While styles run the gamut among today’s premier sporting artists, there is little disagreement as to the first and best game fish painter of all time. Over the course of more than 40 years, Stanley Meltzoff (1917–2006) established a reputation for astonishing underwater realism that has never been equaled. 

He painted virtually all of the world’s great saltwater game species, and his art dominated the sporting press for decades. If you picked up an outdoor magazine or tournament program from the eras of Kennedy to Reagan, you’ve undoubtedly seen his work. Those were oil paintings—not photographs—and no other artist has ever done it better.

Photos of a 67-inch Tarpon and a 45-inch Pike have made two anglers, Sean Riley of New Port Richey, FL, and Brian Papenhagen of Blissfield, MI, grand prize winners in the 2011 BoatUS Angler Catch of the Month fishing photo contest. Their grand prize includes a high quality fish replica from Mount This! Fish Company that specializes in hand-painted fiberglass replicas and a gift certificate from BoatNameGear.com.

Recreational anglers targeting Red Drum in northern Florida can soon take home more of the popular fish, thanks to a change approved Nov. 16 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The decision came during the first day of the two-day November Commission meeting in Key Largo.

Pictured above: USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 7 Commander Alexander Ilnyckyj (L) and District Commodore Woody Simpson (R) with “Flotilla of the Year” Award

Will your GPS work when you need it? This action alert is about a matter that could have repercussions for all recreational anglers and boaters. As a result of a new proposal to use radio bandwidth right next to the existing GPS service, the future reliability of the GPS system across the United States is now in question.

CCA's partner Boat US is mounting a campaign to contact the Federal Communiications Commission (FCC) during a short 30-day public comment period, to help them understand the public’s need for continued, reliable GPS signals for safe navigation on boats, in cars, and for so many other daily uses. Clicking the link below will take you to a page on the Boat US website where you will be able to send a message to the FCC voicing your concerns:

Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) is a great Texas-based company; it was one of the first to introduce a line of truly affordable saltwater fly rods. Their smartest move, however, was joining forces with fly fishing legend Lefty Kreh and giving him a free hand to design many of their products. 

Bernard Victor “Lefty” Kreh is the angling equivalent of Michael Jordan, Ernest Hemmingway, Thomas Edison, and John Wayne all rolled into one. It is impossible to underestimate his importance to the sport over his last six decades. He has written books, designed gear, and been the best possible ambassador in the entire history of fly fishing. And thanks to Lefty joining forces with TFO, the world finally had a selection of $99 fly rods that many anglers wouldn’t hesitate to take on a saltwater fishing trip.

What’s in boat name? It’s hard to deny taking a guess at the meaning of a name painted across a boat’s transom—it can reveal much about the personality of a boat owner. But like the wave tops constantly in motion, the fluid nature of boat names is also often a sign of boater’s changing lives.

Keeping boaters aware of the need to make early preparations for the upcoming hurricane season is a tough job for the nation’s boat owners group, BoatUS. That’s because we’re all human—it only takes of few years after a devastating hurricane before memories start to fade, leading to a little apathy.

With the prediction of an “active” 2011 hurricane season by the renowned Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project just out, BoatUS says the 72% chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall should give boaters the reason to make one early preparation.

The world’s largest boat club, again based in Sarasota, has recently been acquired by two Sarasota residents. Bob Daley and John Giglio purchased the twenty-two year old Freedom Boat Club from a Cincinnati-based investment group earlier this month, bringing the organiztion back to its hometown.

Billing itself as “the alternative to boat ownership,” the Freedom Boat Club offers its members unlimited boating in a wide variety of locations. Along with training and hands-on instruction, Freedom Boat Club provides a full slate of boating experiences in a wide selection of boat styles.

Spring fishing season is here—and don’t forget the camera. Photos of your catch could win you a BoatUS Angler membership with basic on-the-water towing and roadside assistance, a $50 Visa gift card and a fishing “prize pack” filled with fishing and BoatUS Angler gear in the “Catch of the Month” prize drawings at www.BoatUS.com/angler/contest. In addition, winning photos will appear in BoatUS Angler Magazine as well as Tacklebox, a monthly fishing e-newsletter.