Coastal Angler Magazine | May 2023 | Tampa Bay Edition

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RED SPRING USHERS IN

pring is one of my favorite seasons for shing. Fish are warming up and feeding aggressively, especially red sh. Red sh eagerly consume an array of baits this time of year, but there is one arti cial that sets itself apart from the others. Have you guessed it?

If you said, “gold spoon,” you were correct. When you look at the spoon it seems unimpressive, to be honest. However, that is the beauty of it all; we, as anglers, overcomplicate shing. Sometimes all you need is an awkward piece of gold metal to shake the skunk.

WHAT

It combines pro le, color and vibration, which play on the three signi cant senses most game sh use when feeding. e shape might resemble a crab, a small sh or a wounded shrimp, and the unique wobble lets sh know it’s an easy target. Gold spoons are great for beginners and avid anglers alike, they can be rigged weedless, and they are easy to cast. One of my go-to spoons for red sh is the FishLab Bio-Spoon.

RIGGING A SPOON

Rigging is simple; attach a 20- to 30-pound uorocarbon or mono lament leader directly to the spoon. I attach a snap swivel directly to the spoon to prevent line twists. A 1/4-ounce spoon is usually an excellent choice, especially when the bait is smaller. Remember to match the hatch in

terms of size. Pair the spoon with a 7 or 7 1/2-foot medium fast spinning rod and 15-pound braid. My preferred setup is the Okuma ITX 4000 paired with an Okuma SRT spinning rod.

Spoons can produce sh in various conditions, but there are situations when it shines. Along weed lines, mangroves or similar structures should be your rst targets, as this is where red sh congregate. Remember, reds travel in groups, so work an area thoroughly for consistent action. Repeated casts to the exact location or the same retrieval path will o en produce multiple sh.

Gold spoons are best suited for stained or dark water. In cleaner water, the same techniques can be used with a silver spoon. e shape of the spoon and hook guard combine to allow the lure to bounce o obstructions like weeds, mangroves, oyster beds or rocks where other lures might be lost.

Erratic action is the key to the spoon’s success. Many anglers cast and pause, allowing the spoon to utter. If you do not get a hit right o the bat, you have two options for the retrieve. A steady retrieve, varying speed based on conditions, will o en draw sh out and even right to the boat. Others prefer to add a twitch to their retrieve, feeling it increases the motion. Try each or mix it up based on what the sh respond to. Be bold, and try new techniques. Be sure to pick up a Salty Scales Performance shing shirt, stay protected, and remain comfortable on the water.

Capt. Joshua Taylor is a Tampa guide and founder of Salty Scales Performance Fishing Gear. Check them out at www.saltyscales.com.

MAKES THE GOLD SPOON UNIQUE?

HOW TO FISH A SPOON

By Capt. Joshua Taylor

FINALLY, BACK TO GROUPER FISHING

There was a time in my life that we took certain things for granted. For example, No limits and/or seasons on speckled trout, drum, ounder and especially GROUPER! I never thought I would say the two words “grouper” and “season” in the same sentence. Never mind, I’m just venting because I prefer bottom shing and light lining above all other styles of o shore shing.

I went through this last year about this time, but I’ll do it again for those folks who might have missed it. is is the way I start every location we anchor on, or post up with the Rhodan.

NOTE: We take two boxes of quid on every trip, and we typically have live pin sh from the marina also.

I typically have three or four folks with me every trip. We start by ring down whole squid on the jig. Meanwhile, I’m on the sabiki jigging up whatever is on the bottom below us. I don’t care what is coming up on the whole squid, as this is not the main focus. e real objective is to set a nice ‘chum slick” on the bottom to attract the sh you’re really shing for. A er 4 or 5 rounds of the whole frozen squid, we will re down live pin sh or whatever I’ve jigged up on the sabiki. e other advantage of shing a live pin sh, grass grunt, sailors’ choice or whatever you can jig up, is it eliminates the trash bites. In addition to eliminating the trash bites from small snapper, seabass and other “undesirables,” it’s like physcological warfare, as the gags, scamps and reds cannot digest all that is going on here. To them it appears like the pin sh, grass grunts etc, think the live baits were running around picking up squid pieces, and the squid or crab jigs have caught them and the live bait is struggling to get away. BAM!!! e bite happens. is, my friends, is the di erence between “bottom shing” and GROUPER shing.

Another bait that’s a dead ringer for a grouper bite is a butter ied

bait. e butter ied bait on the bottom basically does the same thing as the squid. e small snapper and other smaller sh will hammer the lets until the grouper have had enough of it. You will feel the small sh biting it constantly, but then all of a sudden the small “pecking” bites will stop. Get ready, and don’t move it… the grouper has moved in and everyone else has to leave, because it’s time for the real bite!

Enough about the bottom. I will occasionally troll for a LITTLE WHILE, but this would be to accomplish two things at once. Catch a sh or two, but also to locate the best part of any given ledge with lots of bait and sh on the bottom. As soon as we locate the bait, reel in the troll baits and get to work! Everything you catch trolling, you can catch on the light line while you’re grouper shing. Tuna, dolphin and wahoo are idiots for a big fat (live) greenie, sardine, cigar minnow or goggle eye out back behind the boat in the current.

All the best shing,

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It was a perfect late autumn day in the northern Rockies. Not a cloud in the sky, and just enough cool in the air to stir up nostalgic memories of my trip into the backwoods. is year, though, was di erent. I was going it solo. My two buddies, pleading work responsibilities, backed out at the last minute. So, armed with my trusty knife, I set out for adventure.

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By TAM Sta

Where Southern Stripers run

WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run

species that crosses their path.

It is a good time to be a river angler. Here are three excellent destinations for river-run striped bass in the South.

• Saluda River: Columbia, South Carolina

In spring and summer, scads of striped bass make the 60-mile run up the Congaree River from the Santee-Cooper Lakes southeast of Columbia, S.C. By late summer, most of those sh pile into the Saluda River, which is a short, 10-mile-long tributary that’s fed with cold water from the dam at Lake Murray. August is the heart of the Saluda season, when 100- sh days of 2- to 5-pound stripers are possible. Fish heavier than 20 pounds are a possibility, but this shery sees a lot of pressure and the water is normally very clear. e big ones spook easily and become nicky late in the season.

