Water LIFE June 2006

W a t e r LIFE

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Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay Florida

LOCAL TOURNAMENT R E S U LT S

Kids Cup

Keeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed

June 2006

The Great Manatee Smack Down

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Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup Page 30 Flatsmasters Page 26

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Unsportsman like Conduct Page 4

This New House: Wiring P a g e 14

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

Record Hammer?

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Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

June 2006

O ne Question Re m a i ns June 2006

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Big Hammerhead Caught on Line Perhaps too Heavy

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor “He called me around noon and said he had her on,” a friend of Bucky Dennis’ said, standing in the darkness outside the Fishery restaurant on an overcast night. The air was wet and it just felt like a good night to be fishing. “We were going to go out tomorrow, but you know Bucky, he just couldn’t wait.” So it was, that on Tuesday May 23 Bucky Dennis was fishing the Pass at Boca Grande, alone in his 23 foot flats boat when the big hammer appeared. “I saw her come up and eat a tarpon. She came back and I threw a stingray wing in front of her and she took it,” Bucky said. It was a five hour fight he added. Friends came out to help with the fight. Little by little Bucky gained line on the big fish until finally he had her at the boat. “We dragged it two miles, tail roped - backwards, to kill it,” Donny Lambert, one of the men who hopped onto Bucky’s - boat said. Word spread throughout the fishing community even before they were back at the Placida boat ramp. An older lady, perhaps in her late 70s - short, with graying hair, approached them at the ramp and offered to buy the fish right then and there for cash but they turned her down. Later the men speculated it may have been the ‘shark lady’ herself, Eugenie Clark from Mote Marine; but Bucky, at the time, had other plans for

his fish. Earlier last month another large hammerhead was caught, a world class line record for 80-pound test, but the angler who reeled that fish in had no idea of what to do with it so he reportedly buried it in an orange grove. Bucky hoped to be able to sell his catch to Cabelas or the Bass Pro Shops. Stories were going around that those big-business big-game shops had put a bounty on record fish to mount and display in their stores. But Bucky had to figure out what to do with the fish that night.

They loaded the fish on their boat trailer and brought it over to the truck scale at the Boca Grande causeway toll plaza and weighed it. Then they dumped the fish back in the water at the boat ramp, went back and weighed the trailer empty. Deducting the known weight of the trailer, the fish weighed 1280 pounds. A world record, soundly exceeding Allen Ogle’s all-tackle record of 991 pounds set in 1982.

Bucky’s next plan was to take the fish to the wharf at the Fishery in Placida and hoist it aboard one of the shrimp boats where it could sit overnight on ice, but that plan fell short when they found the fish was too big to fit into the hold. “I guess I’m just going to have to take it home and wrap it in a tarp until morning,” Bucky said.

Looking at the fish, on first take it didn’t appear that big. Fourteen feet four inch-

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Bucky Dennis with the 1280 pound hammerhead that was later donated to Mote Marine.

es overall from head to tail. The width of the hammer, three feet across. What made it so big was its belly. From the side, the fish was of monstrous girth, perhaps eight feet around. “This fish just ate a tarpon,” Bucky said, “and she’s pregnant, loaded with another 200 pounds of babies.”

Pregnant animals have made it into the record books before. Collateral damage, I thought to myself. They cut two teeth from it’s mouth, souvenirs about an inch and a half long. I thought back to the six inch fossilized shark’s teeth I have seen dug up

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locally and the size of those pre-historic fish back then.

Only an official line test would keep Bucky from the world record. The IGFA’s line-limit for ‘sporting tackle’ is 130 pound line, but Bucky was using Power Pro. If that breaks at over 130 in a line test, which it probably would since it was reportedly 150 pound line, the record would not stick.

According to the IGFA, Bucky has not yet submitted an application for the record.

“There are three other big sharks out there now that I know of. All are bigger than

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June 2006

MAGAZINE

Unsportsmanlike Conduct Canʼt Tarnish the Kids Cup Image

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor Last month we put on our Kids Cup Tournament – 125 out on the water fishing, a captain’s meeting dinner for over 300 people and a weigh in at Harpoon Harry’s that netted them one of their best business days of the year.

We had hundreds of spectators, hundreds of participants, smiling family and friends. Easily, 1,000 people knew of and were involved with the event.

But, did any local daily paper or TV station report on it? I Think Not. So what does that tell you about how in touch with the local boating and fishing community the local media is? We notified them. I personally spoke with both newspapers. We e-mailed them.

They knew about the Kids Cup but apparently chose to ignore it. To me that’s unsportsmanlike conduct.

We have had calls and questions from mothers and fathers of the Kids

Cup anglers wanting to know why this happened.

I tell them: The daily papers don’t really care about what the boating and fishing community is doing. I go so far as to say I believe they don’t like the idea we are teaching kids about fishing. I think they’d rather kids didn’t learn to fish.

And ditto for the County’s Visitor Bureau.

At the captain’s meeting dinner for the Redfish Cup (run by the Visitor’s Bureau) someone took our Kids Cup banner and put duct tape over the names of our two main sponsors: Laishley Marine and Palm Chevrolet and then, to make matters worse, they balled up the Kids Cup banner and stuffed it behind the stage.

How petty! What a downright slap in the face to every parent and kid who took part in the Kids Cup event.

Last month I predicted the Visitor’s Bureau would try to get out of

Michael and Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT

Who dared to tape over the names of Palm Chevrolet and Laishely Marine?

having the Redfish Cup come back to Punta Gorda in 2007. As they were packing up, David Healy the Redfish Cup’s public relations director told me “The Kids Cup is an inspiring part of our stop at Punta Gorda,” so I asked if all was set for the Redfish Cup to come back again next year.

“We love Punta Gorda, this is a great venue for our event, we want to come back here every year,” Healy said, “... but the Visitor’s Bureau has told us that next year the construction at Laishley Park will not be finished and the auditorium site will also be under construction so they would

not make a commitment to us for 2007.” “If the Redfish Cup wants to come to Punta Gorda next year there is still a way to make it happen. You could have your event at Gilchrist Park and the weigh-in at Fishermen’s Village,” I suggested. The Port Charlotte Beach Complex would also work, for that matter.

So it appears we are resented and ignored by liberal know-it-alls in the local media and political world and loved by informed parents, children and national TV. That, evidently, is a recipe for our success.

We will continue to support this community

and its children. We will champion Charlotte Harbor and it’s resources and campaign for access and education on the water.

And when good things happen we will continue to demand support and recognition from the local media, not for ourselves but for the community’s participants.

Children are our future and tomorrow’s keepers of the environment. They need to learn how to fish, how to spend time on the water and how to take care of it. And their efforts need to be recognized.

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Contributing Editors:

Fishing / Environment: Capt. Ron Blago Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Port Charlotte: Fishinʼ Frank Offshore: Capt. Steve Skevington Technical Advisor: Mike Panetti Sailing Advisor: Bill Dixon Kayaks: David Allen Local: Capt. Andrew Medina Tournament Report: Capt Jerry Cleffi Sea Grant: Betty Staugler

on the COVER:

Kids Cup winner Chris L arsen of Port Charlotte holds up the winning fish. Chris fished with David McHugh and weighed in 6.47 pounds in the tournament and 5.21 in the final.

on our WEBSITE:

WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

Tide Graphs: For local waters

Weather: Links to all of our favorite sites.

Back editions: Pages of previous editions 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 Links to Realtors: Connect with our real estate advertisers

Extra Salt and Big Surprises June 2006

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Inshore Editor You may be thinking this article must be about offshore fishing. For certain it is not, but it is a backcountry story that unfolds into a fishing day I will never forget. Southwest Florida experienced a drought for countless months and with little freshwater entering Charlotte Harbor, the salinity increased. This year the extra salinity must have lead every baitfish offshore to the inshore waters or so it seems.

Schools of threadfin herring are on just about every flat and backcountry area I know of. Stands to reason that just about everything that swims might follow them in.

This was a special trip because my brother Bob and best friend Capt. Tim Reichenburg, who charter fishes off of Palm Beach, and I met for a couple days of fishing. Putting 3 captains into a boat who were friends from childhood is bound to result in a great day regardless of the bite. The trip started with a run to the baitfish grounds. A bit of chumming and a mix of Spanish sardines, threadfins and pilchards blessed our livewell. We hoped to have some larger baits mixed in for tarpon fishing for later in the day but none were found so on we went. The plan was to backcountry fish a low incoming tide then switch to Tarpon on the higher outgoing tide.

This day the tide was extra low just before the full moon and we fished a slightly deeper trough adjacent to a shallow flat. Setting up on the spot involved me on the trolling motor and the 3 of us disagreeing on how to position the boat.

This is typical of experienced fishermen that think they know more than one another on how to fish, however I ruled since I was in control. The hook was down and we began flicking free-swiming live baits into the water for chum. Our expectations were high and we pitched our baits a short distance from a mangrove bush. Wham, I was on with a respectable redfish, a grunt from Bob and he was tan-

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gling with a snook. And so it went for the next 1.5 hours with trout added to make for several legal backcountry slams.

The rising tide changed the spot and the fish catching dried up. Fishing and exploring several other spots within a mile or so, we never had a bite and it was time to head to another part of the harbor. As we motored through a large trough on our way to the next spot we spotted a tarpon free jumping. Backing down on the throttle and peering into the water our eyes blinked in unison and shouts of tarpon, tarpon, tarpon everywhere rang out in harmony. Yes, we accidently found the mother-lode and if another boat was nearby he would have known about it too from all the hollering! To say the least we were excited and adrenaline was pumping as tarpon from 60 to 150 pounds were stacked like cordwood in 4-6 feet of water. Some were free jumping, some were greyhounding and some popping the surface. Of course, this is only going to happen when you don’t have tarpon bait aboard. A debate rose as to what to do next; go get big bait, fish the small baits- drift, cast or anchor. We chose to anchor and began dicing up threadfins and pitching live ones out. Hooking up 2- 30# class tarpon sticks with medium pilchards didn’t feel right but that was all the bait we had. Ten minutes into it and I sat my rod in a holder and turned away to hear a line ripping so fast through the water it sounded like a small fighter jet going by. As I watched my rod buckle and go limp we knew the fish were coming in and I had better not put the rod down. Next, a school of ladyfish came in, followed by a school of bluefish. Add to that a few Spanish mackerel and light tackle action was just plain fun. Into the well went the ladies and the blues and macks stayed for chunking. An 8/0 gorilla ‘j’ hook was nose hooked into a ladyfish, put under a float and flicked out. About 5 minutes later Tim hollers out “a big tarpon is headed towards your bait- grab your rod!” Tim had the bird’s eye view from -foot’ tower and with a

commanding voice screamed “he ate it” and with that a large swirl and a raging hookset from Bob sent the silver king into a high jump, twist and splashdown as line burned off under heavy pressure. Exciting was not the word for this event that ended about as quickly as it started with the king shaking free. A hundred and twenty pounds of silver lightning was the guessed weight. One more bite was had later with a brief connection and the tarpon left the area on a quickly falling outgoing tide.

