Utah Bass Federation Ready to Assist Utah Division of Wildlife in Improving Fishing in State

Greetings from the great State of Utah! This is Walt Maldonado, Conservation Director for the Utah Bass Federation, giving you the state of the State of Utah. The economy has put a damper in all things related to fishing. License sales have leveled off and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has introduced programs to help increase fishing opportunities, youth involvement and surveying anglers to see what is it that they would like to see that would get them back fishing. Past president George Sommer and I are members of all the major committees that make decisions on fishing in Utah. George and I have made it a priority to get to know personally the managers and biologist that work for the DWR and make sure they understand that we the Utah Bass Federation are ready to help whenever and where ever we are needed. This philosophy has worked for both groups and created a working relationship that has flourished for 10 years. Managers and biologist attend our Federation meetings and let us know first what the problem is and how we can work together to resolve it. I feel keeping the communication line open is the key to making our concerns and those of the DWR upfront and that way problems are solved quickly and both groups become part of the solution and not part of the problem.

In 2009 Utah’s major fishing concern was the threat of invasive species. Keeping the quagga mussel out of Lake Powell and all of our other waters has been a big undertaking. With the introductions verified in Lake Havasu and Lake Mead to the south, Utah implemented a proactive program that includes d ocumentation, boat inspection and boat cleaning procedures that so far have worked. But more needs to be done, most biologist feel it is not if but when the quagga will arrive. We must be diligent and be as proactive as we can which is more productive than trying to eradicate them if they become entrenched in any of our waters. The Federation has helped get the word out to anglers, boaters and boat dealers to encourage them to be concerned about this problem and let them know what devastation invasive species can cause on their favorite waters Everything possible must be done to keep Utah’s waterways from this!

Our next biggest issue is illegal fish introductions. We have a number of armchair biologists who feel they must introduce fish species into their favorite waters without thinking what the introduction will do. They fail to realize how many millions of dollars it cost to get a fishery up and going. And once the fishery is established and productive, how many more millions of dollars it will cost to treat the water with rotenone and kill the fishery to eliminate the unwanted species. With Utah having both the Colorado and Green rivers flowing though the state, we are restricted by the Endangered Species Act to where certain fish species can be introduced. Walleye have become our biggest concern and the most popular fish to illegally introduce. The Utah Bass Federation has funded a $1000.00 reward for information leading to a conviction for anyone caught illegally introducing fish into waters that they don’t belong in.

Around the TBF Youth Newsletter – December 2009

This week I had the great opportunity to visit Maryville Middle School in Maryville Tennessee. They are the first Student Angler Federation school club that we have in the state of Tennessee and boy have they got it right!

This school is almost a picture postcard of what we envisioned when we set out to build the SAF across the country. Mr. David Clark and his 28 student anglers have set up this club in near perfect fashion and they are off and running in the Volunteer state!

At almost every meeting they have a speaker come talk to their club about fishing or something related to fishing. This week besides myself,  they had WBT pro angler Heather Broom speak  to the group about her experiences as a female angler on the Women’s Pro Tour and what it takes to land a successful sponsorship deal.

To date they have also had a club tournament and we’re planning some things with them for the upcoming FLW Tour/ TBF National Championship events.

 Keep an eye on this club in the future as I’m sure Mr. Clark and his group are “Going Places” through fishing!!!

We also have two additional schools in East Tennessee on board. The Oliver Springs High School under the direction of Ms. Rice and a program at Farragut High School are all up and underway.

Since they have three schools within that state underway we’ll be assisting them in organizing their first SAF State tournament this spring!

On another note the end of the year has quickly come upon us and it’s time to get all of your rosters and dues for the 2010 season in. Remember that if you’re interested in applying for the State Youth Merchandise Package you have three requirements.

The first is to fill out an application which is available in our Youth Downloads section of our web site. The second is to get all of your youth club rosters in by 12/31 and the third is to get all of your clubs dues in by 12/31.

Please note that we have held the Premium Youth membership cost at $25 for this year which makes that membership an even greater value than before!

An exciting new feature is also available for 2010, this year you can select to receive your FLW magazine electronically!! There are two great reasons for doing this. The first is that it is very good for the environment when we don’t have to use natural resources to manufacture the magazine and then dispose of it when we are finished.

