Coastal Angler Magazine | March 2023 | Palm Beach & Ft. Lauderdale Edition

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A MODERN-DAY TED WILLIAMS

By A. DeGruchy

Major League Baseball’s JD Martinez has garnered a lot of accolades, including three Silver Sluggers, a Hank Aaron Award and MLB Player of the Year. e man is a vetime All-Star! What some folks might not know about the former Boston Red Sox turned Los Angeles Dodger is he’s also an avid sherman.

Growing up in Miami, he o en escaped to sh the Florida Keys. rough the years, that passion never faded. He now lives in Islamorada and spends the o season shing with Capt. Brandon “ e Bean” Storin.

Capt. Bean grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and has vacationed every year in the Keys since he was 5 years old. He shed with Capt. Jimmy Willcox, who inspired a dream to become a backcountry guide. In 2021, e Bean ful lled his dream.

Together, JD and Capt. Bean have made memories while landing some awesome sh. eir rst trip in the Islamorada backcountry produced JD’s personal-best tripletail. It was JD’s rst time tripletailing, and they were sight-casting buoys. Just like hitting a 95-mph fastball, timing and execution are everything, and JD made the perfect cast when they spotted a stud tripletail. Several runs and exhales later, Bean swooped deep and netted the 20-plus-pound

beast. It was JD’s rst, and it is a personal best that will take some work to beat.

Another epic adventure took place during a sunset black n tuna mission. Capt. Bean knew ns, and they used light spinning tackle to make it more fun. It didn’t take more than a couple minutes for JD to get tight on a monster n. All you could hear was the reel screaming, and the rod was doubled over the whole ght. It was JD’s personal-

full-grown one to boot.

On their most recent adventure, Capt. Bean and JD were bottom shing for mutton snapper when an unexpected bite inhaled a whole ballyhoo. It ended up being an almost record-breaking yellowtail snapper, which at 29 inches was the sh of a lifetime. Gray’s taxidermy commemorated the yellowtail to add to JD’s mount collection, along with the aforementioned tripletail.

JD is a good angler, and he is not the rst Red Sox slugger to nd a shing home on Islamorada. Ted Williams, considered by many to be the greatest hitter of all time, played for the Sox from 1939-1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, and he is also a member of the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. Williams resided and shed in Islamorada for bone sh and tarpon with legendary Capt. Jimmy Albright. It is said he became as good an angler as any of the guides.

MLB and the Islamorada backcountry have a shared history. Capt. Bean and JD continue adding to the legends to this day.

Follow JD Martinez (@jdmartinez28) and Capt. Bean (@bnmbean) on Instagram. Some of their adventures are featured on YouTube at Bean Sport shing TV.

Noodling for Cat sh...what have I gotten myself into?

is past summer, I wanted to do something exciting and di erent with my friends for my “bachelorette” getaway. I always thought noodling would be a cool experience.

If you’re not familiar with noodling, it’s a technique anglers use to catch cat sh with their hands. In the lead-up to the spawn, cat sh nd holes in the banks where they will eventually lay and guard their eggs. It’s up to the angler to locate either a natural hole or a strategically placed box that a cat sh has decided to call home. e angler then sticks their hand into the hole, triggering the cat sh to chomp down on their hand and forearm. en, it’s a wrestling match to the surface.

e athead cat sh we pursued don’t have teeth, but they do grow large, with some sh reaching well over 50 pounds. It takes all your strength to get them out of their happy place and up to the surface to become sh celebrities.

Because it takes place during the spawn, this style of shing has become almost 100-percent catch-and-release for many noodlers. A er a few photos, sh are released safely to return to their holes and continue spawning duties.

When my two best friends and I le the familiar clear Florida waters for the beautiful state of Alabama, we had the goal to get one of these monster cats to bite... our arms. I’m not going to lie; I was a bit nervous getting on the boat. It was beautiful and peaceful on the river,

TO REMEMBER

By Deidra Thrappas

but the water is murky like chocolate milk and the banks are muddy. Shoes are highly recommended.

When I entered the water at our rst spot, it kind of hit me: “What have I gotten myself into?” But there was no turning back. Our guide located the wooden box he had planted earlier in the season and instructed me to hold my breath and lie on the bottom while slowly sliding my hand into the hole.

At rst there was nothing. en… WHAM! It was like a toothless gator grabbed me. I had been instructed to grab that sucker by its lower jaw with both hands and not to let go. So that’s what I did. A er a brief struggle, I had a dandy on the surface staring right at me! rough the day, we tried many holes, some empty and some with sh. Each time we stopped, the anticipation and excitement were the same as at the rst hole. It was a great experience, and I plan to go again soon. If you’ve ever thought of going noodling, I highly recommend it, 10/10.

e noodling season runs from midspring through the summer, depending on the location. Get online and nd a local guide for the area you’re interested in. Feel free to contact me with questions on Instagram @ get_outside_with_deidra or my husband, Capt. Jamie rappas @yellow_dawg_ shing.

Deidra and her husband Capt. Jamie rappas are co-publishers of the Volusia County, Fla. edition of Coastal Angler Magazine.

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A CHANGE OF PACE

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

Today we are going to cruise past the shallow South Texas ats, through the pass, and nd some nearshore rocks loaded with huge legal Texas red snapper! What a di erence a few miles and 68 feet of water can make.

I typically make a handful of trips to the short rigs or rocks o the Texas coast each summer for a change of scenery. On the calm summer days, the mosquito eet (smaller bay boats) breaks the jetties and heads out for kings, cobia and red snapper. ese shallow-water snapper are typically in the 16- to 20-foot range. ey are tasty none the less, but nothing like what you nd close to shore in winter, as I recently observed during my rst winter o shore trip. Recently, we were in between cold fronts and had our rst sunny day in more than a week. Several days of windy, cloudy, cold, rainy days had me longing for some sunny rays. When my brother called and asked if I wanted to join him and his neighbor for some Texas red snapper, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! e photos he sent of the previous trip’s catch were the icing on the cake. e forecast called for 2- to 3-foot seas—which turned out to be less—70degree sunny temps, and wind at 6 knots from the east. is was a one-day window.

When we pulled up to a small set of rocks, there were two other boats there and four rods were doubled over! One of the boats was doing a bag check, and I watched him tossing and counting 15- to 20-pound snapper into the cooler. His count ended at 14, two shy of his limit… and they had two on the line. Keep in mind, at this time my personnel best snapper was about 8 pounds, and everything I was seeing was more than twice that size. e anticipation was high as I waited for the trolling motor to lock in.

Once the trolling motor settled into place, we pinned chunks of squid onto bottom rigs weighted with 8 to 12 ounces of lead and the fun began! It became a bit chaotic with doubles on while trying to coax a 20-pound snapper into an oversized net while still trying to catch one yourself.

It is hard to beat the drag zinging of a king mackerel or the Mack Truck power of a cobia during the calm days of late summer, but I might have to switch my snapper season from summer to winter! When the smallest winter ones are twice the size of your largest summer catch, it’s an easy switch.

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures® and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

It’s Pompano Time in South Florida!

Pompano have already begun to show up here on South Florida’s east coast, and the bite will only get better as we move deeper into spring.

Temperature drives the movements of these tasty little jacks. ey prefer 70- to 80-degree water temps, they travel in schools and feed on mollusks and crustaceans in inlets and o sandy beaches. ese are some of the reasons pompano are a favorite target of shore-based anglers. Once you nd them, you are in for a world of fun.

