Water LIFE Nov 2012

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

The publication of the Charlotte Harbor Reef Association

November

2012

Under Water 12 miles off Gasparilla Page 14

Inshore Snook Page 7

Offshore Tuna Page 9

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Inshore and Offshore Headquarters

Letters to Waterlife@comcast.net

Dear Water LIFE Reading the article in the October WaterLife on page 4 I have a concern about the interpretation of the law.

It seems that there are various interpretations of the law. I think it could come down to the investigating officer. If you want to be safe I would not pass around pictures or

post them where someone may decide to investigate the person in the picture holding a tarpon or the person taking the picture.

CHAPTER 68B-32 TARPON As used in this rule chapter: (1) “Harvest” means the catching or taking of a fish by any means whatsoever, followed by a reduction of such fish to posses-

Dear Water LIFE Than you so much for the tour of Charlotte Harbor. I really enjoyed it! I especially liked meeting the crabber who tried to scare me with those big beautiful blue crabs you have there. Charlotte Harbor is a great place and the people are all so nice. Getting to go for a sailboat ride and having my picture taken at Fishermenʼs Village was fun.

Even when I fell off the boat and you guys had to fish me out of the brown water I had a blast.

The trip out to Englewood was a great day too. Walking on the beach finding all the great shells after the storm is something Iʼll remember for a long time. And Iʼll remember the mean man who chased us out of his yard when you tried to take my picture next to his silly statue.

Thanks again for everything!!

Flat Stanley

sion. Fish that are caught but immediately returned to the water free, alive, and unharmed are not harvested.

A comment about the law: The memo is pretty clear. What guidance means, is that the application and enforcement of the policy is up to the officer. The officer can choose to follow what he

This has evolved today with a Flat Stanley website, apps for your phones and tablets and a facebook page.

Flat Stanley was flattened when a bulletin board fell on him and since then he is able too slip under a door or into an envelope to be mailed around the world.

The concept is, when you get Stanley you take him around and take pictures of the places and the scene he is in, then you share the pictures with the person who sent him to you.

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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

e-mail Waterlife@comcast.net 217 Bangsberg Rd.

Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XI No 11 © 2012

No part of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied or reproduced

without specific written permission from the publishers.

Contributing Editors:

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Charter Fishing: Capt. Bart Marx Port Charlotte: Capt. Billy Barton Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Commercial Fishing: Kelly Beall Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Real Estate: Dave Hofer Inshore: Fishinʼ Frank Offshore: Capt Jim OʼBrien Kayaks: David Allen Office Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER:

Water LIFE is also ONLINE free every month

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Photos of a Condylactis gigantea aka giant Caribbean anemone. Weʼre not sure what species the tiny shrimp is.

See page 14

Editor Notes* – Last month our 4th grade nephew Thayneʼs mother, Kira, in New Jersey, asked us to be involved with one of his school projects called Flat Stanley. The idea of Flat Stanley was originated in a childrenʼs book in the 1960s, and in 1995 a Canadian school teacher adapted the idea to help encourage his students to write letters.

still just

thinks is illegal, if he believes that the current action warrants his attention. It may cost you $50 to pick one up for a picture. If you don't want to pay the $50 for a tag, you may be at risk of a paying the tarpon tax at a later date My opinion only.

Steve Rimar

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2012

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DRONE Used to Issue Fla Boaters Federal Citations

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE editor The United States Federal Government issued two citations in the Dry Tortugas Marine Sanctuary last month. Reportedly, they used a remotely piloted drone aircraft to spot the infractions. I'm not kidding. There was also a citation issued for a leaky sanitation valve, but it is not clear that the drone was involved with that.

Here is the item from the Florida FWCs October report: The vessel Peter Gladding and crew along with NOAA officials spent six days in the Dry Tortugas last month testing an unmanned, remote-controlled drone called, “the Puma AE.” The Puma AE captures images, video, and has infrared capabilities. During the test flight, it was used to map corals, locate turtles, and track migrating birds. While in flight, the Puma AE is extremely stealthy and can barely be seen or heard. It can also be launched, operated, and recovered from small vessels.

Because of its numerous attributes, officers were quick to realize that the aircraft is also perfect for law enforcement applications. The operation concluded with Officers Martin Messier, Raul Pena-Lopez, and Josh Peters issuing two federal citations. The first citation was issued onboard a diving vessel that illegally entered, moored, and conducted diving activity within the Tortugas North Ecological Reserve without an access permit. The second citation was issued on a sailing vessel actively fishing illegally within the Tortugas South Ecological Reserve.

The officers also issued a citation for a marine sanitation device violation after they discovered the y-valve was not properly secured.

Is this what our society has come to? ... the govern-

Puma AE shoulder launched drone

ment using wartime technology to ticket boating citizens for minor infractions? Is this the future for us?

In the 1980s I was involved in a lawsuit that pitted freedom of religion against freedom of the press. The issue arose over an aerial photograph. The case brought to light the fact that if a photographer can see you from a public place, like the street or the airspace over you, then he can photograph you. Later, in another case, the Supreme Court affirmed if you are visible from a public place you can be photographed, but the court said the photographer had to be using a 'normal' lens. If he uses a high powered telephoto lens then he can’t legally do it.

I think it has to be the same way for a drone. High power and infrared cameras, super High Definition Video Forward Looking Infra Red .... that is a tactical observation package. We don’t need law enforcement snooping around us, fishing for trouble with that technology. They need to point that stuff at the bad guys.

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I am a pilot. I get regular updates and notifications from the FAA. I don't remember any airspace restrictions or advisorys for unmanned operation in south Florida recently. How do I know one of those things isn't going to fly into me, or vice versa?

Twelve years ago the Feds came to Lemon Bay with their Glocks, black jackets and ballistic vests. They made a show of force on the water in Charlotte County to emphasize their seriousness about the new manatee regulations. Now, with this FWC release about drones, and how ‘perfect it is for law enforcement’ it’s looking like intimidation coming from the state level. No wonder gun sales are on the rise. Honest citizens won’t put up with this for very long.

Why hasn’t this been on the national news?

There is another serious issue in the news this month, the proposed landfill in eastern Charlotte County. Fishin’ Frank has his comments on it on page 12 and I encourage you to read them, take it all in and then make your own decision. Unlike the drones we do have the power and the voice to affect this issue.

For the record, my position on the landfill is simply NO. Not any landfill, anyplace, anywhere in Florida.

There is a better way. In our 7th grade fishing class I show the kids a kitchen sponge with the green scrubby surface and the yellow sponge. I hold it up so the green is on the top and ask what is this? Inevitably they all answer ‘a sponge’ and I say ‘Wrong! It’s Florida. The green thin part is all the stuff growing above ground and the big yellow holey-part is the limestone that is underground. You can pour liquid in here and it will all run out over there.’

That is why I am against landfills. Incineration is a better way to dispose waste. Lee county has a working incinerator now. Piling up garbage, in the watershed where they are proposing, is simply stupid.

Gagging on Gag Regulations

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By Capt. Ron Bl ago Water LIFE Senior Staff Well the FWC has finally done it.

They have put in place a series of rules and regulations for gag grouper that not even lawyers, let alone fishermen can understand. The funny thing is that it’s not the FWC's fault, it's the result of their best efforts at trying to make everyone happy.