• Etowah River: Cartersville, Georgia

On Georgia’s Etowah River, the sh are spread out over about 50 miles of river, so covering water is the name of the game. Anglers should expect to do a lot of casting to each shoal and piece of wood cover where stripers might lie in ambush.

Starting in April, they run some 75 miles upriver from Alabama’s Lake Weiss to a lowhead dam downstream of Georgia’s Lake Allatoona. e sh are constantly on the move and the idea is to intercept them. Anglers might hook up with sh from 4 pounds on up to 20 pounds and larger.

• Hiwassee River: Reliance, Tennessee

e Hiwassee is more of a quality than quantity shery. Anglers are called on to sh hard for just a few bites, but those bites come from sh that o en weigh 20, 30, even 40 pounds or more.

In the South, the striped bass runs of spring and summer bring some of the most exciting shing of the year for those who prefer to sh rivers. Landlocked striped bass are as large and powerful as any sh in freshwater, and for most of the year they are only available to big-lake anglers who troll or downline live baits.

at all changes in spring. e rst groups of striper migrate into the rivers on spawning runs. In many locations, this spring run is followed by a larger summertime push, when pods of striped bass move up into cooler, more oxygenated waters. Sometimes they pile up below dams, and sometimes they patrol surprisingly skinny waters in wolf packs, gobbling up any prey

Most years, the wide, shoal-broken river around Reliance loads up with striped bass from July into September. ese are big-river sh that run some 50-miles upstream from the Tennessee River at Lake Chickamauga. ey revel in cold, oxygenated water that ows down the mountains from Apalachia Lake on the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

ey hold in the same holes and shoals every year to feed heavily on skipjack herring, gizzard shad and the stocked trout Tennessee puts in the river for anglers.

For more information, go to coastalanglermagazine.com.

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By Emily Rose Hanzlik

SPRING MEANS IT’S TIME FOR TUNA

With spring settled in, the seas are becoming more shable, and more options are available. When I was little, this is the time of year when we would start catching little tunnies o the pier. At the time they were my favorite, but now that I’m older and know a few friends with boats, spring has come to mean tuna, black n tuna in particular. We catch other species of tuna, but black ns are the most abundant here o Florida.

Black n tuna are smaller than other tuna species like yellow n or blue n. Black ns we catch usually weigh between 10 and 30 pounds, and they rarely reach 30 pounds. Yellow n tuna have bright yellow on their lateral line, while black ns have a bronze, almost black line. Also, a black n’s nlets are more of a dark bronze color with white tips compared to yellow n, which have yellow nlets. Another tell is their second dorsal n, which is not elongated like other species of tunas.

Black n tuna and every other tuna use ram ventilation, meaning they must be constantly moving. During this movement, water is forced through the mouth and over the gills to supply oxygen to the blood. ey are constantly moving and highly migratory.

Black n tuna range all over the western Atlantic Ocean, from Massachusetts to Brazil. Within these areas, tuna stay more o shore in depths of 70 feet or deeper. ey prefer water temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees. is results in the tuna arriving in Florida in late spring and staying into fall, when water temperatures are optimal for them.

Black ns spawn throughout the summer. ey broadcast spawn in current, and their fry will live within oating debris elds until they get large enough to survive in the open.

To catch black n tuna, many captains will dri sh over 170 to 270 feet of water. A current that dri s the boat at about 2 knots is about as fast as you want to go, and a sea anchor can be useful in slowing the dri . Live baits such as sardines, thread n herring and others work well on the dri . Deploy some freelines as well as some weighted rigs to take baits down and cover the water column.

Jigging a spoon around reefs and rock piles is another fun and e ective way to catch black ns. Tuna will readily take a 4- or 5-inch spoon weighing 2 or 3 ounces.

Black n tuna are good to eat, and you’re allowed two per person or 10 per vessel. e IGFA all-tackle record for black n tuna is 49.06 pounds, caught out o Marathon, Fla. in 2006.

Emily Rose Hanzlik holds 62 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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Orange Lake Produces Giants

It’s been a slow year for truly giant largemouth bass in Florida. e FWC’s TrophyCatch program, which recognizes and promotes catch and release of big bass, has only registered two 13-plus-pounders this TrophyCatch season. Both sh were caught southeast of Gainesville, at Orange Lake.

Largemouths must weigh more than 13 pounds to

reach TrophyCatch Hall of Fame status. TrophyCatch season 11 began back on Oct. 1, 2022, and the veri ed Hall of Fame bass wasn’t caught until Feb. 3. at monster sh, caught at Orange Lake by Michael Matthews, weighed 13-pounds, 8-ounces. It is the largest sh entered into the program so far for the season, which ends on Sept. 30, 2023.

Apparently, Orange Lake bass were fat and full of eggs in February. e second Hall of Fame bass of the season was caught on Feb. 25 by Anthony Holland during a Big Bend Bass Club tournament at Orange Lake. You can bet Holland got a check a er bringing his giant 13-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scales.

Both Hall of Fame sh were released back into Orange Lake, and both of their weights will count for Orange Lake in the ongoing Battle of the Lakes between Orange Lake and Headwaters/Fellsmere. At the end of season 11, whichever shery has the most registered weight will win, and all the anglers who submitted sh for the winning lake will be entered into a prize drawing.

TrophyCatch also awards many other prizes to participants, including a fully rigged bass boat that will be awarded by drawing at the end of the season.

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Anthony Holland caught a 13.3-pound bass during an Orange Lake tournament on Feb. 25.

The largest bass of the TrophyCatch season was caught at Orange Lake on Feb. 3 by Michael Matthews.

Here One Day, Gone the Next TARPON

By Nick Carter

Just a er daybreak, we bobbed in an anchored ski looking out over a wide, shallow bay. Capt. Scott Burgess sat on the poling platform smoking a cigar and drinking co ee. Jesse Trevathan stood on the casting deck. He wasn’t casting. With line stripped out into the decal-littered stripping bucket in front of him, he held his y—a locally tied (FC)2 Renegade—in his le hand and his rod in his right. He just watched. We all watched, eyes focused on a large patch of sand o the bow that stood out from the grassy bottom around it.

