Water LIFE Feb 2011

W a t e r LIFE

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Charlotte Charlotte Harbor Harbor and and Lemon Lemon Bay Bay Keeping Boaters & Fishermen Informed Since 1997

February 2011

What始s in Your Livewell?

FLOUNDER: see Fishing Report

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Page 22

Proposed Manatee Protection is CRAP Page 13

Still Catching Quality Redfish Billy Barton Page 7

Will Grouper Suffer from all the Sanpper Fishing?

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w w w. W Wa at te er rL L II F FE Em ma ag ga az z ii n ne e. c o m FREE online every month!

Golden Conch Regatta Page 19

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F e b r u a r y 2 0 11

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KINGS GATE GOLF COMMUNITY HOME 2/2/2 plus golf cart garage. Built 2006 with 1,415 sq ft. over looking lake/lagoon on the 14th fairway. 55+ community. Furniture negotiable. Great room, dining that could be den/office or 3rd bedroom. Nice kitchen with nook and closet pantry. Check out all the amenities-club house, heated pool, tennis, fitness, full service restaurant. $149,900 call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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ROTONDA WEST GOLF COURSE/LAKE POOL HOME. What a great view of over sized deck and new heated pool 2008, lake with dock to fish from Home built in 1993 with 2,062 sq ft and the lot next door goes with the home price value of 35,000.

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LAKE SUZY BEAUTY ON LAKE PEMBROKE - 3/2/2 heated pool home, 2135 sq ft, built in 1996. This home is a charm, with upgrades galore. Volume ceilings, Italian tile, new tile roof, pool cage, diamond brite & tile, hurricane shutters, inside laundry with lots of storage thru out home and the list goes on, This is a must see, Priced to sell at $299,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

Ellen McCarthy Broker Associate www.portcharlotte-pgi.com ellenmc@portcharlotte-pgi.com www.portcharlotte-pgi.com

ellenmc@portcharlotte-pgi.com

19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948

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GIANT

Mr Heller As a member of Englewood Fishing Club, and part time guide, I read with interest your article last month regarding catching breeder stock Redfish to be used to induce spawn.

Two years ago the club made a trip to Port Manatee to the Redfish Hatchery and to my knowledge this has never been a very successful endeavor.

At the end of October I fished in Hilton Head with a guide Trent Malphrus. I was surprised to find out the daily bag limit is 3 fish per day 15" - 23" slot size. We caught a lot of slot size fish that afternoon releasing most of them. Trent noted that the State of South Carolina has a very successful hatchery program and they release millions of juvenile Reds into the inter-coastal yearly. (Thus the bag limit and slot size.)

I talked to Trent recently and he told me to visit Waddell Mariculture Centers website which is on the State of South Carolinas site. Google Waddell Mariculture, and they have a very interesting summary of their program up there.

Thought it would be an interesting article in a future Water LIFE regarding their success and what Florida needs to do to duplicate it?

Thanks for a great publication Tom Amatucc Editor Notes * Tom, we are on the same page.

I recently asked our Sea Grant Agent, Betty Staugler about hatcherys. Below is the correspondence between us:

To Betty: What law or regulations would prohibit establishing a private redfish hatchery? Could that be done? – MH

To Mike Under FWC rules, redfish is protected as a game fish, illegal to buy and sell. But as an aquaculture species, under the DACS certification and BMP programs, red fish can be cultured. The question may be why? BMPs (they really are rules) applicable would include siting, water management, construction and design of facilities, to transportation, sales and harvest. Go to www.FloridaAquaculture.com and click on AquaFarm Programs. Also one would have to get a broodstock special activity license from FWC to collect wild stocks.

– Betty Editor Notes* There is also a permit from the DEP required to release the fish you raise. Whether that DEP permit would be issued or not is apparently the main question we need to have answered and if the answer is yes, then I have an idea.

Dear Editor: Kudos to the city of Punta Gorda.

Their vision and foresight is amazing. I can only hope that the County Commissioners follow their lead and also have the "Get off My Property Law", enacted.

It isn't often that a citizen can tell

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(9 4 1 ) 7 6 6 -8 1 8 0

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT

Not affiliated with any other publication Vol X No 2 © 2011

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Rose petals were disbursed last month as the ashes of our friend Capt. Angel Torres are scattered on the outgoing tide.

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

Contributing Editors:

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Port Charlotte: Billy Barton Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Commercial Fishing: Kelly Beall Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Real Estate: Dave Hofer Inshore: Fishin’ Frank Offshore: Capt Jim O’Brien Diving: Adam Wilson Kayaks: David Allen Sailing: Bill Dixon Office Dog: Molly Brown

Mike, I’ve been reading Water LIFE since you guys started. Thanks for a great publication every month. But I have one question: Why is the American flag that appears on the front page every month a 48 star flag? Hawaii and Alaska made the union 50 states a long time ago.

Jack Berman via-email Editor Notes* The flag last flew on Dec 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. There were only 48 states then – MH

the law to hit the road and they do.

It certainly would have helped me in the past and I'm sure I speak for many others also.

Harry J Thomas Charlotte Harbor (Editor Notes* Last month a Punta Gorda City Councilman crashed his

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Letters to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net

Re Redfish Hatchery

February

If you want to reach boaters and fishermen...we are IT!

car - hard enough to set off the air bag - and then walked home. When the police came to see if he was DWI he told them to get off his property ...and the police left!

on the COVER

A filter for your baitwell, and it works! Page 6

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Water LIFE i s the o ffi ci al publ i cati o n o f the Charl o t t e Harb o r Reef As s o ci at i o n, the o ri g i nato r o f the Ki ds Cup To urnament and the pro ducer o f the Do n Bal l Scho o l o f Fi s hi ng .

We don’t just count the people we reach, we reach the people that count

We Need a Main Attraction February

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By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor Keeping a good image is important.

This month we are trying out a new color printing process. If it looks great it’s my idea, if it looks like crap it’s the printer’s fault. It’s all about image.

Talk at a recent city meeting in Punta Gorda centered on extending the Harbor Walk from where it passes under the US 41 bridge (photo right) to continue on behind the Best Western Hotel. The walk would be narrow behind the hotel, so someone suggested the new section of walkway could be canter levered out over the water. I think that is a great idea, but whether the DEP will think so is another thing. The DEP generally doesn’t like commercially owned structures built over the water and the Best Western owns the property. Whether the city has considered this or not, is not clear, but hopefully the DEP will be understanding if they get involved. Having a section of the Harbor Walk go out over the water will add to the image of the overall concept.

At the city marina, on the east side of the 41 bridges, another addition to the Harbor Walk opened to the public last month. The new 200 foot long day dock extends into the marina from the west side of the boat ramp. Thanks to the American’s with Disabilities Act, both ends of the new dock have hinged ramps

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that float up and down with the tide. Not only does this make the dock accessible to disabled persons, but it makes the day dock a nice water level side trip for walkers.

Adding other facets to the walk, like cobblestone inlays, shaded benches, canter levered walkways and palm lined promenades helps maintain Punta Gorda’s waterfront connection.

