This news report from CNN could mean a whole new world is opening up for boaters and anglers.
I’ve been dying to go back since I went, legally as a journalist, to cover the 50th Anniversary of the Hemingway Open in 2000. I also did a little fly fishing for tarpon.
I’ll go again if anyone’s willing to send me.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf hasn’t come close to being contained. The company’s getting a slight reprieve from media scrutiny while LeBron James decides where he’s going to play basketball next year, but the oil is still flowing. We’re looking at mid-August for relief, according to this CNN report.
According to this USA Today report, BP will get more local boats involved, hiring them for cleanup duty. Right now the company has enlisted 8,500 boats from affected regions, presumably people who have lost their livelihood due to the contaminated seas.
The article goes into more detail on payment:
“…For example, vessels shorter than 30 feet get $1,200 for a 24-hour period, while those longer than 65 feet get $3,000. Crewmembers get $200 per eight-hour day for responding to the spill or receiving training.”
Meanwhile, the Boating Line tweeted an article stating that vessels are banned from coming within 65 feet of an oil boom.
Beyond that, tarpon, bluefin tuna, sea turtles, and other marine wildlife are pretty much screwed.
Beyond the oil, there’s no telling the long term effects from the daily doses of dispersant.
Where did LeBron say he’s signing again?
See Kevin's book to the left.
I hit Barnes & Noble to pick up another fishing book (The Longest Silence by Tom McGuane) when I noticed a “Staycation” display featuring local books. And it was great to see friend and former colleague Kevin’s book Falvey’s Guide to Fishing Long Island on the table.
Here’s a closeup:
The book is published by fellow blogger Lenny Rudow’s Geared-Up Publications. Lenny recently did a post about it here.
I’ll echo Lenny’s sentiments, having spent time on the water with Kevin chasing sharks, stripers, and bluefish under his direction. Plus, there’s an awesome photo of a certain angler holding up a false albacore on page 98.
I saw the news in Soundings Trade Only yesterday that Bob Hewes had passed. Hewes is credited with building the first modern flats boat in the 1950s, born out of a bonefishing trip with legendary fly angler Lefty Kreh. In doing so he influenced an entire genre of angling, specifically how people approach skinny water light tackle sight fishing from a boat. In February, Hewes received an Industry award at the 2010 Miami Boat Show in recognition of all his contributions.
Maverick Boat Company owns Hewes Light Tackle Boats now, and they are still relevant.
The fly fishing website Midcurrent posted a good remembrance of Bob Hewes today, which also links to this article on Hewes from the Sun-Sentinel featuring recollections of Hewes from longtime outdoor writer Bob Stearns.
Here’s some public response from the Florida Sportsman forums as well as the Hull Truth.
Flash restrictions won’t let me embed this on my fly fishing blog, so here’s a great bit from Andros South guide Torrie Bevans about fly casting into the wind.
Filmed by Kirk Deeter of Field & Stream.
This post from the respected scientists at Blogfish makes that case. Either way, news reports today that tar balls are washing up in Florida shows this is turning into far more than a regional problem. Waiting for their arrival via the Gulfstream in the Northeast.
The Bonefish & Tarpon Trust is one of the leading stewards of flats species conservation. Dr. Aaron Adams, the organization’s spokesman, has a lot of insight into the protecting bonefish, tarpon, and permit.
I recently asked him a few questions for my fly fishing blog. Here’s the link to the full Q&A that I posted there.
Don Demott shows off his tournament driving form.
Man, I forgot how bass boats fly. Spending some time on the water yesterday with Don Demott, who is a tournament bass angler down in Florida, reminded me in a hurry what a bass boat can do.
They are designed to carry more than their weight and fly around on a keel pad the size of a postage stamp. At rest, their wide beams strive to give them the stability of a pontoon boat. Former colleague Eric Colby wrote an excellent article for Boating about bass boat design, and I’m trying to track down a digital version to share.
In the meantime, here’s a link to some bass boat history from BWB Magazine.
Here’s an older article from Dave Scroppo about bass boat racing.
And here’s a link to a tournament bass boat shootout I worked on with Boating a few years back.
This is what happens in between action.
ESPN Outdoors announced it will broadcast its first ever completely live fishing show.
The press release is right in that there’s nothing like being out on the boat, chasing fish. But I can’t think of anything I’d less like to watch than other people waiting around for the action. With “no editing, no setups, and no way of knowing exactly what will happen,” there’s a huge risk that nothing will happen. Then again, a show about nothing worked as a concept for Seinfeld.
The Watts brothers, the redfish anglers featured in the broadcast, could prove me wrong and tear it up. Will unedited fishing action prove watchable? If you’re curious to find out, go to the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series Web Cast between 8-11am tomorrow (Friday).
On the docks at the old Bimini Big Game Club
I considered it a crime against the boating and fishing community when the Bimini Big Game Club closed its doors a while back, crushed by the economic downturn. Founded in 1947, the Big Game Club is a legendary outpost on the first stop across the way from Florida. With that and the Compleat Angler, Hemingway’s old haunt that burned down in 2006, Bimini’s boating and fishing culture lost serious pieces of flavor and history.
The Bimini Big Game Club brings historical flavor back to Bimini.
Now, at least, the Bimini Big Game Club is coming back. It’s opening up, hopefully by May 1, under the stewardship of Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts & Clubs. The famous painter of fishing scenes and marine life, and noted conservationist, is looking to reestablish the club as an eco-tourism destination focused on fishing and diving. I, for one, hope to be one of the first back at the new bar.
