NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST EDITION
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SPRING
TIPS FOR REDS
POOR MAN'S
& TROUT
WANT TO BE A CHARTER CAPTAIN?
GIANT TREVALLY
MAR 21-24 • PBBOATSHOW.COM PHOTO COURTESY OF TOMMY MIANO
VOLUME 29 • ISSUE 348
COASTALANGLERMAG.COM
F R A N C H I S E
O P P O R T U N I T I E S
A V A I L A B L E
W O R L D W I D E
MARCH 2024
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PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®.
KEEN SENSES
ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS
By Capt. Michael Okruhlik
I
t is always important to pay attention to our surroundings as we go through life, and fishing is no exception. How many of you have been fishing without any action and find yourself daydreaming and going through the motions until you feel the tug on your line? Suddenly you are frantically trying to remember the cadence of your retrieve to duplicate the action, but you are dreaming of fish instead of trying to catch them. Well, in this article and the accompanying video for The Angler Video Magazine, I will go over a specific situation when paying attention paid off, and you can see it and hear me talk through it on the video. I will also share some wisdom from two incredible Texas guides whom I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with on the topic of targeting big trout. While wading in knee-deep water that
4 NATIONAL
MARCH 2024
was about 61 degrees, I could see a few mullet jumping in their casual mullet way. It was enough to keep me interested in the area. The bottom had undulating depth with grass and scattered potholes, or sand pockets for those not familiar with the term. I was throwing a slowsinking soft-plastic jerkbait, letting it slowly sink between twitches where the sand and grass met. With a cast in mid-air, I saw a mullet do an abnormal flip. It was distinct from the norm of the day and not as if it were being chased, but different, nonetheless. I burned my lure back in and made a cast just beyond where the mullet flipped. When my lure paused near the area, a nice redfish slammed my soft plastic. Had I not been paying attention and blew it off as just another mullet jumping, I would not have caught that fish and a few more in the general area. Since we cannot always have a bird’s eye view,
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we need to utilize the birds’ eyes. Here are a few tips I picked up on during a conversation with guides. Birds do not always need to be feeding to point us to fish. There are subtle hints, such as a head turn of a gliding pelican. They don’t turn their head for no reason; they saw something. Maybe they saw a huge trout and kept soaring because it was too big for them to eat. Also, watch the lines birds are relating too. They may not dive, bait may not flee from the shadow, but they are flying that line for a reason, and maybe you should work your way toward the area. Pay attention on the water and in conversation with old salts. You might need to read between the lines, but the answers are there. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®.
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JACK CREVALLE: BATTLE THE BULLIES OF THE REEF
S
ometimes called the “poor man’s giant trevally,” jack crevalle will strike a surface lure or bait aggressively, and once hooked, engage the angler in a slugfest they won’t soon forget. Jacks are world-class fighters. These fish are perfect for small-boat anglers because they frequent inshore and nearshore waters. They can be caught in bays, inlets, canals and off reefs, where they target schooling baitfish. These fish are perfect for light spinning gear or a fly rod, as they will readily take any fast-retrieved bait imitation. They frequently show up in bays and estuaries following migratory baitfish like mullet. Strong current that concentrates bait is usually best, and you’ll find them at the mouths of the inlets on a strong outgoing tide. Any nearshore reef close to an inlet that has “nervous water” – a sure sign of bait schools—is prime territory for jacks. A 7-foot medium-action spinning rod equipped with a 6000 sized spinning reel and spooled with 40-pound braid is a prime tool for fighting these fish. I like a fluorocarbon leader in the 50-pound range for abrasion resistance. These fish are not leader shy. Jacks school up in large groups of juvenile fish under 10 pounds. The larger 20-plus-pound fish usually hunt in pairs. While a
By Mark Ambert
5000-class rod and reel setup will handle the smaller fish, a larger setup will be better for anything over 20 pounds. Pro-Tip: If you tangle with one of the larger fish, get a second bait or lure in the water for a double hook-up! Live bait and chum will usually find the biggest fish. Any local seasonal bait such as herring, pilchards, sardines or mullet will do the trick. For maximum fun factor, a topwater lure or fly stripped fast can’t be beat. I usually locate a school of feeding fish first then break out the fly or topwater spinning gear for sport. A 9- or 10-weight fly rod setup with an intermediate line is optimal. When fly fishing, a popper, Deceiver, Clouser or any streamer pattern will work. I use flies that cast easily and in colorful patterns to attract the fish. With spinning gear, any noisy or splashy plug such as a 3- to 4-inch Storm Chug Bug is ideal. I also use a 4-inch Heddon Zara Spook in white with a walk-the-dog retrieve. Watching this lure get knocked out of the water and eaten is worth the
price of admission. For sub-surface action, the Rapala X-Rap size 10 in Ghost finish can’t be beat. The initial run of a big jack is spectacular, with ever shortened runs to follow. Using lighter gear, you might have to chase bigger fish down, so be prepared to move. Once a fish is spent, I usually use a net or tail grab the fish boatside for a quick picture and safe release, as these fish have limited food quality. Now head out your local inlet and target these plentiful and eager sluggers. They will not disappoint. Find Mark Ambert on Instagram @marksgonefishing_™; Email: marksgonefishing25@gmail.com.
