Author: BD STAFF

Pieces of Bait Just as precious as gold to a fisherman, pieces of bait are the key element that can make or break a fishing trip. In the Florida Keys, catching enough live bait is often a struggle in itself.  Some days are easy, while others make you earn it. Captain Rush Maltz, co-host of Local Knowledge says” I never put a time limit on catching bait.  If you leave with out enough or any, you are selling yourself short on the day.” “Unlike at home in Southern California, the bait here has to be caught by the fishermen.  At…

Discover how A California housewife solved the one problem every fisherman faces… Love it or hate it – a day of fishing leaves you all kinds of smelly. And the more successful the trip… the thicker the stench. Now, you may relish in this “smell of success” but chances are high that your significant other and family have a slightly different opinion.  If you’re really honest with yourself, when the day is done… it is time for the fish stink to be gone – just ask any commercial fisherman… or his wife!  Add to that – the burden of every piece…

Its almost lobster season so here is a compilation of our classic lobster tips and recipes. Lobster Hoop Netting Time! Lobster Hoop Netting in October marks the start of another California lobster season. It’s a long season, almost six months long, and I’m looking forward to a good season this year. When getting ready to go out hoop netting for lobster, one of the most important things to consider is your bait. At my lobster seminars, the … Continue reading Hoop-Netting California Lobster Lobster Time Daytime highs are still hovering around 100-degrees where I live in the San Fernando Valley, but…

Offshore Reel – Best Offshore Trolling Reels Sweet 16 – Penn International VSX 2-Speed Penn Reels have been interwoven into the fabric of sportfishing for as long as most of us reading this can remember. Since 1933, Penn has been making reels in their Philadelphia based locations and during those 82 years, the crew at Penn has been innovating and evolving with the sport itself. Penn International In 1966, … Continue reading Shimano Forcemaster Electric Reels Shimano has created a new class of electric reel that is a true “force to be reckoned with”. The Forcemaster series currently consists of…

BD would like to introduce you to Skye Burkhardt or “BrassyHooker87” as her friends and fans know her.  She is very passionate about fishing and shares her perspective with us. BD: Where do you live? Skye Burkhardt: I live in Edgewater, Florida. BD: What is you occupation? Skye Burkhardt: I am blessed. I have Mosquito Lagoon in my backyard. I kayak fish mostly. I can walk to my back yard hop in my yak and fish!  I fish daily and I’m currently working on my fish art. BD: What are your other hobbies? Skye Burkhardt: Fishing.. Did I mention fishing?…

The No Sancocho Sailfish Shootout is Guatemala’s most exciting & prestigious billfish tournament, and anglers have more reason than ever to secure their spot aboard one of the eight boats in the Casa Vieja Lodge Fleet and get the best sport fishing experience on and off the water. At the end of the three-day tournament, the team with the most points wins. You and three teammates choose the combination of bait and fly casting that you think will earn you the most points based on the scale below: Marlin released on fly—100 points Marlin released on 20 lb.—75 points Marlin released on…

SeaDek is bringing you the chance to win a Helm Station Pad for your boat! If you haven’t heard of SeaDek yet it’s about time you have! What is SeaDek? First of all, SeaDek provides exceptional traction surface & lessens the fatigue brought on by prolonged standing and working on hard decking and platforms. This durable and shock absorbent decking protects your deck from scratching, chipping and dents. Furthermore, Fishermen will appreciate SeaDek’s noise reducing qualities. SeaDek is manufactured in the United States from nonabsorbent, closed cell EVA material specifically formulated for marine applications. As a result, this product is great for…

All Southern California Anglers – The clock is ticking before the big party. We’re rolling out the tabletops and linens for a one-of-a-kind festival experience that features local San Diego County craft beer and food. So make sure you don’t miss out on the Coastal Conservation Association San Diego 1st Annual Craft Beer and Food Fest next Saturday, October 1, 2016 at Portuguese Hall from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. Please come out and support those that are fighting for your right to fish. Breweries that are participating include: Ballast Point, Karl Strauss, Second Chance Beer Co, Mission Brewery, Helix Brewing Co, and Division…

BRP, a world leader in the powersports industry, continues its North American expansion of the Evinrude sales network by signing 16 new dealers and four premium OEM boat builders to its portfolio – a clear indication of the excitement surrounding its Evinrude brand and the continued momentum of its industry-leading engines. The four OEMs are Calypso Skiff, Chaparral Boats, Polar Kraft Boats and Mowdy Boats of Texas. “We are thrilled to welcome new members to BRP’s Evinrude family,” said Krista Sparkes, Vice President, Sales North America, BRP’s Marine Propulsion Systems division. “We introduced our new E-TEC G2 150 HP to…

Each year, BD Outdoors and our industry partners put on a Race to Somewhere Contest where we treat one lucky winner to an all expense paid fishing destination with the BD crew. We randomly draw a winner from thousands of hopeful entries. This year had a few twists.  We Raced to Venice, Louisiana, a sportfishing mecca for both inshore and offshore fishing.  Our hosts and guides Captains Eric andMoe Newman who run Journey South Outfitters put us on the fish and showed us the finest of Southern hospitality and cuisine. The full camera crew from Local Knowledge came along to chronicle…

The BDSwag.com store is on sale! Its been a long summer and your favorite BD Outdoors t-shirts & hats are thrashed from all that excellent fishing you’ve been doing.  Its time to re-stock your closet with our latest designs.  Get a move on while supplies last.  The sale is only from September 26th – Oct. 2nd, 2016. BUY NOW! For a limited time only, we are giving you 25% off all BD Outdoors tee’s and hats!

