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Keeping Boaters and Fishermen InformedKeeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed

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L I F EL I F EProducers of the KIDS CUP

UnderwaterUnderwaterat theat the

PHOSPHATEPHOSPHATEDOCKDOCK

PropPropRepairsRepairs4Page 14

Mangroves:Mangroves:Epic Planting BeginsEpic Planting BeginsPage 11Page 11

Lovinʼ the FishLovinʼ the FishRichestRichestTournamentTournamentPage 8Page 8

P a g e 2 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7

N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 3


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Water LIFECharlotteHarbor

MagazineMichael and Ellen Heller

Publishers(941) 766-8180

TOTALLY INDEPENDENTWater LIFE is not affiliatedwith any other publication

© 2007 Vol VI No. 11 Water LIFE

No part of this publication may becopied or reproduced without the writ-

ten permission of both publishersContributing Editors:

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

Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck EichnerPort Charlotte: Capt Andy MedinaOffshore: Capt. Steve Skevington

Real Estate: Dave HoferSailing Advisor: Bill Dixon

Kayaks: David AllenSea Grant: Betty Staugler

Diving: Adam Wilson

on the COVER:Adam Wilson photographed this

Goliath Grouper at the old PhosphateDock at Boca Grande, last month.

on our WEBSITE:WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

Realtors: Links to advertisersTide Graphs: For local watersWeather: Links to all of our favorite sites.Back editions: Pages of previous editionsArtificial Reefs: Lat. and Long local reefsManatee Myths: Read the original plan tocreate sanctuaries and refuges, as spelledout by the United Nations in 1984Kids Cup Updates, Fish Tracking andTournament Information.

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KEEP KIDS READING & FISHINGDear Water LIFEI am a reading teacher at Gulf Middle School in Cape Coral.

Several of my students live and fish on Pine Island. They areextremely interested in your magazine; which TOTALLY excitesme, because it is difficult to get most of my students to read any-thing!I was wondering if I could request 20 of your magazines to be

mailed to me monthly to be used for educational purposes. Doyou have a bulk rate; and if so, how much would it be? If thisis not possible, is your publication available any where in CapeCoral? I would be happy to try to pick them up on a monthlybasis.Thanks for a great and informative magazine! My fishermen

husband & son devour it too!Leigh Anne PageGulf Middle SchoolIntensive ReadingGrades 6-8

Editor Notes* We’re going to drop off a stack of papersevery month as part of our Cape Coral delivery run. Naturallythere will be no charge. Enjoy! – MH

LETTERS TO WATER LIFE

ThanksgivingThanks From UsJust a brief note to thank allour readers, local guides andcontributors for making thispublication come togetherevery month. Capt. RonBlago, Capt. Rob Moore,Capt. Chuck Eichner, Capt.

Andy Medina, Adam Wilson,Betty Staugler, Bill Dixon,David Allen, SteveSkevington, Dave Hofer,Robert and Fishin’ Frank, youall make it happen, thanks!And a big thanks to the com-munity for supporting the DonBall School of Fishing and theKids Cup Tournament,

Together we are working to

keep Charlotte Harbor and itscontributing rivers clean and

fishable.

Ellen & Michael Hel lerpubl ishers of Water LIFE

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The lighted boat parade organization committee has reconsid-ered their proposed route change. The parade WILL NOWONCE AGAIN BEGIN AT EDGEWATER LAKE, AS IT HAS INYEARS PAST. “The general public spread the word that theparade had to come from the lake,” parade organizer Capt.Doug Buuck said. Buuck noted that the parade will end with adisplay of lighted boats at Laishley Park Marina which will beilluminated on Saturday and Sunday night.Boaters interested in becoming part of the event can obtain aregistration form at www.puntagorda-chamber.com or by call-ing the chamber at 639-3720 The parade date is Dec 8.

Boat Parade Route Resurrected

By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE Editor“Fishin’ here is still just

as good as ever,” my NewMexico friend Joe said as hedrew down hard on the stubof an unfiltered cigarette andexhaled slowly. New Mexicoto Miami, over the road in abig rig, with a quick disap-pearance in Port Charlotte.So we were out on the water,just up from Cape Haze,fishing.Slowly, Joe reeled in his

bait, carefully looked it over,and then casually flipped itback out toward the shore.His line fluttered just a

little. “Dam pinfish,” Joesaid, reeling his bait back inonly to find its eyes peckedout.Joe reached into the well,

picked out another nice sar-dine and nose hooked it.Then he cast it back to theexact same spot.I was throwing a gold

spoon down the shoreline.Suddenly I had a hit.Joe saw what happened

immediately. “Could be arecord fish,” Joe said. Youcould count on Joe to be theone to start an endless discus-sion. Then he added “but anybite could be a record fish.”Of course Joe was right.

You never know. That’s thepart we like about fishing.I stuck the hook. The

moment in time when theangler knows the fish ishooked and the fish is justfinding out, had arrived.Tension increased exponen-tially, then the drag began toslip. The fish turned downthe shoreline. A moment ofexuberation, fish on! Andthen he turned some moreand the line began to shake,quiver and jerk. Pull-pull-pull, then a little slack, thenpull-pull-pull.A jack, “maybe the

biggest Jack you evercaught?” Joe said. Couldhave been, maybe. But itwasn’t.Joe, in the mean time

popped open another bever-age can. “What if that was a

record fish?” Joe asked. “Yougotta kill it for it to becomea record?”I pulled the jack up on the

deck. The question was irrele-vant, it wasn’t a record. Iunhooked the jack unceremo-niously and put him back inthe water.I thought about Joe’s

question a little more andunscrewed a Gatorade. “Youdon’t have to kill a fish for itto be a record,” I said.“But if it’s a really big

fish you have to get it to acertified scale. It might bedead by the time you’re doneweighing it,” I said.“I don’t mind killing

stuff,” Joe said, “I just don’tlike to kill stuff by accident.”I had started casting and

retrieving my trusty Hobogold spoon again and I hadanother hit.“Maybe that one is the

record,” Joe said.I ignored him.It wasn’t a big fish but it

was a fighter. I reeled it in.“What’s that, a baby bar-

racuda?” Joe asked. “Yeah Iguess so,” I said. I took apicture of the toothy little

guy and released him.A couple of days later I

fished with Capt JerryGilespie, I mentioned the lit-tle cuda and Jerry told me hehad caught one on the eastside not long ago. Then afew days after that I men-tioned it to Capt. Ron whotold me he also caught one acouple of months back. Ronsaid a friend of his told himit wasn’t a barracuda, it was asennet.That night I looked up

‘sennet’ on the internet.Here’s what I found:

They are predominantly seenon Florida’s east coast, southof Indian River. They aver-age 1-pound, but can growto about 2-pounds. There isno closed season, size, orbag limits on sennet. Likethe barracuda, they are vora-cious and opportunistic feed-ers and will strike at a vari-ety of baits. Then came thepart I wish I knew aboutbefore I threw that sennetback: There is no state recordfor sennet – Joe was right.Any bite could be a recordfish.I’m not going to tell him.


Any Bite Could be a Record

The sennet, a relative of the barracuda


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By Adam WilsonWater LIfe Diving

If you're feeling a littlemore brave, and have a lit-tle more experience, theremnants of the phosphate pier makes for anawesome dive. Plan on jumping in about anhour before a high tide. You will feel the tideturn and begin to run out, that's the time tohead back to the boat. Depth ranges from 12feet inside the pier to 45 feet at the outermostpilings. The main concerns are current, entan-glement hazards, overhead situations withpossible falling structure, low visibility andof course large animals! Because of the possi-ble nightmare scenarios it's definitely anadvanced dive for strong, experienced divers.

We usually hit the pier at least once ayear in our conquest of stone crabs and thisyear was no different. We could see the bot-tom 15 feet down from the boat so we knewthe viz was going to be about as good as itgets. With a high tide at 9 a.m. we droppedoff the side of the Mako at 8 o'clock sharp.

Swimming into the first row of pilings,the amount of fish are overwhelming. Jitterysnappers dart back and forth. Sheepsheads andspade fish casually drift up and down eachpost. Higher in the water column huge snookhover motionless until you invade their priva-cy a little too closely. Further out and closerto the pass, massive goliath grouper guardthe outside of the piling maze – some are fullgrown adults reaching 500 pounds or maybemore.

For me, the tarpon are the most impres-sive. If you remain calm and stay still theywill swim right at you, angling just enoughto miss hitting you at the last second, all thewhile staring at you with that huge dark eye.Their curiosity is amazing and if you stay inthe same spot long enough a train of tarponwill form and one by one they will take turns

silently cruising by, inspecting thestrange invader in their home.

There is also a good chanceof spotting more typical offshorewildcards here as well, like permit,barracuda, lobsters, jacks, cobiaand sharks.On our last dive at the pier,

right as I was ready to shove offfrom the piling closest to the boat,an 8 foot bull shark swam rightover our anchor, patrolling outsidethe safety of the posts. I waited afew moments to see that he wasn'tturning around, then quickly swamup the anchor rope to the dive lad-der.

There are divers that stillthink the idea of diving the pier is taboo andrefuse to do it. November should give ussome pretty good windows and for me it isan exhilarating, must-do dive.

