I just bought a used boat and motor and have been trying to find out if there is some place to get ethanol free fuel or an additive to neutralize the alcohol. The boat and motor (16' Proline & 100HP Mariner) are late 80's and may not have been built to withstand that crap. I don't get to listen to your show all the time so may have missed you talking about this problem.

Back when my Most Favorite Peanut Packer was prez and his administration started the ethanol mess my car had to have all the rubber parts replaced and a couple of carburetor rebuilds because of the ethanol gumming up the works. I read that many fisher folk are having the same problems with their boat motors and fuel tanks now.

Also I would like to find spots near Tampa Bay to find flounder, which along with grouper and snook, are about the finest eating fish you can put on the table. Where can I get some information on this?

Thanks. Charles Reynolds
Brandon
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Dear Charles:

Many ramps and marinas do sell gas without ethanol. I know that Seminole Ramp in Clearwater is one of them. However, since I am a real novice where outboard engines are concerned, I would contact one of the many excellent boat engine sales and maintenance facilities to get their expert advice.

The best thing you can do to learn where and how to find and catch fish in our local waters would be to sign up with our CapMel.com web site forums (it’s free) where you can talk with and even fish with some of our expert members. And certainly, joining one of our many local fishing clubs would al be an excellent idea as well.

The ultimate would be to hire one of our talented local fishing guides, where you’ll not only learn a great deal about where, when and how to fish our local waters – but also enjoy a very productive fishing day.

Capt. Mel Berman

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Hi Capt. Mel,

I was so happy to read your catch and release piece, and was relieved to hear that releasing fish has taken hold to some degree here in Florida. I just returned from fishing the beach this evening with my wife, it seemed every time we landed a Snook a person would come by and ask why we let it go. I informed them it was illegal to keep them now and that killing fish is something that should be practiced with discretion.

I'm a Southern California native that moved to Sarasota three years ago. Catch and release is the norm back home, I'm glad to hear it's heading that way here. I love the fishery here, I'll do my part to help it stay that way.

Thanks again Captain.

Vic Van Wie
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Dear Vic:

In the 25 years of doing my 970-WFLA radio show and 13 years for the web site, I have witnessed a compete turnaround with regard to fisheries conservation. I would say that these days, the overwhelming majority of fishing folks really do care about our fishery resources – do everything they can to make sure fish survive the catch and release experience – and work with conservation groups to make sure protection of our fisheries is a very high priority.

Thanks for bringing your California fishing ethics to Florida.

Best regards,

Capt. Mel Berman

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Would I need a captains license to operate a tour boat on inland lakes and rivers. No fishing just sight seeing? What are the legal requirements/ documents I would need to get this business going?

Thanks...

Chuck Rose

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Dear Chuck:

Anytime you take people on boats for hire, you are required to obtain and have in your possession a “Captain’s” (motorboat operator’s) license.

To get started, I’d recommend that you visit our page on “Getting a Captain’s License” at http://capmel.com/Capt_license.htm. Then you might want to contact Sea School via http://seaschool.com/ . They train you for the captain’s license and actually administer the test.

Thanks for making our site one of your Internet destinations.

Capt. Mel Berman

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Wanting to know what your advice would be for re-spooling my line. I am trying to figure out if I should go with the Power Pro backed with mono, mono alone or floro alone. We fish inshore for reds, trout, snook, pomps, etc for a reference point. What test would you recommend for this -- using a 7 ft MEd-Heavy Redbone Hurricane with a Quantum Catalyst PTs 40 inshore reel. Also have a 7 ft Fin-Nor Profiler rod with a Daiwa Capricorn 3500A reel. Any advice you could give will be greatly appreciated.

I have done research online but it is such a mixed bag I wanted to get the answers from a trusted source.

Thank you for your time!

Brenda
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Dear Brenda:

Just about everybody who fishes has their own idea of the kinds of tackle and fishing line they like to use. However, the overwhelming majority of Florida anglers appear to have settled on mono backing, PowerPro type line, and fluorocarbon leader. This is what I personally prefer – and never had any regrets for doing so.

Capt. Mel Berman

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