Hobie Kayak Stage—Fishing Seminar and slide show
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Noon and 2 p.m., by Florida Sportsman Contributing Editor Jerry McBride. Or stop in anytime and see the tricked-out boats and talk to the experts about how to fish from kayaks.
Inshore Stage (The Inshore Stage consists of a 10,000-gallon pond with Sterling flats boat, mangroves and slide show.)
11 a.m. Capt. Mark Nichols Wadefishing the flats
Noon Capt. Dave Pomerleau Fishing for Monster Snook
1 p.m. Capt. Blair Wiggins Inshore Tactics
2 p.m. Capt. Ron Presley Secrets from Florida’s Master Anglers
3 p.m. Capt. Bobby Hilbrunner Tampa Bay Redfishing—the best in Florida
4 p.m. Capt. Tony Bozzella Tide Flows and Moon Phases (Saturday Only)
Offshore Stage
11 a.m. Capt. Billy Miller Family Fun Fishing
Noon Capt. Vance Tice Trolling the Ship Channels for Grouper
1 p.m. Capt. Bill Miller Catching Kingfish
2 p.m. Capt. Larry Blue Sharking with a Specialist
3 p.m. Capt. Hank Williams Catch More Fish Spending Less Time and Money
4 p.m. Capt. Rick Ryals, Grouper & Snapper (Saturday Only)
Inshore Stage:
11 a.m., Wadefishing the Flats
Mark Nichols, inventor and manufacturer of D.O.A. Lures, has tested his lures in shallow water all over the country. The techniques he uses in the Indian River Lagoon of Florida, Texas bays and Louisiana coastal islands will work just as well in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. “Keeping a low profile is essential in skinny water,” explains Nichols, “and I can’t do that from the bow of a boat. I’ll go down on my knees on a submerged bar when I see a fish, which might put the water around my chest.” Nichols will demonstrate lure retrieval technique while wading in the inshore pond and casting to virtual tailing redfish and snook.
Noon, Snook Fishing with the Mad Snooker
Capt. Dave Pomerleau, of Bradenton, is known as the Mad Snooker for good reason—he pursues snook with a maniacal passion that causes him to travel the state looking for the hottest bite. Pomerleau will discuss the types of tackle needed to pull brute snook out from bridge and dock pilings, his favorite baits and lures, and snook feeding habits. Subjects will include where to locate feeding fish in winter in the Tampa area, how to position your boat around bridges and docks, and how to catch pinfish for bait when large shrimp are not available. Capt. Dave will highlight his seminar with plenty of slides of big snook and Google Earth photos of his favorite places to find what he calls “snookasaurus.”
1 p.m., Inshore Tactics
Capt. Blair Wiggins aka Mogan Man is the host of one of Florida’s longest running saltwater television shows – “Addictive Fishing”. In the past 10 years of filming, Blair has fished inshore, nearshore, and offshore with local guides from Texas to Louisiana and all over Florida, and the techniques he has learned along the way will work here in the Tampa Bay area. Blair is also a hardcore tournament angler. In 2006, he won the $100,000 first prize at the FLW Redfish Championship. The following year, Blair fished with a different partner and took home the Panama City FLW Redfish title. He has spent countless prefishing hours on the water and will share that passion and knowledge with the audience. Blair is a master at throwing artificials. From soft plastics and hard baits to spinners and spoons, he will talk about many different baits to throw in this area. Blair’s multimedia presentation will incorporate video clips that show tips and techniques in action and allow the audience to ask questions about each segment creating an interesting learning experience.
2 p.m., Secrets from Florida’s Master Anglers
Capt. Ron Presley is a professional fishing guide and the secretary/treasurer of the Florida Guides Association. In 2009 Capt. Ron published Secrets from Florida’s master Anglers. Capt. Presley conducted privileged interviews with twenty of the state’s top charter-boat captains. The result is this collection of tips and techniques sure to make your next excursion a success. In his seminar Presley reveals the secrets of choosing the right equipment, using bait and tackle, proper casting, and the art of landing a fish. He explains the key differences between fishing from shore or boat, good manners for the angler, and insights into hiring a captain who’ll give you the adventure of a lifetime. Throughout, anecdotes and stories from the master fishing guides bring the lessons of the book to life. So whether you want to spend the day on the shallow flats or nearshore ocean fishing, start by attending this seminar…and hear the secrets.
