Water LIFE March 2016

www.WaterlifeMagazine.com FREE!

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero, 10,000 Islands and the GulfCharlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, Venice, Estero, 10,000 Islands and the Gulf

WaterWater LL II FEFEThe Don Ball School of FishingThe Don Ball School of Fishing

March 2016

Super-Sized Sheepshead10,000 IslandsPage 15

3 Regattas Last Month3 Regattas Last MonthPage 21Page 21 Shrimperʼs LetterShrimperʼs Letter

about Harborabout HarborShrimpingShrimping

Page 14Page 14

Spring MigrationSpring MigrationPage 10Page 10

Data CollectionRecreational TaggingPage 17

“Word has spread, a lot of fish were caught”Fishing Report Page 22-23

PAGE 2 EMAIL: [email protected] MARCH 2016

MARCH 2016 BACK ISSUES @ WWW.WATERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM PAGE 3

By Michael HellerWater LIFE EditorEver notice how sometimes you say

stuff and it comes right back to bite you inthe butt? Here’s an example: I was talkingto a neighbor and her young son about ourDon Ball School of Fishing program andhow it was going to be offered to 6thgrader’s this coming fall, instead of 7thgraders. I was telling them sports andother after school programs were conflict-ing and kids were having trouble choos-ing.“What do you learn in that class,” the

boy with her, who appeared to be aboutclass age, asked me. “Fishing, the envi-ronment and ethical angling,” I told him.What’s ‘ethical’ he asked.That’s a problem I run into a lot in our

school program. One of the questions onour 10-question quiz is about ethical an-gling and almost all of the kids don’tknow what the word ethical means - you’dthink they’d all know that by 6th grade.I told him ethical means doing the rightthing even when no one else is watching.We talked a little more and then they left.

I had to get my boat ready for a trip upriver the next morning. I mixed some poolchlorine with water and dumped it on thedeck where green algae was trying to takehold around the scuppers. I followed thatup with swipe of Scotchbrite and a splashof water. Then I hooked up the water lineto the flush-out port on the back of the

outboard and got ready to crank it over.My old carbureted Mercury likes one

way and one way only of starting. The en-gine must be level, the primer bulb mustbe squeezed till it’s hard so the float bowlsare full. Then the primer button on the keyhas to be depressed for the count (slowcount) of eight before the key is turned tostart. Not 7 seconds. Not 7 and a half sec-onds or nine seconds. Eight seconds, withthe throttle in neutral and opened abouthalf way. Like that it will start every time.It can sit overnight or for a year and it willstart. But this is the cold start procedureonly. After that first start, for the rest ofthe day, you just turn the key.I have davits on my seawall so I keep

the boat out of the water. I built a (sort of)cradle for it. I plumbed a pvc pipe to thefence where a Salt-Away mixer is fastenedand then I have a short section of hosewith a quick coupling that I can connect tothe flush-out port. I have a water pressuregauge on the hose so I don’t blow out thesoft rubber diaphragms in my motor.When I turned the water on there was

pressure but no flow. I on and offed it acouple of times but nothing. Somethingwas plugged up. I unhooked the hose andopened the valve - whoosh, plenty ofwater there, so something was plugged inthe motor. I had an idea what.I pulled the cowling and set it on the

grass. Then I disconnected the fitting fromthe flush out and took the hose clamp off

where it attaches to anipple on the block.Right about then my

neighbor’s young soncame up to the fence.‘What are you doing?”“Trying to get a lizardout my motor,” I said.He let himself inthrough the gate andcame over to look.I pointed to the ex-

posed hose nipple. “Seethat? Look inside there. Look closer. Seethat little curly thing?”He studied it, angling around, this way

and that, to see better.I reached in with a needle

nose pliers. The end of the tailbroke off, but I got hold of itfurther up and finally asquished-to-death lizard cameout.“What happened?”The on-and-off did it. The

lizard crawled into my washout hose and when I turned onthe water he got stuck. It’shappened before, I said.

“Killed him,” my new young friend ob-served while examining the corpse.“Was that ethical,” he asked.

Teaching Myself a Lesson

Last month, downstream from the Ft. Ogden Trestle, anglers fished a shallow shoreline of thePeace River for bass. The water was lower there than weʼd seen in a while. Related photo page 18

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Port Charlotte, FL 33952Independant - Not affiliatedwith any other publication!

Vol XV No 3 © 2016 NO PART of this publication (printed or

electronic) may be copied, reproduced or re-used without specific written permission fromthe publishers (and thatʼs never happened!).

Contributing Editors:Photography: ASA1000.com

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron BlagoCharlotte Harbor: Capt. Billy BartonBaitshop Commentary: Fishinʼ FrankPeace River: Capt. David Stephens

Diving: Adam WilsonPunta Gorda: Capt. Chuck Eichner

Venice: Glen BallingerEstero: Capt. Joe Angius

Everglades City: Capt. Charlie PhillipsKayaking: Bob Fraser

Sea Grant: Capt. Betty StauglerBeach Fishing: Mallory Herzog

Pier Fishing: Bobby Vitalis

On the Cover: Capt. Charlie Phillips put his client onthis beautiful sheepshead last month,

fishing out of the Everglades/ 10,000 Is-lands area. See Capt. Charlieʼs column

on page 15

Send letters and photos to: [email protected]

TOM AT THE BOAT HOUSE“ADVERTISING WITH YOU IS A

NO BRAINER! IT WORKS FOR US”

We like Fresh Fish soplease donʼt send oldphotos.We like the First Catchso donʼt send us picturesyou are sending to an-other publication, like forinstance, the CharlotteSun ;-(Bigger is Better, higher

resolution is best. Pleasedonʼt adjust, crop orsharpen your pictures. Letus to do that, it will lookbetter!Send Where? email to:[email protected] ortxt them, include yourname, to 941-457-1316(txt only, voice calls are

not answered)Best Picture Wins Thereis no guarantee your fishwill appear in print, but ifitʼs a better picture of abigger fish or somethingcool or unusual, it has avery good chance of get-ting into the magazine.Thanks!

About Sending us Pictures: Yes! Please Do!

John Greenfield caught this fine 22-inch troutin Estero Bay last month.

Kyle Martin with a thick AJfrom a secret spot not toofar offshore.

Bob Miller caught this snookin a community pond in En-glewood.

Courtney Martinʼs first offshoretrip was to Power Pole Reef whereshe landed this nice baracudda.

LEONARD AT TOP NOTCH CANVAS“... A LOT MORE CALLS FROM YOUR PUBLICATIONTHAN FROM ... THAT OTHER WATER PUBLICATION”

We got this pictureof Pat Ellis and ablue parrot fish justas we were going topress: “I under-stand these are notthat common. If youare interested I cansend more info.”Pat Ellis wrote.

Send it anyway! - ed


PAGE 6 EMAIL: W [email protected] MARCH 2016

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE InshoreMarch is a month of change in our local waters and

the only thing predictable about fishing is that you willhave to deal with a lot of wind. Technically, the firstthree weeks are still winter and depending on Mother N a-ture it can swing from a sluggish winter bite with chillyweather to a smoking hot late spring bite. The one com-mon denominator is thatour fish will relate to high- low transition spots onthe bottom.Let’s start with speck-

led trout which will be theeasiest fish to catch re-gardless of wind, warmthor cold. Trout will be found

hanging around drop-offsin 3-to 5-feet where thereis a grassy bottom. Youcan drift a grassy flatsarea or motor until yousee a bottom change fromshallow to deep. Thesteeper the “wall” on yourdrop the better the fish like it. I like to watch for drop-offs that have grass showing on the bottom. When usingyour sonar it is important to take it out of auto-mode andreduce your sensitivity. Otherwise you will receive falsesignals on the bottom and in the middle of the water col-umn that you will think are fish or grass beds. Another

important thing to remember: Your transducer islikely 1-to 2-feet below the water surface. Youneed to subtract that depth from your sonar’s read-ing to know the true depth. The trout are verydepth specific and 1-to 2-feet of variance makesthe difference in where they stage to feed. For trout fishing, the best approach is to anchor

the boat on the high spot and fan cast the deeperwater on the drop off. I use my power pole toquickly set up and move as the bite dictates.Great areas to fish are the bar and grass flats out-side of Bookellia, Turtle Bay and the Gasparillaarea. The edges of the ICW provide high/low bot-tom terrains as well that hold lots of nice trout.Casting jig heads with plastic swimtails or liveshrimp will work every time, but focus on yourbottom machine. Lazy drifting across large ex-panses is peaceful and relaxing, but focusing onthe drops will produce more and bigger trout.Snook fishing in March is often some of the best of

the year but is very weather dependent. Snook will needat least a week of consistent 80 degree weather to get ac-tive. They have wintered in deeper areas and moveacross the shallows once our waters are up in the 70s. The first place they position are on deep holes adja-

cent to the flats and only on high tide. Here again, thehigh-low transition point from shallow to deep is wherethey stage. They will make their move on sunny dayswith high tides and the first snook of the season are usu-ally the biggest. Maybe it is just because the large snookhave let their guard down over winter, but March is typi-cally when I catch the 15-20 pound snook with some reg-ularity. The boat positioning mind set is the same astrout, position your boat shallow and cast to the deeper

spots. However, you are fishing open water on grass flatsfor trout, but focusing on mangrove areas and sand holesfor snook. Anything 3 feet and deeper next to the flats isdeep to a snook. For bait, spoons and plastic swimbaits work well, but

nothing beats a live shiner. If you are lucky enough tofind live pilchards on the flats in March then likely thewater is warm enough for the snook to be on the move inthe afternoons. Snook inhabit every mangrove areawhether it is near the beaches, in the rivers or the back-country around the Harbor and there are always other fishthat share the same waters, with redfish, pompano andjack crevalle being the usual suspects. Use your depthfinder to pick out trout spots and your eyes to detect asnook haven. Stake your boat high and away from thefish. Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats BackcountryCharters and can be reached at 941-628-8040

