I recently received an e-mail from Marty Mann of the FWC:

It is the desire of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to work closely with bass anglers, clubs, and tournaments to ensure all users enjoy safe and quality fishing and boating while protecting the environment. Recently, FWC has been receiving many reports that anglers are installing fish attractors in lakes and we are trying to get the word out that this activity requires a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Without a permit, it is considered littering and is illegal. The FWC is concerned that anglers are participating in an illegal activity and may not even be aware of it. We are also concerned that anglers are putting environmentally unfriendly materials in the lake to serve as attractors as well as placing attractors in water depths that may become navigational hazards.

Managing aquatic plants in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes is the topic of a Sept. 26 public meeting hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The meeting is in Kissimmee from 6-8 p.m. in the fourth-floor County Commission Chambers, Osceola County Administration Building, 1 Courthouse Square.
“We want to know what business owners, property owners, anglers, hunters, bird watchers, airboaters and others who have a vested interest in the chain of lakes think,” said Ed Harris, FWC invasive plant management biologist. “Now is the time to get and stay involved.”

The Space Coast Bass Finatics held their annual invitation only Classic tournament August 24th launching out of the north ramp at Lake Poinsett. Afternoon thunderstorms may have dampened the competitors and their equipment, but they didn't dampen the spirits of the anglers or the fish. Mike Calloway of Titusville and Cliff Semonski of Oak Hill weighed 5 fish for 16.96 pounds to be crowned SCBF Classic Champions. Their catch included a 4.88 pounder by Calloway that was the tournament's biggest fish. Second place was earned by Bob Barnette of Port St. John and Dwayne Haga of Titusville who brought 5 fish for 16.06 pounds to the scales. Jimmy Blount and Jack Berry, both of Rockledge, took third with 5 fish for 15.82 pounds. All fish were released alive and well back into the St. Johns River.

SCBF Veteran Mike Calloway fishes the ABA/AFT series for his shot at a Bassmaster Classic qualification among other things. The first day of a recent two day event at West Lake Toho, Mike caught a huge 9.60 pounder that he described as pristine and magnificent. He said her coloring was really beautiful. She certainly looks good in the photo. Mike finished 4th in the tournament with a two day total of over 27 pounds.

What a fish! Good work Mike!

On behalf of the club, I hereby extend congratulations to Clyde Taylor and his son Raymond Taylor for winning the Space Coast Bass Finatics Bassmasters points championship. Their consistently awesome season faltered a bit in the last two tournaments opening the door slightly to Calloway/Semonski but the Taylor's domination the rest of the season proved too much to overcome. The Taylors managed 7 top 3 finishes this season including 4 wins. They also caught the biggest bass at 4 events. Raymond's 9.33 pound beauty from February at West Lake Toho was the biggest fish of the year. That means the Taylors have a shot at the Triple Crown! Good luck at the classic, we'll all be trying our best to keep you from that honor. Excellent fishing this year Taylors, you really showed us how it's done!

We went from a 20 pound slug fest at Garcia to this. It all started hopefully enough at East Lake Tohopekaliga's Lakefront Park on July 28th, but then, somewhere in the windless heat, endless seas of pepper grass, and encircling bugs, things just turned out all pathetic like. Making the best of a tough situation with a triumphant return from an unfun health predicament was Mr Tim Iler of Port St. John and his partner, Mr Larry Cruce of Titusville. Those two sacked the only 5 fish limit the tournament would see which made a whopping 8.82 pound impression on the scales. Congratulations and handshakes abounded as the rest of us were humbled.

Finishing second with 4 fish for 6.35 pounds were some guy named Tony Ciavarella of Melbourne and Daville Williams of Palm Bay. We worked really hard all day to give those 4 little green fish a boat ride. Okay, Mr Williams took a break from smoking cloves and downing Monsters somewhere in the middle to send an e-mail or three but the rest of the time was all effort. Mike Calloway of Titusville and Cliff Semonski of Oak Hill brought 3 fish to the scales for 5.22 pounds to earn third. Their bag included the biggest fish of the tournament, a 2.05 pound behemoth Cliff managed to horse near the boat while Calloway used both hands and got a sore back scooping the fish with the net. I'm sure Cliff took photos with this beauty for his collection, but he forgot to submit them to me so they aren't posted here. Rumor has it that he took precise measurements for a replica mount.