The next obvious step in the Harbor Walk evolution would be to link the Harbor Walk and the US 41 bridges in a second loop by constructing a new walkway under the two spans of the 41 bridge on the Port Charlotte side. People are already walking this unofficial path now, although at times it can be ‘seedy.’ With a clean walkway you could cross the river from Punta Gorda on one span and come back on the other. If the city publicizes the Harbor Walk people will come here to spend the day, walk around and shop.

But there is still one missing piece keeping Punta Gorda from becoming a

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This Piper that wound up ditched in the surf at Venice last month was an attraction until it was hauled away. Punta Gorda would benefit from a more permanant attraction.

destination of its own. The city’s center attraction, its recognizable image is missing. Someone once suggested we build a statue to the Weather Channel guy Jim Cantore and erect it on the downtown corner where he transmitted live from, after Hurricane Charley. That idea didn’t fascinate me, but that corner where he broadcast from is the corner of old Punta Gorda Mall property. It has been a vacant lot since Charley. It is now reportedly teetering on bankruptcy. Something special has to be built there, not just retail space but public space. Other municipalities would kill for the opportunity to redesign their central downtown. We have it, right now

and Charlotte County is already well versed in the art of emanantdomain-taking of private property.

I’d like to see a beautiful tree covered Plaza around an oldFlorida-style stone tower, similar to the Bok Tower in Lake Wales (shown right).

And attached to the bottom of the tower could be a museum commemorating the History of Commercial and Recreational Inshore Fishing. Fishing and

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Baitwell Filter

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S t aff R eport Cam Watts brought his invention to the boat show at Port Charlotte and drew a crowd. It was a filter to keep the overflow in a baitwell from clogging up. If you are fishing with live bait you know that when you throw a net full of bait into the well you also dump in the ‘bycatch’ of cast netting; turtle grass, snot grass, weeds, scales and dead fish all go in the well. Some anglers empty their net on the deck and sort it out before putting the bait in the well. Other’s just empty the net directly into the well and take as much grass and other junk out of the well, but you never get it all before heading off to fish, so the drain gets clogged. It has been a fact of life up to

The filter fits over the baitwell standpipe

now.

Enter Cam Watts, an inventor from Iowa with a home on Boca Grande. “I’ve been working on this for two years,” Cam told us last week, adding “the dimensions are important.”

The device is a perforated clear plastic tube with a locking collar to attach to your livewell standpipe. The tube must be trimmed to length with a hand saw so it comes out 3/4-inch above the top of the standpipe. To demonstrate his invention Cam had a fish tank with a standpipe and a 850 GPH pump set up for pictures at the show.

Once the tank was ‘running’ he added handsfull of turtle grass and then ‘snot grass’. After 10 minutes there was no change in the water. The drain kept draining. We asked Cam how much of the perforated tube could be covered and still allow it to drain the livewell with an 850 GPH pump filling it. It can be 2/3 covered, was what we found.

The device attaches to the standpipe with a flush allen head screw that won’t snag a cast net. A thumb screw is also provided. For livewells where extreme rigidity of the standpipe is required a suction cup mounted base is available. A glue down collar may be on the design board soon. Cam manufacturers these filter tubes at his shop in Iowa and plans to distribute them through local outlets like the Bait Box at Sanibel and Fishin’ Franks in Port Charlotte. The device will sell for under $30.

Fishin Frank has one now if you want to look at it in person. The produce website www.baitwellfilter.com has a video of the filter working.

Bigger Fish Want Warmer Water February

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By Bi l l y Barton Water LIFE Inshore Well guys and girls it's winter time. The fish stories really seem to lose their consistency this time of year. I'm primarily an inshore fisherman that's just what I love to do so that's just what I'm gonna talk about. I'm gonna throw a wild guess out there and say, a lot of you guys are probably out trout fishin, hammerin some ladyfish, and rat -reds or catchin some nice big sheepsheads. Am I right?

Those are typically the fish your gonna catch here in the winter time. As a rule of thumb – I learned this from one of my wise fishin buddies – he says. "The northerners show up and the big fish leave. Then the northerners leave and the big fish show back up!" Kinda not cool for you northerners I know, but there’s still some fun to be had out there right now, no doubt. I promise you, if your confidence is down and you want to catch that big redfish that you've eagarly been waiting for, he is out there. It's only a matter of time and patience.

This was a pretty darn warm January compared to last year and there were some great days out on the water to be had.

Here’s a few important rules I guess you could say that I try to follow in the winter time that help me catch more quality fish.

Fi rst and foremost, I always try and find my windows of oppurtunity between the cold fronts. I love to fish that couple days or so of warmer weather that we get in between the fronts. I always seem to do better during these periods. Here in January we had one week where we didn't see a front at all and during that week the water warmed up nice, and the bite was on!

S econd I would say to you: fish the potholes, the troughs, and any type of suspended water off the grass flats. The bigger fish that I've been finding have all

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been coming out of the troughs and potholes.

Last, but not least, you just need some patience. Fish these fish slower this time of year. They just want an easy meal, they don't feel like runnin it down as much.

Now I'm gonna el aborate a l i ttl e bi t.

Winter time in Southwest Florida really can be a pain sometimes. You find big fish one day and they're feeding like no tomorrow. Then you go back to the same spot the next day and they're not there or they are there and they just aren't hungry.

I'm always looking for the warmest days of the month and the warmest water I can find. I think that's what the fish are looking for too. I don't go out there at the crack of dawn. I wait till the sun’s beating down a bit and then I go. I mean, if you are happy out there catching the sea trout and sheepshead that's great, you'll have no problems at all, they just love the cold water. But as far as your snook and big redfish are concerned, they just wanna be warm.

We have two main rivers that flow into Charlotte Harbor. The Peace River and the Myakka. They both have a dark tanic look all year round. This dark water tends to absorb a lot of the sun’s heat and, in genral, it will be warmer than the rest of the Harbor in the winter. There was a day in January that I got out there

and fished in the Myakka (east of the El Jobean bridge) and the darn water temperature read 74.6 degrees. The rest of the harbor that week was in the mid to upper 60s. You can probably make a guess what kind of a fishin day that ended up to be, a good one!

Another thing your gonna wanna do is to concentrate on deeper flats, and the deeper holes and troughs. The quality fish are down deep. I don't care what the tides doing or what day it is, your better fish are gonna be pulled outa those holes. If the holes are up against the shoreline, and the tide is up on a sunny afternoon that's an added bonus! I've speant many many hours trying to figure out these winter

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fish and I feel like I'm starting to understand them just a little bit, finally! If you are out there throwing artificial, or even fishing with live shrimp it's important that you don't get too anxious. I fish the Berkley Gulp 3" new penny colored shrimp or natural color in Charlotte Harbor with confidence and I fish it on 1/8th or a 1/16th ounce jighead depending on how deep I’m fishing. Deeper water equals a little heavier jighead that's all. If you want to know how to hook em up, come down to Fishin Franks and one of us guys will be happy to show you.

Well I guess that's my two cents for this month. I hope the Fish Gods are treatin’ yall good out there. Don't forget

Always Fishin始 Page 8

with Capt. Bart Marx

By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Inshore Looks like the cold fronts will keep coming this month and keep it difficult to get offshore. Grouper is closed this month to all waters State and Federal. This is not so good for the charter business. This will make it harder for the offshore guys to find anglers willing to pay for trips without fishing for grouper. For those willing

Capt. Bart Marx .... playing the sheepshead like a guitar.