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MARCH 2024
NATIONAL 7
DO YOU WANT TO BE A CHARTER CAPTAIN? By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon
I
went fishing while on Florida vacation about a decade ago. After returning home to Canada for two months, I drove back to pursue a career in the industry. I had zero experience, no connections, and less than half a clue on where to begin. For those with a similar dream, here’s what I learned. First, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a weekend warrior. If you want to be a captain, be a deckhand first. You don’t know what you don’t know, and working for someone fishing the waters you plan to guide provides all kinds of information. Every fishery has its own etiquette and unspoken guidelines. Community is crucial, and paying your dues and earning respect goes a long way. Captains communicate about fishing on the water, and often, we are each other’s first responders. This same-team mentality is nearly currency. Beginning as a deckhand is difficult. Nobody wants to train you, yet you must be trainable. On your own time, practice skills like knot tying, bait rigging and net throwing. Veteran fishermen are usually happy to flex knowledge to those who ask for help humbly. No matter what you learn, be ready to have a captain you work for tell you it’s wrong. Adapt, and learn things their way. The expectations of deckhands are high, and everything on board will be their fault. You are expected to arrive early, stay late, come in on days off, anticipate your captain and clients wants, and do it on minimum salary. The biggest issue with new deckhands is they sometimes don’t show up. Finding a replacement at 6 a.m. is nearly impossible, and it affects the productivity of a charter. Being a fisherman takes a special kind of person. If can fish six days a week and still want to go out for fun on your day off, this job
may be for you. If you’re on the boat watching the clock, you won’t last long. Showing up to the dock consistently is a great way to make connections and get work. If you can’t find work, show up an hour before local charters head out. Walk the dock and ask if anyone had a no-show deckhand. If you do this consistently and pass out your number, eventually someone will call you. They will see you have the dedication to show up. Deckhands are also required to be on a drug consortium. Sign up and keep your paper with you. Lastly, if you hold a captain’s license and are working as a deckhand, make sure your “captain” has one too. You do not want to be held liable for someone else’s mistakes. Protect your future in the industry. If this is something you want to do, I highly recommend going for it. In 10 years, I have never regretted it or lost the smile it puts on my face. Capt. Quinlyn Haddon guides with Sweet E’Nuf Charters, Marathon, Florida Keys. Captainquinlyn.com; @captainquinlyn; (504) 920-6342.
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Snook fishing during this transition is very much dependent on the weather. A warming spell pushes snook out faster toward the passes and bays, while a cooling trend will slow them down. A cold snap will absolutely shut the bite down. If it breaks cold and clear the morning of your planned fishing trip, you’re better off targeting trout and reds. While snook are moving out, big schools of scaled sardines and threadfin herring start to show up close to shore. These baitfish, also known as whitebait or pilchard and greenbacks, respectively, become the favorite food source for snook as well as many other gamefish. When water temps reach the mid-70s, a snook’s metabolism ramps up and they’ll eat anything from crabs and shrimp to mullet, but a lively sardine or herring freelined on a 2/0 circle hook is as close to a sure thing as you’re going to get. Generally, these baitfish are also pretty easy to find this time of year. Where you find the bait is where you’ll find snook. Look at a map and draw a line between a known wintering hole and the passes where snook spawn in summer. In spring, they will be somewhere along this line, staged up and feeding on structure. Snook are ambush predators and prefer to hang in the slack water while the tide sweeps food in front of them. By CAM Staff On the beginning of an incoming or outgoing tide, look to the docks, bridges, points, channel swings, mangroves, oyster bars and anything else that provides a little current shade adjacent to faster water. River mouths are a good place to start your search. If there are greenies or whitebait present, there’s a very good chance a school of snook will be there feeding on them. Want to know for sure? Use a chum bat to sling a double handful of disoriented greenies where you think snook might be. If they’re there, you’ll know it in a hurry. Fresh live bait is the easiest way to catch fish, but the spring feed-up also provides lots of opportunity for anglers throwing artificials. If you’re someone who prefers to skip the hassle of catching and keeping bait, you can absolutely get the job done with a baitfish or shrimp imitation. Topwaters, soft-plastic paddletails, soft-plastic shrimp, twitchbaits, plugs and bucktails nook are hungry when they break out of the winter doldrums and go will all get bit. A couple benefits to artificials is you can use them to cover lots on the move this time of year. As spring temperatures begin to stabilize, of water quickly to find fish and they can be skipped up under mangroves they push progressively farther out of their backwater holes, and their and docks. migration intersects with the arrival of spring baitfish schools. It’s a recipe For more tips and tactics, go to coastalanglermag.com. for an aggressive feed-up ahead of the summer spawn.
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Every year, just after the New Year, American shad move from the northern states south. This year, my dad and I went to central Florida to see if we could find some shad making their way up a river. Unfortunately, after hours of constant jigging with light tackle and tiny jigs and a couple miles of paddling a tandem kayak, the shad were a bust. We decided to take a lunch break with lines out for a catfish or bowfin. We soaked baits for about an hour without even a nibble. At this point, I was more than a little disappointed after driving three hours without even a bite to show for it. Don’t get me wrong, the scenery was beautiful, but I was determined to catch something! I started jigging again as my dad slowly paddled us back to the truck. About a quarter of the way back, I got a bite, a cute little 10-inch largemouth. Despite the size, I was satisfied; I had beaten the skunk. I continued jigging until we were about halfway back, where this narrow part of the river opened wider. I made a “last cast” and had decided to call it quits. As I cranked my jig straight in, I was surprised when it got thumped! I laughed and told my dad we had been doing it wrong all day. To test the theory, I tossed my jig out and again just cranked it in. About two feet from the kayak, a huge swirl appeared where my jig was, and 4-pound line started By Emily Hanzlik ripping off my ultralight. My dad paddled to keep the fish a manageable distance from the kayak while also maneuvering defensively to place the kayak between the fish and the vegetation. After an extremely stressful nearly 20-minute fight, we netted a beautiful, 7-pound-plus Florida sunshine bass. I frantically checked the FWC website for the state record, which weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces. However, I knew I had one more hope for a record. I checked IGFA and was more than pleased to find the women’s 4-pound-test record was a 5-pound fish. If approved, this will be my first record that was not targeted. When you’re hunting records, it’s key to be prepared. No matter where we go, I keep my certified Rapala scale and my tape measure in a glasses container in whatever bag we have that day. The other key is to make sure you always have accurate line on your reel. I use tournament Ande line so I don’t have to worry about my line over-testing. Other than that, it’s just the f you’ve read my column, you know that catching IGFA record fish is what luck of getting that big one. I love to do. I’ve caught more than 60 of them, and people frequently ask Emily Rose Hanzlik has caught more than 60 IGFA world records which is my favorite. It’s tough to pick, but the following recent record in various categories. Find her on social media @emilyhanzlikoutdoors. is at the top.
