Water LIFE Dec 2015

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Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero, 10,000 Islands and the Gulf

The Don Ball School of Fishing

December 2015

Fishing Report page 22-23

Frontal Progression page 7

Harbor Blvd @ Edgewater Closed Ęťtill Dec 21

Beach & Kayak Fishing page 14

Incredibly Good! page 11

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DECEMBER 2015


DECEMBER 2015

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DECEMBER 2015

Tune in to Radio Fishinʼ anytime! Talk shows with Fishinʼ Frank @ FishinFranks.com

Send letters and photos to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net

cc: to Charlotte County Commissioner Steven Deutsch Sir: I have attached a photo of the socalled canoe and kayak launch on Bayshore, near the 41 bridge. So-called describes the fact that the launch area is strewn with moderately large and very sharp barnacle covered rocks over which you must either carry (problematical) or drag your craft. These stones will cut bare skin to ribbons and will gouge the materials that kayaks and canoes are made of. You can see that there are, in fact, some kayaks on the sandy part of the beach -- poor folks. What in heaven's name went on in the planning and execution of this recreation opportunity? Please take the opportunity to view this location in person or have someone on staff take a Good afternoon Mike. Standing Watch, our state-wide Boating Rights advocacy group, is being re-activated. We initiated a meeting earlier this year with our old board of directors members who are still active, we brought some new blood into the family and we are getting it together very quickly. We've already been to Tallahassee twice, attended the Manatee Forum in St. Petersburg, the National Working Waterfronts Symposium, and Floridaʼs Stem to Stern Boating Conference and we have worked with half a dozen State legislators on bills that will be introduced this coming session. We are currently engaged in 6 active management issues around the State.

look at this. The picture was taken at low tide but even at high tide you cannot avoid having your craft rub on the rocks nearest shore. Should you agree that calling this a small boat launch is a feat that requires either imagination or cynicism and constitutes, I must say, a shameful lack of attention to detail and common sense. Please consider having an area wide enough for perhaps two kayaks cleared to where the water is free of rocks. It should not take much effort or cost as most of the rocks can be removed by hand (with tough gloves) and the rocky portion does not extend far into the water. Mike Moses

Editor Notes** We agree totally. This was poorly thought-out, by people who know nothing of what they do.

New issues relevant to boaters are cropping up all over Florida. We have the situation with the Pinellas County Manatee rule (challenged by Pacific Legal Foundation) which was recently settled in favor of the Boating Public. We have Shell Island in Panama City - which the Park Service is trying to close with rule-making extending into the waters and using park rules (no camping, no dogs, no alcohol). We have the Everglades National Park Plan - banning airboats, and adding layers of requirements for conventional recreational fishing inside the Park (basically from Port of the Islands to Key Largo), and enforcing Park rules (closed from dusk to dawn and no alcohol). We have the Biscayne Bay closure, the All Aboard Florida rail initiative (which will virtually close the ICW to large vessel traffic), a proposed manatee "sanctuary" status from Jacksonville to

below Cape Canaveral on the East Coast. Ski areas throughout Central Florida are being closed to public use with no stake-holder hearings, postings, or stated authority - they are just being closed. Period. Collier County is next on the list for the manatee plan review by FFWCC. We have lots of Goliath Grouper, lots of lionfish, and lots of manatees. We also have declining bait stocks, vanishing sea-grass, and dead estuaries. And we still have an all-on push from regulators (State and federal) and professional environmental outfits pushing for more and more waterway closures, permit hold-ups, and legislation in the name of manatee protection. Go to standingwatch.net to see our latest initiatives, and see how you can help us preserve and protect your traditional Florida life-style. Together we can do great things! Capt. Jim Kalvin

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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

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217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIV No 12 © 2015

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

Contributing Editors:

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Baitshop: Fishinʼ Frank Peace River: Capt. David Stephens Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy Barton Diving: Adam Wilson Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Venice: Glen Ballinger Estero: Capt. Joe Angius Kayaking: Bob Fraser Sea Grant: Capt. Betty Staugler Everglades City: Capt. Charlie Phillips Beach Fishing: Mallory Herzog Pier Fishing: Bobby Vitalis Office Dog: Molly Brown (in memorium)

On the Cover: Capt. Billy Barton, with a mouth full of Penn Spinfisher gear and a little tuna in hand. Fore more of Capt. Billy, see page 8

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Doing What I Said I Would Never Do By Michael Heller Water LIFE Editor The fishing has been astoundingly awesome! Warm temperatures and good water have brought and kept numerous different species here in record numbers. I only hope it lasts! I don’t remember ever putting together an edition with more pictures of quality fish in any one month. Pictures are a part of my life. When I was a newspaper photographer we had caveats for what we would and would not photograph. No Ribbon Cuttings, No Tree Plantings, No Ground Breaking and No Check Passing photos, especially No Big StretchedCheck photos – they were forbidden! The thinking was, if the event was important enough to appear in the paper, then the photo should be of something more visual yet still be relative to the story. If, for example, a Ribbon Cutting was set for a new hospital, then we’d rather show some aspect of the patient care or the people who were going to benefit from it. Often, to be polite, I’d shoot the ‘forbidden picture,’ while knowing I’d never use it in print. The psychology behind not publishing those kind of pictures and the research backing that thinking up, says that only the people in the pictures really care about those kind of self serving images. The pictures with this story are a perfect exam-

ple... so why are they here? Last month, Downtown Bait and Tackle told me they were going to donate $200 from their Downtown Showdown tournament to our Don Ball School of Fishing. I figured I'd go to the tournament and check it out. My photos and story are on page19. I waited around a while, that tournament Saturday, taking pictures and talking to anglers. When an event like that takes place, as a photographer, I like to go with an open mind and see what hidden story-line presents itself. Sometimes what I find out makes a good story. Seven or eight years ago, my friend Capt. Rod Walinchus was teaching the Don Ball School of Fishing program at L.A. Ainger Middle School and I’d drop in at every class. Two of his students stood out as quick learners and avid fishermen. Austin Oskey had just moved up from the Keys and Kaelin Olayer was from Hawaii. They were born fishermen. Austin fished in our Kids Cup Tournament one year and finished in the top five. The next year, they came back to be teaching assistants for Rod’s Englewood class. They were a living example of the Ethical Anglers we try to teach our students to be. The names Olayer and Oskey were on the Downtown Tournament leader board last month. I figured they were the same guys, so I watched as the results came in, eyeing the crowd trying to see if I would

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Bobbie Leahey, daughter Aubrey and myself

recognized them. It wasn’t until the winners were announced that they came into view. Austin, Kaelin and their partner Jesse Craddock came forward to collected the first place check. Suddenly, as they stood there, the tournament was not the only story, there was also the story of the tournament donating to our Don Ball School program and that the tournament winners were our Don Ball school’s graduates! It was a perfect circle, so I took their big check picture to be polite and figured I’d write about them in the story. We talked a little; Kaelin and Austin had graduated from Lemon Bay High school. Austin went into the Marines and Kaelin became a professional fishing guide. They had never lost contact. After it was over we exchanged numbers and the story got even better. They asked me to call them next year so they

