water life april 2014

April 2014April 2014

Always FREE!Always FREE!www.WaterlifeMagazine.comwww.WaterlifeMagazine.com

LLIIFFEEThe Don Ball School of FishingThe Don Ball School of Fishing

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Page 7 WaterWater

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the GulfCharlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the Gulf

Tagging Black TipsTagging Black Tipsin the surfin the surf

2Page 12

Happy Campers!Happy Campers!Page 6 Page 6

This will be This will be the Last Year the Last Year for Fishinʼ Franksʼ for Fishinʼ Franksʼ Shark TournamentShark TournamentPage 5Page 5

Live Bait Live Bait Page 10Page 10

EMAIL: W [email protected] APRIL 2014

APRIL 2014 BACK ISSUES @ WWW.WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM PAGE 3

LETTERS email: [email protected] Water LIFE [email protected]

Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers(941) 766-8180

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication

Vol XIII No 4 © 2014 No part of this publication (printed or electronic)

may be copied or reproduced without specific writtenpermission from the publishers.

Contributing Editors:Photography: ASA1000.com

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron BlagoRiver and Shore: Fishinʼ Frank

Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy BartonFamily Fishing: Capt. Bart Marx

Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck EichnerVenice: Glen BallingerKayaking: David Allen

Sea Grant: Betty StauglerOffshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien

Gulf Fishing: Capt. Steve SkevingtonCirculation: Robert CohnOffice Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER: Andrew Herzog hasalready tagged this blacktip shark and isnow getting ready to release it. Seepage 12 for more on shark tagging.

PAGE 4 EMAIL: W [email protected] APRIL 2014

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MichaelThought you might be interested in seeing some pictures taken last month of a

really sad situation. These pictures are of beer cans & bottles that were picked upafter being found in two feet of water in an area on the East side of Charlotte Harborjust North of Pirate Harbor. As you can see from the pictures, there is no growth stuffor critters residing in the bottles or the cans so they had be thrown in the water just aday or two before they were found. It is so obvious that some idiots had sat in theirboat and downed the contents and just decided to trash the Harbor by throwingthese items in the water. Frankly, there are some real pigs out there and this is evi-dence of that. – Gene Kingery

Hello! I love reading your magazine and always check out all the cool pictures youguys put in so I figured I'd give it a shot and try and get one of mine printed. Here'ssome info on the snook I caught her last Friday wading a Boca Grande sand bar, freelining a live greenie. Sincerely, Alec Douberly

ABOVE: I was working on my boat in the canal between Beach Complex and Edgewater Lake, all the way up almost to Tamiami. Took time out to fish.Used some old almost spoiled shrimp. Caught 4 catfish. Then this guy grabbed the shrimp. 31 1/4 inch snook. Being licensed and having a snook permit.... This yummy guy now is stored (filets) in my freezer. Oh, and if you choose to publish this ... The look on my face is because I was trying to tell my wifehow to operate the camera! Steve Worden

This is a color test


By Michael HellerWater LIFE editorFishin’ Frank called, “this is going to

be the last year of my Shark Tournament,”he said, frankly. Frank is a good friend. Iwas mixed with emotion and although Ilove the shark tournament and have fishedit several times, I’ve been speaking outagainst kill tournaments in the AquaticPreserve and I wasn’t sure how I’d ap-proach Frank about it. Yesterday, Franktold me the shark-vertebrae-research proj-ect his tournament had been supplyingsamples for was ending so after this yearthe shark tournament would be endingafter 29 years. Many people will miss it.Tournaments have been in the news

lately. Last week NOAA and NationalMarine Fisheries sent out a copy of theamendment to its Management Plan forSpanish and King Mackerel. For the Gulfof Mexico, the amendment would add aprohibition on the sale of king and Span-ish mackerel caught under the bag limit(recreationally) unless those fish are eithercaught on a for-hire trip and the vessel hasboth a for-hire and commercial vessel per-mit, or the fish are caught as part of astate-permitted tournament and the pro-ceeds from the sale are donated to charity.To me, it looks like recreational mack-

erel anglers can now, essentially, be sell-ing thier tournament fish, but that aside

for a moment, I was more interestingreading the words State Permitted Tourna-ments.Was this the arrival of the futurethat some people have been predicting –permitted tournaments? I wrote the referenced fisheries biolo-

gist at NOAA and asked: ‘Would youplease give me an example of such a 'statepermitted tournament'? She wrote back:‘I don't have a specific tournament to

point to, but both North Carolina andGeorgia permit or license tournaments.Florida is in the process of setting up asystem to permit tournaments. ...”Florida? Really? Right now this ap-

pears to be all about kingfish tournaments,and Florida trying to ‘mirror’ the newFederal regulations, but what are the fu-ture plans? And in Florida, who will bewatching the health standards of fish soldby recreational anglers? And then therewill be the money scams to deal with.In Florida the FWC Department of

Fisheries Management is the office in-volved in permitting. I called and askedtheir mackerel guy, Tony Bresnen, to con-firm what they are currently working onand he did, but he had no specific detailsof the permit or about the selling of tour-nament fish. I apparently had stumbledinto a Florida FWC work in progress. The only tournament permit I know of

at the moment is the Culling Waiver Per-mit issued for redfish tournament anglersby FWC, but is FWC considering any-thing more? I called Lisa Gregg who is-sues the Culling Waivers and asked; haveyou considered permitting tournaments?“No” she said, emphatically. What

would we do ‘regulate entry?’ I mentionedall the cumulative impact on CharlotteHarbor from recreational anglers, com-mercial fishermen, mullet fishermen,commercial shrimpers, sightseers and up-stream mining. Would permitting be a wayto balance the overall cumulative impact?No she said, that would be starting to

sound like a Marine Protected Area, we’renot entertaining anything like that. Theonly permitting we are doing are the reef-fish registry for offshore, the mackereltournament permit - if they are going todonate their fish, and an invasive speciestournament permit for lionfish to helpease the spearfishing restriction in theKeys.” She forgot the snook stamp and thetarpon tag. When I add them all up thereare now six ‘species’ with some form ofFWC permit attached: snook, tarpon, red-fish, reef fish, mackerel, and now lionfish.Is permitting now the new trick in theFWC’s bag? They say ‘No’ We will see.

State Permitted Tournaments?

SNOOK CARCASES WANTED FOR RESEARCH – Donʼt discard your filetted snook carcas,drop it off at Kingfisher Fleetʼs dockside carcas freezer at Fishermenʼs Village. The FWCstops to pick them up from this location regularly. Thank you in advance!

By Capt. David StephensWater LIFE InshoreMy partner George Frantz and I are

proud to say we won first place in lastmonth’s Punta Gorda West Coast Divisionof the IFA Redfish Tournament.

The number one comment I hear afterwinning, or finishing in the top of thefield, is ‘well, you’re a fishing guide.’Well, yes I am a full-time fishing guideand yes I am on the water a lot more thanthe average angler, but, does that give mean unfair redfish advantage? Many might say yes, however the few

that understand guiding clients profession-ally versus fishing in a elite tournamentwould say no. When I leave the dock withclients I have a totally different mind set. Iam thinking I have to do whatever it takesto keep my clients smiling and keep therods bent, and believe me this is often noeasy task! When I was in my early 20s, Capt.

