Best of Boating

Destination Website Features 1,000 Lakes for Vacation and Recreation

2009-11-09T13:11:31-07:00

MONETA, VA - Lakelubbers.com (http://www.lakelubbers.com/), a website that features lakes known for vacation and recreation, added its 1,000th lake this month. Lakelubbers includes tourism and historical information for 850 lakes in 50 U.S. states, and for 150 lakes in 40 other countries.

Homeowners and property managers can list their vacation rentals on each lake. Lake-related real estate agencies and other local businesses can also advertise.

Ten writers in three countries research and profile nearly 100 new lakes each month. Lakelubbers plans to add another 5,000 of the world's best-known vacation and recreation lakes to the website during the next five years.

Each lake profile highlights vacation-related information - fishing, boating, water sports, camping, hiking, vacation rental homes, residential development, and more. Many of the lakes are photo-illustrated. Lakelubbers invites visitors to post photos that they personally take of their favorite lakes, and to suggest lakes that are not yet included.

Lakelubbers identifies the size, depth, shoreline length, fish species, and other information that allows visitors to compare lakes where they might like to vacation or retire. The largest 50% of the lakes cover 4,000 to 20 million acres, and shorelines of 25 to 25,000 miles. Lake depths run from a few feet to one mile.

Lakelubbers' visitors can search for lakes that are nearest to their hometown or zip code - ideal targets for a weekend fishing expedition or camping vacation. They can also zero in on specific states to find lakes to consider for retirement homes, relocation, or investments in vacation rentals.

Lakelubbers' homepage includes a section "Why Vacation or Retire on Lakes?" One of the 12 reasons highlights the low cost of lake vacations. Another promotes lakes' year-round appeal: "After brilliant fall colors fade and temperatures dip at your favorite lakes, winter activities - snowmobiling, cross-country and downhill skiing, ice fishing, and hiking - take center stage on lakes."

WaveRunner Fishing In Hawaii Growing As Anglers Bring Home Big Catches

2009-11-04T08:02:17-07:00

By Will James

This summer in Hawaii has seen spectacular fishing, with huge runs of large yellowfin tuna infesting the waters off of Kauai and West Oahu, while the currents moving through the calm waters of Kona on the Big Island attracted an all out infestation of small (under 200#) “rat” marlin.

PWC fishing is going big here- what was considered nuts a few years ago is now commonplace, with guys bringing home some great catches every month.

I trolled exclusively for marlin and managed six fish over the course of the summer. I landed five and released one.

The PWC contingent has been out in force these last months. Several guys have made some really incredible catches. It’s really satisfying for me personally to see so many people having success fishing off their PWCs. When I started this I was the only person fishing from my Yamaha WaveRunner on a regular basis, but now it’s not uncommon to see a couple others out there fishing tuna at the bouys, running the ledges for wahoo and mahi mahi, or fishing skipjack tuna on the grounds on a daily basis.

Moe Pukahi and Chelsea Carrol hooked up to an Otado (skipjack tuna over 10 pounds) on the grounds off Kona, on the Big Island.

Pro surfers Stephen Koehne and Dustin Barca strapped a pole onto their PWC and managed to best this huge 170# ahi off Kauai their first day out!

While off Oahu’s West Side Alex Reinprecht, producer of Hawaiian Extreme Sports TV, picked up this nice 145# ahi trolling off the power plant.

J. Robertson joined the PWC billfish club with this blue caught trolling off Milolii on the Big Island.

Collegiate Bass Fishing Catching On

2009-11-04T06:43:34-07:00

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - 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.

For more information on all of the tournaments, information on how to start a club, or join the ACA, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com. (Outdoor Wire)