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Winter's

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Switch It Up Offshore

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARYN ANDREW WHITE VOLUME 25 â€¢ ISSUE 298

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O P P O R T U N I T I E S

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JANUARY 2020

W O R L D W I D E

12/11/19 4:14 PM

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Photo courtesy of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service, bigolfish.com

hether saltwater or fresh, good striper fishing awaits those hearty enough to brave winter on the water. So layer-up, zip into that parka and go. Some of the biggest fish of the year are feeding right now. On the southern end of their fall migration, striped bass are holed up for the winter off North Carolina. They’ll be chowing down and following schools of bait up and down the coast from Wilmington to the Outer Banks. Many years, Oregon Inlet sets up as the epicenter for the bite, but striped bass can be found in most area inlets. The key is to follow the birds and find bass blowing up on menhaden, glass minnows or eels. The action can sometimes come in close enough that surf casters can catch stripers from the beaches of the Outer Banks, but the best bet is to hire a local captain with recent intel and a fast boat. A little farther south, Wilmington offers another option, as stripers pile into the Cape Fear River, where they hold around structure, drop-offs and creekmouths and can be caught on artificials or even flies. These resident fish are a separate group from the highly migratory fish that winter off the Outer Banks. Cape Fear stripers are catch-and-release only, and must be returned to the water immediately. Keep an eye out for tagged stripers swimming these waters. Finally, on freshwater reservoirs across the Southern states and up through the Mid-Atlantic, fisheries stocked with striped bass produce pretty well for anglers this time of year. While smaller schoolie-sized stripers tend to get tough during the coldest temperatures of the year, the larger fish will still feed. The action won’t be as fast as dropping downlines to massive summertime schools, but the fish that do eat tend to be larger. Tactics will vary depending on the fishery, but when water temperatures stabilize or during a warming trend of a few days, the biggest fish in the lake tend to move up shallow—sometimes very shallow— behind schools of small shad. Find the flickering shad, and you’ll find the stripers. Sometimes you’ll see them plucking bait near the surface. Stealth is imperative in catching them, and a soft plastic such as a Fluke will usually out-produce live baits in such situations. It’s easier to cast and slowly retrieve an artificial. Another popular tactic is to cover a lot of water trolling wide spreads of small live baits or pulling an umbrella rig loaded with swimbaits, or both. When prospecting like this, it’s wise to seek out good information on where the stripers are holding. On many lakes they spend winters down by the dam. On others, you might find them way up in the creeks.

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12/10/19 9:01 AM

It’s boat show time! And the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which produces 18 boat and sportshows across the country, is investing in more experiences and education than ever to meet the desires of attendees and inspire the next generation of the boating workforce. Attendee favorites will return, too, from fishing ponds to Super Thursdays. Here are some 2020 show season highlights. • With a need for skilled workers in the marine industry (more than 31K open jobs), NMMA boat shows are expanding Boating Career Days, offering the chance for students and job seekers to learn more about opportunities in the boating industry, get career advice from marine professionals and check out job openings. Last year the program attracted more than 550 students across eight shows. In 2020, the program is expanding to 14 markets: New York, Baltimore, St. Louis, Kansas City, Nashville, Louisville, Atlanta, New England, Atlantic City, Minneapolis, Northwest, Miami, Norwalk and Tampa. • New for 2020, NMMA is introducing The Discover Boating Experience (DBX), the “Hub for Boaters,” an educational marketplace that provides space to mingle, enjoy expert seminars, explore new products, learn boat care, discover new technologies, learn to navigate a boat show and more. DBX offers a place to relax and have a drink while enjoying a variety of topics, inspirational stories and live music. • The Progressive Boat House features an Occulus Rift Virtual Reality boat race game, the Annapolis School of Seamanship’s expert seminars and a docking pool with a remote-control boat and helm station to master docking skills. • Returning favorites include free fishing for kids and special deals, like $5 tickets after 5 p.m. and Super Thursday, offering deeper discounts, exclusive pricing and incentives. • Ongoing education for boaters and anglers of all skill levels is a hallmark of NMMA boat shows with free daily seminars.

The Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show, Presented by West Marine cruises into the docks at Miami Marine Stadium Feb. 13-17. Great deals and hands-on experience with hundreds of boats and the associated gear are the big annual draw. Highlights of the 2020 boat show include:

• Costa Conservation Village will showcase the work of some of Florida’s leading environmental organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, Captains for Clean Water, and Costa’s Kick Plastic program.

• Presentations on sustainable seafood from esteemed Chef Allen Susser and an opportunity to get a signed copy of his new cookbook, “Green Fig and Lionfish: Sustainable Caribbean Cooking.”

• Junior Captains Program, where kids ages 13-17 can learn to operate a boat with Annapolis School of Seamanship.

• Boat US on-water training with Intro To Boating, Women on the Water and Precision Docking.

• The Progressive Boathouse, offering boating seminars, a remote-control docking pond and an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality boat race game.

• Wining and dining at three full-service, sit down restaurants at

the Show including: Latin Café, V&E Restaurant Group Showcasing menu items from Havana 1957 & La Cerveceria De Barrio and SuViche featuring select menu items from Novecento.

• For more information, visit www.MiamiBoatShow.com.

