Yeah it's that time of year again.....

All the Pro guides you see on the weekend TV shows makin you drool over the fish and tactics will be here next weekend..........I am takin Mini for his first show....Man I can not wait to see the awe in his face, when looking at a 10,000 gallon fish tank with a 17' flats boat in the middle of it with live reds and snook smimming around!!!!


Here is what the schedule will be for the Fort Myers show:

I myself will be attending the Flats/ Wade finshing seminars....


All Seminar schedules the same both days



Riggin’ it Right Schedule



Offshore:
11:00 a.m. Thirty-second Kingfish Rig—Tie a better wire leader in just 30 seconds.
12:00 p.m. Bottom Fishing—Catch more snapper and grouper with our bottom rigs.
1:30 p.m. Caring for your Catch—Proper fillet technique will improve table performance.
2:30 p.m. Better Ballyhoo Fishing—Rig a better trolled bait
3:30 p.m. Thirty-second Kingfish Rig—Tie a better wire leader in just 30 seconds.



Inshore:
11:00 a.m. Rigging Basics—Rigging plastic baits, jerkbaits and paddle-tail jigs.
12:00 p.m. Live-baiting—Learn tricks on how to rig shrimp, mullet, mud minnows and crabs.
1:30 p.m. Leader to braid or mono—Learn two fast and easy methods of knot tying.
2:30 p.m. Sliding Float Rig—How to fish structure and grass without getting hung up.
3:30 p.m. Double-line tying—Learn the Spider hitch, a great way to double your line



Angler on Foot
10:45 a.m. Beach fishing in Southwest Florida and East Coast Florida
12:00 p.m. Effective bridge and pier fishing
1:30 p.m. Request Hour
3:00 p.m. Beach fishing in Southwest Florida and East coast Florida
4:00 p.m. Effective bridge and pier fishing (Saturday Only)






Hobie Kayak Stage—Fishing Seminar and slide show:



Seminars start at Noon and 2 p.m., hosted by Florida Sportsman Associate Editor Jerry McBride. Stop in anytime and see the tricked-out boats and talk to the experts about how to fish from kayaks.






Inshore Stage 10,000-gallon pond with Sterling flats boat, mangroves and slide show



11 a.m. Capt. Mark Nichols Wadefishing the Flats




12 p.m. Capt. Blair Wiggins Inshore Tactics




1 p.m. Capt. Chris Wittman Redfish Tournament Techniques




2 p.m. Capt. Rick De Paiva How to Fish Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island




3 p.m. Capt. Dave Pomerleau The Mad Snooker will help you catch monster snook




4 p.m. Capt. Terry Sturgeon Using Live Bait to Catch More Fish (Saturday Only)



Offshore Stage Offshore boat with downriggers, outriggers, kites and slide show



11 a.m. Capt. Rick Ryals Snapper and Grouper




12 p.m. Capt. Ralph Allen Advanced Bottom Fishing




1 p.m. Capt. Hank Williams 101 Quick Tips to Catch More Fish




2 p.m. Capt. Rick Featherstone Wrecks and Reefs in Southwest Florida




3 p.m. Capt. Jeff Rogers Dry Tortugas Vacation




4 p.m. Capt. Denny Young Kingfish A to Z (Saturday Only)



Inshore Stage:



11 a.m. Wadefishing the Flats



Capt. Mark Nichols, inventor and manufacturer of D.O.A. lures, has tested his lures in shallow water all over the country. The techniques he developed in the Indian River of Florida work just as well in Texas bays, Louisiana coastal islands and Southwest Florida flats.



“Keeping a low profile is essential in skinny water,” explains Nichols, “and I can’t do that from the bow of a boat. I’ll get out and go down on my knees on a submerged sandbar when I see a fish, which might put the water around my chest.”



Nichols will demonstrate his version of lure retrieval while he wades in the Inshore Stage, a 10,000-gallon pond, and casts his lures to virtual reality snook and redfish that are swimming in the roots of artificial mangroves. What is Mark‘s best advice for lure retrieval in shallow water? “If you think you’re retrieving it too slow, then what you need to do is slow it down some more!”


12 p.m. Inshore Tactics



Capt. Blair Wiggins, a.k.a. Mogan Man, is the host of one of Florida's longest running saltwater television shows: "Addictive Fishing." In the past 10 years of filming, Blair has fished inshore, nearshore, and offshore with local guides from Texas to Louisiana and all over Florida. The techniques he has learned along the way will work here in Southwest Florida. Blair is also a hardcore tournament angler. In 2006, he won the $100,000 first prize at the FLW Redfish Championship. The following year, Blair fished with a different partner and took home the Panama City FLW Redfish title. He has spent countless pre-fishing hours on the water and will share that passion and knowledge with the audience.



