Water LIFE July 2005

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LIFE

Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay Florida

Keeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed

July 2005

Kids Redfish To u r n a m e n t

July 16-17

Fishermen始s Village

It始s Happening Offshore

Couples始 Day

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www.CHARLOTTEHARBORMAGAZINE.COM

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Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

July 2005

Fish Stories and Other Stuff July 2005

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor “Wouldn’t it be fun to show the weigh-in videos from last year’s Kids Cup at this year’s captain’s meeting,” my wife suggested. I could immediately envision the big screen on stage. It was a nice idea. “Maybe we can get the guys at ESPN2 to mix the tape and put some fishing music to it,” my wife added. This was starting to sound very good.

Fishin’ Frank and Terri had spent the entire day at last year’s Kids Cup tournament video taping the weigh-in. They had a mixer and a caption writer on the dock and they put everything up on the big screen at Harpoon Harrys. It was an eight hour documentary in the making. Or at least it could have been.

Then Hurricane Charley blew in to town and all that video went away. Frank lost his house, we lost our house and lots of the still pictures we had turned to mush. It was another sorry reminder that we’re still finding things we are missing, but there is always a good side to fishing.

Luckily, our photographer friend Lester Kuhn who photographed the Kids Cup on the weigh-in dock last year, had put his still photos on a couple of CDs and we did find those intact. They are the pictures on this page.

If you look at Lester’s photos you can almost feel the action and hear the excitement. Not exactly a movie, but laughter mixed with suspense, it’s the stuff

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tournaments are made of. And when it was all over, every kid had tasted the recipe and come away with a fishing story of his own.

Last year, just when I thought I’d heard it all, one Kids Cup angler told me; “We were chumming with live shrimp ... I was using a sling-shot to shoot them under the bushes!”

Innovation and resourcefulness, that’s what fishing stories are all about.

The Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup took a liking to our Kids Cup tournament last year and made us a part of their ESPN2 TV show.

Now, this year, when the 2005 Redfish Cup finals are held at Biloxi Mississippi, our Kids Cup winner will be there. But there may be even more to that fishing story.

Last week, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitor’s Bureau called to talk with us about a Kids Cup tournament in Biloxi to go along with this year’s Redfish Cup finals. Just think, if that happens, and it’s still a big ‘if’, there might be a chance – just a chance - that our 2005 Kids Cup winner from Punta Gorda will be able to fish in the Biloxi Kids Cup. Wouldn’t that be a cool fishing story? We’ll keep you posted.

Our Kids Cup Tournament takes place in Punta Gorda on July 16 at Fishermen’s Village. The tournament is not about money, it’s about fun fishing, with kids on the water and no stress at all. Every kid will want to catch that one big winning redfish, a fish that future fish stories will be told about, but only one kid will catch the one biggest fish.

That’s ok, because sometimes a plane old little fish is all it takes to bring on a mem-

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orable fish story.

So let me tell you about the smallest fish I ever caught on a hook and line:

I was fishing with my friend Capt. Chuck Eichner, we were doing OK, having caught some snook and trout and a couple of nice redfish. We were anchored off a flat behind Gasparilla Pass. The tide was running out and there were a bunch of fish moving through the area. It was a no-pressure, funday fishing.

Capt. Chuck has a nose for fish. He’s good at finding them and catching them. He was, at one time in his life, a professional bass fisherman and he even travelled the bass tournament circuit for a while.

If you know anything about bass fishermen, you know they have a style and technique all their own. To me, the thing that sets a bass fishermen apart from other anglers is his aggressive hook-set. When a bass angler sets the hook, he really sets the hook hard and fast. Even though Chuck has been here for four or five years, he still sometimes has that snap-yank bass fishermen’s hook set that rocks the boat.

We were having fun, fishing with whitebait, and talking about fishing when I had a bite. I mimicked Chuck’s hook-set, pulling my elbows up and whipping my rod tip back – high, hard and fast.

But I missed the fish all together. It was a good thing the water was calm that day or I might have thrown myself overboard. We laughed and then I reeled in my line to check my bait. When I got the hook up to my hand the bait was still attached, but there was something else on it as well. I had caught a fish – a tiny little file fish was

To my surprise a tiny file fish was on my hook, right next to the big sardine I had for bait.

caught on the very tip of my laser pointed hook.

Of course, what must have happened was the little file fish was just swimming around, maybe checking out my bait or maybe just passing by at the very moment I jerked the line. The file fish was impaled on my hook, caught unaware, as if he was smacked with a sucker punch.

I reached over and gently plucked him from the hook-tip, and placed him in the water in my cupped hands. He wiggled a little, I opened my hands and he swam away.

A live release! Sometimes fishing memories and fish stories are made of weird stuff like that. It’s what keeps us all coming back for more. We wish good luck to all

2 0 0 4 Ki ds Cup Pho t o s b y Les t er Kuhn

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July 2005

MAGAZINE

Next Shark Tournament: August 6-7

Jig Angler Responds – A Letter to Water LIFE Dear Mr. Heller, I read with interest your observations of the recent Professional Tarpon Tournament Series (PTTS) event in Boca Grande Pass. I also read with equal interest, the observations of Fishin' Frank on the very same event. Remarkable the differences in perspective on the same event. Both educated observers and conclusions at opposite ends of the pole.

2005 marks our team's first participation in the PTTS production. I have previously been active in several Pass tarpon events, professional fishing tournaments and in Pro Redfish series. There are similarities and differences in the others and PTTS. The most glaring difference is that all competition in PTTS is done at minimum wake speed and all other events are either wide open throttle or engine off. The fact seems to be that saltwater angling has gone mass media "Big Time."

Your printed differences in observations on the same event are interesting and are consistent with many other facets of life. Plenty love auto racing and plenty do not.

Thousands cherish their Florida airboats and others see these same machines as the Devil's own chariot. ATVs offer many families the opportunity to experience natural Florida as a group, but, others see them only as destruc-

tive devices.

You'll get no argument here that traditional pass tarpon angling techniques are steeped in tradition and deserve respect, honor and their fair share of time in the Pass. Listening to any of the live bait masters reveals a deep knowledge of the Pass and habits of the tarpon that migrate here each year.

Other anglers have chosen another method of catching tarpon in that same hole.

This group has been maligned, attacked, accused, slandered and persecuted for their choice to utilize their preference of artificial tarpon fishing baits. Hundreds of thousands of Florida taxpayer dollars have been invested to study their methods and the results on tarpon of angling in the Pass with artificial lures. The conclusions are clear. They are similar or better than other angling activities targeting other species with artificial lures.

Back to the PTTS. I was present at the same event you describe in the July 2005 issue. I heard no competitor anger directed at any participant or recreational angler during the competition. Was there adrenaline, you bet. Was there high excitement and "deal with it NOW'" situations, for sure. Do multiple hookups of giant tarpon in close proximity to others call for split second decisions and close cooperation between competitor teams

-- no doubt. Tarpon are dangerous game even when boats are not close to each other -- and, the sharks that regularly eat them are even more dangerous.

Could this be the finest example of close quarter boat control ever practiced? I am convinced that is the case. I am amazed at how the team captains maneuver to avoid physical contact with other boats and with how dedicated they are to not costing any other pass angler a hooked fish. You'll not see that happen in many concentrated effort fishing places. A perfect art -- no. A practice of concern and courtesy -- yes.

Did I see one instance of any competitor disrespect to any other pass angler during the event? No. Has the promoter been required to deal with any such outbursts? Yep. Has he done so with effectiveness and balance? I believe so.

Thank you for expressing your opinion on this event and for publishing a completely different conclusion -- by Fishin' Frank on the same occurrence. America is built on the premise of differing opinions and the freedom to express them.

Meanwhile, let all of us raise or hands in salute to Capt. Ken Hyatt and Fish Hog crew for catching the largest (216-pound) tarpon ever entered in any Boca Grande tarpon tour-

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Contributing Editors:

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

on the COVER:

2004 Kids Cup winner, Tommy Davis

on our WEBSITE:

WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

Tide Graphs: For Punta Gorda, Shell Point, El Jobean, Pine Island, Matlacha, Redfish Pass, and Lemon Bay. Weather: Links to all of our favorite weather and radar web-sites.

Back editions: Pages of previous editions

Artificial Reefs: Lat. and Long. for 24 local artificial reefs

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

Analyzing the Kids Cup Tide Water LIFE

July 2005

By Capt. Robert Moore Water LIFE Staff This month I will be fishing the Kids Cup with my 10 year old son Ryan. for the last thirty days, almost semi-daily, he will ask me logistical questions on how we are going to fish the Kids Cup. “Which rods will I be using?”

“What kind of bait will I be using?”

“What area will we be fishing?”

“How big of a redfish will I have to catch to win?”

The questions go on and on and it seems every answer I give him leads to another question.

Then he asked me “Do we have a good tide that day?”

At 10 years old he might not completely understand tides and how or why they affect the fishing, but he does know that a good tide means good fishing. I guess from all the years we have been fishing together and hearing me blame bad fishing days on a ‘terrible tide,’ it’s one thing he knew we wanted to have right.

I have completely dissected the tides for July 16th. It’s a great early high water tide that should produce lots of redfish for all the junior anglers.

Here is my strategy For Fishing the Kids Cup:

The high tide for Charlotte Harbor is right at 10:17 a.m. The height of the tide

26 56.0? N

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82 ß 04.0?

Tide Chart Courtesy of Zihua Software, offering Harbor Master Tides and Currents through an online subscription service at their website,www.zihuasoftware.com or on CD for Macintosh or Windows.

that day will be 2.0 feet. Then around 11am the tide will begin to fall and continue out until around 7pm that night.

I use the Charlotte Harbor tide location for any areas around Punta Gorda, the east and west walls of Charlotte Harbor up to Pirate Harbor. For the Turtle Bay, Bull Bay, Gasparilla Sound, and the Burnt Store area the tide will be about 90 minutes earlier.

The tide height of 2.0 means high enough water to fish under the mangroves

Seven Stages of a Fishermanʼs Life

A ut hor Unknow n One of the best things about fishing is that it’s a bit like yoga. If you get really good at yoga, you no longer have to contort yourself into silly positions because you can do it in your head. If you work hard enough at fishing, the same thing becomes possible, although people in the early stages won’t believe you.

We all know that in the early stages, the only possible way to extract pleasure from fishing is to camp for weeks on end in an inadequate tent, eating from cans and living on three quid a day, but when you reach the higher levels,

If you decide to throw artificial baits try and get your child up close to the shore and have them cast along the shore line rather than to it.

With the earlier tide in the Bull & Turtle Bay, I will start our day there. As the tide begins to fall I will follow the higher water up into Charlotte Harbor. I figure we have until about 1pm before the tide is too low to fish along the mangroves. My strategy after that is to simply back off the mangrove shorelines and have Ryan either throw artificial baits or cast shrimp to sand holes.

One other suggestion I have is to make sure the fishing rod is not too long for the angler's size. I personally use 8-foot medium action rods. Try watching a 10 year old make a cast with one. It is very awkward for them, so match the rod length to the angler. And don’t forget a landing net.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard anglers tell stories about a large redfish they had and how they lost it as they tried to land the fish without a landing net.

Most importantly if you are fishing in this year’s Kids Cup, have fun!

I hope to see everyone at the Captain’s meetinag and then at the weigh-in.

W Punta Gorda, Gulf Sunrise 6:45 AM Sunset 8:24 PM Moonrise 3:46 PM Moonset 1:54 AM

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in the morning. There is no better place to start than up along the mangrove bushes when the tide is high.

My son’s casting is pretty good in open water, but he’s not that accurate when casting up along the mangrove bushes. If you have the same predicament with your junior angler, just remember: if you fish with shrimp, the bait does not have to skip 10 feet up under the bushes to catch fish. If you get the bait within a couple of feet and let it sit, a redfish is bound to find it.

you don’t actually have to do that any more. Fishing and ‘self’ become so indivisible that to be is to fish. Which is why I don’t mind working on the lawnmower so much any more.

