Lawrence Euteneier and his Blind Fishing Boat Initiative
When I heard about Lawrence Euteneier and his "Blind Fishing Boat" initiative, I couldn't help but be impressed. Here is a person without site who not only is a passionate angler but is determined to utilize the latest technology to help him and others ‘in the same boat'  get the most out of each and every fishing trip. When I asked if I could promote his initiative on our site he responded, "Absolutely! The more people who hear about this initiative the more they will be open to going fishing with someone who is without sight." Euteneier not only loves to fish recreationally, but is also an accomplished tournament angler and a proud OBFN member. "I'm a member of the Ottawa Valley South Bass Masters and fished all the events in 2010 as both a non-boater and boater.  I have to say, the members have been very welcoming.

"Euteneier is already looking forward to the 2011 bass season "I hope to be able to fish other Bass Master events in future, and I'm open to giving presentations about the initiative and how my different technologies on my boats work" He noted however, " While I do operate my 12-foot plastic Porta-Bote with the electric motor on my own using different talking sonars and navigation devices, I won't be going out in my Ranger alone and will be leaving the driving to my sighted partners.  It will be equipped with talking technology as well, and in addition to fishing tournaments, I will be using the Reata to introduce others without sight to the sport in 2011". His website explains in more detail some of those amazing technologies... He has also prepared a brief report of this year's activities with highlights, statistics and photos that you can see and read below.

Those wishing to meet Lawrence Euteneier can drop by his booth at both the Toronto and Ottawa fishing shows coming up this spring. You can contact Lawrence at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit his website at www.blindfishingboat.com

Wil Wegman

BLIND FISHING BOAT 2010 YEAR-END HIGHLIGHTS

Lawrence and Maestro with 24" Rainbow Trout

Introduction:
Opening up the sport of fishing to people with vision loss is the goal of the Blind Fishing Boat initiative, and 2010 has by far achieved more than any previous year since taking my love for the sport public in 2007. Activities included: participating in 17 fishing competitions earning one 1st and four other top-five finishes,; presenting to over 460 people with vision loss and providing one-on-one on-the-water fishing instruction to 16 new fishers with vision loss; publishing 15 articles in mainstream fishing magazines and another 31 on the web; exhibiting for a total of 119 hours at outdoor shows; delivering 21 public presentations to approximately 2,670 people; and, completing four-days of filming for an up-coming feature presentation. The year also included the capture of a number of amazing fish, and ended with several exciting new sponsors coming on-board. Finally, even though specialized technology is not required by those with vision loss to fish, access to mainstream marine electronics is still something non-sighted fishers desire, which is why researching and sea-trialing accessible electronics remains a high priority.

Lawrence and Maestro on Stage

Seminars:
February and March are my busy months for exhibiting and speaking. Once April comes, I'm pretty much on the water every weekend until well into November. Never-the-less, I still managed to provide one-on-one fishing courses to 16 new fishers with vision loss, offer 21 seminars to an estimated total audience of 2,670 people - 460 of whom were people with vision loss, And exhibit at four outdoor shows for a total of 119 hours with an estimated outreach to 186,000 show attendees.

Lawrence with two Bass

Fishing Competitions:
In order to, "walk the talk", I decided early in the year to compete in both Bass Master and Walleye League tournament series, in addition to the one-off competitive and charity events I usually fish. In total, I fished 17 competitive events, winning once and placing another four times in the top five. My year-end standings in both the Bass Masters and Walleye League series placed me right in the middle of the two groups of competing members. I'm quite pleased with my over-all results taking into consideration I partnered with 13 different sighted fishers in 17 events, and competed against an estimated 1,015 different individual competitors. I believe I accomplished my goal to fish with and compete against as many different fishers as possible, and demonstrated first-hand that fishers without sight can fish as equals.

Lawrence with 36" Northern Pike

2010 Fish-Capture Highlights:
36" Northern Pike caught using 8lb mono on a Rapala Tail Dancer;
24" Rainbow Trout caught on a #22 nymph;
5lb Lake Trout caught on a Berkley Chigger Craw;
18.5" Brown Trout caught on a floating hopper pattern;
10lb 2 ounce Walleye caught on a Dives Too Rapala;
25" Cutbow caught on a #16 bead-head nymph;
24 lb Common Carp caught on pineapple flavoured jumbo corn;
4 lb Bass caught on Slammers from Strike Zone;
Sea Mullet, Spot, Croaker, Sea Trout and Puffer caught on blood worms;
Crappy, Pumpkin Seed, Bluegill, Rock Bass and Perch; and,
6', 120lb White Sturgeon caught on 1lb of Sockeye and a #5 barbless j-hook.

Lawrence with 10lb Walleye

Internet Outreach:
Blind Fishing Boat quarterly up-dates are now distributed to over 1,300 people with vision loss and their families and friends. The Blind Fishing Boat.Com website is also growing in popularity, and is now the world's leading resource on fishing, accessible marine electronic aids, and outdoor access for people with vision loss. 31 informational articles were written and published on www.blindfishingboat.com in 2010. Coverage on different Internet websites also continues to expand with Google now reporting well over 10 pages of search results and 108 video and still images. Finally, in partnership with the Canadian Carp Club and Ontario Fishing Network, I've launched a second website this year called, www.ontariocarpfishing.com, which educates people interested in fishing for Carp.

