Water LIFE Sept 2010

W a t e r LIFE

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

September 2010

Sailing the Flying Scot Page 19

Grouper

has been

Good Page 9

St Pete Open

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September

2010

DIRECT 941-235-5648 TOLL FREE 877-218-6552

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SUCH A TERRIFIC BUY! – Beautiful 3/2/2 home on freshwater canal on 1.5 lots. Features of this 2,051sf bargain include new roof, hurricane shutters and lanai screening in 2005 and new A/C in 2009. Master Bedroom suite with walk-in closets, dual sinks and walk-in shower.

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SHROEDER CUSTOM-BUILT HOME shows like a model. Only lived in a few months, this 3/2/2 1,614 sf home built in 2007 features 17” tile floors (except in bedrooms), split bedroom plan, open great room, white wood cabinets & Corian countertops $159,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

ATTENTION INVESTORS: SHORT SALE Great compact home for rental use or firsttime buyers. This 2/2/1 home needs some TLC (and perhaps new roof) and is sold AS-IS. Spacious bedrooms, 10x16 Lanai that could be enclosed, new refrigerator and water heater, glass top range, garage door opener. Check this one out! $44,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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ONE-OF-A-KIND Entertainer Series Mobile Home in out-of-park Punta Gorda area. Over 1,400 sf, this 3/2 home is all fenced in with 2 metal sheds, large concrete patio facing open pasture, inside laundry, open living area, breakfast bar, glass top range, recessed lighting, built-in entertainment center and much more. $88,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

ROOM TO SPREAD OUT – This lovely 1,842 sf, 3/2/2 home is set on 2 lots with option to purchase 3rd lot. Open floor plan, large lanai & caged patio, parquet flooring, carpet & tile. Inside laundry, oversized Master Bedroom. Quiet neighborhood. Call for a viewing today. $149,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

DEEP CREEK BEAUTY – 3/2/2 with heated pool, tile roof, nice landscaping with curbing and stones to match pavers at front entry and lanai/pool area. After you have seen the rest, see the best. This home features great room and large country kitchen open to dining room, with lots of wood cabinets. And more. Come see it! $158,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

WONDERFUL POOL HOME in Deep Creek. This 1,934 sf 3/2/2 home features new carpet, paint, filter, pump, skylights, roof and gutters. Master Bedroom suite with dual vanity sinks, garden tub and shower. Large kitchen, huge inside laundry room and Lanai with cabinets & sink and space for a kitchen. LOOK NO MORE! $158,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

HOME ON LARGE CORNER LOT in Grassy Pointe area with canal view ONLY NO WATER ACCESS. This 3/2/2 pool home has 2,010 sf under air and features all new tile floors, cherry wood cabinets, granite tops and new paint.

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BANK-OWNED 3/2/2 home sold As Is. Newly painted, this 2,830 sf bargain has a huge family room with fireplace and aquarium, French doors, split bedroom plan and spacious Master bedroom suite with garden tub, walk-in shower and dual sinks. Check this one out today! $189,000 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-2355648

MYAKKA RIVER VIEW – Waterfront living at itʼs best. If you are thinking of a home on the River, this one is for you. 2,770 sq. ft. built 2006 home with all the upgrades youʼll love. 3 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths. 3-car garage. Walkway to dock and boat lift.

Master downstairs with living, dining, family room, kitchen and nook. 2 bedrooms, sitting room and bath upstairs. Breath-taking décor in all rooms, with ceiling fans, trays, molding, lighting, wood cabinets, corian thru out. This one is a charm at $574,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

Ellen McCarthy Broker Associate www.portcharlotte-pgi.c ellenmc@portcharlotte-pgi.com www.portcharlotte-pgi.c

ellenmc@portcharlotte-pgi.com

19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948

September

2010

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September

2010

TARPON FISHING HEADQUARTERS Letters to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net

Michael I'm sending you a few cartoons, use none or all.

I hope that someone from Charlotte County is taking notes on how BP is trying NOT to pay for the devastation in the Gulf.

This will be the model that Mosaic will use when one of their dykes fail and it kills the Harbor.

Someone has to have the stones to be able to step on the county commissioners. They are out of control.

I don't mean to put you on the spot. I know Water LIFE is a business and I will understand if you remain silent.

Best Regards, Harry Thomas

Editor notes* Thanks Harry Here is the first one. (we colorized it so it will stand out better!) Iʼd like to think we have the ʻstonesʼ ... granite stones not limestone!

It should get really interesting soon, with two new commissioners coming in. – MH

Magazine inc.

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

e-mail (preferred) Waterlife@comcast.net Mail: 217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

TOTALLY INDEPENDENT

Not affiliated with any other publication Vol IX No 9 © 2010

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No part of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied or reproduced without specific written permission from the publisher.

Contributing Editors:

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Port Charlotte: Billy Barton Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner Commercial Fishing: Kelly Beall Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Real Estate: Dave Hofer Inshore: Fishinʼ Frank Diving: Adam Wilson Kayaks: David Allen Sailing: Bill Dixon Office Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER

A fine red grouper caught on a trip with Capt. Chuck Eichner, see page 9.

Another highly productive meeting of the Charlotte County Commissioners

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Water LIFE i s the o ffi ci al publ i cati o n o f the Charl o t t e Harb o r Reef As s o ci at i o n, the o ri g i nato r o f the Ki ds Cup To urnament and the pro ducer o f the Do n Bal l Scho o l o f Fi s hi ng .

We don’t just count the people we reach, we reach the people that count

September

2010

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Itʼs What Jeff Would Have Done

Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Edi tor Capt. Jeff Steele was affectionately known as Capt. Clam. He was a Charlotte County fisherman, diver, clammer, shrimper and all around waterman. I had the privilege to have known Jeff before his untimely death two years ago. But Jim Joseph and his wife Julie, owners of FantaSea Scuba in Port Charlotte, knew him much better. They dived together a lot. “And we drank a lot of Margaritas together with Jeff and his wife Barbara,” Jim told me last month, smiling warmly.

“When I die, my plan is to have them put me in a wooden boat, set it ablaze and send me off. A Nordic send off,” Joseph told me adding that Jeff had told him if he dies first “just put my ashes in a 5-gallon bucket mixed with Sakeret and sink it in the Gulf.”

In case you don’t know the whole

Charlotte County reef story, Jim Joseph, Jeff Steele, Jerry Trembly and (then) Charlotte County Sea Grant Agent Rich Novak were some of the first to work together to build artificial reefs in our area. It was a loose association of guys with the same interest of improving the fish holding structure offshore. I was there as a friend and photographer.

When Jerry Trembly died, Novak had a reef named for him. It was the first part of the old I-75 bridge. Novak had overseen its construction. The underwater structure of the huge stacked concrete beams is very impressive and it holds a lot of fish. Then when Novak died while tuna fishing in 2004, the rest of us got together to have an artificial reef named for him.

Then two years ago Jeff disappeared off the back of a fishing boat in Alaska and his friends commissioned the Jeff Steele Reef for him.

Reef materials have been going down on the Jeff Steele Reef for almost two years now, the first being the old Kelly Brother’s 110-foot barge, sunk a year ago and the most recent, the concrete beams from the old Coral Creek bridge. In August a monument was placed there by Jeff’s friends.

Many of the county’s artificial

reefs have concrete culverts as part of their structure. In the good times there was money and manpower to pour concrete bases that big culverts were laid in.

The result provided excellent structure for fish and the flat base kept it from sinking into the bottom. Fittingly, the Jeff Steele Memorial (GPS: 26–55–935, 82–35–809, the numbers are not yet published) is a small section of culvert pipe with a concrete base and a bronze plaque. “Fish On” is inlaid in mosaic tile on the top. Jeff’s ashes are mixed with the concrete.

Jeff had and old boat, a Sheffield, it was a mullet boat, a utility vessel. It sat at Eldred’s Marina in Placida since

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his death and was now almost submerged. “We pumped it out, put the monument in the boat, and towed it out to the reef site,” Joseph said. “We had a pump going all the time to keep it afloat.”

“We put the monument in the water with two lift bags and I rode it all the way to the bottom,” Joseph said. When they got it down they moved it up under the bow section of the barge, on the southeast side where it will be sheltered from a northwest blow. They came up and had Margaritas. “We poured one in the water for Jeff and we drank the rest on the way back home. Jeff would have done the same for any of us.”