For more information and the schedule of 2020 NMMA boat shows, visit to www.boatshows.com. 4

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The easiest way to find bait when you’re ready to go fishing is by using the new Baitfinder App, available for free download on both Apple and Android devices. Bait shops are the best possible resource for local information on what’s biting, and on what bait, to ensure you have the right equipment and knowledge before you head out to target a specific species of fish. Everything about Baitfinder is designed for anglers, by anglers, allowing all bait shops in your area to advertise their bait availability in real-time. There’s no more last-minute anxiety about locating bait or driving all over to locate the bait you’re looking for. Anglers can reserve their bait of choice prior to getting to their favorite bait shop to pick it up, and it’s all easily done on the app! Let your friends know of this free app, and encourage all your local bait shops to enroll at: WWW.BAITFINDER.COM

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By Nick Carter

otivating yourself can be tough when daytime temperatures fall into the low 20s and ice forms on the edges of Southern tailwater trout fisheries. Even on these dam-fed systems, where water temperatures remain relatively consistent, trout become difficult when tiny midges are the primary food source. But there’s a phenomenon that occurs on some tailwaters that makes fishing the cold snaps worth sucking ice out of your guides. It’s called a shad kill. When it happens every fish in the river takes part in the feast. Shad kills are caused by extended cold weather. When air temperatures drop into the teens or lower for several days in a row, baitfish in reservoirs that feed our tailwaters suffer from plummeting water

temps. Either stunned and dying or just diving deep to find more comfortable conditions, shad and blueback herring get sucked into dam turbines. What’s washed out into the tailwater is a mix of chopped up, whole dead, and quivering stunned baitfish. “All of a sudden, they get flushed out into the tailrace. It’s like chumming the river in that upper mile or so below the dam,” said Bill Stranahan, who guides with Southeastern Anglers on Tennessee’s Hiwassee River. “Good browns and rainbows will key in on it. The ones you catch are so stuffed they look like they’re about to pop.” Fed by high-mountain winters on Appalachia Lake, the Hiwassee shad kill is a good one. In the Arkansas Ozarks, the White River sees shad kills almost every year. The Cumberland River in Kentucky and Georgia’s Chattahoochee River below Lake Lanier are two other tailwaters where trout put on the feedbag for these events. But shad kills are not like a hatch you can follow by calendar. It takes rapidly cooling water temps to disorient the numbers of baitfish necessary to be noticeable in the tailrace. During the winter’s hardest freeze, intrepid anglers should hit the water near the dam and watch for activity. “You’ll see them floating down the river stunned or dead,” said Stranahan. “Sometimes you’ll see fish coming up to the surface to swipe at them.” White and flashy are the keys to catching fish during a shad kill. White Zonkers or other bunny flies, white Woolly Buggers, anything that looks like a dead or dying baitfish will work. Stranahan said to match the size of the baitfish you see in the water and to experiment with depth and presentation. Sometimes a jerky retrieve is preferred, while other times a dead drift is the ticket. At times trout will feed on the surface, and some days call for a sinking line to get the fly down. Shad kills can be ephemeral or they can last a couple weeks when conditions are perfect. It’s the kind of thing you have to be on the water to encounter, and when it happens it brings out the biggest fish in the river.

Contact Southeastern Anglers through their website at www.southeasternanglers.com.

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after wrestling it from between the pilings, it turned toward open water. As I felt the battle shift in my favor, the line parted, likely from earlier contact with the pilings. “That can happen when you’re fishing up tight like this,” said our skipper, “but some days you have to dig in to get the big ones. Other times we’ll find them in more open water around oyster bars or in the surf.” Captiva Island, on Florida’s southwest coast, is prime territory for snook, redfish, sea trout, tarpon and a variety of other inshore species. “Our waters produce so well because we have a ton of bait, structure and opportunity here,” said Fischer, proprietor of Tarpon Fischer Charters (http:// www.tarponfischercharters.com). “Pine Island Sound, on the backside of the island, for example, has several passes that allow water and bait to flow in and out. The Peace, Myakka and Caloosahatchee rivers also empty into here. I run a lot of my charters out of South Seas Island Resorts (https://www.southseas. com) at the north end of Captiva, and from there you can be fishing in the sound or the open Gulf in a matter of minutes.” Snook and redfish top 40 inches, tarpon range from chickens to 200 pounds and sea trout are abundant. Those species are resident, noted Fischer, but come December and January, offshore action also kicks in with snapper, sheepshead, grouper, kingfish and cobia, among others. For anglers, these waters call for medium-light spinning tackle. Rig a size 3/0 J-hook or a light jighead on a 2 1/2-foot leader of 30-pound mono to freeline live baits around structure, mangroves or the surf edge. Add a 1/2-ounce splitshot two feet above the hook to get down in deeper water or stronger currents, or add a float two feet above this rig to fish the flats. If you prefer to throw lures, toss a 4-inch paddletail, Rapala Skitter Walk or Zara Spook. Fischer favors a 7 1/2-foot, 8- to 17-pound class Bull Bay rod and Shimano 4000 spinning reels for his inshore fishing. Keep in mind this area occasionally suffers from red tide blooms. “It can be here one week and gone the next.” Fischer said. “If it occurs during your visit, simply head for the cleanest water you can find.”

By Tom Schlichter

A s

apt. Nick Fischer nodded at a boat dock ahead. “There should be a Launching is available at South Seas Resorts (if you are staying there) or good one under there,” he said. “We had a couple there this morning from the Sanibel Island Public Boat Ramp ($5/hr. parking fee: 239-472-6397; but saw a real solid fish just before we left.” 888 Sextant Dr., Sanibel.) Nearby, the ‘Tween Waters Inn is another good spot It didn’t take long to confirm a nice snook was home. I hooked it and, to spend the night. More info at www.fortMyers-Sanibel.com.

