From late summer into early autumn, the flats of the Florida Keys are prime territory for scoring an inshore super grand slam of bonefish, tarpon, permit and snook– all caught in one day. And as …
Four New IGFA Records Set in Bimini
22 Nov 20103:06 PM
Bimini continues to live up to it’s reputation a the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World”. The IGFA recently announced FOUR new world records were landed in Bimini waters – all caught by the same husband/wife team during a 2-day fishing trip with Capt. Bouncer Smith! Angler Roberta Arostegui set three new women’s records – a 3 lb., 8 oz Black Grouper on 20#, a 2 lb., 12 oz Lane Snapper and a 3 lb., 8 oz Lane Snapper – and husband Martin Arostegui set a new 8# Tippet World Record for Amaco Jack! These are not the first records the Arosteguis have caught. In fact, they have caught a number of other records in Bimini. Just goes to show – good thing happen when you go where the fish are!
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![](mailto:?subject=Four New IGFA Records Set in Bimini&body=<a href="http://www.captbouncer.com/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-287" title="Capt. Bouncer Smith on a recent charter to Bimini" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/bouncers_dusky_evinrude.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="158" /></a>
<a title="Bimini web site" href="http://www.bahamas.com/out-islands/bimini" target="_blank">Bimini</a> continues to live up to it's reputation a the "Sport Fishing Capital of the World". The <a title="IGFA web site" href="http://www.igfa.org/" target="_blank">IGFA</a> recently announced FOUR new <a title="IGFA World Records Database" href="http://www.igfa.org/Records/Default.aspx" target="_blank">world records</a> were landed in Bimini waters - all caught by the same husband/wife team during a 2-day fishing trip with <a title="Web site for Capt. Bouncer Smith " href="http://www.captbouncer.com/" target="_blank">Capt. Bouncer Smith</a>! Angler Roberta Arostegui set three new women's records - a 3 lb., 8 oz Black Grouper on 20#, a 2 lb., 12 oz Lane Snapper and a 3 lb., 8 oz Lane Snapper - and husband Martin Arostegui set a new 8# Tippet World Record for Amaco Jack! These are not the first records the Arosteguis have caught. In fact, they have caught a number of other records in Bimini. Just goes to show - good thing happen when you go where the fish are! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/four-new-igfa-records-set-in-bimini/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Prime Time for an Inshore Super Grand Slam in Islamorada&body=From late summer into early autumn, the flats of the Florida Keys are prime territory for scoring an inshore super grand slam of bonefish, tarpon, permit and snook-- all caught in one day. And as if that's not enough, anglers and guides routinely pile on with sea trout, redfish, tripletail, and others.
"Everything is available fish species-wise," said noted South Florida light-tackle guide captain Andy Thompson. "The options are pretty endless. You can sight-fish on the flats. You can fish the island moats, the channels, spin fishing or fly rod."
Thompson, who runs a 17-foot Hells Bay Biscayne skiff, fishes the entire region from Biscayne Bay south to the Lower Keys, including Flamingo and Chokoloskee in Everglades National Park. He's especially fond of September-October because water and air temperatures grow cooler, tides are higher and the flats are not crowded with other guides and anglers.
"The permit fishing in September/October is really good," Thompson said. "With bigger tides, the back country banks behind Islamorada get a lot more water in the fall and that allows those fish to feed."
The best bait is a live crab (or a crab imitation if you insist on fly fishing) cast to fish feeding on the edges of channels and along narrow, rocky strip banks on the ocean side and bayside of the Keys where currents are strong. Permit also can be found around shallow wrecks and the U.S. 1 bridges.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Andytarpon.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4218" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Andytarpon-1024x768.jpg" alt="Andytarpon" width="1024" height="768" /></a>
Continuing the inshore superfecta with tarpon may also be easier in fall than during the peak of the summer spawn. Thompson says plenty of juvenile tarpon can be found along the ocean side islands of the Upper Keys and in Florida Bay near Flamingo. In October, he often finds a resident population of 100-pounders that are "laid up" and easy to cast to with a live mullet or Deceiver-pattern fly. But some of the easiest fish to target are the ones following the fall mullet run all along the southwest Florida coast.
The seasonal bait frenzy also occurs on the ocean side of the Keys where huge schools of pilchards can be seen swirling and flashing. Just about anything can be found harassing these forage fish -- tarpon, sharks, snook, and jacks, among others. Snook are also plentiful on the crowns of the Florida Bay flats on an incoming tide, and often accompanied by redfish. Thompson goes after them using primarily pearl-colored soft plastic jerkbaits such as the D.O.A. C.A.L., but topwater plugs also can be effective if there's not too much floating grass.