The Don Ball School of Fishing For 7th Graders www.WaterLIFEmagazine.com

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Funded entirely by the Charlotte Harbor Reef Association and through a grant from the Fish Florida Foundation

So Damn Hot!

September

2010

By Bi l l y Barton S pecial to Water LIFE Well how's the fishing y'all?

Everybody out there gettin’ em? It's funny looking at the boat ramps this time of year. You get there at 5 or 6 a.m. and the parking lots filling up already, then by 2 or so in the afternoon that baby’s clearing out and only the strong survive!

It's so damn hot! The fish are hot too and they get on the same schedule, they really do. But in a few months you'll notice the parking lot is virtually empty at 6 a.m. and everybody will be waiting to see the sun before they get out there.

You'll also notice once that water temperature cools down below 60 or 70 degrees the fish don't wanna’ come out till they see the sun either. I personally wish it could just be May all year round that would be great! Anyhow, there's still plenty of fun to have out there this time of year. The moral of the story, if you haven't gotten it, is just get out there early.

The tarpon fishing is on fire in the harbor still, and it should continue throughout the month of September and into October. These fish are fairly easy to find. The best way to find ‘em is to get out there and just run until you see the schools of lady fish. They tend to be out in the middle of the harbor, and the bite is usually on more in the early part of the day, or in the evening time rather than in the middle of the afternoon. Most success fishing for these fish is achieved by getting out there and catching yourself some lady fish. The ladies are what the tarpon really want this time of year. Dead or alive, large or small, it really doesn't matter. If you have some large finger mullet, big pin fish, or some thread fins they can also give you a good chance of hookin’ up with a silver king.

I had a couple fun days of fishing

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these fish early in August. In two days of fishing (by myself) I jumped seven fish and got three to the boat. I caught these fish on medium action spinning tackle and I was using large finger mullet for bait. The biggest one I got to my boat was, I'm guessing, a little over a hundred pounds, but really a handful when you are fishing alone. Being that most tarpon fight to the death, it is very important when you land a tarpon to take proper care in reviving him. The best way to do this if you're in a boat is to idle slowly while holding the fish in the water and moving his head back and forth forcing water through his gills. Don't let him go till he wants to go. Killing fish for no reason is just ignorant! Ah yes and I also took pictures of myself with these fish, so I have proof! I have officially mastered the art of taking pictures of myself with the self timer on my digital camera. I can set it for ten or twenty seconds, then put it on a bucket in front of my console, push the button, and pose. Now nobody can say I'm just telling fish stories. It really stinks catching the fish of a lifetime, knowing that you have to release it, and not having a camera. Ha ha, but you know what's worse than that? How about having a camera, with nobody to take your picture!

As far as the flats and under the bushes goes, you want to keep getting an early start, and remember that this time of year the fish want an easy meal. Cut bait is preferable for the red fish this time of year. I like to use a medium size pinfish with his tail cut off on a 1/4 ounce gold Mission Fishin’ jig head. This proves to be very effective for quality red fish in the months of August and September.

The fresh water in the harbor is just off the charts right now, and the water temperature is up there too. I know people are fishing in it, and catching fish, but

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“I have officially mastered the art of taking pictures of myself and a fish with the timer on

my digital camera.” – Billy Barton

Editor notes: The next step is mastering ʻautofocus.ʼ

I feel more confident when fishing down

by Boca Grande, Whidden Creek, Bull Bay, or getting down south a little bit during these hotter months. September is a transitional month. You will start to hear more and more stories about the harbor in the next month or so. September and October are two key months to look for schooling red fish. Some of these schools can hold up to 500 hundred fish. I'm

already hearing the stories too. They’re coming from pretty reliable sources too so I know they're true. I would tell you but I’m sworn to secrecy! Well I guess I'm gonna’ wrap it up for this month, y’all. Tarpon and red fish, that's where it's at! Go catch ‘em and don't forget your cameras. Good luck out there!

Real Estate News

Page 8

PROVIDED to Water LIFE BY: Dav e Ho fer

RE/MAX Harbor Realty

(941) 575-3777 dhofer@remax.net www.harborparadise.com

Recent area news i tems:

1. The mistakes made by Florida cities and counties during the land boom of the 20s appear to have been revisited by the City of North Port.

During that land boom, dozens of Florida taxing agencies defaulted on bonds that their taxpayers couldn't support. The land boom encouraged many of them to install roads and utility services with the expectation of being paid back from taxes generated from new housing construction. When the boom turned to bust, the bonds went unpaid, prompting state legislation requiring voter approval before major bond issues were placed.

This month, Fitch (the highly regarded municipal bond rating service) lowered its rating on North Port bonds from "stable" to "negative". They cited a chronic budget imbalance and a reluctance by their board to address the issues. This will likely produce a lid on the "cookie jar", or, at the very least, much higher interest costs for the city. For years this publication has railed about the impractical expenditures from skate board parks and showcase baseball fields to the recent acquisition of the Warm Mineral Springs Resort. Hello, is anyone listening?

2. Jeff Weiler and his 1775, LLC is still pitching to get Charlotte County to lend them $3 Mil to build an intermodal industrial park on 3 acres on Rt 17 at the I-75 interchange.

Although County Board members resoundingly discouraged taxpayer's involvement, they did, mysteriously, offer to pay for an appraisal and analysis to be performed for the concept.

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3. Job creation is the buzz word of this year's election season.

Charlotte County is trying everything it can to create new job openings from firing seven of its department heads and publishing a hit list on the rest of them, to offering tax incentives for targeted businesses. Rather than letting the marketplace determine what businesses should locate in the County, the Commissioners have voted to invite only renewable energy and transportation companies to enjoy their incentives. For some puzzling reason, "big box" retailers have been cited as being undeserving of the same treatment. Commissioners are proposing a 10 year real estate tax holiday for those that they deem worthy of the award. The tax abatement will, through some complicated formula, insure that new companies will add to the employment rolls in significant numbers.

4. The luxury RV park in El JoBean was approved by Charlotte County. The 30 acre resort will feature swimming pool, putting green, tennis courts all overlooking the Myakka River.

5. Post Falls Management, LLC will get permission to build a marina on Harborview at I-75. The plan calls for the construction of 269 wet slips on a new 600 ft freshwater canal.

Boats will be lifted across a berm to the Peace River. The marina will also have room for 192 dry boat slips.

6. Charlotte County Utilities is facing a precedent setting $6.3 million lawsuit because it failed to provide useable services to Rotonda Villas and Springs. Rotonda Project, LLC was planning to develop 150 homesites with water and sewer services.

Blaming the lack of services thought to be available to it from CCU, the project is now in foreclosure. CCU will now spend $6.9 million to redo

September

2010

New Marina Site? w vie r o rb a H

Rd

r ive R e ac e P

The plan calls for construction of 269 wet slips and a 600 ft freshwater canal. (See Item 5)

the water and sewer infrastructure for the community.

7. The Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010 passed the House. Maximum coverage from FEMA will be raised from $250K to $335K and will come with an overall 10% price increase. Deductibles will be raised from $500 to $1000 and can be increased to $5K with reduced premiums. Coastal counties will be penalized less severely than they have in the past, so premiums may actually go down in our area after the September renewals take effect.

In other news: The owners of the vacant Publix store on Rt 41 in North Port are negotiating new leases for a roller rink and a Goodwill store.

Tapas One Restaurant is now open for

business in the old Bin 82 building on Marion St in Punta Gorda. A pricey new restaurant, Table 209, has opened at 209 W Olympia next to Presseller's.

A ceramic studio has joined with S ubway to negotiate a lease in the Punta Gorda Parking Garage.

S al es S tati sti cs: Unimproved vacant lot prices appear to have bottomed out in the $5-$7K price range.

Activity in PGI waterfront lots have flattened out in the mid to upper $100s. Median prices for canal front PGI/BSI homes dipped under $300K for the first time since January. The Charlotte County foreclosure rate jumped 61% in July vs. June. New building permits in Punta Gorda reached 24 for the first 7 months vs. only 12 last year. The normal construction pace would be about 35.

