Written by Staff | 03 May 2011

(Click Image To Enlarge)Left to right:  Chuck Pickover,  Sean Dunnuck, Jeremy Neff, Steve Rial, Richard Donovan, and Anthony D'Andrea were some of the winners at the Angler Action Tournament at River Palm..  Trophies donated by UniqueSpecies.com Anglers got together for a purpose in Jensen Beach, at the Return to River Palm tournament, marking one year since the Angler Action program began in response to the killer freeze of 2010. The program is a collaboration between anglers and fishery managers to broaden information on gamefish populations.

This year's tournament celebrated Angler Action progress and expansion of the program to encompass six top inshore gamefish.  All recreational catches of  Snook, Trout, Redfish, Permit, Tarpon and Bonefish can now be recorded any time at www.angleraction.org.

"We choose to work together to assure that the high level of fish abundance and diversity will continue in Florida for generations to come,' said Capt. Mark Nichols, of DOA Lures, spokesman for the Angler Action program.

 

 

  (Click Image To Enlarge) Tournament anglers brought in trout, snook, redfish, flounder, ladyfish and jacks, fishing by by boat, kayak or wading the Indian River and surrounds.  more photos

Irish Jean McElroy took first place in the Lady Angler Division with a big snook.

"I am interested in maintaining a quality recreational fishery.  We live in the land of plenty when it comes to fish and it's important to me to keep it that way,"  said Capt. Nichols, speaking at the Stuart West Marine Captain's meeting.

The tournament helped anglers put into practice the basics of fishing trip reporting. To be useful, trip reports must be honest, inclusive and accurate. The program teaches anglers to: 1) record all fishing trips, including those where your catch is zero, 2) report all sizes (small and large fish, as well as 'in slot'), and  3) practice accurate recording. Writing down the catch details while you are fishing helps assure accuracy.

The Angler Action tournaments are a little different from other catch and release events because they focus on the honor system in a different way. Fish are caught, recorded and released, no photos required.

  Capt. Danny Barrow gently releases a trout.

"This ups the ante on truth-telling and accuracy. What you record as your count is important for today but may be even more important five years from now when your data are helping make management decisions," said  Mike Readling, Atlantic Coast Regional Director for the Snook&Gamefish Foundation. "These anglers recognize the impact their accurate reporting can have on fishery futures."

"It's pretty well understood why anglers can't rely on memory for their catch record. So the Angler Action Program provides a paper [trip record] anglers can keep on their boat or in their tackle bag for on-the-spot recording.  Later this year a phone app being developed for the program will help make it even easier to record your catch as it happens.

Capt Danny Barrow explained:  "Once I get home I can enter the trip record online in about two-three minutes." The new online form can be accessed at  www.angleraction.org, or www.snookfoundation.org/data/survey. 

Information is also provided on snookfoundation.org for [fish identification], [gamefish handling], [fishing tips], and up to date [regulations].

"Most people who love to fish are motivated to give back to the resource.  They'll gladly take the few extra minutes in their day to make their fishing trips count," notes Snook Foundation chairman Brett Fitzgerald. "A good number of anglers went back out for round two, and logged in more fish after the official tournament time was over.  We expect most of these anglers to log trips once a week or once a month, and some will log every day or two."     photo album

Winners of the April 30 Angler Action 'Return to River Palm' Tournament

Largest redfish: Capt. Jeremy Neff, 20 inches
Largest trout: Anthony D'Andrea, 14 inches
Mystery Fish: Richard Donovan, 22-inch flounder
Most releases, redfish: 2 Michael Johnson
Most releases, trout: 3 Anthony D'Andrea
Most releases, snook: 2 Capt. Jeremy Neff (34.5 inches and 30.5 inches)
Best Catch Wading: Richard Donovan, 22-inch flounder
Junior angler: Sean Dunnuck, 31-inch snook
Lady Angler: Jean McElroy, 32-inch snook
Kayak Angler: Steve Rial, 36-inch snook

Host Capt. Mark Nichols makes himself at home at the Stuart West Marine Captains Meeting.
After the event, anglers were encouraged to log their catch online and those who got in their reports by Sunday night were placed in a drawing.  Winner of a free dinner at Bonefish Gill was Todd Mangan!

Trophies by Unique Species were awarded for most  numerous catches of selected species as well as longest fish, again stressing that 'size doesn't matter', when it comes to counting.

"There are a lot of questions that we don’t have the answers to about how many fish are getting discarded, what types,and what their likelihood for survival is once they’re released,” said Luiz Barbieri, Head of Marine Fisheries Research at FWC’s Fish & Wildlife Research Institute. “The better the answers we can get, the better the estimates about the health of fish stocks we’ll have, and ultimately the more successful we’ll be at sustainably managing the recreational fishery.”

"At the bottom of it, I'm a conservationist.  I care about fish and I'll do everything I can to protect the health of the fishery, said Capt Nichols. 

Anglers who want to participate in the ongoing AnglerAction program can learn more and log in at www.angleraction.org or www.snookfoundation.org.   Special Thanks to River Palm Fish Camp, West Marine, Capt Mark Nichols-DOA Lures, Unique Species, Mosquito Creek Outdoors, the Turner Foundation and the many anglers who joined in and helped make this event a success.

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