Water LIFE July 2008

W a t e r LIFE

FREE!

Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay

Keeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed Since 1997

Producers of the

K I D S C U P To u r n a m e n t

July 2008

ONE BIG NURSE SHARK!

Fishing Reports Page 22

July Swimming Page 21

GULF DIVING Page 8

Paddle Punta Gorda Page 19

Pacu in Port Charlotte Canal Page 9

w w w. C H A R L O T T E H A R B O R M A G A Z I N E . C O M

Always FREE!

Water LIFE

Page 2

LETTERS

TO

Cut mackerel for bait?

Dear Editor, The article written by Capt. Steve Skevington.

Re: offshore report. Dated June 2008, Water LIFE magazine. Again is very misinformed information for all readers and fishermen. I find it hard to believe that there are so many captains out there who insist on putting in their reports on fishing the use of cut Spanish mackerel or any other fish that has a minimum size limit. These fish can not be used. All fish that have a minimum size limit, (must remain in whole condition until landed ashore) with heads and tails intact.

Many people see this on TV, captains using cut bait that are regulated fish by the Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation commission, yet nothing seems to happen to them. Even when they show this on TV or in the fishing reports.

Rest assured they do not get a ticket. Only the small guy out there fishing gets ticketed, and yes I got one. Thanks guys, for the bad info.

To all fishermen, do your home work first and always carry the Florida fishing regulations with you. Theyʼre free, WalMart has them in the fishing dept. If you have any questions, call the FWC office near you. I hope this will help many many people that enjoy the privilege of fishing in Florida.

Respectfully submitted.

Marty Ranzer, Port Charlotte. Fl.

Editor Replied: Marty Thanks for the letter, If you caught a legal mackerel on Monday, brought it back, filleted it and used the rest for bait on Tuesday would that be legal?

Marty wrote back: No it would not. That is how I got my ticket. I only brought out the head!

Final note* Capt. Steve says he uses Spanish mackerel uncut - whole – as bait.

Dear Waterlife, On Father's Day I was boating in Charlotte Harbor when I heard my power steering pump

W AT E R

MAGAZINE

LIFE

whine. I was near 4 Winds Marina so I was at their mercy. $19.99 was the price for 1 quart of liquid gold ( power steering fluid ). I questioned the clerk and was assured the price was correct, you know how those oil companies are sticking it to us she said. Today two days later I am at NAPA picking up oil for my car and checking power steering oil prices find a quart sells for $3.69. So who is doing the sticking? My pretrip check just got more serious. Sign me, Got stuck by Four Winds Marina.

J. Tierney, Punta Gorda

Editor Notes: The ʻboat fluidʼ is NOT the same as the ʻautomotive fluidʼ, itʼs more finely filtered, less susceptible to water incursion and therefore different chemically. Sea Star brand is the only hydraulic steering fluid they carry at West Marine. It sells for $18.99 a quart. Depending on what you got (you didnʼt give me a brand)

Magazine

you may not have gotten stuck at all, in fact they may have done you a big favor – MH

Dear WaterLIFE editors; My reason for contacting you is to inquire as to what is done with the sharks that re caught and killed in the St. Pete Shark Tournament. I was curious because in order to eat the meat from the sharks, they need to be bled and placed on ice immediately as the Mako Shark is the only species of shark that do not urinate through their skin. I am very interested as what is done to these beautiful creatures after they are killed?

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Daniel Zumbro, via email Editor Replies: At St Pete, sharks must be brought back gutted and iced so they can be eaten. Whether that happens or not ...I donʼt know.

ADVERTISE HERE

$99 /month!

Water LIFEʼs 1/8 page ad (this size)

still

only

call 941-766-8180 Next 2 callers get

4- C O L O R FREE

Water LIFE circulation includes distribution at Bass Pro and now WalMart

N O W G E T W AT E R L I F E O N L I N E F R E E AT: OR SUBSCRIBE BY MAIL FOR $20/YEAR

SUBSCRIBE to Water LIFE Have us mail your copy anywhere in the U.S.A. for $20 / Year

Name _______________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________

Now Just $20 for 12 monthly editions Check one:

Payment included: make check payable to Water LIFE

or Bill my

Fill out (please print) and Mail to:

Zip ____________________

You can read the magazine online at: www.Charlotteharbormagazine.com

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

Visa M/C account Renewal Subscription

City _______________________________ State ____________

Credit Card _________________________________________ ExpDate_________

WWW.CHARLOTTEHARBORMAGAZINE.COM

07/08

Water LIFE 217 Bangsberg Rd, Port Charlotte, FL, 33952

July

2008

Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Magazine

Michael and Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Water LIFE is not affiliated with any other publication Vol VII No.7 © 2008 Water LIFE

No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of both publishers

WRITE US! e-mail (preferred) Waterlife@comcast.net Regular MAIL: 217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Contributing Editors:

Fishing / Environment: Capt. Ron Blago Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Port Charlotte: Capt Andy Medina Offshore: Capt. Steve Skevington Real Estate: Dave Hofer Sailing Advisor: Bill Dixon Kayaks: David Allen Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Diving: Adam Wilson

on the COVER:

Capt. Pete Zambuto, aka The Grey Ghost, took this photo of Sal Zambuto and Brett Ferrero with a really big nurse shark caught and released last month.

on our WEBSITE:

WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

This Monthʼs Edition: Send a link to a friend Realtors: Links to advertisers

Tide Graphs: For local waters

Weather: Links to favorite weather sites.

Artificial Reefs: Lat. and Long local reefs

Manatee Myths: Read the original plan to create sanctuaries and refuges, as spelled out by the United Nations in 1984

Kids Cup Updates, Fish Tracking and Tournament Information.

July

2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page

3

County Commissioners Take Note: Water LIFE

Page 4

July

MAGAZINE

2008

Joint Committee Votes unanimously NOT to Restrict Ramp or Pier Hours

Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor A crowd of 100 packed the Port Charlotte Beach Complex for the first ever joint meeting of the county’s Parks and Recreation, Beach and Shores and Marine Advisory committees.

Neither committee members nor the general public had time to review the 24 pages of suggestions and supporting information they received before the meeting started. In fact, the one page agenda that I saw circulated just four days before the meeting said only that the proposed issues to be discussed would be ‘hours of operation for the Port Charlotte Beach Complex, the Bayshore Fishing Pier and the Placida Boat Ramp.’ But when I walked into the room I found every ramp in the county was listed as up for potential curfew hours and so was every fishing pier.

This is the old tactic of holding meetings in the summer, in the morning, on a work-day and without any background information and then trying to railroad an

Board members scramble to look over a 24 page proposal distributed just as the meeting began

issue through. What else could they do? There is already a county ordinance on the books, ordinance 86-09, which specifically deals with ramp and pier hours of operation. That ordinance says “Facilities excepted from operating hours (shall be) Fishing piers and boat ramps.” The ordinance calls for lawful, safe and peaceful use of recreational facilities. The sheriff is impowered to keep it that way.

Additionally, a canoe and kayak launch site at Pirate Harbor was up for discussion as was the proposed closing of the little boat-ramp on Wysteria St. in Punta Gorda.

If I counted correctly, 48

people came to the podium to speakt. The Pirate Harbor residents all wanted the ramp in their community permanantly closed, everyone else, except for one man, John Yancey, wanted the Beach Complex left open 24/7.

Mr Yancey is a homeowner who lives on Colleen Street, directly across the water from the Port Charlotte Beach boat ramp.

He’s lived there for one year.

Yancey came back to Port Charlotte from his summer home in New York just to speak out at the meeting. But Yancy’s own neighbors on Colleen Street spoke out to say things at the Beach Complex were just fine the way they were.

One fishing guide came to the meeting from Lakeland to speak out against closing the Beach Complex at night. The Punta Gorda on-the-water cop John Kennedy, two local Marine Patrol officers and a legion of impashioned local recreational anglers all said restricting hours of operation was a bad idea.

John Yancey

Yancey maintained that noise, loud parties and “drunk kayakers” were the problem. After the ‘drunk kayakers’ comment, his argument lost credibility.

Dismaying to me was the lack of cooperation from both Parks and Rec. and the Sheriff’s department in providing specific information to me about ‘all’ the alleged noise complaints coming from residents in the beach complex area. This was dismaying because Mr Yancey stood up at the meeting and said ‘there were more than 500 complaints.” And when I asked him how he knew, he told me the sheriff’s department gave him that information.

If there were in fact 500 complaints, then the sheriff clearly wasn’t doing his job.

Sheriff’s department Major

Laura Kleiss-Hoeft

Mark Carrow spent a lot of time making small talk with Parks and Rec director Laura Kleiss-Hoeft before the meeting. Carrow also acknowledged to me that he had seen the 24 page report in advance of the meeting which was more advance than anyone else in the room appeard to have.

One week before the meeting, a source inside the Sheriff’s department had told me the department “had been compiling information in preparation for this meeting for some time now.”

The Sheriff’s department was in a difficult spot. If there were problems at the Beach Complex, 500 problems, why hadn’t the Sheriff’s department done anything about it. Where were the arrest records?