A Month of Change and Wind

Free Seminar March 24th 6-8pmCapt. Jay WithersAll About Tarpon


By Capt. David StephensWater LIFE Charlotte HarborCharlotte Harbor has become one of

the top fishing destinations in the UnitedStates. March is one of those months thathas giving this beautiful area that distinctrecognition. Water temperatures are on therise as the days get longer. The turtle grasson the flats will begin to fill back in andthe tides will also become higher. Schoolsof scaled sardines will move back onto thearea flats. Spring on Charlotte Harbor isone of the most productive times of theyear to fish. Probably the hardest decision to make

is what to target. During this time we haveschools of Spanish mackerel that are fol-lowing the warm waters north on their mi-gration. Cobia can be found through outthe Harbor from the local sand bars andflats to the deeper holes. Possibly the mostsought after of all the species the Harborhas to offer, snook will be the highest onmost anglers list. During the coldermonths of winter snook become lethargicand don’t feed very often. Rising watertemperatures and longer days signalssnook spring has arrived. Locating feeding fish is not very diffi-

cult this time of year. Wintering snooktend to stay close to, and can be found in

and around, deep water. Rivers and theresidential canals are some of the placesthese fish migrate to. As the water beginsto warm deeper water will still hold verygood numbers of hungry fish. I have oftenfound very good numbers of snook indeeper water during early Spring. Maybe

due to the chance of a late cold front. Warming water will move these guys

on to the flats. The major key to locatingflats fish is tidal flow. On the higher tidesmangrove points that have the best tidalflow will be holding feeding snook. As thetide falls these fish will move out onto theflats. Try to look for areas that has lowboat traffic. A stealthy approach will helpto not spook open water fish. Live sar-dines are the way to go this time of year.If you are unable to get your own baitmany of the local bait shops sell pinfish. I

highly recommend circle hooks. If youplan to take fish home for dinner, circlehooks are great for a solid hook up. If you

are a catch and release guy, they also do agreat job not gut hooking fish. As thewater begins to get clear, fluorocarbonleader will also help with the bite. I rec-ommend at least 25-to 30 pound leaderfor snook. I hope some of these tips willhelp you have a great day fishing the wa-ters of Charlotte Harbor.If you would like to experience some of

Charlotte Harbor’s best fishing give me a callor send me an email. All of our charters areprivate and customized to fit you and your par-ties needs. Capt. Dave Stephenswww.backbayxtremes.com 941-916-5769

Quality Fish, Many Choices


By Captain Joe AngiusWater LIFE Estero Bay Fishing in Southwest Florida is an ex-

perience like no other. The weather is un-predictable, negative tides can leaveanglers stranded and unnatural freshwaterreleases from Lake Okochobee make find-ing fish and locating bait an extremely dif-ficult task. Yes, the freshwater releaseaffects our coast’s water quality, economy,and ecosystems, but, there are still plentyof fish to catch. Estero Bay is an estuary located so that

it makes it difficult for the freshwaterfrom the mouth of the Caloosahatchee toreach its pristine backwaters. The fish un-derstand that the salinity levels are chang-ing, weather is constantly changing, coldfronts account for colder water tempera-tures, and windy conditions dirty up theflats. An angler needs to understand howthese factors influence our fishing and oursuccess out on the water. The deep backwaters of Estero Bay are

holding quality sized redfish and snook,while its grass and sand flats are produc-ing a lot of speckled sea trout. Low tide isthe perfect time to hunt for our backwaterredfish. The best is to push pole towardthem when it becomes too shallow for thetrolling motor. If your boat can’t draft thatshallow, then I would recommend anchor-ing near a point where water is moving

and soak cut pinfish and ladyfishon the bottom. Large snook canalso be caught this way, but theywould prefer finger mullet, smallgreenbacks or shrimp.

It’simportantto remem-ber thatwhile run-ning Es-tero’sshallowflats theremay bedebris in

the water from recet storms. The size ofdebris can range from a small mangrovebush to large tree limbs or lawn chairs. If the backwaters are way too shallow

or you’re unfamiliar with the area, thebest alternative would be to fish our grassflats for speckled sea trout. A lot of myclients have been asking to fish for speck-led sea trout because it’s fun, not that dif-ficult, and there are plenty of fish to catch.The best go-to sea trout setup is a

Bomber popping cork with a two foot 25-pound test fluorocarbon leader tied to a3/0 Owner hook tipped with shrimp. Asmall pinch weight two inches above thehook is necessary if the current or wind isstrong. This will help keep the shrimpdown and in the trout’s strike zone. Look for a flat with three to five feet of

clean water that is full of life. Signs of lifeinclude birds diving, glass minnows and alot of bait hiding in the grass. Drift alongthe flat until you begin catching fish, thenanchor and fish until the bite stops and re-peat.Always check the weather before head-

ing out to the boat ramp and know thatconditions can change in an instant. To ex-perience Southwest Florida in full is tohave fun and relax while enjoying thewildlife and waterways of Estero Bay. Captain Joe Angius (727) 234-3171Speakeasyfishing.com [email protected]

Estero Bay: Good Fishing Despite Freshwater Releases

CANVAS &UPHOLSTERY


Area Captains Concerned, but for Different ReasonsA Water LIFE Perspective

The Army Corps. ofEngineers calls it a fresh-water release. People inits path call it pollution.

Last month a newlyorganized group, Cap-tains For Clean Water,gathered in the FortMyers Bass Pro Shopsmeeting room. Over 200captains, commercialfisherman, concernedanglers and three localmayors were in atten-dance. The group is con-cerned about theenvironmental and eco-nomic effects of water re-leased from LakeOkeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River and then to the Lee County coastal waters.

News stations based in Lee County have frequently used the term brown water in their reporting.That has some captains in Charlotte County concerned. The Charlotte Harbor and Punta Gorda areahas been uneffected by the Okeechobee releases, but during rainy seasons we have our own, differ-ent, natural, brown water, tannic stained from mangroves and other vegetation along the the Peaceand Myakka Rivers. That water flows brown into Charlotte Harbor. Now captains Punta Gorda are voic-ing concern about prospective visitors to Florida hearing the term brown water and associating brownwater with bad water, and going somewhere else.

Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane speaking Photo Capt. Billy Barton

The changes in water color along the Calosahatchee are striking, but the fish are still eating

By Capt. Billy BartonWater LIFE InshoreYou folks won't be seeing a

bunch of fish pictures from me thismonth, but not because I didn't takethem. At the end of last month,while I had more in my hands than Ishould have and as I made my waythrough the yard and down to theboat lift, I tripped on a hose andwatched as my cell phone and tabletkept their forward momentum andbounced right into the canal.Enough about that though, I got afew pictures from my clients, so onto the fishing.Our wintertime inshore fishing

this year has been pretty inconsistent when I relate it tosome years in the past. We have still been putting sev-eral nice redfish and snook to the boat and plenty ofspeckled trout, I just feel like I am having to work at it.

