Author Archives: Hank Sibley Bluewater Yacht Sales

  Angler is a real jet-setter Sometimes, the best ideas are the simplest ones, the kind that make people slap their foreheads and lament that they didn’t think of them. Brian Lockwood gets that all the time. About 10 years ago, living on the water in Poquoson, Lockwood started using his Jet Ski to catchContinueContinue reading “This angler is a real jet-setter”

  In order to protect the red snapper population in the South Atlantic, NOAA’s Fisheries Service will extend the ban of commercial and recreational fishing for the red snapper in federal waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the Atlantic coast of Florida. NOAA – NOAA Extends Fishing Ban for South Atlantic Red Snapper

  Illegal rockfish scheme investigation results in USD 1 million fines Ocean Pro Ltd (Profish) plus its vice-president and its fish buyer were sentenced recently in US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, for illegally harvesting striped bass for over a decade from the Potomac River. This has been called the largest ever commercial fish poachingContinueContinue reading “FIS – Worldnews – Illegal rockfish scheme investigation results in USD 1 million fines”

  Take notice trout fishermen. There are now new regulations in effect for both recreational and commercial fishermen in the coastal waters of North Carolina. The recreational bag limit for spotted seatrout, as of Monday, decreased from 10 fish to six fish per person per day, and no more than two of the six fishContinueContinue reading “New NC regulations, pier hours have fishermen on their toes”

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of  Law Enforcement has busted a “vast criminal conspiracy” that included the illegal harvest, sale and purchase of more than one million pounds of striped bass with a market value of up to $7 million. The bust, the result of a seven-year sting operation, happened in theContinueContinue reading “The Largest Black Market Fish Bust Ever?”

  Anglers in two states and two federal jurisdictions that do not have saltwater angler registries or licenses will be required to pay a $15 fee next year so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can collect information about the health of the fish populations. While 22 coastal states either had licenses or establishedContinueContinue reading “NOAA sets National Saltwater Angler Registry at $15”

  Under a new state registry, Virginia saltwater fishermen will be spared a $15 fee to register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry. The fee kicks in Jan. 1 but Virginia fishermen will be exempt because state regulators will collect the data and deliver it to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA announced theContinueContinue reading “Va. anglers to be spared NOAA saltwater fee”

  Pollution is costing the Chesapeake Bay region millions and possibly billions of dollars in lost jobs, seafood declines and other problems, a new report says. Credit: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Today is the deadline for Virginia and five other states to send bay cleanup plans to the EPA. While some people are raising concerns overContinueContinue reading “Report: Chesapeake Bay pollution an economic ‘disaster’”

    Recycling, it turns out, is not reserved for inanimate objects. An increasingly popular Chesapeake Bay program is sending oyster shells collected from restaurants, which save the shells from customers’ meals, back into the bay, where they form homes for new oysters. Saving the Oyster, and the Bay: Shell Recycling Program Replenishes Endangered OysterContinueContinue reading “Saving the Oyster, and the Bay: Shell Recycling Program Replenishes Endangered Oyster Population”

  On November 24, the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged Jerome William Janda, Jr., 55, from Tilghman, Md. with multiply striped bass (rockfish) violations after an investigation relating to illegal fishing activities in the Tilghman area. On November 10 at approximately 2:35 a.m., NRP officers observed Janda Jr. and his fishing vessel exit Knapp’sContinueContinue reading “Waterman Charged with 35 Counts of Striped Bass Violations”

  Two Maryland seafood dealers and the largest fish wholesaler in Washington will have to pay fines and restitution of nearly $890,000 for their part in what prosecutors and a federal judge have labeled the largest commercial fish poaching scheme in the history of the Chesapeake Bay. U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte sentenced OceanPro IndustriesContinueContinue reading “Two OceanPro employees sentenced in striped bass poaching scheme”

  “While trying to bring in the big fish on his hook, the 56-year-old man leaned over the boat’s side, lost his balance and fell overboard,” the spokesman said. Luckily for the banker in distress, a border service boat was passing by the flailing fishing enthusiast and rescued him when they saw him vainly strugglingContinueContinue reading “Fish yanks banker from boat in Russia’s South | STRANGE BUT TRUE”

  The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) will meet Dec.13-16 in Virginia Beach, Va. to discuss proposals for 2011 fishery regulations. The public is invited to attend and the meeting will be held at the Hilton on Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach. The meeting agenda is available on-line at http://www.mafmc.org. Or for more information callContinueContinue reading “Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to meet in Virginia Beach”

  In a follow-up to a story we ran in September on animal rights group PETA’s latest campaign targeting fishermen – ‘Do anglers have small rods’ (read story here) – comes news the campaign has been refused billboard space in a Tasmanian airport.   In the lead-up to this weekend’s opening of the National Fly FishingContinueContinue reading “Fishing World: PETA anti-fishing campaign gets the boot in Tassie”

  When fishing for big red drum from the end of a pier, an angler is at the mercy of the fish more so than ever. Fish either swim by and bite, or they don’t. You can’t exactly go hunting for them. Wayne Fowlkes, 67, of Virginia Beach holds a red drum he caught whileContinueContinue reading “Off the hook: Angler back on piers doing what he loves | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com”