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t’s prime time for wahoo in the sparsely populated southeastern Bahamas, where a fleet of boats shows up each winter specifically to target some of the biggest wahoo in the world. Just off San Salvador and Cat Island, precipitous ledge drops within a 15- or 20-minute boat ride from shore are a magnet for wintering wahoo. The prime wahoo season runs from November to about April, when fish are densely congregated. Triple-digit weights are not uncommon, and the average wahoo will tip the scales between 50 and 60 pounds this time of year. High-speed trolling is the name of the game. Pulling lures at 14 knots and zig-zagging along the ledge over depths from 400 to 600 feet is the kind of fishing that produces world records. Five current IGFA line-class record wahoo came from the waters off San Salvador and Cat Island. Two of those weighed more than 150 pounds. When that reel goes off, screaming from the pull of a big fish moving at 60 mph, it’s important to crank down on the drag and power it to the boat as quickly as possible. Oceanic whitetips are thick in the area, and they’re known to show up and rip a trophy fish to shreds.

For information on lodging and charters in the southern Bahamas, go to www.bahamas.com.

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Winter can be brutal, but to the saltwater fly fisherman it can be the greatest time of year to catch some quality fish on the fly. The beaches, flats and bays are practically deserted, the “sunshine” fishermen having retreated to their firesides at the appearance of the first raindrop or snowflake. It’s time for the serious fly flingers to put on thermals, grab a fly rod, and head for the water. Two of my favorite wintertime saltwater fish are the speckled trout (or spotted seatrout) and the redfish, two game fish that thrive in cooler water and make for some great fly rod action even “when the frost is on the pumpkin.” The speckled trout is a coastal fish found on the shallow mud flats and sand flats from North Carolina to Texas. A fish generally traveling in large schools, the “speck” is capable of providing fast action on the fly whether you’re wading or fishing from a skiff, kayak or boat.

A proven way to locate the “speck” is to look for depressions, channels, holes or cuts on or along these areas. Once located, cast into them with a floating or intermediate line, a 9-foot leader and a baitfish pattern. A weedless fly like a Bent Back works well. The key to catching speckled trout in cold water is to retrieve the fly sl-o-o-o-wly using short, jerky strips. The strike is often as light as an aunt’s peck on the cheek, so keep close eye contact with your fly. Another worthy wintertime adversary is the redfish, a fish found in the same areas as the speckled trout. Redfish (red drum), can tip the scales from 5-pounds to a heavyweight of 40 pounds. These members of the croaker family take up residence near breakwaters, pier pilings, channels, estuaries and marshes. They are a great match for the fly rod. Redfish can be finicky eaters and sometimes the fly needs to be placed close to their noses, especially in colder water. An accurate cast is essential in fishing for these rascals. Come prepared with a 9- or 10-weight rod, a floating line (weight forward), a 9-foot leader and a pocket full of crab patterns, as reds favor crustaceans. Don’t hang up your fly gear at the first signs of the winter solstice. Winterize yourself and go fly fishing; it beats sitting in a chair and dreaming of warmer weather.

For more Bowman, go to

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By CAM Staff

veryone seems to gets excited about those spring runs, when cobia push north in their migration and can be targeted by sight while cruising the beaches. With the run-and-gun nature of these tactics, it’s arguably the most exciting way to catch them. But it’s not the most efficient. Die-hard cobia fans know that wintertime, before the big move, provides some of the best fishing of the year. Consolidated is a good way to describe cobia populations during the winter. On the Atlantic coast as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, fish have moved southward and offshore in search of comfortable water conditions.

At no other time are cobia populations so dense around the Florida Keys, but they can also be found grouped up on deeper wrecks and reefs along both Florida coasts. In the warmer waters of the Keys, deep jigging the ocean-side reefs with butterfly jigs or 1-ounce bucktails will haul up a mixed bag, which will likely include cobia, and chumming them up to the surface is also tried-and-true tactic. Out on the reef line, anchor up and drop a chum bag of chopped-up frozen baitfish and wait for the action to come to you. Cobia will show up with sharks, as well as various mackerel and snapper species. Whether it’s pinfish or shrimp, present your bait weightless, and you might want to add a wire leader for the toothy critters in the melee. Farther north on both coasts, resident cobia are schooled up and easier to locate than they are at any other time of year. Find a good winter day, with warm sunshine and calm seas, and make the run to offshore wrecks or reefs. The key to this is water temperature, so look for temperature bands with surface temps around 70 degrees, and find some good structure with bait present on the sonar. Again, chumming can bring cobia right up to the surface, which leads to fast action on live baits, but jigging is a tactic that is both fun and effective for targeting fish you actually spot on the screen more than 100 feet down. It’s quicker, cleaner and more efficient than live bait. The key to this technique is finding the magic depth where the cobia are schooled up. Drop a 2- to 6-ounce jig, depending on the current and depth, vertically to the depth you’re marking fish. Experiment with the action until they eat. Some pump a jig up with fast, short jerks, others prefer to swing it up high and let it flutter back down. Both techniques will work, and the jig should be sweetened with either a 7-inch soft-plastic trailer or a natural bait like cuttlefish. Some of the biggest cobia of the year come off wrecks and reefs in winter. So head down to the Keys or make the run offshore and catch them before they scatter with the spring run.

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JANUARY 2020

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By CAM Staﬀ

ahamian waters did not disappoint for the more than 70 anglers competing Nov. 7-10 in Bimini’s Wahoo Smackdown IX. Hosted by the historic Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina, more than 1,500 pounds of fish were landed during the event. A fleet of 14 boats fished, with 11 teams making it to the leaderboard. Over the two days, 108 fish were caught, the largest weighing

52.7 pounds. Team Blitzsea, out of Pompano Beach, Fla., took top team honors with their six largest of 16 fish weighing a total of 251.4 pounds. It earned them $8,200 in cash winnings. Second place Team Remain Calm, also out of Pompano Beach, Fla., earned $4,500 in cash winnings with 13 fish for a total catch weight of 238.3 pounds for their six largest. Another Pompano Beach team, Team Mi Novia, finished third, taking home $2,500 in cash winnings for a total catch of 13 fish and a total catch weight of 190.7 pounds for their six largest. Team 4 Play caught the largest fish of the tournament, at 52.7 pounds. Outstanding catch went to Indecisive for a 23.5-pound king mackerel. Top Lady Angler went to Lisa aboard Blitzsea. Top Junior Angler went to Luke Pinder aboard Bad Habit. Tournament coordinator Beth Watson said the weekend “went flawlessly,” despite some rough seas and rain with squalls up to 40 knots on Day 2. “The teams that did attend were amongst the most competitive we have seen in all of our years of hosting fishing tournaments,” she said. Tournament festivities included live local entertainment nightly, a cocktail reception for the Captains’ Meeting, a barbeque at Sharkies Bar & Grill on day one of the tournament, and a closing awards party in the Hemmingway lounge, featuring a buffet, live entertainment and a full open bar. Sponsors included David Dunleavy Performance Fishing Apparel, Juno Bait, Carey Chen Marine Artist, Morita Custom Gaffs, CS Custom Lures, Starbright, Paul Cuffaro Brand, Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill, Mermaid Vodka, Tropic Ocean Airways and Piper’s Angels. With more than 50 record-setting catches in the waters around the island, Bimini has often been referred to as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World. Plans are already underway to make Wahoo Smackdown 2020 the biggest best one yet!

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he following fees will be applied to boats staying in The Bahamas for up to 3 months: • Boats up to 34 feet: $150 (no change) • Boats 35-99 feet: $300 (no change) • Boats 100-149 feet: $500 • Boats 150-200 feet: $800 • Boats over 200 feet: $1,000 The fees cover both a cruising permit and fishing permit, as well as the departure tax for up to three people. Each additional person will be charged a $20 departure tax. The fee is good for a second re-entry within a 90-day period. For stays longer than 3 months: • Boats up to 34 feet: $300 annually • Boats 35-99 feet: $600 annually • Boats 100-149 feet: $1,000 annually • Boats over 150 feet: $2,000 annually For a stay longer than 12 months, special arrangements must be made with Bahamas Customs and Immigration. Concurrent to the fee structure announcement, the government plans to launch an on-line entry portal (Click2Clear) this spring to streamline the process for boating entry permits and fishing licences. Attendance Fees, Fishing Permit, Transportation and Overtime fees are all included in the price of the cruising permit. The only additional fees would be for additional departure tax if there are more than three people at a cost of $20 per additional person. It is illegal to tip government employees. Boaters are asked to report if they are ever asked for these types of payments to the local marina manger or dockmaster.

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he fish have cooperated and moved Casey & Jessica Irons caught a pile inside, out of the bay making it of trout. possible to almost never leave sight of your launch ramp and fill your cooler for dinner. The springs around Spring Creek and surrounding waters are holding lots of trout and redfish. Live shrimp, gulps and soft baits soaked or bounced slowly along the bottom will catch plenty. If you think you are fishing too slow, slow down some more so the target species don't burn calories chasing down your bait. If you want to hit some diff erent areas move out Doc O'Neil had this great 30 inch gag crush a trolled plug in 13 feet of water. to any of the artificial reefs, fish havens or hard bottom structure in the 12-15 foot depth range and the black sea bass and flounder will readily attack the same rigs as you were using in close. Gag grouper closed on Dec. 31, 2019

anuary is clear water month on the flats of Lanark. It will be an awesome month to sight fish the shallow flats from Alligator Point to the Carrabelle River. Just remember clear water is cold water, and fish still will move to warmer positions. Look for fish to hang close to land and structure. Hard objects will hold heat, and bait. Look for both trout and redfish to be in the bait. If you cannot get close to shore, working the Lanark docks is a great pattern. Look for an incoming tide and ride it in. Keep your eyes peeled for pushing fish, if you start to push fish. Stop and catch. No reason to fish in empty locations, keep moving until you push some fish. Live shrimp will work. Also, slow moving suspending baits will get bit. I prefer Corky’s suspending mullet pattern. It is a great bait for winter use. It cast real long, sinks slow, and has great action. Any color choice will work. Offshore, grouper is closed, but the black sea bass will be hungry. Work any rocky bottom for best results. Look for a calm day and take a ride. It is a great time to fill a cooler of seabass. Look out for new speckled trout regulations to start in February. Capt. Steve's Fish School Until then, keep fishing and send your fish pics to captmike@coasta1. New trout regulations as of February 1,2020-Slot-15-19", one langlermagazine.com. over 19" per boat, 5 per person per day, Charter Capt. or crew not FORECAST BY: Captain Mike McNamara allowed to keep any fish on for hire trip in new Big Bend zone Publisher of Big Bend Edition Coastal Angler Magazine 2. Black Sea Bass must be 10 inches TL, 100lbs. p1er person per day 3. Gr ay Tr i g ge r f ish s e as on reopens in State & Federal waters on March 1, 2020. 1 per person per day 15" to fork. Remember to take a kid fishing and show them the beauty of the outdoors! Happy New Year and have a safe 2020! FORECAST BY: Captain Steve Hobbs SkeeterBite Fishing Charters Call or text 850-363-0527 splopscapt@gmail.com Check us out on Facebook!

