Author: BD STAFF

A Riverside County man was fined more than $20,000 and sentenced to a week in jail for poaching lobsters inside a marine protected area (MPA). This is the first resource crime conviction since the MPAs off the Southern California coast went into effect on January 1, 2012. Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland pled guilty in Orange County Court on May 4 for violating Fish and Game Code 12013, which stipulates a minimum $5,000 fine for anyone who takes or posses more than three times the daily bag limit of lobsters. “This diver intentionally took a huge overlimit of lobster…

Whether you’re a greenhorn on the Bering Sea or fishing for halibut on a pitching deck, you never want to find yourself out on the water without some good foul-weather gear. Bib-style pants are a key piece of gear that you’ll use whether it’s raining or not. Bibs will keep you high and dry and free of fish guts when you’re chunking or chumming. They’re also great for pulling hoop nets for lobster and about a million other boating and fishing chores. You want to have a good pair of bibs on board, such as the new Deck-Boss Bib Pant…

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), conservation groups and the boating and fishing community have been working to bolster awareness for the National Park Service’s Proposed General Management Plan to close nearly 20 percent of boating and fishing access in Biscayne National Park, in Miami, Florida. Florida Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio recently showed their support and signed a joint letter expressing concern to Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. In the letter, the Senators note that the proposed “marine reserve” as well as several “non-combustion zones” would halt fishing and boating in the area and substantially diminish the…

Dana Wharf’s Fourth Annual Halibut Derby wrapped up this past weekend on May 6, with a tournament-record jackpot of $5,915 awarded to the anglers who caught the biggest fish. The largest halibut caught during the six-month-long derby was a 43-pound, 10-ounce fish reeled in by Dana Point resident, Peggy Stein. For her big catch, Peggy received a check for $2,958. The top 25 anglers got to participate in the annual Fish Off. This was a free trip for the anglers who caught the 25 largest halibut over the course of the derby. It was also a chance for one luckly…

On Friday, May 4, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) took action to implement a “Louisiana-only” red snapper recreational season, set to begin in 2013. This Louisiana red snapper “weekend-only” season would begin the Saturday preceding Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) each year and end September 30 of the same year. There will be a recreational bag limit of three fish per day with a 16-inch minimum. The state defines the weekend as Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of Memorial Day and Labor Day, when Monday would be classified as a weekend as well. LDWF Secretary…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently set the 2012 red snapper season for state waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The red snapper Gulf season will run from June 1 through July 10, for a total of 40 fishing days. The state season is the same as the recently announced federal recreational red snapper season. The Commission also voted to keep a 40-day, June 1 through July 10 season regardless of whether the federal season is further shortened. Florida state waters in the Gulf of Mexico extend out to nine nautical miles from shore while federal waters…

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission officially proclaimed June 9 and 10 as “Free Fishing Weekend” for Louisiana citizens and visitors. The promotional fishing dates are provided for novices and non-anglers as an opportunity to experience recreational fishing in fresh or salt water without the purchase of a recreational fishing license. The program is part of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) efforts to attract more participants into the ranks of licensed fishermen. Fishing license fees support LDWF’s conservation efforts including habitat management. “LDWF is encouraging anyone who wants to fish in Louisiana to do so on the…

The Mercury/SeaVee Saltwater Shootout, leg one of the 2012 Pompano Beach Saltwater Circuit’s three-tournament series, will take place the weekend of May 12. Anglers who have fished the Shootout before can expect the same great format, prizes and parties they have experienced in the past with the Shootout. Event promoter, Bluewater Movements, has something new in store for teams that have never fished any of their summer tournaments before — it’s called the Greenhorn TNT. “The Greenhorn TNT is a fun category geared towards attracting new teams to our summer tournaments,” said Jamie Bunn, owner of Bluewater Movements. The Greenhorn…

Everglades Fishing Charters CCA FLORIDA GRASSROOTS ALERT! EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK UPCOMING MEETINGS _______________________ CCA URGES YOU TO ATTEND ONE OR BOTH OF THE UPCOMING MEETINGS THAT WILL BE HELD BY EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK! Just over one year ago the Everglades National Park (ENP) administrators implemented the largest pole and troll zone in Florida, the 9,400-acre Snake Bight Pole and Troll Zone was an area of concern because of the purported damage to the sea-grasses. Next week the ENP will hold workshops that will involve comprehensive discussions to present what’s happened to date, what activities are planned in the future, and…

This is the time of year when new fishing opportunities in Washington state start popping open like daffodils in the afternoon sun. Shrimp and lingcod in Puget Sound, halibut all along the Washington coast and spring chinook salmon on the Chehalis and Yakima rivers. But none of those fisheries draw bigger crowds than the lowland lakes trout fishing season, which opened April 28 statewide. In preparation for opening day, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) planted millions of trout, ranging from 11-inch “catchables” to 11-pound jumbos. “The weather was good, and so was the fishing,” said Chris Donley,…

The International Game Fish Association is developing a fish recognition app, which will help anglers identify their catch with just a click of their smartphone. But the IGFA needs your help. In partnership with Columbia University, the IGFA is developing the first-ever visual recognition app for fish for the iPhone. This technology will assist anglers in identifying the fish they catch just by taking a picture on an iPhone. The app is in the early stages of development, but the IGFA is asking anglers to take part in the next phase by submitting smartphone pictures of the following fish: •…

Alex Vazquez led the team Fish Tales to an impressive victory at the Bahamas Billfish Championship’s first tournament of the 2012 season at Great Guana Cay, Abaco. Vazquez and teammate Joey Souto caught-and-released four blue marlin and one white marlin to earn 2,600 points for the win. The BBC’s new format allows teams to fish three out of four days with a required captain’s choice lay-day. Like most of the 21-boat fleet, Fish Tales took day one as their lay-day. Shortly after noon on day two, Vazquez released the team’s first blue marlin and Souto solidified the tournament lead by…

