waterlifejuly04

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WaterWater LIFELIFEKeeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed July 2004Keeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed July 2004

Kids CupKids CupStandingsStandings

EveryoneEveryoneWas SmilingWas SmilingPage 3Page 3

CouplesCouples Page 25Page 25

Fishing ReportPage 30

Redfish CupRedfish CupBehind the ScenesBehind the Scenes

Page 24Page 24

Page 7Page 7

Tommy DavisTommy DavisWins theWins the Kids CupKids Cup

Photos on pages 16-17Photos on pages 16-17

Big BeachBig BeachSnookSnook4Page 14

7.4.1776

P a g e 2 W a t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E J u l y 2 0 0 4

J u l y 2 0 0 4 W a t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 3

Commentary By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE Publisher

At last month’s Water LIFE Magazine Kids CupTournament there were a lot of smiles. Smiling is good.There were 300 people at the Kids Cup competitor’s meet-ing and dinner and it looked like they were all smiling too.

As tournament organizers and producers, my wife and Iwere smiling because after we covered all the expenses wewere able to donate $12,000 to the Don Ball fishing programfor 7th graders in Charlotte County public schools.

The kids fishing were smiling that weekend too, becauseSaturday was a great day with lots of nice fish caught. Theboat captains were smiling as well because it was a day onthe water like it was supposed to be with clear skies, calmseas, and grown ups on good behavior all day long.

We began the day at safe light with a fast-paced start thatreleased all the boats in sequence. The kids got a taste oftournament tactics right off the bat as they found out aboutbeing the first to your favorite spot.

Fishing by all reports was excellent. Even the anglerswho didn’t weigh in a legal redfish reported a great day withlots of snook and big jacks to keep them smiling.

I have heard a number of nice stories about the fishingin the Kids Cup – how anglers were on good fish and justwaved to other anglers near by and invited them to comeover and share their good fishing. How kids took turns cast-ing on a school so as not to spook them. How manatees anddolphins and even some sharks swam by.

J.B. Bradshaw told me a particularly nice story aboutRalph Jones, a local guide who had a commercial charter thatday, and who when he motored up close to J.B. was ready tofish his clients with live whitebait ... until he and his peo-ple realized the kids were in the Kids Cup and only allowedto fish with shrimp. The kids would have had to pull-anchorand leave if someone started chumming with sardines, soRalph’s party just reeled in their lines and sat by watchingthe kids fish. “They had a great time just watching for mostof the morning,” Bradshaw said.

We heard from guides we knew and we heard from guideswe never met before, about how that day everyone workedtogether. “It was like the way it is supposed to be all thetime,” one grown up observed, smiling ear to ear. “We did-n’t even see anyone running the shoreline,” he added. I canstill see that guy’s smile.

In this tournament, the kids signed up andarranged for their own boat and adult captain. Wehad over 60 commercial guides who gave up theirpersonal time to take kids out fishing on Saturday.That made lots of people smile and while the pro-fessional anglers and guides in the Redfish Cup thefollowing week had 53 out of their 125 teamsweigh in fish, we had 62 of our 102 junior anglersweigh in legal fish and we only had one oversizefish. All our fish were released alive and no fishwere required to be put in the resuscitation tank. Iffish can smile, they were smiling that day and theWatts brothers were smiling too.

Last year Greg and Brian Watts were the over-all Redfish Cup winners and this year they came totown a few days early to take two kids they hadnever met before (and two of their own kids) outfishing. Greg put Dakotah and Jackie Yard on a 32inch redfish. It was too big for the weigh in, butjust right for two oversize smiles. A number ofother Redfish Cup teams brought their families andkids to fish the Kids Cup as well. More smiles.

Far and away, it was the attitude of the kidsthemselves that made the Kids Cup successful. A

few fearsome adult nay-sayers had insinuated a competitiveevent for children was a recipe fordisappointment, trauma andtears. They knew nothing. Kids are strong resilient and inneed of fishing. Competition is what a healthy society isbased on. Grades in school are competition, competition iswhat life is all about ... but that doesn’t mean competitioncan’t be fun. Fishing is in itself competition - my fish isbigger, I caught mine first - How many fish you got? Howmany YOU got? There is nothing inherently wrong withfishing tournaments as long as we keep the money out of it.Money changes the focus for a lot of people.

Not only did our kids fish their hearts out in the KidsCup, but the top five kids and a hand full of other Kids Cup-competitors and friendshelped in the Redfish Cupas fish runners, bag han-dlers, and ice-toters. Fun,helping out, with a goodattitude. It was contagiousthat week.

Also on the list of goodthings that came with theKids Cup was the on-callinvolvement of a number oflocal guides who shuffledtheir schedules around in the last minute sothe big shots from ESPN and Oberto couldget a chance to hook a tarpon during their lim-ited visit. Imagine being a guide like RhettMorris and getting a call in the evening ask-ing you to meet someone at 9 a.m tomorrow,put them on a tarpon ... and then get themback to the tournament site by 11. Rhettmade it happen. Rhett made them smile.

Rhett is one of the young ‘old time localguides’ in Charlotte Harbor, a quiet knowl-edgeable fisherman who during the schoolyear is also one of the guides who teacheskids in the Don Ball fishing program. Comesaround, goes around. That’s what made theKids Cup so great. That’s what kept everyonesmiling.

Capt. J.B. Bradshaw ¥ Realtor

Coldwell Banker Morris Realty inc. 800634-8512

Whether itʼs theWhether itʼs theHome of Your Dreams...Home of Your Dreams... Or the Catch ofOr the Catch of

a Lifetimea Lifetime

They Were All Smiling

Above: It only took Capt. Rhett Morris 2 minutes to putESPN broadcast host Tommy Sanders on this nice tarpon,but it took Tommy over an hour to land it.Left: Dakotah and Jackie Yard with their 32 inch fish.

Tommy Davis (right) the Kids Cup Grand Champion and Tyler Breton, sec-ond place finisher, did double duty on Saturday lugging bags of icearound at the Redfish Cup tournament.

S taff ReportOn June 23, Governor Bush

signed Senate Bill 540 (SB 540)into law. The bill was sponsoredby Senator Michael S. Bennett,regarding manatee protection andis the combination of manateeprotection ideas put forth in sev-eral prior bills which were spon-sored by Representative LindsayHarrington and Senators Bennettand Bill Posey during the 2004Legislative Session. Though nota favorite with Save the ManateeClub or the uninformed ultra lib-eral local Charlotte press, SB 540will now bring science to theforefront of manatee protection.

In a letter to Secretary of StateGlenda E. Hood, Governor JebBush explained: “SB 540 isintended to provide manatee pro-tection and research by allowingthe Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission todevelop science-based policies formanatee protections.”

SB 540 implementsMeasurable Biological Goals,previously adopted by the FloridaFish & Wildlife ConservationCommission (FWCC) pursuantto Federal Statute 372.072(6),that defines manatee recovery. TheMeasurable Biological Goals willnow be used by the FWCC in

evaluating the need for additionalmanatee protection rules. SB 540further directs that the FWCCdevelop rules to define how theseMeasurable Biological Goals willbe used by the FWCC in evalua-tion of the need for additionalmanatee protection rules. In addi-tion, SB 540 provides that exist-ing state manatee protection rulesshall be given ‘great weight’ indetermining whether additionalrules are necessary in any regionwhere the Measurable BiologicalGoals have been achieved.Turning the regulatory focus onscience will, in the end, create aconcrete decision-making processthat must be based on science andnot bias or political pressures.

The recognition achievementof the Measurable BiologicalGoals does not prevent theFWCC from proposing amend-ments to existing rules, fromadopting new rules, or/and fromimplementing emergency rules toaddress risks or circumstances in aparticular area or waterbody toprotect manatees even if theMeasurable Biological Goals arebeing achieved in that region.

SB 540 is also designed toimprove the long term manateeprotection by commissioningthree Enhanced Manatee

Protection Studies.The studies are: (1) A Manatee

Habitat and Submerged AquaticVegetation Assessment to be per-formed by Mote MarineLaboratory; (2) A Signage andBoat SpeedAssessment to be per-formed by the FWCC; and (3) andImplementation of ManateeGenetic Tagging.

The language provides, Theenhanced study shall be used bythe Commission in its mission toprovide manatee with maximumprotection possible, while alsoallowing maximum recreationaluse of the state’s waterways. Thislanguage charges FWCC with theresponsibility of balancing mana-

tee protection interests with recre-ational use of the state’s water-ways.

Finally, SB 540 will authorizevessel operators to travel faster inmanatee speed zones, if the activ-ity is reasonably necessary inorder to prevent the loss of humanlife or a vessel in distress due toweather conditions or other rea-sonably unforeseen circumstancesor in order to render emergencyassistance to persons or a vesselin distress.This language represents a more

restrictive version of similar lan-guage that appears in the U.S.Marine Mammal Protection Actregulations as Section 17.105(c).


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Water LIFEMichael and Ellen Heller

Publishers(941) 766-8180

TOTALY INDE-PENDENT

Water LIFE is not affiliatedwith any newspaper or other

publication© 2004 Vol III No7 Water LIFENo part of this publication may be

copied or reproduced without the written

permission of the publishersContributing Editors:

Fishing / Environment: Capt. Ron BlagoCharlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore

Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck EichnerPort Charlotte: Fishinʼ Frank

Offshore: Capt. Steve SkevingtonTechnical Advisor: Mike Panetti

Sailing Advisor: Bill DixonCartoons: Ron MillsKayaks:Ben Turpin

on the COVER:Kids Cup winner Tommy Davis on the

ESPN Redfish Cup stage. See Page 16

on our WEBSITE:WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

Tide Graphs: For Punta Gorda, Shell Point,El Jobean, Pine Island, Matlacha, RedfishPass, and Lemon Bay.Weather: Links to all of our favorite weatherand radar web-sites.Back editions: Previous edition pages.Artificial Reefs: Lat. and Long. for 24 localartificial reefs off Charlotte, Sarasota andLee Counties.Manatee Myths: Read the original plan forsanctuaries and refuges, as laid out by theUnited Nations in 1984Links to Realtors: Connect with advertisers

WRITE US!e-mail (preferred)

[email protected] MAIL:

217 Bangsberg Rd.Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Governor signs Manatee bill into Law

CMRT

New FWC map showing the boundaries of Boca Grande Pass.Only 3 fishing lines per boat are allowed in the water in this area.

