From the early 1970s till the early 90s, Dr. Lloyd Wruble fished the remote waters of the Everglades back country twice weekly with a mentor who’d been roaming the region well before it became a …
Message from Guy Harvey to Outpost Customers
16 Apr 20209:03 AM
To all our Outpost Customers,
Never have I seen the sea as rough, or winds as strong, as we now are experiencing in our expedition together. We are a team, and together our ship will get through this storm. Many a small ship has crossed a stormy ocean, and we will as well.
We’re almost to the edge of this storm. The resolve, teamwork and positive outlook of our Outpost crew has kept our resorts and company on course as we make way to clear skies and calm waters.
As a friend of ours on this now unpleasant journey, please keep yourself safe as we push on, so once arrived we can all celebrate together our passage.
I am certain calm seas and fair winds await us. For now, please help all of those in need to stand before the winds. Thank you for everything you do, all day, every day.
Stay strong,
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=Message from Guy Harvey to Outpost Customers&body=
To all our Outpost Customers,
Never have I seen the sea as rough, or winds as strong, as we now are experiencing in our expedition together. We are a team, and together our ship will get through this storm. Many a small ship has crossed a stormy ocean, and we will as well.
We’re almost to the edge of this storm. The resolve, teamwork and positive outlook of our Outpost crew has kept our resorts and company on course as we make way to clear skies and calm waters.
As a friend of ours on this now unpleasant journey, please keep yourself safe as we push on, so once arrived we can all celebrate together our passage.
I am certain calm seas and fair winds await us. For now, please help all of those in need to stand before the winds. Thank you for everything you do, all day, every day.
Stay strong,
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/gh-signature.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-5522 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/gh-signature.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="167" /></a>
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/message-from-guy-harvey-to-outpost-customers/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Hosting Herman Lucerne Memorial Kick-Off Party and Awards Dinner&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/10345549_1090351407659179_1203005855189145553_n-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2882 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/10345549_1090351407659179_1203005855189145553_n-2.jpg?w=300" alt="10345549_1090351407659179_1203005855189145553_n (2)" width="300" height="284" /></a>From the early 1970s till the early 90s, Dr. Lloyd Wruble fished the remote waters of the Everglades back country twice weekly with a mentor who'd been roaming the region well before it became a national park in 1947. Herman Lucerne-- the former Florida City mayor and pioneer citrus grower nicknamed Mr. Everglades--introduced Wruble, a Miami oral surgeon, to the winding mangrove labyrinth of Hells Bay where the two endured extreme heat, relentless mosquitoes, and menacing reptiles for the exhilaration of catching monster snook.
"He showed me a lot I didn't know," Wruble said of Lucerne. "We were prepared to stay all night-- mosquito suits and all that."
Being unable to explore some of the park's narrowest inland passages in Lucerne's wide motorboat prompted Wruble to procure a 16-foot aluminum craft with a 70-horsepower Yamaha capable of penetrating creeks only as wide as stairwells and plying flats less than a foot deep. There they caught plenty of other game fish -- tarpon, bonefish, snapper, black and red drum, sea trout and even black bass where the 'Glades waters ran fresh enough. In the days before GPS and reliable cell phone service, the pair were the envy of South Florida sport anglers who longed to plumb their secret spots but were daunted by the perils and discomfort.
In 1992, Lucerne died in the aftermath of devastating Hurricane Andrew. But Wruble kept fishing on his own and eventually introduced up-and-comers such as captain Rick Murphy, now host of television's Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report, to the hardships and rewards of Hells Bay and the Everglades.
In 2001, Wruble held the first Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship to honor his friend's pioneering fishing legacy. The 2015 edition slated for Sept. 18-20 will host more than 70 angler teams competing to catch and release all seven eligible species --snook; tarpon; bonefish; sea trout; snapper; red drum; and either black drum or black bass--on bait, lures or fly tackle within Everglades National Park. No prize money will be awarded; proceeds benefit the park. The Islander, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort in Islamorada, will host the Sept. 18 kick-off party and the Sept. 20 awards dinner.
Logging all seven species will be fun to try, but tough to accomplish.
