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LOCAL CATCH PHOTOS

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GATOR TROUT

CURRENT INTEL FROM AREA CAPTAINS PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL MACINNIS IG: @RSOCFISHING

VOLUME 27 • ISSUE 323

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ost folks associate the word “gators” with big scaly reptiles or a college mascot. Mention gators to a cadre of hardcore inshore anglers and you are likely to elicit fond memories of 30-plus-inch silver flanks speckled with black spots and gaping yellow mouths sporting a wicked pair of canine teeth. I’m talking about seatrout, big trophy trout that prompt some of us to wake up at 4 a.m. so we can be on the water throwing topwater plugs at first light. Big trout don’t act like their smaller brethren, and the techniques that hammer schoolies won’t work on bigger fish. Most gator trout are caught on shallow grass flats 1 ½ to 3 feet deep. Look for flats with dense grass mixed with a few sandy potholes that big trout use to ambush prey. The flat should also have a healthy supply of bait like mullet or pinfish, and it should be close to deeper water, so a wary old trout has a short escape route. During the hottest days of summer, big trout retreat to deeper water off the edge of a flat or seek out shade under mangroves or docks. During the coldest nights of winter, gator trout move into deep channels, canals and dredge holes where they can be targeted with sinking plugs and shrimp imitations worked slowly along the bottom. Seatrout see well in low light, unlike their prey items, like mullet. So, big trout feed best during low light. It is best to

By Paul MacInnis

SLING LURES for Grass Flat Gator Trout

fish early mornings, late evenings, on overcast days and at night. It may seem counter intuitive, but more trophy trout are caught on artificials than bait. Big trout are loners. Lures allow you to cover a lot of water, increasing your odds of intercepting bigger fish. About 80 percent of an adult seatrout’s diet is fish. With that in mind, large mullet-imitating lures are a good choice. The classic gator trout lure is a topwater “walk-the-dog” bait like the venerable Zara Spook. Of course, big swimbaits and shallowrunning plugs also work, along with soft plastic shrimp. A seatrout doesn’t grow to trophy size by being stupid. Big trout are wary and will evacuate a flat at the slightest indication of danger. Hull slaps and pressure waves from a drifting boat put wise old trout on high alert. It’s best to ditch the skiff and either wade or fish from a minimally invasive vessel like a kayak. It also helps to make long casts to get your lure in front of a fish before it detects your presence. Catching a true gator seatrout is not easy, and even when you do everything right there is still an element of luck involved. When you finally catch that trophy fish, handle with care and release her gently. A mature female seatrout can release over a million eggs during a spawn. Let her go to release her big-fish DNA into the gene pool.

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The Experts in Custom Rod Building Have Much to Share

ud Hole Custom Tackle is the world’s largest supplier of rod building and tackle crafting goods and instruction. The heart of Mud Hole is its people, who strive for excellence and truly care about what they do. From leadership to customer service, and from product development to the warehouse floor, Mud Hole is comprised of passionate anglers and rod builders who use their own products every day and are eager to bring custom rod building to anglers everywhere. Established in the 1970s as a custom rod shop in New Jersey, and named after the famed Mud Hole trench at the outflow of the Hudson River, Mud Hole has truly humble, “tackle-shop” origins. Things really picked up in 1999, when the headquarters moved to Oviedo, Florida and the Internet made it easier to connect across the globe. Promoting the many benefits of custombuilt fishing equipment, Mud Hole Custom Tackle thrived and brought custom rod building to the masses. As interest in rod building grew and the industry flourished, Mud Hole dedicated itself to providing accessible DIY rod building instruction and resources to anyone who wanted to learn. Today, the Mud Hole YouTube channel hosts almost 500 videos with over 10 million views, and is followed by over 31,000 subscribers. From Rod Building

101 instructional videos to product reviews to Rod Recipes to Mud Hole TV episodes—where the team builds custom rods and puts them to the test against the most popular target species—Mud Hole provides the highest quality, most entertaining rod building content available. In addition to recorded video content, Mud Hole also hosts a live, streamed rod building show, Mud Hole Live, where hosts and guests share rod building techniques with an interactive, online audience. Who knew that custom rod building would hit the big time! Beyond making quality rod building content easily accessible to DIY audiences, Mud Hole also offers custom rod building classes with professional instructors. The workshops take place in the Mud Hole Education Center in Oviedo, Florida, in local markets across the U.S., and even online, in the comfort of your own home. A variety of topical classes are offered, from beginner workshops to application-specific builds, such as surf, fly, redfish and mahi rods. All classes include every component, supply, and all of the personal interaction needed to build high quality, custom fishing rods. Mud Hole also collaborates with schools and youth organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and 4-H to bring rod building to students through

