Water LIFE May 2011

W a t e r LIFE

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

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The official publication of the Charlotte Harbor Reef Association

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Impressive Catches

Here We Go!

Tarpon

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First Legal Redfish Kid Fishing Page 13

Water Quality Report Page 7 w w w. W a t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e . c o m Online every month!

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NEW! NEW! NEW! Donʼt let the size fool you, Florida Room 12X20,does not show under A/C, this is where the seasonal owners enjoy Florida living. New roof, gutters, A/C, insulation, drywall, electrical, all new tile floors thru out, cabinets, appliances, complete baths, ceiling fans, septic tank pumped, shed and the list goes on. For right price most new furniture will stay. $74,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941235-5648

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BURNT STORE VILLAGE POOL HOME Country living with privacy, 3/2/2 with 1,759 sq ft under A/C. Built in 1993. 15x15 kitchen with Island open to family rm. 4 nice walk in closets, pool bath. Master has jetted tub and walk in shower. Tile thru out except for bedrooms. Two large trees in front, Just a little TLC and this could be the home you are looking for. $129,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948

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Tarpon & Shark Headquarters Letters to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net

Water LIFE Magazine inc.

www.waterlifemagazine.com Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

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

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Not affiliated

with any other publication Vol X No 5 © 2011

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

Contributing Editors:

Pet Pictures are coming in!

With two months to go the Paw-Fect Picture Contest is drawing a lot of attention.

When the photos arrive we post them to our website and notify the sender with a link to the page with the pet photos. Then the following month the pictures appear here. Judging will be at the end of June.

Send us your pet in a water related photo today! waterlife@comcast.net with “contest” in the subject line.

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Water LIFE Thank you!!

How great! I love this contest, what a wonderful idea. Happy to be part of this! :) Thanks again!

Best Regards, Crystal & Wri gl ey Crocker

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

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13-year old Austin Phelps caught his first legal redfish last month. Page 13

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

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Different Approaches to Fishery Regulation

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor “We don’t like him” (the pink bottlenosed dolphin) one local Brazilian fisherman was quoted as saying in an April, NY Times story. “He kept coming closer and the fish were leaving, so I harpooned the dolphin.”

Harpooning or netting dolphins goes on a lot in Brazil.

Over 1,500 river dolphins are killed annually in the Mamiraua Reserve of the western Amazon alone. Their carcasses have been showing up in large numbers on riverbanks, their flesh cut away for fishing bait.

Some Brazilian fishermen have been killing dolphins to use their meat as bait to catch a particular river catfish called piracatinga. The catfish fillet is later often sold as being some other species. “We want to make money” one local fisherman said unbashfully, noting two dead dolphins could provide enough bait to bring

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A commercial fisherman at Two Pine, last month, waited for a school of mullet in a narrow spot where the water moved well.

him $2400 worth of catfish sales in just one day.

Supposedly, a fisherman from Columbia figured out if you hold a boney chunk of dolphin meat underwater with a rubber glove, the big river catfish will come up to grab it and you can stick them. Kind of like noodleing...but with a spear.

The demand for piracatinga became great after another local species (capaz) had been overfished into extinction.

Brazilian marine biologists are trying to educate the fishermen and have suggested they switch to a different bait such as hog meat, which they are also short of.

Dolphin are protected in Brazil like they are in the US, but with only 5 agents in Brazil to cover an area twice the size of Texas. "It's a matter of priority, and right now the government is focusing on deforestation," one Brazilian natural resource official explained.

Closer to home, a new high-tec hook has been mandated to protect bluefin tuna from becoming by-catch on longline rigs. Starting this month NOAA’s Fisheries Service will require commercial fishermen who fish for

yellowfin tuna, swordfish and other species with longlines in the Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico to use a new type of hook, called a weak hook. The hook is designed to reduce the Weak hook right, traditional incidental catch of bigger circle hook left. You can barebluefin tuna that spawn ly see the difference in the Gulf.

The weak hook is a circle hook constructed of thin gauge wire designed to straighten when a large fish, such as bluefin tuna is hooked. The average size yellowfin tuna is only about 86 pounds while the bluefin tuna landed in the Gulf of Mexico average 485 pounds.

Is the weak hook, like the dehooker or the venting device, a new fishery management tool? Could regulators ever specify weak hook sizes for recreational anglers? I’m afraid we’ll all just have to wait and see.

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Striped Mullet

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Stock Assessment Underway

By Betty S taugl er Water LIFE / Sea Grant The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI) began a one year targeted sampling effort to assess the stock of striped mullet in Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay in February of this year. The last stock assessment for this species took place in 2005.

Striped mullet are distributed worldwide in most coastal waters and estuaries of tropical and subtropical seas. They were actually one of the first fish I saw two months ago while snorkeling in Hawaii. Tagging data show that some striped mullet move between Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Striped mullet reside in bays and tributaries but spawn offshore in depths up to 5,400 feet during November through early January. Striped mullet grow to about 6-7 inches fork length in one year and can reach 9–13 years of age. Females mature at 2–3 years old when about 11.5 inches. Florida mullet are considered vegetarians although they are known to eat cocopods and other small organisms. They are also the only fish to have a gizzard, much like a chicken, which is used to grind up and digest plant material.

FWC-FWRI monitors fish populations throughout the year. The Charlotte Harbor Field Lab has boats out most days pulling nets for this purpose. As part of their ongoing sampling, they use 70 foot seines to assess juvenile stocks and 600 foot seines to assess adult populations.

The 600 foot seine does not work well for assessing mullet however. This is because mullet jump and can easily jump over the net. So, for the mullet stock assessment a trammel net is used.

In the Charlotte Harbor sampling effort, the harbor is divided into four sampling regions. Each month a crew goes out in search of at least 80 mullet in each of the four regions. Thirty mullet (from at least two different locations within each region are collected and brought back to the lab. Another 50 are measured and released. Any additional mullet caught are also measured and released. Back at the lab, the 30 mullet are measured, weighed, sex is determined and ear stones are removed to age the fish. This information along with the ear stones are sent to St. Petersburg for further analysis.

I went out with the Charlotte Harbor group in March to sample for striped mullet in the Gasparilla Sound region.

The process involved driving around looking for mullet jumping and then setting the trammel net. Spring and Summer time sampling is not very easy because the mullet don’t school up like they do in the Fall and Winter when they are heading offshore to spawn. A number of times we saw mullet jumping only to find out the five jumps we saw were from the five mullet located in that area. Other times our catch was mixed with silver mullet, a non target species. This stock assessment is only looking at striped mullet. Striped mullet has more commercial value as both a food fish and for its roe, particularly in the Asian market. Silver mullet (also called white mullet) also has commercial value but primarily as bait for sport fishing.

Sampling for the striped mullet stock assessment will continue until February 2012 with the stock assessment results following.

Pulling the net, last month, in the FWC-FWRI striped mullet stock assessment

Highlights from the 2005 striped mullet assessment:

The commercial fishery constituted

84% percent of the total landings during 2000-2004. The west coast of Florida contributed to 85% of the total commercial landings during 2000-2004.

Since the 1995 net-ban, Florida’s commercial landings have sharply declined to an annual average of 8.1 million pounds, a 67% reduction if compared to the recent historical (1967-1990) average level of 25 million pounds. The total commercial landings in 2004 were 7.6 million pounds. The number of commercial fishing trips declined from an annual average of 62,345 trips before the net-ban took effect (1986-1994) to 28,785 trips after the net-ban took effect (1995-2004), a total reduction of 54%.

