Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2020 i Florida Sportsman

As much as I bristle when I see kids staring at screens, I’ve gotta hand it to Nintendo. Animal Crossing: New Horizons does fishing. You can do all sorts of stuff in Animal Crossing. The main objective, as I understand it, is to collect specimens for a zoo. You also develop a community, interact with “villagers” and participate in an island economy. My oldest daughter, bless her heart, spends much of her time traipsing around her virtual kingdom with a fishing rod. She watches for fish along sandy beaches, in flowing rivers, in alpine lakes. I get frequent reports of new and unusual catches, some destined for her aquarium exhibits, others for barter with talking penguins or sale to the pushy raccoons who tend the store. There’s the fish you…

Tales of Trails: Finding Game After the Shot Uncovering answers to questions you’ve never asked is always promising when you begin reading a sporting how-to book. Tails of Trails, the new release from Central Florida’s Dr. Tim L. Lewis, has depth that will appeal to hunters of all experience levels. As in his previous work, Bows, Swamps, Whitetails, the author ushers the reader into the field with crisp, first-person reflections capturing deep respect for the spirit of the hunt. How-to at its best. Find it on Amazon.…

Do mullet aspire to be birds, or maybe flying fish? One or the other, it seems likely. The school was a quarter mile long and a hundred yards wide, flowing around me like a stream around a rock. Many were ballbat sized fish jumping head-high—because I was standing in 3 feet of water—seeming to look me right in the eye before smacking back into Santa Rosa Sound, only to do it again. Some were three-hoppers, some five hoppers. Why? Only the mullet knew. (I’ve never been hit by a flying mullet, though I came close at the Flora-Bama Mullet Toss, which is held just west of here in April every year—but that’s another story.) I wasn’t looking for mullet, but where there are mullet on the flats, there are usually…

Apalachicola Bay is famous for its seafood and saltwater fishing. But the river that creates the bay is not widely known for its outstanding freshwater fishing, except by locals. The Apalachicola River is big and wild and so are some of its fish. Between the dam at Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Bay, the river has over a hundred miles of natural habitat that supports stripers, hybrids, white bass, sturgeon, catfish, panfish and several species of black bass. In the lower river and its tributaries, largemouth bass and panfish are plentiful. The St. Marks, Little St. Marks and the East River, the largest of these tributaries, are especially productive in the fall, when the shrimp are plentiful. The striper and hybrid action begins just a few miles above the city of Apalachicola…

When anglers think about fishing in Charlotte Harbor most of them see images of sky-dancing tarpon in Boca Grande Pass, trophy snook ambushing bait in the backcountry or schools of redfish pushing water on the flats. But did you know that there is a world-class shark fishery here, too? Actually, there are two very different shark fisheries in the big harbor that have both been on fire with the resurgence of shark populations in recent years. The famous springtime tarpon fishery in Boca Grande Pass also attracts huge hammerheads and bull sharks, brutes big enough to snack on hundred pound tarpon. The current all-tackle hammerhead shark was caught here in 2007 and that girthy female fish weighed in at an astounding 1,280 pounds. Bull sharks don’t top the half-ton mark…

The sun was just starting to rise when we spotted a bonefish tailing on a turtlegrass flat near Soldier Key. “Let’s sit and wait to see what this school is going to do,” the guide calmly spoke from his poling platform. The conditions were perfect: falling tide and great visibility, even with the sun low over the horizon. I was with Capt. Joe Gonzalez, a man who has been studying fish behavior and guiding clients throughout Biscayne Bay since the late 1980s. Gonzalez is basically a walking Wikipedia of fishing knowledge when it comes to bonefish, permit and tarpon. Over the years, he has collaborated with fishery researchers on projects related to movements of these three premiere shallow-water sportfish. A fishery biologist myself, I had been looking forward to talking…

