder. Thinking back now the Wiscoy was cold,
damnably cold, and wriggling on my belly to shoot a goose couldn’t have been
fun. Getting hooked on barbed wire meant a trip to the emergency room for a
tetanus shot and slopping hot oil on my legs while under a car meant a rap on
the head when backing away. That’s when Old Pants said, “ I see you’ve got
more than 50-years of writing in back of you now, but then, you always were
long winded.” He said, “I told you back then Father Time was creeping up on
us and he’s going to be the winner.” I thought then of the fellows I hunted
with on the top of Cameron Hill, Al, George, Bernie, Woody, “Butch” Ramming
and a few others whose names escape me. My long time deer hunting partner,
Harold Rhinehart, is gone along with Leonard “Bud” McCabe and many of us
still miss John Long and his crinkly smile. Most of all, I miss Mary, my wife
of 35 years and the joy of being married to her and the fun times we had.

She repaired Old Pants many times after some of my escapades. We
tramped all over the country together, climbed mountains in Montana, fished
the Bow River in British Columbia, tented in the bush in northern Ontario,
caught sockeye salmon in Alaska, ate Mexican food in Albuquerque, fished the
surf at Cape Hatteras and generally raised hell from one end of the country
to the other. Now I’m glad I was a photographer and have photos galore of our
life together along with some of the fellows who were also a part of my life.

        Old
Pants then said, “With any luck at all we’ll both last a few more years
and our memories with only get better and more treasured.” I told him that I
suppose that’s some consolation, but it sure would be nice if we could start
all over again.

OUTDOOR
SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 51 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday March 23 2008
Be sure to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE  NEW
QUESTION!

Now we wait. Wait for a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on what the
country’s founders meant when they wrote the Second Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. The amendment states, “A well regulated militia, being
necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep
and bear arms shall not be infringed.” I think the first argument about the
meaning of the amendment started the day after it was written and hasn’t
stopped yet.

        For
many of us who enjoy hunting or target shooting we feel it means we have
the constitutional right to own guns. For others it means only those who
serve in some form of militia should be allowed to have guns. The case argued
before the court earlier this week was to decide if the ban on handguns in
the District of Columbia is a violation of the Constitution’s Second
Amendment. The ban was struck down earlier this year and the appeal of that
decision is now being decided.

        We
are all familiar with the arguments against anyone owning handguns, rifle
or shotguns. The books are filled with laws and restrictions that hinder
law-abiding citizens, but are ignored by persons intent on criminal
activities. In this state a permit is required to buy or carry a handgun and
getting the permit is not easy. In New York City it is next to impossible to
acquire a handgun permit. The law in New York is so stringent that police
officers from elsewhere are not allowed to carry their service handguns while
in the city. Another example of a gun restriction that works against the law
abiding is one in Los Angeles that allows owning and possessing a shotgun in
your home just as long as it is unloaded and locked with a trigger guard.
That gun would be little, if any, help against someone trying to enter your
home through a window in the middle of the night.

The hue and cry about the number of gun deaths in this country is
never ending. Deplorable as senseless gun deaths are, the numbers pale when
compared to deaths allegedly caused by hospital mistakes in this country. It
has been reported that in an average year almost 100,000 deaths are caused by
errors within hospitals. It has only been in the past few weeks the public
has been made aware of the problem. As far back as 1999 it was reported that
about 12,000 people die annually from unnecessary surgery. Why has it taken
this long for this to become public knowledge and where was the media all
this time? Most were practicing “band wagon” journalism and joining the crowd
in condemning guns and gun ownership because it was an easy story to cover.
Most had never hunted, handled or fired a gun and were concerned only with a
sensational “byline” story about guns and the havoc they can cause. Those of
us who own guns deplore senseless killings and don’t want guns in the hands
of irresponsible or mentally unfit persons, but we don’t always know who
might fit into those categories or how to make the decision.

