Clay and Brad Sterling out-dueled a tough field of 31 teams Saturday in the Southwest Michigan Anglers Club (SMAC) tournament on Paw Paw Lake.
Jeremy Siler and Brock Howell won the Butcher Baits Opening Day Tournament at Klinger Lake Saturday.
You’ve heard the stories over the years. So-and-so would have won the big-money tournament if it hadn’t been for a dead fish at weigh-in.
A solution to similar sad stories, EGO is proud to offer the affordable and easy-to-carry FISH/WEIGH-IN COOLER, designed from the ground up to provide a safe and friendly way for the tournament angler to transport fish to tournament weigh-ins, as well as ice fish for dinner, even chill beverages.
MDNR Report
Last year, nearly 7,000 deer hunters voluntarily reported their deer harvest online to help test the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ new reporting system. Starting with the fall 2022 deer seasons, online harvest reporting is required for all hunters who successfully take a deer.
Chad Stewart, the DNR’s deer, elk and moose management specialist, said there are several reasons the department is moving to online harvest reporting, but one of the most important is more precise data.
“The decline in response rate to our post-season mail surveys increases the amount of uncertainty in our harvest estimates, which can lead to incorrect regulation recommendations in some locations,” Stewart said.
Brian Frawley, the DNR wildlife biologist who manages the surveys, agreed.
“Twenty years ago, 75% of recipients responded to the survey, but in recent years we have seen a response rate consistently under 40%,” Frawley said. “If we’re going to provide hunters, wildlife managers and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission with timely, accurate data, we need to change how we collect it.”
Reporting options
Hunters will have up to 72 hours after taking a deer to report their harvest. The DNR estimates it should take about three to five minutes to complete the report, and there are two ways to do it:
St. Joe Bass Masters Report
The St. Joe Valley Bass Masters have changed their 46th annual free youth fishing tournament location from Potato Creek State Park to Pin Hook Park in South Bend.
The annual youth derby is Aug. 13 and is open to all kids ages 4 to 14. The youth fishing contest is one of the longest running kid events in the Midwest and averages approximately 200 kids each year. In fact, some parents and grandparents participated in this event when they were youngsters.
The park is located at Riverside Drive and Boland Drive in South Bend. The change was necessary because Potato Creek State Park has begun construction on a new inn on the land where the contest used to be held.
There will be both boy and girl divisions. Age groups are 4-7, 8-11, and 12-14 in each division. Registration starts at 8 a.m. Each contestant gets a free T-shirt.
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