Water LIFE Dec 2005

Wa t e r LIFE

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KIds Cup and ESPN Redfish Cup Return to Punta Gorda in May

Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay Florida

Keeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed

Page 4

PADDLE SPORTS Page 30

www.CHARLOTTEHARBORMAGAZINE.COM

December 2005 INSIDE: Trolling for Gags Pages 5 & 16

This New House Progress Report Page 22

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Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

December 2005

December Seminars: 6 p.m.

Dec 8 D.O.A Products

with Capt. Mark Nichols

Dec 13 Berkley Gulp Products with Capt. David Justice

December 2005

Water LIFE

In Charlotte, a Tree Falls for Christmas

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor This particular morning comes slowly, shrouded in fog, the sun hidden away someplace out of sight. What little light there is shines dimly through the wet air.

From my perch atop a high foundation 100 yards away I am invisible.

A rumble of old machinery breaks the quiet from afar, slowly encroaching on my space. Around the area of this flat outcropping we are on, surrounded by water on three sides, the native residents are mostly asleep. A dog barks his alert, but it is muffled by bushes and stifled by the heavy air.

The approaching noise grows louder, a heavy diesel truck carrying one big weapon. Soon it is within sight, translucent and ethereal yet looming ever bigger.

It coasts out of gear, no engine brake, no noise. Offering as little disruption as possible, it comes to a halt just off the side of the road.

A head looks out of the cab, searching for other life. There is none, except for me, and I am well hidden. Three men climb down from the truck and walk around back. They swing the weapon, a cold orange steel implement into view.

Then, in a minute, they back the truck onto a vacant lot and take aim at the target.

The prey is unaware. Standing gracefully and quiet in the soft morning air. It has

no idea of what is about to happen. A heavy sling is quickly thrown around its middle. There is, of course, no resistance.

Shovels come out and the perimeter is dug in, then the silence is broken – at first by one and then two chain saws, rasping up to speed. Ladders are set, men go up and one by one the fans are severed.

Like white hunters cutting ivory tusks from an old elephant, landscape brokers are grabbing another stately date palm and it only takes a matter of minutes.

In the wake of hurricane Charley some residents of the nicer neighborhoods, the places with the older big trees, have decided to take their insurance settlements and run and some are selling off their big trees for a healthy, but unconscionable, profit.

Trees like this stately specimen will bring upwards of $7,000 in posh neighborhoods like Naples or Bonita Springs. Trees that grew from small plantings started in the 1960’s in Port Charlotte’s soil will now live out their days 50 miles south in neighborhoods where owners need instant gratification and it is brought by truck.

This particular tree belonged to Mr Jack Gross, a real estate investor from Naples who bought the house in Port Charlotte as an investment and left it unprotected during hurricane Charley. It was a nice house, complete with roll down shutters and hurricane doors, but with the shutters up the windows blew in and the roof came off.

Then the house became a haven for rats

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Workers dig up and remove a majestic date palm from property on Bangsberg Road.

and vermin for over a year until the county red-tagged it and told the owner if he didn’t tear it down they would. So the house was leveled and the landscaping sold off. The owner wasn’t a guy with neighborhood pride, we didn’t see him much, he was an investor with motives that didn’t include the neighbors on the block.

The workers dug a big trench around the majestic old palm and nudged it over with the orange crane. The soft thud it made when it hit the ground was one of sadness and defeat. Then the men with the saws went to work trimming back the foliage, cutting the fronds and wrapping the root ball in plastic. It was loaded onto

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the truck and gone before anyone knew.

The whole thing angered me – the falling, the cutting, the thievery-like speed and the big vacant spot in the sky I now look at every time I drive down my block.

There are county codes and landscape regulations; permits and forms that we had to fill out when we demolished our own house. There was a county formula for removing trees and stipulations for what replacements must be made; calculations about height and girth must be met and complied with. I’d sure like to think that someone in the county follows this up.

Otherwise, they’re going to be selling off our beautiful county one tree at a time,

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Letter to Water LIFE

Editor Notes** This is a letter we got in response to Merry Beth Ryan’s story on Mullet last month.

There are other theories as well

Dear Sirs, I would like to put every onesʼ mind at ease about why Mullet jump. Mother nature installed mullet and like salmon with egg sacks that house the eggs which in turn are connected by membranes. In order for the mullet or salmon to spawn, they have to break the membranes that connect to every egg. They can not go to the doctor to do this. They have to jump in the air and land on their sides to break the eggs up, so when it comes time to lay theireggs, they come out one at a time until she has emptied the egg casing. If they did not do this then all the eggs would end up dead inside the fish because they could not be fertilized by the males milk. I am sure that the people that watch the mullet and salmon jump will get a good nightʼs sleep knowing this.

S.G.P.

Kids Cup Coming

S t aff R eport David Healy and our friends at ESPN’s JM Productions have called to say that in lieu of this past season’s terrible hurricane disasters they have rethought their 2006 Redfish Cup schedule for Florida and will be bringing the full ESPN Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup to Punta Gorda in May instead of September as previously announced. The weekend of May 12-14 will be the Redfish cup, complete with the Big Air Dogs, cardboard boat races tailgate party and whatever else they bring along.

That means that the Water LIFE Kids Cup will take place on the weekend of May 6, with the top five kids going on to fish with the pros on Sunday May 14 and weighing in their fish on the ESPN stage in front of the TV cameras.

According to Healy, hotel accommodations have already been made at the Best Western and they are looking into having the majority of the event, including the Big Air Dog Show, at Gilchrist Park instead of in the barren asphalt parking lot of the old Charlotte County auditorium.

We’ll have more on the Kids Cup starting next month. Full information will be posted on the Kids Cup website www.kidscuptournament.com and applications will become available on January 15.

Entries will be limited to the first 125 junior anglers between at least 10 but not yet 17 years of age. Entry fee is $100 and the proceeds go to support the Don Ball School of Fishing program in the Charlotte County public schools.

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Anyone Know Anything About This?

Water LIFE is not affiliated with any newspaper or other publication © 2005 Vol V No. 12 Water LIFE No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of the publishers

CM RT

WRITE US! e-mail (preferred) Waterlife@comcast.net Regular MAIL: 217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

This was sent to me from a friend asking if I had heard about a potential world record Snook being caught in South Florida. This is the first I have heard of any potential world record Snook possibly being caught. This picture looks authentic and looks like it could be a record fish. Anyone heard anything about this? Thanks.

Capt. Rob

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Contributing Editors:

Fishing / Environment: Capt. Ron Blago Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Port Charlotte: Fishinʼ Frank Offshore: Capt. Steve Skevington Technical Advisor: Mike Panetti Sailing Advisor: Bill Dixon Lemon Bay: Don Cessna Kayaks: David Allen Local: Capt. Andrew Medina Tournament Report: Capt Jerry Cleffi Sea Grant: Betty Staugler

on the COVER:

The Kid and the gag were both photographed aboard Capt. Dan Cambernʼs Hammerhead charters boat.

on our WEBSITE:

WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

Tide Graphs: For local waters

Weather: Links to all of our favorite sites.

Back editions: Pages of previous editions Artificial Reefs: Lat. and Long local reefs

Manatee Myths: Read the original plan to create sanctuaries and refuges, as spelled out by the United Nations in 1984 Links to Realtors: Connect with our real estate advertisers

Fishinʼ with Frank December 2005

By Fi shi n’ Frank Water LIFE Port Charlotte I was watching TV the morning after Thanksgiving and there were hundreds of people lined up in front of a store. When interviewed, one man said he got up at 3 a.m. and was there by 4 to get a good spot in line so he could get a deal on a TV. That made sense to me. Then the reporter asked the next guy in line what he was there for. The guy said he was just there ‘for the experience!!!’ What the heck was he thinking? Obviously this guy has never gotten up early to go fishing – of this I am positive. To get up at 3 a.m. and drive to a mall so you can stand in line with hundreds of people just so you can experience walking through a store ... Let’s think this out.

On one hand we have standing in line with a hundred people. On the other hand there is the opportunity of taking a fishing pole out on a pier, alone, waves lapping the shore, the sun starting to peak out over the horizon, the smell of salt in the air. What’s your choice?

As the gulf gets colder the fish move to the warmer waters in the canals so now is the time to fish there. The fishing inside has been great. Ladyfish, snapper, jacks, snook and redfish have been hitting in almost every area canal.

Lures are really taking over the canal fishing now. Heddon’s x 9230dts and the Bomber 15axs104 are really popular. With a lure you can cover more area and there is a certain satisfaction that comes from tricking a big snook into biting on your piece of plastic.

It is legal in Florida to fish with more then one rod, as long

as you are in attendance of both rods. So while you are throwing a lure you can have another rod with a bait on it. The rod you are not working should be in a rod holder. Fish in Florida are excellent rod thieves and if you lay your rod down, chances are it will be gone. Putting out a second rod with bait on it is so popular that there are special reels made just for this with two drags. One drag is to fight the fish, the other is to let the fish run under controlled tension; kind of like a clicker on the old off-shore Penn reels, only you can adjust the tension of the pull. You fish your lure and when a fish takes off with your bait on the other rod you click it over to the fighting drag and everything is preset so there is no fumbling with the drag setting during the fight.

One drawback to the two-rod style fishing is when you are not holding the rod, the chances of

the fish swallowing the hook are very good and that often means a dead fish. If it is a keeper and you are going to eat the fish there’s no problem, however if it is not a keeper, it becomes a waste.

But there is a solution to this too – use circle hooks.

A circle hook does not get

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stuck when a fish swallows it. It slides over until it gets to the edge of his mouth and then it gets stuck on the edge of his lip.

This makes catch-and-release possible and keeps you from missing that second fish.

The hard part of circle hook fishing is picking the correct size. There is no standard size rating for circle hooks. Each brand has its own system and many of the circle hooks are just modified kahle hooks or so-called wide-gap hooks. True circle hooks catch in the lip. If the point of the hook is off-set to the side, it may hook in deep, where a true circle will not. You should check that the point faces the shank. If it is bent or offset to one side it may set better, but it is more likely to gut-hook the fish. Eagle claw Ll702G and Bear Paw CHSS are real circle hooks. The Bear Paw is a snelled hook with 30-pound mono leader already on it. The best thing to do is just look at the size bait you're using and match the hook to that. Do not

try to match number sizes. Last thing is, after you cast out and place your rod in the holder check the drag setting by pulling line out from the tip of the rod like a fish would. Do not check the drag at the reel – the tension on the line should be tight enough not to let the spool backlash, while still getting the hook to grab.

Guys walk into the bait shop and say they want circle hooks. Often they say they read about catching this fish or that on circle hooks and ask for a particular size. The problem is that there is no standardization in circle hook sizes. A 1-0 J hook is the same no matter if itʼs a Mustad, a gamagatzu or an owner, but circle hooks that are labeled the same size vary greatly. Shown here, both packs are labeled 8-0 size

Next Thought: In Charlotte county there are miles and miles of canals; salt, brackish and fresh water. Many have dams where the fresh water spills over into the salt water side and all of them have fish in them. Why is that?

It is the vast population of wading birds. Up north it is the ducks that transfer fish eggs from one pond to another. Here, not only do we have ducks, but we also have wading birds; egrets, storks, herons, and many others walking in the water searching for food, getting fish eggs stuck to their feet and flying them to the next pond or canal they visit.

It is estimated that with the bird’s help, one pair of fish can populate 20 acres a year in Florida.