 I feel the court’s decision will uphold the overturning of the
D.C. ban and could have repercussions across the country. Gun laws throughout
the country are a Hodge pot of conflicting and ambiguous regulations that can
differ from town to town within a state or county. A ruling by the court
could help decipher many of those confusing regulations. A ruling should come
down sometime in mid-summer and some of us will be pleased while others will
wonder where this country is headed for. Whichever way the ruling comes down
those bent on criminal activities will not be affected. Only law-abiding
citizens will feel the impact, one way or the other.

One of the first acts by Governor David A. Paterson was to sign the
Great Lakes Compact, which many have been calling for. We now wait for four
other states that border the Great Lakes to sign on and that will then make
it more difficult for water-hungry states to take our water. The eight states
that border the Great Lakes are at odds with the Bush administration over
deep cuts dealing with Great Lakes water quality and other environmental
issues in the 2009 budget. About 16 percent, or roughly $56 million was
eliminated from the budget that called for $354 million.

We must not relax in our efforts to keep Great Lakes water right where
it’s at and safe from exploitation. Don’t for one moment think it could not
be moved south or west because it could be done very easily. If we can move
oil from Texas to New York via pipelines sending water the same way would not
be a problem. Already southwestern states are hoping New York loses enough in
population to lose seats in federal government. Then it would an easy matter
to defeat any proposals to keep Great Lakes water within the confines of the
eight states that border them. Of course, before any other state can siphon
our water they will have to contend with Canada, which borders the lakes. I
doubt if our Canadian neighbors will appreciate seeing Great Lakes water
being shipped out with the possibility of lowering levels of the lakes to the
detriment of shippers and fishermen, commercial and sporting.

Envious eyes are looking at our Great Lakes because there is money to
be made by selling or shipping water and that’s as good a reason as any why
we can’t let our guard down.

OUTDOOR
SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 51 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday January 27 2007  Be sure
to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE  NEW QUESTION!

NRAA in danger of destruction

I am sure most of you know
why I stopped writing the column at the end of December. Since mid
October I was more concerned with caring for and helping Mary, my wife of
more than 35 years, in her battle with colon and liver cancer. She lost the
battle earlier this month.

  Mary and I spent much of the
past 35 years enjoying traveling, hunting and fishing, fixing up the
house, tolerating and loving three cats, two dogs all the kids and generally
enjoying our lives together. Her version of fishing was to dangle a hook with
a bit of worm on it in shallow water and catching rock bass. If a larger fish
came along she would jerk the bait away from it. When she did hook a fish it
was my job to unhook it and put it back and was always told, “don’t hurt it.”
Hunting meant kicking dry leaves and admiring wild flowers. We never got much
game when hunting together, but we did enjoy each other’s company.

    I’m told the emptiness
and heartache lessens in time. I hope so. Meanwhile, I will try to get
back into the swing of things and put meaning back into the column. My
deepest thanks to all those who sent cards, visited the funeral parlor or
called. Your support meant more than you know. Lest I forget, my everlasting
gratitude to the staff and attendants at Lockport’s Hospice House who made
Mary’s final days as comfortable and pain free as possible. They helped her
to leave with dignity for which I am grateful.

For the past year I
have tried to avoid mentioning a subject that most members of the Niagara
River Anglers Association are aware of, but have done little to rectify. I
refer to the rift within the club that if allowed to continue will surely
destroy what has grown to be one of the finest fishing clubs in the state.
Bluntly put, there are two factions warring within the club, one group
supporting NRAA founder Mark Daul and the other club president Paul Jackson.
The rift showed itself markedly at the recent 25 Anniversary Dinner where I
was told I was the only charter member there. I expected to see many of those
who in the early days of the club were instrumental in forming, guiding and
working to make NRAA what it is today, but they weren’t there. The dinner was
not a victory dinner for the Jackson followers it was a celebration of
accomplishments over a quarter century by all members. More members,
especially charter members, should have been there. Of the slightly more100
people at the dinner I’m told only 40 were club members.

