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Tune in to Radio Fishinʼ anytime! Talk shows with Fishinʼ Frank @ FishinFranks.com
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Michael, I donʼt mean to muddy the waters, but I have enclosed a photo of a 41-inch redfish that I caught last December 10 at the mouth of the Myakka River. The bottom of the tail is fine and the top is gone.....I have no idea why. Best Regards. Harry Thomas
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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers
(941) 766-8180
217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952
Editor Notes* The whole point is that deformed fish, no matter the cause, should not be allowed in fishing tournaments.
Hello Water LIFE Love your magazine, we always grab one. My 8 yr old loves fishing and reading and looking at them as well! Here's her 30 inch snook she caught in the Myakka River on 11/16. It was catch and released back into river. She said it was one of the best moments in her life - haha! She'll be absolutely thrilled!! Thank you so much! Her name is Konstantine Belgrade and the man is Erik Noack. Editor notes* Really nice snook! Tight lines and keep fishing!
Hi Michael! Lately I have been getting back out on the water, however I haven't even been touching the pole, but instead using a compound bow I rigged up for fishing. I had no idea this kind of fishing existed until one day I happened to be under a bridge fishing and there were five guys up top shooting ʻem up! It is so exciting hunting for fish and when you finally get one it's game over, you're hooked! Honestly I'm surprised it's not more popular especially because of how much great fishing there is around here. My first day out, the first fish I ever got was a sheepshead, then I got a mullet, and ended the day with a 35-pound ray that was not happy about it. Lol! Hope all is well, look forward to future good reads!
Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIII No 12 © 2014
No part of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied or reproduced without specific written permission from the publishers.
Contributing Editors:
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 Fly Fishing: Capt. Scott Sichling Beach Fishing: Mallory Herzog Circulation: Robert Cohn Office Dog: Molly Brown
Shannon Friday
on the COVER: Juvenile Atlantic Bumpers school around and under jellies, whereas adults still school, but lose their affinity for grouping under jellyfish. This image was made last month while on the offshore trip with the Don Ball School of Fishing.
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DECEMBER 2014
Eating our way out of trouble
By Michael Heller Water LIFE Publisher According to global scientists there is going to be a world wide influx of jellyfish. Am I worried? No because science always provides us an answer. Science has designated species that we don’t have enough of - like panthers and manatees - and dictates we must feed and protect them. And science has designated other species, like lionfish and now jellyfish as those that we clearly have too many of and then they suggest the scientific solution is for us to eat them. Lionfish tournaments are sanctioned by the FWC and lionfish-fry’s are encouraged. But now we have jellyfish too, so why not eat them as well? In a country with 5,000,000 hungry new residents, eating jellyfish might actually be a reasonable option. Other cultures eat jellyfish. Perhaps they are a delicacy that hasn’t caught on here yet. The annual global catch of jellyfish is actually greater than that of lobsters, or scallops, so people are eating them somewhere – most likely people in Asia, I assume, are eating jellyfish. I like Asian food; crusty jellyfish with flat noodles in a brown sauce? It’s probably got a texture crossed between raw quail eggs and tofu. I could see that on a bistro menu. I just can’t see me eating jellyfish any time soon. I’m throwing up in my mouth just writing about it! But what if we do wind up with a lot of them? The same comb jellyfish that recently crippled the Black Sea’s fishing industry thrives in the Gulf of Mexico. The picture I shot for the cover of this magazine this month, the one on this page and the winning photo from the Englewood open spearfishing tournament that we published two months ago were all of comb jellyfish. Comb jellies
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I photographed this comb jellyfish in the Gulf several years ago. Today, biologists predict we will be seeing more and more of them in the coming years and suggest we might, one day, eat them.
are not rare, but last weekend on our second offshore school trip I watched for any of them and saw none. Too many of any one thing in nature is not good. Jellyfish compete with smaller fish for the same food and they eat the smaller fishes’ eggs, which in turn helps to collapse the fish’s population. I have heard they tangle small fish in their tentacles and can digest them. Jellies are a pain in a cast net and bathers don’t like their skinpain either. And to make matters worse, they proliferate on a grand scale. Jellyfish don’t have baby versions of themselves, at least not the way most animals do. Jellyfish create polyps—little bundles of clones—that attach to hard surfaces and wait for the opportunity to release more small jellyfish. Often, while they’re waiting, the polyps clone
themselves, creating even more bundles of future baby jellyfish. Cutting some jellyfish open actually creates exponentially more of them and when the cells of one jellyspecies, the Benjamin Button jellyfish, are released into the surrounding water through decomposition after death, many of the cells are said to somehow find each other again and link up to form a whole new live polyp. Warm-water species of jellyfish today are finding more and more areas to expand their ranges. Scientists have already observed this with Australia's jellyfish and now scientists expect that on the East coast of the US and here on Florida’s SW coast, jellyfish will begin showing up ever earlier and sticking (pardon the pun) around longer and later into the fall. We will have to see. Happy Holidays! from Ellen and Michael
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Pattern
By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Inshore Cold fronts are now a way of life with yankee clippers and polar vortex’s the buzz words that weathermen like to scare you with. Our fish do not like the cold, but if you have the luxury of timing your fishing trips December can be quite spectacular. November had more than its share of extra cold days but I was able to capitalize on it and found extraordinary fishing. Cold fronts are easily predicted and often after they arrive you can expect a warming trend to follow. The pattern is basically this: 3 days of cold weather takes 3 days of warm weather to energize the shallow water fish this time of year. Cold fronts have unstable barometric pressures and warming trends often have stable pressures. Warmer waters and higher tides turn the fish on! With that recipe I fished 5 trips in November that produced huge numbers of snook. With 3-to 4 days of upper 70s weather white bait re-appeared and winds out of the west-southwest brought the higher tides. I departed with 50-75 pieces of bait, certainly not enough for chumming. On four of these trips I fished different areas including the Burnt Store area, Turtle Bay,
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Bull Bay and Placida. Each trip produced snook numbers between 30-50 fish, a few redfish, trout and an occasional jack. With nearly 200 fish caught less than 8 were legal fish and none were harvested. The snook fishery was opened just about two years ago and at that time I predicted it was way too early to be keeping the larger fish, fish that are over 26 inches. At that time bigger fish were very common, but now they are rare in the slot range. Skillful anglers and guides
have extracted the legal size fish and what is left are tons of small ones - this fishery is out of balance and needs to be closed again.
