C Ch ha ar rllo ot tt te e H Ha ar rb bo or r a an nd d L Le em mo on n B Ba ay y Keeping Fishermen and Boaters Informed since 1997
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May 2013 Better than a 6 pound Bass!
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Inshore and Offshore Headquarters
LETTERS
To the Editor, My name is Maralee McGowen and I along with my partner, Tony Millan, are the owners of the new Tortugaʼs Seafood Restaurant in Punta Gorda. We opened in February and are thrilled with our strong start. We sincerely thank the people in Punta Gorda/Charlotte County that have welcomed us to the community. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the referrals have kept us extremely busy. I am writing this letter in regards to some negative comments by one of your contributors, Mr. Dave Hofer of ReMax Harbor Realty in the April issue of Water LIFE. I am appreciative of customer feedback, both positive and negative. I have been in the customer service industry for over 30 years and those who have come to know me through my business, Harbor Seafood in Port Charlotte, know that customer satisfaction is extremely important to me. Mr. Hofer, it would have been more professional and more appreciated if you had discussed your concerns with me personally, as I am quite confident I could have resolved these issues on the spot. But
since that was not an option, I will address your comments here. Mr. Hofer wrote “quick tip: Tell them youʼre a party of six or you wonʼt get fed…” This is absolutely false. Our restaurant is small and we have limited seating that is primarily geared towards seating 2-4 people. When we first opened we didnʼt accept reservations at all. As we got going, we decided that taking reservations for large parties (6 or more) and only at two different times per night (one early and one late) was the best way for us to maximize our seating and minimize wait times. While this may not be perfect or alleviate all of the waiting time, it has seemed to help. As for the other comment “request a table without lights shining in your eyes!” We do have spot lighting from the ceiling. The lights are small and each bulb is only 40 watts. While this has not been an issue for the hundreds of other diners in our restaurant, it could have been easily resolved with a ladder and a slight twist of the light fixture. Perhaps one day youʼll give us another try and discover why everyone else is raving about us! Maralee McGowen
(941) 766-8180
email: WaterLIFE@comcast.net 217 Bangsberg Rd.
Port Charlotte, FL 33952
Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XII No 5 © 2013
No part of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied or reproduced without specific written permission from the publishers.
4TH OF JULY BEACH: This is the beach the July 4th River Swim departs from. According to a source close to County planners, when the new county park on the Port Charlotte side of the US 41 bridges is built, it will include a path underneath the two spans, connecting the walkways on both sides. This path, we believe, would also provide access for shore fishing and wade fishing between the spans.
Contributing Editors:
Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago Charter Fishing: Capt. Bart Marx Port Charlotte: Capt. Billy Barton Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Real Estate: Dave Hofer Inshore: Fishinʼ Frank Offshore: Capt Steve Skevington Kayaking: David Allen Office Dog: Molly Brown Circulation: Bob Cohn
on the COVER:
Connor of Upstate New York in front of Burnt Store of Southwest Florida, with a snook, just one of his fine catches of the day, with Capt. Fred of Backdraft Charters.
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MAY 2013
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That Boat In Boston By Michael Heller Water LIFE editor Last month Peter Eichstaedt, an old friend and former colleague of mine, told me that Javier Manzano, a photographer he worked with in Afghanistan, had just won a Pulitzer Prize in photography. Javier’s picture was
of two snipers in Aleppo, shooting from a room apparently riddled with bullets. Light from the outside was coming in through all the holes. It is a great photograph, but it was overshadowed, last month, by some other bullet holes: those in Boston. Everyone knew when the smoke cleared there were going to be a lot of holes in the boat the Boston bomber hid in. Fiberglass isn’t very bulletproof, so in the end, the boat looked like the photo from Aleppo, riddled with holes. Since then, there isn’t a boat owner I have talked to who didn’t look at the pictures of the Boston boat on TV, look more carefully than most, and then try to figure out what make and model boat was. I even blew up
the picture myself and looked for some markings that I might recognize, but there were none. For the next week, I scoured the news stories on the wire and on the web. One Boston station said it was a Sea Hawk, but when I searched for Sea Hawk there was never a Sea Hawk boat made. A news report said she was named Slip Away II. But what make was she? They didn’t say that. I had a hunch that the average used boat dealer in Boston looked at that boat on TV and recognized it immediately – local knowledge. It looked like a Shamrock to me so I called a New England Shamrock dealer who said no, it wasn’t one of theirs. On TV, the story evolved and several Boston boat dealers said they wanted to fix the boat or even get Dave Henneberry, the owner, a new boat. Media reports right after the capture said the boat was worth $50,000. Henneberry didn’t comment on that, but a post on a Boston Marine Trades website noted: “There is no way in hell that boat is worth $50K. Besides, it should be insured. No wonder he won’t respond!” A neighbor of Hennesberry’s launched an online fundraising campaign for him and collected $7,000 for a new boat the first week, but the website didn’t mention the make or model of the old one. Also unmentioned was that this boat was now a piece of American History and they were wanting to fix it. Unlike the remains
of the World Trade Center, this boat, just as it is, will forever be a shining reminder of The times when the good guys won. More so than Bonnie and Clyde’s bullet riddled car - which wound up as a cheap roadside attraction outside of Las Vegas - my thinking is this boat should become an exhibit in a museum, with all the bullet holes intact. But what kind of boat, exactly, was it? I googled Boston Used Boat Dealers and found the most trafficked site: Russo Marine. So I picked up the phone and called. I spoke to Dave, a salesman who told me he only saw infrared pictures of the boat on TV, so I emailed Dave a color picture. He was very nice. But he didn’t know. On the Russo website Larry Russo Sr. was listed. The bio said Russo Marine had been a family business for almost 70 years, started in the 1940s by Larry’s parents. Larry himself is past president of the Marine Retailers Association of America, a board member of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. He was a connected player in the New England boating industry, I figured he was the one, so I left a voice mail explaining my predicament. Fifteen minutes later my phone rang. “Hello, Mr Heller? This is Larry Russo.” His voice was soft, but Boston strong. Right off the bat, he wanted to know exactly who I was. Then, once I explained what I was doing he softened up. “I can help,” he said. “I had thought it might be a Shamrock,” I said to him. “No. You are wrong.” He cut me right off. “Are you ready?” he asked.
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Looks like there were plenty of bullet holes in the Boston Bomberʼs fiberglass hideout.
Yes sir, I was ready, been ready! “It’s a 1981, 24-foot Sea Bird,” he told me. He said he had just looked it up in the Massachusetts Marine Registry. “The boat was made by Falcon Engineering in Richmond Va. They were in business from 1978 to 1991. It’s a 32 year old generic boat, with no graphics and no identifiable markings.” I got the feeling Larry had heard the bogus $50K valuation numbers too, but I didn’t ask him anything else. I just thanked him and said good bye. My question had been answered. Now we’ll just have to wait and see what happens to the boat.
