Author: BD STAFF

Fly-tying artists from throughout the Netherlands will join their counterparts from around the world displaying their craft and skills at the 23rd annual Fly Tying Symposium, Nov. 23-24 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ. Tiers invited from the Netherlands – dubbed the “Dutch Masters” – include Harry Schoel, Theo Bakelaar, Johan Put, Ronald Pop, Paul van den Driesche, Rudy van Duijnhoven and Ben Weytjens from Belgium. The pre-Thanksgiving International Fly Tying Symposium will feature the first Super Fly Competition, with prizes awarded in five open categories plus a youth division. Judging will be by show attendees joined…

World Record Striped Bass Alabama Big Bass: On May 13, 2013, James Bramlett of Dora, Ala., received a highly anticipated call from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). The World Records Coordinator of the IGFA, Jack Vitek, informed Bramlett that his state record, a 69-pound, 9-ounce landlocked striped bass, now holds the world record for that species. According to Jason Schratwieser, IGFA Conservation Director, the organization was honored to acknowledge Bramlett for his catch. “The new record has generated a buzz among anglers around the world,” said Schratwieser. Bramlett hooked the goliath on February 28, 2013, in the Warrior River,…

Bimini Sands Lionfish Bash Bimini Sands Resort & Marina announces it will host the Lionfish Bash, one of the most popular charity fishing events in the Bahamas, for the third year in a row on July 12-14, 2013. This annual family spearfishing event was created in 2011 to raise awareness about lionfish, an invader species in the Bahamas/Florida ocean ecosystem, as well as to benefit the the Woody Foundation. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Woody Foundation was organized in 2011 after Miami resident Woody Beckham sustained a spinal cord injury at age 22 in a college rugby match that rendered…

United Anglers of Southern California has over $15,000 in raffle and auction items for this Sunday evenings UASC fundraiser dinner at Newport Beach Golf Course. Works of art from Bill Boyce, rods and reels, tackle, charter trips and much more will be auctioned and given out as raffle prizes. United Anglers of Southern California Fundraiser Start this season out right by supporting United Anglers of Southern California. We’re working hard to ensure healthy oceans and robust fisheries are available for future generations. The event is Sunday at 6 PM, call for tickets which are $100 and can include a new…

Yamaha Marine launched its “Jump into Summer” Sweepstakes on Facebook® on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. The sweepstakes will run until Thursday, June 27 and can be accessed through the icon on the Yamaha Outboards Facebook page. “We are excited about the start of the summer boating season and to have a new way to interact with the online community that shares a passion for the Yamaha brand,” said Frank Wilhelm, Advertising Manager, Yamaha Marine Group. “It’s our hope that the “Jump into Summer” sweepstakes will help to excite our social community and get everyone pumped for a great season.”…

Marina Del Rey Halibut Mark your calendar for June 8th & 9th 2013 as the Marina Del Rey Anglers proudly present the 38th Annual Marina Del Rey Halibut Derby. Come and enjoy a fun filled weekend of fishing while competing for big money prizes, jackpot, and bragging rights for the year. In addition to the general entry competition there will also be team, women’s, and kid’s divisions so bring the whole family along! “The halibut are bouncing back and a lot of fun fishing is expected,” said MDRA club president, Keith Lambert. “The most recent years have seen a resurgence…

Washington Halibut Closure  The recreational halibut fishery off the north coast of Washington is now closed after reaching the seasonal harvest quota, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced. Halibut Closure Anglers reeled in 107,856 pounds of halibut in marine areas 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay) through May 18, leaving just 174 pounds remaining, said Heather Reed, WDFW coastal policy coordinator. While the state fishing rules left open the possibility of additional days of halibut fishing, there is not sufficient poundage left to reopen for another day in May or June, Reed said. Meanwhile, south…