Ralph Alan, the owner of King FisherCharters, gave this young, gung-ho, andclueless kid a shot at being a charterguide. I remember telling Capt. Alan, ‘Iam just going to fish for big snook every-day for clients.’ He looked at me andshook his head and laughed, and gave methe single most important piece of adviceanyone has ever gave me. ‘You are fishingfor your clients now, not for Dave.’ NowI am in my mid 30s and have been guidingclients for 14 years and that little piece ofadvice has gotten me to the point I am at

today. Yes, I still alwayshave that boyish urge tofish for big snook, how-ever I have learned whento chase the big linesidersand when to chase sharksand speckled sea trout.Anything that makes myclients happy is what I amafter.Let’s get into tourna-

ment mode and what goesinto winning. In order tobe successful, the twomost important things forme are having a tourna-ment partner you can getalong with a partner whois willing to fish as hardas you are and being pre-pared. Let’s talk partners; you

are going to be stuck on aboat for a few days pre-fishing with this person. Ifthe two of you don’t thinkalike, fish alike, share the same determina-tion for any task at hand then you have setyourself up for failure. It takes two to getthe job done. During tournament hours,George and I hardly speak. We know whatthe other is thinking. Their have beencountless times I have begun to tell himwhat I thought we should do or he hasstarted to tell me, but before the sentenceis complete the other one is already mak-

ing the adjustments. Finding that perfectpartner is not easy– my tournament part-ner is one of my best friends who I know Ican depend on for anything.Preparation is very important. I read

the definition of luck is; “When Opportu-nity Meets Preparation.” Luck is good, butwe increase our chances with good prepa-ration. A few days before tournament day my

partner and I go out prefishing or scout-ing. If we are together we make mentalnotes. There are times when we will splitup, I will take my boat and he, his. Theday before the tournament we get togetherand discuss what we found during our pre-fishing days. We put a game plan togetherand stick to it. Also, on the day before, weget the boat ready check all of our safetygear, fishing tackle, have all of our rodand reels ready for the day. The last thingyou want is faulty equipment. If you decide you want to do some

tournament fishing come to Punta Gorda,there is a tournament almost every week-end that you can sign up for. George and Ilook forward to fishing against you!

To experience some of South West Florida’sfinest fishing give me a call at 941-916-5769or send me an email from our website:

www.backbayxtremes.com


IFA WinnersPunta Gorda Event Goes to David Stephens and George Frantz

Above: George Frantz, left and guide and Water LIFE colum-nist Capt. David Stephens, with their winning IFA fish. Right:The weigh in slip shows 15.20 pounds

APRIL 2014 BACK ISSUES @ BACK ISSUES @ WWW.WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM PAGE 7

By Mallory HerzogWater LIFE Beach Fishing

When you hear about tarpon andBoca Grande Pass you get a certainimage in your head. You usually think ofspring time, abundant sunshine, beautifulshorelines, warming waters, longer days,and boats drifting through the pass wait-ing to hook up on a silver king. Peoplecome from around the world and competein tournaments for the chance to hook upon one of these fish! They fight hardand always put on a great show.

This location is so populardue to the tarpon migration thathappens yearly in the spring.This migration is different thanmost species. Instead of con-stant movement like say thekingfish, tarpon tend to settle ina “safe area” with abundantfood and ideal water tempera-tures from the mid 70s to high80s. For us, this tarpon safe-zone is our local passes, themost popular being BocaGrande.

Scientist’s seem to disagreeon where tarpon actuallyspawn. Most say these fish areresting to prepare for theirjourney to the continental shelf morethan 100 miles away in the Gulf. Oth-ers say they also spawn in our localback waters and harbor. Either way weare lucky to have them so close.

Spring time is the ideal boat tarponfishing season! Charlotte Harbor, TampaBay and Apalachicola Bay are great fish-eries! These tarpon swim up into canalsand even brackish river systems and theystay into the cooler months of fall, butnot many people know you can land a100-pound tarpon in January.

One of my favorite things to do ishelp others catch fish, but I, like a lot ofanglers, have a fishing bucket -list of myown! Mine ranges from sturgeon totiger sharks! This winter after 3 years ofsalt water fishing, I caught my very firsttarpon from the beach! I am a land -basedshark fishermen. It’s my passion and it’swhy I’m usually on the beach with mybig reels.

We use a kayak to drop our baits inan ideal location and sit back on thebeach and wait for a bite! In the win-ter months the food is more scarce.The tarpon that are still hanging aroundin the lower 70 degree waters are hun-gry and sometimes pick up my sharkbaits. If you have ever caught a tarponyou know that you don’t land every oneyou hook.

Normally the average tarpon setup is a7000 series spinning combo. The angleris usually in for a long fight from 30minutes to one hour. When we catchtarpon from land it’s on a 80w or 50w.A bit over powered, true, but the fishcomes in much faster and less stressed.

Andrew and I headed out with ourfriend Barry on a chilly Wednesdayevening. One last trip before he wasgoing back up north for graduate school.We arrived to a busy beach, but foundan open spot we could set up in. Earlierin the week I helped a group of anglersland 3 tarpon in one evening. I guessyou can say I had fish -envy after that.I really wanted my own tarpon from thebeach after watching everyone else havesuch amazing experiences. I was reallyhoping the fish were still around withthese fluctuating weather conditionswe’ve been having recently! Hot andcold has been the trend all winter.Florida is having hot flashes and thefish can’t decide what to do.

I helped prepare tackle and before Iknew it baits were being taken out in thekayak, the purple 80w being first in theline up tonight .

It helps to have someone on the shoresetting your anchor due to the onepound of weight we use to keep ourbaits down in the heavy current. By thetime he was dropping the last bait mypurple 80w was screaming with thespeed and unmistakedly FAST run of atarpon!

I hurried to get over to my rod, madesure she was hooked and held on! An-drew all the while out in the kayakpraying this silver king doesn’t tail-dance and land in his lap!

Wow, I’m thinking, my first tarpon!I have to land this fish! At one pointthis fish was taking almost full drag onthe 80w. What a powerful fish, that’s60lbs of drag! The tarpon was taking

line and heading for Cayo Costa! This was it the moment I’ve been

waiting three years for, then all of asudden nothing but slack line! Everyfishermen has been there. Did I just losethis fish? Is she swimming at me? Did Iget broken off? So many different sce-nario’s running though my head at thismoment. I couldn’t feel the anchorwhich is usually a good sign becausethe fish keeps it off the bottom. I justkept reeling hoping my fish was stillhooked.

As I gained more and more line Inoticed it going left to right - my fishwas still on and it jumped out of thewater 5 feet from shore!

She ran a few more times giving thesunset spectators a real show, before giv-ing up to the heavy drag of the 80w.

YES! Finally, I landed my first tar-

pon ever! She was BIG and just beauti-ful! We estimated at 120-130-pounds. Atthis size the tarpon was anywhere from10-15 years old. That really takes yourbreath away, being in the presence of anamazing adult fish that will hopefullyhave another 15 -20 years of life aheadof her! There was such chaos at thetime of her landing we didn’t measureher! We wanted to release her asquickly as possible. She was hookedoutside the mouth with a 16/0 vmc cir-cle hook. Andrew and Barry workedquickly to dehook her as I snapped afew pictures before her release! Tarponis a catch and release fishery only. Youcan obtain one tarpon tag a year makingit legal to possess one only if yourgoing for an IGFA record. Please makesure you review the new tarpon guide-lines this year.

