Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2022 i Salt Water Sportsman

There’s nothing worse than losing a big fish, but some lost fish hurt more than others. I had a bad one a few years back, when my fishing buddy James hooked his first true doormat. This was when we first started fluke fishing. I’d been using a light, fast-action setup, catching one good fish after another. James is a stubborn old cuss and had stuck with his striper rig all spring. Before this trip, though, he’d finally broken down and bought a new rod light enough to fish the ¾- and ½-ounce bucktails that work so well in these waters. Forty-five minutes into his new rod’s maiden voyage, we were drifting off a ledge under a bridge when I heard him holler. His rising inflection echoed off the stanchions. “Hey,…

Capt. Danny Alvarez has been fishing since he returned home from military service about half a century ago. He has spent much of that time guiding charter anglers to flounder, black drum, speckled trout and redfish in the productive coastal waters around Corpus Christi, Texas. But in all those years, he’s never once laid eyes on a rare leopard redfish outside the pages of a fishing magazine—until August 27, when Alvarez hosted his son, Eric, and several of their in-laws on an outing on Laguna Madre near Baffin Bay. After helping them catch their fill of trout, Alvarez took the extended family to an area where he’d been having good luck with oversize red drum. “This time of year, usually the big bull reds are starting to run a little…

Grady-White Adventure 218 The new Adventure 218 from Grady-White represents an all new design of the iconic walkaround, first introduced in the 70s. While maintaining beloved aspects of the walkaround cuddy layout, Grady-White reengineered the 218 to increase usable space while transitioning to sleeker lines and modernized details. A broader beam, 5 inches wider than the 208, represents the largest of any 21-foot boat in its class today. LOA has been stretched to 21 feet, 3 inches, nearly a foot longer than the 208. The cabin interior includes cozy cushions with spacious storage hatches below, as well as a covered head to the starboard side. Two side windows and a forward hatch keep the cabin ventilated. An extended and modernized helm dashboard provides ample space for today’s electronics. There’s a…

AFTCO Digger Don’t be fooled. The AFTCO Digger looks like it should be trolled. That’s because trolling plugs with similar characteristics have caught plenty of wahoo, king mackerel and tuna over the years. But the Digger is definitely a casting plug, says AFTCO. Weighted specifically for long casts and sinking to desired depths, the lure excels when cranked or jerked for a dramatic side-to-side action. With oversize split rings and 4X hooks, feel confident casting this bait into the action. Starting at $22; aftco.com Z-Man Kicker CrabZ The Z-Man Kicker CrabZ imitates a side-stepping swimming crab with its kicker claw, segmented legs, eyes and antennae. The unique claw appendage replaces the common paddle tail found on many traditional soft baits. Retrieve the bait with a stop-and-go motion, or let…

Every year, beginning in September and running well into November—and sometimes later—mullet by the millions pour out of the rivers, bays and estuaries along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico in a baitfish migration more akin to far-traveling birds or even lemmings than to marine fish. They are all sizes, from fingerlings to 3-pounders, and at least two different species are in play: striped mullet and silver mullet. Where they’re going, precisely when, and why they all don’t participate in the run is anyone’s guess. But run they do, and the resulting mayhem of fish, bait and angler excitement must be witnessed to be believed. One of the best explanations for “the run” is by biologists who say mullet seek the perfect mix of saline content to release…

Live-Bait Alternative: Hardware for Kings LIVE BAIT IS THE GO-TO FOR SMOKER KINGS. But small to midsize fish regularly fall for artificial lures. And there’s nothing saying you won’t connect with a monster when slinging hardware. Plus, artificials are a great way to cover water, allowing you to troll at faster speeds. Trolling plugs, spoons, skirted lures and topwaters are all proven kingfish lures. “Chumming up kings and slinging a lure delivers some of the most jaw-dropping close-range attacks you’ll ever witness.”—DAVID A. BROWN EDITOR’S TIP When using lures, make sure you work them all the way in. Don’t lift the bait until it’s under the rod tip because fired-up kings become reckless and often strike right at the boat.…

Silver tails slicing a flat’s glassy surface at daybreak. A subtle V-wake moving along a mangrove-fringed shoreline. A trio of gray silhouettes gliding silently toward the bow over white sand. These are just a few of the scenes that come to mind when anglers think about bonefish, a species that has evolved over millennia to thrive in the shallows. The gray ghost rarely ventures out of its comfort zone; in tagging studies by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a Florida based conservation organization, 70 percent of recaptured bonefish were caught within 1 kilometer of where they were initially tagged. Migrating to Spawn But it’s a different story come spawning season, which spans fall to spring. During full- and new-moon cycles, bonefish leave the relative safety of their home flats and travel…