Florida pompano, like permit, are in the jack family. ey have a strong resemblance to each other, so it’s important to be able to tell them apart. Size is a dead giveaway when you’re dealing with mature specimens, as pompano rarely grow larger than 6 pounds and permit regularly reach weights of up to 40 pounds. Pompano and juvenile permit, however, have a similar appearance. e most noticeable di erence is a permit’s larger, humped forehead. Pompano also tend to be more yellow throughout their body, while permit only have yellow on their bellies near their anal ns.

Anytime from March into the beginning of September, pompano move o shore to broadcast spawn. Since they already travel in schools, this is spontaneous, and they head back inshore when they are done. Prime time to sh for them here is April and May, and you’ll nd them along sandy beaches as well as around oyster and seagrass beds. Pompano seem to enjoy water with more current,

which has that milky look.

Pompano migrate seasonally to stay in their preferred water temperatures, and they have been found as far north as Massachusetts. ey move north or farther o shore to nd cooler water in deep summer. ey come back south in fall to prepare for the spring mating season. Local movements also happen due to tides and other conditions. ey are either in an area or they are not, and they move to nd waters where they can feed comfortably. A er strong storms, our sandbars tend to change, which will also change where pompano are feeding.

By Emily Rose Hanzlik

Pompano are very spirited ghters on light tackle. Small jigs in yellow or chartreuse are commonly used with great success. Beach anglers use long surf rods and chicken rigs baited with shrimp, clams, crab knuckles and sand eas. Sand eas are the preferred bait. Many anglers take it a step further by adding a piece of arti cial bait, such as Fishbites, to the natural baits. is is especially e ective when other sh peck o natural bait quickly. It ensures something stays on the hook, as most of these arti cial baits are very durable. ese arti cial baits can also be added to jigs for scent.

Emily Rose Hanzlik holds 56 IGFA world records in various categories. She hails from West Palm Beach, where she has a part time Bow n Guide Service as well as shing classes for Jr. Anglers. Find her on social media @emilyhanzlikoutdoors.

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BLADED JIGS TIPS FROM A PRO

TYLER WOOLCOTT

Let’s talk a bait that works absolutely everywhere. e bladed jig, also called a chatterbait, is one of the most versatile baits you can tie on the end of your line. It’s one of my all-time favorites. From Florida to New York, in any season, this bait catches them.

ere are hundreds of situations that make me want to sling a chatterbait. I always keep one tied on because it’s so versatile. Whether it’s grass, rocks, docks, wood or open water, there isn’t a situation where this bait doesn’t work.

Use a chatterbait as a search bait and cover some water. If there is a hungry bass around and you match your color to the forage they are feeding on, you will get them to bite. Unless the water you are shing is extremely muddy, matching color to the forage species is important. In cold water, where bass are feeding on red and orange craw sh, tie on a bright red or orange bladed jig. If you are in the south and bass are feeding on bluegill or shiners, stick to natural colors like a green pumpkin or some kind of gold and silver. e only time I throw

a bright white or chartreuse chatterbait is in extremely stained water, where I need the bait to stand out. Always match the hatch!

I live in Florida, and our spawning season is earlier than most. By the time you read this, most of our sh will be nished spawning. Farther north, they’ll just be getting started. A chatterbait is deadly when bass are staged up before, during and a er the spawn. e chattering blade drives these sh crazy. It’s a sh call. row it around in a staging area and you will have a very good day on the water.

ere isn’t a wrong way to use it. With the many colors, weights and size options, there is a match for the style of shing you want to do. From northern smallmouths to giant South Florida largemouths, every bass will eat a bladed jig. Like any bait, a chatterbait will perform best when matched with the right gear. I like a medium-heavy, moderate-action rod. You don’t want to set the hook as much as you want to reel into the sh when they eat the bait. Treat it like a bait with treble hooks. e 13 Fishing Omen Black 7’4mhm is absolutely perfect for this application. I pair a 7:5:1 gear ratio Concept A 13 Fishing reel and 15- to 20-pound Seaguar AbrazX. Hope this shing tip nds you well and puts more sh in your boat. Don’t hesitate to contact me on social media with any questions.

Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcott shing.com.

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Triple Threat Throwdown to Ra e O Loaded Fishing Kayak

Florida’s saltwater angler recognition program, Catch a Florida Memory, is sweetening the pot this year by o ering anglers a shot at winning a fully loaded shing kayak.

Rigged out with an accessory package from Yak Attack, this Bona de SS127 series kayak is a shing machine. It will be ra ed o to one lucky member of Catch a Florida Memory’s Triple reat Club a er a season-long event billed as the Triple reat rowdown. Only members of the Triple reat Club who are recognized with a Catch a Florida Memory achievement between now and Sept. 5 will be eligible for the ra e.

Triple Threat Club

Triple reat Club status is awarded to anglers who have quali ed for recognition in all three of the following Catch a Florida Memory programs. Once an angler enters the Triple reat Club, they are a member for life. ey receive a dry- t performance shing shirt and entry into Triple reat Club opportunities like the Triple reat rowdown.

• A Saltwater Grand Slam consists of catching three speci ed species within a 24-

hour time period. ere are nine di erent grand slam categories for di erent saltwater species in di erent habitats.

• Saltwater Reel Big Fish recognition is for anglers who catch one exceptionally large specimen from a list of 30 di erent species with pre-determined qualifying length.

• e Saltwater Fish Life List 10 Fish Club is for anglers who have caught 10 di erent species of saltwater sh from the Catch a Florida Memory Life List of 70 species.

Raffle Eligibility

Eligible anglers must qualify for a recognition between now and Sept. 5, 2023 and be a member of the Triple reat Club at the time of the drawing. Eligible recognitions include a Grand Slam, a Reel Big Fish recognition, or a Life List recognition. Each angler will receive only one entry into the Triple reat rowdown ra e.

For more information and to submit catches, go to catcha oridamemory.com.

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Goliath Harvest Opens for the First Time in 30 Years

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This month, for the rst time in more than 30 years, a few Florida anglers will have the opportunity to harvest a goliath grouper. e limited and highly regulated season runs from March 1 through May 31, and you’re out of luck if you don’t already have a state-issued Goliath Grouper Harvest Permit.

Just 200 non-transferable permits were issued by lottery a er the application period back in October 2022. is spring, permit holders will hit the water in search of a very expensive sh sandwich. On top of a $10 fee to enter the lottery, anglers selected for a permit paid $150 for Florida residents and $500 for non-residents for the chance to harvest a single sh.

“No way. Not interested at all,” said one angler from the Florida Keys when asked if they hoped to get a permit. “I guess there’s some novelty in eating a sh that no one is supposed to have tasted for 30 years, and it might make sense if they let you keep a big one, but it’s hardly worth my time to chase a 10-pound grouper.”

e slot limit for the one sh allowed per permit holder is 24 to 36 inches. Fish above or below that slot must be released immediately. Anglers with goliath tags will be intentionally shing for juveniles rather than the enormous 8-foot-long, 800-pound monsters that lurk around shallow, nearshore structure.

is highly regulated and extremely limited harvest seems to be the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) way of testing the waters. Harvest of goliath grouper was completely banned in 1990 a er the population collapsed due to over shing and the loss of mangrove habitat required by juveniles of the species. Since then, the population has rebounded and abundance continues to increase. Removal of just 200 sh from the population, and no more than 50 sh from Everglades National Park, will not hinder rebuilding, according to an FWC presentation on the shery.