There are, I think, seven stages in the life of a fishermen. In the first stage, you want to catch a fish: any fish will do, just as long as it is a fish. This stage is a rite of passage and if you don’t go through it, you won’t progress at all, let alone reach to the higher levels. The wanting is the thing; I have seen many people catch fish without wanting to do so and none of them has ever become a fisherman.

In the second stage, you want to catch lots of fish – this one goes without saying, really.

You can reach Capt. Robert Moore for fishing information or to book a charter fishing trip at (941) 637-5710 or (941) 6282650 or v ia e-mail at tarponman@comcast.net

In the third stage, you want to catch big fish. More than a few of us get stuck in the third stage, the angling equivalent of anal retention, or bloody good fun, depending on whether you are of that stage or not.

In the fourth stage, you need to catch difficult fish; in the fifth stage, you travel to catch distant fish; in the sixth, you spend more time talking about fishing than doing it.

And in the seventh stage, you just think about fishing, which accounts for my beatific smile as I realize what the problem is: I visualize flipping the fuel cock to the ‘on’ position, pulling the starter, throwing out a bait and feeling that reel scream as I strike and my quarry surges across the water.

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By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE editor Tommy Davis was the winner of last year’s Water LIFE Kids Cup Tournament. This year Tommy won’t be fishing at the Kids Cup because he will be fishing in the IGFA’s Junior Angler World Championships at Key West that same week.

Curious what Charlotte Harbor’s top junior angler had learned since the Kids Cup, we hooked up with Tommy on a nice Saturday morning and spent the day on the water, bumming around, catching fish and generally having a good time. Here’s what we found out.

If Tommy was serious about fishing last year, he’s super serious now. This kids evolved into a real fisherman.

We idled down the Myakka from Tommy’s house and stopped at one of the markers for bait. Tommy drives the boat with a smoothness unusual for someone his age. He’s a live bait fisherman and he isn’t afraid to throw a cast net from the poling platform ... and he prefers a full spinning release that is almost a ballet and usually open and on target.

After we had the bait

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F ISHING WITH T OMMY D AVIS

chummed up it was only a few throws and the livewell was full. Next we were off fishing.

Tommy likes the GPS and has a Garmin on his boat that has about a gazillion waypoints stored in it. Waypoints with names like Gas Island (I ran out of gas here once) and 4th of July Creek (the snook were popping like firecrackers) and so on.

We idled into one area and Tommy laid out the topography for me. “It bends around to the right, there is a deep hole over there and a little creek flows in from behind the bushes over there. Tommy knew his spots, with or without the GPS, and in no time we were on fish.

Redfish are still Tommy’s favorite, but he has no compunction about grabbing a snook whenever the opportunity presents itself. He is instinctively quiet, anchoring, closing the baitwell hatch and moving about the boat with a physical quietness that is balanced by his non-stop enthusiastic chatter.

We worked our way down the west side and back into Turtle Bay. Tommy had a few spots in mind and they all proved to be productive with some fat snook and a few tournament size red-

fish. By the time we got to the back of the Bay we had both settled down, him nervous with fishing with me and me not wanting to get outfished.

If Tommy fishes well from the boat he appears most at home in the water, wading. He has an excellent eye for a bottom that promises fish and sees fish with the sharp eyes I only wish I still had.

When it comes to getting around, Tommy prefers his trolling motor to the push pole.

“I like to have fun fishing, not work” Tommy explained.

We hang at the back of the bay and share a sandwich anchored behind an island “Food just tastes better on the water,” Tommy says, then he’s off wading again moving from spot to spot flipping bait under the overhangs and pulling fish out from under the bushes while I cast in vain from the boat.

Tommy likes to explore and is constantly looking under and venturing back into the bushes .

Inquisitive youth learning about fish. I hear a few ‘wows’ and ‘look at those fish’ and ‘Oh My God!’ calls. This is good.

By mid afternoon we are headed back up the harbor. We

Last Yearʼs Kids Cup winner Tommy Davis with a snook on the line and a redfish on the scale.

Thatʼs the X-Tools digital scale he received at the Kids Cup too!

stop at a spot I fished the day before and Tommy promptly pulls a nice redfish out. “I’ll remember this spot,” Tommy says, reaching for the GPS. Last stop is a creek mouth on the west side near halfway point. We anchored the boat and Tommy is in the water in no time. Wading with a dip net full of shiners between his legs he stands at the mouth trying to coax some small snook out of a hole behind the dead trees. He is successful. In time he is back at the boat for another net full of bait and then another.

The sun is low in the late afternoon sky and Tommy is still fishing and catching fish.

“We gotta' get going soon,” I say and for a moment the little kid in him breaks through “Can I have just one more net (full of bait), ....Pleeeease!

Tommy Dav is graduated first in his class at the Don Ball School of Fishing program and is an A student planning to go to college. We are proud to hav e Tommy Dav is representing Charlotte County in the Junior Angler World Championships at Key West this month.

July 2005

Port Manatee Redfish Hatchery To Cut Back On Releases S t aff R eport According to William Halstead, chief biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s redfish hatchery at Port Manatee, things are about to change at the facility’s 54 acre location on the shore of Tampa Bay. Citing the current expansion of the port, Halstead explained that the leased land the hatchery’s ‘grow-out’ ponds are located on is needed for the port’s expansion. “They want the land back now,” Halstead said, noting that the facility will continue to use their indoor research lab and will continue to use the indoor tanks currently in operation.

“The FWC is looking at this as an opportunity to build a new state of the art hatchery,” Halstead said, explaining that ‘new technology’ involves using tanks with a recirculating water system instead of outdoor grow-out ponds. “We will be catching up with what is going on around the rest of the world,” he said.

The port is offering to lease the hatchery another site to the south and could even help with earthwork for construction there. “We are in the process of designing a new facility and looking at ways to fund it through State, Federal and private avenues,” Halstead said.

“We are not going to release any more fish this summer, “ Halstead said. We are going to pause for a couple of years. We will stay inside our current building for three to five years, but we will no longer be releasing 1,000,000 fish a year.”

This announcement has come suddenly, but it could be an opportunity for Charlotte Harbor. Satellite facilities, ones that only release a few thousand fish a year, like the redfish hatchery at Sanibel, will continue to get fish from the Port Manatee site, grow them out and release them. Halstead said it was not out of the question that the Port Manatee site cutbacks could move the timetable ahead for establishing a redfish hatchery somewhere in Charlotte Harbor.

“You would need to raise $500,000, you’d need the land and a bunch of volunteers,” Halstead said.

Redfish Challenges in July Water LIFE

July 2005

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Inshore Editor Some of the most sought after salt and freshwater fish species are the most challenging to catch. Largemouth bass and walleye offer enough challenge that a whole host of television shows have come from it.

If these fish weren’t tough to catch then what fun would it be? It’s not all about the fight either because walleye aren’t really that tough. On the saltwater scene various billfish, kingfish and in more recent times the redfish lead the way in challenging fishing and tv shows. All of the saltwater species are extreme fighters adding to the excitement and the bullish redfish is one tough hombre.

Redfishing takes on a different color in the heat of the summer. There are more variables to decipher in catching them in July and August then perhaps any other month.

You can break it down into 2 broad categories habitat and food source. Let’s take a look at each one in detail.

Habitat-

By the time summer arrives the redfish’s saltwater environment has evolved into a complex ecosystem. First, the heavy rains of June have now blackened the water with tannic stain from the mangrove lined river systems. With a few exceptions, sight fishing is gone. The water takes on a mysterious darkness that makes picking out potholes and good spots nearly impossible. Secondly, the submerged aquatic grasses are very heavy now. There are many different types of vegetation and some are even floating. Grass is everywhere in the shallows. Also, with the influx of freshwater with the afternoon showers coming almost daily the redfish seem to expand their range even beyond the backcountry and out to the beaches where the salinity levels are lower then normal, but at times perhaps more to the liking of the reds. This same freshwater influx seems to keep them on the move in the shallows as they seek out their comfort zone, whatever that might be. On top of that water temperatures are reaching for the upper 80s and that makes the fish a

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little lethargic.

Food Source- Just

about everything that can possibly grow or swim into Charlotte Harbor is here now. Multitudes of spawning cycles of migratory and nonmigratory baitfish have created a population explosion of baby fish. Various shrimp species and perhaps a dozen crab species are nestled in the grasses. Plus, there are plenty of other goodies that reds will eat. A friend of mine cleaned a red and once found the belly jammed with small eels.

Something you don’t normally think about but that led him to experiment with artificials that imitate eels and guess what- he caught fish! Redfish will and do eat just about anything!

So the big picture is the fish are roaming just about anywhere in the harbor and they have more on the menu then ever before. As anglers what is most in our favor is these fish are hungry. Higher water temperatures mean reds just become eating machines.

Catching Reds on Bait- To be sure this is the easiest way to catch redfish in the summer. Tops on the list would be pinfish, scaled sardines, threadfin shad, crabs, shrimp and other cut bait such as Spanish sardines and ladyfish. Redfish are set up perfectly for feeding on the bottom.

Their mouths don’t open all that wide and compare to the freshwater bottom feeding carp in some respects. In my opinion, their favorite summertime food are crabs. Blue claw are the easiest to get and can be broken into pieces and fished on a lightly weighted rig. Cutbait can be fished the same way. To fish live shrimp place it under a cork or rig it Texas style with a small split shot and cast to fishy haunts. Live shiners under a cork work, but often the reds are too lazy to chase down a bait. Injuring your bait to make it an easy catch may improve your number of bites.

Catching Reds on Artificials-

The great thing about redfish is that they are aggressive. They attack lures readily and

make for great sport. But like the largemouth bass, they can be finicky about what they’ll take. Experimentation is the key but the go-to lures the redfish touring pro’s fall into 2 categories. Spoons and soft plastics.

A lot of spoon fishing is personal preference. There is the tried and true Johnson Silver Minnow and a host of others that wiggle in different ways. Gold and silver colors are what most of us use. Various freshwater in-line spinners and safety-pin style spinner baits are also productive.

When it comes to soft plastics, the stick baits such as the Bass Assasin type imitates a 4_ to 6-inch baitfish and are used by lots of great fisherman. Basically, you are trying to imitate a baitfish or crustacaean.

Experiment with color because it does make a difference. Rootbeer is always popular but with dark water brighter colors can make them chew. One alternative to spoons and plastics is to fish a Zara Spook topwater plug walking the dog covering lots of water. Reds have a tough time inhaling the plug because of their mouth shape.

However, it is a great search bait for finding where their located and once you have a strike throw back immediately with a soft plastic and it’s gonna get munched!

Knowing what baits to throw is half the battle and where to find em’ is the other. My approach to summer fishing is to cover lots

L et U s S e l l Yo ur B o at Daryl Hall • Tom Stivison Kurt Jilson www. redfish y ach t . com

of water. With artificials I will use a trolling motor to fish mangroves on high water and potholes on lower tides.

Constantly changing locations and trying to discover pods of fish. When fishing bait you can often chum with cutbait to attract the fish to you or mash up a crab and chum with the pieces. This requires more patience but the fish will follow a scent trail in the water. My rule is 30 minutes of baitfishing in one spot without a bite. Catfish and stingrays don’t count and they will make their presence known. No reds in 30 minutes and it’s time to move.

I like to fish areas that have good current flow. The more current the more oxygen and in the summer this can position fish where their most comfortable. Remember, there is forage for redfish just about everywhere, so finding where there most comfortable whether it be more oxygenated water, higher salinity, shade from the mangroves, deeper water, cooler water or whatever will make the difference. So there are lots of variables but fish survive by instinct. Using your instincts and cut to the basics and you should end the day with a cajun’ blackened fish fry!

Capt. Chuck Eichner is a local charter captain. For information or to book a guided fishing trip call 941-505-0003 or go to

2002, Cobia 27 CC – Lift kept, low hours, ready to fish! Like new condition, head compartment in center console, Yamaha HPDI motors. $59,900

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is always in fashion

S taff R eport What bait works best? It’s a question asked often and in many different ways. Any angler worth his salt will come up with a patented reply, something like, “Well, it kind of depends on when and where you're fishing.”