The story begins several years ago, when the Federal Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council was required by law, to put in place measures that would allow the gag grouper to recover from an overfished condition in 10 years. The first thing they did was set an Annual Catch Limit(ACL) which may never be exceeded. Then they divided the ACL between commercial and recreational fishermen.

How they came up with the numbers on how many gags there are in the Gulf and how to divide them among user groups is a mystery to me, but I understand that tea leaves and witch doctors were used.

The easiest way to reduce a fish catch is to put in size limits, bag limits and closed seasons – and the Feds did all that, and since 90% of all gag grouper are caught in the Gulf off of Florida, they

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asked the FWC to match the regulations which they did. You could catch 2 gags a day with a 24 inch minimum size limit and the season was 123 days long. Not everyone was satisfied with that arrangement.

There were two major problems with that plan. First is the commandment that Thou Shall Not Exceed the ACL. When that number is reached, gag fishing must stop for that year. That puts the advantage with those that fish the early part of the

season. If you plan your trip at the end of the season the ACL may already be reached and as the Fish Nazi says “ No grouper for you”.

The other problem is that gag fishing is hot in different places at different times.

In the Big Bend and Panhandle they catch their fish in the spring; here in Southwest Fla we catch our gags in the winter. If the boys up north get first shot at gags they could use up most of the ACL and for us poor folks in the south it’s “No grouper

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for you.”

The FWC, in an effort to be like King Solomon in the bible, have a plan to divide this fish baby into 4 or five parts.

They want to open the season in the Big Bend-Panhandle from April 1 to June 30 and for Southwest Fla they want to try a split season, a summer season (when the gags aren't biting) from June 1 to July 7, and a winter season from Dec. 24 to Jan 31 (I'm sure they realize that this will be in two different yearly ACLs). I'm told this was put in place so the offshore fishing guides could make a little money during the holidays. It reduces the season to 76 days statewide.

Commercial fishermen also get a little present. The FWC wants to lower their size limit on gags from 24 inches to 22 inches. Won't that let them catch more fish? Correct; but their ACL is in pounds so rather than *release a 22 inch fish that will probably die anyway, they might as well keep it and count it against their ACL limit. There you have it, the FWC has effectively and efficiently divided the grouper baby into three half's. I wonder if it’s too late for me to take up golf. Get the ball in the hole, that I can remember; It’s the fishing rules I can't understand.

Capt. Ron can be reached at: captronb@juno.com

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22' Hydra Sport set up for fishing. 2 live wells, SS prop, GPS, Depth finder, EZ load trailer. $10,990

Change of Season

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By Capt. Bi l l y Barton Water LIFE / Charlotte Harbor Hey fishin fools! Everybody been having their fair share of good days out on the water I hope!? I know I have. I can't lie to y'all. I didn't run as many charters this last month as I had expected, but that doesn't mean I haven't been out there playing and enjoying that good ole Florida sunshine for myself! A little bit of inshore, and a little bit of offshore fishing is always nice - I like to mix it up! There's nothing like going home with bruises beneath your underarms from fighting fish. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is my favorite kind of pain!

Not that I like pain.... However I do like that kind of pain! It hurts so good!

We did have a pretty intense red tide scare last month and, from what I saw and heard, Stump Pass took a pretty bad hit.

We should thank the fish Gods for keeping the death toll to a minimum here locally. The bloom sure could have been much worse. Had the winds not been consistently out of the north, we could have been in big trouble. The northern

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winds kept it out and we were lucky.

That stuff scares the heck out of me!

Sometimes mother nature has a funny way of working herself out though, I suppose a plus side to the red tide is it makes for a healthier population of fish. The weak die, and only the strongest survive.

Then when those stronger fish reproduce it makes for a heartier population.

Red tide aside, the fish ate great pretty much all month long, and red October fulfilled its expectations just as it does every year. The upper slot and oversize red fish have been schooled up in the hundreds all month and these fish are on the move. As that water temperature continues to drop, these studly fish are on their migration to the passes before they make way into the Gulf. Boca Grande Pass especially can produce some dynamite red fishing during the month of November.

Catching those big ole hog-daddies in that swift current can really be a battle!

A lot of these fish tend to be oversize, but there are usually some slot fish in the mix as well. You want to fish the bottom when targeting the big reds in the

passes. From my experience, a good size live shrimp, a crab, a live pin fish, or a piece of cut lady fish or mullet should bring you success.

The fall is also a great time to target flounder and pompano on the beaches.

They tend to get pretty plentiful and make for some excellent table fair.

A tough side to the change in seasons is the wind factor, and the extreme low tides that we are bound to face throughout the coming months. October marks the beginning of the windiest time of year here in Southwest Florida. It will usually blow pretty darn hard from October all the way to April. Mostly, these winds tend to be out of the north. Charlotte Harbor runs almost north and south so the winds push all of that water out of the harbor, and prevent the tides from coming back in which gives us our extremely low tides.

When you're running a small flats boat you want to stay out of the rough waters.

The best way to do this is to study the grass flats, to learn your geography, and to stay in the shallows. If the water is shallow, the waves have no room to build. Also, it's good to know areas with lots of holes so you have a place to jump up and plane out your boat from.

Not only do you need these holes to

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jump up and get on plane in, but you need these holes to fish in. Snook, Red fish, and Trout especially aren't comfortable with their backs out of the water.

Knowing areas with lots of sand/potholes will greatly improve your fishing success throughout the fall and winter time.

If you're running a small boat, and you want to stay out of the wind, fishing the canals is an effective way to put some good fish in the boat too. PGI, Grassy Point, and Gulf Cove have a bunch of canals that have deep water and a significant amount of fish.

In another month the good sized whitebait which doesn't get along in cool water too well will pretty much all be on the move. Shrimp is by far my bait of choice in the fall and winter.

I hope the fish Gods shine down on you as they have for me. You guys get out there and tear em up! Sure it's a little breezy, but there's ways around that! And the fish still have to eat! They love this weather! Make sure you take your kid with you too it'll be the best thing you ever did! Here's to Scales and Tails! I'm signing off and going fishin’.

Capt. Billy Barton operates S cal es N Tai l s C hart ers. He can be reached at 979-6140 or at bartonw24@yahoo.com

THANKFUL FOR TROLLING

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By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Fishing November is the month that we get together with our families and friends.

Being thankful for them and all that we have: health, boat, poles, tackle, food, and home. This time of year there is great grouper fishing and I had the chance to take my dad fishing. All that know him call him Harpo.

It was Friday afternoon, we both were hanging around the house looking for something to do – my sons were going fishing with a friend. After talking with them, I asked Harpo if he wanted to go out in the boat for a little while. It was on my mind the boys were going fishing and I was stuck at the house.

Dad is 76 and doesn't like it in the Gulf too much. It’s my fault, I took him a few times when it was rough and bouncy. So I was happy that he said yes, it would be a chance to spend some time with Dad and get a little fishing in too. I got the boat ready and off we went to Placida. We had about six poles for the two of us and a tackle box with a large selection of deep diving lures I like to catch grouper, cudas, cobia, and kings. We pulled away from the dock at 2:00 in the afternoon made a short run out into the Gulf and put two poles out to troll for

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some grouper. It was not too long and we had our first grouper on, so I got Dad setup to reel in this fish.

It took a few minutes to get it up to the boat. It was a nice size and I knew that it was big enough to keep– it was 25inches – in the box it went on ice.