Veteran Space Coast Bass Finatic Mike Calloway is fishing the American Bass Anglers American Fishing Tour this season. The domination of Calloway and his magical Zoom Speed Worm continued at the July 13 & 14th Division 20 Championship on the Harris Chain where he weighed 9 fish over 2 days for 30.18 pounds to win the event by over 7 pounds. He caught an 8.46 pound kicker on his last cast with 10 minutes left.

Mike finished in second place in points in the division with two wins. His hard work has earned him a 46th place rank nationally and a berth to the National championship at Clarks Hill at the end of October.

Good luck Mike!

The Space Coast Bass Finatics were greeted by swarms of hungry mosquitoes at the Miami-Garcia Impoundment west of Fellsmere at the start of their June 30th two person team bass tournament. The mosquitoes weren't the only thing biting as a few all time club records fell amongst the rain and lightning. The top three finishers weighed the heaviest 5 fish limits at Garcia in the history of the club and finished within a pound of one another.

Mike Calloway, of Titusville and fishing without a partner, sacked a whopping 5 fish limit for 20.98 pounds to win the tournament. His weight included a magnificent 7.77 pound giant that was the tournament's biggest fish and a new club record for the biggest fish at Garcia. In addition to winning the tournament, he set the all time club record for the heaviest weight ever weighed by anyone fishing without a partner at any tournament. His catch is also the heaviest 5 fish limit ever weighed in at Garcia in the history of the club.

Finishing a close second with 5 fish for 20.39 pounds were Tony Ciavarella of Melbourne and Daville Williams of Palm Bay. Their catch included a 7.21 pounder. Mike Hampton of Malabar and Tim Kopf of Melbourne weighed 5 fish for 20.16 pounds to take third place. They actually had the weight to finish second but a fish care penalty knocked them back to third.

The Space Coast Bass Finatics continued their 2012/2013 season at Lake Toho on May 19th.  Mike Calloway of Titusville and Cliff Semonski of Oak Hill brought a 5 fish limit to the scales weighing a total of 19.94 pounds to win the tournament.  Their impressive catch included two fish over 6 pounds.  The father and son team of Clyde and Raymond Taylor, both of Palm Bay, weren't far behind.  They brought 5 fish to the scales that totaled 18.49 pounds to earn second place.  Raymond caught a 7.87 pound giant that was the tournament's biggest fish.  Larry Cruce of Titusville, fishing without a partner, weighed 5 fish for 12.80 pounds to finish 3rd.

The Space Coast Bass Finatics hauled their boats to Lake Cypress on April 28 for another round of competition along the way to determining the 2012/2013 Bassmasters. This time, the morning started out strange as we found ourselves among dozens of boats from another club. Due to the congestion, we voted to change our weigh-in from the typical 3:00pm to 4:00pm to avoid them come weigh-in time. The other guys were an interesting bunch. One of them managed to drive his rig into a ditch along side the road just prior to the ramp which resulted in his his trailer bottoming out with the boat on it. Another one of them managed to forget or otherwise lose his boat keys which would ultimately prove to be a smart move as he won their tournament with over 17 pounds caught by pitching the reeds near the boat ramp which was the only place he could go without use of his big motor.

Bob Barnette of Port St. John and Dwayne Haga of Titusville got caught up in the chaos at the launch ramp. Even though they arrived with plenty of time before sunrise, they were unable to launch their boat until 30 minutes after the rest of the club set off to catch fish. Despite the time handicap and contemplating going home instead of fishing due to their launch predicament and the extra hour of fishing time cutting into obligations at home, they set out onto the Kissimmee Chain and proceeded to lap the field. They caught an impressive 5 fish stringer totaling a stout 21.91 pounds including two fish over 5 pounds and the rest in the 3 to 4 pound range to win the tournament. Mike Calloway of Titusville and Cliff Semonski of Oak Hill brought 5 fish to the scales that weighed a hefty 17.68 pounds to earn 2nd place. Their bag included the tournament's biggest fish, a 7.92 pound giant caught by Calloway. Clyde and Raymond Taylor, both of Palm Bay, secured 3rd place with 5 fish that weighed in at 15.20 pounds.