Description
Jill Christofferson and Sean Trindell are the team behind FWC’s Catch a Florida Memory, the saltwater angler recognition program that rewards anglers for the fish they catch in Florida waters.
There are 75 saltwater species on Florida’s life list, and in 10 years nobody has caught all of them. That’s the challenge Jill and Sean brought on the show. You don’t have to finish the list to get something out of it, though. Your first 10 fish earn you a T-shirt and a certificate, and a photo from years ago still counts, as long as you’re in it, the species is clear and the fish came from Florida waters.
Before we recorded, I took them fishing in the Keys. Inshore, we went after the new Southern Inshore Slam: a snook, a redfish and a trout in 24 hours. The trout and redfish came easy. The snook did not. Between floating grass and dirty water, we fished for hours, and Sean lost a good one at the boat before he finally landed his first snook and finished the slam. The next day we went offshore with Jill. She caught her first cobia, and Sean landed a big blackfin tuna that I netted for him.
That’s what I like about this program. It gives you something to chase. Maybe you’ve caught two kinds of snapper and you need one more for a slam. That changes your plan for the day and the mood on the boat, and it’s a great way to get kids learning fish ID.
In this episode:
How the Life List, Reel Big Fish and nine Grand Slam categories work
Why catch-and-release counts, and when you need a measurement
The quarterly Secret Fish riddles, plus one we try to solve on air
The first Veterans Challenge, where the military branches compete for points
More than 4,500 anglers and about 40,000 catches, all reviewed by hand
Start your list at https://catchafloridamemory.com
Questions or brand partnerships: anglerrecognition@myfwc.com
We’ve completely redone the Tom Rowland Podcast website. Take a look and email me what you think at podcast@saltwaterexperience.com.
#TomRowlandPodcast #CatchAFloridaMemory #FloridaFishing #SaltwaterFishing #FWC