Lawrence with Common Carp

Publications:
To reach out to sighted fishers, I've continued to write a series of articles I call, "Feel the Bite". Five articles were published in the "Professional Anglers Association" official on-line magazine, "On-Line Fishermen", which has a readership of 250,000, mostly in the U.S, and 10 articles were published in "Ontario Fishing Network Magazine", which has a readership of 13,500, primarily here in Ontario. Finally, in addition to being featured in Readers Digest, Outdoor Canada and Ontario Out-of-Doors, six newspapers, two TV stations and one radio station covered the Blind Fishing Boat in 2010.

Lawrence piloting the Blind Fishing Boat

Sea Trials:
The Marine Instrument Talker continues to be my primary source for information concerning water depth, temperature and speed, as my work with the "Depth Talker" I purchased over E-Bay is on-going. I have more reports published on HumanWare's Trekker Breeze, and I'm still in the middle of trialing Minn Kota's new I-Pilot, a GPS-controlled electric trolling motor that I'm more than a little excited about.

Photo of film shoot with three boats

Filming:
It's not unusual to receive an invitation to appear on a TV fishing show, but I have long-since learned that in the show business the term, "Hurry up and wait", really does apply. This hasn't been the case regarding my documentary project however, with over four days of shooting now concluded. I'm going to hold back on providing more details until the release date draws closer.

Lawrence with his kids fishing

Sponsorship support:
With the sale of the Blind Fishing Power Catamaran, sponsorship support from Laurentian Marine has concluded. A big thanks to Alfred and Doug for all their assistance over the past three years. On a more up-beat note, Orleans Boat World has stepped up to the plate with a sponsorship involving Ranger Boats! This is the first time Ranger has sponsored a blind professional fisher, and a first-ever sponsorship involving their Reata Series of boats. 2011 will have the Blind Fishing Boat logo gracing the hull of a Ranger Reata 1850, powered with an E-TEC 175hp thanks to the continued support of Evinrude/BRP. Eukanuba will continue as the Blind Fishing Boat's "title sponsor", with strong support also coming from: Shimano, Rapala, Minn Kota, Berkley, Scotty, Porta-Bote, Ontario Portable Boats, Strikezone, Snag Proof, Tru-Tungsten, Salus Marine, HumanWare and Maruku.

Lawrence and Guide Thomas with 6-foot Sturgeon

Blind Fishing Buddies:
My network of blind fishers continues to expand world-wide, and pressure is building to create a blind fishing forum. Work is also continuing to match sighted fishers with non-sighted fishers. So far I'm able to manage using the phone and email, but the day may come when more sophisticated on-line "dating-type" software might become necessary. A big thank you to the following 28 sighted fishing buddies who stepped up to the plate in 2010:

Lawrence and Maestro fishing

Looking Forward:
2011 is year number five for the Blind Fishing Boat. There's little doubt the last four years saw tremendous progress in making fishing a truly integrated sport, but at the same time, I know there is still so much more to be done. A new website in early 2011 is the first task to finish, and then there will be the building of new innovative / educational displays for exhibiting at the outdoor shows. Fishing from the new Ranger Reata 1850 will help tremendously in terms of piloting and on-the-water instruction. Development of electronics is advancing and more sea-trials are definitely being planned. And then there is researching and filming the documentary, speaking events and seminars, more articles to write, and tournaments to win!

For Immediate Release - November 19, 2010
Blind Fishers Take to the Water in a Ranger Reata

Orleans Boat World and Ranger Boats have entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Blind Fishing Boat to enable people without sight to fish both recreationally and competitively.

Lawrence Euteneier, Founder of the Blind Fishing Boat initiative and a blind professional fisher himself, said, "Fishing from my new Ranger Reata 1850 will allow me to compete more effectively in fishing tournaments and introduce more people living with vision loss to the amazing sport of Fishing". "After all, fishing is largely about feeling for the bite, and who's better at using their sense of touch than those living with vision loss."
Daniel Proulx, co-owner of Orleans Boat World, put the sponsorship deal together - "when Lawrence approached us seeking a stable and reliable boat, my partner and I knew right away we wanted to see Lawrence in a Ranger Reata". "We are all quite excited to be able to support Lawrence and his Blind Fishing Boat initiative.

"We have a lot of admiration for Lawrence and his accomplishments as an angler," said Ranger Boats Vice President Keith Daffron. "The Blind Fishing Boat initiative represents an amazing opportunity for so many people and we're proud to be a small part of it. Our Reata Series offers so much versatility on the water - from deck space and gunnel height to seating capacity and stability, it's just a perfect fit for Lawrence and the Blind Fishing Boat initiative."
BRP's Evinrude E-TEC outboard engines, a sponsor of the Blind Fishing Boat since 2007, will power the Ranger Reata with the industry leading, environmentally friendly, Evinrude E-TEC 175-hp outboard motor. "We like what Lawrence is doing to make fishing and boating more accessible and appreciate his confidence in the Evinrude E-TEC engine," said Christopher Berg, Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning for Evinrude.

http://www.ontariobass.com/files/Blind-Fishing-Boat-2010-Year-End-Highlights.pdf

http://www.ontariobass.com/files/Ranger-Blind-Fishing-Media-Release-November19-2010.pdf