Running in high def / slow motion on Lake Henderson in Inverness, FL today on my 17 flats boat. Bass fishing! Staying at @plantationoncrystalriver @discovercrystalriver @mercurymarine @onlyinayellowfin @realsaltlife #bassfishing #bass #florida #florida #yellowfin #mercurymarine #wayofthewaterman #plantationcrystalriver #lovefl #fishing #fish #outdoors

A video posted by Peter Miller (@bass2billfish) on Nov 3, 2016 at 7:59pm PDT

For more information on fishing in Citrus County, visit the Discover Crystal River fishing page

I’ve said this many times before, my favorite part of fishing in Florida is the diversity of our ecosystem. You can fish offshore, inshore, and freshwater fish steps away from each other. It’s incredible!

I had the pleasure of visiting Citrus County to film a show last year. The manatees, scalloping and inshore fishing draws the most crowds to this area…but the freshwater fishing is world class.

Here info on some of Citrus County’s hotspots.

Lake Rousseau 

Lake Rousseau is one of the premiere largemouth bass fishing lakes in Florida. The lake is 12 miles long and covers over 3700 acres. Lake Rousseau was created as a reservoir on the Withlacoochee River.

In recent years, over 90 largemouth bass over 10 pounds have been caught. The lake is also home to crappie, stumpknockers, catfish and bluegill. This lake is stumpy and grassy…the bass love that! Large wild shiners are a sure bet for big bass. For artificials, frogs are the ticket, such as the Stanley Ribbit.

Homossassa River

The name Homossassa, for me, is synonymous with scalloping. However, the fishing here is amazing. There aren’t many places you can catch largemouth bass and redfish in the same day…

The Homossassa River is loaded with largemouth bass, bluegill and bull head catfish. The water on the Homossassa River is extremely clear, you need to adjust to the clarity of the water and focus on presentation. Rat-L-Traps work very well in tidal areas like this.

Lake Henderson

Lake Henderson is part of the Tsala Apopka chain of lakes located in the west-central part of Florida in the town of Inverness. This lake is picturesque with cypress trees, weedy shorelines and dozens of islands.

Many trophy largemouth bass have been caught in this lake. There is also an abundance of crappie. Like Lake Rousseau, large live shiners will produce the biggest largemouth bass. While filming Bass 2 Billfish we had great luck with topwater frogs, skipped across the lily pads.

Here’s a clip from Lake Henderson:

Miami, FL., October 20, 2016:

Coming off a string of six total prizes at this year’s Telly Awards, celebrity fisherman Peter Miller can now add an Emmy nomination for Bass 2 Billfish with Peter Miller, his nationally-positioned angling and lifestyle program. More than simply a platform exclusively for sport Bass 2 Billfish with Peter Miller continues to win awards for its production value while pushing Miller’s career into philanthropy and activism throughout the nation.

Peter Miller has been nominated for the Talent – Program Host/Moderator category.

The Suncoast Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the standard-bearer for excellence in the television industry and the gatekeeper of the prestigious regional EMMY® Awards in the Suncoast Region. The Suncoast Chapter represents the best and brightest television and media professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all of the Suncoast region’s television markets.*

“It is truly an honor to be nominated for this prestigious award! Ive spent the last 10 years of my life, creating, producing, directing and hosting…Bass 2 Billfish. 

My goal was to bring my guests to Florida and introduce them to the most diverse fishery in the world, while keeping it fun, exciting and real! Basically, treating them to the trip of a lifetime, all while being captured on film and then broadcast for the entire world to see.

I never dreamt that we would be recognized in this highly esteemed group of nominees. This nomination validates all the time and effort that my crew and I put forward to make the best product out there. 

Having won 6 Telly awards earlier this year was incredible, but this Emmy nomination is absolutely mind blowing”   – stated Peter Miller 

Information on the EMMY nominated episode

Season 7, episode 6 “Andy and Sande at South Seas Island Resort Captiva, FL-pt. 1” is the show chosen for the award.

