FloridaFishinFool

I was going to say the same thing. Fred Kemp who started U.S. Reel did not take too long before sending his production to China. And I would suspect this might be why Ray Scott severed ties with the company he helped to develop their patented large diameter spools on their spinning reels to be used on Ray Scott's Kistler made rod line. Something certainly soured that relationship real fast. Ray Scott is not even mentioned on the U.S. Reel website any longer and has been wiped out of the company's history from their perspective anyways. You can still read about it on Ray Scott's website where he is not trying to hide it. And it was because of Ray Scott's recommendation I even bought two of the U.S. Reel's top of their line SuperCasters, but after using them only one time I sold them as fast as I could get rid of them. Not a quality product. Choosing to name the company U.S. Reel and then turn around and make them in China was kind of, well, irritating to say the least. I see now that Bass Pro is selling and marketing large diameter spools based on Fred Kemp's patented idea on some of their spinning reels too. And no telling who else is doing it, so I have to wonder how much income Fred Kemp is raking in on just this one patented idea alone that he can keep as his property to profit from even if he sells the U.S. Reel company. And I would bet if he does sell U.S. Reel that it will become another Chinese owned company. Who else would buy it? Pure Fishing maybe? Bass Pro? This one will be interesting to follow.

I'd try a reverse water leak test. When the boat is out of the water on a trailer or off the ground some way. slowly fill them with water and see where it leaks out.

That is interesting. Did that spool come with that reel? It almost looks as though the spool is wider than the distance of reel oscillation cycle. Notice on the backside of the spool how it bunches up in one spot but at the back of the spool is low? It is as though the reel oscillation cycle is not reaching all the way back to the back of the spool.

I'd probably have to take out some insurance first! And I thought $22.00 for a lure was getting pricey! Would love to fish sometime, but I am quite a ways from Jupiter and West Palm Beach. I'm north of Orlando with young boys ages 1 & 3 so for now I have to fish locally around here. I'm stuck for now, but looking forward to the stick marsh one day soon, and I hear they are about to flood a new extension which should be awesome!

Nice fish! Holy Bass! I just checked the price of one of those Nezumma Rat's... WOW! Buy now on ebay $260.00! http://www.ebay.com/itm/22nd-century-nezumma-rat-triple-trout-xl-/111566048421?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f9dacca5

Cannondale make some good ceramic hybrid bearings. I get them off ebay.

Craigslist is loaded with them here in Florida. Not sure about other states, but here in Florida people are begging someone to come drag the old boats away. That's how I got mine! Spent all last winter fixing it up too, but that is another story...

A couple of months ago I walked into a pawn shop and found a brand new condition 7'11" Irod "Fred's Crank Launcher" model that retails for $150.00, and on it was a like new Shimano curado 200G7. The price tag on it said $89.99. Once I had it in my hands I knew I was not putting it back. So I walked up to cashier and asked her if she would take all the cash I had in my wallet at the time which was 3- $20.00 bills. $60.00 cash even. She looked into her computer and said that she could still make her margin with the $60.00 and she was motivated to sell it and she let me have it for the $60.00 I had on me. So I turned around and sold the Shimano 200G7 on ebay for $90.00 in a buy now offer. In the end, I wound with a nice $150.00 Irod for FREE plus an extra $30.00 cash in my pocket. I thought I was doing pretty good with that one.

So true. Anodized aluminum corroded. You see anodized aluminum on salt water reels too. It will still corrode. Aluminum frame and spools corroded. We see the same material on salt water reels too. Salt + aluminum = corrosion. Rinsing simply can not and will not get the all the salt out, and will not stop the corrosion. That was my whole point. I have seen salt water reels corroded up too, bearings, and aluminum parts all corroded same as these reels. The brass gears turn green from the corrosion. Aluminum on a $500.00 salt water reel will still corrode just the same as aluminum will corrode on a $5.00 reel and aluminum boats, and outboard motors too. There is a right way to go about prevention and then there are wrong ways to go about it, even with a belief they are doing good by rinsing, the truth is they can be causing more harm and damage, and that was the point of my post with photos was to show by example.

