Water LIFE Jan 2009

Charlotte Harbor and Lemon BayCharlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay

wwwwww.. WWaterater LL ifeMagazineifeMagazine .com.com

FREE!FREE!

WWWW aaaa tttt eeee rrrrKeeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed Since 1997 Keeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed Since 1997

L I F EL I F EP r o d u c e r s o f t h e K I D S C U P T o u r n a m e n t

AlwaysAlwaysFREE!FREE!

January 2009January 2009

KKIIDDSS CCUUPPKKIIDDSS CCUUPPApplications Applications now onlinenow onlinePage 12-13Page 12-13

NearshoreNearshoreFishing isFishing isGoodGood Page 22-23Page 22-23

More Manatee Madness!More Manatee Madness!Page 4Page 4

Stuff HappensStuff HappensPage 5Page 5

ThreadedShrimpPage 8

P a g e 2 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9

J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 3


Water LIFEMagazine inc.

Michael & Ellen HellerPublishers

(941) 766-8180TOTALLY INDEPENDENTWater LIFE is not affiliatedwith any other publication

Vol IIX No1 © 2009 Water LIFENo part of this publication may be

copied or reproduced withoutspecific written permission.

Contributing Editors:Senior Edtor: Capt. Ron Blago

Charlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert MoorePort Charlotte: Capt Andy MedinaGasparilla: Capt. Chuck EichnerCommercial Fishing: Kelly Beal

Sea Grant: Betty StauglerReal Estate: Dave Hofer

Diving: Adam WilsonKayaks: David Allen

Sailing: Bill DixonOffice Dog: Molly

on the COVER:Goliath Grouper are the target of manyanglers despite their still protected status.

on our WEBSITE:WWW.waterlifemagazine.com

This Monthʼs Edition: Send a link RealEstate: Whatʼs happening NOW!Fishing Resource Guide: Everythingyou ever wanted to know – almostDon Ball School: Class ReportArtificial Reefs: Projects and progresslat/long for local reefsManatee Myths: Read the original planto create sanctuaries and refuges, asspelled out by the United Nations in 1984Kids Cup: Updates, Fish Tracking andTournament Information.

WRITE US!e-mail (preferred)

[email protected] Regular Mail:

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

LETTERS and CommentsLETTER: Permit

Regarding: The Big-4 and reg-ulations covering them. The arti-cle shows "Pompano: Min 24"to the fork" I think the regula-tions are: Not less then 11" ormore then 20 fork". It looks likethe article has the regulations forAfrican pompano. It would benice to catch some 24" pompanothough.

Steve Rimar Editor replies: I screwed up.

I did exactly as you suspected!

COMMENT: Club Seeks to Expand Manatee Plan

It will be interesting to seehow the local mainstream mediachooses sides on the new mana-tee habitat issue. A run on habi-tat in the name of manateepreservation is nothing morethan an assault on fishing.

In my opinion, what theywant is Turtle Bay.

Manatees are plentiful and sci-entists have already said theyneed to be downlisted fromendangered, not protected more.The fact of the matter is, themanatee club’s new ‘petition’

appears to be just another way totug at tender heart strings andsolicit more cash.

If the Manatee Club hadspecifically cited PhosphateMining on the Peace River atHorse Creek as being a threat tomanatees there would be somevalidity in their position, butthey don't mention phosphatemining as a threat to habitat.

Does anyone else see theirony of: first we didn't haveenough manatees so we had toprotect them; and now we havetoo many manatees so we haveto feed them? Is it even remotelypossible that what we are reallyseeing is the bad-effect of theenvironmentalists well inten-tioned but misguided meddlingwith the species.

I suggest that if the manateeclub wants manatees to havemore food they buy a truckloadof lettuce every day and dump itin the outflow canal behind thepower plant at Fort Myers. Theyhave been training those pooranimals to come there for 20years.Michael Hel ler

Water LIFE is ALL ONLINE each and every monthwww.waterlifemagazine.com

ADVERTISE HEREWater LIFEʼs 1/8 page ad (this size)

Just $99$99per month!call 941-766-8180Great 4-4-CCOOLLOORR alwaysalways FREEFREE

If you want to reach boaters and fishermen...we are IT!

We don’t just count the people we reach, we reach the people that count

Free Link to your website from ours when you advertise inWater LIFE

Water LIFE is the official publ ication of theCharlotte Harbor ReefAssociation, the originator ofthe Kids Cup Tournament andthe producer of the Don Bal lSchool of Fishing.

Not per WEEK

Aerial Harbor Tour now onlineThe popular Charlotte Harbor Aerial Tour which we presentedto the 7th grade students in our Don Ball School of Fishing isnow online. Click the bottom left icon on the Charlotte HarborReef Association / WaterLIFE Magazine.com website

BY Michael Hel lerWater LIFE Contributing Editor

It’s kind of sad that while fishermen aretalking more and more about making theharbor better for fishing, the manatee clubis again pushing its no growth, no accessagenda on us. That battle is coming againand I am up for it, but for now here aresome of the interesting perspectives I havecome across while talking about makingthings better – conversations with fisher-men that started long before the manateeclub came up with their latest fundraisingscam.

First off, whatever we do, has to be forthe betterment of fishing and it has to beimplemented for both Charlotte Harborand the Pine Island Sound. That’s theinshore area we fish in. That means Leeand Charlotte County anglers need to startworking together right now.

To make fishing better everyone agreedwe need to reduce the pressure on the fish-ery. Running the shoreline has to stop."We need to let the fish eat without get-ting their heads run over," is the way oneaccomplished guide I talked to put it. Ithink a majority of people now feel thisway. Idle-speed-only from 300 feet to theshore; 100 yards is the number most peo-ple used. There was some differentiationbetween ‘trolling motors only’ or ‘4strokes, or idling only’ inside that area,but running on plane within 100 yards ofany shoreline needs to stop. It could beargued as a safety issue, that it is only amatter of time before someone cuts a

kayak in half, but we need to do thisstrictly for the fishing. You’d still be ableto run inside the bar when the wind andwaves were up – when that was the safestway home – but on most days it shouldbe idle-only with trolling motors or push-polling preferred. Catfish Creek wasbrought up for a mandated poll-and-trollarea last summer, but no one wantedsigns. How about a GPS or a Tom-Tomfor the slow learners until they figure outtheir way around?

Another thing that theoretically wouldimprove fishing would be to restrict tour-naments. ‘There are too many tourna-ments’ was a common perspective. Oneidea was to have tournaments be regulated.My opinion is the state needs to figureout how to better use tournament anglersas scientific information gatherers.

The redfish hatchery concept is back onthe plate again. Anglers who fish out-of-state told me Texas is raising redfish andreleasing them by the millions. Texasreleases their frye when they are barelytwo inches long. Since a lot of biggerfish eat the small frye they say the onesthat do survive help ensure biologicaldiversity and survival of the fittest.Florida’s past approach was to raise red-fish until they were 8 inches long. It wasnot cost effective. The Charlotte Harbor/Pine Island sound estuary would be agreat place for a new redfish hatchery.

There was also talk that we need to bedoing more for the mangrove shorelinelost in Hurricane Charley; protecting from

erosion is thought to be critical.There was talk about looking at the

regulation slot sizes we are using. Wouldit make more sense to alternate the slotsize every few years so as not to create a'wall' that few fish can get past?

Live Bait? There are a lot of peoplenetting live bait. Do we need to knowmore about the spawning patterns ofscaled sardines, Spanish sardines andthreadfish herring? Might we need toreduce the pressure on those baits?Limiting cast net mesh-size to 1/2 inch atcertain times of the year was one idea.

Bottom trawling for shrimp in the har-bor was also a topic of discussion.Shrimp, like white bait need to grow andbe allowed to move offshore in their natu-ral patterns. And shrimp trawling in theharbor can’t be very good for the harbor

bottom, which many anglers said has nowbeen dragged flat.

High on everyone’s list was water qual-ity. We need to closely monitor waterquality, fertilizer, septic, and storm drainrunoff and someone needs to coordinate allthe data collected by the different agenciesand make it all available on the internet.

We need to license every vessel on thewater, kayaks included. Some suggestedlicensing shore fishermen as well. Therevenue needs to come back to the harbor.

Finally, many guides appear to bemissing their TWIX card or their countyoccupational license. Guides need to dis-play a sticker showing they have all theirpaperwork in order. This beautiful estuaryis unique, it is a fishing estuary, and weneed to plan now for the future of theestuary and the future of fishing.


Things to Enhance Fishing

Submerged structure is always good for fishing. Here, an Ontario man sinks his Blazer at Placida.

By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior Staff

Each year I go through my notebookand look for stories that didn’t find theirway into the mainstream media, that Ithought should have gotten better cover-age. These are things that I find interest-ing and they are mostly related to fishingand boating. Here’s the countdown:#10 After big headl ines at the

beginning of the year that proclaimed thatthe 90s was the hottest decade of the cen-tury; NASA backtracked and said that the30s was actually hotter. I guess they for-got to carry the one. Their bad.#9 Global Warming Update –

2008 appears to be the coldest year of thedecade according to NASA. Here are a fewentries from my notebook- Jan 4thSarasota Airport reports record low of 4degrees – Feb 12th 800 freeze to death incoldest winter in African history -Summer of 08 was the coldest summerever in Anchorage Alaska. Al Gore hassome explaining to do.#8 No Hurricanes or Red Tide.

