Florida Fishermen Magazine Issue #19

Southerland Outdoors Hubbards Marina Reports Readers Features On the Cover - Skye Burkhardt How was your ARS Season? Fishing Reports Family Fishing with Lewis and Cherlyn Arnold Rebecca Bowen - Winner Miss bikini fitness 2019 US pageant Florida Fishermen Magazine Copyright 2017 Florida Fishermen Magazine. All rights reserved. Web Hosting by Aabaco 757 NW Federal HwyStuart, FL 34994 Info@Flfishmag.com Skye Burkhardt Fishing the Heat of Summer page 3 ICast 2019 Page 21 Family Fishing with Lewis and Cherlyn Arnold pasge 33 Southerland Outdoors page 38 Katy Hendee - Peacock Bass page 45 Hubbards Marina - Fishing reports page 52 Against The Grain charters page 62 The Many Faces of Rebecca Bowen page 66 CCA-with Leiza Fitzgerald page 74 The ARC of Martin County page 90 Readers Features page 96 In This Issue Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" I am lady angler from Edgewater Florida I spend most of my time wetting lines on the shores of mosquito lagoon and the back country of the Tomoka Basin! Ever since I was just a little girl I gravitated to the water and developed a deep Passion for fishing. I grew up hunting gator and Bass fishing freshwater rivers and lakes. I fish for the sport and enjoy returning these beauties back to the water the healthy release of a fish is extremely important and it leaves me feeling complete and fulfilled. Fishing is much more then a Passion for me it is a way of life I make time daily to make that cast! Being a mother you would think it would be difficult but they too enjoy being outdoors and fishing with their momma so I get to live and share my passion with my beautiful children anytime, family and fishing is who I am. I like to teach my children to be responsible little anglers and respect our waterways and wildlife so they too can share the same amazing memories and experiences with their children one day Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" I am 1 of 6 children 2 older sisters the beautiful and talented Amber and Summer and 3 very successful younger brothers Shane, Brannon and Cody, the redneck Brady bunch we would say growing up! Children of Parents Tracy and Kenneth who bent over backwards to give us a great childhood but they also taught us to work hard for the things that we want in life by working the family Tree Service, teamwork and family is everything in our home. splitting firewood, running chainsaws, dragging brush, and running the ropes is what Skye Pie did with the boys, up until just a couple years ago i finally stopped tree work! My father taught us that when doing so you appreciate what you have more because you've accomplished and earned it on your own. which is why I've became such a successful, knowledgeable skilled angler, solo may I add! Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" My father started taking me fishing when we were at toddler age I always thought he loved it but he just loved to see me smiling and happy with a fishing rod in my hand I fished on a Lake by our home with my brothers on the Canoes "borrowed" from a neighbor, needless to say we were caught one day bringing it back that sweet old man had a smile ear to ear and that conoe became ours. God is great! I was always hanging with the boys and outside climbing trees, I became consumed with fishing and continued living my passion throughout my teen years as I moved into my 1st home right on Lake Lotus and continued to bass fish. Building my own dock and spending hours, week days and weekends out there. I landed my 1st gator and stared going on gator hunting missions!! Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" Some of my other go toos are a jig head with a chartreuse tail/swimbait 3"-4", depending in what they are feeding and working these baits at different depths to find out where the fish are feeding in the water column. That's what it is all about, putting in the time, learning your tides, the waters you are fishing, what the fish are feeding on and when they are biting! Put in the work and make yourself knowledgeable of the species you are targeting its habitat and you will be a successful angler! You just have to be willing to put in the work and have a deep passion behind it to stay successful and consistent! Everyday is chance to be an even better angler than you were yesterday. There is always ways to improve yourself and skill. Keep a positive mindset and positive vibes by friends I love artificials and the art behind working them!! I am a fan of a variety of lures, crank baits, mirrors lure, bodonk a donks, jigs aka soft plastics, poppers, plugs, twitch baits, spoons, jerk baits, I have all my jewels ready to rock n roll in my tackle box...did I mention DOA and Vudu is my jam! Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" I fished by foot on the shore line, targeting Snook and Tarpon by night and Drum by day in my kayak in the back waters of Mosquito Lagoon. I was and am always too stubborn to be taught anything to do with fishing so I taught myself everything from rods and reels to spooling, lures, how to work them, the tides, the lagoon, bridges causeways, to back country ditches, what the fish were feeding, when and why. Not just to be a successful angler but because it is my passion and Iove being out there learning the species I am targeting and about them and their habitat. After many nights targeting that finicky Snook and stubborn Tarpon and dozens of Redfish in the back country I later had the honor to learn and go offshore. Before going I had to learn the ropes of an offshore fishermen helping set up for that early 4am runn 80 miles offshore for Mahi. I learned how to rig ballyhoo and set the outriggers and lets just say running offshore was a whole other world to me ! Mahi, Red Grouper, Snapper, mackerel, tuna, wahoo, king fish throughout the last year I've had the honor to fish several locations offshore and still building my list of vacations and new spots to fish as well as marking off my list of species! Sailfish, Marlin and hand-linig a Goliath is next baby! Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" Skye Burkhardt " Fishing is a Passion" This isn't just fishing it is a passion, addiction and obsession. I find myself at some body of water daily whether it is on foot on the side of the road, In my skiff in the back country, the lagoon in my kayak, some local bridge or causeway barefoot casting underneath, tipping the edge of the inlet pushing it like I do, or planning my next trip offshore. I dream about my next mission and species to target! I enjoy sharing this passion with my family and children it's a way of life, my life. I'll be in my wheelchair making that last cast. Whatever it is in life that truly captures your heart and captivates you, live it, master it and enjoy it, share it and pass it down to your loved ones. Fish on my friends 💙 Skye Burkhardt Florida Fishermen Magazine Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt It sure is a hot one outside! What’s that saying? “A bad day on the water is better than a good day in the office” With this mid Summer heat, that just may not be the case. The high tempatures are sending alot of anglers running inside to sit in the air conditioning, sipping on a sweet iced tea. As for myself, I need to be outside fishing daily, so I can stay consistent. Running for air conditioning is no option for this lady angler. I need to stay on top of the fish, so no matter what the weather conditions, rain, wind, heat, cold, I will be out on the water scouting, tracking down fish learning their bite and following those elusive Reds to their next location When to fish With this heat you will find it much more challenging to hook up. Sure you may have found that school of Reds but with the high temps they are stubborn and won't chew. I find that during this time of the year, the early morning and before sun down is when the fish are biting. I am an Inshore fisherman ad specialize in the grassy flats of Mosquito Lagoon for Redfish. The great thing about Reds is you can find the year around. Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt What baits to use I am all about artificial baits, so my bait of choice to start with is a basic paddle tail jig on a weedless hook casting and working it alongside the mangroves. DOA shrimp, Bomber lures such as a Bodanka donk, popping corks, mirror lures and Super Spooks are my go to’s for Redfish. If all else fails I switch to live bait. Free-lining a jumbo shrimp works great in the deep waters and cooler days out on the flats but right now you want to throw-out bait with a stink! Pinfish or mullet “finger size” will work, cutting their tails off to release scent in the water to attract your fish. Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt Where to find fish Most fish will school up but in the heat they tend to scatter. You will find redfish against mangroves , Tarpon under bridges and Snook against docks and pilings. Which is why I look for vegetation and structure. I fish places that have cuts and openings that allow me to cast deep and can skip baits. Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt When targeting tarpon and Snook I prefer to fish for them the night hours. Tarpon are mostly nocturnal feeders and this time of the year I find the Tarpon bite to be on fire, Same for Snook. These species like structure, I target them posting up under bridges and under docks. I get more hits free-lining a shrimp or working artificial. My go to for Tarpon or Snook is a pearl mullet paddle tail jig, you want a little weight so you bait isn’t sitting on top of the water as you are working it, I recommend tossing on a split shot. Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt Fishing In The Heat Of Summer by Skye Burkhardt Don’t be that fishermen How many of you were so excited to just get out on the water or you were certain you had everything you needed? All you brought was your lures and you have tried everything in you tackle bag but nothing is biting. I know I am guilty of being that guy. This Summer heat makes it difficult to get that fish to the boat. I recommend bringing live and artifcial baits because you never know what the fish are chewing on and it is always best to be prepared. By Skye Burkhardt Skye Burkhardt Blue Water Tested by Florida Fishermen Magazine with Against the Grain Charters Cassie Hahn Smitty , Rosemary Jadoonath White Laura Thompson and Missy King The Florida Fishermen Magazine ICast Crew .. Amazing Link To Website Book Your Trip Here Cassie Hahn Smitty Rosemary with Ed Feldsott and the Bimini Bay Group I can not begin to express out gratitude In having this amazing group represent us at Icast 2019. They were the hit of the show and had fun with all of the people they came in contact with They are all accomplished anglers and are shining examples of the changes and future of the sport . Getting more women and children involved in the outdoors and fishing is the Number #1 Goal of our magazine and we could not have asked for better ambassadors. You are the best !! Thank you Cassie, Laura, Rosemary and Missy. Robert Warner - Editor Florida Fishermen magazine Tripletail Too Inshore snapper fishing with topwater is great, the snappers are usually in herds and you get multiple strikes. You can catch some decent sized snappers on the flats. Family Fishing with Lewis and Cherlyn Arnold Family Fishing with Lewis and Cherlyn Arnold During the summertime we fish closer to shore for mangrove and mutton snappers. We chum it up hoping to entice the snappers to the boat. The pulls are strong, snapper are tough fighters. We like to fish with light tackle. For the bigger snapper we step up our tackle. A good setup would be a fast action so you can feel the bite and quickly set the hook. Click the Seal to check East Coast Snapper limits and size regulations Every species of snapper we have caught and eaten have been very tasty. Snapper is a definite on our grocery list. Cherlyn Arnold Family Fishing with Lewis and Cherlyn Arnold Sea Clearly Freshwater Fishing Reports with Rick Southerland from Southerland Outdoors Rick is the Freshwateer Editor at www.flfishmag.com Link to Rick's Website Freshwater Fishing Reports with Rick Southerland from Southerland Outdoors Rain rain go away!!! So how do you adjust to the ever changing weather here in Florida? One simple saying that proves to be true...when the water comes up, so do the fish. I tested that theory in Central Florida as well as western Florida. Lake Tarpon in Western Florida is a nice size fishery loaded with vegetation and yes, largemouth bass. We started right by the ramp and found a nice canal full of vegetation spread all the way into the bay. My pops was with me. I gave him a rod with the Storm Rattling Chug Bug. It took us a little bit, but then BAM!!! We found them. He caught a nice dink in about 6ft of water. We fished without any success, so we went back. Another one in the same spot. They were stacked in one spot. So look for schooling bass. Freshwater Fishing Reports with Rick Southerland from Southerland Outdoors Freshwater Fishing Reports with Rick Southerland from Southerland Outdoors Next we went to Big Lake Harris in Central Florida. With all the recent rain, we concentrated on the mouth of the river feeding Lake Harris. Now with a river coming in, it gives us fresh water and current. It worked out exactly as planned. Using the Storm Rattling Chug Bug, I ended up catching multiple fish right at the mouth of the canal. A nice 3 1/2lber to start the day!!! I ran a pattern of fishing horizontally with the bank in shallow water. Everywhere there was shade, there were fish!!! I had to speed up my retrieval though. They were very active. I even went over to 9th street canal, and the pattern worked there too. So stay shallow. Try some top water, and run alongside the bank. Tight lines Freshwater Fishing Reports with Rick Southerland from Southerland Outdoors Freshwater Fishing Reports with Rick Southerland from Southerland Outdoors Growing up here in sunny south Florida from the keys all the way to Tallahassee I've come to find, as many locals and visitors have, too, that the Florida waters have so much to offer in the fishing world. The wide array of species and styles of fishing creates a seemingly endless pursuit of “fishing for knowledge”. Today I wanted to discuss one of my favorite fresh water species to catch, where to catch it, and how. Katy Hendee - Peacock