Water LIFE July 2014

July 2014July 2014

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LIFEThe Don Ball School of FishingThe Don Ball School of Fishing

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the GulfCharlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay & the Gulf

What Is Down There? Page 17

Fishing ReportPage 22

HeavenPage 10

SAVE

the SNAILS?

Gimme a Brea

k!

Page 11 WWWWaaaatttteeeerrrr

Bowfishing for RaysPage 7

Pilgrimage to Fish-MeccaPilgrimage to Fish-MeccaPage 19Page 19

UnderwaterPage 14

Ainʼt Scared ... much!

PAGE 2 EMAIL: W [email protected] JULY 2014

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Independant - Not affiliated with any other publication

Vol XIII No 7 © 2014 No part of this publication (printed or electronic) maybe copied or reproduced without specific written per-

mission from the publishers.

Contributing Editors:Photography: ASA1000.com

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron BlagoRiver and Shore: Fishinʼ Frank

Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy BartonFamily Fishing: Capt. Bart Marx

Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck EichnerVenice: Glen BallingerKayaking: David Allen

Sea Grant: Betty StauglerOffshore: Capt. Jim OʼBrien

Gulf Fishing: Capt. Steve SkevingtonGasparilla: Capt. Orion WholeanBeach Fishing: Mallory Herzog

Circulation: Robert CohnOffice Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER: So big it will make youlaugh! A Goliath grouper is landed and thenreleased by Capt. Steve Skevington on aParidise Charters trip late last month. Moreoffshore, inside.


Send letters and photos to: [email protected]

Dear Sir,I caught this

"trophy"trout in Bull

Bay. It measured

27 inchesand

weighed 5 pounds.

For yourconsidera-

tion.....manythanks inadvance!

LesMarkiewicz

Hey MikeHere is a picture of my step son Christian Van Der

Veer and me with a nice redfish we caught in June. Adam Wilson

13-year old Christian Bolerotook third place and $400 in thecatfish division at Fishin FrankʼsShark Tournament last month.Christianʼs fish weighed 4.2pounds. Christian is a graduatefrom the Punta Gorda class of theDon Ball School of Fishing classof 2013.

Online registration onthe [email protected] web-site goes up August 15 for thisyearʼs classes at Punta Gorda,Port Charlotte, Murdock and L.A.Ainger middle schools. Theclasses are for 7th graders only.This year the late Don Ballʼs wifeDonna Ball will be helping us runthe program.

Don Ball School

Walkers and fishermen share the Port Charlotteside of the US-41 bridge walkway since PuntaGorda outlawed fishing from their side. Recent re-ports indicate there has been some conflict overaccess and several people have told us there hasbeen human excrement (not just pee-pee) on thewalkway. Something must be done about thosedamn joggers! – editor!

“I Must Have Misunderstood Something” .. beat poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti


By MichaelHellerWater LIFEEditor

I receivedan email froma man namedScott whotold me thatthe picture we ran last month of Capt. Alan Ogle, with thejaws from what I said was his all-tackle-record hammer-head shark, was inaccurate, that those jaws were not froma hammerhead. I asked him how he knew this and he justsaid: ‘Google it,’ so I did ... and it appears he is correct.

Alan’s record shark jaws were (almost) ‘urban fishinglegend’ in Punta Gorda in 1997 when I was editor of thePunta Gorda Herald and my office was right behind Bill’sTackle, which Alan owned.

I remember taking thepicture, but does anybody else remember hearing thatthose jaws were from his record hammerhead? Am Idreaming? Did Alan not tell me that? Am I losing it?

‘How do you know that is not a hammerhead?’ I askedScott and he told me he was an avid fishermen and diver,a fossil and shark tooth collector. “I've been obsessedwith them since I was a kid. I see a lot of jaws misidenti-fied. I just thought you should know, ” he said.

Well yes, I should! Alan’s record was in the IGFA record book. I called

the IGFA to see if I could look at a picture of the sharkand maybe see its teeth, but the record has been surpassedand they didn’t have the picture any more. I tried to findAlan on the internet - again, no luck. So until someonetells him and he calls me, I’ll reserve comment. MaybeI’m losing it, maybe Alan had two sets of big shark jaws.There must be some explanation. If you know, or youthink you know, please tell me!

Have I got this correct? The teeth in the sharkʼs jaw Alan Ogle is holdingdonʼt match up to the Google photos for a hammerhead. Do you agree?


By Capt. David StephensWater LIFE Inshore

What does it take to have a successfulday of fishing on Charlotte Harbor? Luck!... but not exactly. Being prepared forwhat ever the day brings is one of thebiggest keys and as hard as it is for me toadmit, I have been caught unprepared.

With so many different species of fishit is easy to leave the dock focused on onewithout realizing one of your best daysfishing for a different species could beright in front of you.

I have two really good clients that fishwith me several times during the Spring.Generally our agenda is to snook fish.One glass- calm morning a couple yearsago while running south in about 6- to 8-feet of water, we came across a hugeschool of very large black drum. Since Ihad my blinders on and was focused onsnook fishing, I was unprepared for them.

I didn’t have any shrimp or crab forbait, both of which are very high on thedrum’s list of food items. The simple taskof me stopping by the bait shop for a cou-ple dozen shrimp would have made thatday even better.

Often times when I’m tarpon fishingwith clients the opportunity for otherspecies comes along. Normally it is sharksor Spanish mackerel. Often these fish are

seen as pests when trying to tarpon fish,but depending on my clients and the tar-pon bite, we sometimes might want to tryand catch them.

On Father’s day this year I was fishingfor tarpon with a client, Rich, who has be-come a good buddy of mine. We went upone of the local rivers to stay clear of theweekend boat traffic. I was far enough upthat I had mostly cut bait.

We both had our tarpon eyes on andwere very observant. We saw a big schoolof large fish along a deep shoreline. Aftera few minutes of watching we realized wehad come across a school of black drum.

This time I was prepared. I had a cou-ple dozen blue crabs for bait that day. Tomake things exciting we grabbed the lightrods spooled with 10-pound Power Proand caught a half- dozen fish the smallestof which was 20-pounds and the largestpushing 50! It bottomed out my 30-pound

Boga Grip with a third of the fish still onthe deck!

Luck may play a part of fishing, butbeing prepared will help you with the luckpart every time - I promise you that!!

If you would like to experience some ofCharlotte Harbors finest fishing give me a call Capt. Dave Stephens 941-916-5769

ww.backbayxtremes.com

Prepare to be Lucky

The sardines have finally shown back up!

Both tarpon and drum eat blue crabs

JULY 2014 BACK ISSUES @ BACK ISSUES @ WWW.WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM PAGE 7

By Mallory HerzogWater LIFE Beach Fishing

The last few years I've been stuck onland – which is also fantastic, relaxing andfishing on our beautiful local beaches – butit gets crowded and boring after 4 years.

So thankfully, the last few months, I'vehad the opportunity to get out on the watermore and do a little exploring. You knowwhat’s better than having your own boat?Having friends with boats!

This past weekend we went out with Bo& Deidra Johnson’s Tenacity Guide Serv-ice, hoping to catch some sharks and assistlocal tagging efforts.