The water was nice and calm, with just enough breeze to keep it cool and not too rough for trolling and to look for another keeper. We trolled over the structure of the artificial reef for two hours and caught

six gag grouper, out of those we had two keepers each.

It was a fast two hours and good time spent with my Dad catching fish. I am thankful for those few hours and that we had some quality time together making some memories. It is always good to spend time with your parents when you can.

How you do thi s: TROLLING FOR GROUPER Over the years I have made adjustments and have narrowed it down to this.

When you are working in water depths of 30 to 50 ft.you can use 30 or 50lb. braided lines – the diameter is much smaller and will let the lure dive deeper than mono. Using the 50lb. braid I use a conventional reel: a Penn 320 level wind on a Penn rod 20 to 50 lb. class 7ft.with med. heavy action. Or if you like spinning reels you can cut back to 30 lb. braid on a med.-heavy 7ft.rod. Each of these are strong enough to troll for grouper.

What type of lure do you use ? Mostly I use Stretch 30 Mann's and the most productive color is red and white. There are other deep diving lures that will work too like the Rapalas, Mirrolures and YoZuri.

Most of these have red and white.

Normally, how I rig these is to tie a leader to your braid with uni-knot to uniknot, using sixty to eighty lb. mono or

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floro. leader, using a loop knot to tie the lure to the leader. Most of these lures tell you approximate lengths to let your line out to achieve the depth that you want, this is just a guide to get you started. As you troll you will find the proper length and speed. About 4 knots is the speed where I start for the best depth of the lures.

Another thing that has been learned by trial and error is drag settings. When you get your lure behind the boat and up to speed you adjust your drag so you can pull it out by hand- and it will not slip from the speed of the boat. When you have a strike it will sound off if you have a clicker on the reel- use it to tell you when you are hooked up. Watch the rod for a second and make sure that the tip is jumping telling you there is a fish on, if it is a steady pull you may be hooked on the bottom or structure. Adjust your length and speed to get your lure as close to the structure as possible and not snag it, this will help you harvest some nice fish to share with your family and friends.

Remember be thankful this month for all things.

If y ou would lik e to tak e some northern v isitors on their first Florida fishing adv enture with Capt. Bart giv e me a call at 941979-6517 or e-mail me at capbart@alphaomegacharters.com Singing drags and tight lines mak e me :-)

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From the Fishing Classes

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S taff Report Big doings in the Don Ball School of Fishing last month.

We are now past the halfway mark and all the 125 students have received their rods and reels.

We are making great progress this year teaching every student to where they can tie leader to line and tie on a hook. The loop knot for lures is coming easy for some and a little harder for others.

One of the highlites last

month was the presentation that FWC Murdock Field Research Lab staffers Chrystal Murry and John Hadden made at Murdock Middle School.

In their talk they separated the class into 4 groups of ‘scientists’ and then brought out a cooler filled with numerous species of fish taken from Charlotte Harbor. The student scientists were given rubber gloves and they got to examine the fish, answering worksheet questions about body and tail shape, mouth structure, fins and eyes.

The class learned that mullet use their muscle reserve to travel great distance so they

appear fat in the fall and skinny in the spring.

They learned that based on stomach content examination, the favorite food of a bonnethead shark is a whole blue crab. They saw a powerpoint of fish and learned that fish with an inferior mouth (down facing, like a redfish) have poor eyesight – so they are easy to fool with a lure. Kids saw disruptive, adaptive and reflective coloration in fish. They learned that a goliath grouper can’t pull for very long because he doesn’t have a very big tail, that all forked tail fish can turn very quickly. The informative hour and a half went by very quickly as well.

Blackfin Tuna Have Been a Blessingn & Red Grouper is Wide Open November

2012

By Capt. S teve S kevi ngton Water LIFE Offshore That’s right, only the gag grouper season is closed starting the first of this month. It is slated to reopen April 1st of next year. But that leaves a whole gambit of bottom fish out there for the fair taking S ti l l on the menu are: Red grouper: out passed 70 feet of water this time of year. Cut bait is the trick with these guys, just drop in on hard bottom and hold on to that rod. We are allowed to keep 4 red grouper per person now!

Whi te Grunts: what a great pan-fish and eager to bite most of the time. A fun fish for everyone from little kids to adults, they put up a respectable fight for a fish there size. And make a wonderful dinner companion.

Lane S napper: plentiful all winter and nothing short of delicious. Small bite-size baits are key here ...frozen shrimp..squid and so on.

Mangrove S napper: offshore these fish can reach 16 lbs and can average over five! Try chumming them up over top of any wreck this month, then flatline your offerings out in the slick.

Yel l owtai l S napper: make a run for deep water this month and you can load up on these tasty fish. Live shrimp and light lines are your best bet with these finicky fish.

Hogfi sh: these guys are on every ledge within sight of land, live or frozen shrimp is the only real "trick".

Amberjack: loaded up over top of all the deep wrecks for the rest of the year. Live blue runners get the job done fast...heavy tackle is a must. Dont let Goliath eat your Amberjack,...he can fend for himself.

Bl ackfi n Tuna: these fish have been blessing anglers in southwest Florida since September in water as shallow as 30 feet, and should hang out till mid November. The ones I have caught have eating everything from trolled ceder plugs to cut bait on the bottom to king spoons behind #2 planers. Great eating fish, both raw and grilled.

Ki ngfi sh: they are everywhere right now...from Boca Grande pass all the way out well past 100 feet of water.

Dragging those planers and spoons really works good right now, eight knots seems to work the best.

S pani sh Mackerel : great option on a windy day...from marker No 5 in the Harbor all the way outside the big passes. Trolling spoons is a fast way to the action.

There so many good eating fish to think about this month it makes me hungry right now.

Capt Steve can be reached at: 239-220-3972

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P a g e 11

Tropical Storm Bruce

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Ghost Town Punta Gorda in 2017

The year is 2017. I find myself closing the store early, no one goes fishing much anymore, so I take a drive around once-thriving Punta Gorda where they tried so hard to make a beautiful city, with quaint cobble stone side streets, big open parks – which I can remember being nicely cut and well maintained, places where you could sit by the side of the water watching people fish and the boats going by.

The colorful condos and shops of Fisherman's Village are closed now. Strange how only a few months have gone by since the last store closed and still, from a distance, it looks good – that is until you drive close and can see that leaves fill the spaces between empty stores. The windows are all dirty or boarded up.

Saddened, I decide to drive through the once deed-restricted Punta Gorda Isles, only to see lawns over grown and homes abandoned.

Depressed, I head back to 41 and get back across the bridge where there is still life. Here many of the building are empty with two years of no tourism and the snow birds don't come back any more, but al least it’s home. It is kind of nice not to have wait at traffic lights, or wait to get in restaurants.... the few that are still open. Not like it was before the spill.

The engineers said that their designs would hold against anything. But it was Tropical Storm Bruce which dumped 10 inches of rain a day for a week, with 65 mph winds, which exceeded the specification of their plan. I watched the news. The owners of the landfill said it was an Act of God and they could not have planned for anything like Tropical Storm Bruce. The cost of the cleanup was simply too great, they said and so they went bankrupt. There was nothing they could do.

