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Here's how to get boaters to stay and spend. Many waterfront towns don't make it easy for visiting boaters to stay and spend. It's not their fault. Protected, safe harbors as well essential boating services such as fuel, utilities and bathrooms, are beyond the price tag for a local town, marina or boat club budget. However, a federal program first championed by Boat Owners Association of The United States in 1998, the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program, has proven effective in... Full story
New industry award lets fishing fans weigh-in on the best of the new products. Alexandria, VA – August 8, 2022 – With the advent of social media, anglers around the globe now know about the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades – better known as ICAST – the world's largest recreational fishing industry trade show. Even though it's still an industry only trade show, this August, anglers everywhere are invited to join in the excitement that defines ICAST and pick their favorit... Website
Gas prices are up. What can boaters do to prepare for a summer of boating? The 800,000-plus member Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has 21 fuel-saving tips boaters can do to help save on fuel and still enjoy a fulfilling season on the water. While some of these techniques may sound obvious, there may be some you never considered. Before Heading Out: 1. Tune your engine now. A once a year for a tune-up and service will help it run more efficiently. 2. Match the boat’s prop to... Full story
AN OCTOPUS -- There's a reason why SeaSucker's logo is an octopus: There isn't much it can't hold. It's the same with its new Pro Series Rod & Tool Kit. The two-piece accessory mounts quickly without drilling holes and secures virtually every piece of gear needed while fishing. Designed for hardcore anglers, it's also the perfect solution for powerboaters and sailors who occasionally want to drop a line, but not install something permanent. Contact local dealers or SeaSucker,... Full story
A Tribute From Margie and John Anderson We've known Marc for a long time and have done several stories with him. He was the kind of guy who would tell you the straight dope all the time, no matter what. I loved that about him. Marc was a heck of a stick, too – he'd take us to Pleasant or Bartlett and just flat out catch bass, talking the whole time. Entertaining is an understatement when it came to Marc! Fishing was just one side of him, though. Marc loved his family with his whole heart and h... Full story
Go Fish Arizona! With summer temperatures heating up, anglers are starting to head to the cooler climate and great fishing opportunities in Arizona's high country. Below is a listing of five high country lakes that our Aquatic Wildlife Branch predicts will be good bets this summer: Big Lake Because of its size, productivity and visitor amenities, Big Lake is considered one of the best White Mountains fishing lakes. Fishing is excellent in summer typically before midday when water quality is... Website
July 12 is deadline to apply for Local Sportsmen's Group grants. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is accepting applications for $75,000 in annual grant funding for local sportsmen's organizations to provide public, mentored projects that are focused on the recruitment and development of new hunters and anglers. The Local Sportsmen's Group grants program places a high priority on projects that involve the pursuit or harvest of fish or wildlife with a valid license (and any necessary... Full story
AZGFD Catutions OHV Riders, Boaters, Anglers, During Monsoon Monsoon weather is right around the corner, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) cautions boaters, anglers and off-highway vehicle (OHV) users that weather conditions can quickly change and become dangerous for those who aren't prepared. The severity of monsoon storms varies greatly from a minor dust storm to a violent thunderstorm capable of producing hail, deadly lightning and flash flooding. "Arizona is known for its...
The focus is on boating-centric inland lakes with distinction. There are 123,439 freshwater lakes – those water bodies generally larger than 20 acres – in the continental United States. Which ones may be best for recreational boating? BoatUS Magazine senior editor Rich Armstrong and contributing editor Fiona McGlynn consider the question in the magazine's February/March issue with the feature "Freshwater America," which highlights nine boating-centric lakes from New York to Washington. "Am... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has introduced a new option that allows fishing and hunting license holders to have their licenses automatically renewed upon expiration. The feature is currently only available for the following licenses: Resident Hunt, Resident Fish, Resident Hunt/Fish Combo, Nonresident Fish, Nonresident Hunt/Fish Combo. To opt-in for license auto-renewal, customers must have an AZGFD portal account. Customers who have an existing portal account should use that... Full story
Day At The Docks Cancelled Letter From Peggy Couvrette Hi, Arizona Anglers, We had hoped to be in a position to host the annual Port of San Diego's Day At the Docks in April 2022. However, the Covid pandemic disruption has had a major impact on our underlying funding sources. And while we have explored potential alternative funding sources for 2022, it is now apparent that those resources will not be available in time for an event this spring. We continue to celebrate the vibrant and resilient... Full story
Thank You AZGFD For Sharing Here is a look at just a few of the wide variety in our state. How Did The Bighorn Sheep Cross The Road? The bighorn sheep population in northwest Arizona is important to outdoor enthusiasts of all types, yet highways have separated this population. As a result, wildlife-vehicle collisions, interference with access to adequate water and lack of habitat connectivity disrupt bighorn and put their population health at risk. Infrastructure Reduces Risk In a historic and i... Full story
