The Angler Video Magazine | January 2024 Edition by Coastal Angler Magazine

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FEBRUARY 14-18 • MIAMIBOATSHOW.COM

et ready to set sail into an ocean of excitement at the 2024 Stella Artois Beer Garden and Goslings Island Bar for a refreshing pause Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show, where between the vessels up for exhibition. innovation meets Miami’s vibrancy and electric culture. This year Looking to indulge in the luxury of the show’s Windward VIP experience? This promises an year, the VIP passes experience like no are available at two other, and we've got the exclusive locations scoop for navigating – Herald Plaza and you through the show’s Your Ultimate Guide to the 2024 Discover MBCC. Elevate your must see experiences. journey by securing Taking place Boating Miami International Boat Show tickets for one or both throughout President’s and enjoy premium Day weekend, February perks that come with 14 - 18, the show has VIP status. Exclusive historically welcomed access to areas like over 100,000 visitors Superyacht Miami is and featured more than provided to Windward a thousand of highly passholders. VIP ticket sought-after boating holders will also receive and marine products, a complimentary one generating major day admission to Art economic revenue for PHOTO CREDIT: INFORMA MARKETS Wynwood, Miami’s the recreational boating premier winter art fair, taking place February 16 - 18. industry and over a billion dollars to the state of Florida. A Seamless Experience: From Water Taxis, Shuttles, Brightline The World’s Largest Boat and Yachting Show: From Miami’s Mainland to the Deep Blue Skip the traffic headaches by using the water taxi or the show’s bus Embark across the City of Miami and Miami Beach, stopping at six shuttle network. Visiting from Orlando, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, iconic show locations each with its own unique charm. From the Miami Aventura? Hop on the Brightline and enjoy a complimentary shuttle to Beach Convention Center (MBCC) to the Venetian Marina to test drive the show at Herald Plaza. Water taxi tickets require a separate purchase. As the excitement builds, the 2024 Miami International Boat Show the latest vessels at sea trials, there's a maritime wonderland waiting for you at every stop. Other show locations include: the Progressive Boat invites you to embark on an unforgettable adventure. Celebrate the Show Experience at Pride Park, Herald Plaza, Museum Park Marina, and maritime lifestyle, cutting-edge technology, and the latest in personal boating and yachting. Secure your tickets by visiting, https://www. SuperYacht Miami at Yacht Haven Grande Miami. miamiboatshow.com. Unleash the Adventure with 2-Day Passes The Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show is owned by Dive into our exclusive 2-Day passes, the golden key to unlock all the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) in partnership that the show has to offer. Whether you're eyeing the latest in fishing with the International Yacht Brokers Association and produced by or charting the course to explore the docks and enjoy the over 100 food Informa Markets. concessions and satellite bars sprinkled throughout the show, the 2-Day Secure your tickets by visiting pass is your ticket to an extended celebration. Make sure to stop by the

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SUZUKI MARINE INKS DEAL WITH MLF

ajor League Fishing (MLF), the world's largest tournament-fishing organization, and Suzuki Marine USA, a renowned outboard engine manufacturer, celebrated for its innovation and reliability, recently announced a multi-year partnership between the two industry-leading brands. Suzuki Marine will now serve as an Official CoExclusive Engine Sponsor of the MLF Bass Pro Tour and MLF5 circuits. This expanded partnership encompasses an increased presence within the Bass Pro Tour and REDCREST, along with sponsorship across all MLF5 circuits, including the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats, Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine, Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI and Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse circuits. Suzuki will be the title sponsor of a 2024 event on the Bass Pro Tour and will receive prominent exposure and on-site recognition at all MLF5 tournaments and activations. “Our goal is to grow the Suzuki brand across the entire boating and fishing industry — and the bass fishing market is definitely an important part of our strategy,” said Brandon Cerka, Suzuki Marine USA General Manager Sales & Marketing. “Our partnership with Major League Fishing and our select team of top anglers are powerful tools for us to showcase the performance, advanced technology, and reliability of Suzuki outboards to the bass fishing world. We’re especially proud of our anglers’ success, and how they represent the Suzuki

brand.” Suzuki Marine’s support of Major League Fishing underscores the Florida-based outboard motor manufacturer's unwavering commitment to crafting dependable engines that enhance the boating and fishing experiences of anglers of all skill levels. As an official engine sponsor of MLF, Suzuki will introduce an expanded tournament contingency award program, offering enhanced incentives to tournament anglers who trust Suzuki engines for their competitions. Additional details about the Suzuki Marine angler contingency program will be available in early 2024. Kathy Fennel, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager, expressed her enthusiasm

about the expanded partnership: “We take pride in building on our collaboration with Suzuki Marine and eagerly anticipate furthering their involvement in tournament bass fishing. Suzuki has a storied history of committing to innovation and technology, and we’re thrilled to see their expanded presence from our grassroots circuits all the way through the Bass Pro Tour.” For more information about MLF, their tournaments and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. To learn more about Suzuki Marine’s full array of outboard motors, contact Suzuki Marine USA headquarters at (813) 687-7200 or visit SuzukiMarine.com.

IT’S PRIME TIME ON AMERICA’S HOTTEST BIG BASS LAKE By TAM Staff

f a truly giant largemouth bass is on your bucket list, make plans to visit O.H. Ivie Lake in Texas over the next few months. Last year, this 19,000-acre impoundment of the Colorado River burst onto the scene as the hottest big bass lake in the nation. A string of 17 monster largemouths from January through April kept O.H. Ivie in the headlines, and 10 of them were caught in February. And when we say monster, we’re not talking about 8- to 10-pounders, we’re talking about 13-plus-pound behemoths. According to data from Toyota ShareLunker, Texas’s trophy bass

recognition and breeding program, February is the time to catch a giant at this central Texas reservoir. Bass are at their heaviest and most aggressive ahead of the spawn, when they are fat, feeding and full of eggs. Last February’s incredible streak was highlighted by an enormous 17.03-pounder that is the lake record and the eighth largest bass ever caught in Texas. Jason Conn caught it on Feb. 13, 2023, and he said the fish was even heavier before it started regurgitating shad in his livewell. Moving into March and April last year, the

trophy bass statistics were still pretty amazing— with 34 fish heavier than 8 pounds—but the giant fish tapered off. Five 13-plus-pounders were caught during those two months, and then no one registered another one until November, when Shawn Strength caught a 16.65-pound monster. The totals for 2023 were 75 fish heavier than 8 pounds and 18 heavier than 13 pounds. And the true total is potentially much more impressive, because these statistics include only the fish anglers bothered to register with ShareLunker. So, why has the productivity of O.H. Ivie exploded over the last three or four years? According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, intensive stocking of bass with Florida strain genetics is the secret ingredient. Florida strain genetics produce larger, faster-growing fish than the native northern strain genetics in the system. Part of the mission of the ShareLunker program is to breed trophy fish, and they do this by using 13-plus-pounders caught by anglers in their breeding program. It is estimated 75 to 85 percent of the bass in O.H. Ivie possess those Florida genetics. On top of that, weather played a role in the lake’s rise. Following a prolonged drought, heavy rain in the fall of 2018 raised water levels by more than 30 feet. “It gave these bass pretty much unlimited food and space to grow,” said a ShareLunker representative, “and they just grew like crazy.” Stay tuned. It’ll be interesting to see what America’s hottest big bass lake produces over the next four months, especially with all the added angler attention that comes with a bright hot spotlight. To see more on last year’s incredible fishing at O.H. Ivie, click here coastalanglermag.com THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

