Water LIFE May 2017

Water

LI FE

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero, 10,000 Islands and the Gulf

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

May 2017

Julie Faulkner caught this bull shark in Charlotte Harbor.

Txt Us Ur Fish Pix! see page 14

FISH PIX!

The Don Ball School of Fishing

Goliath Family Fishing read Mallory page 11

from Water LIFE magazine

Fishing with Capt. Dave page 17

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Kristin Smith with an oversize redfish on the east side.

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Now a

MAY 2017

Fort Myers store !! Fishinʼ Franks#2

14531 N. Cleveland Ave, (US41) N. Ft Myers 33903 • 239-634-1043

eMail letters and photos to:

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EDGEWATER DRIVE

the NEVER ENDING PROJECT ENDS THIS MONTH!!

After three years, Edgewater Drive in Port Charlotte is scheduled to open Thursday May 18. Those are the words on the contractorʼs website. But as of April 27 it still looked like they have a way to go with sidewalks, paving and electrical. The project website notes: Local motorists are asked to be aware of the adjusted traffic pattern near the intersection of Edgewater Drive and South Waterway Drive NW near the Sunrise Park entrance. Apparently the new road is already scheduled to be torn up: The website warned: Road restoration will take place as soon as possible after the utility work is completed.

The traffic circle at Port Charlotte Blvd. Very pretty, but will all the plants block driverʼs line of sight?

Below: The bridges are cut with a non-skid surface and the new traffic lights are in at Harbor Blvd.

Thatʼs Cuba in the bacground and Punta Gorda sailors Richard and Marie Kinard in the St Pete to Havana race, in March.

Hi Mr. Heller: Local residents have taken a first place in their division in the 2017 St. Pete to Habana Race. Punta Gorda residents Richard and Marie Kinard and their crew Larry Dawes, David Arnold, Duncan Harrod and Richard Keltner took first place in the Class C Cruising Division on Seabee, their 37' O'Day sloop.

The St. Petersburg to Habana Race was started by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in 1929 and continued annually through 1959. The 2017 Revival race saw 75 vessels and 675 sailors participating from the United States and as far away as Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and South Africa. The Revival race began in Tampa Bay on February 28th.

Seabee completed the race on March 3rd. Marie is a member of the Isles Yacht Club. Richard and Marie are members of the PG Islanders Boat Club of the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association.

Diana Lehr

WaterLIFE: Thank you as we are Florida natives & love your magazine..we only submitted Beccaʼs picture to just you and only you.. my mom has won the ladies tarpon tournament at Boca Grande and all of our friends and Captʼs only use your publication!!!. Can't thank you enough for putting our pic in your May edition, you just made our day! Beccaʼs Mom

Water LIFE inc. waterlife@comcast.net www.WaterlifeMagazine.com

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

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FishPix phone number is 941.457.1316

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

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Vol XVI No 5 © 2017

NO PART of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied, reproduced or reused without specific written permission from the publishers. (and thatʼs never happened!)

Contributing Editors:

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Baitshop Commentary: Fishinʼ Frank Peace River: Capt. David Stephens Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Venice: Glen Ballinger Estero: Capt. Joe Angius Everglades City: Capt. Charlie Phillips Kayaking: Bob Fraser Sea Grant: Capt. Betty Staugler Beach Fishing: Mallory Herzog Pier Fishing: Bobby Vitalis Sailing: Peter Welch

On the Cover:

Dan Phelps at the hook while Capt.

Andrew Herzog holds up the tail of a tired Goliath Grouper at Boca Grande.

The fish was revived and released.

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MAY 2017

Seldom Spoken Manatee Truths

By Michael Heller Water LIFE editor The manatee is being down-listed from an endangered to a threatened species. It’s about time. Over the years, I have followed the manatee issue, here are some less publicized things I have come to know about our beloved manatees... and don’t get me wrong, I like manatees, I think they are cool animals.

The first thing that got my manatee attention was when I found the animal had been designated as a tool by the United Nations for its Caribbean Environmental Program. Searching back to the 1960s, I found the UN had suggested: “By stimulating appreciation and pride on the species, it may be possible to induce the development of a conservation philosophy, and achieve the goal of resource preservation. Manatees may be instrumental as well in the establishment of sanctuaries and attainment of the overall goal of preservation of coastal ecosystems with all their associated species."

The UN got the idea to use the manatee to promote a No Growth and No Access agenda; that thinking eventually gave rise to the formation of the Save the Manatee Club ...and then to Speed Zones and finally ‘Resting Areas’ or Safe Spaces for Manatees, as I call them.

I lived in Boca Raton in the 70s, on the edge of the Loxahatchee Wildlife Preserve. We were building houses there. On several occasions I witnessed men moving manatees in dump trucks from one canal to the next, to help with hyacinth control. There was a manatee breeding program going on to raise manatees just for that. There were no shortages of manatees in Florida back then, or ever.

I spent the next 20 years out west, and when I moved back to Florida in the late 90s I was surprised to hear

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manatees were almost extinct – ‘only 800 left’ was the story that was going around. That sounded bogus to me.

When I started writing about it, a friend had given me some good advice: Ask how many manatees there are, and ask how many we need before they are no longer endangered. Over the years I did ask those questions of numerous biologists, many times, but I never once got a straight answer. Leading scientists and biologists saw the manatee as a long-term meal ticket and they would do anything necessary to protect it,

Manatees at Shell Creek - ʻOh so cute? ... well, read on!

even if that meant lying about it.

Scientists had insisted there were several different unrelated populations of manatees instead of one large population .... a thriving large population would not qualify for as much funding as an endangered smaller population, so Florida manatees were claimed by manatee biologists to be a unique and isolated population.

Florida pilots had been seeing manatees between Florida and Cuba for years, but in the early 2000s a manatee named Mo swam from Crystal River to the Dry Tortugas and it raised a lot of scientific eyebrows.

Mo was probably enroute to Cuba, but Mo was a tracked animal so he had a radio transmitter on him. For

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years scientists had said that it was impossible for Florida manatees to swim to Cuba. If Mo made it to Cuba, that whole lie would begin unraveling, the populations would have to be breeding together, and the endangered status would again be challenged.

The manatee folks sent a helicopter to distract Mo until a boat could reach him and then they netted him.

They brought Mo back to Sarasota and locked him away in the tank at the Parker Aquarium where Snooty, another famous manatee, was also incarcerated. But they were both males and they fought continuously, which brings up another little known, perhaps indiscrete, manatee truth. Manatees are horny beasts.

The big manatees are the females and the smaller ones are the males. Often you will see a big manatee followed by a number of smaller ones. Oh how cute.. a mother with her pups is what you might think, but it’s not so. It’s .... well... different.

