water life april 2016

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Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero, 10,000 Islands and the GulfCharlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero, 10,000 Islands and the Gulf

WaterWater LL II FEFEThe Don Ball School of FishingThe Don Ball School of Fishing

April 2016

Text usyourphotos!See page 4

Below the South ForkBelow the South ForkLocal History 2Local History Page 12

Summer is on the wayFishing Report Page 22-23

A Great Growthof Green AlgaePage 14

Fish are EatingFish are EatingPage 10Page 10

EMAIL: [email protected] APRIL 2016

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Michael & Ellen Heller Publishers

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Port Charlotte, FL 33952Independant - Not affiliatedwith any other publication!

Vol XV No 4 © 2016 NO PART of this publication (printed or

electronic) may be copied, reproduced or re-used without specific written permission fromthe publishers (and thatʼs never happened!).

Contributing Editors:Photography: ASA1000.com

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron BlagoCharlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy BartonBaitshop Commentary: Fishinʼ FrankPeace River: Capt. David Stephens

Diving: Adam WilsonPunta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner

Venice: Glen BallingerEstero: Capt. Joe Angius

Everglades City: Capt. Charlie PhillipsKayaking: Bob Fraser

Sea Grant: Capt. Betty StauglerBeach Fishing: Mallory Herzog

Pier Fishing: Bobby Vitalis

On the Cover: Kevin Carvery of Marystown,

Newfoundland, visiting Venice beachon March 5th, shows of a 26-inch black

drum caught in the surf.

Send letters and photos to: [email protected]

TOM AT THE BOAT HOUSE“ADVERTISING WITH YOU IS A

NO BRAINER! IT WORKS FOR US”

We like Fresh Fish soplease donʼt send oldphotos.We like the First Catchso donʼt send us picturesyou are sending to an-other publication, like forinstance, the CharlotteSun ;-(Bigger is Better, higher

resolution is best. Pleasedonʼt adjust, crop orsharpen your pictures. Letus to do that, it will lookbetter!Send Where? email to:[email protected] ortxt them, include yourname, to 941-457-1316(txt only, voice calls are

not answered)Best Picture Wins Thereis no guarantee your fishwill appear in print, but ifitʼs a better picture of abigger fish or somethingcool or unusual, it has avery good chance of get-ting into the magazine.Thanks!

About Sending us Pictures: Yes! Please Do!

LEONARD AT TOP NOTCH CANVAS“... A LOT MORE CALLS FROM YOUR PUBLICATIONTHAN FROM ... THAT OTHER WATER PUBLICATION”

Not A FanTo Water LIFEOn March 7, 2016 I picked up a copy of the Water Life March issueat Bass Pro at the Gulf Coast Town Center Mall.This issue had two articles which I read at least twice.On page 3, an article by Michael Heller titled "Teaching Myself a Les-son." This article had to be the most useless, asinine collection ofdrivel I have ever read. On Wednesday I asked my wife to read thissame article, her reply was "That's Stupid."On page 14, by Capt. Bill Damour regarding a previous article byFishin' Frank and his "Immense Knowledge" of Florida. Needless to say, I will never again pick up a copy of this publication.Sincerely Robert Exby, Estero, FL

Left: My wife Lek Durr, catches gigan-tic fish regularly and she has nevershared them ( except with her friendson Facebook).This photo is of a 24"Spotted Sea Trout caught along the"West Wall" of Charlotte Harbor onMarch 16.

ABOVE Captain Ed Johnson of Nokomis with a RedGrouper and Huge Mangrove Snapper at Venice Inlet

LEFT: Louise Updyke photographed these baby ospreysin Venice Inlet last week.


By Michael HellerWater LIFE Editor Last month I was asked to recommend

a good friend of mine to the CharlotteCounty Tourism Hall of Fame, I smiled tomyself and wondered if they will cast abust of him or perhaps commission a life-sized bronze statue.Of course this will be a recognition in

name only. I know there is not physicallya Great Hall of Tourism, but if theCounty’s tourism division employeesspent less time on self-serving, feel-goodprojects like this they would be servingthe citizens better. The Hall of Fame hastwo previous inductees, the owner of akayaking business in Placida (that is nowclosed) ... and the previous tourism de-partment director herself! This Hall ofFame project has its own website, part-ners, plans, events and award dinners.Lots of time and resources have, in myopinion, been wasted on this.Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that my

friend doesn't deserve the recognition. He,more than anyone else I know does de-serve to be in a real Tourism Hall ofFame. His business is tourism, he dealswith tourists every day and he is verygood at it. I had no problem writing anhonest letter of recommendation for him.The fact is, there are a lot of Captains

in Charlotte County I’d write a letter ofrecommendation for and most of them arevery good at what they do. I see the pic-tures they take regularly. Pictures of

happy people with big fish. Pictures show-ing positive memories being made inCharlotte County. We should use that re-source to promote our County.Right now, on my computer, I have

over 100 photos for this month’s edition.In the old days of prints and film thosepictures would go home with the visitorsand be pasted in a scrapbook, but todaypictures go out in emails and on socialmedia and hundreds of people get to seethem... and if the picture is really cool,maybe thousands get to see it.Instead of a website for the Hall of

Fame, how about a website dedicated toCharlotte Harbor? Promoting the Harboron the internet should be one person’s fulltime job at the Tourism department.Sometimes I wonder if the people steeringthe course for tourism aren’t a little tootouchy-feely-tree-huggy when it comes topromoting boating and fishing. When I checked, last week, the

county's website for tourism opens with amain picture (shown) of the Sports Park.Then, when you scroll through, there is apicture of a guy and an owl, then a guyplaying golf, then a high end food settingwith a bottle of wine, then a 4-wheeler inthe palmettos, then four kids on the beachwith a sailboat, then a kayak at PoncePark, then a bird flying over the surf andfinally an aerial of Fishermen's Village; ifyou keep scrolling, the Sports Park imagecomes back around again. The County’sother website, Links for Tourists doesn't

highlight fishing either, but I’m sure theremust be some fishing buried in theresomewhere... it’s probably kayak fishing.God sakes man, what's wrong with

these people? We are a bona fide AquaticPreserve, the Tarpon Capitol of the World!Record fish come from our waters. Thereis a tarpon in the center of the officialCharlotte County seal. They knew thevalue of our Harbor back when that sealwas created, but the tourism division hasnow apparently forgotten it.The County website needs a video of a

visitor jumping a 180 pound tarpon in theHarbor. It needs a 40 inch snook, a 9-

pound redfish and some 10-foot sharks.The website needs cobia and rays and ea-gles and manatees and dolphin. It needswhat we see here every day, updated daily.The Harbor is, as they say in advertis-

ing, the hook. Many counties have base-ball, but with Charlotte Harbor we havesomething unique. We have green unde-veloped mangrove shorelines, solitude asfar as the eye can see; the Harbor is thekind of natural resource that has beenproven to attract people... people with dis-posable incomes, people who might wantto move here, or retire here. But first,those people have to find out about it.

Out Standing In The Field

This is Charlotteʼs website – power boating and fishing are very hard to find on the site

EMAIL: W [email protected] APRIL 2016

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE InshoreLife in the fast lane is the way I think

of fishing in April. Both for the fish andthe fisherman. Just about every fish in ourseas wakes up after some dormant time inthe cooler waters of winter and the oldsaying of big fish eats little fish is defi-nitely in play. If you are a small fish youbetter be moving fast because predatorgamefish are just about everywhere.One of the earliest fish to arrive are

Spanish mackerel. They pull drag justabout as fast as anything that swims andare an absolute ball on light tackle. I havediscovered that fishing large silver spoonsin the 3” to 5” size will catch more fish

and prevent bite offs with the larger sizewithout steel leader. Reel the spoons as

fast as you can with anoccasional pumpingaction and hang on!Don’t be surprised if acobia or jack crashyour oversize spoon!After a late start in

March, April will be asmoking snook month.With the white baithardly showing them-selves in March, thefish will be extra hun-gry and catching bait

should get much easier. Same deal forredfish as the influx of sardines andthreadfins fills the Harbor, redfish willGulf to feed. Just remember that redfishreally would rather eat a pinfish overwhite bait and pinfish have already madea strong appearance in the grass beds.Speckled Trout fishing has been, and

will continue to be, stellar! Big femalesroll in from the Gulf and invade our shal-lows. There are plenty of small troutaround, but the big ones usually occupydifferent areas than their smaller relatives,so try different spots. Catching trout inthe 4-to 5-pound class is a realistic goaland sometimes they will be mixed in withsnook when fishing over sand holes. Tarpon and sharks will round out the

later part of this month and can be foundlurking around bait pods in open water. Ifyou can cast net large threadfins or use asabiki rig, then you will have the rightbait. It’s often easier said then done, butworth the effort. Free drifting big thread-ies or fishing them under a float can pro-duce a fish of a lifetime. My biggesttarpon have come in April and often whenno one else is around fishing for them. Tarpon fishing is a game of patience

and devotion. You will need to cover lotsof water and patiently watch for them.Some days that means hours of searchingand on some days you may not find them.It is much easier to go fishing for a grand

slam of snook, redfish and trout, but one150-pound tarpon will make your day andjust maybe your year!If I had to pick the best inshore fishing

month it would be April. Fast fishing willbe found on the incoming tides with thehighest waters. Instead of fishing whereyou see other boats set up, choose moreremote locations that are less disturbedand you might just have the best fishingtrip of your life!