This has been the wettestwinter Southwest Florida hasexperienced in over 80 years. Ihad 11 charter cancellations inJanuary and 9 in February dueto weather. The influx of freshwater that we have had flowingfrom our rivers on a regularbasis, and inconsistent weatherpatterns have kept our fish onthe constant move. When ourweather starts to show us someconsistency our fishing will fol-low suit. Spring is my favoritetime to fish on Charlotte Har-bor. Let me say this and I sureas heck mean this. I am ab-solutely ready for the Springtime! March is always a breathof fresh air!Some thoughts that have run

through my head about what wewill experience this spring. Re-cently I have had several of thefolks that I fish ask me if Char-lotte Harbor is experiencing anynegative side effects from theLake Okeechobee\ Caloosa-hatchee runoffs. My answer tothem has been "not yet." In myheart I feel like this is a truestatement. However, I haveoften kept some of my greaterfears and opinions inside on thismatter. The sad fact is that I amunsure of what is yet to come

(or not come).Every year as the seasons change and we fall into

Spring we have a migration of subtropical fish, pelagicspecies, sharks, and bait fish that come up the coast fromthe south. With dirty water and red tide blooms to thesouth of us and no end in sight, I can only wonder howthis is going to affect this year’s northerly migration.Will these fish try and swim through this wall of dirtywater? I doubt it. You be the judge. I'm no scientist andI sure haven't been through this one before, but I justknow that it worries me. What will the tarpon do?I recently joined a new organization called Captains

for Clean Water. This group of local charter captains,commercial fisherman, and concerned anglers and localswas formed during this recent Okeechobee and


Dirty Water and the Spring Migration

Caloosahatchee ecological disaster on ourcoast. By definition, we are "a grassrootsmovement” formed in response to an eco-nomic and ecological crisis because mis-management of Floridas water resources isdestroying our ecosystems. The Captain’s primary goal is to restore

this water flow back down south to theEverglades. There is no other way. I can'tbelieve that they would even question it!How the heck can you knowingly trashparadise!? This is one of the most beauti-ful places in the nation and we survive ontourism! We are known for our beautifulbeaches, estuaries, and fisheries and theyare just going to trash them!? Really? Itblows my mind and makes me so darnangry! It's all about the money.

Captains for Clean Water can be fol-lowed on Facebook. There will be meet-ings locally to discuss what is going on.The more help, support and concerned lo-

cals that we have in-volved in this matter thebetter. I'm going to leave you

guys with this, and youdon't have to be a guide torelate to it. March 1marked my five year an-niversary as a guide andmy captains license re-newal with the US CoastGuard. I don't just planon guiding for the nextfive years. I plan ondoing this for the longhaul. I plan on playingin our water until I amold and grey. I wantthis beautiful place, myhome, your home, tolast and remain beauti-ful, so I'm going to dowhatever it is that I cando to preserve it and tokeep it the way itshould be. I challengeyou to do the same. Ifyou don't fight for itthen you have no roomto complain when thebeauty is all long gone.


Capt. Billy Barton, 941-979-6140 Scales ‘N Tails Fishing Chartershttp://www.puntagordafishingcharter.com


AAQQUU AATICACommercial Fishing in SW Florida

By Capt. Betty StauglerWater LIFE Sea Grant

Southwest Florida has a long tradi-tion of commercial fishing in its rivers,bays, and Gulf wa-ters. In 2015 over 22million pounds of wildharvested fish andshellfish includingshrimp, blue andstone crab, grouper,mackerel, and mulletamong others wereharvested by com-mercial fishermen andlanded in the seven-coastal counties ofSouthwest Florida. Inaddition, approxi-mately 285 whole-salers and 750retailers bought andsold seafood in thisregion contributing toFloridaʼs multi-billiondollar seafood indus-try.

The fisheries in Southwest Floridaare monitored and managed at thestate level by the Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission,and federally by the Gulf of MexicoFishery Management Council. Closedareas and seasons, size and daily lim-its, trip tickets, and limited access intoa fishery are all tools commonly usedto manage Floridaʼs fisheries. In addi-tion, managers establish annual catch

limits and accountabilitymeasures to ensure thelong-term health of thefisheries they manage.Fishermen use a varietyof gear and methods toharvest their catch andthey must also followrules to minimize impactsto the surrounding envi-ronment and marine life.

Following are additionalfacts relating to commer-cial fishing in SW Florida:

The most common type of lo-cally harvested shrimp is pinkshrimp, which is typically caught in

the spring and late fall off SouthwestFloridaʼs coast and further south nearthe Dry Tortugas. In 2015 over 50% ofthe pink shrimp harvested in Floridawas landed in Lee County.

Stone crabs are one of Floridaʼsmost valuable fisheries. Only theclaws are harvested, and the crab isreturned to the water alive. In 2015Collier County ranked second in thestate, behind the Florida Keys, forstone crab claw production. The stonecrab season runs October 15 through

May 15th, and claws are sold fresh orfrozen already cooked.

In 2015 over 1.3 million bluecrabs were landed in SouthwestFlorida representing just over 25%of the stateʼs total landings. Most ofthese landings occurred in Lee, fol-lowed by Charlotte, then Pinellascounties. Crabs are sold live and/orsteamed whole, or their meat ispicked and sold fresh or pasteurized.The blue crab season is open yearround with the exception of a biennialten day trap gear closure to accountfor derelict or lost traps.

In 2015 over 60% of the mulletlanded in Florida came from South-west Florida. Most of these landingcame from Lee, followed by Pinellas

and Manatee coun-ties. Most mullet areharvested Novemberthrough January inbays and other estuar-ine environments dur-ing the annual mulletrun. Historically mulletwere harvested withgillnets, these netswere banned inFlorida state waters in1996. Today cast andseine nets are themost common gearused.

Over 50% of thebaitfish harvested inFlorida were landedin Manatee Countyduring 2015. Spotter

planes are used to findlarge schools that are at least threemiles offshore and baitfish are thencaught using purse seines.

Approximately 77% of allgrouper harvested in Florida in2015 were landed in SouthwestFlorida with the majority landed inPinellas County. Over 4.7 millionpounds of Red grouper, the mostcommon grouper harvested werelanded in Southwest Florida. Grouperare caught offshore using bandit andlongline gear. Other species include

gag, black and scamp.While not as prevalent as in the

northern Gulf, red snapper is the mostcommon commercial snapper landedin the region. Other snapper specieslocally harvested include mutton, lane,mangrove and yellowtail.

Two species of mackerel, Kingand Spanish, are harvested offSouthwest Florida. King mackerel arecommonly caught offshore Decemberthrough March with hook and linegear. Their catch quota was met earlythis year in the western Gulf andclosed through the remainder of theFederal year (June 30, 2016).

A variety of other species areharvested commercially in South-west Florida in smaller quantities in-cluding, but not limited to:sheepshead, sea trout, tilefish, por-gies, amberjack, cobia, tilapia (non-native), jack crevalle, and mojarra.

While the region continues to har-vest a variety of wild caught seafoodcommodities, the size of its commer-cial fleet and infrastructure to supportit has declined dramatically in the pastseveral decades. Regulation changes,coastal development and loss of work-ing waterfronts, competition from im-ports, natural disasters and attritionhave contributed to these declines.Despite these trends, several commu-nities still have a strong commercialfishing presence. For instance, Cortezand Fort Myers Beach and its sur-rounding islands are officially desig-nated as working waterfrontcommunities by the state of Floridabecause of their commercial fishingheritage.

Capt. Betty Staugler, Florida SeaGrant Agent. UF/IFAS ExtensionCharlotte County (941) 764-4346

References: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conser-vation Commission (FWC) Florida Department ofAgriculture and Consumer Services

Aerial photo of a Charlotte Harbor fisherman circleing his net

The Iron Ox shrimping in Charlotte Harbor

CommercialfishermanLarry Mayshows off

some stripedmojarra, localscall them sandbrimm. This is

the thirdlargest finfish

catch, bypounds, inCharlotteCounty

Containers at Placida used for Mullet were cardboard.Today they are hard plastic bins


AQU AATTIICCAA

By Capt. Betty StauglerWater LIFE Sea Grant

Southwest Florida has a long tradi-tion of commercial fishing in its rivers,bays, and Gulf wa-ters. In 2015 over 22million pounds of wildharvested fish andshellfish includingshrimp, blue andstone crab, grouper,mackerel, and mulletamong others wereharvested by com-mercial fishermen andlanded in the seven-coastal counties ofSouthwest Florida. Inaddition, approxi-mately 285 whole-salers and 750retailers bought andsold seafood in thisregion contributing toFloridaʼs multi-billiondollar seafood indus-try.

The fisheries in Southwest Floridaare monitored and managed at thestate level by the Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission,and federally by the Gulf of MexicoFishery Management Council. Closedareas and seasons, size and daily lim-its, trip tickets, and limited access intoa fishery are all tools commonly usedto manage Floridaʼs fisheries. In addi-tion, managers establish annual catch

limits and accountabilitymeasures to ensure thelong-term health of thefisheries they manage.Fishermen use a varietyof gear and methods toharvest their catch andthey must also followrules to minimize impactsto the surrounding envi-ronment and marine life.

Following are additionalfacts relating to commer-cial fishing in SW Florida:

The most common type of lo-cally harvested shrimp is pinkshrimp, which is typically caught in

the spring and late fall off SouthwestFloridaʼs coast and further south nearthe Dry Tortugas. In 2015 over 50% ofthe pink shrimp harvested in Floridawas landed in Lee County.

