By Candus Thomson, Sun Reporter
March 27, 2008

Ron Lewis' catch Sunday morning taxed his fishing line, dwarfed his net and overwhelmed his new digital scale.

The huge blue catfish muscled its way past the state record with these measurements: 67.1 pounds, 51 inches long and 34.5 inches around.

"I don't know if it's the biggest fish I've ever seen, but it's the biggest fish I ever caught," said Lewis, 45, a construction foreman from Point of Rocks.

Longtime angler and buddy Jimmy Griffith launched their boat into the Potomac River about 7 a.m. and quickly made for their favorite fishing spot near Fort Washington.

Fishing with cut bait in about 40-feet of water, Griffith got the first strike. Not long afterward, "my rod went down," Lewis said. "It fought for three minutes, but that was all I wanted. My left arm was falling off."

His 30-pound test fishing line held as Lewis steered his catch to the side of the boat, but his net was no match for the fish. Griffith reached over the side and hauled it in as Lewis scrambled for the digital scale.

Tim Hagan of the fishing group The Catfish Nation raced from Frederick to Prince George's County with a bigger scale and then transported the fish in an aerated tank to Bass Pro Shop Outdoors World at Arundel Mills, where it was released in the 30,000-gallon tank.

The Department of Natural Resources certified the catch, which topped the old mark set in 2006 of 65.5 pounds.

Might he try to break his own mark?

"Oh, probably Sunday," he said.

 

Bi-partisan legislation would permanently restore Clean Water Act exemption for recreational boats

WASHINGTON, DC, March 19, 2008 – A newly introduced Senate bill, “The Clean Boating Act of 2008” (S. 2766) promises to be a practical solution to a looming permit deadline for recreational boaters, anglers, and charter boats.

 

Because of a lawsuit targeting ocean-going commercial vessels carrying ballast water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to implement an “operational discharge permit” for all vessels in the United States – including recreational boats – by September 30, 2008. Without a change in law, all boaters will need to obtain this permit, as early as this summer.

 

However, with a possible Senate vote in the next few months, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) is urging recreational boaters to quickly contact their Senate and House legislators to support The Clean Boating Act of 2008.

 

S. 2766 was introduced on Thursday, March 13 by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). It follows two bills originally introduced in the spring and fall of 2007 as “The Recreational Boating Act of 2007" (H.R. 2550/S. 2067) by Representatives Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) and Senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.).

“Sens. Boxer and Nelson's bill now has the best chance of gaining widespread political support. As a result, we need every boater, every angler, and anyone who uses a boat to contact their senators and representatives to ask for their support of this bill,” said BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich.

 

“S. 2766 recognizes the fact that normal operational discharges from recreational boats, such as engine cooling water or deck runoff from rain, should not be viewed under the Clean Water Act as being similar to a commercial ship's ballast water,” said Podlich. “This bill does not weaken any existing environmental laws restricting the overboard discharge of oil, fuel, garbage, or sewage.”

S. 2766 also requires the EPA and U.S. Coast Guard to investigate the need for potential management practices for some recreational boat discharges over the next three years. Each step in this development process will include a public comment period and be subject to “reasonable and practical” criterion.

 

“BoatU.S. has been working with the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and other groups to seek a viable recreational boating solution to the upcoming September permit deadline. We appreciate the leadership shown by members of Congress who understand that applying a new permit to recreational boating will not accomplish anything tangible, and will only create a new unnecessary bureaucracy, ” added Podlich.

To help boaters contact their federal legislators or learn more about the issue, go to http://www.BoatBlue.org or http://www.BoatUS.com/gov

by Thomas J. Prohaska, courtesy of BuffaloNews.com

LOCKPORT — Invasive species and fluctuating populations of game fish and their prey will continue to keep the Lake Ontario fishery in a state of flux, state officials said at a meeting here Thursday.

The Department of Environmental Conservation's “State of Lake Ontario” session drew about 50 anglers and charter boaters to Cornell Cooperative Extension's 4-H Training Center at the Niagara County Fairgrounds.

Robert O'Gorman, a field station supervisor for the U.S. Geological Survey, told the audience that populations of alewife and rainbow smelt in the lake have fallen to near-record low levels. Those species are among the favorite foods of trout and salmon.

“I can't really give you a reason,” he said, although he speculated that the heavily stocked trout and salmon species used to bolster the fisheries are simply chowing down heavily on their favorite prey. He also said antipollution measures that sharply reduced the discharge of phosphorus into the lake decades ago may be hurting the alewife and smelt.

