ICAST

SuperUser Account — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:24:59 GMT

ICAST Updates coming your way...

Web Links

SuperUser Account — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:13:01 GMT

July – Sept. North American Fisherman Web LinksFishing Tools JVC: www.camcorder.jvc.com Canon: www.usa.canon.com Panasonic: www.panasonic.com Sanyo: www.sanyodigital.com Sony: www.sonystyle.comFishing Adventures Androscoggin River trouthttp://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fishing_forecast.htmhttp://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fishing.htmBrownlee Reservoir multispecieshttp://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/anglerguides/brownlee.cfmLake Texoma basshttp://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/texoma/http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/fishing.htmWeber River trouthttp://www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/detailed.php?id=1156883486Zippel Bay Resort: www.zippelbayresort.comBoard Exam T-H Marine: www.thmarine.comNew Products ProMariner: www.promariner.com Aquapac: www.aquapacusa.com Ardent: www.ardentreels.com Mercury: http://sites.mercurymarine.com/portal/page?_pageid=126,48417&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Frabill: www.frabill.com Bass Pro Shops: www.bassproshops.comSmallmouths Reign SupremeSturgeon Bay, WI Real Action Charters: http://www.reelactioncharters.com/Eastern Lake Erie, NY First Class Bass Charters: http://www.1stclass-bass.com/Columbia River, OR Oregon Bass & Panfish Club: http://obpc0.tripod.com/Lake Eufaula, OK Lake Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce: http://eufaulachamberofcommerce.com/Saginaw Bay, MI Frank’s Great Outdoors: http://www.franksgreatoutdoors.com/Rainy Lake, MN Woody’s Fairly Reliable Guide Service: http://www.fairlyreliable.com/front_pageMille Lacs, MN Mac’s Twin Bay Resort: http://www.macstwinbay.com/index.htmlLake Vermilion, MN Ace Guide Service: http://www.aceguideservice.com/htmls/basspage.htmlSmallmouth Smorgasbord A look at how smallmouth lures have evolved:www.purefishing.comwww.rapala.com

Fishing News

SuperUser Account — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:07:08 GMT