We arrived at the boat ramp about 8 a.m.and headed out to catch bait for the day.Sting ray is one of the best baits for sharkdue to it being one of their natural foodsources but collecting them for shark fish-ing can be slow and tedious. Usually wefind some sting rays and use a simplesnatch hook to grab them as they swim by.But not Bo & Deidra! They collect theirshark bait for the day in a fun and uncon-ventional way, by bow fishing!

They use Athens Archery Bows with abow fishing kit attached. This essentially islike a fishing reel you attach to the bow.You can set it up on a buoy system for big-ger game or have it attached to the bowfishing reel. These bows have lower drawweight so both men and women can easilyuse them. The website StuckEmDeep.comhas more information on this up and com-ing fishing sport.

We cruised over the flats searching forsouthern sting rays laying up and gettingsome morning sun. Almost right away wespotted rays cruising on the flats!

It takes skill to hit one of these rays!They are fast moving and spook easilywhen they see you. It also takes a bit ofdoing to get adjusted to depth perceptionthrough the water. Bo was first to hit a ray.

We had my 7 year old son Aiden hand lineit to the boat!

It wasn't too long before we got thehang of it and were filled up with bait forthe day! This was a lot of fun and got theentire family involved with collecting bait,which is usually a boring experience!

We de-barbed the sting rays for oursafety before putting them in the live well.Southern sting rays especially, have a largebarb on the base of their tails that can stickyou bad.

Like normal fishing, there are bowfish-ing (spearing) regulations. License require-ments are the same as for other methods offishing here in Florida. Bowfishing may beprohibited in some places, so check beforeyou head out or hire an experienced guide!Some counties even prohibit bowfishing.

Bowfishing the Flats FWCSays:Spearing is definedas "the catching ortaking of a fish bybow hunting, gigging,spearfishing, or byany device used tocapture a fish bypiercing its body.Spearing does not in-clude the catching ortaking of a fish by ahook with hook andline gear or by snag-ging (snatch hook-ing).

YOU MAY NOTSPEAR THESESPECIES Billfish (all species)Spotted eagle raySturgeonManta raySharksBonefishTarponGoliath GrouperSnookBlue CrabNassau grouperSpotted seatroutRed drumWeakfishStone CrabPompanoAfrican pompanoPermitTripletailLobsterFamilies of orna-mental reef fish(surgeonfish, trum-petfish, angelfish,butterflyfish, porcu-pinefish, cornetfish,squirrelfish, trunk-fish, damselfish,parrotfish, pipefish,seahorse, puffers,triggerfish exceptgray and ocean)

More at:http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/spearing

Top: Mallory with a tray, Andrew Herzog (left) and Bo with a couplemore rays, Left: Fearless 7-year old Aiden bringing one aboard. Above: Dierdra and Mallory striking a pose.


By Capt Billy BartonWater LIFE INSHORE

No matter what kind of fishermanyou are in this world, no matter what kindof tackle you use, or what kind of fish youchase, no matter how big those fish are orwhat time or place you get it done at, youfish with a goal. You have a target. Amission. And if you complete your mis-sion during that expedition, then it was asuccess. If you don't, well I suppose that'swhat keeps you coming back. All fisher-man have this in common. We're all on amission.

Some fishing trips tend to stand out inour minds more than others. Some trips

we just want to forgeteven happened and sometrips we will rememberas long as we live.Those are the ones weall like to shoot for.

I had one of thosememorable trips this pastmonth with a returnclient/ friend of mine,Mark Lee. Mark just re-tired after 30 years indentistry and now ownsa house in Punta Gorda.Over the past four yearshe's been out with me several times fish-

ing the flats and near-shore in the Gulf. He'sexperienced a ton of greatfishing and quite a bit ofwhat this beautiful placehas to offer. The onething he was still missinghowever, was his first tar-pon. It had already been

discussed on trips prior.Needless to say we wenton a mission.

Last month we were out early morning,fully prepared and in search of his firstsilver king. We both had our game faceson as we headed to the beaches on Gas-parilla Island where the tarpon wereshowing themselves all around us. Livecrabs were the bait of choice. The sunwas just coming up. I knew, and ex-

plained to himprior that wecould definitelyhave a chance atsunrise.

I positioned uson the fish which,by the way,seemed veryhappy. We werethe only boat onthem at that point.After about 5minutes of fishing– I had my headturned at thatpoint – but Iheard Mark’s dragscreaming. I

scrambled to prepare space and get himset for battle.

Mark was all smiles but he knew it hadjust begun. His jaw dropped as the fishflew 6 or 8 feet in the air. After 20 min-utes Mark was exhausted and sweatingprofusely. He was ready to be done! Itold him "man you gotta break his will!"

The fish jumped several times duringthe battle but we had the fish boatside inroughly 30 minutes. We took several pic-tures and I revived her to be caught an-other day. The joy all over Mark’s facesent instant gratification through my saltyveins. This is what I live for! There's nobetter feeling as a guide than getting yourcrew exactly what they desire.

We laughed as it was only a little after8 am. I tried to talk him into an XXLSlam – tarpon, shark, Goliath grouper –but he said his arms and back had hadenough! So I went and threw the cast neton some live bait and we opted to go fishthe grass flats in search of a CharlotteHarbor slam (snook, redfish, trout). Wefigured if we caught those fish, plus the

XXXXL Super-SizedSlam


Caught c lose to 70 miles out on a calm day last month on Mike'sboat called Shutter Speed. We had to vent this Gag Grouper andreturn it.

Capt. Dan Cambren, Hammerhead Charters. These fish wentback last month, this month they will come home.

Gags are Good 2 Go!season Opened July 1

tarpon, that would be a GrandSlam and a great goal for theday!

First stop, Mark was hookedup. It was a solid 21-inch trout.Two fish to go and we knew it!

The next species I was insearch of was our snook. Iheaded us back into Turtle Baywhere I knew there were somesnook laying under the bushes.

A short period on the clockand a 25-inch snook later, we

were down to needing just thatone decent redfish. Which I as-sumed wouldn't be too tough tofind. Well I was wrong.

We hit a little road block. Thefirst three species came so easilythat when we had to hit a half-dozen holes and still didn't findour redfish, we began to wonder.I was getting a little discouragedand wondered if Murphy’s Lawwas gonna get us!

It happened though! Atroughly one o'clock in the after-

noon, and it was a solid 26-inchredfish. Mark looked at me, hisface covered with sweat and anear to ear grin. They don't call it aGrand Slam for nothing! We hadaccomplished our mission. Theultimate satisfaction went bothways and neither one of us wasever going to forget this day.Good luck to you, on your mis-sions, fisher-folk!

Capt. Billy Barton, Scales & TailsFishing Charters 941- 979-6140


Got ʻem while we could ...9 Day Red Snapper Season: Done!By Glen BallingerWater LIFE Venice

The weather cooperated andwe got out deep for red snappera few times during the brief nineday season last month. Most ofthe red snapper were beyond 45miles in 145 to - 180-feet ofwater – out deeper for sure!

