Water LIFE October 2018

Water

LI FE

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

$1 Bill Challenge

The Charlotte Harbor Reef Association

October 2018

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Bobby Posa with a 7-foot lemon shark he caught during his Batchelor Party while fishing with friends Joe and Charles.

Grand Champion

Spencer Gant

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Brittani Azzolini with a cobia in Charlotte Harbor

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Christian Sommer of Naples caught this 12-pound redfish off Naples Beach

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SUNSEEKER RESORT PROGRESS

Last month they were cleaning the ground water under the old gas station.

The site will be tested regularly for the next few years to meet DEP standards

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If you drove by the Sunseeker site last month it smelled like sewage. There was a contractor cleaning up gasoline, oil, benzine and whatever else was left from decades of use as a gas station.

The smell was not sewage but sulphur from the ground water they were aerating. The hole has now been filled and compacted. The site is quiet and stink free again.

According to the man running the clean up, the gas station area will have to be monitored for a few years. Sunseekerʼs planned entry fountain on that spot will now have to be relocated.

REVISED TIMEFRAME NOW 2021 Cleaning the gasoline pollution in the ground is necessary for the Department of Environmental Protectionʼs approval. I believe that approval is necessary before the County agrees to unite the 21 separate parcels into one.

Zoning requires one parcel to build a resort on, but I believe it is also what Sunseeker wants so they

but please....

1) No pictures you have sent to other local publications 2) No Old Fish

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Include anglerʼs name and what kind of fish

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can sell it.

I think Sunseeker will jump through all the hoops necessary to get that approval and then slow way down on their construction plans.

The thing that gets me is, with the prospect of a phosphate mine coming 12 or 15 miles up river from their alleged new complex, the Sunseeker folks have been 100-percent silent about it. Wouldnʼt you think they would be leading the charge against the mine? Sure they would... unless they donʼt want to expose any negative aspect because they might be trying to sell the property. In that case they would be silent... Like they are.

Flip, Flip, Flip. This is a Real Estate Flip, Thatʼs still my take. – MH

Water LIFE inc. waterlife@comcast.net www.WaterlifeMagazine.com Ellen Heller Publisher

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217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

CORRECTION: Last month I messed up.

I had two pictures and I mixed up the captions. Clearly she had a jack, but the caption on the page said redfish and I didnʼt catch it. Of course it figures that the picture I messed up was the one with her with first fish.

So after the guys at Fishinʼ Franks pointed it out, when I called Jenny to apologize, and offered to re-run the first fish picture, her dad told me he didnʼt save it. So I asked my wife to see if she still had the redfish picture he sent a month ago and she didnʼt have it either.

All I can say is: Jenny Hackett, with not a redfish, I did this.

I am sorry – MH but a jack crevalle

What a day fishing with family, Harry Cole and daughter Jenny Hackett

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication!

Vol XVII No 10 © 2018

NO PART of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied, reproduced or re-used without specific written permission from the Publisher

Contributing Editors:

Photography: ASA1000.com

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Baitshop: Fishinʼ Frank

Upper Harbor: Cameron Parson

Peace River: Capt. Dave Stephens Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Venice: Glen Ballinger

Estero: Capt. Joe Angius

Everglades City: Capt. Charlie Phillips Kayaking: Bob Fraser

Sea Grant: ʻtaking a breakʼ Pier Fishing: Bobby Vitalis Diving: Adam Wilson Captainʼ Log: Sue Nerud

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What Will This Month Bring?

By Michael Heller Water LIFE editor Spencer Gant will be out in his new Tracker boat this month. Spencer won the boat when he became the $1Bill Challenge Grand Champion. It was a pleasure to present the boat to him and see the support of his loving family. If you think there isn’t a new crop of awesome young fishermen growing up, you will think again when you look at Spencer’s winning fish on page 9.

This concludes the good news for now.

We have other things to discuss.

Red tide persists and, business wise, October is the slowest month of the year. So October would be a nice time to go out to your beach community and spend a few dollars. Book a trip with a licensed guide, they know where the water is still good. Go to lunch at the beach and tip well. We need to help each other out this month.

We’ve been lucky, here at the top of Charlotte Harbor. There has been no red tide and no green algae. Fishing has been good, but people are wary of all water, so even here around Punta Gorda, guides are losing trips and hotel room beds are going empty. Come visit. Try going up the Peace River.

I was at Englewood Beach at the end of last month, the water had a yellow color to it, there was one dead crab, but no dead fish and it didn’t smell. Conditions are still in a state of flux. There were maybe a dozen people sunning themselves, but no one was

in the water. We ate at the Sand Bar at noon.

There were a dozen people there too, most of them were at the bar.

Even where the water is good, guides are losing trips and charter boat tour operators are losing fares. I know a number of guides who have taken second jobs. Others have gone up to North Carolina to help with the flooding. So what’s ahead?

Soon, Charlotte County will be erecting permanent red tide signs at Englewood Beach, signs that have a flip-over face, so they can flip it one way when the tide is red and the other way when it is not. Are we really at this point of permanence? I don’t think so.

Right now, in Charlotte Harbor, there are schools of redfish off the Burnt Store bar, tarpon and pompano that have been around all summer are still here. There are drum and snook to be had as well. Is the red tide keeping them all up here? Are they trapped?

That might be another topic of October conversation.

Up here, we’ve been lucky because there has been enough rain in the middle of the state to keep the Peace and Myakka Rivers flowing. The freshwater emptying into the top of Charlotte Harbor holds the red tide back – so this month one thing on everyone’s mind will be the river flow.

The Peace River has gone down from 12 to 7 feet in the last two months. The Myakka has dropped too. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the prediction of more rain and rainy-storms coming in Oc-

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At the Bass Pro Shops in Bonita, Spencer Gant, Water LIFE $1 Bill Challenge Grand Champion, got a hug from grandpa Donnie Gant as he took delivery of the Tracker boat.

tober holds true .... but not too true!

With freshwater still flowing we are seeing gators exploring past the US 41 Bridges at Punta Gorda. This is normal. A guidefriend who operates out of Fisherman’s Village told me he had a 4-footer hanging out on top of one of his floating bait barrels in the marina. In my neighborhood, on the River across from the Village, we had an 8footer meandering from canal to canal, just before dark.

When we came across him near our dock one evening we spooked him, and when he swirled to avoid us he splashed so hard he got water up on top of the seawall.

Talk about a top-water hit!

If you look and listen carefully, October is full of cool stuff. We have a population of sheep frogs on our block. At night, if you

are quiet, you can hear them braying back and forth to each other. They sound just like little lambs.

Birds are another thing this month - and pretty much every month.

Every day, right around 7:20 am and 7:20 pm, we have a large flock of ibis fly over our house; headed west in the morning and back east at night. They are majestic to watch.

And the Snowbirds.... we like seeing them too, but they fly a different schedule.

Snowbirds arrive here between Thanksgiving and New Years, when the restaurants are crowded and they are able to feed on seafood to their heart’s content.

Be patient, it’s still only October. They will come. The air will be getting cooler this month. Take a breath.

Estero Bay: PAGE

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By Capt. Joe Angius Water LIFE Estero Red tide continues to linger along the coast of Southwest Florida, but this should not discourage anglers from fishing.

The best advice that I can give anglers, tourists and residents is to stay current with red tide trends. This is achieved

through visiting MyFWC.com and searching for the most up-to-date red tide report, as well as, following credible media outlets. But, in my opinion, though these types of resources can provide you accu-

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Bouncing Back

rate data on water conditions, the most effective approach is to visit the beaches yourself and see the effects first hand.

As I write this, conditions are far from perfect, but I’ve seen an increase in positive growth and fishery bounce back, giving anglers the opportunity to catch quality inshore gamefish right now.

For this time of the year in Estero Bay I am always prepared and geared for big redfish. Regardless of what the fishing conditions may be, I know that large residential redfish lurk the dark backwaters of Estero.