"They have to time the tides and have to pre-plan where to go at what time," Wruble said. "Knock off the easy ones first and save time to go after the more difficult ones. Bonefish is usually the toughest. It's very difficult to do, but every year we have several anglers that get all seven species."
The angler who measures, photographs and releases the greatest total length of all seven will be crowned grand champion. Trophies will be awarded in numerous other categories as well. Co-hosting the event are fishing celebrities Flip Pallot, Chico Fernandez, C.A. Richardson and Rick Murphy. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-hosting-herman-lucerne-memorial-kick-off-party-and-awards-dinner/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Rolling Snakeheads in Fort Lauderdale&body=<img class=" size-medium wp-image-3216 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/p1010264.jpg?w=225" alt="P1010264" width="225" height="300" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
A beautiful fish with a very ugly face. Slippery and slimy but tasty to eat. A feisty sport fish but a nuisance exotic. This is the paradox of the snakehead-- an invader native to Asia introduced about 15 years ago and now firmly established in Fort Lauderdale-area canals.
"We sure wish they weren't here," says Kelly Gestring, a non-native fish and wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We are definitely encouraging people to practice catch, keep and eat."
Like the 33 other non-native fish reproducing in South Florida waterways, the snakehead competes with the locals such as black bass and bream and the deliberately-stocked peacock bass for food and space. Generalist feeders, they will eat "anything that comes across their mouths", according to Gestring-- including a wide variety of fish; crayfish; bufo toads; Muscovy duck eggs, or whatever.
With "crazy Martian eyes"-- (as one angler put it) --and orange eye spots on a dark body, snakeheads are both beautiful and ugly. When hooked, they splash and jump better than a largemouth, inspiring a group of Broward County anglers to form a small tournament series targeting them. They make excellent butterflied baits for daytime swordfishing, and their flavor when cooked is mild and likened by many to tilapia-- a ubiquitous, farm-raised staple in grocery stores and restaurants. The largest one caught so far weighed 15 pounds-- taken by angler Corey Nowakowski last May in Deerfield Beach.
Fort Lauderdale five-star chef Anthony Hunt-- fresh from being "Chopped" on the Food Network--decided to whack a few snakeheads with his son Marlei, 9, earlier this month in the canals of North Broward. Hunt, 39, is embarking on a career as a professional bass tournament competitor; his son has won two local fishing contests. Armed with their favorite Live Target hollow-bodied frog lures, father and son aimed to catch enough for a meal before heading out on their weekend round of chores.
"People are very curious about them. Their popularity is increasing," Hunt said as he cast his frog into a shallow, grass-lined drainage canal. "I've never eaten one before, so it's the first time for me."
Hunt caught a small snakehead right away and lost three more--plus one of his Live Targets-- in the same canal before deciding to relocate to an apartment complex pond a few blocks to the north. Marlei got a few hits but didn't land any.
"It's fun. You never know what you're gonna catch," Marlei said, undeterred.
"Get it on that bank, okay? And bring it off," Hunt directed his son as the boy cast his frog.
In a shady, stagnant section of the pond, Hunt caught a second snakehead estimated at a couple of pounds. Not long afterward, he got a third one about five pounds. The haul would be enough for the chef to make fish tacos for his family (see recipe below). He also caught and released a two-pound bass in the same spot.
Gestring is very supportive of the snakehead angling efforts of Hunt, Marlei and others.
"The fishing part is a great way for the public to assist us in controlling their numbers," the biologist said. "We just can't get them all."
Snakehead Tacos
Ingredients: 2 lbs. snakehead fillets cut into 5" x 1" pieces; 1 cup buttermilk; 2 cups flour; 1 cup fine cornmeal; 6 flour tortillas (either homemade or top-shelf store-bought); salt and pepper to taste.
Salad slaw mixture:
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced; Napa cabbage thinly sliced; 2 oz. fresh corn; 2 oz. black beans; 1/2 oz. cilantro; 1/2 oz. parsley; 1/4 red pickled onion; 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper; 3 tbsp. olive oil; sriracha sauce as garnish to top tacos.
