By Astrid DeGruchy
icked Tuna is a show my ancé, Capt. Brandon Storin, and I like to watch. As an avid angler betrothed to a charter captain, I think it’s pretty cool to watch these guys reel in giants, but it’s even cooler to do it Brandon and I wanted this experience, so we went on a charter with the legendary crew of the “Hard Merchandise.” Docked in Gloucester, Mass., the boat is very spacious with a heated cabin, full head and all the latest electronics. Capt. Joe Marciano and his Mate, Jay, are exactly as they are from the show, and their skillsets for catching
During our time with them, conditions were a bit rough. It called for us leaving the docks earlier than anyone else, and while riding out, you could really see how meticulous they are in each part of the rigging and set up. During the boat ride, conversation was great, with plenty of laughs to go around. Before we knew it, we were at the tuna grounds.
In the midst of catching and soaking baits and waiting for the bite, the crew made us fresh breakfast and it was amazing. We had bacon and scrambled eggs with lobster.
e experience is very much like what you would expect from watching the show. ere’s lots of refreshing baits and waiting for a bite. When they mark sh on the sonar, the enthusiasm from the crew is amazing, just like on television. Capt. Joe and Jay jump up, yelling “WE’RE MARKING!” Adrenaline starts pumping with anticipation as you hope everything is lined up perfect enough to get a bite.
Fortunately, we did get tight, and I have never seen a sh take such a wild and ferocious run… several times. I was up to battle this sh with coaching from Capt. Joe and Jay. ere is nesse needed to ght a giant like this, and a cra in staying tight and knowing when to let him run. Every second spent reeling elevated the hope that we might land this big tuna. Yet there was also anxiety. If you’ve watched the show, you know that losing one of these monsters is a very real possibility.
We battled the sh for a while. Gaining where I could, adrenaline kept me pumping while the crew maneuvered the boat. e communication is constant as everyone works together.
Finally, I saw this huge beast start surfacing. Capt. Joe moved in with the harpoon, ready to take the shot. Everything happened so quickly! e beast surfaced, and Capt. Joe drilled it with a perfect gill shot. It wasn’t over yet, but it was just a matter of time. A er the sh made one last run, taking a bunch of rope, we hauled it back in and roped its tail. At that point, I knew I had landed my top bucket-list sh.
It was an amazing experience, and it felt like we were literally in an episode of Wicked Tuna. What you see from the show is what you get in person. ere is no script; nothing is fake. ere is only grit, talent and hope, and these guys have all that.
e Hard Merchandise team recently launched Angelica Seafoods, where one can order fresh blue n, lobster, scallops, oysters and more to be delivered to your door. If you plan a trip to Boston and want to catch a sh of a lifetime, book a charter with the Hard Merchandise.
For more information on the Hard Merchandise, visit www.angelica sheries.com/fv-hardmerchandise.
IG: @catching_astrid @bnmbean @hardmerchjoe @melodyredwing @hardmerchandisejay.
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That’s quite a headline for a 17-year-old high school student from Clewiston, Fla. who loves bass shing.
I spoke with Hilary while she was in Palatka, Fla. preparing to sh the Florida Bass Nation tournaments on the St. Johns River, and her enthusiasm and passion for the sport of bass shing were impressive.
Last year, at 16, she nished h at the State Championship of the Florida Bass Nation with a total weight heavier than 19 pounds. She’s hoping to do even better this year.
I asked her if she could remember when she rst started shing, and she laughed as she guessed that she was “probably only 2 years old.” A er all, she does come from a pretty well-known family of professional bass shermen.
Her grandfather, the legendary Roland Martin, is one of the greatest bass shermen of all time. Her father, Scott, won the 2011 Forest Wood Cup Championship, and also has 45 top-ten nishes and eight tour victories in the FLW and hosts the Scott Martin Challenge.
But things are di erent today than they were
By Don Norton
Iin the past. Today, social media is the key to reaching your audience, and Hilary has done an incredible job on both YouTube, with over 100,000 subscribers, and Instagram with 103,000 followers.
Most of her videos are bass shing, although she’s had some very interesting saltwater shing videos, as well.
Hilary said she started taking bass shing seriously when she was 15 years old, and at 16, joined the Florida Bass Nation Series.
She has her own bass boat, a 20’ Skeeter FXR, with a 250hp Yamaha, but she also shes out of her dad’s boat from time to time, because, “it’s got all the goodies,” she laughed.
Her biggest bass, a whopping 9.1-pounder was caught ipping a black/blue Sweet Beaver along the edges of cattails on Lake Okeechobee when she was only 14 years old. She hopes to break that personal best soon.
Her shing arsenal includes a Favorite Phantom Series shing rod, a Shimano Curado reel and braided or uorocarbon line, along with her favorite bait, a Zoom Speed Worm.
“I was shing out of a kayak and I saw this
far away, so I threw my Speed Worm just past the mark,” she recounted. “I started a fast retrieve when a big bass came up and just exploded on it. at sh drug me around for what seemed like forever before I nally landed it. It weighed just over ve pounds. e cover picture of me holding a bass was taken the day a er.”
Listening to her tell that story, her excitement, enthusiasm and passion for bass shing became even more obvious.
If you haven’t seen one of her videos on YouTube ( eReelHilarySue), I’d strongly recommend you check them out. ey’re fun to watch, and you might just learn something. She’s a natural.
What an incredible future this beautiful, talented young lady has in store. I think she’ll be one of the biggest names in professional bass shing in the years to come.
Don Norton is co-publisher of the Okeechobee edition of e Angler Magazine.
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shing the Gulf of Mexico out of Florida have two weekends remaining in November to harvest red snapper. is special fall season announced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) opened a total of ve weekends for snapper harvest in October and November. e remaining dates are Nov. 11-13 and Nov. 25-27.
e fall red snapper season is open for recreational anglers and for-hire operations in the Gulf of Mexico. During this season, private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal waters. However, state for-hire operations are limited to shing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only. Gulf state waters extend to 9 miles o shore, where federal waters begin.
e bag limit during the fall season is the same as the regular summerseason bag limit. Anglers may keep two red snapper per person, within the 10-per-person daily aggregate snapper bag limit. e minimum size limit is 16 inches tail length. Charter captains and guides may not keep a limit on top of those retained by their anglers. A descending device or venting tool is required to be rigged and ready for use while shing for reef sh in Gulf federal waters. FWC will continue to monitor harvest relative to Florida’s available quota.
ese additional days were made possible by the State Reef Fish Survey, which was developed to provide better data for management of red snapper and other reef sh. It has allowed FWC the unprecedented opportunity to manage Gulf red snapper in state and federal waters.
All anglers shing from private recreational vessels are required to sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler if they target red snapper or other reef sh in state and federal waters, even if they are exempt from shing license requirements. Sign up for no cost at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by visiting any location where you can purchase a Florida shing license.
