Water LIFE Jan 2015

Wa t e r LIFE Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the Gulf

The Don Ball School of Fishing

January 2015

Snow Shovels at

Placida on the mullet dock page 5

Area Sailing page 20

BOFFFF始s Eggs page 14

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Outfished by Rodney page 6

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Send letters and photos to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net

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Publisherʼs Point

We didnʼt get many letters last month. Holidays are slow. One from Dr Raddish (Deep Creek Optical) said his ad was working and he was selling sunglasses to our readers. Another, from a fellow who wants to be anonymous, was a hot tip.

Mr. Anonymous sent us a picture of a fire hydrant with an automatic purge device on it and a dechlorinator. (photo below) If you remember, a few months back I ran a photo of brown colored drinking water coming out of a Port Charlotte fire hydrant. When I questioned the DEP and the county about why the dead end water mains in the county arenʼt all purged automatically, to keep water

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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIV No 1 © 2015

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

Contributing Editors:

These two circular photos, the moon over low clouds as photographed from our Port Charlotte balcony and a school of Atlantic Bumbers around a jellyfish in the Gulf (from the cover of last monthʼs edition) appear here for your viewing pleasure and to help us establish better reproduction quality. clean, I was told the water would have to go into the Harbor and thatʼs not permitted because chlorine would be bad for the creatures in the environment. Mr. Anonymous apparently read my column and sent me an available remedy.

So why, when I talked to the head guy at the DEP didnʼt he mention this? Ditto for the Charlotte County Utilities spokesman.

After my column came out they flushed the water mains in my neighborhood for several

weeks, but knowing now what I do, that was all smoke in the mirror, a quick display to avoid the expense of bringing an old water system up to modern standards. I was lied to through omission by both agencies.

Charlotte County must figure out a way to get the water circulating in their dead end water mains. This device, which can go on any fire hydrant, seems like an acceptable solution that would be worth investigating – MH

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

on the COVER: Mullet fishermen unload their catch, in mid December, at the dock in Placida. Please see Around the Dock, beginning on page 5.

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Around the Mullet Dock

By Michael Heller Water LIFE editor “You’re not going to write anything bad about us,” one of the men on the dock asked, when I arrived and asked permission to take pictures around the mullet dock at Placida. ‘Not if you’re not doing anything bad,’ I told him and we laughed.

A week earlier, another mullet dock workers had told me “The best time is before a cold front, right around then is when the fish go offshore to spawn.” So on a cloudy overcast Tuesday in December, after having followed the weather charts, I headed out to Placida.

Placida is a major offloading point for local mullet skiffs that ply the creeks and backwaters of Charlotte County this time of year. Mullet, specifically the red roe of the females bring decent money this time of year.

Mullet fishing is a hard past time; one group stays out all night and comes back to the dock with their catch around 7 am, the other group goes out at first light and comes back in around dusk.

When I pulled into Placida the low clouds of morning near the coast were still hanging heavy in the air. Inland, there had been some rain, but the roads around the Fishery were mostly dry.

In the parking lot, Pepper Branham and Shannondoah Nichols had their mullet skiff on a trailer. They were shoveling crushed ice into the boat’s fish box in preparation for the day's fishing. Since

most of the mullet catch is for human consumption the fish must be put on ice as soon as they are caught. “As long as we bring our fish back here later today,” Pepper told me. “They give us the ice for free.”

“It's just starting to get good, now,” Sam Jones, a mullet fisherman from Punta Gorda, said while he was unloading fish.

“The fish are still all up in Coral Creek,” Jones, said. He and his partner John Thomas had been out all night. They were unloading their fish with a new red snow shovel, a tool of choice, in these parts.

Fisherman come in with their catch and nose up on the sand alongside the dock next to the E&L Clam house building. On the boat they examine each fish by squeezing it and forcing out some of the roe. “Fish with red roe (as opposed to those with white roe, which are almost worthless) are paying $1.05 (per pound) right now,” Kayley Thomas told me while she and Mark Edwards were sorting their catch. "Later, when the fish get a little fatter, the price will go up a little bit," she explained. Mullet season often runs into the later part of January. Kaley and Mark come down from Polk County.

From the dock, an old conveyor belt carries the sorted fish up to a large transport box which is continually layered with fish and ice and more fish and more ice.

Then the big ice-packed containers of fish are loaded into a refrigerated semi and later transported to the cleaning house

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Pepper Branham and Shannondoah Nichols, at Placida in the early morning, shoveling crushed ice into their fish box in preparation for the day's mullet fishing.

where the roe and the meat are processed.

What's a good night's haul?, I asked Pepper Branham: “Four thousand pounds,” he told me, without hesitating.

I looked at his boat, a homemade skiff with big plumbed fish boxes and the traditional forward mounted outboard that allows them to fish in the shallowest waters.

The gunnels were covered with what looked like perforated drainage pipe.

On the dock, Kevin Hart was shoveling ice and moving the filled up containers of mullet with a fork lift. Kevin works for Get Seafood, the operator who collects the mullet from the fishermen, pays them and brings the catch to the procession plant.

In the water just off the dock, white pelicans fought over the scraps left when fishermen clean their boats. From the wildlife’s perspective, it must seem like not much has changed at Placida in the last 50 or 100 years.

This time of year some mullet are usually coming out of the Punta Gorda canals, heading to the Gulf. Mullet fishermen traditionally wait on the shallows at Ponce Point, following the school of mullet and throwing their cast nets to catch them. Some fishermen use seine nets to encircle the fish. “Seine nets have been more productive than cast nets, so far this year,” Kevin told me. continued on page 12

Outfished

by Rodney PAGE

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By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Inshore Unique to competitive tournament fishing, redfish are one of only a few species that inspire passion and obsession. When the freshwater largemouth bass tournaments spawned a saltwater counter-part the only fish that fit the bill was the redfish.

Easily accessible with light tackle, finicky, aggressive and hard fighting, this fish has a following quite like no other.

Charlotte Harbor is host to dozens of hard fighting gamefish, but none demand the passion of redfish. Sight fishing is the ultimate challenge, requiring the angler to visually see the fish and approach with stealth, make the perfect cast and entice the strike. Redfish will gobble up live bait, crustaceans and lures in backcountry waters, flats and the open waters of the gulf.

Recently, I had the pleasure of fishing with Ken Wells. A remarkable red fisherman who is an ardent tournament angler.

