Author: BD STAFF

Seven years into the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study, biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Mote Marine Laboratory are gaining new insights into tarpon movement and seasonal habitat preferences. With the help of anglers participating in the study, researchers have confirmed that some tarpon move long distances, and others stay close to home. Biologists have also found evidence of a connection between tarpon habitats in southwest Florida and those of the Florida Keys. Anglers sampled two tarpon in Charlotte Harbor during August 2010. Both fish were caught the following spring in the Florida Keys – more…

A huge swordfish weighing close to 700-pounds was caught off the Florida Keys on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Fishing on the Mystique, a 61-foot Viking owned by Katherine MacMillan, Marathon, Florida-based captain Billy Rabito Jr. presided over the catch of a 683-pound broadbill hooked some 30 miles to the south of Marathon on Tuesday afternoon. The fish reportedly measured 107 inches long with a girth of 70 inches. The fish bit a whole 5-pound bonito fished on 80-pound braid, spooled on an electric Shimano Tiagra reel. Mike Driskell, the boat’s mate who lives on Little Torch Key, manned the reel.…

Capt. Mark Wisch just released the long-awaited second edition of his second book In the Gray — A Private Boaters Guide to Fishing Island Waters. In the latest edition, Wisch provides private boaters with a simple guide to help them catch more white sea bass and other game fish around Catalina Island. Wisch shares his 40 years of experience fishing Catalina Island throughout the book. At nearly 500 pages, the book is packed with local knowledge and detailed information about how to fish these challenging waters. “If ever there was an angling destination that separates private boaters who ‘know’ from…

The California Billfish Series, the largest offshore tournament series on the West Coast, has just announced that it will retain the services of Marine Art and Trophies, a custom trophy maker based in Central America. “Last year we really wanted to step up the trophies that we give out in the Zane Grey, Catalina Classic and Avalon Billfish Classic,” said tournament director Ali Hussainy. “We decided to award the winners custom bronze sculptures as trophies and we were very pleased with the craftsmanship and finish of the trophies we got from Marine Art and Trophies.” Marine Art and Trophies runs…

If you haven’t already figured it out, the recent article we ran entitled “Open Season on Seals” was an April Fools joke. It was meant as good fun, and we definitely got quite a few guys riled up to go out and bag a seal. We fooled most of you guys out there, but I think that’s because you wanted to believe the story. Sea lion populations are booming and the species is causing property damage to the tune of millions of dollars. Then there’s the fish. Sea lions have hurt efforts to rebuild populations of endangered salmon as well…

The 61 boats fishing in the 30th annual Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament racked up 246 sailfish releases in two days of fishing. As the fleet headed out on Day One the air was filled with the excitement, as crews hoped to win some of the $150,000 up for grabs. Fish Tales had the most points in the inboard division on Day One with 1,200 points. Two boats, Dirty Nest and Night Prowler, were tied for second place, also with 1,200 points each. Ricky Linder won the Top Angler position for the day scoring 1,000 points aboard Dirty Nest. Top…

Defiance Boats is known for building no-nonsense fishing boats that ride well and provide plenty of deck space to fish in all conditions. The new San Juan series, however, takes that a new direction and offers more living space to their already proven fishing boats. “We’ve had a lot of people asking us for a dressed up boat with more creature comforts,” says Jon Lawrence of Defiance Boats. “A lot of guys are big fans of our Admiral series. They like that it’s a no-frills sportfishing boat. They can go out, fish it, bloody up the deck, spray it down…

Environmental groups are already lining up in protest of a proposed congressional bill that is hoping to repeal the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. The goal of the newly proposed legislation is to reopen a legal seal hunting season on the West Coast of the United States. “The original bill was created with good intentions, but has unfortunately created more problems than solutions,” said Thomas Coughlen, the lobbyist behind the new bill. “The original law has outlived its usefulness and needs to be reevaluated.” The legislation, known as the Controlled Seal Population Plan (CSPP), would introduce a lottery-style hunt were…

