Florida Sportsman is the complete fishing magazine for Florida and the Tropics. Devoted to fishing, boating, and outdoor activities in the Sunshine State, Florida Sportsman is the authoritative source for Florida's most active fishermen.
The Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir plan, born out of Senate Bill 10, looked like the one we’d been waiting for all these years. No more Toxic Summers. No more guacamole algae and disease spread along the coasts by Lake Okeechobee discharges. Built right, a dynamic reservoir could cut the discharges, send clean fresh water to Florida Bay, and rebuild three extraordinary fisheries and the lifestyles and economies they once supported. We all cheered. As it now stands, the plan is not what was envisioned. Everglades Foundation scientists published a recent evaluation before the Florida Legislature. They echoed what the Department of Interior said last fall: The reservoir doesn’t come close to living up to its promise. Even the state’s suspiciously optimistic projections offer too little relief to the St. Lucie…
Yes, Cedar Key has the predictable charm of a tourist-oriented coastal fishing village. There’s a haunted hotel, art galleries and excellent restaurants for that crowd. There’s even a shallow beach. But for fishermen, the surrounding waters, dotted with low-lying islands, are the main attraction. East of town, there’s shallow Waccasassa Bay, where you’re likely to find father-and-son captains Jimmy and Jimbo Keith (fishcedarkey.com) guiding clients to reds, seatrout and snook. And to the south, near the outer islands (Seahorse, Atsena Otie, North and Snake keys), or on the shallow offshore reefs, you’ll probably see Capt. Denny Voyles (voylesguideservice.com) with guests on the hunt for a variety of species in his 24-foot Old Pro. If you’re a shorebound angler, consider soaking a piece of cut bait from the City Dock at…
Sea Eagle FishSkiff 16 Sportsmen looking to access remote fishing or hunting areas will find this watercraft intriguing. At 16 feet by 56 inches inflated and roughly 100 pounds, the FishSkiff is a two-person boat that can be packed into a car trunk or SUV hatch and stored in your garage. This three-chambered, quadruple overlapping seamed, 1000 denier inflatable fully inflates in eight minutes with a two-stage electric pump. Available in several packages, the FishSkiff can be tricked out with fishing accessories and powered with electric trolling motor or up to a 6 HP gas outboard. Twin swivel seat package with Honda 5S outboard will get you up to 17 mph for $4,600. www.seaeagle.com Tavernier Skiff 17 For the family boater who combines fishing, snorkeling and sand bar fun, the…
Tim Altman, captain of the Jacksonville based Saltwater Challenge, lives to troll at 20 knots. His trolling weights weigh 6 pounds. His lures weigh 4 pounds. Giant wahoo are his target, and he’s very good at his game. Tim targets wahoo all year, but December through April is his favorite season. “Let it get so cold that all the water inshore of the 28 fathom ledge is below 70 degrees and the big ledge that marks the start of the continental shelf will be magic,” said Tim. “Let the temp reach 70 degrees on the beach and they are apt to be anywhere.” “I let technology tell me where to fish by using Roffs Fishing Satellite Charts, and if I need to split the day up, I’ll let the solunar…
At a Florida Sportsman field test in Miami, the new Quantum 2 Radar from Raymarine picked up the echo of an incoming target, highlighted in red on the Axiom 12 screen at left. The target was in fact another boat, center. We allowed the boat to overtake us to port, at which point the radar return was highlighted in green, above. This is an example of how Doppler shift technology works with marine radar. Raymarine’s Quantum 2 units are new this year. See www.raymarine.com/quantum2.…
From the daybreak flurry, to targeting seasonal feasting, Terry Scroggins often turns to topwater baits for the big bites he needs. Saving frogs for another discussion, the Palatka pro diversifies his surface game with topwater plugs. Here’s a look at some of his favorite applications. Post Spawn: For thin-belly females looking to regain mass before settling into summer patterns, topwaters represent easily caught meals. This time of year, Scroggins generally keeps a One Knocker Spook and a Devil’s Horse propbait handy for the daybreak bite, the late-afternoon rally and overcast conditions. On a big, grassy flat where scattered fish might make a little sprint to catch an attractive meal, Scroggins will sashay that Spook across the tops of hydrilla and let the bait’s chunk-chunk-chunk draw topside attacks. If he’s “target…
