Author: BD STAFF

Capt Greg Dini of Flywater Expeditions shared this collection of insane topwater bites from big, sloppy, sloshing redfish in the shallows of Louisiana. Incredible video. Louisiana really is the sportsmans’ paradise. The captains of Flywater Expeditions migrate with the fish, putting their clients on trophy redfish in Louisiana and giant tarpon in the waters of Florida from the Keys to the Panhandle. You can learn more or book a trip at Flywater Expeditions. Poppa from Flywater Expeditions on Vimeo. Previous Video on BD From Capt. Greg Dini after Hurricane Katrina. Photo Credit: Flywater Expeditions

Sometimes animal bloopers can turn deadly. Two jousting bucks found themselves locked together by tangled antlers. This left them open to coyote attack, which was the scene these hunters came across. Coyotes had killed and were eating one of the bucks, while the living one remained locked up with the dead one. The living deer would certainly have suffered the same fate, had it not been for the daring rescue by these hunters. This exemplifies what many anti-hunters don’t get. True hunters and fishermen care for and respect the animals and their habitats more than anyone. They witness and appreciate…

BD: Where do you live? Oksana Skolnaja: Currently I live in Girdwood Alaska! I’ve spent the last 5 winters skiing, summers are spent sport fishing on a boat out of Seward, Alaska. BD: What do you do for work? Oksana Skolnaja: Originally, as an International Business post-graduate, I worked in media and advertising for a couple years, but then I moved up to Alaska and my whole life changed dramatically. Currently I work as a deckhand with Andy Mezirow on the charter boat, Crackerjack Voyager. During winters, I volunteer a lot of my time teaching adaptive skiing for different ages…

This week is the last chance to catch grouper on the East Atlantic coast and Monroe County. On January 1st, the seasonal four-month closure on certain shallow water grouper will start. This closed period offers protection to these species while they congregate to spawn. Fishing for grouper will start again on May 1st. So get out before New Years and catch your last grouper of 2013. The grouper included in the closure: gag, black, red, yellowmouth, yellowfin and tiger grouper; scamp; red hind; rock hind; coney; and graysby. A federal closure will mirror the state closure, though tiger grouper will…

Mayfly Group, LLC, Colorado Springs, Colo., will acquire the Manchester, Vermont-based Orvis Company’s Ross Reels subsidiary effective Jan. 1, 2014. Mayfly operates various sporting brand names including Abel Automatics, Inc., the manufacturer of Abel fly reels and accessories in Camarillo, Calif. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Orvis acquired Ross Reels from 3M in June 2013 as part of an acquisition that also brought flyline manufacturer Scientific Anglers under Orvis ownership. Based in Montrose, Colo., Ross Reels produces mid-priced fly reels. Since acquiring Ross, Orvis has developed a clear growth strategy for its Scientific Anglers brand, while concurrently struggling…

We are once again having a room trading/Show/Sale/Trade Tackle meet for all interested Southwestern tackle collectors or anyone else that wants to make the trip! The meet will start with room trading on Thursday afternoon February 6 and continue through Friday night (public welcome 2pm-7pm), followed by a show/sale open to the public on Saturday, February 8 from 9AM-2 PM. Room trading will be held at the same location as previous years, the Holiday Inn Express at 1661 Villa Cardiff Dr. in Cardiff, CA, just north of San Diego on I-5. The Saturday morning show and sale will be held…

This is a cool video showing thresher sharks whipping their tails forward to stun prey, that they then turn and eat. Amazing footage in blue, blue water.

Dr. Guy Harvey, Aftco’s Bill Shedd, Neil Patrick, Tropic Star Lodge, Panama’s Black Marlin; sound like a recipe for something big? It is a true fishing adventure. National Geographic tells the story in this short video of a giant fish and courageous fishermen who take a risk to tag and release a majestic grander black marlin. Experience big game fishing at its best in Panama with the crews from the famous Tropic Star Lodge. Photo credit: Tropic Star, Nat Geo Wild

So often we jump in our boats and blast offshore. Our thoughts are consumed with the fishing checklist in our heads; bait, ice, fuel, licenses and so on. It is so easy to forget some of the most important boating basics. One of these items is checking your VHF radio to make sure it still works. Anyone who owns or has dealt with a boat knows that just because it worked when you put it away, does not mean it is working now. Especially in saltwater, where even the air seems to be trying to destroy your boat, you should…

Note to self: Don’t mess with an African buffalo or its friends. Check out this video of a male buffalo in South Africa that comes to the defense of a downed herd member and hooks a lion with a horn and flings him through the air like a rag doll. Then one more for good measure. They said no animal was harmed, but that is hard to believe. Photo Credit: Captured from Youtube video

For family, friends and fans alike, it is still hard for us to grasp the loss of our fishing hero Jose Wejebe. However his passion for teaching and uplifting those that are down lives on. Jose was very involved in many organizations, both on and off of the camera, that helped individuals in tough circumstances, be it their health or other. That same compassion is the core principle of the Jose Wejebe Spanish Fly Memorial Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to honor Jose’s legacy by matching his inspiration, dedication and passion for our marine environment, and continue his…

Watch this, but boat owners beware, it will pain you to see someone else’s boats get mowed over by this cement ship. Not sure how stuff like this happens, but nowadays everyone has a video phone to capture those rare moments.