Surely you know the Indian River Lagoon, the shallow saltwater fishing treasure which runs for 150 miles on Florida’s Atlantic coast. But did you know there are six navigable freshwater rivers and creeks connecting from the western backcountry along East Central Florida’s section of the Indian River Lagoon, all offering anglers varying habitats and even new fishing experiences? Heading the list of tributaries are the Sebastian River at the Brevard-Indian River county line and the Tomoka River a little over 100 miles to the north in Volusia County north of Ormond Beach. Both yield a full list of saltwater species along with freshwater bass and panfish in their upper freshwater zones. Sebastian River is the most productive among the group for day in and day out catches for a couple…

Out of Jacksonville it’s a 65-mile run to the continental shelf, and almost every mile of it has bottom structure of some kind—much of it loaded with red snapper. Our kingfishing is world renowned, and our humble bridge fishing is anything but humble: the world record southern flounder (20 lbs. 9 oz.) was caught by Larenza Mungin while standing on the Nassau Sound Bridge. That being said, if I invited someone to come to Northeast Florida to go inshore fishing, it would be launch a kayak shortly before daylight with nothing more than a paddle and a flyrod or a light spinner. The north side of “town” has literally dozens of creeks with launching ramps at plenty of them. The easiest and most popular spots are Jim King Park at…

Winds of Change Look for birds and baitfish along a weedline and the dolphin will not be far behind. Time to start taking advantage of what will be the beginning of some of the best fishing of the year in South Florida. It is a little early to expect a big fall run of mullet schools, but you never know. With the crazy weather we keep experiencing, there may be an early cold front that might spark an early appearance of finger mullet and silver mullet schools. And if that does not happen then you can be sure there will plenty of schools of summer baits that are starting to get big enough to put a hook into. As I write this, I cannot help getting a bit excited about…

Beaches, Flats, Passes, Reefs All Producing Snook fishing on the beaches and around the Gulf passes is excellent. Sight fishing for snook scattered along the beach is best in the mornings before the afternoon seabreeze builds the surf and makes it tough to spot fish the shallows, but boaters who have the ability to anchor a long cast away from snags, blowdowns and rock piles may find that a little afternoon surf actually helps their fishing around those fish-concentrating structures. Docks along the ICW are holding good numbers of snook too, including some big girls. These fish usually can’t resist eating large whitebait, so plan on a cast net or sabiki session before you break out your dock rods. It’s getting to be time to find schooling redfish on the…

Monsters on the Markers If you’ve ever fished for tripletail around some of the East Central Florida Intracoastal Waterway markers, or the buoys outside Port Canaveral, you know they offer some challenging fun. Once hooked, these strong, broadsided gamesters will make every effort to get back to the structure they were on and if you don’t have the tackle to hold them off, the tripletail probably wins by cutting you off. The tripletail gets its name from its dorsal, caudal and anal fins resembling three tails. It’s primarily an ocean fish that in the warmer months enters estuarine systems like the Indian and Halifax rivers. They usually remain near inlets, which makes areas around Sebastian and Ponce inlets a key to finding them. Few tripletail move through the locks at…

Fishing’s Hot, Prepare for It! With snapper season behind us it’s time to switch gears and think big. August can be a great time to soak big baits for “The One.” You know, that giant on your bucket list. The Panhandle can offer some amazing experiences this month. Everything from bruiser tarpon to giant gag grouper, big black snapper, and yellowfin tunas can be landed this month. It’s all just a boat ride away! When it comes to making it through a long day on the water in August, I am constantly reminded of something my old coach said (and probably almost all of your coaches, too): “Prior preparation prevents poor performance.” The 24 hours leading up to a long trip is about prepping the boat and gear, but the…

The headline above is from the front page of VoteWater.org’s website. It’s worth repeating if you want to stop kicking the proverbial can down the road. Say it again, “Florida’s water crisis is a political problem and requires a political solution,” meaning we need to vote out the can-kicking bums who will not prioritize the health of our waters. “The science is settled” meaning we don’t need any more studies. We know what’s causing the pollution and we know what can save our estuaries. And finally, “and the time to fix it is now,” why not? None of us are getting any younger. This isn’t a partisan issue. Both parties in Florida are equal opportunity offenders. The solution comes when we break from the Red and Blue teams and join…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) bass conservation program, TrophyCatch, has reached a huge milestone having approved anglers’ catch, documentation and release of more than 10,000 largemouth bass weighing over 8 pounds since the program began in 2012. The concept for TrophyCatch emerged from the Black Bass Management Plan and was shaped following discussions with anglers, guides, bait and tackle companies, fishing retailers, and fisheries management and research biologists. The nearly 85,600 active participants in the program have collectively caught and released over 91,500 pounds of bass. TrophyCatch anglers are truly citizen-scientists for providing valuable data and are rewarded by the program’s conservation partners, like Bass Pro Shops. This data influences FWC research on such topics as genetics, proper handling, habitat parameters, and life history aspects of largemouth…

