Most Popular
October 12, 2010
Brackish Water Fishing
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When the wind whips up, I love the brackish waters from Snook Haven to the canals of Ft. Myers, and down through the vast stretches of the Glades and across Alligator Alley for that is where one can find an abundance of excellent fishing. Yaking the brackish waters of our canals, streams and rivers will pit you up against some hefty critters on the rod, fly and gators in your eye. Caution should be taken when angling… Read More
January 14, 2012
Using Google Earth to Find Fish
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I got into trouble on a local fishing forum site once. The crime? I gave away a secret spot. At the time, I had just discovered a program called Google Earth. It lets you look down at the globe from the company's incredible satellite system. The conspiracy-theorist inside me was worried about Google knowing where I was – but since it also let me show people where the fish were, I threw privacy to the wind and installed… Read More
November 29, 2011
Fishing Docks in the Winter Part 1
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These series of articles underscores what many of us think is the most challenging and entertaining category of winter inshore action on saltwater -- fishing residential docks! The mud in the backwater where residential docks have been built by the thousands in and around the bays and intercoastals is black and thick. When the water's cold, it holds warmth. That warmth attracts fish. Redfish and snook, in particular,… Read More
December 12, 2011
Fishing from shore
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You wanna see something interesting? Look at a group of anglers fishing from the shore. Watch them cast their lures or baits. Study people fishing on the beach, a sea wall, or a dock, and you see a common thread: they are all trying to outcast each other. Some are better than others, and some equipment proves to be better suited to long-distance casts. There are some - us among them -- starting to use kites to extend our… Read More
March 20, 2010
How to Clean a Fish
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A lot of people ask us about the best way to clean fish, and our normal response is to ask them what they intend to do with them. Depending on your intended recipe, there are three primary ways to clean a fish. First, it's a good idea to think about what a fish looks like inside. You don't have to turn into a Doctor Bob or anything -- a degree in fish biology isn't required to cut wonderful, perfect-every-time fillets.… Read More
July 23, 2010
Cockroach Bay
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Depending on how long you've been fishing this area, there might be places you've heard of but haven't fished. Somehow considered privately-held and owned by the people that fish them almost exclusively (any area of the country and world have areas "owned" by locals), since they're water, they belong to nobody and everybody. There are so very many places like this in the area you can't fish them all unless you do it for… Read More
May 22, 2010
Kayak Fishing for Bull Sharks in the Everglades
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When we first started this magazine, two guys named Jon Shein and Joey Cambria helped a lot. They had started a kayak fishing magazine that's become one of the world's leading kayak fishing sites. We thank those guys a lot for the help they gave us when we were a newcomer, and this story is one that Jon shared with me long ago. It's about catching bull shark from a kayak in our own Everglades.
Jon told me about him and… Read More
March 20, 2010
Fishing Piers; No Boat? No Problem
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When most of us hear the word "Pier", we thing of the world-famous Skyway Fishing Pier. Whether you're underneath that behemoth wrestling with a 20lb grouper or a 120lb Tarpon in June, our Pier is a wonder of the world. And being underneath the pier like many of us experience is only a small percentage of what happens year-round at the pier -- on it, not underneath it. For an experience -- even if you DO have a 21'… Read More
April 19, 2011
How to Catch Cobia
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The first time I saw a cobia I thought it was a shark. I was around 14, and had been fishing here a couple of years. Catching trout in cold streams is a very beautiful thing, and one that's still burned in my memory and my love for the sport as any snook, tarpon, or wahoo that's burned out expensive equipment. I could probably still tie a decent nymph if I had to. But that day in Anclote Key, when that three-foot-long… Read More
September 10, 2011
Use Fishy Spot Maps for Trip Planning
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A fish's eye view...
This is an article that I've been wanting to write for some time, but didn't really find the right context in which to draw the analogy between how a fish sees the world and how we see the fish's world. The chance comes with a comparison between a spot you can see on one of our Fishy Spot maps and a sideview of a very productive hole. The hole, by the way, wasn't even mentioned in the original map.… Read More
August 23, 2011
Allen Creek
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As fall turns into winter, some of the North Bay spots we fish in the coldest months start coming to life. This article is about Allen Creek on the Northwest side of Tampa Bay and is a place that holds beautiful fish in the winter.
The bridge spanning this western bay hasn't always been there. When we were kids, the bay was open here. The spot can best be identified on Google Earth or Bing by the tip of the runway… Read More
February 03, 2012
Using Google Earth to Find Fish Part II
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This is the second article we're writing about the incredible program called Google Earth. Google Earth increases the chance of you finding fish, and gives you a way to share fishing spots with your friends, as well as, the community. To us, it's all about sharing, and trust us, the places you find and catch fish aren't a secret. You may have found your own secret 'honey-hole.' But, reality is that it is thirty other… Read More
March 16, 2010
Captain Mel Berman
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From the publisher: There are lots of Captains on our site today. It's going on two years since I created this web page for a site that was thirty days old. It was the dedication page for this web site. If you spend time here, and have been around for a while, you know what has been happening. You've seen the incredible flood of new visitors. You've seen the readers -- not the forum members, but the readers that don't… Read More
September 15, 2010
Are Fishfinder Rigs Effective?
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If you do something enough times, and you start doing it well enough that it begins to produce repeatable results, there's a danger of figuring that your way is the way. That's true with painting a ceiling and it's true with tying fishing rigs. If you do it and it works to produce a beautiful and evenly colored ceiling or you do it and it produces big breeder reds, three-foot long snook, and a 50lb cobia once-in-a-while… Read More
March 16, 2010
Gary Poyssick
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Gary Poyssick has been a professional writer and publisher for more than 20 years. He is co-owner of one of the nation's leading independent educational publishers, Against The Clock, Inc., with titles written about Adobe software, the printing industry, coding and programming, site development, and workflow management.
Poyssick has extensive experience as an author, editor, consultant, and super-geek, yet in his… Read More
March 20, 2010
How to Catch Pompano at the Bridges
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Do you think of Pompano as a well-kept secret? That's how Frank Sargeant described Tampa Bay Pompano fishing in his landmark book Secret Spots in Tampa Bay. Although locals were somewhat peeved at the many honey holes that Frank revealed, to our knowledge, the chapter about catching pompano around the area's bridges went unnoticed. Still, there are plenty of locals who consistently target and catch these highly-prized,… Read More
June 17, 2010
A Bucket List and the Live Wire
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Using an iPhone is a lot of fun, and quite useful. When Matthew Chin and I were about 9 feet from the back of Captain Travis Palladeno's bright red truck at 4:50am on Tuesday, the phone broke through Bob Marley to tell us we had arrived for a trip we were really excited about. Although a writing project, it was more than that, as you'll see.
I only live about 10 miles from John's Pass, where the Captain's 45'… Read More
February 26, 2012
Florida Black Crappie
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In Florida, black crappie are not just another fish in the pond. In fact, they are considered "the other white meat" by many of us who love their clean, white meat and delicious gentle flavor. Florida black crappie are more numerous than the state's black bass and just as sought after. After the Florida largemouth black bass, Florida black crappie are the second most popular freshwater species targeted in Florida.
Black… Read More
May 05, 2011
The Kitchen
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In the spring of 1988, a storage tank owned by a company called Gardinier, Inc (a fertilizer manufacturer owned by Cargill out of Minnesota) had something go wrong with a primary valve. A few minutes after the valve got stuck, it broke.
As a result, 28,000 gallons of phosphoric acid poured into the prinstine sweetwater of the Alafia River. And from there into Tampa Bay. The fish-kill that happened as a result of that… Read More
May 01, 2012
Truly understanding Solunar Tables
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What fishing web site is complete without solunar tables? When we first started the site a couple of years ago, one of the very first things we did was a story about solunar tables. I wrote about waxing and waning, and about the role the moon plays in creating our tides. But best efforts often fall short, for sure, and readers have asked more than once what that first article was trying to say. The man who invented them… Read More
November 27, 2010
Arrests
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The Good, the Bad, and the Idiotic...
Reading these Arrest reports is a fun thing to do, but not as much fun as putting them here for our readership to view. The reason we put them here is because they're something that our visitors love to read; they're surprisingly popular based on the number of monthly 'hits' they receive. They are among the many resources available from the FWC web site.
In case you… Read More
May 12, 2010
40 Break On The Live Wire
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Captain Travis Palladeno is one of those "Legends" we talk about. There are only so many of them, after all. But of all the people we've been lucky enough to have lunch with in the few months since we started this amazing adventure is a pony-tailed guy named Captain Travis. In the coming months and years we can only hope to get as active in protecting our sport as Captain Palladeno is.
Being in the fishing business, I… Read More
November 05, 2010
Magic Seaweed
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A surfing enthusiast's site that supplies anglers real-time wind and swell data. Read More
March 18, 2010
Solunar theory
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In 1926, a man named John Alden Knight came across an old wive's tale that had been circulating Florida and the Gulf Coast for who-knows-how long, and decided to give it a name. Solunar - the term Knight coined - is a combination of Sol for Solar and Nar for Lunar. In addition to sun and moon position (relative to each other), Knight compiled a list of 31 additional factors which - in theory - influence or control… Read More
May 17, 2010
Captain Travis Palladeno
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Captain Travis Palladeno has 25 years of experience fishing the Gulf of Mexico. He runs a 45 foot Phantom Speed Fish with twin 350 Yanmar engines named “Live Wire.” Live Wire boasts a fast racing hull, yet is fully equipped for deep sea fishing. It is outfitted for electric reels and has all the latest safety equipment, such as a Globalstar satellite telephone, 406 MHz EPIRB, Class 2 life preservers and a covered… Read More
March 25, 2012
How to Catch Kingfish, Part I; Trolley Rig
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This article is the first of a three-part series, about three different rigs used to catch kingfish from shore; from North Carolina to Florida.
Kingfish are toothy sea creatures and make an appearance along the coastlines in a ritual migration in the spring and fall. Coming up from the tropics in the spring -- with their return in the fall months -- the kings are following a stew of baitfish that the warm waters of the… Read More
December 27, 2011
Fishing Docks in the Winter Part 2; Skip Casting
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"Fishing Docks in the Winter; Skip Casting" is part 2 of our "Fishing Docks in the Winter" series. In this article we will touch on the proper way to get your bait far under the dock where fish generally are going to be set up waiting for a meal.
Skip Casting; the secret to effective dock fishing
So what’s so hard about this? If you know where the fish are going to be when it’s cold outside, and you know just about how… Read More
March 30, 2010
Scott Moore
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Scott Moore
When we started this special section of your magazine, it wasn't hard to put Captain Scott Moore on the list of legends. As people who live by whitebait -- and more accurately chumming (first for, and then with) "scaled" sardines -- the name Scott Moore reminded us of where the practice came from. To us -- and everybody we know that fill their live wells with fresh living baitfish -- the name is synonymous… Read More
March 21, 2010
Baby Steps
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This article was written years ago by a friend of Captain Mel Berman's named Chris Hofstader and his wife Susan. I had it as part of the content for the book Skinny that we wrote together, and it remains the best article I've found on fishing -- and sharing our love of the sport -- for people injured and "challenged" (what a word, right? You all know I'm not from the PC crowd).
"Wha-da-ya think yer doin'?!?"… Read More
June 28, 2010
Built from the ground up
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This article is part of a series we're going to be providing our readers about boats. Fishing boats, to be specific. Although the article's falls under "Product Reviews", we've decided that you can't really review a boat. I mean how do you review boats? It's sort of like being the judge at the "Cannabis Cup" in Amsterdam. After being on three or four beautiful, essentially-custom boats built from the drawings up to be… Read More
February 29, 2012
The Lure(s) of Tarpon Fishing in Charlotte Harbor
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Sometimes when I am out on that water, there's some kind of feeling that comes over me. It's not the water. It's not the mud. It's not the air. It's not the gasoline or the quiet sound of paddles moving a canoe or kayak. It's not the birds or water, although in some ways it is that, too. It's something else. Something ancient.
There's no words for it, so it's not something I can "define" like I can a slip knot. I… Read More
June 13, 2011
Kitchen Reds; pulling slots out of breeder schools
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This story came from Captain Scott Moore, in one of many conversations I've had with this legendary fisherman over the years. It's about how to pull "slot" reds out of those schools of big breeder redfish that frequent our flats at different times of the year. To keep the one legal redfish you are allowed to target in Florida, it has to be between 18 and 27 inches. (You can access the FWC online regulations by clicking… Read More
April 26, 2010
Cast Net Use
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Choosing the proper cast net is of the utmost importance if you are to be successful when trying to catch bait. These few tips along with the chart below will help you enormously in your bait catching efforts. Cast nets come in all different lengths, mesh sizes and weights. First and foremost the two most important questions you have to ask before you purchase a cast net is:
1) The size of the bait your trying to… Read More
June 19, 2010
Florida's Artificial Reefs
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Not all of us spend every minute of our time on the water. In fact, about a third of our readership spends most of their time offshore -- some so far out-of-site-of-land they're legends for doing it (read about contributor Travis Palladeno here, not to mention guides like Larry McGuire, and Captain Wade Osborne, whose offshore adventures are in their own class as well).
But if you're like us, a good set of numbers is… Read More
November 15, 2011
Wintertime Largemouth Florida Bass Tips
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Some of the toughest fishing you will ever find is catching Florida Bass in the Winter. Largemouth bass become lethargic in cold water, as do many other freshwater fish, seeking the shelter and warmth of the deep. Eating habits are true year round -- large bass eat generally in a 48 hour cycle, with the exception of wintertime where at the peak of this 48 hour window, they generally feed only an hour or two. Compared… Read More
October 10, 2011
Trolling for Kingfish
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The other morning it was probably around 63F. outside my Saint Petersburg home, and the wind was absolutely howling from the east. Signs of Fall's arrival are starting. I had spoken with a close (Northern) friend of mine just the night before about seasons -- or what he felt was a lack thereof in Florida. I reminded him of one day last Fall when we were out on my boat during the height of our local fall Kingfish run.… Read More
October 14, 2010
Claw Daddies to Blue Coats
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Well, it’s that time of year again with the open season; lasts from Oct. 15 to May 15 here in Florida, of those big orange and black pincers stuffed with sweet, succulent white meat to begin reappearing on menus and in marketplaces everywhere, known as Stone Crab Claws. Besides being tasty, claws are a guilt-free way to enjoy Florida seafood for these lucky little crustaceans doesn’t normally die when their claws are… Read More
November 24, 2010
Free Charting Software and Waypoints
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With the advent of Open Source software initiatives - you can now obtain a software program that will run on your Windows XP computer that has the ability to plot way points and tracks on the ocean for you, and did I mention it's FREE?
Here's the really cool part... the charts you need are also Free.
Now ... if you could only find some way points for all those wrecks and manmade reefs.
Well... look no further - you'll… Read More
March 21, 2012
Sundown Sessions; Nighttime Kayak Fishing
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Want to get out on your kayak more often but too busy making a living during the day? Can't get out on the weekends due to chores and catching up?
No worries.
Instead of sobbing on the couch about how bad your workday was, load your kayak, bring a rod and get out for a sundown session. Just because the sun is going down and light is limited on the water doesn't mean you're restricted from chasing fish.
Sundown… Read More
September 11, 2010
The Hybrid Flurry
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I have used lots of baits throughout my life. You name it and I’ve tried it, but like a lot of our fellow anglers, I am partial to top water dog walkers. Recently, I was introduced to a new, soft swim bait by Edge Products called The Hybrid Flurry. Now I know what you’re thinking -- all swim baits are the same. I don't believe that's true. The Hybrid Flurry has a larger button tail, which gives it lots of vibration; so… Read More
March 05, 2012
Where to Fish in the City
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If you often think about where to fish - which we find ourselves doing often for obvious reasons - you quickly recognize how unique a place like Florida is. With a good percentage of available real estate within minutes of the coastline, even residents that live hours from the smell of brine in the air are only minutes from fish. Nationally, far more anglers seek largemouth or smallmouth bass (with trout and salmon a… Read More
December 29, 2011
Bass Fishing: Deepwater Winter Tactics
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A new lake, stream, canal, or pond is an easy read, if you know what you are looking for. When I was a licensed Captain here in Florida, clients would ask if I was taking them to an old haunt, or a favorite spot, and many a time I would reply, “No, I've never fished here before.” The reason why I had never fished there before, is because all water is the same no matter where you fish. From The Rocky Mountains to our… Read More
November 05, 2010
KLYSTRON
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Local weather resource with state-of-the-art radar systems. Be safe! Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "Bass-Beads Bass Notebook Pt. 4")
August 08, 2010
Bass-Beads Bass Notebook Pt. 4
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Bridge Bass on Bass Beads w/live bait
Part 4 of The Online Fisherman Bass Notebook
Whether you are using a G-MAG, Oversize Worm hook designed by Gamakatsu to fit magnum size tubes, worms and jerk baits or your own favorite variety, slide a colored bead onto your line before tying on the hook. Your bead will slide freely on casting giving you an advantage in catching big bass over average to little ones. Depending… Read More
May 03, 2011
The Howard Frankland Bridge
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From the Publisher: This article about the Howard Frankland bridge is associated with a Fishy Spot map, which you can access and download and print (or watch on your smartphone) if you're a registered user. Even without the map, though, the bridge is an excellent fishery in the spring and early summer (all summer, really). This story about the bridge, and the fish you can catch there is right for this time of the year,… Read More
March 22, 2010
Captain David M Rieumont
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Captain David Rieumont
727.204.9723
David Rieumont is one of the five original team members that concieved, built, and currently manage TheOnlineFisherman. He's the only licensed guide on the team but he's definitely the most respected and knowledgable fisherman of the bunch. Him and Gary Poyssick became close friends when he recommended Mel Berman and Poyssick's book Skinny for his clients to read as a great… Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "The Kings Highway")
October 02, 2010
The Kings Highway
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Trolleys posted on the end of the pier at Sharky's, are an indication of the onslaught to come in weeks, if not days ahead, of the annual Fall migration of Scomberomorous cavalla, the Kingfish or better known as King Mackerel. This biannual migration of the Kings occurs first in the springtime and then again in the fall before water temperatures become too cold for their comfort. Trolley rigs account for most of the… Read More
December 17, 2010
Winter Bucketmouths
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The Online Fisherman Bass Notebook Part 3
I had the pleasure to fish with Roland Martin (Click here to check out his great fishing site) a gazillion years ago in the winter on the big “O”, Okeechobee, during the wintertime and the one thing he told me that has stuck in my head was, “You cannot fish too slow, there ain't no such critter. Cast it out, let it sink to your desired depth between the mat of the Hydrillias and… Read More
November 10, 2010
Wintertime Wading...
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From the publisher: A brief seven months ago this site had empty pages. Now we have content coming in from the professionals working so hard to educate, entertain, and catch fish for their clients. It's not only about the fish to any of them; the joy of the process, the connection to their clients, and the ability to share their incredible knowledge with people dying to learn more makes them all very special in a very… Read More
May 19, 2010
Captain Gary A. Anderson
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Gary A. Anderson cut his teeth as a tag-a-long in Texas where he was born. He and his father Arthur E. Anderson angled from the Hill Country to Aransas Pass, while working on his thesis. Gary lived in a Ranger cabin at the base of the “Devil’s Tower” in Wyoming. There his Dad taught him the skills to angling with a fly for wild Brown Trout. Being on a Doodlebug crew, he learned how to catch fish throughout the Grand… Read More
March 06, 2011
Trolley Set Up
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Black Tip Shark Venice Pier, Florida
Well, you know Spring has sprung when everything from small sharks show up at El Jobean to big Black Tips and Kingfish are starting to make a presence at Sharky's on the Pier, in Venice. We have been fishing everywhere this week with the exception of the freshwater action; to which we will do some ultra-light spin tackle Bass fishing on Tuesday morning and kite angling from… Read More
February 12, 2012
The History of Fishing Reels
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A fishing reel is a device used for the sport of angling. In more scientific terms, a fishing reel “deploys and retrieves fishing line by using a spool mounted on an axle”. They are most often (but not always) used in conjunction with a fishing rod. The first use of a fishing reel can be seen in Chinese paintings from around 1195 A.D. In these paintings the fishing reels were hand wound, much like a simple fly reel… Read More
September 12, 2010
Brown Sugar Redfish...
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Brown Sugar Redfish
September is redfish time, and the other day I spent some (time, that is) on the phone with my friend Gary talking about redfish. I told him a couple of tips you folks might find useful when you're attempting to put a client (or yourself) "in the grocery store" when you find yourself in the big schools of breeders you see in September. When I was younger, I thought it was just lucky if you can find… Read More
April 18, 2012
Where to Fish: Bass in Local Ponds
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Have you ever caught a fat largemouth bass? A six-or-eight pounder? Or even a small one that just weighed a pound? If you answered 'yes', then chances are you might be fishing very close to home. Right next door in some cases.
