BUZZBAIT [G E A R ] Fishin’ Shoot
CAPTURE THE BEST STILL AND VIDEO SHOTS WITH THESE NEW WATERPROOF POINT-AND-SHOOTS AND VIDEO CAMS
you see is what they caught. And what you see looks great with 10-megapixel technology. What used to be a dicey deal on the water with our cameras is now a non-issue. We have small and we have waterproof and the images look pretty darn sweet! As a fishing journalist, I stick one in my vest if I don’t have my SLR along. While I prefer the pro camera for serious photo work, I know I can score a coup in a pinch with a point-and-shoot. If you want to record the entire tussle, try a waterproof video
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camera. Mini video cams shoot similar quality as the cameras’ movie mode but come with mounting hardware for easier hands-free capture of your misadventures. These may be waterproof, but don’t forget to prevent corrosion
by giving your camera a freshwater rinse after a bout at sea. Try that with your old camera!
[C O N S E R VAT I O N]
Regulations Spawn Confusion
WHETHER OR NOT SALMON CATCH-AND-RELEASE IS LEGAL DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK
his plans to shoot ahead several places in
NCKA.com’s multi-species Angler of the Year contest by carefully catching, photographing and releasing an Eel River chinook could land him in legal jeopardy. With no ocean season to speak of, salmon
I
were 2008’s “devil fish”—a hard-to-come- by cascade of contest points. And the words in California’s 2008–2009 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations Booklet stated in unam- biguous bold-face type that catch-and-release fishing for salmon is permissible (the limit is zero) except where waters are explicitly closed. Many anglers fish the Eel River in the fall with the apparent blessing of the Califor- nia Department of Fish and Game (DFG). Yet it wasn’t to be. NCKA’s hardcore kayak
anglers include several fisheries biologists whose professional duties include monitor- ing federally endangered salmon—including the Eel’s coastal chinook. Tey alerted Stock-
18… KAYAK ANGLER spring 2009
T WAS WITH GREAT SURPRISE and consternation that Eric Stockwell learned
well to a sticky issue: if he went ahead with his plan, he’d break federal law. Hooking an endangered salmon depletes
its stores of energy. Even when released in good condition, it has burned a lot of its bio- logical battery, reducing the chance of mating successfully. Te Endangered Species Act is blunt about such things. Prohibited “take” in- cludes harassment, harm, pursuit and hunt- ing, and attempts to engage in conduct such as catch-and-release fishing. Given the state’s position, the revelation
was an education for much of the NCKA membership. For AOTY contest official Chuck Espiritu, the solution is simple—a rule clarification. “For 2009, if you can’t keep it, it won’t count,” he says. Stockwell, a lifelong fisherman who proud-
ly wears his conservation credentials, is out- raged with the DFG. Immediately declaring that he will curtail or eliminate his river fish- ing, he set himself a new mission. “I don’t know how I’ll go about accomplishing my
Rules blur right and wrong. PHOTO:
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
goal,” Stockwell admits of his plans to bring attention to the DFG’s neglect of federal law. “I live here, have for most of my life. Te
DFG has indicated nothing about the catch- and-release fishery being against a federal rule. Who’s supposed to enforce this?” Stock- well asks. He’s deeply concerned with the threats facing the majestic chinook. Like his peers he reveres and wants to preserve them, but at the same time yearns to hook into one of the great creatures to feel the thrill of its en- ergy. It’s a contradiction mirrored in the con- flict between state and federal governments. —Paul Lebowitz
ITH THE ADVENT of palm-sized, waterproof cameras, kayak anglers have zero license to stretch the truth. What
OLYMPUS STYLUS 1050SW
Credit Olympus with adding innovative “Tap Control”, which lets you operate various functions with gloves on just by tapping the top, back and sides. Sexy as hell in svelte black and everything-proof: waterproof to 10 feet, shockproof, crushproof and freeze proof. It has 10-megapixel resolution with a 3x optical zoom (38—114 mm at 35 mm equivalency), a 2.7-inch LCD screen, and a 640 x 480 movie mode at 30 or 15 frames per second. $300 //
olympusamerica.com
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