Florida Sportsman June 2022

Ten minutes into the film I noticed something familiar about a pier over a lagoon. Sure enough! It’s no surprise to recognize Florida in the movies. Quite often, in fact, our own fishing spots are featured. Recall the Seven Mile Bridge chase in True Lies (1994), Matheson Hammock in There’s Something About Mary (1998), the Destin beaches in Jaws II (1978). Heck, Elvis himself went fishin' on Bird Creek Bridge near Yankeetown, in Follow that Dream (1961). Rarely, though, do you encounter a film which not only portrays a recognizable fishing hole, but accurately captures our state in all its quirky glory. Flipping through the guide channel recently, I clicked on Empire of the Ants (1977). The title was irresistible. Plus, an early forties Joan Collins struck me as worthwhile…

If ever there was the need for the sleeping giant, you, the recreational angler, to wake from your advocacy slumber, it is now. That is if you care about catching dolphin (mahi mahi) in the future. Our Save The Mahi petition effort, calls and letters didn’t stop NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries from approving South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (SAFMC) Amendment 10, which will do extraordinarily little to stop the decline of the fishery, but we did earn another chance to make our case. The SAFMC has scheduled a public scoping meeting at their June Key West meeting this summer to see if there is public support for adding additional conservation measures for mahi. This is our chance. Because of the recreational angler's outcry over the last several months,…

Jacksonville anglers love to brag that they were pioneers in the artificial reef business, but Adolf Hitler built the first one for them in the early 1940s. The tanker Gulf America was steaming 8 miles off the Jacksonville coast when a German torpedo took her out. It was at night, and lovebirds strolling the beach were shocked by the sight of a burning oil tanker. It seems incredible in today’s world that the sailors aboard the Gulf America were rescued by lifeguards rowing the 8-mile stretch through the surf. Once the early sixties arrived, and the first recreational fishermen ventured out of the sight of land to fish the “Jax. Bch. Wreck,” they soon learned that just about everything that swims loves hiding and hunting in an artificial reef. The…

GARMIN & POWER-POLE: BETTER TOGETHER? The Garmin chartplotters and Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchors are two popular components among Florida coastal boaters (and bass fishers, too!). Now, the two communicate with one another, as you can stow and deploy the Power-Pole from Garmin ECHOMAP™ and GPSMAP® chartplotters. Support for Power-Pole CHARGE Power Management Station integration is expected in a future release, which will allow anglers to also monitor their battery charge from their compatible Garmin chartplotter. Power-Pole Anchor integration is available to existing Garmin customers via the Q2 2022 marine software update, available as a free download at Garmin.com, or through the ActiveCaptain® app under the “My Marine Device” tab. In addition to a compatible ECHOMAP or GPSMAP chartplotter, a Power-Pole C-Monster Gateway is required for anchoring control. The new Power-Pole…

We’ve talked often about the secret to becoming a better fisherman lying hidden in a thousand little differences in what the pros do. One of those little tricks is always having the right size, and shape sinker. I once watched two commercial bait boats stringing up full double length sabikis with sardines while I couldn’t get a bite. As it turned out I was using my standard 3-ounce “trout” or “trolling” sinker, while they were using 6-ounce flat “almond” weights. They could cast ahead of the boat, and drag their sabikis flat on the bottom which was the only place the sardines would bite. I was doing 90 percent of everything they were doing, but in this case 100 percent was required. Let’s look at most of the sinkers Florida…

All you need is a long, slender length of bamboo cane, a hook, line, sinker, and float. The bamboo poles I use have been in constant service for over 70 years. If you can't buy a good one you should have no trouble finding someone with a stand of cane growing on his property that will let you cut a suitable slim one about 10 feet long and 1 inch wide at the base with a limber end. Since we are after bluegill and other bream primarily, you can use 6-pound test monofilament line but that is not mandatory. Anything up to 20-pound test monofilament will also work just fine. The biggest thing to remember is to use a small hook because bluegills have small mouths. A No. 8, 10…