The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is making changes in the paddlefish season in western Iowa to try and increase interest. Fisheries biologist, Ryan Hupfeld, says the ability to catch paddlefish on the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers in western Iowa returned in 2015 after nearly 30 years of being banned to protect the species. He says they’re now adjusting some things after the initial interest fell off. “We’ve seen the popularity and number of tags sold decrease in the recent years, and there’s always extras to go around,” Hupfeld says. “We also sent out a survey card that anglers return and it kind of guided our efforts to making some changes to the season this year to make it more popular.”

One of the changes now splits the purchase of tags into two periods, and allows you to buy two tags if there are tags remaining after the first period. The timing of the season has also been tweaked. “We are starting it much earlier — we are starting it on February fourth and it ends on April 30th. Also, due to the anglers’ comments, we are allowing the harvest of rough fish including Asian carp during the paddlefish snagging season,” Hupfeld says.  The previous seasons had started in March. Hupfeld says they knew they had to do something after seeing the fish numbers. He says there are more than 300 fish taken in 2015 and it has dropped down to 100 in the last two years.

Hupfeld says moving the season date back adjusts to the river conditions, which may’ve played a role in the drop in harvest. “On the river systems where there is not a dam and they congregate, a lot of times in the colder time periods when water temperatures are cool they are in these deep overwintering holes where you might be able to target them before they migrate up north in the spring,” Hupfeld says.

Hupfeld says they’ve tried to adapt the season based on what they heard from anglers, and says it’s key for anyone buying a paddlefish tag this year to return the survey card. “All these suggestions that we’ve gotten in the last couple of years have kind of guided our efforts in hopefully making the season more successful for anglers,” according to Hupfeld. “This year if you do purchase a tag, please keep note of your catch and effort and return those cards whether you harvest a fish or not. We appreciate any input provided and take that in consideration in moving forward with the season and hopefully make it more successful for everybody.”

You still have until January 7th to buy a 2018 paddlefish license for the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. For more information on the season, go to the D-N-R’s website at: www.iowadnr.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Drake Kulick fought for a 1-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter on his only carry of the game and Iowa beat Boston College 27-20 in the frigid Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium to snap a five-game bowl losing streak. The Hawkeyes (8-5) had been the only team in the nation to lose a bowl game in each of the last four seasons.

HOUSTON (AP) — Freshman running back Daniel Young had 64 yards receiving with a touchdown and added 48 yards on the ground to help Texas beat Missouri 33-16 in the Texas Bowl. The Longhorns, in a bowl for the first time since 2014, bounced back from a loss to Texas Tech in their regular-season finale to finish with their first winning record since going 8-5 in coach Mack Brown’s final season in 2013.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — First-round pick Patrick Mahomes II will make his NFL debut at quarterback for the Chiefs when they play an otherwise meaningless game against the Broncos on Sunday. The Chiefs clinched the AFC West last week and cannot improve their playoff positioning, so Reid is giving starter Alex Smith the week off.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Calle Jarnkrok scored his second goal in two games and Pekka Rinne made 29 saves as the Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1, snapping their season-high three-game losing streak. Craig Smith scored his 13th of the season for the Predators, who leapfrogged the Blues to take over first place in the Central Division with 49 points.

NEW YORK (AP) — Drake Kulick fought for a 1-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter on his only carry of the game and Iowa beat Boston College 27-20 in the frigid Pinstripe Bowl on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium to snap a five-game bowl losing streak.

The Hawkeyes (8-5) had been the only team in the nation to lose a bowl game in each of the last four seasons. Iowa had last won a bowl game in 2010 and started the losing streak the next season. It ended in New York.

The Hawkeyes used their first sack of the game late in the fourth to spark the winning drive. Iowa defensive end Anthony Nelson hit Darius Wade, and Parker Hesse recovered a fumble at the BC 45.

Nate Stanley’s pass to Nate Wieting on a rollout was ruled a touchdown until a review showed the tight end was down at the 1. No worries. Kulick got the call over 1,000-yard rusher Akrum Wadley and barged through for the go-ahead score. The smattering of Iowa fans went wild and Josh Jackson gave them reason to stay on their feet when he sealed the win with an interception.

Boston College (7-6) had nothing on its final drive and that ended an otherwise miserable day at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees’ postseason games in October seemed downright balmy compared to the kickoff temperature of 23 degrees and a wind chill that made it feel like 12 degrees. The frozen stadium turf forced players to change from cleats to sneakers to get some grip and the most common huddle was the one around the sideline heaters.

Boston College’s AJ Dillon found the field just to his liking, and ripped off a 66-yard run in the second quarter and had 126 yards rushing overall in the first half. He had a 4-yard TD run in the first quarter. His monster half helped the Eagles hold a 281-56 edge in total yards, a staggering discrepancy that made little impact on the scoreboard.

The Hawkeyes had two clutch plays that kept it close: Iowa safety Jake Gervase intercepted a pass on the third play of the game and returned it to the BC 6. The Hawkeyes got a field goal. And Wadley returned a kickoff 72 yards that led to a touchdown on Stanley’s 8-yard TD pass to Noah Fant. With a short field, Iowa was stout and kept it at 17-10 at halftime.

Wadley scored on a 5-yard run in the third and Miguel Recinos and Colton Lichtenberg swapped field goals in the fourth to make it 20-all with 8:09 left in the game.

THE TAKEAWAY: Iowa: Coach Kirk Ferentz tied Hayden Fry for first on Iowa’s career wins list with 143.

