You Had Me At Pompano

Fishing has always been a passion for Danniella (“Yella”) Gutierrez, but she never expected it would introduce her to the love of her life.

A native of Manhattan, Yella, 28, grew up fi shing for river trout in the mountains of upstate New York, but nothing prepared her for the thrill of saltwater fi shing she discovered after moving to Citrus County nine years ago.

Lacking a boat, but eager to fi sh o shore, she decided a kayak would get her out on the water. Her fi rst kayak was a blow-up model, but she’s defi nitely advanced from that. She joined the Nature Coast Lady Anglers and, through that group, met fi shing guide Brian Stau er, who became a mentor. (After fi shing with Brian, she entered her fi rst kayak fi shing tournament and won fi rst place in redfi sh out of more than 60 other anglers.)

“After fi shing with Brian for a while, I spent a lot of time perfecting the use of artifi cial lures; I got pretty good at using a Rip ‘n Slash by Unfair Lures,” says Yella.

“I was posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram, and Chris Vecsey saw them. Chris is a pro sta er for Unfair Lures, chosen to promote the company. He liked the idea that I was a girl using the same lures he was using.”

Chris, who lived in Gulf Shores, Alabama, suggested to Brian that the three of them go out fi shing together.

“Last April, we went to Ozello; it was still dark when we paddled out,” Yella remembers. “I was nervous out of my mind; here was this professional who was also really attractive. I couldn’t even look him in the eye, and I wasn’t doing well when we started fi shing.”

As the morning wore on, Yella’s nerves settled down. She and Chris talked while they fished, but she was mortified that she’d caught only a baby trout.

Heading back in, the trio stopped at some exposed oyster bars and started fishing there.

“I got a pretty good tug on my line, and as I was reeling it in, Chris saw it was a good-sized pompano and said he’d never caught one here,” says Yella.

She and Chris exchanged numbers that day and started dating. The couple will be married on March 10, 2018. (Fittingly, the company owner of the Unfair Lures will attend their wedding.)

As for Yella, she credits their first outing—and catching that big silver fish— with launching their romance.

“Chris likes to say, ‘I had him at pompano,’” she laughs.

Goin’ For The Big One

“I’ve been fishing ever since I could walk and hold a rod when my dad put one in my hand. He’s a fisherman and so is my grandfather,” says Ryan Schulz, 18, of Inverness.

An avid freshwater angler, Ryan would prefer to fish seven days a week, but his full-time job and attending Marion County Technical College at night have cut fishing down to about three days a week for now.

“A lot of people say, ‘A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work,’ and that’s true!” laughs Ryan.

Ever since his dad, Je , caught an 11-pound bass, Ryan’s goal has been to best that.

“Bass don’t get that big by being dumb. A lot of the big ones have been caught and released before, so they’re even more wary and harder to catch,” says Ryan, who releases his fish almost every time.

Ryan enjoys kayak fishing on the Withlacoochee River, as well as Lake Henderson and Lake Hernando, but also fishes from the shoreline. His biggest largemouth bass to date was the 9.4 pounder he caught in Cooter Pond in Inverness last April.

“My friend Chris and I were fishing the culvert pipe where the water runs out of the retention pond; we do ‘rockpaper-scissors’ to see who gets to pitch first,” says Ryan, who won that day. “When you’re by the shore, there are often a lot of weed mats, and if there’s a log out there, that’s even better, because the fish have more cover.”

The guys were “flipping and pitching,” with Ryan using a “Sweet Beaver” artificial lure on a weighted 65-pound braid line. Ryan was glad to have won the chance to go first, as fish reaction time was incredibly fast that day.

“It was in no more than 2 feet of water, and as soon as the lure went through the weed mat, the fish hit,” says Ryan. “It’s about getting lucky, but it also takes skill to fish these weed mats because you can’t see the fish under there.

“This bass had probably been spawning; they’re hungry afterward because they don’t eat while spawning,” says Ryan, explaining that the bigger bass are usually always females.

Weighed and photographed, the big fish was then released.

“I still haven’t caught one over 10 pounds, and that motivates me every day,” says Ryan. “Freshwater fish might not be as hard-fighting as saltwater fish, but it’s a lot harder to catch a 10-pound bass than a 20-pound snook.”

Stormy Success

As any good angler knows, weather plays a key role in fishing success. As Tropical Storm Cindy churned her way through the Gulf of Mexico this June, Brian Stau er hit the water.

As owner and guide of Fishhead Kayak Charters, Brian regularly takes clients out kayak fishing along the Nature Coast, from Homosassa all the way up to Steinhatchee. Fishing since he was a boy, Brian has called Citrus County home since 1982.

“Watching the track of Cindy, I knew the fishing would be good because of the change in barometer and wind direction,” says Brian. “Fish don’t like being out in rough, dirty water; they hightail it for the backwaters.

I had a four- to five-hour window before the winds picked up to 25 mph and higher and the rain started, so I decided to go out.”

At about 5:15am on the morning of June 7, Brian launched from Mason Creek in Homosassa, headed for the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, known by locals as “The Chazz.”

After 30 minutes of paddling in darkness lit only by his headlamp, Brian reached one of his favorite spots, ready to fish at sunrise. The creek o Mason was flooded and cloudy from silt, but the backwaters were tranquil, thanks to the nearby islands blocking the winds.

“Because of the coastal flood watch, the water was higher and moving faster than normal, so the fish were more aggressive. The conditions were perfect for throwing topwater,” explains Brian, who fishes strictly with artificial lures. That morning he was using a Zara Spook Jr., a topwater lure by Heddon.

“The fishing action was instantly on fire. I caught a fine slot snook about 30 inches long on my third cast,” he notes. “I released it and continued fishing, catching another big snook, a redfish and some smaller snook over the next five hours.”

Heading home when the rain and lightning chased him in, Brian paddled back, with the redfish on ice for dinner.

“I wouldn’t take a client out in those conditions, but that was a ‘Bri day’ for me,” he says.

Brian loves teaching others and giving them the skills to pursue the sport. He especially likes helping people find their own peace out on the water.