MINNEAPOLIS — Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will be able to keep an extra walleye soon.

The daily limit will increase from two to three of the fish, after a slow bite this summer has meant fewer fish have been harvested from central Minnesota’s premier walleye lake.

Only about 22% of the state’s annual Mille Lacs walleye quota had been met ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Todd Finkelson suffers from road rage, though not the kind that typically makes headlines.

Every day, when he drives from his home near Ashby in west-central Minnesota to Fergus Falls, where he works, he keeps a sharp eye on the road — and an even sharper eye on roadsides.

“In that short distance, I can count at least 10 ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — All was still on the New River near the Davis Seafood fish house. But when 83-year-old William “Buddy” Davis walked out of his home and pulled on tall rubber boots, it signaled the work was about to begin.

Not far from tourist-filled beaches of Topsail Island, the Davis family began preparing for the homecoming of the 58-...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Bill Ness watched two weeks ago as his 5-year-old daughter walked into Pelican Lake in Otter Tail county wearing a full wet suit, with booties.

In less than 10 minutes, the girl’s hands were covered with welts.

The problem: swimmer’s itch.

But not your typical swimmer’s itch, Ness said.

“Comparing what we have to ...Read more

DENVER — Forget the cartoons. All little John Succarde wanted to do on Saturday mornings was watch Chad LaChance.

LaChance’s TV show, “Fishful Thinker,” became a staple for Colorado outdoor enthusiasts after it debuted in 2009. The educational fishing show endeared the Evergreen High School and Colorado State alum to anglers of all ages...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Whose ox is getting gored by federal budget cuts is a hot topic these days, and compared with people who will lose their health insurance or jobs, duck hunters are in pretty good shape.

Mallards and other ducks likely will be fewer this fall than in recent years due to drought on U.S. and Canadian prairies. But a hunting season ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — First detected in Pennsylvania 13 years ago, a fatal, contagious disease affecting deer and elk has yet to be confirmed in Allegheny County. That could change, and soon, as chronic wasting disease continues to spread across the state and was recently detected in an animal in Armstrong County's Freeport — near the Allegheny ...Read more

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Captain Marc Pincus doesn’t think sharks get enough credit.

“They are smart,” Pincus said. “They adapt.”

The owner of Reelin Charters spends his days taking tourists out shark fishing on the waters around Hilton Head Island, where the currents, water temperatures, bait and other factors add up to an area ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Department of Natural Resources roadside counts for August 1980 reported about 105 pheasants spotted per 100 miles driven on long-established southern Minnesota routes. The next year the number jumped to almost 134.

Compared to the five previous years, those were good tallies for Minnesota pheasants. In 1975, only 35 pheasants ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — During a recent, failed push to ban shrimp trawling in North Carolina sounds, an opponent mentioned a study commissioned by the General Assembly expected to shed light on the state’s coastal and marine fisheries.

The report is now released and doesn’t take a stand on whether a trawling ban is needed to save fish ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Seventy years ago this month, Leech Lake muskies went crazy.

Until that time, the big silvery fish barely gained notice from most of the lake’s anglers. Instead, walleyes were the lake’s major attraction.

But a stifling heat wave that settled over northern Minnesota in early July 1955 changed everything. Walleye action shut...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Fish and Game is asking anglers to “catch, kill and keep” a nonnative fish that threatens the populations of other fish species at a popular reservoir in Canyon County.

The guidance comes as Fish and Game officials say a walleye population has “established” itself after illegal introduction to Lake Lowell in Nampa...Read more

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. — On a crisp, overcast morning on the dark, greenish-blue waters of Lake St. Clair, Dave LaVigne's fishing pole bowed like a candy cane as he reeled in what he hoped was a big fish.

A smallmouth bass fought, but LaVigne stayed focused. Wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat backward, he reeled and reeled until the fish,...Read more

RICE LAKE, Wis. — Lever-action rifles, revolvers, gun barrels, trigger assemblies and other firearm components lace the sprawling manufacturing floor here at Henry Repeating Arms, a leading U.S. gunmaker with ties to Minnesota.

Hundreds of skilled plant workers, many sporting hunting apparel, tattoos or merch from the Green Bay Packers, make ...Read more

MIAMI — In Florida, you can’t kill a tarpon — a silver-plated game fish prized by catch-and-release anglers — without a special permit. You also can’t spearfish in almost half of the Florida Keys.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies say a Port St. Lucie man did both on Sunday, which landed him in jail.

Brayan Martinez Perez, 23...Read more