Category: Fishing

Fishing Tournament along side PCB Seafood Festival

Deep-Sea & Bay Fishing Tournament is coming to Capt. Anderson’s Marina the last weekend of October.

 

They are calling it the Lionfish Dive Tournament, officially it is the inaugural  “Lion Tamer Spearfishing Tournament” and will be held in  conjunction with the PCB Seafood & Music Festival: UNwineD 2012 Saturday, Oct 27, 2012.

Capt. Anderson’s is “Calling all old salts, new salts, (even slightly salty) Fishers & Divers to take part in this awesome opportunity to have FUN, introduce a whole new generation of kids to fishing and raise money for these local Bay County Charities:  Anchorage Children’s Home, Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Boys & Girls Club.”

Categories Include:
Tuna (any)/ Dolphin / Wahoo / King Mackerel
Red Grouper / Gag Grouper / Amberjack / Beeliners (Vermilion Snapper) / White Snapper (Red Porgy)
Speckled Trout / Flounder / Spanish Mackerel / Blue Fish / Pompano / Sheepshead
Lionfish / Red Grouper / Gag Grouper / Amberjack
*Lionfish will be “wild cards”, each one to count as 1 lb towards fish of diver’s choice*

Tournament Entry Fees (excluding trip cost):

– Head Boats – ONLY $5.00 for each angler
– Private Charter Boats – ONLY $25.00 per Boat up to 6 anglers, $5.00 for each extra head
– Divers –ONLY $5.00 for each diver

Tickets will be on sale until 1pm CST and must be purchased PRIOR to fishing or diving (on your honor!)

Weigh-In @ Lady Anderson dock (behind Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant):
Date:
Saturday, Oct 27, 2012

2:00 – 5:00PM DIVERS

3:00 – 6:00PM FISHERS

There are rules for the tournament that we will not go into here, other than the official tournament begins at 5 am central time, regardless of your departure time, and that there is a MANDATORY safety briefing required of participants on 10-24-12 at 7PM on the Lady Anderson.

For a more detailed list of rules, please contact Lady Anderson’s Marina, 850- 234 -3435.

There will be a FWC Tent to  educate locals about the lionfish species and how it is disrupting our local ecosystem.

Candy Hansard of the Emerald Coast Reef Association will be demonstrating how to safely handle the Lionfish, and the Boatyard Restaurant will grill them so we can all have a taste of this beautiful delicacy!

Capt. Anderson’s Marina , “Where the Fish are always biting and the Kids are always smiling” is located at 5550 N. Lagoon Dr. in Panama City Beach.

For tickets to the PCB Seafood and Music Festival itself go to: www.pcbseafoodfestival.com.

For more event listings like these or to submit your own event, go to www. carpediem365.net and after the fun is over…make sure you share your BIG CATCHES with PCB Daily!

 

PCB Chamber Seafood and Music Festival

Bay Point Billfish Invitational Cancelled

An annual summer tradition in Panama City Beach has been cancelled for 2012, citing economic and logistical challenges.  Every summer, the Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament brings people,  young and old alike, out of the woodwork to enjoy Panama City Beach’s hot summer nights, look at awesome boats and see some huge fish weigh in.

High fuel costs and competition

“It was definitely a tough decision,” said Steve Arndt, marina director at Bay Point Marina, “but ultimately the right one.” He contends that it wasn’t a single factor that led to the decision to cancel the 2012 tournament, but a combination of obstacles.

Arndt suggested that the economy was the main culprit, resulting in high fuel prices and a dwindling sponsor pool. “High fuel costs are especially tough on this tournament,” said Arndt, “Many of our boats come from out of town, and when fuel gets expensive it definitely affects their attendance.”

The proliferation of billfish tournaments along the Gulf Coast is also a factor. “There are almost a dozen big money tournaments along the Gulf Coast each year,” said Arndt. “And in this tight economy anglers and sponsors can’t afford to participate in every event.”

