Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Florida Sportsman

An old saying among recreational fishermen, a good one, goes like this: "Let's release this one and let him fight again another day for someone else." But shall we release it only to have the fish taken, frozen and sold on the commercial market for peanuts? That latter scenario, in essence, is a switcheroo idea now being floated by fishing managers who seem to get nervous if every last fish under a "quota" isn't boxed. In this case, we're talking about king mackerel, whose numbers are considered fairly stable but not wildly so. The commercial fishing industry claims that recreational anglers did not take their alloted number of kings. The suggested answer? Assign a significant percentage of non-caught rec kings to next year's commercial haul. "That just doesn't feel right,"…

When casting Clousers with lead eyes you will need to adjust your casting stroke to open up your loop a bit, as is done during the Belgian Cast, to keep this heavy fly away from your rodtip and the back of your noggin. Also consider shortening your leader as much as practicable to better turn the thing over, and also go with a slightly heavier tippet for the same reason. Keep in mind that this fly, because of the weight, is going to be tougher to pick out of the water when time comes to recast—you’ll need to strip it in a bit closer before doing so. In most situations, you will be best served to fish an intermediate or faster sinking line with this fly, if trying to reach…

One of the beautiful things about mutton snapper is how they come in different colors depending on their habitat. From rosy red like red snapper in deep water to pearly green and pink around the reef to pale green and white in the shallows. Another beautiful thing about them is how you can catch them in all those different places. And another is how they taste. You can catch muttons on the flats in the Bahamas. You can catch them on kite baits around South Florida. You can spear ‘em on patch reefs and reeflines around the state, and you can catch them in chum slicks, just like yellowtail, down off Key West. I’ve even caught a few trolling. But if you really want to produce nice muttons—over 10 pounds…

Practically anywhere you look on a tournament sailfish boat, you’ll see something you can use on your own vessel next Saturday: novel rigs, proven tackle, strategic use of deck space, custom boat features. My head was spinning from the moment I stepped aboard the BAR South , a 60-foot Spencer and perennial powerhouse in light tackle tournaments. By 11 a.m., two fish into our day off Palm Beach, I thought I’d seen everything—until Tyler Princinsky dropped marinated steaks onto a grill revealed on the mezzanine. No, I don’t think I will be adding a grill to my own 21-foot center console. Nor will I be making a bid for tournament prizes this year. (Nowadays, with the kind of money and time that goes into sailfish tournaments, you’d have better luck…

1. LABRADOR RETRIEVER The Labrador Retriever is the workhorse of the dog world. This intelligent, gentle, family-friendly breed can go from a duck boat in the morning to the foot of a child’s bed in the evening (with a bath in between). It’s a solidly-built dog that’s muscular and strong, and is equally at home in a duck blind, the quail woods or a dove field. Males, 65 to 80 pounds; females 55 to 70 pounds. 2.GOLDEN RETRIEVER The Golden Retriever is an athletic, hard-charging retriever with a strong drive to hunt. Goldens are gentle, good family pets, and laid back when they don’t have anything to do. Their long hair and double coat makes them susceptible to our Florida heat, and they shed enough golden hair to weave another…

The Joy of Discovery “We can plan and wish and dream all we want for calm weather, but if we get four or five days of fishable offshore weather, we’ll be lucky. There is little doubt that somewhere in those few days will be some world-class wahoo fishing. “—from the NE Spotter, p. 61. Send us your photos We welcome your fishing and hunting photos for publication in the Action Spotter and in our online community galleries at www.floridasportsman.com. We prefer digital pictures, 600 KB to 1 MB in jpeg format. For smartphone photos, email the Actual Size—highest resolution shot. Images must not have appeared or been submitted elsewhere. Send photos to: photos@floridasportsman.com. Include names of people pictured, hometowns, location of catch and any key details, such as weight of…

Regardless of the conditions, one fish in particular is an absolute given in February and that is the sheepshead. These fish spawn throughout February, March and April and are certainly on their pre-spawn eating binge this month. You will find the largest concentration of sheepies of the year around numerous coastal structures such as docks, pier pilings, oyster-laden seawalls and even navigation markers, but those backcountry haunts that have good barnacle growth on mangrove lined banks and submerged oyster bars will also hold fish. Sheepshead are notorious bait stealers. They feed mostly on crustaceans and tiny fish. While hooking these critters can be a challenge, downsizing to a small, thumb-nail sized piece of shrimp or single sand flea on 1 or 1/0 circle or J-style hook with a small No.…

Even on winter’s coldest days, small bays, with mangrove shorelines to block the wind, that have a combination of shallow, dark mud flats and deep potholes will make for a fishy scenario on sunny days when the sun heats the muddy bottoms. This warming draws fish from the potholes to sit and warm up in the sunny spots. As they get warm, their metabolism stirs and hunger begins to nudge the appetite. Eventually these fish will feed. Winter days mean lower tides here. It seems like the prevailing winds this time of year have a northerly component that tends to blow water out of the bays. In some cases, the actual tide levels can be more than a foot below the predicted levels if the winds are strong out of…