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WHAT A TRIGGERS THE BITE? PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

ction, color, profile, style, which is more important when fishing artificials inshore? I investigate this question more than the average fisherman does on each trip, because I manufacture lures. To prove my point, how many of you switch tactics or lures when the bite is hot? I do! Years ago, I would not change a thing while the bite was on. If I lost the last soft plastic of a particular color, I would dig through every compartment to find one more identical to what was working. I might even rig it upside-down or sideways to get that last soft plastic to stay on the hook for a few more bites. Designing and fine-tuning lures has driven me to fish differently and explore more frequently, even when the fish are biting. On a recent trip, I was trying a new design, even though I was more confident in one of my original designs for this scenario in these conditions. The bite was strong, I switched between two lures about every three fish just to see if there was a preference. I started with the new design in a green-back, clear-belly color and caught a fish on the first cast! I was feeling confident, since it was a new lure and a new color, but it took dozens of casts to catch a few more fish. I switched to my original design in a pearl color. Once again, fish on the first cast! It didn’t take long to land a few more, and I decided to switch back to the new design, only this time in the same pearl color. My intent was to see if color was what the fish were keying on. Although I caught fish on both lures, the original produced considerably more fish per cast. I kept switching to gain knowledge and validate my findings. Both lures were the same color and 5 inches long with very similar body size. The actions, however, were completely different. One was a paddle tail, while the other was a soft jerk- or twitch-bait style. The fish on this day undoubtedly preferred the erratic side-to-side action of the twitch bait. Although I attempted to work the swimbait more erratically, the paddle tail did not have the quick side-to-side action that triggered the strike. Both lures were rigged on the same weighted swimbait hook, and I used the same rod. In this scenario, the action and lure style were the keys to triggering the bite. Even if you’re catching fish, it is a good idea to change things up from time to time. The day before, in the same area, I caught an equal number of fish on both the abovementioned lures. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures, Controlled Descent Lures, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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I DO NOT FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED (SOMETIMES)

fish) on as light tackle as possible. I like to slow it down, and use the correct tackle for the job, while getting baits down in the strike zone. While drifting or trolling, I like to use a jig when I need to get my baits down deeper where the mid-day fish are hanging out. A 4-ounce Squid Decoy Jig is a good option because it drifts and trolls well and can be fished with or without bait. Tipped with cigar minnow or sardine, Tim Barefoot the jig looks like a squid that has caught supper, and everything eats squid. his is a play off the famous line from the movie This is a wahoo bait that can be fished with fluorocarbon instead Top Gun, but it has a clear meaning when it comes to fishing for palegics. Are there times when I want to high-speed troll of wire or cable, simply because almost all wahoo strikes on squid are to locate areas with fish? YES. Are there times when I want to troll 6-7 knots to catch numbers of good fish when they are on or near the surface feeding? YES. With all that said, are there times to slow down and get baits down to where the fish are in the water column? YES, Definitely! intended to cut the back half the These times are typically squid off before consumption. after 10 or 10:30 a.m., when Predatory fish know that they the sun is high in the sky, and can easily eliminate a squid’s on, or around a full moon. The only defenses… tentacles and a first reason is obvious. Fish don’t biting beak. have Maui Jims, so they adjust A stinger hook in the the amount of light they need/ head of a live or frozen cigar want with water depth. This is minnow or sardine will do especially true with wahoo and the work. There is only one tuna. And the full moon thing… major problem with this setup. they stay up all night eating with Don’t let it get too close to the “big light” on. the bottom, or you’ll have a Have you ever noticed how the bite dies down after 10 or 11 in the morning? Have you ever noticed grouper or big snapper bite. I think we just got ’em on a technicality. If the days around a full moon are typically slow? These are not just a you are “trolling for wahoo” and let the bait get too close to the bottom coincidence. Granted, the planner rod (aka “the meat stick”) is the one and catch a grouper, oh well, I wasn’t using circle hooks. Just sayin’. that produces in the middle of the day, and at daylight for that matter, See more from Tim Barefoot at barefootcatsandtackle.com. and around the full moon, but I much prefer to catch these fish (any

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se the zone. get my ounce nd can rdine, g eats

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I DO NOT FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED (SOMETIMES)

Tim Barefoot

his is a play off the famous line from the movie Top Gun, but it has a clear meaning when it comes to fishing for palegics. Are there times when I want to highspeed troll to locate areas with fish? YES. Are there times when I want to troll 6-7 knots to catch numbers of good fish when they are on or near the surface feeding? YES. With all that said, are there times to slow down and get baits down to where the fish are in the water column? YES, Definitely! These times are typically after 10 or 10:30 a.m., when the sun is high in the sky, and on, or around a full moon. The first reason is obvious. Fish don’t have Maui Jims, so they adjust the amount of light they need/want with water depth. This is especially true with wahoo and tuna. And the full moon thing… they stay up all night eating with the “big light” on.

