Water LIFE March 2009

W a t e r LIFE

FREE!

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

P r o d u c e r s o f t h e K I D S C U P To u r n a m e n t

March 2009

Jacks Couldn始t be Better Page 10

Fishing Report

Port Charlotte Tarpon Page 22-23

Damn Gators!

Page 5

Warriors

KIDS CUP

Next Month!

Page 12-13

Redfish Tournament Page 10

w w w. W a t e r L i f e M a g a z i n e . c o m

No! not THOSE GATORS

Always FREE!

Page 2

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

March

2009

March

2009

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 3

Water LIFE

Page 4

LETTERS to

MAGAZINE

Wa t e r L I F E @ c o m c a s t . n e t

I Challenge the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

November and December are two bad fishing months for seatrout fishermen in southwest Florida because seatrout are out of season. Why? I don’t know. Hey team FWC, get real!

Seatrout are everywhere. We have more seatrout in Southwest Florida than any other fish. We catch seatrout in the shallows, out in deep water, and on the reefs. If someone can’t catch seatrout, Should they go play golf? ...I don’t know.

I’m a fishing guide and I carry an average of four persons on my charters; that means our average bag limit on the average charter is 16 seatrout. Is that too many? I don’t know.

FWC makes fishing regulations and needs to look at seatrout rules. They need to rethink what they are doing to the charter industry. November and December in southwest Florida is a prime season for us with lots of customers coming here to fish.

In November and December it’s cooling down, the big schools of redfish are gone and snook season is closed. So what can a fishing guide do to please his clients? If the FWC would think about this, they would not like it. I don’t like it. Around the Holidays we are catching baby throw back redfish and catchand-release snook. Can you guess what fish is everywhere? If you guessed seatrout, you would be correct. Think about this, the most plentiful fish in Charlotte Harbor is out of season when people come here to fish. Why? Again, I don’t know.

It is past time for a change. Please FWC, change the rules now! Open seatrout season during November and December in southwest Florida. Let’s stop picking on throw back redfish and snook. Will the FWC do this? I don’t know. Actually I do know the reason for the closure. FWC wants to reduce the

seatrout take. Guess what? I do too. I am a fishing guide and yes I want to reduce the seatrout catch. Sometimes I carry six customers and that means I can legally catch 24 seatrout. Is that way too many? I don’t know.

Come on FWC, let’s do something to change this. Below are a few of my ideas that might be acceptable to both the FWC and all anglers.

• Open seatrout season during November and December then choose ONE of the following: • Reduce the seatrout take to just two per person.

• Change the slot size limit (currently 15” to 20” with 1 over size allowed) to 16 to 24 inches with no over size seatrout.

• Keep the limit at 4 seatrout per person, but with a maximum of 10 per boat which ever is least.

Any of the above suggestions would work, but I believe number three would be the best for everyone. This will work all year, keep the catch down and everyone will have a few fish for a family fish fry and something to show for their trip. Is this too radical? I don’t know.

I challenge the FWC to take action now, to change the restrictions and open seatrout fishing during the months of November and December with one of the above changes. Will it happen… I don’t know.

Capt. Ri ck Kel l ey, Punta Gorda EPIRB FYI: As of Feb 1, 2009 EPIRB analog frequencies 121.5/243 MHz signals are no longer monitored. All mariners, aviators, and individuals using emergency beacons on those frequencies will need to switch to those operating on the newer, more reliable, digital 406 MHz frequency if they want to be detected by satellites.

Water LIFE is ALL ONLINE each and every month

ADVERTISE HERE

www.waterlifemagazine.com

$99 per month!

Water LIFEʼs 1/8 page ad (this size)

Just

call 941-766-8180 Great

Not per WEEK

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

Free Link to your website from ours when you advertise in Water LIFE

Water LIFE is the official publication of the C harlotte Harbor R eef A ssociation, the originator of the K ids C up Tournament and the producer of the Don Ball S chool of Fishing.

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

March

2009

Water LIFE Magazine inc.

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Water LIFE is not affiliated with any other publication Vol IIX No3 © 2009 Water LIFE

No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced without specific written permission.

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

Contributing Editors:

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore Port Charlotte: Capt. Andy Medina Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Offshore: Capt. Steve Skevington Commercial Fishing: Kelly Beal Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Real Estate: Dave Hofer Inshore: Fishinʼ Frank Diving: Adam Wilson Kayaks: David Allen Sailing: Bill Dixon Office Dog: Molly

on the COVER:

A client fishing with Capt Angel Torres holds a Spring Lake tarpon, last month.

on our WEBSITE: WWW.waterlifemagazine.com

RealEstate: Whatʼs happening NOW!

Fishing Resource Guide: Everything you ever wanted to know – almost Don Ball School: Class Report

Artificial Reefs: Projects and progress lat/long for local reefs

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

March

2009

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Is Parks & Rec. Cheating our Kids?

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor I was told that a $10,000 grant had been awarded to Charlotte County by the Take Me Fishing organization with the express purpose of teaching kids in Charlotte County about fishing. I was also told the county had no plans for how they would spend money, so I called Take Me Fishing and spoke with Resa Kierstein who is their Partnership Manager for the National Recreation and Parks Association. I asked her to send me a copy of the grant requirements. I read them over. The grant required Charlotte County to reach out to 3500 kids under age 15 and teach them about fishing before the end of March.

The county had been sitting on this for 6 months prior and and time was now running out.

“We’d really like to get a rod in their hands,” Kierstein had told me, but I found out the Charlotte County Parks and Recreation Department, (the county agency awarded the grant) had other plans for the money and that in fact they had already spent $1500 of the $10,000 grant as a ‘finder's fee’ to a female county employee who filled out the application paperwork. When I asked to speak to that woman I was told she quit not long after she received the cash. “They just want to do as little as possible and put the money in the county's bank account,” a source within the county had told me. If they submitted their paperwork by the end of March it might have slipped under the radar. Take Me Fishing would have thought it was done and no one here in Charlotte County would be any the wiser.

According to Kierstein the county had told her they were going to have two employees take an ‘online training course’ and then teach 3500 kids about fishing at the Kayak Festival.

“There are no kids at the kayak festival,” I told her.

We cover the Kayak festival every year for this magazine.

It's a demo-day for local kayak merchants and it happens in April after the grant deadline.

I also told her that in the past the county's reports of attendance at the kayak festivals have been ‘grosely and intentionally over-exaggerated.’ There aren’t 3500 adults there, let alone 3500 kids I told her.

Kierstein had said she was working with Mike Solomon in Parks and Rec. so I copied Kierstein and emailed Solomon a letter asking for his itemized description of how the county exactly planned to teach our kids about fishing. I also asked for the name of the woman who got the $1500, but I never heard back.

Then I called him, but he never called back.

I suggested to Kierstein that our group (the nonprofit Charlotte Harbor Reef Association) could use the grant money to print copies of our Fishing Resource Manual, the book we use in our school classes. Then we could distribute them in the county schools to 3500 5th and 6th graders. That would teach them plenty about fishing and give them a heads up for enrolling in our school classes when they hit the 7th grade. It wouldn’t be ‘rods in their hands,’ but they would learn a bunch about local fishing from our book. “You’d have to work with Parks and Rec.” she told me, and I laughed. Later that week I ran into a friend who knows some of the county commissioners and I just so happened to mention the $10,000 story to him. Then, a few days later my friend called back and told me he heard the county was now going to give the $10,000 grant money back. “You ought to call Commissioner Robert Skidmore,” my friend told me, so I did.

I outlined what had happened and Skidmore was immediately interested. He was upset that a county employee took a finder’s fee and he was unhappy that the Kayak Festival was being used as a sham for teaching kids fishing. “I’m going to look into this,” he said.

And that’s where we are right now. They are running around covering their collective asses at Parks and Rec, and the Take me Fishing group is no doubt wiping the egg off their face. And the kids? They got cheated.

Page 5

Gators in the news again! This is the third month in a row that we have had an alligator on this page, each photo more interesting than the one before. This month itʼs two Louisiana redfishermen with their ʻGator chomped ʼ fish. Is that a Zara Spook in the redfishʼs mouth?

Water LIFE

Lure Time for Redfish and Snook Page 6

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor March is the big transition month that marks the end of sluggish winter fishing. The subtropical waters of southwest Florida will climb back into the 70s and the tides will gradually become higher. Snook that have hunkered down in the maze of canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda will meander their way to the mouths of the canals.

Snook that have wintered in the river systems will cautiously migrate towards Charlotte Harbor and they will be hungry. More redfish will begin to appear and their sizes will go up dramatically.

This is a great time for the lure fisherman because the fish’s food sources are relatively limited and the large schools of scaled sardines and threadfin herring are just beginning to arrive.

