Product: FLSUN PubDate: 11-02-2007
NB
11-02-2007
Zone: NB
Edition: 1
Page: OUTDOOR@1 User: cldavis Time: 11-01-2007
21:56 Color: C K Y M
C-10
WATERFRONTS
10C • SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL • SUN-SENTINEL.COM • Friday, November 2, 2007 • NB
FISHING TRENDS LAKE OKEECHOBEE Now that Tropical Storm Noel is history, anglers can start fishing again. The best bet for bass will be to fish in the Kissimmee River, the rim canal and the channels with live shiners, Carolina-rigged soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. Those who know where they’re going on the main lake have been catching fish around shallow ledges and rockpiles.
FRESHWATER/EVERGLADES Largemouth bass were biting in the Lake Ida chain of lakes before Noel. Jeff Stillman and Eric Wasser of New York caught 37 bass up to 6 pounds using Gambler Aces and Giggy Sticks in the canals north of Ida. A few anglers were catching big bass and big stringers in Everglades canals. Leo DeVega and Albert Lynn caught 29.33 pounds of fish Sunday, including the big bass of 8.03 and the second biggest bass at 7.34, to win the 24th Ghost & Goblins Open Bass Tournament out of Everglades Holiday Park. Kim and John Summerfeld were second at 22.35. The tournament raised more than $1,500 for Our House, a non-profit children’s charity.
FLORIDA BAY/10,000 ISLANDS Capt. Brian Sanders said with a high tide early in the morning and a falling tide in the afternoon for the next few days, his plan is to catch live bait and fish the outside points and river mouths for snook, redfish and tarpon. As the tide gets lower, he’ll go up the rivers and into some bays and creeks. “If it’s not too windy, I might venture a few miles offshore and look for some mackerel, kingfish, cobia or pompano,” Sanders said.
GOLD COAST OFFSHORE “We haven’t been out all week,” said Capt. Skip Dana, who said his Fish City Pride drift boat at Hillsboro Inlet Marina should be fishing today. “Fishing should be red-hot once we get back out there. I’m sure there’ll be dolphin around and I almost guarantee the mutton snappers will be going off after this blow.” ... Capt. Bouncer Smith of Bouncer’s Dusky 33 said sailfish and big dolphin were caught before Noel passed by South Florida and he expects those species to be biting along the edge in 200-300 feet when boaters return to the water. Big jacks have been plentiful and Spanish mackerel should start biting as soon as the water starts to clear. “Bait is going to be very, very hard to find because the bait goes into hiding when the water gets churned up,” Smith said, adding that Biscayne Bay will likely be the best place for bait.
INLETS/PIERS Smith said that before Noel, snook, big jacks and tarpon were biting at Government Cut. The storm made for slow fishing Thursday at Juno Beach Pier because of rough surf and dirty water. Deerfield Beach Pier had some bluefish Thursday, undersized snapper and a few kingfish. Anglin’s Pier had a few Spanish mackerel, limits of bluefish, lots of croakers, some redfish and black drum Thursday. Dania Beach Pier had some blue runners, a few pompano and snapper Thursday.
THE KEYS Richard Stanczyk of Bud N’ Mary’s Marina in Islamorada said no one has been fishing because of the rough seas stirred up by Noel, but with a north-northeast wind forecast, fishing conditions should be ideal. He said the Miss Islamorada party boat is fishing today and he expects a good bottom-fishing bite. “When you have a situation like this and the water gets all murky, it has a tendency to make the fish stupid, especially yellowtail snapper,” Stanczyk said. “Yellowtail and grouper, they usually bite like mad dogs after a storm. .. Offshore, the seas are still rough and confused, but you might get lucky and stumble into some floating debris. So there is a chance of really clobbering the dolphin. When you get weather like this, instead of six dolphin on a log, you might get 600.”
CALENDAR Saturday: Honda Weekly Fisherman presented by Boat Owners Warehouse, 7-8 a.m., WQAM (560-AM). Saturday: Fishing Headquarters Live, 8-9 a.m., ESPN Radio 760. Saturday: City of Hollywood kayak for beginners, 9-11 a.m., ages 15 and up, cost $35, Holland Park, Hollywood. Call Marcy Decker at 954-967-4644 or Colleen Gibbs at 954-328-5231. Sunday-Nov. 11: 27th annual Key West World Championship offshore powerboat race. Visit www.superboat.com. Tuesday: IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum School of Sport Fishing class with Capt. Bouncer Smith on outfitting and fishing from a center console, 7-10 p.m. Visit www.igfa.org/schoolofsportfishing.asp or call David Matagiese at 954-924-4247 or Veronica Woods at 954-924-4309. Wednesday: West Palm Beach Fishing Club inshore meeting, 7 p.m., 201 Fifth St. Capt. Butch Constable of Jupiter offers lighttackle and fly-fishing tips for pompano and Spanish mackerel. Call 561-832-6780 or visit www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org. Wednesday: Multihull Association of South Florida meeting, 8 p.m., Miami Yacht Club. Visit www.masf-multihulls.com. Nov. 14: Southeast Swordfish Club meeting, 7 p.m., Lighthouse Point Yacht and Racquet Club, 2701 NE 42nd St., Lighthouse Point. Visit www.swordfishclub.org. Nov. 18: 25th annual Giblets and Gravy team bass tournament, Everglades Holiday Park. Preregister at BJ’s Bait and Tackle, 201 SW 125th Ave., Plantation or call 954-475-0248.
