Author: BD STAFF

Gary Graham, BD’s Baja Editor and a Baja representative for the International Game Fish Association just confirmed that the 427-pound yellowfin tuna caught on September 28th by Guy Yocom has been approved as the new world record for the species. Yocom applied for the world record after catching the 193.68 kg (427-pound) yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) while fishing aboard his boat, El Suertudo, off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Yocom caught the fish in less than an hour after it ate a chunked bait. Once the fish was boated, Capt. Greg DiStefano measured the fish and decided to…

On December 14th, conservation of Atlantic menhaden finally entered the 21st century. A fishery that eluded catch limits for decades, even as menhaden numbers declined, now has a new abundance target that’s four times the current population and a coastwide catch limit, reduced by 20 percent from recent levels, to get menhaden started on the road to recovery. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission took this historic action through Amendment 2 to its interstate menhaden management plan, adopted at a special meeting in Baltimore. The purpose of the amendment, approved by a solid majority of the Menhaden Management Board (representatives…

Bahamas Billfish Championship BBC 40 Anniversary Only one billfish tournament series can lay claim to 40 consecutive years of fun-filled, action packed tournaments — the Bahamas Billfish Championship BBC. Although the BBC doesn’t officially turn 40 until 2013, the staff is starting the celebration early. To celebrate the milestone, the BBC commissioned writer Jan Fogt to compile a series of articles about the BBC’s past 40 years. The articles go beyond the history of the Championship and includes interviews with past anglers, captains, crewmembers and sponsors. Jan also explores the changes in fishing techniques and equipment used over the years.…

The venerable West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) will host its 76th annual Silver Sailfish Derby — known as the World’s Oldest Sailfish Tournament — January 10 -12, 2013, out of the Sailfish Marina on Singer Island. After last year’s event this tournament may also be known as the ‘World’s Most Productive Sailfish Tournament’ too. In 2012, 46 boats caught and released 1,174 sailfish in three days, an angling feat that had never occurred anywhere in the world. Team Get Lit set a new one-day Derby record with 36 sailfish releases on the first day and won the tournament with…

Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Northern California commercial fishing boats will have to wait until the end of December to fish for Dungeness crab. The commercial Dungeness crab fishing season north of Sonoma County is now scheduled to open December 31. The season had already been delayed from its originally scheduled December 1 opening to December 16 because tests were showing Dungeness crabs off the northern California coast had not sufficiently developed meat.The Dungeness crab season from Sonoma County south does not fall under the same restrictions. That season opened on November 15. “Another round of pre-season quality tests revealed that…

Many of life’s little luxuries are tossed right out the window when you go out fishing or hunting from a small boat. Sure, “roughing it” is part of the fun, but man, wouldn’t it be nice to have a hot cup of Café Mocha on a cold, drizzly morning as you’re making your way offshore? Thanks to the inventors of the Hot Can, you can whip up a Café Mocha anywhere — and you don’t need Starbucks. These ingenious, affordable cans come in a bunch of different flavors and they heat up in just three minutes. And unlike some of…

Multi-platinum country music star and touring sensation Kenny Chesney is scheduled to be one of the headliners for Rock The Ocean’s inaugural Tortuga Music Festival, April 13-14, 2013, presented by Landshark Lager. The two-day music festival will host more than 20 artists who will perform on three stages, located directly on the beach. Fort Lauderdale Beach will be turned into the oceanfront festival grounds, making Tortuga Fest, a music and ocean lover’s paradise. In partnership with Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Ocean Conservancy, a one-of-a-kind Conservation Village will be located on site to educate audience members and provide them with…

Costa Sunglasses rings in the New Year – and its 30th anniversary – early with the introduction of three styles from its 2013 collection — Tuna Alley, Saltbreak and Cat Cay. “It’s our 30th anniversary in 2013, and we’re pulling out all the stops to celebrate,” said Chas MacDonald, president of Costa. “We’ll introduce 13 new styles, including these three new performance sunglasses. We’ll launch 15 new frame colors, like blackout and Realtree AP camo, and several translucent hues. We’re increasing our Rx sun lens capacity and expanding our apparel line. 2013 is shaping up to be Costa’s biggest year…