July

2008

It’s not inconceivable this whole issue could be a disguise for cutbacks and money saving in a tight budget year for both the Sheriff and Parks and Rec. Here’s what I think happened. I think John Yancey, started out as an unintentional co-conspirator, a guy who stepped into a scenario that Parks and Rec and the Sheriff’s Department had on their agendas already. Yancey was just the guy who moved in next to the proverbial airport and complained about the airplanes.

But he got County Commissioner Duffy’s ear and Duffy brought the issue up to the full Commission and suggested closing the complex at night. (Remember that in November) Her memo to the joint committees said “a number of citizens had been experiencing loud noises” and that “they are very frustrated.” On the surface it all looked simply like government at work as usual. It made a nice paper trail, but the true facts were that public turnout and was outraged at the idea of closing boat ramps and fishing piers ...ever. Unfortunately neither Commissioner Duffy nor any of the other County Commissioners made it to the meeting.

Citizens voiced concerns that if the complex was closed at night, the line of trucks, cars and trailers waiting to get in at 6 a.m. would block the street.

Ray Cowen who is running for Commissioner Duffy’s seat in the upcoming election, stood up and spoke as well.

His was a particularly important perspective. Cowen also lives on Colleen Street... right across from Mr. Yancey. Cowen

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

spoke not as a potential politician, but as a resident of the area affected. “I dont have a problem with noise from the Beach Complex,” Cowen said, “none of us do.”

Outside the meeting, the perspective became even more clear. Capt. Derrick Jacobsen told of how Mr Yancey would come out of his house across from the boat ramp with a bright 1,000,000 candlepower hand-held spotlight and shine it in boater’s faces who he saw in the pre dawn hours. There had been words and middle finger salutes Jacobsen said.

In the end, the joint-committee simply voted to do nothing about curfew hours for ramps and piers and the issue died. There was a recommendation that the vote be relayed to the County Commissioners.

In other action taken that day, a unanimous approval was also recorded for closing the Wysteria Street ‘boat ramp’ – “nothing more than a hole in the seawall,” as one commissioner described it.

Wysteria Street is in the Rio Villa section of Punta Gorda. If you have lived here for a while you will remember the little neighborhood ramp on Wysteria off Aqui Esta where in a rainstorm about 7 years ago a car drove down the ramp and into the water, submerging and drowning its driver. “After that made the paper, lots more people knew about this ramp and lots more people came here to use it,” a neighbor who lives next to the ramp told me. “It’s a shame,” he added “this used to be a nice neighborhood ramp, but people have abused it.” “ There is no tie up dock so people tie up to the private docks and

The Wysteria St ramp leads out through Alligator Creek. It will be closed.

park on private property, it’s a shame,” the neighbor said agian.

The final action of the day was on the kayak launch site at Pirate Harbor. Parks and Rec. had posted the launch area on their website and published it in their Blue-Ways Kayak and Canoe trail map.

But apparently the Pirate Harbor residents didn’t want ‘outsiders’ in their neighborhood. They argued that power boats use the launch area which is no more than a hole in the trees leading to a drainage ditch. Anglers here for the Beach Complex issue stood up to speak again, pointing out the need for harbor access from the east side; from somewhere along Burnt Store Road. ‘This should be your priority,’ they told Parks and Rec director Kleiss-Hoeft. For a while it looked like

Page

5

The kayak launch at Pirate Harbor is on the Blueways Trails map but will be closed.

the committee might let the Pirate Harbor kayak ramp exist. Then a representative for Americans with Disabilities stood up and pointed out that if the ramp was improved in any way, handicapped parking would be required. Parks director Laura Kleiss-Hoeft rolled her eyes and shook her head gently. It was over.

Someone on the committee suggested an alternative kayak launching site could be established 500 feet away, along the same Pirate Harbor ditch and accessible from Burnt Store Road. “We’ll look into it,” Kleiss-Hoeft said.

Then Bob Leonard from Pirate Harbor asked that the next printing of the BlueWays kayak trails map had the Pirate Harbor kayak launch site removed. And take it off the website too, he asked.

Page 6

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Offshore Report for July

By Capt. S teve S kevi ngton Water LIFE Offshore Offshore Fishing on the Paradise July-08 This last couple weeks, fishing has been more than just good to us who have had the chance to get out. With very light winds almost every morning, and thunder storms almost every afternoon it’s just a matter of getting out early and getting back early. The shark have been biting non-stop. We’re running a four hour trip in the morning and hooking up a dozen or so nice black tip sharks, as well as spinners. The action on these fish has been terriffic, morning noon and night – they ‘re biting the bottom of the boat out!

We start out by catching a few Spanish mac's to use for bait. Trolling right outside our marina we drag a pair of small planers with 1/0 size Clark spoons. These fish are really hard to beat for shark bait. Once we have a few Spanish we anchor up just off the beach, in no more than about 20 feet of water.

For sharks, just off the beach has been seeing the strongest bite, but you do have to chum, with at least four to five frozen chum blocks at your disposal. Use them one at a time, they melt fast in that warm water.

We are fishing the baits with 7/0 size circle hooks and 95pound wire for leader, on just 30lb line. With most of the sharks being around three to seven feet long, that makes for a heck of a fight on 30lb tackle.

The barracuda are just everywhere right now thanks to the clear water we are enjoying. We’re fishing for these guys on the artificial wrecks and reefs, using either live blue runners or "Cuda Tubes" trolled slowly behind the boat. The bara's will hit almost anything you can throw at ‘em, so be ready for that big top water strike and lightning fast run-and-jump routine that they are famous for.

The amberjack are stacked up offshore in about 100 feet of water, now. These are the "summer -time size" amberjack, 1520-pounds on the average, but don't let that stop you from picking a fight with them as they will do everything in their power to rip your arms out of the sockets. Big jigs and live baits work best, but you can troll big lipped plugs and the amberjack won’t mind – they eat those too; bless their little hearts.

The red grouper have been pretty strong in water deeper than 80 feet. Fishing with cut bait on circle hooks works just fine on these fish.

There are a lot of new rules telling us how to bottom fish in the Gulf, so make sure you are up to date on everything before you go.

Capt Stev e can be reached for charter at (941) 575-3528 or at www.paradisefishingcharters.com

July

2008

July

2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 7

Underwater Page 8

By Adam Wi l son Water LIFE Diving Keeping up our deep shipwreck trek for this month we decided to visit the sunken freighter Holsten. She is a 220 foot freighter that went down in a storm in October 1992 carrying a cargo of corn flour from Pensacola. When abandoning ship in the 30 foot seas the crew of 14 were surprised to find a 14 year old Haitian boy stowaway onboard. After making him jump ship they quickly followed to ensure he didn't drown. Luckily for the crew and the stowaway, the U.S.S. Defender was in the area and was able to follow the huge slick of spilled flour on the surface directly to the scene where everyone was rescued. The Holstein finally came to rest in 200 feet on her starboard side. For months after the sinking the ship continued to spill its floury cargo, turning the surrounding Gulf a turquoise color and thus earning the name "flour wreck".

On our first trip to explore this wreck we decided to swim down and tie into the ship Friday night so we could fish and then have a direct line for a dive Saturday morning. Going down in the early evening the vis was not good in the waning dusk light.

Watching my depth gauge dropping down past 100 feet then 110 and 120 there was no sign of that distinct ship outline, just more darkness. Finally at about 130 feet the large four inch diameter hawser lines used to moor the ship at dock came into view. Then at 150 the large aft wheelhouse slowly appeared. With the visibility only about 20 feet and the sun going down quickly I had to let my eyes adjust for a minute.

Looking back for my dive buddy Carl I notice him struggling with a hawser line. Assuming he was freeing our marker buoy that had become entangled, I continued down with the anchor line in tow, thinking he would show behind me in just a minute. Setting my gun down I hunted for a secure location to tie in our boat.

Choosing a sturdy wheelhouse handrail I began to chain into the wreck. Our chain is attached to several hundred feet of anchor line, which is then attached to a large buoy, like the kind used for pulling up an anchor. This gives us a lifeline to the surface to perform all of our decompression stops while letting the circling boat overhead know exactly where we are below. Several minutes later Carl finally did join me on the side of the ship and informed me he hadn't been freeing our marker buoy, but had been attempting to free himself after becoming entangled in monofilament fishing line. He spent a good portion of the dive doing so.

While tying in I noticed several large red snappers

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

July

2008

Above: a flounder lies perfectly camoflaged on the gulf floor at Venice. Right: A scallop with its bright blue eyes

curiously checking me out. I carefully retrieved my already loaded gun and beaded down on a solid 20-plus pound snapper. Ordinarily I will shoot a freeshaft, but because of the diminished vis I opted to tether my shaft to my gun with a mono line. This prevents a large fish from disappearing with your shaft in the dirty water, but also provides the resistance needed to make it easier for the fish to yank free from the shaft while being pulled in.