Adam Wilson can be reached for comments ordiv ing information at (941) 766-1661 or v ia e-mail at: [email protected]

Underwater at the

Phosphate Dock

Snapper and Goliath Grouper

Tarpon

Snook

Barracuda


Screaming ReelsBy Capt. Andrew MedinaWater LIFE Staff

November will surely be the month toget a line wet. With lowwater in the back-country fish are being pushed out intodeeper spots. You will find yourself doingmost of your fishing outside the bar. Latelast month the water was the lowest I haveseen it in a year. This may be the start of ourwinter pattern. Water temperatures have surebeen getting lower with the cooler nights.If you don’t like fishing the lowwater con-ditions – it’s not every body’s cup of tea –there are other choices.

Snook fishing is hot right now andchances are it will stay that way until theclose of season next month. Snook arefeeding heavily, hoping to put on some fatfor the upcoming winter that will soon beupon us. I personally think that this year,so far, has been better for slot size fish.In the daytime the bite has been really

hot at the creek mouths and canal entrances.It seems the deeper, hard tide areas are hold-ing most of the fish, and the bigger snookare coming in after the sun goes way down.We have been fishing mostly at night

starting at 10 o’clock or so and finishingup around 2 in the morning. I knowwhatmost of you are thinking. Why so late?Everyone knows that snook pile up

around lights and structure. A few of thearea’s hottest spots have both.The Myakka and Peace Rivers have large

well lit bridges. At night, the fish use theshadow lines there as ambush points. Wehave been working up along the bridge,tossing the largest bombers we can throw.It seems if you can keep the juvenile tarponoff the plug, you have a pretty good shot at

a keeper line-sider. This approach alsoworks well when fishing lit docks, butremember people who have under waterlights, probably don’t want you fishingthem. It gets expensive if you snag thepower cord, and it is illegal to fish under-water lights in Charlotte County anyway.Dock lights shining from above the waterline will hold just as many fish and will cre-ate the same shadow lines or ambush pointsfound at the bridges.The plugs we have been throwing are the

Bomber ‘Long-Awith three treble hooks, inblue and chrome and chartreuse and chrome.There are a couple down sides to this

lure. First of all, in the dark, flying aroundyour head when cast by another angler, orspit back by a fish, they might get a littledangerous. Sometimes we remove the topandmiddle treble hooks. This does twothings, it allows you to use the plug as ahandle when landing a fish and it’s also bet-ter for under size fish that would normallyget hooked by all three.

Another down side is the lures costabout $6.00 and to go fishing seriously you

want to at least bring two of every color. (Itry to carry four of every thing). Break offs,hang ups, you just never know. What youdon’t want is to be out there at night, dig-ging in your tackle bag for something tothrow at prime feeding time.If you only have a small skiff, the

bridges may not be so enjoyable for you.The wind usually doesn’t settle down untillate and it gets a bit bouncy at times.Out on the flats, it has been hot. With all

the white bait in the harbor our fish havestayed on a long feed. Large numbers ofsnook, and redfish are being caught on boththe east and west walls. As long as the baitstays around, this pattern should continue.Cut bait such as ladyfish andmullet havealso been producing good redfish catchesthroughout the harbor.And for you artificial anglers, the tailing

reds are here. Watch for them inside the barjust south of Burnt Store. If you have been‘on’ with your casting you just might have achance. Remember be safe on the water andjust have fun.

Capt. Andrew Medina can be reached for

BIGunder theBridge

LEFT: Jim Edge, left, with a nice snook caught on artificials. RIGHT another nice snook provided by Capt Angel Torrez. Both fish were caught at the U.S. 41 Bridge at night in October.

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P a g e 1 0 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7

By Capt. Robert MooreWater LIFE staffFall has finally arrived and so have the

cooler temperatures. The final bait run forthis year has also begun and from nowuntil mid December we will have some ofthe best live bait fishing of the year. Thebait I am referring to is the scaled sardineand threadfin herring. These two baits arethe top choice among most anglers forfishing for snook and redfish inSouthwest Florida.These baits will not survive more than

a day or two in captivity so your localbait shops can not offer them. The onlyreal logical way to catch these baits is tocast net them yourself the day you arefishing. Most anglers cast net them firstthing in the morning. Although you cannet your live bait all day, usually it iseasier to catch first thing in the morning.Having the right cast net for the right

situation can make the difference betweena very easy and pleasant bait catchingexperience versus a very frustrating andmessy bait catching experience. When itcomes to having the right cast net I amreferring to the size of the mesh size onthe net and the weight of the lead line.

In cast nets you have the length of thenet which is the length of the net fromthe lead line to the top of the net and youhave the mesh size, which is the size ofeach square within the net. The smallerthe mesh size the smaller the baitfish youcan catch. Also the smaller the mesh sizethe slower a net will sink. This is simplydue to more surface area cutting throughthe water. The mesh size of your net isvery important when throwing on aschool of baitfish.If your mesh size is to large to keep

the bait confined with the net the baitwill pass through the net. Worst yet, thebait may get caught as it attempts to gothrough the mesh. This is referred to as‘gilling’ and can be both messy and frus-trating when you have to remove hun-dreds of small baitfish gilled in your net.At times it can take up to an hour topluck all the little baits out. Not to men-tion the hundreds of baits that were killedfor no reason. So the size of the meshcan obviously make or break the cast net-ting experience.The speed at which a cast net sinks is

dependent on the amount of weight on thelead line. Typically the average net will

have a minimum of 1pound of lead per foot.So if a cast net is 10feet long and is listedas 1 pound per foot thenet would have 10lbsof lead on it. I haveseen some custom castnets made up to 1.8lbsper foot. This is a veryheavy net and althoughit would sink very fast,in my opinion, it ismore weight than youneed to get the jobdone catching bait inwater less than 6 feetdeep.

I now carrytwo cast nets on my

boat. Both are 10 foot cast nets, but withdifferent mesh sizes. One is the mostpopular size for our area, a 3/8 inchmesh. This size mesh cast net will sinkrelatively fast enough in water 8 feet orless and will not gill most baitfish over 3inches in length. But this net will gillsmaller baitfish very easily. My other netis a 1/4 inch mesh size. This size meshis very small and will catch just aboutany size bait I throw on. The only limitto this net is that it is not very effectivein water deeper than 7 feet. I always startwith my 1/4- inch mesh cast net. If thebait is primarily larger then I may switchover to the 3/8 size net. The 1/4-inch netwill catch fewer baits per cast but willalso eliminate the cleaning ritual of gilledbaits. I’d rather have to throw the net atime or two more than have to clean outa gilled net.Choosing the type and brand of cast

net can be very confusing as well. In anut shell and I’m not getting too techni-cal, here is my quick philosophy on castnets: There are two types of nets, custommade and production made. The custommade nets are without a doubt usually abetter net. The one main difference to me

is they throw and open a little better. Theother difference is the price. A qualitycustom made cast net can cost well over$200 for a 10 foot net, depending on themanufacturer, which is about double theprice of a quality production made net. If Ihad to make a living throwing a cast netall day, day after day, a custom net wouldbe the type of net I would get. But thereality is, although I may use my cast neteveryday at times, I usually don’t have tothrow it more than a half a dozen timeseach day. The other reality for me is that Ido throw my nets around structure quite abit (markers) and if I get to close to themarker, a custom net will tear just as eas-ily as a production one on the barnacles. Ihave had both types of nets and I seem toget about a years worth out of either ofthem before it is time to replace. Myoverall opinion is you don’t have tospend a fortune on a cast net, it ultimate-ly comes down to your preferences andyour wallet.Below is a list of a few production and

custom cast net manufactures. All havetheir pro’s and con’s. I personally useEGO cast nets. The price versus the quali-ty is the best bang for your buck. Bettsalso makes a decent production net but ismore expensive and you’re not getting abetter net in my opinion. Calusa cast netsare custom made nets and are one of thebetter custom made nets. They also makea cheaper version custom net called theCracker net.

Production Cast NetsEGO Cast Nets:

www.adventureproducts.comBetts Super Pro Cast Nets:

www.bettstackle.netExcalibur Cast Nets:

www.excaliburcastnets.comCustom Cast NetsCalusa Cast Nets: www.calusa.comMaster Craft Cast Nets: Cape Coral,

(239) 574-6950Capt. Robert Moore can be reached for

questions or to book a fishing trip at:

CASTCASTNETSNETS

The elevated bow of Capt. Robʼs new Andros 23 boat makes for a perfect netting platform.

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8210 Manasota Key RoadIsland Paradise for sale. Gulfto Bay property w/ largebeach house. Swimming pooloverlooks the Gulf. Largescreened porch, huge galleykitchen and more. $2,100,000

Gulf Sands. Customizedand updated 3 bedroom2 bath end unit condow/open floor plan. PartialGulf and Bay views.Heated pool and deededboat dock.


2008 Stingray Loaded, only

Fish & Cruise Combo, 50hp 4-stroke.

150hp Yamaha, Fishing or Cruising, 2 fishchairs,

livewell, enclosed head, full canvas &

2007 Limited 115hp O/B, changingroompottie, covers, bimini and ski tow,

19? 115hp O/B, loaded deck boat, Only

14? electric or gas, seats six only

2008 90 HP Yamaha only 18? bowrider, well equipped, only

24? fish & crusie, 4-stroke O/B, fullcover

50hp 4-stroke O/B,2 fish chairs,livewell

full cover bimini, vinyl deck, only

Deck Boat, 115hp O/B. full cockpitcover

16? Deck Boat, FD161, 75hp 4-stroke,bimini, full cover, call for more infor-

mation


By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE Tournaments“Oh man, Mike, the fish is alive.

