BILLFISH INVITATIONAL AUCTION ITEM: The Bimini Big Gamer The Big Game Is On at the legendary Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost, and this package is a front row seat to all the action. Swanky …
Bimini Big Game Club Now Serving Guy Harvey re:newal Spring Water in 100% Compostable Bottle
22 Apr 20113:52 PM
Guy Harvey and re:newal premium spring water are proud to offer a U.S. sourced premium spring water that uses a 100% plant-based compostable bottle.
Launched in February 2011, the Guy Harvey special edition re:newal premium spring water product will raise funds for ocean conservation programs by donating 10% of the proceeds from each bottle sold directly to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. The GHOF funds inspired scientific research and innovative educational programs to help ensure that future generations will enjoy and benefit from a naturally balanced ocean ecosystem where fish and other marine wildlife flourish.
re:newal premium spring water packages pure spring water in a bottle made from plants, not petroleum. Most importantly, re:newal bottles offer more end-of-life options for consumers, who now have the ability to recycle, compost, incinerate or re-use their bottles.
To learn more about how traditional plastics are damaging the marine environment, read the special feature “Plastics: One Word/One World” in the brand new issue of Guy Harvey Magazine.
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![](mailto:?subject=Bimini Big Game Club Now Serving Guy Harvey re:newal Spring Water in 100% Compostable Bottle&body=<a href="http://renewal-water.com/renewal-and-guy-harvey-team-up/"><img class="aligncenter" title="Guy Harvey re:newal Water" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/banner.png" alt="" width="450" height="102" /></a>
<a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guy Harvey</a> and <a title="re:newal web site" href="http://renewal-water.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">re:newal premium spring water</a> are proud to offer a U.S. sourced premium spring water that uses <a title="About the 100% compostable bottle" href="https://renewellwater.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a 100% plant-based compostable bottle</a>.
Launched in February 2011, the Guy Harvey special edition re:newal premium spring water product will raise funds for ocean conservation programs by donating 10% of the proceeds from each bottle sold directly to the <a title="GHOF web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a>. The GHOF funds inspired scientific research and innovative educational programs to help ensure that future generations will enjoy and benefit from a naturally balanced ocean ecosystem where fish and other marine wildlife flourish.
<a href="newal and Guy Harvey Team Up"><img title="100% compostable bottle from re:newal water" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/renewalwater.jpg" alt="" width="365" height="301" /></a>Guy Harvey re:newal spring water is proudly served at the Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina.
re:newal premium spring water packages pure spring water in a bottle made from plants, not petroleum. Most importantly, re:newal bottles offer more end-of-life options for consumers, who now have the ability to recycle, compost, incinerate or re-use their bottles.
To learn more about how traditional plastics are damaging the marine environment, read the special feature "Plastics: One Word/One World" in the brand new issue of <a title="GHM web site" href="http://www.guyharveymagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guy Harvey Magazine</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-and-renewal-team-up-to-promote-100-compostable-water-bottle/){kind=link}
![](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/billfish-invitational-auction-spotlight-bimini-big-gamer-package/&media=https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/aerial12-1.jpg&description=Billfish Invitational Auction Spotlight – "Bimini Big Gamer" Package){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Billfish Invitational Auction Spotlight – "Bimini Big Gamer" Package&body=BILLFISH INVITATIONAL AUCTION ITEM: The Bimini Big Gamer
The Big Game Is On at the legendary <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a>, <a title="About GHO" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/aboutus.htm" target="_blank">a Guy Harvey Outpost</a>, and this package is a front row seat to all the action. Swanky accommodations. A day of offshore fishing. A day of backcountry fishing. A day of diving. A night of wining and dining and some flying around on your own private plane. You’re in the major leagues now! Enjoy a five night stay in one of the Club’s four penthouse one bedroom suites which give new meaning to phrase "million dollar view". Each is designed with an individual style - the Hemingway and Lerner suites, side by side, as these two legends were in real life, or Guy Harvey’s personal suite and the adjoining Blue Marlin. Get rested up because every day is “Game Day” at the Big Game Club.
Day 1 - Sunrise...time to suit up and go chase the Man in the Blue Suit! Gear up for some serious blue water angling with the legendary <a title="About Capt. Billy Black" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/charter-captain-billy.htm" target="_blank">Captain Billy Black</a>, a man who knows these waters like Hemingway knew his mojitos! Enjoy a day with Captain Billy and three of your fishing buddies aboard <a title="Photo of "El Viejo"" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=196290337079665&set=a.167958453246187.29409.127094040665962&type=1&theater" target="_blank">“El Viejo”, a classic 53 Rybovich fishing machine</a>. The Man in the Blue Suit doesn’t take kindly to amateurs, so make sure you know your stuff, and if not, you’d best follow Captain Billy’s orders. It’s true, fish fear him!
