Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i Florida Sportsman

If you’re going for snapper on one of the new artificial reefs featured in this issue, you’re surely interested in making the most of your catch. With only limited days to fish for red snapper, and sharks and goliath grouper becoming ever more problematic (see next page), we’re all doing what we can to maximize returns. One thing you can do is try to weed out the smaller fish. Projects Editor Rick Ryals offers some great tips in this month’s Offshore Seminar—among them, using larger baits (see p. 14). Not having seen much recently on the subject of fish cleaning, a trick I’m happy to share is this: Never discard the cheeks and throats. On snappers over about 4 pounds (groupers too!), these parts yield tender, delicious meat. Cheeks can…

There’s no inlet at Vero Beach, but spend a little time here and you’ll wonder: Do they really even need one? On this unique stretch of Southeast Florida, exceptional fishing and diving reefs are just a long cast, or a short paddle, from the beach. From the Disney Resort at Wabasso Beach south to Round Island Park, a matrix of limestone and worm rock reefs paves the nearshore seafloor, popping up in some areas visible at low tide. The worm rock is an interesting formation made by colonies of Sabellid (feather-duster) worms which secret mucus as they build their cases, cementing sand into hard structure. The bulbous, brainy-looking formations are excellent fish habitat and also important foundations for other types of reef-builders, such as stony corals and sponges. Macroalgae, the…

1 cup uncooked grits (makes 2 cups, cooked) 4 ounces salted butter or shredded cheddar cheese 3 cups water and 1 cup milk Extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped pancetta or thick-cut bacon ½ cup very thinly sliced Andouille sausage 1 pound wild-caught shrimp, peeled and deveined, lightly dusted with Zatarain’s Fish-Fri Scallions, chopped, for garnish Tabasco sauce Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 15 minutes, plus about 30 minutes for the grits With your select shrimp in hand, peeled and deveined, the preparation of this recipe is pretty straightforward. First, cook the grits. The addition of salt, butter and milk and a long, slow 30-minute simmer is important. If you’re so inclined, substitute shredded cheddar cheese for the butter. A rough measure of liquid to uncooked grits is 4 to…

Fish and hunt smarter and more efficiently. Check our daily "feed" to get on the best bets and top seasonal picks for all regions of Florida. And be sure to share your pictures and stories with us! www.floridasportsman.com 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.…

Juvenile Tarpon on the Feed July in the 10,000 Islands can bring heat, humidity and ominous afternoon thunderstorms, but savvy anglers know that it also one of our prime months to catch juvenile tarpon. The heightened water temperatures accelerate their metabolism, and the abundance of baitfish and stellar daytime tides all lend to a great bite. Focusing on early morning tides with pre-dawn launches to avoid the threat of afternoon severe weather is paramount. If you had two weekends to fish this month for the silver princes, focus your attention on the 9th and 23rd, as the new and full moons fall on these dates, respectively, and tides will be strong both in velocity and height fluctuation. The 10,000 Islands has a plethora of creeks and rivers feeding the region…

Current Events Finding the temperature range that works for us and the fish we pursue might be the number one key to catching fish during the summer months. The variety of fish here this time of year is incredible. There are numerous favorites we might target for different reasons. Tarpon that run the beaches and inside harbors and back bays thrive in warm climates in some of the least favorable water conditions. Low oxygen due to high temperatures is not an issue with these rolling fish that gulp air to add to their gills’ ability to provide oxygen. From the Point of Rocks off the coast of Sarasota to just south of the Chassahowitzka River, tarpon might just be the most revered fish that swims on the West Central coast.…

Month Made for Fishing July is quite possibly the month more boats hit the water than any of the other eleven. Generally speaking, fewer days are cancelled because of weather in July, than during any other month. In fact I’ll just about guarantee that we lose more days to weather in each week of March, than we do the entire month of July. For the most part, the bluewater trolling action has slowed to a crawl, with barracuda eating most of the ballyhoo being trolled between the live bottom of 120 and 200 feet. The bright side of that coin is that the best mangrove and mutton snapper fishing of the year is upon us. The northeast section of Florida has the biggest mangrove snapper I’ve ever seen, and they…

Explore Turks and Caicos Flats Awhile back, an email from reader Chuck Collins (Ocala) came along requesting information about fishing in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). That someone requested information is not uncommon: It’s partly why we include contact information in the column. What was a rare occurrence, though, was that Chuck followed up on his trip and provided an excellent fishing report. Through Chuck, I (and now you) learned a lot about what seems to be a fantastic flats fishery, begging for more exploration. TCI is a group of 40 islands located southeast of The Bahamas. It is a British Overseas Territory (that uses the U.S. dollar for local currency), directly north of the Dominican/Haitian border on the island of Dominica. “In TCI, you have an untapped fishery…