Many of our fresh water lakes and canals have snook, tarpon or redfish in them. Often it is as simple as when the water rises during heavy rains or wind fish tend to follow the rising water to new feeding grounds. A few years ago a man in P.G.I. found a tarpon in his front ditch. It followed the storm drains up and got stuck there when the water receded.

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Sometimes a bird will catch a fish and fly off with it in his beak and if the fish can wiggle out he may be dropped into another body of water. There are many ways fish can be moved from one spot to another.

While I am off the beaten path I would like to share a thought. Have you noticed how flat and featureless the bottom of Charlotte Harbor is? No, it did not get that way naturally. Much of it it has been dragged flat by the shrimp fleet. That’s a lot of dragging. They are not really harming the shrimp populations, but the lack of shrimp swimming out of the harbor is staving the off-shore fish like grouper, snapper, and grunts. I don’t want anyone to lose their livelihood, but if something is not done about letting some bait (shrimp) return to the gulf so those fish can feed, more restrictions like the grouper ban will be coming.

Maybe you should have to live here to be a commercial shrimper here.

Frank can be reached at Fishin’

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December 2005

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Jigging for ʻGolden Nuggetsʼ December 2005

By Merry Beth Ryan Water Life Fishing Often referred to as golden nuggets pompano are a highly sought after fish.

Pompano invade our inshore waters in late fall and early winter. Once the water temperatures drop into the 70s the pompano head inshore to feed on small crabs, shrimp, and any other tidbits such as sand fleas that they can find. Pompano are a very elusive fish to say the least. Just as with many other species of fish they are there one day and gone the next. Patience is a must while fishing for pompano.

You will have to do some running around while at the same time doing your homework on their patterns. Just when you think you have them figured out they throw you a curve ball and you’re back to playing hide and seek with them. The good news is once you do locate them your rewards will be well worth your efforts.

Pompano will skip right out of the water which helps locate them. There is no need to put your engines into overdrive to locate the pomps. A slow moving boat keeping a steady pace will actually work to your advantage versus cruising through a school of pompano at a high rate of speed. If you are operating your boat too fast and happen to run through a school of pompano you will quickly see just how fast they can disappear.

Keep your eyes peeled. When you spot a school of ladyfish, that usually is a good indicator that pompano are scattered in with them as well. Another thing to watch for are schools of bat rays and stingrays.

They too will attract pompano to follow in tandem, eating all the goodies they raise up from the sandy bottom. Where you see one pompano skittering across the surface you are bound to see others close by. I can remember the first time I spotted a pompano skip out of the water and it nearly landed in the boat I was in. Pompano have a shimmer like that of a silver king.

What a sight to see as their iridescent bodies wiggled up and out of the water. Talk about excitement – these silvery slabs provide that and then some.

The most productive way to catch pompano is by using jigs. There are many jigs on the market designed for pompano.

One of my favorites is Doc's Goofy Jigs tipped with a piece of shrimp. Doc's jigs are made right here in the state of Florida in the Tampa Bay area. His jigs are a hairless jig usually used as the trailer jig when using a double jig rig. Targeting pompano using the jigging method is a sure way to attract the pompano bite. Anglers retrieve the jig by bouncing it along the bottom.

You are looking for the jig to imitate a

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POMPANO PREPARATIONS

A Favorite Pompano Recipe

Carole Neidig, a Mote Marine scientist showing off a nice Pompano she caught while fishing with Capt. Van Hubbard and Merry Beth Ryan last month

crab or other small crustaceans scurrying out of the way of predator fish. Pompano like anything that is crunchy to eat.

Bounce the jigs along the bottom lifting the sand to attract the pompanos attention.

Make sure you feel your jig hit the bottom before starting to bounce it along.

Depending on the depth of the water you are in, tides as well as currents will help dictate how fast you should retrieve the jig. A faster retrieve will be needed when the tide is running fast. If the tide is running at a snails pace use a slow retrieve.

This will help enhance your odds of hooking these delicious eating fish.

Tipping your jigs with a small piece of shrimp seems to work as well as anything. Sand fleas are also a very popular and effective bait of choice. You can bring your snowbird-shovels also known as sand rakes to the beach and rake up some sand fleas for bait. Sand fleas freeze well and can be used again. I have found that live shrimp tend to stay on the hook a lot better than frozen shrimp. So given a choice, use live shrimp when available. Pompano are a challenging fish to catch. It takes practice to master the technique as with most fish you target. Pompano are often confused with their cousin, the permit.

Although they are in many ways alike, there are things about the two fish that are very different. Both pompano and permit are highly sought after game fish. Both are great eating fish as well. A permit’s tail is longer with darker edges than that of the pompano. A permit also has a longer dorsal fin with darker tips than the pompano.

Permit have a deeper body and slightly more blunted shaped head than the pompano.The pompano will have more orange color from their head back under their belly than a permit has. Permit do have yellow on them as well, but mostly located on their underside near the back of the fish.

The average size pompano caught on a regular basis is usually a fish ranging

between 1 and 3 pounds. There have been some much bigger pompano caught, some weighing over 8 pounds, but they are not your everyday catch. One thing is for sure pompano on the dinner table is a meal fit for Kings. If you’re looking for a different fish to target, give pompano a try. You will not be sorry you did. When you hook into your first ever pompano you too will quickly have the golden nugget fever. The challenge of catching pompano will keep you coming back for more.

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The most important rule in pompano dining is to eat them fresh the day you catch ʻem if you can. Freeze if you cannot eat them the second day.

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Water LIFE

Looking Back and Trolling Deep Page 8

By. Capt Dan Cambern Water LIFE Offshore Staff Well, December is here and I’m hoping this month will end the year with some sort of normalcy. As I look back on my log book for 2005, it shows that last January started out pretty well. I only had to reschedule 3 trips due to wind, diesel fuel was less than $2 a gallon, the gulf water was clear and the fish bit good all month.

By the end of January we had red-tide which continued to plague us off and on the whole year. We didn’t get hit as hard as the Tampa- St Pete area which had hundreds of square miles of dead-zones on the bottom, but even now there are reports of red-tide patches off Boca Grande and the Gulf is as dirty as can be, all from the huge amounts of water being dumped out of Lake-Okeechobee.

This year’s hurricane season has without-a-doubt set new records – 26 named storms, starting with Arlene, which is also my wife’s name, and ending with Epsilon, the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. Three powerful hurricanes roared up the Gulf of Mexico, and the devastation they visited on the lives and property of the Gulf coast was phenomenal. We lost about 25 to 30 trips this past year due to the hurricanes, but we are thankful to have been spared a direct hit this season.

The damage to off-shore oil rigs and refineries slowed down production and that resulted in record high fuel prices which in turn resulted in higher prices for all kinds of services including trips on charter fishing boats. After Katrina hit, fuel jumped to over $3 a gallon, which has a huge effect on profits when your boat gets around 1 mile per gallon. Thankfully, by the end of November fuel prices had started to come down.

As if all of this wasn’t enough to deal with, we had to battle with the federal government over their crazy plan to shut down all grouper fishing for November and December in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which start at 9 nautical miles offshore. In August they also cut our bag limit down from 5 to 3 grouper with only 1 red grouper allowed per person.

Thankfully, a federal court judge in Ft. Myers took our side when we sued the feds for overstepping their authority. That suit gave us back all grouper except reds and put the limit back up to 5 fish per person. Then at the last Gulf council meeting in November, their latest recommendation was to close all grouper fishing again from February. 15th through March 15th to coincide with the closed season on commercial grouper fishing. I’ve been told this probably won’t take affect until 2007 because they don’t have enough time to make it all official. Stay tuned, because I’m sure this issue is far from being resolved.

Fishing has been very good this year with all things being considered. Tarpon season was better than it has been in recent years, and most of the feuding between guides has calmed way down.

Grouper and snapper fishing have been dependable on most day trips and phenomenal on the 50- 100 mile overnight trips.

The red snapper fishing has been the best I’ve seen in many years with most anglers coming back with full limits. Large yellowtail and mutton snapper have helped fill the coolers along with mahi-mahi, blackfin tuna and wahoo. We hooked two sailfish this year, but neither one stayed on long enough to qualify for a catch. We’ve been catching more black grouper recently also and that is definitely a good sign. We

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caught our largest black grouper in Nov. at a whopping 44-pounds. It took two grown men to get that fish off the bottom and up to the boat in 5-foot seas, 50 miles offshore, but they told me afterwards that was the best trip they ever had. It’s days like that which makes it all worth while.

Now that winter is here we won’t have to run as far offshore to catch grouper as they move in closer to spawn and we will also start trolling for them, which is one my favorite ways to catch them. A lot of my customers are surprised when I tell them we can troll for grouper and some like it even better than traditional bottom fishing. For one thing, it doesn’t require the brute strength necessary to get a large grouper up off the bottom quickly to keep him from getting back into his hole or whatever structure he happens to be on.

This is an especially good way for kids or elderly people to catch nice grouper. I like to use deep diving lures such as Mann’s stretch 25’s, 30’s, or even 40’s, depending on the depth we’re in. Running them just off the bottom you can entice that large grouper away from his structure, and once he is hooked and being dragged away by the moving boat he doesn’t have a chance.

Well, that’s almost always the case anyway, because if you let them have any slack at all they will take advantage of it and shake off.

Obviously, you want to get the lure close to the bottom because that’s where the grouper live, right? While this is true, I have also found that grouper will swim up quite a way to eat a lure. It seems that the sound of the rattle inside of the lure gets their attention and as long as the water is clear enough for them to see it they will come up and grab it. The deepest I have trolled up grouper was at 106-feet with a stretch 40 running about 55-feet down, which means the fish came up over 50-feet from the bottom!

December 2005

A trolled up gag and the lure he rode in on

The trick to getting these lures as deep as possible is to use a thin diameter braided line such as Power-Pro, which is my personal favorite. I use 50- 65-pound test line with 5- to 6-feet of 80-pound mono leader or a couple of feet of 64pound wire leader if there are lots of kings or 'cudas around. Trolling speed and the amount of line you let out will also affect how deep the lures run. I troll at about 4 to 5 knots and let out over 200 feet of line to get a stretch 30 down to about 48-feet.

You can experiment with lure colors and also other brands of lures as there are a wide variety to choose from. I generally run a red/white combo on one line and experiment on the second line. Gold/ black and silver/black have produced gags over 20-pounds, as well as plenty of big kings.

Trolling more than two deep lures is a recipe for disaster with a huge tangle, but it doesn’t hurt to run a ballyhoo or skipping lure on top for a shot at a king, bonita, or possibly a sailfish.

One last note: if the water temperature drops down to the 50s or low 60s after a real cold night, it’s better to wait until late morning or early afternoon before you start trolling. The fish get real lethargic on those cold mornings and don’t seem to want to chase lures until later in the day.

Hopefully this is enough information to get you started on your trolling adventure and you might still have enough time to get some of these lures onto your Christmas shopping list – let your wife pick out the colors and she will probably want to go along just to see how they work! Have a safe and happy holiday.

Capt. Dan Cambern owns and operates Hammerhead Charters out of the Placida mari-

Water LIFE

December 2005

BIG ASS BASS

MAGAZINE

Page 9

If you know Port Charlotte youʼll know where Greg Medina caught this lunker bass late last month.

Incredible

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Happy Holidays – Your Holiday Rod & Reel Headquarters

Page 10

By Capt Ron Bl ago Water Life Senior Staff Red tide has sure been in the news a lot this year. It seems that every organization with a public relations department has had their opinion on red tide published in the local media and, sad to say, checking statements for accuracy is not one of the local newspaper’s strong points. So a lot of misinformation seems to be spreading out to the public.

