Coastal Angler Magazine | January 2020 | Brevard Edition

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Winter's

Best Bites

Switch It Up Offshore

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARYN ANDREW WHITE VOLUME 25 • ISSUE 298

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

A V A I L A B L E

JANUARY 2020

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

W

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.

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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

M

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

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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.

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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

E

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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By CAM Staff

B

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.

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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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By Tonya Wiley, Havenworth Coastal Conservation

S

awfish are shark-like rays named for their saw-shaped snouts.

Smalltooth sawfish were once found in coastal waters from Texas to North Carolina; however, fishing mortality and habitat loss led to dramatic reductions in both their numbers and range. Now they are regularly found only in southwest Florida, especially around Everglades National Park. NOAA Fisheries listed the smalltooth sawfish as “Endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2003.

Because of the protections afforded by the ESA, it is illegal to target, harm, harass or handle sawfish in any way. While it is technically illegal to catch a sawfish except with a research permit or in a fishery where incidental take has been authorized, captures do occur while fishing for other species. Mortality from incidental captures in both commercial and recreational fisheries is an ongoing threat to this endangered species. It’s the responsibility of all fishers to follow guidance to quickly and safely release, without harm, all sawfish caught while fishing.

Sawfish are powerful animals that can whip their saws very quickly, which can cause serious injury to the angler and the sawfish. The number one rule to remember when releasing a sawfish is to leave it in the water at all times. Because of the ESA protections, it is illegal to possess a sawfish. Removing it from the water is considered possession and is a clear violation of the law. Do not lift a sawfish out of the water onto your boat or a pier, and do not drag it onto shore. Simply cut the line as close to the hook as is safely possible.

Never remove the snout, called a rostrum, as sawfish use it for detecting and catching food. In addition to being illegal, removal of the rostrum severely limits the ability of the sawfish to find enough food to survive, and could result in death from starvation. Mishandling and

By Will Schmidt

I

magine slowly stripping a shrimp fly, with prey in pursuit, when your guide says, “Quick… pick it up before the bonefish gets it.” It seems nonsensical, but it happens more than you think while casting at permit in Ascension Bay, Mexico.

Known to many fly fishermen as one of the most permit populated places on earth, the waters of the southern Yucatan hold much more than world class permit.

the purposeful injury or killing of captured sawfish is both illegal and detrimental to the recovery of the population.

These guidelines ensure the safety of both the sawfish and the angler. If you catch or see a sawfish, take a quick photograph of it, estimate its size, note your location, and share the details with scientists.

The details of your sightings or catches of sawfish help to monitor the population and track the recovery progress.

Share your information by calling 844-4-SAWFISH (844-472-9347) or visiting www.SawfishRecovery.org.

For more information about sawfish research, conservation, and management in the United States visit www.SawfishRecovery.org.

The journey starts with an easy flight to Cancun. From there, a two-hour van ride to Tulum might still have you wondering how to get away from all the tourists. However, once you board your panga and start the hour ride through the pristine waters of the lagoon system of Ascension Bay, you will realize you are truly on the path less traveled.

Once back on land at the Grand Slam Lodge just north of Punta Allen, you’ll be greeted with margaritas and shown to first class accommodations in your beachfront villa. You will also notice there is nothing else around, and you are actually at the end of the road in the middle of nowhere.

This fishery is nothing short of amazing. Home to a lobstering community, there is no other commercial fishing. All the recreational fishing is catch and release. These waters hold more permit than anywhere else I know, but be forewarned they are still permit and not easily fooled. Additionally, the number of bonefish here is staggering, and although not typically as large as the fish you’ll encounter in the Bahamas, they average a respectable 3 to 4 pounds in quantities that are astounding. There are also large numbers of tarpon, snook (which the guides seem to get particularly giddy about), jacks and barracudas to keep you busy all day.

One of the other unique aspects of fishing here is each boat has two guides, the head guide and a junior guide. The second guide is extremely helpful to the angler as an extra set of eyes as well as for quickly changing outfits for the variety of species encountered and to help manage tangle-prone fly line. If you want to be spoiled, two guides does it.

Ascension Bay is one of the greatest fisheries I have experienced. This is a renowned destination for fly fishermen seeking permit and a wonderful intro for anglers new to saltwater fly fishing. To see the quantity and quality of fish here, you would expect to travel much farther and stay in far more rustic accommodations. I recently returned from a trip in the “off season,” which is in reference to the number of tourists not fish. In three days of fishing, I never saw another angler while fishing. It provided us with abundant, pressure-free, happy fish to target.

