Category: Event updates

Saturday May 21st

Fish in the morning. Meet up at 12:30 for lunch!

Fish in the morning. Be done by 12:30

Our May outing is Saturday May 21 at Cypress Point Park in Tampa. This park fronts a wide sandy flat that’s great for wade fishing and kayak fishing. (It even has a kayak launch area.) Depending on the sun position, it can be terrific for sight fishing.
tournament must be caught before noon. Measure them and take pictures. Arrive at the picnic by 12:30 to officially announce your catch.

Saturday, April 23rd

Fish in the morning. Meet up at noon at Pavilion #8 for a picnic lunch

Fish in the morning. Be done by Noon

Our April outing is Saturday April 23 at the Sunshine Skyway North Rest Area. It is also known as the Blackthorn Memorial Rest Area, and it gives us one of our best shots of the year for catching the famous big three – snook, redfish, and spotted seatrout. Yeah, that’s the inshore slam.
Fish anywhere in Lower Tampa Bay in sight of the Sunshine Skyway. You can wade in or launch your kayak at the rest area. Or you can circle under the bridge and wade fish or kayak fish the other side of the Interstate. Nearby boat launch locations include Fort DeSoto Park, Maximo Marina, or Bay Vista Park.
The longest of each species caught by members earns them a $10 gift certificate at our local fly fishing stores.
You can fish as early or as late as you want but the longest fish entered in the tournament must be caught before noon. Measure. Take pictures. Arrive at the picnic by 12:30 to officially announce your catch. You know the thing.

Saturday, Marchj 19 Outing

Fish in the morning. Meet up at noon at Pavilion #8 for a picnic lunch

Fish in the morning. Meet up at noon at Pavilion #8 for a picnic lunch

We’re going back to Walsingham Lake, one of only two freshwater outings we have each year. The other one is October’s Carl Hanson outing on the Hillsborough River

Walsingham Lake has all of the amenities we need – a boat ramp, convenient access, good shoreline fishing spots, picnic pavilions with grills.  Oh, and I can’t leave this out — restrooms.

You can launch your motorboat but you can’t use the internal combustion engine. 

Outing prizes will go to the members catching the longest bass and the longest panfish including crappie, bluegill, redear, and sunshine bass. Measure your longest fish.  Take a picture. You know the thing

Saturday, February 19 Outing

Fish in the morning. Meet up at noon at Pavilion #4 on North Beach for a Low Country Boil picnic.

We didn’t have a club picnic at the January outing so, Covid willing, we’ll meet up in person at the February outing at Fort DeSoto Park. 

Fish any of the water in or around FDP.  Ten dollar gift certificates will go to members catching the longest redfish, longest snook, and longest seatrout.  Measure your longest fish and take pictures. Email them to BOB. You know the thing.

If you want your longest fish to be entered into the contest be sure to meet up at Pavilion #4 by noon. That’s when the longest fish winners are determined.

Low country boil, you ask?.

Gobble up shrimp and sausage and sweet corn on the cob.  Yeah, the low country boil. It’s a terrific tradition started by the Craig family and we can’t let it go.

The park opens at 7 am. There’s a $5 entrance fee per vehicle. Park diagram and other info is on the FDP website..

Saturday, January 22nd Outing

Just fishing. No picnic. (Covid , you know)
We’ll start 2022 with one of our favorite outing locations, Weedon Island Preserve. The plan was to have a picnic with our traditional Weedon Island feast, the Low Country Boil. But, but, but something intervened. Covid, maybe? Cases skyrocketing? Oh well, better safe than sorry. All that.

But we can still fish, which is the best part about our outings, at least until we get hungry. Starting time is 7 am. Ending time is 7 pm. $10 gift certificates go to the members catching the longest redfish, snook, seatrout and ladyfish. Measure and shoot a picture of your candidates and email them to Bob Burkard.
Fly-fish the water surrounding Weedon Island Preserve including the open waters of Tampa Bay, or the waters of Riviera Bay and Bayou Grande.
Check out the visitor’s map and other details on the Weedon website. There’s a kayak launch and many places to wade in and start fishing from the preserve. You can also rent a kayak at the Sweetwater Kayaks station on Weedon Drive. Master’s Bayou/Snug Harbor also is a great spot to fish but you’ll need to launch a kayak at one of the access points south of Gandy Boulevard.

Wade fishers unite
Wade fishers typically meet up in the main parking lot at 7 am. Some will probably hike to and wade fish the Riviera Bay shoreline. Some like to wade in at the kayak launching area. And some will take the 10-15 minute hike down Lookout Point Trail and wade into Tampa Bay.
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Fish anywhere around Weedon Island Preserve including Tampa Bay, Bayou Grande, Riviera Bay, and Masters Bayou (aka Snug Harbor).

A Real Low Low Tide: Outgoing to about 11:30 am and dropping to a negative 0.8. Interesting. (Tides4Fishing)

Saturday, December 18th Outing

This is our annual Don Coleman Classic, also known as the Don Coleman Invitational. It’s the outing in which we welcome members of the Tampa and Sarasota fly fishing clubs to fish with us and slurp up and vote for the best chili.
Do you have a chili dish you like to make? Then email outing chair Bob Burkard.
You can fish anywhere around Fort DeSoto Park – open water or mangrove sheltered water. DeSoto Park is ideal for Park and Wade fishing. There are many places where you can just pull off the pavement and crash through the vegetation to fish. Some members have their own secret spots. (Yeah, we’re talking about you, Tim Elms.)
Ten dollar gift certificate to Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure will be awarded to members catching the longest snook, longest redfish, and longest seatrout. Measure. Take a picture. All entries will be final at noon.
The park opens at 7 am. There’s a $5 per auto entrance fee. You can start fishing earlier than that by parking and wading in at the FDP boat ramp. Park in a slot for automobiles without a trailer. Pay up and get a $5 parking fee receipt at the Pay Station
Meet for lunch at Pavilion #2 at 11:30. Hot, delicious coffee will be ready well before that. Introduce yourself to visitors from the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club and Sarasota’s Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Club.
This is your last chance to win any category in our annual tournament.

