Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Winter tips for boaters

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001 | 12:03 p.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears weekly. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

The dip in temperature in Southern Nevada means it is time to take care of "winterizing" our boats and approach the outdoors with more preparation than in warmer times.

The Nevada Division of Wildlife has some recommendations to help boaters save time and money when next spring's boating season rolls around.

"Although they are designed for a marine environment, the best place to store a boat is out of the water," said David Pfiffner, supervising game warden for NDOW.

The boat should be covered to protect it from the sun, rain and other elements. A climate-controlled storage area is best, but can be costly. Form-fitted, canvas covers or inexpensive plastic tarps are affordable alternatives.

NDOW offers the following tips for winterizing recreational boats:

"It's also a good time to report your change of address to NDOW if you moved during the past year," said Kathy Teligades, NDOW license office supervisor. "Renewal information for 2002 will be mailed to boat owners early next month. Boaters who have changed their mailing address but have not notified us of the change will not be receiving their renewals."

Changes should be reported to NDOW's Las Vegas office at 486-5121.

Teligades said boat registrations are based on the calendar year. This means that boats must display the current year's stickers when they are under way. Boat registration information, including registration fees, are available on NDOW's website (nevadadivisionofwildlife.org).

Jack Gadlage of Logandale placed 21st, bringing home $1,300.

In 31st place -- one spot out of the money -- was Las Vegan Gabriel Bolivar.

Other finishers were Henderson's Dennis Kolender and Boulder City's Byron Velvick.

Gene Batey of Pasco, Wash., won the tournament. A three-ounce margin separated Batey from second place, and those three ounces were worth $35,000. Batey's nine-pound, one-ounce catch on the final day clinched his title.

Batey fished two areas, but said a 100-yard bank in the Middle Fork section of the lake was his primary spot. The common thread to both locations was fishing the drop shot in water 10 feet deep or less.

"I caught my fish by drop shotting a four-inch body shad by RoboWorm," Batey said. "Each day I caught more fish than my partners using that worm."