Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i Florida Sportsman

Alligator hunting is tightly and sustainably managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Each summer, some 5,000 Alligator Hunt Permits (up to 2 animals per permit) are issued on a random drawing basis to hunters who apply during May and June. Hunts take place in the specific zone associated with the permit application, and dates begin August 15 (some regions begin later) and run through November 1. Cost of the permit is $272 for Florida residents, $1,022 for non-residents. A permit holder may bring one or more assistants—either a friend who obtained his own permit, or a person who buys a $52 Alligator Trapping Agent License. Guests on the boat not assisting in the hunt needn’t have a license. Hunting hours are 5 p.m. - 10 a.m. For…

The term speed jig typically refers to a thin, blade-shaped metal lure with either a treble hook on the tail or one or two “assist” hooks on short leaders affixed to a split ring at the top. Normally the lure is molded so the balance of the weight is situated at the bottom. “Butterfly jig” is also used, though that is a proprietary term for a Shimano product. “Diamond jig” and “iron” are also used to describe similar lures in different regions. These lures typically glide left and right as they fall or climb, on the retrieve. A slow jig or flat-fall jig describes another metal lure, generally one with the weight centered mid-line, so that it falls in a horizontal fashion, wobbling as it goes. Primarily, these kinds of…

After Hurricane Irma wiped out Capt. Dave Jensen’s marina, his friend Mike Strassel wanted to see him back up and running, catching fish and pleasing visitors on a well-known Keys boat. The two friends have fished together since high school. The Gotcha is a 45-foot Key West No. 1 hull, built on Stock Island, made to accommodate Keys-style fishing for bigger groups who want a wide cockpit on a stable hull to fish the reef or troll for pelagics. It was Capt. Mel Walker’s boat, until Strassel bought it recently. “This is one of the original Keys-style charterboats, and it’s where Bertram and Hatteras got a lot of their ideas for the wide-cockpit boat that’s evolved today,” said Strassel, of Fort Lauderdale. Strassel knows a thing or two about sport-fish…

The cost of entry into Florida bluewater fishing varies, depending on your goals and your tax bracket. High-end center consoles in the 35-foot-plus range with power start at about the median price of a new home in Florida—$280,000, at a recent glance. (Very highly customized models might sell for waterfront real estate prices!) Equipping one of these boats with high-end outriggers, downriggers and electronics might amount to the cost of installing an addition to that home. For some anglers, a lifetime of hard work and/or a little bit of luck make such equations work out just fine. But the truth is, offshore fishing needn’t be expensive. A brand-new deep-vee center console with single outboard in the 20- to 23-foot range might sell for about $50,000. Used models in good condition…

BEST BET If you are looking to hook up with a trophy catch of a lifetime, go to the flats for permit and bonefish. If you are looking for supper, I suggest the deep drop. Yet do not give up on the reef fishing. The bite may have slowed but there are still plenty of yellowtail, muttons and grouper to be caught. You may just have to work a bit harder to get ‘em going. Dog Days It’s all about changing gears in August. The tarpon that inhabit the channels and basins throughout the Florida Keys have migrated farther north. The schools of permit that were spawning on the wrecks and reefs are, for the most part, back on the flats. The many different kinds of snappers that have been…

BEST BET Every year varies a bit, but the Southeast Region will see the first push of the annual mullet run this month. It seems that this push lasts about a week or so, then tapers out for a week or two, then we get the full migration. If you can get in on this precursor, it can be mayhem. I’m not saying that the full push is not, but fish seem to be more receptive to artificials, flies and bait, for that matter, early on in the run, before they have gorged themselves and don’t care to look at another mullet this year. It’s a predator party, with snook, tarpon, jack crevalle, sharks and more getting their share. Early and Late The full moon is on the minds of…

