Tuesday, May 22, 2012




On the Line 

by Mike Conner, Editor-in-Chief


Mulling Over Mercury


A close friend had a great bottom-fishing trip in the Dry Tortugas west of Key West in recent days, and keeping with tradition, he and his wife hosted a dinner party for my wife and our circle of friends last night. I was still thinking about that sumptuous yellowtail snapper this morning as I opened up the local section of my daily newspaper, The Stuart News,  to: "Mercury Level in Lagoon fish Higher?"

It referred to an ongoing study, and somewhat concerning statistics that show that hair samplings of individuals living around Central Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL) show elevated mercury levels.
It is well-documented that the Lagoon's dolphins, which are apex predators, have some of the highest levels of mercury in their flesh than anywhere in the world.

The sub-theme of the article was that the poor economy is driving more local anglers to the water to catch and increasingly keep Lagoon species such as seatrout, redfish, pompano, bluefish and snook, and nearshore species such as Spanish mackerel and kingfish to put meals on the table.

One gentleman who was interviewed while fishing on the popular north Jetty at Sebastian Inlet on Florida's Atlantic coast claimed that he ate fish "a dozen or more times a week," which is pretty extreme, but unemployment gave him little choice.

What is known is that methylmercury, the neurotoxin is generated by bacteria that thrives in oxygen-depleted environs common in the ground in Florida Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and the Lagoon. And some researchers believe that sulfates from fertilizers and fungicides boost the growth of methylmercury. And guess where that ends up? In stormwater runoff and even rainfall.

I just now estimated the number of fish servings I have had in the last month, from my personal Lagoon catches (trout, flounder, sheepshead and pompano) and sushi bar stops (tuna are reportedly mercury-laden) , and though I am not in that Sebastian Inlet angler's league, I eat a fair amount of fish. The photo I have included here is fresh flounder, a great eating fish that we target at this time of year.

And I am looking into getting tested, to see where I stand. For a detailed guide on how often how should consume particular fish species in various waters, visit www.tcpalm.com/fishnotice/
  

Monday, May 7, 2012

Send 'Em Off Strong

I walked outside this morning and it hit me like wall. Summer has arrived in Florida, the humidity is up, and as if on cue, thunderstorms are stacking up along the coast today. As it reached 89 an hour ago, I needed a longer break from yardwork, and that got me to thinking about fish that we release. From here on out, they need a little more resuscitation time as the water gets hotter this month and certainly through the entire summer.

The best practice is to use adequate tackle for the job, to shorten the fight time. No sense in fighting fish to exhaustion that you plan to release, or must release due to closed seasons, bag limits or sub-legal length.

Keep the fish in the water, and at most, take a quick snap shot in four or five seconds and get that fish back. We all need reminding of that, I am guilty not sticking to that at times.

Lastly, if predators are about, such as sharks or dolphins, that tired fish that you release is probably a dead duck. Release a fish into cover whenever practical, and in extreme circumstances, it might be time to move on and not fish when and where your released catch is sure to fall victim.  

-- Mike Conner, Editor-in Chief  

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

On the Line by Mike Conner

No Gators in My Pan

I know that many anglers struggle with the concept of letting the big ones go and keeping the small ones to eat.

But it makes perfect sense to do just that, in many cases. May is a top month to catch a so-called "gator" trout in my home waters of the Indian River Lagoon. Big spotted seatrout in the 5- to 10-pound-plus class seem to light up just as our spring bait run commences, and it is in full swing right now.

I made a quick wading trip yesterday on the lee side of the river (it was blowing at 20 knots plus) at 5 p.m. Had a big flood tide, so could not wade far from the roadside pulloff. And did not need to. Missed a good thump on my favorite trout plastic, a DOA Shrimp. By 6 pm finger mullet were so thick, every splashdown of my shrimp sent 'em showering. Things were slow, but just as I thought about heading home, I got another telltale thump and set the hook. Nothing spectacular at first, just a head shake and a momentary standoff before the fish wallowed on top before taking a little line. A half-jump convinced me it was a snook. As I got the fish closer, in the poor light, I realized it was a stud trout. Played her to my feet, a 30-incher as my rod measurement divulged later. "Great way to bring in May," I thought. Should have brought my camera.

As I walked the fish along to revive it, a guy down the bank called out, "That a trout?" I said yes, and he came closer and asked if I wanted it. "No, I release all trout over 18 inches. I just eat a few small ones now and then."

As I watched her go away strong, the guy commented that he saw anglers filleting big trout like mine earlier in the week at the cleaning tables. He commented that is perfectly legal, and I agreed.

"It's legal, but really not good in the long run," I said. Then we talked about the superior table quality of smaller seatrout, and the importance of big breeders in the water and so on.

Driving home, I got to thinking about the recent push by CCA Florida and other recreational angling groups to get the state of Florida to do away with our long-standing regional closed seatrout seasons. The state obliged, but also  increased the commercial hook and line catch limit in step. Hey, why wouldn't the commercial guys want more? Sport anglers shined a bright light on assessments that stocks were in excellent shape, right?

I think the short closed seasons benefit the overall numbers of trout. Now trout will be harvested year-round, and despite the conservative bag limits in the 5- to 6-fish range (depending on region) fewer will be released to become "gators," those prolific, genetically superior egg-laying females so vital to the fishery's future.

What I would suggest is keeping the current 15- to 20-inch size limit, but with only one fish in the bag allowed at the maximum of  24 inches in all Florida waters, rather than the current "one greater than 20 inches" allowance. How often do you catch one over 24 inches anyway? Well, there is a reason for that. Why not put the bigger ones on your memory card rather than in the pan?