Water LIFE July 2011

W a t e r LIFE

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

The official publication of the Charlotte Harbor Reef Association

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Chillin始 Out Up-River Page 21

All Night Long Page 13

Still Missing The Point: Our Civil Rights Page 6

Cooperative Cobia Page 7

Pet Photo Winners Page 4

w w w. W a t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e . c o m Online every month!

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

Pending

SAILBOAT POOL HOME IN GRASSY POINTE AREA – Concrete seawall with county water and sewer. 3/2/2 w/1,880 sq. ft. Sold AS-IS. Needs some TLC and you could have the best of Florida living, boating, fishing or just relaxing in the sun.

Per seller, he “wants offers.” Donʼt miss out on this one.

WOW! Great price at $180,000!

Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

KINGS GATE BRISTOL II MODEL 2006 – A true 3 bedroom, 2 ba, 2 car with 1,662 sq ft. Formal living & dining room, large10x17 kitchen, beveled counters, volume ceilings thru out, ALL TILE FLOORS ON DIAGONAL huge extended 13x35 Lanai with roll up sun shield blinds, 3M hurricane film on all windows and sliders, 550 watt generator wired to electric panel and just too many upgrades at $189,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

SHORT SALE – SOLD AS-IS Solar heated pool home, 3/2/2 with 1702 sq ft, built 1989. Nothing to do but move in. Living, dining, family room, nook, 4 walk in closets, tile and carpet. Large Kitchen with breakfast bar, glass top range, side by side ref. pass thru to large lanai and patio. Cathedral ceilings. Auto cleaner in pool and shutters on windows. Priced to sell at $99,900, Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

NEW SEAWALL TO BE INSTALLED BEACH COMPLEX SAILBOAT LOT. WOW! A million dollar view down the canal. Lot is on the end with a great view of homes and boats. Seller will work with buyer concerning concrete seawall. Seller will look at all offers. Now is the time to buy while prices are at the bottom. $219,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

Pending

DEEP CREEK – POOL HOME Could be left completely furnished for right price.

3/2/2 built 1986 with 1,688 sq ft.

Pineapple Palm in front, concrete curbing w/stones, screened entry, living, dining and family room. Laminate wood floors in kitchen and hallway, granite counter, bar open to family room. Tiled Lanai and large pool. Priced to sell at $139,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

SAILBOAT CANAL LOT IN PORT CHARLOTTE BEACH COMPLEX AREA Concrete seawall with county water and sewer. Build your dream home in Paradise and live the American Dream. Just around the corner and you are in the Harbor and 18 miles to the Gulf at Boca Grande Pass for a day of boating, fishing or just relaxing in the sun. WOW!!

Great price at $145,000 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

WINDMILL VILLAGE Attention Investors – great winter or permanent home. 3/2/2 carport. 2006 with 1,680 sq.ft. and large 10x26 front porch including boat slip. 13x19 living/dining room combo all open to kitchen and family room. Split bedroom plan. 55+ community with waterfront homes, club house and pool. Best price in Park. $99,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

SECTION 15 CORNER POOL HOME Southern exposure!! 3/2/2 with 1,962 sq ft, built in 1997 and shows like a model.

Ready for new owners. Heated pool, soaring ceilings and plant shelves thru out.

Living, dining all open to kitchen and nook with view of pool, crown molding, bay windows, sec. sys, Sprinkler well on timer, DREAM HOME at $169,900 A must see!

Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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

A must see! $219,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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

ROTONDA WEST GOLF COURSE/LAKE POOL HOME. Oversized deck & new heated pool 2008, lake w/dock to fish from, Home built in 1993 with 2,062 sq.ft. and the lot next door is also available for $35,000.

Large living/dining room off kitchen and nook. This home offers Central vac., security sys. and the list goes on. $239,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

SALTWATER HOME This is your DREAM HOME 4/2/2+ with 2,264 sqft, built 2003 on oversized lot on a sweeping curve 70x183x170x142, what a view of intersecting canals, circular drive, 75 year metal roof, solid concrete walls, metal interior studs, every wall has R30 insulation, volume ceilings and lighted plant shelves thru out, 2 roman shower, huge Lanai. The list goes on. $284,700 A must see!

Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

New Price

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

19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948

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Inshore & Offshore Headquarters Letters and Responses to Water LIFE

Famous Quote: "The best fisherman I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them." John Gierach Water LIFE – I have learned more about PG and the area from your mag than anywhere else.

Looking to move to area. The slide shows are great. Tim Burr

Hi Michael, First it was a great article and my hat is off to you. I hope you sue the hell out of the city and the management company that tries to run the marina. That is the only way they will learn that the marina and park is for everyone. The city is crying about the down turn in revenue from the marina. Their solution was to cut 40 hours of pay from the payroll, you understand I believe they (dockhands, workers) only make about $8.00 an hour with no benefits. The city pays marina management co. to run the marina and they bill the city for the workers pay. Also if the management co. buys anything for the marina they tack a extra 10% on the cost. Since you are barred from the marina, you should know that the black stage behind the The Carb House is still on city property. You should demand to see the contract between the city and marina management. I heard a rumor that revenue is off by 40% for renting the community room. I wonder why? Good luck with your battle with the stooges, John Water LIFE Well if you been here long enough you know the people in Punta Gorda have no rights. Look at the condo's and court house. The same people bought and paid the officials then also. I bet it's about time for the city to try and sell Gilchrist park again, maybe this time they will do it with out anyones knowing since the sunshine law doesnʼt count here either. All you have to do is look at the life styles of our officials and police chief to tell were the bread gets buttered. Thanks for eye opener. Punta Gorda

Mr. Heller, – Thank you, for your article concerning Civil Rights. I have no pull with anyone, but I will back you any way I can. Ed LeBlanc

Responses to June ʻCivil Rightsʼ column on Florida Sportsman Forums

FIRST

Thank you EVERYONE, what fun!

Picking three winners was not easy, There were soooo many good pictures. The contest is over but photos will remain posted on the Water LIFE website. and we’ll post new photos as they come in. So send us your pets...photo.

Good to see Gestapo tactics alive and well in the Sunny state of FL.! SWFLF1shon Just like those yappy little dogs, gotta make a lot of noise to make up for their size. Good for you, making them answer for it. whitedog

Wholly smokes it sure sounds like you're getting the bum's rush from the good ole boys.

Seriously, how did you and this Evans ever get so sideways? You're not from PITA are you, cause most loyalties would most certainly hinge on that.

Ichthusphile

Michael - I've read your articles since you were editor for the Sun-Herald Waterline, and now Water LIFE Magazine. Give 'em hell! calusa

Well thanks for posting this, my family and I rent a place on little Gasparilla each year and always run over to Punta Gorda for shopping and meals, but if that is the way the city treats "every day people', hell, lot of other places I can spend my cash and will, simply on principal. Donb

SECOND

The good ole boys over their are idiots. F Chris Evans and the rest of that goon platoon.

They are the reason I don't go there or to their their ----- ----- bar in Fishermanʼs Village. Joey Buttons I believe you have lived here long enough to know the money from parking will never be explained just like our registration fees that are so much higher than other counties. When asked, their answer is hidden cost but my answer is look into spending habits and bank accounts. tdiehl315

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THIRD

RE: Parking Capt Ron, June edition

Water LIFE is also FREE ONLINE every month

still just

Pet Photo Contest WINNERS!

Your effective and economical advertising solution

4- C O L O R is always FREE If you want to reach boaters and fishermen...we are IT!

Fi rs t Pl ace: On the Boat Cecil is a male Jack Russell, 6 years old, Lola is a female Beagle, 6 years old. The picture was taken ‘on the boat.’ Photo submitted by: Barbara Aldrich who will receive a year supply of pet food and a custom blanket with the pets image on it.

Seco nd: Captain of my Ship. Wrigley is a Yorkshire Terrier Age: 1 yr - 2 months. The picture was take in the pool at Grandma's house and submitted by Crystal Crocker. who will receive a 6 months supply of flea and tick killer.

Thi rd: Feebes. Phoebe is a 3 year old Goldendoodle. The picture was taken on Lake Mohawk, NJ. and submitted by Nick Savioli who will receive a pet’s Boating Safety Kit.

Thank You to Kays Ponger Pet Passings cremation services for sponsoring this contest and to Pampered Pet for the prizes.

Michael & Ellen Heller

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

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

Normal This Time of Year

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By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor I got a phone call from Capt. Rhett Morris last month. "There are four dead tarpon on the beach at Boca Grande, between the old pier and the lighthouse," he told me. It was just after the weekend tarpon tournament. ‘Do you think these were tournament fish,’ I asked, but Rhett didn’t know. So I drove out to Boca Grande, parked by the old pier and I walked the mile and a half up the beach.

It was a lovely evening for a walk but there were no dead tarpon. I did, however, see tire tracks and several wide flat marks that looked like someone on a 4-wheeler might have scooped up something.

The next morning I called the Gasparilla Island DEP office to speak with one of the rangers who patrol the beach ... on 4-wheelers. Ranger Chad Lach told me he could answer my questions, but he first had to get permission from his superiors in Tallahassee.

The next day I got the following statement: The reporter should call FWC first.

