South Florida promotes itself as the "wreckreational" dive capital -- and with good reason. It boasts more than 100 artificial reefs within five miles of the coast.
If it has fins, you can probably catch it in and around Miami-Dade County -- in Biscayne Bay, inland canals, lakes and drainage ponds, or in deeper offshore waters.
FISHING
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council got an earful -- mostly negative and colorful -- Wednesday in Key Largo at a public hearing on proposals to end overfishing for gag grouper and vermilion snapper in federal waters throughout the region.
My recent fishing history is like that of someone who plays Lotto casually for a decade with no luck, and then suddenly hits the jackpot twice in two weeks.
SPOTLIGHT | ON PARTICIPANT SPORTS
Neil Bayer, 50, of Pinecrest, secured a spot in the Super Bowl of triathlons, the Ford Ironman World Championship, on Oct. 11 in Kona, Hawaii. He was selected to compete during the event's annual lottery draw.
For months, I have been promising everyone I know that if I ever caught a permit on fly rod on the flats, I would quit fishing. Although I haven't conquered that particular watermark, I did manage a lifetime achievement two weeks ago while fishing with captain Tom Pierce and his wife, Rita, in the lower Keys: a tarpon of more than 100 pounds on fly rod on the flats.
BEST BET Captain Jay Cohen on the charter boat Spellbound out of Haulover Marina reported a great week of offshore fishing that produced lots of sailfish, limit catches of kingfish, large dolphins and wahoo up to 25 pounds. The best action has been from 100 feet to 750 feet of water. . . . Captain Todd Morrow on the charter boat Connie Marie led James Rivera of Miami to a catch of an estimated 60-pound cobia off of Fowey Rocks and Mike Steadman of Miami to his first sailfish off of Triumph Reef...
The Youth Fishing Foundation will hold its 12th annual banquet, auction and raffle at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Champions Club at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tickets cost $75. For more information, call Sam at 305-258-1367.