Stone crabs are one of Floridaʼsmost valuable fisheries. Only theclaws are harvested, and the crab isreturned to the water alive. In 2015Collier County ranked second in thestate, behind the Florida Keys, forstone crab claw production. The stonecrab season runs October 15 through

May 15th, and claws are sold fresh orfrozen already cooked.

In 2015 over 1.3 million bluecrabs were landed in SouthwestFlorida representing just over 25%of the stateʼs total landings. Most ofthese landings occurred in Lee, fol-lowed by Charlotte, then Pinellascounties. Crabs are sold live and/orsteamed whole, or their meat ispicked and sold fresh or pasteurized.The blue crab season is open yearround with the exception of a biennialten day trap gear closure to accountfor derelict or lost traps.

In 2015 over 60% of the mulletlanded in Florida came from South-west Florida. Most of these landingcame from Lee, followed by Pinellas

and Manatee coun-ties. Most mullet areharvested Novemberthrough January inbays and other estuar-ine environments dur-ing the annual mulletrun. Historically mulletwere harvested withgillnets, these netswere banned inFlorida state waters in1996. Today cast andseine nets are themost common gearused.

Over 50% of thebaitfish harvested inFlorida were landedin Manatee Countyduring 2015. Spotter

planes are used to findlarge schools that are at least threemiles offshore and baitfish are thencaught using purse seines.

Approximately 77% of allgrouper harvested in Florida in2015 were landed in SouthwestFlorida with the majority landed inPinellas County. Over 4.7 millionpounds of Red grouper, the mostcommon grouper harvested werelanded in Southwest Florida. Grouperare caught offshore using bandit andlongline gear. Other species include

gag, black and scamp.While not as prevalent as in the

northern Gulf, red snapper is the mostcommon commercial snapper landedin the region. Other snapper specieslocally harvested include mutton, lane,mangrove and yellowtail.

Two species of mackerel, Kingand Spanish, are harvested offSouthwest Florida. King mackerel arecommonly caught offshore Decemberthrough March with hook and linegear. Their catch quota was met earlythis year in the western Gulf andclosed through the remainder of theFederal year (June 30, 2016).

A variety of other species areharvested commercially in South-west Florida in smaller quantities in-cluding, but not limited to:sheepshead, sea trout, tilefish, por-gies, amberjack, cobia, tilapia (non-native), jack crevalle, and mojarra.

While the region continues to har-vest a variety of wild caught seafoodcommodities, the size of its commer-cial fleet and infrastructure to supportit has declined dramatically in the pastseveral decades. Regulation changes,coastal development and loss of work-ing waterfronts, competition from im-ports, natural disasters and attritionhave contributed to these declines.Despite these trends, several commu-nities still have a strong commercialfishing presence. For instance, Cortezand Fort Myers Beach and its sur-rounding islands are officially desig-nated as working waterfrontcommunities by the state of Floridabecause of their commercial fishingheritage.

Capt. Betty Staugler, Florida SeaGrant Agent. UF/IFAS ExtensionCharlotte County (941) 764-4346

References: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conser-vation Commission (FWC) Florida Department ofAgriculture and Consumer Services

All photos from the Water LIFE archive

David Sussman is a media artist and a lifelong boater and fisherman now living in PuntaGorda. He has received numerous professionalphotography awards for his work, some ofwhich showcases Charlotte Harbor.

David has over 40 years experience in bothfilm and digital photography. He started his ca-reer at Johns Hopkins University AppliedPhysics Laboratory as a photographer. As digi-tal media desktop editing became more popularand affordable, he migrated to digital and desk-top editing design. His expertise includes photoediting, video editing, 2D/3D animation, web de-sign, CDROM authoring, DVD authoring and vir-tually all aspects of multimedia design. He isrecognized as a Master in the Digital MediaField.

During his 30 year tenure at JHU/APL hetaught seminars at Winona International Schoolof Professional Photographers in the field ofSpecial Film Effects. His photography has beenfeatured on covers of national and internationalmagazines including PhotoMethods, TechnicalPhotography, The Professional Photographerand others.

Visit his websites for more information:www.choicegraphx.com and www.dwsuss-man.com

All images © DavidSussman [email protected]://www.facebook.com/DWSussman

Charlotte HarborPhases of the Sun

One of Davidʼs recent projects was this yearʼsʻRiver Meets the Harborʼ calendar which hasFishermenʼs Village on the cover. We know hehas a few calendars left. Tell him you want one!

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Water LIFE Sumary USCG NOTICE Subject: Charlotte Harbor/Boca GrandeATON (Federal Aids to Navigation)changes:The following changes have been madeand the St. Petersburg sector chart bnm 207-16 has been updated.

A.Charlotte Harbor Entrance Red MarkerNo 2 (llnr 1300/19895) has been relocated,the bell sound signal disestablished, andrenamed (new llnr 19915). Programmed todisplay flashing red 2.5s with the intensityset at 25cd. Nominal range 4nm. Aid set in26.4 ft of water.GPS: 26-40-16.773n/082-18-50.360w.

B.Charlotte Harbor Channel Green MarkerNo 3 (llnr 19910) relocated and renamedCharlotte Harbor channel line buoy Np 1(llnr 19910). Programmed to display flash-ing green 2.5s with the intensity set at25cd. Nominal range 4nm. Aid set in 27 ftof water.GPS: 26-40-19.265n/082-18-53.877w.

C.Charlotte Harbor Channel Buoy Green3a (llnr 19915) disestablished. Found aidMissing. Light list number has been trans-ferred to Charlotte Harbor Channel lb 2.

D.Charlotte Harbor Channel red Buoy 4(llnr 19920) relocated. Aid set in 23.4 ft ofwater.GPS: 26-41-49.961n/082-17-47.133w.

E.Charlotte Harbor Channel Line BuoyGreen No. 5 (llnr 19925) relocated and re-named Charlotte Harbor channel line buoyNo 3 (llnr 19925). Programmed to display qg with theIntensity set at 25cd. Nominal range 4nm.Aid set in 25.3 ft of water.GPS: 26-41-52.308n/082-17-49.347w.

F.Charlotte Harbor Channel Buoy 6 (llnr19930) recocated and renamed CharlotteHarbor channel lb 6 (llnr 19930). Pro-grammed to display flashing red 4s with theintensity set at 25cd. Nominal range 4nm.Aid set in 30.6 ft of water.GPDS: 26-42-17.925n/082-16-33.032w.

G.Charlotte Harbor Channel Line buoy No.7 (llnr 19935) relocated and renamed Char-lotteHarbor channel lb 5 (llnr 19935). Pro-grammed to display fl g 4s with the inten-sity set at 25cd. Nominal range 4nm. Aidset in 31.4 ft of water.GPS: 26-42-21.139n/082-16-34.635w.

H.Charlotte Harbor channel lb 8 (llnr19940) disestablished.

I.Charlotte Harbor channel lb 10 (llnr19945) disestablished.

J.Charlotte Harbor channel lb 12 (llnr19960) disestablished.

Letter to the Editor, Feb. 8, 2016Re: Fishinʼ Frank Column

The piece written by Fishinʼ Frank on page17 of the February Water LIFE tabloid is sofull of incor rect information, inaccuracies andbold uneducated editorialization that, if I didnʼtbelieve people would take it for “truth,” itwould have been comical. Frank should stickto talking about soft artificials, or Penn reelsand leave science and commercial fishing topeople who actually know something about it.

Frank points out that there is by-catchwhen trawling for shrimp. He is mostly correctin saying that it is about fifteen pounds,though most nights, less than five per trawl.He abhors that the dolphins get this insignifi-cant by-catch. What he doesnʼt know or sayis that there are approximately 600 residentdolphins in Charlotte Harbor and throughoutthe year another 150 come in to vacation orto eat. Dolphins eat 10% of their weight inshrimp and fish of all sizes EACH DAY. So,forgetting the dolphins from out of town, andmaking the assumption that the average dol-phin weighs 300 pounds (conservative esti-mate) some 18,000 pounds are consumeddaily. My15-pounds of by-catch is surely in-significant.

Frank says that Charlotte Harbor is a fa-vorite place for big offshore shrimp boats. Icertainly donʼt know where Frank gets his in-formation, but I am out a minimum of threenights a week and have been for two years. Ihave seen only one offshore shrimp boatcome into the harbor and he didnʼt drop hisnets, he dropped his anchor to repair his en-gine. Offshore boats are not legal in the har-bor. Shrimp boats in the Harbor are restrictedto a single small net, where offshore vesselsare arrayed with four large nets. A captain isnot going to risk loosing his vessel by illegallycoming into the Harbor to fish for shrimp thatare smaller than he will legally catch offshore.And if Frank is really serious about knowingof big boats fishing the Harbor, I hope he hasnotified Florida Fish and Wildlife, for theywould love to bust such a violator. Simply, itdoesnʼt happen.