They definitely should be the ones to comment on this. We can say something like: “Along the beach at Gasparilla Island and Cayo Costa State Parks, staff have collected and buried four to five tarpon a week in the past few weeks.” There was no signature on the email.

I called the FWC-FMRI lab at St Pete and Carli Segelson checked their Fish Kill Hotline data bank and told me they

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did not show any dead tarpon found around Boca Grande recently. That, I later found, was because the DEP hadn’t been reporting the dead fish they found around Boca Grande to the FWC. They were simply burying them.

The next logical inquiry; Had anyone looked at the dead tarpon to see if they had been tagged? I figured if these were tarpon tournament fish they would have a hole in their lower jaw where a tarpon tag was attached. A tag must be attached in order to legally move a tarpon from where it was caught to the weigh-scale on the beach. But apparently none of the DEP staff that buried the fish looked for that and if the fish was released the tag could have been removed.

Kathy Guindon, Ph.D. and and Assistant Research Scientist for FWCFMRI told us she “personally sampled DNA from one dead tarpon found floating (and later on the beach) Saturday May 28th. “I have attached an image of the fish taken at Gasparilla State Park. You can see it had a harvest tag in it.” she wrote.

The FWC also sent me the following information: “FWC research from Boca Grande Pass and the Tampa Bay area shows that in general 13% of tarpon die from catch-and-release fishing. Some tarpon will die despite angler intentions. In Boca Grande Pass, tens of thousands of tarpon aggregate each April-July and every day and night anglers are catching and

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This tarpon was photographed last month at Gasparilla Park. It had tag number 1000156, issued to Joseph Whitworth of Davie FL. He has not returned our call to provide any further Photo: FWC-FWRI information.

releasing the tarpon in BGP. Therefore, it is highly probable that there will be tarpon carcasses on the beach this time of year in Boca Grande.”

So seeing four or five fish carcases per week could be significant, especially when you figure that many (if not most?) of the dead fish would end up outside the Boca Grande Cayo Costa park.

“Dead tarpon … numerous casualty silver kings served up on the beach by the incoming flood tide. Dead tarpon in numbers!” Boca Grande traditional tarpon guide Cappy Joiner reported last month in a letter to the Boca Beacon.

Without examining every dead fish or

tracking every release it would be impossible to say how many of them are tarpon tournament fish.

In the early 1990s Dr. Randy Edwards studied tarpon mortality for the Florida Guides Association and came to the conclusion that 11% of live-baited tarpon released by breaking the leader die, while fish that were are handled at the boat (like jig-baited fish that are caught, tagged and then transported to the scale, had a mortality rate as high as 37%.

The study concluded that handling of tarpon at the boat is probably the singlemost important factor influencing their survivability.

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July

Favoritism & Your Civil Rights

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Exclusive Rental? Adjustabe-Rate Pricing?

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor At the June 1 meeting of the Punta Gorda City Council the members voted to repeal and then voted to reinstate Resolution 2906-10, a specially drafted piece of lawmaking designed to specify rental rates for the brick courtyard and the grassy area behind the Laishley Crab House.

The resolution was put in place after this publication raised questions about the Crab House operators (who also manage the park) using public property for their own for-profit fishing tournaments and then trying to restrict our First Amendment access when they didn’t like what we reported.

“The Flatsmasters (tournament) encourages all media to attend and report on our events, however, individuals who wish to promote only their points of

Water LIFE Magazine inc.

www.waterlifemagazine.com Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

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e-mai l Waterl i fe@co mcas t. net Mail: 217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Not affiliated with any other publication Vol X No 6 © 2011

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

Co ntri buti ng Edi to rs :

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

o n the COVER

The real Florida: Hanging out in the Peace River at Horse Creek – June 19, 2011 On Facebook type in Water LIFE Magazine ... click

view and not report objectively on the event will not be welcome.”

But the area they use (photo right) is designated as Parcel ‘K-1’ on the plat of Laishley Park and it is public park property, so a ‘welcome’ is not necessary.

I pointed out to the Council that Parcel K-1 also provides access to the center docks at the Laishley Park Marina and access could not be restricted for that reason as well.

The council didn’t care. The council’s answer was that a sidewalk should be made available to provide dock access.

Unfortunately, the sidewalk answer sidesteps the real issue. The issue is that it is your right and my right to be (and to take pictures) anywhere the general public is allowed to be. It’s not up to the Punta Gorda City Council, the local cops or the guys that run the park.

Just last month the city of Hollywood Florida got schooled in constitutional reality when they closed off a public street to photographers while a movie was being filmed. Photographers were kept out while the public still had access.

Can’t do that. Not going to happen. Not even in Punta Gorda.

The street, like the park, is public property. The Supreme Court long ago decided the public pays for public parks so they have the right to be there.

Furthermore, they have the right to take pictures of anything they see from that public property, whether it is the filming of a movie or the weigh-in at a fishing tournament. The court rulings are very clear that no state or municipal law may over ride the Constitution, and no law may infringe the rights guaranteed therein. Anyone restricted from taking photos, or worse yet, man-handled by the park manager or cited by the police will always have the law on their side.

More troubling however, at the Punta Gorda City Council meeting, was city attorney David Levin's insistence that when his city rents its park space the city gives the renter the right to ‘admit or not admit anyone they want.’

"What ever problem the press has (at an event) is between them and the event organizer.” Mr Levin said. “ We provide an exclusive rental on a short term basis.

We are allowing the event organizer to have exclusive use of that parcel of the park. A private owner has the right to include or exclude anyone they want."

That was Mr Levin’s advice to the city.

I had hoped Mr Levin would explain eloquently the already well established precedents of Constitutional law, but instead he just said what they wanted to hear.

The problem is he is wrong. The city can not rent out anyone’s civil rights and they can designate a private owner for our

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Laishley Crab House

K-1 Brick Courtyard

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By proposing a new sidewalk (red lines?) to the dock, the city apparently thinks they can smooth over the real issue of the park manager and the police restricting public access to public events in the K-1 grassy area of public park behind the marina office and Crab House

public park. If anything, the city (as the only owner) has a responsibility to ensure the public’s rights are always protected and under every circumstance.

Upholding the law is government’s job and when the government screws up it’s the media’s job to report on it. We will not waiver on our First Amendment Rights. Every time this kind of case has come up before the courts, the court has ruled that photography is protected speech. Every. Single. Time.

The police and the city cannot have it both ways; if they are letting the public on the sidewalk or into a fishing tournament weigh-in, or a shark event then all their rights come with them. If they want to keep the cameras out, they have to keep all of the public out. Alleging that one person was some how ‘standing in the wrong place’ or was being too ‘unobjective’ in reporting doesn’t matter at all.

Janette Knowlton the county attorney for Charlotte County told me “You have to be breaking the law to be removed from a public park.” Charlotte County has a park rental agreement for its parks that specifies renters must “abide by all laws.”

I also had a conversation with a constitutional lawyer last week. I asked: “Is there any situation you can think of where the city could rent out public park space and not have to protect my constitutional rights? Is there something I am missing? His response was simple: “You are not the one missing anything - unfortunately they are.” As long as the police (and in this case the Punta Gorda city officials as well) get away with this kind of behavior they will never get the message that their job is to enforce current laws, not make up laws as they see fit.

At the s ame Ci ty Co unci l meeti ng

we were also particularly interested in the wording of resolution 2906-10: “Manager

shall have the right to charge reduced rental fees.” These are rental fees that have already been established by the City Council for you and I, but the city has apparently given the Park Management Company the right to charge less anytime it sees fit. According to the Mayor, the park management company cannot exceed the set rates, but they can lower them to promote the park.

I had first looked at the contracts in 2010. Both instruments contained the same ‘adjustable rate’ wording. I wondered about it. I did not know if there was any wrong doing going on, but it didn’t seem quite right either.

I wrote to City Manager Howard Kunick who wrote back and told me that ‘adjustable rates’ were "standard practice in the marina industry." But when I asked him for names of other city marinas where such practices were standard, he simply quit responding to my emails.

As it turns out the adjustable rate practice appears to be anything but standard.

Dean Kibitscheck who runs the marina for the city of Fort Pierce told me his marina is run by the city and the rates the marina charges are “published and established by the city. We don’t do favoritism,” he said proudly.

David Hawthorne who runs the Garrison Bite Marina at Key West told me “... we don't adjust rates ever! The rates are set by the commission. If I ever changed a published rate the city would have a big problem with that.”

Leif Lustig who runs the City Marina for Fort Myers also said their rates are established by the city council and when asked if adjustable rates were standard in the marina industry Lustig said he had “not heard of that at any city marina.”

But then again, this isn’t just any city marina. It’s the Punta Gorda city marina.

A Proper Introduction

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By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Punta Gorda An avid reader of Water LIFE called me with excitement in his voice. Tom Geisler was new to the area and anxious to learn the harbor. Tom’s request was simple only wanting to learn the basics on tides, locations, fish patterns and techniques. Catching fish was not the focus of his conversation which took a lot of pressure off of me before we even left the dock.

Our trip began at 6:30am and we headed out to cast net bait. Catching bait in late June can be hit or miss and we would use cut ladyfish if needed. The harbor water was murky this day and chumming the bait over a favorite grass bed was a mystery. No visual indication was present as I cast the net but it was heavy to bring in. Three catfish, one snapper and a bunch of small pinfish were the prize.

