Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero and the Gulf
The Don Ball School of Fishing
October 2015
Oyster Bar Restoration Will this work? page 12
Inshore
Fishing Report page 22-23
Offshore page 16
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Tune in to Radio Fishinʼ anytime! Talk shows with Fishinʼ Frank @ FishinFranks.com
Send letters and photos to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net
Advice to a Young Boater
Last month we published a letter from a South Gulf Cove mother whoʼs son was about to get out in his first boat: I am writing in hopes to find some resources for my son's new 12-foot Sea Nymph,” she wrote, going on to mention how
he wanted to go out in the Harbor and down to Boca Grande in his new pride and joy. I suggested that might not be such a good idea right off the bat and I asked for readers to comment. Following are two of the letters we received:
To Water LIFE That little Jon Boat is a great first boat. I had one just like it when I was younger. From my own personal experience I would strongly suggest against letting him use it in the harbor until he has gained a decent amount of experience with the boat. Even then, I would still be nervous about it. On more than one occasion I was in the harbor with my little Jon boat and had waves come over the boat. The only thing that kept it from sinking on one occasion was the foam under the seats. It is very easy to get distracted fighting a fish and not notice you've turned stern to the waves or the wake of a bigger passing boat. I would also strongly suggest a handheld, submersible VHF, some sort of bailer or even a bilge pump running off of a lawnmower battery and a small dry box for anything you don't want wet. Storms can and will pop up fast. Any boaters courses he can sign up for will be invaluable. David Peterson
To Water LIFE As an avid reader of boating and fishing journals and publications and as Flotilla Staff Officer of Vessel Exams for Flotilla 98 Charlotte Harbor for the USCGAUX I readily scan the publications however due to my schedule sometimes I get to them later than I would like so that is the reason for the tardiness in responding to your request for advice. Myself or one of my vessel examiners would consider it an honor to meet Laurie and her son where ever is convenient for them and go over boating safety and to conduct a free vessel safety check. They may contact us by calling our office @ (941)639-3811 extension 2, this will also ring on my cell so I am able to have direct contact. Mike Trombetta FSO-VE Flotilla 98 USCGAUX - Semper Paratus
Water LIFE inc. waterlife@comcast.net www.WaterlifeMagazine.com
Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers
(941) 766-8180
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Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIV No 10 © 2015
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 Baitshop: Fishinʼ Frank Peace River: David Stephens Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy Barton Diving: Adam Wilson Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Venice: Glen Ballinger Estero: Capt. Joe Angius Kayaking: Bob Fraser Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Offshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien Beach Fishing: Mallory Herzog Pier Fishing: Bobby Vitalis Office Dog: Molly Brown (in memorium)
On the Cover: In early September,
Hang 10 and count them when you are done! This is Australia
volunteers from the Nature Conservancy worked on an oyster bar restoration. More on page 12
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C h e ck A r o u n d - s e e w h er e l o ca l a d v e r t i s e r s a r e p u t t i n g t h e i r h a r d e a r n e d d o l l a r s
Still All About the Kids OCTOBER 2015
By Michael Heller Water LIFE Editor You’ll see our Water LIFE name on a fishing tournament again for the first time in 5 years. Downtown Bait and Tackle is running an all photo release event on Nov 7 and some of the proceeds from sponsor revenue will go to our Don Ball School of Fishing program. Sponsor money will also support AMI Kids in Punta Gorda. I have aligned myself with this tournament because it is a catch, photo and release format and 100-percent of the entry money goes back to the winners. Plus I believe the people putting on the tournament are ethical and responsible. This is the tackle shop’s first event so I am helping any way I can. They will use the IFA’s computer program and a specialized computer technician to make sure there is no ‘photoshopping’ of the photos. A real polygraph test will also be administered. “We have had a lot of customers ask us to put on a tournament because they are tired of small payouts and big favoritism in another local major tournament,” Bobbie Leahey, owner of the shop, told me. From what Bobbie has said, I think she is on the right track - I have heard similar complaints myself. “This will be the first in a series of tournaments we will do, Bobbie said, adding “.... so long as there is continuing community support.”
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More than a month before the event Bobbie was busy signing up tournament sponsors. Call her if you are interested. Her concept, to me, is the way a tournament should be run. All the entry fees go into the purse for the winners and all the sponsor donations go to cover the event’s real expenses, like shirts, food and raffel prizes. Then, what’s left of the sponsor money, all of it, goes to charity. This month the 14th year of our Don Ball School of Fishing classes begin and unbeknownst to our students, they will receive not one but two fishing rods! Please keep that a secret! They will get the Don Ball issue Shakespeare 6.5 foot spinning combo and they will also get another rod compliments of the Walmart store in Punta Gorda. Walmart had a sales training demo-display of fishing rods, both offshore and spinning combos, that they couldn’t sell after the training, so they gave them to us. Thank you, again, Walmart. Our kids classes start at four local middle schools on Oct 6 or 7 and run for 7 weeks. We teach the kids the rules. We focus on ethical angling and being environmentally intelligent in their approach to fishing.... and to life. Last month, while preparing our Don Ball workbook, I updated the information on tTarpon to include the new regulation
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We make a presentation during 6th and 7th grade lunches at Murdock, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and L.A. Ainger middle schools and hand out sign up forms. Here, Capt. Billy Barton who teaches the class at Punta Gorda, explains what to expect in the first class.
that calls for tarpon over 40 inches to remain in the water, even for pictures. This past tarpon season I saw that the new regulation leaves the door open for an angler to lift a 40+ inch fish up, leaving only its tail in the water... to technically comply with the ‘kept in the water’ rule. So last month, after two months of trying to find the right person, I spoke with Amanda Nally, the FWC person who actually wrote the latest tarpon regulation. Amanda told me the intent of the regulation was that tarpon over 40 inches should never be “lifted more than half way out of
the water” for a photo. I think you need to clarify that, I suggested to Amanda and I suggested they require the fish be kept: half in the water AND HELD HORIZONTALLY. She liked that idea a lot and said she would suggest it to the FWC’s rule making committee. That is the way change happens - and I’ll be explaining that to the kids this month, for sure. If you want to see our kids in action, come to Ponce Park on Saturday October 17, at 9:30 a.m. They will be wadeing, helping the FWC pull a large seine net and examining its contents. Come watch!
