Grilled jerked swordfish; shrimp & grits; bouillabaise crammed with lobster, scallops, cobia and mussels. These are some of the extremely tempting entrees to choose from during October’s National …
Whacking Lionfish for Fun, Food & Prizes….and Helping the Marine Ecosystem
9 May 20174:46 PM
The month of May in Florida produces spring flowers, increased showers, warmer waters—and the kick-off of lionfish derby season.
From now through September, Floridians and visitors have more opportunities than ever to help control burgeoning populations of these invasive pests from the Indo Pacific by spearing, catching, documenting, photographing, and eating them while winning prizes and other incentives.
For the third year in a row, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will celebrate “Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day” May 20 with events around the state. Here’s a partial rundown:
– The Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival will be held at Plaza de Luna in Pensacola, with a removal tournament hosted by the Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (www.lionfishworldchampionship.com) plus refreshments, a children’s art contest, and sponsor booths –including Guy Harvey Magazine.
– South Florida Diving Headquarters in Pompano Beach, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter, will conduct a lionfish derby in conjunction with the Vone Lionfish Research Team. Prizes will be awarded at an apres-dive party, plus a raffle and a lionfish tasting. (www.southfloridadiving.com).
– The Northeast Florida Lionfish Blast will be held at Brown Creek Fish Camp in Jacksonville (www.lionfishblast.com).
–The Florida Skin Divers Association will host the 2017 Lionfish Calcutta at Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp near St. Petersburg. (www.floridaskindivers.com/events). To book your stay at Guy Harvey Outpost in St. Pete Beach, go to HERE.
For a complete list of Lionfish Awareness Day events, go to MyFWC.com/Lionfish and click on “Lionfish Derbies and Events”.
May 20 also marks the kickoff of Florida’s revamped Lionfish Challenge program which runs through Labor Day Sept.4. New this year: lionfish hunters may participate in either the recreational or commercial category where rewards include prizes, public recognition, and– if qualified before July 26–the opportunity to take an additional lobster over the bag limit during the 2017 mini-season July 26-27. The top harvesters in both categories will be crowned Lionfish King or Queen and Florida Commercial Champion at the Lionfish Safari Sept. 10 in St. Petersburg. To register, go to MyFWC.com/Lionfish.
In the Bahamas, the island chain’s longest-running and most popular lionfish derby will be held June 23-24 at the Green Turtle Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Lodge on Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos. To register, go to www.friendsoftheenvironment.org. To book your stay at the Green Turtle Club, call 1-800-513-5257.
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
; Captain Madison MacDonald (352-601-7392) and Captain Colin Guy (352-634-2901).
For the last few years, the Nature Coast has experienced something of a snook bonanza. This hard-fighting, line-sided speedster will make you work for it, but it is so much fun. Toney and MacDonald recommend casting a C.A.L. Shad jerkbait in glow/goldrush with a 1/8-ounce chartreuse jig head or a MirOLure Little John around the points of mangrove islands all the way up to the mouths of the Homosassa and Chassahowitzka rivers on the higher stages of the tide.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/P1000028.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4927" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/P1000028.jpg" alt="" width="4608" height="3456" /></a>
Once you've checked off the snook, the red should be a gimme. In the fall, bull reds way over the slot limit of 18 to 27 inches make their way inshore from their Gulf spawning areas following schools of mullet. According to Guy, they can often be found on the spoil banks off Crystal River, in the moats of mangrove islands and around rocky reefs on the rising tide. Guy and Toney say the best bait is live pinfish or shrimp. But for purists who prefer artificials, a good bet is 1/4-oz. Eppinger gold spoon, or various soft plastics.
Sea trout are becoming a lot easier to locate than they were a month ago. The go-to bait just about everywhere on the Gulf coast is a live shrimp fished beneath a popping cork such as a Cajun Thunder or Flats Equalizer. (Purists may substitute a soft plastic for the live shrimp.) Toney and MacDonald are finding the spotted sportsters on the south side of the Homosassa channel and north of the Chassahowitzka River channel and also just west of the St. Martin's Keys.
