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.
Karl Wickstrom, who left us this summer on a gentle outgoing tide in late June, was a strong advocate for an independent, unified Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The old Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, he knew, had constitutional authority—dating back to 1942—to make and enforce laws pertaining to fishing and hunting seasons, bag limits, methods of take and other practices. Marine Fisheries Commission decisions, on the other hand, required governor and cabinet approval, and legislators held the purse strings. Karl and other conservation leaders had witnessed time and again how commercial fishers and greasy-fingered politicians meddled with the system, obstructing protections for red drum, net restrictions and other vital needs. Guided in no small part by Karl’s editorializing and team-building, voters in November 1998 approved a constitutional amendment…
The extended Florida Sportsman family mourns the passing of Karl Wickstrom, who died on June 25, in Stuart, Florida. Karl, founder of Florida Sportsman, was 82. He is survived by his wife, Sheila; four children and three grandchildren. Born in Rock Island, Illinois, Wickstrom earned a journalism degree from the University of Florida and started his career as a sports reporter. In 1960, he went to work for the Miami Herald as an investigative journalist. In 1969, he founded Florida Sportsman, engaging Vic Dunaway, a well-known outdoors writer at the Herald, to lead editorial efforts at the new magazine. Through the decades as publisher of Florida Sportsman, Wickstrom fought tirelessly to benefit Florida marine resources and recreational angling. Wickstrom was co-founder of the Florida Conservation Association in 1984, now Coastal…
Stunning, uncrowded ponds—some as deep as 35 feet, with intricate islands and backwaters. That’s Tenoroc Fish Management Area, in Polk County. Tenoroc is old wetlands where earth-moving equipment scooped and carved in the 1960s, digging for phosphate, the fertilizer ingredient and next best thing to gold in those days. There are two dozen-some lakes on the 8,000-acre property, now owned and managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. One of the previous landowners was Coronet Phosphorus Co. Spelled backwards, you get Tenoroc. Only two of the lakes allow combustion engines—lakes B and 5—and their only idle speed. Check in at the gate station after 6 a.m. Friday through Monday, to get a $3 permit. Lakes range from 7 to 227 acres. Water quality and topography vary. Some lakes…
WHAT Bass, catfish and bream fishing in small lakes with a limited number of boats and shore access. Quiet and easy. Costs $3. WHERE Couple miles northeast of Lakeland, FL on Hwy. 659. Address 3829 Tenoroc Mine Rd. WHEN Friday through Monday, 6 a.m. till closing (varies depending on season). Call the office at 863-499-2422 RULES Quite a few. Most designed to maximize your satisfaction and maintain excellent fishing. WHAT ELSE Home to a terrific shooting center, with rifle and pistol ranges, sporting clays, elevated archery and more. Admission $10; free for shooters ages 15 or younger. BONUS POINTS Tenoroc has some lakes set aside and equipped for physically challenged anglers, special events and children’s fishing.…
Havoc Boats DBST 1656 An effective platform for shooting ducks that spends most of the year in the garage is a luxury many can’t justify. Havoc Boats of Fordyce, Arkansas, gets that. The DBST is a great compromise, combining marsh- and timber-capable performance with open-water comfort for off-season fishing trips. The 5052 alloy, .100 hull with 6063 longitudinal I-beam ribs offers weight savings without sacrificing strength. An 8-degree V-bow and hull along with inverted keel smooth out the ride on open water while the inverted sidewalls prevent brush or stumps from damaging the hull’s bottom. As a combination duck, gator hunting, and fishing machine the Havoc is on point. Base price $4,610. See www.havocboats.com County Line Boats 1344 Prestige For the extreme waterfowler who enjoys solitude in the marsh with…
The propwash is a fertile but often neglected strike zone. If you have big king mackerel or even wahoo in your sights, take advantage of the attraction provided by the flashing propeller and the turbulent waters immediately astern. Send some baits far into your wake or deep into the water column, but also keep one close! For slow-trolling, a favorite propwash bait of mine is a large live mullet swimming frantically just a few feet behind the propeller. However, a variety of live baits including menhaden, large Spanish sardines, bluefish, blue runners, whiting, croaker and virtually any live bait that can be barbed and slow trolled right in your boat’s propwash. Hard to secure, but if you can jig or cast net a live cutlass fish, one of these slow-trolled…