Read More

For more information on Invasive Species, visit BoatUS Foundation, or US Fish & Wildlife

 

Donations Sought to Grow Life-Saving Program for Boaters, Anglers

The nation's only program that lends kid-sized life jackets for free to boaters or anglers is looking to grow. The BoatUS Foundation's Life Jacket Loaner Program, which offers infant, toddler and children's life jackets at over 350 nationwide locations has launched a campaign to raise $50,000 in additional funds to meet increasing demand by establishing new loaner locations at marinas, boat ramps, waterside resorts, boat clubs, bait shops, towboats, fire houses and other public facilities. The life jackets are typically loaned out for a day or weekend.

Started in 1997, the program has loaned out life jackets on average more than 50,000 times a year - and saved three lives - as well as given thousands of parents peace of mind knowing that their children are wearing a correctly fitted life jacket.

A tax-deductible donation of only $10 will buy one vest-style life jacket and $250 will create a completely new, fully stocked loaner site. The $50,000 fundraising drive will also help replenish life jackets at some existing locations. Funding for the program is also supported in part by the 650,000 members of BoatUS.

"When boaters or anglers bring young guests aboard, they may not have the right-sized life jacket or a child may have outgrown their old jacket, so the youngster is sometimes put in one that is too big, or worse, goes without one," said BoatUS Foundation Program Manager Ted Sensenbrenner.

"Putting a kid in an ill-fitted jacket can be dangerous. Once in the water, small children can easily slip out of them," he added.

Since many states, as well as a federal rule, now require life jackets to be worn by children, the loaner program has helped out families caught unaware of such requirements.

Go to http://www.BoatUS.com/Foundation to make your donation online or mail your donation to: BoatUS Foundation, c/o Life Jacket Loaner Program, 880 South Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304. To find a loaner site in your area visit http://www.BoatUS.com/foundation/ljlp

Join today to receive your copy!

The first issure of BoatU.S. ANGLER Magazine is here! The fledgling 8-page newsletter that was part of BoatU.S. Trailering Magazine is now a 52-page, full-feature magazine. The Spring issue represents the first of a 3-issue series for 2008.

Inside you will find the latest BoatUS Association News as well as fishing and boating information from the experts. The magazine offers a multi-species approach including bass, walleye and crappie fishing as well as inshore saltwater species. You will find do-it-yourself projects from DIY Boat Owner Magazine as well as information on destinations and trailering tips from BoatU.S. Trailering Magazine. Also included will be risk avaiodance articles from Seaworthy Magazine as well as safety and environmental information from BoatUS Foundation.

Along with the unique offering of multi-species fishing information and boating/trailering information, the magazine will provide information on the many services that BoatUS and BoatUS.. ANGLER have to offer the inland fishing market.

A subscripiton to BoatU.S. ANGLER Magazine is included as part of BoatUS ANGLER Membership - currently only $19.00 per year - along with our many other benefits.  To find out more, Click Here.

 

 

Courtesy of the International Game Fish Association - www.igfa.org

Fishing the waters of Virginia's Norfolk Canyon, Chris Boyce of Hampton, Va, USA,(shown left) guided by Dr. Ken Neill III , landed a snowy grouper ( Epinephelus niveatus ) on Dec. 9, 2007. The grouper enticed by false albacore for bait weighed in at 29.94 kg (66 lb 0 oz). Boyce is up for an IGFA All-Tackle record which currently stands at 65 lb 8 oz, caught last summer in the same waters.

Junior angler Martini Arostegui, of Coral Gables, Fla, USA, (shown left) may have moved closer to being the first youngster to capture 100 records before his 17th birthday, after landing a trahira or wollfish, (Hoplias spp.,) on Dec. 30. Caught on cut bait, the fish weighed 10.21 kg (22 lb 8 oz) and was released after documenting. He was fishing Suriname's Kabalebo River, and has applied for the male junior class record and hopes to break the 18 lb 0 oz mark he set last April from the same river.

Read More

 

LOCAL FISHING GUIDE OPENS TOWBOATU.S. PORT O'CONNOR, TX
Capt. Robert Sanders III Helps Boaters and Anglers Get Safely Home

 

Courtesy of Berkley Fishing Wire

In-Fisherman Editor in Chief Doug Stange has been inducted into The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame for 2008 as a Legendary Communicator. The National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, located in Hayward, Wisconsin, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to conservation and sportfishing and whose mission is to recognize men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the sport of fresh water fishing.

