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The most incredible great white shark study ever undertaken premiers on the National Geographic Channel on November 16. Here's an exclusive sneak peek.
 | The Best of Dr. BallThe doc is in! Virgina's Dr. Julie Ball may not look like an "Old Salt," but she most... |
 | World Record TunaFew fish are tougher than tuna. Here are some for the record book. |
 | Mega MarlinThese billfish giants are among the biggest ever caught. |
 | Fireworks on the 4thDr. Julie Ball and her crew went head to head with some huge sheepshead and amber jacks... |
 | Dr. Julie BallIs there a Doctor in the house? Guaranteed if you're checking out Outdoorlife.com |
 | Sharks on IceWalleyes and perch on a frozen lake? Puh-leez. Real men don't go panfishing when there are... |
The day I was to leave for Alaska to tape the last episode of the season for my show, The Best and Worst of Tred Barta on Versus, I woke up with a gimpy left leg. My toes had no power, and I could lift my leg only halfway up. I went to my doctor who immediately ordered an MRI.
Shortly thereafter, my problem worsened, prompting me to drive straight to the emergency room.
Approximately six hours later, I lay on a gurney, paralyzed from the waist down.
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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that beginning Friday, Sept. 25, recreational marine fishing licenses will be available for sale.
Recreational marine fishing licenses http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6101.html can be purchased via the DEC website, ordered by mail or telephone at 1-86-NY-DECALS (1-866-933-2257) or by visiting any one of DEC's 1,500 license sales outlets statewide. [ Read Full Post ]
After being without a truck for some months, I finally bit the bullet and bought a used 2001 Chevy Blazer LT. While I'd prefer a truck, the Blazer fit the four requirements I had: four-wheel drive, big enough to haul the dog, room/a place to put the kiddo's car seat and within my budget (those aren't listed in any particular order, by the way...).
What accessories have you SUV (and truck/car guys) enjoyed the most? Are there certain brands you like better than others? Are there budget-saving brands/ideas out there? I want to hear some thoughts on how best to outfit this baby for hunting, fishing and dog training.
Below are some ideas on things I might want to add on, please let me know what, if anything, I'm missing and/or things that really aren't worth it.
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Sharks will always draw a crowd and the one that 20-year-old Taylor Sears of Scituate, Mass. hung on the dock scales the other day was no different. But it was really quite different—perhaps the biggest male mako shark ever caught on a rod and reel.
Sears, a summertime charterboat mate, and crew were fishing for bluefin tuna in the southwest corner of Stellwagon Bank on Thursday when they hooked into a tuna. After a 45-minute fight, the big shark decided that it was time to eat and chomped the tuna in half. A quick re-rig and Sears was shark fishing and hooked the mako within minutes. It took two-hours to boat the 624-pounder. [ Read Full Post ]
In the late summer months, it’s not unusual when motoring along the banks of Lake Erie in northern Ohio to have some pretty substantial flying objects go splat! on your windshield: like junebugs, dragonflies and the occasional hard-hitting bumblebee.
An 8-pound fish, though? Well, that’s somewhat unusual.
Messy, too. [ Read Full Post ]
“I made it in the hospital through the bleakest, worst times of my entire life. I was in there for 90 days. I made through 80 of them before they broke me! I just couldn’t do it anymore,” says Tred.
According to Tred’s wife Anni, the last high dose of chemotherapy destroyed his kidneys and some liver function. He suffered major depression. Anni and Tred finally decided it was more important to get his head turned around than anything. So Tred—at long last—returned home. Since then, things have brightened dramatically. His kidneys look like they’re responding positively. His most recent blood tests show improvement in his Waldenströms. The local Shaw Cancer Center is trying something new – a milder treatment that can be done at home one day a week for several months, then once a month forever.
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You may have heard or read about the invasive species of Asian carp that has spread northward, up the Mississippi River and into its tributaries in recent years. Not only does the fish grow quickly and grow large, but it has the unusual propensity for leaping high into the air when rousted by the sound of a passing outboard motor. [ Read Full Post ]
The media was kept away from Barack Obama’s first foray into presidential trout fishing last week during his trip to Montana. But thanks to hollow cottonwoods and tall streamside grass, Outdoor Life managed to catch a few snippets of Obama’s conversation with fishing guide Dan Vermillion during the rainy session on the East Gallatin River.
“Wow, these hooks are sharp as a Sarah Palin glare.”
“Yeah, I know. You just hooked me in the ear with your last backcast.”
“Sorry, Dan. I guess I’m a little preoccupied with health care. Speaking of which, you need a Band-Aid? You’re bleeding pretty bad.”
“I’m okay. Whoa, you just missed a rise. You have to keep your eye on your fly.”
“Hey! That sort of talk back in D.C. will get you a restraining order. And a call from Larry Craig.”
“So, the word out here in the West is that you’re going to take away all our guns once the economy turns around.”
