Glory Boats (gloryboats.com) doesn’t
want any die-hard anglers to go to the big-
bass haven in the sky without being well
equipped for the trip. The company manu-
factures caskets shaped like fishing boats,
and it doesn’t pull any punches.
“Glory Boats are vessels to convey the
mortal remains of outdoors enthusiasts to
that glorious, final harbor,” the Glory Boats
website reads.
With a half dozen options for the interi-
or decoration of caskets, there’s a little
something for any angler who just isn’t
ready to give up chasing giants.
Bury Me in My Boat
North Dakota: Not
Just for Hunting
North Dakota doesn’t get much love in
the bass fishing world, but there’s plenty to
like about fishing in the Roughrider State.
Just ask all the anglers who spent $787.8
million in total expenditures during the
2017-18 fishing season.
Per a North Dakota Game and Fish
report, anglers and hunters accounted for
$974.4 million in total expenditures related
to the activities, $127.6 million of which
came from non-residents of the state.
All told, hunting and fishing contributed
about $2.1 billion in economic input for the
state during that period. It’s safe to say the
outdoor recreation industry is alive and
well in North Dakota, a state with a popu-
lation of just 760,077 as of 2018.
To put it in perspective, the $846.8 mil-
lion in total hunting and fishing expendi-
tures by North Dakota residents equates
to $1,114.09 per resident. Considering
many residents don’t fish or hunt, that
number is undoubtedly much higher, on
average, for the residents who do.
The Rise of High
School Fishing
Fishing is a burgeoning sport among
high school students. Sure, many older
anglers started fishing in their youth, but
organized tournament fishing hasn’t been
available to teens for all that long. As
such, high school fishing clubs are still in
their infancy.
FLW, B.A.S.S., the Recreational
Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and
the Student Angler Federation (SAF)
recently conducted a study on the growth
opportunities and economic impact of high
school fishing clubs. Here’s a glimpse at
what the study found:
On average, members of high school fishing
clubs spend almost double that of non-mem-
bers on tackle per year ($658 vs. $332).
High School Fishing clubs help advance
fishing skills, with students rating their skill
level at 5.6 on a scale of 1-10 prior to join-
ing a team, and 7.7 after participating on a
team for a season.
42 percent took a friend on their very first
fishing trip.
Dinosaurs in the Tennessee River
18
Lake sturgeon are classified as endangered in 18 states, including Tennessee.
They’re still present in Tennessee’s lakes and rivers, but scientists from the Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute have
been undergoing decades-long steps to reintroduce a large population back into one of
the fish’s native habitats.
In April, 89 15-inch-long lake sturgeon were released into the Tennessee River near
Chattanooga. Each fish was held at the institute longer than normal so biologists could
study and better understand the effects of the tagging process. The fish were then
released (with tracking tags) with the help of students from the Chattanooga Girls
Leadership Academy.
74 percent of club members fish 20 or
more times per year.
Participants cited “fun” and “competition” as
primary motivating factors in participation.
92 percent of members are very likely to
purchase tackle in the next six months.
If you’d like to help out a high school
angler or club with a tackle donation or by
serving as a boat captain, contact FLW
National Youth Director Scott Ellison at
[email protected].
FLWFISHING.COM I SuMMER 2019