Public Invited to Learn About Proposed Hall Lake Dam Modifications

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host a public information open house Wednesday, March 12, to share a draft plan for decommissioning Hall Lake Dam, which is located in the Yankee Springs Recreation Area in Barry County.

The meeting will run 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hastings Public Library, 227 E. State St. in Hastings. DNR staff and project team members will be on hand to discuss the draft plan or any environmental concerns related to the lake and surrounding area. People will have opportunity to ask questions and provide comments throughout the two-hour period.

For those who can’t attend the open house, a copy of the draft plan and a public feedback form – open through March 19 – are available online. Find links to both at Michigan.gov/YankeeSprings. Read more

Protect Yourself on the Water with Fish Monkey Face Guards

Today’s anglers are more cognizant than ever before of the harmful damage the sun can cause, from not just skin cancers but even just a nasty sunburn at the end of a long and otherwise enjoyable day on the water. Of critical importance is protecting the sensitive skin of the face, neck and ears, areas which are most susceptible to sun damage from prolonged exposure. For years, fishermen have turned to face guards, but most are just a simple tube of fabric left over from performance shirts. They don’t breathe well and also promote fogging when wearing sunglasses.

Fish Monkey turned the corner with a uniquely designed Performance Face Guard to eliminate these issues. First is the flared design which greatly improves the comfort. After all, we’re a brand built around all-day wearability, so our face guards are designed to offer that same level of performance as our gloves. This new design is worlds apart from the traditional tube in terms of comfort. And there are also some hot new colors and patterns. Read more

2025 POMA Annual Meeting Registration Now Open

Registration for the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) Annual Meeting is now open. POMA’s 2025 Annual Meeting will be held at Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center, hosted by Destination Toledo. The annual gathering of the nation’s top outdoor journalists and supporting outdoor companies will kick off early Monday morning, June 23, and conclude Wednesday evening, June 25.

POMA’s Annual Meeting is open to all media, brands and businesses, regardless of membership status in the organization. Registration is $250 per attendee. A spouse/partner can be added for $185. All meals and transportation during the event are included.

Event highlights include:

  • Choice of field trip including: island getaway on Ohio’s Lake Erie, explore Maumee Bay State Park from land and water, charter boat fishing on Lake Erie and Castalia Fish Hatchery tour and trout stream fishing
  • Range Experience, Sponsored by NSSF – The Firearms Industry Trade Association
  • Product Showcase
  • Content Creation Sessions
  • Educational Breakout Sessions
  • Awards ceremony
  • Silent and live auctions
  • Nightly networking sessions

Lodging is available on-site at the Maumee Bay Lodge. Use group code 10B9TI to book at our discounted rate. The nearest airport is the Toledo Express Airport (TOL); however, it offers limited service. We recommend flying in and out of the Detroit Metro Airport (DTW).

Media members can register here. POMA corporate partners can register here.

Questions about POMA’s Annual Meeting can be directed to Admin@ProfessionalOutdoorMedia.org.

About Professional Outdoor Media Association

The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) is a member-based organization that fosters excellence in communications at all levels. Its goal is to help members build their businesses, connect media and industry, promote fair and honest communication of traditional outdoor sports and conservation stories and mentor the next generation of traditional outdoor sports communicators.

Media Contact:

Stephanie Spika Hickey, POMA Communications Specialist

Stephanie@ProfessionalOutdoorMedia.org

Help Protect Michigan’s Sturgeon While Ice Fishing This Season

DNR reminds anglers of lake sturgeon fishing regulations and rehabilitation efforts

Ice fishing has been good this season, but anglers on the ice targeting walleye or other fish may unexpectedly find themselves with a lake sturgeon on the line. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that regulations on the targeting and harvest of lake sturgeon are in effect, and that on most waters of the state, fishing for lake sturgeon is prohibited and any lake sturgeon caught must be released immediately.

What is a lake sturgeon?

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), the only sturgeon species found in the Great Lakes, are unique in appearance and characteristics. They have five rows of bony plates, called scutes, on their backs and sides, as well as whisker-like barbels near their mouths. Often referred to as “living fossils” or “dinosaur fish,” lake sturgeon first appeared in the fossil record in the Mesozoic Era, 100 million to 150 million years ago. These fish are long-lived, with some documented at more than 100 years old.

Lake sturgeon are freshwater fish native to Michigan and found in North America throughout the Great Lakes, Mississippi and Hudson River basins. The species is an important cultural resource in the region, in addition to its ecological significance. But due to overfishing and habitat loss and degradation, lake sturgeon populations in Michigan began to decline in the 1800s.

Why are lake sturgeon protected?

As a result of declines in lake sturgeon populations, in 1994 the State of Michigan listed lake sturgeon as a threatened species. Since then, the DNR has partnered with state, federal and tribal agencies to rehabilitate lake sturgeon in the state. The goals of these efforts are to conserve lake sturgeon populations that are currently self-sustaining and to rehabilitate depressed or declining populations to self-sustaining levels so that lake sturgeon can be removed from the threatened species list. Read more

Team USA Prepares as 2025 Surf Casting World Championship Details Announced

As the United States of America Surf Casting Team moves into the final phases of their physical training and casting practice regimens, the Federation Internationale de la Pesche Sportive en Mer (FIPS-M) has officially released the final details for the anticipated 2025 Long Casting of Sea Weights World Championship.

The American trio of Ryan Lambert, Conner Brown, and Daniel “Big Dan” Nassiff hope to unseat the top surf casting teams and athletes on the globe. Despite distance records held by individual international casters in their respective countries and climates, competing together in a single event is what truly proves who the best surf casters in the world are.

