By Astrid DeGruchy
icked Tuna is a show my ancé, Capt. Brandon Storin, and I like to watch. As an avid angler betrothed to a charter captain, I think it’s pretty cool to watch these guys reel in giants, but it’s even cooler to do it Brandon and I wanted this experience, so we went on a charter with the legendary crew of the “Hard Merchandise.” Docked in Gloucester, Mass., the boat is very spacious with a heated cabin, full head and all the latest electronics. Capt. Joe Marciano and his Mate, Jay, are exactly as they are from the show, and their skillsets for catching
During our time with them, conditions were a bit rough. It called for us leaving the docks earlier than anyone else, and while riding out, you could really see how meticulous they are in each part of the rigging and set up. During the boat ride, conversation was great, with plenty of laughs to go around. Before we knew it, we were at the tuna grounds.
In the midst of catching and soaking baits and waiting for the bite, the crew made us fresh breakfast and it was amazing. We had bacon and scrambled eggs with lobster.
e experience is very much like what you would expect from watching the show. ere’s lots of refreshing baits and waiting for a bite. When they mark sh on the sonar, the enthusiasm from the crew is amazing, just like on television. Capt. Joe and Jay jump up, yelling “WE’RE MARKING!” Adrenaline starts pumping with anticipation as you hope everything is lined up perfect enough to get a bite.
Fortunately, we did get tight, and I have never seen a sh take such a wild and ferocious run… several times. I was up to battle this sh with coaching from Capt. Joe and Jay. ere is nesse needed to ght a giant like this, and a cra in staying tight and knowing when to let him run. Every second spent reeling elevated the hope that we might land this big tuna. Yet there was also anxiety. If you’ve watched the show, you know that losing one of these monsters is a very real possibility.
We battled the sh for a while. Gaining where I could, adrenaline kept me pumping while the crew maneuvered the boat. e communication is constant as everyone works together.
Finally, I saw this huge beast start surfacing. Capt. Joe moved in with the harpoon, ready to take the shot. Everything happened so quickly! e beast surfaced, and Capt. Joe drilled it with a perfect gill shot. It wasn’t over yet, but it was just a matter of time. A er the sh made one last run, taking a bunch of rope, we hauled it back in and roped its tail. At that point, I knew I had landed my top bucket-list sh.
It was an amazing experience, and it felt like we were literally in an episode of Wicked Tuna. What you see from the show is what you get in person. ere is no script; nothing is fake. ere is only grit, talent and hope, and these guys have all that.
e Hard Merchandise team recently launched Angelica Seafoods, where one can order fresh blue n, lobster, scallops, oysters and more to be delivered to your door. If you plan a trip to Boston and want to catch a sh of a lifetime, book a charter with the Hard Merchandise.
For more information on the Hard Merchandise, visit www.angelica sheries.com/fv-hardmerchandise.
IG: @catching_astrid @bnmbean @hardmerchjoe @melodyredwing @hardmerchandisejay.
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That’s quite a headline for a 17-year-old high school student from Clewiston, Fla. who loves bass shing.
I spoke with Hilary while she was in Palatka, Fla. preparing to sh the Florida Bass Nation tournaments on the St. Johns River, and her enthusiasm and passion for the sport of bass shing were impressive.
Last year, at 16, she nished h at the State Championship of the Florida Bass Nation with a total weight heavier than 19 pounds. She’s hoping to do even better this year.
I asked her if she could remember when she rst started shing, and she laughed as she guessed that she was “probably only 2 years old.” A er all, she does come from a pretty well-known family of professional bass shermen.
Her grandfather, the legendary Roland Martin, is one of the greatest bass shermen of all time. Her father, Scott, won the 2011 Forest Wood Cup Championship, and also has 45 top-ten nishes and eight tour victories in the FLW and hosts the Scott Martin Challenge.
But things are di erent today than they were
By Don Norton
Iin the past. Today, social media is the key to reaching your audience, and Hilary has done an incredible job on both YouTube, with over 100,000 subscribers, and Instagram with 103,000 followers.
Most of her videos are bass shing, although she’s had some very interesting saltwater shing videos, as well.
Hilary said she started taking bass shing seriously when she was 15 years old, and at 16, joined the Florida Bass Nation Series.
She has her own bass boat, a 20’ Skeeter FXR, with a 250hp Yamaha, but she also shes out of her dad’s boat from time to time, because, “it’s got all the goodies,” she laughed.
Her biggest bass, a whopping 9.1-pounder was caught ipping a black/blue Sweet Beaver along the edges of cattails on Lake Okeechobee when she was only 14 years old. She hopes to break that personal best soon.
Her shing arsenal includes a Favorite Phantom Series shing rod, a Shimano Curado reel and braided or uorocarbon line, along with her favorite bait, a Zoom Speed Worm.
“I was shing out of a kayak and I saw this
far away, so I threw my Speed Worm just past the mark,” she recounted. “I started a fast retrieve when a big bass came up and just exploded on it. at sh drug me around for what seemed like forever before I nally landed it. It weighed just over ve pounds. e cover picture of me holding a bass was taken the day a er.”
Listening to her tell that story, her excitement, enthusiasm and passion for bass shing became even more obvious.
If you haven’t seen one of her videos on YouTube ( eReelHilarySue), I’d strongly recommend you check them out. ey’re fun to watch, and you might just learn something. She’s a natural.
What an incredible future this beautiful, talented young lady has in store. I think she’ll be one of the biggest names in professional bass shing in the years to come.
Don Norton is co-publisher of the Okeechobee edition of e Angler Magazine.
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shing the Gulf of Mexico out of Florida have two weekends remaining in November to harvest red snapper. is special fall season announced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) opened a total of ve weekends for snapper harvest in October and November. e remaining dates are Nov. 11-13 and Nov. 25-27.
e fall red snapper season is open for recreational anglers and for-hire operations in the Gulf of Mexico. During this season, private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal waters. However, state for-hire operations are limited to shing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only. Gulf state waters extend to 9 miles o shore, where federal waters begin.
e bag limit during the fall season is the same as the regular summerseason bag limit. Anglers may keep two red snapper per person, within the 10-per-person daily aggregate snapper bag limit. e minimum size limit is 16 inches tail length. Charter captains and guides may not keep a limit on top of those retained by their anglers. A descending device or venting tool is required to be rigged and ready for use while shing for reef sh in Gulf federal waters. FWC will continue to monitor harvest relative to Florida’s available quota.
ese additional days were made possible by the State Reef Fish Survey, which was developed to provide better data for management of red snapper and other reef sh. It has allowed FWC the unprecedented opportunity to manage Gulf red snapper in state and federal waters.
All anglers shing from private recreational vessels are required to sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler if they target red snapper or other reef sh in state and federal waters, even if they are exempt from shing license requirements. Sign up for no cost at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by visiting any location where you can purchase a Florida shing license.
State Reef Fish Anglers may receive a questionnaire in the mail regarding their reef sh trips as part of Florida’s State Reef Fish Survey. If you receive a survey, please respond whether you shed this season or not or whether you’ve submitted data via other methods.
For more information, see the Florida red snapper regulations at MyFWC.com.