When all of the toxic water from the land fill ran down Shell creek and contaminated the Punta Gorda drinking reservoir, at first they trucked in water to drink, but the long term costs were just too high and although they made an effort to dredge much of the contaminated waterway, the real problem was no one would take the toxic contaminated soil.

So, little by little, people packed up and left. I still go out and fish in the Gulf, and the bass fishing in Port Charlotte is still pretty good, but the redfish and tarpon are gone now, when the spill reached Charlotte Harbor during the peak of the tarpon spawn, they were all but wiped out.

Gone now are the days of boats filling Boca Pass and the millions of tourist dollars they brought with them. There were just no clean creeks for the young fish to grow up in.

I still like it here, property values are so low the taxes are cheap and affordable again and the customers I have left still fish some. But I miss the people who used to work with me – one by one they all left to find work.

Life will go on and the scientists say in another 10 years or so the water might be useable again and that one day we might even be able to start eating fish from the Harbor again.

Fi shi n’ Frank

The proposed dump site for garbage and sludge is reportedly 9 miles east of Hwy 31 on Bermont Road.

Shown here is the drainage map from The Charlotte County Comprehensive Master Plan.

The blue arrows show the natural direction of the water flow.

Commentary

By Fi shi n’ Frank Water LIFE Bait Shop That was a worst-case Sci-fi version of what could happen if a landfill was permitted above the head waters of Shell Creek. The problem is, it is a possible outcome that really could happen. Our drinking water facilities cannot remove chemical contamination from the water; they are not designed for that yet. We have very smart, very good people at the treatment plants, but only so much can be done. How unlikely is a spill to happen – a one in a million chance?

As a case in point, I – yes me – was struck by lightning while standing in the front parking lot of my store. A storm front was miles away to the east, clear blue skies above us and Bam! and I am unconscious laying in a ball in the parking lot. That explains a lot about me doesn't it? Now that was a 1 in 14-million chance. So are you willing to risk a 1 in 1 million chance? ... that a toxic spill does

not contaminate the water reservoir on Shell Creek and turn Punta Gorda and P.G.I. into ghost towns?

The worst part in all this is, after looking at the maps, this landfill is being proposed in the water shed which feeds the head waters of Shell and Prairie Creeks. This is where Punta Gorda gets its drinking water from. Haven’t we already learned not to defecate upstream from where we drink?

Maybe that is a little blunt, and Ok the facts are there is a very slim chance the levy, dams and dykes or the plastic tarps or whatever they design could fail causing a run-off to flow across the property into the adjacent canal, down the canal and

Cattle ranches share the area with orange groves and palmettos

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The lush vegetation can provide you a clue to how wet or dry the area is

into the creeks which feed the drinking water reservoir at Shell Creek, but the fact is, if they fail, it will happen.

Now Bruce Laishley is getting a lot of press about this as being the bad guy. I even pick on him by naming the storm which leads to the destruction of life as we know it, after him. From what I understand, he stands to make a lot of money if he can get this landfill approved.

To be truthful, when Bruce owned and ran the landfill on Zemel Road it was one of the best, if not the best landfills in the country. He never scrimped on making sure his home county was as protected as possible against any environmental contamination. I know for a fact he spent many thousands of dollars he did not have to, in an effort to make his site the best it could be. He just did an outstanding job. I know Bruce on a personal level, he loves this county and I refuse to believe he would ever knowingly put Charlotte County in harm’s way just for money.

Bruce is not the Bad Guy, he is just a little too trusting. My thought is, that he is assuming the people who will be running this proposed new landfill would do as he did. But I am sorry, my friend, I am not as trusting as you are. I do not believe that. I think it will be a corporation running the landfill that is interested in how much money can it make, and I do not believe they will spend one extra dime to ensure that a problem does not happen.

Bruce, they are not you, don't be fooled. Corporations know it is cheaper to pay the fines or just go bankrupt and not pay anything and let the tax payers (who by then cannot drink the water or shower in their own homes) pay the cost of trying to clean up your mess.

Look at Hurricane Sandy that is bearing down on New York as I write this. Look at the cold front that is going to collide with it. Whoever thought that could happen? And it is happening right now.

Massive storms events, like the one here in June 1995 when we had 18 inches of rain in 2 hours, which literally blew out culvert pipes, standing them on end in the road ways – that storm had flooding which left bridges with no dirt or roads on either side of them. It cut huge ravines and dug massive holes. No one planned for anything like that.

The no-name storm was another one that rained on us for days. Many places were flooded, others were inundated with wind driven storm surge and sheet flow.

And don’t forget Hurricane Charley. We were lucky Charley brought no big rains.

What dam/levy/plastic tarp would stand up to that? Engineers can talk and show computer models all they want and Mother Nature will still tear it apart whenever she wants too.

Folks, we do get massive storms and it is up to you to decide. Do you want to bet your property values, your life style, your money, and your health? And quite possibly risk the entire Eco-system of Charlotte Harbor? .... will you bet all that?

Go back to 1971 to the phosphate spill on the Peace River when 98-percent of all living creatures were wiped out.

Species went extinct – did you know we once had sturgeon in the Peace River?

Yes, they were native here, until a dam/levy which could not fail, failed. It happens, it will happen again.

Where is the win? As far as I can see, the only winners will be the company that is going to make hundreds of millions of

dollars at our expense.

Please call the county commissioners and tell them NO! And tell them in the future, when we finally do need a new landfill, not to even consider it where it can cause so much harm.

Sorry, my column this month should have been about fishing, I just believe it is very important to stop this landfill. I wish I could be more trusting, but I, am not. I am against this landfill or anything else which has the potential to ruin a place I love so much.

More Information

Water LIFE Report

Steve Sentes of Southwest Florida Water Management District says this area is part of a 90 square mile Hydrologic

Donʼt Suck Up Speak Up!

Restoration Project that is currently underway. “The area now experiences a lot of flooding. The flow used to be to the southwest, but today water backs up because of the Railroad and I-75. The water stacks up and pushes north,” Sentes said, adding that the water district is working on redirecting the flow to the natural tributaries that feed Charlotte Harbor.”

Alligator Creek was one of the tributaries he mentioned.

Sentes told us before current regulations were put in place numerous berms and canals were constructed in this area and that today farmers in the area maintain their own pumping systems to help with irrigation water and flooding.

The first story about the landfill in the Charlotte Sun newspaper emphasized the “remoteʼ location and had no mention that the landfill was in the Shell Creek Watershed and that it could effect Punta Gordaʼs drinking water supply. Later coverage in the Sun of local Rancherʼs protests to the landfill was very limited.

This kind of slanted reporting does the community no good. We believe bias happens because landfill partner Bruce Laishley is a significant advertiser in the Charlotte Sun. Instead of sucking up to its advertisers the Sun should serve the community by advocating the policy that all water resource managers promote: Waste in south Florida

needs to be disposed of in incinerators not in landfills.

DIVING Charlotte County Alive with Ceatures Page 14

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Condylactis Gigantea aka giant Caribbean anemone.

Photos and Text by Adam Wilson

November

2012

On The Radar at the Sea Grant Advisory Committee

Mi chael Hel l er Members of the Sea Grant Advisory Committee, me included, meet regularly to share ideas and plan actions. The last meeting was in late October. Here are some of the things we are talking about: 1. What’s the hold up with the Charlotte Harbor Marina attaining Clean Marina Status?