I’ll most likely always have two lures tied on before the boat touches the water. One is a cream colored medium-sized Zara Spook for early morning top water strikes and the second is a 1/8oz Mission Fishin’ jighead with a copper colored Gulp! shrimp. Be sure to have at least a three to four foot of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader.

On a healthy grass flat I’m able to chum up pinfish and decent sized pilchards, which will be key for late morning fishing. Don’t forget to pick up a

few dozen live shrimp for redfish, trout, sheepshead, pompano and mackerel.

Most of my success fishing in the month of October consists of patiently waiting along oyster bars, deep potholes, and extreme low tide mud flats. These three types

of areas seem to provide me with the best chance at a trophy sized fish.

I’m not saying other areas won’t produce quality fish, but I’d rather spend more time and effort on an oyster bar than a mangrove edge.

Using live bait will give anglers a good indication of the fish presence and life that might be around.

If there are signs of productivity, but the fish aren’t reacting to live bait or lures, my recommendation would be to start using cut bait – more specifically, fresh cut pinfish heads. Soaking cut bait on the bottom might start to attract unwanted fish species, such as catfish. My only tip to

OCTOBER 2018

avoid catfish from taking your bait is to use a large enough piece of bait so that it doesn’t fit in the catfishes mouth.

My hope for this month is that Southwest Florida can see an increase in business for the tourism industry that is vital for our economy.

I also hope that we are a responsible industry that provides guests with accurate information. This should be accomplished so that visitors can enjoy their vacation and not feel we have exploited them.

Communication is key in a situation like this. Don’t hesitate to contact several businesses and hear what they have to say about water conditions and more importantly what they need from the community to keep their doors open.

The eco-system has a way of bouncing back extremely well in times of such devastation. Remain informed and continue the pursuit of passion through fishing.

Captain Joe Angius (727)-234-3171 www.speakeasyfishing.com speakeasyfishing@gmail.com

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Upper Charlotte Harbor Still Good Fishing

By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor Hello fellow anglers! According to the calendar, fall has arrived in Southwest Florida. But as far as temperatures are concerned, it’s still going to be hot. That’s just how things work here in Florida. As for the fishing, we do have some things that change.

One of the biggest changes is schools of redfish showing up in the Harbor. Locating these schools takes a little work and a knowledge of the fishery.

Probably the most important aspect needed to sustain a large number of fish in an area is a food source. So normally these schools are found in open water. Areas that have nice grass flats and oyster beds. Mangrove shorelines can also sustain a large number of fish as long as there is food.

Another thing I look for when trying to locate schooling reds is mullet. I’m not talking about a few mullet jumping along

the shoreline. I’m talking about a large school stirring up the bottom as they move down the flats. Mullet are vegetarian, but they stir up the little things in the grass that reds like to feed on.

When locating fish on open flats stealth is very important.

Try to position yourself with the wind at your back for a long cast if necessary.

The chances of you being the only angler this month looking for schools of reds is pretty slim, so if you encounter other anglers try to show them the same respect you would want. Often times two boats working a school together can benefit both... if done correctly.

Another fish that’s going to be on the move is snook. This time of year these guys will be moving to areas closer to deep water. Snook are a tropical fish and don’t do well in colder water temps.

Luckily its still a few months before we have to worry about cold fronts.

Food sources will be key also for locating large numbers of these guys. This is the

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time of year snook will being feeding to add fat for this winter. Look for fish around oyster bars, and close to deeper creeks adjacent to flats with lots of forage.

This month can be a great month for tarpon too.

A lot of anglers overlook tarpon this time of year.

These guys will be looking to migrate soon, so feeding for the trip is on their minds. Normally big bait is not required to catch large tarpon, however I encourage it this time of year – baits such as mullet and ladyfish.

These larger baits also require a larger hook. A 8 or 9/0 hook works great for this, anything smaller and it’s hard to get a solid hookup.

If you have any youth anglers in the house that you want to introduce to fishing, October is a great month to do so. Outside most of the bars you can find large schools of ladyfish.

These guys are the least picky eaters in the Harbor. I know sometimes it can be hard to keep young anglers attention on fishing, but if you put some young kids on a school of ladyfish it will be a fish every cast. You don’t need any fancy lures or special bait. Just a jig head and a paddle tail, cast, catch, repeat. It’s that simple.

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If you would like to experience some of Charlotte Harbor’s finest fishing, give us a call or send an email.

All of our charters are private and customized to fit your party’s needs.

Capt. Dave Stephens, 941-916-5769 capt.dstephens@comcast.net. www.backbayxtremes.com

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Spencer Gant with his $1 Bill at the start of the tournament.

Every fish picture submitted was required to have the anglerʼs $1 Bill, with their number on it, in the image.

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Spencer Gant

Summer 2018

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FIRST PLACE JUNE BARRACUDA 33 inches

FIRST PLACE JUNE AMBERJACK 38 inches

FIRST PLACE JULY BASS 22 inches

FIRST PLACE JULY MANGROVE SNAPPER 22 inches

FIRST PLACE AUGUST TRIPLETAIL 14 inches

FIRST PLACE AUGUST RED GROUPER 24 inches

FIRST PLACE SEPTEMBER LANE SNAPPER 13 inches

FIRST PLACE SEPTEMBER TRIGGERFISH 22 inches

Spencer and dad Steve Gant, with Spencerʼs new boat

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OCTOBER 2018

$1 Bill Challenge 4th Period WINNERS! See you all next summer!

FIRST PLACE SAILCAT Daniel Acosta 18 inches

FIRST PLACE MANGROVE SNAPPER Dylan Shaefer 5 inches

SECOND PLACE MANGROVE SNAPPER Dylan Shaefer 4 inches

SECOND PLACE SAILCAT Julius Acosta 16 inches

FIRST PLACE KEY WEST GRUNT Emma Koebel 9.5 inches

TOP ANGLERS FINAL POINT STANDINGS

Spencer Gant Emma Koebel Matthew Pringle Kingston Boyd Jaekwon Pringle Daniel Acosta Luke DʼOrzio Dylan Shaefer Justin Medina Kevin Jackson Ben Koebel Julius Acosta Jacob Florea

FIRST PLACE PINFISH Jaekwon Pringle 9 inches

FIRST PLACE REDFISH Kevin Jackson 25 inches

340 235 200 173 155 135 115 83 83 70 65 50 45

FIRST PLACE LANE SNAPPER Emma Koebel 12 inches

Winners: Bring your dollar bill to Fishin Franks (4425-D Tamiami Trail, Port

Charlotte, FL 33980) Show it to him and pick up your rod, lures or t-shirt.

Prizes unclaimed by Oct 15 will be donated to charity!

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$1 Bill Challenge 4th Period WINNERS! See you all next summer!

The $1 Bill Challenge was a four month long event that started in June. The tournament was based on the longest measured fish each month. Anglers have been accumulating points all summer: 10 points for a first place fish, 5 for second, 3 for third. Plus, if they answered a 5-question Fish Quiz, they received an additional 15 points each month. Then, when the tournament concluded, we looked back and awarded each angler 25 more points for every fish they had that was the longest fish overall in that species.

Anglers were permitted to enter two fish each month.

The overall winner was Spencer Gant, a 10 year old student at Neil Armstrong Elementary in Port Charlotte.

Spencer came up with the longest fish in eight species!

Second place angler Emma Koebel came up with the longest fish in four species.

In addition to monthly prizes (Spencer donated many of the 8 fishing rods he won to other anglers) Spencer took home the Grand Prize, a 2018 Tracker 1032 boat.

He told us they have a pond out in back of their house.

FIRST PLACE BASS Justin Medina 19 inches

SECOND PLACE BASS Jacob Florea 15.25 inches

FIRST PLACE GAR Matthew Pringle 27.5 inches

FIRST PLACE MYAN CICHLID Luke DʼOrzio 14.5 inches

THIRD PLACE BASS Justin Medina 13 inches

Fourth Fishing Period Quiz, Answers: C B C D A

Message from the Tournament Director

Thank you for fishing in the first $1 Bill Challenge! You were all Great!