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By Captain Joe Angius Water LIFE Estero Bay It’s officially Fall and that means cooler weather, cleaner water, and a variety of big inshore game fish. As the cool mornings begin, lower water temperatures and less rainfall will allow salt-dense water from the Gulf of Mexico to flow onto our grass flats. The fishing hasn’t been this versatile all summer. Countless opportunities to catch several different species of gamefish are at our disposal and can be found all day long. Having a good knowledge of Estero’s tide fluctuations is important in knowing when and where these fish will be staged up, ready to feed. On my fishing charters we are finding Spanish mackerel, schooling redfish, large speckled trout, juvenile tarpon, and female snook, all of which are feeding on a variety of live and cut baits. High quality bait can be found on almost any flat in Estero Bay and Pine Island Sound. Be sure to take your time chumming. There are a lot of small pilchards on our flats and it can be tempting to start throwing your net after five
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minutes of chumming. If you are patient and chum liberally, larger pilchards and pinfish will begin to show up. A 10-foot 3/8-inch mesh cast net, (I prefer the nets from Lee Fisher International) will get the job done fast so you can be on your way to catching fish. The Spanish mackerel can be found near our passes busting on schools of glass minnows. In order to catch them I would recommend a strong steel leader with a 3/0 Owner hook baited with a live pilchard. I found it easiest to troll these baits behind the boat around the passes. If a pod of mackerel begin to bust on glass minnows in casting range, throw directly onto the pod and reel quickly! Large speckled trout are on grass flats with clean-moving water. Free lined live pilchards and pinfish work great, but it’s always good to have a couple of baits attached to popping corks. The trout aren’t leader sensitive, but a two or three foot leader of 25-pound fluorocarbon is needed under the popping cork. If the leader is too long, the baits tend to drag on the bottom and pick up a lot of grass. Be sure to remember that you can keep up to 4 per harvester per day at more than 15-inches and less than 20-inches with exception of possessing one trout over 20 inches. Redfish can be found in large schools on oyster bars and our grass flats. Fresh
cut bait is most effective because it releases a strong scent trail in the water and creates vibrations that redfish can detect (depending on how the bait is cut). Single fish can be found in the backwaters on mud flats. These fish are usually looking for live crabs to feed on, but will hit a variety of artificial lures and flies. Large female snook can still be found and caught, but they are exhausted from this summer’s spawn. If you catch a female summer spawner, you will notice that her fins are all chewed up from the male snook fighting over her. Handle these fish with extra care and appreciate the work they
OCTOBER 2015
have done for our future snook fisheries. These large snook will want to feed on live pilchards, pinfish, and cut mullet. As we’re out fishing for these amazing game fish, remember how important our grass flats truly are. To respect the value of our fisheries and grass flats, be sure to follow all of the rules and regulations that are posted on and off of the water. When I say off of the water, I mean to research the rules and understand why they are put in place. The most important part of fishing is to respect the boaters around you and to care for our local fisheries. It’s our local fisheries that fuel our economy and shape the history, art and culture in Southwest Florida. Captain Joe Angius (727) 234-3171 Speakeasyfishing.com FlatsHQ.com Speakeasyfishing@gmail.com
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23 HOURS: A Fishing Stress Test By Capt. Billy Barton Water LIFE Inshore Fall is in the air folks! It is officially Red October on Charlotte Harbor and the pumpkins are ripe for the pluckin’ - pumpkins being redfish! Whether you put your focus out in the Gulf of Mexico, or spend your time stalking big redfish and snook in the Harbor this is a time of year that you should sure be fishing! Last month I was able to get out and fish a fun event with my brothers Matt Barton and Austin Phelps. The Charlotte
and DeSoto Building Industry Association held their Rockin’ & Reelin’ tournament, an offshore and an inshore challenge, out of the Sheraton Hotel in Punta Gorda. It was an overnight tournament, an unusual format in comparison to some other local events. Redfish, snook, and tarpon weren't involved. We fished the inshore division. The goal was to go out and catch two black drum, two trout, two flounder, ten mangrove snapper, ten Spanish mackerel, and a mystery fish which ended up being tripletail, all in a 23 hour period. Basically it was a numbers game. You received a specific amount of points for every legal fish that you caught. They let all of us go fishing at roughly 4 p.m. on a Friday evening. We had live blue crabs for black drum bait and some decent live shrimp and pinfish in the well for our snapper.