WINNERS! Jesse , Kaelin and Austin

could be part of our Don Ball kids program once again. I smiled and said ‘sure!’ The following day Downtown Bait and Tackle called to make arrangements for me to come over and pick up our $200 check. It didn’t occur to me that it would be the same ol’ big check, but it was, so I smiled politely and had my picture taken. This time the big checks actually were the story, a perfect story for the Holidays, a story of winning with ethics, in a fishing tournament that gave back to the community. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Michael & Ellen


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DECEMBER 2015

Will Manatees Become Extinct ? On The Line By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff

rocketing. The environmental crises of the day don't seem to have much effect on the manatees future. Rises in carbon dioxide levels will just produce more sea grass growth, global warming will just warm up the water for them and sea level rise will just produce more habitat for them to swim in. It looks like the manatee will have a pretty soft ride at least for the next century or two. So what event or environmental disaster could cause the manatee to go extinct? We are just starting manatee season

It is estimated that there are over 2.5 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes currently on earth. They are finding new ones every day and of course a few each year become extinct. Extinction has developed somewhat of a bad reputation among the environmental crowd. To them it is something to be avoided at all cost; even though extinction is a natural process. Scientist believe that 95-percent of all the species that ever existed have gone extinct. Remember the old survival of the fittest rule; new and improved species come into being and old ones move on to the bone yard of history. That's just the way nature works. What got me thinking about extinction was a report I read about the Saiga antelopes of Kazakstan. This species is classified as Critically EndanThe Saiga antelope and the manatee appear to share the gered by the international orsame nose structure ganization that determines such things. One day last May, the Saiga's when boaters are warned to be on the look

started to drop dead. In two weeks over 150,000 antelope had died, that is about 80-percent of the total world-wide population of Saiga's. The cause of such a mass die off is still not clearly known, but there is strong evidence that indicates a bacteria in the animal’s gut had mutated and started to produce a bacterial toxin that caused the antelopes to die from internal bleeding – a very strange course of natural events. I guess you can say the Saiga produced the poison that killed them. I started to consider the possibility of something like this happening to our beloved Florida manatees. Let's face it, the manatee has had a pretty easy life at least the last 30 years. With the exception of a few red tide and cold snap events, the population is sky

out for migrating manatees moving to warmer waters. A hundred years ago manatees migrated to South Florida, the Everglades and Florida Bay during winter; but now we have both natural and man made warm water discharges that manatees use to winter-over in place. As the population rises, more and more manatees are packed tip to tail in these small areas. Last year a record of over 800 manatees were located in a little two acre spot in the Crystal River. High numbers were also recorded at the power plants. With so many animals packed into such small spaces while under cold-stress, with little food, what could go wrong? Could a manatee type Ebola virus take out thousands of manatees? Could the manatees produce their own bacterial toxin and wipe out their own species? Who knows? It is nature that calls the shots, not man. So will the manatee become extinct? Of course it will, it’s just a matter of time. In a few hundred years or 100,000 years manatees along with every other species, including humans, are heading towards extinction. That's just the way nature works. capt.ronb@juno.net


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Frontal Progression Now the Norm

By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Cold fronts are finally pushing cooler air into southwest Florida. With the temperatures dropping into the mid 50’s at night, our water temperature will also begin to drop. Along with the cold fronts, we will get NE winds that seem to blow nearly all the water off the flats. Not to fear, that does not mean the fishing world has to come to an end. Lucky for us we live in possibly the best place for fishing in the country. Changing how we approach a day on the water will help to deal with Mother Nature’s little tricks she plays on us. On days when the tides are too low to access the local flats, fishing drop offs along the bars can be very productive. I try to focus on troughs in the bar that the tide is flowing through. Also schools of mullet are a great place to locate bar fish. As water temperatures drop, our local creeks will be great places to locate fish. Most of the fish prefer the warmer tropical waters, so the deeper water offers a place to stay warm. The local rivers also offer some of the best winter fishing in southwest Florida. If I had to have a go to for winter fishing, it would be the Peace River. The fact that I was raised on the river increases my comfort level. Learning to fish our local rivers takes time and patience. The key is looking for deep water. Since most of the fish, are

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taking refuge from the cold, they will be in or very close to deeper water. In these areas the water clarity is stained from the freshwater, so when you are out of the channel be very careful, it can be hard to see the bars. One more place that makes the list for locating wintering fish is PGI. The Punta Gorda Isles canals offer miles of manmade habitat that our fish love. Everything is there. You have water depth and structure of the docks. The down side is you are generally fishing in someone’s backyard. There is not a law that says you can’t fish these areas, but try to respect people’s property. Don’t leave hooks hanging from boats and off of docks. When I’m looking for fish in this area, I prefer the old crusty docks. The older a dock, the more time for oysters and barnacles to grow. This is where the little crabs and others forage. Tidal flow is also a very important part of any back bay fishing we do. I’m often asked what tide I prefer, my answer is moving. As long as the tide is moving, generally if you are on the fish, you will get some action. If you would like to experience some of Charlotte Harbor’s best fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our charters are private and customized to fit you and your parties needs. Capt. Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com 941-916-5769

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Do Some Dock Fishing PAGE

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By Capt. Billy Barton Water LIFE Inshore For some local anglers, producing quality fish inshore during our winter months has proven to be a difficult task. With strong northeastern winds – almost on a daily basis – and below average tide levels, where do you go to catch big snook and redfish when there is no water on our grass flats and it feels like hurricane force winds blowing outside the bar? I'm going to let you folks in on one of my fall-backs when I need to produce some good fish and conditions are less

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than desirable. Live shrimp, blue crabs and pinfish are going to be your baits of choice during the next few months. Live shrimp is at the top of that list, in my opinion. Whether it's one of these baits or scaled sardines (whitebait) that you're using, one of the most important pieces of advice I can give you is to slow down the way you are fishing. An important thing to remember is that our big, subtropical, inshore fish are not going to be as likely to want to chase a bait down as the water cools off. Their metabolisms slow down, they don't have to eat as much and they are going to be less likely to chase a meal. I run a heavy 23-foot Ranger bay boat with a twelve inch draft for a living. It may not run in four inches of water, but it's a very comfortable boat to fish out of and it's very accommodating. Still, during our low winter tides, I can't always fish everywhere on the flats that I want to. Maybe you find yourself in the same kind of scenario, in some way? If you do, then take my advice. Get out and do some dock fishing! I could write you a long

list of desirable species of local fish that love to hang around docks, but redfish and snook would be at the very top. Charlotte Harbor is absolutely loaded with dark water canal systems that retain the sun’s heat and draw in big fish like a high powered magnet. When working these canal systems I like to target the water under the boat lifts in particular. Each and every one of those lifts has a hole in the canal bottom from where the boat is lowered into it. A larger boat typically means a larger hole and larger holes usually

DECEMBER 2015

mean larger populations of fish! If you do get into fishing these docks, you're going to figure out real quick that these fish know where to go back to when they get hooked. Fishing line definitely doesn't last long when met with razor sharp barnacles, so


DECEMBER 2015

the main objective is to wrestle these fish out of the structure without them taking you back in and breaking your line. Corners, canal mouths and areas of good water flow tend to be more productive places to fish in general. Dead-end canals, generally, having less water movement, and aren't usually my first choice. Is everyone catching my drift?! I hope this helps some of you on your adventures. Docks definitely help make the winter a more productive time of year than it is already! Good luck out there, guys and gals. If you have any questions or concerns in regards to this article please give me a call

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and let's talk some fishing! Happy holidays!!