We, the greater human population, have always had a fascination with things that potentially are a threat to us. Think poisonous snake strikes, alligator chomps, shark bites or lightning strikes. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the same sort of insatiable fascination with winning the Mega Millions lottery. The odds of any happening are close to the same. The movie Jaws was a catalyst in bringing sharks—and the fear of sharks—into the mainstream. A lot of people I know would no longer swim at night in the ocean (or even at night in a swimming pool) after viewing the movie. During the summer of 2022, we experienced a “they’re baaaaaaaaack” moment. Sharks were constantly on the evening TV news and in the daily papers. Should this be…

The ActiveTarget live sonar from Lowrance was initially designed for freshwater fishing. But on a trip to test the beta version, Matt Laster, director of the company’s integrated fishing systems, diverted to Key West, Florida, just to see how the system might perform in salt water. After a couple of days, he called the engineers at the home office with an unexpected report. “You guys were supposed to make a freshwater system,” he announced. “But you messed up and made a saltwater product.” In Laster’s saltwater field tests, he could see unbelievable underwater action, like a goliath grouper rising from the edge of a wreck to intercept a bait, and a school of blackfin tuna circling near the boat. His experiences led him to believe that live sonar can be…

Successful live-bait sailfishing requires deep knowledge of this unique billfish’s migratory and feeding patterns. You need to understand how water temperature, current and wind direction influence such movements. You need specialized tech and behaviors. Then you need techniques to match these scenarios and teamwork to take advantage of them. Because proper gear is also critical, I’ve outlined all the tackle and equipment I use aboard my 33-foot CC. Use it as a blueprint if you’re looking to dial in similar rigs and tackle. A WELL-RIGGED BOAT Good Sonar and Great Charts Both are a must for locating reef bottom jutting out into current, wrecks, bait concentrations and surface temperature readings. Learn to look for places where north-flowing blue current washes over structure like this. A High-Powered Livewell My twin 34-gallon…

Three Great Lures for Mimicking Mullet ANGLERS WHO CHASE THE annual mullet run learn to track the arrival and recognize the many different sizes, colors and behaviors of the little fish. The best mullet lures imitate the bait’s many shades and moods. Since there isn’t room in the tackle box for a hundred lures, our picks cover a couple can’t-beat options when the mullet show. “Mullet have characteristic behaviors—imitating them is key to fooling prize sport fish.”—RIC BURNLEY, mullet-run enthusiast EDITOR’S TIP Gamefish get picky when they’ve got a lot of options. If the bite is slow, try casting an injured bait outside the school or free-line a dead mullet underneath it.…

LENGTH: 46'6" BEAM: 13'10" DRAFT: 3’5" DEADRISE: 20 degrees FUEL: 600 gal. MAX HP: 1,275 WEIGHT: 28,375 lb. (w/power) PRICE: From $1,434,300 w/triple Yamaha 425 XTOs PURSUIT BOATS: pursuitboats.com TEST CONDITIONS WEATHER Sunny LOCATION Tampa, Florida WIND Calm SEA STATE Calm TEST LOAD Six adults, 530 gallons of fuel WHILE SOME ANGLERS MIGHT VIEW ANYTHING OTHER THAN A CENTER-CONSOLE AS A “GENTLEMAN’S” BOAT, PURSUIT’S OS 445 POWERED BY TRIPLE YAMAHA 425 XTO OUTBOARDS IS A MODERN TAKE ON AN EXPRESS SPORT-FISHER. ITS ABILITY TO ENCLOSE THE BRIDGE DECK AND SLEEP SIX TURNS IT INTO AN ALL-WEATHER MOTHERSHIP-FISHING COMBO. But unlike its diesel-powered inboard counterparts, this 46-footer can romp at nearly 50 mph. Pursuit’s designers created a boat that puts angler comfort in the forefront. That starts with tamping down noise…

Dave owns and captains almost 50 feet of sport-fishing boat and charters mostly tourists with a handful of loyal locals. Three summers back, he left port carrying one deckhand and two couples looking for another good day with Capt. Dave. The Gulf of Mexico was wrinkled but not sloppy beyond the jetty. Dave sent his hand, Greg, below for a quick nap; he’d worked nine straight days between Dave’s boat and another. While his clients slathered each other with sunscreen in the cockpit, Dave propped his feet and chatted with friends on the radio. An hour or so later, Greg reappeared and prepped three bottom rigs. One man’s wife, through a dozen charters, still had no interest in catching anything but “sweet sunshine and a bad case of wine flu.”…