With both bands loaded I squeezed the trigger just as the snapper flinched to swim away. I knew my shot was high from the flap of bright white meat just above his head. I dropped my gun as I knew tugging on the line would surely pull the precariously placed shaft from the fish. As I swam down the line towards the thrashing fish a goliath grouper raced me for my pinned prize. The pursuing goliath gave the snapper the extra adrenaline he needed to pull away to freedom. I saw him dart frantically to the safety of the ships pitch-black interior. For a snapper his size I'm sure it was hardly a mortal wound.

After bagging two smaller red snappers that hadn't heard the alarm from their big brother and an amberjack, our 25 minute bottom time was up and I attached my stringer to a liftbag and sent my fish up our line to the

awaiting boat at the surface. The following 30 minute decompression stops went by quickly watching the circling jacks and the swarm of non-stinging jellyfish whiz by in the strong full moon current.

For a wreck this far west and north it has a huge population of goliath grouper, maybe as many as some shallow wrecks closer to home. It also has an abundance of vermilion snappers. Also known as beeliners, these tasty small panfish aren't much fun on the tackle normally used in such deep water, but they are delicious and we caught a bunch, with some up to three pounds that night.

July

Water LIFE

2008

On The Line

Fishing with Capt. Ron

By Capt Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff Well boys, it’s time to open your wallets again - the price of fishing has just gone up. As of July 1 the fee for registering your boat in Florida has increased 50-percent. Since there are over 1,000,000 boat registered in Florida each year; and the average statewide registration fee is about $35; the legislature just gouged an extra $17.5 million out of the hide of the poor boaters. Of course if you don’t own a boat, or have to pay a boat registration fee, this fact will fly right by your personal radar. I, on the other hand, am starting to notice every little price increase that is coming my way. I guess that as I rapidly approach the expiration date of the useeble shelf-life of my life, I’m starting to wonder if I can still afford to go fishing.

Someone should come up with a Fisherman’s Price Index (FPI) that shows the increase in the price of fishing and boating; sort of like the CPI, Consumer’s Price Index that tracks the change in the cost of the stuff we buy. That way we can show mathematically and scientifically the level of screwing the average boater and fisherman has to put up with as time goes on. As with any good economic indicator, the index has to contain many components. Just off the top of my head, you would have to factor in the cost of a fishing license, which went up this year and the new boat registration fee increase and of course the price of gas at the marina which is taxed higher than at the gas station. Throw in the federal excise tax you pay on all fishing supplies and include the sales tax we pay on everything and you start to generate some real data. You would have to include

WAT E R WAY

Page 9

the price of commoditiesyou know, the staples of fishing- the price of a dozen shrimp, the cost of a Mirrolure fishing plug, and lets not forget the price of a pack of a non-stainless circle hooks you now have to use for offshore fishing.

All these little things add up. Just for once, when someone, sarcastically calls me a poor boater; I can whip out a graph of my FPI Index and show him just how poor I really am.

Just when you thought you had all the fishing laws down pat, the FWC just made it illegal to feed Baber tries to get 14-year old Megan Madison to hold a 10-pound 4 oz pacu that her a brown pelican in Florida. Simon father Mike caught in the canal behind their Port Charlotte house. Meganʼs mom Angela This just makes me laugh. looks on. The fish was 22.5 inches long. There are plenty more of these around here, Mike said. The pacu is an invasive species.

Anyone who has ever fished on a pier has seen I’m in jail because I fed a pelican. some poor kid with a pinfish, being chased by a herd of With plenty of white bait in the livewell it’s easy to 8 pound pelicans with a 7 foot wing span. If that kid find the fish. In the mangroves, in channels next to sea doesn’t give up that fish, those birds are going to take it walls and under docks, all have been pretty productive. from him- by force if need be. I’m sure they had a good reason for passing that law; which by the way involves a I’ve run into a lot of big jacks in these areas too. big fine and a possible 90 days in jail; but who is going Actually too big; they have been tearing up my 30pound fluorocarbon leaders. I’ve been reading reports to tell those pelicans they can’t have those fish scraps about redfish in the flats of north Lemon Bay but I can’t that are coming off the cleaning table. When I was a kid in grade school, I had one of my teachers tell me if I did- find them. I guess someone is going to have to show me where they are before I believe them. n’t wise up I’d wind up broke and in jail. Lately I’ve been having a nightmare where I am standing in front of a judge explaining why I’m broke: it’s because I fish and

BOAT LIFT COVERS

PROTECT YOUR BOAT FROM NATUREʼS MOST DAMAGING ELEMENTS

CUSTOM BUILT TO YOUR BOAT LIFT

• Patented Double Rail for Ultimate Strength & Safety • Mold and Mildew Resistant • UV Protected • Fire Resistant • Maintenance Free • Quick Release System for Easy Removal

941 - 505-0237

MAGAZINE

toll free 877-201-3606

www.waterwayboatliftcovers.com

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

Page 10

Water LIFE

How To Get Rid of Your Boat

By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff They say dreams die hard and when it comes to a man and his boat, those dreams die harder than most. When you drive around Charlotte Co. you see those broken dreams everywhere. Usually they are parked in the back of the house with the grass next to them as high as the gunwales and the registration sticker a few years out of date. Whatever the case, what started out as someone’s pride and joy is now your neighbor’s eyesore. If you are honest with yourself, you will admit that you are not going to put a new motor on that old hull; because you can now get a brand new boat, motor and trailer for just a little more than the price of a new motor alone. The best thing to do is get rid of the old boat.

Let me give you a few real life examples of what not to do. A friend’s sister had an n old boat with a blown motor, sitting in her driveway for a few years. Her neighbors had run out of patience and called Code Enforcement who came out and told her to get rid of the boat or get a fine and then get rid of the boat. Looking for the easy way out, she was talked into giving $50 to friends of her teenage son, who would remove the boat for her. The kids towed the boat to East Englewood where they dumped the boat on the side of

a dirt road; after removing the registration decal. Two days latter the sheriff was at her door wanting to know why her boat was abandoned. They gave her two days to get it out of there. It cost her a few hundred dollars to get it towed to the dump for proper disposal. What these teenaged con men learned is that there are boat ID numbers all over the boat hull; not just in one place but all over the boat.

Each manufacturer puts them in various locations. Some of which are hard to find; but the police know where to look.

Another person I know sold a boat to a friend of his who used it till the motor broke. There was still an outstanding balance on the boat but this person never persued it, after all it had a blown motor and he didn’t want it back... and after all, they were friend. So the subject was never brought up, until several years latter, when on a Friday afternoon he received a frantic call from his 70-plus-year-old mother, informing him that the police were going to arrest her if she didn’t remove her boat from the side of the road. A little light bulb went off in this persons brain as he remembered that the boat he sold to his friend was at one time registered in his mother’s name and when he sold it to his friend, he never removed his mothers name from the registration. Well that mistake

MAGAZINE

cost him about $300 and a lot of grief from his mother.

If you want to get rid of your old boat, you can sell it to the highest bidder; but don’t be surprised if you don’t get much.

It seems that there is no shortage of broken old boats out there. Swallow your pride and give it to a friend (or enemy) for free. There is always someone out there that recognizes the future potential of an old dream. Frankly, I would offer to tow it to his house for free. Remember to get a bill of sale and sign over the title to him and make sure you keep a copy of the title. A smart thing to do is take a picture of him next to the boat so you can show it to the cops when they want to know why your boat is on the side of the road.

It’s not a bad idea to send a certified letter (return receipt requested) to the tax collectors office requesting that your boat registration be voided. Don’t forget about donating your old boat to charity. Several local charities will accept a donation of old boats. Call around to various scrap dealers.

They may take the boat; especially if it has an aluminum trailer.

If nobody wants it or you can’t give it away; you are responsible for disposing of your boat. Remove the batteries and drain the gas tank, then haul it to the dump..if you are really stuck I suggest you call Charlotte County Code Enforcement Dept. and ask for advice. From time to time the county will have an amnesty program where if you get your boat to a specific location they will haul the boat to the dump for you. There is also a limited program where if you qualify, the county will send a private contractor to you home and remove the boat for you. Call Code Enforcement- they can tell you your options.

All the advice I just gave you is for boat on land. Boats in the water are a totally different problem. There is no excuse for abandoning your boat in the water, and if you get caught you are going to pay a high price. Last month Water LIFE printed a picture, which I had taken; of a sunken boat in Chadwick’s Cove in Englewood. By the time last months issue hit the newsstands, that boat had already been removed. My complements go out to

July

2008

Andy Stevens the Manager of the Charlotte County Natural Resources Division and to Missy Christie, Environmental Specialist who oversees the removal of abandoned boats. They both gave an interesting presentation at the last MAC meeting on our abandoned Vessel Program.

During the last budget year, they removed 21 vessels from our waterways at a total cost to the taxpayers of $87,542.00. That averages out to $4169.00 per vessel. The county contracts out to a private company the removal of the boats and it’s a complicated and expensive process. After a report of an abandoned vessel is received, the Fish and Wildlife Commission is notified and it is their job to find the owner and notify him to remove the boat. That appears to be the real bottleneck in the process. This is why the boat in Chadwick’s Cove was there so long. After the notification process is completed the county can put a sticker on the vessel giving the owner 5 days to get with the county and explain what the problem is. After the 5 days, if no plan is worked out with the owner, the boat is removed. The average time from sticker to tow is 20 days. That is excellent results.

