The Daily Times

The summer solstice, the first day of summer, will arrive at 7:09 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 20. The sun will stand still (solstice) in its daily progress northward in the sky and then begin moving southward.

This day has the longest period of daylight of the year. For this latitude and longitude the sun will rise at 6:20 a.m. and it will be on the northeastern horizon; it will set at 8:55 p.m. on the northwestern horizon.

• Applications for the 2012 big game quota hunts on the wildlife management areas are available now at license agencies and online at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Website, http://www.tnwildlife.org . The filing period runs through July 25.

Remember that the $20 refundable filing fee has been replaced with a $10 non-refundable permit fee.

There are two ways to file your application. Fill out the form but do not mail it in. Take it to a license agency and they will collect the $10 permit fee for each application, plus a $1 agent’s fee; or, file online and pay a $10 permit fee plus a $2 Internet agent’s fee.

There are no permit fees charged — by either online or agent — to Sportsman or Lifetime licenses, or seniors with license Type 167. The TWRA does not get the agents’ fees, just the permit fees.

The priority system is in effect for previously unsuccessful applicants. Make sure that all instructions are followed carefully. The earlier you file, the more likely a filing mistake can be corrected; so, don’t put it off.

Note to bowhunters: There are now nine archery hunts available on the deer-rich Oak Ridge Reservation with quotas from 175 hunters to 250 each, occurring in October, November and December.

• Sowing the seeds for more gun control. If you are one of the 80 million Americans that owns a firearm, heed this story.

It is approaching one year since the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform opened its hearings on the illegal gun running activities of the U.S. Justice Department called “Fast and Furious.” The Committee has been thwarted and stalled at every request for information by Attorney General Eric Holder. Eventually the Committee issued subpoenas for thousands of documents and the subpoenas have all been ignored. The Committee Chair Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is about to take a drastic and historic step to get cooperation.

On Thursday of next week the Committee will vote on whether Holder will be held in contempt of Congress. If the Committee cites Holder for contempt, the full House would likely take up the matter, the first such vote ever by the U.S. House (at least in modern times).

For the past year news coverage of the “Fast and Furious” hearings has been sparse in newspapers and network television. Only Fox News has consistently followed it. Stay informed on this issue.

• Do your catfish fillets have an extra fishy or off flavor? Here is a remedy for that. Put your fillets in a plastic bag with ice and 7UP soft drink; place the bag in an ice chest for two to three hours. Cook them any way you like and the meat will be sweet and tasty.

When frying catfish, the meat will be firm and delicious if you first get the fillets as cold as possible — like soaking them in ice water for a few minutes — before you batter and fry them.

Do you want to catch large numbers of eating-size catfish, or really big catfish? Check out this new book, “Catfish Like a Pro.” Author John E. Phillips interviews some of the best catfish anglers in the world to learn their techniques. The book can be found at http://www.amazon.com in print or e-book form.

Tom Wiest welcomes news, questions and comments from readers. Contact him at (wiest.tom@gmail.com)