We were looking for tarpon cruising the shallows on their annual westward migration along the Gulf Coast. In this sweet spot on Florida’s Forgotten Coast, they show up in May and are gone by August. e action peaks in June and July, and their massive silver bodies would show clearly in contrast to the sandy bottom.

“ ey follow paths, the same paths, year a er year,” said Burgess. “It’s based on the topography of the bottom as they move in with the tide.”

He had positioned the boat with the bow facing a ridge that rose from 7 feet up to 3 feet deep. When tarpon move in, the tops of such ridges are too shallow for them to cross. e big sh are channeled into the shallows in search of pogies, crabs and other delicacies.

With the trap set, there was nothing to do but wait and talk. Trevathan said tarpon spawn on the new and full moons of summer. For days they evacuate the ats and head o shore.

“I’ve been out here right before the full moon, and I literally saw hundreds of tarpon. ey were doing nothing but chasing tail. ey were

daisy chaining all over the place,” Trevathan said. “I went back on the moon, and they were gone.”

e daisy chaining Trevathan mentioned, in which sh group up and swim in circles nose to tail, is thought by some to be pre-spawn behavior, a sort of courtship dance. But no spawning takes place during these events. For the most part, scientists don’t really know why tarpon do what they do.

Trevathan and Burgess both have their theories about the movements of these giants. What they know for sure is tarpon show up each summer on the ats and in the passes. Clean water is needed to see them. Seeing them is necessary to present the y. e cast must lead them, but not too much, and the retrieve must intercept the sh at the right angle to incite a strike.

If the sh eats, it takes a hard strip set to drive the hook into a tarpon’s bony mouth. How hard? “As hard as you can,” said Burgess. Even if all goes according to plan, Burgess admitted there’s a less than 50 percent chance of steering a large tarpon boat-side. e power and aerial display of a hooked tarpon are legendary. Sadly, we did not witness it that day.

As the tide turned, the murky water became more dingy. Late in the morning, the call was made to move in search of red sh.

A week later, Burgess sent a text message with an attached photo. It showed a big tarpon, which he estimated to be 135 to 140 pounds, tailthrashing the water just o the tip of his 12-weight rod, which was broken in half.

“40 min ght with a broken rod… she pulled me 2 miles from my anchor.” e text read.

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BY: CAPT. WOODY GORE

MAY FORECAST

The fishing will keep getting better and better as the winds lighten up, so expect good things this month.

Snook are everywhere and, if the last two months are any indication, they should continue to bite. Tidal grass flats, passes or cuts from upper Tampa Bay all the way to Sarasota are productive.

Live baiters, remember to use caution when chumming with greenbacks--too much and they’ll get full. Free lined greenbacks always seem to do the trick along with dead bait on the bottom. Artificial lures are always fun and productive as well.

The spotted sea trout bite should continue improving, especially as bait moves onto the flats. Look for lush broken bottom grass flats with plenty of sandy potholes. These potholes should produce some good size fish. We’ve also been finding some really nice trout in deeper rocky bottoms. Small popping corks or free-lined live shrimp or greenbacks seem to be the bait of choice.

Redfish should start settling in for the Summer. Check your favorite oyster bars, cuts and broken bottom grass flats on the last of an outgoing tide and the first of an incoming. Don’t forget those large schools of mullet, as redfish feed in mullet schools. Greenbacks and silver dollar size pinfish work well as does cut bait on the bottom. Of course, don’t forget artificial lures.

One of my favorite lures are soft plastic jerk baits around the mangroves and mullet schools.

Cobia should start cruising the sandy flats and markers looking for easy meals--they will eat just about anything tossed their way. I see them a lot of times when I have a chum bag out and am mackerel fishing, so be ready with a heavier rod rigged.

Threadfin herring throughout Tampa Bay means Spanish mackerel should be in full swing this month. Good catches are already being reported with some fish in the four-to-six-pound class. Chum the macks with some live threadfins or greenbacks and use free-line baits with at least 50# leader and a long shank silver 2/0 hook.

BY: CAPT. ANTHONY CORCELLA

Mackerel season is here--time to fire up the smoker! The best time to slam these guys is May through September. I have a few tricks and tips for you guys to get your Mack on.

I like to stay around the grass flats and get the water chummed up with small cut baits such as threadfin herring and ladyfish. Also, if you want to throw a chum block out, this will bring in the macks and other fish as well such as sharks, cobia and trout.

In regards to tackle, I prefer to go light. I like using the Penn 3500ssv with 15-pound Spiderwire blue camo braid on a 7-foot Star Rod Stellar Lite medium action rod. For the leader, I’m a big fan of 25-pound Mamoi diamond fluorocarbon. Steel leader works well and will prevent break offs, but you will find out that you will get better results with the fluorocarbon.

To actually target these fish, I like to free line a small piece of cut bait, but I will also use corks with a 2-foot leader. As for hooks, I feel that Owner is the way to go. The size and style I like to go with is 3/0 or 4/0 all-purpose bait hook--the longer the shaft the better (to prevent cutoffs).

For those of you who like using lures, Sea Striker’s Gotcha plugs produce the best. Use the same leader with a loop knot to give it a better swimming action.

This is also the time of year for cobia, so there’s a chance you could snag one if you throw a pinfish under a cork out the back of the boat. Put these tips to use and you’ll set yourself up for some great springtime fishing!

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YELLOW RAT SNAKE SPECIES SPOTLIGHT:

By: Wes Tallyn

ike so many other snakes in Florida, the Yellow Rat Snake is often misunderstood. These gentle, non-venomous creatures are often times killed by property owners out of fear alone. These snakes can easily be identified by their yellow or beige coloration and brownish horizontal stripes.   Yellow Rat Snakes quietly slither through trees and brush with great ease looking for prey. Rat snakes feed on a wide variety of small mammals, insects, birds, eggs and other reptiles. They are a very beneficial snake for your yard, controlling rat populations and reducing insects that will enter your home. Yellow Rat Snakes can grow to around six feet in length but they blend into their environment perfectly and are usually overlooked by people passing by. Parks and other wooded areas are great places to find these snakes. They will be found overhead in over hanging trees, seen investigating tree holes created by woodpeckers or, at times, crossing a trail. Now, see if you can spot one of these friendly, stealthy creatures today!

