Need a last minute stocking stuffer? How about a gift certificate for rounds at the Rod and Gun Club Shooting Range? Or a Casting Lesson with one of the many experts on The Reef?
Holiday Tournament
When the gift action starts to slow, get your team together for the December 28th Holiday Tournament, a one-day, no fee, fishing contest. Make up a team of four — Club members and guests — plus unlimited spectators per boat. The goal is to catch as many species of fish as possible, the bigger the better as points are graded by size. The prize is a day on the water with family and friends, and a delicious haul for dinner. Sign up with Ken Reda at MarineMax (ken.reda@marinemax.com or 305-342-0658) and come to the Captains Meeting at 5 p.m. on the 27th. All the details can be found on the Rod and Gun website, RodandGun.org.
Rod & Gun Club Shooting Range
The Rod and Gun Club Shooting Range is open 10am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for shotgun practice and Mondays for hand guns, a new addition. Again, see the RodandGun.org website for details and contacts.
Clean up Days with Bonefish Bonnies – January 8 is first of three Clean up Days with Bonefish Bonnies. It doesn’t matter how often this work gets done, there is always an astounding amount of debris to be collected — and an astounding assortment of items… Meet at Buccaneer Island Beach at 9am. Ocean Reef will supply kayaks, garbage bags, gloves and all we need are willing volunteers to paddle out to our mangroves and collect what has washed up. Contact Phil French, Rod and Gun Events Chair (events@rodandgun.org), if you are interested in taking care of your environment.
2023 – Phil French trail boat for Shoreline cleanup
Here’s a fun event that could become a family tradition — the Rod and Gun’s Holiday Fishing Tournament. It’s a classic open-field event for all Rod and Gun members, family and guests, four rods per boat but no restriction on spectators or cheerleaders. No kites or aerial equipment, but all other tackle permitted, and the only limitation on boats is that they must depart and return from Ocean Reef waters. Since the scoring is by weight — 10 points per pound for each of the major species (yellowtail, grouper, snapper, dolphin, tuna, wahoo, etc) and 200 points per billfish release, this tournament can bring home dinner as well as bragging rights, with no entry fee. Sweet!
All the details, including entry forms, is on the Events Calendar at rodandgun.org. There is a Captain’s Meeting on Dec 27 at 5 p.m. sharp in the Fishing Village for at least one member of each boat’s team, with lines in the next day at a very civilized 9 a.m. and out at 3 p.m. — with a winner announced at 4:30.
Here is the perfect way to enjoy post-Christmas family togetherness — out on the water, a rod in hand and plenty of time to catch up on college life or a new job, the world at large or the smallest detail — or conversely, it’s the ideal way to get out of the house and away from the perpetual holiday music and temptations of candy canes! Whichever is your motivation, you owe it to yourself and your guests to show off the spectacular marine wonderland that surrounds us. Go fish!
2023 – Nice Mahi !2023 – Junior Angler winners Timothy Asman and Wyatt Verillo (Kingfish & Snapper) from “Days Like This”2023 – 3rd Place Overall score and Top Boat – Non Billfish… Jim Bonner & John Furneaux (3 dolphin) aboard “La Porta” with 469 points.
Special Event at the Rod & Gun Sporting Clays Range – December 16
Christine Patton
Just in time for Christmas, the Rod and Gun Club will be bringing two outstanding retailers in the hunting and clays shooting world, who will present the opportunity to buy new shotguns or to personalize or beautify existing arms, plus other services.
On December 16, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the shooting range on Card Sound Road (directions available on rodandgun.org), Royal Sporting Arms and DuPont Krieghoff will both be on premises with their inventory of beautiful shotguns of all sizes and gauges.
Royal Sporting Arms
Royal Sporting Arms is a specialist in artisan engraved firearms. They carry field and sporting guns made by Berretta, Rezzini, Perazzi, Browning and Syren ladies’ guns.
DuPont Kreighoff
DuPont Kreighoff is the legendary gun dealer started by Hal DuPont who first brought the German-made Kreighoff shotguns and rifles into the USA. They have the world’s largest inventory of new and pre-owned Krieghoffs in the world (dupontkguns.com).
