Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Florida Sportsman

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…

Essential, all-season skills and resources for the Florida angler. I recently ran a new 39 foot center console for a client who wanted Bluewater 101 refresher course; he’d been away from boating for a while. The boat was rigged with ev ery custom detail imaginable, which is why I was caught off guard when the first fish came to gaff. A large dolphin was greeted with 4 foot aluminum pole from the 1980s that had been bent and straightened enough times to make me nervous. After the fish was on ice I replaced the old tennis ball over the rusty hook. It occurred to me how many times I’ve seen that situation play itself out—with a bad ending Trying to be diplomatic I asked him, “Why the cheap gaff? to…

Multitasking Makes the Day Whether you are catch-and-release or a meat hunter, June will not disappoint. For those of you who like to eat snappers, there are a number of species that spawn in June and this goes on throughout the Florida Keys. Most of these spots are highly coveted and require local knowledge but if you are outside the reef in about 70 feet of water you are likely to get into a great bite. Freeline for yellowtails with bonito strips and fluorocarbon leader. Chum blocks are always a great way to get the fish to come up. I like to use a commercial style, large mesh chum bag in order to put out as much chum as possible and bigger chunks of chum to attract larger fish. As…

Great Fishing Close to Home The Southeast region’s location, in relation to the Gulf Stream, blesses us with great offshore fishing so close to home. Light summer winds and calm seas make June a great month for just about anybody to get offshore, no matter the boat. But remember, calm, warm, mornings are usually accompanied by stormy afternoons. If I plan to head offshore, especially in a smaller boat, under 24 feet, with a single engine, I plan to be back in the inlet by noon. Fingers crossed the fish box is full by then, anyways! Floridasportsman.com/resources/ weather/ is a great spot to check forecasts, buoys, radar and more, and is cell phone friendly. Light summer winds and calm seas make June a great month for just about anybody to…

Local Knowledge Florida’s Big Bend coastline is mostly rugged and jagged, intersected frequently by creeks and rivers. Each of those outlets, big and small, flow into the Gulf of Mexico and have done so for millions of years, each creating submerged creek or river channels. Some of these “trenches” are right up against the marsh grass and others can be found significantly offshore. All, in some fashion, act as drains from shallow grassflats and backwaters as tides fall. And, as tides rise, they offer routes of travel for fish from deeper water towards the coast. Some trenches are easy to spot, visually or with sonar. Obvious examples of extremely deep trenches or canyons can be found in the western Gulf of Mexico. There, many depth finders may not be able…

Get the Drift The extensive grassflats east of St. Marks come alive in June. There are plenty of baitfish and the water temperature is close to perfect for speckled trout. The only challenge for anglers is to find out where on the flats the trout are gathering. The traditional method is to simply set up a drift pattern across the flats with the wind. Depending on the wind speed, tossing plugs and jerkbaits can be effective. Drifting a beaded or rattle float with a jig or shiner tail behind the boat is a low maintenance way to fish for trout. Lightweight jigs are better for float fishing because they aren’t nose heavy and don’t dive to the bottom like heavier jigs. Keel-weighted jerkbaits are especially suited for flats fishing since…

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…

First you need to choose a hook size. Gaff hooks come in sizes from 2-inch “pick hooks” to full grown flying gaffs for marlin and tuna. I like to keep one “every day” gaff that will do the job in almost every scenario. A 3-inch hook is small enough to gaff a school dolphin or kingfish but also up to the task on a 60-pound wahoo. The span of 3 inches is small enough to poke through the small fish without simply dragging it through the water and if you carefully choose a shoulder shot on a large fish the span will grab enough meat to support the weight. For a second choice, I’d choose a 4- or 5-inch hook. This span will connect with a more substantial section of…

There is a clear process to becoming a fisherman. I think it starts out with wanting to catch a fish, then wanting to catch more fish, and then it branches out and proceeds to many different places. One of those stopping points is the desire to catch fish on a lure you made yourself. In Northeast Florida there are no offshore fishermen further along the curve than Robert Johnson Sr. and his son Robert Jr. (also known as RS). Robert Sr. started running charters in St. Augustine on the original Jodie Lynn in 1991. He soon started making trips to the Gulf Stream, which means he learned how effective cedar plugs were on just about everything we troll for. “My neighbors had to wonder what was wrong with me,” he…

THE DREAMS , builds and stories roll on in Stuart’s Dreamboat District in season five of the very popular television show. You don’t want to miss the action. A fuel tank replacement at Two Rivers, on a 25-Contender, turns into a full-on overhaul, from fresh paint to a tricked-out, one off dash assembly. And finally back in motion, the vandalized 39 foot Deep Impact goes from powerless to powerful after a complete makeover and engine upgrade. Next door, at Stuart and Islamorada Boatworks, you’ll get an insider view on how a dream comes to life for a semi-custom boat company. After scrapping one hull design for their new 18 technical poling skiff, will owner Richie DeVito finally agree to put his next project into production? Down the road at Wildfire…

Back on the Hunt for Fish Barring further interruptions to access to boat ramps and park facilities, June should be a great month in this region. The ocean angler can expect spawning snook in the ocean inlets and along the beaches. Snook are catch-and-release only this month. Because the females are loaded with roe it’s important to land the fish quickly and make sure the fish is healthy before releasing. Offshore, king mackerel, wahoo, sailfish, bonito, blackfin tuna, barracuda, and sharks of many varieties (lemon, bull, dusky, silky, blacktip and a few straggling hammerheads) are some prospective targets. Most of these fish will be feeding in depths from 80 feet out to 300 feet of water. The action will take place on the surface early and late in the day…