Day 2 - And speaking of orders....bonefish, 2 o’clock, 30 feet, cast, strip, try again. Yes, on Day 2, we’re talking tough love from one of <a title="About Bonefish Bimini" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/bonefish-bimini.htm" target="_blank">Bonefish Bimini</a>’s expert guides. These guides grew up fishing the flats of Bimini, and their knowledge of local bonefish and permit habits might constitute trade secrets. The skiff accommodates two anglers, but you may not want to share these secrets with anyone!
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/vaughfred-bonefish1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-650" title="Bonefish Bimini guide "Eagle Eyes" Fred get another one!" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/vaughfred-bonefish1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="366" /></a>
Day 3 - Time to suit up again...this time in your swimsuit or wet suit, because you and three friends are off for a two tank dive aboard <a title="About M.V. Bimini Blue" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/our-boat.htm" target="_blank">M.V. Bimini Blue</a> with the dive pros of <a title="About Neal Watson's Dive Bimini" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/dive-bimini.htm" target="_blank">Neal Watson’s Dive Bimini</a>. Wrecks, walls, reefs and the mysterious Atlantis Road – there’s no end to the diving options. Enjoy diving in style aboard the Club’s 60ft double deck, glass bottom boat, complete with men’s and women’s bathrooms, warm water showers, and snack bar with adult beverages on board. During your stay, you’ll be a guest of the <a title="About the Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/bimini-bar-grill.htm" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill</a>, the island’s most popular waterfront restaurant and bar. Enjoy a complimentary dinner for four while overlooking the marina and debating who’s winning the Big Game. We’ll buy you dinner and a nice bottle of wine, but these types of debates go on long into the night, so cocktails are for your account!
When it comes there is no more time on the score clock, and the Big Game draws to a close, regardless of the score everyone’s a winner, for you and your friends are going home in style....just like the way you arrived ! On your very own private <a title="About Sky Limo Air Charter" href="http://www.skylimoaircharter.com/aboutus.php" target="_blank">Sky Limo</a> <a title="About the Cessna Caravan" href="http://www.skylimoaircharter.com/aircraft-cessna-caravan-208CX.php" target="_blank">Cessna Caravan</a> charter that seats seven - or you alone and a lot of luggage – round trip from <a title="FT. Lauderdale Executive Airport web site" href="http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/FXE/" target="_blank">Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport</a>. As you climb out over Bimini and look back at Alice Town and the Big Game Club, you know the Big Game will go on, but the Outpost team awaits the return of you, the Bimini Big Gamer! . Donated by the Bimini Big Game Club, “El Viejo” Sportfishing Charters, and Sky Limo Charters.
AUCTION INFORMATION:
Tickets to nightly events of the inaugural 2011 Billfish Invitational are available for $150/pp. Price includes cocktails, dinner and participation in the auction and award presentations.
On-site auction is Thursday, May 19th at the Bimini Big Game Club. Online bids accepted through Midnight, Wednesday, May 18.
Please contact Capt. Ned Stone (<a href="mailto:nstone@guyharveyoutpost.com">nstone@guyharveyoutpost.com</a>) for details. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/billfish-invitational-auction-spotlight-bimini-big-gamer-package/){kind=link}
 Swamps and Springs){kind=link}
 Swamps and Springs&body=[Dunnellon, FL.--] Mac Stone is kicking across the Rainbow River against the strong current as fast as he can, and even though he is carrying a bulky underwater camera with two protruding strobes, it is very difficult to keep up.
Panting through my snorkel, I finally catch up -- just in time to see him dart away again in hot pursuit of a cormorant which itself is in hot pursuit of a sunfish darting through the eelgrass at the bottom of the river. From a distance, I can see the strobe firing over and over and I really hope he's getting the shots he wants.
Later, Stone said he kind of did.
"Today I got a lot of cormorants fishing, but I didn't get the apex moment-- the 1/100th of a second when the fish is in front of its beak and the beak is open," he said. "You try to put yourself in as many situations as possible. Even if you get skunked, you're okay because you're getting closer to your goal."
