Fishing trip to Canada nets hundreds of walleyes

Catch of the Week

It had been 10 years since Jim Swinehart traveled to Canada for a fly-in fishing trip.

Chances are, it won’t take him that long to go back. Not after the four days he and his friends experienced in early August.

Fishing on Lake Metionga, about 150 miles north of International Falls, Minn., they had a dream trip. Using jigheads tipped with either minnows or leeches, they caught hundreds of walleyes.

Swinehart accounted for nearly 100 of those fish, most of which were released. The one he was most excited about was a 25-inch trophy.

“That was a wonderful trip,” Swinehart said. “I came back to the Missouri heat, and I caught some big crappies on Table Rock.

“But I miss Canada. I can’t wait to go back.”

The group’s success didn’t come as a total surprise. Metionga, which covers 10,000 acres and is six miles long, is known for its walleye and northern pike fishing.

Let the duck hunting begin

With all the recent heat and humidity, it’s hard to believe that it’s time to dig out the camouflage and waders.

But the teal season will open Saturday in Missouri and Sept. 13 in the Kansas Low Plains Zone. Only subspecies of teal, such as bluewings and greenwings, will be legal game. Other ducks get a free pass.

The season structure was set years ago by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, primarily to give duck hunters a shot at the early migrating bluewings, which often are gone by the time the regular duck season opens.

So, what should Missouri and Kansas hunters expect when the season opens? In Missouri, the Bob Brown, Nodaway, Fountain Grove and Grand Pass areas all have several hundred teal and fairly good water conditions. In Kansas, Cheyenne Bottoms has good water conditions and 15,000 teal. he McPherson and Quivira areas also have more than 1,000 teal and the shallow water that the early migrants like.

Deer season? Already?

OK, this doesn’t feel like deer-hunting weather. But regardless of the conditions, thousands of hunters will be out Saturday for opening day of the deer season for youth and hunters with disabilities. The season will run through Sept. 14, then the archery and muzzleloader seasons will open Sept. 15.

In Missouri, the first deer season will open Sept. 15, when archery hunting gets under way.

Deadline for duck hunters

Duck hunters wanting to reserve a position on wetlands managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation have until Sept. 19 to turn in applications.

Hunters must apply by then for spots at 12 conservation areas by going online and filling out the application blank at the website mdc.mo.gov/node/3806. Drawing results for entire season will be announced at the same website on Oct. 1.

Hunting spots at Grand Pass, Eagle Bluffs and Otter Slough will be allocated through the Quick Draw system, as they have in recent years. Quick Draw applications will be available a few days before the hunting period.

Nonresidents can’t apply in either the the traditional or Quick Draw systems. However, residents can include nonresidents in their hunting parties.

Chapman misses Classic cut

Brent Chapman is out, Casey Scanlon is clinging to a slight hope.

That’s the story of the race to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic, the crown jewel of professional bass fishing.

Chapman, who lives at Lake Quivira, dropped out of contention when he finished in 52nd place in the final regular-season points standing. It marks the first time since 2007 that he hasn’t qualified for the Classic.

Scanlon, who is from Lenexa, finished in 47th place, enough to land him a berth in the Angler of the Year Championship on Sept. 18-21. But he will have to do extremely well in that event, a last-ditch qualifier for the Classic, to leapfrog other fishermen and earn enough points to make the championship tournament. The top 35 to 38 fishermen will earn Classic berths, depending on who double qualifies (for example, a fisherman who won a regular-season tournament and also qualified based on overall points).

Youth waterfowl clinic set

Memo to youngsters who are aspiring duck hunters: Get mom or dad to cancel plans for Oct. 11 and 25 and sign you up for the Wilderness Lodge Youth Waterfowl Clinic and Hunt.

The event, based at Johnny and Linda Everhart’s lodge near Clinton, Mo., is in its 20th year. It is open to youngsters ages 9 through 15.

The first session will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will include talks on duck-hunting basics and a chance to shoot at clay targets. The Oct. 25 session will be a guided waterfowl hunt.

The event will be sponsored by the Everharts and several conservation organizations and retail outlets. To reserve a place, call the Everharts at 660-885-5049.

This story was originally published September 4, 2014 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Fishing trip to Canada nets hundreds of walleyes."