2. The Marine Access study is now on the Fast Track. This is the study the Manatee Protection Plan is waiting on. The study records canal depths and recommends dredging based on resident boat size and traffic.

3. The MAC has given Charlotte Sea Grant funding for a Side Scan Sonar device to help locate abandoned crab traps.

4. NOAA is looking at revising its recommendations on the best ways to vent fish brought up from deep water.

5. The Goliath Grouper Count numbers are down by 2/3 from 2011, but rough seas kept the counters from a full sampling of sites. The survey may soon go statewide. Last year divers on specific sites counted 300 this year 104.

6. Marina planning can now use a new Florida Marine Infrastructure internet based tool to help in decision making.

7. The FWC is projecting more locally managed fisherys. Snook management in Charlotte Harbor will be a test of the new approach.

The photos are from late October. We ran out (as a

front came thru and pounded us) 12 miles west out of Little Gasparilla Pass to 60 feet. The vis wasnʼt great,

but it was good enough for shell hunting and close up

photos. The area will be stirred up for a while with all the wind at the end of October, but the murky water should get the stone crabs walking around and the local crabbers will like that.

Goliath grouper down in a Swiss cheese limestone hole.

Spiny lobster

Smaller sea anemone

Seashell called a deer cowry (Cypraea cervus). One note of interest, there are many hundreds of cowry (Cypraea) species around the world. The deer cowry found here in Florida is the largest cowry species in the world, reaching a maximum size up to 7 1/2 inches.

Queen helmet shell (Cassis madagascariensis) Starfish

National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation November

2012

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

A Summary of the 2011 Preliminary Estimates

By Betty S taugl er Water LIFE / Sea Grant Every five years, a national survey of fishing, hunting and wildlife-associated recreation is conducted to measure the importance of wildlifebased recreation. The survey evaluates the value of these activities to people and to the economy.

The preliminary findings of the 2011 National Survey were released in August 2012 and a complimentary state overview was released in September 2012, both by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The final reports are expected to be available this month (November 2012) for the national overview and December 2012 for the state overview.

The 2011 survey is the twelfth in a series that have been conducted since 1955. Results are Rank 1 2 3 4 5

In-State Hunters Texas (1,147,000) Wisconsin (895,000) New York (823,000) Pennsylvania (775,000) Missouri (576,000)

in Florida) participated in fishing, hunting or both sports in 2011, spending $43.2 billion on equipment ($2 billion in Florida), $32.2 billion on trips ($3.1 billion in Florida), and $14.6 billion on licenses and fees, membership dues, land leasing and ownership, and plantings for hunting ($983 million in Florida).

Looking at fishing alone, 33.1 million people 16 years and older participated in fishing during 2011 (3.1 million in Florida). Anglers fished an average of 17 days, with Freshwater (excluding the Great Lakes) attracting 27.1 million anglers, the Great Lakes alone attracting 1.7 million and saltwater attracting 8.9 million anglers. Anglers spent $41.8 billion on trips, equipment, licenses and other items to support their fishing activities in 2011 ($4.6 billion in Florida). Comparing the 2011 National Survey

In-State Anglers Florida (3,092,000) Texas (2,246,000) New York (1,882,000) Michigan (1,744,000)

California (1,674,000)

based on data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau contacted almost 50,000 households (over 16,000 potential anglers and hunters and almost 14,000 potential wildlife viewers) for detailed interviews which were conducted between April 2011 and May 2012.

According to the preliminary findings from the National Survey, 90 million people (4.6 million in Florida), 38 percent of all Americans age 16 and older (31% in Florida), participated in wildlife-related recreation in 2011 and spent $145 billion dollars ( $9.1 billion in Florida), supporting thousands of jobs in industries and businesses connected to fishing, hunting and wildlife-associated recreation.

Almost 37.4 million Americans (3.2 million

In-State Wildlife Watchers California (6,733,000) Texas (4,376,000) Florida (4,308,000) New York (4,239,000) Pennsylvania (3,598,000)

to the 2006 one shows the number of anglers increased by 11%. In Florida, 61% of all anglers age 16 and older who fished in State during 2011 were State residents.

Wildlife watching in the U.S. was conducted by nearly 71.8 million people, 30 percent of all Americans age 16 or over in 2011 (4.3 million in Florida). Wildlife watchers spent $55 billion on their activities ($3 billion in Florida).

Overall expenditures related to wildlife watching increased 7% from 2006 to 2011 and 13% from 2001 to 2011.

Betty Staugler Florida Sea Grant Agent Univ ersity of Florida IFAS Ex tension Charlotte County (941) 764-4346

Page 15

Fraudulent Catch in Texas Kingfish Tourney ... Anglers and Boat Captain Arrested

The tournament was a Chamber of Commerce event. This is their photo, but We do know know if these were the women arrested!

The Outdoor Hub Reporters October 12, 2012 The case of seven people accused of fraudulently entering fish in a Texas tournament brings to light what some are saying is a common practice in fishing tournaments across the United States.

Four female anglers participating in the early August Ladies Kingfish Tournament in South Padre Island, Texas, were observed to be turning in fish with red discoloration on their tails, bellies and rear fins. The discoloration is an indication that the fish were not caught during the tournament, but rather had been kept alive in a holding device for days before the tournament commenced.

An investigation began, witnesses came forward and confessions were made. One week after the tournament, the four women were arrested as well as the captain of the boat and two other men. They had won a $5,000 cash prize for second place. They now face a thirddegree felony for fraud in a fishing tournament. If convicted, they could serve up to 10 years in state prison and pay a maximum fine of $10,000.

Fraudulent catches have been such a significant problem that some tournament organizers and wildlife officials are forced to put measures in place to prevent cheating. Wildlife officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)

now sometimes conduct polygraph tests asking winners if they cheated and they keep a close eye on those suspected of cheating.

“We’re more conscientious in looking for this now than we were five or six years ago,” said Kurt Kelley, a game warden with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, to the New York Times. “To me, it’s the same thing as somebody going in and robbing a bank, or going into Walmart and shoplifting. They’re trying to cut the corners so they can win. It’s fraud. It gives tournament fishermen a black eye.”

Other fishermen and women are known to catch fish before a tournament begins to stock their “catch” for that day. Some anglers have been reported to stuff fish with heavy objects or water to increase their weight.

Others have clipped tails to meet length limits.

Texas has had laws against fishing tournament fraud in place since 1985 which state, “It is illegal to enter fish in a saltwater or freshwater fishing tournament that have had the length or weight altered, were taken unlawfully, or are fraudulently misrepresented.” Kelley has already investigated 30 tournament fraud cases during the last 13 years.

Editor Notes* Florida has no laws what-so-ever pertaining to fishing tournament cheating.

Page 16

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November

2012

Selecting a Kayak for Your "Season" in Florida.

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking As we approach The Season, more and more potential members show up for the weekly Port Charlotte Kayakers club meetings. And, each year it seems more and more Floridians and snowbirds become interested in the sport of kayaking and want to learn more about it. Why not? I believe we have in Charlotte County, but truly all across Florida, the best kayaking in the U.S. Am I prejudiced, you're darned right! But after you experience kayaking here first hand, I think you'll agree.