State Reef Fish Anglers may receive a questionnaire in the mail regarding their reef sh trips as part of Florida’s State Reef Fish Survey. If you receive a survey, please respond whether you shed this season or not or whether you’ve submitted data via other methods.
For more information, see the Florida red snapper regulations at MyFWC.com.
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Brought to you by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., the 12th Annual Jimmy Johnson’s “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week will take over South Florida March 7-11, 2023, additionally hosted by Visit Lauderdale, with tournament headquarters based at Seminole Hard Rock in Broward.
e annual four-day tournament includes the 2-day Quest for the Ring Catch & Release Championship and the National Sport sh Championship Weighted Tournament, which takes place as a separate tournament during the event week. Hosted by Contender Boats, powered by Yamaha and fueled by Papa’s Pilar Rum, the 2-Day Catch & Release Championship features the World’s RICHEST guaranteed purse of $1 million, in partnership with Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla, making it the longest-running guaranteed purse in history.
Jimmy Johnson’s “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week is “all about the ring!” according to Coach Johnson. Each year teams vie for their champion rings and entrance into the highly coveted Ring of Honor, an elite group of champions who have taken home the top prize at this exciting competition in the Catch & Release Championship. Each year, overall champions receive Jimmy’s famed National Championship Ring. Renowned for the best parties, which are
Palm Beach’s TEAM LUNATICO won the 2022 Championship, taking home $321,500 and entrance into Coach’s coveted RING OF HONOR on a 42’ Invincible owned by Lance Converse.
back at Hard Rock, the highest guaranteed purse and the ultimate week of shing, tournament highlights include celebrity charity days and highly competitive tournament showdowns. Registration will end with the captain’s meeting on Tuesday, March 7, if spots are still available.
“ e best wasn’t the Super Bowl, the best was not University of Miami, the best is right now!” said Coach Johnson. “ ese teams are part of THE BEST. We continue to grow each year, and I am thrilled to have our partners at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood join us as we
showcase the thrilling challenge of sport shing and to move our hosting of our event to such a beautiful destination in Broward County. We look forward to seeing everyone in March!”
Contender Boats is the o cial center console boat sponsor and a presenting sponsor of the tournament along with the o cial outboard sponsor, Yamaha, and o cial spirits partner, Papa’s Pilar. Additional Hosting sponsors include Oakley Prizm, Michelob Ultra, GED Lawyers, Visit Lauderdale, Garmin, Celebrity Cruises, Hines Securities, Titos Vodka, Atlantic Radio Telephone, and Cadillac. Miami Retail Partner is Crook and Crook and Broward Retail Partner is Big Dog Tackle. e o cial tournament artist and apparel provider is Connected by Water. Additional event sponsors can be found on the event website. e tournament is produced by Fish Hard Events.
Boat Entry information and the full schedule of events can be found at www.jj shweek.com. Registration starts at $5,000 for the Quest for the Ring Bill sh Tournament and $2,500 for the Sport sh Weighted Championship. Register on the tournament website or by contact the tournament o ce at info@jj shweek.com or (305) 255-3500 for more information.
Follow @JJFishWeek on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for up to date tournament information.
By Rex Hannon
There’s an eruption during your retrieve that’s immediately followed by one of the most vicious strikes you’ve ever encountered. e unknown assailant pulls drag, digging deeper only to reverse course and perform one of the most acrobatic aerial shows you’ve ever witnessed. Your rst thought is a monster largemouth, but that idea vanishes when you see the color scheme and the large bump on the sh’s forehead. A er a trying and equipment-testing battle, before you lies an unmistakable dream about or watch on television shows recorded in exotic locations. It’s a butter y peacock bass.
Peacock bass are native to South America, where they are most commonly found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. Because of their appearance and name, there’s a common misconception that they are members of the bass family. Actually, they are cichlids.
Peacock bass were introduced to South Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 1984. ey are nonnative, but they are considered noninvasive. ree stocks of sh were imported from Brazil, Guyana and Peru. A er spawning at the FWC Non Native Research Lab and being tested for disease and parasites by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Auburn University, they were released to combat exotic invasive snakeheads, clown knife sh and oscars.
Peacock Bass have a body similar to largemouth bass, but the color scheme is noticeably di younger examples are generally golden/green with three black bars that fade as the sh matures. is also usually a prominent black spot with a yellow/ gold halo on the tail. Peacock bass are fast growing, pushing an inch a month from one year to 18 months. A 19-inch sh can weigh 5 pounds. While the Florida state record butter
undocumented catches of 12 pounds and e IGFA all-tackle world record is 12.6 pounds and was caught in Venezuela. y peacock bass are intolerant of cold water and high salinity. ere have been reports of sh north of Palm Beach County, but they cannot survive temperatures below 60 degrees or salinity above 18 parts per million. is species is commonly found in canals, lakes and ponds, and prefers to feed and spawn in shallow water with vegetation.
Live bait is the easiest way to catch these amazing sh, and they will also strike arti cial lures and ies. Butter y peacock bass prefer feeding during daylight hours, when they use their great speed to pursue
y peacock bass are edible, but the FWC recommends catch and release due to the valuable service they provide in keeping invasive species in e pursuit of this species is also an economic boon to the state. It is estimated that anglers spend more than $8 million a year chasing peacock bass in y peacock bass are another example of shing opportunities.
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In this series on long-distance lures, we’ve covered just about everything about the cast and equipment. Now that you’ve made that super-long cast—beating other anglers’ distance by 50 feet, or maybe 50 yards—you are presenting your lure to sh that others can’t reach.
What’s next the next step? is is where we enter the heart of the action, where things get fun and exciting. First thing rst, start working your lure.
e long distance between your rod tip and the lure means more line is on the water. You will have less control of the lure’s action, and the delay between when the sh strikes and when you feel it will be longer. e hook set is also a ected. Waves, wind and current all amplify this lag.
e type of lure will determine how you should alter your retrieve to achieve the proper action. Darters, heavy spoons, billed minnows, bottleneck swimplugs and jointed swimbaits are all designed to provide their own action, and they will start swimming when you begin your retrieve.
Lures that require more angler interaction
will require you to adapt your retrieve to compensate for the extra distance and diminished control. A popper
hand what I am trying to impart. You’ll need practice to adjust the way you work a lure at distance, and by paying attention to the way di erent lures react, you will learn to sh them more e ectively.
might require harder pulls to pop. A stick bait or pencil might need a slower cadence and sharper rod twitches to achieve the desired action.
ese details might seem insigni cant as you read this, but go give it a try on the water, preferably in calm conditions. At the end of a super-long cast, you’ll experience rst-
Now, with the current ripping and wave action pulling the line and lure side to side, there’s no way to avoid losing some control over the quality of a lure’s action. e good thing is, sh in such conditions are usually less picky and more aggressive. Still, the better the action you provide to your lure, the better your results will be. en suddenly, the bite happens! A long belly of line in uenced by current and waves increases the delay between your hook set and the moment it translates to the lure. Also, some energy will be lost. Use a wide, sweeping rod movement to set the hook when the lure is far away. is generates a long pull that provides the most energy possible to drive the hook into a sh’s mouth. Also, sh a tight drag when you’re casting for distance. I’ve seen many anglers miss sh when the drag gives line on the hook set. Be ready to adjust the drag lighter based on the power of the sh once you have it hooked.