BocaPass

SPECIAL THANKS to Bruce and Barbara Laishley for their good deeds, unselfish thinkingand all the personel time and money they have donated to the Redfish Cup and to the local community – Frank


By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE Publisher

The day after the Redfish CupTournament we got up late and went for aboat ride up the Peace River. Some rain up-state had made the water higher than it hadbeen and by 10 a.m we were throwingBombers to the alligator gars upstreamfrom the trestle. It was a beautiful morning... until the cell phone rang.

It was my friend Bruce. “Have you seenthe picture?” he asked. What picture? “Thewhole deal with the redfish cup. Don’t tellme you don’t know?”

“What deal?” I asked, and he explainedthat the winning team of Eric Mannino andJoey Lara had been photographed by akayaker fishing in a No Motor Zone atDing Darling Wildlife Refuge on the finalday of the Redfish Cup ... and they wereusing their electric trolling motor. “Canthey do that?” I asked.

Mannino and Lara were familiar to mesince Eric Mannino fished with SamanthaLara in the Kids Cup and Joey Lara, Eric’spartner in the Redfish Cup was Samantha’sdad. The team they beat out was RobertMoore and Bob Boudreau, two local guideswho fished with Tommy Davis and TylerBreton in the Kids Cup. Tommy Daviswon the Kids Cup and Tyler took second.The names were all intertwined.

The rest of our peaceful morning on theriver was ruined. We tried sitting on theshore, neck deep in water, looking out overthe sawgrass on the other bank, but the cellphone rang. We headed down river slalom-ing through the crab pots and the phonerang again, and then again.

I went home and looked at the pictureson the internet, and then looked up the J.N.Ding Darling information on the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service website. “Paddle orpole only in the no motor zone,” the textclearly said. An accompanying map on thewebsite showed the NMZ.

There had been a GPS on the camera

boat that followed Mannino and Lara thatday and I found out it was turned on.

We got access to the camera boat andreceived permission to download the GPStrack onto my own handheld GPS. Thenwe trailered a boat down to the MonroeCanal Marina on Pine Island where welaunched and motored across the sound toDing Darling.

We navigated to the track on my GPSand began to follow it like a video game.

Fifty yards off the shore the trackpassed a buoy marked Manatee Zone, anidle area. Then at the shore line we passedbig signs posted by the city extending theidle area and prohibiting personal watercraftfrom entry. The shoreline in this area is allunspoiled mangrove islands with no devel-opment in sight.

We idled on in, through the islands,retracing Mannino and Lara’s path, andthrowing a lure retracing the fishing theydid just because we could. We had no luck.

We came within 20 feet of signs alongalong the course that said: No MotorizedBoating Beyond This Point, but no signsidentifying the area as a Federal Park. I heldthe GPS against one sign and made a pic-ture showing the track and where we were,then we moved ahead following the course.

We followed the line to the approximatepoint where the picture on the internetlooked to have been taken and then made apicture of our own from that same area.Then we headed back. On the way out weasked a local guide who we encountered onthe water about the NMZ. “We use electricmotors in there all the time,” he said.

The authority to regulate use of thewaters within the J N Ding Darling FederalWildlife Refuge stems from the dedicationof the submerged lands within the refugeboundaries. The submerged lands weretransferred from the Board of Trustees of theInternal Improvement Trust Fund of theState of Florida to the U.S. FederalGovernment when the Refuge was estab-

lished. The federalgovernment henceowns all submergedlands within the refugeboundaries in fee title.

Development of theNo Motor Zone wasbased on the authoritygranted through theFederal Refuge Administration Act for theprotection of wildlife species and habitat.

But a long time flats boat fisherman whofishes Ding Darling told us he also uses anelectric trolling motor in the No MotorZone all the time. He said eight years agothe previous park ranger had spoken beforethe Lee County Guides Association and toldthem trolling motors were permissible inthe NMZ. Mannino and Lara maintainedthat if they were in the NMZ they werewrong and that it was an accidental entry,but the camera boat driver, a local boy whovolunteered for the job, had reportedly saidwhen they came to the signs Mannino toldhim it was OK to proceed on the electrictrolling motor, that it was a no combustionmotor zone.

Opinions took sides between those whosay the law is the law and those who say:the law is not clear and to start enforcing itnow would be discriminatory.

Tournament officials immediately askedthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stepin and decide, while at the same time theytook the picture of the Mannino and Larateam holding the trophy down off theRedfish Cup website and replaced it withthe Kids Cup winner, Tommy Davis hold-ing his redfish.

A week later, facing mounting pressure,Mannino and Lara announced they werewithdrawing their fish from the competi-tion. Then they were disquallified for alsorunning their boat on plane in a manateezone. Moore and Boudreau were declared theofficial winners. They received the $25,00first place money and their new tournamentpoints standing now puts them in a tie for6th place overall. On September 3 the top25 teams will compete for the Oh Boy!Oberto Redfish Cup in Titusville.

NMZ

Observation Towerseen in both photos

SignPhotoMadeHere

This map is distributed at the Ding Darling Refuge. We inserted the text.

Tower PhotoMade Here

Mannino & Lara Internet Photo

What Happened?


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Place Angler # Time in Weight Junior Angler Boat Captain1 97 3:07 6.95 Samantha Lara Eric Mannino2 39 12:30 6.92 Tommy Davis Robert Boudreau3 65 2:07 6.67 Ryan Kays J R Witt4 28 11:33 6.65 Cody Bollinger Andrew Medina5 55 2:34 6.59 Tyler Breton Robert Moore6 83 2:33 6.48 Alyssa Latham Dan Latham7 80 1:23 6.47 Matthew Davis Brian Kerrigan8 19 2:26 6.43 Drew Rossi Blake Beerbower9 92 1:23 6.38 Zack Lee Brian Kerrigan10 52 2:47 6.38 Ricky Stewart J. B. Bradshaw11 56 2:29 6.28 Taylor Lugiewicz Mike Mahan12 20 1:04 6.25 Joshua Mecke Roger Harris13 101 12:48 6.09 Jordan Davis Robert Davis14 9 10:52 5.84 Raymond D Killian Douglas Killian15 93 12:48 5.70 Leighton J Powers Ray Powers16 62 3:12 5.50 Trey Ware David Stevens17 34 2:36 5.34 Justin Cauffman Ron Cauffman18 78 2:19 5.23 Crosland Polk Bruce Laishley19 3 1:09 5.08 Jared Shackelford Dwayne Shackelford20 15 2:40 5.05 Lucas Rodgers Burch J. Lyn Bevis21 32 2:15 4.81 Jammie Leibman Evan Leibman22 85 1:53 4.76 Eric Edward White Bill White23 30 11:53 4.68 Logan Totten Jeff Totten24 91 1:35 4.44 Bobby Helphenstine Mark “Gritter” Griffen25 1 2:49 4.41 Ethan John Young Darel Carter26 2 2:38 4.34 Brandon Tanksley Joe Tanksley JR27 4 2:59 4.29 Shane Wumkes Dave Wumkes28 40 1:16 4.09 Zachary Granger Fred Granger29 69 10:44 4.09 Justin Hudec Charles Hudec30 84 2:39 3.86 Dalton Smith Brad Opsahl31 87 2:04 3.47 Matt DeGaeta Ray Steck32 11 1:42 3.44 Chris Jones Gary Graef33 71 1:55 3.28 Patrick “Cody” Shea Cory Nydeggar34 90 1:59 3.26 Tyler Helphenstine Jarrett Lombard35 35 3:01 3.24 Ricky P Lundgren III Fred Winters36 31 12:54 3.19 Andrew Laugois Philip Laugois37 33 2:58 3.16 Dan Lichtenstein Don Mull Jr38 14 2:40 3.10 Lance Destry Burch J. Lyn Bevis39 77 2:45 2.97 Jayda Barton Charlie Barton40 43 1:33 2.91 Dillon Fitzgerald Michael Vasher41 25 1:46 2.90 Calvin Kujath James Willis42 66 1:43 2.88 Matthew A Kunstman Ronald A Kunstman43 44 2:49 2.87 Johnathan Reid Darel Carter44 46 2:55 2.87 Eric Fontaime Mark Peters45 99 3:05 2.85 Trevor Richards Pryce s Richards46 10 2:25 2.82 Mark Pellman, Jr Geoff Page47 68 12:03 2.72 West Doyon John Wildeman48 63 2:10 2.68 Gil Lee Sanford Mike Blaschum49 86 1:51 2.64 Jessie Daughtry Bobbi Daughtry50 88 2:25 2.62 J C Gill Ron Houston51 70 2:23 2.51 Joshua Jansch Mark Jansch

Place Angler # Time in Weight Junior Angler Boat Captain52 37 3:09 2.44 Travis Riggs Don Riggs53 53 2:17 2.38 Tyler Pastornicky Darryn Mc Gowan54 79 2:19 2.38 Emory Polk Bruce Laishley55 41 2:51 2.37 Jordan Holmes Chuck Eiehner56 45 2:55 2.29 John R Sturm Mark Peters57 24 1:39 2.28 Sammy Grasland J Grasland58 76 2:45 2.20 Cody Lee Barton Charlie Barton59 13 1:25 2.10 Cole Calhoun Bob DiMuzio60 29 3:02 2.05 Kelli McKenzie Gary McKenzie61 72 1:55 2.01 Mitchell Wallace Cory Nydeggar62 5 1:48 1.49 Andreau Audet Michael Audet

6 Cody Bailey Jimmy Fry7 Michael McCafferty RoseMaire McCafferty8 Nikki Hannon Tim Johnson12 Shalley Graef Gary Graef16 Justin Beverly Joel S Beverly17 Elissa Allen Joshua Smith18 Mike Daughtrey Jr Terry Brantley21 Bryan Greenberg Joel S Beverly22 Brandon Parks Jeff Parks23 Jordan Ingman Jeff Parks26 Joey C Gilcher Jeremy Fowler27 Jeffrey J Gilcher Jeremy Fowler36 Colton Kirkpatrick Don Riggs38 Chase Jemison Shawn Jemison42 Bryan Watts Bryan Watts47 Weston Del Rio William Del Rio48 Bryce Del Rio Jerry Adams49 Tyler Cooper Larry Cooper50 Tyler Retino Steve Retino51 Bryan Hilgar Jim Crawford54 Jake T Smith C A Richardson57 Dakotah Yard Greg Watts58 Jacklynne Yard Greg Watts59 Tyler Hamilton Jamie Allen60 Sara Hamilton Jamie Allen61 Michael Spaniol Brian Ziegler64 M. Zachary Johnson J R Witt67 Jeremy Jansch Kevin Jansch73 James Daughtry Robert Barham74 Zack Sandrock Michael Jemison75 Danielle M Mull Don Mull Jr81 Jilliane Tartaglia Paul Crecco82 Anthony Tartaglia Paul Crecco89 Trey Llewellyn Jarrett Lombard94 Nicholas La Badie Richy Edwards95 Brandon M Dignam Richy Edwards96 Tyler Lewis Alex Suescum98 Corey Rommel Rose McCafferty100 Jacob Jordan Chuck Howard102 Cody L Moran Joshua Smith

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In the Top 5 Shootout SamanthaLara finished fifth with a 2.75 poundredfish,. She was fishing with Capt.Steve Reupke. Samantha, age 13,is from Robstown Texas. Sheweighed in a 6.95 pound redfish totake first place in the preliminaryKids Cup event. Samantha is an 8thgrader at Callallen middle school,she has been fishing for 3 yrs andher favorite species is redfish. Hercaptain in the Kids Cup was EricMannino.