The second is that the FLW has agreed to increase our membership rebate for those who choose the electronic version as it saves them the additional manufacturing cost. Since it is saving them money they are sharing the savings with the TBF.

It’s that very rebate money that helps the TBF fund our Youth, Conservation, and National Fishing Events so please choose the electronic option if possible!

Please have a great Holiday Season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing today!

Mark Gintert

Tennessee 2010 Habitat Projects

The Tennessee Bass Federation plans to make 2010 a banner year for habitat projects. In addition to our usual upland work, the 2010 emphasis will be on main stream reservoirs with three large projects planned across the state.

The Standing Tree Project (as described in the TBF proposed project list) will be implemented on Kentucky Lake in West Tennessee, Chickamauga Lake in Middle Tennessee, and a yet undetermined lake in East Tennessee. The intent of our proposed project is to install on each of the three lakes one thousand trees per site near a primary black bass spawning area. These project sites were selected from suggested GPS coordinates provided by local anglers concerned with improving angling on their respective impoundments. Additionally, Standing Tree Project leaders will provide local participating groups with assistance and guidance on the proper way to install trees to best create additional nursery habitat.

The Tennessee Bass Federation’s proposed 2010 Habitat Projects will provide additional aquatic habitat, bolster the aging reservoirs, and improve black bass recruitment in the state of Tennessee.

Carl Guffey

Tennessee TBF State

Conservation Director

Collegiate Bass Fishing a Growing Sport

(Nov. 02, 2009 – Alexandria, VA.)… In college athletics, football and basketball reign supreme in televised competition. However, there’s a new sport in town that has begun to crown champions on a field of play far removed from the grid iron or field house – collegiate bass fishing. The sport’s governing body, the Association of College Anglers (ACA), has announced its 2010 tournament season has now grown to five televised events. The schedule includes the fifth annual BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, which returns to Texas’ Lake Lewisville May 24-28, 2010.

“Four years ago when we started supporting the championship, there were about 40 schools with organized clubs and no sanctioning body,” said BoatU.S. Angler Director Mike Pellerin. “Once this sport starting gaining critical television coverage, its popularity has soared. Today, there are over 200 clubs, with the ACA leading the effort to grow bass fishing at the collegiate level. We have also now witnessed the first college in the nation – Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee – to officially classify their fishing team an ’athletic sport,’ putting it on par with other team sports for recruitment and athletic scholarships. We hope that trend continues.”

The ACA reports that nearly 40 more schools are currently in the process of organizing a sanctioned team. The ACA was formed through an affiliation with the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship and other sponsors. The organization has been made possible by a joint effort among The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF), Careco Multimedia, and a host of supporting companies. The ACA is a “federation” under the TBF umbrella, having its own board of directors, by-laws, and benefits.

The 2010 ACA schedule now includes five televised events produced by Careco Multimedia which will air on the Versus network next year (check your local listings):

Stephen F. Austin State University Bucketmouth Bass Tournament: December 18 and 19 on Sam Rayburn Lake, TX. This event draws many anglers from colder climates.

Arkansas Tech University Invitational: March 25 and 26 at Lake Dardanelle, AR. This is a popular Spring Break tournament.

Southern Collegiate Bass Fishing Series Championship: April 2 and 3 on Wheeler Lake, AL. Hosted by the Auburn University Bass Sports Club, this is the largest regional bass fishing series in the nation.

Fifth Annual BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship: May 24-28 on Lake Lewisville, TX. The largest and most prestigious college bass fishing event of all.

Collegiate Bass Fishing Open: June 21-25 on Kentucky Lake, TN. Hosted by Paris/Henry County, Tennessee, this is a new event that uses an innovative “team” format, where everyone gets in on the action.

The ACA sanctions additional non-televised collegiate bass fishing tournaments as well. For more information on all of the tournaments, information on how to start a club, or join the ACA, go to the CollegiateBassChampionship website.

About BoatU.S. Angler:

BoatUSAngler.com , a membership program from the nation’s largest association of recreational boaters, offers services and helps protect the interests of boat-owning anglers.

About Careco Multimedia:

Careco Multimedia, Inc., owns and produces one of the best lineups of instructional outdoor television programming on air today, including Americana Outdoors, Fisherman’s Handbook, Yamaha Whitetail Diaries, Chronicles of the Hunt, Hunter’s Handbook, Fishing Texas, Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, and Hunting Texas.