My first trip was with Capt.Bob Breton on Serenity Chartersin Venice and the bite was fastand furious. Bob put us on themfor sure, he works hard for eachand every charter to catch fish.The mate even jumped in thewater to retrieve a 14-poundfloater that broke the line!

Mid week I went again withCapt. Ed Johnson out ofNokomis. Ed is one of the mostexperienced captains around andhas great spots within 30 milesof the Inlet. His charters are all 4people or less.

And I went again with Mike Fullerfrom Englewood on the Shutter Speed a31-foot Contender. We got some nicesnapper and also found large gag grouperout in 160' of water. We fished both livebait and frozen sardines.

Pat Tormey, Dave Nelson and 22 pounds from160-foot depth on live pin fish

Glen Ballinger and a nice snapper

Karie Daniel, Glen Ballinger, Pat and Capt. Ed Johnson


By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior Staff

Looks like some of my friends in theenvironmental community have reached anew level of ridiculousness and I'm talk-ing about the Center for Biological Diver-sity. These guys are basically a west coastlaw firm that have found a way to save theearth for fun and profit. What they do isfind an obscure species, then file a request

with the Federal Fish andWildlife Service to have thatspecies added to the Endan-gered Species List. The Fedshave a short period of timeto answer their request in atimely manor and when theydon't, the CBD sues them.

Now why would a bigtime environmental law firmsue a government agencythat's trying to protect ourwildlife? Well, for themoney of course.

If the CBD wins, thegovernment (ie: we tax pay-ers) have to pay their legalfees and I'm sure they getthe going rate for highpower Washington DClawyers. The CBD winsmost of their cases and theyare really known for doinga ‘volume business.’

Back in 2011 they had swamped theFeds by filing 757 petitions requestingmanagement plans be made for all ofthese species. The load was so great thatthe Fish and Wildlife Service ground to ahalt. To get out of the fix the partiesreached an out of court settlement (soundfamiliar? think Manatee ) ; the Fed'sagreed to have a plan for the 757 speciescompleted by 2018 and the CBD agreed tolimit any new request to no more than 10a year. This year they are using one ofthat allotment right here in Florida .

In the northern part of the state, just alittle southwest of Lake City, is theIchetucknee River. Since it is only sixmiles long you really can't think of it as areal river. Its claim to fame is the bluehole springs that feed the river and thetubing down the river the locals do on ahot summer day.

Some place on the west bank of theIchetucknee River is the home of theIchetucknee siltsnail. By snail standardsthis one is pretty small, about the size of a

pencil eraser; the siltsnail lives in themuck around the tree roots in the water onthe bank of the river. The CBD has deter-mined that there are 10 square yards ofthis area ( really!... just 10 square yards!)that are critical siltsnail habitat and in2011 they put in a request to the Feds toprotect this critical habitat and prevent thesiltsnail from becoming extinct. The Fedshave not responded to their request; so it’snow time to sue.

This river is on state land and part of astate park, but I guess they figure they canget more money out of the FEDs. TheCBD does list what they consider to bethe threats to the survival of the siltsnail.The river is fed by an underground naturalspring that has probably been flowing fora 1000 years, but the CBD has pointed outthat some day the spring may dry up andwhere would the poor siltsnail be then?They are also concerned about the runofffrom the wooded areas on both sides ofthe river. They do have a point; it is estab-lished scientific fact that bears do poop inthe woods. The last t hreat is the most

alarming. The CBD describes the threat ofnitrate pollution from atmospheric deposi-tion. If you can't figure this one out ; letme take you back to your grade schoolscience class.

Nitrogen is the most abundant gas inour atmosphere. When there is lightning aportion of the nitrogen is “fixed” and fallsto earth with the rain, where it can betaken up by plants. Think of it as naturesfree fertilizer.

The CBD feels that the FEDs shoulddo something about these threats and ifthey don't, they should be forced to paythe CBD for bringing the problem to theirattention. If they win the suit the Ichetuck-nee Siltsnail will make it to the Endan-gered Species List.

I think the CBD is missing out on freepublicity and the big bucks in sports mer-chandising. If they could only get a proteam to change their name to the FightingSiltsnails, they could really make somemoney. Maybe they should call the Red-skins?

Save the Siltsnail On The Line

AAQQUU AATTIICCAA


Water LIFE Report Have you ever fished the Palm Island Ferry Reef? The Palm Island Ferry was sunk

in March of 1999 by then Charlotte County Sea Grant Agent Rich Novak, with helpfrom a dedicated group of local divers and fishermen. We were there. It was Novakʼsintention to sink the Ferry stern first and have it land upside down on the bottom so theangled loading ramp (shown) would form a covered area of structure off the bottom.

Two large concrete culverts were attached to the stern to weight it, and down she went, rolling, hittingand settling just as Novak planned. There were small fish on it almost immediately.

Novak later sunk the giant concrete support beams and pilings from the old I-75 bridge in a criss-crosspattern to construct the Trembly Reef and one other large reef just north of Trembly, which after his passingin 2004, was commissioned in Novakʼs name. If the fishing is good for you on one of Charlotte Countyʼspopular artificial reefs, have a beer and thank Rich.

The Reef Builder

By Capt. Orion WholeanWater LIFE Gasparilla Sound

Recently, tarpon fishing has been the latest buzz, but most people have forgotten about the amazing offshore fisheryhere in south west Florida. In the summer months the weather, the species, and the excitement can be amazing.

Amberjack, snapper, grouper, Goliath grouper and shark are just a few of the many fish you get into on some of the artifi-cial wrecks . From 5 miles to 30 there's been an abundance of cobia ranging in size from 10 to 50-pounds. At about 20

miles and farther snapper and amberjack have been biting the second you get your bait in the water. Sending down a livethreadfin almost insures your rod will be down to the gunnel battling an amberjack or giant Jack crevalle. Live shrimp or cutup bait work very well for yellowtail, lane and vermilion snapper. Be sure to reel your fish in fast or else the Goliath grouper

or sharks will snatch them from you quickly. If you're looking for red grouper, look for Swiss cheese bottom and you will cer-tainly find fish from the 20 to 30 inch range.

Reef Fishing Report

OFFSHORE Capt. Dan Cambern of Hammerhead Charterslanded this sailfish last month. We are seeing more andmore of these in our waters every year.

The Palm Island Ferry stopped carrying cars and began holding fish in 1999

Capt. Orion Wholean - AJs on cut bait

By Capt. Betty StauglerWater LIFE Environment

Bay scallops (Argopecten ir-radians) occur throughoutFloridaʼs Gulf Coast and up toWest Palm Beach on the At-lantic Coast. Bay scallops areknown as bi-valves, mean-ing two valves(shells). Scal-lops open theirvalves whenfeeding orbreathing andclose it whenpredators ap-proach. Bayscallops feedby filtering par-ticles from thewater. It ac-complishesthis by funnel-ing water across two pathways called siphons. Onepathway takes the water in where the particles areskimmed off and then the second pathway expelsthe remaining filtered water. A single adult scallopcan pump as much as 15.5 quarts of water per hour.

