Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i Salt Water Sportsman

SEA WITCH This multifiber trolling skirt pulsates when trolled, adding to the bait’s action. 4 ½ DRONE SPOON This proven trolling spoon is perfect for big game and works best behind a planer. ILAND SAILURE The concave head produces enticing action and leaves a trail that lets fish zero in. HUSKY MAGNUM 25 This Rapala diving plug is built extra tough to survive attacks from big pelagics. NO. 8 PLANER Planers are an easy and inexpensive way to troll baits and lures well below the surface.…

Colbalt-purple, northwardflowing ocean water out front of Miami makes magic, especially in the spring. Terry Flora and I barely finished setting out a spread of live baits between Haulover Inlet and Government Cut before the first sailfish came to play. Flora fought the fish in 4- to 6-foot seas, earning a boatside pic prior to the release. With a brisk easterly breeze keeping seas spiked, air temps pleasant, and that rich vein of water close in, we released six out of 10 sails we hooked, but, by Miami standards, that’s common in March, April and on into May. Where the Action Is Miami’s spring sailfish run is usually ushered in by double, triple and quadruple hookups, as opposed to picking off a fish here and there. This push of fish…

With daylight fading, the clear, calm water that minutes earlier divulged every nuance of the bottom some 40 feet below became an increasingly opaque veil. Bottom dwellers were bound to go on the hunt soon. Magic Hour Before the sun completely tucked behind the horizon, something attacked my bait. I set the hook and felt the power of a brawny bottomfish doing its best to reach the nearest rocky lair. But the 30-pound braid and 40-pound fluoro leader survived the fish’s escape attempts, and a 12-pound mutton snapper went into the fish box. That first fish got the crew excited, and everyone focused on adding to the catch and our dinner options. Luckily, the bite turned on. Shortly, every bait was mauled right after reaching bottom. Some of the culprits…

TEST CONDITIONS WEATHER Sunny LOCATION Tavernier, Florida WIND East 10 knots SEA STATE Backcountry, mild chop; ocean, 2 to 4 feet TEST LOAD Two adults, 50 gallons of fuel, 20 gallons of water THE REGULATOR NAME IS SYNONYMOUS WITH TOP CENTER-CONSOLE FISHING BOATS, SO WHEN RUMORS OF A NEW MODEL SURFACED PRIOR TO THE MIAMI BOAT SHOW, A BIGGER OFFSHORE PLATFORM IMMEDIATELY CAME TO MIND. BUT INSTEAD, THE BUILDER LAUNCHED A SURPRISING 26-FOOT CROSSOVER MODEL COMPLETE WITH JACK PLATE, SHALLOW-WATER ANCHOR, AND TROLLING MOTOR TO HANDLE BACKCOUNTRY AND COASTAL PURSUITS. I met Mike DeFrancesco from Yacht Works, the Florida Keys Regulator dealer, and factory rep Bob Bissinger in Tavernier, Florida, for a tour of the new boat and some fishing with Capt. Tim Arce of Native Conch Charters. First impressions…

Shortly after declaring an increase in annual catch limits for Gulf of Mexico red snapper, NOAA Fisheries announced a 62-day recreational season for federally permitted for-hire vessels in 2019. Several Gulf states followed suit, announcing their respective red snapper recreational fishing seasons for private anglers and for-hire vessels. The catch-limits increase was based on an assessment completed in 2018, which indicated that red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico was not overfished or experiencing overfishing, but the stock is still in a rebuilding plan. The 2019 red snapper recreational quota was set at 7,399,000 pounds, 57.7 percent of which is allocated to the private anglers, and 42.3 percent to for-hire vessels. The 2019 red snapper season for federally permitted for-hire vessels in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will…

Michael Roth of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, was fly-fishing out of Venice, Louisiana, when he landed this 31-pound redfish on a 10-weight rod and a black-and-purple baitfish pattern that he tied himself. Roth fought the big red for 20 minutes, then released it unharmed to fight another day. 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 not be acknowledged or returned unless accompanied by an SASE. We are not responsible for unsolicited…

Sound fisheries management is simple arithmetic. They are back in the news. I suspect that for many they never really left the front page. It has been a case of those who should not ignore them doing just that. Stalling is not that hard, and that is what fisheries managers have been doing with striped bass management for at least half a dozen years. In patently nontechnical terms, fisheries management is like accounting 101. You measure the credits (fish added to the stock), and you measure the debits (removals from the stock, both human-induced and natural), and you get the status of the stock. If we go back to 2005, which is, give or take, the top of the striped bass population after rebuilding, and take a look at what…

