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K I D S C U P To u r n a m e n t
November 2008
Local Bonefish? Flatsmasters
Page 6
Page 9
KIngs or Better Page 22
Small Boat Evolution
Photo Page 19
Kids Cup coming April 25, 2009!
w w w. W a t e r L i f e M a g a z i n e . c o m
Page 16 Fishin始s
Got Their Attention!
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November 2008
November 2008
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MAGAZINE
November 2008
No w av ai l ab l e: St Cro i x Ro ds !
LETTERS
Some Thoughts from Capt. Rick
TO
WAT E R L I F E M a g a z i n e
Dear Water LIFE
RE: No Feedi ng Pel i cans. Why would they ever think that rule up? Pelicans are already protected. In the winter months you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a pelican. Please tell me what FWC officer is going to arrest a kid for throwing dead bait to a pelican. RE: Ci rcl e Hooks. The new law says in part that you must use a circle hook when harvesting snapper. I have read studies showing circle hooks work well causing fewer gut hooked fish. I guess FWC read these articles too, but did they do any homework? Did they ask the guides? I don’t think so. Circle hooks don’t work well for redfish, snook or trout but they work very well for tarpon. I fish in the back bays and shallow waters of Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River. We fish primarily for snook, redfish, trout, tarpon, cobia and mangrove snapper. No one can control what fish bites your hook. Who wants to release a big fat mangrove snapper just because you didn’t use a circle hook? Personally, I like to set the hook, that does not work well with circle hooks. I like to feel the surge of the fish when I set the hook. If you don’t set
Capt Rick with client and a 25-inch redfish caught on a Kahle Hook
the hook the fish will be back in the mangroves (or the reef) and tangled up before you know it and you are going to end up with a break off. Circle hooks just don’t work well in shallow water. Circle hooks are not fool proof; you will still gut hook fish using circle hooks. The FWC wants the public to be educated in the use of circle hooks but really the FWC should be educated that circle hooks only work well in deep water and not on the flats of Charlotte Harbor. I hope the FWC will tweak these silly laws a little so they can do what they are intended to do in the first place and do it well. There is a much better hook for all around use. It’s called a Kahle hook. Try it! You’ll like it.
RE: Venti ng Tool s. This is a hypodermic needle and really shouldn’t be used by the average person. Sooner or later somebody will ‘vent’ themselves by accident. Venting tools and circle hooks maybe a good idea for offshore charter boats, but certainly not on inshore boats. These laws have good intentions but are poorly written and should not include inshore fishing. RE: Catch and Rel ease More than 50-percent of my clients practice catch and release techniques. Others like to take home enough fish for a meal. I am against and discourage the “fill the cooler” attitude of the past that some people still have. If you want to fill your freezer with fish then go to the fish market – it will be a lot cheaper in the long run. RE: De-Hooki ng Tool s. De-Hooking tools go back 50 years or so. It’s nice to see that the FWC has ‘re-discovered’ them and ARC has reinvented an old tried and true tool. Be kind out there, slow down and smell the fish. Capt. Rick Kelley
Editor notes** If you have a response or a comment for Capt Rick please send it to Waterlife@comcast.net and we’ll pass it along to him. Capt Rick doesn’t have an email account.
N O W G E T W A T E R L I F E M A G A Z I N E F R E E O N L I N E A T:
W W W. WAT E R L I F E M A G A Z I N E . C O M
Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Magazine
Michael and Ellen Heller Publishers
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TOTALLY INDEPENDENT Water LIFE is not affiliated with any other publication Vol VII No11 © 2008 Water LIFE
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WRITE US! e-mail (preferred) Waterlife@comcast.net Regular MAIL: 217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952
Contributing Editors:
Fishing / Environment: Capt. Ron Blago Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Port Charlotte: Capt Andy Medina Commercial Fishing: Kelly Beal Real Real Estate: Dave Hofer Sailing: Bill Dixon Kayaks: David Allen Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Diving: Adam Wilson
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This Monthʼs Edition: Send a link to a friend RealEstate Whatʼs happening NOW!
Fishing Resource Guide: Everything you ever wanted to know – almost Don Ball School: Classes in session
Artificial Reefs: Projects and progresslat/long for local reefs
Manatee Myths: Read the original plan to create sanctuaries and refuges, as spelled out by the United Nations in 1984 Kids Cup Updates, Fish Tracking and Tournament Information.
Going in Circles
November 2008
BY Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor I’m convinced that sometimes the planets spin backwards. It’s been that way a lot for me lately. First, my davits were squeaky and my boat was getting hard to swing around. I decided to grease the pulleys and pivots and all went well until I climbed up the ladder and un-did the bolt that secures the top pulley. I slid the bolt out and replaced it with the shaft of my screwdriver to hold it temporarily, but the screwdriver slipped out and the pulley dropped free. It rolled, straight as an arrow right down the entire 8 foot length of the davit arm and launched itself into the canal. I couldn't have rolled it that straight if I tried, but there it went, kerplunk, right into the canal. I needed the boat next morning so I had to get it. I stripped down to my shorts and jumped into the canal. With a big magnet it took me 45 minutes, but finally I stumbled on the pulley, embedded in the thick black bottom mud. OK, at least I was back on track. A week later my progress again went retrograde. My boat was running like crap. I had changed my fuel filter and I'd been adding stuff to the fuel to counteract the ethanol problems. But my boat’s top speed had dropped from 63 to 55, the motor wasn’t pulling any ‘Rs,’ so I took off the fuel line and siphoned out the tank. There was water in it, maybe a quart. Then I decided I needed to get more
Water LIFE
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than just what I could suck out from the pick-up hose so I tried to unscrew the fitting on the tank. That fitting was installed when the boat was built. It was accessible, but to put a wrench on it I'd now need a twisted wrench, one not even in my oddball-tools drawer. So the simple little job of unscrewing a fitting became an exercise in acetylene torch wrench bending. In the end, the bent-wrench worked like a charm, but the project wound up taking the better part of a day. It must have had something to do with the moon, I reasoned. The next big step backward came a few days later. I had left the boat in the water overnight and late that afternoon I pulled it out. It was already getting dark but I wanted to flush the motor In an aerial photo we made last month, a blue-crabber circled one of his traps outside of Alligator and let it dry out. I grabbed the Creek. They make the turn to hook the crab-trap-float which helps to pick up the trap. garden hose and screwed it into the flush port. Then I turned on pulled the hose off and with it came a auto parts store to jury rig a temporary the water and started the motor, but there soggy clump of fiber. I got a flashlight hose that would work until a new hose was no water pressure on the gauge. I and looked better. It was grass. The nipple came in from Mercury. looked back and nothing was coming out coming out of the block was packed with When I was all done I fired up the of any of the water ports. I shut her down grass too, stuffed in from the water presmotor. Water was running out the pee and went back to the hose and upped the sure of the flush hose. hole, but the water pressure gauge still pressure. Kablooey! Something inside the I thought back. Earlier that week I had didn’t move. What's up with that? I rapped motor blew and all sorts of water came asked lawn guy to weed-wack the area in the pressure gauge with my finger. The rushing out of the cowling. I pulled the the vacant lot behind my boat. What I fig- gauge jumped up to the normal 12 psi. I cowl. The problem was the ‘s’ shaped ured out must have happened was the removed the gauge. It was full of water. It hose between the cowl and the block. I weed-waked grass pieces must have got had been sticky before the grass incident got a screwdriver and in the almost-darkwacked right into the open end of the hose but now it was dead. Were the incidents ness I loosened the blown hose. I felt I use to flush the motor. It took me one related? I don’t know, I got my car keys something funny, something fuzzy. I trip to Punta Gorda and two trips to the and headed for the parts store.