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to go offshore this month there will be plenty of sheepshead on the shallow reefs and ledges. There are several artificial reefs along the coast from Stump Pass to Redfish Pass. Most of these artificial reefs are in less than 50 ft. of water and not to far off the beach. You can look on the FWC web site and find the numbers to use in your GPS. Mangrove snapper will be available on the same structures and are very good table fare. White grunts will be hard to miss, they should be very plentiful wherever you stop to bottom fish. Trigger fish will be where the bottom structure is very hard like They found some redfish in the wet and foggy area canals on this January morning limestone ledges and artificial reefs of concrete. in our local coastal waters, and they are one of the best For any of these species you can use a 20- to 30-lb. eating fish around. In the Keys, a hog fish dinner in a rigs I like to use the 20lb. stuff to harvest the restaurant costs $30 or more. You can catch them for sheepshead, mangrove snapper, and white grunts because free! it is more of a challenge when you hook in to those big Inshore, things have been good too; snapper, flounder, sheepshead and they pull all the way to the boat. little reds, speckled trout and sheepshead have been bitWhen you get where you find the mangrove snapper ing. There are some slot size reds around, but you will try using a knocker rig. You slide an egg sinker on your have to hunt hard to find them. The pictures here are of line and then tie your circle hook on it, that is a great some of the fish we caught recently in the canals and way to catch snapper. Use live or frozen shrimp for all creeks. Tight lines, bent rods, and singing drags make me these species. smile :-) Give me a call to book your next fishing Using the shrimp you could be in for a surprise and adventure today. find that hog fish love shrimp. Yes we do have hog fish Captain Bart Marx runs Alpha & Omega Charters.

Law Just Doesnʼt Make Sense February

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Captains Comment on Grouper and Regulations

By Capt S teve S kevi ngton Water LIFE Offshore I took the following from the FWC’s web-site: "The latest stock assessment indicates that gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished and undergoing overfishing.

NOAA Fisheries Service recently announced an interim rule that will prohibit recreational harvest of gag grouper in Gulf of Mexico federal waters until longterm management measures for gag grouper can be developed.

Effective January 1, 2011, recreational harvest of gag grouper in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico is prohibited.

This interim rule will be in effect for 180 days and could be extended for another 186 days. However, it was the intent of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, when requesting this temporary rule, that there should be a recreational harvest of gag in 2011. If supported by science, this season will be developed by the Council as part of longterm management measures to end overfishing and rebuild the Gulf gag grouper stock.

This closure also prohibits anyone on board a vessel for which a federal commercial or charter/headboat permit for the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish fishery has been issued from harvesting or possessing gag grouper in state waters of the Gulf of Mexico...."

Now before I even start, let me be very clear in saying I am not just another ranting captain that's all upset about his pocket book being messed with.

It is true that I do make my living catching these very fish in question and I have always followed the rules to the letter, in what I can only now describe as blind faith in fishery management. I never had a problem when fishery management raised size limits, or reduced the bag limit. These moves made sense. Even a season closure may make sense, but when you combine the closure with micro management, things really start to get out of hand.

Here’s what I am talking about: We are told to use in-line circle hooks, this is supposed to be better for the fish. In fact it is really the right tool for the job. I like to use 5/0--7/0 size circle hooks when fishing grouper because it does almost always catch ‘em right in the corner of the mouth. But grouper season is now closed! So what are we (captains) to do? Why, we fish for snapper of course.

This is a "no-brainer" right?

What we do is go offshore to our favorite snapper ledge or wreck, and drop down a 2/0 circle hook (the right tool for the job again). The 2/0 will catch a LOT more snapper than the 5/0--7/0 we would use for grouper. Simply put, the 2/0 will

fit in the snapper’s mouth a lot better.

The only problem is, every other fish we catch is a gag grouper! And a lot of the poor guys are hooked in the throat, because of the smaller hook size and the fact that you don’t set the hook with a circle hook. So what ends up happening is we are KILLING more grouper now that grouper season is closed!

To fishery management I ask: Please, show me the "science" you guys are using to make these decisions. And please try to look at the big picture when making your rules, if you are truly trying to help these fish, at least lift the circle hook rule.

We are allowed to use J hooks if we are releasing all our fish. I mean really?

Does that make sense at all....? Do I even need to elaborate? ... If I go out there and want to let all my fish go, that's the ONE time I should be using a circle hook. On the other hand, if my fish are headed for the frying pan,.....then you say I must use the circle hooks?

Never mind that right now every charter boat out there during the grouper closure will be putting a LOT more pressure on the amberjack, snapper, and kingfish.

That’s not to say we don't fish for those guys with or without the closure, but when that's about all you have left to pick from.....they will be beat up. Its just the way our market segment works.

When people go offshore here in the Gulf they are for the most part not catch & release minded. It’s sad to admit, but the average offshore client really does want to fill their freezer. It’s always been that way around here, it’s not like the east coast or the Keys. We don't have the glamor fish they do. They have been in the trophy business for decades, we have been filling Capt Stev e Skfreezers. ev ington owns and operates Paridise Fishing Charters and can be reached to book a charter trip at (941) 575FWC PLEASE READ Editor Notes* We emailed offshore Capt. Dan Cambern who operates Hammerhead Charters out of Placida and asked if he was seeing throathooked grouper with smaller circle hooks.

Hey Mike, I agree, I've been using smaller circle hooks as well as circle hook jigs to target snapper and I'm seeing the same thing.

It's like when they made us start using Arc de-hookers and they didn't do the research to find out that it's almost impossible to de-hook a fish that's been throat hooked with a circle hook without tearing the hell out of the fish.

But what do we know, we’re just a bunch of stupid fishermen!

Cheers, Dan

Can You Still Legally Fish for Reef Species With a J-Hook?

The short answer to the specific question is, “YES /BUT” as long as the fish is not harvested.

However, there is also the serious ethical question of violating the intent of the law to conserve/protect the reef fishery due to the fact that a deep water reef fish is unlikely to survive the “release.”

I would hope that Captain Steve is onboard with that concern.

In regard to the language of the specific rule, if you are fishing (targeting) for reef fish from a vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, you must use a non-

stainless circle hook when fishing with natural baits.

If fishing with a “J” hook for non-reef species and you catch a reef fish, you must release it.

And if stopped by law enforcement and you have “harvested” (caught and reduced to possession) reef fish onboard, you must have the required gear onboard.

Captain Denis Grealish FWC Division of Law Enforcement Jan 24, 2011.

Intent and Letter of the Law – Sometimes a Little Murky Page 10

By Betty S taugl er Water LIFE / Sea Grant

Florida has many rules that apply to the water and its use. The rules are designed for safety, protection of rights, species and habitat protection, water quality protection and a variety of other reasons. Although the rules are sometimes difficult to read due to the legalese style of writing, once digested they typically become quite clear and pretty well cover all of the ‘what ifs’. But, what ifs do still occur from time to time, and when significant enough the what-ifs tend to drive new amendments to clarify existing rules.