Not unusual, our goal was to fish shallow water with pinfish. Pinfish are notorious

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for being one of the favorite foods of the redfish. The game plan for the day was to catch bait and fish potholes in Pine Island Sound. The Sound has a million pot holes to say the least, so knowing which ones to pick does require experience and time on the water.

With a livewell full of pinny’s we ran to our first spot and noticed the weatherman was once again wrong. Winds were 15 knots and picking up on a day predicted to be 5-8 knots. Oddly, it was a south wind which normally blows the water in but not this day.

With tough winds and no water on the flats our game plan was tarnished from the get-go. Ken positioned us on sandy troughs adjacent to deep water and it took several spots before we connected. A couple of jumbo jack crevalle first bit our lines, then a beautiful 27-inch red bucked Ken’s rod and the fight was on.

With the tide finally coming in we noticed mullet getting active and two dark shadows passed by our boat - first a 7-foot shark then a 150-pound tarpon! We were not armed for either fish but considering this was the end of Summer, it told us there are more fish around then one would think.

Several location changes were necessary as the wind picked up to 20 knots with a storm approaching.

Confidence was strong with Ken as I mentally waivered on patience.

Pothole after pothole, troughs, pockets, grassbeds and very few bites.

With the tide half in, we drifted onto a grass flat and launched our pinfish into a sandhole just big enough for both lines.

Both rods were rigged identically as I chose to hold my rod wanting to feel a bite and Ken placing his in the rod holder.

Wham! Fish on and Ken’s drag was singing. A beautiful upper 20-inch red was fought, caught and released. And so it went, as I watched Ken side by side with me getting yanked and me getting nothing. Finally, I decided that “Rodney” the rod-holder was a better way to go and placed my rod into the holder.

Not 30 seconds went by and wham! Rod buckled, drag screeching and it was game on….then Ken’s rod went down. A double! Or so we thought, but it was a double header with this one chunky redfish sporting 2 hooks in his mouth! It was clear to me that despite my efforts at holding the rod without moving the bait, the fish could tell I was holding the rod and would

JANUARY 2015

not take my line!

The next few casts produced catfish which Ken signaled was the end of the redfish bite which I did not fully understand, but perhaps on the higher tide phase the kitty-kats come pouring onto the flats.

Interestingly, many redfish had remora’s attached to their bodies, suggesting they had just came in from the Gulf.

This was simple fishing at best using three feet of 20-pound leader, 4/0 circle hooks and pinfish. Depending on wind and tides you may need to add weight.

This day proved that with a talented redfish angler, confidence, persistence and a deep understanding of fish habits you can over-come some horrible weather.

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

JANUARY 2015

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Fertile Fishing Grounds

By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor The water temperatures have dropped into the 60s. Most all the game fish we stalked in summer have moved to deeper warmer waters, at least for the next couple months. The trick to having a successful day of fishing during this time of year is understanding what to target and how to locate them.

Charlotte Harbor is a truly fertile fishing ground. During the warmer months, Charlotte Harbor has world class snook, redfish and tarpon fishing. Then, when old man winter blows in, there are two other

great game fish that the Harbor provides.

Spotted sea trout, during the warmer months of the year, can be caught in just about all your snook, and redfish holes.

So when the water begins to chill and those snook just don’t want to feed, trout can turn a slow day of fishing into a great day.

Locating winter trout can be a little tricky. This is when you want to fish deeper. We have miles of residential canals, endless creeks and rivers that have the depth for trout to spend their time waiting for the warmer weather. On your next outing I highly recommend spending some time fishing these local areas.

The other great game fish we have during the winter months is the mighty sheepshead. I know when I mention that name some of our friends from the north cringe. Well, let me give y’all a little lesson on sheep heads. The fish that yall catch while targeting walleye in the Great Lakes is considered a trash fish. Although, I don’t believe in any trash fish! What you catch up north is a fresh water drum. What we call a sheepshead in South West Florida. They are a member of the porgy family and a great fighting fish. They are also very good table fare.

When targeting these guys you are gonna want to make sure you bring plenty of bait. They are black and white striped

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for a reason. I have never targeted a fish other then these guys that can steal your bait without me feeling it. Sheepshead feed on crustaceans, so you are going to look around docks, bridge pilings and

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rock sea walls, the older the structure the better. On a clear sunny day, you can often see these guys feeding on the pilings of dock. Shrimp is my bait of choice, but the meat from a barnacle is also irresistable to these guys.

On your next outing give the deep water and your local docks a try. You just might just have one of your best winter days of fishing.

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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Spillways and Other Watery Stuff PAGE

By Fishin’ Frank

Water LIFE Baitshop

2015 and still no flying cars... so let’s start the year with snapper.

Mangrove snappers, in huge numbers and large sizes (average 12 –to 14-inches) have been an increasingly steady catch here in the Harbor and near Gulf over the last 10 years. And 2014 was a banner year for BIG mangrove snappers. One of the reasons for this could be as simple as fashion. It is not cool to fish for snapper right now, going after redfish has a more fashionable sound to it. But if it is dinner and a great fight on light tackle few fish compare to the snapper.

When I fish for snapper here in the Harbor, small white bait, free lined, is a good bet. But most of the time I just use a regular bottom rig with a sliding sinker, so I can feel the bite and hold the bait near the bottom. Either I use a live shrimp or a shrimp tail that’s peeled. For snapper I thread the hook into the shrimp, starting at the tail end and threading the hook up toward the head. I want the most meat at the same end as the point of the hook or at least toward the middle of the shrimp, as that is where the snapper most often bite – unlike most fish, which eat shrimp head first.

Black sea bass have been in the Passes this year, a first for us in about 6 years, not to say that there have been none, but

JANUARY 2015

they’ve been few and far between. Returning sea bass are a welcome sight in the Passes.

A few star gazers have From NOAA: Black sea bass is one of many species that been caught are moving as the oceans warm. This graph shows how the center of the species' distribution has changed latitude over along the beaches and at four decades. It is moving North. Check it on the web This ended when Murdock was the beginning of 2014 we had good numdeveloped and the rising heat bers of lane snappers in the passes too, so broke the cloud pattern – we apparently some of the once plentiful fish now have a rainy-er season, but are now starting to trickle back into the nothing like it was. passes.

In thinking back on 2014 and changes, (how we hate that word!) the spillways along U.S 41 have had a major change this year, a man made change this time.

The canals here were dug in the 1950s when we had a rainy season. Each day during the summer the clouds would go up the Myakka River and down the Peace River circling and circling until they got together and then Bam! Thunder, lightning, 2 inches of rain and 30- to 40-mph winds. It was not uncommon then for a winter resident who decided to move here to sell out and move back up north after their first rainy season. It was so intense and there was so much thunder and lightning the storms would send them packing.