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Brought to you by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., the 12th Annual Jimmy Johnson’s “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week will take over South Florida March 7-11, 2023, additionally hosted by Visit Lauderdale, with tournament headquarters based at Seminole Hard Rock in Broward.
e annual four-day tournament includes the 2-day Quest for the Ring Catch & Release Championship and the National Sport sh Championship Weighted Tournament, which takes place as a separate tournament during the event week. Hosted by Contender Boats, powered by Yamaha and fueled by Papa’s Pilar Rum, the 2-Day Catch & Release Championship features the World’s RICHEST guaranteed purse of $1 million, in partnership with Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla, making it the longest-running guaranteed purse in history.
Jimmy Johnson’s “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week is “all about the ring!” according to Coach Johnson. Each year teams vie for their champion rings and entrance into the highly coveted Ring of Honor, an elite group of champions who have taken home the top prize at this exciting competition in the Catch & Release Championship. Each year, overall champions receive Jimmy’s famed National Championship Ring. Renowned for the best parties, which are
Palm Beach’s TEAM LUNATICO won the 2022 Championship, taking home $321,500 and entrance into Coach’s coveted RING OF HONOR on a 42’ Invincible owned by Lance Converse.
back at Hard Rock, the highest guaranteed purse and the ultimate week of shing, tournament highlights include celebrity charity days and highly competitive tournament showdowns. Registration will end with the captain’s meeting on Tuesday, March 7, if spots are still available.
“ e best wasn’t the Super Bowl, the best was not University of Miami, the best is right now!” said Coach Johnson. “ ese teams are part of THE BEST. We continue to grow each year, and I am thrilled to have our partners at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood join us as we
showcase the thrilling challenge of sport shing and to move our hosting of our event to such a beautiful destination in Broward County. We look forward to seeing everyone in March!”
Contender Boats is the o cial center console boat sponsor and a presenting sponsor of the tournament along with the o cial outboard sponsor, Yamaha, and o cial spirits partner, Papa’s Pilar. Additional Hosting sponsors include Oakley Prizm, Michelob Ultra, GED Lawyers, Visit Lauderdale, Garmin, Celebrity Cruises, Hines Securities, Titos Vodka, Atlantic Radio Telephone, and Cadillac. Miami Retail Partner is Crook and Crook and Broward Retail Partner is Big Dog Tackle. e o cial tournament artist and apparel provider is Connected by Water. Additional event sponsors can be found on the event website. e tournament is produced by Fish Hard Events.
Boat Entry information and the full schedule of events can be found at www.jj shweek.com. Registration starts at $5,000 for the Quest for the Ring Bill sh Tournament and $2,500 for the Sport sh Weighted Championship. Register on the tournament website or by contact the tournament o ce at info@jj shweek.com or (305) 255-3500 for more information.
Follow @JJFishWeek on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for up to date tournament information.
By Rex Hannon
There’s an eruption during your retrieve that’s immediately followed by one of the most vicious strikes you’ve ever encountered. e unknown assailant pulls drag, digging deeper only to reverse course and perform one of the most acrobatic aerial shows you’ve ever witnessed. Your rst thought is a monster largemouth, but that idea vanishes when you see the color scheme and the large bump on the sh’s forehead. A er a trying and equipment-testing battle, before you lies an unmistakable dream about or watch on television shows recorded in exotic locations. It’s a butter y peacock bass.
Peacock bass are native to South America, where they are most commonly found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. Because of their appearance and name, there’s a common misconception that they are members of the bass family. Actually, they are cichlids.
Peacock bass were introduced to South Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 1984. ey are nonnative, but they are considered noninvasive. ree stocks of sh were imported from Brazil, Guyana and Peru. A er spawning at the FWC Non Native Research Lab and being tested for disease and parasites by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Auburn University, they were released to combat exotic invasive snakeheads, clown knife sh and oscars.
Peacock Bass have a body similar to largemouth bass, but the color scheme is noticeably di younger examples are generally golden/green with three black bars that fade as the sh matures. is also usually a prominent black spot with a yellow/ gold halo on the tail. Peacock bass are fast growing, pushing an inch a month from one year to 18 months. A 19-inch sh can weigh 5 pounds. While the Florida state record butter
undocumented catches of 12 pounds and e IGFA all-tackle world record is 12.6 pounds and was caught in Venezuela. y peacock bass are intolerant of cold water and high salinity. ere have been reports of sh north of Palm Beach County, but they cannot survive temperatures below 60 degrees or salinity above 18 parts per million. is species is commonly found in canals, lakes and ponds, and prefers to feed and spawn in shallow water with vegetation.
Live bait is the easiest way to catch these amazing sh, and they will also strike arti cial lures and ies. Butter y peacock bass prefer feeding during daylight hours, when they use their great speed to pursue
y peacock bass are edible, but the FWC recommends catch and release due to the valuable service they provide in keeping invasive species in e pursuit of this species is also an economic boon to the state. It is estimated that anglers spend more than $8 million a year chasing peacock bass in y peacock bass are another example of shing opportunities.
Guy Harvey has dedicated his life to creating beautiful art and apparel to protect the sport and the oceans he loves. From using recycled materials in his apparel to ensuring a portion of his proceeds help protect the ocean through the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF), wearing Guy Harvey means you’re part of the movement to protect our sport and our oceans. Shop now and turn the tides at GuyHarvey.com
In this series on long-distance lures, we’ve covered just about everything about the cast and equipment. Now that you’ve made that super-long cast—beating other anglers’ distance by 50 feet, or maybe 50 yards—you are presenting your lure to sh that others can’t reach.
What’s next the next step? is is where we enter the heart of the action, where things get fun and exciting. First thing rst, start working your lure.
e long distance between your rod tip and the lure means more line is on the water. You will have less control of the lure’s action, and the delay between when the sh strikes and when you feel it will be longer. e hook set is also a ected. Waves, wind and current all amplify this lag.
e type of lure will determine how you should alter your retrieve to achieve the proper action. Darters, heavy spoons, billed minnows, bottleneck swimplugs and jointed swimbaits are all designed to provide their own action, and they will start swimming when you begin your retrieve.
Lures that require more angler interaction
will require you to adapt your retrieve to compensate for the extra distance and diminished control. A popper
hand what I am trying to impart. You’ll need practice to adjust the way you work a lure at distance, and by paying attention to the way di erent lures react, you will learn to sh them more e ectively.
might require harder pulls to pop. A stick bait or pencil might need a slower cadence and sharper rod twitches to achieve the desired action.
ese details might seem insigni cant as you read this, but go give it a try on the water, preferably in calm conditions. At the end of a super-long cast, you’ll experience rst-
Now, with the current ripping and wave action pulling the line and lure side to side, there’s no way to avoid losing some control over the quality of a lure’s action. e good thing is, sh in such conditions are usually less picky and more aggressive. Still, the better the action you provide to your lure, the better your results will be. en suddenly, the bite happens! A long belly of line in uenced by current and waves increases the delay between your hook set and the moment it translates to the lure. Also, some energy will be lost. Use a wide, sweeping rod movement to set the hook when the lure is far away. is generates a long pull that provides the most energy possible to drive the hook into a sh’s mouth. Also, sh a tight drag when you’re casting for distance. I’ve seen many anglers miss sh when the drag gives line on the hook set. Be ready to adjust the drag lighter based on the power of the sh once you have it hooked.
Legendary angler Patrick Sebile is a world record holder and an award-winning designer of innovative lures and shing gear. Check out his creations at abandofanglers.com.