For newcomers to the sport, selecting a kayak can be a daunting experience and one that sometimes results in a kayak that is inappropriate for the kind of kayaking they are going to do. Often, the first kayak they purchase is too short, under 12 ft. and so the paddler finds that it doesn’t track well and is too slow to keep up with the group. Sometimes, the kayak is too heavy, making it a real chore to load and unload from a car-top. A small cockpit can make it difficult to get into the kayak, particularly if the kayaker has stiff legs or has a bad back. A kayak that is too narrow for the paddling skills of the novice will feel “tippy” and unstable.

The first and most important piece of advice I can give, is to just take your time in selecting a kayak. Don't rush into the decision. Try as many different kayaks as you possibly can; they will all be slightly different in terms of comfort, stability and "feel." Most dealers allow a potential customer to try out a variety of kayaks and paddles before they buy. This is a great way to decide which kayak you like and which fits your kayaking style before you make a major investment.

Local kayak shops schedule "Demo Days" and you should take advantage of these opportunities.

So let’s look at a couple of key questions to consider. The first and most basic question is, “What kind of kayaking do I want to do?” For example, do I want to leisurely paddle the quiet, meandering creeks and rivers and just enjoy being outdoors and active? Or would I like to be a little more adventuresome and explore the beautiful beaches of the Gulf? Are overnight camping trips on my agenda or am I interested primarily in the exercise provided by a long, fast paddle down the bay? And of course there are many fishermen who paddle to their favorite spot in the shallows between the mangroves.

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

Page 17

A giant mosaic of 1,925 canoes and kayaks filled a corner of Fourth Lake off the shore of the central Adirondack town of Inlet for the Guinness Book of World Records championship title as the Worldʼs Largest Floating Raft.

Most of our club members have a variety of interests and try to find the kayak that is suitable, perhaps with some limitations, for several paddling activities.

Once that issue is decided, question number two is, “ Should I buy a sit-ontop or a sit-in kayak?” While most of our club members have sit-in kayaks, siton-tops are gaining popularity among the casual, occasional kayaker who paddles on flat-water creeks and bays. They are also popular with kayakers who may have some difficulty getting into the smaller cockpit of a sit-in kayak. Sit-on-tops have the advantage of simplicity and ease of use, with a minimum of extraneous equipment. The disadvantages, however, are important to note; the paddler is always exposed to the wind and water when kayaking and it’s much harder to stay dry during the outing. And most siton-tops are not as comfortable after several hours of paddling.

Sit-in kayaks are general-purpose kayaks, suitable for all types of kayaking.

They are comfortable and dry under most conditions. They have a low center of gravity and are fairly wide which makes them quite stable. Sit-ins usually have several sealed compartments for dry stowage of gear and to provide buoyancy in case of a capsize. Sit-in kayaks are easy to maneuver and they track well, but at the 10-12 ft. length tend to be slower than their longer brethern. These kayaks are attractive to many kayakers because they are affordable at $700 to about $1500 and are easy to car-top.

The least expensive kayaks are rotomolded polyethylene and the more expensive are made of fiberglass, Kevlar or carbon fiber. The 14 and 15 ft. recreational fiber glass or roto-molded kayaks are ideal for the kind of paddling most clubs do.

Longer sit-in's, 16 to 18+ ft. in length, are called touring kayaks and they are stable, and slightly heavier versions of the kayaks we noted above. They are designed to handle choppy water and more challenging conditions, but they are very suitable for all types of paddling. They turn as easily as the shorter kayaks, but their long, narrow design allows for more speed and better tracking abilities. With large, watertight compartments in the bow and stern, they are suitable for overnight or longer trips. About half of our club have touring kayaks, ranging in length from 16 to 18 ft. Prices of fiber-

glass touring kayaks can range from $1500 to over $3000.

And a last, but very important consideration, is comfort. You will probably spend hours paddling your kayak, often in hot weather, often unable to get to a beach to get out of your kayak and take a break. Make very sure that the seat and back-rest are very comfortable and that the leg braces and foot rests are comfortable and properly adjusted. You can’t tell if a boat is comfortable in a 15 minute paddle, so take your time checking this factor out before you spend your money.

The Port Charlotte Kay ak ers meet each Wednesday ev ening at 5:00 PM at Franz Ross Park on Quesada Av e., Port Charlotte.

All are welcome to attend. For more information contact Dav e Allen at 941-235-2588 or email dlaa@comcast.net.

Page 18

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Real Estate News

Provided to Water LIFE BY: Dave Hofer RE/MAX Harbor Realty (941) 575-3777 dhofer@remax.net www.harborparadise.com Sales Statistics:

Median home prices continue to run about 20% above last year as lower end distressed sales continue to dry up. Lot sales and prices continue to be quiet as a reflection of continued slow new construction rates.

Recent area news items:

1. The ballots for the November 6th elections contained 11 proposed amendments to the Florida constitution. Of those, four of them may have significant impact on local real estate taxes.

Amendment 2. Allows property owners to be eligible for the disabled veterans' property tax exemptions even if they were not Florida residents at the time of disability.

This amendment actually provides more consistency in tax valuations. If a taxpayer is deserving of a Florida tax exemption on his Florida residence, it shouldn't matter what state his or her residence was located at the time of disability.

Amendment 9. All disabled first responders and veterans would have all taxes waived (other than school taxes). Since this amendment would be available to those already disabled, the cost of this exemption could be excessive and inequitable for other taxpayers.

Amendment 10. The proposal would double the tax exemption for personal property from $25K to $50K. This tax is currently levied against commercial properties (including residential rental properties).

Amendment 11. This proposal would provide a full exemption for properties valued at less than $250,000 and owned by senior citizens with annual income of less than $27k. This amendment also contains one of the more quirky eligibility requirements: the taxpayer must have resided in the subject property for 25 years or more.

2. Charlotte County unemployment rate fell to 9.0% vs 9.3% last month and 11.1%

November

2012

last year.

3. National housing starts rose 15% in September vs. August. New housing permits issued rose 11.6% for the same period. Permits totalled 436,000 last year, and, although they are projected to be 21% higher this year, single family home construction will be less than half the normal level. 2013 may mark the sixth consecutive year of weak home construction.

4.

In a desperate attempt to capture public support for the acquisition of the IMPAC University property, Charlotte County Commissioner Constance is pushing to have the county acquire the property to be used as a library ("if the formerly proposed business incubator project fails"). This property includes several buildings totalling more than 50,000 square feet of class A office space with a market rate rental value of about $1 Mil/year.

5. The 20,000 square foot industrial building leased to the Charlotte County Economic Commission and sublet to Australian Yachts with the help of a $500K subsidy from the CCEC is now listed for sale at $630K. The county is responsible for rents of $71K for each of the next two years. Especially since taxpayers are already on the hook for this rent obligation, it would appear to be a more practical setting for the "business incubator" facility that the County seems to think a necessary taxpayer subsidy.

6. Charlotte County's millage rate will remain steady at $6.28 even though county assessed valuations declined by 5.1% last year. The Sheriff's office will be draining reserves by $3.2 million to meet its budget obligations.

7. The Port Charlotte CRA's Parkside, already mired in a multi million dollar redevelopment plan, will be purchasing additional land to provide for additional retention ponds required because of the widening of Midway Boulevard to four lanes. This was in response to public outcry over sacrificing the existing Lake Betty Park for this use.