Directions: Preheat 16 oz. vegetable oil in small sauce pot on medium heat. Toss the salad ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside. Pour buttermilk on top of fish fillets and mix well. Remove fish and add to a bowl containing flour, corn meal and salt/pepper. Toss thoroughly; shake off excess flour and set aside. Make sure not to stack the fish fillets on top of each other.
Deep-fry fillets in oil until golden-brown, then place on sheets of paper towels to drain off excess oil.
Place tortillas in a skillet on medium heat and sear lightly for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from heat. Assemble tacos and EAT!
*************
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/rolling-snakeheads-in-fort-lauderdale/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=More Reasons Than Ever to Harvest Lionfish&body=by Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
Lionfish: they gobble just about anything they can fit in their mouths, decimating native marine fish populations and taking over coral reef ecosystems. They are colorful and tasty and now there are more reasons than ever for you to hunt them down and take them out.
The month of May-- warmer water temperatures, calmer winds-- marks the unofficial grand opening of the recreational diving season in Florida and the Bahamas, and the kickoff of a busy season of lionfish removal derbies. All kinds of incentives are being offered for you to harvest, log, photograph and eat your catch of these venom-spined invaders from the Indo Pacific.
The <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/green-turtle-cay-abacos/" target="_blank">Green Turtle Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Lodge</a> in Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas will conduct its eighth annual Lionfish Derby June 24-25 in conjunction with the non-profit Friends of the Environment. Prizes will be awarded for the most, the largest, and the smallest lionfish brought in, and competitors will celebrate by eating their catch. The club was the scene of the very first lionfish derby in the Bahamas in 2009, organized by dive operators Brendal and Mary Stevens. The fleet of some 20 boats harvested 1,408 of the peppermint-striped exotics in the inaugural tournament. At last year's contest, they took out 763. The event has become a model for other lionfish derbies throughout the Bahamas. To get in on the action, book your stay by calling 1-800-513-5257 and email info@friendsoftheenvironment.org for an entry form.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GTC-Blog-Image.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4058 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GTC-Blog-Image.jpg" alt="GTC Blog Image" width="624" height="237" /></a>
Stateside, lionfish derby season opens May 14-15 with Florida's <a href="http://reefrangers.com/event-info/" target="_blank">Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival and Tournament</a> at Plaza de Luna Park in Pensacola co-sponsored by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and <a href="http://www.guyharveymagazine.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Magazine</a>. Harvesters can win prizes at this free event, which inaugurates the statewide Lionfish Challenge running through Sept. 30.
To qualify for the Challenge, participants must take out 50 or more lionfish between May 14 and the end of September. They can win prizes such as fishing licenses, fuel cards, dive tank refills and the opportunity to take one extra lobster over the bag limit during the 2016 sport diving mini-season July 27-28. Whoever documents the most lionfish over the course of the contest will receive a lifetime saltwater fishing license and be inducted into the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Lionfish Hall of Fame.
Especially for the Florida Panhandle, where Gulf waters have become a lionfish hot zone in the past couple of years, the state has launched a year-long pilot program running from May 14, 2016 to May 20, 2017. For every lionfish taken from the seven-county region, the diver or angler will be eligible for a tag to take either a red grouper or a cobia over the bag limit in state waters. Anyone who harvests 500 or more lionfish over the one-year program will have the opportunity to name an artificial reef.
And removing really big lionfish can earn you a spot in the Florida state record book. The current mark for the longest lionfish harvested in the Atlantic is an 18.78-incher caught by Captain Jimmy Nelson in Islamorada. In the Gulf, the largest in both length and weight is a 17.24-inch, 3.1-pounder weighed by Captain Andy Ross of Pensacola.
For details on these contests and rewards programs, go <a href="http://www.myfwc.com/lionfish/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.
*****************
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/more-reasons-than-ever-to-harvest-lionfish/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Fish Panama This Spring and Summer!&body=Yellowfin tuna greater than 200 pounds; both blue and black marlin; and all the sailfish you want to release.
These are among the sport fishing highlights you can enjoy on Panama's Pacific coast from late March through the end of July with Captain Hennie Marais and Panama Yacht and Fishing Charters-- an exclusive Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition.