I learned this from a marine biologist up at Shell Creek a number of years ago. She was pulling a dead female manatee to the boat ramp to load it on a trailer.

There were a group of smaller manatees climbing on the dead manatee in tow. I made the misguided ‘manatee pups’ assumption out loud and I was immediately corrected; “Those are males and they are trying to mate with her,” I was told. ... oh.

Manatees, it turns out, are different from other animals, if the opportunity arises they will try and sex-itup with their dead sisters. Apparently Mo tried this with Snooty, hence the episodes of tank-fighting.

But it gets better! Ask some of the local divers who do in-the-water bottom work on boats, ask those guys what they fear when diving. A shark attack? Gators?

The boat rolling over on them? No, what they will probably tell you is they fear being snuck-up-on by a manatee and having it try to‘hump’ them! ‘Knocked my mask off and tore my hose,’ a diver I was talking to at Fishermen’s Village, once told me. Now you know.

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MAY 2017

Estero Bay: Good Water, Good Fish PAGE

By Captain Joe Angius Water LIFE Estero Anglers fishing in and around Estero Bay should have high expectations of big fish being caught this month. Stabilized water conditions, low wind, and the start of the rainy-season play an integral role in attracting these large fish species. The tarpon, in my opinion, will be one of the most sought out fish species during May as their migration continues up the coast of Florida.

Schools of these fish have been reported in Boca Grande Pass, Captiva, Knapps Point, and the inside of Pine Is-

land Sound, with threadfin herring, pilchards, and blue crabs being the bait of choice.

Along with the tarpon, large female spawning snook can be found along the beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel. The key to catching these large fish species is the proper fishing gear outfit and bait.

Netting bait early in the morning has been sporadic in that the weather is constantly moving the bait from location to location. One day the pilchards will be thick off of the beach and the next day they will be nowhere to be found along the shorelines. At times there will be -

threadfins and pilchards found out in the Gulf of Mexico on submerged structures or on the bridge pilings of Pine Island and Sanibel. This time of the year it is important to be well rounded in knowing where you can find and net bait.

When you do find good quality bait, be prepared for any scenario by having a couple of different cast net sizes for each location. Along the beaches I will throw a 8-foot net with a ¼-inch mesh size and on bridges and submerged structures I throw an 11-foot net with a 3/8-inch mesh size. The larger net size is key to covering more water and the bigger mesh allows the net to drop faster on the bait.

Tarpon and snook aren’t the only inshore species that have grown large and will be targeted during May. Redfish are all around the backwaters feeding heavy on the higher tides. Pilchards, shrimp, and cut lady fish have produced the best redfish bite. Patience is needed now while fishing for redfish along mangrove shorelines and oyster bars, but your patience should pay off.

Best Kept Secret! - CALL Zealand

If the bite doesn’t happen, and it seems like the backwater fishing is slow, I recommend going near the passes and fishing for speckled sea trout. The passes will have high quality water, tidal flow, and the best chance of getting a large gator trout. Floating a popping cork tipped with a live shrimp along the edges of the pass and nearby grass flats will produce the best bite.

The best advice I can give anglers for May is to not be afraid to use heavier fluorocarbon leader. My go-to leader strength is 30-pound fluorocarbon, but I will now start to use 40- to 60-pound.

There are a lot of manatees out on the grass flats now since water temperatures have risen and even more sea turtles swimming in the Bay. Be aware of the wildlife in the Bay, please respect and follow the rules and regulations that are in place. Enjoy what the Bay has to offer through fishing and be safe and mindful on the water.

Captain Joe Angius (727)-234-3171 Speak Easy Fishing Charters www.speakeasyfishing.com

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Aquarium Like Conditions MAY 2017

By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Inshore Variety is the name of the game for May. A variety of gamefish, baitfish and methods to pursue them. With that said, fishing might sound easy, but it requires the angler to be flexible and persistent. The baitfish are on the move and so is everything that is after them.

Leaving the dock at first light Mike and I decided to fish tarpon very early in some locations Mike had fished the evening before. We were equipped with crabs and jumbo shrimp. Our waters are extra clear right now and spotting tarpon first thing with no wind should have been easy. But areas that held 20-to 50 tarpon the day before were barren.

Our Plan B was to catch whitebait and pursue snook and redfish. Two hours of throwing a 12 foot cast net left us with about 50 pieces of bait, barely enough to start fishing, but off we went.

The baitfish populations seem to be down this year and what bait there is can be found deep and is spooky.

Our first three mangrove bushes produced a couple of small snook and the livewell was already looking scarce on bait so back to bait catching.

By the time we had 100 pieces of bait in the well it

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was 12:00 noon and we had fished only 30 minutes!

Running towards Pine Island we noticed huge schools of mullet and decided to throw on them. The flashing in the net when pulled up turned out to be about 50 pieces of whitebait in the middle of nowhere!

The tide was high and the sun was illuminating sandholes on the grassflats off in the distance so we eased over in that direction to investigate. Neither of us had fished this area before and we discovered a secluded creek with deep potholes in the front of it and lots of

snook, small and large, milling around. A few sticks on the bank had redfish milling around so we staked the boat and sat and watched for a long time as fish swam past the boat and ignored our freshly caught baits.

We were looking into a private aquarium full of fish and they would not eat. It took time, but an hour later the fish adjusted to our presence and a handful of snook to 25-inches were caught and released.

Off in the distance Mike, who has eagle eyes for spot-

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ting fish, pointed to a large redfish heading our way. At about 15 feet from the boat it stopped and Mike dropped a crippled pilchard in his area and we watched as a big trout chased the bait, missing it repeatedly.

The trout swam off but Mike (above) re-cast and connected! We both agreed that 4 hours of catching bait all seemed worth it now.

Further into the creek we went and discovered more large trout but we spooked them. This seemed like an odd place for large female trout to be.

Hours later we felt compelled to finish the day again pursuing tarpon since we still had some $3 crabs aboard along with large pinfish and shrimp.

We tried areas out of the wind with no luck so we revisited the area from the morning and the tarpon were back but now the wind turned west at 20 mph and there was floating scum all around, which prevented fishing.

Every day with a fishing rod in hand offers an opportunity to have a fishing trip of a lifetime and May could be the month to make it happen, but you have to be flexible, persistent and a little bit lucky!

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters He can be reached at 941-628-8040

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THE USUAL SUSPECTS:

By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop Spring is springing and the wind is blowing, all is normal for Charlotte Harbor in May and tarpon are the big story this month.

Tarpon are a fish we count (or score) by how we do on hook ups, which is how many tarpon bite and then get off before they jump. If they jump we count how many jumps before they shake of the hook. And last of all, we count how many tarpon we get to the boat, land and release.. So: Hook Ups, Jumps, and Landed.