Legendary angler Patrick Sebile is a world record holder and an award-winning designer of innovative lures and shing gear. Check out his creations at abandofanglers.com.
First and foremost, I would like to send my love and prayers to our friends all over Southwest Florida. I've been through many hurricanes living here in Florida my entire life but this one was unprece dented! If anyone needs a hand from SRQ, please reach out to me. I have a truck, some power tools and muscle for those who are in need.
A lthough we are all con tinuing to pick up the pieces of what we can, after the storm, I wanted to give an update on what's going on here in the wa ters. For those of you who en joy tarpon fishing, this will be your last month to really target them abundantly in our area. Most people don't realize this, but the adults are still working their way back down the coast this month and the juvi's will be hanging around what's left of the small schools of glass minnows. Keep a close eye out for rolling tarpon just about anywhere, as these fish start to transition. My client and I re
cently found a decent school in a place I've never seen before, so you never know!
When targeting these fish, I generally like to use smaller soft plastics and flies. Still to this day, it blows me away on the small baits these bigger fish will slurp down! Most people tend to think big fish - big bait; but sometimes it's the exact opposite. So, next time you see larger fish and they won't eat what you are pitching at them, try downsizing
I really do hope everyone is doing better and slowly but surely, getting back out onto the water. I overheard some one recently say hurricanes are the price for living in paradise, well it's time to get out there and enjoy our little slice of par adise because you never know what tomorrow will bring...Let's go fishing!
Thereare no words that I can say that will change what South west Florida has gone through over the last month. Fishing is the last thing on our minds as we process how our lives have been affected by Hurricane Ian. My thoughts are on the people that live in this wonderful place and the challenges that they are facing during the days, months and even years ahead. I would like to encourage all of us to hang in there knowing that you're not alone in this challenge. We will bounce back, rebuild, and improve this awesome place. Know that there are many people here for you and I would like to encourage all of us to be there for each other whenever there is a need. Rebounding and rebuilding will definitely take a village, all of us, all types of people with all types of backgrounds, interests and skills. All of us have a role
to play, be it financially, using our talents or skills, or just lending a helping hand whenever there is an opportunity and there will be op portunities. No effort will be too small if your hearts are in the right place, loving and helping our neighbors. Together we can and will suc ceed in getting back to enjoying this paradise that we have been blessed with. I have relied on my faith through these last few weeks, and I know we are not alone. May my thoughts and prayers reach out to all those who feel desperate or alone, may your circumstances change, may you be encouraged and comforted during the challenges you will face. To gether we will get through this, keep our heads up and keep the faith. God Bless to all.
We’re approaching a winter pattern around the harbor as sporadic northern fronts combine with seasonally low tides. As well as contributing to cooler temperatures, these winds also push water out of the harbor escalating these tides. Typically, I’ll turn my attention to redfish and spotted sea trout. Both species tolerate cold well.
As we get away from summer rain, our water clears up, cools down, and salinity increases. Consequently, I’ll start pushing into the backcountry and getting up into some of our many creek systems. As the oxygen and salinity increases, fish will begin moving in as well. As the water cools, a favorite prey species, scaled sardines, move offshore looking for more stable water temperatures. This forces the reds and trout to rely on shrimp and small crustaceans that these creeks provide as well as a refuge from erratic conditions.
Therefore, I’ll begin throwing smaller clouser type patterns. I like the way it emulates the motion of a jig and gets down in the water
column where small crustaceans hide. Unlike some patterns, it doesn’t stop moving during the retrieve when the angler is not stripping. A sinking bait is a good representation of fleeing prey.
I like creeks that hold deeper edges off points and bends. Fortunately, there are plenty of options. Out of Punta Gorda, the east side south of Ponce Park all the way to Matlacha has more real estate than most of us have time to explore. At the top of the harbor, Hog Island and the Myakka Cutoff provide another expanse of mangrove creeks. Lastly, the west wall incorporates enough of these areas to keep anyone busy all winter.
W hen the wind lays down, pompano provide a change of pace. I like looking outside the bar along the southern end of the west wall and off the hard bottom outside Cape Haze Point. Here, a clouser is perfect and a ¼ ounce Nylure jig is the artificial of choice on a spinning rod. It’s not unusual to find them jumping your boat wake while running outside the bar along the wall.
Sheepshead is a good bet. In fact, from shore, it offers one of the best opportunities all year. Docks, piers, and seawalls are all good. The Placida Trestle is very popular. The bait of choice is cut shrimp and fiddler crabs. Until next month, good tides.
Timeto head out into the Gulf and target some tripletail. In our area there are commercial fishermen that target stone crab claws. And they litter the nearshore waters with traps. Yes, this is a good thing as the buoys on these traps are where tripletail like to hang out. They nose up to the rope under the buoy and it truly looks like a wad of grass stuck on the line or they look like a plastic shopping bag tangled on the line, just under the buoy. Yea this is very productive for them to harvest any little fish that will come to hide around the buoy too. When I worked at the fish market many years ago one of the stone crab guys would bring tripletail in with his crab claws an after a few discussions he shared he would dip them up with a net. I was not much of an offshore guy in my twenties, but as I learned later you can use a fishing pole. When you see what you think is a fish, go past the buoy, slow down and make a U-turn. Approach the buoy slowly and position the in-casting distance to the buoy. Usually you can use a red fish set up to do this, with 20lb. braid and a clear leader about the same length as your rod 20lb. test. I may use live shrimp on a 1/0 VMC circle hook with a 1/4-ounce egg weight. Gulp new penny 3" or 4" will work on this rig too and DOA's work very well tied on the clear leader with no weight. As I pull up and
cast past the buoy I’ll reel the bait up to the line and stop the retrieve and let the bait sink and watch the fish they will roll off the buoy and attack the bait. When this happens DO NOT set the hook! Yes, this sounds crazy but most of the time if you set the hook they avoid it. If I wait to feel weight on the line I’ll then jack it up. This is when I need to keep the fish from going around the trap line. The trap line gets rough from them lifting them with the wench and it may cut your line, not a happy camper then. They put up a great fight and are good table fare too. The other thing while I may be running the trap line look for kingfish busting up the bait balls or spanish mackerel. If the waters are cool enough the gag grouper will migrate to the shallow waters where it is easy to troll for them. Yes, troll for grouper it works, using a deep diving lure like an` X-Rap 25/30. Or even a stretch 30 will work. I use a 3/0 Penn with 30lb. Suffix Braid on a med to heavy 7' rod. with a rod length 30lb. leader with a 2ft. 50lb. leader. It may take some trial and error to figure out the length and speed best but I usually travel about 5knots when I troll with around 100 to 150 feet of line in about 50 feet. Troll around artificial reefs and natural hard bottom for best results.
