An interesting man in many contexts – Captain Bouncer Smith catches quality fish of many species (from swordfish to tarpon to sailfish and snapper). Here’s the full Old Salt interview with Capt. Bouncer at his slip in Miami Beach Marina.
For more on Bouncer’s story, check out the December Issue hitting the docks this week!
Dodge Ocean Photography
Born in South Miami and a third generation native, Kevin spent the last 20 years photographing the world of high fashion and other elegant subject matter. As an avid free diver and lifelong water-sports enthusiast, Kevin has now turned his lens underwater, capturing the beautiful, exciting – and at times dangerous – world that belongs to a vast collection of undersea creatures. Kevin’s new artwork invites the viewer to pause and take a moment to see the silent, yet thrilling, oceanic marvels that few rarely glimpse.
Dodge Ocean Photography
Kevin Dodge’s work has been featured in numerous international magazines and media. His creations are in the collections of Coca Cola, Ford, IBM, Dell, Budweiser, Hyatt Hotels, Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson.
Dodge Ocean Photography
Kevin’s current oceanic art can be seen in a series of limited-edition prints he describes as Ocean Blue, celebrating the mysteries of our oceans and the beauty within this seemingly silent world.
“Creating this art has allowed me to capture the extraordinary moments when I encounter beautiful, yet wild, creatures and share these experiences with others.”
Dodge Ocean Photography
When Kevin is not shooting on location, he works from his studio in Delray Beach, Florida. His first love is spending time with his children and creating lasting memories. He is a staunch advocate for ocean conservation and hopes to share this desire for good stewardship with future generations.
View more of Kevin Dodge’s artwork by visiting:
ALICE TOWN, BIMINI – (November 26, 2018) — Wahoo Smackdown X, hosted by the historic Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina on November 8-12, 2018, saw 23 boats competing for more than $25,000 in cash and prizes. Out of the 23 competing boats, 22 teams landed fish, bringing 152 wahoo to the scales in the process.
The team from Who’s Your Daddy took top team honors with 16 fish weighing a total of 231.5 pounds, taking home $15,000 in cash winnings.
Second place was the Blitzsea Team earning $7,500 in cash winnings, an 84.7 pound monster. They weighed 21 fish for a total catch weight of 206.4 pounds.
Team Murderize, out of Freeport, Grand Bahama, finished third, taking home $2,500 in cash winnings, with a total catch of 11 fish with a total catch weight of 193.6 pounds.
The team from Little Giant caught the largest wahoo of the tournament at 50.7 lbs.
Tournament festivities included live local entertainment nightly, a cocktail reception poolside for the Captains Meeting, a cookout on day one of the tournament, and a closing awards party on the great lawn, featuring a buffet, live entertainment and a full open bar.
Sponsors for this year’s tournament include American Beverage Marketers www.masterofmixes.com as the Title Sponsor, Bahamian Brewery and Beverage (Sands), artist David Dunleavy. Tropic Ocean Airways, Caza Offshore, Live Wire Tackle, Flanigan’s, CS Custom Lures and Bimini Big Game Club.
Hosted by
Date: Friday December 14, 2018 through Saturday December 22, 2018
Location: Cobb’s Landing at Fort Pierce City and Marina
Address: 200 N Indian River Dr, Fort Pierce, Florida 34950
RULES & REGISTER ONLINE
http://billfishboats.com/2018-lenny-schelin-memorial-tournament/
KICK OFF PARTY: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14TH @ 7PM
FISHING DAYS:
SAT, DEC. 15TH — SAT, DEC. 22ND
DAILY WEIGH-IN:
4:30-6:30PM @ FT PIERCE CITY MARINA or FISH HEADS of STUART
AWARDS PARTY:
SAT. DEC. 22ND @ 7PM
TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
SAILFISH AND MEAT DIVISIONS — FISH 2 OF 8 DAYS
ENTRY FEE:
SAILFISH DIVISION $1500.00 • MEAT DIVISION $500.00
NOTE: Entry fee will be disbursed as follows.
