Sport Fishing June 2017

Last year, we ran a feature on “The Great Gulf Red Snapper Train Wreck,” describing what has been, at best, a fisheriesmanagement mess and, at worst, a disaster. Now I have to wonder if management of Southeast/mid-Atlantic cobia will render that fishery next to run off the rails. To coastal anglers and economies for whom seasonal cobia fishing is of great importance, echoes of the red snapper fiasco are disturbing: The National Marine Fisheries Service insists anglers are catching too many cobia. Anglers say federal harvest data are suspect. Cobia have been abundant; NMFS acknowledges the stock is neither overfished nor is overfishing taking place (though spawning-stock biomass has fallen). Friction between states is developing over alleged inequities in fishing opportunities. NMFS recently announced that cobia fishing in federal waters…

BY 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts 135.63 million people living in counties along the nation’s coast. That’s about 40 percent of the population residing in counties that make up less than 10 percent of the land area of the contiguous United States. Simply stated, people enjoy being on or near the water. Crowded residential areas on coastal waters equate to a jumble of docks that edge brackish bays, rivers and creeks. Don’t forget the accompanying boardwalks, pilings, boat lifts, dredged channels and all the rest. We miss out when we motor away from these obvious fish attractors. Fishermen can catch plenty of residential fish and even save some gas by targeting close-quarters docks and pilings common in every coastal city. Three expert captains explain their dock-fishing techniques.…

CLEARLY, THESE INSHORE SHARKS ARE MEMBERS OF THE HAMMERHEAD TRIBE, THOUGH THEIR SMALL SIZE AND BONNET-SHAPED HEAD DISTINGUISH THEM. THEY’RE COMMON IN SHALLOW WATERS FROM THE CAROLINAS SOUTH TO BRAZIL AND THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN AND GULF. OFFERING GREAT SPORT (IN SOME AREAS BY SIGHT-CASTING CLEAR FLATS) ON LIGHT TACKLE AND FLY, THE BONNETHEAD GROWS TO AT LEAST 32 POUNDS — THAT’S THE IGFA WORLD RECORD, TAKEN IN FLORIDA’S APALACHICOLA BAY IN 2013. CHALLENGE OUR EXPERTS (And Win Up to 10,800 Yards of Line!) SEND IN YOUR QUESTION and any relevant photos of your mysterious catch or observation for our experts’ ID and feedback. If we publish your question and you have a shipping address within the United States or Canada, you’ll win a 3-pound spool of Berkley Pro Spec ocean-blue…

After a long fight, your fish is finally whipped. The leader reaches the tiptop, and now’s the time to land your catch. What’s the best tool for the job? A gaff isn’t really an option unless you’re landing an amberjack, tuna or mackerel for dinner. Instead, a net or lip-gripper device is the better option. Chances are both tools have a valuable role on your boat. Grippers are mainly for handling and controlling fish, not necessarily landing them, says Katie Mitchell, communications manager at Bass Pro Shops. A net provides an immediate end to the fight with a quick scoop. Grippers can also make short work of landing and handling fish from a low-profile boat or kayak. Setting nets aside, lip grippers come in a variety of designs, materials and…

1. ENHANCED VIEW Humminbird’s new Solix multifunction displays, available with 12- or 15-inch screens (pictured above), come in two versions: one with GPS and chirp sonar; the second with GPS, chirp and the company’s new Mega Imaging technology, a higher-frequency down- and sideimaging feature. All Solix units offer Bluetooth connectivity that allows anglers to sync their smartphones to their MFDs, and AutoChart Live, which creates and saves structure maps from any body of water. The units feature Cross Touch Interface, which is a combination touchscreen-and-keypad format. Prices range from $2,399.99 to $3,499.99. 2. MAKE WAY FLIR has debuted its most compact pan-and-tilt marine thermal cameras to date, with the February rollout of the M100 ($2,495) and M200 ($3,495), both with 320-by-240- pixel resolution. A simple Ethernet connection networks the new…

Casting a shrimp fly in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, Zella Helton, of Mims, Florida, nailed this 51-pound, 8-ounce black drum [A] after a 40-minute battle in February. It’s pending as the 20-pound-tippet record. The current record is a 37-pound, 8-ounce drum taken in Louisiana waters in 2010. In Australia, angler Shane Sanders, of Portland, Victoria, required only 20 minutes to land a 431-pound, 8-ounce mako shark [B] on 8-poundtest line. If approved, it handily defeats the current 278-pound, 7-ounce line-class record taken in 1998 off Port Hacking, Australia. An unusual Japanese saw shark, weighing 11 pounds, 6 ounces [C], is pending as the all-tackle record (the first record for the species). Yuuma Nishino of Kanagawa, Japan, caught the fish while soaking cut mackerel in the surf last March. Yet another…