“Oh, Dan, that’s a bunch of crazy talk. Between you and me, the gun industry is so economically viable that I’m actually thinking of, you know,... [ Read Full Post ]
Tred wants you all to know that he had never worked harder at anything in his life. He undergoes physiotherapy all-day, everyday. At the end of his first week in rehab, he has experienced no improvement in the sensation in his lower body, though neither has he lost any ground. He especially works on upper-body strength and has quickly earned the respect of his doctors and therapists for working more intensely than anyone they've ever met. IF he never gets the use of his legs back again, it will certainly NOT be for lack of effort.
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Imagine waking up in your bed in New York City (or any town near a major airport on the eastern seaboard) to a cold, miserable rain. Your first inclination is to hit the snooze button and roll over, but then you remember that this day is different. This day, by 2:00 this very afternoon, you’ll be casting to bonefish on the sun-soaked flats of a tropical island so desolate and remote you’ll think you've travelled half way around the world for two days just to get there. But you didn't. You'll have arrived there in under 5 hours.
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UPDATE: Tred’s biggest problem at present is lack of sleep. Hospitals just won’t let you. He’s been undergoing a legion of tests trying to determine the cause of his spinal stroke with no determination so far. Understandably, he’s feeling dejected. However, tomorrow he transfers to Craig Rehab hospital, one of the most loving, positive atmospheres anywhere on earth. Hopefully they will boost his spirits AND let him get some sleep. He complained of pain and nothing among the almost 30 different pain medications helped the pain and his body hated it as well, resulting in allergic reactions. He also hasn’t eaten for days and without chocolate milk and peanut butter and jelly, he gets VERY depressed. Anni also requires your prayers as being stoic and positive throughout all this is an equally tough job. She, too, needs sleep and consideration, PLEASE keep all your positive energy, prayers and good thoughts channeled toward them.—Dean Travis Clarke
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For better or for worse—he's done it again.
As many of you may recall, Outdoor Life was on the scene back in 2006 when Florida angler Bucky Dennis shattered the world record for hammerhead sharks at 1,282 pounds. Dennis, who donated the brute to the Shark Center at Mote Marine, endured some criticism for taking the big female hammerhead which was pregnant with 55 pups.
Dennis' latest catch weighed in at 1,060 pounds. It, too, was caught in Florida's famed Boc Grande Pass. He fought the hammerhead for 2 1/2 hours and is expected to submit the catch to the IGFA as a line-class record.
Here's a look back at former Fishing Editor Jerry Gibbs' tale of the world record hammerhead of 2006.
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Northeast
Spring is slowly emerging in the Big Apple and New York anglers are seeing more opportunities to shake off cabin fever and wet a line. Karl Anderson at Urban Angler on 5th Avenue reported water temperatures fluctuating between 40 degrees and 48 degrees. “Fishing early in the season is super hard because release flows are not announced,” he explained, “you could show up to the river and find the trip blown cold or high water.” So, Karl has been fishing New York reservoirs and creeks on eastern Long Island for brown and rainbow trout. He’s using streamers like white Zonkers or small black wooly buggers. “Streamers can imitate anything from a bait fish to a hellgrammite,” Karl says. Nymphs patters such as the gold ribbed hare, small black stones, pheasant tails, and copper Johns in size 4 to 12 have also been effective. “Fishing is tough,” he said, “you’re lucky if you catch just one fish.”
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There aren’t many movies that depict the finer points of angling, the craft and skill associated with catching fish and the overall pleasure of all things piscatorial.
But leave it to The Newshound to bring Outdoor Life readers the latest in angling entertainment—news about a provocative new fishing movie you’re not going to find playing at your local theatre or Cineplex 4. No sirree! This puppy is destined to make a beeline straight to DVD!
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Northeast
Fans of the NCAA’s Final Four are in for some good basketball and great fishing this week. After the game, UCONN anglers will want to head to the Connecticut River and fish for monster pike. Trevor Burwick at Connecticut Outfitters www.ct-outfitters.com told us that early spring pike fishing is heating up in the shallow coves and marinas. “Guys are fishing with big shiners or big soft plastics,” Trevor said. He recommends rigging a 7- to 12-inch Houdini shad on a 7/0 to 9/0 hook with no weight. “The pike are getting into spawning mode,” he told us. Trevor expects big striped bass to show up soon. “We’re already catching schoolies in the coves, discharges, and main river,” he said. Anglers are fishing sand worms on a fishfinder rig with a 2/0 to 3/0 hook. When the bigger fish move in, Trevor recommends anglers add chunks of menhaden to their bait menu and increase the size of the hook on their fishfinder to... [ Read Full Post ]
In what authorities are calling a freak accident, a Huntington Beach, Calif. fisherman choked to death on a baitfish while trying to entertain a boatful of school kids on a fishing trip Friday.