Scouting your neighborhood for largemouth bass
We are elitists. Face it. There are all these huge, hungry, hard-fighting sportfish all around us, and we hardly fish for them. Or at least I hardly… Read More
March 21, 2010
Get a Grip
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It wasn’t long ago that the now-famous Boga Grip made its entry into the saltwater fishing arena. The ability to quickly and easily grab a fish without imparting serious damage to them was made simple. At the cost of a mere $129 for the smallest in the range (and an astonishing $259 at Cabela’s online web store where we checked first), the tool not only grabs a fish quickly, but it lets it go as soon as you’ve… Read More
August 21, 2010
Rigging Florida Flats Shrimp
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Rigging Florida Flats Shrimp
Rigging a Florida Flats shrimp will keep your bait on the hook for those stealthy long casts across those grassy beds full of what ails you; trout to reds and other fish too. Using a Florida Flats rig on your live shrimp will also keep it virtually weed less when slow presentation is involved or under a cork in the grass or weed lines and it is a rigging every angler should know. Angling… Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "History of Ft. Desoto")
January 23, 2012
History of Ft. Desoto
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Fort Desoto is a place that's been attracting campers and fishers for a long time; there are scientists that venture to say as many as 10,000 years. We do know that for the last 400 years our entire region's attracted a wide array of western and world travellers. At first those travellers met the Tocaba Indians -- the latest tribe we have some vague information about. They had been here since roughly 1,000 A.D. The… Read More
September 12, 2011
Tides4Fishing
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Tides4Fishing is a perfect example of what happens if you give a fisherman a computer or a geek a fishing rod. This outstanding site is something you have to know about, and we envision having this become the most popular fishing tidal and solunar application you're ever going to find. The beautiful graphics and (so-far) very accurate information combine to create a real winner. Read More
October 11, 2010
Killer Crab Cakes
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Like all of Captain Scott Moore's recipes, this one is simple and very easy to put together. And like every recipe we've ever gotten from him, just outstanding in its down-home "cracker-style" approach to the food God provides us in our incredible environment. This one is really cracker food, since it takes advantage of something most people will find in their closet -- albeit eighteen years old in some cases. It… Read More
August 21, 2010
DOA Lures Hosts Writers and Guides
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If you've followed this column over the years you've heard me talk often of DOA Lures and its charismatic designer Mark Nichols. Nichols didn't start DOA with seed money or a public offering. He started his company with an idea, the most rudimentary of materials and most importantly an indomitable spirit. Oh, and yes, the fact that he had a "nose" for fish didn't hurt. Nichols didn't ask you to believe him, he was… Read More
October 05, 2010
Shore fishing and pottery shards
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Fort Desoto is a place that's been attracting campers and fishers for a long time; there are scientists that venture to say as many as 10,000 years. We do know that for the last 400 years our entire region's attracted a wide array of western and world travellers. At first those travellers met the Tocaba Indians -- the latest tribe we have some vague information about. They had been here since roughly 1,000 A.D. The… Read More
March 04, 2010
Terms of Usage
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Terms and Conditions
Please read this User Agreement before using this our site or the Services provided. By continuing to use TheOnlineFisherman.com, you agree to abide by the conditions of this User Agreement.
The OnlineFisherman.com Service/Visitor/User Agreement
1. Welcome to TheOnlineFisherman.com -- an asset of The Online Fisherman, Inc., a Florida-based Corporation. The site may herein be referred to as "The… Read More
April 13, 2011
T.A. Mahoney's Lands Vance Tice...
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When Tightlines Tackle on Sligh Avenue closed, a lot of people were wondering what our dear friend (and Master Grouper Digger) Vance Tice was going to do. Once he became 'available' to the marketplace, there was certainly no shortage of local independent stores, national retailers, or manufacturers anxious to get him to come and work with them. His many years of retail experience, a deep and thriving love for -- and deep… Read More
September 10, 2010
The Old Salts Fishing Club
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From the publisher: This story is more than just a story about a fishing club -- it's a story that's so much part of our local fishing community that knowing the club and its history is likely to enrich our readers as it did David Rieumont when he began the research for the tale.
The club dates back to 1971, when a group of locals, under the direction of Dr. Robert Smith (then director of the State University System… Read More
April 12, 2011
Capt. Ray Markham's - West Central Florida Fishing Journal- April 2011
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Trout and redfish take the main stage
Good numbers of fish have been caught over the past few weeks with a number of different lures. The variety of fish caught has been good, including snook, trout, redfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, cobia, and ladyfish. We’ve seen some tarpon rolling in the lower Tampa Bay over hard bottom but they have not been on our target list…yet!
Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "Bass Notebook: Topwater Euphoria!")
September 09, 2010
Bass Notebook: Topwater Euphoria!
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7.04 Pound on 6 # Test; Light-tackle Extreme
Part 1 of the Online Fisherman's Bass Notebook Series
Pulling into the boat ramp to unload the ‘Snapper’, our 16 foot tandem 1978 Mohawk canoe, there was an angler on the dock casting one of the larger Zebco casting reels in search of fish. I ask him what he was targeting and he replied fish, anything that will bite my hook. I then went onto explain that by targeting a… Read More
May 09, 2010
Tube in Worm
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In June of 2002 Joey, Doug, Jim and me made a trip up to Cape Cod. We were looking at lures in a tackle shop there and we came upon the Tube and Worm (TnW). We discussed how it was one of the hottest big striped bass lures in New England and how we should try a smaller version from our kayaks but we didn’t take it any further.
Read More
June 03, 2010
A Step Back in Time - Cuttyhunk
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Mike, also known as Fisheye, is an underwater videographer and wanted to hook up with me and take some pics. So we arranged to get together one day. Mike had been out snorkeling and said there weren’t many fish around but had discovered a school of fish tight to the cliffs in the second cove down the shore. Woody and I were on the water and as we approached the cove there was a charter boat casting into the cove. I… Read More
![](/modules/mod_raxo_allmode/tools/tb.php?src=/images/stories/Images_Team/bagley/Dea2.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "Dean "Dino" Bagley")
July 21, 2009
Dean "Dino" Bagley
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Dean Bagley
If the name Bagley sounds familiar to the fisherman and woman reading this article, it's not a surprise. His dad Jim was behind one of America's -- and the world's -- most popular swimming baits. The story of Bagley Baits is for another article, but touches our friend (and now Contributor) in ways now spiritual, where once it was the millions of dollars those swimming plugs generated for the family.
The… Read More
September 28, 2011
Basic Bakes
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Scott's "Cracker Food" is quickly becoming a favorite among our readership. What started out as a friendship between Mel Berman, myself, and Scott has developed into a rich combination of articles, phone calls that I don't want to finish, and recipes like this one. Where Lefty Kreh and Mark Sosin have become TV celebrities and are -- certainly -- great resources to our wonderful sport, Captain Scott is special to us in… Read More
August 16, 2011
Finding Spillways...
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I'm really lucky to live in an old neighborhood called Crescent Heights in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Construction here began in the early twenties, and it was one of the first real neighborhoods in what was a rapidly-growing residential area near the mouth of Tampa Bay. The reason for putting houses here is simple to seem even though it's nearly 100 years later; Crescent Lake (after which the neigborhood was named) is… Read More
July 19, 2010
Here Kitty-Kitty
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Here Kitty-Kitty; In Search of Florida Freshwater Cats
Channel Cat fishing, no matter where you fish, has always been a past time to cool away under an oak tree, spinning tackle to a bamboo pole, a can of worms, your favorite stink bait or just a pint of chicken livers from your local grocery. In Florida, well back in the days before electronics, a staple for the table, ranking only behind the largemouth bass in terms… Read More
April 08, 2011
Bait Tips from the Pros
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To put it quite simply. It’s here. You may have to work for it a little bit and put your time in of course, but patience and the ability to throw a few pancakes will yield a blacked out well full of frisky white baits. The key is to not chase the bait around with your trolling motor, or especially you’re outboard. This will put the bait down in the deeper holes and not allow you to get close enough to throw a net on… Read More
December 04, 2010
FishClippers
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"You need more fishing stuff like you need a wart." Coming from the mouth of my lovely wife, it's one of those strings of audio vibrations men (and women with non-fishy husbands and significant others) learn early to let come into one ear and out the other. If we didn't have that capacity when it comes to fishing stuff, we would drown quickly, much like a featherless duck.
We don't do the kind of reviews you see on… Read More
February 07, 2012
Florida's Trophy Bass Program
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Twenty-five years ago, the first largemouth bass entered in Texas’ fledgling ShareLunker program, and also proved to be a state record, weighing in at 17.67 pounds. Since then, anglers fishing Texas waters have caught more than 400 bass weighing at least 13 pounds, including 50 that weighed 15.38 pounds or better. Among them, an 18.18 record caught in 1992.
Activist Angler Robert Montgomery with a trophy-sized… Read More
September 27, 2010
Just don't act like a seal...
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What's the matter? Forget to wear your man boots?" Casting the barbed comment was a guy named Jason Boyle -- better known to people lucky enough to fish the Live Wire with him and the boat's owner, Captain Travis Palladeno -- as "SuperJ".
So here I am 120 miles offshore on Travis' boat, being abused by the first mate. The funny thing, though, wasn't the fact that I was told I had worn the wrong "gear" when I came that… Read More
March 21, 2010
Being a Beginning Fisherman
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Once the beginning fisherman decides that fishing is what they want to do, they have begun a venture that is very addicting, time consuming, and oftentimes expensive. The first few outings the beginner starts to realize how much time and effort it takes to rig tackle, tie lines, and actually catch fish. To a person who is new to fishing all of this can seem a little difficult and frustrating at times. The things… Read More
December 03, 2011
Under the Boat: Basic Bottom Fishing
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Understanding Thermoclines, Structure, and Fish Behavior at or near the bottom
Most of us at TOF – and indeed many of the guides and contributors to our site – fish live bait. Let's say that 70% of the contributors are live-bait people, with 20% never touching live bait, and the other 10% not caring one way or another. If you fish live bait near or on the surface, or use lures near or at the surface (popping corks on a… Read More
November 07, 2011
Fishing with a Kite
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"Why the heck would I want to use a kite to fish?" Reach. The answer to the obvious question is reach. By putting a clip in the kite line, and learning to use that clip to carry your bait (dead, alive, or man-made) into the air just below the kite itself, you can successfully reach fish you would never have had a chance to catch. Professionals and serious amateurs have been using kites for years to catch sailfish on live… Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "Slot Specks & Spots")
September 01, 2011
Slot Specks & Spots
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Laying Her Out...No Fish Tale Here!
Angling Lemon Bay, Englewood, Florida for Sea Trout (Specks) and Red-Drum, a.k.a. Redfish or Spots, is a real adventure this time of year, as we are in mid-spawn. The Spots are extremely active, whether following the pack, (females bunched and tailing like a school of mullet), or hanging in the pots in wait for a meal. Catching Specks to Spots in the Slots is a real challenge,… Read More
February 09, 2011
River Tarpon and the Rough Riders
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From the publisher: We felt this was a good time to re-publish this piece about a place where the Rough Riders (the special-operations guys drinking rum with Teddy Roosevelt before getting chosen as his companions in the Spanish/American War) used to sleep -- and maybe catch crabs for lunch. The site's near downtown Tampa, and is a place you can find blue crab and tarpon in the winter -- right longside largemouth bass… Read More
September 25, 2010
Spey Cast (Fly-fishing)
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When was the last time you were out on the skinnies, working a channel or mangrove lined creek and there were trees behind you, the current and wind were moving right to left or vice versa, and fish were tailing at long distances dead ahead. Having no room for a Straight line Backcast, you have but two choices: find another spot or rely on a centuries old technique that lets anglers make accurate change-of-direction… Read More
January 06, 2011
A Fishermans Dream
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Its been over 2 months since I have been fishing. My fishing partner left for Italy a month ago, and the time before that we’ve had some boat issues that need to get resolved when he gets back next week. Last night I had a dream that I was out there on the cool water sometime after 10pm, fishing the docks around St Pete.
Read More
April 03, 2010
It weighed HOW much?
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Calculating The Weight of a Fish
If you've ever fished with another fishing addict, you have asked the question a million times. "How much you think this fish weighs?". It could be a thirty pound snook or a three pound sheepshead, but you gotta ask your friend what he or she THINKS it weighs. Lose one, and you can say it weighed anything you want to say; you never saw it, for God's sake. But if you get one in the boat,… Read More
March 24, 2010
How to Fight a Fish
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Successfully identifying a strike and responding fast enough to set the hook solidly aren't enough to ensure that you'll consistently catch fish. Hooking fish and getting them to your boat are two entirely different things. Even pros lose their share of fish, especially when using light tackle. There are lots of bruisers out there, many that have been caught before, and plenty of structure for them to cut you off with.… Read More
![](/modules/mod_raxo_allmode/tools/tb.php?src=/images/stories/Images_Publisher/Features/Spots1.png&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "Finding "Secret" Productive Spots")
June 17, 2010
Finding "Secret" Productive Spots
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When you fish an area -- any area -- there are spots that produce better than others. Some are protected by the guides or serious amateurs that find them while scouting (spending time simply looking for places fish might be found for subsequent trips; most of us only carry one rod when scouting, and don't use it that often) and some are marked in books like Frank Sargeant's classic Secret Spots of Tampa Bay or Secret… Read More
May 15, 2010
Casting a Baitcasting Reel
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Before we think about casting a Bait Casting reel we must set the tension adjustment to try and prevent as many backlashes as possible (backlashes are when the lure stops but the line continues to come off the spool, resulting in a mess on your reel) The spool on a casting reel is shaped like a barrel that turns within the gears and mechanisms of the reel. There will be a small knob on the side of the reel that will be… Read More
May 30, 2010
My Real Everglades
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When you talk about fishing in the Everglades most will think or refer to it as fishing world renown places like Cape Sable, Lostmans River, and Gopher Creek, etc. When you watch the TV shows with the “Rock Star” guides when fishing the Everglades these are some of the areas a lot of them are fishing. The fishing can be phenomenal and there is no doubt it is a great experience to fish and see these areas. With saying… Read More
March 19, 2010
Between shopping
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These past couple of days i have had the opportunity to get out and do some late afternoon bass fishing with a good friend of mine. So far every pond that we have fished in the Tampa Palms area has been holding a decent amount fish. Due to this cold Winter the bass have started there spawn later and are still on the beds. Lately we have been throwing the whole tackle box at them to see what is working best for the… Read More
June 05, 2010
Advertise with us
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You can find a lot of places to spend your advertising dollars -- but none quite like TheOnlineFisherman.
With a vast array of content about how to fish, when to fish, where to fish, and how to join our ever-expanding community of outstanding forum members and readers, our site offers you a chance to reach the people that buy your products in ways no other online fishing resource offers.
Read this informative brochure… Read More
April 27, 2010
The Bass Professor
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D8E281C9BA1FF376
To see additonal videos in this category, click the square button right on top of the Play/Pause button. Read More
![](/modules/mod_raxo_allmode/tools/tb.php?src=/images/stories/CAPTAIN_Images/DeSpirt_Erick/eric.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 ""The Age Old Question: What color to use?"")
January 09, 2011
"The Age Old Question: What color to use?"
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We have all been part of a conversation about what color works best. I am frequently asked how do I know what color to use. After a conversation with a friend, that I fish with regularly, I began to think about how to help people make the best of their time on the water. My first response to question of "what color to start with" is usually a question. What are the conditions you are going to be fishing and how many… Read More
May 05, 2011
Captain Chad Petroski
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Captain Chad Petroski is USCG Licensed and Insured and has well over 10 years experience fishing the greater Tampa bay area. From the backwaters of the local estuaries looking for Snook, Redfish, Trout & Tarpon, to offshore in the Gulf Of Mexico hunting Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish and more, Captain Chad has the knowledge to get you on that trophy fish of a lifetime. The rest is up to you!
About the boat:
Capt. Chad… Read More
April 06, 2010
Tossing a Castnet
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Understanding Cast Nets
Having written the book Skinny: How to Fish in Shallow Saltwater with Captain Mel Berman, we had to talk a great deal about castnets -- how they work and how to throw them. I wish the copy I wrote for that very popular book was as good as what Captain David Rieumont wrote for Mr. Lee of Lee Fisher Castnets. It's not :)
Wherever you may fish, live bait is always the best lure. To save time… Read More
April 15, 2011
Captain Rob Mims
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A locally born, tournament proven guide, Captain Rob is passionate about sharing his knowledge and life experience, guiding you to a fun, memorable and successful South Florida flats and inshore fishing experience. He is a USCG licensed and insured Captain, a Member and Certified Guide of the International Game Fish Association(IGFA) and a member of The Florida Keys Guide Association(FGA). Capt. Rob is involved with and… Read More
October 29, 2010
Find Fishy Spots to Eat...
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As a regular section of our site, we post what are called FishySpots -- maps we build using a commercial application that creates GoogleEarth maps we're able to then publish for our users. Under normal circumstances, these maps show fishing locations -- both shore bound and for boaters -- where we've personally caught the fish we target. From snook to tarpon, and snapper to sheepshead, the maps will help you find the… Read More
June 14, 2011
Lake Talquin
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If you don't know about Gadsden County, you really should take the time to click the link and learn a little about it. This report from an oustanding new contributor -- Jeff DuBree -- is the first of what we hope are many reports coming from Lake Talquin and surrounding waters. Seven miles north of our State Capital in Tallahassee, Gadsden is rural, historical, and so very beautiful that its proximity to the political… Read More
January 17, 2011
Florida Sinkhole Bass
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With the lack of spring to summer rains here in south Florida, winter water levels are a bit down, causing foliage and such as aquatic vegetation to also be sparse in places with only large patches of cat-tails or Pussy-willows to make the breaks of your drop-off lines along Florida natural sinkholes. Sinkholes too are areas if which many a gravel to coral-rock quarry are often started in Florida, as this material is… Read More
May 09, 2010
The Fish Grip
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There are a myriad of lip gripping devices on the market to help you handle fish. Most function as the name implies by gripping the lip of the fish. America’s most popular gamefish the largemouth bass comes with a built in handle of sorts. Grip its lip with your thumb and forefinger and the bass is subdued. This works for all members of the bass family including its larger cousin the striped bass. However there are… Read More
October 14, 2010
Fried Stuffed Hard Crabs
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From the Publisher: Andy made sure I said that his came from the Eastern Shore of MD/Va. With that said, this was originally written by our friend and totally cool forum resource, AndyS.
Having a fishing site is a very cool thing. Some of us have run commercial web sites since Al Gore was kind enough to invent the Internet (he had time; the Earth was still cooling back then, and he weighed about 100lbs less). Having a… Read More
July 06, 2011
Bruce Butler
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Bruce Butler first got hooked on saltwater fishing as a young child by his grandfather on the east coast of Florida. Grandpa Dale Butler was a champion snook fisherman on the coast two times in the early 60’s. He passed his love of the water and respect for the environment on to Bruce.
Bruce is also a well known outdoor writer featured in the coastal angler magazine. Fishing reports, destinations, and a dash of… Read More
November 11, 2011
Spanish on Straws
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What’s in Your Tackle Box?
McDonalds is the place to be but it’s not for the burgers! I’ve got a Mac attack on my mind and I need some straws. Their shakes may be the best in town but it’s the straws that are totally awesome. The next time you’re in there, order a couple of extra shakes and keep the straws; you’re going to need them to satisfy your Big Mac attack.
The Macs were talking about are Spanish mackerel and… Read More
June 27, 2010
Sample Chapter from Skinny
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I worked a long time with Mel Berman to write the book Skinny: How to Fish in Shallow Saltwater. Now you can get the book at Tampa Fishing Outfitters, and enjoy a 20% discount if you mention you heard about it at TheOnlineFisherman.com.
This is a sample chapter from the book. It discussed one of the fundamental issues we pointed out in the book; how to identify structure. What is structure? This brief five-page… Read More
March 22, 2010
Captain Pat Horrigan
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Captain Pat Horrigan
813.323.0363
IGFA Certified GuideNational Director of TournamentsKayak Fishing ClassicS
Pat Horrigan, Tropic Bay Guides, Inc. Tropic Bay Kayak Fishing Classics
Captain Pat Horrigan began fly fishing when he was only 12 years old, when his grandfather put a fly rod in his hands in Northern Michigan. He fell in love with the sport and some 40 years later, still has a very strong passion for it.… Read More
February 06, 2011
A Guy Named Mel...
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From the publisher: It's one year ago this week that a guy named Mel Berman died of complications following heart surgery. He had lived a wonderful long life and I think of him often -- especially today (Sunday, the sixth of February). I wrote this article about six months ago -- when the web site you're reading was about four months old. At the time, there was a great deal of drama in the local fishing community over… Read More
October 04, 2010
Kayak Fishing for Albies
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Jon's reports and articles are primarily based in the Northeast, but the guy's fished all over the world in Kayaks. He's the guy that wrote the book about Kayak Fishing, and we're not kidding when we say so.
One of my favorite fish species are what we call here in the northeast, albies. In the south they call them bonito, but here we also get true bonito. Albies are also called little tunny and fat alberts. They are… Read More
August 17, 2010
Drifting Over Structure Offshore
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Matthew and I talked about the fact that you can create a grid for fishing offshore structure in much the same way as you do to fish new flats. The difference with a flat, of course, is that you can 'triangulate' the spot visually; offshore you have to do the same thing with buoys -- but the concept is the same. Draw a grid and use the wind and tidal flow to create a zig-zag drift that effectively covers the entire area… Read More
March 29, 2010
Bass at your local lake
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So with this wind and the nice weather I have been wanting to go out fishing, well not having much time (and 20+mph wind) I figured hitting some residential ponds in my area would be a great idea since A: I get to fish B: There is always a chance for bucket mouth C: Fishing the bay with 20mph is no fun, but I want to put a tug on my line D: Most people will drive right by you not knowing there are good size fish… Read More
March 19, 2011
Plano Guide Series Waterproof Case
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Have you ever had your cell phone get water damaged while enjoying your favorite outdoor adventure? How about your camera or even your electronic lock-fob on your car keys? As a fly fishing guide I have managed to dunk just about everything electronic at one time or another and I can tell you that it is not something you want to do. It is very inconvenient and an outright bummer when you can’t get back into your car or… Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "No Oil Here, Just Fish; Bass On!")
June 13, 2010
No Oil Here, Just Fish; Bass On!
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Part 2 Bass Notebook
An American tradition etched into my mind that of a young girl, boy or both hand to hand walking along side their dog, a can of worms, armed with a cane pole brings to life a symbol of our youth learning the importance of independence while connecting with nature. Most of us as kids started out angling much the same way. Often from the banks of a nearby creek or pond and our first catch could have… Read More
June 24, 2010
Shorebound?
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One of the most common email requests we get is from people that are shorebound -- or at the very least want to know places they can stop and catch a fish or ten from the shorelines that surround our beautiful bay. Now, for the first time that we know of on any fishing site, TheOnlineFisherman.com will begin to supply the shorebound and land-based anglers in our readership places where they can catch fish.
The maps we… Read More
May 15, 2010
Finding Bait
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This "Bait" map is only a small inkling of a new level of content you're going to be seeing from the team at TheOnlineFisherman.com. This map will be showing you where you can throw a castnet, or drop Sabiki rigs down to catch anything from Pilchard sardines (what we call Scaled sardines), Threadfins, and Shad. Among the other maps you'll be seeing are maps about where Reports are coming from, Maps about where to get… Read More
May 17, 2010
Structure at Your Local Lake
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When looking at local lakes finding the structure might be the difference between catching fish or just wetting a line. Bass are creatures of habit. They will find structure and hang around it. The saying "think like a fish" gets thrown around alot but if we do take a moment to "think like a fish" we can see that in small ponds bass will stick to structure even if it seems insignificant. Bass need a few things.
