Coastal Angler Magazine | August 2019 | Virgin Islands & Puerto Rico

VIRGIN ISLANDS/ PUERTO RICO EDITION

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NEARSHORE BONANZA

OUT OF PANAMA CITY

By Nick Carter

T

he rising sun revealed unaddressed devastation as Capt. Randy Cnota backed his 22-foot Pathfinder down the ramp at Tyndall Airforce Base. Less than a year after Hurricane Michael rocked the Florida Panhandle, we launched near the heart of the destruction.

Just east of Panama City and a short drive from the catastrophe that unfolded at Mexico Beach, this slice of the Panhandle is a community doggedly enduring the slow process of rebuilding. The bright boards of new framing show progress in neighborhoods of single-story homes. Blue-tarped roofs, shredded metal buildings and acres of tall pines snapped like so many twigs are reminders of just how far there is to go.

At the docks, bare wood pilings and concrete footings are left from what was a bustling little marina before the storm surge. But the fish don’t care. And with an eager 8-year-old angler perched on the leaning post, Capt. Randy pointed us toward the open Gulf of Mexico.

This was early July, during the Gulf red snapper season, and Capt.

Randy’s numbers would take us a few miles out to some hard-bottom that promised big snapper. But first we had to catch bait, which was plentiful in the form of Spanish sardines balled up around the markers just outside the pass from St. Andrews Bay. The 8-year-old would have spent all day catching sardines on a Sabiki rig, but shortly we left the other boats jockeying for position at the marker. We had our bait, and Capt. Randy now had an idea of how the boy would handle his first fishing trip on the open ocean.

The kid emitted enthusiasm, and it’s a good thing we didn’t make a several hour run. The waiting would have driven him mad. Bigger boats out of Panama City can comfortably take anglers dozens of miles out to deeper water, quick limits and huge fish, but this nearshore trip was more our speed. Less than 10 miles from the coast, and even inside the 9-mile state waters, there are wrecks, reefs and hard bottom in the 100-foot depths that offer plentiful bottomfish as well as shots at some big pelagics.

Within minutes at our first drop, the boy was hooked up with a big bonito, and Capt. Randy was steering with one hand, while holding the butt of the rod with the other. The kid had a death grip on the handle and cranked with all his might.

“You’re gonna have to come over here and make sure this rod doesn’t get pulled out!” Randy barked at me with both hands full.

But I couldn’t. On the other side of the boat, I was pumping and grunting on what turned out to be a stud red snapper. Somehow, both

fish made it onto the deck, and Randy went right back to work feeding out a freelined sardine from the stern.

“Where there’s Bonnies, there’s kings,” he called the shot. Shortly thereafter, he handed me a rod with line ripping off the spool. I came up tight on a good king mackerel. It was one of three kingfish we had on that morning, but it was the only one that made it in the boat.

Through the morning, the fish kept us continuously busy. We caught more red snapper than we could keep track of as well as gag and red grouper. Capt. Randy was great with the kid. Seeing the big bottom rigs were too much for an 8-year-old, Randy tied up a chicken rig on a lighter rod, showed the boy how to bait and fish it and then set him loose. Although the beeliners we were hoping for didn’t show up, the boy had a field day hauling snapper and triggerfish off the bottom. He was particularly proud of an FWC-tagged trigger he caught.

“Part of the fun is you never know what you’re going to catch when you’re out here,” said Randy as he unhooked a 2-foot-long smoothback pufferfish. The whole time out, we kept eyes peeled for weeds and surface activity that might belie the presence of mahi-mahi or cobia. In the week before our trip, Randy managed to put clients on a sailfish and a big blackfin tuna. Although we didn’t encounter these species, we did watch in awe as two 10-foot tiger sharks circled uncomfortably close to the boat.

We went home with a cooler full of fish. But more importantly, while those meaty chunks of snapper sizzled in hot oil, the boy regaled his grandparents with stories of the trip. His first time was an experience he will never forget.

Snapper seasons may be over along the Gulf Coast, but if you find yourself hankering for a good fishing trip that’s fun and easy, consider hiring a captain out of the Panama City area. Capt. Randy said fall brings better opportunities for sailfish and tuna nearshore, and with his smaller boat, he is also well equipped to fish inshore. The fall redfish and trout bite can be off the charts.

