Try your luck with these fishing tips

Plastic worms have been around for a long time and with good reason. They work! For clear water, try using a 5- to 6-inch worm without weight but with an 1/8-ounce jighead instead — use this combination with a light or thin diameter line. Or try the Carolina rig with a sinker placed ahead of the worm to keep the worm just above the bottom. Works good if you're drifting with the wind or trolling slowly with an electric motor. The amount of weight used depends on depth of the water in maintaining contact with the bottom. The deeper the water, the heavier the weight needed.

If bass aren't taking the regular worms or jigs, try a 4- to 5-inch worm. The short finesse or french-fry worm will dart like a crayfish when moved. It can be rigged Texas-style with a 3/0 hook and 3/16- to 1/4-ounce weight and fished along the bottom or flipped into heavy brush like a larger worm.

If you fish under docks to locate hiding bass, work a weightless worm and let it linger before retrieving; for working shallow cover, try using a buoyant floating worm. Begin with watermelon or pumpkin seed colors. In fast water with low visibility, start with dark blue with flecks, black, dark red or black with a blue tail; dark colors with a chartreuse or blue tail or shad-like worms that have flecks and lighter bellies often do the trick. Let the bait settle after it hits the water, then twitch lightly once or twice while waiting (and hoping) for a bite.

Tips worth trying: While you're fishing, try sprinkling moth flakes on the bottom of your boat to discourage mosquitoes. Instead of carrying swivels loose in your tackle box where its hard to keep them from hiding, string them onto a safety pin so you can get to them fast when you need one. If you like to fish with live bait, try sprinkling bread with sugar and moisten slightly. Leave this concoction on the ground overnight beneath a cloth or newspaper to collect a supply of crickets, an excellent bait for both bass and panfish.

While you're going to the water for that fishing fun, take along a trash bag or two with you and pick up trash and other litter while you're there, then take it all home for proper disposal. This is one way we can try to keep our fishing areas clean and neat for the next time we head out with fishing pole in hand and will go a long way in keeping access to the water open for our future fishing fun.

Fishing clubs

• Desert Bass Anglers “The Fun Way to Fish”: Open Team Tournament is Oct. 6 with sign-up 45 minutes prior to safe light that morning at Fisher's Landing. Call Mac or Bobbi McDermott for details. You can fish the first tournament as a non-member, after that membership is $15 ($10 each additional family member) with reasonable tournament fees.

• Yuma Pro Am Series: Check online at Bob@yumaproam.com or call Bob La Londe at 580-1270 for latest results or details on upcoming tournaments. Pay the $15 membership and reasonable entry fees online as well.

• Wednesday Jackpot Derby at Fisher's Landing: Entry $5 with sign-up at 8 a.m. at the gas dock. Weigh-in around 1 p.m. with the winner taking all for one big fish, any species. Also fish the Swede Ferguson Memorial Bass Derby each month with $10 sign-up anytime during the month at Fisher's. Winner takes all for biggest bass determined the last day of the month. Call Jimmy Phipps at 782-2207.

• Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club: Check next week's column for results of the first-ever Cats and Carp Slime Fest or call David or Jonathan Parrish at 941-6168.

• MCAS Recreation Area: Call Mike Castello at 783-3422 to learn about fishing, camping and other outdoor activities at Martinez Lake/Colorado River for Yuma area military personnel and families.

• Bass Class on the Water: To learn how, when and where to catch bass at local waters in all seasons and conditions in the Yuma area with a bass boat and all equipment provided, call Dave Willhide at 782-2621. Ask about seminars available for RV parks and home groups.

• Slim Evans Memorial Catfish Derby Saturday and Sept. 30: $20 entry per person with $100 guaranteed for 1st place along with a rod and reel provided by Fisher's Landing Resort with fishing from 2 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday with scales closing Sunday at 7 a.m. in time for the $5 breakfast available to all contestants at Fisher's Grill. Sign-up at the gas dock with late sign-up in the bar until 8 p.m. Saturday.

Hunt happenings

• Trash cleanup: The cleanup previously set for Saturday with sign-up at Mittry Lake will be held in December instead. But that won't keep each of us from cleaning up litter when — and anywhere — we see it. Just take a trash bag along with you each time you venture out. Remind others as well to “Leave it better than we find it.” Do what we need to do to keep our outdoors cleaned up and friendly for all of us when we want to enjoy it next time.

• Free Firearms Safety Education Class: The class is at Sprague's Sports Monday for youngsters 10-14 who would like to hunt for big game in Arizona must complete the class. It's open to anyone wanting to hunt, even for experience hunters as a refresher. The learning is incredible. Call Sprague's at 726-0022 for times of classes.

• Refuse to be a victim class (for ladies) Oct. 6: Sign-up today at Sprague's Sports for $29 for the excellent non-firearms street safety awareness class. Call 726-0022 and sign-up today.

• Spring Hunt application deadline is Oct. 9: Don't miss out on applying for turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear. Online applications service available. Check the information booklet (regulations) for hunt numbers and other necessary information. Good time to go over the information as a refresher while you have the book open.

Shooting sports

• Youngsters wanting to shoot firearms: Yuma Young Guns, ages 9-25, for males and females interested in the Shotgun Shooting Sports and the Yuma Scholastic Clay Target program. Contact head coach H. McNutt at 314-0179, coach John Gross 580-4836 or coach Wes Burch at 580-4495.

• 4-H Yuma County shooting sports program is open to 4-H members. Call Stanley Gourley at 344-0740 or the 4-H office at 726-3904.

• Venture Shooting Sports for boys and girls: Contact Yuma-area Boy Scouts for information on their firearms programs available for Yuma youngsters. Call the office at 782-1896.

• Yuma-area archery for all ages: Come shoot the trail of 3D target animals at 7:30 a.m. Sundays with Renegade Archers at the Foothills Archery Range located east of Foothills Blvd. up against the Gila Mountains, south side of I-8. Directions: Taking the south Frontage Road from I-8, at south Foothills Blvd., drive 2 miles east to Avenue 15E, turn right and head south 1 mile to just past the Golf Range pond on the right. Turn left (east) at the Archery Range signs and follow the dirt road to the range. Adult fees $3, with youngsters always free of charge, free use of equipment by request prior to the shoot. We are very glad to help any child or adult learn how to shoot. Call Jean Wilson at 247-4450 or Kevin at 726-0953.

• Southwest Bowhunters at Adair Park: Archery shoots at 7 p.m. Sundays at the Adair Park range with the practice range open all week. Call Wayne Wittenberg at 314-0140.

• Yuma Trap and Skeet Club: Open trap and skeet 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays at Adair Park. Call Gary Knight at 210-0805.

• Yuma Territorial Longrifles Club: Open black powder matches at 8:30 a.m. 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month at Adair Park. Call Dennis Hansel at 342-7573.

• Cholla Gun Club: Open .22 Rifle and Pistol Silhouette “Fun” Matches at 8:30 a.m. Fridays at the Adair Park metallic silhouette range. Call Rick or Glenda at 502-0736.

• Yuma Rifle and Pistol Club: Check next week for latest results or call Paul Lerma at 783-6766 or Gerald Brooker at 305-9681.

• Yuma Matchmasters: Open Cowboy Matches today at the Adair Park small bore range. Call Ron Gissendaner at 726-0022 for shooting information.

Contact Jean Wilson at jeanrenegade@gmail.com or call 247-4450.