I hope you won't mind if I post a few photos from the salty state of Florida... Just today I received some reels in from a buddy of mine who lives along the coast. He was told about the president reels from things he read on internet fishing forums, so went out and bought himself a couple of them last year. Well now they are with me for repairs. And he brought along his Bass Pro bass fishing reel that he admitted he had used several times in the intracoastal waterway over the last year and he is now wondering why the spool won't spin and he can't cast with it. I asked him how he dealt with the salt water issue and he swore up and down he rinsed them off after every fishing trip. His reels are not even one year old! So let's take a look at the reality of using non-salt water tolerant reels in a salt water environment... and really, even those that say they are salt water tolerant may not always be so tolerant... Just remember, he swore up and down he rinsed his reels off! Here is the handle of his president spinning reel. Notice how the salt water has gotten underneath the chrome plating and has either eaten it completely away, or flaked it off by destroying the bond between the chrome plating and metal underneath: Now let's take a look at his aluminum spool- same as any other spinning reel's aluminum spool. Notice the pitting in the aluminum found under the fishing line? All he did was fish in salt water and rinsed off his reels when he got home and this is the result of simply rinsing them off. This damage was below the top of his line out of sight and he did not even know it was happening. But he swore up and down he rinsed after each fishing trip. Conclusion: rinsing is not effective enough to prevent this kind of damage! End of story. You gotta do something else to prevent this type of damage! That is why I use a product called salt-away to neutralize the salt. But the salt-away would have to penetrate the rolled up line and get down to this point to do any good in preventing this kind of damage. Next, let's take a look at his less than one year old Bass Pro bass fishing reel he used for reds in the intracoastal waterway. Just starting with the handle it was a bear to take off as the stainless steel screw was corroded to the handle. Once I got the screw out and the handle nut plate retainer removed just look at all the salt water corrosion and damage under that plastic cap! This is the real world of salt damage that rinsing can not stop- and this handle is fully anodized aluminum- and it still corroded. All rinsing does is PUSH that salt deeper into the reel! And here is the evidence of it. Remember, he swore up and down he rinsed. Did it do any good? Here's the proof it does not. Take a look at the outside of the reel. What you see is a painted aluminum frame. I have circled with yellow circles to show the damage salt water has done to the bottom side of this reel's frame. What you see is where salt water has gotten down under the paint and the corrosion is spreading under the paint causing the paint to crack and bubble up becoming disconnected from the reel's aluminum frame that is corroding away under there. In this next image you can clearly see both sides of the frame. One side the paint is bubbling up from the aluminum frame underneath corroding under the paint. Look at the other side that has not corroded in the same place and looks nearly new. Take a look inside this reel's frame where there is no paint to protect it from the salt water corroding it. I have circled some spots inside the reel that are now corroded from salt water intrusion into this reel that went around the spool to get to this spot. This is what rinsing does to a reel. It moves and pushes the salt deeper into the reel and here is the evidence of it. This last image shows very clearly how salt water has gone around the edge of the spool from simply using it in salt water. The exposed aluminum clearly shows within the ring where the spool would normally be the darker discoloration caused by salt water intrustion inside the reel corroding the exposed aluminum. Rinsing will not get this out! It will only push it deeper into the reel and that is a fact! I found more rust and corrosion in the handle bearings. The owner of these reels says he never dunked the reels in salt water. But he did admit to rinsing them. And here is more of the results of that type of thing as found in the handle- notice the green colored corrosion inside the cap of the handle. That is clear evidence of salt water has been forced down into this one handle grip destroying both ball bearings that will have to be replaced even though they still spin freely. Both of his reels are salvageable even with this kind of damage. But damage to the aluminum in pitting and other can never be repaired at any price. Your only choice is to replace all the corroded parts, or just replace the reels and start over. But these reels will live on to see some more fishing even with this kind of damage. But the only conclusion I can come to is that rinsing simply is not enough and rinsing is not the answer period. In order to prevent this from happening, only a complete tear down after each salt water fishing trip will suffice. All parts must be cleaned inside and out and all salts must be either removed or neutralized- even under the fishing line too. No other way around it. Once that is done, the reel can be put back together and all parts need something put on them to protect them from this happening again. Corrosion X is a good choice, Reel X is a choice and some will even use just plain old grease and oil to coat parts. The bottom line here is rinsing can just make this worse. These two reels are all the proof I need, and I have seen this same thing for nearly 35 years now and I will continue to see it for many more years to come here in salty Florida. Oh, and I almost forgot, the reason his spool won't turn is because the bearings are rusted and frozen up. Rinsing is more than likely what pushed the corrosive salts into them. Now I have to replace 5 bearings in the Bass Pro reel, and the president needs new rotor bearings and a new line guide roller bearing just for starters. (correction: 7 bearings have to be replaced) Rinse away fellas! That is not the answer nor the solution to this problem. I guarantee it. When I put these reels back together, I will use either grease or an anti-seize compound for every single screw or bolt I put back into this reel. Salt water corrodes the two together and makes them near impossible to remove, but coating the threads with grease or anti-seize compound will help me take the reel apart easier next time I see them on the work bench.