It is not the intention
of this column to side with either group in the dangerous splitting of
members at the expense of the club’s well being. There has seldom been any
organization in history that was free from internal dissension. Our first
president, George Washington was castigated by Thomas Jefferson his one-time
loyal supporter. France’s Louis 16th was condemned to the guillotine by
former loyal supporters. Catherine the Great of Russia was betrayed by those
she had placed in power and Abraham Lincoln was derided and ridiculed by
members of his own cabinet. The NRAA joins an illustrious group battling
dissension and discontent within itself. I don’t advocate kiss and makeup, it
will never happen. What I am saying is the welfare of NRAA takes precedent
over personal feelings. Dislike each other all you want, but keep NRAA out of
it. This is too fine an organization to be ripped apart by petty personal
feelings. NRAA has lasted this long and should last many more years and will
if members remember the club is not about individuals, it is about
individuals working together towards a common goal, making NRAA the top club
in the state.

It appears by month’s
end you will be required to carry governmental approved identification to
re-enter this country after a trip out of it. This means on your return from
a quick visit Aunt Matilda in Niagara Falls, Ontario, you had better have
proper identification or you might not be allowed back into the country. The
blockheads in Washington have been more concerned on how to keep us out of
our country than what happens when someone doesn’t have the identification
Big brother says we must have. From everything I have read about the upcoming
identification requirement not one word has been mentioned about those
uniformed about it. There will be no problem leaving the country, just
getting back in. I can see it now, the rejects at our border huddling
together in the middle of the Rainbow Bridge, or the traffic jam at any of
the bridges as cars filled with tourists coming back from a visit to Canada
are refused entry. Your boat could be stopped in either lake if you are
spotted approaching the U.S. side of the border and be asked for “your
papers, please,” by an overzealous border guard. How about fishing around
Ontario’s Navy Island and then coming back to the launch at Big Six Creek? I
predict what could be the biggest border tie-up in history this summer if
Washington is allowed to carry out their hair-brained scheme.

Your non-resident, Ontario,
Canada, Conservation Fishing License has gone up in price. It now will
cost you $41.17 for the one-year license. Call 1-800-667-1940 and have your
credit card handy. It takes about three weeks before it’s delivered by mail.
Avoid any possible hassles this spring by sending for it now.

OUTDOOR
SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 50 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday December 9 2007  Be sure
to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE  NEW QUESTION!

The Great Lakes Compact Revisited

Hardly a day goes by that a
news article about the Great Lakes and
the problems they face does not appear in the news. The greatest problem
facing our lakes is the possibility that one day other states will run pipes
up to one or more of them and siphon our water away. If oil can be piped from
Texas to
northern refineries water can be sent to other states the same way.

  This column has been clamoring
for years that the Great Lakes Compact must be ratified by congress so
that other states can’t take our water. The compact has the approval of most
of the Great Lakes governors and the
question is why aren’t they all on board. New
York is one of the states that has not yet signed the
compact although public sentiment is all for it. The present laws are
inadequate to protect our water and keep it here at home where it belongs.
Schemes to load tankers with our fresh water for

  Arabian countries have been
nipped in the bud both in this country and in Canada
. The compact must be ratified before the census in 2010
could see a congressional shift with 25 House seats taken from Great
Lakes states and given to states from drier parts of the country.
That would be like giving a thief a license to steal and then we can kiss the
Great Lakes goodbye. Governor Bill
Richardson of New Mexico
, one of many running for the presidency, would be delighted if
the compact were not signed. He has suggested a “national water policy,”
claiming “ Wisconsin is
awash in water.” He and governors from the South and Southwest are drooling
over our Great Lakes waters and will do
their utmost to have it diverted to them.

  It has been estimated that
the water level in Lake
Ontario will fall
almost 14-inches by 2030. Lake Erie it is
estimated will fall almost four feet in that period. If other states were
allowed to draw water from any of the Great Lakes
it influences the levels of all of them. Can you imagine Lake
Ontario with almost 14
inches of water gone? Or Erie
almost four feet lower than it is now. Reefs that are now under
water would be readily seen and a lot of
props and boats will be scraping bottom. The shoreline of both lakes
would not be the same as today. Boat docks would be high and dry and look
like photos of some southern lakes that are almost bone dry.