8. Sarasota's Mote Marine will be filing for a federal matching grant to undertake a project design study. Mote will be seeking public contributions to provide half of the cost for this first phase of the proposed aquarium to be located on the former City

Fishermen like coming up with descriptive unique place names to use as ʻcodeʼ for fishing locations. Example: “I saw some nice redfish on the Elephantʼs Butt, (A little outcropping south of Ponce Inlet) Or snook at two tits (south of Alligator Creek). At the top of the Harbor, along the Port Charlotte shoreline an inordinately large, white, three story single family residence has been dubbed The Holiday Inn. Now, the newest moniker, also along the Port Charlotte shoreline, the name comes from a beautifully arched, intracately stuccoed 3 story house that is still under construction.

Anglers are calling it The Golden Arches

Marketplace property.

9. After turning down numerous "unsuitable" applicants for rental of spaces in the Herald Court Parking Garage, Punta Gorda City Council is eyeing a tattoo parlor to be its newest tenant. Other potential tenants are unlikely to rent if this lease materializes.

Homeownerʼs Tip:

If you canʼt fix it with a hammer, youʼve got an electrical problem

November

2012

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Punta Gorda Fishing My pursuit for fishing adventure sometimes takes me away from Charlotte Harbor and in recent years the largemouth bass factory known as Lake Okeechobee has been calling me. My first experience fishing the Big-O was on Thanksgiving two years ago. In order to set up a couple days of fishing I had to locate a fish camp that allowed dogs and very few do. After a dozen phone inquiries to fish camps I finally found one that allowed pets and that was Uncle Joe’s Fish Camp.

We liked Uncle Joe’s so much, my wife Joyce and I and 3 dogs headed to Uncle Joe’s recently for a weekend of fishing. Uncle Joe’s is situated next to the Herbert Hoover Dike which surrounds the perimeter of the southern portion of the lake. In order to get there you will find yourself driving through miles of sugar cane fields on a narrow and twisting road finally arriving on Griffin Road which dead ends at the fish camp. You will know you have stepped back in time once there and that is the really big attraction to me, of course, along with the easy access to the Big-O. This is a no frills fish camp, established in the 1940s and is currently operated by Uncle Ed as Uncle Joe has passed on. Many locations of the lake have a lock system or long canal system to travel before entering the lake. This fish camp is situated on Liberty Point just north of Clewiston and there is a boat ramp that puts you right in the lake’s interior rim canal. There are boat docks to tie up to if you want to take a mid-day break, you can tie up and cool off in your room or stop into the bar

www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

and have an ice cold beer- what could be better than this?

Our trip met with wind out of the northeast and being situated on the southwest side made things tough. After our first day of fishing we had not had a bite until evening when fish started popping along the weed edges. Three bites in a row on a plastic tube bait and the bite shut down as a storm approached.

The second day was tough as well and tournament anglers out of Clewiston complained of the lack of fish. My game plan changed from fishing within a mile or two of camp to traveling through the middle of a swampy area known as Dynamite Pass. Examining a chart showed a trail through the bullrush that started with Cochran’s Pass and ended up at the Monkey Box. From the outside of the lake it was difficult to see the entrance into Cochran’s Pass but once inside there was a large wide channel however within minutes of this 7-8 mile boat ride the passage turned into a ditch cut through the bullrushes about as wide as my flats boat. White knuckled and not quite sure of where I was headed this was no place to come off plane with only 2 feet of water under the boat. Alligators and birds dipped out of sight as I prayed in advance of near 90 degree blind turns that another boat wasn’t coming around the corner. Finally, I entered an open area marked with the sign Moore Haven Channel. Believe me when I tell you

this is in the middle of nowhere with aquatic vegetation surrounding 360 degrees of your view! With chart in hand I ran to the Lake Port area about 2 hours before dark. The first cast with a topwater bait met with a huge mash, swing and a miss! For the next 2 hours it was game on as the fish pounced on topwater plugs and soft plastics. I nervously watched the western sky as the sun was dropping and promised myself just one more cast as I needed to head back. Then a school of bass starting blasting in open water and it was a fish every cast. With the sun dropping from the horizon I took

Page 19

an open lake course back to Uncle Joe’s meeting friendly mosquito’s at the dock at dark. So the moral to the story is that 2 hours of fishing made the 2 days of fishing without bites all worthwhile. I don’t quite understand the addiction of bass fishing catching 2-5 pound fish on average when that size fish is a small snook or redfish on Charlotte Harbor, but bass fishing is addictive!

The fish camp offers basic fully equipped cabins as well as RV and tent sites. The camp is very well kept and the rooms are clean and neat. The very scenic Okeechobee S ceni c Trai l is walking distance from your room and provides a magical vista of the lake on a paved walking trail. Add to that there is an exterior rim canal and lake that you can walk to from your room on the windy days which I did. Four bass in an hour was not too shabby before breakfast!

Depending on the time of year you will share the camp with duck hunters, plenty of air boaters, frog giggers and fishermen. The boat ramp has been recently improved making launching easy and all of this is walking distance to your cabin! For information or reservations, call 863-983-4818.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Back country Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040 or at www.ActionFlatsBack country Charters.com

Page 20

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Water LIFE Distributor 始s Club

November

2012

You can always get a free copy of Water LIFE at these locations

Cooks

Sportland

4419 So. Tamiami Trail S. Venice 493-0025

Water LIFE Distributor 始s Club

You can always get a free copy of Water LIFE at these locations

November

2012

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Page 21

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Much Col der Wi nter NOAA drastically changed there winter outlook for temperatures across most of the US-- to much colder (from the previous outlook) across most of the Eastern US. We’ve never seen this drastic of a change from NOAA in such a short time period.

Li onfi sh Scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and its partners teamed up to create the first ever guidelines for coastal managers to control the spread of invasive lionfish. Among the suggestions to control lionfish in the manual are: 1) Managers should involve the entire community — including fishers, dive operators, the public, and seafood industries — in their management plans.

2) How often Lionfish need to be removed can vary widely depending on their habitat.

Lionfish Trembly Reef Charlotte County

3) Events such as lionfish fishing derbies can remove large numbers of the species in short periods of time.

ocean ecosystem and promote the protection of sharks, tunas and turtles that inhabit the area.”

Bad S hark An unprecedented year of shark attacks has prompted Australian officials to enact a plan that allows for the killing of sharks that swim too close to people even if the shark has not previously attacked. It is part of a $6.85 million AUD ($6.99 million USD) package of shark mitigation strategies aimed at reducing shark attacks on beachgoers.

Reefs A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and James Cook University says that coral reefs in Aceh, Indonesia are benefiting from a decidedly lowtech, traditional management system that dates back to the 17th century. Known as “Panglima Laot” – the customary system focuses on social harmony and reducing conflict among communities over marine resources. According to the study, reefs benefitting from Panglima Laot contain as much eight time more fish and hard-coral cover due to mutually agreed upon gear restrictions especially prohibiting the use of nets.

Net not Li ne Biologists with NOAA and the FWC are continuing to monitor an entangled dolphin in southwest Florida suffering from a chronic skin disease known as lacaziosis. The dolphin is often spotted

Cl ean Water This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972 to regulate pollutants discharged in U.S. waterways and set water quality standards for all surface waters.

