- The only known adult Orca in the world
- IGFA event April 14th and 15th.. Jose Wejebe event
- Fishing TV show Spanish Fly host Jose Wejebe Killed in a plane cash in Everglades City, Florida April 6th 2012
- Only in Florida
- CCA Florida – Tampa Chapter Announces Twenty-Seventh Banquet, April 22, 2012
- Fly like a bird
- Biscayne Bay Estuary deep dredge threat
- A fish named “Ball Cutters”, yes it is exactly what you think!
- Rod Naming contest, Win 1 piece 12 wt Fly rods or Spinning rods, Deadline March 26th 2012
- Ladies Only fishing tournament in Sunny Florida, March 23rd 2012, Chix n Stix
Loon Outdoors “Nip N Sip” – Holiday Gift Idea
Came across a cool product from Loon Outdoors that I thought I would pass along…its is called a “Nip N Sip”. When fishing aboard someone else’s boat, I’m always fumbling around trying to find scissors or something to cut leader material and braid with. The Nip N Sip may be the answer – it is a line cutter on one end and a bottle opener on the other end. Two things that can come in handy on a weekend fishing trip. There’s also a needle for clearing hook eyes. The Nip N Sip is a solid piece of stainless steel that should stand up to plenty of abuse and bottle openings – and it fits easily on your key ring. Would make a great gift or stocking stuffer for the angler in your life. www.loonoutdoors.com
Fishing camera, Nikon AW100, slow motion video, waterproof camera
Review of the Nikon AW100 16mp waterproof camera, with HD video 1080p and slow motion video features.
Since I’ve been fishing quite a bit in Kayaks lately it was such a total pain to take photos with a bulky DSLR. The iphone was ok but really didn’t want the hassle of carrying it around. I own a kodak playsport still but at 5mp and no flash the photos just wasn’t the best. Beside it was 2 years old and plenty of waterproof cameras has came out side then.
After some research I decided to get the Nikon AW100. It had Nikon glass, rugged and waterproof up to 10 meters. 16 megapixel was big but I wasn’t too worried about that. I like the fact it was 25mm wide angle so it allows me to take good photos of fish while measuring them for tournaments as well.
The camera was rugged and flat. Super easy to to use. No much in manual controls but if you’re looking to just turn it on and shoot it’s perfect. I liked the Canon D10 but it only did SD video and was kind of bulky.
A big plus was the way Nikon decided to make the latch on the camera water tight. When you open it, you have to press a button down then turn it. This makes it practically impossible for you to leave it open accidentally before entering the watery domain. I had a Pentax and this was a big issue with many people. Just bumping it wrong while underwater will cause the Pentax to leak. This more than likely will not happen to the Nikon.
The macro features allows me to get ridiculously close to the subject, almost touching it. The video was what sealed the deal for me. I wanted 1080p HD which many of them did, but this one did at lower resolution 120 frames as well as 240 frames per second.
Note, one thing it does not have is the ability to shoot raw.
Overall I’m pretty happy with the camera. I will keep it with me while doing travels, especially kayak fishing and other rugged activities when the DSLR is just too bulky to carry around.
For the Holidays Amazon is running a discount on it. Nikon AW100 16mp waterproof camera
This was shot in 120fps and slowed down even more in post.
More on the water photos of the Nikon AW100 here:http://saltyshores.com/wordpress/2011/12/15/fishing-reports/kayak-fishing-tampa-26-trout-first-photos-with-the-nikon-aw100/
Gift Idea: Zip Cut Pro inrod, line cutter video review
How often have you been fishing,want something to cut your line but it seems you are always fumbling around looking for your pliers or cutters.
Instead of you using your teeth or asking your buddy for cutters there is new gadget I ran across at the ICAST 2011 called Zip Cut pro.
This little $9.95 gadget cuts line like butter and attaches right to the spinning, bait casting or fly rod. It even has lure/hook hanger for rods that do not have one built in.
It is made of stainless steel so it holds up in salt water and and cuts up to 100lb line.