My first stop was a local canal, less than a mile from where we took off. Snapper was the primary target, but, go figure, the snapper had disappeared. We fished for over an hour for snapper and only had one in the box. Then I threw a blue crab on one of the larger poles to see if I could pick up a drum and
OCTOBER 2015
within minutes I was fighting a 35-pound drum! What a battle it was, and in a serious current no less! We landed this fish and we were on the board with a smile! We acted quickly and got another drum
OCTOBER 2015
rod out. Another live blue crab was set out exactly where the first drum came from. Again, in a matter of minutes, that rod folded over and Austin was in for a heck of a battle! Ten minutes later, with a whole lot of sweat, Austin landed his drum which was just amazing in size! This 42-pound fish looked just about as big as Austin in the picture! We were in disbelief of how quick it all happened. But where were the snapper!? We made a move. It was an hour or so before dark. We were fishing with very light tackle and 15-pound fluorocarbon leader to try and get as much action as possible. We were using little pieces of shrimp on a circle hook. In minutes Matt
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and Austin were doubled up with fish that were way to big to be a snapper! They had a matching pair of beautiful redfish. Go figure! "We don't want you right now!" I said to the fish with a smile. The boys and I were in disbelief. Cast after cast and all we could catch was redfish and snook! On the one day that we didn't want redfish or snook we just couldn't get through them to get the snapper ... and on little pieces of shrimp no less! I have to give credit to Austin for his new personal best snook. He landed a 37inch snook that evening on 15-pound leader, with a little No.1 hook, in swift current and tight structure. This was a heck of a feat and took great finesse. I would have bet against him landing that fish, but it made the trip for him right there. You could see the excitement all over his face. With one snapper in the box at dark, we opted to run down closer to the Gulf. I anchored up in the Placida area, where we finally found some keeper snapper. Granted, it did take us all night to get them, but we did so by 5 a.m., which gave us about an hour to pretend to sleep! The mosquitos were incredibly bad that evening. We were all driven borderline crazy by them so I ran us a mile or so offshore to get away from the bugs. They were gone at sunrise though, and it was on to the next phase of our mission! Spanish Mackerel were next on the list, and we were in the perfect area to get
them. I threw the cast net a few times at sunrise getting us some good sized scaled sardines. We were lucky to find birds working the surface early and we followed them around for a couple of hours pitching free lined (no weight) live baits to the blitzing fish. It proved itself very effective, and we were lucky enough to get our mackerel .They seemed to shut down after it got hot that day. I'm thinking it was definitely a good thing we were there very early morning. We did run the buoy lines in the Gulf, looking for tripletail with no luck. Last on the list of fish to catch was flounder. Flounder can really be hit or miss during the warmer months of the year, so we saved this fish for last on purpose. I ended up running us to some oyster bars in Charlotte Harbor that I knew were good areas to find flounder. Flounder like a hard sand bottom with a little bit of shell mix. It was almost high noon and we still had a few hours to fish. None of us were very confident with picking up a flounder at this point, but we still fished our hearts out to the very end. We arrived, half asleep and flounder-
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less, at the Sheraton dock shortly before the 3 p.m. check in and when the points were put up on the board we were actually in the lead ... and by a long shot! The check that we received didn’t mean much, but the memories we made and the good times we had on this day - they mean the world. This was a day of monster drums, a day when we were jokingly upset to catch so many snook and redfish! That doesn't happen too often. That was a good day! Capt. Billy Barton owns and operates Scales-n-Tails Fishing Charters. 941- 979-6140 http://www.puntagordafishingcharter.com
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Low Salinity Still a Challenge
By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Fall has arrived to South West Florida. Normally I would be writing about how hot it was this summer, however the rain has got to be the headliner this year. Late summer had to be one of the wettest summers I can remember. Generally this time of year the Harbor is starting to somewhat clear up from the rainfall. But at the end of last month the mouth of the Peace River still had little to no salinity at all, while the southern areas still have plenty. The tidal flow plays a big part of where the salt line is. On a brighter side, most all the game fish in Charlotte Harbor can tolerate freshwater. The down side is how it effects our bait. Sardines and herring require high levels of salt in the water, so the more water that pushes out of the rivers into the Harbor, the further the bait pushes south toward the Gulf. During the last week of September the fishing had begun to pick back up, but then the rain started, again and again. I had the Gamm family out on a charter last month. Taylor Gamm was celebrating his 19th birthday and getting ready to head off to boot camp. He is going to be a little
sore. Tarpon was on his bucket list of fish, and he got a really good one and after an hour long battle we had a fish boat side that was over 150lbs, one of the biggest I landed this year. Happy Birthday Taylor! After landing his fish, dad wanted a shot at the silver king and he fought his own fish for over an hour too! I’m not sure about the weight of his fish, it busted the line next to the boat, but it was bigger than Taylor’s and it was so frantic we didn’t get a picture of that one. Arles and Ray spent a week fishing with me too. I fished these guy’s last year and we did some evening fishing, so we figured we would give it a shot. The fishing was excellent, but Mother Nature not so much, we spent most of the time dodging thunder storms. Back at the ramp, we decided maybe the AM was the way to go. We had a great four days of fishing, caught a bunch of nice trout, snook and reds. It seemed like everyday a different species was the headliner. I’m pretty sure they had a great time, they already booked their four days for next year. Capt. Dave Stephens 941-916-5769 www.backbayxtremes.com
COUNTY MATTERS: Details About New Stump Pass Jetty On The Line OCTOBER 2015
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By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff
I'm happy to report that the project to fix Stump Pass is still on schedule and work should begin by the end of November. All permits have now been obtained and all government agencies are on board. The funding is in place with $2.5 million coming from the State. Charlotte County is currently reviewing bids and should be awarding the construction contract any day now. It's taken over 15-years to come this far, the people working on this project are now in site of the finish line and nothing is going to stop them. This will probably be the biggest project in Lemon Bay since the building of the ICW back in the late 60s. The job will include not only the dredging of the Pass itself, but also a major re-nourishment project that will put sand on the beaches from south Manasota Key in the north to Knights Island and from the south side of the Pass all the way down to Don Pedro State Park. Most of the sand will come from offshore locations that have already been identified. I know a lot of skeptics may be asking why this dredging project is any different from the half dozen other dredging attempts since the 80s that only resulted in the Pass moving further south and filling in over time. That is a fair question and I will try to answer it. First, Federal, State and local officials have made the commitment to keep Stump Pass open. In the past there was always some squabbling between various government organizations and local groups as to whether to keep the Pass open or do nothing and let nature take its course. The last few maintenance dredgings have shown that when the Pass is open, water quality in Lemon Bay improves greatly, sea grass beds grow and shell fish stocks increase. A free flow of
If youʼve been around these parts for a while you probably remember the Placida Queen, which was once the areaʼs top head boat. Out of inspections and out of money and time she now sits in place at Placida, next to the old Seminole Trader shrimp boat. The clock is running out on both of them.
water through Stump Pass results in a healthier LemonBay. Second, funding sources are in place. Federal FEMA money, State budgeted funds, WCIND appropriations and local MSBU dollars are now available to keep the pass open. And finally, for the first time in history, a jetty will be constructed on the north side of the pass. This should stop the sand from filling in the pass. It was the omission of a jetty from prior projects that doomed them all to failure. There are a few things people should be aware of before they get their hopes up. This structure is not going to be called a jetty, it's called a terminal groin. What the difference is, I'm not sure, but its not going to be like the Venice Jetty. There will be no paved surface to walk on. This will be just a rock wall going out into the Gulf. I asked if fishing will be allowed from this structure? I was told that you can access the groin from shore and there will probably be about 100-feet where you can fish from. Here is some of the bad news. The north side of the groin will be back filled
with sand so that side will be too shallow for any decent fishing, but the south side, facing the pass, should be pretty good. Here is the really bad news. To access the groin you will have to go through Stump Pass State Park so they will have control over the use of the jetty. Remember that they charge to park and they lock their gate at sundown. This will
make night fishing a real challenge. There are still a lot of details that have to be worked out, but I say let’s just build the groin first and then we will figure out how to fish it latter. Fishermen are usually pretty resourceful when it comes to accessing fishy spots. capt.ronb@juno.net
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Oyster
Volunteers wade into the
The weather Gods looked favorably on the project, this site is up-river from the US 41 bridges.