These hurricane-battered communities remain in recovery, but the fish, beaches and visitor ammenities are still there. Go spend some time at Panama City and eastward along The Forgotten Coast. You’ll be glad you did, because the fishing is pretty spectacular.

Capt. Randy Cnota is co-publisher of the Panama City/Forgotten Coast edition of Coastal Angler Magazine and owner of C-Note Charters. Check him out online at www.cnotecharters.com or call 229-834-7880.

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Urban Chrome In Grand Rapids, Michigan

Photo by Aaron Peterson Photography, LLC for Experience Grand Rapids

By Tom Werkman

W

hy do people feel the need to head to remote destinations a million miles from nowhere to fish? Some of the best fishing opportunities exist right under our noses, and many times they are very close to major metropolitan areas.

The Grand River is just such a place. Michigan’s largest river runs through the heart of the state’s second largest city, Grand Rapids, and offers great fishing through its 252-mile run from rural headwaters in Hillsdale County down to Lake Michigan.

Downtown Grand Rapids: Home to more than 37 craft breweries, Grand Rapids is Beer City. But there is another side of Grand Rapids that few know about. It offers the

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lure of big-river fishing in an urban environment.

The river through downtown Grand Rapids offers the angler a unique opportunity to fish for steelhead in swift rapids beneath the city’s skyscrapers. On an early leg of their run up out of Lake Michigan, these fish are strong and as hot as they come.

From October through December and again during March and April, droves of steelhead run through downtown as they migrate through and hold up in the rapids. Some of the best steelhead fishing lies between Sixth Street Dam and the Fulton Street Bridge. It’s not uncommon to see people wading the river, fishing from the banks or in boats landing these chrome bullets.

When fishing here, the angler can expect to only move a few times to get on fish. Once you have your spot, you don’t want to move very much as it can be crowded at times. If you’re not on a fish right away, be patient.

These fish get backed up at the dam and constantly move around in search of the fish ladder to pass through and continue their migration up the river.

Lowell To Ada Section: Just minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, a roughly 10-mile stretch of the Grand River between the towns of Lowell and Ada offers fishing that is a little more secluded. From late spring through early fall, this section offers smallmouth bass and northern pike.

There is little public access here, and the angler can expect solitude and no-pressure fishing in a remote river setting just outside Grand Rapids. A typical trip involves floating in a drift boat or jet boat from Lowell to Ada, covering a lot of water while casting to the banks, river timber and rocks.

Bald eagles, osprey, blue heron and deer are common sights on this piece of river. Rarely will the angler lay eyes on another boat or fisherman.

On the Grand River, one can enjoy spectacular fishing and then enjoy a cold beer and everything else the city has to offer.

Tom Werkman, and his son Max, are owner/guides at Werkman Outfitters, a guide service on the Grand River in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan. Contact them at tom@werkmanoutfitters.com or check them out at werkmanoutfitters.com.

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FISH & FISHING

FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS MARK SOSIN

I

t may seem logical, but it’s not always right. My favorite example is George Westinghouse, the man who invented the air brake for oversized vehicles. Researchers relied on logical thinking and experimented continuously on using air to apply the brake. It didn’t work. Westinghouse took an opposite approach and used the air to hold the brake off the drum until the driver stepped on the brake pedal and released the air.

The common approach to understanding fish behavior lies in applying human values with the assumption that a fish’s brain has the capacity to reason. Just because a particular lure looks good to us does not mean it’s a fish’s favorite, too. Few of us can boast even the slightest knowledge of the release that triggers a fish into striking or simply passing up an offering.

And, we probably wouldn’t recognize it if we saw it.

Repeated observations hold the key to helping us focus our efforts on techniques that have worked in the past. As an example, fish have an amazing alertness to movement. It can cause them to flee a situation or take advantage of it and feed. The same applies to underwater sound. Low frequency vibrations such as those that indicate a fish is in distress usually cause predators to investigate with the hope of finding food.