September

2010

Red Grouper

By Capt. Chuck Ei chner Water LIFE Inshore A great fishing day is generally a combination of skill, perseverance and luck. In recent weeks a bit of luck has come my way offshore. My fishing partner Mickey Kieferle got this all started when we discussed what type of fishing we were going to do the following day. He suggested we go offshore and focus only on grouper. My first thought was that I was not prepared for a big offshore adventure, no tackle prep, no chart study or fresh reports.

But at 6:00 a.m. the following morning we were loading the boat and by 7:30 a.m. we had two dozen pinfish and hundreds of white bait in the well. For a bonus, we had a dozen ladyfish iced down from an unsuccessful tarpon trip days before.

Heading towards Boca Grande Mickey declared that we do not even stop the boat until were in 80 feet of water, and then look for fish. So onward we traveled aimlessly in the westerly direction. After several miles I stopped the boat and declared we must pick a point on a chart as a place to stop. I looked into my logbook and pulled out an ancient waypoint that looked to be at the right water depth.

This number was given to me from a fisherman from 25 years ago and was never checked out.

At 35mph it took over an hour to get to the waypoint. Viewing the sonar, the bottom was not impressive so we drove under plane, watching the sonar for a good bottom and fish. Baitfish began to appear in large pods over a hard bottom and the first line was dropped. Mickey had his lines rigged the night before and feathered a pinfish into the depths. As I dig for leader he yelps with a fish on! A gag grouper just undersize.

Ordering him to put his rod down so that I could rig met with a big grin as he dropped a fat pilchard to the bottom. Game on again, this time a 6 pound red grouper!

The winds were out of the northwest at 5mph and a perfect drift persisted. With two lines overboard, the next 4 hours proved to be the best offshore fishing I had ever experienced, at least for grouper.

In an area of one square mile we managed to hook and release nearly 50 red grouper! Four fish made it into the box and releasing 6- to13-pound fish became common.

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This red grouper was caught ʻsmokinʼ a ladyfish!

This was not rocket-science fishing. A good looking bottom, baitfish located on the bottom and slow drifting pinfish, cut ladyfish, squirrel fish and pilchards convinced reckless red grouper that dinner was being served. The bite was nearly non-stop the entire trip. The rigs were simple- bottom rigs with sliding sinkers or a bucktail tipped with bait. I even fished a 7 inch bass assassin on the back of a bucktail and whacked plenty of fish. These fish were super fat and coughed up small minnows and shrimp at boat side.

The following week our enthusiasm for this new sport led us to plan another trip. A handful of other anglers joined us to offset costs and after catching bait we headed offshore. Excellent sea conditions allowed us to make good time to land in the same area as the week before.

Page 9

I cautioned the anglers not to expect a repeat of the week prior but I was sure we would connect with some fish.

With our first drift under way I quickly realized that the wind and tide had us moving in a different direction than anticipated. As I shouted out that we missed our mark, Mike in front of the boat grunted with a nice fish on.

Within seconds we each struck on a nice fish and four anglers began to work their fish off the bottom.

Mike’s fish was only 6 pounds, but way above the legal 20-inch mark. I told him that he might end up releasing 12 pounders if he kept the small one, so back in the drink it went. As we continued on this drift pattern we caught fish all along a 1/3 of a mile stretch. For the next three hours we set the hook on many fish – all grouper! With 6 big ones in the cooler, Ken Ice had the big fish at an estimated 16 pounds.

On the horizon, a storm cloud pattern had set up for as far as the eye could see to the east. Meanwhile, to the west, a less threatening, but equally large, storm grew.

With the pressure on we began to catch sub-legal fish over and over. As the captain, I was challenged to make the decision to leave or hang on to get our limit. Meanwhile, I was constantly reminded about the legal fish we had been releasing….of course, all my fault.

So we fished on a little longer and had a sailfish show up at the back of the boat. A first for all of us and of course we did not have a free line rig ready to pitch to this beautiful pelagic. On this day we had live squid swim past the boat, had witnessed flying fish break from the water with big fish in pursuit and seen lots of activity on the end of the stick. With the throttle down and heading east bound we estimated we had boated 40 grouper and perhaps lost another 20 in about three hours of fishing. Without a doubt lady luck had been with us two weeks in a row. A small bit of skill, good bait and an area that apparently has everything a fish could want.

Fertile waters, calm seas and gentle breezes are the time to go offshore and explore.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Back country Charters and can be contacted for charters at 941-505-0003 or v isit www.back country -charters.com

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Cheating Continues to be an Issue in Fishing Tournaments Page 10

Edi t o r No t es * The following article appeared in the Yahoo Grind TV fishing publication in mid August.

We were talk ing about it at the local bait shop not long after it came out. Yet another fish-box , the k ind used to contain fish secretly before a tournament, had been found hidden in Bull Bay last week . That mak es four such dev ices I k now about being found locally this y ear. I am willing to bet there are others.

One observ er noted: Fish that are contained in such fish box es often show signs of bloody fin tips from where they are rubbing against the mesh walls of the cage they are k ept in. ‘You hav e to k now what to look for,’ a k nowledgeable local captain said.

Of course nobody in the bait shop wanted to hav e their name appear in print.

Tournament organizers must be the ones to tak e definitiv e steps to stop the cheating. The fact that the WON Bass Tournament (in the following article) chose not to press charges is a disgrace. This was fraud, it’s a scam, it is illegal.

And I think it sends a really bad message to the nex t generation of tournament fishermen. – MH The

Best Place to

By : Pet e Thom as A professional angler found to have stuffed lead sinkers down the throats of fish he submitted for weigh-ins during a prestigious bass-fishing tournament has been banned for life from that and other competitions in a scandal that has rocked the tightknit and passionate bass-fishing community.

Mike Hart, a successful Southern California pro whose career earnings total more than $200,000, was accused of cheating in this manner during the recent $100,000 U.S. Open held at sprawling Lake Mead on the Nevada-Arizona border.

An official with the Western Outdoor News bass tour said Hart confessed after he was caught virtually red-handed.

WON Bass will not pursue criminal charges against Hart, but the episode has tournament organizers around the country speaking out against cheating and seeking ways to prevent their events from being similarly tarnished.

"On the one hand it was a day of infamy for organized bass fishing in America," said Harvey Naslund, director of the WON circuit. "But on the other hand it was a major victory for all who have long cared for, and taken steps to protect the integrity of bassfishing tournaments."

Catching a cheat is difficult because tournaments are catch-and-release, so bass are kept in aerated wells on the boats and weighed live at the end of each fishing day, then released.

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2010

NOT VERY CREATIVE: Tournament angler Mike Hart, left, being disqualified. Right: One of the sinkers Hart stuffed in his tournament fish at the $100,000 U.S. Bass Open.

However, sometimes bass die after being caught and Hart had offered three dead fish during the weigh-in on the second-to-last day of the U.S. Open. They were filleted so the meat could be delivered to a charity, and found to contain the weights.

Officials waited until the final day to confront Hart, who turned in a full limit of five bass. All five were found to contain lead sinkers.

In all, nine sinkers were removed from bass turned in by Hart. Naslund said each sinker was torpedo-shaped and weighed two ounces. Each was attached to a short line and tied to a small treble hook, presumably to catch in the throat and hopefully keep the weights from entering the belly and being detected if the bass were cut open.

The Heat is On S peci al to Water LIFE from Capt George Frantz Not only is the heat turned up, so is the redfish bite.

Even though our own backyard is considered the most difficult place to catch these sport fish, using the right bait at the right time of year will help you land this challenging species.

The kind of bait I have been using this season is cut bait. My weapon of choice is either blue crab or ladyfish on a 3/0 hook tied to 3-feet of 25-pound fluorocarbon leader and 15-pound braided line.

The fish in the picture to the right was one of many caught on a hot August day. A decent size school of fish was piled up in a small basin on the East Wall of Charlotte Harbor and caught on chunked ladyfish using the 'bait & wait'

September

technique. This time of year yields very high tides, making bait & wait a quite common tactic.

On the other hand, when mother nature deals you a low tide and a glass calm morning, these same schools can be spotted tailing on bars in the shallow water.

It will certainly test your skills to target these tailing fish. You have to be super quiet as to not spook them, and take your time cautiously working into them. Don’t cast right on top of them, but aim at least 2- to 3- feet away and let the fish work toward the bait.

'Til the next adventure!

