Water LIFE Dec 2008

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December 2008

December 2008

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December 2008

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LETTERS

TO

Re: Capt Ri ck, Ci rcl e Hooks, Pel i cans and Venti ng tool s i n the November Edi ti on: See this is the problem I have with some captains today.

He is ranting on about circle hooks for inshore fish by law, but the law is only for federal waters not state waters. He is also wrong when he says that circle hooks are not good for inshore fish. They are great for inshore fish as long as you don't set the hook. Just let the fish do it and start reeling. I am a guide out of Ft. Myers and I use circle hooks only for everything. On the note of the venting tool: What do you expect people to do when they bring a fish up from over 60feet deep and it is not a legal fish? – throw it back and let it die on the surface full of air? What I am getting at is that he is ranting about stuff that is not even close to being correct. If he reads the law a little more he might save the embarrassment. If you are a captain you need to know the laws and have a copy with you just for spit and giggles.

HooksHurtCharters@aol . com Editor Notes* Circle hooks ARE required when targeting reef fish (like snapper) in inshore waters. See p 22.

Re: Capt Frank Ci urca’s S epti c tank story i n the October Edi ti on:

WAT E R L I F E M a g a z i n e

Ya need to get your facts straight, Frank.

First off, I want to buy one of these $115 for 5 year, health dept aerobic septic permits. I’m currently paying $150 a year + $200 to maintain my septic for (mandatory yearly maintenance) and they are conveniently the only local company (next closest is in Naples) to service my bullshit bubbler-make-the-bacteria-happy system. I want to know what backroom deals and junk science (like global warming) took place to make this happen. I could go on and on, but what you’re raving about being a great thing is nothing more than local government extortion.

BTW don’t think that a sewer system is the cure all. Any systems that are dumping treated effluent into any body of water are allowed to open up the valves and let it go out raw for short periods due to regular maintenance.

Ecks2S ea@ comcast. net

Hi Water LIFE I like your magazine and not because it’s free! I thought I would let you know that not too long ago I had a nice time catching catfish one day in Charlotte Harbor with Capt. Derrek Jacobsen. He sure seemed to know where the fish were biting.

Sincerely Phi l l i p W. Grant.

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December 2008

Water LIFE

A Smattering of News

BY Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor

First the Good News

There are some bright sides to the downward spiraling economy. Boat dealers are anxious to sell so there are some really good deals on new boats now, and the selection of used boats is more wide ranging then ever. Gas prices are down below $2, the Holidays are upon us and fishing has been very good.

For the last two months we have been busy with our Don Ball School of Fishing program. We have been giving a slide presentation three nights a week to all the Don Ball classes. Seventh graders don’t seem to know much about the economy so the classes are a refreshing break from world news and economic woes.

To date all the kids have received their rods and reels and tackle bags and the class Fishing Resource Manual. I have been finding myself smiling from ear to ear when I leave the classroom for the drive back home. The enthusiasm of a 7th grader for fishing is very contagious.

So it was with this new upbeat energy, last Thursday, after our class at Heron Creek Middle School, that I asked my wife if she wanted to get out on the water.

She said sure and the next day caught a nice flounder, and a fat trout in the first 10 minutes. Then we drifted down the bar casting with the outgoing tide.

I stood on the bow watching the rays scatter as we approached. We parted a huge

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school of big jacks right around the boat but they were spooked and ran off without eating. Then I caught a bonnethead on a shrimp under a poppin cork.

We cut across the harbor towards Burnt Store. Bait was everywhere and birds were diving as far as I could see; pelicans, and shorebirds both, crashing on the glass minnows and other small baitfish that stretched from Burnt Store all the way up to Alligator Creek.

We moved into the area quietly and then just sat there with pelicans kerplunking into the water 25 feet away. The birds didn’t seem to mind us at all.

And then it happened. All of a sudden, we started laughing. It was just silly, those big gangly birds, flying crooked, dangling their fat webbed feet, and folding their huge wings for the dive – kersplash! Grouper are in the news again. Here, a goliath sizes up Adam Wilson and his camera We spent a half hour that day just watching and giggling. It turned out to be the men and reduce the 20 inch red grouper coming in the form of a proposal called highlight of the morning.

Amendment 30B. It will increase the Gulf size limit to 18 inches, but again only for Now Some Not So Good News of Mexico recreational bag limit on the commercial fishermen. There is some If you look at the Kids Cup ad in the conjecture that since commercial fishergrouper to 4 fish per person: 2 reds and 2 centerfold of this month’s edition you will gags, but it will also extend the recremen kill a lot of the smaller fish they notice the Oh Boy! Oberto logo is gone, bring up anyway, they might as well keep ational fishing closure on grouper from 1 replaced by a generic Redfish Cup logo. them. month to two months (Feb 1 to Mar 31 Oberto Beef Jerky pulled out as a Redfish is proposed). That time slot is right when Either we have a grouper problem or Cup sponsor last month, another tricklerecreational anglers and charter captains are we don’t. The complicated new Federal down casualty of the economic dam break limited on open species and busiest with regulations contradict the conclusions we are all downstream from. Oberto’s exit high-season business. And at the same drawn in the past, and since they are proshould not adversely effect the local Kids posed for state and federal waters they very time the National Marine Fisheries Cup tournament. well could take us down a new path Council says grouper is recovering well, Also Some Uncertain News so they propose to eliminate the closure toward Federal regulation (and perhaps on grouper entirely for commercial fisher- licenses) for state waters. Stay Tuned.

A Christmas present from NOAA is

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December 2008

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Jingle Bells and the Holiday Bar Crawl

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Jingle bells to me is the sound of screeching drag, but December is a challenging month for fishing. The weather seems to be in a constant state of flux as the season truly changes to winter. On the average day it’s windy and at best, there is usually a breeze. The tide levels have moved into their historical winter pattern of very-low-water low tides and high tides that aren’t very high. The winds are often from the northwest or northeast which have a tendency to blow what little high tides we have out, causing exceptionally low tides on the flats and in the backcountry. The average fisherman starts to fish a lot less in December because these are challenging conditions, but the diehard anglers will adjust their angling style and keep on fishing.

On average, half the day will not have enough water on the flats to hold fish so fishing the bushes and oyster bars is out of the question. The fish love to feed on the flats, but when the tides are low they drop off into deeper water. In most cases this means the area on the outside of the bar. Charlotte Harbor seems to have been uniquely designed by nature because there is an outside bar on both the east and west side of the harbor. To the south there is an outside bar on Bokeelia, outside bars on the east & west side of Matlacha and the south side of Turtle and Bull Bay also has a series of outside bars.

The Bar Crawl

You position your boat upwind to allow the wind to move you down the perimeter of the bar. This is active fishing as you will be in constant motion.

The angler must cast ahead of the boat and slightly toward the bar as the wind pushes you forward. Essentially, you are covering lots of water, making random casts to various bottom features as you

push along. I prefer to start my drift in about 5 feet of water and steer the boat towards shallower water during the crawl.

Sometimes this crawl is more of a ‘slide’ if the wind is really pumping.

On any given day you can expect to catch redfish, jack crevalle, pompano, cobia, sheepshead, speckled trout, ladyfish, snapper, shark and an occasional snook if the water temperature is up.

In late November I did the bar crawl for the better part of one day. My idea was to craw and sometimes nearly surf the outside of the bar as it got rougher as the day went on. My fishing partner Chuck Taylo was new to the sport and I made him a believer in the first half hour.

We set a drift on the east side of the harbor as the winds would not let me go to the west wall which was my preference.

