STUART SEMINAR May 18-20, 2007- Full class, great fun!

Held at Pirates Cove Resort & Marina, the Stuart seminar was successful in bringing more than 60 lady anglers into the sport, thanks to your support! The weekend kicked off with a Friday welcome party. Saturday began with classes on Basics, Offshore, Inshore and Bottom Fishing. After lunch, the ladies had a fly fishing demonstration, then chose from several fishing skill stations to practice hands-on fishing techniques. The program concluded Sunday with a half day of fishing, followed by a fillet demonstration. Following is the fishing report:

Stuart Fishing Adventure Reports, 5/20/07, ½ Day

Mother nature cooperated and the fish were snapping! Fishing in the river, as well as offshore in 3-5-foot seas, every boat had fish action!

Big Katuna /Capt. Bill Fitzgerald: The ladies caught a couple of 16 lb. dolphin, an 8 lb. king mackerel and raised a sailfish. They bragged, “The fish was no match for the fishing ladies!”

My Other Honey /Capt. Pete Morello: The ladies returned with three dolphin and a kingfish. The kingfish was caught by Anna Haynes, her first fish ever

*Finest Kind /Capt. James Ewing: Trolling offshore, all the ladies had a chance to fight a fish. Cheryl Hampton caught her first fish ever, a ten lb. dolphin. Sherry Fistere and Katie Hampton worked in tandem to reel in a 35 lb. dolphin which was hooked by both of their baits.

*Bite's On /Capt. John Young: Spin casting with live bait, the ladies caught three jack crevalle up to 12 lbs, a sea trout, a lady fish and more.

*Gotcha /Capt. Marcia Foosaner: Spin casting with artificials, the ladies caught a snapper, pan fish and trout.

*Buck's Tale /Capt. Melinda Buckley: Fishing with live bait and artificial lures, the ladies caught jack crevalle, ladyfish, mangrove snapper and pin fish

Sylvia Sue /Capt. Steve Brittain: The ladies released a 24" snook, mangrove snappers up to 9" and a 17" ladyfish. Capt. Steve enjoyed having the ladies cast the net, use the trolling motor and practice dehooking. They used spin casters, bait casters and used live baiting and artificial lures.

Safari One: 14 ladies enjoyed the camaraderie, returning with a keeper mutton snapper and releasing sea bass, grouper and grunts.

* “Take the Ladies Fishing” sponsors, “Caught” signifies either landed or released

Recipe contest winner: Carol LeBert Hinnant, for “Snapper a La Cay Days”. The recipe was in the class book - watch for them in our cookbook, still in progress!

Thanks to our Partners! Our valued sponsors help provide manpower, equipment for the skill stations and exciting products. This program would not be possible without their support! Special thanks to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Sport Fish Restoration, Mercury Outboards, Bass Pro Shops/Marlin Sponsor, Ranger Boats /Anchor's Aweigh Marine, HMY Yacht Sales/Gold Sponsor, BoatU.S. Marine Insurance, Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Netbank, Lowrance Electronics, Shimano, Sebago, Magic Tilt Trailers and Gulfstream International Airlines for major sponsorships . Please patronize them! Annual partners : Minn Kota, Bob's Machine Shop, Maxima Line, Power-Pole, Hook & Tackle, Eagle Claw, Ocean Kayak, Tigress Outriggers, Bacardi, Pompanette, Treasure Cay Resort & Marina, Benchmark Business Systems and Printing Corp. of the Americas. Event Sponsors : Carl's Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Finest Kind, Lewis Marine Supply of Stuart, 3M, Hometown News. Sponsor information is in the class book.

Join a LLGF Chapter! Make new fishing buddies! Go to www.ladiesletsgofishing.com for info.

Thanks to our speakers: Capt. Marcia Foosaner, Jerry McBride, Dusty Walker, Capt. George Mittler, Danny Riley and Michelle Owen! They did a great job of fishing instruction and showing how we can contribute to preservation of the environment.

