World Fly Fishing Championships Begin

New Zealand will serve as the host of the 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships beginning March 22, 2008. The Championships will be held in the Rotorua region of the North Island of New Zealand. Rotorua is at the heart of NZ's geothermal area and the region abounds in hot pools, wonderful geothermal scenic areas and of course, many of New Zealand's well known fishing lakes and rivers.

Legend has it that New Zealand was fished from the sea. The fact is that New Zealand was the last land mass on earth to be discovered making it the youngest country on earth. It is a beautiful country and is proud of its many excellent fly fishing venues.

The United States will be represented by Fly Fishing Team USA. Click on the link to learn more about them. Follow the daily results of the event on the World Fly Fishing Championships website. Below you will see the Waihou River, one of the beautiful rivers which will serve as a location for tournament fly fishermen. Good luck Fly Fishing Team USA.

FLW Fantasy Fishing's 1st Payout

Back in December I shared the incredible $1.7 million fantasy fishing payout offered by FLW Outdoors. Well, they have their first winner. Christopher Toring of Minneapolis, Minnesota won the first $100,000 payout. An admitted newcomer to professional bass fishing, Toring was shocked to find out he reeled in the inaugural $100,000 first prize awarded in conjunction with his fantasy team’s performance at the prestigious Lake Toho Tournament, the first stop on the 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

“I can’t believe it, I’m the last guy you’d think would win $100,000 playing this game,” said Toring. “I’ll tell you, the Player’s Advantage program that’s offered makes it real easy to pick the right pros. I’m now gunning for the $1 million grand prize and I’m going to need the edge Player’s Advantage gives me.”

“What a great start to the FLW Fantasy Fishing season; the response and reaction to this game has been phenomenal,” said Irwin Jacobs, chairman of FLW Outdoors, creators of FLW Fantasy Fishing. “Offering over $7.3 million in cash and prizes is an amazing milestone in fantasy sports; we can’t wait to award the next $100,000 prize for our tournament in Birmingham, Ala., starting April 3.”

Over 4,000 prizes totaling as much as $7.3 million will be awarded during the course of the FLW Fantasy Fishing season. In addition to millions in cash, other prizes like Ranger Boats; a Chevy Silverado; Yamaha and BRP ATVs and personal watercrafts; hundreds of thousands of dollars in Wal-Mart gift cards; tens of thousands of dollars of free BP gasoline and more will be awarded to the players with the highest point totals earned based on the placement of their team of 10 professional anglers for each tournament.

For more information go to www.flwoutdoors.com.

Charity Bass Fishing Tournament in Redwater, Texas

Participating in a bass fishing tournament is always a lot of fun; however the Redwater Charity Bass Tournament, scheduled for April 12, will be even more rewarding because the proceeds will support the Redwater Volunteer Fire Department. Volunteer firefighters risk their lives for only one reason, to help out their neighbor. If you are a bass fisherman and live near Northeast Texas, you should check it out. The tournament will take place on Intake Hill on Wright-Patman Lake near Texarkana.

The Crazy Fisherman Company is proud to support the tournament by donating 20% of each tournament t-shirt sale to the department. You do not have to be a tournament participant to purchase a shirt. Show your support by purchasing one today. Click on the link below for more information.

Redwater Charity Bass Fishing Tournament

Illinois To Offer High School Fishing Championship

Illinois will become the first state to recognize fishing as an official high school sport. The Illinois High School Association voted unanimously on February 11th to sanction a state bass fishing championship in the spring of 2009. The hope is to make the program self-supporting through sponsorships. The effort to get this approved was spearheaded by Terry Brown of the Bloomington-based www.wired2fish.com.

The idea came about several years ago as IHSA staff members explored ways to involve kids in non-traditional sports. Testing the idea resulted in an overwhelmingly positive response. Though the plans are not complete at this point, it is likely that there will be sectional tournaments throughout the state that feed into a championship event. Expert coaching and fishing boats will be provided by adult mentors.

Information from a recent IHSA board meeting:

Additionally, the Board of Directors approved a recommendation from the Executive Director to add a bass fishing tournament as an IHSA activity beginning in the spring of 2009, provided that adequate sponsorships are secured in advance for the tournament.

“The level of support for a bass fishing tournament, from both our membership and from other non-school groups, has demonstrated clearly to our Board that this event is one with potential tremendous value to our schools,” said Dr. Hickman. “Implementing such an activity will enable our schools to provide another opportunity for students that will enrich their educational experience and keep with the Association’s mission.”

I anticipate high school fishing being extremely successful and spreading to other states in the near future. We'll keep you posted as we learn more. I can't wait to see how it goes.