This is perfect for wade fishing, as well as just strapping it on a railing on a boat so everyone can use it. Very useful fishing tool at under $10.00
Gift Ideas: Chums fishing lanyard and SWC hoodie, Polar buff
Chums Fishing Lanyard
Cool ideas for fisherman who has cutters, power pole remote, trolling motor remote all on different straps. This lanyard can hold them all pretty comfortably for under $20.00
SWC has always been known for their unique edgy artwork style on their apparel. They just recently came out with the hoodie for the winter months. It’s a 80% polyester blend with makes it great for quick drying if you get it wet and breathable. Thumb holes for slipping it into a jacket and a removable hood. I’ve been using it on the water for a few weeks so this is first hand experience not a brochure read.
Its very comfortable fit quite well. Fit and finish is excellent with double stitching and reinforced materials in all the important areas.
More specs in apparel words on the web site: Skinny Water Culture Hoodie
Here is a quick video I shot so you can see the fit. We were blown off the water(you can hear the 20knot winds even behind the mangroves) so I figure I use the time to do couple product videos.
Most people do not know this, but Buff one of the original head wear manufacturer, has what they called a “Polar Buff”
It is a made out of the popular and highly effective, award winning Polartec material.
It does not get that cold here in Florida, but on those long boat runs in winter time. The regular buff helps but just doesn’t cut out enough wind. This is where the Polar Buff shines.
I first found out about the Polar Buff a year ago in L.A. Tom of Wangachor and I was in LA last year fishing the marshes (Jan) and when the air temp is 29 degrees this was a godsend. If you often find yourself wishing for a warmer buff this time of year this is worth a look. It now comes in the Bug Slinger series of fly fishing centric design as well.
Here’s another video shot with Krista same cold windy day.
Portable wireless speaker system the Jambox by Jawbone: review
Being near the Christmas holidays I know many of you are looking for cool gift ideas. (more later on this)
Lauren told me about this speaker system the other day while we were shooting the 3Fadventures .
The product is called a Jambox by jawbone, the same people that makes Bluetooth headsets. I always wanted something I could carry with me to show people videos and music during trade shows and while traveling. I bought a couple wired ones($39 to $89 dollars range) that works but it was such a pain to deal with all the cables at times and they quite frankly did not sound that good.
A wireless blue tooth solution was perfect but I wanted something that was loud and sounded good as well.
After some research on the jambox I decided to buy one. I have to say I’m pretty satisfied. By no means will the sound beat a true monster home system but for the size and what it offers it is well worth it.
- The sound is excellent, good bass considering the size
- Last up to 10 hours
- pairing with your phone, ipad was effortless
- With only 4 buttons it was very easy to use and figure out.
- sticky shell so it wont slide on boats and car dashes
- Any phone with bluetooth can use it which is pretty much all smart phones these days droids and iphones.
- small compact, no knobs, nothing to snap off.
- Easy to charge. Any micro usb works
I found the unit at best buy at 25% off but looking on line many places were out of stock of them.
Here is a link to Amazon at the Sale price.: JamBox Amazon
Bellow is a video I did so you could hear the sound quality.
How to Deep Fry a Turkey for Thanksgiving with Hank
11.24.2011
Today like most people I had turkey for the Thanksgiving holiday.
If you have never had deep fried turkey you have to give it a try. To me, it taste better, more moist and much faster to cook.
Not that I am going to take credit for deep frying a turkey but my friend Hank said he would cook it for me if I got the turkey and bring it over.
Here’s the process.
1 already thawed turkey. I got one about 12 lbs at lest than 60cents per pound
I injected the turkey with a Cajun Butter kit from Stubbs. This was bought at Winn Dixie and it came with the injector and all for about $5.00
Next was to preheat the deep fryer filled with peanut oil to 325 degrees.
Lower the Turkey really slow to avoid spillage
let it sit for 4.25 minutes times lb of turkey.
So 12 x 4.25 = 51 minutes and I had moist delicious turkey. Thanks Hank!
Gear Review: 2011-2012 Shimano Sustain FG
Shimano unveiled their new sexy black and silver clad Sustain FG earlier this year at ICAST. The new Sustain FG offers many new features such as X-SHIP, magnumlite rotor, rapid fire drag, and reel stand (a first for spinning reels). Along with these new features, all the old features we’ve come to love about Shimano’s premium reels are also found in the Sustain FG. This is a whole new Sustain that set’s itself apart from the rest of its family. The gap between Stradic and Stella is set in place by the Sustain FG and places it truly in the half way point between the two.
