Water LIFE Jan 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

January 2011

Capt Bart Marx on Trout Page 16

Gone too soon Capt. Angel Torres

Fishing School Graduation Test Page 19

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The Aerial Perspective:

Growth since Charley Page 12-13

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J a n u a r y 2 0 11

DIRECT 941-235-5648 TOLL FREE 877-218-6552

SHOWS PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP - One owner home, 2/2/2 with pool on large corner lot. All rooms are oversized, all tile floors except of Master bedrm has high quality carpet, 2 double French doors, newer A/C, range, microwave, water heater, garage door,opener and dryer.

New cage and sand finished surface in pool. Priced at market price to sell. $104,000 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

BURNT STORE VILLAGE POOL HOME - Country living with privacy, 3/2/2 with 1,759 sq ft under A/C. Built in 1993. 15x15 kitchen with Island open to family rm. 4 nice walk in closets, pool bath. Master has jetted tub and walk in shower. Tile thru out except for bedrooms. Two large trees in front, Just a little TLC and this could be the home you are looking for. $134,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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LOCATION, LOCATION, Canadian Club Model looks new, only lived in about 5 years, 3/2/2 with 13x32 heated pool built 1999. One owner home, beautiful quality furnishings, owner will leave all for the right price. Ref. and microwave are new, new pool blanket and deck recoated. 3 bay windows, great room all over to dining and kitchen. Tile thru out except bedrooms. $164,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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SHOWS LIKE A MODEL – DEEP CREEK POOL HOME. WHOA!! You have to see to appreciate. 3/2/2. Home features many new items as maple wood cabinets, granite tops, A/C, tile floors, cage, diamond brite w/paver, hurricane garage door w/screen. Living, dining and family room.

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RIVER CLUB HEATED POOL HOME. Overlooking lake/lagoon, 3/2/2 built in 2008, this home is like NEW, 1,834 sq ft, tile roof, hurricane shutters, volume ceilings, maple wood cabintry with granite counter top, plantation shutters and FULLY FURNISHED AT THIS PRICE, This home shows quality thru out. Tile floors except for bedrooms, A BEAUTIFUL HOME IN GATED COMMUNITY. $199,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

CHARMING WATERFRONT POOL HOME - 3/2/2 1,749 sq ft. Just a great private home on Como Waterway and a short ride to the Harbor. Fish from your dock and watch a beautiful sunset. This home features many upgrades as new roof, pool cage, all new wood cabinets with corian tops, new white wood cabinets in both baths, 2nd bedroom has dou. doors to nook area, new tile & wood floors. Don't wait!! $239,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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

ROCK CREEK WATERFRONT POOL HOME - 3/2/2, 1,700 sq ft. Minutes to the Harbor, concrete seawall, dock and davits. Auto cleaner for pool. All new roof, windows, sliding doors, hurricane shutters, tile floors, complete kitchen w/ hardwood cabinets, granite, appliances, screen on cage, paint interior and exterior, 17.5 Seer A/C, and on and on. A must see. $234,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

SHROEDER CUSTOM-BUILT HOME shows like a model. Only lived in a few months, this 3/2/2 1,614 sf home built in 2007 features 17” tile floors (except in bedrooms), split bedroom plan, open great room, white wood cabinets & Corian countertops $159,900 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

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

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J a n u a r y 2 0 11

It is with the deepest sorrow that we report the passing of our good friend

Remembering Angel Torres

By Robert Lugiewicz

My friend, and the friend of so many others, passed away this week. I had both the pleasure and the privilege to fish with Angel many times. I was lucky to experience fishing with him in so many different ways; alone, with friends and family, and a few special times with his son. Each time was different when fishing with Angel. I love fishing for large fish like shark, tarpon and goliath grouper. Angel didn't take me fishing for these fish just to make me happy, he did it because he loved it so much as well.

He was so talented at catching such a variety of fish and was never shy about learning about the ones that he struggled to catch. Angel was always trying to perfect his craft, which was something I admired about him. He never tired of learning and never shied away from it. If it involved fishing, whether catching, guiding or teaching, it made him happy.

I believe he took his short time here like each day was his last. He fished so hard, spending long hours at something he was incredibly passionate about.

His Facebook page is littered with snippets of his fishing trips, occurring at all hours of the day and night, revealing a window into the world he loved so much.

We should all be so lucky to

Please join family and friends by gathering under the US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda on January 9th to honor Capt. Angel Torres in the one place he was most at home, on the water of Charlotte Harbor

achieve what he did in his life.

Angel was, and always will be, one of my closest friends.

The hole that has been left in my heart will never heal, but I am able to take comfort in all the memories I am fortunate enough to have of our time on, and off, the water. I know that you never get over anything, you just get used to it. He was a beloved member of the fishing community and he will be missed by many. It is an understatement to say that the entire family at Fishin' Franks will miss Angel deeply.

If you have a story about Angel and would like to share it with us or to pass on to his family, email us at frank@fishinfranks.com with the subject line "Angel".

Capt. Angel Torres 1975-2010

Water LIFE Magazine inc.

www.waterlifemagazine.com

(941) 766-8180

We will use this opportunity to celebrate Angel's life and all that he touched. Angel was true to his name in life and there is no doubt he will carry it the same in the here-after.

He was a husband, a father, a son, a friend and a teacher.

Angel will forever be a part of our lives.

The exact time will be announced closer to the date as we watch the outgoing tides.

You can call Fishin始 Franks for specific information at 625-3888 or Water LIFE at 766-8180

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

e-mail (preferred) Waterlife@comcast.net

Mail: 217 Bangsberg Rd., Port Charlotte, , FL 33952

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Not affiliated with any other publication

Vol X No 1 漏 2011 www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

on the COVER

Contributing Editors:

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

The watery wonder of the Peace River above Harbour Heights. More aerials on Page 12-13

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Port Charlotte: Billy Barton

Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Commercial Fishing: Kelly Beall Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Real Estate: Dave Hofer Inshore: Fishin始 Frank

Diving: Adam Wilson Kayaks: David Allen Sailing: Bill Dixon Office Dog: Molly Brown

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December 2010

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One Hell of a Fisherman, One Hell of a Friend

By Bi l l y Barton Water LIFE Inshore Well you guys another month has come and gone, and this one sure hasn't been an easy one for some of us. I guess they can't all be easy. Life sure does have a way of throwing us curve balls sometimes. It is such a fragile thing, and every minute of it should be dearly treasured because it could all be gone in an instant. It sure does present us with a lot of questions. Some with easy answers, and some we'll never know the answers to.

