Submitted Photo Cormorants are seen a lot throughout the Great Lakes. This one was caught sunning itself.

Maybe the third time will be the charm.

Wednesday’s ice status on Chautauqua Lake revealed there is a lot of open water.

With Wednesday’s temperatures hanging around the freezing mark, it will probably take a couple of warm days, along with some rainfall, to open the inland lakes up for boat fishing. Mike Sperry at Chautauqua Reel Outdoors at Lake Wood commented the channels were still iced over so calicos and perch fishing are on hold. It won’t take long once the temperature starts to warm up. Skip Bianco at Hogan’s Hut did comment that a few anglers connected with walleye right up to the close of that season on March 15.

The department of Environmental conservation is reaching out to anglers who fish the Allegheny River. The DEC has been stocking sauger in that water system and reminds anglers to release these fish. Sauger are similar in shape to walleye, with several notable differences. Sauger have horizontal rows of black spots on their dorsal fin, black saddle like markings on the sides and most notable they are missing the white tip on the tail. Walleye have a defined white tip on the tail. The DEC has been stocking sauger in the Allegheny River since 2014 and during the 2017 survey a sauger measuring over 17 inches in length was reported. For more information on the sauger Conservation Management Plan, go to the DEC’s website at www.dec.nygov/outdoor /fishing.html.

Outdoor writer Bill Hilt’s Jr. has an interesting article on the State of Lake Ontario in a recent publication of New York Outdoor News and one item caught my eye in regards to a problem on that lake that include the DEC’s inability to conduct any lethal control on double crested cormorants this year, which will also include the inability to destroy nests or oil the eggs. That, according to Bill’s article, only leaves “harrasement” as the only control mechanism for about nine months. Cormorants can have a devastating impact on fish stocks, bait and near shore fishing. It makes you wonder if they could be having an impact on our local bait and any negative impact on our yellow perch. Please note these comments are only questions, not cold hard facts.

Calendar:

The WNY Heroes. Inc. presents Monster Whitetail event, Guns & XBows. There will be a main event on Saturday, April 22 held at the Knights of Columbus in Cheektowaga. The event will feature 60 outdoors-themed prizes. There will also be two pre-events including one held on April 1 at the American Legion in Cassadaga, with the doors opening at 4:30 p.m. Your admission ticket will include food drinks and automatic entry into the April 22 event. You do not have to be present to win. Sponsoring the Cassadaga event are Jay Hattaway and Troy Forbes. The pre-purchase of one ticket for $40 allows you to attend all three events. Go to kenwhite13@gmail.com, or call Ken at 818-8075 or log on to www.harvestmoonoutdoors.com for more information. The other pre-event is on April 8 at Hidden Valley Animal Adventures, Royce Road, Varysburg N.Y.

A preview of coming activities at the Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club include: April 8, Rimfire spinner target shoot; May 3, 3-D archery; May 7, 3-D archery shoot; and May 20, Rimfire spinner target shoot. Registration for archery events are from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. and gun events are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. All events are open to the public. For more information, contact Rod Becker at 485-2773. The Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club is located at 4391 Cassadaga-Stockton Road, Stockton.

The Eastern Lake Erie Charter Boat Association will conduct a meeting on Friday, April 7 at the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, located at Mullet Street in Dunkirk. Agenda will include the Dunkirk Air Show on July 1-2, Boats for the 2017 VIP day on Aug. 9, Canadian Border water Issues and more. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

There will be a hunter safety training course at the Con Club on April 19-20 from 5-10 p.m. Two-day attendance is mandatory. Register with the DEC online starting on March 10. There will also be a hunter safety course at the Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club on April 5-6 from 6-10 p.m. Two-day attendance is mandatory. The hunter safety courses are free.

There will be gun shows coming up at the following areas:

Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, at the Harbor Creek Fire Department Social Hall, located at 7275 Buffalo Road, US Route 20 (located between North East Pa., and Harborcreek). Dates are March 18-19 from 9 a.m. until 4p.m. and 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., respectively.

Ashtabula County Sportsmen’s Gun Show at Saybrook Banquet Centre, located at 3116 North Bend Road (off Route 20) Ashtabula, Ohio, 44004. Dates are Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, from 9 a.m. until 4.m. and 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., respectively. For more information on any of the shows, contact Larry Spicer at 792-9972, visit LRgunshows@gmail.com, or write to Larry Spicer at P.O. Box 294, North East, Pa. 16428.

If your club or organization is holding a hunter safety training/trapping course or a turkey shoot or other outdoors event and would like to see it posted in the calendar, send information to the OBSERVER, 10 East Second St., Dunkirk, N.Y. 14048 or call the Sports Dept. at 366-3000 ext. 5 after 6 p.m.

Note: If you have a big-game fishing or trapping success story you would like to share, call 366-1772, or 467-2079 and leave a name, phone number and a time you can be reached. You can also call 366-3000 after 5 p.m. at ext. 5.

Gene Pauszek is an OBSERVER outdoors columnist. Send comments to sports@observertoday.com