Tarpon/Snook/Redfish

from Water LIFE magazine

FISH PIX!

I prefer the second choice, I like jumps. If I can get 2 or 3 jumps from a tarpon and then it spits the hook, all is good, I have been lucky enough to have caught way more than my share of tarpon and do not feel the need for getting my arms pulled form their sockets for an extra 30 minutes. But I can tell you, my first few dozen tarpon, I was all about the fight, start to finish.

Ladyfish and thread-fins are the tarpon bait of choice and you will want a couple of crabs with you as well. The last week of April saw the tarpon fishing up-river go from Water LIFE magazine

Evan Merritt, with a beautiful 41 inch snook

crazy good. Live mullet or catfish, even cut bait chunks of mullet and cat-fish tails were getting tarpon hooked up, several an hour. Yes the tarpon had moved upriver, and as I write this they are still there, but by the time you read this, the tarpon may have moved out into the Harbor. One thing would keep them up river is talapia. If the talapia hatch, the tarpon will stay with the food.

May will be Harbor fishing for tarpon. I would try dead bait, whole Cat-fish (10 inches or so) or large chunks of mullet free lined out from a boat anchored up at the deep holes or the mouth of the Myakka River. Tarpon are really starting to think about spawning. Now they will hit a bait and that is the point of this, putting them in the air.

The snook, right now, are wanting everything fast.

With an MR-17 lure, twitch, twitch stop repeat... but quickly. The Storm twitch-stik is doing good as well, with a fast retrieve and a slight pause. The Live Target bait is good too, but crank fast and when you pause the lure, it is a quick one count, then a couple twitches and then fast-crank again. With snook out of season most people do not target them, but a couple of catch and re-

FISH PIX!

Glenn Kisch's tarpon, Charlotte Harbor. 8 # test line, ugly stick, Penn 4400, flourcarbon leader on a live shrimp. Quite an acrobat.

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PAGE 9

lease snook can save a fishing trip, just remember to handle them with wet hands, or a wet glove or rag.

Redfish, on the other hand, are wanting everything slowed down almost like is was August.

You want to fish with cut bait or shrimp, Farlow, on his birthbut not live FISH PIX! Larry day, with a fat redfish ones, instead try some shrimp that has been in the sun for an hour or so. Yes, a bit stinky, same thing with a chunk of blue crab.

If you are using artificial baits, the lures of choice would be a D.O.A. shrimp reeled very slow, just on top of the grass. Next best bet the Live Target green back bait, but a steady retrieve with a pause, like three slow cranks and then stop, count to 2, then three cranks and stop.

Another good one is the Mirr-o-lure Marsh Minnow in pearl white with a 1/8 ounce red jig head.

There are a lot more numbers and even larger reds as you go south in the Harbor. Pine Island’s sound and the flats, south of the Matlacha bridge are both loaded up with reds. Turtle and Bull Bay have reds, but they are holding around the Islands, they are not under the branches, but as much as 10 feet out from the mangrove’s drip edge. So this month, when you approach the island, stay back twice as far as you would any other year. from Water LIFE magazine

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Fish are Moving:

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The Southern Sector

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MAY 2017

10,000 Islands / Everglades City

By Capt. Charlie Phillips Water LIFE / Everglades City May fishing in the Everglades and 10,000 Islands is always a solid time to hit the water. The fish are moving and hungry, the weather is predictable and not Africa hot, like it will be very soon.

The wind has kept me inshore most of this month, but it’s worked out with some quality catches for my guests.

Snook have been all over the region, from the back country bays to the flats. I have been doing the majority of trips in the shallow water areas with lots of bars and ambush points. Typically we are using all artificial presentations as I don’t like to make the long runs required to find live bait, but artificials work and let you cover lots of water in short order.

I always have a topwater available and throw it on all the points that stick out causing eddies in the current. A big snook will make your heart stop with that slurp we all know so well. I also keep a soft plastic in a shad or long tail style handy. I like to use a Bass Assassin Shad in pearl, rigged weedless, using a bass hook. This method allows you throw your bait anywhere that looks a bit fishy regardless of snags and hazards that would typically

Don Braddock and a young man with his first slot snook

have you retying.

I haven’t seen many reds while I have been working my area this month, a few here and there, but not enough coming aboard my boat to really offer any advice.

Trout though, have been another story.

Inshore and offshore we have strong catches happening almost daily. Live shrimp on a popping cork in 3- to 4-foot of water has been the ticket for high number catches. The bigger fish are coming off artificals like the Mirrodine suspending hard baits that are worked thru the

grass areas, while paying special attention to the potholes.

This has been a great year for tripletails all thru the region and it continued in April. There are fish on Dennis from Okeechobee with a slot tripletail the crab floats, but most of my bigger fish have been found free floating often in the areas I am trout fishing.

Having the tower on my boat really helps in this regard, but it’s not a requirement. Good glasses are really the biggest help and some sunshine at your back, lighting up the water surface. The FWC has a big push on, currently, to gather more data on tripletail, sheepshead and flounDale from Buffalo with a jack that wore him out der, so if you’re catching a few, go to their website and help and plenty to see. See you out there! give them the data they need to ensure Capt. Charlie Phillips: 863-517-1829 these species are around for years to e-mail: hopefishing@hotmail.com come.

Web: hopefishing.com Y’all have a great May, still lots to do

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MAY 2017

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Family Outings

By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Fishing Spring break was in full swing most of April. We've had plenty of families on the water spending time together and, most importantly, hooking up to some nice fish. The weather (wind and waves) has kept Capt. Andrew fishing inshore a lot lately, but neither the fish nor our guests seem to mind it!

Live bait and cut bait (pinfish, ladyfish and mullet) seem to be attracting the most snook and trout – there have been plenty of juvenile and in-slot fish swimming around looking for a quick meal.

Brian and his family, one of our charter guests, had a fun day inshore fishing and even pulled out a few surprise grouper while snook fishing.

In the mornings, if you can find calm water and somewhere the wind isn't blowing this week, break out the top water lures; snook and big trout can't resist the sound of a top water plug chugging though the water.

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Springtime sharks are showing up along our beaches and passes, they are following the schools of bait. Blacktip and spinner sharks have been the most caught species so far this month, giving anglers a show, jumping out of the water while hooked. The larger sharks such as, hammerheads and bullsharks follow the tarpon and will show up in greater numbers this month as they get more populated along our shoreline.

Nothing is better than bringing back a great fish story from vacation. The Phelps family from California hooked into some sharks and goliath grouper during their spring break. Grace and Jack did a GREAT job with their sharks while Dan hooked into the biggest fish of the day, a 150to 200-pound goliath grouper that had him thinking he was at the gym instead of on a fishing boat. BIG thanks to Eileen for the great photos and video of their trip!