Capt. George Frantz, Reel Salty Adventures Our website is: www.reelsaltyadventures.com

WON Bass determined that Hart acted alone, even though he had a lower-tier "Triple-A" fishing partner aboard his boat during each of the three days of the U.S. Open.

Naslund explained that the Triple-A partner fishes from the back of the boat while the pro stands at the bow, driving Naslund said, Hart asked his partner to change places while he rigged some tackle and checked on the fish in the live-well.

"The same scenario existed on Day 1 and Day 2 of the U.S. Open," Naslund said. The angler, who would have shared part of whatever purse Hart had been entitled to after the third and final day, was given a refund for his entry fee.

Captain George and Krista Tucker with a nice redfish

Scallpop Survey Results September

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2010

By Betty S taugl er

Water LIFE / Sea Grant

On August 14th, 126 citizen-scientists participated in the 2nd Great Bay & Sound Scallop Search in Charlotte County. The search is a way of assessing bay scallop distribution and trends in abundance over time in local waters. The Charlotte County event was the first of four volunteer based scallop searches scheduled in southwest Florida. The others occurring in Sarasota Bay (August 21st), Tampa Bay (August 28th) and Pine Island Sound (August 28th).

Volunteers who participated in the search attended a required training session where they received monitoring gear and instructions on how and where to sample.

The methods we use are designed to provide uniform data that can be used to compare different areas of the bay, different areas of southwest Florida (Tampa to Pine Island Sound) and one year to the next.

A total of 36 teams went out in the Charlotte event. That comprised 32 boats and four groups of kayakers. Each team was assigned an area to sample. Sites ranged from just north of the Tom Adams Bridge down to Boca Grande and then east to Turtle Bay.

This year’s event documented 163 live scallops during the search, an increase over the 94 observed in 2009. Although these numbers are still low, the increase is a positive sign for our area.

Unfortunately, bay scallop search results in Sarasota Bay were less than encouraging this year. They counted 15 live scallops during their search this year, down from 180 in 2009 and almost 900 in 2008.

We monitor bay scallops in southwest Florida because they are an important species to both humans and the environment. When coastal waters are able to

P a g e 11

support bay scallops it is a sign of reasonably good water quality conditions.

Many volunteers participating in the Sarasota and Charlotte searches this year commented about how healthy the seagrass looked. Healthy seagrass is important habitat for bay scallops, but obviously that alone is not enough (as indicated by the low Sarasota Bay count).

Bay scallops are also monitored throughout the year by counting spat (a larval phase when scallops first settle on seagrass blades). If you see yellow and red floats together, chances are you are looking at a spat collector. Spat is monitored from St. Joe’s Bay to Pine Island Sound, with twelve sites in coastal Charlotte County. Eleven volunteers in Charlotte County are also monitoring scallops at their docks in cages. The caged scallops are part of a community restoration program where bay scallops are placed in areas to spawn, thus adding additional recruitment potential. Monthly, volunteers who have adopted the cages, collect data on their scallops. We use this information to determine the percent of survival and growth rate of the scallops.

The results of these combined monitoring programs provide resource managers with information needed to effectively manage and hopefully restore bay scallop populations. Bay scallops are extremely sensitive organisms and so short lived that their success depends upon large populations in large areas over a long enough time period to ensure one red tide event or one rainy year will not result in a collapse of this species. Hopefully, someday we will see a sustainable bay scallop population in southwest Florida. Until then, it’s nice to know there are a few happy ones out there.

Betty Staugler is the Florida Sea Grant Agent for Charlotte County. She can be reached at 941.764.4346. Sea Grant is a Univ ersity of Florida IFAS program.

Judy Ott (brown flippers) and Tracey Hawk (pink flippers) scour the bottom of Gasparilla Sound looking for scallops last month.

Below: A local scallop found near Sandfly Key. One of several found there.

LEE COUNTY RESULTS

Before the mid 1960s, Pine Island Sound supported a healthy bay scallop population, which, in turn, supported a million-dollar commercial scallop industry, but as Florida's human population and coastal development increased water quality declined, and scallop populations crashed along the Gulf Coast.

Since then, restoration projects have helped bay scallops come back in some areas.

Pine Island Sound responded to the first restoration effort in 2003 - it was the best area in the state for scallops two years later. Then after red tides in 2005 and 2006 the scallop population in 2007 and 2008 was zero or near zero. But they came back quick.

Last month, Lee County volunteers counted 335 scallops in Pine Island Sound, compared with 163 from Charlotte County, 32 from Tampa Bay and 15 from Sarasota County.

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September

2010

Manatees vs. Warm Water Discharges On the Line

By Capt Ron Bl ago, Water LIFE S enior S taff It’s been a terrible year so far.

Extremely cold winter, hot summer, heavy rains, oil spill and economic down turn. It’s enough to make any fisherman irritable; and it doesn’t take much to get my blood boiling.

Just mention the word manatee and I can just feel my blood pressure going off the chart. Last week there was an article in the local paper about the poor manatee. Now after 15 years of writing about manatees I get pretty use to the same old arguments, using half truths and distorted data to back them up.

This article wasn’t much different than all the others. It started out with the “pity the poor manatee approach” pointing out that a record number of manatees have died so far this year. This is true; so far up until the end of July there have been 607 deaths. An all time record; already breaking last year’s record total of 429. We will probably see over 700 dead manatees in 2010.

Then the article goes into the boater bashing, pointing out that watercraft collisions is the single greatest human threat to the manatee. This is a halftruth at best. Year after year, watercraft deaths account for approximately 23% of all manatee deaths. As a matter of fact it is amazing how consistent that number has been over the 30 years of data the FWC has generated. So far this year, there have been 56 watercraft related deaths as compared to a 2009 total of 97: but when you compare the number of watercraft deaths to total death so far in 2010, you only get 9.2%. But believe me no one is going to point that fact out because it would make the boaters look too good. Do you really think you will ever see a headline that says Percentage of manatee deaths due to

watercraft reaches record low? Probably not. The real unusual fact of 2010 is the record number of manatee cold stress deaths. To give you a little perspective, in 2008 there were 27 cold related deaths, in 2009 there were 68, in 2010 there were 243 deaths. Talk about an outliner data point.

Unless you consider Al Gore’s failure to deliver on his promise of global warming; you can’t blame boaters for this mess. What really set me off was a quote in the article from someone at the FWC who said thank goodness for our warm water discharges or there would have been even more deaths. I can not disagree more with that statement.

There are two types of warm water discharges in Florida. Natural discharges, which are rivers and streams where manatees will congregate like the Crystal River up north; and artificial warm water discharges which are power plants.

Before the power plants were built, manatees migrated as far south as they had to go to stay warm during the winter. They headed for the Everglades and Florida Bay, and as we now know manatees travelled in deep water off shore to Cuba, Porte Rico and even further south.

But after the power plants were built each year hundreds of manatees stacked up in the power plants’ artificial discharge of warm water during the winter.

But at the power plants there was no food for the manatees to eat and the unnatural exposure to warm water lowered their resistance to infection and disease, all while people watched them from observation platforms built with taxpayer’s money. Now there’s a monument to man’s stupidity.

This problem was pointed out to state officials over 30 years ago, but they chose to ignore it. The power plants were more important than the manatee at that time. As the years went on they

Manatees are born wanderers and explorers, like this pod that made its way up to a flooded field off Horse Creek last month. Manatees will easily find their way south in the winter if the warm water discharge from FPLʼs power plants is shut off.

slowly shifted the public perception on the greatest threat to manatees as being the boater.

“Boaters are the easiest part of the equation to control,” Kip Frohlich of the FWC said and they put their efforts and our money into controlling boaters with miles of useless manatee slow zones.

It’s time to start undoing the mess we have made of manatee protection. We

have to start slowly turning down the temperature of these artificial discharges and eventually phase them out altogether. I know that at first many more manatees will die, but unfortunately that is the price for our arrogance and stupidity.

It’s time for the manatee experts to find other jobs and return the protection of the manatee back over to Mother Nature.

St. Pete Open September

2010

By Adam Wi l don Water LIFE Diving Team WreckReation covered a lot of ground last month, scouting in preparation for the St. Pete Open, the world’s largest spearfishing tournament put on by the St. Pete Underwater Club. With over 300 skilled shooters entered, this year’s competition was the second largest in the events 45 year history.

