Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Salt Water Sportsman

On a chilly November morning, aboard the party boat Laura Lee out of Captree State Park, Fire Island, New York, Sal Gambina snagged a bunker a mile off the beach at Robert Moses State Park. Armed with a Shimano spinning outfit with 30-pound braid, he immediately dropped the bunker to the bottom, where the live bait was inhaled by this 28-pound striped bass. YOUR CATCH To send in your catch photo, email us at catches@saltwatersportsman.com. Got a piece of good news to share? Want to gripe? Like to see your thoughts on the pages of Salt Water Sportsman? Send your letters, manuscripts and any relevant comments to editor@saltwatersportsman.com or via U.S. mail: SWS Editor, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcomed but will…

For those who have read this column for any length of time, you understand that I am not a fan of bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake. But I have always supported sensible management of our common property resources. It is, in my opinion, one of the necessary functions of a government, which can easily overreach. One of the major concerns with fisheries management is that in order to make the right decisions, it takes a lot of continuous data. Someone has to pay for that data collection, and that has consistently been a point of discussion. Should it be the general taxpayer, who may benefit from buying reasonably priced, commercially caught fish products? Or should it be the user who benefits from catching more abundant fish? As someone who supports user…

Fear Factor Intimidation seems to deter beginners from kite-fishing. Start simple, with just a bait or two. As you gain experience, progress to more advanced kite deployments. Soon you’ll be fishing two kites with three to four baits off each one, plus flatand deep-lining dead baits on the other side of the boat. Shake, Shake, Shake Your Baits Mechanically, kite-fishing amounts to a kite on its own line, along which you slide one or more release clips. The fishing line from each live bait is placed in a release clip, then carried away from the boat and suspended from the kite line. When a fish hits, the fishing line pops out of the clip, leaving the kite deployed and the line free to fight the fish. A kite presents a…

LENGTH: 37' BEAM: 12' DRAFT: 18" DEADRISE: Variable FUEL: 550 gal. WEIGHT: 14,000 lb. plus power MAX HP: 1,600 PRICE: On request INVINCIBLE BOATS: invincibleboats.com INVINCIBLE, BUILDER OF OFFSHORE-FISHING BOATS, ADDED A 37-FOOTER TO ITS LINE OF CATAMARANS THAT INCORPORATES MANY FEATURES AND DESIGN ELEMENTS FOUND ON THE COMPANY’S MONOHULL BOATS, WITH THE ADDED ADVANTAGES AFFORDED BY THE MULTIHULL PLATFORM, WITHOUT COMPROMISING CONVENIENCE, FUNCTION OR LOOKS. The new 37 shares key traits with the 40-foot model that made a big splash in 2017, such as superb handling, seakeeping and fuel effciency. The layout is also similar. For starters, the deck is level, which makes following a hooked fish around the boat easier and safer. However, the transom, which houses an oval 70-gallon livewell with clear lid and high-speed pickup, is…

The crusade that began with now-ousted EPA chief Scott Pruitt attempting to roll back key water protections in the previous administration’s updates to the Clean Water Act (CWA) that established a broader regulatory scope for waterways nationwide is now a full-on attack that rescinds the legal framework the Obama administration installed with its landmark Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. As reported in The Nation, earlier threats to the CWA were blocked in court, but the latest stab would strip federal oversight from up to 60 percent of U.S. waters, including vast swaths of the nation’s wetlands, streams, ponds and related habitats, threatening to leave many ecosystems and the drinking-water supplies of an estimated 100 million people virtually unprotected against pollution. The proposed rule purports to clarify the CWA’s regulatory…

LENGTH: 20'5" | BEAM: 8'1" | DRAFT: 13" | WEIGHT: 2,421 lb. | FUEL: 51 gal. MAX HP: 150 | PRICE: $47,722 w/Yamaha F115 | pathfinderboats.com The latest addition to Maverick Boat Group’s Pathfinder series, the 2005 TRS brings big bayboat features onto a smaller platform, perfect for inshore anglers who want maximum flexibility. That’s precisely what the new 20-footer delivers, with a 13-inch draft to tread into skinny water, 16-degree deadrise, and tall freeboard to safely drift inlets, patrol beaches or run to nearshore wrecks. The latest Pathfinder comes ready to fish, loaded with desirable features like undergunwale racks with tip tubes for 9-foot rods, a 122-quart cooler, six dry-storage compartments, stern foldaway seats, in-deck stowage for two of the always-handy 5-gallon buckets, 11-gallon aft livewell, cooler under the…