Accidents and breakdowns happen. Protect your investment. The long hours of research and shopping for a boat are behind you. You made your pick, signed on the dotted line, and that brand-new boat of your dreams will be ready for delivery next week. What’s next? Insuring your new investment would be a prudent move. With that in mind, we shed light on the different types of coverage, liability levels, and special stipulations and riders to help secure the best comprehensive insurance policy for your needs. Establishing a value is the first step in the process, and you should take into account that insurance premiums vary based on where the boat is located. Premiums run higher in hurricane zones than the Great Lakes region, for example. You also ought to know…

Virtual Fenders DockSense from FLIR/Raymarine uses artificial intelligence to recognize hazards when docking, and augments joystick control systems to prevent contact. DockSense employs five FLIR machine-vision cameras that sense distance as well as GPS to ensure a boat enters the dock without drama. FLIR/Raymarine is currently working with Mercury to introduce the system but has not yet announced pricing or availability. raymarine.com Tube Time The Carryout G3 portable automatic satellite antenna from Winegard Co. enables boaters to easily enjoy their favorite TV programming through DISH Network (standard and HD) and DirecTV (standard) while relaxing in a marina or overnighting at anchor. Carryout G3 allows viewing a pair of TVs. The compact antenna weighs 7 pounds, making it easy to deploy and stow. $579 (excluding TV receiver); winegard.com Standing Guard The…

Make a perfection loop in one end of 5 feet of 50-pound fluorocarbon. Slide a ⅛- to ¼-ounce egg sinker over the other end, and use a uni-knot to attach a 7/0 shortshank J hook. Then twist 6 inches of light copper wire to the shank of the hook, before inserting it through the hook eye and the hole in the egg sinker. Finally, double the wire back and wrap a couple more times behind the sinker to hold it in place. Thread a small ballyhoo onto the hook and use the copper wire to lash the bait to the shank. First, pass the wire one time around the bait’s gills, then two times through the eye sockets. Push the end of the wire through the ballyhoo’s snout from the…

Hunter Rhodes 11, New Jersey An avid angler most of his young life, Hunter frequently gets other kids into fishing. Last May, he landed this 49-pound striper off Asbury Park, New Jersey, with his dad doing the netting and his grandfather at the helm. Colin Cummings 8, Georgia Colin took his rod to the beach at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and heaved half a finger mullet into the surf. Twenty minutes later, he hooked this redfish, which he eventually landed after a tough battle on 10-pound-test. Cameron Sinclair 11, Massachusetts Cameron enjoys going up to his grandparents’ house in Maine to fish for striped bass and sharks on Lady Anne, his family’s boat. He was fishing with his dad when he caught this striper, a hefty 31-incher. NOMINATE A KID: SWS…

Shaded relief helps you find new spots and more fish. If you could drain the ocean and look at the seafloor without water, you’d see every reef, rock, ledge and wreck. You’d find uncharted, overlooked outcroppings, holes, and shards of structure that attract gobs of fish. The smallest of spots — often the most productive — would become readily apparent. While we can’t actually drain the ocean, a new generation of electronic high-resolution shaded-relief bathymetric cartography provides the next best thing. Companies such as C-Map, CMOR Mapping, Garmin and others are rolling out this charting feature that, combining color and shadow, offers astoundingly detailed views of the ocean floor that can guide you to the mother lode. “The best fishing spots are the ones that don’t show up on conventional…

TEST CONDITIONS WEATHER Sunny LOCATION Sarasota, Florida WIND Southwest 7 knots SEA STATE 1-foot chop TEST LOAD Two adults, 288 gallons of fuel WELLCRAFT, THE STORIED BRAND OFTEN SEEN ON THE POPULAR ’80S TV SHOW MIAMI VICE, HAS CHANGED CONSIDERABLY SINCE THEN. IN THE 21ST CENTURY, ITS NEW MODELS ARE BUILT TO MEET THE NEEDS OF COASTAL ANGLERS. THE LATEST IS A COMPLETELY REDESIGNED 35-FOOTER THAT EXUDES FISHABILITY, WITH LOOKS BEFITTING AN ACTION STAR. The new version of Wellcraft’s flagship, the 352 Fisherman, is built for the rigors of unpredictable offshore waters. Equipped with the Offshore package, it gives anglers the upper hand in their quests to best challenging big-game species. Of course, the 352 isn’t strictly for blue water. Its maneuverability and 26-inch draft also make it suitable for…