thedrifter
05-09-06, 02:57 AM
Sailors, marines report for fishing duty
By Steve Waters
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 9 2006
Although they travel the world's oceans, some sailors rarely get to see the water.
That's one reason why Capt. Mark Mercer started "Hooking Up Heroes," a program in which local offshore anglers take members of the United States armed forces fishing during Fleet Week at Fort Lauderdale.
The third year of the program last week was yet another success, as about 90 military personnel caught everything from sailfish and swordfish to kingfish and dolphin.
Mercer, who owns Capt. Mark's Fishing Chum, has contacts with the military as well as with local fishing clubs and members of the Florida Sportsman online fishing forum.
"Each vessel supplies the sailors," Mercer said. "All I do is play matchmaker."
While the sailors appreciated the chance to kick back and go fishing, those who took them fishing felt privileged to help out the people who defend our country.
Plenty of fish were caught, including a 40-pound dolphin, a 40-pound kingfish and a sailfish that was the first fish ever caught by a lady who is stationed on a destroyer.
One boat went 15 miles offshore to look for dolphin and spotted two swordfish on the surface.
The sailors caught and released both of the swordies, which were under the minimum size limit.
Catches
Jeri Carlene Sauerwein of Fort Lauderdale caught a 673-pound blue marlin after a 30-minute fight fishing with her boyfriend, Glenn Wootton, off Kona, Hawaii.
Tony Massa made his first billfish a memorable one, releasing a blue marlin of 100-150 pounds Sunday in 200 feet off Boynton Beach on Makin' Time with Kurtis Schuttler and Steve Fishman.
Jeanne Pemberton and Twig Tolley caught four of six sailfish and three blackfin tuna -- two of the tunas were over 30 pounds -- Sunday afternoon using live pilchards in 110-130 feet off Government Cut on Bouncer's Dusky 33 with Capt. Bouncer Smith.
Scotty Combs caught a 38-pound permit and Pete Kutscher caught an 18-pounder using sand fleas and crabs while fishing at night in the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale.
Sarah and Matt Desharnais caught their first dolphin fishing with their father, Phil, on their new boat. Sarah caught a 6-pound cow and Matt caught a 9-pounder. In addition, Ray Lattanzio caught his biggest bull dolphin, a 26-pounder.
Capt. Al Sitnick of Suddenly guided locals Richard Wasley, Maureen Whetham and Ken Holland and their niece, Lynn Poe, of New Jersey to a keeper mutton snapper, four bonito, a barely legal cobia and a dolphin of more than 20 pounds Monday fishing in 75-125 feet between Boynton Beach Inlet and Manalapan. On Friday, Sitnick guided Matt Shelton of St. Louis to a 29.12-pound blackfin tuna that ate a triple-hooked cigar minnow in 145 feet off Boynton Inlet.
Steve Purser caught and released a 140-pound tarpon trolling a red-and-white Yo-Zuri Crystal minnow in the Buttonwood Canal at Everglades National Park.
Keith Swinehart said the water has dropped significantly at mile marker 41 on Alligator Alley, resulting in great fishing for bass. Swinehart and Dennis Pavone released about 50 bass up to 2 pounds in a couple of hours using soft-plastic baits.
Dan and Jackie Doane of Washington, D.C., caught 21 peacock bass in the C-2 Canal with Capt. Alan Zaremba. Walter Hoover and Ivor Jones of Boca Raton caught 29 peacocks up to 4 pounds fly-fishing with Clouser minnows. Mike McCaffrey of Stuart and Gene and Bonnie Lewallen of Rochester, Minn., caught 35 peacocks in two days of fishing in the C-100, C-9 and C-14 canals. Bill Zeiher of Fort Lauderdale caught 11 peacocks fly-fishing in the C-8. Barry Rifkin of Cooper City, his son, Arie, and his grandson caught 94 largemouth bass using jerkbaits in the L-67A Canal. Mike Logan of Boca Raton and Zaremba caught 52 largemouths up to 3.5 pounds along Alligator Alley just west of U.S. Highway 27.