The more natural a bait or lure appears to a fish, the greater the chance a strike will occur. When you can see your quarry

and observe hesitation of any type, assume that something in your offering appears unnatural. Fish may be curious, but they are seldom in the habit of wasting energy to pursue something needlessly. Many species have the ability to measure energy expended in chasing food against the value received.

Because fish are creatures of habit, they tend to do the same things over and over. That’s why captains and guides boast the ability to find fish. The quarry may hold in one spot with uncanny precision day after day, month after month, and year after year.

If that fish is caught or leaves for any reason, another will take its place. Those fish that work a tide follow the same pattern daily. Even offshore skippers understand reliable patterns that fish follow and troll the waters where their quarry should be.

For some unknown reason, fish tend to hold at the same depth over a wide area. If another angler can tell you the depth where he found fish, you don’t need to know the precise spot. Keep in mind that water temperature can play a role. Each species has its upper and lower limits. As water temperature drops, fish tend to swim slower and chase an offering for shorter distances.

Figuring out what motivates a fish to strike a bait or lure becomes a continuous challenge for leading anglers as well as the scientific community. The important thing to remember is that fish do not think like humans. Their basic approach is simple, yet it is not always easy to detect. The more you observe fish behavior and understand that it follows patterns and procedures established a long time ago, the more successful you are going to be.

For more from Mark Sosin, visit

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REDBREAST SUNFISH?

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t first glance, Alphonso Jackson’s 2-pound, 1-ounce redbreast sunfish might not seem all that impressive. But when you consider the size of your average redbreast, this thing is a monster.

Jackson was fishing the Lumber River in central North Carolina’s Scotland County on June 10 when he caught the fish on a cricket. It bested a 36-yearold North Carolina state record for the species by 5 ounces. The previous record, caught in 1983 by Ronald Stanley in Big Swamp in Bladen County, N.C. weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces.

Jackson’s fish also outweighs the world record. The current IGFA all-tackle world record for the species has stood at 1-pound, 12-ounces since 1984. That fish came from Florida’s Suwannee River. Wikipedia claims the heaviest redbreast on record weighed 2.3 pounds (2 pounds, 4.8 ounces), but there’s no information as to where that weight came from or whether it was angler-caught. So, if Jackson bothers to complete all the paperwork properly, he would definitely be the new IGFA record holder.

Jackson, 43, is an avid fisherman, a passion he attributes to his father Johnny Jacobs who taught him how to fish when he was a boy, and one that he has passed on to his children, ages 23, 18 and 17. They were with him the day he caught the massive readbreast.

“We started fishing in a pond but weren’t having any luck, so I said to my kids, ‘Let’s go back to where I learned how to fish.’ And this is what we caught,” Jackson said. “I’d like to thank my daddy for teaching me how to catch fish and where to catch fish.”

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TIPS FROM A PRO

READ GRASS MATS FOR BIG BASS

BRANDON LESTER

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ate summer and early fall absolutely scream for a frog. With big bass holed up in thick vegetation, working a frog across grass mats can lead to some of the most explosive strikes in fishing.

I always look forward to the frog pattern setting up around this time of year. This year should be especially sweet because of the reemergence of Alabama’s Lake Guntersville as one of the best bass fisheries in the nation. This Tennessee River impoundment is frog fishing heaven.

Over the last decade the Guntersville bass fishery saw a bit of a decline. But the “Big G” has come back in a big way. Bassmaster ranked Guntersville the No. 2 fishery in the nation in this year’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” listings. It is fishing lights-out, with five-fish tournament sacks regularly approaching and surpassing 30 pounds.

I just came off a top-10 finish in the June Elite Series event on Guntersville. Some fish came off frogs, but the best patterns I found were deep cranking and worms. You can bet the frog bite will ramp up soon, though.

No matter where you fish, the key to topwater frog fishing is reading the grass. To really dial in a pattern, you need to observe what’s happening on the lake.

At Guntersville, the two prominent grass types are hydrilla and milfoil. There are other types, but these are the two you will encounter

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most often. From the time the grass first tops out in the summer until the first frost of the fall, I will concentrate on milfoil. Milfoil creates a great canopy and is hollow underneath, so the bass can get through it to get to your frog. When the hydrilla is still green, it is so thick that a bass has trouble seeing your frog on top of the mat. With that said, later on in the fall when the hydrilla starts to turn brown and break up, it starts to get hollow underneath. That is the time to start targeting it more.

