Water LIFE May 2005

Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay FloridaCharlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay FloridaFREE!FREE!

FREE!FREE!w w ww w w . C H A R L O T T E H A R B O R M A G A Z I N E . C O M. C H A R L O T T E H A R B O R M A G A Z I N E . C O M

Wa t e rWa t e r L I F EL I F EKeeping Boaters andKeeping Boaters and Fishermen Informed May 2005Fishermen Informed May 2005

The Fishy FacesThe Fishy Facesof Charlotteof Charlotte

HarborHarborBarefoot FishinʼBarefoot Fishinʼ

Page 6Page 6

Offshore ReportOffshore ReportPage 23Page 23

KIds CupKIds CupUUpdatepdate Page 18Page 18

TournamentTournamentRound UpRound Up Page 11Page 11

REAL ESTATEREAL ESTATETRENDS:TRENDS:

WATERFRONTWATERFRONTPROPERTYPROPERTY

SOLDSOLDPage 18Page 18

Live BaitLive BaitFishingFishing Page 27Page 27

P a g e 2 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E M a y 2 0 0 5

By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE editorLuck, it is said, is a finite quantity.

We each come into this world at birthwith our given allotment and throughevents and happenings in our lives wedraw on that reservoir of luck deplet-ing it until one day something hap-pens and people then say “well hisluck just ran out.” During one tourna-ment last month, Matt Anderson andEric White made a significant with-drawal from their luck account.Things started out normal enough

with dinner and the captain’s meeting.The boys were dressed in their teamshirts and Matt’s 18-foot ActionCraftsat fueled up at the dock, it’s 200horsepower Yamaha HPDI ready forthe task. The boys left GasparillaMarina shortly after the 8p.m. shot-gun start and headed south in theGasparilla Sound.They are both seasoned fishermen andexperienced tournament anglers. Theyare also both 16 years old. “We fisheda little, and boated three reds rightaway,” Matt said. Then they headedinto Whidden Creek to look for morefish. They were now running the shal-lows, in the shadows, just before dark.Matt describes what happened next:

“We came up out of a hole and headedto Catfish Creek, we had it (the motor)

trimmed up high, we were throwing abig rooster tail, but there is this big ‘Scurve’ bend,” Matt says, showing theshape of the curve by using his fore-arm and cupped hand while tracing theboat’s path.“We started to make the turn and

then the steering quit,” Matt said. “Isaw a little oil leak in it before,” headded. Motor trimmed way up? Big roos-

ter tail? Sharp turn? “I bet the steer-ing came back when you finally gotthe boat back on the water,” I said, andMatt answered, “Yeah ... it did.”Of course, in actuality, there wasn’t

enough prop and skeg in the water tomake the boat turn, but they weren’tthinking about mechanics at the timethey were looking for fish and the bigprize. Later, at the weigh in, the boysrealized the problem, but the nightbefore the two boys only knew theywanted the boat to go left and it wasgoing straight.“It was like a dream,” Eric said. He

was the one at the controls. “I didn’teven have time to get off the throttle.We just ducked behind the console andcrashed.”The boat penetrated the mangroves

so far that the stern was 20 feet intothe trees. “It looked like a duck in anest,” Eric said. “We were almost

thrown out.” The boys estimated theywere going 45 mph at the time theylost control. The boat is capable of 60.“It scared the crap out of both of us,”Matt said.Stuck in the trees, night falling,

the wind picking up, they got on thephone. “I called the Coast Guard, Icalled Sea Tow, I called everybody,”Matt said, but it was my Uncle Jeff,he was the one who finally came andgot us. Jeff Anderson said the boys called

him around 9 p.m. “Come and get us,”Matt said. “We’re screwed!”Jeff managed to get to the boys but

by then the tide was going out quick.The next morning he used a come-along to pull the boat back far enoughfor another boat to drag them out.“I was up all night worrying,”

Matt’s mother Rebecca said, addingthat both boys had passed the CoastGuard’s safe boating course.So this story ends happily. The

boys didn’t have a scratch. The boat’sOK and they even managed to get aredfish the following morning andbring it to the weigh–in.This tale speaks volumes to the

strength of the ActionCraft productand to the allotment of good luck theseboys were given at birth. They shouldthank God for that.

M a y 2 0 0 5 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 3

A Significant Withdrawal

The morning after, Eric White reports on the extraction progressby phone while Matt Anderson looks through the water for anylost or overlooked equipment. The two 16-year olds, fishing inthe CBCA tournament, ran into the mangroves off Catfish Creekin the dwindling twilight of the night before.


Water LIFEMichael and Ellen Heller

Publishers(941) 766-8180

TOTALY INDEPENDENTWater LIFE is not affiliated

with any newspaper or otherpublication

© 2005 Vol V No. 3 Water LIFENo part of this publication may be

copied or reproduced without the writ-ten permission of the publishers

Contributing Editors:Fishing / Environment: Capt. Ron BlagoCharlotte Harbor: Capt. Robert Moore

Gasparilla: Capt. Chuck EichnerPort Charlotte: Fishinʼ Frank

Offshore: Capt. Steve SkevingtonTechnical Advisor: Mike Panetti

Sailing Advisor: Bill DixonLemon Bay: Don Cessna

Kayaks: David AllenLocal: Capt. Andrew Medina

on the COVER:Capt. Steve Skevington snapped this

happy angler with an AJ on the gaff on anApril offshore trip. See page 23

on our WEBSITE:WWW.charlotteharbormagazine.com

Tide Graphs: For Punta Gorda, ShellPoint, El Jobean, Pine Island, Matlacha,Redfish Pass, and Lemon Bay.Weather: Links to all of our favorite weath-er and radar web-sites.Back editions: Pages of previous editionsArtificial Reefs: Lat. and Long. for 24 localartificial reefs Manatee Myths: Read the original plan tocreate sanctuaries and refuges, as spelledout by the United Nations in 1984Links to Realtors: Connect with ourrealestate advertisers

WRITE US!e-mail (preferred)

[email protected] Regular MAIL:

217 Bangsberg Rd. Port Charlotte, FL 33952

CMRT

SUBSCRIBE to Water LIFEHave us mail your copy anywhere in the U.S.A. for $18 / YearName _______________________________________________Address _____________________________________________City _______________________________ State ____________Zip ____________________

Credit Card _________________________________________ ExpDate_________ 5/05

Out-of-the-area mailsent First Class

Local zip codes sentas Bulk Mail

HEADED NORTH? HEADED NORTH? ... ... Take Us Along!Take Us Along!

Fill out (please print) and Mail to: Water LIFE217 Bangsberg Rd, Port Charlotte, FL, 33952

Check one:o Payment included: make check payable

to Water LIFEor Bill my

o Visa o M/C account

Now Just $18for 12 monthly editions

SUBSCRIPTIONFORM

Dear Water LIFE, We live in the

Southern tip of SarasotaCounty on the water and weappreciate getting the factsabout what is going on inCharlotte Harbor and LemonBay. We fish some, but weare mainly recreationalboaters. We especiallyenjoyed your articles titled"Dim Sun is not ChineseFood," and "Who isResponsible for Red Tide?"

When my wife servedon the Myakka RiverPlanning Advisory Councilfor the CountyCommissioners, she empha-sized decisions being madebased upon private propertyrights and upon science –proven scientific evidence.We found that the localdaily paper could not orwould not report correctlywhat she said at the meet-ings. They twisted herwords to fit their own liber-al anti- growth and emotion-al political agenda. We havealso experienced the sameliberal bent by the NewYork Times owned otherlocal newspaper.

Since you started WaterLIFE, we have discontinuedsubscribing to both local"news" papers. We relyupon you for the real andaccurate information aboutwhat is going on in ourlocal fishing and recreationalarea. We too are fed upwith the self-serving bullfrom Club Manatee andtheir uninformed radicalcohorts in the local "news"papers.

We have lived here inparadise for a long time andwe think that the anti-growth movement is ridicu-lous and very un-americanand counter productive. Weappreciate the job you aredoing. Hopefully truth, sci-entific fact, and commonsense will someday prevailand overcome the unin-formed liberals' hype andemotionalism! Thank youfor your excellent alternativepublication available to us.Keep up the excellence inreporting!Budd G. & Nancy HegeleTarpon Point, Venice

Letter To Water LIFE

“I Guess Sex Does Sell,” the e-mail sent to us by our own Capt.Robert Moore said and the link to the attached website for ReactionInnovations was attached. On line we had a look at their new productsnamed with various adult oriented themes.

Itʼs Baaaaack!Fishin ̓Franks annualspring Shark, Stingray andSailcat tournament625-3888 for info

Sign out Sat afternoon June 11, FISH ALL NIGHT and thenbe back at Franks with your catch Sunday morning June 12


Marine Debris Cleanup ForecastBy Betty StauglerWater LIFE There are a number of factors that havecomplicated marine cleanup efforts, withfunding being up at the top of the list.Charlotte County is responsible forcleanup efforts within the man madecanals in unincorporated CharlotteCounty. The Southwest Florida WaterManagement District (SWFWMD) hasbeen charged with cleanup efforts in theharbor and its tributaries .

Charlotte County and SWFWMD havereceived funding from the NaturalResource Conservation Service (NRCS)for cleanup within the canals and tributar-ies. Funding from FEMA will support theSWFWMD cleanup. The difference infunding source results in a difference inwhat is considered ʻeligible marine debris.ʼNRCS funding will cover all marine debris.FEMA funding will only cover debris thatposes a risk to human health or naviga-tion. Regardless of funding source,derelict vessels are not considered marinedebris. Derelict vessels are the responsi-bility of the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission (FWC).

County and SWFWMD cleanup effortswill start in Alligator Creek and its canals.Charlotte County anticipates crews beingon site by May 1st. SWFWMD is shootingfor May 16th to have crews in the creekitself. County and SWFWMD cleanup willfocus on the Peace River area next.SWFWMD anticipates a May 30 start datethere. A start date for the County was notavailable at the time of this writing due toa change in contractor. After the PeaceRiver, SWFWMD will focus on AlligatorBay, Shell Creek, Prairie Creek and LeeBranch (in that order). The County willfocus on the Port Charlotte canals, theSouth Gulf Cove canals and Pirate Harborcanals (in that order). A schedule for theharbor cleanup was not available at thetime of writing. The harbor cleanup isconsidered a separate project from thetributaries, so it will likely occur concurrentwith the tributary and canal efforts.

It should be noted that upon comple-tion of the cleanup efforts, there will stillbe some remaining debris that contractorscould not reach with their equipment.This will leave ample opportunities forcommunity based cleanup efforts. If youor your group is interested in conducting acleanup, Charlotte Countyʼs KeepCharlotte Beautiful, Inc. can help withlogistics. Call Glenda Anderson at KCB(941) 764-4390 if you plan to go out.

Betty Staugler can be reached for marineextension information at (941) 764-4346

By Capt. Ron BlagoWater LIFE Senior Guide Hurricane Charlie has come and gone; an

estimated 50,000 truckloads of debris havebeen removed from land, but there is still a lotmore work to be done especially when it comesto cleaning up our waterways. Initial reportswere pretty bleak. Stories of downed trees, alu-minum roofs, sheds, smashed up docks andsunken boats plugging up the waterways werecoming in from around the county. The firstcost estimate to clean up the waterways wasput at between $8 and $32 million; most ofthat to come from federal disaster funds. It's funny the things you learn after a hurri-

cane. The most traitorous junk that ended up inthe water were all the solar collectors that blewoff people's roofs. They float just about a footunder the surface and because they're black,they're almost invisible. Local officials got off to a good start with

the City of Punta Gorda, thanks to a $50,000grant and an already established canal mainte-nance program, they were the first to startcleaning up their waterways. Charlotte Countyofficials had a more difficult job because of thelarger scale of destruction. A plan was made toattack the problem in three stages. The firststage was to clean out the freshwater canal sys-tem first. The second stage was to work on thecanal systems that had major man made debrisproblems. The third stage was to work on themain areas in the harbor making sure thewaters are safe for navigation. The county, realizing the massive size, the

number of organizations involved and the costof this operation put together a task force to

coordinate and review the clean up. I'm sorry toreport that this task force comprised of Federal,State, Regional and Local officials has noteven had their first meeting, or even picked achairperson let alone coordinate anything. Despite the coordination problems, some

clean up work has begun. Charlotte CountyPublic Works Department and the countySheriffs Department have been identifying anddragging out debris in problem areas. TheMarine Advisory Commission has voted toallocate their entire 2006 budget of approxi-mately $500,000 to the waterway cleanup. On a regional basis, the Southwest Florida