Everglades Python Challenge A Miami man has caught and killed the longest Burmese python ever captured in Florida: 18 feet, 8 inches. The python was a 128-pound female that was not carrying eggs, according to University of Florida scientists who examined the snake. The previous record length for a Burmese python captured in the wild in Florida was 17 feet, 7 inches. On May 11, Jason Leon was riding late at night in a rural area of southeast Miami-Dade County when he and his passenger spotted the python. About 3 feet of the snake was sticking out of the roadside…

Pictured here in 1992, the Redbone’s donations to CF research has been growing steadily. ISLAMORADA, In-The-Florida Keys –The Redbone is celebrating its 25th year of raising money for research into finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. “It’s the eighth year in a row we’ll be presenting a check for over $1 million to the CF Foundation,” said Redbone founder Capt. Gary Ellis. “Actually $1.2 million was raised from last fall’s Redbone trilogy of Keys tournaments plus 23 other Redbone fishing events across the U.S. and internationally, to bring awareness to the genetic disease and our great Keys spirit.” Since its…

Louisiana Red Snapper Season Recently, NOAA officials announced a change to Louisiana’s federal red snapper recreational fishing season, which was originally set to run a mere nine days, will now begin on June 1 and remain open through June 24, with a bag and possession limit of 2 fish per person at a 16-inch minimum total length. NOAA administrators came to the decision to extend Louisiana’s federal red snapper season based in large part on research conducted by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists that proved Louisiana was landing less fish than previously accounted for by NOAA. “The decision…

Dan Wolford to speak at upcoming UASC Fundraising Dinner, Sunday June 2, 2013, 6 PM at Newport Beach Golf Course United Anglers of Southern California announced today that Dan Wolford, science director for Coastside Fishing Club will be the main speaker at UASC’s Fundraising banquet June 2, 2013, 6 pm at the Newport Beach Golf Club. Topics include a positive message about barotrauma, and what fishermen need to know about sustainable fisheries, the future of the MLPA, Southern California closures, and most importantly what each of us can do that will make a difference. Wolford is also the chairman of…

Fishing Chick Ali Hobson BD recently caught up with Ali Hobson of South Florida. She took the time to fill us in on her obsession with fishing. We are happy to make her our next “FISHIN CHICK”. Q: Where do you call home? A: I split my time between Islamorada and Vero Beach, Florida. Q: What do you do for a living? A: I am a physician assistant. Q: How did you get your start in fishing? A: I’ve been fishing as long as I can remember. I grew up in South Florida and definitely have to credit my Dad…

May is a month when new fishing opportunities start popping open like tackle boxes at first light. Lingcod and shrimp in Puget Sound. Halibut there and off the coast. Spring chinook salmon in the Chehalis River and in some areas of the Columbia Basin. State shellfish managers also plan to announce two razor clam digs this month. When they do, the details will be available on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) website at http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/ . With so many new options, anglers can find themselves facing some tough choices about how to spend their time on the water,…

Snakehead Fish New York According to Melissa Cohen, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation fisheries manager, the presence of northern snakeheads has been verified in the Harlem Meer, a small pond at the northeast corner of Central Park in Manhattan. Fishery managers would like to see them gone, and have posted signs that anyone catching one of these eastern invaders should not put it back in the water. Snakeheads are one tough creature. They hail from Asia and Africa, but have been introduced all over the world for various reasons. A big part of the invasion is due to the…

The Louisiana Saltwater Series tournament season is in full swing and will again return to a favorite tournament spot, Seaway Marina in Lafitte, on Saturday, May 4. Come out and fish this event that will draw thousands of dollars in payouts to competing anglers. The two-man team event has an entry fee of $200, with a 100 percent payout for top finishers. Anglers can use artificial lures and weigh in their two best redfish, with a maximum length of 27 inches. The event begins with registration on Saturday morning at 4 a.m., with the mandatory captain’s meeting to follow at…