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action FlatsBackcountry Charters and can be reached at941-628-8040

April’s Fast Fishing

There are lots of Spanish mackerel around.


By Capt. David StephensWater LIFE Charlotte HarborIt’s official, Spring has arrived to

Southwest Florida. The water temperaturehas risen above 70 degrees and it is stay-ing there. Thisis the time ofyear when thefishing is at itspeak. Notonly are ourlocal fishfeeding veryheavily, butwe have a lotof fish migrat-ing through.This is thetime of yearwhen decidingwhat species of fishto target can be thetoughest part of theday. The cobia fish-

ing has been thebest I have seen inseveral years. Ihave had a couplecharters on whichwe targeted themwith great success.We have been averaging 5- to 8 to theboat on a half day and most of them weresight-cast to. Some have been under the33-inch minimum size limit to the V ofthe tail. We have also been getting somecobia running over 30-pounds. A great

way to spot cobia is by looking for themaround the bigger rays. They like to foragewhen the rays stir up the bottom. Most ofmy bites have been coming on live

shrimp.Another mi-

gratory fishthat is in fullswing in Char-lotte Harbor isthe Spanishmackerel. Inmy opinion,these guys areway too oftenover looked asa target. Youdon’t have tobe an advanced

angler to have agreat day on thewater fishing forthese guys. You can find

them in largeschools in the openwater. One of theeasiest ways to lo-cate feeding fish, islook for the birds.Another way to

find them is to troll the deeper holes in theHarbor. When locating fish trolling, smallspoons work great – you want somethingthat resembles a small glass minnow. Ialso recommend using a small wire leader.I prefer using the single strain wire. You

will have to tie these yourself,but most of the packages havedetailed direction on the back. When it comes to eating,

fresh Spanish mackerel is excel-lent. The only down side is theydo not freeze very well. What Ilike to do is catch just enoughmackerel for me and Rachel tohave fresh that night for dinner.I put them on a piece of foil,skin side down, with some but-ter and your favorite seasoning.

I guarantee you willchange your mind aboutthem.I can’t leave out snook

this month. This is, by far,the prime time to targetsnook. The warm water hasgot these guys on the bite.Anywhere from localdocks to the potholes onthe flats you will be able tolocate feeding fish. On the higher tides,

mangrove shorelines andpoints with good tidalflow will be holding fish.On the lower tides the pot-holes and docks are greatplaces to get the rod bent.If you can find live baitssuch as pilchards, threadherring or pinfish, theseare my baits of choice. Artificial baits will also

get plenty of snook bites. Ihave been doing verygood with Z-Man pad-dlerz, Pogyz and Minnowzbaits. If your are fishing darker stainedwater use a darker color. In the cleanerclear water throw a lighter color. I havebeen rigging them on a 1/8oz to 1/4oz jighead, size depending on depth.

If you would like to experience some ofCharlotte Harbor’s best fishing give me a callor send me an email. All of our charters areprivate and customized to fit you and your par-ties needs. Capt. Dave Stephens

www.backbayxtremes.com 941-916-5769

Cobia Fishing Best In Several Years

two cobia

two more cobia

Snook fishing is also very good right now

Water LIFE UpdateAt Fishinʼ Frankʼs tent

sale last month there werelong shallow casting tanksso anglers could see howdifferent lures ʻswam.ʼ Butthe tanks were almost un-necessary.

If you have lived inFlorida for a while youknow, when a big front iscoming, right before therain hits, the wind will blastdown, and blast it did, thatday.

The tents were trying tofly and people were grab-bing onto them to holdthem down. Then the rainstarted coming down.

The water came downfrom above and in from US41. It filled the parking lotin front of Fishinʼ Frankʼsstore, where the sale wasbeing held.

The water built up, but the show went on in spite of it and when itwas all over, the prize for the most determined fishing nut went to luredesigner Patrick Sebile, whose tent collapsed under the weight, notlong after the picture above was taken. Patrick stood his ground, inmore than ankle deep water, casting and retrieving one of his magicswimmer lures across the parking as the storm raged on. “This iscool,” Patrick said, “I donʼt have to use the casting tank any more!”

PAGE 8 EMAIL: W [email protected] APRIL 2016

On The Line By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior StaffIt seems to me that the more scientific

data that comes in about manatees the lessthe main stream media wants to report aboutit. You just don't see the pictures of deadmanatees on the front page of newspaperslike you used to. Stories of recovered mana-tees being released back into the wild are notas frequent on the evening news as in thepast. I guess people are just losing interest inmanatees. We are all suffering from what Icall manatee compassion fatigue (MCF).After years of arguments and law suits thatseem to drag on forever, most people aresaying enough already; let’s just get thismanatee business behind us and move on. Iagree 100-percent!This year's manatee aerial population sur-

vey has been released. Once again, they havefound a new record number of manatees inFlorida. A total of 6,250 were counted; 3,292on the east coast and 2,958 here on the westcoast. Since most experts in the field say thatthese studies under count the population by20- to 40-percent; that means we have a lotof manatees in Florida. As long as the win-ters are mild, the red tide is low and the sea-grass still grows, the manatee population willonly get larger. The manatee mortality rate for 2015 has

also been released. The state had recovered405 dead manatees last year. Once again thecause for the highest number of manateedeaths (129) is listed as “undetermined”.That's 5 years in a row that the leading causeof manatee deaths has been scientificallyclassified as undetermined.The Federal Fish and Wildlife Service

(FWS) is moving forward with their plan tomove the manatee from endangered tothreatened. They will still take public com-ments on their web sitewww.regulations.com until April 7th. Theyhave already received 1,200 commentsagainst the move. It has come down to sci-ence and data versus personal opinion. Eventhe Save the Manatee Club (SMC) has cometo realize that the tide is turning. Kate Tripthe SMC Director of Science and Conserva-tion has said that “she recognizes the FWS isfocusing on facts and data and not opinions.”She went on to say” it seem the delisting isinevitable, but they're not going to get itwithout a fight; and that could be a courtfight.” So here we go again.Chuck Underwood, the spokesman for the

FWS said that they would read and reviewall the public comments they receive and thatshould take between 9 and 18 months. Heexpects the FWS decision to be public earlyin 2017.

[email protected]

Manatees UpdatesMagic Swimmerin the Parking Lot

CANVAS &UPHOLSTERY

Patrick Sebile, doing what he does best


By Fishin’ FrankWater LIFE BaitshopTarpon, the Silver King our springtime visitors –

strange how we locals know when the tarpon are here,the secret? Butterflies, the lit-tle white ones with a light bitof yellow color. Butterflies arethe tell tale for tarpon and we are seeing little white but-terflies now.How can the tarpon move so fast? Be gone one day

and here the next? Do the math. The Keys, where the tar-pon “winter” are (give or take) 110 miles from CharlotteHarbor, so a tarpon swimming at 5 m.p.h. would be herein less than two days, at 10 m.p.h. the same day. I get that question a lot: How do the tarpon know

when to show up? and how can they be here so fast orgone so quickly?A tarpon can swim much faster than 10m.p.h.During the 1980s, until the late 1990s, we could count

on the tarpon showing up by the second week of Maymaybe before, but for sure by then. Now it is not uncom-mon to have tarpon here in March. In December of 2015Boca Pass had a bunch of tarpon in it because the waterwas still above 80 degrees. This brings us to how the tar-pon know when to show up. Tarpon do not carry smartphone with an appointment app. It is the water tempera-ture which will get them traveling here or going away.Tarpon start showing up here as the water reaches 73