Wes has a focus on conservation and education in the community and is the owner of Snook Jam Outdoors. You can find him on Instagram @ snookjam or call 727-410-5853.

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L— Captain Wes Tallyn was raised in Florida and is a fisherman, birder, avid outdoorsman, photographer, and environmental scientist.

BY: CAPT. SERGIO ATANES

Cobia - Queen of Tampa Bay Flats

Cobia (Rachycentron Canadum)--also known as ling, crab eaters or lemonfish--is a familiar sight in Tampa Bay all summer into late or mid-October, based on water temperature. In Tampa Bay, they range in size from 30 inches on the flats to 48 inches around the flats, structure and wrecks. Cobia must be at least 36 inches long from the fork of the tail to be legal. Daily bag limit is one per person per day or two per vessel, whichever is less.

Their weight ranges from 10 to 50 pounds in the Gulf and 10 to 25 pounds in Tampa Bay.

BAITS:

Greenback sardines, threadfin sardines, blue crabs, grunts and pinfish are the baits of choice. I find them in an area of grass flats close to a channel or drop off. I prefer the water depth around 2 to 4 feet. I start by chumming for the bait with a mixture of tropical fish food, anise oil and some salt water mixed to a cream of wheat texture. The secret to chumming is not to feed the bait, but to attract them to the boat. I prefer to use a Humpback Flats net. A 1-pound per foot net makes life a lot easier when you have those days when it takes 20 or 30 throws to get enough bait for a day’s fishing. I start the season

Continued on page 8

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Photo

with a 10-foot 1/4-inch mesh bait net and, when the bait gets bigger or I’m throwing under a bridge or range marker, I switch to a 3/8-inch mesh net. It sinks quicker and increases your chance of catching more of the bigger baits.

KEEPING THE BAIT ALIVE:

A live well is a must to have on any boat. If you don’t have one, portable units can be purchased at most retail tackle outlet stores. A good live well needs to be at least 26 gallons or larger with a 700 gallon an hour pump--the larger the better. Most boats come equipped with a live well system from the factory, or are ready to be plumbed for one. Unless you are a handy man type, I suggest you find a local shop to install it. Most applications require making a hole through your hull to install a pickup tube--not something I am inclined to do myself.

COBIA ON THE FLATS:

Ok, now we caught our baits, but what are we to do next? That’s simple. Start cutting some bait (greenback sardine) in half and make a large pile on the cutting board. Toss the pieces in the water around the boat. Remember, you are anchored in 3 to 4 feet of water. Now, just wait for rays to start showing up. Southern rays or brown rays are attracted to you chumming and with them come the cobia. Remember, cobia like structure and are lazy feeders. But, as the rays move in on the scent of the chum, with them come the cobia. Rays stir the bottom up with their wings to feed and this brings up all the small shrimp and crabs and pieces of chum to the surface of the flats.

The cobia will be just under the rays or next to them picking the pieces of bait the rays leave behind. Toss a live pinfish, greenback, shrimp or crab at them and hold on. A word of caution. Leave the bail open on the reel until the cobia get at least 20 feet from the boat before you set the hook, or they will head for the nearest structure which is your boat. I have several broken rods at home to remind me of this costly mistake.

BOUY TENDING:

The first thing that comes to mind when someone says cobia fishing in Tampa Bay is buoy tending. This is the ritual of running from one buoy (channel markers and range markers) to another looking for cobia hanging around them during the slack tide periods. Cobia is a structure-oriented fish that like wrecks, buoys and anything that creates a shadow line. Buoy tending is a method that works, but is expensive on the pocketbook when gas prices are high. The term “early bird gets the worm” applies in this case. The first anglers to the buoys have the best shot at catching the cobia.

To catch them, approach up current from the marker with a live bait ready to go. When the cobia is sighted, toss the bait up current allowing the bait to drift toward the fish rather than throwing the bait on top and spooking the cobia. I use a large float such as a 4-Horsemen with 3-feet of 50-pound test fluorocarbon leader and a 3/0 circle hook. Cobia can be picky eaters and, in some cases, refuse your offer. Don’t waste time, run to the next buoy or range marker and start all over again.

TACKLE:

On the flats, I prefer a medium action spinning outfit with 20-pound test braided line, 40- pound fluorocarbon leader and a 3/0 circle hook.

Around buoys, a heavier outfit is needed. I use a large spinning outfit with 40-pound test braided line and 50-pound test fluorocarbon leader--again with a 3/0 or 4/0 circle hook.

— Capt. Sergio Atanes is host of Florida West Coast Fishing Report on Facebook and YouTube every Monday night 7-8 p.m. live. He is also host to Aventuras De Pesca USA on national TV and Radio Show. reelfishing.com

RIVERS TO BAY REPORT

BY: CAPT. JOHN RIVERS

Good things come to those who wait; well, the waiting’s over, because May is here and the Summer fishing season begins. First up, the snook bite will be off the chain on the flats, in the deep water passes and on the beaches.

Next up, love is in the air, or more accurately, love bugs! Before you groan remember; it’s a good thing, because when the love bugs show up, the tarpon show up. May is when the tarpon show usually happens and, once it gets going, it lasts until August. They will be all along the beaches of Anna Maria Island, the Skyway Bridge and in Tampa Bay just to name a few areas. Live thread fin is usually the bait of choice. Or, if you’re chunking cut thread fin, they’ll show up behind your boat if you’re fishing the bridge.

If you’re more comfortable doing some light tackle fishing, then I recommend targeting the Spanish mackerel, as they’ll be all over the beaches and in Tampa Bay. I use long shank hooks with a short wire leader or, mono 40-pound leader with a small pilchard hooked through the nose.

Also, plenty of King mackerel will be here. Usually, from a 1/4 mile off the beach to 25 plus miles out. I like to use a flat lined cigar minnow, but you can use any bait you like and they will more than likely smash it. My rig is usually a Gamakatsu #1 or #2 live bait light wire hook, with a #4 treble hook on the side.