Below are three examples of murky ‘what if’ scenarios that were presented to me just last month.

What-if #1 The most

recent came to me from the Punta Gorda Boaters Alliance. The question was in regards to whether or not a person or entity that claimed private ownership of waters and/or submerged lands could restrict a vessel from anchoring.

This is an interesting question because although the majority of submerged bottoms in Florida are sovereign (owned by the state), Boca Grande has many lots that there are hundreds of extend out into the water. little privately held submerged parcels in Lemon Bay and Gasparilla Sound. Rumor has it these submerged lands were sold or given to private individuals back in the 1960s when a political figure from the Englewood area was elected to state government, but I can’t confirm that. You can see where these private parcels are by going to the Charlotte County GIS website: www.ccgis.com and zooming in to an area with the green land parcels showing. The question of whether ownership of the water matters is pretty easy as almost all navigable water is ‘Waters of the State.” “Waters of this state” means any navigable waters of the United States within the territorial limits of this state, and the marginal sea adjacent to this state and the high seas when navigated as a part of a journey or ride to or from the shore of this state, and all the

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inland lakes, rivers, and canals under the jurisdiction of this state (FSS 327.02).

Rule changes in 2005 & 2006 (Florida State Statute 327) strictly forbid local governments from placing restrictions on the anchoring of vessels (other than live-aboards) in waters of the state, except within the marked boundaries of a permitted managed mooring field.

Changes again in 2009 further clarified 327 by removing active cruisers who live on their vessels from the definition of Live a Board. These rule changes were implemented to protect the navigational rights of boaters.

So, while it is doubtful that bottomland ownership changes the prohibition on local regulaIt appears that the bottom of the chanel into oyster creek is privately owned tion of anchoring under state rule, an individual landowner may have rights to prohibit the anchor from attaching to about what Lemon Bay would look like, and the habitat their bottomland, even if they may not be able to prevent function it would lose, i f all of the hundred little outnavigating over it. Then again, if anchoring is a right parcels with little mangrove islands on them were incidental to navigation, and navigation is a protected trimmed. right under the public trust doctrine, and the public trust What-if #3 Another issue to come up last month doctrine survives transfers of submerged lands under navi- relating to rules. It came from the Water LIFE editor gable waters, then the individual or entity claiming private regarding the reef fish gear rules (see story page 9). The ownership would not be able to prohibit anchoring. reef gear rules are designed to reduce discard mortality of released reef fish. The rule implemented in 2009 requires What-if #2 Issues surrounding privately held subanglers to use a circle hook when harvesting reef fish and merged bottoms extend beyond navigation rights. Many have on board a dehooking devices and a venting tool homeowners and condo owners do receive permission from the state to trim mangroves for aesthetic reasons (primar- when fishing for reef fish. So the question came up ily the view), but recently a question came up as to whether or not an angler targeting reef fish for catch and whether or not the owner of a submerged out parcel could release only could use a j-hook. Cut and dry, the answer trim the mangroves on a small mangrove island contained is yes, as long as all reef fish caught are released. The rule within the footprint of the privately held submerged bot- only specifies that a user use circle hooks when harvesttoms. The state has very strict rules regarding mangrove i ng, but in this case the letter of the law is contrary to the trimming in Florida. These rules are designed to protect intent of the law which is based on the knowledge that surthe tree itself and promote the habitat function it serves. vival rates are higher for fish hooked with circle hooks.

However, in this particular case the land owner may be So if every fish caught is discarded as in this case, the letable to legally trim the mangroves (although I’m not sure ter of law is unable to adequately address the intent of the this case is closed). A what-if like that makes you think law.

Nature’s Subtle Signs

February

2 0 11

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Inshore There are many helpful clues to navigation, fish movements and aquatic behavior. A good rule for navigating the shallows of Charlotte Harbor is “see brownrun around.” The tannish brown of a sandbar, high spot or oyster bar should always be watched for and avoided.

Another clue is to watch for slick spots. On low tides this may be the tops of grass that smooth out the water.

On higher tides an isolated slick spot might just be the wake of a manatee which you will certainly want to avoid – go wide around it as the slick spot is the wake left behind by the manatees tail. In a more obvious scenario, particularly for February, watch the birds, because once you are close enough to see their ankles you may be setting yourself up to run aground!

Birds give many visual clues. The experienced angler spends countless hours scanning the water to identify fish species and feeding habits. February is a transition month and depending on weather and water temperature late in the month you will see the first of the Spanish mackerel.

For the mackerel, the best clue to watch for is small white birds in open water dipping the water in the same spot. Often there is no surface disturbance made by the mackerel, but the minnows below being pushed to the top by the mackerel will attract the birds. These same small white birds are to be watched for in late April. The ultimate fighting machine, the silver king will be found by following this same subtle clue. The birds identify the baitfish location and tarpon, sharks and cobia will usually be nearby.

Size and identity of fish can often be determined by observation. Tarpon often greyhound or softly dip and dive on the surface in an up and down fashion.

Sometimes you only see a small section of dorsal fin and the tail fin behind it. When a fish rolls and moves on the surface, the distance between the fins tells you how big the fish is. Same goes with sharks – with bigger

P a g e 11

Donʼt take stingray behavior for granted. Cobia will mingle and follow stingrays as they patrol shallow bars around the harbor.

sharks showing 2 dorsal fins on top – the first, of course, being the main dorsal, with a secondary smaller one showing as well. Smaller sharks in the shallows often reveal just the peak of the main dorsal.

Many anglers confuse small sharks with stingrays – a savvy angler will study the water and if the fish displays 2 fins side-by-side then you realize it is a stingray with its wing-tips rolled upward. It is a common sight as spring approaches. Don’t take stingray behavior for granted however as cobia tend to mingle and follow stingrays as they patrol the shallow bars all over the harbor.

When traveling around the harbor and beach areas it is a good idea this time of year to look back into your wake. If you see silver fish jumping as you move along then you are passing a great fighting fish that eats great -

(CPA) The Constant Pursuit of Adventure

The weather has the biggest influence on your fishing success on any given day and on a recent outing to Lake Okeechobee for largemouth bass, my awareness to respect nature was once again awakened. A carefully

the pompano. Make note of the area and come back in a half an hour after the fish settle down.

Other fish signs for February include mullet and redfish. This time of the year they go together like ham and eggs. The classic full tail with the dot showing is not what I usually see. Tailing redfish often only tip the water’s surface which is easily confused with the mullet.

Redfish will mix with the mullet so fishing near concentrations of mullet often makes sense.

When navigating our shallow waters you will sometimes see fish or baitfish movements as you motor or troll along. When these surface disturbances coincide with your passage into an area the fish are reacting negatively to your presence. A more stealthy approach to fishing will always result in more action.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Back country Charters and can be contacted for charters at 941-505-0003 or

planned trip to fish right on the edge of a harsh cold front made for a 30+ bass day. In the middle of the day an electrical storm was approaching and the bass were chomping. Pushing our luck and hoping the rains ahead would pass around us was our wish.