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Have you ever noticed how the bite dies down after 10 or 11 in the morning? Have you ever noticed the days around a full moon are typically slow? These are not just a coincidence. Granted, the planner rod (aka “the meat stick”) is the one that produces in the middle of the day, and at daylight for that matter, and around the full moon, but I much prefer to catch these fish (any fish) on as light tackle as possible. I like to slow it down, and use the correct tackle for the job, while getting baits down in the strike zone.

While drifting or trolling, I like to use a jig when I need to get my baits down deeper where the mid-day fish are hanging out. A 4-ounce Squid Decoy Jig is a good option because it drifts and trolls well and can be fished with or without bait. Tipped with cigar minnow or sardine, the jig looks like a squid that has caught supper, and everything eats squid. This is a wahoo bait that can be fished with fluorocarbon instead of wire or cable, simply because almost all wahoo strikes on squid are intended to cut the back half the squid off before consumption. Predatory fish know that they can easily eliminate a squid’s only defenses… tentacles and a biting beak. A stinger hook in the head of a live or frozen cigar minnow or sardine will do the work. There is only one major problem with this setup. Don’t let it get too close to the bottom, or you’ll have a grouper or big snapper bite. I think we just got ’em on a technicality. If you are “trolling for wahoo” and let the bait get too close to the bottom and catch a grouper, oh well, I wasn’t using circle hooks. Just sayin’. See more from Tim Barefoot at barefootcatsandtackle.com.

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FLORIDA 9 LOCATION 3

PHOTO BY JAMES MARTINS

an empty pail and hold it vertically on the surface of a pool, pond or tub of water, and you can easily recreate this for yourself. Apply force to the pail, straight downward, until its rim is just under the surface. Water rushes in to fill the pail until it has reached full capacity. If there are objects on the surface or suspended in the water, they will accompany the inrush of water. What you have done is introduced a void into the water. This empty space must be filled if water is to adhere to its own principles. Essentially, a vacuum effect occurs in which both water and the objects it contains are pulled into the void. Fish generate a similar vacuum via the expansion of their mouths, and anything within range of that vacuum will be drawn inside. This form of attack is concentrated in the fish’s head, requiring little or no forward motion of the body. If the fish wants to swallow what it has trapped in its jaws, it will expel the water through its gill slits in a rapid jet. Between a closed mouth and the fish’s gill rakers, solid objects are trapped inside, where they can be directed down the fish’s throat. If the fish should decide it doesn’t want to swallow what it has in its mouth, it will simply open its jaws and let the water float out along with whatever else was inside. It is much like a terrestrial animal opening its mouth and drawing in a big breath of air. Any airborne particulate matter will be taken in with the breath. If something noxious is taken in—smoke, for example—it can be ejected by exhaling or coughing. The difference between fish and terrestrial animals is the comparative enormity of most fish mouths and the great density of water compared to air. While a vacuum may be of little benefit to land animals, it is extremely useful to fish. Most fish, therefore, employ this technique to some degree in their feeding. For the sake of efficiency and the surer capture of prey, predatory fish are likely to use this method in conjunction with a more traditional attack featuring forward motion of the body. When employed together, these techniques allow the fish to draw its prey closer and seize it with the most By John Saporito security. When swallowing prey whole, they will turn it in their mouth so that espite different designs among the many species, there is a it can be taken headfirst—scales, fins and other parts folding tight against the commonality in fish when it comes to the capture of prey, a special body to facilitate an easier passage down the throat. procedure making use of the physical properties of the water they John Saporito is a lifelong fisherman, writer, and student of the seas. live in. Visit him online at johnsaporito.com. When a fish suddenly opens its mouth underwater, a void is created. Take