Maybe we are just lucky but natural dis-asters have passed us by for the thirdstraight year. It’s funny about the red tideresearchers who received a lot of fundinggrants to find the cause of red tide whoare now switching their efforts into find-

ing out why we have not had any red tideoutbreaks. Here is a thought. Since thelast major red tide event, we have had asevere drought in SW Florida. Rainfallthe last two years has been 30-percentbelow normal. You think there might bea relation there?#7 The Florida FWC has final-

ly said that they wi l l take up theissue of a state wide mooring law.The last few years, local communitieshave passed their own local rules onwhere and for how long boaters can moortheir boats in local waters. Most of theselocal laws, when challenged in court havebeen overruled, leaving everyone prettyconfused. Let’s hope the State can comeup with something that everyone canunderstand.#6 What can your government

do for you? Looks like the Feds aregoing for a national saltwater fishinglicense. NOAA wants all saltwater recre-ational fishermen to be registered by2011. States that already require saltwaterlicenses can submit that list to the Feds.All others can register for $15 to $25. Igot a call from a friend in New York whotold me that they were starting a saltwaterfishing license. Makes sense for the stateswithout a license to start one so they canbeat the Feds to that money.#5 Goodbye Grouper. Looks like

grouper fishing is about to become acatch and release sport for recreationalfishermen. The Feds, who already have aone red grouper per day bag limit, are

lowering the daily bag limit on gaggrouper to one per day. Still not toughenough for you? – how about a closedseason from Feb 1 to March 31. Thatshould pretty much kill the offshoresport.#4 Fees Both fishing licenses and

boat registration fees went up in 2008. Iguess we pay more and get less.#3 Be Aware of Manatees . I real-

ly thought that 2008 was going to be theyear the manatee was delisted from endan-gered to threatened. The year started outthat way with the FWC voting to followthe recommendation of their own staff andoutside experts to make that official; butthe governor suggested they do a littlemore research. The governor declared Nov.2008 to be Manatee Awareness Month. Inhis proclamation he says, “the manateefaces a very high risk of extinction due tohuman related threats including the lossof warm water habitat.” I guess the FWCwill just have to do more research untilthey agree with the governor’s opinion.Looks like the Save the Manatee Club isstarting a new lawsuit. This time it’s notthe manatee that’s endangered but it’stheir habitat that’s endangered. There arenow too many manatees and not enoughhabitat.#2 The Geo Tubes are gone from

Stump Pass. This was probably one ofthe dumbest things that I saw last year.

The Geo Tubes, which caused a docu-mented increase of over 5 acres of sand tothe north of the pass, were removedbecause the State DEP said there was afew hundred feet of sand eroded from thesouthern tip of the State Park. Talk abouta lose – lose situation. The State losses 5acres of prime beach front when the sandbegins to dump into Stump Pass; and thepeople of Charlotte County get to pay afew extra million dollars to dredge StumpPass and probably dump that sand backon that beach. And will the erosion onthe southern tip of the State Park stop?Hell no.

#1 Hard Times- The Number onestory. What can you say about the econo-my in 2008? Last Jan the unemploymentrate in Charlotte County was 4.2-percent.By the end of the year it’s about 10-per-cent. In 2007 there were 2,116 home fore-closures in the county; in 2008 that num-ber will be close to 5,000. Higher priceson food- stock market losses, losses inretirement accounts. Lower home valuesand raising property taxes and insurancecost. Terrible is too nice a word todescribe what we are going through rightnow.

The though of a quiet day fishing withthe hope of catching something for dinneris the only thing that a lot of people arelooking forward to. Lets all hope and praythat 2009 brings better times.


Top 10 Storiesfrom 2008

Santaʼs day Off – Santa was out fishing the day after Christmas with Capt. Angel Torresand came up with a beautiful redfish.

There are plenty of big gators sunning themselves on the muddy banks of the Peace Riverright now. The bumps on the cold blooded gatorʼs back help him collect the sunʼs heat.



By Capt Robert MooreWater LIFE S taff

Last week, at one of the local boatramps with a fishing pier near-by, a verycourteous gentleman came up to me andasked if he could have any live bait I hadleft over from my trip. I replied “sure” anddipped my bait net into my live well andoffered him the last couple of dozen shrimpI had left. He quickly replied “Oh no, Imeant live bait, as in shiners!”

He began to explain that he had run outof the live bait (shiners) that the previousboater had given him and he needed moreso he could continue to fish. I asked himwhat he was catching on the shiners and hereplied “nothing lately, but last month wecaught almost everything we wanted onshiners.” I explained to him all I had wasthe shrimp and he half heartily took them.By the time I returned with my truck andtrailer to load my boat I noticed the sameman holding a nice redfish he caught on theshrimp I had given him.

This story pretty much repeats itselfeveryday. Not just at this particular boatramp and pier, but among lots of anglersthroughout the southwest Florida area.Fishing with baits such as whitebait,greenbacks, pinfish, etc., has pretty muchbecome a way of fishing for most of us,including myself. The one exception forme is that I stow away my cast nets duringthe winter months. With a few differenttactics, I can usually catch more fishinshore during the colder months usinglive shrimp than live shiners.

The number one reason for this is sim-ple. Our fish are used to warm water. Theyget 8 months of it throughout the year.Then, the water temperature falls from therepeated cold fronts we get during the win-ter months. This drop in water temperaturebegins to slow the metabolism of mostinshore species like redfish, snook andeven trout. Chasing down frisky live bait

requires too much energy. So they begin toeat things like crabs and shrimp thatrequire very little effort to catch and digest.

My change in tactics are also very sim-ple. I fish slow and on the bottom, almostthe exact opposite of when I am fishinglive bait such as shiners.

My favorite method of getting a shrimpon the bottom is with the use of a jig head.I simply tear the tail off the shrimp andthen thread it backwards onto the jig head.The head of the shrimp is facing the oppo-site direction of the head on the jig.

Most times I prefer a ¼ ounce jig head.I find that a ¼ ounce works well in mostconditions and at depths up to 6 feet. If youare fishing deeper, then you need to adjustthe weight accordingly.

My retrieve is simple – bounce it veryslow a few inches off the bottom. Veryslow, to me, is defined as every 20 secondsor so. Most of my strikes occur while thebait is sitting on the bottom.

This is just one of many techniques thatwork well while fishing with shrimp.

The best technique is the one that worksfor you, so try giving your cast-net a breakand make a stop by your local bait shop.You might just be surprised how success-ful you will be with just plain ol’ liveshrimp.

Tight Lines –Capt. Robert Moore can be reached to

book a trip or for fishing information at:624-5710 or at www.captrobertmoore.com

Jig Fishingwith Shrimp

WE SELL VALVTECT MARINE FUELS WHICH CONTAIN NO ETHANOLFUEL DOCK HOURS:7:00 – 5:30 PM DAILY

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL (941) 575-3000


P a g e 1 0 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9

By Capt. Andrew MedinaWater LIFE Charlotte Harbor

What is January really about? To me,I guess it means the start of a new year,resolutions I make that will never, everhappen, and tides too low to get any-where close to the mangroves. Now isthe time that if you stroll out onto theharbor this month and visit areas such asWhidden Creek and Catfish Creek afamiliar buzz is in the air. The buzz isthe sound of air boats and tunnel hullskiffs, fishing the pot holes in the backcountry that no one else can get to. Ifyour boat will not run in a couple inch-es of water you will find yourself sittingon the outside of the bar asking how canI get back there? Well the answer is, youdon’t, because even if you are luckyenough to get back there, you might not

be lucky enough to get out. You mightfind yourself waiting around till spring.

My advice to you is fish the deeperwater you know. For instance, the outside of the bars will hold fish this timeof the year. One of my favorite spots forwinter time fishing, has to be the barsouth of Burnt Store Marina. This timeof the year you can always find fish onthat bar. What we do is use our trollingmotor and skirt the edge of the bar, tillwe see fish.

Most of my winter time fishing isdone with either shrimp or artificials. Ifish these baits not only because I’mcomfortable throwing them, it’s becausefrankly I don’t like getting wet this timeof year. It’s cold and getting wet and run-ning across the harbor is really not mycup of tea. Besides that, fish will eatthem. If you are throwing shrimp, a pop-

ping cork will work extremely well fortrout and reds where you do not see them.The sound of the popping cork imitates afish feeding and will trigger other fish toeat as well.

In situations where you can see thefish, it becomes a different game. If youthrow a popping cork on them, chancesare they will spook. This is where I willswitch to a lighter line and a small 1/8 oreven a 1/16th oz. jig head. Jig head selec-tion is important when it comes to thisstyle of fishing. You want to buy a jighead not for what it looks likes. Thehook-straight is the most important fea-ture. Many jig heads on the market todayare made with cheesy hooks using thinwire. Nothing is worse than hooking upa nice redfish and having that fishstraighten the hook out. Try to buy thestoutest hooks you can get. The impor-tance of the light jig head is so that whenyou cast and the shrimp or rubber bodyenters the water, it will not make a loudsplash and spook the fish you are tryingto cast on. If you can get a cast in frontof the fish without spooking him, 9 outof 10 times he will eat. Other than stay-ing outside the bars, you may want totake the opportunity of the low water tovisit some of the harbor’s man madereef’s. This time of the year a lot ofgrouper and snapper are held up on thesereefs. It won’t take long to find out ifthey are there. I will usually troll a largelipped lure, such as the Mann’s stretch30s, or the Rapala XR mag. Series. Thegood thing about the Rapalas are theycome in 15s, 20s and 30s, which meansyou can troll a couple plugs all at onceon multiple rods and cover the entirewater column. Just trolling the plug overthe inshore reefs is a great way to get arod bent and can be a blast when the fishare there. It’s not often we as inshoreanglers get a chance to do something alittle out-of-the norm. Maybe I shouldmake that one of my New Year’s resolu-tions.

