Kayaking the shallows of Shell Key Preserve near St. Pete Beach, our group of 11 is being shadowed by some very determined cormorants. The black water birds with jade-green eyes paddle only a few feet …
Join Guy Harvey Outpost’s Bonfire Sculptor at the Stuart Boat Show, January 9-11
9 Jan 20156:41 PM
Guy Harvey Outpost & Artist Bobby Little Show off his Burning Sculptures at the Stuart Boat Show
Little’s over-sized burning sculptures are central to Outpost’s Bonfire Tournament Series. The Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival will feature huge wahoo rising to 15′. Having lived in the out islands of the Bahamas for much of his life, Little appreciates the value of reusing and recycling materials. His welded pieces are made from left over construction materials and a truck hood contributes the flat stock for the heads. The Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival fires off at Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbor, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Property, February 26th through March 1st.
Conscious of his environmental impact, sculptor Little uses only recovered dead coral for his carvings. At no time does he harvest live coral. The Stuart Boat Show has a small town feel. With its warm friendly feel, Stuart is an ideal venue to meet the artist and peruse his coral carvings and talk a little fishing at the Guy Harvey Outpost booth #418.
Join the Guy Harvey Outpost fishing team and sculptor Little at “Wahoo Central” aka Old Bahama Bay (OBB) for the Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival. In addition to art and bonfires the weekend will feature fun filled parties, Skydiving and Kiteboarding exhibitions from Island Extreme Ventures
Unlike most locales where wahoo are considered incidental catches due to their lonely & nomadic nature, at Old Bahama Bay they are caught consistently October to March. Double and triple headers of wahoo are common during the season. One-hundred pounders are caught each year in the Bahamas. “Wahoo Alley,” a stretch just north of OBB, where the Little Bahama Bank meets the Gulfstream, gets special recognition on fishing charts.
Stuart Boat Show Details
When: Friday-Sunday
Where: On land: Along N.W. Dixie Highway between the Old Roosevelt Bridge and Fern St. In the water: At HMY’s Waterway Marina, Allied Marine and Stuart Harbor.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Adults $12, Seniors & Veterans $10, Children $5 and infants are free.
Information: Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (772) 692-7599; Allsports Productions (305) 868-9224
Parking: Free on Wright Blvd. northwest of boat show with free shuttle to show.
GUY HARVEY OUTPOST
For Fishing with Guy Harvey Outpost: www.ghofish.com
More Information on Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter https://twitter.com/GHOutpost
For Guy Harvey Outpost on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost
Pro team Member
Related Articles
Pro Team
Connect & Follow
Connect & Follow
General
Bon Appetit
Conservation Corner
Dive In
Got Photo
Get Hooked
Outdoor Adventure
SURF-UP
Travel Tips
![](mailto:?subject=Join Guy Harvey Outpost’s Bonfire Sculptor at the Stuart Boat Show, January 9-11&body=Guy Harvey Outpost & Artist Bobby Little Show off his Burning Sculptures at the Stuart Boat Show
Little's over-sized burning sculptures are central to Outpost's Bonfire Tournament Series. The <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/2015-burning-wahoo-tournament/overview.html">Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival </a>will feature huge wahoo rising to 15'. Having lived in the out islands of the Bahamas for much of his life, Little appreciates the value of reusing and recycling materials. His welded pieces are made from left over construction materials and a truck hood contributes the flat stock for the heads. The <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/2015-burning-wahoo-tournament/overview.html">Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival </a>fires off at <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/west-end-grand-bahama-island/overview.html">Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbor</a>, a <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/index.php">Guy Harvey Outpost </a>Expedition Property, February 26th through March 1st.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/bobby-wahoo-gho-img_2086-03.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2470" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/bobby-wahoo-gho-img_2086-03.jpg" alt="Bobby Little with a miniature Wahoo at the Stuart Boat Show." width="660" height="660" /></a>Bobby Little with a miniature Wahoo at the Stuart Boat Show.