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Fall Fishing Forecast
By Capt Robert Moore Wat er LIFE S t aff Fall fishing is now upon us. The best part about fall fishing is the diversity that comes with the cooler weather. Not only is the inshore scene very productive, the offshore fishing will buzz with life as well. Inshore fishing for snook should capitalize most of everyone’s attention this month. As soon as Mr. Snook feels the water temperature drop he will begin his migration inshore. Along with that migration will come a very hearty appetite. Without a doubt using live bait such as shiners will produce the most action with snook, but if there was ever a time of year to target snook on artificial’s this would be it. The snook’s aggression towards anything that moves comes from his desire to fatten up before the lower winter water temperatures effect his metabolism. Redfish and trout fishing will be very productive as well. The cooler water temperature seems to help bring in larger numbers of trout on the flats looking for that sure thing meal. The best part about trout fishing is you don’t need to spend precious time looking for bait to have a productive day. Artificial baits work great and if you desire live fresh shrimp bought from your local tackle shop will produce great catches as well. Offshore fishing will offer some great action when the winds will let you get out. The fall king mackerel run may be over, but make no mistake about it, there will be plenty of schoolie kings out there for the taking. Light tackle fishing is at its best when catching 5-12-pound kings. Chumming with live bait over structure in up to 50 feet seems to produce plenty of action. Spanish mackerel and bonita will also offer some great action as large schools target pods of bait just off the beaches. Trolling with diving plugs will also produce some great action and allow you to cover a lot of area at the same time. Bottom fishing offshore will start to produce some good action closer in and
November 2008
MAGAZINE
Bonefish in Local Waters
Bob Prior caught this kingfish on a live blue runner 5 miles out Boca Grande, at the end of October, fishing with Capt. Robert Moore
Roger Stacy sent us this picture of a Bonefish caught in Stump Pass. The fish was caught by his son-in-law Todd Ellis who lives in West Union Ohio. He caught it on a red jig head and shrimp on Sept 25. “I knew what it was as soon as I saw it in the water but I could not believe we found one this far North,” Stacey said
will only get better as the water temperature falls. Red, gag and black grouper will migrate closer to shore during the winter months making it easier to find slot fish without venturing out to far. One word of caution is that the regulations on grouper have changed so make sure you are familiar with them. Go To: http://marinefisheries.org/grouper/index.htm for more information. And no matter what your desire is, fall fishing should have it for you. Good luck and tight lines!
COBIA STILL AROUND
Len Shirey and Scott Eason with 30 lb. Cobia caught off of Boca with Capt. Rick Francois
Capt. Robert Moore can be reached to book a trip of for fishing information at: 624-5710 or at www.captrobertmoore.com
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November 2008
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Water LIFE
Offshore Adventure
By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor On this particular day we were at the right place at the right time and on this particular day we used every rod on the boat for a huge variety of species. When we finished catching bait the livewell was chock full of nice whitebait and pinfish with hundreds of baits to chum with. Little did we know we wouldn’t need most of it. We exited Boca Grande Pass and a southwest wind built waves to 3 feet. A mile out I canceled our offshore plans because I thought it was going to be worse 10-or 20- miles out. The chatter of happy anglers came to a silence. What now!? We set up near the mouth of the pass to take advantage of an outgoing tide. Snook and redfish should be milling around and we have plenty of bait to attract them. Presenting weighted baits into the current required confidence because this is not a place we normally fish. We were fishing about 1 ounce of lead with 3 feet of 40# leader with either pinfish or whitebait attached to a 2/0 hook. Before our first cast a school of jacks crashed around the boat and assured us we would get our arms yanked off if we cast to them. Instead, we fished lines that sometimes bounced bottom in the rolling tide. I banged a couple of nice snapper in the 12 inch range and then an oversize redfish. Gene Kingery hooked up at least 3 times with big reds and lost them. Meanwhile Shawn Swiontek sat back and watched the action before making his first cast. To say the least, Plan B fishing was good but then the tide went slack. Before the tide began running too hard Gene yanked a couple of very respectable flounder aboard and they went into the cooler for dinner. A few encounters with jack crevalles that were pouncing bait led to a tangle or two, but the best was yet to come. Unexpectedly, the wind calmed down
and we decided to pick up our original offshore plans. Two miles offshore we spotted a huge school of large threadfins getting mashed. In just about any direction you could see whitewater spray at least 2 feet above the surface with large fish crashing acres of bait. Hoping for kingfish we raced to the fish and shut down. With beautiful water visibility kingfish could be seen slashing through the bait right under the boat! Spanish mackerel were also spearing their share, sharks were everywhere and they were sizable in the 4 to 7 foot range... and this was only the beginning. None of us had steel leaders on. Gene flicked out with 40-pound mono and got nailed immediately. After stinging runs a 10 pound kingfish came aboard. I made 3 casts and got bite off three times. Finally, with wire leaders attached Gene and I cast and got railed immediately. Kingfish out the wazoo! This was fishing at its finest! You could cast in any direction at any time and get nailed and this went on for hours! After several fish a rest was in order. It is hard to say how many fish we hooked, boated or landed this day but it was nothing short of phenomenal. The hard part to our challenge eventually became picking out the right fish. A school of arm breakers (aka- bonito) decided to join the fracas and the sharks became very aggressive. The bonito seemed to blast the bait and the kings slashed at the bait. As for the sharks, they would charge through the bait. Either way, we tried to avoid the sharks and the bonito but without avail. Most of the sharks ran 50 to 70 pounds and would wear you out on the tackle we had. The “trail” left on the chartplotter told the story: the baitfish never moved out of a ½ mile radius – obviously the intense pressure from predator species was keeping them in one place. Three hours later we still had these fish to ourselves. With a livewell full of bait still and a fish on
MAGAZINE
literally every cast without chumming, we decided to let some bait go and see what happened. Handfuls of pilchards were released repeatedly and a huge school of very large jacks showed up. Perhaps 15 pounders or more and none of us were willing to throw a line at them. Then a pair of 30 pound cobia showed up just long enough for us to grab a bait to cast to them before disappearing. The jacks came and went and the bonitos blasted within 10 yards of the boat. For each blast a marauder pack of 5-6 foot sharks would race over to the blast- aggressive was not the word for these sharks and they weren’t leaving the boat. Peering into the distance, Shawn spots “jaws” approaching from about 50 yards out. A massive shadow with a head that was nearly 3 feet across! As the shark approached the stern the smaller 6 foot sharks ran for cover except for one. The massive shark gave a chilling appearance on the port side where we were all standing and chased another shark lurking nearby. We got one more look at this creature before it disappeared. Our day grew long we were now spending quiet a bit of time on the front deck with-
November 2008
out a rod in hand. I made one final cast and was instantly hit. Turning the reel handle became too much of a chore and I stuck the rod in a holder. Shawn graciously took over and landed a nice kingfish to finish up the day. With fish still blasting bait skyward and birds diving we were done. No one wanted to reel in another fish. This kind of offshore tango occurs a lot this time of year but it is all in the timing. The following week we went out to the same area under spectacular conditions and didn’t catch a fish! It’s all about being in the right place at the right time.