For many a lite tackle angler, the freshwater lakes, brackish rivers and canals of south Florida will be the place to be in the month of November. The water temperatures are cooling down creating lots of ecological changes in the system. The behavior of our game fish will transition from the slow lethargic movement of the slim summer months, to an active and more aggressive bulking up pattern in the cooler months. We are just coming off of the major minnow spawn of October which the smaller and mid-sized fish have benefited from. Now we are entering the major mullet spawn, and the bigger fish will be easy to find.
As if tailored speci cally for the big boys, the mullet spawn will certainly have snook, tarpon and other big dogs busting top water baits or nger mullet or shiners. Top water lures like poppers and pencil options are our go to arti cials for this time of year. Work them for 3 to 4 cranks of the reel before pausing for a few seconds then start again. When you see the explosion, set the hook hard enough to stick-um. If you are right-handed, you’ll want to work the lure to your right side so that when a sh strikes you are in position to best set the hook. If you are le -handed, vise versa. You’re dominate arm will have more power to really drive the hook into the sh’s mouth for better hook up ratios.
e cooler months are our favorite time of year to target larger peacock bass as well. ey are easier to nd feeding on the top waters. It’s amazing to see a mature peacock bass going airborne with all their vibrant green and orange and yellow color patterns. ere is nothing more pleasing to the eye in my option. is trend begins in the month of November and will continue until the water warms up again towards the end of May.
Over the past few months my team and I have noticed a large increase in juvenile sh and peacock bass. is increase seems to mark the highest numbers of sh in our local waters since we had a major kill o due to prolonged cold temps, in the sub 50 degree range, a few years back. In addition, over the last few years sh populations have faced challenges due to run o from road construction along the 826, the 836 and the Don Shula expressways.
My partners and I have made an effort to raise awareness and preserve our fisheries by educating local anglers on safe catch and release practices, responsible fishing during the spawn, and by reaching out to our state and local governments. We have had great success in our conservation efforts through our partnership with Tripping Animals Brewery located in Doral Florida. Tripping Animals has helped us bring awareness with our local waterway clean up events which we activate once a month at different locations throughout Miami. Thank you to all that have helped us to improve our local waterways for many years to come.
SPECIAL REPORT: Hurricane Ian has a ected so many of our friends and neighbors to our north, from Everglades City all the way up the coast to North Port and beyond. We are committed to helping and doing anything we can to support the recovery e ort alongside our partners at Captains For Clean Water. If you would like to contribute or just see how you can help, please check out their website at https://linktr.ee/cfcw
I have to admit that the last few weeks have been a struggle. I skipped shing for several weeks. Finally, over the last week of September I shed the Carter Lake Dam in far Northwest Georgia with my grandnephew, James.
Our plan was to use worms to catch bluegill, and use bluegill to catch striped bass. We did catch a few bluegill, but no stripers came our way. We shed 3 to 4 hours on two separate days. e rst day bluegill came easy. e second day we even had trouble catching bluegill. is forced James to sh a Berkeley Cane Walker while I shed a Berkeley Gilly under a popping oat. No luck that way either. We did see one small striper caught on a herring. e rst Saturday of October I drove down to Saint Augustine Florida. Sunday morning, I met Leon Dana at the Villano Boat Ramp. He castnetted a bunch of nger mullet near the ramp and then we ran to the inlet. It was a spectacular morning. Big schools of mullet poured around the jetty and into the inlet. As they raced around the jetty squadrons of ospreys bomb the mullet from above and tarpon of all sizes assaulted the mullet from below. What a thrill! It was as exciting a few days ago as it has been every year over the last 60 years.
We caught a half dozen red sh from 20 to over 30 inches and a small but feisty jack crevalle. I had thoughts all morning of how, years ago, I would have cast netted those 2-pound black mullet, lleted them and cut the rib cages out. I would have taken the llets to my dad, and he would have brined and smoked up several batches of succulent smoked mullet. We had delicious red sh llets with baked carrots for dinner on the last night.
November is an exciting time for shing. Bay waters will cool causing trout, mangrove snappers and tarpon to warm up. With a little luck some Spanish mackerel may show up inside Haulover and Government Cuts as well as Biscayne Bay from the South end of Key Biscayne and below. Along the beaches there is a good chance some tarpon will be around Haulover Cut. Fish live shrimp to score with these sh night or day. On near shore reefs there should be some good grouper. Black, red and gag grouper can be caught trolling planers with a lure and ballyhoo or in a pinch, troll a white X-rap 20 or 30 on braid and hold on. If you switch to a stinger hook rig baited with a live or dead ballyhoo, you have a good chance at those groupers plus mutton snappers of all sizes up to over 15 pounds. ose big bottom sh love shallow waters in the fall and winter.
On deeper reefs and along the edge, you can troll up king sh and wahoo. Sea Witches with strips or ballyhoo will produce best most days. If you go with 3 1/2 drone spoons you don’t have to worry about running out of bait or getting bait for impromptu e orts.
From the beaches to 90 feet of water you may nd good Spanish mackerel action.
For the live baiter, you have to plan on shing live ballyhoo. Bring a couple blocks of frozen chum, a bag of shrimp, some tiny bobbers, and some number 8-12 size long shanked hooks. Anchor or dri around sewer outfalls or shallow reefs. Catch your live ballyhoo on those real small hooks baited with small pieces of shrimp 12 inches under that small bobber.
You can best rig your live ballyhoo with a small bridle band half hitched on the bend of your hook and drawn through the lower jaw of the ballyhoo right behind the halfmoon shape. en stretch the bridle band over the bill and you are ready for sail sh, mahi and occasional tuna showering schools of ballyhoo in 30 to 150 feet of water. If action is slow, drag a couple live ballyhoo on the surface and another tight to the bottom. Fish two 5/0 hooks on the bottom connected by 6 inches of stainless or titanium wire. Use a 30 foot leader behind a 24 ounce lead to complete this rig.
If you get good weather, go catch sword sh day or night. is is the beginning of the best season for the gladiator of the sea.
Good shing to you. I’ll see you out there.
Bouncer Smith
Check out Bouncer’s new book “I’m not done yet” on Amazon
The dog days of summer are gone! e October winds are gone! e hurricanes are gone! e temperatures are cooling down, but the pelagic shing is on re! November is the month when many pelagic sh that have migrated North begin to come back down to South Florida. is is my favorite time of year to target king sh and black n tuna. e king sh is a migratory species of mackerel found in both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. e black n tuna can grow up to around 40 pounds or more with an average weight of 25 pounds. eir colors consist of a deep black on the back with a purple line and silvery-white with some yellow below. e black n tuna is a warm water sh typically in tropical waters. Black n tuna o er some of the most exciting sport shing in Florida. ere are plenty of black n tuna around for most of the year with the best time being the spring and fall. During November nding big bait sh is also easy. Pilchards, sardines, ballyhoo, cigar minnow, bar jacks and speedos are found everywhere. When targeting these Pelagic’s I make sure I go during a cold front, I want the temperature to be 60° or below. e night before I spend some time building 20 to 25 wire / king sh rigs. I don’t want to be tying rigs while the bite is on re. We normally get to on the water around 3-4 am so we can hit some lights and catch pilchards. If that doesn’t work, when the sun comes up we hit the shallow reefs for ballyhoo, speedos, cigar minnows or bar jacks. Even though the wreck shing is usually best in the a ernoon, we start the morning by hitting a wreck. We start our dri s about 100 yards away from the wreck and dri over it. We normally freeline at least 3 live baits and place 2 baits about the middle of the water column. While waiting for the bite we grab our whip rods (jigging rods) and start jigging with sidewinders or vertical jigs. If the bite is slow, we hit up the shallow reefs for macs, yellowtail, or Muttons. At 2 or 3 in the a ernoon we go back to the wreck to nail the tunas and king sh. If anybody reading this article wants to go shing for king sh or tunas in the beautiful Florida Keys, please call my good friend Mike Milz at M & M charters. (786) 525-9269 Instagram @ captmikemilz or visit on the web: MandM shingcharters.com
Capt.