First Tarpon from the Beach

Mallory Herzog landing her firat tarpon on the beach. “We might have had some awesome close-ups but the GoPro died,” she said

By Betty StauglerWater LIFE Sea GrantEvery three years,

the Charlotte HarborNational Estuary Program (CHNEP) hostsa three day Watershed Summit to show-case the research, restoration and steward-ship activities that have taken place or areunderway by its partners. So who is theCHNEP and who are their partners? Well,back in 1996, Charlotte Harbor and itswatershed were designated as an estuaryof national significance. This formed theCHNEP which is a partnership programwhere core funding comes from the EPA

and that funding is matched by state andlocal government entities. Partners of theCHNEP are anyone with an interest in theestuary who work together to developand then implement a management plan orvision. The CHNEP boundaries are huge,beginning in Polk County at the headwa-ters of the Peace River and covering all orparts of nine counties. Along the coast theprogram extends from Donna and Robertsbays in Sarasota County down and includ-ing Estero Bay in Lee County. So presen-tations at the Watershed Summit include awide variety of projects and geographicarea. Following are some highlights from

presentations from themost recent Summitthat I thought were in-teresting.Seagrasses – Sea-

grass talks took placethe first day of the sum-mit: Between 2010 and2012, seagrass mappingdata (from aerial sur-veys) documented a2.2% increase in sea-grass coverage forLemon Bay and a 4.4%increase for CharlotteHarbor. Based on the2012 mapping data, 4of 9 estuary segmentsare meeting their sea-grass targets foracreage extents and an-other 2 segments arewithin 5% of their tar-gets. Reef fish and sea-

grass –FWC andNOAA NMFS are con-ducting both inshoreand offshore monitoring of reef fish (graysnapper, gag, sea bass, lane snapper, etc.)to assess a range of life histories. One ofthe interesting pieces of information thatresearchers have learned is that seagrassshoals, such as would be found in Pine Is-land Sound and Gasparilla Sound providedifferent environmental conditions thanseagrasses found along shore and supportgreater densities of reef fish. Reef fishmay prefer shoals because they haveledges associated with them and the reeffish can utilize the open water associatedwith the ledges but then dart into thecover of seagrass to avoid predators.Snook and floodplains – An FWC

study that examined snook abundance,condition and diet relative to river flowand flooding in the Peace River found thatwhen snook come back into the estuaryafter spawning offshore a certain percent-age of them will go up into the rivers.The study determined that snook abun-dance in the rivers was directly related tothe amount of flow with greater abun-dance found during higher flow years.The study also found that snook condition

(the ratio of weight to length) was directlycorrelated to flow indicating a greaterabundance of food during high flow years.In fact researchers found that during highflow years the condition of snook in theriver was 8% higher than those that stayedin the estuary and during low flow years,snook in the river were 6% less condi-tioned than those in the estuary. Why isthis? Well during high flow (rainy) yearssnook prey moves out into the floodplainsbut eventually the rains stop, the flood-plains dry up and all of the prey get con-centration in the river creating a snook(and bass) buffet. The primary diet ofsnook in the rivers includes crayfish andexotic brown hoplo, blue tilapia, andwalking catfish. Once this river food sup-ply is depleted, snook move back down tothe estuary. During high flow years,highly conditioned snook are often re-ferred to as humpback snook by anglers.

Capt. Betty StauglerFlorida Sea Grant AgentUF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County (941) 764-4346


March Watershed Summit

Florida Sea Grant Agent Betty Staugler shows off some of herlatest scallops before she releases them into Gasparilla Sound.This is the 4th release of scallops into the area north of DevilfishKey in the last year. Hopefully the coming late summer ScallopSearch will point to the success of these releases. Scallops arenot currently legal for harvest in Charlotte County waters butmay become legal for harvest some day in the future if the popu-lation rebounds.


Deli, General Store Deli, General Store –– and More!and More!

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE Road Trip With the drag screeching, rod sideways and doubled in

half, a monster fish railroads you into the backcountrybush and saws off your line. Multiple aerial leaps and acrobatics only a tarpon

could muster take the mystery out of what the speciesmight be and it’s not a tarpon! The snook will paint thispicture hundreds of times in April and the angler on theother end will scratch his head as to what he could havedone differently! A big snook can bite off 20, 30 and even 40 pound test

leader. That’s right, bite it off! The bigger the fish themore abrasive the chompers and of course, the barnacleencrusted mangrove web of our backcountry is the per-fect cutting board for your line as well.First let’s talk about where this fish will be and how to

catch them and then I will share a little secret on how tokeep the fish on the line. Snook showed up in the Harbor at the end of February

which is unusually early and they have been here since.The problem has been fluctuating water temperatures,more rain than normal and bait fish that have been ex-tremely hard to catch through the entire month of March. The perfect stage has been set for April as the weather

will moderate and allow snook to permeate every shallowflat in the Harbor. They will generally not be far into thebush, they prefer outside areas so they can retreat backover the sandbar into the Harbor and the refuge of deepwater on a moment’s notice. With the migration of threadfin herring and scaled sar-

dines (pilchards) leading their appetites into our waters,this is indeed the easiest fishing of the year. On highwater, fish the islands and just about any island will havefish– but of course, some will hold more snook than oth-ers. Oyster bars and sandholes will be good targets, espe-cially as the tides recede and the fish make their wayback to the Harbor depths. Your average size fish will be21- to 26-inches and in recent years the population of fishfrom 30- to 40-inches and above has been quite large - asa result of a moratorium on this spectacular fish. This isthe good news. The bad news is it is open season on thebigger fish and I expect a dramatic reduction in the bigfish in two years as they get plucked out of the harbordaily by expert fishermen and guides who are visiting thecleaning table at every day’s end. Clearly, this fisheryshould have been left closed, but only time will tell.The surest way to success is to capture your baitfish

with a cast net and fish medium saltwater tackle, 15-pound braided line and a 3 foot leader of 30-pound test.No snaps, swivels or other hardware, but occasionally, a

float might be a good idea. Cast your baitwell under the mangroves on high tides andhang on! Live chumming can certainly help,but sometimes it is more productive not usinglive chum as the fish will pick out the baitswith no hooks in them. That’s right! A hookin a fish’s body affects the way it swims andthe eyesight of a snook is quite good. I findthe fish become more selective the later inApril we get. With all of that said, what do you do when

the monster snook is burning you back intothe sticks and with all your mite you cannotstop him? Open the bail and take all of thepressure off the fish. A snook will stop coldin his tracks if there is no pressure. After youopen the bail, pause for a moment as the fishpauses, then close the bail and lean back hardin the opposite direction you were originallypulling from. Then, dig your rod into thewater instead of holding it overhead. Often, he will change course. If he heads

back into the bush, open the bail again! Mylargest snook to date, somewhere around 30-pounds, was caught with 10-pound braid, 20-pound leader and a super light rod in a man-grove pocket with 270 degrees of mangrovebush to break me off. I opened the bail onthat fish no less than 6 times, granted it was amiracle, but that fish was landed!

Now Is The Time

Stanford University ResearchAccording to a new study by

a team of NOAA and academicscientists, oil from the 2010Deepwater Horizon disastercauses severe defects in the de-veloping hearts of bluefin andyellowfin tunas,The findings, published on the

25th anniversary of the ExxonValdez oil spill, show how the oilspill may have affected tunas andother species that spawned in oiled offshore habitats inthe northern Gulf.Atlantic bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, and other large

predatory fish spawn in the northern Gulf during thespring and summer months, a time that coincided with

the Deepwater Horizon spill in2010. These fish produce em-bryos that float near the sur-face and in harm’s way ofcrude oil from the damagedwellhead that had formed intosurface slicks.The study shows crude oil

exposures adversely affectheart development by slowingthe heartbeat or causing an un-coordinated rhythm, which

can ultimately lead to heart failure.The 1989 Exxon Valdez spill showed that recently

spawned fish are especially vulnerable to crude oil tox-icity. That, in turn, taught scientists to pay close atten-tion to the formation and function of the heart.

Horizon Spill Linked to Tuna Heart Problems

Capt. Chuck meets Mrs. Snook on an isolated shorelineCapt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040

Fast, Fresh Breakfast and LunchFast, Fresh Breakfast and Lunch - Open to the Public Call or text your order: 941-677 - 3137

Open Tuesday - Saturday: 7:30 am - 7:00 pm, Sunday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm


Live Bait Makes It HappenBy CaptBilly BartonWater LIFEINSHOREWell friends,

it's been an excit-ing month onCharlotte Harborto say the least.This is a transi-tional month outthere, and Apriland May just so happen to be my favorite two months tofish here. So my blood is pumping, I'm ready for somesweet action, and the fish radar in my head is beepinglike crazy! I must say, it's feeling pretty darn good to seethat sun shining and that water temperature coming up abit. This can make all the difference in the way our fishact and feed. With Southwest Florida being a subtropicalclimate, the bulk of our fish are most comfortable inwarmer water. When our fish get comfortable and start torelax, well this is when you know it's time for somefrenzy action!!During the win-

tertime, live shrimpis your most wellrounded bait ofchoice. Shrimptend to work prettywell into spring,however if shrimpis the route you'vechosen for baityou're going to no-tice more and more"nibblers" and baitstealers on thegrass flats in April and May than you did in the wintertime. Most of these bait stealers are pinfish which, if youknow how to throw a cast net can be a popular springtimebaitfish themselves. The difference between a good day of fishing and a

great day of fishing on my boat is going to depend onwhat I have in the livewell for bait before the trip begins.