That attitude is typical of the "high hopes but low expectations" that Stone, 33, brings to his craft as one of the most sought-after professional wildlife photographers in the southeastern U.S. For this Gainesville-raised, former Florida Audubon biologist, shooting fish, birds, landscapes and other natural subjects is NOT about producing pretty pictures. Through his images, he aims to stir the emotions of regular people enough to make them care about the ecosystems where they live and want to conserve them-- especially in Florida.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-0811.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4708" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-0811.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a> <a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1134.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4709" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1134.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a>
"There are things in Florida that don't exist anywhere else in abundance," he said. "Every state has things to marvel at, but Florida just seems Old World....places you can go to and feel like you are the first person who has seen it."
Stone first became interested in photography in high school, but got away from it for several years while studying international politics, environmental science, Spanish and biology as a student at Virginia Tech. Following graduation, he took a job teaching photography to youngsters in Honduras. Later, as a biologist conducting research on fish and birds in the Everglades, Stone began to realize "the power of photography to compel people to see their natural habitat in a different way. After a year working there, I started making all these photos. No one, in a compelling way, had told the story of the wildlife and the way it relates to the flow of water," he said.
The Everglades was and is in peril because of the lack of freshwater creeping south across the Florida peninsula to replenish it-- the result of manmade re-plumbing over the past century for development and farming. In 2014, Stone published "Everglades: America's Wetland" to convey to readers through breathtaking images the absolute dependence that species like the roseate spoonbill, Everglades snail kite, alligators and others have on the correct amount, timing and quality of water delivered. The book is now in its second printing and Stone has made wildlife photography a full-time career.
Lately, his attentions have turned to Florida's imperiled springs and that's why he was chasing cormorants fishing in the Rainbow River. The Rainbow, located in west-central Florida, is fed by a second-magnitude spring that pumps more than 450 million gallons per day of fresh, 71-degree water. While strikingly clear compared to Florida's mostly tannin-stained water courses, the Rainbow still suffers from degradation from manmade sources.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1500.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4711" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1500.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a> <a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1176.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4710" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1176.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a>
Stone's photos undoubtedly will drive home the importance of saving this and other springs.
"Springs are so unique," he said. "They're accessible, but not celebrated like other habitats are. We don't realize that when we fertilize our lawns and run our sprinklers year round, that could have a negative impact on the aquifer."
So he and I spent nearly four hours snorkeling and drifting in the Rainbow, with me carrying the dive flag and he wielding his camera to capture the images that would seize potential conservationists by the heart. He didn't feel like he got them that morning.
"I just keep coming back and chasing the shiny red ball like a Labrador retriever," he said, and headed back to the Rainbow that afternoon.
To learn more about Mac and his book, "Everglades: America's Wetland", please visit <a href="http://www.macstonephoto.com/">http://www.macstonephoto.com</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/shooting-and-saving-swamps-and-springs/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Join A Live Summertime Easter Egg Hunt in Florida’s Big Bend&body=Small, weird-looking, but very tasty --even raw--and very easy to capture. Only available in the summer and early fall and never in a seafood market. You and your family must be hunter/gatherers to harvest them. They're bay scallops-- the premier mollusk of Florida's Gulf coast Big Bend region. And there's still plenty of time left to catch your share.
"So far, the season's been excellent," said Steinhatchee charterboat captain Bob Erdman. "Limits every day in three to four feet of water."
Erdman wasn't kidding. Last week, he and wife Carole guided my friend Kyle Stewart and me to gather our boat limit of eight gallons. It took us a little bit longer than last year because the region's scallop counts are down, but that just extended the fun.
The captain opted for the scallop grounds about five miles north of the mouth of the Steinhatchee River. His reasoning was simple: thousands of hunters have been plucking the grass beds to the south since the season opened on June 16, so hunting north might produce bigger shellfish.
As usual, Erdman was right. Snorkeling above the mixed turtle and manatee grass with mask and fins, I didn't spy as many of the little flying saucer-looking animals as last summer, but the ones I found were definitely larger with barnacle-encrusted shells.
"Those may be last year's scallops," Erdman said.
Harvesting them couldn't be easier. You just reach down and pick them up. Their weak escape attempts consist of clapping their double shells together clumsily. This is basically an underwater Easter egg hunt where the 'eggs' sometimes try in vain to get away. Kids as young as five can do it.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_1305.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4836" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_1305.jpg" alt="" width="3264" height="2448" /></a>
Best places to hunt are in mixed patches of sand and grass where the grayish-white shells are easiest to spot. Sometimes they'll be nestled in the sand; other times, you'll find them perched on blades of grass. Erdman advises scouring the bay bottom closely for the ridged shell's profile.
The hunt itself is entertaining even if you don't spot scallops every two minutes. You'll encounter schools of mullet and pinfish, sea stars, and occasionally a stingray. I came upon a small ray while hunting; it bolted in the opposite direction when it saw me.