We had our choice of deep spots to dive from Sarasota to Fort Myers. We decided to run southwest out of Stump Pass about 60 miles to an area of ledges and hard bottom in 170 feet. With good weather in the forecast we left after the Friday night captains’ meeting so we could be in the water at daybreak. You can shoot anywhere in the world for this tournament, as long as you are back in the weigh-in line before 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Seas were flat calm as we cruised west and watched a big red moon rise. Anchoring up near our first spot we did manage a few hours of sleep before sun up. Our first problem arose shortly thereafter. When we went to pull the anchor we soon found out it was firmly stuck on the Gulf floor. Ordinarily this is not a big deal, but in 170 feet with only a certain amount of bottom time and breathing gas, burning up either shortens the amount of time we can spend shooting fish.

Rolling off the back of the boat I inflated my rig and discovered I was already 20 feet behind the boat. The current was ripping and it took everything I had just to make it to the anchor line. I advised my dive buddy Carl to get a tow to the anchor line from someone onboard after taking the plunge. We fought the current down the anchor line all the way to the bottom. Even though it lessened slightly at depth, seaweed and other debris was still floating by us at a good clip on the bottom. We had anchored in the sand a few hundred feet away from our ledge and I discovered our anchor had managed to find the only rocky hole in sight.

The hole was The wreck Fantastico just big

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enough to grab our anchor, what are the odds on that, I thought, as I checked my pressure gauge before leaving for the surface.

With such a strong current, trying to descend down a weighted buoy marker line wasn’t an option. Captain Charlie zeroed the GPS and then drove us up current about 100 feet before yelling GO! Carl and I dropped like a rock with our double-tank setups. At 130 feet I could see a few good sized black grouper sitting on top of the ledge 40 feet below me. The closest one to me was only about 35 pounds and nowhere near big enough to really place anywhere high, but he just wouldn’t turn and run.

Ten feet away and I just couldn’t resist. I pulled the trigger and made him a unicorn as he turned white and rolled over with a 5/16th inch shaft protruding from his cranium.

Slamming another shaft into my gun, Carl and I

met at the undercut part of the ledge at the same time. I shined my light into the 20 foot deep cavern and we could both see the groupers stacked up. Like most fish behave, the larger ones had the choice location in the back and the smaller fish were near the opening.

I pulled the trigger first and all hell broke loose. In an instant the cave exploded like an i.e.d. had been detonated. Instantly I could hear my shaft clanging off the rocky ceiling. Carl let loose with a shaft not realizing he forgot to attach his line and it disappeared into the silt cloud. I pulled hard and got my fish out after it completely pretzeled my steel shaft as if it were a coat hanger. The power of a big grouper, or any big fish for that matter, is too hard to explain until you feel it for yourself. I cannot bend one of my shafts with just my hands.

Only after putting it in a vice and using my body weight

Page 13

can I make a slight bend. I tried to pull my fish closer to get a grip and use his own thrashing mass to severe his spine with my knife. He had other plans and broke my spear in two and ripped off the flopper keeping him attached. I loaded my final spear and watched carefully to see if he bolted across the sandy expanse or went back under the ledge. Fortunately for me, but not him, he chose the latter.

This time a well placed shaft dispatched him.

Meanwhile Carl discovered where his free-flung shaft landed as a 60 plus pound black grouper came out of the cavern looking like he had seen better times. Carl’s fortune had been better and although he didn’t stone his fish, it was highly handicapped. I strung up my two smaller fish and watched Carl’s grouper gently roll over and lay on the bottom.

With both of his shafts already expelled and no sign of them anywhere, he wasted no time in jumping on its back and turning out the lights with his knife.

With the majority of our breathing mix used up on anchor retrieval and wrestling king sized carbos, it was time to go. After 20 minutes on the bottom we had already compiled a near 30 minute decompression and ascent time. There were more and bigger grouper under that ledge. The temptation to just take one more look is strong, especially on tournament day. Self control differentiates bold divers from old divers.

Carl’s fish weighed in at 62.3 pounds and took 2nd place in the grouper division. 1st place grouper was Matt Joswig’s 63.4 pound monster. Mine was smaller and on a typical year would have been way down the line, but I managed to pull off a 6th place finish with my 40.7 pound black. It was great to see so many local faces at the weigh-in. The prize table was so fat, people picking in last place, or with no fish turned in at all, were snagging prizes worth around $40 and everyone was smiling!

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September

2010

Whoʼs Gonna Fix This?

By Mi chael Hel l er Water LIFE Editor You can pay me now or you can pay me later. That was the concept for a successful oil filter commercial. You can’t put off the inevitable. Charlotte County should reflect on this concept.

The canals and more importantly the seawalls in Port Charlotte are 50 years old and most tie-backs are rusted out. In 2003 we saw what a significant amount of rain did to our seawalls. Five miles of them fell in. But Punta Gorda had a canal maintenance district so the canal front lot owners didn’t have to pay, and the City of Punta Gorda was eligible for

Federal assistance because they had already established a maintenance district. In unincorporated Charlotte County, where there is no maintenance district, Federal funds were not available so it affected property owners who paid big. In 2003, there was a 20-inch rainfall in one weekend. The hydrostatic pressure built up behind the seawalls knocked them over when the tide went out. The same thing could easily happen with a storm surge that topped the seawalls and saturated the ground. A storm surge on already saturated ground would be a very big disaster.

At of the end of last month’s rain numerous homeowners not on the sewer system were reporting they couldn’t flush their toilets because their septic tanks were backed up by the high ground water. That is a telling warning.

What about the deterioating docks? Thatʼs another good question.

I sent the Charlotte County Commissioners an email asking what their plan is? Are they going to wait for a disaster and then hope the Feds will bail them out? What if that doesn’t happen, what is plan B? I have yet to get an answer.

With so many vacant canal front lots and so many vacant canal front houses and foreclosed bank owned houses the money probably won’t be available from the property owners. So would the county fix the seawalls themselves and assess it back against the property taxes? Could they do that? Do they have the money to

fix things in an emergency?

This is important because when a seawall falls out the land behind it washes into the canal. I have seen a 4-foot wide three foot deep area 125 feet wide disappear in less than two tides. Left unattended such erosion is likely to affect the infrastructure. The culverts, the sewer and water system become at risk.

Even the roadbeds could be affected.

So what is the county’s plan? How will they handle this?? I think that is a fair question. I think we are entitled to an intelligent and well thought out plan in advance. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay more later because our elected officials didn’t have a plan in advance.

September

Day Trip:

2010

Weeki Wachee

By El l en Hel l er Water LIFE Publisher Sometime during my most impressionable years, probably in the 1960’s, I saw an ad, TV special or maybe just a colorful bumper sticker wired on to a station wagon for Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. Somehow they reached this little girl in the very small town of Clinton Hollow, NY and I was gob smacked. The idea of women dressed in green and blue sequin scales, posing as mermaids and performing underwater ballet, gave me goose bumps. I envisioned them with pearl encrusted tiaras in flowing manes of hair, ample bosoms held in place with scallop shells, in a pristine tank of blue. I talked about mermaids and Weeki Wachee Springs until my entire family had enough. Okay I vowed silently, but I'm going there when I grow up. Little did I know how very grown up I would be.

Forty years later, 13 years of them in Florida, I finally went to Weeki Wachee Springs, and dragged my husband with me. Today it is a State Park but back in the day it was privately owned. The underground springs keep the tropical water a constant 74 degrees. The pond that the springs form had several water slides pouring adults and children alike into the crystal clear water. The swimming area neatly overflowed and created a slow moving Bahama-blue river that served as another way to enjoy the water, by tour boat. The park was built in the 40’s and still maintains that period feel. Low cinder block buildings housed kitschy gift

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shops, ice cream and fudge shops, and a table cloth type sit down restaurant. Paths meandered around an outdoor ampitheater for special shows and local wild life scurried around with imported peacocks.

While we were strolling the grounds I played it cool, but I was extremely anxious to get on with the show. This was nice, but where were the mermaids? The next show was at 1:30 and I made sure we were near the front of the line.

Soon, but not soon enough for all the rambunctious kids swinging on the rail, climbing on adults and squealing with delight, the doors opened.