Conscious of his environmental impact, sculptor Little uses only recovered dead coral for his carvings. At no time does he harvest live coral. The Stuart Boat Show has a small town feel. With its warm friendly feel, Stuart is an ideal venue to meet the artist and peruse his coral carvings and talk a little fishing at the Guy Harvey Outpost booth #418.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/bobby-coral-blue-marlin-img_2085-02.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2472 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/bobby-coral-blue-marlin-img_2085-02.jpg" alt="Bobby coral, blue marlin, IMG_2085.02" width="660" height="695" /></a>Bobby Little with coral carvings and welded marling at the Stuart Boat Show. 2015
Join the Guy Harvey Outpost fishing team and sculptor Little at "Wahoo Central" aka Old Bahama Bay (OBB) for the Burning Wahoo Tournament & Festival. In addition to art and bonfires the weekend will feature fun filled parties, Skydiving and Kiteboarding exhibitions from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IslandExtremeVentures">Island Extreme Ventures</a>
Unlike most locales where wahoo are considered incidental catches due to their lonely & nomadic nature, at Old Bahama Bay they are caught consistently October to March. Double and triple headers of wahoo are common during the season. One-hundred pounders are caught each year in the Bahamas. "Wahoo Alley," a stretch just north of OBB, where the Little Bahama Bank meets the Gulfstream, gets special recognition on fishing charts.
<a href="http://ghofish.com/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-2436" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/burning-wahoo-logo.jpg" alt="http://ghofish.com/" width="375" height="375" /></a>
Stuart Boat Show Details
When: Friday-Sunday
Where: On land: Along N.W. Dixie Highway between the Old Roosevelt Bridge and Fern St. In the water: At HMY's Waterway Marina, Allied Marine and Stuart Harbor.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Adults $12, Seniors & Veterans $10, Children $5 and infants are free.
Information: Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (772) 692-7599; Allsports Productions (305) 868-9224
Parking: Free on Wright Blvd. northwest of boat show with free shuttle to show.
GUY HARVEY OUTPOST
For Fishing with Guy Harvey Outpost: <a href="http://www.ghofish.com/" target="_parent">www.ghofish.com</a>
More Information on Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/" target="_parent">http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/</a>
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com/" target="_parent">www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost" target="_parent">https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/GHOutpost" target="_parent">https://twitter.com/GHOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost" target="_parent">http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost</a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/join-guy-harvey-outposts-bonfire-sculptor-at-the-stuart-boat-show-january-9-11/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Nature, Notoriety Highlight St. Pete Kayak Tour&body=Kayaking the shallows of Shell Key Preserve near St. Pete Beach, our group of 11 is being shadowed by some very determined cormorants. The black water birds with jade-green eyes paddle only a few feet away, then dive down and follow us underwater.
"They're looking for fish that the paddles stir up," explains guide Ross Heintzelman of Coastal Kayak Charters.
The cormorants accompanied us for probably a half-mile to a mangrove island that serves as a rookery for pelicans and other birds, then faded off as we paused and floated.
Heintzelman and fellow guide Doug Allen noticed a long strand of heavy monofilament fishing line trailing from one of the pelicans roosting in the trees. The line was tangled in the boughs, tethering the pelican to its perch. The guides tried to retrieve the tag end of the line and bring the bird down to untangle it, but the pelican managed to pull free and flew away-- still trailing the fishing line.
Heintzelman and Allen were disappointed, but decided to come back later and try again.
"We've probably rescued 18 pelicans like that," Allen said.
We continued on, paddling over rich sea grass meadows teeming with jumping mullet as graceful herons and fierce-looking ospreys passed overhead.
The guides stopped near an opening in another mangrove island and led the group single-file down a narrow tunnel through the tree cover. Tiny mangrove crabs scuttled up and down the prop roots, but no one was startled because Heintzelman had briefed us ahead of time.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/kayakSTP.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4723" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/kayakSTP.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720" /></a>
Emerging into open water, we paddled a short distance before entering our second tunnel. This natural architecture reminds me of a darkened cathedral, but with a leafy canopy instead of a granite ceiling. Surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes.
The third and longest mangrove tunnel was through Sawyer Key which, according to Allen, once served as a drug and money cache for celebrated former marijuana smuggler Steve Lamb of St. Pete Beach. The affable Lamb and his Robin Hood-like band made numerous midnight runs between Jamaica and Florida's west coast in the 1960s and early 70s.
