On This Page:

• Century Village Sunfish Sailors

• Boynton Beach Fishing Club

~Teach the Kids to Fish Day~

~Great American Cleanup, April 17th~

• Golden Lakes Ph. B Couple Fish the Panama Canal

• CenWest Fishing Club News, May 5, 2010

• Gone Fishin' by Manny Luftglass, July 28, 2010

Sunfish Sailors of Century Village

By Dot Loewenstein

Century Village's Sunfish Sailboats

Photos by Dot Loewenstein

Helga Lieb at the sailing dock. 

Unlike most lakes, Lake Century is not just a round circle. It has several "doglegs" adding to its beauty and offering a varying view.

Our Sunfish Sailboats are fun and sporty, wildlife is plentiful, and sailing is well and active during the summer months. The lake water is warmer now, and many residents prefer sailing during this time, especially the ladies. On an average, summer days will find five or more sailors out there. New students sign up frequently so they can participate also. Ladies please note: most are men - this is a fine opportunity to make new friendships.

Operated by WPRF (West Palm Recreation Facilities), we have a sailing instructor/attendant on staff at the boat dock five days a week. The hours are: Tue-Fri from 11-5 and Sat from 9-1. It is not required that sailors be members of the Sailing Club, but each must have a Certification Card and Century Village (West Palm) ID card. At times other than when an attendant is present, we have a Buddy System in effect, where two unit owners who are both certified sailors can get a key from the ticket office for access to the Sunfish sailboats.

During Season, attendance increases, the Sailing Club holds races competing WP with other CV locations, and cheerleaders provide encouragement. Joining the Sailing Club is optional, but if a sailor wants to be included in the races, he/she must be a member of the Sailing Club. Even watching from the sidelines can be most enjoyable as well as relaxing. 

Boynton Beach Fishing Club 

Teach the Kids to Fish Day

Great American Cleanup

Munyon Island

August 25, 2010

Well, by the time you read this column, Karen and I will have returned to New Jersey, and if my stupid Yamahaha engine ever starts to perform correctly, I will be doing more freshwater fishing than anything else. However, I am convinced that a mean person cussed me out with an evil eye when I bought it. It continues to fail to perform up to the worst kind of standards anyone could want.

Here’s the results of my last two trips in the Atlantic before heading north. Unfortunately, I was unable to get all the specifics I wanted about a real nice occurrence though, so all I can do is tell you about it in brief. The great guys of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club chartered the Lady K out of Lantana for three days, two trips a day, near the start of August and brought a whole pile of kids out to sea for some fun fishing. The club has done this for many years and no doubt the youngsters (and those that helped out) had a ball.

As for my two sailings, first was on the Fish City Pride out of Pompano Beach on 7/31 in perfect sea conditions with modest 6-10 m.p.h. winds out of the southeast. The morning trip didn’t do too well but you just cannot judge one sailing from the other because our 1-5 trip really produced some good action. Using a standard top-drifting rig, I caught a 10-pound bonito and a 5-pound true amberjack. I fished bottom most of the afternoon though with my usual three-hook "guppy rig" and caught another 17 fish. They included seven vermillion snappers, two lane snappers and other bottom dwellers. Nice!

My last shot at the brine before flying north was on the Lady K on the 2nd. I suggested (foolishly) to Captain Al that vermilion snappers had been biting in my prior two trips, first out of Fort Pierce and then from Pompano, so he pushed out into 200+ feet of water and we made three drifts, trying for vermilions, and no one caught dork in that time! Accepting my apologies, he brought us back inshore further and fish started biting quickly after he stopped the engines!

We drifted between the inlet and the hotel to the north and just about everyone caught some fish. Two guys got the fish they were reeling up gobbled by sharks. In fact, some unwanted bonito were thrown in by Al and we watched 200 pound sharks eat the 6-10 pound bonito as if they were candy bars!

I caught four bonito, four squirrel fish, four blue runners, a two-pound bar jack, and a keeper trigger fish. Oh yeah, throw in two really big king mackerel, 34 and 37 inch to the tail forks for me, and that made for a great final sailing before heading to N. J. – nice!

Lastly, I will be back right after Thanksgiving and would again love to give talks at area condo associations, fishing clubs, libraries, etc. My topics are, of course, "Fishing in Florida", but I also keep most folks from snoring when I discuss "How To Write, Self-Publish, and Sell Your own Book", as well as "How To Sell A Condo." By the time you read these pearls of wisdom my 21st book will be in print. As for the condo subject, I called myself "Condo Manny" for five + years and sold loads of them myself. If you are interested, give me a buzz in New Jersey at 908-996-2145 so that we can book a date.

Scuze me, gone fishin’.

August 11, 2010

Hi, Condo News readers! Karen and I got down here for a two week stay, as noted last time, and we headed back north on the 3rd. Before that though, I sailed out into the deep blue Florida Sea a total of eight times. I told you about the first trip in my prior column and now, let’s discuss the next five. I will then tell you about the last two sailings two weeks from now, okay?

Four of the trips were on the Lady K out of Lantana and in each of them; I caught a whole pile of fish with my standard "guppy rig" set up. But I caught so many more fish in the other sailing that I thought I should start out by discussing what occurred on the 27th when I fished on the Lady Stuart II out of Fort Pierce.

First off, it is a 70 mile drive from our gate at the Fountains. But nearly all of that is via the Turnpike so I made it to the dock in little over an hour. When I go to Pompano, it’s less driving but it still takes 45 minutes or so, not much of a difference at all, right?

The Lady Stuart also has a nice boat that sails from Stuart and I’ve done well on that boat as well but for now, let’s board the big and wide L. S. II and head into the ocean.

Both Lady Stuart’s generally fish while anchored up over hard bottom. This differs dramatically from what the boats from Jupiter on down to Fort Lauderdale do. You see, none of them even carries an anchor, they ALL drift-fish. We hot-shots can handle drift fishing with ease but tourists truly find it nearly impossible to stay in the bottom area that holds fish while drifting.

When I was on the "II" on the 27th, we did anchor up twice and everyone caught fish but the current and wind were so extremely modest that Captains Wayne and Fred put us on a drift thereafter, moving the boat from time to time.

There were twenty anglers on the boat and with two hard-working mates and two skippers, each customer got doggone near private attention and there wasn’t a customer who didn’t go home with some tasty fillets.

Two kids were on the boat and you could hear them squealing with glee quite often. The question asked often by each sounded something like "Is it big enough?" You see, we caught hundreds upon hundreds of sea bass, a wonderfully tasty fish that is rarely caught in our more local waters. But most of the bass were more like "bassalettes", being under the legal size limit of a foot.

Again, all went home with fish, far from common locally. I took four of my sea bass home and also caught fourteen beautifully bright-colored vermillion snappers. You can only keep five of them but, hey, I had a huge mess of fish to go home with. Try it!

As for the four Lady K sailings, again, the touristas didn’t do too well at all but my total take-home count for those trips was: nine snappers, nine porgies, ten French grunts, four trigger fish, one striped file fish, and a yummy graysby grouper. Not typical though of what others did. For doggone near a guaranty, head north, to either Lady Stuart boat and, hey, bring a kid if you can. They will truly have a blast!

Scuze me, gone fishin’.