Billfish tournament: The Fort Lauderdale Billfish Tournament is Saturday out of Bahia Mar Marina. Owned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, the tournament will benefit the Marine Industry Cares Foundation, which helps children and families in need. For information email sean@miasf.org or visit fortlauderdalebillfishtournament.com.
Reef petition: Keep Florida Fishing, an advocacy arm of the American Sportfishing Association, has launched an online petition at keepfloridafishing.org for those who want to stop fishing closures proposed by Our Florida Reefs.
The petition specifically opposes recommendations to implement marine protected areas and make the region from Biscayne National Park to St. Lucie Inlet a national marine sanctuary. Other recommendations are to ban spearfishing on scuba and lower the lobster miniseason daily bag limit. For all the recommendations, visit ourfloridareefs.org, where you can also comment on the proposals. Comments must be received by Tuesday.
Fishing seminar: The Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center in Port St. Lucie. George Poveromo, host of “George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing” on the NBC Sports Network and a contributing editor for Salt Water Sportsman magazine, headlines a program that features a panel of expert captains and anglers sharing tips and tactics for catching everything from snook, flounder, redfish, sea trout and tarpon to cobia, snapper, grouper, dolphin and kingfish. Tickets are $55 and available by calling 800-448-7360 or online at nationalseminarseries.com. That includes an after party from 5-8:30 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shops in Port St. Lucie.
Youth fishing: The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division’s 18th annual Jr. Bass Trail for ages 12-17 starts Sunday, with the first of four tournaments at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. Tournaments also will be held at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach. Kids fish in boats accompanied by a non-fishing adult 18 or older from safe light to 1 p.m. For information or to register, call Bob Newland at 954-214-8771.
Wahoo tournament: Wahoo Weekend is March 3-6 out of the Bimini Big Game Club in the Bahamas. Entry fee is $900 per boat for up to four anglers and $150 for each additional angler. Call 800-867-4764 or visit biggameclubbimini.com.
Waterway Cleanup: The Marine Industries Association of South Florida and the Marine Industry Cares Foundation have the 39th Broward County Waterway Cleanup from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 5 at 35 sites. Last year, almost 2,000 volunteers removed 17 tons of trash and debris from local waters. Volunteers can pre-register and can take part on land, boats, kayaks and paddleboards. After the event, participants can attend the Trash Bash at Briny Irish Pub in Fort Lauderdale, where there will be food, beverages, live music and raffles. A list of sites and registration information is available at waterwaycleanup.org. There are also scholarships and community service hours available to middle- and high-school students as well as patches for Scouts who participate.
Billfish tournament: The Jimmy Johnson Billfish Tournament, with a guaranteed general entry purse of $100,000, is March 9-12 out of JJ’s Big Chill Restaurant in Key Largo. The event kicks off with JJ’s Celebrity Pro-Am from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 10, with a private celebrity celebration for Pro-Am participants March 9, followed by the kickoff party. The Billfish Championship is March 11-12 and JJ’s Sportfish Championship is March 12. Anglers can participate in one, two or all three tournaments. Visit jjfishweek.com.
Bass tournament: The third qualifier tournament of the King of the Glades Open Team Series is March 13 on Lake Okeechobee out of Clewiston. Entry fee is $75 per team. Contact Mike Lendl at 954-393-5596 or kotg2030@gmail.com or visit kotgseries.com.