In the Top 5 Shootout Ryan Kaysplaced third, weighing in 2.85pound redfish caught fishing withCapt. Gary McKenzie. Ryan is12 years old and from Sarasota.In the preliminary Kids Cup eventhe weighed in a 6.67 pound red-fish for a third place win. He is a6th grader at Suncoast MiddleSchool and has been fishing for 8yrs, His favorite species: redfish,snook, trout, and cobia,. RyanʼsKids Cup Capt. was J.R. Witt

In the Top 5 Shootout CodyBollinger finished fourth, with a2.79 pound redfish caught fishingwith Capt. Derrick Jacobsen.Cody, age 11, caught a 6.65pound redfish to take third placein the preliminary Kids Cupevent.. Cody is a 5th grader atMeadow Park school, and hasbeen fishing for 7 years, hisfavorite species are snook andredfish, Codyʼs Kids Cup Captwas Andrew Medina

In the Top 5 Shootout secondPlace went to Tyler Breton, age15. with a 4.97 pound redfishcaught fishing with Capt. MikeMahan. Tylerʼs hometown is PortCharlotte. He is an 8th grader atPort Charlotte Middle School.Tyler weighed in a 6.59 poundredfish to take fifth place in thepreliminary Kids Cup event. Hisfavorite species are: tarpon andredfish, Tylerʼs Kids Cup Capt.was Robert Moore.

In the Kids Cup Top 5 Shootout, first place went toTOMMY DAVIS, age 14, from Port Charlotte. Tommy is an8th grader at Port Charlotte Middle School, Tommy won theTop Five Shootout with a 6.5 pound redfish caught whilefishing with Capt. Rick Francois.

Tommy Davis, took a second place in the preliminaryKids Cup event, weighing in a 6.93 pound redfish. Tommyhas been fishing for 11 years, and says his favorite speciesis cobia. Tommyʼs Kids Cup captain was Robert Boudreau.This win will allow Tommy to fish in the 2005 IGFA JuniorAngler World Championships at Key West.


On Stage at the Redfish Cup

ESPN commentator Fish Fishburnpokes a little fun at Captʼs BobBoudreau (left) and Robert Moorewhile Tournament Director BobSealy weighs in their fish.Meanwhile, in the production trailerbehind the stage, the crew works tosort out the different video feeds forthe big screen Jumbotron.

Bumpy FlightS taff Report

The 2004 Punta Gordaleg of the Redfish Cup isfinally in the record booksand Captains Bob Boudreauand Robert Moore are thechampions. The Punta Gordateam of Moore and Boudreaufish under the sponsorship ofForelands at CharlotteHarbor, Action Craft Boats,Laishley Marine and MercuryMarine.The team’s flight to the top

at Punta Gorda was not withoutturbulence. On the first day,

right out of the box, their motor quit.They switched boats and went on,weighing in two fish on Friday for arespectable 12.4 pounds, thenSaturday they only weighed in 7.33pounds for a 19.73 pound total. Therewere several teams ahead of them, andthe numbers were very close. Thenthere was a simple mathematicalerror. For a time it looked like Mooreand Boudreau were out of the runningfor Sunday’s Top 5. Still they wereupbeat and professional.

“We want to thank Punta Gorda for all the sup-port they have shown us, we want to thank ....”They were gentlemen all the way, content withwhat they thought was a respectable 6th place fin-ish. Then the announcer called the top five teamsto come up on stage and Moore and Boudreau’snames were on the list. “I thought I was dream-ing,” Moore later said. The error had been caughtand by 3/100 of a pound they were in the top 5.Then came Sunday and Moore and Boudreau

weighed in a light 7.67 pounds.But the next two competitors, Greg and BillDeVault had no fish and then Dennis Martinand Ken Chambers also had no fish.Then came Geoffrey Page and Ed Zyak

with minimal fish that weighed in at 6.82pounds. Then came Eric Mannino and JoeyLara who weighed in two nice fish for 11.07pounds. It looked like a second place finishfor Moore and Boudreau, but then more tur-bulence.Mannino and Lara were disquallified for

speeding in a manatee zone. Moore andBoudreau became the winners. The PuntaGorda leg of the Redfish Cup will be airedon ESPN2 on August 28.


Goeff Page hustles his fish to the measur-ing tent. The fish are weighed oin stage.

New this Year to the Redfish Cup was theJumbotron TV that projected video and stand-ings. Thatʼs Tommy and Tyler on screen here.

Community turn out is what made the Punta Gorda Redfish Cup successful.

Capts. Bob Boudreau (left) and Robert Moore were declaredwinners, and now thay are smiling all the way to the bank.

This camera man followed the anglers on the final dayadding to the high-stakes pressure for the DeVault team

S taff ReportThe thermostats on an outboard func-

tion like those on a car. A predeterminedtemperature in the cooling system causesthe thermostat to open or close. In 2-stroke outboards that’s around 140-degrees.The right temperature is important for fuelvaporization, resultant emissions, and weartolerances within the motor.On the closed cooling systems found in

automobiles the thermostat works in anti-freeze. Thermostats last a long time incars. On outboards, thermostats are con-stantly subjected to the exchanged waterfrom the outside environment. It is usual-ly coarse material in the water that posesproblems for a thermostat. River mud orsoft bottom circulated through the out-board cooling system are not nearly asdamaging as beach sand loaded with hardshell fragments. Hard shells or even hardsalt crystals from within the engine are theculprits that most often make a thermostatstick. Usually a thermostat will stick‘open’ and the motor will run too cool.When they stick ‘closed’ the motor couldoverheat.

Flushing your motor with fresh waterat the end of the day is a good idea, butflushing with cold water, especially whenthe motor has been shut down, will closeyour thermostats and the flush will onlybe a partial one. Always flush a motorrunning at operating temperature.On our 6-cylinder two-stroke Mercury

outboard, the thermostats are at the top ofboth cylinder banks and are held in placewith two small bolts.In the photo above, a 100 hour-old

thermostat is being removed. The replace-ment, available locally from dealers andafter market sources like Laishley andWest Marine, are sold in packages of two;ours cost under $20. Each thermostatcomes with its own rubber gasket and, ifthere is no corrosion and the bolts comeout easily, (and that’s a BIG ‘if’) ... itonly takes about 15 minutes to changethem. Routine service at 100 hour inter-vals should include a thermostat change.

P a g e 1 0 W a t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E J u l y 2 0 0 4

Anglerʼs Dream see page 13

THERMOSTATS

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FISH X S

FISH MOUNTS MARINE ART

This year fishing has been great, but it has also provenit is better to be lucky than good.My luck has finally turned. What a great week. Frank

III, flew in from Milwaukee (what? you didn’t know aboutmy son, Frank III?) where he is studying to be an artteacher. Bet you wouldn’t have guessed that either, ArtistFrank, ... eh? His second day in town Frank III agreed tohelp me on a charter, the clients (or victims!) were BruceBagge and his friend Jeff from the U.K.We left the dock at 5:15 a.m. to go out and catch bait. I

had already got shrimp the night before, but one day shrimpis king, the next day bait fish rule, go figure. We stopped atthe 41 bridge, threw the net – and nothing. Then I threw ateach marker. Finally seeing bait on the fish-finder near thesouthwest marker of the rubber tire reef, we anchored andstarted to chum a mixture of dry chum, menhaden oil andcat food. Chumming took 20 minutes, but by 7 a.m. wehad plenty of bait and were cleaning the boat trying to getthe 30 pounds of jelly fish, seaweeds, and other stuff out.

Heading to Ponce Park, Frank and I picked up Bruce andJeff. If you are wondering what they look like, over thecash register at Fishin’ Franks there is a picture of them,holding a stringer of fish from a trip last winter – 20 or sofish some almost 3 inches long! Yeah, catching was notgood that day. However, better people to spend the dayfishin’ with, or a bigger pair of jokesters, you will notmeet. Just look at the photo.

First thing on the agenda was sharks, so we dropped thehook between Marker No. 2 and Marker No. 1, a longtime favorite spot. Got the chum slick going, put out thesardines and then we traded jokes as nothing bit or hit. Sowe sat there waiting for the tide to turn.

The tide was low at 8:30 a.m. and at 8:45 we packed upand headed for Hog Island and what I was sure would be agreat morning of catching redfish.

On the south end of Hog Island there is a creek and at

the first bend of the creek in the deeper hole, redfish some-times hang out waiting for food to wash in.

Bruce, Jeff, and Frank III all started casting, freeliningshrimp along the edge as the tide started picking up. I addeda #7 split shot to their lines and the hits started. Re-hook-ing shrimp and trying to get a hook-set was hard to do withthe tide coming in faster and the lines drifting into eachother. I put Jeff in the bow to cast along the far side of thebend with a free lined bait andWham! the battle was on. A30-inch snook was showing off his best jumps and headthrashing abilities. Finally we landed that fish, got picturesand got on with the fishing. Bruce cast into the bend andfish on fish off. the Zen thing about it is you pull, hepulls, who ever pulls the hardest wins. In this case the fishwon.