  In the time since, the rockfish stock has expanded, especially in the over 18″ category. This rebound, however, has created a false sense of security about their future. A five-year study by the Chesapeake Bay Ecological Foundation has measured increased malnutrition and disease in rockfish and has determined the cause to be ecological depletionContinueContinue reading “State should work to protect menhaden”

  If you’re a recreational angler, Catch Shares are coming to a fishery near you. As it did with creation of the National Ocean Council, the Obama Administration is following an agenda set by green groups. This time around, that means expanding a management strategy for ocean fisheries that critics say is inherently anti-fishing andContinueContinue reading “Catch Shares get mixed reviews”

  In a letter dated Nov. 11, Dave Smith, executive director of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association–the state’s largest recreational angling group–took the first step. Here’s his letter to the governor, Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin and Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell: On behalf of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association (MSSA) and recreationalContinueContinue reading “MSSA takes first step in rockfish/game fish battle –”

  This year’s Maryland Fishing Challenge and Diamond Jim contest will be featured Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on MPT’s Outdoors Maryland. Cameras follow anglers at Deep Creek Lake and Savage River in Western Maryland, as well as at the Bill Burton State Park Fishing Pier on the Choptank River who are trying to reel inContinueContinue reading “Diamond Jim stars in MPT show”

  The stripers are here! The stripers are here. Sean O’Donnell From the fishing boat Got Walls. He participated in Osprey Landings Fall Festival Striper Tournament this past weekend and weighed in one whopper of a bluefish. He won top youth angler prize. He is pictured with one of the Tournament sponsors Big striped bassContinueContinue reading “The Fishing Line: NJ Fall Tourneys”

  The commercial fishing quota for striped bass for the region will remain the same next year and beyond. At a meeting in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission striped bass management board voted to keep the quota the same. The commission had been poised to raise the quota. Earlier thisContinueContinue reading “Striped Bass Quotas Unchanged”

  Many consider kayak fishing environmentally responsible because there’s no gas, no fumes and no noise. Others like the sport because it’s relatively inexpensive once you get the craft and gear. “As soon as the fishing kayaks come in, they are sold,” says Chase Simmons, who works in the boating department at Bass Pro inContinueContinue reading “Kayak fishing helps anglers take it easy”

  At its annual meeting in Charleston, S.C., the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted, 11-3, to maintain the status quo. Maryland, which had voted earlier this year to get public opinion on increasing the commercial harvest, voted in favor of the motion. The shrinking commercial industry hasn’t had an adjustment in quota since 2003.ContinueContinue reading “Outdoors Girl: Commission opposes increasing commercial striped bass catch”

  Some are concerned about the cost to clean up our rivers and the Bay, and in some cases have conflated spending on current or already planned projects with those needed for Bay cleanup, perhaps intentionally exaggerating the expense. Regardless, Congress has acknowledged cost concerns and is now considering the Chesapeake Clean Water Act, whichContinueContinue reading “Cleaning up our rivers and bay is Virginia’s responsibility”

  Unfortunately, it’s getting to be the new norm. For the third consecutive year, the Chesapeake Bay has produced fewer striped bass babies than what is normal. Three years of a nursery being half full, or less. Could it be the weather–massive winter snowstorms followed by runoff? Or water temperature? Could fishing pressure be toContinueContinue reading “Putting the brakes on more striped bass fishing”

  Kimbro said work commitments meant his bass fishing was done in the evening, and “you had to put a lot more action in the lures.” When he moved to Kent Island and began fishing for striped bass five years ago, he also transferred his technique. “When I’m fishing on the bottom, the objective isContinueContinue reading “New technique lands plenty of striped bass”

  Wann failed a polygraph test about the incident and was cited by NC officials for fishing without a license. Wann pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by the judge today. Tournament directors spent three days consulting with NC’s attorney general and other state officials before deciding to withhold the money. The Big RockContinueContinue reading “Mate who cost boat $1 million prize found guilty of fishing without a license – Charlotte Fish and Wildlife Policy | Examiner.com”

  Former President George H.W. Bush, whose 38-foot Fountain center console grounded during the summer, recently took delivery of a new boat. Fidelity IV ran aground July 12 on Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine. The 86-year-old Bush was returning to the Kennebunk River in heavy fog with several family members aboard when the boat groundedContinueContinue reading “George H.W. Bush and his new go-fast fish boat”

  Really enjoyed fishing with troop 36 from Washington, Va.  Was a great group of kids; and father’s, and I really enjoyed fishing with ya’ll.  Hope ya’ll had a great learning experience, and look forward to seeing  you again real soon. Pretty redfish kept the boys busy most of the morning. Congrats to Main HutchesonContinueContinue reading “Midnight Sun Charters Take Boy Scout Troop 36 from Washington, Virginia”

  Nearly a dozen big-money offshore tournaments have been held since. And the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament starts Wednesday out of Rudee Inlet. Polygraph tests costing between $150 and $600 are used in all of them, almost always without incident. They’ve become a necessary tool to keep the playing waters fair. "Oh… you have toContinueContinue reading “Lie detectors put fishermens’ tales to the test”

  The "smart buoys," placed throughout the bay and on the Potomac River and other rivers, deliver real-time data on temperature, turbidity, water quality and more through the Web, a mobile application or by phone.   Chesapeake buoys provide data on the bay

  http://totaltackle.com/