Turkey calls, bike fishing and more outdoors news

Tip of the week

There is a place for one-piece fishing rods. A bicycle is not always one of them. Bikes make it possible to access fishing spots like back-country lakes you might not get to otherwise, or at least hit more pools along a river trail than typical in a day. But a rod that is too long often will cause all sorts of troubles. You invariably will get them caught in branches, break off the tip or encounter some other woe. Some spinning and fly rods break down into four or more pieces. They are great tools for this kind of exploring. Carry them disassembled — in a rod tube or held together with Velcro ties — and you have a rod ready to travel.

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Gear of the week

Gear name: May Day

Company: Triple Toe Calls (https://www.everybodyshops.com/may-day-turkey-call-triple-toe-calls.html)

Gear type: Turkey call

Product description: Spring gobbler seasons are approaching quickly around the country. So if you’re looking to add a new call to the arsenal and still have time to practice with it, time is running short. Here is one to consider: A high-pitched, shrill call is what is needed sometimes to get the attention of, and spur action by, an otherwise reluctant spring gobbler. This is where the May Day turkey glass pot call comes in. They can be very loud and raspy. Sometimes, they even offer a bit of a whine, sounding like a turkey pleading for someone else to stop by. It has a glass surface, so it can be used in wet or dry conditions.

Available options: This is a smaller-sized pot call, which makes it ideal for those with smaller hands, especially children and women.

Suggested retail price: $27.50.

Notable: As with all pot calls, work it by holding the call lightly, just by the fingertips. That will allow for the best, loudest sound.

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Outdoors oddity of the week

This is a lot of nightcrawlers.

U.S. fishermen and women spend, on average, $1,288 per year in pursuit of their sport. Or at least they did in 2016, the last time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked the question.

And that’s without getting on the water all that often.

According to the Service, the average angler takes 11 fishing trips a year and gets on the water 13 days.

Do the math, and that means every fishing trip costs about $99.

If that is true, it is no surprise other numbers in the report are so big.

There were 35.8 million anglers that year. Most — 30.1 million — do their thing in freshwater as opposed to salt.

But all anglers are willing to part with cash. Their total expenditures were $461 billion.

Most of their dollars go to trip-related expenses. They spent $21.7 billion on food and lodging, transportation and costs such as bait, guides, cabin rentals and more.

Not far behind were equipment-related expenses. Anglers spent $21.1 billion on fishing equipment, auxiliary equipment (such as clothes and camping gear) and special equipment (boats and cabins).

The rest of their money went to land leasing and ownership, licenses, stamps, tags and permits, membership dues and contributions and magazine subscriptions, DVDs and books.

So, who here is spending that much?