By Staff Writer Steve Waters
TRIPLE THE FUN IN GULF Tripletail deliver pleasant surprise around fallen trees and logs. CHOKOLOSKEE ISLAND . Few anglers actually leave the dock with the goal of catching a tripletail. Most of them stumble across the funny looking fish while fishing for something else and, if they’re lucky, they manage to land one or two. Capt. Brian Sanders not only targets tripletail, he catches them by fishing in spots that most anglers don’t even bother to check out. Sanders, of Davie, catches tripletail around fallen trees in just 1-5 feet of water along the coastline of the Ten Thousand Islands. He’s been doing it for the past seven years. “I was driving down the coastline, just offshore of the mouth of the Shark River, when I drove by a log and there was a tripletail right behind it,” Sanders said. “I happened to see it and we got one on a pilchard. As we reeled it in, four or five others followed it. We put the anchor out and we caught 15 tripletails.” The firm, white fillets of tripletrail are delicious fried or baked, which makes them quite popular with those who encounter them. Most anglers who fish inshore waters look for tripletail around channel markers in Everglades National Park and the Gulf, as well as around the floats that mark commercial stone crab traps. Anglers who fish offshore for dolphin occasionally find tripletail hanging around floating debris and weeds. Best known for his ability to catch everything from snook, redfish and tarpon inshore to permit, cobia, bull sharks, goliath grouper and kingfish in the Gulf of Mexico (as well as for his success in South Florida offshore fishing tournaments), Sanders said there’s no rhyme or reason as to when tripletail will be available. He’s caught them year-round, from the middle of winter to the middle of summer. “The fish migrate up and down the coast,” Sanders said. “Sometimes they’ll be on one log, sometimes they’ll be on every log and sometimes they won’t be on any logs. “It comes and goes. One week I’ll catch them good and for two weeks I won’t catch any.” Weather conditions don’t seem to matter. You just keep checking likely looking spots until you find tripletail, or you give up. The tide was rising, winds were light and visibility was good on a recent trip with Sanders and his friend and fellow guide, Capt. Herb Kehoe (www.finessecharters.com). The first stop after leaving the boat ramp at Chokoloskee Island Park was offshore to cast-net some live pilchards. Then Sanders headed south, stopping at a few spots to catch and release several snook. As the tide came in, Sanders headed further south to fish what he calls logs — trees that were damaged and blown into the water by Hurricane Wilma two years ago. The logs attract bait, which in turn attracts a variety of bigger fish. Sanders said his customers have caught snook up to 36 inches, sea trout, ladyfish, a 26-pound black drum and tarpon fishing around the logs. “I think what happens is the logs
SNAGGED ONE: Capt. Herb Kehoe, left, and Capt. Brian Sanders show off a tripletail that Kehoe caught casting a live pilchard to the snag in the water behind them. Staff photos/Steve Waters TEAM EFFORT: Capt. Brian Sanders nets a tripletail for Capt. Herb Kehoe. Often, catching one tripletail leads to more as others show up as if they want to see what all the fuss is about. However, most tripletail are caught by anglers seeking something else.
