With businesses and schools closed over the past few months, boating became one of the few activities that families could safely engage in during the COVID-19 crises, and we believe this contributed to May 2020 being by far the busiest month that we've ever experienced at TWS! As a result, we are currently 4 weeks out on scheduling services. We are hearing this is pretty typical at dealerships all over the country right now.

To catch up, we are implementing new measures to handle incoming calls, requests, work orders, and sales leads. We have also hired additional staff. We are working daily to improve our systems and are training employees to be able to better serve our customers.

We want you all to know how much we appreciate you, our customers, and how we are working as quickly as possible to get to everyone on our service list. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

What’s the News on Our New Location? 

With the shop being as busy as it has been (we have been working 6 days a week, sometimes 12-hour days), our plans have been put on the back burner. We are still working on finalizing the new building plans and are continuing to adjust the layout in order to achieve the best traffic flow throughout the dealership, inside and out. We don't want to rush this process. We will continue to keep you updated and appreciate you being as excited as we are!

We also have some exciting announcements that will be coming later this summer, so stay tuned!

We recently decided to re-home the fish tank that has been in the shop for the past 10 years rather than moving it to our new facility. We are using the proceeds to create an espresso bar to share with our customers as they wait on services and sales! 

MEET THE TEAM: Cole Skipper

6 Tips for Fishing with Children

1. Pick a place with facilities nearby. A park with bathrooms is ideal. You may also want to be able to purchase snacks, beverages, or things you may have forgotten to pack, like sunscreen.

2. Pick a spot with a lot of open areas to cast in so you don’t waste time, and increase frustration, by replacing lost hooks.

3. Go for easy-to-catch fish. If you aren’t catching fish, kids aren’t having fun. Make it as easy as possible in the beginning.

4. Teach kids to follow the rules. Make sure you have required licenses and boat equipment, and wear life jackets. Adhere to catch and release, weight and number of fish rules.

5. Teach your kids patience. There is a lot of waiting in fishing…waiting while you get their rods ready, waiting while you get to the right spot, and waiting for the fish to bite. You also want them to be patient when they catch a fish and learn to handle it gently so as not to hurt a fish that’s being released, and not hurt themselves with the hook.

6. Plan for alternative activities. Don’t be discouraged if your kids are ready to quit after just a few minutes. Be prepared by having another trick up your sleeve: spot turtles or birds, go for a swim, walk a nature trail, or play a game. They may be ready to try again after a break.

7 Top Family Fishing Spots in Florida

On her website, myboatlife.com, Diane Seltzer published a list of 100 Top Family Fishing and Boating Spots in the US. Not Surprisingly, several are in Florida, including 5 of her top 10 spots. Here are the seven Florida spots that made the list.  

1. Everglades National Park (#1 in top 100)

2. Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key (#2 in top 100)

3. Blue Springs State Park, Orange City (#3 in top 100)

4. Kissimmee State Park, Lake Wales (#4 in top 100)

5. Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, St Petersburg (#7 in top 100)

6. Tropical Park, Miami

7. Lake Talquin State Park, Tallahassee

Classic Blackened Redfish

Florida Redfish are in the drum family along with sea trout, croaker, and black drum. They are found in shallow waters all along the Florida coast. Smaller redfish (less than 24 inches) are the best tasting, with a mild, sweet flavor. Blackened redfish is a popular dish throughout Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana, but redfish can also be baked or grilled. 

This recipe comes from suwanneerose.com, where you can find many Florida fish, tropical fruit, and vegetable recipes. Reprinted with permission.

Ingredients:

• 1 redfish, filleted

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons high-heat oil (canola, peanut, grapeseed, etc.)

• 2 tablespoons paprika

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Directions:

Prepare the fish fillets by slicing each one horizontally so they are no more than 1/2-inch thick. 

In a large shallow dish, combine the paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, and oregano.

Pour the melted butter in another large, shallow dish.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until white-hot.

Add the oil to the pan. Dip each fillet in butter, then dredge in seasoning. Add the fillets to the hot pan and cook 2-4 minutes on each side.  Using a well-insulated oven mitt, pick up the skillet and give it a good shake every once in a while to release the fish. You want to cook it thoroughly. Redfish can handle longer cooking than most fish, otherwise, it’s too watery. Continue cooking, in batches if necessary, until all the fillets are blackened.

Transfer to a platter and serve. It’s great with cheese grits, and you can find my recipe for them here.