The Florida Panhandle over the years has been heralded for red snapper on the reefs, cobia on the beach, red drum in emerald waters, world-record groupers and more. The latest piscatorial pursuit to earn widespread acclaim: swordfish. According to our research, the first swordfish taken on rod-and-reel in a tournament in the Gulf of Mexico was caught south of Pensacola by legendary angler and deckhand Gary Cole (the stories this man can tell about the Gulf: truly amazing). Swordfishing has gained in popularity over the years, especially with the introduction of daytime tactics. For those of us stricken with the addiction, it becomes a constant thought. Not every trip out ends in a freezer full of fish, or even dirty ice for that matter. I’ve learned, when picking a crew,…

There is not a single residence on, or any direct road access to, the lake, making it a quiet, isolated area with no heavy traffic. It was a good-looking, 46-degree day in Wewahitchka, in March, with 15 mph winds out of the north. As we left the ramp under the F. Elgin Bayless Bridge in White City, Bali Hai Charters captain Tim Wilder told me, “You’re about to see something we haven’t seen here in 20 years.” He then positioned our 25-foot pontoon boat, Lady Di, into the Intracoastal Waterway heading southwest towards Lake Wimico. It was just high water to the casual sightseer, but enough of a problem for us to scratch launching from the old Odena fire tower, or popular Depot Creek (known as Jones landing). Anglers we…

Just outside Chokoloskee, in southwest Florida, you’ll find 10,000 islands—count ’em. Most of that number, you can only look at ’em, watch the current swirling around their mangrove edges and anticipate the fish you’ll find there. But a few have beaches to pin your tent to while you’re investigating the rest. My son Ely and his friends got dragged out there recently by their womenfolk. A few of us got caught up in their wake. Two 18-foot skiffs, three couples and three extras just along for the fishing; more people than I ever wanted to go anywhere with, we headed for Pavilion Key. Except for a waterfall, guava trees and a Krispy Kreme, Pavilion has all a sane person could ask for: Easy beaching for the boats and a tree…

While most of us might associate Palm Beach County with sailfish and other offshore giants due to our proximity to the Gulf Stream, the immense variety of fish encountered can provide new experiences for the most seasoned locals. If I only fished within a five-mile radius of my house in Lake Worth Beach, I might be able to put a hook into 100 different species. For anyone looking to add new species to their lifetime list, targeting local exotic freshwater species is a great place to start. Some of the non-native fish encountered here were intentionally introduced, with peacock bass being the most prolific. Not long ago, it was somewhat of a novelty to catch one of these hard-fighting fish and doing so required some research. The original colony of…

Every fisherman dreams of that “secret spot,” the one that’s off the grid, raw, untapped, full of fish and devoid of human life. But, places like this are increasingly hard to find in our modern society. The natural world is shrinking all around us. However, nestled within the intracoastal waterway of North Florida is a refuge for those of us seeking to reconnect with our wild roots. It provides a glimpse of old Florida; crude, salty and bountiful. Welcome to the Guana Preserve—the land of giant trout and home to the “12 Mile Miracle” known as Guana Lake. The Guana Tolomato National Estuarine Research Reserve located in Ponte Vedra Beach is one of the most unique ecosystems in Florida. It consists of 74,000 acres of protected habitat and wildlife management…

