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Ankona SUV Boats, Video Review, Native skiffs
May 30th 2010
A couple weeks ago Jan of Microskiff.com and I shot a video review for Native skiffs specifically their new model the Ankona SUV. I just wanted to put the high res version up. I have not personally driving, poled or been in the boat(besides filming it) but they do start out at $2900.00. So if you’re looking into a budge skiff this one might of interest.
Specifications:
* Length: 14′ 8″
* Beam: 68″
* Weight: 280 Lbs
* Draft: 6-7″
* Max HP: 25
Thailand Travels coming up, Bizzare foods perhaps
May 30th 2010:
The last few days I have not done much on the water. It has been beautiful outside so it isn’t the weather. The main reason is that I’m getting ready for a trip to the country of Thailand. Not sure if many of you know but I’m originally from Thailand.(yeah that explains why my spelling grammar is so bad…lol) I have been over in the states for over 30 years so I have zero accent. I have forgotten how to speak, read and write Thai as I was a kid when I came over. I do understand some but for the most I’m pretty much Americanized these days. 
I will be there for a few days to visit my mother and get some paper work done that can only be done there. I haven’t been back in 30 years so it is going to be a pain. The flight over with all the delays is between 24-30 hours! I am not looking forward to the flight at all. Thailand is half way around the world so it is quite understandable but still it is going to be a major pain.</p> <p>I will be bringing over video camera gear of course. If have time I hope to partake in some off the beaten path foods and cultural travels mixed in. Kind of like the <a href=” />Anthony Bordain’s show “No Reservations”. Or Andrew Zimmerman’s Bizarre foods. I want to do to those farmer’s market and eat the insects, fermented fish, you know all the weird stuff you will never find over here.
With me I will have my Kodak Playsport camera to do a mini Vlog of the travels. So all is not lost for Saltyshores.com while I travel. I should get some really cool images from half way around the world for you.
Sunset Time Lapse video, Hawk’s Cay, Duck Key
May 28th 2010
While I was down at Hawk’s Cay marina this week I got lucky and got a balcony room that didn’t have a screen on it. I took advantage of the this by testing out my time lapse feature on the camera. I shot this on a tripod take a few frames ever 10 seconds for a loooooong time.
This a a video of 2 sunsets. Each of these took like 3 to 7 hours to complete all compressed down to a 3.5 minute video. It’s not perfect so I’m still trying to figure a few things out. However this is a cool feature I can add to future videos productions.
Youtube Link:
Boca Grand Pass, Hammer Head Shark
May 28th 2010
Yesterday I made the drive back from the keys. It was a beautiful morning with no clouds and no wind. Yes a very rare day in the Keys. Regardless it was time to go home.
I stopped by Don’s Bait and tackle to chat with Ashley a bit and he tells me he was glad to see things finally picking up, but was a bit worried about the BP oil spill that was in the gulf.
By the the time I got to the west coast I was already thinking fishing plans. I stopped by Boga Grand with some friends for the crab flush tonight. Although the bite was crazy slow for a full moon of June tides I did get a cool image of a tarpon getting eaten by a large hammer head shark.
Keys Sunrise, I had to get out of the truck to shoot this awesome sunrise. I had been driving since 6am and needed to stretch my legs anyways.
They were filming a TV show with Cody Chivas and Joe Mercurio of the PTTS. This hammer head decided to ruin the party.
Another end of the day in Boca Grand Pass. Sun setting with no clouds in the sky.
The Smallest Boat in the pass. I don’t think I ever saw him hooked up. With the swift current not sure what he would have done if he did hook up.
Tarpon on fly shoot finally for the SWE 2011 season
May 26th 2011
Today we were up bright and early at the docks. Today we were going to shoot fly fishing for Tarpon in the keys. The Tarpon season this year down here has been awesome. The weather is right and the time of year is right for the show to be done.
Good Saltwater Fly fishing show tend to be pretty thin these days. Not because no one wants to shoot it, it is just the lack of sponsorship money in the arena. It takes a bunch of effort to get off a good saltwater fly fishing show. They are awesome if they come out good and the guys definitely did this shoot more than justice. If they got the footage I think they got, this can probably will be one of the best show they have done.