I like to begin my fishing day around 11:00 a.m. to allow the waters to warm with the sun’s radiant energy. Cold blooded gamefish will become increasingly active and the late afternoons will be best. For the first part of the day plastic jerk baits make a good choice because you can cover a lot of water and vary the retrieve. The basic colors of white, rootbeer, green or clear-fleck are good choices to fish on a weighted weedless jighead. This is the perfect bait to cast beyond potholes and then twitch your way back to a slow descent into the pothole. An aggressive redfish senses the weakness of the prey and will pounce on it. The jerkbait is also a good lure for open water fishing across sand flats and around mangrove edges. Vary the retrieve to find what works. The other component to vary is color. The influence of largemouth bass fishing has carried over into the saltwater world and the color choices are now endless. Natural colors seem the natural choice but odd colors like bubblegum, chartreuse, limes and a combination of bright colors can work like magic. They are especially good in murkier water which often hap-

pens when the afternoon west wind pushes extra water onto our shores. Your bait size needs to be experimented with as well because schools of baby glass minnows and small shrimp may be the local prey where you are fishing. A three inch bait will out perform a 5 inch bait in this situation.

With the sun higher on the water in early afternoon I love to throw a crankbait.

Specifically shallow diving plugs like a Rapala X-Rap or Yozuri in a white or silver pattern will draw lots of reaction strikes. You can cover water fast working fishy habitat. In earl y t o m i d-March I l ook for shorel i nes and basi ns t hat hav e prot ect ed shorel i nes on nort herl y banks. These areas are protected from the wind but more importantly the water warms much quicker because of the leeward protection against northerly winds. The snook and redfish will follow the baitfish that are attracted to these same warmer areas. Areas with dark mud bottoms will also become warmer because dark colors absorb more ultra violet radiation. These are the same areas that will become void of fish in May because the waters get too warm.

When fishing shallow lipped plugs your retrieve is paramount in triggering strikes. One method is to retrieve your plug moderately fast and incorporate a momentary pause once or twice on the retrieve. This pause simulates a weakness to a hungry fish and usually the strike comes right after the pause.

Another technique is to start your retrieve very quickly and then stop allowing the plug to come to rest on the surface. This keeps your plug in the strike zone longer and when you resume your retrieve the fish senses it is escaping and often triggers a strike. Lipless crankbaits like rattletraps have their

Mention Water LIFE for

10%off

10%off

your bill

your bill

•

Mention Water LIFE for

seafood, steak and ale $1 Drafts & Happy Hour 3 – 6 Tues – Sat Full Liquor • Certified Black Angus Steaks • Fresh Seafood and Dinner Specials Daily S UNS ET MENU Tuesday - S aturday, 3-5 p. m.

DINNER Tues. - Thurs. 4-9 p. m; Fri. & S at. 4-10 p. m.

3754 N. Access Rd. Englewood • 475-6688 www.hightidefl.com

MAGAZINE

place, but I only prefer them if there is a good chop on the water or when the water is murky. This lure is an attention getter and under quiet and calm conditions it will usually send fish running.

Late afternoon with the setting sun is the time to pull out the topwater plug.

The Zara Spook or Zipping Ziggy are a couple of my favorites. The simple walk-the-dog cadence will help you locate fish. If they swish at your topwater bait follow up with a jerk bait and often you will complete the deal!

There are lots of other lures to try and a silver or gold spoon will put fish in the boat throughout the day. I prefer a fast retrieve with an s-shaped spoon with no other imparted action. Sometimes it helps to increase the speed up and down to stimulate strikes. A Johnson Silver Minnow is a good weedless alternative.

Add a small piece of twister tail in white or chartreuse for extra appeal. For the patient fisherman, a plastic shrimp on a weedless hook or jighead will work around just about any type of habitat.

This is primarily a redfish tactic, but snook and plenty of trout will nail a slowly dragged bait. A few other tips are in order: Outside islands and points are good stop over spots as snook begin to

March

2009

migrate around the harbor. Sometimes they will congregate in open water over oyster beds as well. Another tip is to swoosh your lure at boat side if a snook follows you up to the boat but doesn’t strike. Swooshing or swishing as it’s known, is done by sticking your rod tip into the water with 3-4’ of line out to your lure. Move your rod tip in a figure eight pattern repeatedly until you start to here the swoosh sound. Trust me, the snook will hear it too. Sometimes your lure will be savagely attacked as this sound can invoke an instinctive strike response. Your response will be to hold on for dear life as the fish tries to rip the rod out of your hand on the short line.

Musky fishermen up north are familiar with this technique and it is worth a try here when a snook stops short of your lure at boatside. Occasionally, I have done this only to have a large jack crevalle come out of nowhere and freight train my lure. Lure fishing has its challenges and rewards and March is the time to go.

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

March

2009

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 7

Page 8

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

March

2009

Pilchards

March

Water LIFE

2009

By Capt Robert Moore Wat er LIFE S t aff March is the beginning of live bait season. Charlotte Harbor is known for its abundance of live bait such as pilchards. Pilchards are a group of several types of small, oily fish related to herrings. Some people say if the fish is under 4" long it is classed as a sardine, and if larger than 4 inches it is classed as a pilchard. FishBase, a comprehensive database of information about fish, lists at least six species called just "pilchard," over a dozen called just "sardine," and many more with the two basic names qualified by various adjectives.

In the Charlotte Harbor area pilchards are considered to be Spanish sardines, scaled sardines, and threadfin herring.

Although you can catch them throughout the winter it isn’t always the bait of choice. But usually starting in March the entire Southwest Florida area begins to come alive with pilchards, making it the unanimous bait of choice.

At times, finding and catching pilchards can be the hardest part of the fishing day, especially in the early spring time. What can make them hard to locate is they have a tendency to be in deeper water, especially right after a cold front passes.

Locating bait in deeper water can be like looking for a needle in hay stack. The best opportunity at locating pilchards in deep water is around some sort of structure like a channel marker piling such as at a bridge. Bait fish are pretty much at the lowest part of the food chain so they are always under attack by some predator. This is why they school together in numbers and gather around any type of structure. This is their only defense from a predator fish.

Page 9

MAGAZINE

Most of the markers in 10 feet of water or more throughout the Harbor hold bait at one time or another during the year.

Sometimes you can see the baitfish dimpling on the top of the water around the structure when it’s calm; other times you will see them flashing several feet down. Then there are cloudy and windy days you won’t be able to see them at all. On these days you must do what is referred to as blind casting.

The quickest and most popular way to catch bait is with a cast net. Chumming is the best way to concentrate the bait so you can throw your net on them. There are many recipes for chum you can use. Some anglers go to great lengths to make their chum; others have very basic and simple recipes. I personally fall into the simple category. I use a powered chum made by Purina that can be found at most local feed stores (like Crossties on Rt 17).

I then mix the dry powdered chum with sea water and menhaden oil. I usually mix about three cups of dry chum, one cup of sea water and a splash of menhaden oil. The consistency I look for is a mixed chum that will squish

between my fingers. If you have too much water or not enough water this will not occur.

I prefer to anchor my boat 1015 feet down current of the structure. I then begin tossing small balls of chum (about the size of a quarter) up current so it will sink and flow past the structure. My main goal is to have the pilchards catch the scent of the chum and follow it away from the structure so I can throw a cast net on them. You want to make sure you toss each ball of chum in the same area as before. This helps concentrate the bait and makes it easier to throw your net on them.

The key to keeping your bait lively once you do catch it is to have a live well with fresh circulating sea water. If your boat doesn’t have a built in livewell there are several store bought live wells that can be installed into your boat.

The size of your live well and the amount of water you can circulate will dictate the amount of bait you can hold.

Pilchards never stop swimming so in return they need a lot of oxygen. The more water that flows in and then out of your live well the more bait you will be able to hold.

Sardines are more hearty than threadfin herring. Don’t over fill your live well with more pilchards than it is capable of holding. Remove the bait that dies. You want your bait to be lively and frisky when you use it.

Fishing with live bait such as pilchards is a proven successful tactic in catching quality fish. The more skilled you become at finding and catching your own bait the more opportunities of catching quality fish will come your way. Good luck and tight lines!

Capt. Robert Moore can be reached to book a trip or for fishing information at: 624-5710 or at www.captrobertmoore.com

Ellen McCarthy, formerly of McCarthy Realty, has merged with Century 21 Almar & Associates Visit or call Ellen at her new location...

19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948 TOLL FREE 877-218-6552 DIRECT 941-235-5648 • FAX 941-235-5699 www.portcharlotte-pgi.com

ellenmc@portcharlotte-pgi.com

KEY WEST STYLE 2 STORY HOME. New Construction, furnished as a model, furniture goes with home, 3/2½/2 with 350 sq ft A/C bonus room over detached garage. Hardwood floors, wood cabinets, granite tops, stainless steel appliances, Key West colors in every room, A Must See!! $237,000 Call Ellen 628-6954

TOWLES BUILT 2006 POOL/WATERFRONT HOME. This home has all the whistles and bells. This is a must see. Upgrades galore, spacious and open.