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COASTAL ANGLER North Central Florida/Nature Coast
MARCH 2024 EDITION
Find Your Outdoors Here!
Cary & Lynn Crutchfield
North Central Florida Nature Coast Staff
ALACHUA, CITRUS, COLUMBIA, DIXIE, GILCHRIST, LEVY, MARION, SUWANNEE
Cary Crutchfield
MARCH
W
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US
ith this March 2024 issue, (our 145th) we begin our THIRTEENTH year, bringing the world’s greatest FREE fishing magazine to North Central Florida and the Nature Coast. We began March 2012, with NO publishing experience, and really no clue what we were getting ourselves into. Even though we were not young, we are smart and we could learn. We were going to succeed no matter what, and we have! When we began, we were print only. Now we are on the web, and we have videos. Interested? Call me and I will tell you all about the videos. Dr. Kevin McCarthy has been writing for us since our first issue. Every month he brings us something new and fresh. “Kevin, you are a treasure, and you are much appreciated!” See page 3 for FLORIDA WATERWAYS. I also want to acknowledge and thank Capt. Tommy Derringer and Capt. Pat McGriff. Capt. Derringer (ST. AUGUSTINE page 11) joined us April 2012 and Capt. McGriff (KEATON BEACH page 15) joined us May 2012. Noel Kuhn (SURF & PIER page 11) has also been with us since our first year. “WOW! We so much appreciate their loyalty and dedication! See page 10 for photos from my recent trip to Amarillo, Texas, to meet my first great granddaughter, Aurora Lynn. My grandson Stephen is still in the Navy. He just spent two months paternity leave with his wife Anna, and his baby daughter, but has now returned to his ship in Roda, Spain. This month’s recipe, Crispy Baked Scallops, page 2, is a delicious, easy shellfish presentation. Save the date for the Dixie County Rotary Daddy Daughter Dance. See page 2. As we begin our thirteenth year of publication, we first want to thank the wonderful folks at our Coastal Angler Corporate office for their ongoing support and assistance. We send a really big thank you to our family of franchise owners across the country, for their generous sharing of advice, photos, articles and sometimes just an understanding and sympathetic ear. Thank you to our advertisers and distribution locations. Thank you to our writers for giving of their time and knowledge to provide us with timely forecasts and articles. Thank you to Kathleen, our graphic artist. You see her beautiful work on every page. Thank you to Rosa, our distribution assistant, helping us to get the magazines to our pick-up locations and into your hands. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to YOU, our reader. If you stop reading our magazine, we are out of business in a hurry. Again, I want to remind you to get your flu shot, Covid booster and for some of us, the RSV vaccine. You might also want to ask about the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine. Stay smart; stay well and stay alive. Lynn Crutchfield Co-Publisher Coastal Angler Magazine of North Central Florida/Nature Coast
SALES
EDITING & PRODUCTION Lynn Crutchfield
DISTRIBUTION Rosa Crisman
GRAPHIC ARTS & DESIGN Kathleen Stemley
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Noel Kuhn Dr. Kevin McCarthy Capt. Andrew Fagan Capt. Jason Clark Capt. Katie Jo Davis Capt. Tommy Derringer Capt. Jonathan Hamilton Capt. Tony Johns Capt. James Kerr Capt. Pat McGriff Capt. Brent Woodward
CONTACT INFORMATION
crutch@coastalanglermagazine.com 352-542-0356
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Local Fishing Forecasts Monthly Recipe
Photo by: Suwannee River Water Management District
SAVE THE DATE 13TH ANNUAL DIXIE COUNTY Rotary Club Daddy Daughter Dance
CRISPY BAKED SCALLOPS (SERVES 2)
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Saturday April 27, 2024 6-8:30 PM Dolphus Pepper’s Memorial High School Gym
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as Dads and Daughters Celebrate Cross City’s 100th Anniversary and the 85th Birthday of the Dixie County Rotary Club
Granddaughter Secelia and Pa Pa Cary at 2023 Daddy Daughter Dance.
Thank you to The Crab Plant for the shrimp. Visit their Fresh Seafood Market or enjoy Cooked Seafood to go. You are welcome to sit at their table and view beautiful Kings Bay while you enjoy your delicious, freshly prepared meal, watching manatees, dolphins, pelicans and boats. Or, you can carry it home; your choice. Open Tues-Thurs 10:00-5:30, Fri-Sat 10:00-8:00. 201 NW 5th St. Crystal River 352-795-4700.