Nomad Waterman Shirt The latest shirt design coming from Marlinstar, the Nomad Waterman Shirt, is a collaboration with John Huntington from the television series “Inked” and the legendary Hart and Huntington tattoo shop. You might not know this, but John’s background is rooted in salt water, and those ties to the sport really show up in this new design. John has served as a sportfishing captain, big-game fisherman, competitive water sportsman, surfer and spear-fisherman. The design features an intense skull circled by two leaping billfish. To classify it as tattoo art seems like a cop out. This shirt is just…

The South Fork San Joaquin River and Sallie Keyes Lakes in Fresno County recently became the latest waters designated as Wild Trout Water in California. Located approximately 60 miles northeast of Fresno in the John Muir Wilderness Area, the watershed provides anglers a remote wilderness fishing opportunity with the possibility of catching brown, brook, rainbow and golden trout. The watershed may be difficult to get to, but the scenery is breathtaking and there are opportunities to catch California golden trout, the state freshwater fish, as well as trophy-sized brown trout. The waters were designated last month by the California Fish…

Recreational anglers are sounding the alarm over a proposal to issue Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) that would crack open the door for the commercial longline industry to fish in conservation zones created in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. “While there are undoubtedly legitimate uses for EFPs, in this case they are a thinly veiled excuse to introduce longlining, under the guise of a bycatch studies or other research, back into areas that were justifiably closed to such gear,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of the CCA National Government Relations Committee. “The ocean is a big place, and…

In celebration of it’s 35-year anniversary, Hotel Buena Vista is offering guests big savings if they book a trip to Baja by the end of 2012. The savings will be applied to stays throughout 2013. From April on, the East Cape hotel and charter fishing operator will give guests a 35-percent discount on rooms and a 15-percent discount on fishing charters. To get these discounts guests must reserve a trip and provide a 50-percent deposit by the end of the year. If you book a trip for the beginning portion of 2013, you can save even more! Book your next…

Vacuum Sealer Vacmaster vp215c As an avid outdoorsman who lives in a two-person household, we use our vacuum sealer all the time. Half the time I’m sealing up lobsters, fresh-caught fish or some other game that I’ve harvested. The other half we use it to seal up single portions of meat we buy in bulk from places like Costco to save money. For more years than I can remember we turned to our trusty Foodsaver to handle the vacuum sealing. I think we’ve owned three or four over the years, but they have all given up the ghost after two…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently announced the 2013 Python Challenge with hopes of increasing public awareness about Burmese pythons and how this invasive species is a threat to the Everglades ecosystem, including native wildlife. As part of the Python Challenge, both the public and Florida’s python permit holders are invited to compete to see who can harvest the longest and the most Burmese pythons. On January 12, the Python Challenge Kickoff will initiate a month-long program of harvesting Burmese pythons from public lands, and the public can see and learn more about these large constrictors. The…

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) recently released an updated Guide to the Central California Marine Protected Areas. The guide is available online. This full-color guide now includes enhanced maps with identifiable landmarks, shoreline boundary images and existing regulations for marine protected areas (MPAs) along the central California coast (Pigeon Point in San Mateo County to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County). Additional information about central California MPAs, answers to frequently asked questions, general rules that apply to all MPAs and links to DFG web pages are also included in the updated guide. “The public has asked us…

445 Pound Yellowfin Tuna The 124-foot Excel made it back to San Diego this past weekend and officially weighed in the beast of a yellowfin tuna that John Petruescu caught while fishing the Hurricane Bank. The catch began making headlines around the sportfishing world last week when the crew posted a photo of the huge fish on its Facebook page. However, they posted the photo from the boat, which was some 900 miles away from San Diego. The captain of the Excel, Justin Fleck, said the yellowfin taped out at 459 pounds on the boat based on a formula using…

