Author: BD STAFF

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are reminding residents in areas that may be impacted by Hurricane Isaac that fish kills may occur as a result of the storm. Residents who encounter a fish kill are encouraged to report the kill immediately at 1-800-442-2511. Large amounts of rainfall across southern Louisiana may cause fish kills, particularly natural waterbodies surrounded by lands converted from forests to agricultural land. High levels of rainfall may erode organic matter, carrying it into bayous and canals connected to lakes. Organic matter may consume high amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water suffocating…

Based in the Cape Verde islands, off the coast of West Africa, Capt. Zak Conde has enjoyed what may very well be a record-breaking year. He concluded his fishing season in Cape Verde just a few marlin releases shy of hitting the 300 mark. It was by far one of the best blue marlin bites in the history of the sport. After wrapping up his Cape Verde operation Zak follows the blue marlin on to the Canary Islands and the Azores. It was in the Azores that he managed to topple his goal of catching 300 blue marlin in a…

The team on Peje, a 47-foot Cabo, released three blue marlin to take the early lead in the 40th Anniversary USVI Open Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT) or ‘Boy Scout Tournament’ nicknamed for the event’s chief beneficiary. “We saw three fish and caught three fish,” said Peje owner and angler, Carlos Garcia, who spent the day fishing off Anegada. “They were little fish, beautiful fish the way they jumped.” Garcia caught the first blue marlin aboard Peje, with fellow angler Jose Pazos releasing the next two, which also landed him in the lead for best angler. Meanwhile, CJ McLaughlin from…

East Cape Sportfishing Club Tournament The newly created East Cape Sportfishing Club is hosting its first International Fishing Tournament, over the Labor Day weekend, running from August 31st to September 1. Anyone down in East Cape should check it out. The tournament will be held in Los Barriles-Buena Vista, Baja Sur, Mexico, with a guaranteed purse of $200,000 pesos (about $15,000 USD) for the winners. Anglers can fish for marlin, dorado and yellowfin tuna. The tournament will kick off on Friday at 4 p.m. with registration at Beach Palapa in Buena Vista. Registration will be followed by the welcome ceremony,…

Navionics Nav Module App Navionics just launched a new module for its award-winning Navionics iPhone and iPad HD Applications. The Nav Module expands the navigation capabilities of the Navionics App by providing users the ability to enter routes and analyze details such as estimated time of arrival, distance to arrival, heading to waypoints and fuel consumption. Editing can be done underway while receiving real time route data, or planned off the water, syncing to your other mobile devices. Boaters can elect to upgrade to Nav Module via Apple’s In-App Purchase for a one-time charge of $1.99 on iPhone and $4.99…

Friends of Rollo recently kicked off its “Fishing for Kids” event, a special 10-day long-range fundraiser on the Rolay Polaris with an online auction that will help raise awareness and funds for its youth programs. Friends of Rollo takes under-privileged, at-risk, under-served and special-needs children and youth on the water for half-day and three-quarter day fishing trips. The trips are covered by Friends of Rollo thanks to its partners and sponsors. The trips educate these kids about our precious marine resources and the need to protect them for the future. For many of these children it’s their first time on…

Snook Season Florida The recreational harvest season for snook opens September 1, 2012, in Florida’s Atlantic coastal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. The season remains closed in all Gulf of Mexico waters, including Everglades National Park and Monroe County, through August 31, 2013. Anglers may report their catch on the Snook Gamefish Foundation’s website at Snookfoundation.org by clicking on “Angler Action.” This information is important to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in completing stock assessments on species such as snook. Anglers may catch and release snook during the Gulf closure. The FWC…

Hurricane ISAAC Louisiana Wildlife The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has closed 26 state wildlife management areas (WMAs) within the parishes of the anticipated landfall path of Tropical Storm Isaac. Those WMAs include the Acadiana Conservation Corridor, Atchafalaya Delta, Attakapas, Biloxi, Elm Hall, Grassy Lake, Hutchinson Creek, Joyce, Lake Boeuf, Lake Ramsey, Manchac, Marsh Island, Maurepas Swamp, Pass a Loutre, Pearl River, Pointe au Chenes, Pomme de Terre, Salvador-Timken, Sandy Hollow, Sherburne, Spring Bayou, State WMA, Tangipahoa, Thistlethwaite, Tunica Hills and White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area. All WMAs designated as closed will remain closed until further notice. For a…