CA COURT SIDES WITH TRIBES, FISHERMEN, CONSERVATIONISTS ON CLEAN WATER CASEJudge Orders CA Water Board to Reconsider Regulation of Toxic Waste in Klamath River Santa Rosa, CA – In a recent ruling that may have broad implications for dams throughout California, Superior Court Judge Elaine Rushing has invited the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to exercise its congressionally mandated authority to regulate water quality.The ruling stems from a suit filed by Klamath Riverkeeper, the Karuk Tribe, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations against California’s North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The groups filed suit last August after the Board rejected their petition to regulate toxic waste discharges from PacifiCorp’s Klamath River Dams. PacifiCorp is owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett.In 2004, the Karuk Tribe found that the massive blooms of blue-green algae behind PacifiCorp’s Iron Gate and Copco dams was indeed the toxic algae Microcystis aeruginosa. This algae secretes a potent liver toxin known as microcystin. Levels of the toxin can exceed water quality standards set by the World Health by as much as 4,000 fold. When no agency took responsibility to regulate the toxin, the Karuk, PCFFA, and Klamath Riverkeeper took action.“We will not sit idly by and let Buffett’s dams poison the Klamath River, while California does nothing to protect the people of the Klamath from this toxic pollution,” said Regina Chichizola, Klamath Riverkeeper.The groups first petitioned the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to regulate the toxic discharge from the dams into the river citing California’s Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act. The Board argued that they were pre-empted by the Federal Power Act from taking such an action. The groups then challenged the board’s argument in Superior Court.According to the groups’ attorney Michael Lozeau, “with this ruling the court invites the Board to rethink its assertion that it is powerless to regulate water quality and protect the public from PacifiCorp’s toxic pollution of the Klamath River.”The discovery of Microcystis aeruginosa has led regulatory agencies to post signs warning the public to not contact the Klamath River for over 200 miles from Copco Reservoir to the ocean. The warnings come when the blooms are at their zenith during the heat of summer. Unfortunately, this is the time when the public most wants to use the river.“The state is warning people to not contact the Klamath River during the height of fishing season and during our most important ceremonies. However, our medicine men are obligated to bathe in the Klamath River in late summer in preparation for our World Renewal Ceremonies,” according to Karuk ceremonial leader and Vice-chairman Leaf Hillman.The judge’s ruling gives the Board 90 days to reconsider the groups’ petition and act. A decision is expected late this summer. If the board accepts the petition and acts to regulate PacifiCorp’s toxic discharge, the ruling could result in the Regional Board’s issuance of water quality requirements and enforcement orders requiring PacifiCorps to take immediate steps to reduce its extreme toxic pollution of the Klamath, as well as its harmful temperature and oxygen-depleted releases.“It’s high time that somebody stood up to PacifiCorp and held them accountable for their destruction of our river. The Water Board should use its clear authority to protect the public now,” concludes Chichizola.The EPA recently listed PacifiCorp’s reservoirs on the Klamath River as impaired due to toxic algae and have committed to creating pollution clean up plan, or TMDL to deal with the algae issue.TOP TEN TIPS FROM BOATU.S. FOR GETTING THE MOST FROM A TANK OF GASALEXANDRIA, VA, June 9, 2008 -- With boaters facing record high fuel prices this summer Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has a few tips that could help stretch their fuel dollars:1. Leave the extra 'junk' home: Don't load the boat up with weight you don't need. Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting mildew in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home.2. Water weight: At 8.33 pounds per gallon, why keep the water in the tank topped off if you're only going out for the afternoon?3. Tune her up: An engine tune-up is an excellent investment and should easily pay for itself over the summer.4. Tune your prop: If your boat goes 30 mph with a like-new prop and only 27 mph with a prop that's dinged and out of pitch, that's a 10% loss in fuel economy, or, you're wasting one out of every ten gallons you put in your tank.5. Paint the boat's bottom: When boating in salt or brackish waters a fouled bottom is like a dull knife. It takes a lot more fuel to push your boat through the water.6. Keep the boat in trim: Using trim tabs or distributing weight evenly will help move your boat through the water with less effort - and less fuel.7. Go with the flow: Consult tide tables and try to travel with the tide whenever possible.8. Install a fuel flow meter: A fuel flow meter is like a heart monitor; when consumption starts to rise, it's an early warning that something is amiss. A fuel flow meter also allows you to select a comfortable cruising speed that optimizes the amount of fuel being consumed.9. Do the math: If you don't want to spring for a fuel flow meter (about $300), you can calculate your fuel mileage by dividing distance traveled by gallons at fill-up. Using your logbook, you can then approximate fuel flow using average speeds and time underway.10. Get a discount: Many of the 885 BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas around the country offer up to 10 cents off a gallon of gas. To get the discount all you have to do is to show your BoatU.S. membership card. If you aren't already a member, join online now for a special rate of $19.00 by going to BoatUS.com/membership or call 800-395-2628.BoatU.S is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000 members with a wide array of consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that insures nearly a quarter million boats; the largest fleet of more than 500 towing assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 885 Cooperating Marinas; boat financing; and a subscription to BoatU.S. Magazine, the most widely read boating publication in the U.S. For membership information visit http://www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.NOAA Proposes Rule to Require Saltwater Angler RegistrationNOAA's Fisheries Service is seeking comment on a proposed rule that requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters to be registered before fishing in 2009.The rule would also require registration by those who may catch anadromous species anywhere, including striped bass, salmon and shad that spawn in rivers and streams and spend their adult lives in estuaries and the ocean. The proposed rule satisfies the National Academy of Science National Research Council recommendations to establish a national database of saltwater anglers, and meets the requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The proposed rule is part of a larger initiative of NOAA's Fisheries Service to improve the quality and accuracy of data on marine recreational fishing and catches. The registry will also help measure the economic benefits of recreational fishing on the national and local economies."The national registry of saltwater anglers is the key to closing a major gap in information on recreational fishing," said Jim Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service. "It will help us conduct surveys to get a more complete picture of how recreational fishing by an estimated 14 million people is affecting fish stocks. This will lead to better stock assessments and more effective regulations to rebuild and manage these valuable fish."NOAA may exempt anglers from registration if they already have a state-issued saltwater fishing license or registration, and the state provides sufficiently complete information to place in the national registry. In certain instances, anglers in states participating in regional surveys of marine recreational fishing may also be exempted. The new rule allows states to apply for exemptions. States on the West Coast (including Alaska), the Gulf Coast, and the South Atlantic offer saltwater fishing licenses. Hawaii and the states from New Jersey to Maine do not."States without saltwater licenses have a strong incentive to adopt licenses," said Balsiger. "Any fee that a state collects through a license can be used for restoration and fishery management in the state. By law, the registry fee taken by NOAA will offset the cost of issuing the registration. It can not be specifically directed to fisheries management."Fishermen would be required to be registered annually and NOAA will not charge a registration fee in the first two years. Beginning in 2011, the annual fee will be an estimated $15 to $25 per angler. Anglers under the age of 16 would be exempt from registering and fees would be waived for indigenous people, such as members of federally recognized tribes. NOAA's Fisheries Service recognizes that many indigenous people fish for food as part of ancient cultural traditions. Anglers who fish only on licensed party, charter, or guide boats would also be exempt, since these vessels are surveyed separately from the angler surveys. Also, persons who hold commercial fishing licenses or permits, and are legally fishing under them, will be exempt from the registration requirement. Registrations will include an angler's name, address, telephone number, and the regions where fishing is conducted. This information will not be made public; it will be used only by NOAA to conduct surveys. The National Academy of Science's National Research Council advised NOAA's Fisheries Service in 2006 to redesign its surveys of recreational fishermen for more accuracy, precision, and transparency. The NRC's independent scientific review resulted in more than 200 recommendations for improving marine recreational surveys, including the recommendation to establish a national database of saltwater anglers. This recommendation became law in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary fisheries law for U.S. ocean waters, which was reauthorized in 2007. Please see http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip for additional information on this effort, the Marine Recreational Information Program.For the last 28 years, NOAA's Fisheries Service has conducted recreational fishing surveys through random telephone interviews with residents living in coastal counties. NOAA and its regional and state partners conduct an extensive program of dockside interviews of anglers to obtain data on their catch. The national saltwater registry will enable surveyors to interview only those people who fish, and will reach all anglers, not only those who live near the coast. To read the proposed rule, go to http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until Aug. 11. They can be mailed to: John Boreman Director, Office of Science and Technology NMFS 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attn.: Gordon Colvin Comments can also be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov.NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts, and protects.