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All Tuckered Out FISHING
By Capt David Stephens Water LIFE Inshore One of the biggest problems that most anglers face here on Charlotte Harbor is what to fish for. With so many
Big tripletail
THE DEEPER SPOTS
different species it would be impossible to fish for all of them in one day. As a full time guide I am more guilty than any other angler about not pursuing some of our other species. It is so easy to get stuck in the redfish, snook and trout rut since those are the main three that are targeted the most. From spring through early summer we have plenty of other excellent game fish that can be targeted, such as Spanish mackerel, triple tail and cobia. Also, there are lots of back tip and spinner sharks in the Harbor. One of the biggest problems anglers face is to leave the flats and go deep. Most of these species can be caught on the local flats on occasion, but are found in greater numbers out in the deeper waters of the Harbor. We have several great inshore reefs that hold all the fish I have mentioned. If you have a chart of Charlotte Harbor then you have the locations of them. If fishing the inshore reefs is not your thing, there are several holes in the Harbor that are excellent spots to fish for mackerel, cobia and sharks. If I am going to spend a day fishing
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this way, I like to bring a couple chum blocks. Also make sure you bring some wire. Most of these fish are toothy and will bite through regular leader. I also like to bring along a bigger rod. You never know when that fish of a lifetime will swim up to the boat, so you want to be prepared. Most of the local tackle shops will have everything you need. Make sure you tell them what and how you plan to fish that day and they will help you. I guarantee that there is no one who This cobia tired these boys out! There have been a lot of big loves fishing for snook cobia around this year. as much as myself, but some days if the flats fishing is just not Send me an email or give me a call. working, try thinking outside the box. Charters are customized to fit your needs. You will enjoy your day on the water Capt. Dave Stephens 941-916-5769 and find yourself doing it more often. www.backbayxtremes.com
MAY 2013
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Top Water Fishing for Shark?
By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop
I love shark fishin, they are some of the strongest fastest fish ever to get on the end of a rod. I have caught them with bait and even lures, but it is top-water shark action I crave.
I have had a shark blow up on a top water lure. It will almost stop your heart – what an explosion – way too cool not to pursue. This is my goal: to understand which lure, which action is the one that will turn the sharks on.
just toss the anchor line overboard and follow the fish.
I always put out a chum bag, making sure the chum bag is not laying on the water. It must be hanging so every wave or wake, or even when I walk from one side of the boat to the other, the bag will slosh and release chum. If the bag is just lying on the water the chum really does not disperse properly and continually.
Despite their reputation, sharks are quite timid – they are a battle-ready fish, but do not seek out confrontation. So during the day they like to stay in deeper waters. Feeding off of sandy or gravel bottoms is easier for a shark than grassy bottom. I spent years looking over charts, finding deeper troughs, and then going out and dropping a line to the bottom to see what was there; grass, weeds, sand, gravel – once I had that mapped out in my head, I started fishing these spots.
The first thing I look for is the sun. On bright sunny days the sharks are definitely going to be deeper, on cloudy days, I am more likely to find them in shallower waters – more like I would if I was fishing in the evening. As it gets darker, the sharks will go into the shallows to feed, so a little sun light helps them find food. In the evening, or on cloudy days, I am fishing just off the grass flats, anywhere a shark would be able to cross the shallow sandbars and get back to the food-rich flats. In the day time I am going to fish the deeper places in between two lager deeper holes – this is a great ambush spot for sharks. In May, most of the deep holes are covered up with tarpon fisherman, which is cool for me because I am more likely to find my sharks going from one hole to the other than I am to find them in the holes themselves.
Depth finders are a puzzling thing. Bull sharks have been followed up river, going from boat to boat, bypassing some boats and going right up to others. It seemed strange until the people following the sharks noticed each of the boats the bull shark spent time by had it's depth finder on, and the boats without a depth finder had the shark pass by un-noticed. Apparently, if you have your depth finder on, the sharks are beginning to associate that with food. When I go out to shark fish, I find my spot then drop out an anchor, making sure to use a loop on the anchor line and drop the loop over a cleat not tie the line to the boat, so If I get ...sorry, when I get, a larger shark I can
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little, are my 2 sinker rods. Nothing gets tangled, I have covered the whole water column and now I kick back and wait for the reels to start screaming.
So how and where do I start trying to get sharks to hit a top water? I am thinking the schools of thread-fins moving across the Harbor – when the thread-fins are just moving they look a lot like rain on the surface of the water, dimple, dimple, as they go on their merry little bait-fish way. But when you look closer you can see part of the school slash across the surface, much like if you took a garden hose with pressure and sprayed it across the pod of bait. If a school of fish was feeding on the pod of bait the whole school would be in turmoil and birds would be over head, but when a larger single predator attacks from below, slicing and swallowing its way through or across the pod, the ones that did not get eaten are trying to get out of the way and they do so by trying to jump out of the water. If you are watching you can see the path of the predator as it goes through the school. So I am thinking, if I can recreate that splashing of the scared bait fish by working a top-water lure across the school of bait as I see the shark attack from below, it should work.
I was thinking a walk-the-dog action would be the best bet, so I tried the Super spook junior, and I am going to keep trying it, but it is so small and just does not cause enough disturbance. Next I am going to try the full size Zara spook, or the larger size Skitter-Walk. I gave thought to the Top-Dog, but it does have a large ball for making noise which is perfect for redfish, giving off that deep pitch sound. I have it in my head that a higher pitch or no rattles at all would be better for shark, more like the noise the bait is making. Mike Martinʼs ʻbabyingʼ a nurse shark before releasing it, last month.
My first rod out has a bobber on it. Not only is this a great way to catch sharks, but it also tells me where my chum slick is going. Often looking at the water it appears to be flowing one way, but when you put a line out with a float on it, that can show you the water is flowing an entirely different direction. I want the chum going over the reef not away from it. Only a bobber line can tell you the real story. My second line out is a free line, no weight or float, this will just be drifting with the tide. My 3rd and 4th lines out have a heavy sinker on them and are cast out, at a 45 degree angle, toward the back of the boat. So the bobber line is at or near the surface, the free line one is drifting with the tide, both of these rods are out the back of the boat, then off the side casting towards the back a
It is going to take much trial and error. I did try a hendon Torpedo which produced the best noise – from what I could hear, which admittedly is not much. When I jerked that Torpedo lure across the surface it sounded like thread-fins escaping a predator, so because of that I am taking out an oldie; a Rat-L-Trap Slap Stick, it is a taildrop style top-water lure, which, in the early days was the ultimate top water snook lure, There are a lot of lures to try and usually what I think will be the great one, won't be the one at all, but it is the learning, that I think I am addicted to. I will keep you posted on my path to top water shark fishin enlightenment and when it happens, you’ll see the pictures here. In the mean time, get out and enjoy the wonders of spring time fishin, in southwest Florida. Have fun, and be safe out there.