BEST BET Getting close to shore often involves boats smaller than even the shallowest-draft microskiff. The Big Bend has scores of potential launch spots for kayaks and canoes, and many offer excellent access to deep (and cool) fishy backwater holes. Consider launching at places like Ozello, Waccasassa, Shell Mound (near Cedar Key) and Pine Log Creek (north of Steinhatchee). If you don’t have a paddleboat, renting one is always an option. There are many outfitters throughout the region with fleets of rental boats. First Light My July Big Bend Action Spotter covered offshore options to scallop madness. This month I ask those of you not totally enamored with snorkeling for scallops to consider getting up early to chase reds and big seatrout right up against the shoreline. The most important…

BEST BET There are numerous inshore reefs and channels that offer good flounder catching. Most are listed on the myfwc.com website. Flats near channels or reef structures offer good flounder habitat. River mouths such as the St. Marks, Ocklochonee, Econfina, Aucilla, Carrabelle and Apalachicola provide great flounder fishing possibilities. Live finger mullet or mud minnows are deadly baits when slowly retrieved just off the bottom in places like tidal creeks that have soft sloping channel edges. Easy as A, B, C Amberjack season opens August 1. These great-eating fish are found in depths of 60 feet and deeper, usually around some kind of structure, such as natural reefs, artificial reefs, towers or wrecks, especially ones that reach high into the water column. One of the best amberjack spots for Northwest…

On August 9, a 13-year-old from Palatka, FL, defends his Bass Federation Junior World Champion title. Syler Prince, who won the Age 11-15 division last year, will fish three days under the hot Arkansas sun, competing against a field of state champions from across the U.S. On his boat, Syler will have a schoolmate, Austin Peters. The two friends qualified for the TBF Junior Worlds (a team event, this year) after taking the Florida Bass Federation Junior State Championship on the Harris Chain earlier this year. Will they win? In our view, they already have. Florida Sportsman caught up with Syler by phone in late June. Syler was in Wisconsin supporting his Dad, Cliff Prince, a 7-year Elite pro on the B.A.S.S. Bassmaster circuit. Dad was gearing up to fish…

So you have a bunch of old tackle in your garage, old storage boxes, from your youth, or maybe they were your dad’s, or even your grandfather’s. Stop. Don’t throw them away! In Florida, Sportfishing Capital of the World, there have been several well-known tackle makers in the past, and some very collectable lure makers. Some of the most collectable could easily be passed as worthless due to their “folk art” or “hand-made” look. JIM PFEFFER, ORLANDO, FLORIDA These valuable lures were carved and painted from the 1930s to 1960s. Jim would sit outside his shop carving; his wife Betty would do the painting. The earliest ones were all carved and painted by hand. Each of the dots was put on by hand. The Florida Shiner is the most common…

August is here and I’m tired of eating nothing but scallops and lobster. Yes, they’re great table fare, but I long for a good burger every so often. Not a hamburger, but a crab burger, topped with a sweet remoulade sauce, and to pay homage to mammals, some crumbled smoked bacon. Making crab cakes is an easy job. If you buy crabmeat from a trusted retailer, it’s cooked and pasteurized. While much of the crabmeat sold here is imported, it’s excellent. If you buy crabmeat from the back of a pickup truck alongside the highway, beware! Claw crabmeat is less expensive than lump, which is lighter in color, but tastes virtually the same. Reserve the expensive stuff for crabmeat cocktails or a delicious garnish atop grilled fish—and use claw meat…

With no boat ramps, no human habitations and no visibility from any road, the lake is the darkest in a group that makes an early contribution to the St. Johns River. Tannin leaching into the water from shoreline leaves and trees provides the color—or lack thereof. This water is obsidian black. Most bass fishermen finding their way there don’t linger after one circumnavigation because figuring it out requires many visits. This is an ecosystem very different from most lakes. A county fisheries biologist I know tested it and, finding no invertebrate life, declared it dead. This is how such a lake of darkness can confound even the experts, although no fisherman, as fishermen are optimists, would have leaped to such a conclusion. From swiping a net through shoreline weeds, I…