The next decision was to locate and catch some large threadfins and go back to tarpon fishing. An hour later we were drifting in deeper water just outside where the tarpon were found earlier. The late afternoon winds were really cooking and we went streaming across open water with only 8-10 feet under the boat. One rig free-lined and the other with a float. Ten minutes into it and the free lined rod buckled deep. Bob raced to the rod and struggled to get it out of the rod holder with the hard pull on the other end. The fight was on as he applied huge pressure but no jumps from the tarpon. It didn’t fight like a cobia or shark but it was big. Peering into the crystal clear harbor waters after a 10 minute battle the distinct markings of a gag grouper lead me to the gaff and 25 pounds of grouper went into the cooler – one fish! So here we are fishing shallow waters adjacent to flats and land this ìjim dandyî on a surface bait, go figure.

Luckily, the ol’ skipper quietly pushed in the waypoint save button upon hook up

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and we set the boat adrift and followed the same course. Our second drift and third produced whopper grouper. Who would believe it? At that point my 96 gallon cooler was stripped of food, beverage, chum, etc. and we closed the lid and headed for the barn. There was no more room for fish and why be greedy.

Old salts, extra salty water and big surprises. The harbor is full of fish and one can only wonder what other offshore species have followed the food trail in.

Can’t wait until next time!

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Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

June 2006

Ready to Rumble: Manatee ʻSmack Downʼ Coming this Month Water LIFE

June 2006

By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Guide Tickets are still available for the big manatee fight June 7th at the Marriott Hotel in beautiful West Palm Beach. The fight, sanctioned by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the manatee will be reclassified from endangered to threatened. This fight has been 5 years in the making with plenty of bad blood between the opponents and is sure to be one for the record books. Before we go to the ring, let’s look at some of the history that has shaped this massive manatee mauling.

1989 – Gov. Bob Martinez requires 13 counties in Florida to produce Manatee Protection Plans

1990 - The DNR establishes the Office of Protected Species Management lead by Patrick M. Rose who latter goes to work for the Save the Manatee Club. * The Save the Manatee License Plate begins

* $1 is taken from every boat registration in Florida to help pay for ‘manatee recovery.’

1903 – A live manatee was shipped from Florida to the New York Aquarium for exhibition.

He died 4 months later. His death was probably classified as ‘undetermined.’

1907 – Florida passes a law making it a $500 fine or 6 months in jail for killing a manatee. First manatee protection plan.

1948 - Snooty the manatee is born in captivity. He is still alive today, living in a resort in Bradenton. Why do I care? Because I was born in 1948 and he seems to be having a better life than I have.

1966 – The Federal Endangered Species Act makes the West Indies Manatee an endangered species.

1968 – The United Nations decrees: “By being a highprofile species, the manatee may function as a catalyst to elaborate comprehensive conservation plans. Manatees may be instrumental as well in the establishment of sanctuaries and attainment of the overall goal of preservation.”

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1999 – Bureau of Protected Species moves into the newly formed FWC. The SMC looses a lot of their contacts and friends in the State manatee business.

1972

– The Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act,

designates the manatee a marine mammal (I guess there must have been some confusion about what kind of mammal it was). The penalty for killing a manatee became a federal offense with a $20,000 fine and a year in jail.

1978 – Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act declares entire State as a refuge and sanctuary for manatees. First boating restrictions go into effect.

1981 – Save the Manatee Club is founded.

1984 – The Florida Dept of Natural Resources declares the manatees in Florida are actually a sub-population of the West Indies Manatee. All manatees henceforth shall be called Florida Manatees. So it is written, so it is done.

2000 – SMC threatens to sue everyone. FWC, Army Corp of Engineers and the DEPT of the Interior. Everyone gets scared and reaches an out of court settlement. Major boating regulations are part of the deal and go into effect.

2001- Aerial survey finds 3276 manatees in Florida.

Everyone who signed the settlement is super embarrassed.

SMC says you can’t trust aerial surveys. They say they are not accurate. Just because you see them and can count them, doesn’t mean they are there.

2001 – CCA asks the FWC to do a Biological Status Report on the manatee.

So in one corner you will have the SMC, self appointed defenders of the manatee. In the other you will have the Staff of researchers for the FWC who for 5 years have recommended the down listing of the manatee.

It’s going to be a fight between science and politics, reason vs. emotion. Who will win? I don’t know. They might even fight to a draw. I think I’ll invite my good

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Completely remodeled 3/2/2 pool home on Saltwater canal.

1432 sq ft, built in 1970. Features new roof, gutters, soffit, pool cage, A/C, water heater, appliances, wood cabinets, interior doors, carpet, tile, jetted tub in master bath, and more. Electric & water at dock. Great home at a great price. MLS #632617 $379,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

REDUCED!

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3/2/2, 1621 sq. ft. built in 2003. Home shows like brand new. Nothing to do but move in. Living, dining, & fam. rm., storm shutters, storage shed, fenced yard, 20 min. to Harbor 1 bridge, MLS 600193 $399,900, call Ellen at 235-5648

WHY WAIT TO BUILD!! This 3/2/2 pool home overlooks a lovely waterway, has 1614 sq ft and was built in 2005. Home features many upgrades including Granite kitchen countertops, wood cabinets, ceramic tile, walk-in shower and more. This home also comes fully furnished with beautiful furniture. This is a must see!!! Bring all offers!!.

MLS # 634989 $399,900 Call Gerry at 268-4249

COMPLETLEY FURNISHED 4/3/2 pool home overlooking pond & new gulf course in popular Rotonda section. Home has 2347 sq ft and was built in 2005, Home has 2 master suites with sliding glass doors to the pool, wood cabinets, plant shelves, breakfast bar, volume ceilings and more. Come take a look!!.

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3/1.5/1 pool home with 1344 sq ft in a very private setting, home is on 2 lots with privacy fence around both lots, 12X12 workshop with electric, living & family room, separate dining room, large walk in pantry, metal roof, Huge lanai and pool area, great for entertaining. Call today before its gone!!! MLS # 626061 $214,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

Beautiful 2/2/2 home in Heritage Oak Park, 1162 sq ft, built in 1999, This custom built “B” model shows like brand new, home features upgraded cabinets with pantry, built in computer desk, filing cabinet, & counter, Tile throughout with carpet in bedrooms, Extra shelving in closets & garage, 10 ceilings fans, screened garage door, and more this is a must see!!! MLS # 628071 $242,900 Call Rieka at 456-8866.

June 2006

MAGAZINE

Beautiful 3/2/2 with 1392 sq ft built in 2002.

Home shows like a model, ready to move into. Private country living on 2 plus lots, Home features large stone waterfall in front entry, 12 X 21 large pond filled with Coy & Goldfish, cathedral ceilings, carpet, tiled entry, A gardeners delight with 300-400 plants.

This home is a must see!! MLS # 632486, $249,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

Paradise Living at its Best!!

Elegant 2 s t o r y 5/4.5/2 pool home that sits on a REDUCED! wide sailboat canal with only minutes to the Harbor. home has 3734 sq ft, and features Travertine marble stone floors, solid surface counters, eat-in kitchen, crown molding, French doors. master bath w/ dual sinks, jetted tub & separate shower. 3 A/C units, waterfall in pool, new roof and more. MLS#630679 $999,950 Call Ellen at 235-5648

Nice and neat pool home in great area, This 3/3/2 with 1696 sq ft was built in 1982 and is ready for you to move in. New paint inside and out, newer berber carpet, new hurricane code garage door and the list goes on. MLS # 617135 $ 244,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

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Beautiful 3/2.5/2 pool home on Saltwater canal, with 1937 sq ft, built in 2001.

This home is located in Collingswood Pointe area, and has 108 feet on the intersecting canals, Only 20 minutes to the Harbor. Some of the features include , solid surface counters, breakfast bar, walk-in closets, intercom & security systems, sprinklers, storm shutters, jetted tub in master bath and more. Don‚t miss this one!!. MLS 635104 $549,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

Gorgeous 3/2/2 pool home, 2060 sq ft, built in 1989. This home has so much to offer including hardwood floors thru-out except for tile in baths & foyer, 2 breakfast bars in kitchen, bay windows, 4 walk-in closets, master bath has jetted corner tub with a view, dual sinks,& vanity, beautiful landscaping and the list goes on. Great home for entertaining, You won‚t want to miss out on this one!!!!. MLS # 634149 $259,900 Call Rieka at 235-5648.

Still under construction, Beautiful 4/3.5/3 pool/spa home that sits on an oversized corner lot, 2589 sq ft of living area, this home has all the bells & whistles, solid honey oak cabinets, solid surface counters thru-out, hurricane code windows, seamless glass window at nook, 8ft sliders, corner garden tub in master bath, 2 A/C units, plant shelves, great landscaping with curbing & gravel and the list goes on. MLS #628706 $549,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

REDUCED!

Beautiful 3/2/2 pool home built in 1991, 1503 sq

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A REAL CHARMER - This 3/2/1 home sits on an oversized corner lot and has 1815 sq ft, and was built in 1970. Some of the features include, new roof, a/c, hot water tank, appliances, and new saltwater heated diamond brite pool. This home is a must see!!! Call Today before its gone!!!!! MLS # 634705 Call Gerry at 268-4249

Sailboat canal pool home in prestigious beach complex area, 4 bedrm, 3 baths, 2 car garage. This home has all the bells and whistles with 2,777 sq ft, built in 1998 and shows pride of ownership. Magnificent interior with niches, alcoves, arches, transom lights, roman showers, garden tub, walk-in closets, wood cabinets, and more. This home will fill pages of upgrades, call to see today. Offered at $798,000 MLS # 635844 call Ellen at 235-5648

June 2006

Nicely updated 3/1.5/1 pool home built in 1960, with 1031 sq ft. Home features updated kitchen & Baths, separate dining room, eat-in kitchen, fenced yard, tile throughout with carpet in bedrooms, workshop in garage, large pool area great for entertaining. A must see at this price!!

MLS # 637636 $149,900 Call Rieka at 235-5648

3/2/2 home in North Port, 1479 sq ft , built in 2001.