Bass Here’s some fun history, first! In the early 1980’s Florida Wildlife Commission released Peacock Bass into the Tamiami canal and several other canals in order to control the over abundant exotic forage fish. Peacocks are technically a Cichlid (Cichla ocellaris) from South America. They are edible (although personally I wouldn’t recommend eating them--the waters they swim in here are dirty from agricultural and other terrestrial run off). If you catch one with a big bump on his head it's a reproductively active male. Ok, enough about their fun facts, let's talk about how to pet one on its pretty head! Katy Hendee - Peacock Bass To start off, get yourself a small bass rod and reel, or have someone at a tackle shop help pick one out for you if you’re not sure. This kind of fishing is light tackle so no need for anything too serious, but if all you have is a big rod and reel go for it anyway! As far as the fishing line, I like to tie a 10-12 lb fluorocarbon leader onto a 20 lb braid, I do this with an Albright knot to make sure it gets spliced well. I use light fluorocarbon so they can't see the line and so you can really feel the fight! Peacocks are strong fighters so enjoy the ride! Katy Hendee-Peacock Bass Peacocks are piscivorous, which means they only eat other fish. So if you want to use live bait like shiners, you’re obviously going to have a lot more luck. If you want to get sporty about it, you can use all kinds of lures. Top water lures, crank baits, deep divers, etc. Sometimes I use a Yozuri crystal minnow or I’ll use a light colored top water lure. To each their own! My best areas to peacock fish are canals in west Broward County and they like to hang around bridges and shaded areas. They seem to mainly eat only during daylight. Katy Hendee - Peacock Bass Well hopefully my words have brought some help to you and your Florida fishing adventures! Any time on the water is a great time! Tight lines my friends! Katy Hendee For Florida Fishermen Magazine Katy Hendee - Peacock Bass Check Out The Website Sub-headings Sub-headings Body text Inshore This week’s fishing around the pass has been a little tougher with the warmer water, but the night bite has still been going well. We have seen the snook and redfish biting well around the docks inside Johns pass. Smokey, our all day first mate, and Myself, Capt Dylan Hubbard, caught a few nice snook and a upper slot redfish off the dock Thursday morning using pinfish for bait under the dock around four thirty am with hand lines. The local snook guru, Mr. John Sasser, reported he had a tough week for snook catching only landing one big one that was photo worthy but he did say he had caught a few more that just weren’t worth taking photos. He loves using the chartreuse and pink rattlehawk flairhawk jigs from the north jetty of Johns Pass right at the start or end of the incoming tides. The trout have been around the pass too! Out on the beaches they are catching the speckled trout in the sandy troughs running parallel to the beach as they are hunting down the live shrimp along the beach and the small whitebait moving along the shore. The night time has the trout stacked up in the dock lights around the area too, especially with the new moon there’s not much light around other than the dock lights Inshore Continued . Due to this, the bait and predators alike stack up in the dock lights, bridge lights and any area that can shed some light on the situation. Great time to get out there and hit the lights at night during the full moon, especially the residential canals near the passes. One of my favorite areas is around blinds pass the little points and pockets inside that pass hold some serious fish on their docklights, but the same is true around pass a grill, Clearwater and Johns Pass too. Flounder have been around but they are fairly few and far between right now in the area. We still have tarpon around for now, they typically will hang around until September. Most of the time you can find them in the passes at night or heading out of the pass around sunrise then they will move up and down the beaches during the day in small schools around 50-100 yards from shore hunting for mullet, crabs, and big white bait like threadfins. Mangrove snapper are thick around the bay, passes and shorelines where they can find structure to hide out around and ambush the prey that passes by in the current. Great time of year to hit the bridges, jetties or docks close to the passes to chum up a cloud of these aggressive and good eating mangrove snapper on some light tackle. Near shore The night time 12 hour night mangrove snapper trip has been doing well on the snapper species. We target the mangrove snapper but we also catch plenty of the lane snapper, vermillion snapper and porgies with the occasional yellowtail snapper mixed into the