David & Robin Thompson(High school friends) catch a nice redﬁsh double! 6 BIG BEND | JANUARY 2020 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

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e made it to March! Spring fishing must be here! I gave up forecasting the weather. So far February must be the warmest in history. March, no telling what the weather has in store. Normally, heavy winds and a few cold fronts make for a tough start elcome to FISHING 2020! For some reason 2020 feels differto north Florida spring fishing. It might be 80 degrees, but the fish ent? It kinda feels like BIG things could happen this year. This are swimming in water the will hold in the 60’s. Be patient in March could be the year BIG fish get caught! It could be THE YEAR OF THE and search for the higher temps for best results. BIG FISH! There is only one way to find out, and that’s go FISH!! In February the trout pushed into the river for a few days, but not Speckled trout fishing can be ridiculously simple in January. Like long. That means they are still out in sight of the lighthouse. Working not even fair to the fish. Or it can be a where did all the fish go month. the oyster bars will catch fish. Best bet is an incoming tide. If the water It is all about being around the fish when they are feeding. Water temps climb close to 70 degrees, then look for the trout to move on temps and tide will have an effect, but it is best figured out by trial and the flats that have deep water close by. Keep an eye on bait moving on error. Most fish will be in the rivers and creeks. Bouncing jigs super to the flats this month, or the return of pinfish. Both are great areas to slow will catch them. Find the bait and you will find the fish. There are target in March. BIG changes coming for speckled trout regulations next month, so There seems to be the same redget ready for the changes. fish pattern every year in the bay. We The first redfish of the catch redfish. Some days we catch year is always worthy, no a few, other days it could be triple matter the size. Take a a few, but you do have to work for minute to pause, grab a those jokers. March will be the same. photo and release. It is good There aren’t swarms or schools of luck to return the first fish! redfish running the bay. Just a few It might bring many happy redfish hanging on a warm flat, or returns. Look for reds working an oyster bar, or mixing everywhere this month. among some mullet or guarding They will be deep in the rocks. You need to go check those river, and the creeks. They spots. Toss them a jig or shrimp and will hide on rock piles. they will eat it. If you are lucky, you They will hide on oysters. Toss them a shrimp and they will eat it! Toss could find a bunch, and have one of them a gold flecked paddletail and they will eat it, most of the time. those redfish kinda days. Offshore is a great trip in January, weather permitting. Look for March is also an awesome month sea bass and flounder to hold on the shallow rocks and reefs. SLOW to hit the public reefs. Bring shrimp! The sheephead should be there, bounce jigs or sink shrimp. It and shrimp will be needed. There could be some grunts, seabass, and could be a great month to fill a flounder mixed in. Find a calm day and take a ride. You may also find cool of tasty fish! the first push of Spanish macks. They always hit the reefs on their way WELCOME TO 2020! St into the bay. Marks Outfitters is here to help We are booking trips everyone enjoy a day on the this month! We are water. CALL/TEXT/EMAIL to hoping for a warm and book your next adventure/fish. dry March, so there will We are looking forward to BIG be plenty of days to fish! FISH in 2020! Give me a call/text/email FORECAST BY: to book a day! FORECAST BY: Captain Mike McNamara Stmarksoutfittters.com redfish@stmarksoutfitters.com call/text 850-510-7919

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KEATON BEACH

years later and the world “keeps on trucking” we have plenty of trout yet the FFWC is still after us to cut back all of our trout regs. I will attend the final Hearing in Panama City tomorrow and then we will know what the new regs are. When passed/approved they will be enacted and become law February 1, A nice red for Nick McCulloch 12/9/19 2020. years later and trends the world “keeps on trucking” we have plenty SoftÊplasticsÊlikeÊthisÊAssassinÊÒButtÊNakedÓÊ f 20 current weather hold ofwe trout yet the FFWC is still aft er us to cut back all of our trout regs. should be wide open with SeaÊShadÊwillÊtakeÊgoodÊtroutÊinÊMarch. Itrout will and attend the fi nal Hearing in Panama reds when this issue comes out. City tomorrow and then we Our will fiknow the new When passed/approved they shingwhat at Keaton has regs goneare. From Great to Nothing and back will be enacted and become law February 1, 2020. to Great as fast as the fronts could go through yet the Best has been All that said ourbrief trout fishing couldn’t getlasting much an better water spectacular albeit feed periods usually hourasmaybe temps have rebounded to 64° as of December 11 and we are catchtwo for the entire day on days with high tides late in the afternoon! ingMarch beautiful trout including 7 trout 20 Monday for my willbags see aoffew more fronts pass butover the water temps should charter Ron Smith of Melbourne, Florida. We threw back eleven have come up into the high 60’s or low 70’s by then and that should keepers five over a 24” Sow all on hard jerkbaits. stabilizewith the trout once20” we including can hold 70 degrees overnight. Oh,Trout I hadhave a 32”been red on the same plugs, which was HOOT. Doesn’t happy to hit lipped jerkbaitsalike Bite-A-Bait get much better than that; yet the FFWC thinks we don’t havehit as fighters Bombers, and Cordell Redfins once the water temps many large female trout as in the past. tsk tsk. What a shame they 65+ degrees in the afternoons. Suspending baits were the rule until won’t Co. fishing. we gotcome theretoa Taylor week or soand ago.goMirrOdines, Catch 2000’s and Paul Earlier this week we were tossing Paul Brown Devils,(#11) Soft Browns were the deal the last of January and the first few days in Dines(#08) February, and MirrOdines (Electric Chicken) and kicking butt in 55 – 59° water. Oh and the bait of the week was Assassin’s 5” shad Cho os e your in the Butt Naked pattern. We rigged it on Bert Deener’s 1/16 oz. baits accordingly jigheads. We also caught fish on live shrimp under Back Bays and and if you are on on a variety of plugs and plastic. Pink Ghost, Stinky Pink and Butt a warming trend Naked were the best patterns. The Sea Shads rigged on an Assassin’s with temps in the 1/16 oz. springlock chartreuse jighead took fish under the Original hi 60’s toss lipped Cajun earlier in the week then as it warmed up we switched to jigbaits, otherwise ging the 5” Shads. Most of the trout, reds and a couple of flounder take it down to came in 2.5 – 4.0' of water. them with gravity January is a wildcard at Keaton as the water temperature deterand use your susmines alllures. of our success or failure. If the water stays up above 55° pending we will continue to catch fish on a myriad of hard and soft baits. If the 70’s hold Below that and the “bite” decreases to a bare hour or so a day, or I imagine live pinevery two days. If it hovers around 55° fish suspending lures such as fish under Back MirrOdines, Catch Bay Thunders will 2 0 0 0 ’s , an d Pau l take trout in late Brown lures in March. the Devil, and Reds have eaten RedsÊwillÊeatÊGoldÊandÊCopperÊspoonsÊlikeÊthisÊHEXÊspoonÊinÊcopper Soft-Dines. Intruder Gold

