Water LIFE Nov 2014

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D G e Sn ep o fo Pa o o ge k r

Water

LIFE

The Don Ball School of Fishing

November 2014

Thankful for:

Kids Hands On

Big Snook

Page 12-13

Page 14

Venice LA

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Fishin始 the Creeks Page 9

The始re Back!

Fishing Reports Page 22-23

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Tune in to Radio Fishinʼ anytime!

Talk shows with Fishinʼ Frank @ FishinFranks.com

Water LIFE inc.

Send letters and photos to: WaterLIFE@comcast.net

Hi Water LIFE Just saw the inquiry regarding the Seminole Trader in October Water Life. As a photographer always in search of subject matter I have happened across it several times over the years . If you have contact info for the owner please pass these along. Haven't seen the Apache Trader around for a while either Thanks Bernie Hynes

Photo by Bernie Hynes

Re: Last monthʼs Charlotte County water quality story: What is this pink residue in my bathroom?

Editor notes we did some digging and found this reply: Pink residue is not generally a problem with water quality. In fact, pink residue is likely a result of airborne bacteria which produce a pinkish or dark gray film on regularly moist surfaces. Such surfaces include toilet bowls, shower heads, sink drains and tiles. Some people have also noted that the pink residue appears in their pet's water bowl, which causes no apparent harm to the pet and is easily cleaned off. Due to the expense of having bacteria tested, most homeowners never identify the exact type of bacteria that is causing their problem. However, many experts agree that the bacteria that causes these pink stains is most likely Serratia marcesens, a bacteria which is found naturally in soil, food, and in animals. Serratia which produce a characteristic red pigment, thrive on moisture, dust, and phosphates and need almost nothing to survive. These bacteria were thought to be harmless until recently, when it was discovered that in some people, Serratia marcesens is a cause of urinary tract infections, wound infections and pneumonia.

Now donʼt you feel better?

To Water LIFE - RE: Flat Masters I sent the Punt Gorda City Council an email in July 2013 on dead redfish floating in the waters of the city marina. I received a reply from the assistant city manager along with a statement like press release from Flat Masters saying their program has the blessing of the F.W.C. and they never discard dead fish in the marina basin. They claim if a fish is dead they donate it to food pantry. I got a feeling from the cityʼs email that Flat Maters did nothing wrong and my complaint was out of line. Next day the marina had some of its people scooping out the dead fish. My complaint fell on deaf ears. A year later the same thing happens again. I don't fish, but the water in the marina is dirty enough without tossing in dead fish. The city proudly displays the Clean Marina Flag but they allow this to happen over and over. The F.W.C. should have a officer on duty at these tournaments to keep everyone honest and make sure Flat Masters play by the rules. You can't expect the people that work in the marina office to police these tournaments due to they work for the same people that control Smugglers and Flat Masters. A conflict of interests? I removed my boat from the city marina after 41/2 years due to dirty water, stains on the hull and the cityʼs attitude of ʻtake it or leave it.ʼ The city is more interested in special events than running a marina. It will never change, so if your readers are not happy with Flat Masters they should not support them in anyway. John Almeida , Punta Gorda

Letter sent: I went down to my slip today about noon and noticed 3 dead red fish floating in the waters in the area of the gangplank. Another person told me he saw 5. The water is already dirty in the marina without the help of these dopes dumping their fish in it. Someone told me the red fish tournament boat was releasing fish in the marina waters. I thought by the rules of a clean marina you couldn't release any fish in marina waters. Was I wrong? I don't know who is doing this and I don't care. I don't care if they catch every fish in the harbor, but I do care about clean water. It is bad enough when mother nature and weather conditions kill fish and the dead fish end up in the marina. Please stop this act of stupidity. I won't contact you people again, but I will contact Brenda Leonard, she is the manager of the clean marina program for D.E.P. Thank You for your time, John Almeida

waterlife@comcast.net www.WaterlifeMagazine.com

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

(941) 766-8180

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication Vol XIII No 11 © 2014

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

Contributing Editors:

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 Kayaking: David Allen Sea Grant: Betty Staugler Offshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien Fly Fishing: Capt. Scott Sichling Beach Fishing: Mallory Herzog Circulation: Robert Cohn Office Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER: Snook fishing has been nothing short of spectacular with many fish over the slot limit being landed and released. Shown here, Ken Leathrope with the fish of a lifetime, on a charter with Capt. Billy Barton. Story on page 14.

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The Tail End NOVEMBER 2014

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I’m not going to reiterate our conversation because this poor guy had already received considerable feedback about the story and it was just

By Michael Heller one day after our edition came out.

Water LIFE Publisher My problem, I said to him, was not It isn’t easy being a fish. Red tide is moving with how the tail got that way, but closer, birds are diving on you from above, and with Flatsmasters Tournament allowbigger fish are biting you from below, anglers ing the fish with that tail to be are pulling on you and boats running you over. weighed in and then not explaining Long time fishermen have tales of strange it. All the questions I had, I told the mangled fish they have come across, fish with angler, could and should have been curved spines and broad shoulders and many addressed by Flatsmasters. They, not with bite marks. That’s nature, but it’s unnatuA shark hit this redfish last month near Pirate Harbor.

I, put you in the middle, I said, noteral when those or other deformed fish are ening what Flatsmaster’s Rule 6 says: tered in a tournament.

“No angler at anytime may alter any fish by length or After my column last month about a curiously straight redfish tail weight with the intention of gaining advantage over anand the fish wearing it having won a other competing team. This includes prior to, during, or recent Flatsmasters Tournament, one after the scheduled tournament day. In addition, no angler may hand or force feed any tournament fish. In adalleged ex-Flatsmaster’s staffer wrote me saying: “We used to meas- dition, no team may enter a mutilated or altered redfish regardless of whether the redfish was caught in that ure and inspect the fish at FlatsmasThe curious tail condition. Tails previously trimmed are not allowed.” ters’ weigh-in, but they replaced us Not long after that, we hung up. with the dishwasher from the Crab House.” The insinuaAs I heard it, the official explanation for the funky tail tion was that supervision of the weigh in had gone lax, was that: Redfish feeding on oyster bars, with their tails but I don’t know, they won’t let me watch. sticking out of the water, can have their tails ground off I also got a call from my friend Capt. Bill the barber, by barnacles hanging from mangroves above. in Punta Gorda. “The guy with the redfish tail was just in To me, that explanation was intellectual spandex. my shop and he’s pretty mad about your story,” Bill told Sure, redfish can have their tails ground off by the sharpme. “He’s talking about a lawyer, “ Bill said. ness of an oyster bar, but as logic will tell you, the part of “I wish I could have talked to him,” I told Bill, reminding him that the Flatsmasters Tournament has not, in the tail that might get ground down is the bottom of the tail, not the top. the past, answered my questions or allowed me to be For Flatsmasters, problems are to be avoided, or, betpresent at their events. “I have his phone number,” Bill ter yet overlooked. Protests in that tournament carry a told me. So I called the man. steep $300 fee so there aren’t many protests and tourna-

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Capt. Billy Barton Writes: Here's a pic of a redfish caught on some oysters. See how his tailʼs naturally gettinʼ filed down, but on the bottom not the top. I've been lookin through my pics (like 3000 of them!) and I can't find any reds that have a point on the bottom but not the top. I got lots of flat tails with no points, and several like this one I sent you, but none the other way around.

ment anglers don’t speak out because under the Flatsmaster’s own Sportsman Rule: ...