Another key to frog fishing is to listen and watch for “active” grass. Bass school up in grass mats just like they do on ledges, points and humps, so it is important to find a mat that has activity in it.

Listen for bluegill popping the mat or watch for shad to flicker. Those are signs that bass are not far away. Also, look for points, turns and indentions in the mat itself. Anything different will often hold bass.

Rod selection is important for hauling bass out of matted grass.

I throw a MHX-MB-874. This rod is 7’3” heavy power with plenty of backbone, but more importantly it has enough action in the tip to allow the fish to eat the bait. I use 50-pound Vicious braid and a 7:1:1 reel.

Try a topwater frog on your next trip out, or better yet plan an excursion to Guntersville for the trip of a lifetime.

For more Lester visit,

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NANTUCKET SHOALS:

HOME OF THE DOORMATS! “Jimmy the Greek” from On Time Sportfishing charters in Yarmouth, Massachusetts shows off a nice summer flattie taken earlier this year at Nantucket Shoals. Photo courtesy of On Time Sportfishing.

“F

or anglers looking to hook-up with the fluke of a lifetime, there’s no spot more likely to bring success these days than Nantucket Shoals, Massachusetts. Action for summer flounder has absolutely sizzled here for the last several years, with many anglers drilling doormats weighing 8, 10 or 12 pounds and heavier.

“This truly is an amazing place when it comes to catching outlandish summer flatties,” said Capt. Demetrios Koutalakis, also known as “Jimmy the Greek.” He runs On Time Sportfishing (www.ontimefishingcharters. com) out of Yarmouth, Massachusetts and launches from various local ramps based on weather conditions.

“The action is generally fast-paced with typical keepers running 20 to 24

inches long and a disproportionate number of bigger fish in daily catches,” said Koutalakis. “It’s not unusual to see a double-digit doormat hit the deck in these waters. We had a 14.4-pounder yesterday, released a 14.9-pounder last week, and had two over 15 pounds last year.”

Nantucket Island is roughly 16 to 17 miles from Koutalakis’ typical departure sites in the Bass River area. From there, the fish can be anywhere southwest of the island from up tight to 7 or 8 miles out and beyond. The entire area features a hilly bottom that’s more gravel than sand or rock. In the spring, squid and mackerel get swept through the shoal waters by strong currents and the big fish show up in hot pursuit. By mid-summer, sand eels dominate the baitfish scene and the fluke fishing settles in to a steady, consistent pattern that runs right through August and into September.

“It’s the combination of the hills, currents and baitfish that give this place big fish appeal,” explained Koutalakis. “The biggest fluke, especially, like to settle into the gullies and wait for the current to bring the bait right across their noses. The water depths where I like to fish typically vary from 30 to 60 feet deep, and the best action moves around from day to day based on bait movements. So it really helps to have a skipper who is out working this area on a daily basis. It also helps a lot that the waters here are slow to change temperature, so small cold fronts or a couple of hot days generally don’t dampen the bite. I think the big fish really like that.”

Koutalakis favors a hi-low rig with 6- and 8-ounce Berkeley bucktails tipped with 5- or 6-inch Berkley Gulp! Grubs or Swimming Mullets. He’ll spool up with 20- to 30-pound test Berkley X9 braided line on a fast retrieve reel. Typically, white, chartreuse and Nuclear Chicken color grubs work best but this year pink shine seems to have an edge. “More important than color choice,” he advised, “is keeping your rig active and bouncing all the time. Big fluke will follow a bait being dragged smoothly across the bottom—but they’ll absolutely SMASH a jig with exaggerated action.”

If you’d like to give this super fluking a shot, you are best off using a professional skipper to reach the grounds. For those traveling overnight, Koutalakis suggests staying at the Wind Drift Hotel (https://www.windriftmotelcapecod. com) in Yarmouth. If you’d like to sample these waters via a party boat, the Helen H Fishing Fleet in Hyannis (https://helen-h.com) offers both one- and two-day trips.

