Water LIFE April 2014

Fr

I

N om Ta SID Pa r p E! ge t h 7 e on Be ac h

Water

LIFE

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the Gulf

Tagging Black Tips in the surf

The Don Ball School of Fishing

April 2014

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This will be the Last Year for Fishin始 Franks始 Shark Tournament

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Happy Campers!

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Live Bait Page 10

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Tune in to the Radio Fishinʼ anytime! talk show with Fishinʼ Frank @ FishinFranks.com LETTERS

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Michael Thought you might be interested in seeing some pictures taken last month of a really sad situation. These pictures are of beer cans & bottles that were picked up after being found in two feet of water in an area on the East side of Charlotte Harbor just North of Pirate Harbor. As you can see from the pictures, there is no growth stuff or critters residing in the bottles or the cans so they had be thrown in the water just a day or two before they were found. It is so obvious that some idiots had sat in their boat and downed the contents and just decided to trash the Harbor by throwing these items in the water. Frankly, there are some real pigs out there and this is evidence of that. – Gene Kingery

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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

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217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

This is a color test

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIII No 4 © 2014

No part of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied or reproduced without specific written permission from the publishers.

Contributing Editors:

Hello! I love reading your magazine and always check out all the cool pictures you guys put in so I figured I'd give it a shot and try and get one of mine printed. Here's some info on the snook I caught her last Friday wading a Boca Grande sand bar, free lining a live greenie.

Sincerely, Alec Douberly

ABOVE: I was working on my boat in the canal between Beach Complex and Edgewater Lake, all the way up almost to Tamiami. Took time out to fish.

Used some old almost spoiled shrimp. Caught 4 catfish. Then this guy grabbed the shrimp. 31 1/4 inch snook. Being licensed and having a snook permit .... This yummy guy now is stored (filets) in my freezer. Oh, and if you choose to publish this ... The look on my face is because I was trying to tell my wife how to operate the camera! Steve Worden

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago River and Shore: Fishinʼ Frank Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy Barton Family Fishing: Capt. Bart Marx Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Venice: Glen Ballinger Kayaking: David Allen Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Offshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien Gulf Fishing: Capt. Steve Skevington Circulation: Robert Cohn Office Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER: Andrew Herzog has already tagged this blacktip shark and is now getting ready to release it. See page 12 for more on shark tagging.

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State Permitted Tournaments?

APRIL 2014

By Michael Heller Water LIFE editor Fishin’ Frank called, “this is going to be the last year of my Shark Tournament,” he said, frankly. Frank is a good friend. I was mixed with emotion and although I love the shark tournament and have fished it several times, I’ve been speaking out against kill tournaments in the Aquatic Preserve and I wasn’t sure how I’d approach Frank about it. Yesterday, Frank told me the shark-vertebrae-research project his tournament had been supplying samples for was ending so after this year the shark tournament would be ending after 29 years. Many people will miss it.

Tournaments have been in the news lately. Last week NOAA and National Marine Fisheries sent out a copy of the amendment to its Management Plan for Spanish and King Mackerel. For the Gulf of Mexico, the amendment would add a prohibition on the sale of king and Spanish mackerel caught under the bag limit (recreationally) unless those fish are either caught on a for-hire trip and the vessel has both a for-hire and commercial vessel permit, or the fish are caught as part of a state-permitted tournament and the proceeds from the sale are donated to charity.

To me, it looks like recreational mackerel anglers can now, essentially, be selling thier tournament fish, but that aside

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for a moment, I was more interesting reading the words State Permitted Tournaments. Was this the arrival of the future that some people have been predicting – permitted tournaments?

I wrote the referenced fisheries biologist at NOAA and asked: ‘Would you please give me an example of such a 'state permitted tournament'?

She wrote back: ‘I don't have a specific tournament to point to, but both North Carolina and Georgia permit or license tournaments.

Florida is in the process of setting up a system to permit tournaments. ...”

Florida? Really? Right now this appears to be all about kingfish tournaments, and Florida trying to ‘mirror’ the new Federal regulations, but what are the future plans? And in Florida, who will be watching the health standards of fish sold by recreational anglers? And then there will be the money scams to deal with.

In Florida the FWC Department of Fisheries Management is the office involved in permitting. I called and asked their mackerel guy, Tony Bresnen, to confirm what they are currently working on and he did, but he had no specific details of the permit or about the selling of tournament fish. I apparently had stumbled into a Florida FWC work in progress.

The only tournament permit I know of

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SNOOK CARCASES WANTED FOR RESEARCH – Donʼt discard your filetted snook carcas, drop it off at Kingfisher Fleetʼs dockside carcas freezer at Fishermenʼs Village. The FWC stops to pick them up from this location regularly. Thank you in advance!

at the moment is the Culling Waiver Permit issued for redfish tournament anglers

by FWC, but is FWC considering anything more? I called Lisa Gregg who issues the Culling Waivers and asked; have you considered permitting tournaments?

“No” she said, emphatically. What would we do ‘regulate entry?’ I mentioned all the cumulative impact on Charlotte Harbor from recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, mullet fishermen, commercial shrimpers, sightseers and upstream mining. Would permitting be a way to balance the overall cumulative impact?

No she said, that would be starting to

sound like a Marine Protected Area, we’re not entertaining anything like that. The only permitting we are doing are the reeffish registry for offshore, the mackerel tournament permit - if they are going to donate their fish, and an invasive species tournament permit for lionfish to help ease the spearfishing restriction in the Keys.” She forgot the snook stamp and the tarpon tag. When I add them all up there are now six ‘species’ with some form of FWC permit attached: snook, tarpon, redfish, reef fish, mackerel, and now lionfish.

Is permitting now the new trick in the FWC’s bag? They say ‘No’ We will see.

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Punta Gorda Event Goes to David Stephens and George Frantz

By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Inshore My partner George Frantz and I are proud to say we won first place in last month’s Punta Gorda West Coast Division of the IFA Redfish Tournament.

The number one comment I hear after winning, or finishing in the top of the field, is ‘well, you’re a fishing guide.’

Well, yes I am a full-time fishing guide and yes I am on the water a lot more than the average angler, but, does that give me an unfair redfish advantage?

Many might say yes, however the few that understand guiding clients professionally versus fishing in a elite tournament would say no. When I leave the dock with clients I have a totally different mind set. I am thinking I have to do whatever it takes to keep my clients smiling and keep the rods bent, and believe me this is often no easy task!

When I was in my early 20s, Capt.

Ralph Alan, the owner of King Fisher Charters, gave this young, gung-ho, and clueless kid a shot at being a charter guide. I remember telling Capt. Alan, ‘I am just going to fish for big snook everyday for clients.’ He looked at me and shook his head and laughed, and gave me the single most important piece of advice anyone has ever gave me. ‘You are fishing for your clients now, not for Dave.’ Now I am in my mid 30s and have been guiding clients for 14 years and that little piece of advice has gotten me to the point I am at

today. Yes, I still always have that boyish urge to fish for big snook, however I have learned when to chase the big linesiders and when to chase sharks and speckled sea trout.

Anything that makes my clients happy is what I am after.

Let’s get into tournament mode and what goes into winning. In order to be successful, the two most important things for me are having a tournament partner you can get along with a partner who is willing to fish as hard as you are and being prepared.