This is why the canals had to be re-done, there was simply not enough rain water to flush them out anymore. So the rain we do get has now been channeled to help clean out some of the They make us put turtle excluders and bycatch reduccanals that had become stagnant tion devices (holes in the net) to allow fish to escape pools of algae and bacteria. Lots alive, shrimper Bill Damour said from his boat the Iron Ox at Fishermenʼs Village. But that has unintended conof local snook and tarpon canal sequences, Bill added. Last night I had 20 dolphins fisherman are complaining this lined up at the bycatch hole. The Alpha male gets first shot at what comes out, then the next dolphin takes will ruin the fishing, but the over. Not much gets away alive from them. Bill sells spill ways will get snook and Charlotte Harbor shrimp three days/week. Call: 916-5773 tarpon back and the fishing may even be better, or sadly it may shorts than legal size fish, but legal size be worse. Let’s just hope for the best. can be had right there in the passes.

This all reminds me of Boca Grande Pass and the shipping lane. Some of the so called fishing guides out there didn’t even know the state had been dredging it every 4 years for over 90 years and like the spill ways, the Pass will now be different and it will never again be the same, now that the dredging has stopped. Like the spillways, the fishing might be better or worse. Boca Grande is now wild and free and changing each year with each storm.

If history is a judge, the area just out side the Pass should settle in at about 11 feet deep instead of the 30-plus feet it had been. Once it reaches that depth the changes each year should be less drastic.

2014 ended with a lot of red grouper in Boca and Captiva passes as well, more

Tilapia had a big spawn this fall. I have not seen a hatch like this since the 1980s when millions of baby tilapia would come boiling down the Peace River to the delight of the snook and tarpon. Back then, for 2 months every fall, tilapia were the best bait you could get. Today it is illegal to use live tilapia for bait, which is stupid even by Florida standards. If the state wants them dead or thinned out, (they are an invasive species) then what better way than to let a snook or tarpon eat them? I understand and completely agree with never transporting fish from one lake to another, that’s very bad, but using them for bait in the water you just caught them in? This is the FWC at it’s dumbest.

Frank@fishinfranks.com 625-3888

JANUARY 2015

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JANUARY 2015

Teaching My Brothers PAGE

By Capt Billy Barton Water LIFE INSHORE Yes indeed anglers and salt lovers! If you're reading this and I'm still fishing... that my friends is a blessing because it means we all made it through another new year! December was exhausting, but now that families and friends have made their way home, the turkeys are done fryin', the presents are unwrapped, the champaign bottles have been popped and the ball has dropped... now it's time to get back to the reel world!

Last month, although people were showing up in full force and many businesses picked up a lot, a good majority of folks were more pre-occupied with the Holidays than they were with going out fishing so that meant I got to take time off to smell the roses.

If I'm not working on a charter and if there's nothing important for me to be doing on land on any particular day, chances are I'm taking one of my little brothers fishing, or maybe taking both of them fishing together.

Austin Phelps isn't technically my blood brother, he's just been under my wing for a lot of years and now he's a little fishin’ machine! Some of you guys might know Austin as one of the certified shrimp engineers at Fishin’ Franks.

My other brother Matt, who looks just like a younger version of me, is my little brother by blood. He's my first mate on big game charters and does the job like a full time pro. He's my best bud and also another young fishin’ machine!

All both of these boys ever want to do is fish. They have the utmost respect for our fishery. They handle their fish carefully, only take what they need and have very good ethics on the water as young anglers. They act this way because they were shown how to, at an early age and because they truly care. They could be out getting into trouble or at home sitting in front of the XBOX, but they're not. I'm

very proud of them and I try my best to keep them both out on the water as much as possible whenever I can.

At this point they both want to be fishing guides when they get older, so needless to say it's my goal and duty as a big brother to help lead them in that direction. I have a ton of confidence that their dreams are every bit possible and I pound that into their skulls all the time. I never understood when I was a young man and people told me "I could be whatever I wanted to be if I put my mind to it," that I actually could. But now I understand it and I tell them the same thing.

As grown adults and anglers, it's up to us to make this beautiful place that is Charlotte Harbor last, not just by our own

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This tiny octopus came aboard on a snagged piece of coral bottom, brought up on a hook, during an offshore trip in the Gulf last month.

Bigger octopus are being blamed for a poor turnout of the stone crabs this year.

Octopus are mortal enemies of the tasty stone crab.

actions on the water, but by what we're doing all the time to influence the next generation of young and up-coming fisherman.

Whoever they are, whether they're blood or not, the good ethics that we teach them today is what's going to have the largest impact on our fishery tomorrow.

They are going to act just as we teach them to. They will watch us and do the same thing.

I don't know about you guys but I'd

like to continue to call this place paradise!

So pass along the torch! Teach a kid to fish! If you know a kid that likes to fish, teach him or her to be an ethical angler and don't forget to take time out to smell the tide and the mangroves (roses) whenever you can.

Happy 2015, guys and gals. The fish are calling our names, let's get out and get salty!!

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

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AQUATICA

JANUARY 2015

At the Mullet Dock

continued from page 5

Earlier in the month there werenʼt as many mullet fishermen here from ʻup northʼ or from ʻover in Louisianaʼ but that changed.

“All I am seeing is out of town boats,” Jim, at the Fishermenʼs Edge in Englewood, told me on the day after Christmas.

Fishermen who fish our resource and then take their profits back home with them, away from Charlotte County, has been a sore spot for locals for as long as I can remember.

Early on, the fish this year were for the most part, up in the creeks or, according to Kelly Beall at Peace River Sea Food, ʻballed up offshoreʼ where mullet fishermen were throwing cast nets on them.

There are two ways to catch mullet: cast net or seine net, mullet wonʼt take a baited hook. Seining only works in shallow water. Cast netting is the hard way. All you have to do is look at the hands of a net fisherman and you will see why - even with gloves on, the heavy nets, hauled in over and over by hand, take their toll.

Twice in mid December friends asked me “Have you seen any mullet boats off Punta Gorda?” I can see Ponce Point from my upstairs bedroom and I have not. My friend

Ralph, who works at Fishermen's Village, had not and neither had Capt. Dave Stephens who theorized the cityʼs current dredging in the PGI entrance canals might be having an impact.

Why should we care about commercial mullet fishing? Because it is an economic component of our community. The red roe from mullet is valuable in the far east and some of that money is spent here. And mullet fishing is important because it has an impact on the Estuary.

