By Terry Tomalin, Times Outdoors Editor
Thursday, March 31, 2011
trailmix
{outdoors-related bits and bites}
Locals named to U.S. sailing team
Local sailors will be well represented as the U.S. prepares its team for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic competitions in Weymouth, England.
Clearwater's Zach Railey, a silver medalist in 2008, will again be sailing the Finn, the men's one-person dinghy. His sister, Paige, will be competing in the Laser Radial, the women's one-person dinghy.
In the men's windsurfing class, the RS:X, St. Petersburg's Ben Barger will get to show off his skills in the brisk English wind. Mark Mendelblatt, another sailor who got his start with the St. Petersburg Yacht Club's junior program, will be part of a two-man Star team.
In the Paralympic classes, St. Petersburg's Jen French and J.P. Creignou will compete in the SKUD-18, a mixed two-person keelboat, and Tampa's Brad Kendell will crew aboard a Sonar, an open three-person keelboat.
The team was selected based on a series of qualifying events, including January's Miami Olympic Class Regatta.
Fishing legends
When it comes to sport fishing, this state has a long and storied history. Anglers from all around the world have flocked to Florida since the 1880s to catch bass in the state's world-class lakes and tarpon in Boca Grande Pass.
Now you can travel back in time with local author Doug Kelly as he explores Florida's Fishing Legends and Pioneers, a new book from the University of Florida Press.
Some of the book's better-known anglers include Ernest Hemingway, Ted Williams, Stu Apte, Lefty Kreh, Joan Wulff and Guy Harvey.
But Kelly also showcases some locals, including Harold LeMaster, founder of MirrOLure, and Gene Turner, the King of Gulf Coast kingfishermen.
The book, which sells for $26.95, contains more than 120 images, many of which have never been seen before. For details, go to FloridasFishingLegends.com.
Lure of the month
With pompano in the passes throughout April, it is time to break out the old reliable, Doc's Goofy Jig. The artificial lure, a northern ice fishing jig redesigned to catch pompano, started as a hobby back in 1993. The brightly colored jigs have since become the mainstay for fishermen on the west coast of Florida. The jigs, ranging from one-eighth of an ounce to 1 ounce, sell for $1.79. To learn more, go to docsgooffyjig.com.