For the past seven years, a quiet fishing cooperative has been working behind the scenes and building a series of aquaculture facilities with plans to shuffle Atlantic fish species west and Pacific fish east. Many local anglers are calling the group behind the fish shuffle a ruse used by commercial anglers looking to build new possible revenue streams. Known as NORM or the National Organization for Resource Management, this organization has several fish hatcheries and aquaculture plants across the Gulf coast, Atlantic seaboard and Southern California. In California they’ve been growing white sea bass for several years and feel they’ve…

On March 25, angler Fred Beshara landed a 520-pound swordfish fishing in Islamorada, Florida. The big swordfish is likely the largest broadbill ever caught on rod-and-reel during daylight hours off the Florida Keys. Caribsea’s Capt. Kenny Spaulding led Beshara, age 67, to the impressive catch. The semi-retired contractor/developer from Youngstown, Ohio, caught the fish on 80-pound test tackle with a Daiwa Dendoh MP3000 electric power-assist reel. Crewmembers on the boat included mates Conan Yates, William Bassett and Spaulding’s 12-year-old son, K.C., who videoed much of the battle (see below). The big fish took a squid in about 1,850 feet of…

The Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 would help stop the killing of billfish currently taking place in Central America and other Pacific Rim countries. Fishermen from these areas sell their billfish to the United States — an estimated 30,000 marlin and sailfish each year — even though the U.S. itself has no commercial fishery targeting billfish. The United Statese banned the harvest of billfish by our own commercial fishermen on the East and West Coasts years ago. Imports are undermining U.S. efforts to conserve these magnificent fish that are threatened by commercial overfishing on the high seas. Billfish are so…

Davis Boats have always been known for their durability and ride. As a custom boat, the Davis hulls gained a strong following with West Coast fishermen who wanted a workhorse that you could comfortably fish from in all weather conditions. After a change in ownership of the molds, that tradition will live on as Davidson Boats. Effective March 16, Davidson Boats assumed all of the Davis Boats’ proprietary molds, building techniques and tools of the Davis Boats manufacturing facility. Davis Boats provide a stable platform for fishing and diving that is capable of withstanding the punishment of regular use under…

Gulf Grouper Rec Season The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council reminds anglers that the recreational harvest of shallow-water groupers — except for gag grouper — reopens on April 1 within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico federal waters. The annual February 1 – March 31 closure of Gulf recreational shallow-water grouper includes gag, black, red, yellowfin, scamp, yellowmouth, rock hind and red hind. According to the council, the two-month closure during spawning season helps reduce overfishing of gag and rebuild its populations so larger annual harvests may be possible in the future. The gag grouper recreational season…

This week www.TightLinz.com has a unique special on salt and freshwater lures from Braid Products. TightLinz, which offers discounts on all sorts of gear and tackle, is selling the Braid lures at super low prices because of a special two-pack pricing program. For you freshwater/inshore guys TightLinz is featuring a killer lure direct from Japan — the Kuru Kuru (think Japanese for Fish-On!). Offered in both half ounce and three-quarter ounce sizes, the Kuru Kuru lures will get the attention of a wide range of species. They swim great in the water. You’d normally pay $13 for two lures but…

The 2012 California general spring wild turkey hunting season will officially open statewide on March 31 and extend through May 6, with the archery season extending through May 20. Hunters who have a current junior hunting license may also hunt the weekend before the opener, on March 24 and 25, and the two weeks after the general season (through May 20), using shotguns or any other legal method of take. Make sure to note that the season is closed to all hunters from March 26 to March 30. Shooting hours for spring turkeys are from one-half hour before sunrise to…

Mustad, the world’s largest-selling fish hook brand, says there is still time to win the $1.4 million up for grabs in the company’s Hook a Million promotion. Mustad will deliver $1.4 million in cash to those lucky anglers who set new world and state records using a Mustad hook, but all anglers must register first. Since the promotion started, there has been an amazing run of big fish caught by anglers who have not been registered in the promotion. So, don’t forget to go to the Mustad website and register before you head out fishing. Three remarkable catches in three…