New Features:
According to Shimano “X-SHIP takes spinning reel technology to a whole new level. Anglers will experience increased gearing efficiency and power, providing for ultra-light handle rotation. By using a large diameter drive gear, moving the pinion gear closer to the center of the drive gear to provide 20% more power, and by supporting the pinion gear with two ball bearings, X-Ship provides a smooth, effortless retrieve, and also virtually eliminates the pinion gear twist and rotor flex common with most spinning reels when fighting a fish. As showcased in the Stella FD reels, and now also offered in the Sustain FG and Stradic FJ spinning reels, X-Ship provides anglers with smoothness right out-of-the-box.”
The magnumlite rotor use a new CI4 material that is stronger than that found in the Stradic Ci4 to reduce the Sustain FG’s rotor weight by half. This provides a stronger more solid feel, while retaining the reel’s smoothness and light weight.
Rapid fire drag makes for a steeper drag curve. Turning the drag knob half way around will be the equivalent of making two full rotations with other reels. Light tackle snook fisherman and finesse bass fisherman will find this feature very useful as quick adjustments are needed to be made during a fight to pull a fish away from of structure. Every second counts when a big snook or redfish is dashing for the mangroves and you need to set the drag from light to tight to “D” for destroy. The entire drag system is sealed off from the salt, dust, and sand encountered in the fishing environment. As an added safety feature, once the drag is backed off all the way and the spool is pulled off of the reel, the drag knob will stay secured on the spool. To pop the drag off, push the spool down slightly and remove the drag knob before taking the spool off of the reel. This feature helps prevent accidents associated with dropping the drag knob in the water while changing spools, which can ruin a day on the water.
The reel stand will also be offered on the Sustain FG. This will be like a kick stand on the opposite end of the reel handle to keep the reel upright and the bail assembly away from the flat solid surface to bent bail wires and other damages to the bail system.
A list of features from Shimano:
• X-Ship
• New “Magnumlite CI4 Rotor” (1000-4000)
• Aluminum Sideplate
• Rapid Fire Drag
• New “Reel Stand”
• Paladin® Gear Durability Enhancement
• Propulsion® Line Management System
• Propulsion® Spool Lip
• SR® One-Piece Bail Wire
• Power Roller® III
• S®- Arm Cam
• Aerowrap® II Oscillation
• SR® Concept
• SR® 3D Gear
• SR® One-Piece Bail Wire
• 7 S® A-RB (Shielded A-RB) Ball Bearings (1000)
• 8 S® A-RB (Shielded A-RB) Ball Bearings (2500-5000)
• Aluminum Spool
• S® – Concept
• S®-Rotor
• S®- Guard
• S®- Arm Cam
• New Machined Aluminum Handle
• Direct Drive Mechanism (Thread-In Attachment)
• EVA Handle Knob
• WP Drag (Waterproof Drag)
• Maintenance Port
• Fluidrive® II
• Floating Shaft
• Dyna-Balance®
• Super Stopper® II
• Repairable Clicker
• Approved for use in Saltwater
• Rated for use with Mono, Flruoro and PowerPro® lines
The skinny…
I was blown away by the Stradic 3000FJ when I tested one of the field test models this past Spring. Earlier this month, I was presented the new 2011 Shimano Sustain 4000FG as a Field Tester to put through the rigors of our South Florida light tackle fishery. This Sustain 4000FG was combined with a G Loomis 7’9 Greenwater GWR930S spinning rod and 10lb red Power Pro braid (the red color pretty real sexy on the reel), making it a deadly all around combination for light tackle inshore fishing. I could throw half dollar size crabs at permit, medium to large shrimp at bonefish, jigs and DOA plastics to Redfish, and small plugs to snook using this outfit.
