Ontario Independent Environmental Watchdog to be Eliminated

Who's watching our resources?
By Steve Galea
originally posted oodmag.com

The responsibilities of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario will be transferred to the Auditor General of Ontario and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, if Bill 57, the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018, is passed as written.

The Bill was introduced at Queen’s Park on Nov. 15 by Ontario’s Conservative government. It proposes, among other things, to transfer ECO staff to the Auditor General. It will also assign the Auditor General the duty of appointing a Commissioner of the Environment from employees of the Office of the Auditor General. The Commissioner of the Environment may, subject to the direction of the Auditor General, exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Auditor General under the Act.

The Bill has passed second reading and has been referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

Michael Zupanic, communications and outreach coordinator for the ECO, said, “The bill has not yet passed. If and when the bill passes, our office will be consulting with the Speaker to understand when and how these changes will take effect.”

“The OFAH strongly supports environmental oversight,” said Angelo Lombardo, executive director of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. “However, in saying that, we need environmental oversight that respects and represents the interests of all Ontarians, including the millions of anglers, hunters, and trappers. We’ve had concerns with this office and its positions in the past, and it’s

Matthew Robertson Wins 2018 BASS Team Championship Harris Chain of Lakes!

2019 Bassmaster Classic field set

By Andrew Canulette

BASSMASTER PRESS RELEASE

Off-shore spot vaults Robertson into Classic.
(Photo: BASS)

Matthew Robertson said he’s spent the past 20 years working toward a chance to compete in the Bassmaster Classic.

Following a commanding performance at the Bassmaster Team Championship and the ensuing Classic Fish-Off, Robertson’s time has arrived.

Robertson, a 32-year-old resident of Kuttawa, Ky., was dominant both Friday and today on the Harris Chain of Lakes here in central Florida. His two-day total weighed a whopping 57 pounds, 9 ounces, which gave him almost a 24-pound cushion over the nearest competitor in the field of six anglers.

Robertson caught a five-bass limit on Friday that weighed 25-10, but he saved his best for last — a 31-15 sack that was the heaviest bag weighed in either the Team Championship or the Fish-Off.

Robertson teamed with Kentucky B.A.S.S. Nation Team Trail partner Wendell Anderson on Thursday to catch a 29-1 limit; the second-heaviest of the week. Robertson’s 25-10 limit on Friday was the third heaviest.

The victory earned Robertson the 52nd and final berth in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The Classic, the most prestigious bass fishing championship in the world, will be held March 15-17 in Knoxville, Tenn.

“Those guys (already in the Classic) don’t know who I am right now,” Robertson said. “But come March, I want them to show them what I can do.”

The Top 3 finishers among 197 teams entered in the national team championship qualified for the Fish-Off, which began Friday as the anglers competed individually for a spot in the Bassmaster Classic. Robertson and Anderson finished second in the team event, largely because of that 29-1 limit on Day 2, which vaulted them from a tie for 59th place after Day 1 straight into the Fish-Off.

2018 BASS Team Championship Harris Chain of Lakes Day 1: Matthew Robertson Leads Final 6!

Final 6 Fish Off Today

By Andrew Canulette

BASSMASTER PRESS RELEASE

Robertson has been "on em" all week.
(Photo: BASS)

Matthew Robertson has been wearing a hat the past few days that pretty much sums up his experience this week on the Harris Chain of Lakes.

“ON ‘EM,” the hat reads in block white letters against a black field.

Robertson was “on” the Florida-strain bass yet again today, the first round of the Bassmaster Classic Fish-Off — a tandem event that followed the Bassmaster Team Championship held here earlier this week.

Robertson caught a five-bass limit today that weighed 25 pounds, 10 ounces. That put him more than 4 pounds ahead of Jayme Copenhaver III of the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Team Trail; Copenhaver caught a 21-6 limit Friday.

Members of the top three duos from the Team Championship qualified for the fish-off, which offers a single berth in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods to the top finisher. After fishing alongside each other all week — all year, in fact — the teammates had their weights zeroed today as they began competing individually on the Harris Chain.

Though there’s still a full day of competition remaining, Robertson certainly looks like he could become the angler to fill the 52nd and final spot in the world championship of bass fishing. The 32-year-old Kuttawa, Ky., resident teamed with Kentucky B.A.S.S. Nation partner Wendell Anderson to finish second in the team tournament earlier this week. They bagged a 29-1 limit on Thursday (the heaviest of the two-day event) to leapfrog dozens of teams and reach the fish-off.

Robertson’s 25-10 today was the second heaviest bag weighed this week — trailing only the 29-1 he and Anderson posted a day earlier. After launching from Ski Beach Park at 6:45 a.m. ET, Robertson headed to Lake Harris, where he needed only an hour to catch a limit.

He upgraded his catch a few times later in the morning, but with more than 25 pounds in the livewell, the hardest work of the day was done.

His heaviest bass weighed 5 3/4 pounds, and the lightest was a 4 1/2-pounder, which proved the consistency of the bite he’s located here in the central Florida fishery.

“I’m just going out there and fishing my style,” Robertson said. “The fish are there. I’ll just see if I can get five bites.”

Robertson wants to fish professionally, and he said he’s spent the past 20 years preparing for the chance to compete in the Bassmaster Classic. With only one day of solid fishing between him and his lifelong goal, his confidence is high.

“I’m fishing calm and collected,” he said. “I’m making the right decisions and not letting my emotions get the best of me. I’m ready for this.”

Samples and Purcell Win 2018 BASS Team Championship

Final 6 Fish Off Today

By Andrew Canulette

BASSMASTER PRESS RELEASE

William Samples and Charles Purcell weren’t supposed to compete in the Bassmaster Team Championship held today on the Harris Chain of Lakes in central Florida.

