PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO BOAT CO.

More than 40% of the boats sold in our industry are used primarily for fishing, so when states emphasize how their natural resources and fish management programs result in great catches, the boating business is a direct beneficiary.

Of course, many states have aggressive and successful fish management programs, so here are two exciting examples, one from the Great Lakes and another from the salt water of Florida.

In Ohio, anglers on Lake Erie landed a record number of trophy fish catches last year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. The most popular fish in the big lake include walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, steelhead and channel catfish.

Buckeye anglers who submit evidence of a qualifying size and weight catch, as defined by ODNR, receive a commemorative Fish Ohio pin for their first entry, and a Master Angler pin for catching qualifiers of four different species in the same year.

Lake Erie was the nation’s poster child for pollution in the early 1970s, but it has had an amazing recovery and is now known as the Walleye Capital of the World. It’s no surprise walleye received the most Fish Ohio award submissions last year, but the lake has also become a great destination for those who target a variety of other species.

Last year’s angler-submitted Fish Ohio records for Lake Erie included

• largemouth bass (78 awards, qualifying minimum length of 20 inches

• smallmouth bass (152 awards, qualifying minimum length of 23.75 inches

• yellow perch (324 awards, qualifying minimum length of 15.5 inches

• steelhead (115 awards, qualifying minimum length of 35 inches

• white bass (247 awards, qualifying minimum length of 19 inches

• channel catfish (687 awards, qualifying minimum length of 26 inches, with 36 inches the longest

• freshwater drum (810 awards, qualifying minimum length of 24 inches, with 36 inches the longest

• walleye (1,073 awards, qualifying minimum length of 28 inches, with 34 inches the longest

The Fish Ohio rules and minimum length requirements can be found here.

I lived and fished on Lake Erie for nearly 40 years, witnessed its amazing turnaround, and had the privilege of seeing first-hand so many boat dealers grow and prosper because of the success of the ODNR’s statewide fish programs.

Now a Florida fin fanatic, I’m tuned into the saltwater action being in the Sunshine State. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission just announced that two anglers have had a record-setting spring, reeling in three new saltwater state records so far.

In January, the FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management launched three new saltwater state-record categories: adult and youth length categories for catch and release records, and a youth all-tackle weight category. This opportunity to set a saltwater record is open to all anglers fishing in Florida. However, two anglers from the outstanding Catch a Florida Memory program have taken the lead in being the first to achieve these new recognitions.

Julia Bernstein caught six cobia, one of which became the Florida Youth State Record and that’s a pending IGFA Junior Record. The cobia logged in at 20 pounds, 15 ounces. Meanwhile, a 1-pound, 8-ounce mangrove (gray) snapper she landed makes a new State Youth Record.

Catch a Florida Memory angler Joseph Ingold found his luck while kayak-fishing in Panama City. “I cast my paddle tail,” Ingold said, “let it sink to the bottom and started to reel in. About five seconds after I started to reel, the redfish hit.”

Ingold thought he had snagged the bottom, but the fish began to run, pulling his kayak around. After ;the release, his 36.25-inch red drum earned him the State Length Record.

Bernstein and Ingold receive certificates and letters of recognition from the director of marine fisheries management, along with custom metal sculptures of their record species provided by The Metal Edge.

Click here for the categories and rules.

And above all, kudos to wildlife agencies around the nation that dedicate major funding and programs to improve fishing opportunities.