We’ve been working on something special for quite a while now.

Keep an eye on this site, it will be coming soon!

2008 saw an increase in the number of entries submitted for the Michigan DNR Master Angler Program over the entries submitted for 2007. Anglers entered 430 qualified fish in the catch-and-keep category and 871 in the catch-and-release category. The most popular fish entered in the catch-and-release category were freshwater drum (sheephead) and smallmouth bass.

Catch and Keep Final Report 2008 (PDF File)

Catch and Release Final Report 2008 (PDF File)

I wanted to get a new boat in 2008 but a little gall-bladder explosion kinda made my boat funds go away. This year we found a deal on a 17′ 2001 Nitro 700 LX. It has a 90hp motor, so we’ll be going a little faster than the 10 mph that we were stuck with before.
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10 pm just like clockwork here comes the boat. Dad followed the lights (from the south side of Elberta) and it looked as if he didn’t have a clue the pier was even there. The driver turned at the last second to avoid the collision he didn’t see coming…smack dab in the middle of the Elberta pier. Everyone fishing on the Frankfort pier heard the crash. The boat appeared to be completely out of the water on the rocks. This time the occupants didn’t appear to be as lucky. After we called 911, the Coast Guard and police arrived, and the paramedics were there as well. Don’t know the outcome, but it appeared that this time there may have been injuries.

Read the Discussion here

It’s been just more than a year since the last boat parked on Ludington’s breakwaters.

That streak ended about 11 p.m. Wednesday as a 19-foot Sea Ray captained by a man from Ann Arbor collided with and became perched upon the south breakwater.

Retired Coast Guard Senior Chief Tom Rau, who writes the “Boat Smart” column for the Ludington Daily News, said he believes the boat is the 69th seawall collision between Chicago and Frankfort in the last 10 years.

Read the entire article here.

Saturday July 26th, 2008 - Muskegon- The Coast Guard rescued two people from a boat that was taking on water about three miles off the shore of White Lake.

About 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon the Coast Guard Station in Muskegon launched its 30-foot response boat to assist the stranded people after they called for help using their onboard radio.

The boaters were not in need of any medical attention and were taken to a nearby dock.

The Coast Guard would like to remind boaters to have a radio or cell phone on board in case they need assistance.

I heard that the boat took a wave over the stern and that the occupants were in the water for an hour before they were rescued. I also heard that it was a small boat. I was on the water in the morning that day and the waves were about 1 to 2 feet, but at 10am it seemed to be calming down.

CONGRESS RESTORES 35-YEAR EXEMPTION FOR RECREATIONAL BOATS
FROM PROPOSED EPA PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS

NO NEW PERMIT FOR BOATS REQUIRED

ALEXANDRIA, VA, July 22, 2008 - In a remarkable display of bipartisan support for recreational boating, both the House and Senate today passed S. 2766, “The Clean Boating Act of 2008″ which will permanently restore a long-standing exemption for recreational boats from permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. The legislation now goes to the White House for the President’s signature.

Congressional action was spawned by a U.S. District Court decision in September 2006 under which an estimated 17 million recreational boats would have fallen under Clean Water Act permit requirements effective September 30, 2008. The permit would have dictated maintenance and operation procedures and potentially subjected boaters to citizen lawsuits as well as a penalty system designed for industrial polluters.

“This is a fabulous victory for common sense and it just goes to show what can be done when the boating public, the marine industry and its representatives in Congress row together in a bipartisan way,” said BoatU.S. President Nancy Michelman.

BoatU.S. Government Affairs Director Margaret Podlich was quick to shower praise on a boatload of legislators who did much of the heavy lifting including Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representatives Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Steve LaTourette (R-OH), Candice Miller (R-MI) and Gene Taylor (D-MS). A complete listing of all legislators involved will be available at http://www.BoatUS.com/gov soon.

BoatU.S. has worked for more than a year with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and a broad coalition of stakeholders to resolve the problem before the permitting deadline.

“One of the real keys to success here was our collective ability to activate the grassroots,” said Podlich, noting that tens of thousands of letters and e-mails were generated by boaters and anglers over the course of the past 12 months.

BoatU.S. is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boat owners with over 650,000 members.

Read More at BoatUS.com

Holland, Mich. - The US Coast Guard Tuesday released video of a dramatic rescue of 5 fisherman pulled from Lake Michigan.

The men went out early Tuesday morning. They say their boat was quickly overcome by choppy waters. The boat flooded and it capsized.

An Ohio couple noticed their frantic signal for help and managed to get all five on board to safety.

Full Story at WZZM13.com The story includes some Coast Guard video.

Wood TV Story, Video, and Photos

Johnson’s Great Outdoors is having their annual Salmon tournament August 2nd.

When: August 2nd, 2008 – 6am – 1pm
Where: White Lake (Whitehall)
Entry Fee: $140 per boat, includes big fish

Payouts:
1st through 5th Place
Biggest Fish
2nd biggest fish
Biggest Trout

Checkout Johnson’s Great Outdoors Salmon Fishing Tournament for more info.

Waterflea bloom may help young alewives, perch
Charter boats struggling with slow business

Brian Mulherin - Daily News Staff Writer

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Things have been very rough for Ludington area charter boat captains this summer, but one of the problems they’re facing right now could have a big silver lining.

Since the beginning of July, spiny waterfleas have been ridiculously abundant in Lake Michigan. The fleas stick to fishing lines and form long, meaty strips on fishing line, making it nearly impossible to reel in a fish.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Biologist Tom Rozich said the bothersome zooplankton may be a sign of good things to come.

Rozich predicted after the June 12-13 storms that all the nutrients washed into the lake from the flooding and the City of Ludington’s sewage leak would help the zooplankton population in Lake Michigan. Zooplankton are vital to the food web in the lake and are the primary forage for young perch and alewives.

Read the entire article here