Capt. Andrew can be reached for Charterinfo at 456-1540 or on the web atwww.FishFloridaTarpon.com

Screaming ReelsScreaming Reels

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE Charlotte Harbor

Sometimes it’s hard to admit that win-ter is really here. Sitting inside myhouse with 2 sweatshirts and a hat on, Ifinally gave way to turning on the heat inlate December. Like dogwoods bloomingin early spring are a sign for snook andlargemouth bass, this is my sign that it’stime to focus on speckled trout fishingand specifically big trout- gator trout!

Our winter weather on CharlotteHarbor really started around the first ofNovember and our water temperatureshave been in the mid 60s to low 70s eversince. I believe the shortened daylighthours, lower water temperatures andwindy weather signal the trout to schooland become more predictable. Mostsouthern anglers know that trout love tofeed on the grass flats. Charlotte Harbortrout are no different, however two majorfactors will keep them out of the grass-beds in the winter; severe cold fronts andextreme low tides. These conditions havea tendency to congregate the trout andthey will drop into adjacent deep waterareas. Generally speaking, these will beaverage size fish in the 15- to 20-inchrange. They are relatively easy to catchand a jig and shrimp bounced on the bot-tom will be hard to beat. A popping corkwith shrimp dangled 3-feet below is apopular winter choice as well. Localspots like Alligator Creek, Pirate Harbor,Burnt Store Marina see their share of fishwith many other less famous spots beingeven more productive. Many trout willdrop outside of the bars and lots of castsare required to locate these free roamingfish. I actually believe that winter troutspend most of their time over deeperwaters in Charlotte Harbor feeding onminnows and whitebait that have retreatedfrom the grassbeds. When the waterswarm and tides rises they follow theirfood source into the grassbeds. On thehigher tide phases with sunny weatheryou can expect to catch plenty of fishover the grass. Winter trout are fickle andreact very quickly to water temperaturechanges. A huge cold front will pushthem into the deep pockets, canals, dredgeholes and creek channels. They will staythere as long as the cold weather persists,but often one sunny day will scatter thesefish as they pursue better feeding grounds.

Big trout are a whole different quarry.Big is a relative word, but 23 inches andover is big in my book and with fewexceptions you won’t find many of thesefish mixed in with their younger cousins.The all tackle trout record is 17 pounds 7ounces, and occasionally fish near halfthat size are caught in our waters. Likemost fish species, bigger fish prefer toexpend less energy in their constant pur-suit of food. This means fewer largermeals which equates to the old saying

“big baits-big fish”. Generally, I findthat artificial lures and in particular, topwater baits will catch more than theirshare of big trout. Perhaps this isbecause smaller baits attract the moreaggressive smallerfish. A Zara-spook,Mirrorlure lure topdog, Sebile or simi-lar type walk-the-doglure is a favorite.Targeting big fish isthe key and requiresa dedicated effort.Water depth and bot-tom terrain are themost important con-siderations. Searchfor gator trout start-ing in water depthsof 3 to 4 feet overpatchy grassbedswith sand areasmixed in. Areas with deeper water or achannel nearby are an added bonus as bigfish usually prefer to have an escape routenearby. Larger wide expanses of grasshold their share of trout, but the biggertrout are easier to target where there ismore bottom variation.

State biologists tout Pine IslandSound as having some of the best speck-led trout habitat in the state. There areplenty of 20 inch trout in the sound andbigger fish are common. The grassbedsaround Bookelia are known for big troutand with some time spent you will even-tually locate “sweet spots” aroundCharlotte Harbor that hold bigger fish.Turtle Bay has huge expansive turtlegrass beds, thereby giving it the name –I have yet to see a turtle in turtle bay!Some of my biggest trout pushing the30 inch mark came from there. One com-ponent to increase your odds for big fishis to fish under low light conditions.Early or late in the day are best andcloudy days present a special opportunity.The closer you fish till dark the greateryour chances of hooking a monster! Mygeneral rule of thumb is under low lightconditions fish a top water bait coveringlots of water. If a fish blows up andmisses the plug keep a spare rod riggedwith a soft plastic jerk bait and quicklythrow back where the blow up occurred.The fish is usually in the attack mode andwill munch the second offering. As thesun gets higher in the sky often the topwater bite will slack off. A sub-surfacesuspending bait or twitch bait like aRapala that runs less than 3 feet can bevery effective. If you want to cover a lotof water quickly, try a ¼ oz. Rattletrap.Long casts, varied retrieves and persist-ence will help you locate schools of fishand an occasional big boy. Once a schoolis located step up to a bigger plug and go

to work. For lure col-ors it is simple-chrome silver or gold,grey or white with a

black, green or blue back are consistent.The old standby of red & white is timeproven. When the water is murky withlow water visibility, brighter colors oftenget more attention.

The net-ban implemented over 10years ago has made a dramatic comebackin the trout population as well as the red-fish. Trout are delicate fish and careful

handling will preserve them for others tocatch. Try not to net them as thisremoves their protective slime coating. Ifpossible, de-hook while still in the waterby grabbing the hooks with a needle nosepliers and shaking free. A day spent chas-ing trout is something we can all enjoyregardless of age and experience. The pur-suit of gator trout is a game of confi-dence, big lures and a little luck.

Capt. Chuck Eichner is a local chartercaptain. For information or to book a guidedfishing trip call 941-505-0003 or go to hiswebsite: www.backcountry-charters.com

Winter Speckled Trout Fishing

Trout will go after anything that gets their attention; from the pinkshrimp in the fishʼs mouth above to just about anything in the box oflures below. Note the vegetation in the top photo. This is trout country.


MentionWater LIFE

for 10%off

your bill

MentionWater LIFE

for 10%off

your bill

seafood, steak and aleseafood, steak and ale• • $1 Drafts 4 $1 Drafts 4 –– 6 Tues 6 Tues –– Sat Full LiquorSat Full Liquor• • Certified Black Angus SteaksCertified Black Angus Steaks• • Fresh Seafood and Dinner Specials DailyFresh Seafood and Dinner Specials DailyLUNCH Wednesday - Saturday, 11:30 -2:30DINNER Tues. - Thurs. 4-9 p.m; Fri . & Sat. 4-10 p.m.

3754 N. Access Rd. Englewood • 475-66883754 N. Access Rd. Englewood • 475-6688www.hightidefl.com


S taff ReportThe Redfish Cup

announced a near $1 mil-lion-season payout alongwith its 2009 schedule andPunta Gorda is the firststop. “With the best pay-outs and even betteranglers, the competitionintensifies and the topanglers are rewarded fortheir talent, dedication andhard work,” said theRedfish Cup general man-ager Steve Levi.

Each event features a$50,000 grand prize and

$195,000 in total payout.That makes the RedfishCup the largest payout inthe history of competitivesaltwater fishing.

Live online coveragewill be featured onRedfishCup.com andESPNOutdoors.com atevery event during the sea-son. The 2009 Cup alsocontinues its broadcast rela-tionship with ESPN2, witheach tournament aired onESPN2 on the Saturdaymorning following therespective event.

Beginning in April, theinvite-only teams competein four regular seasonevents in the hopes of qual-ifying for the season-endingchampionship inSeptember. Entry fees forthe four regular seasonevents are $3,500. There isno entry fee for the 20-team championship.

The 2009 Redfish CupSeries will make its tradi-tional first stop in PuntaGorda, on April 30 andthen go on to visit Texas,Louisiana and Mississippi.

While in Texas, the Cupwill be the first nationalevent to visit the Kemaharea since Hurricane Ikedevastated the town.

A continued emphasison community outreach forthe Redfish Cup and itsanglers will be an initiativecalled Net Gains presentedby ARC Dehooker. Theprogram gives local youthage 7 and up a free fishingand conservation clinictaught by the Redfish Cuppros on the Thursday priorto each event. “TheRedfish Cup owes a debt ofgratitude to our fans overthe past six years,” saidLevi.

Redfish Cup at Punta Gorda April 30 to May 3This Yearʼs Seasonal Payout Almost $1 Million

Gearing Up for the Kids Cup Fundraising to begin this monthMichael Hel lerKids Cup Tournament Director

Now it begins. We’ve already reserved the room atBennedetto’s restaurant in Punta Gorda for the Captain’smeeting. NewYear’s Eve we stayyed home so we could putthe application form, the parental release form and the2009 rules online at one minute after midnight. By nowI’m sure we will have received some back in the mail. YouMUST mail in your application. We use the postmark todetermine starting boat order on tournament day. All theinformation is on the website, go towww.kidscuptournament.com and click the link.

Last month, at the Marine Advisory Committee meet-ing Betty Staugler our Sea Grant Agent and Kids Cup red-fish tracking coordinator was approved for a grant to helpfund the tagging project. At the meeting I explained to theCommittee members that the kids on the water today willbe the ones sitting in the committee chairs in the future

and that we want them to learn about the Harbor and thefishery and be inspired to help manage it in the future. Itold the committee tracking fish and learning how thechanging environment effects the fishery is critical to thatlearning. I told them fish No 59 was just recaptured atCape Haze, that was one of our surgically implanted fish. Itold them about Betty’s cool tracking website. If youhaven’t looked at our website and seen the tracking link orsome of the before and after hurricane Charley picrtures ofthe harbor shoreline or the Kids Cup, please do that.