We hope you had fun and maybe even learned a little something about fishing from the monthly Fish Quiz. Bluefish, pompano, cobia, gag grouper and hogfish, were the only fish, out of 30 species, that you did not catch!

With the red tide hanging around all summer, I think you guys did a fantastic job fishing. I hope te see you all again next summer.

Daniel and Julius Acosta with their rods and lures for period 3

A special thanks to Fishinʼ Frank, who made his shop the tournament headquarters and helped give out our prizes. Thank you Frank! – Michael Heller

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Capt. Shark Chaser PAGE

Editor Notes** We welcome Capt. John Brossard to our family of writers. John is a Naples area guide specializing in shark fishing at Naples and 10,000 Islands.

By Capt. John Brossard Water LIFE Sharkin’ This is a great time of the year to catch all sharks. From fishing the beach in the daytime with shrimp and catching bonnet head and blacktips, right from the shoreline to fishing the near shore reefs.

This is the start of a transition in the water temperature, it will lower just by a few degrees now and that makes a lot of difference in what will be biting.

The water temperature in my area is

The water is clean & fresh on the Peace River!

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OCTOBER 2018

86 degrees, sharks will be here but some will still stay away because it is too hot.

Sandbar and the rare great white shark usually like the colder water of the winter months as you saw from the sightings of a tagged great white last winter in the Everglades, swimming in 5-feet of water.

The sharking has been very good in the last month for me, fishing south of Marco Island and in the Northern Everglades.

A few weeks ago I was catching a lot of smaller sharks on the near shore reefs, within 10 miles of land. I was catching the bigger (5- to 8-foot) fish in the shoreline areas of the Everglades.

Big lemon and bulls sharks have been biting close in to shore in 3- to 12-feet of

Capt John Brossard with a 5 1/2 foot Bull Shark caught river inlet near Goodland. It was tagged and released within 3 minutes.

water. The smaller Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose and smaller blacktips are offshore, eating whatever fresh bait you might have for them.

Best bait for this month is whatever bycatch you might come up with while you’re out there. There is not much that they will not eat, whether it is baitfish, bluerunner or ladyfish. It has all been working.

If you are out on the water and want to

attract fish to the boat, get yourself a frozen block of chum and let her drift in the current behind you.

Then watch behind the boat once in a while. You’ll get some neat surprises as to what come up into the chum slick, sometimes.

Capt John Brossard 239-777-9279 sharkchaserfl@gmail.com sharkchasercharters.com

RIP Captain Nicholas Drinnen The Legend, 01/21/64 - 09/20/18

Rest in Peace Nicholas Drinnen Captain, Stone Crabber at Island Court Seafood, Fishermen and Friend.

Nice Triple Tail!! and a King Stone Crab!

Niki Riedel

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

OCTOBER 2018

The Redfish are Coming!

The Redfish are Coming!

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sept 21, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is providing $1.2 million to enhance research and production of redfish at the FWC Stock Enhancement Research Facility at Port Manatee.

With this additional funding, the facility is anticipated to produce six times the amount of redfish for stocking in Southwest Florida, providing a significant boost to the redfish population.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will also provide $9 million in grant funding to assist local communities.

By Cameron Parson Water Life Charlotte Harbor The water in Charlotte Harbor has been good all summer - no red tide and no Green Algae. Now fall fishing is pretty much full swing and it will only get better as the water begins to cool.

Pompano are on the bars along with jacks and Spanish mackerel. Tarpon will be around until the first cold front and redfish are schooled up. My favorite of fall is the redfish.

Redfish will be gathering in schools in preparation for their spawn offshore.

Generally, a solid wake pushing on flats and bars will give them away. Some even take it slow enough to tail and feed. But they become extremely finicky when being beat-up-on every day.

The East and West walls, Bull Bay, Turtle Bay, Matlacha, and Pine Island Sound have redfish gatherings of all sizes every year. Each place seems to have areas that redfish favor for schooling and feeding. It can be anywhere from a foot of water to 8 foot of water, over grass or

deep potholes, or sand with grass edges just off the mangroves.

I usually throw artificials all day, but I will keep a small supply of medium shrimp or cut bait as a security blanket.

I try to fish with baits I can throw a little further to fish the school from a distance, thus causing them less stress and less of a chance to spook before I'm able to throw.

Spoons in 1/4 or 1/2oz, Rapala Skitterwalks and Twitch Raps, and paddle tails on 1/4oz jigheads work well. As for cut bait, chunks of mullet, crab, and ladyfish are great choices. Medium shrimp are usually hooked through the tail for a longer cast. Be sure to position yourself just ahead of and off to the side of the school for the larger lead fish. You'll know if they're willing to eat or not in an instant.

Sometimes, these fish are only on the move to another spot. At that point you can throw everything in your arsenal at them and not gain even one bite. Follow along, watch and learn, give them a chance to settle.

You'll learn a lot about redfish just from observing. They may be on the way to a different part of the flat, just cruising until they find an area that suits their needs. It could be a pressure change on the water or something as simple as waiting for the tide to change. Then it's like the switch is flipped and they're eating anything that gets in their way.

While these fish may be anywhere from 25- to 40-inches, I usually scale back on my gear. I think 10-to 15-pound braid is all that is needed. Heavier lines cut casting distance and the battle on lighter gear is nothing short of drag blasting. A 7-foot 6-inch medium powered rod with a 2500 or 3000 sized reel is sufficient. It may seem light to a few anglers, but these fish will usually be in the wide open with nothing to hang up on.

As tides drop, some smaller groups of fish can sometimes be found tailing on the insides of the bars. Utilize the light gear and go to weedless soft plastics. The Gulp Jerk Shad in new penny color works extremely well. Slayer SSB stick-baits in the

golden bream and molting colors offer a little more weight, are super tough, and catch fish. Rig any of these on a 1/8oz Owner Twist-Lock hook.

Be sure to use proper etiquette on the water. We have a lot of guides out there that make a living on these fish, but guide or not, don’t be one of the people who blow by schools of fish close enough to spook them, leaving only a giant mud cloud behind. Drop your trolling motor and take your time. Put the polling platform and push pole to some good use. Let the other person wave you in or wave them in on the action if you're on the fish.

Catch some fish!

Cameron works at Rio Villa Bait and Tackle in Punta Gorda the shop phone is

941-639-7166

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Readerʼs Photos

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OCTOBER 2018

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

Levi Pritchett - redfish

Katie Goodwin with a 28-inch redfish Travis Pritchett- redfish

Alfred Fendick Jrʼs. day off fishing caught a tarpon, catch and release, on the purple martin canel

Some cool pictures from a couple trips I took these past few weeks down the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter Florida. The river holds common snook as well as the three snook sub species, tarpon, fat, and sword spine. It also holds largemouth bass and little tarpon. Thomas Dimatteo

Logan Forfar nice catch and release.. and broke the pole on this one!

Snook caught by angler Ansel on the Myakka river

Sarah - snookie

Mutton snapper caught by Allan Butler at Stump Pass

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

Gail Roebuck with nice trout

Jonathan Britten Age 3 mango snapper Scott hughes 30 inch redfish

Big snook caught 9/1

by Karen Cook of Englewood!

Corey Zumstein. With brother Kyle and dad Scott. The Humps, Islamorada. Amberjack

Dan Kyle night time snook on DOA shrimp

8-inch largemouth bass caught by Reuben Cotarelo

15-inch tilapia caught by Reuben Cotarelo

8 year old Alex Chambers and his Dad Howard, holding up a stringer of lane snapper, porgy and grunt, caught on the Reef Raider out of Englewood

Jeremy Tyler's first drum

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OCTOBER 2018

f fr ro om m W Wa at te er r L L II F FE E m ma ag ga az z ii n ne e

25-inch yellowtail, Gulf of Mexico.. lol Charlie Helton

Steve Piersall, Charlie Helton, Jay Joe aboard the Bad Donkey II

Vicky Richmond with a 2 1/2 foot blacktip shark she took home for dinner.