Many tournament anglers feel that their best chance to land a money winning fish lies westward in the fertile fishing grounds near the Louisiana oil fields. In the past, many boats from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi participated, but fuel costs have been pushing that number lower each year as they choose to fish closer to home.

Lost tons of parking

Other logistical factors influenced the decision to cancel the tournament, such as limited parking space. For years the tournament utilized a vacant lot just north of the marina as parking for spectators, participants and boat owners. That lot was recently renovated as a park, resulting in the loss of over 400 parking spaces. “Parking has always been a challenge, and when we lost the lot it was a severe blow. Without that extra space, there is no place for our boat owners and anglers to park.”

“We have many other special events at the marina, such as the Bay Point Outdoor Expo and In-Water Boats Show in March, the Leukemia Cup Poker Run in May and several smaller events throughout the year,” he said, “and we haven’t given up on the Invitational. Hopefully this will just be a short break.”

Past coverage of this event

2011 Billfish

2009 Billfish

2008 Billfish

Blue Marlin Evades Anglers at Sportfishing Classic

The anglers tried, but the Blue Marlin evaded being caught at this year’s 2nd Annual Panama City Beach Sportfishing Classic.

Nonetheless, last weekend’s Sportfishing Classic was a huge success with 34 boats registered and over 2500 lbs of fish caught.  Varieties included Swordfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Dolphin.

The largest Swordfish that was brought in was a monster 225 lbs.

Once the fish were brought in and admitted to the tournament, they became property of the tourney.  And the tourney decided they wanted to cook their new-found property and serve it to the attendees.  Chef Konrad Jochum from Boatyard was grilling up the fresh catches.

Full results

Swordfish

  1. Reel Comfort – Martin Flowers – 225 lbs – won $15,500
  2. Linda Gale – Mark Revell – 120 lbs – won $9,500

Tuna

  1. Committed – John Lee – 87.6 lbs – won $12,500
  2. Salt Crusher – Jason Hines – 85.8 lbs – won $7,500
  3. Salt Crusher – Josh Conyers – 84.8 lbs – won $5,000

Wahoo

  1. Reef Dog – Jake Quave – 89.2 lbs – won $12,500
  2. Iona Louise – Woody Woods – 61.8 lbs – won $7,500
  3. Perseverance – Justin Friez – 47.6 lbs – won $5,000

Dolphin

  1. Cazador – Joey Sostheim – 23.6 lbs – won $12,500
  2. Reel Sorry – Pat Hymel – 18.6 lbs – won $7,500
  3. Sea Ya Later – Brian Beighey – 18 lbs – won $5,000
Pictures

Vote Panama City Beach for the Ultimate Fishing Town USA

We all know Panama City Beach is one of the best fishing towns in the country, and now we have a chance to prove it!  We just discussed 4 Reasons PCB’s THE BEST Fishing Spot in the USA, today YOU have to go vote!

Yesterday we were in number 3, today we’ve slid to number four – BEHIND KISSIMMEE!  Kissimmee isn’t even a coastal town!

Alright, so you can tell I’m a bit disappointed.  We have to get the word out on this, we have to let people know that we’re in the running!  Destin is over 1,000 and I know we can catch up.

This is what I need everyone to do.

  • Follow this link to go to the voting page for Panama City Beach -> click here
  • Vote by entering your name and email address
  • Make sure you confirm your email address the first time you vote
  • Go back and vote during every time block you can, here are the four voting blocks
    • 12:01 am est to 6 am est
    • 6:01 am est to 12 pm est
    • 12:01 pm est to 6 pm est
    • 6:01 pm est to 12 am est

The way it reads is that you can vote up to four times a day – we need to come together and do this so we can win!

The winning town gets $25,000 community donation and the title of the Ultimate Fishing Town USA!  How’d THAT be for tourism.  (no question mark intentional)

So, what are you waiting for? Get on over and VOTE!