Andrea Graves, Hobe Sound Preserve Director for the Nature Conservancy and a project volunteer zip- tie sections together.
Volunteers from Punta Gorda assembling the oyster reef behind the Justice Center, last month.
By Michael Heller Water LIFE Environment
Man made oyster reefs along the south shore of the Peace River, paralleling the Punta Gorda Harborwalk, nine reefs all together, have been in the planning and development stage for three and a half years. The conservation groups Nature Conservancy and the Fort Myers based National Estuary Project with the help of 1,280 local volunteers are making it happen. “The nine reefs cost a total of $300,000,” Anne Birch, Marine Conserva-
tion Director for the Florida chapter of the Nature Conservancy said. Each reef measures 12-feet x 36feet, so the costs compute to $33,333 per reef. Last month volunteers put their boots in the mud and waded out into the Peace River to start piecing together 16-inch-square plastic mesh sections with oyster shells attached to them. “This is a pilot project,” Andrea Graves, Project Director for the Conservancy at Hobe Sound, said, adding that the site was “partially selected because it would have high public visibility.”
A completed oyster-mat reef at Indian River Lagoon
The Conservancy has already completed a similar project at Indian River. They are hoping oyster larvae from oysters on mangrove roots along the shore will float over and grow on the new reef. The Punta Gorda City Council and the SW Florida Oyster Work Group helped select the sites, Graves said, adding that public visibility was an important component. Volunteers had previously worked to cover hundreds of individual 16 inch square mesh mats with oyster shells. The shells were drilled and zip-tied to the mats
OCTOBER 2015
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Peace River to turn mats into a bar
The pristine environment of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve is delicately intertwined in the lives and survival of a myriad of birds, critters and fish.
A large pile of mats, previously assembled in a separate community project, wait for placement
Right: This racoon, probably feeding on crabs and small fish, was spotted south, early one morning last month.
Above and Right: Oyster shells zip tied to plastic mats make up the structure.
and then delivered to the job sites by a service boat. The effect of local tides, near by pesticide run off, and a continuing decline in the salinity levels of the Peace River will be the obstacles this project has to overcome. The site will be monitored every six months for two years. We will follow the progress here and advocate that the dying oyster bars at Turtle Bay and those around Jug Creek and Indian Shoals are next. And we are going to find out why this is so expensive.
Lawn sprinkler donuts are used to weigh the mats down
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Descending Devices PAGE
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By Capt. Betty Staugler ing gear. Water LIFE/Sea Grant Another mitigation tool for deep water I arranged an offshore reef fish is the venting tool. Up until refishing trip with Capt. Dan cently, the use of venting tools was reCambern of Hammerhead quired for fish experiencing barotrauma in Charters in Placida and I took three addistate and federal waters of the Gulf. Venttional guides with me to participate in ing tools release swim bladder gasses some Sea Grant outreach. from the abdominal cavity by puncturing My primary goal was to get descending it. They are an acceptable means of helpgear in the hands of (a) Dan, who does ing fish, but they are not a silver bullet 90% of his fishing offshore, and (b) the and if venting is not done correctly it can three guides who are instruccause additional injury tors in the Don Ball School of to the fish decreasing Fishing and who will, in turn, its chance of survival. be demonstrating these tools in Changes in both state the classroom and out on the and federal rules now water when the kids take their allow anglers more head boat trip offshore. freedom in determinWhat is descending gear and ing which type of gear why is it needed? Deep water they feel most comreef fish brought up from fortable using. depth, are particularly susceptiA recent statewide ble to mortality from barosurvey of fishing litrauma, the bloat and internal The weighted crate decending cense holders, conorgan damage caused by presdevice. Simple but effective ducted by Florida Sea sure change in the swim bladGrant, determined that der. These fish are often approximately 90-perreferred to as floaters. Signs of cent of all anglers that barotrauma include protrusion intervene to help of the stomach from the fish's floaters survive use mouth, bulging eyes, bloated venting tools. When belly and distended intestines. asked why anglers Different species react differwho fished for deep ently. The severity of the probwater reef species did lem increases with water depth. not use descending Problems can begin to occur gear, most responded with fish coming up from 60-to that they were not 80 feet. At depths over 100 feet, you will aware of it or they didn’t know where to probably have to intervene if the fish is to purchase them. Of the approximately survive. 10% that do use them however, most were Descending gear are weighted tools quite confident that they were using them that rapidly descend fish back down to the correctly and that their use of these tools bottom. Some are weight lip grips, some was increasing fish survival. are weighted lip hooking tools and some Hopefully by taking Capt. Dan, Capt. are weighted crates or nets. Each tool is Billy Barton, Capt. Bart Marx, and Capt. designed to descend the fish down to Cayle Wills out to descend fish they will where expanded gasses will recompress pass on what they learned to their students naturally. Dan put us on a lot of fish for and others. Thanks guys, for a great day!! testing these tools and everyone got their For more information about barohands on five different pieces of descendtrauma, venting tools or descending gear
OCTOBER 2015
Black Tip decending device
Modified Fish Grip decending device Capts: Dan, Billy, Bart, Cayle
RokLees decending device
visit: www.catchandrelease.org
Capt. Betty Staugler, Florida Sea Grant Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte Co., (941) 764-4346 http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu www.flseagrant.org
SeaQualizer decending device
Spooky Redfish for Halloween OCTOBER 2015
By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Fishing Fall in Florida has all the fishermen fired up. Coming off of a slower bite and hot water we now start to ease into falling temperatures and tides. Bait schools are becoming more prevalent. The mornings have been cooler and refreshing and sunsets have been full of rolling juvenile tarpon. The fish seem to be enjoying fall as well. Redfish are schooling in various sizes, some on the Charlotte Harbor flats. These have been slot to under in size and they are SPOOKY. Trolling motors haven't been tolerated for some schools. Use your push pole to get close and drift a cut bait in. Quiet feet and voices help too. The bite has been more tidal dependent than time. Fish travel in and out of feeder creeks along both sides of the Harbor during tide changes. The beginning to middle of the outgoing tide has been great. On our latest trip the hot bite wasn't until almost noon, but it was well worth the wait. The bigger over slot breeders are coming in from the Gulf. Look for the bigger "bull reds" in deeper channels and near the Gulf passes. When looking for these fish, especially schooling fish, it’s great to have an artificial tied on and ready to cast. Aim for the outer edge of the school so they are not easily scared away. Captain Andrew has been using a paddle tail soft plastic with a 1/8-oz weighted swim bait hook size 3/0. (pictured). This is a weedless setup allowing you to move through a grassy flat with minimal snags. The paddle tail gives out a vibration to attract a hungry fish near by. These baits have a variety of hook choices. It's important to rig your bait correctly so it swims properly. If your fishing a pass or deeper water you can use a 1/8 jig
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CAN SPOTS CHANGE ON A REDFISH?