  The lower water levels would
interfere with fish spawning and our walleye fishery now making a dramatic
comeback in Lake
Ontario could be wiped
out. The lower levels would be conducive to rapid warming which would be
ideal for largemouth bass but not for walleye. The more that 140 exotic
species that were brought to this country in ballast water would more than
thrive and competition for remaining forage would be fierce with our game
fish coming out second best. We have time to save our waters if everyone
makes an effort to have the Great Lakes Compact ratified by the state and
Congress. Let your conservation club know you want them to work towards that
goal. Call you local representatives and ask them what they are doing about
it. I have the feeling some politicians are dragging their feet on this in
the hopes that by protecting entities that want to ship our water to some
other state they will land a cushy lobbying job one day. I have heard that
this is done in political circles. If any of you have the opportunity, ask
any of the hopefuls running for the presidency if they are for or against the
Great Lakes Compact, if they know anything about it. Expect a lot of double
talk, hemming and hawing, but not a straight answer.

  Our salmon season is winding down
rapidly and from now until the flowers bloom in spring trout will be the
targeted fish. All trout with the exception of lake trout are fair game all
winter. Lakers will open on New Years Day. You are limited to three trout or
salmon a day in any combination. The combo may not include more than two lake
trout of which only one may be between 25 and 30 inches. The other one can be
any length. Only one Atlantic salmon included in the three fish limit and
rainbows must be a minimum of 21 inches.

OUTDOOR SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 50 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday December 1 2007  Be sure
to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE  NEW QUESTION!

 It could be mid-summer
of 2008 before the U. S. Supreme Court hands down its verdict on whether
an individual has the constitutional right to own a firearm. Last March the
U. S. Court of Appeals found that a Washington, D. C., law prohibiting anyone
from having a handgun in their home violated the Second Amendment of the U.
S. Constitution. The Second Amendment assures an individual the right to
“keep and bear arms”. Almost since the amendment was written arguments have
broken out about whether it meant individuals in a “well regulated militia”
or simply someone who wanted to own a firearm. The anti-gun crowd leans
towards the “well regulated militia” position while the rest of us oppose
that thinking.

 In 1939 the Supreme
Court ruled against an individual owning a sawed-off shotgun. Since then
many state courts have also ruled against anyone owning a handgun unless they
have a permit or are licensed. Some states do not require either. When the
final decision is handed down next summer it could mean the end to
restrictive gun laws throughout the country or it could mean tighter and more
stringent ones. We who enjoy hunting and shooting fervently wish the ruling
goes our way and the Constitution is once adhered to and we will have no
worries about handing in our guns. As we all know if the time ever comes when
all guns must be surrendered to law enforcement agencies only the law abiding
will do so, the unlawful will be delighted to know they will have easy
pickings as there is no chance they will surrender their guns.

At present
many hoodlums are concerned whether the home they are thinking of
burglarizing might have a homeowner with a loaded 12-guage shotgun or .357
caliber handgun nearby. There are those who ask if every teenager stealing a
stereo should be shot. That teenager could easily be carrying a knife or gun
and if caught burglarizing a home might use it with tragic results. Later he
might stand weeping before a judge saying he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, he
just wanted the stereo. Guns laws have proven to be unworkable and Ontario,
Canada, is an example. In Ontario the law required every long gun owner to
register it with law enforcement officials. Earlier this fall the province
repealed the law saying it was a bureaucratic nightmare, was prohibitively
expensive and did nothing to curb crime. In Mississippi the requirement that
citizens must retreat from an intruder before they can use deadly force was
thrown out and replaced with the “Castle Doctrine” law. The same law has been
enacted in 19 other states. Simply put, “Castle Doctrine” means if you are an
intruder in someone’s home in the middle of the night you stand a good chance
of being shot before anyone asks what you are doing there. In Jackson,
Mississippi, in one week shots were fired at burglars with three being
killed, one injured and one escaping. Watch for burglaries in Mississippi
taking a dramatic downswing. There is nothing like someone taking a shot at
you to convince you to find another line of work.