The first, original law to address water quality and pollution was the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948

Good S hark To give the general population a glimpse into the lives of marine predators, Stanford University scientists created S hark Net a smartphone application that puts tracking devices in the public’s hand. The goal of the free iOS app available at the Apple store is to “create a better understanding of the

in canals between the areas of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. The dolphin was last seen with fishing line wrapped around the top of the dorsal fin and the outer edge of the tail. The entanglements are not life threatening, however, biologists are monitoring this dolphin

Write your own caption

closely in case it becomes further entangled or its health condition declines. Lacaziosis is a fungal infection of the skin that can affect humans in tropical climates and can be transmitted through direct contact. If the dolphin is seen, the public is asked to report the sighting and not intervene Call 1-877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) Editor Notes* It looks like a fishing net to me.

Undercover After several minutes, the individuals walked past the undercover Lee county FWC officers, carrying two large stringers of fish. As the officers approached the subjects, one of them immediately ran from the water to the nearby woods. The officers quickly detained the remaining subject, and then proceeded to locate the other individual. The officers were able to identify the individual and determine he previously had been arrested multiple times by FWC officers for fishing violations. An inspection of the stringers of fish revealed an oversized redfish, four undersized snook, three trout over 20 inches in length, and an undersized trout that was being used for bait.

The officers determined the individual who had been detained had an active warrant and was arrested for the warrant, as well as for seven resource-related misdemeanors. An arrest warrant has since been issued for the fleeing subject.

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Charlotte Harbor:

Frank at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte:

625-3888

I’m going to stay home until the wind stops blowing. I don’t know what’s going to be, but maybe I can make a good guess.

Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, El Jobean are all loaded with snook. I keep hearing people are catching snook all over the place. The one thing that the stories have in common is the fish are under the docks. The people who think back to a number of years ago and remember what they did then, are doing great.

From I-75 to Island 33 on the Peace River, on a cloudy day the snook are just tearing up the Zara-spooks, skitter-walks and any other lure you walk-the-dog with. Show them that and the snook are tearing it up. I’m selling more walk-thedog lures now than in the last 5 years.

It’s a top-water fall. When you fish the topwater lure, give it a nice side-to-side splash to get the frenzy going right now.

We’ve had fl ounder all the way up to the 41 Bridge, at Laishley Park and at Ponce DeLeon. The guys are catching them on a shrimp on the bottom bouncing it on a jighead.

WaterLIFE@comcast.net

November

Fishing

Forecast

November

2012

As the weather kicks in nice and cold we will see a tremendous amount of ki ng mackerel offshore and S pani sh mackerel offshore and into the Harbor.

The AJs are out there too, and we heard a couple of guys say they started LEFT: Venice FL angler Glen Ballinger and friend show off some Louisiana drums. finding the RIGHT: 14 year-old Austin Phelps: ʻI forgot the model number but I got this redfish on a green back twitch bait ...oh cobi a right yeah and I was wadingʼ before the bad month and we are hoping for a great This is the month when we start switchweather kicked in. They were fishing November on the beach with those fish. ing to shrimp. The trout will be hitting right up along the beaches and said the With the temperatures dropping, the shrimp and the reds and snook will start fish were sitting out in 15 feet of water trout fishing should be tremendous on slowing down and they will want shrimp ... seemed like they were maybe in a both the east and west side. Right now too. spawn again - cobia can spawn many the whi te bai t is still at Pirate Harbor, In freshwater, crappi e are starting to times a year. Then the wind hit, but I’m Jug Creek and down south into Pine kick off so I had to rush to fix the shiner betting the trend will continue when it Island Sound, but by the end of the tanks in the shop this week. The crappie calms down, unless it gets too cold. month if the temps keep falling we will guys are all smiling and happy. They Along the beaches, pompano and be looking at shri mp as the primary continued on facing page mackerel will be the guest stars this bait because the whitebait will be gone.

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2012

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November November

won’t tell me anything, but The to expect expect in in Fish to The BIG-4 BIG-4 Fish they keep coming in and buying more bait. In all the PC canals the crappie must be starting to bunch up. It looks like it’s going to be a nice, early and good, crappie TUNA Rreports of tuna offREDFISH Big reds around MACKEREL Spanish around season this year. In specialty the passes, kings offshore shore within 20 miles the southern Harbor jigs and tails the most requested are black and chartreuse little-sickle (or curly) tails. For bass, purple seems to be the bomb this year and there is a weird crossover going on too, because purple is big for saltwater too. June bug and purple (black with bright green glitter) and the ribbon tail 7- inch worm with a sliding sinker is what’s going good lately. It’s going to be an interesting November. I’m looking forward to it.

SNOOK on the beaches and moving in the Harbor

Gulf Temps in the high 70s and falling

Lemon Bay:

Jim at Fishermens Edge, Englewood: 697-7595

Seeing more and more people who just came back into town. Fishing was pretty good after the red tide but now you have to fight the wind. Quite a few guys are catching pompano, some up into Charlotte Harbor and some around the passes. They have been catching them on a jig or a jig and a bait combo with a shrimp or a sand flea. You need yo use a heavy jig to get down in the strong current.

Bl uefi sh, mackerel , some mixed in l adyfi sh and some pretty good redfi sh. The bigger reds were coming from above the bridge up around Forked Creek (above Godfrey Creek).

There have been a lot of oversized reds guys are catching using big Sebille lures on the higher tides when they could swim the lure over the grass. These are fish over 35 inches. I guess this is the time they start to head offshore. Some people said the beach smelled pretty bad from the red tide, so I don’t know if the reds turned around or went out.

We’ve had some pretty decent snook up into the mid 30 inches and higher, really nice fish.

And there haver been some sheepshead reports.

A couple of guys up at ElJo said the bigger fish were up there and they were catching them mostly on fiddler crabs or the little black crabs, but you have to wait for the lower tide to find those crabs. And you have to be careful they are not young stone crabs because they are protected.

Trout on a jig is the ticket now. A lot of guys are using rattling bobbers like Cajun Thunder with a jig or a prop type bait. Some guys like the

Little snook and big snook have been cruising the east and west side of the Harbor.

prop bait because there is no rythmic pattern, you just pull them and the fish strike them sometimes even when it isn’t moving. There are a lot of different baits with a prop. Guides like them for clients that can’t work a regular plug.

The only other thing was there were some mackerel around before the wind started.

Offshore, if you can get out, we had some bl ackfi n tuna and one guy went 120 or 130 miles and came back with some yel l owfi n tuna.

For grouper fishing (gags are closed) the red grouper are still open. There are lots of assorted grunts and some fl ounder here and there.

With the cooler weather we should look for cobi a coming south in the Gulf in migration.

Weʼve had a lot of rain this summer and the rivers and creeks are showing it. Seen here canoeists on Horse Creek at Hwy 70 in late October.

In freshwaster the bass guys are doing Ok in the ponds, the fish are a little more active as the temps drop. Spooner baits and topwaters have been selling well lately. The 9-M Mirrolure is a great size with new patterns and different colored eyes. There is always something new to buy.

FISHING RIGHT NOW:

Best when the windʼs not blowing!

Two Records: same guy, same place, same bait, same day!

A West Virginia state record blue catfish was caught from the Ohio River by Mark A. Foster The 43.9-inch, 44.5pound fish was caughtwhile using cut bait.

Foster also caught a 52.25-inch, 15-pound longnose gar that ties the current length record. Foster caught the gar on the same day also using cut bait.

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2012

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