RIP! Tight lines forever!

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) January 7, 2015 Suggested Tweet: Hall of famers for #TrophyCatch #bass recognized by @MyFWC:http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/0 #fishing #Florida Video available on FWC YouTube site: Go to YouTube.com/TrophyCatchFlorida TrophyCatch championship ring awarded The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) TrophyCatch program awarded the Season 2 Hall of Fame winner, Joseph “Brooks” Morrell from Hampton, with the TrophyCatch championship ring from the American Outdoors Fund. Morrell caught, documented and released a 14-pound, 9-ounce bass to earn the top prize for Season 2 (Oct. 1, 2013, to Sep. 30, 2014). He also documented a second Hall of Fame bass during Season 2 – a 13-pound, 12-ounce bass – becoming FWC’s first angler to submit two Hall of Fame bass. Each Hall of Fame bass is memorialized with a fiberglass replica from New Wave Taxidermy, presented by FWC and TrophyCatch to the angler after the end of each season. “Our partners have joined with TrophyCatch in an effort to help gather vital data for managing, encouraging the release of, and promoting our trophy bass fisheries in Florida through this innovative citizen-science program,” said KP Clements, FWC’s TrophyCatch director. Hall of Fame winners, who successfully catch, document and release bass heavier than 13 pounds in Florida, also win gift cards from partners Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Rapala, as well as apparel from Bass King Clothing and a Glen Lau DVD. Len Andrews received a mount for his 13-pound, 12-ounce bass and was TrophyCatch’s first triple-crown winner. He was recognized for catching, documenting and releasing at least one trophy bass in all three qualifying size classes: Hall of Fame Club (13 pounds or heavier), Trophy Club (10 to 12.9 pounds) and Lunker Club (8 to 9.9 pounds). Overall, he has entered 12 verified TrophyCatch bass in the past two years. Hall of Fame prizes also went to Van Soles, a tournament angler from Haines City, who caught a 13-pound, 1-ounce bass while fishing in an event on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. At the time of Soles’ submission he was eligible for a $10,000 added prize from Experience Kissimmee but the weight of his catch was surpassed by someone else’s catch. In Season 2, TrophyCatch expanded the rules to include submission of a photo and verified, published tournament records, because all tournament bass are carefully weighed and typically released alive. Soles was the first tournament angler to submit a Hall of Fame entry. Tom Champeau, director of the FWC’s Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, pointed out that this program has already documented more than a thousand 8-pound-plus bass that were caught and released from all over Florida. FWC biologists are using this catch data, which is available to the public at TrophyCatchFlorida.com, to study and enhance trophy bass fishing throughout Florida. All anglers already registered for TrophyCatch will be eligible to win the Season 3 Phoenix bass boat, powered by Mercury, equipped with a Power-Pole anchoring system and guided by Navionics. Season 3 club anglers with verified fish submitted into the program increase their odds of being drawn for the boat package, with 10 additional chances. By following us on Facebook.com/TrophyCatchFlorida andYouTube.com/TrophyCatchFlorida, people can keep up with all the happenings, including hearing about great catches and seeing video updates like the recent Hall of Fame presentation at Bass Pro Shops. BW/KPC/TC WBD