Looking at May, I can only see fishing getting more exciting. In the months to come we will get to enjoy some beautiful water. From the Gulf it will be that perfect

$9

shade of aquamarine into Boca Grande and Englewood.

In the Harbor, the flats are crystal clear making it fun to sight cast on trout and redfish as you drift down the bar.

If you enjoy relaxing on the beach, now is the time to plan your weekend get away. Husband hates the beach?

Change his mind with some beach snook fishing in the shallows. Larger snook cruise the beaches in the spring, chasing after bait fish, whiting, and mullet. You know that area you are always standing in, a few feet into the water? Thats a snook's favorite spot to prowl.

The tarpon are just beginning to cruise the beaches.

Shortly they will be packed in our passes bringing anglers from all over the state and the world to fish for them. Remember to be courteous to your fellow boater, especially during more crowded seasons. Kindness goes a long way, it goes back to kindergarten really. Be patient, take turns. Fish karma is real! See you on the water.

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FISH PIX!

f r o m Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e

MAY 2017

Readerʼs Ph

Blacktip 5 1/2 feet 120 pounds Justice Sargood Capt Bill Brickel caught this snook on Alligator Creek.

84 yrs young, Dino Pirillo, caught his first ever Red Grouper, 26-inches, with Bob Gaydos and Cap'n Doug Wright 30 miles out of Gasparilla,

John Suter from Waunakee Wisconsin landed two big red grouper while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday out of Stump Pass inlet.

Bob

Owen Smith and his twin brother Eli caught the Jack off of Boca Grande.

Todd and Kris and bo

Wahoo, Cozimel Mexico. Tyler Ramsey

Captain Barry Cuda Nicholls got this nice speckled trout in Estero Bay

Pat Eckerty from ft Meyers.

First fish ever! SHEEPSHEAD

MAY 2017

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Txt Us Ur Fish Pix! see page 14

bby Zink with a 32-inch redfish!

Peace River bass, Chrissy Moesley

Julia Chupich from Chicago, 41-inch snook, 10 pounds, in Charlotte Harbour

PAGE 13

FISH PIX! f r o m Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e

First ever Redfish for Donna from Canada.

30-inches!

sti Ruff with 55lb kingfish (above) onita (below) off Sarasota.

Patrick O'Sullivan with a pinpoint 4-foot bullshark that was safely released

Pink mouth grunt, phosphate docks.

Tyler Ramsey

Suzy Brickel caught this snook at the Ponce De Leon inlet!

PAGE

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Readerʼs photos Txt Us Ur Fish Pix!

FISH PIX!

see below

MAY 2017

f r o m Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e

Artist Dale Werner caught a Gaft-topsail catfish and a gag grouper in Estero Bay. The snook was from the Imperial River Rick Abrams caught this bonnet head shark in Charlotte Harbor.

Capt Don Ricigliano of Englewood Fl. Fishing with Capt Skip Hurley in Charlotte Harbor yesterday.

Two nice keeper Reds

Big redfish, notice the “?”marking on the tail. Cameron Parson

Took a day off from skiing to fish and give our legs a break.

This was the nicest brown trout I got.

Greg Rakow, in Colorado last month

Txt Us Ur Fish Pix

We like Fresh Fish so please donʼt send old photos.

We like the First Catch so donʼt send us fish if you are also sending the same fish to another publication, like for instance ... the Charlotte Sun ;-( One or two photos is all weʼll probably

txt to:

have room for.

Barbara Brock, a great catch of sheephead, trout, pompanoBoca Grande

Randy, 7 3/4-pound sheepshead. Boca Pass

Pat Falk with 25-inch redfish from Lemon Bay and at right: Courtney Falk with a Lemon Bay Jack

941 457 1316

Bigger is Better, higher resolution is best. Please donʼt adjust, crop or sharpen pictures.

FISH HANDLING: If you are harvesting your catch do what you want, but If you are RELEASING YOUR CATCH: Use

store this number in your phone!

wet hands on a fish you will be releasing.

No Dry Towels, it wipes off vital fish slime. Hold big fish horizontally so as not to damage their ʻinnerds,ʼ donʼt hold big fish from the jaw, it could tear or break and donʼt put your hands in the gills.

No Fishy Fish if you are not in the picture it may not get into print.

No blatant Ads ... but if a Guide helped you, itʼs OK to say so.

Txt to 941-457-1316 include (at least) your name and type of fish (txt only, voice calls cannot be answered) You may also eMail pictures to: waterlife@comcast.net

MAY 2017

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ReaderĘźs photos Txt Us Ur Fish Pix! see facing page

Jan Holm of Punta Gorda. 28-inch snook caught and released in Charlotte Harbor March 2017.

Bull Redfish caught tailing in Pineland by Egret Baits promotional staff Mike Lahn.

Above Left: Colorado boys Larry Farlow and John Inglis with Capt. Dave Stephens.

Above: Larry Celebrating with his birthday red

Travis Coley, age 10, caught in Estero Bay

PAGE 15

Belle McEwen with an Easter redfish and Captain Jesse Smith.

Alexx fishing at Jet Blue Park.

First bass on whopper plopped

Grouper, caught in deep water April 1, Chuck Miller

Steve, snook, fishing with Capt. Dave Stephens

Jonathan Soler caught this 7-pound bass while visiting from CT

28 inch seatrout, Rick Deitz

Snook Cecil Sooley from Canada released several including a 28-inch snook while fishing with Captain Rick

Sunfish Masters PAGE

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By Peter Welch Water LIFE Sailing More than forty boats participated in the Sunfish Masters and Sunfish National Regatta conducted by the Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center. Their skippers were a diverse group aged from youth to 70+ years. Diversity included 10 females, three males from Italy and three from South America and one from the Bahamas. The Charlotte County Beach Park was the perfect venue for these beach launched single The racing fleet approaches the starting line all photographs by Fran Burstein person boats.

The Sunfish defined affordable sailboat The Italians in particular sailed and swam every day and racing in 1952. The 120 pound hull could be loaded on a car were an endorsement for the Sunfish as a fun water toy. The roof by a single person along with sails and other gear. This Sunfish is very responsive to two techniques: 1) the Roll Tack made regional regatta participation and winning a blue collar gives acceleration via tipping the boat rapidly to create added reality. And the boat will “plane” at above theoretical hull wind in the sail and get’s the boat around a turn mark in light speed in 15 knot wind. These characteristics and a fair price wind and 2) tipping the boat almost to the point of capsize supported over 300,000 being built. while going down wind which reduces drag on the hull and Boats began arriving for the puts more sail area up where the wind is International Masters the day bestronger. fore the March 26-28th event.