“Unacceptable behavior will result in expulsion from all future Flatsmasters events. Derogatory comments and or unacceptable use of social media is also grounds for expulsion from future events.”

Keep the media away – don’t talk and don’t tell – that’s one approach to giving your event a ‘sportsmanlike’ appearance, but it’s just smoke in the mirrors. The truth always comes out in the end, often it’s the tail end.

Peaceful Fishing PAGE

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By Capt. Chuck Eichner Water LIFE Inshore What do largemouth bass, tarpon, redfish and snook have in common? The answer: the Peace River! Since the day I moved here I was fascinated to hear that on one cast I could catch a freshwater bass and on another a snook and in the same spot. Many anglers spoke of tarpon in the Peace River but up until a few years ago I dismissed this notion and did not take it seriously.

Tanic stained from over 50 miles of meandering river banks lined with cypress trees and mangroves the Peace morphs

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from a fast moving freshwater creek to a brackish water estuary to a saltwater oasis for Gulf fish species that eventually make this river their home.

A recent outing with friend Lyn Bevis confirmed all rumors I had ever heard.

Normally, we would head to Lake Okeechobee to bass fish but instead we launched at Laishley Park and headed up river. Plenty of water was running this fall day with an outgoing tide and the last of the summer rain water draining into the river basin. Casting a variety of bass lures at man-made structure, docks, pilings and fallen trees, the day started off with a bang literally! Lyn made two back to back casts to a piling and hooked, not bass, but two nice snook that burnt drag and used the river current to challenge his skill in keeping them from the structure. Your favorite bass lure whether it is a crankbait, swimbait, surface plug or whatever, must be moving fast with the current. The next few hours of casting proved fruitless as we continued our trek up river.

The river and it’s side tracks is shallow in many places with sandbars and fallen trees to run into. The further up the river you get the more narrow it becomes and you may have to dodge a maze of crab traps in the fast moving water as well!

The beauty of the river makes it all worthwhile and there is more fishy habitat then you can imagine.

NOVEMBER 2014

Lyn Bevis shows off the bass caught on this trip (left) along with a snook (above) and a redfish (below) caught on a different day on the river.

In military like fashion we orchestrate repetitive casting with little being said as each of us anticipates the proper cast to fallen trees, feeder creeks, eddy currents and shadow lines. With true silence that only nature can provide, a peaceful sense that you stepped back in time makes hours of casting without a bite worthwhile.

Then out of nowhere an enormous splash erupts on Lyn’s top water plug as a big largemouth bass jumps to the air and dives back into a tree stump. Drag burning, rod arched and adrenaline pumping we luckily retrieve this prize and release it after a few photos! Continuing further up river we bottomed out a few times then we cast, only to hear a giant splash! Looking up we saw the tail of a 150 pound tarpon nuzzled up against a tree lined mud bank with minnows spraying out of the water. This fish was in 6 feet of water on an outside bend in a stretch of river only 150 feet wide! Our eyes about popped out of our head as we looked at our reels and decided that a cast to this fish would quickly end with no line on the reel! But the best was yet to come! A school of 15-30 pound tarpon began pushing baitfish up against a mud bank and multiple casts ended up in huge blasts and one fish hooked and then lost on a majestic jump!

It turns out these tarpon were feeding on tilapia and as quick as they showed up they disappeared never to be seen the rest of the day.

In southwest Florida there are several coveted “awards” that an angler can achieve. The most prestigious award of all would have be the “Peace River Slam” where by you catch a redfish, snook, trout, tarpon and a bass all in the same day. I don’t know of anywhere else in the world you can do this!

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters 941-628-8040 or www.backcountrycharters.com

Redfish show themselves up river as well and if you were to complete your day near where you launched you could add a speckled trout to your days catch!

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Go Deep for Snook

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By Capt. David Stephens Water LIFE Charlotte Harbor

Fall has arrived in South West Florida.

The days are getting shorter and the cold fronts are beginning to push further down south. This is the time of year when fish are in a transition from basking in the warm sun on the grassy flats to getting ready for the colder days of winter.

During the summer months, our fish can be found on the lush grass flats all over Charlotte Harbor. Then, as fall arrives and the water begins to cool, a large majority of those fish migrate to deeper water for winter. On the top of that migratory list would be snook. It is very important for snook to migrate to areas where they have access to deep water. Living in the sub tropics during most of the year our water temperatures are above 80- degrees.

However, during the colder months of winter it can drop down below 60- even at times into the 50s. Fortunately for us, and the fish, we have plenty of deep water for our fish to migrate to.

There are two main rivers that flow into Charlotte Harbor. The Peace River and the Myakka River. Also, we have miles of man made canals. When the mer-

Reds From October

Capt. Derrick Jacobsenʼs clients, late last month, show there are still plenty of quality redfish cruising the shorelines in Charlotte Harbor

cury drops down into the cooler temperatures these are areas that our fish depend on for warmer water to help them survive during the colder months.

Locating fish in these areas can be a little bit tricky. Most of the year we look for mangrove shore lines with nice green bushes hanging over and good tidal flow.

When trying to locate fish in their deeper winter haunts, tidal flow is very necessary, how ever green mangrove over hangs are not.

The main thing that people overlook is the depth. It’s like the old saying goes; to catch fish you got to think like a fish. The main reason the fish have moved to these areas is for the warmer water. Once you have located deeper water you also need to slow down. Fish a little slower than you normally would. Often times fishing in deeper water, the tidal flow can be a little stronger. Split-shot type sinkers work great in winter for slowing your bait down and keeping it in the strike zone longer.

The great thing about fishing deeper water is, generally, when you do locate the fish there are a lot of them. You might have to fish different areas for a while at first, but once you start to learn and locate some of our deep water spots I’m sure you will have a great day on the water and you’ll keep the rod bent.

If you would like to experience some of South West Florida’s finest fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our charters are private and customized to fit your parties needs. 941-916-5769 ww.backbayxtremes.com

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RESEARCH PROJECTS PAGE

By Capt. Betty Staugler Water LIFE Sea Grant College students frequently develop mini research projects as part of class assignments. Although these may be limited in scope, they ask great questions and are fun to read. Below are a couple from students in the University of Florida Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences program.

ARE BANANAS ON BOATS REALLY BAD LUCK? Where the origins of the bananas on boats taboo originated from is not exactly clear; however this taboo remains common worldwide. To test whether or not bananas were at all correlated to luck or fishing success, a master’s student from the University of Florida designed an experiment which was conducted in a stocked pond located on the UF campus. Her study design consisted of two anglers fishing simultaneously each in a single person kayak and each using a 5.5 foot Shakespeare Sturdy Stik and cut up hot dogs as bait. Each fisher received a Styrofoam cooler labeled “A” or “B”. Cooler A contained four bananas while cooler B contained deionized water bottles to mimic the weight of the bananas. The fishers did not know which cooler contained the bananas. The anglers fished a total of 15 minutes then swapped coolers and fished for another 15 minutes.