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2019 BASTILLE DAY KINGFISH TOURNAMENT

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ess than an hour was left before the Noon weigh-in at the 31st Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament, held July 14 out of Hull Bay Hideaway, in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Matthew Bryan, fishing with family and friends aboard the 36-foot Feel Matthew Bryan wins with 43.45 pound catch.

Good I, a vessel his father hand-built in the 1960s and which Bryan restored a few years ago, had nothing to bring to the scales. Earlier, just after the 5:30 a.m. line’s in start to the tournament, Bryan headed west where the seas proved rough.

Throughout the morning, he and his fellow fishermen only caught a few barracuda. Each of these fish were too small to count and thus released. It wasn’t until Bryan navigated the Feel Good to the north towards Hull Bay that his lined tugged with a force that told him he had hooked a big fish.

Minutes later, he had caught a 43.45-pound kingfish. Now, not only did he have something to bring to the scales, but a whopper was the Largest Kingfish winner as well.

“I’ve fished this tournament for many years, and have been on boats where other people won, but I’ve never won anything myself,” says Bryan, who added that the secret to his success was to “just keep trying.”

Bryan was one of 168 anglers, including 30 junior anglers, on 554 boats who fished in this Northside Sportfishing Club-hosted tournament, which National Geographic magazine earlier this week named as one of the world’s ‘9 Bastille Day bashes that celebrates French Culture!’

2019 RESULTS 55 Boats, 168 Anglers (includes 30 Jr. Anglers), 87 Fish Caught, 843.05-pounds and 35 Kingfish Caught, 398.45-pounds PLACEMENT Largest Kingfish 2nd Largest Kingfish 3rd Largest Kingfish 4th Largest Kingfish Best Boat Best Captain Best Female Best Male

ANGLER Matthew Bryan Kevin Blaney Ruth Gomez Christopher Bachan Mark Stiehler Julian ‘Larry’ Aubain Ruth Gomez Enzo Newhard

LBS 43.45 31.10 23.70 22.60 9 fish 6 kingfish 65.80 64.20

BOAT Feel Good I Stako About Time Chum Bucket Double Header About Time About Time Hush Puppy

Kyle Odlum Alyssa Pearsall Tamika Turbe Ben Micholowski Ruth Gomez

35.75 13.15 26.25 4.90 6.15

Let-Her-Go Salt & Pepper Emmanuel Side Thing About Time

Best Junior Male Best Junior Female Largest Barracuda Largest Bonito Largest Mackerel

Magazine and ads also available online, so readers around the world can find you. And, your online ad links to your website!

Media contact info Carol Bareuther | bareuther@earthlink.net 2 VIRGIN ISLANDS / PUERTO RICO

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Marine Vocational Program Receives $15,000 Donation

tudent members of the not-for-profit Marine Vocational Program (MVP) can now continue and advance their marine education thanks to a donation of $15,000 from the NYC Eastern Caribbean Relief Fund, Inc. “This generous donation will enable us to provide MVP students with their basic PADI dive certification, opening their eyes and minds to their underwater surroundings,” says Jimmy Loveland, MVP Program director.

A delightful bit of serendipity led to this life-changing donation. That is, Loveland’s son, Marc Loveland, had the recent pleasure of sitting next to Tom Mukamal, IGY’s CEO, on a flight. A conversation ensued between the two and Marc soon recounted his father’s long dedication to the Virgin Islands community and the youth that live on the island.

Island Capital Group, LLC. and Island Global Yachting, Ltd., along with investors, friends, customers and partners compassionately created the NYC Eastern Caribbean Relief Fund for the purpose of aiding in the recovery, relief and humanitarian needs of those living in the Eastern Caribbean following the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.

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For more information, visit www.abmt.vi.