Living & family rooms, walk in closets, huge lanai, privacy fence and more. Great family home in a nice and quiet neighborhood. MLS # 627853 $220,000 Call Ellen at 2355648

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MAGNIFICENT WATERFRONT HOME IN UPSCALE NEIGHBORHOOD. This 3/2/2 home has 1220 sq ft, built in 2000, this home features cathedral ceilings, breakfast bar, eat-in kitchen, walk in closets, separate dining room and more. Don‚t miss out on this wonderful home. MLS # 613536 $419,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

3/2/1 on oversized corner lot, 1566 sq ft, built in 1971, home is located in Charlotte beach complex area. Stroll to the sandy beach, enjoy pool, tennis, fishing pier and more. Home features new roof, A/C, paint in and out, tile in kitchen, foyer & hallway. A great retirement, seasonal or year around home. This is a must see at a great price. MLS#635847 $249,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

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Come check out this spacious 4/2/2 pool home in Deep Creek, home has 2296 sq ft and was built in 1994, huge gourmet kitchen, breakfast bar & nook, liv, din & family rooms, bay windows intercom & security system, Parquet floors in master bedroom and family room, his & hers walk in closets, new roof and pool cage. Don‚t let this one pass you by. MLS # 619196 $ 329,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648 Brand New 3/2/2 located in beautiful gated community of Kings Gate, 1395 sq ft, Sheffield model, home features upgraded white wood cabinets with pull out shelves, large pantry, tile throughout with carpet in bedrooms, separate dining room, open floor plan with volume ceilings. Clubhouse has many amenities to enjoy including full service restaurant, heated pool/spa, billiard & craft room and much more. Call today before its gone!!! MLS # 637278 $239,900 Call Ellen at 235-5648

Water LIFE

The Times They Are A Changing Page 10

By Fi shi n Frank Water LIFE S enior Guide Anglers are getting better at environmental issues, like picking up their trash, not throwing old fishing line in the water, and not killing fish for no reason. But can the same thing be said about our conservation of bait? What about bait fish? Should not bait have the same status as other fish?

Bait are thread fin herring, green backs, sardines – the fish we call white bait. Is it OK to catch them with cast nets by the hundreds per boat? When you multiply that by hundreds of boats and by the month that equates to millions of bait fish taken in a year. Is that too much?

We, the charter boat captains and the weekend warriors, have become the netters of the 2000s. One of the first things we can do is change the way we talk. Instead of saying things like ‘the bait has moved,’ tell the truth. The truth is, we wiped them out. The only place the bait moved is into our live wells.

How many times have we seen people load their boat on the trailer and then throw what ever bait is left in the wells out on the ramp, like it is nothing. It is now considered a sin to kill a snook for no reason, but is it OK to starve a snook to death? A bit dramatic? Maybe, maybe not.

Back in ‘93 the net ban had not happened yet and fishing sucked. No one bothered to fish the upper harbor because there were no fish here. But in only two years after the net ban fish reappeared better and faster than anyone could have dreamed.

Catching more than 10 snook or redfish in a trip happens often today, it is truly amazing – the recovery.

Large schools of thread fins (those are the bait you see on the surface of the harbor most often and and the ones that die quickly in your live well) used to cover the surface of the Peace River from the 41 bridges out past Marker No. 2. Schools of thread fins were often miles long and just as wide.

In 1968 Zapata foods did a survey along the west coast of Florida. The bait fish were continuous from Marco Island to Tampa Bay and at no point was the school less than

a half mile wide. It is true that commercial fishing did take the majority of them, but as commercial fishermen were stopped from netting, recreational fisherman started cast netting bait and not just a little. Many anglers get as much as they can get. In my opinion, this is absolutely the worst thing we can do. This is not the 1950’s and there are not more fish than can ever be wiped out.

I am as guilty as the rest. At times I have overloaded my wells and killed many baits for no other reason than greed. I could get them so I did. Maybe if I can change then one more person can change too, and so on.

Maybe it will not come to the point where for six months a year it will be illegal to throw a cast net with a mesh of less then 1inch – one inch would let the small ones escape to reach breeding size at least once before being caught.

This spring we have been blessed with the best shark fishing anyone has seen in years. Records are being broken by the week. Many sharks have live births, they give birth to three to six young, not hundreds or thousands like some fish. If you want to eat shark meat it is a good thing.

Shark meat is healthy and tastes great, but after you have the one you are going to eat, please use your pliers to flatten the barb down on your hooks. This lessens the impact of catch and release fishing on sharks since sharks, unlike regular fish, do not have a membrane around their mouth, which on most other fish heals rapidly.

Catch and release on sharks can cause more damage. Flattening the barb on the hook makes the damage minimal and those sharks can grow make babies and be there for you and your grandchildren to fight, eat, and enjoy.

Now on to the record sharks that have been caught lately. Records are set so they can be broken, but has the ‘want to break them’ overridden the good sense of the angler? In the case of the guys from Pine Island who caught a record shark in May, I would say yes. I know them and I know of them. Good guys, but the truth is they did not think. Burying that shark in an orange

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June 2006

MAGAZINE

Fishinʼ Frank is working on a new boat, one that he will use to set, maintain and remove pilings under a federal contract to maintain regulatory signs in Floridaʼs Rivers. The boat, a now highly modified deck boat with a boom, winches and stabilizing pontoons was last owned by Charlotte Countyʼs late Sea Grant Agent Rich Novak who was rebuilding it into a custom recreational flats fishing boat at the time of his death.

grove was wrong, it should have gone to research. Scientist do not really know much about sharks that size because there are not that many caught that size. It should have been necropsied. There is still a lot to be learned about big sharks. Killing them is not the problem, wasting them is.

Bucky Dennis and friends just caught a 1200 plus pound shark last month. I say friends because no one does this by himself.

On a fish this size it is the guy driving the boat, the guy on the gaff, the other guy on the other gaff and the guy trying to hold onto the fishing pole. It is a team effort.

Without each person doing their job it just is not gonna’ happen. After they landed this shark I got a lot of calls, most of them talked about how cool it was to land a fish that could eat you in one or two bites or even damage or sink the boat you are in.

The other callers wanted to talk about the fact that it was pregnant.

To Bucky’s credit he and his friends gave the fish to Mote Marine for study. Way to go guys, but the debate is raging about keeping a pregnant fish. At first I agreed it is troublesome, but then I began to think (yes, I know thinking is not good for me).

Mike Panetti

I was thinking that all the large mouth bass that have been records were most likely full of roe, "pregnant," and I am almost certain that to get a record snook it would have to be full of roe, eggs, pregnant. Is it somehow ethically or emotionally different when one animal has live birth and one has eggs?

If I was on the rod and I had just caught a record shark would I care? Could I tell if the shark was pregnant? Would I care if the shark was pregnant? I hope the answer would be to my credit, but I am not sure it would. Congratulations Bucky, I know you have spent years chasing this record.

I am the least perfect person on the planet and one of the reasons I know so much about these mistakes is I have, and in some cases still do, make them. As a commercial fisherman I worked with long lines, purse seines, beach seines, and other methods.

While I was doing it, it seemed right, later looking back I think about the thousands of fish we threw overboard dead just because they were not worth enough money to haul in. Wasted. I have seen both side of these issue and do not know where the truth lies, all I can do is call it as I see it now.

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June 2006

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

P a g e 11

Water LIFE

Page 12

Charlotte Countyʼs Complete Swimming Pool Supplys Pool Repair and Maintenance Store

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MAGAZINE

June 2006

Barefoot Boating is what Summerʼs all about

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor A familiar thing happened last month.

I took off my shoes and went boating.

Things have been so hectic, with the new house, the Kids Cup and an ongoing family medical problem that my boat has sat unused since last December. But I needed to be on the water for the Kids Cup, so early in May I ran the extension cord to the The Fort Ogden Trestle has a wide spot in the middle now, but weʼre davits, screwed in the still not sure if there are any piling stubs underwater when the tide is low. drain plug and lowered my trusty Paramount into the canal. You could hear the sound of dog and me, cruising up the river. I am sura happy boat as the water lapped at her sharp prised at how green everything has gotten. edges and she rocked gently from side to Trees cut short by the buzz-saw that was side. I climbed down, released the davit Charley are actually growing back. cables and pulled the old girl up to the dock Sawgrass and weeds are thriving. There is and tied a line onto the console grab rail as not much boat traffic on the river, just fresh I have done so many times before. One sin- air and solitude. Along the shore most of gle line in just the right place holds the boat the little beaches and spots where people at the dock in all but the roughest condi- put ashore to camp are occupied. People tions. I’ve tied that line a thousand times wave and are as friendly as ever as we pass.

Up at the Fort Ogden trestle the middle before and it felt good to do it again.

Before I even moved the boat I bumped of the span is now a clear passage and a pair the trim switch on the motor just to make of jet skis come through. They wave and thinking I wave back. sure the battery wasn’t dead, but now I without trimmed the motor down to vertical and This ‘feeling good’ thing is starting to get went aft to the primer bulb. One thing I the better of me. I never wave at jet skis.

We cruise back down the river and head know for certain is my trusty 200 carburetted Merc doesn’t like to start if the motor over to the beach complex. The kayak festiisn’t vertical and the float bowls are not sit- val is going on. Not a lot of people, but it’s ting level. A couple of squeezes and the a watery event never-the-less. I swing bulb was tight. Back to the ignition. Hold around to the ramp side of the beach and the key in to prime for the count of eight. slide the bow up on the sand. Molly Brown, Not seven, not nine or ten, but the count of our springer spaniel is off the bow and into eight-one-thousand. Out of gear, throttle the water in an instant. My wife follows advanced about 1/3, Key on start and and we flop around together sitting waist vroooom! Thank you West Marine for a bat- deep while Molly swims around the stern of tery that hadn’t done a thing in 5 months the boat and then back again. We play there for a while and then climb back aboard and but was there for me when I hit the key.

Water pressure up, amps charging, pee- head across the river to Marker No.1 for a hole squirting. Life was good. I ran the look around. There are a few boats near the engine for a couple of minutes, idled out deep-hole to the south where tarpon fishing into the river, jumped up on plane and is in full swing. We drift in the outgoing burned a couple of tight doughnuts in the tide and have a cold drink while one of the flat morning calm. I remember this. I like boats jumps a big fish near by. Molly sees this. Power up, 5,000 - 5,800 ...6,000 right it and starts to whine a ‘let-me at-em’ noise on the rev limiter. Speedo up to 60 and a lit- of frustration.

In a while we are back on plane and headtle above. I’m loving this! Fresh gas will probably get me that other 3 mph I am ed for Harpoon Harry’s for a late lunch. The sea breeze has come up out of the west like missing. Still, I am happy.

Back at the dock I tied the boat up and it’s supposed to at this time of year and we the next day pulled her out again. Just to be cut across the top of the chop effortlessly; sure we swap in a fresh water pump just like we have done so many times impeller and a set of thermostats. Fresh before. It’s a trip back in time, De Ja Vu all lube in the lower unit, grease everything over again as Yogi used to say. This is why we live here and why we have boats and go and now we’re good to go.

On Kids Cup day the boat performed fishing. The Harbor is what makes flawlessly. Then, the next day, Sunday, we Charlotte County all worthwhile and I’m went boating ... like we used to. Wife and glad it’s right in my own backyard.