Five graphite rods in the rod holders gave us a clue as the winds picked up. A buzzing sound developed and as

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Page 12

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Proposed Manatee Regulations are CRAP

February

2 0 11

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More Manatee Protection Looming for Charlotte County

Page 13

On the Line

plants. For years these regulators were warned about encouraging manatees to use the warm

By Capt Ron Bl ago, water discharge at our power plants during the Water LIFE Senior Staff winter. Instead of forcing the manatees to Sometime in February, the Charlotte County move south in their natural migration pattern; Board of County they turned these power Commissioners (BCC) will plants into tourist attracThis is the way they will tions to promote their vote on a plan to volunteer Charlotte County to have a cause. do it to us – State approved Manatee I think that the BCC Broward County already should respectfully decline Protection Plan (MPP).

Personally; I think this would has its manatee plan in the offer to volunteer for a be a big mistake. The recomMPP. After all there is no place. Now look what mendation to join, comes sense of urgency here. The happens to them next. from a group of nine conmanatee is doing fine. cerned citizens who reached It is critical to remember their conclusion after only once you turn over control From The Jan FWC two meetings. I hardly think of your local waters to Website: that is adequate time to gain these regulators you will any expertise on the future of never get it back. I have The FWC also directed staff last the manatee or potential outmonth to move forward with pro- been told that this proposed comes of having a MPP. The MPP does not involve any posed changes to the state manafirst thing to remember is that additional restrictions on tee protection rule for Broward a MPP has nothing to do with boats.

I don't believe that County. Staff will hold at least protecting manatees; basically for a second.

All MPP's one public meeting and collect it's about streamlineing the public comments on the proposed have a provision for a peripermit approval of waterfront odic review; Sarasota changes and bring back a final building projects in the counCo. which already rule for approval at either the ty. I think of it as a has a MPP, had their April or June meeting.

Commercial Redevelopment review last year Acceleration Project (CRAP). which resulted in It really is all CRAP. additional slow zones It's hard for me to believe that the same regfor boater. ulators who, in the past, refused to issue any Remember that slow zones are forevpermits for waterfront development for two er. years; including docks in front of personal resiWhat will happen if the BCC refuses dences, have seen the error of their ways and to go along with the MPP proposal? now want to help us get those same permits.

You can be pretty sure that these reguWhy would these people want do such an about lators will not give up. They are manaface? Answer: Money – and they are running tee protection professionals; this is out of it. It's hard to get money to protect a their career- this is how they make their species who's population has grown from about living- convincing us that only they 1,000 in the 80's to over 5,000 now. The taxcan save the manatee. payer funding for manatee protection has They will keep coming , year after dropped from over $3 million dollars in the year until we stop paying them. If they 90's to under $1 million today. What better way really feel Charlotte County needs a to cover that short fall than to have the local MPP, they have the option to go to the counties volunteer to cover some of your governor and his cabinet and ask that he expenses for doing your job – reviewing peruses his executive authority to order mits.

Charlotte County to produce a MPP. Before the discussion of a MPP even comes After all, this is how the original 13 up these regulators should be forced to answer counties got their MPP's. No one ever the hard questions they have been avoiding for got to vote for it. years. First off : How many manatees will it I think if they did go to the new take before they are no longer in need of your Governor, with his promise to streamspecial and expensive protection. If 5,000 is not line regulations, they would be laughed enough, then what is your number? right out of the room. Please do not Second: What are you going to do about the volunteer to give up the right to convery real threats to manatees- red tide, cold trol your own local waters. Don't weather and warm water discharges at power believe the CRAP.

This bloated dead manatee was fished out of the water and hauled off.

There are two basic and simple facts, #1 Manatees die when they get old. #2 We have so many more manatees now that we must accept more manatee deaths, even if they all die from old age.

In December the FWC tells us the cold weather in Florida accounted for 279 documented cold stress cases. Of these cold-related deaths, 244 occurred in the early part of the year and 35 occurred in December. Cold stress also contributed to the deaths of 21 of the 96 manatees in the "perinatal" or "newborn" category. In addition, it is likely the cold temperatures contributed to many of the 214 deaths in the "undetermined" category and the 68 deaths in the "unrecovered" category.

Page 14

Dead Zones Driving Fish Closer to Shore

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S peci al to Water LIFE From Pete Johnson - Billfish Foundation Currently scientists are concerned about the expansion of hypoxic zones.

That’s the scientific name, but more recreational anglers are becoming aware of them as “dead zones.”

They are areas in the oceans with low or non-existent oxygen levels which, according to a recently released research study by scientists and fish management experts, are increasing in size. This in turn decreases the habitats of billfish and tuna. In scientific circles this phenomena is called "habitat compression."

Hypoxic zones occur naturally in areas of the world’s tropical and equatorial seas because of ongoing weather patterns, oceanographic and biological processes. In the current cycle of climate change and accelerated warming, hypoxic areas are expanding closer to the sea surface, and will likely continue to expand as sea temperatures rise.

“The zone off West Africa,” said Dr. Eric D. Prince, NOAA Fisheries Service research biologist, “encompasses virtually all the equatorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean, is roughly the size of the continental United States and is growing. With the current cycle of climate change and accelerated global warming we expect the size of this zone to increase, further reducing the available habitat.

February

2 0 11

Dr. Phillip Goodyear of The Billfish Foundation suggested that fishery managers should start incorporating oxygen depleted zones into assessing population abundance and making management decisions. As water temperatures increase, the amount of oxygen dissolved in water decreases, squeezing billfish into less available habitat and exposing them to even higher levels of overfishing.

Reduced habitats can lead to higher catch rates of fish not because there are more fish in an area, which is the usual indication, but because the billfish are more densely concentrated near the surface where fishing gear is more likely to catch them.

The findings were published in the Nov. edition of Fisheries Oceanography, where a full discussion of this challenging phenomenon in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans is reviewed.

February

2 0 11

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From the Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

Wi th Capt. Ji m O'Bri en Water LIFE Englewood Hey- y-all I sure hope you took advantage of the good weather we have had in between blows. The fish'n I have been doing has been great.

I'll tell ya, last month I caught more legal size and bigger gag grouper than ever. The bigger ones at 28 to 32 miles.

My friends that fish the back waters have been doing good on the bull reds fish'n in Bull Bay. Mangrove snapper are plentiful out on the near shore reefs, the larger ones 22 to 26 inches are out on the deeper reefs and wrecks. A lot of red grouper are being caught inshore, but most of them are shorties, again the bigger ones are out in 75 to 110 ft. of water.

DON'T FORGET ALL GROUPERS

ARE CLOSED THRU MARCH 31 Don't get caught with any in your fish box. It's a very big fine for each fish and you don't get the fish back to eat. So thats just a no win situation.

Fish for AJ for a couple of months.

Sheephead are doing good at the pilings at Boca Grande and the Boca Grande causeway. The trout are chewing good in Bull Bay and Turtle Bay and at Whidden Creek. Live shrimp under a rattling popping cork, and the D.O.A. shrimp are working well.

Our last charter we had out where you could keep gag grouper, was the last week of Dec.. We had Dr. Don Nelson, Mac Mcdonald, Olie Mc Graw, Tom Maurer and his son Rick Maurer.