Last month Capt. Chris Fanelli asked if spots on a redfish can change. Charlotte Sea Grant Agent Capt. Betty Staugler says: Redfish get their spots around 5-6 months (about 5-to 6-inches). Prior to that they have blotches but not spots. Once they get their spots we think they keep whatever they get for life (1, 2 or 20). I did find a blurb online which was copied several times that said redfish with multiple spots seem to lose them over time but I found nothing in a literature search to support that. Scientists do think tail spots serve as a false eye that aids in predator avoidance. Lots of fish (think four eyed butterfly fish) have tail spots for this reason. Whether or not a fish with multiple spots receives the same benefit I don't know and also didn't find any studies that looked at that question.
Rrockport Rattler. Bounce it off the bottom as you reel in. This is a non-weedless set up. Colors for fall artificials would be a molting color or my captain's personal favorite, Venice Glow. Tarpon like pearl or white in the Harbor. Bullbuster 10lb braid to 30lb fluorocarbon leader will pull these fish in. Snook season is in full swing, the Harbor has been filled with smaller juvenile snook, they are really enjoying the rain we've had. The bigger gals are swimming around out there as well, in the deeper areas of the flats and canals. Live pinfish or ladyfish have been getting the big girls hooked in the Harbor. Remember, when fishing near structure like piers and bridges, upscale your tackle. 30lb braid to 50lb fluorocarbon will aid in landing a big fish in tight structure. Fishing off the Gulf beaches, target the trough along the shoreline. The hours closest to sunrise and sunset have been the best snook bite along the beaches. White or pearl colored artificials are attractive to these fish. Your options are endless, You can contact Big Bully Outdoors Charters for a trip with Captain Andrew Herzog. Call 941-661-9880 or BigBullyOutdoors.com
caught 1 year apart in the same place
New White Bait?
We asked FWC: Whatʼs This Fish?
David Blewett, Research Associate with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Port Charlotte said: Weʼve seen a few of these over the years ourselves, but this year they seem to be quite abundant. Itʼs probably a spinal deformity on a scaled sardine, but maybe itʼs a new species? Could you get us some specimens we can have? Up to 10 would be great, but even 1 would work and then we could look into it further. Daveʼs office is at 585 Prineville St., Port Charlotte.
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OFFSHORE GALORE
Some of last month始s catches from a trip with Capt. Joe Miller out of Venice Inlet. Fish Galore Offshore is the name of Joe始s charter business. He is a regular contributor here. 1) C.W. Miller with a 25-pound red grouper caught on Mike Carr's boat out of Venice, 2) mangrove snapper, 3) yellowtail, 4) mangrove snapper, 5) gag grouper, 6) cubera snapper, 7) red snapper, 8) lane snapper
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OCTOBER 2015
Beetle Spins OCTOBER 2015
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By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop
The basis of a Beetle Spin is an open safety pin or for you younger people, a sideways V shape - with a shiny disc, or blade, rotating on a swivel right over the top of the jig hook. The thumping and flashing of the blade attracts fish. I first used beetle spins in salt water as back then I did not know there was a difference between fresh water lures and salt water lures. I still do not know the difference. A good lure is a good lure, I know someone told you there was a difference, but who told the fish? In 1951 Lloyd Johnson and Henry Denison introduced the safety pin style spinner bait with a clip-on jig. In the 60s the design changed slightly. What was different about the new beetle spin was the sideways “V” shape of the safety pin style spinner arm which allowed the spinner to be spinning right above the jig body. Spinner baits had been in-line before this so the blade spun around the same line the hook was mounted to. Now the blade was above the hook on an arm, with a swivel to allow the round shaped blade to spin. This created a thumping noise in the water. Later, the round shaped blade was replaced by what we call now-a-days a Colorado shaped blade that spins easier
and, if anything, creates a better noise. Toady you can get off-set spinner baits with Colorado, Willow leaf, or Indiana style blades. Each has its own sound when pulled through the water. There was a huge variety of different bodies and tails. Later, stinger hooks were added. Another variation was the addition of a soft plastic V tail which gave it a distinct new action. But fish tore up the plastic tail when striking the lure, which ruined the body, but that also made it more profitable... selling replacement tails. The fish did bite them and that led to another problem. Fish much too large for the small jig hook hit the Beetle Spin so the entire jig head needed to be replaceable. This is why, to this day, the same clip is used to attach, quickly remove and replace, the jig head. Replacement jig heads meant more money. How do you fish a Beetle Spin? Cast it out and let it sink for a few seconds. Since the blade spinning gives the lure lift, it will want to rise close to the surface of the water when you retrieve, so I let it go almost to the bottom and when I start reeling, my rod is at 90 degrees to the lure. Holding the rod sideways allows me to feel the thumping of the blade in the water and when the lure is working perfectly, you will feel it. Yor rod will vibrate orpulse with the spinning of the blade.