I'll always have some good sized live shrimp in thelivewell as insurance before I hit the water, but this is the

time of year when I'm on the water at thecrack of dawn throwing the cast net in at-tempt to fill the livewell with scaled sar-dines. Another name for these guys thatwe use is whitebait, or greenbacks. If youcan locate, than get out and throw the neton a school of these spunky baitfish, youdon't know it yet but you're in for a treat!Although theoretically you could just

put one of these guys on a hook and startfishing, one of the keys to fishing with thiswhitebait is to have enough to chum with.When I first hit a spot, I'll lightlysquish a handful or two of these baitsand throw twenty or so pieces

through the air towards the area I'm fishing. Thisgets these wounded baitfish swimming around incircles on the surface and that will turn the fish oninto a frenzy. At this point all I'm doing is lookingfor swirls or strikes on the surface, then I'll send afew baits out on floats to keep the baits I'm fishingwith up on top where the action is too.

Live chumming is a sure fire way to get the fish into afeeding mode if they weren't in one already. It's a muchmore effective way to fish rather than just sending ashrimp out and letting it soak on the bottom, or evenfloating a shrimp on top. Targeted species on greenbacksare snook, redfish, trout, flounder, small sharks, Spanishmackerel, cobia, snapper, and jack cravelle. These are allfish that are more than ready to jump on a greenback andnow the Tarpon are be-ginning to show upand they are a possibil-ity as well.

If you're going outon a chartered trip in-shore, and your cap-tain doesn't have somelivebait in the well be-sides shrimp, chancesare he's slacking! Youcan tell him I said that!Make sure he at least

continued on facing page

Live bait brought all the fish shown on these two pages to the boat last month


gives you a story about how he tried hardto catch them, but the bait just wasn'tcoming to his chum on that particularday. At least you know at that point thatthe effort was put in on his part!The fishing is getting better by the day

friends. By the timeyou guys are readingthis story we will bein my favorite timeof year! April andMay are extremelyfishy months onCharlotte Harbor! Ifanyone has anyother questions re-garding live baitfishing , like whatsize net to throw, orhow to locate themfeel free to give mea call and I'll behappy to answerwhatever questions Ican for you. If I canhelp you out on yourfishin mission, andhelp to make it a

success I'd be glad to. Someone oncetaught me the same. Here's to springtime everyone! Get out there and getyourself a sun tan and catch some fish!!Capt. Billy Barton, Scales & Tails Fishing

Charters 941- 979-6140


AAQQUU AATTICABy Andrew HerzogWater LIFE Tagging

When I beganshark fishing I reallywanted to do more.Sharks are one of themost misunderstoodcreatures in theocean. Unfortunatelytheir numbers are di-minishing over time. Iwanted to start tag-ging sharks, but mostprograms I foundwere very expensiveto invest in. Most areout of major Universi-ties and scientific cen-ters like Mote Marine.I did some researchand came across theThe National MarineFisheries Service.They have been tag-ging sharks since the1960s! The programis called the ApexPredator Program, Co-operative Shark Tag-ging Program. This isall volunteers workingtogether to help NOAAgain valuable informa-tion about their migra-tion patterns!

This program is ex-cellent and easy foryour average angler toparticipate in. I wroteto NOAA telling themof my shark fishingadventures. Later thatweek they sent me awelcome packet con-taining five shark tagsattached to informa-tion cards assigned tomy name that corre-spond with the tag

number. It asks forlength, location,species of shark, thesex and tackle usedalong with the sharkscondition. They alsosent literature on howto identify differentsharks, itʼs very im-portant that you onlytag sharks youʼre ableto identify! They alsolike sharks to be overthree feet in length, Iusually make surethey are at least 4 feet.

The most vital in-formation comes fromthe anglers who re-capture and report thetag. If you catch atagged shark you caneasily report the tagnumber and other in-formation onlinehttp://nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/Narragansett/sharks/catchshark.htmlIf you intend to re-lease the shark youcan just write downthe tag number andtake a total length andfork measurement ifyou are able! Wehave seen two re-cap-tures since we begantagging in 2010. Itʼswhat I look forward tothe most participatingin this program. To-gether anglers can en-sure the future forthese ocean giants!

Shark Tagging

Capt. Orion WholeanWater LIFE Gasparilla

The water has begun to warm up. This isbringing new species closer to shore to feed.From massive rays to much larger sharks thanwe see in the winter time, you can almostnever tell what will be on the end of your line.

I experienced this first hand when I wastesting out some new baits off the beach. Ihave found that for the spring and summermonths the best baits to use for beach shark-ing are predominantly what is running. It is im-perative to fish large reels such as 50 and 80wides. They will allow you to safely bring thefish in quickly enough so the fish will not beharmed. They also have the line capacityneeded.

Recently I hauled in a monster spotted eagleray on an Avet 80w. The animal swam into myline that was set out for a shark. After an hourof one of the most eventful fights of my life wesuccessfully released this amazing creatureunder the supervision of the FWC. The most in-credible part of it all was that the ray was neverhooked! It swam into the line and was tangled.Once it got to shore it somehow came untan-gled and was ready to go back out into thewater unharmed. It had a wing span of almost8 feet and swam off withplenty of strength.

Soon after the landingof the ray lines began to gooff again. It was shark aftershark on cownose raysand spanish mackerel. Bullsharks and black tips arecommon during this sea-son along with the occa-sional lemon shark. Theyall give an amazing fightand allow for some greatpictures but it is importantto safely handle each ofthese monsters with care.

Eventful Fights

Capt. Orian [email protected]


AQU ATTIICCAA Turtle TrackingStaff ReportAfter hatching, loggerheadturtles waddle off the beachinto the surf and begin a jour-ney that takes them across theocean. Many loggerheads fromthe U.S. Atlantic coast turn upa few years later in the CanaryIslands off West Africa. Buthow they get there, and whatthey encounter along the way,has long been a mystery.Biologists had referred to thisperiod of time as the sea tur-tlesʼ “lost years.” But those nolonger.The first look at

the early behaviorin the wild wasdetermined by at-taching satellitetags. The small,solar-poweredtags allowed sci-entists to map theanimalsʼ migra-tions. The tagsalso beamed backdata on the envi-ronmental condi-tions the turtlesencountered. Babysea turtles start outso small and grow so quicklythat their fast-expandingshells quickly shed whateverscientists attach to them.The solution came from a nailsalon technician at Not JustNails in Boynton Beach, whenone of the authors of thestudy, Jeanette Wyneken men-tioned the difficulty in attach-ing satellite tags to the babysea turtles. Sea turtle shellsare made out of a proteincalled keratin, the same stuffthat fingernails are made of.“Have you considered usingan acrylic base coat?” askedthe manicurist referring to hertechnique for attaching artifi-

cial nails. The rest is history.Scientists had long assumedthat Atlantic loggerheads hitcha ride on the North AtlanticGyre, a circular system of cur-rents that flows clockwisefrom North America to Europeand Africa, then flows backnear the equator. That wouldexplain how the young turtlesmade their way to the CanaryIslands. But the satellite tagsrevealed that many turtles hopoff the gyre to swim in the Sar-gasso Sea, which occupies acalm area inside the gyre.Temperature sensors on thesatellite tags indicated that

when in the Sargasso Sea, theturtles experienced warmerwater temperatures thanwould be expected based ondata from remote sensingsatellites and data buoys. Thismay be due to the brown sar-gassum absorbing more of thesunʼs energy. Scientists spec-ulate young sea turtles detourinto the sargassum to warmup.