You certainly don't have to be an expert to score a slam; all three guides are happy to teach novices how to cast and retrieve their baits. And besides the satisfaction of besting the big three, you can have your catch cooked at any of several excellent local restaurants. Some suggestions: Katch Twenty Two in Lecanto (352-746-6691) and West 82 Bar and Grill at the Plantation on Crystal River (<a href="https://www.plantationoncrystalriver.com/">www.plantationoncrystalriver.com</a>), which is also a great place to stay during your fishing trip. Call ahead to make arrangements for preparing your catch.
Take a break from post-Irma recovery with a brief fishing excursion. You might be able to write it off as therapy. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/catch-an-inshore-slam-near-crystal-river/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Wayne Nelson: An Everglades Warrior Lays Down His Shield&body=The following editorial about <a title="Everglades National Park web site" href="http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm" target="_blank">Everglades</a> activist Wayne Nelson was posted to the blog "<a title="Eye on Miami blog" href="http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Eye on Miami</a>" after Nelson's <a title="Wayne Nelson's Obituary" href="http://www.tributes.com/show/Wayne-L.-Nelson-93742562" target="_blank">death</a> last week. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions may be made to the <a title="GHOF web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a>, 10408 West SR 84, Suite 104, Davie, FL 33324.
<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/wayne.jpg"><img title="Wayne Nelson Photo courtesy of the Sun-Sentinel)" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/wayne.jpg" alt="" width="428" height="286" /></a>
By gimleteye:
When Wayne Nelson, 88, died this week, the liquid heart of Florida - <a title="About Lake Okeechobee" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Okeechobee" target="_blank">Lake Okeechobeee</a> - lost a fierce and knowledgeable advocate. Wayne was of a generation of modern-day Everglades activists; including, recently, the late Johnie Jones and his wife, Mariana, who were young in the 1940's and 1950's and experienced the Everglades firing on all cylinders.
Wayne was Korea War veteran and a retired air conditioning contractor whose advocacy for Lake Okeechobee led <a title="Nelson's Supreme Court Case" href="http://www.eswr.com/docs/courts/ussc/01-196/FOEpetition.pdf" target="_blank">all the way to the US Supreme Court</a>. He began fishing in West Palm Beach and Lake Okeechobee in the 1960's. He organized one of the first bass fishing clubs in Florida and was the organizer of the small group, Fishermen Against the Destruction of the Environment (FADE) that was a co-plaintiff in federal Clean Water Act litigation challenging the South Florida Water Management District and Big Sugar. Wayne was at the first meeting of the Everglades Coalition at Port of the Islands in 1984 and was once a member of the board of <a title="Friends of the Everglades web site" href="http://everglades.org" target="_blank">Friends of the Everglades</a> <> (of which I am now president).
Friends of the Everglades, Nelson's FADE, and other conservation groups brought citizen suits under the Clean Water Act against the US Environmental Protection Agency to require the South Florida Water Management District to obtain permits in order to discharge polluted canal water into Lake Okeechobee. (FADE and Friends of the Everglades have been involved in several federal CWA lawsuits, with important implications for the nation's water policies, not just the Everglades.)
This practice is known as "back-pumping" and its purpose is to make sure that the 700,000 acres of the Everglades Agricultural Area -- dominated by Big Sugar-- are never too wet in rainy season. Back-pumping controls water levels on sugar land and through the extensive canal system, forcing water uphill as it were, against gravity, into Lake Okeechobee.
At the same time, the water management practices that deliver immense benefits and profits to sugar barons like the billionaire Fanjuls also deprive the natural system of the rainfall cycle that nourished the Everglades and Florida Bay with clean, fresh water at the right time of year.
He launched his boat in Belle Glade and would fish through the weekend. "To get to the Lake," Nelson testified in a Friends' affidavit filed with federal court in 2011, "you have to cross the rim canal and enter the Lake through one of the cuts. I would typically see the pumping while I was going out to fish or coming back in from fishing and was traveling in the rim canal to the boat ramp. You can see the turbulence and tinged color of pumped water all the way across the rim canal and into the Lake."