As we move into fall, October is still warm down here in South Florida. We will start noticing a small temperature drop in the evenings and lower highs in air temperature. Our water temperature will start to cool down a bit as well and we’ll start seeing more signs of migrating sh working into our waters following the bait migrations. Most of October, I’ll spend my days shing the shorelines for snook and red sh.
is time of the year, I like to nd schools of pilchards or pogys on the coast, and throwing the net a few times, load the well with bait. Once I feel like we have enough, I’ll then run to the rst spot. Points, down trees, and oyster bars with moving water are my go-to’s. Once I nd something I like the look of, I’ll drop my Minn Kota Raptor to hold me in position, grab a handful of baits from the live well and toss some out to hopefully entice a feeding frenzy.
Given a few minutes, the baits you tossed have either caused some action or not. Toss a live one up towards the shoreline, point, bar or down tree and let the bait swim with the current.
Towards the end of October, I begin to transition my trips to Biscayne Bay. It’s one of my favorite places to sh in the fall. e pilchards will be schooled up on the beaches, shorelines and ats around Miami. Loading up your live wells with bait doesn’t take long. Once loaded I’ll sh patch reefs, nger channels and small wrecks for all kinds of snapper, grouper and jacks with my clients. We’ll typically free line our baits into the feeding frenzy we have created by live chumming our pilchards and the action is non-stop!
Novemberusually brings the rst substantial cold fronts to Miami, and like clockwork the fall migration begins. It all starts with the bait. e rst shrimp run usually occurs on the rst strong cold front in November. Very small pilchards are usually plentiful in November as well. e shrimp in bait shops are usually too small to hold a hook however, with the shrimp come hordes of tasty hard- ghting yellow jack, ravenous Spanish mackerel, juvenile king mackerel and blue sh. Fish for them in the inlets, along the beach close to the inlets, and in the nger channels. ere are countless ways to sh them, but small live pilchards hooked up through both lips is most e ective for me. When using the small live pilchards, sh a 15 lb braid mainline to a uni to uni knot tied to your 3 foot 30 lb uorocarbon leader with a 1/0 long shank hook.
For great success with arti cial baits, sh FAST. If casting and retrieving, retrieve as fast as humanly possible. If trolling, 6 knts is perfect. Cast or troll small spoons like an Acme Kastmaster or a Krocodile spoon. Cast and pop arti cial shrimp, jig or troll a white and silver or red and white 1/4 oz buck tail tipped with shrimp. Fishing like this you will also catch mutton snapper, mangrove snapper and countless other critters. Red grouper and chunky mangrove snapper move in shallow to feast on the shrimp and small bait sh.
When targeting them in November, common bycatch includes yellow jacks, jack Crevalle, and Spanish mackerel. Fish for them on any structure with fast tidal movement. Focus on natural bottom with fast tidal ow. If you can get live shrimp big enough, sh them on appropriate weighted jig heads for the speed of the tide (use a heavy enough jig head to make contact with the bottom). Use a 3 foot 30 lb uorocarbon leader tied directly to 20lb braid mainline. Make sure when shing a live shrimp, your shrimp always moves the same direction as the tide is moving. If your shrimp drags against the tide you will not have a lot of success. Target tarpon and snook at night. Fun size 10-50 lb tarpon and all sized snook will be
staged up at the lights of bridges and dock lights and inlets with their noses facing into the tide. ey will be eating live shrimp or, pilchards, if the shrimp don’t show up. Fish for them with 20-30lb braid mainline and a uni to uni knot to a 3 foot 40 lb uorocarbon leader tied to an appropriately weighted jig head with a hook matched to the size of your bait. If the tide is very slow, sh a circle hook in place of the jig head. November can be an excellent month so don’t waste it! Get out there and catch em’.
Good luck!
Captain Abie Raymond 305.775.5197
@abie_raymond www.gohard shing.com
Being an enthusiastic sherman and guide, I love having a good drink a er a long day of catching monsters. My favorite sh on the planet is the peacock bass. ey are all uniquely hand painted by God and ght like no other freshwater sh. A er each charter, I give thanks for being able to sh for a living and give a toast to the peacock bass. I used to celebrate with a beer but have now switched to a more colorful drink just like the sh I target. I named it the “Gin-ger Peacock”. I start with my favorite gin from California, called Gray Whale Gin. If you like a good gin drink and never tried this one, you’re missing out. is gin has been perfected with the six unique botanicals of juniper from the Big Sur, limes, r tree, sea kelp, mint, and almonds from the Central Valley. One of the smoothest balanced gins you’ll ever lay your hands on. Next add hibiscus ginger beer from the company Q. is ginger beer is a fresh twist on ginger beer with agave, ginger, hint of hibiscus and rose hips. It really brings this drink to another level. Combine these two simple ingredients over some ice and enjoy. You won’t be disappointed. Let me know what you think and if I should leave my job as a charter Captain and start a new career as a mixologist? Tight lines as always and drink up!
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muchos pescadores con aparejos ligeros los lagos de agua dulce, los ríos salobres y los canales del sur de Florida serán el lugar ideal en el mes de noviembre, pues ya que las temperaturas del agua se están enfriando, se crean muchos cambios ecológicos en el sistema. El comportamiento de nuestros peces de caza será la transición, del lento movimiento letárgico de los meses de verano, a un activo y más agresivo patrón de abultamiento en los meses más fríos. Acabamos de salir de la gran faena de los Minnow de octubre, de la que se han bene ciado los peces pequeños y medianos; ahora, estamos entrando en la mayor desovación de salmonetes, por lo que los peces más grandes serán fáciles de encontrar.
Como si estuviera hecho a la medida de estos peces, el desove de los salmonetes hará que los róbalos, los sábalos y otros peces grandes se lancen a por los cebos a la super cie. Los señuelos como los poppers y las opciones tipo lápiz serán nuestra elección arti cial para esta época del año. La recomendación es que trabaje con ellos durante 3 o 4 manivelas del carrete, antes de hacer una pausa de unos segundos y volver a empezar; cuando vea la explosión, ponga el anzuelo lo su cientemente fuerte como para que se pegue. Si es diestro, deberá trabajar el señuelo hacia su lado derecho para que, cuando el pez ataque, esté en posición de clavar el anzuelo; por el contrario, si es zurdo, lo hará de forma viceversa. Esto se realiza debido a que su brazo dominante tendrá más fuerza para clavar el anzuelo en la boca del pez y así conseguir una mejor proporción de enganches.
Los meses más fríos son nuestra época favorita para pescar pavos reales más grandes, pues es más fácil encontrarlos alimentándose en las aguas superiores. Es increíble ver a un pavón maduro que va por el aire con todos sus vibrantes patrones de color verde, naranja y amarillo; no hay nada más agradable a la vista en mi opción. Esta tendencia comienza en el mes de noviembre y continuará hasta que el agua se caliente de nuevo hacia nales de mayo.