Will Schmidt is an experienced tournament angler who has been writing about fishing for more than two decades. For more information, check out grandslamfishinglodge.com.

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FISHY RESOLUTIONS Winter in central Florida brings one of my most anticipated seasonal fisheries of the year. American shad are an anadromous species that live a bulk of their lives in the ocean but migrate into rivers like the St Johns to spawn. The migratory shad average a couple pounds. They are scrappy fighters that frequently jump, making them ideal targets for ultralight spinning tackle or four to six weight fly rods.

American shad schools in the St Johns River tend to congregate in the stretch of river between Lake Monroe and Highway 50. C.S. Lee Park off of Highway 46 is the ground zero launch point for a bulk of the shad fishing, but other popular launch sites include Lemon Bluff, Mullet Lake Park and the launch ramp on Highway 50. Shad will also migrate up the Econlockhatchee (Econ) River, and hike-in fishing on the Econ from the Brumley Road trailhead offers some of the most picturesque shad fishing you will find anywhere.

Biologist say American shad rarely feed on their spawning runs so most are caught by using bright, flashy lures to elicit a reaction strike. Although there are exceptions, most shad are caught near the bottom. Classic lures that have been catching shad for decades are hair jigs called shad darts and small shad

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spoons by companies like Nungesser and Johnson Fishing. Plastic tail jigs designed for panfish are effective. Road Runner lures that combine the appeal of a jig with the flash of a spoon are quite popular among shad anglers.

For flies, Clouser Minnows, Crazy Charlies and other weighted patterns about an inch long get the job done. Bright colors, chartreuse, white, yellow, florescent orange and hot pink, are the rule. It’s good to bring a variety because shad can be picky about colors some days. A common question among shad anglers you meet on the river is, “What color are you catching them on today?”

The internet can help you determine where the major shad schools are holding. Captain Tom Van Horn is a local shad expert and his reports at www.irl-fishing.com can be very helpful. There are also a lot of great, current shad fishing reports on the Facebook group, Shad on the Fly.

a great way to find the shad. I mostly fish out of a kayak and the paddling speed of a kayak is perfect for shad trolling; just let out enough line so your lures are occasionally bumping bottom.

Once you find the shad, quarter your casts upstream. Let the lures sink for a few seconds and then work them back slowly along the bottom as the current drifts them downstream. When it all comes together, you will frequently feel the thump and strong pull of the scrappy American shad.

By Paul Macinnis

Once on the water, shad will sometimes reveal themselves by splashing and swirling on the surface. This is called washing and is related to their spawning activity. A congregation of anglers in anchored boats and on the bank who are casting light spinning tackle and fly rods is a good indication shad are around. It’s okay to join in with the group. Just be courteous and give everyone their space. Trolling is

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

12/13/2019 10:22:47 AM

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FRESHWATER

Merry Christmas anglers!!!!

Cooler temps have shaken up the bass world. The bluebird sky days have caused a few to scratch their heads and wonder where the bass have gone. They have been easy early at low light but during the day I have been hitting any cover I can find. Water temps have dipped to 60’s and rises during sunny days. I have been fishing a murkier water, shallow to find those fish seeking warmth.

Also I am fishing more midday to evening with better results. Frog bite actually has worked along with anything looking shad-like.

A couple days in afternoon has provided fish to 7 lbs. on shiners near Hyacinths. Those mats are providing cover and warmth, which will be key as more fronts come more frequently. Try to pick days with falling barometer or days after the high has settled.

Some fish are staging near clumps of eelgrass and edges of Hydrilla. Look for hard bottom, shell beds and Hyacinth clumps, this is going to be key.

In short pick days before frontal passage and after a day or two as your chances are better. Here are a few of the piggies of late. Stay safe and catch the bass of a lifetime! This is the season Capt. Mike Arnoldy Office 321-313-5626 Cell/Text 214-490-8638 mrmikea1234@yahoo.com www.haulinbassguide.com

PRO TIPS Happy New Year and welcome to Pro Tip! My name is Captain Jonathan Moss and I am addicted to catching Tarpon on Fly. Tarpon are by far my favorite fish to catch! Their acrobatic skills compare only to the trapeze artists of a circus!