I can't count how many times this year we have seen articles and editorials that say “scientists now believe that man made pollution is the cause of our red tide outbreaks.” That statement is totally wrong. Don't take my word for it; check out the article Frequently Asked Questions about the 2005 Benthic Mortality Event and Red Tide, published by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at http://research.myfwc. State scientists are pretty confident when they make the statement that man made pollution does not cause red tide and they give the following reasons.

First off, in 2005 they used satellite imagery to show that the current red tide started 20 miles offshore from Pinellas County in a region beyond the influence of coastal nutrients. They have also been studying red tide in the lab since the 70s and have found no evidence of a direct link between Florida red tides and nutrient pol-

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Red Tide

Myths, Fantasy and Reality

Shown Above: an electron-photomicrograph of the red tide organism

lution. As a matter of fact, the local type of red tide we have in the area (Karenia brevis) uses different forms of nutrients that are not a common component of typical nutrient pollution. So why did we have so much red tide in 2005?

Well it was a problem, but at least it wasn’t as bad as the documented outbreaks in 1880, 1917, 1946, 1947,1953, 1971 and 1995. As a matter of fact 2005 was rather mild by historic standards. It appears

that red tide just got a lot more media attention than in past years. But there were a few things to be learned from 2005. The phrase ‘dead zone’ surfaced around mid July. The term was used to describe an area from Sarasota north to Tarpon Springs where divers were reporting that every living thing was dead on the bottom of the Gulf. Scientists hypothesize that the hot summer warmed the surface water resulting in a layering of warmer, less dense, seawa-

December 2005 ter over a cooler, denser layer near the bottom. This caused the red tide to stay near the bottom and produce a toxin-rich region near the bottom which killed any creature that came in contact with it. The dead fish consumed all the dissolved oxygen in the seawater as they decomposed, which pretty well finished off any living thing that was on the bottom.

Another questions that kept popping up was what effect the dumping of the Piney Point phosphate wastewater discharge offshore in 2003 had on the red tide outbreak? According to state scientists, it had no effect at all and here is why: During the wastewater discharge in the fall of 2003 they took 272 water samples and only 2 showed extremely low levels of red tide cells. They tracked the discharge by satellite and the discharge was carried by the current to the south and west, away from the coast of Florida. They also monitored the water quality at Bishop Harbor in southern Tampa Bay for 2 years and found no red tide. As a matter of fact, Bishop Harbor was red tide free in 2005.

It looks like a lot of money will be going into red tide research over the next few years and what they discover is anyone's guess, but remember that red tide is here, always was here, and probably will always be here, so get use to it.

Capt Ron can be reached at 941-474-3474

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Holiday Lights Tradition December 2005

Boaters take to the water at night The Fleet is Lighted at the Isles Yacht Club

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Staff Report The annual Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte lighted boat parade takes place on December 3 this year. ʻItʼs early in the month, but we picked that night because of the favorable tide,ʼ parade organizers explained, noting that a favorable tide was a prerequisite for putting so many boats on the water at night. The parade originates at Edgewater lake in Port Charlotte, just off Edgewater drive 3/4 mile west of US 41. With so many vacant lots in that area because of hurricane Charley, there should be plenty of room for spectators there. The parade crosses the Peace River and

P a g e 11

goes into the Punta Gorda Canals to pass before the Isles Yacht Club. Boats at the Yacht Club should be lit with festive holiday decorations as well. Then the parade returns back to the river, passing in review before Fishermenʼs Village and going under the US 41 bridge at mid span. The southbound walkway on the bridge is a popular viewing spot as well. Boaters use small DC to AC inverters to power traditional holiday lights aboard their vessels.

For the remainder of the month area boaters make an evening of it, cruising the local canals and enjoying the lights residents display in the back yards.

Pompano Inlet

Above: The Yacht Club basin. Below: The parade route.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS BY BOAT

POPULAR CANALS SHOWN IN GREEN AND RED

Isles Yacht Club Basin

Fishermenʼs Village

Mike Kelley of South Carolina and Frank Guterez of Port Charlotte teamed up to catch this 44# Black grouper 50 miles offshore on November 12 While Roger Venrick of Port Charlotte waits for his rod to bend over.

i

Location, Location, Location! 12 minutes to Myakka River, 10 min. to I-75. Gulf Access. Large 2 bed/2 bath 2 car garage. Oversized Fenced Yard. Riprap. 10,000 lb Boat Lift. Hurricane Shutters. New Carpet, Tile, and Exterior Paint. Roof is being replaced. Beautiful Landscaping with Huge Fruit Tree. Jetted Tub. Alarm System. All sliding doors pocket. Donít miss out on this great deal, house is ready to move into! MLS 496217. $405,000. Contact Dennis Johnson of Duffyʼs Realty Station, Inc. at www.soldbydennis.com" or Toll free 1-877-564-6767.

One Bridge to the Lock from this waterfront Gulf Access home in the deed restricted community of South Gulf Cove. Very motivated seller! MLS 491581. $494,999. Contact Jeremy Cunningham of Duffyʼs Realty Station, Inc. at (941) 416-2187 or jeremycham333@yahoo.com.

New Home Under Construction in South Gulf Cove across from Acorn Waterway. Great investment for a winter home or year round living! MLS 489837. $439,900. For a FREE info pack, call the Kelli Parker Team of Duffyís Realty Station, Inc. at (941) 204-1039, (941) 628-6894 or (941) 234-3402.

Practically New Three Bedroom, two bath home.

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Contact Olivia Jones of Duffyʼs Realty Station, Inc. at (941)456-1281

Custom Southwest Designed courtyard home with preserve like landscaping. Home is nestled on a large tip lot (over 16,000sq ft) with approx. 169” of Gulf accessible waterfront. 10,000lb lift and 20x10 dock with room to grow. Beautiful hand built fireplace & greenery in front courtyard surrounded by a privacy wall. MLS 496057. $499,000. Contact the Betancourt/Stevens Team of Duffyʼs Realty Station, Inc. at (941) 716-2477, (941) 6620379 or 769-4006, BSTeam@gls3c.com.

Wonderful Starter Home in Gardens of Gulf Cove with great potential! Located in a quite neighborhood on a huge lot. MLS 490215. $165,000. Contact Jon Pettit of Duffyʼs Realty Station, Inc. at (941) 286-0147 or mailto:jspettitteam@comcast.net or spettit-team@comcast.net.

Water LIFE

Page 12

Boat Buying Tips

Looking for the PERFECT BOAT for Charlotte Harbor? Try several

before you buy. Shorter hull lengths are perfect for getting in and out of the tighter spots and boats that draw less water will get you into the back country where the fish are. Boats that are longer in length generally take the chop better and make boating when the water is less than calm more pleasurable. The dividing line for Charlotte Harbor comfort on a rough day seems to be right around 21-feet.

If you are going to test drive a boat try and go on a day Ken Cook / Boats Unlimited that is not totally calm, that way you will get an idea of 4809 Tamiami Trail how the boat performs in a real world situation and donʼt be afraid to make some tight turns to see how the vessel Charlotte Harbor responds to steering input.

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Jacks and Trout Keep Rods Bent MAGAZINE

December 2005

By Don Cessna Water LIFE Englewood The weather has cooled off quickly now, and again the fishing opportunities are changing. First, the fish are feeling good and frisky then they get really hungry and more aggressive. The cooler days are easier on fishermen too. On the other hand, cold days and cold nights cause the shrimp to go to the bottom and dig in. Now is a good A marauding wolfpack of jacks coming in with the tide tears time to fish with jigs and up a school of bait during one early morning late last month. tails. Now is when you can take all the lure types, a couple extra lure but struck short. The bright light or lengths of leader material and a pair of long ability to see the fake bait must have tipped them off. A good bit of information is not nose pliers and it all fits in your pockets.

The Jack Crevalle will be going nuts to throw right back at them, but wait a couthis month, tearing up schools of bait fish ple of minutes before casting to them again and attacking about any fast moving bait in and this time speed it up. In this way the the water, especially when they are in a fish doesn't have as much time to check frenzy. They may not be the greatest for the things over. Many times that fish will just charge in and eat the bait on the second try. table, but they are a blast to catch.

Sheepshead will be hanging around the That is, of course, if it didn't learn the first pilings and under boats at the docks. Some time.

Trout are just about everywhere and are nice sized ones can be had around the Placida trestle. Peel the skin off some much easier to catch. They are really frozen shrimp tails for them, or try a sand gullible! Looking for seagrass is the standard for finding trout. The edges of the deepflea.

As the water cools down try sneaking er Intracoastal will produce fewer fish, but into shallow bays early in the morning. larger fish. For those who fish from shore, The shallows will be warmed by the sun those shallow bays before daylight and at first and a good bay will show you when night are a good place to catch nice trout. fish are present. Watch for swirls and jump- Some of the biggest trout I've caught were ing bait fish. This is the first indication you before daylight from the shore with a top water plug. This is a great time for those are in the right place.

You have to find fish to make it easier to who like to catch a bunch of fish. They catch fish, so I would add one more plug to may not all be keepers, but with trout you my pockets. This is the time and place for don't get bored. a top water plug. It doesn't get any better than catching fish on a top water plug. You get the most visibly vicious of strikes.

Trout are a likely species to be caught now. Snook are really active as well.

During daylight the smaller snook can be caught in the warm bays along with the trout, but there have been a bunch of good sized snook caught at the bridges, trestles and docks mainly at night. The last time I was out it was about 9:30 in the morning.

A couple of snook did roll on my bait fish A jack this size will give you a nice work out.

Water LIFE

December 2005

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Water LIFE

Page 14

A Day at the Beach

Staff Report “Ahhh, Air France 747 heavy, this is St. Martin tower. You are cleared for the approach, runway 27 at St. Martin, wind two-five-zero at 8. Watch out for the beach umbrellas!�

Here are some photos of St. Marten Airport in the French West Indies. The planes impress

December 2005

MAGAZINE

most people on the beach, flying over just seconds before touching down at Princess Juliana airport. The area is paradise for the bathers on the lovely tropical beach, and heaven for aviation fanatics who spend hours-on-end observing the very low flying skills of the pilots on final

Deep Water Docking on Manasota Key

approach. Twelve Boeing 747s operate daily to St. Marten. The heavy jumbo jet is the most impressive of all and attracts the attention of everybody around.

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806 Marion Avenue - Enjoy the view of the Peace River from your office when you purchase this OMI zoned property on Marion Avenue in Punta Gorda.

Located directly across from Charlotte Regional Hospital in Punta Gorda, there are 11 lots totaling 1.3 acres+/-. For all the details and disclosures on this property, call Nancy at 941-661-9737 or e-mail to: Waterlife@CaptainsChoiceRealty.com $2,800,000

321 Capri Isles - PGI - Florida living doesn't get any better than this. Take a look at this 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 car garage pool home. The split floor plan offers a complete new kitchen. The large lanai is just waiting for you to entertain your family and friends.

Powerboat access to Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico. $675,000 Call Chuck Sanders for more details. 941-235-1555 or e-mail Chuck Sanders at ChuckSanders@CaptainsChoiceRealty.com

23296 Peachland Blvd - This 3/2/2 pool home located on a freshwater canal is waiting for you. Nice and open for entertaining or just relaxing by the pool, this 1,993 sq ft. home has ceramic tile and carpet, screened entry, new pool cage, new barrel tile roof and recently been painted on the outside. Split floor plan offers privacy with a large master bedroom and bath. Located on a corner lot-garage access is from the side street. Stroll through the large back yard to the freshwater canal for some great fishing. Section 15 is one of the most desirable areas to live in Charlotte County. $365,000 Call Nancy at 941661-9737 or e-mail questions to Waterlife@CaptainsChoiceRealty.com.