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Furuno Awarded Six ‘Product of Excellence’ Awards From NMEA

arine electronics industry leader, Furuno, recently added to its accolades with six “Product of Excellence” awards from the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA)—including the coveted “Best New Product” award for its FCV800 Fish Finder. Prestigious NMEA awards are voted on by NMEA members, and continuing votes of confidence for Furuno’s products are testament to the company’s reputation for excellence and reliability. The 2023 Best New Product award was awarded to the FCV800 Fish Finder. The FCV800 features dual transducer ports for the simultaneous use of both CHIRP and CW channels. Sought-after features such as Bottom Discrimination and ACCU-FISH Fish Size Analyzer can be combined with TruEcho CHIRP’s frequency-modulated signal to deliver those Furuno-exclusive features while providing better resolution. New Sunlight and Yellow color palettes make the display easy to see in bright daylight, and Furuno’s Color Range Expansion broadens the range of discrete signals detected so reefs, structure and fish near the seabed are shown in slightly separated colors. The FCV800 also includes a built-in wireless network, so a second display can be installed at a remote location. It can even connect wirelessly to the TZ iBoat and NavNet Viewer apps on your handheld device. Furuno's incomparable DFF3D Multibeam Sonar continues to dominate the "Product of Excellence" category for Best Fish Finder. The DFF3D provides a 3-dimensional, 120-degree view of fish and structure from port to starboard. With PBG (Personal Bathymetric Generator), boaters can create their own shaded relief bathymetric charts. Features like Follow-it, allowing anglers to instantly create a constant-depth route along the ridges the DFF3D charts and send it to the Autopilot, are

continuously added to the NavNet TZtouch3 software. Furuno's DRS4DNXT took home the top honor in the Best Radar category. The DRS4DNXT is a Solid-State Doppler Radar in a compact 24" radome featuring tested and proven Furuno technologies such as Target Analyzer, Fast Target Tracking, and RezBoost Beam Sharpening. The SCX20 Satellite Compass was recognized by the judges as the Best NMEA2000 Sensor. Its unique four-antenna design allows this rugged Satellite Compass to calculate precise heading, pitch, roll and heave, even when line of sight is limited to a single satellite. Furuno's FAR2228NXTBB Radar continued its three-year "Product of Excellence" winning streak in the Commercial category. This 600 Watt SolidState IMO Radar is the culmination of decades of innovation, showcasing Furuno features such as Automatic Clutter Elimination (ACE), Fast Target Tracking and a familiar but fresh user interface. Furuno's CSH8LMK2 Omni Sonar took home its third consecutive win in the Marine Specialty category. This mid-frequency Sonar detects schools and individual fish 360 degrees around the vessel, displaying distribution and seabed conditions in 16 colors. The CSH8LMK2 has made a lasting impression on commercial and tournament vessels. See Furuno and their complete line of marine electronics at www.FurunoUSA.com.

A BIG INSHORE SURPRISE! By Capt. Jamie Thrappas

t was a chilly winter morning, and my crew—a good friend Zach and his two sons—all knew it was going to be either a tough day or a great one. It was a typical morning for winter here in the Daytona, Fla. area, with overcast skies, highs in the low 60s and a dominant wind and swell headed from the northeast. The inshore bite is typically pretty good this time of year, with a variety of different species usually willing to cooperate. Red drum are a favorite backcountry target during the colder months. When they move up on the flats to feed, it can lead to good action on spoons and paddletails. On the end of the outgoing tide, we hoped to bag a few redfish before the switch, but the bite never happened. We kept busy with some small permit, pompano, mangrove snapper and even a flounder. By the time the tide switched mid-morning,

JANUARY 2024

the bite had slowed down with just a few small sheepshead taking our bait. Sheepshead are delicious, and around here the causeways of the Intracoastal along with barnacle- or oysterencrusted docks, bridges and jetties are a pretty good bet for picking up a few for the cooler. They love sand fleas and fiddler crabs but will also eat shrimp on a jig head or Carolina rig. Something I like to do while targeting other species is to leave baits out for red or black drum. I had two dead stick bottom rods out the back soaking halved blue crabs in the hopes that a drum would be hungry enough to pick it up. With the action pretty slow, and while we still had some time left in the trip, I decided we should make a move. I told Zach’s younger son Gavin, who is an employee of mine at Yellow Dawg Bait & Tackle in Ormond Beach, to reel in the back rods that had been soaking.

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At first it looked like he had a snag as the rod bent when he picked it up, but then the drag took off. Big black drum are tanks! It’s almost like they have shoulders and they’ve been working out all week waiting for you. The big ugly that highlighted that trip was somewhere in the 50-plus-pound range, a trophy for sure! Gavin, who is the younger guy in the photo, will be in U.S. Coast Guard boot camp when this edition hits the racks. His dad, Zach, is a veteran, along with his other two sons Logan and Cameron. A big thanks to all the men and women out there who serve our country! Capt. Jamie Thrappas is Co-Publisher of Coastal Angler - Volusia Countyand owner of Yellow Dawg Fishing. Check out yellowdawgfishing.com. To win a free half-day inshore or offshore charter with Capt. Thrappas, enter the Fish with Coastal Angler drawing at coastalanglermag.com/contest.

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JANUARY 2024

Life on the Water... emeraldcoastgetaways.com

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The Ultimate Vacation Home for Anglers B e it red snapper season, Blue Angels air shows, or everyday exploration of the miles of Pensacola Beach just three miles away, fishing is a huge part of Emerald Coast Getaways’ Life on the Water vacation rental, and the creation of this property kept that in mind for the discriminating angler and boater. Located on the Gulf Breeze peninsula between Pensacola Beach and Pensacola, Life on the Water is situated on a deep water canal, with 120 ft. of brand new dockage plus 30 feet under boat house cover, there’s plenty of protected room for two+ boats. Your boat will be secure, protected from open bay beatings, yet less than two minutes to open water and three miles to Flounders, Pensacola beaches, and the various restaurants accessed via boat. The property has two driveways, so trailer parking is available, with the Oriole Beach Boat Ramp one mile away, and two marinas with fuel within a five minute boat ride. Life on the Water also boasts a custom fishing cleaning station, power and water for the boats, and there’s even a lower dock landing for the kayaker and paddle boarder. Just out the canal are miles of grass flats with great fishing for speckled trout and redfish. There’s even a pinfish trap on the dock for bait! If you decide not to trailer your boat, rent a boat! Pensacola Pontoons will deliver a boat right to our dock. Just say when and they will get it delivered. Lets get you on the water! Guests will fall in love with the ultimate outdoor space featuring

a pet friendly fenced-in yard (pet fee does apply), upstairs and downstairs entertainment decks, 2 gas grills and private pool overlooking the water. From the coastal decor to the amazing outdoor spaces, this 3,143 sq. ft, 5 bedroom/3 bath home is sure to impress. Just released to the market, this multi-level home accommodates 12 guests comfortably allowing plenty of space for everyone. This kitchen is well stocked and fit for a chef, comes complete with the stainless-steel appliances, Calphalon cookware and beautiful quartz counter tops. The open concept design allows the perfect space to interact with family and friends. No detail was overlooked in the design and décor, a stately home in a charming neighborhood, making this an unforgettable vacation location! Life on the Water will become your families hidden gem. We truly look forward to hosting your stay!