People like Mark Edwards and Kaley Thomas who had just come in that morning are typical of the important eyes and ears that are watching and listening to the environment every day they are on

the water. If something unusual happens they are the ones to see it immediately.

Here is where my personal commentary comes in: The problem is, some mullet fishermen, like some tournament anglers, are simply unscrupulous.

Itʼs much easier to discard the unwanted fish overboard and fill the box with the money fish than it is to bring your actual catch back to the dock. Every year there are thousands of dead male mullet found floating in our estuary, and every year the blame is on ʻfishermen from out of state.ʼ We write about it - nothing changes.

Once again, last month, I saw video of a sea of dead mullet floating in front of Bull and Turtle Bay. The backwaters, where you donʼt see whatʼs happening, are usually worse.

Dead and wasted fish for someoneʼs own personal profit doesnʼt cut it. I talked to a lot of fishermen on the dock for this story. They all seemed like good hard working

JANUARY 2015

people, but evidently mullet fishermen are a lot more like tournament anglers than they want to admit. In both groups, even the good ones will sometimes turn a blind eye and refuse to get involved identifying ʻone of their own,ʼ even when the law is broken and their own livlyhood is at stake.

This is not boys fishing with their

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buds on Sunday; these are men (and women) making good money on fish from the public estuary – and with that comes the responsibility to be ethical, uphold the law ... and report offenses.

Personally, I think every commercial harvesting boat in the Aquatic Preserve and its surrounding waters should have a Reporting-GPS on it.

The science would be incredible and it would be a deterent to fish dumping.

Charlotte Marine Sheriffʼs officer Hargrove must be making some progress in this area. His name was mentioned to me, without love, by several mullet fishermen, but thatʼs not enough. It takes ethical anglers from all walks of the Salt Life, all working together with the common good of the resource being the motivator for everyoneʼs actions.

Commercial fishing is a valuable part of not only our economy, but of our culture as well.

When I walked out on the dock, this was going to be a 100-percent positive story, but when selfish people surface and the “code of silence” is used to cover up the plundering of our public resource, then I have a hard time coming up with a nice happy ending.

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Aquatica is a monthly feature of Water LIFE magazine.

Back issues are available free at: waterlifemagazine.com

Big Old Fat Fecund Female Fish!

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By Bryan Fluech Water LIFE Sea Grant Most anglers understand we have two snook closures annually; each for very different reasons. The December through February closure we are in now protects snook during the cold weather and the May to September closure protects spawning snook. The size limits for snook are designed to protect juveniles and older spawning snook. Many people understand the reason to protect juveniles; after all they are the future generation. But why protect the old girls?

Well it turns out size matters when it comes to fish spawning. That’s right Big, Old, Fat, Fecund, Female Fish or BOFFFFs contribute far more to future fish stocks than their smaller, younger same species representatives, and the old girls contribute in many ways.

BOFFFFs make more eggs – It makes perfect sense, the bigger the fish the more room to store eggs. Bigger females also do not need to devote as much energy into growing as smaller female fish and therefore can devote more energy into making eggs. As a matter of fact, just one 24 inch female red snapper will produce as many eggs as 212, 17 inch female red snappers!

This same pattern holds true for many species including bluefin trevally, salmon, cod, rockfish and snook.

BOFFFFs eggs are bigger and more fit –

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There’s a body of research that demonstrates a very positive correlation between female size and egg size. Bigger eggs produce bigger larvae and bigger larvae are more resistant to starvation and predation.

Why is this? Well, bigger eggs have a bigger yolk which equates to more food for the developing offspring. A study that looked at egg size on development of walleye determined that larvae from larger eggs had faster hypural bone (bone at the tail) formation and greater body lengths, measured one and 13 days after hatching. They also ingested more food, had fewer deformities and lower mortality. That leads me to predation. Bigger eggs have fewer predators.

While small and large predators can feed on small eggs, large eggs are only available to large predators, and small predators far outnumber large ones…good news for big eggs.

BOFFFFs produce more buoyant eggs – In the case of cod, one of the most studied

fish, older females produce more buoyant eggs. In fact neutral buoyancy is almost six times greater for a six year old fish than a three year old fish at a brackish salinity of 15 (half seawater strength).

BOFFFFs distribute their eggs far and wide – With age comes wisdom, and in the case of BOFFFFs the ability to spawn over longer periods in the season. Not only do old females produce eggs in greater numbers and at a greater size, they also spawn in more batches over extended seasons than do smaller females. This means the big girls are spreading their eggs over many locations and habitats.

There is a growing concern for fisheries where BOFFFFs are not protected. Not

JANUARY 2015

only is this bad for future stocks, but it may have far greater implications. Picture a world where all of the people over 5 foot five are selectively removed. Don’t ask me where they go, I don’t know, but hey I’m still here. Anyways over time in a fish world what we are left with is smaller fish producing fewer offspring that are less fit with a slimmer chance of survival, and over time that means fewer adults spawning fewer fish. A cycle like this would be very hard to reverse. So the next time you catch a BOFFFF treat her with extra special care.

She is the future of our fishery.

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

First Try At Fly JANUARY 2015

By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE All Kinds of Fishing A few months back I became interested in fly fishing. It seemed exciting, challenging and more personal between you and your catch. I practiced a few times in the back yard and never really got the hang of it.

My husband however has been doing great with it and has a few impressive catches under his belt while all the while I'm over here sticking flys in my hat, trying to practice in the yard. I needed some help.

Recently I had the opportunity to take a fly fishing for beginners class. It was especially nice that everyone in the class was at a beginner/intermediate level. We all had the same questions and lack of fly fishing knowledge and were all eager to learn.

The class was taught by IFFF Master Instructor Rex Gudgel. We started with a class room setting to explain the basics of the fly rod and reel, leaders and knots. All the basics you need to know before you can get out on the water. It was clear from the beginning that Rex knew his stuff and was patient with all of our beginning questions and knot errors!

We were all anxious to get out there and practice casting. When you first start it’s best to practice with a piece of pipe cleaner or a hookless fly for safety, until you get the hang of it. Sunglasses and a hat are also great protective gear when learning to fly fish. We drove to a local park with lots of room to cast.

It was a perfect day with a slight wind to make it a bit challenging. The class

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spread out down the football field and waited for instructions. Rex had everyone put together their own fly rods and get in line, ready for casting. We were using 68w reels and two piece rods. Every part of casting felt unnatural to me at first. Rex walked around and assisted us one by one, identifying our issues and correcting them.