Frank can be reached at: 625-3888 or at: Frank@ FishinFranks.com
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MAY 2013
Where the Manatee Money Goes PAGE
ON THE LINE By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff Each year the State releases a Save the Manatee Trust Fund report which outlines how much money they brought in to protect manatees and how the money was spent. This is not the same money that the Save the Manatee Club gets from voluntary donations (they pulled in a cool $1.1 million in 2010); nor is it the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service monies that is spent (that comes out of a different pocket of the tax payers). I'm talking only about the State of Florida taxpayer funds used to help manatees. The State has a clearly defined management goal when it comes to manatees. “To remove the manatee from the State imperiled species list and effectively manage the population in perpetuity throughout Florida by securing habitat and minimizing threats” Manatee Management Plan-2007. I thought it would be a good idea to see how well the State is meeting this goal. From July 2010 to June 2011 the State brought $3,946,789 into the trust fund and like all true bureaucrats they spent $4,412,673, about half a million more
than they took in. The major source of this income comes from boat registration fees ( $2,478,659 or about .63 cents of every dollar they take in). Not many boaters realize when they register their boat they are making an un-voluntary contribution to the trust fund. In some countries they would call that a tax. Talk about having to pay for the rope they hang you with. If they called it a tax then we would talk about taxation without representation; and we know how that story ends. It’s hard to tell how much you are paying because nowhere on your boat registration do they tell you this, but since in 2011 there were 941,611 boats registered in Florida; that comes out to $2.63 per boat. That makes me envious of the kayakers who don't have to register their vessels. Another source of funds is from the Save the Manatee license plate; $1,373,751 or .35 cent for every dollar collected. Since 1990, $38,524,399 has gone into the trust fund from license plate sales. With the increase in choices in license plates, the annual income is shrinking to the point were this year is down 27% below the 20 year average. If you're interested, voluntary contributions to the trust fund was only $63,593 or less than 2
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ENVIRONMENTAL GREEN: The color of manatees and the color of money – one in the same
cents per dollar. It amazes me that the Save the Manatee Club can bring in over a million dollars annually while the State only get less than $65,000. Maybe the State should start their own Adopt a Manatee scam. Now let’s look at the other side of the ledger and see how the State spends the trust fund money. That pie is divided into two pieces. The first is Conservation and Management expenditures which gets $1,038,220. The single largest expense is $481,733 for Plan and Permit Reviews. The next largest expense is for Manatee Protection Zones at $279,094. Next is Habitat Protection; remember that securing habitat is one of the primary goal of manatee protection. They spent $141,610 on that. That means that for each dollar they spent, 87 cents went to management and administrative cost while only 13 cents was spent protecting habitat. That's a pretty sorry record in my opinion. The biggest piece of the expenditure pie goes to Research Expense at $1,807,245. In this category the largest portion is Mortality and Rescue which cost $1,277,946 or 71 cents out of every dollar. The next is Population Assessment at $209,000, which is 12 cents out of every dollar. Maybe it's only me, but it seems there is something wrong with the State spending 71% of their money to study dead manatees; but only12% to know how many live ones we have.
I have always been fascinated at the State's fixation with dead manatees. In the 2010 – 2011 there were 470 manatees reported dead. Now, I'm sure the folks in the pathobiology lab in St. Pete didn't cut them all up. Maybe they did half of them, say 235. Now the results of about 20% of them came back as undetermined; that means you found the cause of death of 188 manatees. If you divide that number by the money you spent, you come out with spending about $6,800 to find the cause of death of each manatee. Is this really worth the money? Some manatees die each year, but more and more of them live each year. Shouldn't we be spending most of the money on the live ones? To be fair, they also spend some of their money on manatee rescues. During this period they recovered 97 manatees of which 54 were later released back in the wild. So it seems that despite all the money we spend, an injured manatee only has a 50/50 chance of making it. Even back in the wild they still have to deal with natural cold snaps and red tide. We now have over 5000 manatees in Florida; does it make economic sense to spend a lot of money to improve the survivability of just 1% of that population? As a guy once told me in an underground parking garage back in the 60s - ‘Follow the money.’
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MAY 2013
WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM
Offshore
with Captain Steve Skevington
Serious Chewing
By Capt. Steve Skevington Water LIFE Offshore AJs are all over the place, eating blue runners. We got ‘cuda all day long on all the wrecks, eating ‘cuda tubes, you know, the ones made of surgical tubing. Kings? We limited out in an hour, 25-30-pound fish. Huge jacks on the Palm Island Ferry right now. Our customers love fighting them - they are like sparing partners. Lots of small AJs on Boxcars Reef, they are fun to catch and release. Keeper red grouper out past 75 ft. Vermillion and lane around too, lots of them! Cobia are a big target offshore for a lot of anglers. We drift the wrecks so we’re
This look down fish looks a little like the permit to the right Far Left: Kingfish on ice
not catching cobia that much. Over the years I’ve seen tons of little tunny, and big king fish in the Harbor. It happens in spring, I’m not sure why. There have been tons of bonita and kings in Boca Grande over the years too. Several SKA tournaments have been won with kingfish from inside Boca Grande. Sharks are all over the place. Everybody I talk to says the Harbor is full of them. Any place you find fish you’ll find sharks right now. We had a 10 foot plus shark follow a grouper to the boat today, we had a tiger shark the other day close to 11 or 12 feet. Sharks are out there right now. Capt Steve Skevington Paradise Fishing Charters 941-575-3528
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MAY 2013
Macroalgae of Charlotte Harbor PAGE
By Betty Staugler Water LIFE Sea Grant Macroalgae are large species of algae often referred to as seaweeds. When not attached to the sediments they are commonly called drift algae. Macroalgae are different from seagrasses and other common plants such as grasses, scrubs and trees, that have vascular tissues to transport water and nutrients (much like veins and arteries transport blood in humans) throughout the plant. Vascular plants also have true roots, stems and leaves. Macroalgae do not have these vascular tissues, instead water and nutrients are absorbed directly across their surfaces. Macroalgae, like all plants photosynthesize. That is they convert sunlight energy into usable chemical energy, specifically carbohydrates such as sugars. These carbohydrates are stored in or used by the plant and then transferred to other organisms as the plant is consumed. There are three types of macroalgae, which are distinguished from one another by the different types of photosynthetic pigments found in their cells; green algae (Chlorophyta), brown algae (Phaeophyta), and red algae (Rhodophyta). The most commonly seen macroalgae in Charlotte Harbor are red algae. Worldwide red algae comprise about 6,000 species and make up the second largest group of algae. Red algae get their red color from pigments called phycoerythrins that absorb blue light and reflect red light. The blue wavelengths of sunlight penetrate further down in the water and thus make it possible for red algae to carry out photosynthesis in deep or dark waters. Common red species found in the Harbor include Gracilaria, Hypnea and Acanthophora. All of these are similar in appearance. Less common in the Harbor, but most abundant worldwide are green
algae. Approximately 7,000 species are known worldwide. In Charlotte Harbor the green algae typically seen include Ulva and Caulerpa. Ulva, also known as sea lettuce, looks much like pieces of saran wrap. Caulerpa is an attached algae that is either feathery or strap like and looks like it could be a seagrass. Another attached green algae Codium, also known as ‘dead man’s fingers’, have been washing up on shore at Indian Mound Park in Englewood recently. Brown algae are far less abundant in the Harbor. The species I see most frequently is Sargassum. Most Sargassum is planktonic meaning they drift in the water column, but the one I frequently see in the Harbor is attached. Although little Sargassum is seen in the upper Harbor, at times, now in fact, it is locally abundant near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. Sargassum have small berry like bladders that are gas filled and help with buoyancy. In many coastal waters macroalgae abundance has increased in recent decades due to nutrient enrichment. Periodically, I receive phone calls and emails from boaters and anglers who are concerned that macroalgae abundance is on the rise in Charlotte Harbor too. There are certain seasonal patterns that give rise to more macroalgae. Whether we are experiencing an increasing trend or seasonal patterns is unclear, but it is something that will need to be addressed in the future. As nutrient levels in coastal environments change so do the plants species. All plants require light, water and nutrients to grow. Studies have shown that seagrasses generally dominate in waters with low nutrients and high light availability. In contrast, macroalgae (and microscopic microalgae) tend to dominate where there is less light and more nutrients. Because macroalgae (and microalgae) are better able to make use of low light levels than are seagrasses, they have a competitive edge when nutrient levels increase. This is because seagrasses are
This is a 500 times magnification of some Charlotte Harbor algae. Algae are non-vascular, They have no veins or arteries so they ingest water and nutrients directly across their sur-