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When you feel that, you know you have the right speed for your retrieve. Recently Strike King introduced the Redfish Magic, a slightly larger Beetle Spin. It comes with a paddle tail soft plastic body on the jig head. I think that’s there to catch fishermen as it really does not work well with an off-set spinner. I think the thumping of the blade and the thumping of the paddle tail was too much. Then my friend David figured out if you replace the paddle tail with a tube body,
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that creates a much more subtle sound which works smoothly with the thumping of the spinner blade. In the picture you can see both. I have caught fish in fresh water and saltwater with the small and larger versions of the Beetle Spin. The small ones, 1/8 oz and less, are excellent for silver and spotted sea trout, sand bream, mangrove snappers, blue runners and I can’t remember how many other species. Frank@fishinfranks.com 625-3888
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Sometimes
SPOOFINʼ A radio navigation research team from The University of Texas at Austin was able to successfully spoof an $80 million private yacht using the worldʼs first openly acknowledged GPS spoofing device. Spoofing is a technique that creates false civil GPS signals to gain control of a vesselʼs GPS receivers. Unlike GPS signal blocking or jamming, spoofing triggers no alarms on the shipʼs navigation equipment. To the shipʼs GPS devices, the teamʼs false signals were indistinguishable from authentic signals, allowing the spoofing attack to happen covertly. WIND ON THE WATER The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) has approved an offshore wind energy leasing project off the North Carolina coast. The approval comes after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) identified a 480-square mile area in the Atlantic Ocean for constructing wind farms that
would pose no significant environmental or socioeconomic threats to the region.
SSTs are NG Science found that many of the ocean buoys used to measure sea surface temperatures during the past couple of decades gave cooler readings than measurements gathered from ships. The NOAA group suggested that by correcting the buoy measurements, the signs of global warming continue.
Unsubstanciated,
MONEY FOR RED TIDE NOAA announced last month 12 new research grants totalling nearly $2.1 million that will go to organizations from around the country seeking to address harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia.
But
Often
OCTOBER 2015
True
showed the bag limit as 2 written in red letters.
CHANCES ARE The same officers approached another vessel and one of the occupants told them he had a snapper on board and showed them the fish. The fish was an 18 inch red grouper. After speaking with the man for a while, he admitted he knew what it was and that it was undersized. He said he didnʼt think he would get caught, so he took his chances.
BOAT RELATED Due to a significant increase in manatee related mortality IS THIS TRUE? Last month the news deaths for the first half of service Reuters reported the amount of 2015 attributed to boat refish in the oceans has halved since lated causes, a collabo1970. The world Wildlife Federation was IN AUGUST the Panama Canal Authority said a crack in one of the rated effort was put in cited as the source of information. The new new lock chambers wouldnʼt delay its April 2016 opening. This motion to saturate and enreport said populations of fish, marine month the Panama Canal Authority has backtracked and anforce the manatee protecmammals, birds and reptiles had fallen nounced that, well, maybe it could. Two independent external struction speed zones in north 49 percent between 1970 and 2012. For Lee County over the Labor tural engineers have now been hired to conduct an impartial fish alone, the decline was 50 percent. evaluation. Editor notes* Is it just me, or does the concrete in this Day weekend. Thirteen The report said populations of some photo look a little shoddy too? state and federal officommercial fish stocks, such as tuna, cers/agents issued 40 fedmackerel and bonito, had fallen by alrings blocked. The fisherman admitted the eral manatee citations, 3 misdemeanor most 75 percent, The Zoological Society of traps were in violation and said he was imcitations and filed two drug related charges, 5 London agreed. pressed that the officer caught onto the violaother citations and 18 warnings were also isThe analysis said it tracked 5,829 populations tions. He was cited for 28 counts of sued. The increased patrols will continue of 1,234 species, such as seals, turtles and misdemeanor escape ring violations, 26 when seasonal manatee zones are in effect. dolphins and sharks. It said the ZSL data sets counts of trap tag violations, and 4 written were almost twice as large as past studies. warnings for buoy violations. DUMBASS FWC officers did a follow-up inThere was no indication of exactly how many vestigation into a Lee County blue crab violaof each species there was. DUMBASS TOO Officers on water patrol contion and pulled 28 traps of the suspected crab ducting fisheries inspections off Gasparilla fisherman, finding all 28 traps to be in violaPHASERS ON STUN The British Ministry of Pass approached a 12 foot john boat 10 miles tion for having the escape rings blocked. Defence, in an effort to become more cost-efoff-shore to conduct a fisheries and boating Twenty-six of the twenty-eight traps did not fective in warfare, has revealed plans to equip safety inspection. During the stop, the operahave the required FWC commercial trap tags its warships with laser cannons. The Royal tor admitted to catching and keeping 3 red attached to them. Afterwards, the officer met Navy hopes to demonstrate a functional protogrouper. He said he knew about the recent up with the commercial fisherman at his busitype of the directed laser weapon on its ships change in bag limit and had regulations that ness to speak with him about the violations. In by 2020. The ministry also aims to develop a said he could keep 3. The officers looked at the back of his business were stacks of blue land-based laser cannon by next year. the regulations the man had and it clearly crab traps. All of the traps had the escape
$2 off any haircut!
Sailing OCTOBER 2015
By Peter Welch Water LIFE Sailing In the August issue the subject of race strategy was introduced for a situation where one side of the course is the overwhelming favorite due to tidal current. This is a frequent event in upper Charlotte Harbor. In that example, starting on port tack may be the best tactic to avoid being trapped between boats going the wrong way. The intent was to promote thinking about all of nature’s influences on speed toward the
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Golden Conch!). You must immediately tack to the new wind. But you must sail the wind, not the forecast. Trust me, I made both mistakes in that race last year! Round the weather mark and relax.... ….wrong! All those people you passed will want to steal your wind by sailing right behind you and then passing in a wind shift. Yes you must still steer to keep the wind from being stalled on the sails….ie: not dead down wind. The wind will shift as it did up wind, so the boat shold be jibed to the new fast course. Use a GPS set for velocity made good to get the best angles for your boat in a practice session.