Catching and releasing a bonefish is not as tough in Florida Bay as in recent years, according to Thompson. While their numbers are down considerably from the 1980s, Thompson says the torpedo-shaped silver speedsters are starting to recover.
"There's a lot of little fish in Florida Bay," he said. "The 2010 freeze put a hurtin' on them. But just this year, I started to see good numbers of them again around Rabbit Key and the Arsenicker Keys. There's a whole new class of fish showing up. It's encouraging."
The guide and his customers target them with live shrimp, small crabs, small skimmer jigs or shrimp-patterned flies.
To book a fishing trip with Thompson, go <a href="http://www.saltairoutfitters.com" target="_blank">HERE</a>. To book your stay at the Islander, a Guy Harvey Outpost in Islamorada, visit the <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost web site</a>.
<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/dive-packages/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4200 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ad.jpg" alt="ad" width="737" height="301" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/prime-time-for-an-inshore-super-grand-slam-in-islamorada/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Get Lost with Big Fish with Paddle Panama&body=Hefty roosterfish towing your kayak like a water ski. Tussling with peacock bass all day long in a freshwater lake. Exploring a remote jungle wilderness with your paddle and a fishing rod.
These are just a few of the heart-pounding outback adventures for you and your family to choose from with Paddle Panama operated by water sports wizard/adventurer Captain Hennie Marais, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter based in Panama City, Panama.
A few years back, Marais opened Panama Paddle Center-- the Central American country's first-ever retail shop, club and outfitter dedicated to kayaking. Here you can buy or rent several different models of kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, get paddling instruction, sign up for races and fishing tournaments, and --best of all--arrange the kayak fishing vacation of a lifetime.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4647" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak2.jpg" alt="kayak2" width="1280" height="853" /></a>
For a remote wilderness experience, you might choose the "Lost Coast" of the Pacific near Bahia Honda. Stay in a thatch-roofed hut on the property of a local family and then paddle out to try to tangle with a roosterfish, big amberjack or Cubera snapper.
Or join Marais on a four-wheel-drive road trip along the "Tuna Coast" of the Gulf of Panama, overnighting in hostels and chasing yellowfins so big they drag your kayak on plane. Continue to the Darien coast to pursue roosterfish, big Cuberas and many pelagic species. More than 300 International Game Fish Association world records have been set in this region.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak3.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4648" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak3.jpg" alt="kayak3" width="5184" height="3456" /></a>
For a freshwater expedition, you'll want to head inland to Lake Gatun to enjoy non-stop peacock bass action. You can catch tarpon and snook in the adjacent Chagres River. The floating Gatun Explorer serves as your base camp.
These guided kayak fishing expeditions generally run four to seven days and accommodate up to four anglers.
For more information about Panama kayak fishing, email <a href="mailto:Hennie@paddlepanama.com">Hennie@paddlepanama.com</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/get-lost-with-big-fish-with-paddle-panama/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Islamorada: The Variety Fishing Capital of the World&body=By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
In Islamorada, Florida, sport fishing capital of the world, the months of May and June are the apex of the fishing season.
"Almost any fish that swims in this hemisphere can be captured from Islamorada's shores and on almost all types of tackle," declared Captain Richard Stanczyk, owner/operator of Bud 'n' Mary's Marina-- the unofficial seat of the world fishing capital. "You can reach the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream to the east. To the west, you can reach Florida Bay and, if you run far enough, the eastern fringes of the Gulf of Mexico."
Consider what you can catch right here, right now: big bull dolphin chasing flying fish near sargassum lines in the Gulf Stream accompanied by blue and white marlin; blackfin tuna on a series of deep 'humps', or sea mounts located well offshore; swordfish-- both day and night-- also well offshore; sailfish, kingfish and maybe a wahoo just outside the reef; big black grouper and mutton and yellowtail snapper on top of the reef; huge tarpon around the U.S. 1 bridges and throughout Florida Bay; good-sized snook, redfish and sea trout in Florida Bay; and large permit on Atlantic and Gulf wrecks and inshore, on shallow rocky flats.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Backcountry-Special-Keys-Blog.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4069 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Backcountry-Special-Keys-Blog.jpg" alt="Backcountry Special Keys Blog" width="473" height="232" /></a>
Many of these species will be eligible for the winning angler's $10,000 cash jackpot in the <a href="http://www.BlazingMako.com" target="_blank">Blazing Mako Tournament and Festival</a> presented by <a href="http://www.cdaviselectric.com/" target="_blank">C. Davis Electric</a> on Father's Day weekend June 17-19 at the <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/florida/islamoradafl-keys/" target="_blank">Islander Resort, a Guy Harvey Outpost</a> in Islamorada. Teams may enter either the inshore or offshore division by going to the event web site <a href="http://www.blazingmako.com" target="_blank">HERE</a>. If you don't have a team, consider entering our online auction <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/blazing-mako/auction.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> where the highest bidder in the offshore division gets to fish with Captain Bouncer Smith and his mate, Captain Abie Raymond, on Bouncer's Dusky 33 and the top inshore bidder is guided by Hall of Famer Stu Apte and one of his favorite tournament guides, Captain Steve Thomas.
Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund for marine science students at Nova Southeastern University's Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography through the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.
The three-day event features live music, the Artist / Conch-servation Village, rum tastings, kid's pier fishing tournament, and paddleboard poker run. The event then culminates with a bonfire party on the beach where a huge metal sculpture of a mako shark --Nova Southeastern's mascot-- crafted by Islamorada artist Pasta Pantaleo will be set ablaze.
You might be having so much fun that you'll want to stick around and fish some more after the tournament is over. To set up a charter, call Captain Cliff Jensen, Guy Harvey Outpost's Director of Sport Fishing and Watersports at 800.513.5257.
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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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Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/islamorada-the-variety-fishing-capital-of-the-world/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Bimini Mysteries & Legends: Flight 19: The "Lost Patrol"&body=Today is the 65th anniversary of the disappearance of <a title="Wikipedia entry for Flight 19" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19" target="_blank">Flight 19, the US Navy's infamous "Lost Patrol"</a>. On Dec. 5, 1945, five <a title="Wikipedia entry for Avenger torpedo bombers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBF_Avenger" target="_blank">TBM Avengers</a> were on a routine training mission from their <a title="Wikipedia entry for NAS Ft. Lauderdale" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_Fort_Lauderdale" target="_blank">base in Ft. Lauderdale</a> when they disappeared after a practice bombing run. No trace of the crews or their planes were ever found.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/f191.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-315" title="Artists Rendering of Flight 19, the "Lost Patrol"" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/f191.png?w=250" alt="" width="250" height="300" /></a>
The case of of the "Lost Patrol" is one of the 20th Century's great mysteries, and is another chapter in the very colorful history of <a title="Islands of the Bahamas web site" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_Fort_Lauderdale" target="_blank">Bimini</a>, the tiny islands in the <a title="Wikipedia entry for the Gulf Stream" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream" target="_blank">Stream</a> that seems to have more than their fair share of mysteries and legends. You see, shortly before disappearing forever, Flight 19 had just completed a bombing run on the <a title="Wikipedia entry for S.S. Sapona" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Sapona" target="_blank">S.S. Sapona</a>, a shipwreck just off the coast of Bimini and only a short trip north from the <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Big Game Club</a>.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sapona.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-316" title="The Wreck of the S.S. Sapona" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sapona.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>
So what happened to the "Lost Patrol"? No one really knows, but some believe Flight 19 was a victim of the <a title="Wikipedia entry for Bermuda Triangle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle" target="_blank">Bermuda Triangle</a>, the area where ships and planes have disappeared for centuries without explanation. Many theories have been given for the strange occurrences in the Triangle, from aliens to the paranormal to some type of interaction with the <a title="Wikipedia entry for Atlantis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis" target="_blank">Lost City of Atlantis</a>. For those that believe in the Triangle, Atlantis is the most plausible explanation for the disappearance of Flight 19. Why? Because Bimini also happens to be the home of the reputed <a title="Wikipedia entry for the Road to Atlantis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimini_Road" target="_blank">Road to Atlantis</a>. Coincidence??
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/bimini_road.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-318" title="The Road to Atlantis" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/bimini_road.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>
NOTE: The S.S. Sapona and the Road to Atlantis (AKA the Bimini Road) are two of Bimini's most popular dive sites. For more information on scuba diving these famous sites, as well as Bimini's other underwater adventures, contact <a title="Dive Bimini's web page" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/dive-bimini.htm" target="_blank">Dive Bimini, a Guy Harvey Outpost Dive Center</a> located at the Bimini Big Game Club. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/after-65-years-flight-19-remains-the-lost-patrol/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=The Family Easter Weekend is on at the Big Game Club&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/eco-easter12.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-549" title="Easter at the Bimini Big Game Club" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/eco-easter12.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="751" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/the-family-easter-weekend-is-on-at-the-big-game-club/){kind=link}
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