rooted to the substrate and as such are subject to shading effects of unattached macroalgae covering them. When seagrasses are shaded their ability to photosynthesize is reduced and ultimately their growing season is shortened. So, one could expect as nutrient levels increase, seagrasses which are slow growing, to be replaced by macroalgae, which are fast growing. If nutrients continue to increase macroalgae will be replace by even faster growing microalgae (microscopic algae). From an ecosystem perspective, that shift from seagrass to microalgae could have cascading impacts as animals dependent upon seagrass for food and shelter – spotted seatrout for instance could be replaced by less desirable species such as jellyfish. Studies indicate that nitrogen is generally the nutrient that seems to control macroalgae growth rates throughout the year. However phosphorus alone, or at certain times of the year, both nitrogen and phosphorus together may be important. To complicate this, different species of macroalgae can be limited by nitrogen or by phosphorus in the same estuary. One of the biggest challenges when nutrient levels increase is identifying where
the increase is coming from. Regular water monitoring programs cannot get to that detail without including some sophisticated and often costly sampling. In recent years a few studies have been conducted in southwest Florida estuaries and coastal waters to identify the species of macroalgae present and to determine what nutrient sources (fertilizers, sewage, etc.) macroalgae were utilizing. Determining what nutrient sources are contributing to macroalgae growth will enable resource managers to implement corrective action hopefully before major shifts in plant species occur. Of course in the end it’s important to note that simply seeing macroalgae is not cause for concern. In fact, as primary producers (photosynthesizers), they do serve an important role, particularly in winter months when seagrass growth is naturally slowed. The key is keeping our bays and estuaries healthy to ensure a healthy balance in macroalgae and seagrass abundance. Betty Staugler, Florida Sea Grant Agent UF/IFAS Charlotte County Extension, (941) 764-4346 http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu www.flseagrant.org -
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MAY 2013
6-pound Bass Will Never Be the Same
By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Punta Gorda Fishing My good friend Brian Sabo usually makes a trip from Baltimore at least once a year to experience everything Charlotte Harbor has to offer. We met about 12 years ago when I was moving to Punta Gorda and since then he has raised two wonderful daughters who coincidentally love to fish. Brian is a hardcore bass fisherman and really knows his stuff so he quickly became addicted to our local fishing. For years he has told me how his daughters Megan, age 11 and Caroline, age 9, have become talented anglers and on a recent trip to Charlotte Harbor the entire family paid me a visit. Our hopes were to expose the girls to the ultimate experience with interactions with dolphins, manatees, the aquatic environment and hopefully a few fish. With my compass heading south, the morning boat ride to lush grass beds to catch bait, was delightfully calm. Most of my guests’ fishing is done on calm reservoirs so occasional Harbor boat wakes made for exciting boat maneuvers that brought smiles to their faces. Bait catching pilchards was a new experience and chumming my special mixture and throwing the net brought the harbors aquatic bounty into our livewell. A beautiful oversize cowfish and porcu-
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Kids love the cool looking stuff in Charlotte Harbor, like this colorful cowfish
pine puffer were attracted to my chum and when shaking the net out the two unusual specimens were found swimming in the well. Without a fishing rod in hand, the day was already a success as we quietly smiled at each other. On the other hand the whitebait was difficult to catch and we only had about 100 pieces. There was no long boat ride to the fishing hole as I moved the boat from the grassbeds about 100 yards to a ledge where it dropped off to 5 feet. Corks with livies pitched out resulted in quick action as we began to catch plenty of speckled trout and a few ladyfish. Mom Cindy Sabo commented she had never seen a place where as soon as you started fishing you started catching! For the next hour, trout were caught then a school of jacks showed up and the girls kept us busy releasing fish and baiting lines. Luck was truly with us this day as two pelicans began diving on the grass flat just out of casting range. We pulled anchor and drifted to where the pelicans were sitting and thousands of pilchards were schooled up. A couple throws of the net and we had a day’s worth of bait! Pausing for a little lunch we spotted dolphins in the distance and I wondered if the day could
get any better. With only a 10 minute boat ride to my next spot, we eased into a mangrove shoreline, set anchor and pitched out frisky pilchards. Caroline and Megan each impressively cast with precision to the mangroves and in short order reared back and were setting the hook. For the next 2 hours theses girls hooked more
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nice snook than most could hope to catch in a week! With some of Charlotte Harbor’s finest fishing at hand Brian and I were chomping at the bit to fish ourselves but snook after snook was hooked and landed and all we could do was bait their lines. Amazing to me was the stamina of these young anglers as they cast repeatedly, set the hook with a vengeance and skillfully fought fish that fight harder then any freshwater fish. On one perfect cast that Megan made, a hard strike resulted with the water exploding from a very big fish and her drag was burning. A huge snook made aerial leaps as I coached her to drop her rod and put pressure on the fish hoping to change its direction. Indeed it did and it ran straight back to the boat requiring her to follow the fish around. In fact, the fish circled the boat three times and with just the right amount of pressure this impressive fish was boated! Brian has caught countless snook in the past 12 years but none as big as Megans! This was one of those rare days. The fish bit until we were all tired. To the delight of this captain, the Sabo family enjoyed world class fishing, interacted with aquatic creatures and experienced the tranquility that only Charlotte Harbor can provide. Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at: 941-628-8040 or go to his website: www.backcountry-charters.com
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April offered
VARIETY
MAY 2013
snook grouper
sheepshead jack crevalle
flounder
cobia
April was yet another incredible month of Charlotte Harbor Fishing! The weather was (for the most part) good and the fish were (for the most part) hungry. All photos this page from April charter trips with Capt. Billy Barton.
trout
redfish
bonnerhead shark
Adrenaline Rush MAY 2013
By Capt. Billy Barton Water LIFE / Charlotte Harbor One of my guide friends was literally putting limits of Spanish mackerel in the boat this week - taken on nothing but a bare hook! Our section of the coast at this point in time is just full of life and there's an influx of great sportfish to target right now. First off, my heart does reside on the grassflats of Charlotte Harbor, which right now are just covered in beautiful and healthy sized copper toned redfish, BIG mama snook, and gator trout. However, this is the time of year that I wanna hear that drag scream a little more. This is when it's time to break out the big gear, get out in the middle of the harbor in the holes, or out in the passes, or on the nearshore reefs for a serious adrenaline rush! When I'm talkin’ adrenaline rush, I'm talkin’ big tarpon. First off if you don't feel like going out, putting your work in, and catching some nice live bait then that's gonna be a problem. Yes, you can hook up some good size tarpon on a piece of cut mullet, or ladyfish, but you will increase your odds by catching an adequate amount of livebait and keeping them happy and healthy in your livewell. When I go out and I'm looking for ladyfish or good sized herring or whitebait I'm
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always watching for birds. A small soft plastic jig of any sort, or a small silver spoon is a good choice when trying to put some ladyfish in the well. If you're good with a cast net, there are schools of large threadfins out in the middle of the harbor and on the channel markers that make great livebait. This is the time of year when the tarpon really seem to prefer a good sized threadfin as their number one meal choice. Locating the tarpon is an obvious part of the equation. If you are looking for tarpon, typically it's easiest to just run your boat slow up the deepest areas of the Harbor, and ICW and just to look for them rolling on the surface. If you see one freejump, there's just no way he was the only one around. A trolling motor is an added bonus if you have one. If you wanna get them to eat, you wanna’ do everything you can not to disturb them. This means staying outside the school when you locate them. Tarpon can be a very finicky fish up inside our Harbor. These fish are going to be moving around so you may have to move around with them. Most of us like to run drifts rather than anchor up. That way you're also free to stay with the fish when you're going to battle! As far as tackle for tarpon goes, I prefer a 15-30 pound class, 7 and a half foot rod, with a medium action baitrunner style reel, spooled with 50- to 65-pound braided line. A good 4- to 6-foot of 60-to 80-
Shark & Cobia
Sharks are a by-catch a lot of times when fishing for tarpon. The sharks are usually my backup plan – not quite as gratifying to me, but they still get the blood pumpin! If you target tarpon, you already have the necessary tackle to fish for shark and cobia. The baits already swimming in the well. All you need to add is a small piece of steel wire to the end of your fluorocarbon leader for shark and you're good to go! Perhaps anchoring up and chumming might be a better choice in this scenario, but drift fishing for shark could work just as well. That about covers what I wanted to touch up on this
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Double Adrenaline Rush - Saturday April 27 - One for the angler and one for Capt. Dwayne French who was driving the boat and managed to snap this picture too! Tarpon tournaments at Boca Grande start on Motherʼs day and continue every weekend after that.