Come on.”“It’s dead.”“No it’s not!”The tone rose an octave“That fish is alive!” The volume rose

in pitch as well.“Put it in the tank and let me see it

swim,” I said. The angler holds the fishby the tail, down at the bottom of thetank in the shadows.“See.”“Let ‘em go,” I said. “Let me see it

swim, and stay upright.”“I have to hold it. He’s not ready yet.”“He’ll never be ready, he’s dead. Take

as long as you want ... he’s not comingback.”The next team in line is waiting

patiently, watching the drama unfold. Weare at the measuring station at the RichestRedfish Challenge in Punta Gorda, FishinFrank and me.I turn away, the angler takes his two

fish, a live one and the dead one, up tothe weigh-in scale. I motion to the score-keeper with one finger slit across mythroat. It’s our pre-agreed signal for deadfish. A dead fish means the angler’s totalweight will be reduced by one pound. Astiff penalty. One pound off will surelykeep anyone away from the big $25,000check.

The weigh-in goes on, Frank and Icheckin’ ‘em in and measuring them andCapt. Ralph Allen working the scale.In the end, out of 80 teams there were

61 teams that weighed-in fish. One teamwas disqualified after both team membersfailed the polygraph test.But except for our one whiner and the

disqualified team, it was all good; A dayof good fishing and the fishing was for agood cause: Punta Gorda’s Good ShepherdSchool. “We raised over $90,000 tourna-ment organizer Bruce Laishley said at the

captain’s meeting the night before. “Therules were pretty clear, angler BobbyDaughtry told me the day after the tourna-ment. “We put our cell phones in thewaterproof box before we go out in themorning. We won’t talk to anybody,”Daughtry said, Talk was the disqualifiedteam allegedly had made contact with

another boat during the event. Daughtryand her partner Lyn Bevis finished 15th,good for $400 and the last team in themoney.First in the money was Capt. Rhett

Morris and Capt. Eric Carstenson, whoweighhed in with a very respectable 14.28pound two-fish total. That got them thebig, first place, $25,000 check.Rounding out the top-5 were2nd Place, $10,000: Alan Eggebrech

and Steven Barnhill with a 13.82 weight.3rd Place, $7,000: Ray and Fran

Smith with 13.34 pounds4th Place, $5000: Clay and Todd

Rebol with 13.24 pounds.5th Place, $4000: Chuck Jenkins

and Chris Frohlich with a 13.18 weight.

Richest Redfish Challenge

N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 1 3

By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior StaffRemember the good old days when

you could take your boat into the backcountry of Charlotte County to yoursecret spot, fish all day and not see anoth-er boat for hours. You could even go on aweekend and still have the whole place toyourself. Well, those days are long gone.

The increase of fishing in CharlotteHarbor has been explosive in the last 10years. The number of registered boat own-ers in the county is now over the 20,000mark and growing. No one knows howmany out of town boats are here on anygiven day. If you are lucky enough tofind a parking spot at a boat ramp, youwill definitely find a lot more competi-

tion at the popular fishing spots ... andon the weekends, forget about it. Withfishing tournaments, guides, out of towntourists and weekend fishermen, manypeople feel it’s just too crowded.This exact scenario was predicted back

in 1999 by Capt. Robert Hill, chairper-son of the Manatee Seagrass Task Forceand a member of the Florida GuidesAssociation. In Capt Hill’s recommenda-tions to the Charlotte CountyCommissioners on April 7,1999, hepointed out ‘The impact of boats operat-ing in the shallow waters has increaseddramatically in recent years. An explosionof flats fisherman in Florida has created awhole new industry. A variety of specialboats, motors, rods, lures, jack plates andstainless steel propellers have been devel-oped just for the exploration of the grass-flats of Florida. This combined with anincrease from other user groups has createda great impact in our area.” He sure gotthat right.Part of the Task Force recommenda-

tions included what was then calledLimited Motor Zones. ‘The group deter-mined the need to create an area wherepropscarring, pollution, boat noise andother adverse impacts of internal combus-tion engines could be minimized.’ Atthat time a plan was worked out to havethese zones placed in the Catfish andWhidden Creek areas. It was envisionedthat there would be marked channels and‘when deviating from the marked channel,the boat operator would be required to tiltthe motor up and use push poles, paddles,electric trolling motors, or any othermeans of non-combustion travel.’You may ask what happened to that

plan? Well as a member of the originaltask force, I can give you a personal opin-ion. Initially there was some oppositionfrom a segment of the fishing communi-ty. Their argument went- “I’m here tofish, I have a shallow water boat and Idon’t hurt anything or anyone. I just wantto go from spot to spot as easy as I can;and anyway, who is going to stop me?”While the task force was working out

these problems there was a paradigm shiftthat changed all environmental priorities –Manatee Protection.The Save The Manatee Club discovered

our little county, came to town and some-how got themselves appointed to the TaskForce. They basically convinced peoplethat manatee protection should be the toppriority in Charlotte County and becausemanatees were not normally present inthese proposed zones, the SMC felt theywere not necessary. They got them votedout of the final plan and the idea of ‘NoMotor Zones’ got thrown on the pile ofgood ideas who’s time has not yet come.Then the SMC went about ‘helping usout with our manatee problem’ and therest of that story is now past history.The Charlotte Co. Marine Advisory

Committee is about to resurrect the ques-tion of ‘No Motor Zones’ once again.The question is, is this still a good ideaand is now the time to implement it. TheMAC is asking all interested persons andorganizations to express their opinion forthe record. Is there a need for these zones?Where should they be located? What rulesand regulation are needed to make themwork? Here is your chance to be heard.The next MAC meeting will be onThursday, November 8th at 9:30a.m. Atthe Charlotte County AdministrationCenter, Room 119.

Cap. Ron can be reached for comments, information or to book a guided fishingtrip at 941-474-3474

NoNoMotorMotorZone?Zone?

Here?Here?

The mouth of Catfish Creek, one of 3 spots discussed as a polling or electric only areasCanʼt Make theMeeting?Send us your comments and ideas:[email protected] should include your name

Weʼll forward all the coments ideas tothe Charlotte Marine Advisory Com.

If itʼs after the 8th, send your thoughtsto us anyway, there will have to beample time for public comment.


Traditional Prop JobBy Michael Hel lerWater LIFE editorAccording to Mike Moran the number on

an outboard prop, the number people call‘pitch’ actually refers to distance. Once youfactor in ‘slip’ that 19 or 21 pitch prop willpropel the boat forward 19 or 21 inches forevery revolution it makes. I hadn’t been inMike’s shop for five minutes and I learnedsomething already.Looking around there are ‘propeller

things’ everywhere: measuring gauges, blocks,dollys, hammers, welders and an old ‘gravity’balancing device. Tools of the trade. A more‘modern’ prop shop might have laser andCAD measuring devices and a digital balancescale, but Mike has experience, thirty years ofrunning his hands over a prop, feeling theangle, and feeling the ‘cup’ of the blade.Right now Mike is a man in transition.

He’s designed and built a new anchor, his con-cept is so different that the US Patent officehas issued him a patent on it. (more about theanchor on page 15) So Mike’s not doing alot of prop work right now, but on this dayhe was going to help me out.My prop had 1200 hours on it. It wasn’t

badly beat, but the edges were knife sharpfrom running through the sand. At wide openthrottle the RPMs are up higher than before,so I thought it would be a good idea to havethe prop gone over. If the blades aren’t gettinga good bite in the water the motor can overrev - or at least bounce off the rev limiter,which I don’t like for long.Running through the sand effectively

grinds the prop’s diameter down. Have youlost any speed? Mike asked as he ran hishands over the edges of the three stainlessblades. He could tell. As the diameter decreas-es the thrust decreases and the boat doesn’t goas fast. It’s not always a big drop, a mile anhour or two, but that’s a lot in boating. As itturned out my prop was about a 1/4 inchsmaller than when it was new. Compoundingthe problem of propeller wear is the fact thatas the wear occurs the ‘cup’ of the propeller isopened up. Cup is formed by a slightly rolledover lip on the edge of the blades that allowthe propeller to hold a little more water, ineffect get a little better ‘bite’ .The way you fix this problem is by grinding the sharp

edges flat and then build them back up by welding morestainless material. It sounds simple, but it is tedious work.Tig-welding one small stainless rod at a time, the edge ofeach blade is painstakingly reconstructed, first two or threepasses along the top and then a couple more fill-in passesof welding along the bottom of each weld. All in all, Mikespent over two hours welding. Then the first welds wereground into the rough new shape of the blade. Then a fewlow spots were welded some more and then they wereground smooth as well, first with a rougher abrasive wheeland then with a finer one. In all, about two dozen abrasivediscs were used in the grinding.Once the blades were shaped then Mike made a template

of tinfoil from the smallest blade and used that to size theother two blades uniformly. A simple but elegant approach.

Next the cup was putback in, gently rolling thenew edge by hammering itagainst a steel buck. Andall the time the pitch ofeach blade is beingchecked and rechecked with a special measuring device thatrolls across each blade. Then the prop is put on a balancingshaft and slight amounts of metal are ground away from theback of the heaviest blades until the prop no longer demon-strates a ‘heavy side.’ The final step is cosmetic. A liberalamount of rouge and a polishing wheel bring the stainlesssteel prop to a better than new finish. Total work timeinvolved: about 4 hours.Expect to pay: $150 to $300 ...every job is different.

