Sportsman Show Reels in the Experts!

On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2009 at the Ft. Lauderdale War Memorial Auditorium the Florida Sportsman Fishing and Boat Show will host two days of hard-core fishing information offered dozens of top fishing pros on subjects that range from using marine electronics to catch more fish to sight casting for redfish and snook. Realistic fishing conditions will be simulated as seminar speakers share their knowledge from the bow of a Sterling flats boat floating in a 10,000 gallon pond and an Dusky offshore boat fully tricked out for deep water angling. The audience will experience the virtual reality of fishing and enjoy a sense of being there on the boat with each seminar speaker. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to find out first hand what makes these pros so successful.

All seminar times are the same for both days

Inshore Riggin’ It Right
10:30 a.m. - Uni-Knot System -- versatile basic knot for a variety of applications
11:30 a.m. - Rigging Soft Plastics -- basic rigs for snook, trout, reds, and more
12:30 p.m. - Terminal Tackle Rigs for Dead and Live Bait -- popping corks, freelining, bottom rigs, etc.
1:30 p.m. - The Drop Shot Rig -- the stealth rig for reds & bonefish
2:30 p.m. - Tying Leaders to Braided Lines -- special applications using doubled lines with Spider Hitch, Uni-Knot, and Surgeon’s knots
3:30 p.m. - Modified Soft Plastics -- thinking outside the manufacturer’s instructions
4:15 p.m. - Ask the Pros -- bring your questions to the table: rod rigging, Knots, tackle--you ask it, we have the answers

Offshore Riggin’ it Right
10:30 a.m. - Thirty-Second Kingfish Rig - tie a better wire leader in just 30 seconds
11:30 a.m. - Bottom Fishing – catch more snapper and grouper on better bottom rigs
12:30 p.m. - Better Ballyhoo Fishing -- rig a better trolled bait
1:30 p.m. - Caring for and Filleting Your Catch -- proper technique will improve table performance
2:30 p.m. - Thirty-Second Kingfish Rig - tie a better wire leader in just 30 seconds
3:30 p.m. - Teasers -- get more bites with a better spread
4:15 p.m. - Caring for and Filleting Your Catch -- proper technique will improve table performance

Angler on Foot
10:45 a.m. - Beach fishing Florida’s East Coast
Noon - Effective bridge and pier fishing
1:30 p.m. - Wadefishing
3 00 p.m. - Beach fishing Florida’s East Coast (at the Inshore Stage)
4 00 p.m. - Effective bridge and pier fishing
4:45 p.m. - Request hour

Hobie Kayak Stage--Fishing Seminar and slide show
Noon and 2 p.m. by Florida Sportsman Associate Editor Jerry McBride. Or stop in anytime and see the tricked-out boats and talk to the experts about how to fish from kayaks.

Federation of Fly Fishers Casting Instruction
(at the Fly Pond in front)
Hands-on individual instruction--just walk up and ask

SEMINARS

Inshore Seminar Stage:

11 a.m., Fishing the Backwaters with Plastics Mark Nichols, inventor and manufacturer of D. O. A. lures, has tested his lures in shallow water all over the country, and the techniques he uses in the Indian River of Florida, Texas bays and Louisiana coastal islands will work just as well in South 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 get out and go down on my knees on a submerged sandbar 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, casting to a new display of virtual reality snook and redfish swimming in the roots of artificial mangrove plants.

Noon, Fishing North Biscayne Bay for Family Fun Capt. Alan Sherman is host of the Florida Sportsman Live radio show and a professional shallow water guide in north Biscayne Bay. Alan’s father taught him to catch trout on a Mitchell 300 in the ‘50s, fishing Biscayne Bay and Flamingo from a wooden 18’ skiff. Sherman went on to spend a thirty-year career in the charter business, running the partyboat Hurricane out of Baker’s Haulover. Now he’s gone back to his roots and guides clients to fantastic catches in a 22’ bay boat. “For novices or seasoned anglers looking to catch fish all day long,” says Sherman, “I like to stay out in the open waters where there is steady action throughout the day. We catch snapper, trout, shark, mackerel, grouper, jacks, snook and tarpon--over a dozen different species on any given day. And on a nice day the list increases to include kingfish and dolphin since the offshore opportunities are close by.” Subjects will include how to find and position your boat over productive areas, favorite rigs for different species and tackle selection.