Additionally, goliath grouper may not be harvested from federal waters or from the waters of Martin County, including the St. Lucie River and its tributaries, south through the Atlantic coast of Monroe County and Dry Tortugas National Park.

Goliath grouper harvest will also allow FWC to collect important data for a species about which there is plenty to learn. Upon catching their one goliath, tag holders must immediately apply their tag to the lower jawbone of the sh and report their catch online within 24 hours. Even if they don’t catch a sh, tag holders must report that a er the season ends. Some permitted anglers will be required to provide a biological sample of their sh for genetic testing.

For more information, go to myfwc.com.

NEW BRICK PAVER SIDEWALKS THROUGHOUT!

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PBIBS Schedule:

Thursday, March 23rd, 10AM-7PM

Friday, March 24th, 10AM-7PM

Saturday, March 25th, 10AM-7PM

Sunday, March 26th, 10AM-5PM

March 23rd-26th

Owned by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County (MIAPBC) and produced by Informa Markets, the Palm Beach International Boat Show will be integral in providing visitors, exhibitors, and the community at large with an unforgettable event featuring more than $1.2 billion worth of yachts and accessories, including hundreds of boats ranging from 8-foot inflatables to superyachts nearly 300 feet in length. Enjoy live music, great food, and drinks at the Budweiser Cocktail Barge, the Gosling’s World-Famous Island Bar, or become a VIP at the Windward VIP Club. Once again, this year, guests can enjoy seminars on various unique topics including fishing, conservation, and much more. Tickets are only available online at the Events Pass website (www.eventspass.com/event/pbibs), as there will not be a ticketing box office at the show. Location of the show is at Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, directly across the Intracoastal Waterway from Palm Beach Island.

fishing the Palm Beaches

Anglers, March Madness has arrived which means the fishing should offer plentiful action for a variety of species inshore and offshore this month! The sea temperatures will be warming up and cool fronts will begin to fizzle out as the month progresses. The wind will be your biggest rival because March is considered a transitional month as we head into the beginning of spring. Offshore, sailfish will be a likely catch in the beginning of March, but large numbers of migrating sails are already south of Palm Beach waters. On the bright side, the mahi mahi bite should improve. If we have a steady easterly wind, this should prompt you to rig some ballyhoo and head offshore. Look for conditions such as edges, temperature breaks, rips and debris.

On the beach, spinner sharks will be relatively easy to locate. Scan the beach and drive your boat along the coast especially between Palm Beach and Jupiter inlets looking for jumping sharks. Once located, start chumming and get some baits out. Live bait is great, but big chunks of bonita and barracuda will work. You should be looking for sea turtles and large sharks in shallow water too, cobia will be following them! Bottom fishing and jigging the deep-water wrecks off

Fishing Forecast

Darcizzle

Please be sure to check out my YouTube Channel “Darcizzle Offshore” for fishing videos every week!

www.youtube.com/DarcizzleOffshore

Boca, Boynton, or Palm Beach will yield big fish; AJ’s, kings, mutton snapper, Spanish mackerel, grouper and wahoo are all on the list.

In the IWC and rivers, there will be plenty of inshore action for anglers to enjoy. Snook season has been open for a month already so get out there for your slot fish (28-32” on Florida’s Atlantic coast). Live bait is best, mullet if you can find them, pilchards, or just live shrimp from a local shop. Find some moving water or current,

and throw that live bait or artificial under the docks, against seawalls, pilings, bridges, etc. For snook and tarpon, I like to use Yo-Zuri crystal minnow lip divers, trolling or just casting around structure. If the water is dirty, use dark colored lures, and if the water is clear use light colored artificial lures.

Say hello if you see me on the water and until next time, keep on catchin’!

ROADTRIPFISHING

south county

Buddy Banana Kibosh

By Keith Lozott Contributing Writer

inshore & Freshwater

Jim with an awesome goliath grouper. Lately these have been a very welcomed by-catch while snook fishing.

Fishing Forecast with

c apt. patrick Smith

www.swamptosea.com • 561-503-0848

Typically, I don’t believe in superstitions, but a er a recent shing trip with my buddy Neil, I may be a believer!!! e morning started slow; I caught a small snapper and small snook. Neil was in skunk mode, so we decided to try a spoil island where I’ve caught some trout, snook, and a gag grouper on a prior trip. To our dismay it was dead as well. Just as we were about to exit stage le , Neil was working a topwater lure back to the boat when what appeared to be a large bull shark came up from the bottom and tried to hammer the lure. Unbelievably it totally missed the lure and disappeared. It was impressive to witness such a big specimen of a sh take a swipe at the lure.

A er the “Shark Week” experience, we continued to struggle so I decided to implement Plan C and move from the east side of the Indian River to the west side. I’ve had some nice shing on the west side with trout, reds, and snook. We made our way across the river stopping at another spoil island only to be greeted with a jack attack. I landed several jacks and Neil hooked one that got o . His skunk was still intact but with jacks around I gured that would change. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Hto a minimum to try and give the fish a chance of survival. We really must take care of any fish that we are releasing so that they can go on and produce for the future.

We used the trolling motor to quietly make our way towards the mangroves hoping to get a glimpse of a red, snook, trout, ounder, or any inshore species willing to bite. As we approached the shore, we noticed another bull shark working the shore and of course I had to make a cast or two at him, but he had no interest in my o ering. We kept working the shore and nally it happened for Neil!!! He made a long cast and almost as soon as the lure hit the water, he was on with a nice sh, but we couldn’t see what it was. He started gaining ground getting it closer; enjoying the ght and then it happened! e sh came unbuttoned and at this point I was like dude, what did you do in a previous life to deserve this??? We made our way toward a dock that I know holds snook. I made a long cast and right then I was hooked up with a huge sh. It was a big snook; I got her to the boat, revived her, and released her to ght another day. Success! I said, “let’s go to lunch and call it a day”. I asked Neil if he was hungry and then he disclosed to me that he ate a banana for breakfast! Neil knows not to bring bananas on the boat (it’s bad luck), but it didn’t occur to him that the curse would remain in e ect with it digesting in his stomach. Myth con rmed or was it bad luck? He should’ve brought his lucky rabbit foot!!!

Nighttime flyfishing has really produced some great fish lately.

ere is your inshore and freshwater forecast for March. It’s the time of the year where we switch from winter and get into spring mode. There will still be some critters from the cold left over like mackerel, sheepshead, and pompano; but the big jacks, snook, and tarpon should be around and feeding in force with anticipation of the spring mullet run. I tend to enjoy the spring mullet fishing better than the fall because there is a lot less bait, so the fish don’t quite get as fat and lazy. The rig stays the same; heavy spinning rod 6 feet of 80-pound mono and an 8/0 circle hook with a live mullet. You can pitch it around docks and seawalls, or simply slow troll it behind the boat. If you’re into artificial, early mornings with the Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil or top knock can make for some explosive action. There should be some spinner sharks hanging out on the beach, I prefer to look for some dirty water and throw a giant popper with a single j-hook on the back; a live bait or chunk will get picked up immediately if that’s your thing. Remember to watch out for your fingers while unhooking them and keep handling and photo times

We had a cooler than normal winter, but in mid-March the water will be getting back to normal, and the peacocks will be going into full spawning mode. They make for easy targets while on their bed, but it’s good sportsmanlike to use some judgment and not take fish that are guarding eggs or fry away from the nest. Largemouth and clown knifefish will be in the mix and I really enjoy using unweighted flukes skipped under docks. There has been a resurgence of bullseye snakeheads this year, and they are awesome targets. Top waters, fishing buzz, frogs, and hollow body frogs worked close to the edge of the grass can produce some pretty violent strikes. Good luck out there!

