Author: BD STAFF

Columbia River anglers in Washington can now catch and keep chinook salmon for three extra days, from September 16-18. Fishery managers announced that anglers can target chinook for the additional days in the section below the Lewis River downriver to the Rocky Point-Tongue Point line. Chinook fishing will also reopen September 16, two weeks ahead of schedule, in the Buoy 10 area, which includes the lower 16 miles of the Columbia River. The daily catch limit in both areas will be two adult salmon or hatchery steelhead, or one of each. Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River Policy Coordinator for the Washington…

The crew on the Shark’s Parlour, a 47 Riviera, won both the Day One and Day Two dailies as well as the overall jackpot to become the big winners in the 2011 Zane Grey Invitational, the first event in the California Billfish Series presented by Typhoon Polarized Optics. For their big win, Shark’s Parlour took home a paycheck of $79,213! The team on Shark’s Parlour, including Jim Sloan, Tom Sloan, Eric Hermann, Bryce Hermann, Rick Triguiero and Jesse Henry took the lead on Day One and held the position the entire event. The team fished well south of Dana Point…

Ten boats steamed out of Dana Point to battle it out in the 2011 Zane Grey Invitational, the first event in the California Billfish Series presented by Typhoon Polarized Optics. Most of the fleet headed south in search of tailing striped marlin on day one of the fishing action, and for the crew on the Shark’s Parlour, the E6 square of the tournament grid proved to be the lucky spot. Angler Jesse Henry hooked the tournament’s first striped marlin on a live bait at 10:55 a.m. Just 20 minutes later Jesse had his team on the board with 100 points…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently advanced its long-standing policy to protect stressed shark populations in Florida waters. Sharks have been strictly regulated in Florida since 1992, with a one-shark-per-person, two-sharks-per-vessel daily bag limit for all recreational and commercial harvesters, a ban on shark finning and a prohibition on roughly two dozen overfished, vulnerable or rare shark species. “Florida has been recognized as a pioneer and a leader in shark management efforts for nearly 20 years,” said FWC Chairman Kathy Barco. “We recognize that maintaining healthy shark populations is critical to the sustainability of our marine ecosystem.…

As marine electronics evolve, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all of the features and functions available. We’ve all had to open up the user manual on a few occasions to figure something out, whether we want to admit it or not. To help its customers get their electronics questions answered in a more timely manner, Furuno has launched its own forum on the company website. On the homepage of its website (www.FurunoUSA.com), you will find a link to the brand new Furuno Forum. Here you will find product categories to post questions or comments, a place to make new…

The California Fish and Game Commission will consider emergency action on Thursday, September 15 to possibly close the abalone fishery along the northern California coast. This action is being considered in the wake of confirmed reports of dead red abalone and other invertebrates on beaches and inside coves along the coast in Sonoma County. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is currently attempting to assess the impact of the situation and will provide the Commission with information at this Thursday’s meeting. Based on DFG’s report, the Commission may take emergency action to close the abalone season along all or…

The offshore teams in the Zane Grey Invitational are ready for battle. Fishing begins today and the top boats in the California marlin scene will be out there competing for nearly $80,000 in cash prizes. The event will be run out of Dana Point this year to take advantage of the striped marlin bite just off the beach. It appears that tournament director Ali Hussainy made the right decision to move the event to Dana Point as the fishing continues to produce, with crews catching striped marlin on both jig strikes and bait. Fish have been caught every day on…

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is a serious problem for fish populations around the world. Thankfully, a new joint effort between the fishery managements of the United States and the European Union hopes to put a stop to this devastating practice. A signing agreement took place on Wednesday, Sept. 7, in Washington D.C. with Dr. Jane Lubchenco, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and the head of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Ms. Maria Damanaki, European Union commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Ellen Peel, the president of The Billfish Foundation, said that fishing…

The American Sportfishing Association is pledging its support to the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act, introduced by Representatives Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Dan Boren (D-OK), will ensure that recreational fishing, hunting and shooting sports are supported as public activities on federal lands. The two members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus introduced the Act on Friday, September 2, 2011. This bipartisan legislation directs federal land management agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to apply the multi-use mandates in their management plans to support public access to our nation’s public…

How would you like to win $1 million for catching a world-record fish? Sound too good to be true? Well, you better believe it! Mustad, the world’s largest-selling hook, recently launched a new promotion called “Hook a Million,” and if all goes according to plan, the company will pay out $1.4 million in cash to those lucky anglers who set a new world or state record using a Mustad hook. “With over 50 new state records set in the last year or so and several world records pending certification, we felt the time was right for a program that rewards…

Fishing was red hot on the first day of the Club Nautico de San Juan’s 58th Annual International Billfish Tournament (IBT). The 52-boat fleet released 31 blue marlin, and according to angler reports, the fleet hooked-up or saw more than double that number. This is why Puerto Rico’s Marlin Alley, a mile-and-a-half deep trench off the north coast of San Juan, is known as one of the top spots for Atlantic blue marlin. The team aboard the 60-foot Rybovich, Pescador, had an especially good day. They were the first team to release three blue marlin and to put them in…

Boaters in Florida are used to the no-wake or slow zones to protect manatees. Most boaters find them a nuisance as stretches of water that once took just 15 minutes may now take three times as long. Well, a new rule will require that boaters in Broward County slow down in manatee zones in Florida throughout the week, not just on weekends. The rule will be in effect from November 15 through March 31 on portions of the Intracoastal Waterway in the northern part of the county. There also will be additional slow zones in a few other small areas and…

