In The Outdoors

From the frustration in Ray Granmoe’s voice, there was no mistaking things weren’t going the way he had hoped they would when the evening began. Granmoe, an auctioneer, was about halfway through the live auction at the annual fundraising banquet for the local chapter of the Safari Club International and already had called a pass on five of the first 16 items because the bidding was insufficient or nonexistent.

To my surprise, only a handful of vehicles were parked near the fishing pier at Boulder Harbor when I parked my truck in front of the sign that read “No Parking from here to the water.” It was about 4:30 p.m.

Anglers who enjoy fishing the upper reaches of Lake Mohave will be happy to learn the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery will resume its rainbow trout-stocking program on Jan. 16. The first plant will be made at Willow Beach, with second and third plants scheduled for Davis Camp and Riverside below Davis Dam. Those plants will occur the following week.

As the new year dawns, America’s sportsmen and the wildlife resources we treasure face an uncertain future.

Happy holidays to all. May the season be joyous for you and your family. And if you are one of the many who went fishing or waterfowl hunting this morning, I hope the dog house is dry and warm. You might need it.

In late November, I received an e-mail from Bill Schnuckel, a Henderson resident since 1981. Schnuckel, like so many Southern Nevadans during the past year or so, had fallen victim to the Bureau of Land Management’s off-highway travel closure that surrounds the greater Las Vegas area. He was preparing to make his initial appearance in federal court.

Anglers no longer have to wait for the striped bass action to heat up at Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Although stripers had been biting, the storm that passed through during Thanksgiving week seemed to give action a little jump-start.

We’ve all heard the stories about the guy who shot his deer, elk, bear or (fill in the blank) with a spectacular shot at 600, 700 or even 800 yards. A few of us probably have told such stories. The story usually authenticates how the distance of the shot was determined. Such statements are designed to add credibility to an otherwise eyebrow-raising narrative.

We are so caught up in political correctness nowadays that I don’t know whether it falls within the guidelines of acceptability to be thankful on Thanksgiving Day, or even to consider the holiday a national day of thanks giving. But since I’ve never been accused of being politically correct, I am going to climb out on the proverbial limb and say thanks.

While fishing at Lake Mead recently, I couldn’t help but notice the crowd that squeezed together at the end of the fishing pier that reaches into Boulder Harbor, where Lake Mead Marina used to be. Where there was room to fit perhaps 10 anglers comfortably, I could see double that, and nearly everyone had at least two fishing rods. The situation didn’t look fun, but as time went by, it provided a few laughs.