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A Great Lakes Formula For

JUST ONE FISH By Nick Carter

ust one fish, that’s Cobi Pellerito’s goal during long days on the Great Lakes that surround his home on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. These are the country’s famed northern smallmouth waters, which have experienced a tremendous surge in productivity over the last few decades, specifically for the fish Pellerito is searching for: huge round-bodied smallmouth bass that make for jaw-dropping images. “Big smallmouth is my jam. That’s what I focus most of my energy on, trophy fish… especially smallmouth,” said the freelance photographer, who’s carved out a niche catching and shooting pics of giant smallies. “It’s not like tournament fishing, where you’re looking for a limit. I’m out there looking for one big fish.” For smallmouth bass across most of the country and most of history, 6 pounds is considered by most anglers to be that difficultto-attain “trophy” mark for the species. The bar has risen in the last 30 years in the Great Lakes. Invasive round gobies, native to Europe’s Black and Caspian seas, invaded in the mid 1990s and provide smallmouth bass with a protein-packed, easily digestible and easy-to-catch food source on which they grow to grotesque proportions. These are not sleek, torpedo-shaped river smallies. When smallmouth bass reach the 7- to 8-pound range, their bodies become round and bulbous. These are the fish Pellerito is looking for. “Our fish are reaching proportions that are rare, or never even heard of years ago,” he said. “For some of our fisheries now, a 7-pounder has become more of the trophy mark.” Gobies are an obvious factor for this size explosion, but Pellerito theorized a triumvirate of invasives are to blame… or thank. Zebra mussels, also native to the Black and Caspian seas, showed up in the late 1980s. They are efficient filter-feeders that colonize densely and consume particles adrift in the water column. This leads to clearer water, which makes life easier for visual creatures like smallmouth bass that use their eyes to hunt. Pellerito said it’s not uncommon to see the bottom in 45- to 50-foot depths in some of the places he fishes. On top of that, the invasive mussels are an abundant food source for bottom feeders, like perch, which are like brightly colored candy for big smallies. The third invasive species on the list is the rusty crayfish,

native to the Ohio River Basin. Smallmouth bass love picking crayfish out of the rocks and off log piles. Rusty crayfish grow larger than the crayfish species native to the Great Lakes, and whether as a prey species or as a destructive factor that makes native species more susceptible to predation, the correlation between the arrival of rusty crayfish and trophy-sized smallmouths is well documented wherever they have invaded. Pellerito briefly bemoaned the destruction these invasives wreak on native habitats and species, but he didn’t spend too long on that topic. We might as well take advantage of the situation as it exists.

THE FORMULA

The expanse of the Great Lakes is incredible. This interconnected series of inland seas, rivers and smaller lakes makes up the largest freshwater system in the world. Pellerito has explored parts of it from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, downstream through lakes Michigan, St. Clair, Huron, Erie and over to the 18

JANUARY 2024

recently booming St. Lawrence River which eventually flows through Canada into the Atlantic Ocean. With all that water, finding the right location is the biggest factor in finding trophysized smallmouth. For Pellerito, the search begins with research. He pays close attention to the state fisheries reports and their sampling and keeps an eye on what’s showing up in tournament results. Fisheries are cyclical, and when giant fish start showing up in a particular waterbody—or part of one—it makes sense to strike while the iron is hot. “Once you’ve picked a fishery, there’s no substitute for time on the water,” he said. “Find the most desirable structure in the lake or in the part of the lake you’re fishing.” Like any other fish, smallmouth bass can be patterned seasonally. Once you’re able to locate them generally via electronics or your eyes, it’s time to home in on that magic piece of structure that the biggest fish in the lake will inhabit. The massive reefs and many miles of points, pockets and shoreline on these giant

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waterbodies can be daunting. Pellerito fishes long days and eliminates water as efficiently as he can. He looks at the biggest points in an area and for transitions in bottom composition. He also seeks out the more subtle structure and cover, like small depth changes, boulder piles or logs on otherwise barren flats. Bait is important, whether its gobies or crayfish in the nooks and crannies of rocks, perch in the grass or big balls of suspended baitfish in open water.

THE FISHING

When he finds an area he likes, Pellerito typically begins by covering water with a crankbait or swimbait. He’s had a lot of success with Megabass America lures and suggested a Deep-X 300, which dives 12 to 15 feet. His preferred swimbait is a Megabass Spark Shad, and he fishes it on a 3/8- to ¾-ounce jighead, depending on the depth and presentation he’s going for. In clear water, he fishes a natural color, like Megabass’s Biwako Clear Gill. In water stained from wind events, he’ll throw a gaudy color like Blue Back Mat Chart.

“Covering water until you find where the fish are is important, then you slow down,” he said. “The biggest fish tend to be a step off from where the rest of them are. They’re sitting just away from where the rest of the population is, sometimes just a cast away.” Pellerito said giant smallies frequently hold together in “wolf packs” of two or three fish, and sometimes this can lead to incredible days of more than “just one fish.” Recently, he boated what would have been a 35-pound, 9-ounce tournament sack of smallmouth bass… if he had been fishing a tournament. The limit included fish that weighed 7-14, 7-9, 7-8, 7-2 and 5-10. Find one big fish, and it can pay-off bigtime to really pick an area apart.

For this, Pellerito switches over to classic drop shots and tubes. A standard tube and jig crawls through and over the rocks and debris, just like a goby or a crayfish depending on what color you choose. When it hangs up, pop it free and let it settle. This is often when you’ll get bit. With the drop shot, Pellerito fishes a baitfish pattern. The Megabass 3-inch Hazedong is a dead ringer for a goby, and he often opts for the straight tail version of this bait for dropshotting. One of the difficulties of fishing clear water for older, wiser fish is you’ll need light line to even get a bite, and smallmouths are powerful fighters. Pellerito uses long 15-foot leaders of 5to 7-pound fluorocarbon tied into a main line

of 8- to 10-pound Power Pro Braid. He uses an oversized 3500 or 4000 size spinning reel. He said it’s important to have that line-to-line connection all the way on the reel when trying to land a big smallmouth, because they’re notorious for last-ditch runs that break hearts. Pellerito has learned from that heartbreak and he’s also experienced tremendous success with these tactics. His personal best is 8-pounds, 2-ounces. This season alone, he boated 39 fish heavier than 6 pounds, 19 heavier than 7 pounds and two smallmouths that pulled the scale past the 8-pound mark. To see more of Cobi Pellerito’s giant fish, see his Instagram @cobi.pellerito.