In Frankʼs fourth paragraph: he shows hedoesnʼt even know the species of shrimp inCharlotte Harbor. He talks about BrownShrimp. We donʼt have Brown Shrimp inCharlotte Harbor, in fact one would have togo to West Louisiana or Texas to find BrownShrimp. There are three main varieties ofeating shrimp found on Americaʼs East andGulf coasts. The most prevalent is the WhiteShrimp, found in North Carolina, South Car-olina, Georgia, Northeast Florida, NorthwestFlorida, Alabama, Mississippi, and EasternLouisiana. Western Louisiana and Texashave Brown Shrimp. Florida Pink (Key WestPink or Florida Hopper) are what are found inCharlotte Harbor. They are only found fromthe Dry Tortugas, through the Florida Keysand Southwest Florida up to Tampa Bay (nolonger plentiful in Tampa Bay because ofcommercial traffic and water quality). Thus,most of what he told about the shrimp ofCharlotte Harbor, happens in Galveston.

And then one of my favorites, ʻshrimpboats have made Charlotte Harbor flat, withno reefs.ʼ Frank came from Michigan or NewYork or somewhere and hasnʼt looked aroundsince he got here. There are no hills above orbelow the water in Southwest Florida thatwere not man-made. All of South Florida is

ancient seabed, covered with silt after the iceage 10,000 years ago. Our water, unlike theEast Coast of Florida bordering on the GulfStream, doesnʼt grow reefs. That is why;Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Sarasota countiesand the State of Florida have created artificialreefs off the coast and in the Harbor. Theynever have and never would be created bynature.

And then Frank talks about the Texas situ-ation. As Ronald Regan said to JimmyCarter, “There you go again.” Texas hasBrown Shrimp, they spawn at a single time ofthe year (unlike Pink Shrimp which spawneach month approximately 12-13 monthsafter they were hatched). That is why Texasstops shrimping during the spawn, to pre-serve their shrimp fishery. That is called fish-ery management. Mostly that is determinedby science. The National Marine Fisheriesconstantly test and observe each of the Gulffisheries, up close and personal. My boat willhost an NMF observer for six nights this sea-son. That observer will separate by-catch,identify each species, weigh it and reportwhether our fishing is a danger to any of thespecies in the Harbor and how it can be mini-mized or eliminated. The Iron Ox hosted anobserver in 2010 as well. I would be glad toshare their findings. By the way, we did notadversely impact any bait or game fish in theHarbor.

Is Frank worried about the game and foodfish in the Harbor being threatened by thevery few commercial shrimpers who may get50-150 pounds of shrimp a night? Well, twoother issues would better serve his concerns.His customers, in fast, shallow bay boats arecutting across and destroying the grass flatsin the Harbor. That is where fish spawn andshrimp grow. So Frank might better choose toeducate his customers when they come tobuy their bait shrimp about where not to takeboats.

And, the other issue at least as importantis the water quality. Frankʼs customers andneighbors who live around the Harbor andcanals should not be dumping fertilizer andinsecticides on their lawns. Yes the grassgets thicker and greener, but the water willcease to sustain aquatic life. And of coursethe Peace, Myakka and CaloosahatcheeRivers bring all manners of junk into the Har-bor. We donʼt fish at the mouth of theMyakka because the mud and the shrimpwho live in that water smell like sewage. ThePeace River extends way up the State tonearly Orlando and brings all the run-off fromagriculture and mining and residents to theHarbor. Mosaic may be helping to grow foodin Bangladesh but they are not helping Char-lotte Harbor fish.

The answer to why we fish for shrimp atnight, from a commercial shrimp boat or off adock with a light, is that Pinks only come outat night, not like White Shrimp or BrownShrimp. And they are not attracted to theheadlight, they are just going by, but theireyes are reflective and that is how you cansee where to put your dip net.

I wish that Frank would go back to rodsand reels and dip nets and how to tie a knotin a leader and leave alone the myriad of is-sues he clearly knows nothing about.

Capt. Bill Damour,Iron Ox Shrimp BoatFishermenʼs Village, Punta Gorda

USCG Boca Grande Marker Realignment

This graphic is an educational representation and should not be used for navigational purposes.


By Capt. Charlie PhillipsWater LIFE / Everglades CityWinter has finally arrived down in the

Glades, though she sure took her sweettime. We have finally had afew stronger cold frontspush thru that helped dropthe water temps a bit andget us into the more typicalwinter swing. I must admitthat I was enjoying thewarm weather and was stillhaving pretty good successwith tarpon on the warmerdays, but I am glad to seeit change as now I can starttargeting one of my fa-vorites, sheepshead. As the water cools

down around any of ouroffshore structure, or in-shore deeper mangroveswith good oyster bars thisis the time to herd somesheep in the Everglades.These hard fighting fishare great sport and make fine table fare.The tackle for sheepshead is pretty sim-ple, I either use a 1/0 circle on 20- to 30-pound flouro leader with enough splitshot to just hold bottom or the sameleader with a jig head that has a pretty

small strong hook, but still has enoughweight to get to the bottom and staydown even in good current. Asheepshead is a nibbler, next time you

catch one, take a look at those teeth, heapproaches his food and nips away withthose incisors in small little bites, sothat’s the reason for the small hooks, butlike I said, they need to be strong be-cause these guys are hard fighters and

they are going to be really pulling to getinto the structure you are on. The baits you can use to target them

are pretty simple as well, live and frozenshrimp of course will do the trick as wellas fiddler crabs, and clams and othershelled creatures. I had a guy one timetell me his secret was boxes of frozen

tiger muscles that were soldat the grocery stores. I triedthem and they did work andwork well, but it takessome effort to get that hookpoint thru theshell, so I willstick with moretraditional baits. I like to take

a very small liveshrimp or smallpieces of shrimpand pitch themout to the edgeof the structure.Using the cur-rent to keep myline taut, (andon that point,there is no sub-stitute for braid

with the sensitivity it pro-vides), try to feel for the slightest littletug or extra pressure on the line. Thiswill most times be the sheepshead nib-bling away, when I feel the weight of the

fish, it’s time to set the hook and get himcoming my way. One thing I havelearned is that if you can’t seem to con-nect but feel the fish feeding on yourbait, try slowly taking the bait awayfrom him, most times I just move the rodtip away, and it seems that this little ac-tion will often times cause an aggressivestrike in which you can get a solid hook-set. If you’re fishing in my neck of thewoods, don’t slack off in reeling yoursheepshead to the net, as just like us theother alpha predators know sheepsheadmake great eating. Sharks and Goliathslove to steal your fish away if you’re alittle too slow, and many of my guestslearn that lesson the hard way each year.

Minimum size is 12-inch, bag limit is 15per person, so this is one of the rarechances to fill a cooler if the bites hot,but I would strongly encourage you totake what your gonna’ eat fresh and letthe rest go for another day. These guysare spawning and while it makes forgreat fishing, we really need to be goodstewards of the resource to make surethey are around for many years to come. While you’re out on the wrecks, don’t

be surprised to catch some solid pom-pano, slot mangrove snappers, bluefish

and Spanish mackerel. These folks areall around right now and will be afteryour sheepshead rigs, but it makes forpretty good by-catch. Still a cobia or twoaround on the warmer days, so makesure to have a pitch bait or artificialready to capitalize on the opportunity.Inshore you should find some out-

standing trout bites this month on thegrass flats south of pavilion and on thebars and points on the outside with hardflats. The higher stages of the tide are agood time to look and the old trusty pop-ping cork with the Bass Assassin jighead

and a soft plastic will do the trick.Move into the back bays and you

should find good catches of redfish andin the back creeks a snook or two. Over-all March is a great month to fish, so getoff the couch and enjoy some time onthe water. Y’all take care and I will seeyou next month.