degrees. The Harbor and passes are full of tarpon by thetime the water is 76 degrees. The is a caveat is will thetarpon stay here? The deciding factor is the food. Sometimes, when the tarpon show up, it is before the

bait fish like threadfin herring, sardines, ladyfish, ormackerel arrive. The tarpon may come for the watertemperature, but they stay for the food. No food, no tar-pon, it’s that simple.The other reason tarpon show up in Charlotte Harbor

is it is where they like to spawn. Small tarpon would notsurvive the open water of the Gulf or Atlantic Ocean, sountil they get larger enough they live here in our canals,creeks, and rivers, where even a small two-foot size tar-pon is a big fish already. That limits the fish that canprey-upon them as young fish. The tarpon, most of them, come in from the south,

reaching Sanibel first. While some of the tarpon comefrom the west or north, the first ones here are from theKeys. They come in though Punta Rassa Pass and head

up the ICW wher their first major feed stop is often Cap-tiva Rocks, on the west side of the I.C.W, about mid-wayup Pine Island. Then they come into the Harbor.My favorite thing with tarpon is, for a week they will

stack up along the outside of the sand bar on the westside of the Harbor. Thousands of tarpon all laying side byside in 6 feet of water. Idling slowly over those fish is anincredible sight, you just start to shake, something likebuck fever takes a hold of you. Sadly they are almost im-possible to get to bite.Tarpon growing up here stay until they are almost 5

feet in length which is when they are large enough totravel into the open waters of the Gulf. What is weird isthat every school of small tarpon has one 6-footer thatstays with them all year. It might be a baby sitter ormaybe one too old to make the long journey from here towhere ever - tarpon from here might later be found inMexico or in the northern Gulf.Live bait is the most common way to fish for tarpon.

Live bait fish like threadfins or greenbacks free lined at atarpon, are always one of the most effective ways ofhooking up. This requires casting a long way to get to therolling fish. So most of us use an 8 foot heavy action rod.

Spinning tackle allows for more distance with the lightweight bait fish. And the drags on the new spinning gearsare more than equal to the task of stopping a 150 pound,mad, dashing, jumping fish. Lures are often a must for finding tarpon and the

D.O.A. Bait Buster has been and still is the king of tar-pon hook ups. More fish are hooked up with a BaitBuster than any other lure. A neat trick is on the choppydays, where it is hard to see the tarpon rolling, place abait buster 5 feet under a bobber and cast it out and letthe waves do the jigging for you. It is very, very effec-tive. A new comer in the world of tarpon lures is the Sav-age Gear Trout 6 inch. It has UN-real action whether youare casting it or trolling it. It is called a trout but it looksway more like a mullet than a trout to me when it is inthe water. The tarpon are here in the deep holes of the Harbor

and in the passes until May when they will be movingfrom place to place a lot. You may have to look for them,but from now until September it’s game-on, tarpon wise.

[email protected] 941-625-3888

White Butterflys are Here -Tarpon are Here Now Too!

Tarpon, big tarpon, are here already! This beautiful tarpon waspainted on a Gallery Series canvas by aspiring local artistJustin Markley, using acrylic paints. You can see more ofJustinʼs marine work at: www.artbyjmarkley.com. Contact him at: [email protected]

PTTS Tournaments CancelledBoca Tarpon Box Slightly Redesigned

Regulations In this box in effect: April - May - June�� No more than three fishing lines may be deployed at

any one time from one boat.�� No person shall use, fish with, or place in the water

any breakaway gear.�� Fishing with gear that has a weight attached to a

hook, artificial fly or lure in such a way that the weighthangs lower than the hook when the line or leader is sus-pended vertically from the rod is prohibited. If a jig fishes inan illegal manner it is prohibited. Any jig that allows the at-tached weight to slip down the shank so that it hangs lowerthan the hook while the line or leader is suspended verti-cally from the rod is prohibited.

By Capt. Billy BartonWater LIFE InshoreAfter one heck of a wet, tough, winter

with over 20 cancelled fishing trips in Jan-uary and February due to weather, springhas been a long time coming and is like abreath of fresh air in the charter business.April, and May especially, are two of

the most exciting months to fish here inSouthwest Florida. Typically during midto late March, as our water temperatureclimbs and makes its way above 70 de-grees, we see a major transition on Char-lotte Harbor and things get a whole lotfishier inshore.Fish species that follow a northerly mi-

gration and make their presence are tar-pon, cobia, Spanish mackerel, triple tailand sharks. By April, almost every year,you can bet that these species all becometargetable and all offer quite the goodtime fishing. Just be prepared becausethat tiny tackle you fished with all wintermight not get it during the warm season. You may want to bring the larger fish-

ing gear when planning an outing over thenext several months. That 10 pound lineand tiny spinning outfit may be a blast onthe grass flats, but it's probably not goingto cut it for your big tarpon, sharks, and

cobia. Personally I like a 15-30 poundclass spinning rod on a 5000 or 6000 se-ries spinning reel spooled with 50 or 60pound braid. While cobia and sharks are somewhat

similar and can be caught together, thesespecies in general are very different andalthough they are both typically found inopen water, they require different tech-niques to get a hold of. This keeps thingsinteresting! Not only is this time of year good to

break out the big gear, this is also a spec-tacular time to fish the grass flats. Unlike winter, when fishing primarily

with live shrimp, the warm season offers avariety of bait fish to get out and make useof. Scaled sardines (greenbacks),threadfin her ring, pin fish and finger mul-let are local live baits that can make forunforgettable days on the water. What I love about fishing with live bait

fish is that you eliminate 90-percent of thebites that you don't want and you defi-nitely increase your odds at putting qual-ity fish in the boat. To boot, the majorityof the time, you're going to put more fishin the boat as well. It's not uncommon on a spring fishing

trip to put over 50 combined snook, red-

fish and trout in the boaton a single day of fishing.The fish perk up this timeof year and their metabo-lisms perk up as well.They can eat more andthey get excited aboutseeing something otherthan a crustacean! It'salso not uncommon to seea half dozen, or even adozen, different speciesof fish caught on a singleouting as well.It's just so very impor-

tant to have a good look-ing baitwell full of fishprior to the trip, and tomake sure your presenta-tion is correct after youlocate the fish. Enter the area you are

fishing in stealth, fish aslight as possible and stayas distant as you can.You do all of this with alittle bit of persistence,and you should make ithappen. Best of luck onthe water! Capt. Billy Barton, 941-979-6140 Scales ‘N Tails FishingChartershttp://www.puntagordafish-ingcharter.com


Temperatures ClimbingFish Feeding – Life is Good!

Seminar April 28

Free Kids Pier FishingTournament May 7


Water LIFE FactoidOne of the most miss understood and incorrectly identified species in

Florida waters is the fish locals call the bonito. These fish are powerful fight-ers. The large bonito resemble small tuna and is brightly colored and veryplump. Some people say they are not good to eat. Even some seasoned an-glers insist the bonito is a trash fish, only suitable for bait! Actually there are two very different species of what Floridia anglers call

bonito, one with superior taste, the other not. One is basically sushi grade tunaand the other is mackerel. The sushi-grade species is in the tuna family, so the technique is to catch it,

bleed it in ice water, and have some raw. We know of one tuna angler whopacked soy sauce and wasabi when he went tuna fishing, he’d have a fresh cuthunk of fish right on the boat and then bring the rest back to shore for thegrill.

Little TunnyTuna FamilyGrows to 40 inches and 26

pounds. Spots on belly with hor-izontal blue-green wavy stripeson top. Rounded bullet-shapedbody. Cone shaped teeth bothtop and bottom. Sushi-gradetuna, no fishy taste or smell, ex-cellent table fare.

Atlantic BonitoMackerel FamilyGrows to 30 inches and 1-to 2-pounds. Distinct vertical

stripes with horizontal wavesrunning thru. Compressed body.No teeth on the roof of itsmouth. No food value, tastesfishy, use for bait.

Little Tunny vs Bonito


AAQQUU AATTIICCAThe Calusa Middens: People Lived HereBy Michael HellerWater LIFE Editor

Near Alligator Creek, tuckedback in above its twistingdrainages, below the creek'ssouth fork, is a place that 1500years ago many local Indianscalled home. It probably hadsome meaningful Indian identi-fier back then, but that name,whatever it was, has been lostin time. Today they simply callit the Calusa Middens.

Indian middens are moundsmade of shells, as opposed toIndian mounds which are pilesof sand or dirt.