Caught on squid at Marco Island.

Thousands of them in Gasparilla Sound

27-inch red.... Louis Morales

Joe Smendra with a 5 1/2 foot bull shark caught in the Everglades using Bonita for bait.

Bobby Posa with a 6 1/2 foot lemon shark that was tagged previously and re-caught this week in the Everglades by Joe Smendra. It was 8 months between catches.

Snook caught 9/10 by Joe Sheaffer Charlotte Harbor

Mary Whitley with her first tarpon caught in the Everglades using live mullet for bait.

Tarpon, caught with Capt. Dave Stephens in late September

Joey and Danny with mangrove snapper and some beautiful seastars they found snorkeling. They also found spiney lobster and a stone crab. Everythng was released

The Fall Migration OCTOBER 2018

By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor October is a month of transition for aquatic species in southwest Florida.

The change in water temperature, daylight hours and weather patterns trigger our offshore pelagic species to migrate.

Pelagic fish are somewhat the opposite of reef fish as they live mainly in the upper water column and are not stationary. A reef fish such as a snapper or grouper reside on the bottom and inhabit structure areas.

In October there is a migration of a coastal forage species, the threadfin herring that show up in massive numbers offshore and coincidentally there is a migration of kingfish, a.k.a. king mackerel, that pass off our coast in big numbers as they head southward. I am not sure if the herring migrate from the north, but it certainly does not seem like a coincidence that both show up at the same time.

The simple rule to be successful with catching kings is to fish around pods of baitfish either visual or on your bottom

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machine. You can troll artificials or live bait or drift fish. If you cannot find the baitfish you can cover a lot of water by trolling spoons or diving plugs. You cannot however troll them at the same time since the spoons require a faster speed (6- to 9-mph) to get the best action which is too fast for deep diving plugs. Both are very good choices and

the deep divers will also attract grouper.

Pelagic fish have streamlined bodies and are capable of long sustained migrations which basically means they are fast swimmers and on the move. With that said you may need to fish many areas in a day to locate kingfish and they often hang in groups. Another bonus in the hunt is mahi dolphin which

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also are always on the move and you never know when they will show up. I keep a couple of boxes of frozen sardines on board and have a gallon chopped up in case a dolphin shows up on the line as others in the school will often follow the hooked fish to the boat and then you hand feed them sardine morsels with hooks tucked inside.

You can find kings in waters from 20-feet to 150-feet, but the dolphin will usually be deeper than 70-feet.

Kingfish have wicked teeth and require steel leaders. The nickname for kingfish is Smokers and for good reason as they pull so hard and fast you literally might see your drag smoking (I have!). When that happens its time to pick up another reel. Also, because they turn and burn when they feel the hook you need to maintain a light drag as the hook will tear through their mouth during the fight and pull free. Sound exciting? It’s really nothing short of amazing when a rod goes off and the drag is singing!

Kingfish makes great smoked fish and of course, Mahi is magnificent any way its cooked.

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

snook - red closure

PAGE 17

At its September meeting in Tallahassee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission directed staff to expand a recent catch-and-release only measure for snook and redfish in inshore and coastal waters to include Tampa Bay (including all of Manatee and Hillsborough counties) as well as all of Pinellas and Pasco counties. The closure is in effect now.

The FWC directed staff to extend these measures through May 10, 2019, in these and other areas (Charlotte and Lee) previously made catch-and-release for redfish and snook.

Anglers fear for sheepshead and trout which will now be targeted more heavily.

PAGE

18

FISH PIX!

ReaderĘźs Photos

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OCTOBER 2018

text us ur fish pix - see page 4

f fr ro om m W Wa at te er r L L II F FE E m ma ag ga az z ii n ne e

Caught 85 miles off Boca aboard the Lazy Fisherman. We also caught large blackfins Mike Linquest Doug Wright having a blast on board the Reef Raider, Englewood, with a double header of vermillion snapper

Mason Forfar nice ray near Alligator Bay

Bill Forfar, fishing is hot in the channels Charlotte Harbor

Caught this 12 lbs. bass at Babcock lakes David Nole

Al with a 20-inch redfish, released off the Myakka River.

Small redfish was caught yesterday and released at Placida Emily Wilson

4 different snook at Placida pier today. First one caught at 6:59pm. Second one at 7:04pm. Third at 7:14pm. And the fourth at 7:26pm. All were released :) Emily Wilson

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ward and the tarpon screams off another 150-yards of line..... then 40 minutes later the float comes back to the surface. Schmidt is steadily pulling, Karl checks the drag, tightens a couple clicks, we get ready...... and off El-Diablo goes again. OK 40 minutes is not bad, but now we are at an hour, and hour and 15 minutes..... on and on it goes.

I put the boat in reverse and try to pull the tarpon. We use neutral so the tarpon is dragging the boat. Nothing seems to work. It’s now two hours and 15 minutes in - are you kidding me?

Now we are thinking maybe the tarpon is foul hooked.

Sometimes the hook will pull from the mouth and get caught in it's tail. But the next time it surfaces OK, I can see it is hooked right in the button.

Now it is time, one way or the other, this is going to end. So Karl locks down on the drag and I moved the boat so Karl can get hold of the line.

The tarpon is still pulling drag!

So again I try to place the boat so Karl can reach the line and he gets it. The fish plunges away. Karl is pulling hand over hand. Schmidt is pumping the rod and Karl refuses to let go of the line so I grab Karl by the back of his pants and by his shirt.

This tarpon pulled Karl's head under water twice as he tried to land it, this after a 2 ½ hour battle - an hour-and-a-half of it with close to 30 pounds of drag. By the by: most tarpon are fought with 8- to 13-pounds of drag.

Once the fish was next to the boat we saw it was not that long. At first glance you would have thought 100-pounds, then you look close, at the girth, that short tarpon was an easy 160. It was short, maybe 6 foot long, but built like a bull dog.

We were only able to hang onto it for five minutes. That fish should have been laying up resting for 20 minutes, but right away it was trying to jump away from Karl. It was still lively and wanted to get away so we released it. The whole fight lasted 2.5 hours. We wound up 4.8 miles from where we started.

El-Diablo Lives in Charlotte

By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop My son Frank, with two of his friends, Schmidt and Dunn, came to visit for the weekend and catch big fish with Capt. Karl and me. We caught live ladyfish for bait and hooked some tarpon and sharks on Friday, but did not get any to the boat.

Saturday we were out bright and early. There were huge schools of ladyfish right off Mangrove Point - thousands of them. The trick was getting them in the boat - I think it was 10 on for every one we got in. The VmC Hot Skirt jig was the ticket. So we had bait.

We headed down off Cape Haze, a shark I would guess to be about 6-to 8-foot slammed a lady fish and Dunn took the rod but just as it came next to the boat pop-goes-the-leader.

Then El-Diablo shows up and comes out of the water with a vengeance. Schmidt is on the rod.

Down and dirty the tarpon dives, then up it heads and it’s coming out. It leaps from the water, WOW! That’s a fat fish!

Schmitt bows to the King. One more time it surfaces with head and shoulders out of the water.

Splash!

Now the tarpon shows its true colors and starts pulling us east. I am on the helm and Karl is helping. About 20 minutes in, the bobber shows at the surface and Schmidt pulls. The tarpon turns towards the boat. Hey this is gonna’ be a quick fight, so Karl gets ready and I move the boat for-

Fishin’ Franks Bait & Tackle Port Charlotte: 941- 625-3888 Fort Myers: 239-634-1043

PAGE 19

Walkway Could Open this Month

Water LIFE staff report The northern half of the new walkway over the Peace River at US 41 in Port Charlotte should be open late this month.

Work on the southern half and the new fishing Pier will probably be finished by next month. Repairs from Irma, at the park itself, are also underway.

Last month we spoke to, and then at her requerst, emailed, Kelly Slaughter with Charlotte County, telling her our readers have asked questions about the walkway. We said we would like her to answer them. The following was our exchange. Unfortunately, it is now four days later and her answer has still not arrived. Deadline looms, but stay tuned, weʼll get it!