Getting a boat out of the water is not cheap. Last year it cost $6,591.00 of your tax dollars, to remove a 39ft boat from a canal in Punta Gorda and at the other end we paid $1,690.00 to remove a 10 ft, rowboat from near the El Jobean boat ramp.

Remember that even the smallest boat must be checked for gas and oils and removed without harming seagrass and other marine life. Taxpayers are getting tired of paying for other peoples carelessness. In NYC Jamaica Bay, they had an abandoned boat problem so they started charging owners $2500 to tow a boat to shore plus a fine for abandoning a vessel and making owners pay for the cost of cleaning up and pollution of environmental damage. Maybe a $5,000 fine will encourage people to do the right thing.

If you want to report an abandoned vessel in county waters contact Andy Stevens at the Natural Resources Division.

Andy.Stevens@charlotte.fl.com Capt Ron can be reached at 474-3474

July

2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

P a g e 11

Water LIFE

Page 12

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

Recent area news i tems 1. One of the members of the Charlotte County Environmentally Sensitive Land Oversight Committee is questioning the acquisition of the Ryals Ranch. He is calling for a public meeting to discuss the appropriateness of the $27 million expenditure. Like Park and Forest Preserve Districts in other states, publicly owned land should serve the dual role of providing natural open space for rainwater and access to the public for recreational purposes. In this purchase, the sellers will retain the right to continue ranch the property at the exclusion of public use.

Coupled with a lack of access to the property from public roadway, Clarke Keller feels that the $16,500/acre cost may be out of line with its true value. He is offering an opportunity for public comment at a special meeting at the County Center on July 2.

2.

The University of South Florida is considering the establishment of a North Port campus at Salford and US-41.

3. A private citizen has offered $47K to the City of Punta Gorda to fund the construction of a 1200 SF band shell at the newly opened Laishley Park on Marion St. The donation is in memory of his son, John Whalley.

4.

Having been outbid by Arizona for the retention of the Cincinnati Reds spring training schedule, Sarasota seems to have found a source of even more cash to bribe the Boston Red Sox to move up the coast from Ft. Myers.

5. Northern Anchor, a new condominium building proposed for Englewood agreed to reduce its height from 75' to 49' and reduce the number of units from 280 to 232.

6. Charlotte County is proposing to amend its height restriction ordinance to allow new buildings to exceed 35' in height within 1200 feet of open water.

Residents of Cape Haze are threatening to legally block the amendment in spite of the provision that, if passed, developers will have to set aside 20% of the property for greenspace. Logic would indicate that more greenspace is better!

7. The Gulf Breeze public housing reconstruction is nearing completion on Myrtle and Cooper. 41 units of the 171 planned are complete and ready to rent.

The old Florida architecture has proved to be a fabulous alternative to the traditionally bleak look of subsidized housing.

8. Rather than waiting for the need to arise (or the tax revenue to support it) the Charlotte County CRA decided to push forward with the 385 space parking garage. The $11 million expenditure is expected to pay for itself with increased tax receipts from new businesses attracted to the area because of this facility.

9. Ron Thomas resigned with two other members of the Economic Development Committee. The CRA's $90K commitment to the mysterious state sponsored "Main Street" consulting program may have represented a different course for the community's revitalization efforts.

In other news: Tax rolls in North Port fell 33% this year, Charlotte County was down 22% to $18.5 Billion, produc-

A me r ica s C us to m Ga te C o m pa n y Free delivery anywhere in Florida

( 9 41 ) 62 3- 39 91

www.americascustomgatecompany.com email: americascustomgatecompany@gmail.com

Includes powder coat and mounting poles

MAGAZINE

ing a budget shortfall of $33 million.

Somehow the downtown areas within the Community Redevelopment Area taxable valuations are projected to decline only 4% this year (without considering new construction), while the overall City of Punta Gorda will decline 10%.

Mandated water conservati on has driven down collections below operating costs. An 18% increase is in the offing.

TEAM Punta Gorda is trying to make downtown Punta Gorda more bike friendly. They are now investigating ways to create safe bike lanes and dedicated paths to encourage more destination recreation.

S al es S tati sti cs: Sales volume is up slightly over last May, but prices have declined some 25%.

It may be a while before prices uptick again, and that will wait for economic conditions and housing demand to improve up north.

July

2008

Tennants are moving in at the Gulf Breeze public housing reconstruction on Myrtle and Cooper in Punta Gorda. The young tennant we spoke to told us her two bedroom duplex rents for 驶under $600/month.始 Top: A family unloads their trailer on Sunday morning along Cooper Street Top right: one of two upstairs bedrooms.

Center: One of the quaint intersecting streets in the development Bottom Rt: Kitchen waiting for appliances.

Construction, materials and landscaping on this project appear to be above avarage.

Water LIFE

Conversation with a Guide July

2008

S t aff R eport We caught the hammerhead at the right during the shark tournament, around the corner from Cape Haze, on a bonita or a barracuda... I think it was a whole bonita.”

Captain Angel Torres was recounting a few days of fishing.

“It was early, we didn’t want to waste the hammerhead. We thought we’d get something bigger so we released it. We didn’t!”

The snapper was about 5 or 6 miles offshore. On that trip we had cobia, shark, keeper grouper, snapper... 7 miles straight out of Boca Grande, on a little ledge.

That big cuda came the same day.

I’ve been fishing every day, I’m lucky. We are seeing a lot less boats in the Pass now. A lot of captains are running singles instead of double trips.

Fuel is an issue. Everybody is starting to go up on their prices. It’s starting to hurt.

All our tackle has gone up too. Jig heads have gone from $1.50 up to $3.50. A jig, the tail, fluorocarbon leader, and the hook...you’ve got to figure $8 for every rig you lose. People have to take that into consideration.

MAGAZINE

Page 13

A big snapper, a small hammerhead and a just right grouper

I figure you are always going to lose 2 to 3 rigs in the Pass whether you are great or not. Leader has gone up $2 for a 50 yd spool. Hooks are up 50 cents to $1.50 a pack. Fishing line is up a few cents a yard.

Everyone is feeling it, so it’s hard to raise prices and still make everyone happy. Rods are up $10 to $20 each, reels are up $10 to $20 apiece too.

Everything in the industry is going up.

Lot of ‘cudas, bonita and mackerels outside of Boca Grande.

The tarpon bite has slowed a little but tarpon fishing at night is phenomenal up by the bridge. Wait for moving water – you want your bait to go into the shadow line. Stay 30 feet away and you can catch them.”

30' Catalina 1989, single 25HP Universal Diesel. Comfortable cockpit, sleeps 6, full galley. Full bimini with dodger Rigged for single handling. $34,500

21' Aquasport 215 Explorer Walk Around Cuddy has been lift stored, owner has kept it in top condition. 200HP Johnson O.B.Boat is an excellent value. $17,900

28' Carver Voyager fresh water cooled twin 5.7L Mercruisers. Very roomy with 11'1" beam. Large flybridge, marine head w/shower, airconditioning, full galley. $18,500

23' Donzi 235 Sport 1998, with a 2006 220HP Mercruiser 4.3. Interior like new and trailer is included. $16,900

30' SeaRay 300 Weekender, 1989. Always been lift stored out of the water. 260HP Mercruiser Inboards. $24,900

23' Four Winns 230 Horizon, 2001. Fast 230 27' Sportcraft hard top, 1991. 270hp HP Volvo Penta I/O, Bimini top, swim platMercruiser. Great fishing / cruising. Lift kept, form with boarding ladder. This boat is in enclosed head, sleeps 2. Make offer. $19,900 imaculate condition. REDUCED $22,900

23' Wellcraft 238 Coastal 1996 Single 225HP Johnson Ocean Runner. Original owner, very low hours and lift stored.

Excellent condition throughout! $15,900

24' Pontoon Starcraft 2005 Single 50HP Yamaha 2007. Engine only has 40 hours since new and she also has a brand new 2007 trailer. $15,900

27' Contender Open Center Console 2006 twin 300HP Yamaha. Perfect condition, fully loaded, and ready for some serious fishing! $98,000

21' Hurricane, 2007 Sundeck w/fish pkge.

2007 Yamaha four stroke 150, less than 35 hours. Loaded for a fishing day or just cruising with family. REDUCED! $32,900

20' Sea Hunt 202 Triton, 2004 Yamaha 4stroke 150 with 150Hrs! Center console has an entry for the porta pottie. Stored inside in excellent shape. $18,900

28' Bertram Fly Bridge Cruiser 1979 with 1995 twin 260 HP Mercruiser Bluewater IB's. Huge cockpit for fishing, diving and entertaining.

Excellent condition throughout! $25,900

23' Sea Swirl 2300 Stripper, 2000.

Single 200HP Evinrude. Nice walkaround cuddy, good for coastal fishing, cruising and diving. REDUCED! $23,900

30' Young & Grant Sportfishing, 1983. Single 350hp Caterpillar 3116 turbo new in 2000.