There has never been a better time to purchase a Suzuki Outboard engine. Whether you’re looking to repower or buy a new boat and engine package, you should definitely check out the promotions currently being offered by Suzuki Marine. Suzuki Marine recently brought back its “Gimme Six” promotion, which offers customers a total of six years of product protection at no extra charge when they purchase a new Suzuki outboard motor from 40 to 300 hp between April 14 and June 30, 2012. Click to find out more! Buy a new Suzuki and get the 3-year limited warranty plus three…

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Jeppesen has announced the Spring 2012 Release of its popular C-MAP MAX and C-MAP 4D cartography, bringing a variety of significant enhancements and exclusive new data to recreational boaters across North America. C-MAP’s 4D cartography provides the newest and most innovative navigation experience available, combining the three traditional dimensions with a fourth dimension of time in the form of consistent, periodic updates. Jeppesen updates its electronic charts three times per year, and makes these updates and upgrades available to boaters through a variety of channels. The Spring 2012 Release includes a new 3D…

Boaters should pay attention to their boat’s marine electronics and electrical systems because failures here are likely to ruin that first fishing trip or coastal cruise.

This month’s Fishin’ Chick, Monique Savoy, grew up fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and has turned her passion for the sport into a career. She recently got her six-pack captain’s license and currently works for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Monique prefers to fish way out in the Gulf with her beau Eric Newman and target pelagic species, but she loves to catch anything that will pull. Q: How did you get into fishing? A: I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and as many of you may know, southern Louisiana has some of the…

The legend began back in 1937 and the scene is known far and wide in the fishinng world. A teenaged angler named Berk Bedell, of tiny Spirit Lake, Iowa, labors over a small table in his family’s home creating hand-tied hair flies to sell to the local hardware store. For his efforts, young Bedell earned spending cash for some weekend fun. Now, 75 years later, the high school student’s dedication to building quality flies became the genesis that has grown into one of the world’s most influential fishing tackle companies. Berk Bedell flies were so popular that neighbors were hired…

Employees from across all sectors of the U.S. recreational boating industry are gathering on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for the annual American Boating Congress (ABC) to advocate on behalf of the industry’s 350,000 workers and 82 million boaters. With the unofficial start to boating season just over a month away on Memorial Day weekend, ABC gives members of the U.S. recreational boating industry a platform to meet with legislators and other decision makers on Capitol Hill, hear from prominent economic and political speakers and participate all while meeting with colleagues from around the country. The two-day event allows the…

The team on Sandman, skippered by Capt. Scott Leon of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, released 34 sailfish to win a weather-shortened World Sailfish Championship in Key West Sunday on April 22. A makeup day Sunday was planned but scrubbed after Saturday’s thunderstorm concerns forced officials to call lines-out after just 42 minutes of angling, prematurely ending what was to be the final fishing day. “We canceled the tournament for the safety of the anglers,” tournament founder Chris King said. “The winds were 25 knots and seas expected to go seven to nine feet. We declared a one-hour delay (Sunday), checked with…

The adopted California Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision (CFWSV) and two accompanying documents can now be viewed at www.vision.ca.gov. The strategic vision aims to “improve the ability of the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the California Fish and Game Commission (F&GC) to successfully tackle the challenges of the 21st century.” The strategic vision begins with the existing DFG and F&GC vision and mission statements, and then suggests core values, foundational strategies, overarching goals and objectives, and recommendations for helping achieve the goals and objectives. Along with an appointed blue ribbon citizen commission, a 49-member stakeholder advisory group…

For the past several months, ROTATIONS pet food has been offering discounts to the BD community so members could try their high-quality dog food. Brett (Northeastfshman on the forums) has been an active member of the BD community and when he launched ROTATIONS, he wanted to give fellow members a chance to try the product. The secret to ROTATIONS is that it in addition to the meat-first all-natural recipes, it offers your dog the only true rotational diet on the market. By rotating the ingredients in their recipes, ROTATIONS helps avoid ingredient over saturation, which can lead to allergies. It…

Give back to your community and take part in the Bloodydecks blood drive at Day at the Docks, April 15th. The San Diego Blood Bank Bloodmobile will be on site at Day at the Docks, located at the sportfishing landings on Scott Street in San Diego. Each person who donates blood will receive a free Bloodydecks t-shirt, as well as other goodies. All interested donors are encouraged to make an appointment for their donation. Blood donations will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To make an appointment go towww.mysdbb.org/Appointment. If you forget to make an appointment, swing by the…

Named after a Viking sarlord, the Gage Ragnar jacket from Grundens USA is warm, water-resistant and ready for adventure. The new Ragnar hooded jacket and pullover are the latest additions to the popular Gage Technical Gear line from Grundens USA, the company known for making some of the best foul-weather gear on Earth. Born in Uppsala, Sweden in 765 A.D., Ragnar Lorbrok was a Viking warlord and unstoppable adventurer. Like its namesake, the Gage Ragnar is made to conquer the elements and is tough enough to handle any activity — from commercial fishing and trap pulling to offshore big-game fishing…

Sycamore Island Park will receive a stock of rainbow trout for the first time, starting in April 2012. Stocking will begin with an initial release this spring with plans to continue through next winter and early spring, giving anglers an opportunity to enjoy one of the state’s most popular outdoor activities. “This will provide important trout fishing opportunities in the Fresno area,” said California Department of Fish and Game Environmental Program Manager Gerald Hatler. “We are pleased that these fish will also add to the excitement and challenge of fishing by providing a reward to fishing enthusiasts.” Sycamore Island is…