Coastal Angler Magazine | October 2023 | Greater Orlando Edition

Watauga River

Home of world class fishing on the beautiful Watauga Lake, rugged Doe River and designated trophy trout stream, Watauga River PLAN

Watauga Lake

Doe River

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By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

AN

GAME PLAN FOR

ARTIFICIALS INSHORE

October is one of my favorite months to fish, and the dwindling traffic on the bays is just a small reason why. September may have been a record hot month for a lot of us, but the transition of the seasons is more than just the temperature for wildlife. The length of the days play a big part in the fish transitions for the season. Although October opens several new opportunities for anglers, I am going to give you an insight as to how I plan to catch them.

The marsh should be full of life and hold an

abundant amount of the big three: trout, redfish and flounder. It will not be uncommon to find all three in the same location gorging themselves on last spring’s hatch of shrimp and finfish. I will predominantly throw smaller soft plastics in the 3.25-inch size. I like a durable lure because the action can be fast and furious, and I don’t want to waste time changing out lures after one or two fish and miss my opportunity for more. I lean toward paddletails because I can work them faster, cover more water, and the added

vibration will draw strikes since these fish will be aggressive. The cover type and water depth will determine if I rig them weedless or on a jig head. Either method is acceptable, just adapt to the structure.

I prefer to fish outgoing tides in these areas. Generally, an outgoing tide produces a better bite and concentrates fish in smaller areas where I can target them. These pinch points can be mouths of drains, bayous, pinch points within a bayou or a bend. Those are the more obvious ones, but don’t overlook points extending into a bay or cuts through a reef. The points of islands or reefs can also increase the flow of current congregating the fish in an area.

Here are some retrieves I like to use for each of these three species in October. Keep in mind none of the fish read this article, so you will catch others on these retrieves. In general, reds will hit a lure on a steady retrieve, trout like the erratic twitch-twitch, and flounder react well to my lure darting along the bottom. When darting my lure along the bottom, I hold my rod tip down or sideways to the water and give it firm twitches. I make sure to keep my lure on the bottom and not bouncing it up and down like I would for trout. I want to disturb the bottom to get their attention.

As we all know, all fish will eat any retrieve, but if you are not catching the species you want, try a different action before you change the lure. Enjoy the cooler weather and take a kid fishing, I know I will do both!

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

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Jetty Fishing:

TIPS ON BECOMING A ROCK JOCKEY

The presence of life was obvious long before we reached the jetty. On an outgoing tide, dingy water rushed through the channel cut from the bay to the ocean. It flushed with a brown plume that carried the detritus of marsh decay.

Diving birds were the first sign we were in the right place at the right time. As we got closer, other anglers came into view. There were a couple of boats jockeying for position off the end of the jetty, another trolled the rip farther offshore, and the beach brigade was set up fishing that corner pocket where current flowing down the shore piled up against the rocks.

Pods of pogies flickered and darted, harassed by gulls from above and by redfish, trout, small sharks and who knows what else from below. Blue crabs skittered around doing cleanup duty just outside a light surf.

With all this life, catching fish shouldn’t be a problem, right? Well, if you talk to any veteran of

By Nick Carter

the rocks, they’ll tell you putting in the time to learn a particular jetty is the key to success. Every jetty has its own peculiarities, its best times and tides, its hidden holes and mixing currents.

Here are a few tips to help flatten the learning curve at a new jetty.

1) Start in the Rocks: The food chain of a jetty is created by the stuff pushed against the rocks. The rocks also create current breaks and hidey holes where predators lay in ambush for baitfish, shrimp and crabs that feed on the buildup of organic matter. Start your search close to the rocks. Work quickly but meticulously to pick a jetty apart. You can’t see everything that’s going on under the surface, but with experience, the sweet spots will become evident.

2) Make Friends with the Old Guy: In the scenario above, it was our first time to this jetty, and we went straight in with a cast net to scoop up pogies. It seemed obvious to match the hatch, and we caught some fish… mostly stingrays

and catfish. As we clambered all over the jetty in search of the magic combination of factors to produce a more exciting catch, an old man posted up in a beach chair came tight with an enormous bull red. After helping him land the fish and jawing with him a while, he gave up a secret. He’d been fishing the jetty for years, and big reds and tarpon at this spot are suckers for half a fresh blue crab fished on the bottom. Because jetties draw anglers as well as fish, being friendly or just watching can lead to solid local knowledge.

3) Find the Current Seams: Fish where fast and slack current meet. Predators hang in the slack and wait as a conveyer belt of food is swept past them. Conversely, baitfish also seek refuge and stack up where there is current shade. Either situation makes these areas high probability targets for anglers.

For more fishing tips, go to coastalanglermag.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: WAYNE CROSS

PHOTO CREDIT: DON SHETTERLY

PHOTO CREDIT: SHANE TROTTIER

GAR CAUGHT ON 6-LB. TEST!

A283-pound alligator gar caught at Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas is set to break a 72-year-old IGFA alltackle world record. Here’s the kicker: It was landed with 6-pound-test line!

Kentucky angler Art Weston teamed up with Texas Capt. Kirk Kirkland on Sept. 2, in search of lineclass records. Weston is an IGFA record breaker who already has numerous lineclass records for alligator gar and other species. It was the first day of a week-long booking aboard Capt. Kirkland’s The Garfish Enterprise, and they hooked and landed what Kirkland called “the Holy Grail of the fishing world.”

Sam Rayburn Lake is the largest reservoir in Texas at 114,000 acres. It’s an impoundment of the Angelina River near the Louisiana border north of Jasper, Texas. According to a report on FoxWeather.com, Kirkland told Weston of an area on the lake with a sandy, snag-free bottom that would suit light line tactics well. The guide also told Weston there might not be many fish in the area, but they were obviously going for quality over quantity.

Before the pending world record showed up on the scene, the pair caught two other monster alligator gar, including a 169-pounder. When they came tight with the

largest alligator gar caught in nearly three-quarters of a century, it took about three hours, remarkable skill and more than a little bit of luck to land the fish on such light line.

“Lots of blood, sweat and tears (and broken line) went into this achievement,” Kirkland wrote on Facebook. “Angler and world record Chaser Art Weston and I did what no other alligator gar angler has been able to accomplish in 72 years.... catch a fish bigger than the all-tackle world record set so many years ago on the bank of the Rio Grande River.”

The existing all-tackle world record weighed 279 pounds. It was caught by Bill Valverde from the Rio Grande in 1951.

“We both had a look of shock when the scale just kept going higher and higher,” Kirkland said. The gar weighed 283 pounds on camera. It measured 100 inches long, with a 48-inch girth. After taking measurements, the giant fish was released alive.

To read the entire FoxWeather report, go to https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/world-recordalligator-gar-texas-sam-rayburn-lake

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By Emily Hanzlik

Emily Hanzlik shows one of her more recent records, a 23-pound longnose gar caught on 8-pound test.

area? Living in Florida, I knew bow n were available to me, so that’s where I started. On the IGFA website, you can search speci c species and see the current records for di erent categories. Here you’ll see the all-tackle, alltackle length, conventional female and male, y male and female, junior male and female, and smallfry categories.

For the junior category, you must be 16 or younger. However, if you are a junior you can submit a record for the adult category. All-tackle length is a newer division that requires a special measuring device from the IGFA, so keep that in mind if you want to try for a length record.

Read the rules regarding the category you are shing for. I cannot stress this enough. Many simple mistakes happen, and it is not worth having a record rejected. e rules are in the record book and on the website. IGFA rules can be complicated and include restrictions on things like the lengths of leaders. Your record quest will be much less frustrating if you know the rules and sh accordingly.

Let’s discuss tools you’ll need to record records. I prefer the Rapala Mini 50-lb. scale, which needs to be certi ed. e easiest way to certify your scale is to ship it to IGFA. ey will certify it for you.

