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 Win a Pond Prowler Boat!
South Florida Kids Bass Fishing Trail
Bass Pro Shops and the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division present the SIXTH ANNUAL SOUTH FLORIDA KIDS BASS FISHING TRAIL. In its fifth year, this program has become very popular with kids and their parents. Each month we see more and more new faces. Although everyone has learned that catching bass from shore without live bait can be pretty difficult, it's been great to see many of the anglers improve their skills. We have had some great weigh-ins, and the time spent fishing in our parks has provided some terrific family outings.
Great news! Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation has developed a Junior Bass Tournament Trail. Bass Pro Shops will donate a boat and trolling motor for both Palm Beach County and Broward County! Thank you Bass Pro Shops!
On January 3, 2009, the top 10 fishing champions from each county will compete at Quiet Waters Park in a challenge of Team Broward versus Team Palm Beach. The best total weight caught will determine the winning county. A large trophy will be developed that will go back and forth to the winning county team.
For additional information, please contact Gary Waingrow at 954-306-3441. Anglers must preregister for each tournament. Go online to www.bassfishingkids.com.
Tournament dates and locations:
| Dates |
|
Locations |
| June 21, 2008 |
|
T.Y. Park |
| July 12, 2008 |
|
Quiet Waters Park |
| August 16, 2008 |
|
C.B. Smith Park |
| September 6, 2008 |
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Tradewinds Park |
| November 15, 2008 |
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C.B. Smith Park - Wild Card, By Invitation Only |
| December 6, 2008 |
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Tradewinds Park - Classic, By Invitation Only |
| January 3, 2009 |
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Quiet Waters Park - County Challenge, By Invitation Only |
| Locations |
Address |
Phone Number |
| Quiet Waters Park |
401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach |
954-360-1315 |
| Tradewinds Park |
3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek |
954-968-3880 |
| T.Y. Park |
3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood |
954-985-1980 |
| C.B. Smith Park |
900 N. Flamingo Rd., Pembroke Pines |
954-437-2650 |
Please call to preregister and confirm the location of each tournament.
- Each angler will receive a weigh bag at their first tournament. Anglers will be responsible for their own weigh bag and will not be allowed to participate without a weigh bag or cooler. Anglers competing in the classic can win rods, reels, lures, and other merchandise. The winner of the classic will receive a Pond Prowler Boat!
- A presentation will be given by a local bass professional whenever possible at the end of each tournament. The award ceremony will follow.
- Fishing is from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Anglers must preregister for each tournament. Registration must be completed by 3:30 p.m. the Thursday prior to the tournament date. Anyone through the age of 16 may participate in the tournaments. Anglers need to provide their own tackle, and only artificial lures may be used (no live bait). There is no entry fee, only a $1.50 entrance fee into the parks. These are all catch and release tournaments. All fish must be released for points to count. There will be a dead fish penalty for any fish that does not swim away. Anglers must provide either a weigh bag or cooler to transport live fish to the weigh station. A maximum of 70 anglers (35 in each age category) will be allowed to fish in each tournament. There is a three-fish limit, 10 inch minimum. Only peacock and largemouth bass will count in the tournament. Anyone age 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Fishing is restricted to the shore. In the case of a tie, the angler with the biggest fish wins. All tournament committee decisions are final.
- Points will be accumulated from each tournament. Points will be given to each angler for fishing in each tournament even if he/she does not catch any fish. After the last tournament in October, all participants' points will be totaled, and the top 20 anglers will be invited to fish the Classic.
- There will be a wild card tournament in November. The top three anglers from the Wild Card tournament will be invited to fish in the Classic. To be eligible for the Wild Card tournament, the angler must fish in three previous tournaments that year. There will be no age group categories in the Wild Card tournament or the Classic. Anglers already eligible to fish the Classic will not be eligible to fish in the Wild Card tournament. There will be no points awarded for this tournament.
