Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Florida Sportsman

Do you also find it sort of funny and touching when seasonal residents take umbrage at being labeled “snowbirds?” The tourists, too, in recent years seem to get a bit of a chip on their shoulders—though it’s harder to tell expressions these days, what with the COVID masks and Buffs. The reason I think all this defensiveness is silly is that, frankly, we’re all in the same boat. Florida “natives,” or “locals,” or whatever you want your rear windshield sticker to imply, are actually some of the most itinerant recreationists of all. We are like the goofy sandhill cranes, or more recently, the black-belly whistler ducks, claiming year-round residence while flapping noisily all over the state. Sometimes beyond. We Floridians do a lot of our traveling in the summertime—think scallop…

It's pretty clear: Baits get more bites on clear leaders. This is true for live baits or trolled dead baits. This presents a problem. You can either have great swimming baits, but go ahead and say goodbye to almost every wahoo or kingfish you run across. A great compromise for you to try is using a trace of wire attached to a monofilament leader by way of an Albright knot or some other low-profile connection. The longer, and heavier you make the wire, the less likely you are to lose a toothy fish. The lighter and shorter you make the wire, the better your bait swims, and the more strikes you’ll get. Captain George LaBonte, who mostly fishes out of Jupiter and Stuart, has finally convinced me that a short…

Sirius XM Marine Fish Mapping: Only one we’re aware of which may be streamed to compatible chartplotters, $40 per month for Fish Mapping, on top of the basic $59.99 Offshore package which offers weather radar and a host of useful features. www.siriusxm.com/sxmmarine OTHER REPORTS Roffs Reports: Per custom analysis basis, $70 per report, or you can buy pre-paid season plans for up to 36 reports, which discounts the cost of the individual report. www.Roffs.com FishTrack: $14.99 per one month premium access, or $7.99 per month for annual. www.Fishtrack.com RipCharts: Per year: $169 for premium, $99 for standard access. www.Ripcharts.com Hilton’s Real Time Navigator: Daily memberships $29, or $200 for annual access to subregion. www.Realtime-navigator.com…

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.…

Three Cheers For November As Halloween night turns to a November dawn, the 10,000 Islands region is afforded one of its true treasures this month with the unofficial start of tripletail season. While the tripletail is a fish that can be caught and harvested year-round in the region and throughout the state, the fishing really is paced by start of our stellar stone crab season. With the stone crab traps soaking since mid-October along with dipping water temperatures, a migration of tripletail will start to inhabit our nearshore waters, with fish staking residency on the miles of stone crab trap buoys that line our coast. What is the appeal of these buoys for these fish? Safety from predators and availability of food is the simple answer. The tripletail has a…

Low Tides, High Hopes Negatives can definitely become positives when it comes to tide levels in the West Central region. Nearly half of the days this month will see negative low tides that will concentrate shallow water fish into holes and channels, making them easier to target and catch. Cold fronts with northerly winds force water levels even lower than predicted, forcing trout, redfish, flounder, bluefish, pompano and other flats dwellers into deeper water. While snook have been making their way up rivers and creeks in preparation for the cooler months, you’ll find stragglers still chowing down on mullet, pinfish, or any other baitfish that remain on the flats. Baitfish moving out into the Gulf will shift focus to shrimp. Backcountry areas will hold trout and reds, along with snook…

Turkey with a Side of Fishing I’m always giving thanks for our amazing Florida lifestyle, and it seems to hit home just a little bit more in November. In November it’s all about the weather. If it’s calm, there’s bluewater fish on their way south. The schools of sailfish that will soon fill the outriggers of the South Florida sailfish fleet with release flags, are now passing through Northeast Florida’s 21 fathom area. There are also blackfin tuna, wahoo, and a few big dolphin with them. The results are usually much better for bottom fishermen than we've seen during the heat of summer. If the trolling doesn’t happen, November is always one of the best bottom fishing months we get. There’s been enough bad weather days to keep the daily…

