IN THIS ISSUE - JUNE 2013:

• BoatUS ANGLER Video - Scott McGehee: Fishing Knots
• From BoatUS ANGLER Magazine - The Best Chin in Fishing
• Are You Asking The Right Questions? by Capt. Steve Chaconas
• "Secret" Early Summer Patterns by Kurt Dove
• Gulf Coast Fishing Tip - Tips and Tactics for Speckled Trout by Capt. Bill Lake
• Catch of the Month Contest - May Winners
• Fishing News:
  - Bethel University Wins 2013 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship
  - Florida FWC Scientists Discover New Bass Species
  - Understanding Recreational Bag Limits - Tips from Florida FWC
• Ask The Experts - Trailering Guys: To Block Or Not To Block
• Stewardship Fishing Tip - Report Tagged Fish
• Damage Avoidance Tips - Hands Off My Stuff!
• Featured Fishing Guide and Charter of the Month
• Membership News - "What's Not To Like?" Sweepstakes

The BoatUS ANGLER Elite Fishing Experience

Go fishing with Kurt Dove!

Join BoatUS ANGLER Pro-Staffer and Bassmaster Elite Pro Kurt Dove for an unbelievable journey to Del Rio, Texas and Lake Amistad. Travel from your home courtesy of BoatUS ANGLER to Lake Amistad and fish with Kurt Dove for a full day on this fabled bass factory in south west Texas.

* Fishing trip will take place the last week of September, 2013 on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, TX.

* Winner will also receive a $500 gift card for airfare and lodging, and a prize pack containing various BoatUS ANGLER logo apparel.

* All BoatUS ANGLER Members as of August 25, 2013 have a chance to win this Elite Fishing Experience. If your BoatUS ANGLER Membership has expired Click Here to Renew Today and be automatically entered to win!

* The winner will be announced in September 2013.

For complete contest and trip details visit www.BoatUSAngler.com/Elite.

Scott McGehee - Fishing Knots

Fishing pro Scott McGehee shows us three useful fishing knots.

Click Here for more fishing videos from Scott McGehee and other fishing pros about fishing tips and techniques, trailering and safety tips, Weigh-to-Win Tournament Incentive Program, BoatUS ANGLER Insurance, On Road and On Water Towing and more.

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The Best Chin in Fishing
Louisiana marsh stays on its feet despite big punches

VENICE, La. - If the Louisiana marsh were a boxer, it would be former middleweight champion Jake LaMotta. He fought the great Sugar Ray Robinson six times during his career. The last occasion - on Feb. 14, 1951 - is known as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Though unable to defend himself from the blows unleashed by Robinson in the later rounds, LaMotta never went down. The fight was stopped in the 13th round. It was ruled a "technical knockout" - TKO.

Somehow, the Louisiana marsh has absorbed haymakers from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and Hurricane Isaac this past August. And, somehow, these coastal wetlands have continued producing: 70 percent of the U.S. shrimp and oysters, most of its hard- and soft-shelled crabs, 30 percent of the country's total seafood by weight, and some of the best fishing anywhere on Earth. Read More

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"Secret" - Early Summer Patterns

With so much competition in bass fishing these days it is not very often your friends are telling you their most valued secret tips and techniques. I get it... or most part they like to tournament fish and they want to be in the winner's circle and anglers need every advantage to get it done. For other anglers it's a belief that the more they know over other anglers fishing the same waters then the more potential they have for success and enjoyment they have on their own fishing trips. This month I am going to give you three early summer patterns that aren't talked about much at your local dock... but be sure some anglers are catching fish and winning using them!

Mayfly Hatch - You will find these little bugs around trees near the bank and usually on a tree that overhangs the water. They best way to locate a tree or area with mayflies is to look for the birds flying around wildly eating the bugs in the trees. The bugs drop out of the trees after maturing and the bite is on! Bluegill will gorge on the mayflies and the bass will gorge on the bluegill. Popper style baits will work well once the mayflies are located. I like to hit these areas in the early mornings for best results but you can catch fish around the mayfly hatch all day. If little success is found on the popper topwaters then try small walk-the-dog bait like an ima lures skimmer. The key is that these fish can't often resist a finesse topwater technique. Read More

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Tips and Tactics for Speckled Trout

No one will argue that the speckled trout is one of the premiere game fish in South Louisiana! Not only is it great table fare but it is a terrific topwater fighter! When hooked, it will give you quite a show as it dances and thrashes wildly on the surface as it attempts to regain its freedom. Speckled trout are known by many different names such as spotted sea trout, specks, yellow-mouths, and paper-mouths. "Specks" are found throughout the entire Gulf Coast and are easily identified. They are silver in color with olive-green tints on the back and numerous small black dots which extend over the dorsal fin and into the tail. The lower jaw is larger than the upper jaw which has two prominent canine teeth. In general, specks have an elongated body with a large mouth.