BEST BET On Aug. 6, the regular spiny lobster season opens. Each licensed holder is allowed six lobsters per person that have a carapace that measures three inches or larger. A lobster measuring device is required and a tickle stick, gloves and lobster bag makes catching and storing your catch a lot easier. Each lobster must be measured and kept in its whole state till you reach land. Look for these tasty creatures under rocks, ledges, in the grass or just walking along the bottom. Beat the Heat This time of year the offshore fleet will be out early getting the fresh bait they will need for the day. A call to the live bait boat the day before might save you hours of trying to catch your own. Most…

BEST BET Your best bet this month is to fish tarpon in the dark waters of Charlotte Harbor. These fish might be found just about anywhere in the 100-square-mile main harbor, so chore No. 1 is simply finding the fish. Windless summer days are great for spotting rolling tarpon but there are other clues, too. Schools of threadfins are often shadowed by tarpon. When ladyfish tear into glass minnows there are almost always tarpon around the melee, and if gulls find this setup you’ll be able to spot the birds from a mile away. And if you see a few boats fishing an area it might pay to snoop around them, but a word of caution: Come in slow and quiet or you’ll be extremely unpopular. Summer Surprises Stalking snook…

BEST BET Heavyweight snook roam the East Central surf during the summer months looking for food. Early mornings, late evenings and the first couple hours after darkness can bring bragging-size catches along our public beaches. Because of their size, and the current snook closure, all must be released immediately. Live croakers and 8- to 10-inch mullet fished in depressions and troughs are among the best choices for baits. For the purists, plastic jerkbaits, swimbaits and even topwater plugs will draw snook. Press down the barbs for a less stressful release. Bank on It When the weather turns sultry in July and August East Central Florida ocean anglers looking for heavyweight wahoo head for the Oculina Bank. It’s a sharply defined series of ridges of rare Oculina varicosa coral paralleling the…

BEST BET The best bet is heading SW to the Steps and looking for rocks and reefs. A good starting point would be 29-28.50’N, 87-27.00’ W. Focus on the 500 to 750 feet range. One or two marks are all that’s needed for me to make a drop. I would fish a squid on every other hook and a northern mackerel strip on the other ones. Don’t get antsy on the first bite; try to load your rig up, because action creates action. Often times that big fish will bite after the other ones are fired up. Deep Waters August can be a crazy month in the Panhandle. Hot days, light breezes for most of the day followed by late afternoon thunderstorms and stout winds, usually out of the west.…

Mercury Marine 250 & 300 HP V-8 Four Stroke Mercury’s new V8 Four Stroke quad-cam design delivers more mid-range torque (@3500-4500 RPM) and class-leading (4.6L) displacement in the lightest package of all competitors in the 300-HP class. Both models are offered in either Mechanical or Digital Throttle and Shift controls. Adaptive Speed Control allows you to maintain a constant desired RPM at all times regardless of changes in load or sea conditions without requiring continual adjustments to the throttle position. A Tuned Multi-Chamber air intake keeps airborne noise to a minimum while fuel injector covers reduce high-frequency noise. A clever battery management technology exclusive to Mercury Marine senses a voltage decrease and automatically increases the idle RPM to boost alternator output, recharging batteries to the proper level while trolling. A…

Kathryn Tiling studied seagrass ecology at Florida Atlantic University. She has lived in the U.S. Midwest and overseas in the Phillipines, and is now a research associate with the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, FL. Among Kathryn’s jobs at the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center: Tending boxes of seagrass. When I met her at the center in May, she had seven, 130-gallon trays of shoal grass, fed by tidal water pumped from offshore Hutchinson Island. Part of the present collection was a genetic study to identify ways to diversify, and therefore strengthen, the fortitude of grass plantings. “We have volunteers who collect naturally washed-ashore fragments of grasses that are up in the wrack line at the beach,” she explained. “We can take those and replant them in our nursery. We then…