       We see PETA, (People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals) is in the news again with their claim the
Buffalo zoo is responsible for the deaths of three polar bears. Autopsies
have shown the bears died of natural causes and diseases, not from any
neglect on the part of the zoo attendants. Once again PETA sends out a loud
clamor in the hopes of adding members and more money into their coffers. This
is the outfit that claims to protect and love animals but the Center for
Consumer Freedom says PETA has killed more than 14,000 dogs at its animal
shelters.

Not long ago cats and dogs picked
up by PETA workers for placement in good homes were killed in the back of a
van and tossed into dumpsters. A condemnation of dedicated zoo workers from
an out fit that is headed by a woman, Ingrid Newkirk, who claims eating meat
is the No. 1 cause of global warming, according to Ducks Unlimited. She says
the cattle we raise for human consumption spew out methane gas and is a
bigger problem than CO2 ‘because the cattle are belching and doing other
things that sends methane into the atmosphere.” Who can take seriously
anything the head of an organization who wants her body parts, not cremated
ashes, scattered from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada,
India and France. The officials at PETA must know the Buffalo zoo, and most
other zoos in the country are in need of money but I haven’t heard of them
giving any to any deserving zoo. I wonder if any of the gullible people who
donate money to this bunch of exhibitionists know where the money really
goes. I’ll bet the head honchos of PETA dread that question.

Much of the fault of animals
in zoos dying is due to the actions of the idiot fringe among the general
public. There are people who think it funny to throw garbage into animal
cages that could include cans, bottles, half eaten hot dogs and even lit
firecrackers. Children’s toys have been found in stomachs of animals that
have needed emergency surgery simply because parents did not keep close watch
over their little darling. The majority of zoos in this country, Buffalo zoo
included, are well run by conscientious professionals on shoestring budgets.
If PETA wants to do something about zoos they can stop their nonsense and stupid
unfounded accusations and help the zoos pay their bills.

OUTDOOR SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 50 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday November 25  2007  Be sure
to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE  NEW QUESTION!

   In our
neighboring state to the south, Pennsylvania, their governor suffered a
setback in the rejection of two gun control measures he was touting. Despite
a personal appeal from Governor Rendell the state House Judiciary Committee
rejected bills that would have limited handgun buys to one per month and the
other would have empowered local governments to enact their own gun control
laws. How did the Pennsylvania hunters ever elect Rendell? Can you imagine
the chaos throughout the New York if each city, town or village was allowed
to make gun laws? You could go to jail just by driving through a town with
restrictive gun laws. Here is another example why we should keep a critical
eye on elected representatives and get rid of the ones who want to run things
in ways that are contrary to what the public wants.

We will have more to say about upcoming Supreme Court hearings on gun
laws and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a following column.

OUTDOOR SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 50 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday September 2
2007            Be sure
to vote in our NEW Mini-Poll HERE

Yesterday John Long Sr. was buried
and the many of us who mourn his passing will long remember him as a
sportsman, hunter, fisherman, gentleman and basically one of the nicest human
being you could ask to know. One of the traits that immediately struck people
meeting John for the first time was how his eyes would seem to squint and
sparkle when he smiled. And he smiled a lot. I always enjoyed his greeting,
“Hey, old man, how ya’ doing?” His handshake was firm and you knew he was
sincere when he said, “It’s been a while, it’s good to see you.” He was one
of those few people who had charm to spare. Many times I heard him say,
“You’ll never guess who I ran into the other day,” then mention a mutual
friend we both had lost track off.