This fishing method was repeated two

more times at different time blocks throughout the day for a total of three repetitions per angler. A data recorder assigned to each kayak recorded the number, species, and size of fish landed. They also recorded incidents of “bad luck” that occurred such as loss of bait or fish. The master’s student found no relationship between the presence of bananas and an increase in incidences of bad luck, such as fish loss or bait loss. She also noted that no vessels were flipped or sunk during either treatment. She did however find a significant difference in number of fish landed during each treatment. Her data demonstrated that fishers had more fishing success (more fish caught) when the control cooler was onboard than when the banana cooler was onboard. It’s important to keep in mind that this study was in no way conclusive, but it is still interesting that a relationship was found between having bananas onboard and lowered fishing success.

Source: Chelsey Campbell, Lakeline Newsletter.

Can Fish Learn to Avoid Lures?

Many anglers inherently know the answer, but this question hasn’t been well researched by the scientific community. To test this question the investigators fished a private, 27-acre Florida lake that historically receives little fishing pressure. Prior to angling, adult Florida Bass were

Fishʼs-eye view of a RattleTrap Lure

marked and released using electrofishing to obtain a population estimate for 347 fish. For four weeks, two anglers fished the lake three days per week. A fishing day was 12 fishing hours (six for each angler). Anglers used two lures: a chrome and black lipless crankbait (Rat-L-Trap© Bill Lewis Lures), and a 4 inch soft stickbait (Senko, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits© in plum with emerald flake) fished weightless with a 3/0 offset worm hook.

Both lures were fished on 20 pound braided line with a 4 foot, 20 pound fluorocarbon leader. To minimize angler skill

NOVEMBER 2014

biases, each angler fished each lure for one hour, and then switched lures for the next hour throughout the day. After capture, the fish were tagged and released so that recaptures could be noted. Over the course of the study a total of 260 Florida Bass were captured from an estimated population size of 347 adult Florida Bass in the lake. The investigators found strong evidence that bass learned to avoid capture, particularly for the lipless crankbait.

Catch rates for the lipless crankbait declined substantially after exposure to angling, falling from 2.5 fish per angler hour to only 0.25 fish per angler hour at the end of the experiment. Catch rates also declined but to a lesser degree for the soft stickbait. The catch rates for the soft stickbait dropped from 1.8 fish per angler hour at the start of the experiment to about 1.0 fish per hour at the end of the study. Although this study didn’t address why the apparent learning was so different between lure types the authors noted that ‘while the flashy, loud, vibrating lipless crankbait put out many more sensory cues than the soft stickbait, and resulted in higher initial catch rates; the same cues might have made the crankbait much easier to recognize and avoid over time’.

Source: Nick Cole, Ed Camp and Mike Allen, PhD. June Waterworks Newsletter.

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

Fishing the Creeks NOVEMBER 2014

By Capt. Scott Sichling Water LIFE Fly Fishing Up a creek, never a bad thing! As fall and winter approach Charlotte Harbor, lots of things begin to change. Wind speeds pick up significantly with the arrival of cold fronts, humidity levels plummet, air temperatures drop down while the barometer is dancing all over the place and the weather man is stuck in his news station trying to sort out the mess!

Just as the sun peeks over the horizon we idle away from the dock. This time of year it’s windy, choppy and cold making the early morning commute a little bumpy and cold. The wind blows the water out of the bays making it extremely shallow and leaving some of our normal routes inaccessible.

Bundled up in long pants, jackets and our waders we arrive at our first stop of many. Today our game plan is to target feeder creeks or deeper areas around shallow grass flats. Some of these creeks range from just a couple of feet deep to over 10 feet deep and tend to have water that’s a few degrees warmer than the surrounding grass flats. Over night the water temps drop and game fish slip back into deeper water to stay warm and as the sun comes out the next day they move back out onto the flats again.

We arrive at our first location and park the boat. We get out and start wading to our first target zone. A lot about where the fish stage is dependent on the tide, the

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lower the water the more concentrated the fish will be and the higher the water the more scattered the fish will tend to be.

A variety of artificial lures in natural colors work really well. Soft plastics rigged on jig heads that are worked slowly on the bottom are deadly when fished in the bends of creeks where the water tends to be deeper. Aqua Dream spoons also work well because you can vary the depth by the speed of the retrieve.

Sometimes fish are laid up in shallow parts of the creeks with their backs exposed and it’s hard to beat an un-weighted soft plastic to sight cast without spooking them. The best challenge is catching them on the fly rod.

Clouser minnow flys that have lead eyes will sink quicker into the water targeting fish in deeper areas. Shrimp patterns work really well because it’s the most natural looking prey when the water is crystal clear. The other advantage to fly fishing is with the proper cast you can remain super stealthy while fishing really shallow. Some areas are hit and miss so don’t fall in love with one location for too long. Wading allows us to quietly cover more water quicker than in a boat and often time you can’t get a boat into many areas because of thick dense vegetation. Don’t be afraid to get off the beaten path this winter, you might be pleasantly surprised and all your hard work could pay off very well.

Capt. Scott can be reached for fly or conventional charters at (941) 408-5634

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By Fishin’ Frank ture, which is possible.

Water LIFE Baitshop I have replaced the motor and had SOS The flats: that mystical Marine installed a jack plate so when the magical area of the Harbor water is skinny, this should not happen again. where nothing bad can happen except maybe The only other hard obstacle I know of you run aground. Well I thought so. While around here is in the Myakka cut-off where a running up behind the bar on the West Side, small drug plane crashed many years ago. the skeg on my 115 Yammy 4-stroke hit Their pontoons hit what they thought was something right out in the middle of the flat. water and the plane flipped over and it just It made a small dent in the skeg, but it stayed right there. If you are coming in from snapped the mid the Harbor side section of the to the cut-off, motor completely when it starts to in half! In my narrow through many years of the S bend, the boating, profesplane is just besionally and fore you get to recreationally, I the narrows on have never seen the right/east this happen. So I side about 30 took the boat to feet from shore SOS Marine in and maybe 6 Harbour Heights. inches below My friend Jerry the mud. I hit (tell him Frank that too, a few sent you) has years ago, and seen it all but he bent a 4 blade has never seen stainless prop this. Yes he has into modern art. seen skegs broThere was no nt i ken off, bullets other damage po e cracked and brok then other than a ri st ken but not this. long idle home.

This should have The amazing torn the lower thing this last unit off - the Editor notes* The forward momentum of the hull was the time was that destructive force acting on the motor when the lower unit lower unit is the struck on something solid. the motor still part from the ran and I was skeg up to the cavitation plate. This is a even able to power load the boat back onto snapped-off mid section. I don’t understand the trailer! I think only the drive shaft itself how this could happen except for that this was holding it all together! boat did not have a jack plate so the skeg was Charlotte Harbor is still one of the safest slicing the bottom and what ever it hit was places to boat and fish, but there is still junk right on the bottom. I could not find anything on the bottom, oysters and maybe natural later, after going back to the spot to see what sand stone. We (I) should start to watch a lithappened. Maybe it was a motor that had tle closer. When the tide is very low this winfallen off a boat years ago, or an anchor in the ter I plan to walk that flat and find out what I mud. It was something hard. Or maybe the hit, until then it will stay a mystery. flats are getting some sand-stone bottom feaFishin’ Frank 625-3888

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NOVEMBER 2014

AQUATICA

FWC

Fun With Critters

Don Ball School of Fishing

By Michael Heller Water LIFE Kids Environment For the last four years Chrystal MurMurray and John Hadden, biologists at the FWC-FMRI Research lab in Murdock, Characteristics to identify blue crabs in the have made presentations and conducted field are a red dot inside the claw elbow and the outings for our Don Ball School of last legs, called 'swimmerets', which are paddleFishing classes. In the past they have shaped for swimming. Mud crabs, which includes Stone Crabs, have pointed walking legs. introduced the students to Apex PredaPredators and brought iced fish and fish stomachs to class for the students to up back in the Charlotte Harbor Estuary where they dissect. But the last two years they have brought a will grow. According to Chrystal, Just a minor change special100-foot long seine net that the kids learn to can affect whether the new population makes it up the pull in the shallow waters off Ponce Park in Punta Harbor or not. The spawn was last month.

