unior Angler Team

By Christopher Sprague

Hello anglers,

The summertime seas have never been so beautiful and at the same time so hot. We did do a trip to the Bahamas this past month and I have to say the trip was an absolute blast! We took the hundred- and eighty-mile journey to Marsh Harbor with some friends to relax and get a little bit of fishing in. It was about a 5-and-a-half-hour trip over, so the first day we spent mainly relaxing at the hotel. The next day we did a little deep dropping and exploring. We went to a variety of stops and lagoons and once we were finished, we headed offshore to get some yelloweye and queen snapper. We ended up loading up on silky snapper which were some of the best tasting fish that I have had! The next day we went out spearfishing with my dad’s friends, Andrew and Roman, who are local Bahamians. Roman is a year older than me and he was a commercial fisherman/spearfisherman in his past years. The two of them are some of the nicest and most fun people and they put us right on some good diving spots. The first spot we checked out was a wreck that was extremely beautiful, but it held no good fish, so we moved on. At the next spot we were welcomed with the sight of a nice Nassau grouper. Roman let me take a shot at it but I missed. I was so angry at myself because I still hadn’t shot a nice grouper, but luckily, he followed it to a hole and got it. Not long after that we found a nice hog and I wasn’t going to miss this time; I made sure I had a good shot and was pleased to get a shot through the gills. I could have dove for hours, but we had to go in because the rest of the group was waiting to hit up the sandbar. The next day we tried looking for dolphin and ran about 30 miles offshore but could not find a single bird, so we resorted to ole faithful and went deep dropping. We ended up getting a bunch of snappers and had some great dinner to bring home. It was the trip of a lifetime and is something I will never forget!

The freshwater fishing will have its moments, but overall, it will probably be tough. After an hour or two of sunshine the water temperatures are already in the low 90s. My suggestion would be to get out early with live bait if you can find it and fish the docks while beating the heat that August brings.

Good luck out there!

For the past three decades the West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s charitable affiliate, the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation (PBCFF), has been introducing area youth to fishing through its Kid’s Fishing Day program. It’s more than just a day on the water, it’s a first-time offshore adventure for many of the kids involved. The PBCFF’s 35th annual program ran for 6 days earlier this summer with more than 200 kids participating and well over 14,000 since its inception.

Kid’s Fishing Day targets children throughout Palm Beach County who don’t normally have the opportunity or means to experience saltwater fishing aboard a big boat. It’s hard to understand the importance of the unique marine environment without getting out on the water. Sea turtles, flying fish, sharks and other sea life were a sight to see for the wide-eyed young participants. Sardines and fresh cut squid produced yellowtail snapper, trigger fish, muttons and other species for the kids to wind on while drift fishing; some were even lucky enough to catch their first fish. Kid’s Fishing Day continues to broaden children’s horizons as they experience what makes Palm Beach County so special. Not only do participants walk away with fishing know-how and a new rod & reel combo, they hopefully also leave more invested in our saltwater resources.

This is truly a community program and a special thank you goes out to the presenting sponsor, The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, and of course the many businesses and individuals who supported this heartwarming event. A special acknowledgement also goes out to the dedicated volunteers who gave up their time to help with this meaningful cause and the crews on the Living On Island Time and Miss Blue Heron for taking the kids offshore on an adventure they’re surely not to forget. There’s something special about taking kids fishing.

By Tom ‘Buzz’ Bzura managing director West palm Beach Fishing Club

This year marked the 14th annual Sailfish Marina Big Dog Fat Cat KDW Shootout. It was amazing from beginning to end, as once again, the Captains’ meeting and awards dinner were all so well run. It was great to see the local support of sponsors and vendors like Contender Boats and many others. We could not do this without our committee, volunteers, and so many more who did an impeccable job putting much time into this yearly event. This year 233 boats participated, Second Chance Puppies and Kittens Rescue helped more 15 dogs find their fur-ever homes, and BDFC is hoping to surpass the $30,000 that they were able to donate to charity last year. Congrats to Miss Michele Fishing Team and Contender Boats for weighing a tournament record 88lb. wahoo; from that, they won $5,000 in cash, $10,500 in Humminbird Electronics and Cannon Downriggers, and a Pure Lure clothing package. Thank you to everyone else who placed, and all who participated to make this such a successful event!