Their will and determination combined with their incredible strength make Tarpon very difficult to successfully catch.

Now tarpon are a summer time, warm weather/water fish, but now is the time that we should begin preparing for their arrival! With that being said, this month’s Pro Tip is all about Fly Fishing for Tarpon. This topic will be broken in to 2 parts with the first being focused on rod/ reel and fly selection. Let’s begin!

Rod and Reel: For juvenile Tarpon up to 40 pounds, a light tackle set up is the way to go.

I prefer a 6 or 8 weight sealed drag fly reel paired with a 9’0, 4 piece fly rod. 6 weights are great for smaller fish, but if you come across some larger Tarpon, 4 BREVARD

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you may be under gunned. 8 weight fly set ups are a great all-around choice for fly fishing our East Coast lagoons. I prefer to spool my 8 weight reel with a tropical floating fly line and a 15-20lb fluorocarbon leader. If fish are being finicky, try changing to a light leader. But remember, Tarpon have a very abrasive mouth and the lighter the leader, the easier it is for the fish to wear through the line.

Water depth and Tarpon behavior will play a roll in how I make my fly selection. For example, if I can visually see the tarpon laid up under mangroves or docks, or sitting on the edge of a drop off, I will pick a fly that has a lead head or bead chain eye tied on so that the fly will sink faster to the strike zone. If the Tarpon are aggressively feeding on bait at the surface, than I will tie on a Gurgler. Gurglers, when stripped, create a gurgle or popping type of noise. This triggers that incredible top water bite! As far as color choice is concerned, like our soft plastic choices, natural, white, and dark colors work best in our Space Coast waters.

Flies: When targeting juvenile Tarpon, I prefer to use small shrimp or baitfish pattern flies.

Schminnows, Tarpon Toads, and Gurglers are my top choices.

Lastly, very important to remember and worth mentioning two months in a row: 1. Tarpon are Catch and Release only “with the exception of the harvest or possession of a single Tarpon when in pursuit of an IGFA record and in conjunction with a Tarpon tag” per FWC. 2. Tarpon may be taken out the water for photographs as long as they are no longer than 40 inches.

3. Please be sure to handle, revive and release ALL fish with respect and care.

Capt. Jonathan Moss Go Castaway Fishing Charters www.gocastaway.com 407-760-8593

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12/13/2019 10:22:56 AM

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PORT CANAVERAL/BANANA RIVER Tripletail love live shrimp. Fish these baits on a light jig head near structure or floating debris for your shot at one of these tasty fish.

Bluefish come into the lagoons at this time of the year. Anglers can use spoons, sub-surface plugs, and jigs to get them to strike.

bluefish, weakfish, and flounder are just a few. Speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, jack, ladyfish, Sheepshead, and black drum can be caught here this month as well.

Most of these species will hit live shrimp. Jigs, fiddler crabs, sand fleas and spoons can be productive on these various fish as well. It’s time to get out and enjoy what little bit of cool weather that we have, so give us a call and lets go catch your next memory!

PORT CANAVERAL INSHORE - Action along the beaches from the tip of the cape to the pier can be very good this month. Bull redfish and shark are the two largest species we can expect to tangle with while fishing in the Canaveral Bight and ship channel areas. Soaking chunk or whole baitfish on a standard bottom rig are the best way to get them to bite. These two fish species are hard fighting, and usually average about 20 to 30 lbs. But, some of the sharks can run over 100 lbs. We also have quite a few good eating species that are available to us this month. Tripletail, whiting, pompano, small

BANANA RIVER LAGOON- Fishing in this body of water has been less than spectacular for the past few years. This summer and fall it did show signs of improvement though, and we are hoping the winter months continue this trend. Trout, bluefish, and black drum are three of the main species anglers can target on the open flats and drop offs near causeways and spoil islands. In the 1000 island area and throughout much of the Satellite Beach Grand Canal anglers can also target redfish, Sheepshead and on the warmer days, Snook. These species can usually be found hiding under the mangrove trees lining these shorelines. Live shrimp are a top bait choice, but fiddler crabs, sand fleas and small baitfish will also work on most days COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

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Until next time...

Catch a memory!

Capt. Jim Ross W-321-636-3728 Book your fishing trip at FinelineFishingCharters.com Catch a Memory Outdoors Radio show host-Live shows Saturday mornings from 7:00 to 9:00 am on 1510 am, 99.9 fm and 100.7 fm

JANUARY 2019

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PORT CANAVERAL OFFSHORE

I hope everyone had a

great holiday season and a safe New Year. The last few weeks have been great near shore and should continue for a little bit till the weather gets colder and chills the water off.

Cobia and triple tail have been hanging pretty close to the beach. For triple tail, I like to use a small bucktail tipped with a piece of squid or a live shrimp with just a small shot of weight on it. Tease them with it a little and most of the time they will eat it. Triple tail make some of the best eating around. You will find them free swimming

and holding to pieces of weeds and anything else you can find floating. Cobia have been hanging out in the same areas as the triples so have the bucktail with squid ready. There are many things you can use for them. If they are hungry they will eat, so to speak. A bucktail from Handler Fishing Supply tipped with a whole squid has been the best for me.

Pushing a little farther out, Pelican and 8A have had some decent kings on them. I have been using many different baits since live bait is a little hard to find this time of year, so have

your dead sardines handy. If you can’t find any bunker, try sabikying some of the buoys or wrecks on the way out for some blue runners or threadfins. Live bait will definitely be better.

Pushing a little farther offshore, the Mahi, wahoo and sails have been doing much better. Although there is specific tactics and ways to target each specifically, I use smaller Islander lures with small ballyhoo. All three species can be expected this time of year. Wahoo can be targeted with a little more speed in your troll. This is the time of year they are around in greater

numbers.

Keep things simple. We catch more hoo and maui kingfishing than targeting them:).

Capt. Chris Cameron firedupcharters.com 407-222-3573

SURF FISHING

Pictured: Mike with a handful of January pompano..

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Welcome to January 2020 and super surf fishing that the New Year brings to our Space Coast Beaches. We can expect good catches of pompano and bluefish all month long during this transitional period that started in early December with the first real cold front. The bonus of the December cold fronts was that it ushered in the pompano and bluefish bite all along our beaches from Patrick AFB to Sebastian Inlet. January will be more of the same as far as the weather and surf fishing conditions are concerned. I am counting on limits of blues and pomp’s during the month.

Watch for a continuing weather pattern of cold fronts followed by warm up periods and then another cold front which will result in good and bad fishing days. However, before the front and after the front surf anglers will catch fish. Clams, sand fleas and Fishbites are still my baits of choice at this time of year for pompano followed by cut mullet for bluefish.

Want to have some fun: Take a 7/8 foot river rod with a smaller reel spooled with 20 pound test mono/ braid fishing line. Slide a barrel sink-

er onto the running line then add a bead and tie on a swivel Finally, add 12 inches of 30/40 pound test leader material to a 3/0 or 4/0 circle hook. Bait with cut mullet, then cast into the trough and hang on.

Tip: Look for beaches with clean/ clear water and a sandy ocean bottom for pompano. Additionally, as the weather/water cools watch for Sheepshead and drum action on beaches with structure/reefs. Many dedicated pompano anglers try to catch their sand fleas a day or two before they go fishing; “can’t beat live sand fleas for pompano and Sheepshead “.

See You On The Beach John Note: Raising tides and tide changes were productive for the November Anglers.

John Detmer Owner/Operation of J&H Surf Fishing the Space Coast 321-777-5554 or email jandhsurffishing1@att.net www.jandhsurffishing.com

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12/13/2019 10:23:20 AM

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SEBASTIAN INLET TO EAU GALLIE

January is normally our coldest month of the year but the action can be red hot in the south end of the County. The cold fronts will fire up the fishing along the beaches, and in Sebastian Inlet but will generally slow things down in the lagoon.

The cold temps clean the water in the Indian River Lagoon quite a bit and the fish are lethargic as well as wary due to the visibility so long casts are the key to success. Fish the deeper areas mid morning through the afternoon for Trout, Snook and Redfish.

There should be plenty of action with Jacks, Ladyfish and Bluefish as well.

If the seas are calm there will be a lot of action along the beaches from Melbourn Beach to Sebastian Inlet for Mackerel, Sharks, bluefish and Jacks. They will be looking for bait pods along the beach and the sharks will be feeding on the Mackerel, Blues and Jacks. Jigs or hard baits will work well when you find the fish feeding on the bait schools and put out a live bait for the sharks.