The Sustain FG combined many of the great attributes of the new Stradic FJ, Stradic Ci4, and Stella. Featuring an Aluminum body and side plates, the first thing I noticed about the Sustain FG was it’s absolute solid feel. The Sustain FG winds like a refined machine that set’s itself apart from other spinning reels and places it closer to the Stella, but valued in it’s own class just below Shimano’s flagship Stella. Thanks to the Sustain FG’s Magnumlite rotor, weight was reduced to 1/2 of regular graphite to provide for a much smoother handle rotation and smaller size rotor then the previous model (1000-4000 size). The Sustain FG is incredibly light weight. I spent days blind casting pot holes, skipping DOA Shrimp under mangrove overhangs, and ripping jigs through the surf without the worry of fatigue. The retrieve remains smooth and powerful through its coarse of time on the water, in both extreme heat and cool weather. The new drag system was redesigned to surpass it’s predecessors. This drag system feels smooth…REEEAALLLLYYYYY smoooooooth. The sound and feel of the Sustain FG’s drag is extremely impressive. We tested the drag against hard pulling spanish macks off the beach and speeding bonefish on the flats of Biscayne Bay. The sound of the Sustain FG drag zinging to the 100 yard dash of a big bonefish was a sweet melody that all anglers will appreciate. The melody is soothing, while the feel get’s the adrenaline pumping. I almost want to record the sound and make it into an alarm tone. Better yet, I’ll find myself replacing just about all my spinning reels with new Sustain FG reels. The word from Shimano is that the new Sustain FG will be available very soon; sizes SA1000FG size in January, SA2500FG and SA3000FG available in December, SA4000FG and SA5000FG available in February for dealers who have placed their orders early.
2011 Florida Sportsman Lawstick
New Florida Sportsman Law stick. They are sponsor of the Salty Fly 2012 tournament and one will be provided free in the captain’s bag.
These fold able, waterproof and super useful measuring instrument. Not only does it measure up to 26 inches but it also shows photos of all your likely species as well as gives you the current regulations.
There are two versions one for the Atlantic rules and one for the Gulf side. They run $8.95 and can be found at your tackle store or the website.
Another visit to the Goonies… Grub + Fish Porn + Motion Picture + Bling!!
Our first major cold front swept across South Florida, sending days of rain and overcast skies, followed by lots of wind and some unwelcomed clouds into my home waters. What a perfect opportunity to drive up north and chase the blue bird skies. I left the office last Friday and rushed over to Kissimmee, FL in order to catch the last couple hours of the FFF Expo. Following this day, my buddies Capt. Willy Le (www.NativeFlyCharters.com) and Dominic A. invited me to spend a day in the Lagoon chasing some redfish. A change in scenery is always welcomed… especially when hometown weather becomes unfavorable. I always have a good time hanging with my buddies from the North.
We arrived to a dirt ramp the next day. There was a slight chill in the air this morning but it was quite comfortable. The winds hadn’t really laid down as it was still blowing at 15kts out of the North. With all the wind and rain from past weeks, the water had been high and dirty in the Lagoon prior to this day. We rode through some marshy looking mazes and across some shallow sand bars in the Maverick HPX-Tunnel as Willy scanned the waters for the right sign. Willy backed off on the throttle as we approached our destination. Everything there seemed right… we found that the water receeded to just about the perfect level, had a brownish tinge to it but was shallow enough to spot fish waking and tailing. The ever-present shrimp that would jump out of our path as we poled down the shorelines looking for signs of life. As I watched a redfish crawl around with it’s back out of the water, occasionally exploding on a pod of shrimp, I knew at that moment that we were exactly where we should be.
I armed myself with Shimano’s latest Brain-child… the Sustain FG (Full write-up review coming soon) on the trusty G Loomis Greenwater. The floating grass was thick in certain parts but still wanting to see some head out of the water eats, I tied on a DOA CAL with a Chug-Head on it. This was as weedless as any topwater lure can be. Needless to say, after 3 head out of water eats and a few misses… I got what I had come for…
We swapped off shots the next couple of hours between the 3 of us, catching redfish on both flies and DOAs, filming both follies and successes, and making a not-so-serious fun time out of catching slot redfish after slot redfish. We claimed a dozen fish by the end of the day on the fly rod alone.
The great time on the water was only bettered by our stop at Ms. Apples Crab Shack, on our way back to the barn. Forget about fish camps, burgers, hostile uppity elitists, and sandwiches… the laid back atmosphere and great eats at Ms. Apples is one tradition within a fishing trip I could definitely dig. There is nothing better then Maryland style blue crabs…
The last 3 photos were shot with a new iPhone 4S 8MP camera. Not too bad if I say so myself.
