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.
Okay, so we all saw the photo of your PB snook. Hearts for you! And you, the one with the slob permit, two thumbs up! And let’s not forget you with the 40-pound mahi. Applause! Flames! We’ve made a culture out of these trophy moments. But sometimes, as I look at the pictures you send us, and the ones you post on social media, I wonder if maybe we’re missing something. Is a big fish the only measure of fishing success? Hardly. Older I get, the more I celebrate the successes that come behind the scenes. Take for example those rare times when I stop my truck—first try—to perfectly align the ball under the coupler. You know what I’m talking about. Even with these backups cameras, some days you get…
It’s time for action. We, the recreational angler, need to be heard if we want to, expect to, catch a dolphin (mahi) on future offshore trips. Unfortunately for those of you who have fished off the east coast of Florida for dolphin in the last three years you already know there’s a problem with the fishery. Charterboats in the Florida Keys aren’t catching slammers (twenty-plus-pound fish) and anglers from Miami to Jacksonville bemoan the absence of both large and small mahi. Houston, we have a problem. The house is on fire, yet the guy standing in front of the blaze hasn’t called the fire department. The issues facing mahi are widely recognized among many staff, Advisory Panel members and Council members within the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, yet the…
Once feared by boaters, Ponce Inlet now is one of the most accessible inlets in Florida. Pay the fee and drive your car right up to the north jetty. Walk over and find eddies to cast into. Better yet, try your luck in the ocean. There's no coquina on the Daytona coast so you can surf-cast the beach with absolute impunity. The lighthouse alone is worth making the trip. The area is pretty rustic and this antique, dating to 1887, will put you in mind of a wilder and woolier time, along with affording a fantastic view. Between the inlet and South Daytona Beach, something unheard of has been happening this year. The pompano bite usually ends in mid-May, but feet on the sand were reporting June and July as…
SOUTH DAYTONA TACKLE SHOPS: Donald's Bait and Tackle – Port Orange E & J Bait and Tackle – Port Orange The Fishing Shack – Daytona Beach Shores BEACH ACCESS: Wilbur By The Sea ramp and parking lot at Toronita Street. Between there and Ponce Inlet are walkovers and some parking. Ramp at the inlet. You can drive on the beach from the jetty to a quarter mile north. TIDES: All tides. Just move your sand spikes up and down the beach. Lately, incoming tide has dealt the hot hand. Most stretches feature a low tide sandbar that can be waded to and cast from, good for blues. EATS: Bars and restaurants at Inlet Harbor. Also Aunt Catfish's at the bridge is a local favorite. SURF RIG: Eight- to 10-foot rod…
TIGRESS ADJUSTABLE DEEP DROP LEAD HOLDER Here’s a good solution to a common problem when deep drop fishing with heavy stick weights: It’s a rodholder-mountable holder you can set your sinker inside while baiting up, moving from spot to spot, handling fish, etc. Keeps those big leads from smashing your gelcoat or your crew. (Yes, you’ve used your rodholders for bank sinkers and egg sinkers—but trust us, when you get serious about dropping in 600 to 1,800 feet, you’ll be using sinkers too girthy for the 1 5/8-inch bore of a standard rodholder). It’s anodized aluminum with a deep, stainless cup, and it’s adjustable for 0, 15 and 30-degree angle holders. MSRP $118.99. SALT LIFE STEALTH TROOPER BIB Getting to be bib season again in Florida waters. Salt Life has…
I guess I’ve fished just about every power setup there is, from trolling under full sail to quad outboards, and I sometimes feel like I’ve never seen the same wake twice, when I looked back at my baits. The stories of some of the old wooden sportfish pioneers are full of tales of wakes and harmonics that could call a fish in from the next hemisphere. Likewise, there are just as many tales of captains that totally lost their mojo when they bumped the bottom, and it caused a ding in their prop too small to see, but a marlin swimming off the coast of Africa could hear it, and cancel his trip to Florida. Whereas I am certain the wider the spread of baits you can run, the more…