For the third season in a row, Peter Miller was able to host Andy Holland, a 32-year old from North Carolina with Down’s Syndrome. Miller was introduced to Andy through his audition tape several years
ago, and has invited him  

back year after year. As part of this year’s Sun Coast Emmy nominations, Andy & Sande Part 1, which featured Holland and his caretaker, Peter Miller was nominated in the “Talent” category for his exceptional hosting and hospitality. Through his presence on the program, Andy, an avid fisherman in his own right, was able to show fans of the sport its level of accessibility and therapeutic attributes.

 “Andy brings more energy and power to the room than anyone I have ever met,” said Miller of one of his favorite guests he’s ever had on the show. “Then you couple that with his sweetness and his positivity – he’s incredible.”

The 2016 Suncoast Emmy awards will be held on December 3rd in Orlando, FL.

 *Information regarding NATAS is credited to suncoastchapter.org

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the  Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Surf Expo 2016 in Orlando.

The Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism is hosted by Visit Florida and draws influential people in the tourism industry from all over the state. This includes tourism bureaus, resorts, advertising agencies. and more.

The purpose of the conference is to analyze, discuss and improve Florida’s robust tourism industry.

Bass2Billfish with Peter Miller is considered a key asset in drawing fishing tourism to Florida.

Here are some key stats:

-105 million tourists visited Florida in 2015
-Florida is the first state to surpass 100 million out-of-state visitors
-Out of state visitors spend $300 million every single day in Florida
-Over 1.25 million people are employed in tourism related jobs in Florida

According to the most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation, here are some facts on Florida fishing.

-Florida has over 3 million anglers
-Total expenditures by anglers was over 4.6 billion
-Over 57.5 million days of fishing were spent in Florida

I’m proud to do all that I can to promote fishing and Florida tourism! To learn more about Florida tourism, head over to visitflorida.com 

ICAST 2016 did not disappoint! Here’s a short recap.

YETI is always at the forefront of innovation. This year they unveiled
the new YETI Hopper Flip 12. The Flip 12 is airtight and watertight. Like the other models in the hopper line, the inside is antimicrobial and food grade. It has 3.2 gallons of capacity and instead of stitching, the seams are welded together…which helps durability and makes it leak-proof. The zipper is also very heavy duty. The YETI Hopper Flip 12 also won “Best Fishing Accessory” at the show.  This is the ultimate small cooler bag! Learn more about the YETI Hopper Flip 12 here YETI Hopper Flip 12

Salt Life has been making high-quality apparel for a number of years now, and they are constantly developing new designs. I had the chance to stop by the booth and meet with Jeff Stillwell and Larry Laska to talk about their new line of products coming out for Spring 2017.  Salt Life’s SLX UVapor performance gear are 88% polyester, 12% spandex and treated for UV30 sun protection. Furthermore, they are anti-microbial and utilize ultra light quick reaction fabric for built in cooling and ventilation. To learn more about Salt Life click here www.saltlife.com

Stopping by the Raymarine booth, I had the chance to talk about some of my favorite features on the new gS and eS units on my new Yellowfin 24 bay boat. One of the best features is the new switch panel. This adds a new level of functionality and ease of use. I can control the nav lights, washdown, bait well etc. from both stations on my bay boat. Here’s a short video about the switch panel. For more info on Raymarine products, click here: www.raymarine.com

Costa’s #FixFlorida Campaign

There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about the degradation of the Everglades and the estuaries surrounding it.

Costa sunglasses has released a new video explaining the recent events that have put three of Florida’s estuaries in danger. The damage was caused by development, agriculture and water mismanagement.

I support Costa, in that it’s important to work on positive change and restore the Everglades and also to educate on the importance of conservation. Costa’s concept is called #FixFlorida.

You can sign a declaration to support this initiative here <a href=”http://www.gladesdeclaration.org”>http://www.gladesdeclaration.org</a> Also to learn more, please watch this video.