Media contact info Carol Bareuther bareuther@earthlink.net

10 VIRGIN ISLANDS / PUERTO RICO

AUGUST 2019

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These fish, besides being a large and powerful fow, are a challenge to find to tease up to the surface. Day 1 saw a total of 8 fish that were raised, but that number was far lower on those that brought fish in. This was obvious as Day 1 of the tournament ounded August 18th 1999, the Golden Hook Fishing Club is only brought in 2 releases by the dedicated to conservation on fishing grounds, education to the sportfish Golden Eagle, captained youth, and having fun. The club kicked off their 2019 series with the by Paul Stewart. With the low 26th Annual Billfish Tournament. Known as the Golden Hook Challenge, amount of fish released, the boats this tournanment gives honor to the prestigious and challenging sepcies did see a good amount of Mahi of marlin, sailfish, and swordfish. To promote conservation of this fish, the caught. Day 2 continued to be a tournament is a catch and release only event. challenge as the amount of raised billfish lowered to only 5. Of that amount, only one boat was able to release a single billfish.That was done by the reigning champion captain Matt Ridgeway aboard the boat Betty Ann. For one boat, the tournament ended in both joy and sorrow as 2 minutes May 4th, 2019 after lines were called out, they hooked up on a beautiful marlin and released.

None of this could happen without the support of our primary sponsors Florida Welding, West Indies Steel and Pinnacle Services.

Thank you also goes out to our series sponsor Bacardi and Bud Light October 5th & 6th, 2019 distributed by West Indies Corporation. There was also the service provided

by Flyers Bar & Grill for the captain’s meeting, and Blue’s Backyard BBQ for hosting the awards dinner.

Theres no better feeling than to prepare for Cinco de Mayo than to fish on Cuatro de Mayo and catch Mahi Mahi for your delishous fish tacos. Come on out for the 20th annual Mahi tournament on May 4th sponsored by Pool Works, your pool spa professionals.

After the devastation caused by hurricane Irma and Maria, it was a November 2nd, 2019 struggle for the Golden Fish Club to hold together and continue its mission.

Due to the determination of its members, the challenge went on. To continue the efforts of the club in improving our events and giving back to our community, the club is seeking help from those young and old.

Be the change that you want, but above all elese... have fun!

26th Annual Golden Hook Challenge

F

AMERICA’S SPORT FISHING PARADISE!

fishstx.com Become A Member Today

12 VIRGIN ISLANDS / PUERTO RICO

March 23rd & 24th, 2019

AUGUST 2019

Make anglering great again...

MAGA

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

Fish At Night...Cool Temps, Hot Bites RIGGING & JIGGING

F

Tim Barefoot

or the remainder of the summer and into early fall, the best fishing can often be at night. Temperatures are more comfortable, there’s less boat traffic, less wind and fewer anglers. There’s no need for sunscreen, and best of all… fish are very active.

I fish for several species in fresh and saltwater at night around the big lights on bridges and docks. I’ll also bring my own lights. Light draws the baitfish, and then it’s just a matter of time until the target species show up.

Squid, cigar minnows, sardines and tinker mackerel (boston mackerel) show up in numbers around a bright light on an anchored boat over a ledge or wreck. This is a wonderful opportunity to fill the livewell with a Sabiki. It also brings all the action right to your back deck. It’s really cool to watch the life that is attracted. It’s like a National Geographic show right behind the boat.

The key is bright lights. Years ago I bumped into the owner of Hydro Glow Lights at ICAST, and he quickly brought me into the modern age of offshore and inshore lights. New LED, low-amperage lights are powerful and require low power usage. Not only do I use a light on the surface, but I also drop at least one down 20 or 30 feet, and one even deeper depending on the target species. See video of this on the website.

In addition to the good bite at night, it’s kinda like hunting in some respects when running the existing lights in waterways and sounds.

You can go from light to light and watch, and you can also be very quiet and hear surface activity. Being stealthy is important. You don’t want to stomp around the boat, or yell over thumping music.

Some of the standout species that hunt the edge of the light are

DUDLEY WINS FOURTH FLW ANGLER OF THE YEAR

D

avid Dudley made history by winning his fourth FLW Angler of the Year title at the last regular-season stop for the FLW Tour on Lake Champlain in late June.

His seventh-place finish at the Lake Champlain event vaulted him to the top of the AOY rankings.

“I’m still making the championship and still doing well, but in my mind I thought I had peaked out,” said Dudley. “To win my fourth makes this one very special and satisfying.”