- First through third place prizes will be awarded for both smallfry and junior age categories. Smallfry is through age 10 and junior is through age 16. Angler of the Year awarded to the angler with the most points accumulated after the Classic in December. The winner of the South Florida Junior Classic will win an eight-foot Pond Prowler with trolling motor.
- For additional information, please contact Gary Waingrow at 954-306-3441 or Bob Newland at 954-985-1980 or rnewland@broward.org.
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Some Sixth Annual South Florida Junior Classic Catches
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11th Annual Junior Bass Tournament Trail
| Sponsored by: |
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The dates are set! Get ready to fish! This program is specifically designed for ages 12 -17. All participants must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older. The adult will not be permitted to fish. All participants must fish from a boat. Tournament rules are similar to those used in professional bass tournaments. Trophies are awarded at each monthly tournament for First through Third place and Big Bass catch. Tournament point totals are compiled over the four months of competition. The angler with the most points at the end of the competition will be named Junior Angler of the Year and will be awarded a special prize package. Cost of the program is $65 for each participant and covers all four torunaments. There is no fee for the adult in the boat.
For more details about registration, tournament rules, and general information, contact Bob Newland at 954-985-1980, ext. 228 or e-mail rnewland@broward.org
This is what happened last year! As is usually the case, the Junior Angler of the Year title wasn’t decided until the final tournament held at Tradewinds Park. Cody Dolan emerged as the Junior Angler of the Year by finishing in first place on April 19. Congratulations to Cody Dolan! Austin Newland finished as the Junior Angler of the Year runner-up when he finished in third place by less than ½ lb. behind Garret George who weighed in with one minute left on the weigh in clock.
Cody Davis’ 4.55 lb. bass held on over the four tournament series as the big bass overall. Prize packages for first thru third overall and big bass overall were awarded. In addition to the merchandise from Bass Pro Shops, the first and second overall and the big bass overall were awarded a free guide trip with the owners of Gambler Lures. See the results under April 19, 2008 Tournament Results.
Tournament point totals were compiled over the four months of competition. The participant with the most points at the end of four months was chosen the Junior Angler of the Year and won a special prize package. The cost of the program was $60 per participant, and each participant had to be accompanied by an adult of eighteen years or older. The adult was not allowed to fish during the competition. For information about Junior Bass Trail 2009, contact Bob Newland at 954-985-1980 ext. 228 or rnewland@broward.org.
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2008 Bass Trail Facts
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| Biggest bass caught |
4.55 lbs. |
| Heaviest five fish limit |
11.27 lbs. |
| Total number of bass weighed in |
214 |
| Total weight of all bass weighed in |
310 lbs. |
| Average weight per bass |
1.45 lbs. |
| Best tournament location |
Quiet Waters Park |
| Jr. Angler of the Year |
Cody Dolan of Loxahatchee |
| Tournament prize package |
Worth approximately $1,500 |
| Biggest bass caught in the last nine years |
7.9 lbs. at Tradewinds Park |
| Heaviest five fish limit caught in the last nine years |
17.57 lbs. at Tradewinds Park |
You don't have a boat? No Problem! If you don't own a boat, you can still enjoy some great fishing in our park system. T.Y. Park, Tradewinds Park, C.B. Smith Park, and Quiet Waters Park all rent boats that you can fish from for a minimal fee on weekends and holidays. You can fish from a pedal boat or a rowboat. You can do it by rowing or pedaling - the lakes are just the right size for this - or you can bring your own electric trolling motor and battery to use with a rowboat. Tradewinds Park will even supply the motor and battery for you. It's a great way to get out and exercise with the added bonus of catching some nice fish at the same time. Call ahead for boat rental hours and availability or check out the individual park information listed on this website.
Did you know there are many parks in Broward County that have great fishing areas? With fishing being the second most popular sport in the U.S., it's time you knew what Broward County Parks and Recreation has to offer. (Applicable licenses are required for those over age 16 and under age 65.)