Gorda. Then they collect the contents of the net in What the FWC has learned is when there are a nu buckets and transfer it all to trays on the beach where merous tiny redfish showing up in their samples, then in they identify what they have brought in. three years there will be a lot of slot sized redfish in the “Saturday is going to be a really interesting day,” Harbor. It takes three years. And if they don’t see the Christal predicted, the morning before we took our babies in the fall then in three years the redfish populapopulaMurdock and L.A. Ainger classes out. It was going to tion will be down. “That’s when the guides and recrerecrebe interesting because last year our classes pulled in a ational anglers on the water start complaining that we large percentage of tiny redfish and Chrystal said they have overfished the redfish, but it’s not that. It is some had just recently begun to see a few tiny redfish in factor in nature that their regular pulls. changes it for that Chrystal and John and a year. It could be red team of other biologists tide, wind, normal pull a 600 foot net every tides or salinity that day in Charlotte Harbor. changes things,” “There haven’t been Chrystal told the many so far this year,” students .

John said.

Last year we had For the last 25 years thousands of tiny the FWC has been conconredfish, this year ducting fish sampling in we collected one.

Charlotte Harbor. The We didn’t see many spots they sample are Students got the hang of dragging the lead weighted bottom side of the net shrimp last randomly selected by around in a circle. Then they pull it into a ʻpurseʼ and remove their catch. year, this year computer. “We have a we had a ton of very robust data set them. now,” Chrystal told me This was the only redfish we collected “Nature is as she helped the kids cyclic,” ChrysChryspull a short net on shore. tal explained. We may The data set is important because it gives them still have a lot of tiny findings over time to evaluate. Their input then goes redfish this year, maybe up the line and helps the FWC administrators make tomorrow, maybe yesteryestersound regulatory decisions. The kids understood the day, just not today, she importance of this. said. .

The timing for our outing was pretty good. Redfish go off shore to spawn and then the larvae have to wind

NOVEMBER 2014

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A smaller net was used to drag the shoreline. We couldn始t have asked for better weather!

The mohara has a mouth for feeding in the sand

Some of the net contents are transferred to a container on the beach Our 2014 program is made possible through major grants from Charlotte County and the Fish Florida Foundation and additional support by local sponsors.

Chrystal explains how to hold a blue crab

Above left: One mohara and a handfull of tiny shrimp.

Above: Inspecting a horseshoe crab. Their blue colored blud is a useful testing agent for humans Right: A deflated puffer fish The Spotted Seatrout is identified by the mouth shape (terminal), canine teeth in upper jaw and spots on the backcamouflage for hiding in seagrass.

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The Fish of a Lifetime

By Capt Billy Barton Water LIFE INSHORE As an avid saltwater angler and a full time charter guide, there's one thing that I wake up for on a daily basis. Big Fish!!

When you are on the water fishing all year long multiple days a week, the trips do all seem to blend together in a way. However, not all fishing trips are just "thrown in the blender" with all of the rest. Although every trip on the water is a blessing on its own, there are some days that are just beyond all of the others. Those are the days we are all after as anglers.

Those are the fishing trips we are bound to never forget!!

I had one of these unforgettable excursions this last month. I recently had the pleasure of meeting two great people who contacted me through this magazine actually. Ken Leathrope and his wife Mary have been fishing together with me for a

month or so now. We've had four excursions together and they have all been great days on the water with some pretty darn good fishing. One of those fishing trips stands out above the others. Ken landed a fish that he, nor I will ever forget.

On this particular day, the bait of choice was live pinfish. I also had a livewell full of scaled sardines (greenbacks) that I was using for chum. I pulled up to an island that I know very well and that I fish pretty often. I explained to them on the way in that there were some BIG snook on this island and if we were lucky a school of redfish would show up.

I positioned the boat a long cast away from the bushes and we began fishing.

About 15 or so minutes into chumming sardines and catching a few nice redfish, I kept seeing this HUGE! explosion in the same location on the surface, right up close to the shoreline. Over and over my

chummers would make their way to that part of the sticks - before they became lunch! I knew there was a big snook laying in there.

I took Mr. Ken’s rod and put a fresh bait on it, then made my cast towards the direction of that fish. Kens bait soaked for a few minutes. I actually believe I was landing a redfish on the bow when I heard all hell break loose!! Ken was hooked up with a monster!

Immediately, this monster snook head comes out of the water shaking left to right trying to dump the hook! We were all in disbelief! The fish tried with all its might to make it back into the shrubs.

Ken had his heart and soul into this battle as the fish bee-lined down a good 50 yards of shoreline, nearly inches from freedom the entire fight! I coached him through it and all I could say was: PULL! PULL HARD!!! GET HER OUT OF THERE!!!

After a few strong minutes of insanity, he started to gain on her and get her out into open water. As she approached the boat I knew we had something special going on at that moment. Something real special. Ken directed the fish my way and I landed her. I'm sure the whole Harbor could probably here the celebrating at that point! It was panic and joy all over Ken’s face as he gave me a big ol’ hug and expressed his joy and appreciation. He knew what he had accomplished and so

NOVEMBER 2014

Capt. Billy with a fat redfish

did I. Folks fish there whole lives for a snook like this! I got a quick measurement and got her back into the water for a revival. She measured up at 46-inches and was pushing close to 30-pounds. I had a hold of her in the water, all I could do was sit there and stare at her in disbelief of her size. It was hypnotizing.

This was indeed the fish of a lifetime.

It’s the cover photo on the magazine this month. A definite tough one to beat. I was very proud of Ken for doing such a great job behind the rod, and I was gratified beyond words. Good times on the water and making memories like this for folks is what the charter business is all about.

The relationships built along the way are an absolute bonus, and fish like this one are what will always keep us coming back for more! Well done Ken. Tight lines guys and gals. I hope you're having as much fun out there as we are! Till next time..

Capt. Billy Barton, Scales-n-Tails Fishing Charters 941- 979-6140

Still ʻSharkyʼ out There NOVEMBER 2014

By Mallory Herzog Water LIFE Beach Fishing As we drift into the fall and winter fishing season things are starting to heat up.

From redfish and sheepshead to sharks and cobia, the bite is starting to turn on heavily in southwest Florida. Cooling temperatures are guiding fish up onto our flats and into the canals. This means excellent bridge, pier and beach or shore fishing for those of us who are stuck on the sand. One of the largest cobia I have ever seen was caught from a local bridge last winter. Don’t forget your pier net!