18874 Ayrshire Circle - Located on the Manchester Waterway, this sailboat home has so much to offer it can't all be listed here.

Built in 1987, this home shows like a new home. The 3 bedroom, 2 bath split floor plan offers a living room, formal dining room, family room and a den and/or home office. The roof was just replaced with a metal roof, hurricane rated windows and sliders - no need for shutters on these, pool just refinished, new pool deck, pool heater and cage. Outside, new concrete seawall and boat lift installed in 2004 per owner. A 15 minute boat ride down the beautiful Manchester Waterway takes you to Charlotte Harbor. For more info call Nancy Grube at 941-661-9737 or email to: Waterlife@CaptainsChoiceRealty.com

10884 McAlester Circle - This property in the southern sailboat section of South Gulf Cove offers it all. Leave your dock and travel the Santa Cruz waterway to the Interceptor Lagoon. Enjoy the tranquility of the Bird Estuary and the lagoon on your way to the lock. No seawall is in place. This property offers all that Southwest Florida has to offer. $325,000 Call Nancy at 941-661-9737

13388 Clarence Lane - Relax on your lanai and enjoy the view of this small lagoon on the Santa Cruz Waterway in South Gulf Cove. This oversized lot with seawall in place allows access to Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico via the Santa Cruz Waterway or the Zephyr Waterway. Bring your powerboat and experience the best the Florida has to offer. Water....you waiting for?? $324,900 Call Lowell Grube 941-235-1555 or e-mail: LowellGrube@CaptainsChoiceRealty.com

Fishing the Redfish Cup: High and Dry in the Laguna Madre December 2005

By Capt. Robert Moore Water LIFE Senior Guide Everyone who has fished the flats can probably share a story or two about being high and dry at one time or another and that definitely applies to me. While prefishing for the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup championship last month in south Texas, I was able to add to my list of stories of being ‘high and dry’ on a grass flat in the lower Laguna Madre.

My partner Bob Boudreau and I started the morning off like we usually do, checking the tides, fueling the boat, getting plenty of ice for the cooler, etc.. The tide report said we had an outgoing tide until 11:30 a.m. and then a slow incoming the rest of the afternoon. Our first stop was the Port Mansfield jetties. We had heard reports of slot size redfish along the rocks and wanted to give it a try, but with an outgoing tide and a 20-25 knot southeast wind the 4-6 foot waves in the pass were too much for our skiff. So we decided to head to a grass flat a few miles north of the pass. The flats in the Laguna Madre are similar to the ones in Southwest Florida, but are much larger and vast. You basically have a channel going down the middle of the bay and shallow flats on each side. These shallow flats can be 20 miles long and four- to 5-miles wide. So once you commit to a flat you’d better know the tide and where the nearest channel or deeper depressions are.

The flat we motored onto was about two miles off the main channel and about 20 inches deep. There was a large depression in the middle of this flat that went to three feet. With a strong 20 knot wind, our intention was to motor upwind of the depression and fish scattered sand holes, letting the boat drift back into the depression where we could easily get back up on plane and make it back to the main channel. The tide was scheduled to turn and start coming back in, in about an hour.

As we started our drift we got excited when we observed just about every sand hole was holding rRedfish. Most fish were in the 3-4 pound range, but none-the-less we were seeing lots of fish. After seeing all the fish, our minds were on one thing, let’s catch some fish. We drifted well over a mile and Bob pointed out it was getting shallower. My thought was that as we drifted up onto a hump in the flat, hopefully it would soon return to the original depth. Shortly after that, it became obvious that the tide had dropped 8-to 9- inches in just over an hour; that the tide was much later where we were, and our miscalculation meant we were going to be high and dry for a while.

It’s now noon, and with the tide in the nearby pass starting to come back in, our thoughts were we would wait it out for a few hours, the tide would come back in and we’d continue our pre-fishing.

Well for those of you who know me,

Water LIFE

you know that it is physically impossible for me to sit still for more than 2 minutes. So I simply jumped out of the boat with my rod and waded the nearby grass flats. I cast a weedless soft jerk-bait into every sand hole I came across and, in every sand hole I cast to, I either caught a small redfish or one would at least come out and strike at it. This took about two hours. As I headed back to the boat it occurred to me that the tide was still falling and that the flat was much shallower, still.

At 3 p.m. the boat was now tilted to the port side, the top of the grass was now showing and birds were walking all around us. It was then that Bob told me we were not going anywhere for a while. I refused to believe it at that time. I only started to agree when the sun started its descent at around 5:30 p.m. and the tide was still not coming in.

Hunger started to become a factor about then. Bob and I usually carry enough food and snacks on board to last 2-3 weeks, but after just driving 25 hours straight through from Florida, Bob and I were really anxious to get on the water that morning. We never thought about getting food or snacks, all I grabbed at the gas station before we launched was a Snickers candy bar.

Out came the filet knife. I promise you this, that candy bar was evenly divided into four parts. Not a hair more or less.

Two parts for now and two for later in case the tide never came in at all.

As the sun went down I seemed to miss the beauty in it. I was just pissed. Tired from the long drive, hungry and ...oh, did I forget to mention cold. Bob and I put on every stitch of clothing we had in the boat including our rain gear. At around 8 p.m. the tide had not moved a bit, the wind was howling every bit of 25 knots, we had no cell phone service, nothing. It looked like we were spending the better part of the night on the boat. At around 8:30 p.m.

Bob and I tried to find a comfortable spot on the boat that was out of the wind to lie down.

When I awoke I looked at my watch. It was now 1 a.m. I looked over the side of the boat with the flashlight and my prayers seemed to have been answered. The tide was up about 6 inches. Bob and I quickly stripped down to our shorts and started pushing the boat. Now it’s 1 a.m. and it’s dark, I mean very dark, we are starving, cold and now wet. The GPS was the only help we had for knowing which way to push. After pushing the boat in 11 inches of water for about 1/2 mile we started to hit the edge of the depression.

We quickly climbed back in the boat, got dried off and put all of our extra cloths back on. We were now barely able to idle with the big motor. After another 1/4 mile we hit the deeper depression. It was only about 18 inches deep, but enough to get back up on plane and make it out to

Page 15

MAGAZINE

WINTER TIDES AND A BAD WIND Capt. Rob Moore wasnʼt the only one high and dry in November. Shown here, a local angler put the power pole down and hung out the anchor before he walked ashore from this flat just west of the Interstate 75 bridge in Charlotte County last month.

the main channel With the help of the GPS, we simply followed our old track back to the marina.

We arrived at the marina at 2:30 a.m.

Now we are in Port Mansfield, Texas with a population of about 50. What do you

think the chances were anything was open for us to get something to eat?

You can reach Capt. Robert Moore for fishing information, help with nav igation and tides or to book a charter fishing trip at (941) 637-5710 or (941) 628-2650 or y ou

Roland Martin to Fish in the Redfish Cup

By Capt Rob Moore Roland Martin announced his retirement from competitive bass fishing last month and also announced his intentions to fish the Redfish Cup in 2006. All I can say is wow! From bass to redfish!

Is this a trend we might start to see in the future? Well, itʼs already been a trend.

Greg & Brian Watts (a.k.a. the Watts Brothers) started their careers of competitive fishing with bass.

Roland Martin is truly a legend in bass fishing. He is probably one of the most gifted anglers to date. How will he do in saltwater competitive fishing? In my opinion, his skill as a competitive bass fisherman and tournament angler will put him in the hunt in every tournament he fishes, bass or redfish. The more interesting part to me is the amount of attention he will bring to the sport of Redfish Tournaments.

Roland Martin has a strong following of bass anglers and will now introduce them to inshore saltwater fishing. I also believe that now that the purses for some of the professional redfish tournaments are well above $50,000 you might see more bass celebrities make the switch.

Can you imagine what it would be like fishing a flat next to Kevin Vandam or Mike Iaconelli? Only time will tell.

St. Thomas V.I. DEc 3

Naples Dec 12 thru Dec 20

Cape Coral Dec 5 thru Dec 15

Page 16

Trolling Close

Water LIFE

By Aaron S utcl i ffe Water LIFE Offshore It’s that time of year again. With each passing cold front the water cools slightly and the highly sought after gag grouper moves closer to shore.

Fish that have spent the warm summer months in water deeper than 100-feet are moving in to water as shallow as 10-feet. Ledges and hard bottom that held no grouper last month are now covered in hungry gags. An excellent way to locate these fish is by trolling. Here are some tricks that will put the gags, as well as kingfish, cobia, and other species in the boat.

The standard, and easiest method is to drag a Stretch lure. These deep divers are designed to work at various depths. A Stretch 30+ lure will dive to approximately

December 2005

MAGAZINE

30-feet, with 200 feet of 40-or 50-pound line paid out off the reel. I always try to use the appropriate lure for the depth that I am fishing. In water that is 15 to 20 feet deep I will use a Stretch 18 or a 20. If I am trolling deeper water, 30-to 60-feet, I will use a Stretch 30. The main concern is keeping the lure from snagging structure. These lures will bang the bottom if they are pulled in water that is too shallow for that particular model. If that happens, stop the boat and put the reel in free-spool.

The lure is very buoyant and will float up, away from the snag, as long as the hooks are not hung up.

My two favorite colors for grouper trolling plugs are white/red head and chartreuse. These two colors have produced in all ranges of water clarity, and in all depths. Other colors will work, including silver/blue, black/gold, orange, fire tiger, or purple/ black. I try to keep it simple by having several sizes in my preferred colors. If I were to store several sizes in all the good colors it would look

like I was carrying a small tackle store aboard the boat. Try to stick with the colors that you have confidence in. It will make it easier in the long run.

Now to find some fish!

Start off in an area that has productive ledges, hard bottom, or an artificial reef.

To keep things simple, troll two lures. Start off with two different colors and if one seems more productive you can always switch to dragging two of the same lures.

Experimenting with different colors is a good idea,

December 2005

because you will get an idea of what the ‘hot’ colors are. Work the area by cris-crossing, or making circles over structure. A speed ranging from 2-to 8-knots will get the job done. Faster speeds are better if you want to cover more area in an effort to find fish, and slower will help keep the lures in a hot area longer.

As you are working an area, keep an eye on the bottom machine to get an idea of what kind of structure you are over. This is an excellent way to cover new ground and find new honeyholes. Often times, the bottom machine will mark a break or a fish show, and shortly after the lures get nailed by fish that you saw on the screen seconds before. Saving that waypoint to your GPS will ensure that you can return to the same spot and put your lures in the strike zone.

Another method that will produce is to deploy a downrigger to get your trolling lures down deep. The downrigger is capable of presenting lures in much deeper water than a stretch plug will probe. Downriggers are a tad more complicated to use, but they pay off big in several ways. They are extremely versatile in respect to both depth that can be fished, and lures that can be used.

If you have a downrigger, and plan to troll for grouper with it, send down a chartreuse Bomber Long A Magnum! This lure has put more trolled up grouper aboard the Pelagic than all other trolling lures combined. Other colors of Bomber lures will work, as well as spoons, feathers and deep jigs. In fact, live bait will also work, if you have it, but when using live bait the trolling speed should be much slower than the speed for

Water LIFE

lures. Experiment with different lures and baits to establish your confidence in the technique.