Blair is a master at throwing artificials. From soft plastics and hard baits to spinners and spoons, he’ll talk about all different types of lures to throw in this area. Blair's multimedia presentation will incorporate video clips that show tips and techniques in action and allow the audience to ask questions about each segment creating an interesting learning experience.



1 p.m. Redfish Tournament Techniques



Capt. Chris Wittman, along with his crew Team Hooters, is one of the new breed of inshore saltwater tournament professionals. He’s been featured in numerous articles in fishing magazines and as a guest on WINK Radio’s “Reel Talk” and “The Spanish Fly” fishing show with Captain Jose Wejebe on ESPN2. Capt. Witt will share his strategies for a successful day on the water chasing redfish.



“My best advice is to strategize the night before,” says Capt. Witt. “Pick your lures, spool your reels with fresh line, then look at the tides and moon phases to plan where to be when the water starts to move.”



Wittman’s diverse experience and knowledge has been a great source of inspiration and learning to those who have heard him speak. You will not want to miss the opportunity to learn how to fish like a pro.



2 p.m. How to Fish Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island



Capt. Rick De Paiva has spent thousands of hours guiding clients with artificial baits and the fly in Pine Island Sound. Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island offer miles of lush green grassflats, surrounded by sandy pot holes. Extensive mangrove shorelines surround the islands, making this area a fisherman’s paradise.



In the winter, when baitfish all but disappear and predators become lethargic, “it is imperative that an angler know how to use plastic baits,” states Capt. Rick. “There are so many ways to rig plastic baits that it confuses many livebait fishermen and keeps them from experimenting. But once you know how to rig and work these baits, you’ll have more confidence and catch more fish.” Capt. Rick will teach you the latest methods of catching quality winter fish using soft plastics.






3 p.m. Catching Monster Snook



Capt. Dave Pomerleau is known as the Mad Snooker for good reason—he pursues snook with a maniacal passion that causes him to start out at dusk fishing the Sunshine Skyway and end up at sunrise in Naples.



“You never know where the big boys will show up so I hit a lot of spots, “says Pomerleau. “Every bridge and most docks hold fish—we try ‘em all until we find the monsters, with the smaller ones providing lots of fun in the meantime.”



Topics will include types of tackle needed to pull brute snook out from bridge and dock pilings. Pomerleau uses 130-pound mono on a heavy conventional reel. His favorite bait is large shrimp, but Capt. Dave will teach you how to catch pinfish when large shrimp are unavailable. Most importantly, the “Mad Snooker” will share some secrets to locate feeding fish in winter in the Ft. Myers area.



4 p.m. Using Live Bait to Catch More Fish (Saturday Only)



Capt. Terry Sturgeon, a Jacksonville-based inshore charter skipper, is Florida Sportsman’s castnetting instructor at all FS Fishing Shows around Florida. So who better to give a seminar on using live baits to catch more fish? Capt. Terry guides his clients to big catches of Northeast Florida’s fabled trout, flounder and redfish, most-often using live baits that he catches.



“I sometimes use artificials, too,” says Terry. “But when I want to guarantee a good catch to a client who isn’t that good with continuous casting, I go for the live bait. Shrimp, mullet, crab, mud minnows, shad—they all have their own natural scent and great natural action if you rig them the right way. That’s what my seminar is going to be about, how to rig live baits to get the best action and where to fish live baits to catch the most for your table.”



Topics will also include how to pick the best baits at the bait store and how to keep them frisky. Plus, Capt. Terry will distribute a handout on what bait shops carry the harder to find baits such as live mud minnows and live crabs.



Offshore Stage:



11 a.m. Snapper and Grouper



Capt. Rick Ryals is co-author of Florida Sportsman’s popular book and DVD, Sportsman’s Best—Snapper and Grouper. Plus, he’s team leader of Riggin’ it Right at all Florida Sportsman Fishing Shows.



Ryals is also the captain of a 35-foot Cabo Express, Dos Amigos, that fishes Northeast Florida waters in search of big snapper and grouper. Ryals has won many tournaments over his 30 years of Florida fishing and will speak about how to greatly improve your catch of the most sought after reef and wreck fish—snapper and grouper. Topics will include rigging bottom-fishing terminal tackle, best baits, how to catch and store live bait, anchoring and drifting techniques, and end with someone in the audience winning an autographed copy of Sportsman’s Best—Snapper and Grouper.



