Why Women (Anglers) Get Yelled At

Boat CROCS vs. Street CROCS

Fun at the Florida Outdoor Writers Convention (FOWA)

I had a fun visit to the Florida Outdoor Writers Convention in Punta Gorda, FL Sept. 10-13. Lots of interesting topics! One of the coolest things was the breakout session, where we could see the latest and greatest in fishing equipment and accessories. Toyota had a cool video setup where you can see a video screen on your dashboard that helps in backing. So, if you're hooking up to a trailer by yourself, you can actually see the ball and trailer hitch meet. No more looking in the mirror at somebody flailing their arms and screaming to move over another inch, pull forward, turn, stop, stop, stop! What I hate is when you put the vehicle in park and it rolls forward - just far enough that you have to back up again! Pure Fishing had some neat things and brought some of those very efficient Berkley Gulp products. The ladies from the "Ladies, Let's Go Fishing!" seminar will enjoy the benefits of using these versus struggling to net and keep bait alive. Thermacell had some new mosquito repellent devices that work great. Just put in butane, no flames, and within minutes all the bugs disappear from around you.

I fished the tournament with Capt. Bart Marx of Alpha and Omega charters. My co-angler was Tom Johnson who writes for Waterline and does the Fumbling Angler column for several Gulf Coast newspapers. Capt. Bart's strategy was to land us an inshore slam. Tom whooped me when we tackled the trout but I got one, he got three. Then we moved to Bart's secret snook spot, with Tom and I elbowing each other to crank on a snook. We both did well with a total of 7 snook and were 2/3 on our way to getting a slam. Then the magic happened. We switched from pilchards to shrimp and something was chewing on my bait. I set five times, missing the fish, until, viola, I released a redfish! We stayed awhile longer but Tom just didn't have the chances. We moved to a dock and released a few more snook then it was time to go in. We were almost third place in the tournament. Since it was based on total length of the fish, we were beat by boats who released sharks or stayed in one place and caught ladyfish after ladyfish. It was a fun tournament and well run.

Punta Gorda is a nice, friendly place. I had a chance to check out some sites for a future LLGF seminar. So, ladies, what do you think? Would you come to Punta Gorda for a seminar or rather have a wild, wooly adventure in Chokoloskee/Florida Everglades or what? Please give your opinion to billfishbetty@hotmail.com

HURRICANES Cause Rescheduling of Islamorada Ladies Fishing Seminar

Concerned about the impact of this year's active hurricane season on participants, "Ladies, Let's Go Fishing!" has rescheduled its Islamorada, FL seminar from Sept. 19-21 to Dec. 5-7, 2008.