What a hoot these guys were. Olie Mc Graw is 92 years old and he told more

This Mop is Impervious to On & Off Cleaner

Getting that yellow Peace River patina off your hull is easy. Some people use toilet bowl cleaner, I like On & Off. The chemistry is available to remove the stain quickly, but the application process has been a chore because On & Off eats up most sponges and applicators.

Some people use rubber gloves and a rag... but not any more. The O-Cedar brand Light & Thirsty mops sold at Publix for around $7 (with the handle) are impervious to On & Off chemicals. Just dump the On & Off liquid in a bucket, soak the mop, wipe away and hose off. I like to use it on a dry boat without prewetting the area.

A twisting motion of the mop helps keep the strands together and makes the job even easier.

Thoroughly rinse the mop after use and rinse out the metal handle or it will rust from the acid in the product. Rinse and wax your boat.

Page 15

The picture of our motley crew from left to right Rick Maurer, his dad Tom Maurer, Mac Mc

Donald, Olie McGraw and Dr. Don Nelson

jokes and sang songs for the gang while they were fish'n and I never heard the same joke or song twice. Nice going Olie you can fish with me anytime!

We went out about 28 to 32 miles and we caught gags as you see in the picture some nice red grouper, jolt head porgies, some nice mangrove snapper and a couple of lane snapper.

Last month, me and Mike, that owns Do All Dockside, and his friends Mike, Scott Thompson, and Doug ...we all fished the 7th Annual John Breuggerman Memorial Grouper Tournament. Connie Breuggerman has been putting this on for the last 7 years and she does a great job. She told every one at the banquet last year they gave 4 scholarships to Lemon Bay High School. I think that’s great. The sponsors she has contributed kayaks, art work, hammocks, and all sorts of stuff to raffle off after the barbecue chicken dinner and all the fixn's.

The fi rst 3 pl aces for t he 3 bi ggest aggregat e grouper i n each pl ace w ent t o: 1st pl ace went to Capt. Glen Ballenger team with 46.5 lbs, they won $1,500.

2nd pl ace went to Capt. Ken

Looeser team with 45 lbs, they won $900.

3rd pl ace went to Capt. Bob Brenton team with 41 lbs, they won $450.

1st pl ace for the si ngl e bi ggest grouper went to Ben Morganson whose 18.75-pound grouper won a sculptured fish trophy.

Congratulations to all the winning teams!

As for us, Team Predator came in 13th place. We lost a couple of big-uns and that’s fish'n. All in all, our gang on the Predator II had a ball and we are looking forward to the 8th Annual John Breuggerman Memorial Grouper Tournament next year. Thanks a lot to Connie for all her hard work in putting these tournaments together.

Well my lips just fell on the floor again and that tells me its time to get out of here. Remember: Get out and snort some of that good cl ean sal t ai r cuz - i t’s good fer ya!

If y ou hav e any questions or if y ou hav e a good ol' fishin’ story or a recipe for cook ing fish that I can share with our readers giv e me a call. To book an offshore charter with us aboard the Predator II call (941) 473-2150

Real Estate News

Page 16

PROVIDED to Water LIFE BY: Dav e Ho fer RE/MAX Harbor Realty (941) 575-3777 dhofer@remax.net www.harborparadise.com

Recent area news i tems:

1. The land swap being engineered between Charlotte County and the Laishley Group is moving closer to reality. Wilderness Resorts from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin has expressed an interest in developing a portion of Murdock Village into a destination water park.

While some details are still in need of ironing out between the County and the developer, the deal appears to be on track. Arranging the financing for the $110 million project appears to be the last major hurdle to realization of this dream.

2. A group of eastern European investors are being wined and dined to solicit their interest in developing an adjacent portion of Murdock Village.

They are hoping to create an upscale open air shopping complex. They will be seeking additional financial assistance from the County as well as other Federal development assistance funding.

3.

Charlotte County is reconsidering its plan to widen Jones Loop road at the Seminole Gulf Railway

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

February

2 0 11

tracks. Commissioners had balked at the $1.8 mil. cost of rail improvements to be incurred by taxpayers.

4. Premier American Bank took title to the Preserve Condominium project through foreclosure. The 36 unit complex at Bal Harbor and Aqui Esta was built in 2007 using the same floor plan as Fountain Court.

Completion and marketing is expected to begin soon.

In other news:

The popular bar and restaurant, Gatorz, filed for bankruptcy this month in an effort to forestall foreclosure on their $1.1 million in debts.

The 2010 census showed that Florida gained 3 million population vs. 2000. Importantly to Florida residents, we will have 2 more congressional representatives in recognition of this growth.

Thanks, in part, to Allegiant Air adding service to Grand Rapids, MI, Louisville, KY and Greensboro, NC, Punta Gorda Airport traffic increased 133% vs. December, 2009. Vision Airlines will start service to Punta Gorda on April 1. The Atlanta based regional carrier will begin with service to Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Savannah and Birmingham.

Di ni ng & Entertai nment

This month, we're featuring The Loft, A great new addition to downtown Punta Gorda's entertainment scene. Wednesdays and Thursday feature jam sessions with some great local jazz and blues musicians. The Loft is located at 502 King St., just down the street from The Icehouse.

S al es S tati sti cs:

In a desperate search for revenue Charlotte County appears to be looking at waterfront property and assessing it for itʼs highest potential usage instead of its current use. If you have property on a mosquito ditch, look out, it may be taxable. Taxes in the Coral Creek, Placida area have in some cases tripled. The mobile home park next to the Gasparilla Marina (behind the buildings above) has been told it can no longer operate its own water plant and must hook up to countyʼs water instead. Then each mobile home would be assessed a hook up fee. The park owners are fighting this although the Countyʼs ultimate and unspoken goal might just be to get rid of the ʻtrailersʼ in this up and coming area.

Lot sales remained anemic last month but appear to be putting in a base in the $5-$7K range for investor lots. Only a handful of water front lots went under contract during the month. Pricing on condos and houses continued to decline at a 15% annual rate.

February

2 0 11

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Page 17

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History Going Away at Placida S t aff R eport Years before Mercury’s Optimax came on the scene it was being tested in Charlotte County, ditto for the current day supercharged Verado. and the inboard 496. When President‘s Bush came to Boca Grande to fish Mercabo was the gathering place for sheriffs, police and Secret Service agents.

The Mercabo site was the place where Mercury Marine tested their products. There were rows upon rows of painted parts submerged in the salty water coming in from Little Gasparilla Sound, a stone’s throw away.

There was a fleet of yellow test boats that kept a crew of local test boat drivers employed and there were mechanics and engineers. bookkeepers and groundskeepers.

On the back side of the property, there was

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a little cove that comes in from the sound. In the glory days of outboarding it was home to bank of outboards that ran day and night and could be controlled remotely by engineers back at the home ABOVE: The Mercabo administration building office in Fond du Lac Wisconsin.

BELOW: The outboard torture test control room Boat manufactures used to send their new models to Mercabo to be rigged with Mercury engines and photographed for the boat makers brochures.