Water Management District (SWFMD or swift-mud) has been given the responsibility of coor-dinating the clean up in Alligator Creek, PeaceRiver, Shell Creek, and Prairie Creek.SWFMD is under the gun to get the job start-ed because FEMA says it will stop fundingthese projects on August 13. Apparently initialcost estimates for the clean up were way off themark. The cost is now pegged at $3 to $8 mil-lion dollars. One good thing is that localshrimpers who ‘drag’ the harbor are not snag-ging as much debris in their nets as was firstexpected. This could mean there is not as muchjunk down their as first thought, but a requestfor finances to do side scan sonar scanning wasdenied. A lot of cleaning up has already been done

by property owners, and boating clubs who gottired of waiting for government help, someeven paying to have the junk hauled to thedump. By my count there are 12 separate gov-ernment organizations that share the responsi-bility for helping clean our waterways. Most

have stepped up and are doing a good job; two,I feel, have really let us down. The biggest threat we have right now to

boater safety is sunken boats. This is the soleresponsibility of the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission. They have done aterrible job getting rid of these boats. They saythey have no money which is not surprisingbecause they did a lousy job with derelict ves-sels before the hurricane. It’s time they find themoney to do their job or get someone else todo the job for them. These boats have got togo. The ‘totally incompetent’ award goes to the

Federal Fish and Wildlife Service, the folkswho installed 118 manatee protection signs inthe Peace River. If you remember, a few yearsago they rushed to install these signs to avoida $20,000 a week fine by a federal judge in thefamous Save the Manatee Club lawsuit. It nowappears the pilings were not put in deepenough so many of them blew over during thehurricane adding greatly to the debris and safe-ty hazards. Now they have to go back andremove the old piling and replace them withnew ones. So far the FWS and their mentors atthe SMC have cost us taxpayers about$500,000 for these silly signs. So far in 2005with the signs down, there have been no man-

SUNKEN BOATSSUNKEN BOATS litter area waterwayslitter area waterwaysProspects for Removal are DimProspects for Removal are Dim


By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE EditorThe plan was to head out mid morning,

but when I called my friend Capt. RalphAllen at 9 a.m. he told me he had an elec-trical problem with one of his charterboats and had to trailer it up to IngmanMarine to get things sorted out. Around11:30 Ralph called back and said they hadit figured out. “Let’s meet in an hour,” headded, and at 12:30 we were idling myboat out of the marina at Fishville. We made small talk as we moved over

to the channel markers where we plannedto get bait. “I had some electrical prob-lems myself, yesterday,” I told Ralph,explaining that my two year old batterywouldn’t hold a charge any more and that Ihad just installed a new 1000 amp-er. Two

coincidental electrical problems we agreed,not thinking, for the moment at least, thatbad things usually come in threes.Ralph readied the net and I went about

setting up the big forward livewell,installing the overflow pipe and openingthe seacock that empties the well’s inch-and-a half drain. Then I went to the con-sole and switched on the forward pump....Nothing. I popped the pump out of itsholder and tried it. The impeller was frozensolid. Rats. I hate Red Head pumps! I popped the aft pump out of it’s hous-

ing and plugged it into the forward pump’sspot. Switch on and the water was flow-ing. OK we’re good to go. We’re not big on chumming, especially

when you can get bait without it, so Iidled the boat down current alongsidemarker No. 6 and Ralph threw the net.First marker: two threadies. On to the nextone. Next, marker, nothing, on to the nextone. Again nothing. On to the next one.Bingo! maybe 100 pieces. We made one

more pass on that marker, throwing intothe shadow on the down-current side andwe had bait. Not plenty, but enough. Ourmeasurement is, if you can’t see the bot-tom of the well you probably have enoughbait. If you can’t see the sides you haveplenty. We had just enough.So off we went, headed for the wasted

West Wall of the harbor, the place whereonce lush green overhanging mangrovesare now a white stripe of bare wind blastedtrunks.“My dad was telling me that down in

Pine Island he has figured out that the fewremaining green tufts of mangroves are thespots where the fish are holding,” Ralphsaid as we crossed the open water. I didn’tanswer since my fishfinder had quit and Iwas busy wiggling the plugs on the backto see if I could get it to come back on.

Still, I made a mental note of the tip.The wind was out of the southwest and

the tide would be turning soon so we head-ed south, inside the bar to Cape Haze,where we planned to turn around and begina drift-and-pole scenario fishing our wayback to the north. We circled around about a quarter mile

north of the Cape and I flipped thebaitwell hatch open. Agaaah! No waterwas flowing. Damn pump. I went back tothe bilge and fiddled with the wires andpulled the pump again but it was dead andthe circuit breaker was blown. The baitwas all fine since my boat picks up watervery well when it is moving, but now,with a well full of threadies and sardineswe were in trouble. Ralph grabbed thebucket, filled it and dumped it in the well

while I took the dip net and began movingsome of the captives to the aft well whichhas an inlet that flows in through a holein the transom. Sardines are hardy, but thethreadies are weak and they don’t do wellwithout ample water circulating. Thiscould be a problem.We drifted and poled our way ahead to

the first green tuft. Ralph rigged up a baitand made a few casts while I dumpedanother bucket of water into the forwardwell. Then while I rigged up, Ralph landedthe first snook, a nice legal fish of aboutsix pounds. Ralph unhooked his fish andwhile I made my first few casts he dumpedanother bucket of water into the well andtook out a handful of bait and broadcast itacross the front of the little green bushyspot we were on. Then we waited. Smack,splash, thrash. There were fish here. And so it went, from about 1 p.m.

until well after six. We didn’t move anoth-er 100 yards and we took turns dumping atleast 100 buckets of water into thelivewell at three minute intervals.Our bait stayed alive and we caught fish

– plenty of fish, of every type and speciesavailable. There was that first snook andseveral others of varying sizes. There weretrout, really big trout and some just aver-age ones – the snook were at the bushes,the trout were out in the middle of theslough. We had a nice flounder abouthalfway in between and several nice red-fish, including one 8 pound specimen allbrought out from under the green over-hangs we fished. There was a 7 poundjack that just wouldn’t quit, and althoughI am not so proud to say so, I had a sail-cat, bigger than any I can ever remembercatching, though I try not to remembercatching catfish at all if I can. And therewere a few hard head cats that Ralphcaught as well.That day the sun was shining and the

wind was pleasant and the fish were coop-erating. Maybe it was because there wereno baitwell pumps running, no man madenoise what so ever – it could be. But bestof all we were barefoot again, soaking itall up, fishing, and taking a break fromreality and enjoying it. There wasn’tanother boat around, save for some com-

mercial guys who motored by slowly,checking us out, and one flats boat headedsouth outside the bar. The fishing onCharlotte Harbor was back to normal andthe day doesn’t end any better than that.

Barefoot Fishinʼ The Fishy Face of Charlotte Harbor

This spot with its outfacing point and a small cover of green held all the fish seen here and more


P a g e 8 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E M a y 2 0 0 5By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE Inshore EditorAdventure is what fishing and boating

is all about. No two days on the water areever the same and an angler can usuallycount on challenges and experiences thatonly mother nature can provide. I alwaysmake a point to try new spots andexplore areas that I have never been. Thefar reaches of Charlotte Harbor and theneighboring areas of Pine Island Sound,Gasparilla and Lemon Bay are really notthat far away. The tangled course of nav-igation through countless mangroveislands and waterways hold an unlimitednumber of fishing spots. It’s up to thesavvy angler to decipher the mysteries ofwhere fish are holding and make themstretch your fishing line.This day was sure to be an adventure.

A captain always feels a certain amountof pressure to produce but on this day Iannounced we would be fishing newwater in hopes of catching primarilysnook and maybe a few reds. Therefore,no pressure to produce right? My client(I’ll call him ‘Short String’ for reasonssoon to be disclosed) didn’t completelyagree with this philosophy, but hey, Iwas the captain.At the dock I inspected my compan-

ions tackle. The reel had about 15 turnsof line on it and I asked if he was re-spooling because there certainly wasn’tenough line to get a decent cast. “No,

don’t worry about me,” was the response. Our fishing day started with catching

bait. Lady luck was with us because wepulled up on a shallow weedbed and saw thesign of silver flashes indicating pilchards.This hardy baitfish is easy to catch with asimple mixture of catfood, oats and othergoodies and we proved this true by placing300 baits in the well after a few casts of thenet, Hoping for a quick catch, we decided tofish a few mangrove islands a short ridefrom the bait. A quick trout came aboard anda curious redfish inspect our bait and thenthings got quiet. Moving again to a nearbyisland, also with no action, we were off insearch of new spots. Turning into an open water basin, we

idled around the perimeter and into the backend. To our surprise we found a sunkenhouse boat. Certainly a leftover from thehurricane. A simple rule for gamefish is thatthey like to position themselves to beinconspicuous to their prey. This is struc-ture fishing and in this case the sunken boatwas the structure. We anchored and tossed afew loose baits in the water and pitched ourbaits close to the boat. ‘Short String’ amaz-ingly cast up under an opening in the sternof the boat. A dangerous location, but verysnooky. Sure enough, his rod rears backwith a nice fish but the fish lunges into thewreck and cuts off a little more of the dwin-dling line he has left. A few more casts andwe both hook into snook in the 22-inchclass. ‘Short String’ brings the spot to aclose with a catfish and we move on. Anhour into the trip and we’ve got one pro-ductive new spot.Fishing close to the beach areas where

the clear blue gulf waters mix withCharlotte Harbor’s tannic brown was ournext frontier. I elected to fish docks in theclearer water on a strong outgoing tide.Pulling into the old Mercabo basin, loadedwith docks, we each flipped our lines underand into the shadows. Snook like this typeof structure. Each piling gives them anambush point and linesiders can chill in theshade on a sunny day. Sure enough wecaught several snook, mainly little guys,but again we found fish in a new area. Ourfishing methods were simple this day. Tenpound test line, connected to 20- or 30-pound leader and a 2/0 hook to which wenose hooked our bait. On occasion, I bellyhooked the pilchard which causes him todive. This was especially helpful around thedocks we fished as the bait would swimdeep under them.Relocating closer to the beach, we idled

past a sand island while deciding on whichdock to fish. As a fisherman, I enjoy scan-ning the bottom in shallow water areaslooking for clues to where fish might be.Going back to the structure concept, struc-ture, to a fish, can be a hard object like adock piling or it can be a softer, less obvi-ous object like a depression in a sand bot-tom. As we eased along in the current, Ispotted a darker green area in the sand flat

that indicated deeper water. Simply, thiswas a pothole. Gamefish will either posi-tion themselves on the outskirts of the holeand watch the middle or sit in the middle andwatch the outside edge. Anchoring upstreamon an outgoing tide in only 2 feet of water,we pitched our baits into the pothole andallowed our line to freely swim with thecurrent. Wham! Fish on I hollered with ahuge grin on my face. A powerful run froma beautiful snook and I worked him to theboat. Another reward for our day – a newspot that had fish. So, on it went. Aboutevery third drift into this pothole we had atake from a snook – this spot was loadedwith fish! Pleasure boaters and fishermanrode by as we held our rods low not to givenotice of our new hotspot. An interestingthing was that ‘Short String’ could fish thisspot as well as me, just letting line out aftera short cast. Easing out of this spot anddown the channel edge we looked for othersimilar spots and anchored above a prettyhole and cast out our baits. We each hookedup and lost a fish never knowing exactlywhat they were. No more bites here and weagain moved on, stopping along the waywith no action. About that time we spotteda snake swimming across a sand flat. It wasnot shy and came to us at boatside and posedfor the camera. As the afternoon waned, a stiff northwest

wind forced us to fish leeward islands.Picking a fishy spot is half knowledge andhalf luck. We idled a short piece looking atoverhanging mangroves and white sand-holes... everywhere looked good. Westopped at a point where the wind was push-ing at our backs and tossed a handful offrisky pilchards into sandholes. On thisspot we had a moving tide, a point, windwhich also creates water surface movementand sandholes in a grassy flat. Our rewardwas quick, with snook finding our free baitsan easy snack. We both cast and hooked andthen lost fish. Interestingly, we did this 6times before we finally landed one. The bitewas good and we boated several more snookand decided to again move. Idling a few hundred yards away, we

spotted a super looking spot. A huge sandhole about 50 feet long and 15 feet wide. Aswe anchored we saw baitfish fly into the airas bigger fish chased them wildly. I lookedat ole’ ‘Short String’ with eyes wide openand out went the lines. We waited and wait-ed for some action. This spot looked like asure thing, however nobody was home. Gofigure: such is fishing, so on we went. Wetested another new area with limited successand finished on a known spot that didn’tproduce at all. Charlotte Harbor had againshown us lots of fish and given us a hand-full of new spots. This place is still thebest!

Capt. Chuck Eichner is a local charter cap-tain. For information or to book a guided fish-ing trip call 941-505-0003 or go to his web-site:

1700 Gulf Blvd 1700 Gulf Blvd Enjoy fantasticEnjoy fantasticsunrises andsunrises andsunsets from thissunsets from thisbeautiful pentbeautiful pent--house condo onhouse condo onManasota Key. This Barefoot Beach 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bathManasota Key. This Barefoot Beach 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bathGulfside unit will be completed the end of May. Gulfside unit will be completed the end of May. Please call for additional information. MLS#430719Please call for additional information. MLS#430719

Beach & Waterfront SpecialistPhone: 941-474-9534 or 800-881-9534Cell: 941-416-1585e-mail: [email protected]

5000 Gasparilla Road – Beautifully furnished Village Home with all the amenities of the Boca Grande Club.Convenience of condominium living with spectacularviews from the roof top deck. Excellent rentalpotential. Must see. $775,000. MLS # 433386

JUST LISTED!! JUST LISTED!! No photo yet No photo yet Enjoy island living in this lovely2 bedroom 1+ bath condo withscreened lanai. This HolidayCondo on Manasota Key is justa short walk to the beach. Greatinvestment for only $274,900.