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finish line. However most times it not known at the start that one side of the course is favored. Then the basic strategy illustrated is favored. The wind direction may fluctuate by ten degrees or more. Determine the amount and timing of fluctuations about 10 minutes before your start and decide if a port or starboard start is favored. The goal is to always sail in the lifted direction and stay near the middle of the course until the last ten percent of the distance to the turn mark. Keep track of the wind shifts and don’t go for the turn mark if a shift would force you to tack again in the traffic near the mark. Sometimes, the wind will shift more than 30 degrees (50 degrees in the 2015
In your 10 minute sail to evaluate wind shift your sails will likely be trimmed for best speed. You need a different trim at the race start. As you luff others up and get in disturbed air, your sails will be too tight and stalled. Assure correct twist in the jib: ease the halyard, move the sheet lead aft and ease tension on it. This avoids back winding the main sail. Give the main a full shape via an eased sheet, outhaul and Cunningham. Move the traveler up wind so the top of the sail twists off. After the boat gains speed return to all your fast settings which should be marked on the deck and the sheets. See also: the writing of Stuart H Walker
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The Hunt For Reds Is On PAGE
By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Inshore Redfish is one of the most talked about species on Charlotte Harbor and the surrounding waters. There are countless tournaments that target this species and there are dozens of ways to fish for them. With all the media hype and attention the redfish gets, you would think it would be pretty easy to catch them. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Years ago they must have been just about everywhere and that legend still permeates our minds. In the 13 plus years I have fished here, I have seen their numbers dwindle significantly. It used to be when I fished white bait I would catch a mix on any given day of snook and redfish. Now it is almost always snook. The lucky tournament guys come to the dock with two legal redfish. Often half the field weighs in one or none. The successful redfish anglers are generally experts
and focus on this fish constantly and that is what it takes to catch them consistently. Redfish is a state of mind and you can become obsessed with them! September and October are probably two of the best months for redfish. It’s about the only time I focus on this species as I am generally happy to catch most any gamefish. Redfish school up in pods of 10 to a 100 or more depending on the school. It is very tricky to pick out a school of redfish because you will also have mullet schools moving about and their surface disturbance looks similar to that produced by the reds. Redfish is a fish that requires patience. You have to scan the surface and sit and wait. Our dark waters make them even harder to pick out, so you look for the color orange! You will need to pick
out an area and closely scan for surface activity and approach very quietly. Trolling motor or poling your boat is best. Two feet of water or less is often where they bunch up. For bait I take the easy road - ladyfish. I start my day at first light before many other boats have launched. Ladyfish are often working on the surface, chasing glass minnows on the outside of the bars. Small white birds give clue to their presence. With 10 ladyfish in the well, I go on the hunt. Anywhere on the east side is game as is the Cape Haze bar and the Pine Island Sound. Bookellia and the Lemon Bay area are also candidates. I make a game plan before I leave the dock as to where I will hunt the redfish. The key word is hunt! I generally choose some type of high spot, a sand bar or an oyster bar to target and I ease into the area, sitting and watching for single larger fish swirls or a surface push. When I get some visual clues, I anchor the front and back of the boat and cast three rods out with a large chunk of lady fish on a 5/0 circle hook. Then I stick them in a rod holder. The double anchor keeps the boat from swinging and keeps your baits laying on the bottom. A successful day for me is if I find a school. Often I can see them but can’t get close because the water is too shallow or they are too spooky. It’s all about the hunt. On a great day I can have three rods buckled at the same time. With a chunk of ladyfish on your hook you will have action, I promise. Sharks, catfish, snook,
OCTOBER 2015
trout and others will jerk your rods violently. The ultimate day is when you see redfish tailing. That is, nose down tails up and swishing the top of the water’s surface as they eat off the bottom. They will move in packs as they graze and hustling to position your boat for the interception will leave your heart pounding! Another bonus to a day-hunting redfish is the ladyfish catching. Early mornings have shark and tarpon working together surrounding schools of ladyfish. Many times in September I had bull sharks over 8-feet and tarpon in the 150-pound class attacking ladyfish at boatside I had reeled... and in only 3 feet of water……In fact, on some days I was nervous about putting my hands in the water after a ladyfish that shook off the hook got nailed by a shark! I wish I could tell you that I switched gears and fished for those monster fish, but on the days I had no heavy gear, and of course, on the days I brought the heavy tackle I was just simply catching ladyfish with no monsters around. Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040
Kayaking OCTOBER 2015
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ONE BIG SURPRISE
By Bob Fraser Water LIFE Kayaking One of my charters this month was with a family that just moved to Sarasota a few weeks ago. Like most of my clients, they never fished in saltwater or out of a kayak. They picked a perfect day to go kayak fishing, light winds and no rain. My party consisted of a married couple and their three girls, ages eight, ten and nineteen. We started out the day fishing for trout using live shrimp under a popping cork, which is my standard rig for fishing clients although occasionally I get my clients to try fishing with artificials, if they are experienced. We caught several trout, mangrove snapper and of course plenty of pinfish. One thing about taking young people fishing is they don’t care what they catch as long as it’s a fish pulling on the other end of their line. Everyone caught fish that day. The eight-year-old took the prize for the most fish caught that day. Mom and dad had a great time as well, they both caught some trout. The mom suggested kayak fishing should be an everyday occurrence; she loved being out on the water. On another trip I had this month I took a man out to fly fish from the kayak. You can’t stand up in my kayak, so I told him I didn’t know how well it would work. He
had no problem using the fly rod from a sitting position, and I was surprised that he caught several trout on his home – made flies. He had the best luck with a dark brown slow sinking fly. This was his first time both fly fishing from a kayak and fishing in saltwater. The second week of September I took my 26-year-old son kayak fishing in Gasparilla Sound. We found several nice trout using a Mirrordine and live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder. We like to use a Mirrordine with either the dark green or light green back; these are our two favorite colors. My favorite topwater plug is the Chug-
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bug, especially a silver-gray one. When the trout don’t like the Mirrordine or shrimp, then I switch to a white Z-Man soft plastic. We also found some ladyfish in about 4 foot of water, along with some tarpon feeding. I have fished Gasparilla Sound probably 60 times in the last three years, and this was the first time I ever saw a tarpon. We only had light spinning gear with us - we weren’t expecting to find any tarpon! Just for the fun of it, we cut a ladyfish in half and put the tail half of it on a trout hook under a cork and let it sit while we fished for trout. We just wanted to see if a tarpon would take it. It only took a few minutes before I heard my son hollering, I got one! I was
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about 40-50 yards away when I saw the tarpon jump. It looked to be 5-to 6-feet long. I was amazed at how big it was. It jumped five times before it broke the line. It was an unbelievable sight. I didn’t expect a tarpon that big in 5 feet of water. My son hooked another tarpon, much smaller than the first one, but it still broke his line pretty quick. I wish I had brought my GoPro that day. We went out the next week with the proper gear to engage the tarpon but no luck, we didn’t see any that day.