The Southern California Yellowtail Tagging Project is preparing to put on its La Jolla Winter Yellowtail Tagging Tournament. This tournament is a collaboration between scientist and anglers and the goal is to tag and learn more about this popular species of fish. The tournament will begin on December 26, 2013 and run until February 31st 2014. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top taggers. There will be a pre-tournament meeting this Saturday, December 21st at the Surfside Lounge at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Anglers will learn all of the details and rules, as well as receive their tags,…

Bonefish, also called gray ghosts, are among the most elusive and highly prized fishes sought by recreational anglers in the Florida Keys, Bahamas and similar tropical habitats around the world. Bonefish support a fishery worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually, but this fishery is threatened in many areas by habitat loss and degradation, and by overfishing. Scientists are scrambling to identify and protect critical habitats and identify other ways to conserve this vital fishery. A recent study of bonefish spawning behavior in the Bahamas brings to light new information that should aid bonefish conservation efforts. In meetings in the…

The Pacific Dawn may not be the biggest boat in the fleet, but she has a huge reputation with serious anglers across California, whether they fish for tuna, yellows and dorado south of the border or tanker seabass, halibut and rockfish at the Channel Islands. Whether running out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego or Ventura Sportfishing, Capt. Pat Cavanaugh and the crew of the Pacific Dawn have a loyal following of anglers who trust this boat and crew to put them on the fish. A top boat like this deserves top-notch, American-made graphite rods for crew use as well…

I knew that Zancudo Lodge was nestled into one of the fishyest places on earth, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this video of a tuna frenzy. That truly is an understatement, and you have to see it to believe it. Right time, right place is the key and they were definitely there for it. If you love fishing, you have to see this video. Enough said! Visit Zancudo Lodge to make more videos yourself!

More amazing creatures from the deep abyss. With crazy projectile jaws, the goblin shark is filmed feeding for the first time. Amazing video from the Discovery Channel. Photo credit: captured from Discovery Channel Video

I loved this video from Youtube that exemplifies the humor of our ways. Many times the simple truth is the funniest. Fishermen do the “darnedest things”.

Lowrance has been an industry leader in boat electronics since the beginning. They are keeping up with the times too and have come out with a sonar that mounts to your trolling motor and shoots the beam forward. Paint the underwater picture in whatever direction you point your trolling motor. Easy to mount and use, this unit will dial in the fish attracting structures around the boat that you cannot see. Nor can the competition. Check out this video from Lowrance about the SpotlightScan, how to mount it and the picture it gives you of structures, bait and fish around…

The same lightweight, breathable rainwear worn by Bering Sea crabbers braving mountainous waves, freezing spray and pitching decks is now available for boys and girls ages 2 to 16 — even if all they need to brave are recess rain showers or the inevitable mud puddles encountered walking home from school. Grundéns USA has added new Weather Watch Jackets and Pants for youngsters to its popular Gage Technical Gear line, combining fully waterproof protection from the elements with superior breathability to prevent active kids from overheating. This special Hi-Vis Yellow Weather Watch rainwear is fashioned from 300-denier Polyester, with an…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the annual closing of snook season for December 15, 2013. The closure covers state and federal waters including lake Okeechobee and the Kissimee River. Harvest of snook will resume on February 1st, 2014. You can catch and release snook during the closed seasons. Snook are very sensitive to cold weather and can become stunned during cold snaps. If the temps get low enough, Florida has seen some big fish kills of many cold sensitive fish, including snook. Visit MyFWC.com for more information. Florida Snook Season Closing

We started the day at 3:30 am, hoping to fish a spot in 130ft of water right at sunrise. From October-December our crew has one fish on our minds, Grouper. Anticipation was high. Just a little over a week prior, at this spot, we had been repeatedly broken off, pinned to the rail, and just plain beaten. Most of these battles ending in the favor of the beast either with a broken line or a straightened hook. That day we managed a few respectable fish, but as every fisherman knows, it’s not the fish you caught that keeps you coming…

I have to preface this interview with a personal note: I kept a boat in the same marina as Lexi’s family for years and I feel like I watched her grow up fishing on the dock as hardcore and dedicated as anyone. Even as a child she would spend hours soaking a bait in the marina. She is no longer a child, but still fishing with that same drive and spirit! Keep after em Lexi! BD: Where do you call home? Lexi Furukawa:I was born and raised in Orlando, but spent half of that time at the port (Port Canaveral).…

USS SHAW exploding during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor.” December 7, 1941.National Archives. At 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian time on December 7, 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was spectacularly successful: ninety minutes later, 2,386 Americans were dead and eighteen ships, including five battleships, were either sunk or run aground. It was a day President Franklin D. Roosevelt said “would live forever in infamy.” And the situation worsened by December 11 as Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. We returned the favor, declaring…