Keith Lozott The Fishing Realtor

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Lawrence had this big snook inhale a mullet on a sea wall.

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By Christopher Sprague

Hello anglers!

As per usual, the winter has given us a lot of sloppy, murky seas...BUT there were a few good days that were beautiful. Sadly, it’s usually on weekdays when we can’t go out, but being our senior year, my friend, his family, and I decided to take a couple of days off from school and head to the Bahamas. We flew over to Great Harbor Cay and stayed at their house. This had to be one of the most beautiful islands that I’ve been to with beautiful beaches, nice people, and even better fish, which is all that really matters. We were going to stay one night, so the second we got there, we got straight on a boat and went diving. We looked for lobster, but it was not our lucky day, so we moved a little deeper. Thankfully, I brought my good pole spear on this dive. I jumped in the water and only a few minutes in I was looking under a ledge and turned around to see a nice 23” mutton snapper staring at me. I remained calm, slowly loaded my pole spear, then boom... got ‘em! I swam and grabbed the fish quickly and brought it to the boat. This was the highlight of the first day and was an amazing dinner that night. The next day we went out early in the morning and tried for lobster again. We dove into many different lobster condos, but none had anything good. We were about to give up and then suddenly, I checked out a different one and all I could see were lobster antennae. We had a blast and maxed out on lobster; the whole family was in the water spearing them too! After that, we went for some hogfish. We hit up a spot, I didn’t even get time to breathe up and the first thing I saw was a nice male hog. I dove down and shot it once but unfortunately it ripped out. We tracked it to a nearby coral head where I got another shot and this time, I got it! We ended up getting 3 hogfish total and a bunch of lobsters before heading home that night. This was one of the quickest but most memorable Bahamas runs I’ve done. We were successful and I had a great time with some of the greatest friends I could ever wish for.

Palm Beach In & OffshOre

Fishing Forecast with

Welcome to the March Coastal Angler Magazine fishing forecast for Palm Beach, Singer Island, and Juno Beach. Prepare yourself for some epic fishing this month. March is a time of year with a lot of sportfishing opportunity. Why you ask? Well...with the merging of winter fishing and summer fishing, you can catch everything from sailfish to tarpon, and it’s guaranteed to be fun!

For you offshore anglers, there will be big dolphin roaming the edge looking for something to eat. The best days will be after a hard NE wind. If a sailfish is on the list, head south to The Breakers, start your drift in 150 feet. If you’re drifting in towards shore, be ready for a smoker kingfish to crush your bait. Snapper fishing will be heating up in the 130-foot range. Remember that long leaders work best. Also, on the agenda, the drag screaming blackfin tuna will be stopping by. If you’re looking for a 35lb. plus, you better be using live bait. Good luck!

For the inshore angler, the Palm Beach Inlet will still be hot. Hard fighting jacks, sheepshead, and tarpon will be waiting on the tides to swallow your bait. Light tackle is the way I fish inshore. If you take a ride down the beach, keep an eye out for cobia, they will be cruising with the rays heading south. Cobia like fast moving lures, where I use a jig with a curly tail, and they seem to never pass it up. Tight lines!

Reelintensefishing.com with a March swordfish.

The Right Tools for the Job

Whether fishing for fun or as a competitive angler, consistently catching your target species is never easy. Improve your odds by expanding your skills and techniques. Having as many options as possible and tools available will only increase your chances of tangling with the desired species. This is critical as our time on the water is generally limited and we all definitely want to increase our success and fun factor for the day by being productive.

Many anglers have a preferred technique based on prior results. Case in point, I have fishing buddies that only troll for most of the day. They have perfected their technique and therefore feel fairly confident they will catch fish. This limits them to a day’s trolling whether they catch fish or not. It’s always good to have an alternate plan when the fish are not cooperating. An easy add-on would be adding various trolling techniques such as high vs slow speed trolling which requires different lures in the spread or adding a deep trolling option like planers or large lipped deep swimming plugs. This way you more effectively cover the water column. All your lures in the spread whether on top or below the surface must swim correctly at the desired speed. It takes a bit of work picking the right combination of lures and distances, but the improved results can be dramatic.

www.USHarbors.com

By Mark Ambert

Pro TiP – Always target areas like weed lines, current or eddy’s that help concentrate bait.

I keep it simple and use a Rapala Magnum Deep Dive 7” swimming lure that gets down about 40’ when trolled at approximately 5-8 mph. I run it in the shotgun position and use that as my deep and close lure. About a ten count back puts it right behind the prop wash and about 30’ down.

If high or medium speed trolling doesn’t produce, having a bump trolling technique using live bait can be a game changer. Using this around dropoffs, ledges, weed lines or other forms of structure is the way to go. I like to use goggle eyes or small blue runners for this as both are hearty swimmers that will dive deep once the boat is put in neutral.

When it all comes together – wahoo on the troll.

Pro TiP - Having fresh cut dead bait as well as live bait on board to pitch behind a hooked fish can make the difference between catching a single fish on the troll to having a full cooler. Capitalize on the moment!

I always have extra rods baited and ready for when active feeding fish are finally located. Rods laid out for specific tasks cuts down on wasted time and enable the savvy angler to respond quickly as conditions unfold. I have one rod set up and rigged for casting fresh whole squid. Another for fresh dead bait and still another for cut bait. Two live baits are already rubber band rigged and waiting in the livewell. This kind of attention to detail can turn a slow day into an epic one.

Once active fish are located trolling, it’s time to set out the live bait! Have a parachute on board to control the drift and as an attractor. Have your offerings set up properly so as not to swim together and tangle but to effectively cover the water column. Use spinning gear with the Baitrunner option to deploy live baits in a spread, but make sure to have other rods at the ready to pitch other baits and offerings when needed. Have at least two additional rods rigged for jigging down deep and one for blind casting a small hair jig or popper as an attractor.

Make sure to have both a landing net and gaff within easy reach and have someone designated for the task. Make sure they know how to use both and don’t assume! In the last minute this could cost you a nice fish.

Do this consistently and you’ll be the captain that always returns with a happy crew and a full cooler. mark ambert, marksgonefishing™ author – avid outdoorsman,

Gear used – coastal Fishing company made exclusive for the fisherman by a fisherman www.coastalfishing.com

Everything laid out and ready to go.

A cooler full of mahi were the result of having the right tools.

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NORTH FLORIDACENTRAL FLORIDA

PONTE VEDRA BEACH 814 A1A N., Suite 103 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 904-285-0014

JACKSONVILLE  1201 Riverplace Blvd. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Jacksonville, FL 32207 904-396-6200

ORLANDO 7501 W. Sand Lake Rd. Orlando, FL 32819 407-226-3900

WINTER PARK 480 N. Orlando Ave. Suite 100B Winter Park, FL 32789 407-622-2444

LAKE MARY 80 Colonial Center Pkwy. Lake Mary, FL 32746 407-804-8220

TAMPA 1700 N. Westshore Blvd. Tampa, FL 33607 813-282-1118

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SARASOTA 6700 S. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34231 941-924-9442

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WEST PALM BEACH 651 Okeechobee Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33401 561-514-3544

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225 NE Mizner Blvd., Suite 100 Boca Raton, FL 33432 561-392-6746

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ECO ToURISM

with Chris Thalmann

With manatee season running through the end of March here in South Florida, I thought it’d be a good time for an update on how these peaceful creatures are faring. We see manatees year- round, but they’re more common during winter months when it’s too chilly elsewhere in Florida.