I know everyone that's reading this already knows what I'm going to write about this month, it doesn't take a genius to figure that question out. I wish there was something I could write to make the situation better for everyone. I wish there was something I could do, trust me I sure would do it. The only thing that's going to make things better is time. Although there's really nothing too positive about the situation. We are all trying our best to understand and be as positive as we can be.

I met Angel about 8 or 9 years ago at El Jobean snook fishing. This was before he was a captain or had a boat. That sucker would catch more darn snook down there than anybody! Anyways, he came up and introduced himself to me, and asked me what I was throwing.

I was throwing a big red head white body bomber, and he was throwing a green and gold Yozuri Crystal Minnow.

He said "you need to go get some-a-these crystal minnows dude and you'll catch more fish, and fish em slow, these fish are cold, they want an easy meal." I probably would've been a little hard headed and not taken his advice. I mean... what the heck would a Puerto Rican

Captain Angel Torres, doing what he loved

know about snook fishin that a born and raised Florida Cracker wouldn't know!? (no offense to the Puerto Ricans, I promise I'm not getting racial) Let me tell you, from that point on I did listen to his advice. I went down to Fishin Franks, bought me a couple Yozuris, and sure enough! The next night I was standing side by side with that Puerto Rican and I too was catching a whole hell of a lot of snook. Boy am I glad I met Angel. I caught sooooo many fish with that man! Trust me if I had enough time and energy I bet I could write you a book! I had so many good fishin times with him!

It is really hard to put into words the impact that he

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had on so many people. He was so passionate about the water, and he was so passionate about teaching people what he was taught. He was polite, patient, friendly, understanding. His clients became more like friends, they all loved him. He was a very, very hard worker. He had more color than most of the captains not just because of his ethnicity, but because he fished more and he spent more time out there on the water. That son of a gun worked his way all the way to the top. It payed off as far as I say. He may be gone in the flesh, true he may. It's sad to say he didn't have enough time to really appreciate it and it's sad to see him go so young. But at least he made it though, and while getting there he made an impact on a lot of people’s lives. I can say that for a fact, he had a huge impact on me.

For any of y’all who don't know me, I'm just a Florida Cracker with a dream to go fishin’ every day and not work my whole life away. I start Sea School January and I'm very anxious to get the ball rollin’ towards my captain’s license. The only thing I really have going for me is passion and dreams. I love the water and I love to fish. I don't have a lot of money. I don't have an eighty thousand dollar flats boat, or even a boat big enough to run offshore in. I do however have good friends and family who love me, and I've been taught by the best. Oh, and I've been going into Fishin Franks since I was in diapers ... that's gotta count for somethin’! Actually I am very confident that with some hard work the pieces of the puzzle will all fall into place.

I wish Angel was here to help me and see me get there.

I know he's lookin down on me, rootin me on though.

And he lives inside of me. So it doesn't matter where I am, or if I'm on land or in the water I know what to do.

Exactly what he did.

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J a n u a r y 2 0 11

A Strong Weather Impulse J a n u a r y 2 0 11

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor We just got back from Christmas in Denver. When we landed back in Florida I texted my daughter to tell here we were safe and sound and that it was 40 degrees in Orlando (We flew out of Orlando don’t ask!) Anyway, my daughter texted back and said it was 44 in Denver!

Actually it made perfect sense.

The day we left for Denver, on December 19, I checked the prog charts.

Prog charts are aviation weather depictions that show the current and predicted weather progress, especially frontal movements, at 12 hour intervals for the next two days, across the country. Prog charts are my favorite national weather predictor. (Google prog charts and you’ll get there) Before we even left it was clear that a big weather impulse was developing.

A huge front was coming ashore in the northwest, the jet stream would take it south and days of heavy rain were predicted for California.

As our flight into Denver began to let down from cruising altitude we encountered a light but steady chop and it was there from 37,000 feet all the way down to pattern altitude. I remember commenting to my wife on final approach about the bumps being the front edge of some very big weather. That was Sunday

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night.

Monday we were out of my daughter’s house at 9 a.m. and headed south to Santa Fe. It’s a five hour drive, a good three hours of it over the open road along the barren foothills on the east side of the Rocky and Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Just up one pass is the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The wind always blows through there pretty good, but nothing prepared us for the wind that Monday.

A steady 60 mph with gusts to 85 is what they later reported. We saw six semi’s blown over on their side in one 15 mile stretch. The little ripples of wind our plane arrived in had grown a lot stronger. Eight hundred miles away in California the rain was coming down hard and up in the Sierra they were calling for 15 feet of snow (one - five, feet!).

We stayed in Santa Fe one night, had dinner with old friends, walked around the Plaza in the morning and had a chili relleno lunch before we headed back to Denver. The wind on the high desert was still blowing, but only at 35 or 40, then.

Back in Denver, on Wednesday night, the cold upper air over the mountains began to mix with some light moisture from the south and the mountains were

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Strong winds almost toppled this semi. The driver saved it by swerving back and then pulled over to the side of the road. Other Colorado truckers were not as lucky on this day.

white by morning, but in town it was still 57 degrees in the afternoon and sunny.

The storm had dipped south, slowed down and dumped rain as predicted on California for a couple of days. In Denver it had stayed beautiful. I watched the weather. By Saturday the storm started picking up forward speed again. We could see some high thin lenticular clouds over the mountains indicating high wind, but in Denver it stayed calm.

My daughter had great seats for the Broncos game with Texas on Sunday. I had thought about sitting out in the cold for three and a half hours to watch the

Broncos lose, but the weather was still very nice and the Broncos pulled off a come-from-behind win with Tebow throwing several successful long bombs.

I wasn’t cold at all.

Monday morning I don’t know what the sky looked like. We got in the car inside the garage and left for the airport in the dark, at 5:30 a.m. But I do know this: We were airborne at dawn and I could see clouds north of us and off to the northeast. ‘Somebody will be getting some weather’ I told my wife, Ellen, as we sipped coffee watching the rising sun.

The flight home took just 2 hours and 50 minutes. The pilot said, we had an 80

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J a n u a r y 2 0 11

Cold Temperatures Low Tides

The channel out of Pirate Harbor on a particularly low day.

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Inshore Winter’s solstice has led the way into cold temperatures, low tides and three major fish to pursue for the next 2 months. Trout, redfish and sheepshead are comfortable with 40 degree mornings and 70 degree afternoons. Their appetites will grow as each hour of the day progresses as the warming rays of the sun heat the shallow waters of Charlotte Harbor. No need for an early start as the best fishing will be from noon until sundown.

The food source has completely changed as it seasonally does and shrimp become the focus of most fish. Small baitfish and crabs are still part of the diet but colder waters bring larger shrimp into the harbor and fishing is going to be easy.

On the warmer afternoons deeper grassbeds will be thick with trout from 12”-18”.

