Water LIFE April 2015

LIFE

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the Gulf

Wa t e r

The Don Ball School of Fishing

True Black Grouper

April 2015

Funky Flounder page 16

Offshore page 14

Peaceful River

page 13

Sharks Coming

page 8

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Mack Attack

page 15

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Fish Pen Found Before Tournament

I started my day out at 5 a.m like I do every day; getting gas, ice, drinks and putting the boat in the water so I can get bait before I pick up my clients. I picked up my clients at the dock everything was normal as can be. We headed out into the Harbor and they told me they wanted to catch snook. The tide was low that day so we went to fish Turtle Bay, there are done deep pot holes inside if you have a shallow running boat you can get in there. They caught snook, trout redfish, and jacks but then the water came up and the fish were headed out of the holes and going in the bushes looking for shade so we headed over to the east wall where there are a lot of full green trees.

As we started to fish we came around this set of islands where I saw a big barrel in the water. It had holes all over it. I pulled it up and found two redfish over 8 pounds in it along with cut pinfish, cut ladyfish and cut mullet. I immediately let both the fish go.

The only reason why those fish were in there was cause there was a redfish Flatmasters tournament the next day and someone went out a couple of days before it, caught them and put them in the pen so they could pick them up during the tournament and cheat. That didn't go well with me, even though at the same time when you try and cheat you still have to pass a lie detector test.

Not even the best fisherman in the world will catch fish every day and fishing a tournament is like going to a casino and gambling – you never know what will happen; the fish might not be there or they can be there and you can look at them all day but will not eat. So by cheating, the cheaters make all the people that are out there doing it the right way look bad.

Capt. Karl Budigian

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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Barrel with 2 redfish in it

Redfish and snook, also from that day

I took on a project that I couldn’t turn down. It will keep me back and forth to Jacksonville for the next number of weeks. It’s very high tech.

The St Johns River wanders through the area, I’ll have some free time. There is, reportedly, good fishing up there. I’m not exactly sure where, so there will be some exploring involved. Help me out if you can and I’ll let you know what I find.

The regular production and delivery of this publication will be uneffected.

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIV No 4 © 2015

No part of this publication (printed or electronic) may be copied or reproduced without specific written permission from the publishers.

Contributing Editors:

M. Heller publisher

Mike, FYI, the kid's event put on by Downtown Bait and Tackle at Laishley Pier last month, went off very well and was positively received. There were 90 youngsters involved and all seemed to have a great time. Thanks for your help with publicity...it worked!

Gene Kingery

Photography: ASA1000.com Senior Editor: Capt. Ron Blago River and Shore: Fishinʼ Frank Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy Barton Family Fishing: Capt. Bart Marx Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner Venice: Glen Ballinger Estero: Capt. Joe Angius Kayaking: WRITER WANTED Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Offshore: Capt. Dan Cambern Fly Fishing: Capt. Scott Sichling Beach Fishing: Mallory Herzog Circulation: Robert Cohn Office Dog Molly Brown: in memorium

COVER: Nico and his True Black grouper, aboard Fish Galore Offshore with Capt. Joe Miller, out of Venice Page 14

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An Equal, Equitable and Ethical Angling Balance

By Michael Heller Water Life editor Spectacular fishing right now – I can’t remember a month in the past 14 years, when every one of the Water LIFE writers focused on a different species and did it without planning or coordination. Dave: Snook, Frank: Spanish mackerel, Billy: Tarpon, Mallory: Tripletail, Bart: Flounder, Joe: Sardines, Chuck: Redfish, Betty: Blue Crabs, Blago: Manatees, Dan: Kingfish and Glen: True Black Grouper. Anglers are catching them all this month and as long as the big rains stay away the catching could continue.

Recreational anglers are out there – Capt Chuck and I went out last week, on a Tuesday. There were so many boats in Turtle Bay it looked like a raft up... well, almost. We fished our way around a few spots and came to a place where a man was poling a bay boat with a fly fisherman on the bow. They were on the left side of a half moon cove, more than 100 yards across. We headed to the right side and boy did they get upset. Hands raised in the air, waving ‘Hey what are you doing? They got our attention. Chuck is a mellow angler, so we motored on, but we did talk about the assumption that they had a right to the entire spot. What is the right thing to do? Should spin-cast anglers or bait-casters yield to fly fishermen like powerboats do for sailors? Do artificials

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come before live bait? I guess it depends who you ask.

And tournament anglers – That was also the week before the cash payout Flatsmasters tournament. Some of the anglers we saw that day were no-doubt scouting fish for the upcoming event. Maybe we even passed the guy Capt.

Karl writes about on the facing page. The first summer tournament means more BAD SCHEDULING The old East Spring Lake Waterway bridge is being demolished as part of the Edgewatower-boats cruising the ter Drive reconstruction project. Seen here, two of the long pilings for the new bridge have already been shorelines and more added driven into the muddy bottom. The piling on the far side of the bridge, the one with the burn marks on top, pressure for the fishery and is the piling that tied up traffic on US 41 last month when the truck delivering the oversized load to the job for other fishermen. Every site hung it up on a street light while turning from US 41 on to Tarpon Boulevard in 5 p.m. rush hour traffic. year I hear people say ‘someJosh Greer brought it back. But since then mercial hatchery raised redfish in subthing needs to be done about it.’

I have heard of nothing other than they are merged net-tanks at different locations So here is an idea around the harbor. Involve the tournaThe state requires licenses for recreational hosting another banquet.

I’d like to see the CCA do more.

I’d ments and local kids with releasing the fishermen, commercial fishermen, crablike to see them lobby the state to adopt a fish into the back country as part of a tourbers and shrimpers and the like, but they Tournament Permit program.

Suggest that nament event. That would be a win-win allow the for-profit fishing tournaments, permits, like culling waivers, be issued to situation and it would create an equal, eqall private businesses, to use the public tournament organizers for each event. uitable and ethical angling balance for us fishery without requiring them to be liSuggest permit fees be a percentage of the all. Fund the Marine Research staff in censed. This is an inequitable good ol’’ entry and sponsor money collected.

SugMurdock to help guide the program. Use boy situation that needs to be brought into gest the FWC require a permit before it isCCA volunteers to monitor the grow out line with modern reality: you have to give sues the culling waiver.

Then suggest that sites. I’ll get 100 Don Ball School of Fishback, you can’t just continue to take. permit fees collected be used to establish a ing kids to help with the program.

This month, the local Coastal Conserstate wide restocking program.

Of course To me, this is exactly the kind of modvation Association has its annual banquet. we’d use Charlotte Harbor as the pilot ern day conservation that we all should be Last year the Charlotte chapter was almost site.

My idea would be to grow out cominvolved in. disbanded for a lack of interest, then Capt.