This vessel is charter rigged and a proven tournament winner. REDUCED! $34,900

Page 14

Water LIFE

Screaming Reels

By C apt A ndrew Medi na Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor The end of June proved to be a test of one’s angling skills. Extreme hot weather and the recent rains we had made visibility for sight fishing next to impossible. But the strange thing is that even in the dirty water, when you found the fish they were willing to eat on a moving tide. Redfish really didn’t care – as long as they smelt it, they ate it. July should be about the same,. The best thing to do is look for activity. Mullet is what I will always look for, if there are mullet hanging around, then the redfish, snook, and other species will not be far behind.

Cut pinfish on a jig head has been doing the trick for me in the back country fishing for reds. Snook are still eating white bait well. Now you can start looking for the snook on the beaches or just inside the passes on the docks along the Intracoastal. My best snook bite in the bushes has been primarily on top water. I like throwing ‘spooks’ in white, or white and red. There have been some very good fish in front of Bull Bay, not far off the open water. Fish out side the bars for the best action. There are also a lot of fish being taken from up river.

Fishing around the marsh on the other side of the Interstate has produced some nice reds. Not tournament fish, but still a lot of fun.

If the weather holds, I would expect to see a few more boats on the water this

month. It’s been a really weird time, with gas prices the way they are, I’m seeing a lot less boats on the water in general. I run my trips during the week when there’s not a lot of boat traffic anyways, but I now often have an entire shore line to myself. I can not lie, it’s pretty nice.

Out in the pass, the tarpon bite has been hit or miss. One day there are big pods of fish on the depth finder. The next day 30 boats are dropping jigs on 5 fish.

We are still hooking up fairly well, if you can find the color bait they want.

One day it’s red head green tiger tail, the next it’s a lead head with gold tiger.

Tarpon are very active out on the beaches for the crab throwing anglers. I honestly think the pods running the beach have been larger than those in the pass. July will also be the time to chase the black water tarpon on the bridges and up river. We have been chasing these fish for a couple months now, but July seems to be the best month for me to hit them hard. Anglers after the poon on fly should start fishing when the sun goes down and concentrate on the shadow lines of docks and bridges. Red and white and chartreuse patterns are working well.

Light tackle, bait busters and Mirrolures have proven to hold their own. Get out on the water and just have fun.

Capt. Andrew Medina can be reached for charter info at 456-1540 or on the web at www.bentrods4u.com

MAGAZINE

KIDS CUP

July

2008

X-Treme - the Everymanʼs RedfishTournament

S t aff R eport You just never know what will happen when you go fishing. Last month, during the XTreme Redfish tournament a water spout came down around a few of the anglers but there was no damage or injurys. A total of 30 boats competed in the tournament, with 23 boats bringing in Jesse Smith with a redfish caught during the XTreme Redfish Tournament in extreme weather. fish. A total of 40 redfish were weighed in. All fish payout of $260 were released alive.

Fourth place went to Neil Hampton In first place was J.R Witt and Terry and Ian Born with a total weight of Brantley who weighed in a total weight of 12.45-pounds and a payout of $180.

14.96 -pounds worth $1280 and they got The Banana Bay Motel in Port big fish money for 7.70 lbs and an addiCharlotte once again hosted the tournational $290.00 ment. The next XTreme tournament is In second place were Chris Stephans scheduled for July 26. It will be the fifthand Tony Roan with total weight of leg of the series. Entry fee is $120 13.20-pounds worth $600. Third place Phone 941-456-1540 for more informawent to Mike Garcia and David Lassey tion. with a total weight of 12.55-pounds and a

July

2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

KIDS CUP

Page 15

Trees Growing, Fish Swimming New Reef About to be Born

By Betty S taugl er Sea Grant / Water LIFE Mangrove Restorati on: Last October, a group of scientists, boaters/anglers and students embarked on a mission to restore the damaged mangrove shoreline along the West Wall of Charlotte Harbor and on a few islands on the East Wall. Our restoration project was hinged on propagules, the bean looking seedlings of a red mangrove. We explored two different restoration treatments, hand planting and dispersal, and each of our treatments were repeated four times to ensure our results would be valid. We also established four controls, areas where we did nothing. We used these controls to measure our restoration treatment results against.

After the October restoration event, we set up a quarterly monitoring program.

Because we cannot monitor the entire project area (roughly 5 miles), we established monitoring plots within each treatment. We have 20 plots total. Each plot is 12 x 12 meters (40 x 40 feet). Within each plot we have monitored the total number of propagules found and the number of propagules that are established.

We are also measuring tree height of specimens at six fixed locations, estimating crab density, and measuring leaf litter

WATERFRONT PROPERTIES No bridges

These two spots, 100 yds apart and 2.5 miles north of Cape Haze show the difference in the newer natural growth. In the left photo, young mangroves are close to the shoreline, in the right photo the growth is not as close or as thick. The young trees are probably 4 year old.

(a means of estimating primary production).

Our first monitoring results were extremely encouraging! Those results, without a doubt, indicated that we did make a positive impact. The graphs were really impressive, but more importantly, the statistics were sound. Our second monitoring results were a little fuzzier.

The graphs still look impressive, but there is considerably more variability in the data. Because of that, I can’t say that we had the same impact, at least not by using the same analysis.

So what happened between the first sampling and the second? Natural recruitment is most likely the answer. Last month Michael Heller reported a lot of natural recruitment on the West Wall. He

MANASOTA KEY PROPERTIES:

No bridges to Lemon Bay, ICW or Gulf.

Deep water. Excellent rental history 9281 Pine Cove Custom 3/3 home w/separate guest quarters. Water views

7040 Manasota Key Road Spectacular secluded 3/3 Gulf front home w/cage pool & lush vegetation.

1910 Greenlawn Remodeled 2/2 home w/caged pool and dock

El Galeon By The Sea 1/1 condo w/open views of Gulf and pool. Boat docks and great rental history

1927 Pennsylvania 3/3 home w/screened pool & 30+foot deep-water dock Sorrento Shores Delightful light and spacious 3 2-1/2 w/caged pool and expansive back yard. Deeded dock across street 9170 Pine Cove 2/2 pool home w/dock and boat ramp Canal View 9260 Griggs Custom 3/2 home w/expansive decks, vaulted ceiling, fireplace, dock, bay views Lemon Bay Breezes 2/2 condo on Gottfried Creek. One bridge, dock, boat ramp, pool, spa, tennis.

8210 Manasota Key Road Gulf to Bay island paradise for sale. Pool overlooks the Gulf 6091 Manasota Key Road Bayfront 3/3 secluded home w/deeded beach access. Updated custom kitchen, 100 year old maple floors, great views.

Bargain Youʼve Been Waiting For! - 1185 Little Court 3/2 home short walk to beach and bay

1330 Holiday 2/2 cottage with room for a pool and close to beach and bay Spacious Gulf Sands 3/2 gulf side condo w/shared deeded dock and 2-car carport Selected New Listings!

133 Mark Twain - $139,000 7084 Nichols - $180,000 1640 Manor - $200,000 110 Spaniards half acre lot $129,9000

is certainly right there. What we found was that the natural recruitment in our furthest south two control areas far exceeded the natural recruitment in the northern two control areas. Because the totals to the south were so much greater than the north, the statistics that I used were no longer valid due to the site bias.

Essentially, the actual results (from each plot) were not close enough to the mean (average) of all the plots (for that treatment) because some counts were really high (south) and some were really low (north). My apologies if my explanation is less than muddy clear.

Going back to the drawing board, I began looking at the individual plots over time. For the first two sampling events, those results do look very encouraging, and demonstrate that the number of propagules established in each treatment site (remember there are four sites for every treatment) is greater than the number established in each corresponding control site. We are out now finishing up our third quarterly sampling event, before doing a more comprehensive analysis of the data. Our final report to our funder, FishAmerica Foundation is due the end of August. That report will also include an analysis of the tree canopy, leaf litter and crab counts.

Redfi sh Tracki ng: Tragedy struck the Kids Cup technical team during June.

One of our GIS (mapping) guru’s lost his

wife in a very unexpected and untimely death. She was only 54. Because of this unfortunate situation, we were temporarily unable to produce the animated ‘Flash’ fish tracking maps on the website.

On a more upbeat note, we received word that in June the first redfish was recaptured from the 2008 Kids Cup tournament. I’m still awaiting the official letter with all of the details, but I do know that fish # 68 was recaptured near the Cape Haze end of the West wall. This fish was originally caught in Pine Island Sound.

Arti fi ci al Reefs: We put a bid out for our first deployment on the Capt. Jeff Steele Reef in June. The bids are back in and we are finalizing the contract for our selected contractor. This deployment will consist of about 500 tons of concrete culverts, manholes, junction boxes and power poles. The work is scheduled to be complete by August 30th. Once the deployment is finished, the deployment coordinates will be posted in this publication and on the Sea Grant website at: http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/seagrant.

We will also be forwarding the coordinates to FWC, where they will appear in a future edition of the State’s fishing regulations.