He also taught us a few easy practices you can do at home that help your casting ability. Near the end of the class everyone had improved and were able to cast line at or near a desired target.

Over the next week I was excited to get

out on the water and practice my new skill. I took a trip out on our local Port Charlotte canals. These canals are great for quick afternoon trips and usually hide you from the elements. My first cast was surprising. Surprisingly terrible. Something Rex explained during the class that I

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had forgotten until that moment. Casting for the first time with your fly in the water will be a lot more resistance than the grassy fields. After a few mistakes and nearly hooking myself I started to get the hang of it. Using a lighter rod than I had used in class, I had to adjust the amount of force I was used to. I threw the fly near some mangroves and a sandy shoreline.

Stripping line through the water, I could feel there was more sensitivity. The line being in my hand vs a reel and having to set the hook as I felt the fish bite – all a very exciting and personal experience be-

PAGE 15

tween you and your catch.

My first fish on the fly was a mangrove snapper. What a small fish and what a hard fight. We posed for a quick snapshot before its release. I caught my snapper on an EP glass minnow. Excited that I could be successful after a lesson and a few practice sessions in the yard I am now looking forward to my January intermediate class of more advanced casting and hauls. Classes are located in Port Charlotte and cost $35.00 an individual.

You can contact West Wall Boat Works at 941-875-9630.

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16

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IN RETROSPECT: The Top-10 of 2014 Professor Niel deGrasse Tyson called My On The Line Favorite Universe which states “Every

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By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff

Below are the factoids, quotes and new items I jotted down in my notebook last year but never had a chance to use.

10 The U.N. has predicted that 2014

will be one of the hottest years on record.

This is the same prediction they made for 2013, 2012 and 2011. Global warming scientists are telling us we have to prepare for: Killer heat waves-Rising sea levelsRecord droughts- and Mass extinction of species. I bet these guys have some pretty wild office parties and I'm sure they are really fun people when you get to know them.

9 The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued a report that said that there has been a 50% decrease in animal species in the last 10 years; caused by man and a loss of habitat. I know that when there is a real crisis on the planet; like war, famine and disease, that the world's upcoming environmental crisis gets pushed to the back burner, but I think they are starting to over play their hand with all this gloom and doom stuff. Here is a little factoid they should appreciate from a lecture series by

JANUARY 2015

100 million years the earth losses 50% to 90% of all species on the planet.” Can we get the WWF to admit that extinction is a natural thing?

8 Global warming is one on of the most contentious issues in science today.

This year it seems both sides have doubled down on their perspective views.

Here are few more data points they can put into those computer simulations. On 11/19/2014 Jacksonville, FL broke a cold weather record with a 24 degree low; breaking the old record of 30 degrees set in 1873; in 2013 there were more record lows in the USA than record high temperatures. That's the first time in 20 years that has happened. In July 2014 the Antarctic sea ice hit a record of 2,112 square kilometers beating the previous record of 1,180 square kilometers set in December 2007. In July 2014, NOAA released satellite photos showing a 43% increase in the polar ice cap in the last 2 years. (photo page right) 7 Who would of thought that the price of a barrel of oil would be cut in half last year? That sure helps out when you’re filling up the old boat and truck. With the drop in oil prices the world is using more

$2 off any haircut!

JANUARY 2015

of it than ever before. The world daily consumption of oil is 92.5 million barrels; that's up 1.3% over last year. A lot of energy in this country is used to produce electricity and I came across a list of the cost of producing one megawatt hour of electricity using various types of fuels.

The cheapest by far is hydroelectric, coal is next at $40 – Nuclear at $60 – natural gas at $70 and solar at $280.

6 There was a lot of talk about the distribution of income in this country last year. It's just as true now as it always has been; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The beauty of our country is the mobility people have to move up and down that ladder based on effort, skill and luck. Remember that most people come to this country to be rich not poor. So who is paying their fair share? According to the IRS, the top 20-percent of income earners in this country paid 69-percent of all the taxes and the bottom 20-percent paid only 4-percent of the taxes. Don't hate the rich, do your best to become one of them.

5 Back in August, the FWC reported a large red tide bloom offshore in the Florida panhandle area; the biggest bloom in 10 years. It primarily moved south but stayed offshore and really didn't cause much of a problem in our area. Interesting new research this year shows that another harmful algae bloom called trichodesmium seems to feeds on red tide.

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discharges from power plants. They claim So, it my be possible to use one algae to that the inlets kill sea turtles and the outcontrol the other. lets kill fish. Remember that in the last 4 It was a pretty interesting year for aerial survey they found 60-percent of all manatees in 2014 . The year started off manatees counted were in just 10 of these with an aerial survey in January which Florida power showed a plant discharges. total population of 3 It has been 4831; which over 9 years since is pretty a hurricane has good conhit any of the sidering that 1,260 miles of 276 died coastline in from red Florida. There tide the year will be future before. In storms, but for May, the now, let's be manatee thankful for our wars started good luck. In again when your face – Al the Save Gore.

On Sept. 19, 2014, the five-day average of Antarctic sea Crystal 2 Trouble is River group ice extent exceeded 20 million square kilometers for brewing at Chadthe first time since 1979. The line shows the average filed a peti- maximum extent from 1979-2014. Image Credit: NASA wick Cove. This small Safe Haven tion with the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service to have anchoring area near the Tom Adams Bridge in Englewood has become a source the manatee taken off the endangered species list. The FWS accepted the petiof controversy between a number of live tion and it is now making its way through aboard boaters who use the area and local the system. We may not hear the phrase officials who want to enforce State and “endangered Florida manatee” much Local health and safety laws. This is a longer. To complicate things more, anlong simmering dispute that is about to other environmental group is suing the get ugly. Rumor has it that several of the EPA to stop water inlets and warm water boaters have vowed not to let officials

PAGE 17

push them around. The Florida EPA has been taking water samples looking for human waste coming from the boats. The Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard have been notified of violations of State and Federal laws. This could all turn bad pretty quick.

1 Last year I predicted that by this time of year, Stump Pass would have a permanent rock jetty which would end the problem of the Pass closing forever more.

Well, I was dead wrong on that one. In my own defense I will admit that I fell for one of the oldest lines in the book. I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. I was led to believe that there was a new spirit of co-operation with government officials to work with local people and that everyone was on board with the project and that meetings were going well with state and federal authorities and that only a few details had yet to be worked out.