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mbark on a nautical adventure like never before with Yamaha's latest masterpiece, the 255 FSH Sport H. This versatile vessel seamlessly combines performance, comfort, and convenience, making it the ideal choice for both avid anglers and boating enthusiasts seeking family-friendly fun. New and exclusive to the 255 FSH Sport H is Helm Master® EX and joystick, designed for smooth, precise low-speed maneuvering. Helm Master® EX allows the driver to move the boat forward, reverse, laterally, and rotationally with just one hand on the joystick. The new feature is easy to use and can be mastered by new boaters quickly. Helm Master® EX independently controls each motor using a system called Dual Thrust Control, which uses a pair of electronic throttle bodies to control the amount of thrust each motor produces. At the heart of the 255 FSH Sport H are the Twin Supercharged 4-Cylinder, 4-Stroke, Super Vortex High Output Yamaha Marine Engines, delivering a powerful and exhilarating ride. Whether you're craving the thrill of high-speeds or a leisurely cruise, the 255 FSH Sport H caters to every aspect of your

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By Tim Moore

pending hours on a frozen lake isn’t easy. Your body works overtime just to stay warm. Then, add the activity level that often accompanies ice fishing, such as drilling or chiseling holes and chasing tip up flags, and it can be downright exhausting. The degree of difficulty extreme cold temperatures add to fishing is what keeps most people from trying ice fishing. While there is a ton of gear designed to make ice fishing easier, core concepts, such as efficiency and mobility go a long way to make ice fishing easy enough for even the most warm blooded people. When you strengthen your core muscles with exercise, you train the rest of your muscles to work in harmony, which leads to better balance and stability. The same can be said for ice fishing. Exercising core concepts on a regular basis not only improves technique and lure control, but ice fishing actually becomes easier. The hottest new lures and trending techniques might catch a few fish, but they do little to improve your ability as an angler, especially when everything is frozen. Efficiency is arguably the foundation of any core. A highly efficient ice angler accomplishes more tasks in a shorter amount of time, and therefore catches more fish. Being efficient means eliminating unnecessary steps. Fewer steps means more time fishing, and more time fishing means more fish caught. Every second you spend with your line out of

the water is time spent not catching fish. Efficiency begins off the ice. There are many things you can do before you leave your house that will make you more efficient. Start by leaving equipment and lures you won’t need at home. If you’re going fishing for panfish and you have larger rods mixed in with panfish

rods, you will have extra gear to deal with on the ice. It doesn’t seem like a big deal until you’re fishing in sub-zero temperatures and the rods you need get tangled with the rods you don’t need. Rigging multiple rods with different lures before you leave your house will also reduce steps on the ice. Then you can cycle through pre-rigged rods rather than tie new jigs in the cold, wind or snow. Have you ever seen the deck of a tournament bass angler’s boat? They have many rods rigged with different lures so they don’t have to re-tie while they are fishing. The same goes for ice fishing, especially when it’s freezing out. The work you do at home pays off on the ice, but there is more you can do while fishing to make things easier, such as putting gear back in its place when you’re not using it. Then when you want to move you have less equipment to put away. Sometimes we are so excited to get fishing that we tend to lay gear on the ice when we are done using it rather than put it back where it belongs. By the time we decide to move there is gear all over the place, which makes moving harder. The Godfather of modern ice fishing Dave Genz always says, “If it’s easy you’ll do it.” Focus on ways to make everything easier and you will be more productive. The little things add up. Just as backpackers try to shave ounces off their packs to make hiking easier, successful ice anglers are

always trying to shave off unnecessary tasks to make fishing easier. The equipment you use also contributes to your efficiency. A sonar flasher removes a lot of the guesswork. Figuring out if there are fish under you and their depth could take hours without a flasher. A sonar flasher is easy to use. It will instantly show you the entire water column including the bottom, your jig, and anything else that shows up under you, such as a fish. All in real time! Clam Outdoors makes a number of items specifically designed to make certain tasks easier on the ice. Prices range from a few dollars into the $1,000 range. The simple low-cost products often make a big difference. The Clam Can allows you to carry bait in your pocket. Not a big thing, but it makes a huge difference when it’s cold. Rod Slicks keep ice rods from getting tangled, and Fish Trap shelters get you out of the cold quickly and allow you to move around easier. The parts all have a sum that equals success. Mobility is another important core

element of ice fishing. Mobility allows you to cover more water, which allows you to put your lure in front of more fish. Think of ice fishing the same way you do when open water fishing. We rarely head out onto the water and cast in the same spot over and over again. Ice fishing is no different. Every hole you drill is a cast. Make more casts and you’ll catch more fish. If you make a lot of casts in an area and don’t catch anything, move to another area and repeat. Give yourself a time limit, and don’t stay in the same area if you’re not catching fish. Ice Fishing doesn’t have to be cold and difficult. Core concepts that make ice fishing easier also make it more fun. Establish a routine and it will become second nature. By constantly thinking of ways to strengthen your core, you make ice fishing easier. Before you know it, you will be catching more fish than ever before. And who doesn’t love catching more fish?

Tim Moore is a full-time licensed fishing guide in New Hampshire. He owns Tim Moore Outdoors and the New England Ice Fishing Academy. For more information visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com.

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THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

BIG ALMACO ESTABLISHES NEW NORTH CAROLINA RECORD WATCH

26-pound, 15.6-ounce almaco jack caught off Morehead City, North Carolina in November was recently certified as a new state record. It is the first almaco ever on the North Carolina record books, as the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries established a new species category for the catch. The angler, Matt Frattasio, of Massachusetts, was fishing with Capt. Terry Nugent of Riptide Charters in about 80 feet of water near the D wreck off Morehead City. He landed the fish on live menhaden using 50-pound braid on a

Daiwa Saltist MQ 14000 reel and a Hogy Tuna jigging rod. Frattasio’s fish measured 36.4 inches fork length and had a 26-inch girth. “After slamming Albies inshore all morning, Capt. Terry made the decision to hit deeper water off a wreck and magic happened,” the angler told Fox News Digital. “After a few solid amberjacks, we hooked into the almaco. Without captain’s extensive knowledge, we would’ve released it. Big shoutout to my buddy Bob Savastano for taking me on this trip.” Almaco jack are a wide-ranging species

VIDEO

that inhabit tropical and temperate seas worldwide, according to a species profile from the University of Florida. Although they are delicious, they are seldom targeted as a game fish, and are widely considered welcome bycatch. Georgia and Florida’s state records stand at 7-pounds 0.7-ounce, and 35-pounds 9-ounces, respectively. The IGFA all-tackle world record weighed 136 pounds. It was caught off Japan in 2020. For more giant fish, visit coastalanglermag.com.

THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

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ANGLERS ARE SLAMMING BIG BLUEFIN OFF NORTH CAROLINA By TAM Staff

he bluefin tuna season off North Carolina is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. Along with numerous 500-plus pounders showing up at the docks and on social media, anglers

are reporting smaller tuna mixed in, which is promising for the future of the fishery. Tuna show up off the North Carolina coast from the Outer Banks down to Wilmington each year following huge schools of menhaden, usually sometime in November. They congregate to spend winter taking advantage of these enormous spawning masses of menhaden before migrating out of the area in early to mid-March. One of the coolest things about this fishery is giant tuna follow the baitfish, which means they come in close to shore. They are frequently found inside of 10 miles from the beach in less than 100 feet of water. This is important, as waters off the Outer Banks can be rough in winter, and finding a window of decent weather to make a quick run out to the tuna is just a part of the fishery. Capt. Wally Trayah and Capt. Adam Wilson, with Oak Island Fishing Charters caught one of

the biggest tuna we’ve seen so far this season fishing off the southern end of the state out of Southport on Dec. 10. According to a Facebook post by The State Port Pilot, the 747.5-pound bluefin was caught in just 50 feet of water at Frying Pan Shoals. Frying Pan Shoals is about 40 miles southeast of Southport. Wilson said the fish measured 107 inches and that it’s the largest he and Capt. Trayah have ever landed. “An absolute unit of a bluefin tuna!” Wilson posted to the Oak Island Charters Facebook page. “…Left the dock in Southport at 5:30 a.m. and had her tied off by 9:30 a.m. Getting this beast in the boat was not easy but blessed to be able to be a part of this catch and bring it back to Southport. We had our hands full to say the least.” Check out Oak Island Charters at https://www.oakislandfishingcharters.com/.

WATCH

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Cast Lures in a Mitzi Tournament 17

Visit www.mitziskiffs.com for a Dealer Near You. THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

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First, a vessel that gets on plane more quickly spends less time running at inefficient ride angles. Trim tabs can also allow a vessel to remain on plane at lower engine RPM. The

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SLIP CORKS AREN’T JUST FOR LIVE BAIT

the weightless trailer. This suspended bait and trailer under a cork is not only effective, but it keeps you from staying hung up. Once I figure out how deep the water is, it’s easy to adjust the depth. I typically keep one rod set up for 6 feet deep as a starting point. If I see the cork laying over, it means the jig is sitting on the bottom. I’ll shallow it up a bit to where the jig is just off the bottom and Tim Barefoot makes a clean drift. If the water is deeper, I’ll adjust it deeper. The end goal is to keep the jig a foot or two off the bottom and allow a here was time in my life when I was fanatical about live bait, and a lot of the fishing I did was under a sliding natural drift. cork. Well, that ship has sailed, at least the live bait part. I still fish under a sliding cork, but I now fish artificial lures under the cork for several reasons, only one of which is the evolution of soft plastic baits. Here are a few arguments for fishing artificial:

1) There’s no need to catch and store live bait. 2) My entire tackle box is now small and light enough to fit in a backpack for travel. 3) Soft Plastics are versatile in terms of presentation, and they’re effective. 4) Artificials can be cast farther and more accurately. 5) You can be ready to fish at a moment’s notice anywhere, under almost any conditions. These advantages add up to the sum of my new fishing style under a sliding or popping cork. I cherish my two- or three-hour mini vacations after work, wherever WATCH I am while traveling. I travel quite a bit and can bail out of the truck and fish for whatever is there. I’ve grown fond of fishing under and around bridges for several species, and the ease and effectiveness of this style of fishing is easy to love. In addition to fishing just a single lure under a cork—or without a cork in deeper, faster water—I’ve started fishing a tandem tackle. The bottom bait is the jig head for the weight, and the second bait has no weight and just trails out behind the jig. Some days, it’s all bites on the jig; other days, it’s a third or more of the bites on

VIDEO I like to fish a pair of DOA Shrimp on this tackle in saltwater, and this same tactic is deadly in freshwater with Zoom Flukes or Super Flukes for smallmouth, largemouth and striped bass. The other bait I love for this style of fishing is Gulp! baits. For more detailed videos of the tandem tackle and how to tie it, and the construction of my sliding cork set up, visit my Youtube channel and/or the website. For more from Tim Barefoot, visit barefootcatsandtackle.com. THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

WELCOME

By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

Tuna Town TO

had only been fishing a few years when I wound up taking a job in Venice, Louisiana. I had gotten the lead on a first mate position through a mutual friend of a captain who I had never met before. When I called the captain, I asked when he needed me. He told me, “yesterday.” So I went to the tackle shop, bought my first pair of slickers, and hit the road. The only thing I knew about Venice was that there was no cell phone service and no women. As I drove down the road south of New Orleans, I began to notice ships on both sides of the road simultaneously. I realized I had better call someone to let them know I was heading to a deadzone in the middle of nowhere, filled with lonely, salty men. I arrived at night and located my captain’s

houseboat, where I would be staying. I made the jump across to the boat and opened the door without knocking—as I was instructed to do. A dozen men, drinking beer, went silent as they stared at me. I looked around the room at the welcoming party, and the walls that were lined with shelves of alcohol bottles and a deer head decorated with Mardi Gras beads and bras. They offered me a beer and I declined. After the 14-hour drive, I most definitely wanted a beer, however, this did not seem like the time and place to let my guard down. The captain showed me the boat docked out back, my bunk where I would be staying, and told me what time to set my alarm for the charter the following morning. I had no idea what to expect or what I had

gotten myself into, but I quickly fell in love with the fishery and a week-long trip turned into a year and a half. The fishermen there were nothing but respectful and treated me like one of the guys. I had only been fishing for two years at the time and had a lot to learn. I spent evenings teaching myself how to tie snell knots and throw a cast net. When the locals would go out fun fishing and bring back coolers with hundreds of trout, they were more than happy to teach me how to fillet fish. The fishermen didn’t cut me any slack for being a woman, which I was grateful for. I worked just as hard as they did, earned respect, and learned everything I needed to become a competent fisherman. I was openly doubted every step of the

way, until I was able to learn and prove myself, which I did. But I was told that if I made it to the fall, there was no way that a woman could handle shrimp-boat season. Shrimp-boat season involves pulling behind shrimp boats and then boarding them by jumping from the bow of your boat onto the tires that hang from the stern of the shrimp boat. Then you promptly scurry up before your bow has a chance to crush your feet. You then shovel bycatch into a bag or basket, get it back to your boat, and hopefully get yourself back on the boat before your crew hooks up to a big tuna and abandons you there for the fight. The goal is to not die, break your ankles or get murdered by the shrimpboat crew in the process. I did make it to the fall, and I did survive shrimp-boat season, and it was some of my favorite fishing I’ve done, to this day. It wasn’t until I left that the ballbusting ceased and I received positive feedback, when a captain called to tell me I did a really great job and that I’d earned a place and should come back for the following season. I am so grateful Tuna Town was a stop on my journey to where I am now. I am indebted to the fishermen there who helped teach me things the right way, without mercy. Capt. Quinlyn Haddon, with Sweet E’nuf charters out of Marathon, Florida Keys, can be reached at (504) 920-6342. Check her out online at CaptainQuinlyn.com and @captainquinlyn on social media.

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THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

orty-nine reservoirs stretch across the Tennessee Valley like a string of pearls. And for those who love to fish, those lakes are just as valuable. Whether it’s bass, crappie, walleye, or catfish, whether for sport, food, or just fun, you can find world-class lake fishing only hours away from any spot in the Tennessee Valley. From more than 11,000 miles of shoreline or while floating on more than 700,000 acres of water, residents and visitors will quickly learn why this area is considered one of the best fishing destinations in the U.S. and, some would say, the world.