Let’s talk partners; you are going to be stuck on a Above: George Frantz, left and guide and Water LIFE columnist Capt. David Stephens, with their winning IFA fish. boat for a few days prefishing with this person. If Right:The weigh in slip shows 15.20 pounds the two of you don’t think alike, fish alike, share the same determina- ing the adjustments. Finding that perfect tion for any task at hand then you have set partner is not easy– my tournament partner is one of my best friends who I know I yourself up for failure. It takes two to get can depend on for anything. the job done. During tournament hours, Preparation is very important. I read George and I hardly speak. We know what the definition of luck is; “When Opportuthe other is thinking. Their have been nity Meets Preparation.” Luck is good, but countless times I have begun to tell him we increase our chances with good prepawhat I thought we should do or he has ration. started to tell me, but before the sentence A few days before tournament day my is complete the other one is already mak-

partner and I go out prefishing or scouting. If we are together we make mental notes. There are times when we will split up, I will take my boat and he, his. The day before the tournament we get together and discuss what we found during our prefishing days. We put a game plan together and stick to it. Also, on the day before, we get the boat ready check all of our safety gear, fishing tackle, have all of our rod and reels ready for the day. The last thing you want is faulty equipment.

If you decide you want to do some tournament fishing come to Punta Gorda, there is a tournament almost every weekend that you can sign up for. George and I look forward to fishing against you!

To experience some of South West Florida’s finest fishing give me a call at 941-916-5769 or send me an email from our website: www.backbayxtremes.com

First Tarpon from the Beach APRIL 2014

By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Beach Fishing When you hear about tarpon and Boca Grande Pass you get a certain image in your head. You usually think of spring time, abundant sunshine, beautiful shorelines, warming waters, longer days, and boats drifting through the pass waiting to hook up on a silver king. People come from around the world and compete in tournaments for the chance to hook up on one of these fish! They fight hard and always put on a great show.

This location is so popular due to the tarpon migration that happens yearly in the spring.

This migration is different than most species. Instead of constant movement like say the kingfish, tarpon tend to settle in a “safe area” with abundant food and ideal water temperatures from the mid 70s to high 80s. For us, this tarpon safezone is our local passes, the most popular being Boca Grande.

Scientist’s seem to disagree on where tarpon actually spawn. Most say these fish are resting to prepare for their journey to the continental shelf more than 100 miles away in the Gulf. Others say they also spawn in our local back waters and harbor. Either way we are lucky to have them so close.

Spring time is the ideal boat tarpon fishing season! Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay and Apalachicola Bay are great fisheries! These tarpon swim up into canals and even brackish river systems and they stay into the cooler months of fall, but not many people know you can land a 100-pound tarpon in January.

One of my favorite things to do is help others catch fish, but I, like a lot of anglers, have a fishing bucket -list of my own! Mine ranges from sturgeon to tiger sharks! This winter after 3 years of salt water fishing, I caught my very first tarpon from the beach! I am a land -based shark fishermen. It’s my passion and it’s why I’m usually on the beach with my big reels.

We use a kayak to drop our baits in an ideal location and sit back on the beach and wait for a bite! In the winter months the food is more scarce.

The tarpon that are still hanging around in the lower 70 degree waters are hungry and sometimes pick up my shark baits. If you have ever caught a tarpon you know that you don’t land every one you hook.

Normally the average tarpon setup is a 7000 series spinning combo. The angler is usually in for a long fight from 30 minutes to one hour. When we catch tarpon from land it’s on a 80w or 50w.

A bit over powered, true, but the fish comes in much faster and less stressed.

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Mallory Herzog landing her firat tarpon on the beach. “We might have had some awesome close-ups but the GoPro died,” she said

Andrew and I headed out with our friend Barry on a chilly Wednesday evening. One last trip before he was going back up north for graduate school.

We arrived to a busy beach, but found an open spot we could set up in. Earlier in the week I helped a group of anglers land 3 tarpon in one evening. I guess you can say I had fish -envy after that.

I really wanted my own tarpon from the beach after watching everyone else have such amazing experiences. I was really hoping the fish were still around with these fluctuating weather conditions we’ve been having recently! Hot and cold has been the trend all winter.

Florida is having hot flashes and the fish can’t decide what to do.

I helped prepare tackle and before I knew it baits were being taken out in the kayak, the purple 80w being first in the line up tonight .

It helps to have someone on the shore setting your anchor due to the one pound of weight we use to keep our baits down in the heavy current. By the time he was dropping the last bait my purple 80w was screaming with the speed and unmistakedly FAST run of a tarpon!

I hurried to get over to my rod, made sure she was hooked and held on! Andrew all the while out in the kayak praying this silver king doesn’t taildance and land in his lap!

Wow, I’m thinking, my first tarpon!

I have to land this fish! At one point this fish was taking almost full drag on the 80w. What a powerful fish, that’s 60lbs of drag! The tarpon was taking

line and heading for Cayo Costa!

This was it the moment I’ve been waiting three years for, then all of a sudden nothing but slack line! Every fishermen has been there. Did I just lose this fish? Is she swimming at me? Did I get broken off? So many different scenario’s running though my head at this moment. I couldn’t feel the anchor which is usually a good sign because the fish keeps it off the bottom. I just kept reeling hoping my fish was still hooked.

As I gained more and more line I noticed it going left to right - my fish was still on and it jumped out of the water 5 feet from shore!

She ran a few more times giving the sunset spectators a real show, before giving up to the heavy drag of the 80w.

YES! Finally, I landed my first tar-

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pon ever! She was BIG and just beautiful! We estimated at 120-130-pounds. At this size the tarpon was anywhere from 10-15 years old. That really takes your breath away, being in the presence of an amazing adult fish that will hopefully have another 15 -20 years of life ahead of her! There was such chaos at the time of her landing we didn’t measure her! We wanted to release her as quickly as possible. She was hooked outside the mouth with a 16/0 vmc circle hook. Andrew and Barry worked quickly to dehook her as I snapped a few pictures before her release! Tarpon is a catch and release fishery only. You can obtain one tarpon tag a year making it legal to possess one only if your going for an IGFA record. Please make sure you review the new tarpon guidelines this year.

March Watershed Summit PAGE

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By Betty Staugler Water LIFE Sea Grant Every three years, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) hosts a three day Watershed Summit to showcase the research, restoration and stewardship activities that have taken place or are underway by its partners. So who is the CHNEP and who are their partners? Well, back in 1996, Charlotte Harbor and its watershed were designated as an estuary of national significance. This formed the CHNEP which is a partnership program where core funding comes from the EPA

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and that funding is matched by state and local government entities. Partners of the CHNEP are anyone with an interest in the estuary who work together to develop and then implement a management plan or vision. The CHNEP boundaries are huge, beginning in Polk County at the headwaters of the Peace River and covering all or parts of nine counties. Along the coast the program extends from Donna and Roberts bays in Sarasota County down and including Estero Bay in Lee County. So presentations at the Watershed Summit include a wide variety of projects and geographic area. Following are some highlights from

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presentations from the most recent Summit that I thought were interesting.

