OUTDOOR NOTES – Warm Weather Has Produced Some Hot Spots

By TOM MEADE

Unseasonably warm weather offers anglers the opportunity to get out on the water more often, and they’re catching fish.

During the holidays, Eben Horton fished Great Island in Galilee and caught five striped bass, one a 15.6-pounder, another weighing 10.25 pounds, and three schoolies, according to Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters.

Neilson also said that boaters are catching mackerel around Point Judith.

“The bite has been great on the fresh water side with all the local ponds producing some of the best fishing of the year,” he said. “One of our customers has been pulling trout, bass, and panfish out of Tuckers Pond [in South Kingstown] on a daily basis. Barbers Pond [also in South Kingstown] had some nice salmon taken out of it last week.”

The state Division of Fish and Wildlife has also stocked salmon in Carbuncle Pond in Coventry and Meadowbrook Pond in Richmond, Neilson said.

A report from Quaker Lane Outfitters in North Kingstown said saltwater fishing is dead, but trout fishing is good.

Party boat anglers are still catching sea bass along with red hake, according to the skippers of the Frances Fleet. “The sea bass seem to be around any piece of hard bottom,” they report.

The fleet has scheduled a wreck trip to catch sea bass next Saturday. As of Thursday, there were 21 spots still open. For more information, call the Frances Fleet office at 783-4988.

The right track

Garmin International, the company known for its GPS navigational aids, plans to introduce the Astro GPS Dog Tracking System for sporting dogs tomorrow at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I certainly could have used one when my old beagle took off on a hare track.

“With the Astro, there’s no wondering where your dog is or what he’s doing,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “There is no subscription or setup fee required to use the device, and when you consider Garmin’s heritage of innovation and reliability, it’s easy to see that the Astro GPS dog tracker is a one-of-a-kind device.”

The system has two components: the dog’s transmitter and the handler’s receiver. The transmitter is mounted into a neoprene harness that straps to the dog’s collar, around its chest, and behind its front legs. You can also thread it onto a standard one- inch collar so that the unit fits on the back of the dog’s neck.

The system requires very little configuration straight out of the box, according to a company announcement. Once the transmitter and receiver acquire a GPS signal, the receiver automatically lets the handler know the dog’s location. “Unlike radio telemetry collars, the Astro features a dog page that shows the precise direction and distance to a dog — even indicating if it is running, sitting, on point, or treeing quarry,” according to a company announcement.

The unit has many more features that work in concert with Google Earth, Mapsource and other software. There’s even a feature that allows a hunter to mark the locations where their dogs found game.

The Astro’s suggested retail price is $649.99, and it should be available in June. There is an interactive demo online at http:// www.garmin.com/astro.

The site has some terrific video with a handsome English setter.

Give it a shot

One of the best shooting ranges in the region is public, and it has reopened for the winter.

The Great Swamp shooting range, operated by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, reopened last week. It’s available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The range will open on a full-time basis April 1, according to an announcement from the Department of Environmental Management.

To shoot there, you need a free permit available at the Division of Fish and Wildlife offices at the Stedman Government Center in Wakefield, the Great Swamp Management Area, or DEM’s Office of Licensing and Boat Registration at DEM Headquarters, 235 Promenade St., Providence.

The range is located in the Great Swamp Management Area, off Rte. 138 in Kingston. It has a 50-yard rifle or pistol range, which can accommodate up to eight shooters, as well as a shotgun field for clay targets.

Officers announced

The Bristol County Striper Club has elected Joe Velardo, president; Dennis Carusoe, first vice president; Al Elson, second vice president; Jim Polando, treasurer; Charlie Brown, recording secretary; John Silva, corresponding secretary, and Bob Ferioli, sergeant at arms.

The club meets in Warren on the second Wednesday of the month, and there are openings for new members. For information call (401) 254-2006.

tmeade@projo.com / (401) 277-7340

(c) 2007 Providence Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.