Capt. Daniel Ramos took his wife and little guy, Danny Jr., to the swordfish grounds offshore of Haulover Inlet, scoring on a fresh bonito belly on the drift down deep. The special catch was Danny Jr.’s first broadbill ever, undoubtedly just one of many fishing accomplishments in his future. 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@saltwaterssportsman.com or via U.S. mail: SWS Editor, 555 Winderley Place, Suite 300, Maitland, FL 32751. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcomed but will not be acknowledged or returned unless accompanied by an SASE. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts…

Brake controllers used to be the pinnacle of trailer tech, but recent innovations have led to a host of improvements that increase your boat’s over-the-road performance. Ford F-150s from the middle of 2021 and newer come outfitted with the company’s Onboard Scales feature, which estimates the weight of cargo you’ve stowed in the bed using a series of sensors under the corners of the truck. They also come outfitted with Smart Hitch, which calculates the weight of whatever is attached to the rear of your truck, letting you know your boat’s exact tongue weight without a trip to the scales. This info is available via the truck’s touchscreen by illuminating progressive sections of the taillights, or via a smartphone app.…

Supercharger The new Flip Pro from Scanstrut provides fast recharge times for mobile devices on the boat. Featuring USB-A and USB-C charging ports, the IPX4 waterproof-rated Flip Pro kicks out 36 watts of charging power with 12-volt DC systems. The spring-loaded cap remains tightly closed to protect the ports. When charging, it quickly locks open to protect cables. The install hole matches standard USB sockets for easy retrofit. $31.99; defender.com Charting Success The new Polaris charts feature content-rich vector cartography developed for Si-Tex NavPro multifunction displays. Covering the entire US, the charts come bundled with the NavPro 900C/F ($1,099) and 1200C/F ($2,299) at no additional cost. The units combine chart plotting, built-in chirp sonar, Wi-Fi radar capability, and hybrid displays for touchscreen or button control. Charts are also available…

Your Artificial Arsenal MOLD CRAFT JUNIOR WIDE RANGE: This long-standing international favorite continues to rack up sailfish releases. Frank Johnson Sr., Mold Craft’s founder, developed the “soft head” concept so his lures would feel more natural to billfish. The formula seems to work. CAPT. HARRY’S BLUE BOY: This 6-inch lure’s translucent skirt changes color under various light conditions and water hues. It basically lights up like a panicked bait with a predator closing in, a natural illusion that just might be the key in getting a window shopper to strike. ISLAMORADA FLYER: A realistic flying-fish replica from the Florida Keys, the Original Blue and Silver Small Single Skirt lure is around 5 inches long. Its small, semiround head is not prone to interfering with hook-sets. Soft, reflective wings also generate vibrations.…

WE’VE ALL SEEN IT. A guy pulling dead cigar minnows or drifting a couple of rigged mullet on single-nose hooks crosses paths with a giant kingfish. It happens, but does it happen dependably? Though these somewhat accidental hookups occur from time to time, you have to bring your A-game if you really want to score. Serious kingfish competitors know that consistency is not found, it’s built through mindful preparation and prudent game planning. And integral to this strategy is the right gear in the right place. “You have to use the best gear you can. Because if you have a tournament winning kingfish on and a reel fails, you might as well not be out there,” says kingfish pro Ron Mitchell of Jupiter, Florida. A decorated tournament pro and Southern…

LENGTH: 29'11" BEAM: 9'10" DRAFT: 2'4" FUEL: 187 gal. WEIGHT: 10,000 lb. (fully loaded) MAX HP: 900 PRICE: $579,507 (base w/twin Merc 400 Verados) SOLACE BOATS: solaceboats.com TEST CONDITIONS WEATHER Sunny, 90 degrees LOCATION Edgewater, Florida WIND Calm SEA STATE Calm TEST LOAD Two adults, 32 gallons of fuel, 20 pounds of gear SOLACE BOATS HAS ENTERED THE HYBRID BAY-BOAT SEG-MENT OF THE MARKET WITH WHAT IS CONSIDERED THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND TO DATE. THE 30HCS (HYBRID CENTER STEP) COMES IN AT NEARLY 30 FEET AND SPORTS TWIN MERC 400 VERADOS. THE HYBRID DESIGN OFFERS A GOOD DEAL OF SEATING, MANY FISHING AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES, AND A BIT LESS FREEBOARD THAN A TYPICAL OFFSHORE CENTER-CONSOLE, BUT MORE THAN A BAY BOAT. The folks at Solace are known for building technology-driven,…