The Midwinter regatta was dominated Many immediately rigged and by new arrivals from the US, Guatemala, sailed. The 5-10 knot wind on and Columbia. At four races in it looked day one was just right for US like David Nermandez of Guatemala skipper Paul Patin who took a would sweep the event with all first place 1st and two 2nd places to put finishes. Day one had winds of 10 to 18 him seven points ahead of secknots and he made flawless starts and had ond place Dan Norton (US). a safe lead on the fleet and four first Enroute to a second place overall, David NermanAll skippers were having places and six points ahead of second US dez, sail No.9, from Guatamala some trouble with the long startsailor Eugene Schmitt. Guatemalan Perez ing line. The leading woman Sonya Dean ended the day 37 and Colombian Echavarria were 4 and 6 points further back. points back. Day two brought wind to 15 knots and better The following day was deemed unsafe with winds to 25 monitoring of boats over the start line early. In a reversal of knots. The last day had very light wind that changed direction fortunes Paul Patin finished 18th and Sonya Dean had a 1st place.

Going into day three Paul Patin was one point behind Dan Norton and Gail Heausler was eleven points behind Sonya Dean. Day three had to be a short day on the water to manage scoring and protests and have the banquet.

The light morning wind dictated a delay of start and a shortened race. Paul Patin finished the refrequently and required moving the start line. Two more races gatta two points ahead of Dan Norton for first place Gail were completed and the wind quit requiring towing the sailHausler finished the last race 4th to Sonya’s 11th but Sonya’s boats back to the Beach Park. Anne Patin took first in one Estotal score was four points better. No races the following day teban Echavarria in the other. Eugene Schmitt placed first in but it was an opportunity for new arrivals for the next event, the regatta with second and third place finishes. the Midwinter Championship, to practice.

The moral is to NEVER give up.

$2 off any haircut!

MAY 2017

Junior Flatsmasters Winners

Chase Nicklas, age 7 OVERALL WINNER! 1st overall weight at 7.47 pounds, 1st Place Minnow Division, fishing with Craig Felker

Steerling Freeman, age 13 2nd overall weight at 7.43 pounds, 1st Place Junior Division, fishing with Tom Eggelston

Logan Brimmer, age 13 3rd overall weight at 7.26 pounds, 2nd Place Junior Division, fishing with MIke Brimmer

Aubrey Watkins, age 16 4th overall weight at 7.25 pounds1st Place Prep Division, fishing with Jesse Smith

MAY 2017

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Kid’s Tournament Fishing

By Capt.

David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor For the past three months the only days I have had off from guiding have been due to weather, and doctor appointments. Last month I was approached by a friend of mine, Jerry Cleffi, about fishing his grandson Nick in the Junior FlatsMasters Tournament. Jerry is the tournament organizer.

The timing could not have been more perfect. The day before I had a cancellation from a long time client that will be retiring - it just so happened things came up and he had to reschedule to May. Since my wife Rach and I don’t have any kids of our own, I’ve always enjoyed teaching kids the sport of fishing and when I was told a little bit of the boy’s history, I thought we had something in common.

His grandparents Jerry and Carolyn are raising him. I was pretty much raised by my grandparents till I was 13 years old, so the decision to ‘fish’ this young man in the tournament came pretty easy to me.

Thursday, a couple days before the tournament, I went out and caught some bait and penned it up for Saturday. I also got some crabs and a few different types of dead bait to fish with.

I had an area where I have been catching some nice snook and trout as well as some decent reds. The reds I was catching were a mixed bag, anything from 15to 28-inches, however I felt confident about him getting a redfish to take up on stage for the weigh in.

So that morning we left Laishley Park at around 7am, we were boat 82 out of 93 on the start, so we weren’t in a big hurry.

We also had to stop to pick up the bait I caught a couple days before.

We pulled up to my friend Ernie’s dock, Nick and I tied the boat up and started transferring the bait fish over to the boat. We had a few that died, so Ernie started showing Nick all the big snapper by his dock. After that it took me a few minutes to get him back in tournament mode, but we had a live well full of bait and soon we were on our way.

I pulled into a creek that I have had good luck in before, but we only caught a 17-inch trout. However by this time the tide was coming in good, so we went to the area I planned to fish.

The first shoreline produced nothing and I was feeling the pressure. We moved on to the next spot and I chummed pretty

This beautiful snook was bycatch! We were fishing for tournament redfish that day.

heavily, looking for a sign of fish. We saw a few blow-ups that Nick could cast to but couldn’t get a bite.

Then as I was about to leave and FISH ON. Nick was telling me it’s a redfish, I thought it was also. Then about 30 seconds into the fight I saw its tail. It was a snook, a big snook.

This little guy fought it better thanmost of my clients would and finally we got her to the boat for a couple of pictures. She measured just over 39-inches and was pushing 20-pounds! Not very many 13 year olds have a fish like that on their fishing resume. Needless to say he was an excited boy.

The problem was, it was a redfish tournament. I switched things up just a little, by changing the bait and a few casts later, he was hooked up to his first red. Length wise it was perfect, but was skinny. Then we caught a shorter fish around 23-inches that was pretty fat, just not as heavy. We also lost another good red, I’m not going to say the winner, but it was a good fish – the hook pulled, it was just a fluke, not angler error. We tried to find a heavier fish, but it seemed the bite was over and time was too.

We came back in with what we had.

Nick weighed a 5.95-pound red. He finished 23 out of 93 kids. This was a great tournament for the kids. If you like to fish and like taking young anglers out, I highly recommend looking into the Junior Flatsmasters Tournament.

Tournament winner photos on facing page If you would like to experience some of Charlotte Harbor’s finest fishing, give us a call or send an email. All of our charters are private and customized to fit your party’s needs. Capt. Dave Stephens, 941-916-5769 www.backbayxtremes.com

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PAGE 17

Manatee DeListed Tree-Huggers In Denial PAGE

18

On The Line With Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff

It finally happened. The manatee has been removed from the Federal Endangered Species List! I guess the latest survey results that found a record 6,620 manatees in Florida was just too high too ignore.

You would think the news that the manatee has come back from the verge of extinction to a thriving healthy population in Florida would have the Earth Day crowd celebrating, but I’m afraid not.

I have to hand it to the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service for going with the data and science in making their decision to drop the manatee from the endangered list; considering that during their public input period they received 87,000 comments against delisting and only 72 comments in support. Good thing scientific facts are not determined by popular vote.

Chief among those hurt most by this decision will most likely be the Save the Manatee Club. I'm sure their membership will drop as people lose interest in the plight of the manatee. In the environment industry, if you are not part of the endangered species club you get pushed down to the minor league where the donations are even harder to come by.