LEARNING TO

Break RECORDS

Some people sh for the meat, in tournaments, or simply for fun. I take a di erent approach. I seek out world records.

e International Game Fish Association (IGFA) keeps track of every record ever caught on rod and reel. I’ve been tracking down these records for more than six years, and here’s a little insight into the process.

First, you need a starting place. What species can you target in your

Most IGFA records are line-class records, which means you’ll o en be shing light lines, and the line must be approved by IGFA, meaning it breaks at the speci c pound test. I like Ande tournament line because it breaks at the correct poundage.

Once all your ducks are in a row, you can target the sh you’ve planned for. is is going to take a lot of time and patience, but eventually putting in time pays o . When you eventually catch a sh that looks big enough to break the current record, there are steps you must take. For the all-tackle length record, you need a photo of the sh on the IGFA measuring device and a photo of the angler with the sh and rod. For the other records, you need photos of the girth, length, weight, and the sh and angler.

e main thing to remember is to have patience and enjoy the process. Breaking records isn’t easy, so just keep trying!

Emily Rose Hanzlik holds over 60 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 @emilyhanzlikoutdoors.

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A SINGLE TEAM STICKS 648 LIONFISH AT TWO-DAY DERBY

Divers put a hurting on invasive lion sh on Sept. 8 and 9 at the 14th annual REEF Florida Keys Lion sh Derby. A record 1,898 lion sh were collected, and a single team set another tournament record by bringing 648 of the nasty critters back to the docks.

Team Forever Young, led by Capt. Tony Young, of Forever Young Spear shing, really put in the work and won the “Most Lion sh” division of the tourney. With team members Jason Vogan, Billy Moscatello and Luke Rankin, this is the third time Forever Young has set a new tournament record for total catch.

Overall, 22 teams of divers competed at the event, and $7,000 in cash and prizes were awarded to teams that brought in the most, largest and smallest lion sh. e “Most Lion sh” category included the competitive Apex Predators division and the Reef Defenders division for casual lion sh hunters. Forever Young obviously won the Apex Predators division. Volitans nished second with 291 lion sh, and Team Trash placed third with 101 lion sh.

In the Reef Defenders division, Men of Science won rst place with 156 lion sh. Sea Venom Creations brought in 128 lion sh for second place, Barnacles won third place with 121 lion sh.

Competition was close in the largest and smallest lion sh categories. Barnacles won rst place in the “Largest Lion sh” category with a 16.85inch lion sh. Men of Science’s second place sh measured 16.57 inches, and Forever Young took third with a 16.34-inch sh.

e smallest sh of the derby was 2.36 inches and was collected live by ZooKeeper. Team Will 2 Spear won second place with a 2.83-incher, and Tequila Little Time brought in a 2.99-inch sh, also live, to take third. e two live lion sh will be part of an educational exhibit at the REEF Campus.

In case you been under a rock, lion sh are native to the Indo-Paci c and are highly invasive and detrimental to native marine life on our coasts. Events like REEF’s derbies are held all along the Florida coast to both raise awareness of the problem and to cut down on lion sh numbers.

“Lion sh derbies show how a community can come together to support ocean conservation while combating invasive species. It’s so exciting that our teams set a new Florida Keys record of 1,898 invasive lion sh removed. We are very thankful to all of the derby participants, event volunteers, and everyone who attended and helped make the Florida Keys Lion sh Derby & Festival such a great success,” said Alli Candelmo, Ph.D., REEF Conservation Science Manager.

For more information about REEF Lion sh Derbies, visit www.REEF.org/lion sh-derbies.

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ing FOR A CAUSE

By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Fishing for charitable causes has become a growing venue for bringing together our love of the sport and helping those in need.

e duality of empowerment and peace that shing brings helps people who have struggled. From easing post-traumatic stress disorder, recovering from physical trauma, mental and social disorders, to helping troubled youths nd redirection, shing can easily be classi ed as therapeutic. No matter what cause is important to you, there is likely a shing tournament dedicated to it.

Fishing tournaments have been put together by donations solely to get certain groups on the water to participate, such as events for veterans and

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pediatric cancer patients. ese events create incredible opportunities for people who truly need them, and they are a great way to donate and help share the therapeutic power of shing.

e other style of charitable shing tournaments are ones you can participate in yourself, and proudly take a minor hit on your winning payout, knowing you are donating to a good cause. While the rst type is extremely sel ess and noble, let’s face it, everybody needs a little shing therapy in their life. O en, the shing tournaments where you participate provide opportunities to people a ected by the cause, and you will be joined by the people you are there helping, as well. is is easily one of the best excuses to sh, and way more fun than simply signing a check.

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, the ladies of the world would like to o cially turn your attention to the boobies. at’s right, you’re invited to look.

Breast cancer a ects one in eight women. Although this type of cancer is rare in men, it has a higher mortality rate due to late detection, and that is a part of the awareness this month is dedicated to.

ankfully, with advancements in awareness and detection, survivability of this diagnosis has increased exponentially. Many survivors turn to shing for recovery, both physically and emotionally.

If you nd yourself in Pompano Beach Oct. 5-7, e Pink Ladies Breast Cancer Foundation invites you to sh their multi-species, 2nd Annual Cureament shing tournament. Founder, and cancer survivor, Carolyn Stash, has put together a non-pro t tournament for breast cancer awareness and fundraising for a cure. She has worked her ta-tas o to attract sponsors and has put together exciting prizes and ra e items for this year’s tournament. Among the list is a one-of-a-kind, pink, 9-foot Reef Runner, with a trailer and a 9hp motor, and shing charters, including one from yours truly, at Sweet E’nuf Charters out of Marathon, Florida Keys.

Fish alongside erce breast cancer survivors and their dedicated supporters. If you miss this year, mark your calendars for next year. Contact Carolyn Stash at (954) 465-3743 and visit their website at www.pinkladiesbreastcancerfoundation.org to get involved.

Call Capt. Quinlyn Haddon, of Sweet E’nuf Charters, Marathon, Florida Keys at (504) 920-6342.

GATOR HUNTERS

BAG 900-POUNDER

A900-pound, 13-foot-long alligator caught on Aug. 25 might be the second largest gator in Florida history, and it’s by far the largest gator we’ve heard about so far this alligator season.

Capt. Kevin Brotz, of Get Bit Outdoors, guided clients Carson Gore and Darren Field to the giant gator on an Orlando area lake, according to Outdoor Life. It took close to four hours to subdue the beast.

“Honestly, my rst concern was safety, because we were in a smaller boat, and then you add a gator whose head is this big,” Brotz said as he spread his arms wide in a CNN video interview. “All he has to do is turn, and we’re in trouble.”

“I laid down in the front of the boat and said I have to lay down until we get back,” Gore told CNN. “I thought I was going to die. at thing was huge.” At one point during the battle, the gator leapt 3 or 4 feet out of the water right next to the boat. Brotz told Outdoor Life it was like being eye-to-eye with a T-Rex.

e statewide alligator season runs Aug. 15- Nov. 1. Hunters are required to apply for and obtain a limited entry permits each season. For information go to MyFWC.com.

Watch video of the team ghting the gator on Field & Stream’s YouTube channel.

The Derby is Coming, The Derby is Coming!!

What: 15th Annual Shad & Crappie Derby Early Registration Meeting

Where: Celery City Craft, Sanford FL

When: Thursday Oct 26th at 630pm

Presented by

COASTAL ANGLER

GREATER ORLANDO FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, CONTACT

PHIL WOLF

phillip@coastalanglermagazine.com

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Capt. Rick Burns

Capt. Chris Cameron

Capt. Angie Douthit

Capt. Randy DuMars

Capt. Alex Gorichky

Charlie McCullough

Capt. Troy Perez

Phil Wolf

Seminole Junior Anglers

Another season begins for our Seminole Junior Anglers. Our first tournament of the 2023/2024 season was September 9 and 10 in Palatka on the St. John’s River. If you ask any of our teams, they will all tell you this is the most difficult body of water we fish all season. Our teams pre-fished and practiced leading up to the tournament ready to execute their plans on Saturday and Sunday. Then Mother Nature sent in the curve ball!