Mike Moran shows the traditional prop rebuildingprocess. The rebuilding process involves building upthe edges with welding, then grinding them smoothand hammering the blades into pitch and shape. Whenfinished, the prop is gravity balanced.


New Anchor Design

LEARN TO FISHLEARN TO FISHS.W. FLORIDA!S.W. FLORIDA!

Fishing seminar seriestaught by Capt. Steve Skevington

of Paradise Fishing Charters

Tues., October 18th (6-8 pm)INSHORE‚ FISHING TECHNIQUESINSHORE‚ FISHING TECHNIQUES

Tues., November 27th (6-8 pm)OFFSHORE‚ FISHING TECHNIQUESOFFSHORE‚ FISHING TECHNIQUES

Suncoast Auditorium – Located behindEnglewood Community Hospital –

700 Medical Blvd, Englewood

Cost $35pp per seminarKids under 14 are $10

(Tax deductible/ Seating is limited)

Register Online atwww.englewoodrotary.org

or call J.J. at941-697-8277

S taff ReportIt’s so revolutionary I can’t believe no

one has thought of this already. That wasmy first impression after seeing MikeMoran’s new anchor design. A slidingsleeve on a round anchor shank. Throwthe anchor out, pull on the anchor lineand the collar slides up to the top of theanchor shank and the anchor hooks as anynormal anchor would. But if you getstuck under something you simply movethe boat and pull the anchor line in theopposite direction. The collar slides downthe shank the other way, now you arepulling in the opposite direction and theanchor comes free.

Currently Mike Moran is manufactur-ing these anchors out of his HunterAnchor and Marine fabrication shop inNew Port Richey (727-847-9779) in vari-ous different sizes and designs. Plow orDanforth, the sliding shank concept isapplicable. The anchors are constructed ineither polished stainless steel or galva-nized metal. Mike is looking for aninvestor or two to help him market theanchor commercially. Visit his websiteat: www.hunteranchors.com


By Betty S tauglerSea Grant / Water LIFE10,000 red mangrove propagules

(seeds) were planted or dispersed along theshoreline of the East andWest Wall ofCharlotte Harbor on October 13th thanksto community volunteers and a technicalteam known as the Mangrove Marauders.The restoration event was rather event-

ful with strong northeast winds that madefor very rough and very low water condi-tions. Our plans were fluid at best, butat the end of the day, what we thoughtwould take two days was completed inone.The morning started at 8:00 am with

the arrival of volunteer captains and FWCstaff at Burnt Store Marina. Our volun-teer captains represented the CharlotteCounty CCA, PGI Fishing Club,PGIslanders Cruising Club, and citizenvolunteers. Volunteer captains transportedFGCU students to the restoration site.Fifteen students from FGCU and fourstaff from FWC made up our plantingteam. Working in groups of three, oneplanter cleared a path with a bat or axehandle, while the other two plantedpropagules that were collected and paintedred by area volunteers over the lastmonth. The red paint will allow us to goback out and evaluate our restoration proj-ect in the future.At 11:00 am more volunteers met us

on site to begin dispersing propagules.Dispersal propagules were also collectedover the course of the last month, onlythese were the ones painted white.Citizen volunteers and volunteers repre-senting the clubs mentioned above dis-persed into the deadfall in areas that weremarked specifically for this restorationmethod. We planned our dispersal tooccur on an incoming tide with the hopethat the tide would push the propagulesonto shore in the same fashion that natu-

rally would occur if we had healthy treesproducing propagules in these restorationareas. Although we didn’t need such astrong onshore wind, we are hopeful thatthe northeast wind, which occurred on the13th, will provide an extra benefit to ourWest Wall restoration efforts.Because of the large scale mortality

and the difficulty in accessing land toplant at the high water mark, we arehopeful for success in the dispersalmethod. However, because we think therewill be a higher failure rate using thismethod, we doubled the amount ofpropagules used for dispersal. If dispersalusing twice as many propagules is as suc-cessful as planting, then that will be greatnews, as the effort involved is consider-ably less even though more collection ofpropagules is needed. But, the only waywe will know which method will provemost beneficial, is to go back out andmonitor our progress. This is the reasonfor the painted propagules.We will be going back out soon and

then quarterly for one year to evaluate ourproject. Our goal is to not only demon-strate restoration success, but to write thebook on the best methods for conductingcommunity based restoration projects afternatural disasters such as the one we expe-rienced in Charlotte Harbor. Usingproven restoration methods, and our les-sons learned during the planning andimplementation of this first restorationevent, we hope to be able to conductfuture restoration events.

Commonly asked questionsabout our restoration project:Q. Won’t the mangroves come

back on their own?A. Yes; however in the mean time,

important fish corridors are being impact-ed, erosion is possible, and exotic plantspecies are being provided an opportunityto become established.

Q. Should thedeadfall be removed?A. No; we

believe the deadfall isproviding some important habitat func-tion. We also believe the deadfall willhelp to trap the propagules that were dis-persed.In all, we estimate about a hundred

volunteers participated at some level onthis project. The technical team (fromCharlotte County, Charlotte Harbor NEP,FWC-Charlotte Harbor Field Station,Florida SeaGrant, andMarine ForestResearch, Inc.)wishes to thankall of you foryour contribu-tions!! We alsothank theFriends of theCharlotteHarbor AquaticPreserves,Friends forExtension,JohnsonEngineering, Burnt StoreMarina and Porto BelloRestaurant for sponsoring ourpost restoration lunch. Thefood was wonderful and appreci-ated by all.Other Mangrove Marauders

who have provided supportthroughout the project includethe Charlotte Harbor ReefAssociation, HONCConstruction, King FisherFleet, and Water LIFEMagazine.

Betty Staugler is the Sea GrantAgent for Charlotte County. She

MangroveMangroveMaraudersMaraudersThe reforestation of the West side of Charlotte Harbor


26' Bayliner 2609 Rendezvous Deck Boat,1995. Powered by single 175hp Mercuryoutboard. Asking $13,900

26' Boca Grande Cuddy Cabin, 1986. 350 HPCrusader inboard, very nice condition, fullyequipped. REDUCED to $22,900

30' Contender CC .Twin 225 YamahaSaltwater Series II, less than 300 Hours,T-Top, New trailer included. $57,900

20' Pathfinder 2000V 2007. Single 150hpYamaha v-max. In showroom conditionand comes with aluminum trailer. $36,900

22' Pathfinder 2200 V tournament Series,2005. Single 200hp Yamaha HPI 2004. Verywell maintained, includes trailer. $38,500

29' Wellcraft Coastal 2004 hard top, twin225hp Yamaha Four Strokes. Ultimate off-shore fishing,well equipped $116,900

23' Caravelle 230 CC, 2002. Very wellequipped Tarpon Tower boat. 225hp Yamahaunder warranty until 2008! $39,000

36' Stamas 360 EXP 1992, Only 200 hrs ontwin 375 Merc. inboards new in 2006. Bottompaint, props redone Reduced $74,900

28' Scout 280SF CC Fisherman, 2002. Twin225hp Yamaha 4 strokes. Very nice condi-tion throughout, and lift stored! $79,900

38' Bayliner 3870 1985. Twin 135HPmitzubishi deisels. Nice roomy economi-cal cruiser. $59,500

24' Grady White Offshore. Twin 140HPmotors. Fish rigged with tuna tower,outriggers, down riggers, etc. $10,900

30' Young & Grant Sportfish, 1983. Single350HP Caterpillar 3116 Turbo, 2000.Asking $34,900 Owner Moving Must Sell

18' Cobia Center Console 1999. Single115HP Yamaha V-4. Great for fishing orcruising. $10,900

32' Hatteras Flybridge Sportfish, verynice throughout . Twin 350hp Crusaders.High quality sportfisherman. $49,500

37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer, 1995. Twin315HP Cummins. New Canvas & Berbercarpeting, 1000 hour check. $139,500.

30' SeaRay 300 Weekender, 1989. Alwaysbeen lift stored out of the water. 260HPMercruiser Inboards. $28,900

26' Shamrock, 2003. Inshore orOffshorefisherman. Full keel tracking and protec-tion. Single 250 Indmar. $29,900

25' Parker 2520 Pilot House Fish 2005, likenew. 225 HP Yamaha Four Stroke. 5 yeartransferrable hull warranty. $54,900

26' Gladstron GS269 Express Cruiser, 2005-In "Show Room" condition & only 52 origi-nal hours, always dry stored. $37,900

28' Cape Dory, 1985. Highly sought after.Downeast style diesel powered trawler.Single 100HP Westerbeke $55,900

Owner wants her sold now! All of the features of a larger vessel

22' Black Jack 224 Bay Boat, 2006.Single 250HP Yamaha 4 stroke, lowhours. $47,900

33' Grady White 330 Express 2007. Twin 250Yamaha Four Strokes. Raymarine autopilotand power assist steering. $254,900

30' Proline Express - 2000. Great offshorefishing boat. Twin 225HP Evinrude.$49,900

32' Island Packet Cutter, 1991. Must see iflooking for a high quality vessel. We presentall offers. Single 27HP Yanmar Deisel. $99,000

35' Trojan 350 Express. Very nice, welldesigned boat that is lift stored and readyto cruise. Twin 320HP Crusaders. $67,500

Loaded with all your fishing needs & more! 2 Garmin GPS/Sonar Systems & Radar system.