Last, but certainly not least, let’s head into the back country for redfish. They will be where the schools of mullet are, and cut thread fin or cut or live pin fish are my two baits of choice when fishing for these bronze bruisers. If I’m using live bait for reds, I’ll be using a cork to keep it out of the grass. May is a great time for fishing because, even though the weather is a bit warmer, the winds have laid down and every day is just about picture perfect. So, after you read this, grab your rod and reel, load the boat or kayak or hit the bridges and go fishing. Or, if you like, give me a ring and we’ll spend a great day on the water.

Tight lines.

Feel the Power

ocated 10 miles off the coast of Clearwater, FL, a dream of Dr. Haywood Mathews rests in 40 feet of water--the Circle of Heroes--the first of its kind and the nation’s only underwater dive memorial honoring our veterans. There you’ll find 13 statues that have all been carefully placed in a circle, facing a pentagon-shaped memorial in the center. The first 12 figures depict our service men and women in different poses from engagements of the past. The concept for the second phase of the Circle is to give a more personalized touch to the site and began early last year with the 13th statue, United States Coast Guard seaman apprentice William Flores. Flores was given the Coast Guard Medal; the highest non-combat award one can receive and he can be seen wearing it proudly. The idea for the next 11 statues will be the same, honoring brave soldiers like the first hard hat Navy diver, the Tuskegee Airmen and Special Forces to name a few.

Receiving the approval and funding for this project took years of planning and lobbying by Dr. Mathews and his constituents. The statues were finally placed in July of 2019 and the ribbon cutting took place shortly after in August of that same year. It was obvious from the very beginning that all the hard work was well worth it. The Circle of Heroes has become a dive destination attracting veterans and divers from across the nation.

The site is intended to be a therapeutic escape for our veterans, as well as, an

BY: CAPT. T J SHEA

Laddition to the artificial reef program Dr. Mathews started in the 1970’s. The Circle, located at Veteran’s Reef, is marked with mooring buoys at the surface and at the bottom. Guide lines attached to the bases of each statue serve to make navigation to and around the site straightforward. You’ll find a bronze plaque at each base describing the statue along with the names of the donors that helped to make this dream a reality.

What began as pristine concrete with amazing detail has now become covered with numerous soft and hard corals, sponges and loads of various marine life. Macro photographers come from all over to shoot amazing photography with the tiny creatures that call these statues home. It has been rewarding to watch this site take shape over the last four years and see day by day how life builds in our oceans.

We make regular visits to the Circle of Heroes and you’ll certainly find us there on Memorial Day to pay our respects to those that allow us the freedom to do what we love. Come join us and check this one-of-a-kind dive site off your list.

— Capt. TJ Shea. Owner/Operator 2 Shea Fishing and Diving Charters. TJ has been exploring above and below the Gulf of Mexico since he was 8 years old. Contact us at 813-385-2169 and at info@fishanddivetampa.com

TOGETHER WE CAN

MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Byrne Ocean Conservation & Water Warrior Alliance

By: Tanya Michelle

They work at removing marine debris, hosting an annual St. Pete Ocean Sweep trash collection tournament with over 10k in prizes, which is the fundraiser for Camp Coral. Camp Coral is a two-week overnight PADI open water SCUBA camp that assists Coral Restoration Foundation with the Coral Restoration Project in the Florida Keys.

The Water Warrior Alliance empowers our community to advocate for the local environment to ensure a healthy way of life for future generations.

Meet Jenna Byrne, President and a founder of Byrne Ocean Conservation. Jenna earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability Management from St. Petersburg College and founded Byrne Ocean Conservation in Saint Petersburg at the age of 28. Then she formed the Water Warrior’s Alliance, a local, grassroots, donor and volunteer-fueled non-profit.

Jenna formed the Water Warrior Alliance to encourage the community to join forces in the fight against pollution. She unites like-minded groups, businesses, and organi-

zations for the ultimate goal of fighting plastic pollution. Through her plastic-free pledge, many area businesses have swapped price and convenience for a more conscientious and conservation-minded approach and have moved away from single-use plastic.

Her impact is multi-faceted. She installs and manages the cleaning of several Watergoats and marine debris barriers in critical waterways that storm drains drain into, stopping the debris before it enters the Tampa Bay watershed. She plans to install an additional six Watergoats in 2023. Second, her organization rallies the community to clean beaches through annual turtle nesting beach clean-up events. Third, she assists local municipalities in converting public lighting to amber lighting to protect sea turtles. Consequently, several thousand pounds of plastics and debris have been repurposed or disposed of responsibly.

...monthly Dive for Debris events, where she enlists the SCUBA and boating community to collect debris from reefs and the ocean floor...

Her impact extends below the ocean’s surface, as well. She organizes and hosts monthly Dive for Debris events, where she enlists the SCUBA and boating community to collect debris from reefs and the ocean floor, as well as, from mangroves and other coastal vegetation.

She is currently venturing into working with research organizations to plant sea grass to provide a food source for struggling manatees and to increase her work on coral reef restoration. She uses her dive community contacts to achieve the goals of both projects. Similar to a fishing tournament, Jenna designed trash collection tournaments where you can win prizes for collecting trash. They are fundraisers for Camp Coral SCUBA Camp scholarships and are now hosted statewide. Her last objective involves an annual camp for teens that exposes them to becoming environmental stewards and the potential opportunity for careers in marine conservation. At the end of Camp Coral, all camp attendees leave with their SCUBA certification and vast knowledge of Florida’s ecosystem. Through educating youths and the community on marine conservation

and plastic pollution, organizing beach and SCUBA marine debris clean-ups, or providing resources to improve the environment through planting seagrass and coral restoration, Jenna Byrne has had an enormous impact on the Tampa Bay Watershed. Jenna spends excessive time organizing clean-up events or physically maintaining trash barrier devices. She is constantly networking with the city, county and state politicians to encourage them to introduce policy changes to protect the Tampa Bay watershed from debris and pollution.

Her influence touches the very young, as well. She travels to area schools to teach art using repurposed marine debris. During her art classes, she uses the opportunity to instill stewardship and conservation ideas in her pupils.