Another interesting observation from my November trips was the absence of redfish in places where there are usually plenty. Any redfish tournament angler will tell you that fish has been over harvested. Too many people love to eat redfish and the lack of fish is a clear sign. The fifth fishing trip in November was offshore for kingfish. This was a timed trip after 3 warm days following a cold front. Four hours of fishing proved fruit-
less so we moved off to grouper territory. Catching red grouper on cast after cast was huge fun however releasing 12 pound grouper because the season was recently shut down did not make any sense. There were tons of red grouper as expected! We did manage one gag grouper pushing 12 pounds and this was a fish that was in season. So we had to catch 40 red grouper out of season to catch 1 gag in season. Does something seem out of balance here? I was fishing in an area where the gags live. But the best surprise of the day were the 4-pound vermillion snapper! They pulled like crazy and were perhaps the best fish I have ever eaten! So what are anglers to do if they are not able to time their fishing trips and have to fish during a cold front or cold water conditions? The answer is to fish shrimp slow on the bottom, fish the
DECEMBER 2014
deeper waters; canals, basins and the potholes on the flats. Sheepshead, redfish, flounder, bluefish and speckled trout are more tolerant of the cold and will take the chill off the day. Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040.
DECEMBER 2014
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Wintertime Options
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Harbor – River – Canal
By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor
If you have been away, welcome back to sunny South West Florida. With the cooler weather pushing its way down south, we have seen our water temperatures begin to fall. During these winter changes a large majority of our game fish migrate to deeper warmer waters. Game fish such as snook and sea trout leave their warm summer homes on the grass flats in search of warmer deeper haunts.
During the coolest of the winter months we still have some of the best fishing in the state of Florida in our back yard. I mean literally, in our back yard. We are very fortunate to be able to fish a place that has the diversity that Charlotte Harbor offers. During the warmer months we have seemingly endless grass flats and mangrove marshes to stalk our favorite game fish. As winter approaches we have plenty of deep water for our fish to migrate into. On the north end of the harbor we have miles of man made canals in Punta Gorda Isles where, during the winter months, a large number of our fish go.
With so many miles of fishy looking water, locating fish in these areas can seem overwhelming so let me give you a few tips to make it a little less stressful.
Since the main idea of fishing these areas is to locate fish in deeper water, let’s start off by looking for and locating deeper water. If you have a depth machine this is a great time to use it. Spend some time riding around and locating deeper spots. Make some notes or remember where you see depth changes.
Once you’ve located some areas that look fishy, it’s time to see if there are any fish holding in them. I prefer to fish with live shrimp on a jig head when I’m fishing deeper water. Normally I will use a 1/8 oz. chartreuse jig, make sure it has a strong sharp hook. There are a couple ways to hook your shrimp. The two most common are from underneath the head or through the top. Try to miss the brain. If you look at the head you will see a darker spot - that is the brain. Another very effective way is to remove the tail and thread the hook on bringing it out half way up the back.
Trout love to set up residence in these holes during the coldest months. While trout are the majority of the bites this time of year, don’t be surprised if you catch black drum, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and even some snook and reds. And if you are not getting any bites don’t be afraid to move on to the next hole. Generally during this time of year, when you find a deep hole that is holding fish there will be a large number of them and getting a bite shouldn’t take very long. Artificial shrimp such as Berkeley
Gulp and D.O.A. can very effective. The one bonus about fishing this way is you can cover more water. If you find a hole that is producing bites on artificials, take your time and fish it slow. One of the most common mistakes anglers make during the winter months is fishing to fast. Slow down and make sure your lure is making contact with the bottom. If you would like to experience some of South West Florida’s finest fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our charters are private and customized to fit your parties needs. 941-916-5769 ww.backbayxtremes.com
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The Gift of Christmas Trout
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DECEMBER 2014
By Fishin’ Frank
let out some extra line. I do this by leaving the bail open on my reel until the bobber/cork is about 50 feet away from me. Then I close the bail. The trout will get spooked by the boat but then they circle back to where they were. And you’ll have a tasty shrimp waiting for them.
Water LIFE Baitshop
A hearty Ho Ho Ho! and it’s beginning to look a lot like trout season, every-where you go. From the east side to the west, and the poppin corks you know..... OK, enough of that!
It is true that the trout are getting thicker by the day, not only here in Charlotte Harbor, but in the whole of S.W. Florida where the waters will be cool and we should have plenty of sunny days. Those are the factors combined that illuminate the trout bite like a string of bar lights on a Redneck’s porch in July.
The one thing different this year is the success of bobber jiggin’ for sea trout.
When bobber jiggin’ you do not really pop the cork as much, maybe half as often as you would regularly pop, - and if there is a breeze and light waves I would not pop at all since the waves make the Rockport jig head with your shrimp on it bounce up and down and that makes it rattle in the jig, which attracts the trout. Poppin is not really necessary, but I enjoy the ‘pop’ of the cork so I still do it now and then.