The proportion of the roe-season

landings to the total landings increased during the post net-ban period in the southwest region and remained unchanged

in the east coast and northwest regions.

Statewide recreational landings of striped mullet have been variable from 1.0 million pounds in 1985 to 5.1 million pounds in 1996. Recreational landings have averaged 1.6 million pounds during 2000-2004.

Commercial catch rates for striped mullet increased following the elimination of entangling gears in Florida waters on both coasts. This increase probably reflects the increase in the stock size.

Current stocks in the east coast,

NW, and SW regions appear to be healthy and current levels of fishing effort appear to be sustainable.

Source: The 2005 update of the stock assessment for striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in Florida. Behzad Mahmoudi, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Betty Staugler is the Florida Sea Grant Agent for Charlotte County. S he can be reached at 941.764.4346 Sea Grant is part of of the University of Florida IFAS Extension

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By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Punta Gorda A day on Charlotte Harbor is about adventure. My focus is always fishing, but normally every day has some profound experience involving mother nature that one will never experience on dry land. May is the month where every aquatic sea creature will be active, engaging in mating rituals and on the hunt.

Each trip involves mental and physical preparation prior to the day and often the weather and tides change the game plan.

Recently, I had four anglers raring to go offshore in pursuit of kings and grouper.

Checking the weather the day before changed everything. Winds were 15 knots with 4 foot seas so phone calls were made, gear put away and Plan B was to fish the backcountry. The only problem was a very low tide, east winds and a flat spot in the tides for the first four hours of the day. Plan C was to go fish canals in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte that would have some current flow due to the labyrinth of canals systems that exit to the harbor.

My buddy Mick and I ran south to catch our bait. On the outside of Burnt Store Bar the waters were alive with fish, crabs, stingrays and aquatic creatures. As we began to chum for bait, a boxfish, a rare tropical fish for these parts appeared in our chum and eventually was cast netted by accident. A beautiful fish with tropical colors and hard body later became a common sight on the bar. There must have been a spawn taking place because we later caught a finger nail sized one.

What brought these unusual fish to our shallows I wondered and at the same time I marveled at how incredible this place is. During the bait catching, bottle nose dolphins jumped wildly with a SeaWorld display in only 2 feet of water.

The culmination of their display was one dolphin showing off by tail slapping the water after every dip with 10-15 tail slaps over the next few minutes. Later while

Needlefish

chuming a bonnet head shark swam up to the boat to investigate our presence. All of this occurred within sight of the high rises of Burnt Store!

So, on we go straight up to suburban fishing in a residential canal system.

Pitching fat pilchards to dock pilings and rip rap eventually led the way to a monster grab on both of our lines! Drags burning, lines criss-crossing and 5 minutes later we both hoist 10 pound jack crevalles. Neighbors watched from their lanai’s as we released them and cast again.

Two snook came aboard in the first two hours as well, but the slow fishing had us zipping out and across the harbor to Hog

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Harbor Water is something wrong?

Cloudy ʻplumeʼ causes DEP to take samples

April 28: The lab results are back. There were several species of diatoms/dinoflagellates present but none in concentrations that would cause concern. No redtide cells were present. So...an algae bloom is not the cause of the plume. Hard to tell what is. Additional anaylsis is being done by the Lee County lab...nutrients, turbidity, color, etc. The FWC fish folks have not observed any changes in their sampling catch. They also have not noted any unhealthy fish or abnormal fish behavior. This of course could be a function of where they are sampling relative to the plume location.

The plume could very well be a natural function of wind or the warm weather we're experienceing. A similar phenomena near Stump Pass was observed last year when it was really windy for several days. Another hunch is related to the macroalgae (drift algae) abundance we've been experiencing in the upper harbor, particularly along the east wall. When algae dies off in mass it uses a lot of oxygen. It may also lead to an increase in turbidity. If the Lee County lab results shed any light I'll let you know.

Good to have so many eyes on the water!

Betty Staugler / Sea Grant

Island to fish the incoming.

Mick’s first cast under a mangrove met with a hard thump and a big snook sped off and broke 50 pound test on an oyster patch below the bushes! A cast by me met with the same fate as I was slow to realize a fish had taken my bait and moved deeper under the bush. For the next two hours we picked sweet spots in the mangroves and managed a small redfish and a six small snook. As the day wore on fishing was slow and a lunch break was in order before the late afternoon bite.

Stopping at a small creek inlet south of Ponce Park, Mick banged three more snook with the biggest approaching 24-inches. The next stop was to a back bay area where we searched for open water fish by sprinkling white bait around allowing them to swim freely with hopes of locating free ranging fish. An occasional surface pop showed the location of fish and we cast large pilchards to the disturbance. We added speckled trout, a few small snook

and gafftop catfish. One more spot before day’s end finished the tally with a small jack and hard- head catfish. Charlotte Harbor once again brought a day of adventure. Overall, the fishing was slow with no major fish however to encounter subtropical sea creatures, fish, sharks, dolphins and birdlife within a few miles of civilization is nothing short of remarkable.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Back country Guide Serv ice and can be reached at 941-628-8040 or go to his website www.back country -charters.com

Snook & Trout photos: Capt. Billy Barton

New Guide: First Month Page 8

By Bi l l y Barton Water LIFE Inshore Well...., who's catchin’ fish!?

Springtime is finally upon us. I say it all the time. If there's one time of year down here you don't want to miss, it's April and May! I'm sittin’ at my computer desk right now it's ten o'clock on Easter Sunday and I can officially say I took my first day off the water today in 15 days. I have an addiction. Some of you guys can relate. It's ok, it's ok, there's worse stuff we could be addicted to. If there's one negative thing I can bring myself to say about it, it is getting a little bit expensive. But it's good for the soul! Anyhow, I'm gonna’ get on to the fun stuff. I had my first handful of charters this month and they went just as they needed to. We had a heck of a lot of fun, caught some gorgeous days, and boy did we catch a bunch of nice fish – the photos here are all from this month!

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This month I'm just gonna touch up on my routine and what we've been getting.

Let’s just pretend we had a full day trip scheduled, here's what we would do. I start my day around six a.m. by heading out to chum up some whitebait at the crack of dawn. The whitebait is very heavy down towards Bokeelia, over on Devil Fish Key, and near Cape Haze Point. A couple other places to get it are the east and west wall, and marker number one or two in the harbor.

Besides the whitebait, I always like to have a couple dozen select to handpicked size shrimp in the livewell just in case.

The bonnet head sharks are all over the flats right now. These are the tastiest sharks goin’ and they're a heck of a lot of fun to catch on light tackle. They sense the vibration of the trolling motor and they come right up to the boat on many occasions. Very rarely will they pass up a shrimp which is their main diet.

OK back to the routine. After I catch my whitebait it's time to go fishin! Recently I've been fishing a lot on the east and west walls of the Harbor, Turtle and Bull Bay, and Whidden Creek, along with Two Pine, Pine Island Sound, and Bokeelia. Man that really narrowed it down, didn't it?

The fishing is just on fire everywhere!