All split shots are off the lines now, and Frank castsagainst the bank. Snook on! Seven pounds of why Floridais the fishing capital of the U.S., fighting its way to theboat. Pictures and a release then back to the fishing.For the next hour and a half we had doubles and triples.

The only reason we did not have steady triples was I couldnot rig the lines fast enough.

At one point Frank hooked up and the line startedscreaming, then within seconds Jeff hooked up and a hugesnook reared its head, thrashing water. Frank’s fish does aflip out of the water. It’s a real monster. He lands a 35inch 9 1/2 pounder. With the fish in the boat, Jeff gets histo the boat and it’s 10 1/2 pounds and 36 inches. Aftergetting pictures, exchanging hand shakes and then revivingthe fish and the anglers both we get back in action.The bottom is littered with oyster clumps, branches, and

sticks covered with barnacles. The shore is lined with man-grove roots, all designed to cut lines, and test the anglers’ability. Narrow water to fight fish this size.

Frank casts to the shore and wham !! He hooks up. Thefish runs the shore back into a cut in the trees. Frank low-

ered his rod tip so the line would not tangle in the branchesand kept steady pressure on the fish until it turned and cameout of the trees on a line-drive-run up the middle, headingfor the mouth of the creek. Tip high and pumping the rodhe got him turned. The fish ran back at the boat, thenaround the back of the boat and to the bow and back to thestern. Finally a yellow flash and a big jack crevalle wasgetting his picture taken with a tired Fishin’ Frank III. Justback from a year de-fusing roadside bombs in Iraq, Frank IIIwasn’t giving in to a fight with a fish!

Fishinʼ with the Missinʼ Fishinʼ Frank

Fishinʼ Frank III and Jeff, with two snook (and no hats).How long before Frank III cuts the sleeves off his shirt?

On The Line WithCapt RonFishing is great.

Boca Grande tarponfishing is the best itsbeen the last few year.A lot of big tarpon arebeing hooked. Fishingoff the beach for tar-pon is pretty good aslong as the wind isslight or coming fromthe east. Being on thewater at first light is amust for beach fish-ing. Crabs, largeshrimp or sardines arethe bait of choice.Trout fishing in

Lemon Bay is at itspeek right now. Everypot hole in grass bedsseems to be hiding atleast a few 20 inchplus trout. This is agreat time to just driftover the flats witheither a jig or a spoon.I found the sunken

hull of a small woodenboat in about six footof water that was cov-ered with mangrove snapper andsmall grouper. I had fished this flat ahundred times over the years andnever saw it before, but now that thewater in Lemon Bay is more clearthe wreak sticks right out. Othershave told me about similar sunkenboats throughout Lemon Bay. I haveseen pictures of legal size groupercaught off these wrecks. Rememberit doesn’t take much structure to holdfish.Redfish action is pretty steady. I

bet not one of the over 200 redfishpros stopped to wet a line in LemonBay during the last tournament. Theirloss. I’ve caught a number of 26inch plus redfish the last few weeks

under my regular docks. These fishare so used to boat traffic you can’tspook them.Fishing on the beach from shore

has been productive for snook andpompano. Early morning is the besttime to be there. If you want someaction, head off shore a few miles.It’s easy to spot schools of Spanishmackerel and bonito. Catching thesefish on light tackle is a real thrill.Another fun thing to try this time ofyear is night fishing off shore. Anumber of head boats and charter cap-tains are offering night time snappertrips around the time of the fullmoon. It’s a great way to catch somenice fish and stay cool.

Special congratulationsgo to Mike and Ellen Heller ,the owners -operators ofWater LIFE for the great jobthey did in organizing andrunning the Oberto RedfishKids Cup Tournament. Whata great event. Top notch, firstclass, super good time.They’re already planning nextyear’s event. I have to say afew words about the Oh Boy!Oberto Redfish Cup ProTournament. It’s the talk ofthe town among the fishingcommunity. The team ofMannino and Lara made sev-eral mistakes and it cost them$25,000. Now it’s time tomove on. Congratulations toMoore and Boudreau (localguys) who moved into firstplace. To Geoff Page and hispartner Ed Zyad, who movedinto second place - any dayyou wake up and find youmade 10 grand sleeping is agood day indeed. Since thetournament left close to$500,000 here in CharlotteCounty. Lets hope they allcome back to Punta Gorda

next year.

J u l y 2 0 0 4 W a t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 1 3

On the Line Fishing with Capt. Ron Blago

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Night Trips on Fridaysand on the Full Moons

By Capt Robert Moore“Hey, what are you

doing tonight?” The con-versation started betweenCapt. Mike Mahan andmyself. His tone was seri-ous and matter of fact. Ireplied that I had nothingplanned as of yet and askedwhy. “Tonight is the night”he says. Mike continuedon, explaining to me in avery scientific tone thattonight was the perfectnight for me to finallycatch a monster snook. Iwished I would have record-ed the call so I could repeatword for word his reason-ing on why the ‘monstersnook’ of SouthwestFlorida would be feeding,but all I really remember isoutgoing tide, moon phase,and major feed. What hedidn’t know is that hecould have stopped atcatching a monster snookand I was in.This story really begins

when Mike and I were shar-ing fishing stories lastMay while in Texas fishing

the Redfish Cup and I accidentally blurtedout that I personally have never landed aSnook over 20lbs. I remember the disbeliefon his face when I said it. “Never” heasked? My face turned red and I humblyreplied ‘never’. The largest snook I hadlanded was 16 pounds, that was severalyears back in a local tournament. Mikegrinned ear to ear and sarcastically told mehis mission in life was to change that. Iwished him the best of luck for I just seemto have a curse that forbids me to land a20-plus pound snook. As we pulled out of his driveway last

week I asked where we were going. Heinformed me Boca Grande was our destina-tion. On the drive out I picked away at

Mike’s mind on how we were going to befishing. Although I was somewhat tiredfrom the Tarpon trip I had done earlier inthe day I found myself re-energized by thetime we reached the toll to Boca Grande.We pulled into the public beach parking lotand proceeded to walk north up the beach.The wind was out of the west and blowinginto our face. As we got further and furtherfrom the lighthouse it got darker and darker.We reached an area that Mike referred to asthe Honey Hole. All I could see when Ilooked out into the surf was several pil-ings. Mike set his tackle down and grabbedhis rod and into the water he went. I fol-lowed and was amazed just how warm thewater was. No shock what so ever. It wasactually warmer in the water than out.Mike was already casting out and hookedup before I could even get the treble hookoff the eye of my rod. “I told you, they’refeeding tonight”. Mike landed about a 10-pound snook and seemed disappointed. Heexplained sometimes you have to weedthrough the smaller fish to get to the bigones. Smaller fish to me are 4-5 poundfish, not 10-plus pound fish.

The grass was very thick alongthe beach and made it difficult for us towork our plugs without getting all snaggedup. What I do know was that when you didmake a cast and got no grass on your plugas you retrieved it in, the snook wouldexplode on it. If one piece of grass got onyour plug, forget it, no hits. Over the nexthour Mike I proceeded to catch a Snookevery 10 minutes or so ranging from 5l-pounds to 15-pounds and got broke threetimes. Mike finally hooked something thatdidnít give. I heard him grunting when hesaid that this was a good one. Hell, I hadbeen catching good ones all night; I couldhardly wait to see what he considered agood one. Well that snook was a good oneall right, weighed in at 25 pounds. Afterseveral pictures Mike released her back intothe dark and said it was my turn. About tenminutes later I hooked something that did-n’t feel like the normal hit.


and it wasabout time

I Was Ready

Above: Capt. Mike Mahan. Facing page Top: Randy Pierson, Bottom: Capt. Rob Moore.

Continued on Facing Page

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The fish ran hard and fast trying toget back to the safety of the pilings.After a 5 minute battle I brought a 21pound snook to the beach. As Miketook several pictures I could feel myface beginning to hurt from the ear toear grin. When I released the fishMike calmly commented that the nextmission was for me to make the 30lbclub. I replied not tonight but I dolook forward to accomplishing thatone soon. As for the bait we were using, a 6-inch

Rebel Windcheater Minnow (silver side,black back). Honestly though, we threw avariety of different baits and got the samenumber of hits. When they are feedingthey pretty much will inhale anything youthrow at them. Our tackle consisted of theQuantum Boca 60 with 50lb Power ProBraided Line on an 8 foot Cabo mediumheavy rod, a perfect combination for fish-

ing in heavy cover.It took me 34 years to break the 20-

pound mark on snook and honestly it waswell worth the wait. Many thanks toCapt. Mike Mahan for his determinationand hard work in getting me there.

You can reach Capt. Robert Moore forinformation or to book a charter fishingtrip at (941) 637-5710 or (941) 628-2650.or via e-mail at [email protected]

Capt. Mike Mahan: 628-0694


By Capt. S teve SkevingtonWater LIFE Offshore ContributorAs an offshore guide, there’s a certain

amount of pressure in producing fish. Itseems like every time the boat is untied,there’s a whole new list of demands to tryand fill. And that’s fine, because it’s allpart of the job.If your wondering why I would bring

all of this up, it’s because all thru bothJune and hopefully July, these demandshave been easy to fulfill. The fishing hasbeen so great. It reminds me day in andday out of why I do this for a living.

Early in June I had a pretty hardorder to fill as a group of gentlemen char-tered the boat and proceeded to tell me howthey had chartered boats all over the worldfor a chance at hooking a permit. I told them it was a little late in the

year for these fish, so I couldn’t promiseanything, but I promised to try. Our trip down Charlotte Harbor provid-

ed me the perfect opportunity to talk theminto half a day of grouper digging, and ahalf day of permit hunting. Having been disappointed in past per-

mit trips with other boats, hunting permitall day and getting skunked, they agreed tosome bottom fishing without any persuad-ing at all.

