2005 Season – Episode Dates & Descriptions

1. Mosquito Lagoon Reds
2. Cast & Blast
3. South Florida Sails
4. Permit Fishing Nirvana
5. Eric Herstedt
6. Sarasota Reds
7. Bill Curtis
8. Stu Apte
9. Ralph Delph
10. Everglades
11. Mitchell Mackerel
12. Rodney Wrecks
13. Year Ender 2005

Mosquito Lagoon Reds

Sun Sports 9/30, 10/2 & 12/30

On today’s Sportsmans Adventures we begin our day in the early morning twilight. This is a magical time. Sunrise in the backcountry makes it all worthwhile to have gotten up so early. Darkness meets dawn and there is keen expectation of a great fishing day ahead.

Capt. Rick Murphy will be fishing with Capt. Troy Perez and his number one fishing partner, Christine Perez. We will enjoy this beautiful August day sight casting for big redfish in Florida’s famous Mosquito Lagoon.

Cast & Blast

Sun Sports 10/7, 10/9

Past Sportsmans Adventures episodes have always featured a day filled with great fishing but today’s Adventure is going to be a little different…oh we’ll catch fish, lots of fish. In fact… we’ll begin our day casting for redfish and trout and then we’ll spend the afternoon doing something we haven’t done before… Quail hunting…and over some of the finest bird dogs found anywhere!….its going to be a cast and blast kinda day!!

South Florida Sails

Sun Sports 10/14, 10/16

Today’s Sportsmans adventure takes us to Miami….The Magic City on Florida’s southeast coast. This city truly is magic…think of it as the sophisticated tropics. An international city famous for its glitz and glamour. Miami is bordered on the west by the huge Everglades National Park and to the east… the great expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Miami is also home to some of the world’s best saltwater fishing and today, Capt. Rick Murphy will team up with Miami’s Gary Lawson and Capt. Marty Locke to fish for one of Florida’s premier offshore gamefish.

Permit Fishing Nirvana

Sun Sports 10/21, 10/23

Today’s Sportsman’s Adventures takes us in search of the wariest, the most difficult... and pound for pound, the hardest fighting fish found on the flats. We're talking about the permit of course! These fish live on the tropical water flats ranging from the Bahamas and the Florida Keys to Honduras and the Yucatan Peninsula. On this adventure, Capt. Rick Murphy will join Key West guide Capt. Tom Rowland in pursuit of these light tackle trophies. The clear shallow waters that surround Key West and the lower Keys make for a perfect permit nirvana. Here are not only the largest concentrations of permit but also some of the biggest fish found anywhere. Permit travel in small schools and when feeding, these fish tail like a bonefish, sticking their large black forked tail in the air and with it's nose rooting in the sand or turtle grass on the bottom. The permit is a sight feeder and it's favorite food is a small crab.... Rick's cast has to be extremely accurate, right in front of the fish, nearly on top of it's head...and then allow the crab to swim to the bottom...

Eric Herstedt

Sun Sports 10/28, 10/30

Today’s Sportsman’s Adventures takes Capt Rick Murphy and our special guest, Capt Eric Herstedt to the most remote area of Florida’s last great wet wilderness…the Ten Thousand Islands. This section of southwestern Florida is made up of quite bays, twisting creeks, wide rivers and of course...thousands of mangrove islands. In the fall months, the mullet migration turns on and having a live well full of these lively silvers is a must. No fish worth his salt can turn down a frisky little finger mullet so today, this is the bait of choice. Zipping through the myriad of mangrove islands, the Maverick Mirage makes a quick trip to the fishing grounds and visions of snook, tarpon and reds are on everyone’s mind.

Sarasota Reds

Sun Sports 11/4, 11/6

Today’s Sportsman’s Adventure, takes us to beautiful Sarasota on Florida’s west coast. The city sits on magnificent Sarasota bay where tall buildings shine in the setting sun, surrounded by marinas filled with fishing boats and sailing vessels. The people of Sarasota take full advantage of this waterfront community where everything water related is possible. But it’s the fantastic fishing that has lured us to this city by the bay. Capt. Rick Murphy and our special guest Capt. Jeffery Page will team up to chase one of Florida’s premier inshore game fish. In the summer months, big schools of redfish ride the incoming tide to invade the shallow flats of Sarasota Bay. By dawn’s early light we begin the day casting top-water plugs.