My brother Mark and I have been diving together for 40 years. This year is the first time ever we missed opening day of lobster season, due to Mark being rushed to the hospital the night before. He needed surgery and was released a couple days later. Exactly one month later, we headed out for our first dive of the season. Conditions were perfect. Calm seas and no current. Mark said he would be glad if we each got a few. Since we were getting such a late start in the season, I agreed. We were diving the 90-foot High Bar out of Sebastian Inlet. For no particular reason, I always dive first. The water was clear all the way down to about 30 feet visibility on bottom. I made…

Where is the outrage? Where are the packed Capitol chambers like in 1988 when the CCA, then FCA, bused in hundreds of red hatted anglers from across the state to fight and win gamefish status for redfish? Where is the commitment CCA had in 1992 when it helped gather over 400,000 signatures to change the state constitution, making it illegal to use gill and entanglement nets over 500 square feet to harvest fish in state waters? These type of efforts for and by recreational anglers, and our representative organizations, have been nonexistent for the last two decades. Granted, Florida is doing a better job these days managing the state’s fisheries. The gear and allocation issues of the 1980s and ‘90s have been settled for the most part. However, the reason…

Learn about Youth Hunting Program of Florida at myfwc. com/education/outdoor-skills/youth-hunting-program/. Find out how to register for supervised hunts scheduled throughout the seasons. November is a busy month! Here’s a quick look at the days and weeks ahead: SNov. 12-14:e Deer/Hog/Coyote - River Osceola , rush County hour. /Lee Ranch Nov. 13-15: Deer/Hog - Okeechobee County/Istokpoga Nov. 13-15: Deer (Buck/Doe)/ Hog - Okaloosa County/Welannee Plantation Nov. 13-15: Deer (Buck & Doe)/ Hog - Alachua County/Newnans Lake and River Styx Nov. 13-15: Deer/Hog - St. Lucie County/Trail Ridge Nov. 20-22: Deer/Hog - Lake County/Shockley Tract Nov. 20-22: Deer/Hog - Levy County/Gulf Hammock Nov. 20-22: Dove/Quail - Gadsden County/Cooksey Tract Nov. 20-22: Deer/Hog - St. Johns County/McCullough Creek Nov. 27-29: Deer (Buck/Doe)/ Hog - Polk County/Hampton Nov. 27-29: Deer/Hog - Okeechobee County/Grassy Island…

◊ Albright knot giving you fits but you’d like something smaller than a swivel? Try a No. 4 welded, round-wire ring—You can buy them online from Owner hooks. ◊ Want to protect your rigs from corrosion while they’re stored? The new Plano Edge Series tackle boxes incorporate Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI), which fights rust. Get 3600 or 3700 sizes and make your wire traces to fit. These boxes also have a convenient one-piece lid. And, they’re very durable. ◊ Think you’ll want a stinger rig at some point during the day? Pre-assemble a couple dozen short (6- to 7-inch) wire pieces with the trailer hook of your choice. On the water, haywire twist the trace to the eye of your bait hook and bring those short-striking kingfish to the boat.…

Earlier this year, Florida’s TrophyCatch angler recognition program celebrated catch number 10,000. Over the history of the program, that amounts to more than a thousand big bass a year. TrophyCatch entries include largemouth bass of 8 pounds or larger documented, and released, by anglers fishing Florida’s diverse waters. It’s a year-round, statewide program run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Anglers who photograph a big catch on a digital scale, release it, and then register it on the TrophyCatch website win recognition and prizes, from Bass Pro and Berkley gift cards, to the annual grand prize of a Phoenix Bass Boat. TrophyCatch encourages stewardship, maintaining populations of big fish. It also cultivates important data for scientists. K.P. Clements, TrophyCatch Coordinator, and Laura Rambo, Communications Manager for FWC’s Freshwater…

Great Bites on the Blue Water November can usher much-needed relief from the heat, and we are not the only ones looking forward to it, fish are also looking for a break. During our long, hot summer, the fishing inshore stagnates, mainly due to the 90-degree water that flushes out of the flats on the ebb tides. This really warm water can often produce algae blooms which rob the oxygen from the water, choking the fish. Algae blooms are more commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and can make for very tough fishing to say the least. That changes in November; as the shallows cool, the fishing improves. Trolling is a great way, but you must use wire in case you get bit by a wahoo or kingfish Weather…