June 2006

Water LIFE

BaitTamer offer solution for live bait wading

By Capt Robert Moore Water LIFE Senior Guide If you’re fishing with live bait while your wading, fishing from a kayak or just need to separate your bait in a livewell, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle has come out with a series of products to make your life a little easier. Bait Tamers by Lindy are mesh bait storage bags that have numerous applications depending on your needs.

My first experience with a Bait Tamer was while fishing from a kayak in Pine Island Sound. I used the 5 gallon size for keeping my shrimp alive. I had the tackle shop put the shrimp in the bag and then placed the bag into a 5 gallon bucket with water in it. When I began kayaking, the bait bag easily tied-off to my kayak with very little drag. The small holes in the mesh allow plenty of fresh water flow to kee my bait lively. I also used the same bag in my boats livewell to separate shrimp and pinfish. If you mix pinfish and shrimp together in your livewell, pinfish will usually eat the legs of your shrimp, killing them.

Separating my baits with the Bait Tamer has become standard practice for me when fishing with several different types of live baits.

The construction of the Bait Tamer is mesh and will collapse easily and requires a small amount of storage space in your boat or kayak.

The same five gallon Bait Tamer also worked awesome for me while fishing in the Flatsmasters Tournament last month. It easily held 50-75 pieces of lively sardines while I was wade fishing. In the past I have always used the donut style wading mesh bags.

One complaint I have had is their mesh construction is not stiff enough and it collapses on the bait while in the water and causes a high percentage of your bait

to die. When you place the Bait Tamer in the water it in effect becomes a floating livewell. The mesh is strong enough to maintain its shape allowing the bait to swim freely.

For me the most exciting application I have seen for the Bait Tamer is when Capt.

Mike Mahan, one of my fishing partners in last months tournament, pulled out the 30 gallon size Bait Tamer to keep his redfish alive while wading. For the past 12 years while fishing in wading tournaments I would take my catch, poke a huge hole through its mouth with a stringer and then drag the fish all over the flat with me until I got back to the boat. I have seen a lot of fish expire while doing this, especially trout and snook. I watched Capt.

Mike catch his first redfish of the day. He immediately placed it in the bait bag and then removed the hook. The fish looked like it was in a livewell. He was able to continue to fish without having to worry about his fish being over stressed. With most tournaments deducting up to a 1/2 pound penalty for a dead fish, a lively catch at the end of the day might make the difference between getting a pay check or not. The icing on the cake was that even the large collapsible bag took very little room to stow in my boat when not in use.

Bait Tamers come in 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30 gallon sizes. You can find more information about Bait Tamers on Lindy’s web site www.lindyfishingtackle.com, or check one out in person, locally, at Fishin’ Franks in Charlotte Harbor.

Capt Robert Moore can be reached for comments,

Page 13

Left: Capt. Robert Moore shows off a Bait Tamer bag full of live bait Below: The bag trails behind when the fisherman wades.

Page 14

Water LIFE

Electrical Connections ...

This New House Part 13

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE editor This has been a month of small projects and little details coupled with one single massive undertaking. In the realm of small projects, our stucco contractor Paul Hart sent a couple of his ‘guys’ back to finish up the stucco work on a few ornate decorative walls we built around our swimming pool. We’ve decided not to put up a new pool cage so the two and three foot high walls, along with a full height wall surrounding the pool filter, needed stuccoing.

Where the main stucco crew worked with a mixer, these two ‘grunts’ mixed stucco for two and a half days by hand on a sheet of plywood with a shovel, but even-

tually they got the job done.

Another detail was the clean up. I had to get all the stucco waste and other concrete debris out front where we could scrape it into a pile with a tractor and load it up with a back hoe. Thirty three wheelbarrows of concrete later it was all in the right place and I went home that night to soak in a hot tub. Next we were ready to move inside and attend to caulking, foaming and then the electrical work.

Bugs are a part of living in Florida, but to what extent they share your accommodations is up to you. At this phase of construction a hundred dollars worth of expandable foam and silicone caulking goes a long way towards

keeping bugs from getting around behind the finished walls.

We noticed the prime highway where bugs can travel was behind the baseboard backing, below the wall insulation. So we drilled holes in the board every 10 inches all around the perimeter walls and filled the crevices with expandable foam.

We ran a bead of silicone around the window frames and caulked the perimeter openings as well. Then when all the wiring was in I went to Auto Zone and got a case of rubberized automotive undercoating and sprayed the the tie beam to seal the area on top of the rigid insulation so no bugs could enter from above. Right before we insulate the ceilings we’ll have the whole house sprayed professionally by an exterminator and before we drywall the interior walls we’ll spread borax on the floor plates inside the walls. You can’t not have bugs come into your house in Florida, but you can minimize their stay.

Small projects done, we moved on to the electrical work which broke down into several distinct phases. First up was the boxes. Outlets at one foot above the floor, switches at four feet, we went around the house locating the electrical boxes and installing them. In addition to the outlets and switches (almost 70

We drilled the baseboard backing and filled the area behind with foam

June 2006

MAGAZINE

If you think gas is expensive, wait till you price copper

boxes in all) we had fan boxes and ‘can lights’ to install in the ceilings. It doesn’t sound like much... until you realize some boxes are recessed into the concrete or saber-sawed into the 3/4 inch plywood sub walls. Some are surface mounted on the studs and others require additional wood supports to be cut and installed first. It took me almost a week to get the house ‘boxed out.’

Then it was on to the real wiring. We are using almost all number 12 wire, one step up from the code required number 14. We ran 25 ‘home runs’ of feeder cable from the panel to each area of the house.

Wire, copper wire, is going up in price faster than gasoline. A 1,000 foot roll of wire that was around $150 a little more than a year ago is now almost $360.

You’d think 1,000 feet would be enough, but it was more like 1,500 feet of wire when the job was done. That’s over a quarter mile of wire in our house and it doesn’t include phone or TV cable. Yikes!

Wiring isn’t all one size in any house. The wire that feeds the bigger stuff like the 220 volt oven or the heat strip in the air conditioners needs to be heavier.

I’ve learned a lot about wire and the circuits required in a new house in the last month. Things like we needed two small appli-

ance circuits in the kitchen, a separate circuit for the refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal oven and and kitchen lights. The smoke detectors needed to be on a loop so if one goes off they all go off (that uses a three wire cable) and all the bathroom outlets in the whole house need to be on one circuit and that must be a ground fault circuit as well. The bedrooms have to be on a computerchip arc-fault circuit to keep the chances of a fire starting in the bedroom area to a minimum and there has to be an outside outlet on the front side and the back side of every residence – the reasoning being that most fires are started by extension cords and outlets placed appropriately outside the house eliminate the need for a long extension cord on the hedge trimmer or weed eater.

We’ve got a dedicated circuit for computers, an attic fan and a circuit for the davits and the dock.

Then there are the phone lines and the cable for TV. Two weeks of wiring and I still wasn’t done.

Wire for the main 200 amp service was the real surprise.

Wire sizes, like fishing hooks, are gauged in numbers The num-

ber- sized wire (like #14 or #12) goes up in size as the number gets smaller (#12 is bigger than #14) until you get to #1 wire.

Then like fish hooks they add a slash-zero and the wire gets bigger. 1/0 is smaller than 2/0 wire and so forth. Our 200 amp service required 3/0 wire for the feeds and 2/0 for the neutral with a #6 for the ground. Since the service needs to be 220 volts, that requires two of the 3/0 wires. Big wire is sold by the foot. 3/0 was $3.40 per foot, 2/0 was $2.75 per foot and #6 was 80 cents a foot. Do the math. 90 feet from the meter to the panel and it

comes out to almost $1,000 for the wire to feed the house. Add in the inside wire and the switch and outlet boxes and you’re over twogrand and that doesn’t include the high end switches and outlets we want to use nor does it take into account the $60 cable cutter, $30 Klein pliers and a slew of connectors, pigtails, standoffs, a ripper and other ‘electrician stuff’ that will make it hard to keep the electrical outlay for hard supplies under $3500 when the house is done ...and that won’t include any fixtures.

My neighbor Ronnie used to be a commercial electrician in New York, so Ronnie showed me how to rig up the heavy 4-wire service cables and pull them through the 2-inch conduit from outside to the panel. That took a couple of hours a 3/8 inch rope and some special goop to make the whole wire bundle slide. Now the wiring is almost done. All I need to do next is hook up the panel and get my electrical inspection and then we’ll be on to insulation and drywall – and sometime, I’m going to get a day off.

Top Left: The wires feeding each circuit come to the breaker panel and each one is labeled. Middle above. Attic wires (not yet stapled down) run to the kitchen area.

Above: Before pulling wires, every receptical box had to be mounted first.Throughout the house, where the circuits come in, each box is coded red for future reference.

Fishing is a Family Affair June 2006

By Robert Lugi ewi cz / Fi shi n’ Franks Special to Water LIFE This past month as has been a great fishing month and with this drought the first half of June should be just as good.

Because of the drought, salinity is high in the harbor, resulting in bait moving inside in numbers we have not seen in ten years. Like all things, it may be abundant now, but it will change. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to take advantage of some of this great fishing and have had the rare chance to actually get out on the water a few times this month. I have had the opportunity to see that wonderful look on a person’s face when they catch their first fish, their biggest fish, or best of all, a really big first fish!

My aunt Susie was visiting from San Francisco and Captain Mike Mahan showed us a great time in the harbor.

After seeing some tarpon rolling we set up a drift. Susie hooked a 120+ lb tarpon but it spit the hook – that’s tarpon fishing for you! Fortunately she was able to see an amazing few jumps before it got away.

Next she hooked a spinner shark. Spinner sharks can jump and roll, resulting in an outstanding fight and an awesome sight.

After a good fight we took some photos

and released it back to the waters. As if this wasn’t enough for Susie, she then fought and landed a 30 lb cobia. All of her catches were her first and biggest. It was an great day.

About two weeks later my cousins April and Elyse arrived from Indiana.

Captain Angel Torres took the three of us out for yet another awesome day. Elyse had several break offs and caught a 4 ft spinner shark. She also jumped a 150 lb tarpon. You should have seen the look on her face with that one! Elyse’s sister April fought and landed a 120-plus lb tarpon. Considering the fish matched her in body weight, April did an incredible job with that one. Along with all of that, we jumped 3 more tarpon and hooked 8 sharks, one of which straightened out the hook. What a great day!

Fishing with family is such a blast. It gives you an opportunity to spend some quality time together that you might not otherwise get in this busy world we live in. It is a unique bonding experience that you just can’t get while passing the turkey across the holiday dinner

The Mistress

By Kri sti e Lugi ewi cz Special to Water LIFE For a period of time every summer my husband becomes distant. He spends more time away from me and takes a shower as soon as he gets home. Most women might become suspicious at this point, but not me. His mistress is no tall blonde. She happens to be scaly and smelly and I am full of confidence that I am much cuter.

But still he loves her. Yup, my husband has eyes for a tarpon or, as I like to call her, the bitch!

