Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
While the adults are getting ready to “Howl” at Sunday night’s Howl at the Moon Tarpon Tournament, young fisherfolk from throughout the area are getting ready to have their own tarpon tournament next weekend. The Howl will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 28. Awards will be given out at Whidden’s […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
This week island resident Gary Martin was out in his boat going around the island, looking for gunk. It’s not an activity that a lot of people partake in, but he is very concerned about the vast amount of floating organic matter in our harbor and backcountry water. Gary had already seen it in the water in front of his island home – patches of what appears to be sludge mixed with collard greens, followed by a disturbing absence of seagrass in the shallow waters right outside of his home. But he wanted to see how far it went and how much there was.
He took Boca Beacon Publisher Dusty Hopkins with him to take photographs. Gary thought they would have to go down to Redfish Pass to see large amounts of the gunk, but they didn’t get that far. They had already seen three huge fields of it before they got anywhere close. They also saw more bald spots in the harbor and Intracoastal where the seagrass was gone.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Sometimes we have to remember that ours are not the only fishing tournaments going on at this time of year. Island son Parker O’Bannon recently took top honors at the second annual Tarpon Fly Fishing Invitational, held May 21 through May 23 at the Tarpon Lodge in Pineland.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
On Thursday, May 18 Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida partnered with Ingman Marine, Abbott Construction, Lee Reefs, Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA), Capt. Jay Withers, Clermont Oyster Bar, Oyster Boys Conservation and Lake County to deploy oyster shells in Charlotte Harbor’s Turtle Bay in an effort to boost water quality, marine fisheries and recreational angling.
The oysters were hauled from CCA Florida’s Oyster Recycling Program in Lake County and transported to Placida. The oysters will be loaded onto a barge, provided by Abbott Construction, and deployed in Turtle Bay at a pre-permitted location.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
Mark Steven Wyman, 70, died on Friday, May 12, 2023. Born in Detroit, Michigan on Nov. 16, 1952 to Douglas and Barbara Wyman, he graduated from Fenwick High School, where he developed a passion for swimming. At the urging of his grandmother and his Aunt Peg, he moved to Boca Grande, Florida in the 1970s. […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Gary Robinson loves making music. Making it for the people of Boca Grande raises it to a whole new level for him. Gary is the drummer for the new rock band known as “The Green Flash, Boca Grande,” which has taken the island by storm this past spring. The music the band plays and the town have a lot in common.
“It’s what I love about Boca Grande, “ Gary said. “We’ve been coming here for over 30 years, and it’s like stepping back in time. Like when I was younger, much younger. Like the ‘60s and ‘70s. That hasn’t been lost here … courtesy and friendliness. I get very emotional about it.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO The “Blaze” team with Capt. Waylon Mills took first place in the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament, right after taking top honors at Ladies Day. TEN YEARS AGO There was a protest in the Pass. About 20 boats carrying more than 100 people were protesting the first Professional Tarpon Tournament […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Boca Beach Cam is Back! Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS) is excited to announce that the Boca Grande Beach Cam is back. The new beach cam was launched live on May 22, 2023, and made possible through BIPS’ partnership and collaboration with Lee County and Florida State Parks. BIPS would like to […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: We are deeply disappointed to report that Governor DeSantis has signed Senate Bill 540, legislation that will decimate citizens’ planning rights and imperil the future of Everglades restoration. We regret that he did not heed the warnings of so many Floridians like you, including more than 5,770 who signed our veto petition, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
If the tarpon could talk, they would tell you some tall tales about Capt. Frank Davis. Some would tell you about the time he had their grandfather on the line, others would tell the story of the time they were in a school of sharks, fighting for their life. Yep, those tarpon whine a lot when it comes to the mention of Frank’s name.
Davis’ team aboard “Native” took first in the 2023 Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament last Saturday with anglers Kristi Davis-Reinholt, Lisa Hayes and Gail Davis. They had the first set of three releases of the tournament.