1 p.m., Snook on Artificials Capt. Danny Barrow’s father used to take him bridge fishing for snook when he was an infant, tying his stroller to the same rail that he tied a stringer of dinner fish--how’s that for “…been snook fishing since I was a kid!” As Barrow grew up he fished for everything from wahoo to bass, but now he has found his way back to his real passion, snook fishing. “I learned a lot about snook fishing from bass fishing,” says Barrow. “Back then everyone was using live bait, but after catching a few big bass on lures I learned it was actually more productive and a lot more fun, especially topwater lures.“ Barrow is now a fulltime guide specializing in snook fishing from a 20’ bay skiff out of Boynton Boat Club Park and has learned all of the best spots in the mid and south Lake Worth Lagoon. “In winter the fish are scattered but there are still several good places to look for them, like the Ocean Avenue bridges in Boynton and Lantana, the spillways, residential docks and small bridges in the Manalapana Lagoon, and lots of productive flats. By boat these places are just fives minutes from north to south. So my seminar will start with how to catch them and then move to where to catch them.” Topics will include boatmanship around docks and bridges, tackle selection, and end with a segment on Barrow’s top-five lures.

2 p.m., Sportsman’s Best--Redfish Capt. Terry Lacoss is a Florida Sportsman Department Editor, author of numerous feature articles and Sportsman’s Seminars columns, and author of the soon-to-be-released book, Sportsman‘s Best--Redfish. Lacoss runs the charter fleet out of Amelia Island Plantation and frequently guides charters into the picturesque backwaters of the Amelia and St. Mary’s rivers near the Georgia border. He also fishes lots of redfish tournaments and won the very first ESPN redfish cup in 2002 and the Jacksonville IFA Cabella’s Redfish Tournament in 2003. Lacoss will give advice on how to work the tides to follow the schools of redfish while they move from the deep channels at low tide, to the potholes at incoming tide, to oyster bars, and then eventually up into the tidal creeks at high tide. “Here in south Florida, just like the Northeast coast where I fish a lot, you have to follow the fish with the tides,” advises Lacoss. “This is true for species other than redfish, too. I see too many fishermen park in one spot for way too long. These fish don’t move far but the key is to move with them as they feed on shrimp, mullet and crabs that are around dock pilings way up in residential creeks and canals at high tide.” Topics will also include Lacoss’ top ten artificial baits.

3 p.m., Surf Fishing College Larry Finch makes his living at pulling fish from the surf--each November he averages 100 pounds of pompano per day on hook and line. “I’ve been surf fishing the east coast of Florida for 35 years,” says Finch, “and these are the best days of surf fishing I’ve ever seen.” If you’re like most surf fishermen, you’ve stood there without a bite while Finch reeled them in right next to you. This seminar will teach you how a pro does it and cover everything about catching your own bait, tackle selection, tying terminal rigs and Finch’s secrets to being at the right place at the right time. As an added bonus one lucky seminar attendee will win one of Finch’s DVDs on surf fishing the east coast of Florida.

4 p.m., Understanding Tides and Moon Phases Native Floridian Capt. Ray Markham is Florida Sportsman’s West Central Field Editor, co-host of Florida Sportsman Live radio and the Inshore Riggin‘ it Right team leader at all Florida Sportsman Fishing and Boat Shows throughout the state. Markham is a firm believer in using tidal flows to locate and catch more fish, so this seminar will be all about how tides and moon phases affect feeding and migration habits of fish “I’ll reveal the secrets of planning successful fishing trips using the Florida Sportsman Fishing Planner,” says Markham. “This interactive seminar will be species and location specific, and I encourage everyone to bring your questions to the table as a participant to understand where, when and how tides affect fishing. Weather has a big affect on tides so understanding how weather interacts with the tides will give you a better shot at catching more fish.”