What criteria was used to design this walkway? What are the upload forces and lateral forces it is designed to withstand?

What are the highest and lowest decking elevations above MMLW?

I understand some parts of the walkway are designed to be submerged at times. Can the entire walkway be submerged without damage?

It looks like the decking is an epoxy-type coating over concrete. How long is the coating expected to last?

What connects the decking to the stringers? Are they bolted, epoxy, or gravity held?

Is the wood railing designed to fail before the decking or is it a structural component?

Will the walkway survive a sustained 80 mph wind out of the west for 12 hours with a 6 foot storm tide, heavy waves... and being submerged?

What would you expect to see after a storm like that?

Worst case, If it gets knocked apart in such a terrible storm, would you retrieve the pieces and use them again?

RED TIDE - the Infestation Continues PAGE

20

On the Line

with Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the water, red tide shows up again. I now find it very difficult to separate scientific fact from personal opinions when it comes to red tide data. That's why I like to do my own research and analyse my own data.

Last week I wanted to see how Lemon Bay was doing so I hopped in my little red canoe and paddled out into the Bay to check things out for myself. The water was clear but a little dark due to all the rain we had. I found large schools of mullet and a good numbers of sheepshead and mangrove snappers. I said to myself, things are good, the red tide is gone. That was my personal opinion.

Latter that week I decided to go fishing: but first I checked the myfwc.com web site to get the latest red tide report and I found some very confusing data. On 9/16 a sample was collected in Lemon Bay by one of the volunteers at Ceder Point that found low levels of red tide. On 9/19 a sample was collected on Englewood Beach by Charlotte County Parks and Recreation. Dept and found no red tide present. On 9/18 Mote Marine Labs took two samples of water from 3.3 miles west of Punta Gorda Beach (off Hog Island). One sample registered High and the other Very Low. On 9/19 a sample was taken at Hog Island by the Florida Department of Agriculture that found no red tide.

So let's review shall we; over four days , four samples were taken by four different organizations and came up with four different results. Now that is scientific fact.

With this information in hand, I went fishing in Lemon Bay; and what did I find? The water was still clear, but there was not a fish to be found; no mullet, no sheepshead or snappers. No schools of

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bait or even a pinfish on the grass flats.

What was a pretty healthy bay at the beginning of the week had turned into a fishless desert by the end of the week. So much for scientific data.

The last few days there has been a terrible stench coming from the water at low tide. It's not a red-tide-smell or a dead fish smell it's the smell of decomposing organic material. Something bad is happening. I'm not the only one who has noticed this considering that for the last two weekends there has not been a single vehicle or trailer at the Ainger Creek Boat Ramp.

Let's look at more data. Sarasota County has said that since August 1 they have picked up over 173 tons of dead fish from the public beaches in the county.

The FWC has reported that up to September 14, 638 dead manatees have been recovered this year; that is over last year’s total of 538. They probably won't beat the record of 830 set in 2013, but we could beat the second place number of 766 set in 2010.

You can tell it's an election year by the outrageous political ads on TV. I especially noticed the one that blames the current governor for the current red tide epidemic. The governor knows which way the wind blows so he has increased the amount of state taxpayers money that will go to this environmental crisis to $13 million.

The hopeful new idea about red tide this month is that the governor has formed a new task force comprised of the FWC, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USF and the Florida DEP . They are to investigate the use of “Specialized Clay” to control red tide. Now what exactly is “Specialized Clay “ and how it can be used to control red tide has not been explained yet : but I'm sure all will be revealed just before election day. captRonB@juno.com Editor Notes** The clay they are proposing is new, but the idea is old. See story at right.

OCTOBER 2018

2004 Article about Mote Marine using Clay on Red Tide

Surprise! Itʼs Clay from Phosphate Mining!!

Reprinted from Mote Magazine, 2004

Finding a way to kill red tide or mitigate its harmful effects on humans, fish and other wildlife is one area being studied by Moteʼs Center for Ecotoxicology, where the centerʼs director, Dr. Richard Pierce, is heading up studies using clay and ozone to destroy the algae.

Red tide, or Karenia brevis, is a singlecelled plantlike organism that releases harmful toxins as it breaks down in the environment.

The toxins can be released into the water or become airborne and inhaled by humans or marine mammals. “Red tide is whatʼs called a ʻnaked dinoflagellate,ʼ meaning that it doesnʼt have any kind of outer covering so the cells break apart when they go through fish gills, releasing the neurotoxins that kill the fish,” Pierce said. Wave action and decomposition can also break down the cells and release toxins.

Clay flocculation may sound like an upset stomach, but mixing clay left over from the phosphate mining process with water and spraying it on a harmful algal bloom holds some promise for getting rid of red tides. The Japanese have been using clay for years to get rid of harmful algal blooms, and clay can be a purifying and clarifying agent for drinking water. “The clay is very much like what is already in the sediment here naturally,” Pierce said. “It comes from the drainage basins and the river flows.”

Pierce mixes a powder clay with water to create a floc, or slurry, then sprays it on top of a red tide bloom. As the slurry settles, it carries suspended particles -- including plant material, waste, chemicals and red tide -- to the ocean bottom. Pilot studies in the lab have shown that process is effective in pushing the bloom to the ocean floor, but there are still some unknowns about how effective and environmentally sound the process is, Pierce said. Limited tests of the process done in early 2005 in Sarasota Bay showed that the clay caught red tide cells and dropped them to the sea floor as long as currents werenʼt too swift. The clay type, selected by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution -- which has done clay studies in the past -- is a byproduct of phosphate mining.

“As the clay floats down through the water column, it removes the red tide. But there is a concern that it then concentrates on the bottom and could smother some of the organisms that live there,” Pierce said. “On the other

hand, during an intense red tide, fish are decomposing and robbing the water of oxygen, so the critters on the bottom are usually already dead from red tide toxins and from the lack of oxygen.”

Another unknown is how long the toxins remain active in the sediment. “Much more study needs to be done before this process, or any other, could even be considered for application,” Pierce said.

Ozone, which is also used for water purification, is also being tested to see whether it can help kill red tide blooms. “Weʼve seen that in controlled laboratory studies, ozone is very effective against the organism, and it destroyed the toxin,” Pierce said. “But weʼre still studying how efficient it is at getting rid of red tide blooms and how efficient it is at destroying the toxins. You have to be very careful monitoring any (ozone) release into the environment because itʼs toxic.”

Initial lab studies have shown that ozone can be released using tiny bubbles that disperse into the water column before reaching the water surface and becoming airborne, therefore reducing any potential risk to humans or mammals. But there could be potential risks, Pierce says. More lab work needs to be completed before any field tests in Sarasota Bay could take place.

“Ozone produces secondary oxidants in seawater which can also be harmful,” he said.

“We need to look at how long they last and what they do. Generally, they do react and go away quickly, but still could affect fish and other marine life. On the other hand, if thereʼs already a red tide, itʼs likely that the fish there are already affected.”

Mitigating the effects of red tide may come down to a risk/benefit assessment. “Nothing here is black and white,” Pierce said. “You have to look at it and see if the costs outweigh the benefits.”

Eventually, clay and ozone -- or other substances not yet tested -- may be just ammunition in an arsenal of weapons that resource managers can use to help reduce the impacts from harmful algal blooms. “At Mote, we donʼt want to be in the business of red tide mitigation,” Pierce said. “What we want to do is study potential tools for effectiveness and appropriateness, find the ones that work without causing environmental impacts and how, then provide that information to resource managers who could then decide to move forward with potential control or mitigation after they have the scientific facts.” from MOTE in 2004

HOPE AND FISHING OCTOBER 2018

By Capt. Charlie Phillips Water LIFE / Everglades City September marked one year since our encounter with a girl named Irma. Almost to the day, we got power back, at our place there, which I found ironic. Looking back and comparing everything on day after, one month after, and now one year after, just proves to me that the human species can accomplish most anything.

Everglades City is doing well, our new leader Mayor Grimm is doing great work.