Another good answer might be, “Different baits work better at different times.” This of course is true, but in our opinion, the single best bait to use whether you're fishing in the bay or out on the Gulf is shrimp, the kind you can buy dead or alive at most bait and tackle shops. Live shrimp is probably more often favored over frozen or dead shrimp, but the fact of the matter is, shrimp is the universal bait around here.

Everything likes shrimp: redfish, bluefish, ladyfish, dogfish, lizardfish, snakefish, snook, tarpon, whiting, sheepshead, silver trout, speckled sea-trout, sail-cats, hard-head catfish, jack crevelle, red grouper, gag grouper, black grouper, scamp, mangrove snapper, lane snapper, yellow-tail snapper, vermilion snapper, porgy, sharks, little tunny, blackfin tuna, cobia, greater amberjack,

banded rudderfish, flounder, permit, pompano, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, black drum, strawberry grouper, Goliath grouper, hog snapper, skip jack, and mahi-mahi ... will all take your shrimp. The bigger fish, of course, like the bigger hand picked select shrimp.

Which brings us to the next part, the guy doing the hand pickin’ down at the local bait and tackle shop.

It's a good idea to build a friendly rapport with the folks who make their living counting shrimp. Some bait shops offer regular size shrimp or ‘hand picks’ so depending on your fishing, be ready to make a decision on what size is best for your targeted species. Don’t talk to the man counting the shrimp once he gets started. This task takes 100-percent concentration. A sign at Fishin’ Franks reads; “If you talk while we count you might not get the right amount,” believe it!

And never, ever, re-count the shrimp in front of the shrimp dipper. Two dozen regular sized shrimp doesn't look like much in the bottom of a bucket anyway.

July 2005

Improve your odds of a Live Release.

By Fi shi n' Frank n If you keep your fish in the livewell, drive back up harbor at 20 M.P.H. or less. This will give the fish time to adjust to the water changes.

A shrimp hooked in the ʻheadʼ is a common live bait presentation

So now that you've got the shrimp what’s the best way to present it?

Answer: First, be careful. Live shrimp can be frisky little critters and the ‘horn’ at the front of the head can easily stick you when you reach in the bait bucket to grab one.

When shrimp move about in the water, especially when they are fleeing from a fish, they move backwards quickly – tail first, head end following. That looks natural to a fish, and because of this, some anglers prefer to hook their shrimp through the tail and retrieve them with slow little jerks, mimicking the way the shrimp would flee. Of course shrimp move forward on the bot-

tom or float stationary in the tide, as well, so anglers also hook their shrimp through the head –‘between the vein and the brain,’– as the saying goes.

Some anglers like to free line the shrimp on the surface, others will use a split shot on the leader to keep them on the bottom. Dead shrimp on a jig head are a great attractant for fish picking along the bottom... redfish like this presentation a lot. And if you’re fishing the middle of the water column try suspending your shrimp under a poppin’ cork letting it dangle down a few feet below the surface on invisible fluorocarbon leader.

With shrimp as a bait you can hardly ever go wrong.

n Chemicals to rejuvenate fish work well, but in an open system, the stuff washes out the drain. Chemicals only work well in closed systems.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CLOS ED S YS TEM IT’S NOT HARD TO MAKE ONE: Start with an ice chest – the inside should be at least 27 inches or larger so the fish can stretch out and be comfortable – You’ll also need 2 one-litre frozen bottles of water, a bilge pump or a heavy duty 12 volt air pump.

Place the frozen bottles in the ice chest early. Do not add water yet. Wait until you catch your keeper, tournament winning, red.

Then put the fish in the regular live well on your boat until you are ready to go to the weigh in. At that time put water in the ice chest and add the two jugs of ice.

It is important to use the water from where you caught your fish. Add the chemical treatment, mix well, then put in the redfish before the water cools too much. Ice cold will put the fish into shock. Have the pumps running from the start. The ice in the jugs will melt quickly, cooling the water. Remove the water bottles before you transport the fish. This should help get that redfish if not happy, at least healthy,

Water LIFE

On the Line Fishing with Capt. Ron Blago July 2005

The next boat show I go to, I'm going to get a price on an ark.

By Capt Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff Just before Memorial Day I was thinking the yard was looking a little dry and we could use a little rain. Well be careful what you wish for because the next day it started to rain and now it just won’t stop.

I'm not talking about the normal summertime thunder showers, I'm talking about torrential, frog drowning down pours. It's rained 21 out of the last 24 days. Another inch or two and we will have the wettest June on record since 1947. The next boat show I go to I'm going to get a price on an ark.

Fishing in the rain is a personal matter and I personally don't like to do it. If I'm going to be hit by lightening I prefer it be when I'm sitting at home rather than in the middle of Lemon Bay with a graphite rod in my hand.

All this fresh water has turned the bay into a dark tea-colored soup which has made fishing somewhat of a challenge.

The fish are still there, but they are a little harder to find. Most of the trout I've been catching north of the Tom Adams bridge have been that nice gold color you find in the more brackish water like in the back of Turtle Bay. Live whitebait is the key to successful fishing right now. Schools of redfish are forming up on the grass flats of Lemon Bay and chumming with white bait will get them coming in your direction.

Beach tarpon fishing has been slower than normal from Sarasota south to Englewood Beach. Plenty of fish have been seen, but getting them to bite is another matter. There are large schools of threadfins just off shore and some of the guides feel that the tarpon have too much to eat so they are turning their noses at anything we fishermen offer them. Boca Grande Pass on the other hand is having a better than average tarpon year, with a lot of big fish being caught.

Stump Pass is still in the news and it looks like the long awaited geo-tubes will be installed on the north side of the pass this month. Hopefully this will help slow down the migration of sand into the pass channel.

Normally I don't pay much interest to the local papers, but a recent letter to the editor really caught my attention. The letter was entitled “Speeding boats hurt Stump Pass.” It appears the lady who wrote the letter is a curator of a museum in Baton Rouge and was down here for a little vacation. It seems this lady thinks that we can save millions of dollars in dredging and renourishment costs by just having boats slow down as they go through the pass. Of course she had to throw in that this would also help the endangered manatee – they always throw in the manatee; I guess they feel it gives

Snook have been feeding aggressively and Capt Pete Zambuto was into the big snook last month, as seen here.

their argument more credibility.

This lady is entitled to her opinion and after 20 years of working on the Stump Pass issue, I've seen crazier things in print. I guess she has never come from offshore into a strong outgoing tide with a high west wind coming up your butt.

You better go fast or you're not going to make it. Of course being from out of state she probably hasn't heard that the population of manatees has tripled in the last 20 years, or that now 32-percent of all the inshore waters of Florida are Manatee Zones, and she's not going to find out from the local papers that so far this year there has not been a single manatee killed by a boat in all of Charlotte County.

What got my attention most was that she seems to be spending her time counting the number of boats going through the pass. One Friday morning she said she counted 59 boats in about 90 minutes.

Granted, you can spend your vacation any way you want – we appreciate you coming here and hopefully you're spending lots of money while you're here – but believe me there are a lot better things to do here in Englewood.

In the mean time I’m saving my money so I can come up to Baton Rouge on vacation. I'm just sure there are many problems there I can help you people solve.

Don't thank me, it will be my pleasure.

Capt. Ron Blago can be reached for fishing information or to book a charter

MAGAZINE

Page 9

Water LIFE

Page 10

Moonlight Paddle

July 2005

MAGAZINE

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking Contributor The evening was perfect for a moonlight paddle. The moon, almost full, was well up into the southeastern sky, and white puffy clouds were colored bright gold by the setting sun. The temperature was pleasant and the breeze was light. It was about 7 P.M. at Port Charlotte Beach Park and the Port Charlotte Kayakers were unloading kayaks and gear well before sunset. There were still a lot of power boaters launching and loading their boats at the nearby ramp. Beach goers were still wading along the shoreline and enjoying the last few minutes of sun time from their beach chairs.

And so the paddle began; a group of thirteen paddlers, heading west toward the East Spring Lake canals. The goal was to paddle through the mangroves opposite the beach, pass under the Edgewater Drive bridge, paddle the east branch, then the west, and return to the beach. If your thing is fast, long paddles, don’t bother with a moonlight run, as the slow pace and short distance will disappoint you. As we headed west, the sun was still well

above the horizon and there was a light west wind.

Soon we were in the mangroves and paddling single file through the narrow channels that lead from one cove to the next. The coves here are only about a hundred yards or so long, and half as wide.

There wasn't a ghost of a breeze here; still and quiet. We drifted across the water with just an easy paddle stoke, not wanting to disturb the peace. A blue heron, along the mangrove roots on shore, was stalking a late meal at the water’s edge.

We passed out of the mangroves, took a right turn under the bridge, and passed into the east channel. This branch is only about a half mile long, with homes and docks on both sides. We chatted briefly with some of the homeowners who were enjoying a quiet time at their docks. As we paddled by, we saw that quite a few of the homes and docks were still showing the effects of Hurricane Charley; still some blue roofs to be seen.

We reached the turn-around point and took a short break for a drink, then headed back down the main channel. The sun was just sinking beneath the horizon - the wind continued on facing page

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Water LIFE

July 2005

P a g e 11

MAGAZINE

With a beautiful big-block powered ski boat in the foreground at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex, the Port Charlotte Kayakers club heads out on their moonlight paddle trip.

PADDLE continued

had dropped to a whisper. The moon was rising in front of us, bright in the eastern sky. The beach was about 2 miles further on, a slight current was in our favor. Ideal paddling and good company to boot.

As we moved out of the mangrove channel toward the beach, the lights of the recreation area became a beacon to guide us in. A few boats were being loaded at the ramp, but otherwise, all was quiet.

Several of us decided to extend the evening’s paddle by heading over to Grassy Point. The beach was deserted as we paddled under the fishing pier and along the

sandy shore. It was fully dark now and the lights of Punta Gorda were bright and clear. We reached the beach off Grassy Point, stopped and talked, deciding what to do. No one wanted the paddle to end, but it was getting late, so we reluctantly turned back to the launch area.

Kayaks were loaded, gear was back in the cars and we were headed for home, thinking how lucky we were to live and paddle in such a beautiful area.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet Wednesdays at Port Charlotte Beach at 5:30 PM. Visitors are welcome. For information contact Dave Allen at 941-2352588 or via e-mail to:dlaa@comcast.net

Southwest Florida has seen its share of rain this last month. The coastal waters are now stained and water visibility is very poor. For best results with soft plastics in stained water conditions, use darker colors with a chartreuse tail. Old Bay Side has an assortment of dark colors with a chartreuse tail in the Shrimp, Skeleton Shad and Mud Mino.

Skeleton Shad Shrimp

A selection of Old Baysideʼs bait and new Paradise Poppers are now available at Laishley Marine and at Fishinʼ Franks

Water LIFE

Page 12

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Jeffrey caught this permit while fishing with his dad over the fatherʼs day weekend

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July 2005

MAGAZINE

Throw Back That Mother In Law

By Capt Ri ck Kel l y actually are barbells, which resemble a cat’s Water LIFE whiskers. Some people eat the gaff-topsail Toadfish, I like to call them catfish, but not me. I don’t want Mother-in-Law fish, but to touch them either. I what’s in a name? The guess I am a big mother-in-law fish which sissy. If you is not only ugly, it ever caught one also has a big you probably mouth and there noticed the are lots of them. slime on the It defys my imagline, yuk! to ination Ever heard describe them of the crumore. If they are cifix shell? big enough they It is suppose to are fun to catch, be in the head of a but you don’t want to catfish. I’ll have to The oyster cracking toad fish touch them. take their word on As a matter of fact, I that one. would just as soon The air-puffer cut the line out of fish is one that fear that I might have kids especially to touch one! like. It’s fun to Some ugly fish scratch his tummy have pretty names, and watch him i.e., Sea Robin. blow up. When Some pretty fish you throw him have funny names, back in the water, i.e., squirrelfish or he spins around for pigfish. It makes a few seconds until me wonder who got the air escapes and A common local toadfish the job of naming all then he swims away. the fish?