An adult bay scallop can reach sizes up to threeinches. In the water, they are recognized by theirmany tiny blue eyes that line the rim of each shell.These eyes detect movement. When threatened, ascallop swims away by quickly closing its shell, ex-pelling the water inside which propels the scallopthrough the water. Bay scallops live the majority oftheir lives in shallow water seagrass meadows.They prefer higher salinity waters (over 20 parts perthousand) and require good water quality condi-tions.

There was a time when bay scallop populationsin southwest Florida were healthy enough to sup-port recreational and commercial harvest. Today,recreational harvest of bay scallops is only allowedin state waters north of the Pasco-Hernando countyline to the west bank of Mexico Beach Canal. Thisyearʼs recreational harvest season is from June28th through September 24th. For more informationabout recreational harvesting including legal re-quirements, bay scallop ramp guides, and tips forstoring, cleaning and preparing bay scallops, read-

ers can visit https://www.flsea-grant.org/fisheries/scalloping/.

Bay scallops live a very shortlife, only 12-18 months. Each falladult bay scallops reproduce,sending millions on tiny eggs into

the water column. Al-though a bay scallopcan produce botheggs and sperm, itcannot do it at thesame time - So, eachegg relies on otherscallops for fertiliza-tion. Fertilized eggsbecome floating lar-vae within 36 hours.The free-floating eggsand larvae can travelconsiderable dis-tances away fromtheir source. After an-other two weeks they

become tiny ʻspatʼ and settle out on seagrassblades. From here, they develop their shell andeventually drop to the sea floor. From the timespawned until adulthood, bay scallops are preyedupon. Only one out of the millions of eggs releasedwill ever reach adulthood.

Eachyear, inorder to as-sess thestatus ofbay scalloppopulationsin local wa-ters, volun-teer “GreatBay Scal-lopSearches”are con-ducted. These no harvest events are a great wayfor citizens to contribute to science in a fun andmeaningful way. This yearʼs Charlotte County eventwill be July 26th. I hope to see you then!

Capt. Betty StauglerFlorida Sea Grant AgentUF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County(941) 764-4346

Scallop Survey July 26!


You can participate in the Scallop Search onJuly 26th. The search is a resource-monitoringprogram where volunteers snorkel, looking forscallops in select seagrass areas. The purpose

of this program is to monitor and documenthealth and status of the scallop population.

About 40 shallow draftAbout 40 shallow draftboats are needed with upboats are needed with up

to 150 participantsto 150 participants. Canoes andKayaks are also welcome. Snorkelers withoutboats are welcome, however boat space is lim-ited. Scallop searchers will meet at 8:30am atGasparilla Marina to receive survey equipment

and instructions for the monitoring event. Lunchwill be provided once you return to shore.

Volunteers need to bring: a mask,snorkel and gloves and be able to snorkel/swim50 meters (about 150 feet)—fins and weight belt

are optional. Reservations are required and survey

sites and equipment are limited. The Scal-lop Search promises to again be a popular

event—so sign up early!THIS IS A NO HARVEST EVENT

For additional information and event regis-tration scan the code to the right or visit:

http://bit.ly/2014LBGSscallop email: [email protected]

or by calling 941-764-4346.

Call for Scallop VolunteersCall for Scallop Volunteers


By Adam WilsonWater LIFE Under Water

I have been seeing more and more ofthe anemones.

We dived the Mohawk yesterday for thefirst time. It is pretty cool, but artificialreefs will never hold the allure of an actualshipwreck for me.

There were only a couple of Goliath

grouper on the ship. I was surprised by thatand the fact that the exposed limestonebottom under the ship holds lots of littletropical fish and shells.

Gag grouper are extremely difficult toget pictures of. They only time I can do itis toward the end of the closure when theystart to become less and less shy. I can't

help staring at big old 15 pound gags thatare right in front of me.

My buddy Eric Pinkham, nephew ofcharter captain Dave Pinkham who ran theLegacy charter boat out of Venice, with acouple of monster 8 and 9 pound man-grove snappers (below).

And look at my older stepson Christian(right) and Jake Rhines, two 16-year olds!We went to the Keys last weekend to helpa buddy fill a 2,000 pound stingray order.They use them for stone crab bait. I kept asmall one and it was delicious. We spearedthem out of a skiff on the flats behindRamrod Key.

Finally,here is Jakewith a redgrouperthatweighed 21pounds 15ounces on acertifiedscale. Oneof thebiggest Ihave everseen!

Diving with Adam Wilson


By Fishin’ FrankWater LIFE Baitshop

I am lucky enough tohave a store where I canstock lures that don’t really sell. Whywould I stock lures that are not popularand are not good sellers? Well for me, yousilly goose – they are the lures I like tofish with. Below are a few of the classiclures which to me, like Patsy Cline'ssinging, will always be in style and willalways be cool.

If I were to go for redfish, the CottonCordell Red-fin CS8598 is a shallow run-ning lure that looks like someonesqueezed it too hard. It is bright gold withan or-angebelly,itlookslikeredfishcandy. While there are a lot of ways towork this lure, a slow steady retrieve witha sharp twitch works best. If you have lessthan two feet of water start and stop yourreeling to give it a second to float up a lit-tle.. and keep the tip of your rod high.This was the first lure I ever caught a red-fish on.

Switching to snook, they love to hit atop water lure. The fist snook I caught ona top-water I was fishing with my dad,the lure was a Mirro-O-lure 7M-26, thenumber 7M means it is a floating lure andthe 26 means red back, white belly, sliver

sides.Simpleas canbe,cast itoutandwhen

it hits the water, wait 3 seconds thentighten your line and shake your rod tip,wait another 3 seconds and then jerk yourrod making the lure go just under thewater, you should hear a choooos sound,wait for the lure to rise back to the sur-face, then jerk it again. The key to successis hearing that choooos which makes thesnook crazy, Wait until you feel theweight of the fish before you set the hook.I hope you have a good heart, when thatsnook hits, it will stop your pulse.

Top water lure fishing for any fish isthe ultimate thing in fishing, not only doyou get to fight the fish but you see thestrike and that is really cool. If you havenever worked a top-water lure and wouldlike to, get a Devil Horse, there is nowrong way to work it. I have started thou-

sands of people using top-waters with aDevil's Horse lure. What makes it simpleis that it has a prop on both ends front andrear and it floats flat on the top of thewater. You can give your rod a sharp pullholding the tip of the rod close to thewater, if your tip is up, you lift the lure offthe water. What you need is to pull thelure sharply across the surface. If pullingis a problem reel quickly and stop, reeland stop, or just twitch the tip of your rod,or just toss it out and reel it in. This has tobe the easiest lure to learn on.

Crank baits or lures with a lip on themare some of the most versatile lures thereare. Talk about easy to learn or use, theyare shaped to look like a bait fish and thelip on the front catches the water as youreel forcing the lure below the surface.While you are reeling the water deflectsoff of the lip and makes the front of thelure move from side to side giving it aswim-ming mo-tion. Thisaction isverynoisy andmakes a

lot of vibration. Back in the 1980s a hot bass lure, the

Rattlin Rogue, came out. It was the num-ber one bass lures on the tournament trailfor several years - blue back, silver side,orange belly. Wham, wham, wham, snookafter snook. The only thing about theRogue is it does not go very deep and ishard to keep down in a swift current. Sowhen the current is fast I switch to aB15APBLF Bomber lure which has thesame color pattern, but is a suspendinglure,withbigBBs inthebody tokeep itunderthe water and add a rattlin noise. Cast itsideways along the structure, reelingalong the face of the pilings. The trick isto get the lures inches away from the pil-ings while not getting stuck on them. Feelthe strike, set the hook, and run for theback of the boat.