She is also heavily involved in renovating and reviving the St. Petersburg Science Center. The Water Warrior Alliance is slated to have a STEM-based space in the center. She intends to use the area to inspire further and train tomorrow’s leaders in the marine science and conservation field. When Jenna Byrne is not motivating her two girls to become contributing members of society, she tirelessly works to return Tampa Bay to a healthy, thriving watershed.

Poor water quality stalls economic progress, hinders human potential and reduces food production. Impacting more than 600 marine species, 8-million metric tons of plastic are dumped into the oceans each year. Pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the biggest environmental issues of our time.

Their mission is to improve aquatic wildlife sustainability, while reducing eco-toxicity, rebuilding the benthic layer through ongoing research, and active community conservation and awareness programs. Byrne Ocean Conservation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all gifts made to this cause may be tax deductible to the extent of the law.

Check out their website & social accts. Together we can make a difference. https://www.waterwarrioralliance.org/

— Tanya Michelle: Mother, professional tournament angler, ICAST 2021 champion, journalist, videographer, digital creator, influencer and mentor.

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CAPTAIN’S MEETING

MAY 18TH, 2023 @ 7PM @

2ND ANNUAL FREE KIDS FISHING CLINIC

PRESENTED

MAYOR JANE CASTOR

Capt. Sergio Atanes

Capt. George Hastick

Capt. Michael Dawson

Capt. John Garcia

Capt. Mike Morse

Capt. Andrew Echenigue

Capt. Larry Fritch

Capt. John Rivers

Capt. Mark Gore

Capt. Brian Goldman

Capt. Phil Pegley

Donald Waiberman

Let’s grow with Florida together.

Confessions of a Fishaholic, by Thatch Maguire, is a hilarious and irreverent look at one man’s quest to catch fish in spite of life’s annoying interferences. You’ll travel with this awkward adventurer as he risks home and health to pursue his passion for fishing...regardless of the consequences. Anglers of all expertise levels will immediately identify with why his addiction is incurable. This book defines the blurred line between passion and obsession.

REDFISH ON DRUGS

Last year, results of a threeyear study indicated a shocking presence of drugs found in bone sh of the Florida Keys. It comes as little surprise that Florida International University (FIU) and Bone sh & Tarpon Trust (BTT) have recently completed a year-long study that also discovered pharmaceutical contaminants in the blood and other tissues of red sh in Florida waters.

“ e results underscore the urgent need to modernize Florida’s wastewater treatment systems,” said BTT President and CEO Jim McDu e. “Humanbased contaminants like these pose a signi cant threat to Florida’s recreational shery, which has an annual economic impact of $13.9 billion and directly supports more than 120,000 jobs.”

Scientists and volunteer guides and anglers sampled red sh in nine of Florida’s most important estuaries: Pensacola, Apalachicola, Cedar Key, Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Florida Bay, Northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL), St. Augustine and Jacksonville.

Similar to results of the previous bone sh study, pharmaceuticals were found in all of the estuaries sampled, with an average number of 2.1 drugs per sh and a maximum of ve. Only seven out of the 113 sampled sh had zero drugs in their system. On average, 25.7 percent of the sh exceeded a level of pharmaceuticals considered safe, which equates to one-third of the therapeutic levels in humans.

“ ese studies of bone sh and red sh are the rst to document the concerning presence of pharmaceuticals in species that are important to Florida’s recreational sheries,” said Dr. Jennifer Rehage, FIU professor and the study’s lead researcher. “Given the impacts of many of these pharmaceuticals on other sh species and the types of pharmaceuticals found, we are concerned about the role pharmaceuticals play in the health of our sheries. We will continue this work to get more answers to these concerning questions.”

Cardiovascular medications, opioid pain relievers and psychoactive medications were most commonly detected. e antiarrhythmic medication ecainide and the opioid pain reliever tramadol were detected in over 50 percent of the red sh. e antipsychotic medication upentixol was detected above safe levels in one in ve of the red sh samples. ese are very concerning levels of exposure for red sh.

Approximately ve billion prescriptions are lled each year in the U.S., yet there are no environmental regulations for the production nor disposal of pharmaceuticals worldwide. Pharmaceutical contaminants originate most o en from human wastewater and are not su ciently removed by conventional water treatment. ey remain active at low doses, can be released constantly, and exposure can a ect all aspects of sh behavior, with negative consequences for their reproduction and survival. Pharmaceutical contaminants have been shown to a ect all aspects of the life of sh, including their feeding, activity, sociability, and migratory behavior.

“Florida is a leader in addressing water quality issues and wastewater infrastructure, including converting septic systems to sewage treatment,” said Kellie Ralston, BTT’s Vice President for Conservation and Public Policy. “ e results of this study indicate that there are additional opportunities for improvement by retro tting existing wastewater treatment plants with innovative technologies, like ozone treatment, to remove pharmaceuticals and requiring such technology on new wastewater facilities.”

For more information, go to www.bone shtarpontrust.org.

Maguire’s frst work is a compelling, fast read. His style is like a mix of Hemingway with a sardonic blend of Hunter S. Thompson. I couldn’t put it down...

Ben Martin Editor in Chief Coastal Angler Magazine

ENJOY BATTLING

THE SCOURGE OF LIONFISH

The ninth annual Lion sh Festival is slated for May 20-21 at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin, Fla. is outdoor event is free, open to the public and will feature family-friendly activities, art, diving and marine conservation booths, live music, llet demonstrations, and the world’s largest lion sh tournament, the Emerald Coast Open.

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

e Emerald Coast Open will run May 1920 and include categories for most lion sh, largest lion sh and smallest lion sh with nearly $100,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. For o cial tournament rules and registration instructions, visit EmeraldCoastOpen. com.

LIONFISH RESTAURANT WEEK

Sample lion sh at one of Destin–Fort Walton Beach’s featured restaurants during the Emerald Coast Open Lion sh Restaurant Week. Local chefs will highlight lion sh in unique dishes in the week leading up to the event to help bring awareness to the lion sh invasion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Schedule:

• e Boathouse Landing, Valparaiso – May 12

• e Harbor Tavern – May 13

• Dewey Destin’s Harborside – May 14

• Crab Trap Destin – May 15

• La Paz – May 16

• Harbor Docks – May 17

• Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer – May 18

• AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar– May 20

LIONFISH CHALLENGE

e 2023 Lion sh Challenge is a summer-long tournament open to everyone and completely free to enter. Participants in last year’s Challenge reached a signi cant milestone of over 1 million lion sh harvested from Florida waters since the program began in 2014! Visit FWCReefRangers. com to register for the Lion sh Challenge.