Yes, there are lots of beautiful fish out Catfish, now there is a name that I guess there, but everyone loves the pretty fish. I makes sense. After all, they do have guess if you were a fish it would pay to be whiskers. Well they look like whiskers, but ugly, because then you too would be a

Cape Coral July 5 thru 15

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July 2005

Water LIFE

Page 13

Water LIFE

Couples Tournament Draws 110 to Burnt Store Page 14

S t aff R eport The rules were simple. Two snapper, one redfish. No wading, no dead fish. There were 110 couples entered. It was windy in the morning with whitecaps on the harbor, but by the 3 pm weigh-in time all that mattered was the heat. “The water temperature is 87 degrees in the harbor,” Capt.

Darrel Carter noted as his wife Gladys got off the boat when they hit the dock and headed for the pool.

We got our first big fish at 6:30 a.m. and then the one we

weighed in came at 8, Carter said.

“We had to keep that fish alive all day.” He added, “It wasn’t easy.”

“We ARE coming in,” another wife said when the weighmaster asked at 2 pm if they were going back out for another fish. It was hot for everyone.

Many anglers reported tough redfishing but plenty of out-ofseason snook. “We waded through the snook all afternoon, but the redfish were hard to come by,” Miles Merridith said. Anglers who caught bait close to the pass reported losing it when they came up the harbor to the east side.

“The water temperature over here is just shocking them,” Eric

Above: Eric and Cristin Castensen Left: Howard and Sharon Jones

July 2005

MAGAZINE

Bing and Jackie Blackburn with their 9.52 pound redfish

Castensen said as he and his wife Cristin weighed in a nice redfish.

It was the little things that set this tournament apart. A big social party and dinner, lipstick and jewelry worn aboard a flats boat, cute sandals and more than

Debbie Hysell with the winning 1.44 pound snapper

one female angler who looked like she fixed her hair a little before coming back to the marina. The big redfish came in with Bing and Jackie Blackburn, a

Above: Ann Haber and Rhett Morris Right: Linda and Lindsay Blackburn

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9.2 pound monster. Rick and Debbie Hysell brought back the big 1.44 pound snapper.

At the captain’s meeting the night before, tournament Director Don Thompson made a point of saying everyone had to be on the boat when a team came to the dock for the weigh-in, but there were several boats manned by men alone.

“We had two menopausal women on board that were making our lives miserable. We needed to get them off the boat ... and out of the sun. I’d rather deal with Don Thompson than those gals any time,” one angler (whose name we shall sympatheticaly not mention) said. It was hot.

Water LIFE

Understanding the Life of a Redfish July 2005

By Betty S taugl er Water LIFE / Sea Grant Redfish, or red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), are one of Florida’s most popular sport fish. The common name red drum comes from the drumming sound they make during spawning or when taken from the water.

Redfish spawn inshore close to tidal inlets through which the young are transported into estuaries. Spawning occurs in late summer and fall. Redfish have an elaborate courtship ritual. Males, sometimes many, follow females for hours at a time, drumming loudly and butting them.

Male color intensifies during courtship and climaxes just after dark when eggs and sperm are released. Females may shed a million eggs at a time. Tiny larval fish hatch in 20 to 30 hours. Larval redfish feed mostly on microscopic plankton, which is their main food while floating into the estuarine nursery areas. The larval stage ends in about 2 1/2 weeks and salinity tolerance starts to be acquired.

Inside the estuary, juveniles settle along the edges of seagrass beds and other vegetation. This habitat protects the small fish until their fins develop enough to avoid predators. At approximately one inch long, redfish school. They are now growing at a rate of one inch or more a month, and reaching 13-14 inches by the end of the first year. Redfish continue to increase length throughout their lives. However, after 3-feet-long they add little length and lots of girth as they age. Redfish mature around 2 to 4 years in age and live for 25 to 35 years.

Young-of-the-year juveniles move in and out of backwater channels and canals as they develop and may remain in the estuary for up to four years. As adults, redfish move out of the estuaries and move into inshore areas to spawn. Thus, repeating the cycle of redfish life.

Data recovered from tagged redfish on the Gulf Coast, indicates that these fish do not travel far from their birth area as 50– to 85-percent of tagged fish were recaptured

within six miles of their original release site.

The fol l owi ng i s some of the redfi sh research acti vi ti es occurri ng l ocal l y: Mote Mari ne Laboratory (MML): Dr. Aaron Adams is evaluating the fisheries within four mangrove creeks along the eastern shore of Charlotte Harbor.

Two creeks are altered and two are natural.

Aaron is evaluating fisheries as a measure of restoration success.

Fi sh & Wi l dl i fe Research Insti tute (FWRI): According to Dr. Phil Stevens and Gregg Poulakis, fishery biologists from FWRI monitor fish densities in the harbor in order to evaluate wildstock populations.

Gregg Poulakis & (FWRI) & Dr. Aaron Adams (MML), have combined efforts and data collected in their individual research in order to better understand the habitat requirements of redfish within Charlotte Harbor. According to Gregg, redfish about 1 inch in size tend to settle out in the rivers and tributaries, around Turtle Bay & and Matlacha Pass from late October to January. 3-5 inch redfish seem to prefer the Peace & Myakka rivers and are found there between December and March. At 58 inches they begin to move down the east and west wall of the harbor. When redfish are 8-12 inches they show up in Bull and Turtle bays and all over the grass flats.

And by the time they reach lengths of greater than 12 inches, approximately one year old, they are found all over the harbor.

Aaron indicated that densities are significantly higher in natural creeks versus altered creeks indicating a preferred habitat and water quality. Aaron also said that the densities in the natural creeks are almost equal to the densities in the estuary near the Myakka mouth. Aaron’s next step will be to identify how many of the estuary redfish came from the creeks. This will involve identifying chemical marker within the ear stones.

S ani bel Capti va Conservati on Foundati on (SCCF) Marine Lab: Are

Toll Free 1-888-543-5330

Page 15

MAGAZINE

Redfish stocking has been accomplished through state run hatchery programs. These kids are working with the grow-out facility at Sanibel.

See related Hatchery Story on page 6

involved in a 3 year study to evaluate preferred fisheries habitat and how water management decisions effect fishery utilization in these habitats.

The S ea Grant Redstart growout faci l i ty located on Sanibel Island at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Ding Darling Preserve released 2,800 fish into Tarpon Bay and lower Pine Island Sound in May. All of the released fish were tagged with wire coated tags and will be studied by the SCCF. According to Dr. Steve Bortone, SCCFs research efforts focus on characterizing the genetic diversity and preferred habitat of wild stock; and determining the survivability and preferred habitat of hatchery-reared Redstart fish that have been released into the Estuary. SCCF have

Mike Panetti

been sampling 200 sites per year in an effort to identify micro habitat features that juvenile redfish may be looking for. Based on this information Redstart fish were released in three locations of prime habitat.

Released fish, which were 4-6 inches in length, were released in three split samples, each a week apart. Half of the released fish were put directly into the wild while the other half were put in a pen for three days in order to better acclimate them to their surroundings. Another 200 tagged fish remain at Redstart and will be evaluated for tag decay and survivability based on tagging and handling techniques.

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Water LIFE

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

4900 RIVERSIDE DRIVE - Beautifully renovated and expanded 2-story historic home on nearly 2 acres on the Peace River with delightful caretaker cottage or mother-inlaw home. Huge family room and master suite overlook the River, 7 original fireplaces, lots of decking for entertaining and enjoying the water views - $1,950,000

413 VALLETTA CT. - 3/2/2 sailboat home on a quiet cul-de-sac with an extra wide canal view in Burnt Store Isles. With tile throughout and almost all new appliances, roof, and kitchen countertop, this home is like new and ready to move in! $649,000

111 DANFORTH - 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2-story home with pool situated on 2 salt waterfront lots just around the corner from Charlotte Harbor with detached RV or toy garage.

Great investment potential on this hurricane damaged home. $795,000

MAGAZINE

323 MARLIN DRIVE - Cute little 2BR/1.5BA salt-waterfront home located in Charlotte Park with a concrete seawall and covered boathouse. Nice neighborhood with well maintained homes; concrete curbing to enhance landscaping; large Florida room overlooking water. $349,900

July 2005

July 2005

2750 Ryan Blvd. - The Ultimate Executive Residence! Largest custom designed home built in PGI on 3 lots w/uncompromising quality. 208 ft. sailboat waterfront - almost 1 acre of tropical grounds - 12,357 sq. ft. of Mediterranean living featuring exquisite detail & craftsmanship - 6 vehicle garage & boat storage - large air-conditioned workshop - Detailed Brochure Available Upon Request - $4,200,000 MLS# 474913

134 Great Isaac Ct. - Spectacular water view - must see to appreciate!

Furnishings available, but not included in list price. $995,000 MLS# 477553

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

3325 Brentwood Ct. - Tip lot - 10 mins. from Ponce & has 300 ft. of open water in front & canal view to the mangroves - you won't find a lot like this anywhere in the Isles. Home has full diagonal 17 in. tile, Corian counters, 4 BR & den, paver lanai, pool & spa plus 75 ft. of dock. House is hurricane damaged & being sold 'AS IS' - below current flood elevation. Bring your contractor - should be repairable. Washer/Dryer do not convey. $1,200,000.

MLS# 475266

610 Andros Ct. - Truly Outstanding Executive Residence - 2-story home handsomely decorated - located in power boat section w/wide canal view & quick access to Harbor via Bass Inlet - underground utilities - master suite conveniently located on the ground level w/additional 2 BR/1 BA upstairs open floor plan - family room - hurricane shutters to completely enclose lanai area - only minutes to Fisherman's Village. $699,000 MLS# 476876

Page 17

2240 Bayview Rd. - Sailboater's paradise !! 2 mins. to Harbor - deep sailboat draft - beautiful, large 3 BR/2 BA home in perfect condition & shows like the day it was built - Extremely well-maintained - will not last long ! Master bath jet tub & guest BR bidet - sold 'AS IS' $735,000 MLS# 475632

Page 18

Water LIFE

S h a r k To u r n a m e n t

July 2005

MAGAZINE

In spite of the weather, anglers flock to ʻeverymanʼsʼ event

Staff Report Tropical Storm Arlene had just passed by.

Winds were 15 to 20, seas 4 to 7 feet, a Small Craft Advisory had been issued. What perfect weather for Fishin Frank’s annual shark, stingray and sailcat tournament. It wouldn’t be a shark tournament if the weather was good, Frank commented.

Registrations started at 3 pm Saturday. At first there were only 50 people who signed up. The weather didn’t look that bad. The afternoon forecasts were for 3 to 5 feet by midnight and some more people trickled in.

Registrations went to 70 then 100. Word spread. You going? Yeah, how about you ...well...yeah, sure. Registrations went to 100 then 150. Big hooks , stout leader, frozen mullet, bonita and jacks started to sell. The registration line got longer; 200 people and finally 259 brave souls, no make that avid shark fishermen wound up going out.

This tournament starts on Saturday night and finishes up on Sunday morning. 259 went out and 259 came back. Good news already.

Stories varied among the 50 or so anglers who brought back their catch to the weigh in. Some reports were of a lot of small sharks, but the 7 and 8 footers sprawled out on the pavement in front of the store and the big stingrays and the abundance of catfish said this was another great event, if you’re into this sort of thing.

The tide was going out, the wind was blowing in the opposite direction and the boat just lay sideways and rolled. It was the first time I almost got sick on a flats boat,

one angler commented. The closest we got to Johnson’s shoal was thinking about going out the pass. It was nasty, he added.

Johnson’s shoal is the sandy south side of Boca Grande Pass where big sharks like to hang and shark anglers usually put out their bait. Not a lot of boats out there last night another angler noted, but there were some.

George Schwatrz and Ritchie LeRoy team Superior Roofing - were two. We fished the south side. I lost a bigger Hammer at about 7:30 when the tide was running and then we got a good sized lemon at 8:30 that took us an hour to land. After that we moved inside to Placida and then El Jobean to look for catfish. The Superior lemon shark was in fact superior for a while, at least until Larry McLean and Wayne Nichols pulled up curbside and dragged a bigger lemon out of the back of their truck.