Seagrasses – Seagrass talks took place the first day of the summit: Between 2010 and 2012, seagrass mapping data (from aerial surveys) documented a 2.2% increase in seagrass coverage for Lemon Bay and a 4.4% increase for Charlotte Harbor. Based on the 2012 mapping data, 4 of 9 estuary segments are meeting their seagrass targets for Sea Grant Agent Betty Staugler shows off some of her acreage extents and an- Florida latest scallops before she releases them into Gasparilla Sound. other 2 segments are This is the 4th release of scallops into the area north of Devilfish Key in the last year. Hopefully the coming late summer Scallop within 5% of their tarSearch will point to the success of these releases. Scallops are gets. not currently legal for harvest in Charlotte County waters but Reef fish and seamay become legal for harvest some day in the future if the popugrass –FWC and lation rebounds.

NOAA NMFS are conducting both inshore (the ratio of weight to length) was directly and offshore monitoring of reef fish (gray correlated to flow indicating a greater snapper, gag, sea bass, lane snapper, etc.) abundance of food during high flow years. to assess a range of life histories. One of In fact researchers found that during high the interesting pieces of information that flow years the condition of snook in the researchers have learned is that seagrass shoals, such as would be found in Pine Is- river was 8% higher than those that stayed in the estuary and during low flow years, land Sound and Gasparilla Sound provide snook in the river were 6% less condidifferent environmental conditions than tioned than those in the estuary. Why is seagrasses found along shore and support this? Well during high flow (rainy) years greater densities of reef fish. Reef fish snook prey moves out into the floodplains may prefer shoals because they have but eventually the rains stop, the floodledges associated with them and the reef plains dry up and all of the prey get confish can utilize the open water associated centration in the river creating a snook with the ledges but then dart into the (and bass) buffet. The primary diet of cover of seagrass to avoid predators. snook in the rivers includes crayfish and Snook and floodplains – An FWC exotic brown hoplo, blue tilapia, and study that examined snook abundance, walking catfish. Once this river food supcondition and diet relative to river flow and flooding in the Peace River found that ply is depleted, snook move back down to the estuary. During high flow years, when snook come back into the estuary highly conditioned snook are often reafter spawning offshore a certain percentferred to as humpback snook by anglers. age of them will go up into the rivers.

The study determined that snook abunCapt. Betty Staugler dance in the rivers was directly related to Florida Sea Grant Agent the amount of flow with greater abunUF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County dance found during higher flow years.

(941) 764-4346 The study also found that snook condition

Now Is The Time APRIL 2014

By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Road Trip With the drag screeching, rod sideways and doubled in half, a monster fish railroads you into the backcountry bush and saws off your line.

Multiple aerial leaps and acrobatics only a tarpon could muster take the mystery out of what the species might be and it’s not a tarpon! The snook will paint this picture hundreds of times in April and the angler on the other end will scratch his head as to what he could have done differently!

A big snook can bite off 20, 30 and even 40 pound test leader. That’s right, bite it off! The bigger the fish the more abrasive the chompers and of course, the barnacle encrusted mangrove web of our backcountry is the perfect cutting board for your line as well.

First let’s talk about where this fish will be and how to catch them and then I will share a little secret on how to keep the fish on the line.

Snook showed up in the Harbor at the end of February which is unusually early and they have been here since.

The problem has been fluctuating water temperatures, more rain than normal and bait fish that have been extremely hard to catch through the entire month of March.

The perfect stage has been set for April as the weather will moderate and allow snook to permeate every shallow flat in the Harbor. They will generally not be far into the bush, they prefer outside areas so they can retreat back over the sandbar into the Harbor and the refuge of deep water on a moment’s notice.

With the migration of threadfin herring and scaled sardines (pilchards) leading their appetites into our waters, this is indeed the easiest fishing of the year. On high water, fish the islands and just about any island will have fish– but of course, some will hold more snook than others. Oyster bars and sandholes will be good targets, especially as the tides recede and the fish make their way back to the Harbor depths. Your average size fish will be 21- to 26-inches and in recent years the population of fish from 30- to 40-inches and above has been quite large - as a result of a moratorium on this spectacular fish. This is the good news. The bad news is it is open season on the bigger fish and I expect a dramatic reduction in the big fish in two years as they get plucked out of the harbor daily by expert fishermen and guides who are visiting the cleaning table at every day’s end. Clearly, this fishery should have been left closed, but only time will tell.

The surest way to success is to capture your baitfish with a cast net and fish medium saltwater tackle, 15pound braided line and a 3 foot leader of 30-pound test.

No snaps, swivels or other hardware, but occasionally, a

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float might be a good idea. Cast your bait well under the mangroves on high tides and hang on! Live chumming can certainly help, but sometimes it is more productive not using live chum as the fish will pick out the baits with no hooks in them. That’s right! A hook in a fish’s body affects the way it swims and the eyesight of a snook is quite good. I find the fish become more selective the later in April we get.

With all of that said, what do you do when the monster snook is burning you back into the sticks and with all your mite you cannot stop him? Open the bail and take all of the pressure off the fish. A snook will stop cold in his tracks if there is no pressure. After you open the bail, pause for a moment as the fish pauses, then close the bail and lean back hard in the opposite direction you were originally pulling from. Then, dig your rod into the water instead of holding it overhead.

Often, he will change course. If he heads back into the bush, open the bail again! My largest snook to date, somewhere around 30pounds, was caught with 10-pound braid, 20pound leader and a super light rod in a mangrove pocket with 270 degrees of mangrove bush to break me off. I opened the bail on that fish no less than 6 times, granted it was a miracle, but that fish was landed!

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Capt. Chuck meets Mrs. Snook on an isolated shoreline

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040

Horizon Spill Linked to Tuna Heart Problems Stanford University Research According to a new study by a team of NOAA and academic scientists, oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster causes severe defects in the developing hearts of bluefin and yellowfin tunas, The findings, published on the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, show how the oil spill may have affected tunas and other species that spawned in oiled offshore habitats in the northern Gulf.

Atlantic bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, and other large predatory fish spawn in the northern Gulf during the spring and summer months, a time that coincided with

the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010. These fish produce embryos that float near the surface and in harm’s way of crude oil from the damaged wellhead that had formed into surface slicks.

The study shows crude oil exposures adversely affect heart development by slowing the heartbeat or causing an uncoordinated rhythm, which can ultimately lead to heart failure.

The 1989 Exxon Valdez spill showed that recently spawned fish are especially vulnerable to crude oil toxicity. That, in turn, taught scientists to pay close attention to the formation and function of the heart.

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Live Bait Makes It Happen PAGE

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By Capt Billy Barton Water LIFE INSHORE Well friends, it's been an exciting month on Charlotte Harbor to say the least.

This is a transitional month out there, and April and May just so happen to be my favorite two months to fish here. So my blood is pumping, I'm ready for some sweet action, and the fish radar in my head is beeping like crazy! I must say, it's feeling pretty darn good to see that sun shining and that water temperature coming up a bit. This can make all the difference in the way our fish act and feed. With Southwest Florida being a subtropical climate, the bulk of our fish are most comfortable in warmer water. When our fish get comfortable and start to relax, well this is when you know it's time for some frenzy action!!

During the wintertime, live shrimp is your most well rounded bait of choice. Shrimp tend to work pretty well into spring, however if shrimp is the route you've chosen for bait you're going to notice more and more "nibblers" and bait stealers on the grass flats in April and May than you did in the winter time. Most of these bait stealers are pinfish which, if you know how to throw a cast net can be a popular springtime baitfish themselves.

The difference between a good day of fishing and a great day of fishing on my boat is going to depend on what I have in the livewell for bait before the trip begins.