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DIRECTIONS
INGREDIENTS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. • 8 to 10 Large Sea Dry scallops well with paper towel Scallops (or 1 cup Bay and remove any attached side muscle, by Scallops) pinching and tearing it away. (Muscle • Salt and Pepper COOKING DIRECTIONS is tough!) • 2 Strips Bacon Place bacon in skillet. Cook over med • 1/8 teaspoon Paprika high until crispy. Dry on paper towel and • Pinch of Cayenne crumble. Pepper (optional) Combine Paprika, Cayenne, (If using, • ¼ cup Panko I chose not.) Panko, Parmesan, Parsley, • 2 tablespoons grated Bacon and Butter in bowl and stir until Parmesan Cheese combined. • 2 tablespoons chopped Heat bacon grease and place minced Parsley white part of onion in pan and cook until • 2 tablespoons melted soft. Remove with slotted spoon and add Butter to Panko mixture. Add uncooked minced • 2 Green Onions, white green parts to mixture. and green minced Season scallops with salt and pepper. separately Heat bacon grease in skillet until hot. (If not enough grease left in pan, add a tablespoon or two of butter.) Heat to med high. Place scallops in skillet in single layer, not touching. Cook without moving until browned, flip and brown the other side. Remove scallops from skillet and place on small sheet pan, or any oven dish with low sides. Cover with Panko mixture. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until topping begins to brown. With spatula or large flat spoon, carefully scoop scallops and topping to serving plates. I served with steamed asparagus, with a bit of butter, warm sliced hard cooked egg and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Lynn Crutchfield, Co-Publisher Coastal Angler Magazine of North Central Florida 2 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST
MARCH 2024
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By
FLORIDA WATERWAYS Fish Statues Around the World
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think that one can tell what particular townspeople consider important, by seeing what statues they erect, for example in the town square. While boating a French waterway several years ago, I found that a number of towns along the Yonne Canal have monuments to those local citizens who died in the two world wars, and some places have fish statues. I found By Kevin McCarthy the following photos by looking up “fish statues” on the internet and on a photo agency I subscribe to. The first one is entitled “Duch men eating herring the traditional way” and is found at a seaside resort in the Netherlands on the North Sea. Duch friends can tell you that the preferred style of eating soused herring is to hold the tiny fish upside down by its tail, maybe coat it in chopped onions, raise the fish high over your head, tilt your head back, and drop or lower the delicacy into your mouth. The Dutch preference for herring dates back to the 14th century, when an enterprising local fisherman, Willem Beukelszoon, developed a way of gutting and deboning the fish which left parts of the stomach and other internal organs intact. The Dutch went on to become a major force in the herring industry, and so the statue pictured here is appropriate. The second picture is of a statue of small boys holding a big fish in Segovia, Spain. The statue, called Statue of the Lions, shows two boys holding a fish that is larger than they are. A stream of water shoots
Dutch men eating herring (cr. Milos Ruzicka)
out from the mouth of the fish. On each side of the central column are the molten-lead heads of lions. The third picture shows a fisherman in Malta returning from a fishing trip to his son, daughter, and cat. The bronze structure is in the town of Marsaxlokk, which also has a statue of St. Luke, the patron saint of fishermen. The town is a traditional fishing village in the southeastern part of the island. The fourth statue is of a fish in a Polish park. The fifth statue is called “Peix,” which is “fish” in the Catalan Language. Frank Gehry made it in 1992 for the Olympic Games. The sculpture is located in the Olympic Port next to the Arts and Mapfre Towers. The sixth statue, called the Chicharro, is a bronze statue that represents a horse mackerel on a wave in Santa Cruz de
A statue of boys holding a fish in Segovia (cr. Ennis Lopez)
Figurine or statue of a fish in a Polish park
A Peix/Fish statue in Barcelona (cr. valilung)
Tenerife in the Canary Islands. If any readers have fish statues in their town, please let me know at the email address below; thanks. Kevin McCarthy, author of Suwannee River Guidebook (Pineapple Press, 2009), can be reached at ceyhankevin@gmail.com.
A statue of a fisherman in Malta eturning to his family (cr. Lars Fortuin)
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A bronze statue, called the Chicharro, that represents a horse mackerel on a wave in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands
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pring is in the air, and it is my favorite time of the year to target redfish, black drum, sea trout, snook and triple tail inshore! I operate the perfect boat to fish the creek mouths and shallow water oyster bars, where the fish will be staging as the water begins to warm up. My Young 22-foot Gulfshore, seats four plus me, comfortably to fish for these various species of fish with plenty of casting room and comfortable seating. Redfish and black drum will begin to school together along rocky islands and near the mouth of creeks. Shrimp or a small blue crab are excellent bait for these fish on a 3/0 circle hook. I typically add a size four split shot, just atop of the eye of the hook to provide weight for casting, and to allow the bait to drop to the bottom without hanging up on the rocks. The snook will also begin to move out to the same areas, where a top water spook will get their attention and provide the action they can hardly resist. Triple tail will begin floating along the stone crab trap buoys and along grass lines, as they begin their migration north. A free-lined shrimp on a 1/16-ounce jig cast just past them, then slowly retrieved to put the bait in front of their face, usually works best. Spring is such a great time to enjoy outings on the water. I always enjoy a cool, crisp morning and a mildly warm afternoon. Captain Katie Jo KD OUTDOORS FiSHING CHARTERS www.fishcrystalriverflorida.com 772–882-8932
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ey anglers. Hope y'all are enjoying this break from all those cool fronts. I can tell you it's been great for trout fishing on the flats. When it's not blowing 20+ mph, it's a lot easier to set up for this fish. I've primarily been targeting trout on the flats and the bite has been absolutely amazing. Incoming tide has been the ticket and fishing in those 2-to-4-foot holes. A Four Horsemen Popping Cork along with my go-to C&M paddle tail has been the kind of trout candy we all like. On top of a great trout bit, my youngest son and I took some much needed time off to do a little deer hunting in Alabama at the start of
February. We had a great time and brought home three deer. I believe it's so important to teach our youth about the great outdoors and I'm sure if you're reading this, you feel the same way. Until next month, stay safe out there. Capt. Jason Clark In The Slot Fishing Charters 352-639-3209 www.intheslotfishing.com
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arch is considered a windy month, but if your fishing schedule is flexible, you can still have some of the best days of the year during this month. Currently we are experiencing a “warm February”, which has the fish already moving into an “early springtime pattern”. This activity could lead into some really good fishing in March! The redfish will be active around the mouths of the creeks and along the grassy shorelines, especially if there are oysters and or rocks present. The redfish are hungry and are moving around looking for bait. As the bait becomes more active, so do the predator fish. This time of the year, I have two favorite baits. First I like to fish a ⅝ or ¾ ounce gold spoon. This is an awesome search bait that can be cast a long distance. It can be fished up and down in the water column and you can slow roll it along the bottom, or rip it through the water. My next go-to bait will be the FishBites Brawler 5-inch Jerkbait, I will rig it on a ⅛, ¼ or 5/16 jig head; it just depends on the water depth and what type of bottom I am fishing. The color I choose to start with depends on the clarity of the water and how bright the day is. As a rule of thumb, in dark waters and or low light conditions, I use a solid darker color, then in clear waters with bright conditions, I like more opaque and brighter colored baits. March is also when the sheepshead will be schooling offshore to spawn. Some years, the fish have been closer, like on the Hedemon Reef and the Dragline, but in recent years, the Sheepshead have been further offshore, places like the artificial reefs and rock pikes in 25 to 40 feet of water. With
the Suwannee River pretty high, and the waters being dark, I am figuring they will be offshore again this year. So what's the best rig for catching the sheepshead offshore? The most simple rig is a ¼ - ½ ounce jig head with fresh/live shrimp. This works really good in the shallower waters, but out in 40 feet with a strong current, it can be tricky getting your bait down to the fish. That's when I like to fish a knocker rig with enough weight to get it to the bottom and have it hold. Then the trick is to feed a little line out, so your bait is free floating out a few inches from your weight. When targeting the sheepshead, I like to use a 1/0 or 2/0 bait keeper octopus style hook. The bait keeper feature really helps to hold the shrimp on your hook! Remember don't use stainless steel hooks when sheepshead fishing offshore! Until next time y'all be safe and Catchemup! Captain Tony Johns | 352-221-2510 www.lowersuwanneriverfishing.com Instagram: captaintonyjohns Facebook: Lower Suwannee River Fishing Adventures
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NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST 9
Lynn’s visit to Amarillo to visit first Great granddaughter, Aurora Lynn, and parents Stephen and Anna.