I will explain: to bobber-jig, get a standard poppin’ cork, an unweighted one would be better, and a Rockport rattler jig head. The bright colors seem to work best, like pink or chartreuse. What makes this really affective is that the jig head has a rattle built in. Place the jig about 2 -1/2 feet below the cork. Hook a Trout was good last month and should be better this live shrimp onto the jig head - it does not have to be very big a choice size. Hook Trout are one of the most dangerous the shrimp through its head. fish we have here, no it is not the big fangs or all of the teeth they have, it is One of the better spots to try this out that they are slippery little devils and you would be on the east side of the Harbor get a hold of one and it starts to slip and behind the sand bar about 1/4 mile north of the Pirate Harbor entrance. Go through you tighten up your grip just as the hook reaches your hand and zap! You have a the channel markers, but slow down hook through your thumb! So use a Musgoing into the channel, just because it is tad 37140 #2 hook as it will hook in the marked as a channel dose not mean there corner of the mouth every time, this is any water in the channel! The average makes it easier to avoid it and un-like a depth there is 2-feet, so go slow and boat circle hook, you can get it out of the flat. Head to around half way between trout’s mouth with-out doing major damthe start of the channel and the trees in age. Plus, those hooks are way less exfront of you, turn North (or left - as it is the same thing) go about 5 minutes, yes I pensive than circle hooks and work way know, it does not seem long, but use your better. If a trout starts to slip out of your hand, let it slip and pick it back up. watch it is a longer time than you think. Now turn into the wind. Leave your outRemember; dry hands and dry rags board motor as deep as you can, go until kill trout. Use the water in your bait the motor bottoms out. Now turn off the bucket or live well to wet your hands or motor and cast into the wind. Let the boat rag before handling trout. That way you drift until the engine bottoms out and do not have to get the slime off your then raise the motor a little and head back hands as it will stay on the trout. A trout into the wind for another drift. It is imhandled with a dry rag dies within a few possible to get stuck if you follow this days. Keep it wet, you and the trout will simple system (editor Notes* impossiboth live better. Have fun out there, enjoy ble?). When you cast to bobber jig into the trout fishing and have a Safe and the wind, your bait will trail the boat, so I Happy Holiday! Fishin’ Frank 625-3888
Detailed Notes Can Save Your Butt
DECEMBER 2014
By Capt. Scott Sichling Water LIFE Fly Fishing Getting back on the water after having the last seven weeks off has been nothing short of amazing! The worst feeling was having to be towed in by Sea Tow after I blew my motor at the beginning of October. The same day I blew it, I dropped the boat off at the shop to be rebuilt. Seven LONG weeks later, after waiting for parts, machine shops being overwhelmed and a few “oh boy” problems arising I’m now very thankful to be back in action! Right at the beginning of October the shift in climate change started occurring getting us ready for our normal wintertime weather patterns. Afternoon rains ceased, the temperatures became mild and most game fish began their winter time transition into the back country as water temps began to drop. This transition period is dictated by the approaching cold fronts, there strength and how cold it gets. The more frequent the fronts are with consistency in keeping cooler temps for extended periods of time the quicker the fish move on their route. You can almost predict pit stops or overnight stays in particular areas depending on how fast winter conditions have advanced. For example, warmer temps and weak fronts that only have chilly air temps for a day or two will keep fish closer to the Gulf in areas like bull bay, Placida, Whidden or Catfish Creek. Stronger cold fronts with strong winds and really cold temps for extended periods of time will drive fish further back into no man’s land or around and down the West Wall where the water will remain a few degrees warmer. Each year I’ve fished during this transitional period I’ve learned a lot but more importantly I have taken good notes. Some things I like to write down when fishing an area are of course tidal stages, weather conditions, sunny or overcast, water and air temp and what particular method I em-
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ployed to search and catch fish. Some things in life really pay off in the long run for unknown reasons and good note taking was a HUGE success. My first day back on the water was this week, what a huge change in seven weeks! Water clarity improved significantly, cold fronts have become consistent now and the water temps have dropped at least 10-to 15-degrees. I was absent for the beginning of the transition the formal retreat of game fish pushing into their winter destinations and was about as lost as anyone could be. I referred back to my notes over the last 4-to 5-years of winter fishing and compared current conditions with what artificial lures I used in certain potholes and what species of fish I caught. I rigged up the night before heading out to scout and wouldn’t you know my note taking skills prevailed. We arrived in our first spot on a super low negative tide and had to wade to our first set of potholes. After a little waiting the second the tide switched to come in the redfish pushed in and began terrorizing the communities of glass minnows staked out underneath low hanging mangrove branches and oysters bars. Once the water level came up a few more inches the mullet and snook moved in the area just as predicted and the catching commenced! I was nervous being off the water for such an extended period of time - in the most important time frame - to track and stay on quality fish for clients. Taking good notes, pictures and sketches of certain areas helped me achieve my goal! Next time you’re out take a few minutes to see what really makes things “Tick” and learn the patterns of what’s really happening so you can keep your catching consistent and fun! Until next time, tight lines and good luck! Capt. Scott can be reached for fly or conventional charters at (941) 408-5634
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Good Fish-Karma: EITHER YOU HAVE IT OR YOU’RE WORKING ON IT
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By Capt Billy Barton Water LIFE INSHORE I had the pleasure of fishing quite a bit with some close friends last month. David Grant and his mother Linda, a.k.a. Lucky Fishin Granny, have been by my side since my first month’s of charter fishing. Charter fishing is a competitive business and not as easy as some folks make it out to be. Linda and her son have been a huge support to me as I've worked my way up into the industry. Without them and a small handful of other folks and family, I can't say for sure that I'd still be fishing full time today. So for their support and everyone else who has shown me support in chasing my dream, I am truly grateful. And I think what comes around goes around. Needless to say, when I get these folks out on the boat I do everything in my power to make sure that they've caught quality fish and they're heading home happy. But besides me giving them my best attention, which I do on every charter no matter who the clients are, I think some days the Good Karma factor definitely comes into play when we are out there fishin together, I truly do. It's like the Fish Gods look down on us and say "Oh, look who's on the boat with Billy today!" and they snap their fingers and BOOM! Big fish appear out of nowhere!?
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Here are few examples of what I'm talking about and this is just over an eight day stretch of fishing together.