Macks Add to Mix Early fall in the 10,000 Islands brings a transitional period of clearing water, reduced rains, and gradual drop in water temperature. We’ll likely also see an early fall bait migration attended by several notable gamefish migrating from summer lairs to fall residences. Hordes of Spanish mackerel traditionally start moving through, destroying pods of migratory glass minnows and smaller pilchards. Tough to pass up fish that you can catch with nearly every cast! With the kids back in school, make time on the weekends to take them fishing for mackerel. They’ll have bent rods all day long! Simply run the nearshore waters and beaches watching for fish busting the surface or birds diving on the bait. This can in as little as 6 feet of water, but…

Cloudy Days Great for Trout An active storm season produces cool, cloudy days. As long as the winds are manageable, these days can produce some great action and lasting memories, especially for anglers fishing topwater lures. My charters on windy days have always been some of my most productive for topwater trout fishing. Numerous days fishing in heavy winds in protected water have produced a triple-digit gator trout bite on noisy surface plugs. Some of the best catches have been on lures like the MirrOlure Top Dog, Zara Spook, or prop baits like the 5M MirrOlure. Surface action for big trout fires up on days with thunderstorms. Alto cumulonimbus clouds building high in the lower atmosphere drop very cold rain, chilling surface water temperatures and oxygenating the water. Fish rising…

Mullet Run Rarin’ to Go Once the first nor’easter or tropical system goes by, the mullet run commences and the whole underwater world comes to life. For the surf fishermen, the opportunities are endless. For the last decade it seems the river of mullet that comes down the beach just stretches farther and farther. That means just about every saltwater predator will be on the scene. Tarpon, sharks, kings, jacks, trout, reds, and flounder will all be there. Even though the mullet run goes on 24 hours a day, the feeding peaks at first light, and last night, and some nights it goes on all night long. It has always amazed me that a single lip-hooked mullet could be thrown into an acre of mullet and consistently get singled out…

Peak Season for Puerto Rico Raise your hand if you've had to cancel your dream fishing trip this year. Both of my hands are up, as my vacation destination is still not accepting U.S. Citizens, and my passport renewal seems to be in some quasi-shutdown limbo. Enter Puerto Rico, a tropical fishing destination that is part of the U.S. No passport needed, and the doors (at press time) were open. Over the next couple months Puerto Rico (August-September) provides some of the best fishing in the Caribbean. This is especially true at the eastern end of the island, because a boat can swing south to fish the northern rim of the Caribbean Sea, or hook north to fish waters that flush in from the open Atlantic. “The mix of species…

PENSACOLA ST. JOE BAY APALACHICOLA LAKE WIMICO NATURE COAST CHARLOTTE HARBOR GLADES CAMPING DRY TORTUGAS BISCAYNE BAY PALM BEACH EXOTICS SNOOK SLAM IRL TRIBUTARIES GUANA LAKE JACKSONVILLE MARSHES Fishermen are travelers, and travel has been a tricky thing in recent months. Fortunately for those of us living in the Sunshine State, the diversity of fishing prospects gives us many chances to make discoveries right in our home waters. Well-established centers of sportfishing, famous for tarpon or bill-fish or some other A-list target, invariably hold untapped possibilities—species which receive little attention, alternate waters and hidden shores seldom visited. Never been a better time to take a tour of your home waters. Get out there!…

Twenty years ago, you could smell St. Joseph Bay way before you could see it. Not the bay itself, of course, but a St. Joe Paper Company mill on its shore sent the sulfurous odor for miles along the coast. The plant closed in 1999, however, leaving all the great fishing and quiet small-town ambience without Big Stinky. Hurricane Michael hit Port St. Joe and nearby Mexico Beach a crushing blow in 2018, but for the most part the bay is back in business now, and the fishing was not hurt at all. St. Joseph Bay is known as a trout factory, but don’t overlook the frequently outstanding redfishing, both for the goes-in-the-cooler size and leg-long monsters. The keepers are mostly inside the bay. The points on both the north…

