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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Monday, July 1, 2019:
The dark secret of ‘America’s Big Bass Guru’ Mike Long, big bass legend, is a fraud — he doesn’t even exist. He’s a fictional character that the real Michael Christopher Long, a lying, cheating, manipulative con-artist created to dupe us. And it worked, for a while anyway. This article is nearly a decade in the making. I cut ties with Long in Feb. of 2010 when a mountain of suspicions and circumstantial evidence reached a point where a conclusion was impossible to suppress. A man I looked up to, that I was friends with, and on the verge of going into business with, was a complete phony. When friends and family asked what I was working on, I would attempt to explain, but really had trouble putting it succinctly, especially for people that weren’t avid bass fishermen. The depth of this couldn’t be conveyed in a light response, but in the simplest terms, I was going to expose one of the world’s most notorious fishermen as a cheater.
Man who died after jumping into Chicago River to retrieve fishing boat near Goose Island identified: A 22-year-old man who died Friday morning after he jumped into the North Branch of the Chicago River to retrieve his fishing boat has been identified, according to authorities. Dylan Wallace, of the 2000 block of North Newcastle Avenue in the city’s Galewood neighborhood, was pronounced dead at 10:01 a.m. on Friday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Saturday determined he died of an accidental drowning, the office said.
New laws in effect July 1 for catch-and-release shark fishing from Florida beaches: For many anglers, a popular version of big game fishing is to catch a shark from a beach. No boat is required for shore-based shark fishing and it offers the angler the chance to battle with a beast weighing more than 100 — and occasionally larger than 300 — pounds. But sometimes, these sharks do not survive the fight, even when they are released. And the state of Florida is hoping to protect them. Beginning July 1, shore-based shark anglers will have a new set of state fishing regulations to follow. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s process took more than a year of review, refinement and public workshops.
North Carolina man breaks freshwater fish record with 2-pound catch: A North Carolina fisherman’s avid angling earned him the coveted title of state record holder on June 10. Maxton resident Alphonso Jackson, 43, broke a 36-year-old freshwater fish state record when he caught a huge redbreast sunfish in Wagram, 100 miles east of Charlotte. The sunfish weighed an impressive 2 pounds, 1 ounce and it defeated previous record holder Ronald Stanley’s 1 pound, 12 ounce fish caught in Big Swamp, on May 29, 1983. Jackson said he made the catch not long after deciding to return to where his father taught him to fish.
Coyote knocking toddler to ground captured in video: A home surveillance camera captured a frightening moment last week when a coyote knocked a toddler to the ground in the backyard of a home in Ontario, Canada. A couple with their 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were returning to their Aurora home after dinner when the attack occurred. The video shows the coyote checking things out and disappearing into the neighbor’s backyard before the children come onto the scene, running to check out a newly planted tree. As the girl runs toward the tree, the coyote sees the toddler as fleeing prey and gives chase. In a flash, the coyote grabs the girl and knocks her to the ground before running off. The boy turns and runs as the parents come to her aid and scare off the coyote.
Boating under the influence? FWC officers can now give you breathalyzer tests: Be careful while boating, that’s the message this summer from Florida Fish and Wildlife. Now, officers will have more gear to enforce that message. FWC officers in Tampa have received additional equipment to help with boating under the influence investigations. Breathalyzers are now available to officers in the Southwest region of the state, which includes the greater Tampa Bay area including Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, De Soto, Hernando, Pasco, Manatee, Charlotte, Highlands and Lee counties. The alcohol tester is called an Intoxilyzer 8000. FWC says the tool will provide officers an increased capacity to document boaters who are arrested for BUIs.
Hey, is this a picture of your great-grandma fishing? Barbara Levine has been collecting photographs for decades. As the co-author of “People Kissing” and “People Knitting,” Levine combs flea markets, giveaway piles and eBay for old photos of anonymous people, which she curates into themed collections. “I look for patterns and trends the pictures reveal,” Levine, who is based in San Francisco, told The Washington Post. “I consider them artifacts and try to reveal something not seen at first glance.” The pattern that presented itself for her latest book? Fishing. But not just people fishing — women fishing.
California to require $1 background check for ammo purchases: California will tighten its already strict firearms laws by requiring background checks for anyone buying ammunition and barring ammo sales except through licensed dealers starting Monday. Gun owners already in the state’s databases will have to pay a $1 fee each time they buy bullets or shotgun shells, while others can buy longer term licenses. Dealers have seen a spike in sales as the state prepares to implement the restrictions imposed by voters in 2016.
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