HOW FISH EAT

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A Few Degrees Difference By: Capt. Dave Stephens

ell fellow anglers if you're looking for a perfect winter in beautiful South West Florida, this just happens to be your year. It has been quite some time since I can remember us having this great weather this far into winter. I hope by bragging about it, I'm not dooming us for cold fronts that are going to make their way to us. Our fishery can be very tricky this time of year. This is largely due to our water temps. I know it is hard to believe that a small difference, such as 3-4 degrees can make a big difference but it makes a huge difference. This year we have been targeting snook, and doing very well. Over the past few weeks on my charters we have been putting some fish to the boat that we normally don't catch till spring. Not only are we catching some quality snook, we are also putting good numbers to the boat. Let’s get back to water temps and what this warmer weather does to our fishery. The magic number for our snook fishery to stay active is 68-70 degrees. Most people do not realize these guys are a tropical fish, and need warm water to stay active. If we have major cold fronts that push down into our area and cool our waters snook will go dormant. They move into deep areas, and wait for the water temps to rise to feed again. However, if we do get some late cold fronts that push their way to South West Florida it's not the end of our fishery. We actually have several species here that thrive in the cooler weather. The main one is sheepshead, these striped bait bandits love the cooler water. Actually, it is important for them to have a healthy spawning season. As our waters cool down these guys begin to school up to spawn they look for areas with large structure. For the anglers that are not familiar with these black and white bait bandits. They are a member of the porgy family, and are great table fare. Catching them can be a little tricky,

well I guess any fish that feeds on small crustaceans can be tricky. Areas with structure that has old growth like barnacles, oysters and rocks will hold fish. I highly recommend using a small hook, such as a #1 or even a #2, with enough weight to make contact the bottom. Since sheepheads feed primarily on crustaceans shrimp is a great go to bait. However, if you can get some fiddler crabs its game on. I recommend to bring three times the bait you think you’re going to need. These guys got their black and white stripes for a reason. As we push down the home stretch of winter we will see what Mother Nature throws at us. Luckily for us we have fish that we can target on an outing tide on our beautiful harbor.

Back Bay Xtremes |Backbayextremes.com 941-916-5769

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InShore Possibilties By: Capt. Bart Marx

ooking at the inshore possibilities this month. The sheepshead bite should still be going on near the docks and bridges along the coast. And nearshore reefs out to 45ft. can be holding them also. You may even find some flounder along the edges of these same reefs. Black drum around the pilings close to the bumper systems, drop a half of a blue crab down and hold on they get around 30 to 40 pounds. There should be plenty of speckled sea trout along the edges of the sandbars close to the deeper waters and they can be harvested with a popping cork and a shrimp or GULP. They will hit top water plugs and suspending lures too. Redfish along the edges of the mangroves using your trolling motor what we call beating the bushes. Like bass fishing go along and cast under the trees and hanging limbs. When you hook one be mindful that there could be more in the same pocket where you hooked your red. Pompano like to travel the edges of the sandbars, while you are traveling in the boat keep an eye behind you they skip through your prop wash. Also check the channel markers out in the open waters as cobia tend to go to the ones that have bait there hunting for a meal or they could be out in the open waters where there are schools of bait looking for a meal. Offshore we talked about sheepshead. Mangrove snapper will find some structure where there is food. You can also find the lane snapper in these same areas along with grunts and porgies. There are lots of choices to target, always check current FISH RULES to make sure what you are keeping follows the FWC rules. Most of these species you can target with a medium to heavy rod in the 10 to 30-pound seven-foot range with a 5000 series reel with 20lb or 30lb braid with a mono leader. I use a knocker rig or a chicken rig they both work well. If you don't have a boat or are new to

the area I can help. I can do a training session on your boat to help you know where you can take you boat and use your gear to fish. And if you don't have a boat call and set up a charter and I can show you how we do fishing here in S.W. Florida. I also have gift certificates on request. So if you would like some of my services give me a call. And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{

Alpha Omega Charters | alphaomegacharters.com captbart@alphaomegacharters.com | 941-979-6517 2 FORT MYERS | FEBRUARY 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/FORT-MYERS/

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February is an Extension By: Capt. Mike Manis

ypically, February is an extension of the previous two months in that the weather is dominated by cool north winds and low tides. With spring on the horizon and if the wind allows, I’ll begin making my way out of the creek systems to adjacent outside shorelines to look for small troughs, cuts and sand holes that will be prime habitat as the weather warms. Too, I like to look on low water as bottom structure is much more visible than when the water is high against the mangroves. This is where redfish, spotted sea trout, and snook will gravitate to in the weeks to come. Of course, we seem to always get a good cold snap or two in March but it will heat up before we know it. Small baits are still key as the majority of the scaled sardines won’t