Regular readers might remember that last year the State of Florida started an emergency feeding program to help starving and undernourished manatees in the Indian River Lagoon, near Cocoa Beach. The goal of that program was to try to prevent as many manatee starvation deaths as possible.

Unfortunately, there were still hundreds of starvation-related manatee deaths in Florida in 2021/2022. But the 2021/2022 feeding program did demonstrate that wild manatees would eat from floating feeding stations near FPL’s Cocoa Beach power plant. Last season, Florida FWC fed manatees a little over 200,000 pounds of lettuce and cabbage as part of this program.

And although there appears to be some new seagrass growth in the far northern end of Indian River Lagoon, it will take years for once lush seagrass

beds to recover and support natural manatee feeding. In the meantime, FWC is planning to continue and expand the feeding stations around Cocoa Beach.

For the ongoing 2022/2023 season, FWC estimates doubling the 2021/2022 amount, to roughly 400,000 pounds of lettuce and cabbage. FWC is still experimenting with different types of lettuce, and this year’s menu may include romaine, butter leaf and red leaf.

Manatees are both curious and cautious, and one of FWC’s challenges is establishing enough of a learned behavior among the feeding manatees to encourage others to come feed near the power plant. At the same time, FWC does not want to create a situation where manatees simply refuse to return to their home waters to graze as they normally would.

Last spring, that did not seem to be an issue. In addition to many other factors, FWC is closely monitoring the number of manatees in the vicinity of FPL’s Cocoa Beach power plant and the feeding station and will continue to do so after their feeding stations close for the season. This data will help better understand manatee feeding behaviors.

In case you’re wondering, the cost of this feeding program has been borne almost entirely by donations to the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida’s Marine Mammal Fund. If you’re interested in what the fund is doing, or you would like to donate, please visit: https://wildlifeflorida. givingfuel.com/marine-mammal-fund

We’re lucky to have a pretty healthy population of manatees here in South Florida and we see them almost every day on the water. The best place to see them from shore at Manatee Lagoon, right next to FPL’s West Palm Beach plant. Manatees love the warm water! Check out visitmanateelagoon. com and their manatee cam before you go.

Hope to see you on the water!

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Fishing Forecast

March into spring! Warm weather and warmer water temperatures create awesome fishing conditions. Spring mullet run will also trigger great fishing for snook, tarpon, jacks, sharks, and many other species.

Jupiter and Palm Beach offer a wide variety of species to target. Methods of live baiting, fly fishing, or using artificial lures, anglers should focus their attention on seawalls, docks, grass flats, and mangrove shorelines. The key to successful fishing is locating moving water and most importantly bait fish.

The snook action will be fantastic as snook begin to trickle in from back bays and begin to settle on sand flats, under docks, next to sea walls, and near inlets. Look for any signs of bait fish and current and you will locate snook. Night fishing is another great option for

anglers in search of snook. Docks and bridges are excellent areas to pinpoint schooling snook. Jigging a D.O.A. C.A.L. 3” Shad Tail or D.O.A. TerrorEyz are great bait choices for snook.  Tarpon will be found occupying deep channels creating great opportunities for anglers to target rolling fish near the surface. First of incoming tide and last of outgoing tide are the best times to target the silver king. D.O.A. Bait Buster, live mullet, or greenies will leave you bowing to the silver king. These fish are known for their acrobatic leaps and drag screaming runs. The average size of the tarpon ranges from 20 to 90 pounds.

Well, that is the fishing report for the Jupiter and Palm Beach area, hope you all enjoyed. Just remember, you can’t catch them from the couch so get out there and get hooked up. Tight Lines!

Kara with a linesider.

Mia, Ella, and Jordan caught 52 combined fish during Girls Fishing Camp.

Nikolette Lentini with a crappie she caught on a jig.

Freshwater Fishing Forecast with

c apt. Johnny Stabile

Ihave two favorite months to fish, and March is one of them. As we transition to spring the fishing will improve from now until the start of summer. Peacock bass will be paired up on beds as they are in spawn mode. They are there to protect their fry, and as tempting as it is to bed fish for them, this year in particular, take it easy on those bedding fish. This past year we lost thousands of fish to the cold fronts in December and January. There are still plenty of fish to catch and you can take advantage of the low water levels off Alligator Alley where the deeper canals will be loaded with peacock bass and largemouth bass. If you’ve caught peacocks before, do yourself a favor and try to catch them on artificial over live bait to give them the advantage.

The snakehead bite has improved since the weather is warming up. Lately, I’ve been catching them deeper with spinner baits and chatter baits. You’ll still see them on top with a frog but don’t be afraid to fish the entirety of the water column. Snakeheads are one of those fish where if you’ve never caught one, you need to put them at the top of your bucket list. They are easily one

of the most aggressive freshwater exotic fish we have down here in South Florida. Locations to target snakeheads are canals that have minimal water movement and lots of overgrown vegetation. Snakeheads will sit with their heads just under the surface next to the bank, I will cast my topwater frog onto the bank and slowly reel it into the water, which will usually result in a bite if there is a fish present. Places like Markham Park and the suburban canals around Wellington have large numbers of fish in them.

South Florida’s fishing opportunities can sometimes be endless. If you’re fishing for the popular species and they aren’t biting, try targeting those smaller native species like crappie and bluegill. If you aren’t afraid of the waiting game soak live baits. Shad and shiners are both great options for freshwater fishing. If it’s cooler out, you should be fishing the deeper parts of the water column. I usually use a #4 split-shot and soak my baits on the bottom. Everything from clown knifefish, peacocks, largemouth bass, and sunshine bass will eat a bottom bait so don’t be afraid of trying new things.

Fishing by land? Start off fishing the bridges for peacocks and the smallest canals you can find for snakeheads. Sometimes, a land-based angler has an advantage fishing from than a boat. Being stealthy will help you get more bites. You’ll find other species along the way and enjoy the ride!

Marshall with his first and personal best snakehead.

Captain Johnny with a nice clown knifefish.

Gary Turner with his personal best peacock bass.

chuck papp

on the range with

Not everyone, actually I believe most, can’t afford that new Corvette, or the Rolex Submariner as their everyday watch, nor the house on the Intercoastal with the 45-foot pro fisherman boat, but just because you don’t have a large budget doesn’t mean you can’t afford to protect yourself or family, especially in these times. There are the people out there that always thumb their noses at the cheaper firearms, but they do have their purpose and limitations. Having a cheap gun when you need it is always better than no gun. Now a $300 handgun or home defense shotgun is not the quality of a $600 firearm of the same type, but that cheaper firearm will work when you need it. The more expensive firearms are made to be used. Better parts, higher longevity of hard use, will be able to stand up to the outdoor elements better, a higher resale value, and tends to be a little more forgiving with cheaper ammo.

Realistic time. Most people are not going to put their gun through real hard range use, most people aren’t going to be outdoors with their firearm every day, and most folks aren’t going to resell it. The average shooter will not see or even realize a difference in their cheaper firearm at the range seeing how they probably will be lucky to go to the range once or twice a year.

If you don’t have that baller bank roll and want to be conservative on the price, the Taurus G3C 9mm pistol is one great all around pistol for the money, they can be had for around $300. Now, it’s no Glock or Smith and Wesson, but for any home defense situation it will work just fine.