Twenty six years ago the number onesnook lurewas theMaverickGoldenEye, stillmade todayin Pennsyl-vania. Ithas a wob-

ble un-like any other lure. The ghost coloror the red head/ white body still to thisday are the best lures for river snookunder the docks. The Maverick comes in

two sizesand I usethe smallerone for al-most every-thing.Trolling ismy favorite use of the smaller Maverick,no matter if I am in the Harbor for trout,Spanish mackerel, or in the Gulf wherethey catch the heck out of blue runnersand dozens of other fish. The blue runnerspart of it make me take this lure wheneverI go for king mackerel. Trolling the Mav-erick works.

Soft plastic paddle-tail shad are an allaround bait that has caught, I think, everyspecies of fish here in Charlotte Harbor. I

like theDOA Cal-shad 443PEP/Chart, Ilike a 1/4once jighead as Idon't have

the paitence to let it sink enough with thelighter weight jig heads and this baitneeds to hop, move up and down, not dart

These lures are not fashionable, theyjust work and they are not expensive ei-ther.

It is nice to be at the place in my lifewhere I can use up wall space for my owntoys, Life is Good, and good luck to youout there. Just because it is old and beenaround a while does not mean it doesn'twork. Look at me I am still here!

[email protected] 625-3888

Private Stock


Whether you are looking tolist your home, buy a newhome, or bring friends and

family to join you in Florida,call me to help you find what

you are looking for!Lennore Shubel – RealtorCell: 631-741-4589 Email: [email protected]

Trippinʼ Out on trippletail

By Capt Billy BartonWater LIFE INSHORE

If you are into the sport of fishing,and you're up for a new challenge thatwill make your day, you MUST go targeta tripletail. Tripletail to me, are one ofthe most enjoyable sport fish to target inour waters. They take short, strongbursts of line off your spool in a splitsecond and DO NOT like seeing theboat! Almost like a cobia, these fish areconstantly on the move, finding floatinggrass or debris to feed under, or a chan-nel marker to sit on. These predators arealso notorious for hanging above crabtraps and around buoy ropes where theyfeed on small shrimp, crabs, and bait fishthat pass through.

If you find them near the surface on a

piece of structure, when they see you,they usually just spook to the bottom.

What you want to do is than back offof them in stealth, then position yourboat a decent cast away from where youlast saw them. You won’t need anythingspecial for tackle, a small spinning outfitis perfect. What I use for them is 10-pound braid, with about a 3 foot piece of20-pound fluorocarbon leader. At theend a 1/0 or 2/0 circle hook and a smallsplit shot sinker about a foot away fromthe hook.

I've been fishing for these fish withlive bait fish, however they will eat liveshrimp too. Make your shot at the struc-ture and let your bait slowly sink to thebottom. The objective is to keep themfrom running back to the structure when

hooked. Other than that if you havethem in open water just let the drag singand enjoy the fight.

When you get them in the boat becareful, these fish have serious armor(razor sharp gill plates, sharp spines andteeth, and thick scales) you name it, theyhave it.

They're a little tough to clean, butmake fantastic table fair that's wellworth the work. I could go on for daysabout how impressed I am with them.

This past month, fishing for tripletailhas been nothing less than epic, howevernow it’s almost over. I hope this edu-cated some of you out there. These areawesome fish!

Capt. Billy Barton, Scales & Tails Fish-ing Charters 941- 979-6140


Adapted from a 2006 report By Scott Butherus

The origin of the legends seems to have its roots inthe deep channels of Boca Grande Pass. As with manytales of mythical creatures, the legend gains credencefrom the geographical attributes of the region.

The Pass is a small strip of waterway off of Gaspar-illa Island that connects Charlotte Harbor to the Gulf ofMexico. Several steep underwater ledges, some as deepas 75 feet, pockmark the pass bottom and serve as acauldron of activity for gigantic marine creatures.

During the 1950s and '60s, Boca Grande was a majorhub of Florida's railroads and a major shipping port forseveral industries, including the local phosphate mines.The huge shipping vessels that traveled through thepass on a daily basis along with regular dredging helpedcreate an underwater channel on the Harbor floor thatacted as a funnel during the changing "hill" tides,pulling entire schools of baitfish and crustaceans intothe pass and down into the deep ledges.

The abundance of food and available cover made itan ideal environment for large tarpon, which wouldcrowd into the deep holes by the hundreds. The giantschools of tarpon would then attract an even biggerpredator, sharks.

Just like the dark murky waters of Loch Ness thatfostered the imaginations of those looking for monsters,the deep ledges of Boca Grande, just a couple hundredyards from shore, offered a mysterious "what is downthere?" atmosphere.

There have always been large sharks along Florida'scoast, but one stood out. The legend revolved around agigantic shark that had a large gash in its top fin, an in-jury it sustained after a rumored run-in with a mulletfisherman sometime in the early sixties. The fishermanstruck the shark with a machete after the creaturemauled a net full of fish and began bumping his 15-foot

vessel with its flat head. Legend has it the hammerheadswam away with the large knife still embedded in itsdorsal fin.

The largest hammerhead ever pulled from these wa-ters was a 17-foot, 1-inch, 1,38 6-pound monster thatwas caught using a chain, rope and an inflatable inner-tube off the Rod & Reel Pier on Anna Maria Island byFrank Cavendish and Ralph French in 1973. The shark,

dubbed "Spiro," was caught using a 14-pound manta rayas bait.

There have also been several documented reports ofhammerheads of comparable, if not bigger, size alongthe Gulf coast.

On February 22, 1983, Coast Guard helicopter res-cuers plucked Robert Jones and Carol Mobley fromtheir stranded fishing boat after three days off the coastof Clearwater while being circled by a school of greathammerheads. Heavy waves and engine troubles hadforced the pair to jettison over 300 pounds of grouperwhich attracted the sharks.

On August 7, 1999, Charlotte County Sheriff's Officehelicopter pilot Carl Burgerhoff had to land on thenorthern tip of Gasparilla Island to warn beach goersafter he spotted an estimated 15-foot hammerhead head-ing toward a group of young swimmers on an isolatedbeach.

A biological possibility?The average lifespan of a great hammerhead is esti-

mated to be 20 to 30 years, but they could live muchlonger.

"It is possible they could live to be 70 years old ormore, especially the larger ones," says Mote Marine re-searcher Dr. Bob Hueter.

It is highly unlikely that the fish that spawned thelegend of Old Hitler is the same fish still roaming thesewaters, but is it possible that every few years a differentlunker of a shark moves in?

According to Dr. Hueter, "great hammerheads doshow site fidelity. The suspicion is that the same fish re-turn to this site every year following the schools of tar-pon." They also breed here.