This was more of a booby prize and it took 15 minutes to get the net ready to cast again after cutting the catfish’s spiny pectoral and dorsal fins from the mesh.

The sum total of our efforts was a well full of pinfish ranging from thumbnail size to silver dollar. Slightly frustrated we moved to the easy catching of ladyfish which actually proved quite difficult.

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Normally you can catch them every cast but not today. Occasionally we would hook one but it would jump off.

Eventually 4 ladyfish went in the well and it was time to use what mother nature provided us.

A high incoming tide in mid morning was just the ticket to fish an oyster bar

and we set up to cast to the outskirts.

The pinfish were so small that we needed to use micro hooks and split shot for weight to enable us to cast. Most anglers wouldn’t even consider what we had as bait but my rational was that the abundance of these baby fish must provide a staple part of their diet.

Tom’s first cast sat in the water perhaps a minute before the first red crunched the tiny morsel. A 20” red was no monster, but it gave a great fight and was Tom’s first red. Five redfish later on just as many casts and the bite was on.

As the morning progressed the redfish got bigger and bigger. Baby pinfish or cut ladyfish were recklessly mashed by redfish with some going close to 14 pounds! Eventually the redfish left and the catfish moved in and we moved on.

The next spot near a mangrove island produced redfish and a large stingray. By noon our day had been spectacular and it was about to get better.

A good friend of mine called and told me of a school of redfish in a Port Charlotte canal and away we went.

Meeting up we borrowed some whitebait and threadfins and cast into the boat dock pilings. For the next 2 hours it was pure pandemonium! Redfish from 7 to 13

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pounds whomped just about anything we threw into the water. Add to that a fat snook and a beautiful snapper and a trip of a lifetime was made.

The fish were so aggressive that we fished a whole ladyfish, 7-inch threadfins and large pinfish to reds that were pigs, strong and hungry. We had so many breakoffs I went to 60 pound fluorocarbon leader, a medium offshore rod and 30 pound braid and these reds were still able to pull drag and break my line!

Without the pressure to catch big fish (or lots of fish) a magical day developed.

Anglers that fish under pressure often miss the important stuff. At first the lack of whitebait and ladyfish was disappointing but responding to the clues of nature provided for some stellar fishing.

A trout fisherman would call this matching the hatch which is basically presenting the food source that is most prevalent at a given time. Tom proved to be a fine angler and got to see Charlotte Harbor at its best on a day we will both never forget.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Back country Charters and can be contacted at 941-628-8040 to book a trip or v isit his website at www.back country -charters.com.

How Sweet It Is... Now! Page 8

By Capt. Bi l l y Barton Water LIFE / Charlotte Harbor Ohhhh I love this place, I really do!

This is paradise we live in people!

Excuse me for being honest, but if you don't like it here your priorities are just messed up. All right, all right – it has been a little hot n' steamy lately, but that's normal for this time of year and the fishing's been so good!

I threw a rod in my motor at the end of April. That was a pretty sad and expensive experience and to top it off I was running a charter. Ou-ch!

I wish I could say I've been out there on the water 7 days a week for the last month or so, but truth-be-told, my fishing schedule is down three or four days a week right now and it hurts. It's OK though, by the time this paper hits the street I'm gonna have my baby back, and I got some major catching (no pun intended) up to do.

Although I haven't been out hammering fish on my own vessel, luckily I've got a lot of friends with boats! As of the

beginning of June Capt. Bart landed me a job guiding some trips for Capt. Ralph Allen and the Kingfisher Fleet out of Fishermens Village. This is just another opportunity for me to be out on the water. The way I look at it, it's also an opportunity to work for a hell of an experienced fisherman and someone that I look up to. Captain Ralph taught me to throw a cast net when I was five years old. I told him "you used to teach a fishing class for kids out of the cultural center in

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Port Charlotte." He gave a confident chuckle. "I still teach that class," he said.

Now that's someone to admire!

Now on to the fishing. Things are just hot out there right now. For me, the bite has definitely been much better in the morning during the cooler part of the day.

This doesn't mean the feed won't be in the afternoon, it just means typically the fish are more active during the morning period. The bait of choice on the flats is gonna be greenbacks (or whitebait).

There's been a good amount of bait on the channel markers and the grassy flats all down the east wall from Ponce De Leon park all the way down to Pirate Harbor. A lot of it is a little bit small,

so you're going to want to break out your net with the 1/4 inch mesh if you have one. If you are fishing down South there's still a good amount of bait near Bokeelia, and if you are near Boca Grande, the flats surrounding the trestle should provide you with a good supply.

I like to use the dry chum from the bait shop just so I know I'm getting the job done quickly. The faster we catch bait, the faster we're getting to fishing!

S nook are just all over the place right now. We have been catching loads of ‘em on our trips. It's just hard to believe they are going to keep the season on them closed. Two-Pine, Bokeelia, Pine Island Sound, Gasparilla Sound, and of course your beaches are just stacked with spawning snook right now. I love catching these fish - they take line like they mean business!

The reds are spread out everywhere right now. In the morning you can look

for them on the open flat. I love fishing top water in the morning for reds this time of year. Nothing hits a top water plug like a red fish. A chrome Zara Spook Jr. would probably be my top water plug of choice. In the afternoon most of these fish are going to be way up under the bushes looking to cool down.

They don't like to be hot. I like to chum them out with live bait or cut bait. Then I make my cast right up against the bushes and I just wait. The big bull reds should be starting to school up here in

the next month or so. They do this just before they make their haul out into the Gulf in the fall. Getting into these fish can just be wild! Last year, in the later part of July, we were on a school of probably 200 or 300 fish down in Pine Island.

It was just insane! They were chummed up and blowing up all over the surface like a school of big jacks. What fun.

And then there are the cobi as. There is an influx of cobias all over the Harbor right now. In the last two weeks we have

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boated nine cobias on my trips. Most of these were smaller fish, only two of them were legal, however still a world of fun.

On top of this I'm hearing stories coming from all over the place. Most of the stories of fish I'm hearing about are near the Myakka River hole, down the west wall of the harbor, the Punta Gorda bridge and Grassy point. The markers are also most definitely holding some of these fish.

Cobia aren't shy at all. They are just hungry son of a guns. I don't care what I got in the live well most of the time a cobias gonna try and eat it. A good percent of the time when we catch them we are actually sight fishing them.

If you like catching and eating mangrove snappers there's lots of ‘em around right now too. The Grassy point canals, the PGI canals and the reefs are just loaded with them. These fish are totally structure oriented. If you can get em away from the structure on light tackle then you got ‘em wooped. They make for an excellent table fare - man are they delicious! Gosh I could write you a book right now on what's going on out there.

The small sharks are just everywhere and schooling up with the S pani sh mackerel . The passes are still full of tarpon on a daily basis. Some days these fish are being tough, but most of the time you can go out there and hook up.

For information, or to book a fishing trip, Capt. Billy Barton can be reached at 979-6140 or at: bartonw24@yahoo.com

Slob, Firetruck-Sized July

2 0 11

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

Delicious Red Grouper

By C apt S teve S kevi ngton Water LIFE Offshore The bottom fishing over the last few trips has been nothing short of spectacular! 50 feet, and been working out as deep as 85, with limits of slob firetruck sized red grouper on every trip.

Not to mention mmangrove snapper going five to six pounds, vermilion snapper, lanes, grunts, hogfish...we do it the same way every day,..25 lb spinning gear, 50-pound fluorocarbon leader. The bait is more often than not frozen squid or a sardine.

The real trick to this kind of success, if there is one, is to MOVE when they stop biting, I have seen guys sit on one spot for hours just waiting for the fish to turn on, I guess if the fishfinder is loaded the box will be too ......someday!

Just get up and go to where the fish are hungry. You can’t force fish to eat, and you can’t "wait em out." We make it a rule to get up and move if there is even a pause in the bite. The more you move around the more fish you’re going to find and the more fish you’re going to hook up with.

If your serious about bottom fishing, you have got to be aggressive, stick and move! Now, there are exceptions to this rule,..sitting on top of a wreck like the Bayronto, and chumming snapper to the surface, well that does require some patience.

But when those fish do turn on, well they are worth waiting on! Yellowtail are stacked up out there right now. Once you hook um don’t play around though, get em in the boat or the cudas and goliath will make em a meal fast.

The red grouper are on hard bottom from 50 feet all the way out past 100 feet.

The mangrove snapper are piled up on every wreck and ledge out there right now. Yellow tail, are on the deeper wrecks, vermilion are stacked up on hard bottom deeper than 80 feet.

There is a TON of big amberjack on the deep wrecks right now too, but remember to put them all back – season on those fish, just like the gag grouper is CLOSED! I can’t leave the Permit out of this.

They are chewing on pass crabs on the slack tides on top of the shallow wrecks.

I could sit here and write all day, but there is so much more catching still to be done!

Capt. Steve Skevington can be reached at 941-575-3528 for charters or fishing information

Page 9

Page 10

Trigger Happy Bulls

Water LIFE Diving Ed Walker/ Spearboard.com Never before have I seen sharks so perfectly conditioned to the sound of a speargun.

