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

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

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.

Feb. 4, 2025
After only 17 minutes of fishing, this year’s sturgeon season on Black Lake (in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties) ended at 8:17 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1. The season, which included spearing and hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 1-5, or until the harvest quota of six lake sturgeon had been reached.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources set the harvest limit for the season at six fish, though anglers were allocated a season quota of seven sturgeon by agreement with tribal governments. This limit was placed to accommodate the expected number of anglers and anticipate the possibility of near simultaneous harvest of more than one fish. Such a scenario occurred this year, as a seventh fish was harvested before notification of the season closure could be sent out.

There were 797 registered anglers this year. The harvested sturgeon ranged in size from 43.5 inches to 64 inches long and weighed 18.2 pounds to 78.3 pounds.

• The first fish was a 45.7-inch sturgeon that weighed 18.8 pounds.
• Fish number two was a 43.5-inch sturgeon that weighed 18.2 pounds.
• Fish three was a 46.1-inch sturgeon that weighed 19 pounds.
• Fish four was a 64-inch female that weighed 78.3 pounds.
• The fifth fish was a 56.7-inch fish that weighed 41.9 pounds.
• The sixth fish was a 51-inch fish that weighed 25.5 pounds.
• The seventh fish was a 60.5-inch fish that weighed 47.8 pounds.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is recommending removal of Trout Lake Dam in Gladwin County. The DNR is responsible for over 200 dams, many of which are declining in condition and need maintenance, including Trout Lake Dam. The deteriorating condition of the dam poses ecological and public safety risks, and removal was determined to be the best feasible option for balancing ecological benefits, public recreation and safety, and the DNR’s limited financial capacity for dam repair.

The 25-acre Trout Lake Dam impoundment provides recreational opportunities for the Trout Lake State Forest Campground and boating access site, which are located on the impoundment. Trout Lake Dam was built in 1961 and is located within state forest lands in the Gladwin Field Trial Area. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the expected lifespan of dam is 50 years; the 63-year-old Trout Lake Dam has exceeded its lifespan by 13 years. Efforts by DNR Fisheries staff to mitigate deteriorating components have been unsuccessful, and leakage has resulted in the water level lowering 7 feet below the normal impoundment elevation.

A 2024 inspection by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy — the state agency that regulates dams — determined that Trout Lake Dam was in poor condition and required remedial action. Due to ecological changes in the region and changes in fisheries management best practices, the dam is no longer critical for managing the resource, and funding is not available for repair expenses and subsequent required routine maintenance and operation costs.

As a next step, the DNR Fisheries Division will pursue EGLE permits to draw down the impoundment as necessary to address immediate public safety concerns, then seek removal funding. Currently, no changes are planned for the campground, and recreational users can take advantage of similar fishing opportunities available nearby. Read more

The effort to reintroduce Arctic grayling to Michigan waters will enter its next phase with a ceremony Monday, May 12, at the Oden State Fish Hatchery Visitor Center in Alanson, Michigan.

At this event, the Department of Natural Resources will provide a total of approximately 400,000 grayling eggs to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. These partners will reintroduce the eggs at locations along the North Branch of the Manistee River, the Maple River and the Boardman-Ottaway River. Read more