With a livewell packed full with smalllive pinfish and pass crabs, we headed off-shore to better than 70 feet of water.We dropped the pinfish down on 5/0

live-bait hooks and 60-pound mono leadersdrifting over one hard bottom spot afteranother. It didn’t take long to box up ahalf a dozen keeper sized Red grouper. With the first half of our day behind us,

we headed for my favorite permit spot.Flatlining live silver-dollar-sized crabs on20-pound fluorocarbon leader produced 8hook-ups with some big permit in our lastfew hours of fishing – and it produced afew very happy customers. That’s howfishing has been all month long; one goodstory after another. With any luck at all, it will continue

through July. I’m anticipating big catchesof amberjack, barracuda, red and gaggrouper, lane and mangrove snapper, and ifyour fishing deep, don’t be surprised tosee mahi mahi around your boat. Thistime of year there really is very little onecan do wrong other than not go fishing atall. Captain Steve Skevington Kingfisher Fleet, Fishermen’s Village.Punta Gorda (941) 639-2628

Offshore ReportAn InterestingObservation

aboutBig Snook

This time of year big snook are found along the beaches preparing tospawn. Randy Pearson is holding one caught off Boca Grande in late June.These fish are the ʻHens, ̓the egg layers, and there might be a specific peck-ing order these fish use for shade in the daytime.

Perhaps in order to have shade, the fish have been observed in pyramidshaped schools along the beach, with the hens on the bottom and the pro-gressively smaller fish swimming in layers above. On the top layer are thesmaller male fish, usually two small males rotate positions at the top. Suchunderwater ʻstructure ̓ provides shade for the hens and since these fish willbreak up and scatter by evening and different fish will group up the followingday, the procedure could alsohelp genetic variation in the spawn. This couldalso explain why we catch so many small snook when casting along thebeach.

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I Was Ready


TheThe KIDS CUPKIDS CUP TournamentTournament

Tommy Davis with the winning fish on the lineThe Competitorʼs Meeting dinner served 300

Many kids learned how to handle and release fish properly.

Left: First round winner Samantha Larawith the biggest legal fish of the event.Above: Jordan Holmes and Capt Chuck Eichner had to release this oversizered. Right: Bruce Laishley with Emory Polk and his fish at the weigh in.

It was a beautiful day and the fishing was awesome in Bull BayAbove: The morning

start was at first light.Boats were released in

the order they signedup in.

Right: A team ofanglers works the

bushes looking forthat one big redfish

near Pirate Harbor

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3566 Tripoli - Brand sparkling new home built by DaleR. Baker Construction. Home is simply magnificentthroughout. 3 BR/3 BA w/over 2,700 sq. ft. of livingarea. Fabulous great room overlooking the pool. Manyunique ceiling treatments, gourmet kitchen, ceramic tile,carefree closets & a 3-car garage. Great opportunity topurchase a brand new home . MLS # 432602 $829,000

R i c h N o v a kR i c h N o v a kS p o r t s m a n s h i pS p o r t s m a n s h i p

A w a r dA w a r d

We are proud to present the first RichNovak Sportsmanship Award to ten-yearold Cody Bollinger. Cody stood upto the big guys, wore the shirts and hatswe gave him (even though they weremuch too big) and always had a smileon his face. Cody fished his way into thetop 5, helping other kids and sharingfishing spots along the way. Codyworked as a fish runner and bag handlerin the big Redfish Cup and through it allhe was a first-class gentleman and apleasure to be around at all times.We congratulate Cody and his parentsfor their family spirit and sportsmanship.

Left: The top 5kids wait in themeasuring tentbefore goingup on stage

Above and Right:With 102 anglers,the activity at the

weigh-in dockwas intense.

Above: Careful fish handlingresulted in no dead fish and inthe end all the fish releasedswam away.Right: J. Lyn Bevis with Lucas and Lance Birch

ESPN com-mentator FishFishburn didinterviews onstage with allthe kids.T h a t ʼ sS a m a n t h aLara (above)and TylerB r e t o n(below).

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Just a Few More Thank–Yous

By Michael Hel lerKids Cup Tournament DirectorThe Kids Cup has come and gone, but the stories of

support and contribution to The Don Ball School offishing continue.Because of deadline restrictions the information in the

Kids Cup program was printed in late May. Competitorsnot entered by that date and sponsors not signed up bythen missed out on being included in the program, butthat didn’t stop them from coming on board anyway. Ontournament day we had 102 kids signed up to compete inthe Kids Cup. One was out of town on a family emer-gency and one had a little league championship gamethat day but all the others went out fishing.On the night of the dinner, our friend Charlie from

Discount Tackle walked in and then ran back out to hiscar to bring us 5 nice 5-bearing Okuma reels. Thosereels along with a last minute donation of X-tool’s de-hookers, pliers and a brand new $90 digital scale becameprizes for the 6th through 10th place competitors the fol-lowing day. At the Competitor’s Meeting we announced that the

money from tournament entry fees will pay for nextyear’s operating expenses at The Don Ball School ofFishing, which is an extra curricular program inCharlotte County’s middle schools for 7th graders. Two days before the captains meeting Mike Tindal

from ICC Capital Management called to say ChiefChuck Reinhart and the Punta Gorda Police Departmentwould like to donate a full day’s fishing trip with theRanger Boats Professional Team to the overall Kids Cupwinner, and they had a beautiful plaque made up for thewinner as well.Tom Hansen at Boats Unlimited put a brand new

Cape Craft in the water and made it ready for our use asa photo boat. No big signs on it, not even a sticker.Tom wasn’t looking for recognition, he just wanted tohelp, and he did - Thanks Tom, and Thanks to the Chiefand Mike Tindal too.And then there were the local guys who just did what

was needed - for the kids - no thanks required, but thanksdeserved none the less. Guys like Jim and Mike atSouthern Oxygen who set up the oxygen rig and went toEnglewood to get the right oxygen stone for the resusa-tation tank (Thanks to Bucky, too!) And thanks toBarney and Judy and Bruce at Sea Tow for providing aboat to carry the Redfish Cup fish back out to bereleased into the harbor. And thanks to Lowrance for the donation of FIVE

hand-held GPS units for our top five Kids CupCompetitors - those units are over $100 each. Andthanks to Falcon Rods for five spinning rods (Tommyand Tyler had to have 7-footers!) and thanks to BillNemire at Nemire lures for five different 14-k gold platedNemire spoons and lures for each of our top-five final-ists. Things just seemed to keep coming in. And thanks to Skip Mackie and son at Classic Auto

(they sell and restore Muscle Cars in Punta Gorda) forrestoring an old newspaper rack so we could set it up atthe front door at Hooters. Thanks guys, and thanks toChris at Hooters, and thanks to Chris at Harry’s too.Harpoon Harrys was the tournament site for the Kids

Cup. They gave us their venue and we gave them plentyof paying customers. Harrry’s let us hang our bannersfrom their rafters, rearrange their seating and generallybring along our own party which took over their placefor the better part of Saturday afternoon. It all wentsmoothly and they even let us put the whole show upon their big screen TVs. Thanks again.Which brings me to Mr. TV, our own video

o-FISH-a-nado, Fishin’ Frank. Frank and his wife Terrybrought in a wagon full of video equipment, mixers,patch boxes and cameras and sat working it all for thewhole afternoon. Every fish on screen had the weightsuperimposed on the screen. It was a genuinely profes-sional presentation. People in the bar were actuallywatching! And while I am on Franks subject, let’s juststop here for a minute to thank Robert.Thank you Robert, thank you very much.Robert was the behind-the-scene procurer of much of

what was in the Captain’s Bags. If he didn’t get it, hetold me where to go and who to talk to to so I could getit. Robert (and Jeff- thanks Jeff) stuffed bags full oflures with us at night and dipped shrimp in the dark sowe’d have them ready for the tournament anglers at day-break. And Robert’s mom Sandi gave us the idea for asportsmanship award which would honor our departedfriend Rich Novak. We have used that idea, thanks a lot.There is a little ‘aside’ to Robert and Frank and that’s

the guys at Fishin’ Franks - the local crowd there. Thetop two kids in the Kids Cup and the two guides whotook them fishing on the final day were all Fishin’Frank regulars and as coincidence would have it they areall on the Quantum Reels angler program. That meansin return for good public exposure they get discounts oreven free stuff from Quantum. But on the final day ofthe Kids cup the top 5 Kids got shirts from the ESPNproduction company (Thanks to JM Productions for theshirts, the trophy and the time on stage for the KidsCup) and when the kids and the guides came up to thestage we gave them all fresh clean white Kids Cup hatsto wear, just like they do like in the winner’s circle atNASCAR. So nowwe say thanks andhats off to Quantum,and to their fineanglers. Quantum hasassociated their finebrand with our finest.Here is your logo inprint, as our thanks.And last, but really first, thanks to Gene and Sharon,

Bruce and Barbara, Ralph and Rebecca and thanks to mywife, Ellen. You all made the Kids Cup happen.


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Theyʼll Eat Anything, butCatfish Still Canʼt Jump

Via e-mailFrom:Bill Sturdevant to Bill Kolisar to Water LIFE

These pictures where taken at the pondbehind Tom's house. Maybe Richard shouldtry this kind of bait! Our neighbor saw a ball

bouncing around kind of strange like andwhen he went to investigate, it was a flat-

head catfish with a child's basketball stuckin its mouth and the pictures tell the rest ofthe story. His wife did have to cut the ball in

order to deflate it and release the catfish.

Editor notes this is not a local species!

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BEAUTIFUL CORAL CREEKEasy access to the intercoastal. 18000 sq ft lot with deeded dock spaceon Coral Creek in gated and deedrestricted community. $220,000

TOURNEY FEE Word is out there thatsomeone in the Charlotte CountyGovernment is advocating the idea that thecounty could charge a fee to tournamentorganizers and issue a permit for fishingtournaments.HARRYʼS ROOF Harpoon Harryʼs and theCaptainʼs Table share the same roof at theend of the wharf at Fishermenʼs Village.Over the last few weeks the building hashad its old shingled roof removed and hasnow been re-roofed with a tin topping. Notonly is the structure now more easily iden-tifiable in the daytime (especially when thesun isshinningon it) buteven atnight theyellowlightsthat markHarryʼsappear even brighter. Perhaps someoneshould paint the words Fishermenʼs Villageon top.Tampa Tarpon Texans Itʼs not clearthat these guys are from Texas, Tampawould probably be more like it, but thereare tarpon anglers who have moved intoCharlotte Harbor from Boca Grande Passand brought the brash, offensive anddownright rude ways of the Pass withthem. These anglers, using break awaytackle are running and gunning on the fish,motoring onto the schools hard and push-ing the fish down and away. Local conver-sations in the area bait and tackle shopshave centered on this behavior for the lastfew weeks and some of the home spunremedies to the problem are not pretty.They are screwing it up for everyone, oneold timer warned.