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THIS IS HUGE!

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, at its April meeting, approved a rule implementing changes to Collier County manatee zones to balance manatee protection with the needs of boaters.

The revised manatee zones will add protections where FWCʼs data indicates the risk of manatee and boat interactions is higher, but will reduce regulations in other waterways where data indicates the risk is low.

The Florida Manatee Management Plan calls for periodic review of manatee protection zones and, for over a year, the FWC has worked with Collier County, the city of Naples, the U.S. FWC and others to determine whether revisions were needed. State manatee zones were last amended in 1997.

The SMC executive director, Pat Rose is preaching the same gloom and doom he has for the last 20 years since he became executive director after leaving the State DEP. I can see, in the not too distant future, the SMC winding up as a one man operation run out of Pat Rose's garage.

Another guy who will probably take a hit is John Reynolds the Program Manager of Manatee Management at Mote Marine Laboratory. He was quoted in the local paper as calling the delisting decision as premature. There is an old saying, never ask a barber if you need a haircut. I guess we can now say; never ask a manatee researcher if we need more manatee research.

Reynolds is one of the guys that discovered the West Indies manatee is di-

At Stump Pass, on April 17, dredging was in progress, and the new ʻgroinʼ or coral jetty is now, reportedly, almost complete. photo: GC Aerial Photography

vided into two sub-species, the Florida manatee and the Antillean manatee. The Florida manatee may be doing just fine, but now he is not so sure about the Antillean manatee and that is why he says the delisting is premature and he thinks we need more research. I think he might be more concerned that the annual $325,000 grant Mote gets from the FWC to study manatees just might start to dry up.

Of course one of the biggest losers are the folks of Charlotte County who just volunteered to accept more manatee regulations by becoming the last county in the State to sign up for a State Manatee Protection Plan.... less than 30 days before the manatee was delisted. Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has left.

If you disagree with data and science

they call you a denier, like a Climate Change denier. Now we have a new group of manatee deniers, people who will not accept the fact that manatees in Florida are doing fine and don't need our help.

At the top of the new Deniers List is Sen. Bill Nelson who is asking that the decision to delist be reversed and Rep. Vern Buchanan of Sarasota has signed a letter along with 12 other Florida representatives asking for the same thing. You will recognize some of those people on the list: Liberals Kathy Castor from Tampa, Alcee Hasting from Miami, Debbie Wasserman Schultz from the I hate Bernie fame; and last but not least, our flip-Flopping ex-governor Charlie Christ – they are all manatee deniers. captRonB@juno.com

Cobia MAY 2017

ONLINE EVERY MONTH @

specimen he named was caught in the Carolinas.

Cobia lack a swim bladder, which means they expend more energy than most fish in order to maintain their position in the water column. Sometimes cobia "rest" on the bottom in order to reduce this energy expenditure.

In the Gulf of Mexico, cobia live 9- to 11 years, depending on sex, but in the

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every 9- to 12 days. During spawning, cobia undergo changes in body coloration from brown to a light horizontal-striped

By Capt. Betty Staugler pattern.

Water Life / Sea Grant Cobia eggs are free floating. Five days How does one reward themselves for after hatching, mouths and eyes develop running 26.2 miles in hilly Boston? They and young cobia are able to actively feed. go fishing! Hopefully this month I will By the end of their first month, cobia get to cross one bucket list species off juveniles resemble adults. The juveniles my yet to be caught list. Wish me luck with this super cool fish!! however have two color bands running from head to tail along Cobia occur worldwide in subeach side. These bands fade as the tropical, tropical, and warm temfish ages. perate waters. They range from Cobia are pelagic fish and preNova Scotia to Argentina in the fer the open water, but tend to western Atlantic, including the gather in groups near structure Gulf of Mexico; from Morocco to such as pilings, buoys, boats, and South Africa in the eastern Atflotsam where they scavenge cruslantic; and in the Indo-West Pataceans, octopus and squid cific from East Africa and Japan along with small fishes. to Australia.

Cobia is managed for both commercial and recreational fishCobia get their name, Rachycening in federal waters off Florida. tron canadum, from their 7- to 9 This cobia was caught under the 41 bridge Only recreational fishing for cobia pointed dorsal spines; rhachis is FISH PIX! April 14 in Punta Gorda, 35 inches 14 is allowed in state waters. pounds great fish. My first big cobia.

Greek for spine and kentron means In 2013, data indicates 746,557 Bob Lauber, Punta Gorda pointed. pounds of cobia were landed in The first description of cobia ocCarolinas they live 13- to 14 years. AlFlorida. The recreational fishery comcurred in 1766 by a scientist with the last though they don't live as long, cobia in prised 82-percent of the statewide landname Linnaes, who classified it as Gasthe Gulf grow faster and reach larger ings with the majority (55-percent) terosteus canadus. Although canadus sizes than their Carolina counterparts. coming from the Gulf coast. might make you think Canada, the cobia Cobia become sexually maCapt. Betty Staugler, ture at very young ages. Males Florida Sea Grant Agent. UF/IFAS Extension, mature as early as a year here in Charlotte County (941) 764-4346 the Gulf, and females mature by year three.

Cobia spawn in large aggregations from April through September in the Gulf. There's evidence that spawning takes place both inshore, offshore, and even in estuaries. And unlike many other fish that spawn at night, cobia spawning takes place during daylight hours.

Jon Sheppard caught this cobia near During the spawning Capt. Andrew Herzog, with a cobia, from a recent trip FISH PIX! Cape Haze. Guide was Capt Bill Brickel season, cobia can spawn from Water LIFE magazine

from Water LIFE magazine

PAGE 19

My Road to Boston Finish Line

Charlotte Countyʼs Sea Grant Agent, Capt. Betty Staugler (yellow sneakers), running in last monthʼs Boston Marathon.

Boston Marathon - Well I did it!! My last 10 miles of running were not pretty, but hey the first 16 were great! Better than completing the race was living the experience.

The race is magical! It really is. This year's race weather was hotter than average. Not, HOT, HOT, but I saw reports of 79 which is hot enough. Really good thing I live in Florida because 2,358 runners needed medical attention, most for heat stroke. I have no doubt, living and training in Florida, where we sweat year round, saved me. I finished in 3 hours 55 minutes, slower than I hoped, but fast enough to log another Boston qualifying time. Guess I'll be heading back to Boston again next year!

I had great support throughout my training segment. Starting with my amazing hubby who took a lot of domestic duty pressure off me so I could focus on running, to my awesome Wannarun friends who ran hills because it was on my plan, finished fast because it was on my plan, and at times ran longer distances than they had planned because…yep, it was on my plan.