The mangrove trees are looking better and better and the fishing has been fantastic.

For myself, I can’t ask for more.

I ran several trips in September, which is unusual for us this time of year. We are normally slow, but with all the challenges being faced up the coast, I think folks are looking at new places to book trips.

Anyways, the snook fishing is the best I have witnessed in years. We caught quality fish on topwaters and artificial into the afternoon almost everywhere we went. I have continued to see our inshore fishery stay strong post storm and I hope it sticks.

Been quality trout on the flats around Pavilion Key, most times we will use a tried and true popping cork and soft plastic to target fish here as it’s easy and covers lots of water. Many folks will use a suspending bait, but I avoid treble hooks at all cost with clients and the cork works just fine when people learn to cast it properly.

While you are in that area fishing, bouncing a pink hair shrimp tipped jig can net you some pompano if you fish the

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North Carolina roadKkill bass and other fish littered I-40 after the flood waters receded.

Right: Capt. Phillips delivering supplies

boundaries where the sand meets the grass.

Been hearing of some nice fish being caught there and off the beaches.

Redfish numbers are strong with that flock of puppy drum (small redfish) that we have seen all over growing bigger daily. October should really show how good our redfishing is as fish start schooling and we see some good numbers with

PAGE 21

slot sized fish.

October will be a great month to get out and enjoy some time on the water. I have lots of trips booked and what I am most looking forward to is a 5-day venture down in the park to sample sawfish populations with my friends from the NOAA Smalltooth Sawfish team.

Stay tuned.

Going to close this month’s article with a note on the past week and what we have been doing. I am from the great state of North Carolina and my family all live in a little place called Oak Island, where the Cape Fear river meets the Atlantic Ocean. As I watched Hurricane Florence forming and start aiming right for them, I wanted to try and do something to help those unfortunate souls who were going to experience challenges that we know all too well.

Reaching out to the blasting company I worked for I got full use of a tractor trailer and reaching out to my friends and their churches we were able to load a 48’ box trailer from stem to stern with donated items people needed as they started their recovery. We split the load in half and dropped half the supplies off near the flooding in Lumberton NC and the other half in the Wilmington NC area. All made possible by people trying to help people they will never know or meet. That’s about as much the Spirit of America as you will ever find in my book.

Yall be Safe and see you next month.

Capt. Charlie Phillips 863-517-1829 e-mail: hopefishing@hotmail.com Web: hopefishing.com

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OCTOBER 2018

Classes Start This Month

17th year

for Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Murdock, LA Ainger students seine net pull

Parents: Help Your Kids

By Michael Heller Water LIFE editor The Water LIFE kid’s $1 Bill Challenge summer tournament is over. Anglers took home 65 fishing rods 80 lures and 20 t-shirts... and we made our anglers a little smarter in the process with a monthly Fish Quiz they had to answer for points.

Now our Fishing School program for 6th graders has kicked off. It is our 17th year. In the school class we hope to give away another 70 rods, tackle, tackle trays and other fishy stuff. We’ll also take them fishing offshore (if red tide cooperates) and wading at Ponce Park (ditto) with the FWC. In our classroom program we test our students with a 10-question quiz on the first and last nights of class and then we give them the same quiz on the last night of classes Over the years we have found the scores go from 50 or 60-percent to 80 or 90-percent. But attendance has been going down.

In the school program kids attend a class one night a week for six weeks. The classes are taught by local fishing guides.

When I took over this program 15 years ago we had 25 or 30 kids in every class. But since 2010 the numbers have shrunk. At first we were offering the classes to 7th graders, but 7th graders have more after school activities, so four years ago we switched to 6th graders. This has worked out well at Punta Gorda but at L.A. Ainger, Port Charlotte and Murdock the classes dropped below our 20 student minimum. We’ve continued the classes

with below minimum attendance for the last couple of years, but I figure now it’s time for a change.

So this year we are offering both a live class at Punta Gorda Middle School (students from Murdock, Port Charlotte and L.A. Ainger can attend) and an online class students can take on their phone.

You can sign up for either class online.

The online version of our class includes video from the live Punta Gorda class on facebook every week. The video appears on the Don Ball School of Fishing facebook page on Tuesday evenings from 6:30

offshore trip

Just for 6th Graders!

Sign Up at: www.waterlifemagazine.com

to 7:30 starting on October 9.

I plan to broadcast the weekly guides talk and work close up with knots for the first week. There is a weekly class schedule on the Waterlifemagazine.com site.

I think we can make the online format work, but it will take a commitment from parents.

If you want your 6th grader to take this course you have to plan on helping them.

We have a great online manual and I will steer you to the right sections every week, but you have to sit down and help your child get into it.

For the online program, parents sign their kids sign up by donating $15 to our

Students in both our online program and our live class all receive Shakespeare 6-6 rods and reels, and the things shown here. The reel will have line on it too!

non-profit Charlotte Harbor Reef Association on Pay Pal. In the sign up they give us their address and cell phone number.

We text them back their acceptance and we mail them a printed Workbook.

The Workbook they get gives the basics and refers them to more information found in the online Resource Manual.

A weekly class assignment, posted online, directs you to the next pages.

To deal with questions from our online students, we assign each online student a Guide/Mentor. Students are able to text questions to their Guide/Mentor for answers. The Guide Mentors are either the professional fishing guides who teach the program or members of the Florida Guides Association led by Association President (and Water LIFE columnist) Capt. Charlie Phillips. This will be a great resource for the online students.

After students complete the six week course they stop by Fishin’ Franks in Port Charlotte to pick up their tackle. We give the online students a Shakespeare rod and reel, a tackle box, top water, diving Mirrolures, a gold spoon, hooks, splitshots, a pair of pliers and assorted soft plastic baits. Currently the online program is only open to 6th grade students at Punta Gorda, Murdock, Port Charlotte and LA Ainger middle schools. If you want more information, go to our website, www.waterlifemagazine.com.

The online course is in web-format, it is not an app..... yet, but it is cell phone friendly. Check it out, I’d really like to hear from you. Let me know what you think. You can email me right from the page. Please tell me what we can do better as this program evolves.

SCUTTLEBUTT

OCTOBER 2018

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PAGE 23

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Port Charlotte rainwater in September, collected 10 days apart. Look at the color difference. PH of 7.11 & 6.63

rected the violation. He was issued a misdemeanor notice to appear.

FROM: SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE Out of all the attributes that separate humans from fish, the ability to breathe underwater is one that makes us land dwellers most envious. Last month a Korean design student may have come up with a blueprint for a wearable device that can extract sufficient air from seawater, enabling just about anyone to breathe like a fish.

FARE SHARE The Italian government refused to allow one of its own coast guard cutters to enter an Italian port after the ship rescued nearly 200 maritime migrants. Ultimately they said "The ship may land in Italy, as long as the 177 migrants are distributed, in a spirit of solidarity by the EU, which is made up of 27 countries. "Let them pay us, we have taken in more than 700,000 people who came by sea," the Italians said.* OCEAN CLEAN UP Offshore vessel operator Maersk Supply Service has agreed to deploy the AHTS Maersk Launcher in support of the deployment of The Ocean Cleanup

trash removal system, which aims to remove plastic debris from the waters of the North Pacific. It is the first large-scale initiative of its kind. The effort will target the well-publicized "garbage patch" in the Pacific, which contains mismanaged plastic waste generated on shore. According to researchers Environmental Research, ten river systems in Asia and Africa account for as much as 95 percent of ocean plastic pollution worldwide, and six of ten flow into the seas of the Western Pacific region. The Ocean Cleanup estimates that about 85 percent of the total comes from Asia. The Clean up system relies upon long floating screens to collect plastic debris for recycling with a 120-meter segment of the barrier. The complete unit will be 600 meters long, and under optimal conditions, the group believes that it will accumulate one ton of plastic per week. Plastic waste enters the sea at an estimated rate of 90,000 to 270,000 tons per week.