pound fluorocarbon leader is a must. You'll get more action on the lighter leader, however you’ll have to add a little more finesse to your angling! For a hook, most of us tend to use a 6 to 8/0 circle hook. This way, when the fish jumps, he isn't as likely to shake it out. The size of your hook is gonna’ depend on the size of the bait that you're using. Once you hook up a silver king, and you see he's about to make a jump, you always wanna be prepared to bow the tip of your rod as far forward as you can, pointing it low to the water and towards the fish when he gets arial. This releases some of the tension in
month. Just a little bit of what goes on in my salty life! Keep your eyes peeled for cobia too. They're all over the harbor, and also a by catch while fishing for tarpon and sharks out in the holes! Usually cobia wanna’ eat just about anything you put in front of them. I had a customer boat one in the 40 pound range at the 41 bridge this week on a live ladyfish while tarpon fishing. They're always a tasty surprise! Good luck out there guys. If you aren't already, you better get out there and let that drag scream while the gettin’s good!! – Capt. Billy Barton
This cobia was taken By Capt. Van Hubbard on a Cabo 40 with Cortland Masterbraid 20 pound and a Cotee jig, aboard Another Keeper with Captain Tom McLaughlin.
your line when he makes that jump and shakes his head with all that force, trying to spit your hook right back at you. We call this "bowing to the king." Most tarpon are lost on the jump. They can be heart breakers. If you go 1 for 4 on your hookup to landed fish ratio with tarpon then you are doing great! When you do land one though, there's no fish more gratifying to have at the side of your boat ‘cheesing’ with you in a picture! Capt. Billy Barton operates Scales N Tails Charters. Phone 979-6140 or email him at : bartonw24@yahoo.com
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Punta Gorda Harborwalk Water LIFE Report Have you ever walked it? If not you are missing something, a labyrinth of paths and walkways, sidewalks, a long floating dock, underpasses, elevated walks and promenades that stretch over two miles from Adrienne Street on Marion (across from the medical complex) to Fishermen始s Village. It then extends into the historic downtown, to the History Park and beyond. There are still more sections to come, but you can walk a lot of it now so why wait? The routes keep walkers on a paved ribbon, sometimes brick, sometimes concrete and sometimes asphalt, that wanders through lush mangroves and out along the water. When completed all the paths together form a Ring Around The City. There are plenty of shady spots, even at noon. Much of the Harborwalk is already
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lighted for night and there are several fountains and bathrooms along the way. The city has made the path walker, jogger and biker accessible, and has opened most of it to dogs as well. Really serious walkers can opt to run up the steps to the US 41 Bridge (at the side of the old Best Western) and cross the Peace River on a 3 mile round trip. There are numerous parking locations along the Harborwalk. We like to park in the middle, in the small lot tucked in behind the auditorium. Water LIFE has started a Facebook page for the Punta Gorda Harborwalk, there you can see most of the sections and follow the progress on its completion. Tell your friends, explore it yourself. This is a path to the future that will bring people to, and through, Punta Gorda for years to come and keep the locals limber at the same time.
MAY 2013
MAY 2013
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Singing Drag Still Makes Me Smile By Capt. Bart Marx Water LIFE Fishing
Hello fellow anglers, it seemed that the water was never going to warm up, and then suddenly it is 80 degrees. There are all kinds of stuff out there to target now. Tarpon, sharks, king and Spanish mackerel; and there should be some permit on some of the artificial reefs like Novak or Trembly. Inshore we have snook, reds, trout, sharks and tarpon.
Last month I had some new anglers on board to learn some fishing skills from Capt. Bart. I am grateful that these guys were good students, they listened and applied what they were taught to produce some nice catches. The Simpson brothers had a blast, they caught their first sharks with us. They also caught some trout and reds. They are true conservationists, they released all that was caught on our trip including a snook. On another trip we had a repeat customer. Lucas brought his grandpa back with him to fish. We started fishing in the Gulf looking for some flounder, sheepshead or a Spanish mackerel and maybe even a mangrove snapper. It started off a little slow. We tried a couple of places but they were not too productive. We decided to travel back inshore to Bull Bay and look for reds, trout or snook. There we caught some small trout and reds, Lucas caught a nice trout to add to the bounty for a fish dinner. Still another repeat customer Michigan Mike and
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moved on up in the center of the Harbor where we set out a couple of lines. We got robbed twice, the hooks were gone, so we put some wire on with a fresh bait and in just a few minutes we had a black nose shark up to the boat. We took some pictures and let it swim away in good health. By then it was late in the day so we started our trip back to the dock. Again, we released all we caught that day.
I enjoy helping young new anglers learn skills, how to tie knots and how to hook a bait and keep it alive. And I enjoy helping out the new comers as to where to fish and how to use their own boat and tackle. his friend Tom with me, Capt. Bart, on Toms boat. We started out from the PGI canals. Mike was interested in catching anything on his fly rod. On an earlier trip Mike caught a 22" snook on his fly rod and a 17" trout and a red on a spinning rod to complete an inshore slam - 2/3 on a fly rod. So he was pumped up and we went in search of a tarpon on the beach. We traveled to Captiva Pass and traveled up the beach, it was a little windy and the surf was a little milky and hard to spot fish though we did spot several pods of dolphins along our travels up to Gasparilla Pass. Near Gasparilla there was a large school of bait so we stopped and Mike started casting his fly rod and hooked something which turned out to be a Spanish mackerel on the fly rod. The tarpon
hunt was over for that day so we travelled into Bull Bay where we tried to catch a red or trout but they were not eating so we
If you would like to set up a trip with Capt. Bart Marx to go with you, or you go with me call 941-979-6517 Alpha Omega Charters And as always singing drags and tight lines make me smile!
Red Sores on Snook PAGE
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Several Charlotte Harbor guides have told us about red sores on the snook they have been catching. We sent the above photo (from Capt. Chuck Eichner始s column this month on page 11) to Dr. Phillip Stevens, head of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Research Institute, Charlotte Harbor Field Laboratory. The following is his reply:
There are many things that can cause these legions. For example, an abrasion that gets infected, or a microscopic critter that takes hold, particularly in a stressed fish. The fish in this picture seems to be in great shape. We have a fish health section up in St Pete who can do the microscopic work to find out what could be going on. They look for infections at the surface and also check internal organs like the liver that can provide clues. There is usually some background level of legions in a population, but things can get worse if there is a natural outbreak or something going on in the environment. Here in Charlotte Harbor, the background level of fish health issues is very low. This is one of the things we track and keep a baseline for in our monitoring program. That way, if things start to change, we can gauge how much worse things have really gotten. If you hear of such legions, just have someone take a picture as was done here and try to get us the whole fish if legally possible (the whole fish allows for those internal organ inspections). We'll get it from you and get it up to our fish health biologists in St Pete. Philip Stevens, PhD Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish & Wildlife Research Institute Charlotte Harbor Field Laboratory 585 Prineville St. Port Charlotte, FL 33954 Phone: 941-613-0945 Fax: 941-613-0948
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The popular Fishery restaurant in Placida was recently sold. Reportedly, the new owner, Dr Mark Asperilla, will be building a big outdoor waterside deck. This could be a popular spot since the deck will face west into the sunsets.