There will be opportunity to see and try out guns from the full gamut of starter guns to custom-constructed and engraved shotguns. There will be an inventory of wood, barrels and irons for selection, plus some of the most sophisticated engravers in the business for extensive personalization of your existing gun or new purchase. Guns will be available for on-the-spot purchase or ordering custom. Please bring your ID (driver’s license).
Gun fitting services will be also available. Bring your gun for fitting, for patterning its chokes, for scatter board testing — enjoy the opportunity to feel the balance and the smooth action of a high-quality gun.
Lunch and beverages will be served. If you are interested in attending, please send an email to Range@RodandGun.org. We will be sending out reminders of the event, but please let us know as soon as possible if you are coming — it should be a blast! (Pun intended).
2022 – John Dinsmore on a beautiful day at the Range!
The Rod and Gun Club is ending its 2023 season in a strong position and with a feeling that the club is on a roll. Tom Davidson, Jr, Chair, says that there have been significant improvements in the facilities and programs supporting both shooting and fishing this year, as well as actions to the environmental area. The annual Night Out was a big success, honoring Nelson Sims for his leadership over the decades. The membership is at an all-time high and participation is growing. To top it off, there have been some remarkable achievements in the fishing arena, promising that there is plenty of action to be had off Ocean Reef shores for anglers of all sorts.
Card Sound Shooting Range
The shooting range saw a return to its pre-Covid activity levels, then an even greater increase in use. After making upgrades in the facilities, landscaping the areas and refurbishing traps, fresh ammo and targets were flying. One cause for the increased participation was the new instructor, Paulo Montealegre, who helped several members improve their prowess, and another cause was the enthusiastic participation of lady members, who now represent 50% of the attendees. Ladies take note — sporting clays is the new golf! Rod & Gun board member and Range Chairman Carmen Sferrazza is not resting on his laurels but is looking for ways to boost interest. Give him any suggestions you might have about friendly competitions or new targets.
Fish of the Month
In the interest of making all types of fishing a more communal activity, the R & G has organized a number of friendly fishing contests that run throughout the season. The monthly Fish of the Month contests award a $50 gift certificate to the angler weighing in the biggest specimen of that particular species. Winners this year were Fred Flippen and his 37-pound wahoo, Mike Rich with a 5.5-pound mutton snapper, and the books are still open as I write for the biggest tuna in April. May thru August, the game continues — see the list at MarineMax or go to the Rod & Gun website calendar for all the details.
New Fishing Tournament Results
A new game for anglers was the Pick Any Three Days fishing tournament, which allowed boats to choose the day and style of fishing that they thought best, and to have the results of three days’ fishing so designated as their score. The contest started March 1 and went until April 15 and the results were very impressive! In the Offshore category, with 2,200 points, wasCarmen Sferrazza, with a total of 22 sailfish, including his incredible single day of 21 sails at 100 points per sailfish.
In a similarly outstanding style, in the Flats category, Steve Woodsum was the winner. After a slow start with only one tarpon on day one, then three tarpon and two bonefish day two, on day three he had his epic day with 16 tarpon on fly! His three-day total of 6,600 points, all on fly at 300 points per.
Another tournament, not under the auspices of Rod & Gun Club but conducted by the Key Largo Anglers Club, is their annual Flats Tournament. A two-day flats-only tournament, it is the last of the season and timed to catch the tarpon migration as well as warm waters for the bonefish. This year’s winner was a familiar name — Steve Woodsum, with guide Jared Raskob — with a remarkable achievement as they swept the awards in winning first place Fly, and Spin, Top Captain and Top Boat, with not one but TWO Grand Slams (permit on crab, tarpon and bonefish on fly) on EACH of the two days. Hats off to this team and their impressive angling!
Changing Seasons
So the seasons at Ocean Reef may be changing, but from these results, we can say that the fishing, at least for some, is better than ever. It’s time to book your guide for next year, or risk being left out of the fun! Meanwhile, use your summer months to put those shooting and casting skills to use and come back to The Reef ready to participate in Rod & Gun Club activities in 2024.
