Welcome to the Outpost Travel Journal where the members of the Guy Harvey Resorts Pro Team provide you their notes, tips and images from the field. Read their entries to inspire you for your next travel adventure! # TravelInspired
Reel Time Florida Sportsman – Largemouth Bass A to Z
Captain George Gozdz provides you lessons and tips on Largemouth Bass A to Z on Reel Time Florida Sportsman featuring Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina & RV Resort and Lake Kissimmee!
Reel Time Florida Sportsman TV brings the most up to date fishing reports on the web, the fishing reports from the Florida Sportsman Forums, to the Big Screen.
Captain George Gozdz, host of Reel Time, reviews the hottest action in the state, based on the most current fishing reports on the Region Forums, then packs up his boat and gear to fish with the Florida Sportsman member who posted the best and most action-packed report. For more information visit www.FloridaSportsman.com
Captain Bobby Stafford surveyed the vast, rippled surface of the largest lake in the continental United States and had to make a decision: where to go to catch largemouth bass when you have 730 square …
Guy Harvey Outpost is giving away a day’s fishing charter with Captain Jeff on the LunkerDog. To kick things off Guy Harvey Outpost is sponsoring this Friday’s Happy Bait 2014 LIVE from the …
This post covers some of the best rigs for year-round sheepshead fishing in North East Florida. Many people do not have problems catching convicts but everyone does it differently and there is always a …
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 …
The grinning Atlantic bottlenose dolphin floated quietly on her back in one of the pools at Marineland Dolphin Adventure as a little girl leaned over the wall to stroke her belly. But it wasn’t …
By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com [St. Petersburg Beach, FL.–] Few pastimes are more rewarding than eating fresh fish from the ocean that you have …
Ready, Set, GHO Fish with the “Wild and Crazy Guys” on the Zinn Dog. Win a fishing trip for you and up to 5 friends on the Zinn Dog enter at GuyHarveyOutpost.com/Sweepstakes. Captain …
Prop your pup on your paddleboard and race for fun, glory, prizes and to support a worthy canine cause at the first annual Pups & Sups event July 30 on St. Augustine Beach. Humans and their pets will …
26 Feb 2018
General
Bon Appetit
Conservation corner
Dive In
Got Photo
Get Hooked
Outdoor Adventure
Travel Tips
![](mailto:?subject=Win a LunkerDog Charter from Guy Harvey Outpost&body=Guy Harvey Outpost is giving away a day's fishing charter with Captain Jeff on the <a href="http://www.lunkerdog.com/">LunkerDog</a>. To kick things off <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/">Guy Harvey Outpost </a>is sponsoring this Friday's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1450883485177344/1458800584385634/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity">Happy Bait 2014 LIVE </a>from the <a href="http://piraterepublicbar.com/">Pirate Republic Bar & Grill</a>. Join us 6pm this Friday, August 29th for fun with Reel Guys: Peter Miller (<a href="http://bass2billfish.com/">Bass 2 Bills</a>), <a href="http://rickydfishing.com/tag/ricky-deboliac/">Ricky Beboliac</a>, Ben Begovic, Lil G, Mitchel Vitale, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGzo5m4bOH8">Cris Bait Em Up</a>, Certified Lunker, Cliff Jensen and much more. Plus goodies from Guy Harvey Outpost.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014hb4-lunkerdog-event.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2196 size-large" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014hb4-lunkerdog-event.jpg?w=660" alt="Run That Dog!" width="660" height="880" /></a>
Who knows maybe Capt. Jeff will give away some secret Tarpon tips. So Run That Dog down to the Pirate Republic Bar & Grill. Bring your gear and get Certified too.
The Charter is a full day charter with Capt. Jeff on board the Zinn Dog, his custom built sportfish boat. Fishing will take place from Ft Lauderdale. Full Day 8 hour offshore trip on the ZINN DOG 6 person max. Winter trip for sailfish, Spring and Summer dolphin, tuna or swordfish.