Miss Lucky Linda, while fishing on the flats with a small Penn spinning outfit, caught her new personal best snook which turned out to be the biggest snook of the month. The fish measured 41-inches and weighed over 20-pounds! She caught it on the first day of a cold snap in extremely low water. I had even told her prior to fishing that I wasn't confident with our conditions that day, but we went anyway. The second day of that front she and I spent four hours straight on one mangrove bush and she caught redfish on just about every cast until we ran out of bait! We guessed that she caught over 60 redfish up
Linda Grant, Capt. Billy and her 41-inch snook
to 30-inches and not one was under the slot. Can you say lucky Karma!? Another example was on one of our Gulf trips. I could write a whole story about this one! On this trip while trying to catch us a piece of live bait for the big rod, she latches into a 25- pound cobia on a little tiny pink jig-head with a tiny piece of shrimp and on the little tiny rod! Somehow she landed that fish! I would have broken it off a dozen times. Then, 15minutes later her son David hooks and lands the cobia of a lifetime. After an hour long battle we boated his fish which was 5-feet and tipped the scales at over 70 pounds! What an amazing fish! Cobia was also a species I had yet to get for
PUNTA GORDA ISLES
Kings, cudas, bonitas and a FREAKEN GIANT RAMORA! (left), the largest I've ever seen!! Caught by David Grant while snapper fishing with live sardines. We thought it was a cobia on the way in, it put up a hell of a fight! – Capt. Billy
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DECEMBER 2014
David, so it made it all that much better! When you’re standing in my shoes and you've worked hard to make it happen, playing your role, watching it all take place, it doesn't get much better. It really doesn't. And it doesn't get more gratifying. For a charter captain, making memories like this is what we live for. We don't care about catching fish! We care about you catching fish! So whether it's just luck or Karma that follows good people on the boat, I honestly don't care. I know whatever it is, they have it and it's always nice seeing good things happen to good people. I think we all know what the moral of this story is.
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Happy Holidays guys and gals! Best of luck out there.
Capt. Billy Barton, Scales-n-Tails Fishing Charters 941- 979-6140
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DECEMBER 2014
AQUATICA Ofshore with the Don Ball School of Fishing
We took one gag grouper back to the dock for a filleting demonstration. Then we cut open the stomach to see what it had been eating (far right: white boney things)
By Michael Heller Water LIFE Kids Fishing and Environment As part of our Don Ball School of Fishing pro gram we work with Capt jack Pearson of the EnEnglewood Bait House on offshore fishing trips for the students. For the last few years we have run one offshore trip per school session. This year we ran two trips. Students from Punta Gorda and Murdock MidMiddle schools went offshore in mid November and were met by the cool jellyfish shown on the cover of this month’s edition. Then we got down to fishing. We had 28 fishing stations set up around the deck of the Reef Raider, Raider, every two students shared a bucket of cut bait. They fished with a rod rigged with an egg sinker and a circle hook. Those who knew what to do got right with the program
Capt. Cayle shows Jase Martin how to rig a cut
James Sibley untangles a small snarl
and for those new to offshore fishing, Capt. Jack and Mate Dick gave them a demonstration on how to keep your thumb on the spool and click over the release. And we had our class instructors Capts Cayle Wills and Billy Barton show how to put on a bait and pull up a fish. It didn’t take long before everyone was fishing, catching and asking each other ‘How many you got?’ We caught red grouper and gags, porgys and grunts, swuirrel fish, a few red snapper and one yellowtail. We usually release all the fish on our outings, but this year, as part of the learning experience, we kept one gag grouper and brought it back to the dock for a filleting demonstration and then we examined the contents of its stomach and then Capt. Billy took the fillets home for dinner.
Harley Wetzel selects the right bait
The Don Ball School program is funded with a grant from the Fish Florida license plate program and additional funding from the Charlotte County Marine Advisory Committee and private donors. This was our 13th year!
Capt Billy shows how to hold a spiney fish for a photo. L
DECEMBER 2014
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t bait. Then Capt. Billy shows him the picture of him and the fish he just caught
Raphael Martinez had the only yellowtail snapper - a little guy!
Lucas Blanchette gets to feel what a grouper始s skin is like.
Above: natalie barzyskowski with a grunt
Right: Teamwork with Max Kent (center) helping to land a fine red grouper
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Don Ball Offshore #2
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L.A. Ainger and Port Charlotte
Staff Report Water LIFE - Don Ball School Capt. Bart Marx, (right) instructed the Port Charlotte class of the Don Ball School of Fishing and accompanied the class on this offshore outing, so instead of his regular column this month, we are
showing you his class catching and releasing fish, which after all, is what the class was all about! The trip for the Don Ball School students at L.A. Ainger and Port Charlotte middle schools had already been cancelled once last month on account of weather. Thanks to Capt. Jack Pierson and the Reef Raider out of the Englewood Bait House for accommodating us with a reschedule the following week. The classes this year caught gag and red grouper, porgys and grunts, red and yellowtail snapper, and a few squirrel fish. We snuck out under cloudy skies had a great morning of fishing on three different spots and then ran back in just as the wind picked up and rain threatened. This event concluded the 2014 Don Ball school year. The Fish Florida license plate helps support our program.
For more pictures from this year始s two offshore trips go to the Don Ball School of Fishing page
DECEMBER 2014
Don Ball School Final Quiz and Graduation
All students take a 10-question quiz on the first night of classes and then they take the same quiz on the last night, 7 weeks later. Grades go from mid 60s to mid 90s. The quiz covers, baitfish, knots, Ethical Angling, tides, high water, hooks and more. You can take the quiz on our website at: www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com
Port Charlotte Middle School
L.A. Ainger Middle School
Murdock Middle School
Punta Gorda Middle School
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Main Event Features Turtle vs Manatee
By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff
The Holiday season is upon us. It is a time for holiday cheer, peace on earth and good will towards all men ... but wait! All is not well in the environmental kingdom because a few discouraging words are being heard from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). For the folks who have not been keeping up, the CBD is an environmental law firm that has made a living suing the U.S. government on behalf of the environment. They have sued the government so many times I have come to the conclusion that their main goal is to humiliate and demoralize the very government workers who’s job it is to protect the environment. The CBD has no membership fees: yet it receives over $6 million dollars a year. Last week the CBD filed a suit in Federal Court against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service alleging that power plant cooling systems are responsible for the death of sea turtles and other protected species. They contend that these cooling systems kill, in addition to sea turtles, more fish than the entire commercial fishing industry. The interesting thing is that the U.S. EPA has long approved and permitted the cooling systems at the power plants: so rather than go after the EPA or the power plants themselves, the CBD is going after the people trying to protect the environment. So how are sea turtles doing here in Florida ? Well, in 2013 we had the largest number of sea turtle nests ever in recorded history. This year appears to be another record; 2,459 nests were recorded within a 35 mile stretch from Longboat Key to Venice. Most people would consider that a success, but some people think we should always do better.