We usually start out by catching snook and redfish. I like to catch

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these fish during the early part of the day when it's nice and cool out. Snook and redfish just love whitebait for breakfast! In the morning, on high water, a lot of these fish will be up against the shorelines already

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and some will be out on the flats searching for food. As the sun gets higher up in the sky that's when they start to look for shade and when you want to put your full focus on fishing shorelines.

If the sun is out and the tide is low, that's when you want to concentrate on fishing some troughs and potholes, along with some deeper shorelines.

There have been some hefty trout down south near Bokeelia laying in those potholes. Last week got two gator trout over six pounds.

After we break the ice, catch the early morning rush, and put some fish in the boat, that's when I like to get out there on the open water and catch sharks and Spanish mackerel.

Boca Grande Pass, Little Gasparilla Pass, Cape Haze reef, Alligator Creek reef,

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the 20- foot hole in the harbor, outside the Burnt Store bar, or around the channel markers are good places to get out there and target these fish. You need to chum when fishing for sharks if you really want to get’ em going. I usually bring a chum block with me, this really helps bring the fish in.

If you buy one, make sure you get the oiliest one you can buy! Along with the chum block I steadily chum hard with live and cut up whitebait. Just throw out a handful or two every five or 10minutes. This will help a lot, you'll see!

Some nice light tackle spinning outfits tipped with a six inch piece of piano wire leader and a 2 or 3/0 hook is what I use for em. No weight - you don't need it, just free line a piece

of whitebait and you should hear that drag scream. Boy are these fish fun I just can't get enough of em!

OK, it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon and by now we're getting a little tired, sunburned and sweaty. The action's been great! We caught a bunch of fish.

There's one problem... We still have two hundred pieces of bait in the live well!

Let's go take a boat ride and get cooled off, then we'll go finish off the day with a big jack or three what do you say!?

Burnt Store, Pirate Harbor, Alligator Creek, Punta Gorda Isles, or Grassy Point; it really doesn't matter which canal we choose I know we'll get em goin. Although not many people eat them, pound for pound I'd say jacks are one of the best fighting fish in the harbor. Man can they take some drag off your spool! It's a great way to let your bait go, and a great way to finish off the day!

I keep tellin’ myself I'm gonna get out there and catch some tarpon! Every year this happens to me I just can't pull myself off the flats to go catch tarpon! They are here pretty much in full force now and right on schedule if not a little bit ahead of schedule. I know a lot of guys have been out there gettin’ em. Yeah that's what I'm gonna do this month I definitely need to go get my tarpon fix.

Man are we spoiled in this county or what! Every day, and every moment spent out there is a gift. Savor every second.

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Fishing on Charlotte Harbor - It's not just fishin, it's a passion!

Capt. Billy Barton, runs Scales N' Tails Fishing Charters. He can be reached for questions or to book a fishing trip at (941) 9796140 or bartonw24@yahoo.com Take a kid along (under 15) on any charter with Capt. Billy and take 10% off the cost of the trip!

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By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Inshore Eight to 80 it takes all ages. Last month I received a phone call about a fishing charter from a gentleman. We discussed how many anglers could go along and what they could expect to catch on one of these trips. How long would the trip be and just some small talk. Then the gentleman - we will call him Edward - tells me that he is 80 plus years old and would be

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bringing another angler along, this would be his grandson whose name is Lukas and he is 8.

So, we agreed upon a date and time to take these guys out for a four-hour fishing adventure. The day came and we met at the dock to embark on what would be lots of fun. Edward warned me that Lukas would most likely ask lots of questions so I explained how I had been a captain for a

few of the Kids Cup tournaments and could hold my own - plus I have also taught the Don Ball School of Fishing the last few years with about 25-30 7th grade students, and I teach Sunday school for this age group as well. So Lukas and I had a talk before we got too far along on our trip. I explained to him that I don't answer silly questions so he had to think about it before he was to ask.

Before we ran down the harbor, I prayed for a safe trip and some fish that they could take home and share with their family and friends. Just as I finished, there came the first question - "How far is it to where we are going to fish?" "Well" I said, "about 10-minutes and we should have some hooks in the water." "What are we going to catch? - how big and how many?" were the next round of inquiries.

"How fast can this boat go? - how much horsepower is it? - how deep is the water?

- is that a depth finder fish finder?"

I was thinking, man I am in trouble this young boy is asking good questions to start. He asked what kind of anchor that was and how did it work - asking about my Stick It anchor that I only spent 80 bucks for it and not $1500 for a Power Pole - he was pretty sharp for 8. To make things tougher, the fish did not want to bite at our first stop where I felt we could find a redfish pretty easy - not.

So I told the guys it was time to move.

This time we traveled south down the Harbor below half way point and eased up

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to a good looking area of mangroves and threw some shrimp.

The fish still were slow to bite, but the first fish that Lukas caught was a catfish and that cracked the ice. We moved again a little further south and not much changed. Lukas had more good questions, but I was thinking of our next place to fish. So much for catching a redfish - my focus now was to start trout fishing, something that I have a lot of experience doing.

We eased out away from the mangroves and I started to change tackle for trout fishing; putting popping corks on the lines. I had to teach them how to present this in the proper way. By that time Lukas was a little bored and wanted to fool around. We drifted across the grass beds and had no bites on Lukas's pole, but Edward was hooking some small trout and ladyfish.

I stopped Lukas and took the pole and demonstrated how to work the popper and handed it

back to Lukas. On the very first cast he caught a nice trout and he started to pay attention to my coaching.

By the time we needed to return to the dock we had three keeper trout in the box.

They had a good time, but after I cleaned the trout and put them in a Ziplock baggie, it was time for them to go. Edward came back to the dock by himself to thank me- and let me know that Lukas had lost his father, Edward's son, in a construction accident a couple of years ago. He made it clear that my patience with Lukas was greatly appreciated.

I just think back to the days when my Pops taught me how to fish and the time he spent teaching me - makes it all worth it. He passed on 9-10-01 and I still remember some things he taught me then that I am just now figuring out. From 8 to 80 we can still learn.

If y ou hav e someone that y ou would lik e to tak e fishing / or teach fishing with Capt.

Bart, giv e us a call at 941-979-6517 and we will get y ou hook ed up. Singing drags and tight lines mak e me smile.

The $1,000,000 Manatee

M a y 2 0 11

On the Line Wi th Capt. Ron Bl ago

Water LIFE Senior Staff

For some time now, I have felt that we spend way too much taxpayers money on so called manatee protection measures in Florida. The Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) gets about $4.0 million dollars per year for their manatee program and all we seem to get are pamphlets that tell us watch out for manatees when we are boating and of course more manatee zones. Recently, I've come to realize that this is chump change, small potatoes, tip of the iceberg when it comes to how much taxpayers money is spent on manatee protection measures.

Over on the East Coast of Florida the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just finished work on installing manatee protection devices on the four gates of the Cape Canaveral Lock for the price of $1.4 million or $350,000 per gate. This lock connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Banana River. Workers attached an array of sound transmitters to one gate and a matching array of receivers to the opposing gate.

When a manatee swims between the closing gates, the manatee blocks sound

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waves in the water, triggering an alarm and causing the gate to stop and reopen.

It appears that manatees aren't smart enough to get out of the way of a slow moving gate that is about to crush them.