Well, let me lay out the facts as I now know them at this point in time. No engineering plans have been approved. No environmental permits have been issued and no construction contracts have been signed. I'm still hopeful that there will be a successful outcome in the future, but I am starting to lose hope.

My favorite quote for the new year is : “just because I don't lie, doesn't mean I have to tell the truth.” Happy New Year!

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The Good Fish Were Lookers

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JANUARY 2015

The FFTUSA will select a team of qualified anglers to represent the United States of America at national and international fly fishing competitions, including the world competition held each year by the International Sport Flyfishing Federation which is an arm of the International Angling Confederation.

By Capt Bart Marx Water LIFE inshore Recently I was able to show off Charlotte Harbor to a fly fishing guide from Utah. This past summer I sold my boat to his father. We met through our church and he mentioned his son was a fly fishing guide and that he was an alternate for Fly Fishing Team USA. It was very exciting to meet someone of this caliber and a fly fisherman to boot and I was invited to come along on my old Action-Craft when Trevor arrived to do some fishing.

We started just inside the bar on the East side where we picked a top water popper for some trout action. We drifted across the grass beds and were catching some small spotted sea trout on the fly and the shrimp with a popping cork.

We drifted as the wind blew us and every so often we would motor back to the areas that we were catching trout. As we continued our search for bigger trout we spotted some small bonnethead sharks in the shallows; one here, two there, they were just cruising around in search of food.

Trevor tried to get the fly in place to get hooked up on a shark but no takers, so we moved further south to find some better action. As we were drifting we were seeing some southern stingrays about three feet across the wings and Trevor asked what that was following the ray?

It was a cobia looking for bait fish that were spooked by the ray. The first one that we saw was pretty close to 38 inches.

A nice fish. Trevor tried to get the fly in front of this critter, but it was not interested at all.

We continued to drift up to some mangroves and started to trolling-motor along and spotted reds and mullet a few sand brem down near Pirate Harbor.

It was getting late in the day and we were spotting reds and snook but as the fly would hit they would scatter, snap!

We continued to motor slowly around a couple of points and came across some monster reds around 30 inches, but it was too late and they left the area like a greyhound after a rabbit. Then within just a few yards we spooked some good size snook who were on the move before we had the chance to put a fly out. That is really frustrating, when you can see fish but they are not hungry for fly food.

Still, we had a great time and learned some things from each other that we can use on some future trips like casting techniques for different applications.

Fly fishing is about the hunt and getting into casting range of your target species and casting a fly and presenting it well enough to get that fish to bite.

So we spotted lots of fish and caught a few and it was a beautiful day on Charlotte Harbor.

If you would like to book a trip with Capt.

Bart Marx give me a call at 941-979-6517 or e-mail at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com I can take you on our boat or I can come along on yours. Always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile.

Snookinʼ the Ponds JANUARY 2015

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Olʼ Fishinʼ Hole With Capt. Jm O’Brien Water LIFE Offshore

Well let’s get into fish'n! I havn't had any offshore charters out, everyone was waiting for Jan to get here when the red grouper and Ajs open back up, so my wife Debbie and I have been fresh water snook and bass fishing in the lakes and ponds out off SR 771. The fishing is great when you can't get out offshore. The snook in the pictures was caught on a 1/2 oz. lure, silver with a black stripe down its back.

The fresh water snook are hitting these lures with aggression. They are ranging 28- to 44-inches. The bass are hitting pretty good too. The bass seem to like the

buzz baits; I use green and yellow and white. Most of the guys I talk to are not spending the fuel cost it takes to run out 20 to 30 miles, everyone is waiting for Jan. 1 so they can bring back some grouper, snapper and Aj's. Most of the guys fish'n for sheepshead on docks, bridges, at the Phosphate Docks and at Mary’s reef are using fiddler crabs and small pieces of shrimp.

There are some Spanish mackerel and bonitas 2- to 10-miles off the beach and a few kings are being caught trolling. The nice days without wind, if you get up early in the morning, go out to the crab traps

and cast out a small spoon or use a Hank Brown jig tipped with a small piece of shrimp for triple tail. They won't be on every crab trap, but when you find the one you will have a nice battle and a delicious dinner.

I want to let you know our fish'n for heroes wounded warrors first Chili Cook-Off on December 6 was a great success and we are looking forward to next year on the first Saturday of December.

Well now it’s time to get out of here, so if you have any good fish stories or a recipe for cooking fish that we can share with our readers or if you want to book an offshore trip with us aboard the Predator II give me a call at ( 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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Sailing PAGE

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2.4-Mʼs get much wind: Holiday Regatta gets little

Photos: Fran Nashier Burstein Above: 2.4 action.

Results: N America (8 races) A Leibel Can. US Champ (6 races) T Pocklington Regatta Best (14 races) M Pasco GBR

Right: Holiday Results: Spinnaker See Ya T Milan / Non Spinnaker Fancy Free J Pouquette / Multi Hull Kimosabi P Saunders / Cruiser Sun Chaser Williams

THIS MONTH: Golden Conch Regatta, Burnt Store Next Month: Charlotte Harbor Regatta

Jan 17-18

February 6-8

SOLD!

By Peter Welch Water LIFE Sailing Nineteen sailors from four countries participated in the 2.4M US and NorthAmericas Regatta, (photo left) hosted by the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club. The US Championship had eight races over four days (Dec 9-12) and was followed by the North Americas six races on December 13 and 14. This is the second year at CHYC. Local 2.4M sailor Dennis Peck was elected racing class president.

The week started with cold north winds and dark clouds. Waves put a lot of cold water in the small boats the first day, but the north wind moderated, clear skies promoted heat driven wind from the west that produced velocity and direction changes during each race. A strong eb tide also figured into the dayʼs sailing as Charlotte Harbor retained its ability to challenge sailors!

The 2.4M boats are adapted to handicapped sailors physical capability based on doctorʼs analysis. The beauty of this boat is that it measures sailing skill, not strength or money and that it is a fun and responsive boat with low total cost to own.

Punta Gorda Isles

Beautiful Home With Intersecting Canal Views!, 3/2/2 with pool, built in 1995, appx. 2000sfAir, in power boat section. List $369,900 Sold $360,000

Call the Captain!

SOLD!

Punta Gorda Isles

Call the Captain! Beautiful Sailboat

JANUARY 2015

Waterfront Home! 3/2/2 with tons of updates, open floor plan, extra large dock with deep water. List $269,000 Sold $259,000

SOLD!

Burnt Store Isles

Call the Captain! Super Nice Sailboat Waterfront Home! 3/2/2 with pool, built in 1989 List $374,000 Sold $351,000

Punta Gorda Isles

SOLD!