A few months ago Capt. Danny Latham, who is one ofthe Kids fishing school instructors and a very accomplishedlocal angler, told me he thought the redfish were movingaway from the shorelines and into the deeper water in thecenter of the harbor. I have thought this myself, sinceCharley. This year we hope to be able to put underwatersonic receivers in the deeper water in the middle of the har-bor to see if we track any of our tournament fish there.

Looking over the photos of the Kids Cup from the lastfive years one thing stands out dramatically. Before westarted tagging and implanting fish we had the anglersrelease their fish. You only have to look at the photos tosee how well that worked not only for the fish but for thekids too. But after we started the tagging project the fishwere released by either the surgery crew or the fin clipcrew. This year that’s going to change. We are going backto having anglers release their own fish. It’s just better –so long as long as the dolphins aren’t hanging around.

This month I will start making the fund raising rounds,talking to potential Kids Cup Tournament sponsors. Thetournament raises money for the Kids Fishing Classes werun in 5 county middle schools. I know this is a tougheconomic time, but we can’t let that affect educating ourkids about the environment and teaching them about fish-ing. If you were a sponsor last year we need you back, ifyou were not a sponsor, we need you now.

Please, be a Kids Cup Sponsor and wear your sponsorshirt proudly. Call 941-766-8180 for Kids Cup sponsorinformation or go to www.kidscuptournament.com

The Kids Cup will be on April 25, 2009.

941-627-5777 23269 Bayshore RdCharlotte Harbor

www.bayshoremarinefl.com [email protected]

2000 Action Craft 2020Tournament Edition

Tower from the factory200hp Yamaha, MinKota trolling motor,

release well. live well.Ready to fish!! Wow!!!

Only! $13,990

2003 Sea Pro 25'05'' CC T-Toptwin Yamaha 150 Ox66, Alum.trailer. Offshore fishing Is here.Don't wait. Great Buy at $28,990

1998 Sundowner Skiff 19' 02"70Merc Force - Runs in inches ofwater, Tunnel Hull, Bimini, live well,new trolling motor. REDUCED$5,900 make offer

2001 Sailfish 174- Covers, biminitop, trolling motor, 90hp oil injec-tion Yamaha just serviced, shal-low draft. Only $7,990.

�� Professional Boat Detailing �� Quality where it Counts ��

After 6 Full wash services you receive the same wash After 6 Full wash services you receive the same wash Absolutely FreeAbsolutely FreeGood on ANY SIZE VESSEL Weekly and Bi-Weekly Plans AvailableGood on ANY SIZE VESSEL Weekly and Bi-Weekly Plans Available

Family Owned and Operated(609) 618-0113 cell (941) 764-7928 office

www.kleenallboats.com

J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 1 3

Gearing Up for the Kids Cup Fundraising to begin this monthMichael Hel lerKids Cup Tournament Director

Now it begins. We’ve already reserved the room atBennedetto’s restaurant in Punta Gorda for the Captain’smeeting. NewYear’s Eve we stayyed home so we could putthe application form, the parental release form and the2009 rules online at one minute after midnight. By nowI’m sure we will have received some back in the mail. YouMUST mail in your application. We use the postmark todetermine starting boat order on tournament day. All theinformation is on the website, go towww.kidscuptournament.com and click the link.

Last month, at the Marine Advisory Committee meet-ing Betty Staugler our Sea Grant Agent and Kids Cup red-fish tracking coordinator was approved for a grant to helpfund the tagging project. At the meeting I explained to theCommittee members that the kids on the water today willbe the ones sitting in the committee chairs in the future

and that we want them to learn about the Harbor and thefishery and be inspired to help manage it in the future. Itold the committee tracking fish and learning how thechanging environment effects the fishery is critical to thatlearning. I told them fish No 59 was just recaptured atCape Haze, that was one of our surgically implanted fish. Itold them about Betty’s cool tracking website. If youhaven’t looked at our website and seen the tracking link orsome of the before and after hurricane Charley picrtures ofthe harbor shoreline or the Kids Cup, please do that.

A few months ago Capt. Danny Latham, who is one ofthe Kids fishing school instructors and a very accomplishedlocal angler, told me he thought the redfish were movingaway from the shorelines and into the deeper water in thecenter of the harbor. I have thought this myself, sinceCharley. This year we hope to be able to put underwatersonic receivers in the deeper water in the middle of the har-bor to see if we track any of our tournament fish there.

Looking over the photos of the Kids Cup from the lastfive years one thing stands out dramatically. Before westarted tagging and implanting fish we had the anglersrelease their fish. You only have to look at the photos tosee how well that worked not only for the fish but for thekids too. But after we started the tagging project the fishwere released by either the surgery crew or the fin clipcrew. This year that’s going to change. We are going backto having anglers release their own fish. It’s just better –so long as long as the dolphins aren’t hanging around.

This month I will start making the fund raising rounds,talking to potential Kids Cup Tournament sponsors. Thetournament raises money for the Kids Fishing Classes werun in 5 county middle schools. I know this is a tougheconomic time, but we can’t let that affect educating ourkids about the environment and teaching them about fish-ing. If you were a sponsor last year we need you back, ifyou were not a sponsor, we need you now.

Please, be a Kids Cup Sponsor and wear your sponsorshirt proudly. Call 941-766-8180 for Kids Cup sponsorinformation or go to www.kidscuptournament.com

The Kids Cup will be on April 25, 2009.

We are going to bring back the concept of anglers releasingtheir own fish, like it was when we started in 2004.

Mobile WeldingMobile WeldingCustom Aluminum Boat TrailersCustom Aluminum Boat TrailersT-Tops - Towers - PlatformT-Tops - Towers - Platforms

4223 Whidden BlvdCharlotte Harbor941-627-6977

Macs Metal Materials CUSTOM FABRICATION & REPAIRSCUSTOM FABRICATION & REPAIRS

stainless steel and aluminumstainless steel and aluminum


By Adam WilsonWater LIFE Diving

We saw somesome great diving inDecember. Water tem-perature around thebeach remains in the low 60s, but off-shore, as close-in as 30 miles, the surfacetemperature has stayed in the mid 70swith bottom tempperature around 70.With the high winds we still had throughDecember, visibility out to 70 feet hasnot been good, but out deeper the vis hasremained a constant 20 to 30 feet, mak-ing for some great hunting or macro pho-tography as long as you use an externalflash.

At the end of last month we made itout to 100 feet straight out of StumpPass, hitting some big structure to huntfor amberjacks. I had a friend here fromthe east coast that wanted to shoot a bigone. Most of the ones he sees over atWest Palm Beach are around 20 poundsor smaller. Sure enough, no sooner didwe roll off the boat, the big schools of40 to 60 pounders came swimming in tosee what all the noise was about. I leftBarry alone with the school to pick outhis choice of jack and I continued downto the bottom.

The reef was swarming with gag

grouper, bigmangrove snap-pers andAmerican redsnappers! I havenever seen redsnapper in thisshallow off ourcoast.Sometimes inthe summer werun across a fewout much deeper,but this schoolwas huge, proba-bly numberingaround 100, andthey were quality 8to 15 pound fish. Unfortunately, redsnapper won't be back in season untilApril, so all we could do was push themout of our way and hunt for grouper andmangrove snapper.

I was able to shoot my limit of 5 gaggrouper in that one dive. Probably thelast time I will ever do that as the newgrouper regulations take effect January 1,allowing only 2 gag grouper per person.The mangrove snapper were also quiteeasy to pick off. They are starting toschool thick now on the deeper, largereefs and most don't seem to be as

spooky in the cooler water.All the shallower spots we hit

recently inside of 70 feet have been colderthan it is far offshore with temps in themid to high 60s and very murky waterwith very few large fish. I think the shal-low water became so cold so quick thisfall it moved most large fish out deep tofind a more consistent temperature.

Hitting some ledges and artificial reefs

further south out of Boca Grande passrecently we discovered more of the same.Lots of quality fish out past 80 feet. It'sgoing to be pretty easy to limit out thismonth on grouper and mangrove snapper.Just remember the grouper limit as ofJanuary 1st will be 4 grouper, only 2 ofwhich can be gags, and 2 can be redgrouper. The season will close February1st.

Warmer Offshore

A gag grouper with a shaft through the head. The next iron this fish comes in contact withwill probably be the barbecue grill. The hull in the background is in 80 feet of water.

Barry with his big AJ

Corrosion:– a loss of electrons of metals reacting with water and oxygen.You’d think when youbought a marine grade prod-uct it would be water proofand corrosion resistant.Not so.Recently we bought anelectrical selector switch,the kind that you use toswitch between two batter-ies. Even though we onlyhave one battery on ourboat I like to use theswitch backwards, so I canswitch my one battery topower either the entireboat, or in the other posi-tion, to power only themotor. Electrical problemson boats are almost alwaysrelated to a bad ground. Byisolating the motor you canalso isolate electrical prob-lems and be able to fixthem later, after you get home.The switch at right was a $40 waste of money. After a week of salty airwith heavy humidity, the terminals were corroded and the one main batterycable (middle) was green right into the wire. We should have shrink wrappedthat, but it was a factory ‘end.’ from the same store. Now it’s all junk.