SUNRISE POINTE CONDOMINIUMS on ManasotaKey. Pre-construction prices for deluxe 2 bedroom 2 bathto 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath condos with Gulf and Bay views.These units have 10 foot ceilings, garages, private eleva-tors, large balconies and some boat docks.

This complex is directly across the street fromEnglewood Beach. Prices start in the low 700's. Call Pattoday to purchase your unit.

ChangingPlaces


S taff ReportEighty four

boats, three hundredin attendance.Partyin’, drinkin’carousing, a pigroast, live music,inshore fishin’ off-shore fishin, windsgusting to 30 knots,8 foot seas offshore,four footers in theharbor and a brawlafter the weigh in.It’s the CBCA, whatmore do you needtoo know?“It was absolutely

miserable,” the bigwinner, TomTreworgy, said of theweather, after layingon the hook all night90 miles offshoreand then taking 5hours to get back.But he was smilingas he weighed in a46 pound grouper.

The field had par-tied until 8 p.m atthe Captain’s meet-ing the night beforeand then took off tofish until 4:30 thefollowing afternoon. Everyone had a

story, but they allhad happy endings,even the one wheretwo 16-year olds rantheir boat into themangroves. And for 11 year

old Travis Allen itcouldn’t have beenbetter. It was hisbirthday and hebrought a 7 poundsnook back to thedock.

CBCACharlotte Builders and Contractors

ake a vacation that’s all about being on the water!

Rent a fully furnished luxurycondominium, villa, courtyardhome or an estate residence.Enjoy the comfortable, casualelegance of this resortcommunity within thefamous Port Charlotte Bay.Save 10% when you mentionWater Life Magazine. www.burnstoreresort.com • 877-276-3300

subject to availability; minimum stay may apply

T

RESULTSSnook: Water Proof Charts, 11.27Red Fish: Fin Chaser Boats, 9.15Trout: Tropical Const. Supply, 5.01Snapper: Treworgy Const., 15.9Grouper: Treworgy Constr., 46.02Jack: Treworgy Const., 30.22Bounty Fish Inshore: Cobia, MistletoeCharters, 13.18 Offshore Bounty: Flounder, Pro Air, 2.1

P a g e 1 0 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E M a y 2 0 0 5

By Capt. Andrew Medina Water LIFE Tournament Guide With the temperatures heating we are

well into spring and the action on ourlocal waters is heating up too. Snook arewell into the migration out towards thebeaches. Just about every grass flat, pot-hole or shoreline offers an almost a guar-anteed hook–up for a variety of differentspecies, all trying to get fat from a longwinters nap. With large pods of bait mov-ing into our harbor from the Gulf, theirare some very aggressive feeders such asjacks, ladyfish and now tarpon. The silverkings have been showing themselvesaround the Punta Gorda bridges at daybreak and just before dark. A lot of smallerfish are being caught in the canals aroundcolony point. These fish average 10 to 25-pounds – kind of light, but still a blast tocatch on light tackle. Anglers are alsoreporting that big jacks are now maraudingin the Isles canals. Some of these fishweighing up to 20-pounds. That’s a funfish to catch if you have an extra 20 min-utes to kill and these fish are willing toeat just about anything you throw in frontof them.

Redfish are still on both sides ofthe harbor, from Burnt Store into theGasparilla Sound, with some real nicesolid 7-pound fish and a lot of little fishmaking a showing around the mangroveshore lines south of Alligator Creek.Sometimes it will seem like the reds arereluctant to eat live bait, but with a 1⁄4ounce jig head and a nice piece of white-bait with his head pinched, no hog willrefuse an easy calling for dinner. With all the lady fish around, don’t be

scared to cut one up into about one-inchchunks, chunked ladyfish are the other

got-to-have redfish meal. Tarpon catches to the south near Pine

Island have been getting most of the atten-tion. Some captains have reported jump-ing 6 fish in a trip, on both light tackleand fly. Black or white tarpon ties havebeen doing well in the clear water potholes. The US 41 bridge will soon startproducing regular catches along with theMyakka area. The tarpon like the swiftcurrents and structure of the trestles, butthese fish can be very difficult to landwith all the obstructions. Also, the twentyfoot hole outside the river should hold fishsoon. It’s not uncommon in these placesto be fishing for tarpon and end up havingyour line peeled off by a nice size cobiawhich also like the deep pockets along thebridges. Larger thread fins, sugar trout orcut bait are the best baits to catch tarponand cobia along the bridges. Just remem-ber there is a bag limit and size limit oncobia. The fish has to be 33 inches to thefork of the tail and you are only allowedone fish per person per day. They eat a lotof crabs and small bait, but they will alsohit larger Bombers or Mirro Lures. I per-sonally prefer red and white in color, that’smy first choice – my ‘go-to’ lure. Thatcolor combo’ has never failed me.Artificials are also producing good catchesof reds and snook. Try using glow shrimp,or 5-inch jerk baits, watermelon and whiteare both producing real nice fish. Now youknow where and what they’re eating, allyou’ve got to do is get out and enjoysome of the Florida sun. Be safe on thewater and just have fun.Capt Andrew Medina can be reached

fo r fi s hi ng and charter i nfo at(941 )456 -1540 o r e-mai l him at

Mike and Arleene Franco with a 14-pound combined catch of redfish.

Screaming Reels: Happy Campers

Maintenance • RepairsHeaters • Pumps • Chemicals

Covers • Cleaners

Pool Sharks of Lemon Bay Inc3285 Placida Rd, Pelican PlazaEnglewood

(941) 698-9889We have been out catching bass allday! Joey once again out fished hisdad. This nice 6 lbs bass was caughtin a ʻsecret hole ̓in Rotonda

Please stop in and look over our fish-inʼ scrapbook

NaplesMay 9 thru 19

Cape CoralMay 2 thru 12

SarasotaMay 16 thru 26

KIDS CUP KIDS CUP July 16July 16Redfish TournamentRedfish Tournament

See Pages 16-18See Pages 16-18


New 3br, 2 1/2 bath units, some available 1st Quarter 2005. Great beach, great views:BAREFOOT BEACH:Unit 501 with partial Gulf view – $785,000Unit 303 direct Gulf front view – $1,050,000Call for additional details.THE PALMS:Unit 9 with partial Gulf view – $875,000BOULDER POINTEUnit 401, Penthouse – $1,550,000

New Gulf Front Condos on Manasota Key

Single FamilyGulf Front Home

Manasota KeyCondo

INCREDIBLE VIEWS on over 200 ft ofdirect Gulf beach frontage. Beautifullydesigned home in perfect shape with

4/5 bedrooms and dock on the Bay$3,325,000

(941) 474-9534(941) 474-9534Judy Kaff Judy Kaff (941) 830-0502(941) 830-0502

BeautifulCoral Creek

Doug & Judy Kaff

BEAUTIFUL CORAL CREEKEasy access to the intercoastal. 18000 sq ft lot with deeded dockspace in gated and deed restrict-ed community. $220,000

3 BEDROOM 2 BATH condo inA-1 shape just steps fromgreat beach on Manasota key,turnkey furnished...spaciousrooms and view of Gulf fromlanai....just $549,000...

TWO CONTIGUOUS LOTS, steps from great beach on Manasota Key. Offerred as oneparcel at $849,000. Owner will look at deferred closing for purposes of 1031 exchange.

Go To Cedar Key and bring your dogBy El lenHel ler WaterLIFE EditorAs is our

monthly rou-tine, Michaelcalled mefrom our endof AlligatorAlley, on hisway back from Ft. Lauderdale deliveries anda quick visit with his mother in Miami. Butinstead of the usual “I’ll see you in anhour,” I heard “Pack a bag! I don’t want tostop in Port Charlotte, let’s head north for acouple of days.” Anticipating my responsehe added, “Yes, Molly can come too.” Wewere all ready to get away from the destruc-tion still evident from Charlie and thesounds of yet another home being demol-ished. So an hour later we headed north on I-75

for some point unknown. Our plan was tofind a place where we could do some explor-ing, get some exercise and then kick backand read. By the time we reached Sarasota,we had narrowed it down to Gainesville orCedar Key. Since we’d never been to CedarKey that’s where we set our course. Theroute was straight forward. I-75 to exit 67,then west on 484 and north on 19 to Rt. 24to the turn off for Cedar Key. Time in route:4 hours and a little bit. The interstate wasabominable as usual, but once off thingschanged immediately. Rolling hills, endlessstretches of tree lined greenery, little if anytraffic and, best of all, no signs of hurricanedamage.

“Have a look at that,” my husband saidas we rolled into town just before sunset. Alife size statue of a beagle held a sign, “PetsWelcome!” It was the Faraway Inn on thewater and we checked in. Cedar Key is a zone of transition. For

years it has been a fishing village, nestledoffshore about 100 miles north of Tampa,part of a small string of keys stretching intothe Gulf. After Florida banned gill nettingthe fishermen here, like the fishermen inCharlotte Harbor learned to be commercialclam farmers. Between clams and blue crabsthe fishing community seems to have sur-

vived, with clam slides and crab traps inmany of the house’s back yards. There arefunky docks with years of history behindthem, little coves and back yard marinaseverywhere. We decided it was a mix of PineIsland, Placida and the Florida Keys back inthe 60’s. Generations of working fishermenwith mullet skiffs and airboats farm themany shallow inshore flats and muddy baysthat surround the area. Cedar Key is a walker’s dream with

authentic victorian houses, stilted fishcamps, tree lined streets and just enoughrolling hills to make the walks healthy andthe views grand. Rhodadendrons and bridalwreath were in glorious bloom where everwe went and the townspeople were pleasantand pet friendly. In contrast there are alsostark glass and cement condos now bloom-ing in the mix. The real estate prices reflect-ing the coming of so called ‘mainland civi-lization’ to an area that had been peacefullyasleep for the last 150 years.

On our first day out we walked twomiles from our hotel and discovered thelocal cemetery. Cemeteries are a link to anyarea’s past and at Cedar Key we found moreevidence of the area’s fishing history andsouthern attitudes. Grave stones dating backto the early 1800s, ancient rounded cryptsand an abundance of children’s graves spokeof desolation and tough times. Graves hadoutlines of fishing boats, anchors, nets andrebel flags. Fishing as a way of life has endured and

continues to thrive. In addition, the cedargroves on Cedar Key led to a prosperouspencil manufacturing industry and duringthe Civil War it was an outpost and aprison, but after the war it went right backto being a fishing community. Our ‘digs’ at the Faraway Inn were clean

and pleasant. A two room cottage completewith an equipped kitchen, 27 inch TV,VCR, tape deck and even a record player.Outside the cottage a coy pond and herb gar-den were nice touches as were the coveredswings facing the water and nightly sun-sets. The downtown is mostly historic anda handy walking tour booklet lets outsiders,like us, walk on our own and read about thehistory of the houses we saw. Houses that

ten years ago could have been had for asong, now command prices in the $400,000and up range. Change is coming to Cedar Key, but it

hasn’t fully arrived just yet. For meals wewalked to the wharf, once the hub of fish-ing, but now a mix of small shops andrestaurants aimed at tourists. We had crabcakes and clams on outdoor patios withMolly happily at our feet keeping an eye onthe pelicans. In the marina there are guideboats and commercial vessels. You can char-ter a fishing trip here for redfish or trout andlater in the season the tarpon that visit usdown at Boca Grande will make their wayup to Cedar Key and be available forangling one more time.

Those not into fishing find the backwa-ter kayaking and canoeing exceptional. Ifyou stay at the Faraway Inn they have a fulllivery of canoes, kayaks and bicycles thatgo along with the price of a room. Theroom rates are in the $60 to $100 range, allthis right at the water’s edge tucked away ona quiet street. We told Oliver, the owner, that we pub-

lished a magazine in Charlotte County andthat out local kayakers and fishermen willlikely make their way up to Cedar Key afterreading about it. Mention Water LIFE andhe’ll give you a 10-percent discount. Rateschange seasonally. Our two days passed all too quickly with

sunsets, silent nights black as coal with thesky lit like a planetarium, and warm breezescoming off the Gulf. We’ll be back there

again, I just hope the Inn hasn’t been soldand turned into a condominium first.Progress has a way of destroying things andthe best stuff is usually the first to go.Check out Cedar Key and the Faraway Innor one of the many other accommodations.before that happens. You won’t be sorry andneither will your dog!


6 days a week (Mon - Sat)Bottom Paint and Detailing

Available(941) 255-3106

or 769-80644256 Tamiami Trail,

Port Charlotte (on the east side of US 41 just

north of Harborview)

This Monthʼs SPECIAL! 1971 Wellcraft AirSlot

just in- no photo available!135 EvinrudeGalv. Trailer

fair shape, needs work$700 o.b.o

Mike Panetti BOAT REPAIRSterndrive • Inboard • Outboard

Select pre-owned Boats For Sale... from $700!

