Author: BD STAFF

Girls of Reel Sassy Kimberlee Ewing and Kristy Levin wanted to give lady anglers their own line of fishing clothing, and that’s how Reel Sassy began. rs2 Gettin’ Reel Sassy with a nice Atlantic sailfish. rs3 Who says you can’t look good while playing hard? rs4 At work and at play, the Reel Sassy girls always have a good time. rs5 These girls have fished the offshore tournament circuit. rs6 That’s one big amberjack! rs7 Tradition dictates that you get thrown in after catching your first billfish. Guess who’s going for a swim back at the dock? rs8 Catching Atlantic…

The unofficial start to the 2011 Baja tournament season wrapped up with the completion of the Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Tournament at the Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort and sets record for Blue Marlin tournament. On the stage overlooking a tranquil Sea of Cortez, the tournament dished out $331,740 in cash prizes to five teams. A total of 61 boats fished this 12th annual sportfishing event which is presented by Cabo Riviera. Chucky Van Wormer and his team aboard La Hielera & Co. were the biggest winners after boating a blue marlin weighing 557 pounds. The big blue was caught…

The fifth and final day of the 52nd annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament generated plenty of fishing action, keeping judges and scorekeepers alert as 28 teams battled it out in this prestigious event. “Every year, the Big Island of Hawaii extends such warmth and aloha to the anglers and their families. HIBT thanks this community for 52 years of aloha,” said HIBT founder Peter Fithian. “All 28 teams putting points on the scoreboard really emphasized Kona’s internationally acclaimed reputation for great sportfishing. 2011 proved to be another fantastic year at HIBT.” Port Vila Game Fishing Club of Vanuatu prevailed and…

If you have one boat, odds are you probably have three. Once bitten by the fishing and boating bug, you just seem to accumulate boats. You might have a sport-fisher, a center console, a duck boat, and a skiff. And, each one probably has a different drain plug. If you’ve ever found yourself at the launch ramp with the wrong wrench for your plug, then we’ve got the perfect solution for you. Braid recently launched a Drain Plug Wrench that will fit any plug. “It’s one of those things that you would have thought someone would have come up with…

The PENN Custom Shop website has been revamped with and customers can now design their own custom International V Series reel easier than ever. The upgraded site includes new click-to-change technology when selecting color and engraving options so users can instantly see updates to their reel design. You can also share PENN Custom Shop reel designs on Facebook. To commemorate the launch of the new site, PENN is letting one lucky angler walk away with a custom International V Series reel. To enter visit www.penncustomshop.com and click on the PENN Custom Shop Sweepstakes link to fill out the online form.…

The Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 was introduced this week in the House and Senate. If passed, this legislation will play a pivotal role in restoring billfish populations that have been severely depleted by commercial overfishing. By protecting these fish from overfishing, this legislation will lead to the long-overdue recovery of billfish. The bill was introduced by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL) who teamed up with 11 additional members of Congress to introduce the bipartisan legislation in the Senate and House. This legislation would prohibit the sale of all billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) in the…

Travel Tips For Hunting – Whether in the air or on the highways, millions of American hunters travel long distances in pursuit of wild game and adventure. Dallas Safari Club (DSC) is offering tips to help make the journey go nice and smooth no matter where you roam. “Probably the biggest single factor is booking your hunt with an outfitter or agent with a proven track record of client satisfaction. Any reputable hunt operator can give travel advice that applies specifically to you,” said Ben Carter, DSC executive director. “Ask questions, listen to advice and do your homework, then go and…

The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) has awarded a research grant to help pelagic studies to Dr. Neil Hammerschlag of the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program at the University of Miami for his research “Assessing the Cascading Ecosystem Impacts of Marine Apex Predator Declines.” Dr. Hammerschlag’s mission is to determine the effects of declining populations of tunas, billfish and sharks on the overall health of the ocean environment. This will be accomplished through a series of integrated field and laboratory studies including field surveys, stable isotope analysis, genetic analysis and blood hormone analysis. The GHOF has previously partnered with Dr. Hammerschlag…