migrate in from offshore until the weather stabilizes. For flies, I like small clousers, kwans, seaducers, and schminnows no larger than a #1. For soft plastics, it’s hard to beat a paddle tail on a 1/8 oz. jighead. In both cases, if I’m working up against a mangrove shoreline I’ll rig weedless. Around the harbor, no matter which ramp you choose to use there are plenty of shoreline with adjacent creek systems to explore. Gasparilla Sound and Bull Bay hold good fish and are easily accessible from close by ramps. Small shallow draft boats can also take advantage of some exceptional fishing in Pine Island Sound. Matlacha is one of my favorite spots and the shoreline outside Big Dead Creek and down through Buzzard Bay is well protected from the winds that come out of the north in early spring and the deeper water with strong current provide good habitat. The open harbor and adjacent bar systems also hold potential as winter winds down. Pompano are still on the bars like the one that runs the length of the West Wall and down onto Cape Haze Point. Spanish mackerel are scattered throughout the harbor and will be mixed in with lots of ladyfish outside the bars working schools of glass minnows. The Cape Haze and Alligator Creek artificial reef systems hold good numbers of sheepshead. Both of these reef systems are well marked. In addition to the reefs, sheepshead are still at the Boca Grande and Placida trestles in good numbers and are great spots to fish with or without a boat. Lastly, area canal systems can also be good. In particular, because of good tidal flow, the perimeter canals of both Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte hold lots of species. Redfish, black drum, spotted sea trout, and snook hang close to the cement seawalls that hold heat from the afternoon sun. Corner spots are prime as that is where current moves the fastest. Until next month, good tides.

Punta Gorda Fly Charters | puntagordaflycharters.com 941-628-7895

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Tarpon Fishing

By: Capt. Billy Norris

arpon are one of the most sought-after gamefish in the world. Drag screaming runs combined with aerial acrobatics make them a challenging fight for even the most skilled anglers. Whether its stalking them on shallow grass flats, chasing schools down the white sugar sand beaches, or targeting fish in current swept passes, tarpon fishing is one of the most addictive types of fishing Florida has to offer. In this article I will go over a few tips and tricks to help you improve your abilities when attempting to best the silver king. Tarpon can be found in nearly every coastal aquatic environment in Florida. They inhabit reefs and wrecks, beaches, grassflats, estuaries and can even be found in freshwater lakes and ponds. Due to their wide-ranging habitats, your fishing style will change depending on where you’re fishing. Firstly, your gear and tackle have to be topnotch. Tarpon are one fish that will absolutely put your equipment to the test. If you have junk reels, frays in your line, cheap leader, or discount hooks, you will get whipped by these bruiser fish. Go over your setups from top to bottom, and make sure that everything that you are using is up to par. I prefer to use reels in the 60-80 range. Personally, I use Quantum Cabo 60s or Penn Slammer 7500 reels. The beefier reels are able to put the screws to the fish, and the larger spools allow you to carry a lot more line. A medium-heavy rod is also a big help when fighting tarpon. I use 7-foot medium action Star Rods. Now a days, it would be a challenge to find a professional captain who does not use braided line when tarpon fishing. I spool my reels up with 50 pound braid, but you can also up it to 80 if you’re targeting bigger fish. Tarpon can be extremely picky when it comes to both baits and rigs. Fluorocarbon is an absolute must when it comes to your leaders. Depending on the water quality, you may have to switch pound test if the fish are leader shy. 7 foot of 80-pound YoZuri pink fluorocarbon is where I typically start, but will bump down to 50 pound if the water is very clear. Everyone has their own preference of hooks, but I prefer either 8/0 Owner SSW Circles, or 6/0 Mustad UltraPoint Demon Circle hooks.

