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| | | By RON TAYLOR, FWC Scientist and avid angler |  | |
|  | | Even though it is difficult to explain the gut feeling, it is extremely gratifying to recall the friendship- the kinship- you have with a fishing bud. The outright satisfaction of hearing an old friend when he pulls into the driveway at 0500; the unspoken, but knowing exchange over coffee at the café on the causeway; the friendly banter of whose time it is to buy the bait. For the shared thrill when one or the other lands the prize lunker of the day. . More | | | | | | 6 to 9 AM tomorrow on the 970-WFLA Capt. Mel Show!
Lots of open calling as well as popular TV host of "Hooked on Fishing,"
Bright House Sports Network's Capt. Bill Miller - plus your comments and questions. | | More fishing reports and articles: | | | CCA Florida releases report entitled “truths, misconceptions and misrepresentations about catch shares and IFQ’s” The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is intensively promoting and implementing programs which grant exclusive access privileges to public fishery resources to private individuals and corporations. Several national environment groups and the commercial industry are also promoting catch shares. Unfortunately, in mixed fisheries where there is a large and growing recreational sector, exclusive fishing rights proposals maximize benefits to the commercial fishing industry while ignoring the participation and beneficial economic impacts of recreational fishing. Damaging impacts on recreational fisheries are being disregarded. | | Red snappers a plenty, First Coast fishermen say First Coast fishermen told the federal agency responsible for protecting fish along the Southeast coast that there are plenty of red snapper and the species doesn’t need any additional protections. The comments came Thursday afternoon, during the penultimate public hearing in Jacksonville by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to seek input on their proposed snapper/grouper management measures. About 300 people, mostly fishermen, packed the hearing. Red snapper was the focus of the meeting and most speakers blasted the measure that aims to end overfishing, set annual catch limits, accountability measures, rebuild stock and a monitoring program. | | | Fishing by the book Captain Mel Berman, longtime host of "The Captain Mel Show" on 970 AM, with assistance from noted Bay area angler Gary Poyssick, has just released a book called "Skinny Water," which as you'd guess covers flats fishing. It's a great primer for anyone wanting to get started in fishing for snook, redfish and trout in shallow water, as well as offering many insider tips that will be helpful to the most seasoned angler - even tips such as using a mullet or ladyfish head for monster snook, a trick known to only the most hard-core lunker snookers. The book is beautifully illustrated with color photos, and with more than 200 pages | | Fishing, hunting help injured veterans heal Army Spc. Brett Wolf is one of those sportsmen who says hunting is about relaxing and hanging with other hunters, not just bagging a prize. Still, he gleefully describes the spoils of his Halloween weekend hunt in Texas Hill Country: a wild hog — the first he'd ever seen — and a 200-pound whitetail buck. No matter that the terrain was rough on his wheelchair, or that his shooting arm has been operated on three times in 18 months. Wolf, 26, lost both legs above the knee and suffered head and elbow injuries in Iraq when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded under his Humvee on Sept. 11, 2007. | | | Hook 'em or lose 'em: My kids, like most children, have short attention spans. They'll be little angels for 15 maybe 20 minutes, if they're watching fireworks. But the second those bombs stop bursting in air, they'll be back to fussing, usually about nothing, which is standard for youngsters their age. So when my friend Brent Gaskill offered to take my son Kai, 8, daughter Nia, 6, and their cousin Taj, soon-to-be 7, fishing during a recent school holiday, I tried to explain that time could be an issue. "They will last an hour, not a minute more," I told the St. Petersburg charter boat captain. | | How About Giving Freshwater Fishing a Try?