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HARVEST CLOSED INSIDE SPECIAL PERMIT ZONE

The permit spawning season closure inside the Special Permit Zone (SPZ) began April 1. Regular permit regulations in the SPZ will reopen Aug. 1.

is closure area includes all state and federal waters south of Cape Sable on the Gulf coast and south of Cape Florida on the Atlantic coast including all of the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay south of Rickenbacker Causeway.

During the open season, regulations within the SPZ allow a daily bag limit of one permit, with a vessel limit of two permit and a minimum size of 22 inches fork length.

For more information, go to MyFWC.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BONEFISH & TARPON TRUST

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BAROTRAUMA TOOLS NOW REQUIRED IN STATE WATERS

Anglers shing from a vessel targeting reef sh in Florida state waters are now required to have on board a descending device or venting tool that is rigged and ready for use. is new regulation went into e ect April 1, and also requires use of a descending device or venting tool if a sh exhibits signs of barotrauma prior to release.

e FWC approved this rule to increase survival of released reef sh, a top priority management issue in both the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic. As reef sh are reeled up from depth, they can su er pressure related injuries known as barotrauma. ese injuries include the stomach protruding out of the mouth, bulging eyes, bloated belly, distended intestines and inability to swim down independently. If not treated correctly, barotrauma can be lethal to sh.

“Florida’s anglers have always played an important role in the health of our sheries and the proper use of barotrauma mitigation tools is just one way anglers continue helping to conserve Florida’s sheries for current and future generations,” said FWC’s Jessica McCawley. “ is new rule not only improves survival of released reef sh but also provides anglers the exibility of choosing the best tool that ts their situation on the water.”

For more information, go to MyFWC.com.

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YOUR KID COULD CATCH A WORLD RECORD

Would your kid be proud to set a new world record?

Of course they would, and right now is a great time for kids to catch a world record thanks to the International Game Fish Association’s new length-record category for young anglers. e category is intended to promote catch-and-release by making it possible to measure a sh for world-record consideration without killing it, and right now there 169 vacant species just waiting for anglers under 16 years old to set a new world record.

e new IGFA All-Tackle Length Junior category follows the same rules and regulations as the current All-Tackle Length record categories. e All-Tackle Length Junior category will have one record available for each eligible species, with no di erentiation made for the angler’s gender, which is consistent with current All-Tackle Length and All-Tackle Length Fly record categories. Vacancies exist for all eligible species of the All-Tackle Length record category and will follow the same minimum length requirements already established.

“By introducing the All-Tackle Length Junior category, we hope to inspire the next generation of anglers to get out and sh, while promoting ethical and sustainable shing practices,” said IGFA President Jason Schratwieser. “Fishing is a fantastic way to connect with the outdoors, and we believe that by engaging young people with this sport, we can inspire the next generation of stewards of our oceans, lakes, and rivers and help ensure the long-term health and vitality of our aquatic resources.”

With children and teenagers increasingly disconnected from the outdoors, the IGFA hopes to inspire a new wave of young anglers who are passionate about the sport and its role in connecting people to nature.

For more information, go to www.igfa.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IGFA.

Alexandra Hall caught this 63-pound blue cat sh from Virginia’s James River to set IGFA 20-pound line class and female junior world records for the species.

FROG FISHING FOR VERY HUNGRY BASS TIPS FROM A PRO

TYLER WOOLCOTT

Across the country, bass are either in their post spawn patterns right now or they will be soon. ere is a plethora of ways to catch these bass, but my all-time favorite for getting bit and drawing in a big one is a hollow body popping frog.

A popping frog can be used as an incredible search bait, and you can duplicate many di erent bait sh depending on where you throw it and what color you tie on. ere are many di erent options out there. I try to duplicate the bait sh forage in the particular lake I’m shing. Sometimes I use a frog to imitate a bluegill, and sometimes I throw a shad color pattern. 13 Fishing makes an incredible popping frog that comes with a stout hook and a wide variety of colors for any scenario.

When I throw a frog as a search bait, I work it faster than most. Cover as much water as possible until you put a pattern together on what exactly the sh are focusing on. at’s the magic of a frog; you can literally throw it around everything! Docks, lay downs, grass and open water are just a few of the targets I look for. Once you locate a group of sh or put a pattern together, slow down and pick them o a little slower. I have noticed sometimes there isn’t a “too fast” while working a popping frog.

A couple things I look for this time of year are bass guarding fry and also sh roaming the banks feeding on bluegill. is is very predictable and an awesome way to catch big ones. Typically, if you know a few areas where the sh previously spawned, these patterns will occur in the same areas. I throw a bluegill pattern popping frog because bluegill chase bass fry, and that drives bass crazy.

Another pattern to watch for is a shad spawn. is occurs in the mornings and evenings and can lead to a bunch of sh in a hurry. Look

for birds feeding on banks while running down the lake. Find the birds and you nd the bait! A white popping frog or a bait sh color is typically my choice in this situation.

A popping frog can work all year long, but it really drives post spawn sh crazy. Who doesn’t like catching sh on a topwater with heavy line and a heavy rod?

Frog Fishing Gear

Heavy gear is needed for setting those big frog hooks and shing around heavy cover. I sh a 13 Fishing 7’4H Omen Black rod paired with a Concept A 8.3 reel spooled up with Seaguar 50-pound Smackdown braid. is setup allows you to get sh out of heavy cover and into the boat!

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

Coastal Angler and The Angler Magazine, Suzuki Marine and Sea Eagle have come together to offer readers a shot at this Sea Eagle FishSkiff 16 paired with a Suzuki DF4 outboard that’ll take you wherever the fsh are. The FishSkiff 16 is an infatable fshing boat that is lightweight, sturdy, stable and extremely packable. It rolls up small enough to ft in the trunk of a car and quickly infates into a fshing machine. Powered by Suzuki’s four-stroke DF4A, you’ll have to hold on to your hat as you scream over the fats. Designed for effciency and performance and portability, the DF4A provides all the speed and acceleration you can handle. It’s lightweight and can be attached or removed with ease.