HARDHEADED The FWC stopped a charter boat with several people on board. During the inspection the officers noticed the captain did not have any of the poles rigged with circle hooks as required for catching reef fish.

The officers brought it to the captainʼs attention. The captain said he had circle hooks on board but refused to use them because they kill fish. The captain and the passengers cast their lines out and started fishing for reef fish again even though they had not cor-

BIGGEST PROP The company HHLA (one of the Port of Hamburg Germany's terminal operators) often loads cargoes from specialty metalworking firm Mecklenburger Metallguss onto ships in Hamburg. However, the latest propeller, with a weight of 110 tonnes and a diameter of 34.5 feet, was larger than any before it. The 110tonne propeller will be offloaded in South Korea where it will be installed on the first of MSC's new generation of 23,000 TEU container ships - the largest boxships in the world.

FREE TRIP TO ORLANDO FWC officers responded by boat to a reported “manatee in distress” near Fort Myers Beach. Upon arrival he found a juvenile manatee having trouble breathing and appeared to be having seizures. A large manatee (possibly its mother) was assisting the juvenile by pushing it to the surface to breathe. FWC biologists and volunteers as well as Lee County deputies arrived on scene to help capture the animal in a net. The manatee was transported to Sea Worldʼs Rehabilitation Center in Orlando where it will be treated and allowed to recover before it is released back into the wild

reef area now extending from Martin County to the middle of the Florida Keys. Now researchers plan to delve into the coral-babymaking business, hoping to repopulate the coast with coral that will grow into new underwater behemoths. Teams will go out at night and cast netting over the large coral, attempting to capture eggs and sperm released by the spawning coral. The eggs and sperm will be mixed together to achieve fertilization and then taken back to the lab to grow. Researchers hope in a few years they'll be able to plant the young coral on top of others that have died, with the new coral eventually covering the skeleton of the old coral and building onto it.

DIGGING IN Polish leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski promised to move forward with a plan to build a canal between the Baltic and the Vistula Lagoon, circumventing the current access route through Russian waters. The new canal would bisect the Polish side of the Vistula Spit, a thin strip of land that separates the lagoon from the sea.

Russia has complained that the proposed canal would be a threat to the lagoon's ecology. Poland is suggesting that Russia's protests "can be disregarded given the current geopolitical situation."

GOOD OPTION the FishAngler app. for Solunar Forcast section delivers in an easy to navigate interface.

VERY BAD IDEA The South Florida Water Management District, which is responsible for flood control and water supply over the southern third of the state has approved what could be a $10 million down payment on an untested plan to pump polluted lake water more than half a mile into the ground north, east and west of Lake O. Supposedly, these injection wells, which could take 15 million gallons per day, would hold enough water to reduce the harmful discharges. The district could drill as many as 60 wells. That would mean at least a $300 million program and possibly more. Eleven months ago the water Management Districtʼs governing board told the staff to develop a plan for these Emergency Estuary Protection Wells.

The idea for this new well program supposedly came from the sugar cane industry.

COWFISH Partners representing natural resource, tribal, and agricultural stakeholders

BAD SIGN At the September Charlotte County Commission meeting, Commissioners discussed having permanent Red Tide Signs installed at the beaches, signs that could be flipped up or down, depending on whether Red Tide was present or not.

THROW A NET OVER IT The effort to save South Florida's largest coral colonies will soon include laboratory incubation. The colonies are being killed by a disease of unknown origin - sometimes called white plague or white blotch - first identified off Virginia Key in 2014. In the past four years, it has become epidemic and spread to more than half the different species of coral in a

recently gathered in the Coquille River Valley in Oregon to celebrate the completion of the Winter Lake Restoration Project that will help ensure local cattle farmers continue to thrive, while providing almost 8 miles of tidal channels and 1,700 acres of habitat for the threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon, and other fish and wildlife.

Remember when we had the Fire in the Water at night - a bioluminescence that turned the wake behind your boat glowing blue? Why did that stop?

Is Red Tide involved?

Phosphorus is one of the most

common substances on Earth. An essential nutrient for every living organism—humans require approximately 700 milligrams per day—we are rarely concerned about consuming enough of it because it is present in most of the foods we eat.

Despite its ubiquity and living organisms' utter dependence on it, we know surprisingly little about how it moves, or cycles, through the ocean environment.

Scientists studying the phosphorus cycle in the ocean knew that it was absorbed by plants and animals, and released back to seawater in the form of phosphate as they decay and die.

Over the last 10 years, a growing body of research has hinted that phosphorus was being transformed by microbes in the ocean in ways that remained a mystery.

Much like phosphorus-based fertilizers boost the growth of plants on land, phosphorus in the ocean promotes the production of microbes and tiny marine plants called phytoplankton, which compose the base of the marine food chain. It's been unclear exactly how phytoplankton are using the most abundant forms of phosphorus found in the ocean—phosphates and a strange form of phosphorus called phosphonates. But no one's been able to figure out exactly what they are, and more importantly, if they're made and consumed quickly by microbes, or if they're just lying around in the ocean."

To find out more about these mysterious phosphonates and how microbes metabolize them, the researchers took samples of microbes like phytoplankton from seawater obtained at a series of stations during a cruise from Bermuda to Barbados in the summer of 2014. They added phosphate to the samples so that they could see the microbes in action.

They saw that about five percent of the phosphate in the shallow water samples were taken up by the microbes and changed to phosphonates. In the deeper water samples, which were taken at depths of 40 and 150 meters (131 feet and 492 feet), about 15 to 20 percent of the phosphates were reduced to phosphonates.

These results showed for the first time that microbes are producing phosphonates in the ocean, and that it is happening very quickly, A better understanding of phosphorus cycling in the oceans is important since it impacts the marine food chain and, therefore, the ability of the oceans to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. The researchers say that solving the mystery about phosphonates also reinforces the need to identify the full suite of phosphorus biochemicals being produced and metabolized by marine microbes and what physiological roles they serve for these cells.

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I Thought I Had a Big Enough Anchor

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OCTOBER 2018

CaptainĘźs Log

By Capt. Sue Nerud Water LIFE Overnighter Finding a nice place to be "on the hook" for the night, out of the wind, protected, and deep enough to accommodate a tide change can be a bit of a challenge for us "overnighters". Yes, staying in marinas can be safer, but it can also be a bit boring. You miss all the adventure, fun and wildlife that goes into mooring out under the stars.

Sometimes it's easy, non stressful and full of excitement. You find your spot, anchor, get your canvas up and grab a glass of wine. Now it's time to enjoy the evening, the wildlife, and the water (which was like glass) that evening. Other times, well ..... it doesn't go as smooth.

We are outside the Intracoastal near Calidisi Island, nestled into our favorite little spot. Close enough to swim to the island, far enough for Alpha Mare to safely swivel around her anchor. That night the water was like glass, the stars were out and it was almost light in the middle of the night. Until.... out of what seems nowhere one of our famous Florida microbursts hit.

Too late to head to the closest marina, time to hunker down.

Keep in mind, it was 2 am. It is dark, lots of high wind, rain and now her anchor began slipping. I reset her first anchor and put another one out off the bow for extra safety. Not my best decision!

Unfortunately, the wind had moved us around the anchor many times and now changed direction. One anchor line crossed the other and we could not safely move around the anchor as needed. Now with both lines crossed, I could not get the anchors up to reset.

Bottom line was, we had to go in and start over. We were only in 5 foot of water,

we needed to go deeper.

Mission accomplished. We successfully retrieved the anchors, separated them and got them reset. It was an experience I would rather not ever repeat. Fast thinking to fix a situation is always needed. Things happen out there, you have to be ready at all times to fix what you can. There is no book that can teach everything that can and will happen on the water. You have to get out there and do it!

The very next day an investment into another large anchor was made. It is the first AND last time I will put out two from the bow. This experience is now a story in my captains log.

To clean water, good seas, and blue skys!

OCTOBER 2018

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International Sawfish Day is October 17

By Tonya Wiley

Havenworth Coastal Conservation

Special for Water LIFE International Sawfish Day is October 17

Sawfishes are considered the world’s most threatened elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates) and yet few people know about these amazingly unique animals.