�� Three species of sea turtlesnest in abundance on Floridabeaches: leatherbacks, logger-heads and greens.�� There are more sea turtlenests on Floridaʼs beaches

than on any other U.S. coast-line. Florida had a record num-ber of loggerhead nests in2012, followed by a recordnumber of green turtle nests in2013.

FWC Biologists hope the2014 nesting season thatstarted March 1 will be as suc-cessful as others in recentyears. In 2013 a record num-ber of more than 36,000 greensea turtle nests were countedin Florida, but loggerheads, at65,000 nests, are still the mostabundant.�� With all those turtles comes

a record number ofturtle monitoringvolunteers. InFlorida, sea turtlelandings on thebeach are docu-mented by volun-teers, who assistFWCʼs researchers.About 2,500 FWC-permitted volun-teers regularlypatrol more than 800miles of shoreline toidentify, mark andprotect turtle nests.

�� Typically, sea turtlenesting season runs

from March through the end ofOctober, but nesting contin-ued well beyond that in 2013.Green turtles generally nestlater than the other sea turtlespecies in Florida. FWC biolo-gists say they would not besurprised if nesting season ex-tends later into the fall thisyear, well past the official endof nesting season in October. �� Coastal development andboat traffic are cited as themost currently threateningdangers to sea turtles. At leastweʼre not eating them anymore!

Loggerhead turtle with transmitter attached


By Capt. Bart MarxWater LIFE Family FishingLast month I had the opportunity to go

on a cruise with my wife and somefriends. It was a little different for mesince I was not driving the boat (ship) andso I had time to relax. One of our stopswas St. Maarten where my wife (Dawn)and our friends went snorkeling at DawnBeach and on the horizon you could seeSt. Bart Island. It was a nice day and wesaw some blue tangs in a school of 60 orso. They are so pretty and graceful. Therewere several other types of fish that wesaw - far too many to list. One of our otherstops was St.Croix, the island where Ilived and worked reconstruction after hur-ricane Hugo. We visited Point Udall, theeasternmost point of the USA and its terri-tories. The water there is so clear and

looking out over the Caribbean, the shadesof blue are what postcards are made of.With the coral reefs shadows showingthrough the clear water it is absolutelybeautiful. When we returned home to Florida it

was time for Capt. Bart to take someguests on a fishing cruise of their own.There was a group of four ladies fromMinnesota, a Mom with two daughtersand her sister-in-law. We met at PinelandMarina to start our fishing adventure. Thewinds were a little too strong that day toventure out into the Gulf, so we fished inPine Island Sound. We could see CabbageKey and the legendary fish shacks fromwhere we were drifting along the grassbeds for speckled sea trout. It was a greatday - they caught enough for two mealsfor the girls. A few days later we had the chance to

take out some guests from Western NewYork, two couples that didn't have muchfishing experience. We also met atPineland Marina, since they were stayingon Sanibel Island. We started our trip outto the depths of the Gulf, but we stoppedin the pass to troll for some Spanish mack-erel. After trolling we went out to somenatural ledges west of Cayo Costa StatePark in about 45 feet of water where weanchored and started to fish. We werecatching lane and mangrove snapper andwhite grunts, the bite was steady for quitesome time. When the bite started to slow,we moved into Pine Island Sound to catcha few trout to finish off our fishing adven-ture. Fun was had by all and there wereplenty of fish for a meal or two.

If you would like to take a fishing trip withCapt. Bart Marx, call 941-979-6517 or emailme at [email protected]. Al-ways remember, singing drags and tight linesmake me smile - and take a kid fishing.

Back to Work


By Fishin’ FrankWater LIFE BaitshopThis is the time when

all eyes turn to big fish.Now that sharks are reallystarting to come in, people forget or don’tknow that many sharks jump or even doflips when hooked up on a rod and reel. Black tip sharks are fast, so fast they

can make a bone fish look lazy. So theyare a great catch and release fish. They aregreat fighters and will make your heartpump, a real know-your-alive situation!Many of the smaller shark species like

bonnets , black tips and Atlantic sharpnose are filing the Harbor now, while theblack nose, sand bar, bull and many otherspecies are thick on almost every near-shore reef, and this year, tiger sharks arebeing caught along the beaches as well. To catch these toothy fish you need to

get a game plan going. I like to cover allof the bases, so let’s start with your chart.I use the 15-F from Waterproof Charts,what I need is to see the bottom contour,where the in-roads for the sharks wouldbe. I look for deeper troughs along thebottom of the harbor or ledges in the Gulf.

When I get there I get my boat an-chored – oh, and the trick part of anchor-ing is that I use a couple of crab trap floatstied to my anchor line so I can cast itaway without having to bring it in theboat - there is no time for that with a bigfish peeling off line like you’re hooked upto a Chevy truck. I know it is hard toimagine 300 yards of line being ripped offyour spool, but it can happen in secondssince several of our shark species canreach speeds of 360 feet per second! Sotime is important. The last bit of advice isto use a loop knot over a cleat instead oftying the anchor line to the boat so theline can be tossed away from the boat andI can chase the fish.Now that the anchor is out I want to

put my chum bag over the side, over theback really. Often I use the chum alreadyin the bag, it is easy and when I am done Ican just throw the bag in the garbage. The

trick to using this type of chum is not tolet the bag float on the water. I shorten theline up enough to keep the bag up-right,so it is hanging from the cleat. This wayevery time I walk or a wave hits the boatit sloshes the bag up and down dispensingthe chum, if it is just floating on the waterit will not dispense properly. Now that Ihave all that, I put out my first line. My first rod out is a 40 size spinning

reel, with a med/heavy rod, the same as Iwould use for s nook or redfish, 12 poundmono or 15 pound braid line. As thesharks I am trying to land on this rig are 2to 4 feet, for tackle I use a 4/0 AFW redleader. On the hook is half a sardine – andmost important, a bobber on this line.This will be the furthest line away fromthe boat. I let the current take it at least 75or 100 feet away from the boat, and thebait is now 3 to 4 feet below the float.Now the second line is free-lined out

and placed in the back left corner of theboat with no float or sinker, it will adjustitself to the currant lay on the bottom dur-ing a slack tide, or as the tide picks up andstarts moving faster, the bait will come upoff the bottom. Same hook, leader andbait, the ole trusty sardine. With the firstrod on a float and the second free-linedthere is almost no way for them to tangle.The 3rd and 4th rods both go in the

holders mid ship. These are the heavyrods, the 3rd one is a 6500 Live liner with65 pound test braided line and it has a 3foot 100 pound test steel leader with a 7/0hook and 4-finger size chunk of mullet onit, with a 4 ounce sinker to keep it inplace, preventing tangled lines. Cast thisout the back at a 45 degree angle from theboat.The 4th rod a 9/0 or bigger Penn con-

ventional reel, loaded with 80 poundmono line. I use mono as it seems safer tome I can tell when it is about to break anddoes not bury into itself as easy asbraided. This has a 6 foot 250 pound testleader with a 12/0 hook and a big chunkof bait, like half or whole mullet maybe alady fish but big 3 pounds of bait, the

smaller sharks may push it around, but itwill take a big shark to pick it up.Use a heavy sinker 8 ounce or bigger

to hold the bait out and away from theother lines. Even though it is heavy, thecurrent pushes hard on such a large pieceof bait, hence the big weight. Again I castthis at a 45 degree angle back of the otherside.So now I have a line with a float cover-

ing the sharks running near the surface.Free lined with cover the middle depths ofthe water and finally ones with sinkers onthe bottom. The smaller baits on the first 2will entice any black tip or smaller sharks3 foot or less to bite, the larger rods withbig baits will get the larger sharks to eat.