By Capt Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior Staff

Laura Kleiss Hoeft the director ofCharlotte County’s Parks and RecreationDept has left the job. First off I have topraise her accomplishments as director.Under her leadership, Charlotte county’spark system saw it’s greatest expansion inthe county’s history. Few people can evenremember how bad things were under theold director she replaced. I remember thebest thing I heard anyone say about himwas that at least he cuts the grass. Lauracame from Sarasota Parks and recreation.She came to Charlotte to run her owndepartment and in a few short year therewere big improvements. Boaters did prettywell during the Hoeft era. The expansionand remodeling of the Placida and SpringLakes and Port Charlotte Beach boatramps. New ramps were opened at AingerCreek and South Gulf Cove. Property wasobtained for new ramps at Bay Haven onthe Charlotte-Sarasota border, and CattlePoint near El Jobean. There were also alarge number of new parks and athleticfields that came on line for the county.There was the Charlotte CountyAuditorium and the new baseball stadiumfor the Tampa Bay Rays all under Hoeft’sleadership. A pretty good list of accom-plishments.

As a member of the Marine AdvisoryCommittee, I’ve butted heads with Lauramany times over the years, and in fairnessI should list just some of the problems.Bay Haven Boat Ramp- Three years

ago the county, with the help of boatersfunds, purchased a piece of land for a boatramp in west county between the oldThunderbird Marina and the old WeekSeafood House. It was purchased for thepurpose of becoming a boat ramp. So farthe only thing that has happened is thatthey put a children’s playground on theproperty.South Gulf Cove Boat Ramp- One

of the newest ramps in the county. A greatplace to fish on a windy day. When theywere building the ramp, members of MACtold Hoeft that the ramp was not longenough or steep enough. She insisted thatexperts designed the ramp. When the rampwas opened for people with large boat,their trailer would run off the end of theramp. People with small boats would haveto drive down the ramp until the water wasup to their doors. I suggested that the coun-ty get a Ford F-150 pick-up (the best sell-ing vehicle at the time) and a 22ft boat (themost popular sized boat in CharlotteCounty) and try to launch it at the ramp.My suggestion was not well received. Sixmonths latter the ramp was modified at theexperts expense. Spring Lakes Boat Ramp- The

plans for the renovation looked great soMAC put up boater’s money to make ithappen. What we got was a boat ramp cut

off from a much larger, beautifully land-scaped park. Boaters actually got fewertrailer parking spots than they had beforethe renovation. Andthe promise of addi-tional off site parkingfor overflow trailersat peak times-neverhappened.Rocky Creek

Marina- Parks andrecreation went for-ward with a plan tobuy the marina and turn it into a munici-pal marina/boat ramp. The county plannedon big bucks from that deal. Unfortunatelythere was another marina within spittingdistance and another public boat rampwithin a stones throw. Of course the factthat Aingers Creek (Rocky Creek) can runone foot deep during the winter and wouldlimit the boat use was not a major factor.To save face the county backed out of thedeal by saying that there were EPA prob-lems with the property. I guess they didn’tknow that there was gas and oil at marinas.Blue Way Trai l Problems- Laura

fell under the spell of the kayak crowd andproduced a beautiful brochure mapping allthe kayaking trails in Charlotte County.She never came to the MAC about this andwent her own way. People who read thebrochure were sent to launch areas thatwere no more than public right of waywith no parking available. So kyakersparked in the roadway, on private property;even in driveways. They parked in the pub-lic boat ramps thus taking up valuablespace meant for trailers. Still there is noplan to maintain and manage the Blue Waytrail system, but we sure have a nicebrochure The closing of the Tom Adams

Boat Ramp- One day Laura came to theMAC and told us she wanted to close thelittle boat ramp at the end of the TomAdams bridge leading to Englewood Beach.She said it had become dangerous and anuisance. The MAC told her don’t do it.She immediately had the decking of thedock at the ramp removed. We had theSheriffs Dept, the Englewood Fire Deptand the Coast Guard Auxiliary go on therecord stating that they used the ramp forrescue purposes. It was the closest ramp toStump Pass. The director went right to theBoard of County Commissioners and askedthem to close the ramp, stating that therewere no objections from anyone includingthe MAC. That was a lie. Within 30 daysthe ramp was gone.Parking Fees at Boat Ramps- The

BCC asked Hoeft to come up with a planto charge for parking at our public boatramps. She did and the BCC approved it.The trouble was that she estimated that thecounty would generate $250,000 annuallyin fees. That never happened. How muchprofit the county made on this deal is

unknown. Laura never would release theexact figures to the public. I would be sur-prised if it is 1/10 that amount.El Jobean Pier. - A lot of people were

shocked last summer to find that the Parksand recreation was accepting bids toremove the southern half of the El Jobeanfishing pier. This had been closed for anumber of years due to a fire. It was alwaysmy hope that portion of the pier would berepaired and put back in service. Laura saidthat the pier was falling down and wasbecoming a hazard to navigation. All ofthat was bull and local people realized that.BCC was just as puzzled as everyone elseand put a stop to the project; but Lauracame under hard scrutiny because of it.Closing the Port Charlotte Beach

Complex at night. - Right after the ElJobean fiasco came the request by Parks

and Recreation to close the Beach Complexat night thus shutting off the boatramp andlighted fishing pier to night time fisher-men. With the help of a lot of people apublic hearing was held and it was discov-ered that only one part time resident had aproblem with the ramp. It was generallyassumed that Parks and recreation wanted itclosed to make things easier for them, notto help the community.Loss of credibi l i ty- By far the

biggest problem was the loss of trust inthe director; as an old sales manager oncetold me “ the only thing you really have tosell is your credibility; when you loosethat it’s over for you.” Laura Kleiss Hoeftdid great things for Charlotte Co and I’msure with her talent she will get an evenbetter job; but it’s time for CharlotteCounty to move on.

The Parks and Recreation Dept.Director has Left the County

Kleiss-Hoeft, Left. Above: The December Marine Advisory Committee meeting



By Bi l lDixonWater LIFESailing

It is the height of the sailing season.Go Sail! It doesn’t get better than this.

Remember, the Racing Rules change onJan 1. Big news for racers: You do nothave special privileges. When you meet anon racer (power or sail) Col Regs applyto both of you.Results: The Hol iday regatta Dec

6 & 7 featured fabulous weather. Warm,sunny, light and shifty on Saturday (askButch Dorey) and a honking down-windstart on Sunday. Thirty two boats in 7classes enjoyed great racing and a greatcookout afterward. Judy Tessier outdid her-self as the chocolate lady. Winners were:Spinnaker: Bamma Slammer, Bob

Knowles, S-2 7.9. Non SpinnakerA:Fancy Free, Jerry Poquette, Soverel 39.Non Spinnaker B: Morgan, Bill Curtis,Morgan 24. Cruising A: Diva Gorda,Rudy Gottschlich, Jeanneau 36.Cruising B: Bravo, Pete Rehm, Tartan34. Pocket Cruiser: Euphoria, EdBrauer Hunter 30. Multihul l : In Flight,

Pete Welch, Stiletto 27.For January, the Golden Conch, is

always a great regatta and is at PPYC atBurnt Store Marina January 10, and 11.The PGSC spring series starts Jan 18.Skippers meeting PGICA bldg Jan 14 @6:30 pm. Enter quietly please, there areYoga practitioners meditating. Jan 31North Sails is putting on a rules seminarat IYC. There is a link to North U on thePGSC website: pgscweb.com. No regatta in February this year,

but southwest Florida’s biggest, theConquistador Cup will be March 6, 7& 8 out of Harpoon Harry’s at Fisherman’sVillage. Planning is well underway tomake the 16th running of this event, thebiggest and best one yet.

Bill Dixon can be reached at:[email protected]

NoticeTo SailorsStarting with the Golden

Conch Regattain January,

WaterLIFE magazine willpost the sailing photos weshoot on the internet at

www.waterlifemagazine.comThey will be for you to have -If you want prints you can

email the photo toWalgreens.com and pick them

up at their store.Happy New Year from Michael & Ellen Heller

at Water LIFEMAGAZINE

Low Tides in the Venice area left sailorshigh and dry last month.

Photo from: Patrick McCarthyCharlotte Countyʼs CompleteSwimming Pool SupplysPool Repair and MaintenanceStore

575-2525575-2525Located in the Punta Gorda Crossing Shopping Center Next to PublixMon-Fri 9AM-5:30PM Sat 9AM-3PM

Specializing in Heaters and

Pumps

“Green Pool” “Green Pool” Clean Up & MaintenanceClean Up & Maintenance

The Holiday Regatta held in December

PROVIDED BY: Dave & Marlene Hofer RE/MAX Harbor Realty(941) 575-3777 [email protected] www.harborparadise.com Recent area news i tems1. Allegiant Airlines based in Las Vegasannounced plans to start twice weeklynonstops to Knoxville, TN andGreenville, SC. Service will start March5 for $118 round trip. 2. Charlotte County Airport purchasedthe hangers built by Air Tech for $1.56million and will lease them back to thesellers for $156,000/yr.3. The slowdown in the constructionindustry has hit Florida hard as thestatewide unemployment rate reached 7-percent last month for the first time sinceDecember, 1993. Charlotte County hasfared worse than most with the rateexceeding 10-percent, almost 3 timesworse than the rate recorded just 2 yearsago.4. Sarasota passed on the opportunityto build a $65 mil monument to attractthe Baltimore Orioles' spring training.The commission even withdrew theirprior offer of $33 mil. Vero Beach alsowithdrew its $13 mil stadium renovationoffer. Could it be that Florida cities arefinally getting the picture? It's hard tojustify spending millions of taxpayer'sdollars to bribe major league teams toplay 18 games a year in their town. Thetheory of attracting more dollar spendingvisitors to our communities fromFebruary to April (when we're alreadyfull) doesn't seem to wash.5. Punta Gorda City Council voted tospend $216K to install floating docks atLaishley Marina east of Rt 41.6. With the trade almost completebetween Punta Gorda Public Works andthe Laishley development team, conceptsare beginning to emerge for the develop-ment of the Henry Street property inPunta Gorda. The developer will likelybe submitting plans that will includebuildings of up to 54' on the property.7. Southwest College will be leasing 6classrooms at 950 Tamiami Trail in PortCharlotte in a 6400 sf building. The Ft.Myers based school, will be looking tooffer classes to 2,000 total students.In other news: Hendricks Food Vault opened for businessat 615 Cross Street in Punta Gorda(Crossroads Shopping Center). Theyoffer great deli sandwiches in a sit downrestaurant and will have packaged carry-

outs in the future.Sales S tatistics:

Nationally: Mark Twain once said "history doesn't

repeat itself, but it does rhyme". Most economists and advisors will

proclaim that we are in an unprecedentedfinancial deep freeze caused by the realestate bubble.

