Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Salt Water Sportsman

An interesting news item came across our desks this month regarding, of all things, ciguatera. The toxin, found in many reef fish, is expanding northward into the Gulf and South Atlantic as ocean temperatures rise, and appears to be diminishing in the Caribbean as temperatures there exceed the organism’s optimum range. This news is unusual because climate-change science in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico has been severely lacking. Secondly, it’s a point at which changing climate patterns become more immediate. The implications of rising global temperatures are regional. It’s like the unemployment rate: either zero, if you have a job, or 100 percent if you don’t. But the effects of global climate change have a long reach. Maybe you live in Syria where a prolonged drought has driven…

Reading through the November issue I ran across the article by Rip Cunningham, “Real Value,” and it brought back fond memories of my son Andy and me fishing together, and his first fish. Just watching him fish for the first time, I knew he would love the sport. I remember his yell after hooking and bringing in his first fish. He became a great fisherman and, for him, releasing his fish was a thing he loved to do long before it was in fashion. This is something parents should at least try with their children to show them the fun they can have teaching conservation and sportsmanship, which are great building blocks for them and the future of the sport. Though my son Andy has since passed away, the memories…

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (NCDMF) passed a ruling to significantly reduce the catch of southern flounder in state waters. After a contentious eighthour meeting, NCDMF agreed on a ruling strongly supported by recreational anglers and opposed by commercial fishermen. As of January 1, a new 15-inch minimum length for recreational fishing is in effect. The new size limit also applies to commercial fishermen who, in addition, must observe new netting restrictions.…

NEW AND IMPROVED 01. VALIANT DEBUT Accurate launches the BV-300 Valiant, a 300-class single-speed reel, to spearhead a brand-new series. It features the company’s patented TwinDrag, along with an innovative design that minimizes size and weight (it’s only 9.9 ounces) while maximizing strength, durability and cranking power. Built primarily for coastal live-baiting and shallow-water jigging, the new Valiant incorporates precision-cut stainless-steel gears, nine ball bearings, a recessed lever-drag thumb plate, 6:1 gear ratio and a sleeved spool that’s deeper and wider than other reels in its class. $399; accuratefishing.com 02. TOP SEDUCER Yo-Zuri introduces the new and improved Surface Cruiser, a versatile pencil popper you can fish with a stop-and-pop, walk-the-dog or skipping action on a fast retrieve. Weighted for long-distance casting and upgraded with Yo-Zuri’s patented color-change technology, proprietary…

1 ZIPPY HOLDER Swapping lures on a boat and temporarily storing the ones you remove from the line can be a bit of a task. You need a place where they can dry without tangling before you put them back in the tackle box. I found that plastic mounting-cable zip ties work well. These zip ties can be attached to any grab rail or similar location, and they have a small eye through which you can hang the lure’s hook and hold the artificial in place until you are ready to put it away or bring it back into action. John Koenig Virginia Beach, Virginia 2 BITE-PROOF JIG Bluefish, mackerel and other toothy critters destroy soft plastics and jigs in a few casts. Pony beads from a craft store offer…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Park Service (NPS), and Cuba’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) have agreed to joint stewardship and management of marine protected areas (MPAs). The U.S. and Cuban entities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which includes a sister MPA program, to foster conservation and understanding of marine resources in both countries, sharing technical and scientific data, and promoting education and outreach initiatives. “We recognize we all share the same ocean and face the same challenges of understanding, managing and conserving critical marine resources for future generations,” said NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, who was in Cuba for the MOU signing. The MPA relationship will focus on Guanahacabibes National Park, a biosphere reserve, the Dry Tortugas and Biscayne national parks managed…

You could have knocked me over with a guppy when the Shimano Baitrunner reel [for contributing to Sportsman’s Workbench] arrived at my home! My thanks to all the folks that make Salt Water Sportsman an excellent magazine. I feel that the entire staff of the publication should receive a special award for all the wonderful information on fishing tips, conservation and hands-on editorials. I will always use the reel with a grin on my face when I tell my buddies that my favorite fishing magazine sent me a brand-new Shimano Baitrunner reel. They won’t believe it. Another fish story, but a true one!…