Betty Staugler is the Sea Grant Agent for Charlotte County. S he can be reached at 941-764-4346.

SHARK TOURNAMENT Water LIFE

Page 16

July

MAGAZINE

2008

S t aff R eport The weather was good (that’s an unusual thing for this event) the Harbor was flat and the sharks were biting. Withy 567 entries the event was the second largest ever for this 15-year-old event.

This year, there were 14 sharks, 6 rays and 25 sailcats brought in.

Results: SHARK

1 Ron Huey Jr 82 3/4 $2300 2 Taylor Lugiewicz 79 3/4 $1500 3 Terry Paulu 77 3/4 $750 4 James Lugiewicz 75 5/8 $500 SAIL CAT 1 Nicholas Iannone 4.22 $2300 2 Brent Tinkham 4.20 $12500 3 Jason Smoak 4.11 $750 4 David Iannone 3.95 $500

STING RAY 1 Andy Dubois 39 1/2 $1600 2 Sean Pack 38 5/8 $1100 3 Steven Baker 34 /8 $500 4 David DeYoung 32 3/4 362

There is another shark tournament this month on July 12.

Terry Poulkʼs shark came from outside Call 625-3888 for information.

Turtle Bay

Children of all ages come to see the sharks brought in.

Sharks must be gutted and iced so fter the event the meat can be donated for human consumption. Research scientists also take skin and tissue samples from all the sharks.

My cat is bigger than your cat: Thomas McGuiness and Billy Barton compare a 3.62 and a 3.69 pound cats. Neither were ʻmoney fishʼ Doug & Judy Kaff

The crowd lines up along the side of US 41 to view the sharks, stingrays and catfish while the Sheriff kept an eye on the traffic

$329,000 Price Reduced!

Two Lots on Corner of Fleming & David

60ʼ ON THE WATER with seawall and new dock. Lots cleared with water and sewer available

Price Reduced!

Gulf Cove Lot CHILCOTE TERRACE Cleared, filled, with seawall and dock. 3rd from Myakka in area of upscale homes. 98'X125' $399,000

Great New Bayside Complex. Gated with private

elevators and coded entry .

Turn-Key furnished 2bed 2bath. nice views – unit has private garages, community J u d y K a f f dock, workout room, pool with spa. $799,000

$399,900 $359,000 PELICAN LANDING - Direct Gulf front unit with great pool, great beach and community docking for smaller boat. Great Intercoastal fishing location. Turn key furnished. $749,000

$299,000!

DUPLEX, On Manasota Key, short walk to beaches Convenient parking in front, each unit with its own lanai Live in one side and rent the other !

Unit 1: 2 bedrooms, one bath Unit 2: 1 bedroom, one bath

New Const. Direct Gulf Front New Condos: 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath. Two Pools, elevators, under building parking ON THE BEACH! a. $999,000 "The Palms " full gulf views SOLD! $769,000 "Barefoot Beach" Bldg 1 Turn-Key furnished, generated b.SOLD! over $31,000 in rental income last year...full gulf views c. $499,000 "Barefoot Beach" ...Bldg 2 entire floor no common walls d. $1,199,000 "Boulder Pointe" direct gulf front, 2 pools and tennis court

(941) 830-0502

(941) 474-9534

Judykaff@earthlink.net

July

2008

FISHING 101 Spots & Top Technique

Continued from last month first part still available online

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor More obvious places include man-made rip-rap, rocks, seawalls, pilings and bridge abutments. Sandbars or as I refer to them as snackbars are a sure thing for action. You can drift or anchor on sandbars that form points or pockets and have moving water around them. As a general guideline, fish a spot for 20-30 minutes before moving on to the next. Fish travel different paths on different tides and at different times of year. Be patient, but fresh bait should get some attention if your in the right spot. One of the favorite baits on the Harbor is cut ladyfish. Catching ladyfish is at least half the fun of having them for bait. Ladyfish love to hang on the outside of the east and west bars, mouth of the Myakka River, Bull and Turtle Bay. Generally in 3-6 feet of water they can be caught throwing soft plastic lures and spoons.

Water LIFE

Let the wind drift you down the edge and blind cast until you hook up. With a few ladies in the boat your ready to go fishing. On a recent fishing trip, we had a slack tide with high northeast winds that put the kabash on fish catching. Our third fish of the day after 5 hours fishing was a ladyfish. Redfish, sharks, snook and most other species love cut ladyfish.

Hoping to save a slow fishing day we took the one ladyfish and went to a nearby mangrove island and cast out a healthy chunk. So far that day a livewell of pilchards could hardly raise a bite. After only 10 minutes of soak time with a ladyfish chunk a huge redfish ate the bait.

One heck of a battle ensued and 10 minutes later a redfish of over 14 pounds came boatside. Two more bites produced catfish which really gave a good account of themselves despite being less glamorous.

Trolling is a basic form of fishing where you cover lots of water while fishing lines out of the back of the boat.

Despite the fact that you won’t see many boats trolling Charlotte Harbor I do it often when guests come into town. We can talk and enjoy the weather and casually fish while the swells of the harbor impart extra action into our lures.

Water Toys, Water Skis, & Floats in stock w w w. a l l f i b e r g l a s s r e p a i r s . c o m Scott Steffe Owner

Page

MAGAZINE

The Ladies Lets Go Fishing School comes to the Gulf Coast August 22-24, in Sarasota.

Cost is $145. phone (954) 475-9068; email: info@ladiesletsgofishing.com; website: www.ladiesletsgofishing.com; MySpace: www.myspace.com/ladiesletsgofishing; http://ladiesletsgofishing.blogspot.com/.

Mackerel and ladyfish are really suckers for a small white bucktail with a twister tail attached. A silver or gold spoon also works well. Put your boat in gear and make a long cast with 2-3 rods, letting a little extra line out as the boat moves forward. I find that from Burnt Store Marina to Boca Grande Pass there is always a school of fish to be had. Set a troll up for 20 minutes and if no fish are hooked, move your boat up another mile or so into a new area. One thing to look for is small white birds dipping on the water or pelicans diving. This indicates bait on the surface and almost always there are fish nearby. If you are not getting bites I find that upsizing or downsizing your lures can make a huge difference. Another method of trolling is to use your trolling motor with live bait. The hard part is catching the scaled sardines and threadins but slow trolling with a trolling motor can be deadly. The Peace River can be very good as well as trolling in 5-12 feet of water parallel to the bars throughout the harbor. Tarpon are commonly caught this way. If you don’t want to bother

with a cast net then buy a sabiki rig and catch your bait around the roving pods of threadfin herring that are seen on the surface. For the ultimate in action try slow trolling threadfins parallel to the beaches and hang on! Any beach area within 100 yards to several miles offshore has lots of fish and big fish to excite any angler.

Expect sharks, barracuda, kingfish, huge redfish, snook, jacks, cobia and youname-it..it is there.

There are as many fishing techniques as there are fisherman however the basic methods above will produce a variety of fish every day on the water. No need for a high performance boat or 50 years of fishing experience to have success. The key is fresh bait, identifying good bottom locations to fish and trolling, drifting or bottom fishing the area. Nothing is more important than perhaps confidence. If you carefully select an area and believe it will produce then it likely will.

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

Fabrication • Spot Repairs Major Structural Repairs

Professional Quality Awl Grip Finishes Gel Coat • Detailing and Brightwork Free Estimates • Mobile Service

Complete

1726 Steadly Ave Punta Gorda

17

Land & Sea

onLine Shipʼs Store

Shop 941- 575-8914 Home 235-2243

Custom Work is Our Specialty

Page 18

Summer Race #1

A little rain, lots of clouds ... and not much wind

Water LIFE

By Bi l l Di xon Water LIFE Sailing The PHRF New Year starts July 1.

Yes, that’s right; it is time to apply for your 2008-09 Rating Certificate. Please, PLEASE look at your old certificate to see if there are things to be changed.

MAGAZINE

For Cruising Boats, the rules have changed. No more credit for a furled Bimini, more credit for newer old sails.

Dacron sails over 2 years old now get +3 seconds per mile allowance.

Winners of the PHRF Boat Of The Year were: S pi nnaker Dan Kendrick from Marco Island in Tippicanoe Non S pi n 1st: Jerry Poquette, Burnt Store, Fancy Free 2nd: Steve Romaine Ft. Myers Air Supply Crui si ng 1st: Dave & Sue Cleverly

July

2008

Free Again 2nd: Rudy Gottschlich Diva Gorda 3rd: Roger Horton, Cape Coral, Wiley Coyote Other winners in PHRF included the 70+ people who attended the Annual meeting and awards banquet on June 28.

They feasted on certified black angus Filets, baked potatoes, salads and desserts.

WFPHRF provided 2 free steak (or chicken or fish) dinners to any current rating certificate holders who attended the annual meeting.

Dixonwr@comcast.net

Kayaking

July

2008

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking In every club and organization there are a few members who are always ready to help whenever their special talents are needed for the benefit of all. Regardless of the project or event, they bring a cheerful willingness to whatever task is requested of them. The Port Charlotte Kayakers are lucky to have a number of these special people among our members.