Many anglers in the Southern California community know Capt. Ray Montera who has been involved in sportfishing most of his life. In March, Ray’s 32-year-old son Christopher was severely injured in a blast in Afghanistan. To help Ray and his family, the Sportfishing Council and the San Diego Sportfishing fleet are asking for your help and support. There will be a fundraiser on October 8th at the Bali Hai on Shelter Island in San Diego to help Chris as he recovers from major injuries he sustained while serving his country. As an Army soldier, Chris Montera was often taken aback…

Day five of the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 offshore fishing tournament in Cape May, New Jersey, lived up to its moving day reputation and fortunes were once again made and dashed on the final day of fishing as the 2012 event came to a close. With the tuna category relatively out of reach with the third heaviest tuna weighing a stout 217 pounds, most of the fleet focused their efforts on white marlin and blue marlin. Robert Warder of Parkton, Maryland on his Reelentless held on to his lead in the white marlin category with his 79-pounder which was caught on day…

Jose Wejebe Costa A morning filled with opportunity. No crowds, no shoes… Just fish. Inner Peace Chart your own course. Jose Wejebe Costa Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is a mecca for back-country fly fishermen. 5 Walking an undisturbed beach, spotting a flash and hooking a fish… You can’t ask for much more than that. Jose Wejebe Costa All fish put a smile on Jose’s face. 8 Jose Wejebe in his element. 9 Sometimes traveling light means you might need to improvise. 11 Jose always shared his expertise with fellow anglers, tackle manufacturers and boat builders. He contributed more to the sport…

Labor Day Weekend is one of the most popular weekends for boaters. And that means there will be tons of boats rafting up with friends in a scenic cove or near a sunny sandbar. Boats tie up side-to-side so owners and their guests can walk from deck to deck to visit, swim and party with their peers. Here are 10 tips boaters you should keep in mind while rafting-up over the long weekend: 1. Choose your raft-up spot carefully. Pick an area that is sheltered from the wind and waves. Stay clear of navigation channels and cruising lanes. 2. The…

On September 8th, the Mission Bay Marlin Club will kick off its 38th Annual Marlin Tournament. The tournament is a charity event for the American Heart Association with the biggest benefactors being the participants. There is captain’s meeting on September 7th, the Friday night before fishing begins. Teams will fish on Saturday, and a huge raffle and awards banquet overlooking the tranquil Mission Bay Marina will take place on Sunday. Anglers, friends, and family can all participate. To qualify for the three top prizes anglers must catch or release a marlin, the more marlin caught the better the odds for…

Zane Grey Fisherman Angler While many readers know Zane Grey for his Western novels, anglers know him as a pioneering fisherman. Grey was the first man to set up a mothership operation so he could travel the far seas in search of broadbill swordfish, giant tuna and leaping marlin. Grey was a tackle innovator, world-record holder and an adventurer in every sense of the word. He caught the first 1,000-pound marlin ever taken on rod and reel. It was a big blue caught in Tahitian waters. The fish was ravaged by sharks, but still weighed more than 1,000 pounds. Zane…

On day two of the 2012 Mid-Atlantic $500,000, fished out of the Canyon Club in Cape May, New Jersey, the fleet had tuna on the brain. A fleet of 109 boats headed offshore and while several white marlin were weighed, the talk of the day was the bigeye tuna bite. The fleet caught more than two dozen bigeye, on what will go down as the best day of tuna fishing in the tournament’s 21-year history. Anthony Matarese of Ocean City, Maryland, hauled in the biggest tuna to take his spot atop the tuna category with a 233-pound bigeye caught aboard…

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) said it’s disappointed that the U.S. Court of Appeals voted to dismiss the recreational boating industry’s challenge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to allow E15 into the U.S. fuel supply. This decision puts the potentially dangerous E15 at gas pumps across the country, a troubling scenario for American boaters and the recreational boating industry. While this decision is a setback it does not speak to the underlying merits of the case — whether EPA was in fact correct in its interpretation of the Clean Air Act to allow for a partial waiver…