There will be concentrations of fish at random and drift fishing is the way to

locate them. A popping cork with a shrimp suspended below is a guarantee to action. On super cold days with winter blow outs fish deep holes, marina basins and canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Trout will suspend a foot off the bottom and a jig tipped with a shrimp and jigged lightly over the bottom will cover lots of water and uncover schools of fish.

You can literally catch a fish on every cast on the coldest of days once a school is located.

The bottom dwelling sheepshead are piled up in Punta Gorda Isles canals right now. Rip-rapped lined seawalls are magnets as well as the adjacent dock pilings.

Two methods to success are a jig tipped with shrimp and a basic bottom rig with small #8 hook and ½ oz. bottom sinker.

Do not use snap swivels or extra hardware only a mono leader as sheepies are finicky eaters. Cast your rig against the rocks or pilings and let set for a minute. If the

fish are there you will know immediately.

Of the big three winter fish, no other fish is more challenging to pursue then the redfish. A seasonal change in the size of the fish will find small redfish in the 10”-16” range the most predominant catch. Once again a jighead tipped with shrimp is the closest thing to a guarantee you will get. Vary the color of jighead because some days color matters. This really applies to trout as well as redfish.

Redfish will primarily be pursued on the flats and around the deeper mangrove islands on the higher tide phases. Often you will find schools of 20 or more small fish and they will bite on every cast!

Lots of fun on light tackle. There will be an occasional large red caught here and there and rarely will they mix with the little guys. Covering lots of water is the only way to luck into the larger reds. On major low tides with a negative tidal reading some anglers will discover a school of

larger reds holed up in a deeper depression literally trapped until the tide rises. Only the kayakers and super skinny flats boats can get to these fish.

The real kick in the pants to winter fishing is the “bonus fish” you will surely catch. Black drum, pompano, ladyfish, puffer fish, lizard fish, flounder, jack crevalle, mangrove snapper and small snook will pounce on live shrimp. These fish will largely ignore artificial lures but become reckless with their favorite shrimp recipe tied to the end of your line.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters. For charters call 941-505-0003 or visit his website at www.backcountry-charters.com

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

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L a n g m u i r Circulation and Other J a n u a r y 2 0 11

By Betty S taugl er

Water LIFE / Sea Grant

Winter time is a great time to experience Langmuir Circulation.

You’ve probably seen it a hundred times. I notice it most when driving across the 41 bridge. And recently, I've seen it quite often. What is it? It’s those foamy streaks of scum that align themselves in rows on the water surface.

L a n g m u i r Circulation was discovered back in 1938 by scientist Irving Langmuir.

What Langmuir discovered was that as wind blows across the surface of the water, convection cells begin to take shape as the shearing forces of the wind push the surface water. The surface water is pushed in a perpendicular fashion to create a circulation pattern below the water. These cells begin to rotate as “tubes” of water for the length of the bay waters just below the surface and pointed in the direction of the wind. The tubes rotate in opposite directions to the concurrent tube next to it. Because two a dj o i n i n g cells or tubes are rotating in opposite di r ect i o n s , what we see is the accumulation of bubbles, foam, and debris on the waters surf a c e .

Langm ui r

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Circulation can be observed on any body of

In 1946 Vincent J. Schaeffer and Irving Langmuir performed the first cloud-seeding experiment.

water including oceans, seas, lakes, estuaries, and rivers. This phenomenon can form very quickly and last from several minutes to several hours.

The month of December for an Extension Agent is reporting month. This is when we go into hibernation to recount everything we did over the last year and what impact we had. We write reports for the University of Florida, which in turn generates reports for USDA. We write reports for Sea Grant which in turn generates reports for NOAA. Both UF and Sea Grant reports get re-worked to generate

reports for the County. And, the reporting list goes on and on. Being semi-glued to the computer makes getting out in the field really spectacular. And yes, I did get out some.

One such field opportunity was participating in the Southwest Florida Envirothon Academic Challenge. This is a fun event that I have been involved in for the last six years. Envirothon is a high school science competition where teams from across the region compete in aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils and a current topic that changes annually. I run the aquatics test section at this event, which I think is a pretty challenging section. For instance, teams need to know not only how to identify a stream insect, but they must also know what water quality it is indicative of (a midge is an indicator of poor water quality). Eighteen teams from Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Henry & Glades counties participated this year.

Congratulations to Charlotte High School’s Fruit Loops team, who placed 3rd overall. This team is eligible to represent the county at the state Envirothon competition in the spring.

Three other teams from Charlotte County (1 from Charlotte High and 2 from Edison Collegiate High) participated in the event.

Each of them ranked the highest scoring team in one of the five test sections!

Kudos to the teams and their teachers.

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On another field day I made it out to sample fish with FWC. Those of you who are weather buffs may recall December 14 was one of the coldest days of the year.

With frost on the ground, winds out of the north and a small craft advisory in effect most boaters would opt to stay home, but the folks at FWC pretty much sample every day, somewhere. They cover a large area, so on the nasty days they find protected waters to run their trips in. We did our trip in the Myakka River where we pulled five seines and four trawls. Initially I thought I’d like the trawls much better.

After all you don’t have to get in the water to do those. But you do have to be in deeper water which means in the wind where it’s really cold. The seines turned out to be opportunities to warm up since you are busy moving, despite standing in water less than 50 degrees.

What was particularly cool about this trip was all of the little red drum we seined up…tiny ones 1-2 inches in length.

Another FWC boat sampling the east side of the harbor also commented on the number of little red drum seined up over there.

FWC counts and measures fish before releasing them to assess the population status and trends.

They have been sampling in Charlotte Harbor for over 20 years.

Betty Staugler is the Florida Sea Grant

Real Estate News

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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. Despite the lack of a viable business plan and the protests of 22 testifiers at last month's city council meeting (and hundreds of petition signers), North Port proceeded to approve and closed on the purchase of the Warm Mineral Springs resort.

Taxpayers of North Port and Sarasota County jointly funded the $5.5 million purchase.

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2. North Port will waive some $75K in fees to encourage developer, Creative Choice of Palm Beach Gardens to build a 92 unit senior housing project off Pan American Boulevard. The project will target low income residents to be housed in 2-3 story buildings on 6.5 acres of land.

3. Sarasota County taxpayers will continue to subsidize private industry. PGT Industries is the latest beneficiary of the commissioners' largesse. They will receive a gift of $650K to help pay for relocating its Arizona facility to Florida.

In other news: Bank of America has reconvened its foreclosure proceedings on delinquent mortgages.