Wayne Nelson was a fierce supporter of grass roots environmentalism. His friend, Jim Harvey, says, "If people were classified like naval ships, Wayne Nelson would be the Warrior Class. He never faltered to say it like he saw it. He believed in watching the ass not the lips to ascertain where things were going. You didn't go fishing with Wayne. He went, listening to him. He loved Lake Okeechobee and held no quarter or gave no quarter when it came to saving the Lake."
Wayne didn't seek out the spotlight. He could be cantankerous and prickly. But anyone who loved the Everglades, fought battles against industry pressure, endured endless delays by government, obfuscation, and false declarations of progress while the liquid heart of Florida turned into a sewer would be spewing comets and fury at the misdirection.
"Water transfers of polluted, nutrient-rich water to Lake Okeechobee results in increased nutrient pollution in the Everglades system,"
Nelson said in his affidavit. "Nutrient pollution is one of the biggest threats to the Everglades today. Nitrogen and phosphorous from the canal waters feeds algae growth that chokes out sea grasses and other native plants. Algae also depletes oxygen, resulting in "dead zones" below the the surface where few native Everglades species survive. Invasive flora and fauna are increasingly taking over the niches created by the degredation of the water quality in the Everglades."
It has been nearly forty years since the historic agreement between the federal government and state of Florida to end the pollution of the Everglades, and its results keep a permanent incumbency in place; from local county commissions, to the state legislature -- that still refuses to hold Big Sugar accountable for the costs of its pollution and won't even impose the most rudimentary system to honestly account for polluting farming practices -- to Congress and the White House.
"We don`t need any more studies of Lake Okeechobee or the Everglades,"
Nelson told the Sun Sentinel in 1988. "We know what the problems are and we know what the solutions are. We need action. The farmers are hiding behind (government agencies they control)." ("Lake Okeechobee Scientific Group Back In Business", Orlando Sentinel, July 14, 1988)
Wayne knew that the environmental warriors were badly outmatched by the Great Destroyers, and he understood the clock was ticking. He didn't stand for niceties; he wanted environmentalists to do more and he had no tolerance for waving banners. He strongly believed that grass roots organizations were the key. Jim Harvey says, "He was pure passion and "old school" on freedom of speech. He hated equivocation and figured political correctness was being accurate. Period. He was in the truest sense, an egalitarian warrior with little regard for large national environmental groups that danced around to keep the Everglades ball in play."
Wayne Nelson just wanted to go fishing, and it made him angry that pollution deprived him, Florida and the nation of that opportunity.
Nelson told the Sun Sentinel in 1990: "Reagan missed the boat when he called Russia the Evil Empire". Thrusting a finger toward the sugar cane farms ringing Lake Okeechobee, he said, "I'll tell you where the goddamn Evil Empire is... it's out there!" (A Sweet Deal Has Become The Source Of A Bitter Poison, The Sugar Dynasty, Sept. 16, 1990) And it still is. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wayne-nelson-an-everglades-warrior-lays-down-his-shield/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Killing for Conservation!&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/green-turtle-lionfish-haul-2014.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2068" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/green-turtle-lionfish-haul-2014.jpg?w=225" alt="Lionfish Derbies Work, 908 Dead Lionfish Cannot All Be Wrong!" width="225" height="300" /></a> Killing for Conservation?Lionfish are incredibly fertile and have no natural predators in the Atlantic Ocean. <a href="http://www.reef.org/">Reef Environmental Education Foundation</a> (REEF) has been leading the fight against this Indo-Pacific invader and after six years of Lionfish Derbies at Green Turtle Cay the evidence is clear: Lionfish Derbies Work! Lionfish now range from Brazil to North Carolina and beyond. They can live in fresh water too! The 908 Lionfish killed in this one day event was fewer than in previous years even with more divers and better weather. AND those fish that were killed this year were smaller than in previous years; another good sign. Lionfish Derbies will not send the fish back to the Pacific; they can however help local communities keep the population in check.