On Friday the 8th, in the middle of the day, an extreme band of storms came through the area dumping 3-4 inches of rain and dropping the temperatures by over 10 degrees in a matter of just a few hrs. This was not ideal for fishing…

While all 134 High school teams had to deal with the same challenges making the bag weights lighter than most tournaments. The Seminole Junior Anglers battled and finished up fairly decent for the weekend. Our best finish for the weekend was James Crews and Ben Brackett at 10th place with 11.52 lbs on Sunday 9/10.

With the St John’s River tournament behind us, we are looking forward to our next tournament on Lake Harris in Leesburg on October 7-8.  The Harris chain is considered our “home lake” and we are ready to weigh some heavy bags!

As always, we want to thank our platinum sponsors: Avid Sportswear, Mudhole Custom Tackle, Mulinax Ford, Accurate Fence, Oakley, Grove Scientific and Engineering, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Quantum Fishing, and JJ’s Marine!

Coach Troy Bennett

www.au%smanglers.org

“Spreading Awareness and Acceptance to Au3sm through the Sport of Fishing”

Seminole Jr Angler Alumni Wins ABA Championship

By Phil Wolf Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine

Local angler Dylan Westhelle won the recent ABA Bass Open Series 2-Day Championship September 9 - 10 on the Harris Chain of Lakes. His two-day total of just over 40 pounds with 10 total bass maintained first place with several pounds heavier than the 2nd place angler. Dylan is no stranger to great finishes on the Harris Chain. Dyland and his team-mate Joey Bloom from Seminole Jr Anglers weighed-in a 5 bass limit for over 29 pounds in an open tournament they won last year on the Harris Chain. His high school partner Joey Bloom won the BLF event on Harris Chain last spring which qualified Joey to move up to the MLF Toyota Series, where he had a very successful year as a rookie.

Dylan on day 2 caught the “Big Bass” of the event weighing in at 7.64 pounds netting him $470 and $3,600 for the win for his 2-day efforts. Dylan said that he caught his winning fish in both Lake Eustis and Big Lake Harris. He mentioned that he would start up shallow covering water with a chatter-bait until mid-morning when the sun got up high then would move out to deeper water and slow down fishing a black-blue colored straight-tail plastic worm. He said by using his electronics he would find offshore grass and other structures that he had found and marked during practice. Once he would get a bite he’d slow-down or stop with spot-lock and would pick the area apart making multiple casts and usually catching more fish. He said he thought he would catch them better on day one based on what he found in practice, his weight of 18.93 pounds on day 1 gave him better than a two-pound lead going into day 2. Both days were anchored by 2 large “Kickers” that you need to beat these anglers including the 7.64 “Big Bass” he caught on day 2. This is a big win for his young career. He credits spending time on the water on his home chain of lakes and learning his electronics to really understand what he is seeing in the depths.

Both Dylan and Joey are alumni from the Seminole Jr Angler high school fishing program here in Central Florida. Coastal Angler Magazine has been a print and media sponsor since the club’s startup. We have also been involved by providing teams with a captain during these events. It has been a pleasure watching these young anglers grow up and learn how to be a better angler, how to catch fish that other anglers miss, and learn about angler etiquette as well as learning to appreciate what it costs to compete at a high level. This high school fishing

program is one of the best in the state, most recently winning the “Club of the Year” title back to back and winning “Team of the Year” several times in the last 7 years. This includes back-toback titles by brothers Davis and Bryce DiMauro. Bryce recently graduated from high school and got a full scholarship to join the fishing team at Bryan College in Tennessee following in his brother Connor DiMauro footsteps.

While this is a small club with less than 10 teams from Orange, Seminole and Volusia Counties, most years their track record for top 20 finishes is better than all the other 350 plus teams in the state. Their program teaches them about commitment, how to prepare for events and the ever-changing weather conditions in Florida and how to work with their teammates to fish their strengths. These young men have learned how to share the info or techniques that are producing bites with their club members to help them catch fish the day of the event. Congrats to Dylan for his big win and a great start to a young and inspiring career! He is a great mentor to the Seminole Jr. Angler program and their current anglers. We all wish him the best of luck in the future!

Best friends, Joey at weigh-in to support Dylan

Big fish are looking for lucky anglers!

The 15th Annual Shad and Crappie Derby begins November 1 - it only takes one fish to win…more than $5,000 in prizes to be awarded! Shad show up around Christmas, so it’s crappie time now!

Don’t miss the kick-off meeting at Celery City Craft Beer Garden in Sanford on Thursday October 26th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. This is the first opportunity to register. All anglers receive the official Derby Photo Token and Derby Ruler. On-hand will be local crappie experts to help with last minute tackle tips and rigging techniques. The only way to enter this FREE tournament is to visit one of the Derby sign-up locations. Visit www.coastalanglermag.com/orlando for complete details.

October is the month we experience the highest water levels in the St. Johns River system. Love bugs

and the first cold front bring in the Fall season. The river mullet have migrated north past Central Florida and the black crappie bite has turned on. Bass will readily take spinner baits, rattling crankbaits, topwater chuggers, and soft plastic worms and swimbaits. With high water levels, look for feeding largemouth bass in shallow, two feet or less. Crappies in the early season are found in the lakes, they move into the deep river bends after the second major cold front.

To catch crappie, simply tie a small jig on 8 lb. test monofilament and tip with a minnow. Take that minnow-tipped jig to the up wind side of the lake and slow troll it behind the boat fishing with the wind at about 1.2 mph. The more rods you can deploy, the better. When you catch a fish, mark the spot on your GPS. When you get to the other side of the lake, go back and repeat making sure to troll over your newly found crappie spots. Crappies will congregate in the same area with up to 50 fish or more schooled up for the spawn. Good luck catching!

See you at the Derby Kick-Off Meeting October 26th…Charlie.

As the days continue to grow shorter and daytime temperatures cool off, the bass throughout the Harris chain begin their fall transition. The first cold fronts are soon to be here and with that come the north winds. Largemouth bass will be heading toward their pre-spawning and staging areas over the next few months during moon phases. The places to look for are near the mouths of the canals and rivers, grass lines close to deep water and near shallow flats with deeper points or edges of Kissimmee grass. Look for schooling bass chasing shad and match your baits to size. Smaller soft-plastic swim baits or flukes, shallow running crank baits or lipless plugs will become the staple for multiple bites. Top water plugs like a Zara Spook Jr. will work best early and later in the day. The younger and more aggressivebuck bass will be in shallow during the Full and New moons prepping areas for big

females to spawn. Creek mouths like the Dead River, Haines Creek, and Apopka and Dora canals are places to check. Try the 9th Street Canal system and areas in Big and Little Lake Harris with off-shore hydrilla close to spawning flats. Once you get a bite slow down and fish the area thoroughly.

The crappie bite will also be getting better as the temps cool. The bigger females will follow the males to shallow water by the end of the month. Shallow flats with grass and lily pads and wood as well as docks all throughout the chain will be areas to check. Try different depths for your baits until you start getting bites. Try jigs in different colors tipped with a minnow or a live minnow under a cork until you see what they want best. The 15th Annual Shad and Crappie Derby starts in November. You can register at Owen’s Fishing & Marine in Eustis, Lakeside Bait and Tackle in Tavares or Nobles Marine in Leesburg. FREE to enter. Crappie are a great fish for youth anglers to catch so take a kid fishing and make a memory that lasts forever!

