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.
October is one of those months I think only a Floridian can truly appreciate. For the rest of the country, it’s the end of summer, a window closing on sunny days. For us, October is a kind of beginning. Our actual windows might not be opening just yet, but at least we can see through them in the morning. Condensation on my back porch sliders—my finely tuned hygrometer—looked like Niagara Falls for the last four months. I also have a wind-gauge on my porch, a set of chimes which informs me of the season change. They’ve been silent all summer. I’m expecting I’ll hear that east wind in the early hours any day now. In this month’s issue of FS, we cover some of the great fishing and hunting that…
When the time comes that you can no longer stomach a problem, you need to act. When the proverbial can has been kicked up against the wall, and you’ve run out of fingers to point—act! Anglers, Floridians, we deserve better. Our inshore fisheries in the southern half of the state have been disappearing, and we know who’s responsible. And, sadly here we sit—on our hands. Bryan Heaberlin, from Crescent City, told me about a fishing trip on Lake Okeechobee in late July: “The run from the Kissimmee River was mostly in green, algae-filled water, and the closer we got to the lock, the brighter green the water got,” Bryan said. “It looked like green antifreeze, there was a lot of floating fish out in the lake.” Bryan said that where…
The Spanish and the British took turns occupying Lignumvitae Key in the 1700 and 1800s, and the namesake trees that covered the key were cut and exported to Europe. The incredible density, strength, and self-lubricating properties of lignumvitae lumber made it a hot commodity. It was used in key parts of ships like propeller shafts and other products like cricket balls, British police truncheons (ouch!), mortars and pestles, clock gears, and fishing rods. Later, it even was used in parts of the first U.S. nuke sub and the upper portion of Pete Seeger’s banjo. In 1919, a wealthy owner of a chemical company named Matheson bought the entire island. He built a beautiful coral rock home that survived the devastating 1935 hurricane and now serves as the park visitor center.…
At seventy years of age, I should be changing my fishing from sailfish back to where I started catching bream from a farm pond. My body and eyesight may have gotten that message, but unfortunately my brain still yearns for bluewater and big fish, so I find myself having to make adjustments to keep up with my passion. Yes, I know I look silly in my big straw hat. Yes, I know I can’t bridle a bait in 5 seconds anymore, but I picked up a little trick recently that has helped making our bait catching easier. Over the years I have taught no less than 50 rookies that when we are catching bait on sabikis to just drop the sinker into the livewell, and hold the line tight while…
There are now hundreds of fly lines on the market, some of which have confusing marketing names to describe the tapers built into them. It can be bewildering to beginners. All fly lines for salt and freshwater fishing (floating and sinking and everything in between) are weight-forward. This means the head of the line is heavier per foot (measured in grains) than the thinner “running” or shooting line behind it. This design allows the angler to shoot line on the cast. PARTS OF THE HEAD To keep it simple, think of taper as shape—the changing shape of the line along its length. At the leader end, if you remember that the “fatness” and weight varies, and has great bearing on how the line transports the fly, and lands on the…
Many boaters feel that if your outboard is peeing, you’re good to go. Not so fast! There may still be a concern that your water pump needs servicing. Rob Branagh is the owner of Aqua Tech Marine in Palm Bay, Florida, an authorized service center for all makes and models of outboard motors. Branagh feels that the water pump is one of the simplest things on a motor, but also one of the most neglected. Branagh considers the water pump to be the mother of the motor. Like a radiator in a car, without a water pump, you are not going to cool the motor. A simple check if the motor is peeing water at idle may not show a lack of a sufficient volume of water that the motor…