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I'll always have some good sized live shrimp in the livewell as insurance before I hit the water, but this is the time of year when I'm on the water at the crack of dawn throwing the cast net in attempt to fill the livewell with scaled sardines. Another name for these guys that we use is whitebait, or greenbacks. If you can locate, than get out and throw the net on a school of these spunky baitfish, you don't know it yet but you're in for a treat!

Although theoretically you could just put one of these guys on a hook and start fishing, one of the keys to fishing with this whitebait is to have enough to chum with.

When I first hit a spot, I'll lightly squish a handful or two of these baits and throw twenty or so pieces through the air towards the area I'm fishing. This gets these wounded baitfish swimming around in circles on the surface and that will turn the fish on into a frenzy. At this point all I'm doing is looking for swirls or strikes on the surface, then I'll send a few baits out on floats to keep the baits I'm fishing with up on top where the action is too.

Live bait brought all the fish shown on these two pages to the boat last month

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Live chumming is a sure fire way to get the fish into a feeding mode if they weren't in one already. It's a much more effective way to fish rather than just sending a shrimp out and letting it soak on the bottom, or even floating a shrimp on top. Targeted species on greenbacks are snook, redfish, trout, flounder, small sharks, Spanish mackerel, cobia, snapper, and jack cravelle. These are all fish that are more than ready to jump on a greenback and now the Tarpon are beginning to show up and they are a possibility as well.

If you're going out on a chartered trip inshore, and your captain doesn't have some livebait in the well besides shrimp, chances are he's slacking! You can tell him I said that!

Make sure he at least continued on facing page

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gives you a story about how he tried hard to catch them, but the bait just wasn't coming to his chum on that particular day. At least you know at that point that the effort was put in on his part!

The fishing is getting better by the day friends. By the time you guys are reading this story we will be in my favorite time of year! April and May are extremely fishy months on Charlotte Harbor! If anyone has any other questions regarding live bait fishing, like what size net to throw, or how to locate them feel free to give me a call and I'll be happy to answer whatever questions I can for you. If I can help you out on your fishin mission, and help to make it a

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success I'd be glad to. Someone once taught me the same. Here's to spring time everyone! Get out there and get yourself a sun tan and catch some fish!!

Capt. Billy Barton, Scales & Tails Fishing Charters 941- 979-6140

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Shark Tagging

By Andrew Herzog Water LIFE Tagging When I began shark fishing I really wanted to do more.

Sharks are one of the most misunderstood creatures in the ocean. Unfortunately their numbers are diminishing over time. I wanted to start tagging sharks, but most programs I found were very expensive to invest in. Most are out of major Universities and scientific centers like Mote Marine.

I did some research and came across the The National Marine Fisheries Service.

They have been tagging sharks since the 1960s! The program is called the Apex Predator Program, Cooperative Shark Tagging Program. This is all volunteers working together to help NOAA gain valuable information about their migration patterns!

This program is excellent and easy for your average angler to participate in. I wrote to NOAA telling them of my shark fishing adventures. Later that week they sent me a welcome packet containing five shark tags attached to information cards assigned to my name that correspond with the tag

number. It asks for length, location, species of shark, the sex and tackle used along with the sharks condition. They also sent literature on how to identify different sharks, it始s very important that you only tag sharks you始re able to identify! They also like sharks to be over three feet in length, I usually make sure they are at least 4 feet.

The most vital information comes from the anglers who recapture and report the tag. If you catch a tagged shark you can easily report the tag number and other information online http://nefsc.noaa.gov/ nefsc/Narragansett/sh arks/catchshark.html If you intend to release the shark you can just write down the tag number and take a total length and fork measurement if you are able! We have seen two re-captures since we began tagging in 2010. It始s what I look forward to the most participating in this program. Together anglers can ensure the future for these ocean giants!

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APRIL 2014

AQUAT Eventful Fights Capt. Orion Wholean Water LIFE Gasparilla

The water has begun to warm up. This is bringing new species closer to shore to feed.

From massive rays to much larger sharks than we see in the winter time, you can almost never tell what will be on the end of your line.

I experienced this first hand when I was testing out some new baits off the beach. I have found that for the spring and summer months the best baits to use for beach sharking are predominantly what is running. It is imperative to fish large reels such as 50 and 80 wides. They will allow you to safely bring the fish in quickly enough so the fish will not be harmed. They also have the line capacity needed.

Recently I hauled in a monster spotted eagle ray on an Avet 80w. The animal swam into my line that was set out for a shark. After an hour of one of the most eventful fights of my life we successfully released this amazing creature under the supervision of the FWC. The most incredible part of it all was that the ray was never hooked! It swam into the line and was tangled.

Once it got to shore it somehow came untangled and was ready to go back out into the water unharmed. It had a wing span of almost 8 feet and swam off with plenty of strength.

Soon after the landing of the ray lines began to go off again. It was shark after shark on cownose rays and spanish mackerel. Bull sharks and black tips are common during this season along with the occasional lemon shark. They all give an amazing fight and allow for some great pictures but it is important to safely handle each of these monsters with care.

Capt. Orian Wholean 941-249-0177 gasparillabiggame@gmail.com

APRIL 2014

TICA

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Turtle Tracking

cial nails. The rest is history.

Scientists had long assumed that Atlantic loggerheads hitch a ride on the North Atlantic Gyre, a circular system of currents that flows clockwise from North America to Europe and Africa, then flows back near the equator. That would explain how the young turtles made their way to the Canary Islands. But the satellite tags revealed that many turtles hop off the gyre to swim in the Sargasso Sea, which occupies a calm area inside the gyre.

Temperature sensors on the satellite tags indicated that

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than on any other U.S. coastline. Florida had a record number of loggerhead nests in 2012, followed by a record number of green turtle nests in 2013.

Staff Report After hatching, loggerhead turtles waddle off the beach into the surf and begin a jourFWC Biologists hope the ney that takes them across the 2014 nesting season that ocean. Many loggerheads from started March 1 will be as sucthe U.S. Atlantic coast turn up cessful as others in recent a few years later in the Canary years. In 2013 a record numIslands off West Africa. But ber of more than 36,000 green how they get there, and what sea turtle nests were counted they encounter along the way, in Florida, but loggerheads, at has long been a mystery.

65,000 nests, are still the most Biologists had referred to this abundant. period of time as the sea tur With all those turtles comes tlesʼ “lost years.” But those no a record number of longer. turtle monitoring The first look at volunteers. In the early behavior Florida, sea turtle in the wild was landings on the determined by atbeach are docutaching satellite mented by voluntags. The small, teers, who assist solar-powered FWCʼs researchers. tags allowed sciAbout 2,500 FWCentists to map the permitted volunanimalsʼ migrateers regularly tions. The tags patrol more than 800 also beamed back miles of shoreline to data on the enviidentify, mark and ronmental condiprotect turtle nests. tions the turtles Loggerhead turtle with transmitter attached