Capt. Charlie Phillips: 863-517-1829e-mail: [email protected]

Web: hopefishing.com

10,000 Islands / Everglades City

This is a very unique spotted redfish I caught during anexploration trip way back in the Everglades recently.The fish was in total freshwater, I don't know how manyspots there were, but both sides were about the same


By Fishin’ FrankWater LIFE BaitshopThe weather is great

(for now) and the fishing is getting betterby the day.This is a big month for me. On March

19 I will have people from Penn, Quan-tum, Fin-nor, Daiwa, Okuma and othermajor reel companies at our Tent Event.Eric Batchnick, owner of Mirror-Lure andMark Nichols, owner of D.O.A. andStrike King will all be there. The list goeson and you can talk to them all and askthem questions.Two questions you should ask are

‘why?’ and ‘how?’ Why should I buy this -lure, rode etc. - and how should I use it.Each lure company will have its own cast-ing demo tank to show you.Speaking of using lures and fishing,

the big questions this month are wherecan I find fish and how do I catch them ,The red tide has backed off out by theGulf and the fish should be moving in.They don’t seem to mind the dark water;what's up with people thinking brownwater kills the fish? If that were true everyfish in Lake Okeechobee would be dead.It’s just like a glass of tea, tannins causetea to be brown and tannis is what causesthe water here to be brown. So while notas pleasant to look at as the blue green

waters of the Gulf, I can afford to live byit. Last month the wife and I got out fish-

ing. I kept looking at the temperature out-side and we waited until it hit 70. We leftthe house around noon!We headed for the Myakka Cut-off. It

was a nice boat ride, but once there we didnot hit a single fish or even have a bite. We had started off with poppin’ corks

and live shrimp then tried free lining alive shrimp, then tried a shrimp on a jighead, slow bouncing on the bottom, OKnothing, next spot. The wind was a bit less than comfort-

able so we headed back up river and by I-75 we started fishing the mangroveshoreline, casting up under the mangroveswith a shrimp on a jig head. That did not work, so I tired casting a

free lined shrimp up under the Mman-groves as far as I could, nope, still not abite. So I tried casting the free line shrimpup into the tide and let it drift right alongthe drip line or edge of the mangroves.And I got a hit. Terry cast up into the cur-rent and I cast just in front of that as theshrimp drifted down along the edge of thetrees. Wham, wham we both got hit and her’s

was a redfish; 17 inches - my fish was a14-inch sheepshead, just bam, bam dou-

bles. And for the next halfhour we cast and let itdrift. To get the bait to drift

properly I cast at the treesand then leave the bailopen and pull out 15 extrafeet of line so the currentcatches the belly of theline and pulls it downalong the shore instead ofout towards me. If youcast and close the bailright away the shrimp willbe pulled out, away from the mangroves –by letting out extra line the shrimp ispulled parallel to them. I tried casting

right to the spot where Igot the fish and nothing,let it drift into the spot andbang! Fish on!Try fishing one way

and if you don't get bit, trya different way. Poppin’cork don’t work? Then trynot poppin the cork. Freeline no weight or floats –then maybe a weight or jighead. Let it sit, then try let-ting it drift. This is a crazy time and

fishing seems to change not only by theday, but sometimes by the hour. [email protected] 941-625-3888

One Cast to the Next ADAPTING TO CONDITIONS

This 27-inch trout had a 9-inch, half digested, baby trout in her belly. This picture gives youan idea of how predatory large trout really are. Photo: Capt. Billy Barton Scales Nʼ Tails Charters


By Mallory HerzogWater LIFE FishingWinter fishing this year has been chal-

lenging, what with El Niño's unpre-dictable conditions and heavy rainfallcausing a mess both on land and on thewater. The seasons bi-polar temperatureshave been great for inducing a case oflock jaw on fish. To be successful youmust adapt, their environment is everchanging so go with the flow. We've hadplenty of great catches this winter, wejust had to work harder for them. Ending out February, the inshore bite

was full of sheepshead and black drumbut you have to catch ‘em while they arechewing. Last month Captain Andrew and our

clients tagged a few juvenile redfish forGray Fishtag Research. I mentionedthem briefly last month. Gray is a reallyinteresting organization. Their goal is tobridge the gap between science and fish-ermen to collect valuable data on manydifferent species. Their thinking is youare already out there, hooking up to yourfavorite fish; why not put a tag in whenyou release? Gray provides professionalanglers with a no cost tag kit. The tagsvary, from shark sized to snapper. The kitincludes a tagging device and support ifyou have any questions or concerns. When an angler tags his catch he

records data such asGPS location, size, sex,etc. Then the Captaininputs the informationand a photo on an on-line form where its re-viewed by a staffmember before goingup on the live tag feed.This is a great additionsince most other tag-ging programs are be-hind on entering data. The tags are not real time trackable but

when a tagged fish is recaptured the datais reported and then compared to the orig-inal catch. From that information scien-tists and resource managers can betterunderstand migration and breeding pat-terns which can be used when creatingbag limits and protected habitats. Recre-ational kits are also available on theirwebsite http://grayfishtagresearch.orgThe starter kit is $120 and includes tags,research cards and tag applicator. A 6 Tagkit without the tag applicator is $39.The red fish Dan and Steve tagged are

2 of 3 tagged in the program currently. Ilook forward to many more being addedto that list in the near future. What do you do if you catch a tagged

fish? Write down the tag information ortake a photo with your cell phone. If the

tagging center name is unfamiliar to youa google search will help you figure outwhere and how to report it. Gray's has aneasy to use form on their website andthey send the original tagger the recaptureinformation on the catch once reviewed. Headed out to catch a big one? The

incoming tide has been a great bitearound Boca Grande and Placida area.Shrimp on a jig-head or free-lined on a 2-or 3/0-circle hook has been working greaton a number of species. Sheepshead, red-fish, mangrove snapper, black drum, allare loving this combination. Cut bait has been getting the grouper

going offshore. Goliath Grouper havebeen in the news recently, when a fewfishermen found one deceased in a canal.Our Boca Grande population is still goingstrong, breaking backs on the regular and

makinggrown mencry out forhelp. As thewaters beginto warm sowill the bite.What willspring bringus in 2016?Get out onthe water andfind out. You can contact Big Bully Outdoors Char-

ters for a trip with Mallory’s husband, Capt.Andrew Herzog. Call 941-661-9880 or visit BigBullyOutdoors.com

Recreational Tagging


By Nicole CoudalWater LIFE Delicious!In our circle of fishing friends, fish

tacos are one of our go-to recipes becausethey’re easy and fast, you can get creativewith them, and they’re always tasty andsatisfying.When I make them, I usually dust the

fish with blackening seasoning then sauteor grill it — two of the more healthymethods. I’ve also had fried fish in tacos(the traditional Baja Style) and I must saythat it truly is a wonderful thing. The fishcooks quickly in the hot oil so it’s moistand juicy, and the crunchy texture adds anice balance alongside cool, fresh slawand a creamy sauce. It really doesn’t getmuch better than that.So, when a friend recently gave me a

FryDaddy, I immediately thought howgreat it would be for fish tacos! Once in awhile, of course, not every time. I’m not afrying fanatic, you know. . .:)Today I decided to christen my new

piece of equipment, as well as, try arecipe shared by my friends who love thefish ‘batter’ from the Hot and Hot FishClub in Birmingham, Alabama. Therestaurant’s tasty recipe calls for marinat-ing the fish in a bath of buttermilk and hotsauce, then dipping it into a dry mix com-prised of cornmeal, corn flour, flour andseasonings before deep frying it. It’s atake on the traditional southern method ofcornmeal battered fish and, I must say, it’sreally yummy — crunchy, flavorful andnot greasy at all, so it worked really wellwith my batch of tacos.I usually make a tasty cabbage slaw

and today’s version is probably somethingyou’d never expect. . .I combined Napacabbage (a type of Chinese cabbage – ten-der, sweet and delicious), fresh parsley,red onion, jalapeños, lime juice, honeyand, wait for it. . .kumquats! I’ve got ahuge batch of kumquats in my fridge andhave been trying them in a variety ofrecipes, so I thought they might be tastyin this slaw! The sweet/tart orange flavorpacked in these little gems nicely comple-

mented the spicy, salty fish and my fa-vorite creamy sauce — it all workedbeautifully inside a hot, toasted tortilla.You can use just about any sturdy, whitefish for this recipe. We had some redgrouper on hand, courtesy of our friendswho worked hard to bring the feisty fishto the boat recently.If you’d like to try another version of a

fish taco, check out my Amberjack FishTacos post on my blog.

PREPARATIONFor the Fry Mix, Fish & Marinade:Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl

and mix well. Store in a dry, airtight container atroom temperature until ready to use.

Combine buttermilk, hot sauce and fish in ashallow dish (add a bit more buttermilk if the fishisn’t fully covered). Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the Creamy Taco Sauceand the Slaw.

For the Creamy Taco Sauce:Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk

until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.For the Slaw:Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to

combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.For the Frying/Assembly:Add peanut or vegetable oil into a cast-iron skil-

let or a deep fryer (you’ll need enough oil to coverthe fish in a skillet, or to get to the fill line in thefryer. I used about 24 oz. in my deep fryer).

Heat oil to at least 300 degrees (test with a deepfryer thermometer). To test heat, toss in a tiny pieceof fish and if it bubbles rapidly and floats, it’s readyto go.

Dip each piece of fish into the Fry Mix, thenplace carefully into the hot oil. Work in smallbatches (3-4 pieces at a time, so the temperaturedoesn’t drop too quickly).

Cook for about 3 minutes, then remove eachpiece with slotted spoon or tongs and place onpaper towels.

Allow the temperature to come back to at least300 degrees, then make another batch. Repeat untilall fish is cooked.

Heat flour or corn tortillas in a dry skillet or ona grill.

Assemble the tacos with a piece or two of fish,some creamy sauce and slaw. Sprinkle a little of limeif you wish, and you’re good to go!