A few safety tips: boats must display a red-and-white diver-down flag while scalloping and divers must stay within 300 feet of it in open water and within 100 feet in a river, inlet or channel. Boaters must slow to idle speed when they draw close to the flag.
The bag limit is two gallons of whole scallops or one pint of meat per person, with a maximum of ten gallons whole or 1/2 gallon of meat per vessel. The season runs through Sept. 10 in the Steinhatchee area. If you plan to hunt in the St. Joseph Bay area to the north, the season opens July 25 through Sept. 10. In the popular Homosassa - Crystal River area, the season opened July 1 and closes Sept. 24.
To book a scalloping trip with captain Bob Erdman, call 352-356-2554. Rental boats and accommodations are available at Good Times Motel and Marina (352-498-8088) or Sea Hag Marina & the Shacks at Sea Hag (352-498-3008). Both facilities also are staffed with scallop cleaners who charge $7-$8 per pound. Have your scallops prepared and served with an array of sides at Kathi's Krab Shack (352-498-0605) or do it yourself. Hint: cook them anyway you want-- just don't overcook them.
For a complete rundown on scallop seasons and regulations in Florida, go to <a href="http://www.MyFWC.com/Fishing">MyFWC.com/Fishing</a> and click on "Saltwater Fishing", then "Recreational Regulations" and "Bay Scallops". https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/join-a-live-summertime-easter-egg-hunt-in-floridas-big-bend/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Hunting Not Always Ducky on Lake Okeechobee&body=<img class=" size-medium wp-image-3060 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/lakeoduck.jpg?w=225" alt="LakeODuck" width="225" height="300" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
[Okeechobee, FL--] A blast of cold weather and flocks of ignorant ducks from the north are high on the holiday wish lists of duck hunters on Lake Okeechobee when phase two of the harvest season opens Dec.12.
The first phase Nov. 21-29 found hordes of hunters and plenty of birds flying over the marshes of the Big O on the first cool front of the fall season. But after numerous rounds of sky-blasting from legions of 12-gauges, the ducks learned to cruise the stratosphere as they made their way south across the 730-square-mile lake.
Still, the skittish birds and constant bursts of small-arms fire were no excuses for not bagging a limit of six, according to Sam Heaton of Jensen Beach, FL. In a half-day of hunting on the north end of the lake, Heaton managed only three ducks-- two ring-necked and a gadwall.
It wasn't for lack of preparation; Heaton had scouted the secluded lily pad slough weeks before the season opened aboard his 15 1/2-foot Gheenoe-- a flats boat/canoe hybrid powered by an outboard with an extra-long shaft. A veteran hunter, fisherman and all-around outdoorsman, he had discovered plenty of ducks alighting, feeding and hanging out in the area. All he had to do was set out some decoys, conceal his camo-painted boat in a nearby stand of cattails, cradle his 12-gauge, and watch for the flare of approaching duck wings.
He was armed with a variety of duck calls ranging from quacks to whistles and had his trusty yellow Lab named Finn aboard to fetch fallen birds. But none of it seemed to matter when his quarry flew in. He fired and missed at least four times.
"Son of a gun," Heaton muttered. "This is the worst I've ever shot."
Finn, waiting impatiently for something to do, whined in agreement.
"I know, I know, buddy," Heaton soothed the dog, stroking its ears.
When Heaton shot his first 'ringer', Finn literally leapt into action -- bounding over the gunwales into the marsh and swimming straight for the floating duck. He quickly returned with it clamped in his jaws, looking immensely pleased with himself.
Over the next four hours, Heaton shot one more ringer and a gadwall-- both retrieved by Finn. As the sun rose higher, the birds mostly flew by high out of range. Despite the futility, several nearby hunters blasted at them anyway, prompting them to reach new heights. By late morning, fewer and fewer flocks appeared.
"We need some more ducks. These ducks have been shot hard this weekend," Heaton said.
Around noon with no more prospects on the horizon, Heaton decided to pack up his decoys and head back to the boat ramp. He had enough duck breasts for hors d'oeuvres and was buoyed by hopes of a new wave of targets during phase two of the season which runs through Jan. 31.
"We'll get more ducks since the weather is getting cold up north," he said.
Here is Heaton's recipe for grilled duck breast:
Butterfly duck breasts. Prepare a mixture of sour cream, chives, garlic, cilantro, and red pepper flakes, ladle it onto the breasts, then roll each one up in a slice of apple-cured bacon and secure with a toothpick or skewer.
Cook on the grill until the bacon is sizzling. Dive in.
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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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