The following information about Broward County Parks fishing comes from John Cimbaro, Biological Scientist III, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The Plantation Heritage Fish Management Area (in Plantation Heritage Park) has fair to good bream (bluegill and redear sunfish) fishing, good bass fishing, and good catfishing.
There are three fish feeders on site, and near those feeders are the best locations to fish for the bream and catfish. Channel catfish are stocked annually (4,000 fish/year), and catfish up to 12.5 pounds have been caught at Heritage. The area is also very scenic. Fishing is allowed from the shore only, not from any of the rental boats. Because it is a Fish Management Area, there are other restrictions as well, such as only one pole per person-even with a cane pole, and you must have a valid fresh water fishing license if you are older than 16 or under age 65.
T.Y. Park is not good for bream fishing, but very good for bass fishing. The best fishing is from boats (pedalboats and rowboats are available for rent at T.Y. Park). C.B. Smith Park has fair bass with exotic spotted tilapia and a growing population of peacock bass present. There are boat rentals at the marina but lots of shoreline fishing places as well. Quiet Waters Park has good bass fishing, good shorline access, and is a farily scenic location to fish. Boats and food concessions are available at the Lakeview Marina. You may bring your own electric trolling motor for use on the rowboats. Fishing is permitted along any shore except at Splash Adventure Swimming Beach and the Ski Rixen Lake.
For all-around fishing, a good setup is a #8 Aberdeen hook fished about three feet under a one-inch bobber. A small split shot near the hook will keep your bait down where the fish can spot it. Recommended baits include live worms, crickets, cut hot dogs, and doughballs. All these baits, especially the live worms, will catch most kinds of fish but are especially good for bream. Good lures for bream include tiny jigs, beetle spins, or spinners. For bass, use larger hooks (1/0 or larger). The best bass bait is live shiner. Good lures for bass include plastic worms (black works well most of the time), minnow imitating lures, and spinnerbaits. Good baits for catfish include chicken or beef liver and live worms (catfish rarely strike lures). Use 1/0 or larger hooks for catfish and fish on the bottom rather than using a bobber.
 Here is some information about other Broward County parks that have fishing areas:
- Tree Tops Park: Fishing is allowed along lake banks, and boats are available daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (return by 5 p.m.). Tree Tops also offers canoe instruction for those who are not familiar with this kind of boating for fishing.
- Tradewinds Park: Has lots of shoreline fishing on both north and south sides of this park. It is recommended that you call ahead about boat rental availability if you want to go out on the lake on the south side. The park offers rowboats equipped with electric trolling motors and battery for fisherman for the same rental rate as their other boats with just an extra $25 deposit. Tradewinds is the best Broward County Park for catching peacock bass, which are becoming more abundant on the south side.
- Deerfield Island: Primary locations are the marina and west of the picnic area on the Hillsboro Canal.
- Easterlin Park: Shoreline fishing only. There are no boat rentals.
- Delevoe Park: Fishing in the lake from shore only; no boat rentals.
- Markham Park: Several lakes and access to the levy leading to the Everglades through Markham Park for great fishing as well. People also fish in the south and west canals that run along the two sides of the park. There are boat rentals as well.
- Brian Piccolo Park: Along the back lake on the dock and west of the dock. No boats allowed.
- West Lake Park: Fishing is allowed from boats out on the water in West Lake Park. A wide variety of salt water species can be caught in West Lake including snook, sheepshead, black drum, and mangrove snapper. In addition, fishing is allowed from all sides from the Sheridan Street bridge that crosses the lake and off the Fishing Trail boardwalk/fishing pier. Lastly, fishing is allowed from the South Trail into the intracoastal waterway along the path that goes under the west side of the intracoastal bridge and continuing along the west side of the intracoastal waterway. The boats in West Lake can't use fossil fuels (electric or self-propelled only).
- Hollywood North Beach Park: Fishing is allowed off all the fishing piers on the east side of the intracoastal waterway and from the park shorelines as well.
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