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![](mailto:?subject=Capturing Convicts: Sheepshead Rigs & Tips&body=This post covers some of the best rigs for year-round sheepshead fishing in North East Florida. Many people do not have problems catching convicts but everyone does it differently and there is always a new way to learn. They are great tasting, fun to catch, and a good option when the weather is poor and Redfishing is slow or your clients are die-hard bass fishermen that “set the hook” a little too much. If you would like to learn more about catching sheepshead or have a special way that you do it, drop a comment at the bottom.
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The Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) are chewing right now in St. Augustine. With even some of the most novice anglers racking up double digits in a weekend, there are no secrets on how to catch them. Everyone does it a little differently even though most anglers say they do it the “right way.” Here is a little bit about what has been successful for me sheepshead fishing around St. Augustine for many years.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SheepsheadBoy.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5256" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SheepsheadBoy-300x295.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="295" /></a>Photo courtesy of Florida Memory “Sheepshead boy” Note: Not me…
I mainly use three different techniques for capturing convicts. The most common way is with a slip sinker rig, next is with a jig head, and last is with a speargun or gig. Usually the most successful days come from using the traditional slip sinker rig but I have racked up some serious meat with the speargun.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_9946.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5257" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_9946-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Mustad O’Shaughnessy live bait hook Extra Short 1/0 or 2/0
These are great hooks for tucking a fiddler crab or two on. Occasionally, I’ll use a double strength version of these hooks that is even better for fishing the nearshore wrecks and other deep water.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hook.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5258" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hook-300x189.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="189" /></a>
Hooks are some of the most important choices in fishing.. obviously. These hooks have rarely failed me on all kinds of fish including on sheepshead.
Leader: Following is a six to eight-inch section of 20 pound monofilament leader tied using Uni-Knots directly to the hook and swivel. Swivel strength is always a bit heavier than the heaviest line I might use.
Weight selection: I use the lightest weight I can to get to the bottom. A 1/2oz to 3oz weight. Anything heavier than 3oz will make it hard to feel the sheepsheads bite and react before they are gone.
Rod & Reel: A bait caster reel thrives when fishing for sheepshead. I stick to the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur series. Either the S, C3, or C4 models are great choices depending on budget.
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Choosing the right rod for sheepshead should be based on strength, longevity, and length. A shorter rod with more back bone will help you tremendously when wrenching that convict out of the pilings. Save your money on buying super high-end fishing rods while sheepshead fishing because if you go enough, you will break a tip, bust an eye, or scratch it up on the barnacles around pilings.
Shoreline / Shell bottom fishing for Sheepshead
This is a very fun way to get into the convicts. Sometimes they are really chewing on the shell banks and other rock bottoms around this area. The traditional sheepshead rig will not be very effective in this situation because you will miss many bites.
Try using a jighead combo on spin tackle with a fiddler crab or shrimp.
Here is how:
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_9938.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5260" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_9938-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>
An 1/8th oz head with a 2/0 hook is just the right size for keeping a crab on the bottom long enough to get the bite. Following that is about a 2 foot piece of 20lb or 30lb Monofilament tied line to line to the main line using a double Uni-Knot. If you have the crabs to spare, using two fiddlers on one hook with a jighead will catch more fish.
As a disclaimer, you should always adjust your tackle to your fishing conditions regardless of what you are fishing for. Tides, wind, water clarity, and bait all play a factor in line choices and hook sizes. Sometimes Sheepshead are wide open and others they are very picky and need a little bit of encouragement.
Bring a shovel to crush up chum, like oysters, and to scrape barnacles off of pilings. The investment of time collecting a full bucket of chum will go a long way.
Remember to be respectful when fishing around docks and scraping peoples pilings, they paid a lot of money for their docks and sometimes forget that they do not “own” the water underneath it.
Be safe and Catch fish!!
By Guy Harvey Resort Pro Team
Captain Jakob Hardy
<a href="http://www.Fishardy.com">www.Fishardy.com</a>
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![](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.
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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.