The crowd speculated among themselves for a moment whether that shark was bigger and team Superior Roofing held their breath... at least until Larry and Wayne dragged out their big gun, a fat bull shark that was clearly bigger. And team Superior went passed second to third.

“Caught it outside Boca Grande,” Larry said, using a live 15 pound jack for bait on an $8 16-0 Moo-2 welded eye hook. We fished for a while before it got started. We just let all our bait lay in the livewell, live and dead all together, all bloody. We’d switch on the livewell pump every now and then for a while and let that stuff ooze out. Not continued on facing page

SAILING: PGSC @ WFLA PHRF

By Bi l l Di x o n Water LIFE Sailing On June 18 I went to the West Florida PHRF annual meeting with Jerry Haller and Chuck Taylor from the PGSC board. I was elected to the rating committee along with Jerry Haller, PGSC's '05 Race Committee chair. Charlotte Harbor was poorly represented and we need to do better in the future.

PGSC regular club series races are larger than everyone but Davis Island. The Conquistador Cup, the Leukemia Cup and the Golden Conch are as big as anybody's major regattas. In season, PPYC has an active fleet, and both PGBC and IYC stage some "fun" races with PHRF sized boats.

We need to be better represented on the Rating Committee and also the WFPHRF board. Step up and volunteer, it is important.

It wasn't much of a business meeting, but I did learn that there is a rating appeal procedure, two in fact. You can appeal your own handicap as too strict and also you can appeal someone else's handicap as to

lenient. I can tell you that whining to members of the Rating Committee may be counter productive. File an appeal or live with it.

Member winners of Charlotte Harbor Boat of the year awards included: Spi nnaker 1st Peter New, Crime June Summer Series Race Scene; 2nd Dave Flechsig, Rooster Tail; 3rd Bob Knowles, Bamma Slammer.

Mul ti hul l 1st Tom Bragaw, Bahama Hunter; 2nd Robert Libbey, Anhinga. No n s pi nnaker 2nd George Buckingham, Learning to Fly , Crui s i ng 1st Roger Rommel, Desert Fox ; 2nd Rudy Gottschlich, Div a Gorda; 3rd Chuck Taylor, Ironic Breeze.

July 2005

SHARK continued from facing page

Water LIFE

Page 19

MAGAZINE

on the line, right at dusk, for a short while, but couldn’t land it. The bull came just after 10 pm. He fought for a while but once I put the flying gaf in em’ it was over Larry said.

Their lemon shark came later. “We had him and then he was off, I was reeling in my line and I had the leader all over the deck. The bait was four feet behind the boat and that lemon hit it again.”

The big bull measured 84 1/8 inches and the lemon measured 82 3/4. good enough for a first and second. In all there were 14 sharks brought in, three rays, the biggest of which was almost 4-feet across and caught by James Jones and a whopping 37 catfish.

“Catfishing was the best we’ve seen in a while,” Frank commented as he awarded his own father the $1,00 first place prize for his 4.35 pound catch. “He earned it,” Frank said, and Frannk’s fishin’ father knodded in agreement.

SUNRISE POINTE CONDOMINIUMS on Manasota Key. Pre-construction prices for deluxe 2 bedroom 2 bath to 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath condos with Gulf and Bay views. These units have 10 foot ceilings, garages, private elevators, large balconies and some boat docks.

This complex is directly across the street from Englewood Beach. Prices start in the low 700's.

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In this tournament there are no live releases but the shark meat goes to the dinner table and researchers from FMRI sample the skin bone and tissue of the animals for ongoing research.

2153 Palm Tree Dr. P.G.I. - Cleared lot ready for building Awesome wide open view of Charlotte Harbor. MLS # 421393 Offered at $1,100,000 Donʼt Miss This One... Wonʼt Last Long!

224 Colony Point Rd - Great waterfront home on a fabulous lot in a very desirable part of PGI, within walking distance of historic Ponce De Leon Park. This 2/2/2 is Florida living at its finest. With only minutes to the harbor, this deal will not last long. Call today for more details. $649,000. MLS# 472799

447 Japura St - Great large family home, on one of best lots with fresh water canal.

Home is in the quiet Deep Creek neighborhood. Home has a new roof, new carpet, new tile, and all bedrooms have walk in closets. Call today this deal will not last long. $239,000 MLS# 471952

Enjoy fantastic sunrises and sunsets from this beautiful penthouse condo on Manasota Key. Move in this Barefoot Beach 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath Gulfside unit the end of June.

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1316 Monte Carlo - Three bedroom, 3.5 Bath waterfront home with a contemporary flair. Completely refurbished- freshly painted, new carpet, all new appliances, new landscape curbing.

Pool cage is under contract and is included in the price of the home. $649,000 MLS# 469584

535 Boardman Drive Come build your dream home in Punta Gorda.

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Call today! $449,000 MLS#472146

Page 20

Whatʼs Selling NOW Area Real Estate Trends

Water LIFE

This is NOT an Ad

Factual Information compiled by Ellen Heller, Water LIFE publisher and a licensed realtor, using records from the Charlotte County Association of Realtors MLS database. Call 941-766-8180 for additional information.

This month we look at recent transactions in the Nokomis / Venice / Osprey area.

Carnoustie- Golf course home on a lake in a gated community with 2 courses. It was built in 1988 with 3BD/2BA and 2,445 sq ft. On June 1 of this year it sold for $10,000 over its asking price of $429,900. Prior to that it sold in June of 2003 for $282,500.

Lakeside - Beautiful three bedroom, pool home with a dock on a fresh water lake. Almost 25 years old this home was built in 1976 with 1,770 square feet and 3 bedrooms 2 baths. In June 2000 it sold for $155,000 and more recently in 2005 for $275,000.

Tortuga - This secluded piece of property overlooking a bayou and wild life preserve was purchased in 2001 as vacant land for $215,000. With a 1500 square foot house to store the kayaks behind, it sold in 3 short days for the full asking price of $364,900.

Hemingway - Almost ten years old this lake front house in Venice has 1,542 square feet of living, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Fresh water lake is good for fishing, canoeing, both at once or separately. In June 2003 it sold for $175,000, 2 years later for $275,000.

Myakka - Built in 1959 and typical in style of many of the early Florida summer homes with angle in slant to the rear windows and now enclosed Fl room. Double lot with Myakka river and harbor access it sold in 1987 for just $78,000 and in May '05 for $367,000.

Scherer - Newer home built in 2003, it has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2300 square feet of space. This home is on a private pond with wilderness area around in Osprey near Venice. It sold new in 2003 for $354,000 and was pending, and sold, in 10 days, this May, for $538,900.

Garland - This Nokomis home was built in 1977 on a canal with two bridges (no sailboats) out to the intracoastal waterway for gulf access. Twenty one years after it was built, it sold for $118,000 and more recently in '05 for $383,000 almost $66,000 less than asking price.

Screaming Reels

July 2005

MAGAZINE

Capt. Andy Medina took Cody Bollinger out to fish last month.

Cody was a Top 5 finisher in last yearʼs Kids Cup. On the way back to the ramp they spent time removing old lines and lures from the bushes across from Ponce Park. “ʻIt takes a boat to get this stuff,” Capt Medina said, noting that other boaters should feel free to help.

By Capt. Andrew Medi na Wat er LIFE Tournam ent Gui de As July begins, you should start noticing the water in most of the harbor as well as in the back country has turned dark. This is due to the push of fresh water we have been blessed with in the last couple of weeks. The Charlotte Harbor estuary is more than used to this condition, but anglers may not be.

Redfish and snook will both adapt to these conditions easily. The fish deal with this every year during rainy season. If the fish can adapt, so can the anglers, but right now it may take a little more thinking to find and catch the fish you are targeting.

Here are a few tips, that have proven to work for me. First remember where you found, or saw redfish and snook last. Just because the water is darker that doesn’t mean the fish are not there. You just can’t see them.

Try throwing top water baits first thing in the morning, such as Chug Bugs, or the Super Spook juniors. Fish hunt on noise and vibration, and nothing stirs up the water like a top water plug being retrieved in a walk-the-dog fashion.

The biggest mistake anglers make while using a top water plug comes when a fish actually takes the lure. Most anglers will try to set the hook when they see the fish boil on the lure. What this does is pull the lure out of the fishes mouth and in some cases out of the strike zone, so he may not take another crack at it.

When the fish boils, keep working the lure until you feel the weight of the fish on the line. Then drive it home. This way you know the fish has the bait.

Another good method of attracting fish

in dark water is to use a popping cork.

Popping corks work basically the same as top water baits, but instead of mimicking a bait fish the popping cork imitates the sound of another fish striking a bait. That, in turn, attracts other fish in search of a meal.

There are many different floats on the market. Cajun’s Thunder, Old Bayside’s Paradise Popper, and some made by D.O.A. If you ask me which ones are best, I would say the Paradise Popper is built strongest of all of them. Try throwing a popping cork with a Rip Tide Realistic Nite Shrimp on about 24-inches of fluorocarbon leader. This same popping cork can be used with a live shrimp and makes it much easier for a predatory fish, such as trout or redfish, to find a bait in darker water. And does color matter?

Orange, yellow, green?? I haven’t ever noticed a difference in deeper water, using this kind of set up.

Concentrate on out-flows or creeks where the water is coming out, on a falling tide, this is where water collected over a water shed will wash small grass shrimp and crabs towards the Harbor.

Where it empties you will find small predator fish such as pinfish and some bigger fish feeding on the pinfish, and so on.

There is still plenty of white bait at the markers and it’s not hard to net. Threadies and greenbacks are the live bait of choice since they are the natural food source of reds and snook during the summer. It’s going to be hard to beat the shimmering flash of a hardy green back and a 1⁄4 once jig head will keep the bait where you want it until that big red wants to eat. So get out and give these techniques a try. Be safe on the water and just have fun.

Fish Hook Removal

Cap t Andrew Medi na can b e reached

1. Form a loop using some extra line.

2. Put the loop over the shank of the embedded hook 3. Push down on the skin and pull the hook out using the loop

Water LIFE

Kids Fishing Camp in Englewood

July 2005

Page 21

MAGAZINE

Half or Full

Light Tackle

Capt. Andrew Medina

A Total Backwater Adventure

(941) 456-

Shallow water wade fishing is one of the fun subjects covered in the annual Englewood Kids Fishing Camp.

By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Staff Can you remember the first fish you ever caught?

That question came up the other day and it made me search my own rusty memory to a time when I was 8 years old, spending two weeks at old Camp Wing in Duxsbury Massachusetts. One day we went down to the dock at the small pond next to the camp to take out the row boats that were there for the campers. Unfortunately someone discovererd I had not passed the required swim test to be on the lake so I was grounded at the dock while the others headed out on the pond. A real trauma for an 8 year old.

A short time later one of the counselors came by and wanted to know what I was doing all by myself and I told him my tale of woe. We both agreed it was a tough break, but rules are rules and he suggested that I fish off the dock. I said it sounded ok to me, but I didn't know how to fish. He said no problem, he would help me get started.

He took an old fishing rod that was by the boathouse and gave it to me along with a few slices of white bread.

He showed me how to take a small piece of bread and roll it between my fingers into a small ball and place it just on the tip of the hook. He helped me lower it into the water and told me to be very still until I felt a little tap, then raise the rod; not too hard and not too fast. I followed his advice and in about a minute up came a fish. He grabbed the line and took the fish off and held it in his hand to show me. It was about 4 inches long with big eyes, a red belly and a green body. That was a bluegill he said and he told me if I could fish I would never go hungry.

Here it is 50 years latter and I still remember what that guy told me and the joy I felt catching that little bluegill. A few minutes of his time turned out to be one of the most precious gifts I ever received.

When it comes to kids you never know how one small act of kindness will effect their lives. Here we are at the second Kids Cup Tournament where some of the best junior anglers will be trying their luck for fame and glory. Each one of them has probably been fishing a hundred times already in their young careers, coached and tutored by family and friends to become skillful fishing competitors. But what about the other kids that may not have all that help, shouldn't they get a chance to feel the joy of fishing ?