If a shotgun is more your thing, then the Retay and Citadel line of home defense shotguns are in the exact same $300 price range and be just fine. You don’t have to spend a lot of money today to get yourself adequate protection, but you do have to understand that there are limitations, and you do get what you pay for. So, if you are not going to the range every weekend, or taking self-defense shooting classes every month, then you will be just fine with that budget friendly firearm; but do some research because there are some ones in that budget category that you definitely do not want.

KayaK Fishing Forecast with

Offshore

c apt. brian nelli

Inshore

Spring is in the air! We have had a much dryer start to the year this year and clean water has been much easier to find. Snook, redfish, and trout will still be along mangroves and in between docks. Focus your time on points in the mangrove line and docks with the most current. Throwing D.O.A. Shad Tails and jerk baits will work well matching the hatch of glass minnows in the water. There will still be some pompano action around as well. Fish the channel edges with D.O.A. Shrimp and goofy jigs.

Fishing will start to pick up this month with larger kingfish and more mahi swimming through. The sailfish bite will continue to be good as well. Cobia in March has always been good for us. These fish will start to move from the beach to the reef line. Fishing Jupiter to Delray Beach reefs bouncing the bottom with jigs, sardines, and pilchards are your best bets. Put your time in and you should find a few.

Freshwater

The last few cold fronts slowed things down a bit, but the peacock bass, largemouth, and clown knifefish are still biting. Live shiners and/or shad are your best bets. All 3 of these fish will be looking for deeper water when the water temps get colder. Find the right depth and you will find the fish.

Check us out Pushin’ Water Kayak Charters on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for all the latest adventures my clients and I get into.

See you on the water!

Clay with a great wahoo.

Matt with a stud peacock bass.

Ed with a pompano.

Probably the best budget minded 9mm on the market today.

Pompano Beach (Hillsboro Inlet), FL - Mar 2023

March is finally here, the month we’ve all been waiting for. This is the start of the allaround best fishing season for Fort Lauderdale. During the months of March through May, just about everything is biting. Wreck fishing is just plain awesome. Amberjacks stack up around the wrecks from 200-400 feet of water in great numbers. They are so aggressive; you sometimes can’t even drop your bait fully to the bottom. Amberjacks are big, often 40 pounds and sometimes even bigger. They fight like a truck, and I believe they are one of the strongest fighting fish in the ocean. Amberjacks, almaco jacks, cobia, and various kinds of grouper are all present on the wrecks this time of year and make for great action. For you really big game anglers, we are fully into shark season as well. Hammerheads, mako, and thresher sharks have all already been caught in the past

couple weeks and we’re getting more sharks moving through our waters every day. The ‘Shark Train’ as we call it will last until the end of May.

Offshore dolphin fishing is also hot in March. Every year, like clockwork, there is a two-week period (it’s always when there is a hard east wind for a couple days) when the dolphin bite goes offthe-chain and the dolphins come right into 100 feet of water to feed. It’s always the roughest days to fish, but the dolphin fishing is unbelievable for that short window of opportunity. Kite fishing and trolling work very well for dolphin fishing on the reef, as does slow trolling live baits from the outriggers. When the dolphin bite happens, they bite just about everything. Blackfin and yellowfin tuna, wahoo, sailfish, and even white and blue marlin are all also out there and available to be caught this month. Incredible fish are caught over the next few months here in Fort Lauderdale. Get out there and catch some of them; good luck everyone, and tight lines!

In South Florida with “Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing”

Ladies to Tackle Bass March 4 Offshore Fishing April 14-16

comfortable weather. push into back bays,

action along seawalls, another option for 3” Shrimp presented lights with a D.O.A.

excellent shing for the docks, and deep mullet, pin sh, plenty of shots on alewife with a jig head.

ways. Jacks will docks, or open Battling jacks on light the tussle yourself.

hope you all

Changing the tide of fishing by encouraging more female participation, Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing will offer two South Florida events in the spring of 2023.

Captain Craig Korczynski phlatsinshorefishing.com

Instagram, Twitter & YouTube

On March 4 a freshwater fishing seminar with guided land-based fishing will be held at Bass Pro Shops in Dania Beach, from 9 am to 3 pm. This freshwater event offers classes, hands-on practice, and fishing for bass on a private lake. Bass Pro Shops is located at 200 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, FL 33004.

Participants must register in advance for all events online at  www.ladiesletsgofishing.com.

2023 LLGF events, with optional or included fishing are:

March 4 :: Freshwater Bass Seminar South Florida Dania Beach, FL

March 18-19 :: Gulf Coast Inshore Seminar Fort Myers, FL

April 14-16 :: S. Florida Saltwater Weekend Seminar Fort Lauderdale, FL

May 19-21 :: Keys Fishing, Screamin’ Reels Tournament/Learning on the Water Islamorada, FL

Sept. 22-23 :: Guy Harvey Outpost Bass Seminar & Tournament Camp Mack Lake Wales, FL

Oct. 13-15 :: Keys Saltwater Weekend Seminar and Fishing Islamorada, FL

Nov. 18-19 :: St. Augustine Surf Fishing Academy

For more information:

(954) 475-9068; info@ladiesletsgofishing.com www.ladiesletsgofishing.com; www.facebook.com/ladiesletsgofishing

April 14-16

Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing will also be hosting an offshore seminar with fishing in South Florida at the VFW Post 1966, 350 SW 25th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. This event kicks off with a meet and greet on Friday, full day offshore seminar with hands-on practice on Saturday, and optional fishing from charter boats on Sunday.

Tom with a big jack.

Featured on national network television and more, the series is supported by major partners including Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation, Take Me Fishing, Vamos a Pescar, Mercury, Magic Tilt Trailers, Shearwater Boats, Power-Pole, Penn, TACO Metals, Lowrance, Fish, and Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Fish Florida. Largest annual sponsors are Freedom Boat Club, ICOM America, CCA Florida STAR, Bob’s Machine Shop, AFTCO, Costa, Smith Optics, Frogg Toggs, Hubbard’s Marina, Star Brite, Future Angler Foundation, and Preferred Marine Sales Group, Inc. Top donors are Yeti, Fishing Headquarters, Engel, AO Coolers, Lady Pamela, Big Rock Sports Conservation Foundation, Egret Baits/ Vudu, Canoe Outpost, Flying Fisherman, Pelagic Gear, Flanigan’s, Guy Harvey, TTI Blakemore, Sandbar Tackle, Danco, FishBites, and Brella.

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n cold, rainy, winter days, when most shermen are happy to stay home dreaming of better weather, a few die-hards gear up and get on the water. In the Southeast, bad weather is striper weather, my friend, and just the thought of hooking a 15- or 20-pound striped bass is enough to keep you warm on the inside.

Atlantic striped bass get all the attention up north. Blitzing linesiders are a prize of inshore and nearshore recreational sheries from the Carolinas up through the mid-Atlantic and New England. But they are down here in the south, too, and not just the landlocked stripers stocked in reservoirs by the states. My home base is Jacksonville, Fla., and although red sh and trout are the staple inshore species here, there are striper populations in coastal rivers like the St. Johns, Nassau and St. Marys.