1.Food… Read More
March 01, 2011
Closeout Fishing Tackle Prices at Tightlines
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(813) 932-4721
It's never good to see an American businessman decide it's time to cut losses and close their doors. Unfortunately that's just what's happening with our friend Vance Tice's Tightlines Tackle. His background in the retail business, his development of the Bubba Jig, and his lifelong commitment to being the best resource he could be to our expanding fishing community means he's a smart guy, and the decision… Read More
July 29, 2010
Planning the Drift...
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"We're in trouble." It was about 6:00pm, the sky to the north of my Saint Petersburg home way too dark to be out on the water. The voice on the phone was a friend of mine I had fished with just the day before. Scouting the flats outside the mouth of the Manatee River resulted in sardines (small), a few really nice trout, and the sighting of at least three beautiful redfish. Slot reds, but big fatties.
If you've never… Read More
June 02, 2010
Choosing the Right Kayak for Kayak Fishing
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One of the most successful ways to fish on the flats is to be on a kayak. Not only is it very stealthy but next to wading you can get to places that boaters can only dream of. With that said, being a more skilled angler will be the outcome.
In selecting a kayak, I suggest that you try many different styles before you make your choice. Ones’ taste or fishing needs may be very different from the others. Many paddling… Read More
May 12, 2010
Why We Kayak Fish
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When you think about fishing you realize that there are many forms of the sport. Sight fishing is by far the most challenging approach to be taken. In order to be successful in sight fishing, you must have a stealthy approach or you will do nothing more than spook your quarry. Wade fishing has its’ place for sure but it can be a long walk and as you tire, you are naturally noisier by default. Using a flats boat is… Read More
May 09, 2011
Spring Time Pompano
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Spring time is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only is the weather heating up but so is the fishing! Out of all of the fish that show up in the Spring, Pompano, are one of the best to fight and delicious to eat.
Pompano are known as, Trachinotus Careolinus, and are silver sided with yellow on the bottom. They are small scaled and toothless with a rounded head. The tail of a Pompano is narrow and forked. They… Read More
September 16, 2011
Sheepshead Fillets
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This excellent recipe for Sheepies was actually part of an article our friend and Southwest Florida Editor Captain Gary Anderson had written about using Sand Fleas to catch the tasty targets. I happened to find it when we were going through the massive task of re-categorizing and re-shuffling about 3,000 articles, videos, maps, and other components when we decided it was time to redesign the site so it could… Read More
April 06, 2010
America's Newest Online Fishing Magazine
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If you spend time fishing, it's likely you spend time on the Internet looking for fishing information-- reading about fishing, talking about fishing, talking to other fishers on forums, hopefully finding the best fishing reports from pro guides, and generally have a place to go when the subject of your favorite sport crosses your mind. The Online Fisherman is just that. And more. With the top experts,… Read More
August 23, 2010
Shein's Book: Kayak Fishing
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These reviews -- and there will be a regular stream of them -- are coming courtesy of the people at No Bananas and our Fly Fishing Editor Captain Pat Horrigan. You can learn a lot from Captain Pat, and if you want to touch the sport of fly fishing in a way that few men can help you do, call him and visit his web site. You can read his profile here.This review is about Jon Shein's book Kayak Fishing. You'll see Jon… Read More
May 04, 2010
Getting Started Kayak Fishing
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This is another article coming into The Online Fisherman from what we -- and many people into the sport -- feel is the Internet's most valuable and popular kayak fishing resource; our friend Jon Shein and partner Joe Cambria's KayakFishingMagazine.net. The site -- rich with kayak fishing content, is the number one online resource for what's rapidly becoming a primary category of our beloved sport (speaking of which -- is… Read More
November 10, 2010
You Never Know
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My buddy John mates part time on the charter boat Jamaican Princess out of Pt. Pleasant, NJ. Each fall they go on an annual cod and Pollock trip out of Glouster, MA. I got a message on my phone ‘Cod trip gone bad o ya’ and attached was the following picture. Upon speaking with John he told me the story. They were having a great time catching cod when a school of giant bluefin tuna showed up and started eating their… Read More
February 18, 2011
Circus
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Brought to you (in part) by the schools of BIG Black Drum (the rest is by me)!
Seems like yesterday, but it was two years ago, Capt. Billy Turney, his son Reese, my son Jake and I were out for a little scouting trip in the lower bay. I had a couple of charters on the books and wanted to see if the redfish were chewing in this part of the bay. We were tooling from one spot to the next when I see the whole flat rise up… Read More
July 16, 2010
No Oil Guarantee
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Even though there’s no oil on our coast, for some people there’s the perception it’s everywhere. Just last month Governor Christ asked for another 50 million from BP for advertising, but was turned down. I say, “Good!” In my opinion, all the money that was spent on advertising should have instead gone to the people whose livelihoods are ruined in Louisiana.
Read More
March 02, 2011
Fly Fishing Forecast August
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The early bird gets the worm in August! With afternoon heat and thunderstorms being potential problems, the best fishing should be early in the day. Tarpon will still be an option and snook will still be found in the surf and around docks and bridges close to passes. Reds should be forming large schools and deep grass flats should have plenty of action with trout, blues, pompano and more.
Tarpon will move from the… Read More
August 14, 2011
Fly Fishing; Transitioning from Fresh to Saltwater
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How does one become a saltwater fly fisher? Usually, most are freshwater converts. But these days there are many that have actually started in saltwater. Northern visitors that come to Florida to enjoy our weather can be frequently seen in our airports carrying rod cases.
All fly rod companies make 2, 3, 4 and even 5 and 6 piece outfits that easily conform to on-board baggage requirements. However, I have one word of… Read More
April 11, 2011
Warsaw Grouper and the blindfold 2007
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Captain Mike Cole supplied me with this photo and the story!
Read More
August 08, 2010
GoogleEarth Maps to your GPS
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This excellent technique came to us on the Angler's Forum, from a guy named MTomas. It's a way to use map files created with GoogleEarth on your GPS device. When we saw it, it made us think that a great deal of excellent material can be found on forums -- where it stays forever. Instructions like this are as good as anything we can write ourselves, and really belong in the site's "How To" section. We thank forum member… Read More
February 10, 2011
Sand Fleas for Sheepshead
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Sand Fleas will yield up more sheepshead than you could ever imagine! Sand Fleas, also called sand crabs or mole crabs make good bait for sheepshead. They’re no bigger than 2 inches and have no real pinchers. I held one and it was weightless. We dug a few up... only to release them and watch how fast they could dig themselves back into the sand. They're perfectly camouflaged so it's hard to spot them swimming back into… Read More
January 07, 2012
Flounder in Pecan Butter Recipe-Cracker Food!
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When the fall and winter cools down the air and water, two things arrive. First, the spawn is on for big flounder, and a species that ten years ago was relatively rare begin showing up on sandy flats and the edges of grassy flats where channels cause sandy bottoms. Secondly, it's tomato season in Florida – and this wonderful tasty recipe for Pecan Butter, and Fried Flounder to put it on -- uses the same flour wash to… Read More
November 15, 2010
Sharky's Sharks
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Out on the Boards with Sharky's Sharks
As water temperatures have been on the drop, with the passage of each new weekly cold front, so too has been the bite of a variety of fish. Those magic temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees bring in the Kings as they run their migratory dash up or down our beaches, depending on the time of year it is and to this migratory run are to those who would dine upon them; sharks, big… Read More
December 27, 2011
Fishing Docks in the Winter Part 3; Positioning your Boat
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"Fishing Docks in the Winter Part 3; Positioning your Boat" is part 3 of our "Fishing Docks in the Winter" series. In this article we will touch on the proper way to position your boat to help get your bait in the strike zone! If you are just finding this article and haven't read parts 1 and 2 yet, read them first! Here are links to both of these previous articles:
Fishing Docks in the Winter Part 1
Fishing Docks in… Read More
January 24, 2011
The Canal Game
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I just can’t get enough of fishing our canal systems in West Florida. There are endless docks, beautiful homes, the occasional friendly sunbather (sorry honey), and of course, the fishing. On a recent trip in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Erik Nixon along for the ride, we came across flounder, sheepshead, and redfish schooled in the hundreds. We only saw over slot trout, including a few 30”+ gators that looked at us, flipped… Read More
October 19, 2010
Fishin'Buddies
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Or "Watch between the lines"...
Like everyone I have a short list of those who I enjoy fishing with the most, some I only fish with once or twice a year, but they are still one of my favorite fishing partners. This past week, my list became shorter. My father in law was taken from my family unexpectedly. I would like to share a couple of our stories with you.
Read More
May 11, 2010
G-Flex Epoxy
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I first learned about West Systems G-Flex from Chris, the owner of Saltwatersports, a Naples kayak shop. Upon returning to Florida for the 2007/2008 winter season I stopped in the shop on my first shopping trip to Naples. Chris filled me in what was happening with the shop and then asked if I knew about G-Flex yet. I hadn’t. I am always tinkering with kayaks and other stuff and what excited me was here was an epoxy… Read More
May 15, 2010
Finding Bait
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This "Bait" map is only a small inkling of a new level of content you're going to be seeing from the team at TheOnlineFisherman.com. This map will be showing you where you can throw a castnet, or drop Sabiki rigs down to catch anything from Pilchard sardines (what we call Scaled sardines), Threadfins, and Shad. Among the other maps you'll be seeing are maps about where Reports are coming from, Maps about where to get… Read More
March 19, 2010
Baby Tarpon Flies
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An article I wrote a while back on another fishing web site about small Tarpon elicited several questions about not only what flies to use, but how to use them effectively. Tarpon of any size seem to have their own agenda about what they like to eat at any given time.
According to Donald Larmouth and Rob Fordyce, authors of, Tarpon On Fly, Baby Tarpon will eat almost anything you would throw at a Snook, size 2 or size… Read More
November 28, 2011
Bass Fishing in the Slot
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This time of year in Southwestern Florida, area ponds are bumping up and down in temperature ranges by as much as five degrees (in what's called by scientists as Diurnal Range). This temperature differential makes for some hard angling, but if you use the right baits, you can have days where you hook up almost every cast, if you fish "in the slot". "The slot" in this case isn't the legal size of the fish, but is the… Read More
September 28, 2010
The Birth of an online fishing resource
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From the Publisher: Our friend Jon's next book is about fishing of a different kind, but for now the author of Kayak Fishing is a welcome addition to the incredible talent we seem to be attracting. This article from Shein is about the birth of the nation's leading online kayak fishing resource. And it ain't TheOnlineFisherman.com. But if we're going to tell you about resources, we can't hide the best you might find if we… Read More
July 09, 2011
How Smart are Tarpon?
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Fishing is a very personal thing. What's amazing and worth any effort to one person on the water might not be of any interest whatsoever to the next guy or girl. Running a web site like we do, it's easy to see that one forum member from Land-o-Lakes is primarily interested in fishing skinny saltwater, and doing so from a kayak. Another user -- based on their hit-statistics -- can be identified (and introduced to… Read More
September 19, 2010
Fine Line
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There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot
-- Steven Wright
From the Publisher: All of our contributing guides are communicators. Some of them send us emails with sentences like "Red Big 30 Noon" and others tell stories while others write 1000 words of literature. Tim Whitfield is a guy whose writing is like Captain Gary Anderson's in a lot of ways. While not having the years of… Read More
July 09, 2010
The FWC Hotsheet
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FWC Hotsheet - June 2011
Florida Fish & Wildlife (FWC) provides these Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files. You can find three different categories of these files under the FWC news menu, and any files like this -- PDF files -- will also be available under the User Downloads (About>User Downloads on the Main Menu) so that you can keep your own copies, or share them with friends who might be interested. Gina's… Read More
May 22, 2010
FWC Article of the Month
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This article is going to be what we think is an interesting, educational, fun, or otherwise important article from the FWC. They issue a great many press releases, and you can see that page on the FWC menu, but some issues just jump to the top of the long list of articles, and we probably spend more time than anybody with a real life outside a fishing web site reading articles on the web about fishing.
Read More
July 30, 2010
Florida Floaters
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Something Smells Here?
If it is 16 feet or over, it must be taxed, titled and registered with the Florida Dept. of Motor Vehicles.
If it has an electric trolling motor on it, regardless of its size, you floater (canoe, kayak, scull, row boat) must have decals and be registered and have a title with the DMV.
There is more than oil floating around in our Legislature and if we are not
careful they will be taxing… Read More
January 06, 2012
Sacrifice
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I’ve had time to review the moment, and I still don’t know what it is I’ve learned. Something lost.
A fishing rod, the best I’ve ever owned.
I broke it Christmas Eve morning, 2011. A day cold enough that without gloves on, you would’ve lost your hands.
We were codfishing east of Block Island. I wish I could say it happened dramatically, the boat taking a heavy roll in a breaking sea, spilling bodies, water blowing… Read More
July 07, 2010
How to Tie Fishing Knots
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I can tie an improved Clinch knot in the dark behind my back in very cold weather. No feeling whatsoever in my fingers? No problem. Ditto what a lot of us call the "CanoeMan" knot. It was actually something that was first seen on Rapala literature in the days prior to the Internet. Mel Berman showed it to his friend Meryll Chandler, and from that point on Mel "let" the CanoeMan take credit for it. Or so the story goes.… Read More
September 24, 2011
Lighten up!
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This time of year the main target inshore species are trout, redfish and sheepshead! For the most part the average fish are less than 5 lbs and most are in the 2 to 3 lb range. The numbers are on average higher than the summer time numbers and some of the best baits are artificial! So to have more fun with these fish it is not a bad idea to lighten up your rig!
Read More
March 19, 2011
WaveShield 1 Waterproof Gloves
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I would like to share some information with you about PRECISIONPAK’s new kayak gloves. The new WaveShield 1 waterproof Neoprene gloves are very comfortable and flexible. I found it easy to pick up small objects with them on. In addition the WaveShield 1 gloves have a very nice Kevlar palm and fingers for added grip when wet.
Read More
August 31, 2010
The Frankland
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With Labor Day approaching, there will be a lot of boats on the water, and many end up in the same places. Large structures offer a place where eight or ten boats could easily carry three people per boat for a weekend day trip that produces time on the water, time together, and maybe even a fish or two. This Trip Plan for the Howard Frankland applies to all the bridges in the bay, with some specific tips included. A… Read More
May 24, 2010
Tarpon Tips
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As you all may know the tarpon have showed up in the bay area and are here for the taking. They are once in a life time fish that will put you and your tackle to the test. You can either use conventional or spinning gear its all personal prefrence. I myself like a little heavier spinning outfit so its eaiser to cast baits at these fish. A 6000 to 1200 size reel with a 7'6'' to 8' heavy to extra heavy rod spooled… Read More
December 18, 2010
Mangrove's Galore
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Depending on the weather, winter fishing is in full swing in Tampa Bay. According to what you want to catch is the area you wanna be in. Myself, Captain John Baty and Chef Davie (Dave Brewer) put the boat in at Apollo Beach ramp after paying the 10.00 fee about 10am and headed for the power plant warm water outlet. Upon arrival at the power plant discharge outlet, we anchored just inside the metal fence where it was… Read More
June 23, 2011
Secret Cream
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In the world of publishing, a magazine or book in progress has a way of taking over one's life. You go to bed at night thinking about the next day's story, or edits, or printing presses, or national sales. You think about upgrades to software, and you think about the stuff you're writing. In our case, it's fishing. Talking about fishing to someone either brings a blank look into their eyes as they fade away; or (in… Read More
September 07, 2011
Moon Fishing
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Every fisherman dreams of a bigger catch! Is it possible to know beforehand when you should plan a trip to enjoy some fishing, catch more than usual, and come home feeling 100% satisfied? Based on my own personal research around the best fishing times, I think it is.
When I first started fishing, the best fishing time for me was whatever time happened to suit me. I tried different lures, baits and techniques until I'd… Read More
July 12, 2011
Whitebait (Pilchards)
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Pilchard Sardines (Whitebait): Harengula jaguana
Appearance:
Shiny silver-white with dark green backs (hence the label "Greenbacks"). The term greenbacks is used by some to describe Threadfin Herring, which are a different species.
Dorsal brownish gold, pectoral and anal fins same white as body.
Identifying black spot directly behind flat vertical plane of gill plate
Forked tail
Proportionately large black… Read More
May 12, 2010
The Science of Selecting the Right Fly Reel
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To begin with, this discussion is directed at saltwater fly reels. There are many manufacturers of saltwater fly reels today and that is great in the sense of direction. On the other hand it not only can be confusing to someone new to the sport, it opens the window to making a purchase of the wrong reel. When you hookup with a very powerful, trophy saltwater fish and he cooks your new reel, you have purchased the wrong… Read More
May 29, 2010
Win Free Stuff for Telling Stories
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Publishing a fishing magazine -- be it ink-on-paper or pixels-on-screen -- is all about content. Let's face it -- there are a lot of fishing sites on the web. Want to get an idea of how manyfishing sites there are on the web? Try a simple search. Type the word Fishing into Google's powerful search engine (are you a little scared that it might be an alien intelligence behind that site?). Suffice it to say there are more… Read More
June 16, 2010
Fishing For The Golden Ghost
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Silver Ghost in Goldfish Clothing
Captain David provides us a unique look into a fishery that few -- if any -- of us have ever explored; a fishery from carp that run like bonefish and weigh twice or three times as much as the biggest of the Silver Ghosts, as those who lurk the flats for bonefish love to call them. They are like silver ghosts; vanishing in a blink at the slightest shadow. These carp might not be quite so… Read More
July 17, 2010
The Bay Middle Grounds
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This area is well known to locals, but not as fished as you might think. It's wide open water, and a range of bottom structure -- as you can see from this screen capture of the map's general area -- is perfect to attract bait. In fact, if you're looking for bait, and put your boat in at any of the several ramps in the middle of Tampa Bay, you're very close to the spot.
That's the Gandy Bridge at the top of this image.… Read More
January 24, 2011
Fish in Stainless
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From the publisher: I was looking back on the past ten months, since Captain David Rieumont and I first started publishing this web site. We've come a long way -- or we should say the site's come a long way. This article -- about an artist and his wife, who create the most incredible fish out of stainless steel -- was the first about what we're calling "Fishy Art". There are a few more, and we're going to bring them back… Read More
February 29, 2012
Fishing Forecast for West Central Florida
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March is usually a good month for fishing the flats. Fishing for redfish and trout should be strong this month as baitfish become more plentiful. Top water plugs should work well due to the warmer water we've been having here in Florida. You might also find sheepshead around docks and oyster bars. Look for catch and release snook in the ICW at night. In the coastal Gulf, king and Spanish mackerel and more should begin to… Read More
March 22, 2010
Captain Steve Betz
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My name is Captain Steve Betz. I am a U.S.C.G. licensed and insured charter captain. I have been fishing Tampa Bay and its surrounding water’s for over thirty years.
My goal as your guide on Tampa Bay’s beautiful waters is to provide you with a salt water fishing experience you won’t soon forget. I cater to the needs of both the young and old,experienced and novice angler.
I provide instructions on how to fish for… Read More
March 23, 2010
Hybrid Bass
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The Online Fisherman's Picture of the Week
If you look at our Contributing guides, you'll find an incredible picture of a man named Josh Zacharias holding what you just know fought like a freight train, wasn't a stupid fish that grabbed a piece of masking tape wrapped around a long-shanked hook (try it for Macks; you might surprise yourself, and if you string a six foot piece of 6lb mono with tiny gold hooks and wrap… Read More
July 27, 2011
Everglades Bass
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Several people I know had told me there was good fishing for largemouth bass just north of me, but I hadn’t done much about it. Once I tried, but that was a cold winter day and I had no luck at all. I was nearing the end of my seven month stint in the Everglades, and I was staying on the water in Chokoloskee. "Sorry?", you might wonder, because even most Floridians have no idea where it is. Chokoloskee is at land's… Read More
August 03, 2010
Using the map tools
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Fishy Spots are something we're talking about a lot in articles. The most popular feature on a site growing faster than we could have imagined, the custom maps provide our readers places to fish. There are maps for the shore-bound angler, the wader, maps for where bait's being caught (updated continuously) and even maps about where to find a ramp, or non-ethanol gas.
As good as the 'trip plans' are, however, Spot maps… Read More
June 19, 2010
News of the Strange and Not So...
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The latest news is sometimes more interesting than finding out where the bait is. Poachers with a dozen dead snook; live pigs in the back of somebody's truck, while they play stupid with the LEOs trying to do their simple (and not-so-simple) job of keeping normal everyday people safe.
The News of the Day on our site includes information coming in live from the FWC. Both reports offer 'official' news releases, as well as… Read More
May 14, 2012
Megalops; What is a Tarpon?
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We call them "Silver Kings", and the growing sports fishing community that travels from the island nation of Japan to catch them call them "Dragons". Locals simply refer to them as 'poons (as in tar-poooons). If you love catching fish and have never caught one, suffice it to say that your first hook-up will be something you will never forget.
The people who are willing to teach others various aspects of this… Read More
June 18, 2010
How to Videos
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What good is a fishing site that doesn't have a video section? Fishing videos can be found everywhere -- on people's phones, on the Internet, and on TV every weekend. In keeping with our promise to build the most useful, entertaining, and educational fishing site in the US of A, we offer a complete video library -- but one that's growing every week.
TheOnlineFisherman.com is a "dynamic" web site -- which means that the… Read More
May 15, 2010
Choosing the Correct Reel
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Reely Simple Basics
Although there are 3 different types of reels, spinning, bait casting, and fly. We will just cover the two major types casting and spinning. Fly rods are in a league of their own taking more physical effort and good conditions to use effectively (ever try using one in 20 knot winds?) The all serve the same two basic functions hold the line and provide power (in drag) to fight the fish. The… Read More
June 30, 2010
A Captain's Nightmare
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It has not happened to me yet in the approximately 7 years that I've been guiding professionally, but has happened to many of my professional captain-friends. Hearing the story from people you trust is one thing. telling it's another. Here goes...