50% of entry fee will be donated to research for Glioblastoma
50% of entry fee will be returned to winners.
*Party, food, liquor, music and door prizes will be paid for by tournament sponsors.
New Construction Updates From Bayliss Boatworks –
November was a month full of details for our second GameBoat, the 62′ GameChanger.
Upon entering the salon, it’s clear that GameChanger’s final days in Wanchese are upon us. The salon sofas were fit and installed at November’s end, their soft white surface a perfect contrast to the darker, bold veneers in the upper level space. The four-inch teak flooring in the galley received her final top coat this month, adding another layer of shine and protection. The dinette table was installed as well – a solid teak masterpiece, and a brilliant addition to GameChanger’s upper level corner space.
On the lower level, soft goods are in – from padded panels to carpet and mattresses. The final details, though small, are adding much to the quality of the interior. The padded headboard is installed in the master stateroom, adding a punch of color to bold teak cabinetry. Wall paneling is drawing attention to stateroom valences, while mattresses are giving shape to bunks in each stateroom.
Sneak peeks of the galley and companionway on GameChanger
Moving outside, the cockpit is a hub of activity, as it always is in these final days: the teak has been sanded, while final components like the tackle center, halyard tubes, and rod holders have been installed. Earlier in November, our paint crew placed the finishing details on GameChanger’s exterior, with final clear coats on the toe rail, transom, and drip molding. Her boot stripe and bottom paint were applied, too.
GameChanger will be christened on Friday. Look out for final photos, video, and more details!
The 55th Annual Islamorada Sailfish Tournament kicked off at Whale Harbor hosting 79 anglers, plus friends and family with a grand buffet. Great Sailfish action started on Friday morning and continued over the next three days concluding on December 2nd. Captain Robert Collins of the Last Dance led anglers Matt McLean and Mark Wodlinger both from Naples, Florida along with Ken Longaker and Robert Helms of Islamorada to the winner’s circle with a total of 14 sailfish releases. The team took home beautiful sailfish trophies sponsored by Caribee Boat Sales and Yamaha Outboards. 138 Sailfish were released out of the 170 called in hook ups with nearly $70,000.00 going to the winners.
Photo courtesy of Tim Rahn Photography.
Anglers were greeted with great conditions on the first day of fishing and it did not take long for Kalex to call in the first hook up. Angler Richard Hill released the first fish of the tournament at 8:35. By the end of day one, Kalex, Captained by Alex Adler, lead anglers Chris Chastain of Hublesville, IN, Richard Hill, Alan Sutkowski of Plainfield, IN, and Justin Baker of Tavernier, FL into the lead with 5 sailfish releases. Caribsea, captained by K.C. Spaulding of Islamorada was hot on his heals with 5 releases as well.
Day two produced 40 sailfish releases. Kalex released one more sail, giving them a six fish total in two days. Priceless’ captain Tido Sanchez slipped his team into second place with 4 releases the first day and 3 more on the second. But Caribsea released 3 fish giving them a total of 8 fish and the lead at day’s end.
2nd Place Team Priceless – Photo courtesy of Tim Rahn Photography.
The final day of fishing saw a lot of action with Last Dance Captained by Robert Collins hooking a quad and releasing all four fish by 8:50 in the morning. Last Dance hooked a 5th fish at 8:58 which they successfully released minutes later giving them an exciting start to their day. The action continued for Last Dance releasing a fish at 10:22, followed by another release at 10:47. Anglers Matt McLean, Ken Longaker, Mark Wodlinger, and Robert Helms continued their momentum and ended the day with a total of 10 releases.