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![](mailto:?subject=Register to Win: GHO Fishing Trip with Guy Harvey Outpost&body=Ready, Set, GHO Fish with the "Wild and Crazy Guys" on the Zinn Dog. Win a fishing trip for you and up to 5 friends on the Zinn Dog enter at <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/sweepstakes/">GuyHarveyOutpost.com/Sweepstakes</a>. <a href="http://www.lunkerdog.com/captain-jeff-maggio">Captain Jeff Maggio</a> and <a href="http://http://www.lunkerdog.com/">Lunkerdog</a> did not get to be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lunkerdog">YouTube stars</a> sitting at the dock. They know how to FIND YOUR FISH.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/capt-jeff-contest.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-2307 size-large" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/capt-jeff-contest.png?w=550" alt="Capt Jeff Contest" width="550" height="269" /></a>
Or enter at the <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">Guy Harvey Outpost</a> booth at <a href="http://www.showmanagement.com/fort_lauderdale/event/">Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show</a> (Booth #27) in the main tent (6A) at Bahia Mar. So if you want to have some fun and fish for Sailfish, Tarpon, Kingfish or Tuna give the prize wheel a try at our Boat Show booth. Also included is a set of six fully rigged killer marlin lures from <a href="http://www.bostlures.com/">Bost Lures</a>.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/3703624_20110901091254_5_large.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2299" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/3703624_20110901091254_5_large.jpg" alt="The Zinn Dog underway." width="550" height="428" /></a>The Zinn Dog underway. Run that Dog!
Capt. Jeff had the Zinn Dog custom made in Maine. She is built on the hull of a Wesmac Lobster Boat. They fish year round in Maine and in all kinds of weather. To say that the Zinn Dog is a stable platform understates the obvious. For more information on the <a href="http://www.lukebrownyachts.com/46-wesmac-sportfish-zinn-dog/">Zinn Dog</a>
For Fishing with Guy Harvey Outpost: <a href="http://www.ghofish.com">www.ghofish.com</a>
More Information on Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/">http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/</a>
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com/">www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com</a>
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![](mailto:?subject=Calling All Pups: Stand Up for Warriors&body=Prop your pup on your paddleboard and race for fun, glory, prizes and to support a worthy canine cause at the first annual Pups & Sups event July 30 on St. Augustine Beach.
Humans and their pets will compete to see who can ride the biggest wave, take the longest ride, cruise in highest style, and take the best wipe-out-- among other categories-- in this family-friendly competition. Proceeds will benefit <a href="https://www.k9sforwarriors.org/">K9s for Warriors</a> -- a Ponte Vedra non-profit dedicated to supplying combat veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with service dogs that ease their adjustment into civilian life.
Paw-ticipants will be divided into weight divisions: large dogs (51 lbs. and up); medium dogs (21 -50 lbs.); and small dogs (20 lbs. and under). They will be launched by their owner/handler, with winners in each weight division advancing to the finals.
Registration is $40. Check-in time will be 7:30 a.m. at 860 A1A Beach Boulevard-- future site of the <a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/lodging/beach-resorts/st-augustine-beach/">Guy Harvey Outpost Resort, St. Augustine Beach</a>. Competition will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Pups-Sups-1080-Image.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4825" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Pups-Sups-1080-Image.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="996" /></a>
Tahoma Guiry says it should be a fun time for both people and dogs. Guiry--chief marketing officer and education director of K9s for Warriors-- says she and her three kids aged 11-18 really enjoy paddleboarding with their 1 1/2-year old Labradoodle Nash. The family adopted Nash last year after he washed out of the organization's rigorous training program for service dogs --("He got guarded with his toys, so I took him home," Guiry explained.) Today Nash fits right in with the Guirys and their other dog and enjoys SUP-ing on local lakes.
"He just chills out and goes along for the ride," Guiry said. "He loves the water and loves being with people and our family."
Since launching in 2011, K9s for Warriors has matched 323 military veterans with service dogs-- mostly pets from shelters, other rescue organizations, and a few breeders. The dogs perform a multitude of tasks for their warriors who may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injury and other conditions. The dogs help them avoid panic attacks, wake them from night terrors, enhance their physical mobility, and ease their anxiety in social situations.
U.S. Army veteran Matt Berg of St. Augustine was paired with his Labrador-mix service dog Sunny last year. At 98 pounds, Sunny is too big to ride Berg's surfboard with him, but Berg says "he's a good dog....always there....a good companion."
more information and to sign up for Pups & Sups, go to http://bit.ly/2tKyPA3.
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