What a view as you walk thru the double stain glass doors into great room all open to dining, kitchen, nook and 12ft sliders to pool $399,000 Call Ellen 628-6954

KINGS GATE GOLF COURSE HOME. Beautiful immaculate home you have to see in this 55+ community on the 7th hole of Golf. 3/2/2 with over 2,000 sq ft of Florida living. Home features solid cherry wood floors, tile, granite counter tops, wood cabinets, upgrades galore. 244,900 Call Ellen 628-6954

PGI CHARMER. Great remodeled home with new items since 2005, new metal roof, all tile floors, front door, French doors, lanai, paint, light fixtures, recess lighting in Kitchen.

Roomy kitchen with granite tops and white wood cabinets. Too much to list. $299,900 Call Ellen 628-6954

KEY WEST STYLE 2 STORY HOME. New Construction, 4 bedrooms, office, 3 ½ baths, detached 2 car garage with unfinished bonus room. 20 inch tile, hardwood stairs, wood cabinets, granite tops, 40 ft front and back porch and balcony on 2nd floor. Crown molding, 2 A/C's and more. $249,900 Call Ellen 628-6954

SCHROEDER CUSTOM BUILT HOME, new construction never lived in. 3/2/2, over 1,600 sq ft of living area. Kitchen features, white wood cabinets, corian counter tops, bar, nook with mitered glass overlooking large back yard/room for pool. Great room with split bedrooms, $164,900 Call Ellen 628-6954

ROLLS LANDING CONDO. Beautifully furnished overlooking lake with fountain. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,270 sq ft under A/C plus carport and storage room. 24 hrs guard, boat slips, fishing pier, pool, club house, tennis and grounds kept in excellent condition. A great place to live. $149,900 Call Ellen 628-6954

SHORT SALE! One of a kind, great deal on 2nd floor over looking Lake Rio and pool.

Condo features open living and dining and kitchen with 2 split bedrooms with baths.

Cathedral ceilings, recess lighting, 3 fans, walk in closet, glass top range, wood look cabinets and more. $84,000 Call Ellen 628-6954

Warrior Tournament Page 10

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

March

2009

Screaming Reels

Zac Anaskey with his first snook caught with Capt. Andrew Medina last month

By Capt. Andrew Medi na Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor

Above: Lyn Bevis (C) and his Team Re Max Harbor Realty took home the honors at the Charlotte Warriors Catch the Spirit Redfish Tournament at Laishley Park. They weighed in 5.18 and 4.88 for a 10.06 Below: Kyle Potts won the spots with a 7 spot fish.

In the world of saltwater fishing, some days seem to be slow and others are just picture perfect, with the reward of a fish on almost every cast. This past month proved to be no exception to the rule with fronts that blew in following days of perfect weather. We had a few days that felt like fish would knock the guts out of the bait as soon as it hit the water and then a cold front would hit us from the north, not a large front just a kiss from the north wind, and the fish would fall into their lethargic state once again. This month you will start seeing fewer cold fronts and hopefully a warming trend. We are gearing up for spring and the warmer water temperatures we desperately need. To me, that magic number is 82 degrees. A lot of anglers might argue my thinking on this one, but I seem to do my best when the fish are warm and happy. We’ve already started seeing more redfish milling on shore lines and out on the open flats, but once again we have not had a cold snap in a few weeks to send them running.

Both sides of the harbor are holding fish. Redfish are on the west wall and if you catch them feeding it could be spectacular. Fish all tailed up on the low water are eager to eat a bait if you can get in over the bar and within casting range without spooking them. The same is true on the east side just south of Alligator Creek.

Fish seem to be bunched up in their

springtime haunts already. Snook fishing is open now and the bite has been pretty good on white bait and artificials.

Topwaters are doing well, such as the silver and black Skitter Walk by Rapala or the old faithful bone color Zara Spook. The Zara Spook is an old top water that has not changed in shape, size or anything else since I can remember. The old saying don’t fix it if it ain’t broke, seems to hold true in the lure world.

Trout fishing has been incredible with a lot of spotted sea trout running in the 3- to 4-pound range. These fish have been south in the harbor, but we’ve also got some around Turtle Bay. In the Port Charlotte canals a lot of anglers overlook a fish that can be a world of fun when the wind blows. Big jacks are cruising the canals that lead to Spring Lake and are also around the Ackerman Waterway. Some of these fish are up around 20-pounds. With screaming runs and pure digging power, these fish can save a trip when the weather and low tides leave you in a stich. When they are on the feed they will eat just about any lure or plastic thrown in front of them.

Soon the water will warm and all anglers will once again remember why they live in sunny Florida. Until next month, get out and fish and take a kid with you, the Kids Cup is right around the corner.

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

Will Global Warming Change Floridaʼs Future?

March

2009

By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff

Let me start out by freely admitting that I am not versed in global warming, long term climate change, or greenhouse gasses. What I do have, based on my own meager scientific background, is a firm belief that at any given moment the earth is getting either colder or warmer and is never staying still for very long. Over the course of time the earth has been a lot colder and a lot hotter; and it got that way with no help or fault of man. In short I’m no expert; as a matter of fact I’m still trying to use up the last of my Y2K emergency supplies.

Recently I reviewed a copy of a report by the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council entitled The Effect of C l i m at e C hange on Fl ori da’s Ocean and C oast al R esources, www.floridaoceanscouncil.org

The Council is made up of 5 representatives each of the Florida DEP, Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Florida Dept. of Agriculture. They in turn reviewed the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) as it relates to Florida. This is the UN sponsored group that has former Vice President, Al Gore as their spokes-person. I always get nervous when politicians get involved in interpreting scientific research and the opening sentence of this report confirmed my fears. “It is widely accepted that human activities can impact global climate patterns.” I really don’t know if that’s totally true; but I do remember that at one time it was widely accepted that the world was flat.

The Florida Council took a novel approach to reviewing the data on global warming be dividing it into three sections: what we currently know- what is possible- and what is probable-. For example; we know that every week there is a Lotto drawing; and if we buy a ticket

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

P a g e 11

it is possible to win; but probably that’s not going to happen to you. All too often we hear only the most pessimistic possible effects global warming will have on the world, not the most likely outcome based on our current knowledge.

The report addressed four aspects of global warming. 1) The increase in greenhouse gases. 2) The increase in air temperature. 3) The increase in ocean temperature and 4) The increase in sea level.

Greenhouse gases are made up of basically four components – the most abundant being water vapor (clouds). Not much humans can do about clouds. The next largest component is carbon dioxide (CO2), the product of combustion whether it be from forest fires, volcanoes, breathing or running your boat. CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere have been increasing about 1% per year.

Methane is the next largest component.

Think cow farts. For that matter think of all the farts produced by all the living organisms on earth every day; all pure methane, shooting off into the atmosphere. No wonder things smell bad around here lately. The last major component is ozone, which I thought was solved when we all had to change our auto air conditioners. It turns out lightning is a large producer of ozone and with all those clouds- well you see where this is going.

They say the earth is heating up at a rate of 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.

That’s hard to swallow after going through our last winter, but what I want to know is, if you are going to take the temperature of the earth, where do you stick the thermometer? Think about how difficult it would be to record the temperature on every place on earth at the same time and come up with an accurate average temperature. Too many variables; too much chance for error. That is why they look to sea temperature as being more accurate. “Global average sea surface tem-

A number of waterways around the Triple Lakes area of Port Charlotte have been closed off with pilings. According to the contractors doing the work, the closures to powerboats was a requirement of the DEP permit issued to remove the old Manchester Waterway Lock. “The DEP permit required us to make the creeks in the area accessible only for kayaks and canoes,” a workman told us. What boaters now want to know is under what rule does the DEP get the power to close navigable waterways? This issue may be far from over.

perature has risen 1.1 degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years. How significant is that? Here is what the report says “coastal air temperatures around Florida since 1830 do not show any statistical significant trend. They even say that “There is no clear, long trend in the number of tropical storms.” in Florida.

The last aspect in the report is raising sea levels. It appears that “around Florida, relative sea level has been rising at a relatively slow but constant rate of about an inch or less per decade.”

Compared to most reports this one was pretty interesting and gave me a lot of things to consider. I guess you could say that the weather is changing and that could be either good or bad depending on how you look at it – but I still believe there is not much you can do about it.

One of the best lines in the report was “the secondary impact of climate change can include higher prices, reduced incomes and job losses.” Don’t we have that now...and I guarantee you it isn’t because of the weather.

Reach Capt. Ron at: CaptRonB@juno.net

Page 12

Water LIFE

Gearing Up for the Kids Cup

By Mi chael Hel l er Kids Cup Tournament Director If you are thinking about fishing in the 2009 Kids Cup get your application in now! The Kids Cup tournament is coming in April and the field is now half full. You can still mail a check with your application and we can also take a credit card.

You don’t have to be a pro to fish in the Kids Cup, you just have to like to fish.

The Kids Cup is a one-fish tournament so luck plays a big part in getting into the Top-5 or being one of the 7 age group winners. A fun-kid, fishing with his dad off a pontoon boat backed up against the mangrove with a live shrimp on the hook, has as much chance of catching a big redfish as a seasoned young angler fishing with a pro guide.

