Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
PHOENIX – Anglers who love to fish Roosevelt Lake, the most popular fishing destination in the state, have something to look forward to – a future full of trophy bass.
On Thursday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) continued its effort to provide great fishing to anglers who frequent this 13,000-acre lake by stocking 40,000 fingerling-sized Florida-strain largemouth bass (3-6 inches). Read more
Marine Security Leader’s NT-Evolution 2.0 Leads to Vessel Recovery in 6 Hours
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – GOST® (Global Ocean Security Technologies), celebrating its 10th year as a world leader in marine security, tracking, monitoring and video surveillance systems, announced today the successful recovery of a stolen vessel in the Bahamas.
On April 10, 2015, a 32-foot Contender equipped with the GOST NT-Evolution 2.0 security tracking system was stolen out of the Abaco area of the Bahamas. The system immediately sent out a Geofence Breach track, sending position reports from the boat. Unfortunately the system that triggers the siren and strobe was disarmed as the boat was in the process of being serviced. The GOST system tracked the vessel to a nearby island where it was ditched due to mechanical failure on one of the 350 Yamaha engines. The powerboat was discovered aground with significant damage. Read more
DNR employees stocking fish off pier in HollandThe Department of Natural Resources today announced it is in the middle of its new fish-stocking season. This spring, people are likely to find DNR fish-stocking trucks releasing their prized cargo at hundreds of lakes and streams throughout the state.
Fish stocking is a valuable tool used by fisheries managers to restore, enhance and create new fishing opportunities in Michigan’s inland lakes and streams and in the Great Lakes. The DNR Fisheries Division accomplishes this task by rearing fish at its six fish production facilities located throughout the state; cooperatively managing up to 50 rearing ponds and 12 Great Lakes net pen locations; and maintaining a fleet of 17 specialized fish-stocking vehicles. Read more
DTSC Runs Roughshod Over Anglers, Despite No Scientific Basis
(Sacramento, CA): Today, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced that common fishing tackle would remain on a list of consumer products marked to undergo a costly and onerous regulatory process, a reckless move that could lead to a ban on most of today’s fishing tackle and will likely accelerate the decline in fishing participation, threaten jobs and reduce state revenue.
DTSC admitted in public hearings that it has no scientific studies demonstrating that lead poses an environmental problem in California. Yet, as evidenced its decision today, DTSC has declared fishing gear to be one of the top seven most significant threats to health faced by Californians and its environment.
“State regulators failed to comply with state law that requires them to conduct an independent analysis before including any product in this regulatory process. The inclusion of fishing tackle will likely harm recreational fishing and the jobs that depend on it,” said David Dickerson, President of the California Sportfishing League. “It appears that politics, rather than science, was the basis for DTSC’s decision. While there are many sources of pollution that pose a serious threat to California’s ocean and streams, anglers are not among them.”
In 2010, the U.S. EPA ruled that lead weights do not pose an unreasonable risk to wildlife and this past December, President Barack Obama signed a budget bill that prohibits the use of federal dollars to ban lead fishing weights. Read more
The seven-member Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) approved and signed Fisheries Order 215.15, during their April 9 meeting, which establishes a year round catch-and-immediate-release bass season for all Michigan waters where angling is permitted. This Order also set seasons and harvest numbers for several other cool water species, representing the first time the NRC has exercised its new exclusive authority to set sport fish regulations as granted by the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 2014. Read more
The Department of Natural Resources has approved the second round of projects under its Aquatic Habitat Grant Program. A total of 18 applications seeking $3.4 million were received and evaluated. The DNR has approved the following seven projects totaling $1.25 million:
| Applicant Name | Project Name | Applicant County | Grant Amount Recommended |
| Huron Pines | Houghton Creek Fish Passage Improvement/Flynn Road Crossing Restoration | Ogemaw | $85,000 |
| Battle Creek Intercounty Drain Drainage District | Battle Creek River Stream Restoration | Eaton | $260,000 |
| Conservation Resource Alliance | Free Span the Maple River Connectivity Initiative | Emmet | $75,000 |
| Michigan Trout Unlimited | Schwartz Creek Fish Passage Improvement | Dickinson | $65,000 |
| Friends of the Shiawassee River | Shiatown Stream Restoration | Shiawassee | $365,000 |
| City of Rochester | Paint Creek Habitat Restoration – Phase II | Oakland | $100,000 |
| Ionia Conservation District | Grand River Restoration at Lyons | Ionia | $300,000 |
ACCOKEEK, MD — With two prestigious, back-to-back Shotgun of the Year awards on the trophy wall, it would be hard to surpass the buzz surrounding the new Benelli ETHOS 12. But the launch of the ETHOS 20 promises to do just that, and in the process drive subgauge enthusiasts over the top and into the nearest dealer.
The spry ETHOS 20 weighs in at just under six pounds, and like the 12-gauge predecessor, cycles any 2 ¾ or 3″ load from light to magnum flawlessly and interchangeably. Designed around the same platform as its beefier sibling, the 20-gauge model sports the same improved ergonomics, patented Progressive Comfort® recoil reduction system and fetching AA- Grade Satin Walnut stock and forearm. The superb balance and style affording ETHOS 12 shooters faster, more fluid mounting and handling is inherent in the lively 20-gauge version.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 100 hunting, fishing, and conservation organizations, including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Trout Unlimited, Dallas Safari Club, Pope & Young Club, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, and more than 80 state-based groups, have released a letter to local and national decision-makers opposing the sale or transfer of federally-managed public lands. Recipients include House members meeting tomorrow to discuss federal land acquisition, and its impacts on communities and the environment, and Senators who recently passed a budget resolution that could encourage the sale or transfer of public lands.
“We’re calling on lawmakers to end this conversation now,” says Whit Fosburgh, TRCP’s president and CEO, whose recent blog post addressed the Senate amendment, which passed 51-49 on March 26. “Nothing galvanizes sportsmen like the loss of access for hunting and fishing, and continuing to indulge this controversial idea is keeping us from the real task of managing our public lands.”
America’s 640 million acres of federal public lands—including our national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands—provide hunting and fishing opportunities to millions of sportsmen and women. Since late last year, efforts to wrest public lands from the federal government and put them under state ownership have been matched by the unanimous outcry of sportsmen across the country. “Decision-makers need to know what they are stepping into,” says Joel Webster, director of western public lands for the TRCP. “Over 72% of western hunters depend on public lands for access, and sportsmen are not going to stand idly by as they’re sold away.” Read more
The Department of Natural Resources recently stocked coho salmon in the Platte River near the Platte River State Fish Hatchery in Beulah (Benzie County), Michigan. 
The Platte River is the birthplace of coho salmon in the Great Lakes, following the species’ experimental introduction there in 1966 to control the alewife population and to create a sport fishery. Today, nearly 50 years later, the Platte River State Fish Hatchery is the only hatchery in Michigan that rears coho salmon. The hatchery also serves as the primary egg source for the Great Lakes. Read more
The Natural Resources Commission finalized several regulations impacting the 2015-2016 fishing season at its meeting on April 9. Fishing regulations are adjusted annually to ensure Michigan’s fisheries resources are managed properly and to provide the best benefits to anglers and the public. Youth holding a skamania he caught
Due to the Natural Resources Commission’s temporary loss of regulatory authority, several regulations were not determined in time for the start of the 2015-2016 angling year (April 1) and consequently were not printed in the hard-copy version of the Michigan Fishing Guide. However, there are several areas of the guide that have an orange star to indicate that changes possibly would be forthcoming.
A few of the changes are highlighted below; full details are now online at Michigan.gov/fishingguide and in the PDF file available for download below. Read more