This is not the first "bubble" that hasthreatened our economy. A formerPresident once wrote to a friend "...stock(s) and (bonds) are the sole domesticsubjects of conversation..., buildings arestopped, capital withdrawn from com-merce, manufacturers, arts and agricultureto be employed in gambling." He couldwell have been referring to the mortgagebacked securities craze and subsequentfreeze of commercial mortgage capital thatwe are experiencing today. Can youguess what president made that remark?.... it was Thomas Jefferson in 1791 afterThe Bank of the United States failed andwas bailed out by the FederalGovernment!!!

This crisis, too will pass.New home inventory have finally fall-

en within our acceptable range of 3.7 to 3months of household formations (note:that is much different than the months ofsales that is currently distorted by patheti-cally weak sales volume. The good newsis that we do have pent up demand repre-sented by new households. Please visit us at www.harborparadise.com toview any available properties from Venice toBurnt Store Marina


The Punta Gorda parking garage is going up quickly with new precast concrete technology.

Real Real Estate Estate NewsNews

By David Al lenWater LIFE KayakingWas There a New Kayak Under your

Christmas Tree? What a pleasant surprise!A sleek, colorful kayak was just what youwanted and now you can spend afternoonsand weekends paddling through the baysand rivers of Charlotte County, enjoyingthe warm sun, seeing, closeup, the beauti-ful birds, dolphins and all the wildlife thatinhabits our area.

So, what do you do next? Having a newkayak is just the starting point. You aregoing to need some additional equipmentto make your excursions enjoyable andsafe. To start with, a paddle is a good ideaif you want to get very far. Try to get aslight a paddle as you can afford and onethat is properly sized for your height andthe width of your kayak. And beyond that,we all know about the Coastguard require-

ment calling for the use of a PersonalFlotation Device while paddling, and awhistle to attract attention in case of anemergency on the water.

One additional item I find essentialwhen kayaking is a “Dry Bag”. This is arubberized fabric bag with a watertight clo-sure that is ideal for keeping car keys, bill-fold, and other articles dry and safe duringa paddle. These bags usually cost about$15 and can be found at any kayak or diveshop.

Let’s take a closer look at the paddlerhim or herself. The proper clothing forkayaking is something we mostly take for

granted in this warm climate. But a coupleof suggestions may make your time on thewater more pleasant. One important factoris how much exposure to the sun you arewilling to tolerate. If you would rather notexpose your arms and shoulders to the sun,there are a number of long sleeved, poly-ester shirts on the market that are comfort-able to wear when paddling, reasonablycool, dry quickly, and look great.Colombia is one of the better known linesthat makes a range of sportswear for on thewater activities. A lightweight, broad-brimed hat with adequate ventilation is amust for protection from the sun. A goodpair of sunglasses, ideally polarized, canhelp reduce the glare off the water.Polyester shorts and water-shoes or sandalscomplete the lineup of kayaking wear.

OK, now that you’re decked out suit-ably for Gentlemen’s Quarterly, where doyou go to display your beautiful kayak andyour paddling skills?

As a member of the Port CharlotteKayakers for many years, I, and all of theother club members, have learned firsthandwhere the best kayaking spots are inSouthwest Florida and beyond. And, If youdon’t live in Charlotte County there arekayaking clubs in most of the larger cities.Sarasota -- the Kayak Explorers;Englewood –The Kayakers of Lemon Bay;Fort Myers–The Southwest FloridaPaddling Club;

Naples – The Paradise Paddling ClubKeyLargo–Florida Bay Outfitters. All of these clubs know the best paddles intheir respective areas, so join and learn. Ifyou have just moved into this area, thereare a couple of choices beyond joining alocal club.There are a number of books that list goodpaddling spots, usually with a map anddescription of the distance, potential haz-ards, etc. My favorite is “A Guide to SeaKayaking in Southern Florida” written byNigel Foster, and published by The GlobePequot Press. Price: $16. There are several local kayak rental busi-nesses that will arrange guided tours of thearea. In Placida Grande Tours offers guid-ed tours that include the bays and soundsand the Wolverton Mangrove Tunnels.Further south, Florida Bay Outfitters hasmany wonderful tours of PennekampPreserve in Key Largo.

Now you have absolutely no excuse.You have a shiny new kayak completelyequipped, you are decked out to the 9's andyou know where to go. So, Just Do It!

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet eachWednesday evening at Port Charlotte BeachPark at 5:30 PM. All are welcome. For moreinformation, contact me at 941-235-2588 oremail to: [email protected]. You can checkout our upcoming paddles and events at: pck-ayakers.org Then come join us!


KayakingKayakingWas there a Kayak

Under your Tree?

2008 JOHNSON OUTDOORS

Key Paddlesports Dealer – East Coast

Just an ObservationThe photo to the left was taken last night. We have a lightin the canal, about 15 feet out from the seawall. From oursecond floor balcony we can look down on the fish thatgather and swim around the light. Itʼs a cool perspective. A couple of weeks ago I got a new lens for my camera, ahigh speed lens with vibration reduction. Itʼs great foravailable light photography...pictures like the fish pictureto the left.Itʼs about 50 feet from my second floor balcony to thesurface of the water above where the light is.Last night I put on my new lens and went upstairs to takesome pictures of the fish in the light.And hereʼs the discovery.I donʼt know if the high frequency vibration reductionmotor in the lens or the autofocus might have somethingto do with it, but if I was focused on a snook, when Iclicked the shutter the snook would ʻflinch ̓ ... not spook,but just flinch ...a little reaction, every time, only from thesnook ....from over 50 feet away!


By Betty S tauglerSea Grant / Water LIFE

The following SeaGrant projects are among those funded for2008-09. They were selected through apeer review process based on the qualityof the science, the importance of the workrelative to critical coastal and marineissues in Florida, and the potentialimpacts for the people, the economy andenvironment.

� Scientists from Harbor BranchOceanographic Institute and theUniversity of Florida will develop meth-ods to grow the sunray venus clam, anative Florida species that could diversifythe state’s clam aquaculture industry.

� Marine biotechnology researchers atFlorida Atlantic University will isolatebiological compounds from cone snails toevaluate the potential for new drugs.

� Marine sponge cell lines will bedeveloped by scientists from HarborBranch for use in producing marine bio-products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmet-ics and chemicals derived from sea life.

� Harbor Branch scientists will devel-op methods to produce an anti-tumorcompound they have discovered in marinesponges.

� Scientists from the University ofFlorida and Mote Marine Laboratory willidentify how beneficial bacteria protect

corals from disease, contributing to theinformation needed to sustainably manageFlorida coral reefs and their associated $3billion-a-year economy.

� The effects of trap fishing on trans-mission of a lethal virus in spiny lobsterpopulations will be examined byUniversity of Florida scientists. Spinylobsters are one of the most economicallyvaluable fisheries in Florida.

� Effects of habitat loss on survivalof juvenile snook will be determined byscientists at Mote Marine Laboratory.Snook are a prized sport fish in Floridacoastal waters, and understanding howland development affects their habitat isimportant to both survival of the speciesand the marine fishing-related economy.

� Scientists at Florida InternationalUniversity will predict and map changesin sea grass expected to occur in FloridaBay if there are changes in sea level,salinity and nutrient inputs. That informa-tion will help water managers successful-ly implement the ComprehensiveEverglades Restoration Plan.Research Development Projects

� University of Florida scientists aredeveloping methods to raise marine bait-fish year-round to support Florida’s grow-ing marine sport fishing industry.

� University of West Florida scien-tists will evaluate new genetic methods toidentify links between red tides along theFlorida Atlantic coast and specific sourcesof water pollution.

� Florida Atlantic University faculty

will conduct training workshops for staffof state government agencies on use ofnew molecular techniques for assessingthe health of coral reef communities.

� University of Florida scientists areinvestigating the genome of the bacteriaVibrio vulnificus, the leading cause ofdeath from seafood in the U.S. Little isknown about how this organism causesdisease, and this new research, when com-bined with results of ongoing work spon-sored by the National Institutes of Health,will lead to improved detection, treatmentand seafood safety.