<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/credit-ellie-splain.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2071" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/credit-ellie-splain.jpg?w=300" alt="Three Contestants for the Smallest Lionfish Caught. Photo Credit: Ellie Splain" width="300" height="200" /></a>Three Contestants for the Smallest Lionfish Caught. Photo Credit: Ellie Splain Click Image to Enlarge<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/green-turtle-cay-abacos/overview.html">The Green Turtle Club</a>, a <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/index.php">Guy Harvey Outpost</a> Expedition Lodge hosted the event. For six years, REEF scientists have conducted a Lionfish Census before and after each event to assess the impacts of the Derbies. REEF estimates that had these 908 demons been allowed to roam Abaco waters for another year they would have consumed between 700,000 and 2.2 MILLION! Native prey fish.Congratulations and Thanks to REEF & to The Green Turtle Club for executing a great event for an important conservation mission!For more information on <a href="http://www.reef.org/">Reef Environmental Education Foundation</a> and other <a href="http://www.REEF.org/lionfish">Lionfish Derbies</a>.For More information on <a title="The Green Turtle Club" href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/destinations/bahamas/green-turtle-cay-abacos/overview.html">The Green Turtle Club</a>For More information on <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/index.php">Guy Harvey Outpost</a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/killing-for-conservation/){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=Guy’s Lionfish Safari, Guy Harvey Outpost St. Pete Beach&body= Sept 6 Lionfish Spearfishing Tournament, Sept 7 Tournament Weigh-In & Family Fun Day
<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/">Guy Harvey Outpost</a>, along with Reef Monitoring, Inc. and the Fishing Rights Alliance, is hosting a Lionfish Safari in an effort to collect as many of the invasive fish as possible for research and educate the public on the threat the species poses to reef environments. The event is open to the public.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lionfish-safari-flyer.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-2210 size-large" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lionfish-safari-flyer.jpg?w=550" alt="Lionfish Safari Flyer" width="550" height="711" /></a>
September 6 - Lionfish Safari: All registered divers will depart from their place of choice to complete the mission of hunting and capturing as many lionfish as possible. All captured lionfish must be kept on ice and surrendered at the Guy Harvey Outpost the following day. Each registrant will receive a guide to surrounding reefs that contain lionfish, a tournament t-shirt, meal ticket and access to the weigh-in and Family Fun Day on Sept. 7. There will be cash prizes including largest and smallest lionfish and Guy Harvey raffle items and giveaways.
To register for the Lionfish safari, visit <a href="http://www.guyslionfishsafari.com/">www.GuysLionfishSafari.com</a>. Deadline to register is Sat., August 30. Cost is $20 per person. All lionfish will be used for research and food tastings, and proceeds go to Reef Monitoring, a non-profit dedicated to organizing marine scientists and educators as a means of watching over natural and artificial reef systems. <a href="http://www.reefmonitoring.org/">www.reefmonitoring.org</a>.
September 7 - Participants and their families will be encouraged to enjoy a day of family fun at Guy Harvey Outpost after the weigh-in between 11a.m. - 12:30 p.m. All fish will be weighed and measured by Reef Monitoring and then passed to along to students and NOAA biologist Alex Fogg for dissection and food preparation. During this process, the group will explain the anatomy of these fish and why they are so harmful to other species in the Gulf waters. Then the lionfish fillets will be passed along to the chef station where they will be cooked and prepared for the tasting station.
Other family-centric activities will include kid-friendly lionfish education from Ocean Pals, live music, a beachside cookout, drink specials, and beach games. At 2:30 p.m. the tournament winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded.
Open to the public.
Location: Guy Harvey Outpost – a TradeWinds Beach Resort– Beach front: 6000 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach
Cost: Admission is complimentary.
Parking: Parking for participants will be complimentary; $20 for all others. Parking will be available at the Guy Harvey Outpost and at the neighboring Island Grand.