Weible, Rolo, Gerracuda, Wardo, and I ran 70 miles off Englewood to hunt red snapper and APs. Spot after spot was deserted, even our favorites that were loaded just a week before.

Picked a few fish here and there and poked off a handful of small to medium sharks but in the 100 foot vis it wasn’t really a problem.

Halfway home I decide to check out the Bayronto. Sonar lights up like crazy and at last we are all excited about getting in. It was like 6 pm, not my fav time to dive and the vis ended up being not so great, maybe 25 feet, dark and creepy. There were tons of cudas, permit swimming everywhere snappers coming up and all seemed to be good although every one of us knew it would be wise to keep an eye open for the tax man.

Gradually we start dropping deeper and deeper. You could just feel the shark eye on you although we hadn’t seen any.

Finally I take a shot at a permit but miss. In one second I have a big bull shark in my face and see another on the fringes. Unloaded, I ease on back to the boat while the beasts zoom back and forth. As I get in Rolo calls out that he is in trouble and has 4-6-10 bulls all over him at the surface. Jerry and Wardo slide over to back him up and end up in a hornets nest. Rolo is also unloaded after missing a shot and ringing the feeding bell. Bull after bull is buzzing him on the surface in 100 feet of water.

It takes them all a while to get back to the boat as they keep turning round and round fending them off.

Rolo’s gun cam caught some of the action. You can watch how little time elapses between the trigger firing and the arrival of trouble.

DIVING:

Goliaths are ʻGetting Peskyʼ www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

By Tommy Davi s Water LIFE Diving June 5 I spent 4 days at the fishshack in Pine Island and decided to give one dive a try out at some ledges.

We dropped on some nice fish right away, tons of snapper 10-feet plus off the bottom... and they were nice ones. I shot the first 3 fish right where I was dropped. The ledge was just teaming with life from every crack. Goliath grouper sounded by the bait and schools of snapper were everywhere you looked.

There were so many fish to shoot nothing I did was fast enough. My stringer ring was filling up fast.

While I was cruising along the ledge I heard a great thud and my body came to a screeching halt. I knew my ring had been grabbed by something BIG. I swung around as fast as I could, expecting to see Ole’ Hitler the hammerhead ready to consume me, but it was only a 300 lb goliath grouper with my entire ring in his mouth.

My first reaction was to turn him in to a Cyclops, but I decide to settle for a scar across his forehead. To my astonishment that only made him drop the stringer but he stayed 5 feet away, which was unacceptable, so I struck him in the side and he gave me some space. I shot the rest of my limit with him still following me and I went up.

June 11th With a west wind we had a hard time setting anchor, but we finally got lucky and the anchor dropped right in a 3 foot diameter hole in the ledge. Our plan was to split up and meet back at the anchor line and who ever arrived at the anchor first was to take it off the ledge and put it in the sand. Well I had 7 snapper and I had learned my shark lesson about surfacing without having the boat near by, but when I came to the hole the anchor was nowhere to be found. While looking for our anchor I did see a beautiful stainless steel shovel nose anchor with 20 feet of chain. Every piece of metal was freshly polished and shiny and I am thinking to myself that some rich boater just decided

July

2 0 11

This is a mask-camera picture shot from Tommyʼs perspective as he tries to get out of the way. The black shape is his spear gun. The snapper is on his fish ring and here comes the goliath. ...a big goliath, after Tommyʼs snapper. Tommy has been complaining about the goliath grouper being bold and ʻpeskyʼ lately

to anchor right next to us. With little air left and having no idea where our anchor was I decided to surface by the rich guys boat for shark purposes, but when I broke the surface I only saw our 42 foot Silver Bullet on the surface. It turned out my dive buddy Jeff tried planting our Wall Mart special anchor in the sand, but it pulled right out, so he ended up tying the POS anchor to the other anchor he found and went up. But you never leave your buddies, so that night while he was sleeping in the boat we untied him from the shack and set him adrift.

I woke up to find that Jeff went home at 6 am. He left all my dive gear on the dock. I got lucky and got a ride from my friend Mike Gooslby (who was also there) and on the way back we ended up diving the same ledge. Then we did some fishing.

Mike dropped my Boca pole and reel over board so I threw on my gear again and went down after it. I spent an entire tank looking for my pole and the same Goliath groper that grabbed me 3 days ago was right on my ass again the whole time.

Then, when I came up, another boat was there and asked me if I saw his anchor while I was down.

I couldn’t believe it. What are the odds that we would both be at the same spot at the same time? Long story short Jeff ended up selling the guy his anchor back for $125. It paid for gas. My day ended with only 2 snapper in the cooler and I had a lost an expensive pole.

June 19th We knew it was going to be a quick dive if we were going to be back in time to have dinner with our fathers. I had gone out drinking the night before and got castrated at the ramp for showing up 30 min late. We left at 7:30 am and booked out to some ledges at a solid 41 mph. We got geared up while under way so we could drop immediately on the first spot. We started the day with the best spot, a ledge I haven’t been on in over a year. The spot produced some nice hogs and mangroves. Then we did three more drops, shot some more mangrove snapper and then booked it home at the same speedy-speed. Pretty nice going that fast and still getting a little better than 3 miles to a gallon in a 42 foot boat!

We arrived at the boat ramp at 12:30 and spent the rest of the day with the old man for Father’s Day!

Cape Coral Fishing Guides

The Don Ball School of Fishing is interviewing Cape Coral area licensed fishing guides to participate in our 7th grade fishing program. Five years local professional guiding experience is required. The selected applicant will teach 8 classes from 6:30 until 8 pm, one class per week for 8 weeks in October and November.

This is a paid position with an easy to follow established curriculum designed to teach kids about fishing and the local environment. Classes are held at local middle schools. Workbooks, tackle bags, rods and reels are all provided to the students.

Contact: Michael Heller at 941-457-1389 Website information at: www.waterlifemagazine.com

Commercial Use Boat Ramp Fee? How bad ideas get started

July

2 0 11

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

On the Line commentary

By Capt. Ron Bl ago

P a g e 11

Consignment Boats Wanted

1998 Wel l craft 240CC,

Mercury 225EFI, ss prop, large livewell, porta potti. Excellent condition.

Water LIFE Senior Staff

Just after the Charlotte County BCC approved the spending of $150,000 to replace the parking meters at the county beaches and boat ramps, another controversy has popped up over the use of our public boat ramps. It seems that the yearly parking fees of all the boat ramps combined will not equal the $150,000.00 cost to replace the meters, so the Parks and Rec Dept. is looking for new sources of income to help keep their bloated bureaucracy afloat.

But what started out to be a feud in the kayaking community just may lead to that new revenue stream the county has been looking for. It seems that Marian Schneider, the queen of the Eco-tourism industry in Charlotte County and owner of Grande Tours in Placida, allegedly had a falling out with Chris Warren, one of her former employees. When Marian put her business up for sale, Mr Warren decided to go out on his own and start his own kayak tour business. Warren apparently learned that Marian is good at two things – getting what she wants and holding a grudge.

This guy runs a shoe string operation renting kayaks and giving tours around the Charlotte Harbor area and occasionally he will drop off a kayak at the Placida boat ramp for one of his customers.

Someone had taken offense to this and made a complaint to Code Enforcement.

I’d like not to think that anyone would use Code Enforcement to settle a personal grudge.

There really wasn't much Code

$14,900

2000 S undance S ki ff

17' with 2006 Suzuki 50hp 4 Stroke, bimini top, live well.

$6,500

Problems sometimes arise when people donʼt pay close enough attention.

Enforcement could do. The guy wasn't running his business out of the boat ramp; he was only dropping off a kayak and he was paying his parking fee just like everyone else.

This didn't set to well with Marian so she used her influence with the Tourist Development Council (she used to be on it) to call a special meeting to address the issue. The director of the council is kind of new on the job and she invited John Jackson the head of Community Services which actually has the responsibility of overseeing our public boat ramps.

Marian's complaint was that she had to buy a home in a residential neighborhood, get the zoning changed to commercial and then had to turn it into a tourist attraction in order to get business.

She resented the fact that some upstart would use a public boat ramp to compete against her.

John Jackson pondered this and won-

dered if the county could charge a special fee for those who make money and use the public boat ramps.

This is when my radar went off. I remember years ago when boat ramps were free; until one day people started to complain about all the boaters from outside the county taking all the good parking spots. That got resolved by charging everyone to park. No new parking spaces just more fees. I'm afraid this could turn out the same way.

Let's look at who makes money and uses the boat ramps. Commercial fishermen, fishing guides, fishing tournaments, marine mechanics that pick up and test boats , tradesmen who fix things on the barrier islands and even real estate agents who show waterfront property by boat.

The meeting broke up with a request to research other counties to see if they charge a fee. Collier County was men-

Visit our website: www.bayshoremarinefl.com 2004 Key West

1900 Sport, 130hp Honda 4 stroke, color GPS, bimini, console cover.

$13,900

941-627-5777

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tioned as having a $250 special use fee.

So the wheels may now be in motion.

