The Fishing Club Journal - Conservation Spotlight: American Saltwater Guides Association - Issue #32
A reader-supported community and publication.
Welcome to this special conservation spotlight issue of the Fishing Club Journal. FCJ is guided by a vision of sustainable, regenerative fisheries that thrive for generations. In this special issue, we focus on the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA), an organization dedicated to that same vision by promoting better business through marine conservation. From science-led initiatives like The Albie Project, The Jack Project, and the Local Singles Program to hosting science symposiums and community events across the country to showing up tenaciously prepared to advocate for marine resources in the political arena—ASGA has become a unified voice for fisheries conservation, demonstrating that everyone benefits when there are more fish in the water.
Check out ASGA’s website to learn how you can contribute and give them a follow on Instagram.
— JD Miller, Guest Curator
A Community — Stewards, protectors, leaders, advocates, champions, informers, torchbearers, and trailblazers—the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA) is a community of forward-thinking guides, small business owners, and like-minded anglers on the frontlines, fighting for fish, fisheries, and the economies and communities that depend on them.
Check out A Guiding Light to better understand the ethos of ASGA and feel the heartbeat of a community that cares.
A Follow — Captain Cody Rubner, aside from being an ultra-talented fly and light-tackle guide out of Stuart, FL, is a phenom in the world of saltwater conservation. As ASGA’s Director of Communications, Capt. Rubner serves as a vital conduit, translating the often-complicated jargon of fisheries science and policy into digestible information that empowers the average conservation advocate—who may not have a grasp on the lingo—to understand the issues and, in turn, fight for the future of our fisheries.
Cody is a beacon of hope for the future of marine conservation. The next chapter in protecting our fisheries is in good hands with leaders like Captain Cody at the helm.
Give Cody a follow for insider insights on saltwater conservation, plus engaging content showcasing what you can tangle with just off the beaches of Florida’s east coast.
Projects — Building on the success of the initial Albie Project—which saw participants successfully deploy over 875 FLOY tags on “little tunnys”, providing valuable insights into the species' lifecycle and movement—ASGA has expanded its tagging program to include other underserved coastal migratory species that are invaluable to the guide community. These species include Jack Crevalle, Atlantic Bonito, Spanish Mackerel, and Cobia.
The Jack Project, the next initiative in the Coastal Pelagics Tagging Program, launches this spring. This effort is a collaboration between ASGA, Florida International University, Mississippi State University, and the Lower Keys Guides Association to study the migration patterns and population connectivity of Jack Crevalle from the Carolinas to Texas. The project will analyze fishing pressure and species harvest data to identify potential overfishing in states where fishing pressure and fish mortality rates are highest.
This is an important step in protecting and conserving a species vital to both guides and recreational anglers in the Southeast. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to hook up with the "United States GT," you know exactly what I’m talking about. If not, familiarize yourself by watching Jacks, a film by Jako Lucas and RA Beattie, linked below.
Those who wish to contribute to The Jack Project can do so by purchasing Jack apparel from the ASGA Shop or sponsoring the cost of a tag here.
A Video — It’s difficult to imagine a more passionate community than that of the forward-thinking guides, small business owners, and like-minded anglers who make up the ASGA community. Loving something – truly loving it – means being willing to fight for it and protect it so others can love it too. Watch A Love Story, the second installment in ASGA’s brand story below.
A Science-Led Approach — With the goal of further unifying the angling community, fostering productive discussion and inspiring stewardship, ASGA has created Fisheries Science Symposiums. These science-led gatherings happen twice a year in different angling strongholds around the country. In spring of 2024, Cape Cod, MA played host to a symposium followed by Hopedale, LA last fall. Each symposium functions as an opportunity for industry leaders, including guides, brands, small business owners, media, scientists, and state representatives, to learn about the state of the fisheries we love and how we can best protect and conserve them using a science-led approach in a collaborative environment. Both of last year’s presentation libraries are available to watch on the ASGA website.
An Event — Rising from the ashes of Covid like a fly-flinging phoenix, the iconic Lefty Kreh’s Tie Fest has returned. ASGA, along with great partners like Yeti, Duck Camp, and Monster Energy, brought back this community-galvanizing event — uniting an A-list group of tyers, ambassadors, conservationists, and true legends of the game like Carter Andrews and Blane Chocklett in Vero Beach, FL, on Saturday, April 26th. A full day of tying demonstrations, casting clinics, skills workshops, conservation, and surely epic conversation. The event was bookended by a private cinema showing of the documentary: “Lefty: The Greatest of All Time” on Friday, and White’s Tackle “Fly Slam” Tournament, which took place on Sunday. The best part of it all? 100% of Tie Fest proceeds went to funding the Jack Project, ASGA’s Jack Crevalle research initiative mentioned in the Projects section above.
To check out the recap of this year’s event and for news and updates on future Tie Fests, follow Lefty Kreh’s Tie Fest on Instagram.
App — In 2023, ASGA announced a partnership with the GotOne app – a fishing-focused data collection app – in order to further support fisheries science and management through GotOne’s capabilities to track and submit data on key points such as landings, harvest and post-release survival potential. The app, originally designed to help anglers catch more fish by recording data points ultimately leading to recognizing patterns and using those to plan more successful trips, has proven to be a crucial tool in marine research. By allowing recreational anglers the power to record every catch through an easy-to-use app on their phone, data is being collected that would have previously never been and is being leveraged to inform fisheries management decisions. The partnership between ASGA and the GotOne app is a gamechanger in data capture and access to vital information beneficial in the protection and preservation of sustainable fisheries. Read more about the GotOne app here.