Capt. Chuck Eichner is a local charter captain. For information or to book a guided fishing trip call 941-505-0003 or go to his website: www.back country -charters.com
Water LIFE
November 2008
Flatsmasters 2008 Champions
From the Left: Team Minn Koda,Tom Savasuk, Tom Fischer, Brian Zeigler with the winning fish on Top-5 Championship Day. These two fish were worth a boat, motor and trailer valued at $40,000
S t aff R eport On Saturday most anglers agreed that redfish were the hard ones to find but the top-5 teams still posted extremely respectable two fish scores. Team Cape Tool & Tackle: 6.44, 12.12 = 18.56 Team Andros Boats: 5.42, 12.23 = 17.65 Team Minn Koda: 5.95, 11.56 = 17.51 Team Mo Fishin: 5.66, 10.68 = 16.24 Team Franz Masonary: 7.12, 8.59 = 17.51 The wind blew hard Sunday morning with a front dipping down into the area, but by afternoon the wind petered out and the sun shone brightly. “I like fishing better when it’s blowing and overcast,” one angler noted. But Team Minn Koda liked the weather just fine on Sunday, for them it smelled like victory. Team Minn Koda weighed in with a 10.52 snook and a 6.66 pound red for the win. No other team had a snook!
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Water LIFE
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Temperatures Cool Down, Fishing Heats Up
By Capt. Andrew Medi na Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor It really has cooled down in the morning and the run across the harbor has become a little less enjoyable. It’s winter, north winds are creeping up on us and the tides are falling away – there were a couple days when you could have driven a truck from Ponce Inlet to Alligator Creek. What I do, as part of my normal practice, is watch where the mullet are running. This will tell you where predatory fish like snook and redfish are. Most of the fish we have found have been outside the bar, following the large mullet schools on their journeys. Redfish action has been hot and the bite has been on cut pinfish. Large breeders are running together in schools. We are talking fish over the 20-pound range. These fish have been outside the Turtle Bay bar in the 2- to 4foot range of water. There have also been fish just down from Burnt Store on the east side of the harbor. These fish are a pretty easy catch if you bring the right tackle. I’m using my normal inshore tackle with 20-pound Power Pro and a 30pound leader since outside the bar there are no mangroves to get broke-off on.
The main way you get broke off will be a drag setting error. Late in October we found some fish that ran so fast we had to pull the Power Pole and actually chase them. These fish ranged in size from slot fish up to 42 inches, great photo’s for our clients. One thing I would like to mention about catching these fish is the size of the hook you use. Everyone knows the importance of a circle hook. This is by far the best choice for this task, as long as the hook is large enough so the fish is unable to swallow it. We have stepped up hook size from our normal 2/0 size to a size 3/0 or even 4/0 circle hooks. Snook fishing has also been doing well. With many keepers moving up into the tidal creeks and canal systems. With all the bait readily available, the snook are fat. Many 10-pound slot size fish have been caught this season. I found some of the best fish I have caught have been taken on a free-lined greenie under the docks. Try fishing inside Colony Point, or around the Alligator Creek area. Ponce Inlet is also a good bet for snook on a fast moving tide – it really doesn’t matter whether it is incoming or outgoing, as
November 2008
MAGAZINE
Javier Vina caught this 20-plus pound redfish while fishing with Capt. Andrew Medina
long as you have water movement the fish will eat. Trout are still chewing; drift the grass flats around Pirate harbor, just inside the bar or near the channels– a shrimp under a popping cork is always great. Tarpon are still in are harbor in the 20-foot holes. Plenty of large threadfin herring have been around and are great bait for late season tarpon. You may have to try drifting the bait several different ways such as under a cork or free lined. It won’t take
long for you to discover how they want the bait presented to them. The rewards are great for late season tarpon anglers, with some of these fish weighing close to 100-pounds. Stay warm, dry, and fish through it. We only have about 5 months left of these conditions. Capt. Andrew can be reached for Charter
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Water LIFE
November 2008
R Re ea all E Es st ta at te e N Ne ew ws s
the Red Sox to Sarasota for spring training will be hard to recoup from additional visitors during the already busy spring season.
P a g e 11
8. Reflecting the icy real estate market, Syd Kitson will be returning $42.5 Million in tax free bond money received to install infrastructure improvements at Babcock Ranch.
PROVIDED BY: Dave & Marlene Hofer RE/MAX Harbor Realty (941) 575-3777 dhofer@remax.net www.harborparadise.com Recent area news i tems
1. The Florida Supreme Court reversed its earlier ruling which had required Tax Increment Financing Districts to conform to the state constitution in regards to voter approval for major new investments. There are more than 178 Community Redevelopment Agencies throughout Florida which now have the green light to spend nearly limitless borrowed money on its pet projects without taxpayer approval.
2. Three bidders have emerged with proposals to develop Murdock Village. Lee County developer, Pelican Bay development has submitted a formal offer. Two others have been received but not disclosed.
3. In an effort to rebalance the budget, Punta Gorda City Council resolved to return personnel levels to 2004 levels. With a smaller population and less building activity, this seems to be a reasonable solution.
4. Charlotte County will spend 1% less than last year, forcing the millage levy up 25% to compensate for plummeting market values.
5. Charlotte County reallocated $30 Million from future projects to pay down on the Bank of America loan used to acquire the 1132 acre site. 6. US News and World Reports voted Punta Gorda one of the Ten Best Healthy Places to retire in its Sept 29 issue.
7. Sarasota will lay out almost $5 million to acquire a 2 acre site adjacent to Payne Park. The enormous bribe to lure
9. The much heralded Farmers Market opened on Saturdays this month at the newly refurbished courthouse on Taylor Street in Downtown Punta Gorda. With prices approaching 50-percent more than those at the long standing market at the VFW, it will be interesting to see if it survives the initial novelty.
10. Calusa Bank broke ground on its new bank building at the corner of U.S. 41 and Aqui Esta. S al es S tati sti cs:
Nationally: Inventories of foreclosed homes are being sold as a result of Sheriff Auctions. Modest recognition is appearing about the impact of these sales on local tax revenues, condominium association budgets and maintenance blight from neglected properties. The Troubled Asset Relief Program is glacially moving towards a solution to the enormous mortgage backed securities market. The only tangible benefit from this program to homeowners appears to be a writedown and refinance of existing mortgages. Unfortunately, this is, for now, a voluntary program on the part of the lenders holding mortgages. The Treasury Department will have to walk the fine line of offering enough cash to buy those mortgages and not so much as to put taxpayers at extreme investment risk.
Locally: Sales volume continued at a firm pace, but product mix continued to decline to lower valued houses. Lot sales have been confined to speculators at pre 2004 pricing
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Page 12
Sea Grant News
Water LIFE
By Betty S taugl er Sea Grant / Water LIFE
Bay Scallops Having a Great Year
2008 has been a very good year for bay scallops in southwest Florida. In August 2008, 62 Sarasota Bay Watch volunteers logged 947 scallops from Longboat Pass in Manatee County to Big Pass in Sarasota County. Reports of scallop sightings have been made throughout southwest Florida, all the way down to Florida Bay. Bay scallops were once plentiful enough to support a commercial fishery in southwest Florida. But that was 30 to 40 years ago. Scientists believe poor water quality is responsible for the collapse of this fishery. Today, harvest of bay scallops for commercial sale is illegal in Florida water. Recreational harvest for personal consumption is only allowed north of the Suwannee River and only between July 1 and September 10 of each year.
