The in-water show is on the opposite side of the intercoastal across the Biscayne Bay at Sea-Isle Marina. We arrived just as everyone was packing up for the evening. I think it was a quick departure for most of the exhibitors who had been suffering colder than normal temperatures during the day. For Miami it was a chilli 58*F.

I did get to spy another couple of boats of interest though. A sports fish for the girls from Canaveral Custom Boats Inc. This one comes in pink! http://www.deltaboats.com

As we still had plenty of ground to cover we headed out of the Convention Center to catch the shuttle to the in-water part of the show. We didn't realise there was still a large amount of exhibitors outside and here I got to admire some paint! For $500K you could choose your own paint design on this powerboat which would help you get to the fish faster, not exactly sure where the rod storage is though.

After a quick walk through the hall we walked up to the Big Game room and I was reminded that I actually do like fishing as long as it is somewhere tropical and big fish are involved. Sadly we missed seeing the couple from ESPN's "Go Fisch" who were scheduled to do a seminar at the show. I reiterate...plan what you want to see! Anthony stopped at Old Harbor Outfitters to admiring their fishing shorts and they have a line of women's clothing coming soon! http://www.oldharboroutfitters.com

2/7/2007

I have never been one for fishing...I think I am traumatized for life after innumerable voyages with my Dad fishing for mackeral in rough seas off the English coastline. Don't get me wrong it didn't put me off the boating experience entirely. I waste many an hour wandering the docks admiring the flare, tumble home and beautifully varnished teak of the sports fish boats, the paint job on the powerboats and the sleek lines of the latest European design.

It's not every girls idea of a perfect day out but nothing a trip to the Miami International Boat Show would not cure! There is something for everyone, whether you are an avid fisher or simply enjoy being out on the water. For us, it was a quick visit, we were on our way from the Keys to Fort Lauderdale and took a few hours out to visit the show. (I advise anyone taking time to visit to plan what you want to see and arrive early as there is a lot of ground to cover). We did a drive by of the larger yachts which are in water to the north end of Miami Beach and then headed to the Convention Center in mid Miami Beach which houses most of the smaller boats. Our entry point put us directly onto the Chris Craft stand which was in a prime position to display the latest in their line...WOW, unveiled at the show a 29' center console in true Chris Craft classic style. A real beauty, sign me up. The 23' C/C which preceded it won an Innovation Award at the show. I hope we see some of these on the bay this summer! http://www.chriscraft.com Perfect for that fishing trip or a day out with the girls!

Dan Smalley (Gibb's Plugs on the rignt)and Tom Melton of the Fisherman Magazine discussing the improvements on the new professional version of the classic "Danny Plug". This plug which is one of my favorites has had a revamping. It has now been vastly improved both for fish catching and durability. A realistic eye has been added as well as a stronger tail hook and much stronger "Spro" swivels and VMC hooks. This plug in the new "Pro Series" is a serious fish catcher. Tom Melton and I were able to convince Dan Smalley that a larger eye would allow for easier changing of the plug when using a "dou-lock" or "coast-lock" swivel as well as possibly adding a little more flexibility to the connection to give the plug more "wobble". Dan got on the phone to a sub-contractor that makes the internal wire and directed him to enlarge the eye loop on this particular plug as per our request. Incredible as it may seem, our suggestions immediately turned into a change in the manufacturing process for a plug that we both love and will now have in a new version that will be more deadly and functional that it was in the past. This plug is going to be a big bass slammer this coming season.

Captain Al Lorenzetti

3/1/2007

Tom Melton of the Fisherman Magazine and Capt. Al are talking with Dennis Ryan (president)and Dan Smalley (head engineer)of Gibbs Lures. Tim Smith and Captain Al Lorenzetti spent the day at the Suffern Outdoor show today visiting with friends and checking out all the latest on the fishing and hunting scene. I find it very satisfying to be able to talk to the experts and more specifically the owners of companies whose products I use in the course of my fishing and hunting activities. Today was a great example of this as I had the opportunity to talk to the president of Gibb's Lures and his head engineer about the plugs that I use. I was able to share my experiences in using these plugs and was able to suggest possible improvements and tell them about how their product did or did not fulfill my expectations. They were very receptive to my input and wanted to know about my experiences with their product.

Bkrett and Kevin with Paul in the middle just hanging and waiting for something to happen.

Here is a small Mahi coming into the boat.

We fish with live bait which as you can see are nice large live greenies on circle hooks.

This is a nice Mahi we captured on Friday.