For decades Lake Griffin has been known to be one of the most polluted lakes in the state of Florida, so it has become a center of attention over the last decade for all the experts to come together to improve the water quality of this once great lake and restore it to a quality fishing lake. Today, their efforts are showing huge leaps forward in restoring this lake and they are now creating artificial reefs and structure in this lake to test its ability to attract and hold fish for us bass fishermen! If it works on Lake Griffin, this effort will be expanded across the state! State wildlife agency tests fish attractors on Lake Griffin June 18, 2014|By Rosemarie Dowell, Correspondent LEESBURG — Two lone boats glided effortlessly across the quiet waters of Lake Griffin and headed toward their destination near the opposite shore of the nearly 10,000-acre lake in Leesburg. Within minutes, the vessels slowed to a crawl and Brandon Thompson, a fisheries biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission deftly guided his agency's boat into position, hovering over a large area marked with buoys bobbing at the surface. Soon, he pushed 10 plastic tree-like structures, about 5 feet tall and a yard or so wide, into the water. From the other boat, Fisheries Resource Coordinator Dennis Renfro, watched as each of the latest in fish attractor technology floated to the bottom below. Welcome to a FWC experiment that pits traditional old-school brush attractors, used for decades, against the new modern plastic design, being used for the first time in Florida, said Renfro, a 31-year veteran of the commission who lives in Eustis. "The question is, will fish congregate on the plastic attractors like they do on the traditional brush ones," said Renfro, who oversees the water bodies on the Harris Chain of Lakes, which, besides Griffin, includes lakes Apopka, Beauclair, Carlton, Dora, Eustis, Yale, Little Lake Harris and Harris. (Click on link to read entire article:) http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-06-18/news/os-lk-fish-attractors-leesburg-20140618_1_attractors-renfro-plastic Central and NE Florida FWC fishing guide: http://myfwc.com/media/300613/freshwater_nefishingguide.pdf South Florida region FWC fishing guide: http://myfwc.com/media/300756/freshwater_south_ffguide.pdf Statewide FWC fishing guide and Florida fishing laws and regulations: http://myfwc.com/media/2285551/12FLFW-LR-AD-FREE.pdf

Florida Sea Grant College Program Florida Summit to Showcase Advances in Artificial Reef Research and Technology FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Artificial reef experts, fisheries scientists and reef managers from around the state and nation will come together to discuss current issues and exchange ideas for future projects at the 2015 Florida Artificial Reef Summit Jan. 13-16 in Clearwater Beach. The summit provides a rare opportunity for members of the state’s artificial reef community to hear recent research results, share experiences and generate new ideas, according to Bryan Fluech, Florida Sea Grant Agent with the UF/IFAS Extension in Collier County. The last statewide Summit took place in 2010 in Cocoa Beach where over 180 participants including researchers, artificial reef program managers, marine contractors, natural resource managers, volunteer research diver organizations, and artificial reef citizen constituency organizations attended the event. “We are excited to welcome these groups back to continue the discussion on how to move Florida’s artificial reef program forward,” Fluech said. The theme of this year’s conference is “Navigating Expectations and Charting Objectives.” “We chose the theme to reflect on the diverse perspectives of artificial reef use in Florida as well as discuss what it takes to responsibly plan for, manage, and evaluate a comprehensive artificial reef program in the Sunshine state,” Fluech said. Florida Sea Grant, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the University of Florida IFAS Extension Service are organizers of the event. Florida has one of the most active artificial reef programs in the world with over 2,900 planned public artificial reefs placed off of its coasts. Everything from bridge rubble to specially designed concrete structures to retired naval ships has been deployed. Besides providing recreational fishing and diving opportunities, artificial reefs have also been used as substrate to support new oyster reefs, as erosion control structures to protect vegetated shorelines, as well as mitigation and restoration reefs to replace and repair natural hard bottom habitats lost through beach re-nourishment activities or vessel groundings. “Artificial reefs drive a variety of economic activities that bring significant economic benefit to coastal communities,” Fluech adds. “A number of cost-benefit analyses in Florida show positive economic results, especially in the local economies directly impacted by the fishermen and divers that come to take advantage of the reefs.” For more than three decades, Florida Sea Grant has contributed to Florida’s artificial reef program by developing and disseminating science-based information about the ecology of artificial reefs and their construction. Many of Sea Grant’s county-based extension faculty members assist local artificial reef programs by providing technical information that can improve the productivity and management of these reefs. For more information on the conference, agenda and speakers, visitwww.flseagrant.org/artificialreefs/summit Can’t make the conference in person? Listen in via Livestream at Http://x.co/reefsummit. For More Information: Bryan Fluech, Florida Sea Grant Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Collier County, fluech@ufl.edu, (239) 438-5594.

Berkley!