Tarpon Time The tarpon engine is firing on all cylinders this month. Boca Grande Pass (and to a lesser extent, Captiva Pass) offers stacked-up fish in turbid, fast-moving water where skillful boat handling has as much to do with catching tarpon as skilled angling. Look for a good crab flush at Boca Grande during the late afternoon full moon tides the weekend of June 4, 5, 6. Another facet to the tarpon game is to search out and intercept slow-moving schools of tarpon in the Gulf. These fish mostly travel north or south within sight of the beach and they tend to be much spookier than Pass tarpon. Spot rolling fish on the surface, figure out which way they’re headed, get way out front of them and then go into…

June Moon Reflections Even in this era of technology with all the fish-finding gadgets imaginable, anglers still refer to the age-old Solunar Tables for each day’s peak fishing times. The Prime Timer tables which accompany the tide charts in each issue of Florida Sportsman are based on this system (data for all months in 2020 may be found online at floridasportsman. com; find the pull-down for Tides and Weather). The Solunar Theory, the basis for the tables, was developed by John Alden Knight more than 90 years ago and it’s interesting to note that the basic beginnings occurred here in East Central Florida. The opening chapter in Knight’s 1942 book Moon Up, Moon Down, which outlines the development of his theory first published in 1936, begins at Lake Hell’n Blazes,…

Epic Days Are on the Way When I think about June in the Panhandle I am flooded with memories. The good and the bad, the epic and the mundane. Just like any month in the Panhandle there is no telling what Mother Nature will bring and this year has been no exception. Staying positive is always key during the challenging times and we in the Panhandle have had lots of practice of making the best of the worst with all of our past storms. June can bring some amazing days on the water. Red snapper and gag grouper open this month and its always a great time to chase pelagics. Plus, species like mangrove snapper, lane snapper, vermilion snapper, scamp grouper, red grouper, and king mackerel can all help round…

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.…

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…

Cooking your catch, whether finned, feathered or furry, can be satisfying—and tasty. It’s also easy, provided you have the right tools in your kitchen. If I were a fancy French chef, I’d consider crepe pans, soufflé dishes and porcelain ramekins essential. But since I’m just a cook who believes in simplicity and one who enjoys tasting what I’m serving, unencumbered by fancy sauces and exotic spices, my list of kitchen essentials is pretty short. As they say, “KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I often say that I’m allergic to fish—unless it’s fried. That’s not really true, as smoked and grilled are also acceptable methods. Deep-frying generally involves some sort of breading or Seasoning Your New Iron or Steel Pan Many new cast iron pans are sold “pre-seasoned” but even those…

Who says big trout don't hit topwaters at midday? Jackson Trochessett, 12, caught this St. Joe Bay gator on a chartreuse MirrOlure Top Dog. 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 MB in jpeg format. For smartphone photos, email the Actual Size—highest resolution. 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 big catches. NOW ON PODCAST! Florida Sportsman magazine’s READER- FAVORITE Action Spotter section has gone PODCAST. Every Thursday at 7 p.m., tune in to find out where the bite is…

The Best Month for Bottom Fishing June marks a popular month for offshore anglers as two prominent species dominate the month, with both the gag grouper and American red snapper open to harvest. The Gulf red snapper recreational season is set to open June 11th through July 25th while the gag grouper harvest season is open June 1st through the end of the 2020 calendar year. While the two species can inhabit the same water, typically you will find the American red snapper a bit deeper in our region and making a run to a minimum of 80 feet of water with solid schools of fish really setting up in 100- to 120-foot depths is the norm. In June, the gag groupers can be found at the 50-foot depth, with…

Bay Bonanza Red grouper fishing is second-to-none in areas west of Sarasota and Manatee counties prompting anglers flock to them. Most call this habitat Swiss cheese bottom that ranges from 60 to 120 feet of water off the coast. Gag grouper season reopens June 1, but some of the best fishing and largest gags will be out beyond the 120-foot mark. Red grouper traditionally move in shallower during the summer to some extent but over the past few years, some of the best catches have come from beyond 120 feet as well. However, this year seems to see a trend for red grouper returning to shallower depths starting at 50 feet. Artificial reefs and natural bottom will produce permit, blackfin tuna, dolphin, wahoo, sailfish, mangrove snapper, hogfish, grouper, cobia, tripletail,…

Blissful Days on the Water Pure bliss” may be the best way to describe June for the fishermen of Northeast Florida. The seas are usually very manageable, and the bait schools are stacked, from pogies on the beach to hordes of cigar minnows on the wrecks. For bluewater trollers, the beginning of the month is the peak of the mahi bite, but the end of the month usually signals the end of the good times for mahi fishermen. Sometime during the month, the mahi will push a little closer to shore and you’ll start to see more good fish within 40 miles of the beach. From the end of June, through the rest of the summer, the ledge will be taken over by barracuda. Bottom fishing will be mostly mangrove…

Prep Makes Perfect When the Bahamas is ready for you to fish, will you be ready to fish the Bahamas? Having a plan and preparing for it is how you can make your next trip to the Bahamas your best ever. Until you sail through the nation by boat, you can’t really appreciate just how large the nation of the Bahamas is, or how varied the habitats and fisheries are. Thankfully, a dream trip can be had close by in the Bimini area, you just have to know when to go and what to target. “For me, a dream trip in Bimini takes place during March or April, targeting yellowfin during the day and bottom fish in the afternoon and night,” says Bruce Wade, my go-to Bimini expert. His yellowfin…