Power plant cooling systems are pretty straight forward: water that comes into the plant, picks up the heat from the electricity production process and the plant then returns the heated water back to where it came from. The CBD seems to have a problem with that. They say in their press release, “cooling systems discharge trillions of gallons of heated water back into these waterways, transferring trillions of BTUs of heat hourly. The resulting unnaturally warm water further disrupts local ecosystems”. And that presents a sticky problem. Who hangs out in the warm water dis-
charges at our power plants? None other than our own beloved manatees. It seems that the CBD is suggesting that manatees are somehow responsible for the death of hundreds of sea turtles. This is not unprecedented; remember last year the government let the western wind turbine power companies off the hook for the deaths of hundreds of eagles that flew into the spinning blades. This could get ugly fast so stay tuned. You might just see the Sea Turtle Lovers battle the Manatee Savers in a real environmental Smackdown. Capt.ronb@juno.com
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Triple Tail
By Bryan Fluech Water LIFE Sea Grant Collier County Agent This time of year in Florida presents anglers with an increased likelihood of seeing the uniquely shaped Atlantic tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) as they are commonly spotted floating near crab trap buoys. While they inhabit Florida waters year round, it is thought tripletail migrate to warmer waters during cooler months and back to northern latitudes during warmer periods. Globally, tripletail inhabit mostly tropical and subtropical coastal waters, but in the U.S. they can be found from Massachusetts south along the Atlantic coast throughout the Gulf of Mexico. They are not thought to be very abundant in any particular location, and are unique as they are the only member of the family Lobotidae found in the region. Individuals can reach over three feet in length and weigh as much as 40 pounds although anglers commonly encounter much smaller individuals. Tripletail derive their name from their large rounded dorsal and anal fins, which in addition to their caudal fin, makes it look like they have three “tails”. The fish has a deep, laterally compressed body and a large mouth. They also have small eyes and a sloping forehead. There are still many unknowns about the life history and reproductive biology of tripletail, but it is thought they can live up to ten years. Spawning takes place offshore in deeper waters during summer months, and females are thought to spawn multiple times during the spawning season. Like many fish, tripletail can change their color to match their surroundings. Juveniles tend to be mottled with yellow, brown and black and have white pectoral fins and a white margin on their tail. They are commonly associated with Sargassum and other drift algae and resemble leaves or debris. Adults also have
DECEMBER 2014
This little triple tail could grow to three feet and weigh 40 pounds!
varied mottled patterns ranging from dark brown to reddish brown or brown with a tint of gray. They are found in the open Gulf waters but can also occur in passes, inlets and bays near river mouths. Typically tripletail are solitary, but occasionally will form schools. They tend to float on their sides beneath objects such as crab trap buoys or debris or near structure such as pilings or navigation markers. Tripletail are ambush predators and will opportunistically feed on a number of small finfish and invertebrate species particularly crustaceans. Casting a live shrimp or crab directly in front of their view often results in a vigorous strike from these otherwise seemingly sluggish fish. Tripletail is a regulated species in Florida. There is a two-fish recreational daily bag limit and individuals must be at least 15 inches in length. They may only be harvested using hook and line gear. They are also harvested commercially on a limited scale with the same minimum length and gear requirements. Tripletail is considered an excellent eating fish. Its meat is sweet, white, and flakey, and is often compared to grouper and snapper.
Charlotte County Sea Grant Agent Capt. Betty Staugler’s column will return next month. She can be reached at: UF/IFAS Extension, Charlotte County (941) 764-4346
Shallow Flats DECEMBER 2014
By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Beach Fishing Winter came a little early to south west Florida this year. I seem to remember not having to break out my jeans and sweatshirts until almost December, not early November! This means the season is about to heat up, especially on our flats. It really has been a transition for me this year. Five years of fishing from our beautiful beaches, learning and catching everything I could from land, without a boat. Fast forward to this month and I am purchasing my very first boat. Terrifying and exciting at the same time, because well you know what BOAT stands for? Bust out another thousand. This fall I've had the privilege to fish with some of the best and most experienced captain's in our area. What has really peaked my attention is flat's fishing. Each time I head out on the water, I am learning and seeing something new. One of my most memorable trips recently was with Captain Steve Hall, owner of West Wall Boat Works in Port Charlotte. He was set on breaking my "red fish curse". If you've seen his facebook & instagram under the name Flats Pirate, you can quickly tell that Steve is a talented photographer and fisherman. Many years of experience under his belt and a passion for sharing his love of fishing with others, we set out on a cool morning a little after sun up. Steve explained where the school of fish would come in during the tide switch and that it was a waiting game. At this point I had never actually seen a redfish school. Ive heard about how easy they are to spot and that the water will look red because of the hundreds of fish traveling together. About an hour into sitting in one of his favorite flats near Boca Grande there they were.
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As we cruised over the flat on the trolling motor, I could see hundreds of big redfish in front of us. It was such an amazing sight, I was so mesmerized that Steve had to yell at me to throw my lure into the school of fish. We were using a variety of artificial soft plastics and various lures. Steve was a great teacher and could tell me exactly where to cast from the platform. Explaining how to work my lure in a way that would grab their attention. Always encouraging and informative and patient! These redfish however were being difficult. We had a few hits and saw our friend, Native Watercraft Pro Staffer "GatorDave" Harper hook up out of his kayak near us. We kept casting on the same school and became entangled in Dave's line with a BIG redfish on the other end. That was interesting, getting our lure untangled, being especially careful not to cause his fish to come off. Watching him fight this fish for 15 minutes, I started to understand why these larger reds are so prized. They are fighters! We just couldn't get them to eat what we were throwing at them. This went on for about five hours. If we were able stay into the evening hours, I really think we could of gotten them to eat. But our parking ticket was about to expire. Nearing the end of the day my son was throwing a soft plastic behind the boat. We told him "one more cast then were giving up for the day!" As Aiden went to reel in, FISH ON! We cheered him on, and were all hoping
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for a big redfish on the other end. When the fish really started to scream drag on my small spinning combo, he handed off the rod to me. As I gained control of the fish and we got it closer to the boat, it leaps out of the water in a splashing show. It’s a giant snook. Not our target species for today, but very exciting never the less. Our biggest snook to date at 40 inches. Captain Steve Hall captured these beautiful photo's of this gorgeous snook. Aiden has been upset ever since, due to his handing off the fish so I promised him I would let everyone know that it was a
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team effort! Needless to say I don’t think he will ever let go of a rod with a fish on it again – HAppy HOlidays!