Office Trailer For Sale941-698-1805 Placida area

Mobile office trailer, 12' x 50', half bath, small sink, refrigerator, window airconditioner, carpeted. Includes 4' x 12' exterior deck. $6,000 or best offer.

30' Cruisers Inc. 2000 Twin 220HP Volvo 5.0GLwith only 78 hours. Exceptionally cleanexpress cruiser Asking $99,000

23' Grady White Gulfstream 1990. Twin 150Mercury Blackmax. Solid riding and veryroomy fishing boat. Asking $19,900

46' Post Convertible 1992. Twin 550HP DetroitDiesels 6V92 1993. Beautiful boat - New watermaker & new bottom 2005. Asking $330,000

25' Pursuit 2550 WAC 1990. Twin 200HPYamaha TXRP's. Great fishing or cruising boatAsking $19,900

30' Grady White Marlin 300 2001. Twin gasYamahas. Dry stored and pro. maintained, nicecondition throughout Asking $124,900.

43' Sea Ray 430 Convertible 1988. Twin 370HPdiesel engines. This boat has all the amenitiesof home! Asking $169,900

38' Chris-Craft 381 Catalina. Twin 330HP gasPleasurecraft engines. Great boat for entertain-ing, cruising or liveaboard. Asking $82,000.

24' Sea Ray 240 Sundeck 1998 Single 250HPMercruiser. Fast moving party machine. Asking$19,900

25' World Class Cat 1999 Twin 115HP Yamaha4-strokes 2004. Five year warranty on engines,great boat & ready to fish. Asking $51,000

25' Proline 25 Sport CC 2002. Single 225HPMercury Optimax 2002. Only 50 hours! Trailerincluded. Reduced to $45,000

33" Cruisers 3372 Express 2002. Twin 320HPMercruiser VD's. Beautiful boat, lift stored.Asking $149,500

33' Carver Mariner 1995 Twin 250HP Crusader.Very spacious boat- reduced to $69,900

21' Mako Inshore 210 2002. Single 225HPHonda 4-stroke with only 59hours.Transferableengine warranty until May 2008 Asking $25,000

22"Mariah Z-222 Shabah 2001 Single 250HPMercruiser 5.0L EFI. Very sleek, loaded withoptions. Asking $20,900

23' Boston Whaler Conquest 23 1999 twin135HP Mercury Optimax. Very clean, lift stored,lightly used bluewater boat Asking $45,000

(866) 639-0067 (941) 639-00672529 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda

The Fish-of-the-Month photo award for Maygoes to Nick Georges who sent us this

photo of a tournament size redfish caughtin late April near Burnt Store.

Nice Big Red

Lori Moore Sun Coast Real Estate

Sponsoredby Realtor Lori Moore (wife of our senior guide Capt. Robert Moore) Send or e-mail ([email protected]) a photo of yourrecent catch or a newsworthy fish photo. Photosselected for publication will receive a $25 gift certifi-cate to Laishley Marine or Fishin ̓Franks. Photos willnot be returned and may not have been previously pub-

lished elsewhere. Remember to include cap-tion information and a phone number.

M a y 2 0 0 5 Wa t e r L I F E P a g e 1 3

Let Us Sel l YourBoat

Daryl Hal l • Tom S t ivi son Kurt J i l son

www. redfi shyacht . com

320 Cro s s S t (at WaterProo f Charts )

Punta Gorda (941) 639-9400

21' FinchaserLocally built custom flats boat.

Order yours today

Switching Livewellpumps should be plugand play

S taff ReportOur boat is blessed with the simplici-

ty of Red Head brand livewell pumpswhile at the same time cursed with theircrappy design. These pumps routinely failbecause the shaft rusts and water getsinside, but they are small and fit well inour cramped bilge so we keep replacingthem at $30 a pop. As indicated in theBarefoot Fishing installment found else-where in this month's edition, last monthwe had a double failure of our livewellpumps. Usually, if one pump fails weeither use the other well or swap pumpmotors from one base to the other. Somecaptains we know carry a spare pumpequipped with alligator clips on the wireends so they can yank the bad pump anddo a quick-fix by stripping the remainingwire and clipping on the replacement.Problem is, with our 8-inch bilge access,stripping wire is difficult and time con-suming. Last month we bought two new pumps

and one spare, and while we were on theway out of West Marine we looked for asimple two-prong plug we could introduce

into the system.We had a plug inmind with aweatherproofhousing and wefound a weather-proof $4, two-prong trailer lightplug that workedjust fine. Installation was simple. Redwire to the power side, black to theground, and two shrink-to-fit crimp con-nectors - shrink to fit watertight terminalsand splices are a must for ALL boatwiring applications. End result? Both pumps work again and

we can now still switch them side-to-sideor unplug a bad one and plug in a new oneand we’ll be doing that within six months,that’s for sure.

Mechanical Connection

ʻMaster ̓.... of ExpensiveMichael Hel lerWater LIFE editorRegular readers may remember a few

months back when we put out a call for aused motor/gearbox combination for ourDavit Master gear driven davit. One ofour gear boxes was screeching badly frominside and we knew the clock was tickingon that 25-year old unit. Prior to our pleawe had called Davit Master in Clearwaterto see about having the unit serviced, butwe were told the unit was obsolete, thatno parts were available and that only a$600 check would fix our problem. To befair, the $600 bill would buy a newmotor and new gearbox and would requiresending in the 3/8 inch steel mountingplate off the davit for redrilling. Still, itwas excessive.As luck would have it, one of our read-

ers called to say he had a gear driven motorand gearbox, which we bought for $50, butit was not exactly the same design. To usethat unit we would have to do some weld-ing and drilling of our own.With the new spare in the garage we

took our old motor and gearbox off thedavit and brought it inside. I looked at itfor a day and then curiosity got the betterof me. “Let’s just see what went bad,” Isaid to myself and I began wrenching.Once inside (time about 10 minutes) it wasclear to see the top bearing had failed and

the drive shaft was screeching in the slipcollar that connected it to the motor.Carefully, I pressed the old bearing off andheaded down to the local NAPA auto partsstore. With bearing in hand I approachedthe counter. “What–cha’ got there?” thelady behind the counter said to me and Iexplained it wasn’t a car part but a davitgearbox part. “Looks like a 6205-2JZ tome,” she said, taking the bearing and walk-ing to the back of the store. She returned aminute later with a new bearing. “Thatwill be $14,” she said. So now I have aspare motor and gearbox if I ever need itand my old one runs silently and effortless-ly again, like a fine watch ... and we arestill $536 ahead of the game and LMAO.


Marketed by Jo Anne Hartzler, Broker-associateToll Free 800-833-766614930 N. Dale Mabry Tampa, FL 33618website: http://[email protected]

Live in this Custom Built Waterfront Home with room to Build Next Door300 Capstan Drive (Cape Haze) Built in 2002 with 3106 square feet(per tax records) Lot is 187-feet deepby 303 feet wide, with 303 foot sea-wall and conservation view.Easy access to the Gulf whileprotected by the barrier islands. Minimal deed restrictions. FPL GoldMedal Winner for Energy Efficiency See this home on our virtual tour at:http://www.360house.com/162743 MLS# 463460

This home has a split bedroom plan. Four bedrooms/ three baths and a great pool!

For the horticulturist, you have a state of the art greenhouse (24' x 40'). Dock with lift.U.S.A. Realty

of Tampa Bay Inc.

M a y 2 0 0 5 Wa t e r L I F E M A G A Z I N E P a g e 1 5

By Capt Ron BlagoWater LIFE Executive StaffEverything seems to be back on sched-

ule. No hurricane damage or red tide cankeep the local fishermen off the waters ofLemon Bay and Charlotte Harbor during thespring. I can't think of a place that is morebeautiful than our area in May.The weather is perfect, the water is clear andthe fish are biting. The number of boats onthe water has picked up considerably sincelast month. Boat ramp space is still avail-able during the week, but is filling up earlyon weekends. Speaking of boat ramps, Charlotte

County is in negotiations to buy a piece ofland in Englewood just south of ThunderMarine for a future boat ramp site. Thecounty has 60 days to do their due-diligencebefore they can close on the deal, but beforeyou get your hopes up remember that theRocky Creek site was kicked out because ofenvironmental concerns and the Cape Hazesite was rejected because the present ownerdid not get all the necessary government per-mits. No sense getting too excited until theink is dry on the bill of sale. The property,known as Bay Heights, is currently a trail-er park with a large sea walled boat basinright on Lemon Bay. Boats would use thesame channel to get to the ICW as the largeboats from Thunder Marine and althoughthere currently is no boat ramp present, itis hoped that the existing boat basin willmake permitting a lot easier. Some dredgingof the channel might be necessary. Entrance

and exit will be from Rt. 776 with a trafficlight already in place. Now on to the fishing:Live bait is ‘where-its-at’ right now.

Pods of bait are all over Charlotte Harborand Lemon Bay. I hate to throw a cast net asmuch as anyone, but it really pays off thistime of year. Trout, redfish and snook areshowing up everywhere and none of themcan pass up a big whitebait. Top waterplugs work well early in the morning, butlive bait is for catching the big ones. The shrimp runs have started and night

fishing for snook has been very productive.Those fishing the Tom Adams pier, and thetrestles at Placida and El Jobean are doingwell. Tarpon season has started. Fish havebeen spotted in the Myakka and PeaceRiver, Pine Island Sound, Boca Grande Passand running off the beaches. Along with thetarpon comes the sharks so keep your eyesopen. Offshore fishing is doing all right with

still a few kingfish around. I guess thisyear’s spring run of kings has been slow. Itwas the wrong time of year to have any redtide. We will have another shot at themwhen they come back down in the fall. This time of year you never know what

you will run into offshore: grouper, snap-per, amberjacks, cobia, blackfin tuna, mack-erel and little tunny are being caught. Theyare all chasing the pods of bait out there.Find the bait and you will find the fish.

Capt. Ron Blago can be reached for fish-ing information or to book a charter fishing

On the Line Fishing with Capt. Ron BlagoEverything seems to be back on schedule

941.628.2588 Whidden Industrial

Custom 14? 21? and 29? Open

Family Owned andOperated with over50 Years Experience

Fiberglass Repair & Supplies ¥ Bottom Painting ¥ Detailing &

Licensed 100-Ton Captain

Fiberglass

Your local SW Florida

Serving Lunch & Dinner

Charlotte Countyʼs CompleteSwimming Pool SupplysPool Repair and Maintenance Store

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

Specializing in Heaters and

Pumps

“Green Pool” Clean Up& Maintenance

Weʼve Lost a FriendOur sympathy and condolences go out to the family andfriends of Eric D. Borges of Port Charlotte. Eric diedMonday March 14 after pacemaker surgery at Peace RiverMedical Center. He was 43 years old. Eric worked with hisgood friend Glenn Countryman at A-1 Boat Lifts in PuntaGorda. A happy outgoing family man, Eric loved workingwith the boating community of Charlotte County.Everyone who knew him will miss him.

Ken Cook / Boats Unlimited4809 Tamiami Trail Charlotte Harbor941-628-8250

Whether you are shopping for a newor pre-owned boat, it is a good idea toshop new first at one or two of the hun-dreds of boat shows across the country.Boat shows offer an excellent opportunity to seewhat is out there with regard to boats and boat-ing equipment.