Typically, sea turtle encountered. Baby nesting season runs sea turtles start out when in the Sargasso Sea, the from March through the end of so small and grow so quickly turtles experienced warmer October, but nesting continthat their fast-expanding water temperatures than ued well beyond that in 2013. shells quickly shed whatever would be expected based on Green turtles generally nest scientists attach to them. data from remote sensing later than the other sea turtle The solution came from a nail satellites and data buoys. This species in Florida. FWC biolosalon technician at Not Just may be due to the brown sargists say they would not be Nails in Boynton Beach, when gassum absorbing more of the surprised if nesting season exone of the authors of the sunʼs energy. Scientists spectends later into the fall this study, Jeanette Wyneken menulate young sea turtles detour year, well past the official end tioned the difficulty in attachinto the sargassum to warm of nesting season in October. ing satellite tags to the baby up. sea turtles. Sea turtle shells Coastal development and are made out of a protein boat traffic are cited as the Three species of sea turtles called keratin, the same stuff most currently threatening nest in abundance on Florida that fingernails are made of. dangers to sea turtles. At least beaches: leatherbacks, logger- weʼre not eating them any “Have you considered using heads and greens. an acrylic base coat?” asked more! the manicurist referring to her There are more sea turtle technique for attaching artifinests on Floridaʼs beaches

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APRIL 2014

By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Family Fishing Last month I had the opportunity to go on a cruise with my wife and some friends. It was a little different for me since I was not driving the boat (ship) and so I had time to relax. One of our stops was St. Maarten where my wife (Dawn) and our friends went snorkeling at Dawn Beach and on the horizon you could see St. Bart Island. It was a nice day and we saw some blue tangs in a school of 60 or so. They are so pretty and graceful. There were several other types of fish that we saw - far too many to list. One of our other stops was St.Croix, the island where I lived and worked reconstruction after hurricane Hugo. We visited Point Udall, the easternmost point of the USA and its territories. The water there is so clear and

looking out over the Caribbean, the shades of blue are what postcards are made of.

With the coral reefs shadows showing through the clear water it is absolutely beautiful.

When we returned home to Florida it was time for Capt. Bart to take some guests on a fishing cruise of their own.

There was a group of four ladies from Minnesota, a Mom with two daughters and her sister-in-law. We met at Pineland Marina to start our fishing adventure. The winds were a little too strong that day to venture out into the Gulf, so we fished in Pine Island Sound. We could see Cabbage Key and the legendary fish shacks from where we were drifting along the grass beds for speckled sea trout. It was a great day - they caught enough for two meals for the girls.

A few days later we had the chance to

take out some guests from Western New York, two couples that didn't have much fishing experience. We also met at Pineland Marina, since they were staying on Sanibel Island. We started our trip out to the depths of the Gulf, but we stopped in the pass to troll for some Spanish mackerel. After trolling we went out to some natural ledges west of Cayo Costa State Park in about 45 feet of water where we anchored and started to fish. We were catching lane and mangrove snapper and white grunts, the bite was steady for quite some time. When the bite started to slow, we moved into Pine Island Sound to catch a few trout to finish off our fishing adventure. Fun was had by all and there were plenty of fish for a meal or two.

If you would like to take a fishing trip with Capt. Bart Marx, call 941-979-6517 or email me at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com. Always remember, singing drags and tight lines make me smile - and take a kid fishing.

Sharks: A size for Everyone APRIL 2014

By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop This is the time when all eyes turn to big fish.

Now that sharks are really starting to come in, people forget or don’t know that many sharks jump or even do flips when hooked up on a rod and reel.

Black tip sharks are fast, so fast they can make a bone fish look lazy. So they are a great catch and release fish. They are great fighters and will make your heart pump, a real know-your-alive situation!

Many of the smaller shark species like bonnets , black tips and Atlantic sharp nose are filing the Harbor now, while the black nose, sand bar, bull and many other species are thick on almost every nearshore reef, and this year, tiger sharks are being caught along the beaches as well.

To catch these toothy fish you need to get a game plan going. I like to cover all of the bases, so let’s start with your chart.

I use the 15-F from Waterproof Charts, what I need is to see the bottom contour, where the in-roads for the sharks would be. I look for deeper troughs along the bottom of the harbor or ledges in the Gulf.

When I get there I get my boat anchored – oh, and the trick part of anchoring is that I use a couple of crab trap floats tied to my anchor line so I can cast it away without having to bring it in the boat - there is no time for that with a big fish peeling off line like you’re hooked up to a Chevy truck. I know it is hard to imagine 300 yards of line being ripped off your spool, but it can happen in seconds since several of our shark species can reach speeds of 360 feet per second! So time is important. The last bit of advice is to use a loop knot over a cleat instead of tying the anchor line to the boat so the line can be tossed away from the boat and I can chase the fish.

Now that the anchor is out I want to put my chum bag over the side, over the back really. Often I use the chum already in the bag, it is easy and when I am done I can just throw the bag in the garbage. The

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trick to using this type of chum is not to let the bag float on the water. I shorten the line up enough to keep the bag up-right, so it is hanging from the cleat. This way every time I walk or a wave hits the boat it sloshes the bag up and down dispensing the chum, if it is just floating on the water it will not dispense properly. Now that I have all that, I put out my first line.

My first rod out is a 40 size spinning reel, with a med/heavy rod, the same as I would use for snook or redfish, 12 pound mono or 15 pound braid line. As the sharks I am trying to land on this rig are 2 to 4 feet, for tackle I use a 4/0 AFW red leader. On the hook is half a sardine – and most important, a bobber on this line.

This will be the furthest line away from the boat. I let the current take it at least 75 or 100 feet away from the boat, and the bait is now 3 to 4 feet below the float.

Now the second line is free-lined out and placed in the back left corner of the boat with no float or sinker, it will adjust itself to the currant lay on the bottom during a slack tide, or as the tide picks up and starts moving faster, the bait will come up off the bottom. Same hook, leader and bait, the ole trusty sardine. With the first rod on a float and the second free-lined there is almost no way for them to tangle.

The 3rd and 4th rods both go in the holders mid ship. These are the heavy rods, the 3rd one is a 6500 Live liner with 65 pound test braided line and it has a 3 foot 100 pound test steel leader with a 7/0 hook and 4-finger size chunk of mullet on it, with a 4 ounce sinker to keep it in place, preventing tangled lines. Cast this out the back at a 45 degree angle from the boat.

The 4th rod a 9/0 or bigger Penn conventional reel, loaded with 80 pound mono line. I use mono as it seems safer to me I can tell when it is about to break and does not bury into itself as easy as braided. This has a 6 foot 250 pound test leader with a 12/0 hook and a big chunk of bait, like half or whole mullet maybe a lady fish but big 3 pounds of bait, the

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You can clearly see the blacktips on this blacktip shark from a charter with Capt. Billy Barton

smaller sharks may push it around, but it will take a big shark to pick it up.

Use a heavy sinker 8 ounce or bigger to hold the bait out and away from the other lines. Even though it is heavy, the current pushes hard on such a large piece of bait, hence the big weight. Again I cast this at a 45 degree angle back of the other side.

So now I have a line with a float covering the sharks running near the surface.

Free lined with cover the middle depths of the water and finally ones with sinkers on the bottom. The smaller baits on the first 2 will entice any black tip or smaller sharks 3 foot or less to bite, the larger rods with big baits will get the larger sharks to eat.

Once all of the rods are set, you have to wait, I usually figure on about 45 minutes for the chum to really start working, that is why the chum is the second thing I do after getting the Anchor set, that way the clock is running.

Another tip is that markers hold bait and make for good shark fishing but I do not get too close as the sharks will tend to run around the marker and break you off, so if I am fishing a marker I am about 100 yards away letting my chum bring them to me. Keep in mind sharks are an apex predator and although you are fishing for them, you could just as easily become their prey.