37' Marine Trader Double Cabin Trawler, 1979.A lot of bang for the buck on the TrawlerMarket Single 120HP Lehman. $49,900

36' Mainship Express Open, 1990.SaltShaker tower with controls. Twin330HP Meruisers 2000. $42,900

42' Uniflite double cabin. Queen berthsfore & aft, with a popular sundeck. Twin300HP Detroit deisels, 8.2L. $114,900

38' Egg Harbor Sportfish, 1974. Twin 335 HPMarine Power 5.7 Vortec EFI - NEW 2006. Hashad extensive upgrades. $69,500

34' Catalina 34 MK II, 2001 - sailors'favorite! Performs well and is very easy tohandle. 35HP single deisel. $97,900

"Sea Breeze" is a spacious, two stateroom cruiser.

Mechanically good expresssportfish. Owner will

accept trade.

"Slip Away" in a spacious Motor Yacht.

Excellentcondition

throughout.


Mellow Xtreme Redfish Tournament

“Negative 4 - . Todayʼstide was a negative 4. My

... God! Itʼs going to be toughtoday.” Capt Andrew Medina, weigh-

master for the Xtreme Redfish TournamentThis was the last round of the year. Whatʼs

made this tournament popular is anglers can signup at the dock on the morning of the event. There is

no captainʼs meeting the night before, and while some ofthe high dollar, high pressure anglers prefer the bigger tour-naments in town, the Xtreme attracts a more casual crowd.

Fathers and sons (or daughters) fishing ʻbudsʼ and the like. Butwhat makes it popular can also be the curse. With a terribly low tide andnot much water predicted until late in the afternoon, a number of teams

apparently decided instead of fishing they would go to breakfast. Only 14 boatssigned up for the event. Still some nice redfish came to the scale. including a 7.54

pound fish from the father and daughter team of Mark and Jordan Frisbie that paid$140. Mike Mahan and Bob Boudreau took home $750 and the eventʼs first place honors

with a total of 13.08 pounds. Look for this tournament series to grow.

3rd place: Cody Baily and ZachLozano 11.59 lbs $ 125.00

2nd Place: Paul Lambert and Brandon Varney13.02 lbs $245.00

1st Place: Mike Mahanand Bob Boudrrau13.08 pounds $750


FridayFish Fry

5 – 9 pmLive

Entertainment

Dock Party every Sunday 3-7Live entertainmentevery weekend

www.bertsbar.com

Dine on the dock ~ Million $$ View! Boaters WelcomeN 26 38.040 W 082 03.958 Near Marker 55On the Matlacha Pass Dockage Available

By Capt Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior StaffThe cool weather is here. This is perfect

weather for fishing. The water temperatureis around 80 degrees and falling. Octoberrainfall was more than twice the normalamount, but we are still very far below forthe year. It looks like the drought willcontinue right into the upcoming dry sea-son. Be on the look out for major forestfires next year.Everyone is talking about the great

snook fishing we are having this fall inboth Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay.There is still plenty of whitebait to be hadfor those that throw the castnet, but pin-fish and large shrimp are also workingwell. In Lemon Bay, big snook are beingcaught in Ski Alley and Rag Alley. A lotof people are talking about the good luckthey are having fishing the mangroveshoreline on the west side of Lemon Bay.I tell them all to keep working that areabecause I’m doing great on the East Sideof the bay – less competition.Getting on the water is now a lot harder

for those folks fishing the harbor. The two

largest boat ramps in the county, PortCharlotte Beach Complex and Placida areclosed until January for renovations. Withthe exception of the City of Punta Gordaramps, and the Spring Lake ramp the onlyother one left is the small steep ramp at ElJobean. I’m seeing people putting in atthe Ainger Creek ramp and going outStump Pass down to the harbor. If youhave time to kill, you can always gothrough the Cape Haze No Wake Zone toget south. Here is a tip for you trailerboat folks that are looking for a lesscrowded spot to launch. Try the ManasotaBridge boat ramp in Sarasota Co.. Thislittle used ramp is on the West Side of thebridge and offers plenty of parking, andremember because it’s in Sarasota Countythere are no parking fees.Redfish and trout are plentiful right

now and I’ve been catching my fish onjigs. I haven’t found a color that won’twork. Shrimp green, motor oil, gold metalflake, white ... they all seem to work. I’vebeen waiting for the bluefish and pompanoto show up in Lemon Bay. Should be anytime now. I had a record year last year and

expect the same this year. Offshore fish-ing is pretty good. As the water cools thegrouper fishing should really pick up. Wehave been catching a lot of the small gaggrouper in the grassbeds lately so maybethese babies will find their way offshoreand grow up to be those big 20 poundersthat were so common in the past. Maybethen they will cut back on the bag limitregulations that have made grouper fishingalmost a thing of the past.

There are still kingfish, Spanish mack-erel, amberjack and snapper out there rightnow, so an offshore trip is still worthwhile. Remember that the price of yourfishing licenses has gone up; a few bucksfor residents but it’s a big hit for out-of-state folks.

Capt. Ron can be reached at: [email protected] for fishing informationor to book a guided fishing trip.

On The Line F i s h i n g w i t h C a p t R o n

GoodSigns

The best newsabout the first dayof mangrove plant-ing was that there

were numerousnaturally occurringpropagules laying

along the highwater line on thewest side of theharbor. A steady

wind from the eastfor the week priorprobably helped

them wash ashore.

4271 Pine Island Rd. 282-3232

Hereʼs a pinfish that measured over 9 inches. It was caught on a greenback near AlligatorCreek. According to the Fish Encyclopedia, the world record for pinfish is 3-pounds 5 oz.


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S taff ReportIt started with

NASCAR vehicles‘wrapped’ with customvinyl graphics. Then tour-nament anglers got on thebandwagon with wrappedbass boats. That spread towrapped trucks and evenwrapped trailers. “Lastweek I wrapped a semi,”Josh Smith of Wrap Signand Design said. “It took59 panels, the printerworked non stop for three days.”The printer Smith talks about isa super-sized inkjet printer notunlike the printer attached tomost home computers, only it’sbigger, a lot bigger.

At first it was exclusive for ashop to have this type of equip-ment, but today there has been aproliferation of print and signshops, all with big printers.Like everything electronic, print-er prices are coming down andtechnology is moving ahead.Today you can wrap anything.So Josh, Jimmy and Steve at

Wrap Sign and Design inMurdock are branching out.They’re wrapping a lot of coolstuff. How about your favoritephoto wrapped around a door or

made into your ownwallpaper – to cover aroom? They can do it.Mailboxes? They’vedone that. Got afavorite fish picture?Blow it up to cover awall, wrap it on apiece of styrofoam ora door blank and hangit in the den.Portraits? These guyscan output a 16x20portrait on a specialinkjet canvas so it looks like apainting. Cost? About 40 bucks.They can even output a pictureon a material similar to a lanaiscreen. The decorating possibili-ties are endless.In this story we brought them

a three panel privacy screen and adigital file made from a 35mmslide of the East Cape of Baja,Mexico. It took a couple ofhours to output the three panelsand attach the graphics to thewood, but the finished product isstunning.

ʻWrapʼ Graphics Take on a New Dimension

By Jamie BoswellCharlotte Harbor NEPNot only can mangroves

protect and feed sportfish, theyfilter water and stabilize sedi-ments - improving water clari-ty, and they protect our homesand communities from tropicalweather.To assess the condition of

the shorelines surrounding theCharlotte Harbor watershed atwo-fold project was initiatedby the Charlotte HarborNational Estuary Program(CHNEP). This project uti-

Shoreline Survey

The West Wall: Hurricane Charley chewed the red mangroves away

lized over 100 volunteers to surveythe status of mangroves and exoticvegetation. The volunteers wereeach responsible for certain seg-ments of the harbor, they were pro-vided with training and materialsand sent out to slow down and takea close look at the shoreline. Allforms of vessels were used fromkayaks and canoes to large powerboats, and even one motor-sailer.In addition the CHNEP is alsoworking with a company calledPhoto Science to produce a detailedmap of the shoreline, which is slat-ed to be publicly available in thesummer of 2008.Preliminary results from the on-

going project show over 400 milesof mangrove shoreline were signifi-cantly degraded after HurricaneCharley. However, from volunteercollected data, the CHNEP esti-mates only seven percent of man-grove bordered lots along the devel-oped areas of the Charlotte and LeeCounty shoreline show signs ofremaining significant damage.Other Prel iminary Results:Volunteer data shows 33% of

privately owned lots along the mainshoreline, excluding canals, are bor-dered primarily by mangroves.At least one of the three most

invasive exotic plants to shorelines,Australian pines, Brazilian pepper,and seaside mahoe (aka seasidehibiscus) are present on 13% of pri-vately owned shoreline lots.A total of 1232 miles of man-

grove shoreline and 417 miles ofhardened shoreline have beenmapped, with many more miles togo.An estimated 34% of lot owners

with mangroves choose to trim themangrove hedge.This project is still a work in

progress, so stay tuned for the finalresults which will be publiclyavailable in the summer of 2008from www.chnep.org


PROVIDED BY:Dave & Marlene HoferRE/MAX Harbor Realty(941) 575-3777 [email protected] area news items:1. The State of Florida's Policy and