Bay scallops are extremely sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and salinity. They are also very vulnerable to changes in water quality. A scallop can close its shell to protect its gills from murky water, but only for about two hours. So what is causing the increase in bay scallops? No one knows for sure, most likely a combination of factors. Water quality in many southwest Florida estuaries has improved considerably since the 1960s and 70s. This is particularly true for Tampa and Sarasota Bays. Also, over the last several years, scientists have been attempting to jump start populations by rearing scallops in laboratories and then releasing the juveniles into selected estuaries where water quality is deemed healthy enough to support bay scallops. These factors, combined with two years of drought and very minimal red tide occurrences may well be the recipe for a bay
A scallop trap...ready to be deployed. The idea is that the scallop spat will attach itself to the orange mesh bag the same way it would attach itself to a seagrass blade. Below: Sea Scallops
scallop recovery. Is this the real deal? It’s far too early to tell what the future holds for bay scallops in southwest Florida. Bay scallops only live 12-18 months, so one bad year could spell disaster. Bay scallops spawn in the fall. To increase their reproductive success, a bay scallop has the ability to produce both eggs and sperm, although a delay occurs between the release of eggs and sperm to prevent inbreeding. About 36 hours after fertilization a tiny scallop egg becomes floating larvae. Two weeks later the larvae becomes ‘spat’ and attaches itself to the base of seagrass blades. The spat will eventually move up the
November 2008
MAGAZINE
Transmitter Recovered
It was found in a snook's stomach while filleting a 29 inch fish on October 17. The fish weighed 6.75pounds and was caught, south of Alligator Creek, by Greg Deminik. Betty Staugler of Sea Grant tells us: The pill like object that Greg Deminik found in his snook is a PIT tag (Passive Integrated Transponder). PIT tags are small microchips that are injected into a fish using a hand-held applicator gun. Researchers use hand-held scanners to detect PIT tags in fish. The scanner reads the tag's electromagnetic code and displays the tag's number. A number of different species have had pit tags implanted in them. You may recall that we scan all of the redfish that are weighed in at Kids Cup. This is because all of the hatchery reared redfish receive PIT tags upon release and we want to know if any of the Kids Cup fish are hatchery fish. This particular PIT tag most likely belongs to Dr. Aaron Adams of Mote Marine Laboratory. When I spoke to him, he was pretty sure it was his. Aaron has been using PIT tags in his research of tidal creeks along the east wall for many years. Specifically Aaron has been looking at whether habitat alterations (mostly due to mosquito ditching activities of the 1960s and 70s) affect the habitat utiliza-
blade to avoid predation from bottom dwellers. In spring to early summer, the scallops fall off of the seagrass blade and onto the bottom where they will spend the rest of their lives as free swimmers. Although a single scallop is capable of producing millions of eggs at once, only one egg out of the millions may survive to adulthood. Over the last several years, researchers have been evaluating scallop populations in Tampa Bay and Pine Island Sound. Earlier this year monitoring began in Sarasota Bay and upper Lemon Bay through a collaboration of Sarasota County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - FWRI (FWC-FWRI). In October, we extended the monitoring into Charlotte County (Lemon Bay and Gasparilla Sound) through a collaboration of FWC-FWRI and Florida Sea Grant/Charlotte County. Our efforts involve placing spat collection
tion preferences of juvenile snook. Aaron has been comparing impacted creeks to un-impacted creeks, looking at a variety of factors including fish species diversity, growth rates, and most recently diet. One of Aaronʼs goals is to be able to evaluate habitat restoration success based on its utilization by key indicator species, in this case, juvenile snook. Aaron has used a combination of seining and PIT tagging in his approach. The PIT tags work well because they are very small, relatively inexpensive, and since there is no internal battery, can last for many years. If my hunch is correct, and the fish Greg caught came from this tagging effort, the fish would have received its tag when it was about 7-10 inches in length. Aaron is out of town until mid November. Once he returns he will scan the tag and provide us with a history of the fish.
traps in seagrass areas. The traps will serve a substrate for the spat to attach to. Monthly, one trap will be pulled and another deployed. Each trap pulled will be analyzed by FWC-FWRI to determine if bay scallop spat are present. If spat is present then we will look at additional monitoring techniques to see how many are making it to adulthood and/or whether these areas may be suitable for restoration efforts. Also helping us is the FDEP Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves who are looking for scallops while conducting their annual seagrass surveys (Oct.-Dec. each year). The Aquatic Preserve staff have already made one scallop observation report for the southern end of Lemon Bay. Betty Staugler is the Sea Grant Agent for Charlotte County. She can be reached at 941-764-4346.
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November 2008
Water LIFE
MAGAZINE
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By Adam Wi l son Water LIFE Diving After a year of training, practicing and planning, my dive buddy Carl and I were finally off on the charter boat Ultimate Getaway to dive on some seldom visited deep wrecks northwest of Fort Jefferson in the Tortugas. It felt as though all of the deeper diving we had done this year had been leading us up to this one trip, and we were ready. Most of the 150 mile run to our first location from Ft. Myers Beach was done while we slept that Thursday night. A 450 foot German freighter resting in 250 feet was our first wreck to explore. She had been caught carrying supplies to Germany from Mexico and was shelled by the British Navy early in WWII. After Jim Joseph from Fantasea scuba and Captain Rick Pitts finished tying our grapple into the wreck, we got the signal from below to gear up and jump in. I wasn't concerned about them spooking any fish. They were both on closed circuit re-breathers that don't produce any bubbles, and like the majority of the 10 other divers on this trip they were not shooting fish, but artifact hunting. Our bottom time was going to be a strict 20 minutes. That's means 20 minutes from the time you jump off the boat you had better be back at the grapple and working your way up through your de-co stops. I dropped as fast as I could, kicking my fins and pulling along the descent line, trying not to waste any precious time. Arriving at the grapple and the wreck I glanced at my bottom timer just as it clicked over 2 minutes, great, still 18 minutes to hunt. Divers rarely visit these spots in the Gulf and it shows. Although most of the larger black groupers at this spot were a little spooky, the huge scamp grouper were just as curious as their shallow water little brothers. Even though our dives on the first wreck didn't produce any huge black grouper, it is hard to complain about stringers loaded with 10 to 15 pound scamps and school bus sized amberjacks. Day two brought us further south and to a wooden sailing ship built in the 1860s. In 1903 she collided with another ship and sank in 220 feet. Carl and I were to drop first on this wreck and tie the grapple in. Confidence was not high as the previous ship was supposed to have been the better hunting spot. Upon reaching our boats grapple my heart began pounding out of my chest. We had landed in the sand off the portside of the wreck. To say it was fishy would be the understatement of the year. Black grouper up to and over 100 pounds began pouring out of the wreck like rats off a sinking ship. Higher in the water column dozens of African pompano circled, blindingly reflecting
Diving Water LIFE
November 2008
MAGAZINE
the sun on us. To my left and around the bow a school of 12 cubera snappers, easily distinguished from the goliath grouper by their massive fangs and saucer sized scales. Easily pushing 80 to 100 pounds, or maybe bigger, they sheepishly would peek around the bow to catch a glimpse of us. Not even my wildest dreams have ever conjured up such an incredible scene. I really never imagined so many big fish would be in one place at one time. With my underwater camera only being rated to about 185 feet, it unfortunately was securely fastened up higher on our ascent line. The closest fish to me at the grapple was a large, 60 plus pound black. He swam very slowly past and below me, giving me the perfect shot angle. A pull of the trigger and he never flinched, just turned white, rolled and nosed into the sand. The other fish were still not spooked and I noticed Carl inside the wreck at this point battling his own monster grouper that wasn't coming quite as easy. I began to ease toward the cubera snappers, but they instantly matched my pace and abandoned the wreck for the safety of the vast sand desert. Cruising the starboard side I looked for whatever fish were close. A nice 35 pounder was hiding under the forward mast. Click, and lights out. Heading back to the grapple the huge blacks were still just off the wreck over the sand and not at all spooked. I pulled the trigger on the closest one that was twice the size of the first one I shot. He stopped and began to roll. I was thinking how lucky can I get when
he started swimming slowly toward the wreck. I planted shaft number two firmly in his head and then he decided to hole up inside the ship. With bottom time and gas running dangerously low there was no time for letting the silt settle. Shaft number three launches and he shoots out of the wreck and along the ship like a greyhound. I am sure this big fish held up further down along the ship just out of sight, but it had been time for me to be heading back to the grapple a long time ago. I hated to leave him there to die, but weather forced us off the wreck and kept us from our last dive to search for him. When the inevitable happens and a fish is lost we always tell each other that nothing in the ocean ever goes to waste....except maybe for our $40 freeshafts. Local diving is looking great for November. Stone crabbing has been good, not great, but good. Big amberjacks are already showing up at about the 70 foot contour and we are still shooting huge mangrove snappers up to 25 inches in 60 feet. Water temps are just now beginning to dip below 80 degrees so it's time to start bringing along the wetsuit. If your looking for a great charter trip at a low price the Getaway is top notch. They also offer shallow reef diving in the Tortugas for beginners and can be reached at www.ultimategetaway.net or call Capt. Rick at 1-866474-2069. Jim Joseph of Fantasea scuba is putting together a reef trip in early December at a discounted rate. Stop in his shop and check it out.