No signs that they have made any progress in solving this mess. The Sunloft Center on Marion has attracted 5 new tenants, including: Two accounting firms, Table 209 restaurant (relocating from 209 Olympia)and Spago Day Spa. A New Orleans style restaurant will replace Table 209 on Olympia. Punta Gorda Airport traffic increased 10% vs. November, 2009.

The Warm Mineral Springs in Northport will be purchased by the city.

Sales Statistics:

Lot prices have stabilized on virtually no volume. Only 44 lots went pending last month down from 94 last November. The majority of home sales in the North Port-Port Charlotte market are hovering around $80K.

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

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J a n u a r y 2 0 11

P a g e 11

Top 10 Local Stories From Last Year

On the Line

By Capt Ron Bl ago, Water LIFE S enior Staff At the end of the year I like to make a list of some of the news items that had an effect on boating and fishing in our area.

Some items got a lot of press and some were hardly mentioned in the main stream media.

No. 10 This is a repeat of the last three years. No red tide or hurricanes last year. It amazes me how fast the environmental hysteria disappears when predictions of doom don't occur; but I'm sure that when red tide and hurricanes return, these experts will be the first ones to say we told you so.

No. 9 Global warming seems to be behind schedule due to the two years of record cold winters here in Florida. If climategate has taught us anything ; it is that science may search for truth but some scientist and bureaucrats can be just as crooked as an Enron accountant.

No. 8 Public Utilities have spent $3.2 million last year to heat water to keep manatees warm in the winter. FPL has installed $4.7 million worth of heating equipment at the their Cape Canaveral location to turn this location into a winter refuge for manatees.

They spend $500 per hour to heat the water. This is required by their permit to build a new plant. The cost is passed on to

their customers. My question is what did the manatees do before the power plants were there.

No. 7 There were record manatee deaths in 2010; over 723. There was also a record number of manatees found in this year’s aerial survey with over 5,000 observed. The important thing to remember is that 88% of all the manatee deaths were not human related.

Nature controls the manatee population not man. If the cold doesn't kill them the red tide will.

No. 6 Snook season has been closed since last winter because of high freeze kills in our area. It looks like the earliest it could open is Aug. 2011.

I have to wonder what good is all the micro-managing of slot limits, bag limits and closed seasons if the snook wind up dead anyway due to the cold.

No. 5 Grouper is closed in Federal waters starting Jan. 1, 2011. It is closed in State waters from Feb 1 through March 31. Amberjack bag limit is down to 1. That pretty much kills tourist season. I wonder if the reason the number of fishing licenses sold in Florida keeps falling has any relationship to the number of fishing regulations that keep rising? Probably just a coincidence.

No. 4 It was a bad year for the marine industry. The National Marine Manufacturers

Now that Governor-elect Rick Scott got his own job there are only 699,999 more jobs needed to full-fill his promise. Cartoon by Harry Thomas

Association says that new boat sales are down 60% over the last two years. The number of boat registrations in Florida has dropped for the fourth year in a row. Even Charlotte Co. registrations are down 5% over last year. Gov-elect Scott's transition team, in a recent report, said that 55,000 marine industry jobs have been lost since the recession. “Florida no longer is the yachting capital of the world.”

No. 3 For the second year in a row the Save the Manatee Trust Fund has spent more money than they have received.

In 2010 they took in $3,909,653.00. The source of this money comes from boat registration fees-65% and save the manatee license plates34%. Both of these have been going down in recent years. A lot of people don't know that you make a mandatory donation to the Trust every time

you register your boat. If you do the math that comes out to $4.00 per boat. Talk about having to pay for the rope they hang you with. I wouldn't mind the fee so much if I hadn't read a news article that said that two employees of the Florida Marine Research Institute were suspected of misappropriating, with the help of outside contractors, $375,000 from the trust. Mote Marine received $325,000 from the trust last year as an outside contractor. By the way the manatee protection clubs and environmental groups along with personal donations make up less then 1% of the money in the Trust. I guess they have better uses for their money.

No. 2 The economy is still in free fall.

Unemployment in Florida is the 4th highest in the nation at 12%; that's 1.1 million people out of work. Charlotte Co. is even worse with a rate of 13%.

Foreclosures are still high and new construction has all but stopped. At the height of the building boom in 2006-2007, Charlotte Co issued 906 new home permits. In 2010 they issued only 160.

No. 1 At least there was some good new in 2010.

Stump Pass finally is being dredged. It was a year behind schedule due to permitting problems; and the will cost about $1 million more than it should because of permitting delays, but at least it’s getting

Aerial Observations

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Page 12

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor This is far from a scientific report. It is just an observation on my part. I’ve been flying for 40 years and taking aerial photographs for about as long. I’ve been photographing Charlotte Harbor since 1997 more than enough ‘before’ time to contrast with the after from hurricane Charley.

In my opinion the hardest hit area was the West Wall from Cape Haze up toward the radio towers. The east side from around Pirate Harbor up to Punta Gorda took the second worst hit.

Damage was severe to the red mangrove trees in both areas. Red mangroves are the trees that grow closest to the water. As I understood the problem; without the red

West Wall

1999

The path of Hurricane Charley

Peace River

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

Charlotte Harbor in 2010

mangrove’s roots the soil on the shoreline would be eroded quickly by the relentless tides.

In the six years that have passed I have seen a steady increase of the greening below me as I fly. A lot of this is new mangrove growth. Some is what I would call ground cover, but all of it seems to be tieing the soil together. There are some areas where the silty brown mud ribbons the shoreline for 15 or 20 feet from the shore, in these places the soil is eroding somewhat, but for the most part there is no major change to the topography that I can see.

2005 The area along the West Wall north of Cape Haze

has a wide stripe of new growth running north and south. This is the area where the Sea Grant mangrove restoration project dispersed 10,000 mangrove ‘propagules’ or pods. Just how much the disbursal helped mother natures own efforts is still being ascertained, but another disbursal is scheduled for later this year. (To volunteer your time on and in the water to help with this project contact Betty Staugler at 941.764.4346 To the north end of the West Wall where a blow through threatened to connect the Harbor with the canals of Rotunda the erosion seems to be holding and some new ground cover has appeared here as well.

Punta Gorda and the islands of the east side seem to be coming along nicely as well.

2010

The first time I saw the Harbor, I fell in love.

This was such a lush shoreline, like nothing I had seen before. In many places the mangroves overhung the shore by 25 or 20 feet.

On the water it presented an endless opportunity for fishing. From the air, after Charley, it made me sick, but today the bigger dead trees have falling over and new growth is happening. I will always miss the way it once was.

Those are not cloud reflections those are ripples of shallow sand in the river. Boating through here on this day would have been impossible...except, maybe, for a really fast airboat. I made this flight up river after a period of rainy days so everything was green and lush. The palms looked especially nice.