I like to think that I am fun to spend time with, that I am capable of keeping my husband happy, that he does not need to find his joys elsewhere. Apparently I should think again! Believe me when I tell you, I knew what I was getting into when I married him. I even got a whole

Cape Coral June 5 thru June 15

Water LIFE

Naples June 12 thru June 22

table. For many, the barriers come down when a fishing pole is in their grip. You might learn that your wife is stronger than you think, or your son is incredibly patient, maybe your aunt has a trucker’s mouth (not you, aunt Susie!). You may hear stories of of ‘back in the day’ that would otherwise have never been told. There are endless lessons to be learned and memories to be had when you go fishing with family, so grab a pole and get out there!

speech about how important fishing is to him and that if the fishing is good, don’t expect him to be home on time.

And I still married him! Don’t get me wrong though.

He has tried to involve me in his favorite pastime to no avail. I don’t like boats and my attention span is questionable. I can’t bait a hook and usually need help casting. I think I might talk too much too!

Somehow I think even if I did like to fish, I would still pale in comparison to a night with the mistress.

You see, when he is fishing for tarpon he is indulging a side of himself he almost never lets out – his selfish side.

He is out to please no one but himself.

His days consist of making other people happy, and more importantly, making me happy. But when the bitch is in town that all goes out the window. This is his opportunity to take care of himself and do something that makes him happy. If he has an opportunity to go out on the water he will take it no questions asked. Tarpon season is his ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’. Dinner plans can be

Cape Coral July 10 thru July 20

Page 15

MAGAZINE

Above: April shows her muscles with the 120 pound tarpon she caught and Capt Angel Torres behind.

Left: Elyse with Capt. Angel and a blacktop shark she brought aboard.

cancelled and there is no pouting allowed. I will not give him ‘the look’ when he leaves me alone to entertain the in-laws.

Some might ask why I am so tolerant. Many ‘fishing widows’ will tell you the same thing I am about to say – they deserve it! When my husband comes back from a day of fishing he is happy, smiling, and relaxed. It is his mental therapy to get out there on that water and think of nothing other than the big one. He can put his problems on the back burner and worry about nothing more than whether he has enough bait to get him through the day.

Although she can be a bitch at times, I am happy my husband has the tarpon to set his sights on. Tarpon season gives him something to look forward to and gives him a great outlet for de-stressing. I know that I will have a happier husband when he returns from a day with Her, and that’s all that is important in my book. (Plus, when I want a new purse it helps my case when I bring up tarpon season!) I love the power of guilt!

Page 14

2006 Water LIFE Kids Cup Water LIFE

First there was the Friday Captain始s Meeting where we went over the rules and showed kids how to use the dehooker that was in every captain始s bag to un-hook their fish.

MAGAZINE

At 5:30 a.m Saturday anglers began to idle past the dock to check in

June 2006

It was a perfect day. It had been windy every day for two months, but on May 6 the winds lay down and the sun was out. There were no shrimp in bait shops for a month bu this weekend there were plenty. We had 126 anglers between the ages of 10 and 16 registered, 102 boats and a captain始s meeting dinner for 300 people. And when it was all over 73 kids had caught fish and brought them back to the scale to weigh in. We gave away three pick-up truckloads of prizes, equipment shirts hats and tackle and trophies. Everyone came away a winner.

By 6:45 a.m. we had 102 boat on the water

By 2 p.m. the weigh in line began to stretch out. To qualify for the weigh in We were overwhelmed with happy kids, happy parents and a lot of good sized redfish.

Top 5

Left: Roland Martin presented Zach Lozano with the Kids Cup Sportsmanship Award. Zachs boat motor broke but Zach kept fishing and brought a nice fish to the weigh in dock.

After Saturday始s fishing the field was paired down to the top five anglers and the following Saturday they fished again for the Kids Cup trophy. which was presented on the ESPN stage. (Top 5 anglers, in the order they weighed in, From left to right below)

Jake Brandenberger 4.91 pounds

Zack Grainger 4.84 pounds

James Daughtry 4.93 pounds

Chris Larsen 5.21 pounds

Nic Marshall 4.0 pounds

June 2006

Water LIFE

Page 15

MAGAZINE

Hundreds of Kids Cup photos and the complete final standings are on the KidsCupTournament.com website

Boats were released in order and kids got a fast ride down the harbor to their fishing spots

The weigh in scales opened at 9 a.m. and a few boats came in early to weigh fish

Handling fish properly was important

gh in anglers had to be inside the channel markers by 2:30

Fish were measured for legal length and then weighed

Kids watched the leaderboard intently

Fish bags were use to had fish up to the weighmaster

Left: This fish was just slightly past the 27 inch limit.

Above: Every fish swam away alive

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Publisher It’s all about smiles. At no other time during the year do so many guides, parents and children interact, and smile. It’s easy to get the kids to smile but to see the parents and the die hard fishing guides smiling is what it’s all about. The Kids Cup was conceived as an introduction to tournament fishing for kids age 10 through 16. Through this event we foster environmental consciousness, resource management and sportsmanship. It is our goal to instill a sound foundation for the sport of fishing that will last a lifetime.

This tournament is a fundraiser for a fishing program that we have in our county middle schools. For the past five years seventh graders in Port Charlotte, Murdock, Punta Gorda and Englewood have been offered an extra curricular course on fishing and the environment taught by local fishing guides.

Next year the 7th graders in Northport will have this course as well. In the future we hope to continue to expand this concept to other coastal communities where professional anglers can interact with grade school children and teach them first hand about their local fishing and environmental resource.

The class size for this eight week program is limited. If you are interested in having your child enroll for the coming year visit our website at kidscuptournament.com and click on the Don Ball School of Fishing for more information and class schedules for the fall.

Page 18

Water LIFE

Area Real Estate News

MAGAZINE

PROVIDED BY: Dave & Marlene Hofer RE/MAX Harbor Realty (941) 575-3777 dhofer@remax.net mhofer@remax.net Recent area news items:

1. It's official, Stock Development has been awarded the opportunity to develop Murdock Village. They've set an ambitious time table to begin construction with phase one in 2008 and complete all by 2013. They will be attempting to acquire some key commercial sites not included in the current eminent domain condemnation. Hopefully, our County government and affected property owners will embrace their noble goal of doing this major redevelopment right!

2. While Punta Gorda citizens ratified a petition to require major City investments to be put to a ballot vote, the author has withdrawn the demand. This referendum was a thinly veiled attempt to prevent the expenditure of any more City funds for the reconstruction of the old County courthouse. The point has become moot, since the council has, for now, voted to not throw any more City funds at this County owned property.

3. Frustrated with modest progress in the development of downtown Punta Gorda's keystone retail development, City Marketplace, the Artistic Gourmet has decided to relocate their business closer to family in Georgia. This is still one more wake up call to our city fathers that we need to create incentives, not hurdles, and obscene financial burdens on our small business proprietors to provide useful retail establishments here.

4. Punta Gorda Housing Authority settled its dispute with would-be developer CED Companies to rebuild its complexes at Myrtle Street and East Marion Street.

They have subsequently signed on with Northstar from Buffalo to rebuild these complexes. Assuming that the trustees actually read the contract that they signed, the eyesore on the river should come down soon. HUD's new guideline is to avoid the "public housing" look and encourage developments that blend into

June 2006 the

surrounding residential developments.

This is where TEAM Punta Gorda and the City council needs to exert its influence in approving the architectural and landscape aesthetics of this highly visible location.

5. Punta Gorda's attorney has advised the council that a private/public development of Laishley Park is in keeping with the submerged land lease with the State of Florida. While the development application must be amended to reflect the proposed Crab House restaurant and fountain court, it can be done without slowing down the installation of the marina infrastructure that is now under construction.

In the hard to imagine category: In the May 15 issue, Business Week analyst Michael Youngblood proclaimed that housing prices won't drop in areas where employment and personal income are rising (Personal FInance Q&A-"Why the Bubble Won't Burst"). In a truly mindnumbing exhibition of irresponsible hype, he singled out just four communities, two in California and, believe it or not, Ft. Myers and PUNTA GORDA in Florida as likely to have the greatest increases in prices this year... 35% and up! No, I'm not kidding - read it yourself at: www.businessweek.com/magazine/content /06_20/b3984102.htm?campaign_id=sear ch Sal es Stati s ti cs :

Vacant lot sales stalled again as 1,680 new listings came out while only 50 went under contract in the entire market.

Median prices suffered their largest one month drop of 5percent. New asking prices are still 3percent above a year ago, so listers appear to still be in denial.

Home sales volume is still relatively normal. 267 homes actually went under contract during the month, well above the 240 sold in April, '04..... those sales don't seem like much when the inventory of available homes now stands at 4,190 vs a modest inventory of 398 in the tight market of just two years ago!

June 2006

Water LIFE

Page 19

MAGAZINE

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Page 20

Water LIFE

Keep Your Boat in Top Shape

By Capt Dan Cambern Water LIFE Offshore It was about time. I had been putting off getting the bottom of my boat repainted for various reasons and excuses too numerous to mention. Keeping antifouling bottom paint below the water line is absolutely necessary in order to keep unwanted marine growth such as algae and barnacles from attaching themselves to the bottom of your hull if you are going to leave your boat in the water for any length of time.

Fortunately I dive and can check out the condition and clean the hull and service my sacrificial anodes myself when it is needed but I knew I was fighting a losing battle as the water temperature started to rise.

Antifouling paint has a short life and must be reapplied every 12 to 24 months depending on the type and quality of paint you use. Basically there are two kinds of bottom paint to choose from. The oldest and probably more common is a copper based non-ablative paint that allows the copper to leach out of the paint which keeps marine growth from attaching to the hull. After the copper leaches out you still have a few heavy coats of paint left on the hull which must be sanded down so you can reapply the new paint. Sanding bottom paint off of a hull is one the most miserable and dirty jobs in the world and you must wear a filtered mask and a jump suit to keep the dust off and out of your body.

The second type of paint is called ablative, which means that the paint itself slowly wears off as the boat moves through the water keeping a fresh supply of active ingredients on the surface of the hull. Ablative bottom paint can also be kept out of the water for extended periods of time which makes it great for a boat that spends part of its time on a trailer or boat lift. Non-ablative paint cannot be removed from the water for very long because the anti-fouling ingredients will quit working. Why? I don’t know exactly and to tell you the truth I already know

way more than I ever wanted to about painting the bottom of a boat.

I chose to use the ablative paint on the bottom of my boat so that next time I can avoid most of the nasty sanding and keep from adding extra layers of paint to the hull. I also applied it to my 24’ Aquasport that is almost completed from a total makeover.

Keeping the bottom of your hull clean and smooth is probably the most important thing you can do to get the most performance and fuel economy out of your boat. Also keeping your engine maintained with regular tune ups as well as oil and filter changes will go along way to peak performance.