Sharks are everywhere at the moment.

Blacktips are out along our Gulf beaches, and the smaller bull sharks and lemon's are along the flats. Depending on how cool November is, we could start to see sandbar sharks move in on our Gulf

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beaches and passes late in the month. Last year we saw them as far in as Charlotte Harbor, something local scientist's insisted did not occur until local fishermen proved them wrong. These sharks migrate through our area yearly following mullet and other food sources. They prefer our warm Gulf waters compared to the cool Atlantic. Sandbar sharks caught and tagged in Florida have been taken as far away as New Jersey! They do cover some ground.

We’re also starting to see our conservation efforts pay off, at least a little bit around Florida's Gulf Coast. Tiger sharks are now becoming more prevalent in our Gulf waters. A great friend of mine Christopher Gerzeny caught, tagged and released a female 8 foot tiger shark near shore in Sarasota. He incredibly caught this shark using only 40lb braid and a spinning set up. It was not really what he was expecting to find on his line, but a beautiful surprise none the less. He documented the event on his GoPro and was nice enough to share the photo's and great story online.

In the previous years, tiger sharks were only really spotted miles off shore in our area, mostly due to years of over fishing. In more recent years, since their protection was instituted, we have started to see more and more being caught, mostly juveniles. It seems they are using our warm tropical waters as a protected nursery, to grow and learn.

Their larger relatives regularly frequent the warm tropical waters south of us near the Keys, so I’m really looking forward to this winter to see if we find an increase in our newer protected species such as tiger sharks and greater hammerheads.

If you’re planning on catch and release shark fishing this fall Ready to release a black tip caught from the beach

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You can see the tiger-like pattern on the skin of Christopher Gerzneyʼs tiger shark

and winter make sure to check out the NOAA Cooperative Shark Tagging Program. This is a volunteer only program that uses the efforts of catch and release anglers to tag and release sharks on the eastern seaboard. I recently met Breanna Soucy and Joe Trotta, almost their entire group is currently studying various marine sciences at FKCC in the Florida Keys.

They enjoy catching and releasing sharks from the beach. They were in town Satur-

day and we were lucky enough to catch a black tip together. Snapping a few quick pictures before tagging and releasing her back into the Gulf. I love when fishermen and science meet, it’s the perfect combination for the future of conservation.

If you want to know more about the NOAA Cooperative Shark Tagging program or log a tagged catch, log on to: http://nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/Narragansett/s harks.

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DEEP DROP: Report from Venice LA.

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NOVEMBER 2014

By Michael Wright Special to Water LIFE Several fishermen from Venice Florida recently completed their annual migration to Venice Louisiana for a few days of excitement. Venice Louisiana is situated at the road’s end where the Mississippi River enters the Gulf.

Our offshore trips were chartered on the Shock Wave, Kevin Beach’s 40 foot Freeman catamaran powered with 1,200 horses. With Capt. Jordan at the helm, we skimmed across the Gulf as the sun broke the eastern horizon.

Out past the many oil platforms we came across a shrimp boat raising her nets. Jordan pulled behind the boat and we could see a burst of activity on the John and Chad Ballinger, no relation to columnist Glenn surface as large predators from below devoured everything that escaped the nets.

We threw everything we had (live bait, artificials, and cut bait) into the feeding frenzy and within seconds our drags were screaming – we were hooked into fish on every cast!

The action was fast and furious and in less than an hour, 15 tuna were in the boat, including two yellowfin. The yellowfin, each about 50 pounds, were quite a battle since they were caught on medium action spinning reels using surface popper lures as bait. The Blackfin were in the 20 to 30 pound range. The to the bottom 1,000 feet below with a tuna box was full, so Captain Jordan dangling five pound weight. Rick Hall, started the engines and we moved on to a veteran of this technique, was first to our next adventure, a deep drop for score and landed a beautiful 27 pounder. swordfish.

Rick volunteered to show me the ropes Captain Jordan moved to 1,200 feet and we dropped again. of water and rigged up his special cut When fishing for tile you need to conbait swordfish “appetizer”. Using an centrate on the rod tip, as hooking these electric reel, Jordan sent the bait down fish requires quick action as soon as they several hundred feet. Because we alhit. While Rick and I intently concenready had a full fish box, the captain trated on the rod tip, Captain Jordan quijoked we should avoid catching a big etly snuck around behind us and up to one, but the crew assured him we were the bow of the boat. Then Rick and I ready for anything. Jordan said “OK were caught by surprise when Jordan then, let’s get one!” And miraculously launched himself over our line and did the rod bent in half as soon as the words his own “deep drop” cannonball into the left his lips.

Gulf’s warm waters. This captain eviUnfortunately the fight was short dently knows how to attract the fish, belived and the line went slack. When we cause in short order two more tilefish reeled in the line it was frayed and browere aboard. ken, probably from entanglement with If you have never been fishing in the sword. Oh well, that is fishing and Venice, now is the time. Some of us have we moved on to another adventure. fished frequently in Venice during the Our next stop was another deep drop, past 20 years and it never fails to provide this time with tilefish as the target something new and exciting that we did species. Three large hooks, fashioned not see or accomplish on the trip before.

Sibiki style on 200-pound fluorocarbon, Offshore charter captain Kevin Beach were baited with cut squid and dropped can be reached at (504) 451-3886

NOVEMBER 2014

Congressman Vern Buchananʼs Letter Dan Ashe Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of the Assistant Secretary United States Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW, Room 3359 Washington, DC 20240

Dear Director Ashe, I am writing to express my strong concern over reports that the Fish and Wildlife Service may weaken protections for Florida manatees under the Endangered Species Act. While it is heartening to see the manatee population increase in Florida in recent years, significant threats remain to the full recovery of these gentle giants. Watercraft collisions, habitat loss and red tide pose a significant threat to Florida’s state marine mammal.

The disappearance of warm-water springs is of particular concern since Manatees need access to these springs during the cooler winter months. Over half the state’s manatees rely on warm water near power plants that will eventually be phased out. As your staff has stated in public meetings, this is a troubling threat to the Manatee population.

Recent years have seen large numbers of manatees dying from unexpectedly cold weather or the increasing blooms of harmful algae, known as red tide. In the winter of 2010-2011, more than 600 manatees died in a prolonged cold snap. In the past 3 years alone, over 1,600 manatees have died as a result of cold or red tide.

This is not the time for the federal government to reduce its protections for manatees and their habitats. In its 2007 status review, a government biologist projected a 50 percent probability that the current population of close to 5,000 manatees in Florida could drop to 500 within the next century.

Manatees have become an iconic symbol for the wilderness and beauty of Florida.

They are an engine in our economy even as they are a restorative presence in our tranquil waters. We must do everything possible to protect this treasured species.

Sincerely, Vern Buchanan Member of Congress

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On The Line

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By Capt. Ron Blago Water LIFE Senior Staff

Capt Ron Responds

Hey Vern I just read your letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (left) regarding the manatee. I don't know who you are getting your information from, but I don't think they are doing you any favors by giving you false and misleading handouts. I know that you don't get down here to Florida very much anymore, and let’s face it, there are not many manatees in the Potomac – even though a few have escaped Florida and made it that far – but down here we seem to be over run with manatees. Let’s face facts, the manatee population is skyrocketing to numbers much greater than any of the so called manatee experts have ever predicted.