The new 6-billion-gallon off-stream reservoir at the Charlotte County Peace River Water Plant was commissioned in 2010 after months of round-the-clock dirt hauling. The above ground reservoir is calculated to be 95-percent reliable for providing water to meet demand until 2012. This was the first time Iʼve seen this impressive man-made drinkingwater-filled lake and it even had a boat on it!

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

2000

Alligator Creek

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Page 13

2010

2005

The major water flow through Alligator Creek is clear in all the photos above. The yellow box in the most current photo (right) is a floating containment barrier erected during the recent dredging to straighten out the channel. The boat is approaching along the old channel.

Mangroves that ring the development of Punta Gorda Isles seem to be thriving.

One theory is that fertilizer run off from the near by homes might be of influence.

2010

Punta Gorda

East Side

2010

2000

2005

2006

2001

The entrance to the old Barge Canal at Punta Gorda makes a good reference point for measuring the new growth over time.

Barge Canal 2005

2010

Looking at the East Side from the air it seems like the islands closest to the open water took the biggest hit from the wind.

The further inland towards Burnt Store Road that you look the more preserved the vegetation.

Unlike the West Wall where the devestation is flatter and more total, here on the East Side there were still small patches of green on most of the islands.

The East Side is still nowhere close to the thick mangrove maze it once was, but it始s not as bad as it was in 2005 either. The bottom seems to have the same muddy aura around some of the islands but it is settled not suspended.

aerial photos ASA1000.com Michael Heller

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After an early December cold front moved through we felt like the fish might be hungry and ready to bite, but it was cold and blowing hard and the chill was slicing right through us. So we picked up and tried hidding in the mangroves in upper Charlotte Harbor, in a spot that you can hold up, in a pinch, to get out of the wind and catch some fish.

But after knotting up our favorite lures we found our selves in some of the best redfishing in Charlotte Harbor that we have ever been flipping lures into.

The reds where just slamming what seemed like evey cast. The fishing was on fire. And the best part was, that there was nobody else fishing due to the wind and the cold. It was great. Not only were reds going hard they were very large, 30inches plus on average. The redfishing by far was great, however we also did good with some real nice trout which had a decent bite going on as well. We also managed to pull a couple lady fish out and as crazy as it seemed, we also were able to crank up a flounder and a small sheepshead.

To my surprise the snook turned on a bit around late afternoon and we managed to snatch out five snook 12- to 33-inches and release them. Not bad, considering we didn't even think we would even get one with the water temp. At 59° All-n-all we lipped and released

Derrick Knapp and some of the dayʼs catch

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Page 15

Kids Understanding the Environment through Fishing

Punta Gorda

The graduates loved the pizza donated by Luigiʼs Restaurant

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor The last night of class the kids got their graduation t-shirts and we brought in Pizza for the graduation party. This is the second year Luigi’s Pizza in Port Charlotte has donated all the pizzas. Half of them pepperoni and half of them cheese - 48 pizzas in all! I can’t say thanks enough to David and Ed at Luigi’s for their generous contribution to the Don Ball School program.

This year we had the kids sign a t-shirt for Luigis, as a way of saying thanks. All the kids wrote something about the pizza on the shirt. Next time you are at Luigis check it out, it came out pretty cool.

On the last night of class the students got to re- take the same test we gave them on the first night of class, the same 10 questions. The test was University of Florida, Sea Grant Agent Betty Staugler’s idea, and it was brilliant. We needed to know if our classes were really educational, and now we know. The kids hated it both times but they were good sports and the results were both important and impressive. Test scores went (on average) from 63 to 90 percent. Based on 95 children who took both tests, we now can say the kids are in fact learning. You will soon be able to take the test yourself on the internet on the Water LIFE school’s website.

In the mean time, we are already thinking ahead to the coming year, and trying to figure out how we can introduce more kids to Charlotte Harbor fishing and to the FWC’s concept of The

LA A inger

Murdock

Creek Heron

rlotte Port Cha

Don Ball School Re: Capt Andy Medina I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to teach the fishing class on Wednesday nights at Murdock Middle School, my daughter Amber Schwartz was one of the kids that attended and I came with her and I learned a lot too. I'm glad there are people like you who take their time and still care to help others. Every time we catch a fish we will think of you.

Thanks, Cindi Schwartz

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Heller, I was only 10 years old when I entered into my first Kids Red Fish Tournament. I will never forget it because I learned more about red fish, boating and the water than I did in my life! Being a part of your tournament is the reason why I have decided to continue my education when I graduate high school in marine biology. Being a part of history with Sea Grant's Betty Staugler, the Mote Marine Laboratory and you and Mrs. Heller with the Mote tag and release program every year for the past 4 years has been an honor and a privilege. Even though I will miss the red fish tournament and being involved in all of the great things that happened during the tournament, I am appreciative for all of the hard work everyone put into it, including Captain Ralph Allen and Mrs. Allen and all of the Mote Laboratory biologists and volunteers.

Thank for for everything you have done to help make all of the kids happy and for raising money for the Don Ball School of Fishing so that kids that don't know how to fish are taught. Now I fish offshore and I am more aware of fish species and how to protect them. If it weren't for the Kid's Red Cup, I don't think I would have loved fishing and marine life as much as I do! Thank you very much for everything. I will miss everyone and hope to see you one day real soon!

Your friend, Chance Galloway Ed Notes* Weʼll miss you, Chance, and all the kids. Ellen & Michael

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Something to be Said for

Page 16

By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Inshore Happy New Year everyone out there in the fishing world. January in Greater Charlotte Harbor - where to start? - my guess would be speckled trout. They have been on the catch and release program and now are fair game. There are several differant ways to harvest these toothy critters.

Your choice of action will help decide how you catch trout. You can use most any top water plug that makes lots of

noise when you retrieve it. The Zara Spook is an old reliable top water plug, or a Jonny Rattler or a Dalton Special, just to name a few. Casti ng and Retri evi ng - you should try and cast where you can cross over the edges of the sand and grass spots where the trout lie and wait to ambush an unsuspecting dinner. This works in the grass beds in Bull and Turtle Bay, on the east side near Pirate Harbor, on the west wall flats or in Pine Island Sound. There are other ways to get

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these spotted sea trout to feed, like the popping cork method.

Pick up your basic popping cork, rig it with a small jig head and a live shrimp.

They named the cork popping because you need to pop it to attract the trout to the shrimp hanging below. You can make this an artificial rig by using a gulp shrimp or a similar scented bait, or a soft plastic curley tail will work also.

They also make those fancy bobbers that have a wire that runs through it with metal and plastic beads on them. They will produce fish with shrimp or artificials.