The death of Jeff Twaddle, 54, a deckhand on the charter boat Gale Force, was ruled accidental by the county coroner’s office. The official cause of death was “aspiration of fish.” [ Read Full Post ]
A couple weekends ago, spring burst into a riot down here in Florida. Bass and longbeards were on my mind. My dad had invited me turkey hunting, and I packed a 6 weight to fish the creek that runs through the property. The creek winds through a series of oxbows that fill up with spawning bass and speckled perch (crappie) this time of the year. Of course, the gators are piled into these holes and get more active as temperatures rise.
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Northeast
This week on Lake Ontario, the snow was melting, the ice was breaking up, and anglers were finally thawing out. Ted Jackson at Fishing World told us that the trout and salmon run is picking up from Hamilton to the Niagara River. “Niagara River will get hot in the spring, too,” he added. Ted told us that anglers are catching trout and salmon by casting Cleo spoons from the piers and lakeshore. While hard-core pier anglers will use 9 to 10 foot rods to cast their spoons as far as possible, Ted says that guys using a medium heavy 7-foot spinning outfit will catch their fair share of trout, too. Whether by boat or from the beach, he suggests anglers fish during an offshore wind when the water will be clear and calm. [ Read Full Post ]
I’m usually for erring on the side of caution when it comes to protecting our most important fishes. I’ve had enough of the crash/recovery seesaw in fisheries management. But I couldn’t help but wince when a few weeks back, the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council voted 7-6 to close the red snapper fishery for six months.
I sit on the Council’s Habitat Advisory Panel, as Florida Recreational Fishing Advisor, and I’m proud of that A.P. for fighting to protect Essential Fish Habitat and supporting ecosystem-based management. However, only the members of the Snapper/Grouper A.P. could make formal recommendations in this fishery management decision, beyond every angler’s inalienable right to public comment. I’ve thought a lot about what I would have considered and recommended, had I been in a position to influence the decision.
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British businessman Andrew Cheatle thought his cellphone was gone for good after he dropped it while walking his dog on the beach.
“I was messing about with my dog and my phone must have fallen out and been swept out in the swell,” he told The UK;s Sun newspaper. “I kept calling it but I gave up hope after a couple of days.” [ Read Full Post ]
Northeast
As winter gives way to spring, New England anglers are caught between ice fishing and open-water fishing. In the meantime, Captain Blain Anderson at Connecticut Outfitters reported that pike fishing is the best game in town. “The fish are starting to spawn and it should blow wide open in the next couple weeks,” he said. Blain told us that snow melt has pushed the fish into shallow creeks. Anglers who can access the extreme shallows are catching big pike on live shiners or small jerk baits. He suggests hooking the shiner on a No. 1 to 3/0 treble hook under a slip bobber. The secret to success: “Look for areas with current,” Blain says.
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Yesterday, I called Larry Hodge, the information specialist at Texas’ Freshwater Fisheries Center, to check some facts on an article I’m editing. The story is about what various states are doing to manage for trophy largemouths. Texas is really pointing at the fence with its “Operation World Record” program, which literally is trying to bring home the bragging rights to the Lone Star State by line-breeding lunker, Florida-strain largemouths. Wouldn’t you know, it’s pre-spawn bass fishing season, and Larry and program director David Campbell were headed out to pick up a lunker from a conscientious Texas bass angler.
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A lot of people unconsciously turn off their common sense switch when they get on a boat and feel the anticipation of a great day of fishing. The exhilaration of a hot bite can cloud an understanding of your limits.
Well documented is the recent tragedy which took place off Tampa Bay. Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free agent Corey Smith and William Bleakley were lost at sea. Nick Schuyler was the only survivor and “tragic” is the key word, because three lives and tremendous suffering could have been avoided if the anglers had been more respectful of the very dangerous waters they embarked on. [ Read Full Post ]
Northeast
Last week’s blizzard couldn’t put the deep freeze on the red hot cod fishing out of Montauk, New York. In fact, cod fishing is so good, that the Viking Fleet is completely sold out for the weekend. Earlier in the week, parties saw fish up to 30 pounds winning the pool and many anglers are limiting out with fish averaging 20 pounds. Captain Michael Potts on the Bluefin IV took a group of marine biologists to the honey hole this weekend. “On the first drop we caught 5 fish up to 20 pounds, then it was steady action after that,” he reports. The crew filled 50 sample kits and kept another 14 cod for culinary research. Captain Michael told us that the best fishing has been around Block Island. While a two-hook bottomrig baited with clam is producing good numbers of cod, the biggest fish are coming on 8 to 10 ounce Diamond Jigs armed with a curly-tailed teaser. The weather is... [ Read Full Post ]
Organizers of a weekend ice-fishing tournament in Somerset, Wisc. said they smelled something fishy after receiving several anonymous tips that the contest winner—and recipient of a new pickup truck worth $28,000—had allegedly cheated his way to the grand prize. [ Read Full Post ]
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