The list of organizations and endeavors
he headed are too numerous to list here. Suffice to say, whatever task he
took on he not only did it well but he became its leader. It was John Long
who made available the land the Niagara River Anglers use for their walleye
rearing program. I never hunted with John in his Quebec hunting camp although
I fished with him on fly-in trips to Northern Ontario and Quebec and joined
him and his longtime friend the late Senator John Daly fishing for salmon on
Lake Ontario. Both were easy to get along with in the confines of a boat.

John suffered a stroke recently and was
hospitalized briefly before being sent to Lockport’s Niagara Hospice. He
will be sorely missed and I am sure wherever Niagara sportsmen gather John
Long stories will be swapped with fondness, smiles and joy for many years to
come. It has been said for as long as a man’s name is remembered he will
never be forgotten. Rest easy, John, it was a pleasure and a privilege to
have known you.

OUTDOOR SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 50 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday April 29 2007 

Back in spring of
1983 a few members of the Niagara River Anglers Association met at the Sand
Docks in Lewiston after dark to dip for smelt they had decided to eat minutes
after catching. That was the beginning of what is shaping up to be a
community event that is growing with each passing year. That’s when the word
got out that fresh dipped smelt are delicious.

In ’83 Mark Daul,
club president John DeLorenzo and vice president Jim DeLorenzo, Don Phillips
and his wife, Rich Rotella, Mike George, Harold Edwards and a few other cub
members arrived at the Sand Docks shortly after dark and began dipping. Some
years there were ice floes to be pushed aside and care had to be taken that a
larger floe didn’t knock a dipper into the frigid water. Usually George or
Daul tended a Coleman gas stove on the dock and smelt right out of the river were
slit up the belly, cleaned and tossed into a frying pan of hot oil. After the
first year or two more and more visitors showed at the docks to see what was
going on. They were invited to partake of the tasty fish and after they told
friends in the ensuing years the crowd got larger.

The original intent
of the smelt fry was to entice new members and the event was mentioned
prominently in this and other local outdoor columns. We got new members along
with volunteers to dip and cook. It’s long been my belief that cooking smelt
is how Mike George got the title of NRAA Chief Cook. There are stories galore
that can be told of the years of dipping and one of the funniest was the year
the wind was howling. Trying to keep the stoves going was difficult until
Mark Daul got the bright idea of putting the stove in his van. It worked out
fine and batches of smelt were cooked and everyone enjoyed the feast. What
Daul didn’t realize was while the fish were frying grease was spattering the
inside of his van. He said the van stunk of fried fish for about two weeks.
Over the years the crowds got to be too large for the amount of smelt dippers
could provide and some were bought locally, some were provided by members who
went to Lake Simcoe in Canada to bring back buckets of them and other members
dipped in the river for a couple of days before the event.

Now the Lower
Niagara Region Chamber of Commerce, NRAA, Village and Town of Lewiston and
Silo Restaurant are official hosts. Lewiston mayor Richard Soluri came up
with the idea of letting everyone know of the world class smelt dipping in
Lewiston. The festivities will begin at 6:00 p.m. and everyone is invited.
There is no charge. NRAA club members and volunteers will be dipping smelt as
soon as it’s determined the evening run has started. The Silo Restaurant will
offer additional food and beverages and there will be musical entertainment
by “Barbed Wired” at Waterfront Park. Beginning on Monday other restaurants
in Lewiston will offer smelt on their menus. Look for the fish flag outside
participating restaurants.

For those who would
rather dip for smelt away from the crowds just about any location along the
lower river will have smelt cruising by. You don’t have to go far out into
the river as the fish are very close to shore. Most streams that empty into
Lake Ontario will have smelt in them. Wait until dark to begin dipping and as
the night lengthens the dipping gets better. Check your nets carefully as you
could net trout or other game fish. Put them back carefully. Most tackle
stores have smelt dipping nets that meet legal requirement of less than 14
inches in diameter. There could be some ice flowing, but the larger floes
seem to have broken up. The water will be cold so dress accordingly and be extra
cautious, you don’t want to slip into the Niagara River at this time of year.