Alpha Omega Charters | alphaomegacharters.com captbart@alphaomegacharters.com | 941-979-6517
In Southwest Florida, the days are getting shorter and the cold fronts are beginning to push further down south. This is the time of year when fish are in a transition from basking in the warm sun on the grassy flats, to getting ready for the colder days of winter. During the summer months our fish can be found on the lush grass flats all over the Harbor. As fall arrives and the water begins to cool a large majority of those fish migrate to deeper water for winter. On the top of that list would be snook. It is very important for snook to migrate to areas where they have access to deep water. Living in the sub tropics during most of the year our water temperatures are above eighty degrees. However, during the colder months of winter, it can drop down below sixty even at times into the fifties. Fortunately for us and the fish we have plenty of deep water for our fish to migrate to. Not only do we have the rivers, we also have miles of man-made canals. When the mercury drops down to the cooler temperatures these are areas that our fish depend on for warmer water to help them survive during the winter months. Locating fish in these areas can be a little bit tricky. Most of the year we look for mangrove shore lines with nice green bushes hanging over the shore lines, and good
tidal flow. When trying to locate fish in their deeper winter haunts tidal flow is very necessary, however green mangrove over hangs are not. The main thing that people over look is the depth. It’s like the old saying goes to catch fish you got to think like a fish. The main reason the fish have moved to these areas is for deeper warmer water. Once you have located deeper water you also need to slow down fish a little slower than you normally would. Often many times fishing in deeper water the tidal flow can be a little stronger. Split shots work great for slowing your bait down to keep it in the strike zone longer. The great thing about fishing deeper water generally when you locate the fish there is a lot of them there. You might have to fish different areas. Once you start to learn and locate some of our deep-water fish I’m sure you will have a great day on the water and keep the rod bent.
I f you would like to experience some of the areas finest fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our trips are private and customized to fit you and your party’s needs.
Back Bay Xtremes |Backbayextremes.com 941-916-5769
Fishing with artificial lures is a little bit art, a little bit luck and a lot of practice. There is now a dizzying array of hard and soft plastics that all claim to be the “one” and sometimes I believe they are designed to entice you more than the fish but over time and through either experience or shared expertise you will find the ones that work for your area.
Admittedly I’m a soft plastic fanatic as the range of colors, sizes and shapes help me present baits that are closely matched to what the predators we chase are already eating. Sure, you can toss your favorite lure all day and perhaps trick one or two fish to hit but alternating between various options may increase your catch rate. Don’t get me wrong as I’ve been known to throw a top water bait for hours, well past the magic couple of early morning hours that is typical, knowing that I’m going to entice one more top water attack just to prove I can but in reality, catching more fish is the goal!
Fishing with lures takes practice because your trying to convince a fish that something that is not natural is food so presentation and what is called cadence meaning the speed at which you reel the line back and the way you twitch your rod tip or pause the retrieve is the all deciding factor. Over time and with practice a pattern begins to emerge for each bait that helps you present the right action to elicit a strike. Don’t be afraid to ask others how they use a lure as it will shorten the learning curve. There
is one technique that I personally think is being completely over looked and that is the steady retrieve. Because I fish out of the peddle drive kayak, I can peddle and troll baits behind me. I’m now catching more fish on this method so I’ve included this steady retrieve even while stopped and it’s a proven style for me.
As fall is now approaching S.W. Florida there is one fish to target that will absolutely respond to a large array of plastic baits and that is the Redfish. October is prime redfish season although once you figure them out you’ll be able to target them year-round. These fish will gladly follow a slow worked paddle tail or shad tail rubber bait, on a twist lock weighted hook, across a shallow flat until it decides to attack or turn off. You’ll know when you see a big bulge of water coming up behind the bait and a word of caution, do not stop a bait that the fish are pursuing as they are used to prey darting away not pausing.
Trout are another species that will readily take plastics and especially a paddle tail on a jig head worked right across the top of grass and potholes. Get some plastics and start practicing your “style”! It’s A Wild WorldGet Out There! Fishman Dan
by Tonya Wiley, Havenworth Coastal Conservation
TheU.S. Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery team has released a new video titled “RESPECT - RELEASE - REPORT: Guidelines for Interactions with Endangered Sawfish in the United States” to give anglers, divers, and boaters information about what to do if they catch or see an endangered sawfish.
Sawfish were once found in coastal waters of the United States from Texas to North Carolina. But decades of mortality in fisheries and the loss of important nursery habitats led to dramatic reductions in both their numbers and range. Now they are generally only found in Florida and most commonly in southwest Florida around Everglades National Park. Sawfish are federally protected as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and need your help to survive and avoid extinction. The guidelines in the new video will teach you how to Respect, Release, and Report sawfish you catch while fishing or encounter while diving, snorkeling, or boating.
The video is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/wxOjcUsxZ4g and on the Sawfish Recovery Team website at www.SawfishRecovery. org.
If you see or catch a sawfish, note its estimated total length, and the date, time, and your location with GPS coordinates if available. Please
share the information by visiting www.SawfishRecovery.org, calling 1-844-4SAWFISH, emailing sawfish@myfwc.com, or entering the details in the FWC Reporter App to help scientists steer research and conservation efforts and track recovery of the population.
The goal is to recover the United States population of smalltooth sawfish so that it no longer needs the protections of the Endangered Species Act. Following the guidelines in the video will help prevent extinction and aid in population rebuilding and ultimately recovery.
By: Capt. Chad Carney
Inthe summer of 1982, I discovered the Dry Tortugas teaming with big fish, abundant beautiful corals and crystal-clear water. On a 65’ dive charter boat, it was 106 nautical miles from Marco Island to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park. We spent most of our days on the Tortugas Bank, west of Loggerhead Key Lighthouse & outside of the National Park. Today much of the Bank & Riley’s Hump are inside the Tortugas Ecological Reserves north and south, so no fishing is allowed. These regulations have been good for fish counts as the Tortugas is a breeding ground beginning in the Florida Gulf Stream. Many species go with the flow, just west of Key West and into the Gulf of Mexico. There are also fewer charter dive boats working these waters today.
O ver the years, I’ve lost count of my Tortugas trips, but they were a big factor for my move to the Isles of Capri, just half a mile north of Marco Island. Another reason is Southwest has way less population and way more area in dive able depths, than all of South and Cen tral Florida. The Everglades from Marco Island to Lower Matecumbe Key in the
Keys is 88 nautical miles and has virtually zero population.