Since 1981 Stange has masterminded the contents of what has become the most widely read and respected national freshwater fishing magazine in North America: In-Fisherman. In addition, he oversees Walleye In-Sider magazine plus the annual Walleye, Bass, Catfish, Ice Fishing, and the Pike & Muskie guides. Under Stange's direction, In-Fisherman publications have become the trusted source of accurate, educational and entertaining information on multispecies freshwater fishing.

As host of In-Fisherman Television, Stange is keenly aware that, for most anglers, fishing remains a chance to get away from it all, to escape the hustle and bustle of the work-a-day world. But he also knows that catching fish is for almost all anglers an integral part of having fun.
Read More

 

Mussel infestation fear spurs year-long limit

Despite the pleas of scores of fishermen who flock to Lake Casitas for its trophy-sized bass, officials voted Tuesday night to close the lake to outside private boats for one year in an effort to keep the invasive mussels out of the reservoir.

The ban, which takes effect immediately, will not allow boats from outside the lake because officials fear quagga mussels attached to a boat could multiply and cause millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure and change the ecology of the lake.

Fishing from shore, from rented boats or on vessels permanently stored at the lake will still be permitted. Officials repeatedly said the ban is not permanent.

Casitas is the largest, most popular lake in California to enact such stringent measures to protect itself against the quagga mussel. Fishermen feared other lakes would follow suit as the quagga problem continues to spread around the West.

In a debate that lasted 3 1/2 hours with nearly 300 people packed in the cafeteria at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, fishermen from around the state admonished the Casitas Municipal Water Board to keep the lake open. The fishermen said they would do everything in their power to keep the dreaded quagga mussels at bay.

But the board ultimately voted 3-2 to close the lake to the roughly 30,000 boats that launch there annually, saying that while they understand the concerns of the fishermen, the primary job of the district is to provide water to more than 60,000 rate payers in western Ventura County.

Board members Bill Hicks and Jim Word were the dissenting votes, saying while they think a temporary ban is needed, one year is too long. But the board members who voted for the measure said the closure, which might not last an entire year, is greatly needed so they can figure out how to keep the mussels at bay.

Taking a breather

"What we are really grappling with is we want to take a breather and get our ducks in a row," said board member Rich Handley. "We are not going to close you guys out; this is not permanent."

Board members hoped their vote would send a message to state and federal agencies, which they said are dragging their feet in dealing with the quagga issue, board member Russ Baggerly said.  But for the 27 fishermen who spoke and the hundreds in the audience who applauded their comments, the temporary closure was a huge blow.

"Closing Lake Casitas would effectively kill it as one of our country's top three bass fisheries," said Ron Cervenka, who organizes bass tournaments at the lake. "Understand that the attention you are going to take tonight is not going to affect just Lake Casitas. There are other lakes waiting for you to make your decision, and your decision would point them in the direction."

Cachuma Lake is next..

Read More

 

$50M investment would boost stock in fish species

VERO BEACH - The trophy redfish of the future might have an unusual origin: a lab near you.

Florida wildlife officials have embarked on an ambitious plan that would create a statewide network of about 12 new and existing fish hatcheries focused on raising popular sport species such as redfish, snook and tarpon, then releasing them into the wild.

Scientists and sport fishing groups are championing the estimated $50 million plan as a way to replenish depleted and over-fished stocks, counter habitat declines and protect the state's $8 billion recreational fishing industry.

The initiative could bring fish hatcheries to Brevard. Scientists plan to release specifics in two months. Then comes the difficult part: finding money.

"They're still really early in the discussion stage," said Jon Shenker, a Florida Tech fisheries biologist involved with the plan.

The initiative calls for seven or eight new aquaculture facilities throughout the state and for the expansion of existing ones, such as Florida Tech's Vero Beach Marine Laboratory.

Several sites in Brevard are candidates for new hatcheries. One could be on conservation land donated to the county at a defunct clam farm south of Hog Point in South Beaches. County officials first would determine whether a hatchery there would jibe with the goals of the county's Environmentally Endangered Lands program.

Another hatchery could be at the $10 million to $12 million Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute facility planned in the South Beaches. Read More

 

Slower spreading, more specific disease not as serious as VHS, but still a concern.