Duo win team portion under terrible cold fronts.
(Photo: BASS)

But officials with the Anglers Choice Team Trail asked them a week ago if they could step in as alternates after another duo that did qualify couldn’t attend. Samples and Purcell made the most of the opportunity and won the Team Championship with a two-day total of 10 bass that weighed 42 pounds, 10 ounces.

Samples and Purcell outlasted a field of 197 teams from 35 states and three foreign countries to earn the win. That number included 14 fishing teams that finished ahead of Samples and Purcell in the Anglers Choice yearly standings.

Samples lives in South Boston, Va., and Purcell hails from just across the border in Townsville, N.C. They won a Nitro Z20 and Mercury 225 Pro XS boat/motor combo valued at $42,000 with their improbable victory.

“Everything just went wrong for us at the beginning of the year, until we pulled it together,” Samples said about their season on the Anglers Choice circuit. “I fell in the water in the first tournament of the year at Smith Mountain Lake. It was 46 degree water. It cost us $5,000. We had a monkey on our back until late spawn, and then we buttoned it up. We won a tournament a couple of weeks ago, and now here we are — winning the Bassmaster Team Championship.”

Samples and Purcell were in second place after Day 1 of the tournament with a five-bass limit that weighed 21-9. They were almost as good today, with a 21-1 limit of five bass.

“We found a spot in practice that I told (Purcell) was going to be a 30-pound hole,” Samples said. “Every fish we weighed came from (within 75 yards) of that hole. The bite started about 10 o’clock and ended about 11:30 a.m. In that hour and a half, there was a flurry.”

“We worked hard for this all year,” Purcell said. “Everything that could go wrong did, until we pulled it together. This is an incredible feeling.”

Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Announces Inaugural Event

Kissimmee to Kick Off Season
PRESS RELEASE 

Major League Fishing officials announced today that the MLF Bass Pro Tour will head next month to Kissimmee, Fla., to kick off its inaugural season. Though the majority of the Jan. 29 - Feb. 3 action will take place on historic Lake Toho, the championship round will be held on another nearby body of water out of respect for the Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) tournament that follows. 

News of the MLF Bass Pro Tour shook the fishing industry when it was announced in September. After obtaining the support and commitment of 80 of the world's top anglers, MLF was able to begin conversations with potential tournament destinations in mid-October.

"We're delighted to welcome the inaugural Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour to Kissimmee," said John Poole, Executive Director of Kissimmee Sports Commission. "We pride ourselves on our destination's championship bass fishing lakes, which have been home to many marquee tournaments throughout the years. The impact of this event will benefit the industry's prominent presence in Kissimmee for years to come."

While all 2019 locations are nearing announcement, Major League Fishing must first go through an extensive vetting process that includes an extensive survey of the area and lakes for each venue prior to confirmation. Unlike all other bass tournaments, MLF gives fans a real-time virtual onsite experience of angler coverage by using industry-leading communication technology requiring highly specialized connectivity needs to be able to feed all of MLF's integral components, like its live-streaming MLF NOW! and SCORETRACKER© live.

Neko Rig Hack! Never Loose Another Weight Again!

Neko rigging is a super popular bass fishing technique but loosing all those nail weights is a major pain! Check out this bass fishing hack that attaches a wire keeper onto nail weights saving you money and time on the water. This approach is ideal for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass!

2019 FLW Tour Roster Announced

Curtis Richardson & Charles Sims representing Canada

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today the complete professional angler roster for the upcoming 2019 FLW Tour season, the 24th season of the FLW Tour. The 2019 FLW Tour features seven regular-season tournaments around the country with competition kicking off at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jan. 10-13, in Brookeland, Texas, and culminating with the world championship of bass fishing – the FLW Cup at Lake Hamilton, Aug. 9-11, in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

There was enormous demand to compete on the 2019 FLW Tour, with 210 anglers registering for a slot on the prestigious tournament circuit in its final year of priority registration before switching to a strict qualifying process and a 150-pro field in 2020. To accommodate all anglers earning priority entry through the 2018 FLW Tour, Costa FLW series, T-H Marine BFL All-American, YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship and TBF National Championship plus sponsor entries, the 2019 FLW Tour field will feature 170 pros.

The top award at each qualifier is $125,000 with $300,000 going to the winner of the FLW Cup. Since the final field exceeds the published payout basis of 150 pros, FLW will survey all 170 participating pros to finalize the 2019 payout structure.

FULL ANGLER LIST BELOW

Ontario's Government for the People Launches New Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service

New system to buy a license

Ontario's Government for the People has launched a better way for hunters and anglers across the province to get their Outdoors Cards and hunting and fishing licensing products.

"Our government is making life easier and allowing you to get outdoors quicker," said John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. "We have launched a new licensing service that makes it easier to buy hunting and fishing licences. It was designed with hunters and anglers in mind."

The new licensing service is easy to use, with new mobile features and a single Outdoors Card. It can be accessed online at huntandfishontario.com, at participating ServiceOntario locations or at one of over 700 licence issuers across the province. Use it now to purchase Outdoors Cards, fishing licences and small game licences.

"We've improved our service so you can get out on the lake or into the woods in less time by purchasing licences from the comfort of home," said Yakabuski. "Interacting with your government should be seamless, and we've replaced the old service with one that serves everyone in the province."

For more information on the new Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service, please visit http://www.ontario.ca/outdoorscard.

Cyber Monday

Open those wallets.
Cyber Monday can be the best day of the year
to pick up that something special or two of those something special.