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spoons, suspending baits, and soft plastics and I would guess Meanwhile, Let'sthat Go will continue in March. Reds should be out of the creeks and roamFishing! ing the flats looking for food by mid-March. Pat McGriff dba

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Andy McCulloch of Suwanee, Ga. with a nice trout taken on a MirrOdine 12/9/19

10 BIG BEND BEND | JANUARY 2019 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM | MARCH 2020 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM 10 BIG • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

STEINHATCHEE

he Sheep Come Marching The lion and lamb In…Th analogy in terms of March weather is so true here in the Big Bend. If the little voice in your head hints better try it another day with better weather, listen and heed. We've all ignored it in times past and can share horror stories about who was the dumbest amongst If there arerank fishing in January a solid eleven, ith “one”us. being best, I'd many voices in your head, canThat doesn't mean the fishing is terrijust ahead of February. ble, just not cold fronts from the north make the I'm fishing tripcold andtolerant. go see Also, a off shoreNobody conditions iffy most of the time. shrink. should be on Of course, grouper are closed in January. a boat with you :) OnBy thethe offtime chance, wereading get a bluebird we you're this, theday, sheepshead should be in full are prohibited from catching and keeping spawn. In the past decade, the sheepshead huddle-up to make more grouper. A random trip would sheepshead in mid togrouper late February. The give Steinhatchee Reef and the aShrimp brief relief cabin-fever stimulate fish and meet lots of Boat from are popular spotsand to sheepshead the economy a small coastal people on the of weekends. Should community. you be planning to go, go early. A much needed touch-bump winter There are many techniquesduring to catch sheepshead. I like to keep dump. Imagine a fresh grouper dinner with Use rod/reel combithings simple. Here are some of my thoughts. friends family. I guess I should careful nationsand you'd typically catch trout be and redfish with. Those lighter with my words, the rumor could spread andSensitivity I weight combos improve your sensitivity. is of utmost may be impeached from fi shing forever! importance to catch, not feed sheepshead. Braided line further inHowever, on a and bluebird day, one doesn't doesn'tcatch the current and creases sensitivity furthermore have to venture too far off shore to gather a billow due to the thinner diameter. I use twelve pound test mono handsome cooler of delicious Florida snapper, sea bass, andisa recfew or twenty braid. A short section of heavier leader material flommended. ounder. Simply manage to get any bait down on hard bottom and Use the lightest weight or jig-head necessary to hold the bite is instant. Get a group of people cranking up fish after fish the bottom. Heavy sinkers reduce sensitivity. Long shank hooks are after fis after fi after f..., people soon get tired of catching. Remember, preferred because of the difficulty of hook removal. The vise like you have to clean all jaws of sheepshead are dicy to deal with especially considering the those fish too. the hardware in the mouth. The long shank is helpful. Youweathdon't When the want your digits around the mouth. er turns brutally I use a knocker rig where the egg sinker rides on relative the leader next cold, to Florto the hook. This rig is easier to dislodge if hung on the bottom. ida, not Minnesota, Bait… Some folks only go with live shrimp which is great. anglers flock I'll to also the use fresh frozen shrimp or fiddler crabs. Use a thinner wire hook for Steinhatchee River fiddler crabs so that it won't bust the crab apart.to Some folks bait with mop up on trout fresh shucked oysters. I can't do that because there is a bottle hot coming in forofthersauce on my boat. mal refuge. RememThe limitber, forvast sheepshead is majority of wisely at eight It is the fishset you touchper dieangler. of disease alsoto wise to release the protective egg laden due removal of their females forAsthe slim layer. forchildren. the best bait, call er tackle sheepshead shing the Aft local shops andfimaribounce around hard bottom nas and ask. Also, ask if there are nearbystill to in pick-up some stock. sea bass with a couple surprise flounder. FORECAST BY:

