Sailfish City - Stuart Florida Community Site

The offshore dolphin bite was beginning to heat up, when the wind and high seas kicked in and turned us back to river fishermen. Our last couple of trips produced mostly school sized dolphin, but last Friday one of the rods went off and a big bull catapulted out of the water and screamed off about a hundred yards of line. We knew we had to concentrate on this one fish so we quickly pulled in our other lines and gave chase. We took our time tiring out the fish which jumped every time he saw the boat. In the meantime, every boat near us had a fish or two on but none were near the size of this one. After about thirty minutes, the gaff went in and the fish was flopping on the deck. We threw a towel over his head to calm him down  and minimize damage to the boat and the passengers. After a little bit of persuasion with a billy club, we were able to place him in the fish box. The fish measured fifty six inches and weighed well over forty pounds. The grilled fillets were great. There are plenty  of bonita and kings are starting to show up between sixty and eighty feet. There are some amberjacks on the wrecks along with an occasional cobia. Sailfish are scattered, but being caught in decent numbers for this time of year. Near the beach there are schools of bluefish and a couple of pompano. We saw a couple of boats hooked up to tarpon in schools of threadfins near the Jensen Beach Holiday Inn. Around the inlet, look for bluefish on the incoming tide. There are plenty of lady fish and small blues near Willoughby Creek. The pelicans will let you know when they are there. Look for snook at the Roosevelt Bridge on flair hawks or live mullet. Topwater around the docks and seawalls will also produce some fish. Look for the dolphin and king bites to improve as the spring pattern takes over and more fish move through the area. More later.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce will again host the 3rd Annual Frances Langford Memorial Fishing Tournament to be held May 1^st – 3rd, 2008. This event will award over $65,000.00 in cash and prizes. The tournament site will again be located at Four Fish Marina in Jensen Beach, Florida. This tournament and associated events is a community-wide tribute, honoring a special woman, who loved her community and her fishing. Frances Langford loved Rio and Jensen Beach and generously blessed the community in many ways before her passing. The Chambers establishment of this tournament in 2006 assures that her memory, her love for the community and her passion for fishing is forever celebrated. 

The fishing tournament, which will include both offshore and inshore division’s will be the center piece of a festival of events that will be a tribute to good old fashion family fun and values which Frances believed in. Plenty of food, drinks and activities for the whole family are featured at the tournament site. 

The offshore tournament will include cash and prize award categories for the Largest Kingfish, the Largest Dolphin and the Largest Wahoo and a bottom fish cash prize as well, going to the lucky angler that weighs the highest aggregate weight for Grouper, Red Snapper and Cobia. 

The inshore tournament participants can fish from a boat or from the shore and will include cash and prize awards for the Largest Snook, the Largest Redfish and the Largest Trout. Both the offshore and inshore tournaments will award the top Lady Angler, Top Junior, and Top Senior Anglers for their efforts and the Frances Langford Perpetual Trophy will be presented to a team or angler that is selected by the tournament committee for their accomplishments during the tournament. 

Entry forms can be obtained  from the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, from the Snook-Nook Bait and Tackle in Jensen Beach, Four Fish Marina, Sundance Marine or visit our web site at www.langfordska.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Additional information and the schedule of events can be found on the website as well. 

This event is sanctioned by the Southern Kingfish Association and once again is host to the second of five tournaments in the SKA’s Pro Division. 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 Biloxi, MS in November, 2008. 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 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 also encouraged to attend the event. The Captains meeting on Thursday night hosted at Four Fish Marina offer’s great food, drinks and local entertainment. The tournament conducts a raffle during the Captains Meeting with lots of great prizes to be given away. The weigh in activities, Friday from 2 – 5 pm and Saturday from Noon – 5 pm are a great time for local residents 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 Marina for the event and Four Fish Marina has slips available for anyone wishing to dock there boat during the event, with free boat trailer parking for all fishermen registered in the tournament. The awards ceremony is immediately following the Saturday weigh –in.