"There are some big sharks that come in every year.Old Hitler is just the name given to the biggest of thosehammerheads," says guide Mark Futch, whose familyhas fished the waters of Boca Grande for "over a hun-dred years."

As long as hammerheads the size of fishing boats arespotted along Florida's coast, the legend of Old Hitlerwill live on.

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What is Down There?Origins of the hammerheadOld Hitler

Was this him? Boca Grande, 1980s, this was a big animal


By David AllenWater LIFE Kayaking

I’ve been asked questions by new-com-ers to Florida about what kind of kayak Iwould recommend. To adequately answerthat question, it is first necessary to under-stand a little about the current trend inkayaking.

There are more viable options today forthe first time kayak buyer than ever be-fore. In addition to the more traditionalfiberglass and roto-molded polyethylenekayaks, Kevlar and carbon fiber are nowbeing used much more often for construc-tion of high end kayaks by Epic and Cur-rent Design. As the polyester resins usedin fiberglass have become more expensivedue to higher crude oil prices, Kevlar andcarbon kayaks have become more compet-itively priced. Trylon, a rigid, thermo-formed ABS plastic with a thin acrylicouter cap, is one of the newer materials

that has made inroads at the marketplace.Trylon is strong, light weight, inexpensiveto produce, and holds a beautiful, long-lasting finish. Hurricane Kayaks andSwift are two manufacturers that are cur-rently using Trylon.

The newer material options are onlypart of the story. Kayak markets havebeen segmented in recent years to accom-

modate almost any consumer interest. Inaddition to the more traditional touringkayak, you can buy a pedal-poweredkayak, a “fishing kayak”, a sailing kayak,and of course the “sit-on-top” kayak. Andrecently, SUP’s, stand up paddleboards,have gained popularity, particularlyamong the younger paddlers.

So where does all this informationleave you in terms of selecting a kayak foryour own personal use? Well, here iswhat I’ve seen over the last few years:Kayakers are selecting shorter, lighterweight kayaks, as opposed to the 15-18foot long touring kayaks. I see manymore kayaks of 13-15 feet in our club andon other paddles and this length is perfectfor shorter trips on rivers and into themangroves. And the lighter weight makesfor easier handling on and off the car top.

The question of “sit-in” or “sit-on-top”

(SOT’s) always comes up with new pad-dlers and I always answer “We have nosit-on-tops” in our club of over 60 mem-bers. Having said that, if you have a badback or stiff legs and hips, getting onto aSOT is easier than a getting into a sit-in.And for specialties like scuba diving theyreally fill the bill. Sit-in’s are more stable,more comfortable, dryer, and usually havesome water-tight storage for picnics on thebeach, so that’s my preference. You needto make your choice based on your ownneeds and interests.

After discussing all the pro’s and con’son the various types of kayaks the mostimportant piece of advice is take your timein selecting a kayak. Don't be in a hurryto make a decision. Try as many differentkayaks of different makes and models asyou possibly can; they will all be slightlydifferent in terms of comfort, stability and

"feel." Most dealers allow a potential cus-tomer to try out a variety of kayaks andpaddles before making a buying decision.This is a great way to decide which kayakyou like and which fits your kayakingstyle and budget. And consider your com-fort. You will probably spend many hourspaddling your kayak, often in hot weather,sometimes unable to get to a beach to getout and take a break. Make very sure thatthe seat and back-rest are perfect for youand that the leg braces and foot rests arecomfortable and can be properly adjusted.You can’t tell if a boat is comfortable pad-dling it for 15 minutes. Take your timechecking everything before you buy akayak.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet eachWednesday evening at Franz-Ross Park next tothe YMCA at 5:00 PM. All are welcome. Formore information, contact me at 941-235-2588or [email protected]

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In Mid June, a friend in Marathon posted this picture on facebook,saying that he came upon this Cuban raft when he got to his favoritefishing spot. It wasnʼt the first time this has happened. “Half the peo-ple in the world hate us and the other half canʼt wait to move here,”was one comment.

“We were slammed,” the Canoe Outpost said of the MemorialDay weekend and the water was still pretty low then. Since thebeginning of June the Peace River has now come up two feetand was at 3ʼ6” on June 25. More rain in the center of the statewill bring it up higher this month.

Differing Levels of Paddling Intensity

The 12ʼ-8”, $1,249 trylon Excursion 128from Hurricane Kayaks weighs 47 pounds


By GlenBallingerWater LIFEVenice

I try to goto Venice, LAto fish at leastonce a yearand aftergoing withnumerousCaptains Ifound theright guys togo with. Thisyear we triedfishing inJune. I nor-mally go inOctober forthe big 200-pound yellowfin tuna run, but Ibooked in June with Capt. Jordan Ellis and theMexican Gulf Fishing Company. I have char-tered with him a few other times. He is tied inwith Capt. Kevin Beach and Capt. Billy Wells.

We chartered a beautiful 40-foot FreemanCat boat called Shock Wave. He works it hardand uses his experience to consistently get onthe big yellowfin. The equipment and tackle istop class. Basically, you charter the boat andpay for the gas and tip. That way the Captain isnot thinking about how far he should run andhow much extra the gas is costing him. He putsin a long hard day and the ride is super comfort-able.

On the fishing end we caught live bait,some what like a blue runner, and then flatlined them around numerous oil rigs he knewhad some action. Everyone caught a yellowfin,70-to 88-pounders and we enjoyed eating themat the condo Jordan set up for us. When youadd up the cost to fish and stay of two nights itwill be about $500-600 per person with 6 peo-ple per charter. If you have any questionsabout going fishing in Venice, LA feel free tocall me at (941) 323-5251.

Venice to Venice: The Pilgrimage


By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE Florida KeysA fishing vacation to Marathon in the Keys is a 6 hour rideaway. Fishing on Scott Jackson’s 29-foot Sailfish, two admit-ted novices at Mahi fishing got very lucky! We were tipped offthat big Mahi were in 1100 feet of water, 30 miles out. We had 2 incredible days with all the action one could handle!Teaching myself how to rig ballyhoo from a You-tube videopaid off as Scott skillfully trolled and then we pitched chunksardines to dolphin up to 30 pounds at boat side, having 3hooked at one time. When a big gaffed dolphin hits the deckyou can expect pure chaos. Be sure to getout of the way ... or perhapsget yourtoe brokenas I did!

Keys Dolphin Escape

Capt. Chuck Eichner, Action Flats Backcoun-try Charters 941-628-8040 or www.BackcountryCharters.com

Tournament CheatingNothing new – Money Ruins Fishing

Alabama doesnʼt mess around with anglers cheating in bass fish-ing tournaments. Steven Macon of Pell City, Ala., was arrested by PellCity Police Department last month after having been caught on videoby the Alabama DNR taking a penned up fish in a basket and putting itinto his live well. Then he brought it to the scales at the big D&S BassTournament on June 17. Local eyewitnesses confirmed that as soonas he put the bass on the tournament scales, DNR stepped in andlocal authorities made the arrest.

Macon was charged with tampering with a sporting contest and histrial set for August 2014. His Facebook page has been removed, dueto the public outcry from local anglers posting on his page.