Capt. Billy Barton owns and operates Scales-n-Tails Fishing Charters. Phone: 941- 979-6140 http://www.puntagordafishingcharter.com

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Estero Bay: Reds, Snook and Lots of Bait

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By Captain Joe Angius Water LIFE Estero Bay The recent patterns in weather this dryseason for Southwest Florida is a reflection of a natural weather occurrence called El Niño. An El Niño, simply put, is associated with a band of warm ocean water from the central and east-central equatorial Pacific that influence rainfall, severity of weather and storms and it influences increasing air temperatures. In terms of fishing, the El Niño effect can work in favor of catching more fish and keeping good quality bait on our flats for a longer period of time. This year’s El Niño began in May and is projected to increase in severity through the beginning of 2016. Bait does not seem to mind the effects of El Niño and southwest Florida’s coldfronts, as bait remains healthy and happy on our local grass flats. Large pilchards and greenbacks have been found along beach shorelines and on shallow grass flats. While searching for bait along the beach, I found it helpful to look for birds diving or bait “flicker” out of the water. Use the trolling motor to sneak up on the bait that you do see, if it seems as if you’re putting pressure on the bait, anchor your boat and wait for them to swim by. I’ve been most successful chumming up bait in 2’ to 3’ of water, throwing a 10’ 3/8” mesh Baitbuster cast net. The two factors to look for once you reach a flat will be clean water and moving water. Be patient while you chum for bait and if they do not show up, adjust your depth according to which way the tide is going. Redfish have been chewing heavy around oyster bars and mangrove edges. Schools of fish have still been around and sight-casting to single trophy sized fish gets better every day. The incoming tide is best to fish schooling redfish, because as bait and water move onto the flat the redfish become more comfortable and aren’t as “spooky” as they are in shallow water. When it comes to sight casting fish, the outgoing tide is best because all of the

water is moving out of the mangroves leaving the fish nowhere to hide. Live pilchards, cut pinfish, and large live shrimp are best right now. The setup will be 25-pound or 30-pound fluorocarbon leader with a 3/0 Owner hook or 1/8ounce Mission Fishin’ jighead. Large female snook are still around, but have entered their winter time hides around creek mouths and shallow brackish backwaters. With the right tide and water temperature they will take a large pilchard offering. Chumming for these larger snook is vital to the success of getting one to bite your bait. It’s also important to use 40pound to 50-pound fluorocarbon leader with a 4/0 Owner hook. The juvenile male snook are active and all over the mangrove islands. These smaller snook are feeding on small pilchards, greenbacks, shrimp and small pinfish. They will typically range from 18- to 27-inches. The fishing in southwest Florida has been phenomenal and should remain this way until our next cold front appears. Don’t let the El Niño effect impact your next fishing adventure, take advantage of the conditions that it provides to our area. Get outside and experience Florida first hand. The only day that we are promised is today, so don’t let it get past you.

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DECEMBER 2015


Visions of Tarpon Danced in My Head

DECEMBER 2015

By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Inshore Eighty degrees is a magic temperature as we enter December. Normally we can expect a high in the 70s and lows in the 50s or even cooler. But this is not a normal year. November averaged 10 degrees over norms and our waters never cooled into the true fall range. With that said, last month Charlotte Harbor was a showcase of magical fishing, that’s right, magical! Every fishing trip was a new experience with unexpected catches, numbers and excitement. On one backcountry trip

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we crossed the Harbor to encounter tarpon feeding heavily. When looking in the water column it appeared full of plankton or some micro organisms which we guess was food for glass minnows and the start of the food chain. With no large live baits aboard we threw lures and enticed nice cobia! Pretty cool stuff because they were not showing themselves, but the bigger surprise was tripletail swimming around the boat! We pitched white baits to them and made some dinner out of them. That’s right, tripletail - with no structure around! As November weather stayed well into the 80s through the end, a supernatural influx of baitfish flowed into the Harbor. On a flat day you could not count the schools of glass minnows and threadfins. Whitebait was nearly everywhere in the shallows. Magical! Pelagics flowed in from the Gulf in pursuit of the bait. Drift fishing for tarpon met with tarpon, shark and unexpected cobia hook-ups – that is some serious good living! How about a 5-foot kingfish in the middle of the Harbor? That’s right maybe 5 ½ feet! Unfortunately, this monster avoided the gaff and snapped the line at the moment of truth!

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On more than one day we saw surface disturbances where mackerel were attacking glass minnows and tarpon were attacking the mackerel! Redfishing had its moments too. Some great catches, but how about a big nurse shark eating your chunk of ladyfish in two feet of water! On a recent trip we targeted 8 species in one day- snook, redfish, trout, snapper, grouper and flounder. At day’s end we accomplished this feat and we never left the Harbor. Admittedly, catching baby gag and little red groupers is not boasting material, but 4-pound trout and 14-inch mangrove snapper are! It’s cooling off slightly, but these temperatures leading the way into December and this fishing rodeo will continue so I am focusing on kingfish and cobia inside Charlotte Harbor this month. Sounds crazy, but I think they will be here in good numbers. How about a tarpon on Christmas day……wishful thinking, maybe, but as long as the bait is here the fish will stay nearby and only depart temporarily until the water warms

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back up. When the cold truly sets in then expect to moderate your expectations. Catching live bait goes away and dozens of shrimp are needed to catch our winter species – that is, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, trout, pompano, flounder, black drum and small redfish – which are already here in good numbers. That’s certainly a pretty nice alternative to fishing through a hole in the ice! Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040


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AQUATICA

Live Blue Crab Found in Missouri

Submitted Report Missouri Department of Conservation resource scientists found an unexpected guest recently when they pulled a net during fish sampling in the Mississippi River. Southeast Missouri State University graduate student Nick Kramer, working with colleagues Wes Sleeper and Mark Hempel, pulled the net containing a male blue crab, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Part of the exciting aspect of river research is that when you use a type of gear, you never quite know what you'll get when you pull it back out of the water," Kramer said in the release. "While adult crabs typically prefer salt to brackish water along the coast, they can tolerate and live in

fresh water." The find was made at Cape Girardeau. "They typically put in at either Red Star or the Diversion Channel and go out," department media specialist Candice Davis said. The crab's origin and how it came to be in the Mississippi River remain unknown. The only other record of a blue crab this far north on the Mississippi or its tributaries was in 2004, Frank Nelson, Department of Conservation wetlands ecologist, said in the release. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took one off a power-plant intake screen in the Ohio River near Metropolis, Illinois. Nelson said in the release sometimes species can swim hundreds of miles; others are dispersed by water flow.