10 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST
MARCH 2024
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ST. AUGUSTINE
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ho’s ready to experience a warm spring breeze while on the water? I know I am! We’ve had some chilly and very rainy weather this winter, although at report time, we’re on a little run of nicer, dryer weather. It’s been tough to pattern the fish with the funky weather and the murkier than normal water conditions. The redfish, trout, and sheepshead have still been chewing and things should only get better as we head into spring. Redfish, trout, and black drum will be my focus inshore this month. Look for redfish in shallow flats and creeks that have a darker mud or oyster bottom. On clear days, the sun will warm the water a few degrees in those areas, making a great spot for the reds to hang out and warm up a bit. Bait (mullet, minnows, shrimp) will also hold in these "hot" spots and it is common knowledge that the reds will be in the same areas as the bait is. Sight-fishing for reds has been a little hit or miss this year, again due to the water clarity/weather. Not to worry you can still “sight” fish… One way to spot schooled up reds is to look for wakes or "muds" caused by the fish moving. I've been locating some big schools this way just about all winter, and as the water starts to warm up, you can also locate the reds by watching out for fish feeding on the surface, chasing mullet and minnows. The latter half of this month marks the start to my favorite time of year to fish for trout. Once the water starts to warm up a bit, the trout will be going crazy. There's nothing like watching that big momma trout come soaring out of the water after your top-water plug. Creek mouths, rip rap, and just about anywhere you
have some moving water, you are going to have great places to target the specs. Remember to loosen the drag just a little when throwing top-water plugs for trout. They have somewhat delicate mouths, and you don't want to rip the plug away from the fish before they get it. Of course, if top-water isn't your thing, a jig and soft plastic will do the trick for the specs as well. My go-to rig of choice for trout (and reds too!) is a Saltwater Assassin paddle tail rigged on either a 1/4oz jighead or a weighted weedless hook. The sheepshead bite has been strong all winter and should continue into early spring. Fiddlers and oyster crabs have been the best baits. Just about any structure with barnacles on it has been holding some “heads”. Some of the bigger ones have been coming out of deeper water around the big bridges and jetties. We’ve also been catching quite a few big ones in the creeks around the oyster bars. I think it’s safe to say that sheepshead like cold weather and we’ve had plenty of that this winter. The black drum bite has been pretty good over the last couple of months and should continue this month. Most of my fish have been in the 3 to 8 lb. range and were caught in the deeper parts of the creeks off the ICW. The best baits have been live/fresh dead shrimp, or a fiddler crab. An hour on either side of low tide has been producing the best bite, especially around the new and full moons.
SURF & PIER
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ast month in that 55-degree water, the big whiting really showed up in big numbers. Also, in big size, 18-inch fish over two pounds, was not uncommon. What was really crazy were the big bluefish who were eating the whiting and everything else in their path! Ten-to-fifteen-pound bluefish are so uncommon in Florida that it was really a treat to hear the drag singing. So this month, if you think you have hooked a small shark, you may get a big bluefish surprise! This month the biggest pompano of the year make their return trip from central and south Florida. The big ones seem to tolerate the chilly surf better than the average size. I will never forget my first pomp over six pounds. It was in March, and the calf deep water on Crescent Beach was so cold that I could not feel my feet. Here is a tip on catching your Pompzilla; I caught that fish on my smallest rod with my shortest cast into only three feet of water! Here is a key point to help you be more successful now and throughout the year. Never fish in dirty water. The water that looks Capt. Tommy Derringer like chocolate milk will net you a www.InshoreAdventures.net skunk or catfish. So move on in 904-377-3734 search of clean water. The water is usually cleaner on one side of the
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inlet than the other. This is true for all of them, and that includes Nassau Sound, Ft George Inlet, St Johns Inlet, Vilano Inlet, Matanzas Inlet and Ponce de Leon Inlet. So if you find dirty water, drive to your next favorite spot. If that does not look any better, jump the inlet and you may find your new favorite spot with clean water. Great news! Mark your calendars for Saturday May 4th for the TWENTIETH annual Florida Surf Casters Tournament. The weigh-in will be held at Strike Zone Fishing on Beach Blvd in Jacksonville. For more details and to register, please visit surfishingflorida.com March through May are three of the most productive months in the surf. So go now and go often. Enjoy this Spring with your toes in the sand and a big Pompzilla pulling your drag. You will never forget it. Tight lines and I will see you on the beach. Noel Kuhn 43 years of surf fishing experience, surf fishing guide and long distance casting coach. Founding member of Florida Surf Casters club. 904-945-0660 www.TheSurfAngler.com
NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST 11
HOMOSASSA
CRYSTAL RIVER
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ello from Crystal River. I hope everyone has been fishing and enjoying the water. March is a great time to be out fishing. With the warmer weather that’s fast approaching, it really fires up the fishing. This time of year, the trout fishing is really good. With the warmer weather, the trout who have moved into the creeks and the shallow water, trying to stay warm, have moved out. When targeting them, I look for baitfish and hard bottom with rock grass. Also, I like to fish the lower tide; it concentrates the fish. I’ll use hard baits; Mirrordines are a good choice. The reds have been awesome. While targeting them, I look for bait on the islands and creeks, and I like to fish the beginning of the incoming tide and follow the tide to stay in shallow water. Another good tactic to catching reds, is sight fishing. I like a slower incoming tide and really take my time trolling and looking for fish. It can be really productive. For tackle, I’ll use 1/16 jig tipped with a fresh live shrimp or even gulp a shrimp. Live pins are also a good bait. Snook fishing has gotten better. The snook slowly start the transition from the inside to moving back out to the outside with the warmer weather. When targeting snook, I look for good moving tidal flow on points, and I prefer to use artificial baits. Anything that’s a fast twitch bait with sporadic action usually gets a bite. Hope everyone has a great month of fishing. 12 NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA/NATURE COAST
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pringtime in Florida is my favorite time of the year. Turkeys are gobbling, slightly warmer weather, and the flats are coming back to life. March is my favorite time of the year to catch big trout in Homosassa. There is nothing like watching that big yellow mouth crush a nose hooked jerk bait in 3 feet of crystal-clear water. And for the nay-sayers who say, “Trout are boring.” “You have not caught them this time of the year in Homosassa!” Trout fishing, look for hard yellow bottom on the second half of the incoming tide. These fish will not get on the rock (yellow bottom) until there’s enough water for them to feel comfortable, so you can get in there too early, and actually keep them from coming on the rock. So be patient and wait. I like the DOA CAL 5 inch in Glow or Glow/gold flake nose hooked on a 3/0 J hook. That’s my go-to. MirrODines also work pretty good as well. Red fishing will start to increase as well on the outer islands. Fish will be transitioning out of the back and start working their way back to
the outside. Shrimp or live pin fish under a cork is kind of hard to beat this time of the year. With the water clarity being so good, fly fishing can be good in March. I like throwing shrimp/bait fish pattern flies in these conditions. Near shore rock piles will start coming alive with plenty of action for everyone. Grunts, snapper, and mackerel will keep your rods bent and make for one heck of a fish fry. Shrimp on a jig head will keep you busy. Again springtime fishing in Homosassa is really my favorite time of the year. I hope you can find the time to get out and enjoy it as much as I do. April 29th is the Pirate Invasion at Crumps Landing, Proceeds from this event will be benefitting the Homosassa River Restoration Project. As always stay safe. – Capt. Stump Capt. Jonathan Hamilton www.stumpnation.us 352-424-3260
Capt. James Kerr 352-362-6893 Citrusfishingchaters.com MARCH 2024
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ebruary has come gone on the Nature Coast, however we still have the possibility of a March cold front. Fishing has been exceptional inshore and nearshore, and the year has just begun. Inshore, the redfish bite remains hot. The water is clear and many sight-fishing opportunities have presented themselves. Fly fishing or spin casting has been very productive on big over-slot redfish for quite a few of my clients. The majority of the redfish and trout are inside the creeks and tidal cuts, riding out the winter, eating whatever swims by, so fishing is easy and fun! Nearshore the sheepshead fishing has been great with many big fish coming to the boat on the rockpiles in 10 to 30 feet of water. A big live shrimp or a mudcrab and a 3/0 owner mosquito hook, paired with 20 lb. leader, gets the job done, and you have a setup to fill the boat!! Keep what you wish for dinner that night, and let the rest go, as these are our breeding stock for years to come.
Call Lynn at 352-542-0356
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arch is a great month, as it turns the corner on winter and the trout and reds become much more active on the flats. The Gulf water temps should hold over 60 degrees and may make 70 by the end of the month. My charters will be taking trout on MirrOdines, and Paul Brown Devils as well as Assassin 5-inch Shads, rigged un-weighted on a 5/0 offset worm hook. We will pick up where we left off, with great success on Assassin’s NEW Lit’l P & V in the Laguna Shrimp pattern, rigged up on Bert’s Jigs and Things 4/0 light WIRE 1/16 ounce round head jigs. This ultralight jig allows you to fish slowly and take trout which are in transition from cold to warmer water. Bert’s jigs feature a spring lock which holds the soft plastic snug to the head and allows you to catch multiple fish on the same plastic. You should begin looking for trout near creek mouths and ditches, which have held warmer water over the winter.