3 p.m., Redfishing in Tampa Bay
Capt. Bobby Hilbrunner fishes out of Sarasota and spends most of his time guiding his charters to great catches of Tampa Bay’s fabled redfish. “I spend a lot of time volunteering with Mote and the FWC in their redfish stock enhancement programs,” says Capt. Bobby with a chuckle before he finishes the thought. “But I have to admit I have an ulterior motive to learning everything I can about the species, and that’s so I can catch more of them! So my seminar will be all about where to find redfish throughout the year and during different tides, all the information I gained by going out on numerous brood stock capture boats and fry release boats, always making mental notes about redfish habits and habitats.” One of Capt. Bobby’s best tips is to fish around mullet schools. “It’s no surprise to me that mullet schools hold a lot of redfish—they are there taking advantage of the crabs and shrimp that foraging mullet kick up.”
4 p.m., Planning Trips Around Tidal Flows and Moon Phases (Saturday Only)
Capt. Tony Bozzella is Florida Sportsman’s inshore Riggin’ it Right Team Leader at all Fishing Shows around the state, teaching thousands of anglers the secrets to catching more fish using the tried and true baits, rigs and tackle that Florida Sportsman has helped developed over the past forty years. Capt. Tony is also the maker of TBS Jigs and has over thirty top-five wins in inshore tournaments from Louisiana to Northeast Florida. Tony says his key to success has always been his keen understanding of how tidal flows and moon phases affect each species. “If you know how to take advantage of high and low tides, and most importantly the fast currents in between, you’ll put more fish in the box and never get skunked. I actually follow the fish all day, from the staging areas of low tide when fish are pooled up in pockets, through their migration to feeding areas in fast-flowing incoming tides where monster trout hang in eddies behind structure, to the flooded flats where I can’t normally take my boat. You need to learn to not look at your watch but look instead at what the tides are doing.” This interactive seminar will be species and location specific and everyone should bring questions to the table to learn where, when, and how tides on the west coast of Florida.
Offshore Stage:
11 a.m., Family Fun Fishing
Fishing doesn’t have to be fancy to be fun. That’s the theme of Capt. Billy Miller’s “Family Fun Fishing” seminar. Focusing on techniques that anglers of all skill levels can learn, Miller summarizes three main strategies – Knocker Rigs, Long Shank Hooks and Trolling Spoons – while also explaining the art of chumming, drift fishing and floating baits. Miller’s presentation also addresses live bait options and identifies productive artificial reefs.
Noon, Trolling the Ship Channels for Grouper
Vance “Bubba” Tice is co-owner of Tightlines Tackle and the inventor of the popular Bubba’s Jigs—he’s also a charter captain known locally as the Granddaddy of trolling for grouper. Capt. Tice specializes in trolling monster jigs along the limestone edges and rubble piles of Tampa Bay’s ship channel for keeper grouper and frequently captains other anglers’ boats to show them how it’s done. He’s a master of the grouper trolling game and will teach you everything you need to know about trolling for grouper, including how to use electronics and downriggers to troll zigzag patterns over ledges, dropoffs and rockpiles. “It’s critical to get the bait about a foot off the bottom,” says Tice, “and I’m going to teach you how to do that so you can go right out the next day and put some fish in the box.”
1 p.m., Catching Kingfish
Fierce predators with slashing teeth and plenty of speed, king mackerel are one of the sea’s most exciting sport fish. Capt. Bill Miller, Grand Master Angler and host of “Hooked on Fishing” (Brighthouse Sports Networks) breaks down the basics of how to find and capture these wily predators. Blending relevant conservation history with insightful “how-to” details, Capt. Bill explains the strategies of kingfish trolling with an emphasis on wire rigging and live bait presentation. Get ready to write down some of the kingfish spots and tasty recipes Capt. Bill shares.
2 p.m., Sharking with a Specialist
Captain Larry Blue has been the owner and operator of Captain Larry Blue Fishing Charters for the past 23 years. He runs the Niki-Joe, a 30-foot express, out of Treasure Island. You can find him heading out of Johns Pass daily for a new fishing adventure. Not only does Capt. Larry know where to find tuna, wahoo and dolphin, but he has become the areas local expert on shark fishing. There are many fine points to consider in shark fishing and Capt. Larry will teach tactics that go beyond just heading offshore and dropping a line. “Sharks are creatures of habit, as are many of the inhabitants of the sea. Patterns evolve year after year, and you must follow them closely,” states Capt. Larry. “They’re not obvious to the unskilled or unaware. I’ll explain the patterns and reveal the techniques.”