2023 – Sportsman of the Year – Nelson Sims – awarded at Rod & Gun Men’s Night!2023 – Rod & Gun Club Fish of the Month winner Fred Flippin with Capt Shawn Albury – 34 lb Wahoo. Congrats!2023 – Phil French trail boat for Shoreline cleanup
Funny how I take weather for granted until it comes time to go fishing. My golf game goes on, whatever the temperature or the wind direction; generally, we say that unless it’s raining, it’s on. But fishing is very much a weather game, where wind, tide and temperature are critical — and even more noteworthy is that the best weather for fishing may be the least popular for humans.
In the wintertime, we flock to the Keys for its dry, sunny days and mild nights, but for the fisherman, the low light can make visibility difficult, even at midday. Winter tides can be extreme, baring flats to the winds and driving bonefish, tarpon and permit into the depths. In December, January and early February, while we are enjoying the low humidity that allows us all types of outdoor sports, there are usually a few good days for anglers when the wind comes around to the east and the bones respond quickly to the weather change and reappear on the flats, but on days when the winds and temperature are adverse, anglers are forced to make the run from Key Largo towards the Everglades and Flamingo for redfish and snook. Meanwhile, offshore anglers are in their glory when the barometer is dropping as the sailfish are drawn by the baitfish funneled into the crease of northeast wind-driven waters meeting the Gulf Stream. King mackerel and cobia cavort in the churning water and only the toughest angler can take the long days of rough seas.
The surprising other side of the coin is that summer fishing in the Keys can be delightful. Despite the intense sun, the temperatures are always a few degrees cooler than any major city in the US. On the water, southeasterly breezes blow away bugs and humidity, while thinly-dressed sportsmen enjoy the best conditions. Summer fishing offers more permit and tarpon, and the stronger tide changes make more flats available for poling and hunting, as opposed to staking out. In the summer heat, night fishing on the reef can offer relief while the darkness makes snapper and yellowtail easier to trick into taking the bait. The tropical sky, alive with stars and away from ambient light sources, is a wonderous distraction.
The climax of the summer season, in late July, is the madness that is lobster season. The two-day mini-season, which this year is July 26 & 27, allows recreational divers, snorkelers and netters to get a head start on the commercial fishermen, whose season opens 10 days later. The lobsters, called “bugs” must have a carapace more than 3 inches (egg-bearing females are protected) and must be caught and measured without breaking the shell. The numbers show the popularity of the sport — last season’s count was estimated at 432,000, which, at 6 per day for 2 days, suggests that there were over 35,000 divers on the water per day! Weather doesn’t seem to come into it at all.
2023 – Lobster Mania Mini Season coming July 26-27, 2023
When I start the packing process for our annual migration north, I am always reminded that my personal history with Ocean Reef actually started with July trips to Islamorada, back in the 80s. Only when we looked for someplace that had more than a weekend’s interest did we discover the year-round paradise that was secluded just 25 miles away. As I pack, I inevitably wonder why I don’t spend the summer months, when the fishing is so good, here too? I think there are a growing number who do…
It’s April and suddenly there is a shift — it may start with Daylight Savings Time, but it continues into many of the outdoor activities, both social (“When are you going up north?”) and natural (“Did you hear that bird call?”). Some activities wind up quietly, while others come to a crescendo, with tournaments and trophies.
For the Rod & Gun, it’s both: the Shooting Range will be closing on April 22 (the last day it will be open). It’s been a great season, with a new instructor, Pablo Montealegre, and improved facilities attracting a record-setting number of shooters. With bow and pellet ranges, and shotgun skeet, trap and five-stand, it is the best facility in southern Florida, and next year will come sooner than we know, but for now it will close down.
In the fishing world, it’s springtime and all that entails. Permit spawning season officially starts on April 1, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has issued a CLOSURE of the spawning waters including all of the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay from April 1 to August 1 (See Bulletin).