Flats with mud or with rocks will warm up faster if you have a mid-day high tide. Oyster bars will also contribute to the warming on those days, so look for trout and reds around these adjacent flats. The unusual amounts of rain in January and February have moved most reds back in the creeks, so I would pull out a weedless Gold Spoon (I prefer Precision Tackle’s 1/2-ounce Hex Spoons in Gold and Copper) to hunt for reds in March. Redfish will take MirrOdines and Cordell Redfins as well as the Assassins shads fished un-weighted as described above. Meanwhile, Let's Go Fishing! Meanwhile, Let's Go Fishing! Pat McGriff dba One More Cast guide service for 30 years! www.onemorecast.net onemorecast@gtcom.net cell: 850.838.7541
H
ello guys and gals. I hope everybody had a good February. Ours shaped up to be pretty amazing. With things warming up, you can guarantee that the fishing will be getting hotter as well. Redfish really showed up for us in the month of February. I relied on them pretty much every trip. Most of the fish I caught, I caught with shrimp on the bottom, but the way they were acting I’m sure they would have eaten anything I threw at them. If you look at some of the pictures, they are from one of the days that we had a 92 redfish day. Kind of been hit or miss for me personally like I said, I’ve been leaning on the sheep head, black, drum and redfish more than anything, but I see that this month will be their show-up month You should be able to catch them with literally anything in the tacklebox, but I prefer topwater or paddle tails. If you’ve even been slightly thinking about booking with us these next two months, there are the months you want to go. The fishing will be on fire. You can book online or you can just give me a phone call. My number is posted down below. Until
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next time, keep it real native! Also guys, I want to give everybody a reminder that we do book turkey hunts. We do them up in North Florida. We are very affordable and family friendly. If you have any interest, reach out to us on Facebook or call us. Captain Brent Woodard Reel Native Fishing Charters ReelNativeFishing.com 352-284-5514
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CA Florida STAR presented by Yamaha, boasts amazing prizes, is the largest familyfriendly saltwater fishing competition in Florida and it begins May 25. A unique combination of conservation, data collection and education, plus prizes and scholarships valued at over $500,000, makes CCA Florida STAR the state’s not-to-miss-summer-long fishing competition. No other fishing tournament in Florida has the ability to engage participants
of all ages and experience levels, and even nonanglers can win, just by collecting trash and debris. Heading into the tenth year, CCA Florida STAR presented by Yamaha has made it easier than ever to participate. The summer long fishing competition encourages thousands of anglers of all ages to fish with a purpose – conservation and winning. STAR is simplifying the competition to make it easier for participants to enter their catches
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LIFE IS A BEACH
By Richard L. Matteson
COOL WATER SNOOK&THE MARCH FISHING FORECAST
I
t’s not like summer, but there are still snook on the beach here on the Treasure Coast. I caught a 21-incher a few days ago in the surf and released it. My main artificial rig is a 4-inch DOA pearl white paddletail on a chartreuse 3/8-ounce DOA jighead. Snook are looking for warmer water, so they’ll be around inlets and bridges where the water is deeper. Sometimes they run the beach because the ocean is better for them than the shallow water in the lagoon. Some large snook are being caught in deeper water of the St. Lucie, both North and South Forks, Crossroads and around deep piers and bridges as well as around deep water in both the St. Lucie and Ft. Pierce inlets. Large jigs and live or cut bait fished early morning, at dusk or at night work best. Live 6-inch croaker seem to be the preferred live bait. This month, you can harvest one snook in the 28- to 32-inch slot here in the IRL Zone. March is windy and will be the last good month for many of the winter fish like pompano, mackerel and bluefish. Some fish, especially bluefish, will remain, but the numbers are relatively small. Pompano can be caught on the beach with orange fish bites and sand fleas. In the lagoon, try jigging from bridges with pompano jigs on moving tides.
Chartreuse or hot pink are good colors. Permit have been caught on the beach on small crabs, fish bites or large sand fleas. Both permit and pompano are 50 to 70 yards offshore. The mackerel bite is good on the beach early in the morning when bait is present. This bite is in the trough around the close breakers. Small spoons like silver 1-ounce Krocodiles or gold Johnson spoons with treble hooks work best, but they will hit any lure retrieved quickly near the surface. There are mackerel still in the Peck’s Lake area where you’ll need a boat. The bluefish bite has been sporadic with fish chasing bait in early morning or when bait is present. Trout are scattered in the lagoon and can be caught on jigs and topwaters like Skitterwalks and Zara Spooks on warm afternoons. The best trout areas are north from the power plant to the Vero Beach flats. The flounder bite is still good on small the 5- to 10-pound range have been taken on jigs jigs and live bait on the flats and around the bridges. and shallow-running crankbaits. Some redfish have been caught on jigs tipped Remember, see the birds, find the bait, catch with live shrimp from the power plant north. the fish! Target mangroves on high tide in the afternoon or Richard L. Matteson Jr. is a long-time Coastal mangroves with deep water. As usual, there are scattered schools of ladyfish Angler contributor and staff writer for Stuart Rod & Reel Club. Contact him at (336) 414-3440. and jacks cruising the beaches. Some nice jacks in
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TIPS FROM A PRO
ISOLATED TARGETS FOR BIG BASS
TYLER WOOLCOTT
A
round the country, spring is either here or it is rapidly approaching. There is an amazing tip I want to share to improve your chances for catching big bass this time of year. In spring, bass flood into shallower areas of any lake. Whether that be a bank, pocket or a flat shallow area, they move shallow to start their transition and get ready to do their thing. They use any type of readily available cover to stage up and then eventually spawn. This takes a lot of the guesswork out of the search for where your next bite may come from. What I look for is isolated cover and structure. Types of cover that I look for differentiate from state to state and lake to lake, but the general concept is always the same. The more isolated the better! For instance, here in Florida, anything from a couple lily pads or a very small patch of vertical grass sticking up away from most of the other cover is the ideal spot for a big one to be sitting. In other areas of the country, it could be a single rock, a piece of wood or any kind of debris or cover that looks out of place. Shallow brushpiles near a spawning area that you find with your electronics are also an awesome thing to look for. Some of my biggest spring bass have come from something so obvious that most anglers
go right past it. Fish also often replenish on these places very quickly, so don’t overlook visiting the same piece of structure multiple times in a single day. One of my favorite things to do is cast to isolated lily pads. There could be two tiny little pads out in the middle of a flat on their own, and I might catch multiple fish off the same two pads by revisiting them throughout the day. I often pick apart these objects by dragging something slowly by or through the structure. Typically, a wacky-rigged weightless Senko or a very lightly weighted Texas-rigged stick bait are my go-to lures. When in Southern states that have some stain to the water, I stick with darker colors like blacks and blues or junebug. When the water is clear, I’ll go with more natural colors like a green pumpkin. You can keep your gear pretty simple, but remember you’re fishing around structure fish can wrap you around and break you off. Use heavier line. Try stepping up your leader size to 12- to 15-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon on a spinning rod, and use 15- to 20-pound when throwing a Texas rig on a baitcaster. The 13 have fun and be safe on the water. Fishing Defy series of rods are awesome and Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament affordable. I use the 7’6” MH for baitcasting angler and guide. Check out his website at rods and the 7’1” MH for spinning. www.tylerwoolcottfishing.com. Good luck out there this spring and always
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10 NATIONAL
MARCH 2024
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A PAIR OF WILEY X SUNGLASSES THROUGH MARCH!
