Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Salt Water Sportsman

This month’s issue highlights the spring migration, the beginning, symbolically at least, of a new fishing year. Even in southern climes, where winter can often be so subtle, it’s barely noticed, the annual cycle of renewal holds hope, and the expectation of perhaps some normality and good things on the horizon. I’m as fond of adventure, exploration and new experiences as anyone, but I’ve heard the words “entering uncharted territory” several times too many over the past few months. I’m ready for something familiar, reliable and uplifting, and I’m not talking about a new face mask. Mullet schools, really a traveling cafeteria for game-fish, will start moving along the coast. Fish that have been hunkered down in the backcountry, inshore bays and inlets make an open-water appearance. Stripers stir out…

While it is not our usual practice to blow our own horn, I will reluctantly do it this time. Why reluctantly? Because doing so appears to be a step backward in the relationship between the sport-fishing industry and environmental community. It is also a step backward in intelligent and science-based fisheries management. Back in the fall, we talked about a bill in the California Assembly titled AB 3030. The intent of that legislation was to “protect at least 30 percent of the state’s land areas and waters; to help advance the protection of 30 percent of the nation’s oceans; and to support regional, national and international efforts to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s land areas and waters, and 30 percent of the world’s oceans” by 2030. While…

Robalo R360 With a smart layout, generous storage, numerous comforts and fishing features, and the performance of its Michael Peters-designed stepped hull, the new R360, the largest Robalo ever, is sure to make a splash. Fishing appointments include twin 30-gallon livewells (insulated and lighted) with clear lids, in-floor cockpit fish boxes with pump-out (125 gallons combined), eight rod holders on the transom and six more on the gunwales, plus port and starboard rod lockers, and racked storage for four more rods inside the console. There’s also an aft-facing bench with removable tackle storage, a transom door, and port and starboard cockpit side doors. A trio of contoured chairs with flip-up bolsters provide helm seating, and the expansive dash easily houses a full suite of electronics, including dual 16-inch MFDs, leaving…

I scooped a big, lazy pinfish out of the bait well and hooked it onto a heavy bucktail jig, so it hung like an old-fashioned pork-rind trailer. “Get your lure to the bottom, as fast as you can,” advised Robert “RT” Trosset, keeping an eye on the echo sounder and the mass of fish gathering beneath us. I made bottom, reeled up two short cranks, and worked the jig with a strong lift-and-drop action. I was about to ask RT if I was doing it correctly, when the line stopped cold. One sharp thump through the rod tip, followed by the rod doubling over and line pouring off the reel, told me all I needed to know. “Yeah, do that,” he advised. On this sunny late-winter weekend, I was with…

WHO SAYS SERIOUS OFFSHORE FISHING REQUIRES GIVING UP COMFORT? THE PURSUIT S 428 PROVES THAT THEORY WRONG. THE LATEST AND LARGEST MEMBER OF THE BUILDER’S SPORT SERIES IS A CAPABLE FISHING CRAFT WITH MYRIAD APPOINTMENTS AND CONVENIENCES TO MAKE EVERY LAST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY BEG TO COME ALONG. At the bow, an integral anchor locker with windlass makes it a cinch to store and deploy the through-stem anchor. Adding to the large, in-floor chamber between them, twin raised compartments provide insulated storage at the bow, as well as cushioned seating enhanced by powered backrests that fold out for reclining, complemented by dual stowable tables. The cleverly designed forward-console seat hides a cooler underneath and turns into a double lounge with adjustable backrests. A trio of captain’s chairs with folding…

Facing mounting concerns about impacts on nearby marine protected areas, fish stocks, and the potential for disastrous spills, British-owned Bahamas Petroleum Company recently-began exploratory oil drilling in Bahamian waters, a scant 150 miles from the Florida coast. BPC says the island nation’s economy, harshly afflicted by the effects of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, could rebound on the back of oil revenues and jobs. Sporadic, small-scale oil drilling has taken place in the Bahamas over the years, but BPC’s planned operation is much larger. The company has five licenses to conduct exploration across 4 million acres of Bahamian waters. Perseverance #1, its exploratory well, will target reserves that the company says could produce oil worth between $50 billion and $100 billion, several times the Bahamas GDP ($12.4…

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, 480 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 236, 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 manuscripts or photographs. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: saltwatersportsman.com/cs or 800-759-2127. Outside the United States: 800-979-6828; Back Issues: 800-464-2819; Bulk Reprints: 877-652-5295, ext. 117.…

Transitional zones form when two currents or segments of water oppose each other, such as tidal rips, edges of eddies, color changes, surface-temperature breaks and even weed lines. If they exist within the preferred temperature and depth realm of the targeted species, the odds of angling success soar. Shaken and Stirred Upwellings and agitated waters disperse plankton, microscopic organisms and forage species into the mid- and upper parts of the water column. On the surface, weeds and debris often collect along these edges. The longer these mini ecosystems stay in place, the more likely they’ll produce fish. As basic as such features may appear, questions abound on the preferred ways to fish them. Dirty side or clean side? Cooler side or warmer side? Surface baits or deep baits? Success comes…

Four decades have passed since I first dialed in the sensitivity (also known as gain) of a fish finder. That old-school echo sounder sported a paper readout, and I had a mentor on board to help me learn. Longtime friend Guy Skinner coached me through the process. His tips were immensely helpful, but it took subsequent trial-and-error over a number of coastal trips to hone my tuning skills. The practice paid off because I found rich bottom habitat and consistently caught fish. Fish-finder technology has advanced mightily since that time. Long gone are the days of paper machines. Today, bright daylight-viewable LED color screens offer outstanding definition. Chirp echo-sounding technology enhances detail and eliminates extraneous clutter. And automatic settings grant almost hands-off operation. “You can almost always get a better…