Charlotte Harbor Fisheries Forum

By Betty Staugler Water LIFE Sea Grant Are you interested in the fisheries of Charlotte Harbor? Are you a recreational angler? A commercial fishermen? A clam farmer? Do you work at a bait and tackle shop? A marina? A fish house? Or maybe you work for some other business that relies on Charlotte Harbor fisheries? If you answered yes to any of these questions then the Charlotte Harbor Fisheries Forum wants to hear from you!

How? – The Fisheries Forum through the University of Florida has developed an online survey which may be accessed here:

DECEMBER 2015

People sometimes inadvertently transport "hitchhikers" on boats and other vehicles or dump aquatic species into lakes and rivers out of convenience, Nelson said. The fish sampling is part of a statewide paddlefish research project, the release said. Researchers are looking for quality, self-sustaining wild populations of paddle-

fish to ensure harvest opportunities for commercial and recreational fishing. The crab will not have any effect on their study.

http://bit.ly/1jjRxoP. What is the Charlotte Harbor Fisheries Forum? – The fisheries forum is comprised of a group of recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, researchers, resource managers, law enforcement officers, tourism officials, and business owners who have been meeting monthly for the past year to discuss issues related to Charlotte Harbor fisheries. The forum aims to: provide a venue for long-term engagement; provide for in-depth consideration of local fisheries issues; improve links between local knowledge and science; and represent localbased perspectives to management agencies. Anyone who is interested in Charlotte Harbor fisheries can participate in the forum. The fisheries forum is a project of the

University of Florida, Florida Sea Grant and Mote Marine Laboratory. These entities organize and facilitate the forum meetings. In addition to the Charlotte Harbor Fisheries Forum, a Sarasota Bay Fisheries Forum has also been meeting in Sarasota over the same time period. Forum participants mentioned above determine the content and direction of the forum meetings. Over the course of a year, Charlotte Harbor forum participants have identified issues, determined which issues were a priority for most fishery users, and then refined these issues into four super issues: water quality, habitat, fish and fishing, and boater behavior. What is the purpose of the online survey? – The online survey was developed as a means to vet the super issues identified

Steven Podhaski caught this largemouth Bass in the Myakka River on November 25. It weighed in at 3lbs 4oz and was 21-inches long. ʻAfter gutting him he had a small Bluecrab inside him. I guess they eat whatever they can catch . He put up a nice fight. I had him cooked and stuffed for Thanksgiving dinner instead of my turkey. It was fabulous!ʼ through the forums with a much larger group of people interested in fish and fishing in the Charlotte Harbor area. Before moving forward with working towards solutions to its super issues it is important that the forum ensure the super issues they identified reflect the views of others who are interested in fisheries of Charlotte Harbor. The survey is also designed to spatially determine where fishery issues may be of greater or greatest concern. As such there are a number of map related questions, the results of which can help to focus solutions geographically. How will the survey results be analyzed? – University of Florida researchers will collect survey responses for several weeks. Individual responses will be kept strictly confi-


DECEMBER 2015

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New Oyster Reefs Subject to Downtown Runoff

Water LIFE Commentary Note to Punta Gorda: Water Runs Downhill. When we went there last month, the grate on the east side of the Judicial Complex, along MLK Jr Road in Punta Gorda, was covered with grass clippings, several old pens, a plastic flip top box and other small debris. Every liquid thing, along with pesticides, road oil, Round Up, grime, gasoline and antifreeze, washes down to this low spot, a half block from Marion Avenue, the cityʼs busiest street. Then the runoff goes through a culvert which pases under the Harborwalk and empties into a muddy cluster of mangroves, which has a dark pond and a ditch flowing away from it. The ditch bends a few times and empties into the Peace River, maybe 150 feet down from the grate. About 100 feet away, on the Riverʼs shallow shoreline, is where the City of Punta Gorda and the Nature Conservancy have put in their pilot site for oyster bar restoration. Public visibility was a motivator for the site selection. We think, if we want these oyster bars to thrive, and we do, then natural filtration of all that man made runoff may not be enough. Maybe we should look around at the health of other oysters in the area. Perhaps some sort runoff filtration for all the street drains that dump into the river is really what we need.

Four different types of test-reefs

Below: Part of our concern is over unknown Peace River runoff that has been turning the tops of some area canal seawalls white. What ever it is, it appears to be killing the upper oysters.

dential and all survey responses will be aggregated and analyzed together. Analysis will be based on a variety of factors including fishery user type (recreational, commercial, etc.), issue of concern, and geographic location. How can I learn about the results? – Initial survey findings will be presented at the Fisheries Forum, December 3rd meeting at Laishley Marina in the Community Room

from 6-8:30pm. Survey responses however will continue to be collected for several more weeks after that. The final findings will be presented at a fisheries forum at a meeting in early 2016. Again these meetings are open to anyone who wishes to participate. How can I learn more about the fisheries forums? – To learn more about the fish-

eries forums, please visit the forum website at:http://fisheriessolutions.org/projects/flplacebased/charlotteharborforum. There you will see summaries from all of the forum meetings to date. Once youʼre caught perhaps youʼll want to join us at a future Charlotte Harbor Fisheries Forum. If you would like to receive forum meeting invites and summaries via email contact Jynessa at jdgianelli@ufl.edu and ask to be

added to the Charlotte Harbor Fisheries Forum email list. Please feel free to contact me for any other forum related questions. Capt. Betty Staugler Florida Sea Grant Agent UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County (941) 764-4346

photos of fish caught last month: Capt. Billy Barton, Scales & Tails Charters


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were caught on the Gulf side of Boca Grande Pass. The best spot to catch sheepshead is at the old dock pilings. Other good places I like to surf fish are: Blind Pass in Englewood, Stump Pass, and Casperson Beach in Venice.

My Fishing Classes

By Bob Fraser Water LIFE Kayaking I chartered four men from Massachusetts that wanted to go kayak fishing last month. One of the guys, I took out last year, and he came back with three different friends this trip. Last year, we launched from 19th Street on Gasparilla Island and fished the backwaters. This year, we launched from behind Uncle Henry’s Marina by the Boca Grande Fishing Pier. Earlier in the week I had to reschedule two fishing trips because of the high winds. Luckily, the two guys I was supposed to take out live in Charlotte County, so rescheduling wasn’t a problem. The winds for last Friday were supposed to be 7-8 mph, so I was happy about that. But when we arrived at the launch site, the wind was blowing more like 12-to 15-mph, not 7-8 mph. This shouldn’t have surprised me because most of the time when I go to