Last Dance ended the 3-day tournament with a total of 14 fish landing them the Overall Champion trophy sponsored by Caribee Boat Sales and Yamaha Outboards. Angler Matt Mclean released a total of 7 fish earning him the High Point Angler Award sponsored by Tackle Center of Islamorada. He was also awarded the Bill Hirni high point angler perpetual trophy. Captain Robert Collins took home the High Point Captain Award. The High Point Mate awards went to Brandon Hopper and Dallas Hopper. The Priceless anglers Bernie Perez, Coral Gables; Thomas Sims, Miami; Matthew Rodriguez, Cutler Bay; Manny Fernandez, Miami; and A.J. Sepe, Coral Gables released 5 more fish on the last day landing them the Second Place Trophy, sponsored by Tackle Center of Islamorada, with a total of 12 released fish.
1st Place Last Dance – Photo courtesy of Tim Rahn Photography.
Anglers Josh Jackson, Temple, TX; Erik Ehlers, Islamorada; Jeremy Stigler, Rockdale, TX; Jake Turek, Islamorada; Tim Johnson, Rockdale, TX fishing aboard Cloud Nine, captained by Greg Eklund, finished with 12 sailfish releases and end up in third place on time.
Sean MacMullin Jr. of Key Largo fishing aboard Prime Time captained by Sean MacMullin Sr. released and tagged 2 sailfish earning them the Most Tagged Fish Trophy sponsored by Barefoot Baits and Fishing Services.
Top Lady Angler, Debbie David of Miami, released a total of 4 Sailfish earning her a trophy sponsored by Mangrove Mike’s Café. Debbie, fishing aboard the Relentless, also earned the Most Outstanding Catch Award with a 65 lb Wahoo caught on 12 lb. test.
Junior angler Matthew Williams of Melbourne, FL released 2 sailfish fishing aboard the Smile Maker earning him the First Place Junior Angler trophy. The 2nd place junior trophy went to Daniel Maduro of Miami, FL aboard the Mangler. Ryan Cano, also fishing aboard the Mangler released 1 sailfish and earned Third Place Junior Angler award.
1st Place Junior Angler, Matthew Williams – Photo courtesy of Tim Rahn Photography.
Charles Odum, Flemmington, NJ, fishing aboard the Smile Maker was awarded Largest Tuna Trophy sponsored by Tim Rahn Photography with a 12.8 lb blackfin tuna. Corey Nelson of Key Largo earned the Largest Mackerel Trophy sponsored by Islamorada Charter Boat Association, with a 43.8 lb King Mackerel. Colby Mason took home the Largest Dolphin Trophy with a 34.4 lb fishing aboard the Caribsea.
The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament is the first leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship. The Last Dance is currently in the lead with 14 fish. Second place in the Gold Cup is the Caribsea with 12 releases and third is the Kalex with 10 releases. The next leg of the series is the Islamorada Fishing Club’s Sailfish Tournament on January 24th, 2019 and the champions will be crowned at the Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament January 26th thru the 27th.
“Whale Harbor served up another great event,” stated tournament director Dianne Harbaugh. The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament is the primary fund raiser for the Islamorada Charter Boat Association. The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament will continue the fight to preserve and protect the fabulous fishing in the Florida Keys. More information on the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament can be found on the web site www.islamoradasailfishtournament.com
The new 38 Billfish will debut at the VIP Preview in Riviera Beach, Florida, February 1st and 2nd. Viking’s John Leek IV shares a sneak peek of the Billfish along with the 38 Open, which will be introduced later in 2019.
On November 22, 2018, angler Chip Constantini potentially set the new men’s 1 kg (2 lb) line class world record for yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) with this 2.15-kilogram (4-pound, 12-ounce) fish that he caught while fishing off Key Colony Beach, Florida. Costantini skillfully played the snapper for nearly 20 minutes on his ultra-light line before he could land the fish. If approved, the catch will replace the current record of 1.02 kilograms (2 pounds, 4 ounces).
Get peace of mind below the waterline– Prop-Tight is the superior propeller locking nut. It’s designed to lock propeller securely onto shaft and reduces the chances of a shaft cracking. It’s developed in popular sizes to work well with various hub lengths.
For more information, visit: www.proptight.com/