Call for Curators and Writers
We’re looking to expand our editorial staff and what better place to start than with the community we’ve built. If you have a passion for fly fishing and storytelling, and are interested in curating future issues of the Fishing Club Journal, we’d love to hear from you.
A Tournament — Although the inaugural event scheduled for last September was cancelled due to weather, The Tunny presented by Simms Fishing Products – a catch and release tournament that celebrates False Albacore and contributes to the research around the incredible coast-wide Albie fishery – is set to return in 2025. This one-day tournament brings together the Albie angling community to chase the little tunny, participate in citizen science, and win awesome prizes from supporting brands such as Simms, Hogy Lures, Scientific Anglers, Bajio Sunglasses and Cheeky Fishing. The winning participants will be adorned with championship belts in both a boat division and shore division. All funds raised during the event will go to support The Albie Project. Read more about The Tunny, check out rules and registration for 2025, and learn how this passionate community of anglers is united to better understand and conserve False Albacore.
A Read — One of the best weapons in the fight for the future of fisheries is staying in the know. From the impact of weather events to policy updates to the latest on conservation projects and everything in between, the News page on the ASGA website holds a collection of blog posts that will keep you informed, prepared, and ready for action when called upon to fight for the resource.
Check it out and stay informed.
A Podcast — A wealth of knowledge and a direct source to staying up to date on the news and happenings in marine conservation, the ASGA produced podcast, The Guide Post, keeps its listeners well informed, educated, and entertained with discussions of our fisheries, their history, ecological outlooks, and the importance of effective management. Part fish stories and part policy deciphering, the podcast does an excellent job of keeping the community notified of important information and calls to action in the world of marine conservation, while also entertaining its listeners with episodes dedicated to epic fish tales, classic shop talk, and behind the scenes insights on brands and industry-leaders who are fighting for our fisheries right alongside us. Here’s a recent episode that gives 2024 recap and preview of what’s to come for ASGA in 2025.
An Artist — Classic, clean, and creative – you can find the artwork of Johann du Preez in every corner of the fly fishing industry. From lodge logos to brand graphics to gracing the sides of fly boxes and even refrigerator doors, Johann’s art stand outs in a community of talented angling artists and has been a favorite of ASGA, representing several of their conservation initiatives and supporting apparel. You can check out more of Johann’s art on his Instagram or at the ASGA online shop.
A Campaign — After preliminary results from a Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) catch and release mortality study showing the greatest mortality in released striped bass is due to gut hooked fish – a circumstance that is most common when using lures with double treble hooks – ASGA created the Local Singles Program. This voluntary program encourages anglers to swap out the back treble hook on their lures (or both trebles), replacing it with a single hook(s) or a “flag” (hookless bucktail), allowing released stripers the best possible chance at survival. Both Hogy Lures and the tackle store, Saltwater Edge, have stepped up in collaboration on this initiative, with Hogy producing single hook lures and the Saltwater Edge providing exclusive benefits and deals to customers that buy products to swap out their trebles, even offering entry into a grand prize drawing for every batch of retired treble hooks turned in. What’s the grand prize? A custom art piece made entirely of those “out of commission” trebles. Read more about the Local Singles Program here.
Gear — A collaboration so nice they did it twice! ASGA teamed up with Hatch Reels to create not one, but two reels that in this curator’s humble opinion, belong in the louvre. Each reel was a limited run with the proceeds going back to ASGA to support outreach and advocacy efforts for both the Redfish population in Louisiana, and the Striped Bass fishery on the east coast through science-based management. The combo of Hatch’s legendary sealed drag system and precision machining with the science-lead conservation efforts at ASGA is a next-level commitment to your gear and the future of our favorite fisheries. Hat’s off to Hatch and ASGA for creating a piece of beautiful, functional artwork – with conservation benefiting. Keep an eye on ASGA’s Instagram for more drops like this in the future.
A Recipe for Success — More than just a clever acronym, S.E.A. stands for science, education and advocacy and it’s the model that ASGA has built its organization on. Sound fisheries science combined with community education and relentless advocacy among key committees, S.E.A. has created a refreshing momentum in the battle for the conservation of the places and fish. These habitats and species, in addition to the joy they give us anglers, provide an undeniable positive economic impact in the communities that surround them. Learn more about S.E.A.
A Membership — ASGA relies on support from the community to continue to do the crucial work they do ensuring the long-term sustainability of our nation’s marine fisheries. They offer two membership levels – Advocate and Pro. The Advocate level is free and ensures that you get the latest news in your inbox, educational resources, notification of upcoming events, and knowledge of the newest available gear. For a tax-deductible membership fee of $30, the Pro level – in addition to the benefits of the Advocate – gets you 20% off everything in the ASGA store, an exclusive Pro decal, access to Pro presale tickets, and the choice of which fishery or fund your membership money goes towards. These creatures and the places they swim need protection. They need invested anglers like you and me to care about their future because the decisions we make today determine the outcomes of tomorrow. Join over 5,000 passionate members standing up for the future of the fish and fisheries we love. Become an ASGA member here.
That’s a wrap! Thank you for reading and we hope to see you on the next issue or on Instagram. If you don’t already, you can follow the Fishing Club Journal on Instagram and feel free to reach out with tips, feedback or just to say hello.
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