Out and about

Outdoors happenings

By RODNEY PAGE
Published January 19, 2007

AQUARIUM REWORKS TOUCH TANK

The St. Petersburg Pier's second-floor aquarium will be closed Monday through Feb. 1 for renovations. The closure is necessary in order to fix several of the aquarium's tanks. When the aquarium reopens Feb. 2, it will feature an 860-gallon touch tank, which is actually three tanks grouped together as three habitats, mangrove, inner tidal zone and tidal zone. There will also be a 500-gallon tank that will feature creatures from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. A third tank will be 448 gallons and have invertebrates such as anemones. This is the first time the aquarium has been shut down, excluding hurricane evacuations. During the closure, guests will be directed to a third-floor exhibit called A Celebration of Water, as well as artwork with water themes.

BOAT EXPO

Stuff to tow and the skiing squirrel

A reminder that the Tampa Bay Boat Expo is under way at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The expo is $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12. The show boasts more than 100 styles of boats as well as electronics, engines, trailers and watercrafts. It even features Twiggy, above, a water skiing squirrel. Seriously. It does. The expo opens at 11 a.m. every day and closes at 9 p.m. today and Saturday, 6 p.m. on Sunday.

FISHING TOURNAMENT

Keller event targets 4 species

The 17th annual Johnny Keller Fishing Tournament is Jan. 28. Fishing begins at 6:30 a.m., with a weigh-in scheduled for 3-4:30 p.m. at Bay Pines Marina in St. Petersburg. Seatrout, flounder, sheepshead and grouper are the eligible species. There is a captains' meeting Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Green Iguana in Seminole. Registration fee is $25 per angler. Call (727) 497-1060 for information.

FLW EVENTS

Kingfish tour starts in Sarasota

The FLW Kingfish Tour, one of the richest fishing tours in the country, announced its schedule this week, and it begins in Sarasota. The opening tournament is April 13-15 and features a top award of $100,000. The series features four qualifying tournaments through September. The championship is Nov. 2-4 in Biloxi, Miss.

Rodney Page, Times staff writer

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[Last modified January 19, 2007, 01:54:55]