OUTDOORS NOTEBOOK: Winter severity, Takasaki named to Fishing Hall of Fame

Weather could mean tough March, April for deer

There’s a lot of snow out there again this winter, but so far, deer herds across the region don’t seem to be faring too badly.

But the greatest potential for problems is yet to come.

Randy Prachar, manager of Thief Lake and Roseau River wildlife management areas in northwestern Minnesota, said the Winter Severity Index as of Friday was 53 at Thief Lake and 47 at Roseau River.

The Winter Severity Index is a measure tallying the number of days below zero and the number of days snow depths exceed 15 inches.

Last year at this time, the WSI was 87 at Roseau River and 74 at Thief Lake.

Anytime the WSI exceeds 100 in a particular area, conditions for wildlife are moving toward severe. That’s not a concern yet, but Prachar said he expects March and early April are going to be difficult for wildlife.

Already, he said, deer are starting to become more concentrated, though not to a great degree.

“I think that deer populations will become stressed if our current winter conditions persist into early April,” Prachar said.

— Brad Dokken

Takasaki named to Hall of Fame

HAYWARD, Wis. — The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame has named walleye pro Ted Takasaki as its newest member.

Takasaki’s fishing accomplishments include winning the 1998 Professional Walleye Trail championship on the Missouri River in Bismarck.

“This is the pinnacle of my career,” Takasaki said in a news release from the National Professional Anglers Association, of which he is a member. “It’s an honor which is bestowed upon an extremely small percentage of anglers on this planet, which makes it a truly incredible honor.”

Takasaki will be inducted into the hall as a “Legendary Angler” in March during the Northwest Sport Show in Minneapolis.

Takasaki, who moved from Chicago to Brainerd, Minn., when he became president of Lindy Little Joe tackle company, began his fishing career upon graduating from college in 1982. He also worked for Hewlett-Packard as a sales engineer.

Takasaki spent 10 years as president of Lindy Little Joe. Upon purchase of the company by PRADCO, he went back to work as a pro staffer and now splits his time on the water filming and competing.

“I enjoy the promotions side of this business as much as I do the fishing,” he said.

Other Legendary Anglers in the Fishing Hall of Fame include Mike McClelland, Bob Propst Sr., Keith Kavajecz, Gary Parsons, Gary Roach, Ron Lindner and Al Lindner.

— Herald staff report