When you are ready to buy, find a dealernear you. Interview a few dealers. The dealerwho wins your business should be the one whogoes out of his or her way to make you feelcomfortable with your boat and the entire buy-ing process.You are creating a long term rela-tionship with this dealership. Find someone youfeel comfortable with and can trust.Let me help choose the right boat for you

Boat Buying Tips


626 Bonita Ct -Wonderful open greatroom home - only2 bridges to Charlotte Harbor - completely remodeled:new roof, kitchen, tile floors, painted inside & out - newlighting, bathroom, large dock - nice landscaping w/akey west backyard - hurricane panels for entire home.$330,000 MLS# 467784

8 Tropicana - Location, Location, Location! 3 homesfrom Harbor w/great views from family room & lanai.Dock for large boat. Lift for small boat. Hurricane dam-age will be restored to BETTER THAN BEFORE condi-tion. Home to Have: New Barrel Tile roof New alu-minum sofits; New Hurricane Impact windows and PatioDoors. $999,999 MLS# 465652

21330 Harborside Blvd. - Outstanding executive resi-dence in prestigious Grassy Point Estates. Sailboater'sparadise, seconds to harbor. Home is on 2 lots and has 2deeded docks. 3 car garage, fireplace, full pool bath w/steam room. Upgrades throughout. 2 zone A/C, 2 hotwater heaters, full attic storage. Summer kitchen. 360'well for watering. Large master suite with walk-in clos-ets. Your search has ended! $1,400,000 MLS# 465573

262 Salem Ave. - Saltwater front home - Totally remod-eled w/ 4 BR/2 BA/2-car garage - Rip Rap seawall -Dock (43x12). Pool & heat pump. Family room, eat-inkitchen, tile floors. Fenced back yard. Wonderful opensplit floor plan. Refrigerator in house & garage, Washer& dryer. Only 8 mins. to Harbor. Master BR windowtreatments do not convey. $349,900 MLS# 462265

3436 Owl Ct - You'll think you've moved to theCaribbean when you walk into this professionally decorat-ed home on a sailboat water tip lot w/162' of waterfront -2 docks - 3-car garage, new roof, lots of storage & more.Screen on oversized lanai is temporary - pool cage & gut-ters to be completed early May.$799,900 MLS# 459823


12155 EISENHOWERDRIVE - Key Weststyle, 2-story, 3/3 , builtin 2003. Great saltwaterfront location,quick Myakka Riveraccess via CheshireWaterway. Garageparking for 3 vehicles,large game room andshop. Wrap-around rdeck for excellentwater and wooded views. Light and lovely! $650,000

33061 SERENEDRIVE – Ten acreslocated on ShellCreek with a charm-ing 3 bedroom, 2bath home set amidstately oak trees.Property is fencedfor your horses orlivestock. Lots ofroom to park an RVor build a garage for all your other Œtoys‚! $499,000

4900 RIVERSIDEDRIVE -Beautifully reno-vated andexpanded 2-storyhistoric home,nearly 2 acres onthe Peace Riverwith delightfulcaretaker cottageor mother-in-law home. Family room and master suite over-look the River, 7 original fireplaces, lots of decking forentertaining and enjoying the water views. $1,950,000

413VALLETTACourt – 3/2/2 sailboathome on a quietcul-de-sac withan extra widecanal view inBurnt StoreIsles. With tilethroughout and almost all new appliances, roof, and kitchencountertop, this home is like new and ready to move in! $675,000


The TournamentThe applications are rolling in. The

Kids Cup will be a fun event, but competi-tion will be a factor. Entry packets are nowavailable from most local bait and tackleshops and on our websiteat:www.charlotteharbormagazine.com. Thetournament entry fee will again be $100.There will be a full Kids Cup Captain’sMeeti ng and dinner on July 15. The loca-tion was scheduled to be in the new show-room at Palm Chevrolet, but since theirconstruction schedule will be tight we arenow looking for an alternate location.Anglers will be informed by mail if the din-ner location needs to change. At the dinnerwe will distribute the capt. bags, thank thesponsors and go over the rules. There willbe a free Kids Cup Seminar open to allon July 9th at Lai shl ey Marine.The Weigh-i n will be on the dock at

Harpoon Harry's and the public will beencouraged to come out and support thekids. We’ll have the action on the bigscreen TV monitors as well.

Water LIFE will handle the officiating,and once again our good friend GeneKingery will be our master of ceremonies.Capt. Ralph Allen, owner of the KingfisherFleet, will again run the weigh-in andRobert Lugeowitz from Fishin’ Franks willagain be the fish-handler. Entries for the Kids Cup are limited to

125 junior anglers age 10-16. You must beat least 10 but not yet 17 years of age onJuly 16 of this year. We made the ag ebreak a y ear o l der thi s y ear to coincidewith the IGFA’s rules.Each junior angler will be responsible

for securing his or her own captain andboat. The captain must be over 18. The cap-tain will assume full responsibility for thejunior angler’s safety and must sign thetournament application and release. Lastyear’s Kids Cup in Punta Gorda drew acapacity crowd and played to an audience ofhalf-a-million people on ESPN2. This yearwhen the Kids Cup comes to Punta Gorda,(July 16-17) there won’t be national TVcoverage, but there will be local TV cover-age and coverage in the Redfi sh Nati onMagazine and on the Redfi sh Cup web-site. The winner will get a paid tri p tothe Redfi sh Cup Final s in October andalso gets to fish in the IGFA’s Juni o rAng l er World Championship . Therewill be great competitor’s bags with shirtsand hats and lures for all anglers and com-petitor’s trophies as well.There are two days of kid’s fishing this

year; July 16 when everyone fishes in theKids Cup and July 17 is when the top 5kids from the Kids Cup fish in the KidsCup Shoo tout. The Kids Cup Shoo tout will decide

the overall winner of the Kids Cup . All theanglers in the shootout get big trophiesand a variety of fishing tackle and equip-ment. The shootout weigh-in will be held

SponsorsIf you are a Kids Cup sponsor you get to

help the kids and as our way of saying‘thanks’ we will include your ad in the annualKids Cup magazine. The proceeds from theKids Cup go to support the Don Ball Schoolof Fishing, a program for 7th graders at PortCharlotte, Punta Gorda, Murdock andEnglewood middle schools. Last year thistournament raised over $12,000 for the kids.This year we are already off to a good start.The Oh Boy ! Oberto Redfi sh Cup is

again the tournament namesake sponsor andalong with WaterLIFE Magazi ne, thepres ent i ng s po ns o rs and theKing fi sher Fl eet we are going to makethis tournament the fun event of the summer.Lai shl ey Marine and Palm Chevro l ethave again signed up to be the main tourna-ment sponsors. Joining forces with themwill again be Wes t Marine and Boat USwho will be the IGFA Junior Angler WorldChampionship sponsor. Handling the foodand catering for this year’s captain’s meetingwill be the Redfi sh Chop Hous e in PuntaGorda.Tournament shirts will be printed by

ScreenPrinet Plus in Cape Coral and thetournament hats will be provided this year bySan Carl o s Mari ne of Fort Myers.Acti on Craft Boats has joined us this yearand they will provide the printing for theKids Cup image on the Tournament T Shirts.Ingman Marine in Port Charlotte was aKids Cup sponsor last year, but this year theyhave moved up, donating a Power Poleanchoring system for the guide who ‘fishes’the winning kid and movie tickets for all thekids who weigh in a redfish.Our good friend and tournament fish han-

dler Robert Lugeowitz at Fi shin’ Fanks isworking to assemble another incrediblearray for the captain’s bags which go to allthe Kids Cup anglers. Robert has said theHenry Tackl e company vendors are nowpitching in with products. Last year we hadgreat stuff in the bags and this year we aregoing to try and out-do ourselves. EppingerLures has contacted us and will be providingDaredevil spoons for each angler. They sentus a whole bunch to test and we’ll have thebest ones in the bags. D.O.A. Lures alsocalled and said they wanted to do more for thekids so look for a number of D.O.A. softplastics this year. This month we will start to contact all the

Kids Cup sponsors so if you were a sponsorlast year you can expect a call from us soon.Program ads from last year’s sponsors whosebusinesses are still in the rebuilding process

Kids Cup Information

Corrientes Dr. - This home was built in 1990 with 3 bed-rooms, 2 baths and 2,028 square feet. It is on a fresh-water canal great for fishing or canoeing. It recently soldfor $289,000 and prior to that for $198,000 just one yearago in April 2004.

Corrientes Dr. - Built in 1998 this house is on the samefreshwater canal as the home above. It has 3 bed-rooms, 2 baths and 1,932 square feet. It has a pool andlanai. In 2000 it sold for $127,300 and again this pastMarch for $295,000.

Peace River Dr. - This 1,625 square foot home was builtin 2002 with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The Peace riveris across the street and behind the house is a sailboatwater canal with direct access to the river. It sold in1999 for $95,000 and is currently pending with a price of$359,900.

Prairie Creek Dr. - Larger than the houses above with2,667 square feet of living space it is slightly older hav-ing been built in 1968. It was built on Shell Creek withdirect river access, its own dock and boat lift. In 1996 itsold for $110,000 and again in April 2005 for $438,000.

St Helena - This lake front home was built in 1987 with3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 2,095 square feet. Whatmakes this house special is 97 feet directly on LakeZappa. Currently it is pending with an asking price of$289,000 prior to that it sold in 1992 for $127,000

San Marino Ct - Built in 1985 on a sailboat canal withdirect access to the river and Gulf of Mexico, it has 3bedrooms, 2 baths and 2032 square feet of space. Itis currently pending with an asking price of $405,000.It last sold 5 years ago for $170,000.

Antofagasta Ave.- Slightly older home, built in 1988, with3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2,022 square feet. It sits on alarge lake in a deed restricted neighborhood. In 1994 itsold for $121,500 and again in March for $255,000.

Area Real Estate Trends

Whatʼs Selling NOWThis is NOT an Ad

Factual Information compiled by Ellen Heller, Water LIFE publisher and a licensed realtor, using records fromthe Charlotte County Association of Realtors MLS database. Call 941-766-8180 for additional information.

This month we look at recent transactions in the Harbour Heights,Shell Creek area of the Peace River

KIDS CUPKIDS CUPFree all-pro ʻSuper SeminarʼFree all-pro ʻSuper Seminarʼ

Saturday July 9Saturday July 94 p.m @ Laishley Marine4 p.m @ Laishley Marine


SPECTACULAR VIEW OF SPECTACULAR VIEW OF CHARLOTTE HARBOR!CHARLOTTE HARBOR!

Sailboat waterfront over-looking large basin andCharlotte Harbor. ModernKey West style home inPirate Harbor with3557sq. ft. of living spaceand panoramic views ofthe waterfront from allsides. Boat house withlift and dock, ramp area &swimming pool. GreatRoom floorplan with 18-foot ceiling, huge masterbedroom, oversized 2 cargarage and 3rd storywidowʼs watch. Only minutes to Gulf waters from this incredi-ble location! 24201 Captain Kidd Blvd, Pirate Harbor. $899,000

Gorgeous CollingswoodPointe Home

in a lush tropical settting. Nauticalboardwalk area leads to huge boat-dock with view over open basin withshort ride to the harbor. Three bed-rooms, 2 BA, 2 ∏ CG with ~1900sf,built in 1999, granite counters, gor-

geous wood cabinets, large porch andlanai make this the best value in the

area. $539,000

Incredible Hemingway Style HouseLocated A Short Boat Ride To The Gulf!

Absolutely immaculate stilt home offers aspectacular water view from the nautical

porch. Three bedrooms with hardwoodfloors, new kitchen, gorgeous master bed-

room, metal roof, beautiful lighting andover-sized garage. Completely remodeledinside and out this home looks like it was

just built! $725,000 mls# 459300

n Entries limited to 125 anglersn Entry fee $100 per anglern Mandatory Competitors Meeting

and Dinner on Friday July 15n Tournament Day is Saturday July

16. Top 5 Shootout is Sunday July 17n Anglers must be at least 10 - but

not yet 17 years old on tournament dayn Each Junior angler must secure

his own boat and an adult drivern It is permissible to hire a guide but

we encourage guides to discount ordonate their services n There must be one adult over

age18 aboard each boat. Only adultsand competitors are allowed aboard n Only boats carrying two competitors may have two adults aboard n Adults may not cast or catch fish, but may help land a fish n No wade fishing, no kayaking. All boats must have adequate livewells.n Boats will be signed out at 6:30 a.m. on tournament day in the order

their tournament application is received by mailn Boats must be back at the weigh-in dock by 2:30 p.m.n Anglers will use artificial bait and/or shrimp only. No whitebait, pinfish,

threadfins etc. will be allowedn Fish must be caught on hook and line and released alive at weigh-inn In the event of a tie, the earliest weigh-in time wins]More Questions? call us at (941) 766-8180

KIds Cup KIds Cup Rules SummaryRules Summary

Adjacent lot with this home available, mls # 456908 $649,000Approximately 333 feet of water-

front combined

The artwork is taking shape for 2005 Kids CupT- shirts:By Martin Gambecki & ScreenPrint Plus

932 TROPICAL CIRCLE – Sparklingclean salt water front pool home, not inflood zone.Large 4 bedroom home, for-mal living room and dining room, plusfamily room. 38' lanai overlooking the swimming pool area & private back yard.Great curb appeal, modern open, cheerful and bright. Much newer feel than the actual

age. Kept in perfect condition. $450,000 MLS#466159

EDGEWATER DRIVE, PORT CHARLOTTEJust listed, waterfront lot on EdgewaterDrive, gorgeous long water view.$249,900 or make an offer! Too soon for MLS number. This wonʼt last.