My question is, what if the manatee doesn't want to get out of the way? Does the gate keep opening and trying to close like when you stick your foot in an elevator door? And what about the poor boater that is trying to make it through the lock; does he have to sit there and watch the gate open and close with the alarms going off until the manatee gets tired of this game and moves on. If they left it to me, I would hire an unemployed fisherman to hang out at the lock and if the gate was trying to open and a manatee was there, he would poke it with a long stick until the sea cow moved on. I bet you could buy a lot of long sticks for $1.4 million dollars.

The reason for these new sensors is that over the last 34 years since 1974 there have been 17 manatees crushed in these gates. That comes out to almost half a manatee a year. They hope to get at least 10 years of use out of these new sensors. I hope they are right because the last set of sensors they installed in 2000,

at a cost of $400,000 didn't work out so well. So that's how I figured out that they were willing to spend a million dollars to save a manatee; but remember the old saying- if at first you don't succeed; spend, spend again.

Statewide, about 200 manatee deaths have been attributed to navigational locks or gates since 1974. That's about 5 a year; and how much taxpayers money are we willing to spend to lower that number. Remember that we have a lot of gates in Florida. Miami has already spent

P a g e 11

$5.7 million putting in sensors for their locks as required by their Manatee Protection Plan; and that's just the start.

Consider this: in the last two winters there has been only one manatee mortality in a flood gate or canal lock; but there have been 384 manatees that have died from cold stress. I'm thinking someone should start making long underwear for manatees. I bet you could get at least $300,000 a pair.

Capt. Ron Blago can be reached at captronb@juno.com for comments.

Fishing for Shark:

Page 12

Wi th Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Up-River What do I look for when going out to fish the open Harbor for either shark or cobia? NO OTHER BOATS, that is my first consideration. I was anchored up in a spot, just trying it to see what may be there and this moron comes flying by in his boat holding up his hand held GPS and pushes the button. Ah ha! I have a secret fishing spot. Just plain dumb. Why in the heck would you go out fishing just to huddle up against a couple dozen other boats? To my way of thinking I would rather catch a few less fish in the quiet, than more fish in a crowd.

We left my place up on the Peace River heading down to the Harbor, with a bag of frozen fish, or as I call it my fresh bait insurance. If I leave the dock with no frozen bait expecting to find fresh bait I could be out a month and never see a bit of it. If I leave with some frozen bait, in less than 20 minutes I always have all the fresh bait I can use. It’s just the way it works out.

So we stopped at the 41 bridges and I tossed the cast net 8 time and we had some fresh lady fish, a couple sugar trout, and a few other fish for bait. So off we roared full speed ahead with the wind in our face. I am sure we topped at least 12 miles per hour in the p-toon boat. White knuckled we valiantly forged ahead keeping a look out for a quiet place to anchor.

We chose a spot just north of the 20 foot holes. First things first, we put out our chum bag; I have really been likeing the chum in the bag with the anise oil added into to it. This is our 3rd year carrying that type in the store and I really like the results.

With the chum bag out, I started rigging for shark, 15 pound test line as I did not want to lose any. More sporting would be 4 pound test, but we were meat hunting wanting to get 2 sharks for meals, this was not a catch and release day.

Started the first line out with a float on it. Bait about 4 feet below the bobber. The second line was free lined out. Our number three line had a 1½ ounce sinker on it to keep it from drifting into the other lines.

Once the rods were out it was not long and zing went moms rod and a blacktip was

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M a y 2 0 11

and whoʼs that guy in the pink shirt with sleeves?

thrashing it out on her hook. Zoom, off to the right, it is like they have a super charger in their little behinds. Fast is not a good enough term for what they are like when you hook them up.

When mom got her shark next to the boat I reached out with my right hand to test the weight of the fish, lifting it a little out of the water to make sure I could hold the weight with my left hand. No problem on this shark. So once I lifted it clear of the water but holding the leader, when it’s back was to me I grabbed it by the back of the head with my left hand. I make sure my thumb is just at the top of the gills on one side and my fingers are holding in the gills on the other side. I always grab them by the back of the head, as I have seen shark curve

back around to bite someone holding its tail.

Back of the head is the safest way to grab one.

Once the fish is under control I removed the hook, then using a very sharp bait knife I cut into the shark just below the mouth cutting the belly open all the way to its butt.

Then I remove the guts, and rinse the shark to remove most of the blood. Then I put it right into the ice chest. It is very important to remove the liver and other organs as well as bleed out the shark to stop any tainting of the meat. If you do not do this it does not poison the meat it just does not taste as perfect as it should. Shark meat should not get warm either; keep it in the ice chest.

I use an 8 to 17 pound test rod with a 30 size reel, all medium weight tackle. When it come to hooks and leaders, I cheat. I am using a blood red steel leader pre-snelled.

They sell two in a pack for a little over $3 and the sharks seem to not be botherd by them. Yes I should build my own, but these work so well and they are cheap.

It may take up to 45 minutes for us to start catching, but then it is hot and heavy for about 2 hours and tends to fade off after that.

We have been averaging 6 to 8 sharks in 2 hours, so not too bad!

The main thing to remember is have fun and enjoy the day.

Fishin’ Frank can be reached at Fishin’’ Frank s at 625-3888 or frank@fishinfranks.com

Take A Kid Fishing

M a y 2 0 11

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Page 13

It will be good for both of you!

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE editor There is no better energy than that of an excited young fisherman – and 13-year old Austin Phelps is certainly one of those. Standing in front of Fishin’ Franks at 6:30 a.m. I saw Austin’s enthusiasm drop when Capt. Billy Barton announced we weren’t going to trailer down to Matlacha that morning. Then Austin lit up again, big, when Billy finished....“It’s flat calm, we’ll just run down there in the boat.”

A far off new place to fish, and going there by boat – it doesn’t get any better than that for a 13 year old. Might as well have been Africa. He hadn’t been there either.

Thirteen year old Austin Phelps holds his first legal redfish while Capt. Billy Barton takes the picture.

Austin lives on a saltwater canal in Port Charlotte and fishes it a lot. He’d fished with Capt. Billy before, but he was still looking for his first legal redfish.

We ran down the harbor with the first morning light, caught bait at Jug Creek and headed for Along with a couple of snook, like the one below right, holding on to Austinʼs Two Pine. Then we thumb, there was also this 27-inch red that brought out the big smiles. picked our way around the islands as the tide came in.

Austin was first fish on with a legal 18.25 inch red. Mission accomplished! But more fish came too, including another red, two snook and a dead on 27 inch tournament quality red. There were lots of pictures taken.

The fishing was great, although if you ask Capt Billy who was sight fishing light tackle for two big snook cruising through; he would tell you he was out gunned.

But the best part was watching Austin with the fish.

Someone has been doing a good job with this young fisherman. He’s got that firm yet gentle fish-handlingtouch, he’s eagar to learn, appreciative and at home with a Boga Grip. How many fish you caught, Austin? Don’t ever answer first! We laughed and talked all day. Before we released the big red Austin got a chance to resuscitate out a special grin. it and work with it in the water until the fish was ready to swim It was one boy’s fishing memory captured forever and we were away. all a part of it. At the end of the day Austin thanked Capt. Billy And I got a good window of kids fishing again. There is noth- and me over and over, but I think Billy and I were the fortunate ing like the smile you get when you take a picture of a kid with ones. We were there to share Austin’s “first time ever” moment. the first fish, but when you have that first big redfish it brings That’s what makes taking a kid fishing so great.