Call the Captain! Premium Power Boat Lot With Wide Water Views! Bigger foot print for a home with a 3 car garage, this lot was on the market a short time. List $189,000 Sold $184,000

SOLD!

Port Charlotte

Beautifully Remodeled Power Boat Home! 3/2/2 with pool, built in 1988, appx 2100sfAir, Sold over appraised value! List $344,500 Sold $317,500

Call the Captain!

The Holiday Regatta (above) is a Punta Gorda Sailing Club “Boat of the Year” (BOTY) event. It is the second of five BOTY events whose results are tracked by the sanctioning body to determine the most successful boats by region. BOTY races raise money used for donations to local and national (like the Leukemia Cup) causes. The regatta attracted 21 boats this year. The winds were capricious, great for some, frustrating for others.

In the first race, our wind was blocked and we had to tack off to the east and away from favored wind shift toward the west. The last fleet to start (Cruising fleet) ran out of wind all together and their race was terminated.

Race two we watched the smart starters and with a good spinnaker set at the windward mark we finished fourth.

On day two the wind stopped and the current took us slowly to the parking lot of boats at Mkr. No. 1. When the wind started again it resumed weakly from the north east. Then, we got the news on the VHF radio: RACE ABANDONED.

SOLD!

Burnt Store Isles

Call the Captain! Fantastic Building Lot in Sailboat Community! The perfect location to build your dream home, seawall & dock. List $189,000 Sold $183,000

JANUARY 2015

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True APPROVALS ARE IN and the Charlotte Sailing Center is about to get a new 3,000+ sq.ft. home, a building of their own at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex. This is great for the county and its ʻsmall boatʼ sailors. In a related story, the Charlotte Sun has told the sailing club the Sun no longer has room to run sailing stories in their weakly Waterline section.

AMERICAS NEW SPACECRAFT – NASAs Orion capsule is shown being recovered by Navy divers after it splashed down 275 miles west of Baja California after orbiting the Earth twice. The 4.5 hour flight tested the rocket and the capsuleʼs heat shield, the largest ever used in a space program.

"There's your new spacecraft, America," said Rob Navias, a NASA spokesperson during the flight. The destination is Mars.

AN FWC SNOOK STUDY in progress on the other coast seems to indicate one segment of the snook population there is using two specific inlets to come and go offshore, while the other segment uses numerous random inlets.

NISSAN HEADS UP An advertiser wrote us: We just received a letter today stating that Nissan Marine is discontinuing their outboards.

PAGE 21

TUNA ANYONE? Australiaʼs ABC News reports that the bodies of three people have been found in the freezer of an illegal fishing boat in a remote part of Papua New Guinea. The deceased appear

to be Asian, their bodies were packed in amongst the boatʼs catch of tuna.

FWC OFFICERS WERE ON WATER PATROL in Duval County when they spotted a commercial shrimp trawler that had been identified by Resource Protection Squad members as possibly using nets that are too large for state waters. Upon

coming alongside the vessel, they noted that the trawler was 230 feet from the shore in an area that is closed to shrimping. Officers boarded the vessel and a measurement of the nets showed them to be 882 and 912 square feet; well in excess of the 500 square feet maximum. The captain was cited for the oversized net and warned for trawling too close to the shore.

The illegal nets were seized.

Either You Have or You Will

FEDERAL INTELLIGENCE Officers have been working on gathering intelligence on federally permitted commercial fishing vessels. The intelligence gathered through months of IFQ inspections and offshore inspections has resulted in multiple resource citations and warnings issued to various commercial fishing boats out of Tampa Bay. OOPPSIE NO BRAKEE A vessel had just pulled into the Ft Lauderdale boat ramp. The occupants exited the vessel and backed their truck and trailer to the ramp. They exited the truck and were preparing the vessel to be taken out of the water. Suddenly, the truck started rolling back toward the water. In moments, the trailer and truck were fully submerged in the water. The truck fell off the edge of the ramp and sank down 8 feet. The emergency brake had not been set.

December 10 South Venice, FL ·

This boy thinks this thing runs in mud.... ... guess who's pushin'?!

Luckily, it was only about 2 inches of water so he didn't get too wet!

Rachel Nicole — with Capt. Scott Sichling.

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JANUARY 2015

January – Predictions and Suggestions

Charlotte Harbor

Frank, at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888

There have been lots of little redfish, the rat-reds are pretty much the go-to fish now, but what is weird is this year there are a lot of oversize redfish too. Usually there is an event that causes this. Back three years ago we had a big red tide in Bull and Turtle Bay. Big bull reds washed up at Boca Grande, that correlates to the missing keeper-fish this year. The babies from three years ago got knocked out by the red tide. So now, back on the flats, you find fewer keepers than we had last year and the year before. That would be my explanation: (Frankism: If you want to know where you are going, you have you know where you have been.)

Bud Angus and Gordon Roman caught about 30 sheepshead around the docks in Charlotte Harbor near Boca Grande. They used live shrimp and the temperature was in the low 50 s. They kept 6. Here's "what's for dinner."

Capt. Billy Barton releases a redfish while clients hold two more

If you are out on an inshore charter this month the predominant thing the captains are working is poppin corks with shrimp and they are back on the flats and behind the bar if possible. They want an area with little depressions, maybe 2- to 6inches deep. They motor up current and drift back across the pot holes. If they don’t get a red drifting then they start popping the cork. That way you are more than likely to attract a trout reeling back in.

At Gasparilla, Pine Island and in the Harbor I prefer the D.O.A. Deadly Combo. The thing I like about it is its half-ounce bullet weight that slaps the oval shaped float and gives you a deep sound. A cigar shaped float produces a lighter tone which works better on trout and ladyfish. The rounder one is better for reds. It’s a subtle difference and that’s how to select a bobber for different species. The D.O.A. is less expensive and has the weight which makes it easier to get a good cast and easier for a beginner to pop. The floats with plastic beads are harder to work and harder to get a good cast out of.

Out in front of Bull and Turtle, down at Two Pine and at Jug Creek out beyond the sandbars there are pompano. It’s really good to have two people to fish pompano.