Of course they should. That's why six years ago we started the Kids Fishing Camp in Englewood. Once again this year camp starts on Monday, July 25 and runs through Friday, July 29. We will be taking about a dozen kids fishing at various locations around the

Englewood area. We do a little wading and some beach and pier fishing so the kids can have a good time and see if fishing is something they might enjoy. If you know of any kids that might enjoy the camp I think there are a few spaces still available. The cost is $30 for the week and you can get information and register at the Englewood Sports Complex at 1300 S. River Road or call 861-1980.

Usually the big finale of fish camp is a trip offshore on the "Fish Finder" out of the Englewood Bait House.

Capt Jack Pearson is always great with the kids and always helps us out financially. We definitely run things on a shoestring budget, but as luck would have it weather has caused us to cancel the trip three years in a row.

So I'm going to try something different this year. I’ll try to get a few friends to volunteer their time and their boats to take the kids fishing for a few hours in Lemon Bay. If you have a boat (it doesn't have to be a fancy boat) and you are willing to donate a few hours of your time on the morning of Friday July, 29th to take a few kids fishing, give me a call at 474-3474. Here is your chance to be a hero and pass on that joy of fishing to the future generation.

Capt. Ron can be reached at 474-3474 for fishing infor-

Charters

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

Capt Jim OʼBrien

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

TnT Tailwalkers

Back Bay and Flats Fishing

Captain Jerry Tomas

Above: Teach me to fish and Iʼll never go hungry

Below: The Kids Fishing Camp anglers

941/815-1495 Toll Free 877/675-1982 USCG licensed

(941) 624-3774

Page 22

Water LIFE

July 2005

MAGAZINE

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BRAND NEW HOME near golf courses, minutes from I 75. $234,900 MLS# 466847 Call Dennis of Duffy's Realty Station Inc. at 1-877-564-6767 or (941)697-1523.

NEWLY CONSTRUCTED 3/2 home in the fast growing community of South Gulf Cove. Close to beaches, schools and shopping. $279,000. MLS# 476501 Call Ty Hartley of Duffy's Realty Station Inc. at (941) 270-2353 or (941)698-1500

ENJOY THE FLORIDA LIFESTYLE at its best in this Gulf access home. Only one bridge to Charlotte Harbor.Pool area great for entertaining. $579,000 MLS# 470102. Call Kelly Parker or Mark Becton of Duffy's Realty Station Inc. at (941)294-1039, (941)628-6894 or (941)697-1523

GREAT ROTONDA 3/2 HOME in Golfing community.

Beautiful sunsets and gorgeous views. professionally landscaped. Room for a pool. $320,000 MLS# 468466 Call The Peerce Team of Duffy's Realty Station Inc. at 1-866-620-3990 or (941)698-1500

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OVERSIZES RESIDENTIAL LOT located in fast growing South Gulf Cove. MLS# 477885. $449,900. Please Call The Martin & Dunagan Team of Duffy's Realty Station Inc. at (941)662-0323 or (941)662-5763.

July 2005

Now is the time for all good souls to really bend that rod.

By Fi shi n’ Frank Water LIFE Senior Guide It is happening now. Fish are being caught that weigh hundreds of pounds. What are you doing that even comes close to that kind of adrenaline rush?

You hear people talk about the tarpon and sharks, and some day you want that exotic vacation of a lifetime... well it is right here in your back yard right now. I’m talking about blood pumping pulse pounding fishing.

This year I saw a shark in the pass that gave me nightmares. No kidding it was that big. If he bit my boat, he could sink it in seconds and the really scary part was he was so quiet – no growling, no splashing, just swish. It still gives me the Willies. You would think a shark that big would have it's own theme music playing when it arrived...like in the movies. His appearance plays like a slow motion movie in my mind. Rising from the water like a U-Boat, this shark was old and battle scarred. A couple of years ago a boat rammed a similar giant shark.

The shark turned grabbed the stainless steel propeller on a 200 H.P. outboard, which was in gear and running at about 1200 R.P.M. The shark bit the prop, stalled the motor and bent two of the three blades. After getting rid of the noise maker he went over and took a 120 pound tarpon for a snack, then he sank back in to the depths again – black silent death from below. How unbelievable and how cool is that? These things actually happen here!

Now lets switch to the fish that we can eat, instead of the other way around. Talk about good eating. Shell crackers, blue gills, and panfish of all kinds are being caught in almost every local freshwater pond, canal and lake.

This is fishing at its purest: a pole, some line a hook and a worm. Kick back let the world spin by while you relax.

Lake Betty has had good shell cracker action as do the canals along midway, and the bridges on Washington Loop. They are all hot.

Our Shark Sailcat and Sting Ray tournament was almost held up this year. I always said the only way we

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Jessie Daughtery landed this 14-pound redfish and released it at Pirate Harbor. Jessie will be fishing in the Kids Cup.

would not have the tournament was if a Category 1 hurricane hit. Well, it almost came by that Friday night. We did not officially give the tourney a ‘go’ until noon on Saturday but there were still 269 people in for the annual Fishin’ Franks Severe Weather Challenge. Larry Mac from Murdock Rental picked up $1,130 for his bull shark at 84 3/8"inches to the fork and about 400 pounds. The big sting ray paid $800 and was 44 inches across. And the 4.33 pound sailcat got $1,130, not bad for a catfish. Each category paid back four places and there was no shortage of big fish.

During the tournament we found the law is very poorly written concerning daily bag limits. In order to be able to have more than one daily bag limit of a fish on your boat, you must have been out for more than 24 hours and have at least two licensed captains on board. If you leave at 10 p.m. and keep your bag limit just because the clock says 12:01 a.m. the next day, the extra fish could get you

ScuttleButt Sometimes Unsubstanciated ... but often true!

Grouper Changes The NMFS plans new restrictions on the recreational fishing for red grouper. The proposed actions are to lower the aggregate grouper bag limit to 3 grouper and only one can be a red grouper. Also prohibiting the recreational take of all red grouper for 4 months. CCA Florida has requested that the Florida Wildlife Commission become actively involved in this issue to prevent the virtual elimination of recreational fishing for red grouper. CCA has urged FWC to request public hearings in Florida before taking any action determine the economic impact on the recreational fishery.

Bureaucracy at Work Doing Nothing The Charlotte Harbor Hurricane Charley Clean Up Task Force Group, met for the first time on June 15, almost 10 months to the day after the storm, and officially decided to form a sub committee to decide what the purpose of the committee is.

ramp... but has neglected to approve the $2.0 million to actually develop it!

A Few Can Spoil it for Us All These anglers (above) walking to the Bass Inlet Bridge werenʼt the problem, but some other anglers have been leaving trash all over the area and thatʼs just what it will take for the city to close off fishing in this area for us all.

All Ramped Up Charlotte County has agreed to pay $3.5 million to buy a 2.9 acre site for another new boat

Beer Sales Soaring Word has leaked out from those deeply involved in the reconstruction of the local Budwieser plant that the facility will be back up and running late this month or in early August. In spite of (because of?) the hurricane induced problems, beer sales in this county are at a record level. Blame that on all the contractors here to help fix the hurricane damage.

Big O in Danger Lake Okeechobee is choked with runoff and in danger of becoming chemically imbalanced. ʻWe could lose the entire lake this year, if something isnʼt done,ʼ one Big O guide commented in late June.

Redfish Cup The date is not set in stone, but it looks like the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup will be coming back to Punta Gorda in September of 2006.

Page 23

a ticket, but how do you prove when you left the dock so you can prove that more than 24 hours has elapsed?

Some good places to catch sharks from shore are the Placida trestle, Shark's pier in Venice, and the Bayshore pier in Charlotte Harbor.

Redfish have been at at the 41 bridges and the north end was in the ‘wow’ mode before all the run off arrived.

Dead shrimp are number one bait – hard to believe but it is true for redfish in summer. During this time of the year, dead – maybe even a little rotten – shrimp is the best redfish bait.

The Peace River should be getting its annual dose of lady fish, jacks, rat reds, sail cats, and tarpon, but that isn’t the case because there is still too much run off.

Some of the Johnny-come-lately local fishing writers have been talking about problems with not enough fish.

Well they can kiss my mushroom-anchor and then they ought to read a little. Yes, in 1993 and 1994 we did have depleted stocks of fish. Redfish were just recovering from the blackened cooking craze that almost wiped them out, but today we have many times the amount of fish that we had just ten years ago. We’ve had too much rain and too many red tides that all take their toll, but fish do not have anchors in their butts. They move around; one day here, over there the next, to stay ahead of problems.

You decide, go out and look at what splendor the harbor is. Spend some time on the water, you'll see dozens of boats catching fish and using good release practices. We are smarter and better informed anglers today than the world has ever seen.

Come out enjoy the waters of Charlotte County it is truly an angler's paradise, Fishin’ Frank can be reached for information or to schedule a guided fishing trip at 625-3888

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Page 24

Bob & Johanne Wallace

Water LIFE

Offshore Report

941-625-4240 888-391-4240

e-mail: johanne@flgulfhomes.com www.flgulfhomes.com

3408 Peace River Dr.Rarely available riverfront stunlot with absolutely ning view and the most glorious sunrises imaginable! Oversized (approximately 80' x 170') and lushly landscaped. On one of the very nicest streets in Harbour Heights where most of the properties are oversized. Concrete seawall, dock, and 8,000-pound boatlift already in place. Deep water right at the dock and sailboat access is only limited by the US41 and I75 bridges - both 45'. No deed restrictions and no scrub jays. [Photo was not enhanced - this is a real sunrise picture.] MLS# 471217 Offered at $700,000

Looking for Sailboat Water?

3413 De Soto Dr.- A home that helped establish the Rutenberg builderʼs reputation on a lot with 150ʼ of concrete seawall. Please come take a look at this charming 2/2 with a sunroom, 352 sq ft garage, huge laundry & storage room, and large lanai. It's on a 15,000 sq ft lot in wonderful Harbour Heights and just 1500 ft to the Peace River. The only bridges between it and the Gulf of Mexico are US41 and I75, both 45' tall. MLS # 479479 Offered at $400,000.

By Capt. Stev e Skev i ng to n Water LIFE Offshore The Kingfisher Fleet The month of June has been some of the best grouper fishing I’ve seen in a great while. Depths of 80-100 feet are holding some absolutely huge red grouper.

Drift-fishing with both live and dead bait works wonders on these fish. Terminal tackle would include leaders of 80-pound fluorocarbon and at least a 5/0 hook.

Keep a sharp eye peeled this month and next for mahi mahi if your fishing any deeper than 70 feet.

These little speedsters will show up right under your boat – so have some lighter tackle ready and waiting.

Last month we saw a lot of large permit on the near shore wrecks. These guys should hang around Karl Bhenke brought this 62 pound gag grouper up from the depths 100 miles offshore, fishing from Ray Smithʼs 38-foot Fountain with for about another month.

Scott Davis and Steve Lambart aboard in June. Squid was the bait.

Live jumbo shrimp and small crabs are the ticket.

Terminal tackle includes fluo- less than spectacular, followed grouper. Terminal Tack le for rocarbon leader and a very full by big jumps and super fast them is at least 100-pound line spool of 20-30-pound line, so runs. For the most strikes, try and 9/0 hook. I like to fish trolling the artificial reefs and these guys in no more than 60 be ready for long, fast runs. feet of water, bringing them up One fish you can count on wrecks.

If you in the mood for a real in shallower water makes them all month long is the great barracuda. Here’s a fish that just back breaking fish, try drop- easier to release, and there’s refuses to let a flashy lure go ping down a big blue runner or something satisfying about by. On a flat, calm day, a cuda other large fish on one of these releasing fish that big.

Have a lot of fun this strike on the surface is nothing same wrecks for a goliath

New Gulf Front Condos on Manasota Key

Doug & Judy Kaff

Single Family Gulf Front Home

Beautiful Coral Creek

Easy access to the intercoastal.