Page 14

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M a y 2 0 11

Crystal River

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking Paddling at some of the beautiful streams in other parts of Florida is always an adventure. New sights to see, new people to meet, and new restaurants to sample, all add up to a great experience. So we decided to take three days off and paddle two of the best springs in north-central Florida; Rainbow Springs and The Three Sisters (Crystal River).

Early Tuesday morning we packed the car and started on the three hour drive to Crystal River. Arriving at the Best Western Resort about noon, we checked in, and unloaded the kayaks for a paddle in the Crystal River. The Best Western is

a great place for kayakers to stay as they have a boat ramp on Kings Bay, a fullservice dive shop and other amenities that make kayaking easy and pleasant. And, the resort is a short walking distance from two of the best restaurants in Crystal River; Charlie’s and Crackers.

Both feature wonderfully prepared seafood fresh from the Bay and the Gulf.

We launched from the boat ramp, pushing the algae aside, and paddled west into Kings Bay. The Three Sisters are a group of three pools of clear, blue water at a constant temperature of 72 degrees.

They are located about one mile from the ramp on the east side of Kings Bay. The water flows from small limestone openings into the white sand bottom of the spring, although it is hard to spot the flow. Access to the spring is blocked by three concrete posts so that only kayaks, canoes and swimmers can enter. The spring is home, particularly in the winter, to manatees due to the warm, constant temperature water.

We paddled to the entrance, surprised by the number of kayakers and tour boats that were in the area. Slipping between the barrier posts, we explored the beautiful clear blue water and the rock formations below. No manatees on this day, however, we did see small fish and a lot of birds.

Day two was another perfect Florida day and we left early to drive the 20 plus

miles to Dunnellon, Fl, where Rainbow Springs is located. The Rainbow River is fed by Rainbow Springs, a first magnitude spring that discharges half-a-million gallons of water a day through numerous vents the length of the River. From spring-head to Dunnellon, where the Rainbow River empties into the Withlacoochee River, is about 6 miles.

The clear water attracts many species of fish and wildlife and the vegetation along the river banks is most attractive.

According to archaeologists, the area surrounding the spring and river has sustained human inhabitants for over 10,000 years.

We decided to launch from the KP Hole Park, some two miles south of the spring, and paddle upstream to the recreation area located at Rainbow Springs Park. KP Hole Park has made lots of recent improvements in the kayak launch ramps and other facilities, and is a great place to start your paddle. We paddled upstream with many other kayakers, and of course, a few sightseeing boats. When

we arrived at the spring, there were many swimmers enjoying the 72 degree water in the recreation area. We explored the spring-head area, then paddled back downstream, past KP Hole Park by about 2 miles toward Dunnellon. The stream banks were lined with tall, stately cypress and live oak festooned with Spanish moss. More anhinga’s than we had ever seen we diving for lunch. A few fishermen were anchored along the banks, casting for their lunch. Birds of all description flew past as we paddled. On the return paddle upstream, we saw an otter fishing and playing along the bank.

After about four hours of paddling, we were ready for some lunch, like the anhinga and fishermen. But what a great paddle in one of the most beautiful rivers in Florida.

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

M a y 2 0 11

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Page 15

Port Charl otte

Pi rate Harbor

Call the Captain! COMPLETELY REMODELED! 150 ft. of Waterfront, gulf access, deep sailboat water. Over 1,900 sq. ft., hand laid stone fireplace, enormous family room. Waterfront extras are a dock, boat lift, davits, ramp, seawall and concrete patio right on the waterfront! $279,000

Punta Gorda Isl es

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

Burnt S tore Isl es

Call the Captain! DEEP SAILBOAT WATER! Build your Florida dream home or vacation get-away on this gulf access lot located in a golf course neighborhood. Concrete seawall and dock already installed.

No bridges to the open water of Charlotte Harbor for world class fishing and boating fun. $185,000

Port Charl otte

Call the Captain! GREAT SAILBOAT LOCA-

TION! Located in a nautical neighborhood, just a short boat ride to Charlotte Harbor for world class fishing.

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

Call the Captain! DEEP WATER IMMEDIATE HARBOR ACCESS! Intersecting canal views and 7 lots from harbor.

Expansive deck and beautiful tropical lanai overlooks pool, multiple docks, lifts and open water. $289,000

Punta Gorda Isl es

Pi rate Harbor

Punta Gorda Isl es

Call the Captain! DEEP WATER, SAILBOAT QUICK ACCESS! View of intersecting canals 3/3/2, pool home with Mediterranean character. Some added features are chair rail molding, track lighting, fireplace, brick paver driveway, large

concrete dock. $349,000

Burnt S tore Isl es

Call the Captain! TIP LOT HOME! Approx. 179 ft of waterfront with this custom built 2/2/2 home. An added feature is a gazebo styled bonus room perfect for studio or den. $249,500

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

Call the Captain! IMMACULATE GOLF COURSE HOME! This 3/2.5/2 pool home with over 2,000sfAir is located on the fifth hole of the Twin Isles Golf Club. Immaculate $249,900

Call the Captain! COMMUNITY BOAT RAMP .

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Call the Captain! SAILBOAT QUICK ACCESS 4/2/2 POOL HOME Excellent condition, 5 minutes to open water with dock. Nicely updated. $189,000

S outh Gul f Co ve

This home boasts over 2600 sq. ft. Gorgeous tile on diagonal and 18 ft. ceilings in a spectacular great room. Huge master suite with Jacuzzi style tub, large 2nd master on opposite side of house. Alarm system in place. $250,000

Burnt S tore Mari na

Call the Captain! LAKE FRONT HOME!

Stunningly beautiful, ‘2007’, 4/4/3 with over 3,400 sq. ft. of living space. Prestigious Burnt Store Marina, rich wood cabinetry, island kitchen, stainless steel appliances. $549,999

Pi rate Harbor

Call the Captain! WIDE OPEN WATER VIEW OF PIRATE HARBOR BAY! Fully sea walled with composite dock decking with lift pilings. Lot is cleared and ready to build. $175,000

Port Charl otte

CHARLOTTE HARBOR! Walking distance to the Beach Complex from this 4/2/2, 3000sf under air, home.

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

Pi rate Harbor

Call the Captain! ENORMOUS TIP LOT! Overlooks large basin, complete with fill and seawall.

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

Port Charl otte

Call the Captain! QUICK SAILBOAT ACCESS TO CHARLOTTE HARBOR! Located near Port Charlotte Beach Complex. 2/2/1, Florida room, breakfast nook, tons of updates! Fantastic Price! $219,000

Punta Gorda

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Call the Captain! BEAUTIFUL 3/2/2 POOL HOME! Quick access, seawall, close to downtown Punta Gorda, 2 bay garage, in great condition with nearly 1900 sf under air. $249,900

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NA & GOLF COMPLEX! Panoramic lakes views, enormous loft, designer granite throughout in this 4/4/3, 3400sfAir, Country Club Living. Brand New. $549,999

Page 16

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SCUTTLEBUTT

M a y 2 0 11

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

S HARK TAGGER S IGHTING Chris Fisher the internationally acclaimed National Geographic filmmaker who tags great white sharks worldwide could be anchored in the Pass at Boca Grande this month.