� Researchers at the University ofFlorida also are developing a rapid genetic

test for the pathogenic protozoa Perkinus,recently found in certain shellfish import-ed from Asia. The test will allow theUSDA to implement rapid screening toprotect consumers from being infected bycontaminated seafood.

� UF researchers are also collectingpreliminary data for a potential newmethod to determine how Salmonella col-onize oyster beds—information that ulti-mately will be used to protect the safetyof this important marine food resource.Betty Staugler is the Charlotte County

Sea Grant Agent with the University ofFlorida Extension Service. She can bereached 764-4346.

Florida Sea Grant RESEARCH INVESTMENT

Here is an aj, shot a few weeks ago with a 2 foot long shark in his guts. The ones our divingguy Adam Wilson examined the next week had grunts, file fish, vermillion snapper and keywest catfish in their stomachs! This is angler based science at its finest.


The CommercialPerspectiveBy Kel ly Beal , Water LIFE, Peace River Seafood Year EndBreakdown Mullet

December kicked off an incrediblemullet run season. The local fishhouseshad excellent landings with many nightsexceeding 50,000lb catches. Most ofthe mullet fisherman will follow themullet south in January for the finalcatch. In my conversations with thefisherman most said they haven't seenthis many mullet in ten years.

StonecrabIt's been a banner year for stonecrabs.

The stonecrab season goes from October15th till May 15th. It kicked off withhuge landings but due to a down economythe demand for the claws has been low.Many stonecrabbers were put on a limitto two or three days a week. But thingshave started to change in late December asthe catch has started to decline and demandhas gone up. Isn't that always the case?"When the wind blows out of the north-east you catch the least" - and thats whatshappening. We can't blame the octopusbecause there hasn't been that many. It'sthe weather on this one.

Reef FishThe shallow water grouper fisherman

out of Pine Island have pretty muchstayed in during December due to badweather. It's just been too rough. Theshallow water grouper complex includeRed, Gag, Black, Scamp, Yellowfin,Yellowmouth, Rock hind, and Red hind.The Deep Water Grouper Fishery as wellas the Tile Fish Fishery opens up onJanuary 1st . The Deep Water GrouperComplex include Snowy, Yellowedge,Speckled hind, Warsaw, and Misty. Alsoeffective on January 1st will be newmanagement measures for gag grouper.The interim rule will establish a 1.32million pound commercial quota for gag

and require operators of federally permittedGulf of Mexico commercial and for hirereef fish vessels to comply with the morerestrictive of federal or state reef fish regu-lations when fishing in state waters forred snapper, greater amberjack, gray trig-gerfish and gag grouper.

ShrimpThe bay shrimpers have had minimal

catches in December. The size as well asthe quanity has been way down. Therehas been a slight increase in size lateDecember and we're hoping the nextmoon brings an even larger increase insize and catch. The offshore shrimpersare catching a tremendous amount ofshrimp but they have little size to them.In about three moons we should start tosee those huge U12's again. (that's under12 shrimp to a pound).

Blue CrabThe drought has not been kind to the

blue crab fisherman. This has been a ter-rible year. We need rain desperately. Weprobably won't see an abundance of crabsfor a while. This year we never really gota female run and the large jumbos havebeen scarce. The price has been steady,but of course the demand is always highfor what isn't around. The average crab-ber is bringing in about 100 to 140 lbsof catch per 250 traps. Let's hope in2009 the crabs show back up. We are duefor a good year.

Thank you for supporting the localfisherman throughout 2008 and have ahappy and healthy 2009. Please stop byPeace River Seafood and enjoy a greatlocally caught meal or just to chat withthe local fisherman!! Call 505-8440

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! Open WaterView Room for RV! Keys stylestilt home, 2/2, 25 min to gulf,3000sf+ total, 4 car parking, RVpad, Boat Lift & davits. List Price$369,000.

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! 171 Feet ofDeep Sailboat Waterfront HarborViews, Immediate Access, WaterViews in every room! A 3/2/2,Pool & 1582sf Air .$339,000.

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! Waterfront -Incredible views of open basin,perfectly located sailboat poolhome- 5 minutes out! Open floor-plan with master BR that has a180 degree view water! $449,000.

Call the Captain!Call the Captain! Extraordinary details, custombuilt and high end upgrades. Stunningly set uponBeautiful intersecting canals in both directions.Offers 3/2.5/2, pool, 2420sf air, built “2000” $569,000

Call the Captain!Call the Captain! AbsolutelyGorgeous Large Pool Home with LuxuryAppointments Throughout!! A 3/2/2 withdesigner kitchen, granite counters, woodcabinets just to start. List Price $299,900

Call the Captain!Call the Captain! Wide OpenFloor Plan - Wide Open WaterView and Completely Updated!A 4/3/1 with 2506sf air.

Call the Captain!Call the Captain! Magnificent4/2/2, pool, apprx. 2000sf, openfloor plan, new granite kitchen& a wide water view.

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! $479,000Beautiful views and a milelong list of features andupdates. 3/2/2, Pool, 1894sfair, “1991” with full 100’ ofdock!

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! One Of TheNicest Country Homes! Beautifulmodern home in new conditionon 2.5+ acres overlooking apond. 4/2/2, 2239sf air, sepa-rate 900sf garage. $269,900.

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! BeautifulRenovations have been made onthis deep Sailboat Waterfronthome. A 3/2/2 with Pool, 1509sfair and many upgrades.

Call the Captain!Call the Captain! $379,900 Super nice DeepSailboat Waterfront home in one of the nicest sectionson PGI. A 3/2/2 with Pool, 1770sf air, “1981”, manyupgrades and in one of the nicest sections of PGI.

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! OversizeDeep Sailboat WF Home! Manyupgrades, 4/3/2, 2773sf Air,built1980. Two master bedrooms. Per4fect for sailor, 5 minto Charlotte Harbor, an 18,000#cradle lift & 2 docks. $429,000

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! BeautifulCountry Home Situated inLuxurious Woodland Estates! A4/3/3 with a pool, 2800sf air,“1996” on ¾ of an acre. This is avery special home! $349,900.

SOLD! Waterfront 2600sf!

Lake SuzyPirate Harbor

PGI Deep Sailboat Waterfront

$269,000 oversizeWaterfront Home

Exquisite PGI Waterfront!

Pirate Harbor

Punta Gorda IslesPort Charlotte WF

Woodland EstatesCountry Estate

Harbor Views

150ʼ Sailboat WF/4 Car Garage.

Call the Captain!Call the Captain!Absolutely oneof the finest most Beautiful homesin Lake Suzy and priced wellbelow the rest. A Truly MagnificentHome! A 3/2/2, Pool, 2053sf Air,“2003”. Priced $ 269,995

Not many blue crabs, like this monsterfrom a couple of years back.

The following was gIven to Kelly Beal bythe14-year old son of a commercial fisherman

By: Stormy Phanco 11/21/08 It was a beautiful fall day, or what I wouldcall a beautiful day. The wind wasscreaming a northwester. The waves inCharlotte Harbor were pounding. Thewhite caps were crashing over and over.It was the day, the day the mullet wouldrun. It was now or never. I went to myboat that was tied up at the fish house.My heart was pumping fast and my bloodwas boiling though my veins. I jumped onmy Barnhill and ran it out through theshell cut, out to find the school, theschool of mullet. There in front of me Isaw them jumping and flipping headingfor Boca Grand Pass. I steered myBarnhill to the front of the school. I yelledback to my brother LET HER GO!!! I sur-rounded the school of mullet with my500yards of gill net. There must havebeen 5000 pounds, we started ropingthem on my boat and a large wave comeover the side of my boat and splashedme in the face. At that moment I woke up realizing it hadonly been a dream. A dream, thatʼs allcommercial fishing is any more. Sportfishermen, or Yankees as my grandfatherwould say, have taken my commercialfishing heritage away and I will neverhave that experience again.

NO ONE HASA BETTER IDEA The coun-ty is dredging nice clean sand fromAlligator Creek and having to pay to haveit hauled away. Up the harbor, at PortCharlotte Beach Complex, the county isbuying clean sand to fill in the beach. Thebeach needs filling in because it has asteep drop off and the sand falls into thechannel after the channel is dredged. Thechanel has to be dredged because itleads to the boat ramp. The materialdredged from there is too dirty to reuse. PUBLIX REEF Officer Nick Priceobserved a vessel travelling under abridge loaded with four shopping carts.Officer Price was able to locate the vesselon the water, but it was without the carts.His investigation and interviews revealedthe carts had been dumped into the waterto create an artificial reef.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY Officer JasonSemeyn conducted a fisheries inspectionon a commercial skiff in the IntracoastalWaterway. The vessel contained approxi-mately 1,500 pounds of mullet on ice.There was a locked box on the stern ofthe skiff that contained a wet 1,890square foot seine net. The net was acombination of four seine nets that werezippered together. The operator wasissued a citation for violation of transit.The net and fish were seized and the fishwere sold for nearly $600.HEAVY LOAD Officer Robert OʼHoro waspatrolling in the El Jobean area when heobserved an angler walking on the side-walk of the bridge, carrying a white bucketthat appeared to be heavy. As OfficerOʼHoro approached the angler, the anglerput the bucket down near the side of the

walkway and then began to walkaway. Officer OʼHoro instructed theindividual to stop, but the individualcontinued walking. Officer OʼHorowas able to catch up to the individ-ual and after several minutes ofconversation, they returned to thebucket, which contained eight com-mon snook that were all undersize.The individual was transported toCharlotte County Jail where hereceived a citation for over the baglimit and undersize snook.AN OFFICIAL LIE Lieutenant BruceCooper concluded an investigationinto the theft of a trophy 9-point deer headthat was stolen from an FWC check sta-tion. The hunter had left the trophy deerat the check station, to be caped formounting, while he continued hunting forthe afternoon. When the hunter returned,the check station operator advised thehunter that an animal must have drug thetrophy deer head off into the woods. Not

believing the story, the hunter requestedan investigation into the incident. Duringthe investigation, Lieutenant Cooperreceived information that the head was ina local freezer and was going to be takento South Carolina for mounting. A searchof the freezer revealed the stolen deerhead. Subsequent interviews revealed thecheck station operator had stolen thedeer.