18000 sq ft lot with deeded dock space in gated and deed restricted community. $220,000

July 2005

MAGAZINE

Judy Kaff

New 3br, 2 1/2 bath units, some available 1st Quarter 2005.

Great beach, great views: BAREFOOT BEACH: Unit 501 with partial Gulf view – $785,000 Unit 303 direct Gulf front view – $1,050,000 Call for additional details.

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Manasota Key Condo

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Water LIFE

July 2005

Page

MAGAZINE

25

Sale Pending Meticulously maintained Deep Creek heated pool home on quiet cul-de-sac. 3/2/2, 2064 sq. ft, built in 2002. This truly beautiful home has a list of extras a mile long, which include lighted plant shelves, double French doors from dining room to kitchen, and from master bedroom to lanai. Oversized garage with single doors, security system, childsafe pool, well and irrigation system, 7 ceiling fans, 3 bay windows, whole-house water filtration system, automatic pool cleaner system‌..and the list goes on! MLS # 469141 $369,900 Call Ellen Today!

HARBOR ACCESS

Saltwater canal with concrete seawall and 10x20 dock new as of 2002. Cleared lot ready to build on. View of island behind home for privacy and it is only 15 minutes to the harbor. You don't want to miss this one, best price in area. MLS# 473223. $369,900 Call Ellen Today!

DEEP CREEK POOL HOME

Ready for new owner. 3/2/2, 1831 sq. ft., built in 1987, liv. & fam rm, cathedral ceilings, breakfast bar & nook, security system, lots of storage, new roof, 2 skylights, beautiful new stainless steel range, refrigerator & dishwasher, 4 walk-in closets, kitchen w/pass-thru to lanai, 2 pantries, inside laundry. 1. MLS #466586. $279,900 Call Ellen Today!

Beautiful Deep Creek pool home, 4/2/2, built in 2002, located on quiet culde-sac in beautiful garden-like setting. Living and family room, ceramic tile in all rooms and Berber carpet in bedrooms. Plant shelves, eight ceiling fans, French doors from master to lanai, deep well for water irrigation.

Shows like a model! MLS #477487, $369,900. Call Ellen today!

L a k e s i d e Plantation 3/2/2 home in gated community, built in 2003, 1906 sq. ft. , living, family, and office could be 4th bedroom. Beautiful hardwood floors in foyer, hallway and family room. Tile in kitchen, nook, baths and laundry. volume ceilings. Cherry wood cabinets, corian countertops, volume ceilings, deluxe lighting package, beautiful view of lake. Nothing to do to this one, just move in! MLS #477099, $349,900. Call Ellen today!

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Water LIFE

NEW TECHNOLOGY: Geo Tubes could slow sand build up at Stump Pass Page

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S t aff R eport As you read this, works is underway on a 1-million dollar first of its kind beach erosion control system at Stump Pass. Sponsored by Charlotte County, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Parks and Recreation, the goal of the project is to reduce the amount of sand moving into the pass channel and to stabilize the beach in and around the project area.

Last year scientists acquired detailed information on water flow at the proposed site through placement of monitoring instruments as well as a detailed beach survey.

According to the engineers, the result was the design

July 2005

MAGAZINE

of a low profile stabilization system utilizing geo-textile technology. Geo textile technology is fancy talk for big plastic bags filled with sand.

The system consists of 6 ‘tubes’ varying in circumference, spacing and length. The system is being overlaid on an area of about 700 feet approximately 2,000 feet from the inlet on the north side.

Post project surveys will be completed to help establish a baseline from which progress will be measured over the next 3 years. Careful consideration will be given to environmental concerns including monitoring for turtle nesting and shorebird activity.

Additional expenses are being expended to closely match the native sand by wrapping the geo-textile tube with an external highstrength color-correct fabric.

What effect boaters who anchor in the area will have on the material is not yet clear, nor is the snagging factor posed by fish hooks.

A Geo Tube on dry land

Learning About Manatees: For Kids, it Depends on the Teacherʼs Perspective

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE editor This story begins in late September of 1998. I had come back from lunch one day to find a thick, brown manila envelope on my desk. The return address on it was from the DeSoto Middle School. Inside were 21 letters from the sixth-grade class there.

I read each and every letter and two phrases stood out from every one.

“Please don’t take down the speed limit signs,” “Please don’t kill the manatees” the letters all said. So, I headed over to Arcadia to talk with Sue McElroy, the teacher at DeSoto Middle School who addressed the envelope with 21 letters in it from her 6th grade class.

I checked in at the principal’s office.

On the wall hung a big bronze and wood plaque: “Sue McElroy: Teacher of the year.” it said. This wasn’t going to be easy.

I explained the situation and showed the envelope full of letters to the principal. He frowned, and then lead me down the hall to Mrs McElroy’s classroom.

There were no kids in the room, but Mrs. McElroy was at her desk. She was bright, educated and polite lady – she appeared to be just the kind of person you’d want teaching kids.

Mrs McElroy’s homeroom class had pictures of manatees and eagles and dol-

phins pasted on the walls above the blackboards. Local animals in a local classroom. Good stuff, for sure. No? But, when I asked her about the letters she stammered and sidestepped and said she had put a story I had written previously on the class bulletin board.

She said the kids read my story and came to that conclusion on their own.

That didn’t sound right to me.

I pressed the issue a little further.

The story I wrote was entitled Manatee Misinformation. It was about the ‘bunk’ the Manatee Club was putting out at the time. I had the very edition she was talking about in my truck outside.

I’ll be right back, I said.

When I produced the story in print and asked her to show me exactly where I said those things Mrs. McElroy admitted it was she, who had told the kids what to write. “But that’s what you meant,” she said adamantly.

It was the classic case of a sincere educated environmentalist making things worse by trying to help.

Actually, we were on the same page, Mrs. McElroy and I; neither of us wanted to see any harm come to the manatee. The only difference was, I was driven by facts and the idea that more science was needed to help the manatee while Mrs. McElroy simply assumed

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what she had learned from the Manatee Club was right. Bad assumption.

At the time the manatee club was running a state subsidized ‘education’ program in which they put out their version of the facts for the academic community which in turn spread it through the school system. I don’t think you could graduate from middle school in Sarasota County if you didn’t go see the manatee Snooty at the Parker Aquarium at least once. And poor Snooty, I found out, had been held there as an isolated captive for 40 years, contained in a stark concrete pool with no greenery or natural foliage what-so-ever. And he’s still there today.

That day became a turning point for me. Mrs McElroy taught me that if we are going to have our kids grow up on the water and really learn to protect and respect all the creatures around then we better have experienced teachers to show them how to do it right How do you spot a manatee on the water? How do you release a fish after catching it? How do you untangle a bird from someone else’s left over fishing line? Who knows the right answers to those questions?

Fishing guides know, that’s who.

As it turns out my realization was not unique. At the very same time I

was pondering that question, a man by the name of Jerry Jensen was putting together a program to have local fishing guides teach an 8-week course about local fishing to 7th grade kids in the Charlotte County middle school system.

Jerry’s idea was for a fishing class where kids could learn about local fishing from local guides, and if they had questions about manatees or dolphins or eagles or other creatures, they could ask someone who saw those creatures and interacted with them on a daily basis.

It just made sense.

Jerry and I became friends through the old Charlotte Coastal Conservation Association and today we are working together on the Don Ball School of Fishing program. Jerry sets up the classes and the guides who teach them, and our publication provides the financial resources through the Kids Cup Tournament. No one profits from this except the kids.

Local guides teaching local kids in local schools about the local environment. It doesn’t get any better then that and when those kids grow up they will be prepared to protect our resources based on their own experiences. That’s what learning is all about.

Serving Lunch & Dinner

Water LIFE

July 2005

MAGAZINE

For Fishing or Real Estate: Just Ask The Captain

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BUILDING This New House Part 2: PAPERWORK AND PERMITTING

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By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE editor You’d think it would be easy: Get someone to draw up some plans, take them down to the building department, pay a fee and get your building permit. If you were Bob Villa maybe it would work that way, but if you’re Joe Blow you’d be dead wrong. First of all, in a county where there are 18,000 homes and businesses being demolished nothing comes easy, or fast. Architects are backed up for months. If engineering is a nightmare then getting concrete is like finding gold. The story we were hearing in May was that August was the soonest most people would be able to even get a builder to talk to them about drawing up new plans.

Now, with all the rain in June, (19 inches in Port Charlotte) things have slowed down even more and complaints about new roofs leaking are tying up the lines even more.

“In general, everything is running seven weeks late,” one contractor told us, blaming the problem on shortages in materials, the rain and the fact that motivated by greed many sub contractors have taken on an unreasonable load of work and are now trying to divide their time between too many jobs. ‘Many builders are doing a little work in a lot of places and nothing gets finished on time’ was the perspective we heard most often.

Add to that the fact that the work force of laborers is stretched thin, and that contractors are pirating laborers from each other and you have the recipe for seven week delays if not more.

The biggest holdup in the building process right now is concrete. Blocks are available, but concrete in a truck is a delicacy. Only a few big customers are able to put cement on order and have it delivered on time, and even the biggest users of concrete have to plan ahead. If you are working with a small time builder, two months could easily be the waiting time for a delivery of cement. Our neighbors across the street waited a month for a 10-yard concrete order for their driveway. Then it started raining and their order was rescheduled for a month later.

Part of the problem is that three months ago CMEX the Mexican giant in the cement industry took over the concrete plant in Punta Gorda. With that sale a lot of the local goodole-boy concrete connections went away. The result is a lot of builders are pouring concrete whenever they can get it.

With the rain, it takes a lot longer to finish off the surface so on some nights we have seen concrete laborers working under the headlights of their cars.

Another stumbling block in the construction process is the flood plane elevation. Many houses being rebuilt have to be built on elevated foundations.

On our own house we spent $1,600 for an engineering survey of our property. For that we got a detailed report on sub surface investigation and how to build on our lot.

The primary caveat was: scrape the lot down to the natural surface elevation, then dig the footers at least 18 inches below the surface. When adding fill to raise the elevation do

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

It takes this much paper to apply for a building permit

so in 10 inch to 1-foot ‘lifts’ with compaction between each lift to a density of 95-percent. That all takes more time and material. Unfortunately, what we are seeing around town now are builders who are piling dirt up three or four feet high and pouring a slab on top of it. We think this leads to settlement cracks and problems down the road.

Our plans went to the building department on June 17, almost 10 months to the day after the hurricane hit. We’re in the system now, but the zoning department we were told only has one examiner today, and some of their other staff are on vacation. We’re waiting again.

Permit applications are not just looked at and stamped.

Permits go through numerous different departments in the county before they are approved, and you need more than just a simple set of plans to build your house.

First you need a survey, then you need engineered drawings of the structure. Then you need engineered drawings of the roof trusses you plan to use. If you are building a two story, like we are, you need engineered drawings of the upstairs flooring system as well. You need a list of the subcontractors signed by each and every one of them, you need window attachment schedules and you need energy calculations.

Energy calculations were new to me, and luckily my friend Bob Wills of Dolphin Air sat down with me at Hooters one day last month and explained the procedure.

The plans are examined for material, type of construction and exposure to the sun. All the data is fed into a computer program and the efficiency of the house is determined. That number is then correlated to the size air conditioning unit your plans will have to specify. There are supply and return air ducts required and depending on the square footage of the house and the distance the air has to travel from the air handler, the ducts must be correctly sized. “Insulating your house well is extremely important,” Bob said, suggesting it was a good idea to over insulate the sunny west side of our house and install a reflective barrier beneath the roof in the attic, to keep the attic cool. The less hot air you have around your living space the less the AC has to work. We

July 2005

You can follow any permit application through the county examiners at: www.charlottecountyfl.com

Meanwhile, at our rental house, the seawall has collapsed.

Seawalls in the area are old and many are in need of repair.

This one was made of corregated pannels which some say are asbestos based. Record setting rains in June (over 18 inches in a couple of weeks) have now taken their toll.

are using solar shielded double glazed glass on the west side of our house and double insulation in the west side walls.