Indians in the southwestFlorida area, around CharlotteHarbor and Estero Bay, reliedon fish as the staple of theirdiet. Were the 25 foot highpiles of shells they built simplytrash dumps or were theysomething else? Lithics (arti-facts made of stone) aresometimes also found at Mid-den sites.

“This is one of the fewplaces we don't see an agrar-ian society,” Cindy Bear, a re-searcher at the RandallResearch Center on Pine Is-land, told me last month whenwe met at the CHEC site offBurnt Store Road to hike inand see the Calusa Middens

first hand. The site is onlyopen to the public as a guidedwalk, one day a year. “From the excavations thatwere conducted, nearly all theshells were estuarine.” Beartold me, adding “The environ-ment here has changed over

time and there was probablyseawater and shells a lotcloser to the east side of Char-lotte Harbor, back then,” “In the early 1900s this was apineapple plantation.” BobIsaksen, long time CHEC/ DEPvolunteer for the site told me.In the 1950s and 60s the sitewas planned for development,but that never happened. Then

25 years ago, it became adumping ground. “There wereabandoned cars all over and anumber of the bars in townregularly dumped their emptycans and bottles here. On ahigh tide, the trash would befloating in the woods,” Isaksen

said. Ultimately, the State ofFlorida took control of the siteand now it monitors it to pro-tect against damage and theft.

Numerous Indian moundsexist around the shores ofCharlotte Harbor, among themare Cash Mound, near TurtleBay which dates from AD 700to 1500; Bay Three near Devil-fish Key which was a saltwater midden that contains nu-merous fresh water shells; theJohn Quiet Mound near TurtleBay had five circular ridgesthat may have served as shell-fish unloading and processingstations and Big Mound Keysouth of Placida, covers 37acres and also has semi-circu-lar ridges like the John QuietMound.

Storm tides, hurricanes,and looters using bulldozershave caused extensive dam-age to many of the CharlotteCounty mounds, so today theyare all closed to the public andprotected.

There may be vital clues tohistory buried in the IndianMiddens of Charlotte Harbor,but to date archaeologistshave been reluctant to dig intothem. Instead they are usinglarge clam shells found on thesites to base their timeline on.Clams are excellent candi-dates for carbon dating, Theremnants of illegal digging andtwo core samples that weredrilled years ago are alsosources of information.

When the Spanish arrivedin the 1500s the Calusa Mid-dens were the second mostpopulated Indian site in south-west Florida, second only tothe Estero Bay site. Accordingto Bear, the Indians that wereresponsible for the CalusaMiddens were descendents ofIndians living at Pineland andUseppa 1000 to 1500 yearsearlier. By analyzing artifacts,archaeologists have been ableto determine the two siteswere related.

Pottery is central to under-standing many of the Indiancultures around the US. Ar-chaeologists tell us Indians atthe Calusa Middens first useda sand-tempered pottery, thepottery was hard and func-tional, not decorative, but later,after they began to interactwith another large Indian popu-lation at Bell Glade, on themuddy shore of Lake Okee-chobee, the Calusa began touse a more decorative claypottery. Bear said the transitiontook place some time around200 or 500 AD and that by1000 AD all the Indian potteryin the region was clay and dec-orative. Pottery shards, somestill found around the Calusasites today, bear this conclu-sion out. “People lived here. Itwas a community,” Bear said.Contact CHEC at 941-575 5435

for information about next yearʼsCalusa Middens walk.

1 - The first part of the walk from the CHEC headquarters tothe Calusa Middens site was over a recently manicured, grassaccess trail. Pine, scrub oak and palmetto flanked the routewith several little ponds alongside. Eventually the trail turnedto a hard inland tidal flat that looked like it only saw water sea-sonally. Then our surroundings became wetter and the side fo-liage turned to mangroves.

2 - We entered the mangrovesacross a muddy ditch. The pathwas marked for us with occa-sional plastic streamers. Sev-eral small foot bridges took usover black swampy marshes.The elevation rose a foot or twoand the ground dried back out.“There is evidence of papaya,agave and chili peppers. The In-dians probably brought themhere from Central or SouthAmerica,” Thomas Hecker,CHECʼs CEO and a Horticulturistby trade said. There are also but-tonwood trees, which the Indi-ans used to make charcoal to cook with. Were theysmoking fish back then? Scientists arenʼt sure.

This is the Calusa Middens site, recorded for The Charlotte HarborMounds Survey, Phase II Report of Investigations, prepared byRobert Patton in 1995

The Middens Walk

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AQU ATICCAA

4 - A path circled up the left side ofthe midden. Near the top, we came

upon several very large gumbo limbotrees. There are other big gumbo

limbo trees like these on other IndianMidden sites around Charlotte Harbor.

“Archeologists don't know,” Heckertold me, “was this tree sacred?” There

is some lore that the Spanish buriedtreasure here and used the trees to

mark it. Maybe the Indians planted thegumbo limbo trees or maybe they grew

after the Indians left.

3 - We stopped under an oldoak tree to look over the map Bear

had distributed. We were at thebase of the 25 foot high midden,

but the foliage was so thick it wasimpossible to discern it in its en-

tirety. According to Hecker, a lot ofthe vegetation at the Calusa site isthe same as is found in the Florida

Keys. The tallest trees were theMastic trees which are known to

attract butterflys – and we sawseveral. “Did the Indians bring

them here, island by island, too?The seeds are too big for birds to

carry.

1 - The first part of the walk from the CHEC headquarters tothe Calusa Middens site was over a recently manicured, grassaccess trail. Pine, scrub oak and palmetto flanked the routewith several little ponds alongside. Eventually the trail turnedto a hard inland tidal flat that looked like it only saw water sea-sonally. Then our surroundings became wetter and the side fo-liage turned to mangroves.

5 - We gathered at a slight de-pression in the surface, at the top of

the midden. Bob Isaksen (left)kneeled at an area scraped by loot-ers in the past. It wasn't very deep.

Below the covering of leaves, whiteshell fragments contrasted with thebrown. What looked like it might be

a pottery shard rested on the sur-face amid the shells. “Please don't

touch anything,” Bear (center) advised.

2 - We entered the mangrovesacross a muddy ditch. The pathwas marked for us with occa-sional plastic streamers. Sev-eral small foot bridges took usover black swampy marshes.The elevation rose a foot or twoand the ground dried back out.“There is evidence of papaya,agave and chili peppers. The In-dians probably brought themhere from Central or SouthAmerica,” Thomas Hecker,CHECʼs CEO and a Horticulturistby trade said. There are also but-tonwood trees, which the Indi-ans used to make charcoal to cook with. Were theysmoking fish back then? Scientists arenʼt sure.

The Middens Walk

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By Betty StauglerWater LIFE / Sea GrantIf you’ve spent any time fishing along

shore or strolling in our parks along theshoreline, you’ve probably noticed all thegreen algae attached to the rocks and otherintertidal structure. I walked along theshoreline at Bayshore Live Oak Park andnoticed two species of filamentous greenalgae. One species was closer to the waterthan the other in what biologists refer toas resource partitioning. I suspect that theone closer to shore is probably betteradapted to being periodically exposed atlow tide. The other is probably better atcompeting in deeper water. Closest to shore I saw Enteromorpha

flexuosa. If it has a common name I don’tknow what it is. Enteromorpha means“intestine-shape,” and this algae resem-bles hollow tubes much like intestines.Enteromorpha is light green, unbranched,and only about four to five inches inlength, often shorter. It grows in clumpsor tufts at or near the low-tide line and isoften found on rocks, mangrove roots, orother woody debris. This species of algaehas a wide salinity range and can be foundin almost any shallow-water brackish ormarine environment.