More Information & Special Room Rates:
For additional information and special tournament room rates, please visit www.GuysLionfishSafari.com or call (727) 259.7404.
MEDIA INFO: Kelly Grass Prieto, APR, Hayworth Public Relations • (813) 318-9611 • kelly@hayworthpr.com
More Information on Guy Harvey Outpost & their other 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>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost">https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/GHOutpost">https://twitter.com/GHOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost">http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guys-lionfish-safari-guy-harvey-outpost-st-pete-beach/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey to Raise Funds for Hurricane Relief Efforts in the Bahamas&body=
Guy Harvey Enterprises is supporting hurricane relief and recovery efforts in the Bahamas by donating 100 percent of net profits from a newly designed t-shirt to <a href="https://www.convoyofhope.org/donate/anglers-for-the-bahamas/">Convoy of Hope: Anglers for the Bahamas</a>.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bAHAMAS-sTRONG-sHIRT.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5422" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bAHAMAS-sTRONG-sHIRT.jpg" alt="" width="578" height="721" /></a>The Bahamas Strong t-shirt, which features an iconic Guy Harvey sailfish design with the Bahamian flag, is priced at $25 and available at <a href="https://www.guyharvey.com/bahamas-strong/bahamas-strong-t-shirt.html">https://www.guyharvey.com/bahamas-strong/bahamas-strong-t-shirt.html</a>.
“Hurricane Dorian left an unprecedented path of destruction through the Bahamas, causing unimaginable loss of life, property and security,” said Dr. Guy Harvey, world-renowned artist, conservationist, scientist and entrepreneur. “I was born in the Caribbean and lived here all my life, so I am particularly heartbroken by the devastation in the Bahamas. We sympathize with our island neighbors and will help in any way we can.” https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-to-raise-funds-for-hurricane-relief-efforts-in-the-bahamas/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Bouncer for Sale at Guy Harvey’s Bimini Sands Beach Bash, Bonfire & Tournament&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/gho-btb2014-logo-cc.jpg"><img id="i-1964" class="size-full wp-image" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/gho-btb2014-logo-cc.jpg?w=650" alt="Image" /></a> “Legendary Captain” Bouncer Smith Auctions Bimini Fishing Charters To Benefit Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and IGFA, During Guy Harvey Outpost Beach Bash Bonfire & Tournament at Bimini Sands Resort & Marina June 26 - June 29 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (May 8, 2014) – Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts announced today plans to offer Bimini fishing charters with IGFA “Legendary Captain” Bouncer Smith during its upcoming Beach Bash Bonfire and Tournament. The June 26-29 tournament will be hosted by Bimini Sands Resort & Marina, the newest member of the Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Collection of offshore resorts and lodges. Guy Harvey Outpost has opened on-line tournament registration where anglers and their guests can bid on half and full day charters with Capt. Bouncer. Auction proceeds will go directly to the IGFA and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation to benefit conservation efforts in Bimini and its surrounding waters. “This is a first for me,” said Capt. Bouncer. “I’ve taken clients to Bimini to chase world records, but this is a special opportunity for anyone of any age who wants to learn first-hand my secrets of the Bimini fishing grounds.” Added Mark Ellert, president of Guy Harvey Outpost, “Fishing Bouncer and his 33-foot Dusky is the difference between fishing and catching, whatever your target species might be in Bimini. If you want to improve your odds at winning this tournament, chartering Bouncer is the way to do it.” Capt. Bouncer and crew will be available for half day charters Thursday afternoon and Friday and for a full day charter the day of the tournament, Saturday, June 28. The tournament format will provide prizes for all ages and species, with boat awards and scoring incentives based on largest fish caught and released. A separate billfish division will award both teams and anglers with the highest aggregate points based on the number of billfish caught and released. “With awards for length not number of fish, luck will be a factor and should create some surprising winners for non-billfish species. After all, even blind squirrels find nuts on occasion,” adds