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STREAMERS FOR

FALL TROPHY

BROWNS

By Jacob Milholland

ctober is a special month in the mountains. Autumn colors and cooler weather signal it’s time to head back to trout water. Hunting a trophy brown trout is what fall is all about. These fish can be caught nymphing a big stonefly or drifting an October caddis, but the old adage, “big bait, big fish,” holds true. Streamer fishing is a surefire way to try and target these old brutes. Streamers are flies that imitate forage such as baitfish, crawfish, sculpin, other trout or even mice. While the common way to fish a streamer is to enact action by “stripping” or pulling the fly line, streamers can be dead drifted, jigged or swung. There is no wrong way to fish streamers, but the goal is to make the fly look like the real thing. Equipment: We fish heavier rods, tippets and leaders, as we are targeting larger fish. The flies are more wind resistant or heavily weighted, and the strikes can be more aggressive. Think 5 to 8 weights and 8 to 20-pound fluorocarbon tippet/leader. A misconception of streamer fishing is that it must be done from a boat on a large river. While a boat is nice for covering ground, wading anglers can adapt these tactics to any size body of water. If you have the option to fish from a boat, multiple rods with different rate-of-fall (ROF) sinking fly lines should be in your arsenal to probe different depths: floating, intermediate (falls at one foot per second), and ROF-6 (falls at six inches per second). Fly Selection: Ask anyone what they throw, and you’ll get a different answer. It’s hard to go wrong with Woolly Bugger variations—like Sparkle Minnows or Bow River Buggers—any Kelly Galloup pattern or Clouser minnows to start out. Pick staple colors that allow you to adjust to conditions: white, black, bold (yellow or chartreuse) and flashy. Big fish drop their guard in nasty weather, and these can result in the best days on the water. Tactics: Brown trout ambush their prey, so look for places adjacent to current where fish can sit without expending too much energy. Covering water is paramount to success with a streamer. Likely holding water can produce results immediately, so don’t spend too much time in one spot. You are hunting the largest fish willing to eat the fly, not trying to force inactive fish to feed. Vary your retrieve; sometimes jigging or dead drifting can be better than a strip, or slower or faster retrieves may get a fish to react. Mental fortitude is just as important as the where and how. You can go hours or even days without seeing a fish follow the fly, but the magic of streamer fishing lies in the take of the fly and the caliber of fish. Jacob Milholland fishes with Cohutta Fishing Company in Blue Ridge, Ga. Check them out at www.cohuttafishingco.com or call (706) 946-3044.

4 NATIONAL

OCTOBER 2021

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By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

t seems even the most remote waterways are becoming more crowded every year. More boats can lead to some extremely dangerous situations when boaters exhibit a lack of respect for the water, and it’s pretty easy to identify those who should not be allowed to operate a boat. But there are also people who create frustrating situations, particularly while fishing, who might just be unaware of certain etiquette. It is unique to the Southeastern United States to have access to such vastly diverse fisheries within a relatively small area. It is fortunate boat owners can easily travel to a new and different fishery and bring their own vessel with them. However, just as you don’t have to travel far before the fishery changes, the same applies to local fishing etiquette. Some of the unspoken rules will apply no matter where you are, but it is generally a good idea to check in with local knowledge and identify the local vhf channel before launching your boat somewhere new. While nobody owns the water, commercial and charter fishing captains generally operate with respect for each other to make sharing the fishery feasible and pleasant. When pleasure boaters don’t understand or don’t respect local etiquette, it disrupts fishing enough to affect the people who are trying to make a living on the water. As a general rule, try to stay away from other boats as much as possible. If you have to maneuver around or fish near another boat, be respectful of the type of fishing they are doing. If a vessel is anchored, they will generally be fishing off the back of the boat, often running a chum slick, which means you should avoid driving behind them. If a boat is anchored

offshore, in an area that you are unfamiliar with, they are probably fishing coordinates that took them years of hard work to acquire. You should absolutely not anchor near them,

nor should you drive next to them to mark their location. If you are offshore hunting for fish that appear under flocks of diving birds, look for a flock that isn’t currently being worked by another fisherman. These birds are moving around over fish that are traveling, and moving in can cause the boat that got to the birds first to be cut off from the school of fish. The ocean is vast and birds are plentiful, look for birds on your own, not just an easy-to-spot boat under birds. Overcrowded fishing areas, that don’t operate under anchor, follow certain traffic patterns. These patterned drifts or trolls should be observed and followed just like any roadway. The Marathon Humps, for example, should be trolled east to west, and west to east. Fishing oil rigs in the northern Gulf of Mexico can be made extremely difficult by poor etiquette, as locations are limited and can be made even more limited due to weather. Places like this rely heavily on unspoken rules of the road, and respect. These areas are primarily fished in two different ways: live bait and chum drifts. Charter boats take the time to catch live bait before making it out there, which can be time consuming and difficult. If there are fish on the surface, and someone nearby starts a chum drift, this pushes the surface fish down deep, where the fish will no longer be eating the hard-earned live bait. This is horrible etiquette that rewards lazy and ignorant fishermen. If you show up to a rig without live bait and see other boats using it, with fish clearly on the surface, you should probably just troll lures until other people start a chum drift. Learn and respect the local etiquette anywhere you get your boat wet. There’s no reason we can’t all catch fish, be safe and have fun doing it.