STURGEON BAY, Wis – Bloody sores covering a northern pike caught near here were not caused by viral hemorrhagic septicemia, a deadly fish disease first detected in Wisconsin in May 2007. The sores were caused by a different fish virus that has been found periodically in Wisconsin over the past 25 years and was reported more frequently by anglers in 2007.

This virus causes a disease called Lymphosarcoma, which causes cancerous sores on the skin and in the muscle of northern pike and musky. It does not affect humans and is not a threat to people who handle the fish, according to Sue Marcquenski, Department of Natural Resources fish health specialist.

Lymphosarcoma is regarded as a less serious threat to fisheries than VHS because it affects far fewer species and spreads much more slowly. It is still a concern, however, because it can be deadly for northern pike and musky. “While northern pike can recover from the disease, it is more often fatal for muskies,” Marcquenski says.

The Little Sturgeon Bay northern pike represents the first reported case of Lymphosarcoma in the area, but the DNR in 2007 received reports of the disease in four different parts of the state. “I am not sure if that means Lymphosarcoma is spreading to new locations or if anglers are just noticing the lesions due to heightened awareness about VHS," Marcquenski says.

Lymphosarcoma was reported in 2007 in northern pike in Eagle Lake in Racine County, King Lake in Polk County, the Petenwell Flowage in Juneau and Adams counties, and Nelson Lake in Sawyer County.

Initial infection with Lymphosarcoma may appear as purple and pink blisters on the skin and then develop into a bulging tumor up to four inches in diameter. The sores or tumors are found most frequently on the sides of fish but also on their head and fins, and may not develop for six to 18 months after infection occurs. In favorable water temperatures less than 68 degrees, the disease progresses from skin to muscle tissue to the kidney, spleen and liver.

Lymphosarcoma spreads when healthy fish rub against the sores of infected fish during spawning, or come into contact with a landing net or other fishing equipment that's been in contact with infected fish, Marcquenski says.  In contrast, VHS spreads when healthy fish eat infected fish or come in contact with virus particles shed into the water by infected fish. The VHS virus can survive in water for 14 days. These transmissions mechanisms mean VHS can potentially spread very rapidly through fish populations.

VHS has not been detected in musky or northern pike any where in the state, although the disease was diagnosed in spring 2007 in drum from the Lake Winnebago system, brown trout from Lake Michigan, smallmouth bass from Sturgeon Bay, and lake whitefish from northern Green Bay. Paul Peeters, longtime fisheries biologist based out of Sturgeon Bay, says that publicity about VHS and the symptoms it causes in fish may lead to more reports of lymphosarcoma in the future.

“Anglers in the Sturgeon Bay and lakeshore areas are highly sensitized to fish with reddened areas and bleeding because of all of the VHS publicity of the past year,” he says. “To the untrained eye, it's a bloody oozing mass, which is what we've been talking about with VHS.”

Anglers play a very important role in helping to prevent the spread of Lymphosarcoma, including taking the following steps:

• Never move any northern pike or musky from one waterbody to another, a practice already prohibited by rules to prevent the spread of VHS.
• If an angler has used a landing net or cradle on a fish that displays Lymphosarcoma sores, the angler should not use that gear for the rest of the trip and disinfect the gear once they get home.
• Clean all landing nets and live wells in contact with the disease as well as other gear that may transmit virus with high pressure hot water, or disinfect them with a solution of 1/3 cup of household bleach mixed in 5 gallons of tap water and left to soak for five minutes. Rinse well with tap water before using the equipment again.
• Anglers catching a fish that displays Lymphosarcoma symptoms should take a picture of the fish if it's under the legal size limit and note the time, date and location it was caught before releasing the fish and then contacting the local DNR fish biologist with that information. If the fish meets the minimum size limit, anglers should harvest the fish, place it in a plastic bag and take it to the local DNR office and arrangements will be made to test the fish.

 

Berkley has announced a new program to aid the National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. Sponsored awards include, Collegiate Team of the Year, College Big Bag Awards and the Berkley Conservation Institute College Angler of the Year.
“Berkley is proud to be a sponsor of the National Collegiate Bass Championship. Andrew Marks, Marketing Manager for Berkley said, "This young group of anglers is our future for the sport and we are committed to helping them achieve their personal and academic goals.”