For example, several weeks ago, our kayak club was invited to Sunday brunch at the Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda, followed by a paddle through the mangroves east of Ponce DeLeon Park.

Sunday Brunch at the Isles Yacht Club is a very special event; breakfast is prepared exactly as you order it by a host of accommodating chefs, the food is excellent, and the view of the boats and surroundings adds to the enjoyment.

The Sunday Brunch was arranged by Jim McKenzie, a member of the Isles Yacht club and a member of the Jim Mckenzie Port Charlotte Kayakers for many years, who generously decided to treat the club to this special breakfast. But he has done much more than invite our group to Sunday Brunch. Over the years he has always helped our efforts to “Keep Charlotte Beautiful� by providing a powerboat to assist in the trash collection.

And he has provided a lead and safety boat for the Kayak Races at the Kayak Festivals and Senior Games since 2006.

Jim also organizes and leads some of the Monday Paddles that cover about 15 to 20 miles of open water. He does all this in a quiet, self-effacing way, usually making light of whatever he does. We all have a great deal of respect for Jim and truly value his friendship.

So this particular Sunday, we started our kayaking day with a delicious break-

Water LIFE

Paddling the Punta Gorda Mangroves After Breakfast

Kayakers gather outside one of the Punta Gorda mangrove channels.

fast to power our efforts along the waterway. It was a perfect day for kayaking; bright sun, bright blue water, and a gentle wind out of the southwest to speed us along.

After the hardy breakfast, we drove a short distance to Ponce DeLeon Park at the west end of Marion Avenue. The ramp was very busy with boats coming and going, so some of our group elected to launch from the small beach to the west of the parking lot and the rest from the concrete boat ramp. By shortly after 10 a.m. all our boats were in the water and we were paddling up the channel toward the mangroves.

As we paddled along, fish in the channel were very active, jumping well out of the water on both side of our boats, while egrets and anhinga soared overhead.

Beautiful! We left the channel after about a half-mile from the launch site and entered a small pond, which formed the entrance to the mangrove tunnel. The Punta Gorda mangroves are somewhat unique for this area in that they are reasonably wide, fairly deep with gentle turns, so negotiating the twisting waterpath is relatively easy and very pleasant.

After about an hour of paddling singlefile through the tunnels, we emerged

Kayak & Paddle $875 Life Vest & Whistle $75

Catching fish and not spending a dime on gas... as long as you paddle a kayak

PRICELESS!

MAGAZINE

For Al l Your Kayaki ng Needs there's BIG KID KAYAKS

about a half-mile north of Alligator Creek and the marked boat channel. This is the point at which our group decides who will paddle back to Ponce Park via the boat channel, and who will paddle up the Bay to the same destination. About half our group selected the outside route as it was such a beautiful day, and the gentle southwest wind helped our progress.

As we finished the paddle, loaded our kayaks on our cars, and headed for home,

Page 19

many of us were thankful for such a fine day of paddling and thankful for the generosity of our friend, Jim McKenzie.

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

Page 20

superstitions

The Commercial Perspective

By Kel l y Beal Peace Ri ver S eafood Water LIFE Punta Gorda Those of us who survived Hurricane Charley which occurred on FRIDAY THE 13th of August can't help but be a little superstitious. I've always had a little concern on those Fridays landing on the 13th. Recently I asked an old fishermen about what superstitions he had come across. He told me of a time when he was young, back when the stop nets were still used, the pelicans were swarming the boat, the younger guys were shoeing them away by throwing stuff at them. The elders on the boat got EXTREMELY angry. They said that those pelicans where spirits of past fisherman. He said the elders were fanatical about it. It’s funny how some people get. My husband is that way about seahorses. Dead seahorses bring bad luck. We once heard of a shrimp boat that burned down. It was said there was a dead seahorse on that boat. Needless to say, we won't allow any dead seahorses at the fishhouse. If someone brings one they are asked to leave. Here are some superstitions I found. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!!

- Black traveling bags are bad luck as this is the color of death.

- Never say good luck or allow someone to say good luck to you unanswered. The only way this can be counteracted is by drawing blood. A swift punch in the nose is usually sufficient to reverse this.

- Avoid people with red hair when going to the ship to begin a journey. Red heads bring bad luck to a ship, which can be averted by speaking to the red head before they speak to you.

Under Contract

Call the Captain!

Superior Burnt Store Isles Villa!

Value and Upgrades! 1463sf Air, 2005 Beautifully updated kitchen, tile/wood floors, extended Lanai ++ $205,900

Under Contract

Call the Captain! $220,000 PREMIUM WATERFRONT LOT!

Great location with 100 feet of Waterfront.

Call the Captain! Just Remodeled Waterfront Bargain! $224,800. Modern 3/2, 1700sf Air, 10 min to Harbor,Granite Kitchen, Everything New, Wide Canal.

Under Contract

Call the Captain! $199,000

PIRATE HARBOR LOT WITH DOCK!

100’ Waterfront, Sailboat Lot with a Dock & Boat Lift already in place!

Water LIFE

July

MAGAZINE

- Avoid flat footed people when beginning a trip - they, like red heads, bring bad luck.

- A stolen piece of wood mortised into the keel will make a ship sail faster.

- A silver coin placed under the masthead ensures a successful voyage.

- Disaster will follow if you step onto your boat with your left foot first.

- Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage.

- Throwing stones at the sea will cause great waves and storms.

- A stone thrown over a vessel that is putting out to sea ensures she will never return.

- Flowers are unlucky on board.

- Priests are not lucky to have on board , they dress in black and perform funeral services.

-Women on board make the sea angry. A naked women on board will calm the seas. This is the reason for naked figureheads.

- Don't look back. Looking back to port implies you are not truly ready to brave the seas.

- A dog seen near fishing tackle is bad luck.

- Black cats are considered good luck and will bring a sailor home from sea.

- Swallows seen at sea are a good sign. Swallows are a land based bird and seeing them at sea implies land is near.

- Dolphin swimming with the ship are a sign of good luck.

Killing one will bring bad luck. Dolphins are considered a sacred friend of fishermen, they have the good fortunes of man in mind and thier presence indicates that you are under their protection.

- Losing a mop or bucket overboard is a sign of bad luck.

- Cutting your hair or nails at sea is bad luck. These were used as offerings to Proserpina and Neptune (the sea God) will be jealous.

- When the clothes of a dead sailor are worn by another during

the same voyage misfortune will befall the entire ship.

- Never say the word Drowned at sea.

- The feather of a wren slain on New Years Day will protect a sailor from dying by shipwreck.

- A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death.

Sharks were believed to be able to sense those near death.

- Whistling is a 'no no' - you will whistle up a storm.

- Cats carry lightning in their tails and can call the wind by sneezing. Anger the ships cat and it may call a gale.

- If you have a boiled egg you must destroy the eggshell completely as witches would use the eggshell to sail the sea and cause a storm to wreck ships.

- A white handled knife was the tool of witches and therefore considered unlucky to have on board.

- To say "Pig" on board is bad luck. Itʼs derived from the belief that pigs can see the wind and to utter the word aboard will cause the wind to blow.

- Knitting hair into the toe of the sailors sock will bring him back to you.

- Friday is considered bad luck at sea, Saturday is considered a good day to set sail.

- Horses appearing in a sailors dream foretell of high seas.

Be healthy, be happy and be safe! Stay clear of those flat footed redheads holding a white knife! Stop by our restuarant on Hwy 17 but leave your dead seahorses behind!!

Call the Captain! $799,900 Absolutely Beautiful $799,000 PARADISE IN PIRATE HARBOR! Truly Stunning 3/3/4+ Waterfront Home! Custom built, “2000”, 3859sf Air, 7499sf total, 150 ‘ WF, Boat House, RV Park Dock & Lift

Call the Captain! LOWEST PRICED VILLA ON SUN-

SET CIRCLE In Burnt Store Meadows. Lakeview 3/2/2, built in “2000,” 1755sf, Air furnished, Fabulous! $319,900

Call the Captain! Open Water Call the Captain! Wide Waterfront

Call the Captain! Best waterfront lot In Punta Gorda! You be the judge- wide open water view, 2 minutes into harbor, 152' of seawall, dock $449,000

View, Room For RV! Keys style stilt home, 25min gulf, over 3000sf, immaculate 4 car parking and RV pad, Boat Lift & davits. $425,900

Call the Captain! Fantastic Country Home - Oversize 2002 luxury 5 bedroom pool home, pond shed, circular drive No deed restrictions $410,000

Call the Captain! $310,300 BEAUTIFUL HOME CLOSE TO BEACH! 3/2/2, Nice upgrades, “2003”, 1696sf Air, 2386 total. Capt Chuck Brought the Buyer.

Under Contract

2008

View, 3 min. to harbor. Custom stilt, extremely fancy, elevator, pool, 3 car garage,summer kitchen. Nothing like it in Punta Gorda $659,900

Call the Captain! Stilt Home with Boat Ramp Picture window views, deep canal, recently remodeled, elevator. 5 minutes to the Harbor, over 3000sf $369,900.