Perhaps you could use your influence to find our how many manatees we are suppose to have here in Florida. It's always good to know what the goal is.

I was a little perplexed by some of the comments in your letter. What loss of habitat are you talking about? It seems to me that there is just as much water now as there always was and since all manatees are free range so to speak, they can go anywhere they want and if global warming and sea level rise is real, the manatee habitat will be getting even larger for them.

Concerning the loss of warm water springs. Thirty years ago, when you had only about a thousand manatees, there was plenty of room for all the manatees in the springs in the winter, but now we have over 5,000 manatees, most of which head for the warm water discharges of our power plants instead of migrating south to warmer water as they historically have.

These power plants have become

homeless shelters for manatees where they are packed in like sardines with no food.

The only thing that would drop the manatee population to 500 in a century would be an Ebola like virus that hit these warm water power plants. That could wipe out most of the manatees in one winter.

Now Vern, you don't really believe that

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dropping the manatee from the endangered species list will leave the manatee unprotected, because nothing could be farther from the truth. Remember; the great symbol of our nation, the Bald Eagle, has been off the endangered species list for several years now with no loss of protection from the law. The same thing will happen to the manatee. Every manatee protection law and rule will remain in place. Just like we humans are threatened by floods and hurricanes, manatees will have to deal with red tide and cold spells, that's just nature's way.

Downgrading the manatee to the threatened list is just the realistic recognition that Florida and the manatee are doing just fine.

I'm being very “Earnest” when I say this, keep the politics and special interest out of this manatee mess and just let the scientists decide what the best thing to do is. That would be the best thing for both man and manatee.

You know what I mean, Vern ?

Sincerely, with all the respect I can muster Capt Ron Blago Englewood, FL Capt.ronb@juno.com

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NOVEMBER 2014

PIER FISHING: Spanish Mackerel

By Bobby Vital1s Water LIFE Pier fishing Spanish mackerel are awesome to catch; they are a good fast fighting fish. I caught these mackerel at Sharky’s Pier in Venice. I have caught mackerel up to 26 inches in length. I caught these mackerel right before sunrise, to about 10:00 a.m.

The legal length to keep Mackerel in this area is from 12 inches or more measured from the fork of the tail. Mackerel come in schools. If you find one, you are going to find another.

The way I catch mackerel is to go spinning for them. You want a fast retrieve to move a lure at a pace that will interest the mackerel to bite. There are many lures you can use to catch Mackerel. The lure I use is called the GOT-CHA lure. The color is yellow head with silver body with red treble hooks and weight is 1 ounce, model #G502RH. The presentation using the GOT-CHA lure is at a fast speed. As you’re reeling it in, give it fast jerks every so often. For those people who use bait, I suggest you use green backs. The way to catch green backs is to use a casting net. The green backs come in large schools. You can catch a whole net full of them when they are there.

When putting the bait on the hook, the

hook to use is a Gamakatsu O’Shaughnessy long shank size 2/0 hook. The reason for using long shank hooks is because of the mackerel teeth.

You can either use a bobber, or try free lining. What free line means is that you use just the bait and the hook. You want to cast out as far as you can and let the bait swim naturally in the water. I am using 30 pound test Sufix Advanced Super line (Braided), as my main line. The reason why I like this line is because, it has great casting distance. Then, for my leader line, I am using 2-feet of 30-pound test 100 percent fluorocarbon line which is invisible in the water. At the end of that line, I am using 6 inches of AFW 7x7 26 pound test Surflow N Micro Supreme knottable nylon coated stainless steel leader wire (color camo) Model #DM49-26-A. Note: the reason for using wire is because, mackerel have very sharp teeth. They can cut through braided and mono line with no problem. When using wire line, it will be difficult for the mackerel to break off.

Some people just use wire leader by itself.

So, you can try that too. There are many different wire lines that you can try. So, you can pick out the wire line that is best for you. So, if you want to have fun catching mackerel, try my method with the GOT-CHA lure.

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Kayaking Matlacha and Pine Island NOVEMBER 2014

By David Allen Water LIFE Kayaking Have you paddled in the Matlacha/Pine Island area lately? If not, you’re missing some of the best coastal paddling in the area. Pine Island is uniquely situated in the south end of Charlotte Harbor, protected by the beautiful Gulf islands of Cayo Costa, Captiva and Sanibel. With either Pine Island or Matlacha as a starting point, you can explore, by kayak, an area of 20 miles by 15 miles with a greater diversity of sights than almost anywhere else on the Florida coast.

There are two launch points on the northwest end of Pine Island that are ideal for a paddle to Cayo Costa: Pineland Marina and a small waterfront park near Randell Research on Pineland Rd. in Pineland. The Marina charges $5 for a launch, while the small park is free but has very limited parking and no other facilities. We usually pick the small park.

From the launch its about 2.5 miles to the little bayou on the northeast side of Part Island. As you paddle down the bayou to the south you will enter an area of mangrove tunnels which are neat to explore and are home to many bird species.

Once you leave the mangroves on Part Island, head almost straight west, pass just south of the tip of Useppa Island and on to Cabbage Key for a wonderful lunch

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break at the Inn. Great food, reasonable prices and friendly all around.

If you can still paddle after a meal at the Inn, continue west to the entrance of Murdock Bayou, paddle south and slightly east to the entrance of another mangrove tunnel. This tunnel takes you to the backside of a wonderful, deserted beach, just waiting for someone to jump in and enjoy the water. On most paddles we elect to take a picnic lunch for the beach and enjoy the sun and wildlife.

With a round trip of about 12 miles, you have paddled through mangroves, had a great lunch, either at the Inn or on the beach, had a refreshing swim in the Gulf, seen all the wildlife you can handle and never left the protected waters of Pine Island Sound. We are planning this route for our next trip to the area.

There is another paddle we’ve done many times and always enjoyed; from St James City to either Sanibel or Ding Darling Nature Area. There are several launch points at marinas on the west side of String fellow Rd. as you drive south.

Once you hit the open water north of San Carlos Bay, head southeast to the tip of Sanibel, about 5 miles away. Or for a shorter paddle, with more likelihood of seeing wildlife, paddle straight south to the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge - 2.5 miles from St. James City.

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Let’s not forget about Matlacha for a trip south through the Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve, or perhaps to circle the island and explore Pine Island Creek.

We started at the Matlacha Community Park, about midway through Matlacha on the left. The entrance isn’t particularly easy to find, but the park has a sandy kayak launch on the north side, powerboat ramp on the south, and excellent restrooms and picnic facilities. All free.

We launched into Matlacha Pass and headed north to explore the art work on the buildings and see what was new in the area. Then we paddled northwest about 3 miles to the mouth of Pine Island Creek.

The creek runs for about 6.5 miles, north and south between Pine Island and Little Pine Island. Pine Island Rd passes over the creek about halfway down.

We were the only kayak/boat in the

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creek and we saw several dolphins, many water birds. We had been told that manatees like to congregate along the banks on the north end of the creek, but there were none.

We paddled about 2-plus miles south in the creek and as we did, the weather started to get nasty. The wind picked up and dark clouds were moving fast.

We backed out of the creek and headed for the launch, about ½ hour away. We made it back and loaded the kayaks before the rain started.