Here is a video of a local central Florida fisherman catching a 9 pound sunshine bass at sunrise on Lake Harney, a lake the St. Johns River flows through. This was taken sometime in probably late March of 2014. Also notice there is another boat in his same general area going after the same species of fish. In this video they incorrectly identify this fish as a striper, but it is in fact a sunshine bass hybrid and the identification is simple. On a natural striper the black lines down the side of the fish are solid and straight. But on a hybrid sunshine bass, those same black lines appear jagged and broken. And that is what you see on this fish- the classic sunshine bass jagged black lines. That is a state of Florida produced fish stocked in the St. Johns river. The sunshine bass and striper are so similar people often just call sunshine bass stripers as seen in this video.

Yep! Check out the FWC stocking program here in Florida on their website: http://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/stocking/ What I do is download all the stocking reports on the site. I think there are six years worth in there right now. Keep these reports handy. In 2 to 3 years after a report tells you where they put those fish, you can go catch them for sport or food. Here are some of them about to meet the fillet knife... http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/october/31/fb-november/ FWC hatcheries stocking 3.5 million freshwater fish, spreading a little 'sunshine' Fish Busters' Bulletin Friday, October 31, 2014 Media contact: Bob Wattendorf, 850-488-0520 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) operates two freshwater fish hatcheries, which will stock more than 3.5 million fish again this year, with most being custom-designed striped bass hybrids -- aka sunshine bass. Richloam, at the Florida Bass Conservation Center is the larger hatchery and produces largemouth bass, black crappie, channel and white catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish. The facility, in Sumter County, has an observation area with informative displays that are open to the public during normal business hours. For directions and to learn more about when and where game fish are stocked, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “Stocking Locations/Info.” The other FWC production facility is the Blackwater Hatchery in Santa Rosa County. Blackwater produces largemouth bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, channel catfish and several other species. Other than hybrid striped bass, most of these fish stay in northwest Florida. Last year 1.4 million sunshines and 100,000 pure striped bass were produced. “We know from previous releases these fish will be available for years and provide lots of excitement to anglers,” said hatchery manager Dave Yeager. Hybrid striped bass were first produced in South Carolina by crossing female striped bass with male white bass. Named palmetto bass, they provided a fast-growing sport fish suitable to ponds and lakes. However, in 1971, a few Florida fisheries biologists, lead by Forrest Ware, Chuck Starling and Harrell Revels, conducted a fish-breeding experiment at Richloam, resulting in sunshine bass. Sunshine bass have white bass mothers and striped bass fathers. This provides an advantage in Florida because of the timing and availability of brood fish, allowing fisheries biologists to use them statewide. The FWC stocks sunshine bass to provide a natural control mechanism for forage fish populations like shad, and to create an exciting fishery. All striped bass hybrid fry (baby fish) are now produced at Blackwater. Biologists start each season making sunshine bass, because ripe white bass females become available first, usually mid- February to early March. The first sunshine bass fry are shipped to Richloam or Welaka (a cooperating U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery) for grow out, since they are less subject to late freezes that may kill fry. Because demand for hybrids exceeds the capacity for sunshine bass production, when striper females become ripe, Blackwater staff also create palmetto bass. These stocking strategies work well in nutrient-rich lakes with abundant shad, and in urban ponds and fish management areas with lots of anglers, especially when fish feeders are available. This creates excellent recreational fisheries that are fun for kids to catch, and these fish are good eating. Producing striped bass involves mixing eggs and milt by hand and placing fertilized eggs in hatching jars, with constantly roiling water. Once hatched, fry use their yolk-sac for nutrition, but then must be transferred to specially prepared ponds, with abundant microscopic insects to eat, until they are 1.5-inch long fingerlings, and ready for stocking in public lakes. (See FloridaWildlifeMagazine.com/blackwater-hatchery.html for an article by Brandon Basino and to subscribe to FWC’s e-magazine). These hybrids do not spawn naturally, so FWC hatcheries continue to produce and stock all hybrid striped bass. Hybrid striped bass frequently have broken stripes on the front half of the body and straight lines on back, and are deeper bodied than stripers. Biologists examine tooth patches near the midline toward the back of the tongue to make a final identification. White bass have one patch and striped bass have two distinct patches. Hybrids have intermediate characteristics, so sunshines and palmettos have tooth patches that are close together or joined like a figure-8. Distinguishing between the two types of striped bass hybrid can only be done by genetic analyses or knowing the stocking history. Live threadfin shad or shrimp are effective baits, but artificial lures such as crankbaits, jigs, spinners and spoons also do well. Shrimp, squid or even pieces of hot dogs will attract sunshine bass that concentrate around mechanical feeders. A sunshine bass heavier than 5 pounds or longer than 20 inches qualifies for a Big Catch certificate. Blackwater Hatchery also releases Gulf striped bass in the Ochlockonee, Blackwater and Yellow rivers. Gulf striped bass are a unique but naturally evolved form of striped bass that are primarily land-locked and adapted to the warmest temperatures in which any striped bass can thrive. While the native Gulf race of striped bass were once found in all northwest Florida rivers, they virtually disappeared from the Blackwater and Yellow rivers for unknown reasons. However, the FWC has stocked both rivers annually with small Gulf stripers since 1987. Today, a healthy striper population exists. Stripers heavier than 12 pounds or longer than 30 inches qualify for the aforementioned Big Catch program. To learn about top destinations to catch these fish, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “Fishing Sites/Forecasts.” You can learn more about FWC stocking programs atFloridaSportsman.com/blogs/ by selecting “FWC Freshwater Fisheries blog” and following the Hatchery Tracker. Next time you wet a line in Florida’s fresh waters, remember that most fish you catch are naturally spawned and depend on quality habitats, including clean, abundant water and healthy native aquatic plant communities, but some, especially sunshine bass and stripers, are brought to you by FWC biologists and technicians.