Back the throttle down to just stay on

plane. The driver looks where he’s going and the second person looks back in the wake to see the pompano skip out of the water. Like carp on the Illinois River, the pompano do the exact same thing, except they jump after the boat has passed – that’s why someone needs to be looking behind the boat. Then once you see the fish, turn away from the bar, go a good 20-to 50-yards to deeper water (because you just spooked the fish!). Get up current and drift back into them. The best jig is the banana jig in pink and white or chartreuses and white. I like the ones with a teaser on them. They started in the 70s as a walleye jig and in the 80s someone tried one down here. Now they call them a silly-jigs. Cast out and reel in with a slight lifting of the rod tip. That’s it.

Snook fishing is doing fair. Snook are not what I would target, but on the east side, with a half-ounce weedless gold spoon you’ll get a lot of small snook. The bigger snook are back in the canals and they don’t seem to be eating. Sheepshead fishing on the other hand is still pretty good. Placida has a nice population and there you want to be 2-to 3-feet off the bottom, next to the pilings. Bring it up one turn on the reel handle. Fiddler crabs (if we could get them) would be great bait.

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

Sand fleas are good and there are some you can find on the beach.... or the easy thing is small pieces of shrimp. You don’t want anything too big for the sheepshead.

El JoBean would be another good spot for sheephead now. If I was going to try my luck, I’d try one of the bridges on the Intracoastal and I’d take a scraper with me.

What I would do is drag the scraper UP

Corey Maples, grandson of Mike and Le Anne Maples with a pompano from a pompano trip with Capt Dave Stephens. Also at right.

Guide Card space available $40/mo 766-8180

JANUARY 2015

The BIG-4

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January

Good

the piling because if you scrape down you only get one Fish to expect in scrape. Pulling up you get three or four passes on the same set of barnacles. When you find barnacle coated pilings you want to make them last as long as possible.

REDFISH Schools from POMPANO In the Harbor and BLACK DRUM PGI and man- TROUT in the Harbor and Cobia are coming back the passes chester waterway.

Lemon Bay to Catfish Creek along the beach. into the Harbor now and there have been a lot of them rare, especially this time of year. under the 33 inch minimum. The Freshwater is on fire. Bass is Culprit 7-inch worm in Green going crazy, it’s buzz-baits or Kudzu Shad is what they are going frogs: Rapalla 09s and 11s - any crazy with. The Yum Yum bait in lure with greens is hot right now, chartreuses and pepper is my seclike somethging white with dark ond choice. Fish a 1/0 - or 3/0 green and light green. short-shank hook with a straight Crappie fishing is just OK. eye - no weight, no nothing, just tie 2014 was not a banner year for it on the end of the line. The heavy hook is your weight. Rig it with the pan fish - no big sizes or numbers - but you still can catch some hook exposed.

Out in the Gulf it’s been tough to nice ones. It’s better up by Kissimmee and Lake Trafford get reports, but the water temperathan down at Lake O. In the tures are good for king mackerel. canals in Port Charlotte the Grouper opened up this month and crappie are moving around beWeʼve seen quite a few black drum lately, some in the canals, some in the Harbor. we have had legal-sized red cause of the culvert construcgrouper in Boca Grande Pass all on docks and structure around Boca with banner days on mangrove and tion and all the rerouted water. through December. That is very yellow tail snapper. Quite a few Lastly, there are BIG triple tail Grande and Gasparilla Island. hog fish are being caught too, I don’t have a report for the around. I saw one over 3-feet! mostly in 75 or 80 feet of water.

Ainger Creek pier, which is now There are not many in the Harbor, There might be some closer, but closed for .... a while. so check the near-Gulf crab buoys. hard bottom is key. And there are A lot of nice redfish are being still a lot of keeper sized cobia caught, a lot of keepers. One guy around too, but not one AJ yet. used one shrimp to catch his keeper Jim at Fishermen’s Edge Coral Creek is giving up some red, it was 26 inches.

He said he ate 697-7595 nice fish, guys are getting small the rest of his bait shrimp with the The guys are all saying they snook and small tarpon up there. redfish for dinner.

Another friend can’t remember this much action And there is good trout around. told me he was catching them on this time of year ever! The water Guys are getting 50- or 60, no top water plugs in Whidden Creek, has cooled off and it didn’t heat problem. Trout are all over now. over by Cayo Pleau while he was back up. We’ve had a lot of pomYou better take 8 -to 10 dozen hiding from the wind and drifting pano and permit along the beach shrimp because you got to weed over the potholes he said he and they are mixed in with some through the little ones to get to the caught quite a few nice ones there. nice flounder. There have been a keepers.

Offshore has been good too, number of nice sheepshead caught

PAGE 23

Gulf Temps are low 60s

The Harbor is 3or 4-degrees warmer

95˚ 90˚ 85˚ 80˚ 72˚ 70˚ 68˚ 50˚

Lemon Bay

BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

45˚

Good !

FISHING RIGHT NOW:

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Bow Rider

Commander

2300 LX

1999

$19,999

#682

Flats boat

Bow Rider

Sea Ray

167 BR

2003

$8,900

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Jet Boat

16 CC

2004

$8,995

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Bow Rider Bow Rider

Maxum

Stingray

Center Console Sea Pro

Center Console Key West

Center Console Cape Craft

20 SF

195LS

SV1700 CC 1720 CC

1998 2006

2006

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#638

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Bayliner

Deck Boat

Hurricane

Deck Boat Deck Boat Deck Boat

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Grady White Hurricane

Hurricane SS Bennington

Ranger

Pathfinder

215 CC

Discovery 246 187 SD

226 CC

231 OB RL210

18 Reata VS 17T

2006

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JANUARY 2015

18 Flats

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Carolina Skiff

JV17 CC

2008

Skiff

Gheenoe

16CC

2004

Jet Boat Skiff Skiff

Yamaha

Sea Doo

LS 2000

$11,900

#675

#645

1800 Challenger 2003

$10,900

#631

E-2 Elite

$9,900

#600

Boston Whaler 130 Sport Craig Cat

2000

$21,900

#625

2006

2013

$10,900 $8,900

$5,600

#660

#657

#648

#666

Walkaround

Grady-White

230 W/A

1992

$19,900

#677

#644

Walkaround

Aquasport

250 Explorer

2004

$37,900

#617

#656

#615

#602

#686

#661

#618

Walkaround

Walkaround Walkaround Walkaround Walkaround Walkaround Walkaround

Stratos

Aquasport Pro Line Cobia

Sailfish

Grady White

2600

225 Explorer

1990

1998

$17,900

$15,900

#683

#624

251 W/A

1995

$21,900

#609

282 W/A

2001

$49,900

#652

230 W/A

2660 W/A

Boston Whaler 235 Conquest

2004 2006

2006

$27,900 $52,900

$52,900

#629 #598

#667