We始ve Moved!
November 2008
Water LIFE
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MAGAZINE
Even Though They Are Working, Geo Tubes Will be Removed to Preserve Park Shoreline
It was a pretty short meeting as government meetings go – actually it was more like a wake for a dead friend. I think most people who were in attendance had made up their minds months ago, but they were willing to have one last meeting to at least reflect everyone concerned had a chance to have their say. The subject of the meeting was the ending of the over-two-year-long experiment concerning the geo tubes placed on the north side of Stump Pass. The State DEP had ordered Charlotte County to remove the tubes some time ago and had it not been for a few nesting shore birds, the tubes would have been gone already. Over the last year I have talk to everyone I could find who had an opinion on the success or failure of the experiment and people’s opinions varied, mostly depending on where they lived or who was paying them. Tommy Brock, a well known local fisherman, boater and Manasota Key resident, had arranged a small get together with Robert Ballard, the Director of the State Parks of Florida and Michael Barnett the Bureau Chief of Beaches and Coastal Systems for the State DEP. I was asked to tag along because of my local knowledge and involvement with Stump Pass dredging issues. The first thing accomplished was a boat ride to let these guys see the geo tubes for themselves. Up until know, I got the opinion that they had only seen pictures of the area in question. With that done we all sat down to discuss the purpose and the results of the geo tube project. Like most people, I was lead to believe that the reason
the geo tubes were installed was to slow down the migration of sand drifting into Stump Pass, thus lengthening the period between maintenance dredgings. This has provided a substantial cost saving for the people of Charlotte County. Everyone seemed to agree that at the present time, Stump Pass was stable and adequate for marine navigation. People also agreed that sand had accumulated around the tubes, which resulted in approximately 5 acres of new beach on the north side of the pass. The problem was the undeniable erosion of a portion of the very south end of the State Park. Aerial photos of the park were passed out that showed the extent of the erosion. It was there for all to see. The question to be answered was – were the geo tubes responsible for the erosion and if they were removed, would the erosion stop? When in doubt, bring in the consultants; and everyone had one that agreed with their own personal opinion. Three different engineering firms had studied the matter and none of them had reached a common conclusion. In my opinion they were all pretty much useless. Then Bob Ballard, the biggest honcho at the meeting, dropped the big bomb. He said that way back, when Charlotte County first asked for a permit to dredge Stump Pass, they were told that they could have the permit to keep the pass open “As long as there were no detrimental effects on the State Park.” The erosion on the south end of the Park was a detrimental problem, so the tubes had to go. One of the members of the meeting asked the question – What was more important; the pass and the health of Lemon Bay or the State Park? Without missing
STUMP PASS The Red line is the shore in 2005 2 mos after the geo tubes (green dots) were installed. The Yellow line is the shore in the spring of 2006. The blue line is the shore in July 2008, 26 months after the tubes were installed.
a beat, Ballard answered that he was responsible for the State Park and the pass was not his problem - the Geo Tubes had got to go. The irony of this statement amazed me because before Stump Pass was opened, the southern end of the park didn’t exist. It was the dredging of the pass that resulted in the land that the State is trying now, so hard, to protect. The only thing left to discuss was what is going to happen when the tubes are removed. Will the 5 new acres of sand around the tubes migrate south and fill in the pass? Probably. Will this cause Charlotte County additional expense for more frequent dredging? Definitely! Already, county officials are talking about moving the next scheduled dredging up to 2009. Will the removal of the tubes eliminate the erosion of the south end of the State Park? We’re are apparently going to find that out.
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Be the Fish Page 16
Water LIFE
By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Publisher Don Ball School Director We are halfway through our eight week Don Ball School of Fishing program for 7th graders. Part of the program coming up will be a slide show where Sea Grant agent Betty Staugler and I will show the kids pictures of mangrove restoration, a Kids Cup video, a section on seagrasses and a presentation of “Think Like a Fish - or as they prefer to call it down at Fishin Franks, “Be the Fish”. That segment uses aerial photographs from around Charlotte Harbor to help the kids visualize the bottom structure and water flow in some of the popular fishing areas. The idea is, if kids can visualize where a fish would wait for ‘the groceries” (as Don Ball School Capt Mike Mannis likes to call them) to swim by, then they will have a better idea of where to put their bait. Aerial photographs are particularly suited for this because on the right day, with the right exposure and the right adjustments on the photo, the water can be made almost invisable, showing many more bottom contours than you can see from any boat. And knowing the bottom is also the best way to stay out of trouble.
MAGAZINE
November 2008
Kids Cup Tournament Date Set for April 25, 2009
A boat makes its way to the Harbor through the narrow channel in Pirate Harbor
Applications go online 12:01 am Jan 1.
S t aff R eport The Kids Cup Tournament raises money to pay for the The Don Ball School of Fishing. The school sylabus blends fishing skills with environmental understanding. We have local captains teaching the courses and staffers from the Sea Grant and the FWC visiting each class to explain what they do to help the fishery. Last week these kids in Punta Gorda were impressed with the pictures and information about the ongoing fish sampling the FWC does and the shark jaws were a big hit.
Top: Capt Danny Latham helps with knots at Punta Gorda Middle School, Left: Ericson from the FWC shows a sharks jaw, Above: Fishin Frank works with Harbor charts. Right: Feeling how much drag you can use with 15 pound line.