En los últimos meses mi equipo y yo hemos notado un gran aumento de peces juveniles y de pavones. Este aumento parece marcar el mayor número de peces en nuestras aguas locales desde que tuvimos una gran mortandad debido a las prolongadas temperaturas frías, en el rango de menos de 50 grados, hace unos años. Además, en los últimos años las poblaciones de peces se han enfrentado a retos debido a la escorrentía de la construcción de carreteras a lo largo de las autopistas 826, 836 y Don Shula.
Mis socios y yo nos hemos esforzado por concienciar y preservar nuestras pesquerías, educando a los pescadores locales sobre las prácticas seguras de captura y liberación, la pesca responsable durante el desove y llegando a nuestros gobiernos tanto estatales como locales. Hemos tenido un gran éxito en nuestros esfuerzos de conservación gracias a nuestra asociación con la cervecería Tripping Animals, situada en Doral, Florida. Tripping Animals nos ha ayudado a crear conciencia con nuestros eventos de limpieza de vías uviales locales, que activamos una vez al mes en diferentes lugares de Miami. Gracias a todos los que nos han ayudado a mejorar nuestras vías uviales locales durante muchos años.
INFORME ESPECIAL: El huracán Ian ha afectado a muchos de nuestros amigos y vecinos del norte, desde Everglades City hasta North Port y más allá. Estamos comprometidos a ayudar y hacer todo lo que podamos para apoyar el esfuerzo de recuperación junto con nuestros socios de Captains For Clean Water. Si desea contribuir o simplemente ver cómo puede ayudar, consulte su sitio web en. https://linktr.ee/cfcw
by NestorAlvisa
debe ser uno de mis meses favoritos del año para pescar en la Bahía de Biscayne. Normalmente empezamos a ver las migraciones de salmonetes y sardinas en octubre, las cuales continuarán hasta noviembre; a la mayoría de la gente le gusta centrarse en la pesca de salmonetes, pero yo tengo el ojo puesto en los bancos de sardinas que migran hacia nuestra zona. En esta época del año, suelo pescar pargos, pargos de mangle, meros y jureles en la Bahía de Biscayne, así que empiezo mis mañanas buscando bancos de cebo a lo largo de la playa o de las costas de los manglares. Una cosa clave que hay que buscar son las aves, pues los pelícanos y los charranes que revolotean y bucean en los bancos de sardinas te mostrarán exactamente dónde está tu tesoro. Una vez que he localizado el cebo, lanzo mi red para llenar mis pozos vivos con todo el cebo que pueda mantener vivo ya que, en mi opinión, nunca hay demasiado.
Una vez que hayamos llenado nuestros pozos con abundante cebo, empezaremos a dirigirnos hacia los lugares de pesca. Me gusta pescar en los canales, así como en varios pecios pequeños y arrecifes de parche en el interior de la Bahía de Biscayne; estamos buscando en la profundidad entre 4 pies a 20 pies. Cuando llego a la ubicación deseada, bajo mi motor de curricán MinnKota y me jo en mi lugar. A continuación, empiezo a cebar alrededor, lanzando los puñados de sardinas que hemos cogido antes. Al cabo de unos minutos, debería empezar a ver a los peces que se acercan a los cebos que hemos lanzado. Tan pronto como comience a ver vida ¡entraremos en acción!
La forma de presentar mis cebos dependerá de la corriente, los montaré con cualquier cosa, desde un círculo de 3/0, una cabeza de jig de 1/16 onzas, una cabeza de jig de ¼ onza hasta una cabeza de jig de ½ onza. A medida que aumenta la corriente, aumentamos el peso. También prepararé mi cebo por la nariz o por el vientre, dependiendo de cómo quiera que nade. Por ejemplo, una sardina con anzuelo en el vientre nadará más libremente y en posición vertical, mientras que una sardina con anzuelo en la nariz nadará normalmente hacia la corriente, lo que le permitirá trabajar o controlar mejor el cebo. Una vez montado, láncelo y espera a que pique. Otro método divertido para pescar estos peces, una vez que los tienes encendidos y revoloteando en la super cie, es utilizar señuelos arti ciales y moscas. Los señuelos como el Rapala x-rap y las moscas con patrón de pez cebo, que se asemejan a una sardina, funcionan muy bien.
Losvientos de octubre y los huracanes se han se han ido y las temperaturas se están enfriando, pero la pesca pelágica está en llamas. Noviembre es el mes en el que muchos peces, que han migrado al norte, comienzan a bajar al sur de Florida. Por ello esta es mi época favorita del año para pescar al pez real y al atún de aleta negra.
El Pez Real, conocido también como King sh, es una especie migratoria de caballa que se encuentra tanto en el Atlántico como en el Golfo de México. Del otro lado, el atún de aleta negra puede llegar a pesar hasta 40 libras o más, con un peso medio de 25 libras. Sus colores consisten en un negro intenso en el lomo con una línea púrpura y un blanco plateado con algo de amarillo por debajo. El atún de aleta negra es un pez de temperaturas cálidas que suele estar en aguas tropicales y ofrece una de las pescas deportivas más emocionantes de Florida. Hay un montón de atún de aleta negra alrededor de la mayor parte del año, con el mejor momento siendo la primavera y el otoño.
Durante el mes de noviembre también es fácil encontrar grandes peces de cebo como sardinas, ballyhoo, el scad redondo, carboneras (conocidas también como bar jacks) y las caballas macarela (speedos) se encuentran en todas partes. Cuando busco estos pelágicos me aseguro de ir durante un frente frío, pues quiero que la temperatura sea de 60°f o menos; esto se traduce en unos 15°c. La noche anterior dedico algo de tiempo a la construcción de 20 a 25 aparejos de alambre, pues no quiero estar atando aparejos mientras la picada está en acción. Normalmente salimos al agua sobre las 3 o 4 de la mañana para poder agarrar algo de luz y pescar sardinas. Si eso no funciona, cuando sale el sol vamos a los arrecifes poco profundos.
Aunque la pesca de naufragios suele ser mejor por la tarde, empezamos nuestro trabajo desde la mañana. Comenzamos nuestras derivas a unos 100 metros del pecio y pasamos por encima de él; normalmente, se colocan al menos tres cebos vivos y dos cebos en el centro de la columna de agua y mientras esperamos la picada, agarramos nuestras cañas de látigo para hacer jigging con sidewinders o jigs verticales. Si la picada es lenta, nos dirigimos a los arrecifes poco profundos en busca de macs, serviolas o pargos. Alrededor de las 2 o 3 de la tarde, volvemos al pecio para pescar atunes y reyezuelos.
