Get Your Tickets
Use promo code SSA50 for 50% off registration before midnight on Feb 20, 2026.
- Sat • Feb 21, 2026
- Egypt Shriners Center • Tampa
- Family-friendly • Kids workshops
- 500+ anglers & outdoor enthusiasts
This February, something BIG is coming to Tampa — powered by the entire Salt Strong community. Chapters from across Florida are joining forces with Salt Strong Alliance, ALL FLORIDA, and Sea & Shoreline for a day built on fishing, fellowship, family, hands-on learning, and real conservation impact.
Theme
Fishing + Fellowship
Workshops
Hands-on + Live
Impact
Conservation in action
Early bird ends in
SSA50 Deadline
Use code SSA50 for 50% off registration until Feb 20, 2026.
Quick Links
What to Expect
An immersive intro to the full Salt Strong experience — skills, community, and conservation.
Seminars + Live Demos
Learn tactics, rigging, and on-the-water decision making.
Hands-on Skill Building
Not passive talks — interactive stations led by coaches/captains.
Captain Meet & Greets
Pick a pro's brain about seasons, spots, and strategy
Conservation Workshops
Oysters, seagrass, shoreline solutions — learn & do.
Kids Education Zone
Safety, stewardship, and hands-on fishing workshops.
Giveaways + Raffles
Micro Draft Skiff + FluxJet Kayak raffle winners announced live.
Why this meet-up matters
This is a unified gathering where Salt Strong Chapters — and the general public — come together to build skills, connect with the community, meet coaches and captains, and ignite a passion for conservation.
You’ll see how conservation, community, and fishing success go hand in hand — and walk away with practical takeaways you can use on the water right away.
This year’s theme
“Where Fishing Meets Fellowship.”
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned expert, you’ll find something new, practical, and exciting to take back to the water.
Skill-Building Fishing Zone
Hands-on instruction from Salt Strong coaches, captains, and chapters.
Conservation in Action
Interactive workshops led by restoration professionals.
Kids Fishing Zone
Education and workshops for the next generation of anglers.
Captain's Deck
Meet and mingle with local captains & guides in a casual space.
On-site Live Podcasts
Stage interviews + education segments. Schedule subject to change.
Tickets & What's Included
Clear pricing, inclusions, and early-bird details.
Salt Strong’s Hands-on Fishing Zone
These aren’t passive seminars — they’re interactive training sessions led by coaches, captains, guides, and founders.
Presented by Salt Strong Coaches/Captains/Guides + Founders Joe & Luke Simonds
Learn what works on the water — with hands-on instruction and skill-building stations.
- How to approach flats & potholes
- Stealth, positioning, and reading water
- Confidence baits & seasonal patterns
- Rigging essentials + safety
- Launching, positioning, and drift control
- Led by Al Acevedo & Bill Rerson
- Reading troughs & cuts
- When to move and when to stay
- Baits, lures, and leader basics
- Identifying high-percentage structure
- Tide + wind + current alignment
- How members stay consistent
- Current seams & ambush points
- Night vs day approach
- Safety + etiquette
- Step-by-step technique
- Common mistakes
- Practice tips for fast improvement
- Core skills for beginners
- Stewardship and safety
- Hands-on confidence building
Featured Meet & Greet
You’ll get to meet Wader Dave, Captain Dave Pomerleau (The Mad Snooker), Captain Mark “Hollywood” Johnson in person!
More captains to come.
Wader Dave
Captain
Dave Pomerleau
Captain
The Captain's Deck
Grab a drink, relax, and connect with top local captains & guides inside the onsite 1918 Café.
Looking to book your next dream charter? Want to pick a captain’s brain about seasonal trends, tackle, or your home waters? The Captain’s Deck is part networking, part mentorship, and part good old-fashioned fishing talk.
What happens here
- Meet top local captains and guides
- Ask about tackle, trends, and strategy
- Relax inside the onsite 1918 Café
- Mentorship + networking + fishing talk
Conservation in Action: Learn & Do
A rare chance to get behind the scenes of one of Florida’s fastest-growing conservation movements.