On our first crawl we cast randomly to dark spots and troughs as the boat pushed along. I was pitching a topwater plug that got blasted early in the game and a nice 19 inch trout came aboard with a quick release. Taylo spotted a large dark fish swimming in a trough and as the boat pushed ahead it spooked and went off to our port with Taylo accurately leading the fish placing a hand-picked shrimp in its path. We watched as a 16 pound cobia excitedly swam over to his bait, shook its head and headed off to deep water. The cobe was too smart but that got our blood pumping. We stopped at another location and did more of a bar surf as the winds picked up significantly. It was clearly a balancing act as we cast plugs and shrimp.

With high sun overhead I spotted some minnows jumping and then several dark shadows appeared. I pitched a shrimp to the shadows and got nailed! My line was screaming off the reel and Taylo pinned the boat in the sand with the Powerpole anchor. We needed to motor after the fish as all of my line was off and the fish was pulling against the knot at the reel spool.

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Once we were moving I began to retrieve line back onto the school and regained control of the fish. Suddenly, a school of over 100 big jack crevalles appeared and Taylo bowed-up on a plug. Dueling rods for about 10 minutes and 2 jacks in the 12 pound range were brought in. The release of the first jack got a dolphin’s interest and the poor jack was crushed right in front of us! These were the highlights from this day, but this kind of action can be expected.

As for bait you can’t beat a live shrimp – the bigger the better – and I fish them 3 different ways. One method is an 1/8 ounce jighead with only half a shrimp, the other is to rig a whole shrimp weedless and lastly I like to fish a shrimp under a small popping cork.

Generally, you fish these aggressively as the fast track of the boat forces you to keep up with your line. For artificials, any shallow water lure will work.

Spoons, plugs and soft plastics are all good. Vary your retrieve according to water depth, boat speed and fish attitude.

Figuring out where to fish varies from day to day and depends on tide height.

This is a game of covering water and like

most fishing there will be certain spots that hold more fish than others. Deep troughs next to high ridges are the best targets. Sharp drops and potholes in the grass are always good and sometimes you will find fish wandering open sand and these fish are in feeding mode. Charlotte Harbor winds will vary during the day.

You will find that by choosing different areas on the east, west or south bars there will be less wind due to shoreline curvature and orientation. Other factors that affect the wave chop are the size and structure of the sand flat in front of the bar. Large shallow expanses outside the bar break down the wave height and can significantly ease the pitch and yaw of the boat making boat control easier.

Confidence, re-positioning, stealth and a little luck are the perfect recipe for a good bar crawl. A pub crawl at night is ok for a bar crawl during the day because the higher the sun warms the water and fishing before 11:00am is usually a waste of time.

Capt. Chuck Eichner is a local charter captain. For information or to book a guided fishing trip call 941-505-0003 or go to his website: www.back country -charters.com

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December 2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

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Diving Inshore

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By Adam Wi l son Water LIFE Diving When the wind starts blowing over 15 knots dreams of an offshore trip get dashed pretty quick.

This fall seems like it has been one of the windiest and coldest in a few years. I marked water temperature under the Tom Adams bridge one day at 60 degrees.

Some years we never see temperatures that low all winter, and it's only December.

Getting offshore has been frustrating, but the inshore waters around Lemon Bay and Boca Grande have remained relatively clear. The extra cold temperatures and the lack of rain runoff hinder the algae blooms that ruin visibility, but when the vis is as low as five or six feet it is actually good enough for some incredible inshore diving.

Although the Placida railroad trestle is pretty well picked clean of stone crabs by now, the amount of fish there is amazing.

It seems like every winter there are more and more grouper, snapper and sheepshead. Spearfishing is off limits there, but it is worth a dive just to see what's going on. When the water is clear it is just like being in an aquarium. It is also amazing how predictable the fish are there too. For example, swimming south

from the old swing bridge the trestle is very shallow and gradually goes from ankle deep to about six feet. I can always count on seeing a few redfish along this stretch.

Further south and the deepest part of the trestle is about 12 feet. Here is where there is always a big school of snook year round. Further south again and as the depth begins to gradually decrease. This is where I always see monster sheephead.

Just off the beaches, along the shallow rockpiles, we have been seeing lots of bay scallops and at the Boca Grande range marker reef I could have filled our boat one day.

These tasty little guys are out of season and this is a closed area anyway, but it is nice to see the swarms of scallops that have been missing in this area for a long time.

Offshore, the stone crabbing has remained pretty consistent. I have heard some crabbers talking about getting octopus in their deeper traps. Octopus will usually send stone crabs scurrying into more shallow water for cover.

Recent dives at the old phosphate pier have been less than interesting. The fish count there has been lower than I have ever seen. Possibly the cold water temperatures have pushed fish out to look for warmer spots.

December 2008

MAGAZINE

Top Left: stone crabs, Left: sheepshead Above: A clump of delicious Asian muscles

I was lucky enough to do some diving in Bull Bay not long ago. A few of my buddies lost a sliding glass door off their houseboat one night and I had to find it. The boat had swung on the anchor during the night but they had been eating oysters so I just followed the trail of shells. Oyster harvesting has been a pretty good pastime for those windy days.

The oysters from Bull Bay, Turtle Bay and Gasparilla sound are open for harvest and they are delicious. I like to pick oysters on a low tide, and even then from knee deep water, to ensure they have always been submerged. There is a good low tide coming up on Saturday the 13th

at about 8 a.m. in Gasparilla sound. You are allowed 1 bag of oysters per vessel which is about two five gallon buckets.

They must be three inches long. I carry a small masonry hammer to bust off dead oysters and barnacles. It takes my fiancé Heidi and I about two hours to fill up two buckets and when we are done, we really appreciate how much more inexpensive they are than at the fresh market!

There is something fulfilling about working for your own groceries, they just seem to taste better. To ensure the area you want to work is open for harvest refer to www.floridaaquaculture.com

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Water LIFE

December 2008

Suggestions for December

By Capt. Andrew Medi na Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor As we get into December, you will have to change they way you approach fish in Charlotte Harbor. The first major change is the water temperatures, the water is much cooler than before. Start your day on the water a little later in the morning. Give the fish a chance to get their body temps up with the warming of the sun. Fish will feed better if they are comfortable, unlike they will right after a night in below 60 degree water.

Start your day looking for fish warming on the flat. The water is shallow and will warm faster there. You will notice the fish will slow their eating patterns and are no longer eager to chase bait.

What I usually do this time of year is, put the nets away. I really do not rely on white bait or pin fish now. Instead I switch over to the old-time favorite, shrimp. You will find everything eats a shrimp, and it is hard for fish to refuse even in the toughest conditions.

Down sizing your baits and tackle will improve your chances as well. Start out by making long casts with lighter artificials or a small shrimp on a jig head. Fish in the shallower water will be wary of an angler’s presence. Long casts will be the key for sight fishing in December.

Fish such as redfish will still move with mullet schools. What you will find now is that all the redfish grouped up will be in the same size range.

The flats are not the only place fish will move to for warmth, they will also travel to deeper canals, where they can hunker down in a hole. If you are unable to fish the flats, because of low water conditions, fish the canals. The last

The warm late afternoon sun had this redfish hungry for a shrimp.

thing you want to do is spend 4 or 5 hours waiting for a tide. Try checking canals like the P.G.I rim canal or any of the deeper canals of Grassy Point. snook, redfish, and trout will often visit these canals and stay there till the water warms to their liking. Shrimp bounced on the bottom are deadly.