Dudley has finished in the top 25 at every event this season, with the exception of one stumble at Lake Seminole. Coming into the Lake Champlain event, Dudley trailed John Cox by one point in the standings.

“I knew I had a very good chance at winning after day one at Lake Champlain,” said Dudley. “I had an 18-point lead, but what was more encouraging was that I had almost a 2-pound lead over John. I had the confidence that with a 2-pound cushion, I had a good shot at winning.”

Consistency is the hallmark of Angler of the Year, and Dudley personified this throughout the year with timely, on-the-water decision-making.

“The decisions you make out on the water separate a good angler from a great angler,” said Dudley. “Understanding how to play the game better than good anglers is key. We all can skip docks the same way, but knowing when to pick up and leave an area at the right time can make all the difference.”

kings, wahoo, most all the snappers and tuna, offshore. Inshore, snook, tarpon, drum and trout are susceptible. In freshwater, striped bass, crappie and panfish are suckers for well-lit water.

I have memories of commercial trips of kings and beeliners in numbers at night. The beeliners really chew it up a few days before and during the full moons of summer, but the bite shuts down right at daylight.

Even though the largest gag grouper I ever caught was at night, groupers can be difficult at night. Snapper, on the other hand, move higher in the water column and really chew. King mackerel under the lights can be off the charts. Once you get the squid and minnows concentrated under the lights, the dinner bell is ringing for kings, wahoo and tuna.

Be sure to fill the livewell and fish the first couple hours after daybreak, while it’s still cool. Then head back in with a full box while other folks are just headed out.

For video instructions on how to tye this rig, see:

BAREFOOTCATSANDTACKLE.COM

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When submitting a photo for consideration for use as a cover image or editorial image, please follow the guidelines specified here: Optimal size: 10 x 12.5 at 300 DPI (3000 x 3750 Pixels) 1) Don’t zoom in too closely.

Allow additional background to give our art directors the opportunity to create a horizontal or vertical layout.

2) Don’t hold your fish way out in front of you to create the illusion of a bigger fish.

We call this telescoping and we just don’t use images like this.

3) Make sure the lighting is good.

Having the sun behind a subject will create a silhouette effect and too strong a light source will burn out details in a photo.

4) Don’t have blood in the photo.

It may not bother you, but it doesn’t contribute to making a better photo and many readers find it unattractive.

5) Hold the fish properly.

The subject should hold the fish in a horizontal position supporting it with their hands. Don’t let fish hang by the head, gills or tail.

Send to: graphics@coastalanglermagazine.com

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, KINGFISH BACK TO THE BASICS Photos by Gene Dyer

By Gene Dyer

K

6 barrel swivel. I like to stay on the long side with my leader to be a bit stealthier. This step will help to avoid line twist, especially when using a spinning reel.

Now it’s time to put together some rigs. You’ll need some #5 stainless steel, coffee-colored wire, and depending on the bait that is available, octopus hooks ranging from 3/0 to 7/0 and some treble hooks in size 4 and 6. If you are using smaller baits like pilchards, you’ll want to use a smaller main hook and smaller treble hook for your stinger.

For bigger baits like goggle eyes, blue runners and speedos, step up your hook size for your main hook and stinger. Use a haywire twist to attach a 20inch length of wire to the main hook. Don’t over do it, as four to five twists on a 45-degree angle will suffice. Finish off your haywire with three to four straight wraps to secure the connection.

Now it’s time to attach your stinger to the main hook. Again, depending on the size of your bait, attach 4 to 8 inches of wire to your stinger hook with a haywire twist and then attach the other end of your stinger rig to the eye of the main hook with another haywire twist. It’s extremely important to rig your stinger with enough slack so that your bait will swim naturally.

Now you are ready to attach your rig to your leader. Use an albright knot to connect your rig to your leader. If you don’t know how to tie an albright knot, do an Internet search and plenty of pages and videos will pop up.