There are five species of sawfish in the world and all are classified as critically endangered or endangered by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

International Sawfish Day is a new, hopefully annual event, held on October 17 to raise awareness of these vulnerable rays and to highlight the threats they face in order to safeguard their future. Founded by the European and American Associations of Zoos and Aquariums and the Sawfish Conservation Society, the first International Sawfish Day was celebrated in 2017.

Last year for the inaugural International Sawfish Day, more than 50 participating organizations from around the world including public aquaria, conservation agencies, and research facilities held celebrations and events, shared messages and images on social media, and helped spread the word about endangered sawfish. “Sawfish Swag” became a popular novelty, and ultimately more than 7500 keychains and buttons were given away at events, conferences, and education outreach programs across the globe. Social media posts and interactive events at public aquaria and zoos reached hundreds of thousands of people in the days leading up to, including, and following International Sawfish Day. Fundraising efforts contributed to sawfish field programs in the Sudan.

In addition to the awareness generated for sawfish, International Sawfish Day helped strengthen the collaborative

NOAA: THIS IS OUR MISSION In light of southwest Florida’s water problems this summer we thought we’d look at NOAA’s responsibilities – In their own words:

NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the Department of Commerce. NOAA Fisheries

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relationships between the public aquarium community and research and field conservation organizations.

This year, on October 17, the second International Sawfish Day is expected to be even bigger and better! Events will be held online and at aquariums, museums, zoos, schools, and other institutions and organizations around the world. The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums will coordinate a fundraiser to contribute to sawfish research. Information about events and the fundraiser can be found at www.InternationalSawfishDay.org.

Want to get involved? Resources are available from the Sawfish Conservation Society to help you celebrate in style or host your own event, and increase your knowledge about all five species of sawfish. You can print posters and handouts, and discover fun sawfish craft ideas. You can also buy an official International Sawfish Day t-shirt to proudly wear on October 17, and any day, to promote the conservation of sawfishes.

Information about scheduled events and other International Sawfish Day resources can be found at

www.SawfishConservationSociety.org.

Sawfish are often found in shallow water

As always, to report a smalltooth sawfish encounter call 1-844-4SAWFISH or email sawfish@myfwc.com.

is responsible for the stewardship of the nation's ocean resources and their habitat.

We provide vital services for the nation: productive and sustainable fisheries, safe sources of seafood, the recovery and conservation of protected resources, and healthy ecosystems—all backed by sound science and an ecosystem-based approach to management. Using the MagnusonStevens Act as the guide, NOAA Fisheries works in partnership with Regional Fishery Management Councils to assess and predict the status of fish stocks, set catch limits, ensure compliance with fisheries

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photo by Andrea M Kroetz, NOAA

For more information: Internet: www.SawfishRecovery.org Facebook: U.S. Sawfish Recovery Twitter: @SawfishRecovery

regulations, and reduce bycatch. The resilience of our marine ecosystems and coastal communities depend on healthy marine species, including protected species such as whales, sea turtles, corals, and salmon. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries works to recover protected marine species, allowing economic and recreational opportunities.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, an unusual mortality event (UME) is defined as “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any ma-

rine mammal population; and demands immediate response.”

Understanding and investigating marine mammal UMEs is crucial because they can be indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues which may also have implications for human health. To fill this role, NOAA Fisheries established the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events in 1991. The working group was formalized in 1992 with amendments to the MMPA amendments.

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October – Predictions and Suggestions Charlotte Harbor Frank at Fishin’ Franks 941-625-3888

BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Explore Charlotte Harbor Fish with a Guide Youʼll learn something and youʼll catch more fish!

Budhead Editor notes* We think he meant: Bud, red!

Artist Dale Werner caught this nice big bluefish in Estero Bay 9/23 with Cap. Barry Cuda Nicholls charters

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

27-inch redfish caught by Kerrie Sheaffer on 9/17 in Charlotte Harbor

The unusual thing going on right now is you have to use live bait unless it’s dead crabs.

We have had some limited success with dead Spanish sardines, but with the amount of fish dead from the Red Tide, even the sharks are not eating dead bait. We had several bites on a sardine under a float, that was it. Dead or frozen ladyfish or mullet.... they aren’t going for it. They are avoiding the dead bait because of Red Tide.

There’s been an explosion of tiny tarpon. I’ve been hearing tarpon in the canals, rivers, creeks, pretty much anywhere there is water, people are catching small tarpon.

Tarpon are doing really well out in the Harbor, in the Myakka, down the left side and out to the hole, I don’t know if you can find a place where there aren’t little tarpon!

More and more people are catching and releasing a lot of snook, there are a lot of snook around.

The Port Charlotte canals are loaded with under-slot snook and they are also on the east side, scattered around the Islands. On the west side they are more bunched up in the creeks and deeper pockets. Bull and Turtle Bay have a good snook population now.

Redfish are schooling off the Burnt Store bar and up the east side under green mangroves with branches offering shade. Not as many up the north side, few at the Myakka and down the west side in small pockets too. Turtle Bay has some reds, Indian Fields, Two Pine, Ice House-2, they all have redfish right now. Not

much south of Matlacha. There are big schools of ladyfish cruising the Harbor and a gazillion baitfish, but not on the surface. They are a mix of small threadfins and small whitebait no bigger than 3-inches.

Give it another month it’s not worth throwing at them yet.

And there are gar on the west side. You can fool a gar with a frozen sardine.... ask me how I know!

In freshwater the Myan cichlids and tilapia are the story.

Try a beetle spin tipped with a night crawler. A guy came in the store with the idea and, from pictures, it seems to work.

Would it be called a night-beetle or a spin-crawler?

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

Inside is OK. Guys are still catching trout in the backcountry. There are some schools of redfish around too.

A friend got his young angler on to a big snook, a 25 pounder, on a Lucky Craft topwater – it’s a sort of semi-popper-face and about 3-1/2 inch long. I’ve been selling them for years. The boy was 8 years old!

Up above the Tom Adams Bridge one guy tells me he’s doing pretty well. There are quite a bit of trout, small snook and redfish around there. Guys fishing Whidden Creek reported schools of maybe a couple hundred redfish. There are a lot of mangrove snapper at the trestle around the pilings.

Offshore, a lot of mangroves and snapper, but you have to go 18-or 20-miles now.

Some red grouper, and lane and vermillion snappers. A lot of guys are wondering what Red Tide will do to yellowtail they were just getting good again. Still a lot of tarpon around up in the Harbor still. A lot of tarpon in Rotonda too.

OCTOBER 2018

Rubber Duck Race - Oct 28

The BIG-4

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TARPON small fish in the Port Charlotte canals.

October

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Fish you can expect in

REDFISH Schooling inshore from Burnt Store south

BLACK DRUM Still nice fish in the Harbor

FLORIDA POMPANO on both sides of the Harbor

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Nearshore water temps are mid 80s Fish are lazy Red Tide & Green Algae persist in some areas

95˚ 90˚ 85˚

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Trey Hemling with two big handfuls of Spanish mackerel

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Ashley Johnston - snook catch and release Port Charlotte canals

Sean Flood with Capt. Fred Gowdy

80˚

75˚ 72˚ 70˚ 68˚ 50˚ 45˚

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Brace Wachter with Capt. Fred Gowdy

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Bonefish, Jeff Woods

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

My husband Capt. William Wegmann, with a snook on the beach

FISHING RIGHT NOW: still depends where

LAST CAST

This cool photo was the last picture we received before going to print.

FISH PIX!

FISH PIX!

from Water LIFE magazine

Chuck Miller, Lisa Wasdin and Michael Meehan with Amber jacks. With the red tide we had to go 20 miles offshore just to get bait but the trip was awesome!

from Water LIFE magazine

Doc, as we affectionately call him, handling his first tarpon at a Heroes on the Water SW Florida event in Lovers Key State Park.

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OCTOBER 2018