On the Line

Pick the Right Stick  

by Mike Conner, Editor-in-Chief

A trip to Flamingo on Florida Bay this past Sunday further solidified my fishing philosophy: Pick the Right Stick. Though my plan was to fly fish for tailing redfish, andI fact did hook and land the first redfish I spotted and cast to with my 8-weight rod, things changed in a heartbeat.

The wind died, and the flat looked like an ice skating rink--not a ripple. The sun was now high enough to light up our world, which makes fish-spotting easier, but in a tradeoff, fish see you better, too. The reds were all singles, and as my host Richard Kernish said: "They aren't tailing as much as yesterday. Yesterday they were "flopping over" standing on their heads. And we had some wind and a light chop.

Translation? Easier fish to approach and feed. "Dumber" fish.

We would pole silently to within 70 feet of a fish, and it would feel us and would move off irritably, pushing a wake as it did. After a dozen refusals on long, long casts, and showing them the fly pretty darn well most times, we knew what time it was: Spinning rod time!

I jumped on the poling platform and Richard tied on a nice, fat plastic jerbait, Texas-rigged. A single red tailed up 120 feet away. Richard launched a long cast just beyond the fish, which had no clue. Richard twitched the bait. The redfish pounded it. Richard's rod bent double. And he looked back at me with that look that said, problem solved. And we repeated the scene a half dozen times in the next 15 minutes until the water rose further and the fish dissappeared.

"We would have caught 20 fish if we made the switch earlier," Richard commented later. No doubt, we would have. But that's okay, we have scored big numbers many times on fly. But on this day, casting from even a full fly line's distance just did not cut it.

Do I prefer fly casting? Sure. But I also like to catch redfish after going to bed at midnight, rising at 4 a.m. and driving 170 miles to fish for maybe 6 hours. So, I will do what it takes without reservation. I pick the right stick. Every single time.

  

EYE CANDY

Sneak a Peek at Fly & Light Tackle Angler 

Here is a sneak peek preview of the FLTA PROFILE department which will be a interview with Joe Mahler. The video shows some of the look and feel and the interactivity that will be available on the magazine app. 


http://youtu.be/l48hkkulZ8Q?hd=1

On the Line

Nurture Your Young Anglers

by Mike Conner, Editor-in-Chief

This morning as I read over the final proof for our first issue's GENERATIONS column--in which Kenny Wright offers his insightful tips for teaching kids to love fishing--my recent trip to the local WalMart fishing department came to mind. First of all, I always advocate giving your local tackle shop your business, but when my favorite shops don't carry something I desperately need, well, Wally World gets the sale.

While there, I came across parents and a boy of about 12 going through the rack rod spinning combos with puzzled looks. And dad gazed over the wall of lures while rubbing his chin. I gathered a few items, and as I walked by, the mom asked if the rod-and-reel their boy was holding could "catch a snook." It was a budget 12-pound outfit, spooled with what looked like 15-pound-test mono. I grabbed it, and told them it certainly would, but they would need to tie on a bite leader of 30-pound test at the least. And that just got me blank stares.

"Have you ever fished for or caught a snook?" I asked. They had not, and in fact, had little fishing knowledge, but said they witnessed an angler land a big snook at the beach that very morning while they looked for seashells, and their son badly wanted to do the same. "It fought like crazy!" the boy gushed.

They had no way of catching live bait, had never fished with lures, so I gave a short clinic right then and there, but what they needed was hands-on instruction. Dad told me they could not afford a boat guide, or expensive equipment, but wanted my help to pick out one or two good snook lures, and advice on how to "reel" them. I explained that to him, then suggested they go down the street to a particular tackle shop (and buy the test of mono leader that WalMart was actually out of) and ask my good friend behind the counter to show them a good knot to tie on a leader, and one to tie on the jig, spoon and plug that I picked out for them. They were happy, thanked me and prepared to head for the check-out. As they did, I told them that even if the snook did not bite, they might catch a jack, ladyfish or a bluefish, and the boy turned to me, smiled broadly and said, "I only want to catch one of those snooks!"

And his attitude is understandable, having witnessed a great catch, but I can only hope that he caught any fish at all, because he would certainly enjoy those as well. I am fortunate that my dad fished and brought me into fishing gradually, starting with bream and bass, and in time, saltwater species. Like the boy at WalMart, many kids have parents that do not fish at all, so they have to get "the bug" somewhere else.

Fishing Parents: The first "Generations" column, "Eyes Wide Open," is one you should read. Compare notes with Kenny Wright. He's a dad raising three young anglers.
Non-fishing Parents: Inquire about kids' fishing programs at local tackle shops or online.

On the Line

DON'T Rip Some Lips

By Mike Conner, editor-in-chief


Last week during a quick afternoon fly fishing trip to a local beach, I was passed two young fishermen, with spinning rods rigged with swimming plugs in hand. They asked about my fly rod and asked if I had caught a snook yet. I replied that I had just started casting, and one of them said "Should be snook along here in these bait schools. I'm ready to "rip some lips!"

By now, you may have noticed that Rip Some Lips has become a favorite cliche if not a "battle cry" for some anglers. I think it is macho B.S. most of the time.

Well, in the case of snook, it is closed season now through the summer in Florida, and catch-and-release should be practiced with every effort to not rip some lips. A good start would be to avoid using treble hooks for fish you plan to, or must, release. You can still use that favorite lure that comes stock with trebles. I would suggest: replacing the trebles with single hooks. Or, at the least clip off one of the three "legs" of that treble, and then crimp down the barbs on the remaining hooks. Leave a bump; you will be surprised to see how well the hooks will hold in a fish's mouth (see photo for examples). Or you might just fish a single hook lure, like a soft plastic or spoon.

These measures will not only save on wear and tear on that fish. It will also allow you to remove hooks more quickly to get that fish on its way--a good idea especially in hot summer water.

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/
  

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  

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?