Capt. Quinlyn Haddon fishes with Blue Magic Charters in Marathon, Florida Keys. Check her out at CaptainQuinlyn.com, @captainquinlyn or call (504) 920-6342.

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OCTOBER 2021

NATIONAL 7

WHEN TEMPS COOL DOWN, THE GROUPER BITE HEATS UP

’m going to date myself here, but what is about to happen will come as no surprise to me. This is time of year I live for. You see, I’ve been watching this beautiful cycle happen with grouper for almost four decades now. As soon as the mullet run slows, and the vast schools of cigar minnows (cigs) and sardines drift inshore, so do the larger (male) gag grouper. This generally occurs around the middle of October. The scamp bite will be hard and fast during this same time in deeper water. I started my grouper fishing career with heavy electric and hydraulic commercial reels and eventually switched over to Elec-Tra-Mates and Precision Auto Reels, but now I’ve gone full circle to lighter (heavyduty) level-wind reels with braided line and ultra stealth terminal tackle to stay ahead of the mental evolution of grouper and large snapper. You see, back in the day when there were so many grouper, it was a competitive atmosphere on the bottom. The first bait to the bottom used to catch the biggest red snapper or gag, even using monofilament leader, but

Tim Barefoot

sardines are by far the best choice for instant bites, but the problem with them is everything down there gives them a whack. Fishing a bait that eliminates everything but large black sea bass, large snapper and grouper helps weed through the smaller fish to find the big male grouper you’re looking for. Live pinfish, sailors

now it’s just not that way. I haven’t cleaned hundreds of grouper… I’ve cleaned thousands of them before selling them, and I’m always curious about what they were eating. One common denominator in gags and red grouper, but not as many scamp grouper, are the small red crabs that are obviously plentiful on live bottom.

This is what prompted me to experiment with crab jigs. I made my first batch of Crab Decoy Jigs over a decade ago and quickly realized they out-fish any other bottom rig I’ve ever used. I tie them in with red braided line and a short piece of fluorocarbon leader tied in a loop knot. Then I sweeten the pot with a live bait. Bait selection is important. Live cigs and

choice grunts, grass grunts and tomtate grunts all work. I like to fish big stacks of beeliners, and that makes beeliners one of my alltime favorite baits. I fish them live or butterflied on a Crab Decoy Jig. The older, wiser males are growing increasingly tackle shy, so shed all the useless terminal tackle and scale down to “clean” heavyduty tackle that can fool ole big boy into biting. For video with detailed instructions on fishing Tim Barefoot’s rigs and proof that they work, visit his website at barefootcatsandtackle.com.

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ANGLERS SET NEW FLORIDA SALTWATER FISHING RECORDS Scamp

t was a monster summer for three anglers who Record on April 7 while fishing at Santa Rosa each landed a Florida Saltwater All-tackle Beach. Sidney’s 2.8-pound catch beat out the previous record of 2.4 pounds. If you feel like Fishing Record. you’re having déjà vu, don’t worry, you’re not Scamp alone. That previous record of 2.4 pounds was set A new Florida Saltwater Fishing Record for earlier this year by angler Joseph Peckham. scamp was set by Mark John Gibner during a Schoolmaster fishing expedition near John’s Pass Marina in Pinellas County on June 11. His 29.6-pound scamp Anthony Mastitski filled the vacant beat the previous record of 28.38 pounds set by schoolmaster category, which was opened Jan. 1, Braden Douglas Pursell in April 2002. 2019. Mastitski’s 2.07-pound schoolmaster was “I think that for the first 20 feet or so, the caught in Broward County on July 27. fish didn’t know that it was hooked,” said Gibner. Claim Your Record “When it did, it started to dig. At first, as he was Want to claim your own state record? There pulling drag, I had to palm my reel to slow him are currently no records listed for white grunt or down. But after a short back and forth, I finally got blueline tilefish in the all-tackle category. There the upper hand and was able to land him with lots are also numerous fly-fishing tackle categories of enthusiasm from my friends.” with vacant records, giving anglers an opportunity Whiting (Gulf kingfish) to hold the record for these species. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Capt. Sidney Little caught the latest Gulf kingfish (whiting) Florida Saltwater Fishing Commission (FWC) maintains state records in 2 FLORIDA

OCTOBER 2021

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Whiting (Gulf king

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all-tackle and fly fishing categories for 81 species caught in Florida state waters and adjacent federal waters. Saltwater record holders receive a certificate of accomplishment, prize pack, recognition in various publications, and a custom ink fish print to memorialize their catch courtesy of Fish Print Shop. To qualify for a record, the catch must be weighed on land with a certified scale, and photographs must be submitted clearly showing the weight displayed on the scale, the scale’s certification, the rod and reel used to make the catch, the angler with their catch, and various views of the fish for identification purposes. The angler’s signature on a completed application form must be witnessed by a notary. For more information and to view current records, visit CatchaFloridaMemory.com and click “Records,” contact AnglerRecognition@ MyFWC.com or call 850-487-0554.

EIGHT MONTHS OF THE KEY WEST FISHING TOURNEY

look at the results from the eight-month-long Key West Fishing Tournament is a pretty good glimpse at what’s been going on in one of the world’s best fishing destinations over the last year. The 2021 tournament drew 312 participating anglers who entered 753 releases and 262 weighed catches. A South Dakota woman was named the women’s master angler after scoring multiple divisional wins and tournament records in the long-running challenge. Katelynn Wells, of Miller, S.D., took top honors for overall releases with 59, including six dolphin, as well as tallying 14 division-leading catches including a 28-pound amberjack, a 12-pound barracuda on plug and a 17-pound red snapper on 30-pound-test line that set a divisional record. She also scored three “heaviest fish” wins and two fish that set tournament weight records: a 2.8-pound ladyfish on plug and a 4.8-pound seatrout on 12-pound line. Wells fished on Off the Rock with Capt. Brad Nowicki and on Live Action Sportfishing with Capt. Ryan Carter, both of Key West. The men’s master angler was Rob Ripka, of Pulaski, New York. His achievements included catching two division-leading fish on 12-pound line: a 12-pound bonito and a 4-pound yellowtail snapper—as well as a divisionleading 31.6-pound kingfish. Fishing on Bait Stealer with Capt. Dale Bittner, of Key West, he also set a “heaviest fish” record for catching a 6-pound yellowtail on 30-pound line. Ten-year-old Julia Bernstein, of Miami, fishing in the peewee division, eclipsed her competitors to earn the peewee master angler award for achievements including a remarkable 104 releases. Her catches included a 23.8-pound Jack Crevalle on 30-pound line that earned a tournament weight record, a 24.8-pound barracuda on 20-pound line that earned divisional “heaviest fish” honors, four other “heaviest fish” winners and three division leaders. The young Bernstein fished with Bittner on Bait

bl Stealer and also on a private boat. Capt. Bill Wickers III, of the Linda D V, earned overall guide honors in the general division, tallying 14 winners and a division-topping 36 releases including three marlin. Capt. Brice Barr of the Double Down was named top guide in the light general division, guiding his anglers to a divisional best of 66 releases—64 of them sailfish. Capt. Tim Carlile of the Outcast earned the overall guide achievement award in the flats division. He also guided his anglers to the most flats releases with 213, including 86 tarpon. Celebrating the diverse variety of fish found in Florida Keys waters, the Key West Fishing Tournament provides recognition and awards to anglers posting the heaviest catch in each of 33 species and the most releases of fish in seven other species. The 2022 challenge begins Dec. 1, 2021 and continues until July 31, 2022. For a complete list of winners and catches, visit keywestfishingtournament.com.

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By John Saporito

he wind is a great mover of bait, and a mover of bait is a mover of fish. Among the myriad factors that contribute to gamefish location, wind ranks somewhere near the top. Short-term winds influence the whereabouts of baitfish schools in many ways, which in turn influences the location of the gamefish that feed on them. Fish are highly sensitive to water temperature. Even a change of a degree or two can motivate them to seek out water of a more desired temperature. In the northern hemisphere, a cold northerly wind may lower water temperatures enough to force baitfish to move toward areas of more stable temperature, such as deeper water. Conversely, a southerly wind may raise water temperatures beyond a certain bait species’ comfort range, causing them to seek out areas with cooler water. Many migratory baitfish begin their seasonal journeys based on temperature changes initiated by short-term wind events, such as storms. They respond by relocating to areas that better suit their specific needs. When a localized or short-term wind pattern changes the water temperature, you can bet the baitfish will take notice and act accordingly.

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OCTOBER 2021

Baitfish of all sizes are always on the lookout for an easy meal. Just like the predators that hunt them, baitfish prefer to feed with the lowest possible expenditure of energy. Suspension feeders, such as many members of the herring family, look for big blows to stir up detritus, plankton and other small organisms and organic matter that they can eat. The wind also creates surface currents, which push plankton and other miniscule prey items. Any significant wind has the potential to concentrate, stir up, or otherwise move the food baitfish feed on. The wind also has the power to enhance or diminish tidal action. A wind moving in the same direction as a tidal current will accelerate the water’s movement, overpowering and transporting both baitfish and their prey. A wind-against-current scenario may form a natural corral that concentrates and traps baitfish in a temporary location. In bays and other inshore waterways, a strong offshore wind can combine with a low tide to render certain areas uninhabitable to baitfish due shallowness. A strong onshore wind, in conjunction with a high tide, can pile up water in areas that before were dry, allowing baitfish to enter feeding grounds that were previously inaccessible.

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It’s important to know where there is deep, stable water for baitfish to take shelter in when the temperature suddenly rises or drops. Also look for “dead ends” in the areas you fish, such as coves and points of land, which act as barriers that trap and hold bait when the wind is howling. If you find baitfish, odds are good that the gamefish are nearby. John Saporito is a lifelong fisherman and student of the seas. Visit him online at guerillaangling.com.

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GIANT SWORDFISH IS A CANAVERAL RECORD By CAM Staff

n the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 11, three anglers fishing out of Cape Canaveral, Fla., idled the “High Maintenance” into Sunrise Marina towing a swordfish that’s being called a Port Canaveral record. The broadbill bottomed out a set of 500-pound scales after being dead for more than 16 hours, so it’s safe to say it outweighed the unofficial and long-standing port record of 365 pounds. One of the anglers, Steven Sharpe, estimated its weight to be 550 pounds, based on measurements. Records aside, it was a huge fish. Sharpe, his long-time fishing buddy, Jeff Thummel, and George Birkhead, who was on his first swordfish trip, were drifting in 1,500-foot depths about 40 miles out of Port Canaveral. On their first set, they had bite that came unbuttoned. They re-baited with a whole ladyfish and dropped it down to about 1,400 feet. The big fish came tight at about 10:30 a.m. and then rocketed toward the surface. Sharpe said they had no idea of the size of the fish through most of a 5 ½-hour fight.

Their Lindgren-Pitman S2-1200 electric reel and Handler custom rod battled the fish as it surfaced and dove numerous times and dragged the boat 25 miles from where the fish was initially hooked. “About every hour, he’d show,” Sharpe said. “We didn’t realize how big he was until we got him to the boat. “We harpooned it, hauled it in and gaffed it. When we gaffed it, all hell broke loose.” The big fish beat itself against the boat until it finally expired and the crew got a tail rope on it at about 4 p.m. Only then was there a moment for celebration and cigars. They pulled a tape on the fish and got a short length of 101 inches from the fork of the tail to the tip of the lower jaw. Then the hard work began. “There were three people on board, and we couldn’t get that fish in the boat,” Sharpe said. “We tried everything and ended up having to idle it all the way home. We didn’t get to port until about 1 a.m.” They had to wait until 8 a.m. Saturday morning to get the fish up on scales.

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The Hunt for Red October By: Eric Henson

very year during the month of October… I like to call it “The Hunt for Red October”. The reason for this is because it is probably the best month in our area to catch not only lots of redfish but, you also have the chance of catching a trophy size redfish!! These fish are one of the coolest looking, hardest fighting species that you can catch inshore in SW Florida. Hence their reddish bronzy looking colors gives them the name redfish. They are a part of the drum family due to the drumming sounds that they make to communicate to each other. These fish spend a lot of time in schools this time of year both spawning and feeding ferociously to fatten up on other smaller baitfish before winter arrives. Once the cooler months start to creep in, they will start to slowly switch over to shrimp and many other crustaceans like crabs and other shellfish. A redfish’s mouth is located on the bottom part of their face, which makes it easier for them to slurp their prey off the ocean floor. Also, they are equipped with a row of strong crushers in the back of their throats which helps

them to break down the crustaceans before digesting them. Nonetheless redfish are built to be an apex predator! When searching for these fish, some days it can seem impossible because they can be anywhere from just a few inches of water to out in really deep waters. But once you’ve learned their patterns you can find them a lot easier and sometimes all you need is some good old fashion luck! Lol! I’ve been in areas this time of year when it’s nothing, nothing, and the BOOOOOOMMMM!!! The entire sea turns red, there are hundreds of redfish all around you, and they are in an absolute feeding frenzy!! Either way just stay patient and you will have success! Well, with the red tide dissipating we all still need to do our absolute best to take great care of our fish and their habitat. I hope everyone is staying safe out there and look forward to catching up with you on the H20!

Casting Kayaks | CastingKayaks.com | 941-504-1349

FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINESARASOTA/ | OCTOBER 2021 | SARASOTA / BRADENTON 1

No, I Have Never Been Seasick By: Capt. Sue Nerud

amous last words, right? Let's all be honest, how many of us have said this? I guarantee most of us have a story or two of NEVER being seasick to find it happening out of the blue. When it hits, it hits hard, out of the blue! Another reason why I always recommend you have a first mate to take over the helm. I had invited several of my friends from Minnesota to enjoy Florida aboard my boat in the Florida Keys. Our plan was to go out to the lighthouse, attach to a mooring ball, scuba and snorkel. I had five people on board, and enough equipment to fill the back of the boat. The plan was to simply experience the beauty of all the coral. Weather was nice going out but 6 miles into the gulf was a different story. Alpha Mare was never on a mooring ball and I had never attached her to one. I now understand a little anxiety feeds sea sickness. Fast forward to me being on the bow trying to hook the ball, after several failed attempts, I was successful. However, the two-foot swells felt a lot bigger and I started feeling sick. I had heard it's just in your head and to use talk therapy. Really, really? Well that didn't work. I am now very queasy, but determined to talk myself out of it and provide a fun afternoon for my group. Without sharing my situation, I asked them to get their equipment on quickly and get in the water. I had also been told getting in the water helps too. So, of course the trooper that I am, I tried that. Really? That didn't work either. Hmmm.... I am now a little pissed, and thinking through my next move. But, I am in the water.

Although Alpha Mare was safe on her mooring ball, I would not venture far but literally could not look at my boat. Every time I looked at her, the dive platform was going underwater. Not good. I decided the best thing to do is to swim around a little bit. I now get stung. I had inadvertently swam into jelly fish. Now I am thinking, we gotta go and did this really just happen? Yep. I find my sister and recruit her to find everyone under the water. I hadn't thought through how to contact my group if we had to leave. Big mistake. Quickly I get everyone on the boat first, me still in the water stabling my stomach and now worried about my foot. My first mate starts the boat and unhooks Alpha from the mooring. I wait till the last minute, and I jump in and take over the helm. Thank goodness for my first mate. Once moving, I was still sick, but I could handle my boat and got us home. All that said, here are some tools that have worked for me. These include The SeaBand, Relief Band and essential oils. Ginger gum is also a favorite. I never leave the dock without my arsenal, just in case. I also never leave the dock without fruit cocktail. The sugar does wonders for low sugar attacks that seem to come on with sea sickness! Feel free to try talk therapy. Good luck with that! For me, I will have some tools for the next time the monster presents itself! To clean water, good seas and blue skies! Capt Sue Nerud @ Alpha Mare

2 SARASOTA / BRADENTON | OCTOBER 2021 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/SARASOTA/

Florida Transitions Out of Summer By: Capt. Mike Manis

his is one of my favorite months but is still a month or so away from the first front that suggests winter is approaching. Cooler water temperatures put game fish on the move. This combined with moderate breezes provides opportunities from inshore shorelines to the beaches. Looking for redfish and snook, I still won’t venture too far into the backcountry, as I’ll stick to October Redfish shorelines bordering the harbor’s perimeter. However, I will make my way off the beaches looking for migrating bonito. Snook, in post spawn, are looking to fatten up and will begin making their way from the passes and adjacent channels. They’ll begin the transition to river, and backcountry creek systems where the brackish water will help them tolerate the cooler months ahead. As they’ll be keying on the scaled sardines that are so prevalent, baitfish patterns are my fly of choice. In addition, the stronger tides on the week of the 4th and the 18th should really put them on the feed. Redfish will be schooling throughout the bays and sounds that surround the harbor. Keep an eye out for mullet schools as there’s a good chance the redfish won’t be too far off. Redfish in groups can be very competitive when it comes to food and mullet kick up a lot of small easy prey species like grubs, crabs, and shrimp off the bottom. The redfish version of the drive thru. Here too, the redfish are also keying on the scaled sardine so the same fly patterns I’ll use for snook are perfect. Spotted sea trout are also a good bet. Look anywhere in two to four

feet around any grass flat in close proximity to a pass. They like the higher salinity and cleaner water that flushes in from the gulf. All our inshore predator species are keying on the scaled sardine so here too I’ll stick with the same baitfish pattern. For a change of pace, bonito are migrating down the coast following schools of baitOctober Snook fish. Take a run outside any pass and if it’s going off, you’ll know. Keep an eye out for diving birds as they’re picking at the scraps from the bonito blowing up on bait. It’s a feeding frenzy and you can get close enough to throw just about anything into the mix. It’s a great opportunity to get into the backing with a fly reel. Lastly, schools of black drum are bouncing back and forth between the U.S. 41 Bridge and the perimeter canals of Punta Gorda. They eat flies and will also get you into the backing. Until next month, good tides. Captain Michael Manis is a U.S.C.G. Licensed captain and has been teaching the sport of fly and light tackle angling since 2002. He lives in Punta Gorda, Florida.

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

FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINESARASOTA/ | OCTOBER 2021 | SARASOTA / BRADENTON 3

2021 Christmas is coming soon, can you believe it? By: Capt. Bart Marx

ello fellow anglers, In S.W. Florida we call October, Red October! This is the time of year that the redfish or red drum school up and are on a mission to feed. Feed up for the journey out into the Gulf where the big schools of reds go to spawn. They are feeding on pinfish that are all over our area. They also feed on the shrimp and green backs and whatever meal may swim in there feeding zone. They can be found up in the Harbor along the Punta Gorda/Cape Coral side of the Harbor, from Ponce DeLeon Park to Matlacha Bridge and from the Cape Haze point to the El Jobean bridge along the edges wherever there is food. As you search for the schools of reds you will also find snook and trout mixed in. There can be schools along the ICW from Placida to St. James. When you find one of these packs of reds they are like wild hogs rooting around the Mangrove roots looking for food. A few years back I was stalking one of these schools for two days on the third day I brought all kinds of fishing gear filled my boat with all the baits I could keep alive. A nine weight flyrod and a twenty-pound spinning rod setup and I was ready. Went down the ICW and spotted a school, eased up on the edge and started chumming hard - I had reds all around the boat. I put one out on the spinning rod and had about three feet of line out, dropped it beside the boat and the fight was on - it was in the thirty-inch range (yes

this is a fish story OKAY) I said to myself that was no fun just drop it in and you get one really. I still kept chumming and there we six other boats and all the fish were around my boat because I had the chum. We were close enough that they asked if they could come over closer as they were low on bait. This is where my spinning rod got put away and out came my nine-weight fly rod. Looking through my collection of flies, I found a small spoon that looked like a small greenback, tied it on and kept chumming and casting into the groups of reds but they would not take my fly. Over to the side there were a few and cast to them and they started fighting over it and hooked a nice one got it closer to the boat and looked around there was seven people hooked at the same time! Seven reds and I was the only one with a fly rod it was a blast. That red measured twenty-eight inches and was a battle to get to the boat. That was my best day with reds on a fly. This month could be the first of King Mackerel to start migrating south. The red grouper in seventy-feet of water with lanes and mangroves snapper in the same depths. Go out to eighty to one hundred feet and chum up some yellow tails. Check when the full moon is and try some of that night snapper fishing.

Alpha Omega Charters | alphaomegacharters.com captbart@alphaomegacharters.com | 941-979-6517

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4 SARASOTA / BRADENTON | OCTOBER 2021 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/SARASOTA/

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What’s Trending By: Joe Sheaffer

moved down to SWFL five years ago after I retired from teaching in Virginia. In my wildest dreams I never ever thought I would be able to fish as much as I do. To say I’m lucky or just very blessed is an understatement. I had quite a bit of experience fishing Bass Tournaments in the north but my saltwater experiences were limited. To shorten the learning curve, I joined a couple of fishing clubs, I follow fishing communities on Facebook and joined an online angler organization. There is no shortage of opportunities and fishing communities that can definitely help anglers improve their knowledge with the latest trends. The positives outweigh the negatives and as with everything we are never too old to learn. Local Clubs can help us better understand and stay on top of the fishing trends in your area. Local clubs can also help us find fishing friends and shared adventures. Facebook groups provide the latest advancements in techniques and tackle. Online groups can provide access to experts and classes for specific species and areas around the world. YouTube can be very entertaining and can encourage us anglers to try something new. Being involved with these different groups, communities and clubs has definitely help me to be successful on my many fishing adventures. I highly encourage you to try one or more of these opportunities. Keep casting and good fishing.

FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINESARASOTA/ | OCTOBER 2021 | SARASOTA / BRADENTON 5

Fall is Finally Here By: Capt. Armando Alejo

am excited to say that our summer season was in full swing and going very well. This time of the year, we are enjoying one of the best mangrove snapper bites that I can remember in recent history. On most days, our customers are quickly filling coolers with grey mangrove snapper and when we hit our limits, which can vary from 20 minutes to a few hours, we are switching to redfish, snook and tarpon which are also biting. On a recent trip out with our return client Mr. Chris, we did just that. We filled the ice chest in just minutes, followed by four and a half hours of a consistent redfish, snook and tarpon bite! Also, on that particular trip, we exceeded 40+ snapper, our boat limit of three redfish, double digit snook and managed to land one tarpon "to the hand" as they'd say, to the hand! Chris and his best friend Joe, put a serious beat down on three of the most sought-after fish in the entire Gulf Coast! Snook season is open, come join us and take part in what we believe will be a really good rest of the Snook season 2021. See y'all on the water!

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6 SARASOTA / BRADENTON | OCTOBER 2021 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/SARASOTA/

Focused on Hogfish By: Capt. Philip Watson

all Fishing is starting to kick into gear and after the next few cold front I will be focused on Hogfish. These tasty critters and are not only hard fighting but they eat pretty good too! These fish will be found on live rocky bottom and will congregate closer to a ledge or drop off. Chum this fish with crushed crab or little bits of shrimp to get them fired up and bunched under the boat. Your typical knocker rig works very well but don’t be afraid to throw some jig heads out or use Captain Chappy’s Hog balls. The days with good visibility in the water I will step down to 20lb f lu o r o c a r b o n but days after a cold front and the water is churned I will go up to 30lb which I prefer, Hogfish after being hooked will turn on their side and dash over the rocks which makes for an easy break off if they hit the ledge. It was hard to narrow down a fish story for this months article so I will give a synopsis of my summer season as a whole. Red Snapper season started off fast and furious but we had a lot of bad weather days

that’s kept us down. Most trips we had double limits of both Red snapper and Red Grouper with your other snapper species mixed in. I did make a personal trip in the begging of the season and had some trial and error with some slow pitch jigs which was an absolute blast! On the bad weather days we were able to to stay closer where the red grouper bite was Red hot. This year the loop current came a little closer which brough in the pelagics. We caught more mahi this year than any other and even had multiple wahoo around the boat. This also brough the sharks in this year, never have I ever had so many fish eaten by the tax man. It seemed there where two weeks in the middle where every fish was snacked on. Grouper fishing will remain amazing until it gets cold and the red grouper will slow down. I’m in my slow season and have plenty of availability so let go fishing!