Come on, admit it. You're a dedicated saltwater angler, but have often flirted with the idea of checking out the freshwater scene. "Right now’s a great time because bass fishing is at its peak," says ESPN’s "Bass Professor," Doug Hannon. "With these cooler fall waters, saltwater species have many travel options. Freshwater fish don’t have that choice. They’re landlocked in canals and coves. And the larger bass are staying put, guarding their beds during the spawning period." | | | Mentally Challenged Boaters Did ya ever wish you could be a plain-clothes FWC Enforcement officer and hand out tickets to other boaters who suffer from terminal cases of the "stupids?" It's really amazing that we don't have more serious accidents, drownings and altercations on Florida waters. Does anybody take the time to at least partially learn the official Coast Guard Boater's Rules of the Road? Seeing the breathtaking antics of some of our fellow fishing and boating enthusiasts, I have foresworn any weekend on-water excursions. It's too nerve-wracking. | | Fall offers bonus fish As the fall run of baitfish pours past our shores, anglers are offered a remarkable variety of targets, most of them so close to shore they can be caught from the smallest of watercraft on calm days. Kayakers regularly paddle to the action in the passes and near the beaches when winds are calm or out of the east, resulting in no surf. The passing parade of predatory fish includes jacks, ladyfish, Spanish and king mackerel and bluefish, as well as the sharks that feed on all these species. But the one species that's perhaps targeted the least... | | | Pinellas County offers model for protecting marine habitat ST. PETERSBURG -- In his 13-year career as a light-tackle fishing guide in Tampa Bay, captain Rob Gorta has caught and released redfish up to 42 inches. The 38-year-old former U.S. Coast Guardsman has appeared on several popular outdoors TV shows, helping famous hosts such as Mark Sosin, Shaw Grigsby and Byron Velvick to big catches. For his entire fishing career, Gorta has operated within sea-grass protection management zones that call for slow/idle speeds and noncombustion engines -- all enforced by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department | | Grouper digging: The way it was Until the late 1970s, grouper digging off Florida's "left coast" was a sheer joy. On several occasions, I can remember returning to my marina in Tarpon Springs and triumphantly off-loading hundreds of pounds of large gag grouper. I should hasten to add that in those days we were all "meat fishermen," selling our catches and lavishly supporting our offshore fishing avocation. None of us harbored any thoughts of depleting what seemed like a never-ending cornucopia of fat grouper. It also was an era when the small group of anglers who took the time and trouble to learn how to fish for the grouper | | | Enormous Jellyfish Sink Japanese Fishing Boat Pink, slimy and repellent, the Nomura’s jellyfish is an authentic horror of the deep that's been assaulting Japan. Now the creatures have sunk a 10-ton fishing trawler. The boat was capsized off Chiba in Japan, as its three-man crew was trying to haul in a net containing dozens of huge Nomura's jellyfish. Four years after they last reared their slimy heads, and for reasons that remain mysterious, an armada of the gelatinous giants has gathered in the Yellow Sea off China and the Korean peninsula. Now it has drifted into the Sea of Japan and brought down the Diasan Shinsho-maru. | | "Redfishing - 101" Here's what works for me when I go redfishing: First of all you need me to guide you for the best results. Otherwise read on. First, a couple of brief tips concerning reels and fishing lines are worth mentioning. The reels I use have super smooth drags and do not stick when fighting a big bull red. I prefer Shimano or Daiwa SS 1600 open-faced spinning reels with front controlled drags. The model I am using now is the Shimano Spheros 3000FA or Shimano Stradic 2500-FH. Now I am testing some Okuma FH S30 spinning reels and they are proving to be more than worth their money with 7 ball bearings and a good enough drag. | FRA sues over Gulf AJ closure | | Spotted Seatrout: A Gamefish for Anyone Snook may be Florida's most sought-after gamefish, but these sporty creatures are only available to a select few anglers and only in the southern half of the state. Redfish are proving to be the bass of salt water, as several tournament trails pursue reds in a number of southern states. But redfish are kind of unpredictable. They seem to have some good years and some slow years. | | Seasickness: How to avoid or at least deal with it Some time back I received an email from one of our readers, Ken Gacsy, on a not so pleasant subject, but one for those of us who venture offshore must occasionally confront. Yes, it's the scourge of seasickness. Many of have lived through this incredibly miserable experience and would do everything on our power to avoid this very uncomfortable situation. |
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