Raymarine recently introduced two Automatic Identification System (AIS) units that help boaters safely navigate busy waters. AIS operates on the VHF maritime band and lets ships and yachts exchange their navigation status wirelessly. This info is exchanged between vessels and shore-side traffic monitoring centers. When interfaced to a compatible chartplotter or radar display, boaters can see the surrounding vessel traffic plotted and updated automatically right on their display screen. AIS is mandatory in nearly all commercial ships and is becoming more popular in private boats as well, especially those that travel extensively. Raymarine’s AIS650 Class B AIS Transceiver, and the…

The nation’s largest boat owners’ group, BoatUS, hand delivered more than 15,000 comments from concerned boaters, sailors and anglers to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to protect the future reliability of GPS (Global Positioning System) across the United States. The agency is currently considering a request from a private company, LightSquared, to build up to 40,000 ground stations for a new nationwide broadband wireless telephone network, which, tests have shown, could cause significant interference with most GPS signals. At issue is LightSquared’s proposed use of radio frequency bandwidth adjacent to frequencies that are used by the relatively…

Fish. Food. Feel Good. or F3G, is a unique charity that provides fishermen with a chance to give back to the community by doing what they love — catching fish. By fishing for charity this past year, F3G has worked with San Diego anglers and boats to collect any unwanted sport-caught fish and distribute the fillets to local charities. To help the nonprofit organization grow and serve even more communities, it has has scheduled its first-ever fundraising excursion, an overnight fishing trip aboard the Pacific Queen. F3G donates sport-caught fish to local charities including: Father Joes Villages, SD Food Bank, SD…

The RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act of 2011 was introduced in the Senate. to support the Gulf of Mexico region, which is still coping with the impacts of the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. This bill directs critical funding to the Gulf of Mexico region to help revitalize coastal communities and improve fisheries habitat and data collection. The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) expressed its strong support for this legislation and the benefits it will provide for the thousands of recreational-fishing dependent businesses who continue to try and rebound from the oil spill’s economic and environmental impacts. Introduced…

Project Permit, the permit tagging research initiative led by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Costa Sunglasses, is expanding into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Currently in its second year, Project Permit began as a research study to tag and monitor the permit fish population in Florida and the Caribbean. Permit are often referred to as one of the most elusive game fish of the salt water flats, inspiring anglers worldwide in a quest to catch them. And yet, little is known about the mysterious species. Scientists and regulators are interested to learn permit spawning and migration patterns as well as the overall…

TBF Canary Islands – Offshore Fishing Championship The upcoming 26th Billfish Foundation Annual Offshore Fishing Championship (XXVI Edicion Campeonato de Pesca de Altura) from July 28-30 in the extremely prolific billfishing arena of the Canary Islands will also serve as the backdrop for the promotion of The Billfish Foundations’ global conservation efforts. “As a world-class blue marlin destination, the Canary Islands’ are dedicated to sportfishing tourism as a means to promote fisheries conservation as well as economic well being of communities,” said TBF Science and Policy Specialist Elliott Stark who will be attending. “This is an increasingly important means of empowering…

Two Fort Myers, Florida, anglers each caught and released their first blue marlin to elevate their Moppy Dick II team to the top position in the Drambuie Key West Marlin Tournament that ended Saturday, July 23, in Key West, Florida. They also walked off with a $25,000 first-place cash prize. Dan Richards released his fish, estimated at roughly 100 pounds on Saturday and his teammate Harry Cameron reeled in his approximately 150-pound marlin on Friday, the second day of the three-day tournament. Ironically, both fish were caught on the same lure, a green-and-yellow jethead, within a mile of each other…

Three major fishing events are set to kick into gear the last week of July. These tournaments will have fishermen headed into the Gulf of Mexico from marinas across south Louisiana. The Faux Pas Lodge Invitational and the West Delta Kingfish Invitational will be held in Venice, and the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo will take place at the Grand Isle Tarpon Pavilion. All three tournaments offer up opportunities for fishermen of all levels. “One of the best ways to enjoy summertime in South Louisiana is to head out into the Gulf during one of Louisiana’s incredible saltwater fishing tournaments,” said…

