The Nuts & Bolts of Fishing and Boating is about to celebrate a full year on the air, and to all of you who invest 30 minutes each week to watch our shows, I want to extend a heart-felt Thank You.  While we do have a lot of fun producing these shows, our goal is to provide you with practical, real-world information you can use the next time you're on the water.  That's what the Nuts & Bolts is all about. If you learn a new technique or trick that makes you a more productive angler, or learn a skill that helps you become a better, safer boater, then we feel like we've done our job. 

 

And there's another reason we're celebrating this month too.  Our latest TV ratings have us on the top of the heap.  In just one year on the air, Nuts & Bolts has become "the little engine that could".   I won't go through all the math, but essentially, we now have an audience of over 2 million viewers per month!  Amazing?  Unbelievable?   Yep.  Quite frankly, when we started this series, we felt the format for the show would be something people would like to watch, but we never expected to reach this level in such a short time.    Fox Sports Net-South broadcasts on a regional level, but these ratings reflect the kinds of numbers that only the nationally broadcast shows get. 

 

Our success is 100% due to you folks who have invited Nuts & Bolts into your homes for the past 12 months, and it is definitely appreciated.  Whether you like it or not, you are all part of our family now and that's something we take seriously around here.

 

As we move into the New Year, we will do our best to continue to bring you programs that are engaging, enlightening and entertaining.   And if we should fall short, I'm depending on you to tell us.  The only way we can keep the momentum going is to deliver programs you want to watch.

 

So, here's the challenge.   Drop me an email.  Let me know what you want to see.  What you want to know.  And tell us about some great destinations to go fishing.   We'll put them on the list.

 

Buck and I have enjoyed meeting many of you this year, and we plan to get to know many more of you in the coming year.  We hope your holidays are filled with family, friends and big fish.

 

With our best personal regards,

 

Capt. Cefus and Buck.

 

Yes, it's cold outside right now.   But now is also the time to start planning those springtime fishing trips.  And if you've never been on an overnight fishing trip, you have GOT to go!  This week's Nuts & Bolts Adventure finds Capt. Cefus teaming up with the guys from Carrabelle Charters in Carrrabelle, Florida.  Capt. Kamen Miller, Capt. Justin Rock and Capt. Joe Hope are the crew for a nighttime fishing extravaganza.  The prize is mangrove snapper.   These tasty and tenacious fighters leave their underwater hiding spots at night to feed, and on a full moon the action can be non-stop.   You may have caught a mangrove in the shallow waters of Florida before, but these piscatorial palette pleasers are the grown-up version. 

 

And what an experience!  Fishing under the stars on a cool, calm night.  It just doesn't get any better.   Learn how to fish for these toothy critters, the rigs and baits to use on this week's show.  And, there's a special surprise too.  A lot of folks love to saltwater fish because of the variety that you can catch.  Well Capt. Justin gets a big surprise and it's worth waiting for.

 

Watch the Moonlight Mangrove Madness adventure this Sunday morning at 7:15am on Fox Sports Network-South in the Southern Outdoors program block. And remember, if FSN isn't on your TV dial, you can watch all our programs on MyOutdoorTV.com any time of the day.

 

And if you want to give nighttime fishing a try with the guys that really know how to do it, contact Capt. Kamen Miller at Carrabelle Charters.