catch. We fish the deepest near shore waters aboard this trip which is where I would recommend starting any bottom fishing trip this time of year with the water as hot as it is. The double snell rig with a threadfin plug is by far the BEST option to get these smart, quick biting and good eating snapper species into the boat. In the near shore waters, out to around 20 miles I would use around 30-40lb floro leader with 4-5ot double snelled hooks with 3-4oz leads on a high speed conventional reel with a super light sensitive 20-40 or 30-50lb rod with a decent back boat too it in case you hit the jackpot hooking into a near shore gag grouper or red grouper while targeting these snapper species. The two speed reels are great for this reason, it’s like having two reels in one and with the press of a button your able to quickly ‘shift gears’ or change reels while fighting a fish . I typically prefer my daiwa saltiga or daiwa saltist ld 50 two speed reel and I fish in high speed with the lever drag in ‘strike’ with around 75% of the drag capacity. Then if I hook up to a big fish that giving me a tough time a quick press of the button and slamming that lever forward I am now downshifting to a much lower gear with 25% more drag and it makes a WORLD of difference if you do happen to hook into a larger fish while targeting those smaller quick biting fish like the mangrove or yellowtail snappers. I love my custom Hubbard’s Marina Bull Bay Rods for this type of fishing since they have the ultra-light feel but still have ultra-power and crazy sensitivity. Plus, they have an extra-long butt for more comfort and to help keep the reel further from your body for more power. Also, we have added a unique fore grip with a crisscross pattern to allow for better and more comfortable grip as well! We even have some spinning rods custom made from bull bay rods for our Hubbard’s Marina tackle shop to specialize in the hogfish or mangrove snapper near shore fishing or for offshore knocker rigging too! Near Shore Continued Offshore Our red snapper season has now officially closed for now, however, if we did not reach the full quota there’s a slight possibility of a later season perhaps that may open. If we get any wind of this information, we will for sure keep you informed via this newsletter and also our Facebook page as well. The chances of this happening are pretty low, but we are pushing for this since we had so many bad days of weather this season the assumption is there’s a big possibility there’s still quota left on the table for us to go catch later in the year. Same applies to the private recreational red snapper season that the FWC controls. The FWC already plans on an October opening if they have any private recreational quota left on the table, however, any FWC season openings will not apply to our boats since we are federally managed and under federal jurisdiction as far as our fishing seasons and quota goes. Besides the red snapper, our Amberjack season just opened yesterday August first and that season will be open until the end of October. At least that is the plan, were hoping and praying they will not close the season early but time will tell on that because they do have the option and ability to close down the amberjack based on the quota. Offshore Continued The big amberjack love some big live baits like the porgies, mullet, spadefish, blue runners, or whatever else you can find that’s big and lively and ready to get eaten in depths greater than 120-130ft of water. We start to see the jacks around that depth but the best area to target them is around 150-200ft or deeper up to around 300ft. We are seeing some BIG amberjack in the 40-70lb range out deep right now but the big mass of fish haven’t shown up in our area yet. They definitely get more consistent later in the year when the water cools off, so later in the season closer to the end of October is when the bite will be at its best, but then again you run the risk of the season perhaps and possibly closing early so it could be a gamble waiting for the end of the season when the bite should be better. Our mangrove snapper bite has been going well out there around 130-150ft of water on the double snell rigged threadfin plugs with 50-60lb floro and double snelled 6ot hooks. Gag grouper have been a little hit and miss with some trips catching good numbers while other trips struggle more to find high numbers, but we are catching them in decent numbers for how hot the water is. The reason we are is due to fishing deep, you MUST go deep where the waters are cooler to find the gags this time of year Link To Website Thank You to Capt Dylan Hubbard and Hubbards Marina for being part of the Family here at Florida Fishermen Magazine Help Save our only living Coral Reef - Click here The Many Faces of Rebecca Bowen I first met Rebecca on Facebook as an avid angler always willing to help and share , as our friend here we are proud of her accomplishements . She is a great lady and we are happy that her hard work and dedication paid off Rebecca is a mom of two precious girls, certified Personal Trainer, PLYOJAM Fitness Instructor and cheer coach. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals. Her focus is to make a difference in the lives of her clients. She enjoys watching the transformation and journey to a strong body and strong mind. Rebecca has not always been healthy and sadly struggled with health issues in her past. Only through fitness and healthy nutrition choices she is where she is today. Rebecca fought adversity and became determined to be the woman she has become. The Many Faces of Rebecca Bowen The Many Faces of Rebecca Bowen Miss Bikini Fitness 2019 At the Miss Bikini US Pageant She is the former Mrs. South Carolina America 2009, Mrs. South Carolina Galaxy 2010 and placed second in the Ms Health and Fitness for Muscle and Fitness hers magazine. She is also a Brand Ambassador/model for fitness and apparel companies. Rebecca's motto is " Fitness is not about being better than someone else.It's about being better than you used to be". She brings fun and enjoyment to her workouts that her clients love. Her passion shows and her clients get results. The Many Faces of Rebecca Bowen Photo by Anton Oparin The Many Faces of Rebecca Bowen Congrats Rebecca , Thank you for sharing your story and the Inspiration . Well done !! DayMaker Charters 3585 SE St. Lucie Blvd Stuart, Florida Call (772) 405-0091 Matt Tilford reviewed DayMaker Charters — 5 star ***** The best captain I've ever fished with! The knowledge he has and the work he does for his clients is hands down the best ever! He works hard to put you on the fish. Take a trip with him, you'll never regret the experience and you'll become his client for a lifetime! Book your Trip here Sea Clearly Leiza Fitzgerald StarTournament Director As the largest family-friendly saltwater fishing competition in Florida, CCA Florida STAR presented by Yamaha, runs from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day and boasts amazing prizes for anglers of all ages and skill levels. HOME|EVENTS|CCA FLORIDA STAR CCA Florida STAR CCA Florida STAR, presented by Yamaha It’s the largest family-friendly saltwater fishing competition in Florida, and it’s unlike traditional fishing tournaments. When May 25, 2019 - Sep 02, 2019 Where Statewide Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day More info CCAFLSTAR.com https://ccaflorida.org/event/star/ Click here for more information JOIN US CCA Florida is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Florida’s marine resources. Founded in 1985 and one of 19 state chapters of the national CCA organization, we work with our 18,000+ members, including recreational anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, to conserve and enhance marine resources and coastal environments in our state. Nationally, CCA is committed to the sustainable health of coastal fisheries and fights for recreational anglers’ interests. Here in Florida, we push for fisheries management that keep fish stocks sustainable and abundant, we educate and engage the public to support habitat and environmental restoration, and we work with our members and state residents to ensure good stewardship of our coastal resources. Join Leiza Fitzgerald Leiza Fitzgerald and The Florida Fishermen Magazine Crew - ICast 2019 For More info Click here Join us for the CCA Florida Boat Raffles. Three times a year, we’re raffling off brand new boats from Maverick Boats, Contender Boats and Pathfinder Boats. You’ve got a shot at winning, with tickets starting at $25. Visit our online store for details and tickets! CCA Florida Boat Raffles Get more information and buy tickets online. When Jan 01, 2019 - Dec 31, 2019 Where We host drawings three times a year, in the Spring, Summer and Fall. More info Contact CCA FL staff info@ccaflorida.org (407) 854-7002 Fishing Report website Book your trip here The Gale Force Twins - #GFT A few weeks ago we were invited to fish in a ladies tournament off the East coast of Florida out of Hillsboro Inlet. A ladies only tournament means all the anglers are ladies while the captain and crew can still be male or female. Without hesitating we said yes and fished with Capt. Mark DiDario from Father and Son Sportfishing along with a crew of guys from Danco Pliers! One of our favorite ladies we were lucky enough to fish with was Dakota McMicken, our Junior Angler! Dakota caught her first sailfish that day and we were honored to have been a part of it! The Gale Force Twins - #GFT Link to Website Kingfish continue to fire pretty good right now. We have fished from pelicans big bend to the lumps to north of