Si alguien que lea este artículo quiere ir a pescar peces reales o atunes en los hermosos Cayos de Florida, por favor llame a mi buen amigo Mike Milz en M & M charters. Llame al (786) 525-9269 Déjele un mensaje en Instagram @captmikemilz Visite la web: MandM shingcharters.com
by Capt. Abie Raymond
suele traer los primeros frentes fríos importantes a Miami y, como un reloj, comienza la migración otoñal. Todo comienza con el cebo, pues la primera carrera de camarones suele ocurrir en el primer frente frío fuerte de noviembre, así como las sardinas muy pequeñas suelen ser más abundantes durante este mes. Las gambas de las tiendas de cebo suelen ser demasiado pequeñas para sujetar un anzuelo, pero con ellas vienen hordas de sabrosos y duros jureles, voraces caballas españolas, juveniles de caballa y anjovas. Pésquelos en los sumideros a lo largo de la playa y en los canales de agua. En términos de la pesca, hay innumerables formas de atraparlos, pero para mí lo más e caz son los pequeños sardineros vivos enganchados por ambos labios. Cuando utilice sardinas vivas pequeñas, pesque con una línea principal de trenza de 15 libras con un nudo de uni a uni atado a su líder de uorocarbono de 3 pies y 30 libras con un anzuelo de caña larga de 1/0. Algo importante a tener en cuenta es que, para tener un gran éxito con los cebos arti ciales, debe pescar RÁPIDO. Si lanza y recupera, hágalo lo más rápido posible. Si pesca al curricán, 6 nudos es perfecto; lance o curse pequeñas cucharillas como una Acme Kastmaster o una Krocodile. Lance y haga saltar los camarones arti ciales, el jig o un curricán con cola de ciervo, blanca con plateado o roja con blanca, de 1/4 de onza con punta de camarón. Pescando de este modo también podrá capturar pargos, pargos de manglar y otras innumerables criaturas. El mero rojo y el pargo de manglar se acercan a poca profundidad para darse un festín de camarones y pequeños peces de cebo.
Si pesca en noviembre, las capturas accidentales más comunes son los jureles, los jack Crevalle y las caballas. Puede encontrarlos en cualquier estructura con movimiento rápido de la marea, pero céntrese en los fondos naturales de ujo rápido. Si puede conseguir gambas vivas de un tamaño su ciente, úselas en cabezas de plantilla con el peso adecuado
para la velocidad de la marea (se recomineda una cabeza de plantilla lo su cientemente pesada para que haga contacto con el fondo). Utilice un líder de uorocarbono de 3 pies y 30 libras, atado directamente a una línea principal de trenza de 20 libras; asegúrese de que, cuando pesque una gamba viva, ésta se mueva siempre en la misma dirección que la marea, pues si se arrastra en contra no tendrá mucho éxito.
La noche será el momento adecuado para dirigirse a los sábalos de 10 a 50 libras y los róbalos (de todos los tamaños) que se colocan en las luces de los puentes, de los muelles y en las ensenadas, con sus narices mirando hacia la marea. Estarán comiendo camarones vivos o sardinas. Pesque con una línea principal de trenza de 20-30 libras y un nudo, de uni a uni, a un líder de uorocarbono de 3 pies de 40 libras; este debe estar atado a una cabeza de jig, de un peso adecuado, y un anzuelo que coincida con el tamaño de su cebo. Si la marea es muy lenta, utilice un anzuelo circular en lugar de la cabeza del jig.
puede ser un mes excelente, así que no lo desperdicie.
será
Abie Raymond
shing.com
We want to see your catch! Send your photos with name(s) and details to miami@coastalanglermagazine.com
Ralph Carreño Peacock Bass
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By Capt. Michael Okruhlik
time… ounder time! e fall migration typically reaches its peak in November along the Gulf Coast and more ounder are sure to reach their spawning grounds in this Gulf this year. Louisiana has joined Texas and Florida with their closed season during the peak of the run. However, the fact that you can’t keep any atties during this time doesn’t mean you can’t catch them.
Flounder will be migrating into the Gulf, so the obvious ambush areas will be around passes that lead to open water. e ounder will position themselves in di erent areas based on the tide level and current strength. In addition to using their burying-in-the-sand ambush technique, they also like to utilize structure in a couple of ways.
First, any object that protrudes above the bottom is a great ambush point. is o ers a current break for forage sh to gather directly above a buried ounder, which makes for an easy meal. Objects such as bulkheads are also great ambush points. Flounder like to position themselves against the solid barrier. I think this can be for two separate reasons depending on what other factors are at play. As mentioned above, it could be a current break, especially if the bulkhead has a corrugated shape. When a ounder settles against a bulkhead, its prey has fewer directions to ee, allowing the ounder greater odds of capturing it. When targeting ounder, never pass up a bulkhead.
Second, ounder can be caught on a variety of lures and live bait if you keep it in contact with the bottom to increase your odds for a strike. On the live-bait options, a frisky mullet will produce larger ounder, so if you want to increase your opportunity of landing a trophy, this is the way to go. I prefer to sh with lures and lean heavily on the paddletail style. Twitching these hard along the bottom sends a pulsating sound and vibration that really grabs their attention. Jerk-style so plastics and bucktails can also be e ective worked in the same manner.
If I had to pick a tide to maximize time on the water, I would choose a medium- ow outgoing. Although there are no set rules that sh always follow, ounder feed more on their way out to the Gulf and utilize the current to ease their journey. During the incoming tide, they bury themselves rather than ght the current.
Don’t let the closed season discourage you from targeting ounder during this migration. It will have its advantages. Going forward, we will undoubtedly have a larger ounder population, but the instant grati cation will be a lot less tra c in our favorite ounder spot! I will use the closed season to target a new personal best this season, and so should you.
Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, Controlled Descent Lures™, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.
Winter in south Florida brings an awesome collision of ballyhoo and sail sh that makes for some of the best shing of the year. It’s also the time of year for some of the richest and most fun tournaments. If you’re interested, right now is the time to register. Here’s a list of some good events:
Nov. 30 – Dec. 4, 2022 Dust ’Em O Sail sh Warmup
Fort Lauderdale • www.dustemo sail sh.com
December 1-4, 2022 Pirate’s Cove Sail sh Classic
Pirate’s Cove Resort & Marina, Port Salerno www.piratescovesail shclassic.com
Dec. 2-4, 2022 Islamorada Sail sh Tournament
1st Event of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sail sh Championship Whale Harbor, Islamorada www.islamoradasail shtournament.com
Dec. 7-10, 2022 Stuart Light Tackle Sail sh Tournament Stuart • stuartsail shclub.com
Dec. 16-18, 2022 Islamorada Junior Sail sh Tournament Islamorada • shnbully@msn.com
Jan. 5-7, 2023 86th Annual Silver Sail sh Derby Sail sh Marina, Singer Island westpalmbeach shingclub.org
Jan. 6-7, 2023 Fish for Holly Sail sh Tournament Islamorada • shforholly.com
Jan. 11-15, 2023 Operation Sail sh
Leg One of the Quest for the Crest Sail sh Series Sail sh Resort & Marina, Palm Beach www.bluewatermovements.com
Jan. 17-21 Buccaneer Cup Sail sh Release Tournament
Buccaneer Marina Resort, Riviera Beach buccaneercup.com
Jan. 18, 2023 Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sail sh Tournament
2nd Event of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sail sh Championship Cheeca Lodge, Islamorada www.islamoradasail shtournament.com
Jan. 21-22, 2023
Islamorada Fishing Club Sail sh Tournament
3rd Event of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sail sh Championship Whale Harbor, Islamorada www.islamoradasail shtournament.com
February 22-26, 2023 Sail sh Challenge
Leg Two of the Quest for the Crest Sail sh Series
Three checkpoints: Miami, Pompano Beach, West Palm www.bluewatermovements.com
April 12-15, 2023 Final Sail
Leg Three of the Quest for the Crest Sail sh Series Miami Beach • www.bluewatermovements.com
Florida region you’re shing.
By Emily Rose Hanzlikduring the colder months, where they gather together. Due to them being more condensed during the colder months, it makes them easier to catch.