Believe it or not, tarpon will pretty much eat anything that lives in the ocean. I have caught them on cutbait, threadfins, crabs, pilchards, pinfish, discarded fish carcasses…literally almost everything. However, this does not mean that you can just use anything. Although they will consume a variety of baits, they are extremely picky and are notorious for getting dialed in on one specific type of prey. For example, when I’m fishing for tarpon in Marathon, I target two passes, Bahia Honda and the 7-Mile Bridge. Both passes are right next to each other, but at Bahia Honda the fish will only eat crabs and at 7-Mile they want mullet. It doesn’t seem to make any sense why two different schools so close to one another won’t eat the same things, but it is reality. Even the size of crabs that the fish will eat changes daily. Some days they will want small crabs, and other days larger ones. Crabs can be caught, but if you are purchasing them the cost can add up quickly. On average they retail for about $4-5 apiece, and on a day long tarpon trip I like to have at least 40 crabs of varying sizes. A good rule of thumb is you want crabs that are approximately the same width (across the carapace) as three of your fingers. Whether I’m using crabs, mullet, threadfins, etc, I will almost always freeline the bait, with the exception of sometimes using a cork to suspend the bait if needed. Being successful at hooking up tarpon comes from time put in on the water daily to figure out what they are eating at that particular time. Now your gear and equipment are ready, you’re livewell is loaded with bait, and it’s time to get hooked up! The most crucial part of landing tarpon is understanding how to fight them. They are notorious for throwing the hook when they make their world-famous jumps. You will consistently hear guides refer to “flying” x amount of tarpon. For example, when talking about the day of fishing you will hear me say something like “flew 5 landed 2”. This means that we hooked up with five fish but only got two boatside. Only landing a small percentage of hooked fish is not uncommon, but the more practice you get the more you will land. Finally, you have to bow. Everyone who has even a slight bit of familiarity with tarpon has heard the old expression “bow to the king”. That means when the fish jumps, drop your rod tip. I actually tell my customers to stab the tip of the rod quickly into the water when they first see the fish rise to jump. This action puts slack in the line and will reduce breakoffs or the hook being pulled. Tarpon fishing is without a doubt one of the most challenging and addictive type of fishing in the world. Hopefully this article helped to answer some of your questions surrounding the silver king, and will help you to get out on the water and start landing some tarpon!

Pale Horse FC | palehorsefishingcharters.com | 239-285-7710

4 FORT MYERS | FEBRUARY 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/FORT-MYERS/

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venture shallower to warm up. They will set up on or around structures that conceal them. Remember they are not going to be quite as aggressive and will want to hang around or wait to ambush forage that comes to them. Identifying potential ambush areas can prove to be very productive. These are some of the areas I focus on during the winter season. Bridges usually provide deeper water, current and hardcover. Predator fish like Snook like this type of r ffe structure. Docks, especially ea h eS those that have deeper water o J : adjacent or near them. Once By again, this type of structure provides current breaks, containing debris that allow predators to ambush their prey. Sunken debris from old boats, concrete around marinas, sea walls and man-made reefs can be very attractive to many species. Potholes along deep sections of grass flats hold many fish during this time of year. Deeper sections or undercuts along the Mangroves are proven areas for ambushing predators. Another key for success, making multiple casts and slowing your presentation can be the difference. You may not get as many bites but you may get the right bite. Keep casting and good luck.

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he colder months in SWFL can be very challenging for inshore fishermen. The water tends to be shallower, colder and very clear. Our species have settled into their winter routines and we need to adjust to them. With the cooler temps the fish are not as active and their feeding habits can be different from the warmer months. Picking up on the changes and adjusting our thought process can be the difference in a successful day on the water. I really try to focus on areas that warm up quickly and provide easy ambush opportunities for these predators. As the sun rises higher in the sky the fish will

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6 FORT MYERS | FEBRUARY 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/FORT-MYERS/

Smart Fish - Dumb Fish

By: Capt. Chad Carney

ivers get to witness fish behavior and intelligence. After 50 years of spearfishing in the Gulf, Atlantic & Caribbean Sea, I have rated popular smart and dumb fish, from A+ to F-. (Young, small fish are stupid. So, give them a pass.) Groupers: Reds scavenge and will sit watching a spearo without turning for cover. Their fillets often have worms. Grade D Yellowfins are beautiful and act like reds, just a bit more aware. Grade C Scamps of fair size keep an eye on shooters at a distance. Grade C+ Blacks (Carbos), 30#+ and up will move to a safety hole at 1st glance of a shooter. 80#+ will often hide at only hearing a spearo. Favorite holes have 2 exits. Carbos flee across a reef & swim into currents. Grade B Gags, 20#+ are as smart as blacks. They also circle out into the sand and lay in depressions, hence the nick name “rusty bellies”. They’re fast & good at shaking spears. Grade B+ Snappers: All are curious and are master spear shakers. Mangroves are fast & know it. They turn thin to reduce their target size. 8#+ they stay afar & zip into tight holes. C+

Yellowtails are found in clear water and avoid spearos. Grade BRed’s & Mutton’s curiosity allows one shot, then it’s adios! Grade B Cuberas hang unseen in shadows. I saw my first only because he flinched when I stoned a grouper. He hid in a wreck and I hung back, guessing and aiming where he’d peak out. I was lucky. A big cubera once used goliaths for cover to escape a wreck! An 82# cubera bolted a wreck with no more structure. I waited forever till he showed. A 25-ft freeshaft dropped him. Grade A+ Misc.: Amberjack (Reef donkeys) school above bottom hanging with active spearos & even bump divers.

