Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2024-25 i Florida Sportsman

It’s always a good exercise making New Year’s resolutions, but I wonder if it’s even better for us to jot things down we learned in the outgoing year. I breezed through my fishing log for 2024. Do the same for yours! Loosely organized by subject & chronology, here’s a peek: BASS FISHING: I learned I’m officially “old school.” Started my year in Houston at a Berkley media event. Asked tournament pro Kyle Hall his favorite technique. From the lanky young Texan I figured I’d hear flippin,’ pitchin,’ froggin,’ spinnerbaitin,’ somethin’ to that effect. Nope. “Scopin’.” Forward-facing sonar has taken over competitive bass fishing. Guys pre-fishing don’t even fish: They circle a lake watching their sonar. BOATS: At the Miami Boat Show in February, I learned we’re all real interested in alternative…

Sharks are usually an incidental catch, but I know some people that try to target them. Not all sharks are created equal. The better eating ones tend to be mako, thresher and porbeagle, however mako is no longer legal in federal or state waters. Some sharks reputedly give off an odor of ammonia. To remove that odor, I recommend soaking the fillet in milk. Cook as you would swordfish, a popular table fish that yields steaks of similar consistency. Check www.MyFWC.com or the Fish Rules app for shark regulations in Florida. Bonnethead, blacktip and sharpnose are three common coastal sharks with decent edibility and no minimum size. Other commonly caught sharks legal to take include bull, nurse and spinner with certain restrictions. I spoke to Omar Collazo, head chef at…

The holiday season is finally here and aside from the gift of some of the most spectacular sunsets in the Gulf of Mexico, the 10,000 Islands region offers a wide variety of fishing adventures for every type of angler. This time of year, cooler temperatures push large schools of bait into the warmer waters here. As the bait moves further south, so do the predatory fish. Not to over-simplify matters needed to be a consistently successful angler, but fishing boils down to a few fundamental elements. Fish of all species are programmed to be in constant search for a food source, favorable living conditions, and the quest to breed. As an angler, the key is to be in position to present the right offering at the right time. One of…

Winter arrives December 21, and for many, it can’t come soon enough. Seasonal changes are the norm, but this year has seen some record-breaking high temperatures and drought periods as well as some exceptionally heavy rains and even flooding at times. To put this all into perspective, fish must deal with changes constantly, but for them, their habitats change constantly with salinity levels due to heavy rains, hot days and cold days that can affect metabolism, windy days that create turbidity making it more difficult to find food, as well as hurricanes and tropical storms that move entire sandbars and islands that can cover or uncover their temporary homes, and other changes that we may not consider. Passing cold fronts during the winter months come and go about every 5…

I guess people from up north laugh when we complain about winter, but as far as I’m concerned, we have all the winter we need. For decades it seemed like you could count on fantastic sailfish fishing between Fort Pierce and Stuart during the holidays. For most of the mild winters we’ve strung together over the last decade it seems like the sails have shifted north. I ran into a whole school of sails at the Elton Bottom in late December. Blackfin tuna are also prevalent from 130 feet out. An ever-growing number of bluewater fishermen have become kingfish fishermen on steroids. Instead of trolling pogies, and ribbonfish along the beach, they are trolling big blue runners and bullet bonito over ledges from 110 feet out. The wahoo they’ve been…

The National Park Service (NPS) violated the law. Good for them. In March 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled the NPS broke the law by failing to implement a no-fishing marine reserve in Biscayne National Park in a timely fashion. Again, kudos to Biscayne National Park. First the backstory. In 2015, the NPS agreed to establish a 10,512-acre no-fishing marine reserve, encompassing 37 percent of the park’s best reef fish habitat, but failed to implement it. But, what they have been doing is working with the State of Florida to improve the quality of fishing in the park. The stated purpose of the no-fishing zone is for coral protection. The plan calls for banning recreational fishing but not snorkeling and diving. The plan also called…

Six mottled ducks worried around an evaporating southwest Florida cattle wallow, quacking and chattering into the bluebird December morning. Travis Futch, Dirty J, and I had spotted them on the truck ride to camp after a so-so teal hunt, and with bag limit space to spare, we hatched a plan of attack. Parking behind a nearby cabbage palm island, we swapped to full chokes and maneuvered within 60 yards, crouching and belly-crawling through the broom sedge and wispy dog fennels until the cover expired and all we could see were yellow bills and peach faces periscoping above the browning pasture grasses, gleaming in the winter sun. On three, we heaved up and charged, and like in a war movie when the soldiers leap the trenches on command, one immediately fell,…

Want to catch the biggest bass in the lake? How about breaking your personal best? Try shiner fishing! There’s no better way to consistently catch big bass in Florida. Shiner fishing can be so good that many artificial bait purists call the act of fishing with live shiners “cheating.” Although perfectly legal, the use of live shiners for bait is highly effective. As with most fishing techniques, there is an art to fishing with live shiners that can fool the wariest and biggest of bass. Try these tips and techniques for catching giant bass off live shiners. WHY SHINERS? Central Florida fishing guide Capt. Dan Hand uses live shiners on many of his charters on Headwaters Lake and other waters. “My catch rates are higher, and the quality of my…

After a tough hurricane season, winter brings a much needed cool down. The cooler temperatures usher in new life. The stagnant algae-filled 90-degree water the shallow water of the Keys is known for in the fall has dissipated. The cooler oxygen-filled water has brought a plethora of fish into the shallow waters surrounding the Florida Keys archipelago. The area between the land mass and the reef’s edge along the Atlantic side of the Keys is called Hawk Channel. This area comes alive in the winter months as snappers, groupers, jacks, mackerels and many other species will inhabit the area. Hawk Channel is littered with coral heads that provide a great environment for these species. Most of these spots can easily be found on a chart and many of the newer…

Uncertainty on the weather front often forces gametime decisions for anglers this time of year. Many days of bluewater dreams get shut down when approaching the inlet and realizing it’s just too rough, and not worth risking it. Check your safety equipment and if you don’t have one, invest in an EPIRB. It can save your life if you decide to go chase pelagics. The frequent fronts right now can also stir up the inshore fishery. The most popular gamefish in the region, the snook, isn’t too fond of these and can have trouble surviving in water temperatures below 65-degrees for long periods of time. Plus, harvest season is closed Dec. 15 through Jan. 31. So I tend to leave them alone and switch my focus to pompano, a fish…

Big Bend fishermen are breathing easier this month, enjoying a touch of winter fishing, after enduring three Gulf Coast hurricanes in 13 months. Old hotspots may be sanded in now, and new honey holes created. Scouting is the only way to find out. The main fishery here during winter is trout and redfish back in the many sheltering creeks and the bigger Suwannee, Crystal and Steinhatchee rivers. “By mid-December, both species stack up in the deeper holes and back creeks, gathering around rock piles, all the way south to Ozello,” says Capt. Dave Case with Hang ‘Em High charters in Crystal River. “They group up real tight when cold weather arrives and the water temp hovers around 70 degrees. That weather will push them into the holes real quick. I…

Lake Jackson in Leon County is like a boxer that fights way above its weight class. In terms of large bass caught on this 4,000-acre lake, it’s hard to find a more productive lake for its size. During the 1970s, over 100 bass weighing 10 pounds or more were recorded at Sunset Fish Camp in one year. Currently, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Bass Lunker Club has 65 catches registered from Lake Jackson weighing between 8 and 9 pounds, 9 ounces. Bass entered in the Trophy Club numbered 14 and weighed between 10 and 12 pounds, 9 ounces. The lake is currently recovering from one of its periodic natural drawdowns but now, it’s imminently fishable and easy to access, especially for small boats. These naturally occurring de-waterings, as…

Winter is among us and while most people are spending more time inside watching football or sitting perched in a deer stand, us die-hard fishermen are thoroughly enjoying the empty waterways and seasonal fishing patterns. When I retire, you’re liable to see me traveling every season shift, constantly chasing 75-degree weather because I hate the cold. The only two things that will get me outside in the winter voluntarily is a hot sheepshead bite or a bluebird, windless, redfish day. I can’t resist either. Bust out the layers, bibs, and boots because I will be on the water. Inshore you have options, depending on your wants and needs. I love sheepshead, and since they are such a seasonal catch in our region, I capitalize on that fishery every chance I…

Nearly 150 youth anglers 10 years of age and younger participated in the annual Keys Kids Fishing Derby. Hosted by the Lorelei in Islamorada, young anglers fished the Keys’ backcountry, offshore, or simply off the docks of the famous restaurant and cabana. “Our founder Kathy Lewis just wanted to get kids fishing,” said tournament director Dianne Harbaugh. “The Derby’s main purpose is to educate young anglers about fishing. We have everything available here at the Lorelei for kids that would normally not have a chance to go fishing.” The Tackle Center of Islamorada provides bait for all participants who fish the free derby, now in its 27th year. Rods, reels and tackle boxes are given to all kids by Fish Florida, a non-profit supporting organizations that teach people, especially children,…

The holiday season is upon us in South Florida. I for one always look forward to the next two months as a boat owner and a fishing guide. My family, like yours and all the visitors from all parts of the world, will most likely have free days during the upcoming weeks to enjoy the South Florida outdoors. With temperatures in the 60- to upper 80-degree range, why wouldn’t you want to be in sunny South Florida in December and January. There is a lot of good fishing, diving and hunting during these two months. Fishing may not be as good as it was a month or two ago, but plenty of quality fish will be willing to bend your fishing rods. Lobster season is going strong. All you need…

As we finish 2024 and move into 2025, we look forward to a new start. Hurricanes were our biggest issue this year, impacting every mile of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Our coastlines in Southwest Florida took 4 to 6 feet of surge impacting those who live and work near our coast. Fish are back in normal daily patterns, so that means fisherman are, too. We’ve reached that time of year when cold fronts become more frequent and they will dictate how good fishing is. November gave us a little glimpse of things changing. A few good cold snaps impacted fishing negatively for a few days. Cold fronts dropped water temperature significantly for a day or two and shut down fishing for a few days after. We have new species of fish…

“Space Coast anglers targeting moonfish this month should launch rockets from Sebastian Inlet on the winter solstice…” Yikes. Thanks, ChatGPT, but I’ll take it from here. The reality is, no algorithm can predict what Mother Nature will throw our way in December and January. Weak La Niña conditions are expected in the Pacific this winter, so we could see slightly warmer drier weather. Regardless, these months reliably deliver a handful of beautiful, cool and calm fishing days. December is what I like to call “assorted snapper month” off the East Central region. Every reef between 50 and 90 feet gets crowded with snapper of all kinds. Lane, mangrove, mutton, vermilion and even a few snowbirding yellowtail snapper can be found on lively ledges, broken bottom, or artificial reefs like those…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Cole Langel, 9, of St. Lucie Village near Fort Pierce remembers the stories told by his late great-grandfather, Herman Summerlin. The legendary waterman and patriarch of a longtime commercial fishing family regularly shared a lifetime of shark tales with anyone who would listen until he passed in 2020. Langel took it upon himself to discover if the Indian River Lagoon near his home yielded sharks. He chose to fish from the lagoon’s shore with a rod and reel with bait supplied by his older brother. Following is his story in his own words. I GOT A NEW ROD AND REEL, and l spooled it myself. I got shark rigs from The Fishing Center and bait from my older brother Tyler (13), usually ladyfish or jacks. I fished…