By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com Whether or not you are registered to compete in the Blazing Mako Tournament & Festival June 17-19 at the Islander, …
Catch of the Day for Florida Foster Kids
20 Oct 20151:00 PM
By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
Eight-year-old Miguel had never caught a fish before Oct. 18. But thanks to Bass Pro Shops in Dania Beach, FL. and the International Fellowship of Hunting and Fishing Rotarians, the little boy caught and released his first-ever largemouth bass in the lake next to the store.
Miguel, who used a live shiner on a light spinning outfit, explained his successful technique.
“I threw over there and then held tight,” he said, nodding toward the lake. When it went under, I wind it up. It was wiggling a little bit. It was slimy.”
After Bass Pro volunteer staffer captain Brian Leibowitz re-baited his hook, Miguel was ready to catch another fish.
He is one of 14 youngsters aged 7-15 from the S.O.S. Children’s Village foster care neighborhood in Coconut Creek, FL. who got to spend the morning learning to fish in a target-rich environment stocked with carp, largemouth and peacock bass, and catfish. To really stack the odds, Leibowitz brought along dozens of live shiners in addition to containers of earthworms. He and fellow volunteers baited the kids’ hooks and taught them how to cast, land, and release their fish alive.
“They’re having a blast,” said Genevieve Areson, the volunteer manager at
Children’s Village.
It wasn’t the first fishing trip for some of the youngsters; they have gone on deep-sea outings aboard local party boats. But this time, “these kids get to fish without getting seasick,” Leibowitz noted.
Top fish of the day was a four-pound peacock bass caught and released by 11-year-old Nicholas. He was awarded a rod and reel for his accomplishment.
But nearly everyone caught at least one fish. The final total was 17 largemouth and four peacocks released.
The group worked up an appetite fighting all those fish, and celebrated afterward with lunch at McDonald’s.
*************
Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling, camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women’s world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit.
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![](mailto:?subject=Catch of the Day for Florida Foster Kids&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/bass.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2960 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/bass.jpg?w=225" alt="bass" width="225" height="300" /></a>By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
Eight-year-old Miguel had never caught a fish before Oct. 18. But thanks to Bass Pro Shops in Dania Beach, FL. and the International Fellowship of Hunting and Fishing Rotarians, the little boy caught and released his first-ever largemouth bass in the lake next to the store.
Miguel, who used a live shiner on a light spinning outfit, explained his successful technique.
"I threw over there and then held tight," he said, nodding toward the lake. When it went under, I wind it up. It was wiggling a little bit. It was slimy."
After Bass Pro volunteer staffer captain Brian Leibowitz re-baited his hook, Miguel was ready to catch another fish.
He is one of 14 youngsters aged 7-15 from the S.O.S. Children's Village foster care neighborhood in Coconut Creek, FL. who got to spend the morning learning to fish in a target-rich environment stocked with carp, largemouth and peacock bass, and catfish. To really stack the odds, Leibowitz brought along dozens of live shiners in addition to containers of earthworms. He and fellow volunteers baited the kids' hooks and taught them how to cast, land, and release their fish alive.
"They're having a blast," said Genevieve Areson, the volunteer manager at
Children's Village.
It wasn't the first fishing trip for some of the youngsters; they have gone on deep-sea outings aboard local party boats. But this time, "these kids get to fish without getting seasick," Leibowitz noted.
Top fish of the day was a four-pound peacock bass caught and released by 11-year-old Nicholas. He was awarded a rod and reel for his accomplishment.
But nearly everyone caught at least one fish. The final total was 17 largemouth and four peacocks released.
The group worked up an appetite fighting all those fish, and celebrated afterward with lunch at McDonald's.
*************
Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling, camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/catch-of-the-day-for-florida-foster-kids/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Big Bahamas WAHOO Season in Full Swing!&body=Get Your WAHOO On! -- Capt. Ned StoneLate Fall through early spring mean Wahoo season in the Bahamas. The steep drop-offs and underwater humps of the Bahamas offer some of the most consistent and predictable wahoo fishing in the world. Five current IGFA World Records were caught in Bahamian waters. The largest tipping in at 155.5 pounds. In recent seasons there have been 100+ pound fish caught just off <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/west-end-grand-bahama-island.html">Old Bahama Bay</a> and off shore of the <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/green-turtle-cay-abacos/overview.html">Green Turtle Club</a>. These oceanic speedsters can top 60 miles per hour on drag busting runs. The bonus is that these fish taste great just about any way they are prepared. From sushi (Ono) to the grill, wahoo are a keeper. The one trick is to make sure not to over cook them. My favorite is cut into 2 inch thick chunks, rolled in sesame seeds and seared in a hot skillet. <a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/big-wahoo.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image" id="i-1699" alt="Image" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/big-wahoo.jpg?w=650" /></a>Photo of this 120-pounder courtesy of AFTCO Pro Ryan Griffin.<br /><br /> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/big-bahamas-wahoo-season-in-full-swing/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Fall: Prime Time for Flats Fishing in the Keys and Bahamas!&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/9102.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2885 size-medium" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/9102.jpg?w=254" alt="" width="254" height="300" /></a>"Flats Slam" by Guy Harvey.
By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
Late summer/early autumn is prime time for flats fishing in the Keys and the Bahamas. With few visiting anglers and plenty of bonefish, you have the shallow, target-rich environment pretty much to yourself. And in the Keys, you'll also get shots at tarpon and permit, raising hopes of a flats grand slam.
Fall brings higher tides and cooler waters, expanding the territory of feeding bonefish that spent less time foraging on the flats in the searing summer heat.