The smugglers were arrested in 1973 in Steinhatchee, Fla. in what was then the largest marijuana bust in U.S. history. Once out of prison, Lamb wrote a book about his exploits entitled "The Smuggler's Ghost". Allen said rumors persist that coolers stuffed with currency may still be buried somewhere in the sand mounds of Sawyer Key. I couldn't help staring hard at those mounds as we passed by.
Departing the shady gloom of Sawyer Key, we headed back across open water toward the put-in at Tierra Verde Bayway. The faithful cormorants accompanied us nearly all the way, skillfully dodging our paddles as they swam alongside us.
Heintzelman and Allen escorted a second group of kayakers in the preserve later that afternoon. But this time, they reported success in cutting the line from the tethered pelican we had encountered in the morning. They named it "Lucky 19".
If you would like to book a kayak trip with Coastal Kayak Charters, visit <a href="http://www.coastalkayakcharters.com">www.coastalkayakcharters.com</a>, or call 727.207.6342.
Check out St. Pete Beach package deals here: <a href="http://guyharveyoutpost.com/special/">guyharveyoutpost.com/special</a>, or call the Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Desk at 800.513.5257.
Photos courtesy of Coastal Kayak Charters.
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/nature-notoriety-highlight-st-pete-kayak-tour/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Vet to Vet: Dive, Dive, Dive!&body=Retired U.S. Navy Petty Officer Seth Wade likely will have to get around using a wheelchair for the rest of his life-- a daunting prospect at the age of 26. After losing use of his legs in a 2014 auto accident that damaged his spinal cord while on deployment in Europe, Wade is adjusting to civilian life in his hometown of Tampa. But instead of being depressed about what he can't do as a paraplegic, Wade has decided to focus on what he CAN do-- snow and water skiing, sailing, and, just recently, scuba diving.
"Being in the water gives you a sense of freedom," Wade said between pool training sessions in Clearwater recently. "I love it. I can't wait to get to the good stuff."
Wade was trained by Scott Crawford, a U.S. Air Force retiree and owner/instructor at Rock Bottom Divers near Tarpon Springs. Crawford has been donating his time to teach and certify military vets-- both disabled and able-bodied-- as scuba divers for the past three years. He works with several non-profit veterans' groups to help defray costs for the dive boat, equipment and instructional materials.
"It's called 'adaptive diving'," Crawford said of how he trains his students. "It's based on what the candidate can do -- not what he can't do."
Crawford was introduced to Wade by Nelson Corbin, executive director of the North Carolina-based Wounded Veteran Retreat Program. Corbin, a U.S. Army Rangers veteran, began organizing outdoor outings for wounded vets about three years ago after his son, who served in Special Forces, lost both legs in Afghanistan.
Corbin helped out with Wade's dive training sessions in the pool and an inland spring. But neither he nor Crawford cut the young man any slack. Wade lowered himself from his wheelchair to pool side and in and out of the water. He had to perform the same skills as any other open-water dive candidate-- removing and clearing the mask underwater; executing out-of-air drills and emergency ascents; donning his buoyancy control device and many others-- all while swimming with webbed gloves and no fins. He took to the skills easily-- probably because he grew up fishing and snorkeling in Tampa Bay.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1010485.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4206" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1010485-1024x768.jpg" alt="P1010485" width="1024" height="768" /></a>
"Good work, man!" Crawford congratulated Wade.
The student earned both an open-water and Nitrox scuba certification through the SSI agency. Nitrox is a breathing gas containing less nitrogen than regular compressed air-- important for Wade because it means less nitrogen accumulating in the scar tissue on his spine. Too much nitrogen in the blood and tissues can lead to decompression sickness, or the 'bends' -- a painful and serious medical condition.
"It's nice having two vets [in training sessions]," Wade said. "Doing it with non-vets from a local dive shop would be not as comfortable."
The new scuba diver reflected back on the dark days of his post-accident recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington, D.C. where he was treated by several psychologists, some of whom he "fired". But one who he called 'Lieutenant Dan' stood out as particularly helpful.
"Somehow, he was hooked up with Guy Harvey," Wade recalled.
'Lieutenant Dan' got Wade a limited-edition print of a tarpon signed by Harvey, along with a tee shirt. Today, that tarpon hangs over Wade's bed at home in Tampa.