We topped off the day with a grouper dinner at the Olde Fish House Marina, just up the road from the Park. Great end to a great day The Port Charlotte Kayakers Meet each Wednesday evening at 5 PM sharp at FranzRoss Park adjacent to the YMCA on Quesada.

All are welcome. Call Dave Allen at 941-2352588 for more information.

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NOVEMBER 2014

SCUTTLEBUTT

Sometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True CAPITAL FISH American Fisheries Society nomenclature rules have changed.

Now AFS approved common species names are all capitalized.

NEW WORLD Accessing two previously untapped streams of satellite data, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have created a new map of the worldʼs seafloor. Previously unseen features in the map include newly exposed continental connections across South America and Africa, and new evidence for seafloor spreading ridges at the Gulf of Mexico.

OFFSET OF WARMING New research suggests increasing ozone depletion in the Arctic and the 24-hour sunlight of its summer days have a surprising effect on plankton activity. Instead of reducing plankton photosynthesis, as in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Southern Ocean regions, researchers have found that UV-B solar radiation in the Arctic gives plankton communities a boost.

This means greater CO2 uptake and a potential offset against the effects of warming Arctic waters on climate change in future.

WE ARE WATCHING YOU Officer received information from a concerned fisherman who stated that there was a dark-colored Dodge pickup truck with two young white males taking over the bag limit and undersized snook late at night. Officers came up with a plan to do surveillance on the area and after a long time watching, a dark- colored Dodge pickup truck drove up and parked. Two white males began to fish and caught several snook. After catching a snook, one of the males would disappear behind the bridge and return a short time later empty handed. After one of the men landed a large snook, the men started walking back to the truck with it. The second man walked behind the bridge and retrieved a

stringer of fish. The officers approached before the men could leave. They found the men in possession of one 32-inch snook and two undersized snook. Both men were charged with possession of undersized and over the bag limit of snook. All the fish were returned back into the water alive.

GOLIATH JEW FISH By far the greatest source we have about this creature is from the Oxford English Dictionary, which quotes from a book published in 1697, entitled 'A New Voyage Round the World,' by the famed explorer, William Dampier. In the book, Dampier logs his expedition to Jamaica, where he encounters Jews (who are an extreme minority, as they are in most other nations), who favor a certain type of fish - the jewfish - which they consider to be the grandest kosher fish. Kosher, because it has both fins and scales.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE Russian scientists claim methane saturated ice turning into gas, which happens in an avalanche-like way in the Artic, like a nuclear reaction, produces huge amounts of gas. That makes the ocean heat up, and ships sink in waters which are infused with huge amounts of gas. This leads to the air becoming supersaturated with methane, creating an extremely turbulent atmosphere, leading to aircraft crashes.” ...so say the Russians.

The Navy's newest warship, the USS Detroit was christened and launched into the Menominee River in WI. last month.

It will be delivered to the Navy by 2015. The ship was built by Lockheed Martin and is shown splashing into the water for the first time.

Captain Domenic Petrarca recently wowed a captive audience when he announced on Facebook that anglers in his group landed a 597-pound bluefin tuna on a spinning reel and rod. Near Cape Cod

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NOVEMBER 2014

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Fishing with Michael Jackson

By Capt Bart Marx Water LIFE Keys November, the month of Thanksgiving, and we all should be thankful that we are in Florida this time of year LOL! This November marks 55 years Capt. Bart has lived in Charlotte County. It has been an awesome place to grow up and learn to fish. Thirty years ago we talked about fishing and what was it like to fish in Charlotte Harbor 50 years before that.

Today, we have today braided line, fluorocarbon leader, graphite rods... you know, so what do you think it was like when the Indians were here and just had dugout canoes?

I heard they ate a lot of the white baits.

I have heard that they raised conch in Boggess Hole like it was a seafood market. There had to be lots of species. Back when I really learned to redfish we just used Johnson Sprites or Salty Dog lures.

You could buy them at Eckard Drugs in bulk and in those days it was 3 tails for a dime or a jig and a tail for a quarter.

Recently, I had Mike Jackson from Wales fish with me on two different trips.

The first trip the guys were leaving the

flounder

next day for Ft. Lauderdale and it was a catch and release trip. We fished in the upper part of Charlotte Harbor. There were reds, snook and trout caught, along with mangrove snapper. They had a great time. Then a few days later, Mike Jackson and I fished out of Pineland Marina.

We went to the ‘shacks’ (Pine Island Sound fish-shacks) and caught bait (thanks to Scotty D!) and then we ventured out into the Gulf where we caught some nice mangrove and lane snapper bottom fishing. Then it was time to troll and see if we could pick up some grouper.

We trolled for a little while and caught

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red grouper

some ‘cudas over one of the artificial reefs and then, in just a short time, we had another fish on. It was a red grouper on the trolling lure. That was a great day catching.

On another trip I was invited to go along with a friend of mine Gary. I sold him a prop for his outboard and he was going fishing with his friend Bob from Cape Coral. It was too windy for Bob to go out in the Gulf and Gary wanted to test his new prop so he invited me to come along. First we went and I threw the cast net for white bait and pin fish and we got plenty. We went to some secret spots and

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barracuda

had a good day catching small reds and some snapper. Then as it was getting late in the afternoon, we picked one more spot - a sunken barge - and there were so many snapper there it was silly! You could see them take your bait! Then the bite slowed and we started casting away from the boat. Gary pulled out two nice flounder, the bigger one was 17 in. We had a limit of snapper and 2 flounder on that fun day.

If you would like to get in on some of this type of fishing call me at 941-979-6517 or email captbart@alphaomegacharters.com Singing drags and tight lines make me smile.

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November Fishing – Predictions and Suggestions Charlotte Harbor

Frank, at Fishin’ Franks 941- 625-3888

ALL ABOUT SNOOK FISHING Snook fishing in November, during the day, is best done on the flats, but only if you can find quiet water and by that I mean no boat traffic. Quiet traffic helps the snook bite, but the quiet also brings on a problem. A snook has hundreds of ear drums on each side of its body; each scale that touches the black lateral line has a tiny oil sack under it which senses vibration in the water the same way our ear drum sense vibrations in the air. So if it is quiet you need to be quiet. Right now the snook are keyed in on white bait during the day, so lures which look like bait fish / white bait in particular, are better. Like the Storm Twitch, or Mirro-O-Lure MR-17.

Try bright colors on the East Side like pink or white and darker colors on the West Side where the fresh water keeps the water a darker brown. My advice is to use an electric motor on as slow as it will go and stay a decent cast away from the mangroves. Then cast side arm like you would if you were skipping a stone across the lake shore. Cast as far under the mangroves as you can. Do not worry about hanging up in the trees, if you are not hung up in the mangroves every once in a while you are not trying. Three feet from the branches might as well be a mile away.