Kayaking Little Dog PAGE
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in Gasparilla Sound
By David Allen Water LIFE Kayaking A couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday, the weather was warm, the sun bright and the wind down. Couldn’t be a better day for a little open water paddling. And one of the best spots to launch from is into Coral Creek just below the Gasparilla Rd. bridge. As my wife and I were spending the weekend in Rotonda West, it was just a short haul down Placida Road to the
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launch near the Fishery Restaurant. It was a pleasant weekend day and we expected the parking lot to be full of cars. We weren’t disappointed. So we dropped off the kayaks, parked the car in the Fishery lot and launched from along-side the bridge. We paddled east down the tail-end of Coral Creek toward the entrance channel to Gasparilla Marina and knew immediately that we were going to have high wind conditions…what happened to those gentle breezes just an hour ago? And we soon found other boaters that were also enjoying a day on the water. Where did they all come from? After leaving the channel, we headed west so we could pass under the cause-
way, circle Bird Key, just to the west, and stop for a break at the inlet. Since the wind was out of the southwest we had a little boost on most of that leg and made good time. The tide was fairly low and the sand bars surrounding Bird Key were simply covered with birds of all kinds, all chattering and flying off as we approached. The birds were smart enough to stay on the west side of the Key to avoid much of the wind. The tide was still going out as we hit the sand, but it was close to slack and we had no trouble beaching the kayaks on the back side of the inlet. The water was still fairly warm, warmer than my swimming pool, so we took a brief swim and had a bite to eat. We found a few good shells to keep, did all the beach things kayakers do and then headed for Little Dog. Over the years we have been to Little Dog numerous times. It is only a little over a mile from where we used to launch at Grande Tours; that was before Marian closed up shop. The new launch is slightly closer. Little Dog has a fine, shallow beach that extends like a curved arm to the west. Beaches on both sides of the arm are ideal for practicing wet exit and re-entry from a kayak, rolling, etc. From Gasparilla Inlet we headed directly east, yes, directly into the wind, passed under the Causeway Bridge and approached Little Dog from the southwest. Still a lot of power boat traffic, but we avoided most of it on this route. After passing under the Causeway you still have to go under the abandoned RR bridge. There are always a lot of fishermen with a line in along the tracks. As we passed by, a lady who was fishing along the edge of
DECEMBER 2014
the bank, told us that she had seen a manatee, also along the bank. We made a couple of passes back and forth but didn’t see the sea cow. As we neared Little Dog, it was obvious that someone was holding a convention there. Boats anchored on both side of the sand spit. As I said, it was a beautiful day to be on the water. So we circled the island, and headed back to Coral Creek. On the return trip we spotted several kayakers fishing along the edge of the bridge and some over toward Catfish Creek. They seemed to be catching fish. Just before we got to the beach by the bridge, we spotted, off to the right, a derelict boat where white pelicans had set up housekeeping. One was even roosting on the bimini. Must have been eight or ten pelicans when we first saw them, but several flew away as we approached. Little Dog is an easy paddle from Coral Creek and there is always something interesting to see. And it’s only about a 5 mile round trip if you go to the inlet, so almost anyone can do it. Try to pick a day when the boat traffic is low. The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesday evening at 5 PM sharp at FranzRoss Park adjacent to the YMCA on Quesada. All are welcome. Call Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 for more information.
DECEMBER 2014
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PIER FISHING: Bonito
By Bobby Vitalis Water LIFE Pier fishing Bonito are so awesome to catch. This fish took me about 5 minutes to bring in. This bonito was caught at Sharky’s Pier in Venice. I have caught the bonito in the early morning hours from high to low tide. Bonito come in large schools. If you see one, you are going to see another. Bonito come and go. The way I catch bonito is to go spinning for them. You want a fast retrieve to move a lure at a pace that will interest the bonito to bite. One of the lures, I am using to catch bonito with is called the GOT-CHA lure. The color is yellow head with silver body with red treble hooks and weight is one ounce, Model #G502RH. The presentation using the GOT-CHA lure is at a fast retrieve. As you’re reeling it in, give it fast jerks every so often. There are other lures that I am using to catch bonito with (which are just as effective as the GOT-CHA lure). One lure is called the Sea Striker CLARKSPOON. The color is chrome plated, size 3 inch,
weight is 3/8 ounce, model #1RBMS Also there is the TSUNAMI SEA SPOON Model #TS1SRB. Both spoons are identical to one another. Just two different manufacturers. The way to use this lure is to have a Billy Boy bobber in front of it. The length of the leader line would be about 4 feet from the bobber to the lure. The way to use the CLARKSPOON is to have a fast steady retrieve. Note: with the GOT-CHA lure, all you need is 2 feet of leader line. I am using 30 pound test SUFIX ADVANCE SUPER line (BRAIDED) as my main line. If anyone wants a line that can cast far, then this is a good line to get. Then for my leader line, I am using SEAQUAR 100 percent FLUOROCARBON line. I suggest you use from 30 to 50 pound test line. The knot to make from the leader line to the lure is called the improved clinch knot. However, when twisting your line, with the 30 pound test, twist it 3 times. With the 50 pound test, twist it only 2 times. So, have a great time fishing!