Florida’s southernmost city is famed for big tarpon, Hemingway, IGFA records, an 8-month fishing tournament and sunsets at Mallory Square. But Key West has a secret: This is hardly the end of the Florida Keys. Seventy miles west is a dreamscape for saltwater fishing, Dry Tortugas National Park. There are seven more keys out there, the tiny and beautiful Tortugas (turtles, the Spanish called them). One is capped with a red brick Civil War-era fort. Stand atop that fort, swivel your head and admire 100 square miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds, blindingly white shoals and deep blue current-swept channels. Everything you might picture about beautiful water in the Keys—it’s that and even more. Only about half the park is open to fishing these days. Much of the western portion…

You’d be hard pressed to find a better snook fishery than Southeast Florida. Starting in Palm Beach, and running up the east coast to Vero Beach, the inlets, beaches and various estuaries found throughout the region make for the perfect snook habitat. Chances are, when snook fishing, you’re most likely going to catch the common snook, hence the name. But this region offers something that many other places can’t: the opportunity to catch the other four species of snook that are found in Florida, all right here. If it is on your bucket list to notch these sub-species off, chances are you will be making your way up the estuaries, such as the Loxahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, to the backcountry habitat that these fish favor. Dark, tea-like water, shorelines…

GUANA LAKE WHAT YOU’LL FIND: Guana Lake yields its largest seatrout during the spring spawn when female trout are at their heaviest. And as in Texas and south Florida many of these fish are tucked into skinny flats and coves. The main difference is Guana has no seagrass and the bottom is composed entirely of mud and sand. The water is shallow and dark so bring your high-viz twitchbaits, topwater plugs and soft plastics. HOW TO GET THERE: Just north of St. Augustine, and south of Ponte Vedra Beach, on A1A. If you’re in need of tackle, paddle craft, fishing charters or ecotours stop by the North Guana Outpost or South Guana Outpost located on either end of the lake. They can provide you with any and all information concerning…

Mix It Up in the Keys Summertime fishing in the Florida Keys is hot in many ways, but you have to fish smart. Fish farther out and don’t be afraid to try new techniques and spots. We’re all guilty of falling into that groove: If it works and you are catching dinner, why change? I find that by pushing myself, reading and talking to my colleagues, I find myself trying new spots and techniques. Calm summer days are made for trying new techniques. One of my favorite late-summer trips is deep-dropping. It’s a great technique to bring home some dinner with a high likelihood of seeing some new faces. There are a few different ways to go about that, the most common is by dropping a chicken rig to the…

Full Moon Wahoo You will see a concentration of wahoo hitting the fillet tables a week before, through a week after the full moon this time of year. The big tides around moon phase tend to stack the wahoo up on the continental shelf. A hard-falling tide, flushing all the bait off of the shelf, seems to be the best. You want to be out on the shelf and high-speed trolling as the sun is rising, if not a little before. These fish will often bite first thing in the morning and fizzle out by 8 or 9. Don’t write off the evening bite, as fishing tends to heat up as the sun is dropping in the afternoon. High-speed trolling can be a little intimidating when first getting into it,…

Curious Cobia Cobia is one of the best eating fish in the Gulf of Mexico. They’re also the most ornery, stubborn and hard to hook. They’re mostly omnivorous, eating anything from eels to pinfish to crabs and inhabit deep reefs, manmade structures, as well as shallow flats. They’re also one of the most curious fish around, often appearing boatside just to check you out. The Big Bend offers various opportunities to bag a legal cobia, measuring 33 inches, nose to fork in tail. But before you go, get prepared with the right tackle. Cobia are hard fighters and many a boat cockpit has been wrecked by bringing a “green” cobia aboard. Big spinning combos offer strength and casting accuracy, and heavy fluorocarbon leaders can fool a cobia’s visual acuity and…

Tripletail Showing Up Along the Coast Anglers can’t expect much more from a fish than what the tripletail offers. They readily take lures, flies and live bait and their white, flakey meat is delicious. To aid the angler, they pick spots like buoys, markers and pilings, so they can be easily located. If that’s not helpful enough, they float near the surface so they can’t be overlooked. Granted, not every marker or buoy holds a tripletail. This is where the angler’s job begins. Finding them involves running from marker to marker or along a string of crab buoys until a fish is spotted. While these fish are really accommodating, they can be spooked by a clumsy approach. Once spotted, it’s best to run the boat past them and return quietly…