Snook season closed on December 1st, but there are still a lot of fish around for catch and release. Look for docks or any points of canals where a moving current is present, slow down and give the fish a chance to eat.

I would like to thank all the students of the Murdock Middle School who attended my Don Ball classes this year. It was fun, and you guys were one of the best classes I have had. I would also like to congratulate Paul Lambert and Brandon Varney, for their win in the XTreme Championship. As Director of the Charlotte Harbor Division I know you anglers have done your homework.

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Page 10

Seafood Safety – Ciguatera Fish Poisoning

By Betty S taugl er Sea Grant / Water LIFE Imagine reaching into your ice chest and getting a hot sensation…or picking up that steaming hot cup of coffee and having it feel cold to the touch.

Temperature reversal sensation is one of the tell tail signs of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), but there are many other symptoms and not everyone is effected in the same way.

What is Ciguatera? Ciguatera is a form of seafood poisoning caused by the consumption of contaminated reef fish found in sub-tropical and tropical waters. The poisoning is the result of natural toxins that accumulate in the fish’s flesh after feeding on lower members of the aquatic food chain.

The toxins are produced by organisms called dinoflagellates, which are a type of micro algae. These organisms are also responsible for the toxins that cause red tide, although a different species is responsible for those events. Ciguatera is the most commonly reported marine toxin disease in the world. According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution at least 50,000 people who live or visit tropical and sub tropical locations are affected by CFP each year. The Center for Disease Control estimates that only two to ten percent of these cases are reported in the United States.

Common areas referenced for CFP are tropical reef waters between latitudes 35

PIT TAG Follow Up

Water LIFE

degrees south and north, but occurrence within these areas is patchy. The majority of reefs are not ciguatoxic and outbreaks are usually localized. As such, knowledge of the ciguatoxic areas is usually based on the local experience of fishermen and consumers. Our little neck of the woods is generally considered to be low risk for CFP. Most of the cases documented in the literature originated from the South Pacific and the Caribbean; specifically the Lesser Antilles and Bahamas, but also eastern Florida. With that said, earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) administered a seafood advisory to processors after illnesses were reported in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Those toxic fish were harvested near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which is located south of the Texas-Louisiana coastline.

What are the symptoms? CFP is described as an acute neurological disease, but also includes gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms. Initially victims may experience nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, but subsequent symptoms can include headaches, blurred vision, joint pain, irregular pulse rate, decreased blood pressure and tingling sensations in the extremities and, the most prominent symptoms, the temperature reversal sensations. Symptoms may appear within hours of consuming contaminated fish. They can last for days to weeks, but neurological symptoms may recur for months to years. Severity of symptoms will largely depend on the amount and type of toxins ingested and the rate at which they are eliminated from the body.

According to Aaron J. Adams, program Manager for Fisheries Habitat at Mote Marineʼs Charlotte Harbor Field Station, a PIT tag recovered in October and featured here last month, was from a juvenile snook tagged on December 2, 2005 when it was 22-inches long. The fish was released in one of the creeks south of Punta Gorda. The fish was then recaught not far from Alligator creek and harvested this year in October as a legal snook, measuring 31-inches. It wasn't a juvenile any longer and was apparently using the creeks to ʻoverwinter.ʼ Adams told us in an e-mail.

MAGAZINE

Which fish can be Ciguatoxic?

Because ciguatera toxins accumulate up the food chain, larger predatory reef fish tend to be more susceptible to CFP. However, any tropical marine fish involved in a food chain where these toxins are present can become a candidate.

Documented illnesses and recent analysis indicate some species tend to be worse than others. Among those with the worse reputations in the Caribbean region include barracuda, amberjacks, moray eels, hogfish, scorpion fish, and certain trigger fish, while mackerels, and certain groupers and snappers may also be susceptible. The occurrence of toxic fish is sporadic however, and not all fish of a given species or from a given locality will be toxic.

How can fish eaters protect themselves? Unfortunately ciguatoxic fish cannot be detected by appearance, taste or smell. According to Dr. Steve Otwell, a seafood specialist with the University of Florida, raw and cooked whole fish, fillets or parts have no signs of spoilage, discoloration or deterioration. The toxins present cannot be completely destroyed or removed by cooking or freezing either.

December 2008

The organism responsible for causing ciguatera in fish is a marine micro algae named, Gambierdiscus toxidus (micro-photograph: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)

Dr. Otwell suggests selecting smaller fish to consume, which are less likely to accumulate toxins. He also recommends avoiding large fish of any tropical species that inhabit tropical reef zones.

Betty Staugler is the Charlotte County Sea Grant Agent with the University of Florida Extension Service. She can be reached 764-4346.

In this blurry, super-blow up photo you can still make out a snook coming to the surface with a ʻgreenbackʼ (a scaled sardine or a Spanish sardine) sideways and about to go into his mouth. According to Capt Bart Marx, the name greenback comes from old time anglers, who knew after they had a net full of these bait fish they could catch lots of ʻmarketʼ fish and make plenty of ʻgreenbacksʼ (money) when they sold them. The scales on the back of a scaled sardine or a Spanish sardine are also green in color.

December 2008

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December 2008

Punta Gorda Angler Wins Last Oberto Event Tournament Account: Lucky Hat Continues

S t aff R eport “I grew up in New Jersey and then we moved to Atlanta. I told my wife if this doesn’t work out we’re moving to Florida,” Capt. Manny Perez said. Two years ago Manny and his wife Tina and their son Manny Jr. moved to Punta Gorda.

Perez and his partner Capt. Paul Jueckstock were just back from the last round of the Redfish Cup in Biloxi Mississippi, back with $75,000 in prize and continPaul Jueckstock (L) and Manny Perez with 18.9 pounds in Biloxi gency money. They weighed in 17.64 the first day, 15.66 the second day to get into the top-5 and then slammed the field with an 18.90 on the final day If the weights sound astounding for two redfish remember they were fishing in Mississippi where state law allows for 30 inch fish in tournament venues. We fished 1/8 oz Fin-tech jig heads and 5-inch Fish Bites jerk shad soft plastic baits, or a topwater from Lucky Craft, or a Lucky-Craft 1/2 oz gold spoon with a trailer on it,” Perrez said.

“The first day was real good. We were on fish in 15 minutes, schools from 50 to 2- or 3,0000 fish. . The second day the weather went south and the fishing slowed down. It was 1 or 1:30 before we had them biting,” he said. The fish were feeding on porgies and there were big schools of them so when we saw the porgies jumping out of the water we knew there were fish below. "We only culled once and we figured we had close to 19 pounds," Perez said. "They were two perfect fish, just under the line."

Back home on Charlotte Harbor Perez said he liked to fish the south side of Pine Island, the creeks around Englewood and Matlachea. Under Armour, Renegade, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lucky Craft, Maui Jim, American Rodsmiths, Fin-tech are his sponsors. Manny said he would come to the Captain’s Meeting for the Kids Cup in April and share some of his fishing expertise.

Sixteen year old Brandon Varney calls it his ‘lucky hat,’ a 2008 Kids Cup cap emblazoned with the Cup’s signature redfish logo and the logo from Fishin’ Franks.

Last year, the hat got Brandon into the Kids Cup Top-5, just a few ounces behind the winner, it got him through the X-Treme Redfish tour this summer and then into the X-Treme Championship in November. And now the lucky hat has brought Brandon and his Uncle Paul Lambert the X-Treme top prize, a new 173 Ranger Boat and ETec Evinrude Motor worth $30,000.

Here’s Paul Lambert’s account of thei r day fi shi ng the tournament:

I wanted to share with you a little about our wild weekend, fishing the extreme championship out of Sarasota with my sixteen year old nephew Brandon Varney.