The other species on the rocks wasUlva lactuca, commonly called sea let-tuce. This algae is more problematic as itis often associated with areas of high nu-trients, including polluted or recently dis-turbed areas where few organisms arefeeding on the algae. Ulva lactuca isbright green with thin, ruffled or flat,sheetlike blades (blades = leaves) thathold fast to hard substrates in intertidalzones or in shallow, quiet coves. Ulva is afast growing plant that can readily takeadvantage of high nutrients in the watermaking it a concern. However, Ulva alsohas many beneficial uses. In many coun-tries it is eaten in soups, salads, and otherdishes. It is also used as fertilizer, in cos-

metic and pharmaceutical industries, as afood supplement for poultry and livestock,for color extracts, and for energy produc-tion. It’s noteworthy that both Enteromor-

pha flexuosa and Ulva lactuca are fromthe same phyla (Chlorophyta or greenalgae) and same family (Ulvaceae). Thisfamily includes many other similar algaespecies. You might ask, why are these algae

present now? I don’t have the answer butit’s likely some combination of the rightnutrients, light levels, and temperature.Algae, like all plants, photosynthesize,meaning they convert sunlight energy andnutrients into plant material that in turn istransferred to other organisms as the plantis consumed. Marine algae and seagrassprovide food, oxygen, and protectivecover for most fish and invertebrate in-habitants. In the winter when other plantssuch as seagrasses are dormant and notreadily photosynthesizing or growing, theecological role of algae is amplified, buttoo much of a good thing, is not always agood thing. The algae attached to the rocks are

considered macroalgae (large usually at-tached algae). A key difference betweenmacroalgae and other coastal plants suchas seagrasses is in their ability to take ad-vantage of low light and high nutrientconditions. All plants require light, water,and nutrients to grow. Studies have shownthat seagrasses generally dominate in wa-

ters with low nutri-ents and high lightavailability. In con-trast, macroalgaetend to dominatewhere there is lesslight and more nutri-ents. This can makemacroalgae problem-atic in areas wherecoastal pollution is aconcern, and in par-ticular where sea-grass and macroalgaeare competing for thesame space.Studies indicate

that nitrogen is gen-erally the nutrient that

seems to control macroalgae growth ratesthroughout the year. However phosphorusalone, or at certain times of the year, bothnitrogen and phosphorus together may beimportant. To complicate this, differentspecies of macroalgae can be limited bynitrogen or by phosphorus in the same es-tuary.In recent years a few studies have been

conducted in southwest Florida estuariesand coastal waters to identify the speciesof macroalgae present and to determinewhat nutrient sources (fertilizers, sewage,etc.) macroalgae were utilizing. Ulva inparticular is fairly well studied in Floridaand elsewhere because it is hardy, station-ary, and will accumulate pollutants suchas metals, hydrocarbons, and pesticides.Consequently, analysis of Ulva tissuesprovides a means of assessing pollutantloads in coastal waters. InterestinglyCharlotte County staff recently hosted aspecial workshop which featured a well-known researcher who specializes inwater quality and using macroalgae stableradio isotope analysis to identify pollutantsources in coastal waters. I’ve read severalof his papers. This is a topic that is gain-ing attention here and elsewhere. Staytuned. Perhaps more research is in thehopper for our area.

Capt. Betty Staugler, Florida Sea GrantAgent. UF/IFAS ExtensionCharlotte County (941) 764-4346


Green AlgaeGrowing

Ulva lactuca, also known as sea lettuce Enteromorpha flexuosa


By Captain Joe AngiusWater LIFE Estero Bay The fishing in Estero Bay continues to

get better as the fish become more aggres-sive due to the rising air and water tem-peratures. Good quality bait will begin tomove closer to our passes, find their wayonto our grass flats and make the morn-ings catching bait less stressful than it hasbeen compared to last month. Along withthe warmer water and quality bait, anglerswill begin to find early signs of our tarponmigration. Early in the morning I will visitmy backwater tarpon spots and patientlywait to see any juvenile fish rolling. In themeantime, there have been plenty of op-portunities to catch redfish, snook, andtrout out on the flats and deep in the back-waters. Catching and using live bait, such as

pilchards, threadfin herring, mullet, andladyfish can always be a productivemethod for catching fish. When findingand netting live bait becomes difficult, itis always important to have a backup plan.My backup plan involves buying liveshrimp and using a variety of artificiallures. A good rule of thumb when buyinglive shrimp and you’re not sure how manyto get, is to purchase three dozen per per-son. This will ensure enough shrimpthroughout the day without worryingabout running out of bait. When it comesto choosing from an array of artificialbaits to have a successful day out on thewater, an angler must understand whatthey’re fishing for and where.When it comes to backwater fishing in

Estero Bay, there are a few lures with dif-ferent presentations that I canrely on for a hookup. Each lurethat I will present in this sectioncovers a specific water column.Fishing in each water columnwill help in locating the fish andrevealing how they are feeding. My go-to topwater plugs are

the Flats HQ Flats Walker inbrown and a Rapala Skitterwalkwith a red head and white body.The Flats Walker casts great andpresents a high-pitch “walk-the-dog” action perfect for calmmornings. To displace morewater, I will turn to the RapalaSkitterwalk which has a lower-pitch rattle; great for windy andharsh weather. The middle of the water col-

umn can present some chal-lenges, because an anglerusually doesn’t see the lure andrelies solely on sensitivity. Since

there may be grass while fishing the mid-dle of the water column I will start out byusing a Flats HQ Flats Jerkbait in whitewith a 1/8oz 3/0 Owner worm hook. Byusing the w orm hook I can fish my baitweedless allowing me to skip my lureunder the mangroves and not worry muchabout getting hung up on oysters andgrass. If the water appears to be clear, Iwill throw a Mirr-O-Lure Mirrodine. TheMirrodine is one of those lures that I havea lot of confidence in when I need to get areaction bite out of the fish.At the bottom of the water column

there are two baits that I enjoy fishing:D.O.A. Terroreyez in root beer and aGULP! Shrimp on a 1/8oz Mission Fishin’Jig Head. The D.O.A. Terroreyez is greatfor bouncing off of the bottom in reallydeep water. Typically I’ll fish this bait ineight feet to fifteen feet of water. Large fe-male snook will take a liking to this baitwhen it’s presented low-and-slow. The

GULP! Shrimp is a great bait to cast upnear oyster bars, grass flats, mud flats, anddeep holes around creek bends. This baitcan be fished at various speeds allowingan angler to cover a large range of waterat the bottom of the water column. My hope is that these small tips for

fishing can have an impact on your nextfishing adventure and experience. Re-member that fishing is an experience;good or bad. While you are out on the wa-ters of Southwest Florida enjoying your

surroundings, be sure to be a responsibleboater and abide by all of the rules andregulations that are in place. Respect otherboaters and fishermen, even when youthink that may not be respecting you. Tobe a part of Florida’s waterways andecosystem is a privilege and should not betaken for granted. Have fun fishing andgood luck.

Captain Joe Angius (727) 234-3171Speakeasyfishing.com [email protected]

Estero Bay:You Gottaʼ Havea Backup


By Capt. Charlie PhillipsWater LIFE / Everglades CityIf you had a hard time producing dur-

ing your Everglades fishing trips duringthe month of March, don’t feel bad…Idid to!! I will fill you in on a guide se-

cret, but you didn’t hear it from me. We

have hard days just like you. Heavywinds, cool waters and a rare case of redtide in our waters added to the chal-lenges we have faced this past month. This too shall and has passed and I

am happy to say that as of the middle ofthe month, things settled back down andgot back to relatively normal conditionsfor our area .... though as I write this, thelast grasp of winter is pushing thru withone more big cold front so we havesomething to remember as we move intoour warmer months.In spite of all these challenges, we

have still had some great days on thewater. I have been targeting the speckledtrout all month on the higher stages ofthe tides around the grass flats down bypavilion, the flats and deeper cuts thathave good flow around the Camp Luluand Round Key area as well as in theback in places like House Hammock andthe Chatham River. Popping corks withlive shrimp will do the trick, but don’toverlook using fish imitating hard baitsas well for some of the bigger fish in thearea. Snook fishing has really heated up the

final two weeks of the month with Ever-glades Captains reporting some trophy

catches. These fish aremoving out front as it’sgetting close to spawntime and since the waterhas heated, it’s becomefar easier to findlinesiders on the outsidepoints and bars waiting toambush bait. Live bait is always a

great option, pinfishunder a float, free linedor on a knocker rig willdo the job when you putthem in the area a snookis roaming. Also don’toverlook a big liveshrimp handpicked byMrs. Alana over at Ever-glades Bait and Tackle. When bait ishard to come by this time of year, liveshrimp can really make a difference in aquality day or not. Fished the same wayas the pinfish, you should see somegreat results.Redfish have been tough for me this

month, but have gotten a bit stronger aswe closed the month out. I have beenworking the bars and oysters around thebackwaters, sight fishing when condi-tions allowed. Bass Assassin Jigheadcombos with curly tail plastics in white,root beer and Mamas 14k gold havebeen my preferred colors. The one thing, I can’t stress enough

when using these choices is SLOWDOWN your retrieve. As I bring folkson the boat each day, it’s a commonthing to see folks not realizing just howfast they are reeling in their lures. Typi-cally, simply having them perform apass the length of the boat where theycan see the lure in relation to their han-dle turns is enough to drive home theslow down message. Try it out, and seeif it doesn’t help your catch ratio in-crease. Finally this month I had the honor of

trailering up to the Cape Coral Yacht

Club to participate in the Florida Councilfor the Blind annual fishing tournament.This is our second year taking a visionimpaired angler fishing, and folks I haveto say it’s a very challenging and ex-tremely rewarding day for us at HOPEFishing Adventures. The next timeyou’re out, close your eyes and try tocast to the mangroves, or pop a cork fortrout to get a taste of what these anglersare faced with and you quickly realizehow tough it is. But man, when they geta fish on the line the joy on their faces,as well as on mine is worth all the hardwork. My angler caught speckled trout,snook, snapper and catfish. No monsters,but I don’t think it mattered. This is anannual event that seeks volunteer boatseach year and not just captains, anyonewith a boat that wishes to offer theirdeck for a day is very welcomed andneeded. I hopewe will see you at thedock next year. April is here, the water has warmed

up nicely and I expect a great month onthe water. Get out and have some fun,I’ll talk to y ’all next month.