Interactive workshops
Nature-based solutions that rebuild fisheries
Salt Strong Alliance hosts hands-on conservation workshops designed and presented by Sea & Shoreline’s restoration pros. Learn about oyster beds, seagrass planting, mangrove restoration, clam deployments, and more.
Workshop lineup
- How to make a seagrass plug
- Build a hanging oyster garden
- Oyster shell painting
- UF Sea Grant Florida Friendly Angler Program
- Wave attenuator device displays
- Mangrove planter displays
- And more!
Every ticket helps.
Every raffle ticket and every bit of awareness contributes to measurable environmental impact.
For families, this event is pure gold. Kids will learn essential skills and discover how conservation and fishing go hand in hand.
Hands-on beginner workshops
Safety and stewardship
Fishing skills + confidence
Next-generation angler mindset
Quote
“Fishing is a skill passed down through generations. By including family-friendly experiences, we ensure our kids and their kids continue to fish, have fun, and protect our fisheries.”
Bring the little ones — this is how future anglers are born.
Can’t attend? You can still win — and make a difference
Your raffle ticket purchase funds real conservation initiatives.
- Grand Prize
Micro Draft Skiff 22 Extreme
A shallow-water fishing machine — built for anglers who fish skinny water the way it’s meant to be fished.
- Custom-designed by the winner
- Built in Florida by Captain Billy Henderson
- 22 feet long • 97-inch beam
- Valued at $90,000+ MSRP
- Raffle ends Feb 19
- Buy one ticket, get one free (limited tickets)
You don’t have to be present to win — but imagine hearing your name called in a room full of cheering anglers.
- Bonus Raffle
FluxJet Electric Jet Kayak
Winner of the ICAST 2025 Best of Show Award. This revolutionary kayak isn’t even available for purchase yet — and Salt Strong Alliance is bringing it directly to you.
Bonus included
Winner also receives a Salt Strong Fishing Bundle — the full Salt Strong experience in one.
On-site Live Podcasts
Live interviews + education segments from the auditorium stage (schedule subject to change).
- Planned topic
Florida Friendly Angler Program (UF Sea Grant)
- Old Tampa Bay improvements & seagrass
- Nature-based filtration and habitat
- Partners: TBEP + FDOT D7 (planned)
- Planned topic
Water Quality + Habitat Impact (Tampa Bay)
- Become a better angler in the new year
- Free self-paced certificate
- Online course overview
- Planned topic
Coastal Connection + Florida Wildlife Corridor
- Big Florida puzzle + stage demos
- Oyster filtering aquarium display
- Interviews with captains and pros
- Planned topic
All Florida + Sea & Shoreline segments
- Infrastructure + ecology
- How projects can protect waterways
- Featuring conservation partners
General admission
$20
Early bird
50% off → $10
Register before midnight Feb 20, 2026.
Every ticket includes
Access to all seminars & hands-on sessions
Salt Strong Alliance / Drive for Clean Water tote bag
Access to vendors & interactive experiences
Entry to the Captain’s Deck at 1918 Café
10 free raffle tickets for on-site giveaways
Conservation workshops
Kids’ fishing workshops
Meet & mingle with captains & industry pros
Message from Salt Strong Alliance
“Our goal is to inspire and connect the fishing community. I hope attendees leave with new skills, new friends, and new motivation to get involved in conservation.”
“Every raffle ticket sold helps fund clean water, fisheries enhancement, volunteer cleanups, youth mentorship, and innovative tools that measure habitat success.”
No—this meet-up welcomes Insider Members and the general public. It’s designed as the ultimate intro to the Salt Strong experience.
Yes. There are kids’ fishing and environmental education workshops, plus plenty of interactive stations for all ages.
Yes. Registration gets you into the event. Raffle entries are separate and help fund conservation initiatives.
For the Micro Draft Skiff raffle: no—you don’t have to be present to win. Winners are announced live at the event.
Seminars + hands-on sessions, conservation workshops, kids workshops, vendor experiences, Captain’s Deck access, 10 free raffle tickets for on-site giveaways, and a tote bag.
At registration checkout. Use promo code SSA50 for 50% off before Feb 20, 2026.