Bass fishing slows down to a crawl in winter. A lot of us just switch over to sunshine bass which are state produced hybrids or their cousin the striper. What is cool about both species of fish is that basically the same lures and techniques work for both. Sunshine bass and stripers like bright, shiny, flashy fast moving lures. They hit like a freight train and fight like one too! Just be careful landing them. They are a strong powerful fish and can cut you up if not careful or just use a net for them. I will even target sunshine bass and stripers in the summer if you know how to find them... I target them for food and to fill up the freezer with them.

I did not mean to discourage you from trying to fish. By all means fish away whenever you feel like it weather be dammed! The only thing that would keep me from fishing would be lightning. But yeah, it helps if there are fish in there...

I will say this about bass fishing... and I am not sure if this applies outside of Florida because for some reason it seems like fish up north get use to the cold water more and will hit on lures in cold weather more than down here in Florida. It has been my general experience that when a cold front is moving in, that means heavier air pressure and the barometric pressure swings from a low to a high. When this happens here in Florida, the bass tend to run deep and stay there and won't feed much at all until the reverse begins to happen and the temps start to warm up some and the barometric pressure swings from the high now back to a low. And when this happens those bass tend to rise up from the deep and start roaming more for feeding. Here in Florida if a cold front is coming a lot of bass fishermen won't even bother going out to try to fish. Experience has already told us they aren't going to bite so good luck! But try anyways!

Heck no! You can always temp those fish with a lure! Sometimes there is a feeding frenzy before a cold front settles in. Timing is everything. Now, that being said, there is never a guarantee you will catch anything, but a bad day fishing is always better than a good day at work!

I was just wanting to post some of the great kids fishing non-profits here in Florida, some of which I have donated to, and to help spread the word to help these organizations meet their desired goals. I have no affiliation to any of them other than donations. A forum like this is a great place to spread the word about the good works of many types of organizations devoted to helping kids. I hope this is not considered as pushing any envelope or breaking any rules.

http://www.bassfishingkids.com/about-us.html Tournament Director, Gary Waingrow and Co-Tournament Director Bob Newland, started this trail in 2002, with the help and sponsorship of Bass Pro, and the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division. These tournaments are open to all the kids in the community and are orientated towards education of the sport in a fun family atmosphere The trail consists of eight tournaments a year. Six tournaments are qualifying events, one tournament as a wildcard. The top-qualifying anglers will then compete in the kid’s classic.Participants are divided into two divisions, Small Fry for ages up to 10 years old, and Juniors for ages 11 thru 17. At the end of every tournament, Medals and prizes are awarded. At the classic the grand prizes are awarded in an honorary ceremony. We are proud to award each year a Pond Boat with a Minn Kota Trolling Motor and Interstate Battery & Hummingbird Color Fish Finder. This year has been our best so far. We have had an average of 40 - 60 kids competing in all qualifying tournaments. We expect this number to continue to grow. In 2008 Palm Beach County l came on board. If you would like to start a kids trail in your area or you interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact our founder and Tournament Director, Gary Waingrow. Bass Fishing Kids, Inc. is a 501©(3) Non-Profit Organization. FEIN #94-3442622