Recent area news items:
1. Charlotte County will reimburse the Laishley group for $35K of due diligence expenses incurred by them in the exploration of the feasibility of a land swap. The group had proposed to trade 34 acres of zoned and utilitied industrial land in the Enterprise Charlotte Park for 137 acres in Murdock Village. The proposed buyers found that financing was not feasible for their water park, music park, hotel complex. Kudos to the developers that strong armed taxpayers into absorbing the costs of investigating this speculation.
2. North Port and Sarasota County agreed to hire a new manager for Warm Mineral Springs when the current management agreement expires at the end of June. Stymied by the disagreement of the sale of the property, the two partners agreed to continue with this floundering investment indefinitely.
3. Rotonda West Homeowner's Association agreed to purchase the abandoned Pinemoore East Country Club for $50k funded by a donation from a private citizen. Vocal citizens are complaining that they should have
been given the opportunity to vote on this acquisition.
4. The owner of the former Texaco Gas Station and used boat dealership at Tamiami and Harbor Blvd in Port Charlotte has applied for zoning for use as a gas station again. Since the property is located at the entrance of the Parkside rehabilitation area, local homeowners are pressuring County Commissioners to force the owners to provide a more attractive use for the property. 5. Punta Gorda's "ring around the city" program continues this summer with extension of asphalt paved bike trails extending between Airport Rd & Aqui Esta and Monaco to Taylor Rd along Rt 41 and between Shreve and Northbound 41 along Olympia Ave.
6. Nancy Praffke, current CEO of TEAM Punta Gorda, will be running for Punta Gorda City Council district 5 this. She will be opposed by Charles Council from Burnt Store Isles. 7. The controversial IMPAC University property on Retta Esplanade in Punta Gorda was auctioned for $3,520,000. The
bargain price for this 55,000 sq ft facility will be paid by a an unidentified private investor. Citizens are anxious to find out the buyer's plans for this facility. 8. The jobless rate for Charlotte County fell from 8.1% to 7.4% in January from a year ago, 9.2% to 7.2% for Sarasota County. 9. Super Boat International is proposing that Charlotte County taxpayers front up to $250,000 to fund a 3 day racing and entertainment program in April, 2014. The sponsor projects that taxes on 1,500 hotel rooms and $7 million of dining and other purchases (does that sound a little optimistic?) will recover most of that investment. Seems to me that the hotels and restaurants that stand to benefit from this investment ought to fund it, not taxpayers.
In other news: Monty's Pizza Restaurant broke ground on their new restaurant located on the site of their old facilities that
were destroyed by Hurricane Charley.
Sales Statistics: Prices for vacant lots continue to stabilize in the $4-$5K range for well & septic lots. Improved lots continue to decline below water and
sewer improvement costs. Foreclosure filings shrank to 170 from 219 in March, 2012. Distressed home sales continued to dwindle in the mix of sales are reflected in rising median sales prices.
The Olʼ Fishinʼ Hole
MAY 2013
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PAGE 17
By Captain Jim O’Brien Water LIFE Offshore
Hey - YA - ALL It’s summer and the fish'n has been getting better since the water has been warming up. The first week of April the water temperature went from the 60s to the mid 70s in about 4 days out there where we fish. That made all the difference in the world. I just hope we don’t get any more cold blasts with the wind coming straight out of the north again. Ha! the poor fish don't know if it’s summer or winter. Give me that warmer weather. Well let’s get into what the fish are doing offshore in between the winds.
COBIA - are starting to come in Charlotte Harbor but I didn't talk to any one that caught any. SPANISH MACKEREL - are all over the place out of stump pass 2 to 7 miles out, troll with small Clark spoons
KING MACKEREL - are anywhere from 7 to 30 miles out. There are some BIG - UNS being caught at 25 to 31 miles they are hitting on Spanish sardines and troll with king spoons.
MANGROVE SNAPPER - the BIG BOYS 20 to 24 in. are starting to bite real good offshore 25 to 30 miles they are hitting on pieces of sardines, squid and shrimp. LANE SNAPPER - are chewing good in 70 to 90 feet of water, best bait is shrimp.
AJs ( greater amberjack ) are on just about all the offshore wrecks and reefs, Charlie, Pe-
gasis, Bayronto the Box Cars and D-9 just to name a few. There are some big bruisers out there that will go 50 to 90 pounds. The best bait is a free lined blue runner or a big pin fish and then hang on. RED GROUPER - there are some BIG UNS out in 100 feet of water. One of my pictures this month is a 28 in. fat red grouper caught by Dennis Sycora he has been fishing with me for a lot of years he has my red grouper record at the 30 mile range the biggest red grouper he has caught was 38 1/2 in. long and weight 31 pounds. He is still trying to break his own record.
BLACK GROUPER - no reports on blacks
GAG GROUPER - IS STILL CLOSED but we have been catching big ones on every trip out. In one of my pictures of Al holding a nice gag. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him he would have to release it. There are some nice gags at 95 to 110 ft. of water It’s nice to see the fishing picking up with the warmer waters now here. The last couple of charters we done we caught what I call a
smorgasbord of fish I mean we got red grouper, gag grouper (throw backs), big mangrove snapper, nice jolt head porgies, regular porgies, scamp, etc. You name it its out there and the fishing is getting better every day. In one of my other pictures we caught a moray eel that's the first one for this year, Boy do they get mad when you bring them up from 100 ft.
That’s about it for now, it’s time to get out of here. If you have a good ol’ fish story or a recipe for cooking fish that we can share with our readers send ‘em in!
AND REMEMBER, GET OUT THERE AND SNORT SOME OF THAT GOOD CLEAN SALT AIR C U Z IT'S GOOD FER YA ! ! ! To book an offshore charter with us aboard the Predator II call 473 2150
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Pilots do a walk-around of their craft before flight. They look for little things that are out of the ordinary. Boaters should too. Here we found a piece of 10-pound mono line hanging out of the vent hole on our prop. Inside the line was wound all the way around the prop shaft. Had we not removed it, it would have easily cut through the seal (below the spring ring in the last photo) and allowed the lubricant from the lower unit to run out. That would be bad!