CAN YOU CANOE? FWC Officer KenWhite rescued a couple and their youngson from the banks of the Shoal River lastmonth. The man had purchased a canoeearlier that same day and decided to try itout on the rain-swollen river. His inexperi-ence allowed the canoe to get up under atree and capsize. The canoe sunk.

Fortunately, the man had a cell phone andgood reception and was able to directOfficer White to their location. Whenasked if he was going to return later for hissunken canoe, he reportedly stated thatthe canoe had been donated to the river.FISH BOXES FOUND Don Thompson ofBurnt Store Marina said that two sub-merged fish boxes were found in PirateHarbor the day before the Burnt StoreCouples Tournament. The boxes had red-fish and snapper in them.

SECOND SPAWNING Local observationsof ʻwhitebaitʼ in the area nearGasparilla Sound have report-ed a significant amount ofsmall bait right now.Small bait is usually seen inthe spring so this observationcould indicate a secondspawning of baitfish is takingplace this year.

FUEL FILTER Last Month we reportedon a Fuel Filter/Water Separator whichupon inspection was found to be all rustedinside. We had hoped for a response fromthe manufacturer by now, but we do nothave an official statement yet. Stay tuned.

LAST WORD Anglers and a cameramanworking with in cahoots with the BocaGrande Guides Association were behindpictures of the FWC Commissioner on aboat with too many lines in the water atBoca Grande.


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Perspective: By Capt Ron BlagoWater LIFE Executive Staff

If there is one thing you can say aboutCapt. Marion Schneider, owner of GrandeTours boat and kayak rentals in Placida;she sure can stir up a hornet’s nest. A fewyears ago she single handedly got camperskicked off of Dog Island in GasparillaSound, by complaining that the place hadturned into a disgraceful garbage dump. Asluck would have it, a year later, she gotherself appointed manager of the island,so now if you want to camp there youhave to pay Marion. She gets to keep themoney as a management fee. Some mayrecognize Grande Tours from their bi-week-ly kayak demonstrations at Englewoodbeach, put on with the blessings of theCharlotte County Parks and RecreationDepartment. As a matter of fact, Parks andRec. is even including the Grande Toursbusiness logo on the flyers they print topromote the events. Pretty sweet deal –why pay for advertising when the Countywill do it for you for free? I know a fewlocal marina owners who would love to

have a deal like that, but I don’t think youwill be seeing any free power boat demon-strations on Englewood beach any timesoon. Years ago, Grande Tours was mostly a

tour boat operation working out of a littleshed in back of the Fishery Restaurant inPlacida. Then Capt. Schneider moved heroperations to a residential neighborhood onCoral Creek. Back then the status quo onCoral Creek was pretty laid back. Therewere a few fishing shacks and the onlyboat traffic on the shallow creek was fromlocal residents going to and from thesound. Marion knew the status quo on theCreek when she set up a commercial busi-ness, cut down the mangroves to put inher dock and started to sell and rent kayaks- much to the dismay of many of herneighbors. Tolerance was pretty much thedaily policy until Capt. Schneider fired ashot across the bow of her neighbors bywriting a letter to the Board of CountyCommissioners asking that Coral Creekbe turned into a slow zone. The reaction ofher neighbors was pretty swift. In a matter

of days they presented a petition with 200signatures that basically said, Coral Creekis just fine the way it has always been, soleave it alone.Marion may of miscalculated the opin-

ion of her neighbors but she did bring up agood point about the danger of mixingkayaks and power boats. Every time I seea kayak in the middle of the ICW, itreminds me of a tricycle in the middle ofthe interstate. To help resolve the disputethe Marine Advisory Commission suggest-ed that a separate marked trail be providedfor kayakers, which personally I think is agood idea. The real question is, who isgoing to pay for it? Unlike the over20,000 watercraft in Charlotte County thatmust pay a registration fee to use thewater, canoes and kayaks get a free ride. Let’s face it, all boats on the water need

the same services. You need public accessto the water. You need navigational mark-ers and channels and you need emergencyrescue services. All these things costmoney and it’s about time that non- powerboats in the county start paying their fair

share. Charlotte County cannot forcekayaks to register, that is the prerogativeof the State of Florida and I’m sure that ingood time they will follow other statesthat have adopted the philosophy of “ if itfloats-it pays,” but Charlotte County doeshave its own ways of squeezing a fewextra dollars out of boat owners. If youwant to park at the beach or in a boatramp you need a permit. Now may be thetime for a special “Water Use Permit” forcanoes and kayaks. If they want specialmarked trails or additional kayak launchsites I have no problem with using 100-percent of the fees they pay to provideadditional services for them. Another more practical advantage of a

numbered permit is if they find an emptykayak floating in the bay they can contactthe owner and find out if there is a miss-ing boater out there.I know that no one likes to pay more

money, but as all power boaters alreadyknow, if you want to be on the water it’sgoing to cost you.

Itʼs Time That KayakersPay Their Fair Share

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By Bi l l DixonWater LIFE Sailing EditorI had a fabulous time at the cardboard

boat race part of the Redfish Cup. I wasnot the only one! Hundreds of peoplecheered, laughed and behaved silly. ThePunta Gorda Sailing club built a cardboardsailboat the Paper Clipper with butcher

paper sails that was a knock out. Itlooked like fiberglass or PVC pipe, but itwas made from cardboard tubes paintedwith high gloss enamel. Even though thewind gods rejected our sacrificial effortsand kept the wind away from the racecourse, we did better than some.I was heartened by the camaraderie and

laughter shared by the contestants. Coldbeer was enjoyed by many as well. Onecompetitor loaned us a kayak paddle whenthe wind let us down. In turn, we (therewere dozens of us from PGSC) pushedseveral contestants who had difficultycrossing the starting line, and pulled someothers who had difficulty finding the fin-ish. Bob Anderson, PGSC Commodore,brought 48 T-shirts commemorating theboat and sold 47 at the club meetingbefore the race. I got mine FILTHYreconnoitering the race course on foot withmy dog Max and his Frisbee. I made outthough. Scott Taylor, son of boat designer

Chuck Taylor, missed outon buying his shirt at themeeting, so I sold him myspare.My only regret about

the day was the lack ofcompetition from the YachtClubs, Boat Clubs andCruising Clubs out there.Also missing were the BoyScouts, Girl Scouts, Little

League, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and oth-ers of the many youth groups in the area.Surprising competitors to me were theRotary, but no Kiwanis; Coldwell Banker,but no ReMax, Berson or Century 21; andEdison College, but no high school teams.The Redfish Cup is the closest thing

we have to a waterfront Summerfest. TheRedfish Cup took a giant step up this yearwith the addition of Mike and EllenHeller’s Kids Cup tournament, but it couldbe even bigger if more of us supported theother events as well. Be there next yearand be a part of your local waterfront sum-mer festival.

The boat looked great but without wind it wasnʼt a contender

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These tools have now come of age.They will cut braided line cleanly, theystill float effortlessly and I havenʼtbeen able to break them yet.

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Bahia Vista - Built with a spectacular view ofLemon Bay this old Florida style home is alsoon a canal corner lot with water on two sides. Itwas built in 1955 with 1521 sq feet and 3 bed-rooms & 1 bath. In 1999 it sold for $150,000and more recently it sold in March 2004 for$585,000.

Denburn Ave. - Built in 1971 with 1,356 sq ft ofspace, this 2 bedroom, 2 bath home sits on theend of a canal. The canal is partially seawalledand has direct access to Lemon Bay with only onebridge out. In 1997 it sold for just $85,000 andagain in May 2004 for $232,000.

Oakwood Circle - This newer canal front homewas built in 1990. It has a pool/spa, 2,312 sqft and 3 bedrooms & 2 baths. The canal hasdirect access to the Gulf with one fixedbridge. It also has a walk around dock and a10,000lb lift. Nine years ago it sold for$250,000 and this past April for $500,000.

Brown St - This home on Ainger Creek has directaccess to Lemon Bay and the Gulf of Mexico with 2bridges, so power boats only. It was built in 1969with 1,512 sq ft. It sold in 1999 for $55,000 andjust five years later it sold for almost 4x thatamount in April, 2004 for $213,000.

Palm Grove Ave.- This two story home has 1,148 sq ftand 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. But more importantly it has agorgeous view of Lemon Bay, immediate access andprotected dockage is available. In 2001 it sold for$153,000 and again in April of 2004 for $300,000.

Water FRONT Real Estate COMPARISON:ENGLEWOOD AREA This is NOT an Ad

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S taff REport“We were really hoping for a hammer, that was our

objective,” Luke Martin said. “We hooked up in themiddle of Boca Grande Pass at 11:30 p.m. and we did-n’t land him until after 1 a.m. The tide was coming inand he dragged us both into the harbor.” Both, mean-ing both boats, the one Luke Martin was on and theother boat that came alongside during the fight. “Hetook a 20-pound barracuda,” Martin said, recountingthe night as best he could, but maybe it was a bonita... maybe it was a tarpon. The fish hit the bait 5-feetoff the bottom. It was rigged on 400-pound wire, noth-ing fancy, but seriously stout.Martin recounted, “It took everything the three of us

had (Martin, Pat Hill and Allan Beraquit) to managethat fish. Once we had him bellied up alongside theboat we gaffed him and tied him up, then we idled backin to Placida. It took 2 and a half hours. We weren’tback at the ramp until 3:30 a.m. Then we gutted thefish in the water and three guys at the ramp helped usload the fish into the boat.” There were 396 fishermen entered in the event who

accounted for only about a dozen sharks, seven stingrays and a load of big summer catfish at the weigh in.Everyone thought there would be more sharks.

