When you aren’t dangling a hook in the water, what do you anglers most like to do?

Talk about fishing, for one thing. Look at fish, for another.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget other important priorities in life. There are knots to be practiced and tested, reels to tune, cast nets to mend, flies to tie, tackle to rearrange. Conservation deserves our attention, too, as well as teaching kids the basics.

A special place to serve all these needs, a place that could be the prototype for similar facilities around the state and nation, is being proposed as a large addition to the Florida Oceanographic Society (FOS) on Hutchinson Island at Stuart, Florida.

The complex devoted to recreational fishing will be the Treasure Coast Fishing Center, a part of the non-profit FOS which already features marine exhibits and boardwalks at its 40-acre site on the shore of the Indian River just north of the Stuart Causeway.

With support from the fishing community and industry, the Fishing Center will grow into a major keeper, consisting of two basic components.

One will be a headquarters building of some 4,000 square feet to house how-to recreational angling and educational exhibits. There will be room for seminars, demonstrations, classes, meetings and plain old sitting around.

The other component will be a sizable Gamefish Pond, framed by mangroves and native plants and rimmed by wooden walkways. In the shallow water drawn up from the same source as the Indian River itself, will reside the stars of Indian River fishing—snook, tarpon, redfish, seatrout, sheepshead, tripletail, and many more marine animals that are especially fascinating to watch at close quarters over a cup of coffee or soft drink.

An open sitting porch on the main building will extend out over the pond, perfect for exchanging fishing stories, some of which it is hoped will even be true. “Prevarication Porch,” is one suggested name for the hang-out place for fishermen.

The idea for the Fishing Center turned on like a bright docklight after we moved our offices to Stuart, visited the FOS grounds and got to know the director, Mark Perry and his wife Nancy. It took just minutes to realize that this combination of prime habitat and prime people could result in something very special for the fishing world. Recreational fishing, unfortunately, is a sport not well promoted and in fact is only tolerated in certain quarters. The center concept could help change that.

FOS President Bill Whittaker said the pond, grounds and structures tie in perfectly with existing efforts and long-range plans.

Two other exhibits are planned for near the pond, one a shark tank spearheaded by developer Paul Kleinfeld. The other will star sea turtles. Both would provide up-close experiences, though not hands-on interaction in the case of sharks.

Already one of the most popular places at FOS is a stingray tank, where kids (of all ages) can hold a variety of rays that have been relieved of their barbs (they grow back).

While the FOS in general is aimed at the overall public, the Fishing Center will focus on people who enjoy recreational fishing or find themselves interested in getting started.

Features planned include angling memorabilia, historic photos, advice on release and venting techniques, cleaning and cooking of fish, favorite lures, a rod-building and flytying bench, video center, library, artificial reef locators...the whole gamut of fishing. And yet the approach is to be low-key and first-class, more a spot for unwinding and hanging out than creating the bustle of a large tourist attraction. Quiet, please.

FS