ESPN Retracts Article That Had Bloggers, Including St. Louis' Gateway Pundit, Saying Obama Would Ban Sport Fishing

• Hey Chad, Thanks so much for educating me. As the author of the article in question on ESPN Outdoors --- "Culled out" --- I had no idea that I had "an axe to grind against the Obama administration." In fact, if you had read my article and the previous nine on the same topic, you would see that I have tried my best to avoid making this a left/right, Democrat/Republican issue. Rather it is an issue of those who favor preservation --- look but don't touch --- versus those who favor conservation --- good stewardship and use of that resource. Preservationists are driving the agenda for the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, as it develops "spatial planning" for the nation's waters. In other words, our waters will be "zoned," with uses to be allowed and others to be prohibited yet to be determined. No, we won't lose access to sport fishing all at once. The task force doesn't plan a blanket ban. Rather, recreational fishing will suffer "death by a thousand cuts," as one fishery --- maybe part of Chesapeake Bay here, possibly a bit of Lake Erie there, etc. --- after another is "zoned" out of existence. I don't expect you to understand or believe most of this, since from your post it's obvious that you have no understanding of the situation. But I've just told you the real story --- a story that I've been telling since last fall. It took some inaccurate and sensationalized headlines and blogs about my article to create the firestorm that finally brought the issue mainstream. Also, ESPN did NOT retract the article. Rather it distanced itself from me and the piece. I don't know why. You'll have to ask ESPN about that. Those who have been lobbying for protection of recreational fishing in Washington, D.C. are solidly behind me on this. Robert Montgomery

• The real fish tale is why ESPN felt the need for the editor to print a "clarification" of conservation writer Robert Montgomery's article that was the 10th in a series they asked him to cover on the subject of fish regulation. Perhaps he got too close to the truth for ESPN to handle.

• Is that a photograph of Jim Hoft or a Daniel Clowes drawing? Guy's got a great face for radio...

• My God, Jim Hoft looks exactly like he was drawn by Daniel Clowes. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

• Little known fact: That is a photo of Obama fishing in Kenya when he went back for his high school reunion.

• You'd have to be a complete idiot to beleive in a story like the one ESPN "The Ocho" put out. If anyone needs me, I will be out fishing.

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