Dear Anglers,

Happy New Year! 2008 will be a very exciting year for BoatUS ANGLER as we prepare to launch the first issue of the BoatUS ANGLER Magazine. You will find feature articles from some of the biggest names in professional fishing, expert tips on fishing, and do-it-yourself tips and techniques for your boat and trailer, information about your membership benefits, a bragging board for fishing photos, plus some fun pages for the young fishermen of tomorrow. We are planning three issues this year; Spring, Summer and Fall to give you a great resource for each season.

In your February/March issue of BoatUS Trailering magazine you will find the "Tacklebox" newsletter is no longer present - instead we will be bringing you 52 pages of fishing action in the new ANGLER Magazine. In addition to that we will send you this e-line version of the Tacklebox Newsletter between issues to keep you up-to-date on fishing news and tips.

The newest member benefit is BoatUS ANGLER Magazine - a full-color issue that covers:
* Fishing News,
* How-To Tips & Techniques   from the Pros,
* Do-It-Yourself Projects,
* Product Reviews,
* ANGLER Benefits and   Services,
* Fishing Humor,
* Conservation Efforts,
* Safety Tips,
* Trailering and more!

Look for your first issue in March 2008.

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HELP STOP SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN YOUR HOME WATERS WITH A BOATUS FOUNDATION CLEAN WATER GRANT

Over $250,000 Awarded Since 1997
The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is offering grant funds up to $4,000 for non-profit groups to develop projects that help stop the spread of invasive species on local waterways. Since 1997 the annual grant program has awarded over $250,000 to improve the marine environment, funding 129 projects in 35 states.

“Invasive species adversely affect the underwater habitat and fisheries they invade. Our grant program helps educate boaters and anglers about how to stop their spread,” said Susan Shingledecker, Director of Environmental Programs for the BoatUS Foundation.

Some ways to do that, says Shingledecker, include taking a few moments on the launch ramp at the end of the day to inspect and remove all standing water, mud or plant life from the boat.

To view previous grant projects or learn more about invasive species, please visit:
http://www.BoatUS.com/foundation/cleanwater/grants/

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Know your boat's capacity! It is indicated on the Capacity Plate. Never overload or put an oversize motor on it. To determine the passenger capacity for boats with no capacity plate, use the following formula: Number of people (Capacity) = (Length of boat in feet X width of boat) /15.

Single-hull motorboats less than 20 feet in length which are manufactured after 1972 must display capacity and safe horsepower information. The maximum weight in persons, gear and motors is offered as a guide to boaters, and should not be exceeded. It is not a violation of federal or California state law to exceed recommended maximums. However, other states may cite an operator who exceeds capacity and horsepower limitations. Some insurance companies will not insure craft exceeding horsepower maximums and some boat manufacturers will void any applicable warranties for the same reasons.

Be sure the dock lines are tied securely before you put gear aboard or go aboard the boat. Don't straddle from dock to boat. If the boat is small, step as near the centerline as possible and stay low. As you load the boat, be aware of the distance that is between the water and the top edge of your boat, or the freeboard. Waves and wakes can easily swamp a small boat with low freeboard. Never overload the boat, or load heavy gear to one side.

Loading - It's the operator's responsibility that supplies be carefully loaded and all passengers be properly seated. Remember:

Rediscover the Joy of Fishing and Boating
On TakeMeFishing.org you will find everything you need to plan your next trip. Search their database of over 11,600 places to fish and boat to find a great location near you. You will also find tips on how to fish, fun family features, how to cook your catch, and much, much more.

Take Me Fishing was created by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation(RBFF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating and thereby increase public awareness and appreciation of the need for protecting, conserving and restoring this nation's aquatic natural resources.

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BoatUS ANGLER's newest service is the Fishing Guide & Charter Locator. You can search for the perfect guide or charter for your next fishing trip, and afterwards return to the site to "Rate It!"

How was your last guided fishing trip or charter? Was the Captain knowledgeable about the area? Were the boat and fishing gear in good condition? Did you feel you got your money's worth? Tell us about it!

Have you used a Fishing Guide or Charter not listed in our database?  Tell us about it!  Enter as much info as possible on the form and we'll do the rest - your Fishing Guide or Charter will be reviewed and then added to the search engine for others to use.

Guide and Charter businesses that would like to be listed can fill out the online form or contact us directly to be added to our growing database which currently contains over 800 Fishing Guides & Charters with more are being added every day!

Visit the locator here:
http://www.boatusangler.com/guides

Also new to BoatUSAngler.com is the Event Calendar featuring a searchable database to find Fishing Shows and Tournaments in your area. Search by US Region, then State and see the results listed by date of the event.

Don't see your Fishing Show or Tournament listed? Use our "Suggest It" form to let us know about it!