Water LIFE
Dissolved Oxygen Content
November 2008
By Capt. Frank Ci urca Special to Water LIFE Several weeks ago I decided to begin looking at dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in Charlotte Harbor and the canals of Burnt Store Isles. Eventually I want to correlate DO to the quality of fishing in the harbor. I began by starting in Bull and Turtle Bays. I was greeted almost instantly by a serious amount of baitfish, the most I’ve seen since early 2004 when I began fishing the area. It seemed that most of the guides and fishermen already knew of the onslaught of baitfish as evidenced by literally scores of boats all over the area. The oxygen levels were good as I expected, given the large Disolved Oxygen Measurments: schools of bait. We 9/23/08: BSI canal - Bottom- 1.5 PPM at 6 ft, Top- 3.52 PPM 9/27/08: Bull Bay - Bottom in 3 ft of water- 6.18 PPM enjoyed several hours of 9/27/08: Turtle Bay - Bottom 3-4 ft of water- 7.20 PPM good catching, mainly trout, ladyfish, jacks, and an occasional rednice slot 7 pound red caught on a small fish, while fishing around the pods of Sebile suspending plug. We found some bait. tailing reds in the grass a mile south and After a while we moved the boat into decided to vacate the boat and target the Turtle Bay and again found large schools reds on foot. While wading we managed of baitfish. The incoming tide gave us a to catch several more slot reds and some chance to explore some of the back nice trout, on both Sebiles and small creeks there. Again we found excellent gold spoons. Eventually, I did take some oxygen levels, as well as bait, and some more good dissolved oxygen readings on nice trout, and redfish. My fly rod got a good work out that day as trout, ladyfish, my meter, and all were greater then 5 and reds are always willing to take a nice PPM, a benchmark of good oxygen levmatch-the-hatch baitfish pattern, especial- els. The other thing that Bob and I noted was great grass growth on the inside of ly with baitfish the main meal for our target species. The redfish were keying in the wall, and a nice baitfish population in the grass beds. Reds were running thru on a small yozuri plug that day, as my the grass chasing bait, one actually friend Bob seemed to catch red after red. bumped into my leg. All in all, I had Last week, Bob and I decided to take good time collecting the samples, howthe Gheenoe on a shallow water expediever, the great red fishing was a pleasant tion along the east wall. So we headed out of Ponce de Leon Park and proceeded surprise. Capt Frank Ciurca can be reached at south along the wall in 2 ft of water. captfrankc@comcast.net. Almost immediately I hooked up on a
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MAGAZINE
This is the Fall Series Race # 3, tacking, on October 19, in a 14 knot wind. The first leg of a sailboat race is almost always into the wind.
By Bi l l Di xon Water LIFE Sailing The 15 boats in the October Moonlight regatta got off to a slow start, the race got shortened, but turned out ok. Everyone was home before the sun came up. Winners were: Spinnaker, Dieter Lehmann on Great Mistake his Hunter 37. Non spin winner was Bill Curtis’s Morgan 24 “Morgan”. True Cruising was won by Rudy Gottschlich‘s Diva Gorda a Jeanneau 36. The fall series (32 boats, spinnaker, no spinnnaker and cruising boats, no multihulls) continues for November with races on the 9th and 23rd. Early December will see the Holiday Regatta on December 6 and 7, an open Charlotte Harbor Boat of The Year event. Two buoy races are planned for
Saturday and a reverse start longer course for Sunday, like the Conquistador Cup. Entry is available for all races or just the Sunday reverse start. Sunday’s reverse start would be a good thing for you novice racers to try: you will get your own individual start time based on your handicap. The starting line will be long and private. A raft up will be held on Saturday night December 6 to watch the lighted boat parade from a safe spot off the path of the lighted boats. Awards will be Sunday December 7 at 5 p.m. at the PGI Civic association pavilion. Hot dogs, chips, beans and beverages will be provided. Notice of Race and entry are posted on the Punta Gorda Sailing Club web site at pgscweb.com. Bill Dixon can be reached at: Dixonwj@comcast.net
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Kayaking
Page 18
Water LIFE
MAGAZINE
November 2008
Weeki Wachee -More than Mermaids
By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking Weeki Wachee, Florida is known world wide, (well maybe Florida–wide) for its crystalline springs and its Mermaids. Over the years, we (the Port Charlotte Kayakers) had heard many stories from fellow kayakers who had paddled the Weeki Wachee River and some of whom had seen the Mermaids. It wasn’t even close…paddling won out 4 to 1 over the Mermaids. So, several weeks ago, a number of our club members decided to see if the Weeki Wachee River, the wildlife, including manatees, and the local restaurants would live up to their reputation. Weeki Wachee is located in Hernando County, about 50 miles north of Tampa. The town is one of the smallest communities in Florida, and according to the 2000 census, there are just 12 people, and 5 households residing in this city which has an area of 1 square mile. The Weeki Wachee River, fed by the spring, flows 12 miles westward from its source to the Gulf of Mexico. The spring, which is the outlet of a very large underground river, is the deepest naturally occurring spring in the United States and flows at a fairly constant rate of 170 million gallons per day, and at a constant temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit. We arrived at noon on Wednesday for a mid-week paddle to avoid the boat traffic on the weekend. After checking into the motel, we drove about 6 miles southwest to Rogers Park which has several launch ramps and easy access into the River. Rogers Park is about half way between the springhead and the Gulf, about 6 miles either way. We decided to paddle west toward the Gulf and save the trip upstream for Thursday. Rogers Park is in a moderately built-up residential area, but as we paddled west, the homes quickly disappeared and the landscape became more open savannah with small, treed hummocks. The river west of Rogers Park becomes a little murkier as it starts to blend with the Gulf of Mexico. There was a gentle current pushing us westward, and we soon entered the Mud River at Baypoint Park. Baypoint Park is at the junction of the Weeki Wachee River and the Mud River. About ¾ mile beyond the Park the combined rivers enter the Gulf. The Gulf’s salty waters bring in its own mix of wildlife and schools of fish become more abundant. Kayakers who had paddled
the Weeki Wachee River had told us that it was the most beautiful river in Florida. So early Thursday morning we all launched again from Rogers Park, but this time we turned upstream, and entered an entirely different world. Almost from the start, the water became more pristine and translucent. And on either side, the river was lined with native cypress, bush and scrub oak. Following the river through its bends, we eventually passed through a residential area, the shores now lined with homes, some modest, some grand. All seemed to call for a casual water-side lifestyle. As we moved further upstream, we saw more and more fish darting through the crystalline water. Rounding a bend, a young manatee appeared, lazily swimming upstream, hugging the bottom to avoid as much current as possible. The current had dug out a deep trench in the sandy bottom around each bend and in these trenches, six to twelve feet deep, we saw more and more fish. It was as though you were looking into an aquarium. At the springhead in Weeki Wachee Park, there is a canoe and kayak rental operation, so kayakers can leisurely drift or paddle down-river to be picked up by the rental operator. By mid-morning, there were a number of
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kayaks drifting down-river while we were paddling upriver. A recipe for trouble. As the current became stronger and stronger near the spring-head, it became more and more difficult for those coming downstream to control their kayaks. Finally, one of our party, hugging the left bank of the river, was struck hard by a kayak coming downstream. The other kayak capsized and the paddler and all his gear began floating downstream with the current. While his friends were helping him retrieve his gear and get him back in his kayak, a second kayak coming down ramed into our party again. No one capsized this time, but several of our group decided to turn back downstream to Rogers Park. The strong current made the trip back to the ramp a sleigh ride, with just a paddle dipped into the water to steer. Even with the mishap near the spring-head, we all agreed that the Weeki Wachee was a beautiful paddle…one of the best.