Grade D Lionfish were unafraid at first, but now with one shot they’ll hide. Grade C Hogfish zip to a speared buddy & start to feed in the sand, not look at a spearo. After a haircut tear-out shot, some swim 5 ft & feed again! Definitely a grade F-

chad.carney@yahoo.com https://www.facebook.com/floridaskindiver/ https://www.deeperblue.com/beginners-guide-spearfishing/ 727-423-7775

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preparations days ahead checking the weather and tides. The calm winds coincide with a negative tide one morning and I got excited for another memorable morning on the flats. Waking up early before there’s even a hint of light, I get the Hewes Redfisher flats boat ready with all the light tackle gear I’ll need. The 20ft push pole gets secured onto the gunnel and I’m ready to go! Arriving at the Marina, the sun is just about to start peaking. Looking out over the water, I can see a mirror of the sky. It’s time to get the boat in the water and get to the promise land heading straight to my favorite flat filled with luscious turtle grass. I cut my engine off and I’m now floating in about a foot to a foot and a half of water. Perfect! It’s time to hop on the poling platform and scan around for anything that creates a disturbance on the surface. Covering some ground quietly using the push pole, silence is definitely golden in this game. The sun is now starting to rise off the horizon and out of the corner of my eye I see something orange glimmer a few inches out of the water. There it is! At my Three O’ Clock about a hundred feet away. A brightly colored orange tail waving at me as if it’s saying “here I am”, my eyes light up with determination! I begin to pole the boat towards the fish and I’m just about in casting range. Suddenly the tail sinks down and I lost sight of it. About a minute passes and I begin to think the fish left when suddenly the tail rises about 20ft to the port side of my boat. I can see the entire fish clear as day. My heart begins to pound as I’m extremely close and I know I’ve got one shot at this fish. I flip my Wyze Guyz Tackle paddle tail a few feet from the orange submarine. Thinking I might have casted too close. The tail dropped and its mouth instantly inhaled the lure and my line starts to shoot across the flat and the reel starts screaming! “Hooked up!”.

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hen I think of winter time here in South West Florida. The first thing that comes to my mind is gin clear water and extra low tides. If you play the weather right it can be a sight fisherman’s dream come true in the backwaters. Add a negative tide and some healthy turtle grass and you may just witness one of the greatest spectacles of inshore fishing. A tailing redfish. I’ll start my

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Fishing With Young Families By: Capt. Armando Alejo

e recently set out seeking our share of blackdrum gamefish which are in season during our cold months (at least cold for Florida!). My crew for the day were super excited to enter the waters of SWFL, a trip they had never done before, and quite simply didn’t realize there was so much opportunity in our area to fish. We made our way through the beautiful and majestic Intracoastal waterways and within a short boat ride, and almost immediately, the wildlife was abundant. Snowy Egret, Osprey and Anhinga birds peppered the navigational aids that led us toward the area we chose to fish. As had been a common site for the previous half a dozen trips, we came across a pack of bottle nose dolphin, feeding in the narrow channel we were on. I gave way, pulled back on the throttle and allowed us to enjoy the sight of a dolphin family feeding on mullet off of a grass flat. The dolphin gave us a show for a good thirty minutes, and I made my standard comment “some folks pay to see Dolphin perform!” With A2 charters, the dolphin are part of the show and we all laughed and enjoyed what remained of the dolphin program for that part of the morning. As we continued our trip west toward the first stop of our trip. On a five-hour trip, I knew our window of opportunity for a good bite was small, so I took us straight to my ‘A’ spot rather than try others

in anticipation of my go to stop. Within an hour’s time, and after we waited for the best part of the tide, the peak of the high tide, we boated our first drum. Shortly thereafter, we had a half dozen boated drum all between 5 and 20 lbs. Among the most rewarding moments of the trip were to see the two siblings fighting fish, enjoying themselves and making memories! Our youngest angler Noah, hooked, fought and enjoyed bringing the biggest drum of the trip aboard. Mom and dad also hooked and landed their own fish, and they were pleased to feel such power with an inshore fish. Mom and Dad both also appreciated the time I spent working with their two boys Noah (4) and Brian (10). They commented in appreciation for the patience shown to ensure EVERYONE aboard enjoyed their fishing adventure. Join us aboard today to get in on the winter bite! This time of year, has some of our best weather and bite!

