Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
NORSK Lithium’s Thermal Core Heating Technology™makes cold weather charging & fishing easy
New Hope, Minn. – In the Upper Midwest, temperatures have been above average this winter, leading to sketchy ice conditions, and difficulty getting to areas that typically hold communities of permanent fish houses and full-size trucks by now. Read more
FORESTVILLE, WI – Those who would nix your right to fish in an instant are active and organized – recreational anglers need to be equally vigilant.
Nearly half of Australia’s fishable waters are now off limits. Some European countries ban catch and release, claiming it hurts the fish. Think it can’t happen here. Think again…
The good news is that American angler interests are backed by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the nation’s largest trade association for the recreational sportfishing industry. The bad news is that they can’t completely protect your rights alone…and that’s where you come in.
Recently, ASA VP of Government Affairs Mike Leonard spoke at the annual NPAA conference in Fort Myers, Florida on the topic of advocacy, what ASA is doing on your behalf, and what you can do as an individual to protect your fishing interests. Read more
GSM Outdoors is excited to announce the launch of an all-new brand, The Frog Factory. With the intent of delivering both proven and innovative products in the category of frogs, toads, and hollow-body topwaters, The Frog Factory comes out of the gate offering existing, proven products in the Boom Boom Frog and the Ribbit with a focus on upcoming innovation and development.
“We’re constantly being asked to develop frogs and toads by our pros and end-users,” explains Crispin Powley, GSM Senior Vice President of Fishing. “After hearing that we needed to ‘design something like a Ribbit’ enough times, we decided that it was better to own the original than try to design around it. This brand will be a fun combination of proven designs and modern innovative concepts that will ultimately add value to the frog category in every angler’s tacklebox.”
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be working with the gang at GSM to launch the Frog Factory brand,” says MLF Pro and Boom Boom Frog creator Fred Roumbanis. “The foundation of the brand will be my Boom Boom frogs and the iconic Ribbit series, but we also already have several awesome new products in the works that I can’t wait to get in my hands. Frog fishing is something that I’ve based my career around and I’m ecstatic to help start a brand dedicated to serious frog fishermen.”
For more information on Frog Factory, find them on Facebook and other social media avenues.
For any additional questions or inquiries, please email marketing@gsmorg.com. Or, if you’d like to check out the entire family of GSM brands, please visit www.gsmoutdoors.com. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
We Michiganders love our parks – both state and local. In addition, we also enjoy those fishing piers and boat ramps that allow outdoors-minded individuals opportunities to get out on our magnificent waterways of the Great Lakes systems. To fund these public facilities’ associated expenses takes a lot of tax dollars beyond user fees. Here, we’ll review two of the funding mechanisms employed and their stark differences.
First, to fund conservation efforts of our waterways, the Sport Fish Restoration Act authorizes a federal excise tax on certain items: 10 percent on fishing equipment; 3 percent tax on electric boat motors, tackle and fly boxes; import duties on tackle, pleasure boats and yachts; and a portion of the federal gas tax that is attributable to motorboats and small engines. Since 1952, these excise taxes have contributed and distributed more than $11.3 billion to individual states.
Michigan’s share of distributions in year 2023 was $12,913,189 and has been at least $10 million for last 16 years. Kathy Hollar, Division Manager, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, explained it this way: “Our industry manufacturers are vitally important to the Sportfish Restoration Program. Without their federal excise tax contributions, we wouldn’t have had seven decades of fish restoration and boating access projects across the country for all of America to enjoy.”
Contributions is a cleverly disguised term for the reality of extractions. This hidden tax, however, is not, in effect, paid by anyone other than us consumers with costs of goods and services inflated to cover the built-in taxes. They’re not seen, but certainly felt. With that said, at least the money has been raised in advance of any project expenses.
Compare that pre-paid method with federal grants such the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan passed in 2021, whereby the federal government provided Michigan with $6.5 billion termed flexible state fiscal recovery funds. Of that total, Michigan’s DNR has been appropriated $498 million with 89 percent dedicated to local and state parks’ trails and infrastructure. Wow! That’s a tremendous infusion of cash for upgrades – and, heartaches down the road; it’s all part of a borrowing mindset.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, annual interest payments on America’s debt will reach $1.6 trillion by year 2034 and will continue to grow from there. By comparison, interest costs on the nation’s debt were $879 billion in fiscal year 2023 and recent increases in interest rates are poised to exacerbate the issue.
And, that’s merely the interest on the roughly 34 trillion-dollar debt that continues its upward spiral to future generations’ ultimate despair. To put this incomprehensible figure into perspective, it works out to over $100 million per hour right now!
The elephant in the room that nobody has been willing to acknowledge amid the hoopla of government “giveaways” is the perpetual increase of taxation on current and future citizens. Yes, our officials have perfected the art of can kicking.
Since politicians have no control over spending and borrowing, it appears the Beatles had it right all along with lyrics from their song Taxman and what it portends for us all:
If you drive a car, car, I’ll tax the street
If you try to sit, sit, I’ll tax your seat
If you get too cold, cold I’ll tax the heat
If you take a walk, walk, I’ll tax your feet
Should 5 percent appear too small, be thankful I don’t take it all.