ACTION WAS SLOW THAT MORNING, with only a couple of scratched baits. The off - color water offered limited visibility, so we decided it was time for more flash and movement in our trolling spread. On two of the rods, we added a chrome Mylar cone flasher ahead of our rigged baits on the stern line—an 11-inch red-and-chrome plastic flasher about 4 feet ahead of the bait. We set lines to port and starboard amidships, and one off the transom. On the starboard line, the cone flasher and herring were set 50 feet down; to port, a rod with a cone flasher and rigged anchovy ran at 40 feet; and on the center line, the plastic flasher and anchovy dropped to 60 feet. Our lines ran above and just below…

US SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR David L. Bernhardt announced in January a historic increase in funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program. The fund will distribute $302 million for outdoor recreation and conservation projects in all 50 states, five US territories and the District of Columbia, with an additional $150 million allocated through a national competition for state and local project proposals, providing states and territories the opportunity to fund projects that address program priorities including acquisition of land or water identified in a recovery plan for endangered species, creation of wetlands to provide habitat for fish or wildlife, improvement of water quality, or the mitigation of flood and storm impacts. The LWCF was established by Congress in 1964 to fulfill a bipartisan…

Daxton White 6, Maryland Daxton, already a seasoned striper fisherman in Chesapeake Bay, shows off one of his many catches. He has also caught perch, croakers, bluefish, and flounder, and fishes fresh water at his grandfather’s house in Minnesota. Finn Brown 4, North Carolina When Finn caught his first fish ever off his family’s dock in Pages Creek, something clicked, and he didn’t put the rod down all weekend. The next day, his persistence was rewarded with this 20-inch flounder. Sophie Traczykiewicz 12, Pennsylvania Sophie never passes up an opportunity to spend a day fishing off the beach. While she has caught a number of different species, none has been as memorable as this black drum, her trophy of a lifetime—at least, so far. NOMINATE A KID: SWS recognizes kids who…

Whether born of angler envy or simple supply-and-demand economics, the use of electric trolling motors has expanded off shore. Within the last few years, Rhodan Marine and Minn Kota have rolled out models with 84-, 87- and even 96-inch shafts to use on boats in the 40-foot range, with bows towering more than 6 feet above the waterline. Finally, off shore and nearshore anglers can enjoy pinpoint, GPS-guided boat control and the ability to hover quietly over a fishing spot—until recently, available for inshore fishing boats mostly—at a lower price tag than outboard-engine control systems such as Yamaha’s Helm Master. “The other day, I counted 20 boats with trolling motors up here,” says Rhode Island captain B.J. Silvia, who runs a Parker 25 sporting a 112-pound thrust Minn Kota Terrova…

Sweet Elite The Elite FS series MFDs from Lowrance combine high-resolution ActiveTarget Live Sonar, Active Imaging, SideScan, DownScan and C-Map Contour+ fishing charts. Full networking with Ethernet and NMEA 2000 lets you add a Halo dome radar or Outboard Pilot, or share sonar, charting, waypoints and other data between multiple displays. Available in 7- and 9-inch models with different capabilities. $649 to $1,149; lowrance.com Apex Predator Humminbird’s Apex series MFDs incorporate NMEA 2000 networking and advanced sonar technology. Six models, from 13 to 19 inches, feature Cross Touch interfaces, dual-core processors, and One-Boat Network compatibility to integrate and control chirp radar, CoastMaster charts, Minn Kota shallow-water anchors and i-Pilot Link trolling motors, Cannon downriggers and more. $3,699.99 to $4,999.99; humminbird.com Radar Punch Garmin’s Fantom 254 and 256 open-array radar systems deliver…

Whether you are after red snapper, cobia, king mackerel, tuna, dolphin or marlin, the right live bait is key to catching off shore fish consistently in Gulf of Mexico waters. When the spring migration begins, a supply of frisky pogies, hardtails and even spot croakers practically guarantees good action. Of course, the largest big-game species, like blue marlin, call for more substantial baits. Easy to procure, lively and durable, hardtails (aka blue runners) are among the best baitfish you can use in the Gulf. They can be found around off shore oil and gas platforms, wrecks and reefs, and a wide range of target species, from wahoo, dorado and tuna, to marlin and sailfish, will jump all over them. Bill Platt, a renowned Gulf of Mexico live-bait angler with over…

CATAMARANS AREN’T NEW TO THE FISHING-BOAT MARKET, BUT REFINEMENTS IN STYLING, PERFORMANCE AND ANGLING FUNCTIONALITY GREATLY INCREASED THEIR POPULARITY IN RECENT YEARS. INVINCIBLE HAS ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS ONE OF THE LEADERS IN THE GROWING CATAMARAN MOVEMENT, AND NOW A 46-FOOTER JOINS ITS HERALDED CAT FAMILY. A definite eye-catcher, Invincible’s new 46 Cat boasts a new hull design that combines a superb ride and top handling characteristics with impressive speed and acceleration, plus a smart layout affording ample room and a host of fishing features for the demanding off shore angler and amenities for the entire family. For construction, Invincible stuck with the premium components and materials, and vacuum-bagged-infusion process used on its deep-V boats, incorporating a grid stringer system on each hull for maximum strength and integrity. We put the…