Frank@Fishin’ Franks.com 941-625-3888

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Whether you are looking to list your home, buy a new home, or bring friends and family to join you in Florida, call me to help you find what you are looking for!

Lennore Shubel – Realtor Cell: 631-741-4589 Email: lennore@liveswflorida.com

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APRIL 2014

How to Get Your Pictures into this publication

I was wondering how does one get pictures posted of the fish we caught ? Six of us were out on an all day fishing trip , on the 10 of March 2014 with Steve the captain of "Tide One On" out of Placida . We caught 11 barracuda , 4 Amberjacks and a couple of nice Groupers . Plus, a lot of ground fish. We also had a porpoise following us . I am not sure about the age of the young girl who was fishing with us that day , with her father and brother around the same age . She pulled in one amberjack that was almost as tall as she was. Her brother pulled in a nice Barracuda .

It was her first time fishing saltwater . She will have one great story to tell at school .

It was a perfect day on the 10th of this month .

Offshore 30 miles . My best friend from Niantic CT. , Rich Wasik , caught the biggest fish of his life . One Goliath Grouper weighing approx. 300

plus Lbs . Worked the fish for over a half an hour . He wanted to catch a big fish and Steve the Captain gave him his wish. Rich was pooped after that fight and let the Goliath Grouper go back after the Captain and mate removed all kinds of hooks from her . I told Rich , be careful what you wish for . He laughed .

After all the fish where filleted , we ended up with 240 lbs of fillets . 40 lbs a piece . I cooked up some of the barracuda , after removing the blood line and it was great . Nice tasting fish. Any fish tastes good if you know how to prepare and cook it . Well I hope to get out next year with him . (God permitting) Please respond Steve

Editor Responds: Here you go, Steve!

email your recent pictures to waterlife@comcast.net Send full size images and do not adjust them in any way Give us some information

We must be the first ones to publish your pictures. Send us photos you have not sent to any other publication Send current photos (last 45 days) so we can keep all our fish pictures fresh and our publication indicative of the current fishing situation WeĘźll try our best to use them

We will not ever retain any rights to your pictures

APRIL 2014

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The Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

Hey - Ya- All how are ya - all doing? I hope you have caught alot of fish since last month. We have been doing pretty good our last couple of charters was with Dennis Layman , Doug Layman, Mike Thomas, Ron Bogit, and Kenny Watson and friend.

The other group was Dick Wright, Lucy Wright , My Englemann and her husband Joe Englemann. Both groups were a hoot and we had alot of fun.

We are still getting red grouper, gag grouper, (we put them back) jolt head porgies, reef porgies, mangrove snapper, trigger fish and scamp. The red grouper are still hitting on stink bait mullet, squid, sardines, and thread fins. We always take live bait, pin fish, squirrel fish and shrimp. We get a couple on live bait. Mangs and porgies are hitting on squid and shrimp, AJ's are chewing on blue runners and big pin fish, also vertical jigging is producing AJ's.

The 2 groups we had out caught a smorgasbord of fish.

There are a ton of Spanish mackerel in Boca Grande Pass. I talked with a couple of guys and they said they were catching some king mackerel out of Boca in 35 to 45 feet of water.

Todd Gilbert, a back bay guide an friend, told me he was getting some big snook and redfish. The snook have been running from 38 to 44 inches BIG - UNS. Also he got some redfish that weighed 8 pounds and were only a little over 25 inches. That's a tournament fish in the slot and 8 pounds. I will take them all day long like that, keep up the good work Todd.

Well folks I think it's time to get out of here till next month, so if you have a good ol fish story or a recipe for cooking fish that we can share with our readers or if you want to book an offshore charter aboard the Predator II CALL (941) 473 -2150

AND REMEMBER GET OUT AND SNORT SOME OF THAT GOOD CLEAN SALT AIR CUZ IT’S GOOD FER YA ! ! !

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APRIL 2014

SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True November 2014. The $35 million project to widen Port Canaveralʼs 400-feet wide harbor by 100 feet and deepen the entrance by two feet to 46 feet cleared the final two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting hurdles last week.

Kentucky worker placing fish attractors

AS PART OF THE 2014 FEDERAL BUDGET, Congress approved $75 million in fishery disaster relief funds. Mississippi will receive $10,941,828 and Florida will receive $6,316,533. The allocation comes after the Department of Commerce declared six fishery disasters. Two separate disasters were declared in the Southeast U.S. The first was for the Mississippi oyster and blue crab fisheries due to floods, and the second was for the Florida west coast oyster fishery due to excessive drought conditions.

FROM THE FWC REPORT: Officers Lewis and Clark were working in the Blackwater River Forest ...........

THE WIDENING AND DEEPENING OF CANAVERAL HARBOR to allow larger ships greater safety margins for sailing in and out of Port Canaveral is scheduled to begin this month with completion in

BIGGER SHIPS MSC Cruises has signed a letter of intent with STX France for the construction of two new cruise ships, 315 meters long and 43 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of about 167,600 tons.

They can accommodate 5,700 passengers and 1,536 crew members,

making them the biggest cruise ships ever built by a European shipowner.

LOVE BUGS ARE HERE, WHITE FLYS ARE COMING An infestation of circiling white flys in Miami is moving this way.

The most affected plants are palms. The clusters of white flys appear as white blotches on the underside of leaves and a sooty mold follows them. We have not found a topical treatment that rids these pests and are experimenting with systemic treatment by trunk injection.

ROD STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

Alfred Mead, 72, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft by swindle for bringing two previously captured fish into the Park Rapid American Legion Community Fishing Derby in Feb. “Your con-

The graphite rod is totally toasted, as is this angler, who is lucky to be alive.

LIGHTS OUT There was talk last month about the shrinking participation in the Punta Gorda Lighted Boat Parade. First they talked about not starting the parade in Edgewater Lake and just having it in the Peace River at Punta Gorda. Now it looks like they may do away with it all together.

GUIDES ASSN Conversation between some local guides has been about a membership guides association and having the money they collect in dues go straight to the FWC for additional enforcement and resource management.

We think that since the harbor is the countyʼs main attraction the county should contribute to the cost of maintaining and enforceing Charlotte Harbor.

STUMP PASS MARINA HAS BEEN SOLD to the maintenance department manager Doug Reichard so the same familiar faces are still around.

JAIL FOR TOURNAMENT CHEATER

duct had a major impact on these [fishing tournaments],” Minnesota Judge Robert Tiffany told Mead. “I hope you realize the seriousness of your conduct.”

Cheating, Tiffany said, “takes the enjoyment and joy out of it for those who bring their kids” and honest participants.

Mead, who has two prior gaming convictions and a decade-long trail of suspicious tournament winnings, reported to the Hubbard County jail.

PELICANS HOSTILE. Several guides have commented on the aggressiveness of local pelicans lately. This coincides with the still missing arrival of baitfish into the harbor. Guides at Fishermenʼs Village say itʼs almost impossible to fillet a clientʼs fish because of pelicans. The new arrival of white pelicans into the area must add to the feeding pressure.

