June  5, 2010 onboard Wes Parson and son Chase on an Everglades Adventure. The Parsons are  Bass Onlines long time customers repeats, in fact Wes wife Jenni is on wall of fame  for a trophy bass caught on Lake Okeechobee.  

The Parson father son trip got action,  and the biggest Largemouth Bass going around 5lbs.

We look forward to fishing with you in the future! 

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer Capt Tony Masiello (tonym@bassonline.com)
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS 

Contact: Coleen Curran 704.900.7275 or ccurran@solutionmatrixinc.com

CLEWISTON, FL (June 1, 2010) – Iraqi veterans Joshua Rockwell of Scranton, PA and David Calhoun of Wyalusing, PA caught more than 50 bass on their two-day fishing trip to Lake Okeechobee with Bass Master Pro Angler Mark Shepard.

Their trip was sponsored by SMI Cold Therapy of Butler, PA, a manufacturer of cold therapy products and services for post-operative patient care in hospitals and surgery centers, and by Bassonline.com, Florida’s largestfreshwater guide service and outfitter for bass fishing on Florida lakes, canals and rivers. Calhoun and Rockwell are the first of eight wounded vets to make the journey to Florida to experience some of the world’s best bass fishing.

Bass Master and FLW Pro Angler Mark Shepard, a Bassonline.com guide, has more than 25 years experience fishing in Florida and 10 years of guiding on Lake Okeechobee.

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Its purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service members.

Three more fishing trips on Lake Okeechobee are planned. The next trip is June 7-8 with WWP vets Gary Harris of Ft. White, FL and Jake Williams of Vista, CA.

Rockwell, a medically retired machine gunner, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006 and was injured in October 2007. While on patrol with a Humvee team, his left foot was crushed in the line of duty.

Calhoun, 45, a medically retired battalion armor and training manager, joined the Army in 1985, saw five deployments and was injured in July 2003. His Humvee was on the outskirts of Baghdad, when an IED hit and flipped his vehicle. The explosion destroyed Calhoun’s kneecaps and trapped the driver, Lt. Jonathan Pruden. Despite his injuries, Calhoun carried Pruden to safety before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

The Florida Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management will award a 5-year freshwater fishing license along with a promotional package of tackle samples, fishing publications and discount coupons to each of the WWP veterans as part of its recent promotion of Florida, the Fishing Capital of the World. For information, visit http://myfwc.com/license/Freshwater_5-year-license.htm

BassOnline.com is Florida’s largest freshwater guide service and outfitter, specializing in Florida bass fishing on Florida lakes, canals and rivers. For more information, visit Bass Fishing Blog or Florida Bass Fishing, Lake Okeechobee Fishing, Bass Fishing Florida, Florida Peacock Bass or Everglades Fishing.

SMI is a women-owned, veteran-operated manufacturer of the highest quality cold therapy products for the orthopedic community. Our post-operative products are designed for inpatient and outpatient procedures including total joint replacements and sports medicine. Our simple-to-use, long-lasting, 3.5-hour Gel Bag Compression Bandage Wrap System requires fewer nurse interventions and is changing the orthopedic standard of care. SMI’s facility-specific protocols create efficiencies that enhance patient care while achieving improved clinical outcomes and cost reductions. Headquartered in Butler, PA, SMI is proud to be made in America. For more information, visit www.solutionmatrix.com or call 724.431.6147.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline – fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

I’ll ask for john next time and will recommend him to anyone who wants to fish for big bass.Thanks much!!Ken Gelb

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Had a great time with Ken and looking forward to seeing him again.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer Capt John Miller (johnm@bassonline.com)
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

BASSonline.com is Florida largest freshwater Guide Service, specializing in Florida bass fishing on lakes, canals and rivers.
To learn more about Florida bass fishing, visit Bass Fishing Blogs. Also visit or sister website Florida Bass Fishing, Lake Okeechobee Fishing, Bass Fishing Florida, Florida Peacock Bass

 

 

Fish Busters’ Bulletin

June 2010

Fritz Friebel 20-pound, 2-ounce bass

Bob Wattendorf

Fishermen around Florida are assisting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) by filling out surveys on bass fishing.  The information gathered, along with scientific information, will help create a draft Florida Black Bass Management Plan.