In the remote Coiba Islands, a national park located off Panama's southern coast, Marais will slow-troll live bonitos along the gamefish-rich Hannibal Bank where the baits get crashed by huge yellowfins and black marlin. Your floating base camp for this adventure is a comfortably-appointed 66' Buddy Davis sport fishing yacht that can accommodate parties of up to six. You have the option of an additional battle wagon too-- a swift 37-foot Strike with top-of-the-line tackle and equipment to hoist huge tuna up from the depths and subdue greyhounding marlin.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_0377adjusted.jpg"><img class="wp-image-4589 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_0377adjusted.jpg" alt="IMG_0377adjusted" width="1739" height="1159" /></a>PHOTO: Your floating base camp - a 66' Buddy Davis luxury sportfishing yacht with the optional 37-foot Strike.
Or Marais can escort your group east to the Gulf of Panama where the waters around the Pearl Islands and Pinas Bay further south provide abundant opportunities offshore for tuna, marlin, sailfish and mahi. Inshore, you'll get shots at feisty species such as roosterfish, snapper, and amberjack. On this expedition, you can stay at a private resort and make day trips, live aboard the luxury yacht, or arrange a combination of the two.
"Fishing in Panama is exotic, with beautiful warm weather and beautiful scenery," Marais said.
Book your adventure now at <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">GuyHarveyOutpost.com</a>, or call our travel desk at 800-513-5257. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/fish-panama-this-spring-and-summer/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost’s Popular “Burning Wahoo” Bonfire Series Tournament Returns to Old Bahama Bay For February 2016&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/obb-wahoo.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2923 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/obb-wahoo.jpg?w=300" alt="OBB Wahoo" width="300" height="182" /></a>WEST END, GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND—SEPTEMBER 28, 2015— The Bonfire Fishing Tournament Series, created and managed by Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts, today has announced dates for the Second Annual Burning Wahoo Tournament , scheduled for February 25-28, 2016 on West End, Grand Bahama Island.
Chasing wahoo along West End’s Wahoo Alley and beyond this February will be top anglers looking to take home cash, prizes and bragging rights for the newest edition of the popular “Burning Wahoo” Bonfire Series tournament hosted by Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour.
The two-day tournament will kick off with a Captain’s meeting and barbecue on Thursday, February 25th and will then offer private party events (including a traditional Bahamian Junkanoo), a beach bonfire with a burning wahoo sculpture, and an awards ceremony dinner during the course of the tournament.
This past February, anglers in 23 boats competed for the largest wahoo and aggregate total over the two-day Burning Wahoo tournament off West End. St. Augustine’s Fishin a Loan team emerged as the tournament champion, landing the largest wahoo at 63.9 lb on Day 1 and a 60.5 lb wahoo on Day 2 for a cumulative total of 448 lbs. Cash and prizes totaled $30,000.
For the 2016 edition, Tournament Director Cliff Jensen said early bird pricing (prior to December 31) is $300 per angler with a minimum of four anglers per boat. Also the first 25 boats registered and stay at the hotel will receive a $200 credit.
Jensen said cash, trophies and prizes will be awarded to the top teams. Go <a href="http://www.bonfireseries.com" target="_blank">HERE</a> to register online.
Sixty miles east of Palm Beach, Old Bahama Bay has 70 luxury guestrooms, a 70-slip deep-water marina with fuel and on-site customs, and a full array of resort amenities.
Available for tournament charter will be legendary Bahamas/Walker’s Cay Captain Billy Black and Dutchess, his 50-foot Hatteras, as a Guy Harvey Expedition Fishing Outfitter.
Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts, as part of its “Travel With a Purpose” mission, which combines a unique celebration at Outpost Destinations while promoting conservation, awareness and education, is again partnering with The Bahamas and Old Bahama Bay to benefit the West End All Age School with an end of tournament donation. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outposts-popular-burning-wahoo-bonfire-series-tournament-returns-to-old-bahama-bay-for-february-2016/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Happy Flag Day!&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/7081.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1321" title=""Flying True" - Guy Harvey" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/7081.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="493" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/happy-flag-day/){kind=link}
TRAVEL DESK : 800.513.5257
Connect & Follow