Speckled trout anglers hungry for some competition in Louisiana can look forward to an exciting new tournament scheduled to take place on Lake Pontchartrain this fall. With the success of the 2011 redfish tournaments, the Louisiana Saltwater Series decided to expand its offerings and include speckled trout and yellowfin tuna. Hosted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the series is dedicated to catch-and-release saltwater angling through a series of agency-sponsored fishing tournaments. The tag-and-release tournament is scheduled for Saturday, October 22 at The Dock/Dockside Bait and Tackle in Slidell. LDWF officials will be on hand to help weigh,…

The good news is that the striped marlin fishing has picked up just off the beach in Southern California and a bunch of boats caught marlin over Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, the action isn’t at Catalina Island, it’s right off the mainland and the Zane Grey Invitational is literally just days away, scheduled for September 11-13, in Avalon on Catalina Island. That left tournament director Ali Hussainy with a tough decision… Keep the Zane Grey on Catalina Island and risk losing several teams, or move the tournament closer to the action so crews wouldn’t have to run some 40 miles…

One of the most basic rules of fishing is that you must fish over fish to catch fish — that means you have to find them, and the latest fish-finding technology launched by Furuno will make that search a heck of a lot easier. Working in conjunction with Electronic Navigation Ltd. (ENL), Furuno came up with a turn-key solution for gathering detailed information about what’s under your boat, collecting it faster than ever, and utilizing that data in more meaningful ways. This system, called Wide Angle Sonar Seafloor Profiler or WASSP is a multibeam sonar that allows you to simultaneously…

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) are reminding Louisiana residents in areas that may be impacted by Tropical Storm Lee that fish kills may occur as a result of the storm. Residents who encounter a fish kill are encouraged to call 1-800-442-2511 immediately to report the fish kill. Large amounts of rainfall across southern Louisiana may cause fish kills, particularly in the Lake Verret Complex, Lake Fausse Point or other 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…

What Is The Best Dog Food? Any dog lover will tell you that their pet is part of the family. As such, we treat our dogs like our children. But when it comes to dog food, most folks feed their pooches the same thing day in and day out. Many dog food companies would like you to believe that it’s harmful to change a dog’s diet. The truth, however, is that rotating your dog’s food can help them live a healthier life. But you need a food designed for rotational feeding, and that’s where Rotations Pet Food comes in. Nature…

The United Anglers of Southern California (UASC) added three new members to its Board of Directors — Breck Furnish, Cathy Needleman and Wendy Tochihara. “I’m pleased to welcome Breck Furnish, Cathy Needleman and Wendy Tochihara to our board, and look forward to working closely with them in the coming months and years,” said Dave Elm, UASC Chairman. “Recreational fishing access is under severe threat throughout the state, and it’s going to take teamwork and strong leadership if we hope to prevail. With solid direction from our board, we’re pursuing an ongoing strategy to protect recreational access and promote fisheries conservation…

Early reports from Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) indicate that damage to recreational boats inflicted from Hurricane Irene could total more than $500 million. This estimate only applies to boats, not boating infrastructure. The storm effected vessels from South Carolina to Maine. The last hurricane to strike the US, Hurricane Ike (2008), was estimated to cause $200 million in damage to recreational boats. Boaters who hauled vessels ashore in anticipation of the storm were largely spared damage. “We only have five minor claims for boats that were damaged while stored ashore,” said Senior Vice President of Marine…

Seaguar is well known in the fishing world for inventing and producing the premier fluorocarbon leader material available. The company decided to build upon its strong reputation and offer its customers a few more weapons to add to their quiver. The latest product introduced is a line of monofilament that Seaguar calls Senshi, which means “warrior” in Japanese. The name is fitting since this mono was engineered to do battle with big fish. Senshi is a sensitive, thin-diameter line that easily detects structure, lure action and strikes to improve your catch ratio. Engineered in Japan, Senshi features all of the…

Friends of Rollo, in conjunction with participating Southern California sportfishing landings from San Diego to Santa Barbara, will be hosting two upcoming Rollo Kids Fish Free Days on September 24 and 25. Take advantage of this special opportunity for kids and adults who aren’t involved in organized youth groups to benefit from the Friends of Rollo youth fishing program. If you want to introduce any child aged 15 and under to the wonderful sport of recreational sportfishing, this is the time to do it. All of the boats involved in this promotion are Coast Guard approved and feature a licensed captain…

Whether you’re a private boater or fish on a sport boat, you should always know where the life jackets or personal flotation devices (PFDs) are kept. When you have a child on board, it’s even more important. Most boats do not carry PFDs for youngsters, so it’s best to bring a jacket that you know will fit your child. If you don’t have a PFD for your son or daughter, you can borrow one from the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety’s Kid’s Life Jacket Loaner Program at no cost. A youngster wearing an adult-sized PFD does not do much good.…

Costa Rica, one of the world’s premier sportfishing destinations, has named Herbert Nanne and Monica Gutierrez to the country’s recently formed Sportfishing and Tourism Commission. Nanne is a biologist and The Billfish Foundation’s (TBF) Central America Conservation Director. Gutierrez is a lawyer and President of Pronature, a sister conservation entity to TBF. The Costa Rica Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (INCOPESCA) created the commission after TBF presented a socioeconomic study showing the positive impact of sportfishing for the country. The Sportfishing and Tourism Commission’s duties include creating alternative projects among the small and medium-scale artisan coastal fleets to reduce commercial fishing…

The team on Smooth Finish set a new Texas record, releasing a billfish super slam in the Gulf of Mexico. To catch a super slam, you must land four species of billfish in a single day. That’s not an easy feat, and is extremely rare for Texas. The crew caught the slam on day one of the Texas Legends Billfish Tournament. The catch consisted of one blue, one white, one sail and a bonus spearfish! The spearfish was one out of a double-header bite which is super rare in Texas. As far as we know, this is only the second…