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.
If you think that boat sitting by your house is "unused," my good captain, you are mistaken. If you have kept a boat in Florida for any length of time—two or three hours, let’s say—I’m here to announce that you have stowaways. And if you think that boat sitting next to your house is “unused,” my good captain, you are woefully mistaken. I’m a pretty active boater, and the list of critters I’ve discovered onboard is long. Currently, I have a green treefrog that is a permanent resident, shifting quarters from port to starboard rod-holders. During a cold snap last winter he buried himself under my console cover—one morning I found him stone cold, clinging to the wheel. I didn’t think it was a good day to take him offshore,…
Six-pack abs in sixty days. The genius pill to boost brainpower. How to get rich in 100 days. The lure of the quick fix is all around us. It’s in Tallahassee, too. And unfortunately, when it comes to fixing our state’s broken water management statutes, it dominates proposed legislation. These types of “overnight success” programs feed into our desire to solve our problems quickly and easily, with minimal effort and guaranteed outcomes. Unfortunately, they rarely work. Too often we focus on fixing the symptom and not the cause. Unfortunately, addressing the cause is a whole lot more difficult than fixing the symptom. I commend organizations and non-profits for wanting to make a difference and stepping up to plant seagrass, build oyster beds, create clam fields or even release thousands of…
Little Talbot Island, Big Talbot Island, and five other properties make up a state park "complex" that encompasses thousands of acres of salt marsh north of Jacksonville. For any fisherman, and especially paddling fishermen, it's a grassy, oystery, muddy, watery paradise. Popular gamefish here include spotted seatrout, redfish, flounder, black drum, sheepshead, and more. One can fish either in the marsh or along the five miles of beach, often on the same day. Native Americans were the first to hunt and fish these islands. In 1562, the French Huguenots arrived. Over the next 200 years, the French, English and Spanish lived here. In 1735, General James Oglethorpe named the Talbot Islands in honor of Charles Baron Talbot, Lord High Chancellor of England. That name has been retained. The islands became…
› Harris Teeter Supermarket, 4800 First Coast Highway, Fernandina Beach. Eleven-mile drive north of Little Talbot Island. (904) 491-1213 › Sandollar Restaurant and Marina, 9716 Heckscher Drive/ SR A1A, riverfront destination for locally caught seafood & steaks, with a patio hosting live music. (904) 251-2449. › Chowder Ted's, 5215 Heckscher Drive. Small, homey fixture for shrimp baskets, fish sandwiches & other seafood grub. (904) 714-6900. › Palms Fish Camp, 6359 Heckscher Drive. Easygoing hangout for local seafood, cocktails and beer with a waterfront deck and boat ramp on Brown's Creek. (904) 240-1672. › Lilypad Cafe, 9429 Heckscher Drive. Low key atmosphere with top tier food. (904) 647-7498. CAMPING: Little Talbot Island State Park, 12157 Heckscher Drive, Jacksonville, (904) 251-2320. www.floridastateparks.org…
KAYAK RENTALS: Kayak Amelia (904) 251-0016 is the official canoe and kayak provider for the Talbot Islands State Parks, located on the west side of State Road AIA on Long Island, between Little Talbot and Big Talbot Islands. The service offers everything from basic rentals to guided tours. BOAT RAMPS: There are many ramps in this area for both paddle and motor vessels. › Little Talbot Island State Park, on Myrtle Creek. The creek is small, paddle vessels only. › Kayak Amelia, $2 per boat, on Simpson Creek, paddle vessels only. › Sawpit Creek Ramp, Big Talbot Island State Park, on Sawpit Creek, motor and paddle vessels. › Sisters Creek Boat Ramp, 8414 Heritage River Road, off Heckscher Drive, for motor vessels, very popular ramp on Sisters Creek. › Alimacani…
TSUNAMI SALTX PREMIUM HOOKS Tsunami introduced SaltX Premium hooks, which the company notes are precisely drawn from 100% Bekaert Wire for uniform diameter and extraordinary strength. They feature the company’s G7 RazorPoint sharpening process for fast penetration and dependable hookups. The single point hooks are finished with High Gloss Black Nickel coating for enhanced corrosion resistance and long life. Treble hooks have a corrosion resistant matte stainless coating for improved durability. Tsunami puts its SaltX hooks through a 15-step inspection process to confirm standards of quality and performance. Tsunami SaltX Premium Hooks are available in 14 single hook styles in multiple sizes and a 3X Strong treble series. The hooks are available in both high-count consumer packs as well as larger guide packs for even greater value. MSRP for circle…