Sponsors are coming back as well.

Lai shl ey Mari ne has again committed to being a Kids Cup sponsor, as has Don Gasgarth Ford.

S creenpri nt Pl us has sent us a proof of the 2009 T Shirt image and it’s a winner!

Tom Hansen at the BoatHouse at Boater’s Worl d should love the stealthy black ShearWater boat pictured in the middle of this year’s shirt. He’s the boat sponsor!

S . P. I. will again (for the 6th year!) be providing the beautiful bronze redfish trophys that go to our Top-5 Kids Cup competitors. If you are not familiar with SPI’s artwork check out their website at www.spihome.com.

There will be Quantun/ Boca

March

MAGAZINE

2009

More and more stuff for the captainʼs bags. combos for the Top-5 again this year, this is the 5th year Quantum has donated rods and reels and this year there will also be S hi mano combos for the 7 age group winners. More on that next month. Eagl e Cl aw, Fi shbi tes and Mustad have all signed back on as donors for tackle that goes into the Kids Cup Captain’s Bags, and Fl yi ng Fi sherman has donated 5 pairs of sunglasses again this year. Gul p and XTool s have now come to the Kids Cup in a big way with Gulp Baits and a pair of X-Tools plyers for every Kids Cup competitor AND another 125 of each for each of the students at this coming fall’s 7th grade Don Ball School of Fishing. Thank you Pure Fishing and Gary Z.!

And, thanks to Russ Schmidt, one of the cool new Kids Cup sponsors we have this year is Anchor Pi ns, a manual version of

the electric-pole-style anchoring system. So along with Frabi l l l andi ng nets for the age group winners this year, we will have Anchor Pi ns for each of them as well.

I’m going to take one on my boat this month so I can tell you how they work.

S ea Tow of Punta Gorda is back as a Kids Cup sponsor again this year and the captain’s bags will again be in fashionable Sea Tow yellow. Mamma Nunzi a’s Restaurant, Mari ne Dynami cs, El dreds Mari na, and Dry Dock Mari ne i n Punta Gorda are all now in as Friends of the 7th Grade sponsors.

Captai n Bi l l ’s Barbershop in Punta Gorda is back with coolie cups for the captain’s bags and the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce is a junior level Kids Cup sponsor for the first time this year. Thanks John. This new alliance with

www.bayshoremarinefl.com Bayshoremarinefl@yahoo.com

2000 Action Craft 2020 Tournament Edition Tower from the factory 200hp Yamaha, Min Kota trolling motor, release well. live well.

Ready to fish!!

Wow!!! Only! $12,990

2004 Sweetwater Pontoon,

2003 Sea Pro 25'05'' CC T-Top Tuscany 200 Edition. Full cover, full twin Yamaha 150 Ox66, Alum. enclosure, 4 stroke Yamaha & trailtrailer. Retails over $38K! er Ready for the Harbor! $12,900 Has to go NOW! $23,000

941-627-5777 23269 Bayshore Rd

Charlotte Harbor Consignment Boats Wanted

1998 Sundowner Skiff 19' 02" 70Merc Force - Runs in inches of water, Tunnel Hull, Bimini, live well, new trolling motor. REDUCED $4,900 make offer

o e

e

-

el

March

2009

the Punta Gorda Chamber is especially important to us and we at Water LIFE look forward to working with the Chamber to promote the rebirth of Punta Gorda’s beautiful new downtown.

Noah Perry of Noah Mari ne in Englewood is also a friend of the 7th grade sponsor and in addition he has agreed to be our on-the-water photographer this year, so look for Noah in his new Skeeter boat when you are out fishing. Noah promises not to screw up your fishing and will try to get good photos of the kids for this magazine.

I have two dozen new S hakespeare fishing rods that are still in their original packing. We’re going to give them out at the captain’s meeting dinner so study the tournament rules and I’ll tell you how to get one. As far as hats go, thank Fi shi n’ Franks for the hats again this year. We’re trying to get the same high quality hat we had last year. More on that next month too.

Water LIFE

If you were a sponsor last year we need you back, if you were not a sponsor, ...we need you now!

Be a Kids Cup Sponsor and wear your Kids Cup sponsor shirt - every sponsor gets one - wear it proudly all over town. Call 941-766-8180 for more Kids Cup sponsor information. You can be a Graduate, Senior or Junior level sponsor or you can be a Friend of the 7th Grade, just go to our website: www.kidscuptournament.com look at the sponsor form and call it in to 766-8180.

The Kids Cup is part of the Don Ball School of Fishing and the Charlotte Harbor Reef Association. All contributions are tax deductible.

The Kids Cup will be held on April 25, 2009 at Harpoon Harrys in Fishermen’s Village. The captain’s meeting dinner is Friday April 24 at Benedetto’s at the Best Western, Punta Gorda. See You there!

Page 13

MAGAZINE

The 2009 T Shirt shows two competitors with one adult.

That is an acceptable configuration for the Kids Cup. What you CAN NOT have is two adults with one kid.

The only way two adults can be on one boat is if there are two (or three) kids.

Weʼll go over all this at the mandatory captainʼs meeting Friday April 24 at Benedettoʼs Restaurant in Punta Gorda.

Be a $100 Kids Cup Sponsor!

Every Friend of the Seventh Grade sponsor receives a 2009 Kids Cup T Shirt and a color card-ad in the April Kids Cup Program

Promote your Business / Help the Kids

And Your donation to the Don Ball School of Fishing is Tax Deductable!

call 766-8180 or log on to

www. KidsCupTournamernt.com

Page 14

Water LIFE

Clear Water Now

By Adam Wi l son Water LIFE Diving For the next few months, probably through the end of May, we should have some of the best visibility our area of the Gulf has to offer. With little or no rain, algae stifling cold temperatures and fast moving fronts that follow up with days of light east winds, offshore visibility up to 60 feet will be common. The longer the winds stay light and out of the east the better. Great vis could even be found as close in as the Novak and Trembly reefs. Somedays even making these reefs great for snorkeling and freediving, so always make sure to keep a mask and fins onboard.

Out deeper, you will find the usual mix of fish including grouper, snapper and of course those big winter amberjacks. Gag grouper are closed through March and will be incredibly common on most reefs. I have seen some very nice gags in the 20 pound range recently, only to have to watch them swim leisurely back to their holes.

Some fish seem to really be affected by the colder water temps, especially when it dips down into the low sixties.

The few large goliath grouper on the big artificials move very slowly this time of

year. In warmer waters they are quick to pounce on any wounded fish, whether sick or just injured from a misplaced spear. This time of year they just seem hunkered down and really look cold – like a kid at a bus stop, on a blustery morning, with no jacket.

Amberjacks seem to be just the opposite. They are more frisky and faster swimming now than at any other time of year. It's not unusual to have a school blast by you so quick you hardly have time to raise your gun and get a shot off.

They are especially good at surprising a diver when they ambush from behind and you don't see them until they are all shooting past you. Winter amberjacks seem to even taste a little better too.

They have been gorging on the thick schools of very fatty bait for months now and some develop a thick girth almost like a tuna fish, looking round like a football. When filleting these fish the swirls of fat running through the amber colored meat are very apparent and make a sushi lovers mouth water.

If you are on a large reef in water deeper than 60 feet the amberjacks should be there. If you know the jacks are there and they just aren't showing themselves it is easy enough to bring them in. They are one of the most curious fish in the sea and are attracted to any commotion.

March

MAGAZINE

2009

Visibility is great now so this goliath grouper casts his watchful eye on the camera.

Beating an empty stringer or knife on your tank, banging on the wreck, sounding a dive or sub alert or even shouting through your reg seems to be enough to make them fly by and check out what's going on. These fish are delicious if gutted, iced and cleaned properly, and not just smoked. If the red meat along the spine is removed it is great on the grill, fried, or (my favorite) tataki style. The fillet is seared on both sides and left cool in the center like a choice piece of rare beef. It's then sliced thin and served with ponzu sauce, a vinegar, soy sauce with

citrus. More Japanese recipes can be easily found with a quick online search or a night out at a local Japanese sushi bar.

Inshore, the fossil diving off Venice Beach is going to be great whenever the water is clear. After months of strong northwest winds the bottom has been completely rearranged. Tons of fossils that were laying just beneath the clay and sand are now up right on top just waiting to be found. For the next few months some very nice megladon teeth will come right off Venice, from the public beach all the way south to the pier.

Charlotte Countyʼs Complete Swimming Pool Supplys Pool Repair and Maintenance Store

Specializing in Heaters and Pumps

575-2525

Located in the Punta Gorda Crossing Shopping Center Next to Publix

Mon-Fri 9AM-5:30PM Sat 9AM-3PM

“Green Pool” Clean Up & Maintenance

March

2009

Water LIFE

Will Fishing Stink Today?

