By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Fishing
Wily Sheepshead target species for Tampa event
Saltwater Angler magazine will host its fifth annual Filthy Pelican Sheepshead Invitational fishing tournament Saturday out of the Tampa Harbour Yacht Club (5200 W Tyson St.). The captains meeting is 6:30 tonight at Jimbo's Pit BBQ (4103 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa). Fishing begins 6 a.m. Saturday. The entry fee is $50 per angler, with a grand prize of $2,500 based on a field of 150. Register online at saltwaterangleronline.com.
Stuart woman sets tilapia records
Pamela Henry of Stuart now owns two recreational fishing records for tilapia. Henry caught a 9.6-pound blue tilapia in August while fishing the south fork of the St. Lucie River in Marion County, surpassing a 9-pound catch in 2003 in Kissimmee. Her bait? A bread ball. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently certified her catch as a state record, and the International Game Fish Association issued her the all-tackle world record for the species. Blue tilapia generally have white, flaky meat with a mild flavor and are considered excellent eating.
FWC may boost bonefish protection
The FWC proposed rules that would allow only catch-and-release fishing for bonefish, a premier game fish in Florida. A recent study by the University of Miami estimated the economic value of a single bonefish in the Florida Keys to be $3,500 each year, and nearly $75,000 over a fish's lifespan. The proposed rules would eliminate the one-fish daily bag limit, though, most anglers already release bonefish they catch as a conservation measure.
Rodney Page, Times staff writer