Call the Captain! Over 1/2 Acre Waterfront! Two side by side corner lots on 86 ft one of Charlotte Co’s Best waterfront and 15 min to the Waterfront Lots. 100 feet of Concrete Seawall, Sailboat access. Harbor. $425,000 Call the Captain! $199,900

WATERFRONT LOT! Great price –

July

Water LIFE

2008

SCUTTLEBUTT Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

KILLER WHALES Two pigmy killer whales washed up on the shore at Boca Grande last month. The animals were taken to Mote Marine in Sarasota for rehabilitation .... or their final days, depending on how things work out.

PTTS The Professional Tarpon Tournament Series concluded last month with a protest. One of the winning fish was brought to the weigh station without a tarpon tag attached. Compounding matters, several tournament anglers have complained that some tournament teams have found a way to attach a tag loosely and then clip it off so the tag can be reused.

Page 21

MAGAZINE

RICHES T TO RETURN? The Richest Redfish Challenge is said to be in resurrection mode, this time as a Flatsmasters event.

S URVIVOR TO S INK - The Survivor Series Redfish Tournament is said to have been cancelled.

S UPPORT NEEDED TO PAS S BILL If legislation does not pass in the next 4 months, all of the boats that you own or sail will need a special discharge system permit, regardless of size or type.

HELL’S BAY BOATWORKS is bringing back veteran fishing boat builder Tom Gordon, plus two of its classic and popular shallow-water performance skiffs

with those currently produced by Gordon Boatworks, in a merger of the two Titusville companies.

RIVER S WIM Swimmers in the annual 4th of July Peace River swim from Port Charlotte (starting out at the base of the US 41 bridge) to Harpoon Harry’s at Fishermen’s Village are thinking the rain we have been getting means fresh water and fresh water means no sharks. And they like that.

GATOR ATTACK The young man who had his left arm bit off above the elbow while swimming in a rim canal off Lake Okeechobee last month said, in a TV interview, that gators have become more aggressive in the last 5 to 10 years. He blamed environmentalists who he said buy up 2/3 of the gator hunting permits and then don’t use them. We

simply have too many big gators and the state’s plan for culling them has been thwarted, he said. He recommended the FWC look into this immediately. Gators now look at humans as food, he said.

The Deadly Dozen : Charlotte Harbor FISHING GUIDES Charters

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

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

Nighttime Trips Available

Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

Bus: 941-475-5538

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

(941) 255-3551

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

Res: 941-473-2150

July

Page 22

Fishing Report

Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

I know tarpon for sure will be the number one fish this month. As thick as they are they are not going anyplace any time soon. At the end of the hill tide there were probably 3000 fish still in the pass. It was an interesting hill tide. There were crabs all the way up to marker No. 1, several hundred of them, pass crabs not blue crabs. It probably had something to do with the salinity. They stayed way up in the upper end of the harbor and the tarpon were onto them, so now on any night you can theoretically drift around in the harbor with a pass crab and do well on the tarpon. I don’t know if that’s been done yet, but it should work.

Right now there are three tarpon options: the beach, the pass and the harbor. More fish will move out of the passes and up into the harbor soon. They will feed on the abundance of threadfins and on the old tarpon reliable artificial, the DOA

Water LIFE

Bait Buster.

S hark will be my next choice this month. There are lots of little black tips around. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on gas for these fish and you don’t need the big tackle: 10-to 20 pound test and a bag of chum hanging over the side is all it takes. Alligator Reef, Cape Haze Mkr No 8 by the Mayakka, they should all be good for sharks this month. The bigger sharks are around, but you have to be patient. They are hanging on the edge of the bars and at the Alligator and Cape Haze reefs. On the offshore reefs there are mostly lemons and a few bulls around.

It’s been an unusual year for the sharks.

In the pass, there have not been a lot of sharks eating the tarpon the guys are catching this year. The bulls in the pass were smaller, 5-to 8-feet and there haven’t been any big hammerheads this year.

Even the local shark anglers that just look for sharks all day couldn’t find many. Maybe it’s because there are a lot of bonita out in the 100 foot depths.

That’s enough bait for the sharks so that the didn’t have to come inside this year, at least not the big ones. It also might have to do with the salinity and the blue clear water. This is the first time in a while there hasn’t been a red tide.

Redfi sh are another good target this month. You have to work for them, this is the time for dead or frozen shrimp to

MAGAZINE

July

2008

catch redfish. Now reds are lazy and lethargic and they work mostly on smell. That’s good, because at the bait shop we are getting into pee-wee shrimp season, so bait other than live shrimp is best. Look for reds in moving water where there is some shade, try the smaller creeks and the deeper channels, they will hold redfish. It’s about temperature and moving water at this time of year.

There are also good oversized fish – 10-20 pounders – along the beaches, but they are more sporadic.

There are also a lot of pompano, south from Cayo Costa to Sanibel along the beaches.

Pompano bait is a small bucktail tipped with a shrimp or a sand flea. This year sand fleas are around, but not in good numbers, kind of like the blue crab, where did they go this Both angler Greg Bollinger and his cobia were wide eyed in Fishinʼ Franks. The cobia came from the Peace year?

River bridge area. The hook it was caught on probably Cobi a are here and they came from the wall behind Greg. should be here heavy throughout the rest of the summer.

Jobean, and on the nearshore reefs like the Cobia are usually the by-catch when you Novak and Trembly, they are all good are shark fishing, but you can try looking places for cobia. Sardines are good but a for them by the grass flat in front of the live whiting is like cotton candy to a Tarpon Bay apartments over by El cobia.

July

2008

Fishing Report continued

Out on the beach there are a ton of big whi ti ng, up to 1.5 pounds. And there are some permi t offshore, try the man made reefs for permit.

Lemon Bay:

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

A lot of snook fishing going on right now. there are snook on the beach and in the passes; Stump Pass, Gasparilla, Captiva, all the passes around here have snook in them. Mutton minnows, small pinfish white bait, small jigs like Rapala’s XR10, or the XR8 – the lighter shades – Yozuri’s 3D Minnow, or the Flat Crank by Yozuri that looks like a little shad.

They are all popular lures right now.

I’ve had some guys catching decent trout, but not everyone. I know trout of 15 to 20 inches are around, more of them down south.

There are some redfi sh in lemon bay but the charter guys going down into the Pine Island Sound are catching the nice reds. Forty redfish a day is not unusual but the fish are way up in the back. You almost have to walk in and pull your boat and it’s so hot back in there a lot of guys don’t want to go.

BIG-4 BIG-4 SHARK smaller ones in the harbor, bigger in the passes

Water LIFE

Page 23

MAGAZINE

Julyʼs Target Species Species Julyʼs Target

REDFISH bigger fish are gathering in schools

The trestle is loaded up with mangrove snapper, fish 14 to15 inches some bigger. There have been plenty of keeper gag grouper at Boca Grande and some nice S pani sh mackerel out on the long bar on the north side of the pass.

Tarpon are on the beach and still in the pass. They are coming and going with the tide. Maybe some of the bigger fish have dropped offshore to spawn.

Not that many guys are going offshore, because of the gas prices. A lot of the head boats can’t get enough people to go out, it seems like people don’t even want to drive down to the dock.

COBIA have been showing up all over the harbor.

July 19 Franksʼ Shark Tournament TARPON are here already, in the harbor and in the Pass

According to Darryl at Fishinʼ Franks, the lure they sell the most of right now is “the XR-10 Rapala.” Jim at Fishermenʼs Edge said it was the Rapala XR-8 Rapala. Both look a lot like the sardines swimming around the area right now.

Calendar of Events

July 4: Peace Ri ver S wi m, Port Charlotte at the US 41 Bridge to Fishermen’s Village, on the tide.

Fireworks, Gilchrist Park, Punta Gorda

July12,13: Maverick Boats Fl atsmasters S eri es- RedPl ug Chal l enge, Artificial lures only.

941-637-5953 July 19: S hark, S ai l cat & S ti ngray Tournament, Fishin’ Franks, Port Charlotte, 625-3888

THE ALL NEW 2008 F-450 KING RANCH SUPER DUTY

July 19: 6th Annual Davi d Lee Root Jr. Memori al Fi shi ng Tournament, $50.00 per man D & D Matlacha Bait & Tackle a benefit for the Trauma Center at Lee Memorial Hospital, 239-2829122 or 239-542-9952 July 26: Trash Can S l am, Catfish, Ladyfish, Jack Crevelle, $150, Pineland Marina, benefit for School Supplies, After School Program, and Summer Camp for

local kids. Prizes: $1,000, $750.00, $500.00, 239-282-0859

Aug 6-9: S arasota S l am, multi species inshore/offshore tournament, Marina Jacks (941) 223-0112 August 8: Are You Man Enough S hark Chal l enge, $400, Ft Myers Beach, 30 boat Limit... 2 divisions 8 ways to win! Over $5500 in prizes, SharkMan@Embarqmail.com

Fishing

RIGHT NOW:

Very Excellent!

July

2008

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 28