3 p.m., More Fish with Less Time and Money
Capt. Hank Williams is the owner of Wet Willy Charters and has fished our local waters for more than 30 years, learning ways to spend less time and money to catch more fish. Hank has developed dozens of nifty tips that will produce better catches of snapper, grouper, cobia, kingfish and all the offshore fish that swim Gulf Coast waters. This seminar will be all about maximizing your catch while minimizing your effort and expense. “If you learn to be a better fisherman you will save money on fuel and tackle,” advises Capt. Hank. “Boating has become more time consuming and more expensive over the years, so you need to learn every little trick rather than using the same old tactics that aren’t working”. Along with rigging techniques to catch popular table fish, Capt. Hank will offer advice on using electronics to find fish you couldn’t find before.
4 p.m., Snapper and Grouper (Saturday Only)
Capt. Rick Ryals is co-author of Florida Sportsman’s book and DVD, Sportsman’s Best: Snapper and Grouper, and team leader of Riggin’ it Right at all Florida Sportsman Fishing Shows. Ryals is also the captain of a new 35 Cabo Express, Dos Amigos, that fishes Florida waters in search of big snapper and grouper. Ryals has won many tournaments over his 30 years of Florida fishing and will speak about how to greatly improve your catch of the most sought after reef and wreck fish, snapper and grouper. Using video clips and photos from Sportsman’s Best, Ryals will explain how to rig terminal tackle, best baits, how to catch and store live bait, anchoring and drifting techniques, and end with someone in the audience winning an autographed copy of Sportsman’s Best: Snapper and Grouper.
HUNTING STAGE
Florida Sportsman and ReeforRack Outdoors have teamed together this year to present an even bigger and better Hunting Stage complete with a variety of vendors and outdoor speakers.
ReeforRack Outdoors. For the past 25 years, we’ve been enjoying hunting, fishing and diving. Now we look forward to sharing these experiences with our children so they can learn respect for our outdoor habitat and marine life. ReeforRack’s main goal is to aid in the preservation of our fish and wildlife conservation. With some help, through education we can encourage conservation and the best management practices for sustainable marine and wildlife environments. Together we can follow the rules and regulations of the FWC and have loads of fun along the way. If you would like to lend a helping hand in our fight to preserve the future for our children, please drop us a line or shoot us an e-mail. Together we all can make a difference. So check us out and we look forward to hearing from you. reeforrack.com
El Lagarto Alligator Hunting
Bill and Mitch Kline combine 50 yrs of experience hunting the Florida alligator. The knowledge and skill
they possess gives them great success on their hunts. Along with the knowledge and skill comes professionalism and the respect for conservation of the outdoors. The Kline’s grew up hunting the swamps in the Florida Everglades. Mitch is working with Reef or Rack Outdoors in hopes of helping to conserve our outdoor lifestyles and wildlife which will be so important to the future of our children so they can enjoy all that we have been able to do. El Lagarto has been chosen by leading names in the hunting industry for guided alligator hunts including, the NRA(National Rifle Association), Benelli, Remington, Thompson Center, Innerloc’s Out There, and Red Arrow T.V. Come and visit with Mitch Kline as he joins forces with Reef or Rack Outdoors at the Florida Sportsman Fishing and Hunting Shows in 2011. Mitch will be the guest speaker for Reef or Rack Outdoors as he shares his knowledge and secrets to killing the big boys. Also see the impressive 13′ 6″ full stuffed Florida Gator on display taken by Mitch himself. huntellagarto.com/trophyroom.html
Basic Fundamentals of Archery Hunting and Bow Hunting
Captain Tony Bozzella is a full-time fishing guide in North Florida. “But when hunting season rolls around, it’s time to go into the woods,” says Capt. Tony enthusiastically. Bozzella has harvested over 80 deer, turkey, hogs and alligators. He can put you on the right tract to increase your chances this season and help you become a better shot. He will discuss topics such as scent elimination, stand placement, and bow tuning. Plus, he might give a few tips on the top public Wildlife management areas to hunt.
SwampBuggiesFl.com is a new division of M.C. Ventures. Quality manufacturing since 1984. They offer factory quality buggy parts from individual pieces to complete hunt-ready buggies. Since 1984 M.C. Ventures has built thousands of trailers and truck bodies and many swamp buggies. In the past few years seeing how popular this sport has become, they are now focusing on how to build a nicer, more user friendly buggy for less money.
One of the most exciting new areas of their business is building individual parts for your buggy. You can purchase a frame one month and other components the next month. This option has become quite popular. This allows the average person to bolt together their own buggy at home saving them thousands of dollars.
Florida Sportsman will be presenting our brand new, state of the art hunting buggy in the upcoming 2011 Fishing and Boat Shows.
© 2011 InterMedia Outdoors