The event is to be held in Tandil, Argentina – a town south of Buenos Aires, hosted in part by that nation’s premier sport fishing organization, Confederación Argentina de Pesca y Lanzamiento (CAPyL).

For several years now, Argentina’s team has claimed gold medals. Now on their home turf, world champion Salvador Bustos will attempt to lead his team to another title, and his own grand finale, as he is set to retire from international competition after 2025. Read more

Targeting Spring Bass

In just a few short weeks, anglers across the United States will be gearing up for one of our favorite pastimes: spring largemouth bass fishing. Depending on where you are located, spring bassing could mean cool, crisp mornings, long days in the sun and rod-bending action for hours. No matter if you’re flipping soft plastics into heavy cover, casting buzzbaits or just plugging the shoreline of your favorite lake or reservoir, you’ll benefit from a good pair of fishing gloves.

Just as you’d wear a glove for golf or baseball batting practice, fishing gloves can help your game on the water by greatly reducing hand fatigue. Fish Monkey gloves have just the right amount of padding in all the right places plus a superb grip area that works as well when wet as it does dry to help relieve the pressure on your hands from making hundreds of casts every day. Another benefit: They offer good hand protection and reduce those fin pricks, scrapes and small cuts from hooks, gill plates, braided line and more. You can also virtually eliminate “bass thumb” —those scrapes on your thumbs from lipping and releasing largemouths—with a good pair of gloves as well.

One of the most popular options is the Stubby from Fish Monkey. This design has been a best-seller since the first season it was introduced, and for some very good reasons. First, it was crafted for comfort and all-day wearability, with ultra-lightweight, quick-drying fabric and a second-skin fit, plus shorter fingers and cuffs (hence the name). The Stubby offers UPF 50-plus sun protection for the sensitive skin on the backs of your hands and has a non-slip silicone palm print. Read more

Walleye Fishing Clinic

Saturday, April 12, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit

The walleye run in Lake Erie and the Detroit River is known worldwide! In this informative and hands-on fishing program, you’ll learn how to select equipment and set up poles, plus techniques for shore fishing and walleye fishing regulations. This clinic includes time fishing along the Detroit River.

Participants must be age 12 or older. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. A fishing license is required for adults age 17 and older. You can purchase your fishing license at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or at DNR license retailers.

Cost is $30 per person.

Learn more about Walleye Fishing Clinic.

‘Wardens,’ featuring Michigan DNR, kicks off ninth season

By CASEY WARNER
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Teaching kids fishing, archery and other outdoor activities at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Pocket Park in the Escanaba.

A survival skills program for women.

Managing Michigan’s elk population in the northern Lower Peninsula.

A charity skeet shooting event with Detroit Lions football players at a DNR shooting range.

Not necessarily things that come to mind when you hear about a TV show called “Wardens,” but the show covered these topics and more in its 2024 season.

Since 2016, the Outdoor Channel series has highlighted the work of DNR conservation officers and other DNR employees, providing an inside look at what staff throughout the department does to conserve, protect and manage Michigan’s natural and cultural resources.

The DNR continues its partnership with the channel on production of the 2025 season of “Wardens.” New episodes begin Friday, Feb. 14, and air on the Outdoor Channel Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.

See a preview of the season’s first episode, featuring officers patrolling November waterfowl hunting and the firearm deer hunting season, plus a segment on the Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area in Bay County and what goes into managing one of Michigan’s Wetland Wonders. Read more

Garmin Unveils Tactix 8 Smartwatch: Stay Active, Stay Mission Ready

Rugged tactical watch offers two sizes, speaker and mic, and rucking activity to keep you ready for any mission

Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today announced the tactix® 8its next-gen tactical smartwatch. Available in a new 47mm case size and traditional 51mm size, tactix 8 adds dedicated rucking and dive activities, as well as a speaker and mic to create the ultimate tactical smartwatch. Built to a U.S. military standard (MIL-STD-810) for thermal, shock and water resistance and a 40-meter dive rating with leakproof buttons, users can now take tactix 8 to new depths. And with incredible battery life, it’s easy to always be prepared; the new 47mm AMOLED display offers up to 16 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, while the 51mm solar model with an always-on display offers up to 48 days1.

“Whether you train for a mission, or your mission is training, tactix 8’s premium design and innovative features like the new rucking and dive functionality make it the ultimate tactical GPS smartwatch on land, air or sea.” –Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of Global Consumer Sales

Field-ready features Read more

Win a Fishing Trip for Two with Legendary Angler Mark Zona Presented by MyOutdoorTV

DENVER – Reel in the fishing adventure of a lifetime by entering for a fishing trip for two with legendary angler Mark Zona in “Zona’s Awesome Fishing Sweepstakes” presented by MyOutdoorTV. Running now through February 17, this one-of-a-kind sweepstakes offers a grand prize that’s every angler’s dream—a day spent fishing on Michigan’s renowned Lake St. Clair with none other than professional angler and TV personality, Mark Zona. To enter, visit www.myoutdoortv.com/zonasweeps.

Mark Zona, host of Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show, available to stream on MyOutdoorTV, is known for his unparalleled expertise and humor, making him one of the biggest names in the fishing world. He’s ready to guide one lucky winner and their guest on an unforgettable adventure filled with big catches, stunning lake views, and plenty of Zona-style fun.

The sweepstakes is free to enter, and there’s no better way to create memories on the water with a pro leading the way. Don’t miss the chance to experience all the thrills of Lake St. Clair fishing at its best!

To enter, visit www.myoutdoortv.com/zonasweeps. Entries will close at the end of the day on February 17, 2025.

For official rules and more information, head to www.myoutdoortv.com/zonasweeps. Read more

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