You get a late night call for a charter trip for the next morning. Four people, 8 hours, a $700 pay check. You're exited as you start planning your last-minute trip.… Read More
June 20, 2010
Avoiding Security Zones
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The attack on the Twin Towers on September 9th of 2001 changed the way all Americans thought of our country, our freedom, and why we're so in love with being Americans. Let's hope we never forget that fateful morning. Despite the fact that a Battleship's been built from the remaining steel melted when the buildings came down, the space where they sit still remains empty. A hole in the jaw of the greatest nation the… Read More
May 12, 2010
Lines, Leaders & Tippets, Oh My
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The performance characteristics or your fly rod will play a major role in your fly line selection. Think about that for a moment. If you have a good fast action saltwater fly rod you do not need to overweight the rod. If you are purchasing a new fly line for your 8 wt rod then purchase an 8 wt fly line and not a 9 wt. Using an overweight line takes away designed lifting characteristics of the rod and will aid in… Read More
June 19, 2010
Events on the Fishing Calendar
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From tournaments to charity events, from the kickoff of tournament season by the founder of one of our favorite sportsware manufacturers, Vince Segura of Skinny Water Culture, our Events Calendar is loaded with things going on in the fishing world.
You can submit events to CaptainDavid@TheOnlineFisherman.com and he'll get your events -- and descriptions, links to your web sites, and any other contact information you… Read More
May 15, 2010
Casting a Spinning Reel
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Casting a Spinning Reel
Spinning reels are easier to use than casting reels. You will have a good grasp on how to use them within a few minutes and cast well with a few hours of practice. To cast a spinning reel grab the line with your index finger just above the bail, flip the bail open which releases the line from the spool then move the rod and reel behind your head keep your eye on the location that you are… Read More
January 24, 2011
The Retail Fish Trade
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When asked last week what we did for Christmas, I said "eat". If you're family's anything like mine, the holidays bring with them something much more important than gifts, trees, holly, mistletoe, or signs on the side of a bus that tell me what an idiot I am for believing that there are Divine forces at play in the Universe that make me look like a thread on an old garment. Which I am by now. Christmas brings with it… Read More
April 16, 2010
Homosassa Hazard Extreme Tarpon Classic
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Â
The Kayak Fishing ClassicS is pleased to announce their next tournament. The Homosassa Hazard, Extreme Tarpon Classic is scheduled for May 21 & 22. The Host Sponsor is the famous Bayport Inn located at 4835 Cortez Blvd. In Weeki Wachee, Florida. The famous Bayport Inn has been serving great seafood and family meals for years and is well known along the Gulf Coastal area of Florida.
Read More
May 17, 2011
The King & I
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The Silver King and I have had our battles, some long, some short. The months of May and June are considered the season for those battles here in South Florida. Just try to find a good guide with an open date and you will see the stage is set for the joust. But beware; the tables are not in your favor. You can equip yourself with the very best guide with his mulit-thousand dollar high-tec flats boat, the very best… Read More
August 04, 2010
Never Give Up...
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I didn’t have high hopes for the Whiskey Joe’s Tampa Bay Redfish tournament. The weather was definitely not in my favor with an all day incoming tide and winds up to 20mph, who would? I just knew that locating reds off my 14’ kayak was going to be tough but that didn’t stop me. Dedication is the name of the game when tournament fishing is involved.
Contributor Derick Burgos and a friend named Redfish. Derick's a… Read More
May 03, 2010
Jon Shein
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Jon Shein
Kayak Fishing, America's Leading Book on Kayak Fishing
Jon Shein is an avid, lifelong fisherman who started fishing in 1960. At the end of the 90s he got his first kayak so he could access fish beyond the breakers. He began sharing his new found love on message boards and started moderating too. He was disappointed how kayak shops and the industry were ignoring the sport and it’s potential. So he went about… Read More
May 21, 2010
Bass Report 5/21
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Bass Report 5.31
The bass are done spawning by this time of the year. The water has warmed up and the bass will be looking for shady spots. I have been finding the bass in the lilly pads close to deep water. With the change in temperatures the bass are more prone to aggressive topwater strikes. Buzz baits in the morning seem to always get a few exciting topwater explosions, as well as Doug Hannon's topwater… Read More
January 02, 2012
January Fishing Forecast
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Weather will be a factor this month so fish smart ahead of fronts, or in windows of good weather between fronts for the best action. You’ll find reds and trout in potholes or around deep docks on low tides in the morning. Snook should be in rivers, creeks, canals, and around lighted docks and bridge fenders in the ICW at night. It may be worth taking a look in the coastal gulf for albies (little tunny), tripletail, and… Read More
May 19, 2010
How to Choose a Rod Basics
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Fishing poles are an important piece of the puzzle to catch fish. In its simplest form they are used to throw the line out with a hook at the end of it. Rods have been used ever since man has figured out it is a better way to fish than just holding a line... technology advances and we now have more options than ever for us to pick. Fishing rods will vary in length, taper, action (also known as flexibility) and power.… Read More
May 19, 2010
How to Choose a Rod; Part 2
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We know the basics of rods now. How to choose a rod for specific needs, we know power, length, and action and how they affect the rods we use. If you don't already know check out our article "How to Choose a Rod Basics." We are going to talk about more advance rod technology including: Rod Materials (blank), Tapers, guides, and reel seats.
The Blank
This is the framework for the entire rod, consider it the skeleton of… Read More
October 17, 2010
Proof that Cavemen Fished!
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This week is Fred Flintsone's fiftieth birthday. For those of you that don't know who Fred and his friend Barney are, watch this week's video in the lower-right corner of this page to see an episode about the two going on a fishing trip together. Remember, these were pre-iPhone days, so they used their feet to drive their cars, and we can only imagine that races other than Caucasian hadn't yet evolved,… Read More
September 12, 2010
Bite-ON, Bite-OFF
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Catching fish or going fishing to your favorite spot is like, well, turning on a light switch; up it is on, down it is off. Fishing pressure, traffic, weather and water conditions can all cause bite-on to bite-off behavior, causing a previous productive fishing pattern to fall apart. Change is not a bad thing if you can read the pattern and understand just what is going on with that area of concern under the surface in… Read More
December 19, 2011
Hook Injuries: Part I
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“No way, man. I'm going to the hospital. I ain't gonna let you mess with my ear, man,” Ray Valdez said to me. The injured, hospital-bound angler was my lifelong friend. He had a hook in the lobe of his left ear. I had offered to do the String Trick to quickly and painlessly remove it, but there wasn't any way on God's Green Earth he was gonna let me get anywhere near his ear. I didn't push the issue (if you knew Ray, you… Read More
April 12, 2010
Ladies Let's Go Fishing
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Women's fishing program teams with Langford tournament
By staff report Treasure Coast News
Ladies, Let's Go Fishing, the award-winning educational program designed to instruct women of all skill levels on fishing knowledge, tips and techniques, has partnered with the Frances Langford Memorial Fishing Tournament in Jensen Beach April 23-25.
The union will give lady anglers the opportunity to participate in and… Read More
![](/modules/mod_raxo_allmode/tools/tb.php?src=/images/stories/Images_Flyfishing/Rods-on-wall.png&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "What "Flies" in Salt Water?")
August 14, 2011
What "Flies" in Salt Water?
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It's a growing passion with many a Florida angler -- fly fishing in saltwater. Most are northern transplants who migrated to the Sunshine State bringing boxes filled with freshwater patterns. And the question on the minds of these fly flinging enthusiasts is "can I use my old favorites in this new saltwater environment?" For the answer, we turn to our own "Fly Guy."
While giving a saltwater fly fishing… Read More
April 30, 2010
Kayaks and Content Experts
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In coming weeks and months, you're going to see the Kayak section of our increasingly popular online sports fishing magazine experience dramatic improvements in the level and quality of its content, its entertainment value, and (perhaps most importantly) its ability to educate you on the down-and-dirty how-tos of Yakking. We're about to see work coming from two of the most respected and competent publishers, writers, and… Read More
May 09, 2010
The Next Wave in Kayak Fishing Kayaks
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Kayak fishing is an evolving sport. The first quantum leap was the use of plastic as a hull material. The next leap was the Sit on Top (SOT) kayak. After that came better designs and then pedal drives. I don’t know if it will be the last leap but the next big thing is going to be the electric kayak (EK). Using an electric motor to propel a kayak isn’t anything new. Over a decade ago Cobra added a motor mount that… Read More
May 28, 2010
Jon Shein
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Jon Shein
Kayak Fishing, America's Leading Book on Kayak Fishing
Jon Shein is an avid, lifelong fisherman who started fishing in 1960. At the end of the 90s he got his first kayak so he could access fish beyond the breakers. He began sharing his new found love on message boards and started moderating too. He was disappointed how kayak shops and the industry were ignoring the sport and it’s potential. So he went about… Read More
August 24, 2010
A Guy named David...
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Captain David Rieumont
David Rieumont is one of the five original team members that conceived, built, and currently manage TheOnlineFisherman. He's the only licensed guide on the team but he's definitely the most respected and knowledgeable fisherman of the bunch. Him and Gary Poyssick became close friends when he recommended Mel Berman and Poyssick's book Skinny for his clients to read as a great 'primer' for those… Read More
May 09, 2010
Is it the lure or where it swims?
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If I'm on the Pinellas side of the pond, there are at least three stores I can be found at. One is Mastry's down on Fourth Street South -- right down the street from where I live in Crescent Heights. I've known the guy named Larry Mastry, and his dad, for a long, long time. The old man taught Phil Plastic (among many others) how to sport fish 100lb tarps under the Skyway. I think there are cork bobbers in my bag (or… Read More
March 15, 2010
Why I Fish
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While fishing one day I caught a very large bass. It weighed about 8.9 lbs. That is very big for a largemouth bass. It was a mother bass ready to spawn its young, so I did not handle it too much. I released it quickly with care so it could continue its life cycle and produce all the baby fingerlings. While driving back home for some reason, I started to think about what had occurred on my fishing trip, getting to… Read More
March 18, 2012
Hook Injuries; Removing Fishing Hooks
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In our previous Hook Injuries article, we talk about how easy it is to accidentally stick a hook into yourself or a friend. Put two or more people on a boat, and the chances you are going to stick somebody increases exponentially. The simple fact is that the people behind and to your sides are within a circle that your hook -- or multiple hooks in the case of some artificial lures -- is going to move through very very… Read More
November 17, 2010
Bay Grouper with Vance Tice
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Vance Tice has been a fixture in the sport fishing community for most of our readers' lives. His "Bubba Jigs" are still in many of our tackle collections somewhere.
This image of Vance in his store is only one side of a very diverse, interesting, compassionate, and plain-fun guy. His dedication to our community includes years of spending his time, money, effort, and frustration working to protect our right to fish in… Read More
August 30, 2011
FWC Weekly Arrest Report
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/images/stories/FWC_Weekly/2011_Aug19-25.pdf,700,800 Read More
September 05, 2011
Bass Sweeping
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Tell us what you think after watching this incredible video. Not only is it funny, but we will take the first opportunity to try it on a largemouth near me !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G8XGFTxFDE
In the olden days we used to "noodle" for cats and such. Now this guy come along in a kayak and sweeps a buzz bait at six inches from the tip of his rod and wham, bam, a fish? No casting necessary. In Florida you do not… Read More
August 13, 2010
Shrimp on the Grill
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This is really about grilling anything, not only shrimp, since it affects your grill, and it's likely you put chicken, meat, and fish on it during the course of a month. If you're anything like me, at least half the food you eat is made on a grill.
Read More
November 03, 2010
Fall/Winter Bass/Snook Bite
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Shallow to Deep Bass Bite Hot on Top & Snook too!
With the lack of spring to summer rains here in south Florida, water levels are a bit down, causing foliage and such as aquatic vegetation to also be sparse in places with only large patches of Hydrillias and lilies floating on top along drop offs, causing the bass bite to be as hot as ever. Largemouths are taking any lure mimicking small bait fishes in the… Read More
March 09, 2012
Seeing Spots --- Big Spots!
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When Mike Bucca goes fishing, he sees spots. But it's an addiction, not an affliction. While spotted bass are an incidental catch for many anglers, the guide specifically targets them in North Georgia lakes such as Lanier, Carters and Allatoona, where they predominate.
What he has learned about them and the success that he enjoys pursuing them might convince you to target them as well.
And in ways that you've never… Read More
September 16, 2010
The Spawn is On!
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This article by Gary Anderson is another in the vast field of content the man has inside him. His history is something to hear -- which you will when we finally get around to writing something close to a real biography on the guy. From planting sub-tracking devices for some dark ops people to owning a shrimping boat ala-Gary Senese's Colonel Dan in Forrest Gump to fishing northern pike for years in the canals of Holland… Read More
March 19, 2010
Get Flies Deep for Big Fish
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As the water cools and fishing activity on the flats heats up, are there times when you would like your fly to go deeper? We all love to see fish come up to the surface and slam a top water fly or popper, but sometimes larger fish are more interested in having their dinner put closer to their nose as they lie with their belly against the sand. Deeper usually means a slower presentation is needed to entice a lunker to… Read More
March 17, 2010
What's Biting next month?
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North Coast Report
April is a good month to catch your Snook, Redfish and Trout in one outing. Now I am not saying its always easy, but your chances increase a lot. The water temperature and the abundance of whitebait will make this possible. Whitebait is a scaled sardine or a threadfin herring. In the North Suncoast region scaled sardines are the primary bait that is around our
Read More
June 26, 2010
Perspectives on Tarpon
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From the desk of Dr. Steve Bortone...
Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
This white paper -- the work of contributor Doctor Steve Borton -- was described by the down-to-earth fisherman as 'perhaps being somewhat dry' when he gave it to us. He was kind enough to provide our readers the very, very cool scientific look at a species some of us literally live to chase at certain times of the year… Read More
August 08, 2010
How new's that braided line?
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This next edition of our "Fishy Spot" trip maps Feature is going to focus on an area of Tampa where Teddy Roosevelt camped with his manliest of manly "Rough Riders".
And no -- the Rough Riders aren't simply a bunch of drunks who -- along with the Krewe of Gasparilla -- started the invasion and excuse-to-drink and throw-beads-at-babes parade for which our city has become internationally (in?)famous. The Rough Riders were… Read More
April 27, 2010
Wade Fishing
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A lot of us don't have boats, or don't have the chance to get to a boat every time we can fish.
Wading is a very special way to fish. In the water, quite and in touch with the world in a way you never can be on the deck of a center console, the sound, smell, and feel of wade fishing leads many people with expensive boats and years on them to stop the boat, get out, and walk.
If you wade, consider your… Read More
March 01, 2011
Closeout Fishing Tackle Prices at Tightlines
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(813) 932-4721
It's never good to see an American businessman decide it's time to cut losses and close their doors. Unfortunately that's just what's happening with our friend Vance Tice's Tightlines Tackle. His background in the retail business, his development of the Bubba Jig, and his lifelong commitment to being the best resource he could be to our expanding fishing community means he's a smart guy, and the decision… Read More
September 10, 2011
Casting a baitcaster
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Something we feel is very important to the new site we're in the process of designing are videos -- lots of them. It takes us a lot of time to find ones we feel are appropriate, useful, and fun to watch.
This is one of two videos we've chosen (so far) from the 1950s. Needless to say, they predate computers -- or at least publicly available computers. Space ships in science fiction movies were equipped with lots of black… Read More
November 04, 2010
Simply Cooked
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This stuff is great spooned over every type of plainly cooked fish I have tried.
Read More
September 28, 2011
Great Catch & Release Videos
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The video "Playlists" you will see at the bottom of most pages are only samples of related videos on our YouTube site (YouTube/TheOnlineFisherman). There are many more specific videos there -- from how to catch to how to cook what you catch. And much, much more. Check it out :)
Working on the new site for the past four months (?) has had us spending more time thing about JavaScript then fishing reels, and more time… Read More
September 12, 2011
FishWeather
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A weather source for professional and serious amateur anglers Read More
April 30, 2010
Is this a game to you?
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If you fish as much as we do -- or spend as much time talking,writing, and thinking about fishing as we do, it can hardly be called a game. We take fishing very seriously. Since publishing is our business, and we publish a fishing magazine, to us it's work, pure and simple. Fun, but work. We're among that blessed group of individuals in the world that do something they love, and end up getting paid for it.
This… Read More
August 26, 2010
Skyway Bait Report
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Special thanks to Captain Erick for this excellent bait report -- something we really need to pay more attention to. We'll be doing a profile on the Cap as soon as we can get him on the phone for half an hour. Thanks a ton, Captain, for helping this site be as cool as it's becoming :)
The bait was thick at the north Skyway fishing pier just at first light. It was not visible on the surface but was showing on the bottom… Read More
March 19, 2010
How to Fish
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This image from our friend Michael Wilson at the Lakeland Ledger shows a couple of friends casting Mirrodines at rocks around Indian Rocks Beach just north of world-famous Saint Petersburg Beach.
Fishing rocks or the cut-line that runs along the waves breaking on those beaches is just one of ten thousands ways of how to fish. Meeting that question is the challenge facing us as publishers of a… Read More
March 22, 2012
Fishing on the Edge
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Thud! I can feel the sound more than I can hear it. It's that moment a fish with some size to him - what we call a fish "with shoulders" -- grabs our bait or lure and stops it cold in its finny tracks. That moment, and that sound that somehow rings in your fingers is ultimately what keeps us out there. Sure, the pull is part of a complex dance of prey, predator, and angler - but to me it will always be that thud that… Read More
September 23, 2010
How to Tie a Permit Fly
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This is a video that will teach you how to tie "The Permit Fly"
Click on the picture below!
Read More
May 29, 2010
You Want To Find What?....
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Sherlock Holmes here,
My friends here at the online fisherman have brought you a bit of my intuition in finding clues to help YOU find fish. Its a bloody brilliant idea and honestly it brings the technology of my bloke james bond with my ability to find anything you might need fishing related. Built through the wonders of the internet we have compiled a collection of maps for you to access here. Maps that matter to… Read More
July 07, 2010
Bonefishing In Style; Bair's Lodge
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Moments after Leslie Johnson pushed the skiff from the marl bank on the west side of South Andros Island, Captain Bryon Chamberlin was on the front casting platform stripping line from his eight weight fly reel. Before he finished, Johnson sighted two large bonefish approaching up-tide. After an initial moment of surprise, Chamberlin started a false cast that landed a "Peterson's Shrimp" fly just feet ahead of the… Read More
May 20, 2010
Running and Gunning Bait
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There are times when whitebait is all over a particular flat you’re on but for some unknown reason, they just won’t come to your chum. You can use a gallon of menhaden oil, but all that happens is big shiny schools of four-inchers are moving under your boat at 100 knots. You can see the schools moving, but you can’t get them to eat. If this happens, first try a sabiki. If those don’t work either, try a technique we… Read More
May 09, 2010
7th Annual Jamaica Bay Kayak Fishing Tournament (May 15th)
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It started as an idea. Joey felt it was important to start a tournament somewhere in the New York metro area to help promote kayak fishing. I knew it was a good idea but in May, when Joey was proposing to have the event, was our busiest time of year in the shop. I told Joey he’d have to take on most of the leg work and I’d pick up his end in the shop. Joey started looking at places to hold it and I said Jamaica Bay was… Read More
March 17, 2011
The Captain Dave Cast Net Chart
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This chart shows which castnet works best for the bait you're targeting. One of the primary factors in picking the right net is the depth of the water in which you expect to find the bait. Oftentimes the bait we're looking for is found close to the large bridges in our bays; the water's deep and moves hard. To get the net deep fast, it has to be heavy. The same bait on a four-foot grass flat can be caught much easier --… Read More
June 02, 2010
My Window on the world
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“Florida can never really come to grips with saving the environment because a very large percentage of the population at any given time just got here. So why should they fight to turn the clock back? It looks great to them the way it is. Two years later, as they are beginning to feel uneasy, a few thousand more people are just discovering it all for the first time and wouldn't change a thing. And meanwhile the people who… Read More
May 25, 2011
The Sour Taste of Summer
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.
As we quickly near the annual kick-off of Florida's dreaded hurricane season, the fishing is starting to heat up quickly, along with the asphalt that is now hot enough to fry an egg on, thus signifying that summer is in full swing here in South Florida. Along with summer, some of the lucky ones get to indulge in three month long vacations and all the other benefits that come along with being young still. So to sample… Read More
April 30, 2010
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Forecast for May
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Tarpon will come on strong this month as their yearly migration begins. There may also still be some other migratory species around, such as Spanish mackerel and cobia. As fishing pressure shifts towards tarpon, anglers fishing bay waters should have fast action with trout, reds, pompano and more. Snook will move to passes and will also be found in the surf this month.
Tarpon
Tarpon should be plentiful by the middle of… Read More
June 30, 2010
What are these?
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Guess what these are and win a pack of plastics! Registered users or Register today to qualifiy.
Then send your answer to captaindavid@theonlinefisherman.com
Read More
May 12, 2010
The Triple Haul
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Everyone that enjoys fly fishing wants to be able to cast further than they already can. For that matter, at times we all need to be able to make a longer cast no matter how we are fishing. But this is about hauling fly line. Lets’ start with what a haul is, what it means to your fishing and then we’ll talk about how to do it. A haul is the deliberate and sudden acceleration of the fly line. This affords a much longer… Read More
June 13, 2010
Using our Locations Menu
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If you've ever purchased real estate -- or attended a business course in college -- you've heard somebody chant "Location, Location, Location" as a mantra. "It's all about location"
Whether you're considering opening the newest variation of ridiculously expensive coffee shops, a medical marijuana "dispensary" (they still call them "dope dealers" here in Saint Petersburg and its more difficult to get a permit), or a… Read More
March 18, 2010
Hooks
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7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1/0 2/0 3/0 4/0 5/0 6/0 7/0
Above is the hook scale (and above that is a picture of two hooks -- one an old and somewhat rusty 'J' hook and the other a less-but-still-rusty circle hook). Don't ask me; I got the picture from the collection of images we have laying around. They might be too rusty to use on a big snook, but for purposes of this article they were fine :)
Â
Read More
May 12, 2010
The Art of Selecting a New Fly Rod
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The art of selecting a new fly rod is just that, an art. So much so as the art of fly fishing being an art. If you don’t understand the art, you can’t partake in the art effectively. Man that sounds snooty, but it’s true. Let’s talk about what you need to know about your upcoming selection Picasso. For the sake of this conversation we are talking about saltwater fly rods.
First and foremost, you need to decide on… Read More
March 18, 2010
A Blind Guy on the Flats
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Set it! Yelled Captain Brad. Set it Set It Set it, he continued.
Having absolutely no idea what Brad meant, I took a guess and started cranking the reel. I felt awkward as I used my left hand to do the turning while some sea creature tried to pull the rod out of my grip. My reel complained loudly with an odd whining noise and I thought I might lose control.