Saturday, November 20th

Park entrance is at Bay Pines Blvd. Boat ramp is on your left as you enter the park. Picnic lunch is at noon at Pavilion #4. Wade fishers are
meeting up at Pavilion 4 at 7 am. Kayakers can launch at the beachy
area near Pavilion 4 or at the official kayak/canoe launch area.

We’ll be fly fishing Boca Ciega Bay
Saturday, November 20. There’s a nice
incoming tide that looks favorable for
catching, not just fishing.
Fly fish anywhere in Boca Ciega Bay north
of Treasure Island Causeway, including
Long Bayou and Cross Bayou.
Ten dollar gift certificates to Bill Jackson’s
Shop for Adventure will be awarded to the
anglers catching the longest snook and
longest ladyfish. Remember: measure your
long fish. Take pictures!
Wade fishers can meet up and join me and
Bill AuCoin at Pavilion 4 at 7 am.
At noon everybody will meet up for the
picnic lunch at Pavilion 4. This will be our
first picnic lunch in many months.
WooHoo.

Saturday, October 23rd

Well, after a couple of years of Covid concern, the Carl Hanson Memorial Outing on the Hillsborough River is back on the calendar. It’s our almost-annual fishing event with the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club.
The fly fisher who catches the longest fish (bass or whatever) gets to keep the portrait of Carl Hanson for a year. The member catching the most fish (bluegills, anyone?) gets their name engraved on the Carl Hanson trophy.
Carl, who died in 1998, belonged to both clubs. He loved fishing fresh water and to honor his memory we have been meeting up and “competing” with TBFFC.
This is TBFFC’s year to host the event Here’s the plan from TBFFC President Walt Durkin:
• Meet up early at Rotary Riverfront Park in Temple Terrace.
• Best fishing is from a boat, kayak, or canoe but you can also fly fish from shore.
• Come early and fish until noon then meet up for drinks and conversation to remember Carl.
The last time we met here was in 2019. SFF member Mark Hays caught the longest fish, a bass, and took the artwork of Carl Hanson. (And a year before that Mark won the most fish artwork catching 35 bluegills.) Robert Fischer, who belongs to both clubs, caught the most fish – 21 bluegills – and got his name engraved on the trophy. The 2020 tournament was held at Fort DeSoto Park. Robert Mitchell caught the longest fish, a 26-inch snook, and got to keep the Hanson artwork for a year. Once again Robert Fischer won the most fish trophy catching nine saltwater fishes.

Also post them on our club’s Facebook. site….facebook.com/scff2020

Saturday, September 18th Outing

Fly fish upper Tampa Bay north of the Courtney
Campbell Causeway. Or fly fish any of the
freshwater lakes, ponds, and spillways in Safety
Harbor.

The September outing is ON. And you getto fish the salt or the fresh.Alas, there is no picnic. When we will start having outing picnics again? Maybe
November. Maybe not. Only Covid knows.But we can socially distance on the water,and whoop and holler when we catchsomething.
You can fish the salt or the fresh anywhere north of theCourtney Campbell Causeway. $10 gift cards will go to members catching the longest snook, redfish, bass,
and bream. Measure. Take pictures. Email them to me at Bob Burkhart

Salty Waders: Waders meet up at 7:30 am with Bill AuCoin and other salty wade fishers at Phillippe Park in
Safety Harbor. Park your car close to Pavilion 2. That’ll give you quick access to the Tampa Bay shoreline and
it looks like there are some depth changes and sea grasses that hold fish.

Fresh pond pounders: Some freshwater anglers are meeting up at 8 am to fly fish the pond at Coopers Bayou Park. It has produced bass, panfish and even snook. (Just ask Tim Elms). Karen Warfel won the longest fish award in April with a 13+ inch bass. This pond is on your right heading northeast toward downtown
Safety Harbor on N. Bayshore Blvd. Yakkers. Slide your kayak in where you want to. There are lots of slide-in areas in Upper Tampa Bay

Also post them on our club’s Facebook. site….facebook.com/scff2020

After further review of delta variant we aren’t meeting this month in person but we are still fishing Lake Seminole. Please respect others space, mask if warranted and keep contact to a minimum. we aren’t going to fish Saturday.

Speaker: Maya Burke, Tampa Bay Estuary Program Subject. Red Tide

Their mission is to build partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay through implementation of a scientifically sound, community-based management plan. Collaborating with other scientists, TBEP monitors progress in achieving the goals of the community’s plan for a healthy Tampa Bay. Burke will discuss this year’s red tide event and what made it unusually bad for Tampa Bay. She will also summarize the state of nutrient pollution and water quality (including the latest effects from the Piney Point discharges), other harmful algal blooms (like Pyrodinium bahamense in Old Tampa Bay), and recent declines in seagrass.

• 6:45 pm: President Rick Warfel calls the meeting to order

Sorry group.