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THE FLORIDA KEYS EDITION

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LOCAL CATCH PHOTOS

GRASS FLAT

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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n the cigar ill do y one setup. ose to have a lity. If ottom in’.

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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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

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Winter Fishing By: Capt. Greg Poland

fter a recent phone conversation with an old client from the State of Maine, as he was describing to me about what he has to do to clear out the snow from his driveway just to get to his office, I was explaining to him that I had Capt. Greg Poland 305.393.3327 | gregpoland.com to throw the Castnet a few extra times to get the bait needed for today’s trip and he Instagram: gregpoland acknowledged it may be the time to move! Years ago, I spoke with a local captain that made those car window scrapers with Facebook: Fishing in the Florida Keys with Capt. Greg Poland his contact info and sent them out to clients as Holiday presents, and proceeded to mention that year he filled his book with clients wanting to get away from the cold winters up north. Having lived my entire life in South Florida and The Florida Keys, I must say we have the perfect winter weather and there are so many species of fish that just this week I have been fishing for everything from snook to sailfish. If you are looking to get out on a charter I have plenty of open dates on the calendar and would gregpolandphotography.com love to get you out on my new Contender boat or if you have a boat but want some local knowledge let me assist you. gregpolandstudios.com The bite in the Gulf for spanish mackerel is strong and it’s the perfect family trip where everybody is going to bend the rod and catch a few fish and watch the occasional cobia swim by. Randy Town from Islamorada Fishing Outfitters in Tavernier set me up with a kite rod and a new light wind kite which I have been testing out while fishing mackerel and I must say it’s been working well. The best thing about this kite fishing outfit is you can use it with or without a power supply. We have been catching small blue runners and putting them out behind the boat in the chum slick and have found it to be really productive. The vibration of the runner has proven to get some big strikes from kingfish and cobia, but the most fun we have had was when a large hammerhead shark swam up our slick. We pulled the bait up in the air then dropped it back down just to tease him until he finally zeroed in on it and crashed it on the surface for one of the best bites I had ever seen! To switch gears a bit, I have been fishing around the shorelines in the Everglades even though the Gulf has been so good it’s hard to not fish out there this time of year. I have been tipping a jighead with a shrimp and the smaller redfish and snook fishing has been pretty good once you find them but it’s been quite a bit of looking to find the spots they have been at holding at. Hope your fishing has been good and looking forward to seeing you out on the water.

— Contact Capt. Greg at 305.393.3327 or email gregpoland@icloud.com FACEBOOK.COM/CAMFLORIDAKEYS

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There’s More Than One Way To Catch Wahoo By: Capt. Bruce Andersen

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f all the different fish we catch offshore of the Florida Keys one of the most exciting and fun to catch is the wahoo. There are several different ways to fish for wahoo. High speed trolling with heavy tackle is probably the most popular and one of the most effective ways. Vertical Jigging can be effective, especially in certain situations where the fish are around large pieces of debris offshore in the summertime. My favorite way to catch wahoo is in the wintertime on live bait with spinning tackle. Like any type of fishing there are pros and cons to certain techniques. When high speed trolling, you’ll have some bycatch, but most of the time you’ll avoid other species. It’s harder to specifically single out wahoo when live bait fishing. You’ll usually wind up catching a mix of species including sailfish, kingfish, and blackfin tuna when targeting the wahoo on live bait. One of the pros is that catching all of those species is fun and when you get the wahoo bites on the live bait there’s really nothing else like it. Catching a wahoo any way is fun, but when you hook a large wahoo with a 20-pound spinning rod you’ll see it do things that just don’t happen with the other methods. They’ll often nearly spool you on their first run while thrashing on top, taking you all the way to the end of your line and then turning around to come back at you so fast that many people get tricked into thinking they’ve lost the fish. Keep winding because most of the time he’s racing right back at you and your line will come cutting through the water going in another direction in just a few seconds. Once a wahoo has taken a few runs, they’ll usually settle down and go deep like a tuna. You’ll want to work on them nice and easy at this point to bring him to the gaff. Every day is different and the wahoo action seems to come in streaks especially through the winter months. Conditions and moon phase play a big part in when they’ll be biting. Some of the things to look for are blue water and a good northeast current. The days where the gulf stream comes in very close to the reef edge are often the best. The periods around the full and new moon in the winter months can also be hot. My favorite live baits for wahoo include speedoes, cigar minnows, and pilchards, but I’ve caught them on ballyhoo, goggle eyes, and blue runners as well. Most of the time I’ll fish these baits on a 20- or 30-pound spinning setup with a 15-foot 40 pound fluorocarbon leader with a short trace of about 18 inches of #4 to #7 wire tied to a #2 to 1/0 treble hook depending on what bait I’m using. So far, this winter seems to be standing out as one of our better wahoo seasons of the last several years. Hopefully the bite will keep going strong and I’ll see you out there!

— www.captaineasycharters.com You can reach Captain Bruce Andersen at Capt. Easy Charters, MM 85, call 305.360.2120 or email at: captbrucekey@comcast.net

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Fishing With Young Families By: Capt. Armando Alejo

e recently set out from the famous Caribbean Club in Key Largo, seeking our share of Flamingo Everglades gamefish - Blackdrum which are in season during our cold months (cold for Florida!). My crew for the day were super excited to enter the Everglades by water, a trip they had never done before, and quite simply they didn’t know the Everglades offered saltwater, light tackle fishing to approximately one million visitors per year! We made our way through the beautiful and majestic Florida Bay and into the park boundary 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 Flamingo Everglades. 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 Everglades 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!

— Fish with us: Call Capt. Armando at 305-778-5342 or visit us at www.a2charters.com, we are a FIVE-STAR rated service and guide.

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