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FWC

FWC Approves Changes to

Spotted Seatrout Rules At its meeting in Panama City Beach, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved several rule changes for spotted seatrout. Spotted seatrout are one of Florida’s most popular inshore fisheries. Based on the results of a recent stock assessment and after hearing concerns from anglers, FWC worked with stakeholders to create a suite of regulatory changes that would benefit the spotted seatrout as well as continue to provide quality fishing opportunities. The following rules will go into effect Feb. 1, 2020: • Creating two new zones by splitting the Northwest spotted seatrout management zone into the: (See maps below.) ◆ Western Panhandle (Escambia County through the portions of Gulf County west of longitude 85 degrees, 13.76 minutes but NOT including Indian Pass/Indian Lagoon). ◆ Big Bend (remaining portion of Gulf County plus Indian Lagoon, and Franklin County through Fred Howard Park Causeway in Pinellas County). • Creating the renamed South Florida zone (Fred Howard Park Causeway in Pinellas County near the Pasco County line through Broward County) and Central East zone (Palm Beach through Volusia counties) by moving the boundary between the southern management zones. (See maps below.) ◆ Reducing bag limits ◆ Western Panhandle: five to three fish. ◆ Big Bend: no change (remains five fish). ◆ South Florida: four to three fish. ◆ Central East: four to two fish. ◆ Northeast: six to five fish. • Modifying the recreational slot size limit from 15-to-20 inches to 15-to-19 inches total length. • Allowing one seatrout over 19 inches per vessel (currently per harvester). • Prohibiting captain and crew from keeping a bag limit on a for-hire trip. • Re-establishing the February recreational closure in the Western Panhandle zone and the November-December recreational closure in the Central East zone. • Reducing the current daily commercial limits to 50 per harvester and 100 per vessel. • Removing an unnecessary commercial reporting form. Spotted seatrout will remain catch-and-release through May 31, 2020, in waters from the Hernando/Pasco county line south through Gordon Pass in Collier County. This includes all waters of Tampa Bay. Red drum and snook are also included in these red tide-related catchand-release measures. 12 BIG BEND | JANUARY 2020 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

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FLORIDA

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By John Saporito

ith winter temperatures upon us, its time to switch tactics when targeting inshore gamefish. The warmer months feature an abundance of life on the flats and shallow beds, but winter shows the opposite trend. Both gamefish and their prey seek out stable water temperatures, many moving upriver and into creeks to find refuge from the cold. Due to the high specific heat capacity of water, many fish will escape the cold by moving into deep-water areas of our bays and estuaries.

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Often, fish will congregate in passes, boat channels, and around bridges, where the bottom has been scooped out, creating places that assure consistent water temperatures. These deep-water haunts are excellent places to score in winter, where fish can keep themselves at the appropriate temperature while exploiting the bottom structure and moving water to help with their feeding activity. Whenever deep moving water is in play, there is one technique that stands out above the rest: jig fishing. Jigs are the most effective tool when it comes to pulling fish out of a lateral current. Their unique ability to ride naturally through the turbulence and get down to the bottom where fish are holding makes them ideal for this style of fishing. A single upright hook allows them to bounce off most obstructions and has the strength to hold heavy fish in heavy current. But not all jigs are created equal. The two main styles of jig in use today are the nose-eye and offset-eye. The nose-eye jig has its eye in a forward position on the head of the lure, while the offset-eye jig has its eye in a centered position on top of the jig’s head. The offset-eye jig is superior thanks to its knack for maintaining a horizontal orientation during retrieve. This makes natural presentation with the offset-eye jig a cinch. Weight is a critical factor when using jigs. The lightest possible jig that can get and stay within a few feet of the bottom will net you the most fish. Too heavy a jig will drag uselessly in the bottom sediment, while too light a jig will be unable to reach the deep-water strike zone. Water depth, current speed, wind speed and direction, line material and diameter, and the type of trailer used on the jig are all variables that go into weight selection. Once you’ve selected the appropriate jig, cast it up-current, allow it to sink to the bottom, and let the current sweep it toward any fish-holding structure that might be present. This structure may consist of bridge abutments, dock pilings, boulders, sand waves, ridges or holes. If you can get your jig to glide through the strike zone close to structure in fast deep water, hold on! A jig can help you clean up with your favorite inshore gamefish all winter long. John Saporito is a lifelong fisherman and student of the seas. Visit him online at guerillaangling.com and follow on Instagram @guerilla_angling.

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JANUARY 2020

FLORIDA

12/14/19 12:53 PM

COLD WEATHER BASS HAMMERING SHAD

Travis Poole with a fine winter bass caught while fishing with C-note Charters. By Randy Cnota hen the north winds blow across Florida, bass experience significant shock from rapidly dropping water temps. Those fronts actually kill many shad; not all, but many. Through the fall and winter, bass tend to school and follow balls of shad to take advantage of feeding opportunities available due to the cold. The abundance of forage and the natural urge to fatten up turn bass into eating machines. Airline_Ad_CoastalAngler_8-1-14_Layout 1 8/1/14 1:14 PM Page 1 action and As a shad dies, it flails about in a jerky twitching