The sportfishing season for halibut will be four days longer in Puget Sound, and more fish will be available for harvest during the early season off Washington’s southern coast under catch quotas for 2012 adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Although Washington’s recreational catch quota is down slightly from last year, Puget Sound anglers will get an extra day to catch the big flatfish during the Memorial Day weekend and three additional days during the course of the season. That is a welcome change after three successive years of cutbacks in fishing time designed to prevent that fishery from exceeding…

Lowrance recently announced its next-generation sonar imaging system, the LSS-2 StructureScanHD. The new system delivers more side-to-side coverage, as well as greater target and bottom definition, allowing users to cover more water faster with fine-tuned clarity and detail. The StructureScan HD sonar imaging module provides picture-like displays for more productive fishing. Based on Lowrance’s DownScan Imaging technology combined with side-scan imaging, StructureScan HD includes an enhanced transducer design that features three dedicated signals for crisp, clear views to the left, right and directly beneath the boat. The full-panoramic, picture-like returns display sharper images of structure, fish, thermoclines and more. StructureScan…

Raymarine Navigation Streaming Android Raymarine today announced the release of its Raymarine Viewer app, RayView, for Android tablets and smartphones. The new app, available in the Google Play Android store, joins the previously released RayView app for Apple iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad. Taking advantage of the built-in Wi-Fi networking in its new c-Series and e-Series Multifunction Displays, the RayView app enables boaters to view the screen from the multifunction display right on their mobile device. With c-Series or e-Series and RayView users get the convenience of having a portable repeater system in their pocket. To use…

License Free Fishing Florida Grab your fishing rods, tackle and hit the water. Florida is offering four license-free days where anyone can fish without a license. April 7 is the first license-free fishing day scheduled in Florida for 2012. “Fishing is a great way to enjoy Florida’s beautiful outdoors, great weather and a wonderful day with family and friends,” said Gov. Rick Scott. “License-free fishing days are the perfect opportunity to discover the fun and excitement of fishing and Florida’s great outdoors.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) spread out the opportunities this year so more people will…

Whether you’re setting a course for Cabo or just taking a weekend getaway on the boat, you need a safe, dry place to stow your gear. Things like cell phones, cameras, gyros and electronics don’t like saltwater and neither do clothes for that matter. For that reason, you’re better off using a waterproof bag for all of your belongings and the new Shackelton Duffel and Rumrunner Backpack from Grundens’ line of Gage Technical Gear is perfect for the job. Designed for waterproof protection, the new Gage duffel bags and backpacks are like foul-weather gear — for your gear. Crafted from…

On March 8, the U.S. Senate showed its commitment to restoring the Gulf of Mexico’s economy and environment by approving the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act as an amendment to the Senate transportation bill. This historic achievement was made possible in large part to the support of thousands of anglers who showed their support through the website www.KeepAmericaFishing.org. However, the work is not yet done. The RESTORE Act must next make it through the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced by senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the RESTORE amendment represents extraordinary bipartisan consensus among lawmakers…

Anglers, charter captains, commercial fishermen and politicians will all meet up on March 21 in Washington, D.C. to take part in the Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally, the second gathering of anglers in D.C. The rally is being organized by several organizations, including the Recreational Fishing Alliance and Keep Fishermen Fishing. The main thrust of the gathering is to incorporate management flexibility into the federal fishery management process and to support the economic motor that fishing fuels. Supporting jobs relating to fishing will be a big part of the discussion at the rally, which expects to gather 5,000 or more people.…

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based firm with eco-tourism experience announced a concept for a new sportfishing ecolodge in Islamorada, Florida, in the Florida Keys. The company, EDSA, presented the concept for Sportfishing Ecolodge located on roughly seven-and-a half-acres at Mile Marker 83 between the Overseas Highway to the ocean side of the Old Highway. Bert Vorstman, a commercial property developer and a sportsman and environmental advocate, owns the property. The Eco-Sustainable Lodge designation will incorporate specific enhanced design requirements to improve the ecology of The Village of Islamorada and introduce a high quality, sustainable design to the Keys. “We think this…