www.A2charters.com | A2charters@outlook.com 305-778-5342

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Winter Season By: Capt. Travis Freeman

he water is slowly beginning to start to warm back up from the winter cold. The redfish and snook bite have been amazing so far and will only going get better from here as the waters continue to warm up in the Gulf of Mexico and near shores along Florida’s S out hwe st coastline. This time of the year I like to use live bait, however, it can be hard to find as they move and migrate offshore to spawn, so it never hurts to have a live well full of live shrimp before heading out. I always use a popping cork with about 3ft of 30- or 40-pound fluorocarbon leader tied to a #4 J hook with a 1/8oz egg weight just above the hook. This seems to works great for sea trout, red fish, black drum and many other species of game fish living in and around the Gulf. Also, when fishing with live shrimp or cut lady fish, I like to put on a 1/4oz egg weight just above a #4 J hook as this

works better when fishing depths between 4ft to 8ft of water. 4ft of water or less, and you can free line a live shrimp and or cut bait "mullet lady fish" under or around any structure nearby. These techniques have worked very well for me when it comes to using live shrimp or cut bait. As for the fishing in the backcountry and rivers connected to the Gulf of Mexico, I like to throw lures or plugs all along the mangrove shorelines and or any nearby structures underwater. One of my favorite lures to use this time of the year in early to mid-February is a 3in sinking mirror lure and or a 3 1/2in suspending Yozuri. Red and white in color and or black and silver. From my very recent experience’s this month, you will catch big snook, red fish, tarpon and many others. If you want to have a blast fishing in The Florida Everglades and spending the day cruising the backcountry and seeing some of Gods greatest creations, then book your bucket list fishing trip and come make friendships and memories of a life time with me.

Steadyfishingcharters.com | Steadyfishing@yahoo.com 239-285-2971

In the Thick of Wintertime Fishing By: Capt. Philip Watson

t’s February now and we are in the thick of our winter-time fishery in the offshore waters of Anna Maria Island. Hogfish, mangrove snapper, and red grouper are on the top of my hit list. By now, all the Pelagic species have moved south and it’s all about bottom fishing. Bigger amberjacks have moved into the closer ledges, wrecks, and springs but remain closed until summertime. Nonetheless, these guys are fun to fight even if you must release them. For amberjack, I really enjoy live chumming these fish to the top. On the right day you can even pitch to the fish you want to catch. These fish will usually bite on reaction, so for bait I like a fish that will swim fast away from them such as a pinfish, grunt, or bluerunner. White bait will work well for chumming, it won’t give them the chase that they are after. On days when they chum to the top you can even get them on topwater poppers and cuda tubes as well, which is a ton of fun.

Our trip highlight last month was with Jay and Jeff who booked a 6-hour trip on New Years Eve. Jays mission for the day was hogfish, so we pushed out to 85’ deep with 10 dozen shrimp and went to work. Within 15 minutes Jay had his first hogfish in the boat followed by both anglers filling the box with yellowtail and mangrove snapper. Once the bite slowed down at that location we bounced ledges back home putting 3 more hogfish and a bunch of key west grunts in the cooler. Our last stop was to a shallow ledge hoping for a nice gag grouper to top of the box, but after a few shorts it was time to pull the trolling motor up and head back to the hill. All and all an amazing 6 hours with a great group of guys. We are starting to book up for spring break, so make sure to call us or book online to save your date.

Just Kickin Back Charters | justfishfl.com | 941-226-1100

10 FORT MYERS | FEBRUARY 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/FORT-MYERS/

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33rd Annual

B O N I TA S P R I N G S

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March 3 - 6, 2022

Thursday - Sunday 10AM - 5PM

Hundreds of Boats From All the Major Dealers

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(Formerly Naples - Fort Myers Greyhound Track) 10601 Bonita Beach Road S.E. Bonita Springs, FL 34135

Boat Gear - Accessories - Engines - Electronics - Boat Lifts Contractors - Insurance - Financing - Apparel & More Fishing Seminars Presented by:

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FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINEFTMYERS/ | FEBRUARY 2022 | FORT MYERS 11

www.BonitaSpringsBoatShow.com

3771 Palm Beach Blvd., Ft. Myers, FL 33916 239.694.2185

MATLACHA

www.USHarbors.com

February/2022 • 26°38’N 82°4’W

Matlacha Pass, FL - Feb 2022 High

Date

fishfacecharters@ yahoo.com 239.357.6829

FORT MYERS

www.USHarbors.com

February/2022 • 26°39’N 81°52’W

Fort Myers, FL - Feb 2022

Low

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8:44

0.7

7:15

6:12

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Tue