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

FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINESARASOTA/ | OCTOBER 2021 | SARASOTA / BRADENTON 7

Nice trout caught on a recent trip!

Stone Crab Claws - the Next Best Thing!

By: Capt. Chad Carney

specially colossal claws like this 5” beast from Where do you find stoneys? In SW FL they like to last season’s opening, just 1/8” less than my dig dens under bridges, jetties & seawalls with low viz record claw! & high to extreme current areas, where pilings, I-beams, Last October I wrote Grabbin’ Stone Crabs, a basic boulders, shopping carts, tires, concrete blocks & natuarticle. Here’s the link if you missed it, coastalanglral limestone meet the sand. These are tough long dives ermagazine/docs/naples2020 on page 15. with jagged oyster shells & barnacles, entangled cast nets This year’s title is Advanced Stone Crabbing. I & wads of fishing tackle, so wear full old wetsuits, which left that hot spot alone, until this season’s first dive. you’ll tear up. It’s very common to lose your buddies in I often see crabs I took a claw from the previous seathis kind of water so you’ll be more productive if you’re son & they’re sporting a new small claw, and their solo-capable. Try to avoid fishermen because they’ll hook old claw is now big & fair game. When you see one you, so add cable cutting EMT shears to your kit. Goliath armed bandits, you know somebody beat you to groupers are plentiful and I’ve been grabbed, so hold onto the spot. I still check it, because tough to grab big your crowbar. Keep your eyes open for lost treasure: anclaws often elude novice crabbers. Don’t waste time chors, fishing poles, & lost dive gear. I once found a huge on small speedy crabs, you want big claws which are propeller I could barely lift. strong, & fortunately slower. Many big crabs are side Sites are tough to get to without a vessel. Scuba divways in great holes & need to be pulled out with one ing, I use a 10’ RIB with a poly/floating tow line & a small finger at the knuckle, then crab his 2nd claw. A crab grappling anchor & a 24” boat legal dive flag. Freediving sitting just in front of the hole can be blocked with is really a workout & I’m very careful about these dive a quick crowbar placement behind, then pounce on sites. I use my 16’ kayak with the same tow line & flag. the whole crab with your full hand. They’ll grab the See MyFWC.com for all the regulations, some changed bar if you let them, so some divers do it to make it last year. They also have a claw removal video. A bag of easier to avoid getting pinched, but it doesn’t help you secure the crab. tasty stone crab claws is worth the adventure! If you see claws laying around, it means an octopus has eaten the crab chad.carney@yahoo.com bodies. Still, look to see if new crabs have moved in. If you feel a crab https://www.facebook.com/floridaskindiver/ that is soft it is ready to molt & the meat will be shriveled, and not taste https://www.deeperblue.com/beginners-guide-spearfishing/ good.

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8 SARASOTA / BRADENTON | OCTOBER 2021 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/SARASOTA/

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Thinking of Fishing in The Florida Everglades

3/27/19 8:11 AM

By: Capt. Travis Freeman

t’s my favorite time of the year again everyone. We are in October what I like to call early fall and the big red fish and snook are all over the place down here in the Everglades City and the 10,000 Islands area. Fishing has heated up for us and the bite has been super strong. This time of the year, use a lot of live figure mullet anywhere from 4 to 6 inches in length. I like to rig them up on a 6’6 or 7ft medium action rod with a Penn 3 or 4,000 spinner rigged with 30-pound braided line attached to 40-pound mono fluorocarbon with a number 4 or 5 J hook and I will put a ½ oz weight just above the hook to keep that live bait on the bottom. I also like to free line the live finger mullet in places that have a lot of structure on the bottom or if the water is 10ft deep or less. It helps to avoid hanging up on logs and rocks. Live and or fresh dead shrimp work great as well this time of the year because the fish have tons of shrimp to feed on coming in and out of the Gulf of Mexico. Rig the shrimp the same way I explained how to rig the live mullet or you can always use a popping cork with about 3ft of 40-pound leader with a ¼ oz weight just above the number 4 J hook and I promise you

will be successful and you will catch fish! As far as the fish you will catch with these techniques down here, you will catch snook, redfish, sea trout, mangrove snapper, goliath grouper and many other varieties of fish that the Everglades and Gulf of Mexico provide. It’s always a beautiful soothing ride though the Florida Everglades watching the sun rise in the morning and set in the evenings. Come on down to my neck of the woods and book your bucket list fishing trip in the Florida Everglades and 10,000 Islands now.