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November 2008
On The Line Fishing with Capt. Ron
By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff They say we have no change of seasons here in Florida. Well I beg to differ: we went from wet season to dry season and hot to cold in two days. We are going through our first cold snap of the season right now and it’s still October as I write this. If the weatherman is right, tomorrow Oct.29 could be the coldest October day in 100 years. Al Gore - we need your global warming right now! This drastic temperature drop really reeks havoc with the fishing. Fish just tend to stop eating until they adjust to their new environment. It could be as long as a week before they start moving again. When the weather starts to cool off, I start thinking about grouper fishing. What really got me started was a lunch of grouper fingers I had at a local restaurant. The fish tasted great, but it was five of the smallest pieces of fish I have ever seen on a plate. I’ve used bigger pieces of meat as bait to catch grouper. I guess the price and availability of commercially caught grouper has really put the fish in the luxury category. The guy I was having lunch with is an old fishing buddy of
Water LIFE
mine from Sarasota. Years ago he had a 22 foot Hydra-Sport with twin 225hp outboards. This boat was one of the fastest I had ever been on. One day he was going so fast he blew the sunglasses right off my face. Well, he had a grouper spot that was only about seven miles out side of Big Pass that he guarded like it was Fort Knox. He was so protective of the place that he would only take one person at a time there and he would make you turn around and cover your eyes while he put the numbers into his Loran C. For added security he would cover his compass and electronics with a piece of black cloth so you would not be tempted to sneak a peak. He said that he had found the spot on an old geographic survey map from the 60s. I can only tell you that it was some type of submerged old metal structure that had something to do with research testing. As we approached the site, if there was another boat within view he would just keep on going; he would not even slow down to use the fish finder for fear that some other boat would be curious and come over to see what he was doing. But if the coast was clear we’d slowly drift over the area with live pinfish. The spot was only about the size of three cars; but as soon as you passed over it, one of us would hook up with the most perfect 7 to 11-pound gag grouper I had ever seen.
MAGAZINE
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A Ghenoe with a polling platform, swivel seats, a trolling motor, a bait slinger, a livewell, a radio, and Suzuki four stroke. It blurrs the line between boat and canoe. The only thing missing on this vessel is a Power Pole!
They were light tan colored, which means that it was a sandy bottom. The rule was you could only fish there for no longer than one hour and you could only keep one fish per person. In all the times he took me there I don’t remember the place ever letting us down nor do I remember ever catching anything but grouper there. A grouper that size produces a lot of meat and our freezers were always full. So here I am, paying $10 for pieces of fish so small that I could put them in my shirt pocket and still
have room for my sunglasses. I’m going grouper fishing and I’m not going to go too far. Either my fish will be from Boca Grande Pass or the docks around the canals in Boca Grande. It may even come from one of the sunken boats off the ICW in Lemon Bay or from one of the many rock piles within three miles of Stump Pass. As God is my witness: I will catch a 7-pound grouper and I will eat him. And I suggest you do the same. Capt Ron can be reached for questions or charters at 941-474-3474
Fla Oysters Page 20
Commercial Perspective
By Kel l y Beal , Water LIFE, Peace Ri ver S eafood It's a long standing joke that the first man to eat an oyster was very brave. We are all glad he did because the oysters of Florida are definitely one of the treasures of our coast. Apalachicola Bay produces 90percent of the oysters in Florida and 10percent of the oysters in the nation. This sustainable industry is mostly harvested by hand. No other area in the United States offers the wild harvest oysters of the top quality that Apalachicola does. There are 7000 acres of beds in the 210 square miles of the bay dedicated to oyster harvesting. Apalachicola Bay is designated a Class II Shellfish Harvesting Area, one of the highest standards for water quality in the state. These waters are constantly tested for harmful bacteria by numerous agencies including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, NOAA and Department of Agriculture. This industry is the most highly regulated food industry in the US. This bay is so pristine and undoubtedly the oysters have much to do with that. Oysters are filter feeders. One oyster can filter up to 24 liters of water each day! Unfortunately the bountiful area of
Water LIFE
MAGAZINE
Apalachicola is under fire by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Apalachicola River which feeds the bay is the focus of this hot dispute between Florida and Georgia. Atlanta gets its water from Lake Lanier which is drained by the Chattahoochee - Flint- Apalachicola river system. Now the US Army Corp of Engineers has introduced a plan to reduce minium freshwater flow even more to allow more water for the heavy populated Atlanta area. Florida has in turn sued the corps saying the plan would endanger some protected brackish water species in the Apalachicola Estuary system. The Oystermen worry that the increased salinity levels in the bay could destroy oyster bars. In a discussion I had with David Barber owner of Barbers Seafood in East Point he states "It's just another hit to the industry - we need the perfect mix of fresh and salt to have any kind of oyster. Our local economy depends on the health of our bay, not just the oysterman, crabbers and shrimpers but also the delivery drivers, restaurant workers and the many businesses our resource depends on. The entire state will be affected. The seafood industry can't afford to take another beating," he said. The oyster of Apalachicola is unique. Mark Kurlansky who wrote "The Big Oyster" stated in his book that oysters are like wine grapes. The oysters of the Eastern part of the states (from Chesapeake, Louisiana, Florida) are all
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Port Charlotte 4265 Tamiami Trail (941) 625-2700 Punta Gorda 700 Tamiami Trail (941) 637-0019
Englewood 1720 S. McCall Rd (941) 473-2070
biologically the same, but it is factors such as salinity, temperature, even speed of current that affects the flavor. There is something magical about the mix of salt and fresh water within Apalachicola Bay because they are by far the best tasting oysters I have ever had! Many chefs across the US prefer them. They hold their flavor after cooking and are prized for their plump, meaty texture, mellow flavor and balanced salt content. I say keep them coming!! Last year’s harvest was an incredible year at 2.9 million pounds worth 6.6 million dollars. This was the best year since 1987 according to preliminary data from the state and the NMFS. Hurricane Dennis made landfall in 2005 producing a storm surge that nearly wiped out East Points waterfront but they came back strong. So the time is now for oysters. The months without R's myth was started by William Butler in 1599 even
November 2008
though the theory supposedly dated back to the Romans whose months don't have R's in them anyway! It was thought you shouldn't eat oysters while they were spawning in the summer because the texture would be compromised. Romans were the first to plant oysters. They were a huge part of their culture and were considered an aphrodisiac! The word "Aphrodisiac" was born when Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love sprang forth from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros. So come stop by Peace River Seafood and enjoy the magic of Apalachicola oysters - they are so rich and magnificent - just as the energy they inspire within you!!!
November 2008
Water LIFE
SCUTTLEBUTT
Sometimes
Unsubstanciated, months (Sept and Oct) Shell had been adding 20-percent ethanol to their gas by mistake.
But
Impaled: Officer Jason Cooke responded to a boating accident at the Palm Island Marina on the Peace River. Sometime overnight, a vessel struck a marker and the marker was impaled approximately four feet into the boat. The two subjects responsible were later located and treated at a hospital for minor injuries. The operator of the vessel was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident.
The Mother of Invention: When the 100 mph powerboats came to Fishermenʼs Village in Punta Gorda last month many occupants were sporting what looked like diving masks, but some were wearing lighter, tinted, snow skiing masks.
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Gotta ʻHandʼ it To Them: A promotion at this monthʼs Fort Myers Boat Show has a 18-foot Angler center console with a 115 Suzuki, T-Top and trailer going to the person who wonʼt let go. Eight selected contestants will each put a hand on the boat and the last one touching takes it home. There will be 15 minute potty breaks every 3 hours. No cell phones or reading allowed. You must sign up by November 8 at www.FortMyersBoat Show.com The boat was donated by Boaterʼs Warehouse.