40-POUND PIKE BREAKS IDAHO RECORD!

BLACK SEA BASS OPEN YEAR-ROUND IN SOUTH ATLANTIC

Black sea bass o en y under the radar for anglers o the coast of the Southeast. Perhaps it’s because their size and numbers are thickest in the middle of winter, when it’s not as pleasant to be on the water? Or maybe it’s because they don’t grow as a large as the other grouper species that inhabit our wrecks and reefs?

This 40.76-pound northern pike is a new Idaho state record. It beat the existing 13-year-old record by a little more than half a pound.

Avid pike sherman omas Francis landed the monster sh on March 21 from Hayden Lake in northern Idaho. e sh was more than 4 feet long, with an o cial length of 49 inches and an impressive girth of 26.5 inches.

Francis told Idaho Fish and Game he speci cally targets big pike almost every day. In late March, ice still ringed the banks at Hayden Lake, so Francis was casting his lure up to the edge of the ice.

“When my lure hit the water, I let it sink all the way to the bottom,” he said. “As soon as my lure hit the bottom, I felt her hit. I sh with 80-poundtest line, and she almost immediately started peeling drag, a lot of it.

“She pinned herself to the bottom and just kept going, peeling drag the whole time,” he continued. “I knew that wasn’t normal, and I could tell it was something special.”

e IGFA all-tackle world record northern pike was caught in Germany in 1986. It weighed 55 pounds, 1-ounce.

For more information, go to https://idfg.idaho.gov

Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that black sea bass are some of the tastiest critters in the ocean, and anchoring over a wreck or reef teeming with them can ll a cooler in short order. Just ask the folks up in New England, where the species is a highly sought a er target of anglers.

NOAA recently announced that recreational harvest of black sea bass will again be open year-round for the 2023-2024 season in federal waters of the South Atlantic, south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. So, sharpen the hooks on your chicken rigs and go collect some meat.

NOAA Fisheries has projected that the 2023-2024 recreational catch limit of 366,510 pounds whole weight will not be met. e season in federal waters will run from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. Seasons in state waters vary, so be sure to check state regulations where you plan to sh. In federal waters of the Atlantic, south of 35 deg 15.0321’ N, there is a seven sh per person bag limit with a 13-inch minimum size limit.

A descending device is required on board all vessels shing for or possessing snapper and grouper species in federal waters of the South Atlantic. e descending device must be readily available for use and attached to at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line. For more information, go to coastalanglermag.com.

Flip Flip Hooray!

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STILL TIME FOR A TROPHY TROUT

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

If you are big trout enthusiast like me, you know there is still some time le if you haven’t had your ll over the past ve months. December through a portion of May is when I set my eyes on catching a personnel best speckled trout. With the full moon on May 3 this year, I feel the entire month will hold promise to land one full of eggs before the rst full moon in June. May is also a little more enjoyable, too, so sit back and let me tell you why.

Most anglers in Texas think about big trout mid-December through early April, and when the waders come o they change their focus. Fortunately, not all the big girls have dropped their eggs yet and will still hold them into May. It gives us the opportunity for a heavy trout to take a big smiling photo with.

Speaking of taking the waders o , wading in May is typically warm and enjoyable even if the sh don’t cooperate. e pleasant temperatures are more appealing than dreary, cold, winter days, and they also allow me to sh the way I prefer. At times in winter, we must slow down our presentation and this can become a little monotonous; however, targeting big trout in the warmth of May allows us to work the lure more aggressively.

ere is not much more exciting than a topwater explosion, and spring is one of my favorite times to utilize this tactic for trophy trout. May is also a great time to throw other lures. Traditional slow-sinking and suspending lures also work wonders this time of year.

As most of you know, I am a paddletail fanatic! is month, I’ll give several sizes a shot at getting inhaled by a huge yellow mouth. ese large predators will take 3-, 4- and 5-inch lures this time of year. As their bodies warm with the water, they become as aggressive as they will be all year, so adding some rattling sound to your tails can really get the sh active.

I seek out areas of grass ats in knee- to waist-deep water. Finding a at with a drain from a small lake or creek will work wonders for concentrating sh over adjacent shallow grass. A depression along such a at is another area you should target. When choosing a at with these criteria, areas of potholes are a plus over a solid grass- lled at.

I hope these tips help you get your PB trout on your last chance of the year to nd one lled with eggs. Take a kid shing. ey like big trout too. And be safe. May is the uno cial start of summer, and inexperienced boaters will be on the water.

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

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

KAYAKER LANDS

102-POUND PADDLEFISH

An angler got a little more than he bargained for in early April while shing for walleye in the Upper White River in northwestern Arkansas. Fishing 12-pound-test line and a 3-inch-long crankbait, Robert Murphy accidentally snagged a 102-pound paddle sh and spent the next hour battling the sh from his kayak.

In April, the Upper White experiences spring runs of several species into the riverine sections of Beaver Lake, including white bass, walleye and paddle sh. Paddle sh, also known as spoonbill, are a large zooplankton eating species. ey won’t chase lures or live bait, so anglers typically “snag” them during Arkansas’ paddle sh snagging season. e daily limit is two sh per person.

Murphy might not have intended to snag a paddle sh, but that’s exactly what he did. According to Outdoor Life, Murphy was throwing a 3-inch Berkley Flicker Shad for walleye when he saw a big sh on his sonar. inking it was a big striped bass or a gar, he ran his 10- to 12-foot-diving plug through the area and hooked his river monster in the top of the tail.

Anyone who has ever foul-hoked a sh knows how hard they ght when you can’t turn their head. Well, Murphy spent the next hour battling the beast from his kayak as it pulled him up and down the river. A er he nally hauled it into his kayak and brought it to shore, he weighed and measured the sh. With a length of 71.5 inches, it was nearly 6 feet long, and at 102 pounds, it was shy of the 118-pound, 9-ounce state record that was caught from Beaver Lake in 2020.

For more information, see www.agfc.com.