That ruling impacts the Rod & Gun Club’s Pick Any Three Days fishing tournament, running from March 1 to April 15. Currently, the Offshore category of sailfish has Carmen Sferrazza as leader, after his epic single day of 21 sails; in the Flats category, where permit are no longer included with the Bonefish, Tarpon, Snook, the leader is Steve Woodsum, who racked up an amazing 6,600 points in three days! Tough targets to beat, but there you are…
Meanwhile, as the weather warms up, being out on the water proves to be the best place. Breezes moderate the temperature and clothing is designed to keep you covered and cool. If you are feeling competitive, the Fish of the Month for April is Cobia and Tuna, open to all ORC members and their guests. Bring your entry to MarineMax Tackle Shop for official weigh-in and win the gift certificate and bragging rights. A day on the water is never wasted.
Last Tuesday was the Rod and Gun Club’s annual dinner event, and this year was a fun and casual Men’s Night Out. Even though the ladies were left out, the dress code of hunting/fishing garb made for an attractive crowd of camo and sea foam-colored shirts with the occasional strong shots of neon orange, proving once again that it’s the males of the species that sport the most vibrant plumage.
Held at Waterside, there was plenty of space for fun and games, especially those skill-based challenges — net-throwing, axe toss, and video marksmanship — that are unique to the Rod and Gun society. More conventional swag bags and raffles were also present, but it was the tantalizing buffet that everyone was talking about. The OR Culinary staff really went all in on the hunting theme, with tiny quail (provided by Ignacio Borbolla), duck risotto, elk wellington and venison chili (served in little pseudo-shotgun shells!) followed by the traditional pie and ice cream that real He-men require.
The speakers were equally appropriate for the happy, hearty menfolk in the audience — locker room humor. Had Fuller led off the joke-telling with some wonderful stories, followed by classicist Leonard Wood and the master, Tom Davidson, Sr.
The centerpiece of the evening was Gus Hillenbrand’s introduction of Nelson Sims as Sportsman of the Year. Gus had a photo montage that spanned over a decade of travel — in his estimation, 50 fishing and hunting trips that Nelson had taken with many of those at the dinner. He described Nelson’s roles as a sportsman, a conservationist, an environmentalist and a founding member of organizations that support those causes, like Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and the Rod and Gun Club, both of which he went on to chair and lead to significant growth. In addition, Nelson led ORC as chairman through the difficult 2008-09 years, and even oversaw the Chapel through its design and construction, leaving each institution in a stronger, more vibrant state. His secret to a successful board? “Get the right guys on the Board and it will be easy.”
Nelson himself said that he has always loved the outdoors and hunting, starting with his first BB gun as a 6-year-old, a 20-gauge at 8, and so on. As his grandfather started him shooting, so he has done with his children and grandchildren, teaching them gun safety while helping them practice with sporting clays at the R&G range as well as home in Colorado. He remains an active hunter himself, bagging his first turkey just this year. Looks like we got the right guy for this award.
2023 – Sportsman of the Year – Nelson Sims – awarded at Rod & Gun Men’s Night!
This year’s Reef Cup is complete, and it was a good one. Lots of fish were caught, the weather was challenging, and the participants enjoyed themselves onshore as well as at sea. The size of the field (59 boats) hasn’t changed in years. It’s always waitlisted and the limitation is more an issue of the size of the onshore activity — the social events run to 500 people — than the offshore. The number of fish caught, 163, was higher than last year, but records of 300+ were set years ago.
The event is 38 years old, and has seen plenty of changes along the way — it used to be in January, now it’s scheduled for March. It was four days, now it’s three. Technical innovations like kites have changed scoring systems. But for some participants it’s a family tradition, going back years, decades, even to pre-Club buyout days, and they man the boat with sons and daughters, cousins and in-laws. Out of the top five boats, I believe that four were family affairs. All for a trophy and some bragging rights.
Add to the mix the captains and crew, who make critical decisions about where to go, north or south, what depth to fish and exactly where and when. The match up of currents, winds and temperature that promise the baitfish to lure in the sails is a complex and intuitive calculation that decide a boat’s fate.
