In today's episode, Capt. Mike Schoonveld talks about a new problem: unlicensed boat 'captains' taking paying passengers for a ride.

With social media apps such as Uber, boats and potential passengers are being connected.  The problem? It's not legal since long-time federal law requires that any boat carrying paying passengers much be operated by a Coast Guard-licensed captain. 

The reason is safety, not money or a power-hungry government bureaucracy.  Having a licensed captain on board ensures paying passengers that the person operating the boat has met certain requirements regarding safety, navigation and other facets of safe boating.

At the end, Mike also shares the current fishing report from Lake Michigan!

Links

Indiana's Lake Michigan Charter Association - Charterfish.org

National Association of Charter Boat Operators (NACO)- https://www.nacocharters.org/

Brother Nature Charters

Credits:

Music- “Sunshine” Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Back to the woods” by audionautix.com

Indiana now has a purple paint law.  We talk to Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Captain Bill Browne about what this law means to outdoors enthusiasts.

Credits:

Music- “Sunshine” Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Back to the woods” by audionautix.com

James McGowan, Marketing Manager for Raymarine Electronics, is a highly experienced drone pilot who is also licensed by the FAA to fly drones commercially.  We talk to James about why you might need to be licensed, how to get the training and some other insights on the process.  We also discuss the uses of drones in the fishing industry and some of the cool drone applications that Raymarine Electronics is working on.

Information Links:

Raymarine Electronics

DJI Drones

FAA - Unmanned Aircraft Systems webpage

We recently visited Lake Ouachita in Arkansas for a media fishing event sponsored by the Association of Great Lakes Anglers (AGLOW).

We had a great time, caught lots of fish, enjoyed the incredible scenery along with the endless hospitality of Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa.

While there, we ran into Randy Zellers, the Assistant Chief of Communications for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  Randy is not only a spokesman for Arkansas, he's an expert angler who love fishing on Lake Ouachita.  We talked to him about this extremely clear, extremely productive and highly scenic reservoir.

Information:

Lake Ouachita State Park

Sponsor Links:

Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa

Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Old Town Canoes

Raymarine

St. Croix Rods

Live Target Baits

Z-man Baits

Plano

Credits:

Music- “Sunshine” Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Back to the woods” by audionautix.com

WildIndiana took our microphones to Flymasters at 82nd and Allisonville Road in Indianapolis to interview master fly tier and angler Son Tao.

Tao is well-known for his exceptional flies but his rapid ascend into the fly-tying world was driven by ugliness: it was part of his personal journey seeking solace away from the psychological and physical damage of military combat tours overseas.

With an engineer's mind and soldier's focus, Tao ties beautiful flies, wins awards, has a large following on the internet and catches incredible fish around the world.  Yet he remains soft-spoken and focused on his military career while making time for his passion of creating practical angling art from feathers and wire.

The WildIndiana Podcast hits the road for an interview literally conducted on the front porch of a new deer camp near Eminence, Missouri.

We are the guest of Brandon Butler, a native Hoosier and the current Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri.  Brandon loves this region and we talk about all the great hunting, fishing, paddling, camping, wildlife watching and exploring opportunities this incredible area offers.

WildIndiana Food Editor "Chef Karl" is avid hunter and shooter who mixes his professionally skills as a chef with his passion for deer hunting.  

Chef Karl is a professional corporate chef but more importantly, he is an avid shooter and hunter who truly embodies the idea of seeing food from field to table. In our talk, Karl gives us information on how to properly care for your animal in the field, what to look for in a processor and many tips on cooking this most prized of wild game.  We discuss some good side dishes for venison and even get the menu for Karl’s last meal!

Credits:

Music- "Sunshine" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Back to  the woods" by audionautix.com

Veteran Indiana Conservation Officer Tony Mann talks about tree stand safety, how to stay safe while aloft and general hunting safety tips just in time for the upcoming deer firearms season that starts next week.

Mann is a 27-year veteran law enforcement officer who is the "go-to" guy in Indiana on tree stand accident information and one of Indiana's leading experts on this hidden but significant danger for deer hunters.

During our talk, Tony shares some background on the problem, tips on how to stay safe while aloft and then we cover general law enforcement and safety issues for the upcoming deer firearms season. 

Links:

Tree Stand Safety from eregulations.com

"Don't Be A Thud" Youtube video from IDNR

Credits:

Music- "Sunshine" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Back to  the woods" by audionautix.com

WildIndiana Field Editor Don Cranfill sat down to talk with hunter and inventor Bryan Hussung about ScentBallz, an interesting new deer hunting product he developed in central Indiana.  ScentBallz are a revolutionary method of scent control and dispersion that makes liquid deer attractants more effective. 

Scentballz have been around only a couple of years and are poised to become “the next big thing” in the world of deer hunting.  Now, before deer season starts here in the Hoosier state, WildIndiana would like to showcase this uniquely Indiana born-and-bred product.

Link: ScentBallz.com

Rod Pinkston is "The" go-to expert on feral swine control.  A former member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, he now uses military tactics to defeat this growing environmental and agricultural threat with his company Jager Pro from Columbus GA.  He's got great advice and straightforward answers to Indiana's hog problem.

Credits:

Music- "Sunshine" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Back to  the woods" by audionautix.com