Offshore Seminar Stage

11 a.m., Swordfishing With THE Expert So you want to try swording but don't know how to start? Now South Florida’s top expert in catching broadbills will show you the ropes. Capt. Bouncer Smith of Miami Beach is one of the most recognized charter skippers in South Florida, having won the Billfish Foundation’s Captain of the Year award, the Miami Beach Rod & Reel Club’s Guide of the Year Award, the Met’s Top Guide Award, and the prestigious Met Hyman award for commendable public service--not to mention setting over 20 IGFA world records. Bouncer’s seminar will focus on fishing for Florida’s fabled broadbills, highlighting nighttime fishing but also teaching newly developed daytime fishing techniques. Starting with the serious business of boat and tackle preparation, Bouncer will talk about when, where and how to venture out to the offshore canyons to catch a swordfish using methods ranging from super simple to the more technical that the pros use to put a bait in front of a fish. Other topics will be swordfish safety and boatmanship, tackle, moon phases, bait and how to locate fish. This seminar will leave you with the know-how to get right out there and battle with a swordfish of your own.

Noon, Dolphin Fishing Capt. Rick Ryals is the author of Florida Sportsman’s new book, Sportsman’s Best: Dolphin, and team leader of Riggin’ it Right at all Florida Sportsman Fishing and Boat Shows. Ryals has won many tournaments over his 30 years of Florida fishing and will speak about how to greatly improve your catch of one of the most sought after table fish in Florida--dolphin. “They’re great fighters, with the prettiest jumps and best runs around,” says Ryals. “They’re all over Florida and they grow at an incredible rate, consuming twenty percent of their body weight daily--the biggest bulls around are just three years old!” Ryals skippers the fabulous Cabo sportfisherman Dos Amigos all over Florida and the Bahamas and there’s nothing he’d rather catch than big dolphin. This seminar will be all about how to find and catch the big “slammers,” including what baits to use and how to rig them, what conditions to look for, when to troll and when to run and gun, and how to plan your trip so you’re in the right place at the right time.

1 p.m., Deep Wreck Fishing Capt. Jim Anson, co-host of Florida Sportsman Live radio, has set 32 IGFA world records on amberjack, barracuda, cobia, redfish, jack crevalle and permit and has guided his clients to another 181 records on a variety of saltwater and freshwater species. In 2004 the IGFA awarded Anson the Lifetime Achievement Award, putting him in the company of only six other angler-luminaries like Ralph Delph and Bob Crossett. Anson’s seminar will be on a little-known technique called “deep drop” fishing with live bait. This technique prevents the bait from wrapping around the line and weight which ultimately causes the line to cut through itself, losing the fish. Other topics will include how to find wrecks and how to drift or anchor over them, tackle selection, and bait rigging techniques. Immediately after his seminar Anson will appear as a guest speaker at the Offshore Riggin’ It Right Classroom to show you how to tie this unusual live bait rig. Anson once guided a client to an incredible catch of a 287 pound Warsaw grouper--they used a live seven-pound mutton snapper for bait, rigged to a four-pound window sash weight to cut through extreme current on a wreck in over 200 feet of water.

2 p.m., More Fish with Less Time and Money Capt. Hank Williams is the owner of Wet Willy Charters and has fished local waters for over 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. The change in water quality--especially red tide--has caused all of us to start to think beyond the basics and old tactics. It’s not more money or more time that will improve your catch, it’s smarter fishing, pure and simple.” 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.

3 p.m., Kingfish Basics Kingfish Basics Capt. Terry Lacoss is a Florida Sportsman Department Editor and the author of numerous feature articles and Sportsman’s Seminars columns. Lacoss runs the charter fleet out of Amelia Island Plantation and frequently guides his charters to fantastic catches of kingfish. Lacoss was in the top five--including a first place daily win--in the first five years of the Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament back in the 1980s and he won the SKA First Coast kingfish tournament in ‘87. “Close-in fish can be ten to twenty pounds larger than the ones you catch further out,” says Lacoss. “You just don’t have to go far out or use a big boat--I’ve seen kayaks catching kings in 25 feet of water just off the beach. You can get back fast if the weather turns and you only need half a day to catch quality fish.” Lacoss will teach a simple trolling method using ribbonfish, the kingfish fisherman’s secret bait.

4 p.m., Snapper and Grouper Capt. Rick Ryals is co-author of Florida Sportsman’s new 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. Topics will include rigging bottom fishing 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.