The entrance to the theater was below ground level and the seating was below that. It took a minute for our eyes to adjust to the dark, but it was easy to see a wall of glass holding back the spring. It was veiled first in a theatrical cloth curtain, then a curtain of bubbles rose behind that. We headed to the front close to the glass.

Not long after we were seated 2 flat screen TVs on either side of the small curved seating area came to life and a large voice boomed a welcome from a speaker in each corner of the room. I was thrilled with the anticipation of hose sucking mermaids and a little annoyed at having to hear the history of Weeki Wachee. Although hearing that the current Mayor of Weeki Wachee was once a mermaid did catch my attention. When the first curtain went up and the bubbles stopped bubbling I couldn't believe my eyes. This was so totally NOT what I expected at all.

This murky, muddy bottomed underwater cave with moss covered rock walls and

grecian statues was not the sterile aquarium I dreamt about. Where was the pristine tank with bright lights and glitz, shinny like an aquarium? I was quietly swallowing my disappointment when an algae covered "rock" moved off the bottom and swam towards the top, followed by three or four convict fish. Another rough looking turtle swam to the window in front of me then did a graceful turn and also headed up for air. And fast as that turtle I realized this was so much better than what I had expected. This was the real McCoy and the true inhabitants were not the visiting mermaids but these real water dwellers who were free to come and go as they pleased. In and out of the show or down the lazy river away from the crowds if they chose. They were not trained or contained but they still hung out with the mermaids and became part of the show.

Would they have enjoyed my Hollywood set? I think not.

The mermaids were enchanting in their

Page 15

grace and poise, performing water ballets while releasing air from their lungs, small bits at a time to change altitude, much the way a diver uses a buoyancy vest.

These women must learn to breath from hoses gushing out air bubbles without breaking the dance routine or the serene mood. It was not unlike watching penguins underwater in a dark zoo exhibit, calming and the natural surroundings enhanced the feeling. Even the mermaid costumes, though lacking sequins and pearls and a little tattered, lent themselves to the underwater surroundings. Just maybe over the years I have learned to appreciate genuine beauty and see through the sleek, slick and sequined.

Although the landscape and buildings had seen better days, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is far better than the glitz, glam and over the top commercial feeling new theme parks are offering families elsewhere in Florida today.

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Page 16

September

2010

SCUTTLEBUTT Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

NEW MARINA AT I-75 In case you missed the news on Page 8, a new marina is slated for the parcel on Harborview just east of the I-75 southbound on ramp. A 461 boat marina that will lift boats over the berm to put them in the river. We始re not sure how this is going to work, but somebody must have a plan. This is shallow water and allegedly a favorite spot for manatees... so this could get interesting.

ALL TACKLE RECORD 41-POUND 7-OZ BROWN TROUT CAUGHT IN WISCONSIN

BOAT HOUSE OPENING IN ENGLEWOOD This has to be a good sign for the economy.

The Boat House of Cape Coral which once had a dealership on US 41 just north of the Peace River bridge is coming back to Charlotte County with a second location on Placida Road near Stump Pass Marina in Englewood. They claim to be the largest Hurricane and Sweetwater boat dealer in the world. We wish them luck.

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SPATTERDOCK, NAIAD & MUSKGRASS The canal near Cape Coral's Hancock Bridge Parkway is virtually lifeless and packed with aquatic weeds. Boaters have taken their boats out of the water because the weeds clogged the motor. "We had ducks before, huge turtles, otters and an anhinga. They're all gone. We can't even fish here. It's ugly," a resident said. Many of Cape Coral's freshwater canals are in the same weedy situation, with massive infestations of such plants as cobamba, spatterdock, southern naiad, muskgrass and hydrilla. At the root of the problem are excess nutrients from fertilizers and septic tanks.

WHAMMO Officers responded to a boating accident that occurred involving a 23Qfoot Nautic Star. The boat had seven occupants on board and was towing a skier. The boat struck a dock causing the dock house to collapse on top of the boat. One of the female passengers was air lifted and transported to the hospital. The female passenger sustained several facial fractures and damaged teeth, but no life threatening injuries. It is possible alcohol was involved.

AW SHUCKS FWC officers conducted inspections of commercial shellfish harvesters at Cat Point oyster bar near Cedar Key. The officers boarded several vessels and conducted size tolerance inspections on the shellfish. Seven misdemeanor citations were issued to harvesters for possession of undersized oysters.

MORE SHUCKS On the evening of July 30, officers responded to a complaint of a com-

mercial shellfish vessel parked at a dwelling that appeared to be loaded with oysters. The officers located the vessel and harvester at his home and conducted an investigation.

They found that the harvester had returned to the mainland late in the evening after his seafood dealer had closed. The harvester stated that he intended on selling the oysters the following morning when the dealer reopened. The officers explained the danger and associated health risks of selling shellfish that had not been properly cooled. The officers found that the bags of oysters had not been tagged. The harvester was issued a misdemeanor citation for possession of untagged bags of oysters and the seven bags of oysters were seized and returned to the water.

CHARGED WITH POSSESSION When the sheriff始s deputy arrived at the residence, he found the couple had a spotted fawn deer in the living room. The following day, Officer Troy Starling interviewed the suspects at the jail and both admitted to picking up the deer approximately two months ago.

They were charged with possession of a spotted fawn.

CAMPER HAS ROOM FOR A MERCEDES

FLIPPER FOOD An officer observed an individual feeding cigar minnows to dolphins near the east jetties of the Panama City pass.

The officer observed the dolphins swim directly to the individual's personal watercraft (PWC) while other personal watercraft were in the area. The individual noticed the officer and entered the water as he approached.

When the subject entered the water, the dolphins immediately swam around him. The officer picked the subject up from the water and transported him back to his PWC. The officer located cigar minnows in the vessel's front hatch. Further investigation revealed the subject was a commercial tour guide. He admitted to entering the water with bait in his pockets to feed the dolphins because he said he got better tips from the people on the tour.

The officer issued a citation to the subject.

PAY FWC FOR INVESTIGATION The father and son commercial fishermen, convicted of felony trap molestation, were sentenced to four years probation, eight hours of community service, their fishing licenses revoked and they are banned from the waters of the state in Monroe County. In addition, the father, a former Key Largo elected official, was sentenced to four months in jail. Bail was set at $50,000 each. The judge ordered each subject to pay FWC $5,000 for the cost of the investigation and $8,392 to the judicial system for the cost of prosecution.

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From the Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

September

2010

By Capt. Ji m O'Bri en Water LIFE Englewood Hey y-all, how has your fish'n been this last month? Great I hope. This last month has still been awesome for fish'n.

The weather hasn't changed, 87 to 89 degree water temp. and 5 to 10 kt. breezes. Night time snapper fish'n’s almost dead calm most of the time.

The redfish action has been best around Gasparilla Pass and around the upper part of Charlotte Harbor. Gold 1/4 oz. spoons and live shrimp have been doing the best job.

The trout bite has been slow, from talking to a few avid trout fishermen.

They said they’re catching a few trout around Pine Island Sound and they are catching some trout in Turtle Bay also.

Tarpon are all over most of Charlotte Harbor, and around the bridge's at El Jobean and the Peace River U.S. 41 bridge. Look for tarpon in the deeper holes of the Harbor.

The report's on snook fish'n has been pretty good. The beaches and Stump Pass are holding some nice fish. ( DO NOT FORGET SNOOK FISH'N IS STILL CLOSED) There are still a lot of sharks just off

the beaches and on most of the inshore and offshore reefs and wrecks – mostly blacktip and spinner sharks. They’re also in the Harbor and just outside Bull Bay. The grouper fish'n has been real good out 90 to110 feet of water. The mangrove snapper and the yellowtail snapper are still chewing in 60 to 85 feet of water. The greater amberjack (a.k.a. reef donkeys) are still on most of the offshore wrecks.

This month we have no reports on cobia or permit, maybe next month we will have something to say on them.

The picture for this month is this ol' Capt. here catch'n a goliath grouper and, man, I mean to tell ya, these bad boys will test your strength and every muscle in your body. They are on about every piece of structure in the Gulf. We are getting them from 150 to 600 pounds. If they ever open a season on goliath grouper, I have places in the Gulf that have 75 to 150 of these big bad boys, places that I call my house of pain. Yes my friend, if you want to test your muscles out, I have just the place for you.