Budget Council is now recommending a3-percent cap on the valuation of ALLproperties. Of all of the new propertytax reform proposals floating aroundright now, this appears to be one of thefairest contemplated so far.2. Crying out for fairness, the

Sarasota home builders association suedthe County over newly imposed impactfees. Citing the damage that construc-tion trucks have on County roads, anadditional 50 cents per square foot wasassessed against home builders. Sincethis fee isn't being charged againstgarbage trucks, fire and ambulance vehi-cles or anyone else causing wear andtear on the local roadways, they seemto have a point.3. The City of North Port charges

impact fees to developers to make surethat taxpayers don't end up carrying thebrunt of required capital investment inparking lots and roadways. Unlikeother cities and counties, credit is appar-ently not provided to developers thatprovide for their own parking.Although probably not intentional, itcan be an oppressive burden on develop-ers and a disincentive to provide muchneeded commercial development.Developer Ron Oskey's (of CityMarketplace fame) North PortCommons simply passes that costdirectly on to its tenants. Robin Hoodwould turn over in his grave if he knewthat the heavy handed cty fathers couldsteal more than $45,000 from a newice cream shop owner for the benefit of

a wealthy landowner.5. In Charlotte County,

Commissioners outvotedAdamCummings to delay the enormousincrease in impact fees to be charged tobuilders for new home construction. Anouveau supply-side economist, Mr.Cummings determined that a commis-sioner's role now extends to encourag-ing or discouraging development as hesees the needs of our community. Atthe expense of legitimate homeowners,he feels that builders will stop buildingunneeded spec houses if impact fees areoutrageous. A check on recent buildingpermit applications indicates that hemight be a little late on this crusade.6. Charlotte County Development

Review Committee approved the devel-opment of a new retail center at the cor-ner of Loveland and Peachland in PortCharlotte. The 150,000 square footdevelopment will be located on a 14acre site.7. The owners of the Isles Pool

Service will redevelop the old ice houseon 41 in downtown Punta Gorda. Thenew Ice House Pub will provide enter-tainment in an old English styled pubcomplete with dart playing.8. The Sunloft development on

Marion has been topped out.Completion is scheduled for late nextsummer. The mixed use building willconsist of 1 large (5,000 sf + ) restau-rant on the first floor with 2 smallerretailer/restaurants. Fifteen condomini-ums are for sale at up to $600 persquare foot on the third floor with gen-eral offices in between. Not surpris-ingly, no formal leases or sales havetaken place yet at these "ManhattanStyle" prices.9. Skybus has started taking reser-

vations for twice daily non stop flightsfrom Punta Gorda to Greensboro, NC.Promotional tickets are available online at www.skybus.com starting at$10!

Sales S tatistics:Demand continued to erode as

national press continues to forecastdeclining valuations. Prices have stabi-lized but volume is so meager as torender that comfort meaningless.

These statistics are intended to assistin analyzing trends in supply anddemand and not to indicate specific mar-

ket values. Ending inventory is notalways beginning inventory plus list-ings minus sales since many pendinglistings are held over from month tomonth, some listings expire and arewithdrawn and, therefore, do not appearas sales and new listings includes pricechanges.Please visit us atwww.harborparadise.com to view anyavailable properties from Venice toBurnt Store Marina

RealRealEstateEstateNewsNews

Planʼs for the new downtown auditorium apparently call for ʻcast-on-siteʼ construction. Inthis approach, the builder lays out forms horizontally on the gound, sets in the reinforcingsteel (shown above) and then pours it solid with concrete. Later the sections will be stoodup vertically and connected together as walls.


By Dennis PeckWater LIFE Sailing

Just some thoughts on the regatta:It was pulled off with great successeven after at the last minute the beachcomplex site was closed because ofnew construction. With only two anda half weeks notice we were able tochange the venue to the sailing center.This had it's oblivious effects onattendance by competitors, but theregatta was still a success especiallyfor the competitors that chose to chal-lenge the conditions.Thanks to the city of Punta Gorda

Utilities for parking the city cars andtrucks in the grass and leaving theparking lot open for competitors. Thathelped with the success of the regattain this confined area.You couldn't have asked for much

better weather for a regatta for boatsof this size. The Punta Gorda SailingClub did a great job in putting onthis event for the Y Assist program.Even with the Punta Gorda Boat Clubrefusing to let the Punta Gorda

Sailing Club use the basin to holdtheir committee boat and supportboats they were able to work aroundthat and still pull off a successfulregatta. Note that we chose not tochallenge the boat club even thoughtthey don't control the basin, time wasof the essence here.Saturday ended with a cookout of

burgers and hot dogs and started witha continental breakfast for all there.On Sunday it started again with a con-tinental breakfast and then to races andended with the awarding of the tro-phies. I must make a comment hereon how well the competition went in

the Precision Fleet. They had somegood starts and places changed as theraces went around the course. Thehottest competition was in theSunfish Fleet which saw some veryaggressive action on the starting lineand at the marks. These races whereheld just off Gilchrist Park so thecommunity could watch and see theaction. That is what small boat sail-ing is all about (racing and watchingthem race). It even appeared to be agreat time for those that only came tohelp put it on, for all seemed toenjoy the time together..

The Precision Fleet was a pleasure to watch as close competition around thecourse made for a fun afternoon.

Dennis Peck can be reached at: [email protected] or [email protected],


By David AllenWater LIFE KayakingTwo of the most pleasant and enjoy-

able paddling spots in Charlotte Countyare Shell Creek and the Myakka River inthe North Port Area. These two paddlesare very different in terms of the surround-ings, the wildlife one sees, and some-times, in the difficulty of the paddle.Let’s get into the details of these twovenues and see what makes them soattractive to paddlers.Shell Creek is located about 10 miles

northeast of Punta Gorda and flows most-ly west from its origin east of Highway31, still in Charlotte County. Overall,the Creek is about 8 miles long and emp-ties into the Peace River just north of theI-75 Bridge.Hathaway Park, located on Washington

Loop Road, is probably the best launchsite on the Creek, with a concrete ramp,restrooms and picnic facilities. Hathawayhas an adequate Park and Pay parking areawith space for trailers. Washington LoopRoad is about 6.5 miles north of PuntaGorda on Highway 17.Once you have launched your kayak

from Hathaway, you can either goupstream to the east or downstreamtoward the dam. Shell Creek has a damon the lower stretch of the Creek to pre-vent, saltwater intrusion into the freshwater Creek.If you select the downstream course,

you will shortly find the Creek opening

up, the foliage lessdense, and you willprobably see morebirds and other wildlife.If you paddle about 3.5miles downstream, youwill come to the largepond formed by thedam. The dam cannotbe easily portaged sothis is the usual turnaround point. Thepond however is hometo many species ofbirds and large flocks are usually seen.If you elect to paddle upstream from

the dam, you will find a completely dif-ferent scenario. The Creek, about 70 feetwide at the ramp, narrows within the firstmile and the surrounding trees and shrubsseem to hug the banks. The current picksup noticeably as you progress upstream.And if there has been rain in the last fewdays prior to the outing, it can be a veryhard paddle, with the current pushing youaround the bends in the creek. Afterabout 2 miles of upstream paddling, thewater becomes more and more shallow,and the banks, closer and closer, until youfinally run out of water. There are a fewsandy banks on the upper stretches whereyou can beach the kayak for a break.Paddling back downstream to the ramp isoften a sleigh ride with the current push-ing all the way.The usual launch point for the lower

Myakka paddle is the North Port MarinePark Ramp located on ChancellorBoulevard, just off Highway 41. There isa good ramp and launch area plus adequateparking.The Myakka River is about 1.5 miles

downstream from the launch point. Thechannel is clear and fairly wide most ofthe way with little current. As youapproach the River, mangroves appear onboth sides of the channel and add to thefeeling of separation from the surroundingcommunities. The Myakka is quite nar-row where the channel enters the River –perhaps 400 feet across.Turning north after entering the

Myakka, the River breaks into severalchannels around island and some dead-endleads. Roughly 0.5 miles upstream ofthe entry is a rookery island. Many dif-ferent species of birds make this islandtheir home, particularly in the springwhen the hundreds of nests are full of

hungry, squawking, hatchlings. It’s quitea sight, even if you’ve seen it before.Paddling downstream, after entering the

Myakka, presents an entirely different pic-ture. The River becomes much wider, thebanks are populated with residential areasand you lose the feeling of being out in anatural area. You can paddle to the ElJobean Bridge, 6.3 miles from theentrance and beyond – past Hog Island andinto Charlotte Harbor, if you want.These are just two of the many good

paddling spots found in Charlotte County.The 30 to 40 different paddles that thePort Charlotte Kayakers take each year areeach different in their own way. That’swhat makes this one of the best paddlingareas in Florida.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet eachWednesday evening at 5:30, at Port CharlotteBeach Park . All newcomers are welcome.Contact Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 [email protected] for more information.