THESE GUYS run down the Wabash River in Indiana and silver carp literally jump into the boat. Not one or two fish, but lots of them. Lots of big jumping 8+ pound carp.

You will laugh and send it to your friends. The link is on our website: www.waterlifemagazine.com

PUBLIC INPUT Federal fishery managers are soliciting public input on measures proposed for species managed jointly by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Councils. including king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia. Measures are also being proposed for the lobster fishery, also managed jointly. Annual Catch Limits and accountability measures must be set for these species as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to prevent overfishing. The measures will impact both commercial and recreational fishermen in federal waters along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.

S POTTED EAGLE RAY Officers were on vessel patrol through Whale Harbor Channel when they passed by an eco-tour with a family of four visiting the Keys from Illinois. Moments after passing the vessel, they heard a loud commotion and rushed to the scene to discover a 200 pound ray had launched out of the water and struck a female passenger, then landed in the deck of the boat. The officers returned the ray, with a fiveand-a-half foot wing span, to the water. The victim and the ray were uninjured.

ON ES CAMBIA BAY, Officers observed an oyster harvesting boat operating in an unusual manner. The officer continued to watch as the occupants of the boat harvested oysters by dragging an oyster dredge along the bottom. This is an illegal method of harvest. The officers retrieved the dredge, which was seized as evidence. Two oystermen were charged with harvesting by a mechanical means other than hand tongs.

FANNING DEVICE Officers on the Santa Fe River. observed an anchored vessel that had several sealed Geltype waterproof batteries onboard with a dive flag in the water. A diver was also observed nearby. The officers made contact with the diver who stated that he was “just looking at fish.” When asked about the batteries, the suspect said that they were for his light which he did not have at the time. The officers convinced the suspect to retrieve his ‘fanning device’ that was hidden underwater. The diver admitted to using his battery operated handheld trolling motor to disturb the river bottom in an attempt to retrieve artifacts. The evidence was seized. Felony charges will be filed for attempting to remove archeological specimens by excavation.

er, when the owner of the fish feeder stood near the edge of the lake and told the fishermen to “leave his fish alone.” When the fishermen refused to leave, the owner started the outboard engine on his pontoon boat, and then raised the engine and prop out of the water, spraying water on the fishermen. The individual was charged with intentionally interfering with the lawful taking of fish.

FROM SPACE. NASA astronaut Douglas Wheelock who is currently aboard the International Space Station shares pictures of the Earth with the world through Twitter. Known to his Twitter followers as Astro_Wheels, Wheelock has been posting impressive photos of the Earth ever since he moved into the space station in June, five months after it got Internet access. Seen here, SW Florida and southeastern U.S. coast in the evening with the moonlight over the Atlantic. A link to his photos is at: www.waterlifemagazine.com

IN A TRIBAL REGION of Africa natives all decend on one lake to empty it of fish. This is part of an award winning BBC presentation. The link is on our website: www.waterlifemagazine.com

INTENTIONALLY INTERFERING WITH THE LAWFUL TAKING OF FIS H. Two fishermen were participating in a fishing tournament on the Winter Haven Chain-of-Lakes and were fishing near a fish feed-

NEW VESSEL TYPE This flying boat called FlightShip flys in ground effectʼ (9 feet above the waves) and lands on the water to taxi to a dock. The vessel/craft is internationally certified and travels at about 100 mph.

A full video is on our website at: www.waterlifemagazine.com

OFFSHORE REPORT

M a y 2 0 11

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Page 17

The Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

With Capt. Jim O'Brien

Water LIFE Englewood Hi y-all, I’m just going to start by saying the fish'n has been great. I sure hope y-all got out. There were a few days the wind blew, but when it layed down it was out’ta sight. From the guys I talked to, the inshore and offshore fish'n has been excellent.

Permi t are not here yet, or I haven’t seen any yet. Now the water temps got a little warmer we should see them show up anytime. I seen my first flying fish two days ago, three different schools.

That right there trips my trigger. To me when they show up, it’s like, we’re going into summer time fish'n!

Pompano are on the beach out at Stump Pass all the way down to Westons Resort and caught using Silly Willys. Hot pink fluorescent green are the hot colors.

Trout are biting good from Lemon Bay down to Pine Island sound.

Red fi sh also have been chewing pretty good at Pine Island Sound.

Ki ng mackerel are biting ‘reel’ good from Stump Pass to Boca Grande in 35 to 45 feet of water. Use medium size ballyhoos or silver spoons.

Cobi a are scattered all over the inshore wrecks and reefs and out to the offshore wrecks 20 to 30 miles.

Amber jack (aka reef donkeys) are on some of the inshore wrecks, but a lot of BIG-UNS out any-where from 20 to 55-miles Mangrove snapper are all over the place, from Boca Grande Pass to Mary’s Reef and Novak’s Reef, but again the BIG-UNS we’re getting are from 20- to 30-miles out. There are some nice yel-

low tail an lane snapper mixed in with them Red grouper are chewing real good at 20-to 30-miles. Get on some good coral bottom and you will find them. We are using live pin fish, frozen sardines and pieces of mullet with pieces of squid. The combo is deadly and if the wind permits you can drift for them.

S harks there are some BIG-UNS of these too, showing up just off Boca Grande. There are some small sharks off the beaches too. Use chunks of bonito or whole or cut mullet for bait. The big hammer heads should be right behind the tarpon coming in.

On my last charter we had to go to 4 or 5 different holes before we got the fish chewing, but when they started chewing all heck broke loose. Our biggest red grouper was 28 inchs the rest were 22-to 24-inches. We also got a bunch of porgys and mangs. I rigged up some light spinning rods with chicken rigs, and caught some nice mangs, yellow tail and lane snapper. The last two holes kept the guys pretty busy – you have to keep chumming or when the chum slick leaves so do the fish.

Right before this trip a bunch of us guys went out 50 miles looking for black grouper and I was surprised the ledges weren’t holding much. I think by the end of May the grouper ought to be stacked up on the ledges. We worked our way back into 28 to 32 miles, the water was a lot warmer and we were marking a lot of fish.

Last month we went out 55 miles where we got five amber jack up to 69 pounds. Then we moved back in 28- to 32-miles for grouper and snapper.

Left to right: Ken Ibsen, Don Brown, Scott Stauber, Rick Mays, and on top Fred Walker

Like I said in the first part of this article, in two to three more weeks every thing will be here.

Well once again it’s that time, before my lips fall on the floor AGAIN, I am going to get out of here!

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

Real Estate News

Page 18

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

1. The national median price of housing has declined below 2002 levels. A significant portion of this decline is a reflection of a change in product mix.

Sales volume has been more concentrated in lower priced, distressed properties than they were 10 years ago. In our market, inventories of these properties appear to be declining. The result will eventually be a return to more market rate properties. Considering bargain interest rates, lower real estate tax assessments and insurance costs, on an inflation adjusted basis, housing costs are now lower than they have been in this generation.

2. Punta Gorda's Best Western Hotel has gone into foreclosure. Suffering from competition from new hotels (Wyvern and Sheraton Four Points), Punta Gorda Hotel, LLC is more than 6 months behind on payments on its $6.15 mil loan from Premier Bank.

The suit will likely push back completion of the waterfront walkway that is being developed from Fisherman's Village to the County Justice Building.

The city had been in negotiations to allow installation of a mooring field in return for granting the easements and money to construct the section on the water side of the hotel site. Those negotiations fell apart earlier this year.

