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.
Maybe it’s because I love being either first on the water, or the last to leave in the evening. Maybe it’s because it takes me less than 10 minutes between when I decide to go, and when I’ll be on the water. The truth is, as much as I love the blue water, paddling my kayak at low tide in 8 inches of water is almost a religious experience for me. You see, I can remember a time when a 24-inch redfish was a trophy in Northeast Florida, and you never saw them swimming with their backs out of the water. When new regulations brought the red-fish back, kayaking for them became the rage. Once redfish came back, the ones cruising in shallow water were about as smart as a…
The world’s largest ray, the manta, with a wingspan of up to 29 feet, is easily recognizable, but when it comes to details regarding its status off the Atlantic coast, surprisingly little is known. In 2018, NOAA Fisheries listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, so I expected to find out quite a bit about the ray’s population status while following up with Calusa Horn, NOAA’s lead biologist for manta rays. What I found was, not so much. When I asked Horn what the estimated population was, she didn’t know. Same thing when I asked if the Atlantic population was stable or possibly declining. Hmmm? So, if not NOAA, then maybe the MMF, the Marine Megafauna Foundation and their Florida Manta Project would know more. Unfortunately, they…
Bob Sikes Cut is a manmade pass created in 1954. It’s a channel or “cut” through St. George Island only a hundred yards wide, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Apalachicola Bay. It’s named in honor of U.S. Rep. Bob Sikes, a Crestview, Florida, publisher who served in the U.S. House between 1940 and 1978; he passed in 1994.The nearest other opening to the bay, West Pass, is 8 miles away, so this small, rock-lined gateway acts as a funnel for thousands of baitfish, shrimp and other marine life to pass through. This makes it a gamefish magnet. For many anglers, the Cut is their sole fishing destination; for others, it’s a place to check once or several times during a day’s fishing. The long jetties that extend into the…
BOAT RAMPS Ten Foot Hole: Battery Park, Apalachicola St. George Island Boat Ramp: N.E. side of fishing bridge St. George Island Boat Sand Ramp: N.E. side of Franklin Blvd. Franklin County Seafood Landing Park: 628 Highway 98 West. LODGING St. George Inn: 135 Franklin Blvd, St. George Isl. 850-927-2903 Island Suites: 116 West Gorrie Dr. St. George Isl. 850-653-6027 Buccaneer Inn: 160 W. Gorrie Dr. St. George Isl. 800-847-2091 Gibson Inn: 51 Ave. C, Apalachicola, 850-270-2190 Collins Vacation Rentals: 60 E. Gulf Beach Dr. St. George Isl, 877-875-9062 Resort Vacation Properties: St. George Isl. 877-272-8206 MARINAS Scipio Creek Marina: 301 Market St. Apalachicola, 850-653-8030 Water Street Hotel And Marina: 329 Water Street, Apalachicola, 850-502-5154 Apalachicola Marina Inc: 247 Water Street, Apalachicola, 850-653-9521 BAIT AND TACKLE Fisherman’s Choice: 330 U.S. 98,…
GILL XPEL TEC Covering up is the way to go in the Florida summer sun, and Gill has rolled out an XPEL Tec Collection which includes a sun hoody, long-sleeve sun shirt, two styles of shorts, gloves, and sun gaiter. The XPEL Tec, as Gill describes it, is a plant-based fabric treatment that arms textiles with a protective shield from water, blood, oil and other muck, without changing the breathability or feel of the fabric. Shown is XPEL Tec Hoody, MSRP $54.95. SUZUKI DF250 SS Suzuki Marine engineered the new DF250 SS V6 4-Stroke to deliver extra kick for performance bass and bay boats. The DF250 SS is the first SS Series outboard to feature compatibility with the Suzuki Precision Control (SPC) electronic shift and throttle system that will integrate…
My experience has been that “less is more” when it comes to divers. I'm nowhere near to learning it all, but there are things I've come to believe in. I love trolling a lipped diver, whether I’m in 20 feet or 400 feet of water. I love catching fish on them. I’m also convinced that adding one to my trolling spread helps attract interest to the other baits. I’ll never forget the time I trolled a 10-inch Rebel through a school of 8-pound king-fish, and caught a 36-pounder. The fact that it would take four of every other kingfish I had caught on a ballyhoo, to equal the one I had just caught on the big diving plug was not lost on me. It also was not lost on me…
