warning « Largemouth Bass Fishing

Mercury Warning In Freshwater Fish!

Fish and mercury

If you catch fish from the wild, chances are good that they have mercury in their systems.

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey sampled 291 streams across the country. Every fish sampled in every stream was contaminated with mercury. About one quarter of them contained the metal at levels exceeding health standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mercury, a neurotoxin, is “one of the most serious contaminants threatening our nation’s waters,” the USGS said.

Some of the highest levels of mercury in fish were found in the tea-colored or “blackwater” streams in North and South Carolina,Georgia, Florida and Louisiana. High levels of mercury were also found in fish in relatively undeveloped watersheds in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest.

Scientists stopped short of saying that all waters are contaminated with mercury. But they pointed out that all 50 states have mercury monitoring programs, and 48 states issued fish-consumption advisories for mercury in 2006, the most recent year of national-scale reportingto the EPA.

Steve vonBrandt NAFC Hall Of Fame

Steve vonBrandt was Inducted into the NAFC “Hall Of Fame” by catching and releasing over 568 “Trophy Class” fish, from seven different species from 1998 to 2002. Steve is also an outdoor writer and video producer as well as radio and tv show personality and tournament angler.

Jay Yelas, Angler Of The Year, with Steve vonBrandt in PA.

Steve vonBrandt Sponsored by: GYCB (Yamamoto),Okuma, Delaware Tackle, TTI-Blakemore, and Ambush Lures.

Steve was the owner of S&K Guide Service in Wilmington, Delaware, Anglers Radio in Delaware and New Jersey, and Delaware Tackle in Delaware. He is a tournament angler and freelance outdoor writer. He has over 40 years of fishing experience in the Northeast, 5 years exp. in California. He has fished freshwater and saltwater since 1962, and has devoted to freshwater only since 1989. He has fished tournaments from 1990 to the present, and won the Delaware State Sportfishing Tournament multiple times, registered a Chain Pickerel in 2000, just a few ounces shy of the State Record and a Largemouth Bass caught in 1999, that was registered in the Bassmaster Lunker Club at 10.16 pounds. Just 5 ounces shy of the Delaware State Record. It also appeared in a feature article by the “News Journal” (Gannett Publications), and in all of Bass Pro Shops Master catalogs for 2003. He has worked with Operation Bass in assisting with Red Man Tournaments before they were the BFL, and competed in and won, several different tournaments both local, regional, and national. He was also the 1998 Big Bass World Champ/De. He has been published by numerous magazines, including NAFC/ “THE FISHERMAN” Savannah rd. Lewes, De. He has appeared on the cover numerous times, and has written several articles for “The Fisherman-Mid Atlantic Edition”-Eric Burnley, editor.

He was profiled for fishing achievements in the “News Journal,” Gannett Publications/Basin Road/ New Castle DE /Profiled by the “Middletown Transcript” for fishing acheivements in 2001. He is also a contributor the the “N.A.F.C.” series of hardback books, and is currently in the processing of publishing his own book, “Bass Fishing The Northeast”. He also produces bass fishing videos. He was interviewed for an article on “Fishing Opportunites in Delaware” by “Delaware Today” magazine, which appeared in the May 2006 issue. He was inducted into the N.A.F.C. “Hall of Fame” in June, 2003, and is a regular guest on radio talk shows, such as “Alex Langers”, “Outdoors This Week”and produced and appeared on his own radio show for many years called “Beyond Bass Basics” on Anglers Radio.