Author: BD STAFF

A 54.73-pound kingfish catch earned the Bimini Twist team top honors at the Key West Harbour King Mackerel Tournament that ended January 22. Led by Capt. Grant Johnston of Clearwater, Florida, the team consisted of Johnston’s father Doug Johnston and seven-year-old son Blake Johnston and uncle Jerry Stephenson. Blake Johnston, who helped fight the winning kingfish with Stephenson, was named the tournament’s top junior angler. According to Grant Johnston, the team was about 30 miles west of Key West in approximately 80 feet of water when they caught the fish on a blue runner, but winning wasn’t their primary motivation…

Starting on February 1st, Florida anglers will see increased bag limits in some regions of Florida for red drum or redfish and spotted seatrout. The management changes were put into effect by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to provide “more angling opportunities,” but the state also decided to create a longer spotted seatrout fishing season for commercial fishermen. That move has seen a fair bit of criticism. Below you’ll find all of the redfish and seatrout changes for the entire state of Florida. Changes Affecting Red Drum: • The creation of three management zones (see map below)…

Florida just announced that it will reopen the recreational harvest season for snook on February 1 in Florida’s Atlantic coastal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. The snook season is reopening on the Atlantic coast only. Anglers may keep one snook between 28 and 32 inches total length per day in the allowable harvest areas only. Fishermen targeting snook must have a snook permit as well as a saltwater license unless they are exempt from having a license. Using snatch hooks and spears is prohibited. It is illegal to buy or sell snook. The harvest of…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the government agency that overseas fishery management, announced that it has started using a new and “improved” method to estimate the amount of fish caught by saltwater anglers, which will hopefully lead to fishing regulations based on more accurate information. The method is part of an overall effort to improve the accuracy of recreational catch data collected by the Marine Recreational Information Program, and was developed by a team of NOAA scientists and outside experts. “The new estimation method is a fundamental change that better reflects what is happening on the water and…

Scott Kelly’s team, White Rat, won the inaugural Cape Eleuthera Wahoo Tournament narrowly beating the second place finisher, Rake N Scrape, by 7.5 pounds. White Rat’s five largest wahoo totaled 262.6 pounds. White Rat’s score was aided by an impressive 81.5-pound wahoo weighed on day two of the three-day event hosted by the Cape Eleuthera Resort & Yacht Club in the Bahamas. For the win, White Rat received a specially designed trophy from Cape Eleuthera’s General Manager Stephen Kappeler. And Scott Kelly was presented with a certificate for $1,000 in Shell oil products from Arthur Ternquest, Regional Manager for Sun…

The third-annual Billfish Expo will take place at the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame Museum in Dania, Florida, on Saturday, February 18 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Spend the day learning the secrets of marlin fishing from the sport’s most-respected big-game fishing professionals. The topics covered during the Billfish Expo include a wide range of subjects that relate to the pursuit of billfish. Some of the talks will include tournament strategies, daytime swordfish techniques, fishing with kites, trolling baits and dredges and scientific and technical topics such as how to read sea-surface charts and better utilize your…

New York’s senior United States Senator, Charles E. Schumer, asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the manner in which the recreational summer flounder (also called fluke) harvest is allocated among the several states. In particular, Senator Schumer questioned why New York, with its long coastline and high population, receives just a little more than 17 percent of the recreational allocation, while neighboring New Jersey is allotted more than 39 percent, allowing its anglers to fish under regulations less stringent than those governing New York’s fishermen, even though they fish some of the same waters. “CCA NY thanks Senator…

In 2001 an angler participating in the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) volunteer tagging program placed a tag in a small yellowfin tuna while fishing off of Cat Island in the Bahamas. Nine years later, the tag was returned. The tag was sent in by the National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries in Shizuoka, Japan. At the time the tuna was tagged, the fish weighed just 15 pounds. When it was recovered nine years later off the west coast of Africa, the fish weighed 189 pounds. That’s nearly 4,000 miles away from the Bahamas. Tagged Yellowfin “What…

Completely redesigned from the ground up to utilize the newest Windows technology, the recently introduced Fugawi Marine 5 navigation software features several new elements to give users more functionality. A fully engineered enhancement to its popular Fugawi Marine ENC navigation software, Fugawi Marine 5 gives navigators the ability to plan trips on a PC, tablet at home as well as the chartplotter on board. Boaters can plot GPS position, plan routes, program an autopilot, display Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessels, and view important data on elegant and crystal-clear instrument displays. “Our Fugawi Marine 5 offers boaters a powerful set of…

On January 18 the lower portion of Washington’s White Salmon River will reopen to fishing for hatchery steelhead. The area will remain open until further notice. The location includes portions of the White Salmon River from the river mouth to the county bridge below the powerhouse. The fishing boundary buoys at the mouth are no longer in place, therefore the mouth of the White Salmon River is defined as “outermost uplands not covered by ordinary high water.” The daily limit is two hatchery steelhead. All other species, including salmon, must be released. The White Salmon River from the county bridge…

AFTCO and Guy Harvey recently introduced a new shirt to congratulate the Alabama Crimson Tide and their victory in the BCS 2011 National Championship. Now all Alabama fans can support Bama’s Roll Tide, and this great victory, by gearing up with an Alabama 2011 National Champion T-Shirt. These tees are officially licensed by the CLC. Guy Harvey has created custom T-Shirts that celebrate the success of the NCAA Championships each year since 2008. These shirts have been very popular, and hugely successful.This year Guy has created a dynamic scene showing a fierce elephant defeating a tiger, set against a “Roll…

Costa Sunglasses made a splash last year when it unveiled images of one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted fish sculptures of a tarpon, blue marlin and largemouth bass built entirely out of its own sunglass parts in an advertising campaign. Now, two of these sculptures have found new homes with some worthy organizations. Costa donated its tarpon fish sculpture to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) to be put on display inside the IGFA’s Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum. First opened in January 1999, the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum attracts 75,000 guests each year who come to view one of…