On Saturday, day one of the tournament, we were planning on making the long run to the best red fishing Florida has to offer, our own Charlotte Harbor. OK, I might be a little partial but three days of pre-fishing Sarasota made up my mind. I was going south to familiar waters.

We had two choices, run the outside in the Gulf of Mexico or run inside in the Intracoastal Waterway. Running the Gulf both

ways would give us an extra three hours of fishing so that was a no brainer. Our 21-foot Maverick had no problem, it took us a little over an hour and we pulled in Gasparrilla Pass. We got close to our A spot and I noticed a small jon boat doing circles over our fish. Not good. He finally anchored and I set up just down the bar from him. After an hour and half without a bite, we finally located the school of redfish with the help of Flipper and his buddy tossing redfish in the air. I got that sick feeling today is not going as planned. We move to our B spot or desperate spot, and after an hour of slack tide I hook into our first red, three and a half pounds. It's a start. Five minutes later I hook up with a pig that just fits the slot. Then Brandon hooks up to a nice red that turns out to be just over the line. We proceed to hook one more red each and both fish spit the hook just out of netting range. That sick feeling is starting to come back. With less than two hours left, we lost our window to run the inside. The southwest wind was picking up with an approaching cold front and I'm debating on running the Gulf and beating my boat up for ten pounds. We decide to weigh-in.

There is the chance of getting big fish for day one. Cutting it close we make it back with one minute to spare. Wow, we did end up with big fish and a total weight of 11.13 lbs.

We were over 3-pounds out of the lead and in 12th place out of 68 boats.

Sunday, day two, I woke up to the roar of the surf on the beach, 20 knot winds out of the north and temperatures in the mid-50s.

We head to the ramp and I notice nobody is launching their boat. With weather condi-

ti to d m m d a th in to ti th a h

to b in h S p p c U s w ti a fe d b th e h c la n a

December 2008

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es to ʻWorkʼ for Kids Cup Top-5 Anglers

t e

f

-

k

y

tions, Mike Blocher, the tournament director, is debating calling the tournament off . After an hour of mulling it over with his directors they decide to go ahead under the condition that we sign a release saying we were stupid enough to fish under these conditions and we won't hold them liable. Everybody agrees and by eight o'clock he starts letting us go.

We now have a very small window to get to Charlotte Harbor, find two fish and get back by 3 p.m. There's no choice but to run inside, that should leave us with about two hours of fishing time. As I look out into Sarasota Bay with two footers and building I ponder the idea of staying local and trying to pound out two fish. I ask Brandon. With teeth chattering he says “what ever you want to do Uncle Paul,” He's a real trooper. We turn south and head to Charlotte Harbor. At 10:30 we pull up to our A spot. With the negative tides and strong north winds there is no water and our B spot looks like an island. That sick feeling is coming back. We head to a series of deep pot holes off a big flat. I heard reports of big schools of reds up on the flat, so when they come off they have only a couple choices: stay in those pot holes or head out in the harbor. We start out fishing the pot holes closest to the flat thinking they might be lazy fish and not go any farther than they need to. No luck in the first two holes, but as we’re approaching the end of the second

hole I notice mullet jumping in the adjacent pot hole. With 30 feet of exposed grass and two inches of water between us and the hole I sling a bait over to it and instantly hook up.

As I am fighting a nice red I tell Brandon to cast in there too, but he's already hooked up.

We end up dragging both fish with backs out of the water to the boat. We have about 13pounds in the boat. I'm starting to feel better.

I turn the boat around and set up into that pot hole. For the next hour it's the kind of fishing you can only dream about. We're fighting, netting, measuring, weighing fish after fish. I look at my watch, 12:30, time to go!

We get back with 10 minutes to spare. I'm hoping with the terrible conditions the eleven boats ahead of us didn't have our success.

They didn't. We ended up weighing 14.90pounds for a 2-day total weight of 26.03.

Lucky enough for first place, and Brandon caught the big fish for day two. I’m very proud of my nephew Brandon. He braved some rough fishing conditions and we both learned a valuable lesson; if at all possible, always weigh-in.

Page 13

MAGAZINE

Fishing School Students Graduate:

Fishing Guides made this program a huge success

One hundred and seven 7th grade students, from 5 area middle schools, received graduation certificates after completing the eight week Don Ball School of Fishing program. Taught by local fishing guides, each student received hands on instruction in fishing skills, a Fishing Resource Manual, a tackle bag full of equipment and a Shakespeare rod and reel. On the final night kids passed an informal test and enjoyed a pizza party afterwards. Captains: Rod Walinchus (Englewood), Danny Latham (Punta Gorda) Andrew Medina (Murdock) Bart Marx (Port Charlotte)Mike Mannis (Northport) were the class instructors. Sea Grant Agent Betty Staugler and Fishin Frank also donated their time. Our deepest thanks and appreciation go out to the captains/teachers, parents and kids for making this, the 7th year of the program, another huge success.

Money raised from the Kids Cup Tournament pays for the Don Ball School of Fishing Please consider being a sponsor this year, see our website (www.waterlifemagazine.com) for information.

TopLeft: Capt Bart Marx goes over rigging soft plastic baits with his Port Charlotte Middle School class.

Above: Capt Mike Mannis at Heron Creek Middle School with graduate D.J. Neville, who brought his younger brother for the cerimony Left: Capt. Rod Walinchus shows kids how to tie an arbor know at the Don Ball School of Fishing class at LA Ainger Middle School in Englewood.

More pictures on the internet at: www.waterlifemagazine.com

Page 14

Water LIFE

Shoreline Exemption on the way OUT?

By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff It looks like we are about to lose another of our fishing rights. More precious than the senior discount or the earlybird special is the right of a Florida resident to fish from shore in saltwater with out the need to buy a saltwater fishing license. This is one of those loop holes that was put in the law back in 1989 when the saltwater fishing license in Florida was first introduced. There was a lot of controversy back then about requiring a new license; after all there already was a freshwater license in effect and to most people a fishing license was a fishing license so why should you need two of them? There were those folks that reasoned that fish belong in the ocean and the oceans belong to everyone in the world; so why should the people of Florida have to pay extra to catch fish when everyone else in the world could fish for free.

Then there were the new groups of fishing environmentalists who said that if you wanted to have fish to catch in the future, you had to protect the resource today; and in order to get the attention of the people who regulated fishing you had to standup and be counted and throw some real money into the pot. The plan for a new saltwater fishing license was hatched.

Just as sharks are attracted to blood, politicians are attracted to a new money

source and many of the state legislators jumped on board with promises of increased law enforcement on the water and habitat restoration. This sounded good to the legislators whose counties were on the coastline; but for the legislators of the inland counties; the question was –what’s in it for us?

Negotiations started out pretty well with some areas of common agreement.

All tourists should have to pay to fish especially the old ones (they have the most money). Old people who are Florida residents shouldn’t have to pay because they vote. Kids under 16 don’t have to pay. The same for disabled people and military personnel on leave. The big problem was that the inland counties couldn’t see where a new license was going to do them any good at all; so they with held their support for the new license. This pretty much killed the idea until a compromise was reached, that said that Florida residences who fished from shore were not required to buy a license. Since half a fish is better than no fish, the law was passed that basically required anyone fishing from a boat, to have a saltwater fishing license.

And that’s the way it’s been for the last 19 years, with the State bringing in about 200 million dollars in new revenue so far.

