Men 20-60 years old least likely to wear life jacket, most likely to drown

With waterways across the state clearing of ice, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anxious boaters that wearing a life jacket is a critical safety necessity during the spring “cold water” season.

While boaters should always wear a life jacket no matter the water temperature or season, public safety officials stress wearing a life jacket – not just having it on the boat – is the one action that significantly increases the chances of surviving a fall into cold water.

“The shock of falling into cold water triggers your gasp reflex, which more than likely means inhaling water,” said Lisa Dugan, DNR boating safety representative. “Wearing a life jacket gives you a fighting chance to get your head above water, stay calm instead of panicking, and call for help before hypothermia sets in.” Read more

Anglers fishing for lake trout in the waters of Grand Traverse Bay this year need to be aware of a new regulation now in effect. At yesterday’s meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Lansing, the commission acted to reduce the daily possession limit of lake trout in these waters from two fish to one. Read more

Destin, FL – Wear it and forget it’s there. That’s the overwhelming consensus from anglers who have already slipped a new face-protecting garment under their hats.

Fish Monkey, renowned for the “second skin fit” of its high-grade fishing gloves, recently released its equally comfortable Performance Face Guard. Concepted, crafted and tailored to the same exacting, angler-friendly standards as its popular Guide Series gloves, Fish Monkey’s Face Guard lightly cools the skin, while wrapping your face and neck in total sun-protection. Read more

Sea Eagle SUPCat10

Port Jefferson, NY: Sea Eagle Boats delves deeper into the fishing category with the new SUPCat10™ inflatable fishing SUP. This 10’ double pontooned craft can reach speeds up to 8 mph with just a 3 hp gas engine and 4 mph with a 70 lb. thrust electric motor getting you to the fish faster than any SUP or kayak on the market. The SUPCat can also be paddled with a standard SUP paddle.

At just 42 lbs, the SUPCat can be easily transported by 1 person, especially if the optional CAT Wheels are utilized. The CAT Wheels quickly attach and detach with a simple push of a button. In the down position, you can go from car to water with the boat and all your gear in one trip. Once at the water, simply unhook the wheels and re-attach in the up position where they will be out of your way as you paddle, motor and fish – no need to go back to your car.

The SUPCat10 is packed with features. It comes standard with 4 Scotty® gear head mounts and 2 Scotty™ rod holders as well as a 40” fish ruler on each pontoon, d-rings to hold down gear and a comfortable swivel seat for a high view of the waterline. Both drop-stitch pontoons have a large strip of evergrip EVA padding for a solid, non-slip surface. Read more

Love to boat or fish? You’ll want to make note of some recent changes in Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act geared toward preventing the spread of invasive species and supporting natural resources stewardship efforts for the future.

In addition to the existing law requiring all aquatic plants be removed from boats and trailers before launching, the changes require the following, prior to transporting any watercraft over land:

• Remove all drain plugs from bilges, ballast tanks and live wells.
• Drain all water from any live wells and bilges.
• Ensure the watercraft, trailer and any conveyance (vehicle) used to transport the watercraft or trailer are free of aquatic organisms, including plants.

This means after trailering boats and before getting on the road, boaters must pull plugs, drain water and remove plants and debris from all watercraft, trailers and other conveyances. View new rules.

The Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow (Cheboygan County) is seeking volunteers to join in its effort, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to help protect lake sturgeon from illegal harvest during the annual spawning run.

Every spring, mature lake sturgeon – a fish species that is threatened in Michigan and rare throughout the United States – become vulnerable to poaching as they briefly leave Black Lake for spawning sites upstream in the Black River.

Hundreds of volunteers are needed to stand guard along the Black River during the spawning season (mid-April through early June) to report suspicious activity and deter the unlawful take of this iconic fish.

“The annual Sturgeon Guarding Program has proven that people serving as sturgeon guards watching over the river have virtually eliminated poaching, while helping to ensure the protection and reproductive success of the species,” said May Paulson, the program’s new volunteer coordinator. Read more

Ohio announces walleye and yellow perch bag limits

COLUMBUS, OH– Lake Erie anglers have the chance to experience excellent fishing opportunities on Lake Erie in 2019, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Walleye angler harvest rates set records in 2018, and numerous large hatches point to a bright future for the Walleye Capital of the World.

Ohio’s Lake Erie daily bag limit for walleye is four fish per angler and the yellow perch daily bag limit is 30 fish per angler through April 30, 2019. The daily bag limit will be six walleye per angler from May 1 through Feb. 29, 2020. A 15-inch minimum size limit is in effect during the entire season for walleye. The yellow perch daily limit will remain at 30 in all of Ohio’s Lake Erie waters through April of 2020, with no minimum size limit. Read more

A 24-year-old man from Taylor, Michigan, was hospitalized and treated for hypothermia last night after his kayak overturned in Lake Erie.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Nick Ingersoll received a call from Monroe County Dispatch at 7:18 p.m. A kayaker who was walleye fishing overturned in Brest Bay of Lake Erie, offshore of Sterling State Park in Monroe. The capsized kayaker originally was reported by Deputy Seth Evans, with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, who witnessed the kayaker overturn.

Located nearby on highway 275 and Ready Road, Ingersoll activated the emergency lights on his DNR patrol truck and drove to the Sterling State Park headquarters, where he had prepared his DNR patrol boat earlier in the season. Ingersoll towed the boat to the Sterling State Park boat launch, where two fishermen aided him in launching the patrol boat into the bay.

Dispatch provided Ingersoll with the kayaker’s location based on cellphone coordinates obtained when the kayaker had called 911 for help. Evans also had maintained sight of the kayaker and was able to direct Ingersoll through radio communication, once Ingersoll was in his patrol boat and on the water.

Receiving navigation assistance from Evans, Ingersoll saw the kayaker, located about a quarter of a mile offshore. The kayaker was in the water, holding onto the kayak with one arm, waving his lit-up cellphone in the air with the other arm.

“The water was very choppy, making it difficult to clearly scan the water for the victim,” said Ingersoll. “If it weren’t for the kayaker’s lit-up cellphone, he would have easily been mistaken for a log in the water.”

At 7:38 p.m., Ingersoll reached the kayaker and instructed him to continue holding the kayak. The kayaker was not wearing a lifejacket when he overturned and told Ingersoll that he was unable to find his lifejacket once he was in the water. Ingersoll positioned the DNR patrol boat as close to the kayaker as he safely could and threw him a lifejacket. Once the kayaker had the lifejacket, Ingersoll continued to instruct the kayaker. Read more

Muskegon River anglers should be on the lookout for Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam this spring.

Walleye will be collected with electrofishing boats starting as early as the week of March 27 and concluding by April 17. Anglers should exhibit caution when fishing near the electrofishing boats. Wading anglers will be asked to exit the water when the boat approaches to ensure their safety. Those who wish to avoid the walleye collection activities should fish downstream.

The DNR plans to collect approximately 30 million walleye eggs from the Muskegon River this year, which will result in more than 13 million fry for transfer to rearing ponds and direct fry plants throughout the Lower Peninsula. Walleye fry transferred to ponds will be raised to fingerling size (approximately 1.5 to 2.5 inches) and stocked in late spring or early summer in lakes and rivers throughout the state. Read more