Harvey Walker caught 14.42 pounds of fish using a wacky-rigged Sweebo worm in canals connected to Lake Ida to win the South Florida Bass Pros? monthly club tournament Saturday on the Lake Ida-Lake Osborne chain of lakes. Dan Mahedy was second at 13.0 and had the big bass at 7.18 throwing a spinnerbait in the hydrilla in Osborne. Greg Swinea was third at 8.56 throwing a Swim Blade in the hydrilla in Osborne.
Tournaments, etc.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking public comment at a snook workshop from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Broward County Library, 100 South Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. The FWC is considering changing the snook slot limit from 26-34 inches to 27-35 inches to keep too many snook from being killed when a new measurement standard takes effect July 1. ... David Stout, a natural resources specialist with the Biological Resources Division of Broward County's Department of Environmental Protection, is the guest speaker at Wednesday's meeting of the South Florida Divers at 7:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn, 2275 State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale. Stout assists with the planning and management of the county's beach restoration projects and its artificial reef and mooring buoy programs. Visit www.sfdi.com or send e-mail to captainchris@bellsouth.net. ... George Poveromo of George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing on ESPN2 and a senior editor with Salt Water Sportsman magazine is the guest speaker at the SAIL Fishing Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Downtowner Saloon, 408 South Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. Poveromo will discuss his most productive tactics for locating dolphin, trolling, running-and-gunning and keeping school fish by the boat. Visit www.sailfishingclub.com. ... A Night Owls bass tournament is 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday out of Everglades Holiday Park. Entry fee is $70. Call Luke Campbell at 954-707-8303. ... The Mercury/SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Shootout is Saturday out of Hillsboro Inlet. Entry fee is $400 per boat. Kickoff party is 6-10 p.m. Thursday at the Pompano Beach Elks Lodge, 700 NE 10th Street, Pompano Beach. Eligible species are blackfin tuna, dolphin, kingfish, wahoo and cobia. The team catching the heaviest total weight wins $7,500. Call 954-725-4010 or visit www.bluewatermovements.com.
Steve Waters can be reached at swaters@sun-sentinel.com or at 954-356-4648.
Ellie
By Steve Waters
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 9 2006
Although they travel the world's oceans, some sailors rarely get to see the water.
That's one reason why Capt. Mark Mercer started "Hooking Up Heroes," a program in which local offshore anglers take members of the United States armed forces fishing during Fleet Week at Fort Lauderdale.
The third year of the program last week was yet another success, as about 90 military personnel caught everything from sailfish and swordfish to kingfish and dolphin.
Mercer, who owns Capt. Mark's Fishing Chum, has contacts with the military as well as with local fishing clubs and members of the Florida Sportsman online fishing forum.
"Each vessel supplies the sailors," Mercer said. "All I do is play matchmaker."
While the sailors appreciated the chance to kick back and go fishing, those who took them fishing felt privileged to help out the people who defend our country.
Plenty of fish were caught, including a 40-pound dolphin, a 40-pound kingfish and a sailfish that was the first fish ever caught by a lady who is stationed on a destroyer.
One boat went 15 miles offshore to look for dolphin and spotted two swordfish on the surface.
The sailors caught and released both of the swordies, which were under the minimum size limit.
Catches
Jeri Carlene Sauerwein of Fort Lauderdale caught a 673-pound blue marlin after a 30-minute fight fishing with her boyfriend, Glenn Wootton, off Kona, Hawaii.
Tony Massa made his first billfish a memorable one, releasing a blue marlin of 100-150 pounds Sunday in 200 feet off Boynton Beach on Makin' Time with Kurtis Schuttler and Steve Fishman.
Jeanne Pemberton and Twig Tolley caught four of six sailfish and three blackfin tuna -- two of the tunas were over 30 pounds -- Sunday afternoon using live pilchards in 110-130 feet off Government Cut on Bouncer's Dusky 33 with Capt. Bouncer Smith.
Scotty Combs caught a 38-pound permit and Pete Kutscher caught an 18-pounder using sand fleas and crabs while fishing at night in the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale.