I have an interesting story I'd like to share with y-all. I had a call about two weeks ago from an avid fisherman that

A Fishing Trip to Remember

By Peter S anderson Special to Water LIFE On Saturday July 31st I set off at 6 a.m. for a day’s fishing. A friend was unable to accompany me, so I was alone.

After a good morning fishing some favorite spots for snapper and redfish, I headed for Charlotte Harbor to fish for sharks. I picked a spot 3 miles from the pass and a similar distance to land both East and West. Water depth was about 12 foot with a 10 knott westerly wind and an outgoing tide. I put out the customary chum bag, with two shark poles, each baited with hefty lumps of cut bait. Then it was time for lunch and the waiting game to see if the chum slick would attract anything interesting.

After only 10 minutes I looked over the side of the boat and saw a hammerhead, which was around 10 feet long and was coursing around the boat like it was urgently looking for dinner. While I was wondering whether I wanted to get involved with a fish that size, I noticed another large hammerhead a few feet behind the boat and even more sharks a bit further back.

I realized that if a shark that size took my bait and I wanted to bring it to the boat, I would need to gently chase it down before it stripped all my line, so I started the engine.

Within seconds the bait was taken and the shark headed forward past the bow. I was now mid-ships with the center console just behind me.

I felt the shark pulling me towards the edge of the boat, so I instinctively reached for the grab rail on the console to steady my balance. Instead of the rail, I accidentally grabbed the throttle and pulled hard. In less than a second the boat shot forward and I was in the water.

reads the Water LIFE every month. The real twist to this story is the fisherman's name is John Chistianson and he is from Kenosha Wisconsin, over 2,000 miles away. John told me he looks forward to reading my article From the ol' fish'n hole every month. Now I want to tell ya, that made ol' Capt. here feel pretty dag-gum good. I have been writing article's for about 7 years. I have only had two other calls that was farther away.

One was from British Columbia, and the other was from Canada, so John your in

Page 17

the top 3. I think it's great. Thanks!

Well, I guess I have flapped my lips long enough, so until next month, Remember: Get out and snort some of that good cl ean sal t ai r cuz - i t's good fer ya!

If y ou hav e any questions or if y ou hav e a good ol' fishin’ story or a recipe for cook ing fish that I can share with our readers giv e me a call.

To book an offshore charter with us aboard the Predator II call (941) 473-2150

and Why I Am Now Called ʻLuckyʼ

My motor is a 225, 4 stroke Yamaha, so the boat was instantly racing at 30 MPH. The steering was hard over, so the boat raced around in circles missing me by a few feet every 40 seconds. Each time it passed, a 4 foot wave of white foam passed over my head pushing me under the water and choking me.

After 10 minutes of fighting this nightmare, I was hit on my hip by the propeller, resulting in a fractured pelvis and a gash which would later require 16 stitches.

I was now pouring blood and became an injured chumbag in shark infested waters. (Have you ever noticed that water is only considered to be infested if there are sharks in it?) After a further 10 minutes of fighting to avoid my boat, my luck finally changed.

I was weakening fast and realized it was likely I was going to die. A few boats had passed, but they were at least a mile away and didn’t even slow down. At last a boat slowed and came within a ¼ mile distance. They did not see me but actually stopped to see why my boat was constantly going round in circles.

Then my real stroke of luck came. I always wear a big floppy white sun hat on the boat. When I fell in it disappeared off my head. After 20 minutes of turmoil and finally an opportunity to be saved, I saw the white hat floating just a few inches from my hand.

I picked it up and waved and shouted with renewed energy and within a few minutes I was saved. My rescuers later admitted they were about to go on their way when they saw the white hat. They did not see my arm or my head.

While I was being repaired at the ER the Sheriff phoned to say that my boat had been saved undamaged and was tied up at the dock awaiting collection at my

convenience.

I hope to be fully recovered and back at work in a few weeks.

This is the first time I have described this experience in writing and I assure you it is factual. Others have exchanged this story on the Internet and Facebook and it has reached the stage where I was in the water for years and was eaten by Moby Dick!

Postscri pt:

I was lucky that I did not drown.

I was lucky that I was not eaten by sharks.

I was lucky that I was not killed by my boat.

I was lucky that my white hat appeared by my hand at the most opportune moment.

Hi ndsi ght i s a wonderful thi ng:

The moment I hit the water I realized that all my forms of communication were still on the boat. The boat was fully equipped with safety equipment, but I was not wearing a life jacket. There is a kill switch on the ignition which you can attach by a lanyard to your belt. If you fall from the boat the engine immediately cuts out.

I had not done this. Most people don’t.

I will go fishing again. I will go shark fishing again.

I will not go alone.

My white hat is now laundered and ready for future use. I am having a label sewn on the front which will say: - Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky idiot!

I am hoping that this story will be made into a book and a film. I am looking for volunteers to play the part of me!

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Oyster Creek Paddle

Page 18

By Davi d Al l en Water LIFE Kayaking The day couldn’t have started off much worse. The evening weather forecast said “Rain, Rain, Rain” for the early morning hours and sure enough it did. We had scheduled a club paddle starting at 8:30 a.m. and at 7:45 it was still raining hard in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda where most of our members live. Then it stopped, at least in Port Charlotte. Since it’s about 20 miles from Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte to Oyster Creek, we didn’t expect many to make the trip and sure enough, only a few paddlers decided to take a chance that the weather would clear up. Some members did make the trip, and those that did were rewarded with a great paddle as the weather changed from rainy to sunny.

So exactly where is Oyster Creek? It’s not easy to find even with detailed directions. The Oyster Creek launch site is in Englewood, but don’t confuse it with the 420 acre Oyster Creek Regional Park with an entrance on San Casa Drive. The entrance to the launch site is off Placida Rd. immediately south of the Lemon Bay High School. It is also almost directly across Placida Rd, from the Cedar Point Environmental Center.

There has been a lot of construction at the school site making the entrance even more difficult to find.

Once you enter the park, the launch area has been improved with gravel roads and a gravel path down to the water. The sandy beach is ideal for launching a kayak without scraping-up the bottom. The parking is somewhat limited, but there is enough room for about 10-12 cars. There are no restroom facilities at this site.

No sooner had we put our kayaks into the Creek and the sky started to clear up and blue sky appeared. Great!

Now a short paddle, about 0.75 miles, and we were in

September

2010

Lemon Bay. The rain had kept many of the powerboats off the water, so we could paddle toward Stump Pass with few wakes to rock our boats.

Stump Pass is one of our favorite places to paddle because the beaches are pristine.

There is usually lots of wildlife in the area and it gives us a spot to beach the kayaks, have a snack and take a swim in the warm Gulf waters. How can you beat that for a pleasant outing? We were all surprised by the amount of shoaling in the inlet which had narrowed the main channel down to about 150 feet. And the incoming tide was really causing some strong currents and tidal waves in the pass. We did see one paddler enter the pass and make his way east into the quiet waters of Lemon Bay, but his kayak had an outrigger for added support in the rough water.

More power to him….it was a tough paddle.

We took our time on the beach, had an The launch site is between Lemon Bay high school and Placida Road energy bar and did some shelling. By this time the sun had come out in full force and paddles that can easily be reached from Oyster Creek. we were ready for a cooling swim. Very refreshing!

Palm Island and Thorton Key are the nearest, just south On the return trip, we took the route due north along of Stump Pass. But a little further south is Don Pedro the east shore of Manasota Key, just west of Whidden Island with its beautiful un-crowded beaches. All in all, Key. This route took us past Stump Pass Park on the it turned out to be a beautiful day and a good paddle with south end of Manasota Key and then past the beach friends. homes that dot the shoreline. This is a little longer way home, ending just west of the Cedar Point The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesday evening at 5:30 PM at Port Charlotte Beach Park at the Environmental Park, but there are several bald eagle end of Harbor Blvd. All are welcome to attend. For nests at the Park and we hoped to see one of those beauadditional information contact Dave Allen at 941-235tiful birds.

2588 or dlaa@comcast.net The paddle to Stump Pass is only one of several good

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September

2010

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The Flying Scott

S t aff R eport : There is a move afoot to develop a Flying Scot fleet here in Charlotte Harbor. Martin Holland is the man leading the charge.