There are some old timers that have wooden popping corks and they rig them with a soft plastic curley tail. With this type of rig you can cover lots of water in search of trout. If you miss a hit, reel in and cast back were you missed the fish and you may still find it. Tell your buddy to cast there too and you may both get hooked up. Suspending baits like the Catch 2000 are good too; they work in the deeper grass flats around Gasparilla Sound. Some guys like to deep-water fish for the trout with a weight and a swivel fish-finder rig up the Peace River near the I-75 bridge and in some of the creeks that feed into the Harbor. There are many ways

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

to fool these guys into feeding so you may catch a few to take home for dinner.

Clean your fish, add butter in a hot iron skillet with a touch of salt and pepper to taste and you have a favorite of many locals.

Tight lines, bent rods, and singing drags make me smile. Give me a call to book your next fishing adventure today.

Captain Bart runs Alpha & Omega Charters.

He can be reached at: 941-979-6517

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

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From the Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

Wi th Capt. Ji m O'Bri en Water LIFE Englewood Wi th Capt. Ji m O'Bri en Water LIFE Englewood Hey y- all, last year is over. It’s hard to believe it has gone by so fast, but I guess that’s what we say every year.

I took my wife down to Bass Pro Shop in Ft. Myers so she could shop for me. She told me to go sit in the bar have a beer or 2 and watch the fish in the big tank. You know I did as I was told. HA! She told me on the way to Bass Pro Shop, I would know what I was getting. So thinking real fast I told her that upstairs has camping, rifles, shotguns, golf etc. so I wouldnt know what I was getting.

Between you an me I have not been camping or hunting in 7 or 8 years and I have never played golf in my life, so that only leaves one thing, you got it, the bottom floor (FISH'N STUFF) golly I sure loved Christmas.

Well ol' Capt. here hasn’t got any charters out this month so far, every charter we had has been blowen out to windy. One cancellation after another so instead of me talking about people catching fish on my charters, I am going to give y-all a super recipe for cooking grouper Kiev.

My partner Capt. Steve Skevington was out fish'n and he caught some nice gag grouper in 35 to 45 ft. of water he also caught some nice mangrove snapper, and some big grunts.

The sheepshead are turning on now that the water is colder. They are being caught around most piers and docks, best bait is fiddler crabs or take shrimp and peel them - it's better than with the shell on, sand fleas work well too, but I like to boil them in salt water till they’re pink. Thats the secret.

The grouper are hitting a lot of Manns stretch 25 and 30s and Bomber

CD plugs. Best place is around hard bottom and structure, such as M- 13 or the Box Cars. Novak’s reef, and Mary’s reef are producing some nice grouper.

If you are anchored up, good stinkbaits are the choice, mullet, sardines, green backs, squid, and for live bait, if you can find them, squirrel fish and pin fish are very good choices.

REMEMBER SNOOK AND TROUT are out of season now and GAG GROUPER are SHUT DOWN now IN FEDERALwaters.

ALL GROUPER WILL BE SHUT DOWN FEB. 1 2011 THRU MARCH 31 2011 IN STATE AND FEDERAL WATERS. As soon as grouper shut down I put my clients on greater amberjack. You can cook them just like grouper and they taste just as good, just make sure you bleed them when you put them in the cooler, and when you fillet them be sure to cut all the red meat out. So here’s the recipe on Grouper Kiev 2 lb. grouper fillets, 1/4 lb. butter or margarine 2 tbs. chopped parsley 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3/4 teaspoon worchestershire sauce, 1 garlic clove, chopped fine 1/2 teaspoon salt, a dash of pepper 2 tablespoons of water 2 eggs beaten 1/2 cup of flour 3 cups soft bread crumbs, Oil you use for deep frying.

Combine the butter or margarine, the parsley, lemon juice, worchestershire sauce, garlic and seasoning. Put butter mixture on wax paper and form it into a roll. Put it in the fridge until it’s hard.

Cut your fillets into 6 portions with a sharp knife. Cut along side one side of each portion to form a pocket, don't cut all the way through.

Page 17

In the picture is Laura Webb from Indiana, this is the first grouper she ever caught. It was 31 inches and 18 lbs. She caught it with Capt George Frantz.

Cut the cold seasoned butter into 6 pieces. Put a piece of butter in each pocket and use tooth picks to close the pocket. Add water to your eggs and mix well. Roll your fish in flour and dip them into eggs and roll them in your bread crumbs.

Put into the fridge for 1 hour.

Have your skillet heated up to about 375 deg.

Put them in for 2 to 3 min. or until the color is golden brown.

When you take them out of the skillet put them on a paper towel and drain them for a minute or two.

Have your salad and fixen's ready and my friends y’all got some good eat'n!

From the ol' fish'n hole and the O'Brien family we wish y-all a healthy, and prosperous NEW YEAR .

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

How did that Hunting Trip go?

Bay Co Florida.

FWC Officers were working a replica deer in the Econfina Wildlife Management Area when a truck passed, stopped, and a subject with a rifle climbed into the back of the truck.

The truck returned and illuminated the deer and when officers tried to stop the truck, the shooter ran into the woods. The two occupants, an intoxicated driver and his 17MyearMold son, were secured and the subject was located in the woods. The intoxicated driver was found to be a sexual offender. His truck was equipped with a court ordered breath alcohol ignition interlock device which was by-passed by his son, who submitted the breath samples to start the truck. The driver and shooter were charged with night hunting and the driver was booked into the Bay County Jail for felony driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. Possible charges for felon in possession of a firearm are also being investigated.

Paddling where itʼs Warm www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

Page 18

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking Here we are, once again, at the beginning of a new year, looking forward to all the pleasures and adventures that kayaking in Southwest Florida can bring. Now that the Christmas holidays are behind us…the wonderful, warm time spent with family, all the parties with friends, and all the community events, like boat parades and tree lighting ceremonies…we can start thinking about special winter paddles that we have enjoyed in past years. And at this time of year we have, of course, both cooler weather and lots of new paddlers joining us from the snowy north who are anxious to paddle the warm waters of our rivers and bays.

When the cooler weather sets in, our club, the Port Charlotte Kayakers, think about heading south, yes, south of Port Charlotte. You’d be surprised how much warmer the weather and waters are in the southern keys or even in the everglades. Over the last few years we have spent many long, three day weekends at Big Pine Key, Everglade City, and closer to home, our annual day paddle with the Manatees in the Orange River in N. Fort Myers.

Big Pine is one of the largest keys in the chain stretching from Key Largo to Key West, located just south of Marathon and about 40 miles north of Key West. Big Pine is surrounded by many smaller keys which are interesting to visit by kayak, providing some protection from wind and waves.