4 Reasons PCB’s THE BEST Fishing Spot in the USA

This article was contributed by Brad Stephens from Sunjammers Watersports.  Sunjammers is the best place to buy or rent kayaks, buy fishing gear, get the most accurate fishing advice and talk about where to get the most fish in Panama City Beach.  You can visit their store a few hundred yards north of Back Beach Road on Highway 79 or you can visit them online at Sunjammers.com or Facebook.com/Sunjammers.

Panama City Beach and the immediate surrounding area offers some of the top fishing in the country.  It doesn’t mater if you want to stalk the redfish on the flats of West Bay in inches of water, look for that gator trout in slightly deeper water or slide into the Gulf of Mexico and try your hand at bottom fishing or blue water trolling.  Don’t think that salt water is all PCB has to offer, within a very short drive you have numerous fresh water lakes and rivers to target all the major species of panfish, bass, and strippers.

Here are four fantastic reason’s Panama City Beach is THE Ultimate fishing town in the good ‘ol US of A.

Continue reading “4 Reasons PCB’s THE BEST Fishing Spot in the USA” →

TDC Meeting, Spring Break, Swordfish & Snowbirds

Jan 11th’s TDC meeting offered an eclectic mix of information.

Starting with the Vice-President of the Canadian Snowbirds, Nancy Hopcraft,  who caught my attention with the mention of the ‘Birds working on a potential “Retiree Visa” allowing those who qualify an opportunity to spend more time in Panama City Beach (or anywhere in the Nation).  It’s a wonderful idea, and one that’s sure to bring about an economic boost but we’re looking at least 2 years, before hearing any final words.

Continue reading “TDC Meeting, Spring Break, Swordfish & Snowbirds” →

Major Improvements To Bay Point Invitational

The Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament is hosted each July at Bay Point Marina in Panama City, FL.  Since it’s inception in 1984, the Invitational has donated over $1 million back to the local community, with a focus on children’s charities.

Now in its 27th year, Bay Point remains the Gulf Coast’s only “invitation only” tournament, and brings together the top anglers on the sport fishing circuit.  Long referred to as Bay County’s “Party of the Year”, the Invitational has also established itself as the premier sporting event on the Gulf of Mexico and is home to the first and second largest blue marlin ever weighed in the state of Florida.

Continue reading “Major Improvements To Bay Point Invitational” →

Weekend Events – Clint Black at Taste of the Bay

This weekend is going to be one of the best weekends in Panama City Beach. Clint Black will be playing a free concert at Taste of the Bay. Wine and food lovers will be coming to Pier Park to partake in Taste of the Bay. Triathletes from all over will be participating in the Ironman Triathlon this weekend. And for the local philanthropist there is a comedy show supporting Making Strides Against Breast Cancer at Kaleidoscope Theatre. Continue reading “Weekend Events – Clint Black at Taste of the Bay” →

The BP Effect – Kayak Sales Down 60%

The BP Effect series is brought to you by attorneys Reich & Binstock and Seeger Weiss LLP, which are helping businesses in Panama City Beach recover losses sustained directly and indirectly from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill.  They can help your business too, The BP Effect series is brought to you by attorneys Reich & Binstock and Seeger Weiss LLP, which are helping businesses in Panama City Beach recover losses sustained directly and indirectly from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. They can help your business too,
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If you’re in the market for a kayak, Sunjammers Watersports in Panama City Beach is the place to go.  There are few others that sell kayaks in the area, but during the summer 2010, they sold 40% what they sold in the summer of 2009 – and kayak sales is their bread and butter.  Luckily, low overhead and a diversified selling strategy allowed them to keep their doors open.  The BP Effect was clear and present for Sunjammers this summer.  Not only were kayak sales way down, other aspects of their business they were growing saw a fraction of the growth they were expecting.

Continue reading “The BP Effect – Kayak Sales Down 60%” →