Another cheating story around bass fishing also reared its uglyhead last month, this time in one of the most famed bass fisheries inAmerica. Gary Minor Jr. of Albertville,Ala. and Robert Gillaspie of Boaz,Ala. were arrested and charged withTampering with Sport Contest afterauthorities received a tip that the duohad been holding bass in a pen at adock and using the previously cap-tured fish to dupe competitors in localevening jackpot bass fishing tourna-ments on Lake Guntersville in Ala-bama.

Sources say authorities setup asting operation to watch the dock inquestion and caught the duo in theact and made the arrests. Apparently reports confirmed that the duowas using aquariums to pen up bass to later be used for jackpot weighins. Bond was set at $6,000 for each of the anglers.

We need sponsors for this yearʼs Don Ball School 7th Grade Fishing Classes. email [email protected]

Capt. Chuck, above and Scott Jackson below

Brian Hoyle, ofRutherfordton,N.C. was caughtweighing in abass that had ahand-poured, 11-ounce lead weightin its gullet

SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated,

But Often True

ELECTRIFYING Biologists with the Fishand Wildlife Research Institute use elec-trofishing to stun fish for sampling. Biolo-gists sample 25 different locations within alake each fall. Every fish is identified,counted and measured. The most commonspecies sampled are : bluegill and large-

mouth bass. They are collected in nearlyevery system, every year.

MORE ELECTRIFYING Turkish KaradenizHolding has agreed to provide two electric-ity-generating vessels to Ghana in a 10-year supply deal. Karadeniz builds what areeffectively floating power stations whichplug into electricity grids after berthing.They run on fuel oil but can use natural gasas an alternativeThe Ghana investment is Karadeniz Hold-ing's first in Africa. It already produces elec-tricity for Iraq and Lebanon, through part of

its fleet of seven power ships with a com-bined capacity of 1,100 megawatts.

LIONFISHERS The Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission madeseveral changes at a June 18 meeting inFort Myers that will help combat the lionfishinvasion in Florida waters. They have pro-hibited the importation of live lionfish; andare allowing the harvest of lionfish whendiving with a rebreather and are allowingparticipants in approved tournaments andother organized events to spear lionfish orother invasive species in areas wherespearfishing is not allowed. These actions will all be permitted.

SUCKER A new, absorbable chemicallymodified nanocellulose sponge designed byEmpaʼs wood research group could be ofassistance in future oil spill accidents. The

light material absorbs the oil spill, remainsfloating on the surface and can then be re-covered. The absorbent can be produced inan environmentally-friendly manner from re-cycled paper, wood or agricultural by-prod-ucts.

No Mo H20 The FWC at its June meetingin Fort Myers on Thursday passed a resolu-

tion calling for the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers to develop an Emergency High WaterAction Plan to maintain the Evergladesecosystem. This resolution follows numer-ous failed efforts by the Commission toseek a proactive solution to these emer-gency situations.

ALCOHOL WAS INVOLVED An FEC offi-cer located a group of youths that werestranded after starting their tubing trip at thewrong end of the Yellow River in SantaRosa County.

HANG ON! Officers were on patrol in PortCanaveral when they observed a vessel re-turning from a day of offshore fishing. Asthe officers approached the end of the dockto meet the vessel, the operator recognizedtheir presence and slammed the vessel intoreverse, inadvertently ejecting his vesselpassenger. He then picked up his passen-ger dumped his illegal snapper haul andfled. Later they both went to jail.

BAD INSERTION The local Sheriff and FWC were tasked to use a side-scan sonaron a FWC vessel to find a lost piece of US

Army equipment in theSanta Rosa Sound. SpecialForces Group divers hadbeen assigned, post mis-sion, to recover boat motorlost during an aerial insertionin a two mile operating zone.They spent two days search-ing without success. FWCand the Sheriff located themotor. An award was pre-sented, the motor will beused for parts.


Fishinʼ Frank speaks to the last crowd at the last Shark Tournament last month. Scuttlebutt asks: Will an age-bracket tournament replacethe shark event or maybe a canal tournament, or a tournament where the species is announced when you take off?

Gator Watermelon art.... pretty cool

A local powdercoating company is finish-ing a gate for the docks at Laishley ParkMarina. The gate will be installed thismonth in the space shown below.

The new gate will have a keypad lock. We were under the impression that the Cityreceived Federal funding for the marinaand boat ramp and that the conditions ofthe funding were: Never charge for park-ing, never charge for the use of the boatramp and always keep public accessopen to the docks. Although ʻsecurityʼ willbe cited as a reason for the gate, just be-cause the marina isnʼt staffed 24/7 that isnot enough reason to restrict the publicʼsaccess. The marina is not a private club.

THE WAY IT IS IN PUNTA GORDA

The plan for West Mation traffic

Charlotte HarborFrank, at Fishin’ Franks941- 625-3888Tarpon are not as thick in the Pass

now. They are there a few hours in themorning then they go inside on the hill orout in front of Gasparilla Island all theway up to Venice along the beach. Tarpon

will take crabs or threadfins now, but thebest is a small grunt below a bobber, justlet him sit there and make his noise.

We have a lot of sharks up aroundHarbor Heights; small bull sharks andeven blacktips, that’s not that uncommon,but this is the first year in ten I have seenso many.

The Harbor is in two halfs now. Thewest side is getting lots of water from theriver, lots of bugs and nutrients for the baitcoming down on the outgoing tide. On theincoming, the east side of the Harbor isgetting cool clear saltwater out of theGulf. That’s good for the redfish. Thinkeast on incoming, west on outgoing; kindof a pin ball effect of fish moving backand forth. This is a magic moment in theyear with just enough rain to make thefishing even better.

There is also a big catfish populationnow because of all the food and forage.The tarpon seem to have picked up on this

and have been hanging out front of Whid-den Bay. Catfish cut in chunks are the tar-pon bait up river now.

Around the US-41Bridges, there isvery good snook fishing, they are donewith their spawn and a lot of fish are com-ing up the Harbor already. Threadfins aremoving back up and there are sardinesnow too. Bait is OK, but still not like itwas. The early morning bite is prettygood.

The canals in Port Charlotte are reallyloading up with snook and black drum. Itseems like more than we had last fall!

The PGI canals are picking up too. Bigblack drum are still cruising the area,they have been getting better and betterfor the last 4 years. There are still a ton ofsharks in the Harbor and Spanish mack-erel are moving back because of the bait.

Tarpon are done with their spawn too.They are hanging up in the harbor and willbe here for another month or so. We will

also see a lot of tarpon in the Myakka andPeace Rivers this month.Gag grouper, keeper size, are on the

artificial reef at Alligator Creek and in thedeeper holes. The Rapalla 15 or Manns 15is the lure, you want a 15-foot diving lure.Tripletail are still doing OK, they

should keep up through the month or untilthe rain really comes in more, then theywill push out to the salt. There are Spanishin the ICW and a lot of snook are stillthere with the sharks, all through the ICW.

