’Bama Rig on TWRA list of proposals
By Tom Wiest | (wiest.tom@gmail.com)
The proposed changes to the 2013 fishing regulations have been announced by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and this year there are several issues that anglers may want to wade into before the final decisions are made in October.
The proposals cover a variety of topics including Alabama rigs, skipjack herring, wild trout streams, walleye on Cherokee Reservoir, and bass on Pickwick, Parksville and Cordell Hull reservoirs. Other proposals would affect commercial fishing in several ways. For a complete list of the proposals go to http://www.tnwildlife.org .
The Alabama rig has been a contentious topic this past year. The TWRA wants to simplify the rule on such umbrella rigs. One proposal is to limit anglers to three hooks per rod. The 3-hook proposal is much simpler to interpret and offers a compromise between anglers that wish to fish five hooks with those that feel only one hook should be used on multi-lure arrays. Single point, double point, and treble (3 points) hooks would each be counted as one hook.
Another proposal is a first-ever creel limit on skipjack herring of 50 per day (100 possession limit). In recent years demand for baitfish has resulted in intense harvest of Tennessee’s skipjack with some anglers harvesting them by the hundreds.
The public is invited to provide comments on the 2013 proposals until Oct. 15. Comments may be sent to (TWRA.Comment@tn.gov) , or TWRA, Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include “2013 Fish Comments” on the subject line of emailed submissions.
• Whether today’s well-equipped archery hunter is heading to a woodlot treestand just a few miles from home or to a distant wildlife management area, there is a good chance he or she carries a standard piece of equipment that would have been unusual — and illegal — just a few years ago: A handgun.
Personal safety is a daily concern with most Americans, and sport hunters are no exception. I am not talking about the natural threats in some regions from grizzly bears, mountain lions, wild hogs, and now wolves. The modern, nationwide threat is from criminal activity that has invaded once-pristine rural areas.
Today’s outlaws are more likely to be marijuana growers or methamphetamine cookers, and these miscreants are far more aggressive and deadly. For several years Tennessee has ranked as one of the top states in meth lab busts in the nation.
• A hunter education class for Blount County will begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 (M-Tu-Th-F) at Lanier Elementary School. Students should be at least nine years old and should bring a pencil and their Social Security number. Do not bring a gun.
Tom Wiest welcomes news, questions and comments from readers. Contact him at (wiest.tom@gmail.com)