When we got our energy calcs back they ran 26 pages, itemizing each room and space within our new house, and all those calculations have to be submitted with your plans when you go to the building department. “Get four sets of these copied,” he advised “and save a set for yourself for later,” he said.

Also included with our plan submittal are two new surveys, a fire hydrant affidavit, tree preservation forms, drainage plans, site plans, window and garage door specifications, and a summary sheet showing flood zone and wind exposure (velocity) zone. Of course there is the application form itself and a $150 pre application fee. The actual permit fee will be calculated when our plans are reviewed.

Then a notice of commencement will have to be filed before we can start construction.

When we dropped our plans off they told us the wait would be four to eight weeks. What’s another couple of

July 2005

By Don Cessna Water LIFE Englewood Now that July has arrived it’s time for tournament fishing. Many hours of prefishing and scouting are the order for the next few weeks. Preparation and time spent now can make all the difference later.

Of the three main inshore game fish, snook, trout, and redfish, I feel the redfish are the most difficult to target. Where to find them, how to approach them, and what bait to use is sometimes a choice that determines success or an empty creel.

Redfish are strong fighters so good equipment and tackle are important. Strong hooks, leader, and knots are top of the list when it comes to terminal tackle which can keep one from being humbled.

Most fish are lost to a failure of a knot or the line or leader breaking, most of the time simply due to being in poor condition. A minute curl at the end of a broken line is a dead give away of a knot failure.

They are caused by a knot which had stretched, then cut the line.

I have a simple demonstration: try tying a overhand knot in a line and pulling. The line crossed over itself will cut the other part of the line with half or less force than it would take for the line to break without the knot. Often the fight with a redfish will require finessing or wrestling the fish out of mangroves, pilings with barnacles on them, or even in some cases over a shallow oyster bar. A good fish fight could well involve all three and you want your line to be up to the task.

The array of redfish baits vary. One might choose live baits such as shrimp or

Water LIFE

Bring Emʼ Back Alive

MAGAZINE

even peeled frozen shrimp tails. Pin fish, green backs or best of all menhaden are great baitfish for reds. These can be fished under a float using a popping cork or even better a rattling type float, or a clear bubble float which you can add water to for more control. Rigging a slip weight using an egg sinker above the leader is also good – it serves to hold the bait in a smaller area or keeps it in place in a current. Often a drift or cast will be a better method of getting the bait to the fish. The most realistic presentation is when only the weight of the bait is needed to cast the distance as stealthy as possible.

I have always preferred artificials and of these, jigs and tails are probably the most prevalent. Odd color combinations for reds can pay off. The ghost glitter, white, gold glitter, or shrimp color are the choice for most situations. Spoons are a staple of any

redfisherman’s tackle box, standard color would be gold, but silver is about equal in reality. Baitfish imitations with rattles are also a favorite – again, sometimes the color they like will be surprising, but the most realistic will be black back with silver or gold sides, with maybe some red added on the body.

Most of the kids fishing the Kids Cup will be fishing the Charlotte Harbor area, however the length of Lemon Bay is also a large area for fishing. From south of Venice all the way down to the harbor there are many likely places to get real nice redfish in the slot size limit. The key most often is fishing creeks and bays that are quiet areas where redfish like to be. Some of the good spots which come to mind are the bays north of the Manasota Key Bridge and near the old ferry dock. Also the shoreline in the area of Manasota Bridge on both

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sides are good for reds.

Forked Creek is another of my favorite spots. Then you have Lemon Bay Park, a fairly large bay with a lot of shoreline to fish and some visible oyster bars at the north end.

And Indian Mounds Park the south shore line and all along the east side of Lemon Bay has been good for reds too. The main thing here in Lemon Bay is to fish the quiet out of the way places. The fish here seem to hang along the shore lines and the best spots have either mangroves or sand.

Contrary to the standard ‘fish the high tide’ rule, I usually only catch redfish on a low or out going tide. Don’t forget the area we call Rag Alley near Stump Pass across from Ski Alley. The west shoreline is excellent for reds. This is the place I learned a tactic which I don’t do any more because I don’t feel it’s fair. I used to run my boat along the shoreline and herd the fish down the mangroves and out onto the flat. Now they didn’t like it out there in the hot sun and they wanted to come back as soon as they could, and that was when I could catch them as they were sneaking back past me.

If the wind was right, I could pull the anchor and let the boat drift, herding them the other way to a hole right along side a dock where they would hang, and I could catch another one.

Please come to Fishermen’s Village for the day on July 16 and support the kids in the Kids Cup. They are our next generation of sportsmen.

Don Cessna is the former owner of Ray’s Bait & Tackle in Englewood and a regular Water LIFE contributor.

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Water LIFE

Julyʼs Fishing Forecast

Charlotte Harbor

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

July is still another great month for tarpon, the nice thing is, the fish will be moving out of the pass and into the harbor and along the beaches. All this rain might keep the fish in the pass a little longer in the mornings which could have helped the Worlds Richest tournament, if they were not fishing from 3 till 8 in the afternoon.

Redfi sh will be the second choice this month. The key is to pretend it’s August.

MAGAZINE

Because of all the rain, use a much slower presentation. Dead shrimp or cut-up sardines on a jig head under the bushes are producing fish and should continue to do so this month. The fish are on the flats in the early morning and moving to 3 or 4 feet of water as the sun gets higher and it warms up. There are a lot of fish in schools of up to 100 down around Three Sisters, Boca Bayou, Useppa and Pineland areas. Those will be good places to look for reds early in the day.

Also look for fish along the beaches in the surf.

There will be more fish along the east co n-

22-pound Permit

We were 13 miles offshore fishing over a sunken barge. My friend Jim had arranged for us to fish with Travis Ormond with Pelagic Charters out of Stump Pass Marina. We were using crabs for the permit and live bait, greenies and cigar minnows, for the grouper and snapper. Had a great time except the goliath grouper were killing us.

Ken OʼLeary

July 2005

July 2005

Fishing Report Continued from facing page

and west walls of the harbor, every little green tuft of bushes has at least one fish under it.

There are also reds at the new area at Stump Pass and down by the lighthouse rocks at Boca Grande.

Some could be way over the slotlimit there. One nice thing about these dark water conditions is that you’ll catch a lot of nice snook as by-catch when you are redfishing.

From shore, there is a lot of nice day-fishing for snook along Englewood and Boca Grande. If you are looking for the bigger snook, they are more likely to chew at night.

One thing I want to emphasize is PLEASE take the time to revive your fish. It’s so hot right now you really have to get the fish back to as healthy as they can be before you release them. I can’t emphasize that enough right now.

Cobi a are around, but still scattered. The US 41 bridge, Bayshore and El Jobean have all been good, but because of the rain it may take until the end of the month before cobia show up in big numbers.

S hark fishing is still very good right now. If you are looking for food-fish there are plenty of bl ackti ps and spi nners at Marker No. 1 and Marker No. 2 and over towards Port Charlotte Beach. Larger sharks are still cruising the passes and there have been some reports of fairly big bul l sharks following the schools of threadfins in the southern part of the harbor.

Pirate Redfish Tournament

On the first Anniversary of Hurricane Charley, August 13 A benefit to replace football equipment lost at Charlotte High School in the storm.

First Place: 2005 Hewes Tailfisher Tunnel Hull boat with 60 hp Yamaha valued at $20,000

2nd place: $2,500 3rd Place $1,800 4th - 10th place have cash payouts Most spots: $300

Grand Prize Guaranteed other prizes based on minimum 50 boat field

629-9948

Water LIFE

B BIIG G-4 4 TARPON are moving around the area

MAGAZINE

J Ju ully yʼs ʼs Ta Tar rg ge et t S Sp pe ec ciie es s

REDFISH are under the bushes when it gets hot

Offshore fishing has still been decent for permi t as long as you have a calm enough day. The Novak Reef will still be holding fish for most of this month. This is a good time for AJs and ‘Cudas as well, especially on the reefs that are a little further out.

Lemon Bay

Ji m at Fi shermen’s Edge Engl ewood: 697-7595 The water is a little brown, but that’s just messing it up where the bait is. Right now, mostly the incoming tides are better for the bite. Catch and release snook fishing has been good. The fish are at the passes and on the beach and also at the docks at Gasparilla.

There are plenty of fish around to catch.

With redfi sh finding the one in the right slot-size will be the tough thing. There are a lot of 30 and 32 inch fish around. As long as you find one redfish you know there is good water which will be holding other fish.

There are cobi a swimming around in the harbor. Guys tarpon fishing are catching cobia in the 30 to 40 inch range. Try the phosphate dock area.

Permi t fishing is still good now, a lot of guys are having fun with them on Mary’s and Helen’s

SNOOK throughout the area but catch and release only

reefs.

And a lot of snapper are showing up at the passes. Small pinfish will get good 15-inch keeper fish.

Tarpon are still fairly decent but you have to pick where to go because the fish are moving around this time of year.

Finally, we’ve got mackerel and a few reports of bl ackfi n tuna 20 mile offshore and plenty of sharks as evidenced by all the reports in the news. That wadefisherman losing his leg was a wake up call, for sure.

Stump Pass & the Gulf

Ben Pi ercy at S tump Pass Mari na 697-2206 Inshore it’s been tough. S nook is the big thing with big breeding fish in the pass on the outgoing tide. Trout is the second most consistent bite. Offshore, a lot of permi t have been caught.

Barracuda has been hot as has shark fishing and grouper fishing starting at about 60 feet.

Beach fishing for tarpon has been pretty good. Most guys are heading south and catching them down at the little Gasparilla area.

A. J. s have been awesome recently too. In redfi shi ng it’s been hard to find slot sized fish in the Lemon Bay area but we have a lot

SHARKS are still eating voraciously

Tarpon Issues

Editorʼs Note We received a few letters about the ʻTarpon Fishing Insanityʼ story I wrote. Live baiters who once hated me for pointing out they weighed in a fish without a tarpon tag have forgotten that and are now my friends while jiggers, who I have always covered and gotten along with, are now sending me hate mail. I guess as long as they are both writing and calling weʼre doing our job as fair and balanced journalists.

But just to clarify this whole issue one more time let me be clear: I donʼt care how you catch your tarpon, I donʼt care if you catch them with a rake. My only concern is that tarpon in our area are a spawning fishery and to that extent I would like to see the fish less pressured. This is a population problem - a human population problem. It seems to me that we simply have too many anglers on the fish at one time.

– MH

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Powered by

n July 6-8: Worldʼs Richest Tarpon Tournament, Boca Grande Pass & Beach, Chamber of Commerce (941) 964-0568

n July 9: Kids Cup, Kids Seminar Laishley Marine, 4:30 - 6 p.m. A Flats Class pro staff presentation, Free!

639-3868

n July 9: Redfish Roundup Tournament, Benefit for Charlotte High Athletic Dept.at Harpoon Harrys, 629-9948

n July 14: Dredging Meeting, Murdock Adm. Bld. 5 p.m. Proposal is for 600% increase in assessment fee for waterfront

residents

n July 15: Water LIFE Kids Cup, Mandatory Captainʼs Meeting at the Good Shepherd Church on Henry St. in Punta Gorda at 5 p.m.

766-8180 n July 16-17: Water LIFE Kids Cup, Fishing Tournament Weigh-in at 2:30 at Harpoon Harryʼs in Fishermenʼs Village. The public is encouraged to attend! 766-8180

n July 18-19: IGFA Junior Angler World Championships, Key West.

n Aug 6-7: Shark Tournament, Fishinʼ Franks

Page

625-3888

n Aug 13: Pirate Redfish Tournament, benefit for Charlotte High School Athletic Department 629-9948

n Aug 19-20: Summer Slam, South Seas Plantation

n Aug 20: Steve Lowe Family Redfish Rodeo 628-2669

n Sept 17: Flatsmaster Red Snook Challenge, Harpoon Harrys, Punta Gorda, 628-0702

n Sept 30: Ranger Redfish Tour Tournament, Port Charlotte (407) 865-5915

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

Fishing

HOT!

RIGHT NOW:

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