By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com Custom-made offshore trolling lures; jewelry, sculptures and paintings; Guy Harvey swag; marine electronics. These are …
LYC Commodore Sends Letter of Thanks for Successful 2010 Bimini Blast Event at the BBGC
26 Sep 20105:49 PM
The Commodore of the Lauderdale Yacht Club recently sent a letter to the staff of the Bimini Big Game Club expressing his gratitude to the BBGC for hosting a sucessful “Bimini Blast”, which is the LYC’s annual gathering in Bimini:
Click here to see a photo album of the 2010 “Bimini Blast” event at the BBGC.
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![](mailto:?subject=LYC Commodore Sends Letter of Thanks for Successful 2010 Bimini Blast Event at the BBGC&body=The Commodore of the Lauderdale Yacht Club recently sent a letter to the staff of the <a title="Bimini Big Game Club web site" href="http://www.biminibiggameclub.com" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a> expressing his gratitude to the BBGC for hosting a sucessful "Bimini Blast", which is the LYC's annual gathering in Bimini:
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/lyc-loving-letter1.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-133 aligncenter" title="Letter from the Commodore of the LYC" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/lyc-loving-letter1.jpg?w=788" alt="" width="567" height="737" /></a>
<a title="Bimini Blast 2010 at the Bimini Big Game Club" href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13362&id=127094040665962&saved" target="_blank">Click here</a> to see a photo album of the 2010 "Bimini Blast" event at the BBGC. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/lyc-commodore-sends-letter-of-thanks-for-successful-2010-bimini-blast-event-at-the-bbgc/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Follow the Yellow Brick Road&body=<img class=" size-medium wp-image-3226 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/p1010298.jpg?w=225" alt="P1010298" width="225" height="300" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
I can't think of too many outings more fun in winter than going patch fishing off Islamorada.
While you are almost certain to catch big numbers of yellowtail snapper, plenty of other species either hang out or pass through these miniature ecosystems at the same time.
On a late December outing with captain Greg Eklund and mate Cory Nelson on the charterboat Cloud Nine out of Bud n' Mary's Marina, our group of four anglers boated nearly 40 yellowtail and gray snapper, a handful of cero mackerel, and the broad head of a big red grouper that got cut in half by a suspected shark. We also released about dozen and half undersized mutton snapper. We couldn't lower our baits into the current without getting a hit.
"Yellowtail is one of the most important species we have," said Eklund, a 21-year veteran captain. "They're delicious. abundant, and fun to catch."
Check, check and check.
The fishing grounds Eklund chose was a sandy plain in the ocean off Islamorada about 20 feet deep with scattered patches of coral reefs to the north and south. He dropped the Cloud Nine's anchor in the sand up-current of the live bottom.
"You don't want to damage the reef by anchoring on it," Eklund explained. "You don't want to damage your tackle on the bottom and lose fish on the reef. You bring the fish to you."
Nelson deployed a chum bag on the transom and prepared a bucket full of raw oats mixed with the oily fish parts. For bait, Cloud Nine had brought live shrimp threaded on 1/4-ounce knock-off Hook Up jigs.
"Live shrimp is a very effective bait in wintertime because a lot of shrimp are going under the bridges," Eklund said, referring to the spans dotting U.S. 1 that separate the ocean from shallow Florida Bay waters.
The captain said fishing for yellowtail with live shrimp on the main reef tract further offshore doesn't work as well as it does on the patches because the fish aren't used to seeing them in wintertime. Most of those migrating crustaceans get picked off by predators long before they make it to the open ocean. Live pilchards, he said, are the preferred bait in deeper waters.
The captain tossed out a cloud of oats and chum from the stern of the boat, waited a few beats, then sent out another one. Within a few minutes, he pronounced, " I can see them; they're swarming."
Flashes of dingy yellow appeared in the green chum slick as Eklund baited my jig with a live shrimp. I lowered it into the water, watching for the line to start zipping through the rod guides. It didn't take long.
"You're on," Eklund said.
I slammed the bail of the reel closed, and came up tight on a feisty fish. It even made the drag sing a little. Within a minute or two, I swung a 14-inch yellowtail over the transom.
My fishing companions--Bud n' Mary's owner captain Richard Stanczyk, tackle shop manager Stephen Byrd, and North Carolina charterboat captain Dave Peck--all joined the action, which was constant and frenzied for several hours. Mixed in with the tails was a handful of mangrove snapper; quite a few muttons too small to keep; and several ceros. A heavy bottom outfit yielded the partial grouper.
The weather was bumpy the day we fished, so we pretty much had the area to ourselves. No commercial boats plied the area for yellowtail because NOAA Fisheries had closed that fishery Oct. 31, projecting that the total annual catch limit of about 1.6 million pounds would be reached. Commercial fishing re-opened on Jan. 1.
Yellowtail is considered a success story by both fishers and fisheries managers. Unlike some grouper/snapper species, the stock is not in trouble from overfishing.
Eklund said part of the reason is all the chumming that goes on in the area.
"It's like a small farm," he said. "[Yellowtail] will gorge themselves on chum, then go to the rocks and regurgitate and it feeds other fish."
We scored a cooler full before noon, and I went home with plenty of five-star entree fare to serve at holiday feasts.
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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/follow-the-yellow-brick-road/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject="Underwater Realism" Art Course Offered at Islander Resort In Islamorada&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/roysterbj03tn-300x278.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2889 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/roysterbj03tn-300x278.jpg" alt="RoysterBJ03tn-300x278" width="300" height="278" /></a>Islamorada artist BJ Royster will unlock the creative process in you in a relaxed, informative and creative manner. This class is for designed for complete beginners, as well as those artists who want to enhance their knowledge and discipline within the creative process. You will take home a Keys reef scene on 11 x 14 stretched canvas.