To deploy the downrigger you first let your chosen lure out 50-to 100-feet out behind the boat (the boat needs to be in gear). Clip the line going to your lure onto the downrigger ball.

Once done, lower the downrigger ball with the reel in free spool as you do this. You want to let out line off the reel at the same pace as the rigger ball plummets. The depth you are trolling in, as well as the speed you are trolling will dictate how much downrigger cable to let out. The key here is to get the lure 15 to 20 feet from the bottom as you troll it. If you are trolling in 70 feet of water at 5 knots you should have 80-to 100feet of downrigger cable out. The best downriggers have counters that tell you how much cable is out. Otherwise it’s guess work.

When the bait is at the proper depth, set the rod in a holder and crank in as much slack as you can without popping it free of the clip. The rod will bend over deeply. When a fish strikes the lure, it will pull free from the clip. The rod tip will straighten quickly because of the slack created by the line pulling free of the clip. It is a good practice cranking this slack in quickly and getting the line tight on the fish fast. This helps set the hook, and gets the fish moving away from the structure. Then the fight is on!

These techniques will definitely put many fish in the boat, if done properly. Not only gag grouper, but red grouper and black grouper, as well as the occasional cobia, kingfish, tuna, and believe it or not snapper! Good luck, and happy catching for the holidays!

115 SINCLAIR STREET SE - Port Charlotte Beach area with quick out to Charlotte Harbor from this 3/2 home. Lots of room to add your own pool! Nice tile and new kitchen cabinets and a whole wall of sliders from the family room that really shows off the view - $595,000.

4638 HERMAN CIRCLE - This 2/2 home features a large Florida room across rear that overlooks water a large wooden dock and 10K lift. Only one bridge between you and the open water of Charlotte Harbor! $559,000

3968 SAN PIETRO COURT - Spectacular long water views on this 3/2/2 Burnt Store Isles home. Granite and limestone countertops, an island kitchen, large walk-in closets and sitting area in the master bedroom, Pebbleworks pool with high volume cage. PGT Wingard doors and windows throughout. $875,000

2572 BRAZILIA CT. - An oversized, beautifully landscaped lot is the setting for this 3/2 PGI pool home with a widerthan-usual canal and great view! Immaculate home with extras throughout make this sailboat water location the perfect spot for your Florida residence! $879,000

2837 SANCHO PANZA COURT - Only 6 lots between you and the Ponce Inlet - QUICK Harbor access from this sailboat lot.

Impressive 3/2/2 home, freshly painted inside & out, large kitchen, and a huge master bedroom with room for office.

Oversized dock and lift, spectacular landscaping and \ patio, large screened lanai and pool all for only $749,000

MAGAZINE

2000 BAL HARBOR BLVD. (UNIT 722) 3BR/2BA second floor condo with deeded dock for access to your salt water playground.

Fully tiled interior and many owner upgrades with a single car garage for vehicle or storage.

Furnished, too! $379,000

Page 17

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Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Kayaking The Keys: Key Largo

October 2005

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking We had been looking forward to this long weekend kayaking trip on Key Largo. Fourteen members of the Port Charlotte Kayakers had signed up for the outing and were ready to go. Then, just 10 days before we were to head east, Hurricane Wilma decided to put in an appearance.

Ready to launch from Garden Cove in the Keys.

The hurricane, with winds reaching Category 2 and 3, passed 25 miles south of Naples, sparing the Pennycamp State Park. The wind had really picked up by this time and we decided to upper Keys a direct hit. However, the beach the kayaks on the western side of the strong winds on the northeast quadrant Lagoon for a break and snack. With the picked up the water in Florida Bay and shoved it up onto the beaches and into some wind pushing the waves and us onto the beach, it was an exciting landing, but all got homes in Key Largo. Some homes and safely ashore. docks were slightly damaged, some homes A brief stop and we were back in the flooded and some boats pushed up on the kayaks, this time headed northeast, directly beach, but overall Key Largo was back in into the wind. About a mile of open water operation in less than a week. Power was was ahead of us before we again reached the restored and gasoline supplies were back to protection of the mangroves. After about a normal. Resorts and restaurants back in half-hour of hard paddling we reached the business, our trip was on.

We left Port Charlotte early Friday morn- mangroves and stopped to have a drink and ease the tired muscles. We arrived back at the ing, planning to do some sight seeing on launch point after about 3.5 hours, having the way to Key Largo, and then, to find the covered about 7 miles, half of it into a very best spots for kayaking. One very intereststrong wind. ing stop on the long drive across southern Everyone was tired when we returned to Florida, is the Clyde Butcher Big Cypress the our hotel, thankful for a hot shower and Gallery in Ochopee, Florida. The gallery, a little relaxation, but a few bicyclers in the on old Hwy 41, displays numerous black and white photographs of the Everglades and group, decided to pedal to Islamorada, about 10 miles south. It was a nice ride, but we other beautiful scenes of Florida in all its faced more northeast wind coming back. native splendor. Clyde’s web site is Sunday was a perfect day for a paddle: http://www.clydebutcher.com After we checked into the Bayside Resort, bright sunshine and very little wind. We decided to launch directly from the hotel our home for the weekend, we explored the best launch points for the upcoming paddles. beach and paddle, on the Bay side, to Grouper Creek. As we paddled north along Florida Bay Outfitters, the largest kayak the shoreline, we saw a handful of boats that shop in the Keys, gave us the benefit of had been tossed up onto the beach or the their long experience paddling and guiding tours in the Key Largo area. Given the fore- breakwater by Wilma. Most of the homes appeared to be undamaged. After reaching cast winds and tides for the next day, we the mangroves at the north end of decided to try Garden Cove, just north of Buttonwood Sound, we headed west toward Pennycamp State Park. Strong winds from Grouper Creek. Once again this area is prithe northeast were expected and the manmarily mangrove islands that skirt the east grove channels south of the launch point side of the Intracoastal Waterway from would give us some protection.

Miami to Key West. We simply enjoyed True to the forecast, Saturday morning this paddle, as it was in marked contrast to was windy, but otherwise we had a beautiful the hard paddle of the previous day. day for a paddle. We paddled along the east Checkout time at the hotel was 11 a.m., so shore of Garden Cove until we reached the we reluctantly headed back earlier than we entrance to North Sound Creek at the north end of Largo Lagoon. With the strong wind had planned to beat the deadline.

Everyone agreed that this was a great padbehind us, it took little effort to paddle dling weekend and we decided to do another, swiftly over the coral and sand of the Cove. similar trip, soon. Great paddling, (even In North Sound Creek, we wandered in and with the wind), wonderful dinners at great out of the small islands through channels restaurants, and a fine, accommodating hotel. that varied in depth from a few inches to a How can you beat that? few feet. As we wound around through the area, cormorants and frigate birds swooped The Port Charlotte Kay ak ers meet each Wednesday ev ening at 5:30 PM, at Port over our heads. Surprisingly, we saw few Charlotte Beach Complex . We encourage all fish or dolphins. paddlers or potential paddles to stop by and see We emerged from the mangroves into the what we are about. For more info call 941-235north end of Largo Lagoon, the site of 2588 or email to dlaa@comcast.net

Water LIFE

December 2005

Page 19

MAGAZINE

Charming little Key West style doll house is just waiting for some entertaining. Don始t let the size of this house fool you, with 1 bedroom 1.5 bath, this apartment style home has it all.

Nestled in historic downtown Punta Gorda, within walking distance to Gilcrest Park and tennis courts, this charming home will not last long, call me today for more details. MLS 609409

Florida living at its very finest.

Gorgeous PGI home with newly remodeled kitchen is perfect for people who love to cook and entertain.

With two sinks, a cook top range, dual dishwashers, double oven, and tons of cabinet space, this kitchen has everything you are looking for.

Call me today for all the details MLS 609944

Looking to build a private estate with large acreage? This is it! In the highly desirable Washington Loop area, property offers 20 plus acres with two private entrances. Currently a working orange grove, Property has power, a pond and 4 wells. Area cleared for a home. Call today for more details. MLS 605081

The 4-inch Old Bay Side Saltwater Shadlyn is your perfect bait to mimic wounded baitfish that Redfish or Snook can铆t resist. Locally, the MudMino and New Penny colors are your best bet.

The water is getting colder and fish are somewhat lethargic so work your baits slower than usual.

Whether rigged weedless or with a jig head, slowly bounce these baits several inches off the bottom and let it rest. Then repeat. Redfish can始t resist the wounded action.

Building is currently leased as a convienence store, but the layout may allow several different options such as office or retail space. Property consists of a 2,016 sf building on a 9,119 sf of land in the heart of downtown Punta Gorda. MLS 608175

Mud Minnow

New Penny

Perfect for a small family.

Located in a great neighborhood on a quiet cul-desac. Home has an updated kitchen, large spacious bedrooms, and lovely outside patio area Out back is a 10,000lb boat lift with only minutes to open water. A one of a kind deal, call me for the details. MLS 610653 Come build your dream home on this fabulous residential lot. This lot is located in the quiet Harbor Heights neighborhood, with Harbor Heights park only minutes away.

Call me today for more details.

MLS 606170

Area Real Estate Trends

Page 20

Water LIFE

This is NOT an Advertisement!

Provided by Water LIFE Publisher and Realtor,® Ellen Heller Using information from the Charlotte County Multiple Listing Service

2005 Recap

Every month Water LIFE looks at homes which are currently on the market and have just sold or are in the process of closing. Our resident realtor and co-publisher Ellen Heller is out of town as this edition comes together so this month we look back at 2005 and highlite some of the properties we have previously shown.

Peace River Dr. - This 1,625 square foot home was built in 2002 with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The Peace river is across the street and behind the house is a sailboat water canal with direct access to the river. It sold in 1999 for $95,000 and is currently pending with a price of $359,900.

A beautiful house built in 1926 with 2 stories, 3,000 square feet and 5.5 subdividable lots on Shell Creek. Very quick access to the Peace River and Gulf. This home was pending in less than a month and sold for $640,000. It last sold in 1999 for $155,000.

Via Milanese - Fairly newer home built in 2000 with 2,101 sq ft and 3 bedrooms 2 baths. It is on a canal with a concrete dock, seawall and boat lift. Although it is just minutes to the Harbor because of a fixed bridge it is powerboat access only.Five years ago it sold for $325,000 and this past September for $628,000.

Prather St - Older canal home built in 1988 with 2/2 and 1,321 sq ft. It has a private dock with quick access to the Myakka river and a river view from the roof top deck. First time it sold for $114,000 in 1996, again in 1998 $125,000 and recently in April '05 for full asking price of $375,000

A victim of Charley this older home was built in 1958 with 1011 sq ft on a powerboat canal with fast Harbor access. In September, immediately following the storm it sold for $75,000. After just 10 months it sold in June 05 "as is, no warranties" for $215,000.

Lakeside in Nokomis - Beautiful three bedroom, pool home with a dock on a fresh water lake.

Almost 25 years old this home was built in 1976 with 1,770 square feet and 3 bedrooms 2 baths. In June 2000 it sold for $155,000 and more recently in 2005 for $275,000.

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ON THE LINE MAGAZINE

By Capt Ron Bl ago Water LIFE S enior S taff The tourists are back.

They all slipped in just before Thanksgiving when no one was looking. I hope they brought a lot of money this year because a lot of us local folks could really use some of it. It’s amazing how the area can double in size overnight.

One day the roads and the stores are empty and the next day it’s bumper to bumper and hurry- up-andwait. Boating and fishing activity has picked up significantly with the boat ramps filled up even in the

December 2005

Fishing with Capt. Ron Blago

middle of the week.