Let him run! Instructed one of the others aboard the… Read More
October 03, 2010
Whitebait Report
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The North Skyway Pier today. The bait has finally grown to a good size. There are different baits mixed in. There are large thread fins and palm size scaled sardines. My best luck for locating bait has been to choosing a stall and using the bottom finder. Once located simply throw your net and back out. Be sure to allow plenty of time for your net to sink. It is not uncommon to load the well with just one throw but most… Read More
June 26, 2010
Hooked On Fishing
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Better yet, How not to be hooked on fishing...
The best way to introduce myself to all is through a mishap, that I now chuckle about quite often, that happened as I was fishing out on the Venice City Pier. Remembering back, a couple of years ago, hindsight is a good thing to think about when hooks and proper usages are applied. Snook season was ending but I had a new rod and snook stamp, with angling for that big one on… Read More
April 30, 2010
A True Fishing Story
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Many years ago I read an article about this fish a called a hybrid. It was a cross between a striped bass and a white bass. It's was called a sunshine bass and could be caught in Florida. From the day I read about the sunshine bass I had an urge to find a place where I could fish and catch one. That was over 30 years ago. I never did fish for or catch one. Matter of fact I spoke to my friend Steve, who knew of… Read More
May 22, 2010
My First Marlin
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It was the mid ‘80s and we were going to spend a few weeks fishing Cabo. This is before the party world discovered the place and it was still mostly a fishing locale. In fact the spot on the beach where we camped for $3 a day now has a high rise resort as does the rest of the beach. As we left the launch marlin was our quarry. I had never caught a billfish but Ken had caught many. Striped marlin are very common there… Read More
April 24, 2010
Dreads as artwork
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When we first started the site, we saw products as one of three things. First, rods and reels. Regardless of the genre of your spouse, unless they're equally addicted to our favorite sport, you spend time once, twice, or eighteen times a year explaining the subtleness of rod design and a specific combination's target-accuracy in being able to cast perfectly and result in a winning struggle time after time. Why? So you… Read More
October 16, 2010
Can you say...?
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Can you say Gyotaku? I mean correctly. I knew what it is but I could not say correctly either until I spoke with Sarasota artist Captain Jim Roberts, creator of . Gyotaku is an oriental art media or style also known as fish rubbing. No, if you rub a fish it will not help you catch more fish. This is different.
Gyotaku art is an art form whereby an artist applies paint to a fish and then magically transfers the painted… Read More
March 24, 2010
Penn Reel
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Original Penn Squidder #140 - Mint Condition. $40.00 H - 727-943-5011 - C - 727-204-9723 Read More
September 03, 2011
Spiny Lobster
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Commonly referred to as the Florida spiny lobster, the Caribbean spiny lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.
Commonly referred to as the Florida spiny lobster, the Caribbean spiny lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Spiny lobsters get their name from the forward-pointing spines… Read More
September 30, 2010
From FWC and TheOnline Fisherman
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The FWC produces a monthly "HotSheet", which is available here on TheOnlineFisherman.com in PDF format, as it's provided to the public. The articles here on the Hotsheet can be read on the daily newsfeeds, which are also available here, and update daily as a result of being "Fed" directly here by the FWC servers.
This Hotsheet is a compilation of the things most interesting to our readership as chosen by the excellent… Read More
May 12, 2010
FlyGlasses
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If you add up how much you have spent on your entire cache fly fishing gear and effluvia over the years you would probably be shocked. In our defense, all of us know that golfers spend way more money than we fly anglers could ever hope to achieve in unnecessary miscellany. Can you imagine having a fly caddy? Jarvis hand me a number eight Clouser, or Jarvis, the 9 wt please. Really, that’s all too much. Wait that kind of… Read More
June 13, 2010
Goodland
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There’s a local saying that when the bugs are the worst the fishing is the best. Today was very promising launching up in Goodland early this morning, the no-seeums were brutal getting the kayak unloaded and ready to launch.
I launched at sunrise and headed out to some back bays to fish a slow incoming tide. When I arrived the water was totally muddy and maybe only six to at the most twelve inches deep, but the fish… Read More
September 08, 2010
Fly-fishing Inshore for Trout
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Saltwater fly fishing inshore for game fish is becoming an increasingly popular sport. Trout are the perfect game fish for the beginner as well as the seasoned pro. You can find saltwater trout just about everywhere from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.
Here in Florida there is a 15 to 20 inch slot limit, but you CAN possess ONE greater than 20 inches. There is a 4-fish bag limit in the southern region and 5-fish bag… Read More
March 24, 2010
Drag Systems
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You can't see your drag system. You can only feel it. And either make good use of it in your fishing or no idea at all of how to use it. This article will attempt to let you see beneath the engine to understand how drag systems function.
A drag system is basically a brake pad, designed to keep your line from breaking. The pad is positioned so it presses against a series of washers and pads, which then press on the… Read More
July 21, 2010
Fried Trout
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When I edited this the first time Scott pointed out that I had failed to say that he uses regular Heinz Yellow Mustard. The dried powder is an option, not his first choice.
To most of our region's fishing community, Captain Scott Moore is a legend in his own right. Often thought-of as the guy who taught the world how to use whitebait to chum snook, he told us in an interview that it was actually an old and passed… Read More
September 26, 2010
Quick Pine Island Visit
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This week I finally made it up to kayak and fish Pine Island, Florida for one day. It’s another place in Florida I like to visit a couple of times a year along with Matlacha which is by Pine Island. It’s still kind of rural and has a great fishery. It’s very different from the Everglades in one way that there are miles of grass flats to fish which the Western Everglades lack and you approach it a bit different when… Read More
April 11, 2010
Fishing Tech 101
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Coming soon to a classroom near you...
One of the things I wrote about in Mel Berman's book Skinny: How to Fish in Shallow Saltwater was how to use GoogleEarth to improve the odds you'll catch fish. More accurately, what I talked about was using GoogleEarth to better identify structure -- regardless of where you were on the planet. The impact technology has on the world of sportfishing goes far beyond simply using… Read More
April 27, 2011
Things to come...
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There are lots and lots of things happening behind the scenes at the site. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, we find it amusing to see at least five new fishing websites -- or old redesigned sites -- that relied on our original design for TheOnlineFisherman.com. That said, the first version of this site was done with a commercial "Template" that's available to anybody with either a few dollars or a… Read More
July 20, 2010
Let the Game Begin
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Let the Game Begin… A bit of a funny and extreme way to look at it but having a successful day of catching fish will usually involve getting some education and doing a little research about the area you are going to fish and especially when visiting new places. I see it so often, fisherman talking that they were skunked or that the fishing is terrible because of this or that. Sometimes there is a legitimate excuse but… Read More
August 30, 2011
Articles from FWC Staff
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The FWC's Community Relations Office produces several feature columns each month. Each column focuses on a specific element of Florida's fish and wildlife resources or type of outdoor recreation.
Monthly Message
by Chairman Kathy Barco
Backyard Safari
by Jessica Basham
City Fisher
by John Cimbaro
Fish Busters' Bulletin
by Bob Wattendorf
Outta' the Woods
by Tony Young Read More
August 25, 2011
Help from FWC
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These great resources are available from the State of Florida for fishers and hunters in our state enjoying our wonderful fishing and hunting. Thanks to the people at FWC for their outstanding work to keep us on the water and in our forests and those waters and forest clean and safe!
The FWC seeks to ensure access to hunting, fishing and other recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities. This section of… Read More
May 09, 2010
Laguna Madre Reds
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Jim had asked if I would be interested in helping out at a Heroes on the Water enclave they were going to have in Texas. I told Joey about it and he mentioned he had a couple days of fishing at Cast and Blast, in Arroyo City, down near the Mexican border. So we looked into flights and I decided to drive and make a road trip out of it. I could combine some other excursions into the trip. Besides my time at the enclave,… Read More
July 12, 2011
Red Drum
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Red Drum: Sciaenops ocellatus
Appearance:
Chin without barbels
Copper-bronze body; lighter in clear waters
1 to many spots at the base of the tail
Mouth horizontal and opens downward
Large scales
Habitat:
In winter, redfish are found in seagrass, over muddy or sand bottoms, or near oyster bars or spring fed creeks.
Behavior:
Juvenile redfish are an inshore species until they reach roughly 30 inches (4… Read More
March 19, 2010
Take your fly out after dark...
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Snook action is hot around lighted docks and bridges. At night, the forage that is most readily responsible for the pop made by Snook as they slam the surface is a small shrimp. A fly fishing friend, Brad Lowman, was night fishing along the sea wall at one of our passes during a strong outgoing tide and could see small shrimp being devoured by large Snook.
This small and simple shrimp fly being tied by Captain Pat… Read More
July 09, 2011
Black Sea Bass
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Black Sea Bass: Centropristis striata
Appearance:
Basic color is dark brown or black
Dorsal fin has rows and stripes of white on black
Large males have iridescent blue and ebony markings and a fatty hump in front of the dorsal fin
Females may have indistinct vertical barings
The topmost ray of the caudal fin is much elongated in adults and may be tri-lobed
A sharp spine is located near the posterior margin of… Read More
September 30, 2010
From FWC and TheOnline Fisherman
by
The FWC produces a monthly "HotSheet", which is available here on TheOnlineFisherman.com in PDF format, as it's provided to the public. The articles here on the Hotsheet can be read on the daily newsfeeds, which are also available here, and update daily as a result of being "Fed" directly here by the FWC servers.
This Hotsheet is a compilation of the things most interesting to our readership as chosen by the excellent… Read More
July 12, 2011
Ladyfish
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Ladyfish: Elops Saurus
Appearance:
Long torpedo-like body, heavy slime and bright silver/white with dark green back.
Dorsal brownish gold, pectoral and anal fins..
Heavy skin slime and ability to crap at random on white clothes
Forked tail
Pointy and toothy mouth
Habitat:
Ladyfish are found when the water's warm as far north as New England in the summertime and south to Rio in Brazil. They're a close-shore… Read More
August 23, 2010
SHIMANO BEST OF SHOW!
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Shimano's Waxwing Sub-Surface Swimming Jig won for "Best Hard Lure." Hydrodynamic body design
Upper Wing makes the jig swim in zigzag motion
Lower Wing makes the jig prevent rolling
Owner Tin-coated double hook
Stainless Wire-through construction
UV reactive paint on lateral line
Available sizes: 88mm/118mm
14 available colors
MSRP: 88mm $17.99, 118mm $19.99
SHIMANO BEST OF SHOW
"Best of… Read More
July 17, 2010
The Orvis School of Flyfishing
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Let's face it. Other than flyfishing stories we write ourselves -- of which there are plenty -- anything you find on TheOnlineFisherman.com could be found on other web sites, assuming you had nothing to do but sit around a search the web all day looking for cool stuff to read. Since a lot of you already do that at work, we figured that we might save employers the nation-over plenty of hourly expenses if we took it upon… Read More
March 24, 2010
Volunteer for the Spill Cleanup!!!
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http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/ Read More
August 27, 2010
Annual Catch Limit Meeting
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Meeting Notice Contact: Steven Atran August 27, 2010 813-348-1630
Annual Catch Limit/Annual Catch Target Control Rule Working Group to Meet
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene two meetings of its Annual Catch Limit/Annual Catch Target Control Rule Working Group to review and further develop a draft control rule to be… Read More
July 08, 2010
Sally's First Snook
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After I sold my kayak fishing business it was time to get back to completing the book I had started in 2003. I figured why spend a winter in NJ when I had an invite to do some guiding in the Everglades instead. It wasn’t a hard decision. Charles had made me an offer. He said if I got my Captain’s license he’d add another Mothership and I could run it. So I got my license, he added the boat, but also expanded too much… Read More
July 09, 2011
Cero Mackerel
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Cero Mackerel: Scomberomorous regalis
Appearance:
Color of back iridescent bluish green
Sides silvery with yellow spots forming lines above and below a bronze stripe from pectoral fin to base of tail
Front of the first dorsal fin is bluish black
Lateral line curves gradually to base of caudal fin
Habitat:
Cero mackerel are nearshore and offshore fish occurring mainly in south Florida. The are frequently… Read More
September 02, 2010
Series Leader Captures Third to Hold Lead
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It's cool to see one of our own really slamming the tournament circuit in the area -- and doing it in Kayak Tournaments. Derick is an excellent fisherman and contributor to our site and to our fishing community. He's helpful and always willing to share his extensive and growing knowledge of the most rapidly expanding sub-category of our popular sport :)
Derick Burgos, the Kayak Fishing ClassicS Series Leader, hooked… Read More
May 28, 2010
Remote Alaska
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I had only fished Alaska once and that was in June of ’83. Now I was going to spend two weeks kayak fishing in late July ’08. Troy and Allen had arranged the trip and the highlight of the first week was going to be staying in a remote forest service cabin on Montague Island in Prince William Sound. The Mothership dropped us off at Port Chalmers (the name of the bay and cabin) with all our gear. We were 70 miles from… Read More
March 28, 2011
Reel Content
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Just to keep you all up to date about stuff happening on the site -- both behind the scenes and around the community, here's a brief list of happenings, stories, and events that we'll update in coming weeks as things are working and we're able to make public some information that's still in the film rooms.
Captain Mark Schmidt's angler, Susan DeRoose with what the guides in the Keys consider a good day's work. The… Read More
July 09, 2011
Bue Marlin
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Blue Marlin
Appearance:
Upper cobalt blue on top shading to a silvery white below
Upper jaw elongated in form of a spear
The dorsal, pectoral and anal fins are all pointed
No dark spots on the dorsal fin
Habitat:
A deep-sea fish that makes major trans-Atlantic migrations.
Behavior:
Unlike swordfish, blue marlin feed mostly during the day. They hunt alone and have been reported to use their long, sharp bill… Read More
December 14, 2010
Bad for EDF, Good for Us and our Rights
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From the publisher: When we were asked to work with Dennis O'Hern from the Fishing Rights Alliance on this press release -- which went out around 2:00pm this afternoon -- we remembered what an honor it is to help people like Dennis with FRA and Jim Donifrio with the Recreational Fishing Alliance in their ongoing fight to protect our rights. Rights you ask? We're continuing to hear the argument from the environmentalists… Read More
May 12, 2010
You Look So Nice
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Have you ever given any thought to how you look while fishing? Perhaps I should say how you look to the fish. Fly fishing; be it freshwater or saltwater is mostly a sight fishing experience. We see the fish and make our cast. We can increase our chances in this cat and mouse game that is so captivating to so many of us. Fish sometimes hear or feel us by our slightest noise or movement in shallow water. Worst than that,… Read More
November 05, 2010
Solunar Calendar
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Printable table based on your area code create a trip-planning tool.
Read More
April 18, 2010
Major Rules Change for ClassicS
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New Sport Angler & Guides Divisions for the ClassicS.
In an effort to level the field for all of the contestants the Kayak Fishing ClassicS has made a major rules change. Contestants will now compete in either the Sport Angler Division for non pro's. The kayak fishing guides will compete in the Guides Division which is exclusively for kayak fishing guides.
Over the past several months the ClassicS has been holding… Read More
April 25, 2010
Picking Fly line
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Flylines aren't that much different than finely-braided nylon inside the equivalent of a soft PVC pipe. Nylon wrapped with PVC tends to remember its shape. Flyline remembers its shape; those of you that use long rods most of the time call it "memory". Loop it around a reel fairly tightly and it remembers the shape of the reel.
Adding to the issue of shape memory: cold flyline is stiffer than warm flyline. If you take a… Read More
April 03, 2012
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for April 2012
by
April is one of my favorite months for a variety of species. With the warm winter we had this year; spring fishing is already in full swing. With more plentiful bait due to warmer water, redfish, snook and trout should be on the feed. In addition to trout, look for Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Migratory species such as Spanish and king mackerel, blues, cobia and tripletail… Read More
July 13, 2011
Gulf Flounder
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Gulf Flounder: Paralichthys albigutta
Appearance:
Body is brown in color with the shade depending on the color of the bottom, with numerous spots and blotches
3 prominent eye-like spots form a triangle with 1 spot on the lateral line, 1 above and 1 below
Numerous white spots are found scattered over the body and fins (albigutta, white spotted)
Strong canine-like teeth
The caudal fin is in the shape of a… Read More
January 31, 2012
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Forecast for February 2012
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On sunny afternoons this Feburary, you are likely to find reds and trout on shallow grass flats. Look for pompano and blues on deeper grass flats. You might find flounder on the edges of bars, in potholes, or on deep grass flats that have a good mixture of grass and sand. Look for sheepshead, flounder and reds around docks with deep water. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should be a good option, unless… Read More
September 26, 2010
First Redfish on a Fly
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This video of Captain Greg Poland putting one of his hundreds of annual clients on a redfish on a fly is done in waters much like those we fish. The redfish comes safely to the boat, and after a photo op (with the captain telling the fish to smile for the camera) it's released safely back to her habitat. At least half of Greg's clients are fly fishermen and women. He's totally comfortable bait fishing. He made that… Read More
July 01, 2010
Live Bait Maps
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Our Live Maps Put You Where the Bait Is...
When's the last time you had four hours to fish -- not a moment more? The "Honey-Do" (Honey, do this for me, OK?) list awaits, a hundred emails need to be read and respond to, and that leak under your kitchen sink seems to be losing just a bit more than the gallon-a-day you have been ignoring for the last 82 days. You have to get the boat, put it in the water, find bait, and… Read More
July 12, 2011
Striped Mullet
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Striped Mullet: Mugil cephalus
Appearance:
Color bluish-gray or green above, shading to silver on sides with distinct horizontal black barrings, white below
Fins lightly scaled at base, unscaled above
Blunt nose and small mouth
Second dorsal fin originates behind that of the dorsal fin
Habitat:
Striped mullet are commonly found inshore.
Behavior:
Adult striped mullet migrate offshore in large schools to… Read More
August 12, 2010
The Fly and The Spider
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It was a midsummer day and that means you fish the morning, take a break at lunch time and go back out and fish the late afternoon into the evening. It just gets too hot around 11 AM until around 4 PM to fish. Of course the tides have to be right and if they are not you can mix up the day with some wreck fishing near shore and some flats fishing in the afternoon, for example.
It was on such a day and we had come in for… Read More
April 09, 2012
Blackened Snakehead Fish Recipe
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Here are ingredients for our blackened snakehead recipe:
1 1/2 Teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon onion powder
3/4 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Teaspoon 1 tsp dried basil
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1 Teaspoon kosher salt
1 snakehead filet, skinned
1 pineapple, diced
1 can cream of coconut (find it in the cocktail aisle)
½ bunch… Read More
July 10, 2011
Snook (Common)
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Common Snook: Centropomus undecimalis
The common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is one of Florida's most popular inshore game fish because of its spectacular fighting ability and merit as table fare.
Introduction
The common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is one of Florida's most popular inshore game fish because of its spectacular fighting ability and merit as table fare. Anglers call the common snook many names,… Read More
July 14, 2011
Stone Crab
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Stone Crabs
Two stone crab species are found in Florida. They are closely related, readily interbreed, and are managed as one species by the fishing industry.
The onset of winter in Florida not only brings wonderfully mild sunny weather but also the eagerly anticipated annual harvest of stone crab claws. The Crustacean Fisheries group at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) is responsible for monitoring… Read More
May 11, 2010
Internal Pulley System
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Have you ever put some items in the center hatch of your kayak and when you went to retrieve them on the water you couldn’t reach them? It’s happened to all of us. Items shift and if we can’t get to them while on the water. When this happens on the open water it’s like you never brought them along. There is a very simple solution. Set up a system that’ll cure the problem. I call it an internal pulley system. It’s… Read More
August 27, 2010
NOAA Re-opens Federal Waters
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BP Oil Spill: NOAA Re-opens Federal Waters off Western Louisiana to Commercial and Recreational Fishing Effective August 27, 2010 at 6 p.m. eastern time (5 p.m. central time), NOAA will reopen 4,281 square miles (11,088 sq km) of area it had previously closed to commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Read more ... Read More
March 23, 2011
You never know...
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...who you might run into doing "research" on FaceBook. In this case, it's a woman named Julie Sutton. Julie's not rare in the fact that she loves to fish. Fish for Snook, among other things. In an image she gave me of herself holding a beast of a Robalo she said "it's a real bad picture of me, though; totally slimmed and dirty. But the Snook!!!. Took Top Female Angler at the Mogan Mania" (The Mania is an… Read More
October 23, 2010
First they came...
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I'm not alone in getting this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach that I'm being told that "If I understood what they're trying to do for us, I would LOVE it". Don't assume I'm talking about ObamaCare, either. Remember Global Warming and the email fiasco? Not all science is real science. In fact, scientists -- especially ones with email accounts -- have been shown to agree that skewing data to serve one's own… Read More
June 17, 2010
The Beauty of it All
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As I was thinking back to my humble beginnings in fly fishing Northern Michigan, I recalled the time spent chasing shinny steelheads up and down streams. The steelhead trout which is a salmonoid, can be found in many waters of North America and my favorite place to catch them is in a stream. Although I have not chased one of these finned bullets in many years, I will never forget the glory of getting my butt kicked by a… Read More
July 14, 2011
Pinfish
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Pinfish: Lagodon rhomboides
Appearance:
Small mouth with incisor-like teeth
Distinctive black spot behind the gill cover
Body bluish-silver with blue and orange-yellow horizontal stripes
Yellow fins
Habitat:
Pinfish are commonly found near seagrass beds, bridges, piers, marker pilings, and around natural and artificial reefs.
Behavior:
These fish spawn offshore.
State Record:
This species is not… Read More
July 09, 2011
Black Drum
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Black Drum: Pogonias cromis
Appearance:
High arched back
10 to 14 pairs of chin barbels
Gray or black colored body in adults with the young have 4 to 6 vertical black bars
Cobblestone-like teeth are capable of crushing oysters
Large scales
Habitat:
Black drum are an inshore fish common to bays and lagoons. They are bottom dwellers and often found around oyster beds. Black drum may also be found… Read More
May 24, 2010
Maine Smallmouths
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If you’re a bass fishermen and you’ve had an opportunity to catch smallmouths then I don’t have to explain why when my buddy Mike told me they were regularly catching five pounders, he had my attention. Turns out Mike and his brother had been fishing the Penobscot River in Maine. They liked the Lincoln area and go each fall. I decided to join them in the fall of 2008 and I’m sure glad I did.