Once all of the rods are set, you haveto wait, I usually figure on about 45 min-utes for the chum to really start working,that is why the chum is the second thing Ido after getting the Anchor set, that waythe clock is running. Another tip is that markers hold bait

and make for good shark fishing but I donot get too close as the sharks will tend torun around the marker and break you off,so if I am fishing a marker I am about 100yards away letting my chum bring them tome. Keep in mind sharks are an apexpredator and although you are fishing forthem, you could just as easily becometheir prey. Frank@Fishin’ Franks.com 941-625-3888

Sharks: A size for Everyone

You can clearly see the blacktips on this blacktip shark from a charter with Capt. Billy Barton


How to Get Your Pictures into this publication I was wondering how does one get picturesposted of the fish we caught ? Six of us wereout on an all day fishing trip , on the 10 of March2014 with Steve the captain of "Tide One On"out of Placida . We caught 11 barracuda , 4 Am-berjacks and a couple ofnice Groupers . Plus, a lot of ground fish. Wealso had a porpoise following us . I am not sureabout the age of the young girl who was fishingwith us that day , with her father and brotheraround the same age . She pulled in one amber-jack that was almost as tall as she was. Herbrother pulled in a nice Barracuda .It was her first time fishing saltwater . She willhave one great story to tell at school .It was a perfect day on the 10th of this month .Offshore 30 miles . My best friend from NianticCT. , Rich Wasik , caught the biggest fish of hislife . One Goliath Grouper weighing approx. 300

plus Lbs . Worked the fish for over a half an hour. He wanted to catch a big fish and Steve theCaptain gave him his wish. Rich was poopedafter that fight and let the Goliath Grouper goback after the Captain and mate removed allkinds of hooks from her . I told Rich , be carefulwhat you wish for . He laughed .After all the fish where filleted , we ended up with240 lbs of fillets . 40 lbs a piece . I cooked upsome of the barracuda , after removing the bloodline and it was great . Nice tasting fish. Any fishtastes good if you know how to prepare andcook it . Well I hope to get out next year with him. (God permitting)

Please respondSteve

Editor Responds: Editor Responds: Here you go, Steve!Here you go, Steve!

email your email your recent recent picturespicturesto to [email protected]@comcast.netSend full size images andSend full size images anddo not adjust them in anydo not adjust them in anyway way Give us some informationGive us some informationWe must be the first ones toWe must be the first ones topublish your pictures. Sendpublish your pictures. Sendus photos you have not sentus photos you have not sentto any other publication to any other publication Send current photos (lastSend current photos (last45 days) so we can keep all45 days) so we can keep allour fish pictures fresh andour fish pictures fresh andour publication indicative ofour publication indicative ofthe current fishing situationthe current fishing situationWeʼll try our best to useWeʼll try our best to usethem them We will not ever retain anyWe will not ever retain anyrights to your picturesrights to your pictures

Whether you are looking tolist your home, buy a newhome, or bring friends and

family to join you in Florida,call me to help you find what

you are looking for!

Lennore Shubel – RealtorCell: 631-741-4589 Email: [email protected]


Hey - Ya- All how are ya - all doing? Ihope you have caught alot of fish since lastmonth. We have been doing pretty goodour last couple of charters was with DennisLayman , Doug Layman, Mike Thomas,Ron Bogit, and Kenny Watson and friend.The other group was Dick Wright, Lucy

Wright , My Englemann and her husbandJoe Englemann. Both groups were a hootand we had alot of fun.We are still getting red grouper, gag

grouper, (we put them back) jolt head por-gies, reef porgies, mangrove snapper, trig-ger fish and scamp. The red grouper arestill hitting on stink bait mullet, squid, sar-dines, and thread fins. We always take livebait, pin fish, squirrel fish and shrimp. Weget a couple on live bait. Mangs and por-gies are hitting on squid and shrimp, AJ'sare chewing on blue runners and big pinfish, also vertical jigging is producing AJ's.The 2 groups we had out caught a smorgas-bord of fish. There are a ton of Spanish mackerel in

Boca Grande Pass. I talked with a coupleof guys and they said they were catchingsome king mackerel out of Boca in 35 to45 feet of water.Todd Gilbert, a back bay guide an

friend, told me he was getting some bigsnook and redfish. The snook have beenrunning from 38 to 44 inches BIG - UNS.Also he got some redfish that weighed 8pounds and were only a little over 25inches. That's a tournament fish in the slotand 8 pounds. I will take them all day longlike that, keep up the good work Todd. Well folks I think it's time to get out of

here till next month, so if you have a goodol fish story or a recipe for cooking fishthat we can share with our readers or if youwant to book an offshore charter aboardthe Predator II CALL (941) 473 -2150

The OlʼFishʼn Hole

$2 off any haircut!

AND REMEMBER GET OUT AND SNORT SOME OF THAT GOOD CLEAN SALT AIR CUZ IT’S GOOD FER YA ! ! !


AS PART OF THE 2014 FEDERALBUDGET, Congress approved $75 mil-lion in fishery disaster relief funds. Mis-sissippi will receive $10,941,828 andFlorida will receive $6,316,533. The allo-cation comes after the Department ofCommerce declared six fishery disas-ters. Two separate disasters were de-clared in the Southeast U.S. The firstwas for the Mississippi oyster and bluecrab fisheries due to floods, and the sec-ond was for the Florida west coast oysterfishery due to excessive drought condi-tions.

FROM THE FWC REPORT: OfficersLewis and Clark were working in theBlackwater River Forest ...........

THE WIDENING AND DEEPENING OFCANAVERAL HARBOR to allow largerships greater safety margins for sailing inand out of Port Canaveral is scheduledto begin this month with completion in

November 2014. The $35 millionproject to widen Port Canaveralʼs400-feet wide harbor by 100 feetand deepen the entrance by twofeet to 46 feet cleared the final twoU.S. Army Corps of Engineers per-mitting hurdles last week.

BIGGER SHIPS MSC Cruises hassigned a letter of intent with STXFrance for the construction of twonew cruise ships, 315 meters longand 43 meters wide, with a grosstonnage of about 167,600 tons.They can accommodate 5,700

passengers and 1,536 crew members,

making them the biggest cruise shipsever built by a European shipowner.

LOVE BUGS ARE HERE, WHITE FLYSARE COMING An infestation of circilingwhite flys in Miami is moving this way.The most affected plants are palms. Theclusters of white flys appear as whiteblotches on the underside of leaves anda sooty mold follows them. We have notfound a topical treatment that rids thesepests and are experimenting with sys-temic treatment by trunk injection.

ROD STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

The graphite rod is totally toasted, as isthis angler, who is lucky to be alive.

LIGHTS OUT There was talk last monthabout the shrinking participation in thePunta Gorda Lighted Boat Parade. Firstthey talked about not starting the paradein Edgewater Lake and just having it inthe Peace River at Punta Gorda. Now itlooks like they may do away with it all to-gether.

GUIDES ASSN Conversation be-tween some local guides has been abouta membership guides association andhaving the money they collect in dues gostraight to the FWC for additional en-forcement and resource management.We think that since the harbor is thecountyʼs main attraction the countyshould contribute to the cost of maintain-ing and enforceing Charlotte Harbor.

STUMP PASS MARINA HAS BEENSOLD to the maintenance departmentmanager Doug Reichard so the same fa-miliar faces are still around.JAIL FOR TOURNAMENT CHEATER

Alfred Mead, 72, pleaded guilty to afelony charge of theft by swindle forbringing two previously captured fish intothe Park Rapid American Legion Com-munity Fishing Derby in Feb. “Your con-

duct had a major impact on these [fishingtournaments],” Minnesota Judge RobertTiffany told Mead. “I hope you realize theseriousness of your conduct.”Cheating, Tiffany said, “takes the enjoy-ment and joy out of it for those who bringtheir kids” and honest participants.Mead, who has two prior gaming convic-tions and a decade-long trail of suspi-cious tournament winnings, reported tothe Hubbard County jail.

PELICANS HOSTILE. Several guideshave commented on the aggressivenessof local pelicans lately. This coincideswith the still missing arrival of baitfishinto the harbor. Guides at FishermenʼsVillage say itʼs almost impossible to filleta clientʼs fish because of pelicans. Thenew arrival of white pelicans into thearea must add to the feeding pressure.

SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated,

But Often True

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Kentucky worker placing fish attractors


ON THE LINE By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior StaffA Miami Federal judge has sentenced

a South Florida man to six months homedetention and a $225,000 fine for build-ing illegal docks and piers on navigablewaters. US District judge, K. MichaelMoore , imposed the sentence on 70year old Richard Bunnell of Miami forviolating the Federal Rivers and HarborAct. Mr. Bunnell, the owner of BunnellFoundation Marine construction, doingbusiness in the Miami area since 1971,has a reputation as being a qualitybuilder in the area and is even a memberof several advisory boards on marinematters.His work was so highly regarded that

he was considered to be the dock builderto the rich and famous around Miami. Ifyou owned one of the many multi-mil-lion dollar waterfront mansions that sur-rounds the area, Bunnell Foundation isthe company you want to take care ofyour dock. It appears that this relation-ship with high-visibility celebrities iswhat has focused the light on some ofMr. Bunnell's business practices.

Several years ago, Sylvester Stallonepurchased a small fixer-upper bay-frontmansion for $8 million dollars. As part ofthe renovation Sly wanted a new additionto his dock to accommodate his jet skis .Bunnell Foundation got the job and

proceeded to go to work just like theyhad on hundreds of similar jobs like thisin the past. First you make your engi-neering diagrams and bring them to theMetro Dade Dept of EnvironmentalManagement office for approval. Thenyou apply for your permits, do the workand get a final inspection. It’s a prettystraight forward process in general, butthis time there was a glitch with the onefederal permit that was required from theArmy Corps of Engineers. This used tobe a pretty simple permit to get but, addi-tional federal regulations and recentbudget cuts have caused a backlog thatwas running 4 to 6 months for the issuingof these permits.Mr Bunnell felt that this was just too

long to wait, so he went to work and fin-ished the dock. He had the local inspec-tors sign off on his work and waited forthe federal permit. He figured that even ifthe permit was denied for some engineer-ing reason, he could always apply for an

after the fact permit; pay a $500 fine andgo back and make any changes required. Mr. Bunnell was so confident in this

approach that he started several otherprojects using the same strategy: Applyfor local and federal permits, finish thework , get the local inspectors to sign off,and if the Feds had a problem they couldwork out the problems later.But the Feds did not agree with Mr.

Bunnell’s strategy and even though theysaid they did not have enough time ormoney to issue permits in a timelymanor, they did have enough time andmoney to have the Attorney General’s of-fice file Federal charges against Mr. Bun-nell for building docks without a federalpermit. The violations that could be re-solved at the local level with a $500 fine

had now become a big federal case.I'm sure Mr. Bunnell's lawyers got the

best deal they could for their client andhe took the house arrest and big fine in-stead of federal prison time.Why would something that happens in

Miami have any effect on us? Well, wehave the same federal laws and regula-tions and the same Endangered SpeciesAct and the same loss of local controlover our waterways. Remember whenyou have big government you have bigpower.... and with big power comes bigabuse of power. When they try to put aman in prison for not getting a permit Ithink we have reached the point of bigabuse. [email protected]

Stalloneʼs Jet Ski Dock GetsRambo-Response From Feds


Dave Fleishig (second from left) cuts through the fleet at Marker No. 4 enroute to victory inthe Conquistador Cup. The little Melgis with its big sails and sleek hull was exactly what ittook with light winds on race day.

Staff ReportLast month we saw the last of what weconsider the major sailing events for theyear in Charlotte Harbor. From here on inthere is still plenty of sailing, weekly smallboat events and a few big boat ‘series’events each month through the summer,but the big competitions are over. Now thefocus turns to points accumulated in theaccredited smaller events, in a quest forthe Boat of the Year title.Weather was less than cooperative for

most of the big events. Light wind andsometimes morning fog accompanied thesailors out onto the water. Turnout for the three major big boatevents; The Golden Conch in January, theConquistador Cup and Leukemia Cup inMarch, was less than expected.The Golden Conch exerted energy to in-crease participation but still only woundup with 24 boats. The Conquistador Cup at26 was down 20 boats from past years andThe Leukemia Cup fielded only 22 boats.Even the small boat Charlotte Harbor Re-gatta seemed smaller, perhaps becausethere were fewer classes than in years past.Still, Charlotte Harbor remains on SailingMagazine’s list of top places to sail in theUSA.

Fewer Participants This Year

Lots of tinyfloating trashThe nonprofit Rozalia Projecttrawls harbors with a standard-ized, replicable system and thencounts whatʼs there besideswater and especially plastic,even tiny beads of plastic. Theyreport the ratio of trash volume,in pieces, per square kilometer1. Los Angeles – Marina delRey: 282,000 2. Long Beach: 88,000 3. Philadelphia 83,555 4. New York 74,000 5. Boston 58,557 6. San Fran. Bay: 23,818 7. San Diego 21,0008. Seattle14,000 9. Chicago 8,500 10. Vancouver 3,500


By David AllenWater LIFE KayakingOne of the premiere paddling locations

in Southwest Florida is the area encom-passing the Great Calusa Blueways. Iwould wholeheartedly recommend theCalusa Blueways for all paddlers, but par-ticularly for those who are only in South-west Florida for a brief winter stay. Theadvantage of having a marked trail, andbeing able to select the kind of paddlingyou wish to do, over–rides the advantagesof exploring on your own.

The Blueways are an organized systemof water trails extending from the ImperialRiver and Lovers Key on the southern endto Pine Island and Bokeelia on the North-ern end. In between these two bookends,the trails include the CaloosahatcheeRiver and most of its western tributaries,plus Pine Island Sound and San CarlosBay near Ft. Myers. The Blueway areacovers some 230 square miles and over190 miles of mostly non-motorized watertrails, and provides access to state andfederal preserves and historical sites.Overall, there are dozens of different trailsto explore, and most are in water 2-3 feetdeep where powerboats seldom venture.The Blueways, a joint project of Lee

County Parks and Recreation and the LeeCounty Visitors Bureau, has opened upour local waters to kayakers much as the

Appalachian Trail opened upthe eastern coastal states tohikers. While the Bluewayshas mile markers on many ofthe trails, the trails don’t fol-low a straight line from onelocation to another. Insteadthe trails meander through therivers and bays to the beachesand lagoons where dolphins,manatees and birds, such aseagles, ospreys and all sorts ofherons, egrets and ibis,abound, and of course, the Ding DarlingWildlife Preserve is located on the south-east edge of Sanibel.Information on the Blueway Trails is

easy to access on the web at www.calus-ablueway.com. For techie kayakers, theBlueway Trails is one of the first in thecountry to have a “Smart Phone” app thatprovides real-time GPS coordinates andnavigation, an interactive trail map, andsome brief information on the areaswildlife. You can download the app athttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blueway/id463562993?mt=8. Our club decided to paddle a section of

the Blueway that begins just north onMatlacha, launching from Sirenia VistaPark. This launch is easily reached bytaking Burnt Store Rd. south to a rightturn onto Tropicana Pkwy, then straightwest to Old Burnt Store Rd. and then

south to Sirenia Vista Park. The launchsite is a combination of gravel and sanddown a fairly steep bank. Restroom facil-ities are available as is adequate parking.From the launch we headed directly

west through a narrow entrance into abouthalf a mile of open mangrove channels,quickly reaching the open water along theeastern edge of Pine Island Sound. Asyou head north, the eastern edge of themainland is dotted with numerous islandsand keys, including, at the northern end ofBuzzards Bay, The Bird Rookery Keys.Extending north from Pine Island Rd.

causeway for about 3-5 miles is an Eco-logical Restoration Area, the WetlandsRestoration Matlacha Pass Aquatic Pre-serve. Take special care in this area not toharm the sensitive wildlife habitats.As I said earlier, we turned north to

head past Silver Key and on into Buzzard

Bay. The day was slightly overcast with alittle wind from the southwest; great forpaddling. There was not a lot of wild life,but we did see some heron and egrets aswe usually do. We paddled about 3-4miles north, made a U-turn, and paddledback south on the west side of the Bay.As we approached the boat channel lead-ing north to the launch site, the powerboattraffic picked up noticeably as there areprivate homes, and I believe, a small ma-rina along the eastern shore.Then, out of the water and onto our

cars, and we were off to a great lunch inMatlacha.The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each

Wednesday evening at 5:00 PM sharp atFranz-Ross Park next to the YMCA on Que-sada. All are welcome to attend. For more in-formation call Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 [email protected].

