OUTDOORS

20 THE SUN OUTDOORS MARCH 2, 2022

Reel Time The Waterman

RUSTY CHINNIS

The second annual Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament was held last weekend. The two-day, fly-only redfish tournament and snook Calcutta had 114 two-member teams and three single-angler teams.

The fishing boundaries were wide, including the west coast of Florida from Crystal River to the southernmost tip of Sanibel Island. The photo submission format and the IAnglertournament App made it possible for fishermen in this entire range to participate. The tournament culminated in an awards banquet and prize-rich raffle at the Bradenton Yacht Club on Sunday evening that was made possible by a large number of generous sponsors. All proceeds from the Fly Fishing Tournament benefited Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the protection, preservation and improvement of the Tampa Bay watershed.

Two-angler teams received two, long-sleeved microfiber tournament shirts, two Tampa Bay Waterkeeper hats, dinner for two anglers at the awards ceremony and one raffle ticket for each angler. Target species were redfish and snook. Scoring was done by the highest combination of the two longest redfish caught between Day 1 and Day 2. If a tie had occurred in any of the three top places, it would have been decided by a casting competition based on fly casting distance and accuracy.

Sponsors were pivotal to this event and the fishing community stepped up to support TBWK’s mission. Some of these included a $5,000 donation from Tampa-based primary care physician Antonio Castellvi MD and his wife, Christine, a Helios 3D Fly Rod 8-wt. four-piece rod donated by Orvis, a Pro Dry jacket and pants donated by Simms Fishing Products, fishing trips by Capt. Derek Rust, Rusty Fly Charters, Capt. Greg Peterson, Head Shot Charters, Capt. Dustin Pack, Fly Tide Charters, Capt. Brian Jill, Lost Coast Anglers and Capt. Bucky Goldman.

Others included Two License Plate Fish Art pieces compliments of Cody's Fish, fly lines by Cortland Line Company, gift cards from the Compound Board Shop, Sarasota’s go-to fly shop, a $250 gift card from Tampa Fishing Outfitters, a Tailing Redfish original acrylic on watercolor paper by internationallyrecognized Florida Keys artist Tim Borski and an NRX + T2s 11wt. fly rod courtesy of G. Loomis. See the full list of sponsors at Tampa Bay Waterkeeper’s website.

Participants were greeted upon entering the yacht club with fresh oysters from Lost Coast Oyster Company, which aims to revitalize the lost industry along Florida's Gulf Coast and become a leader in sustainable aquaculture practices.

Of the 117 teams that competed (only three of which were single-angler teams), some large redfish were landed during a close two-day event. In the end, the winners were Sean Kersting and Trip Saunders with two fish totaling 67.25 inches. My fishing partner, Benny Parrish, and I came in second with 64.75 inches. The team of Mike Rogel and Jeff Harrell won third place.

Anglers were pleased with the numbers of redfish that were spotted and landed but concerned with the condition of the bay. That sentiment was shared by tournament organizer and TBWK board member Adam Fernandez in his introduction at the evening’s awards ceremony and raffle. Other speakers included Maya Burke from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and Justin Bloom, founder of Suncoast Waterkeeper. Kudos to all the sponsors, anglers and TBWK board members that made this event such a big success.

RUSTY CHINNIS | SUN The winners of the Waterman Tournament are presented their prizes by tournament founder and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper Boar Member Adam Fernandez.

CAPTAIN DAVE WHITE | SUBMITTED Brandt Sjuts, brother of Captain David White, of Anna Maria Charters, shows off a healthy red grouper caught on a live pinfish last week.

Ideal weather producing big results

CAPTAIN DAVE WHITE

Well, the weather has finally been ideal for life in the Sunshine State! The temperatures are perfect and the fish know it. We here at Anna Maria Charters have capitalized a bit inshore, offshore, and in our fly trips this last week.

Inshore, we’ve had a wide variety of options. The bigger sheepshead are spawning on local reefs, ledges and structures. So, targeting them on shrimp has made filling the cooler pretty easy. We’re also seeing a few mangrove snapper and black drum while shrimp fishing. We’ve also been catching pilchards as well. The snook have awakened from their coldweather slumber and are eager to chase a shiner. We’re also catching a fair amount of redfish as well.

Offshore, we’re targeting red grouper in depths under 120’ of water, as is the law for February and March. Mangrove snapper and blackfin tuna are also making appearances on our offshore trips. Hopefully the weather keeps up and the fishing continues to improve.

CAPTAIN RICK GRASSETT

There should be good action with reds, trout and snook in skinny water in March as baitfish become more plentiful. Look for Spanish and king mackerel, cobia, tripletail and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal Gulf. Night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option this month.

Snook and reds remain closed to harvest south of State Road 64 in Manatee County on the west coast of Florida, south to the south bank of Gordon Pass in Collier County. Reds and snook are catch and release only in that zone until May 31, 2022. Spotted seatrout has reopened in that zone with a three-fish-perperson bag limit and a six-fish boat limit. Trout must be from 15”-19” with one allowed per vessel over 19”. Full regulations and details can be viewed at https:// myfwc.com/ .