Fishing has been good in Lemon Bay and in Charlotte Harbor. Good numbers of reddfish and snook are being caught around Stump Pass with good catches being reported in Ski and Rag Alley. Big shrimp seems to be the bait of choice. In the harbor, reddfish have been hanging back in the mangroves as well as in Bull Bay and Whidden Creek. A friend reported fishing the skinny water in the back of Whidden Creek with top water plugs and running into schools of small tar-

FISHING COLLEGE Capt Ron Blago’s Annual

pon – 7 to 15 pounds. Just outside of Stump Pass, triple tail are hanging next to the crab buoys near shore. Try to be there early in the morning on a calm day. There hasn't been much kingfish action to report this season, but a few big kings (20 to 30 pounds) have been caught by slow trolling with live bait close to shore. Further out, over 20 miles, good catches of amberjacks and cobia are being reported.

Remember not to catch red grouper in federal waters.

The Federal ticket is very expensive.

be the lead instruc tor along with a faculty of local- fish ing experts. We try to cover everything Its hard to believe, but the "College of Fishing Knowledge" is about to begin its a new fisherman fifth year. Starting Jan. 3rd, the fishing needs to know in college will meet for two hour( 1pm order to have a fun 3pm) each Tuesday for 6 weeks. The basic day on the water. introduction to local saltwater fishing will cover everything you have to know from You can register hooking to cooking. The college is runinbyperson at the Englewood Sports Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Complex, or over the phone by calling Department at the Englewood Sports 941- 861-1980. The cost is $30 for all Complex , 1300 S. River Road, Englewood. six classes. Seats are limited and - the c Once again yours truly, Capt. Ron, lege will has always been a sellout in the pa

Grouper Update

It might not be a bad idea to take a lawyer grouping fishing with you during the holiday season. They may be the only ones who can figure out all the changes in regulations for grouper fishing in Federal waters. Here is a brief recap of the latest events.

Aug 9th - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) drops the bag limit on red grouper to 1 fish per day, with a total limit of 3 combined grouper (blacks and gags) per day. They also closed all grouper fishing during November and December in Federal waters.

Oct 31th - CCA gets a Federal judge

to modify the NMFS rule. Red grouper only will be closed Nov. and Dec. The aggregate bag limit is moved back to 5 grouper per day with only 1 red grouper allowed. Nov. 16th - The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council votes to close all grouper fishing from Feb 15th. to March 15th. The rest of the year the rules are: 1 red grouper per day with a 5 grouper aggregate bag limit. Because of the regulatory process, the closed season may not go into effect until 2007. Remember, these changes are in Federal waters only. State grouper regulations have not changed as of yet. Daily bag limit of 2 red grouper per day with an aggregate bag limit of 5. There is no closed grouper season in state waters.

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F I S H F O R : Ta r p o n , B l a c k t i p Sharks, Snook, Redfish, S n a p p e r, Tr o u t , G r o u p e r OR: CRUISE TO YOUR CHOICE OF D E S T I N AT I O N S I N C L U D I N G : Cayo Costa Cabbage Key Burnt Store Boca Grande Up the Peace River OR Ta k e a S u n s e t C r u i s e T h r o u g h Charlotte Harbor with a nice bottle of wine

Monofilament Line:

Water LIFE

December 2005

It can hang around for up to 600 years

Tortoise Trail receptacle

By Capt. Betty Staug l er Water LIFE / Sea Grant Hopefully many of you have noticed the recent additions of monofilament recycling containers around the County. Outdoor recycling bins, which are constructed of PVC pipe, are currently located at several locations. In Englewood, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 87 has implemented recycling at the Tom Adam’s Bridge fishing pier, Ainger Creek boat ramp, Cedar Point Environmental Park, Royal Palm Marina, Oyster Creek Mobile Home Park, Eldred’s Marina, Gasparilla Marina, Stump Pass Marina, Marine Dynamics, Manasota Beach Park, and Indian Mound Park. These bins are all sponsored and maintained by Flotilla 87.

Bins are also located at Ponce de Leon Park, Laishley Park, Gilchrest Fishing Pier, and the History Park in Punta Gorda. These sites have all been sponsored by the Charlotte

MAGAZINE

County Coastal Conservation Association with support of the County’s 4H Marine Ecology Club.

Additional bins are coming soon to the El Jobean Fishing Pier, Spring Lake Park, Port Charlotte Beach, Bayshore Fishing Pier, and Coral Creek. Indoor recycling boxes are also located at the Englewood Bait House and at Captain Ted’s Tackle in Port Charlotte, with one coming soon to Fishin Franks.

Why is monofilament recycling important? Monofilament line remains in the marine environment for up to 600 years! Monofilament entangled wildlife can lead to injury or death. Monofilament entangled props Cedar Point receptacle can lead to costly repairs.

Monofilament line retrieved from Cigarette butts – another popular our bins is sent to Pure Fishing in item. Cigarette butts are not made of Iowa who melts the line into small pellets, which are in turn used to make monofilament. Cigarette butts retrieved by volunteers must in turn be fishing related products such as tackle placed into the garbage. Ironically, boxes, spools for new monofilament the bins with the greatest number of line, and freshwater artificial fish butts in them have garbage cans locathabitats. ed right beside them.

Monofilament recycling is providShrimp – this one is just plain ed as a service to the community. Your nasty, especially when they have been help in assuring only monofilament in the bin a long time, but yes, they line is placed in the bins is greatly have been found in recycling bins. appreciated! With that said, I thought Fishing Line – fishing line is I’d run through a list of some of the monofilament, Please, please, please other items volunteers are finding in the bins and suggest reasons why they feel free to place yours in the bins.

Braided line, on the other hand, is not are not appropriate for monofilament monofilament and should be disposed recycling. of in the garbage.

Empty beer bottles – this is a popMany thanks from Sea Grant ular one. Beer bottle are not made of monofilament. Volunteers who recov- Extension and from all of the organier them must dispose of them, and that zations supporting this effort to the many folks who are using the bins to is not what they signed up to do. If dispose of their monofilament line. you see a volunteer and would like to For more information about the thank them for their efforts with a full monofilament recycling program in chilled beer, that would probably be Englewood, you can visit Flotilla 87’s acceptable (:

Page 21

A Gift of Fishing Almost every guide can provide you with a gift certificate so you can gift-wrap a day on the water for that someone special

FISHING GUIDES Light Tackle Fly Fishing

Half or Full Day Charters

Capt. Andrew Medina

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(941) 456-1540

Charters

20–50 mile trips We help you put charters together • Grouper • Snapper • Kingfish • Shark • Tarpon and more!

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USCG 50 ton license since 1985 Bus: 941-475-5538 Res: 941-473-2150 visit us at www.captjimsbigfish.com

Grey Ghost

FISHING CHARTERS

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Page 22

A Mule named ʻUgʼ

Water LIFE

This New House Part 7: Blockwork Happening

By Michael Heller Water LIFE Editor In Pavlov’s famous response, an animal, I think it was a dog, was made to drool when it heard a sound associated with its feeding. It was a second level of response: the animal knew after the noise the next thing coming would be food.

Snowbirds returning to our block have wondered aloud why our new house is on such a high foundation. ‘It’s FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers,’ I tell them; ‘the same people who mandated our 5 foot high foundation were the wisdom behind the design of the levees surrounding New Orleans.’ Everyone laughs when I say that.

Actually in a way it’s way cool. Our view will be better, the breeze will be stronger and bugs and ants will be hard pressed to invade our new up-in-the-sky structure.

While houses along Edgewater drive are elevated three feet, we are a full five feet up because we are down by the big water. Our neighbors have come to call our new house and our next door neighbor’s new house ‘the tower section’ of Bangsberg Road. On the final plan, the tippytop of our second story roof will be a staggering 34 feet in the air. That’s three and a half stories any where else.

With such lofty levels comes some loft construction consequences. Materials which normally are simply laid out in front of a regular house are having to be hauled and hoisted up to the first floor level.

This month’s project was the blocking up of the walls, which meant about 2,500 cement blocks had to somehow get from the stockpile at the side of our old garage to the floor 50 feet away and 5 feet up, in the process. To accomplish this task, I hired a guy whose name I shall

e-mail: patsamuels@englewoodfl.com

or

MAGAZINE

December 2005

not mention because he turned out to be a flake, but at least in the beginning, he brought his Moffit, a soft tired, super-sized fork lift, to pick up stacks of block, and loaded 20 cubes of 74 blocks each onto our slab. The plan was to lay up those 1500 block and then have him return to load up the rest. His return, however did not occur, so we hand-lifted and stacked the last 600 block ourselves. I still feel the exercise in my back a week later.

The project started easily enough. My friend and block mason and super fishermen Capt.

Water LIFE Editor Michael Heller (Ug!) and Andy Medina pulling up the mud.

Andy Medina showed up the day he got back from the Redfish cup finals and started laying block. The immediate hard part was getting the mud (mortar mix) up from the mixer at street level to the slab. I had saved a dozen or so 4x6 rafters from our Florida room when the old house was destroyed and we used some of them to build a big ramp up the 5 feet to the slab. It was a good idea, but in practice it was more than any one human could do to wheel a full 200 pound wheel barrow up a 30-percent grade. So we doubled teamed it.

Every time Andy had a load of mud to bring up he’d call me. “Ug” he’d say, “...come here Ug,” and I’d grab the dock line tied to the front of the wheelbarrow and Andy would take the back and we’d charge up the ramp with him pushing and me pulling...

“Ug” I’d say, until we made it to the top.

The block crew working on ʻthe long wall.ʼ Continued on Facing page

Phone: 941-474-9534

800-881-9534 Cell: 941-416-1585

9271 PINE COVE: Truly a Boaterʼs Paradise looking out over beautiful Lemon Bay from the back yard, which includes room for all your boats. Completely seawalled including a 10,000+lb horizontal lift. Will accommodate a 32+-foot boat as well as 4 other boats. With no bridges to the Bay and ICW and less than 10 minutes to the Gulf, this updated 3 bedroom 2 bath split plan home is located on a very quiet culde-sac only 4 lots from the Bay. Offered for $849,000.

December 2005

It got so that what ever else I was doing when I heard the mixer stop I’d go ‘Ug,’ like Pavlov’s dog. I knew what was coming next.

Andy laid up the Florida room and the pool side one day and then the hallway and the kitchen the next. In block work the idea is to lay up 7 courses from the floor and then bring in the scaffolding to ‘top-out’ the remaining courses. Andy single handedly must have laid 1500 blocks in four days.

Then on Saturday his brother Greg showed up with his crew and they blocked up the long 63 foot wall and set the four ridiculously high (25 blocks up) columns.

You learn a lot when you move that many block. Did you know there is a handle on every cement block? A thick part of the center web, designed to make it easier for masons to handle them? Did you know that almost every ‘cube’ of block you buy comes with the handle upside down? No, I don’t know why. Did you know that half blocks cost more than full blocks? and that without a concrete saw you are lost when it comes to making things fit. You’d think that CAD designed plans would have it down to a science when it comes to ‘block work’ with the right number of full sized blocks to go between the windows and in the walls so everything comes out equal. It ain’t so, not all the time anyway. The sponge is an invaluable tool to masons, used to ‘float’ the mortar joints and clean off excess mud.

‘Preachers’ are tools that hold the leveling strings in place on a wall and that masons use short levels and blocks themselves are really not that square.

