One of the patterns that is fairly consistent in late February during periods of extended warm-ups is that redfish feed aggressively on low incoming tides. They usually are foraging hard as they …
Swordfish Extravaganza II a Big Hit in South Florida
18 Oct 20102:47 PM
Kudos to Capt. Skip Smith and the Swordfish Club for the record breaking attendance at the Swordfish Extravaganza II event, which was held last week at the IGFA headquarters in Dania Beach, FL. Major names in the big game tackle business showcased their latest products for hooking up these behemoths, and key organizations produced informative seminars on the fishery. NOAA and HMS gave presentations on government efforts to rebuild “trust” with recreational fishermen, and highlighted the importance of reporting your sword catch so the USA can keep a valid tally in regards to our international quota.
Congrats again to Capt. Skip and the Swordfish Club crew for a great event!
Pro team Member
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![](mailto:?subject=Swordfish Extravaganza II a Big Hit in South Florida&body=Kudos to <a title="Smith-Merritt Insurnace web site" href="http://www.smith-merritt.com/" target="_blank">Capt. Skip Smith</a> and the <a title="Swordfish Club web site" href="http://www.swordfishclub.org/" target="_blank">Swordfish Club</a> for the record breaking attendance at the <a title="Swordfish Extravaganza II info page" href="http://billfish.org/1356-swordfish-extravaganza-ii#continue_post" target="_blank">Swordfish Extravaganza II</a> event, which was held last week at the <a title="IGFA web site" href="http://www.igfa.org" target="_blank">IGFA</a> headquarters in <a title="Dania Beach, FL web site" href="http://www.ci.dania-beach.fl.us/" target="_blank">Dania Beach, FL</a>. Major names in the big game tackle business showcased their latest products for hooking up these behemoths, and key organizations produced informative seminars on the fishery. <a title="NOAA web site" href="http://www.noaa.gov" target="_blank">NOAA</a> and HMS gave presentations on government efforts to rebuild "trust" with recreational fishermen, and highlighted the importance of reporting your sword catch so the USA can keep a valid tally in regards to our international quota.
<a href="http://www.swordfishclub.org/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-162" title="Swordfish Extravaganza II" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/sfii1.jpg?w=224" alt="" width="224" height="300" /></a>
Congrats again to Capt. Skip and the Swordfish Club crew for a great event! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/swordfish-extravaganza-ii-a-big-hit-in-south-florida/){kind=link}
 these late winter reds are somewhat persnickety and a little spooky by nature. So picking the right artificial lure to get a positive reaction (we call that a bite) is very difficult. But during these warm up periods with rising temps the redfish typically get a bit reckless. That's when an experienced angler can take advantage of what I call the perfect scenario .
So what lure is ideal for this situation? Well the truth is several offerings will get the job done including spoons, jigs, plugs and even flies. Because when redfish are actively hunting and devouring food... all lures are in play. But still I have a few favorites that allow for accurate casting in spite of windy conditions like the BTB Jig (root beer) with a split tail trailer. Or the Mirrolure Catch Jr (finger mullet look) with single inline hooks, which plays well in cloudy or windy scenarios. And lastly the trusty Aqua Dream Spoons (black color) it gets the call for many anglers including me. Remember spoons are great choices if the clarity of the water is somewhat turbid (dirty/stained). But again if the redfish are fired up, any lure could be the answer... even top water plugs!
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/alure-image-for-redfish-red-hot-blog.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-5007" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/alure-image-for-redfish-red-hot-blog-263x300.jpeg" alt="" width="263" height="300" /></a>
Additionally, don't use a long heavy leaders. Shorter leaders in the 20" to 24" lengths are adequate. Too much leader destroys the action on light weight plugs or pulls the jig down into the grass... creating a fouling issue. And unless your fishing an area inundated with lots of Oyster a 20lb. leader weight should do just fine in most cases.
Also consider, a small skiff or kayak is a huge advantage when targeting these low water redfish. The ability to be ahead of the grazing reds will allow you dozens of shots in comparison to the larger heavier boats more reliant on trolling motors getting to the feed zone a little later. I know it's more work to push pole or paddle into the skinny water (shallow) but that extra 45 minutes to an hour of fishing when the water is low, really pays off.
Here's what you really need to know and that is to focus your efforts on the warming trends later this month and the low incoming tides of course. It may be freezing in some parts of the U.S. this time of year but the light tackle action on redfish in Florida is "red hot"! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/redfish-in-florida-is-red-hot/){kind=link}
![](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.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Live-well.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5255" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Live-well-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>
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.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AbuGarcia.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5259" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AbuGarcia-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>
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>
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/capturing-convicts-sheepshead-rigs-tips/){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}
![](mailto:?subject=China Bans Shark Fin Soup from Official Banquets&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/soup2.jpg"><img title="Shark Fin Soup" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/soup2.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="353" /></a>
Big news from Ground Zero in the battle over shark fin soup and the international shark fin trade! Chinese media is reporting that the Chinese government has banned shark fin soup from being served at all official government banquets. The ban will not be immediate, but the move is a huge victory nonetheless for the anti-shark finning movement. Here's the full story from <a title="CNN web site" href="http://www.cnn.com" target="_blank">CNN.com</a>:
Hong Kong (CNN) -- China is planning to ban shark fin soup from being served at official banquets, in a sign the country may be losing its taste for the expensive delicacy.
