The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is billed as the world’s largest boat show, and it certainly lived up to the hype on Friday as huge crowds packed the exhibit areas. The Guy Harvey booth …
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=Kent Ullberg Visits with GH Outpost at Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show&body=The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is billed as the world's largest boat show, and it certainly lived up to the hype on Friday as huge crowds packed the exhibit areas. The Guy Harvey booth was swamped the entire day, with industry pros and Average Joes alike extending their well-wishes and congratulations on the reopening of the Bimini Big Game Club.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/flbs-kentullberg.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-233" title="Kent Ullberg and friends at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/flbs-kentullberg.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="224" /></a>
One of the many industry celebrities that passed through to visit with the Guy Harvey Outpost team was famed sculptor Kent Ullberg, who delighted fans of the BBGC with his tale of how he came to select a swordfish for display in front of the IGFA HQ in Dania Beach, and how the sculpture came to be cast in stainless steel rather than the traditional bronze.
Kent originally won the job after the IGFA conducted a worldwide search for the right artist and design. Kent's concept was inspired by memories of catching swordfish from his family's commercial fishing boat in his native Sweden, a selection that also fit well within the scope of the IGFA due to the swordfish's iconic stature in big game fishing. The IGFA's architect wanted the sculpture to match the stainless steel exterior of the building, but the technology for casting in stainless steel didn't exist at that time. However, Kent rose to the challenge, figured out the correct process, and is now considered the world's leading expert on casting in stainless steel.
Kent's talents will again be put on display when he designs the Lerner Trophy, a perpetual award that will be given each year at the Bimini Big Game Club's blue marlin tournament, an annual event that will kick off this coming May 18th. Stay tuned for more details. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/kent-ullberg-visits-with-gh-outpost-at-ft-lauderdale-boat-show/){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}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Announces Bonfire Sculptor for the BBC&body=The second leg of the Bonfire Bass Challenge tournament series hosted by Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina and RV Resort returns to the water on May 15th. The tournament’s signature “Blazing Bass Bonfire” event will feature the work of Ocklawaha, Florida artist Bo Woods. His Broken Face Fabrications is well known for its original hand drawn, whimsical metal art and sculpture designs.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_1060-002.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-5629" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_1060-002.jpg" alt="" width="1242" height="1653" /></a>Artist Bo Woods of Broken Face Fabrications
With several Guy Harvey Outpost Bonfire festivals to his credit, Kevin DeNell, Executive Vice President of Guy Harvey Outpost, commissioned Woods to develop a monumental scaled metal sculpture to use for an outdoor bonfire in a manner not unlike those of the well-known “Burning Man” festival. The original Guy Harvey Outpost Bonfire festival, the “Blazing Marlin” was held in Bimini, Bahamas to showcase the company’s return to Bimini at Bimini Sands Resort, using trash collected off the island’s beaches to fuel the bonfire.
“Gonna be memorable!” exclaims Wood from behind his welding mask as he returns to making final adjustments to the Blazing Bass sculpture. He is shaping a commercial sized liquid propane gas tank into this years’ Blazing Bass bonfire sculpture, cutting the tank with an outline of his unique vision of lunker bass and the Camp Mack riverfront setting, all to be illuminated from the massive fire within.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_1068.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-5628" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_1068.jpg" alt="" width="621" height="881" /></a>Artist Bo Woods at work
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_1063-scaled.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5627" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_1063-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="2560" /></a>
The “Blazing Bass” bonfire lighting is scheduled for Friday night, May 14th, the opening night of the tournament. The sculpture will remain on site at Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina and RV Resort after the festival for use by future guests and campground customers. For information on attending the bonfire or fishing the tournament, visit <a href="http://www.BonfireSeries.com">www.BonfireSeries.com.</a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-announces-bonfire-sculptor-for-the-bbc/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Beach Bash Bonfire and Tournament Comes to Bimini Sands Resort & Marina&body=
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/beach-bash-logo.jpg"><img id="i-1938" class="size-full wp-image" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/beach-bash-logo.jpg?w=366" alt="Image" /></a>
Guy Harvey Outpost Beach Bash Bonfire and Tournament
Bimini Sands Resort & Marina on June 26 - June 29
Headliners include Guy Harvey and IGFA’s “Legendary Captain” Bouncer Smith
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (May 7, 2014) – Bimini Sands Resort & Marina, the newest member of the Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Collection, announced today it will play host to the Guy Harvey Outpost Beach Bash, Bonfire and Tournament at its South Bimini, Bahamas, property on June 26-29, 2014. The event will feature an exciting IGFA-sanctioned fishing competition, scuba diving, family entertainment and much more, headlined by world-renowned marine artist and conservation advocate Guy Harvey and Florida fishing authority Capt. Bouncer Smith. For the event’s signature bonfire celebrations, 30-foot tall Blue Marlin wire sculptures by artist Bobby Little will be lit on fire Friday and Saturday night.
“This is the first event to come out of our new strategic alliance with Guy Harvey Outpost, and it will give participants the chance to enjoy everything Bimini has to offer,” said Bimini Sands President & CEO Frank Cooney. “We want to welcome Guy Harvey back to Bimini with a big-time bash.”