You can sight-fish for them from a poled skiff or you can simply stake out up current from a sand-and-grass-dotted flat and wait for them to feed into the tide. By far, the best bait is a live shrimp with the tail pinched off fished on light line with a split shot for added casting distance. To better your chances, carry dozens more live shrimp than you need for bait, cut them into pieces and toss them out as chum.
The islands of the Bahamas present your best chance of catching and releasing a bonefish on fly rod. With seemingly endless shallow-water habitat and abundant fish of all sizes unaccustomed to encountering most fly patterns, the islands allow the novice angler to make plenty of mistakes, learn from them quickly, and eventually capture the prize.
Bonefish are fun to catch on the flats on any kind of tackle because of their warp-speed, drag-screaming runs after you hook them. Keep your line tight and a bend in the rod, and eventually you'll catch up to them.
Bonefishing is big business in the both the Keys and Bahamas, generating tens of millions of dollars in economic impact each year. In the Keys, anglers fishing the ocean sides of Islamorada and Key Largo can pretty much expect to encounter bonefish most days, but the fishery has suffered declines in the Florida Bay back country over the past decade. Anglers and guides want to know why and what can be done to reverse the trend. The non-profit Bonefish Tarpon Trust has commissioned a study by scientists from Florida International University to look into everything from water quality to prey availability to determine the causes and identify solutions. The researchers are also surveying and interviewing bonefish enthusiasts from Biscayne Bay through the Lower Keys to chronicle their experiences.
In the Bahamas, the government recently announced draft legislation that would impose licenses and fees on foreigners fishing for bonefish and require operators of fishing lodges to be citizens or permanent residents of the Bahamas. Bonefish Tarpon Trust-- in collaboration with scores of anglers, guides, scientists, conservationists and lodge operators-- countered with its own recommendations for a comprehensive conservation and management plan for the species. The government is mulling over those suggestions.
Completing the flats grand slam with tarpon and permit is more than doable in the Keys in early fall, especially if you use live bait.
The onset of cold fronts to the north pushes huge schools of forage fish such as mullet, pilchards, sardines and glass minnows south along ocean and bay waters in the Keys, with tarpon happily chasing and devouring them. These 'silver kings' are not as large as the monsters typically encountered in the spring and summer migrations, but they are sporty enough on 20-pound tackle. Your best bet for a spectacular experience is to use a live mullet hooked with a circle hook through the upper lip and rigged with a float along the edges of flats, in channels and around the U.S. 1 bridges.
Tarpon typically pile on the mullet, crashing, splashing and leaping while you hang on tight and let the fish have its way. The moment it lets up, you put the heat on it.
The experience is so addictive that a veteran Keys guide once said that if tarpon could only be found in the Himalayas, anglers and guides wouldn't hesitate to follow them there.
Permit, with an oval-shaped silver and yellow body and black sickle tail, is more common in the Lower Keys than the Upper Keys, but you still stand a decent chance of catching one in the northern regions.
These bulldogs of the flats rarely hesitate to gulp a live crab cast in front of their noses. But accounts are rampant of anglers making bad casts to the fish's tail only to have it whirl around and inhale the bait. For sight-fishing, the best locations are narrow strip banks along both the ocean and bay sides of the Keys with hard bottom and a strong current. Permit also can be found in channels and around bridges waiting to pounce on crabs sweeping by on the tide.
Trying to catch them on the flats with a fly rod can end up being a lifelong quest similar to the 100 Years War. Tame your bucket list to include live crabs, and you will not be disappointed.
Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling, camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/fall-prime-time-for-flats-fishing-in-the-keys-and-bahamas/){kind=link}
 these late winter reds are somewhat persnickety and a little spooky by nature. So picking the right artificial lure to get a positive reaction (we call that a bite) is very difficult. But during these warm up periods with rising temps the redfish typically get a bit reckless. That's when an experienced angler can take advantage of what I call the perfect scenario .
So what lure is ideal for this situation? Well the truth is several offerings will get the job done including spoons, jigs, plugs and even flies. Because when redfish are actively hunting and devouring food... all lures are in play. But still I have a few favorites that allow for accurate casting in spite of windy conditions like the BTB Jig (root beer) with a split tail trailer. Or the Mirrolure Catch Jr (finger mullet look) with single inline hooks, which plays well in cloudy or windy scenarios. And lastly the trusty Aqua Dream Spoons (black color) it gets the call for many anglers including me. Remember spoons are great choices if the clarity of the water is somewhat turbid (dirty/stained). But again if the redfish are fired up, any lure could be the answer... even top water plugs!
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/alure-image-for-redfish-red-hot-blog.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-5007" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/alure-image-for-redfish-red-hot-blog-263x300.jpeg" alt="" width="263" height="300" /></a>
Additionally, don't use a long heavy leaders. Shorter leaders in the 20" to 24" lengths are adequate. Too much leader destroys the action on light weight plugs or pulls the jig down into the grass... creating a fouling issue. And unless your fishing an area inundated with lots of Oyster a 20lb. leader weight should do just fine in most cases.
Also consider, a small skiff or kayak is a huge advantage when targeting these low water redfish. The ability to be ahead of the grazing reds will allow you dozens of shots in comparison to the larger heavier boats more reliant on trolling motors getting to the feed zone a little later. I know it's more work to push pole or paddle into the skinny water (shallow) but that extra 45 minutes to an hour of fishing when the water is low, really pays off.
Here's what you really need to know and that is to focus your efforts on the warming trends later this month and the low incoming tides of course. It may be freezing in some parts of the U.S. this time of year but the light tackle action on redfish in Florida is "red hot"! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/redfish-in-florida-is-red-hot/){kind=link}
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