Often
True
Whatʼs This? Seen in the ICW at Venice
Cleffi said the boat would be available for all tournaments to use. If you want to donate your boat call us at 766-8180 GatorBait Officers were using a decoy alligator in a pond. They expected someone to shoot the decoy however a subject walked up and grabbed the decoyʼs tail, then let go. His companion said, “Itʼs dead.” The subject replied “It isnʼt dead. I can see it breathing.” Then he grabbed the alligatorʼs tail a second time and was issued a citation for attempting to take alligator without a permit.
The Deadly Dozen : Charlotte Harbor FISHING GUIDES
More Problems With Ethanol Gas? One station owner said that the guy who delivers his gas told him that for the last two
Release Boat Dolphin have been hounding tournament live releases so Flatsmasters tournament director Jerry Cleffi is looking for an 10 to 20-foot pontoon boat to use as a release boat.
Hotel in the Tortugas? A floating hotel will be moored outside the park boundaries this coming June and July
Charters
Offshore Fishing Trips: 1/2 day • 8hr • 10 hr • 12 hr We help put your charters together
Shark, Tarpon, Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish, and MORE!
Nighttime Trips Available
Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985
Bus: 941-475-5538 Res: 941-473-2150
Captain Robert Moore
When you absoloutely positively want to catch fish
(941) 624-5710 www.captRobertMoore.com
offshore/backcountry
This space available $40/mo call 941-766-8180
Capt. Bart Marx, USCG Licensed & Insured Light Tackle Fishing Charlotte Harbor & SW Florida
(941) 255-3551
www.alphaomegacharters.com email:captbart@alphaomegacharters.com Half Day & Full Day trips.
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November
Fishing Report
Charlotte Harbor:
Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888
This is a good month to have a mixture of bait. Cut ladyfish, whitebait, pinfish or shrimp this is the time you will have to experiment and you want to have some options.Fish are moving in and out. It’s also a great time of year to get started with artificials. On cold mornings work them slow. Top water plugs can really turn fish on now. If it stays warm, redfi s h should stick around a couple more weeks, they should stay schooled up, but will be scattered by the end of them month. If it stays cold they will scatter instantly and more little ones will show up because the big ones will be headed off shore to migrate. Shrimp will be the bait of choice, and pinfish will also be very good since there is an abundance of them and they are of ‘castable’ size. The weather should get the s no o k moving around more. They will be feeding real heavy to build up fat for the winter. Start looking for fish moving into the rivers now. The salinity will rise with the decline in rain. The 41 bridge and the pier at ElJobean will pick up steadily with more fish every day. The back side of Turtle Bay and Whidden Creek will have fish moving in, fish that are looking for the deeper holes to stay warm in. Night fishing will be the best for the shore guys. The evening bite until midnight is real good because the fish had all day to warm up. The morning
Water LIFE
November 2008
MAGAZINE
bite comes later because the fish need time to warm up in the morning. Slow the presentation down on all lures and baits because the fish are less aggressive at this time. Tro ut is closed, the fish are delicate. It Darrell from Fishinʼ Franks with a nice snook and an oversize red. would be better not to target trout. Sheeps head on the other hand are startOctober Kingfish caught near Venice Inlet ing to show a little and they are fair game. They will be real heavy along the beaches at Placida and at the near shore reefs: Novak, Trembly and Mary’s, those reefs stack up with the sheepies first. Later the fish migrate and come inside. By the end of the month sheepshead should be in full swing. Fiddler crabs are the sheepshead bait of choice. Baitshops should have them soon. The meat from crushed barnacles, frozen shrimp pieces, and sand fleas are also high on their favorites menu. Another fish to lok for is fl o under. Last month was a good month for flounder and November should be the same. To catch flounder, drag a small white bait or a strip of squid or a white gulp around Bruce Stephens caught this upper slot redfish on a recent fishing the outside edges of trip with his son Capt. Dave Stephens and friend Capt. Marc Miller. The fish was released after the photo. any of the reefs. Flounder could also harbor. There are flounder here. There should still be come as by-catch while fish- Spani s h mackerel and Ki ng mackerel scattered ing for reds and snook in the offshore and they should stay here all winter long.
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November 2008
Fishing Report continued
BIG-4 BIG-4
Water LIFE
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MAGAZINE
Novemberʼs Target Species Species Novemberʼs Target
The Spanish will then SPANISH MACKEREL are REDFISH are schooling and SNOOK are coming in from move inside and we should moving into the harbor the beaches moving to the beaches have them in the harbor for a while. Mang ro v e s napthis month of big redfish. Fish are starting to per and g ro uper will move into the passes tail in the shallows around the Gasparilla as the salinity rises and the temperature Sound, Whidden Creek area. Back in those shaldrops. Whi ti ng will start to move out along low waters the kayak guys should be able to get the beaches, tarpo n will scatter and move up right in on them. I’m seeing more and more into the rivers. Fish are moving around now. guys with kayaks, lately.
SHEEPSHEAD out close to the beach and moving in
2009 KIds Cup April 25. Applications online Jan 1
Lemon Bay:
Jim at Fishermen’s Edge, Englewood: 697-7595
The fishing is good but there’s not a whole lot going on. The inshore guys tore up the snook last week, before it got cold, there were quite a few keepers. You know the fishing is good when guys call in from the water wanting to know what the legal lengths are. There have been fish on the beach, but now with the cold and the super low tides it will chase the majority of fish inside. Snook fishing has been good in the pass and into the bay. There have been fish at the trestle in Oyster Bay and Godfrey Creek, the water temperature is dropping and it gets really frigid. Live bait, pilchards, are the thing for snook, but some guides are starting to use shrimp, pinfish and whitebait. There have been Cobi a in Gasparilla Pass that are following the rays. If you were in the right spot at the bayou at Boca Grande you’d have caught some tri pl etai l and sheepshead. There are all kinds of fish around. In the last two weeks the mackerel fishing has been good: 5-to 6-pound Spanish and 15- to 30-pound ki ngs have been here. Trout is closed in Nov. but there were bigger trout on shrimp and jigs and plenty on topwaters right before the cold. Some permi t and pompano are around and whi ti ng is starting to be caught in the surf. Redfi shi ng has been really good. I’m hearing stories of big bull reds out in front of Turtle Bay. I’ve seen pictures, a lot of pictures
2008 Route Lighted Boat Parade
Above: Deni Hansen of Port Charlotte. Sheʼs not saying where the fat redfish came from. LEFT 3: Various weather last month and various fish from three trips with Capt. Angel Torrez
C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s
Nov. 4: Rick Roberts from the Snook Foundation speaking, Gulf Cove Fishing Club 7:30 pm. Open to the Public, 941-270-6065 Nov 7- 8, Caloosa Grand Championship Pink Shell Resort, $350 / angler. 239-850-1707 Fishing Nov 8: North Port High Red & Snook RIGHT NOW: Shootout Fishermen’s Village Nov 13-16: Fort Myers Boat Show
Nov 15-16: Darkside, Night Snook Tournament, Flatsmasters, 941-637-5953
Stellar!
Dec 6: Lighted Boat Parade, Punta Gorda
Jan 24: Flatsmasters Qualifier tournament, Harpoon Harry’s 637-5953 April 25: Water LIFE Kids Cup Tournament, Punta Gorda 766-8180
May 3-5 Oh Boy Oberto Redfish Cup, Punta Gorda Send your event calendar information to: waterlife@comcast.ne
November 2008
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MAGAZINE
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