A Tale of Two Paddles

Paddlers enjoying a day on the Myakka River

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE Charlotte HarborMost fishing trips start out with great

expectations. Throwing the cast net only3 times and filling the livewell with largepilchards had us humming. However, aswe headed into the harbor and looked east-ward our expectations went to about zero.On the horizon was a huge storm withdark clouds and sunlight illuminatedshower rays were reaching down to theground. Within minutes the choppy har-bor also had building 3 foot rollers. Andif this were not bad enough, the steady 12knot northeasterly wind had blown all ofthe water out! The plan was to fish theGasparilla area, now my partners lookedto the captain for hope and guidance.Two buddies from Baltimore were in townto fish and the last week of October wasthrowing us curve balls.The infamous plan B was to stay in

protected waters. In fact, I gave seriousconsideration to heading back home how-ever the seas got rougher as I ran my flatsboat due south parallel to the east wall.Heading back into the wind would havebeen painfully rough. The next challengewas finding an access point through thesandbar to reach the flats which barely hada foot of water on them. Sliding into theTwo Pines area we used the trollingmotor to work our way inside. As werounded a few islands we saw plenty ofmullet and a sauntering redfish of about 4pounds in barely 12 inches of water- a

good sign. The stormsthat we left north of usnow were bearing downon us again, withraingear to fend off abrief squawl we wentback to fishing. Notexactly good conditionsand the first two deeperwater areas we fished did-n’t produce a bite. Mythird choice was a deephole out well off theislands. We anchored and chummed freeswimming pilchards. Mark bowed up anice fish and brought a 19 inch flounderaboard. Next, it was Mark again with a24 inch snook and then a catfish, mean-while Capt. Tim and I couldn’t buy abite.Relocating to a fishy looking basin we

set up on an island corner where the tidewas rushing in over a flat. Just beyondthat was a slight drop off. Three lines inthe water and Mark is bowed up again! Aserious battle with the grand finale beingan 8 pound jack. Our enthusiasm washigh as I began to analyze why Mark hadthe hot stick.His outfit was far from sophisticated.

He had an extra stiff, extra short rod as aresult of losing 20 inches off the end andthen re-installing a new tip. The reellooked more appropriate for crappie fish-ing and the 8 pound mono on the reelwas what I call ‘crying line’ Mark’s

leader was old 15 pound reel filler line –hmmm, maybe that was the key. Lightmono and light leader. Tim and I bothswitched over to mono and 20 poundflourocarbon and eased deeper into thebasin where we had seen several fish blasta few of our freely chummed baits.Tim makes an attempt at broadcasting

about a dozen lively baits but instead theyhit the water in one big plop and Bam! Amonster snook mashes the bait instantlyin one big gulp ..certainly one of thebiggest hits I had ever seen. Momentslater another giant hits the bait with anexplosion. The only problem is theywere too smart to hit baits that had hooksin them. Couldn’t have managed them onmono anyway we rationalized.As the tide picked up momentum we

ran to a small winding ditch that mean-ders between 2 islands. The idea was tosit near the mouth to intercept fish thatused this as a travel path to the backcoun-try. Anchoring the bow and stern to pre-vent the strong wind from swinging theboat, Mark rears back on a small snookand finally I catch one myself. Tim fol-lows up with an 18 inch speckled troutand fish are popping bait all over theplace. The bait blasting continues withsome big ones rolling by the boat for 15minutes. Funny thing is they can obvi-ously can tell which pilchards have hooksin them because they avoided them for themost part. The catfish didn’t seem tomind however! Finally, I had a goodtake. Rearing back on my 10 poundmono the rod buckled and my drag wasscreeching. The drag was clearly over-taxed as it would burn fast then pause,then burn and pause as this fish veryquickly had taken half the spool from me!Snap! I knew it was coming and we’ll

never know what the fish was – it neverslowed even for a moment. Our fishingfever was now very high as the sun wassetting. Another nice trout and catfishcame aboard as we chummed heavy asour trip approached its end. Gazing into acalm spot on the leeward side of anisland, we all saw an incredible blast withwater spraying high into the air. Capt.Tim later described it as a boulder beingdropped off a building. This was no ordi-nary fish that mashed, blasted and pushedwater coming in our direction. The hugefish cut a wake rolling into our freeswimming baits. The silhouette of itsback was arched high above the waterwith two thirds of the fish below the sur-face. We all cast towards the huge wakeknowing there was no chance even if hebit. As quick as it started, the waterswent silent while our hearts pounded out.Speculation started with a 50-100 poundtarpon or perhaps a huge cobia. Timthought he saw scales, I saw a smoothback. We all agreed it wasn’t a shark andof course, we will never know.The final spot was near home and a

chance to let our bait go before going in.Another nice jack of 8 pounds cameaboard along with ladyfish and a sailcat.Our conversations focused on most of thefish that didn’t bite our lines. Twoincredibly big explosions from monstersnook, a huge voracious aggressive fishthat will linger in our minds for a longtime, a fish that dumped half a spoolbefore breaking off and a flounder andtrout dinner. Now that’s a good day offishing!

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates ActionFlats Backcountry Charters and can bereached at 941-505-0003 or online atwww.backcountry-charters.com.

Exciting Bitesand Mystery FishMake the best of a windy day


Hereʼs an exciting bite, a 7 pound redfish caught on a charter with Capt Angel Torrez.


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SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Boat RampBlues BothPort Charlotteand Placida boatramps are cur-rently closed forren o v at i o n s .Seems like boththese facilitieswere just reno-vated, doesn’t it? At Placida (above) it looks like the rampslope has been reduced. In Port Charlotte they are makingroom for tennis courts and kayak launches.Cold Hard Fact We’rewilling to bet there willbe some cold commentsabout the new stainless,‘seatless’ toilets in boththe men’s and ladie’srooms at HarpoonHarry’s.Venice Jetty Talkcontinues among anglers, now Port Charlotte anglers, aboutthe general public behavior at the Venice Jetty. Allegationsinclude numerous rods per person, wasted catch, live baitfishstrewn around and restaurant owners catching fish illegally foruse in their establishments.S n o w b i r d sArrive Whitepelicans havetaken up winterresidence in theG a s p a r i l l aSound.Keyes Reef The 524-foot General Hoyt S. Vandenberg,a decommissioned U.S. Air Force missile-tracking ship

is beingsunk 6 milessouth of KeyWest. Therewill be 10 or11 placesalong thelength of theship thatwill come

up to within about 40 feet of the surface. TheVandenberg, will anchor the lower end of a dive envi-ronment that Keys dive shop owners are calling theFlorida Keys Wreck Trek. At the top, off Key Largo, isthe former U.S. Navy Landing Ship Dock SpiegelGrove, currently the second-largest ship in the worldever to be scuttledas a reef.Bat Patent TheChum Bat, ananglers tool for dis-persing live baitover a broad area,has been awarded apatent by the US Government. The owner of the patentis Bill Speidell of Port Charlotte. Speidell will manu-facture and distribute the bats. See local tackle shops.

S taff ReportThe first cool front of the year had

lowered temperatures by about 10-degreeson tournament morning and a brisk north-east breeze was blowing.At 7:10 am- boat number 1 – team

Screenprint Plus, the 2007 Team of TheYear, was released. They were soon fol-lowed by the rest of the field. The scalesopened at 1:30 pm, but the first boat toweigh-in was at 2:25pm when teamSeacoast Supply put up 13.09 pounds toget the show started. Then, 20 minuteslater, Jeff Totten and team AquascapesPool and Design weighed 14.30 pounds.By 3:00 pm the action picked up at the

scales with notable weights from teamWaterproof Charts – Landry Jr.,Whitbread, McGuire with 15.65 pounds –and team Big Dawg Charters; Sanders,Dooley, Barnhill at 15.26 pounds. In all,30 teams weighed in on Saturday with 13snook and 29 redfish caught.Next came Sunday and the Top-5.Each team weighed their redfish first.

All the teams but one had their redfishwith team Aquascapes Design jumpingout to an early lead with a 6.39 poundred. The lightest red was team WaterproofCharts with 4.92 pounds. Then came thesnook. The snook round went fast as thefirst three teams didn’t have a snook to

weigh in.When Jeff Totten and

his Aquascapes teampulled an 8.02lb snookout of their well, theyput all the pressure on 19year old John Landry Jr.and his Waterproof Chartsteam. They would haveto come up with a 9.50lb snook to win.After a quick struggle

in the livewell, teamWaterproof Charts pulledout a 9.97lb snook for atotal weight of 14.89 lbsand the title of 2007Maverick Boats Flatsmasters Champions.They also took home the Boat!Landry’s father Paul Sr. summed it all

up. They’re all kids. None of them is aguide. It’s just great so see them win.”“You couldn’t have asked for a better

ending,’ Landry said.


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By Capt. Stev e Skev ing tonWater LIFE OffshoreRight now the action is all about the

bottom fishing, grouper and snapper havebeen non stop for over a month now.The snapper have been picky, but they

haven't been turning down a live shrimp.We are fishing for the snapper with a

simple "fish finder rig." This consists of3oz sliding egg sinker, about two feet ofthirty # floral carbon leader & a 1/0 circlehook.Drop this rig down on your favorite

ledge with a live shrimp and hold on thesesnapper are sucking em down.Grouper are in closer than normally

found this time of year, they’re just a fewmiles off the beach.There being caught live bait fishing &

trolling, my personal favorite way to fishthese guys is trolling.Use a good set of down-riggers or deep

diving plugs.Dragging deep diving plugs behind your

boat can produce mixed results.If your dragging them in "dirty water"

your not going to get near as many hits,however if you pick your day and wait fornice calm and clear water, you can put alot of gag grouper on the deck.Don't be surprised to hook into a few

big kingfish trolling like this either.