Anglers fishing the jettys and drift ing the inlet on outgoing tide in the evenings during or after a strong NE coldfront should have steady action with Snook, Jacks, Bluefish, Sharks

and Tarpon. Lures like the Rapala XRap 14 and the Long Cast 14 are great plugs to fish from the jettys as well as from the rocks along the west side of the bridge. Hogy Eels and Paddletails will work well also as will ABOA Dart Spin lures and the Spooltek lures will produce too.

Anglers drift ing live bait between the fenders or trolling the Rapala Super Shad Rap will have plenty of snook action as well as a few redfish and the occasional tarpon.

The Flounder will still be in the inlet and anglers can catch them from shore and boat with live bait or ½-3/4 ounce jigs with strip baits or soft plastics like the Storm Paddle tails or 4” jerkbaits and the Dart Spin from A Band of Anglers. Bluefish, Jacks, Mackerel and Pompano will be in the inlet as well and can be caught on a number of soft plastics or Pompano jigs. Work your baits deep and look for bait pods while drift ing the inlet for best success.

If the rains aren’t strong and the locks stay closed, the trout will move into the Sebastian River, Crane Creek and Turkey Creek. Live Shrimp and finger mullet are great live baits or you can fish the Rapala Twitchin Mullet or Shadow Rap Shad around docks and oyster bars and catch some very nice trout as well as Snook, Jacks, Ladyfish and the occasional Redfish or Tarpon.

Capt. Glyn Austin www.captainglynaustin.com 321-863-8085 Capt. Glyn Austin is a lifelong Brevard County Resident and full time inshore/nearshore fishing guide. Glyn runs a 23’ Shoalwater tunnel boat which is comfortable for up to 4 anglers and will let us get shallower than most flats boats for inshore fishing and offers a smooth dry ride when fishing the Inlet and nearshore waters of Brevard County.

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KAYAK REPORT

Santa and his reindeer have clocked out and are headed on vacation. They would be smart to investigate some Brevard county kayak fishing for a way to relax.

January is the unofficial start of the Space Coast sight fishing season and now is the time to get ready. The winter winds that occupy our cold fronts as the pass are ready made to blow the water out of our lagoons. With no tidal movement on the lagoons of the

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Space Coast north or south winds are the factor that set the seasonal water levels; though rain amounts also play a factor. (Simplified: a constant wind from north water drops/winds constant from the south water rises) Couple that with diminished rain fail/out flow amounts and cool waters with very little small organism growth.

All of these factors will converge on the Space Coasts lagoons to ensure shallow flats will be

blanketed in the cleanest water of the year. You will certainly see some monster trout warming themselves on the flats, but you’re most consistent catches will come from croakers of a different color.

Redfish and Black Drum do reside in the same family “croakers” as Seatrout, but the ability for both reds and Black Drum to withstand and even enjoy cold water set them miles apart from the spotted cousin they share habitats with.

True students of the lagoons will have noticed another very visible clue to the winter flats puzzle.

Bait size (less than 10 inches) finfish are seemingly non-existent in all areas, less around some of our deeper holes and canals. Not to mention fish biology dictates a slower metabolism in cooler times that alters the digestive functions of our sub-tropical game fish. Cue up the buffet of shrimp, crabs, marine worms, snails, minnows and the like to carry our fish through those tough cold days until the spring bait fish bounty returns. The red fish’s new diet has an obviously limited amount of movement that

the reds exploit for a more laid back feeding pattern that suits our chilled out reds just fine. Slowly working the lagoon flats on sunny and calm late mornings will greet Brevard’s kayakers with tailing, pushing, and laid up reds. Most will be hungry and willing to eat an offering as long as they don’t need to work hard to capture it.

Longer cast that don’t land too close are best to achieve a natural appearance to your shrimp like offering. When rigging your tackle for these clean water fish look to not only lighten your leader to the 20lb. range, but also lengthen your leader. Downsize your artificial lures and attempt to work them slowly on all but the warmest days.

