Sport Fishing May 2018

YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID. INLETS AND IGNORANCE DON’T MIX. For a great many readers of this magazine, traversing inlets is simply a fact of life. Inshore anglers, who fish inside bays and estuaries, have no worries about “crossing the bar.” Offshore anglers in some areas, such as the Florida Keys, can head offshore without negotiating an inlet. But more often, fishing off the coast means first traveling through an inlet—and of course, later in the day, heading back through it again. On calm days, particularly with a flooding tide, that crossing should be a non-event. I’ve made many such crossings in inlets with shallow bars (the area where the ocean shallows up at the mouth of the inlet) where it was impossible to tell from water conditions at what point…

Whether they bloop, swish, chug, rattle or plop, all topwater plugs make noise as they move through the water. And all anglers agree that the explosive smash of a game fish on topwater is an adrenaline-charged strike that’s tough to beat. But when does the pop of a popper or the chug of a chugger draw in game fish, and when does it turn them off? When does walking the dog top the pop? How does an angler know which to choose, when and why? To find out, I talked to a number of pros from a wide geographical range of topwater fisheries. Shockingly, they all agreed on which choice to make, and when. Almost. I DON’T THINK THE POPPER RESEMBLES ANYTHING IN NATURE, BUT THE NOISE DOES GET THE…

Not to be confused with the little tunny, aka false albacore, this albacore is the real thing, distinguished from other tunas by its amazingly long pectoral fins. An important commercial species worldwide, labeled “white-meat tuna,” albacore are targeted by recreational anglers in temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean (including off California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii). The IGFA all-tackle world record albacore of 88 pounds, 2 ounces came from the Canary Islands in 1977. FLAMBOYANT FLATTIE Q I photographed this flatfish in Bonaire where I saw dozens of them, around the island, picking off glass minnows. None of them looked to be larger than a couple of pounds. What is it? Jason Arnold Fort Lauderdale, Florida A That’s a beautiful photograph of a peacock flounder (sometimes called a plate fish), Bothus…

The first evidence of leather garments can be dated back about 40,000 years; cotton clothing appeared in India at around 5,000 B.C.; and the earliest proof of silk clothing dates back to about the same millennium in Japan. In all of these times, and every day since, sweaty anglers have wished for cooler clothing. There’s not a person reading this who hasn’t felt a trickle of sweat running down his or her brow as the sun rose high in the sky and the morning’s comfortable clothing suddenly became overly hot. There’s not one angler among us who hasn’t stripped down to the bare necessities in a quest for cooler casting. And there’s not one set of eyes passing across these pages that hasn’t been stung by sweat while sending lures…

Just a little over a year ago, researchers at Stanford University announced that they had developed a fabric that might be able to provide even more relief from the heat. Nanoporous polyethylene has pores between 50 and 1,000 nanometers in diameter, which scatter visible light yet allow infrared energy to pass through. In other words, the sun can’t get in, but your body heat can escape out without being blocked (as happens with other fabrics). The researchers believe that they can coat the fabric with polydopamine (a material designed for the biomedical industry, used to coat nanoscale surfaces to change their physical properties) to give it wicking properties. Tests prior to coating show a temperature drop of almost 5 degrees Fahrenheit, so when combined with wicking, this fabric might one…

BEACH BULLET Shimano’s newest Ultegra CI4+ surf reels—in 5500XTC and 14000XTC models—offer anglers the latest technology in long-casting spinning reels. Both offer CI4+ construction, featuring a light, rigid material; X-Protect; and Hagane gearing. The reels retrieve up to 41 inches per crank; the larger 14000 includes Shimano’s Super Slow 5 oscillation system for perfect line lay. With a 5.3-to-1 gear ratio, the 5500 handles up to 270 yards of 40-pound-test braid. The 4.3-to-1 14000 size can load 460 yards of 50-pound braid. The 5500 costs $319.99; the 14000 costs $339.99. TUNE UP Fusion says its redesigned Signature Series speakers feature a new look with an elegant finish to blend with any vessel décor. Available in 6.5-, 7.7-, and 8.8-inch sizes and in Classic White, Sports White (pictured), and Sports Chrome,…