I
n December, Coastal Angler and Suzuki teamed up to award one lucky reader with an extra special Christmas gift as part of the magazine’s regular contest drawings. Jeanette Harkin, of Edgewater, Fla., is now the happy owner of small, but feature-rich Suzuki DF2.5 outboard, which she plans to use on the inshore fisheries around Smyrna Beach. “I was super excited when I found out that I won, because we’ve been wanting to get a nice trolling motor for a long time,” Jeanette said. “It was an extra special Christmas present from you guys! Thank you again!!!” The Suzuki DF 2.5 weighs just 30 pounds, and the smooth, quiet and dependable engine is a perfect fit for the 16-foot Gheenoe Jeanette plans to put it on. She goes out frequently after whitefish, redfish and blue crabs on the Intracoastal near her home, and this little rig will be perfect for zipping around on the flats and backwaters. Coastal Angler’s current Giveaway drawing is for two pairs of awesome Wiley X sunglasses. These high-performance and stylish glasses will be just in time for all your springtime outdoor adventures. Go to Coastalanglermag. com, click the “Contest” tab, enter the drawing, and you could be sporting some free new shades on the water this spring. To enter, go to coastalanglermag.com/contest.
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MARCH 2024
NATIONAL 11
WHERE THE SUWANNEE & STEINHATCHEE RIVERS MEET THE GULF OF MEXICO
PHOTO BY DAVID HAY JONES
GREAT FISHING!
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By CAM Staff
YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND A BOAT RAMP
DIXIE COUNTY
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REDFISH TIP:
THE GARRETT REDFISH DRAG
H
ere’s a quick redfish tip from Capt. Garrett Ross, of Miss Judy Charters out of Savannah, Ga. “While using a traditional adjustable style cork, adjust depth to allow the live shrimp to sit directly on the bottom. This means that your cork will be laying completely over on its side. Now, when the cold-water redfish decides to take the bait in its mouth, you will not know until the cork stands up right and starts to make way. It is suggested to reel lightly tight and allow the circle hook to do its job of lip hooking your redfish!” Capt. Garrett’s reasoning for the Ethan Long, 13, with a nice redfish caught effectiveness of his while fishing with Capt. Garrett Ross. technique is that a redfish has plenty of time to eat the shrimp and begin to swim away before the angler holding the rod even knows the fish is there. It might sound counterintuitive, but circle hooks have a way of coming unbuttoned when there’s an over-eager angler holding the rod. For more from Capt. Judy Helmey, visit missjudycharters.com. 12 NATIONAL
MARCH 2024
E
very saltwater angler knows the frustration of losing their hardearned catch to sharks. With a hard thump, that big, feisty cobia or snapper stops fighting and all that’s left to haul over the rail is a head. Those delicious fillets were donated to the taxman, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Well, it seems the U.S. Congress is at least willing to take a look at the issue of shark depredation, which is a shark hammering a fish on the line before it can be landed. The SHARKED Act is a piece of legislation working its way through Congress right now with bipartisan support. The bill is just a first step toward mitigating shark interactions with anglers, both recreational and commercial, but it’s one of those rare occasions when legislators might just come together. According to the American Sportfishing Association, shark encounters are increasing on all U.S. coasts. The Magnuson-Stevens Act of 2007—the sweeping legislation that gave us the decades-long red snapper fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico—has been successful, maybe too successful, in rebuilding populations of many shark species that were previously reduced by fishing. In addition to being frustrating to anglers, there is concern that sharks are negatively impacting fisheries, and there is already talk among fisheries managers of stricter regulations on anglers intended to offset or avoid shark interactions. With support from several sportfishing and conservation organizations, the SHARKED Act unanimously passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives, and at presstime it was headed to the Senate and potentially to President Biden to be signed into law. It would direct NOAA Fisheries to develop a task force to study the issue of shark depredation. The task force would be tasked with improving coordination and communication across the fisheries management community to identify research priorities and funding opportunities and make a plan to reduce shark/angler interactions. We can only hope this future plan puts limitations on the taxman and not on anglers.
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THE SHAD RUNS ARE COMING!
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Tim Barefoot
merican shad are truly remarkable fish. They hatch in a river somewhere along the Atlantic coast of North America. From there, they hit the open ocean, take a hard left and head up toward Nova Scotia. They can go all the way to Nova Scotia, take a right, and then kick it out to 100 to 500-plus fathoms before returning south to the river of their birth. Over northward and southward ocean migrations that can carry them 12,000 miles, they have the ultimate will to survive. I’m sure big rockfish and cod love a shad, and out deep they are prey for swordfish, sharks and everything else. Pound-for-pound, they are also one of the best sport fish of all. They pull hard right up until you lift them out of the water or dehook them. It’s much easier on the fish if you unhook them in the water. American shad populations are in trouble due to overfishing, pollution, dam construction and other reasons in many of the river systems where they have historically spawned. Fishing regulations vary from state to state and river to river. Yet their spring runs remain gangbuster in some places. Check your state’s regulations before
you head out in search of them. There is an interesting book on the history of shad from colonial days to somewhat present. The name of the book is “The First Fish.” “Salt shad” at one time were traded as currency by the barrel, and were the staple food source for some regions. It tells how shad were protein in lean years during the colonial revolutionary period. They kept some coastal regions, in particular George Washington’s men, fed. It’s an interesting read for historical value, but from what I know there could be some expansion of reality. I’ll leave it at that. I said all that to say this: The American Shad is a hard-fighting fish with a no-surrender attitude. They are so much fun on light tackle. The first shad usually show up in rivers prior to Valentine’s Day, but the bite gets good in rivers of the Carolinas and Virginia in March. A small double-tackle rig of leadhead jigs with soft plastics definitely gets the bite. As far as table fare, it’s not for everyone due to the bones. The flesh is delicious, but the bones are so small and intertwined that it takes an expert to debone them. I like to keep one or two shad for bait, because wherever there’s a big stack of shad, there are other fish present to eat them. Catfish and striped bass come to mind right away. A nice fresh chunk of shad on the bottom or suspended off the bottom under a sliding cork will also get the bite. The weather this time of year can be cold, or perfect, and everywhere in between. Bundle up, find a good run and get out to enjoy the “first fish.”
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NATIONAL 15
Endless Adventure Awaits.
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