This should be a good month for snook fishing at night around lighted docks and bridge fenders in the ICW. DOA Shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, usually work well at night since glass minnows and shrimp are the predominate bait. Focus on shadow lines where light meets dark and fish strong tides for the best action. Although snook may also be found in rivers, creeks or canals in March, they will also start to move onto shallow flats, particularly on sunny afternoons when it’s warm. I like larger lures like CAL jigs with jerk worms, CAL 4” Shad Tails, DOA Baitbusters and the DOA PT soft plastic top water lure or wide profile flies like Clousers, Deceivers and EP flies, for snook on the flats.

Look for early season tarpon that may start to show in backcountry areas. These are usually adult resident fish that are making their way out of rivers and creeks. They may be “laid up” or rolling on deep grass flats, on edges of shallow flats or along bars when it is calm. An accurate cast with a DOA Shrimp, a Deceiver or Tarpon Bunny fly may result in an explosive strike! Look for them in areas of Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay or in Gasparilla Sound on some of the same deep grass flats where you find trout.

CAPTAIN RICK GRASSETT | SUBMITTED Dave Reinhart, from Massechusetts, fished Sarasota Bay and caught and released this nice red and snook on CAL jigs with grubs while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Select Models Now FDOT changes LSV road rules

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BY KRISTIN SWAIN

SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com

HOLMES BEACH – The rules of the road are changing again for low-speed vehicles in Holmes Beach, at least temporarily.

On Feb. 25, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer sent out a memo saying the department had been contacted by the Florida Department of Transportation, the state organization that determines the FREE BASIC INSTALLrules on state roads, including which vehicles are allowed on ONthem. In Holmes Beach, Manatee FANS PRICED $ .99299 & UP OR $29.99 INSTALL ON FANS PRICED $ $ 99 to 299 SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. BRING THIS AD INTO STORE FOR DETAILS. PRIOR SALES EXCLUDED. NOT COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS. DAN'S FAN CITY, LLC LIC#EC13004528

Avenue and East Bay Drive are both state roads. While the speed limit isn’t changing and stays 35 mph, Tokajer said FDOT is planning to do a full study of Manatee Avenue, East Bay Drive and Gulf Drive south of Walgreens to look at the feasibility of LSV safety and the speed limits on these roadways.

In the meantime, HBPD officers have been asked to not enforce the previous FDOT rule of no LSVs on Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach until the study is completed.

What this means for drivers is that, for now, LSVs can be driven on these roads until FDOT representatives complete their study and have further discussions about future regulations with city leaders.

Golf carts, those that are not registered with the state and do not have a license plate, are still not allowed to be driven in any area of Holmes Beach with a speed limit higher than 25 miles per hour, which includes Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive. Those vehicles are allowed to cross those streets.

City purchases new street sweeper

According to Bradenton Beach Public Works Director Tom Woodard, the city has ordered a brand new 2022 TYMCO Model 435 Regenerative Air Sweeper at a cost of $154,352. On Feb. 17, Woodard told the city commission the vehicle will be used to sweep streets, bike lanes, sidewalks and public parking areas throughout the city. The city does not currently own a street sweeper and Woodard did not say when he expects the new vehicle to arrive. The long-desired sweeper was purchased using a portion of the $2.6 million state appropriation the city received to make future flood control improvements at the north end of the city. That flood control project is currently in the design phase.

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TYMCO.COM | SUBMITTED The Public Works Department will have a new TYMCO street sweeper similar to the one shown in this photo.

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Island Players present ‘A Comedy of Tenors’

The fourth play of the Island Players’ 73rd season, “A Comedy of Tenors” will open March 3 at the Island Playhouse in Anna Maria.

BY JASON SCHAFFER

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA - The Island Players are about to open the fourth play of their historic 73rd season with a production of Ken Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors.” Directed by Preston Boyd, who has been involved in area theater since the early 1980s, this sequel to Ludwig’s highly successful “Lend Me a Tenor” promises to bring plenty of laughs.

“It’s typical farce, a lot of doors open that shouldn’t open and people see things that they shouldn’t be seeing,” Boyd said. “Sometimes the doors slam into people’s faces, and the wrong people are in the wrong clothes. If we don’t get laughs on this one, something’s wrong.”

The play’s description reads, “What could possibly go wrong in one hotel suite with two wives, three girlfriends and four tenors about to perform the concert of the century with a soccer stadium filled with fans? Just love affairs, mistaken identities and comic chaos.”

The cast was chosen by Boyd and includes James Thaggard as Saunders, Mikey Lynch as Max, Valerie Lipscomb as Maria, John Andruzzi as Tito/ Beppo, Katie Zanders as Mimi, Colin Brady as Carlo and Sharon Bartley as Racon. Boyd’s wife, Priscilla, is the stage manager of this play.

“A Comedy of Tenors” will run from March 3 to March 15 at the Island Playhouse, 10009 Gulf Drive in Anna Maria. Tickets are on sale now for $25 at the box office, located at the main entrance of the theater. Box Office hours are Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number is 941-778-5755 and the website is www.theislandplayers.org.

For everyone’s protection, masks are required and hand sanitizer will be available. Additional parking is available at CrossPointe Church, 8605 Gulf Drive. The AMI free trolley stops in front of the church and runs about every 20 minutes north toward the theater.

The Island Players prepare for their latest production, “A Comedy of Tenors” which opens March 5.

JASON SCHAFFER | SUN

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