Then there was my canine running partner Otis who logged a lot of trail runs with me. He was a real trooper and made our runs fun. All pretty important as I logged 123 training runs, 868 miles, and 144 hours preparing for Boston.

PAGE

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MAY 2017

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

TIS THE SEASON The small child had been playing in a sandbox in the back yard of his residence with adult supervision. When the child encountered the snake, the snake struck the child on the right index finger. The snake was then killed by an adult and the child was transported to the hospital by EMS. Once at the hospital, the snake was identified as a large adult pigmy rattlesnake.

STILL HAPPENING Officers located an illegal abandoned gill net in Charlotte Harbor. This was a very large net that had the potential to kill thousands of fish. The officers disposed of the net.

SEA VOLTED Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Lines announced Monday that its new build

saw a brown pelican that was hanging upside down from a mangrove branch. The pelican had braided fishing line wrapped around his foot, and was partially submerged. The pelican was struggling to keep his head above water, and could not free himself. Performing exceptional boat handling skills, the pelican was brought safely onto land and turned over to the Bird Rehabilitation Center in Key West.

LITTLE PUNKS Philippine officials reported Monday that fighters with the terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf have beheaded a fisherman who was taken hostage during the hijacking of

tions involved in the St. Pete Ocean Team (SPOT) already surround the port. SPOT is a consortium of marine science, oceanographic and environmental research agencies and governmental institutions in the Southeast and one of the top such clusters in the nation. These organizations include the Florida Institute of Oceanography, USF College of Marine Science, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, USGS-Coastal & Marine Science Center and SRI, which is a 38,000-square-foot nonprofit research institution located on the Port at St. Petersberg.

SUPERCARRIER The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford has completed its sea trials. The new

NEW BOATS Charlotte Countyʼs Marine 1, an old McKee Craft used by the Fire Department (mostly for training), is about to be replaced

with a 35-foot twin jet drive vessel whose make and manufacture has not yet been ascertained by this publication.The Punta Gorda Police departmentʼs inflatable is also about to be replaced. Thank Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Marine Advisory Committee for working out the funding.

ABLAZE The container ship MSC Daniela

Norwegian Joy will feature a two-deck race track, with enough room to accommodate 10 electric go-karts at one time.

THE DUMB AN DUMBER FAMILY Two tourists rented a two-person kayak from a local livery on the bay side of Key Largo and paddled southbound near the shoreline of Blackwater Sound. The wind speed was near 20 mph from the east-southeast. Once they reached the entrance to Dusenbury Creek, they decided to go back. The couple found themselves two miles offshore in Blackwater Sound and were becoming victim of the pounding choppy waters, paddling against a strong wind and waves in a sinking kayak. They called 911 The couple on the kayak were now in a half-submerged kayak and were unable to clearly communicate their position. After a long search FWC officers saw a small yellow object near the surface and found the couple clinging to their now sunken kayak. Both persons in the water were wearing their life jackets, and holding their phones out of the water.

CHILLING DEVELOPMENTS An unusually large number of icebergs have drifted into the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic in recent weeks, forcing vessels to detour well to the south to avoid danger. Icebergs have even been spotted outside of the Coast Guard's ice navigation warning area, prompting at least one notice to mariners urging caution.

EXCEPTIONAL SKILL ...Once on scene, he

the cargo vessel Ramona.

HISTORIC! FWC approves downgrading Collier County manatee zones, see page 16

LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY Officers received a call in the middle of the night from a commercial shrimping vessel, stating that one of the crew members had fallen into the water and was missing in the middle of Charlotte Harbor.

The officers responded to the area and began searching for the missing fisherman along with the Charlotte County Sheriffʼs Office, USCG, and numerous other agencies. Apparently the other crew members didnʼt realize he was missing for quite some time. They were unsure where and when the person fell in. Searching with night vision the officers located the missing fisherman alive and pulled him to safety.

ST. PETE MARINE RESEARCH Touting its $5 million newly renovated wharf, the city of St. Petersberg is working to become an international marine research port, hopeing to function as a counterpart to the vital role played by Woods Hole and Scripps at La Jolla. Organiza-

class supercarrier uses an electromagnetic rail to launch itʼs aircraft.

EXTREME TRAVEL Sunstone Ships, an expedition cruise ship owner based in Miami, has signed an agreement for the construction of caught fire off the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

four ice-class vessels. The new 340-foot ships will have 80-95 cabins, a speed of 15 knots, a Polar Code PC 6 classification and an ice class 1A hull; they will feature an X-Bow design.

AN FWC OFFICER WAS ON PATROL around Matlacha when he encountered two subjects actively fishing from shore. He asked if they had caught any fish, and one of the subjects stated that they had not caught anything. An inspection of the subjectʼs cooler revealed an undersized redfish, an undersized mangrove snapper, and an undersized sheepshead.

AN FWC OFFICER WAS ON PATROL in Boca Grande when he received information about some people spear fishing near the phosphate docks. He saw four people, two PWCs, and some spear fishing gear before he attempted to stop them for a resource inspection. When Officer Salem asked the men if they had any fish, they said they had a sheepshead and “some other fish.” The other fish was an oversized redfish. One of the men admitted to spearing the redfish. Misdemeanor charges were issued for illegal method of taking redfish and for possession of an oversized redfish.

NOT DEAD The subject had not been seen since 2:00 PM. The banks of the creek were searched for extended distances up and down the creek, a Department of Corrections K-9 team was utilized, and the Bay County Sheriffʼs Office deployed their helicopter with FLIR. Shortly after daylight, the subject was found in good condition at an elementary school, a short distance from his assisted living facility.

MAY 2017

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Kayaking: A New Boat

By Bob Fraser Water LIFE Kayaking My wife, Barb, and I have been looking for a tandem kayak for quite some time. We wanted a sit-on-top style fishing kayak. It also needed to have plenty of storage space and accommodate our trolling motor. We finally found the kayak that fit all our needs last week. It’s a Native Ultimate, a cross between a canoe and a kayak.

It has comfortable lawn chair style seats, which keeps you dry if water happens to get in the kayak. The kayak has a tunnel hull, which gives it good stability.

On our first trip with our new kayak, we went to Gasparilla Sound and launched at 19th Street on Boca Grande, a popular place for kayakers. I wasn’t 100-percent sure if I was going to like it because I didn’t get a chance to try it out before I bought it. I recommend to people, if it’s possible, take a kayak out on the water before you buy it, to make sure you like it and it doesn’t have a leak. We once bought a sit-on-top kayak in the past, before trying it, and the kayak had several

leaks in the hull. We almost didn’t get back to the launch. When I got home, I was able to fix the holes with a heat gun and some plastic.