Capt. Alex Gorichky LocalLinesCharters.com Space Coast fishing guide Kayaks By bo team paddler Contact Capt. Alex @ 321-480-3255

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East Coast Tide Charts Tide Charts brought to you by these businesses

January 2020 Time

1W

2Th

3F

4Sa

5Su

6M

7Tu

8W

9Th

Miami, Government Cut

Height

12:23 AM 2.0 6:19 AM 0.3 12:46 PM 2.1 6:54 PM 0.3 1:12 AM 1.9 7:11 AM 0.4 1:30 PM 2.0 7:45 PM 0.3 2:06 AM 1.9 8:05 AM 0.5 2:18 PM 1.9 8:37 PM 0.3 3:02 AM 1.9 9:01 AM 0.5 3:10 PM 1.9 9:27 PM 0.2 4:00 AM 2.0 9:56 AM 0.5 4:04 PM 1.9 10:16 PM 0.1 4:57 AM 2.1 10:46 AM 0.4 4:59 PM 2.0 11:03 PM -0.1 5:50 AM 2.2 11:34 AM 0.3 5:51 PM 2.0 11:49 PM -0.2 6:40 AM 2.3 12:21 PM 0.2 6:42 PM 2.1 12:35 AM -0.4 7:28 AM 2.4 1:06 PM 0.1 7:31 PM 2.2

10F

Time

Height

1:21 AM -0.5 8:15 AM 2.5 1:51 PM 0.0 8:19 PM 2.3 11Sa 2:07 AM -0.6 9:01 AM 2.6 2:38 PM -0.1 9:08 PM 2.4 12Su 2:55 AM -0.6 9:47 AM 2.6 3:26 PM -0.2 9:58 PM 2.4 13M 3:44 AM -0.6 10:34 AM 2.6 4:16 PM -0.3 10:50 PM 2.4 14Tu 4:36 AM -0.5 11:22 AM 2.6 5:08 PM -0.3 11:44 PM 2.4 15W 5:31 AM -0.3 12:11 PM 2.5 6:04 PM -0.3 16Th 12:42 AM 2.3 6:30 AM -0.2 1:04 PM 2.4 7:04 PM -0.3 17F 1:43 AM 2.3 7:33 AM 0.0 2:00 PM 2.2 8:05 PM -0.3 18Sa 2:48 AM 2.2 8:37 AM 0.1 3:00 PM 2.2 9:07 PM -0.3

Po nce de Leo n Inlet Hig h Ti de -11 min ute s Lo w Ti de +19 min ute s

(Approximate Times)

Time

Height

19Su 3:54 AM 2.2 9:41 AM 0.1 4:03 PM 2.1 10:08 PM -0.4 20M 4:58 AM 2.3 10:42 AM 0.1 5:05 PM 2.1 11:05 PM -0.4 21Tu 5:57 AM 2.3 11:38 AM 0.1 6:03 PM 2.1 11:58 PM -0.4 22W 6:50 AM 2.3 12:29 PM 0.0 6:55 PM 2.2 23Th 12:48 AM -0.5 7:38 AM 2.4 1:17 PM 0.0 7:42 PM 2.2 24F 1:34 AM -0.5 8:21 AM 2.4 2:02 PM -0.1 8:26 PM 2.2 25Sa 2:17 AM -0.4 9:01 AM 2.4 2:44 PM -0.1 9:07 PM 2.2 26Su 2:59 AM -0.4 9:38 AM 2.3 3:25 PM -0.1 9:47 PM 2.2 27M 3:38 AM -0.3 10:14 AM 2.3 4:04 PM -0.1 10:26 PM 2.1

Time

Height

28Tu 4:17 AM -0.2 10:50 AM 2.2 4:42 PM 0.0 11:06 PM 2.0 29W 4:55 AM 0.0 11:25 AM 2.1 5:21 PM 0.0 11:46 PM 2.0 30Th 5:35 AM 0.1 12:02 PM 2.0 6:01 PM 0.0 31F 12:30 AM 1.9 6:17 AM 0.2 12:41 PM 1.9 6:45 PM 0.1 1Sa 1:18 AM 1.8 7:06 AM 0.3 1:24 PM 1.8 7:34 PM 0.1 2Su 2:11 AM 1.8 8:02 AM 0.4 2:15 PM 1.7 8:29 PM 0.1 3M 3:12 AM 1.8 9:02 AM 0.4 3:13 PM 1.7 9:27 PM 0.0 4Tu 4:15 AM 1.9 10:02 AM 0.4 4:16 PM 1.8 10:24 PM -0.1 5W 5:16 AM 2.0 10:59 AM 0.3 5:18 PM 1.9 11:19 PM -0.3