And a short paddle east of the

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Overseas Highway will take you to the coral reefs in Hawks Channel for sensational snorkeling or diving. One of the unique features of Big Pine is the diminutive Key Deer. These tiny whitetail deer are quite accustomed to humans and can be seen grazing along the roadsides or in residents’ yards.

Everglades City offers a very different paddling experience compared with the Keys. About 90 miles south of Port Charlotte, the water and winds are noticeably warmer in winter, and here we paddle through beautiful creeks and rivers, surrounded by greenery and wildlife of all description. And yes, there are plenty of alligators, but we’ve never had a serious encounter with one and they’re always fun to photograph. The Turner River and Halfway Creek are two of the best paddles in the area, combining wide open channels with an occasional mangrove tunnel. We usually stay at the Captains Table, a centrally located motel which has comfortable accommodations and is close to several restaurants. Seafood, fresh from the Gulf, graces the menus of most of the restaurants here, wonderfully tasty and reasonably priced.

And finally, closer to home, is our annual winter paddle with the manatees.

The FPL power plant in North Fort Myers discharges warm water into the Orange

J a n u a r y 2 0 11

River, making it a haven for the manatees when the water temperature in the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf drops below 60 degrees. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission over 600 manatees died last year due to the cold Florida waters. Lee County has created a park, just off Highway 80 East, that attracts thousands of visitors a year who want to see the manatees, either from observations platforms on shore or by renting a kayak and paddling among them.

We’ve often seen several hundred manatees in the vicinity of the park, but even in cold weather you can’t be 100 % sure of seeing them in the river. At times, they follow their own pattern of migration depending largely on the food supply.

From the launch site in the park, it’s only a short distance to several of the larger pockets of warm water where the manatees congregate out of the main current flow.

You can often see manatee families swimming together in the warm water.

So, even though the weather is not particularly warm, even in Port Charlotte, there are some good choices for winter-time paddling.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesday evening at 5:30 PM at Port Charlotte Beach Park at the end of Harbor Blvd.

All are welcome to attend. For additional information contact Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 or dlaa@comcast.net

Manatees gather at the Riveara Beach Power Plant

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J a n u a r y 2 0 11

Big Christmas for Lots of Sailors

By Wi l l Whi te for Water LIFE Sailing

It was announced that Dennis Peck will get an award from the governing body of sailing in the USA. Dennis will get an award for “outstanding contribution to the development of community sailing� at the US Sailing symposium in Clearwater on January 20.

Mike Busher got his present early when he did well sailing in the cold front on Sunday December 12. He won the reverse start race in the Holiday Regatta finishing first ahead of all the other boats in all classes in the 10.5 mile reverse start. Overall winners for the Holiday Regatta were: Dave Flechsig in one of his more common boats, an SR Max, won the Spinnaker Fleet. Bill Curtis in his Morgan 24 won the Non Spinnaker trophy. David Nauman from Cape Coral won the cruising fleet in his Islander 36, Jolly Mon and our own Pete Welch won the multihull fleet easily on his Stiletto 27.

Pete Welch won the election and will be race captain for PGSC for 2011. He is opening club races to NON members, and looking into ways to get novices out on the course. Pete is also starting tune up sessions

March 19: Small Boat Regatta March 26-27: Big Boat Regatta

There was plenty of wind for sailing in 2010 and it seemed like all the smaller boat events got the biggest share.

on Saturdays and classes on racing. More info on the club web site at pgscweb.com or contact Pete directly at peter_damien_welch@hotmail.com.

FOR 2011

Martin Holland has big things planned for 2011 for the Flying Scot fleet, including training days and some races here on Charlotte Harbor, as well as the road trips to Sarasota, Tampa Bay, and the east coast.

Dennis Peck has started an open sailing day for kids at the Community Sailing Center on West Retta. Every 3rd Saturday, there will be boats available for those youth who can sail and larger boats crewed by adults to take the kids who cannot sail out for rides on the Peace River.

Calendar wise, January 9 will be the first PGSC Club race of the new year.

January 15, 16 will be the Golden Conch regatta at Burnt Store.

February 6-9 will be the Second Annual Charlotte Harbor One Design Regatta with classes in Flying Scots, S-2 7.9's, Sunfish, Lasers and a whole bunch of boats we don't see on Charlotte Harbor, including 2.4 meter single handed boats for the differently able. These boats were in Ft Myers recently for a Championship Regatta, and 4 Brits brought their boats to the Charlotte Harbor YC lift to get some early sense of what the local waters are like. 2012 will see us hosting the Disabled World Championship Regatta.

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Pick up a copy of Water LIFE at any of these and 120+ other locations. Water LIFE is not affiliated with any newspaper or other publication and is distributed FREE at select locations around the state. These free ads to our loyal distributors rotate on a monthly basis.

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Page 21

SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Editor Notes * There are some very interesting things going on, as seen in these two unrelated press releases we received in December: Both the Federal (NOAA) and the State (FWC) have items about tournaments. On the local level we are seeing the first time (that I have heard about) where a citation has been issued to a tournament Director. And on the Federal level we are seeing a move toward angler based science and mandatory tournament registration. Tournament registration might be a positive approach and the most equitable way to ensure that all tournaments help protect and enhance the public resource they depend on for their private revenue. The NOAA tournament registration program has been in effect since 2003.

REGISTER TOURNAMENTS NOAA Fisheries Service reminds tournament operators to register their Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) tournaments for 2011. This includes tournaments occurring on the U.S. East Coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the U.S. Caribbean.

Registering your HMS tournament helps with the collection of important recreational catch and effort information which is used to analyze the impacts of potential fishery No trailer needed! management actions, assess the status of Atlantic HMS, and to assist the United States in complying with international fishery management obligations. Federal regulations require that all tournaments awarding points or prizes for Atlantic HMS, including tunas, sharks, swordfish, and/or billfish, register with NOAA Fisheries Service at least four weeks prior to the start of the fishing tournament.

Tournament Director Found in Violation

HIGHLANDS COUNTY, FL FWC Report: “Officer Kristen Gavagni checked bass tournament participants at the Lake Istokpoga Marina and found two fishermen in violation of the tournament permit. The subjects had held the weigh-in several hours early and had released the fish next to the weigh-in site instead of transporting them into the open water. The tournament director was issued a citation for the violations.”

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Fishing Report

Page 22

Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

Other than the rain, the weather is looking like last year’s winter and that’s going to make for tough fishing. This month sheepshead and trout will take the spotlight.