WHAT: "Underwater Realism" art course
WHEN: Thurs, Oct 8, 22, Nov 5, 19; 1 – 4 pm
HOW MUCH: $165 <a href="http://moradaway.org/underwater-realism" target="_blank">REGISTRATION</a> (Materials Included)
Born and raised in South Florida, BJ is recognized as a foremost artist specializing in reefs. After overcoming a fear of diving, she became a certified SCUBA diver and now translates the underwater beauty to her canvases. Her award winning work can be seen around the world, in several publications, and in her gallery, BJ Royster Ocean Gallery in Islamorada.
CALL 800.513.5257 TO RESERVE YOUR ROOM AT THE ISLANDER AT OUR INCREDIBLE WEEKDAY RATES! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/underwater-realism-art-course-offered-at-islander-resort-in-islamorada/){kind=link}
![](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.
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![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Offering Front Row Seat to Florida Keys Coral Spawning&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/noaa.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2860 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/noaa.jpg?w=300" alt="NOAA" width="300" height="225" /></a>It looks like a brilliant fireworks display, except it's underwater. In the middle of the night several days after the August 29 full moon, boulder corals all along the Florida Keys reef tract get together to do the wild thing. And you are invited to watch.
These simultaneous acts of coral sex make for spectacular viewing. Millions of tiny white bb's erupt from the polyps of large mounds of coral, scattering bundles of eggs and sperm into the water. Many are immediately consumed by marauding schools of shiny silver pilchards-- hence the fireworks effect. And the swarming pilchards attract larger predators such as barracuda and tarpon to the fray. The lucky coral gametes that manage to survive the fish fest fertilize one another to create larvae which eventually settle to the bottom to form new coral reefs.
For a front-row seat on the nights of Sept. 3 and 4, make a reservation with Captain Slate's Scuba Adventures Dive Center in Tavernier (305-451-3020). The crew will escort you to one of several reefs about 25 feet deep where you have the greatest chance of watching coral reproduce.
However, it's never a sure thing where Mother Nature is involved; the annual spawning is triggered by various cues that are not well understood such as lunar cycle, water temperature and tides. But the good news is that scientists correctly forecast that staghorn coral would spawn the first week of August-- and they did on Aug. 5 in the Coral Restoration Foundation's nursery off the Upper Keys. Scientists and dive operators are hopeful that the larger mountainous species such as brain and star corals -- which put on a much better show than the staghorn--should do the deed as predicted just before Labor Day Weekend.
If you don't want to stay up for the late-night coral viewing party, you can hunt lobsters in daytime from one of Captain Slate's boats. Florida's regular lobster harvest season, which opened Aug. 6 and runs through March 31, allows divers and snorkelers to take six per person per day. Slate's crews will take you to the patch reefs that hold the big ones. You need a Florida saltwater fishing license with a lobster endorsement which can be purchased online at MyFWC.com or at county tax collectors' offices and some retail outlets.
Get busy; spots are filling quickly. For more information, contact GHO Reservations at 800.513.5257, or sales@guyharveyoutpost.com. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-offering-front-row-seat-to-florida-keys-coral-spawning/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=World’s Largest Spear Fishing Tournament to be Held in St. Petersburg&body=By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
As many as 400 spear fishers from throughout Florida and the U.S. will gather in St. Petersburg Aug. 19-21 for the St. Pete Open-- the world's largest underwater hunting contest and one of the beach's biggest parties of the year.
Spearos will compete on scuba gear or simply dive down holding their breath using pole spear, Hawaiian sling, or spear gun to try to bag the biggest fish in each of seven categories. At stake are some $50,000 worth of prizes and trophies to be awarded at a huge public weigh-in party at the Magnuson Marina Cove Hotel & Resort.
"It's one day of intensive, bust-your-bottom spear fishing. Dive, dive, dive!" said Charlie Barnes, president of the St. Petersburg Underwater Club, which is putting on the contest for the 51st year. "We love the competition. We love the camaraderie and it's the biggest party in town."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/22449399003_8ec1ba2817_b-e1471009118288.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4188" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/22449399003_8ec1ba2817_b-e1471009118288.jpg" alt="22449399003_8ec1ba2817_b" width="599" height="400" /></a>
Divers will fan out in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean hunting for mongo specimens in the categories of grouper; snapper; pelagic; hogfish; cobia/barracuda; lobster (hand-caught only; no spears); and sheepshead. New this year is a prize sub-category for lionfish. The tournament has no boundaries; however competitors must be in the weigh-in line by 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 20. Late comers will be disqualified.
Barnes, a veteran spear fisher himself, said the best strategy is to shoot fish in each of the categories, since only one fish per category can be entered. He said it's common for contestants to run 50 miles offshore to their hot spots, diving as deep as 200 feet in the hunt for big fish. Competitors must abide by all state and local fisheries laws, such as bag and size limits and closed seasons.
Entry fee is $100 per diver. Less than 300 slots remain open, so go <a href="http://www.StPeteUnderwaterClub.com" target="_blank">HERE</a> to register now!
For great deals from Guy Harvey Outpost, including the 'Suite Summer Saver Deal' at Guy Harvey Outpost in St. Pete Beach, visit our <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/specials/" target="_blank">SPECIALS PAGE</a> now!
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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.
**********
Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/worlds-largest-spear-fishing-tournament-to-be-held-on-st-pete-beach/){kind=link}
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