Northwest of the Tortugas are great deep wrecks like the Rhein, Araby Maid, U 2513 and Hermes and Southeast the Tortugas are 25 nau tical miles of big fish reef drop-offs, below Rebeca Shoals to the Tail End Light. On these drops I’ve shot 50 to 65lb black groupers and have seen 2 100 lbers! Northeast of the Tortugas are mod erate depth wrecks, all on the way home, like the Oiler, Baja CA, and Spot Pack, where I shot my first Cubera Snapper, 57lb with a 20lb black too! The Air Force Relay Towers W, L, & S are still 53 nautical miles minimum from home, and known for African pompano, permit, AJs and mangrove snappers, shooting in the top half of the depth. Google the Dry Tortugas National Park for more info. https://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm
Capt. Chad
chad.carney@yahoo.com https://www.facebook.com/floridaskindiver/ https://www.deeperblue.com/beginners-guide-spearfishing/ 727-423-7775
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Even if you take precautionary steps to avoid it, sometimes you might hook a bird by accident. That’s when it’s important to remember—don’t cut the line and let the bird fly away with it attached. This will lead to entanglement, resulting in death of that bird and possibly others as well. Instead, follow these simple steps to unhook the bird: Reel. Remove. Release.
1. Wear safety glasses and enlist a partner for help.
2. Reel the bird in slowly and lift it from the water using a hoop net. Even a large pelican weighs only 4-8 pounds
3. Grasp the bird by the head just behind the eyes and fold the wings against the body. For pelicans, hold the beak, keeping the mouth slightly open so it can breathe. Cover the bird’s head with a cloth to keep it calm.
4. Never pull the hook out but carefully push the end through the skin, cut off the barb and back the hook out using pliers or clippers. If the bird is entangled, remove all line.
5. Release the bird (if healthy) by placing it on the ground near the water and allowing it to take off.
6. If the bird has swallowed the hook or is severely injured, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator from the list at MyFWC.com/unhook.
where
which
are more likely
of filleted bones where birds can’t get them—in a trash can with lid or at home.
of a filleted fish will become lodged in or tear throats, stomachs and
leading to the death of that
bait buckets and take unused bait
of fishing line in a monofilament recycling bin or cut into small pieces and place in the
carefully to avoid hooking a bird in flight or being snared on
bridge
others learn what to do when they accidentally hook a bird. It’s pretty easy, once you know how.
by Friends of the Pelicans, Inc. More detailed information can be found at facebook.com/ friendsofthepelicans.
— Photos by Carol Cassels
By: Caitlyn Gatrell
The Goliath Grouper, Epinephelus itaja ra, is a large species, the largest grouper species in fact. While it is known for these fish to get close to eight feet in length and close to one thousand pounds, we typical ly find ours on the smaller side. We spend most of our time more inland around mangroves, so typically the ones we see, and catch don’t get too big. Although we have seen a couple here and there that we may call “huge”! While these fish were removed from the NOAA Spe cies of Concern list back in 2006, they still re main protected, and no matter the size, they must remain in the water and be released back always. With that, it seems at times the pop ulation can explode in certain areas. There are days where we seem to only catch Goliath groupers when out on the water. Sometimes, they even seem to steal our bait from other species that try to get to them! At least in our local fishing areas, it seems their population has been thriving, as every spot we travel to we usually always catch one if not a few. There have been times we have had multiple people on board, and everyone hooks up to a Goli ath at the same time! Once, two of us actually hooked the same grouper as the fish ate both our baits at once! Pictures I have included
show multiples trips around similar waters where we have caught quite a few, ranging in size. My boyfriend, Kyle, and I ate pictured where we are holding two juvenile groupers, where we had caught many before and after the picture was taken, probably in the double dig its for that fishing trip!
While they are beautiful creatures, they also are known to be aggressive when it comes to territories and food. As mentioned, we have noticed when other species try to eat our bait there have been times when a Goliath may come rushing up to grab the food from them. Another example, we were reeling in our line to recast, and right at the boat a larger one seemed to rush up from underwater and ag gressively bite down on the bait.
Often when taking out the hooks to release them, they sometimes tend to try and flop around as well, spiking their fins and flaring their teeth, trying to warn us off. A quick re lease, as they usually immediately give off a big kick and dive back down. Despite their aggres sive behavior at times, they still are awesome creatures, that resemblance their beauty and strength when either fighting them on the line or even just seeing them swim close by.
The type of fishing and spe cies that we have in Flor ida is the type that would make any angler jump at the chance to catch if they were given the chance to. This past weekend while fishing in the Manatee Riv er my clients had the chance of a lifetime to catch the fish that they came aboard the boat hoping and dreaming to catch. Most Florida natives know that during Octo ber and November the fishing can be somewhat slow so when you have a chance at a big fish you take it. That is exactly what my clients did this past weekend. Throughout the day we had many laughs, tight lines, and plenty of mangrove snapper and snook on board the boat, but we were all still hoping for that dream fish, the redfish. In particular, my cli ents specified that they wanted a trophy redfish that they would be able to brag about to their friends for years to come. However, during this time of the year, it’s not always easy to land a fish of that size but my clients were up to the challenge and so was I. After catching a plen titude of snook and mangrove snapper, we decided it was time to go get that dream fish. We started off trolling around looking for any
kind of movement or tailing along the mangroves. At first, we had no luck but with a little determination and a skillful eye we finally spotted a huge boil in front of the boat. Imme diately, I set spot lock on the trolling motor and made sure that my client had an extremely lively bait so that we could get this redfish’s attention. I told my client where exactly to cast his bait and he absolutely nailed it on the first try. Within seconds you could hear the most beautiful sound a fisherman could ever hear, the ring ing of his line going out. This clever redfish took the bait and ran with it under the mangroves expecting that he would be able to stay under there and escape, however, what this red fish did not know was that my client was smart and knew how to pull him out. He did put up quite a fight but at the end of the day we pulled the fish in and he was exactly what my client wanted. A fat 34-inch bull redfish that he had been dreaming about catching. Give us a call when you are ready to catch your trophy fish!