LENGTH: 23'8" BEAM: 8'6" DRAFT: 19.5" DEADRISE: 20 degrees FUEL: 100 gal. WEIGHT: 3,655 lb. plus power MAX HP: 30 PRICE: $110,978 w/Yamaha F300 SCOUT BOATS: scoutboats.com WHEN SCOUT SET OUT TO BUILD ITS LATEST 23-FOOT CENTER-CONSOLE, THE BUILDER CHOSE TO DEPART FROM MORE CONVENTIONAL DESIGNS AND LAYOUTS TO ENSURE THE LOOKS, FUNCTION AND PERFORMANCE SET THE NEW MODEL APART FROM THE COMPETITION. The result is the 235 XSF, a boat that makes a great impression at the dock and on the water, loaded with features we’ve come to expect on larger craft. Scout’s typical innovation and attention to detail are evident on the 235 XSF, which was built on the fuel-effcient NuV3 hull and designed to be powered by a 30-inch-shaft outboard, with a taller transom and a full-width,…

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is considering new management options to Amendment 10 on the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan. The amendment offers an opportunity to modify the management strategy for dolphin that would ensure healthy population levels. Central to protecting dolphin is the restriction of pelagic longline gear by not authorizing the fishery an allocation. Overfishing of dolphin becomes a concern if pelagic longline gear continues landing the popular species. Longline fishing, should it persist, would negatively impact not only recreational fishing, but also other associated species and related businesses. In Florida, over half a million recreational trips were made to target dolphin within one year, which generated economic returns to businesses, jobs and to the state. Before the SAFMC is faced with overfished stocks and economicly…

Fatigue-Free Driving Schmitt & Ongaro Marine’s Primus cast stainless-steel steering wheel delivers durability and ergonomic comfort, with an oversize ring that reduces hand fatigue. Available in 13 ½-and 15 ½-inch diameters and in three spoke configurations, with the industry standard ¾-inch tapered hub that works with all steering systems. $573.95 to $633.95; schmittongaromarine.com Scented and Versatile Z-Man’s Scented Jerk ShadZ, made with a porous material that absorbs and holds scent, is salt-and scent-impregnated, and sports a lively, split-tail design that mimics baitfish and can be fished as effectively as a weedless jerkbait or topwater twitchbait, or Carolina-rigged. Available in 4-, 5-and 7-inch sizes, in several saltwater colors. $4.99; zmanfishing.com Rack ’Em Up and Go Keep tackle ready at hand while freeing up space in your vehicle and maintaining easy access with…

LENGTH: 27'4" | BEAM: 9'6" | DRAFT: 20" | WEIGHT: 7,000 lb. FUEL: 180 gal. | MAX HP: 500 | PRICE: Starts at $119,985 | robalo.com Robalo’s R272 is built on a Kevlar-reinforced hull with a hydro-lift design that makes for quicker planing and better fuel efficiency, and an extended running surface that allows the V-plane to continue aft of the transom for superior stability in a variety of sea conditions. The forward keel design cuts through waves with ease, while the taller freeboard helps ensure a safe, comfortable and dry ride. Ample seating aboard the 27-footer comprises a U-shaped arrangement — with twin 25-gallon insulated fish boxes underneath and a removable fiberglass liner — at the bow that quickly converts into an elevated casting platform. There’s a helm seating…

Who ever imagined a time when sonar could stream live images of fish? Who dreamed you might use your chart plotter to launch miniature unmanned aircraft to film fishing action? And who could foretell the use of augmented reality for safer navigation to and from the fishing grounds? ¶ Whether you envisioned these breakthroughs or not, they are already here. For example, Garmin’s Panoptix LiveScope live sonar technology 1, introduced last year, streams real-time sonar images of fish. And the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) flight function on Raymarine’s Axiom series multifunction displays 2, also introduced last year, automatically deploys, controls and retrieves video drones. (If you missed these reviews, find them on saltwatersportsman.com.) Here’s a look at 10 more new marine electronics products for 2019, designed to simplify navigation, improve…

From snook to stripers and tripletail to tautog, many predators share some habits, first and foremost being the tendency to find just the right place to wait in ambush. That usually involves structure, and in the case of inshore game fish, structure means rocks, shoals, sod banks, pilings, bridge abutments, and any other submerged object that offers cover and holds baitfish, crustaceans, sea worms or other forage to prey upon. Here’s how to dissect the pieces of submarine real estate that popular species gravitate toward along the East Coast. Inlets and Jetties Rocks and jacks that line inlet jetties are a sure bet during shifting tides. The fluctuation of currents funnel both baitfish and predatory fish through the narrow inlet opening. During incoming tides, predatory fish such as snook, redfish,…

If you fish long enough, my friend John Lopez says, you’ll do something stupid. Sad endorsement for the sport, but true. In former lives, Lopez and I worked as columnists at the Houston Chronicle. He covered ball sports. I followed fishing, hunting, snowboarding and golf. (My gig was way better.) Now we’re both radio guys covering our same beats, only he’s jumped into fishing with a podcast called “Bite Me” in which he talks Texas saltwater fishing with Capt. Scott Null. It’s probably good that one stupid thing he did occurred enough years ago that nobody recognized him. He was no rookie then either. Already on his second boat, and entirely comfortable with all that boat ownership entails, like every one of us who’s genuinely hooked on the sport, he…