We can plan and wish and dream all we want for calm weather, but if we get four or five days of fishable offshore weather, we’ll be lucky. There is little doubt that somewhere in those few days will be some world-class wahoo fishing. When the coolest water of the year moves in to the fertile waters around 130-foot depths, it pushes the wahoo out to the 180-foot ledge. Wahoo are much easier to catch if they are concentrated from 150 to 300 feet than they are if they’re spread over the 30-mile stretch of water from 120 feet out to 300. If the fish are still spread out, the high speed trollers will account for a lion’s share of the wahoo. If the fish get pushed offshore, natural bait…

February often brings big shallow water opportunities as fat bass flood the spawning grounds to bring us the next generation. The Bassmaster Elite Series event set for February 23-26 on Lake Okeechobee could be perfectly timed for phenomenal sight-fishing action. Lakeland pro Bobby Lane shared a few insights into his plans. When breaking down a lake, Lane gravitates to north-facing pockets, bays and flats—preferably on the lake’s north end. Warmth is key this time of year, so sun exposure and water dynamics must be considered. “When (seasonally frequent) north wind blows over the top of something, the sun will still heat that water up fastest,” Lane said. “The south end of that lake will be receiving the water that’s going to be constantly moving because of that north wind, which…

We’re here!” said Kim Hennecy, signaling for me to remove my earmuffs. After a scenic airboat ride through the Osceola outback, we’d finally arrived at what’s been described as one of the last great fishing adventures in Central Florida. The morning sun had just begun to illuminate the green bog of hydrilla our craft had come to rest on, as Kim and husband Byron cast topwater lures under the watchful eye of several dino-sized alligators lurking in the marsh. “Fish on!” said Kim, as her dark green frog vanished behind an explosion of water. “Me too,” replied Byron, his rod also rounding into a tight arc. “Good one?” Kim asked, as a swirl of water flushed off the tip of her rod. “Not as big as yours, apparently! Dustin, grab…

Typically in February, you can expect the fronts to steadily funnel down to the Keys, but if some of those fronts stall north of us, we may get a peek of spring fishing early. Depending on how cold the water temperatures get, we may see the tarpon migration begin sometime from mid to late February. When it starts, overnight large schools of tarpon will flood the channels and basins like Bahia Honda and Key West Harbor, but the large schools of tarpon can also disappear as quickly as they came when the water temperature drops with a passing cold front. If the water temperature reaches 70 to 72 degrees, you can expect to see some of those schools moving in. The offshore fishing will continue in winter mode with lots…

February, with typically the coldest water of the year, has a lot of fish looking for the deeper, warmer water. Channels, deep dock lines, holes and bridges are all great places for fish to congregate. Snook season will open on the first of the month. Slot-sized fish between 28 and 32 inches may be taken. Be sure to have your snook stamp if you plan on keeping a fish. Time a good tide and target snook that are hanging low around bridge pilings. Bridges such as South Bridge in Fort Pierce, the Stuart Causeway, and A1A Bridge in Jupiter are great areas to target snook. Since these fish will be holding close to bottom, a lure that gets down in the water column is necessary. Fast-sinking jigs and swimbaits are…

If you’ve already added largemouth, smallmouth and shoal bass to your “bass bucket list,” consider Suwannee bass. And why not? They’re local to much of north central and north Florida, and while they rarely exceed three pounds, they’re lots of fun to catch. Suwannee bass (Micropterus notius) are found mainly in the coastal rivers of the Big Bend (Suwannee, Wakulla, Ochlockonee, St. Marks) and their feeders (Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, Wakulla and Wacissa). Of particular note regarding this species’ habitat during cold winter months is the Santa Fe River. This 75-mile long river begins near Keystone Heights in Lake Santa Fe and is fed by a multitude of 72-degree springs. From there, it winds down to a sinkhole at O’Leno State Park, where it begins an underground journey until it resurfaces…

It’s hard to believe that while deer hunters are still in the woods, some largemouth bass are starting to spawn on many of the area lakes and water bodies. Although it’s still winter, it’s a good time for anglers to explore the edges of their favorite lakes to look for the telltale bass bed circles on the sandy shallows. Lake Talquin has a lot of potential areas to find bass beds. Almost any shallow cove that faces south (they warm up faster) is a good choice. Many of the large creek channels on the north side of the lake such as Little River, Oklawaha, and Rocky Comfort have shallow areas where the vegetation thins out, which are good bedding spots. Several of the small creeks that empty into the lake…

Q Of the 71 species on the Life List, which one do you think will be the hardest to catch, and how do you plan to go about it? Ethan Sonnenberg, Safety Harbor I think the mako shark is going to be the most difficult because we don’t have a boat and will have to upgrade the gear that we have. I plan to use a Tiagra 50W LRS 2-speed with 100-pound braid backing and a 130-pound mono top shot leader. I will match it to a Penn International rod and will use bonito or other oily and bloody fish. Hopefully I will catch this menacing fish. Michael Taylor, Port Saint Lucie Sailfish is definitely one of the toughest, especially from a kayak. I have hooked a couple but they…