Visit mydeliciousblog.comfor the full list of ingredients.You can also sign up to be notifiedevery time Nicole posts a new recipe.

Fish + Taco = Delicious MyDeliciousBlog.com Feb 19


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On The Line By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior StaffOn February 20, in Orlando, the Fed-

eral Fish and Wildlife Service held theirone and only public hearing on the pro-posal to remove the manatee from the en-dangered species list. The FWS estimatethe world population of manatees isaround 13,000 with 6,350 counted inFlorida last year. The manatee has beenon the endangered species list for 35 yearsand during that time, which I like to callthe Great Manatee War, it has resulted inmany casualties, with Truth and Sciencebeing the most notable. How we got to this point is very inter-

esting. About 15 years ago, the Save theManatee Club threatened to sue the FWSand State officials if they didn't do moreto protect the endangered manatee. Thatsuit was settled out of court, behind closeddoors, and resulted in more state man-dated manatee protections plans and over50 manatee speed zones throughout thestate; even though, at the time, the popula-tion of manatees was proven to be increas-ing.So why is this time different? For one

thing, since they actually began countingmanatees in 1991, the population has in-creased 500%. The FWS has been review-ing this data for 10 years and probablywould have continued their strategy, hadit not been for an organization called the

Pacific Legal Foundation which saidEnough already FWC, make the call-En-dangered or Threatened and the PLF fileda lawsuit that asked the courts to make theFWS do their job. The FWS respondedand recommends the manatee be droppedto the threatened list. The FWS's defini-tion of endangered is a species currentlyin danger of extinction and it’s awfullyhard to make that case when the popula-tion keeps increasing. It’s ironic that thiswhole Manatee Madness started with alaw suit and it may end with a law suit; Iguess what goes around comes around.The environmental groups are stunned

by these developments and have mar-shaled their forces to fight the FWS. Theirargument is the same old gloom anddoom argument that something bad mayhappen in the future so we better notchange the status quo. Their scientific ar-guments are even weaker as this quote onthe Scientific American Blog in January2016 “Researchers and conservationistshave warned that climate change couldbring more extreme weather to the South-east U.S. Which could create more mana-tee unfriendly cold snaps an red tides.” Ofcourse they save their best for the personalattacks. They now refer to those peoplewho want to see a change in the manateesstatus as De-Listers so I guess they areputting opponents in the same pigeon holeas Birthers, Tea Baggers, and GlobalWarming Deniers.

It is important to remember that this isa change in title only; the manatee willstill have the same laws, rules and regula-tions protecting them they have alwayshad. As Jim Valade, the FWS team leader

said, “ It's like taking manatees out of in-tensive care and putting them in a regularcare facility.” April 7 is the last day the FWS will accept public comment. [email protected]

Manatees Coming Out of the Woodwork

MORE HARD DECISIONS AHEAD This is the Ft. Ogden Trestle on the Peace River in De SotoCounty, photographed last month. Many of the old wooden structures in the Charlotte -DeSoto area are going to need work, or in some cases removal, soon. This will be a hugeexpense. The counties are counting on the West Coast Inland Navigation District for fundingand WCIND has a new director. Charlotte Countyʼs Marine Advisory Committe is currentlydealing with removing the old swing bridge at Gasparilla and removing the dead wood fromthe the Placida Trestle and the county is once again talking about a budget for removing thedead wood from the closed off sections of the trestle at El Jobean. All these projects willhave to balance safety to navigation with preserving well established fish habitats.


SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

Not Much Changed Last Month. Work onEdgewater Drive at Harbor Boulevard isnʼtmoving ahead very quickly. Now that PortCharlotte Blvd is back open, if the Countywould reopen the bridge it could alleviatesome congestion at Harbor and 41. Thisproject is slated for completion in 2017. It ap-pears to be under-manned, under motivatedand being completed at a sickly snailʼs pace. Photos from 1/18 and 2/28

Toxins from Harmful AlgaeBlooms are present inAlaskan marine food webs inhigh enough concentrationsto be detected in marinemammals from SoutheastAlaska to the Arctic Ocean,including whales, walruses,sea lions, seals, porpoisesand sea otters.

Region Wide Seafood In-spection Last month FWCofficers from throughout theSouthwest Region partici-pated in an operation whichfocused on inspecting whole-sale and retail dealers offresh and saltwater fish. Theofficers inspected more than 177 busi-nesses. They issued 16 misdemeanors and84 written warnings for violations includingpossession of undersized stone crab claws,possession of oversized redfish (editor notesWHAT?) and various licensing violations.

Another four misdemeanors and 15 warningswere issued for various quality control viola-tions, including selling shellfish past the ter-minal sale date (spoiled shellfish such asoysters and clams). Two additional caseswere turned over to NOAA for commercialfederal reef fish regulation violations.

Smugglers Stash Uncovered The parkmanager of CayoCosta State Parkreported that some-one had aban-doned 20 plastic15-gallon drumscontaining gasolinein the forested areaat the northern endof the island park.The drums hadbeen spotted by alocal mosquito con-trol aircraft. Elevenof the drums werefull or nearly full ofgasoline and ninewere empty withonly residualamounts of fuel leftin them.

Gag and Black Changes At its Feb. 10meeting near Tallahassee, the FWC ap-proved changes to the gag and blackgrouper minimum size limit and the gaggrouper recreational season in Gulf state wa-

ters.The approvals include: Setting a 24-inchtotal length minimum size limit for recre-ational harvest of gag and black grouper inGulf state waters. Setting a June 1 throughDec. 31 recreational season for gag grouperin all state waters of the Gulf (excludingFranklin, Wakulla, Taylor, Monroe and Jeffer-son counties which have their own season.

New Snapper Regs FWC approved a draftrule to modify the 2016 Gulf of Mexico recre-ational red snapper season. The proposedseason would be open Saturdays and Sun-days in May starting May 7. On May 28, theseason would open continuously throughJuly 10. Finally, the season would reopen forFridays, Saturdays and Sundays in Septem-ber and October, and on Labor Day. Thiswould provide for a 78-day season in Gulfstate waters. Thatʼs a pretty complicatedschedule they expect anglers to remember.What could possibly go wrong?

First Pythons now Anaconda Two greenanacondas were found recently in Brevard

County, and the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission (FWC) wantsyour help in learning more about them. InNovember, a green anaconda was foundnear the Brevard and Orange county line.

Inshore Shrimping Officers worked thearea in Citrus and Hernando countieswhere a commercial shrimp vessel wasobserved in inshore/ near shore waters.Based on the profile of the shrimp boatthe officer suspected it to be a four-trawlboat and only single trawls are permittedinshore. When the shrimp boat hauled itsnets the officer was able to confirm thatthe boat was pulling four trawls. Duringthe boarding the officer observed thetrack history on the vesselʼs navigationalinstruments which showed that the ves-sel had been working in the area forsome time. The captain/operator was is-sued a citation of $318 or told to appearin court. What do you think he did?

The area between the Crab House and the Marinais closed off as the city of Punta Gorda begins to con-nect the last missing link on the harborwalk. That areawas where the Flatsmasters Tournament was held. Weasked City Manager Howard Kunik: what happenswhen the walk is completed. Will the tournament stillbe held there? “ Not sure if they will continue to rent thespace - it depends on the amount of room they need.If it works, they can rent the space, but the Harbor-walk is open.” was his reply. (emphasis added)

Diamonds in the sole of their boat Last monthDe Beers Marine Namibia's diamond sampling andexploration vessel Nujoma was launched fromNorway.

Natural Gas Tanker The United Statesʼ first exportcargo of seaborne gas from the lower 48 is shownat the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. The tanker ar-rived in the Gulf of Mexico in December, but hadbeen anchored off the coast due to mechanicalproblems. U.S. company Cheniere Energy said itexpected its first cargo to leave the facility by earlythis month.


By Peter WelchWater LIFE SailingFifty nine boats in nine classes com-

pleted forty nine races over three days onthree race circles in the seventh edition ofthe Charlotte Harbor Regatta. The countyprovided space indoors and out at the PortCharlotte Beach Complex which served asrace headquarters. The site is an excellentbase for the small catamarans while theCharlotte Harbor Yacht Club launched andhosted small boats and race managementfrom their facility near by.The weather determined the strategy for

regatta success. Gusts to 20 knots Friday, to17 with white out rain late Saturday andgusts to 24 Sunday kept it interesting. For many boat types thewind dictated being in port during some of the scheduledraces. The Modderman team’s Hobi 16 sailed all of their 16scheduled, as did 6 of the Hobis. Some designs only sailed tworaces. Some race locations had worse wind and waves thanothers and some boats had a better tolerance for waves. The2.4M class boats have about 10 inches of freeboard and so re-quired continuous bilge pumping. Are we having fun yet? TheHobis were, often faster than the high tech F18s!