The background in all those brochures was Charlotte County. Then came the manatee regulations and Mercury’s fleet of yellow test boats and their on-the-water testing program moved out. Last month Charlotte RIGHT: The Placida Queen this areaʼs iconic Head Boat, lies at her Placida dock the County turned down a proposal to allow victim of old age and maintenance woes. construction of a luxury hotel on the

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Page 18

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February

2 0 11

Many Faces of the Peace River

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking The Peace River, named Rio de La Paz by the Spanish in the 1600s is very well known to most residents of Charlotte County. Most of us are familiar with the river flowing silently south, past Arcadia, and then into Charlotte Harbor as it passes under the Highway 41 Bridge at Punta Gorda. The Port Charlotte Kayakers have paddled the Peace River and its southern tributaries for years, launching from sites at Lettuce Lake, Riverside, Harbor Heights Park, Liverpool and more.

But sometimes we forget that the more northern sections of the river and tributaries, those we don’t paddle very often, can offer new and interesting adventures.

From the headwaters of the Peace River, located east of Tampa in Polk County north of Bartow, the river runs 106 miles south to the Charlotte Harbor estuary, where it blends with the outflows of the Caloosahatchee and the Myakka Rivers. The Peace River, stained brown by the tannin from rotting wood, is home to an unusually large assortment of plants and animals, one of the largest in Southwest Florida. Live oak draped with Spanish moss, palmettos, cabbage palm, locust and sweet gum line the banks of the northern sections of the river.

Wildflowers add color to the banks most of the year.

Mangroves become more abundant as we approach Charlotte Harbor and eventually dominate the shoreline vegetation.

Expect to see turtles, raccoons, alligators and even an occasional white-tailed deer. Sandhill cranes can be seen in the more open areas and some remain all year around.

Large wading birds abound. All in all some 300 animal species make these river banks their home.

Several years ago, 8 kayakers decided to take paddle the Peace River from Ft. Meade to Port Charlotte over a long weekend. The early part of November seemed ideal, as we were well past the rainy season and the bugs had gone south of the winter. We figured it would take three

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days to cover the 87 miles in three days, camping two nights on the riverbank. What a memorable paddle it was. The days were pleasantly cool, but not chilly.

And having morning coffee along the river bank, with the haze rising off the river and birds gliding over the black water, was unforgettable.

Our overnight stops were at Zolfo Springs and Arcadia; in both areas, we found level river banks a few feet above the water, with easy kayak access. Ideal for setting up a camp site. After paddling for 8-10 hours, a hot meal, and a little conversation by the campfire, getting into my sleeping bag felt great.

As we paddled south toward Gardner, we passed the entrance to Charlie Creek which meanders off to the north east for some miles. Charlie Creek is one of several good locations along the Peace River for amateur paleontologists to screen for fossils. Two other locations nearer to Port Charlotte are Arcadia and Joshua Creek, just north and east of Nocatee.

The geology of this area is one of the more interesting features of the river. The large limestone formations under this part of Florida have undergone a number of cycles from dry land to being completely submerged by the Gulf. This period was during the Miocene to the Pleistocene era (approximately 5 million to 10,000 years ago).

As the river cuts through the limestone layers fossils of both marine and land animals are exposed. For example sharks teeth, rays, whale and dolphin bone structures can often be found, but so can the remains of three-toed horses and mastodon–like animals.

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While we didn’t take time to screen for fossils during this trip, we plan to revisit the local streams soon to see what we can find.

Our last night on the river, we tented on a nice sandy bank just north of Arcadia. The weather was holding favorable and we only had about 27 miles to go, so we had a great time around the campfire. With recent rains in central Florida, we got a slight boost of about 1 knot from the current on the last day, and got to Port Charlotte Beach mid-afternoon.

A great adventure, wonderful scenery, and a chance to spend three days paddling with friends. How can you beat that!

The Port Charlotte Kay ak ers meet each Wednesday ev ening at 5:30 PM at Port Charlotte Beach Park . All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Dav e

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Golden Conch Regatta

By Tom Fl emi ng, PPYC PRO for Water LIFE Sailing Twenty-nine boats participated in this 29th Golden Conch Regatta conducted on Charlotte Harbor, outside Burnt Store Marina. Sunny, 65 degree temperatures with light winds at 0-6 knots prevailed throughout the two day, three race regatta. Five classes hunted for the wind.

They were challenged to use light air tactics and anchors as well to stabilize their position on the race course against incoming tides.

BBQ catered by Whiskey Creek, Port Charlotte. All enjoyed a video of the days race action and still pictures. This included racers sailing, drifting, and anchoring! An Awards presentation was held on Sunday night with 85+ in attendance. This topped off the weekend with beautiful hand-made trophies. They were a wooden triangle pyramid supporting a golden conch shell standing upright: PRICELESS to the winners of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in their Division. Trophies were created by PPYC member, Marc Matthews. First place winners also received a bottle of champagne personalized with a picture of their boat.

Full results and Regatta pictures are at www.ppycbsm.com.

Skipper, Rick La Penotiere, on a Corsair 28R was 50 feet from the finish line when the wind died. He would move forward and then back gaining only inches at a time. Finally when he finished, a loud roar and applause was heard from all the other competitors and Race Committee boat. A little while later, the wind finally picked up. The anchors were picked up. AND, the racer’s spirits picked up as the boats sprinted to the finish in 6 (six) knots of wind!

Both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Golden Conch Regatta were sailed in light winds

Following the Saturday races, sailing stories were shared with 170 sailors/members at a party and Conch RES ULTS 1st Place Winners: Division

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SCUTTLEBUTT

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Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Upon S toppi ng the Indi vi dual s, the officers determined they were fishing with a net in excess of 500 square feet and were also fishing two nets tied together. The rough net measurement was 1,450 square feet of m e s h .

The net had spotted sea trout, red drum and mullet caught up in it. After the fish were removed from the net, the fishermen were escorted to the boat ramp where the fisheries inspection continued.

Then they were arrested.

The fishermen were cited for numerous violations.

The three fishermen combined had 167 prior resource related arrests.

Mari ne Fi s heri es Commi ssi oners directed staff to continue developing management options for permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, including managing these species separately and/or by region and allowing spearing for these species in federal waters if hookand-line fishing is allowed.

The Commission will reconsider these and other permit and pompano issues during the FWC's meeting in April.

Lemo n Bay FWC Investigators were working a detail targeting illegal net fishing, when they observed occupants in a vessel who appeared to be spotlighting for fish. The officers moved closer and continued to watch the vessel, then approached to conduct a fisheries inspection and discovered two individuals removing fish from a large seine net. One of the individuals attempted to quickly disconnect a section of the nets, and claimed that it had just accidentally tangled.

After further inspection, the officers determined there were actually four

Last Month Costa Rica became the first of seven Central America nations to restrict pelagic longline gear within its waters.

nets joined together in three places.

Two individuals were issued citations for failure to transit directly to lawful fishing waters and for having the nets connected. The nets were seized as evidence.