Gasparilla Sound the wind is blowing harder than predicted on the weather channel. The four guys didn’t question whether or not we were still going to launch. They were leaving for home in a couple of days and this was their last chance to go fishing. The water was rough, The waves that day were 1- to 2-feet, and we all came back to the launch site wet. Everyone had their life jackets on that day. Some clients ask if it’s necessary to wear a life jacket when kayaking on calm water, but since the water was obviously rough, these guys didn’t bother to ask. There was only one trout caught that day and it was caught on a Pearl White Chartreuse Gulp bounced off the bottom. The other fish caught were big pinfish, jacks and a lizardfish. We fished with live shrimp and soft plastics. A good alternative for fishing on windy days is surf fishing. I enjoy surf fishing, especially in the fall and winter. This is the time of year when the big female sheepshead migrate to the inshore waters. My friends and I have caught sheepshead

that were 16-18 inches long. These fish can weigh as much as 5-to 8-pounds. I have read some articles that say it’s hard to feel the bite of a sheepshead. This can sometimes happen, but the majority of the time they bite very hard. The best baits for these fish are live shrimp, fiddler crabs and sand fleas. You can collect your own sand fleas by using a metal long-handled screened scooper at the shoreline and digging down into the wet sand. Look for shiny, whitish, hard-shelled critters that want to scurry away. To catch the sheepshead, I recommend a small sharp hook and a slip sinker. Just use enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom. Other species you can catch surf fishing are whiting, pompano, snook, Spanish mackerel, flounder, black drum, trout, and sharks. Whiting is one of my favorites to catch from the beach. That’s because they pull hard for their size, are easy to clean and they make excellent tasty table fare. I have caught all these species of fish from Boca Grande beach. Most of them

I teach two fishing classes in the winter at the Port Charlotte Cultural Center. Each class is three weeks long. We meet twice in a classroom and the third week we meet at Boca Grande Beach for a hands–on lesson in surf fishing. In the classroom, I teach what tackle to use, what bait to use for different fish and different fishing line knots to use, among other things. If you are new to saltwater fishing, join my class at the Cultural Center. I teach a class in January and February. Most of the class members have never fished before or have fished in fresh water up North but have never tried fishing in Florida’s saltwater and are excited to try it. Also, for those who don’t have a boat or kayak, surf fishing is a good option for families with young children where they can learn the basics of fishing and come to enjoy a fun way to pass the time and be rewarded with the catch of the day!

Bob Fraser is a southwest Florida kayak fishing guide – He can be reached for comments or to book a trip at: 941-916-8303 or email him at bobmfraser@gmail.com His website is ww.kayakfishingwithbob.com


DECEMBER 2015

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Fishing the Southern End By Capt. Charlie Phillips Water LIFE / Everglades City What a great month it’s been down here in the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands. We have stayed very warm and that has kept the more typical early cold fronts from pushing thru, which has kept us in somewhat of a summertime pattern for a little longer than normal. As I write this though, we have had our coolest day of the year, so I expect our more traditional winter time transition is taking shape now. But banner catches of big snook, reds and trout along with some November tarpon in the 50- to 75-pound class have kept this Captain happy. The snook fishing has been great as the fish slowly started moving to the back country. Many folks I was speaking with earlier in the month were still finding slot fish on the outer keys and islands of our area while I was producing mine further away from the open Gulf on the bars and cuts of the back. What this shows is how scattered the fish were last month, but now I expect that to start getting a little more predictable as our linesiders head to the creeks and bays that make up our winter time fishery. You can target these guys with artificial baits very effectively right now, and of course live bait will also do the trick. Typically, I am fishing with arties and more times than not that will be either a Bass Assassin jig with a simple little white curly tail soft plastic, a top water walk-the-dog style hard bait, or a popping cork and jig/soft plastic combo. With these three baits I can cover the entire column and target everything that swims in my waters. Redfish will be found around the bars of our big back bays. Use that above popping cork jig combo as a great search bait for these guys. They are up on that bar, rooting around for a shrimp, crab or small fish .... and when you pop that cork it rings the dinner bell for ‘em to come a running. This same bait will also pull trout off the channel or cut that runs around that same bar. Look for the deeper water with good flow and you will find speckled trout down in our waters. Lots of great-eating mangrove snapper are around this month as always. These guys are fun action for everyone and can sure help on a slow day. Live shrimp do a banner job, but you can go thru a bunch fast, so try a tipped jig or bucktail. I like to take shrimp and break them into about 3 or 4 pieces, then tip the jig, give it a cast and slow-bounce it back to the boat. More times than not, it will not make it all the way without something coming along for the ride. Don’t be surprised to also connect with some

sheepshead and pompano as we move into December using this technique. From our family to yours, we wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year. Remember how blessed we are to live in a fisherman’s paradise and make sure to take a break during the Holidays to spend some quality time on the water. I’ll see you out there! Contact Capt. Charlie Phillips at 863517-1829 e-mail: hopefishing@hotmail.com Web: hopefishing.com

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Winner goes to Galveston PAGE

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Bt Peter Welch Water LIFE Sailing Regatta scheduling on the harbor requires cooperation of five clubs. The Punta Gorda Sail Club ceeded their November date to Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club and CHYC brought the Tidewell Hospice Regatta to the Harbor. They delivered a great event for a cause that supports the future of our retirees. This event and venue should get the same broad

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half distance but time to finish took up to 60 minutes for some. No one complained when the third race was cancelled ! The day ended with two perfect results : “Soul Shine” (spinnaker) and “Fancy Free” (non spin). Sunday’s race would have to resolve ties in all three classes. Sunday’s forecast was for rain/gusty winds that would decrease. Before the start the rain stopped and the wind was sufficient and steady. We got a great start in spinnaker class and looked back to a strange site...a good lead on our peers. Round the mark and set spinnaker, slightly in the lead but losing ground. Then the wind quit, every combination of The start with SoulShine, below left, winning and heading to Texas sails and trim produced perspiration, community support as not propulsion. The sun Leukemia Cup events. warming the land was The winning sailor’s going to change wind extra “perk” is a trip to from north to west, but the Hospice Nationals in when and where will the Galveston Tx late April new wind set down? The 2016. race committee moved the The regatta plan was finish line to the nearest for three short races on existing course marker Saturday and one long and waited. In the end race Sunday. Friday’s “Still Crazy” finished first wind forecast did not and broke a tie in spinphotos: Fran Nasher Burstein support that and skippers naker for second in class. were reminded of the finish line protocol Similarly, Euphoria was first Cruising for a race shortened after the start. In the boat and broke a tie to get first in class. first spinnaker start we were over eager “Stela” finished ahead of “Jammin” to seand dove for positions that could not be cure second in non spinnaker. Boats were maintained. I made a last minute cut out docked and crews prepared for the awards to duck transoms and avoid a barging festivities at CHYC. protest. The protest of another boat was disallowed. It was evident that all wanted Soul Shine will be our prime represena good position before the wind subsided. tative for the Galveston Hospice Regatta All three classes finished that race in 54 and the crew of Fancy Free will be the alto 75 minutes. The second race started ternate if SoulShine can’t make it to Texas soon after the first and planned for a simi- in April. A crew of three is required for lar distance. However the wind became the 24-ft Sonar used in that three day very light and the finish was shortened to competition.

DECEMBER 2015

SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Thank You For What You Do!