Huge schools of Spanish mackerel andBonita are loaded up just off the beaches.They’re hitting live sardines & small

spoons, as well as jigs & other artificials.Have fun!Capt. Steve can be reached to book a trip

or for offshore information at 575-FLAT or at276-0565

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Pick up a copy of Water LIFE at any of these and 120+ other locations. Water LIFE is not affiliated with any newspaper or other publicationPick up a copy of Water LIFE at any of these and 120+ other locations. Water LIFE is not affiliated with any newspaper or other publicationand is distributed at select locations around the state. These free ads to our loyal distributors rotate on a monthly basis.and is distributed at select locations around the state. These free ads to our loyal distributors rotate on a monthly basis.

If you would like this publication for distribution at your business please call us at 941-766-8180If you would like this publication for distribution at your business please call us at 941-766-8180


By Kel ly Beala.k. a. Crabby GirlSpecial to Water LIFENothing tastes better

than the first claw ofstone crab season and it’sthat glorious time ofyear again! These deli-cious little creatures areone resource we havethat is renewable. Aslong as the claw is 2 3/4inches from ‘joint topoint’ it's a keeper. Afterthe claw is removed, thecrab is then thrown backand the crab regenerates anew claw.Stone crab claws have fin-gerprints too. The oneswith long solid lines arethe crabs original claw thathave never been harvested,The ones with short dashedlines are ‘replacement’claws.

It is a myth that youare only allowed to takeone claw. You are allowedto keep both claws so longas they measure up. Astonecrab can regenerate itsclaws three times during itslifetime.Once harvested, the claw

is taken to the fishhousethat same day to be cooked.It is boiled for about 15minutes and then slushed infreezing cold water. It isextremely important to putthe claws in freezing waterright after cooking becausethis prevents the meat fromsticking to the shell.

After we cook and slushthe claws then comes the

fun part - the grade! Weseparate the claws intomediums, large and jumbo.Retail prices go any-

where from $13 to $30 apound. There are 6 to 7medium claws to a pound,4 to 5 large and less than 3to a pound for jumbos.Last year we had a coupleof one pound jumbo clawsat the fishhouse, but that israre.It’s been on the TV that

because there were nostorms this year that meansa better than average stonecrab season. That is notnecessarily true. There areother factors than storms.If the octopus come in - thestones may get wiped out.Stonecrabs like everythingelse are cyclic. You couldhave 2 good years then 5bad ones. It’s all a gamble.A very expensive gamble.After you figure all the

gear in, the traps cost us$20 to $30 each and thebait is getting crazy expen-

sive and hard to find. Welike to use pigs feet forstone crab bait, but manyfarmers have now started toexport their pigs feet forfood grade products. Pigsfeet are $30 a box. In orderto run 400 traps you needsix boxes, so now crabbershave resorted to using mul-let which doesn't last aslong in the traps.The stonecrab differs

from the blue crab becausethe stonecrabs are crawlersand they literally fall intothe trap while the blue crabare swimmers and canmanuever much quicker.The crabbers take the clawsoff the stones with theirhands. The chances of themgetting bit by a blue crabare much higher than get-ting bit by a stonecrab.Good thing too- a stonecrabcan take a finger!

Kelly Beal and her hus-band Jimmy are commercialcrabbers. They own and oper-ate Peace River Seafood inPunta Gorda, and can be

Stone Crabs in SeasonReport from the Commercial Front

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CLAWSOn the table and onthe crabStonecrab season runsfrom October 15 to May 15.Habitat includesoffshore reefs,bridges, trestles andother structure closeto the gulf passes.

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F i s h i n gF i s h i n gR e p o r tR e p o r tCharlotte Harbor:Robert at Fishin' FranksPort Charlotte: 625-3888All bets are off any more. It’s

been so unusual – summer intofall – it’s going to be tricky topredict this month at all. Snook are moving around and

starting to chew a little better,.that I know. There are still somesnook out along the beaches, butthey are moving in, in real goodnumbers. The West Wall is start-ing to get some fish on it. Everyday there will be fish moving fur-ther and further into the canals andinto the river. El Jobean will begood this month too. There and atthe 41 bridge – those spots arealready producing really good, andevery week we are getting betterand better reports. Maybe the redfish are going

to start to school. Theoretically,there is supposed to be a bunch ofbig schools of reds around right

now, but they arejust not here.Normally, theywould already bebreaking into small-er groups now, butthere are just smallgroups of decentredfish. Theyhaven’t wadded upinto the bigschools. I don’tknow if it’s too dryor too warm. Thereare a lot of goodredfish on the eastside, down to BurntStore, but the fish seem to behanging closer to the deeper waterand, again, they are not in bigschools. Cut ladyfish are the bestbaits by far. Soft plastics are pick-ing up a little bit. Top-watersearly in the day.Trout are closed as of Nov 1

so we won’t say much abouttrout, except there have been somenice big trout around, and they arescattered. It could be a bannerwinter for bigger trout....but we’llhave to see. Remember, no predic-tion I’ve made so far has stuck!King mackerel should be

showing up right now, but they

have been here for three or fourweeks already. It’s been a phenom-enal king mackerel run and if theweather doesn’t screw it up theycould be around for another coupleof weeks. Go figure! We haveanother 5 or 6 degrees (for thewater to cool) before those fishleave. Right now they are all in18 to 25 feet of water. Bonitaand Spanish mackerel will bein that same water column aswell. Then, as the water cools,they will move further off shore.Another thing with the big bonitaschools is that there are somepretty big black tips, spinners

NovembNovemb

There are plenty of hungry jacks around right now to tug onyour line.

Jeff Watkins with a 33 inch 13.8 pound oversizeredfish. The fish was released.

Fi shi ng Conti nuedFi shi ng Conti nued

and bul l sharks mixed inwith them. Five or six footspinner sharks that canlaunch 15 feet in the air areout there now too. Spinnerscan get real air. This is a good time to be

looking for tripletai l .They will be on the offshorebuoys and on the inshoremarkers. Blind cast a shrimpinshore, or sight cast themon the beach where youshould be able to spot themhanging around.Sheepshead are already

starting to move in atPlacida and at the old phos-phate dock. Novak andTrembly Reefs are goodwith them right now. Another fish this month

is flounder. Flounder hasbeen good for the last fewyears. Right now theyshould be close around theedges of the nearshore reefs,laying in the sand. From the beach, slow

drag a shrimp or a squidstrip within the first 10 feet

of the surf line and youcould find a flounder. We may or may not get a

pompano run this year.When the sheepshead andflounder show we often geta pompano run. It’s a cyclicthing in the fall, maybe oneyear on, one year off. Theywill be in that same area asthe flounder – in the surf –and at the drop off in theintracoastal.Freshwater – This is

the month where the crap-pie start to move aroundand get abundant. A lot ofpeople don’t realize a pound-and-a-half or two-poundcrappie is pretty commonhere. Look for them in anyfreshwater canal. Pick a spotand fan cast it with a beetle

spin or a small buck tail.Once you hook one thenstart using live minnows forbait. The only thing is, youhave to be prepared to movearound a little from canal tocanal until you find them.

Lemon BayJim at Fishermen’s EdgeEnglewood: 697-7595Fishing has been good.

The reports I hear are thatredfish and snook fishingis good. The big thing is,the low tides. You have tobe careful. There are goodfish in the whole area, allthe way south throughLemon Bay into Gasparilla

Sound. We’ve had a goodrun of clean water and a lotof baitfish. tarpon, boni-ta, jacks, bluefish,ladyfish. I haven’t heardany pompano or permitstories, but a lot of thosefish are ‘hush-hush’ ... youdon’t hear about them until

they are gone. Guys fishingin the sound are catching afew flounder. There areSpanish and kings closein, in under 25 feet ofwater. There are a lot ofnice fish this month. Andthere are some bass in theRotonda canals. Bass are on

BIG-4 BIG-4 Novemoberʼs Target Species Novemoberʼs Target Species

SNOOK are moving in fromthe beaches.

TRIPLETAIL on the markersand crab traps offshore

REDFISH are starting toschool up now

SPANISH MACKEREL stillin the harbor and offshore

FishingRIGHT NOW:

weather permittingVery GOOD!

n Nov 4-11 Key Wes t WorldChampionship Offshore PowerboatRaces , 27th year.n Nov 8-11, Fort Myers Boat Show 35thannual, the area’s biggest Boat Show!n Nov 10, Fi shing Ex travaganza inshore,offshore, and fly fishing seminars, bait-net-

ting demonstrations, question and answer ses-sions with successful anglers, and "how-to"sessions on fishing knots. Area charter cap-tains will be on hand. Local experts will offertips and advice regarding electronics, tackle,and equipment. 12:00 - 3:00 at West MarineVenice 1860 Tamiami Trail

n Nov 15: Sal t Water Tacti cs fo r theFl ats 5:30 p.m. Capt. Jay Withers WestMarine 700 Tamiami Trail Punta Gorda n Nov 24: North Port Hi gh Red andSnook Tournament , Harpoon Harry’s, PuntaGorda, $400, a Classic Tournaments event.n Dec 8: Red Spo t Tournament $200/ 3

C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s

THE ALL NEW 2008 F-450 KING RANCH SUPER DUTYTHE ALL NEW 2008 F-450 KING RANCH SUPER DUTY


Walk the dog underwater: Rapalaʼs new shallow-swimming Sun-walk XRSD-9. Note the one big hook on the back treble and the littlehorizontal stabilizer fins at the tail.

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