STUART EVENT- Really great group!
We were pleased to return to beautiful Pirates Cove in Stuart. Our new, enthusiastic group of lady anglers now joins the expanding list of over 5,000 graduates! 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, and 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, 5/18/08, ½ Day Flat seas again! We have been SO lucky this year!
Boneshaker/Capt. Scott Fawcett: It was educational for the ladies to experience a variety of fishing styles including trolling, jigging, bottom fishing and drift fishing. The ladies caught rudderfish, a grouper and an amberjack. Liz Murphy caught her first offshore fish ever.
Big Katuna: Fishing in 140 - 170 feet of water 8 miles out, the ladies caught two rudderfish and two bonita. Denise Weeks caught her first fish ever and Missy Jackson caught her first Atlantic offshore fish. Both were bonita.
*My Other Honey/Capt. Pete Morello: Cheered on by the other ladies on the boat, Betty O’Hara caught a 20 lb. dolphin, her first fish ever. The ladies observed how they used a swimming pool noodle to keep hooks safely within reach, a valuable and easy tip!
*Bite’s On/Capt. John Young: Fishing with live shrimp in the North Fork of the St. Lucie River near the Roosevelt Bridge, Stephanie Pancratz of Sportfishing Magazine caught a 22” black drum and released a 26” snook. Two of the ladies fought and released a 15 lb. jack crevalle, caught on a live mullet near a seawall. They learned ‘how to lose a lot of bait and feel hits.’
*Gotcha/Capt. Marcia Foosaner: The ladies practiced spin casting and had a great time.
*Outlaw/Capt. Joe Massaro: Fishing under bridges and near mangroves and docks with artificial lures, Sandi Langley jumped a 20 lb. tarpon and Julie Deinema caught a ladyfish. The ladies learned how to skip bait into the mangroves. Quote for the day: “A bad day on the water is better than a good day ANYWHERE!”
Safari I Party Boat: The ladies released a remora, sea bass and a 14” flounder. They learned how to prevent a bird’s nest by keeping a thumb on the reel. They saw a large loggerhead and enjoyed seeing dolphin jumping.
* Take the Ladies Fishing Sponsors
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/Wahoo Sponsor, Ranger Boats /Anchor’s Aweigh Marina, BoatU.S. ANGLER Insurance, Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Ocean LED, Shimano, 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, Florida Foundation for Responsible Angling, Tigress Outriggers, Pompanette, Crocs, Lurebox, Treasure Cay Resort & Marina, Aftco Bluewater/Guy Harvey and Printing Corp. of the Americas. Event Sponsors: Finest Kind, Mustang Survival. 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. George Mittler, Capt. Joe Massaro, Capt. Squeeky Kelly, Capt. Marcia Foosaner, Capt. Duber Winters and Missy Jackson. They did a great job of teaching fishing skills and conservation.
Great Prizes! We had some great auction items including a trip to Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina/Abaco, Bahamas, Rio Colorado in Costa Rica and the Bimini Big Game Club. Additional bargains included a Mercury Four-Stroke Engine, lights from OceanLED, outriggers from Tigress, Minn Kota trolling motor, Power-Pole, airfare from Gulfstream Int’l Airlines, dolphin mount from King Release Mounts, art from Guy Harvey, Carey Chen, Mark Ray, Pasta Pantaleo, Jason Mathias and Steve Whitlock as well as trips from Captains Squeeky Kelly, Roan Zumfelde, Joe Massaro, Steve Brittain and Randy Stallings. Also, a membership in the Stuart Sailfish Club and great items from Maui Surf Company, Cobra Marine, DOA Lures, Smith Optics, Boat Bunkers, Eat Me Tackle, Melton International Tackle, Suncloud Optics, Mustang Survival, Williamson Lures, Taylor Made, Star Brite, Adventure Products, Richardsons Charts, Crocs, Calusa Cast Nets and Coleman. Thanks to all auction and raffle donors! All donors may not be listed here, but were listed in our class books.
Next Events: Hyatt Sarasota Aug. 22-24 (Wait till you SEE this awesome hotel and its $20 million renovation!) and Holiday Isle in Islamorada Sept. 19-21.
Job Opening at the home office in West Ft. Lauderdale: Great opportunity for administrative, marketing and event management! Email resume to bettfish@bellsouth.net.
A Note on Conservation: Remember, it is up to you to insure there will be quality fishing tomorrow!
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!
LLGF TV! Visit our You Tube channel to see videos from the seminar! http://www.youtube.com/billfishbetty
Blog with us! We are looking for unique content created by YOU! Visit our blog at http://ladiesletsgofishing.blogspot.com/
Visit us on MySpace! http://www.myspace.com/ladiesletsgofishing. Send us a friend request or leave a comment!
NEW SPONSORS: (AFTCO.COM) - Aftco Bluewater and Guy Harvey Join Forces to Bring New Fashions to the Ladies Apparel Industry.
Stuart Class Sponsor - Finest Kind - Visit their store in Stuart or shop through their catalog! www.finestkind.com. Please show your appreciation to them and ALL sponsors by mentioning LLGF when shopping!
Still a few sponsor openings! We had some ladies who wanted to learn electronics, but no electronics partner means no equipment. This kind of expensive equipment requires a sponsor. If you know of anyone who wants to be a sponsor or donor, please contact us.
Check out www.rangerboats.com, the Official Boat of Choice for LLGF, celebrating their 40th anniversary! Did you know that the local dealer, Anchor’s Aweigh Marina, is the #3 Ranger dealership in the country?
Special thanks to our graphics sponsor, Extreme Wraps and Signs for the exciting vinyl graphics design on our new 2008 2400 Bay Ranger! www.extremewrapsandsigns.com. They also do murals for home and business as well as car wraps!
Bass Pro Shops, our Wahoo Sponsor! - Shop at bassproshops.com through the marketplace on our website www.ladiesletsgofishing.com/store/default.asp, click on the Bass Pro Shops banner and a portion of your dollars spent come back into the program! Or, visit the fabulous Florida Bass Pro Shops locations in Orlando, Ft. Myers, Destin, Dania Beach, Islamorada or Miami!
Maui Surf Company Discount: Until July 1, 2008, take 40% off your entire purchase at www.mauisurfcompany.com. Use coupon code Ladyfish40 at checkout. Everyone on our mailing list is eligible! 5% of purchases support LLGF!
Sport Fishing Magazine: Special thanks to Stephanie Pancratz, Managing Editor at Sport Fishing Magazine for taking the seminar!
CROCS Shoes: We have Crocs certificates available! Beach or Cayman styles for only $20 including shipping! You choose your size and color and they will ship them to your house! Call us at 954-475-9068 to purchase as many as you need!
Did You Enjoy Your Instructors? All of the instructors from the Stuart seminar are licensed charter captains! You can book a trip with them and learn even more! Visit the “Guides” page on our website, www.ladiesletsgofishing.com for their info!
Comments from Participants:
“Fun group, well informed and conservation is shown to each individual.” - J. Wirz, University Park, FL
“Everyone explained things so patiently and carefully to me as a beginner!” - B. Schiralli, Hobe Sound, FL
“Very informative in a non-threatening environment.” - B. England, Stuart, FL
“Well planned - Diverse subjects!” - B. Blaze, Jensen Beach, FL
“I am grateful for this program - the men teaching were extremely patient!” - J. Deinema, Palm City, FL
“Great confidence builder and learning experience - lots of nice people and fun!” - A Salas, Stuart, FL
“Everyone really took the time to give the hands-on experience and help you feel confident!” - S. Pancratz, Orlando, FL
Reasons:
“I was tired of driving the boat while the boys fished, so I came for knowledge to change those roles.” - B. Schiralli, Hobe Sound, FL
“I’m moving to a house on the water in Florida, so I need to learn fishing.” - R O’Neill, Hobe Sound, FL
“I wanted to do it all without my boyfriend’s help. This taught me that I can learn without the pressure of a guy and there’s no need for yelling.” - K. Preston, Vero Beach, FL
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