Cunningham replies: Thanks for your thoughts on my October Conservation column. If it provokes thoughtful response such as yours, then it is doing what I hope all the columns would do. Yes, what we are watching is a process. In my mind, part of that process is folks putting their concerns on the table. Your comments are correct: What comes out of the sausage maker may be pepperoni, and the ingoing ingredients may have been breakfast sausage. That can be good or bad. On the flexibility issue, my years on the New England Fishery Management Council have made me very cautious. Using ASA’s statistics, the recreational users take about 3 percent of the overall finfish catch. So 97 percent goes to the commercial users. If those numbers were reversed, then…

A new study forecasts an increase in ciguatera, the most common algae-induced seafood poisoning, along the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S.’s southeastern Atlantic coast. Conducted by scientists from NOAA, North Carolina State University and Ocean Tester LLC, the new study blames rising global ocean temperatures caused by climate change for the spread of ciguatera. Gambierdiscus, microscopic ciguatera-causing algae, are abundant in the tropics, but ocean warming would enable some to move northward, and warmer temperatures could also mean larger and longer blooms of the harmful algae. Seaweed and marine animals, such as coral, first become toxic, then the species that feed on them. Ciguatera-causing toxins move up the food chain. People are affected by contaminated reef fish, such as grouper, snapper and barracuda. “Contaminated fish have no specific taste,…

1. CHARLOTTE CHOW, 9, BRITISH COLUMBIA Since the age of 4, Charlotte has fished enthusiastically from the dock. She now enjoys casting swimbaits with her Daiwa spinning rod while trying to get her hands on prized lingcod. Charlotte’s favorite fish to catch are rockfish while bottomfishing, and she is always ready and willing to learn about the new species she comes across while wetting her line, whether on the dock or out at sea. 2. NORA BLOSINSKI, 3, NEW JERSEY Only 3 years old, Nora is well on her way to becoming quite the fishing aficionado. Nora caught her very first fish this past September while fishing with her parents and her “poppop.” Her black sea bass was caught in Eagle Bay with only minimal assistance from her poppop, her…

Modern monofilament lines offer choices of formulations for specific fishing situations. Ranging from single nylons to co- and multipolymers, different blends enhance durability, casting distance and sensitivity, and reduce stretch. However, the basic advantages of mono remain. It is easy to handle and safer than braid, key considerations when teaching youngsters to fish. Its inherent stretch is often beneficial. When a hard-charging fish lunges, that stretch acts as a cushion, preventing snapped lines or pulled hooks. With near-zerostretch braid, fighting drags must be set below normal to acquire similar forgiveness. Monofilament is often less noticeable to fish and costs less than braid, an incentive to replace it regularly. TRADE-OFFS Monofilament lines stretch as much as 30 percent. In some cases it’s an advantage, but in others it’s a disadvantage. When…

“I was just out on the boat and wirelessly loaded a software update for one of the new Raymarine eS displays using my mobile phone as a Wi-Fihot spot,” said Jim McGowan, marketing manager for Raymarine. In the recent past, it wasn’t quite so simple to update the software on a multifunction display (MFD). First, you had to find the software on the company’s website, then download it to your home computer. Next, you needed to transfer it to a different medium, such as an SD card. Then you had to take the card to your boat, plug it into your MFD and upload the update. Now you can bypass most of those steps by updating software, and even electronics chart data, wirelessly when connected to a Wi-Fihot spot, such…

Close fishing buddies, if they live long enough, are destined to share memorable days on the water. Or, as nearly happened to Jake Block and Jonathan Blanchard, in it. Both are in their final teenage year and would rather fish than do almost anything else. They piled into Block’s V-hull aluminum boat one November morning, as they’d done so many times prior, and sped across Galveston Bay in search of hungry fish. The ride wasn’t especially long, but it covered a little wrinkly water. When they slowed to look for active bait, slicks, or other signs of sport fish, Blanchard noticed a bit of water that had pooled in the stern. “Spray from the ride,” Block declared. “No worry.” They rode a little more, still not convinced they’d found a…