Everything was fine until the Federal government got involved and added an amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens

December 2008

MAGAZINE

If you freshwater fish with a cane pole you donʼt need a fishing license

Fisheries Management Act, which requires all states to register all saltwater anglers by 2010. To a lot of the State legislators and to a lot of the conservation groups; that means the shoreline exemption has to go. After all, the State makes money off fishing licenses; so the more the better.

And then there is the Federal excise tax we pay on all fishing and marine sales; that money is returned to the states based on the number of licenses.

There is something sad about making poor people pay to fish. It was always good to know that if you were broke and hungry you could always fish for your dinner.

I think we need another loophole. I remember driving around south Florida years ago and seeing people fishing with

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cane poles on the canals I passed. I could never figure out why they didn’t use a nice spinning reel or a bait caster which seemed a lot easier to me.

I asked a guy at a local bait shop and he told me that if you used a cane pole, you didn’t need a freshwater license. So I looked it up, and here is what it says under freshwater exemptions: “Any resident fishing in the county of his or her residence with live or natural bait, using poles or hand lines without a reel or other line retrieval mechanism (cane pole), for noncommercial purposes.”

If they are going to eliminate the shoreline exemption, I think this is one loophole they should leave in. The way things are going, we may all be trying to catch fish for dinner.

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December 2008

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Water LIFE

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NEW stuff.

By Bi l l Di xon Water LIFE Sailing

The Punta Gorda Sailing Club mission of supporting sailing in all its forms is getting a big boost. PGSC is extending its commitment to sail training in several ways. Pete Welch 575-8665 has organized Saturday sailing. Boats will sail around a fixed course with a gathering afterward to discuss who passed who and how they did it. No cost, no PHRF, no bother. Just show up. Use your boat more!! Sail Saturdays!!

Several S-2 7.9 owners who race in spinnaker class are putting together a crew training program combining chalk talks with on the boat training and rotation through all the positions on the boat.

Time on the water will be followed buy an

MAGAZINE

December 2008

after action review of what went right and the other stuff. Emphasis will be on teamwork and communication. The purpose of the program is two fold. One to develop a crew-pool of trained sailors. And two, to increase participation in spinnaker fleet races. It is expected that the program will be expanded to cover other spinnaker boats, like the two Colgate 26s who race here in the winter and also as trainees become available be extended to boats that race N/S (non spinnaker).

Boat owners will donate refreshments during training, use of their boats, and gear. Crew Trainees will make a donation to the Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center. Paul Allesandroni, 941258-7959 is coordinating this program.

This crew training program will be structured to include introducing the High School Sailing Team sailors to “big boat” sailing in addition to the training of those of us past High School. At the other end

Fall Series Race # 4 - November 23, Colgate 26s, spinnakers out and wanting more wind.

of High school, the Community Sailing Center now has a couple of middle school hot dogs sailing on O’Pen Bic sailboats.

When they grow into High School, they will already be accomplished sailors and prime candidates for the HS Sailing Team.

Dennis Peck 456-8542 is the contact for the Charlotte harbor Community Sailing Center Cal endar

The Holiday Regatta, an open Charlotte Harbor Boat of the Year regatta is right around the corner. Skippers meeting will be Thursday Dec. 4. Races will be held both Saturday and Sunday Dec.6, 7 Notices

of Race and entry forms are available at pgscweb.com.

No details yet on the Club “Specialty Race“scheduled Dec. 21, but I’ll bet it involves fat old guys like me and red suits.

The Rules they are a changing. Isles YC is sponsoring a North U. seminar Jan 31 on the revisions to the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) taking effect in 2009.

There is a link to North on the PGSC web site at pgscweb.com Bill Dixon can be reached at: Dixonwj@comcast.net

December 2008

R Re ea all E Es st ta at te e N Ne ew ws s PROVIDED BY: Dave & Marlene Hofer RE/MAX Harbor Realty (941) 575-3777 dhofer@remax.net www.harborparadise.com Recent area news i tems

1. Just two months after the sale of their 1600 acre ranch for $26 Mil to Charlotte County for open space preservation, the Ryals family purchased the 4900 acre ranch next door for less than $18 Mil. Yes, that's right, sold to Charlotte County taxpayers for $16,500/acre ... then bought next door for $3,600/acre! Hellooooo, is anyone awake up there at the County Building?

2. In a classic case of "throw the bums out", new Charlotte County Commissioners Starr and Skidmore replaced incumbents Moore & D'Aprile.

Duffy, a Governor appointee and non member of the Murdock Five land speculators, won her first election. County Republican fixture, Starr brings a purportedly conservative disposition to his exalted post. Like a giant game of monopoly, managing the $500 million/year County budget will be a great learning experience for the twenty six year old Skidmore.... and we thought things couldn't get any worse....

3. Marilyn Smith Mooney retired from the Punta Gorda City Council after twelve years of service.

4. National builder, Pulte Homes pulled the plug on its Sarasota National Golf Club. They had been planned to build 1,574 homes. They completed 30 and sold just 12. The other 18 unsold homes were scheduled for auction on November 8.

Sarasota National is part of Thomas Walk and West Villages on US 41 at the east edge of Venice.

5. The owners of Sunloft, the new

Water LIFE

mixed use building in downtown Punta Gorda, opened an art gallery to display the works of Austrian artist, Helmut Graeff.

6. The Charlotte Harbor Convention Center officially opened on November 6.

This impressive structure should attract many new conventions to the area.

7.

The Wyvern Hotel on Charlotte Harbor opened for business. Rates start at $160/night until Dec 24. The boutique hotel offers a rooftop sundeck and pool.

A first class restaurant, LuLu, is housed on the main floor.

8. The City of Punta Gorda and the Best Western Hotel will jointly seek Federal permits to create a mooring field and commercial marina at the 41 bridge. The City will be granted an easement along the shoreline to extend its waterfront path.

Sales Statistics:

Nati onal l y: Nationally, median home prices fell from $221K to $202K over the past year. Over the same period, Florida homes fell from $225 to $175K. We can only hope that the significantly greater than average drop will attract more buyers seeking greater affordability.

September sales in the Orlando market were up 17%, Tampa 10% over last year (median prices declined 20%); Local l y: As foreclosures continue to work their way through the market place, median prices plummeted to less than $100K in the Port Charlotte/North Port area. Lot prices fell to less than $10K in those same markets.

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Page 17

Lulu the Latin Fusion restaurant and bar at the just opened Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda

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Water LIFE

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K Ka ay ya ak ki in ng g

MAGAZINE

December 2008

Marine Biologist and Kayaker Extraordinaire

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking One of the most popular kayak trips in southwest Florida is any paddle led by Jack Taylor. For the last five years or so, Jack has introduced hundreds of kayakers to the wonders of the Florida Estuaries.

Reservations are required if you plan to go on one of Jack’s explorations, and the trips are over subscribed for months in advance. These monthly expeditions along the shoreline and through the mangroves reveal a world of marine life that few of us ever experience.

Paddling a 15’-6" Cypress kayak at what he describes as a "look and see pace", and using the latest high tech equipment, a shovel and dip-net, Jack can bring more marine critters into view than anyone else in the county. And that’s when the fun begins. With years of experience, Jack knows all about the many and varied species of marine life that his shovel and dip-net brings to the surface.