12 p.m. Advanced Bottom Fishing



Capt. Ralph Allen is Florida Sportsman’s Southwest Regional Field Editor and part of the second generation of charter captains to run the charter fleet out of Fisherman’s Village Marina. Capt. Allen says successful bottom fishing is like real estate—location, location, location—and will discuss how to catch more fish using electronics to find hard bottom in the Gulf.



“A lot of people don’t know how to fine tune and interpret depth-sounders to locate fish,” says Capt. Allen. “When you use them in conjunction with GPS you can find those little oases in the desert that are overlooked by others. Electronics keep getting more and more accurate, and much cheaper. These advances have made it a lot easier to locate good bottom. If you know how to use this stuff you’ll have a successful day.”



1 p.m. 101 Quick Tips to Catch More Fish



Capt. Hank Williams is the owner of Wet Willy Charters and has fished Florida waters for more than 30 years, learning ways to spend less time and money to catch more fish. Hank has developed dozens of nifty tips that will produce better catches of snapper, grouper, cobia, kingfish and all the offshore fish that Florida Sportsman has been covering for over forty years. This seminar will be all about maximizing your catch while minimizing your effort and expense.



“If you learn to be a better fisherman you will save money on fuel and tackle,” advises Capt. Hank. “Boating has become more time consuming and more expensive over the years, so you need to learn every little trick rather than using the same old tactics that aren’t working. This economy has caused all of us to start to think beyond the basics and old tactics. It’s not more money or more time that will improve your catch, it is smarter fishing—pure and simple.”



Along with rigging techniques to catch popular table fish, Capt. Hank will offer advice on using electronics to find fish you couldn’t find before.



2 p.m. Wrecks and Reefs Southwest Florida



Capt. Rick Featherstone is the past president of the Ft. Myers Beach Tarpon Hunter’s Club. He‘s on the water most every day—in his business Magic Hook Charters—fishing for tarpon, permit, kingfish and cobia, depending on the time of year. Capt. Rick will show you how to catch kingfish, grouper and permit over the numerous wrecks that dot the underwater landscape offshore of Southwest Florida.



“Catching fish out in the Gulf isn't as hard as you might think,” says Capt. Rick. “There are plenty of fish 5 to 10 miles off the beach.” Capt. Rick’s specialty is permit fishing. “Permit are a pleasant surprise when looking for tarpon,” says Featherstone. “They show up when least expected, so you better leave the dock with permit bait or you can face a major disappointment looking down at 2,000 permit with lockjaw.”



Topics will include how to fish wrecks and reefs in Southwest Florida. Also he’ll tell-all about baits, rigs and tackle for tarpon and permit. If there’s time, he might spill the beans about kingfish.






3 p.m. Dry Tortugas Vacation



Capt. Jeff Rogers, born and raised in Naples, made his first trip to the Dry Tortugas over fifteen years ago. Dry Tortugas fishing trips have become popular among avid fishermen and families who want a different type of Florida Vacation. Fishing in the Dry Tortugas yields many species of fish including mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, grouper, cobia, amberjack, kingfish, sharks and barracuda.



Jeff suggests: “On your way to the Dry Tortugas, try tolling baits awhile for dolphin, sailfish, wahoo and tuna.” Jeff will share great fishing locations within and outside the national park bounds.



“It is all about finding that new spot to fish, the thrill of discovering ledges with drops up to 300 feet. That is where the monster fish live,” says Jeff. He will talk about what type of gear to pack for a two to three day fishing adventure. Other topics include, charting, depthfinding equipment and most importantly, how to be safe while enjoying your vacation.



4 p.m. Kingfish A to Z (Saturday Only)



Capt. Denny Young, of Jacksonville, was 17 years old in 1987 when he won his first tournament. He skipped school to fish the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament, the biggest kingfish tournament in the world with a field of 1,000 boats.



“I got expelled on Friday but I had $35,000 in my pocket thanks to a live silver mullet and a 49-pound kingfish, so it was well worth it,” says Young, who went on to fish several years on the SKA circuit and eventually settled into a successful charter fishing operation.



Subjects will include how to locate feeding schools of kingfish using “breaks” in water temperature, salinity and depth. Also, he’ll explain in detail the best baits, rigs and tackle to use for a successful kingfish trip.