There are preferences for the type of

Offshore Captain Puts in his

Dear Santa, I'd like to think that I have been a 'Good Fisherman" this year. So, I won't be shy about letting you know what I want for Christmas.

1. First and foremost, I am going to need plenty of 5/0 and 7/0 hooks for all the gag grouper that are currently laying in ambush under all of the offshore ledges and reefs. Those hooks are great for live Pinfish and Squirrel fish. Those baits don't last very long on these spots.

2. Secondly Santa, I'm not trying to be greedy or anything, but just in case those Grouper won't chew I am going to need a spool of 20 lb fluorocarbon leader. I'm also going to need a box of 1/0 hooks and a live well full of shrimp/sardines for all the Mangrove Snapper that will be on all the same ledges.

the 2006

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

sand that masons like and mortar mix left laying around too long gets stale and is hard to work. There are ‘right handed’ and ‘left handed’ trowels, ‘mortarboards’ and ‘jump boards’ that all come into play in building a house.

We finished the block before Thanksgiving and started on the tie beam, the concrete beam around the top, the very next day. It’s not done as of this writing, but by early December we should have it. Stay tuned.

Now for an insurance update. After jerking us around for 16 months Tower Hill has finally paid us off. House contents, pool cage, alternate living, the whole eñchilada. Done, finished, thank you and good bye. But it has taken so long that now the SBA wants us to requalify for our loan, in spite of the fact that we closed on the loan 8 months ago and have recorded a mortgage in their name. More paperwork, more proof of insurance, a builders risk The four outside columns are 24 blocks in the air. Itʼs scary high! policy, flood insurance updates and some other stuff that I just don’t feel like looking up right now. Will it ever end? It’s not the natural disaster that drives you crazy, you can deal with that, you can clean up and rebuild, but the man made disaster, the paperwork, the lying contractors, the guys that simply don’t do what they said, the govHereʼs a look at the start of the tie beam. The form boards ernment, they’re the are going up atop the block walls. One of the completed ones that make it so columns is shown in the foreground. Scaffolding will follow soon. difficult. Ug.

Request to Santa 3. Next, I'm going to need a few dozen 3-4 oz bucktail jigs for the AmberJack that are stacked up on the offshore wrecks. I'd better go ahead and get a couple of fighting belts and a bottle of aspirin. These fish are averaging 50lbs and bigger, and should be around until at least May. (Jigs are great stocking stuffers, Santa) and the aspirin are for the aches and pains associated with winching them up to the boat.

4. Now I am going to have to ask you for calm seas, Santa. I'll need them to get all the way out to the big wrecks this month. They will be pretty much covered with big Yellowtail Snapper. Bottom fishing w/ live shrimp is a sure thing with these fish. I'll just be sure that when I hook one to crank-em up super fast to avoid the Goliath Grouper, that are just waiting in line

to take my fish away from me.

5. And last but not least Santa, I'm going to need : 6 new 30lb This nice November spinning rods 6 shiny new snapper was released 30lb spinning reels 6 new 60lb conventional rods 6 shiny new 60lb conventional reels Simply because I am more than likely to wear out all of my fishing tackle this month.

Tight Lines and Bent Rods!

Capt Steve / Kingfisher Fleet P.S. Fresh grouper nuggets and beer will be under the tree this year for you Santa. Enjoy!

Water LIFE Kids Cup Mark your Calendar

May 6 with the top 5 kids fishing in the ESPN REdfish Cup on May 11

Page 23

Scuttle Butt Sometimes Unsubstanciated ... but often true!

Manatee Madness Continues Boaters on Little Gasparilla may get an additional 25mph channel that will make traveling between the island and the mainland a bit easier. The current manatee protection plan implemented in the county in 2002 only provided one main channel for boaters located at the middle of the island. This forced boaters that lived on either end of Little Gasparilla Island to idle from their docks to the main channel, thus doubling the time it takes to reach the mainland. Local island residents proposed adding a north and south 25 mph chancel that would connect to the existing main channel . Charlotte County recently put together a Local Rule Review Committee compromised of three Island residents and three directors of the Lemon Bay Conservancy to review the proposal. The group split right along party lines until a compromise plan was proposed. The islanders would get a new 25 mph channel on the south side of the island to go with the one in the middle, and a new manatee protection, slow zone would be being added between the very southern end of Little Gasparilla Island and Bird Key. The plan now goes in front of the FWC this month for discussion. The problem is that in 2002 the new proposed south channel was considered as a critical manatee habitat both by the FWC and the Save the Manatee Club, and the new proposed slow zone was not even considered as having an effect on manatees at that time. It would not surprise us if the FWC reject the new south channel, but still implemented the new slow zone anyway. So far in 2005 , there has been 23 manatee mortalities in Charlotte County with only 2 due to watercraft. This is well below the state average.

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Water LIFE

Page 24

Screaming Reels with Capt. Andrew Medina Water LIFE Staff As December rolls in a couple of things come with it; Christmas and extreme low tides. This time of the year most of the larger flats boats won’t be able to target the fish that are trying to warm themselves on the backwater flats. This gives the kayaks and small technical skiffs a chance to get to the water that fish are not getting run over in.

Kayaks are pretty stealthy and technical skiffs offer the ability to be poled while letting the angler see a little more than the kayaks do. With the morning temperatures being a little on the cool side, it’s not a priority to be the first boat on the flats.

This time of year we like to play the tide

game, that is, let a little more water onto the flats. An extra two or three inches of water just may make the difference between you getting into your favorite area, or being high and dry on the way. As the tide falls, you are able to work your way out and fish the pockets with the falling water. Many fish will visit those shallow spots to warm; fish like snook, redfish, trout and even cobia. To me, fish just seem to eat better as the water warms up and there are always fish to be had. Trout can save the day when other fish are not being so cooperative.

Sometimes, in the right spot, every cast will produce a ‘spec.’ Live shrimp under a popping cork or small jigs or shrimp imita-

MAGAZINE

tions all work well while bouncing the sandy bottoms. Smaller top water baits walked across shallow grass flats also produce.

We always target redfish in pods that are held up in the deeper water this time of year.

Channels, such as Ponce inlet or Colony Point, on certain days, can produce more fish than you want, but this is hit or miss fishing – there’s a lot of water and fish swim around. Fishing channels is not like finding a school on a flat where you can see them push, you’re not gonna’ see these fish, and a lot of catching them, I think, is more luck than skill. The sure bet is patience.

Work the baits slower, use jerk baits – watermelon seems to be the hot color right now. Rig it with a 1/16 or 1⁄4 oz jig head. I

December 2005

personally don’t rig any bait weedless. I find the hookup ratio is better with an exposed hook, but to each his own. Try throwing Riptides new Calcasieu Brew or Watermelon 5-inch gulf chub. Gold spoons also work well and are always a good ‘search bait.’ I have learned that the old faithful Johnson spoon can be improved upon by putting part of a Berkley gulp tail on the back of the hook.

Snook are staging in the creek and canal mouths, but there are a lot of shorts. They offer good catch and release action on either live shrimp or artificials. With a little work, December can be a very good time of the year. Be safe and just have fun.

Check out Capt. Andrew Medina on the

December 2005

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 25

Charlotte Harbor Bounty

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Page 26

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Inshore Editor Peering into the water we watched anxiously to see what was pulling on the other end of the line.

Three anglers with countless years of fishing experience were having a ball this day and none of us would have guessed a baby barracuda. Barracuda aren’t that uncommon offshore however not in a foot of water in Bull Bay in late fall?

December in Charlotte Harbor marks the beginning of winter fishing and shrimp becomes the main forage for most fish. If there is any doubt about that just ask the shrimp trawlers in Matlacha Pass off Pine Island just south of here. In November they were catching 300 pounds of shrimp an hour just north of Burnt Store Marina.

When I got word of this I immediately switched from white bait and lures to shrimp. Shrimp will catch just about anything that swims this time of year and to be sure, you never know what will bite next.

Would you believe me if I told you that catching 12 different fish species on a single outing is quite the possibility this month? Snook, redfish, trout, sheepshead, pompano, snapper, flounder, blowfish, lizard fish, black drum, grouper, spadefish, shark, catfish, jack crevalle and the last of the tarpon, cobia and mackerel are catchable from Pine Island to Lemon Bay. Actually there are more than 12 species to catch but this includes an additional few that most aren’t really interested in. The main thing to remember about most of these species is that they are primarily feeding on or near the bottom. Shrimp is the perfect answer

SAILING

By Bi l l Di xon Water LIFE Sailing What a year this has been. Tropical storm Epsilon for God’s sake, Hurricane Wilma. I live long enough to go on Medicare, Mike turns general contractor,

Let Us S ell Yo u r B oat

December 2005

and here’s how to do it.

We all know rigging a shrimp can be done in many ways. I think the most common approach is on a single hook suspended under a float. This is a great method for trout over grass flats but generally, I rarely fish this way. My approach is more aggressive, using the shrimp and some weight to get the bait down to the bottom. Then, I drag the bait with short pauses to allow it to fall back making repetitive contact with bottom. the The 2 most productive techniques are fishing Ω a shrimp on a 1/8-1/4oz jighead or to use a whole shrimp on a 1/0-3/0 baitholder hook with a small split-shot above the hook. The bigger the shrimp the better because it is more for the fish to see and smell. The size of your jighead or split shot will depend on the water depth and current.

The location of most gamefish is fairly p r e d i c t a b l e .

They will seek deep water during the lowest tide phases and move to the mangrove bushes only on the very highest parts of the t i d e .

True high tides are not overly common during the winter as the seasonal pattern of low tides and north and easterly winds rarely see high tides above 1.5 feet. Deep water grass beds will hold trout all winter long but the trout will follow the water depth and on extreme lows will vacate the grass beds in favor of a neighboring deep water drop off.

You can figure that snook will only bite after extended periods of warm fronts.

and records fall. Glad this year is almost over.

Sailing wise, PGSC has a specialty reverse start race on Dec.11, call Jerry Haller at 505-0499 for details. A couple of lighted boat parades, and presto it is 2006.

January 7, 8 is Burnt Store’s PPYC Gol den Conch Regatta call 639-0733 for details. Now that snowbird season is

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A Baby Barracuda, under the bushes in Charlotte Harbor...who wouldaʼ thunk it?

However redfish and trout will remain active all month. Of course, trout are now out of season, so you will probably find beautiful eating size trout everywhere.

Most of the other species are serious bottom feeders like the flounder and you can expect them to be near sand or oyster bars where there is current. Deep passes and cuts will find the delicious flounder lying in ambush on adjacent shallows.

Redfish will be found in small pods and they will average 10-18 inches. Deep troughs near mangrove bushes are their hangout and catching 50 in a day is pretty common. There are bigger reds around; however not in big numbers and catching one is more luck than skill. Jack Crevalle will surprise you and remain active in deep channels and canals. They will often strike

upon us. I expect to see more of y’all out on the water. Remember there are 20,000 boats in this county. Let’s use them. I am going to get my boat back from the yard soon and I plan to use it as much as I can. We live in sailing heaven, why are you sitting home reading about it?

PGS C has a ful l year of races call Bob Anderson at 505-8933, Cruises call Sue Fuller at 505-0215 and other activities planned. Check out the web site: pgscweb.com. PGSC has out grown our only home, the Boat Club building, and will be meeting at the new Punta Gorda Civic Association Building at 2001 Shreve St. beginning January 11, 2006. The civic association building has chairs and tables for 300 while Boat Club capacity with tables is less than 200.

We will again be sponsoring two major regattas this year – the two biggest sailing events in southwest Florida.