Summertime Fishing - The months of May, June, and July are by far the best time to catch specks. Speckled trout start moving into our estuaries in April and the summer months provide non-stop action. This is their reproductive season & the only thing on their mind is "FEEDING"!

This is when you will find large schools of hungry specks in the coastal bays and all along the barrier islands located south of Cocodrie. We have many fishing techniques you can use such as drift fishing, bottom fishing, surf fishing and wading. I like to utilize all four techniques, but I think drifting is more productive in the summer months. Read More

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BoatUS ANGLER "Catch of the Month" Photo Contest is Here!
Don't forget the camera to take shots of your catch this fishing season and submit them to the BoatUS ANGLER "Catch of the Month" photo contest at www.BoatUS.com/Angler/contest, which kicked off April 1 and runs monthly through October 31, 2013.

Monthly winners, one freshwater and one saltwater, will receive a one-year BoatUS ANGLER membership with basic On Water Towing and TRAILER ASSIST^®, a $50 Visa gift card and a "prize pack" filled with fishing and BoatUS ANGLER gear. In addition, winning photos will appear in BoatUS ANGLER Magazine and "Tacklebox" monthly fishing e-newsletter.

Monthly winners will be automatically entered to win the grand prize in November 2013: an upgrade to Unlimited On Water and TRAILER ASSIST^®, a high-quality fish replica from FishReplicas.com, and a $50 gift certificate from BoatNameGear. Winning photos will be selected by the most "Likes" on the BoatUS ANGLER Facebook page during the month of November.

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Bethel University Wins 2013 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship
FLORENCE, AL, May 26, 2013 - Bethel University began and ended in the lead of the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship; however, it was Zack Parker and Matthew Roberts who ultimately hoisted the trophy. The team rallied from sixth place to overtake fellow Bethel University teammates Cody Ross and Dewey Swims, who began day two as the leaders. Parker and Roberts did it with the heaviest catch of the event, 25.88 pounds. Their two day total was 46.76 pounds, a new BoatUS Collegiate Bass Championship record. Read More

Florida FWC Scientists Discover New Bass Species
Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have uncovered a new species of black bass in the southeastern United States. Scientists have proposed naming the new species the Choctaw bass and recommended the scientific name of Micropterus haiaka. Read More

Understanding Recreational Bag Limits - Tips from Florida FWC
Fishing can sometimes be famine, but on the days when it is feast, it's important to know your bag limit, AKA the number of fish you can keep and take home for dinner. These limits are a useful tool in helping protect many of our recreationally important species. There are several types of bag limits and, sometimes more than one type applies. Read More

Click Here For More Fishing News on BoatUS ANGLER

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To Block Or Not To Block

Question: I have a 22-foot center console with 150-hp outboard. The trailer has the torsion arm set up and is single-axle. For many years I have been blocking my boat and trailer up off the ground to take weight off the axle during our 90-day storage season here in Maryland. Is this beneficial to the trailer, bearing, and axle, or am I wasting my time each year?

Dustin: Getting the weight off the suspension is never a bad idea. For a torsion axle, the spindle arm is pressed into the axle sleeve with more than 20 tons of force in some cases, so the weight of your boat is not going to affect them much while it's sitting, but it doesn't hurt. The tires should be covered to keep the sun off of them all year but especially in the winter when the cold air is compounding dry rot. Read More

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Report Tagged Fish

Understanding population dynamics of any fish species is critical to effective fishery management. Bonefish anglers, concerned that stocks have been declining, have noted that there has been little research into bonefish populations. They raise the question, "how do we help bonefish if we do not know their status?"

As Jerald Ault points out in Biology and Management of the World Tarpon and Bonefish fisheries, "despite a large and growing body of research investigating the biology of bonefishes, essential data on the life history and population dynamics... are in short supply."

That is why it is important to report any tagged fish that you catch. Data from tagging programs provide us with a window into the world of fish. An observation, if you will. These observations help us to understand fish. Fisheries managers take these observations and use them to develop regulations and programs that can enhance our fish stocks for the future. Read More

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Hands Off My Stuff!

As boating season ramps up, theft of boats and equipment will ramp right up as well. Good theft prevention starts by making your stuff just a bit harder to steal than the next guy's. The first and most effective tool in the toolkit is a lock and key - or several. In many cases it's possible to lock your trailer to something solid, such as a tree or metal fence post. Removable outboards can be chained to the boat's tow eye, or a through-bolted cleat. A purpose-built outboard lock makes it nearly impossible to loosen the mounting brackets. The nuts on through-bolted outboard motors and stern drive lower units can be removed and replaced with locking nuts similar to the locking lug nuts used on expensive automotive wheels. Gear that's susceptible to theft should be left in a locked cabin or taken home. And binnacle-mounted electronics should be removed and stowed under lock and key between uses. For more tips on theft prevention, go to www.boatus.com/seaworthy/theft.asp.

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