The Florida Keys are steadily digging out from under the rubble and crumbled infrastructure left by Hurricane Irma’s devastating winds and floods that left as many as 10,000 residents homeless. …
Guy Harvey Outpost, A TradeWinds Beach Resort Sponsors Auditorium at Florida Gulf Coast Center for Fishing
28 Sep 20124:16 PM
The newly rebranded Guy Harvey Outpost, a TradeWinds Beach Resort has jumped right in to supporting conservation efforts on the Gulf Coast by becoming title sponsor of Florida Gulf Coast Center for Fishing & Interactive Museum’s auditorium, now named Guy Harvey Outpost Auditorium presented by TradeWinds Island Resorts. The 2,000 square foot, state-of-the-art auditorium features a 100-seat amphitheater with full audio and visual presentation capability. The auditorium will feature film presentations for children and adults, including the Guy Harvey video series, educational classes, seminars and community events. The auditorium sponsorship is contracted through 2017.
The Florida Gulf Coast Center for Fishing & Interactive Museum is an educational complex complete with auditorium, classrooms, historical and marine art galleries, interactive fishing simulator area, marine store and outdoor fishing lake – aligning perfectly with Guy Harvey’s signature brand of preserving marine resources through education in science and hands-on exploration.
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![](mailto:?subject=2011 Billfish Invitational Underway at the Bimini Big Game Club&body=During this week's Billfish Invitational tournament, Fred Garth, Editor-In-Chief of <a title="GHM web site" href="http://www.guyharveymagazine.com">Guy Harvey Magazine</a>, will be filing a series of dispatches from tournament headquarters at the Bimini Big Game Club.
Fishing began today at the <a title="Billfish Invitational web site" href="http://www.billfishinvitational.com" target="_blank">Billfish Invitational Tournament</a> with clear skies and light winds. Local fishermen have reported good activity in recent days leading up to today’s kick off so there’s plenty of optimism in the air. Twelve boats headed out early rigged and ready for action.
Anglers and dignitaries enjoyed a full evening of festivities Wednesday evening at the newly renovated <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a>, which has been rebranded and rebuilt as a <a title="About Guy Harvey Outpost" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/aboutus.htm" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina</a>. Numerous world records have been caught in the waters here and, of course, Bimini was a favorite haunt of legendary fisherman and author Ernest Hemingway.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nedcaptmeeting11.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-717" title="Capt. Ned Stone, tournament director, addresses the teams during Wednesday's Captains Meeting" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nedcaptmeeting11.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="400" /></a>
VIP guests in attendance at the opening party and captain’s meeting included <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey</a>, Mike Myatt, COO of the <a title="IGFA web site" href="http://www.igfa.org/Default.aspx" target="_blank">IGFA</a>, Bill Shedd of Guy Harvey apparel licensee <a title="AFTCO Bluewater web site" href="http://www.aftcobluewater.com/" target="_blank">AFTCO Bluewater</a>, Frank Johnson of <a title="Mold Craft web site" href="http://www.moldcraftproducts.com/" target="_blank">Mold Craft</a>, and Sculptor <a title="Kent Ullberg's web site" href="http://www.kentullberg.net/" target="_blank">Kent Ullberg</a>, who created the Billfish Invitational’s <a title="About the Hemingway-Lerner Triphy" href="http://guyharveyoutpostnews.com/2011/04/29/hemingway-lerner-trophy-unveiled-for-guy-harveys-upcoming-billfish-invitational-in-bimini/" target="_blank">“Hemingway-Lerner” trophy</a>.
This is the first billfish tournament since the resort was rebuilt with the help and co-ordination of Guy Harvey. The tournament has not only attracted top fishermen but also an eclectic collection of artists and top marine photographers such as <a title="Pat Ford Photography web site" href="http://www.patfordphotos.com/" target="_blank">Pat Ford</a>, <a title="Scott Kerrigan's web site" href="http://www.scottkerrigan.com/" target="_blank">Scott Kerrigan</a>, and <a title="Bill Boyce's web site" href="http://www.boyceimage.com/" target="_blank">Bill Boyce</a>, who is shooting a documentary with Guy and his crew.
The Big Game is On, so much more to follow...