start the food chain,” Sanders said. “With all the bait they hold, it’s like having a FAD [fish aggregating device] out here.” The size of the log doesn’t matter. Small logs, which could be just the top of a tree snapped off by a storm, can hold as many tripletail as an entire tree in the water. “It’s just a matter of finding the right log,” Kehoe said. Sanders stopped at several different logs and we cast live pilchards on light spinning outfits just beyond the trees so the current would bring the bait to whatever fish were lurking by the logs. To prevent break-offs on the logs, Sanders spooled his Quantum Cabo PT40 reels with 14-pound high-vis yellow braided line with a 40-pound fluorocarbon leader. He slipped a small egg sinker — one-quarter to three-quarters of an ounce — on the leader, then tied on a 3/0 octopus
hook. The first few logs produced a mix of fish, but no tripletail; mostly jacks, catfish and sea trout. Sanders eventually came to a log where he saw a tripletail floating just under the surface. After a number of casts, we managed to catch the fish. The next log produced two tripletail. At the log after that, we hit the jackpot. There were three tripletail hovering by the branches poking out of the water. We caught one, then a second fish, then there were five tripletail around the log. Sanders said that’s not unusual: The more tripletail you catch, the more fish show up around the log, almost as if they want to see what all the fuss is about. The fish were biting so well that we caught them on dead pilchards after we ran out of live bait. Then Sanders gave me a chartreuse Berk-
ABOUT TRIPLETAIL What: A perch-like fish with rounded dorsal and anal fins extending almost to the tail, making it appear to have three tails. Where to find them: Commonly around channel markers and floats marking stone crab traps in Everglades National Park and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as around fallen trees along the coast. How to catch them: Sturdy tackle is recommended to avoid cutoffs. Capt. Brian Sanders uses 14-pound high-vis yellow braided line with a 40-pound fluorocarbon leader. Can be taken on live or dead bait and lures. They strike quickly, and once hooked make powerful lunges and jumps. Good eating: The firm, white fillets of tripletail are delicious fried or baked. — INTERNATIONAL GAME FISH ASSOCIATION, STAFF REPORTS ley Gulp! 4-inch saltwater swimming mullet, which I Texas-rigged on the hook, cast beyond the branches and reeled up to the branches. Before the lure had a chance to sink, a tripletail grabbed it and swam off. With the fish eating the dead bait and the Gulp! on almost every cast, we soon had our limit of two tripletail at least 15 inches long per person — we released a bunch more — and left the fish biting. For information on fishing with Capt. Brian Sanders, call him 954802-0868. Steve Waters can be reached at swaters@sun-sentinel.com or 954356-4648.
OUTDOORS NOTEBOOK Officer funeral: The funeral service for FWC law enforcement officer Michelle Lawless, who died Saturday when her all-terrain vehicle crashed during a patrol in the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area, is 11 a.m. today at Christ the Rock Community Church, 11000 Stirling Road, Cooper City. Fellowship will immediately follow at Volunteer Park, 12050 Sunrise Blvd., Sunrise. Art show: Art on the Beach at the Island Grill, featuring the work of marine artist Pasta Pantaleo and sculptor David Wirth, is 7 p.m. Saturday at mile marker 85.5 in Islamorada. The event includes a wine tasting and live music. Call 954-290-4262. FWC workshops: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a public workshop to receive input on proposed changes to its quota hunt program from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach. Among the issues is
whether quota permits should be transferable. Call Robert Jones or Jeff Blair at 850-644-6320 or visit http://consensus.fsu.edu/FWC/quotahunt.html. On Tuesday, the FWC has a public workshop on spiny lobster management from 6-8 p.m. at the IGFA. All aspects of commercial and recreational lobster management will be discussed, including seasons, license fees and the lobster miniseason. Call 850-487-0554. Bahamas regulations: New fishing regulations have taken effect in the Bahamas. Boats can now have up to 18 pelagic species such as kingfish, dolphin, tuna and wahoo. The previous limit was six per boat. In addition, boats can have no more than 60 pounds of bottom fish — snapper and grouper — or 20 fish per vessel. The limit on conch is six per boat and the limit on lobster is 10 per boat. Billfish must be released unless the boat is fishing in an approved tournament. Conservation night: The Yamaha
Contender Miami Billfish Tournament has its annual Marine Conservation Night from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Key Biscayne. Capt. Skip Smith, chairman of The Billfish Foundation captains advisory board, will discuss circle hook regulations and definitions. Call 305-598-2525 or visit www.miamibillfish.com. Boat show: The 35th Fort Myers Boat Show, featuring more than 700 boats ranging from dinghies and inflatables to motoryachts on display on land and in the water, is Thursday-Nov. 11 in downtown Fort Myers at Harborside Convention Center and the Fort Myers City Yacht Basin. Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 11). Admission is $9, free for kids under 12. Parking is available in parking garages and Red Sox Stadium. Call the Southwest Florida Marine Industries Association at 239-656-7083 or visit www.fortmyersboatshow.com.
Bass club: Everglades Bassmasters of South Florida, which recently joined the Federation Nation, starts a new tournament season this month. Meetings are the second Wednesday of the month with tournaments the following Saturday. Boater and non-boater members are being accepted. Call Roy Singer at 954-232-8220 or Dan Potts at 954-257-2297 or visit www.everglades bassmasters.com. Turkey permits: Applications for spring turkey quota hunt permits are being accepted through 11:59 p.m. Thursday at www.wildlifelicense.com, at tax collector offices and at license agents. Worksheets are available at www.myfwc. com and at tax collector offices. Sailfish tournament: The Sailfish Cup, a new tournament featuring a firstplace prize of $100,000, is Nov. 13-14 out of Miami Beach Marina. Entry fee is $8,900 plus tax per boat. Visit www.sailfishcup.com.