This plan is an evolving strategy to establish Florida as the undisputed “Bass Fishing Capital of the World,” in addition to being the “Fishing Capital of the World.”

Florida currently is the “Fishing Capital of the World” based on the number of anglers, amount of time spent fishing, economic impact and tourists who take advantage of our resources. The most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation again ranked Florida No. 1 in in-state anglers (2.8 million), angler expenditures ($4.4 billion), angler-supported jobs (75,068) and state and local taxes generated by sport fishing ($440 million). In addition, Florida has far more International Game Fish Association (IGFA) records than any other state or country.

Similarly, Florida produces many of the world’s premier bass fisheries, and bass anglers spend more than 14 million days each year here, which generates $1.25 billion for the state’s economy. With 3 million acres of freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs, and 12,000 miles of rivers, streams and canals all loaded with bass, Florida is a Mecca for bass anglers.

The Florida largemouth bass population is genetically unique and has been stocked worldwide because of its potential for rapid growth to trophy size (more than10 pounds). Moreover, Florida has shoal, spotted and Suwannee bass, each of which exist in discrete areas and require specific habitat and food bases to maintain their populations. Programs such as the Black Bass Grand Slam promoted in BassMaster Magazine are drawing more attention to these limited populations – necessitating greater attention to conservation practices.

Florida’s native and widely dispersed populations of black bass are available  in thriving natural habitats within a 30- to 60-minute drive from anywhere in the state, except for the Keys.

BASS’ top 25 bass of all time now includes 20 fish from California, two from Florida, two from Japan and one from Georgia.  In both California and Japan, the bass in question are imports that came from Florida.

To make the most of your fishing license dollars and federal excise taxes on fishing tackle and motor boat fuels, the FWC is beginning to hold meetings with a citizens’ Technical Advisory Group to look at the results of the first two waves of public surveys. Visit MyFWC.com/BassPlan_Survey to see the preliminary survey results, and sign up to review and comment on the first full draft plan, due out sometime in August. The final plan is anticipated to be approved in early January 2011 after additional public input.

To encourage bass anglers to catch and properly report Florida’s next state record bass, BountyFishing is hosting a Million Dollar Bass Bounty. The contest is open to all anglers legally fishing in any public body of water in Florida from July 5 to Aug. 1. Sign-up costs $7 per day or $19 for one week, but the first 1,000 entrants will receive a 50-percent discount and pay just $38 for all four weeks. To sign up for the Florida Million Dollar Bass Bounty or a free June fishing tournament, visitwww.bountyfishing.com/FL.

BountyFishing.com provides anglers an opportunity to compete in fishing contests to win cash and prizes from their favorite fishing spots. To promote catch-and-release fishing, BountyFishing uses FBI-strength image-analysis software to validate winners based on catch photos. For a free trial offer of an Internet-managed fishing tournament, visit www.bountyfishing.com/FL. A part of your tournament fees goes to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Inc., a non-profit, public-support organization that enhances FWC conservation efforts. However, neither the FWC nor the state of Florida endorses any individual company, and Bounty Fishing is solely responsible for its products and fulfillment of any offers.

BountyFishing will share information with the FWC as part of the Black Bass Management Plan initiative. FWC biologists are certain a largemouth bass exceeding the current official record of 17 pounds, 4 ounces (set in July 1986) is waiting to be caught. In 2008, an 18-pound, 8-ounce bass was caught, photographed and released in Florida. It exceeded the record but was not certified by an FWC biologist; nor was a 20-pound, 2-ounce hawg hooked in 1923, or several other bass reported to our “Big Catch” angler-recognition program.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline – fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS