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.
I didn’t know Ralph Brown very well, but I sure knew his boats, and his passing in January inspired me to share a few opinions on boats. Perhaps you’ve noticed I’ve been on a boat kick lately. Reptile and amphibian crew members, last month. Ultralight cartoppers month before that. I guess this year I’ve been circling around the idea of boats as utility, not luxury. Which seems to run counter to the grain, at least if you browse through places like the Miami Boat Show. I always liked Ralph (and Pat, and Mike) Brown’s Dusky boats. And still do. Solid hulls, clean designs. Built here in Florida. Now, there are boaters who step on a new rig and marvel about reclining seats, wet bar, Corian tabletops, and endless storage trays.…
We all keep hearing about the daily 1,000-man march into the state of Florida. Guess what, it’s real. According to the state’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, an estimated 329,717 new residents settled in Florida between April 2020 and April 2021. Incredibly, with the number of people expected to move to Florida between April 1, 2021 and April 1, 2026, we could populate a new city the size of Orlando (307,573 people) each year for the next five years! We can’t stop people from coming. But, we can take steps to preserve the kinds of wild, open spaces which attracted most of us to Florida in the first place: Lakes and marshes where our families fish, native forests and prairies where we hunt. The last few years have also…
WHAT YOU CAN DO: We are in a unique position to make a massive investment in the long-term health of Florida’s natural systems. Tell your statewide elected officials to follow the will of the people and to fully fund Florida Forever. Our legacy depends on it. GO TO www. floridawildlifefederation.org/fully-fund-florida-forever/ If you’d like to help preserve some critical land right now, before our state legislature meets later in the year, you can help buy needed land now by contacting The Conservation Fund. www.conservationfund.org/…
Boondoggle: A project that is considered a waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy or political motivations. In the 1930s, an effort to route commercial shipping traffic across the middle of the state rather than around the peninsula began with the construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. With decades of starts and stops, the work finally ended in 1971, leaving what is now designated the protected Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. Locally still known as the “canal,” the western terminus of this “ditch,” at the Gulf of Mexico between Crystal River and Yankeetown, caused initial environmental harm to the natural shoreline and to the flow of the Withlacoochee River. But now, after 50 years, nature has reclaimed the area and succeeded…
LAUNCH: The best ramp to use is next to the FWC office where US19/98 crosses the canal. It’s also possible to launch at the end of CR40 in Yankeetown or at any of the ramps at Crystal River. However, these are shallow waters and navigation can be, let’s say, tricky. LODGING: The closest motel to the canal is the Withlacoochee Motel (352-447-2211) in Inglis, near the intersection of CR40 and US19/98. Higher-end options: Plantation On Crystal River (352-795-4211) or the Best Western Crystal River Resort (352-795-3171). Both are about 12 miles from the boat ramp. FOOD AND DINING: Shrimp Landing Restaurant in Inglis is a solid bet for a good casual meal. Or, try the Blackwater in Yankeetown. There’s good seafood in Crystal River at Charlie’s, Crackers, or at The…
A phenomenon you’ve likely witnessed if you’ve done much bottom fishing is when a fish brought to the surface arrives with its stomach forced outside of its mouth. Efforts to release the fish whether because it’s not of legal size or the target species are followed by the fish floating off to die, unable to return to the bottom. It’s hard to watch as an avid angler. So, what makes a fish float away on the surface? This effect is a result of barotrauma, a condition where gases inside a fish expand when reeled up from depth and like a balloon inside the fish, prevents it from returning to depth. The bubble protruding from the mouth isn’t the swim bladder, rather it’s the stomach being forced inside out by the…