Increased economic activity comes from paying your employees and your suppliers and working with local small businesses, not from paying you government more money. Giving government more money is like giving crack to a crack addict; they can never get enough.

Lets hope someone in authority sees how stupid this idea is and kills it quick.

Capt. Ron Blago captronb@juno.com

Page 12

Shark Tourny Results

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

Resul ts Compi l ed

By C apt . Ji m O’Bri en There were 344 entrants that fished the tounament these are your winners.

S hark: 1st place Micheal Cianci 78 1/2" bull shark won $ 1,300.00 2nd place Aaron Williams 65 3/4" bull shark won $ 850.00 3rd place Lyle Tession 62 1/8" hammer head shark won $430.00 4th place James Jones 58 3/4 " hammerhead shark won $280.00 Catfi sh: 1st place Shawn Seanpack 5.88lbs won $ 1,300.00 2nd place Quade Savisky 5.34lbs won $850.00 3rd place Matt Jessell 5.32lbswon $430.00 4th place Mark Brooks 5.06lbs won $280.00 S ti ngray: 1st place Jesse Shows 39" across wing won $900.00 2nd place Tom Savisky 331/2" won $600.00 3rd place Micheal Williams 33 1/8 " won $300.00 4th place Jerry Gillespie jr. 32 1/2" won $200.00 That lil o cat fish paid the same as that big ol' shark WOW! how about them apples!

A big congratulations to all of them.

July

2 0 11

Above: Mansized Bull Shark - micheal ciaci 78 1/2 inch bullshark Below: Hold it like a Redfish! Shawn Seanpackʼs big 5.88 pound catfish won first place.

“Iʼve seen smaller redfish,” one angler remarked.

July

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www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

Itʼs Gottaʼ Smell Like Death

Page 13

Out All Night Looking for Big Sharks

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor “You remember me,” Chuck Hepp said when we recently spoke. “You took pictures of my boat, it had the sharks teeth stuck in it.”

Yes, I remembered that all right. Chuck’s shark fishing exploits had stuck with me.

Year after year at Fishin’ Franks’ Shark, Stingray and Sailcat Tournaments, Chuck was in the money. So I asked if I could go along this year.

On Saturday June 11 Chuck Hepp, his daughter Fia, their friend Eric Gallant and I all signed out of Franks’ at 3:30 p.m. We launched the boat - the same 20-foot center console with the bite marks - and headed south. The forecast was 10 to 15 out of the northwest, but when we rounded Cape Haze it was 25 right on the nose.

Chucks ‘spot’ was a 17 foot deep hole about 2 miles inside the pass.

We anchored and set to work chumming. The waves were 3-to 4- and they just kept coming and coming.

Chuck’s approach is to chum the entire water column. A perforated submersible two gallon bucket, contains a sponge saturated with menhaden oil and a cut in half block of stinky frozen chum. That goes straight to the bottom. It’s also the first thing to come in when there is a shark on so the line doesn’t get tangled, and boy is the leakage nasty.

Next is a mixture of cat litter, menhaden oil, cut sardines, water and fish guts. It all gets mixed in a 5 gallon bucket and ‘sits’ for a while to let the cat litter soak up the smell. Then it gets dumped out a gallon or two at a time letting the cat litter settle and emit it’s fishy smell.

“It’s like a carpet of death right under the boat,” Chuck told me.

Next came a couple of standard blue and red frozen chum blocks. One color on

The head of a scalloped hammerhead held above a normal hammerhead for comparison

each side of the boat. Then out came the bucket of old carcases, heads and tails from recent fishing trips. The ensamble was strung together and hung from the starboard side of the boat like a dreamcatcher.

“We need to smell like death,” Chuck said again and by now we surely did.

“The big sharks are going to be slow and steady runs.

The quick drag-burning runs are going to be the smaller guys,” Chuck explained.

We had four lines out. Two on the top two on the bottom. Whole bonita, whole

mullet, mackerel, and a couple of jacks all went into the water.

There were two slow pulls right around sunset but they both dropped the bait. Then we had the little guys, 3 to - 4 footers, blacktips, spinners, all night long, but nothing big.

The night wore on. The moon travelled across the sky. I found some comfort on a cushioned locker-top with my head resting on a soggy coil of rope. The wind continued to blow and we bobbed around like a cork. At least it wasn’t raining.

Some time around 4 am we pulled the anchor and moved up the Harbor to try Alligator Reef for a stingray, but by 5:30 we were on our way home, wet with the morning air, smelly from the night, and ready for a shower.

“You’ll never sleep as good as the

night after Frank’s Shark Tournament,” Chuck told me.

The weigh in at Franks was at 9 am.

There were only 5 sharks on the pavement and only 5 stingrays. It was the smallest array I can ever remember.

Everyone (except for those 5 teams) said the same thing. ‘Windy and nothing but small sharks.’

But there was a very bright silver lining right at the end of the tournament. Chuck’s daughter Fia had the winning raffel ticket and went home with the coveted $900 prized rod and reel.

Page 14

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July

2 0 11

Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda Isl es

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Punta Gorda Isl es

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quick sailboat access to Charlotte Harbor in this 2/2/2 home at the end of a cul-de-sac on a quiet street. The true sailors getaway. $269,000

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Port Charl otte

Call the Captain! GREAT SAILBOAT LOCATION! Located in a nautical neighborhood, just a short boat ride to Charlotte Harbor for world class fishing.

New boat dock in 2003. Tranquil location yet convenient to town. $59,900

Call the Captain! FANTASTIC BUY FOR A WATER FRONT HOME! Very clean and comfortable 2/2/2 house in move in condition. Roomy kitchen with breakfast nook overlooks the water. Enjoy entertaining in the cool comfort of the enclosed tiled Florida room. Fish from your own private dock while living the Florida dream life.

Unbeatable price at $165,000

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Call the Captain! DEEP WATER, SAILBOAT QUICK ACCESS! Intersecting canals, 3/2/2, pool home- Mediterranean character. Chair rail molding, track lighting, fireplace, brick paver driveway, large concrete dock. $339,000

Punta Gorda Isl es

Call the Captain! TIP LOT HOME! Approx. 179 ft. of waterfront with this custom built 2/2/2 home.

The large living room and a gazebo style bonus room have panoramic views of multiple intersecting canals, pefect for studio or den. $249,500.

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Pool home - Deep Creek, 3 BR, 2 BA, 2,000+ sq. ft.Numerous upgrades including cultured marble vanity, dual sinks and garden tub in master bathroom, Too much more to list here!

White hurricane storm panels, bevel cut glass entry. Home is wired for surround sound. Built in 2007. $249,900

Pi rate Harbor

Call the Captain! NEW EXQUISITE KEY WEST STYLE HOME- 20 MINUTES TO GULF! Custom home with Million Dollar appointments - 3/3 plus den, 4 car garage! Built in '05', hardly lived in with boat house, 3 porches, RV Pad $499,900

Call the Captain! IMMACULATE GOLF COURSE HOME! This 3/2.5/2 pool home with over 2,000sfAir is located on the fifth hole of the Twin Isles Golf Club. Immaculate $244,900

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Granite counters, gorgeous cabinets and newly remodeled. $419,000

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Only 5 minutes to open water, 20 minutes to the Gulf, no bridges. $249,999

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HOME! Super quick access to Charlotte Harbor, seawall, close to downtown Punta Gorda. Large living room, large bedrooms, and a huge Florida room. 2 bay garage. Home is in great condition with nearly 1900 sq. ft. under air. $249,900

Call the Captain! DEEP WATER, SAILBOAT QUICK ACCESS! Intersecting canal view,

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Pi rate Harbor

Call the Captain! PREMIUM WATERFRONT LOT! Fantastic location near beautiful Key West syle homes. Quick boat ride to Charlotte Harbor and 25 minutes to the Gulf. Situated in a tropical paradise with friendly people. Just a short ride to Punta Gorda, less than 10 min. to Cape Coral, and 20 min. to Ft. Myers. $125,000

July

2 0 11

Envir onmental Al ert ?

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

June 11 - At last count over 45 millions gallons of polluted water has been discharged into Tampa Bay from the former Piney Point phosphate mine. Itʼs being discharged directly into Bishop Bay, which leads directly to Tampa Bay which leads directly to the Gulf of Mexico. Bishop bay is a sensitive estuary bay. Phosphate and nitrogen are nutrients that red tide and other algae love to feed on. They could very easily trigger a red

tide bloom. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal. The blue crabs shrimp and fish in the estuary are likely to absorb the cadmium.

Cadmium is an extremely toxic metal commonly found in industrial workplaces. Due to its low permissible exposure limit, overexposure may occur even in situations where trace quantities of cadmium are found.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said their latest test results showed the levels of Cadmium were 9 times above Floridaʼs safety standard. In water, cadmium does

Keep Everyone Smiling

By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Inshore Fishing has been great and the weather steamy. Last month had a special holiday – it was Fathers Day and my oldest son Justin had his own first fathers day. He and Sara had a baby girl. So it was a double special occasion.

On Father’s Day afternoon my dad Harpo (that’s his nickname) and I went out at three o'clock. We went over to Aligator Creek and in one throw of a 10-foot net we had enough bait to go fishing till dark if we wanted to. So we went into the canals of P.G.I. and started to feed the fish our fresh caught threadfin hearing.

Boy o-boy were they hungry... like

they missed lunch or something. Dad kept me busy so it was hard for me to get a cast in of my own. His hook came back empty almost every time. But being the good son that I am, I started to coach dad how to hold his rod down low and set the hook quickly. To his surprise it started working.

He started catching those little snapping bait robbers. And when it got calmed down enough, I got a shot at hooking a few of my own in-between baiting hook.

We started measuring, a few were 10 and a half inches and eleven inches, so in the box they went until we had our limit of five snapper each. By then the thunder storms were starting to die down in the direction of the boat ramp, so we called our Fathers Day outing complete and were back to the dock by 5:30. Two and a half hours start to finish, and we had a blast.

Some repeat customers, Mr. Bob and his son Mark called and set up a trip the next day, interested in catching a shark. We

Page 15

not break down quickly and will be in the bayʼs waters for many years to come. Also the bay. It also caused the very structure of the pond itself to become weakened to the point were itʼs walls may collapse.

Notable was not only this risk taken to dump plain slurry from a dredging project at a nearby port berth, the people dumping there said they did it because it was the cheapest and most convenient place to dump it. Evidently it was contaminated by something else as well...,what, is still unclear at this time.

were ready for some big ones 4/0 and 6/0 reels with plenty of line and a buoy for the anchor. With a buoy you can release the anchor from the boat and follow the fish with the gas motor. Well, we chummed and chummed and in two hours we caught several cats and one cobia that was just short of a keeper: it was 30 inches. It was hot sitting in the middle of the harbor under the sun melting away like we were in a steam room. So we had an on-thecommittee water meeting and unanimously decided to try another type of fishing.

We opened up the bimini top, retrieved the anchor and created our own shade and a nice cool breeze on the way to our next spot.

We switched up the poles and got out the 20-pound class setups with circle hooks and small weights to cast a good distance. We had plenty of bait, 50 live shrimp, selects from Fishin’ Franks, or at least so I thought.

We started in the canals of P.G.I. around some docks. The mangrove snapper were tearing the shrimp up. These guys were filling up on the shrimp and we had none in the box yet. Finally Mark hooked something and it went from left to right so fast I missed it. I looked to see where the line was and it was dangerously close to the stern of a sail boat.

I started coaching Mark: pull to the left, reel faster, pull to the right, reel the fish out in the open water. Mark did an awe-

some job pulling a twenty nine inch snook out of the structure using a Boca 40 with 20 pound braid and 20 pound fluorocarbon leader on a RedBone rod.

Once we calmed down after that excitement we moved to another dock and finally used the live shrimp up... so we started using frozen shrimp.

This was a fun half day trip for the father and son team. They took a couple of snapper home and total fish caught was in the 40 fish range which included releasing a 30-inch cobia and a 29-inch snook, that was a fun afternoon.

Capt Bart is a k id friendly captain and has the k nowledge to teach them as we are fishing. If y ou or y our son need some coaching on the hobby of angling giv e me a call and we will get y ou hook ed up. Capt Bart 941979-6517 Alpha@Omega Charters serv ing S.W. Florida From Englewood to Pine Island

Page 16

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SCUTTLEBUTT

July

2 0 11

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Remai ns of the Kursk The bow was sawed off with a diamond rope while she sat on the bottom of the Arctic Sea. You can see the anti-ship missiles still in their launchers...all foamed in. and...there's a nuclear power plant in that mess somewhere.

K-141 Kursk was a Russian nuclear cruise missile submarine which was lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000. It was named after the Russian city Kursk, around which the largest tank battle in military history took place in 1943.

The Kursk sailed out to sea to perform an exercise of firing dummy torpedoes at Pyotr Velikiy, a Kirov class battle cruiser. On August 12, 2000 at 11:28 local time, the torpedoes were fired, but an explosion occurred soon after in the submarine.

The only credible report to-date is that this was due to the failure and explosion of one of Kursk’s new developmental torpedoes. The chemical explosion blasted with the force of 100-250 kg of TNT and registered 2.2 on the Richter scale.

The submarine sank to a depth of 108 meters, approximately 85 miles off Severomorsk. A second explosion, 135 seconds after the initial event, measured between 3.5 and 4.4 on the Richter scale, equivalent to 3-7 tons of TNT. Either this explosion or the earlier one propelled large pieces of debris far back through the submarine.

Kursk was eventually raised from her grave by a Dutch team and 115 of the 118 dead were recovered and laid to rest

in Russia. Russian officials have strenuously denied claims that the sub was carrying nuclear warheads.

NOAA Fi sheri es finds threatened or endangered species listing for goliath grouper not warranted.

The New Moori ng F i el d just east of the US 41 bridges at Punta Gorda could be a problem when it comes to fireworks. Looking at the positioning of the mooring field, it appears it would

941-628-4746 Half Day & Full Day

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Capt. Wayne Kerry

USCG licensed

have to be completely vacated of all boats before any fireworks could be shot off from the city park. We’ll know later this month.

Offi cer Bri an Cazal ot was on land patrol near New Pass when he encountered three individuals who were returning from fishing. The officer noticed that one of the subjects appeared to be very nervous. The individuals claimed that they had not caught any fish, but while looking in their vehicle, Officer Cazalot found a shirt that was tied in knots that began to move. Inside the shirt was a live, whole stone crab. One of the individuals claimed that his young sons had caught the crab and assured Officer Cazalot there were no more fish in their possession. Officer Cazalot continued to search and found another live stone crab under a cast net. While the man remained adamant that he did not have any more fish in his possession, Officer Cazalot noticed that the individual had his pants on backwards. A search revealed another live stone crab inside the pocket of the subject’s pants. Officer Cazalot also found a live conch in their possession, which is illegal to possess in Lee County. The appropriate citations were issued.

The Bi l l fi sh Foundati on entered into an agreement with its conservation partner, the Costa Rica Sport Fishing Federation and four participating Hilton Worldwide hotels in Costa Rica, pledging to stop serving all sailfish and marlin.

The Gul f of Mexi co’s Hypoxi c Zone is predicted to be the largest ever recorded due to extreme flooding of the Mississippi River this spring, according to an annual forecast by a team of NOAA-supported scientists from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Louisiana State University

and the University of Michigan. The forecast is based on Mississippi River nutrient inputs compiled annually by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Scientists are predicting the area could measure between 8,500 and 9,421 square miles, or an area roughly the size of New Hampshire. If it does reach those levels it will be the largest dead area since mapping of the Gulf “dead zone” began in 1985. The largest hypoxic zone measured to date occurred in 2002 and encompassed more than 8,400 square miles.

FWC Offi cers on land patrol at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex observed a vessel approach the boat ramp. The officers proceeded to conduct a fisheries and boating safety inspection. They located several trout onboard, one of which was undersized. As the inspection continued, the operator displayed several signs of alcohol impairment, including difficulties retrieving the required boating safety equipment. When the operator was asked if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages, he informed the officers that he was not driving his truck.

Officer Shaw conducted field sobriety tasks and placed the individual under arrest for Boating Under the Influence.

Fact or Fiction ?

July

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By Betty S taugl er Water LIFE / Sea Grant Fact or Fiction – Coriolis effect results in water in a toilet sswirling clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere? This little fable has really gotten around over the years…but truth be told, a fable it is, so the answer is: Fiction.

What is Coriolis effect? – Coriolis describes the perceived change in position of an intended target on the earth’s surface due to the earth’s rotation. It is most evident at greater distances or for objects moving slowly towards a target. Coriolis effect was described by French scientist Gustave de Coriolis in 1835.

The Coriolis effect is most evident in the path of an object moving longitudinally. On the Earth, an object that moves in a north-south or longitudinal direction will undergo apparent deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. Two reasons explain this: first, the Earth rotates eastward; and second, the linear velocity of a point on the Earth relative to its target is a function of latitude.

Explained simply, the earth’s surface is rotating faster at the equator (which is wide) than at either pole (which is narrow compared to the equator), so an object moving northward from the equator

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towards an intended target will be deflected eastward faster than was its target farther north.

The Coriolis deflection is therefore related to the motion of the object, the motion of the Earth, and the latitude.

Coriolis effect results in winds deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere thus creating our trade winds.

Global winds drag on the water’s surface, causing it to move and build up in the direction that the wind is blowing. This also results in the deflection of major surface ocean currents to the right in the Northern Hemisphere (in a clockwise spiral) and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere (in a counter-clockwise spiral). These major spirals of ocean-circling currents are called “gyres” and occur north and south of the equator. They do not

Page 17

Fuel or Fantasy?

occur at the equator, where the Coriolis effect is not present.

For years sailors have referred to this calm equilateral area as the doldroms.

The Ekman spiral, named after Swedish scientist Vagn Walfrid Ekman who first theorized it in 1902, is a consequence of the Coriolis effect. When driven by wind, the topmost layer of surface water in the Northern Hemisphere flows at about 45 degrees to the right of the wind direction. Deeper layers of This is Shell 89 octane, 10% Ethanol gas from the station behind Fishinʼ Franks. It was allowed to sit in a 1/4water respond to the full ventilated 72 gallon aluminum tank on a boat for 45 friction of the layer days. There is no sign of water. above and also deflect to the right but at a tions a second so its rotation rate is many slower speed. Each subsequent deeper thousand times greater than that of the layer slides horizontally over the one Earth.

