SOUTH FLORIDA EVENT- A super seminar!
We were pleased to have our eleventh anniversary seminar in South Florida at the Ramada Inn Airport and Marina Bay Docks. Now there is a new, enthusiastic group of lady anglers joining the list of 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, 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:

Ft. Lauderdale Fishing Adventure Reports, 3/28/08, ½ Day
The waters were calm and the weather was beautiful. The group departed from the Radisson Bahia Mar, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Lady Pamela: The highlight of the trip was a 65 lb. Golden Amberjack, a team catch. Liz Mellen was named angler of this 57” long ‘fish of a lifetime.’ Everyone caught bait fish and the ladies continued to catch barracuda, bonita and several nice king mackerel.
Happy Day Today: Katie Hampton caught a king mackerel, Michelle Hoekstra and Barbara Evans caught bonita. The ladies practiced knot tying and learned how to stagger bait when trolling.
Frequent Flyer 2: Betty Smith started the day with releasing a small grouper. Rebekah Baker caught a giant chub and others caught grunts and cero mackerel. The group went trolling and bottom fishing.
Island Hooker: Trolling from 80 to 250’, Janet Merriam-Friend caught a 15 lb. king mackerel and Ann Ellis learned how to wire the fish. Rebecca Wagaman caught her first king mackerel ever. The ladies learned a different technique for fighting fish when using planers.
*Double Up/Capt. Norm Welter: The ladies raved about Capt. Norm, who encouraged them to hook the baits and practice their fishing skills. The ‘adrenaline rush’ of the day was a 30 lb., 44-inch amberjack caught on the Molds wreck. The ladies also caught a variety of snapper.
*Brute Dusky/Capt. Dick Russell: The ladies caught bait and trolled. A sailfish struck one of their lures in the Gulfstream but spit the bait. Betty Falsey came all the way from Cambridge, MA to catch her first dolphin ever. All women caught fish, including three dolphin and a king mackerel.
FoxSea: Trolling with a variety of rigs in the Gulfstream, FoxSea had a 27-inch king mackerel caught by Mary Falco. The women worked together to catch several king mackerel and grouper, and learned that fishing requires a lot of waiting. Comments included ‘Every time I fall asleep, you guys catch a fish!’
Catch My Drift: Paddy Cunningham Pascatore caught and released a 10" triggerfish and won the kitty.
* 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/Marlin Sponsor, Ranger Boats /Joel’s Outboard Marine, 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 and Printing Corp. of the Americas. Event Sponsors: Bergeron Land Development, Rod Huki, Marina Bay Resort and Awlgrip. Special mention: Boat Owners Warehouse, 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. Tony DiGiulian, Capt. Wayne Conn, Capt. Lee Lavery, Chuck Baldwin, Twig Tolle and Michelle Owen! They did a great job of showing how we can contribute to preservation of the environment.

Great Prizes! We had some great silent auction items including a trip to Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina/Abaco, Bahamas, and the Bimini Big Game Club. Also featured was a Mercury Four-Stroke Engine, airfare from Gulfstream Int’l Airlines, a sailfish mount from King Release Mounts, art from Guy Harvey, Carey Chen, Geoff Hager and Steve Goione as well as trips from Capt. Bouncer Smith, Chase N Dreams, Capt. Chris Rush, Capt. Ned Small, boat training with Capt. Jonathan Parmet and a birding trip with Patty Pascatori. Also, an angler entry in the Ladies Fishoff and great items from Cobra Marine, Bluewater Books & Charts, Gameface Gear, Flying Fisherman, Ocean LED, Hook & Tackle, Maui Surf Company, Awlgrip, Lurebox, Williamson Lures, Smith Optics, Boat Bunkers, Eat Me Tackle, Quarterdeck, Pompanette, Suncloud Optics, Tigress Outriggers & Gear, Essentials Boutique, Dr. Bill Shumpert - Downtown Dentist, Reward Fleet, FisHer, Rum Reggae, LMR Tackle, Manley Industries, Harrington Graphics, Melton International Tackle, Skags Office Products, The Billfish Foundation, Total Wine & More, Upholstery Innovations, Eagle Claw, Davey Marine Center, Star Brite, Boat Owners Warehouse, Taylor Made, Crocs, Richardsons Charts, Freedom Boat Club, Catch It Lures, Coleman, BoatU.S. Angler Insurance, CorrosionX, Southport Raw Bar, Moldcraft, Fishergirl, C&H Lures, Miami Seaquarium, Sailorman, Kingsbury Tackle, Karen Rhodes, Charlie’s Locker, Maxima, Tarpon Bend, Adventure Products, Stearns, Carl’s Bait & Tackle and Angler’s Bait and Tackle. Thanks to all auction and raffle donors! All donors may not be listed here, but were listed in our class books. Benefit for The Dan Marino Foundation, for research, treatment and outreach programs for children with chronic illnesses and develomental disabilities.

Next Events: Stuart, May 16-18 at Pirates Cove. You will LOVE Pirates Cove! The hotel is right on the marina and the Sunday fishing boats depart from there - everything at one place! Also The 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. There are still openings for the fabulous ladies-only Alaska trip August 27-30.

Looking for a few GOOD women to work 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!

Seminar video is on YouTube! Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BjIHX3XVBU

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: (OCEANLED.COM) - LED underwater lights from the most technologically advanced underwater lighting company in the world! New class sponsor - Rod Huki - Fight fish without bruising! Available at www.rodhukidirect.com. CROCS came in this year, did you see all their fantastic new styles? 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. To have this kind of expensive equipment available 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! We were pleased to have Dave from Joel’s Outboard Marine and Larry Jett from Ranger Boats speak at the seminar.

Bass Pro Shops, our Marlin 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 Bass Pro Shops in Dania Beach or Miami!

Maui Surf Company Discount: Until July 1, 08, 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!

Custom Chocolate Gift Baskets: Chocolates shaped like fishing rods, bobbers, pliers, and other fishing items! Beautiful gift baskets as well as scented candles! Contact Susan Garfield at 954-804-3225.

Southern Boating Magazine: Check your goody bags for a FREE 2-year subscription to Southern Boating Magazine! Thanks to Risa Merl from Southern Boating for attending the seminar.

Comments from Participants:
“Great for women who don’t have someone to fish with!” - D. Carstensen, Parkland, FL
“Enthusiastic leaders, non-threatening, lots of info!” - D. Day, Jupiter, FL
“Great way to get your feet wet!” - M. Daily, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
“I signed up to learn and definitely did. Instructors were patient and lived up to the ‘no-yelling’ slogan.” - J. Johnson, Hollywood, FL
“Skill stations exceeded my expectations!” - I. Ricciuti, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Click here for more photos!

Click here for more photos!