Visit the Event Calendar here:

http://www.boatusangler.com/calendar

Suggest an Event here:

http://ww2.boatusangler.com/calendar/Suggest.php

Rod Guides - The guides on your rods must be checked and kept free of any abrasive areas. Pull a strip of pantyhose through the rod guides to check for snags, or a cotton tipped swab. Inspect them before and after each trip. When trolling, make sure the line is not wrapped around a guide.

Fishing Line - Always check the line for nicks or frazzles or areas of abrasion that will cause a weakness. After every fishing trip, or after playing out a nice fish, cut off approximately ten feet of line and retie, if you have reason to believe it may have been frayed. This is very important.

When fighting a decent fish, in fresh or saltwater, three things can happen:

(1) the fish goes deep, pulling the line across rocks, logs or other hard objects,

(2) the fish is big and the line will rub across its body or tail...
Read More

To read more Fishing Tips and How-To's, Click Here Have a Fishing Tip or Technique, How-To Article, or Fish Story that we could use? Click Here to submit it now

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William R. Gongaware teaches engineering technology at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. Here, this BoatUS Trailering Club Member offers some practical advice on how to gauge tongue weight. Bill and his two assistants(grand children) explain how it's done using a little bit of engineering and a lot of common sense.

If someone came up to you right now and asked "what's the tongue weight on your trailer," would you be able to tell them? And would it be correct? Do you even know what it means? Being able to answer these questions is important. Being able to get those answers is as close as your trailer and bathroom scale.

Tongue weight is just what it says: The weight of the trailer tongue on the hitch. It should be 5-10% of the weight of the trailer and boat fully loaded (including gas and, if applicable, outboard engine).

The project overview:
In preparation, park the trailer and tow vehicle on a level surface. Chock the wheels and apply the parking brake. In order to make the system operate as safely as possible, relieve the tension between the ball and the coupler so the tongue can be raised smoothly with the trailer jack.

• a bathroom scale with 300 pounds capacity
• 2 five foot 2X4's, preferably Southern Pine or Douglas Fir or better or a 4X6 of similar quality
• 12 eight penny nails or equivalent screws no longer than three inches
• 8 or more pieces of scrap hardwood (1X4X6 or longer) to be used as shims
• 2 or 4 cement blocks or pieces of a 6X6 at least 10 inches long
• one dark color marker (permanent ink, chisel tip preferred) and one pencil
• Tools: torpedo level, hammer, measuring tap

Click Here to Read More

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Jon Babich with his 2005 Record Largemouth Bass

from Trailering magazine -When Texans talk about bass fishing, they also talk about Lake Lewisville. Its huge 183- mile-long shoreline, around which 17 boat ramps are located, brings anglers from all over the country to try their luck at largemouth bass, stripers and, depending on the time of year, Texas-size blue catfish. This past September's National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship co-sponsored by BoatUS ANGLER was the fourth major fishing tournament on Lake Lewisville in the past 18 months. And many of those fishing now are serious anglers, among them Robin Babb who has placed in the Women's BassMaster Tour Championship.

"Lake Lewisville is a very good fishery and I've competed there in both 2004 and 2005 and done fairly well," Babb says, offering this advice: "There are large tire barriers put out at the entrance to the marinas used as breakwater barriers. Letting a worm fall in the middle of the tires is a fun way to catch bass in the summer time..." Click Here to Read More on Fishing Lake Lewisville

Lewisville Tourism www.visitlewisville.com

Lake Lewisville levels:
www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/reports/fish.htm

Lake Lewisville Facts:
* Average Depth - 25 feet
* Deepest - 67 feet
* Fish Records-
    Blue Catfish 63.12 pounds - Shannon Maynes, 01/2000
    Largemouth Bass 13.63 pounds - Jon Babich, 11/005
    Spotted Bass 3.73 pounds - Kent Andrines, 05/2006
    Striped Bass 15.09 pounds - Larry Richter, 02/1998

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Each new Member that you sponsor adds up, helping BoatUS ANGLER offer more benefits and services that appeal to fisherman. With worry-free fishing, towing on-the-water or on-the-road, you can focus on your next big catch and keep more money in your pocket and not in someone else’s.

Bring a new Member on board and receive a token of our thanks – a “No Stink” towel specifically designed for fisherman…like you!

Simply Click Here to fill in the application information about a fishing buddy and enter your name and Member number in the designated boxes. When your fellow angler joins, you’ll get the credit, a thanks from your buddy and a gift from BoatUS ANGLER. Recruit 1 Member or 10 and we’ll send you that many towels!

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Register and log-on to your one-stop website resource for Fishing and Boating information. Customizable pages allow you to peruse Fishing, Conservation, Tournament, and Boating News, MessageBoards, How-To-Tips, daily Fish Facts, Fish Tales about the latest record-size catches, Recipes, Tide & Buoy Data, Marine and Local Weather and view and update your Membership information.  We even have a place to post your favorite photos! Register today and automatically be entered to win a $200 Gift Card.

You can find all of this and more on the Members-Only site my.BoatUS.com!

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