Jack is very passionate about protecting the estuaries and works hard to encourage state government, local environmental groups, and even real-estate developers to maintaining and improving the estuaries in Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. Why are estuaries so important to all fishermen, sportsmen, boaters and kayakers? Estuaries are the "Cradle of the Ocean". They are the most productive ecosystems in nature. Over 70-percent of all recreationally and commercially important fishes, crustaceans and shellfish spend part of their lives in estuaries, usually when they are young. Even small changes in the salinity, sediment levels, etc., that we are unaware of as boaters or fishermen can have a very dramatic and harmful effect on the life cycle of the inhabitants of our estuaries. Two of Florida’s largest estuaries, Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, have been severely damaged in recent years by real-estate development and harmful runoff from rivers and

2008 JOHNSON OUTDOORS Key Paddlesports Dealer – East Coast

Jack Taylor with the tools of his trade: Kayak, a shovel and a dip net

streams. Jack’s motivation is to protect and enhance these estuaries through teaching others, first hand, the interconnectedness of all marine organisms and the fragility of their existence.

Few individuals have the education and experience to teach and motivate others in the wonders and benefits of marine estuaries. Jack has both. After leaving the service, he entered the University of Florida and later emerged with a graduate degree in Marine Biology. After 10 years with the Fish and Wildlife Department, Jack became a Marine Consultant and worked with a number of organizations on the west coast of Florida over the next decade.

Jack was a friend of Bill Mote, who at that time had a marine laboratory in Cape Haze. This was several years before the facility was moved to Sarasota and became Mote Marine Laboratory.

Jack settled in Englewood in 1999, and continued to take consultant assignments in the area. In addition to his consulting activities, he started working for Grande Tours, a Placida kayak and boating tour company. Jack began his career as a teacher by taking large groups on a tour

of the local shorelines and mangroves, sharing his knowledge of marine life.

After he left Grande Tours, Jack continued both his consulting work and his "Kayak Classroom", taking kayakers out on the water once or twice a month. Jack’s kayak trip quickly became so popular that he had to limit the trips to one a month and required pre-registration.

Jack still lives in Englewood and still does one estuary trip a month. And his trips are still attracting more and more interested kayakers. He may move to Sarasota sometime in the future, but until he does, he will remain one of our county’s most influential marine resources.

Jack taylor can be reached at: baypaddler@gmail.com

The Port Charlotte Kay ak ers meet each Wednesday ev ening at Port Charlotte Beach Park at 5:30 PM. All are welcome. For more information, contact me at 941-235-2588 or email to: dlaa@comcast.net. You can check out our upcoming paddles and ev ents at: pck ay ak ers.org Then come join us!

December 2008

On The Line Fishing with Capt. Ron

We are about to enter the biggest season of the year - the tourist season. I remember seeing a bumper sticker a few years ago that said, “ If it’s tourist season; why can’t we shoot them?” A bit harsh, but I’m sure we all had the same thought from time to time, especially when you’re stuck in traffic or trying to get a table at your favorite restaurant. For all the problems that tourist season brings, this year it brings the one thing we are in desperate need of - people with money who are willing to spend some of it in Charlotte County. Every fishing charter they book, every dozen shrimp they buy, every restaurant meal they eat and every tip they leave will provide much needed economic stimulus for a county that now has an unemployment rate of 9.6%. So when you find yourself getting a little impatient while standing in line, just remind yourself that each dollar that these out- of -towners spend is helping to keep a roof over somkeone’s head and feed one of us local folks.

Hard times are nothing new for Florida natives. They always made it through as long as there were fish to catch. I remember back in the 70s, I used to help a friend in Sarasota cast-net mullet off the

Water LIFE

old Ringling Causeway Bridge. He would throw the net and if we had a good strike, I would help him lift it to the roadway.

It was my job to break the necks of the fish and bleed them. Now this is a dirty job but believe me it is the secret to a good tasting mullet. Take the fresh caught mullet in your hands with belly side up.

With one hand hold onto the belly and with two fingers of the other hand place them in the fishes gills and push down like you were snapping a twig. The fish’s neck will break and a stream of blood will come shooting out like a broken water hose.

The small fish we would sell or trade to the bait shop for bait and beer, they would use them for cut bait; but the big ones my friend would sell door to door in his neighborhood for a dollar a piece. He told me people really appreciated those fish and for a lot of those folks it was their Sunday dinner. They called the mullet cracker chicken back then and you couldn’t go to a fund raiser or community event that didn’t have the traditional smoked mullet dinner which included hush puppies, baked beans and swamp cabbage.

I mention this because I’m seeing more and more people at the bridges and local canals with castnet in hand trying their luck for mullet. When the cold fronts go through our area the mullet run, and now is a good time to try your luck.

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200 yards from the Harbor, way back up a muddy creek, we found this fat mullet basking in the sun

You need a good sized net with at least an inch and a half mesh size. Do not use a bait net or you will find out, as many others have, that a good size mullet will run right through it. Night time or overcast days seem to work best for me.

Bridges are good because you are usually high above the mullet’s field of vision. Shallow canals are good because, let’s face it, the fish have less room to hide. I am always amazed at how fast a mullet can swim under a net. When I first started out trying to net them from my dock it seemed that every time the net left my hand the fish would scatter before the net even hit the water. It took a while to get the hang of it. Now I stand away

from the edge of the dock and crouch down and throw the net high. On a good day I’ll get a fish every other throw.

When it comes to eating, I’ll admit mullet are no snook or grouper, but they do have a unique flavor. You can fry them, bake them or broil them: but my favorite is smoked mullet. If you don’t have a smoker, go get one and learn how to use it. The secret is slow, low-heat cooking. You can eat the meat right off the bone or turn the meat into a fish spread. Those old Florida natives really knew how to eat well and never even knew it was hard times.

Capt Ron can be reached for questions or charters at 941-474-3474

Run Season Page 20

Commercial Perspective

By Kel l y Beal , Water LIFE, Peace Ri ver S eafood Well I got the call this morning. The first arrest of the run season. For those of you unfamiliar what ‘run season’ is let me break it down for you. During the mullet spawning season which usually starts mid-November to mid-January, red roe is the female product and white roe is the male. Basically the red roe is caviar.

The white roe is milt, containing millions of sperm cells that are expelled into the vicinity of the spawning female thus fertilizing the eggs. So the mullet are all bunched together.

Because of the vast amount of fish one can catch at this time you can imagine how active the fishermen become. There are more less-experienced fishermen out and about and also and there is more enforcement. The FWC becomes very active enforcing net laws during run season.

Amendment Three of the Florida Constitution, otherwise known as the Net Ban, was approved by voter referendum in November 1994. The amendment made unlawful the use of entangling nets (i.e., gill nets and trammel nets) in Florida waters. The use of other forms of nets, such as seines, cast nets, and trawls, was restricted, but not totally eliminated. For example, those types of nets could be used only if the total area of net mesh did not exceed 500 square feet. The amend-

Reconnecting

By Capt Robert Moore Wat er LIFE S t aff Most days on the water for me, the purpose is catching fish. A recent fishing trip with my teen age son, Ryan, the other day proved to re-define my idea of a day on the water.

The idea of getting out and going fishing together was actually his. On the way to school he mentioned it had been a while since we went fishing. He was right. Between his school and baseball

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MAGAZINE

ment was implemented in July 1995, and represented the culmination — but not the end — of a lengthy debate between commercial fisherman and environmental/recreational advocacy groups.

The banning of gill nets was not a resource issue. It was the result of a "user conflict" issue. A gill net mesh size allowed the juvenile fish to get through. It is an extremely discriminating net. You only caught the size mullet you were after. The red roe mullet is larger than the white roe mullet so your percentage of by-catch was minimal.