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CENTRAL EAST COAST

OCTOBER

Miami Beach, Government Cut

12TH 1:20 AM 0.68 L

7:48 AM 2.82 H

1:39 PM 0.69 L

22SU 2:44 AM 2.58 H

8:47 AM 0.63 L

3:40 PM 2.74 H

Miami, Government Cut (Approximate Times)

8:03 PM 2.83 H

13F 1:55 AM 0.56 L

8:27 AM 2.93 H

2:15 PM 0.66 L

8:39 PM 2.87 H

14SA 2:29 AM 0.47 L

9:06 AM 3.01 H

2:50 PM 0.65 L

9:15 PM 2.88 H

15SU 3:02 AM 0.4 L

9:44 AM 3.05 H

3:25 PM 0.66 L

9:51 PM 2.86 H

16M 3:35 AM 0.36 L

10:23 AM 3.06 H

4:01 PM 0.7 L

10:27 PM 2.82 H

17TU 4:11 AM 0.36 L

11:04 AM 3.02 H

4:39 PM 0.77 L

11:05 PM 2.76 H

18W 4:51 AM 0.38 L

11:48 AM 2.95 H

5:21 PM 0.85 L

11:47 PM 2.69 H

19TH 5:37 AM 0.44 L

12:37 PM 2.86 H

6:10 PM 0.94 L

20F 12:36 AM 2.63 H

6:31 AM 0.52 L

1:32 PM 2.77 H

7:09 PM 1.01 L

21SA 1:35 AM 2.58 H

7:35 AM 0.59 L

2:34 PM 2.73 H

9:30 PM 0.92 L

23M 3:58 AM 2.66 H

9:59 AM 0.6 L

4:44 PM 2.81 H

10:37 PM 0.73 L 24TU 5:09 AM 2.81 H

11:05 AM 0.52 L

5:44 PM 2.92 H

11:36 PM 0.5 L 25W 6:13 AM 3.01 H

12:04 PM 0.43 L

6:38 PM 3.04 H

For those of you that have been waiting to catch something different, other than kings and tarpon, or I should say, take some fish home for dinner. Wait no longer - the fall run is upon us. This is a great time of year to target the fish that migrated north in the springtime that now migrate back south. Mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna and sailfish will begin to show up. We already started seeing many mahi-mahis hit the fish boards and many blackfins. Nothing huge but a few decent ones for sure. King fishing starts to heat up again as well. November is historically the timeframe that the larger bait schools come in this is when they start showing up.

The fall run is generally not as great as the spring run but it’s still usually awesome fishing. It seems like many fish are being caught shallow and on slow trolled live bunker while king fishing. Now is the time

Troy Perez 321-607-2033 capt.troyperez@gmail.com

11W 12:43 AM 0.82 L

7:05 AM 2.69 H

1:00 PM 0.74 L

7:26 PM 2.76 H

8:18 PM 1.01 L

September is the start of snook season. Snook fishing in the ocean is some of the best, especially when the fall mullet migration happens. Try fishing the surf and along the jetties. Usually, I fish along the shorelines and the jetties when I see the mullet exploding in those areas. You can also have tarpon, jacks, blue fish, Spanish mackerel, and sharks in the mullet schools so it can be a lot of action. Use finger mullet as bait caught with a cast net or purchased at a bait shop. The all-around line I use is 15-20# braid tied to a 30-40# fluorocarbon leader with a 3-0 J hook. Of course, if the tarpon are big and the sharks are around I will use wire on the sharks and heavier rods for the tarpon with 20-30# braid and 60# fluorocarbon downsizing my hooks to 6-0 circle hook. Underneath the finger mullet you can put a half ounce slip sinker or split shot to have a better chance at catching a flounder or

popping bug. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the popping bug get hit. Daytime anglers are catching good numbers fishing the shallow bedding areas. Bait of choice is crickets fished under a float.Another good area to fish is canals when the water is flowing, trolling will only trigger more bites. Crappie - Anglers are fishing open water for crappie using jigs tipped Anglers trolling jigs are catching good limits of crappie. The key is to find them

to start rigging your ballyhoo and concentrating on the temperature breaks and weed lines again. Start out in 100 foot or so then go deeper. Don’t pass fish to find fish. Be sure to put out some naked ballyhoo for the sails. And don’t forget the shotgun rig. Wire rigged and sent way out there, black and purples work well.

Continue to use live bunker and mullet working the regular reefs. Don’t pass up the wrecks. Chances are if there’s piles of bait on it then something’s there. I had a slow day last week and decided to go try a wreck. The water was boiling with small sardines. My first pass through it was doubled up with a fat king and bonita. Then it was a bonita fire fight. Was a lot of fun! Excellent fish to make strip baits with and of course eating! (You eat tuna, right?)

East Lake Toho - Bass fishing on East Lake has been good using artificial baits early morning. The best place to fish will be at the edges of the cattails. Then move to open water as the morning progresses. Most anglers are flipping open water pepper grass matts with good success. Fish the deeper edges of the grasswatermelon seed, Junebug, and

Beach fishing is heating up as well. I know many are taking advantage of the nice weather and bait on the beaches right now. Catching pompano, flounder, snook and whiting. Sharking from the beach is going off too. The fall mullet run is in full swing.

Panfish - Fish open water shell beds with red wigglers. If you are looking to fill the cooler for dinner, the open water shell beds are

bass trips which are typical for this time of year. The month of September is when to start thinking of booking your bass fishing trip, as the females start to feed up while they make their way into the shallows for the early spawn time. It’s also the time to book your fall crappie trip too. Good fishing areas: parts of the shoal; Dupree Bar; Dyess ditch and Horse Island and Indian Prairie. Tin house has been solid throughout the season for crappie, bass and bream, work your way up towards 3rd and 2nd point where you’ll find some bass feeding on the bedding bream. A few areas on Kings Bar have been good and

redfish because the redfish will also show up in the surf. Triple tail fishing will pick up with the change in the weather especially after it blows from the east for a while.

Fishing for redfish, trout, black drum, and snook heat up in September because of the finger mullet run and change of weather. Usually, we start having more rain and wind, plus the water level should start to rise. When the water is high, I like to fish the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon better than when the water is low. You have more places to fish, and you can fish in any kind of conditions. If you like to use artificial, try a light jig head with a paddle tail or a weedless spoon or jerk bait. I use 8-10# mono with tied to a 25# fluorocarbon leader when using artificial. If we have a lot of rain and run off, fish near drainage ditches or where culvert pipes are draining. Fish points of land and drainage pipes where the wind is blowing onto it.

To book you’re next fun-filled, productive and educational fishing trip call me at 863-228-7263 or log onto my website to check out the customers and their catches; hotel recommendations; guide rates and etc. Capt Angie’s sponsors are: Caymas boats and Toho Marine; South Tackle; Maui Jim; Gill; Bullet Weights; Road Runner; Real Magic; Tru Turn hooks; Mega Strike; Gene Larew; Pradco Brands and BUFF

Troy’s tip of the month: Use side scan sonar to look for snook and tarpon in the ocean - this should improve your fishing.

The current lake level has been around the 15 ft mark and the water temperature is in the high 80’s. The bass will start schooling on small shad in and around the grass edges. The size is perfectly suited for a 3/8 oz. or 1/2 oz. Rattle Trap in the popular color silver with blue back - white would be another good choice. Double willow leave spinner baits with chartreuse and white skirts are producing as are some top water lures like spooks; chug bugs; bang o lures and devil’s horse. Shad, bluegill and white color patterns have been producing some exciting action. The senko and worm bite has been producing bites all summer long in colors black/blue; tilapia; watermelon/ red; Junebug and redbug. Lots of popping frogs worked in and around lily pads; grass edges and pockets provide some fast, fun action. Work swim baits within these similar areas. Areas to try for bass - Dyess Ditch; around Horse Island; some parts of

Kel’s Rod and Reel Moving to New Location

Indian Prairie and Tin House; Buckhead pole; some areas around Kings Bar; some scattered areas over on the east around J & S canal and areas inside Grassy and a few places in Eagle Bay.