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APRIL 2014

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Stalloneʼs Jet Ski Dock Gets Rambo-Response From Feds

ON THE LINE

By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff A Miami Federal judge has sentenced a South Florida man to six months home detention and a $225,000 fine for building illegal docks and piers on navigable waters. US District judge, K. Michael Moore , imposed the sentence on 70 year old Richard Bunnell of Miami for violating the Federal Rivers and Harbor Act. Mr. Bunnell, the owner of Bunnell Foundation Marine construction, doing business in the Miami area since 1971, has a reputation as being a quality builder in the area and is even a member of several advisory boards on marine matters.

His work was so highly regarded that he was considered to be the dock builder to the rich and famous around Miami. If you owned one of the many multi-million dollar waterfront mansions that surrounds the area, Bunnell Foundation is the company you want to take care of your dock. It appears that this relationship with high-visibility celebrities is what has focused the light on some of Mr. Bunnell's business practices.

Several years ago, Sylvester Stallone purchased a small fixer-upper bay-front mansion for $8 million dollars. As part of the renovation Sly wanted a new addition to his dock to accommodate his jet skis .

Bunnell Foundation got the job and proceeded to go to work just like they had on hundreds of similar jobs like this in the past. First you make your engineering diagrams and bring them to the Metro Dade Dept of Environmental Management office for approval. Then you apply for your permits, do the work and get a final inspection. It’s a pretty straight forward process in general, but this time there was a glitch with the one federal permit that was required from the Army Corps of Engineers. This used to be a pretty simple permit to get but, additional federal regulations and recent budget cuts have caused a backlog that was running 4 to 6 months for the issuing of these permits.

Mr Bunnell felt that this was just too long to wait, so he went to work and finished the dock. He had the local inspectors sign off on his work and waited for the federal permit. He figured that even if the permit was denied for some engineering reason, he could always apply for an

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after the fact permit; pay a $500 fine and go back and make any changes required.

Mr. Bunnell was so confident in this approach that he started several other projects using the same strategy: Apply for local and federal permits, finish the work, get the local inspectors to sign off, and if the Feds had a problem they could work out the problems later.

But the Feds did not agree with Mr. Bunnell’s strategy and even though they said they did not have enough time or money to issue permits in a timely manor, they did have enough time and money to have the Attorney General’s office file Federal charges against Mr. Bunnell for building docks without a federal permit. The violations that could be resolved at the local level with a $500 fine

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had now become a big federal case.

I'm sure Mr. Bunnell's lawyers got the best deal they could for their client and he took the house arrest and big fine instead of federal prison time.

Why would something that happens in Miami have any effect on us? Well, we have the same federal laws and regulations and the same Endangered Species Act and the same loss of local control over our waterways. Remember when you have big government you have big power.... and with big power comes big abuse of power. When they try to put a man in prison for not getting a permit I think we have reached the point of big abuse.

Captronb@juno.com

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Dave Fleishig (second from left) cuts through the fleet at Marker No. 4 enroute to victory in the Conquistador Cup. The little Melgis with its big sails and sleek hull was exactly what it took with light winds on race day.

Fewer Participants This Year

Staff Report Last month we saw the last of what we consider the major sailing events for the year in Charlotte Harbor. From here on in there is still plenty of sailing, weekly small boat events and a few big boat ‘series’ events each month through the summer, but the big competitions are over. Now the focus turns to points accumulated in the accredited smaller events, in a quest for the Boat of the Year title.

Weather was less than cooperative for

most of the big events. Light wind and sometimes morning fog accompanied the sailors out onto the water.

Turnout for the three major big boat events; The Golden Conch in January, the Conquistador Cup and Leukemia Cup in March, was less than expected.

The Golden Conch exerted energy to increase participation but still only wound up with 24 boats. The Conquistador Cup at 26 was down 20 boats from past years and The Leukemia Cup fielded only 22 boats.

Even the small boat Charlotte Harbor Regatta seemed smaller, perhaps because there were fewer classes than in years past.

Still, Charlotte Harbor remains on Sailing Magazine’s list of top places to sail in the USA.

APRIL 2014

Lots of tiny floating trash

The nonprofit Rozalia Project trawls harbors with a standardized, replicable system and then counts whatʼs there besides water and especially plastic, even tiny beads of plastic. They report the ratio of trash volume, in pieces, per square kilometer 1. Los Angeles – Marina del Rey: 282,000 2. Long Beach: 88,000 3. Philadelphia 83,555 4. New York 74,000 5. Boston 58,557 6. San Fran. Bay: 23,818 7. San Diego 21,0008. Seattle 14,000 9. Chicago 8,500 10. Vancouver 3,500

APRIL 2014

Kayaking

The Calusa Blueway

By David Allen Water LIFE Kayaking One of the premiere paddling locations in Southwest Florida is the area encompassing the Great Calusa Blueways. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Calusa Blueways for all paddlers, but particularly for those who are only in Southwest Florida for a brief winter stay. The advantage of having a marked trail, and being able to select the kind of paddling you wish to do, over–rides the advantages of exploring on your own.

The Blueways are an organized system of water trails extending from the Imperial River and Lovers Key on the southern end to Pine Island and Bokeelia on the Northern end. In between these two bookends, the trails include the Caloosahatchee River and most of its western tributaries, plus Pine Island Sound and San Carlos Bay near Ft. Myers. The Blueway area covers some 230 square miles and over 190 miles of mostly non-motorized water trails, and provides access to state and federal preserves and historical sites.

Overall, there are dozens of different trails to explore, and most are in water 2-3 feet deep where powerboats seldom venture.

The Blueways, a joint project of Lee County Parks and Recreation and the Lee County Visitors Bureau, has opened up our local waters to kayakers much as the

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Appalachian Trail opened up the eastern coastal states to hikers. While the Blueways has mile markers on many of the trails, the trails don’t follow a straight line from one location to another. Instead the trails meander through the rivers and bays to the beaches and lagoons where dolphins, manatees and birds, such as eagles, ospreys and all sorts of herons, egrets and ibis, abound, and of course, the Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve is located on the southeast edge of Sanibel.

Information on the Blueway Trails is easy to access on the web at www.calusablueway.com. For techie kayakers, the Blueway Trails is one of the first in the country to have a “Smart Phone” app that provides real-time GPS coordinates and navigation, an interactive trail map, and some brief information on the areas wildlife. You can download the app at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blueway/id 463562993?mt=8.

Our club decided to paddle a section of the Blueway that begins just north on Matlacha, launching from Sirenia Vista Park. This launch is easily reached by taking Burnt Store Rd. south to a right turn onto Tropicana Pkwy, then straight west to Old Burnt Store Rd. and then

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south to Sirenia Vista Park. The launch site is a combination of gravel and sand down a fairly steep bank. Restroom facilities are available as is adequate parking.

From the launch we headed directly west through a narrow entrance into about half a mile of open mangrove channels, quickly reaching the open water along the eastern edge of Pine Island Sound. As you head north, the eastern edge of the mainland is dotted with numerous islands and keys, including, at the northern end of Buzzards Bay, The Bird Rookery Keys.

Extending north from Pine Island Rd. causeway for about 3-5 miles is an Ecological Restoration Area, the Wetlands Restoration Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve. Take special care in this area not to harm the sensitive wildlife habitats.

As I said earlier, we turned north to head past Silver Key and on into Buzzard

PAGE 21

Bay. The day was slightly overcast with a little wind from the southwest; great for paddling. There was not a lot of wild life, but we did see some heron and egrets as we usually do. We paddled about 3-4 miles north, made a U-turn, and paddled back south on the west side of the Bay. As we approached the boat channel leading north to the launch site, the powerboat traffic picked up noticeably as there are private homes, and I believe, a small marina along the eastern shore.