Hurricane Hugo was moving up… Read More
August 15, 2010
Into the W
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If you are an experienced saltwater fly angler, you know what I mean and if you are not, you will. The “W” on the flats can be a mean master unless you learn how to harness it, even in face on encounters. Here are a few tips that should help.
To begin with you have to get over the fact that most fish caught on fly are within 50 feet of the boat or angler if you are wading. Many fly anglers stay home when the “W” is up… Read More
June 27, 2010
Fly Pilot
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Many fly anglers focus on their ability to distance cast. Although this is important, it is not the most important component of fly fishing. Being able to cast forty feet into the W is great but it won’t do much good if you can’t control the fly and where it lands. Equally important is how the fly lands on the water. I say on the water because all of us sometimes land our flies in other places like the mangrove trees and… Read More
July 10, 2011
Jack Crevalle
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Crevalle "Jack": Caranx hippos
Appearance:
Color bluish-green to greenish-gold back and silvery or yellowish belly
Soft dorsal and anal fins almost identical in size
Prominent black spot on operculum (gill cover)
Black spot at the base of each pectoral fin
No scales on throat
Habitat:
Jacks are common in both inshore waters and the open sea.
Behavior:
These fish can tolerate a wide range of salinities. … Read More
May 12, 2010
Choosing the right fly for fly fishing
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If we were talking about selecting the proper fly for stream fishing, I would have to tell you to learn how to identify aquatic insects. That can take years to become expert at that science and fortunately what we need to do is not that complicated or involved. On the stream there is a saying; ‘match the hatch’ and we will do something similar. To begin with, know what your target species likes to eat. Permit, redfish… Read More
July 10, 2011
Cobia
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Cobia: Rachycentron canadum
Appearance:
Long, slim fish with a broad depressed head
The lower jaw protrudes past the upper jaw
Dark lateral stripe extends through the eye to the tail
First dorsal fin has 7 to 9 free spines
When young, has conspicuous alternating black and white horizontal stripes
Habitat:
Cobia are found in nearshore and inshore waters with inlets and bays. Cobia are frequently found around… Read More
July 12, 2011
Jolthead Porgy
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Jolthead Porgy: Calamus bajonado
Appearance:
Generally silvery to brassy, with a bluish cast
Front of the head is brown, with a blue line along lower rim of eye; a whitish stripe below eye, and another between the eye and mouth
Corner of mouth is orange
Habitat:
Jolthead porgy are found in coastal waters to 45 m (150 ft.). They range from Rhode Island to Bermuda, and from the northern Gulf of Mexico to… Read More
.jpg&w=150&h=125&zc=1 "Fly Fishing Forecast for February")
January 30, 2011
Fly Fishing Forecast for February
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You might find trout, reds and snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month and they may sneak out onto grass flats and around bars on sunny afternoons. You’ll also find snook in the ICW at night feeding on glass minnows and small shrimp. If the weather isn’t too harsh, you might also find pompano on grass flats and around bars and drop offs this month. Sheepshead should be plentiful around docks and oyster bars and… Read More
July 13, 2011
Goliath Grouper or Jewfish
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Goliath Grouper (Jewfish): Epinephelus itajara
Appearance:
Head and fins covered with small black spots
Irregular dark and vertical bars present on the sides of body
Pectoral and caudal fins rounded
First dorsal fin shorter than and not separated from second dorsal
Adults huge, up to 800 pounds
Eyes small
Habitat:
Goliath are found nearshore often around docks, in deep holes, and on ledges. Young often… Read More
July 09, 2011
Almaco Jack
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Almaco Jack: Seriola rivoliana
Appearance:
A deep-bodied amberjack
Sometimes they appear darker in coloration and their front dorsal and anal fins are high and elongated
The body is more flattened than the banded rudderfish or greater amberjack
No bony scutes are found on the caudal peduncle
Habitat:
These jacks are wide-ranging in offshore waters and are not a common catch. The young almaco jacks are… Read More
July 04, 2010
What's up with our Pompano?
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July 12 Video about Pompano in Florida
The Division of Marine Fisheries Management often holds workshops to gather information on marine fisheries issues for potential rulemaking. This one -- on the 12th of July -- is about Pompano and Permit in Florida waters. Watch out -- the rules are changing again, we're sure. All workshops are open to the public, as public input is an important and valued component of the… Read More
June 13, 2010
Bay Scallop season open early
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Gov. Charlie Crist in response to the oil spill disaster, will open the Scallop season 12 days early. June 19th, Saturday will be the open of Scallop saeson. The Scallop season will close Sept 10th. For more Info vist www.myfwc.com
Read More
July 12, 2011
Greater Amberjack
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Greater Amberjack: Seriola dumerili
Appearance:
A dark stripe (variably present) extends from nose to in front of dorsal fin and "lights up" when fish is in feeding mode
No scutes
The soft dorsal base less than twice the length of the anal fin base
Habitat:
Greater amberjack are an offshore species associated with rocky reefs, debris, and wrecks. They are typically in 60 - 240 feet of water and sometimes… Read More
December 14, 2010
Bad for EDF, Good for Us and our Rights
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From the publisher: When we were asked to work with Dennis O'Hern from the Fishing Rights Alliance on this press release -- which went out around 2:00pm this afternoon -- we remembered what an honor it is to help people like Dennis with FRA and Jim Donifrio with the Recreational Fishing Alliance in their ongoing fight to protect our rights. Rights you ask? We're continuing to hear the argument from the environmentalists… Read More
July 14, 2011
Threadfin
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Threadfin: Dorosoma petenense
Appearance:
Small terminal mouth typical of Plankton eater. Lower part of upper jaw not notched.
Bluish gray on back, silver body with persistent black or purple spot just behind the head
Long thread hangs behind dorsal fin
Fins have a yellow tint that gives it a local name (in some places around the country) as "yellowtail shad).
Habitat:
Shad are normally found in open waters… Read More
July 09, 2011
Bonnethead Shark
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Bonnethead Shark: Sphyrna tiburo
Appearance:
Broadly widened head in the shape of a shovel
Only slight indentation of anal fin
Front of head not notched at midline
Gray or grayish-brown in color
Habitat:
Bonnethead sharks are an inshore species found in bays and estuaries.
Behavior:
These sharks mature at about 3 feet in length and bear 6 to 12 young at one time. They feed chiefly on crabs and other… Read More
July 12, 2011
Sheepshead
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Sheepshead: Archosargus probatocephalus
Appearance:
Basic silvery color with 5 or 6 distinct vertical black bars on the sides; bars are not always the same on both sides
Prominent teeth, including incisors, molars and rounded grinders
No barbels on the lower jaw
Strong and sharp spines on the dorsal and anal fins
Habitat:
Sheepshead are an inshore species and are commonly found around oyster bars, seawalls… Read More
September 03, 2011
Blue Crab
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Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus, are common throughout Florida. Blue crabs are popular in both recreational and commercial fisheries.
Some crabs swim. Most crabs, like stone crabs and spider crabs, walk or run across the bottom. However, crabs in the family Portunidae have specially modified back legs called swimmerettes. These paddle-shaped legs rotate at 20 to 40 revolutions per minute, allowing the crab to… Read More
October 16, 2010
The Dance Fly
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Now you might think this about some new crazy, magic fly that catches any saltwater species of fish under any condition, but it is not. As a fly fishing guide I have the privilege of being on our waters often. In doing so over the years I have learned to quickly spot an angler that has let his boat sit dry docked for some time. It seems that many of this species of angler accompanies their annual outing with a rather… Read More
May 11, 2010
Malone Foam Stacker Blocks
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When transporting several kayaks on the roof of a vehicle it becomes necessary to stack them vertically. This results in a couple problems. It isn’t easy getting the kayaks to stay in place. On my 78” wide bars I can carry 6 kayaks using a stacker and I have. However it’s difficult to load them and have them stay in place while I strap them. The other issue I have is the hard bar on the side of the kayak will dent it.… Read More
May 12, 2010
Finding the Holy Grail
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To what end do we fly fish? Why are we out on the flats in 85 degree temperatures? Are we gluttons for extreme punishment? No, we all have a remarkable desire to catch fish on the fly and that’s far worse. The Holy Grail for me is permit. For others it may be bonefish or tarpon. I know a lot of redfish addicts that won’t even talk about another species. We are all in search of our favorite species. To do battle with our… Read More
August 25, 2011
Oscar
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Oscar:
Appearance:
Adults are olive blue-green with mustard colors, and a bright red eyespot on the tail fin.
Habitat:
Oscars are illegally/ accidentally established nonnative fish. They are abundant in Water Conservation Area canals and occur throughout south Florida. Native to South America.
Behavior:
Spawning takes place on flat, solid surfaces where a female lays about 3,000 eggs. Parents guard the young.… Read More
July 12, 2011
Gag Grouper
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Gag Grouper: Mycteroperca microlepis
Appearance:
Brownish gray in color with dark, worm-like side markings
Fins dark, with anal and caudal having a white margin
Lack of brassy spots as found on black grouper
Slightly concave tail
Noticable spur located on the preopercle
Habitat:
Adults inhabit rocky bottoms, reefs and drop-off walls in water over 60 feet deep; young occur inshore in waters around seagrass… Read More
March 05, 2011
Springtime Fishing Forecast
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After a winter like we've just experienced on the West Central coast of Florida, it's easy to think that we're about to experience an unusual springtime fishery. Is it true? Will we see more fish than normal? Will the bite be above the frenzy we see in a "normal" season? What exactly is a "normal" season? Or will the coldest winter many of our readers have ever seen suppress the feed that warming waters, mating… Read More
July 10, 2011
Snapper (Cubera)
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Cubera Snapper: Lutjanus cyanopterus
Appearance:
Color dark brown or gray, may have a reddish tinge
Broad-based triangular tooth patch on roof of mouth without a posterior extension
Despite its specific name, which translates to "blue-fin," the fins have only a slight tinge of blue; canine teeth in both jaws very strong
One pair of canines are enlarged and visible even when the mouth is closed … Read More
November 30, 2010
Gag and Reds -- No More!
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From the publisher: OK folks, here it comes. The head of NOAA -- a hard-core environmentalist by the name of Jane Lubchenko -- has declared war on us. More accurately, she declared war on fishing long ago, and now that she was removed from her role at the Environmental Defense Fund to serve her nation as the head of NOAA, she is in a position to take aim. What's on her mind and ideology long-term is Catch Shares, and the… Read More
July 09, 2011
Black Grouper
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Black Grouper: Mycteroperca bonaci
Appearance:
Olive or gray body coloration with black blotches and brassy spots
gently rounded preopercle
Similar in appearence to gag and yellowfin groupers
Habitat:
These fish are offshore species. Adults are associated with rocky bottoms, reef, and drop off walls in water over 60 feet deep. Young black grouper may occur inshore in shallow water.
Behavior:
Black… Read More
July 12, 2011
Spotted Seatrout
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Spotted Seatrout: Cynoscion nebulosus
Appearance:
Dark gray or green above, with sky-blue tinges shading to silvery and white below
Numerous distinct round black spots on back, extending to the dorsal fin and tail
No barbels and no scales on the soft dorsal fin
1 or 2 prominent canine teeth usually present at tip of upper jaw
Habitat:
Seatrout found inshore and nearshore in and around seagrass meadows,… Read More
July 10, 2011
Snook (Tarpon)
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Tarpon Snook: Centropomus pectinatus
Appearance:
only snook with 7 anal fin rays (others have 6); lower jaw curves upward; compressed body; prominent black lateral line extends through tail; tips of pelvic fin reach beyond anus.
Habitat:
INSHORE in south Florida; frequently in fresh water.
Behavior:
A small member of the clan, reaching a maximum size of 16 to 18 inches; feeds on small fish and larger crustaceans;… Read More
August 10, 2010
NOAA Reopens More than 5,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area
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Contact: Kim Amendola 727-551-5707FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 10, 2010
NOAA Reopens More than 5,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area
No oil has been observed for 30 days in area to be re-opened for fishing
Today NOAA reopened 5,144 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by… Read More
July 12, 2011
Wahoo
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Wahoo: Acanthocybium solanderi
Appearance:
A member of the mackerel family, long and streamlined with about 30 dark wavy bars for camouflage.
Habitat:
Found offshore; generally not in schools.
Behavior:
Known for their tremendous runs and shifts of direction.
State Record:
139 lb, caught near Marathon
Fishing Tips and Facts:
Wahoo are caught by trolling bait and artificial lures on flatlines.
Additional… Read More
July 09, 2011
Atlantic Croaker
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Atlantic Croaker: Micropogonias undulatus
Appearance:
Atlantic Croaker have an inferior mouth with 3 to 5 pairs of small barbels on the chin
They have a silver-gray or bronze body with dark oblique wavy bars or lines and are iridescent, especially on their head
The preopercle is strongly serrated
Habitat:
These fish are generally found north of Tampa Bay on the west coast and north of Cape Canaveral on the… Read More
September 12, 2011
NOAA Tides & Currents
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The moon is a major influence on the Earth’s tides, but the sun also generates considerable tidal forces. Solar tides are about half as large as lunar tides and are expressed as a variation of lunar tidal patterns, not as a separate set of tides. When the sun, moon, and Earth are in alignment (at the time of the new or full moon), the solar tide has an additive effect on the lunar tide, creating extra-high high tides,… Read More
June 25, 2010
No License? No Problem?
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Ever get in trouble for not having a fishing license? Ever lost a million dollars because some bonehead on your boat didn't have HIS? Read this article from the Jacksonville newspaper about somebody that did just that...
Read More
July 12, 2011
Swordfish
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Swordfish: Xiphias gladius
Appearance:
A rather unique billfish, with a flattened bill formed from an elongated upper jaw. It has a single high dorsal fin and one keel on each side in front of the tail fin.
Habitat:
Deep sea fish found from the surface down below 2,000 feet. They are heavily overfished internationally.
Behavior:
Swordfish over 200 pounds are generally females and tend to migrate to the surface at… Read More
July 10, 2011
Snook (Swordspike)
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Swordspine Snook: Centropomus ensiferus
Appearance:
Smallest of the snooks; profile slightly concave; prominent lateral line outlined in black (not solid), extends through caudal fin; color yellow-green to brown-green above, silvery below; giant second anal spine, hence the name; largest scales of all snook
Habitat:
occurs in INSHORE estuarine habitats from south Florida to as far north on east coast as St. Lucie… Read More
July 29, 2010
The "Final" Plan
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First of all, "Final" decisions are -- well -- final, aren't they? At the risk of you never reading this cool fishing content because we're not comfortable with a federal government that appears to be taking over every single aspect of our private lives from their DC offices.
Are you one of a growing number of us that watch TV and hear what our "represenatives" have coming out of their mouths and want to yell at the… Read More
October 23, 2010
ARTICLE 21; CRAZY:
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Guns & Rules, Rods to Reels; Who needs theirs, Ours work just Fine!
Did you know that you as an American Taxpayer, You Already Pay 22% of the United Nations General Budget and Now They Want to Control Your Right to Bear Arms & Fish in American Waters?
You don't know what you've got until its gone and gone is coming up the road fast!
The 2010 Biennial Meeting of States had lots of whining about “the need for… Read More
July 09, 2011
Bluefish
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Bluefish
Appearance:
Bluefish are greenish blue on their back, with silvery sides and a large mouth filled with prominent, sharp teeth.
Habitat:
Young usually are inshore during spring and summer and move offshore to join adults during fall and winter. Large numbers of bluefish migrate to Florida from northern stocks during winter. Anglers on the east coast catch larger bluefish than fishermen on the west… Read More
July 09, 2011
Blacktip Shark
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Blacktip Shark
Appearance:
Dark, bluish-gray (young paler) back, with a distinctive whitish stripe on the flank
The inside tip of the pectoral fin is conspicuously black, as are the dorsal and anal fin tips, and lower lobe of caudal in young blacktips
First dorsal fin begins above the axil of pectoral fin
No middorsal ridge
Upper and lower teeth are serrated and nearly symmetrical
Habitat:
Blacktips often… Read More
July 10, 2011
Snook (Fat)
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Fat Snook: Centropomus parallelus
Appearance:
Deeper body than other snooks
Color yellow-brown to green-brown above, silvery on sides
Black lateral line extends onto tail
Mouth reaches to or beyond center of eye
Usually no dusky outer edge on pelvic fin, as in other snooks
Smallest scales of all snooks
Habitat:
This is an inshore species found in mangrove habitats. Fat snook are also found commonly in… Read More
August 25, 2011
Striped Bass
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Striped Bass:
Appearance:
Striped bass are quick powerful fish with silvery sides and white belly. They have seven or eight black stripes along the sides. Stripes are absent on young fish of less than six inches.
Habitat:
In Florida, striped bass are found primarily in the St. Johns River and its tributaries, and a few panhandle rivers. Striped bass need long stretches of flowing water to reproduce successfully.… Read More
July 09, 2011
American Shad
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American Shad: Alosa sapidissima
Appearance:
Color of back green or greenish blue with silvery sides, white underneath (colors darken when fish enters fresh water to spawn)
Belly with scutes forming distinct keel with one or more dark spots in a row behind operculum
The lower jaw has a pointed tip that fits into v-shaped notch in upper jaw
Habitat:
American shad are typically found offshore except during… Read More
August 25, 2011
Swamp Eel
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Swamp Eel: Monopterus albus
Appearance:
Body snake-like tapering to a point; small eyes, tiny scales, and finless; typically dark reddish-brown with light tan to orange abdomen, but some are light orange, pink or white, with dark calico-like markings; heavy mucous coating facilitates burrowing nature; secretive and most active at night, but generally considered a 'sluggish' fish; present in Hawaii for 100 years… Read More
July 12, 2011
White Marlin
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White Marlin: Tetrapterus albidus
Appearance:
color of body dark blue to chocolate brown, shading to silvery white underbelly; noticeable spots on dorsal fin; upper jaw elongated in shape of spear; body covered with embedded scales with a single sharp point; tips of first dorsal, pectoral, and first anal fins rounded; lateral line curved above pectoral fin, then going in straight line to base of… Read More
October 07, 2011
Redesigning an Online Fishing Resource
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Starting a web site isn't all that hard. You can go to Network Solutions or GoDaddy (or hundreds of other "hosting" companies), give them a credit card for $20-or-so, and use graphic tools free-of-charge to make yourself seen. Add to that the establishment of "Open Source" communities using programs like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, and other than needing some computer experience and a willingness to learn new things,… Read More
May 09, 2010
Baja 2004
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We had been catching a bunch of skipjack tuna and they were fun but the East Cape’s Sea of Cortez has much more to offer. Bill and Terry were off chasing schools of skippies but I decided to stay tight to our Mothership. Alonzo, the captain, started tossing live sardinas to see if he could raise some Dorado or Yellowfin. It isn’t easy to see well into the water while sitting in a kayak but I saw something big in the… Read More
July 12, 2011
White Grunt
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White Grunt: Haemulon plumieri
Appearance:
body color light bluish-gray, head with horizontal blue stripes, white underbelly; black blotch on preopercle; margin of each scale bronze; large bright orange mouth; scales above lateral line larger than scales below lateral line.
Habitat:
from SHORE to the outer reef edge or on OFFSHORE hard bottom to 115 feet; most abundant in water less than 80 feet deep; juveniles… Read More
July 12, 2011
Florida Pompano
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Florida Pompano: Trachinotus carolinus
Appearance:
Greenish gray on back, shading to silvery sides
Fish in dark waters showing gold on throat, pelvic, and anal fins
Deep flattened body with small mouth
No scutes
22 to 27 soft dorsal rays; 20 to 23 soft anal rays
Origin of anal fin slightly behind origin of second dorsal
Habitat:
Florida pompano are common in inshore and nearshore waters, especially along… Read More
December 18, 2011
Ken Salos
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Professionals like Ken Salos bring a unique combination of formal education and on-the-water "fish smarts" when it comes to shooting much of the outdoor imagery you're going to be seeing here.
[widgetkit id=26] Read More
July 10, 2010
Hawaii Fishing News
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We haven't had a chance to fish Hawaii, although on one trip we talked to a few guys that were surf fishing -- with 12' rods -- for Jack that weighed more than 30lbs. The bled them and ate them -- something we've known people to do right here in Florida.
Hawaii Fishing News calls itself The Voice of Hawaii's Fisherman, and judging by the size of the roosterfish on this month's cover, sport fishing is as serious on the… Read More
August 25, 2011
Largemouth Bass
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Largemouth Bass:
Of all the fish in the world, of all the lures, and of all the ponds, lakes, and rivers that are on the minds of the world's recreational anglers, nothing spends more time there than largemouth bass. They generate more money spent by sports advocates in Japan, for example, than any single sport save baseball. Here in Florida alone it is thought that more than $50 billion - with a "B" -- will be spent… Read More
July 12, 2011
Dolphin (Fish)
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Dolphin: Coryphaena hippurus
Appearance:
Bright greenish blue above, yellow on sides and has the capability to flash a wide range of colors
The body tapers sharply from head to tail
Irregular blue or golden blotches are scattered over the sides
Female's heads slope more than males
Habitat:
Dolphin are open-ocean predator that school when young and go solo once they're over around 10lbs or so. The young live… Read More
August 18, 2010
Lionfish
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David and I were watching a brief on TV the other day in between meetings and saw a guy and woman scientist talking about Lionfish, and that they taste just like grouper. This comment from a recent edition of Marine Science (the Sea Grant newsletter) tells us that one's been taken in 40 feet of water off Bradenton. Yumm. It will take the feds about three months to regulate them: One LionFish per Angler (and, of course,… Read More
July 12, 2011
Tripletail
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Tripletail
Appearance:
The rounded second dorsal and anal fins are similar in size and along with a rounded tail fin, give the fish its name. The bases of those fins have scales.
Habitat:
Frequently associated with structure.
Behavior:
Found in Florida primarily during spring, summer and fall.
State Record:
40.8 lbs.
Fishing Tips and Facts:
Often found near structure and when hooked will seek to escape by… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Red)
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Red Snapper: Lutjanus campechanus
Appearance:
Color pinkish red over entire body, whitish below
Long triangular snout
Anal fin is sharply pointed
No dark lateral spot
Red eye
Habitat:
Juvenile red snapper occur over sandy or mud bottoms. Sexual maturity is attained at age 2.