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Too Many Species To Fish In One Day

By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Harbor Without a doubt, Charlotte Harbor has to be one of the top fishing destinations in the world. With the water temperatures above 75 degrees the flats fishing is at its peak. In the last couple weeks snook fishing has been at its best. I have been consistently able to guide my clients to catches of quality snook, with some days well over 30 fish. For the weekend angler this is the time of year to shine like one of the pros. During the spring the local fish are hungry and willing to take a wide variety of baits. If you are able to throw a cast net and catch bait, there is an abundance of bait in the harbor.

One of the ways to locate the bait, is to look for pelicans or terns. Once you have located the bait and successfully caught it, you are going to want to make the decision of what to fish for. It’s not easy, in Spring time in South West Florida there is

no way you can fish for all the species that are around in one day.

If you decide that the flats is the area you want to focus on, you are going to want to check the local tides. Knowing what the tides are going to be is very important. If the tides are going to be low, you are going to want to focus more on the flats and the pot holes. Pot holes are slightly deeper sandy areas on the flats that game fish move to on the lower tides.

If the tides are going to be higher that day you might want to focus on the mangrove shorelines and points. You can also try the flats and pot holes even on the higher tides.

This is also the time of year when we have a lot of great fishing in the deeper areas of the Harbor, so if you have a bigger boat, or are not comfortable getting way back on the shallow flats, you can still have a very successful day on the water.

Spanish Mackerel are a migratory fish that are found in the Harbor during the

spring and fall. They are a great fighting fish and are not bad to eat so long as you eat them the same day or preferably within the same half-day. Don’t try to freeze them.

The deeper holes in the Harbor are great places to locate these fish right now.

You can catch them in various ways, from trolling, to anchoring and chumming.

Often, trolling is a very productive way to locate schools of these feeding fish.

This time of year cobia are also roam-

APRIL 2015

ing the Harbor, so if you decide to fish the open waters of Charlotte Harbor for mackerel, make sure to be ready for the bigger fish. Twice in the last week I have been caught by surprise by cobia, there will not be a third time!

If you would like to experience some of Charlotte Harbors best fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our charters are private and customized to fit you and your parties needs. Capt. Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com 941-916-5769

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Waiting for Mr T PAGE

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By Capt. Billy Barton

Water LIFE Inshore Just like someone hit the Sunshine State light switch, the heat has arrived and Springtime is here! April and May are two of the most exciting months of the year in Southwest Florida - I'm talking in fisherman's terms! We have big fish arriving in herds and I mean that literally! From schools of rolling tarpon followed by packs of hungry bull sharks and hammerheads, to cobia, triple-tail and schools of big red fish and black drum.

The time to be out fishing is now. I

suppose it's not a tough problem to have when you can't decide what it is you want to fish for that day, because well, let’s face it, everything is here at once and everything out there is hungry!

Tarpon are by far the most exciting fish to target for the sportsmen. There's nothing like seeing a monster silver fish bigger than yourself get hooked and launch six to eight feet in the air like a rocket! It takes my breath away every time I see it. The anticipation is almost unbearable when you're out there and these fish are rolling all around the boat.

It takes a little bit of work to get them to play some days, however they are by far one of the most gratifying fish to put in

someones hands and tarpon can make for some absolutely memorable experiences.

Pretty much every pack of tarpon that you see is going to have bull sharks around them. A pack of bulls can take a 6 foot tarpon down to just floating scales in a matter of seconds! You may not see the sharks with your own two eyes, but they are there, I promise you.

Last year was one of the most insane years I've ever seen or heard of when it comes to bull sharks down here and a lot

of captains and anglers will agree with me when I say this. last year, the bull sharks fearlessly made their presence known, inshore and offshore.

One of the most frustrating things to me is working hard to get a client hooked up with a good tarpon, then having that fish taken by a bull shark. It's a commonality though, especially the closer you get to the Gulf.

Over the years, these sharks have gotten better and better at knowing when a

APRIL 2015

tarpon is hooked and in trouble. When they show up it happens very quick, so it's very important, if you can, to prevent these sharks from taking advantage of you and your fish!

The best thing you can do if the sharks are chasing your fish is to free spool your fish and let him run with no pressure. If your fish is still green, a lot of times by doing this you can help it get away. Then you can catch that line back up and continue the fight. I personally refuse to feed my hooked up tarpon to the bull sharks if I have any option.

If it looks like there's very little chance

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my fish is going to get away while hooked, sometimes in the spur of the moment it's better to just break that fish off and give him a fighting chance.

If you are that lucky angler that day and you boat a fish, revival is another very important part of the deal. If you catch your fish in the Pass and you're close to the beach, take that fish to the shallows where it can be released with a chance. Don't ever boat a big tarpon ei-

ther! You've pretty much assured the fish a zero survival rate chance if the fish is large and you try to bring it in the boat. If you're not close to the beach and you are in the Harbor, just have someone drive at a slow idle as you hold on to the fishes lower jaw. This gets water flowing through your fishes gills and helps bring it back to life.

A tarpon will just about fight to the death but it is still a very delicate fish for its size. The longer that fish is on the line,

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the lesser its chance of survival. I like to have a large tarpon at the boat in 30 minutes or less. Typically a 30 minute fight will mean 5 to 10 minutes of revival. The ultimate goal is to boat that fish as quickly as possible and then to release it in as good of health as possible so that it may live to fight another day. If you keep that mentality, the fish Gods should be good to you! Best of luck out there guys and gals!

Catch one to remember and put her back healthy!

Capt. Billy Barton owns and operates Scalesn-Tails Fishing Charters. http://www.puntagordafishingcharter.com Call him at: 941- 979-6140 He’s also on

Lionfish

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By Lion Bryan At its meeting in Jacksonville, the FWC designated the first Saturday after Motherʼs Day each year to be Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day. On this day the FWC will encourage extra effort from the public to remove lionfish from Florida waters.

The FWC has several activities planned for the weekend of the first annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day, which is May 16. On the 16th and 17th, divers across the state will be encouraged to see how many lionfish can be removed from Florida waters in one weekend. Divers are asked to report their catches via the Report Florida Lionfish app or online at MyFWC. Several local sponsors across the state are also scheduling lionfish derbies in conjunction with the weekend. A festival and derby will be hosted by the FWC, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition.

The FWC is also rolling out its new Reef Rangers Lionfish Control Program, asking members of the public to select a reef and pledge to remove lionfish from that area several times a year.

More about lionfish: MyFWC.com/Lionfish.

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Understanding Our Shallow Water Fishery PAGE

By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Inshore Once you understand the basic anatomy of the shallow water fishery you will experience amazing fishing for a huge variety of hard fishing gamefish!

One of the key things about our dynamic fishery is that is has a strong tidal influence and we are in an environment of very shallow water that is also affected by strong winds. The shallows are largely covered in a wide variety of aquatic grasses except where mangrove islands, oyster and sandbars exist. Because of the variety of habitat and variation in tides and weather, you have changing bottom contours that present both opportunity and challenge.

The shallow water key to finding fish is locating holes. The fishing hole is a classic expression that goes back hundreds of years. As a young boy fishing in a “crick” in West Virginia, I bank fished deep water pockets in the stream to catch freshwater suckerfish. When leaving grandma’s house I said I was going to the “fishing hole.” In reality, not much has changed.

Tides move water and bottom sand and silt. Just about every mangrove island anywhere in Charlotte Harbor or the Pine Island Sound has depth variations. A north end or south end of an island on the east side will often have a hole on the end.

These are created by the tides coming in

and going out, over and over. Some of these bottom depressions will get deeper over time and change shape while others will fill in. In the 13 years that I have fished here, I have lost more spots than I currently have. I can have a hot spot last 1-3 years, but seldom longer because eventually the bottom depth changes or different grasses take over a spot.

Another interesting feature about our shallow water fishery is there is rolling vegetation that forms mainly in the winter months. It is a pillowy mass of grass that rolls around on the flats like sage brush on the prairies and piles up in areas… sometimes in your sweet spot. When this grass fills in a trough along a mangrove or on a sandbar, the fish will usually avoid it.

Acts of nature like hurricane Charley, changed bottom contours everywhere. In one location near Hobbs Island on the east side it cleared a bottom area revealing a huge limestone ledge full of holes which looked like Swiss cheese. It removed years of silt build up and created a magnificent hard bottom with 7 feet of water in the back country. I found this right after the hurricane and so did the redfish!

It lasted only a couple of years before tides and winds filled it back up.

To be a student of shallow water fishing you must take your time, fish lots of places and use the winter and spring months to take visual note of where there are deeper spots and bottom variations. A

APRIL 2015

It looks like there may be some moving water around the point in the distance. Moving water and ambush points are what fish look for.

deeper spot may only be 6-inches to a foot which makes a big difference to a fish. If our tides shift a normal 2 feet from high to low, a ½ foot hole on an island becomes an ambush point because it is 25-percent deeper than the surrounding water!

Other features that create shifts in the bottom include feeder creeks and wind troughs. Feeder creeks anywhere on the harbor have deep water and shallow water inside the creek and at the mouth. Snook and redfish use these locations to feed, but the key is often figuring which tide to fish on and sometimes what time of year.

Wind can create depth changes too at times, often more subtle than tidal effects.

Prevailing winds can funnel air in gaps in

mangroves and flats sometimes removing silt and revealing shell bottoms that fish key in on.

Florida gamefish change locations throughout the day as water depths increase allowing them to enter the shallows and then again retreating off the shallows with falling water. Spots will change from year to year, but fish are basically primitive in nature and will seek ambush points from where they can feed. A hot spot you had last year may be gone this year, but likely you can find another one nearby if you put in the time.

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040

CANVAS & UPHOLSTERY

APRIL 2015

Eat ʻEm

Spanish Mackerel are not a fish to catch and freeze for later, the meat is not tasty after being frozen, so I only keep them if I am going to have time to clean and cook them that night.

I will keep 3 for two people, that seems like more than you would want, but if you have a grill, some butter and McCormick brand lemon herb spice, it may not be enough.

I butter one side of the fillet, then sprinkle some of the lemon herb on it and place that side down on the hot grill. Oh, and by the way, when you fillet a Spanish watch for bones by the belly. Spanish are tricky to fillet properly to get out all of the bones. After removing the skin rub your fingers up and down the meat. Your finger can feel bones way better than your eyes can see them.

When the side facing down on the grill is brown I butter the top side add some seasoning and flip it over. Brown on both sides is done. Serve with any old side dish as you will only be thinking about eating more of the mackerel any way.

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By Fishin’ Frank Water LIFE Baitshop Spanish mackerel are in the Harbor in good numbers, from Marker No. 2 to the 41 bridges.

Then they seem to spread out a little and start to regroup again by the reef. The largest grouping of Spanish is at the south end of the Harbor by Marker No.5 and around Cape Haze, with Jug Creek shoals coming in second.

Spanish are very well-known for taking lures, so unlike most fish I often tell people to troll lures they don't use any more or don't like much. The lures need to be smaller - 3 inches or less. and while it is thought that the mackerel will bite through the line, which is sort of true, it is the buddies of the one you have hooked that bite through your leader/ line. When one mackerel gets hooked up, its excited thrashing around makes the rest of the school think it has the best food ever and they come to get in on the feast. Mackerel will hit anything that moves or makes noise, which if you think about it, if a mackerel got to be 4-foot, I wouldn’t want to go in the water!

Getting back to the point, the one hooked gets the others excited and they start darting about looking for the thing which got the other fish so excited and your swivel or the knot that attached the leader to your line becomes a

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them which when pulled through the water causes them to be pulled under and the force perfect target, even where just your line is cutof the water gets deflected off of the lip causting the water, the ‘V’ it makes while you reel ing the lure to swing side to side imitating a in is fair game to crazy feeding Spanish. swimming action of a bait fish.

If you are looking for very good lures to That side-to-side movetroll, try the Maverick Golden Eye in the ment of your lure makes the small version or the Storm tip of your rod bounce or Twitch.

A toothy Spanish vibrate. If the rod end is from Charlotte Harbor bouncing, or best case pulling hard, you have a fish, or if pulling down a bit then rebounding back up that would mean a very small fish or a weed has been caught in the lure. Either way start again.

If you are going to cast for mackerel I would suggest spoons or Got-cha lures. Spoons should be small like the Clark Squid Spoon #0 These lures have a or #00. The problem is, they are too light to lip on them and do not spin when you cast, so I put a water fill-able casting bubble troll them, use a light rod. Let’s say a 6 to 12 on the line ahead of the Spoon to give it pound class 7 foot spinning or bait cast set up weight in the air, then once the bubble hits the with something 6 pound test or more. I troll at water it has no weight, it is just a plastic bubabout 3 miles per hour for the mackerel. ble full of water.

Another trick I learned is to keep the rods I The got-Cha lure is different. It is a jig type am trolling in front of me. I mounted rod holdbait and should be reeled in moderately fast ers on the front deck of my boat so I can watch with a jigging action, which means while reelwhere I am going and see when a fish hits. If ing steady you would sharply lift the tip of the rods are behind you, you may not find out your rod. Then lower it, repeating this the about what is happening until you are out of whole time you are retrieving the lures. Good line. Watch the tip of you rods. They should be luck out there, have fun and be safe. vibrating. The lures have a lip on the front of

Frank@fishinfranks.com 625-3888

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AQUATICA

Peace River Blue Crab Migration Underway

By Capt. Betty Staugler Water LIFE Sea Grant

It’s that time of year.

If you haven’t noticed blue crabs are concentrated in the Peace River; and where blue crabs are concentrated blue crab traps follow. Once the rains fall and salinities drop the crabs will disperse and so will the traps. Although blue crabs can live up to six years, most live less than two. In Florida they are considered an annual crop that at present is sustainable, meaning it is not overfished or experiencing overfishing.

Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are found from the Gulf of Maine to northern Argentina. In the northern part of their U.S. range, blue crabs take up to two years to mature; however in Florida Jimmy Beall and his Peace River Seafood crew checking their crab traps last month Below: Having reached the "buster" or molt stage, a blue crab sheds its shell they mature by 12 months of age. Based on tagging and genetic studies, it is Blue crabs and other crustaceans thought that two genetically distinct have an outer shell called an exoskelepopulations occur in the Gulf of Mexton that protects their soft body. As such ico; a western population that extends they must molt this outer shell as they from Pensacola to Texas; and an eastern grow in size. During molting the expopulation that extends from oskeleton splits and the soft-bodied aniApalachicola to Goodland. mal backs out. The new outer shell This theory is consistent with migra- remains soft until minerals from the seation patterns exhibited by female blue water, in particular calcium, harden the crabs. Throughout most of their U.S. new exoskeleton. Female crabs reach a range, blue crab migrations are very lim- terminal molt after which time they no ited with movement inshore to offshore, longer grow. This molt corresponds rather than alongshore. Male blue crabs with the onset of sexual maturity when are generally found within an estuary, mating occurs. Because it is their last while females migrate to higher salinity molt, most females will only mate once, After mating she moves offshore to nearshore waters to spawn. Along the although evidence suggests that some spawn.

A female can retain sperm for eastern Gulf of Mexico however, blue females molt a second time after bemore than a year before releasing eggs. crab females migrate large distances, coming mature thus allowing them to Eggs are fertilized as they pass out of the some as far north as Apalachee Bay to mate a second time. female’s body and are retained in an spawn. The larvae then get transported Peek spawning occurs from March apron under her abdomen. Although a back in a southerly direction along the through October, but evidence suggests typical egg mass contains about 2 mileastern Gulf Coast. It’s thought that some spawning occurs year round. Adult lion eggs, on average only 2 will survive along-shore flow is impeded near female are normally found in the estu- until adulthood.

Apalachee Bay preventing east/west ary although at higher salinities then Blue crab seasonal and annual abuntransport of larvae thus creating the two adult males. However, when she is ready dances tend to follow habitat preferdistinct populations. to mate she will move into the upper esences and weather patterns, in particular tuary where the males are concentrated.

rainfall and flow. Males inhabit coastal river and estuary systems with brackish waters; females seek out these same areas during mating, and then lower saltier estuary reaches, or open water to spawn; and juveniles are found in shallow marshes or seagrass beds with brackish salinities. A Tampa Bay study that used seines to collect various sizes of blue crabs over different habitats found abundances of recruits highest in January and February, juveniles highest in February through March, and adults highest in May. Several studies have evaluated annual rainfall and river flow patterns with blue crab abundances. For instance, large peaks in immature abundances were seen in 1998 in association with increased rainfall and river flows during the 1997-98 El Nino. The peaks extended into the adult population and correlated with high commercial landings in 1998. A La Nina event that produced lower than average rainfall and river flow from late 1998 through the beginning of 2002 corresponded to a low in the abundance of immature blue crabs in 2002. Because blue crabs are an annual crop they can, and have, rebounded quickly from low flow events once freshwater inputs return to normal. That said, the salinity needs of blue crabs drives home the importance of maintaining minimum water flows in our coastal rivers. After all, in Charlotte County, blue crabs are king of our commercial fishery.

Charlotte County Sea Grant Agent, Capt. Betty Staugler UF/IFAS Extension, Charlotte County (941) 764-4346

APRIL 2015

Tranquility of the Peace

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By Michael Heller Water LIFE Peace River I left my dock at Port Charlotte before it was light out. By the time I was past the I-75 bridge there was some unpredicted fog and it was pretty thick. Using the GPS in my cell phone I motored slowly up the Peace River to the open water at Harbour Heights. There I saw the shape of a vessel off to the east of the channel. It was Happy Meridith, fishing for catfish from his home made pontoon boat.

“Yesterday, I already had a boat full of them by now,” he told me.

Further up river, at Bird Island, the wood storks were waking up slowly as the fog began to lift. They were clucking and whirring loudly and strangely unafraid of my boat as I motored by and then drifted back, in slow motion. Then I timidly tied off on a mangrove twig and looked away.

A few birds were transitioning back and forth to the mainland, returning with sticks for their nests. A pink rosette spoonbill circled the island and landed.

Quietly, I slid over the side, to stand ankle deep in the water as I tried to better see the pink bird. Two spoonbills, I found, were nesting on the island, right in the middle of all the wood storks. The birds were all adults, mostly in pairs and sitting on their nests. In another month there will be fuzzy babies everywhere.

None of the birds seemed bothered by me, so I slowly climbed up on a dead tree, from where I watched the male spoonbill fly down to the water, hunt up a crab or a small fish and bring it back to his mate. There were no pink feathers around. Spoonbill feathers, like flamingo feathers, lose their color once they molt. I took a few more pictures, got back in the boat, untied and quietly drifted off with the current. Very cool!

Further up river, near the Liverpool cutoff, the river grasses were taking on the bright green color of spring. Jimmy Beall and his Peace River Seafood crew were out checking their crab traps. “The crabbers down in the Harbor are the ones doing pretty well now,” Jimmy told me. I think a lot of the crabs are moving out of the river now. (see story on the facing page). Soon the river will be populated by week-end campers, there will be kids tubeing and swinging from ropes on trees. People will be standing in the water waist deep along the sandy shores. Summer is coming on quick and the natives are restless.

True Black Grouper PAGE

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By Glen Ballinger Water LIFE Venice Offshore Let me start out by describing, as best I can, what or better who the True Black Grouper is.

He is the king of the reef or ledge he resides on. He is the baddest fish and no other fish gets in his way.

At this time of year they migrate north from the keys into an area of the Gulf where Capt. Joe Miller knows they like to live.

Now to the dedicated Gulf fisherman who enjoys the challenges of fishing for bottom reef fish: any serious fisherman wants to catch a True Black sometime in their life, just once.

It takes so much time and effort to make catching the True Blacks possible. Fishing in the right places, having the proper equipment and tackle and then, when you get hooked up, just hope that you can turn this beast of a freight train around and get it off the bottom where it is rules.

A few weeks ago, a local restauranteur we call ‘Nico’ his real name is Vito Nicola Candelora and he owns the San Marco Italian Restaurant in Venice, (on Main street) went out on a normal offshore charter trip with Captain Joe Miller out of Venice.

They caught large amberjacks and tried to catch some African pompano. Then they moved to catch mangrove snapper and the spot where maybe they could catch some large black grouper.

Nico was up for the fight and he ended up hauling in this awesome prize of a fish. A 67-pound True Black! Anyone that fishes way offshore for grouper can appreciate what Nico accomplished and the best part is that he shared this fabulous experience with his son Lorenzo.

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Left: Nico with his True Black Grouper.

Above another True Black Below: grouper snapper and amberjack all from Capt. Joe Miller

APRIL 2015

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Spur of the Moment

By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Fishing Whenever I go fishing I usually plan it out at least the night before, getting everything ready and trying to be as prepared as possible. I lay everything out, Andrew puts new leader on the lines. We look at the charts or google earth for the perfect place to start the day.

Then there are those completely spur-of-the-moment trips. The ones where you wake up at 8am, get coffee and decide to take the boat out. Getting to the ramp at 10 am isn't ideal.

Especially not in season, but some how these trips tend to turn out well.

Captain Andrew had heard from a friend about triple tail hanging out on the crab buoy's sitting out in the Gulf and bigger sheepshead on the reefs. We talked about this being our target fish for the day as we raced towards the bait shop and then the ramp. We had to get bait at a place I was unfamiliar with, due to the fact of it being on the way and there was no time to waste. Thankfully the guys had a few dozen left and even some hooks. I needed some super tiny hooks for sheepshead and smaller weight for the reef.

Surprisingly we get a spot at the ramp right away, launch and head out following the line of boats out of the channel. Andrew asks me to dig out the new hooks we bought and get everything ready. First mate fail! I left all of the tackle back at the truck. This is when my pack rat problem comes in handy. I was able to find enough tackle around the boat to make it

work. A lesson to always keep an emergency box of various tackle on board.

The reef, it was easy to spot today since about a dozen boats were anchored on it. We hung out for a bit and caught some nice sheepshead on frozen shrimp.

After the action slowed on the reef we decided to turn our focus to the triple tail. These fish are great eating. They have thick fillets and are delicious.

Keeper size is over 15 inches.

Finding them is almost as much fun as catching them.

You cruise the crab pots on plane and look underneath the floats.

They also like to sit along the rope.

In the spring months, as your cruising along, you will eventually see a triple tail. The first one we spotted was pretty close on the first string of crab traps closest to the beach.

We turned around and got on the trolling motor so we wouldn't scare the fish. Turns out this triple tail wasn't shy at all, or hungry for that matter. Andrew pitched his bait at this fish over and over again. No interest. Just as we were about

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to head out and run more traps Andrew spotted a disturbance in the water coming towards the boat.

It was a school of fish, making the water boil at the surface. They were charged up and feeding and as they came closer to the boat we realized it was cobia!

Andrew was on trolling motor and holding a Shimano Symetre 2500 loaded with 10lb line, 20lb fluro leader and shrimp on a 3/0 circle hook tied with a loop knot. This is ideal tackle for triple tail, not a cobia.

Can you guess what happens next?

FISH ON! His first words to me were " well this is going to probably come undone" This was a nice sized fish, peeling line off the light tackle reel. The trolling motor helped him start to gain, but this fish wasn't going to give in without a fight. Every time Andrew got him close to the surface, the fish would give an explosive run towards the bottom. Rubbing the leader against its body and those sharp spines, the next strong burst could break

PAGE 15

the leader. One of the last runs the cobia made I could see the bottom of the spool.

Andrew eventually tired his catch out and I was able to get it in the net. What an intense fish on light tackle.

Before heading in we decided to cruise the trap line furthest away from the reef.

As we were cruising by Andrew spotted an extra large triple tail. We slowed down turned around and cruised up to the crab trap on trolling motor. Using the same reel he caught the cobia on he cast out a live shrimp. By this time the wind had picked up and it carried his line past the intended target. This triple tail didn’t care, he chased after his bait with vigor. Andrew was reeling up the bait to recast as this fish took charge, inhaling the bait and getting hooked. Captain Andrew fish on take 2! These fish are a great fight, taking Andrew about 10 minutes to get him to the net. Just in the nick of time too as this triple tail turned out to be hooked just barely. Not bad for a spur of the moment trip out on the Gulf. Not to mention fresh dinners for the next few days!

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By Capt Bart Marx Water LIFE Inshore In March I had 6 anglers from the Carrol family. It was a breezy day to go out into the Gulf so we found some places to hide where the fish were biting inshore. Our first stop was at the phosphate dock pilings where they caught some nice flounder - one was half colorless - and some sheepshead.

There were cousins, aunts, uncles, and sisters involved. Lets just say they kept me busy taking fish off and putting on fresh bait so I had very little time to talk and get the scoop on who was who and so on.

After some time we were visited by some snorkelers and other boats so it was time to make a move to another spot not far from This flounder came up with half of his top side colorless where we were fishing, about like his bottom side.

300 feet away, so we could fish another area of the dock.

My quick fish-taco recipe is coleslaw, The Dad/Husband lost something big in shredded cabbage and Marzettis slaw this spot, it might have been a snook. He dressing, use the fish of your choice fried, yelled and the rod was bent and line was going off the spool and then it came unbut- grilled etc. Then finish it off with some toned (SNAP) and the look on his face was mango salsa, Winner! It’s easy and tastes pretty good too. priceless. He just lost possibly the largest If you would like to have your own Florida fish he ever had on a rod and reel and he Fishing adventure call Capt. Bart Marx 941was bewildered. It took a few minutes for 979-6517 or e-mail me at captbart@alhim to accept that he lost that battle. phaomegacharters.com. I can go on your boat Again it was time to find another fishing with you or you can come along on our boat to area. We idled through the canal system of make your own memories on the waters of Boca Grande so they could see Boca South West Florida.

Grande Marina and the golf course where the Bush family played and the Inn of Boca Grande and the big yachts and houses where today the millionaires are getting bought out by the billionaires. Then we traveled over to the edge of Bull Bay where we anchored up once again to fish.

Once again they kept me busy. They were catching lady fish, trout, jack crevelle and a few cat fish. And the sisters had a double hookup on snook too. The Carrol family and I had a fun trip and there was enough fish for fish tacos that evening.

Bait is Always Key APRIL 2015

By Captain Joe Angius Water LIFE Estero Bay The warmer water temperatures in Estero Bay have brought in a lot of quality threadfins and whitebait. Mixed in with the large threadfins are tarpon, which means it won’t be long before all of the backwater creeks and flats are stocked with them.

Bait is the name of the game when it comes down to catching these beautiful shallow water game fish and the most productive areas to catch quality threadfins and whitebait have been bridges. If bait is nowhere to be found around the bridges, I would suggest two alternatives: shallow grass flats and open water.

Find a shallow grass flat with 2-5 feet of clean water with a strong current and anchor up on it. Chum the area around you to bring the bait to you or wait patiently until the bait shows up.

Throw an 8ft 3/8inch mesh cast net. This will help filter out the grass and glass minnows from your net. If the bait isn’t showing up on the grass flats, open water is next.