Lettuce Lake: Odds On Favorite KAYAKS
By David Allen Water LIFE Kayaking At each Wednesday meeting, after the usual discussion of “kayak happenings” I ask the club where they would like to paddle on the up-coming weekend. I usually get several responses; we then take a vote to make the final decision. With so many good places to kayak in Charlotte County, this is not an easy decision. However, over the years, one launch site that we visit more than any other is Lettuce Lake. Lettuce Lake is one of the more interesting areas that the Port Charlotte Kayakers paddle during the year. Located just off State Highway 761, about 10 miles north of Port Charlotte, Lettuce Lake is situated just east of the Peace River, and there are several open channels that lead directly to the larger river. Lettuce Lake is the odds-on favorite of one of our charter members, Bill Mango. Bill knows the water trails leading north and south from the Lettuce Lake beach better than anyone else in the club. The area surrounding Lettuce Lake has a number of open channels and also mangrove tunnels; some so narrow and closed in that a kayak can barely navigate through the tangled branches and fallen trees. If you head south, there are broad areas of open water with spectacular views of huge trees, many vine covered, with birds of all description filling the air. As you proceed further south, to the east of the Peace River, there is an abandoned phosphate
dock located at Liverpool. You can still see the large limestone blocks that once made up the seawall and support for the loading dock. There is also a boat ramp at Liverpool. A Rookery Island, just west of Liverpool, in the middle of the Peace River, is home to huge flocks of wood storks, herons, and many other species of birds. During the mating season, the island is almost completely covered with nesting birds, each nurturing their young offspring. So you can see that leading a paddle in this area is rewarding, but not an easy task. So several meetings ago, when I asked the familiar question,”Where do you want to paddle?” It was no surprise that Dan Household piped up with “Lettuce Lake!” Several other members agreed and the we voted on a 9 AM launch at the Lake. Thirteen kayaks launched from the beach at Lettuce Lake on the next Sunday morning. It was a perfect morning for a paddle; relatively cool, with little wind or current to hamper the paddlers. But the water in the channels surrounding Lettuce Lake and in the Peace River was as low as we had ever seen it. A combination of tides and wind pulled the water out of that area. Even so, we elected to take the north route, which usually has much less water than a paddle south through the channels that lead to the
Peace River. Soon, we were in the shade of the surrounding trees, and found the channel increasingly narrow and twisted. There were some small trees and branches overhanging the water, but none blocked our way. Some large branches were just below the surface of the water but did not slow us down. As we paddled further north and west the trail became wider as we neared the Peace River. We did notice that there was a noticeable absence to wildlife for some reason, as we usually see lots of birds and even an occasional alligator in that area. It was a beautiful day for a paddle and we were enjoying the scenery and conversation with our fellow paddlers. After a little over an hour, we stopped along a sandy bank for a brief break before heading back. A few paddlers decided to continue north on the Peace to get in a little
longer paddle. The trip back to Lettuce Lake was made a little easier due to the rising tide through some of the shallow spots. About two hours after we had launched, we were back at the Lettuce Lake beach. It was a very interesting paddle, and we decided to take the south route next time, and maybe visit the Rookery. The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesday evening at 5:00 pm at Franz Ross Park next to the YMCA on Quesada Ave. All are welcome to attend. For more information call Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 or email to: dlaa@comcast.net.
MAY 2013
The Shore Fisherman:
Bluefish
By Bobby Vitalas Water LIFE Shore Fishing Blue fish are fun to catch. They give an ok fight. This blue fish was caught at Tom Adam's Bridge Pier, from low to high tide. The color of the fish is blue up above with white below. The legal length to keep the blue fish in this area is from 12 inches or more from the fork of the tail, and their most common weight is from 1 to 3 pounds, but they can get bigger. The food value is ok as long as you cook it in the same day. I would not recommend freezing this fish. I do not keep my fish. I catch and release. There are two ways to catch blue fish, either use bait or go spin casting for them. When spin casting, the lure I am using is a D.O.A C.A.L 3" shad tail model #419 color (green back). I use a jig for the shad tail which is the D.O.A C.A.L short shank 3/8oz. weight, color
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(white or chartreuse head). For thoes people who use bait, I suggest you use shrimp. There are many other fish you can catch when using shrimp. When using shrimp, some people use bobbers. You can fish with a bobber on top of the water, or you can use a sinker weight to fish on the bottom. Both are very productive. The two kinds of bobbers you can use are the round plastic floats, or the Billy Boy Bobbers floats, which work great. The good thing I like about Billy Boy Bobbers float is that the line goes through the bobber. With the plastic floats, the line gets clipped on to the bobber. For those people who use weights, try using the smallest weight as possible. If you are fishing from the end of the pier, and you are casting out to the pilings which has a strong current, then you need to go to a heavier weight. I am using 30lb. test SUFIX ADVANCED SUPER LINE (BRAID), as my main line. When spin casting, for my leader line, I use 3 feet of 25lb. test SEAGUAR 100% FLUOROCARBON LEADER line. When tying your leader line to your jig head, I suggest you use the RAPALA knot because it will create more action out of the jig. So, have a great time fishing!
Make Your Fish Photos Keepers
Everyone knows the trick of holding your fish out in front of you, closer to the camera, for a picture that makes the fish look bigger, but what really makes a good picture? After you have caught a good fish it is the setting. The light should be on the subject, – early morning and late afternoon light are best. Backlit subjects are rarely effective and should be avoided. The background should not be cluttered. You donʼt want rods or branches behind that look like they are sticking through your subjectʼs head. Hold fish horizontally for a catch and release picture. If you hold a fish vertically that usually signifies the fish is going into the cooler. Shown here is a fellow named Ken on a trip with our resident captain/photographer, Billy Barton. Note how Capt Billy tries to get his subject in different poses. Your fish pictures look boring if the pose is always the same.
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SCUTTLEBUTT
Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True Target Practice Alert The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced plans last month for a drone program that will use remote-controlled aircraft to
keep an eye on hunters. According to a press release, the group is actively shopping for drones to include in the program. PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said “Slob hunters may need to rethink the idea that they can get away with murder, alone out there in the woods with no one watching.” The reaction from sportsmen to this program has been overwhelmingly negative and we think the new Peta drones had better be bullet proof. Renaissance of Moonshine? Three people last week, none connected, told us moonshine is on the come-back in little ol' Charlotte
County, FL. $100 a gallon one fellow said, offering a sample of the golden stuff going around. You don't want to be any place you have to walk around, he said, because ʻIt kind of gets to your knees!ʼ Boy was he right! Is this because of moonshine TV?
Gator Bait Officers were on water patrol on the Peace River when an officer spotted a dead opossum suspended above the water from a steel cable. A closer inspection revealed that the animal was being used as bait on a bush hook that was attached to a dock. Shortly after discovering the bush hook, contact was made with a subject who admitted that he placed the opossum and hook there in attempt to catch an alligator. The subject was cited for taking alligator by illegal method.
5 Missing Miami-Dade officers searched for a family of five from Ohio that included a father, mother, and three young children who were reported missing. After an exhaustive search in cold, rainy conditions, officers managed to find the family. Search and rescue team had to walk into alligator infested waters for several hundred yards in order to reach the cold and frightened family. Once the familyʼs airboat was freed, the family was transported to Kendal Regional Hospital for evaluation. Big Snails have been populating the ponds along Kings Highway. Betty Staugler, the Charlotte County Sea Grant Agent said: “My best guess is island apple snail (gets to be about 3.25-4" in length). Could also be channel apple snail (they look very similiar, but this one is slightly smaller 2.5-
3")...again my guess is the former. Regardless, they are both invasive exotics. Both came from S. America and were introduced through
the aquarium trade. Currently there are 4 introduced apple snails (there might be a fifth one now)...I don't know much about the others. We only have one native apple snail (Florida apple snail...1.5-2"). The best way to tell which apple snail it is, is by looking at the egg masses.”
ian River was caught and sampled three times in three months. One recreational angler. Jon Mallory of Merritt Island, Florida caught and sampled an incredible 975 tarpon in 2012. An adult tarpon sampled off Sarasota County was sampled again less than a month later in Islamorada. About a month later it was sampled again in Islamorada. Of the 4,606 tarpon DNA samples collected in 2012, 4,387 came from the US and 222 came from other countries. DNA samples were collected in five states. Florida, by far, led all the states with 4,343 samples. Brevard County was tops of all Florida Counties with 1,276 DNA samples in 2012. Monroe County was second with 832 while Lee County was third with 828.