Other things to consider are trim tabs to keep your boat running on plane at an optimal angle and to help compensate for an uneven load. They also help keep your boat from porpoising and will get you up on plane faster.

Take weight off of your boat by removing extra items that you don’t need to have on board. Every little thing adds up and before you know it you can remove a hundred or so extra pounds. Too much weight kills performance and fuel economy, so lighten up.

The last thing I can suggest is to use a fuel flow meter so you know exactly how much fuel you’re burning. I have used them on my last four boats and I swear by them. Most engine manufacturers are offering them as part of a gauge package or you can have one installed on an older boat. They start at less than $200.00 for a basic 2-inch gauge kit for a single gas engine and will set you back about $800.00 or so for a large diesel engine.

Once it is installed and calibrated you can be sure of what your engine is burning and how much fuel you have used so far on the totalizer. Most units will tell how much fuel is remaining in your tank if you put in how much fuel you started with on your last fill-up. The main purpose of the fuel meter is to find your opti-

MAGAZINE

June 2006

Tom Bracicerdoe came from England to catch this tarpon with Capt. Dan off of Boca Grande

mal fuel economy at cruise speed. You can fine tune your economy by adjusting your running angle with your trim tabs and trying different cruise speeds until you find the right combination.

Because boats are so poor on fuel economy and the current high fuel prices it’s important to save every drop you can and all these things will add

Sailing into Summer

By Bi l l Di xon Water LIFE Sailing Editor It is only June 1, the year is not over. The snowbirds are gone, the Kids Cup and the Redfish are over and hurricane season has not really gotten started. This is an excellent time to day sail, cruise, and race. PGSC offers lots of sailing opportunities for June.

Summer Series races are June 4 and June 18. First start is 2:00 not 1:30. Call Bob Anderson 505-8933 for info. For the summer, as an experiment, we have combined Non-spinnaker and Cruising fleets and split the combined fleet by size/ speed potential. I am in the small slow group and I love it. The big fast boats run off over the horizon like they always did, but, it doesn’t matter, I have many more slow boats around to compete with.

The Club is cruising to Palm Island Marina on the 10th and 11th. This is always a fun place where you can hook up your power cords and sleep in air conditioned comfort if you choose. Call Sue Fuller 505-0215 for more information.

Small boats will be sailed Wednesday

up to 5-10% on fuel savings. Every little bit helps. Be safe and have fun.

Captain Dan Cambern runs Hammerhead Charters out of the Placida Fishery boat dock s and can be reached at 941-625-6226 / 941-380-6226 or www.hammerheadcharters.com

afternoons except the 14th, instead, that week sailing will be Saturday the 17th in the morning. Call Dennis Peck 627-6650 for details.

If all else fails, come to the meeting at the PGI Civic Association at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th and talk about sailing. The photo above is really slippery. It is The 2007 Conquistador Cup T-shirt photo of 2006 Cup winner Bahama Hunter, that my publisher lost. Twice!!

e-mail Dixon@comcast.net

June 2006

Screaming Reels Tarpon 101

By Capt. Andrew Medi na Water Life Charlotte Harbor This is time of the year when, I guess, you could say my priorities are pretty messed up. You can ask anyone. For me, it’s all about the ‘poons.’ Work can wait, but the Silver Kings won’t. This is the time every year our fish show up. If you have never caught one, you should go give it a try, then you will understand and in the early morning the words “your going fishing again?” won’t seem so silly.

There are a couple ways to catch these fish. The most popular is pass fishing. Boca Grande Pass is world famous for hundreds of tarpon in one spot. If you have never seen the Pass during tarpon season you should go at least once, not as an angler but a spectator, and watch all the anglers jockeying for position, as if it were the start of a horse race.

The idea is you vertically jig fish with heavy lead and tiger tail bodies. These rigs are round weights secured to a circle hook by a zip tie. Yes the fish will eat them. With new laws out in the Pass you can no longer use a zip tie, unless it’s breaking strength is greater than the line weight. If your not sure, use a hog ring, or add a piece of heavy fluorocarbon, that exceeds the line weight. This is the rig you need to use because the state just doesn’t want the lead to come off. Every year the pass bottom cleanup takes place and you would be surprised at the lead they find. Also, their can only be three anglers with lines in the water.

If your gonna’ go give it a try, do some research on fishing in the pass. There’s more to it, than drifting the Pass with a line on the bottom. The captains out their have been doing this for years and a whole lot of unwritten rules exist. Tempers might show themselves if you accidentally break off a captain who’s hooked up. This fishing is their bread maker, and their clients are paying top dollar to be out there with them. There are also a lot of tarpon tournaments for large money, so check your dates, the chase for the gold adds to drama.

I myself don’t usually fish the pass. The fish around the bridges and in the harbor are easier to catch. Your day should start around 6 a.m., in the harbor netting big flappys, (large threadfin hearing) for bait. If you don’t want to go that route, pass crabs are often available from bait shops. If you go to the bridges just watch for rolling fish and play the patience game.

They will eat either bait. Circle hooks and 50-to 80-pound fluorocarbon leader is the key.

Harbor fish are also great for the artificial angler. I can usually carry my favorite artificial baits in one zip lock bag. I call it ‘the harbor collection. First is the Mirrolure, TTR11 a hot red and white sinking lure. It’s simple to use: look for rolling fish, cast it out, let it sink and retrieve it slowly - simple. Another good bait is the D.O.A. Bait Buster, cast and retrieve. Same deal. Another is the Culprit /Riptide Crab, free lined on a circle hook it mimics a pass crab very well. For you fly fishermen old faithful comes into play. Red and white or straight black.

These are proven colors. There are phrases like, ‘bow to the king’ (drop the rod tip when the fish jumps) and straight line the fish. But it’s all trial and error. Best way for first timers is to hire a local guide you will be amazed at what you can learn in a half day trip. Schools out, Tarpon 101 is over. Go fishing.

Water LIFE

Page 21

MAGAZINE

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Page 22

Water LIFE

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June 2006

MAGAZINE

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June 2006

2 Shark Tournaments

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 23

More Shark Records from Florida in May

Capt. Andy Whitebread of Fort Myers caught a 13 foot 750 pound hammerhead on 80 pound line to capture the IGFA world class record. The shark was caught at Boca Grande. The old record was 620 pounds. The shark took a 12 pound jack crevalle.

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SCUBA: Shallow Reef Report

By Adam Wi l son Special to Water LIFE Two weeks ago we decided to do a nearshore day, starting at the south-pocket ledge. Before we even rolled into the water it was apparent the visibility was incredible.

The darker color of the ledge was easy to see from the bow of the boat against the surrounding white sand desert.

We scrambled to get our gear on. Viz’ over 20 feet is great this close to shore, and it was looking more like 60 to 80 feet! Excitement was high dropping down the 58 feet to the bottom, but something wasn't right.

Once on the bottom you could see a thick layer of green algae growing over the entire ledge. So thick it covered all the swiss cheese holes where the larger grouper and snapper usually hide.

There were very few bait fish, and fewer larger fish. I'd heard of this happening around the Tampa area over the

Dr. Martin Arostegui, Coral Gables caught the heaviest fish ever documented on a fly tippet beating out a nearly 40 year old record. The catch-and-release of a 385 pound lemon shark on fly has officially been approved as a world record by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

past few years where they have been dumping phosphate waste.

Other divers refer to the carpet of algae as "gumbo", and it literally chokes a reef to death. A little research on the subject online reveals it to be a normal algae that grows at an incredibly high rate when exposed to excess levels of fertilizer in the water. Unfortunately, the great visibility and water clarity we enjoy so much this time of year allows more sunlight to reach the bottom thus creating more ideal growing conditions. Fortunately, as fast as this algae outbreak appears, it is supposed to die off just as quickly with the murkier summer rain water and the cooling off in the fall.

After doing three other drops that day, the Palm Island Ferry reef at 60 feet was the best, but anything closer to shore proved to get worse with decreasing depth. The M14 reef seven miles out of stump pass was the worst. The

concrete rubble was so covered it looked like rolling hills of algae, and of course no fish. Talking to a couple of girls later that day I got a story of "no bites" and nothing but "green slime" on their baits after fishing the Trembly reef. We had planned on diving that last but now I'm glad we skipped it.

If your doing any diving soon, do yourself a favor and get out past the 60 foot contour. The visibility is as good as it gets right now, and will stay that way until those first big rains come, sending coffee colored water down the rivers and out into the gulf.

If I see any change to the near shore conditions over the next couple of months I'll let you know. It's downright depressing seeing reefs we've been diving for years that have always been so healthy and alive looking so dormant and dead. Sure hope they make a rebound this fall.

Fish XS

Page 24

Summer is here and the fishing couldn't be better.

With the abundance of bait fish in southwest Florida the snook, redfish, and tarpon are feeding on green backs and thread fin's. With the lack of rain, the water clarity is excellent. This is the time to match the hatch.

Try fishing the Skeleton Shad paddle and ribbon tails in bright colors like the Clear/blue glitter core. Another bait to try are the Mud-mino in Firecracker and Closing Night. Use with a 1/4 oz. jig head. Focus on mangrove points and pot holes for redfish and snook. For tarpon use a 1/2 oz. jig head and fish near the passes and along the beaches.

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

June 2006

Water LIFE

June 2006

Page 25

MAGAZINE

K AYA K C L A R I T Y: P a d d l i n g t h e C r y s t a l & R a i n b o w R i v e r s

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayak Editor Once every two or three months, the Port Charlotte Kayakers plan an extended weekend of paddling at some distant location. Sometimes we paddle in the Keys or the Everglades; this time our goal was to paddle in the spring-fed waters of Crystal River about 90 miles north of Tampa.

Twenty-one club members had signed up for the trip.

Crystal River is famous for two things; clear spring waters, and manatees.

There are about 30 springs in the Crystal River Group, most of which are in Kings Bay. Many of the river's springs are 20 to 30 feet deep and the water is clear enough to see a dime resting on the bottom!

Coming from deep within the limestone aquifer, the spring water is 72 degrees yearround.

Because of the water clarity and warmth, the Crystal River has become a major habitat for manatees, particularly during the winter months. It has been estimated that about 15-percent of the total Florida manatee population reside in the Crystal River each winter. There are many scuba diving shops and kayak rental operations in Crystal River that can provide guides, equipment and maps for the areas springs.

We planned to arrive in Crystal River about noon on Friday, check into the resort hotel, and then paddle in Kings Bay. When we arrived at the launch site behind the hotel, the day was pleasantly warm, but overcast, with a moderate wind out of the northwest. As we paddled out into the Bay, we stayed along the south bank, heading for the Three Sisters Springs.

Three Sisters is a complex of three spring areas with several large and small vents, with a total flow of about 12 million gallons a day. The land around the springs is private and posted so no landfall or tie-ups are permitted. And the entrance

to Three Sisters is blocked with pilings to prevent most access; only kayaks, canoes and swimmers can enter. The spring system is one of the most attractive manatee sanctuaries in the Crystal River.