Mari ne Fi s heri es C o m m i s s i o n e rs approved a federal consistency rule that will require commercial harvesters to hold a federal Gulf Individual Fishing Quota vessel account to commercially harvest reef fish species (groupers and tilefish) in Gulf of Mexico state waters, the rule will also remove the 6,000-pound limit for commercial grouper vessel trips in Gulf waters, and clarify which federal permits and licenses are required to harvest Gulf and South Atlantic reef fish.

After Offi cers Obs erv ed a “Fres h Oy s ters ” S i g n displayed in the back of a pickup truck parked on U.S. 41, they made contact with the “salesmen” and discovered quality control problems, as well as recreational limit and license issues.

The officers issued two subjects two citations each for the bag limit and license violations.

Mari ne Fi s heri es C o m m i s s i o n e rs reviewed and discussed various federal fisheries management issues, dis-

cussed the concept of designating certain saltwater fish as game fish, approved its annual marine fisheries work plan and modifications to certain blue crab rules, and proposed changes to when commercial fishing license endorsements can be transferred.

S tart Taki ng Co o l Pi ctures of Your Pets involved in boating and fishing, Water LIFE will publish them and pick the winners from a photo contest that is coming soon.

Nati onal Geographi c is doing a show on the SW Florida goliath grouper count.

(MS P) Mari ne S pati al Pl anni ng Given the current work of the White House’s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, the United States is poised to begin adopting a national MSP framework. Once a framework is in place, successful MSP will require state and federal coordination.

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a comprehensive, ecosystem based process through which compatible human uses are objectively and transparently allocated, both spatially and temporally, to appropriate ocean areas to sustain critical ecological, economic, and cultural services for future generations.

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Fishing Report

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Charlotte Harbor: Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

First of all, grouper is officially closed everywhere.

S heepshead and trout are going to be the primary species this month. Let’s look at trout. So far it’s been a mild winter and the flats have warmed up nicely which produces nicer sized trout and it keeps the fishermen from all being concentrated in one spot like at Alligator Creek when it’s cold.

Along the East Wall and West Wall, drifting in 3- or 4-feet of water over the grass flats will bring the better sized fish.

Fishing a select shrimp (3.5 inches or so) under a poppin cork, or a soft plastic; a Gulp shrimp or a jerk bait (worked very slowly) along the bottom has been what is working.

I’d use a 1/8 or 1/4 oz jig for the deeper water. Rig them weedless when you are fishing the deeper grass.

The topwater bite in early morning has been very good too. Throw a smaller topwater like a Zara puppy or a Mirrolure top-pup. Slow-retrieve, and once the sun gets above the mangroves it’s time to put it away. In the early dawn you could also get a nice redfish or a cobia on the topwater. While you are trout fishing now, it’s a good idea to have a second pole ready, rigged with Hoagie or any type of eel presentation. Cobi a should soon start showing up

Capt Bart Marx found this fat redfish for his client last month. It was live-released.

on the east side of the harbor. It always seems more cobia show on the east side. Have your eyeballs ready and have that rigged rod handy.

Sheepshead are still fairly abundant. It’s been a weird sheepshead year. Sheepshead fishing started hot and heavy and then it quit. Right now we just do not have great numbers or great sizes like we did in late Nov. The good quality fish have been on the oyster bars in Bull Bay and in the Pine Island Sound. There is also a mixture of good

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sheepshead and spadefi sh at the artificial reefs right now.

If the weather stays mild the fish will be staged at the more open water locations rather than confined in the canals. The cooler thermocline in the water column is what sheepshead and spadefish will be looking for. You can look for the sheepshead at the phosphate dock and the Placida trestle.

But the fish have been scattered; heavy one day and then gone the next. Consistently inconsistent.

The whole cold spell in December may have screwed the fish up and kept them a little weird since then.

Redfi sh are changing a little. There are still a lot of rat reds but we should see a little spurt in the size of the fish moving in off the flats and into some of the small creeks like Whidden and Trout Creek. The best bait is still shrimp and when fishing in the little creeks you should be using a circle hook or a circle hook jig head with the appropriate bait because the little reds tend to be voracious feeders and swallow everything all the way to their stomachs. There have been some barely legal redfish moving into the Boca Bayou and around the little docks and creeks there. Those redfish there will easily take cut ladyfish for bait and they are tending to be better quality fish. That will get even better through the month.

Bonnethead sharks and the occasional bl ackti p should get fired up as they start mating this month. You will see a heavier concentration of bonnetheads around the Cape Haze Bar, around the flat just north of Pirate Harbor and in Lemon Bay around Stump Pass, that is where the sharks will be. Their primary diet right now is shrimp so you may catch an oddball trout, a pompano or a whi ti ng while you are fishing for those guys.

Continued on following page

February

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Fishing Report .

w w w. Wa t e r L I FEma ga z i n e .c o m

The The BIG-4 BIG-4

Fish to expect expect in in Fish to

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February February

continued from facing page

Pompano on the main part TROUT In the grass on the LADYFISH You canʼt get SHEEPSHEAD On the flats away from all the ladyfish Placida Trestle and at ElJo have been almost non existent this year. Some guys are saying this is the worst pompano season in 8 or 10 years. to take what’s out there now. In the snapper Same thing for Crappi e, crappie fishing this world there have been plenty of l ane, mangrove season has been very poor, but Bass on the other and yel l ow tai l around here now too. hand has been red hot and on fire.

Further out, at the boxcars, the AJ guys are catching plenty of fish. One guy said he makes a fish chowder out of them and it is excellent because our amberjack don’t have worms like Jim at the ones down by the Keys.

Fishermens Edge, Out of the big bag of fish that we have off-

FISH SLOWLY

REDFISH Rat reds with a few bigger reds starting to show

when i t’s co l d

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I’ve had lots of good reports in the bay, of guys catching trout and redfi sh on shrimp. The reds have been mostly small, but quite a few of the guys have been getting bigger trout in the Bay and down around the outside of the bars along Bull and Turtle Bay. Nice fish are also coming from the edges of Cayo Pelayu in the pot holes and also around the area going into Whidden Creek – on the east side rather than the Boca Grande side.

Down by the passes, at Gasparilla and Boca Grande, guys are getting sheepshead and this past weekend a couple of pompano came in along with the whi ti ng and fl ounder out in the surf.

On the reefs, at Novak and on Helens and Marys, guys are catching flounder up to 18 inches or so, using shrimp on a jig head and pulling it along the bottom. I’ve been selling a lot of gold jigheads and root beer-gold colored. The Mission Fishing jig head with the hook that comes up through the bottom has been popular for flounder.

We’ve had some scattered offshore reports of grouper, Key West grunts, tri ggerfi sh and porgys. A lot of guys are using the lighter tackle

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March 19 Charl otte County Kayaki ng and Wi l dl i fe Festi val Port Charlotte Beach Park Cardboard Boat Races, kids Fishing tournament seminars, food vendors Most activities are free.

Billy Barton (who should be Capt. Billy Barton by the end of the month) gave us pictures of his brother and friends and their winter fishing

April 9 & 16, 2011. About Boati ng S afel y USCG Aux. 2 day program Lemon Bay Park,Englewood, 8:30 AM 12:30 PM. Registration fee is $25 f 941-697-9435 www.coastguardenglewood.com Program will qualify the participant for a Florida Boater Safety Identification Card.

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