The breams are still being caught around the moon phases but not in heavy numbers like earlier at the start of the spawn season - you can still catch your limit. Live red worms and crickets rigged on ultra-light spinning tackle are best. Crappies are still being caught mainly in the deeper water in the river and canal systems. The bite is slow, but you can still catch them jigging around 13-18ft depths around the bridge pilings and other deep-water structures. To book your next fun filled, exciting family day fishing Lake Okeechobee call 863228-7263 or check out Angie’s website at www.southfloridabassfishing. com. Now is the time to book your upcoming trip of a lifetime and to see and experience the natural scenery only Okeechobee offers. Veteran discounts and group trips are available. Capt. Angie’s sponsors are: Mercury Marine; Toho Marine; Bullet Weights; Gene Larew; Pradco brands; Gill; Mid-South Tackle; BnM Poles; Buff; Navionics; Tru-Turn; MegaStrike and Maui Jim.

After serving the Casselberry area for more than 3 decades, Kel’s Rod and Reel is moving to a new location in Longwood just 3 miles from their current location. Their new location is not far and easy to find, it is kind of just around the corner. From their current location just drive to 17-92 and take a right (northbound). Head 2 miles north and the new location is 1055 US 17/92 on the right. The new digs are in a stand-alone blue building just before you get to SR 434. Most of us have passed this location for years heading towards Longwood, Sanford or towards Bitter’s Bait & Tackle. The new building has larger space than the existing one, which will also allow the new ownership to serve its customers better with more space for repairs, parts inventory, etc.

Current owner Terri Cheatham is set to retire once new owner Rick Wilson is all dialed in with the new location and gets through the transition of location change. Kel’s new ownership will happen over the next year or so. Terri’s father started Kel’s Rod and Reel some 38 years ago, and Kel’s has been a local staple for Central Florida anglers.

If you own a fishing rod and reel, chances are you have been to Kel’s at some point for repairs or service. Not only do they work on most types of reels they fix fishing rods with new guides etc. They are the only Minn-Kota service center in Central Florida for repairs to your trolling motor or Talon shallow water anchors. Greg the head “Guru” and chief repair specialist has been there for nearly 3 decades too! His knowledge of trolling motors and shallow water anchors is beyond belief. To say he knows those products as good or better than the companies that manufacture them is an understatement. Having to take them apart and repair them daily, he knows what breaks and causes issues with each model. Having to repair the ones which come from the saltwater is even more challenging. The crew was not looking forward to the move, but they are super excited for a new change and more space. By the time this article is in print, the move will be complete, and re-opened for business in the last 2 weeks of July at the new location. Stop by the new Kel’s and say hello! Tell them you read about the move in Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando.

We are looking forward to the first cold front in October to get the fish stirred up. Folks are already seeing big groups of blue winged teal ducks moving in for the winter. The beginning of fall! And goodbye summer heat.

Kissimmee Chain of LakesWest Lake Toho is producing good numbers of bass. Fish the edges of the hydrilla, and anywhere you can find a defined edge. Shiners fished right against the hydrilla works best. Other good areas are Goblins cove, the flood gate structures have been open all of September moving water south. Fish the flow - swim baits work well in moving water. The water levels

are up for the winter. Lots of fish will be in the Kissimmee grass in shallower water.

East Lake Toho - The bass are holding in close to the edges of the reeds early in the morning. Once the sun gets up they move out to open water vegetation. East Lake is a goodartificial lake. Plastics such as trick worms, vibe, and skinny dipper are working great. Colors are water melon seed, June bug as your best bet. East Lake has a lot of open water Illinois pond weed. I like flipping it on calm days, a good way to produce big fish.

Crappie - fish open water; trolling, or at night with lights are your best bets. Minnow-tipped jigs will catch limits. 15th Annual Shad and Crappie Derby begins November 1.

It is transition time for the many fish we spend our days chasing although Fall doesn’t seem so transitional in terms of our weather. The change of seasons happens regardless of getting those early cold fronts or whether we have consistent heat that feels more like summer. The water and air temperature will still be high, but the sun drawing to the southern sky and shorter days are a precursor to the coming cold. With that cold will come changes in prey availability and our favorite predator fish know that change is on their doorstep. This transition period is a time when the fish fatten up and find suitable areas to winter over. Many times, the mullet run will drag into this month and obviously places with heavy bait concentrations will be the exact place where hungry fish will be readily found. For the redfish and seatrout of East Central Florida most winters are just a bit of an inconvenience as it takes some real cold to affect them negatively, and we just don’t see many winters like that. Two of our other favorite targets to chase in the warmer months are snook and tarpon. With those sub-tropical/tropical fish winter is serious business, and the chance of colder waters sends them on the hunt for that perfect spot to chill as the cold settles in. Both tarpon and snook have a low water temperature threshold of about 54 degrees. This means those fish can be cold stunned and potentially killed if water temperatures dip too low. This is why you rarely see them in numbers north of the freeze line. As the month wears on the snook that have been enjoying their time on the beaches and around areas like Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral will start to head into our lagoon systems and feed along the way. Many of the tarpon will actively migrate south to ensure the cold is not an issue.

With all this movement and all the increased feeding these fall months can account for some of the best topwater lure fishing of the year. Slightly cooler water will liven up predators and the action/noise of a topwater plug can ring the doorbell just right soliciting some massive strikes that are hard to beat. The walk the dog type plugs work better over an inline prop or chugger style. That side-to-side action of a Zara Spook, Top Dog, or Skitter Walk is almost irresistible. Don’t hesitate to use these plugs throughout the day as opposed to low light only (morn/eve) in the warmer months. These lures also help you cover ground and find productive fishy areas.

Thursday October 5th – 6pm till 10pm, 36th Annual Orlando CCA Banquet and Auction, Hosted at Winter Park Event Center. Open bar all evening, dinner, silent auction, raffles and “Live Auction” to follow dinner. Please join us with friends or family for a great evening to support CCA and all they do to protect anglers’ rights and conservation efforts. Visit www.ccaflorida. org/chapter/orlando or contact Mandy Tuckus at mtuckus@ ccaflorida.org

Saturday October 7th – Noon till 4pm, “Gumbo Wars” - Join the staff of Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine! Hosted at Fish on Fire Restaurant, 7937 Daetwyler Dr., Orlando. 20 plus cooking teams will compete for the prize of “Best Gumbo”. Entry is $45 for all the Gumbo you can eat, including event shirt, koozie and all the Titos or equal call brand or Sweetwater beer you care to consume! Lots of family fun, vendors, raffle items and special “Live Auction” for guided fishing trips, vacation stays, fishing accessories, artwork, jewelry, and lots of other goodies. Only 250 entry tickets will be sold - now on sale at Fish on Fire or at www.gumbowars.com.

Gumbo Wars starts at Noon and tastings are 1pm till 4pm, awards to follow with live music from Gypsy Elise. Proceeds from this event go to local youth fishing organizations, college scholarships and water conservation efforts.

Thursday October 12 - 5pm to 8pm, “Alive After 5” in Sanford - The staff of Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine would like you to join us for an evening of fun in downtown Sanford. This event is the second Thursday of each month downtown. Block Party on First Street! Don’t miss the chance for a fun night on the town.

Thursday October 26th – 630 pm, Celery City Craft Beer Garden 114 Palmetto Avenue in Sanford…Early Registration for the 15th Annual Central Florida Shad and Crappie Derby. Join Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine for your

only chance at early entry. Come enjoy a craft beer and get signed up so you can be ready to catch them when the Derby starts on November 1st! Over $5000 in prizes, monthly winners, and grand prizes for youth and adult divisions. This online catch, photo, release tournament is FREE.

