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.
As a duck hunting destination, Florida dodges the media spotlight granted in recent years to Louisiana, Arkansas and some other states. Still, duck hunting is very popular here, evident by the headlamp flashes of insomniac hunters deploying diver spreads on the Gulf; the sudden appearance of mud motors at boat ramps, rugged all-welds piled high with palm fronds. For many, the excitement began months ago, in the annual online race to draw access permits for choice Everglades marshes. It’s all coming to a head on November 23, opening day. Florida, in case you didn’t know, is near the tail end of North America’s Atlantic Flyway, hosting an influx of ring-necked ducks, blue- and green-wing teal, wigeon, scaup, pintail and more. We also have resident black-bellied whistling duck, wood duck, and…
No matter what the outcome is on Amendment 2, Florida’s Right to Hunt and Fish, a ballot measure to amend the state constitution, you as a Floridian, per statute 379.104, have the RIGHT to hunt and fish. Regardless of the election results on November 5. However, if you haven’t voted yet and see me questioning this amendment as a trick question, let’s step back and lift the hood and see what’s driving this thing. For starters, here’s the Amendment 2 ballot text: RIGHT TO FISH AND HUNT.—Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to preserve forever fishing and hunting, including by the use of traditional methods, as a public right and preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife. Specifies that the amendment does not limit the authority…
A friend of mine was fond of saying, “Fishing during the mullet run is like losing in the lottery; Your number never comes up.” The late Harry Scherer was nothing if not a little salty. During a mid-September trip to Mullet Creek, a super fishy spot off-the-beaten-path in southern Brevard County, Scherer's pessimism rang loudly in my ears. To put it simply, the attraction here is the mullet. Large schools milling around the shallows between tides provide even a casual angler the best the Indian River Lagoon has to offer. Targets like redfish, spotted seatrout, snook, flounder, black drum, jacks and even occasional tarpon draw anglers to seek finny action. It’s no mystery how the waterway earned its name. First, there’s a ton of mullet. Second, it’s shaped like a creek.…
When Capt. Jack Carlson of Two Conchs charters in Marathon drops lines back on a reef for world-class mutton snapper fishing, he wants to be sure he’s in the right place. Where he sets the anchor will have everything to do with his and his anglers’ success. A few feet off the reef can make all the difference. Equipped with Furuno’s new NavNet TZtouchXL multi-function displays, Carlson finds it easy to dial in on a specific spot. The TZtouchXL’s ease of use and new features empower any angler to achieve their ultimate goal. “Power, a super-fast processing unit, big screens and how simple it is use makes the TZtouchXL a must-have for me,” Carlson said. “The new AI Routing and Bathyvision high power fish finder are two tools I’m using…
With endless sizes and colors of swimbaits to choose from, you can match just about any baitfish out there. In recent years, a new variation of these has emerged in the salt water: line-through swimbaits. With these, you get the same fish-catching lures, with a few benefits that normal swimbaits don’t offer. First, look at the profile of a line-through bait. There’s no hook eye. Instead, the line enters the head of the bait. Where did it go? There is a channel that the line runs through the bait, coming out the belly or back and ties directly to a hook. Hence the name “line through.” The hook seats in the crevice where the line exits and holds tight when fishing the bait. When you get a bite, this is…
My friend, a newcomer to fly fishing, got me thinking with his question. It was pushing midnight, and we were anchored in my boat about 50 feet from a lighted dock. Snook and seatrout were chasing small minnows in the pool of light, a perfect scenario for fly fishing. They’d refused crankbaits and small plastic jigs on spinning tackle. I gave my friend my 8-weight flyrod with a No. 6 pearl Shminnow fly, an inch long. He began false-casting but I could tell he was struggling. “How do you see the line?” he asked. That told me the struggle was real. “You don’t,” I replied. “You feel its weight. It’s all done by feel.” I adjusted my protective glasses and moved myself safely to his left side. Clearly, some homework…