Steve Pennaz Q&A

SuperUser Account — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:37:13 GMT

Steve Pennaz talks about the highlights, lowlights and learning curves of launching a club that has grown to become the largest of its kind in the country. Steve was editor-in-chief for the first issue of North American Fisherman 20 years ago, and has risen the ranks to become host of North American Fisherman TV and Executive Director of the Club.Q. Describe the early days of the Club. What was going through your head as a kid two years out of college in charge of a national magazine?A. I had no doubts, none, that NAFC would succeed. Shows you how naïve I was back then. I believed completely in the vision of founders Paul and Steve Burke. For the first two years, every phone call started with a two-minute speech about what NAFC was, who we were, and where we were going. It was an incredibly exciting time.Q. What has surprised you most about the fishing industry in the past 20 years?A. It’s amazing how much fishing has changed in the past 20 years, and how North American Fisherman has been at the forefront in covering breakthroughs in technique and technology. In the Oct. 1989 issue, we first mentioned a GPS, which would soon become anglers’ primary navigation tool. We wrote that a GPS would be “accurate to within 100 meters 95 to 100 percent of the time” and “will cost somewhere between $6,000 and $1,000.”Q. Tell us about one of your most memorable NAFC trips.A. In 1989 we took the first annual NAFC Adventure Trip of a Lifetime to Cost Rica to fish tarpon. They were biting, if you could get outside the river mouth, which raged with towering waves. Because the lodge ran 16-foot jonboats, each trip out was so dangerous most anglers stayed in and fished the safer, slower river itself. The last day of the trip, NAFC Charter member Dick Stoesser and I headed outside the river mouth and I quickly hooked a tarpon. The fish was inches from our guide’s hand when the muddy water erupted at boatside and my line fell limp. Shark!Dick suggested we get even, so we tossed out a hooked a chunk of jack on an 80-pound-class Penn rig and tossed it out. When the shark hit, Dick and I took turns on the rod. Fishing a big shark from an anchored jonboat without at least a gimble belt is insane, I know realize, but the excitement was too much to resist. The fight lasted more than an hour before the shark was boatside. It went nuts when the guide buried the gaff inside its cheek, and the tiny boat we were in nearly swamped. I helped the guide, Orville, by grabbing a baseball bat and taking it to the head of the shark.That’s when things went from bad to worse. While pulling the anchor into the now-overloaded boat, Orville pulled us into the path of an 8-foot wave, sending on a wild ride down its face as the boat teetered on tipping. Dick and I threw ourselves over the gunwale to prevent the boat from capsizing, then ended back in the middle as the wave washed beneath us. Orville worked feverously to start the outboard and the Yamaha sputtered to life just in time to save our lives. We make the trip back to the lodge in silence, knowing that minutes before we nearly died.EXTRA: ONLINE EXCLUSIVE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. How did you formulate a plan for the magazine? A. Our goal for the publication then, and now, was to reach avid multi-species anglers nationwide with the information and benefits that would increase their fishing skills and enjoyment. Looking back now, the goal was incredibly ambitious given how localized fishing can be. Crappie fishermen in the southeast don’t follow the West Coast salmon scene, for example, but most anglers dream of the day they can fish new waters for new species, and that was one of the hooks of the Club—now they “knew” anglers in other parts of the country.I had a chance to sit down with several top fishing writers before the launch and describe the club concept, and most of them were speechless! There was nothing like it on the market. Still isn’t. Signing them up to write for us was easy after that.Q. What are some of your most vivid memories from when the Fishing Club started?A. The meetings. We met constantly, often for hours, strategizing the launch of the NAFC. Toughest questions we had were: A) Who is likely to join? And B) What types of benefits would be most important to prospective members?We knew regular communication would be key and dedicated significant resources to developing what was to become North American Fisherman magazine. Remember back, there was no such thing as the internet and the opportunity to meet and interact with other anglers nation wide simply didn’t exist.The benefits were a bit more challenging. We targeted three primary areas: 1. Sense of community; 2. Information sharing; 3. Fishing tools. Out of these grew the benefits that are still important today.Q. What was the staff like back in ’88?A. Well the father-and-son team of Paul and Steve Burke was a duo of avid outdoorsman and incredible visionaries. I can’t recall how big the staff was back then, but I can tell you we all fit at one table during the first annual Christmas party!Q. When did North American Fisherman-TV start? What was it like in the early days?A. Late in the winter 1990, I won the US Ice Fishing National Championships, an event that was taped for a show to air on ESPN. After the tournament, I met with the producer to learn more about the program, his goals and his needs. It became obvious that the show presented an opportunity for him and us, so I mentioned the conversation to our Publisher Mark LaBarbera and he negotiated a partnership arrangement that eventually became North American Outdoors, a program that aired on ESPN (later ESPN2) for more than a decade.Bill Miller from the North American Hunting Club did a great job hosting the majority of the hunting segments while I handled most of the fishing segments (each show featured one hunting and one fishing segment each). I look back now and laugh at some of the early shows, but am truly proud of the product that we put on the air now.Q. Why has NAFC done so well?A. The NAFC succeeded because the Burke vision was right on—anglers across the country wanted to be part of an organization that helped them enjoy fishing more. It continues to succeed because of the incredibly dedicated members. I am honored that our roles include incredible numbers of members who have been with this organization for a decade or more. Some have been with the NAFC from the beginning.

Steve Burke Q&A

SuperUser Account — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:12:16 GMT