Capt. Bouncer with his trademark smile. Tournament festivities will kick off Monday evening, June 23, in Fort Lauderdale with a pre-departure dockside party hosted by <a href="http://www.papaspilar.com/">Papa’s Pilar Rum</a> at the <a href="http://www.biminiboatyard.com/">Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill</a>. Capt. Bouncer Smith will be on hand to offer tips on current Bimini fishing conditions and techniques. From there the action moves to the Bimini Sands Resort & Marina, with pre-fishing and social activities on Thursday and Friday, June 26 and 27. Saturday is tournament day, with fishing from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, followed by beachfront pig-roast and awards ceremony that evening.For more information and to register for the tournament or bid on a Capt. Bouncer charter, call Guy Harvey Outpost at 1-800-513-5257 or visit <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/BeachBash">www.GuyHarveyOutpost.com/BeachBash</a>. About Captain Bouncer SmithInducted by the IGFA in 2014 as a “Legendary Captain”, Capt. Bouncer Smith is a South Florida sport fishing pioneer. Respected for his intimate sport fishing knowledge Capt. Bouncer Smith has devoted his life to sharing fishing with others through his radio shows, magazine articles, seminars, and IGFA “conservation through education” efforts. Fishing out of the Miami Beach Marina, Capt. Bouncer and his 33’ Dusky center console are icons among South Florida charter boat captains and crews, having won most major South Florida fishing tournaments during his career. For more information visit <a href="http://www.captbouncer.com/">www.captbouncer.com</a>About The Guy Harvey Outpost Beach Bash, Bonfire and TournamentThe Guy Harvey Outpost Beach Bash, Bonfire and Tournament will be held June 26-29 at Bimini Sands Resort & Marina. The event marks the return of Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts to Bimini, the birthplace of the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA), after a two year hiatus to pursue development elsewhere in the Bahamas and Caribbean. The event will feature an exciting IGFA compliant fishing competition, scuba diving, family-friendly Bahamian activities and much more, headlined by world-renowned marine artist and conservation advocate Guy Harvey and Florida fishing authority Capt. Bouncer Smith. During the event’s signature bonfire celebrations, 30-foot tall Blue Marlin wire sculptures by artist Bobby Little will be lit on fire Friday and Saturday night. The company expects the Beach Bash, Bonfire and Tournament to become a standing South Bimini summertime event at the Bimini Sands Resort & Marina. For more information visit <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/BeachBash">www.GuyHarveyOutpost.com/BeachBash</a>. About Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts & LodgesGuy Harvey Outpost Resorts & Lodges promote sustainable adventure tourism and high quality watersport activities. With properties located in pristine waterfront settings, the company has become a symbol of ocean conservation and awareness while fostering lifelong memories for its guests. Its Signature Collection properties currently include the Tradewinds Resort on St. Petersburg Beach and the Islander Resort in Islamorada, and construction is underway on a 30-unit eco-lodge in the Galapagos Islands. Members of the company’s Expedition Portfolio include a network of independently owned and operated boutique hotels in Mexico and the Bahamas. For more information and reservations at all Guy Harvey Outpost properties, visit <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com./">www.GuyHarveyOutpost.com.</a>About Bimini Sands Resort & Marina Located 50 miles from Miami on the gateway island of South Bimini, Bimini Sands Resort & Marina features fully furnished villas with breathtaking waterfront views, a full-service marina accommodating boats up to 115 feet and three freshwater swimming pools. Bimini Sands also boasts several upscale dining options, including the island’s only sushi bar, and guests can enjoy a full complement of watersport activities. Minutes from Bimini International Airport, its idyllic location offers spectacular views of Bimini’s unparalleled blue waters and radiant sunsets, along with picturesque coral reefs and a secluded beach setting. Family-owned and operated for more than 15 years, Bimini Sands is one of the Bahamas’ best-rated family vacation destinations. For more information visit <a href="http://www.biminisands.com/">www.biminisands.com</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/bouncer-for-sale-at-guy-harveys-bimini-sands-beach-bash-bonfire-tournament/){kind=link}
TRAVEL DESK : 800.513.5257
Connect & Follow