We paddled through the pilings into the spring area, and were amazed at the clarity of the water. A shoal of silver fish swam by as we paddled from the entrance to the largest spring at the end of the chain.

As we paddled back out into the main channel, a manatee was making his way out into the Bay. The manatee was a large adult of about 13 feet in length and weighing about 1000 pounds. He kept a slow, regular pace with our kayaks on the trip to the Bay. We turned west, as we reached the Bay, heading toward the next spring, Idiot Delight. The map showed the spring about .75 miles west of Three Sisters and along the south shore, east of Buzzards Island. We paddled to the area, made several circles where the map showed the spring, but didn’t see anything resembling a spring. So we turned back east toward the launch ramp and had an easy paddle

with the wind partially behind us.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast we drove north to the Dunellen area. The plan was to launch from K.P. Hole County Park, paddle to the Rainbow River springhead, then down stream to Dunellen, a total distance of about 10 miles. The ramp was very busy with kayaks, canoes, powerboats, and inflatables getting ready for a day on the water.

There was a $3.00 launch/parking fee at the park.

Again the water was warm and very clear as we paddled upstream to the springhead. Our group of fifteen kayaks arrived at the north end of the Rainbow River, about 2 miles from the launch ramp, near noon. We took a short break by the ropedoff area for swimmers, and then headed south to Dunellen.

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inflatable for a very relaxed float down the river. Floating time is about 3-4 hours aided by the 1+ knot current.

As we paddled past the floaters, the river widened and there were more homes along the banks. The river is quite beautiful in this area, with tall, stately trees on both banks, draped with Spanish moss.

The Rainbow River is clear all the way to Dunellen, where it intersects the dark brown Withlacoochee River, which is not spring fed. We could see to the bottom of the river, maybe 5 to 15 feet, and watch the fish below. Along the east bank, a group of three or four otters played and fed along the bank.

We reached the Dunellen area after paddling downstream about two and a half hours. We paddled past a children’s beach, the last point on the clean, clear Rainbow, entered the brown Withlacoochee River, and followed the channel under highway 41 to the ramp. Some of our friends, who had not paddled the extended trip down to Dunellen, were on hand to shuttle us back to K.P. Hole where our cars were parked.

I highly recommend a kayak trip to this general area, as there are many spring-fed rivers, which are delightful to experience.

In addition to the Rainbow and Crystal Rivers, the Homosassas, Chassahowitzka and Silver River are equally enjoyable.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesday evening at Port Charlotte Beach, at 5:30 PM. Come to a meeting and see what we are about. For more information email to: dlaa@comcast.net

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Page 26

Water LIFE

team's total weight of two fish. It's each team's decision which of their fish to weigh first, they can bluff a little and weigh their lighter fish first or go for broke and put the heavier red on the scale right away. For the top two teams, that was a hard decision as both of their fish were equally good. After round one, Jeff

By Capt. Jerry Cl effi Wayne Quick, and Ralph Jones of Simes, Water LIFE Tournament Editor Team Ft Myers Marine had a slight lead Fl atsmasters photos on faci ng page with 7.00 lbs even followed by team The Maverick Boats Flatsmasters Waterproof Charts at 6.95-pounds. Team Series, second event of the year, The Lombardo Tile and team Latham were not Redfish Classic was perceived as the easifar behind with 6.55-pounds. and 6.40est of the four Flatsmasters events by pounds respectively. Team Taco Bell put a most early season anglers. All that was big fish on the scales hoping it would required was to catch two legal reds on any measure but came up short, or long as it bait of their turned out, as choice. their fish was But a just over the late season line and was cold front turned back and howlwith no ing 15 to weight.

25 knot Round winds on two had team day 1 made Taco Bell the fishing weigh a light tough and redfish for a even getsportsman ting back to like effort to the weigh finish in in a chalfifth overall.

Miles Meredith and the Team Waterproof Charts winning fish lenge. In Lombardo all 113 Tile and teams team Latham both put up smaller 5+ brought 80 redfish to the scales. Soon pound reds for third and fourth place finishafter the scales opened at 1:30pm, team es. But Team Ft Myers Marine backed up Waterproof Charts - Miles Meredith, Eric their first fish with a slightly larger 7.05 and Mike Carstensen - brought 2 heavy pounder to finish with a total of 14.05reds to the scales with the bigger one pounds The last redfish of the day was to weighing in at 8.10 pounds. Several teams be weighed by Team Waterproof Charts. weighed in early, most with good fish by They were the 2005 Flatsmasters Team of length, but short on the weight size.

The Year and started 2006 strong with a There were lots of 5 to 6 lbs fish and a first place finish in the Grand Slam Plug few 7 lbs. but team Waterproof had the tournament in March, but did they have lone 8-pounder. It took 11.30 lbs. to finenough to ‘finish off’ Ft. Myers Marine. ish in the top 30 and take home a check.

They needed 7.15-pounds from their second 13.50 lbs. was needed to make the cut and red to overtake Jeff Simes and Crew for the fish on day 2. Team Lombardo Tile, team win. As Miles brought up the weigh in Latham, team Taco Bell, and team Ft. bag with their red it appeared to be a good Myers Marine rounded out the top 5. All sized fish, after a quick measurement it headed for a Sunday shootout. went on the scales. After the scale settled On the second day, the top five teams the weight was 7.40 lbs. and Miles and his from day one met at Harpoon Harrys at team had a total of 14.35. A .30-pound 6:50 am for the shotgun start, each team margin and an enough to be crowned The starting day two with zero weight.

Redfish Classic Champions.

Sunday's weather was about the same, The next event in The Maverick Boats northeast winds 15 to 20 knots, and a little Flatsmasters Series is the new RedPlug cooler than Saturday. The finalists were Challenge on July 22-23. Two redfish on up to the challenge and as the 3:30pm artificials only with the same shootout deadline approached the first team at the style weigh in. weigh in dock was team Waterproof Charts, quickly followed by the other SunSports TV Network teams. In all Flatsmasters Shootouts the Flatsmasters Schedule for June five teams tie up to the dock lined up in 6/10/06 12:00pm their positions from day one. The weigh 6/15/06 9:00am in starts with team number five and works 6/16/06 7:00am it way to the number one qualifiers. Each 6/18/06 4:00pm team brings up their first red on the first 6/19/06 6:00pm round, the weights are updated and then the 6/22/06 12:00pm second round of fish are weighed for each

MAGAZINE

Current Flatsmasters Tournament Standings after the first two events

Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124

Capt Name Meredith, Miles Latham, Dan Whitney, Brian Rowan, Ryan Hoke, Dave Bradshaw, JB Lambert, Paul Rebol, Clay Jones, Mark Mason, Patrick Boudreau, Bob Landry, John Little,Kevin Harris, Brain Bryant, Scott Padgett, Doug Simes, Jeff Bevis, Colby Osbourne, Owen Suomi, Jim Eggers, Steve Wallin, Dave Brown, Brad Davis, Eric Locke, Rob Grennell, Gary Beye, Jesse Reynoso, Jason Morris, Bruce Liscum, Ron Fulton, John Leiberman, Mark Larosa, Jason Burson, Kelbi Lewis, Mark Koza, Jeff Russell, Jimmy Tucker, Travis Susko, Brian Blackburn, Bing McCard, Jason Tanksley, Joe Smith, Josh Lopez, Javier Ingman, Jordan Taylor, Jim Stephens, Jim Robinson, Roy Myers, Mike Opsahl, Brad Weeks, Keegan Jordan, Rick McCauley, Jimmy Santini, Gene Morningstar, Dave Beerbower, Blake Vaughn, Tim Kerry, Wayne Chancey, Ben Burnett, Dave Crawford, Jim Lombard, Jarrett Hurst, Michale Withers, Jay Bevis, Lyn Roe, Scott Brantley, Terry Nickel, Glen Jones, Phil Whitbread, Andy Stokes, Brent Kirkpatrick, Jeff Jacobsen, Derrick Rush, Lacey Stover, Mike McCarty, Mike Wedell, Mike Parry, Noah Thomas, Wally Stover, Bub Page, Geoff Stephens, Dave Miller, George Goodwin, Eric Branch, Robin Clemens, Scott Lotz, Mike Jekonski, Ron Kersey, Keith Miller, Mike Smith, Carl Rodriguez, Juan Tydings, Bryan Rossi, Bill Sechrist, Rick Blake, Christopher McKeever, Rick Brandal, Robert Thayer, Greg McHugh, David Hoff, Al Paukune, Jason Gorman, Owen Brooks, Matt Achilles, Les Fernandez, Al Lopinski, Chris Lehman, Matthew Harris, Roger Stephens, Chris French, Dwanye Johnson, Todd Cress, Chuck Laugois, Philip Bunkley, Krista Mathias, Mike Rehbine, Randy Calderone, Frank Stegenga, Mike Forrest, Bill Buckley, Melinda Cyr, Thomas Johnson, Dyron Reynolds, Frank

Team Name Waterproof Charts Team Latham

King Enterprises Taco Bell New Beginnings Construction Bent Rods Ken-Rite Construction Fish Hounds Team Parcell Express

Team Waterproof Charts 2 Family Boating Center Renegade Shallow Minded Aint' It Rainin Irrigation Fort Myers Marine Moon Doggie EZ Skankin Tails Up Vicious Strikes Knot Right MoonLite Charters Team G. Loomis Team Tropic Trailer Beaches Family Restaurant Cape Fear Rods JTM Team X Thomas Ryan & Associates Harpoon Harry's Fulton Pools Team Yellowfin Yachts Larosa Plumbing

Skinny Dippin' Galloway Ford Fishing Team 1-800-Plumbing Team PC Red-Jay Kitchens Cabinets Plus of SW Florida Team Best Western Ft. Myers Marine #3 Sacabum Flatsmen Ingman Marine Keetchin' Keepers Team Cracker/Seacoast Supply Sea Hunt Team Gator Water Polk's Badcock Furniture & More Austin Blake Investments Totally Plastered Florida Panther Conservation Soggy Flats Team Morningstar Quantum Team Extreme Crackers Team Big Hit Chew on This Warden's Worry Reel Shore Team Lombardo Tile Team VIP Commercial Team Maverick/Pathfinder ReMax Harbor Realty Doghouse Copy Concepts Blind Hogs Exotic Pools Landlubbers Marine

K x 4 Construction Famous Craft

Team JTM Team Haul' n Reds Motley Crew Team Shearwater San Carlos Marine 2 J & E Contr actors Team Mirrolure Back Bay Xtremes Predetors Goodwin Electric Inc. Team Harbor Imaging Vecchi Nonni Pizza Team Long Shot Shallow Balance Tail Chasers soldbythebay.com Bar Hoppers Two by Juan Carter Concrete Charlotte County Ford Red Storm Charlotte County Custom Cycles Reel Mojo It Aint Easy B & R Color Hendricks & Assocs.