Now we are left to use seine nets which are not the best choice for mullet fishing for two reasons. Number one you're left with a crazy amount of bycatch and juvenile fish and number two your ratio of white to red mullet is terrible. Because so many are fishing with seines the fish houses get bombarded with white roe mullet. The price is extremely low to the fishermen for the white roe so in some cases those fish get dumped. I am completely against this action, but I realize what lead up to the catastrophe.

The Coastal Conservation Association brainwashed the entire state. During the vote for the gill net ban, a TV commercial that promoted the ban showed a dolphin and a turtle entangled in a net, it was filmed on a marine research boat and the whole thing was staged. There were better solutions than those ultimately decided upon, but lets get back to where I started.

There are many part-time fishermen who come out of the woodwork for run season. Many are decent people trying to make a little extra cash, but others are schedule and my work schedule it had been a while since we were on the water together. So we made plans to hit the water, just the two of us.

This fishing trip started out unlike most trips I usually do. It started somewhere around 11a.m. – way past the usual pre-dawn morning hours for catching bait.

We stopped by Fishn’ Franks to buy 100 shrimp. Then we launched the boat and headed out.

Our first stop was on the edge of the sandy bottom just off the bar along the west wall. I had been catching trout and

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December 2008

A fishermen squeezes the red roe from a mullet at Peace River Seafood

outlaw types who give the full time commercial fishermen a bad name. Often when the FWC makes a bust on a fisherman with illegal nets and, say, a 1500pound catch, the guy is not a full time commercial fisherman, he is a charter captain who fishes ‘run season.’ He may be the type who ventures out illegally. The full time commercial fishermen know the waters like the back of their hand, they can run in the darkest of night just like the bright of day. These are the guys you feel the safest with on the water. They don't break the law. It’s the guy down the street who goes out 4 times a year and does not have the experience or the nautical intellect the commercial fisherman has – the guy who only reads Florida Sportsman or the CCA newsletter and feels he has enough information to dictate law and have an opinion on commercial pompano there, recently. We both rigged our shrimp on ¼ ounce jigs by ripping the tail off and threading the shrimp onto the hook. We began making long casts downwind and let the jigs slowly sink to the bottom. We would then lightly bounce them along the sand. The first hook up was by yours-truly. I was quick to point it out to him, and he was just as quick to point out to me, it was ‘just a ladyfish.’ – the same argument I would have made if the first was his. The kid was learning!

The next hooked fish was more interesting. Dag began to sing and after a five minute battle a nice bonnet head shark was brought boat side for a picture and release. Over the next two hours in the exact same spot we both landed well over a dozen bonnet heads each. Some of the sharks were small, some were large, but all bent the rod. Then we decided to move and check out an area in the Gasparilla Sound.

After looking the area over pretty good we ended up anchored in Little Gasparilla Pass, dropping the same jigs with fresh shrimp on them to the bottom. Every drop produced a hit of some kind. Most were undersized red and gag grouper. None

fishing. That’s the problem.

My wish is that those who have a ‘user conflict’ with commercial fisherman become a little more educated about us.

There will be more busts coming as desperate times bring more desperate measures, but please recognize the difference between the typical law abiding full time commercial fisherman and the weekend warrior. If we want to remain self reliant as a country we need to purchase goods caught and grown in the States.

Don't support groups who encourage the consumption of imported seafood.

Support our nation’s economy by buying what we catch legally. We are heavily regulated. The product caught locally is topof-the-line and very fresh. Support your local crabber, shrimper and fisherman.

Kelly Beal owns and runs Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda. 505-8440

the less, all were great fun on light tackle. After about an hour of non stop action the resident porpoises came boat side looking for a free meal so we pulled the anchor and headed back to the dock.

There is more to this story than just going out and catching a few fish together. My son is 14 and in his prime teenage years. When I see blue, he will see red.

When I do see red he will change his mind and see blue, but on this fishing trip our purpose was not about catching fish, it was about getting reconnected and it worked! A day on the water can do that.

Capt. Robert Moore can be reached to book a trip or for fishing information at: 624-5710 or at www.captrobertmoore.com

December 2008

Water LIFE

SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes

Unsubstanciated,

The Mother of Necessity: Fountain Marine, the mother of high speed offshore powerboats is is rumored to be be closing.

Manatee Aerial Surveys Last year the State bitched they couldnʼt do aerial manatee surveys because it was too warm.

This year we have had a number of good cold fronts already so you would think theyʼd be up flying and counting manatees as we speak. Letʼs keep an eye on what the excuse is this year. If they arenʼt careful theyʼre liable to find we have 5,000 manatees now. It could turn into an overpopulation before you know it.

Oh NO! Oberto Oberto has dropped its sponsorship for the Refdfish Cup but that may not be the worst of it. According to one tournament angler they are also worried about the Punta Gorda venue because of construction at Laishley Park and because the new Visitorʼs Center doesnʼt have a dock. And to make matters worse the county tourism department just had a huge chunk (300+ thousand) cut from itʼs budge so there probably wonʼt be much help for the Cup coming from the County.

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But

pay the interest on the bonds so a second chunk of money has been taken from the Visitorʼs Bureau budget. If we get the stadium done, if the teams can still come up with their money to put on a baseball game, where will the county get the money to promote it?

Ethanol We left 15 gallons of 10-percent gas in a vented steel drum for a month. When we checked it there was no water in it. Then we put another 15 gallons of water laden gas in a polydrum and added (first) Stabil and then FuelShok to it. The pool of water and separated ethanol remained. (photo, looking down into drum)

Often

True

had had no luck catching anything. However, one small child fishing with the group told the officer his father had caught a really big fish and tied it up. The officer followed foot tracks through the mud along the bank and discovered the oversize snook secured to a post and hidden beneath the log. While the officer was preparing the citation, the fisherman admitted he had never caught such a big snook and asked if he could take photos of the large fish before it was confiscated. The answer: NO! That Big Black Cloud The Naples Beach Patrol encountered a fisherman in possession of 46 striped mullet over-the-limit. The subject also had an active warrant for his arrest. He admitted that he knew the bag limit but stated he "couldnʼt help himself when he saw that big black cloud of fish going through the water."

Bait Shop Boogie The El Jobean Bait and Tackle shop which was formally behind the old house near the fishing pier parking lot has now moved their shrimp tank to 4352 ElJobean Road (across the street on SR 776, where 20 years ago Cookies Bait shop used to be.) There is a jaunty red and white sign out front that says “LIVE BAIT” and some nights (when the fishing is hot) they are open 24 hours.

The Deadly Dozen : Charlotte Harbor FISHING GUIDES

To make matters even worse Charlotte County floated some bonds to finance the baseball stadium project and now it seems there isnʼt enough money from the projected bed tax income to

Tree Snook Officer Patrick Walsh issued a citation to fisherman at the Chokoloskee Causeway after a fishery inspection revealed a forty-one inch snook concealed beneath a tree log.

During the inspection, a group of fishermen told the officer they

Charters

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

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

Nighttime Trips Available

Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

Bus: 941-475-5538 Res: 941-473-2150

Captain Robert Moore

When you absoloutely positively want to catch fish

(941) 624-5710 www.captRobertMoore.com

offshore/backcountry

This space available $40/mo call 941-766-8180

Capt. Bart Marx, USCG Licensed & Insured Light Tackle Fishing Charlotte Harbor & SW Florida

(941) 255-3551

www.alphaomegacharters.com email:captbart@alphaomegacharters.com Half Day & Full Day trips.

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Water LIFE

Snowbird Reading F i s h i n g From Robert @ Fishin Franks: Report Winter is the time of year when grouper and snapper start to move closer to shore and even inside the harbor. But before you go target those fish, ALL boaters need to be aware of a new law that went into effect this past June.