The Flying Scot is a 19-foot day sailer with a 6’9� beam that is sailed throughout North America.

It is a quality boat. The large, deep cockpit is ideal for family sailing, providing safe, comfortable sailing for, (they claim) up to 8 people. Realistically, for local racing, a crew of two or three would find the Scot a great boat for competition. The Flying Scot is easily trailered and rigged in about 20 minutes; and can be launched in as little as 12-inches of water. The Scot's performance offers thrills to even the experienced sailor and provides for tight, competitive racing. There are more than 100 fleets racing Flying Scots in the USA and Canada.

The Flying Scot was designed in 1957 by Gordon K. (Sandy) Douglass and new Flying Scots have been in constant production ever since. The new Scots are all identically constructed by Flying Scot, Inc.. Strict class rules prevent changes that could make older boats obsolete. With over 5300 boats built, used boats are usually available. In 1998, the Flying Scot was included in the American Sailing Hall of Fame.

The sail plan consists of main, jib and spin-

naker. The rigging and deck layout are deliberately simplified, which shifts the focus away from tuning and boat speed and toward the excitement of tactical racing.

The Flying Scot Sailing Association sponsors many national, district and regional events each year. In addition to the North American Championship (open to any Scot sailor who wishes to attend), there is a Wife/Husband National Championship, a Midwinters, a bi-annual Canadian National Championship along with many regional, district and local events with distinctive individual character.

The Flying Scot has been used for many of the US Sailing events including the Mallory, Adams, Sears Cup Championships and Championship of Champions. The Scot helped premier sailing to the Special Olympics World Games in 1995 as the official two athlete boat.

Racing fleets, however, only account for about one-half of the Flying Scots sailing. The boat is an excellent gunk hole cruiser and family day sailer.

There are frequent non-race events in popular cruising areas. Sailing a Flying Scot, owners say, can be like joining a large family -- the class is well known for welcoming new sailors and helping them improve, strong friendships and great social events.

Martin Holland can be reached at 286-0722

Page 19

Don Gasgarth of Charlotte County Ford fame (in the colorful shorts) was one of the sailors last month, putting in a Flying Scot class boat at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club. The club has a new lift designed for just this kind of popular trailer sailboat.

Page 20

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September

2010

The Water Water LIFE LIFE Distributor始s Club

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Pick up a copy of Water LIFE at any of these and 120+ other locations. Water LIFE is not affiliated with any newspaper or other publication and is distributed FREE at select locations around the state. These free ads to our loyal distributors rotate on a monthly basis.

If you would like this publication for distribution at your business please call us at 941-766-8180

Fishing ReportSeptember

2010

Charlotte Harbor:

Robert at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888

This is going to be a guessing game for the next week because of the excess rain. I think we are going to be set back a week on redfi sh moving into the harbor.

There will be a heavier concentration along the ICW now, but as the rain subsides and the salinity balances out we will see more of those redfishfish breaking into separate schools and moving into the harbor.

Shrimp has been working well on redfish and that should hold true into September. Cut ladyfish and cut mullet should be good bait too. The warm dark water will keep the fish smelling more than looking for food.

The early morning bite should be fairly productive with a small top water plug like a Spook or a Zippin Ziggy. Soft plastics will

be a great lure overall, something like the Gulp shrimp or the Exude dart or the Mirrolure producer scented baits The Mirrodine a suspending bait that you can work very slowly is good because the fish aren’t very aggressive in the heat. It is also a great locator Full Six-Pak: lure for finding the schools because you can cover a lot of area quickly.

The fish should be in 4- to 5-feet of water where you won’t see them. You have to look for a slight push on the surface. Key spots, like down around Useppa and Patricio are where they will be through this month and into next. I think this month is almost as good as October for schools of redfish. The area around Sandfly Key and the bar between Bull and Turtle Bay should all be holding redfish this month. We have had reports of mixed sized redfish from 20- to 32-inches. It’s getting to that time of year when you have scattered sizes from 20- to 34-inches.

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Page 21

A hatless guide with five clients fishes the channel at Placida on a hot August morning

You’d have to work at it to find the rat reds right now.

Tarpon are scattered because of all the rain too. The ladyfish are really starting to school up right now and the tarpon are transitioning from glass minnows to ladyfish for food since this is the time tarpon start to bulk up before they migrate south. Look for birds diving and rolling or free jumping fish. The really good spots are at the upper end of the harbor: Whorehouse point, up into the Myakka to El JoBean, and around in front of Ponce and Port Charlotte Beach.

Fishing Report

Continued on following page

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Page 22

Fishing Report .

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The The BIG-4 BIG-4

Fish Fish to to expect expect in in

September September

September

Go

2010

Fishing Do Not Stop!

conti nued from page 21 Tarpon are also in the middle of the harbor in the TARPON ARE all still around REDFISH are showing up in SHARK smaller ones are SNOOK coming in from offdeep holes. And there will schools, holding to the south the Harbor and the passes shore but season is CLOSED still everywhere still be some tarpon in the Pass and along the beaches.

The fish on the beaches seem to be likeing threadfins, 4- to 6-inch long pinfish and D.O.A. Bait Busters.

S nook season is still closed. Theoretically the snook are moving off the 4265 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte beaches and will continue to do so for the entire month.

941 - 625-2700 There should be a constant 700 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda flow of snook coming in 941 - 637-0019 from Sarasota Pass down to 10,000 Islands. The night bite is better if you are fishing from along the beach, September 11 Purate Invasion Fishermen’s but if you are in the passes Village. Watersports, Free.575-3000 and at the ICW docks or Blacktips and spinners continue to be prevelant around the area. structure inside, the snook They are great fun on light tackle.

September 11 & 18 About Boati ng S afel y, will chew during the daytime USCG Flotilla 87 ,$25, 697-9435 area. That’s my theory anyway. too. Big pinfish, whitebait, suspending baits are the pan and then let the current do the work Lemon Bay: September 24-26 Caloosa Tournament Series, for you. Snook will be feeding for the winter.

Summer Slam Shootout, Fort Myers Beach, Jim at Fishermen’s Edge, Out along the beaches and in the passes, 239-671-9347 Englewood: 697-7595 there are whi ti ng and still a few oddball pomNot a lot of guides have had any trips at all. pano. Pompano should get nothing but bet September 25- Snoopy Pole Fishing Some havent fished a paying trip since the midter toward the end of this month. S napper Tournament, Port Charlotte Beach Complex, dle of July. But everybody I know that is going should get even better this month toward the Heaviest legal Fish Wins! $10 entry, fishing is catching all the fish they want. A guy end too, especially in the passes. The inshore 1st Place $350, 941-2780-7823 came in and showed me his cut up hands yesterones tend to get pushed out by the fresh water day. People are leaving me nice packages of filand the offshore snapper move in chasing the Oct. 1-3 Conservancy of Southwest Florida lets. There are a lot of fish being caught. bait and other stuff being flushed out by the RedSnook Charity Tournament, Registration forms There has been decent trout around, from river. They’s all moving now. online. e-mail: info@conservancy.org Fishing Matlachea to Pine Island. Towards the back There are still quite a few small sharks Send your calendar events to: Mostly bl ackti ps and spi nners all around the country here there are snook and redfi sh.

RIGHT NOW: waterlife@comcast.net Harbor and still a few big bul l sharks and There are pompano around the Tom Adams hammerheads. It seems like they are followPier and along the beach front. One guy said he ing the ladyfish. caught 60 the other day with a Silly Willy jig. Fishermenʼs Village The bait fish are concentrated into balls We have had S naper and grouper, still Pirate Invasion because of salinity. The fish are tight together some mackerel and big kings... gi ganti c and following the tide line. It’s all about saliniSaturday, Sept 11 high noon ki ngfi sh – 60 pound kings! Travis Ormond ty, it brings all the fish together into one small lost a giant from the boat while trying to take a Your decorated boats (pirate ships) picture. armed with your favorite And there are plenty of tarpon still up in water weapons (great possibiliCharlotte Harbor. The guys that are going are ties!) will be encouraged to parade by throwing Bait Busters or big pinfish to keep away from the catfish. The catfi sh have even and soak everyone along been biteing topwater baits; big 128 Sammy Fishermenʼs Village west dock and restaurant. topwater – a 5 inch long lure... by catfish!

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2010

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September

2010

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