Not So Lucky Last month the horseshoe crabs in the upper har-
bor appeared to have had their young. This little guy didnʼt make it
Sue and Settle Oklahoma doesnʼt like the Fedsʼ Sue and Settle approach. Crying ʻfoulʼ Oklahoma is suing the Federal Government saying the EPA would not provide information requested under the Freedom Of Information Act. The EPA has been forcing Oklahoma to adhere to regulations more strict than required by law. Oklahoma says the EPA has refused to provide emails and telephone logs which would show the EPA conspired against Oklahoma in a settlement agreement that Oklahoma calls “Sue and Settle” Charlotte County boaters are familiar with the ʻSue and Settleʼ tactic, which was used in the 1990s to adopt uncalled for manatee regulations without appropriate input. Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study data from the 2012 season, tabulated as of October 31, 2012. In 2012, fishing guides and recreational anglers collected 4,346 tarpon DNA samples. Scientists contributed an additional 263 samples. 143 tarpon have been caught and sampled more than once. One juvenile tarpon in the Sebast-
Too Bad! There is no species that can resist a shiny gold spoon with a red feather. Itʼs really too bad!
FWC OFFICERS at Caspersen Beach when he observed three subjects using two inflatable boats to retrieve an illegal monofilament gill net they were fishing with in the Gulf. When the netters returned to shore, Officer Brown identified himself. Two of the individuals attempted to flee by running south on the beach, but were apprehended by Officer Brown and Officer Steve Stasko. The seized net contained 27 pompano and 47 sheephead. The subjects were charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors relating to use of the net, undersized fish, over the bag limit of fish, and resisting arrest.
Shore Fishing
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Water LIFE Review The Anglerʼs Guide, a pocket size book for $19.95 better be good and it better last, especially in our fishy pocket. This 4.5 x 8-inch, 60 page spiral bound waterproof paged book meets both those criteria and then some. Compiled by Les and Kimball Berry the Anglerʼs Guide covers southwest Florida from Longboat Key to Boca Grande. The book contains the expected, locations and maps, baits and tackle, kayaks and fun tips, but where it shines is in its tips from your guide sections that provides specific local knowledge about each area. Here are some examples: El Jobean Pier: “....our favorite area starts about halfway to the end, ..the tidal flows here are substancial....”
Casperson Beach: “There are several rocky groynes, with the most productive found south of the parking areas....”
Lemon Bay Park “....at the southern end of the park there is a sandbar that puts you near some grass flats that hold lots of fish...”
The Anglers Guide is available at local bait and tackle shops, selected marine merchants and outfitters. the website is: anglersguideswflorida,com ISBN 978-0-9858528-0-1
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Charlotte Harbor:
M M a a y y
Frank, at Fishin' Franks Port Charlotte: 625-3888
Let’s start with the Gulf and work our way in. Fishing is really good, kingfish and AJs are still within reach, but the kings are thinning. There are cobia in 20-30 feet of water on the close-in wrecks. Red grouper have been in 60 feet for keeper sizes, nice grunts, snapper, porgys the usual suspects at Novack, Trembly and Marys Reefs. They are fishable, but not exceptionally large. There are also a lot of sharks moving in. If you stand on the beach, there are Spanish mackerel and pompano and still pretty decent whiting along the beaches. Some tarpon are cruising the beaches, not huge amounts, but
Happy camper, fishing in tghe Colony Point basin.
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worth watching for. And there are lots of small sharks cruising sharp nose, black tips, small bull sharks, lemons, we have more sharp nose and black tips cruising the shorelines than ever. It’s a little early for the small lemons but the bigger lemons and bull sharks are cruising the shoreline. And the nightmare of your dreams, Mr Hammerhead is out there now too. The shark activity is moving onto the Harbor. There are tarpon in the deep holes and at Boca Grande Pass. A lot of them are cruising outside the sand bars we don’t know if the rain is going to change things, but it’s a magical-moment of salinity right now and there is a huge variety of fish. You can catch snook and redfish any time of the year, the decision is: do you want to go for the snook now that will be here later, or go for the Spanish and the sharks that are here
F F o o r r e e c c a a s s t t
only for a short time. We have had less rain this last winter, what’s happening is the salinity up in the Harbor has brought King mackerel (up to 30 pounds) into the middle of Charlotte Harbor. I am hearing about bonita and possibly blackfin tuna in the harbor right now. It happens on the years when we have very minimal rainfall. A few years ago, when this happened, we had mahi mahi in the Harbor. Events like this are rare, but not unheard of. I’m betting on not a lot of rain, so I’m thinking it will hold through May, all these fish within the harbor. The first two weeks of this month could potentially be some of the best fishing we have had in the last 10 years. You ought to see the faces of the people who come into the shop. It’s a fishing dream.
This is a tile fish- caught in 800 feet of water off Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas, with Glen Ballinger.
MAY 2013
Clinton Norrisʼ sent this picture of his girlfriend Kim holding two slot redfish caught in Pine Island “It would be really cool have the picture in the May issue,” he wrote. Here U Go, Clinton! Since Kim is holding the fish by the gills, we presume they accompanied you guys home for dinner.
Hog Island Action – Carol Kelley, first time fishing the flats "Florida style" caught a red and a flounder on the same rig and shrimp bait, . Lee Strauss with a 24 inch red caught free lining under the mangroves. They let the baits drift with current as it sped out of the cut-off.
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MAY 2013
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May May
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Flats fishing for redfish The and Fish to to expect expect in in and we we mean mean BIG BIG The BIG-4 BIG-4 Fish seems to be more productive in the creeks and the deeper Gulf Temps water, not on the bars. When are finally you find one you find 30 of ‘em! There are big snook all in the 80s over the flats. If you have a now TARPON In the Pass more and SHARK Sharks are everySNOOK in the deeper spots KINGFISH In 70 feet. A few little shade chances are there outside the bars more, moving in and out closer in, but not for long where, both big and small is a snook in it. Snook are in the pre-spawn mode now. It’s imprinted in the snooks genetics to eat baitfish for their oil before the snook Jim, at Fishermen’s Edge spawn. So by using baitfish or lures that resemEnglewood: 697-7595 ble baitfish for snook you are keying in on their Fishing is reasonably good. Inside, there are natural preference. really really big trout (to 10 pounds and 33 inches) In freshwater, bass fishermen are using lot of mostly around Pine Island or on the bar out front shad style lures – the bigger-body lures are of Turtle Bay, where the drop off is. Some have what’s hot. Bass anglers are using for the deeper been taken on shrimp some on topwater lures, diving lures, like 6 or 8 foot divers. The bass are mostly it’s an early morning bite. There are a lot of deep, but they are hitting good. redfish around now, small and really big. Get a pole, put some line and a hook on it and Some guys are using ladyfish and sardines as give it a shot. You could have the trip of a lifecut bait for snook or redfish. time. There have been some really monster reds Above Danny Friedlineʼs 13th birthday hammerhead. around, up to 45 inches, some are right next to the pass. Pompano are still on the Tom Adams pier. Spanish and king mackerel are around and cobia are in the Harbor, inside by the phosphate dock. Offshore it’s really good. Snapper, mangs, lane snapper, and AJ on the Bayronto and other deeper wrecks. A lot of gag still around, but they still have to let them go.... oh well. There are tarpon in the pass, moving in and out. In freshwater havent had anybody doing anything. I’m sure there is some FISHING bass fishing going on, but once the From Fishinʼ Frank: This rare fish is a louvar . It was about weather got warm enough for whitebait it RIGHT NOW: 6 feet long when it washed up on Englewood Beach last seems like a lot of bass fishermen focus on month. First time I have ever heard of one of these washing Big Fish HERE! Casey Baker and a little lemon shark ashore. A shark or something must have eaten the tail off. inshore.
Lemon Bay:
Relaxing with the Sharks
It was so big, two men could not flip it over or get it back in the water.
www.fishingpuntagorda.com
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MAY 2013