Find Your Own Fishing Hole

Fishing from the shore can be restful and rewarding—and anyone can do it. All you need is a little intel about how to find a spot where the fish might be biting. Here are a few tips for successful shore fishing from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: • Fish are often swimming near the shore in the spring and fall. If you’re fishing from the shore in the heat of summer, do it in the evening or early morning—or even after dark. • Fish near-unique features such as docks, logs, trees, rocks, or rocky areas; aquatic vegetation; or places where creeks enter the water. • When fishing in moving water, look at the surface for boils and breaks—this means there is some underwater structure blocking the current, which could be the perfect hiding place for fish. • Begin fishing (casting) close and parallel to the bank, then work your way outward (fan casting) toward deeper water. • If you don’t get any bites, try switching baits. If this doesn’t work, move to another hole. • Wear polarized sunglasses so you’ll be able to see fish as well as submerged objects more clearly. (Your eyes will also be protected from the tackle.) If you love outdoor sports—boating, hunting, fishing—and the natural world, or if you just like to observe wildlife, build birdhouses, maintain a bird feeder or are just curious about the critters in your backyard, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is here to help enrich your outdoor experience. Visit us at www.tn.gov/twra/.

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VIDEO

TAILWATER SHAD KILLS ARE WINTER’S BOUNTY 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, and 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.

THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

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IT’S TROPHY STRIPER SEASON! WATCH

VIDEO

By Nick Carter

here aren’t many anglers willing to endure the frigid early morning temperatures of winter on a large reservoir. But for those who can handle a little discomfort, right now is the best time of year to hook up with the striper of a lifetime. Around the Southeast, in reservoirs where striped bass were introduced, falling water temperatures spur changes in behavior that make the largest fish in the lake susceptible to anglers. Those 30- to 50-pounders are feeding up right now. They’re storing up reserves that will take them through the spring spawn. “It’s trophy striper season,” said Shane Goebel, of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. “The bigger fish are participating a little better. This time of year, we start going after those big ol’ hogs that are chasing the big baits.” The large summer schools broke up months ago. Stripers are spread out and on the move, following baitfish into the creek mouths and up into the backs of the creeks. Big fish move shallow when water temps hit the mid to low 50s on the lakes Goebel guides in the mountains of north Georgia and western North Carolina. It might take some searching to find them, but the rewards can be huge. Finding bait becomes more important than at any other time of year. Goebel likes to get out well before dawn in search of shad or herring flickering near the surface, especially

when a big moon keeps baitfish active all night. Diving birds are also a dead giveaway. They are likely feeding on baitfish pushed by stripers from below. “A lot of times if there’s bait there, I won’t even worry about marking fish on the graph,” Goebel said. “I’ll just put out my lines and start fishing where the bait is.” Because the stripers are continually moving with the bait, covering water is crucial. Goebel said to troll as many baits in as wide a spread as you can handle. Herring are great on lakes where they are present, but this time of year you should also work some big gizzard shad or trout into the spread. Sometimes it takes a big mouthful to convince big fish to eat. Goebel runs baits 30 to 40 feet behind planer boards. He’ll drop freelines 100 to 150

feet behind the boat. If the area where he finds bait isn’t too shallow, he’ll put a little bit of weight ahead of the baits on the inside boards to cover more water vertically. He slow trolls at about half a mile per hour. This is a pattern Goebel fished all the way into May, when stripers have moved into a pre-spawn phase. It might not produce the numbers of fish that downlining into summer mega-schools will, but the fish are generally a lot bigger than those 5- to 10-pound summer schoolies. If catching an enormous striper sounds like fun, zip up your parka and get out on the lake. It’s trophy striper season. Check out Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service at bigolfish.com.

THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2024

520-POUND BROADBILL CRUSHES CALIFORNIA RECORD WATCH

JANUARY 2024

VIDEO

THE ANGLER VIDEO MAGAZINE

n enormous 520-pound swordfish caught off the California Coast in late October bested the previous state record by almost 70 pounds. The fish is the largest broadbill on record from the Pacific Coast of the United States. Fishing aboard a 25-foot Davidson Bahia, experienced fishermen Dillon Houston, Capt. Ezekiel Cruz, and Mason Karafa had spent most of Oct. 27 deep-dropping without any luck at La Jolla Canyon off San Diego. With just a couple hours of daylight left, they made a last-ditch move to 9 Mile Bank and dropped a rigged squid into about 2,000 feet of water. Their big fish bit within 10 minutes and began a nerveracking 45-minute battle. According to Western Outdoor News, their squid was fished on an 11/0 J-hook, with a 5-foot 300-pound mono chafing leader, 100 feet of 200-pound top-shot, and 12 pounds of weight all tied into a Hooker/ Shimano Tiagra 50-wide spooled with 80-pound braid. Karafa manned the rod through the entire fight. Toward the end of the fight, the fish made a hard surface run that brought it thrashing right to the stern of the boat. With Houston at the helm, Cruz took a stab with a flying gaff, but hit the fish’s bill and broke the pole. The gaff didn’t take. The fish circled and charged the boat again, allowing Cruz another shot with a second flying gaff that hit the swordfish solidly in the shoulder. The fish took off, trailing hundreds of feet of buoy and line until it wrapped itself in the line and fought itself to death. At Dana Landing, the big broadbill bottomed out a set of 500-pound scales. They found a larger set of scales a half-hour away by boat at Chula Seafood at Driscoll Wharf. The fish weighed in at 520 pounds and has since been accepted by California as the new state record. “The culmination of countless hours, days, years, a lifetime of hard work and mental dedication,” is what it says on the Brothers Sport Fishing Facebook page. “Most see the end result. Few see the commitment and grit that proceeded.”

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More Tarpon 2024 Than You BUCKET Can Chew In Rio Colorado r a do, c os

t isn’t often an angler will come off the water early after paying big money to fish some far-flung trip-of-a-lifetime destination. For the guides at the lodges near the mouth of Costa Rica’s Rio Colorado, having anglers throw in the towel is a frequent occurrence. From all over the world, fly fishers and conventional anglers come to the mouth of this large river near the Nicaraguan border to do battle with big tarpon. After a few hours

combat, many find they’ve bitten off more than they care to chew. There is no shame. There aren’t many places in the world where you’ll sometimes spend more time fighting fish than fishing for them. And when it comes to fights, a 150-pound or larger tarpon can exhaust you… to the core… physically and emotionally. Now try doing it several times over the course of a day. When the weather is right and the fish are feeding heavily, as is often the case November

through April, jumping 20 or more fish a day in the 60- to 150-pound range is not all that unusual. But don’t go expecting to find flats fishing like the Florida Keys. The secret to huge numbers of large tarpon here is the nutrient stream that is the Rio Colorado. The river flows some 120 miles through Central American jungle from Lake Nicaragua to dump itself into the Caribbean in a spectacular milk-chocolate plume of nutrients 15 miles south of the Nicaraguan border.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RIO COLORADO LODGE

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Baitfish gather to feed around the freshwater surge, and tarpon congregate, growing large on the bounty. Such dirty water might seem unfishable, but the freshwater spreads its stain on top of the denser saltwater, which remains clear just beneath the surface. On a calm day, anglers will spot tarpon rolling everywhere. Nowhere else on earth can equal such a yearround abundance of tarpon. So, after flying into San Jose, Costa Rica, you hopped a short domestic flight and took a boat ride to your final destination near the mouth of the Rio Colorado. After two days chasing tarpon, you are bruised and sore, maybe injured or in possession of a splintered 12-weight fly rod. The tarpon bug has been pummeled out of your system, and you’ve still got three days left before heading home.