A&M Electric Heating & Cooling Just One More Gene Gorman's Auto Sales Brooks Quality Stucco Venture Out Team Adwraps Plus

Casting Charters San Carlos Marine Team Redneck Inc. Ranger Boats Team Pool One Cresswood Fishin Fools Bunkley Fishy Business High -N- Dry Fish on Line Back in Action Team Justice League Italiano Insurance gohuntingandfishing.com Mangrove Bay Outfitters

First Event 150 144 145 142 132 139 141 130 138 143 129 140 123 149 110 109 99 134 135 126 136 106 133 147 98 114 117 137 93 115 79 102 127 92 86 80 101 113 118 71 96 108 85 73 100 107 66 88 70 75 90 104 77 63 74 81 68 87 78 76 69 0 148 146 0 0 0 131 128 125 124 0 122 121 0 120 0 119 117 112 111 105 103 97 0 95 94 0 0 91 89 0 84 83 82 0 72 67 65 64 62 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

June 2006

Second Event 151 147 140 142 146 139 136 145 132 124 130 117 133 107 144 143 149 110 108 116 106 135 101 87 129 113 109 88 127 103 138 115 86 118 121 126 102 90 85 131 104 91 114 125 96 89 128 105 122 112 97 82 98 111 100 93 99 79 80 78 83 148 0 0 141 138 134 0 0 0 0 123 0 0 120 0 119 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 95 0 0 94 92 0 0 84 0 0 0 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Points 301 291 285 284 278 278 277 275 270 267 259 257 256 256 254 252 248 244 243 242 242 241 234 234 227 227 226 225 220 218 217 217 213 210 207 206 203 203 203 202 200 199 199 198 196 196 194 193 192 187 187 186 175 174 174 174 167 166 158 154 152 148 148 146 141 138 134 131 128 125 124 123 122 121 120 120 119 119 117 112 111 105 103 97 95 95 94 94 92 91 89 84 84 83 82 81 72 67 65 64 62 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

June 2006

Water LIFE

ScuttleButt

MAGAZINE

Sometimes Unsubstanciated ... but often true!

Lowes Becomes Crossties After 13 years in local business the family owned Lowes Livestock has been purchased by former employee Kerry Bowers. Kerry was the former owner before selling the business to Lowes. For the time being, the store will remain essentially unchanged.

Traditional Boca Grand Guides - Had a turnout of 30 anglers for their late May live-bait tournament. Cappy Joiner the organization始s leader reportedly has his boat up for sale and is thinking about moving to trhe mountains.

Sunday Noon: The Kayak Festival reportedly had 1,000 people attend. Can you find them?

Page 27

Water LIFE

Page 28

MAGAZINE

June 2006

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ON THE LINE

June 2006

Fishing with Capt. Ron Blago

Fishing is good in Englewood

I got to go fishing down in the harbor with an old friend the other day, Gary ‘the snookman’ Hoffman. Gary has been living and fishing in Charlotte County for 30 years and knows all the secret hot spots on the west side of Charlotte Harbor. Like many of my old friends, Gary has put his house on the market and will be moving to greener pastures, but before he leaves he had promised to show me his favorite spots. We put in at Placida and worked our way through Catfish Creek, Widden Creek, and Bull Bay and eventually found ourselves in the back of Turtle Bay. I haven’t spent a lot of time in the harbor but I was amazed at all the dead mangroves there are as a result of Hurricane Charley. You would think that after almost two years they would be starting to come back but it looks like it will be a long time before the shoreline there is green again. Gary and I have two totally different styles of fishing. He’s a plugger and I’m a jigger so we compliment each other pretty well. I’ve never seen anyone ‘walk the dog’ with a top water plug as good as Gary. Things were pretty slow until we got way in the back of Turtle Bay and started to

Water LIFE

Page 29

MAGAZINE

fish one of those dead looking shorelines. We found the fish stacked up back there and we were catching snook and redfish as fast as we could cast. All the fish two guys would want to catch in just 100 yards of shoreline. I guess even though the harbor looks kind of devastated the fish are still there.

Fishing is good in Englewood. Lemon Bay is suffering from an embarrassment of riches. The dredging of Stump Pass is about finished and the water is crystal clear. There is more bait in Lemon Bay than I have ever seen before. Threadfin, sardines and what I think are small cigar minnows. Actually there is too much bait. It’s like you throw a bait at a fish and he looks at it and says ‘thank you but I’m full, I’m stuffed, I can’t possibly eat another bite.’ I’ve been catching most of my fish on artificials. The last charter I had we caught two reds each a little over 8 pounds. I never do that in a redfish tournament.

Trout are full of roe in Lemon Bay right now so mostly small males are being caught.

The big ones will be back next month.

Tarpon fishing on the beach is picking up.

From what I hear, tarpon crabs are in short supply this year so get them while you can.

Most of my friends in Sarasota are fishing off of Long Boat Key and are having good luck.

Local folks have had some luck off of Englewood Beach. Of course there is always Boca Grande Pass but remember they have different rules there, no breakaway tackle allowed this year.

Capt Ron can be reached at (941) 474-3474 for information or to book a charter.

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Page 30

June Fishing Report Charlotte Harbor

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

Tarpon and sharks are without a doubt going to be the most popular fish this month. Tarpon, for the rest of the month, will be all over the harbor and in the pass. Then, towards the end of the month they should move out along the beaches in good numbers. As long as the drought sticks around we will have plenty of threadfins here and the tarpon will stay in the harbor feeding on them. Look for any pod of threadies and try to catch some larger ones or use sugar trout as live

MAGAZINE

bait for tarpon. D.O.A. Bait Busters are still another good option if you want to throw artificials at the ‘poons. Because of the lack of rain, small blue crabs have been very hard to find for tarpon bait. The rain brings the small baby blue crabs into the feeder creeks and onto the flats and without the rain the little crabs seem to stay away and become impossible for the crabbers to catch.

Sharks, because of the abundance of bait in the harbor, are all over the place.

Continued on facing page

In the Redfish Cup it was Bo Johnson and Mike Del Duca out of Cape Coral who took the Punta Gorda stop with 25.01 pounds for the first two days and then had these two fish on the final day to win.

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June 2006

June 2006

Water LIFE

BIG-4 BIG-4

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Eight foot bull sharks are in the harJuneʼs Juneʼs Target Target Species Species bor right now all the way up to the 41 bridges and will be here until we get some rain that is measurable in inches. Drifting in the harbor or anchoring with chum using mullet bonita or jacks for bait is the way to TRIPLETAIL are on the crab COBIA are all around the SHARKS are all over the area TARPON are in the Pass produce sharks of all different sizes traps in the harbor harbor and they are Big and in the harbor so be prepared. Talking to the pass fishermen, they are not seeing as Memorial Day and flashes a mackerel will eat it.

S nook will be along the beaches many bull sharks in the pass this year and weekend, with all the Tri pl etai l are starting to move up spawning and redfi sh will be bigger in it may be because they are up in the harboat traffic, they were into the harbor too. If you are patient and size but their numbers are fewer right bor. We have more bait in the harbor catching fish. looking for a tasty prey keep an eye on now. right now than we have had in the last 15 Everything else is the crab trap buoys and the channel markyears.

Lemon Bay still around too. ers, casting a small bait-shrimp or a small In addition to drifting for sharks or tarJi m at Fi shermen’s Edge S pani sh mackerel crab (if you can find either) and you will pon there are a lot of really nice cobi a Engl ewood: 697-7595 are here and of course get them. A small D.O.A. or Bayside around. They are here a little earlier than Tarpon fishing is real good right now. there are plenty of shrimp imitation on a worm hook or a normal. Usually they would be here in sharks and a cobi a super-light jig head or under a float should From 80 to 90 percent of the people we July or August, way up in the harbor so see in our shop are tarpon fishing. Tips or two. There’s been a work too. Most of the tripletail in the this month and next month should be are broken, guides are popped and the drag lot of inshore reef fish harbor are large, in the 10 to 15 pound phenomenal for cobia. If you are drift is gone... that’s tarpon fishing for you. caught: snapper, range now. Another off species that are fishing keep a spinning pole ready to cast yel l owtai l , and even near now are permi t. They will be on the And there are plenty of tarpon in this because the cobia seems to be swimming whole area: out on the beach, in the Pass permi t are around. close in offshore reefs like the Novak, in ones and twos and will come up to and up in Charlotte Harbor. Hopefully tarThere have been School Bus or even the Boxcar reefs. dol phi n 16 to 18 Early morning, when the wind is calm, is pon fishing will last another month. check you out.

Tarpon are being caught on just about miles offshore and the time you will see them tailing the The S pani sh mackerel are still everything, pinfish, crabs, jigs, squirsome of my customers surface or they will appear as big silver unbelievably abundant and they will be are doing well with discs underneath. Light bucktails, artificial relfish, you name it. We don’t always until the rain pushes the bait outside. have the perfect size tarpon crabs for bait, them. The dolphin shrimp or crabs are the right permit bait.

Drift fishing is most productive for but we have had crabs since april. were swimming right If you’re really lucky you might dip up macks. Hang out a shrimp, cast lures or Speaking of bait, there are no shri mp up to this one guy’s try a got’cha jig, Clark spoons or throw a some pass crabs at Boca Grande on the around again. No peewees and the few we boat and he was catchway out. bottle cap with a hook in it. If it’s silver, do have are only ing them. At least the big ones. that’s what he said.

Something is up The only thing I with the shrimp. haven’t heard about S nook fishing offshore is ki ngfi sh. in the bay is pretty On the beach, good. Back country whi ti ng, drum trips for snook and some trout and redfi sh sheepshead are have been good out there for the even over the people who just This was a last minute $100 donation to the Kids Cup want to surf fish.

Page 31

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Powered by

n June 1: Hurricane-proofing Your Boat Tips and techniques to save Southwest Florida boats from storm damage. West Marine in Venice. call 408-8288.

n June 3: Peace River Clean Up 10 a.m. from NavAGator Desoto Marina 627-3474

n June 15 Introduction to GPS Navigation West Marine, Venice 408-8288.

n June 29 Redfish and Snook on Artificials West Marine, Venice 408-8288.

n July 20, 2006 Tarpon Tactics on Artificials West Marine, Venice 408-8288 n July 22-23 Flatsmasters Red Plug Challenge and Top5 shootout Punta Gorda

n August 12-13: Redfish Nation Tournament, Jacksonville, Florida Register at 888-698-2591 www.redfishcup.com

n October 7: Richest Redfish Challenge, benefit for Good Shepherd Day School, by Laishley Marine, at Fishermenʼs Village 639-3868

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

Fishing

HOT!

RIGHT NOW:

Page 32

June 2006

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