There is no reason to get in a hurry about bringing out the lure, you did a perfect cast to get it up under the branches so try to shake the end of the rod, get as much movement as possible with as little forFishing is what people come here for! These anglers went home happy Capt. Billy Barton ward motion as possible. if it’s a dry year they stay where they are If I am using a lure that floats then at. Snook are basically a home body. Their dives, I tend to use it as a top water before range is climate limited, but once they get I use it as a swimming lure. I do this by really big they tend to wander. The big letting the lure hit the water then I just ones leave and the smaller ones stay here. wait for about 3 seconds and start to shake They will be where they are until the the tip of my rod which makes the lure water temperature hits low 70s to 60s, shake. After another pause I then give the then they will be in the canals. rod tip a hard sharp jerk making the lure go just under the surface then wait for it to FISHING OTHER SPECIES float back to the surface. I do this 2 or 3 The water is going to get a lot clearer times and if I don’t get a strike I pull the this month and cooler. It’s down in the 70s rod tip to get the lure under the surface of now which is bringing nice pompano in, the water then I start reeling. on the bar in front of Bull and Turtle Bay To enhance my chances of hooking up and on the bar over from Burnt Store a snook I stop/pause the lure ever few feet down to Two Pine. There are good pomwhile reeling, that is when I get the most pano there right now. Those fish are best hits, when the lure is sitting still, not alwith white bait and just ok with the ways the case, but more often than not. shrimp. The whole key is the low 80-to For the most hits, a 3 to 4 inch lure is high-70 water temperature. That’s best. best. Bull Bay is the best spot for snook The baitfish selection is excellent right right now, fish on the west side and back now. At Jug Creek and by Pirate Harbor by the clam lease. there is white bait and threadfins. And at A lot of snook are now where they are Devilfish Key you have a lot of pinfish. going to be for the winter. They will stay In the Harbor you can get Spanish within a mile of a chosen spot until it’s Mackerel, ladyfish and jack crevelle. time for them to spawn. Then if it’s a wet You need the incoming tide in the middle year they will go to the barrier islands, but

46" snook caught in Bulls Bay by Julie Krueger of North Port on 10/11/14

Charters

Offshore Fishing Trips: 1/2 day • 8hr • 10 hr • 12 hr We help put your charters together

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

Nighttime Trips Available

Capt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

941-473-2150

NOVEMBER 2014

Chrissy Moesley with a 22 inch black drum caught at El jobean . . . ʻput up a nice fight!ʼ

of the Harbor. Stick a big threadfin on or troll for ladyfish, hook them up and drift with them for bait out by Marker No 1.

Troll to the 22 foot hole and back. You’ll find the jacks and the macks.

Tarpon are scattered up the canals and up river as far as 761 near Arcadia.

In the PGI canals snapper fishing is good and we have decent black drum too.

Back off O’Hare there are a lot of black drum and monster snook. The farther back you go, the bigger they are.

Bonnet sharks are on the west side, let the line out and drift. Mangrove snapper, are up under the bushes, (Hence the name) fish them with shrimp. And finally, and this is BIG, King mackerel are a mile off the beach! Guys are catching 20- to 30pound kings! The best lure is the Pink/Green Bomber 30, or the Dolphin.

NOVEMBER 2014

Lemon Bay

Jim at Fishermen’s Edge

697-7595

The BIG-4

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Big Fish to expect in November

Guys are catching fish it’s been pretty good - depending where you go. Two weeks in a row I’ve gotten out of the shop and went fishSNOOK Fish the bars in the REDFISH Schools from FLOUNDER in the Harbor and POMPANO In front of Bull ing. There are still cobia offdaytime, canals at night Lemon Bay to Catfish Creek Bay, Pirate Harbor and 2 Pine along the beach. shore and king mackerel in 35- to 50- feet of water. I’ve Boca and at Catfish Creek. Over Inshore picked up quite a bit. seen kingfish 40-inches and over here, pompano are still sporadic We had a few trout in the past caught right in Boca Pass, trolling with a keeper now and then. week from the back country, plugs. There were a lot of boats There are some sheepshead to again on trolling plugs, 18-to 20out last week. There were baitbe caught. I’m selling fiddler inch trout. I’ve also had some fish, mackerel and kings – a lot crabs every day now. Some whitgood redfish reports from the of action going on. Guys said guys in Lemon Bay and Whidden ing is out on the beach and the they could see the kings come shark situation is picking up creek, slot fish down there and at rocketing up out of the water. again with smaller black tips out Bull and Turtle Bay. The guides Snapper has been good too, manon the beach from Boca just off who are doing best have more grove and some grunts coming the shore and some flounder on live bait, catching 32- to 33- inch from offshore The yellowtail are reds and some over the slot. Most the beach too. Every guy that out a little further. Further means comes in is holding up a nice fish. from Gasparilla Sound and some bigger fish. And we’ve still got Trent Roberson caught this 31 inch snook Right now it’s hard to be a liar. being caught on the east side of nice grouper too. trolling in a kayak through the PGI canals.

PAGE 23

Gulf Temps are 78

The Harbor is cooling off.

Rains have stopped

95˚ 90˚ 85˚ 80˚ 72˚ 70˚ 68˚

Recreational Red Grouper Seasons and Bag Limits Update

The Council took final action that will adjust the bag limit to 2-fish per person, per day, The framework also eliminates the automatic bag limit reduction accountability measure that currently occurs after the Annual Catch Limit is exceeded. The Council decided to leave the recreational closed season at February 1 through March 31 beyond 20 fathoms. The Framework Action will be submitted to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation.

So bottom line is: looks like Red Grouper will be open all year - 2 per person!

OFFSHORE from Capt. Jim OʼBrien

Well, I have been talking with people and friends that were catching tons of RED GROUPER, but they had to put them all back. OUCH! They're closed till Jan1!

The GAGS are starting to come in closer the guys are fish'n over rock structure, around wrecks, and especially ledges. If the water gets down in the high 70's there should be some BIG - UNS! SHARKS - - a lot of sharks are on the inshore reefs and out on the offshore wrecks COBIA - - - there are still some big bad boys out in the offshore wrecks. All of them have these guys cruising around. Best bait live pin-fish.

AJ's--- greater amberjack it's too bad they're closed till Jan 1st cause my friends have been catching some BIG - UNS on the offshore wrecks on blue runners.

GAG GROUPER - - are starting to come in closer most are on the short side but there are a few keepers. Let that water temperature come down to the high 70's and you will see a lot more come in along with the bigger ones. Best baits pin or squirrel fish.

KING MACKERAL - - are showing up. The big boys that run by themselves should start showing up when the water temp gets down around 70 to 74 degrees, you can drift fish for them, troll them with your favorite color king spoons. If you have never done this you have to try it.

SPANISH MACKERAL - - are bitting in Boca Grande pass and out to 50 ft. Fish around the inshore reefs with small spoons or live thread-fins MANGROVE SNAPPER AN LANE SNAPPER - are all over the place, there are some nice size ones on the inshore reefs and out to 70 feet of water. Best bait is live shrimp and squid. Go with light to light

50˚ 45˚

Photo: Capt. Dan Cambern: Hammerhead Charters

medium tackle and you will have an absolute ball.

We are having our 1st Fish'n for Heroes Wounded Warriors Chili Cook Off DEC 6 on Dearborn St in Englewood. Down where the Farmer's Market is. We're going to have live music, cold beer, hot chili hot dogs and hamburgers and we have 5 judges to decide whose chili is best. The top 3 places will get plaques and cash depending on how many entrants we get.

So if you make a mean batch of chili give me a call.

Folks, that's all I got fer ya this month. If you want to book an offshore charter with us aboard the Predator II give us a call at the dock at (941) 473 - 2150.

BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

Hot!

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