According to<a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/718614.shtml" target="_blank"> Chinese media</a>, the Government Office Administration of the State Council said the ban could take up to three years to implement and would help cut the cost of sometimes lavish banquets held for state functions.
The move followed a proposal made during the National People's Congress in March this year.
Bertha Lo of the campaign group<a href="http://hksharkfoundation.org/" target="_blank"> Hong Kong Shark Foundation </a>said the move could potentially reduce the amount of sharks killed given that China is the biggest consumer of shark fin products.
"I think it will have an impact," she said. "The government in China is powerful and if it takes the lead on this issue, I don't see why others shouldn't follow suit."
Between 26 million and 73 million sharks are estimated to be killed each year, according to a 2006 academic study* quoted on the website of Lo's group. Their carcasses are usually discarded and campaigners say the practice is wasteful and cruel.
The <a href="http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/whatwedo/footprint/seafood/sharkfin_initiative/shark_faq/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a> says that 181 species of shark are under threat, up from 15 in 1996.
Shark's fin soup is widely served in restaurants in Chinese communities worldwide and is a dish often served at weddings to mark the importance of the occasion and impress the couple's extended families and friends.
But the custom has become less popular among a younger generation of diners, who are more environmentally conscious, says Lo.
Last year, the operator of the high-end Peninsula hotel chain said it would remove shark fin products from its menus and Shangri-la Hotels made a similar move this year.
In Beijing, the five-star Swissotel has also stopped serving shark fin, according to the China Daily.
Outside Asia, legislation banning shark fin has been introduced in five U.S. states including California, which this month also banned the French duck liver delicacy foie gras on the grounds of cruelty.
In China, the campaign against shark fin products has gained steam following pledges by celebrities, such as former NBA star Yao Ming, not to eat the delicacy.
* The academic study cited in this article was conducted by the <a title="GHRI web site" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> and Dr. Shelley Clarke. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/china-bans-shark-fin-soup-from-official-banquets/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Launches Exclusive Luxury Charter in Panama&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/billshedd-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2847 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/billshedd-2.jpg?w=225" alt="BillShedd (2)" width="225" height="300" /></a>Most accomplished big game anglers agree the best place on the planet to chase and catch blue and black marlins in August and September is the Pacific Ocean, from the Perlas Islands just off Panama City, Panama, south to the Zane Grey Reef at Pinas Bay.
To put anglers in the right spot at the right time, Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts has added Panama’s most exclusive mothership fishing operation, Panama Yacht and Fishing Charters (PYFC) to its system of unique fishing lodges. Based at Flamenco Marina in Panama City, the four-boat fleet is operated by Hennie Marais, considered one of most respected sport fishing outfitters and lodge operators in Central America.
Guy Harvey Outpost co-founders Guy Harvey and Bill Shedd, both trustees of the prestigious International Game Fish Association (IGFA) are no strangers to Panama big game sportfishing. Having just returned from a week long mothership expedition, Shedd, also the owner of tackle manufacturing giant AFTCO, comments, “this Outpost is the ultimate fishing experience, offering the freedom to fish where, when and how you and your friends wish. It’s no excuses fishing by day and luxury relaxation by night.”
Anglers, according to Marais, will enjoy a customized fishing experience like no other in Central America. Parties up to 12 will eat and sleep in the air-conditioned comfort of a 98-foot luxury Knight & Carver yacht, then head out to the billfish grounds aboard a 66-foot Buddy Davis sportfisher or a 37-foot Strike—or both. Rounding out the fleet is an 18 ft. Mitzi flats skiff, ideal for fishing the many mangrove shorelines throughout Panama.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/rising-marlin.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-2848 size-large" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/rising-marlin.jpg?w=660" alt="Rising Marlin" width="660" height="440" /></a>
“You go out at 6:00 to 6:30 in the morning. You fish for live bait. When you get to the bait grounds, it’s just acres of bonitos and skipjacks,” Marais said. “Often before you get all your live baits out, you have a black marlin. And you’re not getting beat up by the sea conditions. You fish till you’re out of live bait, then troll lures or dead baits for sailfish and blue marlin. There’s a good opportunity for a grand slam.”
For the non-anglers who want to explore remote island jungles or those who prefer to fish close to shore for roosterfish or Cubera snapper, there’s the Mitzi skiff, kayaks, personal watercraft, stand-up paddleboards and a fully-equipped scuba diving center.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/panama-dolphin.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-2849 size-large" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/panama-dolphin.jpg?w=660" alt="Panama Dolphin" width="660" height="495" /></a>
“The big game fishing off Panama is legendary, but the entire country is one big adventure,” comments Guy Harvey, Outpost Chairman Mark Ellert. “This Outpost delivers not just fishing stories, but memories of a unique adventure that will last a lifetime.”
In January and February in the Las Perlas and Pinas waters are prime for black marlin, tuna, dorado (mahi), wahoo and roosterfish. April through June usually find the mothership plying the Pacific waters around the remote Isla de Coiba, a World Heritage Site in the Gulf of Chiriqui where yellowfin tuna are abundant. Other options throughout the year are the Bocas Del Toro and Gulf of San Blas regions in Panama’s Caribbean Sea for family snorkeling and inshore and reef fishing. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-launches-exclusive-luxury-charter-in-panama/){kind=link}
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