Short on Daylight, Long on Options This month really kicks off our winter fisheries throughout the region. Days will be short, as daylight savings time ends on the 1st of the month. Cooler air and cooler water are refreshing to both us and the fish, after a hot summer. I really like to start my hunt for pompano this month, as they begin to show up with consistency. These fish are always on the move, so it is often a run-and-gun game, working drop-offs, holes and channels with pompano jigs (the brightly painted ones with the little accessory flies), until you find them. If you catch one, chances are there’s more, as these fish move in packs. They move with the tide, so staying with them is important. If they…

Reliable Reefs Forty years ago, when I started fishing the Big Bend, towns like Cedar Key, Suwannee and Steinhatchee were small and mostly inhabited by commercial fishermen. There were no condos and few recreational anglers had the means to fish very deep or very shallow. Channels were either poorly marked or nonexistent and navigation by compass was the norm. Social changes have definitely changed these places. But geology is a hard, unchanging master and thus, with a few exceptions, the natural structure of our coastline has remained the same for thousands of years. Yes, we’ve had storms, flooded rivers, and boondoggles like the Cross Florida Barge Canal attempting to cut the Florida peninsula in half. For the most part, most islands, natural reefs and channels remain. One of the best…

Rock the Bass North Florida anglers are fortunate to have an assortment of world class gamefish in their backyards. Among them, striped bass can be caught in two rivers and two lakes in this part of the state. November is a great time to target them. The Jim Woodruff Dam on the Apalachicola River is huge and so are the stripers that gather in the tailrace. In fact, the Florida State record of 42 pounds, 4 ounces was caught there. Some of the best fishing is from the large catwalk attached below the dam. This 50-yard-long ramp allows anglers to cast into the swift current coming through the turbines. Here is where live shad can be dipped from the current with a long handled net or caught with a cast…

Puerto Rico Sweetwater and More Puerto Rico fishing starts hitting its peak in November. Close access to the Puerto Rico Trench along the north coast, the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean, puts you near biodiversity that attracts giant billfish year-round, and now the island waters are also jam-packed with mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo and sailfish. But if you plan a trip to our tropical neighbor and only target pelagic fish, you are missing out. Vertical jigging has become more popular in Puerto Rico, and the north coast is a hot bed. “We can catch a variety of snappers and groupers, as well as kingfish, wahoo, African pompano and more,” says Capt. Luis Lagrandier, of Puerto Rico Sport Fishing Charters. Muttons and cubera are also high on the list of catches.…

The collective voice of over 1 Million Saltwater Anglers needs to be heard. Tell your respective organization to get involved in the LOSOM process, and to fight for legislation to reduce nutrient pollution of our fishable waters. CCA Florida (407) 854-7002 info@ccaflorida.org Captains for Clean Water (866) 670-2329 info@ captainsforcleanwater.org Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (786) 618-9479 info@ bonefishtarpontrust.org Florida Wildlife Federation (850) 656-7113 news@fwfonline.org American Sportfishing Association (703) 519-9691 info@asafishing.org…

Seems t here are two kinds of kayak fishermen: The ones who use landing nets and ones who make fun of other kayakers using landing nets. Early in my kayak fishing, I didn't care to use a net because I was doing more offshore fishing than freshwater or inshore fishing. I used a gaff for offshore and in freshwater or inshore I'd flip the fish inside of the kayak. As time passed, I started to understand the importance of using landing nets. Here are a few reasons why I frequently carry one now. First reason is self-safety. I’ll never forget the day I caught a sail catfish, and my finger was penetrated by a barb. It was painful and I thought my fishing day was over, but thank goodness I…