Capt. Charlie Phillips: 863-517-1829e-mail: [email protected]

Web: hopefishing.com

10,000 Islands / Everglades City

Cape Coral Yacht Club to participatein the Florida Council for the Blind an-nual fishing tournament.


By Mallory HerzogWater LIFE FishingOn the water, we are on the verge

of some of the best fishing months.April's warm temperatures bring thebait back and it sets fishing on fire. In the Gulf of Mexico, kingfish and

Spanish mackerel will be making acomeback as the white bait becomesheavy along the beaches. Mackerel isan easy catch right now out in theGulf. You can use live bait or lures, Ioften catch them on spoons. Somepeople enjoy eating them, I say theymake better shark bait! Mangrove snapper and lane snapper

has been an easy limit on our nearshore wrecks. Gag and red grouper oc-casionally as well. For snapper fish-ing, use 10-to 15-pound leader to a2-to 3/0 circle hook with a weight 6-to12-inches above the hook. Inshore fishing is getting better.

Around the Boca Grande/Placida areait seems to be quality over quantity.The last wintercold snap lastmonth had thefish a bit con-fused, but nowit seems theyare getting backinto the swingof spring. When you

are working theshoreline, con-vince your livebait to swimunder the mangroves and over hangingtrees. Have you ever seen a mangroveunder the water? Its an incredible mazeand a perfect habitat for your favoritecatches. What an exhilarating feeling,hooking up to a slot snook a foot deep intothe mangroves. If you keep pressure onthe fish you can usually pull them out,slow and steady. Pinfish on a jig head in the grass flats

has been irre-sistible to trout.If you find thebite to be slow,try reeling inyour bait slowly.Movement trig-gers the trout tobite on a numberof occasions, es-pecially whenusing rattling jigheads. Trout

have been eating small pinfish and shrimp.You can fish using a float to avoid yourbait burrying in the grass bed. A floathelps it swim freely above the flat, entic-ing a bite from a hungry predator below. Trout are very delicate, you can mini-

mize trauma to your fish by wetting yourhands before handling and returning it tothe water promptly. The "slime" coveringthe fish is a protective coating helping it to

fend off germs and survive. Jumbo shrimp are working

best for redfish. Somesmaller schools have been popping uphere and there. These tailing fish are eas-ily scared so step lightly. When you seeanglers wading they are trying to sneak upon their catch. You will see this more andmore as the weather gets nicer. Please becourteous and do not to wash them out

with your wake as youdrive by. Look for fish on

the drop offs of thesandbar during lowtide. If you're findingit to be a difficult bite,try cut bait to appealbetter to the fish'ssense of smell. Throwa piece of cut bait in asand hole while fish-ing or drifting the flatto catch the eye of afish moving in or outwith the tide. The next month

could bring some re-ally exciting fishing,the BIG guys – tarponand sharks – are aboutto invade BocaGrande and CharlotteHarbor. Extra earlymorning wake ups,

gorgeous sunrises, and big fish stories.I’m not sure about you, but I am lookingforward to silver flying though the air.There were reports of tarpon at Sanibeland Captiva at the beginning of thismonth. We are all watching for them.

You can contact Big Bully Outdoors Char-ters for a trip with Mallory’s husband, Capt.Andrew Herzog. Call 941-661-9880 or visit BigBullyOutdoors.com

Fishing is on the Verge

29 years experienceLicensed & Insured / Lee & Charlotte Counties

Cosmetic Repairs • Perfect Match • All boats • All SizesCosmetic Repairs • Perfect Match • All boats • All Sizes

Rob McCloskey Gel Coat Specialist 828-557-6824


By Nicole CoudalWater LIFE Delicious!This time of year,

strawberries are in peakseason in Florida and I’vebeen busy coming upwith recipes that incorpo-rate the beautiful berriesinto as many as possible!If you live near a U-Pickfarm, I highly suggestgoing because it’s notonly fun to pick them, it’salso a treat to chomp intoa fresh, pristine berry that’s been warmedby the sun. I recently picked 10 poundsof berries and have been enjoying themimmensely but, even if you can’t pickthem yourself, they're at farmer’s mar-kets and supermarkets this time of year --they’re sweet and juicy and well-priced. There are many tasty options for

berries, but I also love incorporatingthem into savory dishes to create some-thing tasty. This salsa combines sweetstrawberries, juicy mango, fresh mint,lemony basil and a little vinegar to give itsome zing. I used it to top hot, blackenedMahi Mahi and it was the perfect pairing-- the sweet, juicy berries and mango,along with a burst of mint and basilnicely complemented the tender, spicyfish. My husband said it was one of hisfavorite fish dishes, and that’s highpraise, since he’s eaten lots of fresh fish!Mahi Mahi is abundant, fast-growing,

delicious and quite beautiful, especiallywhen first caught -- it’s an amazing thingto see when it lights up in neon colors.The fish is also fun to catch because it's atough fighter and, if you find one, you’relikely to find more because it loves togather in schools. When cooked, it’s ten-der, delicate and even a little sweet. Not only was this a colorful and tasty

dish, it all came together in less than 20minutes - how great is that?!?Nicole Coudal is an avid fishing gal who hailsfrom New England but has lived in SW Floridafor 25 years. MyDeliciousBlog.com showcasesher "coastal inspired" cuisine using fresh, sea-sonal ingredients, from sea to land.

INGREDIENTS:Salsa

1 c. fresh strawberries, small dice¼ c. fresh mango, small dice

1 Tb. red onion, minced1 tsp. red chile, seeded and minced

3-4 mint leaves, thinly sliced3-4 basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 Tb. olive oil1 Tb. red wine vinegar

½ tsp. granulated sugarFish

1 lb. Mahi Mahi fillets (or other white,flaky fish) - enough for about 3 servings

1 Tb. blackening seasoning (I usedPaul Prudhommeʼs Redfish Magic)

1 Tb. unsalted butter1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:1) Combine the Salsa ingredients in a

small bowl. Cover and refrigerate about10 minutes before serving.

2) Sprinkle fillets with blackening sea-soning on both sides.

3) Heat a nonstick skillet tomedium/high. Add butter and olive oil.

When warm, carefully place fillets in skil-let. Reduce heat to medium and cook for

about 2 minutes. 4) Flip fish and cook for another

minute or so (Mahi fillets are relativelythin so they donʼt require a lot of cooking

time).5) Serve with the Salsa.

Mahi Mahi with Strawberry, Mango & Mint Salsa

$2 off any haircut!

By Bob FraserWater LIFE kayakingI strayed from my usual trout hole,

Gasparilla Sound, to fish Pine Island onSaturday. I have only fished Pine Island 5

or 6 times, so I’m still learning the area.There are some nice grass flats with “potholes” right out from the kayak launchsite. My experience in fishing Pine Island

has been catch-ing fewer troutthan GasparillaSound but largerones. In Gaspar-illa Sound, therehad been timeswhen I havetaken a couple ofclients out, andthey caught 50 or60 trout on afour hour charter,but only two orthree of themwould be keep-ers.This trip I de-

cided to go forquality instead of quantity, so my son andI went to Pine Island. We caught six troutalong with several strikes on our top waterlures without a hookup. Two of the troutwere 13-14 inches long, and the fourkeepers were 16-18 inches with plenty ofmeat on them. We caught two on a redand white Spook Jr, and the other twowere caught on shrimp under a poppingcork.