The profits from Charlotte Harbor Regattaare shared with the three youth sailing organizations on theHarbor. Several contestants in this regatta demonstrated the re-wards possible to youth sailors.Youth sailing programs teach analytical skills and can lead

to college scholarships. Mark Modderman learned to sail as ayouth in Port Elizabeth South Africa. Now an American citi-zen, he represented the U.S. at the Pan Am Games. Closer tohome, the Brunsveld brothers of Sarasota Youth Sailing haveplaced 6th in the F16 Worlds division in Malaysia and are U.S.F16 Champions.

Results are online at:http://www.RegattaTechCharlotteHarborRegatta2016

Lots of Sailing

$2 off any haircut!

Catamarans were pushed to theirlimits in the strong winds on thisday of the Charlotte Harbor Regatta.

Left & Right: The Saturday after the Charlotte Harbor Regatta, youthsailors raced in ideal conditions from the Edison Sailing Center near thePort Charlotte Beach Complex. Young sailors have perfected the ʻrollgybeʼ used to change direction in light air in the Optimist Prams, right.

There were 5 Canadian and 5 U.S. 2.4 meter racers. The racers steer these boats with their feet.All photos this page by Fran Nasher Burstein

This year 48 boats enteredthe Feb 27-28 Punta GordaSailing Clubʼs Conquistador

Cup Regatta andPaul Robbins aboard

Soul Shine was the Con-quistador Cup winner,

edging out Bill Curtis onMorgan by about a half a

boat length. Thirty twoboats raced in five divi-

sions, fifteen entered theParade of Sail. This has

been Charlotte Harborʼslargest big boat, regatta

featuring an inverted starton the second day, based

on the finishes from dayone.

Right: Action on the firstday. Winds were 5 to 15

Conquistador Cup

Bill Wilkenson, Flying Cloud 1st Harbor 20 classTony Millan, See YaSee Ya 1st Non SpinnakerGary Schwarting, OBSESSION 1st SpinnakerRudy Gottschlich, Diva Gorda 1st True Cruising.

RESULTS:


Charlotte HarborFrank at Fishin’ Franks941- 625-3888There are several schools of

redfish up around Hog Islandright now. This is the time you seedistinct schools rather than individ-ual fish. There are lots of little red-fish up on the Peace River. Downthe east side, the reds are scatteredfrom hell to breakfast. When thewind is from the southwest theywill be under the mangroves. If it’sfrom the northeast they will be upon the bar, they are moving withthe wind and the water. Turtle Bayand Bull Bay have some good red-fish now too. We’ve had a few schools of

Spanish mackerel out in the Gulfand a couple in the Harbor. I don’tknow if they are going to come in.Trout have been up by I-75 near

Harbour Heights and at El Jo Bean.I still think the tandemjigs are the best becausethe trout are deeper inthe water. Maybe thefresh water in the Harbor

is why they seem tobe hugging the bot-tom more. The trouton the east side areanother story en-tirely. There aremore trout on theoutside of the bar,but the bigger ones,the 18-to 20-inchtrout are the ones be-hind the bar. With atandem jig, hop it al-most to the bottomand bounce it backup, not 20-feet be-hind the bar, I mean right next to it.Usually at this time of year thePeace River is at 1.5-feet at Arca-dia, now we are at 3 feet, it’shigher than normal but an outgoingtide with a northeast wind willsuck the water out quick. Back into the Harbor and back

out at Hog Island we’ve also gotsome pom-pano andthere arepompano onthe west side

along the bar and on the east sidedown at Two Pine they are outsidethe bar. A lot of people have seenthem but not a lot are being caught.I think you need something prettysmall, like a crappie jig. Berkleyhad a Beetle Bou, a little tiny jigwith a hair back. Put a tiny piece ofshrimp on one of those and backthe drag way down because it has awire hook - that’s the only way toget them to hit. I used that rig onspadefish last month and theyseemed to like that. You gotta’ laythe tail down on the shrimp and

slice it to hook it on. Ifyou pinch it off it getstoo mushy.In the Gulf this is

snapper month. It’s allabout mangrove snap-per, lane snapper andyellowtail. You mightcatch a few good sizedgrouper, but if you arelooking for dinner, this

is the month to be out in

Capt Dave Stephenswww.backbayxtremes.com

941-916-5769

BackBayXtremes

Fish With A Guide!Youʼll catch more fish and youʼll

learn something new, too!

Speak Easy Fishing ChartersCaptain Joe AngiusUSCG licensed & Insured

Phone: (727) [email protected]

Above and Right: Snapper, grouper, an African pompano and an amberjack, all caught on charters from the last week of

A nice 37 inch snook caught and released in a PortCharlotte canal by Dave Harrington on February 1

March March –– Predictions and SuggestionsPredictions and Suggestions

Brayden Hays, father Mark Hays and Jorden Hays The 2 Reds were both boys first redfishcaught on shrimp on the Myakka. Mark caught the snook at Stump Pass on a pin fish.


the Gulf looking for yellowtailsnapper. Live shrimp are thebest bait, my second choice forbait would be squid pieces tobottom fish out there . We’vestill got porgy and grunts anda few permit and ajs if youwant bigger fish to play with,but for dinner the close in reefsare loaded with big snapper.Snook just opened and

have been pretty good at Bull Bay, especiallysince the red tide backed off, now a few morefish have moved in. But the best snook is on theeast side under the mangroves and around TwoPine. On the flats feed them whitebait, there arestill a few schools of whitebait around. Shrimpare better on a bobber, pinfish are only fair forsnook now. Fishing an artificial I’d throw aTwitch or a Jerk Shad. At Placida, a Rattletrapor a suspending Bomber would be my choice.Sheepshead are still going good on the east

side any place there is deep water against themangrove. Placida has a good population ofsheepshead as do the 41 and I-75 bridges butyou have to chum, scrape some barnacles fromthe pilings for sheepshead bait and chum .

Lemon Bay - PlacidaJim at Fishermen’s Edge 697-7595Fishing has been pretty good. I went offshore

last week and it was really really nice out at 70feet. We had some nice gags that we had to letgo, mangrove snapper - a good amount of bigones - some beautiful lane snapper and nice al-maco jacks and amberjacks. We filled a bigcooler with nice edible fish, mostly caught onsquid - the fish didn’t want to take pinfish thatday. My guys went again the next day too.Inshore has been good too. There have been a

lot of big trout. I’m seeing pictures of 26- to 28-inch trout and lost in the high 20s coming fromLemon Bay and the Gasparilla Sound. CatfishCreek had a big wad of them - more than one ortwo - guys were catching them with a variety ofplastics on a jig. In that same Whidden Creekarea there have been a numbers of redfish some

over the slot, but guys have had keeper sizedredfish out back in the past week and quite abit of snook, casting lures. Pompano and permit are in and around the

Boca Grande side of the trestle where it comesunder the new bridge and out along to the insideof that area. Word has spread, a lot of fish werecaught. Sheepshead the bite has been good, there are

a lot in and along the docks adjacent to northGasparilla Island and at Novak and Trembly

reefs. Earlierthey were ask-ing for bigshrimp but thenjust any shrimp.

Some whiting and all the other varieties inthe surf. Some flounder are being caught, it de-pends on the tide movement. The guys on thebeach are doing well with frozen sand fleas andlive or frozen shrimp. You want the blanchedsand fleas, the meat stays on the hook better, theones that are just frozen are freezer burned so themeat shrinks up. The blanched ones look morepinkish color. Amberjack are around if you want to fight

something tough . The guys are telling methey have been getting ajs to around 100pounds. Freshwater is sort of OK too, some guys are

whacking the bass with spinner baits and worms.

SEATROUT On the grass flats,in the Harbor or the P.I. Sound

SNOOK On the move aswater warms up

SHEEPSHEAD on docks,piers, and deeper edges

95˚

90˚

85˚

80˚

72˚70˚68˚

50˚

45˚

FISHING FISHINGRIGHT NOW:RIGHT NOW:

GoodGood

The BIG-4The BIG-4 Fish you can expect in Fish you can expect in MarchMarch

YELLOWTAIL on the Gulfʼsnear shore reefs

Gulf Gulf TempsTemps

are low toare low tomid 60s mid 60s

A little coolerA little cooleraround the around the mouth of mouth of

the Harborthe Harbor

Top Left: Ben Marquez caught this redfish on a liveshrimp under a popping cork with Capt. Charlie PhillipsTop Right: Jeff Moore with a 33 pound AJ on a King-fisher charter. Above: Stephen Cenko with a beautifulHarbor snook Left: Andy Watkins and his father-in-lawcaught 20 pompano at the Boca Grande pier.

January and on through February, while fishing with Capt. Joe Miller, aboard Offshore Galore out of the Venice inlet.


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Water LIFE March 2016