Wounded Warrior Project Falling Feathers Ranch, a duck club in Southern California, recently hosted a hunt for members of the Wounded Warrior Regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Club members hosted seven Wounded Warriors on the hunt, and the hunt went incredibly well. The group had a blast (literally) hunting coots, ruddys, spoonthrax, and other birds. “It was awesome to see how excited these young men were,” said BD member Dr. Fowl in a forum post about the hunt (www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/hunting/387428-wounded-warrior-hunt-falling-feathers-ranch.html). “I will say, I will have some work ahead of me picking up spent shells next weekend, but it…

California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens cited a Southern California man for poaching dozens of lobsters Poacher inside a Marine Protected Area (MPA). Wardens observed Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland (Riverside County) and a companion SCUBA diving in the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve after midnight on January 15. This location, which is in the Heisler Park area off the coast of Laguna Beach, has historically been closed to lobster fishing for years (even prior to the establishment of the MPA). After the divers left the water and returned to their vehicle, the wardens made contact with…

Don’t miss the Southern California Tackle Show and Swap Meet, a unique event offering used and antique tackle. The show has become one of the must-attend events of its kind in Southern California. The three-day show is a great spot to pick up tackle, trade some of your gear and meet fellow Southwestern tackle collectors or anyone else who has an interest in antique fishing tackle. Show admission is free. The show starts Thursday afternoon, February 9, and continues through Friday night. The public is welcome both days, with show hours running from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The show…

The Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) will kick off its 2012 Mercury Tournament Trail season at the 16th Annual Key West Harbour King Mackerel Tournament set for January 20–22 at the Key West Harbour Yacht Club in the Florida Keys. This is also the first event of the year for SKA’s Division 10 tournaments which include: • 16th Annual Key West Harbor / Murray Marine KMT: January 20-22 • Greater Palm Beach Offshore 440: April 13–15 • Mercury / SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Shootout: May 10–13 • Mercury / SeaVee Pompano Beach Slam: June 7-10 • The Sailfish Marina, Big Dog…

$50 Million Invested in Gulf Coast Restoration; Sportsmen Offer Praise WASHINGTON – The establishment of a U.S. Department of Agriculture plan to improve fish and wildlife habitat and water quality in the Gulf of Mexico watershed drew praise from American sportsmen, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership announced Tuesday. The Gulf of Mexico Initiative will direct up to $50 million over three years toward conservation assistance to landowners in priority areas along major rivers that drain into the Gulf. Launched via the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the initiative is among the efforts being undertaken by the administration’s Gulf Coast Ecosystem…

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently completed two oyster rehabilitation projects, one within the public oyster seed grounds of Mississippi Sound and one within the public oyster seed grounds of California Bay, totaling $3.1 million in state and federal funds. The state committed funds to these emergency restoration projects to aid in the recovery of areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.…

Whale Shark Tagging Expedition Deemed a Huge Success The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in a collaborative effort with several fisheries-based agencies, successfully tagged 10 whale sharks during two recent trips in the Gulf of Mexico. This represents the largest number of whale sharks tagged at one time in the northern Gulf of Mexico.The tagging effort is a joint venture between the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Mississippi Laboratories, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, On the Wings of Care and LDWF. The team is hoping the project will reveal precious information…

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) had a busy 2011, dealing with pesky bears, a roaming gray wolf, significant poaching arrests, tsunami relief work and dramatic wildlife rescues. DFG also welcomed new director Charlton H. Bonham, who was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in August. The following stories were some of the most closely watched and widely covered: 1. OR7 – A Lone Wolf Makes its Way into California DFG has long been following the recovery and migration of gray wolves in western states. One wolf in particular, nicknamed OR7, was equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS)…

Spinning reels are now being used in more fishing situations than ever before. To battle a bruiser redfish on the flats or a hefty yellowtail, you need a reel that you can rely on. If you put a low-quality spinner under a heavy load, you’ll notice the reel’s frame flexing and twisting, and in a worse-case scenario breaking — especially near the support stem and the reel seat. Fear no flex or breakage with Fin-Nor’s Inshore Series of spinning reels. These spinners were engineered to be one of the lightest spinning reels available without resorting to using plastic that can…

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA), along with numerous recreational fishing and boating organizations and dozens of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, continues to strongly advocate for a legislative solution that requires science be the primary force behind federal marine fisheries management decisions. Without passage of the Fishery Science Improvement Act (FSIA), new catch limits will be put in place by the end of 2011 for hundreds of the nation’s marine fisheries based on little or no scientific data. The deadline is driven by a statutory requirement included in the 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation…

Grundens USA — the company known worldwide for outfitting Bering Sea crab fishermen — recently added a deck knife to its Gage Technical Gear Line. The key to the Gage Deck Knife’s versatile performance is a unique, impact resistant plastic sheath with two rare earth magnets that hold the knife securely in place when worn in any position. The sheath features a belt clip/clamp system that allows anglers to fasten it right to the suspenders of bib pants or waders. The knife can also be securely attached to the wearer’s belt situated either vertically or horizontally. With the handle facing…

WaveSpin Spinning Reel ZTR 1500 & 3000 Fish a spinning reel long enough and you’ll end up with a loop somewhere in the line. These loops can wreak havoc on your casts and create tangles and bird nests that steal away your fishing time. Tangles can also cost you yards of fishing line if you end up having to cut them out. WaveSpin spinning reels feature a unique spool design that eliminates tangles by letting loops freely fly off the spool. The company is so sure its reels won’t tangle that they guarantee it. Reeling in slack line can cause…