Behavior:
Red snapper feed on crustaceans and fish.
State Record:
46 lb 8 oz, caught near Destin
Fishing Tips and… Read More
July 12, 2011
Spanish Mackerel
by
Spanish Mackerel: Scomberomorous maculatus
Appearance:
Color of back green, shading to silver on sides with golden yellow irregular spots found above and below the lateral line
Front of dorsal fin is black
Lateral line curves gently to base of tail
Habitat:
Spanish mackerel are prevalent throughout Florida waters: inshore, offshore and nearshore. They are frequently found over grass beds and reefs. These… Read More
July 09, 2011
Croakers
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Atlantic Croaker: Micropogonias undulatus
Appearance:
Atlantic Croaker have an inferior mouth with 3 to 5 pairs of small barbels on the chin
They have a silver-gray or bronze body with dark oblique wavy bars or lines and are iridescent, especially on their head
The preopercle is strongly serrated
Habitat:
These fish are generally found north of Tampa Bay on the west coast and north of Cape Canaveral on the… Read More
July 09, 2011
Bonefish
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Bonefish: Albula vulpes
Appearance:
Silvery, with torpedo-shaped body and conical snout.
Habitat:
Bonefish primarily inhabit inshore shallows of the Florida Keys, often in water that is less than 1 foot deep
Behavior:
Bonefish have deeply forked tails that provide power for chasing prey in lush grass beds. Keen eyesight and a skittish nature make these fish a prized trophy for saltwater anglers. They travel in… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Lane)
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Lane Snapper: Lutjanus synagris
Appearance:
Color silvery-pink to reddish with short, irregular pink and yellow lines on its sides
Diffuse black spot, about as large as the eye
The dorsal fin centered above the lateral line
The outer margin of caudal fin blackish
Habitat:
Juvenile lane snapper are found inshore over grass beds or shallow reefs. Adults are typically found offshore and are most common in… Read More
July 12, 2011
King Mackerel
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King Mackerel: Scomberomorus cavalla
Appearance:
Color ranges from black iridescent to bluish green with silvery sides
The body is streamlined with a tapered head
No black pigment present on the front of the first dorsal fin
The lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin
Young fish often have yellowish spots, similar to the Spanish mackerel
Habitat:
King mackerel are found both… Read More
August 15, 2010
Finding The Slow
by
Zooming to work, zooming home, hurrying the kids to school and hurrying to pick them up or take them to a soccer game. Blasting off to the grocery store to get a last minute item for dinner and on and on is an everyday occurrence for many. I thankfully no longer have to do that however I am guilty of becoming hurried when going out to the flats to throw some feathers.
I see this mind set in many anglers. Hurry up and… Read More
July 12, 2011
Knobbed Porgy
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Knobbed Porgy: Calamus nodosus
Appearance:
Body deep; front profile very steep
Nape projects strongly in large adults
Body is generally silvery, with a rosy cast
Cheek and snout are dark purplish gray, with many bronze spots
Large blue spot at axil of pectoral fin
Habitat:
hardbottom, reefs, ledges. N.C. to s. Fla. and entire Gulf of Mexico.
Behavior:
State Record:
This species is not currently… Read More
August 25, 2011
Black Crappie
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Black Crappie:
Appearance:
A deep body with nearly symmetrical dorsal and anal fins and a speckled pattern on the body and fins identify the black crappie.
Habitat:
Unlike most other panfish, crappie spend much of their time offshore feeding on small fish in lakes or in large slow-moving clear water rivers.
Behavior:
They nest in colonies from February to April. Nests are fanned by males over gravel or muddy… Read More
July 12, 2011
Yellowfin Grouper
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Yellowfin Grouper: Mycteroperca venenosa
Appearance:
color highly variable greenish olive or bright red with longitudinal rows of darker black blotches over entire fish; outer one third of pectoral fins bright yellow; lower parts of larger fish with small bright red spots
Habitat:
OFFSHORE on reefs off southern portions of Florida.
Behavior:
undergoes sex reversal from female to male in latter part of life;… Read More
August 21, 2010
Night Time Shark Time!
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The next time you are in Sharky's on the Pier and are enjoying a Grouper Sandwich; take notice of that old 14/0 Penn reel hanging from the ceiling. It was donated by one of the original Venice Pier Anglers years ago of the remembrance of days gone by and it caught most of the sharks (the jaws on the walls) in the dinning room. Next time you are there check it out.
There are thirty-seven species listed as Sharks in the… Read More
June 19, 2010
Florida's Artificial Reefs
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Not all of us spend every minute of our time on the water. In fact, about a third of our readership spends most of their time offshore -- some so far out-of-site-of-land they're legends for doing it (read about contributor Travis Palladeno here, not to mention guides like Larry McGuire, and Captain Wade Osborne, whose offshore adventures are in their own class as well).
But if you're like us, a good set of numbers is… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Vermilion)
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Vermilion Snapper: Rhomboplites aurorubens
Appearance:
color of entire body reddish, with a series of short, irregular lines on its sides, diagonal blue lines formed by spots on the scales above the lateral line; sometimes with yellow streaks below the lateral line; large canine teeth absent; orientation of mouth and eye give it the appearance of looking upward; no dark lateral spot.
Habitat:
suspends at mid-depths… Read More
July 12, 2011
Tarpon
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Tarpon: Megalops atlanticus
Appearance:
Tarpon have a distinctive dorsal fin ray that extends into a long filament, a large upward pointing mouth and very large scales
Habitat:
Primarily inshore fish, preferring shallow estuaries around mangrove forests, salt marshes or hard-bottom/seagrass communities of the Keys. They tolerate a wide salinity range, and as juveniles, enter fresh waters.
Behavior:
Tarpon can… Read More
August 25, 2011
Flathead Catfish
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Flathead Catfish:
Appearance:
A flat head, tiny eyes, squarish tail and protruding lower jaw distinguish flathead from other. They are yellow-brown, usually mottled above, with a creamy colored belly.
Habitat:
Flathead are found in the Apalachicola and Escambia rivers, where they recently arrived from Georgia and Alabama. Flatheads prefer long, slow-flowing, moderately-turbid rivers.
Behavior:
Spawning occurs in… Read More
August 25, 2011
Lionfish
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Description
Lionfish are marine fish that are mainly red, brown and white and have a striped, zebra-like appearance. They grow to approximately 12-15 inches in length; however they have been noted to be larger in areas where they are not indigenous. The pectoral fins are long and showy, and with a row of long, dorsal spines. Each spine contains a venom gland in the distal third of the spine (but not at the tip).… Read More
August 25, 2010
Tying Feathers in the Rain
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There’s something mellow about tying flies when it rains. I find it to be special every time I sit down at the tying bench, when it’s like this. I put a hook in the vise and look out onto the Gulf of Mexico. I watch the birds wading the shore, hunting for a meal between the droplets on the surface. An hour goes by and it’s time to put something onto the hook. A piece of this and a piece of that, a few windings of thread… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Mutton)
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Mutton Snapper: Lutjanus mahogoni
Appearance:
Color olive green on back and upper sides
All fins below the lateral line having reddish tinge
Bright blue line below eye, following contour of operculum
Anal fin pointed
Small black spot below dorsal fin
V-shaped tooth patch on roof of the mouth
Habitat:
Mutton snapper are an inshore species associated with grassbeds, mangroves, and canals. Larger adults are… Read More
August 25, 2011
Bluegill
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Bluegill:
Appearance:
Bluegill have the deep-bodied look of "bream," with a long dorsal fin and slightly forked tail. A dark ear covering and a blotch at the dorsal fin's back bottom edge set them apart.
Habitat:
Bluegill are common throughout Florida but are best known in lakes and ponds.
Behavior:
Bluegill eat mostly insects and their larvae. Bluegill spawn throughout summer, congregating in large "beds".… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Queen)
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Queen Snapper: Etelis oculatus
Appearance:
Color of back and upper sides red
Silvery body long and slender
Dorsal fin distinctly notched
Large eyes
Caudal fin deeply forked
No dark lateral spot
Habitat:
Queen snapper are common offshore over rocky reefs of the continental shelf to 450 feet deep. Young queen snapper suspend at mid-depths.
Behavior:
There is little is known about the queen snapper, but it… Read More
August 25, 2011
Bowfin
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Bowfin:
Appearance:
The bowfin is the only living representative of an ancient family of fishes. It has an air-bladder that functions like a lung, and can be seen gulping air. They have a long, stout body; big mouth with small, sharp teeth; long dorsal and rounded tail fin. Males have a dark spot with a bright orange halo on the tail fin. The spot is absent or inconspicuous on females.
Habitat:
Prefers swamps, or… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Yellowtail )
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Yellowtail Snapper: Ocyurus chrysurus
Appearance:
back and upper sides olive to bluish with yellow spots; lower sides and belly with alternating narrow, longitudinal pink and yellow stripes; prominent midlateral yellow stripe begins at mouth and runs to tail, broadening as it passes the dorsal fins; caudal fin yellow and deeply forked; no dark lateral spot.
Habitat:
juveniles INSHORE on grassbeds and back reefs;… Read More
August 25, 2011
Bullseye Snakehead
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Bullseye Snakehead: Channa marulius
Appearance:
Air-breathing, torpedo-shaped fish with flattened head and toothed jaws; long anal and dorsal fins without spines; typically red eyes; body color darkens with age to deep brown with black blotches sometimes fringed with bright comma-shaped markings, and a red-orange eyespot (ocellus) near the base of the tail. It resembles a bowfin in behavior and appearance, but is… Read More
June 20, 2010
What are these links?
by
Fishy Spots from The Online Fisherman
These "Trip Maps" are being built into a comprehensive set of instructions about fishing our region -- from season-to-season, species-to-species, map-to-map, and launch-to-launch. They will include places to fish from the shoreline, and places to fish so skinny only a kayak is practical. You're going to see "Fishing from Shoreline" and even maps to show "Where to Catch Mullet" which… Read More
July 12, 2011
Red Porgy
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Red Porgy: Pagrus pagrus
Appearance:
The only American porgy with a near nostril that is round (not slit-like)
Head and body silvery red, with many tiny blue spots
Habitat:
Adult red porgy are found on the deeper part of the continental shelf, but young may occur in water as shallow as 18 m (60ft.).
Behavior:
State Record:
This species is not currently eligible for a state record.
Fishing Tips and… Read More
August 25, 2011
Redear Sunfish
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Redear Sunfish:
Appearance:
A bright red mark on the back edge of the gill cover is very distinctive.
Habitat:
Redear prefer hard bottoms, congregating in deeper water than bluegill.
Behavior:
They prefer snails and clams, giving them their common nickname. Shellcracker grow larger than bluegill, with fish over 1 pound common.
State Record:
4.86 lbs. Big Catch: 12 inches or 2.25 lbs.
Fishing Tips and… Read More
July 12, 2011
Banded Rudderfish
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Banded Rudderfish: Seriola zonata
Appearance:
Fish that are less than 11 inches long have a dark band from the eye to the first dorsal fin and six prominent bars on body
Larger fish are bluish, greenish, or brown
Soft dorsal base about twice the length of the anal fin
The tail-lobe is white tipped
Habitat:
These fish are found nearshore and offshore over hard bottom, generally in shallower water than other… Read More
July 12, 2011
Sandbar Shark
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Sandbar Shark: Carcharhinus plumbeus
Appearance:
Snout broadly rounded and short
First dorsal fin triangular and very high
Poorly developed dermal ridge between dorsal fins
Brown or gray in color with white underside
Upper and lower teeth finely serrated
Habitat:
Sandbar sharks are a nearshore fish typically found at depths ranging from 60 to 200 feet.
Behavior:
These sharks are both predators and… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Silk)
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Silk Snapper: Lutjanus vivanus
Appearance:
Back and upper sides pinkish red, shading to silvery sides with undulating yellow lines
Pectorals are pale yellow
Back edge of caudal fin is blackish
Anal fin pointed
No dark lateral spot
Habitat:
Silk snapper are common offshore over rocky ledges in very deep water. They are most common in south Florida.
Behavior:
Little is known about the behavior of the silk… Read More
August 25, 2011
Chain Pickerel
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Chain Pickerel:
Appearance:
Chain pickerel are deep olive-green on the back, shading to a creamy yellow on the belly, with the back and anal fin about the same size and located far back on an elongated body. A distinct black chain-like or interwoven marking on the sides give them their name.
Habitat:
Found statewide, normally in vegetated lakes, swamps and backwaters of small to large rivers.
Behavior:
Spawning… Read More
February 15, 2011
Redfish/Bonefish Changes
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will meet Feb. 23 and 24 in Apalachicola to act on various fishing, hunting, recreational and wildlife issues. The sessions will begin at 8:30 AM each day and are open to the public. The meeting is in the third-floor courtroom of the Franklin County Courthouse, 33 Market St.
Traditionally, the Commission discusses marine fisheries issues on the second day,… Read More
July 12, 2011
Fantail Mullet
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Fantail Mullet: Mugil gyrans
Appearance:
Color olive green with blue tints on back, shading to silvery sides, white below
Anal and pelvic fins yellowish
Dark blotch at base of pectoral fin
Inverted V-shaped mouth
Insertion of second dorsal over that of anal fin
Habitat:
These are an inshore species, occuring along beaches in the fall.
Behavior:
Fantail mullet spawn in nearshore and possibly inshore waters… Read More
September 03, 2011
Horseshoe Crab
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Ancestors of horseshoe crabs date back over 450 million years--long before the age of the dinosaurs. Four species of horseshoe crabs exist today. Only one species, Limulus polyphemus, is found in North America along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Maine to Mexico. The other three species are found in Southeast Asia. Horseshoe crabs are not true crabs at all. Horseshoe crabs are more closely related to arachnids (a… Read More
July 12, 2011
Scamp
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Scamp: Mycteroperca phenax
Appearance:
Color light gray or brown
Large adults with elongated caudal-fin rays
Reddish brown spots are on sides that tend to be grouped into lines
Some yellow around the corners of the mouth
Habitat:
Scamp are found around nearshore reefs off the northeastern coast, and on around offshore reefs in the Gulf.
Behavior:
These fish spawn in the late spring. Scamp feed on small… Read More
August 25, 2011
Spotted Bass
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Spotted Bass:
Appearance:
Spotted bass are similar to largemouth bass, but unlike the largemouth, the spotted bass has scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin; their first and second dorsal fins are clearly connected, and its upper jaw does not extend past the eye.
Habitat:
They prefer small to medium streams and rivers with clear, slow-moving water, and gravel or rock bottoms. Seldom found in natural… Read More
August 02, 2010
Escambia County Harvest Opens
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 30, 2010
CONTACT: GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE, (850) 488-5394
Governor Crist Announces Closed Harvesting area in Escambia County Reopens
Governor Charlie Crist announced tonight that The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has reopened coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County to the harvest of saltwater fish, at 12:01 a.m. July 31. The FWC closed this area on… Read More
July 13, 2011
Snapper (Gray)
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Gray Snapper: Lutjanus griseus
Appearance:
Dark brown or gray with reddish or orange spots in rows along the sides
A dark horizontal band from snout through eye is present in young only
Two conspicuous canine teeth are present at front of upper jaw
Ddorsal fins have dark or reddish borders
No dark spot is present on side underneath dorsal fin
Habitat:
Juvenile gray snapper are found inshore in tidal… Read More
August 25, 2011
Redbreast Sunfish
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Redbreast Sunfish:
Appearance:
A very long black ear flap distinguishes this fish from other Florida bream.
Habitat:
Also known as river bream and redbellies, these are the flowing water cousins of bluegill. Redbellies often can be found in backwater areas with less flow, especially where there are sandy bottoms. Common in rivers of north Florida, but absent from south Florida.
Behavior:
The redbreast's diet is… Read More
August 25, 2011
Mayan Cichlid
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Mayan Cichlid:
Appearance:
A broken lateral line and turquoise ring on the tail are diagnostic. Color varies greatly in intensity sometimes with bright red on the chin, throat, and breast; the 6-8 bars can be faint or dark.
Habitat:
Mayans are illegally/ accidentally established nonnative fish. First recorded in Florida Bay in 1983, they are abundant in south Florida as far north as Lake Okeechobee. Native to… Read More
May 12, 2010
Sticking Your Head in a Cooler of Ice
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Have you ever stuck your head into a cooler full of melting ice? Of course you have. It’s too tempting to have not done it, at least once. It’s the ultimate in brain freeze and when you stand up and the liquid ice pours off of your head and down your sweaty hot back, it insights a uniquely blended dance of panic and pleasure. It’s always fun to encourage and induce someone that has yet learned of these delights to try it… Read More
July 12, 2011
Sand Seatrout
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Sand Seatrout: Cynoscion arenarius
Appearance:
Pale body color, yellow above, silver to white below
One or two prominent canine teeth usually at tip of upper jaw
Inside of the mouth is yellow
No well-defined black spots on back
10 to 12 soft rays in anal fin
No chin barbels
Habitat:
Sand seatrout are a Gulf species that may occur in the Atlantic waters of extreme south-eastern Florida. Adults are… Read More
July 12, 2011
Silver Perch
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Silver Perch: Bairdiella chrysoura
Appearance:
Color silvery with yellowish fins
No spots
No chin barbels
No prominent canine teeth at tip of upper jaw
Preopercle finely serrated
5 to 6 chin pores
Mouth terminal
Habitat:
Silver perch are found inshore in seagrass beds, tidal creeks and rivers, and marshes.
Behavior:
Spawning takes place in shallow, saline portions of bays and other inshore areas,… Read More
July 09, 2011
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
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Atlantic Sharpnose Shark: Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
Appearance:
The snout is flattened and long
White trailing edge of pectoral
Dorsal and caudal fins are black-edged, especially when young
May have small whitish spots on sides
Furrows in lips at the corners of the mouth
Outer margin of teeth are notched
Second dorsal fin originates over middle of anal fin
Slender bodies are brown to olive-gray in color… Read More
July 12, 2011
Gulf Sturgeon
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Gulf Sturgeon: Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi
Appearance:
What is there to appreciate about a big fish? Plenty, say scientists who study the Gulf sturgeon. The Gulf sturgeon grows to greater than six feet in length, sports bony plates on its head and body, has fleshy "whiskers" on its long snout, and no internal skeleton. This ancient fish evolved from much larger ancestors that lived more than 225 million years ago.… Read More
August 20, 2010
Council Reef Fish Decisions
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Here is what The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has decided this morning regarding reef fish:
GREATER AMBERJACK- Council has tentatively chosen a recreational seasonal closure for Greater Amberjack from June 1 – July 31 as its preferred alternative. (This action is being considered in order to avoid in-season closures during peak fishing months.) Council is expected to take final action on this amendment… Read More
July 12, 2011
Rock Sea Bass
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Rock Sea Bass: Centropristis philadelphica
Appearance:
Color olive-brown or bronze, with dark blotches forming vertical bars
Dark black blotch on middle of dorsal fin base
Tip of lower jaw purplish
Bright blue and orange stripes and markings on head and fins
Fully scaled nape
Tail tri-lobed in adults
Habitat:
Rock sea bass are found offshore often on sandy or muddy bottoms.
Behavior:
These fish spawn… Read More
July 12, 2011
Longbill Spearfish
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Longbill Spearfish: Tetrapturus pfluegeri
Appearance:
Color of body dark blue shading to silvery, white underneath
Dorsal fin bluish, others brown-black
Two dorsal fins, the first lengthy, its front forming a peak
Two anal fins, the anus well in front of the first
Upper jaw is prolonged into spear
Its cross section is round
Habitat:
Longbill spearfish are found offshore in deep water.
Behavior:
These… Read More
August 25, 2011
Florida Gar
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Florida Gar:
Appearance:
Prehistoric fish with ganoid (bony) scales that have peg-and-socket joints forming a hard armor. Irregular round, spots occur on top of the head, all over the body and fins.
Habitat:
They are found in the Ochlockonee River and waters east and south in peninsular Florida where they inhabit streams, canals and lakes with mud or sand bottoms near underwater vegetation.
Behavior:
use an… Read More
July 12, 2011
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
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Scalloped Hammerhead Shark: Sphyrna lewini
Appearance:
Fifth gill slit shorter than 4 preceding ones and located posterior to pectoral fin base
Flattened head extending to hammer-like lobes on each side
Distinct indentation of the front margin of the head at its midpoint
Second dorsal fin longer than tail
Gray-brown to olive in color with white underbelly
Teeth smooth-edged
Pectoral fins tipped with black on… Read More
August 25, 2011
Jaguar Guapote
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Jaguar Guapote: Cichlasoma managuense
Appearance:
Broken lateral line and black-and-white patterning make this species distinct; toothed and protrusible mouth; numerous purple to black spots or blotches on body and fins with series of black squares along their sides; males typically larger than females; only local species that might be confused with the jaguar guapote is the black crappie, but guapote's teeth and… Read More
August 25, 2011
Blue Tilapia
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Blue Tilapia: Oreochromis aureus
Appearance:
Young nondescript gray with a black spot at rear of dorsal fin; adults generally blue-gray shading to white on the belly; borders of dorsal and caudal fins with red to pink borders; broken lateral line and the spiny dorsal fin is joined to the soft dorsal fin. In central Florida, anglers can assume every tilapia they observe in fresh water is a blue, and any tilapia… Read More
July 12, 2011
Silver Seatrout
by
Silver Seatrout: Cynoscion nothus
Appearance:
Pale straw colored above, silvery sides and white below
No distinctive pigmentation, although faint diagonal lines may be present on upper body
8 to 9 rays in the anal fin
Large eyes
Short snout
One or two prominent canine teeth usually present at tip of upper jaw
Lower half of tail longer than upper half
Habitat:
Silver seatrout are most common over sand or… Read More
July 12, 2011
Red Grouper
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Red Grouper: Epinephelus morio
Appearance:
Color brownish red
Lining of mouth scarlet-orange
Blotches on sides in unorganized pattern
Second spine of dorsal fin longer than others
Pectoral fins longer than pelvic fins; squared off tail
Margin of soft dorsal black with white at midfin
Black dots around the eyes
Habitat:
Red grouper are a bottom dwelling fish associated with hard bottoms. Juveniles are… Read More
August 25, 2011
White Catfish
by
White Catfish:
Appearance:
Sides are blue-gray to blue-black and may be mottled. The tail is moderately forked, and the anal fin is shorter and rounder than that of channel or blue catfish.
