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.
This month we’re revisiting a subject many of you obviously enjoyed same time last year: Florida’s Hidden Gems. Our Field Editors write about making discoveries on their home waters. It’s about finding that little angle—perhaps an unusual fish, a new tactic, a different river, or an unexplored season—not yet promoted. Now, before you go accusing us of “spoiling” the next hotspot, let me clue you in on a little trade secret. When I look at the where-to, how-to articles we prepare each month, I re-read a little quote from A Sand County Almanac*, by Aldo Leopold. The following is printed on the wall by my desk: “Recreational development is a job not of building roads into lovely country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely human mind.” In other…
On the heels of Keep ’Em Wet, comes Return ’Em Right. These aren’t just do-gooder hash tags, but practices that will both help restore fish stocks, and soon, help keep you from running afoul of the law. “Return ’Em Right is an upcoming program that will be the leading voice for tackling barotrauma in the Gulf of Mexico,” said program Communications Manager Nick Haddad. Haddad said the program’s goals are to reduce mortality in reef fish resulting from barotrauma and release, improve anglers’ experiences with release gear and to increase the overall health of reef fisheries. Haddad’s employer, Florida Sea Grant, is working with partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center (NOAA RC) and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) to provide anglers the knowledge and tools…
As I came tight on my third trout in three casts, I thought to myself, fishing today is indeed better than it used to be. Forty-five years ago, I fished the same flat with my father and brothers when we visited from Miami, but I couldn’t recall fishing like this. On this recent trip, the grass-flats off the north end of Captiva Island were healthy and full of trout. Minnows dimpled the surface, and diving gulls and pelicans made it easy to find the action. We were in about two feet of water and no more than a half a mile from South Seas Island Resort. Charles Martz, Harbormaster at South Seas, had said that trout fishing would be good in Pine Island Sound, and that it had been getting…
LODGING: With 434 rooms to rent at South Seas Island Resort, there’s one for you. Rooms from $349, Gulfside villas from $549, homes from $1,200. www.southseas.com FOOD: The Pointe or Dock Fords at South Seas Island Resort. Or an easy golf cart ride into Captiva Island to The Green Flash, RC Otter or the Lucky Duck. GUIDES: Charles Martz, Harbormaster, cmartz@southseas. com . Trips are 4 hours (half day) or 8 hours (full day) and can accommodate up to 4 persons per vessel. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m./12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.…
There may be no greater need for communication between captain and angler in the blue-water arena, than the constant communication necessary between captain and angler while daytime swordfish fishing. At night, swords rise to the top of the water column where their oversized eyes can help them find baits, but during the day, they are in the deep darkness, where keeping a bait in the lower 10 percent of the water column is mandatory for the crew to be successful. I caught up with Capt. Jeff Crab-tree of the Chunda, who has specialized in daytime sword fishing for several years. “Fishing below the Gulf Stream current can be challenging,” said Crabtree. “Starting out right is critical. We fish the structure we find between 1,500 and 2,000 feet. Our goal is…
Flounder fishing gets good in the fall, as they gear up to spawn. Recently I caught up with Capt. Roger Bump, Florida Sportsman’s Northeast Weekend Forecaster (jacksonvillefishingtrips.com), for some tips. Bump is a flounder expert. Like most inshore species, flounder move with the tide and favor structure and ambush points. Bump made it short and sweet: “Start deep when the tide is low, areas like jetties and deep docks. As the tide comes in, work your way to the grass lines, oyster bars and sandbars found around the creeks. No matter what, make sure you have moving water.” BAIT AND WAIT Livebait fishing for flounder is the most popular way to target these tasty fish, with the two most effective baits being finger mullet and mud minnows. Bump stressed to…