https://www.flseagrant.org/about/ FLORIDA SEA GRANT Florida Sea Grant is a university-based program that supports research, education and extension to conserve coastal resources and enhance economic opportunities for the people of Florida. We are a partnership between the Florida Board of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Florida’s citizens and governments. Our extension, education and outreach programs are done in partnership with UF/IFAS Extension and coastal counties of Florida. We tap into the research expertise of more than 800 coastal and ocean scientists at the state’s 16 major universities and research laboratories, and we are an integral part of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida, one of the nation’s leading Land Grant universities. Our 20 extension agents live and work in coastal communities. They have a breadth of experiences and tremendous trust from their local residents as reliable sources of science-based information. Our seven statewide extension specialists lead highly relevant programs including seafood safety, boating and waterway management, coastal conservation law, aquaculture and fisheries management. Our vision and mission Florida Sea Grant envisions a future where people use our coastal and marine resources in ways that capture the economic and social benefits they offer, while preserving their quality and abundance for future generations. Florida Sea Grant’s mission is to support integrated research, education and extension to conserve coastal resources and enhance economic opportunities for the people of Florida Campus Coordinators Each Participating Institution in Florida has a designated campus coordinator who serves as a liaison with faculty and students at their campus and Florida Sea Grant, conveying information about funding and other opportunities. Campus coordinators also participate in the development of goals and objectives in ourstrategic plan, which is updated every four years and guides priorities for research, extension and education. Campus Coordinators also periodically are asked to serve on review panels for student scholarships. Any academic institution in Florida that offers bachelor’s or advanced degrees related to coastal and ocean issues may join Florida Sea Grant as a Participating Institution. All that is required is appointment of a Campus Coordinator and agreement to our standard terms of awarding funds. These include: a cost share of 0.5 non-federal dollars for each 1 federal dollar awarded on research grants standard federal overhead on biennial and regional research grants, but no overhead on Program Development (PD) grants less than $10,000, or on fellowships or scholarships. Regardless of whether or not a Florida academic institution is designated as a participating institution, its faculty and students are fully eligible to apply for and receive funding for research projects and scholarships from Florida Sea Grant.

Here is a fantastic non-profit that I don't think is tied to any for profit companies: FLORIDA FISHING ACADEMY http://www.floridafishingacademy.com/Home.html Our Mission • Teach children a healthy lifestyle and constructive hobby • Guide kids away from drugs and violence • Engage youth in the fight to preserve Florida’s fragile natural resources • Introduce youth to the marine industry as a potential career path Our Purpose: Florida Fishing Academy (FFA) is a nonprofit, 501©(3) organization formed in 2006 for the purpose of empowering at-risk youth with positive life skills, alternatives to destructive or antisocial behavior and a sense of responsibility for shaping the world around them. FFA uses fishing as a vehicle for delivering these lessons, weaving effective life, environmental and social skills into a youth-oriented, hands-on sports angling curriculum. We have, to date, helped to change the lives of thousands of deserving children. We are constantly testing and improving our course and have recently adopted a proven, evidence-based life skills curriculum at the high school level, under the widely touted LifeSkills Training Program model, which has been shown to dramatically reduce drug use, risky sexual behavior and unsafe driving habits. We strongly believe that engaging Florida’s children in the joys, responsibilities and opportunities of ethical angling is a critical mission. In Florida, fishermen outnumber golfers 2-to-1, and 85 percent of freshwater anglers start fishing at age 12 or younger. And yet, in South Florida — the fishing capital of the world — a local landscape filled with gymnastics camps, Little League programs, chess teams, golf classes and adult fishing clubs has no school-based fishing curriculum for kids. There is little if anything out there that engages children — tomorrow’s anglers, boaters, marine biologists, charter boat captains and environmental stewards — in fishing as a sport and livelihood taught in a comprehensive fashion or that involves them in the effort to preserve our fragile marine environment. That’s the void we strive to fill one child at a time.