Spiderwire’s new Blue Camo and Green Camo braid lines are great tools that let you take full advantage of the benefits of braid, while minimizing the visual effects underwater.  Camo lines have varying color paterns designed to blend naturally with the background water color.  Blue camo is great for offshore and clear inshore, while green camo works great over the grass beds or in green water. Blue Camo braid fooled the roosterfish above in Costa Rica. Whether you need more distance for casting to cruising cobia or a faster drop on the metal jig, braided lines from Spiderwire excel at…

Operation Soldiers Gratitude – Chris Montera Please Join Us for Operation Soldiers Gratitude hosted by SFC Chris Montera on Monday, October 10th 6-10PM at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island and help Chris raise awareness for Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) and Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation (SOF). Come hear Chris’s amazing story of resilience, recovery, and a life of thriving after sustaining life changing injuries while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. A live auction, raffle, 10 food stations from incredibly talented local restaurant and pastry chefs, local craft brewery, music by the Fellas and award winning musicians Andy…

SeaDek is a customizable non-skid solution for nearly any type of watercraft. The material is a nonabsorbent, closed cell EVA Foam (think rod grips) that feels as good on your feet (and knees and back…) as it looks. The material is available in a rainbow of colors and a variety of thicknesses. The folks at SeaDek also laminate two different colors of sheet-material together so when your logo or boat name is CNC machined, the bottom color shows through giving an awesome custom look. As a bonus, the SeaDek material not only cushions your feet, it will quiet down your…

AFTCO Newest Fleece – AFTCO  Fishing Apparels Fall is upon us and those cool mornings and sunsets will need just the right layer to keep you warm and comfortable.  AFTCO has just the fleece for the job. AFTECH fleece is built to deliver technical and functional performance. Horizon Sweater fleece sets the bar for AFTCO’s AFTECH fleece line built with features to keep you warm, dry, and ready for a long day on the water in the cooler months. Constructed on a 100% polyester knit face softshell, Horizon features a C6 DWR finish, 6K waterproof / windproof, 1.5K breathable membrane, contrast colored…

Hard to believe it is already fall and that means the opening of lobster and crab hooping. Turner’s Outdoorsman not only has great deals on lobster and crab gear, but is offering a lobster and crab hooping seminar with Jim Salazar at their San Marcos store at 2085 Montiel #104 on Thursday, September 29th at 6:30PM. The seminars are presented by Promar who make great tools for the job of lobstering. Now you can get set up with the gear and learn how to use it all in one place. Turner’s Outdoorsman is your lobster and crab headquarters.

The battle against invasive lionfish is waging and new weapons of war always come out of the battle. Courtland Hunt is no stranger to the spearfishing world, so he and his buddies are up to the task of helping to reduce the numbers of lionfish on Florida reefs.  Why not get creative. This is awesome! You can follow more of Courtland’s adventures on his Facebook. Here is how you clean a lionfish for a delicious dinner!

Boat Maintenance Checklist I’ve often thought a great name for a boat would be “Entropy” because it means “lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.”  Nothing could describe a boat better, but there are habits you can get in to slow down the processes of decline. Here are 3 simple boat maintenance tips to help protect your investment and keep it working. Saving Your Isinglass On most boats the isinglass windows on an enclosure will touch the metal support structure of a hardtop or tower leg. Over time this contact and rubbing against the aluminum or stainless will…

A common problem when bottom fishing deeper water is the barotrauma or “blowing up” of fish during the ascent.  The gases naturally found in the swim bladders of fish expands as the pressure is lessened on the trip to the surface.  The pressure leaks out into the body cavity and often pushes out the eyes and stomach of fish.  A fish is de-habilitated by this condition upon reaching the surface and a healthy release is tough unless a simple step is taken to take the fish back to depth for release. Many aspects of this creates a positive result and…

Often times, we drool over the electronics packages available to big boats where money is no object and many technologies have trickled down into units designed for regular boaters and fishermen.  Simrad’s GO Series was designed with this in mind and has been very well received by boaters of all walks.  The GO Series is packed with features and has a user-friendly multi-touch controls that are very familiar to anyone with smartphones and tablets. The GO9 XSE is the most recent addition to this popular line in Simrad’s products.  The new 9-inch screen makes adding waypoints, viewing charts and seeing…

BoatUS offers free way to check required safety gear for your boat Here is a great resource provided by BoatUS Foundation to help boaters check for required safety gear for their sized vessel.  Just select your boat size and see the required USCG safety equipment. This tool will help you figure out how many and what size fire extinguishers you need for your size boat, along with the required sizes and types of flares and other day/night signaling devices. It’s a great way to get all your safety equipment, including life jackets, in order, so that you can boat safely…

We would like to introduce Kevin Pack, our featured artist who has been heavily involved in the fishing world since growing up in California. Q:Where do you live? A:I currently live in Ramona, California.  I started working on the Daily Double out of H&M Landing at the ripe age of 14 riding my bike from Chula Vista to the landing at Scott street, I worked on different boats off and on as school permitted until I joined the Navy in 1975. Q:What mediums do you work in? A:Primarily in watercolor, occasionally Pencil and a lot of Photography. I also do…

Washington’s Hatchery Chinook Action: Allows retention of Hatchery Chinook on the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream to Warrior Rock. Species affected: Hatchery chinook, defined as having a clipped adipose fin or clipped left ventral fin. Effective dates: Thursday, Sept.15 through Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. Daily Limit Buoy 10: Chinook minimum size 24-inches. Coho minimum size 16-inches. Daily limit is two fish of which only one may be a chinook. Only one hatchery steelhead may be retained per day. Release all salmon other than hatchery (adipose or left-ventral fin clipped) chinook and adipose fin-clipped coho. Tongue Point/Rocky Point to Warrior Rock:…