Girls Fishing – Fishin Chicks Fishing is not just for the boys. More and more ladies are getting out on the water than ever before and we wanted to create a special page on BDOutdoors.com that celebrates these female anglers. After all, there is nothing better than a girl who loves to fish. So, we created a special section called Fishin Chicks where each month we highlight a lady angler who enjoys the outdoors, whether it’s fishing or hunting. BD’s Fishin Chicks section is quickly becoming one of the most popular features on the website, thanks to the lady anglers we’ve written…

The Florida Everglades and Lake Okeechobee are vital ecosystems that require care and attention. Drainage and phosphorus loading in South Florida has taken a toll on the delicate ecosystem. To maintain the quality of life for Floridians, protect natural wildlife and plants, provide flood control and water supply for a growing population, Florida has developed the largest environmental restoration project of its kind. The 30-year, $13.5 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is being funded, managed and implemented through an unprecedented 50/50 partnership between the state and federal governments to restore the famed River of Grass. The plans to restore…

The San Diego fleet is getting ready for the 2012 Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge, which takes place August 24-26. This is the largest tuna fishing tournament of its kind in the nation and the largest single fundraising event for the San Diego Make-A-Wish Foundation. If you like to fish in tournaments that make a difference, this is a perfect event for you. The main charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, grants wishes to children with life-threatening conditions. The tournament will kick off on Friday, August 24 with the captain’s meeting. After a full day of fishing, the event will conclude with a huge banquet…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced changes to the lionfish harvest at a media event today in Coral Gables. Harvesting invasive lionfish no longer will require a fishing license when using certain gear, and there is no recreational or commercial bag limit. The FWC is taking these actions to encourage more Floridians and visitors to harvest lionfish. “The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hopes that by increasing the opportunity for people to harvest invasive lionfish, we can limit the impact this nonnative invasive species has on Florida’s marine fish and wildlife,” said Jessica McCawley, director of…

With the passage of the Billfish Conservation Act in the Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives on August 1, 2012, the United States is close to taking a strong stand in the conservation of one of the ocean’s most magnificent apex predators. Known formally as H.R. 2706, the bill received overwhelming bi-partisan support in Committee — a good sign for billfish everywhere. But there is more work to be done to protect the future of these imperiled species. Now, recreational anglers must urge House leadership to schedule the Billfish Conservation Act for a speedy passage, and encourage the…

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) have initiated the first national database of vessel information. Similar to vehicle identification numbers, this new collection of boat manufacturing data can be used to assist in boat identification, helping to deter and prosecute crimes involving recreational boats. More than 500 vessels are stolen in the United States each month costing boat owners and their insurers millions of dollars annually. In turn, boat thieves often sell these stolen vessels to unsuspecting consumers for a large profit. This database will enhance the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard…

Lauren Alvarez lives on Anna Maria Island off of Florida’s west coast. She currently works in sales and marketing “until my fishing TV show takes off!” she says. It’s no surprise that in her free time Lauren likes to go fishing. She’s also into collecting shark’s teeth. “It’s a little nerdy, but I’m addicted,” she says. Keep it up Lauren, the sport needs more ladies who can throw a cast net! Q:How did you get into fishing? A: I grew up fishing Tampa Bay with my dad for redfish and snook. He asked what I wanted for my ninth birthday…

William Woody just became a millionaire. Fishing on the Blew Bayou, Woody landed the only qualifying white marlin in the 2012 White Marlin Open, held in Ocean City, Maryland. The 72-pounder netted $1,429,092 in cash winnings, topping the tournament’s previous record of $1,394,480.50 for an 83-pound white marlin caught in 2007. This year’s prize-winning marlin was the only one to meet tournament requirements of measuring at least 67 inches and weighing 70 pounds. Competitors did not catch a qualifying blue marlin either. The tuna bite, however, proved to be better than the marlin action. Canyon Runner took an early lead…