FWC Officer David Brady responded to reports of a disturbance on a sailboat in St. Andrewʼs Pass in northwest Florida. After Brady made contact with the vessel and asked for identification one of the men entered the cabin of the sailboat, emerged armed with a handgun and began firing at Brady. Brady returned fire and jumped overboard in full gear, surfaced behind the engines of his patrol boat and returned fire again. The two men took control of Bradyʼs patrol boat while he was in the water. Brady then had to escape repeated attempts at being run over by the patrol boat. During the shootout, the officer was hit twice. After the two men left the area in the stolen patrol boat, Brady flagged down a Coast Guard vessel, which took him to an area hospital. He was treated for gunshot wounds and released. He was wearing his bulletproof vest, which stopped one of the shots that struck his side. The other bullet punctured his lifevest and grazed his collarbone. A coordinated law enforcement response resulted in the capture and arrest of the two men approximately two hours after the incident. Brady was honored with the FWCʼs Award of Valor and the Purple Heart.

This is the bow of an ocean racer that went head first, straight into a big wave. Amazingly it is still afloat.

Submarine Replica offers rides at Placida

Fly Tying

The City of Punta Gorda gve the mangroves around the City Park a barbershop style flat-top haircut. We are not sure what the DEP will have to say about this so just donʼt tell them. If there is a fine it will only have to be paid with taxpayer dollars.

Slow Progress on the new seawall and widened walkway at Punta Gordaʼs Gilchrist Park

The FWC officer responded to a call in the WMA in regard to a disturbance at a campsite. Officer Church arrived to find the campsite abandoned and in total disarray. The officer noticed a significant amount of blood around the campsite, and began contacting local hospitals as well as the local Sheriffʼs office to see if anyone had been admitted or transported to the hospital from that location. An injured individual claiming that his injuries were sustained at that location was located at a local hospital. Through the course of his investigation, it was determined that while camping two individuals had a disagreement that ended with the suspect running the victim over with a car.


DECEMBER 2015

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Mote Redfish for Dinner

By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Fishing Last month we paired up with local food-blogger, Nicole Coudal of MyDeliciousBlog.com. Nicole is from Sarasota. She has been working with Mote Marine. Mote is doing something extraordinary. According to Nicole, they are farming redfish for sale at local Tasty redfish from Nicole Coudalʼs MyDeliciousBlog.com fish markets. Woah now!! Fish farming? Mote? A bit controversial, right? Those were my thoughts, but what if you woke up tomorrow and our redfish stock was depleted? A freeze, a chemical spill or other environmental condition's could cause this. Mote has our back. They began in 2001, "Feed the world, restock depleted species and address the domestic catching a mixed bag of jacks, snook, need to develop a viable aquaculture inbonnet head sharks and the dreaded catdustry in the U.S.” that’s their goal, fish, we drifted into one of our favorite straight from a Mote brochure. The proredfish spots and set out baits. gram is headed by Dr. Kevan Main, manChatting and enjoying the beautiful ager of Marine and Freshwater day it happened. Nicole's line gets picked Aquaculture Research. up and her reel is SMOKING her! Is this Mote’s redfish are grown in brackish the tasty wild redfish we've been after? water, much like that in our upper Harbor and creeks. According to Nicole, Mote de- An intense battle ensued on her light tackle reel, then we see that beautiful cided to farm redfish because they are a golden flash as the fish comes boat side. hearty species easily raised and bred in It is a redfish! But when Andrew gets her captivity. Mote is also capable of raising gorgeous fish in the net, it’s over the slot. snook and pomano... imagine that! The only time your disappointed over a Mote’s redfish are separated based on BIG fish is when your trying to bring it their size. Nothing goes to waste. Their filtering systems are vast and once the nu- home for dinner! We got another one. We put that redfish on ice and Nicole trient water leaves the red-drum tanks it’s got in contact with Mote. They had a redrecycled to water sea plant vegtables they fish on stand by, ready for the taste test. are raising such as Sea Wort and Sea Nicole wrote on her blog: Purslane. Even the fish waste is recycled “Once filleted, we noted the farminto fertilizer for their mangrove project. raised fillets were considerably larger. In According to Nicole, Mote's raised redfish terms of color, the wild fish was more are now being sold by a local distributor translucent; the farm-raised was darker, to various fish markets. with a pink hue. Mote's fish are raised on a a high proThe results? The thicker fillets of the tein, low fat, commercial fish diet sold for farm-raised fish were more opaque and a carnivorous marine fish. Wild redfish bit more firm/meaty (kind of like a Pomenjoy a variety of crustacions and live fish pano, which is also delicious); the wild for diet. fish was more translucent and delicate Nicole had the idea to do a taste test (like that of a small Snapper). Both were between a Mote redfish and one caught in bright white, flaky and mild flavored. In the wild and planned to publish her findthe end, we noted a few slight differences, ings on her blog. but there was no mistaking the fact that Nicole and her hubby Brendan joined they were both delicious.” us last month for a day on the water in You can contact Big Bully Outdoors Charsearch of a wild redfish for her taste test. ters for a trip with Mallory’s husband, Capt. Fishing right after the full moon can be Andrew Herzog. Call 941-661-9880 or visit BigBullyOutdoors.com challenging, but after a fun morning

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Offshore Galore

DECEMBER 2015

Fishing is great as long as the weather cooperates

Grouper Austin Childers and a beautiful Cobia

Capt. Joe Miller and Glen Ballinger both fish out of the Venice Inlet and every month they share pictures of what始s been happening. Some of Capt. Joe始s pictures are from late October the rest are all November. It始s been very Good!

Red grouper

True black grouper

Big Spanish mackerel

Big porgy (?)

Gag grouper

Cobia

Fish Galore Offshore reservations: 234-8088


Photo Tournament

DECEMBER 2015

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Judged by Pros: How it Worked Staff Report There were a few raised eyebrows from the beginng about a 40-inch limited measuring board. After all, this was a catchphoto and release tournament so size limits shouldn’t matter, but that was the rule, probably because the official measuring sticks they gave every angler only went to 40-inches. One angler at the back of the room, on the night of the captain’s meeting, stood up to complain. “I’m on a school of snook that are all over 40inches,” he said. “How is this fair?” As it turned out it didn’t matter for that guy or anyone else. There were no 40 inch snook caught and in fact there was only one fish measured in at over 40 inches and that was a redfish. Twentyseven teams, mostly three anglers, some two anglers fished in the event. They went out at first light, from the boat ramp at the Punta Gorda City Park and were all back in by 3 p.m. The tournament is the brainchild of Bobbie Leahey who owns Downtown Bait and Tackle (at the boat ramp) and says she was ‘just tired of hearing complaints about another local tournament.’ Leahey plans to run a series of tournaments, but she’s not in it for the money. “We paid back all of the entry fees,” she

said noting that first place paid $3000. The tournament drew 27 boats. The tournament format was redfish, snook and trout, plus a bonus fish which turned out to be a jack crevalle. The total aggregate inches would determine the winner, but any three fish total would beat a two fish total- that rule was another bone of contention. For the next event we’re doing away with that and the 40 inch limit, Leahey would later say The rules and the judging came from Mike Lott who judges the IFA Redfish Tour’s photo release events. I’ve probably done over 100 of these,” Mike told me. The system is pretty simple, anglers turn in a list of their fish and the measurments and photos for each, then Lott’s crew evaluates the angler’s submissions. Each angler got a tournament measuring stick and a hockey puck with the boat’s entry number on it. The hockey puck had to be in each photo with the fish laying on the measuring stick. Photos had to be submitted by the 3 p.m. deadline. Once the images were in the tourna-