When we got to the Monument kayaklaunch site I remembered why I prefer togo there during the week. Although wegot there at 7:15 am just as it was gettinglight out, the five car parking area was al-ready filled up. After we unloaded thekayaks I had to park my truck a fewblocks away.It was a perfect day for throwing top-

water baits with calm winds and overcastskies. I had a strike on my very first cast,but no hook-up. In the past, getting astrike on the first cast has been the start ofa productive day and other times it wouldtake a few hours to get another bite.We caught four of the six trout in the

first hour of fishing. We found them intwo to three foot of water. The secondhour we caught the other two trout, thennothing in the last hour. After 3 hours offishing, we decided to call it a day. Wehad enough fish for a nice fish fry.If you go to the Monument launch to

put in your kayak be sure to bring someinsect repellent. Yesterday wasn’t toobad, but as summer approaches, the mos-quitos can be very bad in the morning.Also, wear some water shoes that don’tcome off too easily or you will lose thembecause there is a lot of muck at thelaunch site.Bob Fraser guides kayaking trips. He can bereached at 941-916-8303


KAYAKING: Pine Island Trout East Coast Fishkill

Floridaʼs east coast, around CocoaBeach, experienced a huge fish kill lastmonth. Although the exact cause has yetto be announced, warm water and an ac-cumulation of brown algae is thought tohave sucked the oxygen out of the watersuffocating the fish. Concentrations of ni-trogen in the water, possibly from fertil-izer, may have fed the algae bloom.


SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

HIGH LEVEL OF DRUGS Young salmon found in PugetSound tested positive for more than 80 different drugs, includ-ing cocaine, antidepressants and dozens of other medicationsused by humans. When researchers tested the water at andnear sewage treatment plants in the estuaries of Puget Soundnear Seattle, Washington, they discovered high levels of drugsand personal care products – at some of the highest concen-trations found anywhere in the nation.

REAL-TIME3D POSITION-ING While con-ductinghydrographic sur-vey work inQueensland, Aus-tralia, the motorlaunch HMASMermaid made abrief detour to conduct a condition assessment of the wreck ofHMAS Warrnambool. The Bathurst class minesweeper wasclearing a mine-field in the Great Barrier Reef when on Sep-tember 13, 1947 she struck a live mine and slowly sank. Afterresting on the seabed for 69 years. Mermaid inspected thewreck while testing new real-time 3D positioning systemswhich are able to search for and classify seafloor objects withincredible accuracy.

MISCHIEF REEF: Last month, a panel with expertise inmaritime law, the merchant marine, the military and foreignpolicy predicted that tensions over Chinese claims in theSouth China Seawill soon escalateover claims to Mis-chief Reef, a dis-puted feature in theSpratly Islands.About 100 Chinesefishing boats weredetected encroach-ing in Malaysia'swaters in the dis-puted South China Sea. The reported encroachment raisesconcern of China's claim to virtually the whole of the SouthChina Sea.

MASKED WEB Officers responded to a call of a subjectwearing a ski mask at the Cecil Webb WMA gun range. The of-ficers arrived at the location and made contact with a subjectwho was wearing a black ski mask and holding up a sign atthe entrance to the range. The officers talked to the subjectand informed him that it was illegal to wear a mask in publicaccording to Florida Statute 876.13. The subject removed hismask.

GULF OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION: The U.S. Bureau ofOcean Energy Management will offer approximately 45 millionacres for oil and gas exploration and development in the Gulf

of Mexico in two March lease sales. Concerns have beenraised about the use of some areas by the military and may bereconsidered. The Obama administration is reworking its planto open the southern Atlantic Coast to offshore oil explorationas it could interfere with naval exercises and missile tests.

SUB MISSING: The U.S. and South Korean militaries arereportedly keeping close tabs on the search for a North Ko-rean submarine believed to have sunk, according to South Ko-rean media.

It is believed the sub went missing while it was on “a mis-sion of some sort," South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

SUB FOUND: Niagara Falls NY: Last month, divers fromthe U.S coast guard took part in a delicate wreck recovery op-eration to bring a Nazi submarine to the surface. It was discov-ered two weeks ago at the bottom of Lake Ontario.

The U-boat was spotted for the first time by amateur scubadivers who contacted the authorities. Archaeologists associ-ated with Niagara University and master divers from the U.S

Coast Guard soon realized they were dealing with a Germansubmarine that sank during World War II.

A wreck recovery vessel refloated the sub and brought itback to Niagara Falls, where it will be restored before becom-ing a museum ship. The recovery operation took nearly 30hours to complete.

The submarine was identified as the UX-791, a unique ex-perimental German submarine, based on the U-1200 model,participated in the “Battle of the St. Lawrence”. It was reportedmissing in 1943 and was believed to have been sunk near theCanadian coast.

Archaeologists believe that the U-boat could have traveledup the St-Lawrence River, all the way to the Great Lakes,where it intended to disturb the American economy.

A report from February 1943 suggests, that the ship couldhave attacked and destroyed three cargo ships and two fishingvessels, even damaging the USS Sable (IX-81), an aircraftcarrier of the U.S. Navy that was used for training in the GreatLakes, before finally being sunk by anti-sub grenadeslaunched by a Canadian frigate.

“We have known for a long time that the Nazis had sentsome of their U-boats in the St-Lawrence River, but this is thefirst proof that they actually reached the Great Lakes,” Profes-sor Carpenter told reporters. “This could explain the mysteri-ous ship disappearances that took place in the region in 1943,and the reported “Battle of Niagara Falls” which had always

been dismissed as a collective hallucination caused by fear.” TINY BUBBLES The AID Aprima is the world's first cruise

ship equipped with theMitsubishi Air Lubrica-tion System, MitsubishiHeavy Industry's pro-prietary technology thatenhances fuel effi-ciency by forming smallair bubbles whichcover the bottom of thevessel and reduce friction between the hull and seawaterwhen sailing. MALS also reduces carbon dioxide and fuel con-sumption by approximately seven percent.

BOAT BACK A 2001 Hells Bay Waterman vessel wasstolen from a residence in Lee County in September 2015. OnDecember 12, FWC officers observed two subjects gill nettingoff Pine Island and the subjects fled, later abandoning theirvessel. The abandoned vessel contained the stolen motor andother navigation equipment from the stolen Hells Bay vessel.On March 1 the owner of the Hells Bay vessel advised officersthat the specialized poling platform from his vessel was listedfor sale on the internet. The internet seller was surreptitiouslycontacted and furnished the geographic location of the polingplatform. On March 2, Investigators observed the poling plat-form in the front yard of a Lee County residence. The investi-gation is ongoing.

HOT SHIP A ship carrying over 330 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium, enough for 50 nuclear bombs, left Japan lastmonth for the Savannah River Site nuclear in South Carolina.The material is being carried from the Japan Atomic EnergyAgency plant, by an armed British vessel Pacific Egret, oper-ated by Pacific Nuclear Transport. Pacific Egret is being ac-companied by anotherarmed vessel. The pluto-nium shipment is part ofa deal between Japanand the U.S. that wasagreed in 2014 during anuclear summit, and aimsto alleviate concernsabout Japanʼs stockpileof plutonium. Japan pos-sesses about 47 tons of plutonium, enough to make as manyas 6,000 atomic bombs.

PGI OH NO! At apresentation in PuntaGorda last month, a de-veloperʼs agent unveiledtheir plan for 400 condosa 400 room hotel, shopsand a large luxury spathey want to build on thelast remaining large par-cel in Punta Gorda Isles.The location is off Aqui Esta. Reaction was, reportedly, mixed.


By Peter WelchWater LIFE SailingThe Regatta, managed by Isles Yacht

Club, was held in two parts: small sail-boats on March 12 and large ones March19 and 20. The profit from the Regatta andother activities during the month go tosupport research to eradicate leukemia andlymphoma. Volunteers from five areasailing organizations participated inand or managed this 13th edition.

March 12 Winds from the south-east at 10-15 knots facilitated a racecourse half way between Bay Frontand CHYC where waves were moder-ate. Conditions were perfect for the 26small boats in four different fleet startsby design. The Optimist is the 7.8 footsingle person boat that most everyyoung learn to sail in and mostOlympic sailors have excelled in.These six boats were all from VeniceYouth Sailing. There is a big differ-ence in age, experience and perform-ance in this fleet, but all completed thescheduled races. J Kowacki had all 1stand L Bartlett all 2nd place finishes.All completed the four races with asmile. The next step is the 13.8 ftC420, a two place boat that has jib,main and spinnaker sails. They willplane in some conditions, and can be aticket to college scholarships. Five teams from Venice completed

3 races with first and second placeonly three points apart. The 2.4 meter(13.7 ft., single person boat) is de-signed to be adapted to and racedequally by disabled and able bodied

sailors. Ten boats withmale, female, able anddisabled completed 4races with a tie for 1stplace between local sailorDennis Peck and threetime disabled championCharles Rosenfield. The

tie breakerprocess putCharles first. The Harbor

20 class boatssailed with twoor three crew.Three raceswere com-

pleted with Tony Burkhart one pointahead of Bill Wilkinson. All racersreturned to Isles YC for awards andrefreshments.