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What do you do? Well, the area also offers fantastic snook fishing. Small snook from 5 to 12 pounds move into the river in enormous numbers for a few months during the winter each year. Fishing is done with light tackle and produces dozens of fish in a day. Some larger 30-pounders are often mixed in with the little guys, which can be quite a surprise on light gear. The backcountry tributaries and lagoons along the Rio Colorado also offer spectacular jungle scenery and exotic species to chase with light tackle. Rainbow bass (guapote) are just one of the weird and beautiful species anglers seek when venturing into the lush jungle. You know you’re somewhere special when taking it easy involves backcountry jungle fishing and 50-snook days. Here, you might just be proud of yourself for throwing in the towel.

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JANUARY 2024

ou don’t need an invitation to have fun in Upcountry South Carolina: Come kayak crys-tal blue lakes, hike to rushing waterfalls, dig into local cuisine, attend family oriented events and breathe fresh mountain air. But when you hold a South Carolina fishing license, it feels like an official ticket to enjoy the great outdoors. Fish bite year-round in the lakes, rivers and streams of Upcountry South Carolina, which is located in the state’s northwest corner in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Devils Fork State Park in Salem is a great place to access Lake Jocassee, which holds state records for rainbow trout, brown trout, redeye bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass and yellow perch. Or try your luck at Lake Hartwell, at Lake Hartwell State Park in Fair Play and Sadlers Creek State Park in Anderson, three-time host of the Bassmaster Classic. The Chattooga River boasts healthy wild trout populations and is also regularly stocked by Oconee County’s Walhalla State Fish Hatchery. The Whitewater River above Lower White-water Falls is another great option for wild trout. Lake Keowee, at Keowee-Toxaway State Park in Pickens County, swims with largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, yel-low perch, catfish, brown and rainbow trout. Pick up everything you need—including advice— at local fly shops or book a guided fish-ing trip. Sam Jones, of Jocassee Charters, puts anglers on trophy trout. Buster Green’s Guide Ser-vice reels in stripers, hybrids and bass on Hartwell and Keowee. Chattooga

THE BEST PLACE TO DROP A FISHING LINE

River Fly Shop leads fly fishing trips on the Chattooga and Chauga rivers. Even if you don’t fish, you can still get on the water. Jocassee Lake Tours offers tours of the lake and of Jocassee Gorges, which National Geographic called a “destination of a Lifetime.” Some amazing spots can only be reached by boat. Several tours are offered, so you can learn from a naturalist while riding on a pontoon or paddle a kayak through coves and under waterfalls. Prefer to captain your own boat? There are several rental companies, including Tri-County Boat Rental, on Keowee, Jocassee, Hartwell and other lakes. If you’d rather be under the water, Jocassee is a world-renowned freshwater diving desti-nation that boasts visibility of more than 50 feet at depth. Lake Jocassee Dive Shop offers lessons and guided trips to see “The Wall,” where a section of mountain was blasted to build the dam, or a 40-foot swim-through wooden sailboat. From fishing to boating, hiking to camping, biking to bird watching and more, the Up-country’s state parks are a great place to play. Dip into the swimming hole at Oconee State Park. Hike to the tops of Pinnacle and Table Rock mountains at Table Rock State Park. Explore the 13,000-acre Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area at Caesars Head State Park. Or create your own adventure at any of the Upcountry’s 13 state parks.

Visit UpcountrySC.com to learn more.

SAVOR THE SEASONS in Upcountry South Carolina

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TIPS FROM A PRO

THROW UMBRELLA RIGS FOR WINTER BASS

TYLER WOOLCOTT

inter can be a tricky time of year to go fishing, but I want to tell you about a bait that might help you put some more fish in the boat. In fact, this lure is so good that some tournaments don’t allow anglers to use them anymore. I’m talking about the Alabama rig, which some people call the umbrella rig. This device made its debut on the bass fishing scene in 2011 and absolutely dominated the tournament fishing scene for a few years before it was eventually outlawed by most professional fishing series for basically being an unfair way to catch fish. The rig consists of a baitfish-style head where you tie your line with multiple metal-wire arms that extend out where you attach jig heads with a swimbaits.

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Most come standard with five metal arms and five jig heads. Even though the Alabama rig is outlawed by most pro fishing leagues, that doesn’t mean you can’t use it when you are out fun fishing or even fishing smaller tournaments. It is a fish-catching machine! When the bass are feeding up on baitfish in the winter, the natural bait ball presentation with multiple baits swimming together drives these bass absolutely crazy. It can make for a very fun day on the water. Setting up your “rig” is not complicated. Depending on how deep you are looking to fish, use 1/8-ounce jig heads for shallow water (10 feet or less) and ¼-ounce jig heads for anything deeper than 10 feet. Pick out

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some small 3- to 4-inch natural shad colored boot-tail swimbaits to attach to your jig heads and that’s all there is to it. The winter months is typically the time when bass to feed up before they spawn. Whether you see it going on or not, they are eating a lot of bait somewhere on your body of water. You can throw this rig basically anywhere, and if there are fish around, they will bite it! I throw it around grass, rocks, docks, open water, points and ditches. Gear When throwing an A-rig, it can get pretty heavy once you add all the jig heads and swimbaits onto it. You’ll want to use a big heavy rod with some strong line. A 13 Fishing Muse Black 7’6” rod paired with a Concept A 6:8:1 reel is a good fit. Spool this up with 20-pound Seaguar Abraz-X line and you are good to go! Good luck out there! Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcottfishing.com.

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JANUARY 2024

ENTICE BIG TROUT WITH

E R R ATIC \ ACTION By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

common principle anglers abide by during winter months is to slow down their retrieve or presentation. Although this is a good default option, it may fail to entice strikes of those big, cold, winter trout. Let’s discuss. Some of my favorite lures for targeting trophy trout in the winter are those that suspend, slow sink, and have an erratic movement. When I define a slow presentation, I am referencing the speed at which the lure moves toward the angler, the retrieve speed, not the motion. As a young angler, I was always told to slow down when it’s cold and then slow it down a little more. Although this has its place, it should not be set in stone, or ice if it’s really cold. OK, enough of the bad jokes. When trout are cold and may not be feeding as aggressively as we would like, an extremely erratic motion can entice

the strike. This erratic motion makes the lure dance in place with little to no forward movement. I use a rod with a whippy action for this. This allows me to point my rod tip at the lure and shake it up and down aggressively causing the lure to almost dance in place. I then let it pause, suspending or slow-sinking as I reel up the slack. I then repeat this practice, modifying according to the conditions. Fishing braided line is imperative for this method. The stretch in mono will not allow your slow-sinking lure to dance in place at the end of a long cast, but the zero stretch of braid makes it move like it is on a wire. I learned this the hard way 20 years ago. I was fishing with four friends, and I was the only one using mono and the only one not catching. I mimicked every move my buddy

made to no avail. I then ask him to cast his lure and retrieve it near me. I watched it dance past with great action. I then cast my lure near him. Although I moved my rod more vigorously, he said my lure was moving in a straight line as if I was just reeling it in. I switched to braid on the next trip and never went back, and of course this dancing method started to produce fish! If you pay attention to the strike, this method will let you know if you should modify your retrieve. If they bite on the pause, you may want to slow it down a bit. If they bite on the shake, you may want to speed it up. I hope this helps you land more big trout this season. Good Luck! Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com

® ® PHOTO PHOTO COURTESY COURTESY OFOF KNOCKIN KNOCKIN TAIL TAIL LURES LURES . .

