Air disaster claims popular TV fishing host Wejebe

Over the holiday weekend, the television fishing show category lost one of its more popular hosts.

Spanish Fly host Jose Wejebe was killed Friday afternoon when his Comp Air 8 airplane crashed off an airstrip near Everglades City, Fla.

Wejebe, 54, created and hosted Spanish Fly throughout its run on ESPN and was currently hosting the show on Outdoor Channel. The Cuban-born Wejebe came to the United States after the Castro revolution and worked his way up from a fishing guide to his television hosting position, which began in 1995 on ESPN2.

In addition to Spanish Fly on Outdoor Channel, Wejebe recently had a special on National Geographic Wild and had recently filmed a father-daughter fishing show with his only child, Kristin Wejebe, 28.

FOID foibles:

An Illinois Firearms Owner's Identification card (FOID) program audit has revealed significant shortfalls and problems associated with the Illinois State Police division, including more than a half-million dollars in overtime pay for division employees spent between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2011.

“Our audit concluded that the effectiveness of the FOID card program is limited in promoting and protecting the safety of the public,” the audit states.

Heavy mettle:

The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition from environmental groups to regulate the ammunition industry by requiring non-lead bullets for hunters. In October, a federal judge dismissed part of a lawsuit challenging the EPA's November 2010 denial of an earlier petition to ban traditional lead and fishing tackle under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

School of fish:

This year marks the fourth year bass fishing has been a sanctioned sport in Illinois high schools, and 232 teams will compete in the Illinois High School Association sectionals on April 20. Since its beginnings in 2009, Tennessee has followed suit, and Kentucky will be on board with its own competition in 2012. South Carolina is also considering its own sanctioning.

Fishing report:

Lake Michigan: Coho salmon are still in relatively shallow water. Perch fishing is somewhat slow with flashes of small schools showing up off Lake Forest.

Fox Chain: Water levels are still extremely low, but some anglers working the south-end lakes have been targeting largemouth bass with decent success. Pistakee Lake has been a favorite.

Ÿ Mike Jackson can be reached via email at angler88@comcast.net., and you can catch his radio program 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM and live-streamed at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.