It has been decided that we will be hosting an Outdoor Expo April 2-3, 2022. Event times have changed to 9am - 4pm on Saturday and 9am - 3pm on Sunday.Due to some scheduling conflicts along with COVID precautions, the Expo will have a slightly different look and feel this year. A good majority of the event will take place on the Southside of the road (traditionally known as Area 3 - Outdoor Recreation / Shotgun Area), with the exception of Firearms Manufacturers and/or trailer space for those... Full story
Something Different This Month: Crappie Pros Rambo and Chamberlin Tell Us What Not to Do! Most anglers are familiar with bass pros, but Arizona anglers might not be aware that there are a lot of crappie pros out there, too. Crappie tournaments are starting to mean big money and slab hunters have learned a few tricks to help them target the big fish. Closer to home, guys like Curt Rambo and Art Chamberlin are known for their crappie prowess. What do these guys think the biggest crappie fishing... Website
T.N.T Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional coming soon to Lake Havasu. B.A.S.S. Nation is hosting its Western regional qualifier at Lake Havasu and you can watch these top anglers weigh-in their daily catches! There are three events scheduled from 3- 5 p.m.: Wednesday, Feb. 23, Thursday, Feb. 24, and Friday, Feb. 25. Spectators are welcome to pay the Lake Havasu State Park day-use fee of $20 per vehicle (1-4 adults) or $3 for pedestrian and bicyclists to check-out the weigh-in! Daily... Full story
Arizona's bald eagles are back, and they will soon be preparing for the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide. To assist with the state's continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) encourages outdoor recreationists, aircraft pilots, drone operators and motorized paragliders to do their part by not disturbing the state's 93 eagle breeding areas. Hope For A Productive Breeding Season To protect breeding attempts, some portions of public... Full story
John and I have known fishing legend Fred Ward for many years, but we actually met him in Florida. At that time I was writing for a tiny publication (now defunct) called Arizona Fishing News. My day job, The New Times, sent me to Denver for a week, then to Miami for a week, and as a reward, they gave me a guided fishing trip on Lake Okeechobee and even flew John out there to join me. Fred was guiding for the Roland Martin resort, and when he found out I was a writer, he comped our stay! We got... Full story
Contest garnered 129 entries and paid out $30,000 in prizes. Recycling old fishing line and soft baits into new products is labor-intensive, inefficient and simply, for many anglers, not easy to do. This hampers the ability to grow the volume of line and soft bait recycling in the U.S. However, three BoatUS Foundation and Berkley Recast and Recycle Contest winners aim to change that. The prizewinners – a recent college grad, an outsdoorsman and 3D printing hobbyist, and a team of four college f... Full story
An angler recently wrote AZGFD with the question, "Given the recent rains we've had, do changes in barometric pressure affect fishing?" Barometric pressure changes leading up to and right after these rain events can positively affect the bite. Studies tend to suggest that low pressure/high pressure has no statistically significant impact on catch per unit effort. But barometric pressure change (increasing and falling) do have a statistically significant impact on catch per unit effort. So if... Full story
Kelsee Haws shows the fish that she caught in Luna Lake; it later became part of a delicious meal. Her outdoors experience is typical of many throughout the state and one of those that we can continue to enjoy even if pandemic restrictions return. (Please, no!) In fact, a whole new group of women anglers will probably be inspired by the great program "Becoming An Outdoors Woman" to be held in Prescott, Ariz., later this month. And, fishing is just one focus of the event; it includes hiking,... Full story
AZGFD webpage guides newcomers to hunting, dozens of mentored events. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has created a new webpage that offers a simplified and logical learning approach to hunting in Arizona, whether a person is new to hunting, just moved to this state, or wants to expand their skills. Visitors to www.azgfd.gov/outdoorskills can quickly access topics such as where, how and what to hunt, seasons and regulations. Visitors to the webpage also can view YouTube videos,... Full story
Over the next ten years the service will support Arizona's sport fish stocking program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) as part of the Environmental Assessment (EA) of its proposal to continue to fund, in part, the Arizona Game and Fish Department's (AZGFD) sport fish stocking program over the next 10 years. The FONSI decision means that FWS can continue funding to support AZGFD's hatchery operations and fish stocking activities... Full story
Stocking live, healthy fish for anglers to enjoy can be challenging, but the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is up to the task, even in this time of widespread drought. While AZGFD places a high priority on meeting its stocking schedule found on the department's website (azgfd.com/fishing/stockschedule), all scheduled stockings are subject to change based on weather, water quality, or road conditions. With warmer water temperatures and lower water levels affecting many of the state's la... Full story
Daniel Elias found out about the Free Rig in early 2019 from Japanese bass fishermen on Instagram, in posts that weren't even in English. The rig is fairly simple – you use a cylindrical drop shot weight, but instead of a clip, there is just a small loop at the end – a pencil weight with an eye at the top. You simply slide it onto the line before tying on the hook, and it slides freely up and down the line: Free Rig. The Hook Up Tackle (www.thehookuptackle.com) has weights for this technique; ju... Full story
I'll never forget the year the All Star Super Team Championship at Lake Pleasant was won with a Carolina rig, and Rob VanderKooi and Lynton Leslie also took second place using the rig. Both before and since that tournament, many others have been won on Pleasant using the same technique. Dean Farrell and Dave Deadman are two other anglers ...... Website