1 pound dry black beans ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 ripe tomato 1 head fresh garlic 1 sweet onion 1 bell pepper 2 bay leaves ½ cup red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce 2+ teaspoons dry cumin 2+ tablespoons dry oregano 2 tablespoons salt In a large pot, cover the beans with about 2 inches of water and soak overnight. The next morning, score the skin of the tomato; cut the onion in half; cut garlic heads in half crosswise. Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds. Put 1/4-cup olive oil, tomato, half the onion and pepper, garlic head and the bay leaves in the pot. There’s no need to peel the garlic or the onion. Add water to cover beans by about 2 inches and bring…

Catching Florida’s iconic billfish is actually pretty easy. Winning tournaments? Different mission altogether. Winter sailfish tournaments can be exhilarating. Days of rigging, studying sea conditions, acquiring live baits or rigging dozens of teaser baits for trolling come together on tournament day. Members of most tournament teams have fished together many times, meaning everyone on board knows his or her job. When the captain spots a sailfish and calls down from the tower, the crew often scrambles to lift baits under kites from the water so the boat can be moved and the baits dropped in front of the fish. After one sailfish is hooked, anglers stand ready to pitch baits to other fish in hopes of scoring a double, triple or even a quad. It all happens fast. Every second…

Offshore anglers know there’s blue water and there’s blue water. When you cross into the main flow of the Gulf Stream or one of those huge eddies in the deep Gulf of Mexico, the water turns so blue it’s almost purple, electric. You can see down 100 feet or more. It’s like clouds parting after a cold front, the dust and green of the coastal waters blown free. The temptation among novice anglers is to celebrate that blue water, put the baits out and get ready. Surely this is where the big fish roam, the tunas, wahoo, marlin and mahi. No more of the pedestrian kingfish, bonito and barracudas of the coast. The truth, though, is that fishing prospects in deep, open blue water are limited. The stuff you think…

Gang’s All Here Cooler conditions have arrived in South Florida. Same can be said for migratory fish heading south. Big schools of Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, jack crevalle and ladyfish will attack any baitfish schools that get in the way of their southbound travels. Most of these fish are just a short cast from a beach, pier or oceanside jetty. Often these hungry predators will follow the baitfish schools into our inland waterways. Offshore, schools of snake kingfish (fish less than 5 pounds) can be seen from a distance as they skyrocket into the air while chasing schools of ballyhoo and flyingfish. Sailfish are in our areas along with dolphin fish, blackfin tuna and false albacore. So many places to fish and so little time to fish them all this…

School Days Our big three inshore species are snook, redfish and trout and we are in a great time of year for all three. As a reminder, in this region harvest is still closed on all of them so brush up on your fish handling skills for careful catch-and-release. Snook are showing up further inland every week and there are now good numbers in the river mouths and in the canal systems in Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and Cape Coral. The bigger whitebait that’s on the flats this month is killer for these inland snook. Redfish are running the mangrove shorelines and exploring up into the tidal creeks. Points, pockets and creek mouths are all good bets and can be fished in prospect mode or by simply setting up and…

Kings, Cobia, Tarpon and More By mid-October and into November we should be feeling the effects of mild cold fronts here in East Central Florida and we welcome the change because it triggers the fall mullet run. The slightest dip in inshore water temperatures also will have menhaden, Spanish sardines, pilchards and other baits pushing south as well. With all that forage available, anglers from Daytona to Sebastian should be getting shots at cobia, kingfish, tarpon, and Spanish mackerel, with much of the activity taking place within three or four miles of the beach. It’s a time to be versatile. Cobia becomes the No. 1 sight-fishing target and numbers can be super good when all the right conditions fall into place. If the ocean continues to be fishable, the bulk…

Ready for Anything Fall in the Panhandle is a great time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Hunting season is already going on and it won’t be long before it’s in full swing with rifle season opening up at the end of the month along with ducks. Inshore fishing is always good with redfish in the backwaters and trout staging just outside their winter homes. Offshore, the bottom fishing can be really good with the main favorites being big vermilion snapper, scamp grouper, and deep groupers and tilefish. Farther offshore the bluewater action can be hot even though the temperatures are cooler, making for some ideal fishing conditions for those long trips. As nighttime temperatures drop, trout and redfish will move off the shallow flats and into deeper waters…