St. Augustine, FL May 5-7, 2006
ST. AUGUSTINE FLORIDA EVENT- Another great success!
Returning after four years, we are pleased to have another great event in St. Augustine, Florida. We wholeheartedly thank our event hosts: the Northeast Florida Marlin Association. The weekend kicked off with a fun welcome party. Saturday began with classes on Basics, Offshore, Inshore and Bottom Fishing. After lunch, the ladies chose from several fishing skill stations to practice hands-on fishing techniques. The program concluded with a half day of fishing, followed by a fillet demonstration. Following is the fishing report:
"Ladies, Let's Go Fishing!" Fishing Report, Sunday, May 7, Half Day
* Maverick/Terry Steiner: The ladies went trolling. Tuni Weiss of St.
Augustine, FL landed a 9.5 lb. king mackerel, measuring 37.5 inches. Kim Crete, also from St. Augustine, released a 5 lb. bonita. The ladies learned to put bait on the hook and use outriggers.
* Can't Wait /Bob Mathis: Cheryl Spencer or , Tulsa, OK caught a lizard fish and Crystal Howard, Sarasota, FL released a stingray and lost a grouper. The ladies also learned how to catch bait with sabiki rigs and practiced using a GPS. This was Cheryl's first time fishing on the open ocean, and she said she enjoyed watching a school of dolphin and a sea turtle.
* Backwater Fishing Adventures/Capt. David Borries: Judy Corn, Edgewater, FL caught a redfish and a jack crevalle. Denise Rahmes, Jacksonville, FL caught a redfish and released a keeper trout and a bonnet shark. They learned how to finesse redfish away from oyster beds and to use live shrimp for bait.
* Floridays/Capt. Pierre Pierce: Becky Stemitz, Sarasota, FL caught a 1 lb.
bluefish and released a catfish. Nancy O'Toole, Bradenton, FL released a 10 lb. bonnet shark and a jack crevalle.
* Hooked Up Again/Jeff Howard: Although the ladies went trolling and the fish did not cooperate, they practiced ballyhoo rigging and learned fishing strategy.
* Shock Wave/Eric Lea: The crew tried to find fish for the ladies, with no luck. However, the ladies benefitted from having their fishing questions answered and becoming familiar with the fishing equipment and techniques.
* Sea Love: The ladies released a cobia and a grouper. They also learned to pick up "icky bait!"
Take the Ladies Fishing sponsors
Recipe contest winner:
Robin Folsom, Cocoa, FL for “Pan Encrusted Snook in Cream Sauce.”
The recipes were 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, Ranger Boats /Mosquito Lagoon Outfitters, BoatU.S. Marine Insurance, Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Lowrance Electronics, Magic Tilt Trailers, Shakespeare Fishing Tackle and Gulfstream International Airlines for major sponsorships. Please patronize them! Annual partners: Florida Foundation for Responsible Angling, Minn Kota, Xtools, Bob’s Machine Shop, Maxima Line, Power-Pole, Hook & Tackle, Eagle Claw, Bacardi, Silverstar Jewelers, Pompanette, Treasure Cay Resort & Marina, Scientific Anglers, Panoptx, Mary Kay, Benchmark Business Systems, Image Graphics 2000 and Printing Corp. of the Americas.
Event Sponsors:
Viper Bob Fighting Gimbals, Upholstery Innovations. Welcome Party Sponsors:
Outback Crab Shack at Six Mile Marina, Michelob Ultra/Burkhardt Distributing
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. Pierre Pierce, Dean Travis Clarke, Capt.
Chris Myers and Rick Ryals. They did a great job of 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, Costa Rica- Rio Colorado Lodge, Alaska - the Cove Lodge, Iron Horse Resort - Winter Park, CO and the Bimini Big Game Club. Also included were Mercury 40 hp Four-Stroke Engine, airfare from Gulfstream Int’l Airlines, tackle from Shakespeare (major sponsor!), art from Guy Harvey, Carey Chen & Don Ray. Also, great items from Panoptx eyewear, Eagle Claw, Lure Box, Hydro Glow, Taylor Made, Star Brite, Aquapacs, Lowrance Electronics, DOA, Jewelry from Reyes Del Mar, fishing trips with Capt. Paul Strauss, David Borries, Pablo Rodriguez and Chris Myers. Thanks to all auction and raffle donors! Your contributions help us meet growth demands.
Next Events: Seminar in Sarasota/Aug. 18-20, possible Colorado Fly Fishing in August (TBA) and Islamorada/Oct. 13-15. Special event in Alaska on June
9-12 - A few spots are available, but reserve soon! We are also working on an extra casual weekend in the Florida Keys with exciting fishing!
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!
Media: We were excited to have representatives of the Ponte Vedra Recorder, The Beaches Leader, Ponte Vedra Leader and North Shores News cover the seminar. We also expect for the St. Augustine Record to run some photos.
Keep checking the other media listed for coverage soon!
If Your Company is a Sponsor, You Attend the Seminar for Free!
We are looking for sponsors, door prize and goody bag donors for next year.
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! A great way to practice conservation is by using the XTOOLS® E-Z Release® dehooker which allows for safe, simple and quick hook removal. Thank you to XTOOLS® for donating the E-Z Release® dehooker to all of our ladies who fished on Sunday!
Welcome, Ranger Boats, as the Official Boat of Choice for LLGF! This year, the boat features a beautiful “wrap” provided by Image Graphics 2000. Mosquito Lagoon was the representing dealer. Be sure to visit www.rangerboats.com.
Finally, we have a nice utility trailer, thanks to the Florida Foundation for Responsible Angling!
Remember how important you can be in preserving our marine resources for the future!
Comments from Participants:
“Every woman who wants to be happily married should take this course!" - R.
Folsom
“A fun group of leaders who let us relax, have fun, and learn more in a day than we could in several trips on a boat!” - C. Rodenbaugh “Great instruction by friendly, experienced and knowledgeable anglers!” - D.
Rahmes
“I brought a friend and she was so excited, we are coming again!” - C.
Howard
“Great confidence builder and info for the beginner!” - N. Williams “I liked the boat handling and trailer backing!” - K Vaughan “I loved everything! I’m much more confident I can do it!” - R. Weiss