Wednesday November 1st –Safe Light, 15th Annual CF Shad & Crappie Derby begins. Join the 1200 plus anglers that register and fish this FREE event. Divisions for youth and adult. Prizes for the biggest fish of the month for both species and grand prizes for the longest over-all shad and crappie for each division. Fish as much as you want from November 1st through February 28th, 2024. Join Phil and Charlie with Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine for a fun evening of exchanging stories and lies about your fish catches this year!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday January 12,13,14 - 5th Annual Get Hook’d on Lake Monroe Fishing Tournament and Seafood Festival - FREE. $10K cash will be awarded to winning anglers for bass, crappie with trash fish and $500 free raffle for each team participating! Friday January 12th is the captain’s meeting and team registration hosted at Wild Wild West End Saloon and Honkeytonk, 206 Sanford Ave just around the corner from Celery City, 2 anglers per team, Tournament is Saturday the 13th safe daylight till 2pm with Seafood Festival from noon till 6pm, awards to follow at 5pm downtown stage, Sunday 14th 11am - 1pm “Hook Kids on Fishing” event and food truck festival to follow 1pm - 5pm.

If you have an event or meeting you would like included in the “What’s Hitting Around Town” column, send your details to: Phil Wolf phillip@ coastalanglermagazine.com. Deadline for inclusion is the 10th of the preceding month.

Rhett Freese with nice bass from Seashell Lake in Lake Mary FL

Gunn er Wolf with a “Biggin” caught on a bread ball while fishing for bream in private pond

Asher Freese with a nice bass, not to be outdone by his twin brother at Seashell Lake in Lake Mary

Wally Cheslock with a fat Snook he caught in Melbourne Beach

Let’s grow with Florida together.

CRANKBAITS KAYAKS &

By Coty Perry

Tricks You

Didn’t Know You Needed to Know

Although kayak anglers use the same lures as bank and boat anglers, we o en must adjust our approach. One lure I’ve found myself using di erently while bass shing from a kayak is the crankbait. I love throwing a crankbait, but a challenge to shing one in a kayak is the drag created by the lure. Fishing kayaks are much lighter than bass boats, so your kayak moves toward the lure as you retrieve it. Learning to control the yak was a signi cant adjustment I made when

transitioning to shing a crankbait from a kayak. I now steer my yak while reeling a crankbait instead of picking up a paddle. All I do is point my rod tip in the opposite direction I want to go. When my rod tip points to the le , my kayak dri s to the right and vice versa. To go straight, I point my rod tip straight ahead.

Speaking of the rod, I use a shorter rod, mainly because I sh areas with a lot of overhanging trees, and shorter rods transport easier in my rod box on my trailer and kayak. I also use a higher-speed reel than bank and bass boat anglers because I’m losing speed as the kayak dri s towards my crankbait. So, instead of a 6:1, I use an 8:1 or 7:1 gear ratio.

I spool up with braided line and use a 3- to 5-foot, 12- to 17-pound test uorocarbon leader. e length and strength depend on water clarity and how deep I sh.

More than likely, I have a squarebill crankbait tied on while shing shallow, which is a majority of the time. However, I will tie a deep-diving crankbait during the summer.

Where to Fish a Crankbait in a Yak

Crankbaits have a lot of bene ts, but they also have limitations. A lipless crankbait can be shed in the grass, especially along the edge of the grass, but most of the time, I sh crankbaits along rocky or riprap banks and over the tops of brushpiles.

I want my lure hitting every rock on the retrieve back because this o en triggers a bite. e same holds true for shing around laydowns and brushpiles. I don’t want to get snagged, but I’ve gotten so many bites a er bumping into submerged limbs.

Fishing in these two areas has helped me catch loads of bass on a crankbait, plus a few cat sh.

When to Fish a Crankbait in a Kayak

I sh a crankbait year-round. However, I change the style. In the cooler months, I tend to break out a lipless crankbait the most. As the water warms, I switch to a squarebill, and once I’m sure the sh have moved to deeper water, I’ll tie on a deep-diving crankbait during the hottest times of the year.

Coty Perry is a third-generation angler, who has a lot of experience on the water and loves sharing what he knows on anglers.com.

By Will Schmidt

RELEASING FISH THE RIGHT WAY

With so many species closed to harvest, releasing sh properly is more important than ever as we need these sh to thrive and spawn. ere are some very simple rules to follow that will help ensure the vitality of a released sh.

First and foremost, keep them wet. A sh out of water is going through a major amount of stress. is is especially true a er a long ght. It’s like running a race and then having to hold your breath. e best-case scenario is to use a dehooker that allows you to release the sh without ever taking it out of the water. Long pliers or dehookers that slide down the line and allow you to ip the sh o work great. If you do need to li the sh, work fast and get the sh back in the water before it stops dripping water. When taking pictures, keep the sh in the water until you are completely ready. Also consider a more creative angle other than the traditional hero pose so the sh stays in the water. e way you handle the sh out of water makes a huge di erence. Keeping them wet also preserves the vital slime on the sh which is crucial. Make sure your hands are wet. Avoid putting sh on dry surfaces. Rough dry surfaces like boat decks and rocks remove much of the vital slime from a sh. Never use a dry towel to handle a sh; that can be the kiss of death. Using a rubber net versus a nylon net also greatly reduces the amount of slime removed.

Bottom shing in deep water creates another issue, barotrauma, or the expansion of gas inside a sh as it ascends from the deep. You know the bulging stomach and eyes. Descending devices are easy ways to ensure sh su ering barotrauma make it safely back to the bottom. ey are required by law now in many areas for many species. While venting tools work well, most people do not use them properly and o en don’t have the proper tool. Ice picks are not proper devices.

Lip clamps and inverted hook style release techniques are simple and work great. Here’s a bonus: if you visit Return ‘Em Right (https://returnemright. org), you can get the equipment you need for free. It’s a $100 value.

Have a rod rigged and ready with your descending device so you get the sh back in the water and down as quickly as possible. I’ve also found that the using a lighter weight than provided by Return ‘Em Right is much easier to retrieve and works on smaller snapper and such. at said, with many grouper out of season, make sure you keep a heavier weight with you for when you get a big one.

Helping sh survive being caught today is the key to having sh to catch tomorrow.

Will Schmidt is a seasoned tournament angler who has been writing about shing from more than two decades.

Hurricane Season

Be

STICK MARSH FILLS UP FOR FALL FISHING

One of Florida’s premier bass sheries, known as Stick Marsh or Farm 13, is re lling and should become a better shery thanks to a large-scale habitat restoration conducted by FWC and the St. Johns River Water Management District.

e reservoir, which straddles Brevard and Indian River counties, was drawn down by 4 feet in February to stimulate submersed plant growth and re-establish native emergent vegetation, which should improve habitat for sh and wildlife. FWC sta planted the southern portion of the reservoir with native aquatic plants, including 131,000 bulrush and 40,000 spatterdock plants at a total cost of $400,000. Plants were installed across the waterbody going east-west to provide a natural wave break for the shallow southern end.

Custom Spliced Dock Lines & Anchor Rodes

Two tree islands form a Critical Wildlife Area within the reservoir, which provides nesting and roosting habitat for imperiled waterbirds, including roseate spoonbills and tricolored herons. e lower water levels created by the drawdown bene ted waterbirds by increasing foraging habitat and concentrating prey. Water levels will be allowed to slowly rise with rainfall and by now should be back within the normal range.

ree Forks Conservation Area to the north also underwent a drawdown. ree Forks Reservoir will be back within normal range before Stick Marsh/ Farm 13.

e St. Johns Water Management Area boat ramp at Stick Marsh/Farm 13 and the omas O. Lawton Recreation Area boat ramp at ree Forks Conservation Area remain accessible. Be aware that shallower water continues to create underwater hazards.

For more information, visit MyFWC.com.

SHRIMP: THE KING OF BAITS

Tim Barefoot

In the Atlantic, mature white shrimp go on the move in fall and transition to tighter fall and winter homes in the ocean.

ere are only a few sh that do not actively seek out white shrimp this time of year. For almost all the sh we seek to catch, it’s the ultimate bait.

