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 last few months have been some kind of a banner season for the solitary angler. For the edification of those new to this “new normal,” a few of my own solo-fishing hacks: • If you’re launching a powerboat solo, hitch a boat-length rope to a bow cleat and the other end to your winch stand. Back your rig down until the boat gently slides off, then ease forward a teensy bit. Optimal lengths and timing you’ll need to figure for yourself. There will be scuffing of rubrail. Get over it. I’ve got my pattern down. Wearing deck boots or sandals, I unhitch the rope from the winch stand, walk it (carefully!) to the dock and hitch it to a post or cleat. My rope is long enough that I can…
When a fishing guide takes time to attend a fishery management or water quality meeting hours from home, he’s thinking about tomorrow, or next year’s fishing. These watermen are our fulltime eyes on the water. They provide expert input to fishery managers and intel to us weekend warriors on what’s biting. Unfortunately, fishing guides, captains and partyboat operators, much like others in the service industry, have taken a financial, and emotional, beatdown in 2020. Many in the southernmost end of the state couldn’t get out on the water at all during the spring, typically one of the busiest times of the year. Captain James Chappell, in Islamorada, summed it up to me in late April clear enough: “We’re closed. We have no way to make money. We’ve been crushed by…
There’s never a slow season for neighborhood lakes in Florida, but this spring was surely a boom time. Few are the suburbs which do not incorporate one or more retention ponds to manage stormwater runoff. Some are built around natural lakes and marshes. Short of any kill-joy HOA policy against fishing, these little waterways are the scenes of big adventures for young anglers. Also for the young-at-heart! As evidenced by images sent to FS through social media and other channels, neighborhood lakes were especially popular during the “safer at home” weeks.…
FISHING TIPS: Often the best bass action is close to shore. Try casting left or right, landing your lure within a few feet of the shore. Culverts are always productive: The shade attracts fish, and the flow brings a buffet line of minnows and other edibles. Summer is dragonfly egg-laying season, too—which means bass are looking up, tuned to any sort of surface disturbance. Want sunfish? Start with bread balls for bluegills, worms for shellcrackers. NATIVE TANK: Stock an aquarium with small non-game fish dip-netted from the pond. Swoop the net through shoreline grass and you’ll come up with an array of specimens. An example community might include swamp darters, golden topminnows, flagfish, gambusia and grass shrimp. All will eat tropical flake fish food. You may need to train the…
Large pelagic fish can be the best table fare, or that same fish if handled without proper care, can be unfit to feed your dog. It all comes down to how you take care of your fish before it hits the deck. Tunas, swordfish, unintentional marlin kill: If it’s a long fight, and someone’s going to eat it, I’ll follow these iron-clad steps. Think of it this way. A bluefin tuna that took two hours to bring to leader is heated up, as stressed as a deer run hard by a pack of hounds. It helps immensely to let that fish cool off—even before the familiar icing stage. Here’s a little trick I learned from seasons in Nova Scotia, Canada. This is an easy step; it only requires taking some…
If you luck into a truly large fish, such as a 100-pound yellowfin tuna or mature swordfish, think of different ways to use your catch and also how long you can store it. Or, whether release might be the better option. A large king mackerel, for example, won’t keep well in the freezer but grilled fresh, it’s good eating. You might choose to smoke a bunch and have one meal today. Other fish that do freeze well such as swordfish, cobia and dolphin can be vacuum sealed and frozen for months. It’s best to plan on keeping a few meals for yourself and sharing the rest. The likelihood of you catching more fresh fish before you use all of your frozen stock is pretty good and how often will you…