Ft. Pie rce Inlet, S. Jetty Hig h Ti de -31 min ute s Lo w Ti de -18 min utes

Po nce Inlet, Halifax Rive r Hig h Ti de +5 min ute s Lo w Ti de +33 min ute s

Jensen Beach Hig h Ti de +2 ho urs, 17 min ute s Lo w Ti de +3 ho urs, 4 min ute s

Port Canave ral (Tr i dent Pie r) Daily Pre dictio ns

Sewell Pt Hig h Ti de Lo w Ti de

Patr ick Air Force Base Hig h Ti de -1 ho ur, 4 min ute Lo w Ti de -38 min ute s

Jupite r Inlet, S.Jetty Hig h Ti de -10 min ute s Lo w Ti de -9 min ute s

Sebastian Inlet Br i dge Hig h Ti de -48 min ute s Lo w Ti de -24 min ute s

Port Eve rgla de s - Tur ning Basin Hig h Ti de -31 min ute s Lo w Ti de -13 min ute s

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+1 ho urs, 13 min ute s +2 ho urs, 9 min ute s

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C

orey Kitzmann, of Davenport, Iowa, knows what it’s like to catch a freshwater monster.

The 57 ¼-inch muskellunge he caught back in August was recently certified as a new Minnesota catch-and-release state record. The nearly 5-foot-long muskie measured 25 ½ inches in girth and had an estimated weight of 47 pounds.

Kitzmann was fishing alone at Lake Vermilion, a more than 40,000-acre Canadian Shield lake west of Lake Superior. He was working a bucktail on 80-pound line when the toothy critter ate.

“When I set the hook, I knew immediately that I had a nice fish on,” he said. “It wasn’t until the fish made its way to the side of the boat that I realized I had a true giant.”

But getting the fish to the boat wasn’t the end of the fight.

Kitzmann was able to net the fish solo, but he had to wave down a nearby boater to help haul it out of the water for photos before a successful release.

Minnesota’s certified-weight state record for Muskie is 54 pounds. That 56-inch fish was caught way back in 1957 at Lake Winnibigoshish. The IGFA all-tackle world record for muskie has stood since 1949. It weighed 67 pounds, 8 ounces and was caught from Lake Court Oreilles in Wisconsin.

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By John Lidington t’s January—named for Janus, the two-faced god who looked forward and backward at the same time. It’s also New Year’s resolution time. That’s when we look at what we should have done, to figure out what we ought to do. Doing this, I’ve come up with a long list of shortcomings that could stand some attention in 2020. But resolutions don’t have to focus on negatives. Accentuating the positives is equally important.

One such positive event was a special snorkeling session at the Blue Heron Bridge. The 6-year-old granddaughter of some friends was coming to visit, and they wanted to introduce her to snorkeling.

They heard the Blue Heron Bridge was a great site, but had never been. Knowing it’s a spot I frequently dive, they asked if I would guide them.

I agreed, and we chose a day with an early afternoon high tide so

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the weather would be at its warmest. Of course, the bridge delivered its usual magic—magic that was amplified and transformed by a 6-yearold’s reactions to experiencing it for the first time. We swam the full length of the snorkel trail—saw the sunken boat, the shark statues, the rock piles and the artificial reef castings. I pointed out critters left and right to a very excited audience. When we reached the end, she insisted on retracing our path back to the beginning. She wanted to see everything again!

As we wrapped up, it hit me that even though I had not seen a single frogfish, octopus or nudibranch, I was psyched. I realized that I’ve come to treat the standard cast of fishy characters—angelfish, barracuda, porkfish, grunts, parrotfish, porgies and so much more—as background noise while I search for “rarities.” Familiarity had bred complacency. It took the contagious enthusiasm of a 6-year-old to knock me out of my rut.

That was a special afternoon. I’d like to think I helped start someone on a lifetime of appreciation for the marine environment. But it was important for me, too. I felt good that, through a small investment of time and effort, I could make someone happy. I also welcome a renewed enthusiasm for what I had begun to treat as commonplace.

So what’s my New Year’s resolution? Well, I have three grandchildren, spaced a bit more than a year apart, with a fourth on the way. I resolve to offer all of them a good introduction to snorkeling. Obviously, that’s a multi-year resolution. It will let Grandpa interact with them in a way that will keep them excited and my outlook fresh. If I’m really lucky, they will transition to PADI’s Junior Open Water SCUBA Diver program as they turn 10, opening up even more years of fun for us.