Open water bait searching is my last resort method, but it has been productive the past few weeks. When it is calm out early in the morning, it can be very easy to spot a large bait school in open water. Birds will be diving on the bait, fish may be blowing up on it, and the bait pod will make it look like it’s raining. Anchor up in 15-20 feet of water, chum a lot, and wait. When the bait pod makes its way to the boat throw a 10 or 12 foot 3/8inch mesh cast net. It is very important to have a fast sinking net in this situation because the bait is deeper in the water column.

Using live threadfins has been extremely productive with getting the fish to

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strike, but when the bait is too large, it’s difficult to get a hook set. Then I will cut the threadfins in half and fish around the mangroves on high water or fish lower water around the oyster bars. Snook have been aggressive toward this cut bait method as well.

Lately, the most productive bait in Estero Bay for me has been large whitebait and shrimp.

The redfish bite has been excellent this month and they are inclined to eat almost anything that falls in front of them.

One of my repeat clients and I decided early in the morning we would change the pace and try artificial baits. We were using the new Flats HQ “Flats Walker” in bone and golden color, as well as the “Flats Swimmer” in root beer gold.

The fish went absolutely crazy for these baits, especially the large redfish feeding high up on the oyster bars. I highly recommend these artificial baits on days where live bait may be too hard to find!

Try your best to respect the boaters, wildlife, fishermen and fisherwomen around you. Remember, that the gift of the world and the habitats around us are borrowed and not given. Have fun fishing and enjoy what our area has to offer.

Captain Joe Angius (727)-234-3171 Speakeasyfishing.com FlatsHQ.com

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April 1 Column

On The Line

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By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff

The other day at my local watering hole, I made the acquaintance of a gentleman who said he was a low level employee at the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab (MMPL) in St. Petersburg. This is the place where they bring all the dead manatees for a necropsy. This guy told me an amazing story, but made me promise to keep his name anonymous so henceforth he will be known as Deep Snoot (DS).

One day last month: DS was at his favorite hiding place, the last stall of the executive men's room, working on his Sweet 16 bracket picks when a number of FWC executives and managers walked in and seemed to be having some sort of clandestine meeting.

According to DS, the leader of the group was very upset about the recent manatee population survey that found 6,063 manatees in Florida, an all time record. He said that this would be the last bit of data the Feds would use to delist the manatee. If the Feds did that, the Sate would surely follow and there goes the taxpayers funding for the lab. The executive said that he wanted all the managers to come up with money saving and money making ideas that would allow them all to save their jobs. One of the managers spoke up and said the biggest expense they had was dealing with all these dead manatees. He reminded the group that over the last 10 years there have been over 5,000 dead manatees reported. Someone calls in a report of a dead manatee and he has to send someone out to recover the carcass, bring it to a boat ramp and load it on a trailer and drive it to the lab. There, it is cut up in an attempt to determine the cause of death. Then they haul the remains to the dump.

An FWC officer towed a dead manatee into Pirate Harbor last month. We think the FWC used a small boatramp to transfer the animal to their trailer. With more manatees than ever before (we say there are now 7,000+) there will be record numbers of manatee deaths and eventually the largest category of manatee deaths will be attributed to old age.

He pointed out , that after 40 years of cutting up manatees they probably got as much scientific information as there is to be had. He also reported that after all that work the single largest category of manatee deaths is still “undetermined,” so giving up on retrieving dead manatees would save a lot of money and not really hurt any scientific research. Another manager spoke up and said that he had been contacted by a group of Asian business men who were interested in purchasing manatee hides for processing into high end leather goods and this could develop into a significant source of revenue. After all, woman pay hundreds of dollars for high end leather designer handbags, why not shoes, wallets and belts made out of manatee hide?

The head guy thanked everyone for coming and praised them for thinking outside the box. They left the men's room one at a time so as to not raise suspicion.

After they had all left; DS packed up his things and went to lunch.

This story may sound amazing but it does have an element of truth in it. In researching this article I came across a Manatee Salvage Program as part of MMPL. Could this be the group in charge of finding new uses for dead manatees? Is there another program for live manatees? Ever since a few FWC staff members were reprimanded a few years back, for throwing a slab of fresh manatee on the barbecue, people have been wondering about manatee as a food source. Remember that people around the world eat some pretty strange things like; dog, horse, bugs and whales; so can manatees be that far out of line? They're vegetarian, organic and free range. I wonder how much a pair of manatee hide cowboy boots would go for? I bet they’d be saltwater resistant.

Note from the Capt: This article is totally false and has no basis in fact. No manatees were killed or injured in the writing of this article.

Happy April Fools Day capt.ronb@juno.com.

The photo above was shot last month and is very REAL

APRIL 2015

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KingfishTurning On

Ted Dilkens and mate Chad with a 40-pound kingfish caught on a blue runner in March

By Capt. Dan Cambren Water LIFE Offshore I used to fish for kings and Spanish mackerel using spoons and planers which work just fine, especially if you’re on the move and just want to load the cooler with fish. But in reality who really needs a whole cooler of mackerel? If you don't eat them fresh, like within a day or two they get rather fishy tasting and not in a good ‘fishy-taste’ kind of way.

Several years ago I started using more live bait and less hardware to catch these speedsters and I found it was way more sporting and fun. For Spanish mackerel it's hard to beat a live well full of frisky live whitebait. Set up on the edge of a drop off by any of our local passes and start chumming a few baits with the current. Next put a live white bait on a light jig or a bare long shank hook and pitch it back with your chummers and hold on! I use 40- to 50-pound fluorocarbon leader for the Spanish macks, you'll get bit off occasionally but have a lot more strikes than when using steel leader.

Catching King mackerel is a little different because you'll need to step up the gear just a bit. I like to use medium to heavy spinning tackle with several hundred yards of line in case a "smoker" king shows up. For bait, it's hard to beat a large blue runner or cigar minnow. Use a sabiki rig to catch these baits from just off the beach out to 40 or 50 feet of water. This year the bait has been insane and it is everywhere right now. We've actually had good bait off shore all winter long, the water stayed warm enough for the bait to stick around so we caught a few kings in January before some of our stronger cold fronts came through. I use a short length of light wire leader with a stinger treble

hook 4 to 6 inches from the front hook.

We catch a lot of kings just pitching a live bait out behind the boat while we are anchored up and bottom fishing.

I'll put a block of chum out behind the boat and let the bigger pieces drift down to the bottom for the snapper and grouper while the oils from the chum float up on top of the water and create a nice slick that will eventually end up a mile or two behind the boat. This helps to draw in all kinds of pelagics and other predators such as Black-fin tuna, cobia, amber jack, and even wahoo and sailfish if your lucky. There's no shortage of fish to be caught on a flat lined live bait, and I put one out religiously when ever I'm at anchor.