$2 off any haircut!

ment computer’s database the judges did a lot of zooming in and out and checking. It took an hour to verify all the measurements, but there was a great buffet with fine desserts that kept the crowd happy. There were wives and kids running around. It was a family event. There was a keg outside. In the end only three teams caught all four species, and only four teams caught a redfish, snook and a trout. So a total of seven snook were caught, the biggest was 37 3/4-inches. Sixteen redfish, the biggest was 40inches. Fourteen trout, the biggest 24. Twelve jacks, the biggest 32 -inches. The verifications were all pretty much what the anglers wrote down. “I only had to talk to two guys,” Mike said. Kaelin Olayer, Jessie Craddock and Austin Oskey were the first place finishers with a 40-inch (plus) redfish, a 37 3/4 inch

snook, a 22 1/4 inch trout and a 14 inch jack. “We’re going to do this again,” Leahey said.


Don Ball Classes Conclude PAGE

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By Michael Heller Water LIFE Don Ball School It’s joyful and it is sad. Joyful because after eight weeks of two nights a week and two schools a night... the staff was fulfilled but ready to take a break. It was a blessing because so many happy kids and parents came by to say thank you, give us a cards or generally show their appreciation for the work the teachers and staff put in. This was a transitional year for our program. In the past we have been a class for 7th graders. In the future we will be a class for 6th graders. This year we had both! By 7th grade there are more competitive intermural and school sports offered and a one night a week class conflicts with those sports. sixth graders, we have found, are ripe for learning and they have the time. This is a class for the kids. We teach them about local fishing and the local environment. They get rods and reels, tackle bags and an assortment of local tackle: hooks, leader, corks, jigs, topwater and diving plugs, a gold spoon a t shirt, split shots, swivels, and our Don Ball workbook with 60 pages of local specific information, a Harbor chart a fish identification booklet the current fishing regulations and more. Every week they receive something and get the information on how it is best used from their instructor who is a local captain. They get soft plastics and worm hooks and learn how to rig them. They learn knots and they get a clippers and pliers to work with. Hopefully by the end of class they will be thinking like a fish (Think Like A Fish is our ‘motto’) and they will know how to catch one. Great job, young anglers and teachers alike! Kids, I tell them, get out on the water as much as you can. Take a friend and teach them. Keep

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New Rod Night is a big deal at every school. Capt. Billy Barton helps with a knot during class at Punta Gorda

Class Photos are all on the Don Ball School facebook page Top left: Port Charlotte, Above: L.A. Ainger, Below left: Punta Gorda, Right: Murdock

your eyes open. You are tomorrow’s keepers of the environment and you can’t have too much experience to rely on. Do you think this is a worthwhile program? Would you like to help? Go to the Waterlifemagazine.com website. Use your credit card to donate $1 or more. 100-percent of the money goes to the kids. Thank you!


The Fishing Village People DECEMBER 2015

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By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop Boat Shows are a real experience. Last month we spent a week at the Fort Myers Boat show. It is the largest and coolest boat show on the west coast of Florida. It all started last spring when I got together with John Goode, who puts on the boat show and I negotiated for a huge space. Then, last month, armed with two trailers full of stuff, off to the boat show we went. Wednesday was set up day. Eleven of us spent 6 hours setting up tents and displays and if I do say so myself, it was really cool. Our Seminar area in the big top, had chairs and a lure demo tank so when the Captains talked about a lure they could show the people how it worked. Wednesday night we went home with a plan. I should have been worried. I remind you of an old saying, If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. Thursday morning we got to the show a couple hours early to open up and the strangest thing - the outsides of our tents were dry, no water on top of them, but everything inside was soaked! Lure packages were falling off the walls, reel boxes were a water logged mess, there were cork handled rods with water soaked into the cork under the plastic. What??? How was this possible? The ground was soggy, there were puddles of standing water, I just could not think of how everything inside all of the tents got soaking wet. Then we found out the City did not turn off the sprinklers in the park that night. So it rained up, and all over, inside our tents!

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The crew and I set about laying thing out to dry. We sent Greg back to the store with his pick up truck to get more products to replace the stuff which had fallen off the walls in the tents and I set up a water damage sale. We have fishing simulators that pull your line, they are just a lot of fun and a great way to test rods and reels. I keep three units so we have backups. One was fried, the circuit board had gotten wet, and in my back-up simulator we found a wet mouse nest inside. In spite of it all, by 10:30 we had our Fishin’ Village up and running. In the lure demo tanks, Okuma/Savage was showing their new swimming lure. If you see it on the wall it’s just another lure, but in the water WOW it’s the real-fishiest lookingest thing ever. We had kids thinking the lures were real fish, I know I shouldn't have, but I would whistle and call the fish while pulling on the line. The kids were amazed the fish would come to me and I almost had a couple of adults thinking that too! We had lots of people stop by our fishing village for the seminars that were a little hard to hear as my P.A. system quit working after it got wet, but the Captains did an excellent job of teaching in spite of it and the audience listened intently. Sunday morning, heading to the boat show, we were hopeful. The sun was trying to shine and we knew the weather people, who were calling for rain, were going to be wrong. I should have been afraid. Getting there we found a wrecked little fishing village with booths collapsed in from the weight of the rain that had collected in the soft tops of the tents. There were not

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puddles, but ponds of water, ankle deep every where. The wall of the lures got soaked again, so we went to more water-damaged sale pricing. Rain doesn’t hurt lures anyway! In my main reel-tent the top had so much water trapped that, while it did not collapse, there was at least 80 gallons of water in the canvas top and the tent poles had sunk four inches into the soft grass. So three of us pushed up, while someone pulled on the flap to dump the water out, and of course we all got soaked. After an hour we had everything set for our last day. Then someone looked at the weather radar. O.M.G. It was all reds and yellows, heading straight for us. Everything back under the tents! Soon it was coming down so hard were standing at the corners around the tents with fishing rods held up-side down using them to push the rain off the tops of the tents. By then it was funny and, as always, my crew was laughing and making fun of me looking like a wet miserable rodent trying to find someplace dry. All in all, the Fort Myers Boat Show was great, and all the visitors seemed to have had a good time. Boats were sold, we made a little money and I met a lot of great new people. It could have been bad...real bad, but the people with me made it a good memory that I will not forget..... even though there were parts I wish I could. Look for us at the Charlotte County Boat show January 14-17, and the Bonita Springs Boat show February 25-28. I hope it doesn’t rain! Frank@fishinFranks.com 625-3888

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DECEMBER 2015

December – Predictions and Suggestions

Charlotte Harbor

Frank at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888

This is a neat time to get into trolling, especially with the way the winds have been out of the north and northeast, due to El Niño. I think trolling on the lee side of is going to be a big thing this winter. There are plenty of Spanish mackerel around - both up in the Harbor and down along the beaches. What’s weird is they seem to be going onto the flats in Gasparilla and the Pine Island Sound – there is a lot of bait down there and it’s a more broad-spectrum on their feeding. They are not in deep water where I’d normally look for them, people are lucking into them with a shrimp under a cork or trolling.

