28th ANNUAL KID’S FISHING DERBY A REAL “BLUEGILL BLAST!” When the siren went off promptly at 9am, 136 worms variously flew and flip-flopped through the air as island youngsters simultaneously cast their baits into the Kid’s Fishing Lagoon marking the beginning of the 2024 Kid’s Fishing Derby (KFD) on Saturday, May 25. Not 10 seconds into the event, both Charlie Bees and Erik Oliver landed nice bluegills, setting an exceptionally successful tone for one of our island’s oldest and favorite outdoor traditions.“What a derby!” exclaimed KFD chairman, Tom Rood, “We were just 13 participants shy of our all-time record and, with 592 fish caught, we fell just short of our 2013 record of 615 fish brought in. Notably, we did establish a new record for first time anglers with 61 youngsters signing up for their inaugural derby. This bodes well for our future.”New for this year was our BLUEGILL BONANZA, which featured 10 tagged bluegill. Any youngster catching a tagged fish during the derby would receive a $100 Bass Pro gift certificate. No tagged fish were caught but wait until next year!Everyone was treated to an angling feat of another kind when an osprey plunged into the Kid’s Lagoon during […]
Skidaway
For this year’s banquet we have an even dozen great items for the live auction! Take a look at these items and get together with your friends to figure out which items to go in on. It’s for a great cause, and enjoying these fantastic experiences and adventures with your friends makes it that much more special! 501 Surf and Turf Dinner for 10 Joe Tyson and Robert Hale from the CCA Skidaway Cooking Team are introducing a new Live Auction item for this year’s Banquet. Joe and Robert will prepare a dinner that will include salad, grilled filet and a steamed lobster tail and dessert. This is a great opportunity to entertain your favorite friends and not have to cook. These “galloping gourmets” will prepare and serve the dinner at your home or any other venue you choose while you sit back and enjoy every minute of it. This is an item you do not want to miss. Alcohol and appetizers are not included. Must be scheduled on a mutually agreeable date (Fridays and Saturdays are blacked-out) Expires: 4-23-25 A $1,200 Value 502 Three Hour Bull River Cruise for 30 including a $250 gift certificate for Hors d’oeuvres […]
Our work here at the Skidaway Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) falls into the three main categories. Each, we believe, is well worthy of your support. Please click this link to read more and to donate to the CCA Skidaway cause! https://ccaskidaway.org/civicrm/contribute/transact/?reset=1&id=9
A SHOCKING TALE Professional fisheries biologists, Skidaway chapter Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) volunteers and Skidaway CCA chapter board member, Rich Hackett, recently created shockwaves in our quiet community, quite literally that is. It was all part and parcel of our annual electrofishing program, one of several science-based survey methods, along with salinity testing and seining, designed to help ensure healthy and growing fish populations in our freshwater lagoons. As the name implies, electrofishing uses electricity to temporarily stun fish so they may be weighed and measured. The process is not harmful to fish, which return to their natural state within a few minutes after being caught. The main purpose for conducting an electrofishing analyses is to determine the health of a lagoon based on predator/prey ratios. In our freshwater lagoons, the main predator species are largemouth bass and black crappie. Prey species include bluegill, redear sunfish, threadfin shad, and gizzard shad. A bass-crowded lagoon, for example, will contain larger numbers of small, skinny bass in the 12–14-inch range, experiencing stunting in their growth. Such waters become bass-crowded due to a lack of bass harvest. Despite this unbalanced state, bass will continue to reproduce and consume all […]
“CAST AWAY CLUB” TO KICK OFF ON SATURDAY, JUNE 19th CCA Readies 2nd Year of Youth, Nature/Angling Program Parents and youth leaders agree about the value of Skidaway youngsters not only spending time outdoors but also learning more about our island’s varied natural environment and our abundant fish and wildlife species. A great way to help achieve these goals is through The Skidaway Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association’s (CCA) youth nature and fishing program, the “CAST AWAY CLUB.” Inaugurated in the summer of 2019 and paused last year through the COVID-19 pandemic, this popular program is set to debut on Saturday, June 19th, 9:00 to 10:30 at our Kid’s Fishing Lagoon located adjacent to the Oakridge Fire Station, near Crossover Bridge on Westcross at Log Landing Rd. This first session will include hands on learning about local fish topped off with a session of Fish Bingo (with prizes!) and time for family fishing. Rods, reels and bait will be provided by CCA volunteers. Monthly programs through the summer will feature sessions on bees, bats, a variety of reptiles and hands-on nature crafts. Summer sessions are limited to 20 children (12 and under, accompanied by parent/guardian). Registration is […]
Partners in conservation launch ReleaSense initiative Collaborative effort to make best catch-and-release practices, research available to anglers Shimano, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Harte Research Institute (HRI) for Gulf of Mexico Studies and Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) are proud to announce the launch of a cooperative effort called ReleaSense to promote and enhance the traditional role of anglers as leaders in saltwater fisheries conservation