We started the day fishing with live shrimp under a popping cork. Barb always fishes this way. I try several artificial baits when I go fishing. Today, I caught a few small trout and a ladyfish on a Mirrorlure with a green back. I caught a few others with a white Zman soft plastic.

Barb caught several trout with the live shrimp, but they weren’t big enough to

keep. We also caught some catfish and pinfish to add to the mix.

Beware of treble hooks when fishing from a kayak. I have a friend that’s an avid kayak fisherman who will not use baits with treble hooks when fishing from

his kayak. He says it’s too easy to get stuck with a hook, and he’s right, it happened to me once.

Remove a treble hook from a fish with care. Make sure you have a tight grip on the fish and use long pliers to reduce the chances of getting a hook in your finger.

Of course don’t squeeze the fish so tight that you kill it, especially a game fish like trout.

Bob Fraser, Kayak Fishing Guide 941-916-8303 bobmfraser@gmail.com www.kayakfishingwithbob.com

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PAGE 21

PAGE

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MAY 2017

MAY – Predictions and Suggestions BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

Charlotte Harbor Frank at Fishin’ Franks 941-625-3888

I’ve covered redfish, snook and tarpon in my column on page 9 so here’s more about the fishes and a little more about tarpon.

Out in the Gulf, past 3 - miles, we are looking at good fishing with Spanish mackerel, kings, and cobia.

There seems to be quite a bit of blue runners now, they are good bait for the Spanish and the kings and probably what’s keeping them around.

If you are going to bottom fish, what I would do is, put a line out and let it down so it’s about 15 feet deep, maybe put a

Fish With A Guide!

Youʼll catch more fish and youʼll learn something new, every time!

My name is Scott LaCosse. 6-foot 3inch bull shark, Bayshor area, Charlotte Harbor

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Speak Easy Fishing Charters Captain Joe Angius USCG licensed & Insured Phone: (727)

234-3171

speakeasyfishing.com

speakeasyfishing@gmail.com

bobber on, and have a blue runner, cut bait, or a squirrelfish on it.

Then feed it out at least 75 feet from the boat and let that line sit out there. There are many fish coming by in the middle of the water column, just have a good FISH leader on because this approach is for bigger fish.

Plenty of snapper, grunt and other little stuff closer in, but grouper need 100-plus feet of water maybe even 120. The warmer water is what does it.

Right now seems to be a lot of tarpon in the Harbor and up in the Rivers but they are not showing themselves much. From Alligator Creek to Mangrove Point there are tarpon, but they are not breaking the surface. The wind might be keeping them down and pushing bait up into the Harbor and the tarpon like that set up.

The east side islands are all windblown. The wind stirs up the water making it like a stronger tide current. The west side isn’t doing as much without the wind. Usually the windy side is where the bite gets going first.

Paul Nelson on left with a 44 inch snook he caught Sunday in Charlotte Harbor. His friend Ron, on right, helped land it

PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Robin Sprague, Dolphin, 4-28-17, off Key Largo

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Becca caught her first snook with our family Captain, Jake Fuhlman.

Unusual Catches: Brent from Cape Coral. Back yard bass, two at a time on the same hook one morning.... and then two at a time on the same hook the next morning again! What are the odds?

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

MAY 2017

Fishing Report continued

We’ve got sharks, sharks, sharks. Pretty much blacktips and bonnet heads, bulls and hammerheads. It’s like the Wizard of Oz is going on with sharks.

Sharks are all the way up and down the Harbor from Harbour Heights to the Gulf. Some of the more productive shark spots are Mkr No.1, Mkr No. 8, Mkr No. 6 and the Cape Haze Reef. The best time for shark, if you want the larger ones, is from 5 to 10 at night or from daybreak to 9 am.

There are more other fish around in the shallows at that time for them to eat. Ladyfish, bonita and jacks, in that order, for shark bait.

Lemon Bay - Placida Gasparilla Sound Jim at Fishermen’s Edge 941-697-7595

Biggest thing in fishing right now is the wind. On days when it’s not too windy fishing has been good. The Bay fishing has been good too, especially with the high water and SW wind keeping fish up in the Bay. The redfish and snook fishing is still good. We went two weeks in a row and got keeper redfish both times on Cocahoe Minnows.

The swimming plugs like the 3D minnow have the right profile and stay suspended in the strike zone.

Right now there are Spanish

ONLINE EVERY MONTH @

The BIG-4 TARPON are here, in the Pass River and the Harbor holes

May

WWW.WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM

Fish you can expect in

SPANISH MACKEREL In the passes and up inthe Harbor

SHARKS More and more, bigger and bigger !

SNOOK Beaches and ICW, up in the harbor too

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Nearshore Temps are now mid 70s warmer south and way offshore

Downtown Bait and Tackleʼs REEL IN THE FUN Kidʼs Pier Fishing Tournament

95˚ 90˚ 85˚ 80˚

Hunter Kelly with a spadefish,

mackerel in the Pass and back in the Harbor around Devilfish Key. They are on the edges where it flows out of the Harbor, pretty much in David Brysen with his 1st Place award all the passes fish are mabelievable how many cobia he rauding the bait. saw, all 32 inchers, all in one Offshore, a couple of friends spot, he said he could see bigger limited on red grouper off to the ones. He was way out past the NW toward Manasota and reefs. I think maybe they were Venice, like 18- to 20-miles, they spawning. have got some spots up there.

Blacktips are inside, around They got some snapper too.

Turtle Bay. The bigger sharks are Other guys I know went south in the Pass.

There is a lot of shark and west and they only got snapactivity now.

Tarpon have been per and porgys no keeper grouper in and out of the Pass. The sharks where they were, but a lot of 18run them out and they end up or 19-inchers. There are a lot of somewhere else.

Mostly it’s been fish around to be had. live bait drift boats fishing Guys have still been running into the king mackerel, if they go for tarpon. I haven’t seen the guys from Tampa out far enough. A couple of peodown here yet, but they ple have talked about cobia off will be here. shore. One fellow said it was un

75˚

Youʼve got a fish!, Donʼt stop reeling!

72˚ 70˚ 68˚ 50˚ 45˚

Reed McCaffrey with a fine snapper.

FISHING RIGHT NOW:

GreatXL

FWC approves 78-day recreational red snapper season in Gulf waters for 2017

At its April meeting in Tallahassee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set the 2017 Gulf state waters recreational red snapper season. The 78-day season will be as follows:

Open Saturdays and Sundays in May starting the first Saturday in May. Everyone has to start fishing someplace and this bait bucket full of shrimp looked good to Lochlan Ryan, age 3.

Ity was all smiling faces, all day long!

Open daily starting the Saturday before Memorial Day (May 27) through Sunday following Independence Day (July 9).

Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, plus Labor Day (Sept. 4).

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MAY 2017