3. Charlotte County approved payment of $1.8M to Seminole Gulf Railway to complete a new spur at the Jones Loop/Tamiami Trail intersection so that appropriate easements can be obtained for the road widening completion.

4. State Farm has received permission from the state to raise premiums on policies that they still maintain by an average of 18.8% and residential rental property by some 62%. State Farm cited huge losses from sink hole claims over the past few years. They almost humorously added that many of the claims made were bogus. Suggestion to State Farm... don't raise rates, just stop paying "bogus" claims.

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M a y 2 0 11

5. The City of Punta Gorda, still intent on stimulating the construction industry here, is proposing to defer impact fees for 2 years and waiving real estate taxes. Undoubtedly, they will come up with a justification for existing taxpayers to make up for the lost revenue.

6. Vacancies of area commercial properties now stands at 35% with rental rates now netting an average of $12/sq ft vs. more than $25 before the recession began.

This is the cement shell for an above ground pool at a stilt house in Port Charlotte. The deepwater sailboat-canal-lots are one of the few homesites with any new construction activity.

7. The solar energy bill is still stuck in the Florida legislature. FPL is anxious to start construction on a major solar facility at Babcock Ranch, but the issue isn't even on the agenda yet.

8. Cheney Brothers is close to making a deal with Charlotte County to establish a new distribution center in the Enterprise Charlotte Airport Park. Cheney Bros is an $800 mil/yr food distribution company currently employing 1350 based in Riviera Beach. If incentives are adequate, Cheney is promising to bring 500-700 new jobs to our county.

In other news: Punta Gorda airport traffic reached 44,000 passengers in March, a 54% increase over 2010. Work is continuing on the new traffic control tower, that, when complete should attract additional 2nd tier air carriers.

Charlotte County unemployment rate fell from 11.6% to 11%, still above the Florida average.

S al es S tati sti cs:

Remote well and septic lot prices have now fallen below 2001 levels with little relief in sight. Condo prices seem to have stabilized at 50-70% below peak levels. Single family prices slid another 6% over the past year. Foreclosures in Charlotte County rose to 101 in March 23% above February levels but down from 288 in March, 2010. Sarasota foreclosures fell 7% during March.

M a y 2 0 11

By Bill Dixon Water LIFE Sailing Spring race series is over. Winners were: S pi nnaker, Bob Knowles first on Bamma Slammer, Steve Todd second on Hot Toddy.

Non spi n 1, Bill Wilkinson first on Flying Cloud, George Buckingham second on Learning to Fly. Non S pi n 2, Bill Curtis first on Morgan, Bill Hart second on Rocking Chair. Crui si ng, Rudy Gottschlich first on Diva Gorda, Mary Dorey second on Panache.

Mul ti hul l , Pete Welch first on In Flight, Rick de la Penotire second.

For May, S ummer S eri es S ki ppers Meeti ng-Saturday, May 14, 6:30 at the PGI Civic Association cook out area. First Race Sunday May 15.

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Page 19

THE SAILORʼS LIFE

Above: It doesnʼt get any better than this. Sailing up the canal and right back to your dock in Port Charlotte.

Below: With the sails and the boom already stored, Mary Walsh gives the Port Charlotte racer Happy Days a last waxing before closing up their house for the summer and heading back up north. Maryʼs husband John was a consistent competitor in this past winterʼs local racing season.

NEW S TUFF!!! Fi rst warni ng 2:30.

Yes Two Thi rty warni ng.

Also in May, The Bone Island race to/from KW May 17-21 and the Community Sailing Center sponsored Hibiscus Cup on May 21.

Big Memorial Day party at Pelican Bay May 28-30. Info on these events on the PGSC web site at www.pgscweb.com.

For Nati onal Mari na Day June 11, the Community Sailing Center and Fisherman's Village are putting on a match racing regatta in 2.4 mR keel boats. It is planned to be a competition between clubs. The Sailing center will furnish a pair of boats and each club entering will furnish 2 racers. More information and practice opportunity stuff can be found on the PGSC web site,or you can contact Dennis Peck at 941 456 8542.

Fishermen’s Village has announced they will once again donate the proceeds from National Marina Day boat show that weekend to the Don Ball School of Fishing. – We thank them!

This the new 2.4mR boat (R is for Racing) A fiberglass seat which is about 2 inches off the floor. Seated over the keel, your legs lay slightly bent at the knee on either side of the mast. Your feet rest against steering pedals which are close to the forward bulkhead. In front of you at chest level and within easy reach is a dashboard with all your line controls and cleats. There is no scrambling around the boat to make adjustments

How About A Raft Up?

Itʼs been quite a while since we had a good 50+ boat raft up on the Peace River.

How about this summer?

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Cooks

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More Offshore Fishing Close to Home

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with

Capt. Steve

Capt. S teve S kevi ngton Water LIFE Offshore Let’s start off talking about the great Kingfish bite that's been going on all last month.

These fish are hitting early in the morning from right on the beach all the way to 20 miles and further offshore.

We were only five miles from the Pass yesterday, and these fish were all around the boat.

It didnt take long, and we were pulling in fish left and right!

We managed to load a cast net full of small pinfish, that we put out on 40-pound leaders with 3/0 circle hooks.

These almost immediately were gobbled up by large snapper.

Once you find them, you get a few then you have to go hunting again.

I haven't done a whole lot of grouper fishing in the last few trips, but what we have done has been great with limits of red grouper and a lot of nice gag grouper to release as well.

There's a lot of great fishing going on right now.

Offshore the deeper wrecks are still holding some respectable amberjack and cudas.

Tight Lines Capt Steve.

(941) 575-3528

All-Day still just $150 per person!

By Fi shi n Frank Water LIFE Peace River Howdy boys and girls of the Fishin’ world, this month I am going give you a view from a slow moving boat.

Running the p-toon boat has reminded me of a few fascinating things. First of all, it has become clear to me that how big your motor is, and how fast the boat runs, determines where the good fishing is. If you have a smaller or slower boat the fishing is pretty good close to the ramp, or where ever you launch. If you have a faster boat, you “must” travel further to find any good fishing.

It is strange how that works out. The larger the motor and the faster the boat the farther away the fishing holes are.

One time Capt. Dwayne French was fishing a bass tournament in Tennessee and had found good fish on the other side of the lake. Tournament morning, Dwayne launches the boat, fires up the outboard and bang! the motor locked up. Upset, but determined to fish, instead of dropping out of the tournament our hero left the dock fishing the tournament using just his trolling motor for power.

He and his partner started fishing and ended up finding better fish, which put him in the top five and in the money, never getting more than a ½ mile from the ramp. But when his 200 horse power was running the best fish were on the other side of the lake!

With this in mind I have been fishing out of my pontoon which travels at a screaming 14 miles per hour ... if I put down the twin Bimini tops! God forbid such thoughts sacraria-bleau in the sun! Out of a dozen trips we have had one trip where we caught no fish. Learning the waters close to where you live will surprise you with how many fish you

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can catch and how little gas it takes to have a great day.

Now I am not saying this happens overnight, but try this over the next few times you are on your way to the other side of the world to fish.

Pick a shore line close to your launch. Now idle along the shore line and watch the depth finder, if you find a depression or deeper holes stop and fish.