The 13th annual Conqui stador Cup Regatta, PHRF boats, 2 buoy races on Saturday and an 8 + mile reverse start race on Sunday will be held March 4 and5

as you’re bringing your bait in and will attack near the surface. The other bottom dwellers will appear just about anywhere where there’s 3 feet of water or more.

If you think of it, Charlotte Harbor is just a remarkable nursery for just about everything that swims in the gulf waters.

A baby barracuda in the backcountry makes me think that the mother 'cuda likely spawned not too far away. How incredible is that? With the clear December waters you will see thousands of tiny baitfish throughout the harbor and over the flats. I can’t tell what species they are but they could be one of a dozen or more based on what’s been biting on my line.

The simple rule is fish slow, fish deep and fish shrimp because you never know what might bite next. You’re gonna' love it!

Contact Bob Knowles at 505-8543.

The Leukemi a Cup Regatta, big (PHRF) and small (Portsmouth) boats, buoy races both Saturday and Sunday with shore-side activities by Isles Yacht Club will be April 22, 23. Contact Jerry Haller at 505-0499. This will be the 3rd annual Leukemia Cup on Charlotte Harbor. Last year, even with a fleet decimated by Charley, we raised $80,000 for The Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. We are planning on topping that this year.

Next month, if all goes well, we will have a boat review that you realtors will love. Ed Benson, local boat broker and dealer, has a couple of sailboats with hinged masts, called ‘tabernacles’ in nautical-speak. These masts fold on the water allowing sailboats to motor under bridges, and then raise their masts. Everywhere damp could be sold as “Sailboat Water” to buyers with one of these boats.

Bill Dixon cane be reached at: 941-6372694 or at dixonwj@comcast.net.

December 2005

Water LIFE

Page 27

MAGAZINE

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December 2005

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December 2005

Gearing Up for 2006 Tournaments

By Capt. Jerry Cl effi Water LIFE Tournament Report Normally, this time of year is a time for me to kick back and relax a little after a long tournament season. This year things are different. With the popularity of the Flatsmasters in 2005, the ball is already rolling for the 2006 season. By the time this month’s LIFE Life comes out, the Flatsmasters Tournament series will more than likely be full at 100 boats.

While I’m writing this article there are only 5 spots left! It’s hard to believe that we filled up that fast. Don’t despair though, if you wanted to fish the 2006 Flatsmasters there will be a Flatsmasters Qualifier Event – The FMQ Tournament to be held on February 11th, 2006 at Harpoon Harry’s, Fisherman’s Village, in Punta Gorda.

The Qualifier is open to anyone, whether you have already registered for the Flatsmasters or not. The top 5 finishing teams not already registered will be invited to fish the 2006 Flatsmasters Series. This will be the only way new teams will be able to fish the series. The FMQ tournament is also a great way for existing teams to tune up their skills before the first Flatsmasters Event of the year in March.

Don’t forget about our first Flatsmaster’s fun event –

the REDSpot ‘Count the Spots’ redfish tournament on December 3rd, at Harpoon Harry’s. This tournament is based on the number of spots on 2 legal reds instead of the normal heaviest weight. It’s a great way to get a taste of tournament fishing and the $5,000 First Prize is not bad either.

Next year, in addition to the 5 Flatsmasters Tournaments, Charlotte Harbor will welcome back The FLW Redfish Series on March 16-18 and the ESPN Redfish Cup on May 12-14. These redfish only, artificial only, events bring some of the top redfish tournament anglers from around the country to Charlotte Harbor to try their hand at our local redfish. Many of these tournament anglers cut their teeth fishing our local tournaments like The Flatsmasters and the old RedSnook tournament series. In addition to these events, This publication will again sponsor the Water LIFE Kids Cup Tournament held the week before the ESPN tournament, and we’ll also have our local high school fund raising events to support Charlotte and Port. Charlotte High Schools.

It looks like a great year for competitive fishing, so take a chance if you haven’t ever fished a tournament; it’s a lot of fun and a great way to learn more about fishing the harbor.

Water LIFE

2006 SCHEDULE

February 11, 2006 Flatsmasters ʻFMQʼ Qualifier Tournament 2 redfish – artificials only Top 5 finishers invited to fish The Flatsmasters Series March 04, 2006 Flatsmasters Grand Slam Plug Tournament 1 trout, 1 redfish, 1 snook – artificials only April 29-30, 2006 Flatsmasters Summer Redfish Classic 2 redfish – open to all baits 2 day event – top 5 teams advance to Sunday

2005 Champion Roger Harris

Page 29

MAGAZINE

July 22-23, 2006 Flatsmasters RedPlug Tournament 2 redfish- artificials only 2 day event- top 5 teams advance to Sunday September 16, 2006 Flatsmasters RedSnook Challenge 1 redfish, 1 snook – open to all baits

October 28-29, 2006 Flatsmasters Championship Weekend Top 40 teams fish Saturday – 1 redfish, 1 snook – open to all baits Top 5 Shootout on Sunday – 1 redfish, 1 snook – open to all baits

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Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

December 2005

Decemberʼs Fishing Forecast

Charlotte Harbor

Ro bert at Fi s hi n' Franks Po rt Charl o tte: 6 2 5 -3 8 8 8

December is a fun month to figure out. Now we have good cold fronts every 10 days to two weeks and when the water starts to warm up another front comes through. This is the time to start fishing the canals a little more – for two reasons: It will be out of the wind and there will be water there. December can be real shallow sometimes.

For the first part of the month, snook will be very easy to catch. Trolling for them has been (and will be) productive for the rest of the winter. Lures like the Crystal

Minnow and the Bomber are the baits of choice. For the shore fisherman, night snook fishing off El Jobean and Port Charlotte beach piers will be very productive.

Redffi sh are always a big challenge this time of year.

The larger, legal size, fish tend to be individuals or traveling in small groups of three to four fish. Look for them in the mouths of the canals, all along the mangroves and along the east or west side of the harbor. There are plenty of ‘juveniles’, but it’s a hunting game for the bigger legalsized redfish. A circle hook is a good choice now due to the abundance of smaller ‘rat reds’ and shrimp is probably the best all around bait. co nti nued o n the fo l l o wi ng

Night time is snooktime as Ernie found out while fishing with Port Charlotteʼs Capt. Angel Torres last month.

December 2005

Fishing Report Continued from facing page

BIG-4 BIG-4

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Decemberʼs Decemberʼs Target Target Species Species

Trout season is closed until the first of the year, but now that we have had one good cold front, maybe two by the time you read this, trout will be showing up in GAG GROUPER are moving SNOOK are moving in and out TROUT are big and loving JACK CREVALLE have been major numbers. Some of the largin closer to shore now of the canals and up river the cooler water temps tearing up the canals er fish will move up into the shallow grass flats now. Turtle Bay and Bull Bay would be two primary areas to look Stump Pass & the Gulf Lemon Bay for those fish. Catching them on live shrimp under Ben at S tump Pass Mari na Ji m at Fi shermen’s Edge a popping cork is the traditional way, but they are 697-2206 Engl ewood: 697-7595 not picky eaters so now is a good time to practice Offshore, there are a lot of snapper in 80-to I’ve had quite a bit of snook reports from your technique with artificials. Lures like topwaters 100-foot depths. Cobi a have been here, they Lemon Bay to Placida and El Jobean lately. early in the morning, gold spoons mid-day and soft have been streaky, but when they show up they Anywhere there is a dock or a pier the snook are plastics like the Old Bayside Skeleton Shad are are in good numbers. I’ve heard some reports biting. We’ve had a few guys wrestle with 40-inch excellent choices for trout right now. about ki ngs, but they have been deep, in 65-to plus fish at El Jobean and had guys catching over Another fun fish that’s here and not targeted very 25 fish there. The incoming and rising tide is the 80- foot of water and amberjack have been often is fl ounder. They will be here the rest of the time at El Jobean or Placida. good too. Inshore, there has been a really consiswinter and are excellent eating. Placida trestle is a tent run of pompano right in stump pass, they We’ve had a number of redfi sh north of the very good place for flounder and not fished very have been here for a while now. Bl uefi sh, bridge, in the creek and channel mouths and on the heavily for them this time of year. Most guys at l adyfi sh and jacks are showing too and fl ounflats, but they are either too big or small. The last Placida are concentrating on sheepshead now. For der are to the north. Trout has picked up in the few days there has been plenty of redfish action on flounder, cast away from the pier and slowly drag a bay, and there are snook on the Tom Adams live shrimp or assorted DOA, Gulp or Exude plasjig or an egg sinker with a shrimp back toward you. tics. Whatever your bait of choice is, it seems to be bridge as long as the tide is moving.

Whi ti ng and pompano are often a productive byworking. There is a lot of redfish action. Trout catch when flounder fishing. fishing has been decent. A couple of guys have Placida is the first spot that sheepshead will reported bigger trout, but many guys are on the show. Fiddler crabs or sand fleas are working very smaller fish. Trout fishing seems to be best on the well on sheepshead right now. Also, around the flats before all the boat traffic starts running around.

Boca Grande beaches and at the old oil and phosSome guys are having fun trout fishing with 6phate docks, sheepshead will be appearing in good pound line and lighter rods right now. There have numbers. Fish in the three to four pound range been some cobi a and quite a bit of tri pl e tai l would be the average right about now. By the end around. A lot of triple tail are on the crab pots right of December, start looking for those fish to be now and they are good eating fish ... and I’m getmoving up into the harbor. Then El Jobean would ting a lot of Pompano reports all the way down be a good place to catch them too. the coast to Captiva and Redfish pass.

Cobi a and tri pl e tai l would be good species There has been a little offshore fishing, but to target this month out along the beaches. As long mostly it’s close to the passes. It’s been too rough as the stone crab traps are out there, the cobia and outside lately. A few guys are reporting gags and triple tail will be around. bl acks in 60- to 70-feet of water.

Ladyfi sh and S pani sh mackerel will also be What’s really hot are the bl ue crabs right now, out along the beaches as well as populating the a ton of really big ones are out there this winter. water in the middle of the harbor.

CALENDAR Powered by

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7:30 p.m. 9 p.m. $9.50 adults, Kids under 12 2 and under FREE

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n December 2: REDstart REDFISH workshop for all our past, present and future recruits that have (or want to) work at the facility on Sanibel Island.

Florida Gulf Coast University, 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. All things related to fish, 239-461-7518

n December 3: Flatsmasters, Count the Spots Redfish Tournament. Size doesnʼt matter, the fish with the most spots win. 637-5953 n December 8: Fishing

OF

Seminar DOA baits by Mark Nichols at Laishley Marine, Punta Gorda.

n December 9-10: Fishing Expo at West Marine, Port Charlotte. 47 p.m. on the 9th, and from 10-3 p.m. on the 10th

n December 9-10: Hooters Tournament at Cabbage Key $3,000 first place for 2 Snook, 1 Redfish on 2 days 239275-6339 n December 10: Kayak

Brian Surber with a little bull shark caught off the Bayshore Pier on a piece of eel-tail.

EVENTS

Fishing Seminar by Dave Loger, at Grande Tours in Placida, 941 6978825

n January 10: Small Craft Rules of the Road presented by Maritime Officer Heather Fortner.

Focus on kayak lighting requirements, at Grande Tours, Placida, 941 6978825

n January 26-29: Charlotte County Boat Show fairgrounds on SR 776 across from the old Ranger Stadium

Send us your event calendar information via e-mail: Waterlife@comcast.net

Page 31

Fishing

excellent!

RIGHT NOW: