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LOCAL CATCH PHOTOS

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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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*LIF 16 BREVARD

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 FACEBOOK.COM/CAMNAPLES/ | FEBRUARY 2022 | NAPLES 1

By: Capt. Billy Norris

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!

2 NAPLES | FEBRUARY 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/NAPLES/

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

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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 to throw the Castnet a few extra times to get the bait needed for today’s trip and he acknowledged it may be the time to move! Years ago, I spoke with a local captain that made those car window scrapers with 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 Florida, 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 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. 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. My local tackle shop 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.

gregpoland@icloud.com | www.gregpoland.com 305-393-3327 FACEBOOK.COM/CAMNAPLES/ | FEBRUARY 2022 | NAPLES 5

6 NAPLES | FEBRUARY 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/NAPLES/

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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.

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February/2022 • 25°58’N 81°44’W

Marco, Big Marco River, FL - Feb 2022 High

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