Shady places along a shoreline will hold fish on bright sunny days. There are lots of things to look for.

Basically look at the area and think if I were a fish would I live there? Then

try fishing it for a few minutes. If you don’t get a fish, hold off on trying that spot again until the weather changes a little, either warmer or cooler, or if you fished it on an incoming tide, try the outgoing.

Before long you will get to know the patterns of the fish, when the fish are there and what temps and tides they like.

It would not surprise me if you found the best fishing ever, within five minute of where you started.

Good luck out there and have fun.

Fishin’ Frank can be reached at fishinfranks.com or at 941-625-3888

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May

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Fishing

Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

There is something weird going on right now. There are no tarpon and no whitebait, no reds. From Marker No. 1 up the harbor it’s a fish ghost town. It’s always inconsistent this time of year, but this is odd. There have been no tarpon at the 41-bridge for weeks. Even at El- Jo, the numbers are not normal.

The DEP just took samples of the cloudy thin brown colored water. It could be an algae or who knows what. (Note* see Page 7) But tarpon are definitely here. That’s going to be the big talk this month. The pass is going to load up right after the new moon in May. They are all over the harbor, mainly towards the south, up and down the ICW and along beaches. If you find bait there are tarpon mixed with them. Tarpon are eating whatever you can throw at them.

Right now they will eat pinfish, sardines,

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and crabs. Later they will focus in on threadfins. Jig tarpon fishing should get better in the pass in the next week or so.

Right now, it’s basically all livebait in the Pass. On the 5th is the first Hill Tide and that should kick it off as far as tarpon goes.

There are smal l sharks scattered a little in the upper but Harbor, most like the tarpon are at Cape Haze Point, the ICW or the Burnt Store bar. They are chasing the little schools of baitfish too.

Anchor and throw out a chum bag and it won’t take long for the little guys to find you. As the month progresses they should move up into the Harbor more. The bigger sharks are going to be concentrated around the mouths of the passes and on all the inshore reefs and thereshould be more

and more bul l sharks. The Hammers and l emons, the larger sharks, should be chasing the tarpon and anything else they see. You got to be ready for the big boys.

Some big sharks are showing themselves inshore already. If wade fishing for redfish with a fish on a stringer you need to be aware of sharks. In the shallow water 5 foot waters off Pine Island where some anglers fish for tarpon the bigger bull sharks have been pesky, rolling on their lines and trying for the tarpon as they are reeled in.

Ki ngfi sh are about gone unless you are going out 25-to 30-miles. S pani sh mackerel should move in and out this month, also following the bait.

They are decent redfi sh, but not in numbers - the way they should be. Seems like I am hearing about less reds this year than in years past and that includes the upper Harbor and down south. Guys are catching nice redfish, but the guys are having to work more for them. The rat reds are pretty much gone, the slot fish are here, but not that many of the big bulls have shown up. The two to four weeks of bull redfishing didn’t seem to materialize this year. The ones here are eating whiteContinued on following page bait.

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Matthew Bowman of Sarasota caught this tarpon on an April Saturday afternoon in Turtle Bay on 20# mono. It took 2 hours to land and release the fish unharmed, by then it was dark.

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The The BIG-4 BIG-4

May May

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Water

Not a lot are on the open Temps flats, most are under the bushes. I’m not sure what is going in the on with that. Over all it’s kind 80s of Hop-Scotch, very strange.

It’s not a normal pattern.

REDFISH The better fish BIGGER SHARKS More and SPANISH MACKEREL Moving TARPON in the Pass and S nook are kind of the same seem to be to the south more right with the tarpon to follow the bait on the beach thing as reds. Mixed reports on snook, some stories of exceptionally nice 30- to 35inch fish, but those fish are staged up and ready to move out to the beaches now. I think we are going to be seeing a lot of snook on the beach soon. With clear water May 7 & 14 2011 on the beach we should be able to get an idea About Boati ng S afel y USCG if the snook population is doing OK. FGlotilla 87 2 day program Lemon Bay Park,Englewood, 8:30 AM to Cobi a and permi t are on the near shore 12:30 PM. reefs. There have been mixed reports on Registration fee is $25 941-697-9435 them. Permit are usually doing real well www.coastguardenglewood.com right now, but it is varying. Crabs and Program will qualify the participant shrimp are the best bets for the permit, for for a Florida Boater Safety the cobia try an eel or a pinfish.

Identification Card.

Mangrove snapper are going to be real good starting this month and then extra good toward the end of the month. With the full FREE moon early June they will go into pre-spawn Stephen Mason caught this oversize red on Saturday April 16.

May 12 The fish was 32-Inches and 11 ½ lbs.

It was caught on whitebait action. If you are on the near shore reefs you near Pineland, and released alive.

10am-4pm have to chum heavy to get them to cooperVan Wezel ate, but further out it’s somewhat easier.

Parking Lot small ones are coming out of the creeks and tarpon Downsize leader to as low as 20 pounds, you may get Sarasota are showing around the bridges at night. broke-off easier, but the end result is usually a much 941-366-5595 There have been pompano on the beach and at larger mang or even a legal grouper. the Englewood pier lately.

Maybe the Stump Pass May is good for yel l owtai l and mutton snapper and the AJ are still phenomenal, they have been dredging increased the salinity at the pier. The water was very dirty when they were dredging, but now – and should stay that way – all summer long. that they are done it’s cleared up and the fishing is Fire Dept Childrenʼs Challenge better. I heard the dredging is done now.

SWAT obstacle course There are whi ti ng out there, bl ack drum and K9 Demos Jim at Fishermens Edge, still some mackerel around the passes at Boca Mounted Police FHP Rollover Demo Grande and Gasparilla. Some guys on the Venice Englewood: 697-7595 Fi s h i n g lots more! jetty are still catching mackerel on stronger tides.

It’s been fairly decent around here. Right now the ri g h t n o w: In the back country there is still a lot going on. big focus is guys going from backcountry to tarpon I’ve had reports of snook and some redfi sh in the mode. For some guys tarpon are their last chance bigger keeper sizes lately. Bigger snook, not a lot of before they head back to walleye country. numbers, but decent fish.

Tarpon are inshore around Pine Island and around I had some friends on Easter who had a ball catchCharlotte Harbor. They are beginning to filter into ing l adyfi sh and a mixed bag of other stuff. the pass and stay there. The number of guides runA number of guys are still catching cobi a offning tarpon trips is increasing every day. DOA Bait Snook remains closed shore – in the 40 pound range. Inshore, I heard of Busters, live crabs, threadfin and pinfish are what to harvest until Sept 2011 one cobia caught in the harbor, just inside the pass. they are using.

There is a lot of snapper ri ght offshore and So far there haven’t been that many guys in the grouper and snapper in the state waters. pass. There are already some jig guys down there There have been a lot of sharks around. A couple now, dropping those red balls to the bottom. of guys told me they caught a number of them on A few guys have been using the biggest hooks the beach-front off Boca Grande. A lot of bl ack ti ps they can get, like 10/0 -11/0 or 12/0 circle hooks. I don’t get that. Most guys use 5/0 -6/0. Everyone has and bonnetheads. Some big bul l sharks are around now too. A friend, the other day, said the a theory. fishing in the pass was scary, there were so many Tarpon are along the beach now and moving up big sharks around. in the harbor making their presence known. The Fish Fish to to expect expect in in

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