New Yamaha Products Yamaha will debut one of the most exciting new product lines the industry has to offer at the 2013 Miami International Boat Show. These new products represent the cutting edge of marine technology, while offering Yamaha’s signature power and reliability. Below is an overview of the all-new “game changers” from Yamaha Marine Group. Helm Master Yamaha is pleased to introduce a fully integrated boat control system for Yamaha outboard-powered boats. Helm Master offers the latest technology for operating and maneuvering large, outboard-powered boats. Helm Master is programmed for maximum performance on specific boat models. It makes docking easier,…

West Coast Forage Fish The Pacific Fishery Management Council moved forward with an historic Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the West Coast. The council regulates fishing in federal waters off California, Oregon and Washington, including key forage species such as sardine, mackerel, anchovy and squid. “The new plan will give greater protection to forage fish by prohibiting new fisheries for currently unmanaged species while developing an index of health for the overall forage base to guide future management decisions,” said Ken Hinman, president of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation and head of its Wild Oceans project. Hinman testified before the…

Excel 400 Pound Yellowfin While fishing the Hurricane Bank on the Excel, some 960 miles southwest of San Diego, angler John Petruescu landed what could very well be the largest tuna ever caught on rod and reel. This is the second world-record sized yellowfin tuna caught this year. Guy Yocom of Dana Point caught a 427.5-pound yellowfin while fishing off of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, back in September. That fish has already been submitted to the IGFA and is awaiting approval for world record status. It could also be worth $1 million in the Mustad Hook a Million sweepstakes. While…

Gulf Gag Grouper Florida Season The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) unanimously decided on a draft 2013 Gulf of Mexico gag grouper recreational season at a recent Commission meeting in Apalachicola. After discussing several options and hearing public testimony from 26 people, Commissioners chose draft options that, if approved in February, will make most Gulf state waters consistent with the current federal season, with the exception of a four-county region. The current proposed federal season for Gulf gag grouper is slated to start July 1 and end when the annual catch target (the number of fish that can…

The Gulf Coast Triple Crown Championship expanded its roster of participating events in 2013 to include Louisiana’s most popular blue-water tournament, the Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic, slated for May 28th to June 2nd, 2013. The CCBC will join the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club Memorial Day Tournament, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic at Sandestin and the Blue Marlin Grand Championship tournaments that comprise the Gulf Coast Triple Crown Championship. Sonny Middleton, one of the most notable figures in Gulf Coast sportfishing circles, first floated the concept of uniting the most popular tournaments in…

Gage Weather-Boss Rain gear Grundéns USA has expanded its Gage Technical Gear line with the introduction of the new Weather-Boss Jackets, Parkas and Pants. In the Gage tradition, this rainwear is completely waterproof and breathable, yet provides the protection and features that have made Grundéns the leading choice of Bering Sea crab fishermen and hard-working mariners. Weather-Boss is an ideal choice when plying a snow-rimmed river for steelhead, braving the winter cod grounds or doing work shoreside in the cold and rain. Weather-Boss rainwear is tailored from heavy-duty 500-denier nylon that is coated on the inside with a waterproof, breathable…

AFTCO stands for the American Fishing Tackle Company and was established in 1958 in Newport Beach, California by J.C. Axelson, a pioneer in big-game tackle development. In 1973, Milt Shedd (a legendary innovator himself) and wife Peggie purchased AFTCO, and a new company evolved with a concern for both the fishing customer and marine resources. In 1974, son Bill Shedd joined the company, and in 1989 he started the AFTCO Clothing Division, with the introduction of what many consider the world’s finest fishing shorts. In 1999, AFTCO began a relationship with Guy Harvey by manufacturing and distributing “all over print”…

Hurricane Sandy Relief Shirt Superstorm Sandy dealt a devastating blow to the Northeast, especially to the fishing and boating industry. BoatUS called Sandy the single-largest marine industry loss since the organization began keeping track in 1966. It’s estimated that damage to recreational boats totals more than $650 million. When this natural disaster hit, BD wanted to do something to help out our readers and community members who live in the Northeast recover, but we weren’t sure what we could do. That’s when our friend Joe Cermele stepped in. Joe is the fishing editor at Field & Stream and a New…