Redfish photo: Capt. David Stephens

There are so many mackerel along the shoreline that you can troll the same lures in 14-to 18-feet of water and find kings and Spanish together. The spinning tackle guys are getting railed by monster fish out there. The other cool fishing to do right now is also on the beach. There is a nice bunch of flounder that came in. Try casting bucktail shrimp or bouncing anything along the bottom out there in the Gulf. The flounder are very close to shore. They are in the trough between shore and the rise in the sandbar, 20 - maybe 50 feet out. King mackerel, through the first couple weeks of this month, will be big, maybe some of the best King mack fishing we have ever seen. The red and white lures seem to be the thing they are after. Anything from 30-foot divers to the small ones on the top, trolling red and white

Fish With A Guide!

Redfish photo: Capt. Chuck Eichner

lures has been giving results. In Boca Grande Pass and all the way up into the Harbor to Cape Haze and beyond there are kingfish. Still, the vast majority of kings are out in the Gulf but very close to shore. Snook fishing is really doing well right now. We are seeing snook in the canals and out along the flats. Snook are catch and release at this point, but a great fish to catch and release. On the flats try a XWrap Rapalla, or the Yozuri 3-D. When snook season is over, I pinch the barbs down on my treble hooks. I know I am going to release it and the pinched barb makes it easier to get the hooks out of the fish and out of ME! We have good redfish fishing too. December, historically, is the month for small redfish. I am not a big fan of circle hooks, but watching small reds feed in the creeks on the west side, they will bite, chew,

Still Goliath Grouper out there

swallow and poop a jig almost before you set the hook! So a circle hook, a regular or choice shrimp, with a 1/4 ounce bullet weight and maybe a swivel and a plastic bead is a good the plan. That rig makes a nice ‘clack’ sound when you pull the bead into the sinker. Try a 1 or 1/0 circle hook, with a 24-inch leader, and a red or green bead with a swivel. Pompano are on both sides of the Harbor, they are over the bars and out to 4-to 6-feet of water and are doing really well. Sheepshead are going to turn on and they are going to spawn, whether it gets cold or not. It’s their time of the year and we are starting to see some now, but as December comes on they will be hot.

Youʼll catch more fish and youʼll learn something new too! BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

Speak Easy Fishing Charters Captain Joe Angius USCG licensed & Insured Phone: (727)

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speakeasyfishing.com

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DECEMBER 2015

We’ve also got lots of cobia. They are up in the Harbor, but they are best on Alligator Reef. There have also been a few at the US-41 bridge. As far as cobia bait down by the Gulf, anything that looks like an eel is doing good. Up in the Harbor it’s cut-bait on the bottom that is getting cobia – kinda a crazy year for them, mullet or ladyfish, it doesnt seem to matter, either keep it on the bottom or free lined out. The Gulp eel in black or green-andwhite, and the Okuma Savage-gear pre-rigged eel are both selling very well this year. We still have hammerhead sharks off the shore, there have been some 6-footers on Trembly, Novak and Power Pole reefs. Up in the Harbor, there have been a lot of bonnet head sharks and we still have some bulls and lemons. This not-cold but not-hot weather has kept a lot of fish around. We still have nice schools of tarpon and I can honestly say,

BACK ISSUES @

The BIG-4 CRAPPIE Nine mile and Coco Plum canals

Lemon Bay - Placida Jim at Fishermen’s Edge 697-7595

Trout photo: Capt. Chuck Eichner

Fish you can expect in

MACKEREL Close to shore, in the Pass, in the Harbor

this has been the number one year I have seen for small tarpon ... ever! Lots of trout are at the Myakka Cutoff on the east side grass flats and on the open flats at Bull and Turtle Bay. There are plenty of trout right now, the southern ones are undersize, inside on theeast side it’s 50/50 keepers, and Pine Island and Jug Creek have the most keepers. At Tippicanoe and the Cutoff there are more keepers than shorts because not as many people are fishing them there. Crappie has been great in Nine Mile canal and the Coco Plum waterway. We are seeing some in the PC canals too. Minnows are a good thing for crappie bait, but small yellow Beetle-spins are doing it too. Bass are in their pre-spawn. They seem to be feeding on small minnows so a small crank-bait like the original Rapalla 0-6 are good. The Shyster in yellow at 1/4-ounce are doing well too. Small, thin and flashy is what turns them on.

There’s a lot of fishing going on but the biggest thing is the wind. Guys are having a hard time getting offshore when it’s blowing 30. There is still a lot of grouper and snapper, the gags are in close, they

December

WWW.WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM

REDFISH In the creeks and creek mouths

TROUT East side, Gasparilla and Pine Island sound

PAGE 23

Gulf Temps are mid to low 70s

Cooler close in, warmer more offshore

95˚ 90˚

Kingfish photo: Capt. Billy Barton

are catching them in Boca Grande Pass and some of the shallower spots. Swimming plugs are working down to 30-feet. The guys were catching some nice ones down by the Boca Grande golf course, south. They are using live or dead bait on some bottom fishing spots that have been yielding some nice keeper gags. Inshore there are kings around, in and out of the pass. We saw kings busting and skyrocketing, 30 plus inches... some 40 inches and a bunch of guys I know were catching them with swimming plugs like the Rapall a and YoZuris or the Savage Gear by Okuma. That plug looks a lot like the old Toby Miru YoZuri swimming plug that came in 3 sizes but was discontinued. It looks like a sardine or a threadfin, it could be the exact same thing, but with different color. It’s a swimming plug that comes with treble hooks and single shank replacement hooks in the pack. Lot of redfishing is still going on in the back country and snook also. Bait will be tougher every day soon, especially with the wind and the water temperature dropping. You can cover more water with a lure now, or even a swimming plas-

85˚ 80˚

Kingfish from a kayak at Venice Inlet Photo: Glen Ballinger

tic. There are a lot of trout around. Customers say Lemon Bay above the bridge and in the grass down below Sandfly, Mondongo and Pelican Bay is where the trout are pretty good now. There have been bluefish and ladyfish around. There are all kinds of fish to be had. Flounder seems to be everywhere, cut bait and a jig for them. Fish just off the beach or in the passes where there is current flowing. Those are the ambush points where those fish stage up. We have a lot of cobia now. M-13 gave up a lot of cobia last month, before the wind stared blowing. Sheephead and pompano are starting to be seen. There is some triple tail around too. Everything is here that would be here in the winter but you gotta go out and go fishing. Don’t just read about it in the newspaper, you gotta GO FISHING!

72˚ 70˚ 68˚ 50˚ 45˚

FISHING RIGHT NOW:

OMG!


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WATERLIFE@COMCAST.NET

DECEMBER 2015


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