"I never did get to thank Guy Harvey," Wade mused. "If you see him, tell him I said thanks."
<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/vet-to-vet-dive-dive-dive/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Where Has Amanda the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Gone Since Juno Beach Release 2 Weeks Ago?&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/turtle.jpeg"><img class=" size-medium wp-image-2782 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/turtle.jpeg?w=242" alt="turtle" width="242" height="300" /></a>
Amanda’s zig-zag route might look like she’s one confused sea turtle, but experts say the 300-pound loggerhead knows what she’s doing. "Her path is what we expected. She’s making a loop to get her bearings,” said Charlie Manire, director of research and rehabilitation at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
Since being released into the Atlantic Ocean from the LMC in Juno Beach on June 11, Amanda as of Tuesday has criss-crossed her way a little bit north and a lot south. That’s close to 180 miles, or about 14 miles a day.
She was last detected swimming a few miles off Delray Beach, according to seaturtle.org.
Amanda swam north about 5 miles, and then headed about 10 miles out to sea.
She then headed south and swam around between Juno Beach and West Palm Beach, less than 10 miles offshore.
For the past few days, Amanda has been meandering south, Mani-re said.
“She’s probably following a food source. She’s going where the crab, lobster, conch and shrimp are,” he said.
Amanda will teach researchers a little more about where sea turtles travel, how deep they dive, water temperatures and how fast they swim, thanks to a cell-phone-sized tracking device attached to her reddish-brown shell.
The gadget is designed to fall off after a couple of years, Manire said.
Researchers check her whereabouts daily and post Amanda’s location on marinelife.org.
While the location function of the device is working, the satellite programming to transmit depth and water temperature is not activated yet. It should kick in within about a month.
Amanda arrived at LMC on Dec.
28. Divers rescued her about a mile offshore from the Lake Worth Inlet. The turtle suffered from trauma to both of her front flippers, Manire said.
LMC is a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates and researches sea turtles. About 50 injured sea turtles are released into the Atlantic Ocean annually, as well as about 2,000 hatchlings.
The organization also counts sea turtle nests on the 10-mile stretch of beach from Juno Beach to the Martin County line.
About 225,000 visitors come to the center on U.S. 1 annually, according to LMC.
This article appears courtesy of Bill Dipaolo and the Palm Beach Post https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/where-has-amanda-the-sea-turtle-gone-since-juno-beach-release-2-weeks-ago/){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=Successful First Day at the FTL Boat Show&body=Day 1 of the <a title="FTL Boat Show web site" href="http://www.showmanagement.com/fort_lauderdale_international_boat_show_2010/event/" target="_blank">Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show</a> was a huge success for the team from <a title="About the GH Outpost" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/aboutus.htm" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost Ltd</a>. Lots of fans of the <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Big Game Club</a> - old and new - came by the Guy Harvey booth at <a title="Bahia Mar web site" href="http://www.bahiamarhotel.com/" target="_blank">Bahia Mar Marina</a> to register for the BGC getaway, tell some fishing stories, and to meet the man himself, Dr. Guy Harvey.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/boatshoweblast.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-224" title="Bimini Big Game Club Giveaway" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/boatshoweblast.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>
In addition to Guy, many other Guy Harvey Outpost and Guy Harvey Inc. notables were in the booth today - Mark Ellert, GHO President; Chris Pollock, GHO Dir. of Operations; <a title="Dive Bimini web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/diving.htm" target="_blank">Dive Bimini's </a>Neal Watson; Steve Stock, President of <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Inc.; </a>Sean Collins, VP of <a title="ARK Paddleboards web site" href="http://arkboards.com/" target="_blank">ARK Paddleboards</a>; and Doc Gruber, Director of the <a title="BBFS web site" href="http://www6.miami.edu/sharklab/index.html" target="_blank">Bimini Biological Field Station</a>.
Lots more in store for the remainder of the show, so come by the booth, meet the team and register for a chance to win the BGC getaway. Also, check us out on <a title="BBGC on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/BiminiBigGameClub" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and follow us on <a title="Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/GHOutpost" target="_blank">Twitter</a> for news and photos from the show. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/223-2/){kind=link}
TRAVEL DESK : 800.513.5257
Connect & Follow