Weather Fronts

By Fi shi n’ Frank Water LIFE Senior Staff Front after front, it seems like twice a week another front comes through, and the more the fronts come the worse the fishing gets. It is true. A week without a front will improve the fishing dramatically, it takes stable weather patterns to have good fishing. Being on the water fishing while a storm front approaches is the absolute best time to be fishing. It is also most likely a really dumb time to be on the water in a boat: “Hey a storm is coming!” but if you want to catch a lot of fish that's the best time, and who wants to live forever. The great fishing will continue right up to the time when the front passes overhead. You see it come, you see it pass and you will see the fish stop biting. Would you like to know why?

Here is the best guesstimate I have: Everything effects everything. Air pressure effects water pressure. Why? How? Well, the air pushes down on the water, the higher the air pressure the more it presses on the water. That increases the pressure underwater. The more shallow the water, the more effect it has.

What difference could that make? Well you go up in an airplane and the change in air pressure, will make your ears hurt, stopthem-up, so to speak. The pressure change hurts and it makes your ears ring, or just be very uncomfortable. In some people it even makes it hard to walk. Some people even get sick. They really do not want to eat, they just want to lay back and let it go away.

Many people hold their nose, and blow to get their ears to "pop" It is a way to equalize the different pressure in your ears, the same way you do when diving under water or the pain can become unbearable.

But what if you did not have fingers to hold your nose? Guess what? Fish do not have fingers. So there is no way for them to equalize the pressure. I am not sure about fishes ears and pressure, but I am certain they have a swim bladder and that bladder holds air inside. When a fish squeezes the bladder it makes them go down, and by expanding the air in the bladder they float towards the surface. It is just micro pressure changes that allow a fish to stay where they want in the water – like at 12 inches or 14 inches or 50 feet. A scuba diver uses a BC (bouyancy compensator) to adjust air in or

out to keep them floating, sinking or rising in the water column, Air pressure changes that occur rapidly like a storm front, change pressure in the water rapidly, which changes the pressure to the swim bladder in the fish. This sudden change will often make it hard for the fish to hold in the water maybe even more difficult to stay upright. And fish like people will not eat much when they are sick or do not feel good. They will not quit eating altogether, but for hours or days feeding will be at minimal amounts. Think of it this way: If you have to fight to stay in place in the water or just to stay upright it is really difficult to catch food.

During the winter time when we have cold front after cold front, not to mention a storm front sometimes even twice a week, the fish never really get a chance to settle in. The pressures keeps changing and they can not recover quickly enough, but after a couple of days go by and we get a week of no fronts the bite turns back on. They will be making up for lost time and feeding heavy. So weather it is hot weather or cold all we need is time between the fronts.

So when is the very best time to fish?

Right before the storm as the air pressure is falling. The falling pressure starts an instinctive feeding response, I guess they know it will be harder for them to catch food after the pressure change.

You can watch the front coming in and the fish are biting like crazy. As the front passes over head, the fish shut off like they had a switch.

If y ou hav e a question about fishing E-mail frank @fishinfrank s. com Frank can be reached at 625-3888

MAGAZINE

Page 15

Is it Stainless Through and Through?

LET THE BUYER BEWARE We thought when we bought stainless steel braided throtle and gearshift cables, with stainless steel ends, we were buying the right stuff. Apparently not! Although the cable was in fact stainless and the ends were stainless, the cable ‘shroud’ was not. So after some years, when the plastic cable housing split and water seeped in, Mr Rust came to visit. At first it wasn’t too bad, but then time took its toll, and one day when we looked at the cable we saw the image above. The lesson here is that salt is unrelenting and unforgiving, and if you’ve ever bought cheap Tiwan stainless products or Chineese stainless you know not all stainless steel is the same. We’ve now replaced the cables and we’re good for, hopefully, 5 more years. Time:Under 2 hrs Cost: Under $50

Page 16

By Bi l l Di xon Water LIFE Sailing South West Florida’s biggest regatta, the Conqui stador Cup will be March 7 and 8. All off water activities this year will be at Hog Heaven in Harpoon Harry’s at the water end of Fisherman’s Village. There will be racing classes for Spinnaker, Non-Spinnaker, Cruising and Multihull. Planning is well underway to make the 16th running of this event, the biggest and best one yet. Bob Knowles, regatta organizer (505-4583) hopes to get 100 boats for this event, so he is having the first ever Conqui stador S al e, A S peci al Deal for Non S eri ous Racers. Come out Sunday for the reverse start of the Conquistador’s race. It’s a chance to win

Water LIFE

custody of the Conquistador Helmet for a year, get your boat pictured on next year’s T shirt, race and, this year only, win an expense paid trip to exotic Useppa Island. Sunday Race entry fee plus admission to the registration party Friday night at 6, plus after race party Sunday at 3, awards, door prizes, beer, and munchies is only $10. No PHRF handicap needed, we will assign you a non negotiable one time only rating and individual start time. And you’re off!

Notice Of Race, entry form, and provisional rating application (further down the page click on the “Racing” button then click on Provisional Rating in the upper right hand corner) are all available on the PGSC web site at pgscweb.com.

There will also be a second regatta in March.

Isles YC is sponsoring a LEUKEMIA CUP REGATTA, with races for big and small sailboats on March 21, 22. Saturday after the races Gary Jobson, Halsey Herreschoff and the Colgates of Colgate sailing will be speakers at a Barbeque Bash. Awards will be presented Sunday at IYC after racing.

Every year over 40 Leukemia Cup Regattas are held at various locations around the Country raising money for research and assistance for victims of Leukemia and Lymphoma. For more information or an entry form go to www. i sl esyc. com For other sailing questions Bill Dixon can be reached at: Dixonwj@comcast.net

Macs Metal Materials CUSTOM FABRICATION & REPAIRS stainless steel and aluminum

Mobile Welding Custom Aluminum Boat Trailers T-Tops - Towers - Platforms Platform

4223 Whidden Blvd Charlotte Harbor

941-627-6977

Scouting For Fish

MAGAZINE

By Capt. Mark Bennett Wat er LIFE Inshore Early spring can be some of the most rewarding and at the same time most challenging times of the year.

With cold fronts and highs in the 60’s one day then highs in the 80’s the next a lot of places that were holding fish last week might not be today. I’d like to share some insight on how I cope with changing conditions and scout locations to fish in the future.

Rapidly changing barometer and water temperatures will always move fish around. After a cold front a few fish will still be in some of the same places, most will seek deeper water to wait out the change. Then as the flats start to settle down the fish will settle in to a new pattern according to the available food and water temperature. Even though a recent front makes being outside a little more comfortable, these fronts give our tropical flats quite a shock.

This is all fine and good, but where do I look? The answer is everywhere.

Fishing, just as with any kind of hunting, requires scouting.

My scouting trips are very different than regular fishing trips. I try to cover as much ground as I can in the time I have on the water. I want to locate groups of fish that I can fish for another day. Live bait will, most of the time, out fish artificial offerings.

But unless you know where to

March

2009

cast your bait you might spend a lot of time sitting and waiting to get skunked.

Instead of using live bait I will go to a couple of different artificial lures to allow me to search the flats fast and efficiently. How I choose them is based on water depth, current/tidal flow, speed of the lure and confidence in the lure. Also, I want a lure that will catch all of the species I target. Not just catch snook; I want lures that might catch snook, redfish or trout. Scouting missions are not the time I like to try new baits and lures. I go to old stand bys. In the shallowest of water I like to start with long casting top water baits such as the Top Pup, Top Dog Jr. or the Super Spook Jr. These lures cast like a rocket and will allow you to cover a lot of water fast.

Pay attention to detail when you are working these lures. Not only to the fish that smack it on top, but for subtle wakes of wary fish curious to see the offering but not ready to rush right in and take it. This will often give you a clue to where a group of fish is

Continued on Facing Page

March

2009

R Re ea all E Es st ta at te e N Ne ew ws s

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

S al es S tati sti cs: Home sales totaled 415 last month, second only to November, 2005 when 436 homes went under contract!

Recent area news i tems 1. Charlotte County approved a mixed use center to be developed by Dennis Fullenkamp on 1200 acres west of Gulf Cove and south of SR 776 at Sailors Way and Cattle Dock Drive. Density will rise to 3962 residential units from the current 1831 while commercial development will be reduced from 3 million square feet to 1.5 Million. Actual development of the site will be delayed due to the current economic situation.

2. The Southwest Florida Water Management District instructed Punta Gorda not to bother with submitting an application to increase allowable homeowner sprinkler usage. As long as the drought is in effect, reservoirs are not providing needed overflow to the downstream ecologically sensitive areas.

3. State Farm Insurance company officially announced that it will be phasing out all Florida homeowner policies.

Scouting for Fish Continued

Water LIFE

4. Governor Crist exercised his line item veto privileges to remove proposed budget cuts. At a cost of $100 million to the budget, he preserved 118 probation officer jobs, a promote Florida tourism program and the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight funding. He left in the cut of $1.3 billion in aid for affordable housing.

5. Sarasota County rejected plans for a 1/4-percent increase in their bed tax to help fund incentives to attract the Baltimore Orioles spring training program.

6. The recently enacted federal economic stimulus package authorizes billions of dollars to be returned to state governments with earmarks for specific incentives. Governor Crist has his eye on capturing $4.26 billion of funds to offset medicaid costs. If successful, this will go a long way towards balancing the state budget. Florida wouldn't qualify for aid to education funding because of its relatively low aid paid by it to local school districts. The bill does not appear to provide direct relief to Florida's housing crisis, but does appear to have some meaningful incentives for homebuyers. The old TARP program provided for a tax "loan" to first time homebuyers of $7,500 if used before June 30. The new law raises that benefit to $8,000 (up to 10-percent of the purchase price) and extends it to December 1, but allows it to be forgiven if the buyer lives in the home for 36 months. Puzzling to me, it is limited to homebuyers who have not owned a home

holding on this part of the tide in this area. Then you can try a live bait or subsurface lure to get one of these timid fish to pull your string. I always have a second rod rigged with a soft plastic, usually a ¼ or 1/8 oz. jig head with a root beer or smoke colored rubber tail. This will work well from very shallow water to deeper drop offs. It is also great for those short striking fish I talked about earlier. If a fish wakes up on your top water or short strikes and misses it, set the top-water rod down and quickly pitch a jig in there. This tactic will often

Page 17

MAGAZINE

Over 100 tires litter the shallow harbor bottom along the new RiverWalk in front of the Convention and Visitorʼs Center. What message to visitors does this send?

during the past three years.

7. In Punta Gorda, work began on Aqui Esta Drive. It will ultimately be widened from 18' to 24' and a 5' sidewalk will be installed on the north side of the street. The road level will be raised to a minimum of 5' above sea level from the current 2.5'.

8. Although not officially terminated, the Environmentally Sensitive Land Oversight Committee (ESLOC) will be mothballed. They have spent all but $4.8 million of the $51.8 million voter approved budget. The controversial acquisition of the Ryals ranch soaked up more than half of the fund.

9. Punta Gorda City council awarded local real estate agent, Thomas Ryan & Associates, the formidable task of finding tenants for the 17,000 square foot commercial investment in the parking garage.

The garage is scheduled to open in July.

add a few fish to the box by the end of the day.

Pi ck an area i nstead of a spot.

When choosing where to fish, think of the big picture. I like to start at the deepest water in any area I choose to fish.

Using a push pole or electric motor I start working the edges of the deep water heading shallower, casting all along the way. Using “confidence” lures I talked about earlier. Scouting a new area is not the time to experiment with new lures. Keep your eyes open; notice the cuts and natural channels and how the current is following. Go with it. Work the whole area and follow the water. I think you will be surprised how many fish you

In other news: The Florida Unemployment rate reached 8.1-percent. .. still well below the 9.7-percent record reached in 1976. Obama's housing plan suggests cutting current Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac loan payments to no more than 31-percent of the borrowers income, allowing many working homeowners to stave off foreclosure. He's also pushing to permit bankruptcy court judges to permit "cramdown" mortgage adjustments to allow homeowners to reorganize their debts and stay in their homes. Although this benefit has already been available to corporations seeking bankruptcy reorganization, the consumer lending lobbyists are likely to prevail at preventing this option.

Please visit us at www.harborparadise.com to view any available properties from Venice to Burnt Store Marina

overlooked in the past and how many new spots you find using this approach. When you do catch a fish, take notice of the tide, wind and weather conditions. This might clue you in to when and where to look on a day with similar conditions and tides.

Some of the best fishing of the year happens on the flats this month and tarpon season is right around the corner, it will only get better from here.

Till then, keep the line tight and bow when they jump, Capt. Mark Bennett can be reached at CaptMark3@comcast.net or at (941) 474-8900 Website: www.tarponsnook.com

Water LIFE

Page 18

Tippecanoe Park

Great Place to

By Mi chael Hel l er Peddle, Paddle or Walk Water LIFE Publisher Tippecanoe Bay is a body of water off the mouth of the Myakka River.

Coming up the harbor it’s on your starboard side just before you get to the El Jobean bridge. It’s mostly shallow with a number of marshes and muddy flats.

On a high enough tide, with the right wind and in the right boat you could make your way up to Knight Creek and come out at hwy 776 just past the Sports Park (a.k.a. Ranger Stadium). The water in the Biscayne canal in Northport actually connects with the hartbor through an underground pipe and Tippecanoe Bay. Years ago this was a popular wilderness area where kids rode motorcycles and partied in pick up trucks and ATCVs. Today it is a 340 acre environmental park called Tippecanoe Park. The county has put in a canoe and kayak launch on Flamingo Creek, there are wide marked trails, boardwalks over the marsh, small foot bridges and some big ‘spoil mounds’ which you can climb to get a panoramic view. It is a friendly place to pedal, paddle or walk and the trails are all marked.

To access Tippecanoe Park from Port Charlotte go west down 776 towards the Sports Complex and turn left on Tea Street. (Tea street is just past Flamingo).

The park is located at the end of the road. Currently there is a locked gate so you have to park on Tea Street and walk in through the pedestrian access to the left of the gate. Don’t block the gate. In a month there will be an automatic gate opener that will allow parking inside the park and make kayak launching easier, but if you have a boat you can carry, you can launch it there now. This area is nice, unspoiled, wide open and hardly anyone knows about it. There are usually trail maps available at the site and on the Charlotte County website.

Sports Park

March

2009

The marsh overlook. Follow the main trail from Tea Street, keeping to the left at every junction until you see the large spoil mound which they have named Mt. Tippecanoe.

Tea St

76 CR 7

MAGAZINE

Kayak Launch

Tippecanoe Bay Marsh

Learning fishing again from the old man

By Fi shi n’ Frank I was out fishing whiting (southern kingfish) with my Dad. We have a pretty good spot up by I-75, there are some deep holes there (some 12 feet deep) and this makes for good whiting fishing as well as catching. Maybe I have been in this new

age free-line-your-bait thing a little too long. My Dad is using 10 pound test mono, line on a standard 7 foot fishing pole. For rigs he is old schooling it, with a 1/2 oz sinker slid up the line, and to keep it away from the hook he has a No. 7 swivel and 18' of 20 pound leader tied to a No. 4 gold hook. Dad takes a shrimp tears it in half, threads it up the hook and he casts.

2008 JOHNSON OUTDOORS Key Paddlesports Dealer – East Coast

Me, I have a 5 foot ultra lite with 4 pound test, tied to a 20 pound mono leader and for weight a No.7 split shot. I cast out.

Now, my dads line goes right to the bottom and he gets hit; targeted species on board! An 11 inch whiting is headed into the cooler, really nice fish – oh, did I mention? – this ain’t a catch and release story, when you fish for whiting it’s all about the groceries.

Anyway, dad re-baites and cast back out and again right to the bottom and right in the hole. Dad has to wait almost 2 minutes before his next fish, which turns out to be a silver trout – kind of a first cousin to the spotted sea trout, but Dad doesn't care for them, so back he goes into the drink. Well, what do ya know? There is a catch and release part of this story after all! Now back to the catching.

After an hour the score is 8 to 0 and not in my favor. I knew what was wrong but I was being stubborn. I was not going to change rigs. When I cast, my bait was not hitting the bottom so it just drifted along with the current. So I added a couple more split shots to hold my bait

to the bottom. That was good for holding the bottom but now all I was doing was losing bait. By the time the fish moved the sinkers and I could feel the bite my bait was gone. I had an empty hook and a red face. Finally I caught a fish. The gods of Poseidon were kind and gave me a catfish. Hey a fish is a fish! So I proved I could catch a fish my way... then I promptly switched over to dad’s rig with the sinker that the line passed freely thru.

When the fish tried to steal my bait we found out about each other at the same time. The fish would bite, I would set the hook and we could get together to discuss his future. After three hours of fishing we had about thirteen keeper size whiting and had let go many smaller ones, as well as 15 silver trout, a few catfish and two really stubborn sting rays – rays are bottom sticking, going a circle, hard pulling, little buggers, when you catch them on ultra light tackle.

All in all it was a great day spent with my dad re-learning why they make sliding sinkers and swivels – because they work!

Oh, and by the way, five of the 13 were mine. I did not get whooped too bad.

Kayaking

March

2009

Linger Lodge

A Kayakering Treat and a Cullinary Delight

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking One of the most pleasant experiences that kayaking provides is the fun of exploring new creeks and rivers with good friends, and afterwards, having a wonderful meal together at a unique restaurant. At one of our recent meetings, a club members brought an intriguing newspaper article describing the experience of paddling the Braden River and eating at the Linger Lodge. Well, we were instantly sold! How do we get there and when are we going?

Forgetting the paddle for a moment, let me describe my impressions of Linger Lodge. To put things into perspective, Al Roker called Linger Lodge "One of the top five weirdest restaurants in the country."