Garth Out! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/billfish-invitational-underway/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Red Hot Reds in Shallow St. Augustine&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/sta.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2981 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/sta.jpg?w=300" alt="StA" width="300" height="225" /></a>By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
[St. Augustine, FL--] We were not fishing the prime tide in the spartina marsh lining the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway north of St. Augustine, but apparently that didn't matter to the hungry redfish.
Past the flood stage, water was slowly draining out of the grass flats. But there were still plenty of small black crabs clinging to the emergent greenery, prompting the reds to tail and slurp enthusiastically.
"See him? His whole back's out of the water," captain James Dumas pointed to a dark hump on the surface. "He's almost in range."
Standing on the bow of Dumas' skiff, I saw the hump submerge and pop up again with a small splash.
"He just ate a mullet!" Dumas exclaimed.
I made a short cast with the 8-wt fly rod, aiming a few feet in front of where I believed the red's nose was pointed. But the breeze overcame the fly line and the leggy, purple-and-black crab pattern landed behind the fish.
I quickly stripped the line back in and made another cast to the obediently stationary fish, but that, too, was errant.
The third cast proved the charm, with the fly planted correctly in front of the target.
"Start bumping it," Dumas directed. "Now he'll eat it."
Dumas was right: I moved the fly a bit and the red chomped on it decisively.
After a brief tussle in the grass, I brought the fish up to the gunwales to be photographed and released.
"They'll keep giving you shots till you hit the fish or you stomp on the boat," he said.
Now it was Vaughn Cochran's turn on the bow and he quickly caught and released a slightly larger red on fly.
What fun! Cochran and I were fishing the late October full moon which pulls king tides into the shallows, greatly expanding the habitat of redfish bulking up on crabs for winter. Had our schedules permitted arriving an hour earlier-- before the tide started draining out--we likely would have hooked even more fish. And nobody knows their habits like Dumas, operator of <a href="http://www.drummancharters.com" target="_blank">Drumman Charters</a>.
"When it gets cold, they get shallower," Dumas said. "They get in big schools on the flats. They get in the creeks too. The best creeks are the ones that empty into basins."
The guide said he typically switches to small shrimp patterns and Clousers in wintertime when waters become clearer. Non-fly fishers can use live shrimp or cast artificials like D.O.A.'s or Z-man Shrimpz.
And redfish aren't the only targets in the cool season. Fly anglers get shots at flounder by bumping Clousers in pot holes while live baiters toss mullet or minnows. For sea trout, the ubiquitous Cajun Thunder-- a rattling float to which you can attach a live bait or a soft-plastic shrimp lure-- is probably the best choice. For fly anglers, poppers are tops.
One of the most popular local spots for shore and wade fishing is the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve located just off A-1-A about halfway between St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach. When the dam between the Guana River and Lake Ponte Vedra is open, anglers enjoy good catches of flounder, redfish and other species on foot using finger mullet, crabs and other live baits.
The St. Augustine area has plenty more to offer besides shallow-water fishing. Check out this blog later for more on bottom fishing; dining, and unique attractions on Florida's First Coast.
***********
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/red-hot-reds-in-shallow-st-augustine/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Supporting New Shark-Free Marinas Initiative Florida Campaign&body=<a href="http://www.sharkfreemarinas.com/florida/submission/submission/"><img class="aligncenter" title="SFMI 2011 Florida Campaign" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/florida-campaign.png" alt="" width="285" height="100" /></a>
Converting Florida Marinas Critical to Health of Shark Populations
The <a title="SFMI web site" href="http://www.sharkfreemarinas.com/" target="_blank">Shark-Free Marinas Initiative</a> (SFMI) is reaching out to marinas in Florida to ask for their support in conserving the world’s shark populations. Organized as a cooperative by the <a title="Pegasus Foundation web site" href="http://www.pegasusfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Pegasus Foundation</a>, the <a title="GHOF web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a> and <a title="US Humane Society web site" href="http://www.humanesociety.org/" target="_blank">The Humane Society of the United States</a>, the SFMI aims to reduce shark mortality worldwide by discouraging the landing of sharks and encouraging catch-and-release of sharks in sport fishing, while rewarding forward-thinking marinas that participate in this program. Supporting organizations include <a title="MML web site" href="http://www.mote.org/" target="_blank">Mote Marine Laboratory</a>, the <a title="PEG web site" href="http://www.pewenvironment.org/" target="_blank">Pew Environment Group</a>, <a title="Fishpond USA web site" href="http://www.fishpondusa.com/" target="_blank">Fishpond USA</a> and the <a title="Fisheries Conservation Foundation" href="http://www.fisheriesconservationfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Fisheries Conservation Foundation</a>.