Habitat:
Found statewide in rivers and streams and in slightly brackish coastal waters.
Behavior:
Although fish are their major food, whites also eat larval aquatic insects, small crustaceans, fish eggs and aquatic plants.… Read More
August 25, 2011
Blue Catfish
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Blue Catfish:
Appearance:
Adults have stout bodies with prominently humped backs in front of the dorsal fin. They resemble channel catfish by having deeply forked tails, but are lack the spots and have a longer, straight-edged anal. The back and upper sides are blue to slate gray, and the belly is white.
Habitat:
Originally found in the Escambia and Yellow rivers in northwest Florida, they are now also in the… Read More
August 18, 2010
Lionfish
by
David and I were watching a brief on TV the other day in between meetings and saw a guy and woman scientist talking about Lionfish, and that they taste just like grouper. This comment from a recent edition of Marine Science (the Sea Grant newsletter) tells us that one's been taken in 40 feet of water off Bradenton. Yumm. It will take the feds about three months to regulate them: One LionFish per Angler (and, of course,… Read More
July 12, 2011
Palometa
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Palometa: Trachinotus goodei
Appearance:
Grayish-blue-green on top of head and along the back
Bright silvery sides
Yellow on breast
Elongated dorsal and anal fins
Dusky or black with bluish edges
Deep body, with four narrow bars high on the sides, and traces of a fifth fin nearer the tail
No scutes
Habitat:
Palometa are most common in clear water along sandy beaches and bays, and occasionally found over… Read More
July 12, 2011
Nassau Grouper
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Nassau Grouper: Epinephelus striatus
Appearance:
Color light background with brown or red-brown bars on sides
Stripe in shape of tuning fork on forehead
Third spine of dorsal is longer than second
Pelvic fins are shorter than pectoral
Black dots located around the eyes
Large black saddle on caudal peduncle
Habitat:
This grouper's range is limited to south Florida. Nassau grouper are somewhat site… Read More
July 12, 2011
Warsaw Grouper
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Warsaw Grouper: Epinephelus nigritus
Appearance:
uniformly dark brown, with no distinct markings; dorsal fin with 10 spines; second spine very long (much longer than third); caudal fin squared-off; rear nostril larger than front nostril; young have yellow caudal fin with dark saddle on caudal peduncle; some whitish spots on body
Habitat:
deep rocky ledges and sea mounts, in 90-300 m (300-1000 ft). Young are sometimes… Read More
July 12, 2011
Schoolmaster
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Schoolmaster: Lutjanus apodus
Appearance:
Color olive gray on upper sides with yellow tinge, sometimes with reddish tinge around head
Long triangular snout
Eight pale vertical bars on the side of the body
Yellow fins
Blue stripe below eye, becoming interrupted in adults
No dark lateral spot
Habitat:
Juvenile schoolmaster are found in grassy flats. Adults frequent nearshore, especially around elkhorn coral… Read More
August 25, 2011
Yellow Bullhead
by
Yellow Bullhead:
Appearance:
Similar to brown bullhead but with light colored barbels.
Habitat:
The habitat is variable and includes vegetated areas of clear, shallow lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and slow-flowing streams. They are more tolerant of polluted environments than most other members of the catfish family.
Behavior:
Though scavengers, yellow bullheads prefer to feed on minnows, snails, shrimp and… Read More
August 25, 2011
Peacock Bass
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Peacock Bass:
Appearance:
Color is very vivid - generally golden with three black vertical bars that fade with age. A black spot with a yellow halo on the tail fin is distinctive.
Habitat:
Butterfly peacock bass were stocked, after research showed temperature would limit their range. Biologists sought to control exotic fishes and to provide a high quality sport fishery. Many miles of canals in Miami-Dade and… Read More
July 12, 2011
Sailfish
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Sailfish: Istiophorus platypterus
Appearance:
Color dark blue on top, brown-blue laterally and silvery white underbelly
Upper jaw elongate in the form of a spear
First dorsal fin greatly enlarged in the form of a sail with many black spots; squared off front; highest at its mid point
Pelvic fins are very narrow and reach almost to the anus
Lateral line is curved over the pectoral fin and then straightens to the… Read More
August 25, 2011
Grass Carp
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Grass Carp: Ctenopharyngodon
Appearance:
The grass carp is actually one of the largest members of the minnow family. The back of the grass carp is silvery to dark grey, and the sides of the body are lighter with a slightly golden sheen. The belly is silvery white. Fins are generally greenish-grey. The fish has relatively large scales. The body shape is oblong with a round belly and broad head. Teeth have been… Read More
August 01, 2010
Deepest Undersea Volcano Discovered
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This is one of several stories that we've gotten from a wonderful new contributor to our rapidly-growing fishing magazine. The guy's name is John Stevely, and you're going to see a lot from him in the coming months. John's one of the scientist-brains we have working with us. Far smarter than we are, their great writing skills (yeah, we vette them lol) combined with the wonderful news coming from the scientific world… Read More
July 09, 2011
Snapper (Blackfin)
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Blackfin Snapper: Lutjanus buccanella
Appearance:
Color is generally red, with yellowish caudal, anal, and pelvic fins
Distinctive and prominent dark comma-shaped blotch at the base of the pectoral fins, which gives the fish its common name
The anal fin is rounded
No black spot found on the side underneath dorsal fin
Habitat:
Adult blackfin snapper are found offshore near the continental… Read More
July 12, 2011
Weakfish
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Weakfish: Cynoscion regalis
Appearance:
dark olive or blue-green back; sides covered in tones of blue, purple, lavender, gold and copper; irregular diagonal rows of vaguely-defined dark spots appear above the lateral line; 1 to 2 prominent canine teeth usually present at tip of upper jaw; black margin on tip of the tongue; pelvic and anal fins yellow; pectoral fins olive on outside, yellow underneath; mouth yellow… Read More
August 25, 2011
Warmouth
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Warmouth:
Appearance:
It has a stout, deep body similar to other panfish. A red eye and large mouth are conspicuous field marks. Three or four dark stripes radiating back from the eye across the cheek and gill cover like war paint confirm the identity.
Habitat:
Warmouths inhabit swamps, marshes, shallow lakes, slow-moving streams and canals with soft, muddy bottoms. They stay around aquatic vegetation, stumps and… Read More
June 20, 2010
Avoiding Security Zones
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The attack on the Twin Towers on September 9th of 2001 changed the way all Americans thought of our country, our freedom, and why we're so in love with being Americans. Let's hope we never forget that fateful morning. Despite the fact that a Battleship's been built from the remaining steel melted when the buildings came down, the space where they sit still remains empty. A hole in the jaw of the greatest nation the… Read More
September 16, 2011
FWC News
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Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission is a truly outstanding resource, and serves our community well. Public access to their great news feeds will keep you up-to-date. Read More
July 12, 2011
Lesser Amberjack
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Lesser Amberjack: Seriola fasciata
Appearance:
Olive green or brownish black and silver sides
Dark band (variably present) extends upward from eye
Juveniles have split or wavy bars on sides
Proportionately larger eye and deeper body than greater amberjack
Habitat:
Lesser amberjack are found nearshore and offshore. Thes fish are typically found in deeper waters than other Seriola (commonly 180 - 410 feet… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Dog)
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Dog Snapper: Lutjanus jocu
Appearance:
Color brown with a bronze tinge, lighter on sides
Canine teeth are very sharp and one pair is notably enlarged, visible even when the mouth is closed
In adults, a pale triangle and a light blue interrupted line are below the eye
No dark spot is found on the body underneath dorsal fin
Habitat:
Large adults are found offshore over coral and rocky reefs. Juveniles are… Read More
August 25, 2011
Suckermouth Catfish
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Suckermouth Catfish: Pterygoplichthy multiradiatus
Appearance:
All three suckermouth catfishes (family Loricariidae) in Florida have rows of bony plates covering all but their belly area. Sailfin catfish are distinguished by worm-like pattern of dark markings on the head over a dark-golden background; pectoral fins stout with rough surfaces resembling course sandpaper; disc-like, protrusible mouth is under the… Read More
July 12, 2011
Shortfin Mako Shark
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Shortfin Mako Shark: Isurus oxyrinchus
Appearance:
Lunate tail with similarly sized lobes
Lateral keel at the base of the tail
Deep blue back and white underside
Underside of sharply pointed snout white
Origin of first dorsal entirely behind base of pectoral fins
Second dorsal fin slightly in front of anal fin
Slender, recurved teeth with smooth edge
Habitat:
Shortfin mako sharks are an offshore fish,… Read More
August 18, 2010
Amberjack, Snapper, and Gag.. oh my!
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The Reef Fish Committee is meeting as we speak. Here are some updates on the hot topics including Amberjack, Gag, and Red Snapper. Please remember that committee decisions are not final. Council meets on Friday to make final rulings on all committee suggestions. Public testomony takes place from 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm Thursday August 19th at the Crowne Plaza- Grand Ballroom in Pensacola, Fl.
Read More
May 31, 2010
The Old Salt
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It was many years in the making, perhaps sixty years or even more. It took considerable efforts in the struggle of life to come to this. This meeting of power, cunning and skill for this titan match of will had finally come to be. The old man, much stronger than his years and the old giant tarpon, much stronger then the man, had come together at last. Had it been destiny, or fate? Is there destiny or such a thing as… Read More
July 12, 2011
Permit
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Permit: Trachinotus falcatus
Appearance:
Color gray, dark or iridescent blue above, shading to silvery on the sides
May show golden tints around the breast in darker waters
Smaller fish have teeth on the tongue
No scutes
Dorsal fin insertion is directly above that of the anal fin
17 to 21 soft dorsal rays; 16 to 19 soft anal rays
Habitat:
These coastal fish inhabit tropical grass and sand flats, near reefs… Read More
July 14, 2011
Shrimp
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Shrimp
The majority of shrimp harvested for food in Florida belong to the shrimp family Penaeidae. The pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum) is the most abundant shrimp species harvested in the state. This species generally lives in clear waters, especially in the area from west-central to southeast Florida. The two other species are the brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) and the white shrimp (Litopenaeus… Read More
September 27, 2010
The EPA and our Split Shot
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We've been talking about the fact the the EPS -- 17 thousand people you pay to come to work everyday -- banning lead. Here's the document that's behind the entire movement. Read it. It's only 100 pages long. At least it didn't take 18,000 pages to stop us from fishing.
It would probably be a good idea if we followed what's going on around us. We're very good at telling the difference between a redfish rolling on top… Read More
July 29, 2010
The "Final" Plan
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First of all, "Final" decisions are -- well -- final, aren't they? At the risk of you never reading this cool fishing content because we're not comfortable with a federal government that appears to be taking over every single aspect of our private lives from their DC offices.
Are you one of a growing number of us that watch TV and hear what our "represenatives" have coming out of their mouths and want to yell at the… Read More
July 12, 2011
Snapper (Mahogany)
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Mahogany Snapper: Lutjanus mahogoni
Appearance:
Color grayish-olive with a reddish tinge
Conspicuous dark spot, about the size of the eye, is located below the soft dorsal fin, 1/4 to 1/2 of it below the lateral line
The large eye and caudal fin are bright red
Lower margin of the preopercle has prominent spur with strong and sharp serrations
Habitat:
Mahogany snapper are found nearshore or offshore in… Read More
January 18, 2011
22nd Annual Caloosa Catch & Release
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Ron Riley MBA
President
Caloosa Catch & Release Inc.
239-671-9347
Caloosa14@aol.com
www.caloosacatchandrelease.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The 22nd Annual Caloosa Catch & Release
Fort Myers, Fl. – January 18, 2011… The event that founded fishing tournaments in 1989 enters its twenty second season with “The Return to Paradise Tour,” returning home to Captiva Island, Florida.
South Seas Island Resort will again… Read More
July 10, 2010
Catching Stolen Fish
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Two guys who thought they had the biggest bass of their lives find that what they had was, in fact, a pair of stolen cars. We've hung lures of every variety on something at one point or another in our lives, but nothing like this.
The original story was found on CBS WTVR Channel Six in Richmond Virginia. Read More
August 25, 2011
Shoal Bass
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Shoal Bass:
Appearance:
Shoal bass are similar in body shape to largemouth bass, but unlike the largemouth, the shoal bass has scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin; their first and second dorsal fins are clearly connected, and its upper jaw does not extend past the eye. Shoal bass also lack the dark lateral (down the side) band that largemouth have. Shoal bass have vertical stripes above the midline… Read More
August 25, 2011
Clown Knifefish
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Clown Knifefish: Notopterus chitala
Appearance:
Very distinct, flat, silvery fish with long anal fin that gives the knifefish its common name; tiny dorsal fin and 5-10 black spots ringed with white distinguish it from all other fish in Florida; juveniles possess dark vertical bands instead of spots; long anal fin equally allows for forward and backward movements.
Range:
Currently only found in Lakes Osborne, Ida,… Read More
August 14, 2010
Fish Feathers
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I was out scouting with finding snook in mind. Not to catch, just to look and see how my friends are doing and perhaps throw a few feathers at some reds. I pushed deep into the backcountry to enjoy one of my special places. I often find huge snook there and enjoy just watching them sometimes. I haven’t been casting to them much this year because of the tough winter we all went through and I haven’t taken a single snook… Read More
July 10, 2010
National Fisherman
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If you're anything like us, you've spent time on TV watching guys fishing for crabs in cages that could rip you off the deck of those boats with a simple swing; they call the show Deadliest Catch. This newsletter from the commercial-side of our national (and global) fisheries provides insight into a side of the field that people like Captain Travis Palladeno, his first mate SuperJ Boyle and many others affiliated with… Read More
August 02, 2010
Escambia County Harvest Opens
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 30, 2010
CONTACT: GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE, (850) 488-5394
Governor Crist Announces Closed Harvesting area in Escambia County Reopens
Governor Charlie Crist announced tonight that The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has reopened coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County to the harvest of saltwater fish, at 12:01 a.m. July 31. The FWC closed this area on… Read More
May 12, 2010
I Like Jello-O
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I like Jell-O. You like Jell-O. What’s not to like? It’s cool and sweet and tastes good. It tickles going down and it’s fun to play with because it wiggles. Just ask any kid if you forgot that part.
It’s the kid in us all that makes fishing fun. Most of us began fishing as children. Perhaps your father or mother taught you. Or maybe an older brother or sister showed you the ropes. Lets’ not forget grandpa. After all, he… Read More
August 25, 2011
Spotted Sunfish
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Spotted Sunfish:
Appearance:
Spotted sunfish are olive-green to brown in color, with black or reddish spots on the base of each scale forming rows of dots on its sides.
Habitat:
The preferred habitat is slow-moving, heavily vegetated streams and rivers with limestone, sand, or gravel substrates.
Behavior:
A nest-builder that tends to be more solitary than other members of the sunfish family. Males are very… Read More
August 25, 2011
Piranha
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Piranha: Serrasalmus
Appearance:
Deep laterally compressed bodies are generally silvery or golden in color, with a short adipose fin, jaws with a single row of sharp tricuspid sheering teeth and no molars. Other characids look somewhat similar but can be distinguished primarily by the dentition. Pacus (Colossoma spp.), and silver dollars (Metynnis spp.) as well as Myleus spp. and Mylossoma spp. have molar-like… Read More
August 25, 2011
Brown Bullhead
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Brown Bullhead:
Appearance:
Chin barbels on browns are pigmented, not whitish as with yellow bullheads. The sides of brown bullheads have a distinct, irregular brownish mottling over a light background. The belly is creamy white. They have square tails.
Habitat:
Browns generally inhabit still or slowly-flowing warm waters in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, large rivers and sluggish streams.
Behavior:
They are… Read More
August 25, 2011
Sunshine Bass
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Sunshine Bass:
Appearance:
Sunshine bass were first produced in Florida by state hatcheries, and all sunshines are still produced and stocked. This is because they are a hybrid of a female white bass and male striped bass that does not occur naturally. Sunshines often have broken stripes on the front half and straight lines on the rear half of the body.
Habitat:
Sunshines occur where they are stocked by the… Read More
May 12, 2010
Eyes of an Eagle
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Years ago, before moving to Florida, I used to fly here from wherever I was in the country to go saltwater fly fishing. I owned a commercial real estate company that took me all over our beautiful country. I was watching a saltwater flats fishing show which was new to TV up north. As a fly fisherman I just had to try that. I had been fly fishing since I was eleven or twelve when my Grandfather put an old copper fly rod… Read More
April 04, 2010
Dangerous politics
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Ocean Policy Task Force: Interim Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning
On December 14, 2009, President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force released its Interim Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (Interim Framework) for a 60-day public review and comment period. With competing interests in the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes, the Interim Framework… Read More
August 25, 2011
Channel Catfish
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Channel Catfish:
Appearance:
Catfish are easy to distinguish by their whisker-like sensory barbels and a forked tail. Channel catfish have a rounded anal fin and scattered black spots along their back and sides. Males become especially dark during spawning season and develop a thickened pad on their head.
Habitat:
Channel catfish are found throughout Florida, and spawn in holes and crevices.
Behavior:
Primarily… Read More
August 25, 2011
Suwannee Bass
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Suwannee Bass:
Appearance:
A heavy-bodied black bass that seldom exceeds 12 inches long. Mature Suwannee bass have bright turquoise coloring on the cheeks, breast, and belly. The upper jaw does not extend beyond the eye, and there is only a shallow notch between the dorsal fins. A distinct dark blotch where the lateral line meets the caudal fin and scales on bases of dorsal, anal and caudal fins further identify… Read More
May 01, 2010
National Association of CharterBoat Operators
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New Commandant For U.S. Coast Guard
Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr. will become the next commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Papp as the 24th commandant. He will take over from Adm. Thad W. Allen during a change of command ceremony May 25 in Washington, D.C.
Papp, who grew up in Norwich, currently commands the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area, making him responsible for all of… Read More
October 01, 2010
Here we go again...
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From the Publisher: This will only start to stop in November. Watch what's happening here, ladies and gentleman. How many of us catch Warsaw grouper? What's the impact of putting something on the endangered species list?? When are redfish, snook, speckled trout, tarpon, cobia, tripletail, flounder, and ladyfish going to be on the list? Mangrove Snapper anyone?
This kind of regulation happens slowly. This is a fish… Read More
August 25, 2011
White Bass
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White Bass:
Appearance:
White bass look like short stripers. They are silvery-white with five to eight dusky black stripes on the sides. Stripes below the lateral line are faint and may be uneven. Whites are stockier than stripers, with a smaller head, and dorsal fins are set closer together.
Habitat:
White bass are found mostly in the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee river systems.
Behavior:
Male white bass move… Read More
February 15, 2011
Links from FWC
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GOLIATH BAN NEEDS TO GOhttp://www.bradenton.com/2011/02/13/2953103/goliath-ban-needs-rethinking.html SEAHORSES ARE LOVERShttp://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/february/206983/Seahorses-are-romantic-species-of-the-sea STILL HOPE FOR SHARKShttp://www.bradenton.com/2011/02/10/2946366/turning-the-tide-to-protect-sharks.html …BUT OYSTERS ARE ON THE ROPEShttp://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2047245,00.html NEW C… Read More
July 13, 2011
Kingfish
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King Mackerel: Scomberomorus cavalla
Appearance:
Color ranges from black iridescent to bluish green with silvery sides
The body is streamlined with a tapered head
No black pigment present on the front of the first dorsal fin
The lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin
Young fish often have yellowish spots, similar to the Spanish mackerel
Habitat:
King mackerel are found both… Read More
August 25, 2011
Black Acaria
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Black Acaria: Cichlasoma bimaculatum
Appearance:
Small, stout, convex-headed, bream-looking body-shape with two black blotches on side, the larger blotch at mid-body and a smaller one near base of tail; color variable with gray-blue-silver-brown base, sometimes with light blue-green sheen.
Habitat:
Most common in shallow, stagnant, roadside ditches or similarly disturbed habitats that normally contain few… Read More
October 13, 2010
Outdoor communicators honored by Southeastern Outdoor Press Association
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October 11, 2010: For Immediate Release Lisa Snuggs (EM) lisa@seopa.org (O) 704-984-4700
From the Publisher: We got this Press Release from a man that's done a lot -- and continues to do a lot -- for our fishing community. Ron Presley's new book -- Secrets from Florida's Master Anglers -- will be reviewed in coming weeks by team member Captain David Rieumont. Ron's book is an excellent example of his work. His role as… Read More
August 25, 2011
Butterfly Peacock
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Butterfly Peacock: Cichla ocellaris
Appearance:
Body shape similar to that of a largemouth bass; color highly variable, but generally golden with three black vertical bars that tend to fade and are possibly absent in older fish; black spot with a yellow-gold halo on the caudal fin.
Range:
Introduced by FWC in large coastal canals of southeast Florida in 1984; low water temperatures and intolerance of saltwater… Read More
June 13, 2010
Live and Online Navigation
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Using a computer as a fishing tool is one thing; using a fishing web site like TheOnlineFisherman.com and having tools like the ones available from EarthNC make computers twice as likely to improve your odds of catching fish -- and doing it safely -- than any computer or collection of old writers could do alone.
You'll find the excellent EarthNC navigation tools under the "Locations" menu item on the left navigation… Read More
May 12, 2010
Mayhem at Sunup
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I was on the water before light headed north to the flats. I had been passing a likely looking spot for some time now and really wanted to work it. I had to wait for the proper conditions to make it worthwhile considering the ‘sure thing’ area that awaited me in the backcountry. Well the conditions were just right. The tide was pulling at day break. There was no ‘W’, not the slightest breeze and the temperature was a… Read More
July 10, 2010
Granny's Flounda
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I remember thinking how cool it was to see so many old people -- old-timers, we always called them -- fishing around the bay. We saw them fishing for groupa, we saw them fishing for snooksters, and we saw them fishing for macks on the pier. We saw them fishing for largemouth bass, and we even saw them fishing for tarpon.
When the hell did I get to BE an oldtimer myself?? It's a bummer when that happens. But old ain't… Read More
August 20, 2010
Council Reef Fish Decisions
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Here is what The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has decided this morning regarding reef fish:
GREATER AMBERJACK- Council has tentatively chosen a recreational seasonal closure for Greater Amberjack from June 1 – July 31 as its preferred alternative. (This action is being considered in order to avoid in-season closures during peak fishing months.) Council is expected to take final action on this amendment… Read More
