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| Stone Crab Capers A busy weekend for Florida Fish and Wildlife Officers in Marathon Key. It's stone crab season, and that means plenty of traffic in the succulent stone crab claws. For crabbers, it's a critical time of year. Unfortunately, for criminals, it's a busy time as well. |
| It’s Ugly, But Catches Fish – Doc’s Goofy Jig Of all the characters that populate the Tampa Bay fishing scene, none is more intriguing than Robert Hartkopf, the guy they call “Doc.” A tall, burly man in his 70s with a perpetual grin, Doc exudes a pleasant charm and joyful outlook. |
| Saltwater Fishing On the Fly The world of fly-fishing for the most part stays the same as far a flies and equipment goes. However, with Saltwater Fly fishing picking up in popularity each year we are starting to see some new Flies, leaders, line and reels coming out on the market. |
Federal Gamefish Status Now for Red Drum and Stripers |
| Dock Lights Are Getting Hot! Cooling water has snook moving back to their deep canals and rivers and starting to forage on baitfish in the shallows. Since they are primarily nocturnal feeders, lighted docks are getting a lot of their attention. I will gladly admit my favorite fly rod quarry is a mean Old Snook. |
| Chassahowitzka: Florida’s Best Kept Secret Florida is a land of adventures, both large and small. The west coast is home to some of this State’s best kept secrets, a region of spring fed rivers, vast tracks of undeveloped land and sweeping coastal scenery. Clinging to the west central coast of Florida, just 65 miles north of St Petersburg, the 31,000 acre Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge is a natural masterpiece... |
| Seven men charged in 57-count indictment in seafood investigation A two-year investigation by NOAA, the FWC and the United States Attorney’s Office involving marine species illegally caught in Florida and shipped out of state has resulted in a 57-count federal indictment against seven individuals. |
| Grouper Fishing Ban For South Atlantic Coast The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council September 18th voted to ban all grouper fishing annually from January through April. The regulations, which will take effect this coming January and apply to federal waters in the Atlantic extending from North Carolina to Key West, likely will hit some in the Keys fishing industry hard. |
| A Flats Fishing Primer It occurs to me that the majority of my writing is often aimed at intermediate to experienced anglers. This piece is not. But even if you have a ton of experience fishing other habitats – from blue water to brook trout, fishing the flats is a new ballgame... |
| Gator Trout Love Shallows If large trout are your target, this is the time of the year to get your fill. Season closings make this a catch and release fishery. Recent outings have rewarded us with several trout over four pounds. A lot of boats have been put away to await the spring warming trend. |
| Saltwater Flyfishing Made Easy. Read and Learn. The world of saltwater fly-fishing is very different than freshwater fly-fishing. One of the most obvious difference is the size of the tackle. Most freshwater fly-fishing can be done with fly rods from 4 to 6 weight rods and lighter... |
| Good News - For a change Had enough bad news? Yes, me too. So, please allow me to share some very good news that has a significant impact on our industry. In an unprecedented move President George W. Bush amended a 1995 Executive Order ensuring that federal agencies must have a very good reason, and the scientific data to support it, for closing federal waters... |
| The Straw as a Mackerel Lure It's that time of year! Huge schools of Spanish mackerel have invaded our coastal waters. Time to break out the the spoons, jigs and straws! Straws? Yes. For years Florida anglers have fashioned a very effective mackerel lure using a small treble hook, a length of leader, and an ordinary drinking straw. |
| Getting 'Fizzical' To Save Fish. Most anglers probably know that many fish caught from deep water can suffer from an over-inflated swim bladder, a condition called hyperbuoyancy. The air bladder inside the fish that inflates and deflates to give the fish neutral buoyancy can expand suddenly when a fish is brought to the surface after being caught. |
| The Monofilament Monster Over the years monofilament and more recently the new superlines have been great innovations. These are products that have enhanced the fish catching ability of anglers throughout the world. Unfortunately, millions of fish, birds and wildlife have been injured, maimed and destroyed as a result of the improper handling |
| Newcomer Fishing On Our Florida Suncoast One thing is as certain in Florida as the sun rising in the morning -- New residents keep a'comin'. They settle in, acclimate to our benign weather, get the kids registered at the local school and, almost invariably, take up fishing. |
| Shark Fin Profits Outweigh Fears of Prosecution Substantial profits in the shark fin trade have outweighed fears of prosecution for those involved in the illegal business, according to Palau President Tommy Remengesau. |
| Helpful Hints When Hiring a Fishing Guide Florida has an abundance of inshore fishing guides to choose from. They all have their own intriguing blend of knowledge, determination and enthusiasm. A day at the office for an inshore fishing guide involves loading customers into their specially designed fishing boats... |
| Mexican 'Fishing Mafia' Busted Three recent seizures of tons of illegally harvested dorado has sportfishing officials in the United States and Mexico applauding not only the enforcement efforts of officials, but their willingness to buck a system... |
| Stealthful Canoe Snooking With the untimely passing some six years ago of our beloved pal Merrill 'Canoeman' Chandler, we continue our memorial series of articles authored by the man himself. Does a lunker snook know the difference if an angler is fishing out of an expensive flats boat -- or a $200 canoe? |
| If You Want Action; Whiting is Your Fish de Jour Fun to catch ? You bet they are. These small fish range in size from 1 pound to 5 pounds. Do not let their small size fool you . They are fierce fighters and lots of fun to catch. Most are gray or silver in color. Although on my most recent fishing outing as I caught a whiting that had black swirl marks.. |
| Fishing Flies with Spinning Tackle I am frequently asked this question, “Can I fish flies with spinning gear?” My answer is usually another question, like, “Why would you want to?” I consider fly casting with balanced fly fishing tackle to be an integral, as well as an enjoyable part of the fly fishing experience. |
| Skyway Fishing Piers Sliced in Half. The news came like the proverbial bolt out of the blue. On Thursday, August 21st. FDOT announced that recreational vehicles, large trucks and trailers had been prohibited from entering the Skyway Fishing Piers, a very popular and productive Tampa Bay fishing location. |
| Trolling For Offshore-Size Grouper Right in Tampa Bay Slicing through the heart of Tampa Bay is a major shipping highway known as the Ship’s Channel. Its depths through the shallow estuarine area have been dredged out of the limestone and sand bottom to accommodate larger freighters and ships. |
| Drifting For Pompano When Capt. Mark Thomas called me early one morning to invite me on a trip to catch some pompano he knew the answer before he called. He knows I love to fish for them because pompano are truly amazing. A 15-inch fish fights like it weighs 15 pounds, and to top it off, they eat pretty well, too. |
| Tampa River Fish Upon launching, most of us head for the flats, mangroves, passes and beaches. But there’s also a savvy group of anglers who go in the opposite direction – to the numerous rivers, creeks and lagoons of the great Tampa metropolis. |
| "Fishing Wimps" One of the things we quickly learn as anglers is that good moving tides and agreeable fishing weather result in successful fishing days. To many a "hard-core" fisherperson (the gals are also included in this scenario) only the wimps fish when the tides and weather conditions are right. |
| Catching Permit in Paradise Permit, sometimes referred to as "king pompano," may be similar in coloration and shape, but the permit can far outweigh it's cousin the pompano. Permit feed on bottom dwelling crabs, small clams and shrimp. Permit loves crabs. |
| Work With A Jerk There are many ways to target bass during the late summer and the fall transition. Recently, I've been spending a lot of time acquainting myself with the Berkley Gulp! 5-inch Jerk Shad. While this bait isn't the newest bait on the market, I've been trying to work it into my repertoire. |
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