As a result Coriolis force is orders above it like a deck of cards creating a of magnitude smaller than any of the spiral effect, until the movement ceases at forces involved in a flushing toilet. The a depth of about 100 meters (330 feet).

Coriolis force is so small, that it plays Because the deeper layers of water move no role in determining the direction of more slowly than the shallower layers, rotation of a draining toilet. they tend to “twist around” and flow opposite to the surface current.

Betty Staugler is the Florida Sea Grant So why doesn’t Coriolis hold true for Agent for Charlotte County. She can be a toilet? The rotation of the Earth is very reached at 941.764.4346 Sea Grant is part of of the Univ ersity of Florida IFAS small: only one rotation per day. The water in a toilet might make several rota- Ex tension

Real Estate News

Page 18

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July

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

Is the real estate industry showing any signs of recovery? The median sales price of "non distressed" (not short sales or bank owned) homes continued its relentless decline this quarter. This is partially a result of product mix favoring lower priced homes, partially from the influence of continually falling prices being accepted by mortgage lenders to settle defaulted loans.

The current inventory situation suggests that the downtrend will continue for a while.

Our market currently has 578 distressed home listings vs 1501 that are not in foreclosure. Median asking price for non distressed listings is now $199,900 (median closing prices have declined to $120,000), a striking contrast to the $96,000 asking price for distressed properties.

Rained Out – June 26 Summer Series #1

The number of sales in the distressed category have exceeded sales of non distressed properties over the past 1 1/2 years.

Closings of both types declined slightly this quarter.

Looking into the future to determine what bank owned properties might be coming on the market, look to the court foreclosure filings. If foreclosure filings are a leading indicator, distressed inventory should start to decline this year accounting for a more normal level by the end of 2012.

Recent area news i tems:

1. As expected Governor Scott vetoed the funding of the $5 million Sarasota rowing facility. With no support from the Statehouse, Jackson Labs pulled its application for its $100 million facility in North Port.

In other news: Punta Gorda airport traffic was up 100% for May vs. May, 2010. Now many destinations will not be served again until November. Former Punta Gorda mayor and current City Council member, Larry Friedman decided not to run to continue this position. Carolyn Friedland will

take his place this fall.

S al es S tati sti cs: Lot sale prices continued their descent with prices averaging 23% below year ago levels. Median house pricing has levelled off from year ago levels.

Wanted:

Kids who have never been fishing.

Call 941-457-1389

we can help!

By Bill Dixon Water LIFE Sailing David Cleverly from PGSC won the match racing challenge at the Fisherman's Village Marina Day Celebration. It was Dave's first regatta in the 2.4m boats and he was down seriously at the end of the first day, but he just kept improving as he got more time in the boat. Congrats Dave!!

Way to Go! The Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club Wednesday night series has not started yet. Martin?? are you out there??

PGSC is having a reverse-start race July 3, open to all including non-members.

Racing will be followed by a picnic at the PGI Civic Association. Your boat will be handicapped and your starting time determined so that in theory we will all finish together. Makes for easy, low stress starts and it never works out that we all finish at once, which makes for easy low stress finishes. Entry forms, details and contact info for Pete Welch can be found on the PGSC web site pgscweb.com.

The PGSC Summer Series features fewer boats as the snowbirds are gone and some of us residents do maintenance and bottom work on our boats while the cruising is less than perfect.

Race Chair Pete Welch combined the racers into two fleets, neither of which can fly a spinnaker. Pete's logic in splitting the boats is not readily apparent, but there have been no loud complaints, and only one collision. The remaining summer series races will be held July 10, 24, and August 7.

Dennis Peck, the Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center, and before that the Red Cross have taught thousands to sail over the last 30 years here on Charlotte Harbor. I know there will be learn to sail programs this summer, I just don't have any dates or times at this writing. Dennis can be reached at 941-456-8542 for more information.

Charlotte Harbor YC had learn to sail programs open to the public last summer.

My guess is that they will again this year .

Try charlotteharboryachtclub.com

July

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Page 19

Kayaking

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking Now that summer is truly upon us, it's easy to say, " It's too hot to be on the water. I'll kayak in October when the temperatures are a lot cooler." I understand that the heat can really get to you, as it sometimes gets to me, and with the humidity and no breeze over the water, it can be pretty miserable. But, since we've still got almost three months before the weather cools, let's make the most of a good thing and see how we can use the summer time to our advantage.

I think summer time is the best time of year to paddle; the waters are usually smooth and calm and the tourists are scarce. So what can I do in a kayak in the summer that I can't do during the winter?

For starters, some of he most beautiful kayaking areas in Southwest Florida are not useable during the winter. The reason? Low water. The best example is Fisheating Creek near Palmdale, west of Okeechobee. Fisheating Creek winds its way through beautiful groves of cypress, twisting and turning through the open breaks and savannahs. Lots of wildlife make the Creek their home, including alligators and otters. The water in Fisheating Creek is so low in the winter that paddling is impossible.

Joshua Creek near Nocatee is another example of a great summertime paddle that's not possible in the winter. Joshua is a very small, shallow creek, with lots of twists and turns in its relatively short

length. During a summer with normal rainfall, Joshua is a very nice two hour paddle. But if you try to negotiate it shortly after a heavy rain, you'll find the creek very difficult and, in places, dangerous due to the very strong currents.

The lower lake and the Myakka River at Myakka State Park, east of Sarasota, is beautiful in the summer, but low water makes it a difficult paddle in the winter.

And, of course, when you paddle in the summer, you don't necessarily have to paddle under the full sun. Two great local paddles that are well shaded from the sun, with an overhead canopy of green, are Shell Creek and Prairie Creek. Both are about 8 miles north of Punta Gorda on Washington Loop Road.

And we have several extensive mangrove tunnels that completely shelters you from the sun. Two nearby tunnels are the Wolverton Trail in Placida and the tunnels between Ponce De Leon Park and Alligator Creek in southwest Punta Gorda.

Moonlight paddles, a monthly feature with some of the local clubs, are another way to avoid becoming a summer barbecue. You can avoid the heat of the day by launching just before sunset and paddling

SEA TRIALS SPY PHOTO – Captured in a local canal, Fishinʟ Frank is seen here piloting a Carolina Skiff rigged with retractable kayak racks. The angled box on the deck is a swing down water level platform designed to launch and retrieve paddlers.

for a couple of hours, returning after dark.

With the full moon hanging low in the evening sky, it's a great time for a beach party on a nearby beach or island. Dog Island off Placida is a good spot for a party and it's a short paddle from Grande Tours or the Placida Ramp.

Early evening and after dark are really enjoyable times to paddle as the water and surrounding shores look completely different. And you often see dolphin and other wildlife that are more active at night.

All you need in addition to your regular kayaking gear is a white, 360 degree light on your kayak and a strong flashlight with some extra batteries. So, "Just do it!'

Even open water paddling in the heat of the day doesn't have to be an invitation to sunstroke. Wear a long sleeve shirt with a high collar, wear a broad brimmed

hat, cover all exposed areas with a 30 or higher SPF sunscreen and take lots of water or Gatorade. And since you're already on the water, take a swim. What could be more cooling.

My good friend Dick Pfaff, from Economy Tackle in Sarasota, always ends his summer newsletters with the admonition to "Stay Hydrated." It's good advice anytime, but particularly in the heat of summer. And not just for kayaking, but for any active outdoor sport where you will be exposed to the sun and wind for several hours or more.

Enjoy the summer!

The Port Charlotte Kay ak ers meet each Wednesday ev ening at 5:30 PM at Port Charlotte Beach Park . All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Dav e Allen at 941-235-2588 or dlla@comcast.net.

Page 20

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July

You can always get a free copy of Water LIFE at these locations

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OFFSHORE REPORT

July

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The Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

Chillinʼ Out

Page 21

On Any Sunday – in the Peace Rver

With Capt. Jim O'Brien

Water LIFE Englewood Hey ya-all, are ya feel'n the heat?

Boy I am a tell'n ‘ya It's been hot and HOTTER. I put the back bimini up on the boat and it helps a lot.

Let’s get to talk'n about what people are catch'n. The tarpon are being caught in the deep holes. There are three deep holes that run about 20-feet deep up in Charlotte Harbor. The tarpon are just off the beachs too. I had an angler tell me he has been fishin’ around the El-jobean bridge, he said towards evening and at night he was catching tarpon in the 80 to 125-pound class useing blue crabs about three-inches across. The sharks are up in the harbor too, around the same deep holes the tarpon are in and also with them on the beaches.

They are on most of the inshore reefs and wrecks. The snook are being caught just off the beachs too and around Stump and Little Gasparilla Passes. The best bait for snook right now is pin fish and large hand picked shrimp. DON'T FORGET SNOOK IS STILL CATCH AND RELEASE. I heard some scuttle butt that snook season might stay closed till September 2012. I hope not.