Berkley's contingency programs will allow anglers to win scholarships to help pay for their education as well as support their passion. These include the Berkley Collegiate Team of the Year with over $6,000 in scholarships and products, Berkley Conservation Institute College Angler of the Year with a total of $1500 for the top 2 winners and $500 in product for 3rd place. There is also the Berkley Big Bag Awards with product prize packages throughout the season and scholarship money for the Big Bag of the Year.

“The National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship is thrilled to have Berkley as sponsors,” Wade Middleton, Lead Coordinator of NCBFC, said. “Berkley continuously promotes youth involvement in the fishing sport and their support backs that claim.”

The NCBFC made its debut in the fall of 2006. It was a modest beginning with 41 two-person teams representing 24 colleges and universities. With participating teams from Purdue, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oregon, Alabama. Conferences like the Big 10, Big 12, PAC-10 and SEC all had a prominent presence.

In less than six months after the inaugural event, the number of collegiate fishing programs across the country nearly tripled in size, and participation in the 2007 Championship doubled. The 2007 event brought 84 two-person teams representing 44 colleges and universities from across the nation to Lake Lewisville, and Texas A&M University took the national title home to College Station. At least 100 teams are expected to participate in the third annual championship in 2008.

GREENVILLE, S.C. - When Kathy Magers "retired" from bass fishing eight years ago, she had no clue what was on the horizon for her and women who fish professionally.

At that time, all those years ago in 2000, Magers and the ladies competed on the Women's Bass Fishing Association. It was the only professional circuit specifically for women and was the successor to the Bass 'n Gal trail that had been around for a couple of decades.

Magers had been involved in both circuits and in the fishing industry for several years. Her love of the outdoors, Texas roots and affinity for catching little green fish kept her going. As a writer, television and radio show host, volunteer on boards and an angler, Magers was and still is widely known as one of the sport's foremost ambassadors. Read More

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 12, 2008 -- When the engine dies, the cranking battery goes dead and you need a tow back to the boat launch ramp, most anglers will tell you they can call a friend for help. But if you're on the open water of the Great Lakes, are you willing to gamble that your fishing buddies will always be there to bail you out of trouble?

BoatUS ANGLER, a membership program that offers water and roadside towing services for trailer boat anglers, has taken that worry away by now offering "Unlimited" on-the-water towing plans on the Great Lakes.

Similar to roadside auto clubs that provide assistance to motorists, 24 hour a day on-the-water help is now just a VHF radio or cell phone call away for just $34 a year - plus $19 annual BoatUS ANGLER membership - for a combined total of just $53 annually. Services are provided by the largest on-the-water towing fleet on the Great Lakes, TowBoatUS, with 40 towing ports.

This low cost on-the-water towing plan is also available to any angler on inland, freshwater waterways lakes and rivers in the US.

VESSEL ASSIST, a TowBoatUS sister towing fleet, provides on-the-water assistance in select western US states. In addition to TowBoatUS and VESSEL ASSIST, BoatUS' network of thousands of independent towing responders, such as local marinas, boat storage and repair facilities, also render assistance.

Every TowBoatUS and VESSEL ASSIST towboat is equipped to handle fuel drop offs, battery jumps, soft ungroundings and tows back to the launch ramp. And, unlike fishing boat insurance policies that provide for on-the-water towing services, having an annual towing plan from BoatUS ANGLER means that if you need to use the service, it won't count as an insurance claim against you.

Why Anglers Need Roadside Help

If you trailer your fishing boat, anglers should know that most roadside auto clubs won't service boat trailers, and the few that do charge well over $150 a year. They also don't include launch ramp winching service.

With BoatUS ANGLER's "Unlimited" roadside tow vehicle and boat trailer towing for an additional $10 annually, your fishing rig will never be left sitting alone on the shoulder of a highway or stuck on a slippery ramp. Up to 100 miles of tow vehicle and boat trailer on-the-road towing to the nearest safe location or repair facility is included.

The BoatUS network of 20,000+ roadside towers across the country have expertise in handling boat trailer breakdowns and also provide lock-out assistance, flat tire, battery jump and launch ramp winching service. Flat tire assistance at an angler's home or storage facility is also included and launch ramp fee rebates and subscriptions to both BoatUS ANGLER Magazine and BoatUS Trailering magazine are part of the package. For More Information Click Here.

 

A Howard County angler caught Maryland's biggest largemouth bass last weekend in the Spoils area of the Potomac just above Wilson Bridge in Prince George's County.

Justin Riley of Woodbine was fishing in an Angler's Choice tournament out of Marshall Hall on Saturday when he hooked and landed the 11-