At one point in my life, I spent an incredible amount of time cast netting and storing white shrimp (green tails) for trout shing in October, November and December. e biggest problem with shrimp as bait is all the trash bites from pin sh and all the other little snappers. Snook and tarpon will de nitely key on a big pretty shrimp, but keeping the trash o of them is di cult. Everything down there will give a shrimp a whack and at least take a few legs or the tail o is is the reason I went the arti cial route years ago when it comes to shrimp.

ere is nothing, I mean NOTHING, more e ective on inshore species than a live shrimp with a 6/0 - 8/0 circle hook under a sliding cork or freelined. With that said, I’ve taken the path of least resistance and now sh a DOA Shrimp on a jig head. It gets the bite, and I don’t spend hours messing with live bait or netting it on the morning of the trip.

I’m not saying catching live shrimp is a waste of time… it’s not, but with arti cials, I can show up with my entire tackle box in a small backpack full of tricks.

e hour or two at daylight in the morning, I prefer the “measles” color DOA because a shrimp’s legs and underbody are red in the dark and at rst light. When the sun gets up, I switch to the “near clear” color when the water is clear, but only if they stop eating the measles color. You can’t x what ain’t broke.

I mash the barb down on the jig hook. is way, when sh I don’t plan to eat come to the boat, I don’t have to touch the sh. Just grab the jig head and give a quick reverse motion. e hook comes right out. You can get back in the action, and the sh has a better chance of survival. e same jig and so plastic shrimp combo is extremely e ective shed under a xed cork at night. Make a long cast up-current around bridge pilings, docks or other structure. is is not the situation for a popping cork with all the beads and rattles. I like a nice quiet, heavy-duty cork that can be shed quietly or with quite a bit of noise. I stay in touch with the cork, and let the current dictate the speed of the retrieve. Any way you sh it, white shrimp reign supreme for inshore shing, especially in October and November.

To see more from Tim Barefoot, go to barefootcatsandtackle.com.

GO GET SOME GULF SNAPPER!

Florida’s extended fall Gulf of Mexico red snapper season is still going on. Gulf Anglers are taking advantage of some great shing, and there are still eight weekends in October and November to get in on the action.

e limit is two per person, per day with a 16-inch minimum size limit. e remaining 2023 dates available for harvest of red snapper in the Gulf are:

• October 6–8

• October 13–15

• October 20–22

• October 27–29

• November 3–5

• November 10–12 (Veterans DayWeekend)

• November 17–19

• November 23–26 (ThanksgivingWeekend)

Anglers pursuing red snapper in state or federal waters from a private recreational vessel, even those exempt from shing license requirements, must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler (annual renewal required) at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.

For more information, go to MyFWC.com.

ATLANTIC BLUELINE HARVEST CLOSED

Prospects for loading the cooler bottom shing got a little slimmer when harvest of blueline tile sh closed in Atlantic state waters of Florida on Sept. 1. is closure is consistent with the closure in adjacent federal waters. Harvest will reopen May 1, 2024.

ese delicious bottom dwellers are frequently caught by anglers targeting deep-water groupers. ey inhabit 250- to 800-foot depths and their popularity as a game sh has risen in the last decade as restrictions on other species has led anglers to target them. ey came on the radar for federal sheries managers in 2014 and 2015, when blueline tile sh were determined to be over shed.

e regular season for blueline tile sh in Atlantic state waters is May 1 through Aug. 31. e daily limit is three sh within the aggregate limit for blueline tile sh and grouper.

For more information, visit MyFWC.com.

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COOK ISLANDS GRANDER CAUGHT SOLO FROM A 22-FOOT BOAT

Catching a grander is one of the most sought-after feats in sportfishing. Boats, crews and anglers enter rare air when they hook and land a 1,000-pound-plus marlin, and untold time and money are spent chasing the dream.

Fishing solo from a 22-foot boat, angler Arnold Pauro achieved his lifelong dream Aug. 25 when he hauled in a 1,128-pound blue marlin that is a new record for the Cook Islands. According to the Cook Island News, Pauro came tight with the huge blue fishing just 3 miles off the southern end of the island Rarotonga.

Rarotonga is the most populated of the Cook Islands, which is an archipelago nation out in the middle of the South Pacific northeast of New Zealand. Rarotonga is renowned for excellent flats fishing, especially for bonefish, and like many volcanic islands, the water drops into thousandfoot depths just a few miles offshore. This creates a situation where bluewater fishing is very accessible, even for anglers in smaller boats.

According to the Cook Island News, Pauro managed to subdue the giant fish solo in his small boat, Haurua, by keeping a short line. He first brought the fish boat-side after just 3 minutes, and then all hell broke loose. Arnold told the news outlet that the fish jumped 40 or 50 times and ran out of steam after about an hour and a half.

“I kept it to 50 metres of line, kept it short, I don’t like letting my marlin go,” he told the Cook Island News.

Arnold’s fish topped the Cook Island weight record of 1,045 pounds, which was set by angler Paku Poila in November 2020. The IGFA all-tackle world record for blue marlin was caught off Brazil in 1992. It weighed 1,402 pounds.

To read the original report, go to www.cookislandsnews.com.

Hanapa‘a - Mahi

Hanapa‘a - Ono

Hanapa‘a - Ahi

Hanapa‘a - Marlin

Fish flags inspired by Sun Dot Marine Flags.

@fishflags

For the third time in the last 13 years, serious flaws have been revealed in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) data collection programs for recreational fisheries. A recent pilot study conducted by NOAA itself and published in August found that estimates on angler effort might be overestimated by 30 to 40 percent.

These inflated estimates are important because they are part of the equation used to manage our fisheries. The data is used in stock assessments, and to estimate harvest numbers and recreational discard. By overestimating angler effort, catch data is also inflated, which means the data erroneously reflects a larger harvest by recreational anglers than actually exists.

In a nutshell, the pilot study found that the Marine Recreational Information Program’s Fishing Effort Survey is confusing to respondents, which led to “reporting errors” and “illogical responses.” NOAA said this survey, which is mailed to licensed saltwater anglers, “remains the best and sometimes the only available science for tracking relative year-to-year and long-term effort trends.”

The immediate reaction to this revelation from some outlets was a call to reduce restrictions on recreational anglers. The estimate means fewer fish were actually caught, which means there are more fish still in the water, right? Not so fast. This catch and effort data also figures into stock assessments. The inflated effort numbers translate to an overestimation in fish populations.

“The news of this significant overestimation has serious implications for all of our fisheries. Since every species is managed differently, the ramifications of this information cannot be quantified under a singular umbrella,” reads a

report from the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA). “It does not mean that because fishing effort is less than originally expected, there must be more fish to harvest. In fact, it will mean there needs to be a major re-calibration because effort is used to help determine stock size. If we have overestimated effort, we also overestimated the stock. We must go species by species to understand the best path for management moving forward. Now more than ever, we need to be precautionary in our management approach.”

NOAA has indicated it will initiate further studies into the findings of its pilot study, according to the ASGA report. Meanwhile, a group of marine conservation and recreational fishing organizations has ramped up its call to wrest control of recreational data collection from the federal government and turn it over to state agencies.

“Yet another major revision to the federal recreational data collection system is upon us, and it should bring a realization that NOAA is just not capable of doing this job,” said Ted Venker, conservation director of the Coastal Conservation Association. “At best we are looking at several more years of questionable revisions, recalculations, and recalibrations based on a suspect data system that has never proven it can produce accurate information. This is no way to manage a public resource. It would be irresponsible to continue down this road rather than exploring and supporting state-based options to better manage the recreational sector wherever feasible.”

HIGHWAY 17 SOUTH, GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FL 32043

31-INCH LIMIT ON ATLANTIC STRIPER EXTENDED

New Management Plan Delayed Until at Least January

Recreational anglers in Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast must continue to release all striped bass longer than 31 inches after fisheries managers extended an emergency regulation that was set to expire on Oct. 28. The extension’s new expiration date is Oct. 28, 2024, which gives the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) more than a full year to grapple with a complex management plan intended to rebuild the coastwide striper population by 2029.