Then, out of the water and onto our cars, and we were off to a great lunch in Matlacha.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesday evening at 5:00 PM sharp at Franz-Ross Park next to the YMCA on Quesada. All are welcome to attend. For more information call Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 or dlaa@comcast.net.

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Charlotte Harbor

Frank, at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888

EMAIL:

WATERLIFE@COMCAST.NET

April Fishing Forecast

There are King mackerel and some permit offshore. Troll reef to reef, pick out two structures, say Power Pole to Mary’s and drag Stretch-30s or 14-Bombers for the mackerel. There are big red grouper if you are willing to go out to 80 feet of water depth or more. Closer to land, 15 miles and under, there are lots of snapper and some gags. In general, bottom fishing is good, but nothing monster. Amberjack and almaco jacks are out there and we have a great cobia season going on. Cobia are over-the-top nearshore and all the way up through into the Harbor. Cobia are leading the way into the Harbor. At the bridge 34- to 48-inch cobia have been caught out about 1/3 of the way, just onto the rise. Incoming or outgoing hasn’t been making a difference. With rain, that might make a difference. With a lot of rain then it will be the incoming tide overnight.

Cobia are also over by Hog Island and

if you look for them cruising the near surface along the bars on a calm morning you can see them on each side of the harbor. I worked with rattletrap to make a new lure one with a vertical twitch, you have to

twitch up and then it has a flutter. This lure has been wacking the cobia and they are also getting sharks on this lure. It’s an extremely slow sinking rattletrap. It looks a lot like the normal ‘shrimp’ one it just has a different action.

Seatrout are kind of scarce. There are some north of Pirate Harbor, inside the bar and up at the 41 Bridge. it’s been a thin year on seatrout. For redfish, the east side of the Harbor rules, the problem is they are way back – when you get behind the first set of island then you have to go back

APRIL 2014

some more behind the other islands. Midpoint down the east side there are some nice reds too.

On the west side, back in the back of Turtle Bay there are very good redfish again. And I’m hearing about quite a few up in Lemon Bay – look at the docks by the canal mouths – chances are you’ll catch some redfish there.

A nice back country snook from Fishbone Charters It’s really good timing with the rain now for the snook. A lit- thick, anglers soon want to do something tle rain this time of year will push them out else. If you are fishing in the middle of the to the salty barrier islands. Without rain Harbor out by the near-shore reefs you will they will spawn at the canal mouths up get tired of catching sharks. The big thing here and that will kill the eggs. Snook are is no barbs, take your plyers and flatten the really good on the Peace and Myakka, they barbs. Sharks have a mouth more like are scattering through the flats. We’re fig- human - heavy muscle and cartilage - and uring to have a good snook population when you rip the hook out it does damage coming. Look around the sand bars at Jug to the fish. The sharks never come off the hook, this makes it so easy to catch and reCreek shoal.

Sharks are everywhere; on near shore lease and with little effect on the shark, reefs, up in the Harbor, I have people askcontinued on facing page ing me how do we NOT catch sharks! Like catching mackerel, when they are too

Capt. Joe Miller out of Venice shows a 48-pound wahoo (left) a nice amberjack, right and and Billy Swanson with an African Pompano, all from last month.

Charters

Offshore Fishing Trips: 1/2 day • 8hr • 10 hr • 12 hr We help put your charters together

Shark, Tarpon, Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish, and MORE!

Nighttime Trips Available

Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

941-473-2150

BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

APRIL 2014

continued from facing page

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PAGE 23

The BIG-4 Fish to expect in April

plus there isn’t all that blood on the boat.

In freshwater, the bass fishing is crazy good right now. Everyone is talking SNOOK Moving to the salty about creature baits - it’s areas not the brand it’s a nickname for anything that looks like a bug or space alien, shorter and thicker. Rig them up weedless on a worm hook in purple and brown.

There’s a decent bluegill bite, crappy are pretty hard to find. Put a wiggle on a hook under a bobber and you catch a bunch of panfish - all it takes is wigglers, a bobber and a No. 8 hook.

The Myan cyclid bite on the other coast is doing extremely well now, the fish now are like a cross between an oscar and a bluegill and that new breed is exploding.

Lemon Bay:

Jim, at Fishermen’s Edge, Englewood: 697-7595

Fishin’ has been pretty fair. There are lots of kids in town. Last Saturday I was packed with parents and grandparents taking the kids fishing They were catching a lot of seatrout, ladyfish and some Spanish. Some went to the docks for sheepshead. There are some black tips. Around the Tom Adams bridge at night there have been

Offshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien

SHARKS are in the passes and on the inshore and offshore reefs and wrecks SHEEPSHEAD are hitting super at Helen's Reef and Mary's Reef and also at Boca Grande Causeway and at the El Jo-bean bridge. They are using fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and tube worms. I had a fellow come up to me and say 'you should see the sheepshead I caught on tube worms, just like you said,' he said. 'It was hard work and time consuming to get the tube worms, but it sure paid off!' His sheepies was weighing in at 5 to 6 pounders. That's some nice fish if you like sheepshead. Get a bucket and a shovel and go get some tube worms. Make sure you dig

www.fishingpuntagorda.com

REDFISH East Side behind the islands

SHARKS Bonnets and sharpnose all over the Harbor

snook. A guy I know had two tarpon in Pine Island last week, one friend got spooled the other day on a plug by a tarpon.

A lot of bigger redfish are around. The bait has been sketchy, the water got dirty, the temperatures changed and everyone is struggling.

All the guides are taking shrimp because they are not finding live bait. down far enough so you get the worm. If a sheepshead is plum full and you drop a tube worm down he will still nail it.

TRIPLE TAIL if you can get out around the crab trap buoys early in the morning you can see them hanging right around the buoy.

MANGROVE SNAPPER they are in Boca Grande Pass and on the inshore and offshore reefs and wrecks. I talked with a few guys and they told me they had caught some big mangs in 35 to 40 feet of water out of Boca and the weight was 4 to 5 pounders.

AMBERJACK -are on most structure offshore.

They are hitting good on lively blue runners, big pin fish and vertical jigging.

RED GROUPER we are doing good in 95 to 110

Gulf Temps are 71

JACK CREVALLE Around the seawalls and shorelines

and warming up.

Many soecies are moving around

95˚ 90˚ 85˚ 80˚ 72˚ 70˚ 68˚

Top Left - Capt. Karl Butigian holds a nice redfish with a perfect heart shaped spot.

Above and below: Jacks and pompano from clients of Capt.

Billy Barton

feet of water. They are getting some BIG - UNS out 35 to 40 miles. Stink bait still seams to be working the best. We have caught a few on live bait but more on stink bait, good ol mullet chunks tipped with squid, whole squid, sardines and thread fins.

KING MACKEREL a few have been caught out of Boca Grande Pass and out in the Gulf, a few out of Stump Pass and out of Sarasota. One was 64 pounds, now that's a smoker! Don't forget while your bottom fishing put a croaker or pin fish on a balloon and cast it behind the boat and leave it alone until something smashes it then hang on.

50˚ 45˚

FISHING RIGHT NOW:

Good

live bait is MIA

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APRIL 2014