The resort includes an RV campgrounds and a restaurant specializing in somewhat unusual Florida dishes, in addition to a more typical menu. The unusual fare includes such delicacies as alligator chowder, frog legs, a gator rum-runner and river bottom pie. And you eat these unusual dishes surrounded by stuffed rattlesnakes, bobcats, a panther and you are greeted at the door by a stuffed Florida black bear. A Jackalope sits in its case near the bar, not far from a Blue Billed Ortholock and an Alaskan Fur Fish.

Water LIFE

But enough talk of food and drink, the paddle is really what we all came for. At the Linger Lodge launch area, the Braden River meanders past tall majestic oaks with Spanish moss hanging from every branch. The area is rich with wildlife and as we paddle we spot a couple of alligators sunning on a muddy bank.

Turtles are resting on a log partly submerged in the river.

Birds are always diving and swooping overhead as we paddle down the river. Tannins stain the water a reddish brown, but you can still see the bottom in the shallow spots. One of our party, Bill Mango, spots a bird on the river bank that has become entangled in fishing line. As the kayak moves toward the shore, the bird frantically tries to escape. With some difficulty, Bill removes the fishing line and frees the bird.

The Braden River is one of the more beautiful rivers we have paddled and I would highly recommend it.

There is little current as a dam several miles downstream retards the flow, so the paddling is easy in either direction. The 45 miles between Linger lodge and the Bill Evers Reservoir are very quiet and peaceful, except for the section where the river passes under the I-75 bridge. Although there are houses along a portion of the river, on one bank, the area generally remains untouched by time and is the habitat for many "critters."

The paddle downstream and back was

Page 19

MAGAZINE

Kayaking on the Braden River and the interior of Linger Lodge

very enjoyable, but we were anxious to sample some of those exotic dishes at the Lodge. Both the paddling and the eating were delightful, and the trip can best be described as charmingly weird

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

Eat Fish, Live Better Page 20

The Commercial Perspective

By Kel l y Beal , Water LIFE Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is a time of soul searching and repentance. For myself, I find it to be a good time to get more in touch with my body and soul. I often give up meat during this time for health reasons as well as spiritual. Many Catholics give up meat for the forty days that lead up to Easter.

This is an excellent time to take advantage of the plethora of seafood Florida has to offer.

Those who know me, know I'm all about crab! Right now we have until April 15th to partake in the delicious Stone Crab. It has only 60 calories per 3 oz serving and 15mg of protein. Blue Crab, a little bit sweeter, is 90 calories and 19 mg of protein, plus has a significant amount of Omega 3 fatty acid.

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to us but our bodies can't manufacture them. They help prevent heart attacks by calming inflammation and it has been proven that kids who get Omega 3 Fatty Acids are less likely to having learning disabilities

Water LIFE

March

MAGAZINE

or behavior problems. So we are so lucky we have Blue Crab readily available here.

Buying local can be tricky. The main grocery chains don't always carry local product. The Department of Agriculture has a campaign going right now to encourage you to Go Native. With over 80 local seafood varieties you are sure to find some favorites to savor! Look for the Go Native sticker where you buy your seafood. One place to find local seafood is at the farmers markets. We currently have two going on in Punta Gorda - one in downtown on Taylor St on Saturday mornings and another at Fishermans Village on Wednesday in the courtyard from 9:30am till 1pm. There are many seafood markets as well. In Punta Gorda we have Peace River Seafood on Hwy 17, Laws Seafood on Rio Villa and Punta Gorda Fishery on US 41. You can also buy shrimp right off the "Mystic" at Fishermans Village or the Iron Ox at Laishley Park. Speaking of Florida shrimp you can enjoy 4 ounces of the sweet stuff and get 23mg of protein and only 120 calories.

What about fish?? My all time favorite is cobia. It has 20 mg of protein and 235 calories per serving. I prefer it grilled, but it can also be served fried, poached, braised

2009

EAT THIS! Capt. Steve Skevington (L) and client with a great-to-eat cobia.

or in a soup. Look for flesh that is firm, moist and has a pleasant fresh smell. You can keep cobia in the fridge for up to 3 days. When buying fish you should budget for 3/4 lb per person.

Mullet is a very close second on my favorites. You can cook it a hundred ways, but most people prefer it smoked or fried.

Of course it depends on how you cook it, but mullet has 130 calories and 21 mg of protein per serving. It’s extremely high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Locally the three fish that are the highest in Omega 3s are bluefish, swordfish, and tilefish.

It's no joke you get brain power from eating fish! And apparently long life. In Okinawa, a place that is classified as a

blue zone because of the amount of people that live to one hundred, their main staple is fish.

Another alternative to meat is oysters.

They also are super rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and only 80 calories a serving. They are great in soup, grilled or straight off the shell and they are fresh around here.

So eat fish and live better! Take advantage of living in this beautiful place and buy the local seafood. Long life and great health to you!

Kelly Beal can be reached at 505-8440.

Her husband Jimmy is a commercial crabber in Charlotte County. Together they own and operate Peace River Seafood.

Pirate Harbor

March Specials

Free Pick Up and Delivery

For Annual/100 hour services and Bottom Paint Applications

10% off already low prices on Instock Inventory in Cape Coral our Ships Store

941-235-2101

Hours M-F 8:00 to 5:00

4809 Tamiami Trail • Port Charlotte

Call the Captain! Rare Find in Pirate Harbor! Incredible custom waterfront home! A 3/2/2, with a pool, 2076sf Air, 1998, oversized lot, dock, brick paver drive, barrel tile 50 year hurricane proof metal roof and much, much more! $425,000

Punta Gorda Isles

Punta Gorda Isles

Call

the Captain! Fabulous Oversized Deep Water Sailboat Waterfront Home! A 4/3/2 with a pool, an oversized garage, lots of storage space, “1988”, 2 fireplaces, dock & boat lift and only 10 minutes to the Ponce De Leon Channel. $469,000

Punta Gorda Isles

Call the Captain! Waterfront -

Incredible views of open basin, perfectly located sailboat pool home- 5 minutes out! Open floorplan with master BR that has a 180 degree view water! $429,000.

Call

the

Captain!

Beautiful

Waterfront Home Wide Basin View!

3/2/2, 1910sf Air and 2717sf total.

Incredible condition!!!! Modern design, Parquay floors, kitchen is like new with new counters and newly remodeled math rooms. A remarkable price for a home like this in PGI. $329,000.

Pirate Harbor

Country Estate

Call the Captain! One Of The Nicest Country Homes!

Beautiful modern home in new condition on 2.5+ acres overlooking a pond. 4/2/2, 2239sf air, separate 900sf garage. $249,900.

Pirate Harbor

Call the Captain! It should read: Call the Captain! Custom Key

Sailboat Waterfront Key West style home with upper and lower deck.

3/3/2, 2184sf air, approx. 3800sf total living space, 1986, RV pad, dock & 2 boat lifts. $489,000

West Style Home, Open Water Views! A 3/3/2+, 2071sf Air, built in “1995” oversized lot, pool with waterfall. Oak cabinets, 2 master suites, dock/boat lift. $499,900

March

2009

SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

C O W S During the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years before, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

The New Drink in N.Y. Bars: The Sully That's two shots of Grey Goose, over ice, with a splash, never shaken and only slightly stirred.

ShoreLine Exemption This time it could go – If the state of Florida does not repeal the shoreline exemption then shoreline fishermen as well as inshore/offshore fishermen, will all have to buy a $15-$20 federal fishing license. For inshore/offshore fishermen that would be in addition to the cost of the Stateʼs saltwater license.

Water LIFE

Page 21

MAGAZINE

give more money to the Feds or do we want to keep our money here in Florida? Either way itʼs going to cost.

Offshore Oil and Gas We have now had two reports of a large vessel 14- miles offshore, accompanied by a tug at the front and what appears to be a work boat following 6 miles behind. According to Capt Dan Cambern who talked to the tugʼs operator, they are towing a 6-mile long cable being used to look for underwater deposits of oil and natural gas off Boca Grande.

CCA Dinner (Right) Last month the annual CCA Banquet and auction was held for the first time at the new Charlotte County auditorium. The event drew 251 people, down a few from the year before. In what we see as a continuing alliance of ʻstrange bedfellows,ʼ Mosaic, the phosphate mining giant, was a Silver level sponsor for the Coastal Conservation Associationʼs event.

Free Press Ainʼt Free No More The local daily paper has been charging extra for their Boating and Fishing section. Their Sports section, we have heard, may follow soon.