If you’ve got someone to take under your wing (or fin), get out in the water with them! There’s no shortage of easy snorkeling sites in Florida, and Pura Vida Divers will show you where to go. The rewards are great for all involved.

Give Pura Vida Divers a call at (561) 840-8750 or make an online reservation through their website at www.puravidadivers.com.

a few inches wider, a few #10 self-tapping stainless screws, some indoor/outdoor carpet and a pool noodle.

G

Tim Barefoot

ot an aluminum jonboat that makes a lot of noise with hull slap? The Silencer eliminates this hull slap noise and allows you to get closer to the fish.

With a few basic hand tools and materials, you can have a jonboat that is as quiet as a V-hull fiberglass boat. Internal insulation reduces the noise of hull slap, but The Silencer eliminates the chop that causes this hull-slap noise all together. Sure, you will have to drill a few holes in your bow, but this simple homemade gadget allows you to get closer to wary fish.

Fish hear your noise way beyond casting distance. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been frustrated by watching trophy fish swim right past the boat in shallow water. These fish have lockjaw.

They’ve heard the boat, and they’re trying to get away instead of smashing that topwater lure.

Noise absolutely matters! Fish are not stupid to the sounds of trolling motors and hull slap. There is nothing I can do about trolling motor noise, but when you need to get closer to fish upwind, the Silencer allows you to get within casting range without the noise from hull slap. I created this method due to my own frustration at watching fish spook before they were in casting range.

From ponds to the Intracoastal Waterway and the sounds, aluminum boats offer advantages for fishermen. But their built-in disadvantage is they are noisy.

The materials for The Silencer are simple. Everything you’ll need for this project can be purchased at the local hardware store or flooring supply store. All you need is .125-inch (1/8 inch) x ¾ wide aluminum (or stainless) bar stock cut to the width of your bow or

STEP 1: Sew a loop of the carpet around the pool noodle (as shown in photo).

The carpet should be as wide as your bow and slightly longer than the height of your bow off the surface of the water.

STEP 2: Screw the aluminum bar stock and the non-pool-noodle end of the carpet to the bow rail. Drill (.187) 3/16-inch (clearance) holes in the aluminum bar stock, and match the self-tapping holes in the bow of your boat to match.

Use an impact driver or drill to “seat” the self-tapping screws into the bow rail, through the clearance holes in the bar stock and the indoor/outdoor carpet.

STEP 3: You’re done. Toss the pool noodle end of The Silencer off the bow. Chop is absorbed by the carpet and pool noodle, leaving an eddy of still water between The Silencer and your hull.

For a detailed video of how to DIY, visit

BAREFOOTCATSANDTACKLE.COM click on: “The Silencer.”

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By John Saporito

W

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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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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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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MARK SOSIN

A

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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heepshead are some of the tastiest fish in the ocean. They are abundant throughout the Gulf and up the Atlantic coast, usually holding tight to structure like piers, pilings, seawalls, jetties and wrecks.

Sheepshead are easy to find, but difficult to hook. They have hard mouths and teeth designed to crush the shells of barnacles, shrimp and mollusks. They’ll crush bait, and the hook, without an angler even knowing they were there.

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WINTER SALES EVENT SIX YEARS OF PROTECTION 3 Years Limited Warranty + 3 Years Extended Protection, No extra charge.

INSTANT SAVINGS

IN

SAVSTAN IN T GS S

SE AVE LE CT RIG SU HT ZU KI NOW OU TB ON OA RD S

REPOWER FINANCE

Instant Savings on select models when you buy a new Suzuki Outboard.

See your dealer for details.

REPOWER FINANCE Rates as low as 5.99% on new Suzuki outboards on approved credit.* [60 Months]

To learn more, visit www.suzukimarine.com.

Gimme Six Extended Protection promotion applies to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 01/01/20 and 03/31/20 in accordance with the promotion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. The Gimme Six Promotion is available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings applies to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 01/01/20 and 03/31/20. For list of designated models, see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. There are no model substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel these promotions at any time without notice or obligation. * Financing offers available through Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new and unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors.

Subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on creditworthiness. $19.99/month per $1,000 financed for 60 months is based on 5.99% APR. Hypothetical figures used in calculation; your actual monthly payment may differ based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories or other factors such as down payment and fees. Offer effective on new, unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors purchased from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between 01/01/20 and 03/31/20. “Gimme Six”, the Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2020 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.