American red snapper are being caught at 32 to 50 miles out. I find the best bait for them is a chicken rig with the biggest shrimp you can get. Mangrove snapper, lane snapper and yellow tail snapper are coming in from 18 to 35 miles. Most of the mangs are running 17- to 22-inches thats a nice a mang. Gag and red grouper are chewing good again at 18 to 35 miles on good hard bottom that has coral on it.

The best bait is squirell fish, pin fish, frozen bait chunks of mullet, sardines and squid.

I want to talk about the Fishn' Franks Shark, Cat fish, and Sting ray tournament

held last month. Myself and 3 other friends fished it and all I can say is we lost 4 sharks. Wow, do I look bad or what?

(See page 12 for the results) On one of my recent charters I had out were (from left to right above) Michael, Chris, Lisa, and dad Tom Niesner. Tom’s son and two daughters came down from up north to spend some time with him on his birthday, they hadn't seen each otyer in a few years. Tom said they fished a lot up north so he wanted to take them fish'n down here. It wasn't one of our better days fish'n, but we kept going from one spot to another until we stared putting fish in the box. We was fish'n the day before the full moon, on which you and I know the fish gorge themselves all night long. We ended up with some nice red grouper and some nice mangrove snapper, pogies and some big Key West grunts. We had a few biguns that broke off and we caught some nice gags, but we had to throw them back.

I am getting the paper wet with my tears – every gag I had to throw back I’m still crying for. Oh well, that’s life.

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

Staff Report There are several great ways to cool off on those hot Florida days, but none beats chillinʼ on the river with a cold one in your hand.

So we took a boat ride up river to see for ourselves. The river is easily passable all the way to Horse Creek even in our 21-foot Paramount and shallower than normal water. Lately we have had some good rain so the river should be coming up soon, At Horse Creek the river twists and turns and splits around an island as it heads towards Iron Lake. The shorelines are usually all soft brown sand. Itʼs a great spot to sit in the shallows and dig around for fossils, kick back and relax.

This area is the confluence not only of the Peace River and Horse Creek, but it is also where powerboats and airboats come together. Powerboats from the south and airboats from Arcadia and points north make their way to share these beaches. Kids and dogs enjoy the sand with adults and teenagers, and the best part is the whole place is pretty much litter free.

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July Fishing Report

Page 22

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July

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Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

Well, we finally got some rain and there should be a lot of changes . . . . I hope. And the change will be for the better.

There will be more oxygen in the water and it will cool down. The rain usually disturbs some of the nutrients in the Harbor and that brings the bait further up in the Harbor. What bait we have had around this summer has been very small, which is very odd. Same for the small sharks, odd because they disappeared, but once we get some more baitfish they should move back up in the Harbor too.

Fishing the ICW and the beaches are going to be the best bets for most species. Redfi sh is always tough this time of year with the fish hanging out up under the bushes and staying close to the little creeks where there is good water flow. The fish are lethargic now because it has been so warm. Fishing a cut bait on a jig head is the plan, the fish are stationary and a soaking bait tends to work best. In the evenings, the bigger bull reds move into the passes and out along the beaches with the

snook. Cut bait or a live small baitfish pegged close to the bottom is the best bet here. Sardines are nice but many other baitfish will do just as well when you can’t find them.

Tarpon may be the only consistent fish right now.

And even then, the main question is: where are they going to be best? As the river starts flowing, we should see more bait and the tarpon following it up into the Harbor. That’s if all goes well and if the rain continues, that’s what will make all the difference in the world.

Right now, the beaches are still my first choice for tarpon. Look for pods of fish running parallel to the shore, they will be especially concentrated if there are shools of threadfins along the beach.

If you are in a boat look for the tide line and follow

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the tide, the majority of the tarpon will be hanging on that edge where the fresh and the salt water merge together. Mackerel , cobi a and small sharks could all be there, mixed with the tarpon.

Cobia have been scattered on the flats, but the reefsboth inshore and offshore - have cobia on them too that you need to be ready for while fishing for other species.

The Cape Haze reef is one place where the cobia have been fairly consistent lately.

Continued on following page

July

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The The BIG-4 BIG-4

SNAPPER The further you go the bigger they are

continued from facing page

Fish Fish to to expect expect in in

TARPON in the Pass and on the beach

July July

SMALLER SHARKS are still plentiful all over

Lemon Bay:

Jim at Fishermens Edge, Englewood: 697-7595

The crowd has thinned out around here. The Boca tarpon guides are still catching fish. A lot of guys are beach fishing for tarpon, casting thread fins and crabs at the fish on the beach or casting squirrel fish and crabs in the pass. It seems like a lot of the jig-guys have gone back home.

S napper and grouper are still in the pass and some guys are catching mackerel and even Ki ng mackerel in the pods of bait offshore.

Some guys are fishing a lot further out for red

Water Temps in the mid 80s REDFISH The better fish are still to the south

A Touching Letter

Left: Looking for snook on the beach at Boca Grande Right: Still got Kings

The Trembly and Novak Reefs tend to be two more good spots, offshore, when the cobia show up. Also be ready for the possibility of permi t.

They have been scattered so far this summer but you still need to be on the lookout for them.

The die-hard guys, those willing to travel 30- to 50-miles offshore, have been looking for pelagics like dol phi n tuna and sai l fi sh.

The Ameri can red snapper are plentiful around 50-miles out. That trip will get you a snapper in the 18- to 20-pound range. There should be one more good snapper feed before the full moon this month. That should bring up the potential for mangs, l anes and yel l owtai l . One trick is to chum heavily for 15 minutes to a half-hour before you send your first bait down. The thinking is, let them get happy with all the chum in the water.

That tends to keep the bite going longer especially on the mangs and yellowtails.

Remember, this time of year the oxygen is very low in the water so you have to really take your time resuscitating your fish before you release them. The problem is, it’s so warm that lactic acid builds up in the fish because of the lack of oxygen in the water and that can kill them. It’s not so much how fast you get them to the boat, it’s how you revive them that matters.

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snapper, mangrove or yel l owtai l and they have been running into schools of boni ta, bl ackfi n tuna and some better-sized dol phi n, not the schoolie ones, but the next size up, dolphin in the 30-inch range. A lot of these guys are going 25 to 40 miles out for their fish. The theory is, the size of the fish go up depending how far you want to go out.

It’s been pretty good in Lemon Bay for trout and redfi sh. Guys are catching quite a few on top water plugs early in the morning or with the 5inch jerk-shads or Exude RT later on.

There is a lot of catch and release snook fishing going on the beach right now and quite a bit of fl ounder still around by the passes. Still quite a bit of bl ackti p action inshore to the south.

In freshwater, guys are catching bl uegi l l and smal l bass in a lot of the ponds of Rotonda and South Gulf Cove. These are fish in the 2-to 3pound range and all you need is a worm, a beetle spin or a top water buzz-bait.

I don't know if there is a (Fishinʼ) Frank or not so I am acting as if there is. The last time my niece visited me, she wanted to go fishing. That is what brought us to your store. We bought shrimp and started towards the door, all of a sudden a huge man with long hair and a full beard asked Kelly if she had a fishing hat. Well that is what started the fifteen minutes that changed Kelly and my thinking of strangers, and your store.

This man was a bit scary, rough looking, and not at all the kind of person I am accustomed to or would allow my niece to talk to. But in this man's face was a kindness and warmth that was captivating and disarming at the same time.

He took Kelly's hand and brought her to a hat rack in another room. He asked her to pick out a hat. When she chose one, he took out of his hand a golden hook and placed it on the bill of the hat.

Kelly's eyes lit up and for the first time ever, she threw her arms out and hugged this stranger's neck, as if he was one of her Uncles she had known all of her life!

This shocked a delighted me at the same time, I could not understand why my seven year old niece, who is afraid of everyone she does not know, was hugging this "biker" looking man that would have me crossing the street if Iʼd found him on my path!

In a voice that commanded respect and yet had a warm ring of kindness, this missing link, explained to Kelly the giving of a "lucky hook". He spoke with compassion and kindness, always on her level, and answered every question she had.

She asked him why he chose her to give the hat to, his answer was, "you looked like someone that could use a lucky hook, and you needed a hat Fi s h i n g to put it on just like all of the guides that ri g h t n o w: worked in the shop."

Well my heart and tears flowed at this point and I could not hold back my emotions.

The one employee I dreaded waiting on us was the one I and Kelly, needed the most at that time. I have since learned to look at people's eyes, they do not lie if you know what to look for.

Now, I will come to the reason this letter needed to be sent to you. My niece Kelly was diagnosed with a rare cancer three months ago and died three weeks after in her home in New York.

My sister asked me to bring Kelly's 'lucky fishing hat" with me so she could place it on her head in the coffin. It seems that upon her return home, she could not keep from talking about fishing, we caught two, Fishn' Franks or the fact that Santa worked there.

Trying by this man to make a little girl's day better had created a memory her mother and I will hold deep in our hearts forever. A small show of kindness by one of your employees made my nieces world a little better and resurrected my belief in the fact that people in this mixed up world are mostly good at heart if you only give them a chance. By the way, he did not charge us for the hat or hook! I think he paid for it himself. Please give him my thanks, tell him to keep on being who he is and never shave that beard!

Thanks to you and your staff, Kelly's Favorite Aunt

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