The Deadly Dozen : Charlotte Harbor FISHING GUIDES

But If the shoreline exemption is repealed, then the shoreline fishermen will have to buy a Florida Fishing license. What it comes down to is this: do we want to

Charters

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

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

Nighttime Trips Available

Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

Bus: 941-475-5538 Res: 941-473-2150

Captain Robert Moore

When you absoloutely positively want to catch fish

(941) 624-5710 www.captRobertMoore.com

offshore/backcountry

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

(941) 255-3551

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

Guide Space Available Card Ad $40/mo 766-8180

Page 22

FishingReport Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

March is the time when the seasons start to change to the upward spiral into spring. March and April are the windiest months of the year and this is when everything starts to shift around – from small fish to the bigger sizes. Sno o k season opened this month. They never moved into the rivers real heavy this year, but there are still some fishable fish a little way up the river and down around El Jobean. At night, El Jo still holds the best success for snook. Fish with live shrimp, small sugar trout, pinfish or the larger swim baits like the Bomber 16 and 17 series, or try the Calcutta Flash Foil. Placida is another good place for snook right now from shore.

In a boat, down around Bull and Turtle Bays and up in Lemon Bay are the places for snook this month. Those fish will be going into the spring time mode so they will be moving around quite a bit. The same school won’t stick around, but they could be replaced with other fish when they all move down toward the passes.

Redfi s h has been tough this year. They are starting to move a little more now, start looking for reds to be bigger and to start schooling up towards the end of this month. There should be bigger bull reds and barely slot-legal fish moving out along the beaches both by day and by night. There

Water LIFE

March

MAGAZINE

have been mixed reports of big reds at Johnson Shoals, 15- to 20-pound fish around dusk and at daylight. Big redfish on the near shore reefs are not uncommon right now. Shrimp is still a good choice as redfish bait, but we are starting to see whitebait, now and so cut ladyfish or sardines will work well.

The water temperature has dropped enough to get tro ut to the northern part of the harbor, but Alligator Creek and the mouth of the Myakka are holding nice trout now as well. Some of the bigger fish, in the 20- 26-inch range, have been around from Lemon Bay down to the Pine Island area along the intracoastal. Drift the flats with a Gulp shrimp under a poppin cork, or fan cast a shrimp on a jig head out on the flats. You will find them or they will find you.

Whi ti ng are doing very well, along with s heeps head out on the beach. The near shore reefs and the Placida Trestle are all reporting big numbers of sheepshead and mang ro v e s napper.

They will get better this month until April when they start to thin out. All it takes is for the water to hit 70 degrees and they will be moving out.

Tri pl etai l are starting to show now. We are getting mixed reports, this is especially true now when the water clarity reaches its peak. Go offshore and run the crab trap lines. Englewood to Venice is the area now, but they should be moving south as the month goes on.

Bl ackti ps , s andbars , bo nnetheads even a few bul l s harks are mixed and scattered, but they are definitely also starting to move around.

Continued on facing page

2009

TWO BY TWO Above: Capt Dan Cambern of Hammerhead charters sent us this photo of Robert Hudson from Tampa with 2 double digit gags caught and released under the new federal program “we are being forced to adhere to.” Below a gobi and a tiny crab from inshore.

Offshore Report from Capt. Steve Capt S teve S kevington Water LIFE offshore Snapper, snapper and more snapper, That about sums up what we have been doing for the last few weeks. I am, for the most part, fishing ledges in 50-65 feet of water. The fish on these spots are mostly mangrove snapper in the 1- to 6pound range, the larger of them are almost always very hook shy.

We are using live shrimp on 3/0 circle hooks with about two feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader, rigging as light as we can, with sinkers as small as 1/2 oz. These light rigs seem to get the most bites.

Moving offshore a bit farther into about 75-80 feet of water the mangrove snapper out here have been responding to chum very well. They are coming right up behind the boat

mixed in with some nice yellow tail snapper and every now and again a big cobia or two will show up. We are fishing these guys with flat lines. We just take the sinkers off and feed the bait out behind the boat at the same speed the chum is falling. Do this right and you’ll have more fish than you know what to do with.

The deeper wrecks are where I really like to fish this month. Amberjack and cobia will be out there just waiting to pick a fight with anyone willing to toss them a large live bait.

Trolling is picking up, we are starting to see a lot of big Spanish mackerel and bonita now – the king fish should be right behind them. We are dragging blue and white skirts on top water and No.2 planers down deep with No.4 Clarkspoons behind them about seven- or-eight feet. Don't be

Buy 1 Get 1 Free!

Buy One Dozen Regul ar S hri mp and get 1 Dozen FREE Pl ease menti on Water LIFE magazi ne Offer expires April 1, 2009

El Jobean Bait & Tackle

Next to the Marathon Gas station at the north side of the El Jobean Bridge on hwy 776 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sun – Thurs 6 a.m. – midnight Fri & Sat

941- 623-5883

Dozen Shrimp: $2.50 Regular $4 Hand Pick $5 Jumbo

Amberjacks are on the offshore wrecks.

afraid to troll em fast, we have been trolling about 9 knots from spot to spot and picking up fish just about everywhere.

They can swim but they can’t hide.

Capt. Steve can be reached at: 575-3528 for fishing information or to book a charter trip.

March

2009

Water LIFE

F i s h i n g The The BIG-4 BIG-4 Report .

Continued from facing Page

MAGAZINE

Fish Fish to to expect expect in in March March

There has been a little SNAPPER: Still thick SNOOK: Out in the canal amberjack action offshore offshore in 30 to 60 feet of mouths and at the El Jobean on the closer deeper reefs, AJs water trestle at night mixed with boni ta have been here already showing as close in as three miles. There have already been a few ki ngfi sh and by the end of this month it looks like it will be time to troll the inshore reefs. The wide passes like Boca Grande and Captiva should attract the kings late this month.

S pani sh mackerel will be right with the kings. There are some ‘scouts’ out now, but by the end of the month the wolf packs of Spanish mackerel should be here.

Time to get ready for tarpon. Maybe late this month or early April. The juveniles and resident adults are going good in the PGI and Port Charlotte canals already feeding on bait. The bigger guys on the upper Peace and Myakka River will take a cut catfish tail, a ladyfish or the old standCapt. Angel Torres (R) back at the dock. by, a D.O.A. bait buster.

Cobi a are starting to appear offshore pinfish. There are more ‘pins’ than I have and should move in if the water warms up ever seen, they’re even out on the beach. later this month. Early April will be prime Big trout, in the mid 20s, really nice cobia time. School bus, boxcars all the fish, have been caught on hand picked deeper water wrecks is where they show up shrimp under a cork, There are also quite a first when the flood gate of cobia opens. few success stories on sheepshead and a variety of mangrove snapper at the Lemon Bay: Boca Grande side of the Placida Trestle.

Jim at Fishermen’s Edge, Guys are fishing shrimp, crabs, tube Englewood: worms or sand fleas.

697-7595 And there have been a few little pomGuides are telling me they are having pano on Englewood and Stump Pass good luck. I’ve had reports of big snook, beach. Mackerel and a few ki ngs are out over 20 pounds, at Whidden Creek and there already and the Shrimp Boat wreck around Cayo Pelau. There have been some has been a good spot for permi t. One guy nice redfi sh in the cut at Whidden Creek told me he caught a nice tri pl e tai l last as well. It seems like there have been quite week. No one talks much about tripletail a few reds caught on Exude baits, but because they don’t want everyone running mostly everyone is throwing jigs. The the crab pots. I usually don’t hear about guys throwing shrimp are catching tons of tripletail until after they are gone.

TROUT: Moving up the harbor or hanging on the grass flats when itʼs warm

SHEEPSHEAD: around the Placida and El Jobean Trestles and the old phosphate dock.

Page 23 2009 KIds Cup April 25.

Applications Available

C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s

brought

to

you

by:

4265 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte

941 - 625-2700

March 7: IFA Redfi s h To ur, Laishley Park, Punta Gorda March 14-15: Fl ats mas ters To urnament: Laishley Park, Punta Gorda March 14-15: Seafo o d Fes ti v al : Laishley Park March 21: XTreme Redfi s h To urnament, Port Charlotte, Banana Bay Motel, sign up in the a.m. on tournament day. 456-1540 March 21 & 28: USCG Aux. Flotilla 87 Two day Bo ati ng Safety cl as s , Lemon Bay Park, Englewood, 8:30 – 12:30 p.m. Will qualify for the Florida Boater Card. $25p/p or $20 feach or 2 family members. 941-697-9435 March 28: Fi s hi ng Sy mpo s i um, West Marine, Fishing Port Charlotte, inshore snook and reds, harbor tarpon, RIGHT NOW: offshore fishing, new regulations. Limited space Still 625-2700 March 28: Grady Whi te Captai n’s & Fi rs t Great!

Mate’s Sy mpo s i um and Bo at Sho w, Charlotte Event and Confrence Center 941-347-8086 April 1: Fl o ri da Fi s hi ng , 6 week introduction with Capt.

Ralph Allen. Wednesday evenings 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. $40, advance registration, call 637-1655 April 25: Water LIFE Ki ds Cup To urnament, Fishermen’s Village, Punta Gorda 766-8180 April 30: Redfi s h Cup, Net Gains Kids fishing program and seminar, Laishley Park.

May 1-3: Redfi s h Cup, Punta Gorda

March

2009

Water LIFE

MAGAZINE

Page 24