Bob Fraser is a southwest Florida kayak fishing guide – He can be reached for comments or to book a trip at: 941-916-8303 or email him at bobmfraser@gmail.com His website is ww.kayakfishingwithbob.com
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October – Predictions and Suggestions
Charlotte Harbor
Frank at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888
The big news is the redfish, reds are everywhere! There are small fish against the mangroves on the east side, on the west side and in the Peace River. They are pretty much scattered all the way to Punta Rasa. The big reds are out by the sandbars from the outside to just inside. Right now we have an amazing display of redfish. If you put a bait in the water you got a better-than-even shot a redfish will eat it.
Something I never thought I would say, but they are almost pushing out the catfish! Where were they at the beginning of the year? Where did they come from? A redfish can swim 20 miles a day but how does the Harbor go from Chrissy Marie said at Boca Grande, last month, the reds were running!!! none to overon the bottom. full? Where were they? This month tarpon are still holding Redfish don’t care about fresh or salt steady, mostly on the east side, just off like a snook doesn’t care. It’s no problem the bars. They have been cruising up and for them living, but when it come to down feasting on ladyfish. Troll white spawning the eggs won’t survive in the curly tail grub or a Storm Twitch, the freshwater. I think in the buoyancy of the trout will hit one or the other. Look salt they float on the top but they sink and down the bar and you’ll find the tarpon die in the freshwater. if there are still ladyfish there. Put a lady The number two fish, for fishing in the under a big bobber or a balloon. The tarHarbor is snook. From the PC and PGI pon are anywhere from 40- to 120canals on down south, the snook fishing is pounds. A D.O.A. in green or brown, crazy and October has all the makings of that’s what you will cast if you see them being the best month of the year for rolling. The new Savage swimming-trout snook. And that’s saying a lot! Pinfish are bait is the most life-like lure I have ever the number one bait. Shrimp and whitebait seen. It has one trebble hook, are in a very close battle for second. with the double sticking out the For snook, look back in some of the bottom. The thing is, Savage The smaller ones are on the edges of the baits are great for hook-ups, but bar, exactly opposite of the redfish. they have a lousy landing ratio. Completing the flats slam is the trout There are some snapper and who have moved in a little. I wouldn’t exsome sheepshead starting to pect it with all the freshwater, but 18-to bite in the Ponce Park area. 20-inch trout have already been caught at Getting out into the Gulf, Bayshore Pier. From Pirate Harbor to Jug there have been a bunch of Shoal we are seeing decent trout. Freeline Spanish mackerel and kings, shrimp, or fish shrimp under a poppin and the farther out you go, the cork, they will hit anything drifting. You better the grouper gets. Cobia want it up in the water column, not down are pretty thin right now, it’s
Fish With A Guide!
OCTOBER 2015
A king mackerel caught in Charlotte Harbor (of all places) just southwest of Hazard Reef. Trolling a 6" pink big eye plug. We got a second hit but that king got away right next to the boat. In the picture is Dave Vigne from Pirate Harbor Mike Wronski _ I only sent it to you guys because you're the best! Editor says Thanks!
Youʼll catch fish and youʼll learn something new too!
BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com
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OCTOBER 2015
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October
PAGE 23
more about luck catching them than fishing for them. It doesn’t Fish to expect in seem like you can target them Gulf but you can sure luck into them, Temps Pompano are showing up in are high 70s The Harbor is the Gulf, and a fewAmber flushing out a lot Jacks are out there now too, on of fresh water REDFISH starting to congre- TARPON In the Harbor and the MACKEREL Kings and SNOOK are just everywhere the deeper spots. Wrecks are Pine Island Sound gate on the Harbor bars Spanish are showing up. and every size better than reefs – Pegasus and Bayronto are where to look for Lemon Bay - Placida the AJs. Jim at Fishermen’s Edge Snappers, grunts and porgys are in good num697-7595 bers from three miles out, which is strange, since Fishing has been pretty good with a lot of acthe brown water river runoff was going out 12 tion on the outer edges of the Harbor. From what I miles at the end of September. Sardines are still the am hearing, it’s pretty good action in Lemon Bay 95˚ best grouper bait. Snapper have been good too but too, with nice slot redfish and trout over 20they like live squid or shrimp. There are a few inches. Guys are catching them on the big shrimp. There’s been some mackerel coming in and out 90˚ drum at El Jo and some in PGI, but they are of the Bay. They seem to come in on the incommostly done now. ing... and there’s been a lot of snapper around. Sharon Buchbinder and her husband were 85˚ Some flounder are being reported on the inside with Capt. Fred of Backdraft Charters when she caught this big black drum. of the passes and around the points. It’s early and it will only get better for flounder. There is quite a bit of snook action on the lighted docks. Topwaters are working good in the a.m. Late at night, try 80˚ drifting shrimp on the docks and piers. The trestle is good at Placida for snook, on the outgoing tide. I don’t have any shrimp stories from the big moon, but sometimes you don’t hear about fishy things until it’s over with. 72˚ Offshore is really good for red grouper and gags. Most everybody wants to drop a big pinfish 70˚ down, for a grouper, at the moment. 68˚ Some kingfish are starting to show. They are smaller and not in the passes yet. There should be some cobia around here now too. Cobia will be pushing down this way, this month. Turtle and Bull Bay are still muddy 50˚ brown. Pine Island Sound is a lot cleaner and the grass flats are holding nice trout mackerel, flounder and mangs. The way the dirty water flows down there is 45˚ the key. I haven’t heard any pompano stories yet, but they are coming. I’m selling the Silly Willie jigs so the guys must be catching them. Offshore there have been some small sailfish, 2-to 3-foot. They were so small they looked like toys! Bass are doing good. Look to the green and brown frog. Fish deeper as the rain subsides. Bob Dekerluneare of Northport shows a beautiful September When the rain was falling it was a reredfish and a leather hat that just looks hot. ally good frog bite.
FISHING RIGHT NOW:
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OCTOBER 2015