Guy Harvey Outposts celebrates its return to Bimini after two years of growth throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean. “Bimini is the birthplace of the IGFA, cast in the light of colorful stories of legendary fishing and revelry,” explained Outpost Resort President Mark Ellert. “We’re back to help carry the torch that keeps Bimini’s history and Out-Island character alive. This party is sure to write some colorful South Bimini stories and keep the flame burning.”
In a unique opportunity for event guests, four fishing charters with Captain Bouncer will be offered by Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts in an on-line auction opening May 10th benefiting the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and IGFA to benefit conservation efforts in Bimini and its surrounding waters.
Tournament festivities will kick off Monday evening, June 23, in Fort Lauderdale with a pre-departure dockside party hosted by Papa’s Pilar Rum at the Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill. Captain Bouncer will be on hand to offer tips on current Bimini fishing conditions and techniques. Friday night festivities include a pirate costume party at the resort’s new beachside infinity pool, with music provided by calypso artist, Mango Man. Saturday night features a beachside pig roast party and awards ceremony at the southernmost point of South Bimini, adjacent to the resort’s popular Bimini Twist Restaurant and Sand Bar lounge.
Non-angler attendees will enjoy a series of beach and watersport family-friendly Bahamian activities organized by the Bimini Sands Activities Center, including scuba diving with world record-holder Neal Watson of Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center and excursions to Honeymoon Harbour to snorkel with wild stingrays. Other activities include tours of the mangrove lagoons, Bimini Nature Trail and guided tours of Bimini Sharklab.
For more information or to register for the tournament, call Guy Harvey Outpost at 1-800-513.5257 or visit <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/BeachBash">www.GuyHarveyOutpost.com/BeachBash</a>.
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-beach-bash-bonfire-and-tournament-comes-to-bimini-sands-resort-marina/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Billfish Invitational Day 2 – Big Marlin, Big Whales and a Big Honor!&body=During this week’s Billfish Invitational tournament, Fred Garth, Editor-In-Chief of <a title="GHM web site" href="http://www.guyharveymagazine.com/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Magazine</a>, will be filing a series of dispatches from tournament headquarters at the Bimini Big Game Club.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bbgcwhaleshark.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-750" title="Team Tag Line takes a break from billfishing to swim with a whale shark!" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bbgcwhaleshark.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="389" /></a>Team Tag Line takes a break from fishing the tournament to swim with a whale shark!
Bimini – day two on the water was as much of a Big Game as it was a Billfish Tournament. Six billfish were hooked and almost every boat saw fish for the second day in a row. Also, two boats came in with amazing stories of swimming with whales.
<a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey</a> spent the day riding with Tedd and Tammy Amberg on the Hillary Lynn where they had a front row seat watching an aerial display of a blue marlin on the vessel Southside, which was fishing nearby.
Three of the fish hooked were reported over 500 pounds and two of blues on the line were in the 200-300 pounds. Also seen were a tailing white marlin and several free jumping billfish.
“It’s been a good run of nice sized fish,” said Tournament Director Ned Stone, “and we’ve had good fishing. Of course, there’s always the challenge of getting big fish to the boat.”
The tournament has been blessed with sunny skies and light winds providing excellent conditions for sighting other big beasts. In the spirit of Guy Harvey’s passion for marine conservation and swimming with large marine animals, one team was able to get into the water with a pod of pilot whales and another team swam for a half hour with a whale shark.
Erik Akins and Robert Collins of the Last Dance Team spotted a pod of pilot whales and hailed Chris Peterson from the <a title="Hell's Bay Boatworks web site" href="http://www.hellsbayboatworks.com" target="_blank">Hell’s Bay</a> Hopper Team on the radio. Peterson’s team swam with the whales and said that they were eating a big blue fin tuna.
“One of the whales swam by with the tuna’s head in its mouth,” Peterson said. “Another had the body of the tuna. They were sharing the fish. It was pretty incredible.
Gaston Legorburu’s Tag Line team came back to the dock with stories and photos of swimming and riding a 16-20 foot whale shark.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/frankstribute2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-745 " title="Presentation of the Frank Johnson Perpetual Trophy" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/frankstribute2.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="295" /></a>Left to right: Bill Shedd, Tim Choate, Shelley Johnson, Ed Pang, Frank Johnson, Mark Ellert, Guy Harvey, Charlie Forman, Kent Ullberg and Frank Johnson Jr.
The day ended with a fabulous tribute dinner for Frank Johnson, creator of the iconic <a title="Mold Craft web site" href="http://www.moldcraft.com" target="_blank">Mold Craft</a> soft head lures. Many stories were told, some not to be repeated herein, and artist Ed Pang presented his perpetual trophy to Frank which displays a bronze Mold Craft lure a top of a jumping marlin.
VIP guests in attendance were Tim Choate, Bill Shedd, Kent Ullberg, Guy Harvey, Charlie Forman, Frank Johnson, Jr., and of course Frank Johnson and his wife Shelley. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/740-2/){kind=link}
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