Fishers Of Men National Tournament Trail 2008

Now is the time to begin planning for your participation in the Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail. This competition is great for first time tournament anglers who are learning about the fun and excitement of bass tournament fishing. The FOM tournament series gives bass fishermen an opportunity to compete for cash, prizes, and recognition in a unique environment with other great fishermen. The Fishers of Men Tournament Trail Series features divisions of 2-person teams competing in five regions and ultimately striving to make it to the National Championship Tournament. See the five regions below.

One of the most exciting opportunities of the Fishers of Men Tournament Trail is the Legacy Series which provides fishing tournaments made up of adult/junior teams. Can you think of a better way to have fun with your kid than competing together in a fishing tournament? This is also a great way to introduce the next generation to tournament fishing or fishing in general. The Legacy Series will consist of 35 divisions in 26 states.


For complete information visit the Fishers of Men website at www.fomntt.com or call the National Office at 877-347-3585.

World's First Carbon Neutral Fishing Tournament

The world's first carbon neutral fishing tournament was held January 12th and 13th at the Miami Beach Marina. Twenty-three boats competed in the event, with the winning team catching and releasing 10 fish to take top honors in the Sailfish Tournament. The tournament made a pledge to balance its carbon ledger, using a portion of the proceeds to offset the carbon footprint of the boats participating.

Captain Dan Kipnis, tournament organizer and director-at-large for the Florida Wildlife Federation, an affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, said that they have a responsibility to protect Florida's coastal waters. He believes sportsmen know climate change threatens the fish they love and the habitats they live in. Offsetting their emissions is one way to show they're protecting the environment for the next generation of anglers.

The tournament is offsetting 200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the estimate of what the tournament produced, through AgCert, which will use the funds for an East Coast methane capture project. Methane gas from dairy farms will be converted into electricity, balancing out the tournament's greenhouse gas impact on the environment. Florida seems to be setting an example for other states in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Just for the record, the United States has roughly 5% of the world's population yet produces 25% of the world's greenhouse gases. I am not as concerned as some about global warming, especially since I took my kids to a camping event in Boone, Iowa over the weekend (heated cabins) and I woke up to a temperature of -12 degrees (real temp not wind chill); however, no matter what, being more responsible with our environment is important and I applaud the organizers of this tournament. Click here for the complete story.

224 Anglers Qualify To Win 2007 Maryland Fishing Challenge

The state of Maryland really promotes its natural resources. Check out the fishing challenge below.

While the genuine “Diamond Jim” managed to elude those fishing the Bay this summer, 224 lucky anglers from across the state caught citation-worthy fish, qualifying them for the 2007 Maryland Fishing Challenge grand prize drawings. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 22, Governor Martin O’Malley will announce the two lucky grand prize winners, who will take home a Toyota Tundra 4x4 pickup truck from Central Atlantic Toyota or a 591 Nitro with a 115 HP Mercury engine and a trailer donated by Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats.

“In addition to being fun and profitable for lucky anglers, we hope this annual celebration of recreational fishing in Maryland reminds people of the great value of our State’s natural resources, and the responsibility we all share for working toward a sustainable future for our Bay and its aquatic life,” said Governor O’Malley.

For more information, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/fishingchallenge.

Another Fisherman Wins $1 Million Plus In Fishing Tournament

For the second time in a week I am writing about a fisherman who has won a million dollars or more. Last week it was Scott Suggs who won the Forrest Wood Cup bass fishing tournament held on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. Today it is John Frankos who won the 34th annual White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Md. John caught an 83-pound white marlin last Friday to solidify the lead and ultimately win the tournament which began with 396 boats. Sharing in the win (and the winnings) were his teammates Fleet Smith, Scott Adkins, Mike Sparks, Jimmy Castner, Eric Mayo, and first mate John Oatman along with second mate Jason Sadler. This was the sixth largest fish caught in the tournament's history. Who ever said fishing is a waste of time?

Fishing Tournament Winner Receives $1 Million

Scott Suggs of Oklahoma became the first person to win $1 million in a bass fishing tournament. His two day total was 17 pounds in the Forrest Wood Cup held on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. That would be $58,823 per pound of fish caught. The Forrest Wood Cup is part of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. The winning purse was $500,000, plus he earned an extra $500,000 bonus because he was fishing in a qualifying Ranger boat. Until this weekend, Suggs' total career winnings were only $180,000. He lives about 40 minutes from the Lake Ouachita and said his experience fishing on the lake was crucial to his win.

Georgia Sees the Value in Supporting Fishing

The Go Fish Georgia Professional Anglers Association will host a championship fishing tournament at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, northeast of Atlanta, in early November. The event will offer $1 million in prize money with $250,000 going to the winning four-man team. Georgia's governor, Gov. Sonny Perdue, has allocated $19 million in state funds to implement an initiative to promote fishing tourism in the state.

An estimated 1.5 million Georgians fish every year with an economic impact of $1.5 billion for the state. I applaud the governor and the state of Georgia for recognizing the impact of fishing to the economy as well as just providing a great quality-of-life recreational activity for so many people.