the pitman. Seems like the kings are just out there and in good numbers. Most every trip from morning to afternoons are limiting out daily. Just watch out for the storms. They have also been very consistant.... Bait situation cant get any better than it has been. Bunker pods are close to the beach daily and easy to get on. big bets are helpful for sure. If you can not find the bunker get a sabiki out and look for the threadfin schools. Greenies and threadfins have been all over and are also an awesome bait. Stinger rigs with 4 wire works just fine. We even managed a few mahi and cobia this week. good luck and have fun. www.firedupcharters.com The ARC of Martin County KDW Fishing Tournament Raises More than Fish Anglers of all ages came out to fish Father’s Day weekend with the ARC of Martin County at the 6th Annual KDW Offshore Fishing Tournament on Saturday, June 15th in Stuart, Florida. The weather and seas were cooperative Father’s Day weekend, providing a good turnout for an amazing local nonprofit’s fundraiser fishing tournament. Saturday, June 15th saw 28 boats and well over 100 anglers compete for $5,000 in cash prizes for Kingfish, Dolphin and Wahoo. Taking 1st-3rd place respectively. In the Kingfish Division: Marty Zarcadoolas on Psyco/Gill Media at 34.4 lbs., Chris Langel on Seacoast A/C at 33.8 lbs. and Ben Shroud on Angler Management at 18.4 lbs. In the Dolphin Division: Michelle Henderson on Angler Management at 17.4 lbs., Ryan Wood on Offishal Business at 13.4 lbs. and Terry Haase on Sea Shift at 12.6 lbs. Cindy Milewski on Reel Dreams took the Top Lady Angler win with a 17.2 lb. Kingfish and Conner Grout on Angler Management won the Junior Division with a 13 lb. Dolphin. Even with a waxing, almost full moon, no wahoo were caught. Peter Morello, owner of My Other Honey Charters sponsored several ARC individuals to enjoy a day out fishing which was enjoyed by all participating. Anglers were treated to a fabulous Awards Dinner hosted by Manatee Island Bar & Grill. Other top sponsors included H.E. Hill Foundation Inc., Publix, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay and Treasure Coast Provisions. All of the staff, individuals and their families at ARC of Martin County wish to thank the many community businesses that made this tournament possible. Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ARCofMartinCounty and help us in saying thank you to our many wonderful sponsors and volunteers, the most amazing people who give of themselves to make a difference for ARC and for their community. Offshore - Hallelujah! Blue marlin are showing up in Cabo San Lucas now, and that’s not it! The yellowfin tuna quantity and size are increasing closer to shore. Blue marlins are trending at 200-250 lbs each. Los Gringos Charters anglers had an uptick in released billfish this week. We have seen a few sailfish, muchos (many) striped marlin and upwards of 10 yellowfin per boat on average; with sizes between 10-35 lbs each. Dorado numbers are steady this week as well; most are striking live bait. Surf Fishing - Martin continues to find the HUGE roosterfish in July. Peak roosterfish season is typically May-August. We saw a slow month of June with a STEEP increase in July. Martin still has a few days available in August. Want to see a beautiful sunset? Join Martin for a guided sunset surf-fishing adventure. Transportation to and from our fishing spot, ATVs, gear and beer are always included. Book today! Jinger Steve Chavarria Sam Nielsen Readers Features Theresa Seabright Matt Smith , Flagler Pier Thao Le Readers Features Patrick Fearon and Travis Roy Greg Leonard Heather Gardner Readers Features Georgia Bucel Steel Rocket Tommy Dominguez Readers Features Zac Chapman Readers Features Allison Nikki Readers Features Taylor Garcia Katy Hendee Tony LoCoco Readers Features Sub-headings Cassandra Ann Davie Lamb Brandy Bonnie Reggie Taylor Missy King Laura Thompson Rosemary Jadoonath White Readers Features Sub-headings Cassie Hahn Smitty Readers Features Catch U Later Florida Fishermen Magazine Managing editor Robert Warner Magazine editor Lindsay (Lou )Sivley Production by Florida Fishermen Magazine Social Media Darren Luce Rick Southerland Freshwater editor Assoc Editors Ann King ( Lady Anglers ) Joseph Warner (Technical) Charlie Rogers ( Reporting Captain ) Melanie Housh (Reporting Captain ) Amanda Gale ( Reporting Captain ) Emily Gale (Reporting Captain ) Patrick Price (Reporting Captain) Griffin Deans (Reporting Captain) Danny Allen (Reporting Captain ) Writer/Editor - Lindsay "Lou" Sivley Travel - The Chica Travelista (Amanda Bisack Caputo) Florida Historical - Rick Kimbl Diving and Spearfishing - Stephanie Lynn Schuldt Copyright 2017 Florida Fishermen Magazine. All rights reserved. Web Hosting by Aabaco 757 NW Federal HwyStuart, FL 34994 info@Flfishmag.com