I, however, was lured by reports a little farther north in Georgia, where rivers like the Satilla and Altamaha are producing big-time striper each front that rolls through. Stripers prefer low-light conditions and colder water temps, so overcast, rainy and cold days are the best days.

the rocks in order to navigate over the shallow sand and mud bars of the river. Georgia’s sounds and rivers are littered with piles of ballast rocks, many of which are sh magnets. We shed the point for a good 20 minutes with no

shed several spots with only a sh and speckled trout to keep our attention. We shy-looking downed timber and carefully navigated beneath a low bridge, where nd sh on the outgoing

Georgia On My Mind STRIPERS

By Danny Patrick

He was correct. Jones hooked up with a nice 6-pound hybrid striped bass on his rst cast near the bridge. Hybrids are a hatchery-produced cross between striped bass and white bass. ey are unable to reproduce and are an excellent sport sh with the aggression of white bass and some of the size of a striper. ese hybrids came from the Georgia DNR hatchery at Richmond Hill, Ga.

I was giddy about the cold, foggy drizzle at 6:30 a.m. when I met guide Drew Jones at the Two-Way Fish Camp on the Altamaha near Darien, Ga. Jones runs charters in the area, and he’s caught more than 300 stripers up to 14 pounds for clients this season. ey’ve had some 30- and 40- sh days, and this felt like a perfect striper day!

All I had to do was get in the boat with my gear and a thermos of hot co ee. Jones was waiting for me with his Carolina ski in the water and a livewell full of gorgeous local live shrimp. As we motored o in the mist through creeks and the winding river, he told me a little about the shing.

Stripers are constantly on the move, and they hunt in packs. Jones dri shes live shrimp on oat rigs to locate concentrations of sh. en he switches to arti cial lures. Slow-sinking stick baits and bucktail jigs with so -plastic tails both work great.

Between Brunswick and Darien, Ga., the Altamaha system is a maze of creeks and tributaries. We stopped at the mouth of a creek on the Darien River, not far from downtown Darien. e tide was still coming in but slowing near the end of the high tide. Jones said to cast shrimp out in front a point where the current split to create a back eddy of slower ow. He said this was one of his favorite striper spots. It was an old ballast pile, where sailing ships from the 1800s dumped ballast weight from their hulls a er crossing the ocean from Europe. ey used hundreds, if not thousands, of 10- to 20-pound round rocks to stabilize their ships during the crossing and then dumped

Jones said he catches true stripers and hybrids together, and that sometimes aggressive stripers move in and take over when he’s catching trout. I threw to the same spot Jones caught his sh and immediately hooked and boated a 4-pound hybrid. e bite was on! We saw them busting nger mullet and had one come unbuttoned right at the boat. But then, as is sometimes the case with stripers, it ended as suddenly as it had begun. anchor and went back to the creek mouth where we started. Now the tide was running out swi ly. We caught several trout and a couple more hybrids before we headed back to the docks.

As we ran past downtown Darien, I saw remnants of old buildings from the 1800s and thought of the history. is was a major port during the early rise of the United States. Cotton and rice from slave plantations were shipped out of Darien, and old-growth cypress trees were logged way up the Altamaha. Loggers would cut trees close to the river and then ra them together in units of dozens of massive logs, which were oated down to the coastal sawmills with men riding the ra s.

Darien is a quiet town now, but it was a truly a bustling place then. It is beautiful with old live oaks and Spanish moss, and history bu s will not be disappointed. If you want to change up your shing and explore a special place, give Jones a call. He can hook you up…

Capt. Drew Jones can be contacted at (912) 242-2502.

BECOME AN FWC SCALLOP-SITTER

If you’re a scalloper looking for a way to get involved in making more of the bivalves we all love, FWC has put a call out for “scallop-sitters” in the Florida Panhandle. e Scallop-Sitter program is available for volunteers in St. Joseph Bay, St. Andrew Bay and St. George Sound, and it is intended to increase scallop populations and reintroduce them to suitable areas from which they have disappeared.

Scallop-sitters volunteer to maintain cages with up to 50 bay scallops from June through January. On a monthly basis, volunteers check, count and clean their cages and scallops. Each volunteer will receive a cage, a bucket of scallops, tools to maintain cages, instructional materials and some fun giveaways.

To register as a scallop-sitter, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have no FWC violations on your record

• Live near St. Andrew Bay, St. Joseph Bay or St. George Sound

• Have access to the bay: via private dock, boat, or kayak

• Register through the UF Pace platform before May 25, 2023

• Watch virtual training video following registration and complete the program pre-survey

For more information, go to MyFWC.com or email bayscallops@myfwc.com.

By Will Schmidt

If you don’t already troll for grouper or if you’re looking for ways to improve your success rate, here are some things to consider while we wait for the seasons for our most popular species to re-open.

Large-lipped and big-pro le plugs are deadly, but many anglers struggle with getting lures into the strike zone. Many think if they are shing in 30 feet of water they need a plug that dives 30 feet, but that’s not always the case. Maximum dive depths are with everything optimum: speed, amount of line out and rigging.

First, consider your speed. I use Nomad DTX Minnow lures, which are designed to run anywhere

from 20 to 50 feet at speeds of 2 to 12 knots. e plugs will dive deeper at the higher end of that speed range than the lower end. I usually run about 5 knots and can easily get a 40-foot plug down to 30 feet at that speed, but a 30-foot plug would likely be short of the bottom. e amount of line you have out also greatly a ects the depth your plug is running, and this is where many mistakes are made. Slower speeds equal a atter angle of descent, so more line is needed. e idea is to be so close to the bottom that you occasionally bounce o it. Watch your rod tip for signs of the lure bouncing o the bottom. You will likely nd you need more line than you think. Keep dropping back until you start hitting bottom. e downside of this is you will get snagged on the bottom occasionally. When you do, don’t just try to wrench it o the bottom, get back behind the lure and pull it o in the opposite direction. A plus to the DTX Minnow is the single hooks seem to come o the bottom easier than treble hooks.

e nal piece to the puzzle is your rigging. Pulling 8- to 9-inch lures, and handling the sh that smack them, means you need stout tackle. But heavier lines create drag in the water that will impede the lure’s ability to dive. Using braid is a huge plus, as the diameter is much smaller and creates less drag. To further streamline, I use crimps on my leader between my lure and a small (but strong) swivel. It’s a little thing, but knots on heavy leader can be bulky and add to the

Heavy drags as well as keeping the boat in gear helps pull the sh away from cover quickly. Large single hooks aid in keeping you connected as the bigger gaps decrease the possibility of ripping the plugs out of the sh. Trolling is fun way to catch grouper and it’s a great nd new spots, as you can cover a lot of ground.

Will Schmidt is a seasoned tournament angler who has been writing about shing for more than three decades. Check out Nomad Lures at nomadtackle.com.

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Iguess I was a little bored. For the past hour, I’d been on the phone with Daniele, the head of my office in Italy, reviewing our latest purchases of Italian gold, Murano glass and Italian-made shoes and handbags.

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2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic Returns to the Tennessee River

The prestigious championship bass tournament—widely known as the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing”—will be held March 24-26 in downtown Knoxville and on the University of Tennessee Campus.

e Bassmaster Classic pits 55 of the world’s best bass anglers against one another for the title of Bassmaster Classic Champion. e Classic is a catch-and-release event, with bass being returned to the shery under the supervision of the TWRA.

Daily takeo s will be from Volunteer Landing on the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville each competition day, and weigh-ins will take place in the ompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus. e fan-favorite Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will be held Friday through Sunday, March 24-26 in the Knoxville Convention Center and the adjacent World’s Fair Exhibition Hall.

All activities and venues are free and open to the public. For more information, visit Bassmaster.com.

B.A.S.S. PHOTO

COLOMBIA: A GOLDEN ERA OF FISHING BEGINS

By Riley Love

Twenty years ago, I wrote an article on the Golden Age of Panama shing. Long have anglers waited for access to the salt and freshwater environments of Colombia.