KayakingThe Calusa Blueway

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Charlotte HarborFrank, at Fishin’ Franks941- 625-3888There are King mackerel and some

permit offshore. Troll reef to reef, pick outtwo structures, say Power Pole to Mary’sand drag Stretch-30s or 14-Bombers forthe mackerel. There are big red grouperif you are willing to go out to 80 feet ofwater depth or more. Closer to land, 15miles and under, there are lots of snapperand some gags. In general, bottom fishingis good, but nothing monster. Amberjackand almaco jacks are out there and wehave a great cobia season going on. Cobiaare over-the-top nearshore and all the wayup through into the Harbor. Cobia areleading the way into the Harbor. At thebridge 34- to 48-inch cobia have beencaught out about 1/3 of the way, just ontothe rise. Incoming or outgoing hasn’t beenmaking a difference. With rain, that mightmake a difference. With a lot of rain thenit will be the incoming tide overnight.Cobia are also over by Hog Island and

if you look for them cruising the near sur-face along the bars on a calm morning youcan see them on each side of the harbor. Iworked with rattletrap to make a new lureone with a vertical twitch, you have to

twitch up and then it has a flutter. This lurehas been wacking the cobia and they arealso getting sharks on this lure. It’s an ex-tremely slow sinking rattletrap. It looks alot like the normal ‘shrimp’ one it just hasa different action. Seatrout are kind of scarce. There are

some north of Pirate Harbor, inside the barand up at the 41 Bridge. it’s been a thinyear on seatrout. For redfish, the east sideof the Harbor rules, the problem is they areway back – when you get behind the firstset of island then you have to go back

some more behind theother islands. Midpointdown the east side thereare some nice reds too.On the west side, back inthe back of Turtle Baythere are very good red-fish again. And I’m hear-ing about quite a few upin Lemon Bay – look atthe docks by the canalmouths – chances areyou’ll catch some red-fish there. It’s really good tim-

ing with the rain now for the snook. A lit-tle rain this time of year will push them outto the salty barrier islands. Without rainthey will spawn at the canal mouths uphere and that will kill the eggs. Snook arereally good on the Peace and Myakka, theyare scattering through the flats. We’re fig-uring to have a good snook populationcoming. Look around the sand bars at JugCreek shoal. Sharks are everywhere; on near shore

reefs, up in the Harbor, I have people ask-ing me how do we NOT catch sharks! Likecatching mackerel, when they are too

thick, anglers soon want to do somethingelse. If you are fishing in the middle of theHarbor out by the near-shore reefs you willget tired of catching sharks. The big thingis no barbs, take your plyers and flatten thebarbs. Sharks have a mouth more likehuman - heavy muscle and cartilage - andwhen you rip the hook out it does damageto the fish. The sharks never come off thehook, this makes it so easy to catch and re-lease and with little effect on the shark,

ChartersOffshore Fishing Trips: 1/2 day • 8hr • 10 hr • 12 hr

We help put your charters togetherShark, Tarpon, Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish, and MORE!

Nighttime Trips AvailableCapt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

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Capt Dave Stephenswww.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

BackBayXtremes


April Fishing Forecast

continued on facing page

Capt. Joe Miller out ofVenice shows a 48-poundwahoo (left) a nice am-berjack, right and andBilly Swanson with anAfrican Pompano, all

from last month.

A nice back country snook from Fishbone Charters

plus there isn’t all thatblood on the boat.In freshwater, the bass

fishing is crazy good rightnow. Everyone is talkingabout creature baits - it’snot the brand it’s a nick-name for anything that looks like a bug or spacealien, shorter and thicker. Rig them up weedlesson a worm hook in purple and brown.There’s a decent bluegill bite, crappy are

pretty hard to find. Put a wiggle on a hook undera bobber and you catch a bunch of panfish - allit takes is wigglers, a bobber and a No. 8 hook. The Myan cyclid bite on the other coast is

doing extremely well now, the fish now are likea cross between an oscar and a bluegill and thatnew breed is exploding.

Lemon Bay: Jim, at Fishermen’s Edge, Englewood: 697-7595Fishin’ has been pretty fair. There are lots of

kids in town. Last Saturday I was packed withparents and grandparents taking the kids fishingThey were catching a lot of seatrout, ladyfishand some Spanish. Some went to the docks forsheepshead. There are some black tips. Aroundthe Tom Adams bridge at night there have been

snook. A guy I know had two tarpon in PineIsland last week, one friend got spooled theother day on a plug by a tarpon.A lot of bigger redfish are around. The bait

has been sketchy, the water got dirty, the tem-peratures changed and everyone is struggling.All the guides are taking shrimp because theyare not finding live bait.

REDFISH East Side behind theislands

SHARKS Bonnets and sharp-nose all over the Harbor

SNOOK Moving to the saltyareas


www.fishingpuntagorda.com

JACK CREVALLE Around theseawalls and shorelines

FISHING FISHINGRIGHT NOW:RIGHT NOW:

GoodGoodlive bait is MIAlive bait is MIA

95˚

90˚

85˚

80˚

72˚70˚68˚

50˚

45˚

The BIG-4The BIG-4 Fish to expect in Fish to expect in AprilAprilcontinued from facing page

Gulf TempsGulf Tempsare 71are 71

and warming up.and warming up.Many soecies areMany soecies are

moving aroundmoving around

SHARKS are in the passes and on the inshore andoffshore reefs and wrecks

SHEEPSHEAD are hitting super at Helen's Reefand Mary's Reef and also at Boca Grande Causewayand at the El Jo-bean bridge. They are using fiddlercrabs, sand fleas, and tube worms. I had a fellowcome up to me and say 'you should see thesheepshead I caught on tube worms, just like yousaid,' he said. 'It was hard work and time consuming toget the tube worms, but it sure paid off!' His sheepieswas weighing in at 5 to 6 pounders. That's some nicefish if you like sheepshead. Get a bucket and a shoveland go get some tube worms. Make sure you dig

down far enough so you get the worm. If asheepshead is plum full and you drop a tubeworm down he will still nail it.

TRIPLE TAIL if you can get out around the crabtrap buoys early in the morning you can see themhanging right around the buoy.

MANGROVE SNAPPER they are in Boca GrandePass and on the inshore and offshore reefs andwrecks. I talked with a few guys and they told me theyhad caught some big mangs in 35 to 40 feet of waterout of Boca and the weight was 4 to 5 pounders.

AMBERJACK -are on most structure offshore.They are hitting good on lively blue runners, big pinfish and vertical jigging.

RED GROUPER we are doing good in 95 to 110

feet of water. They are getting some BIG - UNS out 35to 40 miles. Stink bait still seams to be working thebest. We have caught a few on live bait but more onstink bait, good ol mullet chunks tipped with squid,whole squid, sardines and thread fins.

KING MACKEREL a few have been caught out ofBoca Grande Pass and out in the Gulf, a few out ofStump Pass and out of Sarasota. One was 64 pounds,now that's a smoker! Don't forget while your bottomfishing put a croaker or pin fish on a balloon and cast itbehind the boat and leave it alone until somethingsmashes it then hang on.

Top Left - Capt. KarlButigian holds anice redfish with aperfect heartshaped spot.Above and below:Jacks and pompanofrom clients of Capt.Billy Barton

Offshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien

water life april 2014

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