While smaller seatrout school up and are most e ectively caught with live bait, larger individuals are more solitary. Mature individuals and breeding females longer than 20 or even 25 inches might pair up with another large sh, but they are rarely found schooling.
As the colder months arrive in Florida, the spotted seatrout bite will begin to pick up. ese gorgeously speckled sh are a nearly year-round target for anglers in Florida, and their meat is so and aky with a mild avor.
Seatrout typically lurk in shallow murky waters of estuaries. Usually, these areas consist of seagrass and oyster beds that are hot spots for juvenile prey. While being able to hunt on smaller prey like shrimp, crabs, and bait sh, trout also are able to escape larger predators like sharks, big snook and jacks. Most trout move into deeper bay waters
Seatrout in Florida are having a hard time. eir numbers have dwindled on the east and west coasts because of red tides, the disappearance of sea grass and other factors. ey were once a great option for lling coolers for a sh fry, but limits have been tightened to protect overall populations as well as breeding-sized females. ere is a slot limit in Florida, which allows anglers to keep only sh measuring 15 to 19 inches. ere is an allowance for one sh longer than 19 inches per vessel, per day—or one sh longer than 19 inches per person, if shing from shore. e bag limit ranges from two per person to ve per person, depending on which
ere are many ways to catch trout. e most e ective way to catch numbers is to nd a school and sh live shrimp under a cork cork. Live bait such as pilchards, mojarras, pin sh and nger mullet used with a oat also work well. If you’re an arti cial-lure person, you can have a blast casting topwater plugs. Using this method allows you to cover a lot more area in search of larger sh.
If you’re targeting huge gator trout, use live baits in the 6- to 10-inch range. Gator trout have a ferocious appetite and would much rather grab one large meal than chase around a bunch of small ones. Silver mullet, as well as pin sh, snappers and grunts in that size range work best. You’ll want to target structure, as larger trout are ambush predators. Spoil islands, docks, oyster bars and rock jetties are prime places to nd a gator trout like the IGFA all-tackle world record, which weighed 17 pounds, 7 ounces and was caught out of Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Emily Rose Hanzlik holds 56 IGFA world records in various categories. She hails from West Palm Beach, where she has a part time Bow n Guide Service as well as shing classes for Jr. Anglers. Find her on Social Media @emilyhanzlikoutdoors.
as “the world’s largest wahoo tournament,” the Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout Presented by Yellow n will run from February 4-March 26, 2023 and allows anglers to select three days to sh within this 50-day window.
It’s a very cool format, because all wahoo anglers know just how ckle the bite can be when it comes to timing the moon phases and weather systems. Captains are required to notify tournament o cials the night before they plan to sh, and the heaviest three- sh aggregate wins the tournament. Each boat will be allowed to weigh two wahoo per declared shing day. If more than three sh are weighed for a boat through the course of the tournament, the lower weights are dropped. All eligible sh must be weighed at Strike Zone Fishing in Jacksonville or Melbourne.
e rst-place prize is a 21’ Yellow n Bay Boat with a 200 HP Yamaha 4-stroke and an AmeraTrail Trailer, all valued at $95,000. Second place wins a Kubota RTV valued at $16,000. e tournament pays cash through 10th place.
Registration for the Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout is open now through Feb. 3. Early entry is $550 through Dec. 31. General entry is $600 through Jan. 26. Late entry is $750 until registration closes.
For more information, go to www.wahooshootout.com.
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Like fishing, hunting is for early risers — those who find contentment and peace in getting out into nature early. But that’s not all you’ll find in wild Florida. From the Panhandle to the Everglades, we have some of the most accessible and affordable public hunting lands in the country. Six million bountiful and beautiful acres are closer than you think. So if you’re already an early riser, rise to the exciting challenge of hunting today.
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In September, I embarked on one of the craziest adventures I’ve ever experienced to sh for crazy exotic species on the Rio Guaviare deep in Columbia’s Mapiri Jungle.
Just getting there was an adventure. We spent two days ying from Miami to Bogata and then to San Jose, Colombia, which was a buzzing little town where we picked up last minute supplies, ate a breakfast of pirahana head soup and got wrist bands tied by an elderly women and her pet spider monkey, Kiki.
At the port, we loaded gear in a small shaded boat powered by a Yamaha 200 2-stroke, with a spare lower unit tied on top. I was accompanied by my cameraman Adrian, from Poland, good friends Jake, Derek, Karl, and our jungle guide Diego, from Chile.
We set out downstream and rode for hours, passing through two army checkpoints, before we reached our halfway point at 118 miles. We stopped for lunch and to refuel at an isolated jungle town only accessible by boat. As we creeped up muddy stone steps, we were shocked to see a small town with convenience stores, restaurants, a playground, a basketball court, and happy people everywhere. It was a cool window into a di erent reality.
A er playing soccer with the local kids and a delicious fried sh lunch, we headed farther downstream. When darkness arrived, the jungle came alive and our driver did not feel comfortable navigating the rapids at night. So we stopped and Diego traded goods with an indigenous man for permission to sleep at his house. Some opted to sleep in the boat. e mosquitoes, hornets and massive cockroaches made it tough to sleep. A er long hours, the sun nally rose, and we headed another 45 minutes downriver to base camp, where we discovered we were in for even more travel.
We packed lighter for three days of shing and camping at a sacred waterfall inhabited by one of the jungle tribes. It was another 2.5 hours downstream to a small creek that would lead us up to a second camp. We shed our way up the creek.
On my rst cast, a 15-pound sardinata exploded on my popper boatside. Imagine a huge pilchard but with sharp teeth and hyper-aggressive topwater strikes. Fully grown, Sardinata can weigh 25 pounds. is one threw the hooks, and shing only got crazier from there.
I was throwing a 9-inch Countdown Rapala in Firetiger at the tree line and retrieving it to the boat. Almost every cast we hooked massive payara. is sh is similar to a tarpon, with silver scales, acrobatic leaps and a bony mouth that made hook sets di cult. Payara have long fangs on their lower jaw capable of slicing thick-scaled sh and shing line with ease. ey are without a doubt the most challenging, unique and aggressive jungle predators I’ve ever targeted. I managed to catch quite a few on y and spin tackle.
Another unique species was a matrinxa, a silver-scaled delicacy. ey are omnivorous and sit below trees to eat dropping fruits and nuts. ey also hit lures with insane power. ese sh were extremely hard ghting and very tasty. ey have teeth like human molars for cracking hard nuts.
Red bellied pacu are another ferocious species we caught. ey have a similar ambush style and diet to the matrinxa. ey are equally aggressive and display gorgeous hues of purple and black
Iwith a blood orange/red underbelly. Black and red bellied pirahana were in no shortage, either. A er three days of shing by the waterfall, we headed back to base camp for new species.
Heavy rains raised water levels, which busted our hopes to catch big peacock bass. But it opened a new door: catching monster cat sh.
I caught several new species of large cat sh. One of the most unique was a ripsaw cat sh. ey have so lips and a long face, similar to carp. ey also have a sharp chainsaw blade for a lateral line, earning them the nickname “Caiman Killer.” I caught small tiger shovelnose cat sh, as well as red tail cat sh. Red tail cat sh are one of the strongest ghting cat sh I’ve ever encountered. It took three days of break-o s before I was able to muscle one up. It weighed 40 pounds.