March 19 The larger PerformanceHandicap (PHRF) boats gatherednear Harbor Mkr. No. 2. A wind-ward/leeward course was set for spin-naker boats and an Olympic stylecourse for the others. Sixteen boatscompeted. Wind velocity increased toa maximum of 24 knots and the di-rection changed nearly 90 degrees tothe southeast. The Race Committee

had to move thecourse markers threetimes to assure a fairevent. The first racewas twice aroundand the wind angleand velocity changedsignificantly in thatshort time. The sec-ond race was post-poned while the racemarks were moved.The second race wasthree times around inincreasing winds. Athunder storm wasabout to move in andracing was sus-

pended. If your dock was accessed viaPonce Inlet and you were in a small boat(me), it was a slow and wet slog into thewaves to the sound of thunder. It was anexciting and physical day on the water.And there were some great races. Knowlesand Flechsig each with a first and Knowlesthe winner by one point in spinnaker fleet.Brauer beating the larger cruising boats bythree points. McLearn second to Pou-quett’s larger boat by two points.

March 20th was the Pursuit Racewhere boats start in order of calculatedspeed potential...slowest first. This is a testof knowing how to keep out of otherswind shadows. The forecast 10 plus knotswas not maintained. Pouquett passedMcLearn (first boat to start) in a dieingwind but could not cross the finish beforethe race time limit expired. When this hap-pens there is no calculation of finish order.The PHRF Regatta results were thus basedon what happened on the 19th.

Leukemia Cup Regatta

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Photos by Fran Nasher Burstein


Charlotte HarborFrank at Fishin’ Franks941-625-3888Suddenly it’s crazy with tarpon

and king mackerel. Tarpon havebeen by Sanibel and the CaptivaRocks. Guys are just starting to hitthe 4-to 5-footers up in the Harbor.Some are resident fish, but someare transients. I had one guy uphere by the US 41bridge out catch-

ing whiting with his kids anda big tarpon free jumped 20-feet from the boat. Boy didthe kids love that. Tarpon ison! King mackerel, on a dif-ferent scope, are from 3- to 5-miles off the beach andfurther out. There seem to bea lot of kingfish around Sani-bel and Marco... and up byVenice... but not right here.The water temperature north,by Pensacola is still in the 60sso we are not going to losethem soon as if the water wasgetting too hot – the primetemperature for them is stillcoming up. Out in the Gulf, the snapper

are still unbelievable, grouper ispicking up a little and stories ofAJs, cobia and Spanish mackerelare all of increasing numbers. Asyou come into the Harbor Spanishmackerel are from Marker No. 2 byBokeelia to the 41 Bridge. Trollingfor them double up a small and alarge Storm Twitch, preferably thewhite ones. Put the large lurecloser to the boat and the smaller

one further back.That’s what they wantand they are hitting itlike crazy. Getting to tradi-

tional fish, like red-fish, they are movingback towards themangroves, when thewater is warmer they

are looking for shade. From TwoPine to Mangrove Point they areusually just inside of the bar. If youcan find white bait, that’s probablythe best – anything else you haveto put under a bobber to keep thebait 6-inches off the bottom and itdoesn’t matter what the bait is. Snook fishing on the east side is

good around the mangrove islandswhere there is a little deeper water.Around the west side, around thecreeks, it’s about a month early forthe snook migration but it’s onnow. It’s spring time and they areready to spawn. We have a widevariety of sized snook, with a lot ofoversized. Down at Bull and TurtleBay, at the entrance and in the tran-sition between Bull and Turtle,we’ve had some nice snook tooand at El JoBean where they arecoming down the river.

Capt Dave Stephenswww.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

BackBayXtremes

Fish With A Guide!Youʼll catch more fish and youʼll

learn something new, too!

Speak Easy Fishing ChartersCaptain Joe AngiusUSCG licensed & Insured

Phone: (727) [email protected]

Nine year old Katie Fisher with her very firstsheepshead. Now she's hooked!

Keith Scholle with an 85-pound AJ off an 80-foot wreck. Glen Ballinger and the grouper/snapper crew.

This ugly toad fish, some people callthem oyster crackers, came in at Venice

April April –– Predictions and SuggestionsPredictions and Suggestions

Trout fishing is still prettygood in Bull and Turtle in theopen water. Up the Harbor, outin front of Hog Island, there is adecent amount of trout. Then,halfway down the east side, byCormorant Key, trout is doingreally good too. They are nicesize there, but the numbers aremore in Bull and Turtle Bay.Anything under a bobber, live ordead, will catch trout.Cobia fishing has been good

with small white jigs, try trollingat 3 mph between AlligatorCreek and the Alligator CreekReef. Once you are out at theReef switch to a Savage Lure fortrout and troll around. The cobiaare bigger around Mkr. No. 5nice big ones and even larger offHog Island... you’re best with agold spoon over there.All in all, the temperatures

are perfect, the weather is stilliffy, but hopefully April will benicer than March. The salinity ismoderate, fish are moving in, itall looks great.

Lemon Bay - PlacidaJim at Fishermen’sEdge 941-697-7595The (Lemon) Bay snook and

redfish fishing has heated up.We have warmer water tempera-tures now and the white bait isstarting to show up. Top waterbaits and some 3- to 3.5-inchtwitch baits, the Yozuris and Ra-palas, guys are having good luckon them with those. We got sixsnook yesterday using the twitchbaits. Trout, snook and reds arepretty much gangbusters now. We

were using the Exudeplastic baits, top watersand 3D minnows.I was out Saturday

with some friends and wejumped a couple of tar-pon over by Sand FlyKey. We had a coupe blastup right in front of us.We jumped them, butdidn’t catch any. Theones we jumped yester-day were 4-to 5-footers. Theywere in there from Devil Fish tothe clam lease area. They seemedto be resting and then they’dblow up like a rocket and freakyou out! A friend had some tar-pon over in El JoBean, some 70-to 80- pounders. There have been a lot of cobia

in the Bay too, from Gasparillato the Sound. One guy caught 5on Saturday 31-, 32-inches. Theguys offshore are catching thembigger.There’s been a lot of fish on

the beach: whiting, Spanishmackerel, ladyfish, blackdrum... reports of all kinds offish coming in.

The king mackerel are start-ing to come around now too.There have been some right inBoca Grande Pass. You don’thave to go very far, they are closeinshore now and right in the Pass. Offshore it’s snapper, big

snapper and grouper. Put down achum bag and drop some shrimpdown. There are red grouper andgag grouper now.Sheepshead seem to be mov-

ing out of the Bay and going off-shore, there are still small onesbut not the numbers or the size.The bigger ones are at Novak andTrembly Reefs now. In freshwa-ter, people are catching bass, ta-lapia and alligator gar in thecanals and ponds.

Elizabeth Wong caught this 39-inch blackdrum in Charlotte Harbor. “There was anamazing school with thousands of fish in-cluding pompano and Spanish mackerel,”she wrote “Just like in Jacque Cousteau!!”


TARPON In the passes to thesouth some in the Harbor

SNOOK On the move to theGulf as the water warms up

MACKEREL in the Harbor andpasses, kings are near shore

95˚

90˚

85˚

80˚

72˚70˚68˚

50˚

45˚

FISHING FISHINGRIGHT NOW:RIGHT NOW:

OMG!OMG!

The BIG-4The BIG-4 Fish you can expect in Fish you can expect in AprilApril

COBIA following the rays inthe Harbor

Gulf Gulf TempsTemps

are low toare low tomid 70s mid 70s

The fishing isThe fishing isexploding!exploding!

Michael Collins' first legal redfish, 26-inches and 6.5-pounds, and hisfirst big snook, 36-inches and 17.5-pounds, both from Estero Bay.

Above:Charlie Burba's 14-pound "fire truck" from 110 feetof water.Right: Bruce MacNeil, retired Florida fireman and grouper.Far Right: Firemen John Goss with a big red grouper.

A unique ʻschooling fishʼ bass lure

Jerry Cain with a red grouperfrom a trip out of Venice Inlet.

John Greenfield with a nice trout

water life april 2016

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