The emergency measure was first implemented in May, after estimates showed recreational harvest nearly doubled in 2022 over 2021’s figures. At the time, projections plummeted from a 97 percent chance the stock would be rebuilt by 2029 to just a 15 percent.

NOAA’s Fisheries Effort Survey, which was found recently to have overestimated angler effort by 30 to 40 percent, is an important part of recreational harvest estimates. It also plays into stock assessments for the striped bass fishery.

However, scientists still believe striped bass reproduction has been down since 2015. The 2015 age class was strong, and those fish are now the larger fish in the population that contribute most to reproduction. The emergency measure was implemented to protect the larger breeding fish.

The Chesapeake Bay “Trophy” season, which has historically been an important fishery for bay anglers, is exempt from this emergency regulation. The short early May season in Maryland has allowed anglers to keep one fish longer than 35 inches per person. A press release from ASMFC warned anglers that this special season might change once the emergency measure is replaced by a management plan that is supposed to come from ASMFC’s Addendum II of the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan.

Addendum II is a complex document with a range of management options intended to rebuild the striped bass stock by the end of the decade. It was hoped Addendum II would be ready for implementation in October. After five hours of back and forth at an August commission meeting, the decision was made to delay action. Now, the earliest a new management plan can be implemented is January 2024.

“Moving the emergency action forward was an important stop-gap measure to balance fishing mortality in the recreational fishery,” said David Sikorski, a Maryland delegate to the ASMFC. “Unfortunately, the delay in advancing draft Addendum II leaves uncertainty in our ability to meet our rebuilding goals and reduce overall fishing mortality ahead of the 2024 fishing year. Between now and the October 2023 meeting, draft Addendum II will be updated and provided to the board and posted online.”

The 31-inch maximum emergency rule will remain in place until Oct. 28, 2024, or until it is replaced by restrictions in Addendum II.

For more information, go to http://www.asmfc.org/

SNELLING A HOOK

Snelling a hook is an age-old way of attaching it to your line. It is a technique that pre-dates the invention of hook eyes, when hooks only had flattened tops and snelling the hook was required to create a good connection to the line.

Thanks to hook eyes, this is no longer necessary, but a snell knot remains one of the best connections out there for simple line-to-hook connections. The knot’s ability to orient the point of the hook in the right direction for octopus and circle hooks makes it a go-to knot for live and cut bait fishing. You’ll get more solid hook sets when you snell circle hooks.

A snell knot is quick and easy to tie and it provides a strong connection. The only real disadvantage is the knot is on the shank of the hook, where it is vulnerable to the teeth of toothy critters. It’s probably not the best choice if you’re fishing for muskie or barracuda.

For more information, go to usangler.com.

HAVE

YOU CAUGHT A LENGTH-RECORD SMALLIE?

This gorgeous Colorado River smallmouth bass is a new IGFA alltackle world length record for the species.

The chunky smallmouth measured 53 centimeters (20 inches) on an official IGFA measuring device, which tied the fish for the length record with two other officially recognized smallies. Sarah Harris landed her big fish while night fishing on the Colorado River in Arizona. It slammed a topwater lure and was boated after a short fight. After snapping some photos, Harris released it safely.

Harris’s bass tied a smallmouth caught by William Brent Evans from Alabama’s Lake Guntersville in 2014 as well as one caught from Washington’s Osoyoos Lake by Shane Hoelzle in 2020.

The IGFA all-tackle world record smallmouth by weight is a longstanding 11-pound, 15-ounce mark that was set in 1955 by David Hayes at Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee.

Hayes’s Dale Hollow fish is a record that might stand forever, but those length records can be beaten. While a 20-inch smallmouth is definitely a trophy fish, 20-plus inchers are caught pretty regularly. It’s a matter of time before someone with an official IGFA measuring device puts one in the boat. For more, go to IGFA.org.

SEARCH WITH A BLADED JIG

TYLER WOOLCOTT

This time of year, when bass are feeding up ahead of winter, it’s tough to beat a bladed jig—or Chatterbait—to find hungry fish.

In most cases, the Chatterbait is in my arsenal as a search bait to cover a ton of water. There isn’t a piece of cover that I can think of that I haven’t thrown it around with success. Docks, wood, grass, rocks, anywhere a bass might live and feed is a good place to throw it. Most of the time you can locate fish with this bait and then go back through the same area with something else and pick up some more bites. If there are hungry bass around and you present this bait in the right way, you will get a bite.

A lot of times I am trying to duplicate an injured baitfish with a Chatterbait, whether they be shad, shiners or bluegill. Whites, golds and green pumpkin colors are my go to baitfish imitators and are what I have tied on most of the time. If the water is dirty or when fish are feeding on crayfish, I’ll switch to a black and blue or even an orange or red color. Match a trailer bait of your choice on the back like a swimbait or a craw trailer, and you’ll be good to go.

Chatterbait bites are usually reaction strikes, so I vary the retrieve to create erratic action while keeping the lure in the strike zone. I do this by speeding up my retrieval speed and then pausing for a very short period of time and then resuming a normal retrieval rate. Believe it or not, there are way more fish that follow your bait and don’t commit than you think. A very small adjustment in the speed can make the difference and convince these fish to eat. A 3/8-oz. and a ½-oz. are pretty much the only two sizes I throw. This covers all different depth ranges from a foot of water down to 10 feet. Cover as much water as possible until you pin point a healthy population of feeding bass then slow down with a different bait that you can work slower.

Chatterbait Gear

A moderate-action rod makes a huge difference when it comes to keeping fish hooked up. The 13 Fishing Omen Black 7’4mhm is absolutely perfect for fishing a Chatterbait. I pair a 7:5:1 gear ratio Concept A 13 Fishing reel with this and spool it with 17-lb. Seaguar Abraz X. I throw some bigger line with this, as you are usually around some type of cover and are working the bait fairly fast, so they won’t get a chance to see your line anyway.

Hope this fishing tip will give you some confidence to try this technique, if you haven’t already. It flat out catches them. Good luck out there and tight lines!

Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcottfishing.com.

THROUGHOUT!

RECORD MAHI CAUGHT OFF WASHINGTON STATE

A20-pound mahi might not be surprising off the coasts of Florida or Mexico, but this 21-pound, 48-inch-long dolphinfish is a super rare catch off the coast of Washington State. It’s the largest one anyone’s ever caught there.

Angler Wade La Fontaine caught his state record mahi 42 miles out in the Pacific off the Washington coast on Aug. 25. He was on a charter trip with Capt. Keith Johnson aboard the Tunacious. They were trolling for tuna with plastic squid lures behind a spreader when the mahi hit.

Upon landing at the dock in Westport, Washington, the dolphinfish was checked by a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, then weighed on a certified scale. After review, the record was certified on Aug. 30.

Dolphinfish are sporadically caught by recreational and commercial fishers targeting albacore tuna and other species off the Washington and Oregon coasts, including a handful recorded last year at the ports of Westport and Ilwaco and at least two this summer.

“Most mahi mahi caught off our coast are smaller fish in the 6- to 12-pound range,” read a WDFW press release. “La Fontaine’s fish — which was 48 inches long and 40 inches to the inside fork of the tail — was more reminiscent of large

dolphinfish caught in warmer waters off southern California, Mexico and Hawaii.”

The previous Washington state record weighed 16.27 pounds. It was caught by Albert DaSilva in 2013.

The charter reported 70-degree water temperature in the area where the fish was caught, which is warm, even for the warmer offshore currents, though not unprecedented especially during El Nino years, explained the release.

The Return of a

“I’m blessed beyond comprehension,” La Fontaine said. “I’ll be getting another tattoo of a mahi!”

Albacore tuna are the primary target for Pacific Northwest offshore anglers, with large schools of these “longfin tuna” abundant off the coast of northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in the summer and early fall. Albacore are found in the blue water, a mass of warmer Sea Surface Temperature water typically found off the West Coast of North America during summer and fall, and off Southern California yearround.

For more information, go to https://wdfw.wa.gov/