Bill Curtis

Sun Sports 11/11, 11/13

Florida is truly the fishing capital of the world, and it’s that reputation that has spawned some of the most famous fisherman to ever take to the water. On today’s Sportsmans Adventure we begin a special 3 part series featuring 3 of Florida’s finest fishing captains. They are true legends in our sport. These men have pioneered the methods and technologies that have revolutionized everything from fishing boats to fishing tackle. Our special guest today knows these waters perhaps better than anyone…

Capt Bill Curtis has spent a lifetime fishing the clear blue waters of south Biscayne Bay. For the last 50 years he has specialized in guiding light tackle anglers for Tarpon, Permit and of course…the Bay’s most famous resident…big Bonefish. Capt Dave Sutton, another Bay expert, is on the pushpole.

Stu Apte

Sun Sports 11/18, 11/20

On today’s Sportsman’s Adventures part 2 of our special series featuring Florida’s fishing legends. Over the past 30 years Stu Apte has been a mentor and inspiration to fishermen, guides and sportsmen from around the world. He is a world-class angler, who has fished on almost every continent and whose achievements are truly legendary. He’s admired for being among the first anglers to attempt to catch giant tarpon on fly tackle back when rods and reels were far less advanced than they are today. He pioneered the techniques that the pro’s still use today. We caught up with Stu recently at his home in the Florida Keys to talk about his amazing past before fishing became a high tech, high cost adventure

Ralph Delph

Sun Sports 11/25, 11/27

On today’s Sportsman’s Adventures, part 3 of our special look at Florida’s legendary fishing captains. These are men who have pioneered the techniques and methods that have revolutionized our sport. Fishermen come from all across the United States to fish with legendary Captain…Ralph Delph. Ralph has guided his anglers to more world record catches than any other fishing guide in the world…157 at last count, and he has another 68 world records pending certification. Sportsman’s Adventures has been lucky to fish and film many episodes with Ralph and although he can catch anything that swims…we affectionately call him… the grouper king!!

Everglades

Sun Sports 12/2 & 12/4

Today’s Sportsman’s Adventures winds us through the twisting, turning maze of rivers and creeks that flow from the heart of southern Florida to meet the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It’s called the Everglades…Florida’s last great wilderness. From a bird’s eye view, it’s made up of hundreds of shallow quiet bays, snaking creeks and wide rivers. Looking at nautical charts of this area is enough to keep most fishermen from exploring these waters. Names like Hells Bay, Graveyard Creek, and Lostman’s River tell the story…you had better know your way around!! Capt. Rick Murphy and our special guest, Capt. Ray Culver, take you to a secret spot, a spot learned from their youth, a spot you can only reach through experience. A pristine place where the world is a million miles away and the water is quick with Tarpon and Snook…

Mitchell Mackerel

Sun Sports 12/9 & 12/11

Capt. Rick Murphy and our special guest today, Capt. George Mitchell, begin this adventure in North Key Largo off South Florida’s east coast. The blustery November day is going to make for some choppy water so they’ll have to tailor their fishing style to suit the conditions. Capt George Mitchell is veteran, blue water, offshore fishing captain. Obviously Capt. George knows how to fish the Bay for all of the inshore species like Mackerel and bluefish. Get the chum slick going…

Rodney Wrecks

Sun Sports 12/16 & 12/18

On today’s Sportsmans Adventures we travel to where the Upper and the Lower Florida Keys come together in Marathon. Like the rest of the Fabulous Florida Keys, this tropical island paradise is rich in history. It was here, 1oo years ago, that Henry Flagler’s railroad literally went to sea, spanning the vast blue waters with its seven mile bridge. The middle keys are also famous for the incredible variety of fishing possibilities. Just a boat ride away and you can be fishing the deep ocean reefs or trolling the clear, blue waters of the mighty Gulfstream. Fishermen from all over the world come to the Keys to fish with master guide, Capt Ralph Delph and on today’s adventure South Florida businessman Rodney Baretto joins Ralph for a trip to the Gulf of Mexico. The waters in the Gulf have become the final resting place for numerous ship wrecks and these wrecks host a huge variety gamefish.

Year Ender 2005

Sun Sports 9/29, 10/8, 12/23 & 12/25

On today’s Sportsmans Adventures we mark the end of our 10th season on the air with a special look back at some of our favorite adventures from this season. We had a fantastic year on the water sharing special adventures with special friends. We traveled and fished all across the Florida peninsula in boats big and small and were treated to some of the best fishing this great state has to offer!!