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Sailing PAGE
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2.4-Mʼs get plenty of wind
From Peter Welch, Water LIFE Sailing Danny Evans of Miami (sail number 165) beat nine boats, in eight races over two days at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club to place first in the EDGE 2.4M Regatta. Local sailor and event organizer Dennis Peck submerged his 2.4M Saturday running down wind on a big wave when a gust pushed the bow way down. I towed him back to the dock! More sailing coverage next month. See schedule below
Harbor Sailing - Upcoming Events 2.4M Nationals 2.4M North America PGSC Holiday Regatta PPYC Golden Conch Charlotte Harbor Regatta Conquistador Cup Leukemia One Design Leukemia Cup
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Dec 9-11 Dec 12-13 Dec 14-15 BOTY Jan 17-18 BOTY Feb 6-8 small boats Mar 7-8 BOTY Mar 14 small boats Mar 21-22 BOTY
BOTY denotes Boat Of The Year points race event.
With Capt. Jm O’Brien Water LIFE Offshore Well if you could get out fish'n the Spanish mackerel and king mackerel bite has been good but between the red tide and the winds it's been hard to get out. My story for this month features my friend and mate Erik. We were out trolling for Spanish and king mackerel and he caught his first Spanish mackerel. The smile on his face says it all. We didn't get any kings we got some hits but no takers. I told Erik we would go out for grouper and Aj's when they open back up Jan.1st, life will be good again. Now here’s what other people are catching: SHARKS - still some black tips being caught in Bull Bay and Mary's reef. Chunks of mullet or bonita are good baits. KING MACKEREL - are chewing good at 1 to 6 miles off the beach, king spoons in various colors are working well. Live baits, pin fish or blue runners, are good. SPANISH MACKEREL - are hitting in the same areas 1 to 6 miles out. COBIA - some real nice cobias are out on the offshore wrecks and the box cars are producing some 30 to 40 pounders. That my friends is some good eating. Big live pin fish or blue runners is a good choice for live baits and keep a Berkley black and silver eel on a casting rod it works well too.
DECEMBER 2014
AJ's - Still closed till Jan.1st but they're still fun to catch and release. They're really thick with some BIG -UNS on the Mohawk. I was told by a couple of guys just drop a blue runner down over the wreck and hang on WOW! that's some kinda fun. GAG GROUPER - are in close now so get out and get some before they close Dec 3rd. Troll big lipped plugs in 35 to 65 feet of water, also get out on some ledges and rocky bottoms. Best live bait is grunts and squirrel fish. RED GROUPER - are still being caught but season is closed till Jan 1st. From what I hear the council says when the red grouper opens in Jan that species will stay open all year with no closings but you will only be able to keep 2 per person instead of 4 per person. I myself would like to see it stay open all year than to have them keep shutting it down. SNAPPER MANGROVE AN YELLOW TAIL - are closer in. Shrimp an pieces of squid are good baits. SHEEPSHEAD - are moving in and showing up at Placida trestle, Mary's reef and the phosphate docks in Boca. Now it's time to get out of here till next year. To book an offshore charter aboard Predator II call us at (941) 473 - 2150
AND REMEMBER GET OUT AND SNORT SOME OF THAT GOOD CLEAN SALT AIR C U Z ITS GOOD FER YA P. S. my wife Debbie and I would like to wish ya’ – A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND A HAPPY AN HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
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DECEMBER 2014
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SCUTTLEBUTT
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Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True
Superboat races wonʼt be back in Charlotte County next year. The Superboat Unlimited press release from the race group says they will be going to Sanford Florida to race.
The EPA announced last month that it would delay until 2015 the final rule on how much ethanol must be blended into fuel. The decision creates growing uncertainty and fails to provide a consistent standard that marine manufacturers can follow. In related news, portable outboard fuel tanks must now be pressure tight without conventional vents. “In the sun they swell up like a balloon,” one user of the new tanks told us.
The old buoy axiom: Red Right Return does not currently apply when coming back in at Stump Pass. The better channel appears to be right (south) of the floating red markers. The Charlotte Marine Advisory Committee is laboring over what to do about it supposedly because the positioning of a scheduled new jetty has not yet been de-
termined. This is a boater safety issue. An obvious remedy benefiting boaters would be to move the movable markers immediately, and again if necessary, if required for safe navigation. The new jetty needs to be a different item on the MAC agenda.
HANDS UP! – Morning Yoga at Englewood Beach, 7 days a week at 9 am. Call 941-473-0135
America is the first ship of its class and the fourth ship named "America." She weighs 45,000 tons, is 844 feet in length and has a beam of 106 feet. Powered by a fuel-efficient, hybrid electric propulsion system designed to provide the benefits of increased range, endurance, and time on station, the ship is optimized for aviation and capable of supporting current and future aircraft, such as the MV22 Osprey and F-35B Fighter. CAMP NIGHTMARE A K-9 Officer and new recruit were dispatched to a distress complaint on the Suwannee River by a
group of female campers. The group had been camping on the river for 21 days and had two juveniles who were claiming to be possessed by demons and were fighting with the groups counselors. The officers arrived on the scene and determined that the two juveniles were not demonically possessed or in need of any medical assistance. Officers transported the group of juvenile campers and counselors along with their gear to the Manatee Springs State Park without further incident. The parents and camp coordinator were contacted about the childrenʼs behavior. No further action was taken ... at least not by the FWC. RIBBET An FWC officer on patrol observed the driver of a truck, shine a spotlight on a clear cut in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of deer. The officer stopped the vehicle just before it left the area and found
a loaded 7mm rifle between the driver and passenger seat. The driver told Officer Edson, he was shining the light to look for frogs. The driver was cited for attempting to take deer at night with a gun and light. The rifle and spotlight were seized as evidence.
EVEN NASCAR TAKES THE WINTER OFF, but the Laishley Flatsmasters group just announced a new winter tournament series. Kudos for it being a photo-release event, but Bummers for bringing the calendar full circle so there will now be a tournament for almost every week of the year. That may be good for beer sales, but it is bad for our already tournament-stressed Estuary.