WINNERS: Shark: 1) Luke Martin, 11.5 foot Hammerhead, $1585 2) John Jones, Lemon, $10533) Charles Hepp, Lemon, $521 Stingray: John Clark, 43 5/8 inches, $1100, 2) Ron Huey, 42 1/4inches, $733 3) Bruce Matheson, 42 inches, $362. SailCat (gutted) : Zach Patchell, 4.48-pounds,$1585 2) David DeYoung, 4.23-pounds, $1053 3) Randy Bates, 4.16 pounds, $521

Right: The winning HammerBelow: A stingray that was probablysnagged or speared

Shark Tourney

The morning crowd for the measuring and weigh in is always big. Bloody-mouthed bull Curbside pick up and delivery is the norm Tail-roping shows a pattern of marks.


S taff ReportNow in its sixth year, the Burnt Store Couples

Tournament has become one of the ‘looked-forward-to’ events in the circle of fun local fishing. The 100couple field fished for two snappers and one redfishon Saturday June 19. Even the lightest snapperwas awarded a 3 pound weight, but the other snap-per and the redfish were weighed on the scale. BettyThrift and Jeff Moding weighed in the biggest red-fish at 7.96 pounds and a three fish total of 11.75pounds. Ernie Tambasco had the biggest snapper at2.16 pounds. Capt. Derrick Jacobson topped theleader board overall with a 12.02 pound total. Theteams that weighed in fish accounted for 105 snap-per and 44 redfish. Live bait was permitted. A goodtime appeared to have been had by all .... or at leastall that attended.

Absent from the weigh in and showing uncharac-teristic goose-eggs on the leader board were localtop tournament fishermen: JR Witt, GaryMcKenzie, Scott Rush Junior, Scott Rush Senior,Roger Harris, Rhett Morris, Miles Merideth andBob Boudreau.

Couples Tournament at Burnt Store

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWaterLIFE Gasparilla Editor

A phone call from a couple of old fish-ing buddies started the whole thing out.Most fishing trips start with a phone calland these two guys were coming in fromBaltimore expecting world-class fishing andthat they had! There was really no pressureon this captain to perform except for dozensof fishing stories over the past several yearsof how great Charlotte Harbor fishing is.Now it was time to back the stories up andof course, this is typically when the fish gointo hibernation but not this time.

Off and running at 6 a.m. the first dayof this two day extravaganza, we ran toBookelia and managed a good livewell fullof bait. These anglers had never seen somuch bait and wondered why we needed somuch. We’re gonna need them all, I pro-claimed as they rolled their eyes back indisbelief! Fishing is a game of confidenceand at this point I was doing my best topsyche the fish into biting.

Fishing within sight of the bait-catchinghole, I pulled up to a shallow bar andchummed live pilchards in a foot of water.

This was a redfish spot on the incomingtide and Johnny’s first cast met up with asnook of about 23 inches. Ok, Capt.Chuck, he chuckled, I wanted a redfish butthis will do. After an hour we boated 2reds and 3 snook and had a couple of break-offs. These Baltimore boys were happy andcouldn’t believe the quality of the fish.

The tide edged in a little higher and Iannounced we were heading out. You seethe bite is just about over and we need tobe on a higher water spot. At this pointthey believed me but conceded that spotlooked the same and was working just fine.Heading towards Matlacha, we eased into abasin with a shallow oyster bar and droppedthe hook. Fishing in the middle of no-where makes a newcomer scratch his head.How in the world do you find this kind ofspot, they asked. The answer- lots of hoursand plenty of petroleum. Dipping a coupledozen pilchards from the well and pitchingthem in an arc around the boat, 3 lines hitthe water. Two snook immediately ate andthe fight was on. Both fish measured closeto 25 inches and were released. Long storyshort, the tide rose higher and we easedcloser to the mangroves in back of the oys-ter bar. Here we found the mother-load ofsnook. Interestingly, back where the boatwas anchored a school of super-sized redsmoved in. So we sat for 4 hours- snook tothe front and reds to the rear (of the boat).Perhaps 50 fish made it to the boat thatday. Often we had 3 reds on at one time.Nothing short of incredible and we onlyfished 2 spots. The plan for the next daywas to run my 22’ Grady White offshore forwhatever wanted to bite. They wanted toflats fish and forget the offshore thing, butwe stuck with the game plan.

Launching from Placida we ran toDevilfish Key and chummed for pilchards.Throwing a castnet from this boat is a littletrickier than a flats boat but 2 hours laterwe were running to a spot 10 miles off ofBoca Grande. Dicing up fresh pilchards for

chum was Jeff’s job and by the time wedropped anchor we had a gallon of freshchunks to get started with. At first thefishing was slow, particularly compared toyesterday. Each of us stared into the deepblue gulf waters as gentle rollers moved thechunks away from the boat. It wasn’t longand ‘Otis’ appeared. That is, a curious bar-racuda that brought the whole family tolurk within casting range of the boat.Then, the first hook-up and it turned out tobe a bluerunner probably weighing in at1.5 pounds. You usually think of these asbait, but they are hard fighters when theyget this big. This seemed to start thingsup because shortly thereafter a school offish flashed under the boat and then it wasoff to the races! Two rods lite up, dragsburning and we’re yeehaaaing like yokelsbecause the big ones have showed. Tenminutes later one fish is still on and turnsout to be a little tunny or bonita. Into thebox he went for shark bait later on.

Next rod to buckle met with a differentfish and turned out to be the dinner call-grouper! This rascal went 15 pounds andthe ol’ captain Chuck was thanking the fishgods...I mean how lucky can I get. A fewmore grouper came aboard with anotherpushing 8 pounds and then the monster hit.Johnny was fishing a stout conventionaloutfit with 30 pound mono and the linewas peeling off with a tough downwardstruggle. It was obvious we were under-powered for this fish. The rod suddenlywent limp and then while reeling in theslack a smaller fish climbed on. A 5 poundgrouper came boatside – go figure that!Then we noticed that the grouper hadchomp marks around its entire body so wefigured a monster grouper might have triedto eat him the moment he got hooked andthus the huge battle and battle scars.

One never knows what is chewing in theocean. The barracuda persisted to hangaround the boat and finally Otis succumbedto a free-lined pilchard- about 5 feet in

length and chunky. Cuda’s make a terrificfirst run with some great jumps and thengive up pretty quick.

Next event involved a shark. We sawhim coming from way off. A yellowycolor approached well back in the chumline and zigg-zagged its way to a bait undera float. A quick decision and 10 minutefight led this fish to boatside measuringaround 5 feet. It seemed every fish in theocean was gonna pass by the boat today andthat it did. Later in the day, we again sawsome quick flashes bolt under the boat. Itwas my turn and my rod went off and thedrag was singing! My 15-pound class spin-ning outfit was bent double and I couldn’tpull it off the gunnels as the fish dumped100 yards while running under the hull ofthe boat. I looked down at the reel to see ifthere was any line left and noticed mymono was literally sawing through theblack rub rail almost into the fiberglass.Imagine that – line peeling off so fast itwas sawing my boat! To make a shortstory shorter- my line went suddenly limpand I reeled in dead weight only to find ahalf of kingfish on the hook! Bad day forthis kingfish as if getting caught on myline and thrown in the cooler wasn’t badenough but a cuda saw fit to attack – I haveno idea how a cuda could have chased downthat kingfish but he did!

Fishing did finally slow down so we satback and put out the heavy stuff. A 5/0Penn Senator wide on a broomstick of a rodwith 100-pound mono, steel leader and ahuge hook. A fillet of bonita was droppedoverboard for a denison of the deep. It did-n’t take long and we were strapping a fight-ing belt and shoulder harness on Jeff as ahuge, and I mean HUGE, fish was strip-ping line off the reel. This reel has 2 draglevels- normal and maximum. Set on max-imum it was almost impossible to put thebrakes on this dude. But, after a half hourstruggle and tug of war a monster groupercame boatside. Measured at 61/2 feet longand a girth of 5 feet we all sat in awe ofthis magnificent creature. Somewhere inthe 350-pound class we figured.

Jeff is now planning on moving toCharlotte County within the year andJohnny is investigating work options inthe area. I wonder why! No doubt, thewaters were very generous that day. Wereleased all but a couple of grouper and thathalf of a kingfish. That was 2 days of fish-ing I will never forget!

Capt . Chuck Eichner operates Act ionFlats Back country Charters and can befound onl ine at : www.back country -char-ters . com or for a guided f i sh ing t rip cal l941-505-0003.


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Tarpon inthe PassTarpon action in the passslowed signignificantly in lateJune and July could mark thedawn of a new era of tarponfishing. For the last monthauthorities have been inform-ing anglers that no more thanthree lines are allowed in the water in the pass (seethe map on page 4). This month, break away tacklebecomes illegal. “They came up with break awaytackle so the anglers donʼt get hurt when the fishspits the hook and it comes zinging back at you,”one old time guide observed. “It could get interest-ing in July.,” he added.And the vessel of choice for the independant tar-pon guide seems to be changing as well. Largerheavier 20- to 24- foot center console boats havereplaced the smaller flats skiffs in the pass . Thefishing window also appears to have been adjustedwith the local traditional guides fishing more of thenight tides and the modern jig fishermen takingover the daytime.

Professional Tarpon Series2004 Final team standings

#1 Team Century with Capt. JeffHagaman from Odessa, Fla.

#2 Team Ranger with Capt. MikeWitfoth, Tampa, Fla.

#3 Team Columbia with Capt. OzzieFischer, Captiva, Fla.

#4 Team Paradise with Capt. BobbyHolcomb, Pt. Charlotte, Fla.

#5 Team Captiva with Capt. JimmyBurnsed, Captiva, Fla.

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Shell Gas Stations

Punta GordaPort CharlotteEnglewoodNorthport

By Don CessnaWater Life Englewood

Summertime in Florida, the snowbirds have gone homeand it’s really hot outside. The kids are out of school andmost likely they are becoming bored. Recent psychologi-cal studies have shown that the bright light of the outdoorsis important in avoiding depression. So if you are lookingfor some other avenue of entertainment for the kids, whynot take them to the water’s edge and get them fishing?

Kids love to get out and poke around the shoreline.Exploring is what life is all about for kids. Talk about

continuing education, topics of conversation can range frombasic fishing technique to the the environment and the crea-tures in it. If you can keep their interest and make it funthey will just soak up learning like a sponge.

