Hot Spot Bait & Tackle
211 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, FL 32561-4465
(850) 916-7176

It was a chilly, but sunny day in Gulf Breeze for the first club event of 2010. We set up in the parking lot along the road in front of the event sponsor, Hot Spots Bait and Tackle. As always, members brought their fully rigged fishing kayaks to the event and we had roughly a dozen rigged kayaks on display. It was mostly a Hobie show, with most of the Mirage models in attendance – Revolution (Pat), Outback (Brandon), Outfitter (bduv), Adventure (Synovis) and Ted’s Pro Angler. Alex (Yaksquatch) brought his WS Tarpon 160, Kreg (gottafish) brought his OK Prowler 15 fishing machine Ollie (Bloody Waters) brought his Heritage yak. Hot Spots set up their fish fryer and there was plenty of fresh fried fish and drinks on hand. It was a good crowd, perhaps 25 or so yakfisherman, many meeting for the first time, talking story and exchanging ideas. As always, whenever you get a dozen colorful, fully rigged fishing kayaks assembled, it never fails to draw a crowd. In spite of the cool weather, we had a constant stream of folks stopping by to check out the kayaks, ask questions and get interested.

Our thanks go out to Hot Spots Bait & Tackle for hosting the event, providing the space, tables and food and for being such a solid sponsor of the Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing Association. There are a lot of choices in our area when it comes to buying your fishing tackle and we would hope that you would support those who support us. Thanks again, Chris.

We also had a group there representing the Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary, who set up an information booth to spread awareness of the effort to establish near-shore marine sanctuaries / snorkeling reefs in Navarre Beach, Pensacola Beach and eventually, on Perdido Key. The sanctuaries consist of building a network of storm-resistant, fish attracting devices in the near-shore area and bay to attract fish and create a reef environment within easy reach of snorkelers. The direct and indirect economic return on the investment cost to establish the reefs is estimated at over $130 for every dollar in cost. Due to the budget constraints of the state and county, funding the project is a challenge. Escambia County is in receipt of a grant that will enable a portion of a reef to be constructed off Pensacola Beach this spring and it is hoped that this will demonstrate the success of the concept and facilitate expansion of the program.

Capt. Robert Turpin of the Escambia County Marine Resources Division, who is leading the effort to establish the near-shore marine sanctuaries, was there talking up the marine sanctuary and hanging with the yakfishermen. As he has done the last two years, Robert has agreed to be the weigh-master for our 2010 tournament to be held 23 April, 2010 at Shoreline Park. If you participated in previous tournaments, you will know that it is a great time for everyone and you should plan to be there.

Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary:
Mark Griffith, Project Lead
(850) 677-1875
E-mail: navbms@navarrebeachmarinesanctuary.com
Web site: www.navarrebeachmarinesanctuary.com