“Shark populations worldwide have suffered severe declines due to over-fishing,” says world renowned artist, angler and conservationist, Dr. Guy Harvey, “Marinas in Florida can now do their part to help conserve these ecologically vital animals by joining the SFMI.”
Sharks are currently being killed at an unsustainable rate. A scientific study published by Imperial College, London estimated that the fins of from 26 million up to 73 million sharks per year were being traded through the world’s fin markets as of the year 2000, mostly for shark fin soup. In addition, the U.S. government estimates that recreational fishing killed an average of more than 200,000 sharks along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coast each year between 2004 and 2008.
“Many sharks species have declined because of overfishing, which recreational fishing has contributed to in the U.S.,” notes Dr. Robert Hueter, senior scientist and director, Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research. “Sustaining these species is in the interest of recreational anglers as well as marine conservationists.”
Marinas in Florida can help reduce the number of sharks being killed by joining the SFMI and preventing dead sharks from being brought back to their docks. "There is no state more important to the success of this initiative in the United States than Florida, the sport-fishing capital of the world," says Luke Tipple, managing director of the SFMI. ""Because of the number of shark species off Florida, and the sheer number of nursery grounds and migratory routes located there, protecting Florida's sharks is critical to maintaining the health of Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters."
<a href="http://www.sharkfreemarinas.com/"><img title="SFMI Logo" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sfmilogo.jpg" alt="" width="324" height="347" /></a>
SFMI supporter John Land Le Coq, co-founder of Fishpond USA, agrees. “Sharks are the guardians of the ocean and play an essential part in the health of the ocean. Most anglers I know are very concerned about the status of sharks. I hope every marina in Florida joins this important program. ”
According to Dr. John Grandy, senior vice president, The Humane Society of the United States, “Thousands of dollars in prizes are offered in shark tournaments that the government itself acknowledges are poorly monitored. Kill tournaments and misinformed media support the antiquated concept that the only good shark is a dead shark. This has to change.”
There are two different levels of commitment for an interested marina. It can either become a “Shark-Free Marina” that completely prohibits the landing of all sharks on its docks or a “Shark-Friendly Marina” — a facility that discourages the killing and landing of sharks and does not promote any activity that could harm sharks.
“The SFMI works in tandem with businesses and fishermen to increase the awareness of the need to protect our sharks and oceans,” says Barbara Birdsey, founder of the Pegasus Foundation. “This is a voluntary program that will prevent the needless killing of these ecologically and economically vital animals.” Each marina will also receive recognition around the world as a partner in this growing initiative.
Dr. Harvey summarizes: “I encourage recreational fishermen everywhere to join with me and SFMI to help protect sharks and our oceans. Our world needs sharks.”
Facts
The U.S. government estimates that, on average, more than 200,000 sharks were killed annually off the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coast by sport fishermen for each year between 2004 and 2008.
In 2009, close to 2,000 shortfin mako sharks were killed in recreational and commercial fisheries in the U.S., leading the National Marine Fisheries Service to declare that shortfin mako sharks are “overfished.” Despite asking fishermen to voluntarily release these sharks unharmed, tournaments targeting makos have continued.
Today the dusky shark population in the northwestern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico is estimated to have lost 80-85 percent of its population since the mid-1970s, according to research cited by a 2011 NMFS report. The NMFS prohibited recreational fishermen from possessing duskies starting in in 2000, but they can be difficult to identify and some sport fishermen still catch and release them.
Forward thinking anglers have already created new fishing tournaments that help conserve sharks and support marine research. For example, in 2011, the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge, an annual Catch and Release Tournament in SW Florida awarded $10,000 in prizes for research related tagging, while the Ocean City (Md.) Shark Tournament awarded $30,000 in prizes in its Catch and Release Division.
The Shark-Free Marina Initiative is a program of The Humane Society of the United States. It is strongly supported by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Fishpond USA, Mote Marine Laboratory, Oceanic Defense, The Fisheries Conservation Foundation, the Cape Eleuthera Institute and the Pegasus Foundation.
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-ocean-foundation-supporting-new-shark-free-marinas-initiative-florida-campaign/){kind=link}
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