Steve Burke was a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa, Japan, 30 years ago when his dad called to tell him about a new hunting club he wanted to create. Steve resigned from the Marines and returned to help his father launch North American Hunting Club. Ten years later they decided to launch a little club called NAFC. I caught up with Steve to hear about the fledgling Fishing Club. Q. What exactly did your dad say when he called you in Japan to tell you about his vision, and what went through your head?A. My dad called me at the perfect time while I was in Japan finishing my 4 years of active duty. He said, “I hear you got new orders?” I said “Yes,” and he asked, “Have you accepted them yet?” I said, “No, I’ve got them in my hand right now and I plan on signing them and turning them in this afternoon.” Dad replied, “Well, I’ve got this idea…”I only had one question: How much would he pay me? As long as I could make my house payments and feed my family, I wanted to do it. He said he’d pay me $15,000 a year, and right then and there I said, “Deal.”Q. What was the office and company like in those early days?A. I was the vice-president, and the lowest man on the totem poll. We had two employees: Me and my dad. As vice-president, I opened the mail, paid the bills, everything really, except write the magazine. My dad did that. Our first office was a sublet of a sublet.Our goal was to be a success, and success back then was can we pay everybody’s salary and have some money left over for broke. There were times we questioned whether or not it was going to be a viable company. Financially we were struggling the first four years. We were using the dues that came in that day to pay the payables that were screaming the loudest. Once the company finally became viable, it was wonderful.Q. What’s the secret to NAFC’s success?A. We call it the soul center. We have this great soul center, a core group of members that have fishing in their souls. When you go to Lake Minnetonka, you see people fishing from shore and off bridges, and you see people driving by in $20,000 boats. People are passionate about fishing, and we always tried to focus on what the club member truly cares about.Q. What surprised you most about North American Fishing Club?A. Actually, what’s very surprising is how successful we happened to be in hiring higher management right from the start. Mark LaBarbera was the first person we hired. He was the first editor of the Hunting magazine, and he stayed there for 20 years, turning down an offer from Outdoor Life. Our 2nd hire was Bill Miller, who we hired right out of college, and he’s still there today. We hired Steve Pennaz as an intern, then made him editor of the fishing magazine when he was just a couple years out of college. He didn’t have any gray in his beard back then and he wasn’t married yet, and there were a few female employees who thought he was something pretty special.Extra Online Exclusive Questions and AnswersQ. If someone would have told you in 1988 you’ll have nearly half a million members for the Fishing Club in 20 years, what would you have said?A. Back then I’d say it would be no surprise. The Fishing Club benefited greatly from the success of the Hunting Club. When we launched the Fishing Club we were hopeful that we had a good thing going and that we could follow that model.Q, Tell me about the first issue of North American Hunter then?A. We were such infants in the magazine business. We didn’t have a background in magazines, but my dad was very articulate. But we had a lot to learn. The first magazine for Hunter is the only magazine with me on the cover. There’s a photo of me with an elk. But there’s no article about elk anywhere in the magazine!For the first issue of Fisherman, though, we had an in-house article and we knew our printer and paper.Q. Was launching these magazines a childhood dream for you?A. I grew up hunting and camping and fishing and Boy scouts. I told my wife that if I could, what I’d really love to do is open a hunting or fishing store. Starting the club was great for our whole family.Q. Tell us about the family involvement in the early days?A. Well, it was me and my dad. That was the company. That first summer I had a sister who was a senior in high school and she came in on an hourly basis and did dictation. We had an office that was probably 15 by 25. That was the extent of it.

Gear Junkie IQ Quiz Answers

SuperUser Account — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:04:45 GMT

1. GPS—1993 2. Smithwick Suspending Rogue—1994 3. Infinite Anti-Reverse Baitcaster—1989 4. Gulp!—20035. Four-stroke outboards—None of these: Honda actually built its first four-stroke outboard, the GB30, in 1964; however, that model was sold only in Japan. It wasn't until 1974 that Honda started selling outboards here in the U.S. At that time, the company offered two motors: the 75 TWIN and 45 TWIN. The 75 TWIN as an SOHC in-line 2-cylinder engine that put out 7.5hp. It weighed 29 kg and displaced 149cc. By extension, the 45 TWIN was a horizontally-opposed 2-cylinder (both were liquid-cooled, by the way) engine that put out 4.5 hp and weighed 27 kg. The 45 TWIN displaced 126cc. 6. Side Imaging Sonar—2005; Humminbird 987c2 SI 7. Senko—None of these: The Senko’s introduction is hard to pinpoint, as the bait was being used long before it was widely available. Even officials at Yamamoto Bait Company, which created and still make the Senko, can only give us a ballpark estimate of the late 1990s. 8. Underwater Cameras—1997; Aqua Vu 9. Fluorocarbon—None of these: Fluorocarbon lines have been available for decades, but until recently, most were foreign made with limited availability in North America. 10. Fused Superline—1996 11. X-Rap—2005 12. Sonar/Mapping/GPS Combos—1995; Lowrance GlobalMap 2000