Sailfish City - Stuart Florida Community Site

If you live in or around Stuart, Florida this should come as no surprise to you as it’s a bit late news.  But what’s with this cold snap?!  It’s almost MAY for crying out loud!  Two days ago I had to get up in the middle of the night to bump my air conditioner down a few more degrees because I was to warm.  This morning I walked out to my truck SHIVERING!  This is not Florida weather man!  Bring back my warm sunshine and bikinis on the beach!

Bathtub Beach has been a popular spot in Martin County since before I was a kid.  I can still remember going there with my parents to take me snorkeling at the nearby reef just off shore.  During low tide, the reef juts out of the water and can be easily seen from shore.  At high tide, the reef is just barely obscured by the water making it a virtual aquarium in the ocean to snorkel around and watch tropical fish in the real world.

That was then, this is now.  Today, the beach is closed and no one knows when it will re-open.  Beach erosion is to blame for the beach being closed.  The beach, which was once a narrow stretch of sand between the dunes and the water is virtually nonexistent now.  Stormy conditions have washed away the beach and damaged the dunes and even some of the parking lot.  The real dangers to beach goers are what you can’t see.  Below the water at high tide are old tree stumps that were once covered by feet of beach sand.  On top of that, the trough just off shore has deepened, this means that sharks will be more likely to come in closer to shore.

The lagoon created by the rocks and the shallow water leading up to the reef was a safe haven for families and made the beach so popular.  Everything that made the beach a family place is now gone and it’s not clear whether that will be coming back anytime soon.  County officials have been meeting to discuss plans to do repairs to the beach, but it looks like right now the plan they are going with is to let mother nature do the job for them.  The only plans currently being evaluated are plans to rebuild the protective dune to protect beach infrastructure so it is available when the beach does reopen.

Now, the beach will eventually repair itself and bring in new sand.  How long will that take?  I have no clue to be frank, I’m no expert.  But an educated guess says not any time soon.  The good news?  Glad you asked, there is a good side to the story, at least in my opinion.  The reef itself is flourishing with the lack of human beings around.  The reef is a worm reef, millions of tiny worms on the surface of the rocks that were constantly being crushed by uneducated people climbing out on the rocks of the reef.  The reef is a very delicate ecosystem and the lack of beach goers can only mean good things for giving the reef time to repair itself.  And hopefully time for the county to figure out a way to protect the reef in the future from unaware visitors.  We need suggestions for keep the reef safe once it reopens.  Life guards to watch the swimmers and the reef?  More signs educating beach goers about the ecosystem?  I don’t know, what do you think they should do?

The Town of Lake Park, Florida and the Lake Park Harbor Marina will host the inaugural “Greater Palm Beach Offshore 440 Fishing Tournament”, presented by the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, Inc. This offshore fishing tournament will be held May 16^th – 18^th, 2008. The event will award over $65,000.00 in cash and prizes (payout is based on 150 paid entries). The tournament site will be located at the Lake Park Harbor Marina in Lake Park, Florida. This tournament and associated events will be a community-wide event, with participation open to all anglers. The tournament site will be open to the public and weigh in activities on Saturday and Sunday during the event are an exciting activity for family and friends as they watch the anglers bring their catch to the scales.

The fishing tournament benefits the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, Inc. The primary function of this organization is the award of scholarships to children who are dependants or descendants of workers who were injured or killed in the course and scope of their employment and who are eligible to receive benefits under the Florida Workers’ Compensation system and also children of parents involved in the administration of workers compensation benefits for injured workers. Additional information on the Friends of 440 can be found at www.friendsof440.com.

This two day offshore tournament will include cash and prize award categories for the Largest Kingfish, the Largest Dolphin and the Largest Wahoo and a Bottom Fish category as well, going to the lucky angler that weighs the highest aggregate weight for Grouper, Red Snapper and Cobia. The Kingfish category will pay out 15 places and all other fish categories will pay out 5 places in cash and prizes.

The tournament will award the top Lady Angler, Top Junior Angler and Top Senior Angler for there efforts with cash, prizes and trophies. Other winning opportunities will be announced in the coming weeks.

Entry forms can be obtained from the Lake Park Harbor Marina, from Willie’s Bait and Tackle in Lake Park, or visit our web site at www.offshore440.com . Additional information, rules and the schedule of events can be found on the website as well. Sponsorship opportunities are immediately available and interested parties should contact us immediately.

This event is also sanctioned by the Southern Kingfish Association. As a member of the SKA, you can compete for points in the Kingfish category of this tournament that may qualify you and your crew to attend the National Competition in November, 2008 in Biloxi, Mississippi. But you do not have to be a member of the SKA to fish this event. Local fishermen are encouraged to join the organization, but they can still fish the event and take home any of the cash and prizes given away. SKA representatives will be at the tournament site during the event to answer any questions or accept new members. You can also visit the SKA website at www.fishska.com.

Spectators are encouraged to attend the event. The Captains meeting hosted at Lake Park Harbor Marina on Friday night offer’s great food and drinks. The tournament conducts a raffle during the Captains Meeting with lots of great prizes to be given away. The weigh in activities, Saturday from 2-5 pm and Sunday from 1-4 pm are a great time for locals to come out and watch the fishermen as they bring the fish they caught to the dock to be weighed. There is plenty of free parking at the tournament site and Lake Park Harbor Marina has slips available for anyone wishing to dock their boat during the event, with free boat trailer parking for all fishermen registered in the tournament. The awards ceremony is immediately following the Sunday weigh –in.

For additional Tournament information, please call 904-669-8353