Outdoors category, Page 26

Pennsylvania hunting licenses for the 2019-20 season go on sale starting Monday, according to the state game commission. Beginning June 17, hunters can buy most licenses online, which will take up to 10 business days to arrive by mail. Licenses also can be purchased in person. Here is a link...

Kim Ranalla is bringing a feminine piece to the fishing gear market — and is hopeful it will help women feel comfortable in their own bodies. Ranalla, 48, of Latrobe runs Miss Mayfly, a local fishing gear company that mainly sells waders specifically designed to fit women’s bodies. “When (women)...

• The Youghiogheny River is yielding catches of walleye, channel catfish, smallmouth bass and trout to fishermen that are trolling its waters in the past few days. The bulk of the smallmouth bass and trout are being caught closer to Ohiopyle, and the walleye and catfish are toward the Layton...

Notices Outdoors RIFLE/TRAP LEAGUES • There were 174 shooters who competed in the Twi-Night Trap League on May 30, and 10 shooters with 25 straights, including four members of the Connellsville High School trap team. Connellsville finished in first place with a score of 199 targets. Hecla (194), Ruffsdale (190),...

• Despite the heavy rain last week, anglers at Lake Arthur are seeing a good deal of hybrid striped bass populating the deeper water. Meanwhile, in the shallow areas of the lake, the crappie are hitting well on nightcrawlers. Anglers also are using jigs and tube jigs in their setup...

Don’t become spaghetti. When I and some others used to teach boating safety to our troop of Scouts, and talk turned to hazards on the water, we offered that as one piece of advice. The initial look we got was usually one of confusion. But we explained it like this....

Lure of the week Lure name: Water Dragon Company: Culprit Lures (culprit.com) Lure type: Soft plastic lizard Sizes and colors: Available a 7-inch model in 12 colors, including Bama bug, black neon, swamp juice, green pumpkin, watermelon red and sapphire blue. Target species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass. Technique: There are...

There was giggling amid the chaos. That’s always a good sign. We had spent the morning hiking, the afternoon swimming and the first part of evening eating ice cream. We followed that with a dinner of simple but delicious pizza mountain pies. The next morning promised a guided striped bass...

It’s a different world deer hunters live in these days. That’s what Grant Woods believes, in at least one sense. Creator of GrowingDeerTV.com, Woods hunts all over the country. One change is evident everywhere he goes. “When I was a boy, growing up in Missouri, the only food plot was...

Dan Krivanek’s passion for the outdoors has been a way for him to give back. A teacher with the Chartiers Valley School District, a few students took notice of fishing photos on his desk. The students asked if Krivanek would take them fishing and teach them about the outdoors. He...

Lack of oversight is the biggest problem with how the Pennsylvania Game Commission handles its money. So says Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. His office audited the commission, looking at the years from July 2014 through June 2017. It released its report on May 30. The audit outlined 11 findings...

That 11-inch largemouth bass, the one you dismissively threw back into the water, labeling it a dink? Give it a little love. It has been through more than you think. Bass — and all fish, really, from bluegills to muskies — are slow growing. It takes them longer than some...

Gear of the week Gear name: Nitro 1800 Company: Bushnell (bushnell.com) Gear type: Laser rangefinder Product description: The Nitro 1800 is a rangefinder meant for both hunting and competition. It will range nonreflective targets — such as deer and elk — out to 800 yards and reflective targets out to...

Notices Outdoors RIFLE/TRAP LEAGUES • There were 152 shooters who battled rain and wind in the Twi-Night Trap League on May 30. Connellsville finished in first place with a score of 196 targets. East Huntingdon (192), Hecla (191), Ruffsdale (188) and Youngwood (187) rounded out the scoring. Connellsville (54) leads...

• Yellow Creek Lake is a hot spot for northern pike, with anglers reporting some fairly large catches of late. According to reports, one fisherman reeled in a northern pike that measured over 35 inches this past week. At the lake, anglers are also doing well with panfish and catfish....

Notices Outdoors RIFLE/TRAP LEAGUES • There were 155 shooters who battled heavy winds in the Twi-Night Trap League on May 23. Connellsville finished in first place with a score of 186 targets. Hecla (182), East Huntingdon (181), Youngwood (180) and Ruffsdale (174) and rounded out the scoring. Connellsville (49) leads...

Imagine a prince, tall and angular, or a princess, long and curvy. Either with a rakish bit of long, flowing hair, dark, piercing eyes and a regal way of moving. They seem all grace and refinement. Royal, almost. And then … “SQUAAAAWK!” They open their mouth and the noise that...

The weather might be — even should be — better this time around. Shoot, it can’t be much worse. Last September, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission waterways conservation officers in the southwest corner of the state held their inaugural “Fish with a WCO” event for children. It took place at...

Lure of the Week Lure name: Thunder Cricket Company: Strike King (strikeking.com) Lure type: Vibrating jig Sizes and colors: Available four sizes — 3/8-, ½-, 5/8- and ¾-ounces — in 10 colors, including, black/blue, white/chartreuse, Falcon Lake craw, bluegill, bruiser and red/yellow/pink/green. Target species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass. Technique: Brand...

To call it an entirely new thing would be to insult every Bohemian gypsy who ever has pedaled around the countryside. But it’s definitely a modern tweak on an ancient idea. And it suddenly has gone mainstream. Bikepacking — basically backpacking by bicycle — is surging in popularity as more...

• In Allegheny County, the Ohio River is shaping up to be a good spot for anglers who are aiming to catch walleye and muskellunge. Catfish also are biting, mostly at nightcrawlers. The hot spots in this section of the Ohio are apparently around the base of the structures that...

Authorities say a fisherman has died after he tried to help a friend who had fallen into a creek in eastern Pennsylvania. The Monroe County coroner’s office says the men were fishing in McMichael Creek in Stroudsburg when one of them lost his footing and fell into the water late...

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will offer its first of two Fish-For-Free Days on Sunday, when anyone can fish, even without a state fishing license. The second free fishing day will be July 4. The commission is offering the free days to open up fishing opportunities for the public,...

Notices Outdoors RIFLE/TRAP LEAGUES • There were 181 shooters who competed in the Twi-Night Trap League on May 16. Connellsville finished in first place with a score of 200 targets. Youngwood (195), Ruffsdale (194), East Huntingdon (188) and Hecla (186) rounded out the scoring. Connellsville (44) leads the season standings,...

• The trout bite at Keystone Lake isn’t overwhelming any of its visitors, but fishermen are claiming a steady number of catches throughout the majority of the lake during the last few days. One area that does not appear to be providing a lot of action, however, is the dam...