Trout are not bothered so much by the cold. It’s a great species to target for beginners, because trout are so easy to catch. They are wonderful to learn artificials on because... they are so easy to catch! Fish for trout by drifting along the grass flats on either side of the Harbor or at the entrances to any chanel. Fish Pirate Harbor, Alligator Creek or Turtle Bay, just drift along in 3-feet of water with a shrimp under a poppin’ cork. That is one of the best techniques. Artificial, such as a DOA shrimp, a Gulp or any paddletail or swim bait, jigged slowly along the bottom will produce trout very easily. Even a small topwater (in a grassy area) like a Zara Spook, or Top Pup (the smaller one) will

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be great for trout. Trout are not a very strong fish, so lighter tackle makes a much more enjoyable fight..rather than just water skiing them back to the boat with the heavy stuff.

With live bait for trout, shrimp is pretty much the best thing. They will take a frozen shrimp under a bobber or on a jig head, as long as it’s wiggling a bit, they are pretty happy. Trout are a schooling fish, so if you are catching smaller ones that pretty much is what’s there. Move around to find the bigger ones. The gator trout, the bigger ones, are pretty much solitary fish so you have to find them.

Trout are delicate, so handle them gently when doing catch and release. Release them without taking them out of the water if at all possible.

S heepshead are another fish that love the cold water. They are polar bears and they are really abundant now and starting to move up into the Harbor in more numbers. They are moving into El Jobean, to the Alligator Creek Reef and into the PGI Canals. Look for sheepshead around the oyster bars in Pine Island Sound and over at Bull and Turtle Bay. Generally, for sheepshead, you use a little heavier tackle with 30 or 40 pound leader, mainly because you are fishing them around structure, but you still want to use a smaller hook like the owner mu-tu light No.4 circle hook for sheepshead. The bait is a

piece of shrimp, small live shrimp with the shell peeled off, or fiddler crabs or sand fleas (if you can find them, which is tough with all these cold fronts).

There is one artificial bait a sheepshead will take. A Fishbites or Gulp bloodworm, cut into small pieces, that will catch a sheepshead.

They are very subtle biters so you will go through a lot of bait and they will try your patience. And for our northern guests, note* these are not the sheepshead from up north, these sheepshead are very different, ours have stripes and ours are very edible.

Redfi sh are fairly abundant now, but they are mostly juvenile rat reds, smaller fish, found in the small creeks and canals around the area. It’s not unusual to catch 50 or 60 in a day, but they will be in the 12 to 16 inch range. Frozen or live shrimp is the best bait. They are very aggressive feeders so this is a good time to use circle

Capt. Chuck Eichner holds a beautiful sheepshead, right. Above: Two of Capt.

Chuckʼs clients with a fat redfish

Professional Local FISHING GUIDES

In Memory of Capt. Angel Torres 1975 - 2010 we will miss you

Charters

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

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

Nighttime Trips Available

Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

941-473-2150

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The The BIG-4 BIG-4

Fish to expect expect in in Fish to

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January January

FISH SLOWLY

continued from facing page

Some larger reds will be around, but they will be very TROUT In the grass on the POMPANO On and off so far SHEEPSHEAD Just offscattered and you’ll have to flats this year shore, some in the ICW work hard for them. Shrimp or cut ladyfish are still the best bait for them. Look for and so are the bass. The bass are getting into prethe bigger reds by finding the schools of mullet. spawn mode. They are hitting soft plastic worms Bonnethead sharks are fairly common this and the Rapalla X wrap in the size 10 series and time of year. The Cape Haze Bar on either tide is the bombers in the 14 series. The crappi e are a place to look for them or check on the flats out- hitting minnows and small white soft plastic side of Whidden Creek, that is another good area grubs. Nine mile canal is a good place to look for them, The canals off of Price and Raintree are also good places to start. Fish mid-day into the evening for these fish.

Lemon Bay:

Jim at Fishermens Edge, Englewood: 697-7595

Bass and crappie fishing are hot right now.

to look for bonnetheads. Shrimp is the best bait for them. Also those same two places are really good for the occasional pompano and cobi a this time of year.

Grouper is closed in Federal waters, but snapper and grouper are both on the reefs inside the 9 mile Federal line. Best bait is sardines, shrimp or pinfish. Still-fishing is the most productive on these fish , they aren’t interested in trolled baits right now.

If you downsize your tackle you’ll increase your catches of porgys, grunts, sheepshead and some bigger mangrove snappers offshore right now.

In fresh water crappi e are incredible right now Snook will be closed to harvest until Sept 2011

There’s not much fishing action right now other than sheepshead and redfish.

The sheepshead have been down by the docks and piers at Placida and Boca Grande. Nice fish, pretty good size too, 5-to 6- pounders.

Some guides say right now the Novak Reef has some big sheepshead on it. All in all, the fish are spread around because of the dirty water (from turbidity) and the cold weather. A week ago the water was clean now all the wind made it full of suspended sand.

A lot of the local guides are saying they haven’t done many trips this Holiday Season. The weather just hasn’t been cooperative.

Right now there are a lot of redfi sh in Lemon Bay, in the creeks and around the back country.

Back in those very shallow areas the guys with air boats are fishing in the potholes and catching trout, decent trout and reds... keeper reds. They say you have to pick through a lot of little ones, but the keepers are still there.

Only a couple of guys have gone out into the gulf in the last two weeks. They’ve come back with keeper gags, assorted snapper and tri ggerfi sh. I heard there was some keeper-sized trout that came from the Novak Reef last week.

It was weird! The guy said he was casting shrimp and caught a couple of 19-inch sea trout.

There have been some fl ounder around the mouths of the passes and a few just offshore. There are no pompano stories at all. It was 33 yesterday. No one wants to go fishing when it’s that

NOW OPEN

REDFISH more rat reds with the best fish on the west wall

4265 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte

941 - 625-2700

700 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda

941 - 637-0019

January 7: Boating Skills and Seamanship, USCG Aux, Lemon Bay Park, Englewood 7 — 9 PM Monday & Thursday evenings - final session on February 17. Call 941-697-9435 to register. Participants receive the Florida Safe Boater Education Card

January 9: Memorial Service for Capt.

Angel Torres, under the US 41 bridge. (see page 4), On the outgoing tide.

January 20-23: Charlotte County Boat Show, Fairgrounds on SR 776. phone 954-570-7785

March 10-13: Fort Myers Boat Show 954-570-7785 Send your calendar events to:

waterlife@comcast.net

Bl ac k T i p B a i t & T ac kl e Our bait is guaranteed to catch fish or die trying!

Live Shrimp, Pinfish, Live Crabs

at El Jobean

Full Line of Tackle Supplies

when itʼs cold

(941) 627-0809

Fishing right now:

depends on the weather Everglades Seafood Festival Feb 5-6 Everglades City (239) 695-4100

Open Every Day

Mon - Sat: 6am - 7pm Sun: 6 am - 6 pm

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