Just from the perspective and visuals that was shot out there. The lighting was excellent most of the day, the fish were big, they got all the eats and jumps. It should be an awesome show.
I can say Tom broke in my Nautilus NV 10-11 wt pretty darn good today.
Several milestones crossed and the heart of Tarpon Season…
I had only accomplished my first tarpon on fly back in 2006 and my first bonefish on fly shortly afterwards but the determination to continue pursuing these two fish have made them my 2 all time favorite flats species to target.
I had a chance to be involved in this same type of acheivement with three truley dedicated anglers dedicated anglers in the last few days. I was able to put Jason Sullivan on his first bonefish on fly, I put Jeremy on his first bonefish, I caught the first big tarpon on Jeremys 18 HPX-V, and on the most recent outing; I guided Charles Foschini to his first big tarpon on fly. I am struggling to tie enough flies to keep this fly box stocked with the right stuff but with the supply depleating faster then restocking, I may be putting a call to Peter Smith at SSFlies this week to place an order for a bunch of flies.
This is certainly the best time of year period as sight fishing just couldn’t be better. Catching fish and keeping tallys only comes second to creating more memories on the water, but I am happy to realize that I have been lucky thus far and truley blessed to have caught tarpon on each dedicated tarpon outing this season, be it in the Keys, Pine Island, or Sarasota. We’ve spent days on the water facing two opposite ends of the weather spectrum in the last few days from 25 to 30kt Northeasters to slick calm windless days when you are trying to pole the boat faster just to create enough of a breeze that is somewhat cooler then seemingly stagnant air that surrounds. Each different condition dictates the path my HPX Mirage decides to travel and the different configuration of feathers the fish will eat (or not eat). This skiff has seen conditions on 2 opposite spectrums from a nasty rolling ocean chop constantly breaking over the bow, to still backcountry basins, to sitting in line waiting for the giant strings of big tarpon to flow through for a shot… come these next couple of months, it will see many many more.
Flip = Game Over
It has certainly been an incredible Spring/Summer thus far. Memorial day weekend is upon us and I will be in the Keys shooting photos on the camera boat with the Saltwater Experience crew and possibly sneaking out for a late afternoon of poonin. There will be lots in stored for June and many different destinations… stay tuned for more of the good stuff…
Hawk’s Cay, Saltwater experience shoot for 2011
May 25th 2011
I’m down here at Hawk’s Cay shooting stills for the 2011 Season of Saltwater Experience TV show.
Today they took the 36′ yellowfin out and got into some nice Mahi Mahi action. The action was so good they started to catch them on fly. We then moved in later on the day and got into some permit action within 5miles out of Hawk’s Cay.
I also got the dive with the Mahi and Permit which was way cool. They will be using the video underwater footage in the show.
I’m a little beat since were offshore all day so apologies for the short update.
Here are some photos I manage to edit before heading to bed. Tomorrow have to be at the dock by 545am.
Key Largo Conch House
Key Largo Conch House
100211 Overseas Hwy
Key Largo, FL
305-453-4844
It is tough to find good seafood in the Florida Keys. Why, you ask? Because with so many seafood restaurants and so much access to fresh seafood, it is hard to chose a place to eat at.
I recently made a second visit to the Key Largo Conch House (http://www.keylargocoffeehouse.com) with my buddy Jeremy after a long and tiring day of tarpon fishing. The first time I ate there was impressive, but the second time absolutely blew me away. The atmosphere is a casual “Keys’y” laid back type feel, but not the touristy sand and island feel that just about every other restaurant has; the Conch House had more of a locals place feel to it. The Conch House is nestled admist a forest of trees, hidden and discreet. Don’t let the bushy “shack in the middle of the woods” outlook fool you though. What lies inside is some of the best food, cleanest presentation, and best service around in Key Largo. You feel right at home, comfortable, and not overwhelmed with that touristy feel like in most other restaurants in the Keys.