SAT2NAV UNPARALLELED IN THE INDUSTRY. SERIOUSLY!

Hilton’s innovative SAT2NAV system connects your Garmin, Furuno or Raymarine chart plotters to HiltonsOffshore. com’s server directly from your MFD. Customize/download the latest dynamic charts and then navigate on them outside of cell range — ALL FROM YOUR MFD SCREEN! Split screen a Hilton’s chlorophyll or sea temp chart along with a bathymetry chart and/or instrumentation.

TOTAL GAME CHANGER.

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MORE FISH, LESS FUEL!

ince 2004, Hilton’s has helped serious offshore anglers catch more fish while burning less gas. This is the company that pioneered online satellite fish forecasting with timely updated charts that display all of the pertinent fishfinding information at a reasonable cost for the best anglers in the world. This year, Hilton’s pushed the industry forward again with its SAT2NAV system. In a quantum leap ahead of any other service in the industry, Hilton’s has brought its unparalleled charts where they belong… to your boat’s chart plotter screen! Gone are the days when a separate smart device was required to navigate on charts downloaded while in cell phone range. SAT2NAV allows you to surf Hilton’s online mapping portal, select desired charts and then navigate on them—all on the water and all from the multifunction display in your cockpit. Nobody in the industry can do what Hilton’s is doing with SAT2NAV. SAT2NAV is an external device that connects to the monitors of your Garmin, Raymarine or Furuno multifunction displays. It has its own WIFI and GPS antennas and brings access to Hilton’s charts to the monitors at your helm. It is now possible view your vessel’s position relative to temperature breaks, color changes, high-res bathymetry, altimetry, etc. on your multifunction display.

With split-screen, all of this powerful imagery can be displayed alongside sonar, radar or other desired information. With SAT2NAV, it’s never been easier to identify and navigate to ocean features where bait and gamefish congregate. You can do your homework on the charts at home, but sometimes it’s necessary to call an audible on the water. With Hilton’s charts clearly visible on your monitor, you can find those good currents, minute temperature changes, sea-surface upwellings, color breaks and navigate to them. Perhaps more importantly, you can eliminate dead water, which makes you a much more efficient and effective angler. Of course, all of this comes with Hilton’s unrivaled service. Their philosophy, reputation and longevity in the industry rely on the concept that if the information doesn’t help you catch fish, you won’t use it. So, they continually strive to provide the best up-to-date imagery, information and technology, and they’ll go above and beyond to make sure you know what you’re looking at and how to use it. Hilton’s, again, is leading the industry. With SAT2NAV they can do what no one else in the industry can do right now. At the same time, they are continually working to be better with additional eye-opening features that will further distinguish Hilton’s as the best in the fish forecasting industry. Stay tuned…

+1 713-530-2267 • HILTON@RT-NAV.COM

JANUARY 2024

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PHOTO COURTESY OF DARCY HILL

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SHEEPSHEAD By TAM Staff

ARE WINTER’S WHITE MEAT

ith closures for many of the bottom species anglers love to target, this time of year can be tough for bringing fresh fish to the dinner table. But there’s a largely overlooked delicacy out there for those who want to get on the water and have some fun collecting meat. During the winter months, many sheepshead leave their normal inshore environs and venture out to nearshore rocks and reefs to begin spawning behavior. A contingent will also remain inshore, on the same bridges, docks and rocks where they spend most of the year. So, whether you’d prefer to take a little ride to give yourself the opportunity of tangling with some of the other nearshore denizens or if you prefer to stay closer to home, chances are you can find sheepshead willing to bite. But convincing a sheepshead to bite is one thing, setting the hook in the “convict fish” is another. Convict is a fitting name for the

species, both for its black-striped appearance and its proclivity for stealing bait. Half jokingly, some say it is necessary to set the hook before a sheepshead bites. While that might not be exactly true, successfully hooking up with these thieves takes practice and some slightly specialized tactics. For bait, fiddler crabs or fresh shrimp are hard to beat. Hooks should be small, 1/0 is a good because it’s small enough to fit in that little mouth full of blocky teeth, yet strong enough to withstand the crushing power. Remember, sheepshead crunch up crabs, mussels, oysters and barnacles as their regular diet, light wire hooks do not stand a chance. Spinning gear matched to 10-pound test mono is typically enough to handle “heads,” which will generally run in the 1- to 3-pound range but show up weighing 5 pounds and heavier. The light tackle also makes for a sporting fight. Pound-for-pound, sheepshead are powerful, and they have a knack for

wrapping line around structure. Many anglers who specialize in sheepshead like a dropper rig, with the weight on the bottom and the hook, or hooks, suspended in-line a couple feet up, all on a 20-pound or heavier leader. Again, resistance to those teeth is important, but go too heavy or use wire and they won’t bite. The beauty of the dropper is a direct connection between the rod and the bait and no slack in the line. This enables the angler to feel the bite, or an unusual weight on the line, instantly and set the hook before a thief makes off with the bait. And while you likely won’t fill the cooler as efficiently as you would with a single 20-pound grouper, the meat on a sheepshead is light and sweet from a diet of crustaceans. Cleaning them can be difficult (watch out for those sharp spines), but there is plenty of good eating on them, and it’s relatively easy to load a cooler if you get on top of a good school of them.

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JANUARY 2024

WWW.AOCOOLERS.COM

COOLERS, the leader in high-performance soft-sided coolers, is hitting the

water this year with new, upgraded fishing products. Our fishing team partners told us what they needed, and we listened! Products are in stock and ready to ship; The Fishing Cooler Backpack, 2, 4 & 6ft Fish bags, Fillet bags, Boat fenders, EVA Traction pads, Inflatable Docks, ISUPs, and of course, our high-performance coolers specifically designed for use on boats, guaranteed not to leak, and to keep ice cold for up to 24 hours. Thirty years ago, AO was launched to provide active, hard-core people with quality products at a reasonable price. We started selling our soft-sided coolers to the hard-core, go-fast boaters and fishermen in Lake Havasu. We aimed to keep ice in our coolers for up to 24 hours in 120-degree Havasu heat. That goal was accomplished 30 years ago, and we’re still at it. We know our customers; they fish and boat in the summer and ride the dunes or trails in the winter. AO products give those high-octane souls greater freedom to embark on and enjoy what’s important to them. Make sure that your gear does not hold you back from doing what you love. AO products are built to handle whatever offshore adventure is coming next. AO is flexibly rugged, seriously fun, and honestly real! We’re looking for active, adventurous folks that demand quality and performance from their gear. Share your adventure and send us your fish story or photo.

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