It’s that time of year again in the Sunshine State! Get your tickle stick ready because the Florida lobster season is about to begin. Recreational and commercial harvest seasons for spiny lobster in Florida are set to reopen with the special two-day mini spiny lobster sport season coming first, from July 27 – 28. The special two-day sport season occurs on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July each year to let recreational harvesters collect spiny lobsters before commercial lobster traps are placed in the water on August 1. The regular recreational lobster season runs from August 6 -…

Recreational fishermen in the nearshore waters off the coast of Port Mansfield, Texas, now have almost five times the amount of habitat to fish. The Port Mansfield artificial reef expansion is a major infusion of hard structure to an artificial reel located within eight miles of the Port Mansfield Jetties will help attract more fish, and more anglers to the area. The habitat program of the Texas chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) teamed up with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Artificial Reef Program and Alamo Concrete Products to further enhance the existing Port…

Sportsman Channel, a leading outdoor television network that targets American sportsmen, presented a $50,000 check to Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) President Pat Murray at the ICAST trade show in Las Vegas. This check will go directly to the “Sportsman Fund,” an internal fund Sportsman Channel originated with CCA in 2010 to raise awareness and funds for Gulf regions working to recover from the 2010 oil spill disaster. CCA is one of the largest non-profit marine conservation groups in America. “Sportsman Fund” began with the help of DISH Network in August 2010, when it launched Sportsman Channel and Sportsman HD on…

Set against the backdrop of Everglades National Park, the Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship will hold its 10th annual event on August 26-28 in Islamorada, Florida. Named after the man who was known affectionately as “Mr. Everglades,” the event challenges anglers who seek the hard-to-reach, yet productive fishing areas that Lucerne favored. He spent nearly 40 years exploring the backcountry’s labyrinth of canals, water trails and mangrove mazes. Under the tournament’s distinctive format, anglers vie for seven different species: black drum, bonefish, redfish, snook, snapper, tarpon and trout. To be awarded the overall grand championship, the individual or team…

Seaguar has long been known as an innovator when it comes to producing top-quality fishing line. Once again, the company has expanded its product offering with Kanzen, a super-strong, smooth-casting braided line and Senshi, a clear monofilament that provides a good balance of strength and sensitivity. Kanzen — which means infinity in Japanese — is a high-performance braid made from advanced, ultra-thin microfiber strands in a high-density weave. This thin-diameter line is designed to deliver maximum knot strength with incredible abrasion resistance. Yet Kanzen is super soft for smooth casting and exceptional sensitivity. For anglers who have made Seaguar fluorocarbon…

Everyone knows that keeping cool and dry when fishing is not exactly easy, unless you punk out and spend the day in an air-conditioned cabin. If you’re fishing in the hot sun, you’re going to sweat, and unless you make preparations, you will get sunburnt. Montauk Tackle Company, makers of performance fishing clothes, introduced a line of crewneck fishing shirts with a specialized fabric featuring the company’s MTCdryprotect system a little while back. These shirts give you the protection you need when fishing. To round out the line of performance apparel, Montauk Tackle added a new polo shirt made out…

The Government of the Bahamas recently announced that it will prohibit all commercial shark fishing in its more than 240,000 square miles of territorial water. The move has gotten the attention of marine conservations such as biologist, angler, photographer and world-renowned artist Guy Harvey. “I am very impressed and pleased that the Government of the Bahamas has taken the necessary and correct steps to further protect its marine resources from over-exploitation by both local and foreign interests,” Harvey said. “This new legislation compliments the ban on commercial longline fishing enacted 20 years ago.” Bahamas Outlaws Commercial Shark Fishing The ban…

Berkley designed the PowerBait Heavy Weight Thump Worm to cover a range of water. Whether fishing this soft-plastic bait just below the surface or at deeper depths, anglers can use the oversized tail to make a thumping sound that will get the attention of surrounding bass. The Heavy Weight Thump Worm is also injected with PowerBait scent, giving the worm yet another hand up on the bass. To get the Thump Worm to sink, Berkley uses a special material to add weight to the worm. You can fish it weightless, or Texas rigged, depending on conditions. The paddle tail design…