There are three things that you must now have on your boat when fishing for reef species; Non-offset/In-line Circle Hooks The hook tip cannot be bent away from the shank of the hook body. There are several brands of hooks that are legal; Eagle Claw, Gamagatzu and Mustad.

Check first to make sure they are the correct style.

De-Hooking DeviceIn state waters (the harbor and up to 9 miles offshore) needle nose pliers are legal. An ARC Dehooker is a wonderful tool but you want to practice with it first. It is frustrating to learn, but don’t give up on it.

In federal waters the dehooker is the only legal tool Venting Tool This is basically a hypodermic needle and syringe without the plunger.

There are several brands available, priced from $6.50 for disposable ones up to $35 for top of the line. When fish are brought up from the depths quickly, the swim bladder expands and forces the stomach out of the fish’s mouth.

The bladder must be deflated to give the fish the ability to swim back down.

You are still required to have this item on your boat to fish legally for reef species (like snapper) in the harbor.

Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

Sno o k are officially closed so now they will start chewing like crazy.

Sheeps head will be the number one target fish this month. They are already pouring in good, but they will get better and better in December. Shore fishermen should be at El Jobean or the Placida trestle. The rocks off Boca Grande pass along with the Venice jetties are all shore spots. For the boaters there are plenty of places, again, around the trestles at Placida, Novak and Trembly reefs are where you will get some of the bigger 5 to 7 pound fish.

Fiddler crabs are the number one pick for bait, frozen sand fleas or live or frozen shrimp all very good bait. Fish them close to the structure with a jhook on the bottom or a sinker on the bottom of the rig. An owner Mu-Tu light circle hook works very well, the No 2 or No 4 are the best sizes. It is a thinner wire hook, but because it is thin it gets in between their beaver like teeth and they can’t break it. Po mpano are really, really unbelievably good right now, there are a lot of them along the

MAGAZINE

December 2008

surf from Englewood south to Sanibel. The shore fishermen can just fish the beaches. For the boaters, the Cape Haze bar and the flat in be tween Bull and Turtle Bay on the harbor side, and all the open spots coming inside the pass are pompano spots.

While you are running you will see the pompano skipping.

Just shut down Whoʼs laughing now? “Their wives made them take those silly little and concentrate lunch boxes with them when they went fishing,” Capt. Angel Torrez in that area. said. “The keg of beer was their idea,” he added.

Throw a shrimp or a small short beaches. tailed bucktail jig tipped with a sand Bo nnethead s harks are very abunflea. There are wobbly jigs with banana dant now as are s mal l bl ackti ps on shaped lead and long shanks that work the grass flats. well on pompano.

Fl o under have been good on the bar Redfi s h are going to thin out size-wize on the west side but I don’t know how throughout this month. The rat reds will much longer they will be here. start moving in. Fish the west wall and Mang ro v e s napper are moving the feeder creeks off the Myakka around from the inshore reefs and the passes, the oyster bars. In the Peace River, they just jig your bait close to the bottom. A will be scattered and heading toward chum bag will help immensely. Chum Shell Creek. They will be turning off to real heavy and you can get them to artificials now so shrimp is the bait of come up off the bottom. Tri g g erfi s h choice, but pinfish and cut sardines will will start showing up now with and in also work well. The key is to work the addition to the snapper and g ro uper. bait slower when it is cold. It’s not an Trigger fish are a phenomenal table fish early morning bite, but as the water with a nutty tasting meat. warms up in late morning and through And Crappi e fishing is unbelievthe afternoon the fish become a little able right now and it will only get betmore aggressive. ter. A lot of people don’t realize how Spani s h mackerel will still be good the crappie fishing in the canals plentiful through the month of is. A fish 15 to 16 inches is pretty December. Look for birds diving or common. schools of glass minnows out in the Co nti nued o n faci ng pag e middle of the harbor and out along the

Water LIFE

December 2008

F i s h i n g The The BIG-4 BIG-4 Report continued

Lemon Bay:

and and regulations regulations covering covering them them

.

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

SPANISH MACKEREL: 12” at the fork / 15 per day. Mackerel coming in the harbor now

Fishin is pretty good, now. There have been quite a few guys catching sheepshead. A friend caught 14 keepers the other day. Pompano are coming through at Boca Grande, on the Gasparilla Pier. A lot of guys are catching them on Silly Willy’s jigs.

The redfi sh action has been pretty good in the backcountry, shrimp in the backcountry are catching reds. There have been assorted snook reports, here and there, some of the canals were yielding fish in the keeper slot from the warm side of the canal, that’s where the fish are.

And quite a few fl ounder are still around, along with a lot of little sharks, bl ackti ps and bonnetheads.

There are some cobi a around, but it seems to be the guys fishing for pompano with the wrong size tackle that have been into the cobia. I keep hearing about the ones that got away.

S pani sh mackerel have been around, a couple here and there and a few straggler

POMPANO: Min 24” to the fork, 2 fish per harvester.

No more than 2 per vessel.

Found nearshore/inshore

ki ngs have been mixed in with them.

Usually the water is right around 62 degrees when the kings have moved out.

The schools of the smaller fish are gone now, but there are still some solitary big ones around.

There are whi ti ng and pompano in the surf and some sheepshead out there on the assorted rock outcropping.

Offshore, there have been some good trips for grouper and snapper. Some of the party boats have been doing reasonably well in the 10 to 20 mile range. If you go north of Stump Pass they are closer in, maybe 6 or 7 miles.

There’s been a little tri pl e tai l action on the crab pots but that’s about it. And, oh yes, quite a bit of nice trout lately, I’ve seen some 27 inch fish this last week. One was 6 pounds the other 4.75. the anglers that caught them thought they were redfish, they were happy as a pig in ...a polk.

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SHEEPSHEAD: 12” pinched CRAPPIE a.k.a. speckled perch, 25 per person per day. tail / 15 per day. May not be caught on multiple hooks Local freshwater canals with live or dead natural bait

2009 KIds Cup April 25.

Applications online Jan 1

Lighted Events

King Fisher Fleetʼs annual December Christmas Canal Cruises begin on December 5 and run nightly through December 31. Trips are approximately one hour in length.

There are three departures every evening: 6 p.m, 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Cost is $12 for adults, $6 for Lighted Boat Parade children under age 12.

Dec 6 in Punta Gorda Note** Cruises often sell out (especially the 6 and 7:30 trips).

Call 941-639-0969 for reservations.

Cruises depart from Fishermenʼs Village.

C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s Dec 6: Peace River Lighted Boat Parade, Port Charlotte to Punta Gorda, starting at Edgewater lake.

Dec 13: Inshore Hot Spots, seminar, West Marine Venice, 408, 8288

Dec 20: Rim Canal, Lighted Boat Parade, through Punta Gorda Isles Canals Jan 22-25: Port Charlotte Boat Show CountyFairgrounds

Jan 24: Flatsmasters Qualifier tournament, Harpoon Harry’s, 637-5953

Fishing RIGHT NOW:

Great!

March 28: Grady White Captain’s & First Mate’s Symposium and Boat Show, Charlotte Event and Confrence Center 941-347-8086 April 25: Water LIFE Kids Cup Tournament, Punta Gorda 766-8180

How many spots on that Redfish? There is a spot tournament Dec. 6 at Harpoon Harryʼs with the weigh in open to the public at 3 p.m. See calendar ar right.

May 3-5 Redfish Cup, Punta Gorda Send your event calendar information to: waterlife@comcast.ne

December 2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

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