This is the place to be if you like a quality home cooked quality meal. The Lobster and Conch Ceviche is a must order item on the menu. This dish is prepared with the freshest ingredients and spiced just right. It is a refreshing dish to start your meal after a long day of being out on the water. Couple this dish with the fried cracked conch appetizer and you have the perfect yin and yang. The cracked conch is lightly breaded and with herbs mixed into the light breading and fried to perfection, not too dry, but not soggy with grease, just perfect. The Yellowtail fish tacos hit the spot just right for lunch. I had the Yellowtail Florentine last time for dinner and was very impressed. The presentation was great and the taste was second to none. It was definitely the best yellowtail snapper dish I had ever had. If you crave deserts, they have a selection of home made deserts that are different each day. The home made Key Lime Pie was the best pie I had ever had. It was not too tangy, nor too sweet… the texture was smooth and I actually finished an entire slice of Key Lime Pie for the first time in my life. The Conch House also offers a large variety of different teas and coffee, which they are famous for. Being Asian, I have had just about every type of tea imaginable and I will admit that the Conch House offers some of the most amazing iced tea. I will definitely be back to try the different flavor tea and coffee they offer.
Visit the restuarants website at www.keylargocoffeehouse.com or better yet; next time you are in Key Largo, get in your car and drive down to the Key Largo Conch House for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I guarantee you will be impressed.
Took the Canyon Bay 2270 offshore, Guy Harvey Shark tournament finals
5.23.2010
This week was a very busy. Had some non fishing/outdoor related shoot earlier on the week. One was for a Maxim magazine model, the other was a bio tech company. Boring stuff so you probably don’t want to hear about it. You gotta do what you gotta do.
The rest of the week was spent looking for more video footage of tarpon eats. I didn’t get much on the big fish but did get a couple small tarpon to eat really good.
One of the reason I got a bay boat(Cayonbay 2270) was to be more versatile in the summer time. Summer time is when there’s plenty of bait and the weather is calm enough to run offshore in a bay boat. That is exactly what I did one day last week. It was 1′ or less seas, we ran out 20 miles to a public number I had on a chart I bought that day at the marina and found some nice 3-5lb mangrove snappers and juvi aj. We chummed them up to the surface and was catching them on 15lb braid and 15-20lb test leaders. It was a blast sight casting these guys. I was too lazy to break out my fly rod but should have as it was flat calm out there and fish were 15′ away from the boat.
On the way back we ran into a pod of black fin tunas. I cast a Sebile Flat Shad into the mix and got a hook up right away but he came unbutton. I backed off my drag a bit and got hooked up yet again on the next cast. It took a while to bring the black fin in with the light drag thinking the hook might pull. The plan changed quickly once I saw big shark after him. I immediately open up the bail and let the tuna escaped then tighten the drag down and hauled him in. He weigh in at about 12-15lbs.
After the long day on the water the next 2 days was spent filming for the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge. The weather was awesome and there were some nice fish caught. In the 2 day tournament the winner took home $10,000 in cash for catching 2 hammer heads right in Tampa bay.
Sorry not many photos as I was shooting videos for them most of the time. I did get some great emotions out of the contestants and it should make for some good TV. I am not the editor on this job so once they are done with it I share with you guys the finish video.
If you think you can catch a shark that is longer that 5′ you should think about fishing this tournament next year. There was on 9 teams and the check was 10k. I’ve seen redfish tournaments with 100 teams and the highest cash prizes(besides 1st place for a boat) was like 3k, makes no sense really.
I got a chance to ride in the new Andros 32 as the camera boat for the 2 days I was down filming. The boat is pretty darn nice ride. Excellent fit and finish and screams with twin Verados. The semi custom boat I was on had 64.. yes 64 rod holders! If I have time I will go do a short film clip walk through of all the rod holders. I might have a phone picture I took.
Cabbage Key Blooms
AJ
Mangrove snappers
Black Fin Tuna on the Sebile Flat Shad
Guy Harvey Shark Tournament
Tagging and swiming with a bull shark
Location X flies.. I was told.
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