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

FACEBOOK.COM/COASTALANGLERMAGAZINESARASOTA/ | OCTOBER 2021 | SARASOTA / BRADENTON 9

Fishing in the Florida Keys/SW Florida By: Capt. Terry Fisher and Moby Dick (2nd MATE)

ishing Marathon is about as good as it gets when the winds are cooperating. My last article made readers aware of my plans to spend two weeks in Marathon at a house located on Key Colony Beach. Unfortunately, the hurricanes that skirted the gulf side, the mid Atlantic Seaboard, as well as the southern tip of the Florida Straits,

dampened my ability to fish no more than four (4) days. Regardless, the four (4) days of fishing still made it all worthwhile. I had several clients from the west coast (SW Florida) as well as other parts of the country awaiting my call to join me but I was only able to have one client/friend, Mr. Justin Dillion, from N. Carolina fly into Key West. I always apprise clients/friends that the weather is very unpredictable and one needs flexibility when planning a trip to the east coast for offshore fishing for Pelagic species. Another client/friend, Mr. Denny Pelligrino from New Jersey and Cape Coral was in a ‘holding’ pattern and was prevented from coming down to Marathon due to the high winds. Denny actually flew into his home in Southwest Florida from New Jersey, with the intention of driving down to join me the last five (5) days of the trip, but cancelled due to the inclement weather. Sorry Denny, we will do again sooner than later. Other clients/friends trailered their boats down during my last week in Marathon. Ron Defreitas and his lovely wife, Lucinda, along with their friends, made the effort to join the fishing party during the last full week of August. Unfortunately, they were only able to get one day of fishing in due to the 15-20 mph winds and stronger gusts during the week. They did have good success catching Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) during their one day on the water and that day’s catch sufficed to feed their party of 5 all week. Needless to say, there was a lot of beer and food consumed during the rest of their stay. As mentioned above, Justin Dillon flew in two days before the Defreitas family arrived at Sombrero Key (only a few miles south of where I was lodging). I picked him up at the Key West airport for a short drive back to Marathon. In the meantime, I had made arrangements with my son-in-law, Paul Smith whom recently moved from Texas to Southwest Florida. Paul is an avid outdoorsman that loves to fish and hunt. I relished the opportunity to accomodate him, so as to assist me with the charter for Justin, as anyone who has ever trolled and caught Dolphin, Sailfish or Tuna understands the benefits of three or four people on board. In order to catch one’s quota of dolphin, a system is required whereby they can be hooked and boated in as orderly fashion as possible, to maximize catching a number of fish once a school is

located. I prefer to troll rigged Ballyhoo and artificial presentations at a slow speed along weed lines and patches and where I find birds diving. Once a fish or two hits the rig, I bring the lines in or have the 1st Mate, in this case Paul Smith, and/or the client (Justin Dillon) clear the transom while leaving one Dolphin in the water in an effort to keep the ‘school’ together. Once the trolling lines are in and out of the way, I stop the boat and periodically throw chum in the water. That’s when my ‘system’ comes into play. The designated fishermen or fisherwomen get on the pre-rigged fishing rods (with cut Ballyhoo, squid or Pilchards) that are stored in the rod holders and start pitching to the school of fish around the boat. I have a large cooler loaded with ice in the bow of the boat with the lid open. I grab the leader as the anglers present the fish to me and place them immediately in the cooler and close the lid. The anglers pick up another pre-rigged, baited rod and cast to the remaining school of fish. Once the fish in the cooler quits flopping around, I remove the hook and reset the rig for re-casting. Always leave one fish in the water. It is quite a busy event and if not done correctly, it becomes a blood bath with tangled lines all over the vessel. Every angler is allowed ten 10 Dolphin fish per day with a maximum per vessel, so a system is required to be able to maximize the catch. Pictured is Justin Dillon with some of those fish he took back home to N. Carolina to enjoy. Another day, Paul Smith and I fished the reefs for yellowtail snapper and other species. He is pictured with a couple of his catches that day before he returned back to Southwest Florida Paul was the perfect mate and fishing pal as he is knowledgeable and made life much easier on me during the Atlantic fishing adventures. Back home here in SW Florida, inshore fishing has been spotty in areas around due to red tide. I have found most of my success in the Intercoastal Waterways. I look for the fishing to improve as the weather cools. I had an opportunity to fish with Paul Smith upon my

return from Marathon. He is pictured with a Snook he caught deep in the backwaters. This is Captain Terry Fisher of Fish Face Charters, LLC wishing everyone tight lines. I am available as Captain for Hire (by the hour), inshore or offshore on your vessel for safety, navigational, fishing techniques and fishing locations that ensure every trip is a success. Call me direct at 239-357-6829 or email me at fishfacecharters@yahoo. com. Check out my website at www.fishfacecharters.com for more information.

Fish Face Charters | fishfacecharters.com | 239-357-6829

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