Jigs basically go up and down and you control all of that. But it’s the finer tweaks that get the bite. FLORIDA WHIP: This age-old technique is employed to make a jig race through the water for a short distance, pause and then repeat. It can be done with the rodtip to the side of you or more overhead if you choose. Be ready for the strike, which often comes between whips. It’s the retrieve to use when fishing for pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, barracuda and other inshore speedsters. The speed is up to you, whatever works best. All of the aforementioned fish can catch a jig no matter how fast you whip it! THE ROLL: Terrific jig retrieve where the current is strong. It’s standard practice for jigging inlets…

AUGUST SPOTLIGHT Tarpon off the Beach Tarpon are one of the great game-fish on earth, and they’re right off the beaches of both coasts of Florida in the late summer. They’re powerful, full of stamina and capable of great leaps and lunges—a challenge on any tackle. Whether you’re poling across a Keys oceanside flat for them in the early morning, or following them on the bait schools off Tampa or Jacksonville, the thrill of tarpon fishing is a rite of passage of Florida summertime life. Hook into one if you’ve never tried it. Guaranteed you’ll never forget it. 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. Send digital pictures, 600 KB to 1…

BEST BET Gag grouper remains open throughout the region in the month of August and tangling with the grey tanks of the wrecks is a summertime tradition. Concentrate your efforts on slight ledges, wrecks or honeycombed bottom with threadfin herring, pinfish and squid and you should box your fair share. Slam Time August is one of the best months to scratch a 10,000 Islands grand slam off your bucket list. That consists of a redfish, snook, trout and tarpon all caught in a single outing. Snook are certainly the most active of the four species. Take advantage of the slick calm mornings that are synonymous with summer in the Everglades before the westerly winds kick in after lunch time. Target the linesiders with topwater plugs. Some explosive action can be…

BEST BET Flounder catches have been a lot more common along our coasts in recent years, and the heat of summer helps to crank up the bite in shallow water. Crab meat stuffing added to enhance the already rich flavor is a diner’s delight, giving this flat fish top billing on inshore anglers’ lists this month. Seeking Shade Water temps into the 90s may have fish looking for shade, depth with cooler water or cool thermoclines. The easiest way to beat the heat is to fish pre-dawn or hours after dusk. Nocturnal creatures like sharks come out in force at night to feed, so fishing from a boat or pier is a plus. Wade fishing is a stealthy way to keep cool and sneak up on fish at the same…

BEST BET Not only is August the best month of the year to float live shrimp under the docks of the brackish water stretches of the St. Johns, all signs are pointing to this being a banner year. That’s because the hurricanes of the last two years have killed off 90 percent of the grass beds that the bass generally use for shade and safety. With no grass to hide in, traffic under the docks should be bumper to bumper. The stretch of the river from the Shands Bridge to Six Mile Creek is certain to provide plenty of largemouths. A simple live shrimp below a split shot and a small cork will do the job. Stick and Move In August, just as all the bluewater gear starts collecting dust…

BEST BET This might be the easiest best bet of the month. After checking in to the Bahamas, you can get right after the hot August mutton snapper bite. Find a reef in 60 to 80 feet with clear moving water, anchor up and chum. You can fiddle around with the yellowtail snappers for a while, but the real fun comes when you drop a jig down with a bigger chunk of bait (or a live local offering of pilchards or ballyhoo) for the bite you are looking for. Travel Plans Day-to-day fishing in tropical waters during the dog days of summer can be hot and cold. The bite is smoking hot one morning, then seemingly dead the next day, and weather changes can be just as drastic although thankfully…

“It will probably never happen again for me with that many fish.” When the Gulf Stream slowly started pushing back in to about 500 feet of water, we knew the sailfishing would get good again. Finally it got so close, I knew I had to go hunting for them, and that day my charter group got 44 releases. The next day we had another charter and got another 21 sailfish, but by 11 o’clock our customers had enough and had to go home. Then that night, we knew the next day, May 23, would be amazing, but our charter cancelled on us. We took it upon ourselves to go out with some of our friends because we knew how good it would be. We left our docks in Marathon at…