A nglers’ contributions to the assessment of goliath grouper stocks just might pave the way around the roadblock to management of the species: Naysayers crying skimpy data on a fish closed to harvest for the last 30 years. Let’s strap on a fighting belt and do a power-lift to get this fishery opened for a limited harvest. Here’s what’s going on. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently green-lighted staff to develop plans for a small, highly regulated harvest of goliath grouper. Perhaps it will be similar to the state’s successful alligator hunt program. However, the commissioners are again hearing opposition from non-anglers, mostly dive operators and some researchers, claiming there isn’t enough information on the stock assessment of the goliath to support harvest. “Stock assessments for a species…

BAIT AND TACKLE: Vero Tackle & Watersports, opens weekdays at 7 a.m., 6 a.m. on weekends. Live shrimp, rods, lures, friendly advice; also guided river fishing for snook, trout and more. (772) 234-9585 LUNCH: Riverside Café under the Merrill Barber Bridge, great spot to park or tie up your boat. Try the Jake Owen mahi sandwich. Who’s Jake? C’mon, man! DIVE SHOP: Deep Six, www.deepsix.com, 772-562-2883 (They produce an excellent Beach Dive Guide, essential reading). BEACH ACCESS: Wabasso Beach; South Beach Park; Sexton Plaza; tiny public lot at Riomar Dr. There’s an ocean fishing pier, but it’s private. ACCOMMODATIONS: Much as we hate to admit it, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is pretty sweet. For an authentic Old Florida experience, camp at Sebastian Inlet State Park.…

THERMACELL MR300–MOSSY OAK FISHING BUNDLE Fishing is spectacular in the Florida summer. So are the clouds of skeeters. Here’s a proven system for driving the bugs away while you pitch to the lunkers: The MR300 Mossy Oak Repeller, patterned in Mossy Oak Blue Marlin, uses a powerful heat-activated repellent to create a 15-foot mosquito protection zone, without messy sprays, harsh odors or open flames. Unlike other repellents, Thermacell doesn’t damage fishing equipment. It comes with two new accessories: a belt clip for ease of transportation, and a multi-purpose clamp. The multi-purpose clamp allows you to prop your repeller up on any surface, or firmly affix your repeller to your boat rail, rod holder, camping chair, center console, etc. MSRP $39.99. Buy at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Gander Outdoors,…

Early Start Leads to Successful Finish As temperatures continue to climb, the bite has reached a plateau: It’s time to get up a bit earlier in order to avoid the hottest time of the day, which some species also avoid. Not uncommon to see nearshore or flats water temperatures reach 90 degrees plus. The inshore snapper bite has dropped off, so you will have to go outside the reef in order to get on them. The snappers like that deeper, cooler water, as do many other species. Gray snapper, a.k.a mangrove snapper, will gather to spawn over rockpiles outside the reef in about 50 feet of water. They will feed all day and night. Using chum can definitely help get the bite going and pinfish are the bait of choice…

Good Fishing is a Shore Thing July is a great month for nighttime snapper fishing. These fish will congregate to spawn on the full moon and seriously chew at night. Not much changes from the daytime fishing for mangroves. Do watch your chumming though, as sharks can make it impossible to land a fish at times. Thirty fish nights are not uncommon, with chances at fish over 10 pounds. The best fishing happens from the week before to the week after the full moon. If the fish seem to shut off after a couple hit the deck, don’t be so fast to move spots. These fish are often cruising the structure at night and will move through in packs. I like to concentrate in the depths of 60 to 180…

Bad Rocks and Good Rocks For the most part, the darkish waters between Horseshoe Beach and Yankeetown are immune from “scallop madness.” Boat ramps, marinas, eateries and lodging establishments are not too crowded. The huge grass beds off this part of our coast are just plain “flat.” Yes, there are scattered small rock piles away from shore. But for the most part, the rocks I urge you to learn about are those formed by geographic features like points and shell bars. Fishing near bars and rocks can make for some tricky navigation, especially in summer when the best bite can happen right at sunrise. The old slogan, “Getting there is half the fun,” may not hold true when boating to a rocky spot in the dark of pre-dawn night. Early…