Sarah and Matt Desharnais caught their first dolphin fishing with their father, Phil, on their new boat. Sarah caught a 6-pound cow and Matt caught a 9-pounder. In addition, Ray Lattanzio caught his biggest bull dolphin, a 26-pounder.
Capt. Al Sitnick of Suddenly guided locals Richard Wasley, Maureen Whetham and Ken Holland and their niece, Lynn Poe, of New Jersey to a keeper mutton snapper, four bonito, a barely legal cobia and a dolphin of more than 20 pounds Monday fishing in 75-125 feet between Boynton Beach Inlet and Manalapan. On Friday, Sitnick guided Matt Shelton of St. Louis to a 29.12-pound blackfin tuna that ate a triple-hooked cigar minnow in 145 feet off Boynton Inlet.
Steve Purser caught and released a 140-pound tarpon trolling a red-and-white Yo-Zuri Crystal minnow in the Buttonwood Canal at Everglades National Park.
Keith Swinehart said the water has dropped significantly at mile marker 41 on Alligator Alley, resulting in great fishing for bass. Swinehart and Dennis Pavone released about 50 bass up to 2 pounds in a couple of hours using soft-plastic baits.
Dan and Jackie Doane of Washington, D.C., caught 21 peacock bass in the C-2 Canal with Capt. Alan Zaremba. Walter Hoover and Ivor Jones of Boca Raton caught 29 peacocks up to 4 pounds fly-fishing with Clouser minnows. Mike McCaffrey of Stuart and Gene and Bonnie Lewallen of Rochester, Minn., caught 35 peacocks in two days of fishing in the C-100, C-9 and C-14 canals. Bill Zeiher of Fort Lauderdale caught 11 peacocks fly-fishing in the C-8. Barry Rifkin of Cooper City, his son, Arie, and his grandson caught 94 largemouth bass using jerkbaits in the L-67A Canal. Mike Logan of Boca Raton and Zaremba caught 52 largemouths up to 3.5 pounds along Alligator Alley just west of U.S. Highway 27.
Harvey Walker caught 14.42 pounds of fish using a wacky-rigged Sweebo worm in canals connected to Lake Ida to win the South Florida Bass Pros? monthly club tournament Saturday on the Lake Ida-Lake Osborne chain of lakes. Dan Mahedy was second at 13.0 and had the big bass at 7.18 throwing a spinnerbait in the hydrilla in Osborne. Greg Swinea was third at 8.56 throwing a Swim Blade in the hydrilla in Osborne.
Tournaments, etc.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking public comment at a snook workshop from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Broward County Library, 100 South Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. The FWC is considering changing the snook slot limit from 26-34 inches to 27-35 inches to keep too many snook from being killed when a new measurement standard takes effect July 1. ... David Stout, a natural resources specialist with the Biological Resources Division of Broward County's Department of Environmental Protection, is the guest speaker at Wednesday's meeting of the South Florida Divers at 7:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn, 2275 State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale. Stout assists with the planning and management of the county's beach restoration projects and its artificial reef and mooring buoy programs. Visit www.sfdi.com or send e-mail to captainchris@bellsouth.net. ... George Poveromo of George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing on ESPN2 and a senior editor with Salt Water Sportsman magazine is the guest speaker at the SAIL Fishing Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Downtowner Saloon, 408 South Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. Poveromo will discuss his most productive tactics for locating dolphin, trolling, running-and-gunning and keeping school fish by the boat. Visit www.sailfishingclub.com. ... A Night Owls bass tournament is 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday out of Everglades Holiday Park. Entry fee is $70. Call Luke Campbell at 954-707-8303. ... The Mercury/SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Shootout is Saturday out of Hillsboro Inlet. Entry fee is $400 per boat. Kickoff party is 6-10 p.m. Thursday at the Pompano Beach Elks Lodge, 700 NE 10th Street, Pompano Beach. Eligible species are blackfin tuna, dolphin, kingfish, wahoo and cobia. The team catching the heaviest total weight wins $7,500. Call 954-725-4010 or visit www.bluewatermovements.com.
Steve Waters can be reached at swaters@sun-sentinel.com or at 954-356-4648.
Ellie