If I'm not bottom fishing and want to catch more with the live bait I'll slow troll a couple of blue runners or cigar minnows around hard bottom or other reef structure to get better action. Just troll as slow as possible with live bait otherwise they'll be skipping on top and won't look natural. I'll bump troll my boat, putting it in gear for a few seconds and then just drift the baits behind the boat so they can swim normally.

So, next time you go out, put away the hardware and try some live bait fishing. I think you'll find it a lot more sporting and enjoy the fight much better. Catch 'em up!

Capt Dan Cambern runs Hammerhead Charters LLC out of the Fishery boat docks in Placida, Fl. Call 941-380-6226 or 941-625-6226 to book your next trip of a lifetime. Also look at our daily posts on Facebook @ Hammerhead Charters LLC. Like us and leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you!

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IF BIG SUGAR BALKS over a land deal with the State that would help maintain Lake Okeechobee and its runoff, citizens are asking why the state doesnʼt take the land under Eminent Domain? ... like it does from small private citizens.

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

AN FWC OFFICER WAS CHECKING shoreline recreational fisherman when she noticed the cargo pants pocket of one fisherman making a jerking motion outward. She observed a bucket with all legal fish, including a mangrove snapper, adjacent to the subjects. She approached the subjects and inquired if she could see what was in the individualʼs pocket. The subject produced an undersized hogfish and a mangrove snapper from his pocket and was cited for those violations.

We think this FWC truck was sunk at the Apollo Beach, boat ramp. The FWC has not confirmed the location

the middle of Pine Island Sound. Under current law, the taking and/or possession of any live shell is prohibited in Lee County. The complainant, a local charter fishing guide, reportedly observed the activity for several minutes and then called the Wildlife Alert number to report it. Officers were able to locate and apprehend the subjects while still in the act of collecting the live shells. Both subjects, who are locally known commercial fishermen, were issued notices to appear on the violations and the operator received several written warnings for boating safety violations.

Slow Progress - Removel of the old decking is still underway at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex fishing pier and it doesnʼt look like it will be ready for fishermen this month.

FWC OFFICERS WERE IN BULL BAY when they noticed a small vessel traveling along the mangrove line in shallow water. Upon contact, the operator made mention of only having a trout, however once it was apparent the officers were going to do an inspection of the vessel the operator admitted to also having a snook. When the snook was measured it was found to be undersized by three inches. Citations were issued.

OFFICERS RESPONDED BY BOAT to a citizen complaint of two individuals taking live shells along the sandbar located in

FISHING GUIDES ASSISTED MARINE BIOLOGISTS with a manatee rescue in the Pine Tree Canal of St James City.

The team, through a group effort, were able to net a nine foot male manatee and load it into an air conditioned box truck.

According to the biologist on scene, the manateeʼs injury was blunt trauma, believed to have been caused by a vessel strike. It was later transported to the St. Petersburg Marine Mammal Patho Biology Lab.

2017-22 OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL AND GAS LEASING PROGRAM. A group of oil industry representatives were in North Carolina last month to talk about what they see as the benefits offshore energy exploration could bring to the area. We can learn from their approach. Advocates say oil and natural gas development in the Atlantic could

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• Jacksonville

create 55,000 jobs in North Carolina and generate $4 billion for the state budget by 2035. The rewards, opponents say, cannot offset the related risks to coastal habitats fisheries, estuaries and industry.

It is interesting to note, the group met with members of the County Economic Development Council - they are selling the money making potential of oil even though oil is at record lows. Their visit came as the deadline nears for public comment on the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Managementʼs environmental impact statement for the already in place 2017-22 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

This also comes amid pending applications for federal approval of offshore seismic surveys – the first step in exploring for oil and natural gas resources, which the industry would like to see begin later this year. The oil potential extends through the Gulf Stream and down Floridaʼs coast.

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Sailing APRIL 2015

By Peter Welch Water LIFE Sailing

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Two Big Regattas Last Month

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THE 22ND CONQUISTADOR CUP

Forty six boats in seven class’s had two days of racing in winds of 15-20 knots. That is 5 to 10 knots above Charlotte Harbor norms and it challenged habitual sail trim and timing of maneuvers. The flip side for most was the joy of the boat at maximum speed. This was especially true for multihull boats that exceed the wind speed. And also true for boats labeled as “slow” because they have reduced sail area, better for cruising in high winds. Those with a long waterline sailed “above their rating” and bested perennial light air winners.

In some ways Conquistador is a story of two races; overall performance for both days and winning the Sunday Pursuit race to get the Conquistador helmet for a year and your boat picture on the T-shirt that next year’s racers wear.

Boats start the pursuit in reverse order of PHRF rating…slowest first, and fastest last.

The trimaran Kimosabi started 31 minutes after the first boat out and finished first winning the coveted Conquistador’s Helmit.

Skipper Phil Saunders showed over 16 knots boat speed.

Spinnaker A was a return contest between Still Crazy and Obsession with the outcome reversed. With another season of experience with the J95 Bob Knowles and crew on Still Crazy beat Melges 24 Obsession via a tie break. Bob credits use of the larger spinnaker and improved jib trim with the win but points out that Obsession was over early in race 3 and had to re cross the line giving him a slim margin in that race.

Spinnaker B was dominated by Soulshine with four first place races. The class was an S2 7.9 event 1st thru 3rd place.

The multi hull fleet, with their wider tack and jibe angles, seemed to be on a different course. And they were moving very fast. Some seemed to have too much sail power at times, even rounding up down wind. The slower rated Kimosabi had the right combination to win the class with three firsts and a third.

In non-spinnaker A, Fancy Free demonstrated the dividend’s that crew and boat de-

Conquistador winner Kimosabi.

velopment brings. Gerald Poquette has raced the boat for 29 years and increased the main sail size. He says “don’t be afraid of a rating penalty if the boat sails better”!

Fancy Free got the Helmet two years ago and was second in the class this year with two firsts. Non Spinnaker B was dominated by Morgan with three first places.

2015 LEUKEMIA CUP

Isles Yacht Club promotes and manages this multi event charity drive that regularly sends over $30,000 to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Only the sailing events will be covered here. If you have other interests check their web site, contribute to the good cause and have fun.

The March 21-22 Regatta hosted 24 boats over 20 ft long for two races on the 21st and one longer race the 22nd. Winds both days were light, subject to direction change, and random in where it reached down to sail height. There is an element of luck, but those who know the harbor point the boat to where the new wind is most likely to arrive. And for best speed go where the tidal current is lowest.

Race 1 on the 21st. was delayed an hour to allow fog to clear and wind build to 5 knots. But the wind died about half way thru, leaving 14 boats stranded on the course until the time limit expired. Those boats got scored one place worse than the last to finish. There was a further delay while the wind for race 2 built to about 10 knots, but then decreased. The course was shortened via radio instruction and most finished. At that point Nuzzo, Knowles, and New were tied for first in spinnaker, and Fowler and Brauer were the same in Cruis-

Conquistador Cup sailors enjoying 15-20 knots of wind

Water LIFE sailing photos: Fran Burstein

ing. The Next day’s Pursuit Race was going to decide those divisions.