Going into November the red fish bite is going to be great. In Tampa Bay, October is known as “Red October” for a reason and fish ing in the Bay lately has been on fire! The snook and redfish bite has been so good but also grouper are also starting to show up thick. These past few weeks, we have been fishing the flats early for snook and redfish. We fish for these species early because of the extreme temperatures here in Tampa Bay. Fol lowing hurricane Ian, the water temps have dropped drastically and real ly kicked us into the typical October patters. The very unique part of this is after we target redfish and snook, we go out to deeper water for grouper and snapper fishing. There are not many places where you can catch snook and redfish and then go less than a mile away and be ripping grouper off the bottom! Following the cool water from the hurricane, the grouper bite is now on fire! It’s an amazing experience to be able to chase snook and redfish shallow and then feel the power of grouper in the same day. Also, an other unique and very fun experience we’ve been taking advantage of, is dock light fishing at night. While dock light fishing you can see the fish in the light and watch then eat your bait. It’s basically shooting fish
in a barrel. The dock lights can hold snook, redfish, snapper, and some times even tarpon! Recently on the dock lights the tarpon have been very thick! Another very cool experience is fishing the docks for grouper. Just like bass fishing we flip under docks with big live baits. Usually, we use pinfish or big pilchards and there’s nothing like trying to pull a grouper out of a dock. You must have patience or else you will break the line, but it’s pretty cool being able to catch a 24+ inch grouper out from under a dock in only 5 feet of wa ter. You can also find grouper around the Skyway Bridge, however, fishing around the Skyway you won’t only just catch grouper, as there is a wide variety of fish that are delicious to eat. For ex ample, my favorite fish to eat in the Bay is mangrove snapper. On the Skyway, mangrove snapper are plentiful and can get pretty big. Overall fishing the many areas of the Bay has been great, give us a call as we would love to take you on the adventure of a lifetime and show you how we do it!
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By Capt. Michael Okruhlik
time… ounder time! e fall migration typically reaches its peak in November along the Gulf Coast and more ounder are sure to reach their spawning grounds in this Gulf this year. Louisiana has joined Texas and Florida with their closed season during the peak of the run. However, the fact that you can’t keep any atties during this time doesn’t mean you can’t catch them.
Flounder will be migrating into the Gulf, so the obvious ambush areas will be around passes that lead to open water. e ounder will position themselves in di erent areas based on the tide level and current strength. In addition to using their burying-in-the-sand ambush technique, they also like to utilize structure in a couple of ways.
First, any object that protrudes above the bottom is a great ambush point. is o ers a current break for forage sh to gather directly above a buried ounder, which makes for an easy meal. Objects such as bulkheads are also great ambush points. Flounder like to position themselves against the solid barrier. I think this can be for two separate reasons depending on what other factors are at play. As mentioned above, it could be a current break, especially if the bulkhead has a corrugated shape. When a ounder settles against a bulkhead, its prey has fewer directions to ee, allowing the ounder greater odds of capturing it. When targeting ounder, never pass up a bulkhead.
Second, ounder can be caught on a variety of lures and live bait if you keep it in contact with the bottom to increase your odds for a strike. On the live-bait options, a frisky mullet will produce larger ounder, so if you want to increase your opportunity of landing a trophy, this is the way to go. I prefer to sh with lures and lean heavily on the paddletail style. Twitching these hard along the bottom sends a pulsating sound and vibration that really grabs their attention. Jerk-style so plastics and bucktails can also be e ective worked in the same manner.
If I had to pick a tide to maximize time on the water, I would choose a medium- ow outgoing. Although there are no set rules that sh always follow, ounder feed more on their way out to the Gulf and utilize the current to ease their journey. During the incoming tide, they bury themselves rather than ght the current.
Don’t let the closed season discourage you from targeting ounder during this migration. It will have its advantages. Going forward, we will undoubtedly have a larger ounder population, but the instant grati cation will be a lot less tra c in our favorite ounder spot! I will use the closed season to target a new personal best this season, and so should you.
Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, Controlled Descent Lures™, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.
Winter in south Florida brings an awesome collision of ballyhoo and sail sh that makes for some of the best shing of the year. It’s also the time of year for some of the richest and most fun tournaments. If you’re interested, right now is the time to register. Here’s a list of some good events:
Nov. 30 – Dec. 4, 2022 Dust ’Em O Sail sh Warmup
Fort Lauderdale • www.dustemo sail sh.com
December 1-4, 2022 Pirate’s Cove Sail sh Classic
Pirate’s Cove Resort & Marina, Port Salerno www.piratescovesail shclassic.com
Dec. 2-4, 2022 Islamorada Sail sh Tournament
1st Event of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sail sh Championship Whale Harbor, Islamorada www.islamoradasail shtournament.com
Dec. 7-10, 2022 Stuart Light Tackle Sail sh Tournament Stuart • stuartsail shclub.com
Dec. 16-18, 2022 Islamorada Junior Sail sh Tournament Islamorada • shnbully@msn.com
Jan. 5-7, 2023 86th Annual Silver Sail sh Derby Sail sh Marina, Singer Island westpalmbeach shingclub.org
Jan. 6-7, 2023 Fish for Holly Sail sh Tournament Islamorada • shforholly.com
Jan. 11-15, 2023 Operation Sail sh
Leg One of the Quest for the Crest Sail sh Series Sail sh Resort & Marina, Palm Beach www.bluewatermovements.com
Jan. 17-21 Buccaneer Cup Sail sh Release Tournament
Buccaneer Marina Resort, Riviera Beach buccaneercup.com
Jan. 18, 2023 Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sail sh Tournament
2nd Event of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sail sh Championship Cheeca Lodge, Islamorada www.islamoradasail shtournament.com
Jan. 21-22, 2023
Islamorada Fishing Club Sail sh Tournament
3rd Event of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sail sh Championship Whale Harbor, Islamorada www.islamoradasail shtournament.com
February 22-26, 2023 Sail sh Challenge
Leg Two of the Quest for the Crest Sail sh Series
Three checkpoints: Miami, Pompano Beach, West Palm www.bluewatermovements.com
April 12-15, 2023 Final Sail
Leg Three of the Quest for the Crest Sail sh Series Miami Beach • www.bluewatermovements.com
Florida region you’re shing.
By Emily Rose Hanzlikduring the colder months, where they gather together. Due to them being more condensed during the colder months, it makes them easier to catch.
While smaller seatrout school up and are most e ectively caught with live bait, larger individuals are more solitary. Mature individuals and breeding females longer than 20 or even 25 inches might pair up with another large sh, but they are rarely found schooling.
As the colder months arrive in Florida, the spotted seatrout bite will begin to pick up. ese gorgeously speckled sh are a nearly year-round target for anglers in Florida, and their meat is so and aky with a mild avor.
Seatrout typically lurk in shallow murky waters of estuaries. Usually, these areas consist of seagrass and oyster beds that are hot spots for juvenile prey. While being able to hunt on smaller prey like shrimp, crabs, and bait sh, trout also are able to escape larger predators like sharks, big snook and jacks. Most trout move into deeper bay waters
Seatrout in Florida are having a hard time. eir numbers have dwindled on the east and west coasts because of red tides, the disappearance of sea grass and other factors. ey were once a great option for lling coolers for a sh fry, but limits have been tightened to protect overall populations as well as breeding-sized females. ere is a slot limit in Florida, which allows anglers to keep only sh measuring 15 to 19 inches. ere is an allowance for one sh longer than 19 inches per vessel, per day—or one sh longer than 19 inches per person, if shing from shore. e bag limit ranges from two per person to ve per person, depending on which
ere are many ways to catch trout. e most e ective way to catch numbers is to nd a school and sh live shrimp under a cork cork. Live bait such as pilchards, mojarras, pin sh and nger mullet used with a oat also work well. If you’re an arti cial-lure person, you can have a blast casting topwater plugs. Using this method allows you to cover a lot more area in search of larger sh.