Great Prizes! We had some great prizes, including a trip to Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina/Abaco, Bahamas , Rio Colorado/Costa Rica, Bimini Big Game Club. Also featured were Mercury 50 hp Four-Stroke Engine, airfare from Gulfstream Int'l Airlines, art from Don Ray, Robert Dorman, Carey Chen, Guy Harvey, Steve Goione, Billfish Foundation, giclee from Tony Ludovico. Also, great items from Smith Optics eyewear, Ono Sunglasses, Eagle Claw, Lure Box, Taylor Made, Star Brite, Fish Her, Lowrance Electronics, Power Pole, Tigress, Coleman, Minn Kota, lures from C&H Lures, MD Lures, MP Lures, Snapper Slapper, and Moldcraft, Strip Teaser Dredge, Sebago, Pompanette, Suremark, Royal Robbins, King Sailfish Mounts, John B's Fly & Tackle Shop, Upholstery Innovations, Hook and Tackle, Cobra Radio, Maxima Lines, Silverstar Jewelers, Fab Five Sales, Xtreme Rods, Rapala, DOA Lures, JR's Custom Rods, Pirates Cove Resort & Marina,Tournament Cable and fishing trips with Capts. Ed Kimmen, Joe Massaro, Mitch Pazara and Steve Brittain. Thanks to all auction and raffle donors! All donors may not be listed here, but were listed in our class books. Your contributions help us meet growth demands.

Next Events: Islamorada on Sept. 14-16 and St. Pete on Oct. 12-14. Special event in Alaska the week of June 14 - A few spots are available, but reserve soon!

Send Us Your Letters and Photos! Please email comments about the seminar, especially if you bought tackle, boats, fishing equipment or if you have had an interesting fishing adventure. We want to keep in touch!

If Your Company is a Sponsor, You Attend the Seminar for Free!

We are looking for sponsors, door prize and goody bag donors. Some sponsorships include a comp entry and other benefits. Please contact us!

Lowrance has a great website that explains the basics of marine electronics at www.lowrance.com. You can also download a simulator where you can practice how to use a Lowrance on your computer!

A Note on Conservation: Remember, it is up to you to insure there will be quality fishing tomorrow!

RECENT MAJOR SPONSORS: Special welcome to HMY Yacht Sales (HMY.com), our Gold Sponsor for Ft. Lauderdale & Stuart - They welcome women into fishing! Sebago - check out their GREAT styles for women at Sebago.com! Details on the 40% discount are on a green sheet in the goody bags.

Shimano (Shimano.com) - when you buy quality tackle, you only pay for it once! Please show your appreciation by patronizing them and remember to mention you heard about them through LLGF!

Netbank - Our Silver Partner! Click on their logo on our website to find out about their cd rates, which are higher than 5%! Supporting our sponsors helps LLGF continue to bring these great opportunities to you!

Want to Take a Test Paddle? Ocean Kayak brought some great kayaks to the seminar. Want to see more and take one for a spin? Visit their website at oceankayak.com to find a dealer near you.

Did you see the new LLGF 2400 Bay Ranger? - the Official Boat of Choice for LLGF! Anchor's Aweigh Marina was the representing dealer. Be sure to visit www.rangerboats.com .

Special Offer from Carl's Buick-Pontiac-GMC! Our tow vehicle sponsor! All ladies taking the Stuart LLGF seminar are eligible to purchase vehicles at their dealership at dealer invoice. In addition, there are rebate incentives and discounts on certified used vehicles through July! Total savings anywherer from $4,000 to $8,000 Contact John Ogrosso 772-287-2424.

Did you see the LLGF silver pendant with sapphire eye? You can purchase it in silver, gold w/diamond eye or white gold! contact John Cerasaro fishingjewelry.com

Media: We had some great media personnel taking our seminar: Marilyn Mower of Southern Boating, Salima Benchoukroun of Boating World and Amanda Budnik of Hometown News.

Did you know our fishing Sponsor Finest Kind Marina and owner of the Finest Kind an award winning boat is owned and operated by a woman angler?

Remember how important you can be in preserving our marine resources for the future!

 

Comments from Participants:

“I feel more confident about fishing - I now have the ability to know how to buy fishing equipment.” - L. Galucci, Stuart , FL

“Absolutely fabulous! Way more than I thought it would be!” - D. Maness, Vero Beach , FL

“I would definitely recommend this to any woman who is interested in fishing, whether beginner or advanced!” - C. Almeida, Hobe Sound , FL

“A great way for ladies to gain skills without interference of husband or other male influences!” - C. Budnik, Frostproof , FL

“What a great way for a women to learn fishing, with no yelling!” - L. Stark, Stuart , FL