The Big Pool is Open In Northwest Florida in July, it’s hard to resist the temptation to jump in the inshore waters. Especially with the crop of succulent scallops littering the Gulf grass flats. Within the Northwest Region, which covers from Mexico Beach to Keaton Beach, there are three different scallop zones that have different seasons. The Fenholloway-Suwannee River Zone that includes Keaton Beach is open from June 15 until Labor Day. The Franklin-NW Taylor County Zone is open from July 1 until September 24. The Gulf County Zone which includes St. Joe Bay doesn’t open until August 16 and closes September 24. The exact boundaries of these zones are shown on the myfwc.com website. Scallops can grow in this part of the state almost anywhere there are grassflats and…

If you’ve driven through Florida’s never-ending highway and bridge construction and thought, “All that concrete sure would make a great artificial reef,” well, you’re right. Joe Nolin, who retired this spring from Volusia County’s Port Authority and Coastal Division, made a career out of converting old concrete barriers, chunks of mismatched or broken culvert, sections of derelict bridges, and other structures into hidey-holes and hold-fasts for marine organisms small and large. “Volusia has always had an active reef program, since 1980, when they sank the liberty ship,” he said, “and for the first 20 years or so, we were sinking about one ship per year. Our seafloor off Volusia County is mostly miles and miles of rolling sand dunes, with very little natural reef or ledges.” Two circumstances would unite,…

We need you to go out and catch goliath grouper, and document it. One way or another, the more goliath grouper you catch, and document, the closer you’re going to be to taking one home for dinner. To become a FWC Fish Reporter, go to My FWC or directly to your App store and download the free FWC Fish Reporter app, it takes only seconds, and you’ll be set up to begin documenting your catches. For those of you who can catch at least ten goliath grouper a month, please sign up for a fin-clip kit. Contact: Goliath. Grouper@MyFWC.com…

On April 1, 2021, a new Coast Guard regulation took effect that requires engine cut-off switches (ECOS) installed on recreational boats under 26 feet in length to be used when the boat is on plane. This applies to all navigable waters in the U.S. which are those waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or have been used or are used for interstate or foreign commerce. This excludes some landlocked lakes, but includes other lakes that are bordered by more than one state. The exact legal definition of “navigable” keeps attorneys and judges up at night. But no matter how it’s defined, it’s a good idea to use an ECOS when operating a power boat on plane. The Coast Guard allows two exceptions to the regulation for…

Mangrove Moons and Mahi Mayhem It is hard to pass up nighttime snapper fishing in July. Mangrove snappers school up in large numbers this month as they start their spawning season. With daytime temperatures reaching the 90s, it’s almost a no-brainer to start your fishing adventure just before dark as temperatures start to drop. Having spent 30 years targeting mangrove snappers while working as a mate and captain off the Haulover Docks on Miami Beach, I can personally tell you when you target these fish with the right tackle you’ll find it mildly addictive when that fat mangrove snapper takes your bait. What makes this month special is that instead of waiting long moments between strikes, the snappers are schooled up and the strikes come often. Start your evening by…

Still Tarpon to be Caught Charlotte Harbor’s blackwater tarpon fishery will crank up this month as the fish that have been stacked in Boca Grande Pass begin to spread out into the estuaries. One or two rolling tarpon will give away the location of a loose school of 50 or 100 or more fish that might be scattered over hundreds of yards. If you can’t find rollers, then fish blind around schools of threadfins or near tidelines, or watch what other boats are doing. Hand-sized threadfins are a top live bait but these tarpon will also hit finger mullet, small crabs or jumbo live shrimp (if you can find them). The fish move around and can be almost anywhere in Charlotte Harbor, but good places to start searching include all…

Cold Water in July? It Happens For ocean anglers, the sultry weather of late June and July can generate some unpredictable and disappointing factors. But on the positive side, the summer heat also can bring welcomed surprises. A couple of the negatives for East Central waters would be early hurricanes and-or widespread coldwater upwelling. At least storm conditions subside within a week, while the cold water can continue for weeks. If the upwelling is severe, like dropping water temperatures into the 50s below thermoclines over deepwater reefs, it can push bottom fish and even bluewater pelagics inshore pretty much anywhere the it develops between Sebastian and Daytona. No doubt they’re seeking a comfort zone, but they’re also following the baitfish that are forced inshore. The cold water can be felt…

Late Season Snapper Secrets We are officially in the dog days of summer and heat is at an all-time high. Although the days are hot, the fishing can be, too. With the first half of red snapper season behind us, your public wrecks and spots right off the beach may be a bit picked over, but there are still plenty to go around. Generally, the farther out you travel, the fewer boats you will see and the more fish you will catch. But if you stay in close and are having a hard time finding your limit, scale down your tackle and see if that helps. At the start of red snapper season they will hit anything you throw, but towards the end they get smarter. I will go down…