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JANUARY 2020

eventually sinks. If any bass are around, it will never make it to the bottom. Lures that mimic this action and excel this time of year include jerkbaits, A-rigs, spinnerbaits, lipless and deep-diving crankbaits and spoons. The flutter spoon is a personal favorite due to its ability to trigger a feeding response when other lures won’t. The erratic fluttering motion as it falls appears as a very familiar sight bass have been witnessing as shad succumb to the cold. When they strike, you’d best be holding on tight! Spoons are a great tool for scouring depths from 5 to 50 feet. Not only do they generate bites in open water where schools of bass roam for bait balls, they are deadly fished around deep and shallow grass beds. For this, rig a spoon on 50-pound braided main line with a 15-pound-test monofilament leader and cast to grass edges. Allow the spoon to fall into the grass, and then rip it out to generate bone-jarring strikes. Note: 99 percent of spoon bites come as the lure falls on a slack line. Suspending jerkbaits provide a different action needed for winter bass. When it’s bitter cold and bass are depressed from the conditions, you need to slow down while still presenting a shad imitation. Fished on light fluorocarbon line, jerkbaits reach deeper depths than you might think. In clear cold water they produce with reliable results. Long casts and slow retrieves with long pauses between twitches will get cold bass to move and strike. As winter moves toward spring, I cast a lipless crankbait at shallow grass near deep drop-offs. Bass will start moving closer to spawning areas long before they actually spawn and will continue to feed. If weather conditions create a slight rise in water temps, this technique can be hard to beat. Even if water temps are still in the low 50s, but have increased slightly, a fast retrieve will allow you to cover vast areas and pluck off many bass that have started to scatter from their winter schools. During these coldest times of the year is when some of the biggest bass are caught. Don’t let the conditions deter you from searching out that trophy bass. Bundle up and get after it! Randy Cnota is co-publisher of the Panama City/Destin/Forgotten Coast edition of Coastal Angler Magazine and owner of C-note Charters. Contact him at (229) 834-7880 or randyc@coastalanglermagazine.com.

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By Michael Okruhlik • Capt. Michael Okruhlik Photo courtesy of Controlled Descent Lures.

or those who enjoy targeting speckled trout of larger proportions, we know they are not easy to come by. The majority of trophy trout hunting is done in cooler water temps and below normal feeding patterns. Utilizing solunar tables for feeding times can improve your hookup ratio and help you get the edge on gator trout. When I was a child, I would look at the calendar on the wall and see how many fish were on the day I had a trip planned. Multi-fish days built the excitement and anticipation while zero

fish still left me wanting to go, but lessened my expectations. During my younger years, I also found no consistent correlation between my success and the number of fish on the calendar and soon felt no reason to review it. I felt it was more of a folktale than a tool. As I matured into a somewhat better angler, and started spending more time saltwater fishing, I once again started to study the solunar tables along with the tides. To be clear, these tables are not a magic act, nor do they place fish where they are not, but I am a believer that if you are on fish, they will be more aggressive during the feeding times specified in the tables. Many people misinterpret the major as the better bite. This is not necessarily the case. The major vs. the minor is the length of time the bite will last. The major is typically two hours long while the minor is about an hour and a half. Both can share the same intensity of the feeding period. I plan each trip around the bite times. Naturally, I fish more than the two hours of the major bite, but I place myself in what I feel is the prime area during the bite. One rule that I stick to is to fish during the feed times rather than travel from one spot to another. On a recent trip, I wasn’t having any luck and considered moving locations. I checked the time and realized the bite was approaching. I decided to not move during the bite and continued to fish the once non-productive area to realize an aggressive feed during the specified time slot. I find this approach especially true when hunting gator trout. They do not feed that often and are difficult to catch, therefore utilizing the solunar can give you the edge for catching these larger specks. As I stated previously, these solunar tables do not guarantee you will catch fish. However, if you have the correct conditions of tide, wind, water clarity, temps, bait and most of all FISH, giving it your best during the feeding times greatly increases your odds of catching fish, and gator trout. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Controlled Descent Lures and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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ll of us have enjoyed those rare days when fish would ingest virtually any lure or bait tossed in the water. Those experiences are certainly the exception, because fish are selective about their diets and seldom vary extensively in their choice of foods. Only when they cannot find enough of their standard fare will they range in their choice. Let me share a few examples: It was a beautiful day on the offshore grounds with a strong current that should hold fish. As the hours passed, our frustration increased. We couldn’t even raise a fish. Finally, the captain told us to reel in the lines. It seemed obvious he was going to try another spot, but that wasn’t his intention. Instead of moving, he took the trolling lures off the rods and rigged them with a single hook. One of the outfits had a sinker so it would go deeper. Then he turned the boat broadside to the current and cut the engine. We were now being pushed by the natural flow of water. A live baitfish was put on each hook and then streamed off the starboard side of the boat. He chopped up dead bait and threw a handful overboard as chum every couple of minutes. It didn’t take long before the big guys hit the live bait, and it suddenly became a banner day because the skipper did something different. More than 50 years ago, the late Joe Brooks told me no

one to his knowledge had caught an Allison (yellowfin) tuna on a fly, and he was sure I could do it. Joe set up a trip for me to Bermuda, where yellowfins responded to chum. I had fished chum slicks with a fly with my father since I was a young boy, and we simply cast in the slick and retrieved the fly. I can’t remember ever having a problem with that method. We were anchored on the edge of a bank in Bermuda, with the current taking chum off the edge into deep water. Tuna were devouring chum, and I was sure it would only take a cast or two to hookup. To say I was wrong was an understatement. The tuna ignored the fly as I retrieved it. They swam around it and kept eating chum. Finally, in desperation, I dropped the fly into some chum that lingered on the surface and did not move it. To this day, I can see that tuna inhaling the fly. It weighed 53 pounds and 6 ounces. The point to remember is that if the more common method isn’t working, try a modification. A friend and I were both fishing the same plug. He kept getting strikes, while nothing touched my offering. Finally, he showed me how he periodically vibrated his wrist. It made the lure flash, and that’s all it took. In a similar situation, another friend and I were using diving plugs. He kept hooking fish while I couldn’t buy strike. While I followed a standard retrieve, he would pause for an instant periodically. That allowed the plug to float upward before diving again. Simple, isn’t it? Before you claim there are no fish where you are fishing, try a few variations to standard practice. You might be surprised with the results.

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