12070 BORAX – Lakefront home,sparkling clean, quiet & peaceful countrysetting. Completely new remodeledincluding new roof, floor covers, appliances, water treatment system, A/C, paintetc.Rare to find location in Tropical Gulf Acres. Formal living/dining plus family room.& lanai. Wooden dock at the lake $249,900 MLS #468375


Missing Shrimp Bait shop owners weʼvetalked to recently tell of erratic deliveries ofshrimp. “Every couple of days the suppliersare saying there are just no shrimp. “Weused to get bags of 1,000 shrimp weighing16 pounds,” Robert at Fishinʼ Franks said.“For the last month they are weighing in at8-pounds,” he added.New Crab Trap Floats: Made from floating

foam tubes, these new markers are poppingup all over the upper harbor and the river.Police Notes from the files of the FWC:Officers James Johnson and David Dipreresponded to a boating accident after a jetboat crashed into the trees at ChristmasTree Island. The incident began when foursubjects stopped in the Key West Harbor toapply sunscreen. A large vessel wakewashed overboard and filled the jet boatwith water. The operator swiftly acceleratedthe jet boat in an attempt to dump the watercausing all four occupants to go overboard.The unmanned jet boat, still in high throttle,headed toward the island and gained speedas the water was successfully bailed out. It

struck the sandy shore at high speed andlaunched ten feet high into the trees beforecrashing down again. No injuries occurredand no citations were issued.Tarpon Arrive The last week of April twogood sized pods of tarpon entered CharlotteHarbor and have taken up residence insome of the areaʼs more notorious deepholes. More fish should now be arriving anytime and tarpon season will soon be in fullswing. Sorry, but we just cannot tell youexactly which deep holes they are in.Tourism Development On The RightTrack The Countyʼs Tourism department willsoon announce they have agreed to spon-sor one of the areaʼs professional fishingteams. Having the countyʼs logo on a win-ning boat that travels to other fishing desti-nations and appears at regional fishingshows and expositions is a great way topromote our area. We canʼt disclose exact-ly who the team is yet, but we can tell youthat their names appear in this publicationmonthly as regular contributors! Good Joband Atta (Oh) Boy! (Oberto) to all involved. Dockside Fuel They havenʼt returned ourcall, but the word on the street is this longtime local fuel delivery service has gonebelly up. Steadily increasing gas priceshave no doubt figured into this equationand, if true, we will be sorry to see them go.

FridayFish Fry

5 – 9 pmLive

Entertainment

Dock Party every Sunday 3-7Live entertainment every weekend

www.bertsbar.com

Dine on the dock ~ Million $$ View! Boaters WelcomeN 26 38.040 W 082 03.958 Near Marker

55 On the Matlacha Pass Dockage Available

4271 Pine Island Rd. 282-3232

ScuttleButtSometimes Unsubstanciated ... but often true!

S taff ReportWe noticed a crew on the Peace River taking down

the damaged Manatee signs which even in good shape arean ugly blight on our scenery. Twisted, they are a real eyesore. The Feds were here within days of hurricane Charlieto assess the damage and check the safety factor of thedowned and partially submerged signs. The recommenda-tion was the area be cleaned up and the waterways madesafe for the boating public as soon as possible. Apparentlyeight months was a reasonable length of time to leave itunsafe while they tried to find the cheapest way to get ridof the problem. Now it appears the F.W.S. has found a way to get rid

of the damaged signs. They have hired a firm out ofIndiana to come down and cut off the pilings as close tothe level of the bottom as possible, by use of an underwa-ter hydraulic chain saw. This is a very effective deep-watermethod of removing pilings from sight, however here inthe Peace River many of the signs were placed in loca-tions which are about 3 feet deep.

Where there is three feet of water these piling do notcreate a big problem, unless your boat drafts three feet

two inches. But what happens when the tide goes out and the sub-

merged piling stubs are only covered by 12 or even 18inches of water? This may be a real problem. If a solidwood 10 inch piling catches the lower unit of of yourboat and the boat comes to a sudden stop at 25 M.P.H. itis the same as running into a brick wall. The motor canbe ripped off the boat or in a worse case the people can beejected, injured or killed. The technique of cutting pilingsoff at the level of the bottom is good for deep water prob-lems, but hey we don't have deep water.

We have gone from an ugly and dangerous situationto an invisible and dangerous situation. There is no possi-ble way to know where these piling stubs are and therewill be no warning before you hit one. Good job, U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service. The manatees are safe but nowthe boating public on the Peace River is certainly not.

The Federal Fish and Wildlife Service is overseeingthis project from their Atlanta office. The person incharge is Francis Brown. Her phone number is 404-679-4077. Give her a call, ask her why they are doing this toour river.

By Fishin’ FrankWater LIFE Senior GuideThanks to Capt. Andy Medina and his magic touch

with fiberglass, I am back on the water. I am not certainif the fish are scared or not. Maybe?

After months of not having a boat, the first thing isto find where the fish are holding. The weather gettingwarmer means most fish will start leaving the canals andback waters for the cooler water of the harbor and lookingfor the shade of the mangroves. Why is shade a factor?Think about it. Fish do not have eyelids. They can'tsquint into the bright sunlight and with no ears, sunglass-es are not going to stay on! Shade is the place for fish onbright days. So when moving onto a flat to fish, fishwith the sun at your back and the fish is much less likelyto see you. Beware of where your shadow is since a fishis used to having birds diving at him and shadows meandanger to a fish.

Fishing with live bait or dead bait is the most produc-tive way to catch fish and (lets face it) it’s easier, but tocover more water and just to find fish, top water lures,spoons, or floating-diving lures are the ticket.

Top water lure fishing is by far the most addictivefishing there is. Seeing the fish strike or roll up and boilat the lure is heart pounding, head shaking excitement. Ifyou are not an experienced top water angler, the best onesto learn with are Heddon’s Torpedo, the Johnny Rattler, ora Devil Horse. These lures work well with a slow steadyretrieve and are unbeatable with a start and stop action.Just use a light pull to make the lure splash the water alittle – when you hear a ‘chooss’ sound it is working cor-rectly. Slow is better than fast when working fish that arenot actively feeding, but if you see the fish feeding, speedup. That make them think the bait is trying to escape, andif one fish wanted it the others surely will.

Picture a group of kids playing in a room full of toys.No one notices the Jack in the Box until one of thempicks it up then they all fight to get it. Fish are a lot likethat. Make them think something else is chasing the baitand they will want it too.

For those who have been working top water lures fora while there is something very special about working aZara Spook or any other walk-the-dog style lure. Bagley's

Jumping Mullet, Mirro Lure'sTop Dog, all have greatactions and they all catch fish.My choice sometimes comesdown to what noise theymake. Most have metal ballsor bb's in them to give a rattleor a ‘chuchin’ sound. One willmake a higher pitch noise thatis better in mild waves, somehave a heavier sound and alarger metal ball that makes a‘chuckin’ or ‘thumpin’ soundwhich on calm days is irre-sistible to redfish. The correctway to work these lures isvery similar to rubbing yourstomach while patting the topof your head . Keep the tip ofyour rod moving in a backand forth motion which iseasy to do if you put your index finger next to the rod andtap it. Then start reeling slowly this will cause the frontof the lure to go from side to side in an ‘s’ pattern ormove it faster and it takes on a chopping, slashingmotion, This is the classic walking-the-dog fishin’ style.A VERY OLD THING IS NEW AGAIN

The spinner bait for redfish and snook is back. My fatherFrank Sr. Dave Hellard of Oh-Son Lure's, and I were mak-ing these work 18 years ago. Now, Strike King, Boo-Yaand Terminator are all manufacturing them. The best partof throwing a spinner bait is that it is a true idiot’s bait.Throw it out and reel it in. The less you do the more fishyou will catch. How great is that?!!

Snook have moved to the mouth of most of thecanals and are getting ready to party in the shallow Gulfwaters for their baby making season. Try a spinner baitunder the docks right now for some great snook action.The west side of the Harbor is a good place to try yourtop water lures on redfish as well. Either drift with thewind or better yet, use an electric trolling motor on‘slow.’ The boat should be a long cast from shore. On thewest side, from Cape Haze to the tower there is a small

trough about 15 to 20 feet out from the mangroves thatthe red's lay in each morning. As you move along thewest wall, fan cast. That means casting a pattern like a‘V’ from the trees out to the open flat. Just when you aresure they are hiding along the trees you find them out inthe middle. Take your time and work the water. There areno busses to catch out there so relax. You are where youshould be doing the best thing a person can do. I’m fishinagain!! See ya’ on the water.

Fishin’ Frank can be reached for information or to


Full Day Trips on the Placida Queen

onlyonly $42$42Located at the historic Placida Fishery dock

Catching snapper & grouper dailyBait, tackle & license furnished

Night TripsAlso available for private charter:

55 ̓Fleming Pilothouse M/Y 26 ̓Boston Whaler Outrage

Full or 1/2 day, Offshore or Near ShoreCall for Reservations941-698-6999

www.placidadeepseafishing.com

Placida Deep Sea Fishing

Roomy, Comfortable and DryRoomy, Comfortable and Dry

Fish Canʼt Wear Sunglasses and other useful information

An Invisible and Dangerous Situation

A new offering: Bomber lureʼs topwater Poppin Shrimp with two BBʼs, trailing ʻantennasʼand a pair of substancial hooks.


28507 Sabal PalmDrive - Come buildyour perfect dreamhome on this great lot!Minutes to River, withdock, and sea-wall!Survey and site plan onfile. MLS #445695$199,900

2153 Palm Tree Dr. P.G.I.Cleared lot ready for building Awesome wide open view ofCharlotte Harbor. MLS # 456077 Offered at $1,100,000Donʼt Miss This One... WonʼtLast Long!

960 Don Juan Ct.- Completelyrefurbished inside and out. New14 inch tile, new granite counter-tops throughout, new garage dooropener, new AC, new roof, win-dow treatments, plumbing, land-scaping, and windows just toname a few of the features.$639,000 MLS#467873

191 Hoffer St. - ThisBeautiful newer 3/2.5/2is the home you havebeen looking for. Thehome has a canal viewwith a new dock and10,000 lb boat lift. Thishome has many won-derful features. Calltoday and I'll be happyto discuss those fea-tures with you.....MLS# 463454 $469,000

6329 Pontiac Lane - SaltWaterfront home, access toMyakka River and Gulf.Newer dock & paint out-side.Refurbished;new A/C2001 and water heater in2000; Perfect starter homeor place for snowbirds toescape from the cold MLS#459384 $250,000

WWWWAAAATTTTEEEERRRRWWWWAAAAYYYYBOAT LIFT COVERS

PROTECT YOUR BOATFROM NATUREʼS MOSTDAMAGING ELEMENTS

CUSTOM BUILT TO YOUR BOAT LIFT

941 - 505-0237 toll free 877-201-3606www.waterwayboatliftcovers.com

• Patented Double Rail for Ultimate Strength & Safety • Mold and Mildew Resistant • UV Protected • Fire Resistant • Maintenance Free• Quick Release System for Easy Removal

Sale Pending


LightTackle

Half orFull

Capt. Andrew MedinaA Total Backwater

Adventure

(941) 456-

T n TTailwalkersBack Bay and Flats Fishing

Captain Jerry Tomas941/815-1495Toll Free 877/675-1982USCG licensed

Charters20–50 mile trips

We help you put charters together• Grouper • Snapper • Kingfish • Shark • Tarpon and more!

Capt Jim OʼBrienUSCG 50 ton license since 1985

Bus: 941-475-5538 Res: 941-473-2150visit us at www.captjimsbigfish.com

By Capt. S teve SkevingtonWater LIFE Offshore Contributor

One of my personal ‘favorite’ fish, the permit, startsto show up in full fury this month and next. These arethe very same fish that have been delighting & tauntinganglers all year long down in the Keys, and now it’s ourturn to set the hook on these golden torpedoes. All oneneeds to get started is a live well full of silver dollar sizecrabs & jumbo shrimp. As for tackle I like too use medi-um-light spinning outfits loaded up with 15-20 poundline and about two feet of twenty pound fluorocarbon forleader a 1/0 or 2/0 short shank hook is just right for thissize bait. Start looking for these fish on shallow wrecksoff of Fort Myers beach, up to Sanibel.Another fish making a big show this month is Tarpon.

These guys are moving up our beaches right now andshould start piling up in Boca Grande any day. Die hard‘Poon’ anglers will be well served to stalk the beacheswith heavy spinning rod in hand ready to cast at the firstsign of a roll. Crabs & large threadfins work well for thiskind of fishing.Cobia is still a target fish this month. Look for them

on your favorite wreck, and be ready to offer them any-thing they want. My personal favorite bait for these fishhas got to be a big threadfin, but they will take cut lady-fish, squid, frozen & live shrimp, or jigs. To be honestuse whatever bait they’re in the mood for.Red grouper action should really start to heat up this

month. Start looking at those over the horizon spots youhaven’t been to in a while. There should also be plentyof vermilion & lane snapper on these same spots.If all that doesn’t flat wear you out try trolling a live

blue runner over top of any wreck 70 feet deep or better.The barracuda are stacked-up out there right now, but don‚tfish for these guys unless you enjoy vicious top-waterstrikes, big head shaking jumps, & short but powerfulruns. Just don’t be too surprised if a big amberjack takes

that blue runnerbefore the cudascan find it.If you have

any energy left atall, a four to fivehour fight withone of the mon-ster sharks cruis-ing up the coastright now shouldjust about takecare of it.

Offshore Report

This healthy cobia (abobe) and AJ (below) came up onCapt. Steveʼs April offshore trips, running under theKingfisher Fleet flag.

By Lisa Campbel lSpecial to Water LIFEI’ve heard it said, that if

you want to cause a fight,get in a tandem kayak withyour significant other.Rumor has it that a canoewill work too. Why is itthat two semi- wellbehaved people who inevery day life probablyfunction fairly well as ateam will get out on thecalm peaceful water in akayak (or canoe) and endup wanting to kill eachother?Several factors come

into play in this so called‘peaceful’ sport. First, isthe necessity of one andonly one person being incontrol. This is not anequal partnership.Someone has to steer theboat and that is whoever isin the back seat. Truly, abackseat driver. We all

know just how irritating itis to hear a back seat driv-er, but to actually let themhave control of the wheeltoo? So, is a simple solu-tion to change places?Does the one in the backof the boat win? Well,that depends.If you are the one in

the stern you could con-ceivably whack your mateover their head with thepaddle – a word of advicehere –- the one in back hasto have a fair amount ofself control. If on theother hand you are the onein the bow it is nigh onimpossible to smack your‘significant other’ withoutdoing some spinal contor-tion and capsizing, riskingreal possibility of drown-ing since your back isprobably out by trying toswing the paddle from thatposition.

So if you sit in frontyou don’t need as muchself control, but somewould keep you fromdrowning. What is itabout this situation thatcould possibly spawn suchdiscord that one guide actu-ally has given his tandemkayaks and canoes suchnames as ‘Divorce Court’,‘The Widow– Maker’ and‘Hell’s Fury’? One couple I talked to

said they would never tan-dem again. While maneu-vering in some tight turnsin the back waters eitherone or the other of themwould time after time endup in the mangroves.They survived the ordealbut vowed for the sake ofthe marriage to never againtandem. This brings us tothe matter of stability.You find out that yourmate leans one way or too

far the other and what youthought of as a stablerelationship is in fact allwet, literally in the water.If you’re lucky you are notin the deep end without alife vest. These twosmall items control andstability have washed upmany a relationship sowhy take the chance? Ithas been suggested thatthis would make a greatpre-marital test, maybe acouple of weeks before thewedding? This came fromthe married couple whohad survived, but I could-n’t help wonder if therewas just a hint of bittergloating in this sugges-tion. Advice to those con-templating the risks oftandems; some time apart,a little independence can bea good thing in a relation-ship of love or whenkayaking.

Can Kayaking contribute to Divorce?


with 3213 sq.ft, 588 sq. ft.2-car garagenear McGrathPointe. Largeliving andfamily roomwith marblef i r e p l a c e ,g o u r m e tkitchen with cherry cabinets and granite countertops, break-fast nook. This home has it all, soaring ceilings, treys, crownmolding, plant shelves, central vacuum, intercom and securi-ty system, high countertops in baths, water and sewer andnew roof. MLS #459144. $549,900 Call Ellen today.

Exquisite 5 bedroom,

3 bathpool home

EllenMcCarthyWelcomesScott Jacobs

To Her Team.

Are you looking for an over-sized waterfront lot with 109 ftof seawall at intersecting water-ways just minutes to theHarbor? Then, this is the lot foryou! Just minutes to the Harborby way of the Elkham Waterwayand one bridge at Edgewater.$299,900, MLS #466797

INTERSECTINGWATERWAYS

“Beautiful Sec. 15 Home that shows like a model. 3/2/2, 1970 sq. ft., built by Quality Buildersin 1993. Wood floors in the living and dining room, cathedral ceilings, large kitchen withbreakfast bar and nook. Master bedroom is 16 x 18, has bay window and walk-in closets.Master bath features garden tub and vanity. New carpet, interior and exterior paint. Nothingto do but move in! MLS #466017. $249,900 Call Ellen Today!

Meticulously maintained Deep Creek heated poolhome on quiet cul-de-sac. 3/2/2, 2064 sq. ft, built in2002. This truly beautiful home has a list of extrasa mile long, which include lighted plant shelves,double French doors from dining room to kitchen,and from master bedroom to lanai. Oversizedgarage with single doors, security system, child-safe pool, well and irrigation system, 7 ceiling fans,3 bay windows, whole-house water filtration system,automatic pool cleaner system…..and the list goeson! MLS # 469141 $369,900

Rieka Arlene Ellen Scott Lori

Price Reduced


Kids FishingLessons Learned

By Betty S tauglerWater LIFE / Sea GrantMy son Joe got a new boat in February, a 16 foot Rogue skiff, perfect for

the creek (south fork of Alligator Creek) and a major improvement over his lastboat, an old Starcraft that was kept afloat with JB weld. Now, Joe is a prettyresponsible young man. He’s a good captain and very mechanically inclined.None the less, he is only 15, and as such I can’t help but worry each time hetakes to the water. Joe is required to file a float plan every time he heads out.He will tell you it cuts a good three minutes into his fishing time. The floatplan is not just for my benefit. It also serves as a subtle reminder of all thethings he needs to ensure are on the boat when he goes out. Flighty as youngmen can be (no offense guys), Joe would surely remember his fishing gear, butthere’s no guarantee he would remember the rest without a handy check list.Our float plan includes a check list for his registration, his boater’s educationcard (required for all young operators), his required safety gear (PFDs, fire extin-guisher, visuals and audible distress signals), a cell phone, gas, food and water,tool kit, foul weather gear, a marine radio, a navigation chart, the list goes onand on.Friday after school Joe and his friend Shawn headed out to go fishing. They

weren’t going far, just beyond the last mobile home park on Burnt Store Rd.After that it’s all mangrove shoreline. We live just east of U.S. 41. There arethree houses along the creek between our house and the railroad trestle.Between the last house and the railroad trestle there’s just enough undevelopedshoreline for two teen boys armed with a little power to get themselves intotrouble. Joe gave the motor a little throttle upon passing the last house,rounded the corner by the trestle, and who was standing on the bank but theFWC! Now, living in a small neighborhood, in a small town, Joe has learned,

nothing can possibly happen, that I won’t eventually find out about. As itturns out, this day both Joe’s Dad and a neighbor were heading down U.S. 41just in time to see the happenings in the Creek below. When Joe got home I looked at him and said “so you got pulled over by law

enforcement,” and Joe looked at me with a little bewildered smile (how could Ipossibly know so quickly)! Then in a very mature straightforward voice hesaid, “I was going too fast.” I asked if he was scared, and he said “heck yah, Ithought I was going to get a ticket.” Joe told me the officer was very nice, andafter informing him that he needed to slow down, and that the entire stretch ofsouth Alligator Creek was slow speed, decided to give Joe’s boat a safety check.At that point Joe said “I calmed down, because I knew my boat was legal.”“Why is that I asked?” “Because I checked my gear when I filled out the floatplan.”Joe has learned the value of having all of his safety gear on board every time

he goes out – even when he’s just headed around the corner. We now agree,float plans aren’t so bad, and are worth the couple of minutes they take to fillout. Ah, those little lessons learned!Betty Staugler is the Charlotte County Sea Grant agent and can be reached


By Capt. Robert MooreWater LIFE StaffWhat a difference a 1/4 ounce will

make. In my experience it can literallymake the difference between catching fishand not catching fish. What I am referringto is the difference between a 1/4 ounce jighead and plain ol’ J-hook. While fishing live bait on a guided trip

one day I realized I had forgotten my tacklebag of hooks. All I had was 1/4 ounce redhead jigs on board. So I would pole up toa sand hole, hook a whitebait just abovethe belly with the jig head and cast it out.That day was very successful. Redfish,snook & trout. That was ten years ago andsince then I have fine–tuned my use oflead and live bait. I have actually learnedthat on most occasions it can make all thedifference in the world in certain condi-

tions.Let’s look at this from a fish’s perspec-

tive. You’re a redfish lying on the edge ofa sand hole. You look up and see a nice fatshiner swimming on the surface. Thatshiner looks very energetic and hard tocatch. You instinctively know that it willtake some work to catch him. You haveseen this scenario many times. You’relazy; all you want is an easy meal. Thenyou look over and in the middle of yoursand hole is another fat shiner lying on thebottom. He looks distressed, maybewounded. It looks like the shiner mayhave gotten hit by another fish and canhardly swim. You smile and quickly swimover for an easy meal. Makes sense, right?Then I started thinking about fishing

under the mangroves and in the mouth ofcreeks. While I was free lining a whitebait

under the mangrove bushes, I watched asmy bait would swim at lightening speedaway from the shoreline in about two sec-onds. A perfect cast under a hanging man-grove bush would go un-noticed. Hookthat same bait on a jig head, make thatsame perfect cast, the bait would fall tothe bottom where most fish are foragingfor food and it’s fish on! That same experi-ence came when fishing in the mouth of asmall creek. Most fish are sitting at themouth waiting for a bait to be flushed inor out. Put a jig head on and you put itright in the kitchen.Fishing with a jig head does have its

limitations. If the bottom is real grassy,most of the time a jig head will not work.The bait buries down in the grass andmost fish will not find it. The bottommust be somewhat free of grass. Here are a few guidelines that I use

when fishing with a jig head and live bait:Hook the bait above the belly, not in

the nose. I have found that when the baitfalls to the bottom he creates more vibra-tion thus drawing more attention whenhooked through the side.Use smaller baits. Larger baits above 4

inches will actually swim freely for a fewminutes even while dragging a 1/4 ouncearound with him. If all your bait is largerbait, then gently squeeze the bait beforehooking him. It will stun the bait andmake him fall to the bottom. If all yourbait is really small then hook two smallones together.

A 1/4 ounce seems to be the perfectsize jig head. Any larger makes too muchnoise when it hits the water. Any smallerthe bait will be able to swim with the jig.I prefer using red head jigs. It’s a prefer-

ence. I believe in the bleeding bait theory.Red is what I have confidence in.Experiment on your own until you findwhat color gives you confidence. The reali-ty is, color may make no difference at all.Many anglers have stated they prefer to

add a few small pinch-on weights justabove a hook. My opinion is it’s the sameconcept. My only objection is thatpinch–on weights may compromise theleader if pinched on too hard. A jig headeliminates any chance of that.Don’t work your bait. Cast it out and

let the bait sit on the bottom and do itsdance. Fish will sense or see your bait andcome to it.Try not to use jigs with forged hooks.

The hooks are thicker than jigs with wirehooks. The forged hooks will make a big-ger hole when placed through the bait andwill slip out of the bait after a few secondsof being cast. This not only works for redfish. Some

of the biggest snook and trout I have seencaught by clients were with live bait on ajig head. Good luck and Tight Lines!

You can reach Capt. Robert Moore forfishing information or to book a charter fish-ing trip at (941) 637-5710 or (941) 628-2650 or contact him v ia e-mail at [email protected]

WeightedThoughts

When the fish are on the bottom

you ʻgotta get down


Charlotte Harbor’s most popular boat and motor from the #1 Action Craft and Yamaha dealerCome by for your piece of the ‘Action’

3300 Palm Beach Blvd. (Exit 25) Ft. Myers • (239) 334-3424


The Water LIFEWater LIFE Distributorʼs Club

For All Your Fishingand Boating Needs!

Visit us at:4265 Tamiami TrailPort Charlotte, FL 33952941•625•2700westmarine.com

4265 Tamiami TrailPort Charlotte941•625•2700

1595 McCall Rd (cr 776-771)

697-1556

1360 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte625-0200

Reopening Soon!

4200 Tamiami TrailPort Charlotte

625-5002

Strato Netis our local Water LIFE

Internet Service Provider

excellent rates, excellent service, no waiting

Leukemia Cup Regat taForecasting wind is a flighty science. In fishing, when the forecast is for 10 to 15 you

add the numbers together. In sailing it seems like you need to divide. On the first day of theLeukemia Cup the forecast was for winds of 10 to 20-knots, but sailors were pumping themains just to get to the starting line for the first race last month. A front had passed throughthe area the day before and everyone expected good sailing, but at least at the beginning,things were slow. The start had been delayed 30 minutes already, but now they were underway. In the spin-

naker boats, Flying Cloud, a Colgate 26, took an early lead but at the first mark the crewsuffered the dreaded ‘spinnaker twist’ and fell behind. Frolic, a Tartan 300 took the opportuni-ty to slip by and then didn’t look back. For the cruising boats it looked like Fancy Free wasin the lead at the first mark, but little Rub-A-Dub a 21-foot San Juan put a slippery moveon the big 39-foot Soveral forcing her to bare off at the mark and Rub-A-Dub came byinside. It was stating to look like a race, until just past noon when the wind died and forwardprogress went to the mercy of the tide.