If you’re targeting huge gator trout, use live baits in the 6- to 10-inch range. Gator trout have a ferocious appetite and would much rather grab one large meal than chase around a bunch of small ones. Silver mullet, as well as pin sh, snappers and grunts in that size range work best. You’ll want to target structure, as larger trout are ambush predators. Spoil islands, docks, oyster bars and rock jetties are prime places to nd a gator trout like the IGFA all-tackle world record, which weighed 17 pounds, 7 ounces and was caught out of Ft. Pierce, Fla.
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.
as “the world’s largest wahoo tournament,” the Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout Presented by Yellow n will run from February 4-March 26, 2023 and allows anglers to select three days to sh within this 50-day window.
It’s a very cool format, because all wahoo anglers know just how ckle the bite can be when it comes to timing the moon phases and weather systems. Captains are required to notify tournament o cials the night before they plan to sh, and the heaviest three- sh aggregate wins the tournament. Each boat will be allowed to weigh two wahoo per declared shing day. If more than three sh are weighed for a boat through the course of the tournament, the lower weights are dropped. All eligible sh must be weighed at Strike Zone Fishing in Jacksonville or Melbourne.
e rst-place prize is a 21’ Yellow n Bay Boat with a 200 HP Yamaha 4-stroke and an AmeraTrail Trailer, all valued at $95,000. Second place wins a Kubota RTV valued at $16,000. e tournament pays cash through 10th place.
Registration for the Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout is open now through Feb. 3. Early entry is $550 through Dec. 31. General entry is $600 through Jan. 26. Late entry is $750 until registration closes.
For more information, go to www.wahooshootout.com.
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Like fishing, hunting is for early risers — those who find contentment and peace in getting out into nature early. But that’s not all you’ll find in wild Florida. From the Panhandle to the Everglades, we have some of the most accessible and affordable public hunting lands in the country. Six million bountiful and beautiful acres are closer than you think. So if you’re already an early riser, rise to the exciting challenge of hunting today.
In the history of timepieces, few moments were more consequential than the advances of the 1920s. Currently, inflation is roaring, which we’ve decided to fight by turning our prices back to the 1920s.
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In September, I embarked on one of the craziest adventures I’ve ever experienced to sh for crazy exotic species on the Rio Guaviare deep in Columbia’s Mapiri Jungle.
Just getting there was an adventure. We spent two days ying from Miami to Bogata and then to San Jose, Colombia, which was a buzzing little town where we picked up last minute supplies, ate a breakfast of pirahana head soup and got wrist bands tied by an elderly women and her pet spider monkey, Kiki.
At the port, we loaded gear in a small shaded boat powered by a Yamaha 200 2-stroke, with a spare lower unit tied on top. I was accompanied by my cameraman Adrian, from Poland, good friends Jake, Derek, Karl, and our jungle guide Diego, from Chile.
We set out downstream and rode for hours, passing through two army checkpoints, before we reached our halfway point at 118 miles. We stopped for lunch and to refuel at an isolated jungle town only accessible by boat. As we creeped up muddy stone steps, we were shocked to see a small town with convenience stores, restaurants, a playground, a basketball court, and happy people everywhere. It was a cool window into a di erent reality.
A er playing soccer with the local kids and a delicious fried sh lunch, we headed farther downstream. When darkness arrived, the jungle came alive and our driver did not feel comfortable navigating the rapids at night. So we stopped and Diego traded goods with an indigenous man for permission to sleep at his house. Some opted to sleep in the boat. e mosquitoes, hornets and massive cockroaches made it tough to sleep. A er long hours, the sun nally rose, and we headed another 45 minutes downriver to base camp, where we discovered we were in for even more travel.
We packed lighter for three days of shing and camping at a sacred waterfall inhabited by one of the jungle tribes. It was another 2.5 hours downstream to a small creek that would lead us up to a second camp. We shed our way up the creek.
On my rst cast, a 15-pound sardinata exploded on my popper boatside. Imagine a huge pilchard but with sharp teeth and hyper-aggressive topwater strikes. Fully grown, Sardinata can weigh 25 pounds. is one threw the hooks, and shing only got crazier from there.
I was throwing a 9-inch Countdown Rapala in Firetiger at the tree line and retrieving it to the boat. Almost every cast we hooked massive payara. is sh is similar to a tarpon, with silver scales, acrobatic leaps and a bony mouth that made hook sets di cult. Payara have long fangs on their lower jaw capable of slicing thick-scaled sh and shing line with ease. ey are without a doubt the most challenging, unique and aggressive jungle predators I’ve ever targeted. I managed to catch quite a few on y and spin tackle.
Another unique species was a matrinxa, a silver-scaled delicacy. ey are omnivorous and sit below trees to eat dropping fruits and nuts. ey also hit lures with insane power. ese sh were extremely hard ghting and very tasty. ey have teeth like human molars for cracking hard nuts.
Red bellied pacu are another ferocious species we caught. ey have a similar ambush style and diet to the matrinxa. ey are equally aggressive and display gorgeous hues of purple and black
Iwith a blood orange/red underbelly. Black and red bellied pirahana were in no shortage, either. A er three days of shing by the waterfall, we headed back to base camp for new species.
Heavy rains raised water levels, which busted our hopes to catch big peacock bass. But it opened a new door: catching monster cat sh.
I caught several new species of large cat sh. One of the most unique was a ripsaw cat sh. ey have so lips and a long face, similar to carp. ey also have a sharp chainsaw blade for a lateral line, earning them the nickname “Caiman Killer.” I caught small tiger shovelnose cat sh, as well as red tail cat sh. Red tail cat sh are one of the strongest ghting cat sh I’ve ever encountered. It took three days of break-o s before I was able to muscle one up. It weighed 40 pounds.
Fishing the jungle is tough, and it is not for everyone. is trip scarred me with bug bites from head to toe, and I su ered many bee and hornet stings. It is not comfortable in any sense, but it is good for the mind. ere’s no cell phone reception; you are stripped of everything. e only thing that matters is the present moment. For me, it is the biggest adrenaline rush to travel into the unknown and learn about new shing and culture.
Check out Ryan Izquierdo’s YouTube Channel, “Ryan Iz Fishing” for a series called “Jungle Jeopardy.” E-mail him at Ryanizquierdoyt@ gmail.com with questions or to nd out how you can go on one of these trips.