Fishing the jungle is tough, and it is not for everyone. is trip scarred me with bug bites from head to toe, and I su ered many bee and hornet stings. It is not comfortable in any sense, but it is good for the mind. ere’s no cell phone reception; you are stripped of everything. e only thing that matters is the present moment. For me, it is the biggest adrenaline rush to travel into the unknown and learn about new shing and culture.
Check out Ryan Izquierdo’s YouTube Channel, “Ryan Iz Fishing” for a series called “Jungle Jeopardy.” E-mail him at Ryanizquierdoyt@ gmail.com with questions or to nd out how you can go on one of these trips.
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more to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula than world-famous salmon runs. e saltwater shing is also phenomenal, with species like halibut, salmon shark, ounder, yelloweye rock sh and ling cod being primary targets.
When you run out of Seward to Resurrection Bay, you might see some of the Deadliest Catch boats, and you might see multiple species of whale. We saw a lot of humpbacks this past summer. At more than 900 feet deep, with glaciers around the rim, the bay is awe-inspiring. ere are several good charter operations. Some make long runs for big halibut, while some o er shing that’s a little more local. Check with J Dock Fishing Co. in Seward for the latest shing information and charters. If you’re more of a DIY angler, Miller’s Landing in Seward o ers lodging and charters, and they also rent boats and shing equipment. If you want this option, book early. I have mine booked for next year, already.
Homer is the Halibut Capital of the World,
and it’s another great Kenai destination. We went with some friends and got on some good Halibut! I’m new to the electric reels we used. You had to time the hook-set just right. It took several bites to gure it out, but we caught sh once we got the hang of it. I pulled one a good way o the bottom before it decided it wasn’t coming in and broke a 150-pound-mono leader! We caught several good keepers and turned the smaller ones loose. ere are plenty of charters in Homer. North Country Charters is a great one that o ers halibut and salmon trips. ey will put you on some big halibut. My largest weighed 99 pounds, but North Country catches sh that are much larger.
If you want a long-run charter, check out Casino Charters. If you want to catch sh from the beach, check out Family Shore Fishing. ey set you up with a guide, shing rods and bait at Lands End, which juts out into the bay. Fishing low tide on the shelf, you can catch cod, ounder and halibut. We lled a cart with cod
and ounder in less than two hours shing from shore. en we went back another day without a guide and wore them out again!
Fishing in Alaska is just like anywhere else, once you learn what works, you can do it over and over. ere are lots of di erent kinds of shing there, but once you learn where and how to catch them, you can do it yourself.
On this past summer’s trip, as we were headed to the airport to go home, we drove along Cook Inlet and spotted a school of beluga whales swimming the shoreline. You never know what you’ll see in Alaska. Some things are just so amazing!
I’m currently pulling together next summer’s trip to Kenai, and I’m making a short guide of things traveling anglers might want to know. Feel free to shoot me an email with questions.
For more information, contact Gary Turner at gary@purgeright.com.
About 50 years ago, Ralph Vodicka lost one of his favorite rod and reel combos when his boat capsized in North Carolina’s unpredictable Oregon Inlet. Recently, Vodicka was reunited with his 9-foot rod equipped with a Fin-Nor 4 spinning reel, and it still works!
Here is a brief recount of the amazing story reported by Summer Stevens in e Coastland Times.
In fair weather in the early 1970s, Vodicka and three buddies attempted to return through Oregon Inlet a er shing o Hatteras National Seashore in a 17-foot 1966 Boston Whaler. e outgoing tide colliding with incoming rollers created rough conditions, even for a large trawler the anglers watched navigating the inlet. Vodicka was faced with a decision. ey could either wait for the tide change, which would force them to make their run in the dark. Or they could go for it.
“Waiting it out would put us in the middle of the night,” Vodicka remembered. “We decided that the best choice was to race on in while we could see. I told everyone, ‘Hold on, don’t move. We’ll ride on the back of one of the breaking waves. Even if it takes a little water, it’ll be ok.’”
In the middle of the inlet, as they were taking on water, a line caught in the prop and it stopped turning. e boat was at the mercy of the tide and waves, and an 8-foot breaker ipped it end over end. e story of the exciting rescue is reported in detail in e Coastland Times. It involves the captain of an old 25-foot boat and his grandson risking great peril to time the waves and rescue each of the anglers one at a time. Vodicka’s badly damaged Whaler was later recovered, and he lost a bunch of shing gear, including the rod and reel that began this story.
e details are lost to time, but apparently the Fin-Nor reel and the rod were hauled up in a commercial angler’s net. e unique set-up ended up doing decades of duty as a showpiece on the wall in Dennis Dudley’s Elizabeth City, North Carolina home.
Vodicka,” and Dudley tried to locate the Fin-Nor’s owner when he received the rod in the mid-1970s. Dudley’s phone book searches came up empty, and the search was forgotten… until recently.
Dudley, 78, remembered the mystery of the reel’s owner while going through his possessions. A quick Google search turned up Vodicka, who is 89 and living in Raleigh, N.C. e men met to eat lunch, and Vodicka was reunited with the beautiful rod and reel he lost half a century ago.
Amazingly, the antique Fin-Nor is already back in action. Instead of hanging it on the wall, Vodicka had it serviced and used it on the Neuse River over Labor Day weekend.
e reel was equipped with a custom plate engraved with “Ralph E.
“It worked. It worked ne,” he said. “It’s amazing that a er 50 years you get your favorite rod and reel back.”
To read the whole story, go to www.thecoastlandtimes.com.
Everyone hates a cheater, which is why it’s no surprise that tempers ared when two cheaters were caught red-handed at a Lake Erie Walleye Tour (LEWT) event on Oct. 1. e event was the tour championship for the series, and the Team of the Year would also be crowned a er weigh-ins. Team Crankin’ Hogs brought to the scales a ve- sh limit that weighed more than 33-pounds. It It would have secured Jake Runyan and Chase Cominsky well over $20,000 for the championship win and for Team of the Year honors. ey overplayed their dirty hand.
Tournament Director Jason Fischer suspected something was amiss when the sh hit the scales. Fischer later told CNN that the sh looked like they should have weighed 4 pounds each, but the total weight indicated they were much heavier. He handled the sh and felt something hard inside one of them.
In a now-viral YouTube Video, Fischer guts the sh as the cheaters stand by silently. “We have weights in the sh!” Fischer announced, and that’s when the shouting started as other anglers hurled obscenities at Runyan and Cominsky.
All-told, there were 8 pounds worth of lead weights, llets from other walleye and a pair of pliers inside Team Crankin’ Hogs’ sh. ey were immediately disquali ed and banned from the tournament series. Both men were later indicted by an Ohio grand jury on charges of cheating and attempted grand the .
It will be interesting to see if the team’s other tournament wins are called into question. ey have won numerous events over the last couple of years, including the 2021 LEWT Championship.
For more information, go to lakeeriewalleyetrail.com.
You raise the flags of the fish just caught to show you weren’t skunked.
Once onshore you can take it a step further showing your fellow anglers your catch of the day wearing “slippahs” from Scott Hawaii.
Berkeley County is a wonderland for outdoor enthusiasts, sports bu s, adventure seekers, and water lovers. From exemplary fishing for striped bass, or a trophy largemouth bass, to our hiking trails and water activities, along with scenic outdoors where you can catch a glimpse of white tail deer and gators, Berkeley County has activities to fit all visitors and families.
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