The Deadly Dozen : Charlotte HarborThe Deadly Dozen : Charlotte Harbor FISHING GUIDESFISHING GUIDES

Capt. Bart Marx, USCG Licensed & Insured Light Tackle Fishing Charlotte Harbor & SW Florida

(941) 255-3551 www.alphaomegacharters.com

email:[email protected] Day & Full Day trips.

SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated, But Often True

ChartersOffshore Fishing Trips: 1/2 day • 8hr • 10 hr • 12 hr

We help put your charters togetherShark, Tarpon, Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish, and MORE!

Nighttime Trips AvailableCapt. Jim OʼBrien USCG 50 ton license since 1985

Bus: 941-475-5538 Res: 941-473-2150

CaptainRobertMooreWhen you absoloutely positivelywant to catch fish

(941) 624-5710www.captRobertMoore.com

offshore/backcountry

Thanks to the residents of PGI and Port Charlottefor lighting their canals for the holiday season.This may have been the best year yet!

F i s h i n gF i s h i n gR e p o r tR e p o r tCharlotte Harbor:Robert at Fishin' FranksPort Charlotte: 625-3888

Another weird month. The weatherjust can’t make up it’s mind and its mak-ing fishing tricky.

Lets start with trout . Trout seasonopens on the first and there are plentyof them around. Trout are fun for boththe shore fishermen and the boat fisher-men. If the weather cools off look forthem in the deeper sand holes, in thetroughs and channels. Alligator Creekis good for trout as is Turtle and Bull

Bay. El Jobean pier and the PlacidaTrestle are good places to shore fish forthem. Trout are a great fish to learn orpractice with artificials on. They willhit about anything: DOA shrimp, pad-dle tail baits or jerk baits will all workon trout. Of course, shrimp live or dead,under a poppin cork will almost alwaysget a trout.Sheepshead are still plentiful

around Placida and at the phosphatedock. The warmer weather has kept themsouth and as it cools off they will moveup into the harbor, to the oyster bars inthe bays and to the Alligator Creek reef.

Fiddler crabs are the best bait, butfrozen sand fleas and small shrimpfished around structure or oysters willbring sheepshead.

Throughout the winter redfi s h willstart getting smaller. This will be thetime to practice using circle hooks. Thesmaller little redfish will tend to swal-low the j hooks every time. Out aroundthe fish houses in the bays and alongthe west wall are good places to sightcast the sand holes with live shrimp ora jerk bait. Cut ladyfish and cut sardineswill produce the bigger redfish.

Bigger snapper and grouper arestarting to move into the passes fromthe near shore reefs. Drift fishing in thepasses is the best. A live small pinfish

or whitebait on the hook will work verywell. Live shrimp are of course alsogood. On the Novak and Trembly reefs,places that get fished very heavy, theway to get fish is to downsize to 30- or40-pound main line with a 30- to 40-pound flouro leader 6 feet long.Chumming on those public reefs will bevery productive to bring out those shyfish. Some of those wrecks will holdmangs up to 5 pounds and gags andreds to 15 pounds

Continued on faci ng page


Capt. Angel Torres reports fishing was great offshore, when the wind coopperated.

Fabricat ion • Spot Repairs Fabricat ion • Spot Repairs Major Structural RepairsMajor Structural Repairs

Professional Qual i ty Awl Grip Finishes Professional Qual i ty Awl Grip Finishes Gel Coat • Detai l ing and Brightwork Gel Coat • Detai l ing and Brightwork

Free Est imates • Mobi le ServiceFree Est imates • Mobi le ServiceM a r i n e H a r d w a r e , Q u i c k s i l v e r P r o d u c t sM a r i n e H a r d w a r e , Q u i c k s i l v e r P r o d u c t s

1 7 2 6 1 7 2 6 S t e a d l y Av eS t e a d l y Av eP u n t a G o r d aP u n t a G o r d a

CustomWork is Our

Special ty

S h o p 9 4 1 - 5 7 5 - 8 9 1 4S h o p 9 4 1 - 5 7 5 - 8 9 1 4H o m e 2 3 5 - 2 2 4 3H o m e 2 3 5 - 2 2 4 3www.al l f iberglassrepairs.com www.al l f iberglassrepairs.com

Scott Steffe Owner Scott Steffe Owner

Mercury Inboard / OutboardMercury Inboard / OutboardService and Repairs Service and Repairs WEʼll make it RUN!WEʼll make it RUN!

F i s h i n gF i s h i n gR e p o r tR e p o r tc o n t i n u e dc o n t i n u e d .The farther out you go lookfor natural bottom and youwill get into the yel lowtai l ,lane, porgy and trigger-fish. They are all out thereright now.

Lemon Bay:Jim at Fishermen’s Edge,Englewood:697-7595Redfish have been good, mostly on

artificials and shrimp. There have beena lot of fish over the slot in the water alittle north of the Tom Adams Bridgeor in the bayou south of Boca Grande.Guys are doing really well on nice red-fish. There has also been quite a bit ofgood trout fishing Guys are fishingtrout on topwater in the morning orshrimp in the daytime.

The water has been real clear andyou can see the trout around the pot-holes.

We’ve had plenty of sheepsheadaction. They started to really bite abouta week and a half ago. Maybe when thewater got a little cooler that’s why thefish turned on. Guys I know limitedout on bigger fish day after day.

There is still some Pompanoaround and a lot of whiting on thebeach. There have been some nicecobia offshore along with snapperand grouper. It’s all happening now. Ihad a guy bring me 4 grouper filletsand 2 mangrove snapper fillets hecaught the other day – if they are giv-ing fish to me they are catching a lotof them. I think there is just a lot offish around.

Offshore, at 100 feet you can hardlyget through the big snappers out here

to get a hook on the bottom. The otherday on a charter to the Bayronto wreckthe big amberjacks were around. Nicebig fish. They’ll wear you out.

Lastly, snook have been in thecanals, in the Boca bayou under theboat docks, and over on the MyakkaRiver where guys are reporting catchingdecent fish under the docks.

I’ve had some freshwater guys doingsome stuff around here too. Crappie,bluegi l l and Myan cycl ids are allhitting on smaller spinner baits andflies right now. Those are just fun fishto play with on a light 4-pound rig.

That’s all I know in the way of fish-ing. Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Therewere some small tarpon caught up inCoral Creek, last week, not a ton ofthem, but a few.

C a l e n d a r C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t so f E v e n t s

� Jan 8, Boating Safety and Seamanship, US CoastGuard Auxiliary Flotilla 87, Lemon Bay Park, Englewood,6:30 PM. Subsequent sessions from 7—9 PM on Mondayand Thursday evenings.Registration $40/individual and $65/couple to cover the cost of materials. 941-697-9435 Alsovisit the Flotilla website at http://coastguardenglewood.com � Jan 20: Reef Fish Gear Rules for snowbirds. If youaren’t up to speed on the changes that took place this pastsummer this is for you. Laish,ey Marina. 6 p.m. Free!� Jan 21: Seminar: local boating hotspots for cruis-ing, dining, anchoring out, and having fun on the water!Captains A. Andre Spalvins and E. Taylor MacPherson, witha humorous, informative presentation. Call: 941-408-8288. � Jan 22-25: Port Charlotte Boat ShowCountyFairgrounds� Jan 24: Flatsmasters Qual i fier tournament, HarpoonHarry’s, 637-5953� Feb 16: CCA Banquet and Auction, CharlotteEvents Center, 6 p.m., For information / reservationscall 505-1344� March 28: Grady White Captain’s & FirstMate’s Symposium and Boat Show, CharlotteEvent and Confrence Center 941-347-8086� April 25: Water LIFE Kids Cup Tournament, Fishermen’s Village, PuntaGorda 766-8180� April 30: Redfish Cup, Net Gains Kids fishing program and seminar,Laishley Park.� May 1-3: Redfish Cup, Punta GordaSend your event calendar information to: [email protected]

The BIG-4The BIG-4 Fish to expect in JanuaryFish to expect in January

REDFISH: Bigger fish by theIntracoastal, smaller fisharound the harbor islands

SHEEPSHEAD: around theintracoastal. moving up theharbor as it cools off

SNAPPER: Reportedlythick offshore in 30 to 60feet of water

TROUT In the deeper cutsand potholes if itʼs cold, onthe grass flats when its warm

FishingFishingRIGHT NOW:RIGHT NOW:

Great!Great!


20092009KIds CupKIds CupApril 25.April 25.

ApplicationsApplicationsonline Jan 1online Jan 1

Gary Diener and jack from Burnt Store canals.


Water LIFE Jan 2009

Documents

wa t e r

e n talwaysalwaysfree

d s c u p t o u r n

manatee madness

manatee planit

lemon baycharlotte harbor

robert mooreport charlotte

ron blagocharlotte harbor