In 2016, a lengthy peace process was negotiated and a nal agreement for a cease re and cessation of hostilities between the government and militias. In truth, there are still areas of the country to be avoided and cocaine production remains high, but the political and drug-crime environment has improved enough to move Colombia nearer the top of the target list for angling. e country’s upward trajectory with new tourism outstrips its neighbors. e latest three trips we’ve taken to the country have been completely safe.

Fishing the Amazon and Orinoco River basins are “peacock bass trips.” It is a stunning shery, where you routinely encounter fellow anglers from the far side of the world. From there, these trips can be divided into peacocks and “what else.” In Guyana it was giant arapaima. For the last Brazil trip, it was big wolf sh. is venture was to the Guaviare River, massive itself, a tributary to the mighty Orinoco. It is hard to understand the size of these watersheds until you see them yourself. Our quarry here was payara, the vampire sh.

e dichotomy of life in the tropics is the wet and dry seasons. During the time of rain, the rivers swell from their banks into dense rainforest. Sitting in your boat, you listen to peacock bass bust prey far back in cover where no cast can go. e shing season is re ned to those months when the rivers shrink back into their skeletal forms and sh are targeted in remaining aneurysmal pools. But the payara have a need for speed. ey stack up in current and mouths of tributaries where more water ows. ere is something about going a er speed freaks… it presses my buttons.

Alberto “Beto” Mejia is the young progenitor of FISH COLUMBIA. He has developed lodges here, on the Orinoco and on the Paci c coast at Punta Ardita, just inside the Panamanian border. He is a stone-cold payara y sherman. is lodge is more rustic, and you really feel away from it all.

Peacocks and payara take ies very well, both poppers and streamers. For the conventional sherman, it’s a chance to use multiple baits and techniques. Very large topwater prop baits and poppers, big minnows at multiple depths. e Dramatis personae includes numerous others- pacu, sardinata, also the opportunity for multiple species of cat sh, some in the 400-pound range. Uraima falls in Venezuela was a specialized lodge for payara. is is o the list as a destination for various sordid reasons. I have bagged them across the frontiers of South America. Most run 6 to 7 pounds, and a very good one about 15 pounds. e sh on Columbia’s Orinoco run twice that size. I believe this is the best payara lodge on the planet.

For more information, go to www. shcolombia.com. For more from Riley Love, go to rileylove.com and nd him on social media @rileyloveauthor.

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The in atable shing kayak is super rugged and ready to take on hooks, ns, and rocks. Tough, fast, portable, and built especially for anglers. The patented NeedleKnife™ keel cuts through the water so you can paddle or motor your way to your favorite spot quickly and easily. The Angler 385fta is 12’6” x 36” fully in ated and holds up to 2 people or 635 lbs. of people and gear. Packs down to 36” x 15” x 20” to t in a car trunk, SUV, RV, any small place. Various seating and trolling motor options are available.

console or tackle bag. You’ll nd other uses as necessity dictates.

Soft Baits: You’re throwing away money if you sh so plastics and don’t use super glue. Most so plastics are designed for action rather than durability. ey’re disposable, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get the most you can out of them.

If you’re shing a paddletail, grub, eel, worm or any so plastic on a jighead, a small drop of super glue will extend the life of that bait inde nitely. Secured to the jig, it will never slide down to the bend of the hook like a loose sock. To a lesser extent, this trick works for bare hooks, as well. Forget multiple sh, a so bait can last multiple trips when it’s glued in place— barring, of course, interactions with toothy sh.

When it comes to sh with teeth, there’s no way to avoid rips and tears in your so plastics. Even toothless sh will beat up a bait with extended use. Super glue repairs slices and gouges in so plastics. e rigidity of the repaired area will a ect the action of the lure, but this can be a trip saver when you’re down to the last in a bag of that one color sh are biting.

Hard Baits: With hard baits, super glue is for on-the-water repairs. If the lip on your crankbait gets loose, a tiny dab of glue will hold it tight and keep your lure swimming true. If the screw eye comes out of your favorite topwater or swimbait, gluing it back will render it stronger than it was to begin with. Super glue extends the life of expensive lures that would otherwise be headed for the trash.

By CAM Sta

SUPER GLUE BELONGS IN YOUR TACKLE BOX

Just like pliers or a good knife, super glue is an essential item in your shing kit. ere are numerous practical uses for this stu in shing, and it’s also a catch-all tool. It’s like liquid duct tape. When you have it, there’s no end to the situations when it comes in handy. Here are a few good reasons you should keep a tube of super glue in your

Knots: e debate is ongoing on whether super gluing knots increases their strength. Most folks who do it are in the “it can’t hurt camp.” However, there are a couple situations when it just makes sense. Coating line-to-line connections that frequently run through the guides smooths the knot and protects it from wear. With braided line, good knots, and the right knots, are crucial. Even so, braided line can cut itself when knots shi and tighten under stress. A drop of super glue keeps knots snug and secure.

Miscellaneous: Super glue can save the day when an eyelet or rod tip comes loose. It’ll also keep you on the water when you cut yourself chunking bait. Glue the wound shut and keep shing. Save the emergency room for later.

For more tips, go to coastalanglermag.com.

By Molly Kirk

GOLDEN BASS CAUGHT IN VIRGINIA

Virginia angler Jacob Moore was quite surprised when he reeled in this largemouth bass from the James River. Moore was expecting to catch a largemouth—he was targeting them. But he de nitely wasn’t expecting to catch a golden largemouth!

“I was out there practicing for a tournament, catching a bunch of sh,” said Moore, who works as an arborist and participates in local tournaments. “I was on the lower James near Chippokes [State Park]. When I hooked into that one, I thought I had a saltwater sh on at rst, but lo and behold, it was a largemouth! A very di erent largemouth, though. I haven’t seen anything like that before. I’ve seen bass with black spots, but I’d never seen an albino one.”

“Golden largemouth bass are extremely rare and most anglers have never seen them, let alone heard of them before,” said Alex McCrickard, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Aquatic Education Coordinator. “ e sh is a product of a genetic mutation that alters the skin pigments called xanthism. Yellow pigmentation dominates in xanthism, as you can see in Moore’s golden largemouth.”

Moore measured the sh at 16 ½ inches, took a few photos, then returned it to the water.

For more information, go to dwr.virginia.gov.

TIES STATE RECORD

This big Georgia sheepshead tied a two-decade-old state record for the species a er weighing in at 14 pounds, 14.37 ounces.

e angler, Ben Golden III, of Midway, Ga., caught his sh near the Sunbury community outside of Midway on Feb. 3. e catch quali es as a tie with the existing record of 14-pounds, 14-ounces set by Ralph White, of Rincon, Ga., in 2002.

“To be honest, I’ve been telling folks it’s been my goal to catch a state record for 10 or 12 years,” said Golden, who grew up in Midway and has been shing the Georgia coast most of his life. “I’m excited to say that I did it.”

Sheepshead are common around 7 pounds but can easily be found up to 10 pounds. ey reach maturity around 3 to 4 years of age and primarily live inshore, o en near rocky areas, docks, bridges or arti cial reefs, or other areas with barnacles.

Between 2017 and 2021, NOAA Fisheries estimates that Georgia recreational anglers caught an average of 490,197 sheepshead each year, with an average of 262,457 being harvested.

For more information on the Georgia Saltwater Game Fish Records program, visit www.CoastalGaDNR.org/SaltwaterRecords.