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DECEMBER 2014
December Fi shing – Predi ct ions and Suggesti ons
Charlotte Harbor
Frank, at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888
Easiest thing to target right now is trout. Getting out on a low tide with the patience for the tide to come up is the key. Trout follow the tide. On the low they move into the harbor. When it comes back up they move back onto the flats. Hang out until the tide comes up inside the bar. Fish a dark bait with a bright tail. Cape Haze, the east side, Turtle and Bull
Bay are good spots. The bigger trout are down around Jug Creek. The larger trout don’t school as much because they don’t need the same level of protection the smaller ones do. As they get larger they are not as vulnerable so you find the bigger ones scattered or in singles and doubles. Trout are commercially popular and highly sought after recreationally so if one day you are Cobia, caught out from Little Gasparilla Pass by Bud looking for trout and can’t find Angus of Englewood fishing with Gordon Roman. any maybe we ate ‘em all! The best tug on your line right now is redfish. The big redfish Snook is doing very well, but there are are schooling pretty good off Placida, on not hundreds of fish, not slot sized ones. the east side and along the front of the Out by the Gulf it was sloppy and nasty mangroves on the west side, in the little last month, hopefully this month there will trough that runs in front of the bushes. be a little less wind which would be perPull back a little from the bushes and wait fect for kingfish. Bonita and cobia are they seem to be a little further out from out there too. Try trolling from 20 feet of the trees on the west side. water out to 60 get the big lures down The Mayakka cutoff is loaded with nice deep and keep the smaller ones on top. schools of resident redfish that are not You’re not going to do as well with the moving as much as the ones on the east big lures. You will catch the occasional side. Up on the Peace River there are a grouper on those big lures, but you’ll whole bunch of little redfish – one in 50 have a great day all day long on the small are going to be a keeper. stuff like the Rapalla 08s. Most fish are
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Bill Dunson Jr., visiting from Salt Lake City and fishing at at Stump Pass caught a nice selection of fish: ladyfish, snook (shown), flounder and an 83 inch long shark.
keying on the smaller glass minnows. Bottom fishing in the Gulf has been really good and the water temperature is bringing the fish in as fast as it ever has. The Palm Island Ferry has a lot of good fish. Take moderate heavy spinning rod with a light tip for snapper. Use the heavier rod for the Goliath. You’ll have fun if you can get there. Pay attention to the big weather fronts. So far the weather reminds me of an elNiño year Fresh water fishing is on fire, crappie and bass are just going crazy. Fish the Cream Little Fish with a Rockport rattler head. For bass take your pick: frogs, worms, crank bait they seem to hit everything. For crappie this is the time to go to Okeechobee. The best colors are black and chartreuse. The light and dark colors are working the best. Guys shark fishing the bonnet sharks along the beach are doing pretty good. Now is the time to target them, they are a hammerhead sub species that are exciting the first time. Grab hold and hang on. Shrimp is the number one bait freeline it out, under a float, make sure the bait is as close to the bottom as possible, drag it on the bottom and use the float to get their attention. We are also getting the black tip looking ones like sharpnose on the beach
Guide Card space available $40/mo 766-8180
DECEMBER 2014
The BIG-4
BASS are hitting on everything right now.
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Good Fish to expect in December
TROUT in the Harbor and along the beach.
REDFISH Schools from Lemon Bay to Catfish Creek
FLOUNDER Along the beach from Lido to Boca Grande
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Gulf Temps are 66
The Harbor is cooling off more every night
95˚ 90˚
Capt. Dave Stephens noted there were a number of hot days last month, redfishing.
now too. The bigger nurse sharks and bull sharks are still around too, although now is the least good time to target the big ones. And tarpon are still around too. We have about 10 percent of the fish we will have this spring, but they are here. The weather fronts really seem to mess with the cobia. They seem to move deeper when the fronts come through. Look towards the end of this month for triple tail, they are in a lull now, but they should show up by the end of December or January so keep and eye out.
Lemon Bay
Jim at Fishermen’s Edge
697-7595
Fishing is OK; actually pretty good! Guys are catching flounder along the beach with jigs or bait on a jig head from Manasota to Boca Grande. Fish are right in front, in the wash, and guys are catching 22-inch fish. That’s good this time of year! Also there are some reports of pompano really heating up. Guys this morning, down around the island by Little Gasparilla pass, throwing jigs, said the sheepshead bite is really starting to turn on. A lot of guys are buy-
85˚ 80˚
The extremely rare and often illusive Charlotte Harbor Soft-Hat-Slam
ing fiddler crabs and getting way bigger fish pretty good size - I saw a number of them - guys showed me pictures. Triple tail are being caught on the crab pots along the shore line. You got to find a good run of crab pots and keep fishing up that same line. They are all about the depth and spot they like at the moment. Had a lot of redfish reports from down south of Lemon Bay. There is still a school or two of oversized reds in there taking pinfish and whitebait or even shrimp. There are also a lot of snook, you have to just weed through the small ones to get to the keepers. Guys tell me there are a lot of big snook around and a lot of juveniles and that the slot fish are harder to find. I had a guy this morning who said the trout bite has really turned on. He said his best luck was with a Yozuri prop-bladed bait with a clear spinner - 3-4 inches. He bought two, one dark and one clear. He said the clear smoked them and that he got a snook on it too. Now is the time you want a prop bait like the Devil’s Horse,
or the Mirrolure prop blade. Offshore, snapper are in front of Gasparilla Island for a couple of miles mixed with glass minnows, grunts, and porgys. You’ll have to rough through them and see what you can keep. A guide told me a Cobia was hanging around a big turtle, down off Boca. The guy said he hooked the cobia but it broke off. Charter guides are saying they are catching cobia every other trip when the weather cooperates. Guys floating a bait while bottom fishing are still getting zinged off by kingfish. Not so much Spanish mackerel, but mostly by kings. There are also a ton of bluefish around and a lot of jacks. That’s all I got. Happy Holidays!
SNOOK closes Dec. 1 in Gulf state
and federal waters and will remain closed through Feb. 28, 2015, reopening to harvest March 1, 2015. Snook can continue to be caught and released in the closed season.
BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com
941-916-5769
72˚ 70˚ 68˚ 50˚ 45˚
Good ! FISHING RIGHT NOW:
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