The Pursuit Race start was delayed an hour while the wind clocked from NE to south and got up to about 5 knots. Racers could choose to stay to the east in less adverse current or drive to the west wall in anticipation that the wind would continue to clock that way and freshen. The author and two others went west 17 boats chose the east wall. Halfway up to the weather mark the west bound boats were moving and praying for the favored shift. The east side boats had not moved for some time and few were past Ponce Inlet. Then the wind freshened from the south, the tree line to the east amplified it and those boats got a lift. The west boats got wind from an adverse direction and later. Winning Above: Leukemia Cup sailors looking for wind the tie went to east wall boats. The trimaran Unleaded III won the Pursuit after starting 9 minutes behind the second place S2 7.9 Soulshine. Unleaded’s crew reported leaving this dock with out organizing lines, stowing fenders, and then having to get untangled Dee Smith swept the 2.4M class with four first and one second from crab trap lines!

Two pursuit wins by place finishes in the 14 boat fleet. Charles Rosenfield (2014 US Champ) finished second when Danny Evans failed to utilize a wind trimaran’s this shift. The Harbor has become a center of excellence for these boats. year…hum?

Twenty seven other small boats raced on two other circles.

Full Regatta Results at www.pgscweb.com

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APRIL 2015

April – Predictions and Suggestions

Charlotte Harbor

Frank at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888

The fishing is great. March had a little mild rain but nothing slowed down the warming of the water. So fish are, like, in pre-spawn mode and eating.

We have Spanish at the US 41 bridges and in the Harbor from Mkr. No. 2 - to Mkr. No. 5 and also in the ICW. We are in the middle of the best snook fishing in 15 years. The only problem is getting slot fish – most are too big. Morning and night at El JoBean is great for snook. Try a 5 inch Storm bait and walk

the pier. At the 41 bridges, try a TTR 11 Mirrolure. Cast it out and bring it back along the piling. An old red and white Bomber is also good – just bring it back to the pilings. Guys at the first thing in the morning are having the time of their life.

We are starting to see snook on the east and west side of the Harbor. They are going under the bushes looking for shade in the middle of the day. Even first thing in the morning they are only just outside of the branches. Out at Bull and Turtle Bay, fishing for big snook is on fire.

Mallory with a bow hunted ray

Stay outside of the sandbars – not inside the bars – it’s like it was in the 90s – 40-inch fish abound down there right now.

For snook bait, the best thing is a ladyfish 10 inches long or a great big threadfin. You need big baits for these fish and give the fish time to get it – don’t hit ‘em on the strike, let them take it. Out on the barrier islands, the little rain we have been getting is pushing the snook to the outside of the islands.

Chrissy Marie with some 7a.m. Boca Grande Snook

Quick hookset - Glen Balinger sent us this spotted snake eel

Redfish are like the snook. They just popped up out of nowhere. All of a sudden there are redfish up and down both sides

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Shark, Tarpon, Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish, and MORE!

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Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

941-473-2150

BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

APRIL 2015

The BIG-4

TARPON Coming up from the south

Above and below: Redfish from Capt. Joe Angius

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Fish to expect in

SNOOK Staying near the mangroves or under them

April

REDFISH Big fish on both sides of the harbor

SPANISH MACKEREL Boca Grande up into the Harbor

PAGE 23

Gulf Temps are mid 70s The Harbor is 3- or 4-degrees warmer

95˚ 90˚ of the Harbor. Look for the trough in front of the mangroves. The reds are not up under the bushes like the snook. In the Gasparilla and Pine Island sound the reds are up on the flats. There are lots of oversized fish and the theory is those are a strain of the fish released from the hatchery. The thinking is, they are directionally misplaced, genetical lost and they don’t know where to go.

They act like a resident fish not migratory fish.

The big reds that grow here leave to spawn and that doesn’t happen until October.

A black drum spawn is happening right now.

There are two or three big schools all spawning through out the Harbor, from Mkr No.1 to Mkr. No. 6, you’ll see the rolling fish. Lures, jigs, they will go after anything .... when they are in the mood to eat. These are 20- to 60- pound fish, but when they are spawning they don’t eat much.

I’ve heard a few kingfish stories locally, but more up by Sarasota. Try circle trolling, troll a wide circle around the reef or wreck. It seems to be effective but be real careful with your set up.

You have to have the right distance between your baits.

Lemon sharks of good size are in the ICW and in the Harbor up to the middle hole. Black

tips, bonnets and black nose sharks to 4 feet, which is huge for them, are in the Harbor. If you want sharks, April is a prime month especially with the temperatures up.

If you are Grouper fishing, you have to have steel leader because there are so many sharks on the reefs. I think they know it’s time for the tarpon so all the big apex predators are heading for Charlotte Harbor right now.

There are tarpon at Estero and at Sanibel at the south end and inside at Redfish Pass – a few fish already and more on the way.

Lemon Bay

Jim at Fishermen’s Edge 697-7595

Fishing’s really good and inshore is on fire because a lot of bait is around. Snook and redfish are being caught pretty well. There are a lot of oversize fish around. El JoBean, Turtle Bay, the beaches and Lemon Bay all have a lot of activity.

Tarpon are around. I saw some last weekend. around Pine Island by Pelican Bay. We saw a couple of free jumpers – pretty good sized fish and we saw fish more than once in there ... and we salso aw some by Cayo Pelau along that shore line. A bunch of guys have told me they caught them already. Some were small 40-pounders, I havent had many 100 pound stories yet, one guy on fly at Pine Island said he caught a big one. And I’ve already had some Boca Grande live bait

ABOVE: Panama City, Hathaway Bridge, redfish last month.

RIGHT AND FAR RIGHT: African Pompano Capt. Joe Miller

Glen Ballinger/ Capt Joe Mille grouper, amberjack and another true black grouper

guys tell me they are running charters now.

There has been a lot of Spanish mackerel and kingfish showing up.

I’ve seen pictures of some 30to 40- pound kings already.

The mackerel are in Boca Grande Pass pretty good, Kids and grouper with Hamalong the sandmerhead Charters. It doesnʼt bar on the north get any better! side of the Pass.

There are plenty of amberjacks offshore and a lot of red grouper. And I’ve been hearing about African pompano. It seems like the African pompano migrated up this way and they like it here. I think all the bait we have brings them up or maybe ots the warm temperature.

We have mangrove snapper and a whole bunch of cobia offshore on the reefs, a lot of big fish. Some guys are catching blue runners and the only other thing the guys are catching are black tips and a bull sharks here and there.

They are still mostly smaller sharks, but the bigger ones are coming quick enough.

85˚ 80˚ 72˚ 70˚ 68˚ 50˚ 45˚

FISHING RIGHT NOW:

Incredible !

PAGE

24

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