NOAA Comments Red Snapper NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on proposed actions in Amendment 28 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 28). The proposed rule published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2013 (78 FR 25047). Comments must be submitted by May 29, 2013. The actions in Amendment 28, if implemented, would establish (1) a process to determine if a fishing season will occur each year, which would include specification of the allowable harvest and season lengths for the commercial and recreational sectors; (2) an equation to determine the…

A Coast Guard rescue swimmer, and Port Jervis, N.Y., native, medevaced a man from a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, about 45 miles east of Galveston, and his crew delivered the man to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for treatment Thursday. A ship’s representative, for the Bahamian flagged bulk carrier Blackfin, contacted Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders at 7:18 a.m., to report that the chief engineer was suffering from abdominal and back pain. Starting 130 miles from shore, a Coast Guard flight surgeon in New Orleans determined the ship was too far and his symptoms…

When a fishing legend says he’s going to divulge all the angling secrets he’s learned and perfected throughout his life, people take notice. That’s exactly what Steve Lassley will be doing this Thursday, May 2, at the Dana Landing Market and Fuel Dock in San Diego, California in what may be his last offshore fishing seminar. Accompanying him will be Pete Groesbeck, another famous fisherman with plenty of trophy catches and tournament wins to prove it. “These are two of the most well-known and successful fishermen in So Cal,” said Ali Hussainy, President of BD Outdoors. “This is an amazing…

Costa Shirts Hats Costa’s known for its patented color-enhancing 580 lenses and “forget-they’re-on” fit sunglasses. But its growing line of branded apparel is quickly catching on with fans. This year, Costa introduces nine new tee shirts, two new performance shirts and four new hat collections to add to its expanding gear roster. The unique collection of shirts feature original artwork from renowned fishing artists like Carey Chen and Jose Canales, as well as vintage-inspired graphics, highlighting Costa’s 30-year born on the water heritage. The new tee shirts are 100 percent pre-shrunk cotton, and are available in both short and long…

Alan “Big Country” Seibna filmed this white shark, aka great white, on a fishing trip aboard the Sensation out of Bouge Inlet, offshore Morehead City, North Carolina. The white shark, estimated at 15-feet long, was eating a dead humpback whale. The whale appeared to be about 30 feet long.

Late Monday, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and its Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) joined together to file a lawsuit in United States District Court in Brownsville, Texas challenging an emergency regulation enacted by the federal National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that, if left in place, would allow the NMFS regional administrator to significantly reduce the recreational red snapper season in federal waters off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. “The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, on behalf of recreational fishermen and those whose livelihood depends on reasonable access to red snapper stocks,…

Check out this huge sawfish being caught and released in the Florida Keys. Sawfish Florida Keys Accomplished swordfish angler Brett Holden was recently fishing in Islamorada with another swordfish expert, Capt. Nick Stancyzk of Bud N Mary’s Marina, when they hooked into a massive sawfish. Brett had been in Islamorada recently, fishing with another swordfish great, Capt. Nick Stancyzk, of the famed Bud N Mary’s Marina and another guy I’ve spent some time with fishing for swords. What ensued was an epic battle with Brett’s 80-pound-class spinning rod. At one point in the video, the swordfish swipes at the boat,…

When a whale beached itself in La Paz on April 21, locals rushed to the rescue. Details are still emerging, but the following photos capture a heroic effort by locals of the La Paz area in Baja to save a stranded whale. The locals came out aboard pangas that were dwarfed by the enormous whale. According to reports, they successfully un-beached the whale.

Boating Accident MD The Coast Guard and local agencies rescued four people and recovered the bodies of two from an overturned 21-foot Wellcraft approximately two miles south of Point Lookout State Park in Scotland, Md., Saturday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Baltimore Command Center overheard a broadcast on VHF-FM channel 16 at approximately 8:30 a.m. by a local charter captain asking for any assistance looking for the overturned boat. The watchstanders learned the charter captain had received a phone call from a family member of one of the people aboard the boat stating she received a call from her…