NSSF, ASA, SOBA, USFWS and Washington Department of Natural Resources partner to continue providing boating and fishing access.
NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, in partnership with the American Sportfishing Association, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, States Organization for Boating Access and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has released another film in the “Partner with a Payer®” series — a collection of videos highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation and management. The latest video, “Waterways for All: Improving and Expanding Public Fishing and Boating Access,” showcases the work being done to continue providing public boat launches and public fishing piers throughout the United States.
To fund these conservation efforts, the Sport Fish Restoration Act authorizes a small federal excise tax on certain items — 10 percent on fishing equipment; 3 percent tax on electric boat motors, tackle and fly boxes; import duties on tackle, pleasure boats and yachts; and a portion of the federal gas tax that is attributable to motorboats and small engines. Since 1952, these excise taxes have contributed and distributed more than $11.3 billion (over $17 billion when adjusted for inflation) to individual states. Together, these excise taxes fund public boat ramps, fisheries projects and aquatic education, providing countless public outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the United States of America. Read more
Last year, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands — in partnership with the Utah Division of Water Resources and Union Pacific Railroad — modified the causeway berm that separates the northern and southern areas of the Great Salt Lake in an effort to address salinity issues, and the change is already benefiting the lake’s brine shrimp.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources manages the brine shrimp and the harvest of their eggs (called cysts) in the Great Salt Lake to help balance a unique ecosystem. Brine shrimp are small crustaceans that inhabit salty waters around the world, both inland and on the coast. Ranging from a third- to half-inch in size, these shrimp are much smaller than the ones you eat. Read more
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. today unveiled the world’s first hydrogen-powered outboard for recreational boats along with a prototype fuel system integrated into a vessel that the company plans to further refine for testing later this year. The effort is part of Yamaha’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality: deploying multiple technology solutions.
Yamaha joined forces with Roush to develop the fuel system to power the new outboard and collaborated with long-time boat builder partner Regulator Marine to build a boat suitable for testing the prototype outboard. Together, the companies plan to begin testing the protype for viability on the water in the summer of 2024.
“Yamaha is exploring all possibilities to achieve carbon neutrality, and we’ve made commitments for our operations to be carbon neutral by 2035 and our products to become carbon neutral by 2050. That goal within the marine market can only be reached through an approach that leverages multiple solutions. We believe hydrogen is a viable method of achieving these goals,” said Ben Speciale, President, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “Yamaha wants to be a leader in this space, and we encourage others in the marine industry to become involved as we look for ways to build infrastructure and new policy around innovations.”
By working with Roush on the fuel system engineering, Yamaha gains the benefit of more than two decades of hydrogen systems integration and research.
“When you look at Roush’s history with hydrogen, it ranges from land speed record vehicles to spacecraft. A lot of that knowledge we’ve acquired over the years we are now applying directly to this Yamaha project,” said Matt Van Benschoten, Vice President, Advance Engineering, Roush. Read more
Changes in place for 2024 float season
The deadline for Smith River float applications is Wednesday, Feb. 14. The permit drawing will be held on Feb. 22. Permits are required to float the 59-mile section of river between Camp Baker and Eden Bridge and are issued each year through a lottery.
To apply for a Smith River float permit online, go to the FWP Online Licensing System. A $15 nonrefundable permit application fee is required. Successful Smith River applicants will be notified via email shortly after the lottery drawing is conducted.
This year is the first time applicants can buy a bonus point for the Smith River Permit. A bonus point is essentially an extra chance you can purchase for the permit drawing. These points accumulate year after year if you are unsuccessful in the drawing. Residents can purchase a bonus point for $5; nonresidents can purchase a bonus point for $50. The bonus point is applied to your application the year it is purchased. You can apply for a permit through FWP’s Online Licensing System.. Read more
GW: The best fishing experience ever might just be in Utah!
With shifting weather patterns and unstable ice conditions around the state, some anglers may think there are no opportunities for fishing this winter. However, streams and rivers can provide a great fishing experience during the winter, as well. Here are a few great fishing options for this time of year.
Blacksmith Fork River
Located in northern Utah, between Hyrum and Hardware Ranch, the Blacksmith Fork River is a nice, small stream that is easy to wade. It is not heavily fished and is managed so anglers can catch a lot of fish. It is also a good spot to catch a cutthroat trout (Bear River subspecies) for the Utah Cutthroat Slam or a hard-fighting brown trout. There is currently an overabundance of brown trout in Blacksmith Fork River, and the current fishing regulations allow anglers to keep an additional four brown trout caught there. Read more
The next meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission – Thursday, Feb. 8, in Lansing – leads off with a Wildlife Committee agenda that includes an analysis of bear population trends and an update on the antler point restrictions survey. The meeting also will cover furbearer regulations, a legislative report and several land transactions.
The day starts at 9:30 a.m. in Rooms M119-121 of Lansing Community College, West Campus, 5708 Cornerstone Drive. See the draft meeting agenda and remaining 2024 meeting dates at Michigan.gov/NRC.
For more information or to request time to speak at the meeting, email NRC@Michigan.gov.