Half the battle of surf fishing is being prepared with the right baits and the right rigs. And when the bite is hot, whether it be whiting, the revered pompano, croaker, flounder, sheepshead or other table fish, you don't want to monkey around building leaders, tying knots, and rummaging for hooks in your tackle bag. The standard Florida surf rig is the dropper rig, a multi-hook rig that allows you to fish more than one bait in the bottom three feet or so of the water column. Typical components include hooks, weights, swivels, snaps, and foam or bead attractors. Fishing more than one bait is a must because of baitstealers, and the typical “washing machine” nature of the surf zone. With two or three baits out there on each rod,…

Someone once called the Clouser Minnow “a jig dressed up for a party.” Pretty clever, and its action is very much jig-like. The fly is weighted with a lead or tungsten dumbbell eye, or a bead-chain eye for the shallowest water or for a slower sink rate. This baitfish pattern can be tied in colors and sizes to imitate specific baitfish. It can be argued that some fish take it for a crab or a shrimp when tied in the appropriate colors, or when it is bounced along bottom. It is the sinking action of the fly that seems to be the ticket. Most strikes come as the fly sinks, as is typical with a jig. Bob Clouser tied his originals on a No. 2 hook with bucktail, with a…

Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus): Identification: Dark gray, bluish gray to dusky bronze in color and reaching about 6.5 feet in length. Stout body. Black markings on fins—except anal fin. Lack of black markings on anal fin differentiates the blacktip from the spinner shark. Habitat: Shallow coastal waters and along the surface offshore. Usually found in top 100 feet of water column. Common near river mouths and in bays and estuaries. Feeding: Blacktips feed primarily on small schooling fish such as mullet, menhaden, sardines and threadfin herring. They’re also known to eat jacks, snook, grunts, crustaceans, squid and small sharks. Twirling: Like spinner sharks, blacktips swim rapidly through schools of fish with their mouths open, spinning and snapping, and can be seen twirling in the air after breaking the surface. Size:…

Most migratory fish species have either moved south or have settled in our area, getting fat on small baitfish and bay shrimp. Offshore fishermen are seeing Spanish mackerel, a few bluefish, an occasional pompano and a few blue runners along the beaches and oceanside piers. Big tarpon are feeding in the ocean inlets when the shrimp run at night. Farther offshore a few sailfish, kingfish, blackfin tuna and an occasional dolphin can be targeted. On the inshore waters bluefish, Spanish mackerel, seatrout, a few snapper plus scattered jacks, ladyfish and snook and tarpon are available. What I am leading up to is that February fishing in South Florida is worthwhile, with some outstanding catches, but it’s not the most reliable time of year for targeting a lot of species. However,…

Sheepshead fishing is approaching a peak as spawning aggregations of these chunky porgies gather around reefs, rocks, docks, piers, bridges and just about any other structures along the coast. Hot sheepshead fishing occurs miles offshore in the Gulf on ledges and artificial reefs, and miles inland in the bays, especially around bridge and pier pilings and around seawall riprap. Sheepshead are primarily crustacean eaters, so your best bait choices will include shrimp, sand fleas (mole crabs) and fiddler crabs. Sheepshead teeth allow them to nip and nibble, which is how they achieved their notoriety as super-efficient bait stealers. There are two ways you can foil their attempts: First, pay very, very close attention and assume that any slight bump, tap or heaviness is a sheepshead. Second, downsize to smaller hooks.…

It’s the winter migration of American shad that draws fly and ultralight anglers to portions of the St. Johns River in January and February. But as we all know, the shad never are a guarantee because there are years when only limited numbers make the upstream run. East Central Florida fishermen shouldn’t fret because there’s another fishery that’s catching on with the light-tackle crowd along the same stretch of river—the sunshine bass. The hybrid cross between a male striped bass and a female white bass was developed in the mid 1980s by Florida biologists—hence the name sunshine, for Sunshine State. It is distinguished by broken or irregular stripes on the front of the body. It’s a tough-fighting, good-eating striper-lookalike that the state has been stocking in the St. Johns for…

Inshore, the trout and redfish will stack up in the deeper pockets of the backwaters and around the bridges. Offshore, tuna and wahoo can be found around the shallower rigs, and when one is found the other is usually close by. My personal favorite is deep dropping for groupers and tilefish. When the water is flat and the moon is full and showing during the day the deep water bite is usually as good as it gets. For deepwater bottom fishing, scamps, snowies, war-saws, tilefish and even barrel fish are on the list. One of the best parts about bottom fishing in the Gulf is you never know what will bite next. When it comes to deep dropping, experience is hard to beat and fishing with someone who has done…