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more to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula than world-famous salmon runs. e saltwater shing is also phenomenal, with species like halibut, salmon shark, ounder, yelloweye rock sh and ling cod being primary targets.
When you run out of Seward to Resurrection Bay, you might see some of the Deadliest Catch boats, and you might see multiple species of whale. We saw a lot of humpbacks this past summer. At more than 900 feet deep, with glaciers around the rim, the bay is awe-inspiring. ere are several good charter operations. Some make long runs for big halibut, while some o er shing that’s a little more local. Check with J Dock Fishing Co. in Seward for the latest shing information and charters. If you’re more of a DIY angler, Miller’s Landing in Seward o ers lodging and charters, and they also rent boats and shing equipment. If you want this option, book early. I have mine booked for next year, already.
Homer is the Halibut Capital of the World,
and it’s another great Kenai destination. We went with some friends and got on some good Halibut! I’m new to the electric reels we used. You had to time the hook-set just right. It took several bites to gure it out, but we caught sh once we got the hang of it. I pulled one a good way o the bottom before it decided it wasn’t coming in and broke a 150-pound-mono leader! We caught several good keepers and turned the smaller ones loose. ere are plenty of charters in Homer. North Country Charters is a great one that o ers halibut and salmon trips. ey will put you on some big halibut. My largest weighed 99 pounds, but North Country catches sh that are much larger.
If you want a long-run charter, check out Casino Charters. If you want to catch sh from the beach, check out Family Shore Fishing. ey set you up with a guide, shing rods and bait at Lands End, which juts out into the bay. Fishing low tide on the shelf, you can catch cod, ounder and halibut. We lled a cart with cod
and ounder in less than two hours shing from shore. en we went back another day without a guide and wore them out again!
Fishing in Alaska is just like anywhere else, once you learn what works, you can do it over and over. ere are lots of di erent kinds of shing there, but once you learn where and how to catch them, you can do it yourself.
On this past summer’s trip, as we were headed to the airport to go home, we drove along Cook Inlet and spotted a school of beluga whales swimming the shoreline. You never know what you’ll see in Alaska. Some things are just so amazing!
I’m currently pulling together next summer’s trip to Kenai, and I’m making a short guide of things traveling anglers might want to know. Feel free to shoot me an email with questions.
For more information, contact Gary Turner at gary@purgeright.com.
About 50 years ago, Ralph Vodicka lost one of his favorite rod and reel combos when his boat capsized in North Carolina’s unpredictable Oregon Inlet. Recently, Vodicka was reunited with his 9-foot rod equipped with a Fin-Nor 4 spinning reel, and it still works!
Here is a brief recount of the amazing story reported by Summer Stevens in e Coastland Times.
In fair weather in the early 1970s, Vodicka and three buddies attempted to return through Oregon Inlet a er shing o Hatteras National Seashore in a 17-foot 1966 Boston Whaler. e outgoing tide colliding with incoming rollers created rough conditions, even for a large trawler the anglers watched navigating the inlet. Vodicka was faced with a decision. ey could either wait for the tide change, which would force them to make their run in the dark. Or they could go for it.
“Waiting it out would put us in the middle of the night,” Vodicka remembered. “We decided that the best choice was to race on in while we could see. I told everyone, ‘Hold on, don’t move. We’ll ride on the back of one of the breaking waves. Even if it takes a little water, it’ll be ok.’”
In the middle of the inlet, as they were taking on water, a line caught in the prop and it stopped turning. e boat was at the mercy of the tide and waves, and an 8-foot breaker ipped it end over end. e story of the exciting rescue is reported in detail in e Coastland Times. It involves the captain of an old 25-foot boat and his grandson risking great peril to time the waves and rescue each of the anglers one at a time. Vodicka’s badly damaged Whaler was later recovered, and he lost a bunch of shing gear, including the rod and reel that began this story.
e details are lost to time, but apparently the Fin-Nor reel and the rod were hauled up in a commercial angler’s net. e unique set-up ended up doing decades of duty as a showpiece on the wall in Dennis Dudley’s Elizabeth City, North Carolina home.
Vodicka,” and Dudley tried to locate the Fin-Nor’s owner when he received the rod in the mid-1970s. Dudley’s phone book searches came up empty, and the search was forgotten… until recently.
Dudley, 78, remembered the mystery of the reel’s owner while going through his possessions. A quick Google search turned up Vodicka, who is 89 and living in Raleigh, N.C. e men met to eat lunch, and Vodicka was reunited with the beautiful rod and reel he lost half a century ago.
Amazingly, the antique Fin-Nor is already back in action. Instead of hanging it on the wall, Vodicka had it serviced and used it on the Neuse River over Labor Day weekend.
e reel was equipped with a custom plate engraved with “Ralph E.
“It worked. It worked ne,” he said. “It’s amazing that a er 50 years you get your favorite rod and reel back.”
To read the whole story, go to www.thecoastlandtimes.com.
Everyone hates a cheater, which is why it’s no surprise that tempers ared when two cheaters were caught red-handed at a Lake Erie Walleye Tour (LEWT) event on Oct. 1. e event was the tour championship for the series, and the Team of the Year would also be crowned a er weigh-ins. Team Crankin’ Hogs brought to the scales a ve- sh limit that weighed more than 33-pounds. It It would have secured Jake Runyan and Chase Cominsky well over $20,000 for the championship win and for Team of the Year honors. ey overplayed their dirty hand.
Tournament Director Jason Fischer suspected something was amiss when the sh hit the scales. Fischer later told CNN that the sh looked like they should have weighed 4 pounds each, but the total weight indicated they were much heavier. He handled the sh and felt something hard inside one of them.
In a now-viral YouTube Video, Fischer guts the sh as the cheaters stand by silently. “We have weights in the sh!” Fischer announced, and that’s when the shouting started as other anglers hurled obscenities at Runyan and Cominsky.
All-told, there were 8 pounds worth of lead weights, llets from other walleye and a pair of pliers inside Team Crankin’ Hogs’ sh. ey were immediately disquali ed and banned from the tournament series. Both men were later indicted by an Ohio grand jury on charges of cheating and attempted grand the .
It will be interesting to see if the team’s other tournament wins are called into question. ey have won numerous events over the last couple of years, including the 2021 LEWT Championship.
For more information, go to lakeeriewalleyetrail.com.
You raise the flags of the fish just caught to show you weren’t skunked.
Once onshore you can take it a step further showing your fellow anglers your catch of the day wearing “slippahs” from Scott Hawaii.
Berkeley County is a wonderland for outdoor enthusiasts, sports bu s, adventure seekers, and water lovers. From exemplary fishing for striped bass, or a trophy largemouth bass, to our hiking trails and water activities, along with scenic outdoors where you can catch a glimpse of white tail deer and gators, Berkeley County has activities to fit all visitors and families.
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