There was still a bit of time to kill after we got back and washed up the boat. We decided to walk to a nearby pond and throw some hoppers/gurglers at some bass and bluegill to kill off the last hour of light. Now I am inspired to go out and purchase a 5wt.
Here is a short video Capt. Willy snipped together…
Back at home now and waiting for the next opportunity for the weather to allow me to get out and chase some bonefish. Stay tuned…
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
I will not enter into the fray of NY vs. Chi-town pizza war. Suffice to say, if it is pizza – I will eat it.
On the way back from the conclave the other day I decided I would “take one for the team” ( real sacrifice right? : ) ) and stop by the Chicago Hub (http://www.chicagohubrestaurant.com/) in Winter Haven for some pizza. We had been there previously and were pleased.
Well, it was going on near 2:00 and I was “hawn-gry”. I started off with an order of 10 wings ($6.95). I couldn’t make my mind up as to which version I wanted so after speaking with Danny (he loves and runs the place) I was steeled on 4 versions. A Parmesan Garlic was my favorite that day (tomorrow my taste buds may want the Cajun more : ) ) they were unbreaded and fried with a bit of the sweetness or the garlic and a hint of saltiness of the parmesan.The Cajun was a medium butter sauce base with Cajun spices that was very good also. Wrapping it up was the Hot garlic and the hot traditional wings. both were quite good with the taste we are used to with hot wings. The exception being the sauce was a mite bit thicker, clinging to the meaty wings better.
As Matt was cooking my pizza (taking about 20 mins. ) Danny came out to visit with me. I was able to find out of his love for fishing and also his love of food. One of the ways he relayed this was saying, “I love feeding people” . I have come to believe that those loving what they do tend to be better at it than someone that just does stuff for a check.
Then comes the main event…pizza. It was a small supreme ($16) which is large enough to stuff two or to feed three.The crust had just a bit of a light crunch to it. There was ample cheese to it (as witnessed by the string of cheese in the pic) and all the vegetables were fresh. The sweet Italian sausage is home-made and all the other meats (pepperoni, bacon, ham) were piled high. I can not say when the last time was when I enjoyed a pizza so much…wait!…yes I can… the last time I ate here about one month ago.
I had no room to finish off the meal with desert (as we did the last time there) but I can tell you the Lemoncello Mascarpone cake is fabulous as well as the Italian Rum (who knew they distilled rum? : ) ) cake. I am told the brownie is quite the treat also.
Italian sausage sandwich and Italian beef sandwich is on the menu as well and even though I know I will have to try them one day, I will be hard pressed to omit ordering pizza too.
Not the easiest to find as it is stuck in the corner of the center, but well worth the drive
http://www.chicagohubrestaurant.com/contact.html
I do have one minor complaint. Amidst the standard music related to “The City With Big Shoulders” such as Blues Brothers “Soul Man” and various renditions of “Chicago”, I did hear Jay Z/Alicia Keys ”Empire state of Mind”, that’s just not right!…I believe they have that corrected now.
Revisited 11/18
I was in town and decided I’d follow up with an Italian beef sandwich. It is difficult for me to go there and not get pizza but I showed restraint. I did however order some of the garlic parmesan garlic wings and they were just as good as before.
When the sandwiches arrived I was pleased to see that two had been made. Since I had said “make it like you like your sandwich” one had grilled onions and bell peppers (enough such that they were soft and sweet) and the other also added mozzarella cheese. The 1/3 pound, or so, of thinly sliced Sirloin tip steak was piled high in a 6 inch roll. Upon the first bite the predominate flavor was the beef (as it should be), the nice, lean, juicy,tender beef. Not a bit of gristle or fat to be found. There was a hint of italian spices but nothing at all overpowering. This was all about the beef. There were sufficient onions and bell peppers but just enough to compliment the beef which is the main attraction. The side The one with cheese was placed in the oven to melt the cheese which dried the bread just a bit but it allowed it to pick up more of the juice. Again, not disappointed but rather very pleased. And the cost of this taste of Chicago?… only $5.50