Destiny, a beautiful white Hunter 356 with blue trimmed sails manned by a color coordi-nated blue and white clad crew, inched by the mark in slow motion. Diva Gorda ( Fat Lady) aJenneau 36, followed suit but the fat lady wasn’t singing. It was slow and hot, promptingsome to ask why the race wasn’t scheduled for late afternoon when the westerly onshorebreezes usually pick up. But who could have predicted such a mid day calm in the traditional-ly windy month of April.Still there were little battles going on within the fleet, micro–skirmishes: Caprice, A

Catalina 36 is sliced on the inside by Ironic Breeze, a Hunter 31 and the Aloha 32 WindDependent simply out floated them both in the tide. Then the dark ripples of an approachingbreeze popped up and hope was restored. In the end, Peter New’s boat Crime Scene an S2-7.9 took the spinnaker class of the first race with Wally White’s Fancy Free winning thenon–spinnaker class and Roger Romel’s Desert Fox a Hunter 34, taking the cruising fleethonors.For the second race of the first day all the spinnaker fleets results were thrown out after a

request for a redress hearing. That left Fancy Free to win the non spinnaker fleet class andDiva Gorda to take the cruising.Sunday dawned a little better with a genuine 5 to 10 knot steady breeze. Spinnakers and

jib poles were out on the downwind legs and doing some good. From our spot amidst thefleet you could hear the enthusiasm from the crews as they past. There was, at least, a do-able breeze. In the end Richard Reagan’s By-A-Nose, a 21 foot SR Max, won the spinnakerfleet class for the regatta. Fancy Free took the big boat part of the non-spinnaker class andBill Curtis’ Rub-A-Dub took the small non spinnaker boat division. Diva Gorda was thewinning big cruising boat and Ironic Breeze was the small cruising fleet winner. The charityevent raises money for leukemia research.

In addition to the big boat classes in the Leukemia Cupthere was a separate small boat race on another course.Some of these small boats in a special instructional programhelp disabled people learn to sail competitively. Here, twowheelchair bound sailors in No 102 ready for the start.

Above: Limp rags plauge thissailor at the mark. Left: Doing whatever youhave to do to catch the littlewind.Bottom Left: It was bettersailing on SundayBelow: Running downwind,headed to the last mark

By Don CessnaWater LIFE EnglewoodThis is my favorite time of year. Sport

fishermen get ready it’s tarpon time in ourarea. Sporty sorts travel long distances tocome to this area and fish for tarpon. From May through August some of the

most exciting action packed fish–fights areupon us but you have to be ready. Beforetarpon season really gets started it would bewise to do some scouting to find likelyfishing spots. Some of your tarpon fishingmay be best early morning and after sunsetin the evening. This requires some priorknowledge of how to approach and where toset up to fish. Tarpon are very easy tospook so it is wise to plan how you canbest fish the area which you have scoutedand figure on finding the fish.Some of the most likely inshore spots

to check out have one common prerequisite

– there needs to be a current. Places in backwater areas hold smaller tarpon which downin the Keys folks call ‘Johnies’. Tarponenjoy loafing and gulping air especially theJohnies rolling at the end of a canal. Theyare difficult or impossible to catch whenthey are loafing because they won’t eat any-thing. The fish that are feeding and can befished, love to hang around places wherethere is some water moving. Structuressuch as piers, bridges, large docks, damsand the like cause the current needed to begood prospects for feeding tarpon. Themouths of our local passes usually willhave a pod of tarpon hanging around all daylong. Tarpon move along the gulf beachessometimes very near the shoreline and outmaybe as far as a mile, but they seem toprefer the shallow waters. Structures are theticket for an easy catch. If you learn of fishhanging around a spot dependably, next

consider how to fish them. Fishing structure from a boat requires

anchoring most likely, so you do need toknow where to be and how the presentationof the bait will react in the current. Whilescouting these spots why not fish themsince these are good areas to fish in general.Those who would take a ride can find out-standing tarpon fishing in Tampa Bay. Upthere the Gandy, Howard Franklin, andCourtney Campbell causeways (in thatorder) are outstanding and very dependablefrom a boat. A lot of fish, in fact probablythe largest number of fish, caught in ourlocal area last year were along the gulfbeaches from Boca Grande to Casey Key.

Since tarpon are so easily spooked andseem to be goofy in general, the methodsto catch them are varied. A fly fishermanhas the advantage of stealth which is veryimportant. The near invisible tippet leaderand light landing on the water are of amajor advantage. Tarpon flies are largeStreamers, Deceivers, Clouser Minnows,and the like; white, grey, red, chartreuse,and yellow color combinations along withsome sparkle would be a good choice forthese patterns. Many use epoxy heads andmaybe a 3/0 hook. The rod and reel are gen-erally 10 or 11 weight outfits.Live bait fishermen should do well with

squirrel fish, pin fish, green backs, mullet,and small ladyfish. A mullet doesn’t belongin the gulf so they are easy pickings andthe tarpon do like them as a rare treat.Large shrimp and the expensive pass crabsor blue crabs are great too. You can take anevening and dip all the crabs you need for adays fishing at the bridges and in the pass-

es: use a lantern or spotlights to see them. Be courteous and don’t blind other

boaters by shining the light on them asthey approach. Artificials work well also;large jigs and plastic tails along with largeplugs are a good choice. Tails of white,clear glitter, chartreuse, yellow, and blackand silver are all good colors. Try someshad body tails. The hooks must be large topenetrate and hold the fish. Baitfish imita-tions and spoons are great lures for tarponas well. Remember to try to land themlightly or start a radical retrieve immediate-ly to cover the splash. Living in the Keys,I saw many times where as my boat wasmoving past tarpon they really didn’t leavethe area but sunk to the bottom and waitedtill it was quiet again. The way to fishthem there was to sit on the anchored boatand cast to a fish once they were in rangethen wait for the next bunch.Tarpon time means summer is here and

our waters are heating up and so is the fish-ing action. Silver kings will soon be thestuff of the fish stories of the day. Jumpingthrashing and running - it’s like an irradiat-ed monster super trout on your line. Thebest part is even the folks who take theirfishing rod and just run down to the end ofthe street to relax for an hour or so canhave an unexpected tarpon tangle. Imaginethe fish stories of a huge silver fish thatwas jumping like crazy and as big as a per-son, maybe more – what was that thing ?Well my friend, that was a tarpon.

Don Cessna is the former owner ofRay’s Bait & Tackle in Englewood and aregular Water LIFE contributor.


Do You Like to ...Catch Big Fish?


Mayʼs Fishing Forecast

One weekend last month we counted 22 boats above the trestle on the PeaceRiver. Airboats made up a good part of the total and added considerably tothe noise. On the shore, the landscaping is growing back.

Charlotte HarborRobert at Fi shin' FranksPort Charl o tte: 6 25 -3888We’re in the springtime run now. Tarpon will be thebig to-do starting this month They have left Marcoand left Naples but they are not yet in Sanibel. I’dguess they are waiting offshore for the water to hit76 degrees and then they will show up in droves . . .along with the sharks . First they will show downsouth in the Intracoastal at Redfish and Captiva Passand then along the beaches. Then they will be into

the big pass at Boca Grande. In the early morning youcan sometimes get the first few fish to hit a topwaterlure. Threadfins will work very well too as will sugartrout, another good bait. Lady fi sh are also good fortarpon, but it’s still a little early in the year for lady-fish as tarpon bait. Another fish showing up in semi-decent numbers is shark. Small bul l s harks andbl ackti ps first. Look around Sharky’s pier, thePlacida pier and down around the Matlacha area. Thesharks should first show as an assortment of twofooters to six footers

Continued on facing page

with some seven foot bull sharksmixed in. It’s not ever too difficultto fish for them, but night fishingis the best time. Now that snookseason is closed (May 1) the snookwill really start to turn on, especial-ly the larger females. There arealready a few fish out along the beaches,but they are not too thick yet. El Jobeanwill stay good for snook fishing untilthe end of May and the Placida pier willget better and better each day from nowthrough summer. Night time fishingfrom shore is by far the best time forcatch and release of snook. The east sidearound Pirate Harbor and Burnt Store willbe very productive, but keep in mindthey are in the spawning mode so thefish might be here today and a mile downthe shoreline tomorrow, coming andgoing.Along with the snook moving out the

bigger redfi sh are starting to move in.The redfish are already starting to schoolup around the Intracoastal at Boca Bayou,around Bokeellia and down in the PineIsland Sound. Topwater artificials workvery well for them especially in themorning. Shrimp and whitebait arealways good.

Cobia will start moving in goodnumbers which is good news for theshore fishermen. The Bayshore Pier,Gilchrist Pier and the Port CharlotteBeach Pier would be my top choices forshore fishing for cobia this month.Frozen sardines would be my first choicefor cobia bait and if you can catch a freshwhiting that would be just as good if notbetter.

Spani sh mackerel will show up ingood numbers throughout the harborstarting this month. They are already inalong the beaches, but now they will bemoving inside.

Tripl etai l will start scatteringaround because the crab traps are beingpulled off the beaches. They will moveinto the harbor all summer long and befound around the markers. Blind-cast themarkers with shrimp or whitebait whenlooking for tripletail.Near shore reefs like the Rich Novak

Reef off Gasparilla Pass should be phe-nomenal for a variety of fish like mack-erel , boni ta, snapper, snook and red-fish. They will all be out there.

Permi t are going to start showing upnow, because they like that same watertemperature as tarpon. Mary’s Reef, theboxcars, and the southern reefs aroundSanibel are all good for permit. The trickis to get in early in the morning whenit’s calm so you can see them spinningon top.On the freshwater side blueg i l l are

starting to spawn right now and we’veseen some really nice fish caughtalready. This should be the best monthfor them. Small worms would be the baitof choice but small betelspins or littletube jigs will also work well.

El Jobean TrestleRus s at Toki es Bai t & Tackl eEl Jobean 697 -2559Snook are still biting pretty good

early morning and late evening. Therehave been tarpon and cobi a caught inthe potholes off the El Jobean bridge,and there are a ton of whi ti ng there too.Blackti ps and bonnetheads are in thePlacida area. The bait is moving in andshrimp are starting to get smaller but wedrag our own shrimp so we’re seldomout. Offshore, there are a lot of fish 25-30 miles offshore: real nice reds and l i t-tl e tunny . Lemon BayJim at Fi shermen’s EdgeEng l ewood: 6 97 -7595Fishing is good. A lot of snook are

being caught and guys are now havinggood luck with bigger fish. There’s a lotof bait around and pinfi s h starting tocome back into the bay. The piers anddocks all have big fish looking like sub-marines. Redfi sh is the hard fish to findat the moment, but trout has been prettygood on the high tides with fish wayback in all the basins like Whiddens andCatfish Creek. And there has been quite abit of tarpon now, coming in and goingout with the tides. There are also a lot ofsharks in the pass right now. Hook a

tarpon and unless you get it in10 minutes there is a goodchance it will be eaten by ashark. Grouper and snapperare being caught in the 15 to 25mile range and guys are stillcatching some mackerel andkings up towards Venice on thehard bottom. You’ll have to goup towards Sarasota as the fishmove north.I’ve had a number of cobi a

reports in the harbor and on theoffshore reefs. Once you get oneon, the others just come to theboat. We should be getting per-mi t on the offshore wrecks thismonth. You have to go wherethey are and be very quiet on theboat to catch permit, but onlight tackle they are a blast. Finally, there are quite a few

fl ounder still around offshoreand in close to the passes.

Stump Pass & the GulfAaron at Stump Pas s

MarinaLemon Bay 697 -

2206It’s been windy some

days but we’ve been catching

n May 7: FlatsmastersSummer RedfishTournament, Punta Gorda.n May 12-14: Oh Boy!Oberto Redfish Cup first2005 event, MobileAlabama.n May 21: 9 – 12 a.m.Professional TarponTournament Series, atBoca Grande 255-1555n May 29: 7 – 10 a.m.Professional TarponTournament Series, atBoca Grande 255-1555n June 9-12: CaloosaCatch and

Release, Captiva.n June 11: Old MosseyRedfish Tournament,Punta Gorda.n June 12: 7–10 a.m.Professional TarponTournament Series, atBoca Grande 255-1555n June 18: CouplesTournament Burnt Store.n June 11: Fishin ̓FrankʼsShark, Stingray andSailcat Tournament. 625-3888n June 20-24: KayakKamp for Kids First

Session: Grande Tours,Placida. 697-8825n July 9: Kids CupSeminar, Laishley Marine,Punta Gorda.n July 10: Charlotte HighRedfish Roundup, PuntaGorda.n July 16-17: Water LIFEKids Cup, FishingTournament Punta Gorda.766-8180n July 16-17: IGFA JuniorAngler WorldChampionships, KeyWest.


BIG-4 BIG-4 Mayʼs Target Species Mayʼs Target Species

SHARKS eating voraciouslythroughout the area

TARPON are here now,more should be coming in

SPANISH MACKEREL shouldbe moving into the harbor

SNOOK are out of seasonand only catch and release

CALENDAR OF EVENTSPowered by

Send us your event calendar information via e-mail: [email protected]

Fishing Report Continued from facing page

FishingRIGHT NOW:

Excellent!

This Month! This Month!

SunBird KayakSunBird KayakFestival Festival

at Stump Passat Stump PassBeach State ParkBeach State Park

May 21-22May 21-22Kayak FishingKayak Fishing

Tournament Tournament Captʼs Meeting Captʼs Meeting

May 20 May 20 Tournament May 21Tournament May 21

8 a.m.-5 p.m.8 a.m.-5 p.m.For InformationFor Information

(941) 639-0292 or(941) 639-0292 [email protected]@sunline.net

Water LIFE May 2005

Documents

o t t e h

r b o r

c o mwa t e rwa t e

boat turn

w w ww w w

gotthe boat

fishermen informed

matt anderson anderic