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OUTDOOR SCENE
By Joe Ognibene: 50 year veteran
outdoor writer

Sunday April 9 2007   

Despite the disappointing change
in weather conditions many of us are chomping at the bit to get the boat
in the water or start wading a favorite stream. There is still a lot of ice
in Lake Erie to melt away before the ice boom at the head of the Niagara
River is removed to open the river for fishing. Then all that ice has to
travel down the river, over the Falls, through Devil’s Hole and the length of
the lower Niagara into Lake Ontario before things can get started.

In case you haven’t yet heard, the
lower Niagara River at the mouth as it empties into Lake Ontario has once
again become a walleye hotspot. In years past the sand bar in front of Fort
Niagara is where most headed to catch blue pike, one of the tastiest fishes
that you could catch. Back then, the late 30s and early 40s, the yellow pike,
what we called walleyes back then, was sometimes tossed back in preference of
the blue pike. The blue is now considered
extinct, although every now and then claims are made of one being caught, but
not much comes of it.

Go to the Blue Pike pages for history on
the Blues on this website HERE!

The rule of thumb back then was, if
you wanted to catch lots of blues you fished
the sand bar. If you wanted big yellows you headed up river and fished the
shoreline from just below Lewiston down to Peggy’s Eddy, site of Joseph Davis
State Park. Some of the boaters who have been out for trout during the past
winter have caught walleye, but have been quiet about it. You are allowed one
walleye from the lower Niagara, 18 inches or more, until the first Saturday
in May when the limit rises to 3 a day.

       Another top walleye spot in where
the river empties into the lake. Follow the bottom as it rises from the
depths of the river onto the sand bar. Walleye are hanging on the edge
waiting for whatever drifts down to waiting mouths. Planer boards come in
handy at this time of year when walleye are chasing minnows close to shore. A
shallow running Rapala or similar lure works wonders on the south shore of Lake
Erie, it should do the same on Lake Ontario. Walleye could be chasing minnows
in water too shallow for your boat’s prop, but a planer board would do the
trick. Outside of Four Mile Creek could be a hot spot.

A favorite tool of drifting
walleye fishermen has long been the drifting iron. A drifting iron is simply
a rod of brass about 18 inches in length with a weight attached to take it
down. A clevis is located close to the top and from there a baited leader is
tied. The idea is to let the tip of the brass rod touch bottom now and then
allowing the bait to travel just off bottom where most fish find their food.
Few of us make drifting irons any longer, but you can buy them for a few
dollars at most tackle stores. The advantage of a drifting iron over a
dragged pencil lead is, that the slender brass rod rarely gets hung up in
rocks. If we get better weather and the ground warms gathering a few night
crawler worms is probably the best bait you could use. We hesitate to
recommend minnows due to all the restrictions because of the risk of
spreading VHS, a disease affecting fish that is rampant throughout the Great
Lakes. Any lure with lots of wiggle to it colored with some red and silver
should work just fine.

We can fish for bass all year now,
catch and release, but Ontario still has a closed season on small and large
mouth bass with an exception starting this year. In Ontario during the closed
season you are not allowed to target bass. In that province the season on
large and small mouth bass will open on the fourth Saturday in June instead
of the last Saturday. This gives fishing Ontario water for bass an extra week
this year. If you received your Ontario fishing license by mail and noticed
the Fishing Regulations booklet is dated 2005-2006 don’t be upset. This
booklet applies to 2007 until the 2008 booklets come out next year.

Heartiest congratulations to
fellow writer Bill Hilts Jr. and long-time friend John Long, who have
both been inducted into the New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame. Hilts,
outdoors specialist with Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation, is a
past president of New York State Outdoor Writers and done an exemplary job of
advertising Niagara area as one of the top fishing spots in the country.
Long, who has spent a lifetime working for the benefit of Niagara’s sportsmen
is also a past president of New York Outdoor Writers. He has served on many
committees and boards that have the state’s environment and sportsmen in
mind. Long, years ago, made his land available to the Niagara River Anglers
Association to build their walleye rearing ponds.