You can fish this setup a couple of different ways. If you will be drifting, fish at least two rods. You’ll want one bait on the surface and one deeper, from 30 to 60 feet. Send your surface bait out first and allow it to swim away from the boat. You can attach a balloon to your main line to help keep track of where your bait is. Depending on conditions, add 4 to 8 ounces of lead to your deep rod. Slip your lead on above the swivel or attach it to the main line with a rubber band.

If you utilize the rubber band method, it’s highly likely that you’ll lose your sinker on the strike.

These rigs can also be used for slow trolling baits. Slow trolling can help determine what depth the fish are in. Start trolling in about 60 feet and head out to 200 feet and then back to 60 feet. Once you find the fish, set up your drift at the depth.

When kingfish strike, they typically go on a long run away from the boat. Take your time and slowly work the fish toward the boat. Don’t be surprised if you get it close and it takes off on another short run after it sees the boat. Let the fish run and tire out. You should then be able to get your fish back to the boat for a gaff shot to the head.

ing mackerel are aggressive predators with extremely sharp teeth. To catch them with consistency, you must prepare accordingly. Though there are many ways to rig your rods for kingfish, I’d like to focus on a few techniques that have worked for me over the years. These techniques can be utilized on both spinning and conventional tackle.

To start, you’re going to want a rod in the 7-foot range that has a sensitive tip, so you can feel the bite, but also some backbone to turn the head of a smoker that just peeled off 100 yards of line in 20 seconds. Sometimes, a big king will swim right back at the boat after a blistering run, and you will have a better chance of coming tight with a higher speed reel. You’ll want nothing less than a 5-to-1 gear ratio.

When it comes to line choice, you can certainly spool your reels with braided line, but I prefer 20- to 30-pound monofilament, as I’m kind of old school and learned to fish for kingfish before braid became so popular. That said, you’ll want to connect your main line to Gene Dyer is co-publisher of Coastal Angler Magazine’s Fort Lau4 to 10 feet of 40- or 50-pound fluorocarbon leader with a size 4 or derdale edition. Contact him at gene@coastalanglermagazine.com.

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FLY FISHING 16

CHUMMING UP MAKO SHARKS One of the greatest adversaries on the fly rod in saltwater is the shortfin mako shark. The mako is considered by many as the fastest of all sharks, but what makes this great gamefish stand out is not only its fighting ability but its tendency to leap 20 feet in the air once hooked!

The mako shark is one of saltwater fly-fishing’s outstanding but unappreciated gamefish. Found on both in the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, a smaller mako in the 20- to 30-pound range can be perfect for the beginning saltwater fly fisherman; of course, fishing for sharks is a tad different than fishing for bluegills in your Uncle Ned’s farm pond.

First, you’ll need a boat, preferably a boat over 18 feet that can handle fairly choppy seas. Most center-consoles will do; however, a skiff with a beam of 8 feet or wider and a not-too-deep V will settle in the water better and reduce pitch and roll to a minimum, guaranteeing a much more stable casting platform.

A chum line is the most effective way of attracting makos into casting distance of your boat. Chumming attracts the larger makos and will allow you to sight-cast to them.

Into a chum bag, place the belly sections or fresh carcasses of tuna, bluefish or bonito. Then place the bag into a milk crate or five-gallon bucket, lower this mess by rope over the side and listen for the musical score from the movie “Jaws” to begin. You won’t have long to wait once that chum slick begins to spread. Ideally, you should use fresh carcasses, but store-bought chum will suffice. One bit of important advice: Less is more when chumming; you don’t

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need much; no matter how small the slick, a shark can smell it from miles away.

Now that you have the boat and chum, the next thing to do is find a mako. On the West Coast we are fortunate to have the continental shelf only a few miles offshore. On the east coast, you’ll have to venture bit farther offshore. Keep your eyes peeled for working birds and surface-busting bait; constantly check the water temperature, looking for readings between 66 and 70 degrees. But, be patient when chumming. I will wait at least an hour and a half before moving to another spot, but there have been occasions when the sharks make their appearance within a few minutes.

Once in the slick, makos will stick around for most of the fishing day.

Drifting allows you to cover more water and, in the process, attract more makos to your boat.

By choosing the right season, having the right chum and chumming the right areas, you can count on hooking and releasing a good number of makos during the course of a single day on the water.

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