Forget about favoritism, both boys and girls love fish-ing. It seems like the boys are always up for it, but youwill find the girls will also enjoy it when given the chance.

Kids do not need the best of rod and reel as long as itworks. I’ve seen many trophy size fish which any adultfisherman would be proud of, caught by 4 or 5 year oldkids on their Mickey Mouse fishing rods.

The size of the fish is of no consequence, it’s yourapproval and pat on the back that is important. If it is dif-ficult to get larger fish let them catch a mess of pin fish –you can use them for bait later.

Once they have a rod and reel the only expense is for abag of bait. Certainly that is cheaper than about anythingelse you could get to entertain them.

Some days the neighbor’s kids arrive at my shop bybicycle, skateboard, rollerblades, scooter, or on foot, readyto go fishing. What a menagerie. It brings to mindHuckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer off for a day on theirraft. Sometimes we share knot tying lessons and tell fish-ing stories in the shade of the big oak tree in front of thestore. Sometimes one of the adults asks me to show himhow to tie a particular knot. I let one of the kids help outand tell them the kid is more of an expert, so let him help.

Kids, like adults always have stories of their last fish-ing trip and the big one that got away. Don’t forget thatthey won’t be kids forever. With fishing, parents have theopportunity to shape lifetime memories. This is the stuffthe kids will remember into adulthood.

Even if you can’t get to the water’s edge you can trysome casting with a practice plug in the yard or on a quietstreet. Pinch down the barbs and give them some room, letthem get comfortable with the rod. You don’t have to go to

the water to begin learning to fish.This time of year, on any outing, make sure to bring

plenty for the kids to drink. In the heat we all need water,this is very important.

If your kids like to root around on their own, save a pairof their old stinky tennis shoes to protect their feet whenwading. Bottom shells can easily cut skin, especially whenthe skin is wet and softened with mud. Wash those wadingshoes out occasionally so fungus doesn’t take up residencein them, and explain ‘shuffling your feet’ rather than step-ping down to avoid stingrays. Stingrays are not much of adanger, but should be discussed. Ignorance is much moredangerous for sure. Just as there are rules to keep safe onland there are lessons one should know to be safe on or inthe water. It’s up to you to pass them on.

Lastly make sure they thoroughly wash the salt water offtheir skin and have them wash their rod and reel and other‘equipment’ thoroughly every time they are done.

We are fortunate to have hundreds of miles of shorelineand it’s only a couple blocks to the water in many placesso it’s easy to get kids fishing. ‘Gone Fishin’ is an age oldexcuse and everyone understands the lure of that great day offun.

Try not to fence the kids in. Give them room to exploreand think on their own, room to figure out one of the greatmysteries; the outdoors. Ever watch a baby bird hatch? Finda prehistoric fossil? Catch a fish? There are so many reallyinteresting happening everyday. Make sure your kids get tosee them.

Don@Ray’s Bait & Tackle480 W. Dearborn St.Englewood, FL. 34223(941) 473-1591Two blocks north of the Indian Mound Boat Ramp


Mom, Iʼm Bored


CharlotteHarborRobert at Fishin' FranksPort Charlotte: 625-3888

July will be a very hot month,literally. From a catch and releaseperspective this is a great month forsnook. They are easy to catch,especially for shore-bound fisher-

men. Guys with their wives and kidsgoing to the beaches can take a rodalong and sit there and surf fish.Englewood beach is good. Nightfishing will produce the biggest ofthe snook, but you can catch the 20-30 inchers all day long. Just take thetime to revive the fish since thewater is hot and they will exert a lotof energy.

Small whiting that you can

catch right in the surf with a castnet are good bait and they are plenti-ful. Artificials have been workingwell at night.

Inshore, sharks will still benumber two target this month.Smaller sharks are very plentiful inthe harbor and on light tackle theycan be a lot of fun. If you are goingto fish from shore for sharks

Continued on facing page

July Fishing ForecastIf one net isgood two netsmust be bet-ter, especiallywhen you aretrying to get afrisky snapperout of a bigdeep livewell,as seen herein the BurneStore CouplesTournament

plan on using a little heaviertackle. Laishley pier and ElJobean are good shark spots, as isthe pier at Placida. Most peopleuse 3 rods, one with a sinker, onerod freelined and the other onewith the bait under a bobber.They will find your bait, don’tworry.

Redfish can be a good target inJuly, but they are harder to find inthe heat of the day. Early in themorning and at night is the bestfishing for them. You’ll find themalong the beach and under the trestle,especially at night. The fish arebecoming lazy in the heat and theylike something that is an easy tar-get. Baits of choice are cut bait -frozen shrimp, sardines, or ladyfishwill all work well up under thebushes. Pinfish are still a littlesmall right now but they will comeinto play for redfishing next month.

Tarpon will still be around for amonth or two. They just got donespawning at the end of June and willbe migrating back into the harborthis month. They will really start tothin out in the passes this month.With all the rain, the manhadenshould start showing up any day andwhen they are here thick, the tarponwill start moving up the river.

There are tons of schools of bigthreadfins right now and that’swhat the tarpon are hanging around.Early in the morning, along thebeach, is the time for them. If youcan find crabs they will work, butthis might be the time to start

throwing some of the artificials thatare five to six inches long, like theDOA bait buster.

There have been a ton of really,really nice mangrove snapper allover the harbor and in the PGIcanals. We are catching them onshrimp and on whitebait. At the arti-ficial reef the baitfish like the sugartrout and the whiting will prettymuch keep the snapper around thewhole summer.

This summer, the guys who wantto fish offshore and don’t want torun 30 miles because of the after-noon storms, are targeting bonita.You can slow troll for them or youcan sight-fish them when you findthem chasing the big balls of bait.The fly fishermen and light tackleguys are loving it and a nice bycatchof that kind of fishing would beSpanish mackerel . There havebeen some nice ‘macks’ around off-shore and in the passes recently.

Also offshore there have stillbeen some small kings. If you gofurther out there are small dolphinsmall sai l fi sh and even the possi-bility of a wahoo as the tempera-ture patterns in the Gulf start tochange.

On the beach whiting and pom-pano are still local residents and the

oddball permit will be there aswell. Permit are also on the close inreefs offshore.

Lemon BayJim at Fishermen’s EdgeEnglewood: 679-7595It’s pretty hot, but fishing will

be decent. Fishing along the shorewill still be pretty good: snook onthe beach, snook down by the tres-tle, snook in all the places wherethe fish hang out before they maketheir migration. There have beenreports of trout, big trout along thebeach as well.

We have had quite a few permitstories in the last week so I’d thinkthey are here now along with bar-racuda and amberjack. July isindicative of the summer monthswhen the pelagic fish; blackfintuna, dolphin and even some bi l l -fi sh will be crashing baits offshore.Trolling will be good, look forweedlines and frigate birds. Tarponwill still be good in the harboralong with the more scattered fish inthe pass. I’ve had guys tell me theyhave hooked a cobia or two mixedin with the tarpon. And there arestill plenty of sharks around too, alot of blacktips, hammerheads

and bul l sharks are still hangingaround.

We have also had some goodreports of offshore grouper andsnapper. Some guys are going 18-to 20 miles out, but one guy went50 miles and got some really nicegags. Bigger fish are still found fur-ther out, especially the big grouperand snapper.

There have been a lot ofSpanish mackerel in the passesand in Boca Grande some guys Iknow are limiting out on snapper inthe channel as well.

Redfishing usually stays goodin the back country under the treesin July. Try floating a bait up underthe bushes or drifting the potholes.Shrimp or pinfish are the baits forthat. Guys like shrimp because theyare easier to keep alive in the hotsummer water.

On the outgoing tide of the nextmoon there will be a pretty big crabflush again. That should turn theredfish on around the phosphatedock. Be ready with big tackle.

Freshwater fishing has seen a lotof bluegi l l action in the SouthGulf Cove canals. Little crap-pie, and maybe even talapiaare all making a show in thefreshwater canals around the


n July 4: Fireworks onthe Water. Popularevent for area boaterswith displays inEnglewood along theICW and at PuntaGorda, just east of theUS 41 Bridge.Fireworks start at dark.n July 10th: RedfishTournament, Benefit forCharlotte High Schoolsports, at HarpoonHarrys, Punta Gordan July 17th:Backcountry Classic,second leg of theCaloosa Classic

n July 24th: RedfishTournament, Benefit forthe Trent & Mindy Lewisfamily, Punta Gorda,(941) 637-5502 n August 14th: RedfishTournament, Benefit forthe PopWarner sportsprogram, Punta Gorda.n Sept 11:Flatsmasters Red &Snook Tournament,third round of the seriesPunta Gorda, 629-9948n October 23-24:

FlatsmastersChampionship, Punta

BIG-4 BIG-4 Julyʼs best bets Julyʼs best bets

TARPON are moving into theharbor after spawning

SNOOK catch and releaseonly this month

SHARKS are still here inbig numbers right now

REDFISH will be in the backcountry this month

CALENDAR OF

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FishingRIGHT NOW:

Incredible!

Friends, family and a host of com-munity organizations are joiningtogether to support a family bene-fit for Trent & Mindy Lewis.

Trent & Mindy are both long timePunta Gorda residents. Mindy wasformerly Mindy MacDonald beforeshe married Trent in March of 2003.Seven weeks after their wedding,she was diagnosed with cancer.During 2003, Mindy underwentnumerous surgeries and treatments.In February 2004, Mindy found outshe was pregnant. She was alsodiagnosed with additional tumors andher pregnancy has eliminated theuse of the more aggressive cancertreatments available. Their child was scheduled to bedelivered in late June as the criticalstage passes around the 30-weekpoint.

We, as members of a community,are hosting a benefit for their wellbeing.July 10th – Golf tournamentJuly 24th – Redfish tournamentSunday, August 1st. Barbecue/raffle/picnic

We would greatly appreciate yoursupport and would welcome yourattendance and/or contribution to anyof our activities.

Donations can be mailed to:

Trent & Mindy Lewis Family Benefit P.O Box 512132Punta Gorda, Florida 33951-2132Sincerely, The Trent & Mindy LewisBenefit Committee Phone: (941) 637-5502 or (941) 628-8896 or (941) 628-3866

Redfish Tournament to Benefit Mindy Lewis

waterlifejuly04

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