To be honest, there are a lot of winners. In the field of 59 boats and 299 anglers, there are top men, women, junior anglers and each day has its roster of first, second and third best boat or angler. Many of the participants I spoke to were proud to inform me of their being on the top boat of a certain day, or that they were with an angler who caught the most fish on one of the three days. Some reminded me that they won in prior years, even many years ago. But what struck me were the folks who have fished for 20 years (the Zifferers) or 25+ (Tom Davidson, Jr) or even all 38 years, not including the boycott year of 1993 (Ken Reda).
Now that’s dedication!
2023 – The Zifferers and the Catching Z’s team, with 20 Reef Cup Tournaments on record.
Join us at 6 p.m. and Town Hall Waterside for a fun evening of great food and high spirits. There will be a game dinner buffet, joke telling and games. Hunting or fishing attire is encouraged. Sign up via email at events@rodandgun.org.
This week is the Reef Cup, a major tournament that attracts world-class deep-sea fishermen from far and wide to the waters off Ocean Reef. It occurs to me that fishermen are surprisingly competitive — why, when I look at all the contests going on right here under the auspices of the Rod and Gun Club, it’s clear that a little competition makes everything just a bit more interesting. There is a game for every angler .
There’s the Fish of the Month, which in March features pompano and snapper, and in April covers tuna and cobia. Open to all ORC Members and their guests, bring your submission to MarineMax for weighing — no entry fee!
Another fishing tournament is the Inshore/Offshore Have It Your Way, where you get to choose which three days you will fish, what category, Inshore or OFFSHORE, and FLATS, spin or fly. It runs from March 1 to April 15 and all it takes is an email before you go out and another with your results: fishing@rodandgun.org.
If you just want to watch fish, go to the Coral Cam, a 24-hour live feed available free to members of the Rod and Gun. Go to pennekampparkfriends.org, sign in as a member (members of Rod and Gun can obtain the free access code by emailing contactus@rodandgun.org) and go to Coral Cam (an option in the list in the aqua band on the left side of screen) and enjoy full-color viewing of everything that swims by.
Coral Cam Screenshot 3-20-2023
What a change of pace? Visit theShooting Range, open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., ready and equipped with everything you need to sharpen your skills and have a little more competitive fun, whether it’s sporting clays, skeet or trap. Just go to Rodandgun.org for more info.
The Florida Sailfish Cup tournament is a contest that runs from December thru May — each boat picks the 4 days that they will fish, and reports the 3 best days’ results — and with 75 days of fishing left to go, it’s too soon to tell who will win. But Carmen Sferrazza’s boat “Carma” picked the right day for their first posting, and are in second place after a remarkably stellar day.
Captain Tucker Ersek of the Carma is a native son of the Keys, fishing since he was 8 years old and even though he is only 24 years old now, he has an affinity for the job that is uncanny. He studies the conditions constantly to determine when and where to go. Sailfish are attracted to a specific combination of wind and currents, reportedly just before a cold front. He looks for the green water that Biscayne Bay dumps onto the edge of the reef. When this nutrient-rich water hits the north current of the Gulf Stream, it creates a natural boundary that holds baitfish and attracts sailfish, and when Tucker’s study of currents, winds and temperature conditions indicate it’s the right time to go, he makes the call. You may get notice at 8 o’clock at night, but you cancel whatever was on the schedule for tomorrow and you go out. In this case, it was a team of three dedicated anglers — Carmen, his wife Angela Basciano and Jodi Zifferer, a frequent co-conspirator, who were on deck.
They set out early and pushed south, and it was a good day right from the start. By 9 a.m., they had released 8 sails, and it continued like that all day. Working the greenish against the purple water, going down past Islamorada in seas of 2-3 feet, they handled double and triple hook ups.
They fished until the last hour, going through all their equipment and bait. Down to chewed up leaders on kite rods, they came home in the dark, in shock at the final count. They even ran out of sailfish release flags. Carmen says it was his best ever day, in 8 years of fishing regularly: boated 21, out of 30 shots.
At the end of the day, what was their celebration? A round of high fives, and then time to clean the boat…
2023 – Epic sailfish day! 21 releases on “Carma”, with Capt Tucker Ersek and anglers Carmen and Angela Sferrazza and Jody Zifferer.