In the Gulf, grunts and snapper are onthe inshore reefs. Drifting past the struc-ture is working better than anchoring upand I’m not sure why. Try squid wings inchunks with the skinny part left on, aflappy tail with a 3-0 hook - the snapperwill pound it.

There are a few cobia and bonita onthe reefs from 3 miles on out. Further out,king mackerel are past 15-miles and past30-miles you have mahi, permit and redgrouper in 60-to 80-feet of water, alldoing real good.

Captiva Pass has some nice gags in it

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Get By in July - Fishing Forecast


Reds from a charter with Capt. Billy Barton(top two photos, below) and a nice snookfor Austin Phelps, with Capt Billy (bottom)

FIRST OF THE SPECIES CLUB: Capt Bart Marx of Alpha Omega Charters put these anglers in the club last month.

and there are more on mostof the near reefs. Close init’s hard to get keeper gags,but past 15-miles there arekeepers. You don’t go asfar for the other groupers.

In freshwater, it’s shell-crackers, red eared sun-fish and talapia. Try thecatfish baits – blood andcheese on a small hook isthe best bet. Bass fishing now is allabout frogs. Work them around thepads, bass are keying in on thefrogs right now.

Lemon Bay: Jim, at Fishermen’s Edge,Englewood: 697-7595

There is tarpon out on thebeach, there are some in the pass,mostly at night or early am. Thelive bait guys are doing ok, but itdepends on the tides. Lots of smalltarpon in the creeks and ponds too. Snook is really awesome, espe-

cially the bigger ones! The passesand the beach are loaded up withthem. I’ve seen pictures up to 50-inches caught on big mullet and bigpin fish. The smaller ones, you can

catch a lot of them on alure most of the time.

There are good trouton the beach at the mo-ment along with blackdrum and a couple offlounder here and there.The big schools of red-fish are in Lemon Bay,over the slot fish, butthey don’t want to eat.

Plenty of sharks arestill around. Offshore,mangrove snapper,grouper and porgys areall over, along withpretty big herds of bonitas too.There must still be a lot of bait off-shore if all those bonita are hangingaround here.

We have had some scattered

cobia around, some up in the Har-bor, you can’t target them, they justhave to swim by your boat. Goliathgrouper have been around too. Afriend dove the other day and said it

was unreal how many there were.King mackerel are around. Throwa bait on a reef and you’re libel tocatch a king or a barracuda oreven a permit ... if you have a crab.

OFFSHORE REPORTFROM CAPT. JIM OBRIEN

Predator II (941) 473 - 2150 Don't for-get we have ice cold a/c for our customers!

PEANUT DOLPHIN I have somegood reports coming in on schools ofpeanut dolphin from 35 to 45 miles out.

BLACKFIN TUNA good reports onblackfin tuna from 35 to 65 miles out.

TARPON are out off the beachs, inthe passes in the lower part of the Har-bor and Boca Grande Pass. Best bait iscrab if you can get them, the pass crabsare the best, and lively threadfins.

SHARKS -- are just about every-where in the pass's, off the beachs, on

the inshore reefs and around CayoPelau and the entrance to Turtle Bay offof Charlotte Harbor. Best baits arewhole mullet and I like to score them onboth sides to let more scent out and Ialso use barracuda strips and bonitachunks because they're bloody.

RED GROUPER -- are chewing realgood in 85 feet and out to 120 feet ofwater. Best baits mullet chunks andsquid. I talked to Matt that works forMac freight out of Englewood him andhis brother Mark Aberham was fishingout 38 to 40 miles and they limited outon red grouper 3 per person. They got18 and Matt said out of the 18 grouper 5of them were BIG - UNS, 3 were around

10 lbs and 2 were 15 to 20 lbs. The bigones hit large pin fish, that's some goodeating. Matt said they caught 12 nicemangs in the 20 inch range.

AJ'S-- greater amberjack ISCLOSED till JULY 31st. Boy I don't seeany shortage of these bruisers they areall over the offshore wrecks.

COBIA -- are running up and downthe beachs early in the morning, sitecast for these guys, use a Berkleyscented black and silver eel, thatʼll dothe trick.

MANGROVE SNAPPER -- arechewing real good in the passes andfrom 7 to 40 miles out the BIG - UNSare farther out. Best bait is shrimp

BARRACUDA -- are thick out on theoffshore wrecks. There are some mon-sters out there -cuda-tubes in bright pinkand bright green are working well, as forlive bait a big lively pin fish will do thetrick too, they will hit anything.

KING MACKERAL -- are still outthere my reports coming in say they arefrom 7 to 20 miles out, the guys aretrolling with clark spoons. They said theyare not getting any smokers mostlysmall ones but still fun to catch onmedium light tackle. I like to use about12-inches of number 7 wire so youdon't get cut off, you will get more hitson mono but more break offs.

BLACK DRUM Port Charlotteand PGI canals, US 41 Bridge

SHARKS All the way up toHarbor Heights.

SNOOK Moving back up theHarbor to the cannals

TARPON Moving up the Har-bor, on the beach too!

FISHING FISHINGRIGHT NOW:RIGHT NOW:Hang On!Hang On!

95˚

90˚

85˚

80˚

72˚70˚68˚

50˚

45˚

The BIG-4The BIG-4 BigBig Fish to expect in Fish to expect in July July Gulf TempsGulf Temps

are 85are 85Summer is here.Summer is here.Salinity is nowSalinity is now

changing with thechanging with the rain rain


Left: Jake Rhines, Christian VanDerVeer and Dacoda Flenard at the trestle with a nice snookRight: Montana Meredith caught this nice dolphin off Cudjo Key last month.

Capt Dave Stephenswww.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

BackBayXtremesFishing Guide

Card Space Available$40/mo

call 766-8180


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Deck Boat Starcraft 2000 Ltd Fish 2007 $18,900 #523Deck Boat Vectra S241 2004 $24,900 #567Dual Console Ranger Boats 18 Reata VS 2006 $16,900 #578Dual Console Scout 172 Derado 1993 $8,900 #589Flats Boat Pathfinder 17T 1999 $10,900 #618Jet Boat Sea Doo 2000 Challenger 2000 $8,900 #604Jet Boat Sea Doo Sportster 2006 $11,900 #485Pontoon Bennington 2275 GCW 2013 $39,900 #613Pontoon Sylvan Mirage 8522 2013 $27,900 #515Skiff Boston Whaler 130 Sport 2004 $8,900 #601Skiff Craig Cat E-2 Elite 2013 $12,400 #600Sport Cruiser Bayliner 245 Cierra 2004 $24,900 #605Sport Cruiser Stingray 250 CR 2008 $34,900 #607Sport Cruiser Super Boat 30ʼ Speedboat 2007 $69,900 #603Walkaround Aquasport 215 Explorer 2004 $19,900 #593Walkaround Aquasport 250 Explorer 2004 $37,900 #617Walkaround Century 21 W/A 1999 $13,900 #608Walkaround Pro Line 251 W/A 1995 $21,900 #609Walkaround Sailfish 2660 W/A 2006 $58,900 #598Walkaround Sea Chaser 2400 W/A 2005 $29,900 #517Walkaround Shamrock 2600 Stalker 1992 $15,900 #520

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Water LIFE July 2014