Boston College: The Eagles are still trying for their first eight-win season since 2009.

THE WAVE: Iowa fans ended the first quarter with “The Wave.” Iowa fans at Kinnick Stadium turn and wave to patients at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, a 12-story building that sits right across the street. On game days, patients and their families can watch the game and, after the first quarter, wave back. The Hawkeyes kept the tradition going at Yankee Stadium.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BOWL GAME: The Yankees remain committed to hosting the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Iowa-Boston College matchup was the eighth Pinstripe Bowl and Yankees president Randy Levine said the game has become part of New York’s holiday tradition. Boston College sold its entire allotment of roughly 7,500 tickets and the game announced a crowd of 37,667. But the frigid temps kept fans out of the seats and the stadium was sparsely populated in the second half. “I think the bowl game is stable,” Levine said. “This is part of our calendar.”

UP NEXT: Iowa: Jackson faces a big decision. Jackson said he is 50-50 on whether he will come back for his senior season. Jackson’s numbers, along with his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame and his abundance of physical gifts, have left many NFL draft pundits pegging him as a possible first-round pick in 2018. Jackson redshirted his first season and is set to graduate in May. He finished with eight interceptions.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — First-round draft pick Patrick Mahomes II will make his NFL debut at quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs when they play an otherwise meaningless game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that the former Texas Tech star would start in Denver.

The Chiefs locked up the AFC West with a 29-13 victory over the Dolphins last weekend, and cannot improve their playoff positioning against the Broncos. So, it makes sense for starting quarterback Alex Smith and many of the other regulars to get a week off before the playoffs.

Reid declined to say who else might sit out, but he did say there will be enough starters around his young quarterback to ensure Mahomes gets a fair chance to succeed.

While the temperatures have dropped to below freezing across the state, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is warning those who enjoy ice fishing to be extra careful during the next few days. D-N-R Fisheries Chief Joe Larscheid says the cold snap likely froze most bodies of water solid — but you should still test it before venturing out. “We need a good solid four to six inches of clear ice, hard ice in order to be safe,” he says. Larscheid says even with that said — ice is never 100 percent safe. “In that lake that is mostly safe there could be weak points that you don’t even know about,” Larscheid says, “there’s upwelling there’s currents in the lake, so you’ve always got to be careful when you’re ice fishing.”

Larscheid suggests you go to a place where there are other anglers. That’s often where the fish are and if you happen to fall in, there’s someone there to help. He suggests that you fish with someone else so you have help if you would fall in. And don’t delay if the worst happens. “Call 9-1-1 immediately and then hopefully you have rope or somebody has rope and you can toss that rope to them, and hopefully they get ahold of that rope and you can pull them out,” Larscheid says. “But I would immediately call 9-1-1 because time is very significant in those situations.”

Larscheid says heavy winter clothing often makes it harder to swim or stay afloat if you fall into the water. He says to not panic, as most people are able to use their fingers, arms and legs for several minutes before hypothermia sets in.

(Radio Iowa)

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school basketball poll with first-place votes in parentheses, win-loss record, total points and position last week at right:

Others receiving votes: Cedar Falls 4. Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines 4. Davenport, North 2. Cedar Rapids, Kennedy 1.

Others receiving votes: Webster City 3. Wahlert, Dubuque 3. Charles City 1. Benton Community 1.

Others receiving votes: Kuemper Catholic, Carroll 8. Northeast, Goose Lake 7. East Marshall, Le Grand 3. PCM, Monroe 2. Forest City 2. Central Lee, Donnellson 1.

Others receiving votes: South O’Brien, Paullina 10. Ankeny Christian Academy 9. Iowa Mennonite, Kalona 8. St. Albert, Council Bluffs 5. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 4. Bedford 4. Martensdale-St. Marys 3.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — Take them out to the bowl game! The Iowa Hawkeyes and Boston College Eagles are on deck in the Pinstripe Bowl today (Wednesday) at Yankee Stadium. Iowa is the only team in the nation to lose a bowl game in each of the last four seasons. Boston College is trying to win eight games for the first time since 2009. Pre-game coverage on KJAN begins at 2-p.m.

PHOENIX (AP) — Alex Delton ran for 158 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, leading Kansas State to a 35-17 Cactus Bowl victory over UCLA in what could be the final game of coach Bill Snyder’s career. Delton replaced Skylar Thompson late in the first quarter and scored on runs of 68 yards, 3 yards and 1 yard.

HOUSTON (AP) — Missouri enters the Texas Bowl against Texas having won six straight games after starting the season 1-5. With a win against the Longhorns, the Tigers would become only the second team from a Power 5 conference to finish with eight wins after opening the year 1-5 and the first since Rutgers did it in 2008.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos say they plan to start Paxton Lynch at quarterback in their final game of the season. Lynch has only started one game this season and he left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and spent the rest of the game sobbing on the bench. Lynch has been a major disappointment since general manager John Elway moved up in the first round to draft the ex-Memphis QB in the first round in 2016.

PHOENIX (AP) — Alex Delton ran for 158 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, leading Kansas State to a 35-17 Cactus Bowl victory over UCLA in what could be the final game of coach Bill Snyder’s career. Delton replaced Skylar Thompson late in the first quarter and scored on runs of 68, 3 and 1 yards.

PHOENIX (AP) — Kansas State coach Bill Snyder could be coaching his final game when the Wildcats face UCLA in the Cactus Bowl. The 78-year-old coach has not decided whether he wants to return for a 27th season or retire to spend more time with his family.